Summer

Summer is finally here (...and has been for several months but obviously I'm quite behind) and I no longer have to sit in class day dreaming of summer vacations. Now I just sit at work and day dreaming about them :)

Classes ended the last part of April and I can happily say that Collin and I passed with flying colors, something that definitely came with lots of work and stress...at least for me. Winter semester is always the hardest for me. Anyway, for those that don't know I started a new job in March as an ophthalmologist technician. I know, its quite a mouth full but basically I work for an ophthalmologist taking back patients and doing all the pre-testing before the doctor sees them. I've been there for about three months now and I love it! Coming from a family of many eye doctors I feel right in my element. The best part of the job is that I get to wear scrubs to work every day, better yet they tell me what colored scrubs to wear each day so I never have to get up in the morning and wonder what to wear! Collin is also working and taking summer classes.

Besides working and school we have taken a few trips home. A couple of weeks ago we flew to Pahrump for Collin's niece's baptism. Collin had the privilege to baptize his niece, Lilly and the whole service turned out really nice. Although Collin's niece comes from a rather rough up-bringing she really is the sweetest little girl I know and has so much love for the gospel. It was fun to be with family and be in the warm weather.

The week after Pahrump we drove home to Ely for the Fears, Tears, and Beers annual bike race that my dad helps put on every year. Collin and I helped out at one of the check points in the race and after spending six hours in the Nevada sun lets just say we left a little redder than before. My dad took 4th in the expert class riding about 34 miles...go Dad!! I've helped out with the race about three years now and have decided that next year I want to race. I've have enough sitting on the sidelines! It was also my dad's 50th birthday that weekend which we all had fun celebrating. My dad is truly an inspirational giant in my eyes and I'm so grateful to have him in my life.

As to the rest to our summer, I'll try be better at keeping you all up-to-date.

Dreaming of Summer

It is happening....I'm not even half way through the semester and I'm already wishing it was summer. The past couple of days all I can think about is how much I want a vacation. Not a quick trip to the parent's house or a little day trip to some nearby city-- I want a long, far-away, relaxing vacation, just me and my husband. Last summer we had a couple of nice trips planned but we never really followed through with them. Perhaps the lack of time and/or money.

Looking back on it, we really wish we would have taken some of those trips. Not any more! I've decided that I not going to plan trips and then never go on them, this year we are making it happen (hopefully). There are always some factors that are out of our hands, but if the stars align just right maybe we might be able to take our dream vacation this summer. We were looking up vacations in Cape Code, Massachusetts just for fun tonight and unfortunately that has left me wishing I could be there right now. We've been wanting to go there for some time. Spend a day or two in Boston, then go down by the coast near Martha's Vineyard and simply relax. Anyway that is what I'll be asking for my birthday this year.

Just thought I'd share.

One Year Down...And Still Going Strong

May I first start out by saying sorry to all those who follow our blog. As you can tell I am not so good at regularly updating it; however, we are still alive and well....for the most part anyway. Collin has been sick for the past week with a bad cough and sore throat and doesn't seem to be getting much better. We got him some medicine yesterday so hopefully that will help.

Anyway onto other matters, Collin and I finished out last semester with flying colors and enjoyed a fun and relaxing Christmas break in Ely and also celebrated our one year anniversary. I honestly don't know where 2010 went, it just seemed to whiz by. Although we were only celebrating our first anniversary together it felt like we've been together so much longer. This past year has truly been one of the best years of my life. The good days always beat out the bad, and through the tough times we've learned so much and have grown so close together. I feel so grateful for all that I have and for my wonderful life.

As for the new year, Collin and I are about a month into our new semester at school. Collin is loving his classes but truthfully I am having a more difficult time motivating myself this semester. I was a little slow getting back into the groove of things at school so now that midterms are coming up I'm frantically trying to play catch-up. Unfortunately that is not the only thing I'm trying to catch-up in. With the holidays, more car repairs, and the cost of books this month has been really tight budget wise. However, I am very proud of how resourceful and creative it has caused us to be. With a budget of $80 a month (about $20 a week) for groceries, I've learned how to be very resourceful in the kitchen.

Here are some tips that have helped us stay within our tight budget.

I always plan out meals for the week based on what is on sale at the grocery store and what we already have. I've learned if you buy only what you need for the meals you have planned you spend a lot less. Secondly, I try to only take cash with me when shopping. I also use the calculator on my phone as I'm shopping to make sure I'm staying within my twenty dollars. Lastly, I've been doing a lot more cooking. I've made my own bread, tortillas, rolls, etc. Last week we didn't go grocery shopping and made due with what we already had.

Monday - BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Shredded BBQ beef (given to us by my brother and sister-in-law)
Homemade rolls
Corn

Tuesday - Enchiladas
left-over roast
homemade tortillas
tomato sauce
enchiladas seasoning packet
cheese

Wednesday - Pasta
Noodles
Homemade white sauce (butter, flour, milk, seasonings)
Peas

Thursday
Leftover roast
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Corn

As for this week I did go grocery shopping on Friday and was able to purchase food for five meals with only $20! Although we don't have much I truly feel so blessed for what we do have. Thank you to all our friends and family that have so lovingly supported us and helped us when we needed it. Also for all of you out there on a tight budget here are some more cheap and easy dinner ideas. Good luck!

Hot Dogs
Chili and Cornbread
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Frito Pie
Beef Stew
Spaghetti and Homemade French Bread

Get Prepared!...Financially

I am currently taking a stress management class as part of my major and so far it has been so inspiring and helpful. I would honestly recommend it for everyone! Not only does the class cover how to manage stress it includes a section on time management as well as a section on financial management. Right now we are studying financial management and truly it's been so helpful. One of our assignments is to read the Church's online financial plan: Peace in Your Hearts.

The First Presidency advises all to, "prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in you purchases to avoid debt.... If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts."

I'm grateful for my parents who have set a great example and have taught me about financial management. However, like many of us it is something I still struggle with. Along with all the other challenges and adjustments of being newly married, financial management is one adjustment that require work, a lot of practice, and learning from our mistakes... And believe me we are learning! I have found the counsel from "Peace in Your Hearts" to be truly helpful. I think many of us have goals we would like to accomplish but sometimes don't always know how to go about accomplishing them. This is how I felt with some of our financial management goals, but now I feel like I have a lot more direction and tools to effectively help in accomplishing them.

Collin and I aren't in any really financial distress but I think it is important to start early in creating a financial plan, prepare for the future, and setting aside a savings in case of an emergency. Again check out Peace in Your Hearts, it great!

Off to the right I've posted a SNL skit on finance called "Don't Buy Stuff!" It's pretty funny so I thought I'd share. Enjoy.

Another Dean Family Adventure

In case you don't already know, BYU does not give a fall break— we work straight through without a break until Thanksgiving. This however was not going to stop me, so I took the liberty of creating my own fall break.

I spent every minute of the days before working hard to get all of my assignments and tests done and then Tuesday at 4p.m. I left for St. George. Really the first part of my trip was for my gerontology class but I had so much fun it was a vacation in itself. My teacher, Rilla, drove a group of us down to St. George to help out with the health screenings at the Huntsman World Senior Games. We drove down Tuesday night, the night before the screenings began and stayed at Rilla’s condo. I spent the next two day doing health screenings for seniors…and I must say it was a BLAST! I worked mainly doing bone density tests, eye exams, and balance testing but it was so fun meeting all of the seniors who came to participate in the games. It was truly inspiring meeting people into their eighties even nineties who were healthy, fit, and still doing what they love. I hope I can be like that when I get older. While I was performing balance tests there was one gentleman who was eight years old who has better balance that I do! Also we were able to watch some of the volleyball tournaments because they were held in the building we were at. Most of the teams were local, but they also held a world tournament where teams from around the world came to compete. I sat in on the USA vs. Russia men’s volleyball game and it was like watching a college game—so intense! (If you were wondering USA unfortunately lost, but still it was great game) Apart from the great learning experience and fun time I also gained some great new friends. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I hope to go back next year!

(Me and my classes mates who helped at the senior games....they even gave us a sweet t-shirt!)

Collin drove down to St. George on Thursday and picked me up after the health screening got over. We originally planned on camping that night up in Zion’s National Park but by the time we got there the campgrounds were full so we drove back to St. George, went out for a nice dinner, and spent the night at my aunt’s house. We got up early the next morning in order to get a campsite before they all filled up. Luckily we were able to get one and we spent the rest of day enjoying the beautiful weather and relaxing. Later that afternoon we went and hiked the Narrows. The scenery was phenomenal and it was refreshing hiking through the water (although it was rather chilly)…pictures are coming soon! We also went to “Toy Story 3” at the Zion Canyon Giant Screen.

Saturday we packed up and drove to Logandale to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bohn. It was so good seeing them and spending time with them. Grandma showed us all of their old pictures including Grandpa’s mission pictures. Did you know missionaries were allowed to go swimming back then? Anyway later that night we played spinner (basically dominoes with a twist) and I actually won! It must have been my lucky day!

Sunday Grandma packed us up a box of goodies and we began the long drive home.

Grocery Shopping Blues

After holding off going grocery shopping for two weeks (and eating roman noodles and mac & cheese for the last two days) I finally pushed myself to go. I got out of class a little early so I thought I could quickly run to the store, pick up the items we needed then be home by the time I usually get out of class....oh what a JOKE! I drove all the way to Buy Low to realize that I didn't have my wallet with me so I had to drive clear across town and back to my apartment to get it. By 6:30pm I was headed back to the store. A quick trip to the store turned into two hours of my night devoted to grocery shopping! Now maybe I'm just a slow shopper, but between marking out the sale items we needed from two different grocery stores, to the time I spent wandering through them both, somehow it became almost 8:30pm by the time I got back to our apartment-- dinner uncooked, laundry unfolded, and the apartment in some need of cleaning.

As I was driving home from the second store I past several fast food restaurants and it got me to thinking. Being a Public Health student we always discuss how our country's obesity epidemic is partially due to people not eating the way they should, eating to much of the unhealthy foods, and lack of physical exercise. Many families don't have the time or the money to prepare a home-cooked meal every night of the week so they often resort to fast food. I could finally understand why this option is so often chosen and for a moment it became very tempting. Just think! No spending your whole evening grocery shopping. No cooking. It is quick and can be relatively cheap (if you order from dollar menus). And the biggest perk of all-- there are NO dishes to wash afterwards!

Unfortunately, I have learned too much of what that kind of food can do to your body/health if eaten on a regular basis. All in all, even though I truly do hate grocery shopping and washing dishes, I would still choose to make the healthier choice. Although it may take a little bit more time and maybe some more money, living a healthy lifestyle can end up saving you hundreds, even thousands, in your later years (However, I'm still trying to convince Collin of this healthy lifestyle/eating thing. I'm certain that he would be satisfied eating only Popsicles, brownies, and Mac & Cheese for the rest of his life!). I ended up making pork chops, oven-baked potatoes, and cooked squash from my parent's garden. It was very tasty and just happened to be done by the time Collin got off work at 9:30 (yes, we are still working on eating at a decent hour). I even found time to pick up our apartment and also watched my cute little niece, Sophia, for couple of hours....I will have to get to the laundry tomorrow.

Provo Movie in the Park

Every Monday night in August Provo Parks and Recreation shows a movie in the park. Its been a crazy month so I haven't had time to attend the previous weeks but since we finally had a free night Collin and I decided to go.

So we packed up Collin's huge Red Sox blanket, got our favorite pizza and headed to the park. Surprisingly there were a lot of people who came. Online they have the list of movies they play each week however we didn't look before we went and decided to just be surprised. Turns out it was Disney's "Enchanted". Collin had never seen this movie and I don't think I've seen it since theaters so it was fun to watch. We both had a lot of fun and really enjoyed doing something new.

If you've never been before go! It is a fun experience and it FREE!