Summer Happenings

Thus far this summer has been a crazy whirlwind full of fun, family and a healthy dose of stress. Our summer started back in April just after finals. We had Kyle's brother, Cameron, living with us for a couple weeks, then his dad came to visit and then just after that my brother, Marc, came to live with us for an undetermined amount of time which only ended up being the weekend. Anyway it felt like a long time before our teeny tiny little home was just ours again.  

While his dad and brother were staying with us we headed into the canyon to see the Bridal Veil Falls (Utah). It's just a quick walk up the entirely paved trail and then a short trail up the mountain to about the middle of the falls. It was a nice quick trip and one more thing off our Utah bucket list.

Bridal Veil Falls from the bottom.

Bridal Veil Falls from the bottom.

Cameron and dad at the middle of the falls. This is as high as  you are allowed to hike on this trail.

Kyle and I at the middle.

But immediately after all of this we were able to go on our first vacation of the summer to Yellowstone and Bozeman, MT. Yay!! Kyle's best friend from high school got married in Bozeman and we decided that on our way up we would spend some nights camping in Yellowstone. Unfortunately because we decided so last minute that we could go, we didn't bother looking at the weather report and just committed to it. So we planned for cold but not very well for the amount of snow that would fall while we were there.

The snow on our way to Yellowstone.

5 minutes after we reached our campsite. The sun came out and everything was melted.

Our trip was cold and wet but so much was absolutely beautiful.

While in Yellowstone we saw tons and tons of buffalo as well as quite a lot of elk. But the entire time what I most wanted to see was a bear. And guess what?!! We did!! Actually we saw a mommy bear with her two cubs the were running away from the road when we saw them so we didn't get a picture of them unfortunately but we did see them!! I was so excited. We also a lot of ravens as well a coyote. All of the animals were so cute and there were a lot of babies which was really neat to see.

It was such a great trip despite the weather and more importantly the wedding ceremony was beautiful and it was great to see how happy Matt and Pattee are together. This was the first time we had met Pattee and she's everything you could hope for your best friend to marry. Unfortunately our camera was left behind so we don't have any pictures of them but trust me the day was beautiful.

The waiting game...

It's so difficult sometimes to stay positive when it feels like nothing is coming together.  About a month ago Kyle put in a bunch of applications for internships this summer.  They said they would respond within 3 weeks of his interviews but we're still waiting.  But on the bright side the other people who interviewed haven't heard anything either.

So while I wait I'm trying really hard to stay focused on school and work.  I was just chosen for an important captain position at work and so my responsibilities are increasing while it feels my free time has plummeted.  Luckily I have such an incredible husband who supports me and reminds me of what is truly important in life.

Along with school and work I've begun my observational hours with an occupational therapist named Katie.  She is incredible.  She's so much fun to work with and is totally reaffirming my desire to be an OT.  So hopefully as I go through the summer completing more hours I can continue to feel sure about this decision.

Maybe Kyle not hearing back from internships is a sign that we are meant to stay in Provo for the summer.  It could be nice, Cameron will be down here as well so with him, Marc and grandparents.  Plus we'll have family reunions and hopefully immediate family vacations.  Hopefully we'll also be able to go visit my parents in their new house!!

Anyway the moral of this story is write until you realize the positives.  At the beginning of this post I was feeling pretty blah about life but now I am so grateful for family and for the Lord's hand in our life.  I just hope we're living in a way to recognize His hand and guidance.

Time to start...

Kyle showed me an article the other day that said moms who blog are happier because it is a way to stay connected with friends when you're too busy to go out with them. If this is really true I better try to form the habit now before we kids. I'm not sure what I want this blog to be for sure but for now it will just be a journal of sorts.

Well we're almost done with Brigham Young University. We will graduate in December and we are definitely feeling the pressure. Both of us are stressed about school and this semester is really putting our time management skills to the test. Kyle is taking a ton of math and stats this semester and he already feels like he's far behind. I'm trying to figure out ways to help without taking up too much of his time. But as I said the end is near...for undergrad anyway. After we graduate we're off to grad school. The current plan is for both of us to go through grad school full time but Kyle's hoping he will get a job instead. So we don't really know what life has in store for us but we know that whatever is best for our family will happen.

Kyle's taking his first actuarial exam in March and is really hoping for and internship this summer. Again we have no idea if that will be here or if we'll be moving for the summer. Either way I'll need to be getting in observation hours. I'm starting next week with a pediatric occupational therapist from Salt Lake. She received a grant to start a program for low-income families here in Provo. The children will be preschool age and will all be either autistic or have sensory issues. I am so excited to do this. I feel so comfortable in that setting and have always found such joy in every patient.

I don't know that this is really the kind of blogging that the article had in mind but baby steps. I hope to be able to stay connected to the friends I've made here and hope we can help each other out as we continue our grand adventures.