Bitter-sweet moments.

Kent and I have been praying hard for months that Kent will be able to find steady work. He had tried a couple of times to get into the Marine JAG, but had not yet been accepted. We have been very fortunate that Pepperdine hired me back to do some temp work from home, and Kent has had a few good legal clients. This has helped us to squeeze by. We have felt so blessed to just have our needs taken care of.

Kent prepared to take the PFT (the physical test for the Marines) for the third time. He took it a couple weeks ago and increased his score from 242 to 280 out of 300. This means he ran 3 miles in under 18 minutes, did 100 Marine crunches in under 2 minutes and did 16 dead hang pull ups in a row without dropping. This is phenomenal considering the Marines selected last time had scores around 260. We waited with anticipation... then, last night he received a call from Captain Davis. Kent was selected! He starts Officer Candidate School on January 7th. The amazing thing is that Kent was the only JAG candidate selected from Utah west.

We are sad to be leaving Utah, but are relieved to finally have a plan that includes a stable income and medical benefits. Now we just need to cross our fingers for Kent. He still has to make it through 10 weeks of intense training similar, but harder than basic training before he is officially commissioned as an officer. I will be staying here to do one more semester of school. That means four months apart. We will get a two week visit after the first 10 weeks. Then we can fly back and forth a few times to see each other. The first 10 weeks will be the hardest. No phone calls, only letters are allowed for the first four weeks or so. Then limited phone calls about once or twice a week. I am not looking forward to that. Luckily I will be very busy with school and hopefully Oklahoma.

Another fun thing that is happening, I am in "The 10 Virgins". It is a musical based around the bible parable. We will be performing two shows on November 30th in our stake. It has been so fun and has really helped me to re-evaluate my life. I was thinking, this parable is not written to discourage those of us who are struggling, which I think is all of us to some extent, but it is to remind us that we have all the tools we need to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. We just need to take advantage of them. The foolish virgins were not evil murderers, prostitutes, or careless sinners. They were righteous women who had high standards, but had forgotten to do the obvious, small tasks, like buying oil, that would ensure their admittance to the wedding.

I feel this is often my shortcoming as well. It is the small, simple things that I often let slip. Reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, attending all my church meetings, and being kind and loving to those around me. Those are relatively easy things to do, but am I diligent in doing them. That is all He asks of us. To be diligently obedient. He does not ask us to move mountains, just to be diligent. I came home and read my scriptures (for the first time in a while) and came across this scripture, "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he had strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefor, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27). This hit me like a brick to the head. whenever I heard "man should not run faster than he is able" before, I always thought, well that means I just do what I can do; but in this scripture it is a little more specific. You still do what you can do, what you have strength for, BUT we must make sure our tasks are in the correct order first! So we can still be diligent. This way, even if we don't complete all the tasks set before us, the most important ones will not be forgotten.

If the five foolish virgins had bought extra oil first thing, before anything else, they might not had looked as nice, or their dishes might have been left unwashed, BUT they would have been admitted to the wedding to spend their time in the presence of the Lord. I am sure none of those virgins said, well I didn't make it into the wedding, but at least my dishes are done. What an eye opener! Where do our priorities lie? Are we putting good before better and best? I began at this realization to try to put my life in its proper order. Prayer, scriptures and family come first. That is where my priorities need to lie. It has been amazing. My studies had been much easier since I have been doing this and have been able to get better grades with less studying than before. The Lord is truly blessing me for my efforts, even though they are far from perfect, and my testimony is being strengthened. I am so grateful that the Lord inspires us, and chastens us - with a loving hand. How else would we grow? Well, sorry to babble so long, I will post again soon.

Flush, Swish, Splash, OOPS!

Well, this semester is half over and I can hardly believe it. It has gone by very fast. I can't believe how much work it has been, but I think I have got the hang of it. I am working on a project for my health class where I have to volunteer at a non-profit for a few hours. I spent my volunteer time at the SL Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I was scrubbing stoves and ovens for resale. Another volunteer and I put the oven knobs in a bucket of water to soak. As the water got dirty, the other volunteer offered to go dump the water. I assumed she remembered the knobs in the bucket, but I guess not. She dumped the knobs for two stoves - that's eight knobs into the toilet which automatically flushed once it got too full. She frantically tried to reach into the toilet and catch them, but only caught one and down the rest went. The best part is that flushing seven knobs down the toilet is not the worst of it. When she told our supervisors they looked at us and said, "AGAIN?" I couldn't believe it! This has happened before? They then said, "at least you didn't flush the sponge too". HA! That did it for me. I was laughing for the next three hours. Incredible. At least it was an entertaining experience.

I have also been helping a friend out with some work at a local community theatre. We went to their Gala last Saturday and Kent actually performed in the program! He sang Surrey with the Fringe on Top from Oklahoma. He did the whole scene. He was really good and got a few directors requesting that he audition for the show next spring. It might end up being a conflict of interest though since it is looking like I will be directing the music. I guess we will see. Here are some fun pictures.





The stage was too dark to get a picture of Kent "in the act". too bad. Well. I've got to get some sleep before my 8 am class tomorrow. Night all.

Doughnut Falls

Last Saturday we went to Doughnut Falls with my brother Nathan, sister Sammy, and good friend Shawna. It was lots of fun, but I was a little dissapointed that the large doughnut has colapsed and is now filled with rocks. Of course I hadn't been there for about 9 years. I guess it has been like that for a while. Now it is quite dangerous. A teenage boy broke his leg or hyperextended his knee or something while were were there and the medics had to come in and carry him out. I also slipped and fell - but I can't claim any cool battle wounds. I just have a big bruise on my tricept and one on my knee. Here are a few pictures...

Sammy, Nathan and I at the top of the waterfall.

Shawna and I in the cave under the waterfall.

Kent on the "balance beam". He really didn't want to get his feet wet.

I am back in school now and I am thinking that I have over extended myself. I am taking 18 credit hours (because it is the same price as 12) and it is killing me. I think I would be just fine if I didn't have to take math. I hate math! My brain just doesn't function that way. Give me music or a paint brush and I am good - anything creative will do, but graphing, functions, substitution and elimination - forget it. I havn't even got into the hard stuff yet. Blah! I love my other classes though. It is fun, just very time consuming. Kent is still looking for work and finding all kinds of local classes and seminars to go to. He has also been spending a lot of time helping our friends Tom and Jesse landscape their yard - AKA - play HALO. Actually they have gotten a lot done on the yard so I supose the deserve the gaming time. Well, better go to bed - I have an 8am class.

Living the carnie life

I just got to spend the weekend with my good friend Shawna English. Yea! It was so fun. I have missed her tonz! I am leaving for KY for the next month this Tuesday to sell jewelry cleaner and earn some extra cash. I am not looking forward to eating fair food for an entire month. Yuck! and I will miss Kent, but thus is life.

I got a new calling as Visiting Teaching Coordinator. Wow! What a time consuming calling - for the first and last week of each month anyway.

We find out if Kent gets into the Marines in a couple of weeks as well as if I am prego OR NOT. I know it will happen when it is supposed to but boy, waiting every month to find out if we are successful AGAIN sucks! Last week I was 7 days late which is VERY unusual for me, but no such luck. I usually am not so negative, but I woke up with a migraine at 3 am this morning and was throwing up and very sick feeling and my head was throbbing. I had to go to church and made it there barely functioning in time for Sunday School. My head is still a bit painful and I am hungry but not able to eat. I am also trying to register for classes and the school student system is down. Come on! I am on a deadline. I leave Tuesday morning at 6:30 am. I just kept thinking "I don't have time for this". I guess everything is annoying when you don't feel well.

I just needed to rant a little bit. Sorry to dampen the mood. I will try to get a happier post in here soon with an update on Kent's Marine status. We sure hope he gets in. It will be nice to know what we are doing in life. Adios!

Camping Trip to Escalante

Kent and I just got back from Escalante where we got to do some awesome hikes with our friends Tom and Jessy. We stopped at the visitors center first where there is this giant lizard. We later found out why - there were lizards everywhere we turned the whole trip. It was fun.

The first hike we went on was to Lower Calf Creek Falls. It was five miles round trip and so beautiful.

We then drove about 26 miles down Hole in the Rock Road to the slot canyons trail head. We did a couple of slot canyons, but Peek-a-boo slot canyon was by far the most amazing. Here is Jesse and I at the entrance to the canyon. You had to climb up about 12 feet to get into the canyon then weave back and forth, up and down to get through the canyon. It was amazing. I only wish the pictures showed how beautiful it really was.



Here is a picture looking into the canyon from the top of the entrance.

Here is a view from the top back end. We climbed up the sides to get this shot.

What a great trip. Very, very hot, but very fun. We had a blast. I would highly recommend these hikes. I do want to go back sometime and go all the way down Hole in the Rock road to see Devil's Dance Hall and the actual Hole in the Rock where it meets what is now part of Lake Powell. I read a book about the San Juan mission and the company that traveled through Escalante, the Hole in the Rock, Slick Rock and on to San Juan. What an amazing story. I am even more impressed now seeing the terrain. There is a lot of sand. I can't even count how many times I had to empty my shoes and just can't imagine having to pull wagons through it. Not to mention the heat and lack of shade and water. What amazing examples of faith those saints were. The ones who conquered "impassible country" literally. Well, that's the latest excitement. I will make a more general update post soon.

Kent's official now in two states

Kent just got sworn in to the Utah state bar and is now officially licenced to practice in California and Utah. Here we are after the ceremony.

Other recent things:

I just applied for school, took the placement test, and went to register for class and found out that I am not considered a resident of Utah even though I have lived here 23 out of the 26 years of my life. I have to wait another semester to qualify for residency. I would love to just go to at least one class this semester, but the tuition is three times more for non-residents!!!! Arg! So I guess i get the summer off.

Kent has gotten various legal work for individuals here and there, but is still looking for full time work - as am I. I started teaching piano lessons again, I am also taking piano and violin lessons once again, and just got a gig playing piano at a christening party the end of this month.

I am also helping a friend plan the 3rd Annual Gala for the Empress Theatre. What do you know, all the event planning and sponsor finding at Pepperdine is still paying off.

Pepperdine has hired me once more for a temporary position which I can do remotely. It is interesting I can still get jobs in California, but not here in Utah - where I live. CRAZY!

Well, that is about all that has happened. Pretty boring for now. Maybe something fun or unexpected will happen this week for me to blog about - maybe an airplane will fall out of the sky right outside our apartment window and create a huge fire which everyone will miraculously survive. Or, maybe everything at MACEY's will be discounted to .50 and I will be able to purchase my one year supply of food storage all in one swoop. Of course if that happened, I would have to store it in the bath tub, the dryer, the washer and the oven since this one bedroom apartment isn't getting any bigger. ;)

Moved and Settled

Well, we have left Cedar City already and moved up to Salt Lake in hopes that Kent will be able to find a law firm to associate himself with. We are living on about 7400 South and 900 East by Fort Union in Midvale. We miss our big three bedroom for sure. We are in a one bedroom apartment - again! I am starting to teach piano again and will begin taking lessons from Kent's mom next month to polish up my skills.

We had a wonderful time over Easter weekend. We went to St. George and played air soft, had a late night Easter egg hunt/competition in the dark, and played around on the red rocks. It was a blast.

Us before our air soft battle:

Sammy and my cousin Jake posed as victums of a devistating rock slide - what goofs!