THE DECISION!!!

We have one! I never thought this day would come!

We will be official Cowboys in August.

If you would have told me six years ago that I would be moving back to Laramie, I would have laughed in your face. Having been away from Laramie for that long, I know the transition will be weird. I’ve already prepared myself that it will not be the same (not that I necessarily want it to be.)

I finally have that sense of peace that I have been yearning for during the last three months, and what a great feeling!

My parents were so wonderful, in that they NEVER pressured us in our decision, but once it was made, they were thrilled! They will not quite have ALL of their kids in Laramie (since Adam will be leaving August 1st), but pretty darn close.

Ronnie has already been scoping out the type of boots and cowboy hat he wants and I’m pretty sure the family wants to take him to a real, live branding, so he can be “branded” or initiated whichever word you choose.

Don’t worry; it won’t include any kind of burning flesh (I think.)

We were also able to travel to Denver and be present as Adam went through the temple. That was an amazing experience. Now he just has to adjust to an extra layer of clothing!
We will be so sad to leave all of our friends and family in the Utah area, but will be sure to keep in touch!

After a long absence...

I have no good excuse. Work was busy, we visited Philadelphia, and I have been trying to keep up with the house and yard (semi-unsuccessfully).

Normally, I would put together a big, long, juicy post all about the trip with fabulous pictures and witty comments, but I still have not uploaded the pictures onto the computer, so there will be none of that.

The law school decision continues to hang over our heads.

I was convinced that if I went ALLTHEWAY out to Philadelphia, I would step onto the campus and have an overwhelming feeling one way or the other.

That did not happen.

I felt normal. Just like I do every other day.

Bottom line: I think this is our decision. Both schools are different, but we will have a good experience at both. I don’t think we will receive any further inspiration. After months and months of praying, we just need to make a decision and move forward. (Oh, what bliss that will be!)

We are headed to Laramie this weekend for Memorial Day and have scheduled another campus tour and meeting with the Dean.

Hopefully I will have news to report after we return.

If not, I WILL make a decision and inform Ronnie of it later. :)

Tagged

I was tagged by the wonderful Jen, and am finally getting around to it. I feel as though there are no other weird things about me seeing as I have already embarrassed myself here and here, but I might as well try…

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their 8 things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose four people to tag and list their names.

Random Facts/Habits About Me:

1. Every time I am in the shower, I come up with a plan to take out the guy that I KNOW is robbing my house right that instant. Seriously, every time.
2. I have not shaved my legs above the knee in over a year. Shaving is my least favorite part of being a girl.
3. All of my toes curl under. My pinky toes are barely visible. I’ll show you next time I see you.
4. I have never gotten a speeding ticket. (A ticket for an accident, yes—but that is another story.)
5. I am not allergic to anything.
6. I am very skilled on a Flying Turtle. If you don’t know what that is, you seriously need to ride one. I spent countless summer nights perfecting my downhill.
7. I do not type correctly. My hands are in the correct position, but my fingers are all over the place.
8. I hate foot massages. In fact I don’t like ANYONE touching my feet for any reason.

And, though I will not stalk you, to find out if you did it, I will tag
1. Bethany
2. Cheryl
3. Jess
4. Gnickie

A birthday and my greatest fear

Ronnie decided he wanted a very laid-back kind of birthday this year, so we decided to do a BBQ at home. Simple enough.

What we did not expect was this when we opened the grill:

Granted, we hadn’t used the grill since February, but still—it was a shock.

This leads us to my greatest fear—birds.

Birds of any shape, size or color.

Obviously I did NOT help clean up the grill so we could begin. In fact, I didn’t even actually step outside. I peeked around the corner from the doorway, got the gist of it and then waited (inside, with the door closed) for picture evidence to look at more fully. I was convinced that the mama bird (there were several egg shells on the ground), would come swooping in to rescue her home.

While I have never especially enjoyed birds (the bird show at Sea World was torture for me), my fear did not truly materialize until after I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” my senior year of high school.

I didn’t like the little finches my Grammy kept for a year or so, I hate the parrots that street vendors always seem to have about, and I have been known to duck and cover in the park when the seagulls are getting too close for comfort.

I know it is not rational.

I know they are more scared of me. (Or is that coyotes?)

But nevertheless, birds are scary.

And icky.

And if you are reading this and trying to come up with a way to scare the bejeebees (sp?) out of me—think again.

I will peck your eyes out if you do.

Happy Birthday Ronnie!

My wonderful husband turns 26 today! (And I like to tease that it means he is OLDER than a quarter of a century.) Ronnie is the opposite of me when it comes to birthdays and asked me today where I wanted to go out to lunch—I was quick to tell him that it is HIS decision, it is his birthday. He didn’t even want to open ANY presents before we left for work. Crazy boy.

Marrying Ronnie was the best decision I have ever made, he is the greatest ever! (I know that sentence sounds like something you would write in your friend’s yearbook—but it IS true!) He is such a people person and makes friends with everyone we meet. Plus, he is so patient with all of my shortcomings—and burnt dinner. He loves the Lakers and the Angels more than I can comprehend, but it sure is fun to watch his facial expressions as he is watching a game.

I’m excited to start the new chapter of our life (law school) together and can’t wait to see where we will end up!

Love you Ronnie!

You know you are in Wyoming when...

…the forecast is 45 degrees with a chance of rain showers and you wake up to 4 inches of fresh snow. On May 6th.

…the graduation BBQ is moved inside and the BBQ-er (Dad) must wear a winter coat to go out and check on the meat.

…you visit the family ranch to vote for a cabin site and cannot step ANYWHERE without stepping on elk droppings.

…in the middle of said trip to the ranch, you are forced to whisper and stand perfectly still for 15 minutes as you watch a herd of elk run up the ridge.

…the entire audience at the college graduation bursts into applause and loud cheering when the speaker (who has gone on WAAAAAY too long) says the words “and in conclusion.” Seriously. This happened. The guy had to pause while we all cheered and then he concluded with the last two sentences. I did not cheer afterward.

And then there were two...

Well, the day has arrived.

We heard from BYU.

We did not get in.

This brings about mixed emotions, as you may expect. There were many positives to staying in the area and attending an excellent school for a killer price, but we also feel that a new experience will be good for us.

We are now down to Temple University and the University of Wyoming. We will visit Temple in two weeks and hope to have a better idea of what we want to do. As always, we’ll keep you posted.

Congrats Erica!

My darling little (but taller) sister received excellent news yesterday! She was hired as the new Kindergarten teacher at Beitel Elementary in Laramie! This all happened just days before her graduation. I am so excited for her! She did her student teaching this last semester at Beitel and must have made QUITE the impression, because she was up against three other experienced teachers and kicked their behinds! (At least from my perspective.)

I can honestly say that she is in THE most perfect profession for her. Her love of children can be seen daily, and she has excelled throughout her education. Maybe I can come out and help her decorate her room! (I think deep down we all want to be teachers—even if it is just so we can write on the chalkboard.)

Congrats again Erc! We love ya!