New Laundry Basket Stat

Remember how I used to post pictures of Sophie in a laundry basket to show you how big she has gotten. {post 1 & post 2} Here is the latest update! The basket is bigger than our one back home but that's a good thing because Sophie is a lot bigger too! ... Almost two! Where does the time go? :)

:: We woke up to snow on our volcano yesterday morning! [We live a sea level, and the top of the volcano is 14,200+ ft] You will have to look close, but I promise there is snow at the very tippy top! [above the clouds]

:: Today is final #2 out of 6 for Brian. So far so good! Looking forward to the end of the first semester and 3 weeks of play!

{dear b}

{dear b}

We are saying adios to days of undergraduate degrees!

Yippee! 

I am super proud of you.

Pretty sure you are the smartest scientific/chemistry loving guy I know! 

I have to admit at one point during this school career

I was nervous that it would never end! 

I thought that Organic Chemistry & Professor Davies just might be the end of us. 

But, you we made it through! Yahoo!

The celebration dance you did last night was very entertaining!

Leave it up to you to do a crazy happy dance that involved 

diving and rolling off the giant exercise ball.

That was quiet a laugh!

Especially when you rolled off the ball and ran right into the wall. 

Good thing you were too happy to notice that it hurt! :)

Way to go B!

{love k}

an idea to store away

image from emily loerke

Don't you love when you stumble across the best idea ever! While bouncing around blogland I just happened to see to come across just such an idea.

These graduation announcements.... for when Brian graduates pharmacy school.

Your probably thinking that I am getting a little ahead of myself, since he won't be graduating for 4 years but.... Emily's idea is that good! I am storing that one in the "keep file" for sure.

Speaking of pharmacy school here is a little update:

We are going to move to hawaii sometime between May and July. 

No, we don't have a set date, we are still working on that. It all depends on when we find a house to rent.

Meanwhile I have been google-ing everything there is to know about hilo hawaii.

Some facts I have learned...

average temperature 78 {average temperature in utah, slc area is 51}

the coldest time in hilo is febuary... its gets down to a freezing 63 degrees.

there are white, green, and black sand beaches.

we are moving to the rainy side of the island. 130-200 inches per year.

 gas in hilo is currently $4.33 a gallon

Getting excited to start the adventure. Getting sad to leave family behind.

mini e-book club session

photo via google

Want to have a mini e-book club discussion with me?

It might help with my homework (wink, wink)

It's to bad I can't magically send everyone some mini chicken salad sandwiches, brownie bites, and fresh squeezed lemonade to snack on during our book chat but I don't think that's possible. You'll need to provide your own treats.

Topic: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Where: Comment Box

I absolutely love the book and movie Pride & Prejudice. I love the charm and romance and the Victorian style. I have to write an essay on Pride & Prejudice and Love. I was hoping you could  give me your opinion, along with any other tid bits you might have about Pride & Prejudice or love for that matter.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Have you seen or read Pride & Prejudice? What do you think about it?

Resolution

The New Year brings a new beginning. A chance for a fresh start and a clean slate. It brings a chance to take a personal inventory and decided what we like, don't like, what to improve, and what's working and what's not.

I have a list of new years resolutions, 11 to be exact {2011}.

I am not going to share them all with you, but I do want to share one.

Today was the first day of my English Literature class. I went in dreading it. I expected that the class was going to be filled with reading an old boring book and writing a 5 page report. repeat.

I hate writing papers about books. And I especially hate to write papers about books that are long and boring. Love reading. Hate formal writing. I knew my class was going to be awful.

My professor turned out to be an older man, bald, with the most picturesque reading glasses. He has the perfect narrators voice. For an hour and a half he lectured at us. Told us short stories aloud, read poems, interesting facts about writers, and revealed that one of his favorite books is Pride & Prejudice. Every girls favorite book right?

By the time class was over he had projected enough enthusiasm about literature that I had decided to be a english major.  I told myself that even though I don't know what an adverb is that I can still be an engligh major.  I hate writing but that's okay right? English majors don't just write papers. Do they? Somehow it would work out and be wonderful.

By the time my 10 minute drive home was over reality had struck me. Whacked me on the head.  I reminded myself that I hate engligh, more specifically writing papers and that I can't ever be an english major, for the dread of having to write a billion 20 page papers.

I have decided to tone down my recent found literary enthusiasm from english major to making a new years resolution.

I am going to take more time to enjoy the books I read.

I am going to expand the genre of books I read.

I love reading. Especially late at night, in bed.
But I also have a little confesstion... I plow through books. Practically skim them. I am talking, reading one book in a whole day. The authors  would probably be livid to know that I don't hang on every detail. I mostly read the dialogue. I know, that's horrible isn't it?

But not for long! Now, I am a going to be a literary-ist. aka. explore the literary world, a little more, take my time and enjoy it.

Anyone have a good book suggestion? 

::And I want to end with a special note to you. yes, you.

dear reader,

Thank you for being a special part of my 2010. Blogging has been a wonderful experience for me this past year. Loads of creativity shared from you to me. Loads of support with my new endeavors while being a mom. And loads of friendship I could have never dreamed of. Thank you for the opportunities you have given me. Thank you for reading, commenting, and emailing. Hope you will stick around in 2011.

He Got Accepted!

Aloha Brian,



Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, College of Pharmacy, Class of 2015.....

He got accepted!

Remember all my posts about pharamacy school and waiting, waiting, waiting. Well, the waiting is over! Last night we received an email from the University of Hawaii! He got accepted! We both did the happy happy dance last night! Miss S thought we were crazy. We are crazy, crazy excited about the prospect of moving to Hawaii!

Don't worry many, many, many more Hawaiian details to come soon! Aloha!

Have a happy weekend! We are off to do some celebrating!!!

:: These Days We.... are thinking about surfing, the ocean, pineapples, and of course blogging from Hawaii!


:: ps. The picture of B is not in Hawaii. It is in Cabo. But it was my only ocean picture.

pharmacy school - update

Remember a little while ago I told you that brian is applying to pharmacy school?

{original post HERE}

time for a little update.... 
black text= original checklist. red text= updates + added tasks & details

• Take the pcat.
• Pray and wait for your score.
• Re-take PCAT just for good measure
• Receive your score.
• Still waiting on the second score. Please mailman, will you bring it tomorrow?
• Pick several schools to apply too.
• USN, U of H at Hilo, TJU, UOD, UK, Mercer ... just to name a few of the 10.
• Send them your transcripts, pcat score, letters of recommendation, fill out the application, pay for the application, fill out a supplemental application, & pay for the supplemental application.
• Pray and wait you get called for an interview.
• so far...Got an interview at USN and U of H at Hilo!
• If you get an interview, buy a new suit and airplane ticket.
• ... or take your suit to the dry cleaner. much cheaper.
• Smile and do your best in the interview.
• USN interview, done. Hawaii's in a couple weeks.
• Pray and wait.
• this whole process is a matter of waiting.
• waiting .....
• Receive a letter in the mail 2-4 weeks later. or phone call
• Pray, as you are tearing it open, that you got accepted.
• If you are accepted pay the chair holding fee and pray to say thank you.
• If you are not accepted pray that another school will accept you.
• Repeat this process with as many schools as you can afford.
• Pray a lot + a lot more.
• Make your final decision between offers & pack up everything you own and move for 3-4 years.

this process has been one of waiting.waiting.waiting. but I have to say that it is getting more exciting every step of the way. We are actually doing this, not just talking about it. Each time I wish the waiting was over, and that the real adventure was starting I try and remind myself that this is part of the adventure. Plus, I always wanted to be a secretary right? :)

Back 2 School Dinner

Today it's back to school...

Here is whats on my school schedule:

Into to Visual Arts (online)

Business 1010 (online)

Internet Sales & Service (online)

TBE (on campus)

 ----------------------------------------------------

Last night we went to my mom & dad's house for sunday dinner.

We go to their house for official sunday dinner once a month.

Most months we have "themed" dinners.

{Pictures + stories from past sunday dinners HERE}

Yesterday's theme was "Back to School"

My mom had the table decorated super cute!

Decorations:

colored lined paper

a stack of books

  a mason jar full of brand new, sharp, colored pencils.

"back to school" banner 

 paper clips.

name tags

Notice the cake in this picture? It's chocolate zucchini cake....

SOOO YUMMY!

I have to admit I ate some for breakfast this morning, which probably negated my 3 mile walk but oh well. Sometimes you just need a little chocolate!

Besides the cake, for dinner we ate:

taco soup

rolls

chips

cantaloupe

juice

corn on the cob

Hope everyone is enjoying "back to school" whether its you hitting the books, or packing up a brown sack lunch for your kids!

ps::  Want to see the toys Sophie plays with at my mom's house? Read HERE.

pps:: Can you tell I am in back to school mode?

 I just noticed I made 3 lists on this post!

I love fall time! School, changing weather, colorful leaves, and the start of a great time of year! Brian started his classes last week. He has some hard classes... again. I think he is past the easy classe stage. He works really hard to get good grades! I'm proud of him!

As of yesterday I also started classes at WSU! Brian and I applied for a grant and in order to get it both of us had to be attending WSU! So I am taking Chemistry and Animal Biology! Since I am starting a week late I had to get teacher permission to enroll. Brian is ALWAYS in the science building, and knows a lot of teachers so I figured it would be easiest to get teacher permission, and signatures, from teachers that like and know Brian! Back to homework mode!

My best client!

You would never believe who my best nail school client is... Brian! Yep he comes whenever he has free time and tells me I can practice whatever I need to on him (as long as it removable!) I can't even count how many manicures and pedicures I have given him! He probably doesn't want me to share this but last week I put acrylic tips on him! :) And I'm not going to lie it was kind of weird! But, he is such a good sport about helping me get done with school! I'm so lucky! Love ya Brian!