So much to do.. and I'm blogging!

I feel like I should be working on other things, but a lot has happened in the last two weeks so I want to just hurry and catch up.
First, we ripped down the paneling finally, painted, and got a table! I was so excited to have the ugly paneling gone and its so nice to have a table to sit at to eat! Now we can actually have people over to eat as well. We are pretty excited.

Secondly, everything has gotten really busy lately. More work in school, getting a seasonal job at Bath & Body Works, and still trying to keep everything else caught up!
Third, we are so excited to go on a cruise in January. We are going with Chris' family and my parents. I'm so excited to go with them and have my parents come along! It will be fun to spend some time with some family. My dad hasn't really traveled much because he's always working so hard- I think he'll enjoy a little break. Maybe we'll get him hooked on traveling! Our cruise leaves from Miami, then we go to Isle Roatan, Cozumel Mexico, and Belize. It is a week long. I'm sure by the time January comes, we will be very ready for a vacation.
Fourth, classes are going well, despite quite a lot of work! I start clinicals in a just a few weeks! It will be fun to apply some of the things I"m learning though. It has been a lot of work so far, but I'm really liking nursing school.
Fifth, last weekend Haskells were able to come down. It was really fun getting to see them and spend a few days with them. Chris ended up having to work 12:30-9 on Friday and Saturday. I felt bad because he didn't get to see his family as much as I did! On saturday, we went to the UW game against Utah. It was fun, but again, I felt bad because Chris (who really wanted to go) wasn't able to go!
Lastly, today after class, I got to the car and there waiting for me was Chris and some flowers. I quickly tried to think if it was some special day or anniversary. After failing to come up with anything I asked what they were for. He told me "just because." He is such a sweetheart! (I think his father trained him well!). [He also took me to Sonic- our favorite place for drinks! I got a cherry lime diet coke (AMAZING) and he got an orange cream slush(also pretty delicious!).

I suppose I'll wrap it up, and if we survive this next week (2 tests, lots of studying, finishing 28 drug cards which take forever, and some case studies), I'll try to post again someday!

Is this FALL weather?!

First-A few things I love about fall:
Being able to wear a sweatshirt
Hot Chocolate or Hot Cider after coming in from the brisk weather
Baking! (to be continued...)
Beautiful Leaves
Decorating
Fall-smells (outside, and of course the ones we burn)
Chris's last favorite: me wearing SWEATS:)

I have been so excited to have our own place so we can decorate and make it smell good (two silly things that make me ridiculously happy. I have recently decided that I really like pumpkins. So, we have several pumpkins hanging around. I'm running out of surfaces to place them on! Chris is such a sweetheart, and is pretty attentive when I talk about silly things that make me happy. So, for part of my birthday gift, he got me a really cute little pumpkin, a candle from Bath & Body works that is in a little pumpkin glass, a fall-smelling handsoap (carmel apple!), 2 fall-looking wallflower plug ins, and plenty of wallflower fall-smells. I was so excited, but I told him I didn't really want to bring out the fall smells until it got a little chilly and felt like fall. (It has been really warm for the last two months and wasn't feeling at all like fall) This morning it was chilly in the apartment, so I looked outside to see -gasp- a dark sky! It surely felt like fall today! So, I happily replaced the wallflowers with the fall scents!
Chris had to work today, so I went to the church to watch General Conference. I have always loved having my birthday around General Conference weekend. It is such a special time and I love hearing from the Prophet and his counselors. Its always a time of reflection and determination to be better.
Earlier, I mentioned that I love baking. This is still true, but the 2,000 feet elevation difference has thrown me for a loop in the kitchen! At first, I couldn't figure out why everything was so sticky when I was using the same amount of flour as before! Then, I tried to make Becca's Cookies. They're usually nice and fat, hardly flattening at all. This is what happened when I made them.

FLAT as a pancake. I was pretty sad! So, I went ahead and baked them all and put most of them in the freezer (my latest favorite treat- frozen cookies!). I'm really dying to make sugar cookies, but I'm scared to try! I also wanted to make an angel food cake for my birtday, but I really don't want to ruin that either, so I just made a raspberry jell-o (I think I like it better than cake anyways!)

This week in school, I have another nursing test Tuesday (over 10 chapters!) and then we're hoping to come home on Friday! We're really excited- we have missed everyone a lot!