so...we're moving.

some of you may know that ryan applied to a few grad schools for this upcoming fall.  since he's been working for intermountain healthcare [about a year now] he has been interested in hospital administration.  this past august he decided he'd like to get his MHA (masters in healthcare administration) at some point.  he was planning to work for intermountain for a few years and then go back to school, but i convinced him otherwise.  if we're going to go back to school, let's just do it now, right?  no point in post-poning that if he knew it's what he wanted to do.  so i convinced him to sign up for the GRE that november and he started to prepare and apply.  he did well on the GRE, although not as great as he would have liked...but i wasn't ever worried.  he applied to six of the top 15-ish schools and he was asked to interview at five of them.  ahem...yeah, that's my husband...ahem.  anyway, after deciding to interview/visit a few of them [university of michigan, the ohio state university, university of minnesota] we found out he was accepted into the program at the university of washington as well.  they don't do on-site interviews because their application process is more extensive, allowing them to choose based on that.  although we were already accepted to both ohio and michigan, we felt that living in seattle sounded great.  closest to both of our families, a top ten program, potentially the best weather of our choices [sad, but true], and we found some housing that wasn't too terribly expensive.  [not to mention i might just run into derek "mcdreamy" shepherd from greys anatomy...right?]  anyway, we decided we couldn't make a decision until ryan visited the campus to get a feel for the area.  [i was able to go with him to michigan for his interview and we took a day-trip to columbus so i could see that was well.]  before he left for his visit we decided to make a pro/con list for each school.  we evaluated each based on a number of different things, and from what we could tell it was 1. university of washington 2. university of michigan 3. the ohio state university  --  fine by me.  but we still felt he needed to visit just to be sure.  we essentially threw out ohio to make the decision easier, although after about two days we put it back in the mix.  this was pretty much a daily battle we had...ryan would come home from work everyday with a different decision, changing his mind each time.  [no...not frustrating at ALL for me.  ha ha.]  so he finally left for washington and decided to meet his dad up there for a business trip.  while he was there, he got a fathers blessing for some clarity and peace about the decision [we had a week before we had to let schools know].  i was at my parents house that weekend and planned to get a blessing from my dad as well.  when ryan got back late on that saturday night, we talked about his trip and about our options.  after talking through specifics, we both felt good about the same place.  not washington.  not michigan.  but ohio.  wait...WHAT?  hadn't we already ruled that place out??!  apparently not.  we had both been feeling really good about it but were a little hesitant to tell the other person.  we felt at peace about it and decided to pray about it that night and make a decision.  the next day was easter sunday, and while we were both pretty sure that ohio would be the choice, we wanted to have it confirmed.  can i just tell you how neat it is when you get specific directions from Heavenly Father?  we were in sunday school and the first scripture we were asked to turn to was d&c 38:32...

 

 

well then.  decision made.  we both just look at each other and smiled.  later that night ryan joined my dad in giving me a blessing, where our decision was confirmed.  for some reason, we are supposed to be buckeyes!!!  we are thrilled to know WHERE we'll be for the next two years and i'm happy it's columbus.  i had a very distinct and positive feeling while i was there, even though it was for less than three hours.  we don't know anyone out there nor do we have any family remotely close, but we know it's where we are supposed to go.  it's hard to believe we'll be leaving provo...finally [whoops, did i just say that?] but we are excited about our new adventure.  we are still on the hunt for an apartment and would love any leads if you know the area :)  ryan will start his program this fall, so we are planning to move mid-august.  each day i have a different emotion about moving...some days i can't wait, and others it makes me cry to think about leaving.  while we are planning to make it back to utah eventually, that will just all depend on how the job hunt goes after school.  we are hopeful to come back to intermountain, but we'll see where the Lord leads us  :)  we are happy to finally share this great news and can hardly wait to start this new chapter of our life.  and hey - maybe we'll be part of a national championship team while we're there...  :)  

 

[easter sunday]

 

for now, we'll just work on accumulating more "scarlet and gray" attire so we fit in with the crowds there.  we might be crazy to move with two little babes, but oh well.  we'll see what ohio has to offer!

 

exactly three years ago...

i got this beauty...

from this-here hunk

it's hard to believe it was three whole years ago...and yet it's hard to believe that it was only three years ago.  it feels like forever ago and yet it feels like we just got married.  make sense?

anyway, as i was thinking back on it i wanted to re-read my thoughts on that day.  i wrote this some time after and put it in a book for ryan, along with scanned notes we wrote each other, important dates, and our detailed first date.  cheesy, but fun to have...and for our posterity to have.  (right?)  anyway, that's why it's written in third person.  no - this isn't how i typically write in my journal.  ha ha.  anyway - for those of you that are even remotely interested, here is our proposal story. 

think back to three years ago...what were you doing?  

this was our day...

Tara was pretty sure Ryan had the ring and was doing her best not to "anticipate" the proposal.  She wanted it to be a surprise and begged Ryan to not give anything away.  So the weekend before the proposal Ryan "smoothly" told Tara that they needed to go back to Utah Lake soon, the destination of their first date.  He told her that maybe they could bring some food a have a little picnic.  Tara's radar went off, but she said it sounded great.  So on Wednesday, March 24th after they both finished with classes, they headed to Gandolfo's to get some sandwiches for their picnic.  Tara loved this place and Ryan had never been, so it seemed like a great idea.  Once they got their sandwiches, they made their way to the lake.  Or so they thought.  Ryan couldn't quite remember how to get there and Tara wasn't exactly sure either.  Ryan tried to call his roommate who knew the way there, but his cell phone was in and out of service.  He started to get a little flustered, which made Tara even more alert to the possibility of a proposal.  He wanted things just right, and she knew it.  They finally got a hold of his roommate and found the right road, leading them directly to "their spot" on the bank of Utah Lake.  Ryan brought some blankets and had his backpack as well (yes, Tara was suspicious).  They sat down, cozied up next to each other and ate their food.  Ryan wasn't a fan of his sandwich selection, unfortunately, but Tara shared hers with him.  They began reminiscing about their first date and laughed about how little they knew about each other back then.  They skipped rocks for a while and enjoyed the solitude they had to be alone together.  Tara began anticipating the "pop" of the question, but nothing came.  She knew they had to leave around 7:00 because Ryan had two intramural games that night, but she thought he would have proposed by now.  Ryan was playing it cool.  Tara was trying not to get frustrated.  She finally suggested they take some pictures, thinking he would get a clue and propose so they could take pictures after.  Nope.  He happily posed with her in millions of pictures before they stopped to look at the time.  

 

 

Dang - they needed to leave in approximately four minutes to make it back for Ryan's games.  At this point Tara was sure it wasn't happening that night.  If he was going to propose he wouldn't wait until the last few minutes, right?  Wrong.  Ryan suggested they take a few more pictures before they pack up and leave.  As Tara was getting her camera, he said, "But first I have a question to ask you..." and Tara turned to see him getting down on one knee.  She dropped her camera and he took both of her hands.  He told her that she was his best friend and made him the happiest man in the world.  He said there was no one else he wanted walking by his side down the road of life and he hoped she felt the same.  He told her that he loved her and promised that he always would.  And then he said those lovely words... "Tara, will you marry me?"  She had the chills and felt speechless but was somehow able to say, "Yes, yes, yes!" while smiling wider than she ever had.  Ryan then reached into his bag and pulled out the ring box, opened it up and put it on Tara's finger.  She could hardly breathe because it was so pretty.  He stood up and they kissed, both so happy and in love.  They snapped a few more photos and then ran to the car to get to Ryan's game.  They called their parents on the way back and were both giddy as can be.  It was official.  They were madly in love and they were getting married.

  

 

 

thinking back to that day just makes me smile.  really big.  i totally knew it was coming and yet he still [somewhat] surprised me by delaying it so long.  after all, what's more important...being on time to an intramural game or asking the love of your life to marry you?  i knew ryan's priorities [though i won't disclose which one it was...] but i was impressed that he made both happen.  :) 

because we are moving out of state for school in the fall [destination is still undecided...check back soon for details] we decided to take a little drive out to "our spot" today and celebrate.  

our life looks a little different today than it did three years ago.

back then we were just two poor college kids madly in love with no clue what the future would hold except that we'd be in it together.

now we are still two poor kids [about to go back to school] with [almost] two kids and still no clue what the future will hold...

and i'd like to think we're even more in love now than we were back then.

i couldn't be happier.

speaking of the [almost] second child...here's his snapshot.

i know what you're thinking.

i'm huge.  i should be due any day.

huge?  yes. [already measuring bigger than normal]

due any day?  no.  

this babe most likely won't be making his debut for another month.

all i can say is...don't expect any more belly shots from me  ;)

can't wait to meet our little man.

over and out.

five more things

so i seemed to have left someone out on my last post.

little miss hazel.

:)

when i was first writing our five things i considered doing hazel's too, but thought she didn't have many quirks or "interesting facts".

i now realize that she does - and much more than five.

but i'll keep to the rules and stick with five.

here are a few things you most likely don't know about my daughter.

1.  she was born on her due date.  only 3-4% of babies actually come on their due date, so i knew we had a pretty awesome girl on our hands.

2.  the vacuum is her favorite "toy".  she squeals with excitement when i open the closet it's in and will crawl around and follow me while i vacuum. 

3.  she loves "gilmore girls".  no joke - when she hears the theme song at the beginning of an episode, she'll stop 
w h a t e v e r  she's doing and stare at the TV, laughing and giggling.  what can i say?...i've taught her well.

4.  for the past few months she has despised baths with a passion.  she'll freak out as soon as she hears the tub filling up, but absolutely loves taking showers.

5.  she's starting to have some stranger anxiety--however, if you have long hair she'll immediately become your best friend.  she LOVES to pull play with hair and tickle her face with it.  in fact, it's borderline obsession.

oh how i love my little lady.

our five things

are you on instagram?

if so, you've probably seen the latest trend with the 

"five things you probably don't know about me" post.  

some days i'll have two or three show up on my feed.

other days i'll have twenty-three.

gets old, right?  

well - i decided to forgo the instagram post and just jump right to it on the blog.  

so here you are...

five things you probably don't know about me - and just for fun, i'll do five things about ryan too :)

1. i absolutely hate spiders.  that being said, i have an eye for finding them.  regardless of if i've taken my contacts out or i'm totally exhausted, i can spot a spider in any room the minute i walk in.  freaky - and somewhat unfortunate.

2. my freshman year at BYU i was drinking almost 3 gallons of milk per week.  what can i say?...i lived off cold cereal and oreos. [i still have at least two bowls of cereal a day.] i'm addicted.

3. some people refer to me as a "runner", but i do not.  i was a sprinter/jumper. in fact, the longest distance i've run at one time is 4.2 miles.  nope - not a distance runner.

4. i hate having an un-made bed.  if for some reason i didn't get around to making it during the day i will always make it right before i climb in.  weird?  i think not.  do it and i swear you'll sleep better :)

5. when i was in 7th grade i tried out for cheerleader, but pulled my hamstring minutes before tryouts while practicing the splits. i still attempted and failed miserably.  after that i got into volleyball and track and never looked back.

1. he irons his own shirt every night before work.  he has attempted teaching me a few times but we both know he's better at it--and i don't mind.

2. regardless of how many times i remind him, he always leaves the bottom bathroom drawer open when he leaves.  always.  it used to drive me crazy and now it just makes me laugh.

3. he is his own barber.  he got clippers before his mission and has been cutting his [along with a few buddies'] hair ever since.

4. he is a master in the kitchen and enjoys cooking and inventing new recipes.

5. he is a toenail clipper snob.  he will only use the straight-across clippers and turns his nose up to the rounded kind. 

 

that's us!

both weird and awesome at the same time.

diy instagram poster

so i got kinda crafty last week.

i know, i know - crazy, right?

i was paroozing through pinterest and decided to look at my "diy" folder to see all the projects i've 'committed and planned' to do.  i'd been itching to put another little personal touch in our home and came across the perfect thing.

an instagram collage!  

when i saw it i knew it would be perfect for one of our walls (although, i'll confess, at that time i hadn't really thought as far as which wall...minor detail, right?)  anyway - i started looking at the pin and realized that the websites it linked to were $20-$30 just for the template.

not my cup 'o tea.

but thankfully my husband is super savvy with InDesign and helped me make my own template.  

yay!

within about an hour and half i had my collage all ready to print.

i virtually mailed my order in at costco.com and paid just $6 for the 16x20 print.

when i picked it up the next day i was thrilled at how it had turned out.

now all it needed was a nice frame and a cozy spot on the wall.

so i headed to my go-to store (hobby lobby) to find a frame.

i knew i wanted a white frame that was semi-bold but still inexpensive...and this is what i ended up with.

all the frames were 50% off so it was only $17.50...not too shabby.

(we're considering this an investment for future instagram collages.)

i had them mat and frame it and had to wait T W O long days to get it back.

so cruel.

finally it was done and i was beaming when i went to pick it up.

two ladies working at hobby lobby were gasping over how cool it was, making me even more excited to bring it home and hang.

(i'm realizing how ridiculous i sound, but i seriously was giddy.)

when i got it home i immediately wanted to hang it, but unfortunately we didn't have the right hardware and had no time that night to get it.  boo.

i went to the store the next day, bought the anchor we needed, and hung her up in the little corner of our kitchen.  our place is small (with no kitchen table, as you can tell) but this place worked the best.

so there you go - my crafty project.  

we plan to update it every january with instagram pictures from the previous year.

easy, inexpensive and absolutely darling.

pinterest - once again you came through and delivered a gem.

thanks.

christmas catch-up

i finally uploaded pictures from christmas break.

yikes...there's a lot.

i had to choose "a few" to post

and couldn't.

so you get a lot.

feast your eyes on our lovely christmas in california :)

[post-church.  it was hazel's first appearance in the ward there and she was quite a hit.]

[she mastered crawling at the lecheminants - especially sans diaper]

[the darling cradle that hazel's great-great grandpa built for her.  so darling!]

[christmas eve party at darren & debbie's...so much fun!]

[no fear from this little one - she stared this jolly man right down.]

[christmas morning - classic pj's picture]

[evidence that santa did indeed find us in california]

[hazel's loot from santa]

[flipping through our annual gift - a shutterfly book recapping the year.]

[boots gifted from ryan - i love, love, love them!]

[his new coat]

[darling picture jenny made for me]

[sporting his new b-ball garb from yours truly]

[my sneaky parents shipped this puppy out for me to open on christmas...i was shocked, to say the least.  

siri and i are buds now.]

we loved spending time with ryan's family in california.

thanks again, mark, tammy, ashlee and jenny!

as for new years - it was pretty low-key as hazel went to bed at

seven-thirty.  such a party pooper :)

ryan and i stayed in, watched a movie and drank some sparking fruit juice.  

just my kind of party.

[me at 23/24-ish weeks.  blah.]

[my new year's eve date]

now we are up-to-date and i can blog normally again.

christmas break was weighing on my chest and begging to be blogged.

done and done.

another great news item - i'm still going strong with my

new year's resolutions.

hence my blog post [ahem] which happens to be a resolution :)

happy january!  stay warm.