Surprise Attack!

Hello! Just so everyone knows, Will, Chaela, and I are no longer in Memphis, TN... we are in Richmond, VA. Surprise!
We went Memphis like we'd planned, but after spending some time there, we didn't feel like it was the right place for us, though it is cool and has delicious BBQ. Throughout our week long stay, however, my friend Diane kept calling me and telling me she'd found this and this and this job opportunity in Virginia, where she lives. So after some thinking and praying, Will and I decided to pack up once again and head over to Richmond. Now we're here and it feels more like home than any other place has so far, which is awesome! We're looking forward to trying to settle here for a few years, at least until Will is done with school. It's great, because we're two hours or less from the following:
1. The Atlantic Ocean (which means THE BEACH!)
2. Good Skiing
3. Washington, D.C.
4. The D.C. Temple
5. Williamsburg, the oldest still inhabited town in the U.S. (less than an hour)
6. The Jamestown settlement
7. Several Civil War battlefields

We're also fairly close to Philadelphia, PA, which I would really like to see, a few good friends of mine, and my family! Yay!
So we're pretty excited about it and we'll keep you updated. I'm really hoping that this is the place. Ha ha.

Sneaking a Moment

Hello! It's about 2 a.m. and Will and I are just finishing up packing to leave (once again). This time we're headed to Memphis, TN to try and find jobs and such things. We're going to stay with Jason and Jana (thank you!) for a week or so to see what there is to be seen and get a feel for the place. If things don't go there, we have a few options that we're thinking about. The most important thing at this point is to generate an income. Anyways, I'd better get back to packing and such so I can sleep. Later!

Intermission

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long, but our computer is currently packed up and I've been pretty busy moving, (more than likely) graduating, being home for the holidays, etc. My parents' computer doesn't have the right software to load pictures from my camera, but I'll try to get some up soon. Give me a little time, because in the next few days I really need to compile and send out my resume so I'll have a few interviews when I go to Memphis, which we're doing shortly after New Year's, a.k.a. later this week. Hopefully more than a few. Anyways, I'll try to post soon. But for those of you who haven't heard from us, we're safely in OH and had a great Christmas! Chaela now has a million toys that make obnoxious noises, so that's fun. I miss you and love you all!

At Last (Sing it! Like Ella!)

Well, I've just finished the biggest, most stressful thing between me and graduation: my final paper for Varieties of English. Oh, yeah. Thankfully, since tests are easy for me, I'm not worried about my two finals. I do have to get a good score in HEPE (the health class), since I, um, totally forgot about one of the tests and as such am automatically missing 20% of my grade that should be there. I'm not too worried, though, because I did the math and I think I can still score an 80% and be fine. I'll get a D-, but I'll pass, so who cares! D's get degrees!


Yup, so that's all. I'm a little sad because there are some classes I'd like to take, (or just audit, because then I wouldn't have to do the homework) like Forensic Linguistics and Discourse Analysis, but I think I'll be ok.


I'm really looking forward to the time coming up that I'll have to just be me, just spend time with Will and Chaela and the rest of my family. I can't wait to be back in the place I'll always call home, even though now I've technically lived in UT longer (gag).


Will I go back to school someday? I'm open to the possibility, but I'm not planning on it right now. I've got to get Will through, first, and then we'll see where we are. There are some other things I'd like to do before that, anyway, like finish my book and maybe try to con someone into publishing me. I'd also like to have another baby sometime in the next few years, depending on our financial situation, and to focus on the things I'm good at that formal education doesn't teach you, like making crafty things and singing. I know I'll be working full-time, but I want to be able to teach Chaela a little bit in the upcoming years as well, things like colors and numbers, you know. Also some social skills. I don't want her to be shy like I was in high school. If I do ever go back to get my Master's/PhD, I'll have a tough time deciding what to do. I've thought about Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistics, Secondary Education, or Audiology/Speech Pathology. I also like Geology a lot. That is, if any place will take me! Choices abound!


Anyways, I think it's time for bed. I'm grateful for my time at BYU, even though the administration wasn't my favorite I had a great academic experience. Woo hoo I'm almost a GRADUATE!

Happy Birthday to my William!

Happy Birthday Will! Here are some pictures of Will on his birthday. We didn't do much, just hung out and stuff. I baked a cake and made him a steak dinner. He got his presents a little while ago, some video games, of course. I think it was a good day, though.

Chaela got a bath afterwards then ran around naked for a while. Yay for clean babies!And here is a random cute picture. Yay!

Getting There

Well, we're getting down to the wire with all of the things that are going on. I've finished all of the little mini-projects that have come up in the past few days (except editing Ellen's paper, and we'll see if I get to that) and now I'm tackling the big ones. Mostly it's just one big one; my Elang paper. I had to do field research and analyze it myself. That's done, and I've got my sources, so I'm about ready to tackle the actual writing part. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

Chaela has discovered the garbage. Luckily, this wasn't IN it, just beside it. She's pulled out plenty of stuff, though. It's time for a lid.

She's also discovered her natural climbing talent. Right now it's just this six inch high wooden thing, but I'm sure (sigh) that she'll figure out higher stuff sooner rather than later.



These two are from Joe's Christmas party. I had a really good time, mostly because it was good to get out of the house for something besides school. Afterward, Ellen came home to baby-sit for us while Will and I went to a movie, Four Christmases (better than I expected, but expectations were low). All in all, a very nice night. It was good to hang out with Ellen, and she was great with Chaela both during and after the party, as you can see. Thanks, Ellen!

And, of course, here are some classic no-diaper pictures. She's had a little bit of a rash, so I let her run free for a few minutes when she escaped me this time. She loved it.


Last, but not least, here's a video of the newest thing she's learned, communication! That's right, Chaela now knows one sign (eat, it's the only one we've taught her) and a handful of words. She can say da! (the exclamation point is a part of the spelling... you'll see), mmm, ooo, mama, and nana (banana, her favorite food), and says them in that order of frequency. Da! is definitely her favorite, and she mixes it up with dadadadada/daaaDA!daaaDA! and an occasional dad!. Lucky Will!



So that's us for now. We still have to clean our apartment, but all that's left beyond that is a few small homework assignments, some tests, and to throw everything in the car. I'm so excited to be leaving UT, and it's only 8 days away! I finally feel like I can go home. Even though we technically don't really have one exactly, but it's ok. I can't really explain it well, but I'm happy.
That's all for now!

Power a Smile

This is something really nice I found on Oden's blog (thanks, Tiffany!). If you upload a photo to the Duracell website, they'll donate a dollar! Here's the official thing:

There’s nothing better than seeing a smile on a child’s face as they power up a gift for the first time. Except, perhaps, giving that child the chance to share their joy with kids where they need it most: children’s hospitals. And that’s just what the Duracell® Power A Smile campaign was all about.Last holiday season, Duracell invited parents and kids to power smiles around the country. When parents uploaded a photo of their child, Duracell donated a dollar to the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and other children's hospitals across the country to power another child's smile. Every photo donation went toward the children's critical needs as well as batteries for their toys.
The season was one of the brightest thanks to those who care so much about kids. And after all, that’s what the holidays are all about. Of all the things a battery can power, nothing is better than powering a smile.To share this site with family and friends, copy and paste this link!
http://www.powerasmile.com/

I uploaded Chaela's today (12/6) so click that button if you want to search for it. It's a lot like the one we have on top of our blog. I don't think it's up exactly right now, but it should be soon! Also look for my cousin's son, Oden on 12/5 (he's the brown-eyed cutie in the Santa hat).
For my friends without children, I noticed a few pictures on the site of adults, too. I don't think it matters too much, because we're all some one's kids!
I just wanted to share this because I thought that it was an easy way to do a tiny bit of good this holiday season. I'm so glad it's Christmas time!

Oh, and I guess I should officially announce that we're moving out of UT. Most of you know, but some might not. We're planning on leaving Dec. 17th in the morning and driving to OH, probably to arrive sometime late on the 18th. We'll be in Chicago for Christmas and then back in OH for New Year's. Our plan from there is to try and find jobs and a place to live in Memphis, TN, where Will's brother Jason and his family live. I'm excited/sad to be closing this chapter of my life. Mostly excited. I think I worked out all the sadness the last two times I thought I was graduating.

So to our UT and ID friends, we'll miss you. To our friends back east, we'll see you soon!!!

Sweetheart Tag

(From Ben and Brooke's Blog... yay alliteration!)

My sweetheart!

Each person answers questions about their sweethearts.At the end of the post, the person then tags 6 people and posts their names; then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged.


1. What is your husband's name? William Lehi (LEE-hi, for my not Mormon friends)
2. How long have you guys been married? 2 years, 1 month, 1 week, 5 days. Ha ha.
3. How long did you date? We got married 4 months to the day after we met. Yeah!
4. How old is he? 25 until the 11th
5. Who is taller? Will.
6. Who can sing best? I don't know. He's a good singer, but I sing more than he does.
7. Who is smarter? It depends on the subject.
8. Who does laundry? Me
9. Who pays the bills? Him
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're laying in the bed, it's him. I just like him to sleep on the side closer to the door because I'm a weirdo. It makes me feel safer.
11. Who mows the lawn? No lawn, but him if we ever get one. Me if I want a tan. But only in good weather.
12. Who cooks dinner? Me. Once he cooked grilled cheese.
13. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me.
14. Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
15. Who wears the pants? I'm pretty sure that we have a constant pants battle. It's better when we don't worry about it and are equal. (I was going to say "when there are no pants," but then I realized.)


So this is a "tag" thing, but I just like to fill them out for fun. Do it if you want!

Also I wanted to add that Will is a really wonderful husband to me and an amazing father to Chaela. He's able to calm me down every time I stress out or lose my patience, which is often. I feel like he anchors me to real life most of the time (I tend to live in my own special world), but still supports me even in my less-realistic goals (such as becoming a very rich author yes!!). I love that he makes me laugh and that two years into our marriage I don't feel bored, I feel closer to him than ever. Right, so it's corny, but he's my best friend. I love you Will!

Two Weddings and a Family Holiday

Hello! We're back! It's been such a long time since I've been able to post. We've had a fun, yet busy week. It started last Friday (the 21st) when we drove up to Rexburg for Kristin and Jacob's wedding. Thankfully, Chaela is a good traveler, and was ok for most of the four hour ride. Rexburg was just hanging out with my family and then going to the wedding, which was AMAZING. Plus Kristin looked GORGEOUS. The reception was fun, too.

Here are some pictures of that. Since I took over 200 pictures this past week, these are just some. More will be posted on Facebook. Just to warn you, I was looking through them and realized there are a lot more of Chaela than Kristin, so you might need to check out Lindsay's pictures on Facebook for more of the bride and groom.

Kristin's Wedding:

Beautiful day, but freezing cold!

Oh, and I got a new camera (it was my Christmas present from Will). It's a Canon, so it does color accent, which I LOVE to play with. I thought this was a cool one. And I love Will because he's an awesome husband who let me get it early because of all of the family events happening in November. Good thing it's from Best Buy, because that's the only credit card we have money on to get Christmas presents right now. And, lucky us, it was on sale!

Literally right after the reception we drove another 3 hours from Rexburg to Jerome, where Will's family lives. Jason and Jana got there just before us and everyone from Portland (Jake, Breauna, Gem, and Eric) got there Wednesday. We had a blast with everyone there, and I know Will loved being able to hang out with his brothers. It was awesome!

The Hair House/Thanksgiving:

This is my favorite picture out of all of them. Chaela and Addie actually got along pretty well, I think, for babies/toddlers. There were a few times when they weren't happy with each other, but all in all I think they're on the road to being friends!

Will helped me get the apple pie ready. What a great guy!

Brothers' time.


This is the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River in Twin Falls. The view was amazing and the statue, which is in this picture on the left, was really cool.

The statue is called "The Twins" but I don't think there's a story behind it. They just represent the falls for which the town is named.


The last large event of the week was Gemarie's wedding on Saturday the 29th, exactly one week after Kristin. We had a great time there, except when Will dropped me when we were dancing. Yeah, we're both a little rusty, haha! And once again, most of these pictures are of Chaela and Addie, not the bride and groom. Sorry!

Gem's wedding:





This was set up for Gem and Eric, but Will took advantage of it. I think this is the most amazing picture ever and also that it can count for a professional shot for anyone who wants one of her! Aunts or Grandmas can let me know and I'll email you the file and you can get it developed if you want. I'd do it for you, but we're still unemployed. :)

And here's Addie's accent shot. I love it because it picks up the roses in the background, too!

Chaela and Aunt Breauna, who looks WAY cuter pregnant than I ever did!


So that was our week. Now it's back to school (blah). Only for two weeks, though, because I am GRADUATING!!!!!!! Yay!!!! All I have left to do is get through a few more tests and my last large paper ever!! But yeah, I have class tomorrow and it's after two am again, so I'm going to bed. Later!

Drummer Girl

This post is mostly for Chaela's Uncle Jordan. It should make him very proud! The drumstick is from Will's Rock Band game.