School’s out FOREVER!!

So on the 12th I had my last class for my Master’s Degree. I am so glad it is over. I thought I’d have tons of spare time to do whatever I wanted but; I think I always did whatever I wanted, now I don’t have to feel guilty about putting off homework to do it! I don’t really feel that much smarter. That’s not to say I didn’t learn anything from my program but I think it will serve me better in the future. Now that I can do more stuff with my free time I think I want to learn to play the piano and read a few more books. I have tried several times to learn it on my own but I need someone to teach me. Generally speaking I am not a leisure reader but there are a few things I’d like to finish. So that is on my list of things to do now that I’ve GRADUATED!!!

Mothers Day

So I am behind a few days but at least I keep posting. Mother’s Day was nice. We ate with my family then went and visited Kayla’s. At my parents house we rode the 4-wheelers and played outside. At Kayla’s aunts house we sat and talked outside while Wyatt entertained himself with a croquet mallet. He is becoming so much more fun. We gave my mom and Grandma a family picture. The first one ever of all of us together. It was taken at Grandma Steed’s funeral and I cropped out the background and put it on a photo studio backdrop to make it look like we went and had them taken somewhere. We gave Kayla’s mom and Grandma a planter to hang outside. They were really cool. Kayla got the Demdaco statue (you know the ones without the face) and laser hair removal for the underarms. She is really excited about both. All of the motherly influences I’ve had in my life are all for the positive. I am grateful them!!

Dinner with Lourdes

So you may have read about my trip to General Conference with my Argentine friend Lourdes. Well we took her out to dinner and I thought I would share some of the pictures. My companion that i served with while in her area was going to be there too but unfortunetaly his daughter got sick and he had to take her to the hospital. We ate at Chili's. She had never been there before so i thought that we'd give her a taste of corporate america. She really had a great time. I want to give her as much as possible because i feel so grateful for what she did for me while i was there i want to do the same for her.

New bed for Wyatt

Wyatt is growing way to fast. We decided to take down the front rail on his crib and turn it into a toddler bed. So far, so good. He only fell out two times and those were about 5 minutes after we put him in and shut the door. It is taking a little getting used to. He can get out of bed and walk around and come and cry in my room at 4 am. I tried to put him back in and get him to fall asleep but he just wouldn't stay. I then brought him into mine and Kayla's bed because i was just too tired to sit at his bedside. He fell asleep, no problem at all but he did not lay still. Oh well we did get a few more hours of sleep. Naptime has become more interesting because if he doesn't want to sleep he will stand by the door and cry until we come open it or start playing with toys. I think we have it safe for a few more months until he can start opening doors. He is been so fun because he already thinks that he can do just about anything. He has two little car things and he will stand on the seats then "crash" (falls gracefully) and thinks he is all strong and daring. He is great!!

Miss Utah 2007

For work i am involved in a group called National Contract Management Association (NCMA)and we had a luncheon last Thursday with Jill Stevens, Miss Utah 2007. Aside from being beautiful she was an excellent speaker, a diverse person, and very friendly. She shared her experiences as she was in Afghanistan as a medic and she also shared her experiences as a pageant Queen. Both sides of her stories were excellent. She said she was the most tom-boyish person she knew and she wore boots not high heels. But thanks to a friend she was coerced into running for Miss SUU and she won. That is how she got involved in the pageant thing. She was part of the top 16 in the US and was voted "Americas Choice." She was just a really great person to talk with and had a great view on life as she related it to her military experience. Keep focused on your target, set new goals, try new things and you'll be able to hit your target most of the time. The experiences you gain will be invaluable and life's lessons just for you.

Sunday Morning Session

So Kayla and I went to the Sunday morning session of General Conference. It was certainly a long morning. I had a member from one of the ward that I served in on my mission coming to watch conference and I wanted to make sure she got a seat. So i asked my bishop if the ward had any tickets. He told me to ask the stake. I asked the stake but they didn't so i wasn't sure how i was going to get any tickets so she would for sure be able to go. The bishop then told me that his wife, who is in the Tabernacle Choir, always gets two tickets so he would check with her. Sure enough she had two and was willing to give them to me and my friend Lourdes from Argentina. We had pretty good seats. We were in the plaza but all the way to the side but it was still nice to sit there and feel the spirit. So while i was waiting to go to the Priesthood Session my bishop's wife called Kayla and said she had two more tickets. So Kayla was able to come with us. The other ticket we gave to a lady in the parking lot. She rushed over to us and said do you happen to have an extra ticket to conference? We gave it to her and she started to sob and said "God does answer prayers." OK, he certainly does.
After the session we walked around and took a few photos, then Jeanie came out and met my Argentine friend. Lourdes was so excited to meet her she could hardly stand still. Jeanie, in her broken Spanish, tried to tell her how she learned to speak and how she loved to sing in the choir. After a few minutes of chatting Jeanie gave Lourdes two CDs of the choir and Lourdes started to cry. I think she was so grateful that somebody who didn't even know her would do something like that. Anyway long story short, time was running out for Jeanie because she had to get back to her seat and Lourdes had to go inside for the last session. But before i left Lourdes thanked me a million times over and said how grateful she was to have had that experience. All in all for both of us it was definitely one for the memory books.

Easter

Easter was great! We actually pulled out the Easter baskets and eggs this year. Last year it came and went before we realized it. They were on the coffee table for a while until Mr. Wyatt got a hold of them and poured them out all over the place. The stupid grass stuff is a pain to clean up. Easter morning was calm yet Wyatt had fun picking up the eggs and he would throw them in his basket. The clothes he got he could have cared less about. He just wanted all the candies that were in all the eggs. We went to church then we went to my parents for dinner but he would only eat candy. So on the way home he barfed in his car seat. I know it is gross but i am pretty sure he ate way to much sugar. The shorts and tee shirts we bought are just in time for spring. He certainly needs them because he is growing so fast!

A little white mule named Blue

So you can obviously see i changed the design of the blog. It's actually all original. I made the background picture but i was inspired by a template i found online. It was actually quite easy.

Now for the post about Wyatt, Jaxon, My Dad and the white mule named Blue. Not confusing one bit is it? So Wyatt gets watched by Kayla's mom during the week and then every other Friday he goes to my parents house. Well two weeks ago was that day. There must have been spring fever in the air because Wyatt and Jaxon played outside for a lot of the afternoon. Jaxon was with Wyatt because he too gets babysat by Kayla's mom when Natalie has to work. It was actually really cool because they both love to play with each other. I don't think either of them have ever been on a horse but they both really liked it. My dad loved this. He always loves to tell Wyatt he is going to go on a horse ride.

For a beginner they rode the right mule. Blue (the little white mule) is my dad's very first horse. So needless to say he has been around for a long time and he is really old. Nobody ever rides him because it would probably kill him but for a little kid it is probably exhilarating and for the mule that always gets overlooked probably felt wanted once again. I know that he is around just because it was the first that we owned and he would not be really useful for anything else. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Farewell to Grandma Steed

Seems like just yesterday that I posted about my Great Grandma Steed turning 87 years old. Today I post a farewell post in her memory. I remember her always telling me she never expected to live this long. For the most part she was a very independent and healthy woman. She lived on her own up until the day she passed. On Sunday night my mom called and told me I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible to give her a blessing. So we packed up and went there immediately. My dad anointed her with oil and I gave her a blessing. I told her she had lived a good life, she was a choice spirit of our Heavenly Father and that she would be comforted. Amidst all the tears, emotions and noises from the hospital machines I think she felt comforted. When we were done she took my hand, looked up at me and said in the most faint voice “you take care of yourself, OK” I couldn’t say anything. I knew and I am positive that she knew too this was it. All of my family made it up to see her as well as Betsy’s family. I think we are all glad we did. The doctors tried several times to keep her heart rate down but to no avail. Kayla, Wyatt and I left the Intensive Care Unit at about 9:05 pm. Mom called at about 4:45 am Monday morning and said she had passed about 20 minutes ago. I again was overcome with emotions. They were filled with tears but I was excited for her because she could finally rest, feel no pain and see Great Grandpa Steed, my Grandma Farr (her daughter) and all the others she has been waiting to see for a long time. The viewing will be Friday night and the funeral Saturday morning. I am sure it will be emotional again but I am honored to be a pallbearer and a speaker. Grandma Steed – I love you and you will be greatly missed by everyone.

http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=171881&fh_id=11049

Back to Reality

So i know it has been a few weeks since I have posted but relax I finally updated with all the fun things we have done the last month. A lot of our pictures are posted below of the cruise and all the fun stops. The reason I labeled this back to reality is because since we are back I have to cook my own food, make my own bed, find my own entertainment and work. I don't mind doing all of that stuff but when you are pampered it is hard to let it go.

I just finished my second to last class for my Masters degree yesterday so come May I will be finished with school and i will be able to post more often. So don't worry we are alive and well just busy with everyday life and trying not to let our tans fade too much before summer hits.

If you get tired of hearing my song then go to the Cozumel post and click the speaker in the bottom left corner!