Fourth of July

For the Fourth of July weekend, we went to the Galveston to go to the beach with our friends!The water is incredibly warm here, I LOVE it! In Utah, if you ever go swimming, you never really enjoy being in the water because it is so cold.

Our friends have boogy-boards that we played on. We loved the boards so much, afterwords we went to the store and bought us some too!

After playing in the water, we build a sandcastle with a volcano, and then the guys destroyed it.

I love the beach! If anyone wants to come and visit us, we will take you to the beach!

So that was Friday, on Saturday we had a big 4th of July breakfast with our ward, and then we went up to Kingwood to spend the rest of the day with Jeff's family. For dessert we made Strawberry Almond Cream Napoleons.

This last dish is the atkin's friendly version of the dessert. Created by the King of Atkins.

Yummy.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth!

Crafty Update

People keep asking me what I've been up to, I mean I haven't started working yet since I am waiting for my background check to come through, but I do have a job so I don't have to be job hunting and filling out applications. So what have I done with all my free time? Crafty stuff!

I bought this really cute blue yarn on clearance for 75 cents, so I made myself a little clutch to hold my crochet hooks.
Then I tried out this pattern for baby booties- I've seen some really cute ones on etsy and I think they would make great gifts. I don't know how I feel about these ones yet, I think I can find a better pattern. (I need to see them on a real baby to really judge them)

I have also started some flowers to put together for a blanket or something.

and I made a little lemon pin cushion out of felt. I love hand sewing, I wish I had more ideas for things to hand sew.

While I crochet and sew, I like to watch tv... it's not a good thing. I discovered that the library here in Houston is AMAZING, and pretty much has every TV show on DVD. Now I am hooked. I just finished the first two seasons of Grey's Anatomy. The first season is great, but I wouldn't recommend watching it because it's really addictive, once you start watching you can't stop even though the drama becomes too ridiculous in the second season (and even after that I put the third season on hold for me at the library)

Job details

I promised more details about my job, so here they are.

• I am going to be working at Baylor, where Jeff is going to be going to school, which means we get to carpool together!
• I will start next Monday hopefully (We are waiting for my background check to come through)
• I will be doing research on the Human Microbiome Project. Read about it here. My research is addressing the ethical, legal and social implications raised by the human microbiome research.
• I am really excited to start! I loved my research job at BYU, and I think it's really cool to be a part of this project.
• It's a job that I get to use my college education, it's requires me to use my brain, I get to write, and it pays so much better than being a counselor- a real salary job- I've only been paid by the hour in my other jobs. I think I might be a real grown-up now.

Thanks everyone for your prayers. It was quite depressing looking for a job in this crummy job market. Jeff and I are very greatful to find employment, and we are so greatful for our supportive friends and family! Thank you for being there for us!

This is the Place Heritage Park

After Ashley's wedding we had a few days in Utah to spend with my family, so we went to Salt Lake to This is the Place Heritage Park. The park is a model pioneer village you walk around and learn about pioneer history and culture. We had fun spending time with my parents and my great-aunts.

Have you heard Brad Paisly's song I'm still a guy that says "When you think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy, and I'd like to give it a whirl" ? Well we thought of this song when Jeff took a few turns on the bull while I watched.
I love this great action shot. My dad would have been gored if this bull were real.

My favorite was learning about yarn, they showed us all of the steps begining with shearing wool from a sheep, cleaning it, combing the fibers, spinning it into yarn on a spinning wheel, dying the yarn with herbs and flowers, then knitting it into a pair of socks! If I were a pioneer I would have been a yarn-maker!

Jeff working on his handwriting

Here Jeff is using a branding iron on wood, they wouldn't let us try it out on a cow.

We had a lot of fun, and learned some interesting things. If you are ever in Salt Lake, I recomend you go.

Finished!

Remember that blanket I started a few months ago when I was going through my crafty phase? Well I finished it!!! Yea. It has already been mailed off to our dear friends in Provo. Want one? Well name your kid after one of us and I will make you one. (Our friends are naming their baby Jeffrey Scott)