I knew it!

Catchin' Up

Forgive me for the lapse in my blogging the last few weeks. The past weeks have been pretty busy with classes for Paul and I. Let me take out a little time to catch everyone up with what we have been doing...

For my SOILS 4000 class project I went down to Ephraim, UT to help with their Snow College Days. We worked with a professor from Snow College and the NCRS (with the USDA)district employee to set up the land and homesite event for the students. One other girl from class, Amy, went with me from Logan. We were given a rental car to use, a hotel room in Nephi, and food reimbursements. The food reimbursements were $7 for breakfast, $8 for lunch, and $13 for dinner. If we ate less than that (which we always did) we got to keep the difference. Seems like a waste of University funds to me, but hey, I didn't complain! We were treated very nice and it was a great experience. The only problem was that our car wouldn't start three times...yes, it was a Ford, and we had to take it into the shop to get it fixed. Luckily it was just a battery that needed replaced. We also ran into over 2000 sheep being driven to their winter range. It was quite the site to be surrounded by sheep.

Amy helping hook up the jumper cables!

Sheep being herded around Nephi area

A farmer left on his water during our most recent cold spell and it made this pretty picture!

Paul and I have been deer and elk hunting as well these last few weeks. We haven't harvested anything as of yet, but the season is open until Friday night. One night we were cheap and slept in the middle of Garden City (on the banks of Bear Lake - not gross Garden City in Boise) in our car. We pulled down the backseat and slept with our feet in the trunk and our heads on the backs of the rear seats. It was not the best night of sleep I have ever had...but it worked! :) Luckily Garden City is small (probably 400) and doesn't have much crime or traffic. We are going up Deer hunting again this Wednesday, so hopefully the bucks will be out and we will get a deer for our freezer. These deer are feeding in fields, so we are hoping for some tasty meat! ;)

Paul has been getting his graduation packet and requirements put together for this May. He is so excited to graduate. However, I think he will miss it. Already he is regretting not taking certain classes and is pondering which ones he can take for that last semester. I got my acceptance letter into the College of Secondary Education program and only have two semesters worth of classes to take; then onto student teaching! I don't think people realize sometimes that my degree is a major and a minor that has to be completed in 3 1/2 years because the last half of the year is student teaching and you don't take classes. That means you have to be done with everything else before the spring semester of graduation. It is a challenge, but I enjoy it. Grades are still good for Paul and I. I currently have a 100.98% in my genetics class...I have to brag because I am sure it will just get worse from this point on! ;) Paul is working on my new kitchen apron in his sewing class! ;) I will post pictures upon completion.

We have been conquering the Wii lately...and no it isn't affecting our grades! ;) Paul is almost done with his Metroid game. That thing is way too much fun and we enjoy the entertainment it provides...sometimes a little too much! ;)

We had our Pastor Appreciation evening this past Sunday night. It was great to hear from the Patch Club (like Master Club but the curriculum is through the Patch the Pirate Program), a soloist (me), and a guest speaker. It was great to show our appreciation to Pastor and Mrs. Stonehouse for all that they do for the Lord. They are a neat couple and I look up to her much. Two weeks ago Derek's parents came in from Alaska to visit. They are wonderful people who truly love the Lord. They took us out to dinner Sunday night to Chili's and it was so nice just to sit and visit with other believers. We now know why Derek is the way he is...and that is in a very good way. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Linder for raising Derek the way you did and for your friendship! ;)

Well...that is about it! Paul's birthday is tomorrow so I will post pictures soon!

Six Random Things

I've been tagged by my friend, Melissa to complete this Six Random Things assesment.

The rules are simple:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write Six Random Things about yourself.
4. Tag six-or-so other people at the bottom of the post. Leave comments on their blogs, letting them know they've been tagged!
5. Let the person who tagged you know when you've written the post.
   

So here it goes! :) Enjoy this random bit of information...

1. I broke my arm when I was three. Spencer Baker was babysitting my sister Laura and I as my parent's were at Treasure Valley Baptist Churches Stewardship Banquet. He was giving me a "horsey ride" when I slipped off his back onto our hardwood floors. The funny part is that he never told my parents that it happened and they finally figured it out the next day as I was crying all night. :) Way to go Spencer (For those of you who don't know Spencer Baker, he is now the Pastor of a church in Bismark, ND and is doing a fabulous job)!!
2. I have been inside the White House twice. The first time I was there President George W. Bush spoke to our group for 40 minutes and we even petted his Scottish Terrier dog Ms. Beazely.
3. I love the outdoors and going out hunting with my Dad. I have succesfully taken a three mule deer bucks (two made book), one doe, a 5x5 elk, a mountain lion, two bears, and an antelope. All of these were taken with my either my .50 and .54 caliber muzzleloader (except for the elk and antelope). Hopefully this fall I will add another buck to that list! ;)
4. I do not like raw tomatoes. I can handle them stewed, as ketchup, and cooked in salsa; however, when it comes to eating them on a sandwhich or taking a bite out of a juicy one...I can't do it. I have heard it has to do with the PH balance in your mouth, so that is what I will blame it on. :)
5. I am one of those people who sing when they are by themselves in the car, shower, house, you name it I sing when I am alone. You should have been there when Paul was gone this summer...it was a full on opera! But then again, if you were there, I wouldn't have been alone and you wouldn't have heard me sing then. :)
6. I have a birthmark on my backside that looks like I don't have proper hygiene. :) That's all I am going to say about that one...

Well, now that you are probably throughly bored with these six random facts about myself, I am going to tag some other people to do it...

• Emma Anderson
• Mrs. Rohmance
• Elizabeth Anderson

Vandenbos Weekend!

This past Thursday, Paul's parents came into town. They arrived after our last class of the day and immediately we started our festivities!

Thursday evening we went to Paul's flag football game. It was a little disappointing because most of the so called "team" didn't show up and because they only had four players twenty minutes after they were supposed to start; they had to forfeit. Luckily, the Might Ducks were very nice and lent us some players and they played two twenty minute halves. Thanks to Seth and Dad Vbos, the Mighty Ducks and the Might Mallards (our team) had time keepers and refs. Emma, Mom Vbos and I were the cheer squad (although I seem to talk more than cheer because it is a great time to catch up with Emma). :)

After the game we went home to the ribs that had been cooking in the crock pot all day long. We also had squash and perky potatoes (cheesy potatoes casserole). It was a hearty dinner that we all enjoyed! ;) We ended up talking for the rest of the night and going to Aggie Ice Cream. What a great way to tend the day - ICE CREAM!! :)

Friday I went to my Chem class, as I have a test this week, and then pedaled my lttle bicycle as fast as I could home. The morning was warm and sunny so we took advantage of it and skipped the rest of or classes and headed up Logan Canyon. We hiked up to the Wind Caves and ate lunch at the top. For those of you who haven't done this hike...it is a must do if you live in or around the Cache Valley. They time of year that we went was perfect as the views were spectacular!



Sadly we had to go back home because Paul had an Economist that he wanted to go listen to from 3:30 to 5:30 on campus. Dad Vbos and Paul went to that lovely lecture as Mom Vbos and I made the preparations for my birthday party. I made a chocolate cake from scratch (with chocolate frosting) and Mom Vbos helped me prepare the pans. I always seem to do that part wrong and they fall out of the pan breaking in half - they don't look delicious after that happens. So needless to say, with her help the cake looked marvelous!

For dinner I made a pasta dish with mushrooms, red bell peppers, breaded chicken, bacon, and a homemade sauce. I then baked the pasta for an half hour to really capture the flavor. This was my own little creation (except for the sauce which was found in a cookbook) and I must say I think it turned out quite nice! ;) Maybe some onions next time... We had a salad and Italian Cream Sodas with our meal. Let’s just say we were stuffed!! ;)

Okay, so Paul has been like a little kid at Christmas the last two weeks because he has wanted to give me this birthday present so bad. I eventually had to tell him not to talk about it anymore because I didn't want hints. He is too funny! ;) The big moment finally came and I un-wrapped a Wii! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Along with the wii, Paul gave me Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart, Zelda, and Metroid. It is funny because I looked at Metroid and automatically thought that one was for him.

That evening we played Tennis, Boxing, and Bowling. Mom Vbos and I went at the Tennis while the guys went to the Rock Haus. In the morning Mom Vbos’ arm was sore from playing and I have to admit that my elbow was sore.

Saturday morning Paul and I made breakfast burritos complete with tater tots, eggs, and sausage. The rest of the weekend was spent doing odd things. We went to Pepperidge Farms and picked up some cookies and crackers. Then we went to Starbucks, Hobby Lobby, Gossner’s cheese factory, and then church. It rained a lot on Saturday and Sunday so we didn’t do a whole lot outside. We played inside on our wii instead.

Wii Videos

So I am not very good at this blog thing yet and I can't figure out how to flip the video. So here you have a video of us being goofy on the wii. We all didn't know that we were being "caught" on tape.

THEY'RE COMING!

Tomorrow afternoon Paul's parents and Seth (little brother) are coming down to Logan for a visit. It has been almost a year since they have come down to visit and we are so excited!

They are going to be staying with us until Sunday afternoon; so it will be a nice visit. Paul and I are so excited to show them some of our favorite things to do here in Logan and of course I am excited to cook for them.

I love to cook and when people come over that means I can cook "regular meals" that are large in size and that Paul and I don't eat on for three days (which during school can be nice I guess). I have my "Menu" filled out for the week and my grocery shopping completely done.

I will let you know how it goes...have a great weekend!