Adventures in moving

Moving always starts off sounding exciting and fun... then, you actually begin the process and realize real quick just how not fun and exciting it truly is. When we moved into our last apartment we did a lot to it. We painted and installed ceiling fans in our VAULTED ceilings. So, when we were preparing to move out we had to repaint and uninstall the ceiling fans. At least this time we had a ladder. When we were installing them we didn't. So, Steven stacked up the kitchen table, two boxes and a kitchen chair to be tall enough to install the fans.... It was a wobbling tower of terror! Even with a ladder though it was still a little crazy. I'm so glad Steven is brave enough for these things because we would be in big trouble if it were up to me. Look at how high he is! I got scared just climbing up two rungs to hand him screws. I thought it was pretty funny how Lilly kept camping out on and in the boxes and suit cases. It's like she was trying to make sure we didn't leave her behind. Then there's Tiger.... We had a balcony in our last apartment and the cats both loved to go out there. Well, one day right before we were getting ready to leave Colorado and possibly never return, I couldn't find Tiger anywhere in the house. He wasn't in any of his favorite hiding places. So, I looked outside to see if maybe we locked him out there. He wasn't there either. Half of me was thinking WE HAVE TO FIND HIM! But, there was a part that was thinking it might be more convenient to only have one cat to transport. I KNOW!!! That's awful! I knew it as soon as I thought it and then I went outside to search for him. I thought he was gone forever. I had no idea how long he had been out there or if he would try to find his way home or if one of the millions of animal lovers would steal him because he's so stinking adorable. I was looking in the bushes right below our balcony when a lady saw me (probably thought I was a peeping tom or burglar) and asked what I was doing. I told her and she said she had heard something hit her window a couple HOURS earlier but didn't think anything of it. I looked by her window and sure enough my poor little guy was there shivering on the window seal. I didn't see him before because it was dark and he blended into the wall perfectly. I was so happy to find him and felt awful that he had been there for HOURS. He made it out with only a little scratch. To be continued...

Steven's Graduation

Okay, so I am seriously behind on my blogging. At first I was putting it off because things were super busy, but now I am so far behind that it's just overwhelming. However, there are things that I can't just not blog about. So, these catch up blogs may be kind of lame. Mostly pictures and not much story. If you have questions about something or want more details, just ask! On that note, let's get crackin! First order of business, Steven's graduation! It was a really fun day. It started with a breakfast, then there were TWO graduation ceremonies (a school wide ceremony and then an individual class ceremony...i.e. medical, dental, pharmacy), then we went to a barbecue at our friends house and then we went out to Dave and Busters with Steven's parents and little brothers. Again, super fun day. Enjoy the pics! This one is first thing in the morning right before the opening ceremony. It was probably one of the warmest days we had had in Denver that season of course and poor Steven was in a BLACK gown and it was not thin either. So this picture is from the Pharmacy class ceremony. The amazing building in the background is called the 500 building. It was the Army hospital back in the day. It super awesome! These are pictures of Steven being hooded. When you graduate from a doctorate program you still get a diploma, but you get hooded on stage rather than receive your diploma. They said that in the beginning of such ceremonies the people receiving doctorate degrees were rewarded with the heavier gowns and the hoods for extra warmth because the ceremonies would take place when it was very cold. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for this graduating class. With every layer they just felt closer to heat exhaustion.... Anyway, the pictures didn't turn out great. I couldn't get close enough for my stinky camera. My brother-in-law did an amazing job getting it all on video though! Here Steven is taking his first picture as a DOCTOR! with his hooder, Dr. Cheryl Vondracek. She was one of his preceptors and meant a lot to him. Here Steven is with his dean. The dean is wearing a different looking get up because he went to a different school. There were some really cool looking gowns and hats! From the left... Steven, Zach (Steven's very first friend in Colorado/Pharmacy school) and Jesse. Here is a closer picture of Steven with his hooder, Dr. Cheryl Vondracek Here's a picture of his hood. I thought it was super cool, so I wanted a picture. From the left, Dain, Zach and Steven. These guys were the three amigos for a quite a while. From the left, Jesse, Chung (I'm so sorry if I spelled that wrong!) and Steven. This is Steven with Jamela. She was the valedictorian. She's super sweet! And here we are with our friends, Debbie and Jesse. They are probably our closest couple friends. They are tons of fun and I miss them both sooo much! I miss playing Settlers of Gattan and eating Debbie's culinary masterpieces and just hanging out. The barbecue we went to was at their house. Sorry, no pictures! And on to the night! It was a lot of fun going to Dave and Busters with the family. Here Steven and Tyler got their trivia on. I can't play this game. By the time I read the question and look over the possible answers everyone else already has their guess in and your time matters... I never know the answers either. It's just not my game. Steven has fun with it though. I love the racing game! I'm pretty much the best ever at this game. Yep, you are seeing right. That's me in first place. The proof is on the screen. ha ha You can't go to Dave and Busters and not play Deal or No Deal.... At least Steven can't. We played this game where you put in a coin and try to knock a bunch of coins over the edge to get tickets... Steven rocked at it. See........ It was so much fun! Steven almost died from heat stroke and hunger, I suffered from hunger, massive blisters and this... But it was so worth it! Congratulations Dr. Steven Johnson! I love you so much and I'm so proud of you!

1st Sunday in our new ward

I know I have been neglecting our blog. For that I am sorry. There has been sooo much going on though. The move, Steven's graduation, Kassie's bridal shower, the open house, the reunion. I will blog about all of these things real soon, but today I have to tell you all about our first day in our new ward. Pretty eventful! SO, there is a student ward that I guess most young people choose to attend over the family wards, but we want to check out both to see where we feel most comfortable. Today, we decided to try out the family ward first. It's just a short walk from our apartment, which happens to rule in favor in my opinion. I love walking! It was SUPER small, but everyone was so nice! In this ward Relief Society and Priesthood are first. There was another new girl, Nicole, and her husband who happened to walk in just as we were asking where to go. So, Nicole and I buddied up and Steven and her hubby did the same. And so they became the first of many new friends we made today. Everyone in RS was really nice and welcoming and practically pleading with us to choose this ward over the student ward.... Nicole and her husband are wanting to go check out the other ward too. At the end of RS I met Ana, who lives in our apartment complex and she invited Nicole and I, along with our darlings, to their 4th of July get together. I will blog with pictures of the event if I remember to take pictures! I also met Marissa. Next we had Sunday School...not much happened there. BUT THEN! We went to Sacrament where I learned Jon Neder (Napoleon Dynamite) is in our ward! Crazy right? It was funny because I just noticed two guys that looked like twins and thought that was fun. Then, Steven pointed out that they kinda looked like Napoleon Dynamite. I laughed because they did, then we chatted about how Jon Neder was Latter Day Saint and wondered if he was still active since he's become famous and that was the end of it. Marissa and her husband Enoch sat by us during sacrament. Marissa leans over and tells me, "look, we have Napoleon Dynamite in our ward." I thought she was saying a look a like, so I laughed and told her Steven and I were just joking about that. Then, she tells me, "no, it's the real guy." I look closer and OMG! It really is! So crazy. I went home and looked him up and he has an identical twin! IT REALLY WAS HIM! I've never had trouble realizing that famous people are just people, but it was really strange for me to see him in church with his wife and little girl. Not in some rich, only famous people go here kinda wards. I'm embarrassed to say, I was star struck and in church no less. Anyway, Nicole and her husband walked home with Steven and I and we realized our apartments are straight across the sidewalk from each other! How fun is that? I hope you all have an AMAZING 4th of July! God Bless America, this land that I love!

Poolside Giveaway

Peeps! I hope those of you that like to swim and need a new swim suit read my blog before tonight before 12AM MST. If you go to this link... http://boydandniki.blogspot.com/2010/04/poolside-giveaway.html there will be instructions for entering into a contest for a free swim suit! Nice right. The more things you do and the more you post a comment on the A Lovely Lifestyle blog the more times you are entered to win. This will be my 4th thingy! Wish me luck and good luck to all of you that participate!!!

Gimme that guy

There is a country song, "Gimme that girl." It makes me think of Steven every time I hear it. The guy singing it, Joe Nichols, is singing about a girl that he thinks is beautiful and perfect just the way she is (without hair and make-up all done). Anyway, there is a part where he is singing about the different little personality traits that he loves about her and says, "gimme that girl that the rest of the world ain't lucky enough to know." I feel that way about Steven. There are things he does when it's just him and I, and I feel so lucky to be the one to share those moments with him. There could not be another person that fits me so well. I'm not claiming he's perfect, I'm just saying there couldn't be another person in the world that is more perfect for me. I love you handsome!

Animal Tales

Steven and I were out running errands the other day. We were driving through a parking lot when a goose swoops down, right in front of my car and I nearly hit the thing. Thanks to Steven's good eyes, I was able to stop just before whacking into it. Remember in my previous blog about Flat Stanley how I said it was great that we could get so close to the geese because they are normally pretty mean? Yeah, the stupid goose I almost hit was dive bombing us! It was trying to attack me through my car. Then, another one came out and started walking up to us. I'm in a metal car freaking out because I fear somehow the geese are going to find their way in or I'm going to run them over. The one walking toward us starts biting at my tires! Then, another car coming the opposite direction gets stuck because the stupid walking goose is standing in the middle of the road blocking the way. Ugh! Steven said they probably have babies near by and are trying to protect them. Crazy birds! Then, that same day I had the lint brush out because our cats shed so stinking bad. I look over and Tiger is licking the sticky part of the lint brush! Apparently, it tastes fantastic. I imagine he would be the little boy that eats paste if he were human. It's a good thing he is so darn cute. His bad habits sure aren't the reason we keep him around!

Best example of Denver weather

So, I am always complaining about how Denver weather is sooo unpredictable. There have been times where Steven and I would go out in shorts and t-shirts one day to soak up the sunshine and then have to wear snow boots and heavy coats the very next day or the time I finally went to school in my beloved flops and left the sweater behind because it was a bright sun shiny morning and ended up regretting that decision when heavy snow greeted me when I got out of class or maybe the snow storm we had in the middle of May two years ago. WELL! Let me tell you what. Today topped ALL of those stories. We are reaching the end of April now and today I witnessed snow, rain, and sunshine all in the very same day. Unbelievable right! However, I have to admit, I am going to miss it here a little when we move to California this summer. It really is a beautiful place. Just thought I'd share the weather! Now I have to go duck for cover. It sounds like the wind might blow our apartment complex over any second. ha ha Sleep sweet everyone!

All Story, No Pictures...

So, Steven and I went to Los Angeles this weekend to look for a new home. We had a lot of potential places from looking online, but we wanted to go see them in person to get a better feel for the neighborhood they were in and what they really look like. You can never trust the pictures online. We get to California and the first two people we had the pleasure of dealing with were totally rude and the traffic was a bear. I was not feeling great about things thus far. After picking up the rental car and getting things settled for Steven's residency, we started our apartment search.... Oh goodness! The first day we saw a lot of, what I thought to be, scary apartments. Steven didn't seem bothered as much as I was. I decided it was female intuition. We had like 5 different apartments marked all in the same area so we headed over there to get a bunch knocked off the list....We knocked them off alright. The area alone was enough to scare us away for life. I told Steven if we got an apartment there we would have to take his mom the back way or she would have a fit. ha ha No joke, it was like the type of ghetto you see in movies where they are trying to make the area seem super GHETTO. It was bad. At the end of the first day I was feeling pretty anxious that we wouldn't find anything. Everything was either way too expensive or way too scary. The next day was a little better. We ran into some nice people, saw some AMAZING cars...and I'm not even into cars that much. We saw a couple of places that appeared clean and safe, but they still seemed to be above and beyond our comfort zone in price. At least there was hope though. That evening we went to Santa Monica pier. It was super cool and really relieved some of the stress. The pier itself is way cool. Someday when we have money, I'd like to spend some times there eating fry-bread and riding the rides. The ocean was so beautiful. There's a spot on the beach with all these different exercise thingies. It's where the buff guys go to show off. It was funny to watch. There was one girl doing some crazy acrobatic stuff on the rings. She wasn't fooling me. There was no exercising to this routine. It was all for show. It's going to take some time to get used to all of the hot headed, show offs. Steven climbed a super high rope. I was pretty impressed. He made it look so easy and we all know climbing the rope in gym class is no easy task. The next day was Sunday. We were on the hunt again. We passed one of our church buildings and I talked Steven into going in to talk to one of the bishops. He didn't want to because we were not dressed for church. To be honest, I felt weird too, but I was so over our unrewarded searching efforts that I got over it pretty easy. Everyone was sooo nice and the bishop kept trying to convince us that that was the ward for us. Steven thinks he has callings to fill. :0) Turns out, one of the bishops counselors lives in and manages an apartment complex not even a block away from the temple! What are the odds? Anyway, so Sunday was a great day. We found some potential places and met a lot of really nice members and felt some of the weight lift off our shoulders. It really does pay to be a member of such an amazing church. I'm so thankful. I am a firm believer that blessings come from being a member of this wonderful gospel and paying tithing. Even though it was a little stressful at times, it was a great trip. I had so much fun just spending time with my amazing husband. My companion, my navigator...my best friend. I love you so much Steven!

Road trip! Went to Utah for my "big sister's" wedding

My best friend Heather, has been my best friend since we were 11. Her house was like my home away from home growing up and her family was like an extension to my own. They are some of the greatest people a person could ever know. Anyway, Heather's big sister Jen was getting married and I hadn't seen them in FOREVER! So, Steven and I decided to drive to Utah for her wedding reception. We decided to take Lilly with us. She claimed her spot right off and stayed there the whole trip. I wanted her to come to me, because it would be safer and because I was super jealous of the attention she was giving Steven, but she wouldn't leave Steven's lap. I don't know if she just felt safer there or if she was convinced she was the driver.... We had a sweet little setup for her Eventually, she settled down enough to take a bath and snooze for a bit Until we hid a bump in the road. Lilly - "What's that?!?!" We finally got to the reception, but I left my camera in the car, so no pictures. Sorry! Her dress was amazing though! The Next day, we went over to spend some time with them before we headed back to Colorado. It was a lot of fun! Heather, Nate, Steven, and I were playing some Bad mitten until the guys got out of control. After Heather and I had both been attacked by the shuttlecock or bird or whatever it's called, we decide to beat the guys up and move on to a more friendly, less painful game of Croquet. Nate, Heather's hubby, shows off his Karate Kid approach This is Jen and Heather's little boy, Anthony. So, stinkin' cute! My second family! I miss you guys!!! There are a couple people missing in this picture though. Jen and her new hubby had to take off and Josh had to go to work. We totally have to get together again soon!

Halloween 2009

I know, it's already waaaay past Halloween, but like I said, I'm trying to catch up. We actually had a lot of fun with Halloween this year. We did some really fun decorating and had a small get together. Good times! Here are the decorations....I'm pretty pleased with myself, so I feel obligated to share. ha ha This is our VAAARY SCAAARY front door. I had a great pattern for a spooky wreath, but we had limited funds. Maybe I'll make it next year....I made the spider! Here's a close up of Mr. Spider I made this huge spider web that draped across the entire living room out of yarn. It took like 5 hours! It looked a lot cooler in person. Everyone was trying to convince me that it would make a great permanent addition to our home decor. ha ha This is Steven and my first Halloween decoration! I made it the Halloween before last. Like how I captured part of Casper the movie in the background to add to the creepiness? That wasn't on purpose! ha ha $4 sheets from Walmart made for some cool looking window dressings. Here's a close up of our pumpkins. Steven's is the scarecrow...he basically did all the work on mine too. I cut out one of the eyes and was done. ha ha Such a sweet, talented guy! Can't leave out the kitchen table! Tiger was really enjoying the decorations too...until he got stuck in them. Poor thing got all tangled up. I was to was to busy trying to get him out to realize what a great photo opportunity I was missing until after it was over. Lucky for me the nerd didn't learn his lesson and got back up there, so we got to recreate the moment. These are a couple of our friends, Jeff and Lisa. He was the cookie monster and she was a cookie. I thought it was so cute. We had another friend, Lia over who was pregnant at the time. She was wearing an orange shirt with a Jack-O-Lantern face on her baby bump. They had to leave before I thought to whip out the camera tho. This is our count down calendar. I saw it in a Crate and Barrel catalog for way more than I was going to pay for it, but I really liked it, so I recreated it. Steven helped. It was a lot of fun! I think it turned out pretty good. There was some cool stuff going on in the bathroom and kitchen, but I didn't get pictures of it for some reason. Maybe next year....

A long day in Keeleyville

So...yesterday was quite an eventful day! But all is well that ends well right? It all started on my way home from my morning class. There was a detour that had the traffic turn right into a neighborhood I have never cared to visit before this day, so I didn't know my way around. Well, I missed the next turn to stay on the detour route and knowing my knack for getting lost, I thought the best things to do would flip around and get back on route...at least that would have been the best thing if the road I was on WASN'T a ONE WAY road!!! I flip around and start heading back to the road I missed wondering what the heck the idiot ahead of me was doing in "my lane". Then, it hit me. Thankfully, the "idiot" took pity on the poor, dumb girl that can't read road signs and stopped so I could pull into the driveway on my left and get heading back in the right direction. UGH! THEN! I was on my way to my afternoon class. I was talking on the phone, not paying attention, threw my keys onto the driver seat, tossed my backpack into the car, locked the door (so no crazy could open my passenger door and attack me of course!) and headed around the car to take off. The horror hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized the error of my ways. Frantically, I run around the car, freaking out, checking all the doors, not giving a hoot about what the people walking their dog beside me must have been thinking at the sight of me. All that was really going through my mind is the fact that I CANNOT BE LATE TO BIOLOGY!!! I thought to call someone for a ride, but my backpack was in the car with all of my notes and labs and it would do me no good at all to be there without notes or my lab or even a stinkin sheet of paper to write things down. FINALLY, I gathered myself...slightly and realized the office would have a spare key to my apartment. At least I could get in the house and...that's where my plan ended. Funny story....Another person...in my same building, no less, also locked herself out and needed a spare key. She walked in about 1 minutes after me.... Anyway, I tell the guy in the office about my dilemma. He then informs me that he has broken into a couple of cars before (that's a comforting thought) and that he could help if I wanted. I was panicked people! So, of course I said that would be wonderful! As he gets to my apartment/car I let him know that I might have a spare in my apartment and that I wanted to look before he did anything drastic (I can't afford to replace another broken window on my car). So, turns out we did have a spare! Don't you go thinking I wasted even a second before pouring my heart out in gratitude to my Heavenly Father...THANK YOU AGAIN by the way!!! The office guy was happy to hear I had a spare, because apparently he has better luck breaking into partially open cars than fully locked cars....Me too actually! ha ha He was super nice though. He even offered to let me use his AAA card. So, I'm finally on my way to class...late. So, I was speeding just a smidgen. To my horror, I hear sirens.........YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN ME! Come on!...Don't fret too much. It was just an ambulance. My poor frazzled heart. I'm surprised I didn't keel over with all the stress I put it through that day. Anyway, I made it to class just in time to find out I did the wrong lab. DAH!!! Apparently, the teacher thought it was a good idea to jump from lab 2 to labs 9 and 10 instead. These labs, by the way, were due in less than an hour. Needless to say, I didn't hear squat in the lecture. Hopefully, she didn't say anything too terribly important...hopefully. It wasn't just me though. Like, 95% of the class overlooked this crazy shuffle in the syllabus. Steven and I decided to meet up for dinner before he headed out of town because he needed his pillows. We had a really nice dinner. It was good to see him. I miss him so much when he's gone. After postponing the inevitable as long as we could, Steven finally took off. Almost all the way back to our apartment, I realize...I STILL HAVE THE PILLOWS IN MY CAR! In the mist of our "I love you's" and "I'm going to miss you's" and just the discussion of our eventful day, we had forgotten to transfer the pillows from my car to his....I QUIT THIS DAY! ha ha Sorry this is so long...I warned you in the title though...I was noooot joking. But, like I said, all is well that ends well. I got into my car, got to spend quality time with my honey and had one grrrreat story to share with all of you. What can I say? I'm just a cup half full kinda girl these days...sometimes. ;0)

Adventures with Flat Stanley

One of our nieces, Kylie, sent us a Flat Stanley to take around Denver. We were supposed to take pictures of him around Denver and send them back to her and her 2nd grade class. I thought it would be fun to share his adventures with all of you too. You can see a little piece of Denver...and Vail. These first two pictures are of Flat Stanley in front of the state capitol. Isn't this such a great building? I love it! This is Flat Stanley with some Geese. Look how close we got! Normally, they will attack you if you get this close. They must have really liked Flat Stanley :0) This is Flat Stanley in front of a really amazing cathedral that was built in 1906. It is still in amazing condition! The side view is really great too, but our parking meter was up and we had to get back to the car. The spires are my favorite part anyway. Here is Flat Stanley making a snow angel And this is Flat Stanley in Vail. If you look close enough, you can see the sky lift behind him. There are sooo many more sights to see in Denver, but we had a limited amount of time. He has other places to go and people to see you know! Hope you enjoyed sharing some of his adventures!