Lots of news

I have so much to catch up on and I'm going to try and get it out in as little words as possible. For me, that's tough sometimes :)

First things first, it's Christmas Eve... Wow. Where has 2011 gone?? I cannot believe the year is about over. Scott and I are going to have dinner tonight with my Dad's side of the family and split tomorrow up between my Mom and his parents. I have not been in the Christmas mood at all this year, there have been so many things going on (I will get to it all ) that I haven't had much time to actually sit and think about. We are planning a very low key Christmas this year, and that sounds pretty good to us!

Next on the docket... We bought a house!

Scott and I bought our first home in Blackfoot this month. We will move in around January 27th. SOOO crazy. I will be in school at the time, and two days later Scott will be going to Florida for a week for training. We are so excited, a little overwhelmed but very excited to have a home to call ours. It's about 6 or so miles out of town, it's so peaceful and quiet. We are in a neighborhood that has about 12 homes. The lot to the left is empty, but there is a home on the right. We haven't met any of the neighbors yet, but we did hear the ones to the right own the Arctic Circle in Blackfoot. I'll keep everyone posted about how moving in goes. We have already started packing... Good knight do we have a LOT of crap!

Scott gt a promotion last week at week. He is now the Asphalt Operations Superintendent. He is in charge of all things asphalt, the stationary plant and the portable. Best news of all, he doesn't have to live out of town for 6 months out of the year!! Who has 2 thumbs and is excited as all get out?? This girl right here! I am so proud of him, he has busted his butt and has proved himself to the company. He deserves this so much and is so excited about it! Which he should be!

I just finished my 2nd to last academic semester of school! Spring 2012 will be my last one, then my practicum and I will graduate a year from now. I would be done in August, but since the University is so short on money, they cut a dean in the summer and they about force you to stay an extra semester to do it. I am convinced it's to squeeze more money out of you, but that's my own thoughts! :) I am so proud of myself! I cannot wait to be done... Oh wait, I'm not done! I've made the decision to go back and get my Master's as soon as I'm finished. My program will only be 18 months and it's fully online! I am hoping I can get a job and do my schooling at the same time. the nice ting aout being where we are is I can go North to IF, South to Portneuf, or stay in Blackfoot and work at the hospital there. I am hoping I will be able to find something by the time I am finished.

Weding plans are going along very nicely. I found a dress the day after Thanksgiving for like 55-60% off and it is to die for. It's amazing! Really all we need is clothing for the boys/men, cake, and flowers and we're done. I've been making sure every spare second I have I am doing something wedding related. We got our proofs back on our invitiation, I designed them, and they look magnificant! I think I would like our cake to make them in some way. I am hoping to stick with my table idea, but it has changed already since we first started. We were originally going to go Vintage, but after I got my dress, which is more modern, I decided to change our idea. So now we are going rustic feeling. I think it fits us more, Scott is kind of a rugid little individual and I have always wanted to get married in my cowboy boots :) Haha... So, it kind of makes sense!

We had a very easy going Thanksgiving. Scott, me and my mom just ate here at our house and had a pretty casual get together. I made a few pies, cookies, and some rolls. Scott made his famous Candied Yams, famous to us anyways! It was a nice time. My dad had to work and Scott's parents didn't want to come up, long story, so it was just the 3 of us and really I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Well friends, Merrry Christmas. I hope everyone has a great holiday with your families and friends. Remember it's not about what you get or how much you get; Christ is the reason for the season.

My Mama

Well, my mom made it home in one piece on Oct 8th. I wasn't suppose to pick her up from the airport because a friend of mine was getting married that evening, but some things happened and changed, and I had to make the trip. Her plane got delayed a little while in San Fran and she didn't end up getting into SLC till 8ish. She was VERY ready to get to the States and even more ready to see someone she recognized :)

She had a great trip and was able to see a lot of things she may not of had the chance too. On her last day I'm Beijing, she was able to go to the Forbidden Temple and Tiananmen Square. She said she would go back just to see those things again. She said those places were amazing; A once in a lifetime opportunity.

Once she gets all her pictures organized a little better I'll will add some. I am so glad to have my mom home and I know she was very grateful to be home again and to eat American food again, something other than rice!

Thanks to those who checked in on me and made sure I hadn't burn the house down!

And thanks to those who made sure to ask me about how my mom was doing while she was gone, she and I both appreciate the prayers and the phone calls!

The Story

I know I was very vague about our engagement, so I'll give you the story!

I had absolutely no clue he was plotting anything, he had wanted to go to dinner last Wednesday night, but I said no because I had a ton of homework I needed to get through. So after he and I had finished dinner, I was sitting at the table doing English revisions and he was bugging me- hovering around me, wouldn't leave me alone type of things. Basically the kid was annoying me (oops!). Eventually he asked if I would close my eyes, but I really wanted to get my homework done so I could watch Law and Order (haha, really) anyway, I finally agreed. And when he told me to open them, there he was, on one knee with a big box and a shiny ring! He gave me a little speech and ended with "Will You Marry Me?" I was honestly so shocked, I told him for the first time in my life I was speechless. He told me he expected more emotion, I didn't cry at all - I was honestly SO SHOCKED. After what seemed like 5 minutes, he told me I still hadn't given him an answer, and I said "Crap! Of course, yes! I'm sorry!" HAHA.

So we've set a date of June 2, 2012

I am very excited, still in a state of shock and have an overwhelming feeling of my last sememster of my undergrad and wedding planning... What have I gottem myself into?!

Thank you all for your well wishes and love, it's very much appreciated!

6 Times 2 Equals 12

6-2-12

That's when Scott and I are GETTING MARRIED!!

A Week & A Half

That is officially how long my mother has been gone! To be completely honest, time has really flown by and granted, it has been tough, but not nearly as terrible as I had anticipated. I will say Skype has been a total sanity keeper for both my mom and I. We can email, but really, the only really communication we have is through Skype. What a cool thing! I have heard about people "Skpying" with family and bla bla, but never used it until now. What a blessing!

From what I have gathered so far, things are going great. She has her own interpreter name Laye and she wants to bring him home :) She loves him! He and his wife even had a couple of them over for dinner at their home. She said people have stopped her and the group she's with to take their pictures, to stand with them and have pictures taken. She said it's crazy how much they LOVE Americans. Apparently not many go to where she is, I'm not totally sure. On Sunday they took a little 'field trip' to see the Panda exhibit. She said it was amazing! (I have pictures from her and I'll get them up shortly) They got to see 4 baby pandas in their nursery as well as two red ones, which I guess are very rare.. She said they are learning a lot. The operation that they are teaching them is very strenuous and hard and she is adjusting as best she can. I guess today they are doing it without any help. So she was a little nervous about the outcome!

Another thing she talked about is how cheap the Chinese work for. The company she is at, Tianwei, only pays their workers by how many Poly rods they can get out in a day and other places only pay $2/hr. And she said they work their butts off. So I guess now, as we (Americans) complain about our jobs being sent overseas, it's easy to understand why. Why would we want to pay someone here to do a job at $20/hr when it can be shipped to China and it can be made for $2/hr. My mom said it's a sad fact of life. They don't have much but Laye offers her anything she will take. She said his generosity is outstanding. She is serious about 'putting him in her suitcase and bringing him here.'

Another thing they do for the group my mom is with, is provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner at specific times everyday. She has has some VERY interesting meals so far. (Pictures to come) She said they eat rice with every single meal, but the dish they serve in the morning is more like a fried rice, where the rest is just plain white rice. She told me the other day she NEVER wants to eat rice again after she gets home :) Lucky for her we packed almost an entire suitcase full of protein bars and different foods for her to eat just in case.

Well, I'll make sure to get those pictures up as soon as I can. And when I talk to her again I'll make sure to give everyone an update.

Hope you all are enjoying this fabulous fall weather. I love it. There is nothing better than that crisp fall breeze. Before you know it.... It'll be snowing. Who knows, it just might this weekend... It always snows on the ISU Homecoming parade :)

Until next time,

-M

9/11

10 Years Ago...

I was 14

I was in Mr. Hale's English class in the basement of HJH

I was mad I had woken up late that day

My mom called me and said a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers

"Mom, planes hit builds all the time. I have to go!" and hung up

Expect this wasn't like anything America had ever seen before...

I walked into class just 'in time' to see the 2nd tower fall.

I heart fell too.

Another plane had crashed into the Pentagon

and another in a field in PA.

Why is this happening??

I feared for my own life

even though I was miles and miles away

I felt bad I was so angry at my mom.

I had a chance to tell her I was sorry,

but those people... They'll never be seen again.

Again, Why?? I just don't get what's going on.

God help those people.

For days afterward, there were glimmers of hope.


Like this....

God Bless America, the land that I love.

9/11/01

Never Forget

A BIG Week

Well, in a week from today, I will be shipping my mother off to China. It's a lot for me to handle. Being the only child I have had A LOT of parent-child time. I consider my mom and dad two of the best people around and without them, other than the obvious of me not being here, I would not be complete. The thought of being in this big house, by myself for a month scares the hell out of me. Luckily my dad isn't too far away in case I need anything. And I'm sure there is a whole slew of people, known and unknown to me, that have been told by my mom to 'keep watch' on me while she's gone. As wild as this sounds, this will be the longest she and I will have ever been apart from one another. She went to Greece for 2 weeks and a few years ago my dads side of the family went to our beach house for 2 weeks. That's it. Now I know you married with children folk who live out of state are thinking this is nothing. But it is. It's a BIG something.

Days won't be so bad, they are occupied with (LOTS) of homework, 2 jobs, and a never ending list of pages of read. It's the nights I worry about.

So for now, we'll we make a list, check it and check it again,

pack, probably cry a little

and check the list again hoping we haven't forgotten something very important.

We'll pray the time goes quick

We'll pray that she learns a lot.

We'll pray I 'can be brave' (as my mommy would say)

We'll pray she 'can be brave' (as I would say)

We'll pray she is safe

We'll pray for comfort when it gets hard

We'll pray and thank Christ for these many blessings

which sometimes... I wonder how He chose us.

You'll hear from me shortly.

Until next time,

Maren.

15 Weeks

That's how much more suffering I have till this semester is over! Haha! Always thinking ahead :) (I'm sure there were some of you who thought I was annoucing something. Jokes on you!)

All in the the semester is going pretty well. 18 credits is a whole boat load, and 2 jobs, well, thats a whole other ball of wax, but I am managing! There really is zero free time, I find the majorty of my time is occupied by homework, reading, note taking, bla bla bla.

The job in my dept is going awesome! Everyone who works there has taken me in with open arms and is really nice to me! I can't complain about getting to do homework and getting paid, and everyone who works in the deptartment, is my teacher! So, that comes in handy when I need some extra help and advice!

My mom was suppose to leave for China on Friday, but they postponed the date till Sept 16th. She is getting a little less nervous, a little being the key word there! She got her Visa yesterday and she is pretty much set to go. Just got a lot of packing to do!

Scott has about 2 months left before he's able to come home and he couldn't be more happy about that. And lets be honest, I'm pretty jazzed for that day too. This distance is ridiculous and getting really, really old! He is grateful that the weather is cooling down, you can only handle some many 117* days!

Well, thats about all I've got for now.

Until next time,

Maren

Daddy of 'em all

Mare B. & Mare C.

Before the show

ERIC CHURCH

"These Boots"

TOBY KEITH

Scott was able to get a weekend off and he and I and our friends Marianne & Troy drove 8.5 hours to Cheyenne to the Frontier Days. It's this huge festival that they have every year; it's a 10 day event and they have concerts every night, rodeos, and all kinds of vendors. Those of you who are familiar with the movie 8 Seconds, it's where Lane Frost was killed. It's makes our State Fair in Blackfoot look like a weekend carnival. I have been a huge Eric Church fan since he released his first CD in 2005. I always look at his web site to see if he was going to be coming anywhere near Idaho, and Cheyenne was what I got. I bought tickets in January! I have been looking forward to this literally all year! Haha. You can tell 'pure country' for those of you who listen, you know what I'm talking about, and he is one of them. And Toby Keith, well... he is just one amazing, talented artist. And he is a BIG dude in real life! :) We stayed the night in Laramie and got up the next morning and drove another 8.5 hours. It was well worth the trip and we will for sure be making it a new tradition

Leavin' on a jet plane

Well we got word last week that my mom will be leaving Aug. 26th!

Anyone that knows anything about traveling to China.... Uh, good grief, is it a LOT of work!

Basically to communicate, you seriously need either an Ipad or an Iphone . Something with a Wifi capability... Any others forms of communication; telephone, internet, email, text... is all ROAMING! We spoke to a cat at Verizon, basically said for an hour on the Internet Skyping, it would be give or take $500! Um, I love my mom (and she loves me) but not that much! HAHA. So we are trying to track down an Apple piece of equipment. This is just one thing, and it is a lot of work! :/

Anyway, thank you all for you kind wishes for her. She is still very nervous

and a little excited. I'll keep everyone posted as we know more!

Until next time

-Maren

No Excuses

I have no words for leaving the Easter background on my blog, for not posting since... um, March or something?!, for not letting all you fine folks know what is happening in the world of us. Man, life is crazy sometimes, ya'll agree? :)

Well, I'll give a brief run down. I finished school in May, and did so awesome. I really am proud of myself. The year break I took was the best decision I have made in my entire life. Really! I had 2 days off (Saturday & Sunday) and then went right back for 10 credits of summer school! Yes, I am crazy, I am fully aware. But again, such a good decision for me! I am currently on credit 10 right now, and will finish with that in 2 weeks. I have gotten A's and B's in all my classes so far! Such a great feeling!

Everything is in order to graduate in December 2012. It seems like so long, and there is a tiny little bump in the road to go along with (of course, it cannot just be easy) but things are looking up! I have 2 academic semesters left and my practicum in the fall. That is why graduation is delayed. With the cuts in funds, they no longer keep a dean in the summer, so I am forced to wait it out! I can see a light at the end though, thank goodness!

Scott is gone again for the summer :( He has been gone 6 weeks and is living in a town called Grandview. It's about 30 miles outside of Mountain Home Air Force Base. Basically it's this tiny little town with no cell phone reception and hot as all get out! Warmest day so far: 117*

It is a difficult adjustment, being so far from home, he doesn't make the 4 hour drive to Poky every week. He's been home three times since he's left. given the no cell phone service, well that's a whole other story! Very hard just using texts, which send and receive when they feel like it, but I am grateful for the technology of texting!

Another exciting thing for the two of us... We are getting ready to purchase some land and build a home! We are very excited and tentatively plan on breaking ground when it thaws out next spring! Parson got a job HERE next year, so he will be around to lay down the law, since I don't know 2 things about construction. My duties will begin when the walls go up :) The land sits in between Inkom and McCammon and is almost 4 acres. It's very peaceful out there, although I'm not sure how I will fair without a store close by, ha!

There is exciting news all around, my Mommy included. We just found out last night she will be going to CHINA for a month for her job! I don't know how many of you know, but she is working with Hoku here in Pocatello and they offered her an operator position so that is why she is going to China, for the training. She will be one of 8 going, so that has lessened my fears about her leaving the country, alone :/ This whole time things were being worked out, all I could think about was how hard it was for all of us after she got laid off almost 2 years ago. We told each other all the time ' things happen for a reason..' and now we know why. This is such an amazing opportunity for her and I am so unbelievably proud of her. Christ is so powerful and I wish I gave thanks more often than I do. This is such a testimony builder for all of us, He really does listen and really cares for all His children. It doesn't matter where we are spiritually, He is there. I know good things are coming for my Mom and there is not a more deserving person. I don't know how she kept her head up through all this. She had all the right to be unhappy and mad at the world, but she always was positive. I wish I had just one ounce of that. The company gave them a month to prepare, and she will be gone the entire month of September. As ridiculous as it sounds, especially at 24, this will be the longest we have ever been apart! She is very nervous and excited, as am I. I will for sure keep everyone posted and share her experiences over there. From what we have learned, she will be near Beijing and 3 hours away from the Great Wall. On the weekends, they will be taken to tourist sites and allowed to do fun things, other than work all the time! She will also be living right on site, which is also comforting! :)

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as it comes to an

end here in the next couple months!

Until next time,

Maren

Did you think I forgot about you?

Well, I kinda did...

Clearly I have not kept up with my blogging. Which really is nothing new! So, shall we recap alittle?

School, oh sweet school.... I went back in January and it was so much harder than I had imagined! I go 4 days a week, dang near all day, except mondays. I'm there till 4 on some days and Wed till 7. It is a big adjustment, because I am in my jammies by like... 5 every night! The class is really interesting, so it keeps my attention, but it is sooo long! Everything so far is going by awesome. Classes are great, lots.. No TONS of work. I'm only working 2ish days a week which is nice because I can focus on homework. I can't believe Spring Break was here, and now it's gone and we're down to the last 6 weeks of classes! Wow... Time sure flies.

On the topic of Spring Break, I did nothing... And it was amazing! Just worked a couple of days and hung out with my Mommy :)

Speaking of my Mommy, she got herself a job at Wal Mart as a door greater about a month ago I know she has seen a ton of people, so you may be one of them :) and last week she got a phone call from Hoku Materials and they want her as a Polysilicon Tech! I am so sooo soooo proud of her! She hasn't had a steady, stable job for over a year now and this is just another answered prayer from Christ. In the day and age we live in, we expect everything to be instant (I am guilty), time goes by and you think you're being ignored or don't understand why He just won't answer. This is a GREAT lesson that our prayers are always answered, some just take a little longer than others. She is excited, nervous, and a mix of everything else you could think of.. She is not looking forward to working Graveyard or the 12 hour days again. But it is something she'll have to get use too. She starts April 11th.

Scott & I have been talking about going on vacation since he left for work last year, and we finally did it. He planned a little getaway to Jackson Hole the weekend after Valentine's Day, he did it all himself, which is pretty big for him. HA! We stayed at The Lodge, and if you are ever there looking for a hotel, STAY THERE! It is very warm, homey, cabin feeling. We loved it. It's just out of town a little, so you have to drive to get to the Square, but it's worth it. We just walked around and enjoyed each others company! We haven't been to Jackson since before he and I were 21, so we hit up The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar this time. I don't know if anyones been in it, but it is so awesome. They have saddles for bar stools and really old western pications on the wall. Pretty much we sat on the stools, played pool and just soaked it all in! On our way there, Scott decided he wanted to take the pass, well, the closer we got we started to notice it looked like it was storming. And boy was it... We couldn't even make it up half way in my car! So we turned around and decided what our next move was going to be, well I had snuck in a few quick prayers that we would make it in one piece and by the grace of God, a sander was on its way up! So we got behind it and we made it just fine!

Well friends, hope every one is doing well and thinking Spring!

Until next time

2010 - A Year In Review

You always say you hope the next year is going to be better than the previous, and I had no lesser intentions for that of 2010. But, as usual, something drastic, unexpected, life changing, goal changing, etc... had to happen.

January: The first semester I haven' t been to school since, well forever. We try to adjust as a family with my mom being laid off.

February: My uncle Scott passes away from liver cancer. We spent most of the month in Cali.

March & April: Lots of figuring out what we want out of life

May: Scott moves out at the beginning of the month after lots of questions, and an uncertainty on what each of us wanted. Scott leaves for work at the end of the month for 6 months.

June & July: More questions, more confusion

August: My mom is finally offered a job as a sub for School District #25. Scott loses an aunt to an unexpected heart attack.

September: Scott and I finally decided it IS worth it. Just because it gets tough doesn't mean you can just give up. We want to be together through the good, bad, and the ugly. All of which we have been through.

October: My mom is offered another job at JoAnn's. It really is amazing how Christ answers your prayers, no matter how long it take. He is listening. I made the decision to go to school and FINISH.

November: Scott and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary. This was a special one given what the year had offered us.

December: As I look back and think about the year.,I realize it was just another learning experience. It's one of those things I really never though we would ever have to go through. I didn't think I would lose another person to cancer so close to my Grandma, and Scott wasn't prepared for the death of his aunt.

I have learned as long as you put it all in His hands, you will be safe. All the questions you have, ask Him for the guidance. Ask Him and he'll give you an answer. It's not always what you want, but He knows what is best for you. It may not be an instant answer either, but He's listening, He knows.

To say I am grateful for this year of trials is hard for me. I don't know if that's the right word. What I am grateful for is the lessons I have learned, and the mistakes I have made have been forgiven.

My resolution for 2011 isn't to make a resolution. Lots of the time, you set the standard so high and when you aren't able to achieve, it makes you feel worse! So, in the long run I would like to save more and spend less. Scott and I have both decided to take each day as it comes, good or bad.

I hope all of you had a great New Years. I wish all of you health and happiness for 2011!!