Before & After Pics of the House

Here is what we have done so far. The people we bought the house from had some interesting color choices. Front Before

Front After

Garage Before

Garage After

Living Room Before (from the front door)

Living Room Before (ugly built-in entertainment center)

Living Room After (from the front door)

Living Room After (minus ugly entertainment center) Andrew went to town with a sledge hammer on that beast!

Kitchen before

Kitchen After

Kitchen After

Master Bed Before (notice the nasty, smelly carpet!)

Master Bed After

Master Bed After

New Bedding

Master Bath Before

Master Bath After

Still left to do are the 2 spare bedrooms and the landscaping. I just started a pretty neat but complicated paint job in one room yesterday. I am pretty excited for that to be finished!

New House

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! We have been in the house for 8 months now, but we don't have internet so I am never able to post pictures! The house is about 2 miles from my parents and 1/2 a mile from my sister. It is nice to have family close even if we don't hang out a whole lot. Andrew is getting closer and closer to paying up for internet service, so hopefully I can get some pictures up when that happens!

My Goal

So I have been trying off and on to lose about 20 lbs. I have not been successful because I keep getting distracted by life. This week, I have decided to be more dedicated and commit to exercising and eating well. I will be posting my food journal and exercise log here for everyone to see. You may not enjoy it, but if it works, hopefully it will inspire you to live a healthier lifestyle. This is mostly for me.

Monday, November 14, 2011
Breakfast(9:30am): fried egg, ham, and cheese on an english muffin
Snack (11:00am): Banana
Lunch (1:30pm): Backed potato w/ cheese, salsa, sour cream, and green onions
Dinner (6:30pm): Bowl of chicken chili and rye bread

Swam 1hr (2500yds)

The Best 3 Years of My Life!

3 years ago today, Andrew & I got married for time and all eternity! I can't believe that it has already been 3 years! Here are some things that we have done since we got married:

- Both graduated w/ a Bachelor's Degree
- Lived in:
Rexburg, ID
Mesquite, NV
St. George, UT
Las Vegas, NV
- Traveled across the country and visited:
Pittsburgh, PA
Washington, DC
New York City, NY
Palmyra, NY
- Andrew started Grad School and will be finishing in August
- Started the Ward Champion Ultimate Frisbee Team

I have been trying to remember how life was before I met Andrew, and I can remember the stuff that I did. At the same time though, I don't remember life without Andrew. Life is so good and I am so happy being with Andrew, that I can't remember how I was happy before he came into my life. I am so glad that I get to be with him forever - for eternity! I am so excited for the many more years and adventures that we are going to have together!!!

How was MY weekend?!

This past weekend was the world-wide broadcast of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Uchtdorf challenged the members to share spiritual messages with our friends and family through texting and blogging. He mentioned that the question "How was your weekend?" is often answered by telling about the sports events, movies, or social events that we attended. He then encouraged us to share what we learned at Church over the weekend when we are asked how our weekend was. So between my desire to more frequently update my blog and this simple suggestion from this great leader, I have decided that every week I am going to post some gospel nugget that I gained from Church.

Some of my favorite sermons from the General Conference included topics about family, trials, and service. One of the 12 Apostles spoke mostly about his late wife, who he knows he will see again and their love will be even stronger after their time being separated by death. It was also very precious to me to see all of the apostles leaving the Conference center with their beautiful lives. There is something wonderful about seeing our leaders arm-in-arm with the loves of their lives!

Right now I cannot remember who gave the other sermon that I really enjoyed, but it was about enduring through our trials. I love the analogy he gave about climbing a mountain: The hardest part is usually the final climb to the summit, which if we make it to the top, we can enjoy the magnificent view of the valleys and canyons below. Many times our hardest trials and darkest moments are followed by marvelous miracles that we could not have experienced if we do not endure.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to hear from the leaders of our Church. They are truly inspired men and they want us to be happy and achieve eternal life. I know that this is Christ's church and that I must always be an instrument in His hand to help His work and glory move forward.

It's Been A While...

So not too much has happened in the last 5 months, hence the lack of blog posts. Here is a little list of some things we have been up to:

Rachel:
- called as 2nd Counselor in Ward Young Women's Presidency
- Joined Las Vegas Masters Swim Team and starting back into competing this weekend
- Thinking about starting a Pie Shoppe

Andrew:
- called as 2nd Counselor in Ward Elder's Quorum Presidency
- in 2nd semester of Grad School (Accounting) @ UNLV, also working as a Graduate Assistant there
- Continues buying stock/investing books
- Starting a 'Tax Business' (if you want your taxes done for cheap, let me know!)

It has been nice to have Sunday dinners with my family every weekend. We also have had visits from some friends from Idaho (Kate & Nate Mower, Jet Arnett), as well as my cousin & her husband. Probably the best thing about living in Las Vegas is it is a wonderful half-way point for many people. So, if you are ever traveling through Las Vegas, give us a holla and we will feed you and show you a good time!

ANNOUNCING....

So I had a nice little surprise waiting for me in my mailbox today. It was the key to the large package mailbox. As we made our way to the mailbox labeled on the key, Andrew & I racked our brains to figure out what large package we could be expecting. Upon opening the compartment and seeing my waiting package, the only words that I could say were: "I JUST GOT MY DIPLOMA!!!"

For those of you who know of the frustration that I have gone through, I imagine you will share in my excitement! Since the beginning of the year, whenever I would mention that I have a degree in child development, Andrew would correct me that I almost have that degree. However, now no one can ever say that I did not finish college.

The sense of accomplishment & completion is amazing! I never thought that this is what it would feel like to finish something so big as a college degree! For those of you who may be wondering if school is for you: if for no other reason, do it to say you did it!