Shawn and Anna Catmull.

A First...

2012-02-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Every time Shawn and I drive by a Red Robin, Shawn and I get into a debate about whether or not he has ever been there before. He swears he never has and I swear I went there with me- he tells me that it must have been a different boyfriend. Well, tonight we finally put the debate to an end and went there together. Now he can no longer say he has never been there. (P.S. Thanks to the Garlicks for the giftcard.)

Routine...

2012-01-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I are back into normal routine and it feels great. Dinner at 5:30 and in bed by 10 pm. Life doesn't get much better than that.

I probably just jinxed myself and our routine is going to get turned upside down, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

A Preview of What is to Come...

2012-01-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

We had a great week with Maggie and Amos. We had lots and lots of fun. And got a preview of what life is going to be like sooner than later!

There was lots of Amos climbing.

Maggie being a princess.

Homemade oreo making.

Cooking eating.

Bath time...

In fact, this was their second bath in one day.

So Easily Distracted

2012-01-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

The quilting adventures began.
I have everything cut and ready to be pinned.
I decided to take a quick break and made the mistake of signing on to pinterest.

But I do have an awesome block calendar now!

A Quilt

2012-01-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas, Shawn and I decided we wanted to make a quilt. We bought all the supplies and completed maybe the first two steps of the quilt making process.

This Christmas, I got sewing machine and am excited to learn how to sew! My first project is the quilt. I am sad to admit it has taken me over a year to finish it, but I have a lot of free time now so that should no longer be the case.


Here is my nifty sewing machine and sewing table!

My goal is to have it done in two weeks... we'll see?!?!

Our "First" Trip to the Doctor.

2012-01-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I had our first trip to the doctor where we will be having our baby. It was so unreal to me... I was a little bit terrified. I was all sweaty hands in the waiting room. I had read online (not a good idea) about what to expect on your first visit and was not looking forward to it.

Luckily, I was too far along to have a pelvic ultrasound and just had a "regular" ultrasound. I was very relieved and that helped me enjoy it a little bit more. The ultrasound tech was great, but for the first five minutes (at least it felt that long,) she just kept looking at the baby and didn't say anything. I was getting worried and could tell by the look on Shawn's face that he was slightly worried.

Baby Catmull! Growing and on schedule for a 07.23 arrival!

Finally, she chimed in and said the baby looks great. The size was right for 12 weeks, the heartbeat was 156 bpm, and everything seemed normal. I was very relieved, but it still didn't seem real.

We met with the doctor and played 20 questions back and forth. It was a relief to have my questions answered and clarify all those things I had read on the internet. I am excited and can't wait for the weeks to pass by! I am enjoying it a lot more now that I can do things without puking! Hopefully, the morning sickness is gone for good!

Soy sauce?

2012-01-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, every time I walked into the kitchen I got sick. I tried so hard to do the dishes and made it through unloading the dishwasher before I booked it for the bathroom. I tried to go back in and make dinner, but it was not going to happen.

Shawn came home from school and said not to worry about it. He had things under control... about twenty minutes later, he came out of the kitchen and said he had to go to the store. He was making fried rice and apparently we didn't have any soy sauce.

Shawn came home with a lot more soy sauce then expected. I don't think we will run out for a long long time! He even brought home popcorn and parmesan cheese (my first and most recent craving.)

So moral of the story... if you need soy sauce, just ask Shawn for some. And he is really not an angry person- I promise!

Changes...

2011-12-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

There have been quite a few changes around here lately...

1. Little Guy turns out to be Little Girl. We took the bunnies in to get them neutered. The vet called back. She said, "I have two things... one: Chunky is so big- we will have to treat him as a dog and two: do you know the the one you call Little Guy is actually girl?" We had no clue and are thankful there were no little bunnies. Although that could have been fun!

2. I quit my job at the Montessori preschool. Shawn and I decided it would be better for our growing family if I moved to Rexburg with him when he went back to school. Originally, I was going to stay here and work till the end of the school year, but things change. I am excited to be back in Rexburg and can hardly believe those words are coming out of my mouth. I will miss Boise a lot- especially the Iversons. I will miss hearing Morgan and Levi's little feet come running over to "our house." And Levi's concerned call, "Me need Morgan."

3. Shawn is in Idaho Falls and I am in Boise! It has only been for less than a week, but I am not sure how people do being apart! And to think... I thought I could do it for four months. I guess I could have made it work, but am thankful I don't have to try now. I miss him a lot and can't sleep at night. The only night I slept was when Morgan slept with me and kicked me all night. She was an "ok" replacement.

4. There is going to be a little baby Catmull. That is really what brought on all the changes. Shawn and I found out we are going to be having a precious little baby. I knew I could not do working/pregnant/husbandless all at once! I have been lucky to not be too sick so far. Hopefully, it only gets better. I am so excited and nervous. It doesn't seem real yet.

Well, that is about all of our changes... I am sure there are more and will be more, but that is all for now!

Chunky and Little Guy update...

2011-11-12T17:23:00.000-08:00


This is Chunky! He is our dominate male. He is a little slow, but makes up for it in muscle.

This is Little Guy. He is our smart little bunny. He is tired of being manhandled by Chunky though.

We have been working on potty training and realized that Chunky thinks he owns Little Guy. Little Guy is starting to build up some anxiety. We need to go get Chunky neutered or something. They are both males- we thought that would be enough!

Shawn is setting the example for the bunnies. Shawn is litter box trained!

We did it!

2011-10-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Posing for our six month update :)

Shawn and I did it- we have been married six months! It has been a wild, but fun six months. Here are our six months stats:

Weight: Shawn has lost 10 lbs since we got married- I think I know where it went.
Sleep Schedule: We are OLD! We can't stay up till midnight anymore :( Shawn is finally learning to sleep through the night despite being kicked and elbowed all night long.
Learning Log: We have both learned marriage takes a lot of work, but are having fun working together and getting to know each other even better.

We are healthy and loving life!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great time tonight cleaning and carving pumpkins. Morgan was so excited to help me clean out her pumpkin. We had a little setback when she put her hand in the pumpkin and it started itching and turning red. Maybe she is slightly allergic to pumpkins? She recovered though and everyone thought it was so cool to light the candles in the pumpkins. Allison dare to ask a question to a Shaver. "What happens if a pumpkin lights on fire?" She got the usual Shaver response as we laughed at her, but later felt bad when smoke started coming out of Levi's pumpkin. Guess the candle was too hot and the pumpkin was too short?

Shawn, Levi, Morgan, me, and all of our pumpkins! Note: Liz, being a wonderful mom, carved Levi's and Morgan's.

In Home Salon...

2011-10-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I have opened an in home salon... I specialize in men's hair cuts and Shawn in dye jobs...


Yes, I had to shave his back too :) Ok, just kidding... but it is gross looking.

Going dark... but wish I still had blonde hair.

Coeur D'Alenes

2011-10-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places is Coeur D'Alenes. I absolutely love it there. Last summer, my dad, mom, Carrie, and I went to Coeur D'Alenes altogether. We stayed in Harrison and biked, swam, shopped, ate, and had a great time.

From last year's trip.

My dad invited us to go again to Coeur D' Alene this year. So Shawn and I made sure we were free to go. We had a great time. This year was even better (especially because Shawn was there this time.) The whole Iverson family came and added for more entertainment. We made it almost 100 miles on our bike. It was a great trip- we look forward to doing another biking trip next year.

Liz- she made it up the bridge, but she did have to stop for a piece of gum to give her energy :)

Papa leading the non road bike bikers.

Shawn and I (oh and Levi.) He really wanted to be in our picture.


We even got to see a moose.

Things work out...

2011-09-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Everything has slowly, but surely worked out for Shawn and I. Here is a little update on what we are up to these days...

Shawn has started his internship with the "lean" program at the hospital. He seems to be enjoying it a lot, but is ready for a little more responsibility. The other day, he got to organize his "own" shelf and did such a good job that a women from the hospital asked if he could come in and do other shelves for her. (This doesn't surprise me with how organized and how much of a neat freak Shawn is. I think it is slowly wearing on him how messy I am.) The only downfall is that he has to wake up at 4 am to make it to the hospital on time- he is CRAZY!

I have started working at a Montessori Preschool. I am really enjoying it and am learning a lot about different teaching/ parenting philosophies. There are a lot of concepts I want to incorporate and quite a few I don't believe in so much. It has been an eye opening experience to have this opportunity to get to spend so much time with young children. I am pretty sure I made the right career choice to teach middle school. Teaching preschool is fun, but I don't think I could do it for forever- it takes so much energy to stay so upbeat and keep up with them. I teach a kindergarten PE class once a week. No matter how much we run and play, I still feel like they could keep going forever. I wish I had that much energy again.

Chunkie and Little Guy (aka Tails.)
Chunkie and Little Guy are part of the family now. Chunkie is by far my favorite, but Little Guy seems to be everyone else's favorite. Both bunnies are happy. They love their two story cage that Shawn built for them. It has gotten pretty fancy lately. It now has a metal roof (thanks to the scraps left at Parma.) The deck is completed- although Shawn jokes about putting a railing on it. Both bunnies love to come inside and don't find baths miserable. Life for the bunnies is good.

None of us have anything to complain about :) Well, maybe Shawn does- he does have to wake up at 4am. I still can't get over that!

Bitter to Excited!

2011-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

"Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter," Pres Dieter F Uchtdorf, General Conference April 2010.

My desires have been out on hold a lot lately, but I am pleased to say I am already out of the "bitter" stage and am excited for what is coming.

Shawn and I are staying in Eagle, ID until at least January and maybe longer. I found a job at an amazing Montessori preschool and am really excited to be able to be in a classroom. Having found out about China so late in the summer, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find any job in a classroom, but things work out! Tomorrow is my first day of "work" and I am a little nervous and excited. Shawn is still waiting to hear back on an internship, but for now things are great.

And I am learning a lot about patience. My mom always said never to pray for patience because then it would be tested, so I guess now I am learning all about it since I never prayed for it.

China or Eagle?!?!

2011-08-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Eagle, ID it is! Shawn and I ended up not being able to obtain a work visa for China. We were really bummed at first, but now we realize everything happens for a reason. And for some reason, we are supposed to be in Eagle, ID! Shawn and I are staying in Eagle until school starts in the winter (for Shawn and not me because I am a college graduate!) It should be quite the experience living in the same house as the Iverson gang. Levi sure loves Shawn now- we will see what he thinks in January.

China?!?!

2011-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

I think so! Shawn and I received our initial contract for teaching English in China. We have signed it and sent it back. All we need to do now is send them my diploma and teaching certificate! This all seems like a dream to me.

Last semester, I was student teaching in Clearfield, Utah. There was a Chinese teacher at the junior high who was from China. At one of the teacher work day lunches, I sat next to the Chinese teacher and began talking to her. She asked if I wanted to teach English in China. I didn't give it much consideration at the beginning because I wasn't sure Shawn would want to go or could even go. I didn't respond right away and that turned out to be a benefit in the end. They raised the salary because we "waited" it out. In the end, Shawn is excited to go and so am I!

I can hardly wait for the adventures that lie ahead of Shawn and I. We are going to go very used to each other. Poor Shawn, I am going to be the only person he can have real conversations with.

Champions...

2011-07-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

I played on two different soccer teams this semester. One was a recreational beginners league and the other one was a competitive team. Both teams ended up winning their leagues and I got two champion t-shirts! It was a fun season, but what made it even better was Shawn was on my team and rocked it! His first soccer team and he is a champion. Some students never win a t-shirt and Shawn won one his first semester, LUCKY!

Our Garden.

2011-06-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I both were looking forward to having a garden this summer. We don't have a yard at our apartment so we had to get creative. We got a giftcard to Home Depot for our wedding and decided to put it towards our garden. Here is what we came up with.


We have two different types of tomato plants, peas, and a habanero plant.

The tomatoes and peas are kind of going crazy.

But at least they are growing!

We ate our first peas, but are still waiting for our first tomatoes! Oh to summer!

Google it!

2011-06-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today I was trying to surprise Shawn by getting Chuck and Bob's cage all clean and not stinky before he got home from class. Well, in the process I managed to knock over our scentsy candle and wax went everywhere- all over the carpet in our rented apartment :( I began to panic and had no idea what to do... then an idea popped into my head. GOOGLE IT!

So I googled it (my education technology teacher absolutely hates when people say they googled something... oops!) I learned that the best way to get wax out of carpet is to use paper towels and an iron. You lay the paper towel down on the wax and then iron the paper towel and it magically sucks up the wax. And it really is magic! By the time Shawn got home from class, the cage was cleaned and the wax was gone... he had no idea... (except for that I left the iron out and he asked what I had used the iron for.)

Exhausted...

2011-06-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I have always been one to go go go... I hated sitting around doing nothing and have been known to drive quite a few people crazy because I am always wanting to do something. Well, this last weekend I meet my match...

Maggie 

and

Amos

Laura needed to find a babysitter in a crunch and  Shawn and I were the lucky ones who got to babysit. Amos and Maggie came to Rexburg for a week and lived the Rexburg life. We had a lot of fun playing, running, going to the park, playing guitar, playing more, and running more. 

One day, I thought I could wear the kids out enough so that they'd go to bed... my well executed plan didn't even work. We went to the park for 2 hours, soccer practice for 1 1/2 hours, and then to a soccer game for another hour. The whole time, they ran around like wild children. (Maggie even got the bright idea to jump off of the bleachers and try to land on top of a hurdle. Yeah, that didn't work out so well.) After the soccer game, I just knew they were going to be tired since it was 9:30 at night, but nope, the minute we got home they asked what we were going to do next. 

Amos and Maggie are officially more energetic than me- I must be getting OLD! It took me three hour nap to recover from our week together. How does Laura do it?

Chuck and Bob.

2011-05-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I decided that it was time to make an addition to our family. We decided we may not be ready for a baby just yet so we did some research and found the perfect addition. We found two adorable male sugar gliders that were looking for a home. Meet Chuck and Bob.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po2nKs_ULYc

The video is Chuck and Bob eating cantaloupe. This was their first day at home and they have perked up a lot and are not very bashful anymore. We bought them hamster balls and they have been running around our apt like crazy in them. I am sure there will be a video of that to follow.

One neat thing about sugar gliders is that they can "bond" to their owner. Ours are slowly making progress towards that. They like to hang out on our shoulders. Chuck has taken to hiding in my hair... he uses it as a nest... yes, that is gross! But he loves it. Bob has taken to nibbling on Shawn's neck while he hides in his shirt. Yeah, I am not a fan of Bob yet, but Shawn is determined to train Bob. We'll see how it goes!

Those who came...

2011-05-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

We were very fortunate to have so many friends and family to support us at the temple.

Our amazing parents.

All of my sisters and company.

All of Shawn's siblings and company.

We especially loved having all of our nieces and nephews there.
They sure take cute pictures.

Shawn got the boy one and I got the girl one. Thank you, Morgan.

Baby Audrey probably wins the award for best picture. She "outshined" everyone!

The Salisbury and Bennion families were so kind to come all the way from Eugene, OR
for the wedding. It was really special to have them there. It really meant a lot.

We are, also, lucky enough to get all of the Shaver men together for the wedding- they came from MN, CO, and Canada. How lucky we were... I should, also, mention Aunt Becky was here to- she helped out so much and saved us a little of time and headaches.

04.14.11

2011-05-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Shawn Paul Catmull and I were marrried on 04.14.11 at 12:00 pm.
We were married in the Boise Idaho Temple.

Shawn and I outside of the Boise Idaho Temple.

Coming out of the temple married was such a neat experience. I kept looking at Shawn to make sure it was real and I wasn't dreaming. I am so excited to be married and even more excited to be married to Shawn Paul!

One of my favorite pictures of Shawn. He loves to make creepy eyes...

Why would our wedding pictures be any different?

A couple of my favorite wedding pictures. We went and took pictures the day before our wedding. I highly suggest doing it that way- it was really nice to be able to take our time and take as many pictures as we wanted to and not be rushed. I think our families appreciated it the next day when they didn't have to wait around for us to take pictures. Everyone was hungry and ready to be at Chuck-a-ramas! Our photographer, Jamie Jacobsen, did a great job!

We clean up nicely :) Or photoshop does wonders?

The diamond from my wedding ring was my Grandma Margaret's diamond. I feel so lucky
that it has such meaning to me. Shawn and I can't wait for it to continue to get passed down.

It rained the day of our pictures, but that didn't stop us. We had lots of fun running around and taking pictures. Plus we got to use my favorite "vintage" umbrella!

I need to be sure to thank my wonderful mom for helping me get dressed so many times.
She probably spent five hours of her life lacing and unlacing my dress. She is a trooper!

My Hero, Shawn Paul!

2011-04-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

When Shawn and I were taking our engagement pictures, my sister, Liz, came to help out. Shawn and I were making fun of her for having so much stuff in her car- she had horse stuff, a chair, water supply for a year, and all sorts of stuff. Shawn and I couldn't quite seem to pass up the idea of the playing on the railroad track. And lucky for us, Liz's car did have everything in it- including a rope and "scissors." Liz was our villain and "tied" me to the railroad track so that Shawn, my hero, could come and save me... it made for some entertaining pictures. (Excuse the kissing picture. I usually don't take pictures kissing, but couldn't pass this one up. So sorry.)

But really, I am posting this so I could post pictures of Liz's awesome outfit.
I will give her the benefit that it was freezing cold outside.

Shawn and I are thinking we might have found our pictures for next year's Christmas card.

Thanks again, Liz :)

Eight Days!

2011-04-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I are getting married in EIGHT days! We are getting married April 14th, 2011 in the Boise Idaho Temple. Shawn and I are lucky enough to have all of our family coming together for the special occasion. The Shaver Home is going to be a little wild with nine little ones running around the house, countless adults, and one bridezilla to be pleased :)

A reason to come back...

2011-01-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

When fall semester started, I was a little bit annoyed with BYU Idaho and the changes it is making. It was supposed to be my last semester on campus before student teaching, but I found out about the second week into school that I was missing one class for graduation and it didn't fit in my schedule. I wasn't too thrilled about that, but decided I was just going to focus on passing my classes, student teaching, and figuring out anyway possible to not have to come back to BYU Idaho after student teaching to take the class. About the second week of the semester, I hung out with some friends and that is when things began to change...

One of those friends was Shawn. He had been in my family home evening group about 2 years before. Back then I thought he might have potential, but he didn't seem to be interested- he even stood me up once. To this day, he swears he was "sick," but I am not so sure about that. So as we were hanging out this night I didn't think "much" about it except I kept wishing he'd sit next to me, he'd talk to me, etc. The night came and went just like any other.

I finally got up enough guts to ask him to come up to Rexburg to hang out again. (He lives in Idaho Falls.) He said he couldn't, but thought maybe the next day. I was 100% certain he wasn't interested. Little did he know, this kind of intrigued me. But he did end up coming the next day and then the next day and then the next and pretty soon we were spending all of our free time together.

After a little while, I thought just maybe there was a reason to come back to Rexburg in the Spring. And it turns out, I thought right.

One year!

2011-01-20T19:58:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it, but it has been almost exactly one year since I last posted on the blog. I thought they might cancel or expire or something after a year of inactivity- I still don't really understand how blogs work. A lot has happened in the last year and I guess I will have to start playing catch up... well, maybe tomorrow.

2010-01-26T01:19:00.001-08:00

Polar Bear Swim.

2010-01-03T08:44:00.001-08:00

I decided to start off the New Year with some excitement. The Make a Wish chapter of Idaho does a Polar Bear Challenge fundraiser the start of every New Year. The event was held at Lucky Peak Shores Marina. I decided that this gave me an excuse to be a little bit crazy, because it was for a good cause. My mom and dad came and held my towel for me. It was awesome and very cold! It definitely got my blood circulating.

The Start of Holidays...

2009-12-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

I am home in Boise for the Holidays. So far, it has been pretty quiet. Lots of hanging out, shopping, cooking and playing. My roommate, Becca Beecher, makes the best cookies ever. So today my niece, Morgan, and I decided to try and make them ourselves. They, actually, turned out good. So I can keep that recipe in mind.

The Horne family got her this afternoon and have been adding some excitement to the day. I am sure there will be lots of stories to come. Amos is already running wild. More stories to come...

Snowman Pictures.

2009-12-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

Three Dead Ends and a Turn Signal.

2009-12-14T00:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I headed off to Provo, Utah to see the Horne family and some mission friends. I was only there Friday night to Sunday afternoon. It was a quick trip, but was a lot of fun.

Friday night, I went straight to the Horne family in Springville. We watched Blades of Glory on TV. I had never seen it before. There were funny

parts and ridiculous parts. Overall, I laughed.

Saturday morning, I woke up to Amos and had a quick tickling match. He is probably the most ticklish little boy ever. You pretend like you are going to "get him" and he starts to laugh. It is pretty cute.

After Amos helped me wake up, I went to Laura's church building

to help decorate for a friend's birthday party. We got there in time to help tie the last few balloons and then we headed back home.

We decided to go spend the morning/afternoon shopping. We went to the mall. I think we went into maybe two stores. The only purchases were made at The Children's Place. But it was still fun. Then after that, we went to lunch at PF Changs. I love PF Changs! It is really good- kind of reminds me of the food I ate for 18 months in Taiwan. Except Taiwan was probably a little better.

Then we headed back home and I got ready to go out with two mission friends, Hannah McKinley and Russell Francom. We all met up in Provo and went from there.

Hannah McKinley was my companion in Xinzhu. Xinzhu was one of my favorite areas and I loved Sis McKinley. She was an awesome hardworking companion and we had a lot of fun together. As we were hanging out, we kept remembering all these different things that happened on the mission. I am glad Hannah McKinley was so patient with me! We did some crazy things- she reminded me of how we rode through a flooded tunnel during a typhoon. The water came up to our waste and the current was so strong we had to get off of our bikes and walk the rest of the way through. Probably not the smartest thing we did. Good thing we didn't get stuck.

The other mission friend I saw was Russell David Francom. He served with my in Xinzhu for a couple of transfers. He was my district leader

and really was an amazing leader. I struggled quite often with the zone

leaders and Francom was always there to be the mediator. I remember one time when he sang High School Musical to me so I would cheer up and realize "we're all in this together." I learned a lot about righteous

leaders from him. I am sure he got tired of our nightly follow-ups, but they really kept me going and allowed me to be successful. While

I was hanging out with Francom, I learned something new about him. He doesn't use his turn signal when he turns. And that is like one of my major pet peeves. The other thing is he runs into dead ends a lot- especially when it doesn't makesense for him to go that way ;)

The three of us ended up having a lot of fun. We went and got ice cream, ran around campus taking pictures and then ended up at Denny's for some catching up and cheese fries!

Sunday morning, I woke up and packed up to head home. I had a goal to be on the road by noon, but that didn't happen! Laura knows my weaknesses! Food and playing! Laura made some yummy salmon for lunch. And then after lunch, we decided to build a snowman.

I am glad I stayed to build the snowman. It ended up being pretty sweet. Laura had gotten a free snowman kit- it came with plastic charcoal eyes, a carrot nose, a mouth, a pipe, coal buttons and a red scarf. We bundled Amos up and headed out to make the snow man. Eric doesn't like snowman because they make the yard "ugly." So we tried to be careful and keep the rest of the snow pretty. We made a huge snowman who ended up being bigger than us. It was pretty entertaining trying to pick up the different sections and stack him up. He ended up pretty sweet. I am just going to post a bunch of the pictures from the building of the snowman. Poor little Maggie slept through the whole thing. Next time.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

2009-11-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, I went home to Boise to spend it with my mom and dad. My little sister, Meg, was going to stay in Salt Lake. She ended up getting sick in Salt Lake and headed home. So I spent the week with mom, dad, Meg, and Liz and co. We had lots of fun- shopping, playing croquet, eating, watching movies, BSU basketball, etc.

We saw the movie The Blind Side. It was so good. I think it is one of the best sports movies ever. It might even be better than Remember the Titans. We, also, saw New Moon. Not quite up to the same level as The Blind Side, but was good. Jacob is hot. Edward is not. We had fun taking some pictures and jumping on the trampoline.

Overall, it was an awesome Thanksgiving. I love getting to go home and spend time with my family. I miss them a lot when I am at school. I can't wait to graduate and hopefully teach close to home.

The Lady Bruins

2009-11-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

This last semester, I decided to be a coach for one of the Women's competitive soccer teams here at BYU-Idaho. I learned a lot from coaching and especially a lot about coaching girls. It made me have a greater respect for the coaches that I have had throughout my soccer career. They were so patient and understanding. My team made it to the finals and lost in penalty kicks. It was a heartbreak of a season, but was really a growing experience. I couldn't be at the tournament because I was in Florida. It was really hard to not be there to support the girls and play, but I am proud of them. I loved the girls on my team and look forward to playing soccer in the summer. I probably won't be a coach, but love playing too much to not play. Plus it is fun to be on a team. The picture is of my team at the end of the season banquet.

2009-11-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday was GAMEDAY! And Gator gameday to be exact! Mom, Dad, Liz, Josh, Ali, Carrie, Kate, Meg, and I went to the game. The Gators played Vanderbilt. They beat Vandy, but it wasn't pretty. Before the game, we went to the Gator walk- this is where the players walk from the bus to the stadium. It was packed and we had to elbow and fight for our space. As the players were walking by, people shouted and took tons of pictures. It was pretty cool to get to see all the different players- including Tim Tebow. After the Gator walk, we went to my dad's medical alumni BBQ. We ate some food and got our Gator tattoos so we could be ready for the game. (Carrie and Ali even sprayed their hair blue and orange.) After the BBQ, we walked up to the game. We were in the second to very top row. The Swamp is huge and is quite the amazing atmosphere. The Gator game was a success. As was the trip to Florida.

Sunday, we all just lounged around the house and took it easy. It was a nice day for naps and swimming in the swimming pool. The next day was Monday and we headed home. Mom and Dad were my ride to the airport. Their flight left five hours before mine, so I was to the airport in plenty of time. The time actually went really quickly and before I knew it. I was back in Rexburg.

Family, Florida, and Fun!

2009-11-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, I had the chance to go to Florida. I left on a Thursday afternoon. Traveling there was no problem at all. I thought there might be some troubles so I only took a carry-on, but everything worked out fine. I got into Florida late. Mom, Liz, Laura, Meg, Carrie, and Ali picked me up. They had been at a concert and stopped at the airport on their way home. They even brought Pita Pit with them. It doesn't get much better than that. Meg even remembered everything I like on my pitas. We drove from the airport to our house- it was about half an hour drive (if I remember right.) We stayed in nice rental house- it was great fun. It had a swimming pool and game room- plus a thousand bedrooms.

On Friday, Kate, Laura, Meg, Liz, Josh, Ali, Carrie and I went to Disney World. It was rather entertaining. As we were driving to Disney World, Liz told Ali and Carrie that this was an adult trip to Disney World and that we were going to go on every ride and there was no whining allowed. How funny is that? An adult trip to Disney World? But that is what it was. And it was a lot of fun. And there was no whining. I was really impressed with Carrie and Ali. We were able to go on every ride that we wanted to. Some of my favorites were The Monsters Inc. interactive show, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain. However, Space Mountain was closed. We were at Disney World for twelve hours. We wanted to make sure we got our moneys worth. I had never seen the fireworks at night, so it was really neat to see them. After the fireworks, Disney had pretty much cleared out e

xcept for the die hards. So we went on Splash Mountain one more time and thought that would be it. But there was no line so we ran right on. We, then, proceeded to go on Thunder Railroad at least three more times. I know because we asked to sit in the front, middle and end. The end was best!

Waiting in line for the Monorail. As Laura says, "Disney's fastest ride." Laura remembered all the times we had been as little kids and reminded us all of things we had forgotten. It was fun to have her along.

Meg was, also, a trooper and got stuck with me a lot. We had fun on the rides and eating our ice cream. P.S. I didn't scream on the rides like I did at Lagoon so I think Meg enjoyed it better this time and still had her hearing when we were done. Maybe not though- we'd have to ask her. But in my book, I had a fun time!

It's great to be a....

2009-11-09T18:53:00.001-08:00

Florida Gator. I am just in the airport on my way home from visiting Florida. It was a great trip... pictures and stories to come.

Happy Halloween...

2009-10-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

It is almost time for Halloween and it feels that way. It has been pretty cold here in Rexburg. No real snow yet so I am still happy. And there are days here and there where my bike leaves my bedroom, so I really can't complain. So just to get us in the Halloween spirit... enjoy.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/STD3q55IljL1Fd8j

Starring... Kate Sookhoo, Cindy Shaver, Mason Iverson, Amos Horne and Meg Shaver.

Tetons and Yellowstone.

2009-09-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

This past week, I had a field trip for Geology 250 class. We went to the Tetons and then to Yellowstone.

One of the benefits of going to school in Rexburg is that there are some really awesome places to visit so close. We left on Thursday morning and came home on Friday night. There were about forty or so students and one professor, Brother Moore. It seemed a lot to handle for one professor, but everything went really smoothly.

We went to the Tetons and collected some really neat rock samples. We found obsidian, garnet, and lots of tuff. There was a spot where you could find green, red and black obsidian so that was really cool. But nowhere near as neat as the garnet- I think I like the garnet so much because it is shaped like a soccer ball. Doesn't get much cooler than that.

In Yellowstone, we went and visited some of the mud pots, hot pots, and geysers. We learned all about the differences in them due to the water table. We got to see Old Faithful and many of the can't miss sites in Yellowstone. It was a really fun field trip... I love my major.

I made some fun new friends on the trip too and get to spend some time with old friends that I hadn't seen in a while. It was a lot of fun to get outside and look at the beautiful things in nature. It was a little mind boggling looking at some of the rocks and realizing that they were millions of years old... how it all comes together blows my mind. I am glad that Heavenly Father has everything in control and I don't have to worry about it. I can just study it and enjoy it.

2009-09-27T14:08:00.001-07:00

Five Things I am Grateful for...

2009-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

These last couple of weeks have been a little bit rough on me. And of course, when things go bad, I call home. I was talking to my mom and she suggested that I tried writing down five things each day that I am grateful for. I have been pretty good about it and I have noticed a big difference. It makes me realize how many blessings I really have in my life. It has helped me change my attitude. So here are a couple of the things that have made me smile and realize that I am grateful for them...

The number one thing was My Family! They are always there for me and are always willing to listen to me no matter what. Plus they always make me feel better! I hadn't called home for a couple days because I didn't want to call home upset (didn't want to be the downer), but then my mom called me. I told her why I hadn't called home and she reassured me that I can call home no matter what. And then she told me exactly what I needed to hear. Oh how I love my mom! Plus my little sister, Meg, has been a life saver. She has cleaned up some of the mess that I needed to clean up. So I am thankful for that. Plus she makes me realize that I am not the only one going through these things. There are others things going on out there.

The second one is pretty much the same as family, but more specific my nieces and nephews. There is nothing like being sad and hearing a good "Morgan story" or "Amos story." One of my favorite Morgan stories happened on the same day she got shocked by the electric fence, so she was already having a rough day. She loves to jump on the trampoline and has recently learned how to do bum jumps. My mom was washing her car on the cement drive while Morgan was jumping on the tramp. Morgan ran over to mom and said "Grammie, me bum jump. Watch, me bum jump." Morgan proceeded to do a bum jump on the cement. As she hit the ground, her bottom lip began to quiver and she said, "me bum hurt." But she did learn she can only do bum jumps on the trampoline. It is the little stories like that that make me laugh and make me realize life is good!

The third one is that the Zhou family in Taiwan got their package from my family. I think this package was watched over by angels. We went to the post office in Eagle Idaho and the women was really concerned about our package not making it. We didn't have the English address and she thought there was no way possible it would make it if I wrote it in characters. My mom and I just laughed about that since people in Taiwan don't speak English and read characters, but oh well. The package made it and I am so happy to see that the Zhou family appreciated it so much. They are an amazing family and do amazing things for the missionaries in Taiwan. If I have a son who goes on a mission, I hope he meets a family half as good as they are in his mission. Plus then, I would know he was in great hands!

I am so grateful for all the great things in my life. I really do have it good. I love my family. I love life. I am just loving things.

We are the Titans... Mighty mighty Titans.

2009-09-21T00:42:00.001-07:00

We had soccer tryouts Saturday. And let's just say I think my team is ready to dominate. We have a lot of young girls on our team, but I think we will have a pretty successful season. I am a little worried about the number of girls we have on our team. 21 seems like a lot to me- that is almost two teams. The substitutions should be interesting... we have our first practice tomorrow and then our first game on Saturday... Let's get ready to play!

Soccer Tryouts...

2009-09-19T00:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I got tricked... not really, but kind of. I went to the mandatory soccer meeting on Thursday night. One of the coaches told me that there were not enough coaches for the women's teams. So I gave in and said that I would coach a team. So tomorrow (Saturday) is tryouts and the "draft". I am really nervous for the "draft." It should be interesting. If my team is bad, it is because I picked them. That's a lot of pressure :) So till tomorrow...

All Brit Field Meet

2009-09-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing Like A British Car

This last weekend, I went to the All British Field Meet with my mom and dad in Portland Oregon. Of course, it was typical Oregon weather and rained the whole time, but that didn't stop me from checking out the "Rovers." They had some really neat old Rovers- the kind that you would picture going on an African safari in. Most of my friends when they get into mine say they feel like they are on a safari, but mine was nothing compared to these. They were so cool. I, also, fell in love with the tents on top of the Rovers. They make these tents that you put on top of your car and then sleep up there on top of your car. They had neat ladders that folded down so that you could climb up there. The tents are pre designed so you just unfold them and your mattress and sleeping bag are already inside. I have decided if I ever have one of those, I will make up excuses to go camping just so I can sleep on top of my car. How cool is that?

My dad collects and restores old MG's- mainly MGB's. But just recently, he has decided to restore a Magnette. (See picture to the left.) The Magnettes are pretty neat. They usually are two toned (dad's will be a rich red and ivory) and are a little better for longer trips vs the MG's with their leaking tops. I am excited to see my dad's when he gets it done... that is if he gets it done. There were only two Magnettes at the car show so maybe my dad's will take third place next year if he is done in time.

New to Blogging.

2009-08-26T14:02:00.001-07:00

My sisters, Laura and Meg, both have blogs and I am always harassing them for blog updates so I decided to try it myself.

I am home from BYU Idaho right now for summer break. I am studying Earth Science Education and am looking at a year and a half left. I am getting excited for school to start back up and to head back to Rexburg.

So while I have been home, I have been playing with my Boise nieces, Carrie, Ali, and Morgan, and nephew, Mason, a lot. We've seen movies, floated the river, swam in the swimming pool, gone for bikes rides, and recently played in the river everyday. It has been lots of fun and I am getting into the swing of playing :)

Well, off to go swimming...