look at me mom!

today is a day of celebration. the pup is officially potty trained. i no longer need to be ready with ammonia, scrubber, and air freshener packed in my utility belt. oh happy day!

cleo

on the way home from our trip, we decided to add a new baby girl to the family! don't worry, it's just a dog, mom :) after much deliberation on names, we decided to go with cleopatra, cleo for short. we've only had her for a few days but it already looks like she's grown so much! she is a great dane and will probably be pretty big like her dad. she is such a sweetheart and has fit so well into our lives. currently we are potty and crate training. many sleepless nights have occurred, but it will all be worth it in the end.

first night with mom

definitely a sleeper

christmas trimmings

christmas time is here and our house looks a little bit more cheery thanks to a little decoration. i thought i would share them with all of you.

this is our "kid" christmas tree. from the year i was born, my parents collected one ornament each year until i got married. everything from musical elves to mickey mouse graces this tree.

my favorite part of our house... the fireplace

 

china hutch all dressed up

santa in all his finery

fireplace mantle

all the way from oregon... the fresh evergreen wreath. every time i open my door, i get a whiff of christmas.

the big tree

i love my ornaments

well there you have it folks. don't mind my 1970's drapes, wallpaper, and carpet :)

merry christmas!

sweet is the day

today was the last day of my fall semester classes. happy day! almost a month off to prepare for 15 credit hours next semester. i'm treating myself to a little love in a cup.

excitement

many people have asked me if i was going to cancel my cruise because of the carnival fiasco last week. here are my list of reasons why i still will be traveling via carnival:
1. i can't get my money back now even if i wanted to.
2. that fire was pretty much a freak accident and is very unlikely to happen again.
3. i wouldn't mind eating sandwiches and getting a free cruise if it did happen again.
4. i'm just too excited to back out now from my first international venture!

by the way, we cruise in:

 

days!

marmaduke and scooby doo

after much debate and research, the bostwick fam has decided to add a special friend to the family. they love lounging anywhere they are allowed to. they are notorious "leaners". they can grow to be over six feet tall and weigh 160 pounds. they look intimidating but really just are big lovers. last clue of all, they have been eternally immortalized in children's cartoons. drumroll please... the newest addition is a great dane! we have been looking at a few puppies in the area. so far we haven't found the perfect match, but it'll come. i'm just glad we could finally agree on a breed!
 

doggie dilemma

we are officially dog hungry again. i think it's been there all along but comes and goes in spurts. yesterday i couldn't help but think how perfect it would be to be sitting on the couch with husband and little puppy. only problem is... we can't agree on a breed! everything i pick is too sissy for scott and everything he picks would definitely squoosh me on the couch. any thoughts from the readers?

here is a list of the current contenders:

labloodhound

i could live with this one but it is definitely scott's pick. mix between a lab and bloodhound. apparently they have large paws and long ears.

english springer spaniel

this dog is my pick and brings back memories of my childhood dog, jake. he would definitely get me out exercising more.

st. bernard

 

 

 

i'll let you guess who's pick this is :) sure they are cute and loveable. scott describes them to me as big lover dogs who think they're little. that concerns me a bit...

english bulldog

some of you may remember when i wanted the french counterpart of this dog. well scott met the frenchie and from the video he sent me, it was crazy! this breed is supposedly more mellow. and aren't the wrinkles so cute?

well those are the dogs we've picked but we are definitely open to others. help!

one year ago

it seems like just yesterday that we walked out of the logan, utah temple as husband and wife. i remember being so ethereally happy as he opened the door for me while holding my train, took my hand, and guided me down the walkway. despite the handshakes, hugs, cameras flashing, and directions from the photographer, i really only saw my new husband and how much love i felt for that man. this love has only grown, which i never thought possible after that day. he has seen me through good times and bad, taken care of me through sick days, and works so diligently to provide for our needs. how lucky am i to have gotten a ten cow man. happy first anniversary, my dear best friend.

"quarter of a century man"

scott's favorite cookie cake

happy 25th birthday to scott! the day's festivities began with his favorite breakfast of french toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage. yum! we fit in a little yard work too, taking four trips to the green waste and two trips to valley nursery to pick up our plants and flowers for our landscape renovation. he was so great helping me pick up such cool shrubs and trees. made the cake myself with only a few mishaps :) and to end the night, we had family over for cake and ice cream. the spoils for the evening included: new motocross boots and a set of camping chairs. i'm so glad we're together and hope he had a fun day!

his "surprised" face

new camp chairs

singing happy birthday and not looking at the camera

making a wish

favorite item of the week

this week i am inseparable from my jean blanket. how i love curling up with you on the couch or sinking into your downy softness complete with fabric softener scent in my bed. i love you jean blanket.

 note: this is not my jean blanket. it is very hard to take a picture of myself and my blanket because i'm so comfy!

un paso más cerca...

so i got my passport in the mail today. one step closer to our vacación impresionante! i'm so excited to just be able to lay on a deck chair without worrying about online discussions or reading hundreds of pages from books i can't choose... viva la mexico!

friends

today i feel inspired to thank all of my sweet friends i have. some of them might not even know how much i appreciate their kind words, hugs, and pushes in the right direction. so here we go:

1. my eternal friend, scott

this first year of marriage has been a whirlwind. but the one thing i was always grateful for was the stability that scott provides. it was never hard adjusting to him. he is always there with an encouraging word, challenging me to achieve things i never thought possible. he's my perfect fit, even though we are almost complete opposites.



2. my friend away from home, pam  

pam has been my constant friend since middle school. she's currently serving a mission in california. even though we don't communicate a lot right now, i know we'll be able to pick right back up where we left off. she was with me through each dramatic situation of my high school years, ready with a ben and jerry's half baked ice cream in one hand and a "girl movie" in the other. pam's a great listener and adviser so i know she's doing great serving the people of california.

3. my superwoman of a mom, susan

i never thought i'd see the day where my mom would be my friend. lo and behold, she has been my lifesaver since my marriage. always willing to let me come over and hang out when scott's out of town. she makes me hot meals every sunday and is just a phone call away when i'm having cooking dilemmas (these happen quite often). most of all i appreciate her support. even through the horrors of my teenage years, she always would say how proud of me she was. my mom is the most selfless woman i know.

4. my nursing buddy, amber

amber was with me through the toughest two years of my life: nursing school. it all started when we were placed in the same group for a project and the balls been rolling ever since. amber is always there when i need to vent about work or school and always has great advice. she is such a strong woman that inspires me to be better. i'm so glad that she's overcome so many obstacles in her life so that she knows exactly what i need to hear. she's currently pregnant and i'm having so much fun "taking care of her" when her husband's at work. so excited to be auntie meg!

5. my "sister" at work, meghann

meghann is my friend i miss the most at work! we used to work the same shift and she was constantly giving me laughs to keep me going in stressful situations. now she's a nurse and works the opposite shift as me, so when i see her at 5am i try to be as awake as possible to talk with her! she is so fun to be around and makes it easier to do the hard job we both have. apparently i need to get a picture of the two of us!



6. my empathy friend, janessa

i was so lucky to be assigned to janessa for visiting teaching in my ward. i was a pretty negligent visitor at first but once i got into the groove of things, we have so much fun! she is currently going through the nursing program at WSU so it's kind of fun to impart some of my tips to someone else. we have a lot in common and sometimes i end up staying for an hour at her house because we just get talking! i'm excited that i got to know her better and hope to learn even more new things about her.

i have a lot more great friends in my life but it would take an entire day to blog about all of you wonderful people! i appreciate everything about friends and know that they are put on this earth for a special reason: to make our lives easier and happier.

reading for pleasure? what's that?

i'm a little sad because now i can no longer read what i want to read. i read what the syllabus tells me to read. sad sad day. how come i can read hundreds of pages in a good book, but i can't even manage 20 pages in my physical assessment book? somehow the math doesn't compute. but hey on the fun side, at least goodreads.com lets me put my textbooks on my "currently reading" bookshelf.

mmmm... banana bread

thanks to me overbuying on bananas, i had only one option for the brown bananas sitting on my counter: attempt making some banana bread. i found a recipe that sounded really yummy (and easy) and voila! something way good that was made from scratch. this recipe actually calls for yogurt so it's extra moist... and my kitchen now smells amazing!

Visit www.banana-bread.biz/moist-banana-bread/ for the recipe

love to see the temple

 today me and scott made a goal to go to the temple for our ward's night. we were successful! i was so glad we were able to go together. it seems like with how busy our lives are, we weren't really able to go together at the same time. when we were walking out of the temple tonight, i felt like our bond as husband and wife was stronger. i'm so grateful for the man that scott is and for all that he puts up with from me :) he is my one true love and i'm so excited to spend the rest of my life and beyond with him.

i'm in middle school... again.

 today i started the bsn program at weber state. not that i'm not going to learn a lot, but i kind of want to just get this portion of schooling over with. it's comparable to middle school. middle school was awful. you were having trouble finding yourself and you were in an awkward middle stage. anyways that was my experience. i'm having those kinds of feelings as i finish my first day. there is no pay increase for having your bachelor's degree in nursing (not that i'm in it for money, but i would like to be compensated for this extra work) but every graduate school requires that you have it. hopefully none of my bsn profs read my blog :) i just feel like a pimply metal mouth all over again! but as soon as i don that lovely purple cap and gown again and they hand me my fancy diploma cover, i'm applying for the nurse anesthetist program at midwestern university in arizona. i may not get in the first time, but that's where my passion lies. the human body intrigues me and i want to learn all about it and the effects of anesthesia. but for now i'll just have to find some good acne cream and stick through these next 2 years!

lonely days and mudholes

hello everyone. so for the past week, dear husband scott has been out of town for work. i'm very grateful he has a good job, but sheesh this living alone thing really is hard! i posted something to that extent on facebook and one friend of mine said that this means if crap doesn't get done there's no one else to blame. my SIL told me that's what we need kids for. haha. kids?! i just want a puppy :)
so as a result, my house is spotless (so all family who has not yet seen my house should feel free to come now). i'm all caught up on laundry and dishes for once in my life. i've watched more lost and house than i ever have in my life. normally if this happened i would just pick up extra shifts at work to bide my time, but work is trying to cut down everyone's hours to save money. grrr. i'm just excited for scott to get home so we can get away to the fam cabin this weekend for some r&r.

on a different note, we have pulled out all the grass in our yard and graded the yummy dirt. the rosebushes and dwarf pines got pulled out so it looks like a wasteland. hopefully not for long. we just need to place new sprinkler pipe and hydroseed. i'm so excited to have green grass... here's some before and after pics:

before

after

puppy bostwick

meet the possible new member of our family:

i just have to convince scott that she's the second love of his life :)
as names go, i have four picked out: opal, winifred (winnie), penelope (penn), and ophelia. any input on these would be great.

the everchanging blog

i have finally made up my mind and hopefully will stop changing the layout of my blog daily. i'm now content and satisfied.

good mornin' to you

since i've taken a daytime position about a month ago, i've made the interesting transition from a to a night owl to a morning glory. i can't believe how much more productive my life is. take this morning for example: hubby got up at 5:50am. amazingly i was also awake and able to crawl out of bed. i sat with him while he ate breakfast and we had some quality conversation. after he left for work, i did two loads of laundry, washed a mondo pile of dishes that had been piling up for a week, folded clothes, deadheaded my plants, payed bills, read a chapter of my book, and tidied up the front room. note that this was all done before nine am. this may not seem like a big deal to some, but i remember working nights. i didn't accomplish one thing. my life was devoted to sleep. i am so grateful for this positive change. hopefully i can stick with the cleaning/organizing routine rather than cave in for a few more hours of sleep :)

to brighten up your morning, click on the link for a catchy morning song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU2zoQ8gV-s

everybody's fine eventually

to sum it up quickly... work yesterday was not a piece of cake. trying to fix several sick people at the same time requires more insight and strength than i have somedays. needless to say, i was not in the greatest mood after the work day finished. luckily i have an intuitive husband that knows how to fix everything with his caring way. we had a long discussion about how at work you give it your all, and when it's over, you must walk away knowing that you did your best. if the outcome is not the ideal situation, that is how it was meant to be. healthcare providers are humans too, imperfect people striving for perfect outcomes. this helped a little, but i was still feeling bad for not being able to do better. so after indulging me with some of my favorite food, scott popped in our newest netflix dvd to watch together. the movie is "everybody's fine". it's quite a thought-provoking film. the main character is robert de niro, a father who has recently lost his wife and is battling a life without her keeping his children, who are spread across the country, together. i won't tell much more about it in case any of you want to rent it (which i recommend), but there is a scene where robert de niro is hospitalized that is very heart-wrenching. as we were watching this, scott leaned over and whispered "that is why you need to be so caring to do what you do". i was very touched. lesson learned today: even though you may be troubled and imperfect, eventually everybody's fine.

buenas suerte, elder deyoung!

last wednesday we loaded up the car with 2 suitcases, a backpack, and a missionary. that's right... the day had come for the mtc "drop-off". it was an interesting car drive to provo because we listened to a mo-tab cd (thanks aunt jana!), making it feel like more of a sunday drive. christian seemed a combination of nervous and excited as we all made small talk, kind of avoiding the mtc topic. we stopped in salt lake for christian's "last supper" at hire's where we were all treated to a delicious big h and frosty rootbeer mug. good choice, elder deyoung! when the family arrived in provo, we all got out of the car and took some pictures in front of the temple. the moment began to set in as we loaded back into the car and drove to the "drop-off" zone. there are 25 stations, each containing a pair of elders. we were assigned station number 8. the car slowly pulled up to our location and we all got out to say goodbye. i was shaking as i gave my brother one more hug to last him the next two years. the waterworks were flowing and it felt like a fresh band-aid being pulled off as one elder took the luggage and the other took christian. as we drove out of the mtc, each elder at various stations were waving and smiling at us. we all knew christian was in the right spot, even if it did hurt a little bit. i am so proud of his decision to serve a mission and i know he is very prepared to touch the hearts of the people of mexico.

sugar momma

last tuesday, i took my state boards for my rn license. got out of the test feeling a little nervous. i appreciated all the support from my family and friends convincing me that i had done fine and i didn't have anything to worry about. i checked the licensing website pretty much every hour only to find that nothing new had been posted. so wednesday night, me and scooter were putzing around on netflix when i got a text message from the awesome meghann. she told me to check the license website again. lo and behold, there is my name with two awesome letters behind it... rn. so i am now able to push iv medications and take short stay procedures at work without having another person do it for me! it is such great news :) scooter is so supportive and way excited to be having a real live sugar momma. hee hee.

here's the link to see the good news:
https://secure.utah.gov/llv/search/detail.html?license_id=4684667