It's Raining Sunshine!!

So now that we've been in AZ for about a month now I guess an update is in order!

Nate Update
Started the physical therapy program at Midwestern University June 6th
The only classes I really hear about is anatomy and clinical problem solving. One REALLY time consuming and the other boring. You figure which is which.
Already had his first anat test and did great! That's a pretty big milestone for graduate school. First hard test.
Studies ALL the time. I'm proud of his dedication, even if I don't get to see him very much.
We celebrated his birthday last week. I took him to the Cheesecake Factory. This guy has never been! Talk about deprived! He's now determined to try all 40+ cheesecake flavors. Over time of course...

Ashley Update
Has been patiently waiting for AZ to finish verifying CNA license...NOT
Applied to a bunch of jobs. Has a interview on July 8th for a position at a hospital. Fingers crossed!
Sent in her CASPA application about a month ago to Midwestern University and A.T. Still. Filled out a secondary application for A.T. Still. Now just waiting to hear back for interviews!
Overall, just enjoying her time not working. This time won't last forever.

We both got gym memberships here, so we usually go together after Nate is done with school for the day to sweat it out! We've found that we sweat A LOT more here. Wonder why... Apparently it's been 110 or more for the past week. Thank goodness for AC. Nate and I both agree that we'd rather have heat than cold.

Nate has also had the privilege of killing some scorpions too, big and small. He's been a trooper, but I can't help but laugh. He's paranoid. I guess I don't blame him though. He won't walk around the house barefoot and is going to get a black light since scorpions glow under them. Makes it easier to spot them. I think I'm the only one in my family that has ever gotten stung by one. That's not bad statistics considering we've lived here forever. The fact that I got stung while in bed doesn't help relieve his fear though. In a few days we're heading over to Cali for the holiday weekend. Maybe I'll actually take some pictures to put up on here. Here's a picture from the lake that I took last night. I LOVE Arizona sunsets.

Change in Scenery

In about three weeks we'll be making our way down to Arizona for what hopefully will be our last move for awhile. I'm SO done with moving...once is enough. We haven't even started packing up our stuff yet. Yikes! Most of our stuff is in storage anyway. If you haven't heard, Nate was accepted and starts P.T. school June 6th! Yay! He'll be attending Midwestern, which was our first pick of schools. Yeah, my husband is a rock star. He'll be in school for three more years. Once he completes Midwestern's program he'll have a doctorate in physical therapy and then just have to take the official test to become a licensed P.T. The end is in sight!

I am SO SO SO ready for a hot and sunny summer. Lots of tanning, bathing suits, and swimming! Winter is not my season! That seems to be the main season in Idaho and Washington. (We don't get along well) This is my last week of work before we leave. YAY! I've been ready for a change in employment. Then we head up to Canada for a mini-vacation (very much needed) before the long journey to AZ.

That's the brief summary of the next few weeks for us minus the chaos of packing. Oh, let the good times roll!

Arizona Here He Comes!

Yeah, I wrote that right. Nate is going to AZ WITHOUT ME!! For a good reason though. He has an interview with a P.T. program in Goodyear, AZ. YAY! So if he gets in, I'll move down there permanently with him. That's good enough for me :)

Our New Life

Well, it's official, I have finally landed a job! I start tomorrow and I'll be working as a Certified Nursing Assistant. I've completed the two hour rigorous ordeal of paperwork, drug testing, and TB testing. It will be perfect for me since I can count it as hours towards graduate school and I'll be working with some wonderful people! I am really excited and happy about this new opportunity! Plus, I'll be making almost double the amount I was making in Rexburg...it's ridiculous what they can pay you in a small college town. So we'll be able to save up a lot of $$$!

Nate is really enjoying his time as a Physical Therapist's Aid. He knows without a doubt that this is what he wants to do now since he has been in the office with patients and Physical Therapists. We can't thank Paul and Kathryn enough for helping him through the process of getting the position.

As for the graduate school update, Nate completed all his applications and secondary applications so now we're just waiting to hear back from them. All the programs I applied to were already full, so I will try for round two in April! We actually wouldn't mind having a year off since we've been going year round with 15+ credits a semester for the past two years. A break is nice :)

We really love where we are at in life right now. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind being out of graduate school already and have a job as a Physician's Assistant, but I'm content. I'm learning to just enjoy every day, and not wish for the future. It will come soon enough!

Update

So here are a few things that are happening in our lives:

• Nate graduated!! He has a B.S. degree in Exercise Physiology.
• I have my C.N.A. license now.
• I've been working my butt off these past weeks...every day...every holiday.
• We are out of Rexburg...mixed emotions about that.
• We are now in Spokane, WA! We made the 8 hour trip at 6 o'clock p.m. New Years' Eve with the car packed from top to bottom, literally. Both cats traveled on my lap. Luckily, they did great! Chloe had her expected throw up session (twice). Poor kitty gets car sick. I had to catch her throw up in a popcorn bowl. I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that gets thrown my way now after being a C.N.A. and catching cat throw up in a bowl. :)
• We're still unpacking, trying to get situated. We have A LOT of stuff. It's mainly my stuff...clothes to be more accurate. I'll admit it.
• Nate is on day three at his internship as a P.T. aide! He's really enjoying it.
• I'm trying to get my C.N.A. license switched to the state of WA so I can start working! I'm going CrAzY! Unemployment is not for me!
• I just tried Zumba for the first time last night! LOVED it! I'm addicted now!
• We've applied/applying to grad schools now. We're only applying to schools in AZ the first year since there are 3 P.T. programs and 2 P.A. programs really close to Glendale. If we don't get in our first year, we'll branch out and apply to more our second time around. Right now we're focused on getting clinical hours and experience in the health care field.

I'll make sure to keep everyone updated throughout our next adventure!

Black Friday

Yeah, we participated and scored all of these!

Holiday Stationary!

Christmas time is here! I love this season and sharing it with family and friends! What’s a better way to share it with everyone than Christmas cards?! I love sending and receiving Christmas cards during this time. I think it’s one of the most popular traditions. Shutterfly has some of the cutest Christmas card options! Plus they have something for everyone’s taste with 800+ options. I’ve spent a lot of time on their website admiring all of their designs J This year their doing a promotion where you can get 50 cards of your choice free for a blog post, so of course I’m jumping on that amazing deal! They have so many cute designs that it was extremely hard for me to decide on just one favorite. In their Christmas photo card section I really liked Laced With Love. I liked how it was elegant, simple, and unique all at the same time. Perfect for me! In their holiday cards section I really loved Holiday Love Sketch Christmas. I loved the different lettering used on it. They had some gorgeous holiday invitations also if you’re planning on hosting a party this season. My favorite was Elegant Flourish Noir Christmas Invitation. Black and white…love it! Everyone should check shutterfly out! They have great deals and ship their merchandise off extremely fast! (We already ordered some J) Here is the link to their promotion!