First and foremost, thanks to everyone who helped us move out of Glendale and into Gilbert. Probably none of you strong men read my blog, but if you did...
Our move took about 45 minutes to pack the Uhaul, 1 hour to drive to Gilbert and 15 minutes to move into our temporary house. Let's not forget all the packing and cleaning I did ALL BY MYSELF that took me an entire exhausting week straight, but that's another story.
So we are officially Gilbert residents!
We are living in a friends house while they are gone on rotations until August. It is a beautiful house in a prime location and I can already tell I'm getting too attached.
Here is Jamie Hilton's blog of her house so you guys can see pictures:
Bobby is done with 'medical school' in terms of him sitting in class, listening to a lecture. Can you imagine?! He's been in school since he was 4, and today was his last day! Goodbye desks! So long note-taking! Sayonara syllabi!
He will study for boards until July, take boards then begin the portion of medical school called rotations, where he will be seeing patients and working with doctors.
Hopefully it'll help in future years if Bobby becomes a family practice physician.
If not, it'll just pay the bills. I'm hoping I can find a good balance between nursing school and this job. I'm also still volunteering at the surgery waiting desk, and I'm hoping they'll work with my schedule.
Also, Mesa Community College sent me...
Relieved to not be commuting to GCC.
Heartbroken to leave my nursing girlfriends.
But NAU sent me...
I have never gotten a scholarship before and I just feel so grateful to S.B. "Ott" Morrow and H.B. "Hank" Warnock. I realize that nothing is free and that somebody worked so that I could have this money to go to school. They have never met me, but I feel so indebted to them and so very grateful.
I hope to one day pay it forward.
Last but NOT least,
we celebrated my beautiful mother this Mother's Day by getting to talk to her favorite boy.
My favorite non-husband, non-dad boy too. He is so happy and the BEST missionary, I just know it. He is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years, one year to go. He says it's the best thing he has ever done, being a servant for the Lord. I am so proud to be his sister.
Shout out to google plus!!! We got to "hangout" with the Ramptons too which was so fun.
I also went to Lake Powell this week. I'll blog about that fun when I get pictures.
I'm not going to lie, sometimes working in primary in church is really challenging. I'm sure Bobby could tell you I've complained a few times.
BUT
I love the kids in my ward, especially the ones in my class and the ones I babysit. And this is one major perk about being in primary...
(And I threw in a few from Kylee, who I would teach if she were in my ward. Also my favorite.)
Kylee has started calling Bobby "Mr. B" :)
Dear Jesicka, i love you. and your the best babysiter in the holwe, world. and i love when you babysite us it it So So Awesome when you are here. love, auri
Dear Jessica and Bobby I Love yow gls an miss you and than you for the ceard gam I playd it today. And I Love the wii game you werr a bytrfl brid prettyer then thes fliwer. I Love you. Bay Kylee
This is on the back of a letter from Michael on his mission in Costa Rica.
"Sorry about the math."
This is me.
My current class and co-teacher. Aren't they the cutest?
For those of you who don't know, Bobby is a great frisbee player! He likes to play, but he LOVES to play with people who are legit players, and really know what they're doing. Fortunately, he's been invited to play in two tournaments recently.
One was in Phoenix about a month ago...
Can you tell I was really enjoying it?
He said he has never been colder.
It was a bummer because the Provo kids were so looking forward to some sun, and it had been 75 degrees the day before.
Notice the grass...
And the mud...
The other was on the first weekend in March in Las Vegas. We drove up on Friday and spent the night with some friends from BYU (Thanks, Merkleys!) It was so fun! And Bobby did so well! The Kill Joys won 4 and lost only one game.
Oh baby!
Post-dive
Talking strategy
We also got to go to the Las Vegas temple, which was lovely. There were only 2 other ladies in our session, so it was the quickest session ever recorded!
It's kind of crazy to think that I moved here without ever even google-maping it. I barely knew where we were driving to!
Turns out, Glendale is fantastic. It doesn't have the seasons like Colorado, or the green like Oregon. But it is beautiful! I inherited desert blood from my mom.
The weather, the pools, our ward, the schools, our friends, the location, the scenery, the people, it's all been so good to us.
And now we have to make a big decision.
To move or not to move. That is the question.
We will most likely move out of our apartments (just because the cost is for the location, and Bobby won't be going to campus everyday anymore [he's starting rotations in hospitals]).So since we're probably moving, we might as well move to Mesa, since Bobby wants to do the majority of his rotations there is third and fourth year, right? But then I will either have to transfer schools or commute = :( and :( OR, to give ourselves one more option, Bobby just applied for a rotation that is based out of just ONE hospital. Which would be nice. But it is in Mesa. Or we could just live in on-campus apartments forever. What to do? What to do? Any advice? Anyone?
I must blog about the summer before I forget it all!
This was a very interesting summer! So good. And bad to be away from each other.
Bobby and I had a couple of weeks of summer together at the beginning. All I really remember about it is celebrating our anniversary, which I already blogged about.
Bobby left for boot camp in early June. He didn't hate it, didn't love it. He complained of waiting in lines, the heat, and getting up so early. He got yelled at that he needed to shave. However, he DID like the food, shooting guns (He got 1st place in his platoon of 50 people!), MRE's, and he made some new friends.
While Bobby was at boot camp, I spent a month with my family. Funny story- The morning that Chelsea was supposed to fly in my mom and I went on a walk in the morning. My mom randomly got a message on her phone from Chelsea saying, "Hey mom, I'm supposed to land at 9:30. Can't wait to see you guys!" It was like 8:30 in the morning! My mom freaked. She wasn't supposed to land until like 3:00 in the afternoon. She had me listen to the message- I told my mom that Chelsea sounded tired. Anyway, we ran home, my mom called my dad, they both called the travel office, my mom ran to go shower. While she was in the shower, Chelsea called again and left a message saying "Hey I'm out of money so I probably won't call anymore. See you soon!" We were so frantic! Well, we got a hold of the travel office, and talked to her again- turns out that the message we thought was from Chelsea saying "I'll be there at 9:30" was actually MY voicemail! I had left it the night before and for some reason it didn't get to my mom until the morning. I listen to the voicemail and everything and never thought about it being MY voice! Very funny.
Anyway, we were SO excited to see Chelsea. Kylee especially couldn't contain herself! My dad wanted to go to the gate to see her first and ended up missing her entrance. But it was SO great to see her. She looked so muy bueno.
After the homecoming, we hung out as a family.
Went to the temple- 5/7 members of the family!
Went to a Rockies game
BFF
Ashley is getting so adult-like! And she is so hip. We didn't mean to match :) We were at Kylee's summer play- she was the star! Princess Pat
Then we went to Lake Powell with the Bowens and Drapers. We had a great time! Wakeboarding, wake surfing, cliff diving, playing games off the houseboat, floating, horseshoes, watching fireworks, letting off fireworks, mafia, reading, fishin'...it was a great time.
Sweet Kylee and Bronwin
JB dance party on the car ride
Mike and Cole <3
We had the BEST camping spot. Michael and the Chambers hiked the rock on the right!
Ash Wakeboarding
Chelsea Wakeboarding
Me Wakeboarding
And Spencer schooling us
Siblings
Future lovebirds I hope
Love him
We got home for Chelsea's homecoming and Michael's farewell the same Sunday. My little brother and sister are such spiritual giants. Both of their talks were some of the best talks I have ever heard. I wish I could have recorded them. I remember Michael inspiring me to stand strong in the gospel. He is such a modern-day member of the Army of Helaman. He was honored to serve the Lord and excited to change people's lives. And Chelsea had such a burning testimony of our Heavenly Father, and such a great love for Him and Jesus Christ, and for people in general. I felt the spirit so strongly. I love these two so much, and I am so proud to be siblings. I have such big shoes to fill.
Said goodbye to sibling #2 for his mission to Costa Rica. He will be the greatest missionary. Costa Rica is one lucky country!
Extended fam
Chelsea came to visit me in Arizona, which I was so grateful for her keeping me company in my empty house! She got a lot of gym time and pool time in, and we had fun while I tried to show her AZ. We went to the botanical gardens, the temple, floated down the Salt River, tandem bike rides, went hiking, racquetball lessons, and hung out. I love her and want her to visit again!!!! The day she flew out Bobby had a layover in Phoenix on his way to Oregon, so Chelsea met my husband for the first time for just a couple hours! We played cards at a airport club thanks to our military man, and luckily Chelsea approved of him! :)
So hot when I got home...
At the airport
Bobby and I flew out to Oregon for a mini family reunion. I sure love Oregon and the Rampton family. We got to spend time with mom and dad- of course, the Egberts, the Halversons and the Fowlers. We played outside on a spinning rings that Mark built, on their new moped, we canoed down a river- so fun!, played games, then we packed up to spend some time at a resort at Black Butte- a Rampton tradition. It was my first time and I LOVED the scenery, the bike trails (and how everyone bikes to get to places- we brought bikes for everyone), the cabin we stayed at, the swimming pools, the spring, the small shops, watching the Opening Ceremonies, playing with the nieces and nephews (especially baby Will), and the night talks. A big thanks to the Ramptons for putting up such a party! We were so sad to leave.
Bobby finally got back to Arizona after almost 2 months of being away. We were so happy to be back together again. We went to Bobby's good friend Dave Reeder's wedding reception to his beautiful bride Chelsea, who we love and are excited that they are here in AZ with us.
The Ormes on the way to the reception, and after
We went to Lake Powell again this time with the Goodmans, Bennions, Mark, Logan and CHELSEA got to come with Carly's siblings! That too was so fun we wish we would have taken more pictures and had more time there. We did a LOT of boogie-boarding, wakeboarding, a LOT of tubing, cliff diving (Chelsea schooled me in high dives as usual, but I did jump off holding hands with my love), bocce ball, sneaking up on Chelsea talking to her semi-bf, and swimmin'. A couple of hours before I needed to leave, the boat stopped mid-lake, long story we got towed back to camp but then no one would tow us back to the marina! Eventually the police drove us back. And I barely made my first day of nursing school the next morning!
Bobby jumping off
Claire Bennion's first tube ride!
Boogieboarding
More cliffs
Tube Wars for Hours
This is for our kids someday. Don't watch or you'll be bored.
But we're jumping off the cliff holding hands. It hurts your arms.
The best summer. Thanks to everyone that was a part of it. Next blog post- SCHOOL UPDATE! probably. Who knows what the next Rampton update will be?!?
