So...

Guess who FINALLY got a job?! And not just any job, the perfect job! I interviewed with a DDS last week, and the whole interview I knew he would be great to work for. He's an LDS dentist (not that I wouldn't be happy working for a non-LDS dentist) and during the interview he actually told me about Elder Worthlin passing away! He saw on my resume that I had received my YW Recognition award (thanks to another girl who encouraged me to put that on it!). Anyway, he called yesterday with the news, and I've been super excited ever since! I will be working for Dr. Kyle Lambert in Cheyenne. Driving back and forth to Cheyenne will be interesting, but with nobody hiring in Laramie it's totally worth it to me. Dr. Lambert is a newer dentist and just bought out an older practice. He updated the whole office with new operatories and digital everything, so that will be nice. I'll be working 2-4 days a week, but it's not for sure when I'll be starting yet. Most likely after the new year. Steven and I are really excited and feel like this is an answer to our prayers. I definitely think I needed to be humbed and remember that Heavenly Father has his own time table, which doesn't always match up with what we think is best for ourselves! If you want to know more about Dr. Lambert and his practice click here.

Our First Christmas Tree

We finally put up our Christmas tree and decorations on Wednesday night! Steven has been (and still is) super busy with finals being this week, so we had to squeeze it into his schedule. We've been looking forward to doing this since before Thanksgiving and probably would have done it as soon as we got home from Lovell if he hadn't been so busy. We both wanted a real tree, but figured since we'll be gone for over 2 weeks we didn't really want to come home from break to a floor full of pine needles so artificial it was. Steven has always had a "fun tree" with lots of ornaments, while I prefer a "pretty tree". He likes colored lights, I like white. Marriage is about compromise, right? I think I got my way more than he did :) Needless to say, we have a "pretty, fun tree" and we both love it!

Trying to get the branches PERFECT!

Yeah, we ran out of ribbon...Don't worry, I got more

I'm a little OCD when it comes to things like this :)

Steven got to put the star on

The finished product. Fun, yet pretty!

Our Pharmacy and Dental Hygiene ornaments :)

Horrible picture, but our cute stockings. Obviously we had nowhere to hang them, so we got a little creative!

The Filipino nativity my Mom gave us. Our first one! They are made out of cement, and Steven said that's how a lot of them are really done in the Philippines. He brought his mom home one that is bamboo.

Steven has 3 finals this week and will be completely finished on Wednesday. We haven't finished our Christmas shopping yet, so we're heading to Denver for a few days on Thursday. I'm excited to get our shopping done, and get to spend time with my husband who I haven't seen much lately! Anyway, we had so much fun shopping for a tree and decorating and now it finally feels like Christmas in our little apartment! Happy Holidays!

Weekend Fun

We had a great weekend. My little brother, Braden, came to town on Friday night. He got here around 9:30 PM and by 9:45, he was already out with his friends. I guess he wasn't too excited to hang out with an old married couple. The only time we actually saw him was Saturday evening when he took us out to dinner. We all went to the last Cowboys football game of the season, but he sat with his friends down in the student section with all the "crazies", so we opted not to sit by him. The weather was amazing on Saturday for the game, and although the Cowboys lost the ol Bronze Boot (I think that's right?) to CSU it was still fun.

I convinced Steven to go to Twilight with me so we had planned to go Saturday night, but we both ended up not feeling well or like going by the time it rolled around. So instead, I watched a whole lot of HGTV and Food Network while Steven studied for his exam today. I was lucky enough to get a show of Steven's version of Michael Jackson's Thiller dance. Probably the funniest thing I've ever seen! I wish I would have got it on video...maybe I'll convince him to show me again.
I ended up not feeling well most of Sunday, so I missed out on church. Steven was pumped to go to nursery without me :)

Speaking of Twilight, we just got back from the movie. I'm glad I was able to get all of your reviews of the movie before seeing it so I knew what to expect. I think I'm in agreement with the majority of people who thought it was good, but not great. I jumped on the whole Twilight bandwagon a little late. I'm not as "die hard fan" as a lot of people, in fact it took me a long time to get through the first two books, but I was determined to finish them all before I saw the movie. I actually just finished Breaking Dawn this morning and have two things to say about it:
1) Renesmee? What an awful name. It drove me nuts throughout the entire book. I see how it makes sense, but I officially hate this name.
2) I thought it was a little on the racy side. I'm glad I don't have a pre-teen daughter, because I would never let her read it at that age.
But other than those two things, it was a good ending to the series. I'm glad I finally read them, even if I was a little late. I'm such a follower!

Steven had a huge exam today (as in 50% of his grade) and I am happy to say he passed with flying colors! He is dreading finals week, as am I :) We are so excited and ready to go home tomorrow for Thanksgiving break. Which reminds me, I have lots of packing to do! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Nothing Too Exciting

I haven't posted for awhile, but honestly there hasn't been much to post about lately. We lead a pretty unexciting life around here. Steven has been super busy with school for the past few weeks, and I'm sure it will only get worse as it gets closer to the end of the semester. He's been really diligent about studying and his hard work has paid off with his exams. I'm proud of you, babe!

We went to the Denver temple last Friday. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and was definitely something we needed. I love being able to leave all my stress and worries at the door and feel the spirit and peace within the temple. This was only the second time I've been to this temple, and although I have a hard time considering it "my temple", it's really beautiful. After our session, we stopped at the Deseret Bookstore, and then ate at TGI Friday's. On our way home we stopped in Loveland at the outdoor mall. We got some great ideas for Christmas (which I'm getting SO excited for!).

Last night we went to a comedy show on campus with a couple of Steven's pharmacy friends. There were a few comics, but the headliner was Christian Finnegan. If you've ever watched Best Week Ever on VH1, you'd know who he is. The whole show was funny, but Christian was definitely the best of them all. It was fun to get out and do something during the week!

Between job hunting, housework, and my one online class I've actually been pretty busy myself the last couple weeks. I've found a new love of cooking and trying new recipes. For those of you who know me well, this might surprise you. Trust me, nobody was more surprised than me, with the exception of my mom. :) As much as she tried to teach me, I really had no desire to be in the kitchen as a teenager and even when I went to college. I guess when you have somebody to cook for and your own kitchen, things change. A few weeks ago when I was home I went to Relief Society in my parents' ward. They had just had Super Saturday and had recipes from the soup luncheon they had. I grabbed this one from my mom's neighbor, Sister Baird, and tried it the other day.

Tortilla Soup

-Cut 8 corn tortillas into narrow strips and fry in oil until crisp. Drain well on paper towel.

-Head 2-3 TBSP vegetable oil in saucepan and add one small onion (I used half an onion and it was plenty for me) and a little dry garlic. Gently fry for 2-3 minutes until soft. Do not brown.

-Peel and chop 1 cup fresh tomatoes. Add to onions and cook for 2 minutes.

-Add 1 cup frozen corn

-Stir in 6 cups chicken stock

-Add some cilantro, fresh or dried

-Add tortilla strips and simmer for a few minutes.

-Serve immediately with grated cheese on top.

This made a lot of soup for just the two of us. It was really good, especially on the cold day that we had it. Next time I'll probably add some chopped up chicken breasts. Try it out!

Well, that's what we've been up to lately. We're excited for Thanksgiving, both to spend time with our families as well as have a break from school.

Help!

My sister asked me to help her out and post some information for her. She is trying to get her Mary Kay business started. If she can get 10 or more people to spend $10 or more, she can get a huge discount on her starter kit. So if anyone uses Mary Kay products, go to this link and help her out! Don't worry that the website says Laurilyn Morrison, she's my Aunt and is giving Kyle her points to start out on. If you purchase a mascara, your name will be entered in a drawing for a prize (I'm not sure what it is yet). Thanks!

It's been awhile...

It has been forever since my last post, so this might be a long one. A lot has happened with us over the past few weeks. Some of it may not be extremely interesting, but bear with me as I feel it is important to document these things.


The weekend of October 10th we had the opportunity to go home to Lovell for my nephew Ross's baptism. It's crazy to me that he is even old enough to be baptized. He called Steven a few weeks earlier and asked him to baptize him, which I thought was pretty cool. Ross and Steven have been buddies since we dated in high school and Ross was just a baby. Steven was really excited to do this for him, and honored that Ross asked him.

Ross before the baptism

Ross and Steven

The baptism went very well and, for me at least, the spirit was very strong. I had the opportunity to participate in the baptism by leading the music, as well as singing a song with my little brother Braden. During the closing song, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives", I looked down at Ross all decked out in his new suit with his hymn book open and singing at the top of his little lungs and my eyes filled with tears. I love every one of my nephews and my niece, but Ross has and always will have a special place in my heart. He was born during a hard time between my sister and I, and he helped repair our relationship and bring us even closer as sisters. Kyle also worked a lot when Ross was little and I had the opportunity to babysit him all throughout high school. I am so proud of him and his decision to be baptized. I know that Ross knows the church is true and that baptism is the first step in Heavenly Father's plan.

Here's more pictures of our weekend at home:

http://s374.photobucket.com/albums/oo182/destinyhultgren/?albumview=slideshow

The Friday after we got home (October 17th) my mom called to let me know that my Grandma Morrison was moved from the nursing home to the Lovell Hospital and things weren't looking good. She told me she would keep me updated, and when she called me the next Monday there hadn't been much change. I felt like I should go home and help out where I could, as well as see my grandma while I had the chance. I was able to go home Tuesday afternoon. When I went to see my grandma on Wednesday, I was shocked at what I saw. The little body in the bed looked nothing like the woman I had grown up with, and it was then that I knew it wouldn't be much longer. I was able to sit with her and hold her hand for a little while. There was a special spirit that could be felt in that hospital room. At around 4 PM Wednesday October 22, 2008 my sweet grandmother, Louisa Mickelson Morrison, passed away at the age of 93.

I have so many memories of Grandma that I don't even know where to start. We spent a lot of time at her house growing up and loved every minute of it. I remember sitting on the green couch cuddled up with her reading books. She actually taught me how to read. I remember going out to the backyard to pick strawberries and going for nature walks with her while at the cabin.

Grandma was such a girly girl. She always had her hair and nails done, and was always rocking the red lipstick. My sister was able to do her hair and make up for the viewing, and she did an amazing job that Grandma would have been proud of. When Steven and I were home in August, Kyle and I had the chance to spend an afternoon with Grandma at the nursing home. Kyle permed and did her hair and makeup while I did her nails. She was so happy and loved being pampered. I will always hold that day with Grandma close to my heart.

Kyle, Grandma, and I

My beautiful grandmother

I'm so grateful for the chance I had to spend a few minutes with my Grandma Morrison before she passed away. She was an amazing woman that was loved by many. Her funeral was held Saturday October 25, 2008. It was a warm and beautiful fall day, and the spirit was once again very strong at the services. I'm thankful for the knowledge we have of the Plan of Salvation and that we will be able to see Grandma again someday. I know she had been waiting for almost 13 years to see my Grandpa Morrison again. I'm sure it was an amazing reunion for them and the rest of her family who were waiting to greet her on the other side. I love you Grandma!

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends. Copy then change all the answers so they apply to you, then post on your blog. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamond's are a girls best friend :)
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Tropic Thunder I think
4. Favorite TV show? The Office, Heroes, Iron Chef America, or House Hunters
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal or pancakes
6. What is your middle name? Melinda
7. What food do you dislike? lunchmeat, pickles, seafood, mushrooms. I'm picky, so I'll stop there :)
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Secondhand Serenade and Taylor Swift
9. What kind of car do you drive? Mine got totalled, so I've been driving my Grandma's 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis. It's awesome.
10. Favorite sandwich? Cheese
11. What characteristic do you despise? Cockiness and dishonesty
12. Favorite item of clothing? A pair of capris from Old Navy, but it's too cold for them now
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Italy and Greece
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Hmm...probably American Eagle
15. Where would you retire to? Anywhere close to my family
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 22nd, because Steven called me, and the rest is history :)
17. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball or Volleyball
18. Furthest place you expect someone to look at this from? I honestly don't know
19. If you had a superpower, what would it be? I haven't figured that out yet, maybe invisible.
20. When is your birthday? May 16th
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I'm an afternoon person
22. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2
23. Pets? No, I'm definitely not an animal person
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Not that I can think of
25. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher, a gymnast, or a dentist.
26. How are you today? Let's just say it's been a long day and I'm ready for tomorrow
27. What is your favorite candy? Gummy Bears, Licorice, or Skittles
28. What is your favorite flower? Lillies and Tulips
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thursday when we go to Lovell
30. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip
31. What are you listening to right now? Steven's watching ESPN
32.What was the last thing you ate? Reduced fat wheat thins
33. Do you wish on stars? Not usually
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green
35. How is the weather right now? Windy and cold
36. Who was the first person you talked to on the phone today? My mom
37. Favorite soft drink? Diet Cherry Pepsi
38. Favorite restaurant? Olive Garden, Corona Village, or Texas Roadhouse
39. Real hair color? Dark brown
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Little People
41. Summer or winter? I like Spring best
42. Hugs or kisses? Both please
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
44. Where was your last vacation? Lovell, if that counts. If not, Denver
45. When is the last time your cried?Last week
46. What is under your bed? Absolutely nothing
47. What did you do last night? Watched Heroes with Steven, cleaned up the living room, read a book, and went to bed.
48. What are you afraid of losing? Family
49. Salty or sweet? I probably eat more sweet
50. How many keys on your key ring? 3 or 4
51. How many years at your current job? I've been the cook/maid for 4 months :)
52. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
53. How many towns have you lived in? 3
54. Do you make friends easily? Yes and No, I can become friends with a person quickly but it takes me a long time to open up and become really good friends.

It's Official!

I'm officially Destiny Hultgren, RDH! I got my license on Tuesday! Turns out, without a job, a license is pretty useless :) I really am anxious to get out and start working though. I sent out all my resumes and called the offices I've interviewed with, so hopefully something will come up soon.There are a few offices that are hiring right now, so I'm crossing my fingers. It's a good feeling to know that I've finally accomplished a goal that once seemed so far out of reach. You couldn't pay me to do the dental hygiene program over, once was plenty! Steven has been really busy with school the past week, so we decided to go out on Tuesday night. We went to Corona Village (YUM) and celebrated my licensure, his amazing job on his exams so far, and the fact that the White Sox FINALLY won the AL Central Division Title by beating the Twins Tuesday night. (Steven loves the White Sox and gets grouchy when they lose, so this was a huge plus for me :) ) We took some cute pictures, but Steven recently cleaned the office, and my camera cord is now missing. That's a good enough reason to get a new camera, right? Maybe when I get a job! We're looking forward to conference this weekend and going to Lovell next weekend. Anyway, that's what we've been up to!

Tagged Again

8 TV shows I like to watch:
1. The Office
2. Heroes
3. Iron Chef America
4. House Hunters
5. Brothers and Sisters
6. Sportscenter
7. General Hospital (guilty pleasure)
8. Friends reruns


8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Olive Garden
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. T.G.I.Fridays
4. Corona Village
5. Cracker Barrell
6. McAlisters Deli
7. Linda's Kitchen (AKA my Mom's)
8. Becky's Kitchen (AKA My Mom-in-laws)


8 Things that happened yesterday: (Oh geez, this is asking a lot!)
1.Slept in with my husband, loved it
2. Spent too much time on the computer
3. DIDN'T waste my time/money to watch the Cowboys play
4. Cleaned the apartment
5. Took Steven lunch after being stuck behind a family of 10 at Subway so he could eat while he studied ALL DAY
6. Prepared Nursery lesson
7. Went to General Relief Society Broadcast, loved it too :)
8. Grabbed a few groceries on my way home


8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Getting my dental hygiene license, if that ever happens
2. Getting a job and using my expensive education
3. Going home for Ross's baptism in two weeks
4. The Holidays, love them
5. Motivation to lose 5 lbs to find me....soon please....
6. Steven's graduation
7. Moving to Powell
8. Starting a family....eventually

8 People I tag:
1. Amy
2. Andrea
3. Kara
4. Karissa
5. Lindi
6. Shannon
7. Susan
8. Whoever else wants to do this :)

I Got Tagged

The rules of the game. Go to your pictures folder and take the fourth picture from the fourth file and post it. That's it.

This picture was taken after my Grandpa Hitz's funeral a year and a half ago. Our family has changed quite a bit since then! For example, my sister is no longer with her husband, her kids are HUGE now, and my dad no longer has a porn mustache :) I tag Kristy, Kara Beth, Dani, and Lisa. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Heroes and Blues

One night this summer, Steven and I were trying to think of something to do. We ended up going to Hastings to look for something to rent, but couldn't really see anything worth getting. We had heard that Heroes was a good show, so we decided to rent the first disc of season one. Needless to say, we became addicted and ended up buying to first two seasons. We hurried through them so that we would be all caught up for the start of the new season last night. It was awesome!! I tend to get frustrated while watching it though, cuz I always have so many new questions and NO answers! You never know who the bad guys are or what's gonna happen next, but that is why I love it so much, it keeps my attention. Anyway, if you haven't watched this show, I highly recommend it!

So I finally finished up my Wyoming licensure application and took the state exam last Monday. After I finished my exam, the Board secretary told me that the board needed to approve my application and that most likely I'd have my license number by the end of the week. So here we are, over a week later, and I haven't heard a thing. I'm pretty frustrated with the whole process, I hate having to wait on other people. I have a couple possible job offers, but we're just waiting on my license. Those dentists aren't gonna wait forever! And I'm sooooo ready to work and use the skills I've learned. Lately I've just gotten to the point where I drive myself crazy every day trying to find something to entertain myself. Don't get me wrong, I love being a wife and doing the make dinner, do laundry, clean the house thing. I'm just not at a point in my life where I'm satisfied with that being my day to day routine. I'm ready to feel like I went to school for 5 years for a reason. In all reality, I should have just gotten a job right after we got married, but we didn't know what was going to happen throughout the summer, and hind-sight is twenty twenty I guess. I hope nobody thinks I'm just Ms. Negativity all the time now, I just needed to vent. I really am very blessed and have no reason to complain at all, it's just one of those days. But tomorrow is a new day and it will be better! As long as I get a call about my license going through :)

FYI

Steven finally looked at the blog last night for the first time since "we" started it. He got a little annoyed with me about the whole Xbox post, and said "Thanks for making it look like all I do is play stupid video games". Sooooo let me just clarify for everyone, he does not sit on the couch and play Xbox all night long. (Although I do think he plays more than he realizes) He really is very busy with work and school. He doesn't neglect me, we do spend a lot of time doing fun things together. So now everyone knows, I was simply making fun of how into it he was that particular night! Love you babe :)

Wyoming Barbies

One of my hygiene girls sent me this email today, and it made me giggle so I thought I'd share it. Those of you from Wyoming might find it pretty funny :)

Jackson Barbie:This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with a Mercedes 4WD SUV, a Prada handbag and matching Nike Yoga ensemble. She has a masters degree and double-majored, but has the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom with Ken's generous salary. Comes with Percocet prescription and Botox. Starbucks mug and traffic-jamming Blackberry internet/cell phone device sold separately. Husband Ken is into fishing, golfing, baseball and is often "working late." Available at all Seattle-area Starbucks retailers.

Teton Village Barbie: This princess Barbie is only sold at Nordstrom. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade handbags, your choice of a BMW convertible or Hummer H2 and a long-haired foreign lapdog named "Honey." Also available is her Cookie cutter development dream house. Available with or without tummy tuck, facelift, and breast augmentation. Workaholic, cheating husband, Ken, comes with a Porsche.

Rock Springs Barbie: This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, switchblade, '78 El Camino with dark tinted windows, and a meth lab kit. This model is available only after dark and can only be purchased with cash--preferably small bills, unless you're a cop, then we don't know what you're talking about. Boyfriend Ken is in rehab. Available at many pawn shops.

Rawlins Barbie: This tobacco chewing, brassy-haired Barbie comes with a pair of high heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased Beer Gut Ken out of Cheyenne Barbie's trailer. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, strawberry lip gloss and a see-through halter top. Purchase her Mustang convertible separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free. Boyfriend Ken is in the State Prison. Available at Army/Navy Surplus.

Cheyenne Barbie: This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans 2 sizes too small, steel-toes cowboy boots , a Willie Nelson T-shirt and a Tweety Bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has fake fingernails, a six pack of Budweiser, and a Hank Williams, Jr. CD set. She can spit over a distance of 6 feet and kick PRCA cowboy Ken's ass when she is drunk. Also available is the gold-toned cubic zirconium ring Ken gave her after another one of his "episodes" with his boss's daughter. Comes with Barbie's Dream Double Wide Trailer. Available at Wal-Mart.

Gillette Barbie: Pregnant at purchase, this Barbie cones with a stroller and bus pass. Also included is a G.E.D. and a completely filled out food stamps form. Construction worker Ken and his '82 Caddy are optional. Available at Value Villa.

Laramie Barbie: This Barbie is made out of recycled plastic and tofu. She has long straight brown hair, archless feet, hairy armpits, no make-up, and Birkenstocks with white socks. She does not want or need a Ken doll. If you purchase the optional Subaru Wagon, you will receive a free rainbow flag sticker. Available at REI.

Lander Barbie: This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or removing snap on parts. Walks to work. Likes to "experiment," but will never commit. This model is being phased out and is only available from the manufacture.

Cody Barbie: This Barbie is a transplant from California and moved into the area to "get away from the big city." She comes with a 10 acre "ranch" on the South Fork and a 1-ton crew cab diesel truck that she drives the kids to school in. She moved here to live in the beautiful and low populated west, but now doesn't want anyone else to move here because they will ruin the area. Retired lawyer Ken comes with his own cowboy outfit so he can act like he is a local and "fit in." This model is sold at any main street art gallery in Cody, and there are several to choose from.

Green River Barbie: Comes in 2 choices, 1) See Rock Springs Barbie, 2)Comes with Ken and 10 children, minivan and Sunday best clothing. Optional LDS church and missionaries are sold separately. Available at any Deseret Bookstore. A free copy of the Book Of Mormon is also included with Choice 2.

Pinedale Barbie: Comes with oily coveralls, muddy work truck, can of Cope,and Tool-pusher Ken. Optional drilling rig also available. Sold at any roadside gas station.

Evanston Barbie: Comes with years of mental instability, and a straight jacket. Accessories also include a bottle of morphine, a bed pan, and an imaginary friend. Psychologist Ken is sold separately with Ken's happy-time psycho couch. Available at any hospital

Bridger Valley Barbie: Comes with 5 sheep, a llama, and her blue '82 Chevy pickup with a brown door. Boyfriend/cousin Ken sold separately. Available at any feed store.

My Husband is a N.E.R.D

He's sitting on the couch...controller in hand...headset on...totally consumed by Xbox. If he were playing football, baseball, or anything sports related I could tolerate it; but he's playing Halo 3. Walking around shooting people. Talking strategy with his friends on the headset. ANNOYING. And it's been going on for a good hour and a half. I think I'm a pretty good wife, I usually don't let the little things bug me. But seriously. It's a little (OK, a lot) much. On the other hand, it gives me time to surf the internet, and if I happen to, by some sort of accident of course, do some online shopping...I'll blame it on his neglecting me :) It's a good thing I love the guy!

Stupid? Or Accident Prone?

You know those T-shirts that say "I'm with Stupid" with an arrow? Yeah, Steven totally needs one. I admit to being somewhat ditzy once in awhile, but after last Friday, maybe I'm just stupid. Steven's school schedule this semester is great. He has classes Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday with Tuesday and Friday off. He usually works on those days off. Friday he was scheduled to work from 3-9, so we decided to run some errands before he went to work. Somehow, this turned into a ridiculous argument about who knows what, and when he left for work I was still a little ticked. So a few hours later, he sends me a text message saying something along the lines of "You're not even worried if I'm alive or not". By this time I was over whatever it was we were arguing about and trying to be funny sent him a text message back that said "Unless a terrorist suddenly decides to bomb Walmart, I'm sure you're safe". Yeah...DUMB! Turns out, there were not one, but TWO bomb threats at Walmart on Friday! They had to evacuate the whole store twice and send the bomb squad in. Yep....that's what I get for trying to be funny. Luckily, he really was fine :) So that was stupid thing number one, now on the stupid thing number two. After a fun night of watching season 4 of The Office, we got ready for bed, brushed teeth, said prayers, etc. Steven laid down on his pillow, I went to follow and WHACKED the side of my face on his elbow. Not really sure how it happened, but it hurt so bad and there was instantly a huge goose egg by my left eye! I couldn't decide if I wanted to cry or laugh...the laughing won. And to make it worse, we have NO ICE so I have to use a popsicle!

Pretty, huh? It actually looks worse now!

And this is what I did a few months ago to the same eye, by simply opening my car door :) Steven and I decided that I'm not so much stupid, just very much accident prone! I clearly need to be more aware of myself and my surroundings! I think the fact that I never broke a bone, had trips to the ER, etc when I was younger is catching up with me. Hopefully, our kids won't inherit this trait from me. That could get expensive!

Labor Day Weekend

Our Labor Day weekend was great! Steven's mom Becky and little brother Dylan came to town for the weekend. They got here late Friday night, so Friday was spent cleaning house. Not that our apartment is just horribly messy, it just needed a little pick me up. Saturday morning Steven and I met up with his old roommate Eric and his wife Julie who were in town on their way moving from New York to California. I've met Eric, but not his wife so it was good to see them and catch up. Then we met up with the family at the Cowboys football game. It was extremely hot here on Saturday, very uncharacteristic of Laramie. Steven and I went to most of the home games last year, so it was fun to go with his family. I don't claim to be a football expert, but neither one of us were very impressed with the team this year. Hopefully, they are just working out the kinks and will get better as the season goes on. During halftime of the game, one of Steven's mission companions Johny called and said him and his wife Ashley were coming through town on their way moving from California to Chicago. So after the game, we met up with them. I've heard so much about "Elder Johnson" so it was nice to finally meet him. And his wife is a dental hygienist too, so we chatted about that. It was really fun for Steven to see his friends, even if it was just for a few minutes. We went home and relaxed for a bit and then all went to Chili's for dinner. We hadn't been since it opened here, and honestly weren't that impressed. The food was ok, but the service was horrible, and it really wasn't that busy. After dinner, we went and played miniature golf, at quite possibly the sketchiest place I've ever been, but it was fun. Sunday was church and it was nice to be in our own ward two Sundays in a row, which rarely happened all summer! I made Sunday dinner for everyone, including Steven's sister Tiffany and her roommate Brie. We had stuffed chicken breasts, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. It was yummy. We had a fun rest of the night visiting and laughing with everyone. Becky and Dylan left yesterday morning and Steven and I headed to Denver for the Rockies/Giants game. We decided to go at the last minute and were lucky to get great seats again for cheap. It was an afternoon game and once again, so hot. The game itself was pretty uneventful, only a few hits and some good defensive plays, but we love being at the ballpark and it was nice to spend the day there. We stopped in Cheyenne on the way home and used a gift certificate to The Outback that we got for our wedding and then were on our way home. Now that Labor Day is over, it really feels like summer is gone. Boo. I will admit though, I am ready for more of a routine with Steven being in school and me about to start working. Anyway, it was a great weekend and I'm glad we got to spend it with friends and family who we love.

Our Crazy Month

Ok, it's been a while, so be prepared for a long post! August has been crazy for us. I can't think of a single day this month that there hasn't been something going on. The first weekend in August we went to Lovell so Steven could play in a golf tournament with his dad. It was kind of an unplanned trip, but it was worth it. It was also my dad's 60th (yes, 60) birthday on July 31st, so while Steven was golfing I got to spend the day at our cabin on the Big Horns with my family. Here's a few cute pictures from that weekend:

Kennedy and Treyson

Uncle Jordan taught Ross how to fish

Who looks that good camping? Not me!

The next weekend we took a little mini vacation to Denver. We did a lot of fun things while we were there. The first night we saw The Dark Knight on IMAX. Let me just say it was worth waiting a few extra weeks because IMAX rocks! The next day we went to the Museum of Natural Science. We saw a lot of fun things like mummy's, gemstones, dinosaur fossils, and we went to an awesome planetarium show.

I cut 5 inches off my hair the day before we left

He couldn't take a serious picture all day

Woolly Mammoth tooth, now that would be hard to clean!

Umm...he's the body to the TRex head...we got some REALLY
weird looks but we thought it was hilarious!

After the museum we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and ate WAY too much food, but it was SO yummy! We walked around on 16th Street for a couple hours and did one of our favorite things to do together. ROCKIES GAME! They played the Padres that night. We've been to a lot of games and sat all over, but this was our first time sitting in the outfield. We were 2nd row left field. We felt like we were on the field with our buddies Matt Holliday and Willy Taveras :) Even though there was a rain delay, it was a fun game.

Before the 55 min rain delay
After the rain...Rockies WIN!

The next day we went to Water World. There were so many people there, but we had a lot of fun going on the slides. I didn't really think carrying the camera around was a great idea there, so no pictures. After Water World we headed to Fort Collins for dinner at The Melting Pot. If you haven't been there, GO! The whole experience is a little pricey, but definitely worth it. The food was excellent, especially the chocolate fondue :) We came home that night, went to church and nursery the next day, and left that afternoon for a week in Lovell. For those of you who don't know, Steven was offered a great job at the Powell Hospital after he graduates. He did an internship there last summer and loved it and turns out they loved him too. Along with a guaranteed job after graduation, they told him he could come and work there anytime he wanted during summers, breaks, etc. They pay WAY better than the old Walmart pharmacy, so we figured it was definitely worth it to do whenever we get the chance. We were so spoiled at home with good food and loved being able to be with family. Last Friday we decided to head up the Big Horns and fish at Sibley Lake. Steven's brother, Dylan, came with us. Too bad we got up the mountain and IT WAS SNOWING! And not just a little bit, like they needed to plow the roads snowing. We were pretty bummed, but we ended up going up to North Fork past Cody and fishing there. Apparently luck wasn't on our side, we fished all day and caught nothing. That's right, 3 people, zero fish. Oh well!

Steven doing what he did all day, fixing all of our poles

I got to spend lots of time at home with my family while Steven worked. Monday (the 18th) was my nephew Treyson's 3rd birthday. We left that evening, but I was glad I got to spend some time with him during the day.

Me and the birthday boy

We hit a deer on the way home. This is AFTER Steven banged some of the dents out :(

We had such a good time being home, but honestly we were ready to be back at OUR home by the time the week was over! Thanks to our parents for letting us stay and spoiling us! On a side note, I had a job interview this morning. I think it went well, but I haven't heard great things about this particular dentist, so we'll see if anything comes of it, or if I even want to work there. It was good to get an interview at least. Steven has been working everyday since we've been back and works all weekend. And then school starts Monday. Goodbye sweet summertime! :(

The Results

I just got my clinical board results and......I passed!!! Anything above a 75% is passing and I got an 89%, and that's including a 5 point penalty because during the process of the cleaning, my patient removed her protective eyewear for a few minutes. So technically I would have gotten a 94%. Oops. But I'm proud of myself and really happy with the results. I'm super excited and can't wait to get back to Laramie and start my licensure process. (We're in Lovell for a week) This whole process has strengthened my testimony fasting and prayer. I feel so blessed to know that if we put our faith and trust in the Lord and do the best we can, things will work out for the best. I can't wait to get my career started!

Minneapolis

This last weekend was my long awaited trip to Minneapolis for my clinical board exam. This post will most likely be pretty long and is mostly for journal purposes, so skip to the pictures if you want! I spent all day Thursday packing and trying to relax. We tried really hard to go to bed early, but probably didn't get to sleep until about midnight. We left Laramie early early Friday morning, at about 4:15 AM and headed to Casper to pick up my patient, Megan, who is Steven's cousin James girlfriend. On the way there, we came within about 2 ft of hitting a huge deer. It was scary, but it our reactions were hilarious and we laughed about it the rest of the way to Casper! After picking up Megan, we headed down the interstate to Denver. What a long ride! We made it to Denver around 11 and got our boarding passes and checked my bag. Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 12:50 so Steven stayed and ate lunch at the airport with us before we went through security. I was sad he had to leave, but the poor guy had to head straight back to Laramie to be back at work that afternoon. Megan and I boarded our plane, I had the window seat but gave it to Megan since it was her first time flying. I got to sit in the middle seat and the guy next to me was super chatty, which I found annoying considering I was dead tired :) Our flight to Minneapolis was only about 1.5 hours, but we lost an hour on the way so we arrived around 3:30. I'd been worried about my bag with my instruments not making it on the plane, so I was relieved when it was there waiting for me! We caught a taxi to our hotel, about 12 miles from the airport. FYI...they have sketchy cab drivers in Minneapolis... I had another set of my instruments and supplies for my exam Fed-Exed to our hotel and was glad they were there waiting for me. We went to dinner at Buca de Beppo and spent the rest of the night relaxing at our hotel. Saturday morning we ate a good breakfast at our hotel and then caught a taxi to the University of Minnesota health science tower 3 miles away. A couple girls I graduated with were there to take the exam as well, and it was nice to see familiar faces! I expected to be extremely nervous, but I was surprisingly calm. The only time I got nervous was while waiting to see if my patient qualified. Before she went in to be examined, I had a bad feeling about the teeth I was submitting, so I looked over my sheet again. It's a good thing I did because I had submitted one too many anterior teeth. (The qualifications are so specific, it's confusing) I hurried to fix my mistake before she went in, but still had a bad feeling about it. When she came walking out and gave me a thumbs up, I instantly relaxed! The rest of the exam went well. I feel confident in my clinical skills, so I'm pretty sure I passed. It'll be about 2 weeks until I find out, but it's such a good feeling to have it done! After the exam, we hurried back to our hotel, changed, and hopped on the train to the Mall of America. It was so fun! I knew it was big, but I didn't expect it to be sooo huge! We were there for almost 3 hours, and only made it through 2 levels. And that was pretty much running from store to store! I got Steven a new White Sox hat and some new running shoes for myself. We rode the train back with about 100 sketchy people, but it we had a lot of fun! We went to bed around 12:30 and had to be up at 3:30 to catch the 4AM train to the airport. Our flight left at 6:00 and since we got the hour back, landed in Denver at 7:15. Steven had to leave Laramie at about 4AM also to be there to pick us up. Then we drove back to Casper to take Megan home. By the time Steven and I got back to Laramie around 2:30, we were sooo dead tired! We slept the rest of the afternoon, and went to bed really early! Overall, the trip went really well. We were able to find everything, our bags made it, my boards went well, etc. Thanks to all our family and friends who were rooting for and praying for me! I've really felt my Heavenly Father's influence throughout this whole process. On a side note, Steven left to go to work yesterday morning and realized his wallet was stolen, right out of his unlocked car....yep....He apparently left it in there when we got back, so we've been cancelling cards, checking credit reports, etc. Anyway, I didn't get a lot of pictures taken in Minneapolis, but here are the few I did take.

The amusement park in the middle of the Mall of America

Part of the water park in the Mall
Riding the train back to our hotel
The sketchy train station
Don't judge me, this was at 4 AM!
The flowers I came home to, turns out my husband missed me ;)

Surprise!

Those of you that know me well know that I have a slight tendency to stress and freak out about things way before necessary. Sometimes it gets so bad I make myself sick or get a panic attack...ridiculous, I know. So it really is no surprise that for the past week I've been secretly stressing about my upcoming clinical boards. Turns out, it wasn't as secretly as I thought. Steven came home from work last night with a surprise planned for me to help me relax. I guess that's what I get for marrying someone who knows me so well :) He wanted to take me to the Saratoga Hot Springs for the night! I've never been, but he has and has told me a lot about them. We quickly packed our swimsuits and a couple sandwiches and were on our way. We drove over the Snowys, which I also have never been to. They were really pretty and we scouted out several future camping/fishing spots along the way. There were quite a few people at the hot springs when we got there, so I wasn't sure how much fun that would be but I was pleasantly surprised. We sat and relaxed in the hot mineral water and people watched. There was quite the variety of people there, too. Hippy old people there to "cleanse" themselves in the mineral water, families spending time together, teenage girls flirting with teenage boys, and the one random kid. This kid rode up to the pool on a scooter, and took his shirt (exposing his skinny little body) and socks off. He then proceeded to NOT roll up his pant legs and stick his legs in the water, jeans and all. How strange, but pretty hilarious to watch! We had to alternate between the hot springs and stick our feet in the cold river water every once in awhile because it was so hot. We stayed for about an hour and a half, stopped at a gas station for a drink, and were on our way home. It was such a fun surprise and I'm thankful to have such a creative, thoughtful, and fun husband to help me relax when I really need it! I love you, babe! (Like he'll ever read that :)) Here are some pictures we took, most of which are pretty random and ridiculous!

What a geek, but I love him :)

The mineral water turned my toe ring black...good thing it was like $4

Pouting that we had to leave :(

Notice how red our legs are, it was SOO hot!

We both look pasty white in this picture

Our relaxing weekend

Since Steven and I have been married, I've found a new love for the weekends, especially Saturdays. This is most likely due to the fact that Steven works all week, while I am home wishing I had my license so I could work! Anyway, we had a really run and relaxing weekend. On Friday night we went camping with our friends Ben and Brianna, Josh and Melissa, and Derek and Jessica and their adorable baby Pheonix. We haven't invested in a lot of camping gear yet so we planned on sharing a tent with Ben and Brianna, but Josh and Melissa ended up bringing an extra tent that we used. Our camp site looked pretty cute with 4 little couples tents. I wish I had pictures but, of course, I forgot my camera. We roasted hot dogs, (I brought a sandwich, I refuse to eat hot dogs) told stories, laughed a LOT, played games, and then went to sleep. It was such a pretty night with the full moon and lots of stars out. We woke up and Derek made us breakfast and we packed up and came home. We are so lucky to have made such awesome friends here and we had a great time! Steven and I spent the rest of Saturday relaxing at home, although we did go to the park a couple blocks from our apartment to play catch and then went and got ice cream cones that evening. Sunday mornings at the Hultgren home are always a little crazy, and this week was no exception. Our meetings start at 9, and since Steven gets up early during the week, I usually let him sleep in a little on Sundays. As usual, this resulted in us running around the apartment trying to not be late. So there I was kneeling on the floor in front of our closet reaching for my shoes when all the sudden, WHACK! We have sliding doors on our closet, and my wonderful husband slid the door over to get something out of the other side and sure enough whacked me in the head! It hurt so bad! I have a little goose egg and a pretty big bruise on my forehead. Of course, Steven felt horrible and I tried really hard not to be ticked about it :) Good thing we are in the nursery so the kids were the only ones to see it. The kids showed me their owies, so I showed them mine! We took a nice long nap after church and ate a really good Sunday dinner. My husband spoiled me and cooked dinner Saturday AND Sunday. Looks like I picked a good one! I'm glad we had such a relaxing weekend, because next weekend won't be so relaxing for me, considering I'll be in Minneapolis taking my clinical board exam and will most likely be stressed all weekend! I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Woohoo!

I finally found a patient for my clinical boards! I've been stressing, praying, fasting, etc for over a month about this, so it is such a relief to know that I have a patient. The only thing to worry about now is travel arrangements to Minneapolis, which for me is a little stressful, but nothing compared to the last couple of days! I'm just so excited, one step closer to RDH!

Thanks, Megan for being my patient!

More Pictures

I wanted to post some more of our wedding photos so those of you that couldn't make it could see them. Plus, I just think they turned out so good! Donna Stuart from Studio 1127 in Billings took them. I think she did a great job! These are just a few, we haven't gotten all of them yet. Enjoy!

This is one of my favorites!

Some of our families at the temple, the rest of the family and friends there decided they didn't want to be in the picture!

I look like I'm raping my husband in this picture ;)