Activity Days

So I am officially in charge of Decembers first activity day for the 9&10 year old girls. I am not really sure what to expect since I have been out of town for the last 3 achievement days and have never been... Ugh, I know, it is horrible. So I have been thinking about what we should make in honor of the Christmas season and I decided on making these Christmas lanterns/candy jars! They are so so cute... I got the idea from Here.

The tricky thing I didn't realize was making sure I had all of the supplies needed for this project for 12 girls. I am a complete crazy person. I go to a store and think,"hmm I have seen this item at a different store for cheaper, so I won't get it now." BAD idea. So I have now been to 100 stores looking at the same 5 things for days... I have even had dreams about this and I am the WORST shopper. This is so ridiculous for an easy project. I made one for myself and it took like 10 minutes... Needless to say, I still have not picked up all of the things I need. Tomorrow I am going to finish this.


If anyone has any other good ideas for this activity let me know!! Treats? Spiritual thought?? I don't know how it works! Let me know what you think!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

So yesterday was Ryan's 29th birthday and we had a blast. As he says, he is holding onto his 20's by the skin of his teeth ha ha. That is true. He better make this last year of having a 2 in front of his age count!! I feel like time goes by way too fast these days... It makes me sad.

We had so much fun opening presents in the morning, riding up the ski lift at Sundance, making treats, dinner at Tucanos, and cake and ice cream afterwards at our house. Ryan scored with tons of sweet presents. Thanks everyone who came and celebrated with us. It was so fun!



Happy Birthday Ry-Dogg!! You are the best husband in the whole world! Love you!

Summer Time!!

So we have had such a crazy summer so far, but it has been super fun! We have been back and forth from Arizona to Utah almost every week... driving! This is what we have been up to for the last few months:

1. I graduated from BYU in April!! Lots of family came up to celebrate and hang out with us. We had such a fun weekend with everyone. This picture is only a few of those who came. Thanks everyone for coming to support me! I am so excited to move on and figure out what comes next... More school??



2. I left for about a month to help my mom finish up tons of recital stuff as she finished up her school year teaching crazy kindergarten kids! The recital turned out so so cute and amazing. All of the girls did awesome!


3. Ryan was working hard up in Utah and then came down to AZ to join me and start doing some fun work in AZ as well.

4. Bree and Eric had their cutest baby Ellie at the end of May. It was so much fun to be there for it! She is the most perfect baby!


5. We went to our annual Carlsbad, CA beach trip over the 4th of July with all of my Davis cousins. We all had so much fun! It was a little cold on the beach this year, so we were bundled up in sweatshirts most of the time!


6. Ryan got a new calling as Elders Quorum 2nd Counselor.


7. We went to Ryan's Nelson Family annual cabin trip up near Brianhead! It was a blast!! Ryan especially had fun fishing the whole time at the new lakes his aunt and uncle built. They are amazing!


8. Ryan has been working hard on a house out in Phoenix to list in the next week. I wish I had some pictures to show...

9. Lydia graduated from college at BYU- Idaho, so we made a trip up there to celebrate! Congrats Lydia!!


10. My uncle Tom had is 50th suprise birthday party up here in Utah, that I missed out on, but my grandpa and grandma, aunts, and cousins came up to party. We also had a suprise bridal shower for my cousin Jill who is getting married in a couple weeks! We had so so much fun with everyone. We are so excited for Jill and Brock! I don't have any party pictures yet... so they will come!

Broccoli

So Laur and I were driving down State Street in Orem havin a good ol' time. We had just gotten a Red Box (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatbulbs) as well as some 4 for $2 candy cause we were gunna watch that movie in style. So we are driving and Laur says...

Laur: "Ryan! Did you just toot?! Eeew. Ryan." (She commences to roll down her passenger window with much haste.)

Me: "What? No. I don't even smell anything," I said, taking a quick draw of air to see what she's talkin about. (It is Orem State street ya know, so there is always weird stuff in the air there. But nope, our windows were up.)

Me: "I didn't even hear a sound, did you?" Thinking that maybe I let one slide without thinking about it, cause that sometimes happens.

Laur: "No, but it really stinks!"

A sudden realization hits me... This is broccoli brand. Lauren had just eaten chips with refried beans, cheese, hot sauce... and some raw broccoli to make the meal healthy.

Me: "Laur! You just burped!... Like a minute ago right?!? Siiiiiiiick. That was not me, and that was not a toot!" (I now roll my window down with great haste and take in some deep draws.)

Lauren is now laughing uncontrollably because she realizes she did in fact burp a deep burp, she did in fact eat raw broccoli earlier, and that the smell was indeed the broccoli brand.

Now I'm laughin. Cause that's funny. And sick. But more funny...cause for once it wasn't me and it was bad enough that Laur just thought I ripped a wallpaper peeler.

Oh man. This is what marriage is about. I love it. Good times for sure.

Two Things

So as most of you know, if you are ever with me, the two things that I have been complaining about the whole semester... my internship and online class. The last and final two things in my way before I graduate from BYU in April.

I really have had it pretty easy this semester; going to my internship and working on my online class. Everyone, especially my sister, dies about how much I complain about my only two things. But you must know why I dislike these two things SO much.

1. I guess I can see that the end is in sight and I must have SEVER senioritis

2. My internship is in all the way in Salt Lake. I drive there during rush hour at 7 and drive home at rush hour at 5. Yuck. (12 hour days)

3. I am in the Epidemiology Bureau, Department of Communicable Diseases and Prevention Program at the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) for my internship.

4. #3 is significant because in this bureau I work with HIV/AIDS, STDs, Hepatitis C, and sometimes TB stuff. Yeah, most of you would think that sounds really cool, which some of it really is, but I just do not want to work with this stuff longer than my internship. I have to go counsel and test usually gay men, prostitutes, drug users, or anyone else at risk, for HIV. Not that any of these people are bad at all, I have made some great friends there, and it is actually fun, but just totally out of my element. In this counseling session we talk about all the super fun things in life about how to prevent getting HIV. If you know anything about how these diseases are spread then you may know just a slight amount of what we talk about with these people. We have to be extremely graphic and straight forward. If you would like to know more about these graphic things that we talk to them about, email me. So if you know me at all... this whole thing is just kinda completely out of my element. It is gross, scary, and makes me totally nervous. Not to mention I had to get trained to give positive results to someone who tests positive for HIV. Um no thanks. I would rather not give these life changing results, find all of their partners, etc. when I dont even like talking about the prevention. HIV prevention really is a GREAT thing. You should get tested:)

4. Half the time at the health dept. I sit there super bored acting like I am doing lots of stuff for 10 hours (luckily I can work on my dreaded online class)

5. I am working on calling every substance abuse center in the whole state for a survey we are doing for Hep C. There are hundreds

6. My online class (English 316) has to be done by April 2. Final taken and everything. I started it January 11. Stupidest thing I have ever done. NEVER take online classes.

7. I have to get all the assignments for my online class done before I can request the final. Which takes 2 weeks until you can take it. So this means by next week, everything has to be completed and turned in.

8. I hate this online class a million times more than my internship. It is the only online class I have ever taken in my life.

9. Internship notebook, final papers, projects all have to be turned in April 13! Didn't know this until the middle of the semester so recently I have been going to salt lake to sit there for 30 hours a week to get it done.

10. Due to the fact that I have weird deadlines for both things, I look at the calender EVERY DAY, probably 20 times a day. I calculate my hours I need done for each day, everyday. Like it changes?

11. Finally, my semester isn't really that bad... I just am so close, about 3 1/2 weeks. Then we can play, go to AZ all we want, and go on fun vacations. Hooray for spring time!! Our tulips are coming up everywhere!! I love them.

12. I can't wait for everyone to come up to Utah for graduation in April!!! Only a few more weeks! Yay!

On a happy note. I had an amazing birthday!! Thank you everyone for all of your nicest happy birthday's and fun presents. I loved them all. It was seriously like christmas. So many presents and they still keep coming. Our car is also finally back and fixed and I love it so much. Don't ask how much it cost... And Ryan rocks.

Love Lauren

The Last 6 Months

So I guess we like to wait 6 months between each post now... Here are just some pictures and stuff of what has been going on in our lives since the summer. It is a really really long post, so beware!

Ryan did lots of golfing and fishing with his dad...

This one is golfing with his mission president and his son

We finally got to fixing up the outside of our house... Mostly that was Ryan too :)



Ryan's 28th birthday



We won the "Good Neighbor Award"


My family visited over their October break


We went to the Thanksgiving Point corn maze and festival and carved pumpkins

Lacie, Jenny, and I threw Raeg a little bridal shower up here with all the friends still in Utah...


Thanksgiving time we went down to AZ for the first part of the week to get ready for Raegan's wedding. We then drove up to Vegas to be with Ryan's family for Thanksgiving and drove back to AZ the next day for the wedding dinner and to finish reception stuff. It was a crazy break!

Finished my last semester of finals!!! Yay!! We went to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Program at the conference center. It was so amazing!


Christmas time we went down to AZ! We saw some movies, ate tons of food, hung out with friends and family, rode the light rail, got tons of fun presents, even the cutest baby puppy in the whole world, and tons of other fun things. All in the 75 degree weather! So nice!


New Years we went to dinner with Eric, Bree, Kjersten, and Kevin, then we went and saw Sherlock Holmes, then watched the fireworks by Tempe town lake.

The Theater of Life: Act I, Scene II

1:15 a.m.; All is quiet as Lauren and Ryan are sleeping soundly as a light breeze blows in the warm summer night. Ryan slowly drifts out of sleep, though his conscious is still trapped between what is real, and what is imagined...

Ryan: (Thinking to himself) "Whoever is tickling my arm...don't stop. I love tickles, especially when I'm this tired. It's weird that someone can tickle my arm when its hanging down between the bed and the wall. Especially since Lauren is on the other side of me. I don't care, it feels nice..."

As Ryan enjoys the relaxing touches on his arm, he begins to become more self-aware and leaves his dreamy state...

Ryan: (Still in thought) "Wait a minute...how is Lauren tickling my arm when she's on the other side of me and my arm is trapped down the side of the bed? Whats going...who... WAIT! What the heck is on my arm?!?"

In a single frantic motion, Ryan pulls his hand out between the wall and the bed, flailing it back and forth, smacking it on the bed. These actions, along with Ryan sliding his body toward the foot of the bed while dragging the sheets with him so as to get a look at what might have been on his arm, awake his wife Lauren.

Lauren: (In a confused panic) "What the heck are you doing?!"

Ryan: "Hurry! Flip on the lights!"

Lauren: "Wha...what's going on?!"

Ryan: "Just flip 'em on! Something was crawling on my arm!"

Sleep has now fled from the couples eyes, although new adrenaline is flowing in their bodies, especially in Lauren who is now jumping out of bed still not sure what is happening. Lights on. Ryan quickly searches the blanket and sheets, although nothing is seen nor heard. Lauren looks on in dazed anticipation hoping he finds nothing; as a find of any sort in her bed will undoubtedly mean no sleep for her for the remainder of the night, and a morning full of washing sheets... sheets which were freshly laundered earlier that day.

Ryan: "I swear there was something on me." (Ryan lets out a relieving sigh.)

Lauren: "You're such a spaz! I swear. You always do things like this. I bet it was just my hair tickling you. You always think my hair on you is like a spider or something... Can I turn the light off now?"

Ryan: "Yeah... Sorry dude."

Lauren: "Its ok Ry-dogg."

Lauren turns off the light and slowly crawls back into bed under the sheets she now assuredly feels are clean and safe. She cuddles next to Ryan and gently kisses his cheek and quickly drifts off to sleep. Ryan is now laying on his back with his arms folded, on Lauren's side of the bed, feet away from the wall. Although he is not scared in the least bit, he almost feels violated that some thing crawled on him... and got away with it. Ryan is still thinking...

Ryan: (To himself) "Maybe she's right. I don't think she is, but maybe. Whatever...who cares."

Ryan begins to lose track of his thoughts and sombers off.

3:25 a.m.-ish; Ryan is laying on his back much in the same manner as when he fell asleep after the commotion which happened hours earlier. He feels a slight scamper on the right side of his neck which brings him directly to reality. In one sweeping, magnificently smooth yet ferociously fast motion, he pulls his arm up along side his body, his hand grabs his neck under his right ear... He continues the motion and throws his hand forward as he leans up in the bed. He opens his hand at the apex of the arm's rotation. Silence prevails for a slight second, and then a thud is heard on the armoire cabinet door across the room, directly in front of the foot of the couple's bed.

Ryan: "Laur! Turn on the light!"

Lauren frantically sifts through the sheets toward an opening and scampers to the light switch. Lights on.

Lauren: (Out of breath...) "Are you serious?!"

Ryan: "Heck ya I am! I heard a freakin thud!"

Lauren: "For real?!"

The couple both lean from where they are, peering toward the foot of the bed to get a better look. Ryan crawls toward the foot and points a finger at the base of the armoire. A stunned roach of no less than 2 inches lies on its back, not moving.

Lauren: "Are you serious?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

Ryan: "I knew it! I knew I heard a thud! I knew something was on me! (He lets out a chuckle...) I got that sucker. Look at it...its totally just laying there not moving. I threw that fetcher hard. It was like one swift throwing movement...while I was half-asleep! Awesome."

Lauren: "Well make sure its dead! Eeeewwwww!!!" (Let out with a shivering inflection in her voice)

Ryan crawls over the foot of the bed and smashes it with the bottom of the nearby clothes hamper. Ryan pushes hard so as to here the debilitating crunch noise he is looking for. He finds it. He crawls back into bed, smiling, and satisfied. Lauren, still completely grossed out turns off the light and crawls into bed feeling assured that her husband killed the only intruder in their cumfy cosy cave of a room. She now snuggles extra close to her man-of-a-husband so as to feel extra safe. A light breeze is heard outside the window in the serene timid night air. The two drift off asleep, and are left to themselves and their dreams, finally alone in their room.

END SCENE