Courtnie Update

Just for a quick update on Courtnie, as per request:
After running some tests, they figured out that Courtnie has a syndrome where her body thinks she has a blood clot or a tumor in her head, but she doesn't really. So the good news is that she doesn't really have a blood clot, like they thought. But the bad news that her body still reacts like she has one, so she still has the symptoms of having one. She's got fluid on her brain/spinal cord which I believe is causing the pressure behind her eyes, thus the double vision, headache, and hemorrhaging. It has some nasty side effects that go with it, but they started her on some new meds to start treating it, which she'll always hafta be on. :( She's pretty miserable still, but she's having a spinal tap done tomorrow to relieve the pressure to help her headache and they're hoping to go home tomorrow. It's a bitter/sweet thing, as she'll most likely hafta deal with this the rest of her life. But thank goodness for good Dr's and for wonderful family and friends like all of you who've kept her and Bryce in your prayers. What a freak thing, but I guess that goes to show that you just never know what you're going to be faced with tomorrow. Thank goodness Court's such a strong girl...I don't know if I could handle all she's been going through for the past 2 weeks and will continue to deal with! I love that girl!!

We Need Your Prayers

Just a quick note to ask for a little help on Courtnie's behalf!!! For those of you who know my sister-in-law Courtnie Dayton, (Bryce's wife) I'm asking that you pretty please remember her in your prayers this week. She's been sick for almost 2 weeks now, and they found a blood clot in her head yesterday. They rushed her to Salt Lake where she's currently having tests done and being treated at LDS hospital (she had hemorrhaging behind her eyes). So please keep her and Bryce in your prayers! THANKS BUNCHES!!!

Here's to gettin' older!

A little late, yes. But the last 2-3 weeks have been awesome, so of course I needa blog about it. They've been a blur, but definitely a blur I sneak back to all the time to soak in how fun they were. WARNING: Many pictures may be attached with this post! There. Consider yourselves warned.
So the 1st week of awesomeness included me feeling finally accepted at the hospital I'm at right now for clinicals. They've started joking with me/teasing me, and they let me do so much more now. After the 1st week I thought I'd hate it there. But now I'm sad I only have one more week. I really like the people I'm working with.
2nd qualifying week= Another year down! Yup, it's true, older and wiser (well, who knows on that last one). I admit I had my suspicions of this year's b-day being a sad one. [Explanation: this was the first b-day IN MY LIFE (yup 23 years) that my family hasn't been there to help me celebrate] So naturally I knew Dave and I would miss them being there. Well I'm happy to announce that my suspicions proved to be pretty much wrong. I was just fine, thanks to the help of my amazing hubby and friends! Yes I missed my family tons, but it was ok! My friends took me out to lunch the day before to Olive Garden (my fav!) and it was such a fun "girls" outing. (love you ladies!) Then David let me open my presents from him @ midnight,...hehe! We woke up the next morning to a pounding on our door (which had me in panic as I wasn't decently dressed yet. It was my b-day...that's my excuse) to find this: The Dorsey's had written all over our landing (I'd post picts of all the things they drew if I could...hilarious!) and they'd left yummy breakfast for us. It was sooo sweet and so fun! Thanks again Dorsey's! Well it rained the whole day, so that spoiled some of our plans for the day, but it still turned out wonderful! I was spoiled royally, thank you Dave, mi familia, and friends! David made Halloween cookies with me, he made me my favorite dinner, and even made me my b-day cake! I love you Dave!
What a great birthday!
Now for the 3rd qualifier: Last weekend I got to drive (BLAAA) to Denver to meet Kylee and Falycia for a girls weekend. It was a much needed getaway and we had so much fun! What did we do, you might ask? We shopped, laughed, shopped, tried to figger out all the funny sculptures around Denver, shopped, got lost, shopped, ate waaay too much, shopped, laughed some more, shopped, visited my cousins and aunt (and their new baby--SO CUTE), and we went shopping. It went way too fast, but I was sooo glad I got to see my sis---I really miss her!

So there you have it! My 3 great weeks in October. It totally makes up for the sudden FREEZING weather here that came outta nowheres. So a big thanks to all of you who contributed to making the last 3 weeks amazing. I'm a happy girl!

Tagged!

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago...
1.) Learning how to cook.
2.) Doing student council.
3.) Babysitting on the weekends.
4.) Running track for the first time.
5.) Playing the piano for the school melodrama.

*5 Things on my "To-Do" list today...
1.) Go visiting teaching
2.) Go grocery shopping
3.) Study study study
4.) Unpack from my trip last weekend (yeah, a lil late)
5.) Make some cookies

*5 Snacks I enjoy...
1.) Nacho Cheese/Salsa Verde Doritos (I've got a major salt tooth)
2.) Plain potato chips dipped in cottage cheese
3.) Candy corn
4.) Fresh cut veggies with ranch
5.) Cookies in milk

*5 Things I'd do if I were a Millionaire...
1.) Build a new house in our favorite place
2.) Help my parents buy a new house
3.) Get a grand piano (ok maybe a baby grand)
4.) Go to 3rd world countries to help children
5.) Buy David some new guns :)

*5 Places I've Lived...
1.) Paul, ID
2.) Rexburg, ID
3.) Ventura, CA
4.) Taylorsville, UT
5.) Amarillo, TX

*5 Jobs I've Had
1.) Beet Hoer
2.) Petial Puller/Fieldman
3.) Wedding Planner's Assistant
4.) Secretary
5.) After School Program Instructor

*5 People I tag
1.) Lynsey Dorsey
2.) Stacy Newman
3.) Marnie Parker
4.) Kelsie Sterzer
5.) Ashley McDermott

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

Busy Busy!

Well holy cow! Seriously, where the heck does the time go? I can't believe September's almost over already. Yikes. Haven't done a post in a while, so it's probably apparent I'm a sporadic journal writer. I thought blogging would help me do better...It's the thought that counts, right?
The past 3 weeks have been a blur for us. David's keeps busy with work. In the last 3 weeks, he's left @ 4:30am, 5:30am, 6ish & 7ish for work, so his internal clock gets thrown for a loop sometimes. I know he's tired a lot, but he'll keep chugging all day even after work with everything else he's doing & doesn't complain a bit. He's amazing! He found out today he might be flying to Idaho next week or the week after to visit a dairy in Boise, so he's stoked! :) He also stays busy w/ Young Mens and volleyball, which he's been doing awesome at! I'm so proud of him!
As for me, I'm definitely in the swing of school again. I've REALLY come to know the meaning of studying. It's seriously all I do! I feel like a book nerd, but you do whatcha gotta do. I have phlebotomy training this week, and I start clinicals so I'm way excited for that. Nuclear medicine is amazing!
David and I have also had some amazing missionary experiences since we've been here in Texas. We always pray for experiences & it seems there's not a week that we don't get to have the missionaries over for some reason or another. So I guess the Lord's answering our prayers. We've been able to participate in discussions with investigators and some new members and it's been awesome! We truly feel like we're in the mission field. We've been able to see 2 women baptized, a man's getting baptized this weekend, and a sweet 72 yr old is getting baptized in Oct. We love our ward missionaries, and we've had a lot of fun with them.
We got to go to the temple in Lubbock last weekend with the youth and loved it. Also, the piano/org duet for Stk Conf and the primary prog are now done with so I can breathe a bit again...for at least a little while, haha!
I did another post below this about our trip to the fair last week...it was great fun. So anyhow, I've been long-winded so sorry. But now everyone can be caught back up with us! We are healthy and happy. Love and miss you all! Until next time...

Ride 'em Cowboy!

David took me to the Tri State Fair & PRCA rodeo last weekend, and we had a blast! It was fun to dress up in our cowboy duds and eat some greasy fair food. We have to admit, the smell of the animals made us nostalgic, haha! We went and ate, walked around checking out the animal barns, went to the rodeo (YEEEHAW!) where we got dirt kicked up on us all night haha (I even found dirt in my pockets that night), then finished off the night with a Luke Bryan concert. We did a lit'l country dancing @ the concert. I loved it! I don't think I've ever seen so many cowboys with a beer in one hand and a big 'ole cheesy corn dog in the other, haha. :) Ahhh, Amarillo! Here's some pictures of our fun night, and a pict of Dave with our ward missionaries. Enjoy!

Where'd The Summer Go?

Well summer is officially over & the weather here in Amarillo fits perfectly as it's windy & chilly today. As per request, we're posting a bunch of picts from our summer adventures down here in Texas. Plus, I'm just trying to figure out how to make a slideshow work on here, haha. Happy September to everyone! (Where the heck does the time go?)