The breather that's long overdue...

I did it. I actually did it.

Do you know that feeling of impending doom that you feel at the beginning of every semester? You know, the one where you look at your syllabi and your never-ending list of assignments and say to yourself, "Oh geez. I'm dead." Multiply that by 100 and you have my graduate program.

I am here today, breathing, to extend to each of you a feeling of hope. This past week I finished my seemingly endless project for my ComD 610 class: a diagnostic evaluation on a speech and/or language client from start to finish. Holy Moses... that project was a time sucker. This project is the END of my projects/assignments for that class. You heard me right... one class is completely finished! That makes Christmas feel just that much closer. I never thought this day would come, but for the first time (in years, it seems) I can relax. I'm sighing as I type this, just because I can.

This is what I subjected myself (and occasionally my husband) to for the past month:
- NO zumba. Absolutely none.
- NO homemade meals. We were all about cereal, spaghetti and good 'ole mac and cheese.
- NO house cleaning. I think my laundry pile was starting to grow fangs.
- NO socializing besides at school and church.
- NO sleep. This is nearly literal. I went to bed no earlier than 2 (sometimes 3) every night and woke up at 6.
- NO normally working bodily functions... don't ask for details. Just trust me.
- NO weekly television shows (which wasn't a huge sacrifice... since they've all blown lately).
- NO reading assignments for other classes were completed (but I'm all caught up now, don't worry!).
- NO relaxing piano breaks (because heaven knows I'd keep playing for hours).
- NO Halloween costumes (or trick-or-treaters... but because none ever came, not because they weren't welcome... sad face).
- NO blogging (duh)
- NO fun

I almost don't know what to do with myself now that I'm able to breathe again. I went to zumba last night for the first time in several weeks and my legs are ON FIRE. I checked facebook and half my friends had babies. I made dinner and went into shock because I forgot what "leftovers" were. I watched a part of Glee... and all but swore it off for the rest of time. I had time to prep for my session with my 3-year old client this morning and it went amazingly well. I played Christmas songs on the piano till my fingers hurt and didn't look at the clock once. I went to bed at 11:00. I woke up at 8:00. I appreciated the snow for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE.

This just goes to show that my mom's (and now my) mantra, "This too shall pass" is a true and eternal principle. Before I know it, it'll be Thanksgiving break. And then Christmas. And then I'll be done with classes. And then I'll be working as an intern. And then I'll have my M.S. And then I'll be a certified clinician. And then Spencer will be a successful (fill in occupation here)-er/man. And somewhere in all of that we'll have lots of adorable babies.

And I want to enjoy every minute of it. So whenever you have hard times, just think, "this will be over soon," work harder, and you'll be breathing a sigh of relief in no time.

And of course, never forget to pray. Sometimes it may seem like the only thing you can do but it's always enough.

Till next time...

Imagine my joy when...

...our wedding song came on last night and the hubs came up behind me and asked me to dance in the kitchen?

*sigh*

And the dinner turned out pretty well, too.


P.S... I finally deleted this video clip because it was covering up all my blogs. One day I'll figure out how to change the size of the video screen. That day is not today.

Back from the Dead... well, almost.

Hey all,

I've been a little bit "preoccupied" with this little thing called "Graduate School" and regretfully admit that my blog has been neglected more than pretty much anything else in my life. Luckily, I have treated some things with greater respect than I have my blog (i.e., husband, clients at the clinic, homework, personal hygiene, etc.) I'm not sure that my nutrition would be on that list, however... Spencer and I have gotten used to eating baked potatoes or spaghetti for dinner. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some (more).

Although we've been unbelievably busy, we've still managed to remain unbelievably happy. Spencer's life may be a little bit more fun than mine right now: he's going to school part-time, working part-time, friends with half the BYU Football team (his fantasy bromance coming to life) and still has time to watch ESPN whenever he feels like it. Then there's me: exercise classes at 6:00 am, school from 8:00-5:00, three jobs, cooking dinner, homework until the wee hours of the morning, and maybe if I'm lucky I'll have time to read something besides a textbook before calling it a night (or morning).

Oh, to be an undergrad...

Here are some things that have happened since I posted last (and not in chronological order):
- Tuck got married (woohoo!)
- Fall semester started and with it, two new jobs (teaching assistant and research assistant)
- I got two new clients at the clinic
- I read a gajillion more books (most of them before school started up again, but still several since. And yes, gajillion is a real number)
- Chase lived on our couch for about a month
- I convinced Spencer to join the ward choir - and he recruited about half the ward to follow suit
- I had the stomach flu and passed out during a session with one of my clients
- Spencer and I did sealings at the Provo Temple
- General Conference!
- In-laws from both sides came to spend some quality time in Provo
- I joined the BYU Aerobic Fitness Program and have kicked my own butt doing Yoga/Zumba/Pilates/Step Aerobics every day. Almost every day. Yowza.
- We discovered the Big Bang Theory (thanks, JaiCi!)
- We've attended all the BYU football home games so far (it's a sensitive subject, okay?)
- Spencer quit his second job at BioGuard and the happiness in our home increased dramatically
- Jeff, Becca & Paige moved to England
- I sold a car
- I ate an entire carton of ice cream on my own (don't worry, it took me a little over a week and it was a QUART, not a GALLON)
- Paul turned 3
- Hugh turned 25
- Lilly is turning 1 this week!
- Raylyn turned 31
- Becca turned 22
- Dad turned... older
- Mom and Dad are currently on their first cruise ever and I am, once again, jealous of all those who have ever been on a cruise
- AND... I forgot about my blog for a significant amount of time (oops!)

So, that's that. I promise my next post will come before January.

I love you all!

My books and their verdicts...

So I've been doing a bit of reading since Spring term ended. Okay, I've been doing a TON of reading since then. Anyways... I chose all of these books because they were highly recommended by people I know, and I'd love to recommend them all to others in return. I figured that this summer my reading list would consist entirely of recommendations, mainly because I figured they'd be exciting, fun and fast reads... which I don't have time to get engulfed in once grad school starts back up in the Fall. I'll leave the more "intellectual" books that require thinking and analyzing for those times when I'm actually IN school and can't devote hours a day to them. Ahh... I love myself a good book.

Fablehaven - by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star - by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague - by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary - by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison - by Brandon Mull
These books were ALL awesome - don't get them on CD... we listened to the last one on CD and the reader's voice was TORTUROUS. I absolutely devoured the first four and only gobbled the fifth one, mainly because the reader was so obnoxious. I'm positive I would have devoured that one if I had just read the book...

The Hourglass Door - by Lisa Mangum - another Mormon author recommended to me by a girl in my Graduate program. It was good--really cheesy at points, but cute. I was excited to get through it and it only took 2 days. It's a trilogy and the second in the series was just released a few months ago. I'm not a Twilight fan, but Twilight fans would probably love this stuff.

Digital Fortress - by Dan Brown - typical Dan Brown. Lots of adventure, tons of cliffhangers, a few bad words and good plot twists. Not my favorite Dan Brown book, but still really good. Maybe because my dad's a crytologist for the NSA like the main character. Hmm....

Sense and Sensibility - by Jane Austen - I'm a woman. Of COURSE I love this stuff.

The Lion's Game - by Nelson DeMille - be forewarned... the action is CRAZY but the dude has a vicious potty-mouth. More than his last book that I read... I chose this one because it was written ten years ago and just a few months ago the sequel was released (called "The Lion"). Both books were instant national bestsellers.

Dear John - by Nicholas Sparks - I hated the Notebook and was told that I needed to give Sparks another chance before throwing him out the window completely. This one was better, but still VERY sappy.

What I'm reading right now:

The Historian - by Elizabeth Kostova - recommended by JaiCi Razak

The Innovator's Prescription - by Clayton M. Christenson - recommended by Kelly Rees

Shattered Silence - by Melissa Moore - recommended by Grandma Spencer

Yes... I do read multiple books at the same time. I'm weird like that. I usually keep one upstairs, one downstairs, and one at school. I read the one that's closest :) Multitasking has reached new heights!

These are books that I have on hold at the library:

The Golden Spiral - by Lisa Mangum - sequel to The Hourglass Door. I'm pretty excited to read it.

The Hunger Games - by Suzanne Collins - this is probably the one I'm single-handedly most excited to read. I've heard nothing but good stuff about this book and practically everyone I know has read it.

The Lion - by Nelson DeMille - the sequel to The Lion's Game. Nelson DeMille's writing style is utterly captivating (and he's hilarious) but I still haven't decided if it's worth it to put up with all the bad words to get to the good stuff. I'm sensitive, okay?!

And since the library (my office and second home) only allows me to have three books on hold at one time, I have a VERY longs list of books that I'm waiting to put on hold so I can enjoy them as well. I have a feeling it's going to be tough getting through all these before school starts back up...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and the Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - all by Stieg Larsson

Catching Fire - by Suzanne Collins (and Mockingjay, which I hear is coming out within the next month)

The Lost Symbol - by Dan Brown - which will mean that I've read ALL of his books. :)

The Help - by Kathryn Stockett - I think that every book club I've ever heard of is reading this book right now.

Three Cups of Tea - by Greg Mortenson

The Last Lecture - by Randy Pausch

Atonement - by Ian McEwan

AND IT GOES ON... I can't even tell you how long my wish list is. I've always been a list person..... I feed off of recommendations, so PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY FOR ME!

Oh, by the way... Spencer read the Fablehaven series as well and loved it. Right now he's reading the Eragon series and tells me that it's awesome and keeps getting better. FYI.

Happy reading :)

As of late...

... life is awesome!

In just about one week, Spencer and I will head up to Lake Chelan with his entire family for a FUN week of boating, swimming, wakeboarding, tubing, getting tan, and general frolicking. And we are VERY excited!

I've officially finished my first term of graduate school and am now working full time at the BYU Library. Meanwhile, Spencer's been working his tail off at his two jobs. I've also learned that the best way to wake him up in the morning is NOT shaking him repeatedly, but by announcing that it's 5:30 a.m. and the word cup is on downstairs. I've never seen anyone fly out of bed so quickly! Never again can he use the "it's too early" excuse. :)

Here's a rundown of some fun stuff that's happened:

1. Paige Brianne Tucker was born!
2. Father's Day was on Sunday and I got to talk to my dad about golf
3. Spencer and I made S'mores on the Bell Tower lights at BYU
4. Spencer and I discovered the Fablehaven series and are LOVING those books
5. We faithfully cheered for France in the World Cup and are glad that the U.S. has been playing hard to compensate for Les Bleus
6. Spencer got called as an Elders Quorum teacher
7. We played with JaiCi, Ifraz, and their cute kids TWICE last week (and I got to swim with Mana!)
8. We bought a brand new black leather sectional... it's AWESOME
9. I found out about a secret scholarship that I'm getting so we won't have to pay for ANY of my first year of grad school (HUZZAH!)
10. I'm still working at the temple every Wednesday... but it's closed for the next 5 weeks for cleaning :(
11. We saw the new Karate Kid movie and I got totally mission trunky with all that Chinese
12. The weather has been nice enough that Spencer and I can go on walks (or jogs) several times a week
13. Mom and Tuck are coming to play with me OH so soon!

So yah... we have nothing to complain about! Love you all...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I am so OCD. I have discovered that my reliance on schedules, clocks, and calendars is borderline neurotic. At this very moment, I rely on four calendars, two daily planners, two watches, eight clocks and a cell phone (which does is all, anyways). And yet with all of these planners, I never find the time to update my danged blog.

What have I been up to lately? Oh, not much... just Graduate School. I (being young and naive) began this Spring term expecting to be able to work about 30 hours per week in addition to my six graduate credits. The first week of my classes, I discovered that 10 hours of work a week is an optimistic goal and that a one credit class does not in any way translate to one hour of work (more like six in class and two to three outside of class). And this is just with ONE client! Come Fall and Winter I'll have three clients and I will still be getting a grand total of only one credit for the entire experience. Masters Degrees take WORK! However, I'm loving every second of my classes and working in the clinic is SUCH a rewarding opportunity. After so many years of schooling, I'm finally to the point where I feel like everything in my life, in my classes, in my free time, in my family... is all meshing together to form a bigger picture. I love this stuff :)

Here's a quick rundown of some of the eventful things that have happened since I updated this blog (in no order of occurrence or importance)
1. My mom just had a birthday... and she's still looking fabulous
2. My parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary
3. Tuck got engaged... and then left for Italy for like 6 weeks (my heart goes out to ya, Hugh....)
4. Spencer and I went to Pendelton, Oregon and spent Memorial Day weekend with his fam
5. I lost 5 pounds for the Walker Biggest Loser Competition... but Spencer lost 15 and is looking FINE
6. On that note... Spencer and I decided to run a 10K on Pioneer Day
7. We moved into our new apartment and love it SO much :)
8. I aced my first graduate midterm
9. I managed to eat salmon, steak and pork ribs within a single weekend
10. I survived a 9-hour car ride with five full-grown adults and two dogs. Twice.

I'm pretty sad that I haven't been keeping track of all of this stuff more meticulously, seeing as I have NO problems planning out every single minute of every single day in all of my day planners/calendars. Spencer's been keeping busy getting skinnier (and even MORE handsome, if you can even imagine such a thing), working two jobs, and keeping me the world's happiest wife. I love him WAY too much for a little blog entry to do any justice.

The take-home message: We're busy, but we've never been happier. I love you, all :)

One down, Infinity to go

One year ago yesterday, Spencer and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Forgive me for not posting these pictures yesterday... I was busy celebrating with my cute husband. Here are some fun photos that I love from the best day of my life:

I love you, Spencer. :)