Chopped

No, I didn't cook anything really awesome.
No, neither of us chopped a limb off.
No, we didn't lose any jobs or what have you...
Yes, I did cut my hair 10 inches and yes I did donate it to Locks of Love.

Back in February, The White Christmas Sisters' invited any and all who wanted to participate. I felt the desire to commit to this all the way back then because not only have I lost my Grandpa and Uncle James to cancer, but David's mother as well. I wasn't fortunate enough to ever meet her, but I know she was an amazing person and she's given me an amazing husband. I figured I could give back in some way besides being a good wife. So I decided not only to do it for little Claire, whom I've never met, but also for my late mother-in-law. It was a really great experience and I'm so happy with how it turned out.

I won't lie, I was very nervous when I showed up to get it cut, but when I heard the first snip of the scissors, I literally got goosebumps and was overwhelmed with joy and love for those suffering from such a horrible thing.

 Here's a before and some afters! :)

**Hair cut by the one and only Stayc (Smith) Smart! Thanks girl!

Before

After

Ta DAAAA!!!

Her name

Her name is Cyndi... get it right or pay the price.

East vs. West

West is better.

The end.
_________________________________________________________________





Just kidding. I'll explain.

Last night David and I went to the Eastern Idaho Fair. Since I can remember I've gone to the Western Idaho Fair each summer and loved it. Not just the rides, but the food, the people watching and everything else that a fair entails. So I convinced David to take me to Blackfoot, Idaho so I could get an Onion Blossom. Yes. That's all I wanted.

The first thing that is makes the West the best is that it's in my town. Maybe 15 minutes away (with traffic). We had to drive an hour to get there! But I guess that's sort of unavoidable when I live in little tiny Rexburg.
When we arrived the first major disappointment was the parking. WE HAD TO PAY FOR IT! What the heck? We never pay for parking in Boise, and they even have little trolley's that come around and pick you up to take you to and from your car! Blackfoot--nada. So we had already spent $3 before even getting inside. Boo.
Second disappointment: Horrible spacing (I sound like a dance competition judge)! But seriously, everything was so close together and awkwardly angled. I mean naturally, at a fair, there are long lines everywhere you go, but it made it even worse when there was only space for like 10 people when there should have been space for 50 or more.
Third disappointment: No flow. When we first walked in it felt like we weren't even in the same vicinity as the rides or food. And we literally had to walk through an underground tunnel to get to the food and rides. Then there were random
Disappointment #4: NO ONION BLOSSOMS. Yep. You heard right. The one reason I went to the fair and it wasn't even there. I still had greasy nachos and an ice cream cone, but nothing beats the onion blossom with delicious fry sauce.

Okay so enough complaining. I've been spoiled with the Western Idaho Fair, but I am still grateful I got to go to a fair at all this year. We rode one ride and that was just enough. We saw all the animals and cool little shops. And we even found a place with massage chairs that we sat in for like 10 minutes before we left the fair. :)

Although it wasn't the fair experience I'm used to, I still had lots of fun!



Clydesdales! So huge!

This is called a "Walker". David used them this summer at work and they are SO expensive!
This one was $12,320--and that's a "fair special". HA!
I didn't get pictures of our dinner, but a picture of David's dessert was necessary.
Funnel Cake!

Science at the fair!

David was in heaven. So many little gadgets and toys!

Sweetest hand-beaded moccasin boots ever!

This is for Brooke. I will be sending it to her. This is a Scottish Highlander. All things Scottish will make me think of her. This one made me laugh out loud. She will love it. :)



This goat also made me laugh out loud. There was only one way to get that food and he was hungry enough to do it! :) Although it looks as if we are standing outside the fairgrounds because of how far away the rides look, we aren't.
We still had fun. I promise.

Food and Jobs...as promised

Warning: This is a lengthy post. Probably boring to anyone who isn't my mom or sisters. Don't feel obligated.

Food first!
Over the past 6.5 weeks (aka David and my summer break) we have done some good eating. Some at restaurants, friends houses and some homemade meals. We've enjoyed Pizza Pie Cafe, tin foil dinners at the Muench's, Applebees, homemade Cafe Rio/Costa Vida at the Muench's, hamburger pasta at the Buys' and Wingers! From that list you may think we haven't done any cooking for ourselves--false. We've done quite a bit actually. I only have pictures of some of the food we've made at home, but it's still proof that we are eating and we're eating good food!

California Pizza Kitchen-Club Pizza
One half without tomatoes-----for David

Camping breakfast (we had more than just potatoes)

Grilled Brown Sugar Chicken, Squash and Zucchini

We also had family favorites like Chicken Pillows, Tostadas, and Hamburger Rice Casserole to name a few!

**we are currently completely out of groceries.....darn.

No onto the 'job' part of this post.
David was given a full time job this summer as a member of the grounds crew on campus. He was blessed with 40 hours a week and a very, very flexible supervisor--which made any summer travel plans pretty painless. :) He will be able to work the first few weeks of the semester on the grounds crew while the testing center is slow, then he'll be back to the testing center 20 hours a week!

As for me... I was a teacher's assistant during the Spring semester as well as worked at Opinionology. I was very grateful for the TA job for the Spring semester, but was super bummed because I wouldn't be on track in the Fall in order to keep that job and not have to work so much at the call center (don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for a job there, but it's not the most fun job). Then one day close to the end of the semester, David came home and told me that the on campus employment policy was changing and that people can still work when they are off track! That was the best news that I'd ever heard. I quickly texted Sister Cranmer to ask if she'd heard anything about it, she hadn't--I was devastated. When I went back to work on Monday the first thing she said was, "guess what? The rumor is true, you can be my TA in the Fall!". I was elated! So I had two jobs secure for the Fall semester. Everything I ever wanted...or so I thought.

A few weeks into the summer break I received an email from a former teacher and family friend, Sister McQuain, that stated--

"My son-in-law is looking for a part-time courier (see below). If you or anyone you know might be interested in this part-time job, please contact Ryan as indicated below. Have a great summer!"

The email then went on explaining the job duties--

Part-Time Courier Position A regional, independent medical lab is in need of a local courier for the Rexburg, ID area. The responsibilities include picking up specimens daily from at least one physician office and preparing them for shipping to the lab (located in Boise).

I thought, oh why not. I knew she sent this to all of her students and it had been a day or so, and I was sure someone had already contacted him and been hired. I thought wrong. He responded to my emails, asking me a few questions, then saying he wanted to see who else applied and that he'd let me know. Fair enough. A few days later, he contacted me and started talking like I had the job--asking how long I'd be in Rexburg, what I do for the holidays, etc. Just over a week later I met with him in Boise and he showed me around their office and explained what my duties would be over in Rexburg. What a blessing.

*** Yes I pick up "specimen". No it isn't bodily fluids. They are skin biopsies. I don't have to touch them or even look at them if I don't want to. They come in plastic bottles that are tightly secured in zip-lock bags. I haven't even gagged once. Shocking. I know.

Anyway, we feel very blessed that we have been able to find jobs that provide for our little family of two. We have had many conversations about people who can't even find one job, let alone two or three, and on the days we are feeling like we hate our jobs and wish we didn't have the be there, we remember those people and how grateful they would be for the jobs we have. Our attitudes quickly change. We know the Lord is blessing us every day and we couldn't be more grateful.