Thanksgiving Week.....

Well Thanksgiving break has come and gone. I was home for an entire week, but it went by so fast it only felt like it was about 2-3 days! Dani & I headed home Monday afternoon after I finished taking my Law Exam. It's been so long since we've been back to Lovell (since September), which really hasn't been all that long but it feels like forever. We got home pretty late so we all we did was eat some dinner, talked for awhile, and then went to sleep.

Tuesday I had a Doctor's appointment (which went great) and then headed out to Kara's house to see her, Jase, and the kids. It was so nice to see those kiddos. While we were there, Katelyn showed me what she's learned on the guitar at school. She knew quite a few chords, so I showed her the chords of You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. She practiced all day and had it memorized by the time she came up Thursday night.

Wednesday night, we watched Duck Dynasty while we made 9 pies for Thanksgiving the next day. We had a pretty laid back Thanksgiving day dinner. It was my mom, dad, Danielle, Emilee, and Me. Kara had Jason's family out to their house for dinner so they came up later that night for pie. My mom asked if we could take some pictures, they turned out great (just wish Kara & Liss could have been there for there too)!

The next day, my dad didn't have to work. Since the weather was actually nice, we decided to get the outside Christmas lights put up. It still took a long time (about 4-5 hours) to get them hung, but it took much less time with 5 people working on it. After we got finished up, Dani, Emi, & I headed up to Cowley to watch the Brown and Gold game.

It was a great break and I'm sad it's over. We laughed a lot all week and had so much fun together. There's not too many dull moments at the Reasch house (especially when Dani and Emi are around).

Now it's back to school for 2 more weeks, and then I'm home for Christmas break for a month. With another semester down and only one more to go until it's time for rotations!!

Down to the Wire.....

I can't believe that this semester is almost over! It is flying by. I'm leaving for Thanksgiving break in a week and after I get back, there's only 2 weeks left until I'm on Christmas break. At the end of this year, I'll be all done with schoolwork and starting in June it's time for me to start rotations. My official graduation date has been set: May 16, 2015!! It's so surreal that in a year and a half I'll be done with school forever. Graduation has been a long time coming, and it can't get here soon enough. I knew this time was coming, but I got an email from my professor about my schedule and it made it feel so real.

As exciting as it is, it also scares me. The transition and change is going to take awhile to get use to. Once I start rotations, the preceptors are going expect me to not only remember but apply those things that I've been learning for years now. It's intimidating because right now I don't feel like I know anything. I can't even remember all the things that I've learned this semester, let alone recall things from the past 5 years! Obviously, I know more then I think I do (hopefully), and I guess I'll find out when the time comes.

With the start of the new school year, also means the start of sports season. Football & Volleyball are close to being over. My favorite time of year started a few weeks ago, which means it's time for basketball! I love going to watch our team play. It's such a cool atmosphere to be in (even if our student section is obnoxious and don't have much sportsmanship)!! Dani & I have been going to as many games as we could this year, as long as we didn't have homework or exams to study for. We love our Pokes & are proud to be from Wyoming!!

The Rest of My Summer.....

For the most part the rest of my summer consisted mainly of working and hanging out at home. As always one of the best parts of my summer was Lovell's Day week. Melissa & her family came down because it was her 10 year reunion! Before the town festivities started, we went up to 5 Springs for a picnic and to get out of the house for the night. It was the only time this summer that I went up to the mountains and it made me ache to be up there!

We spent the week going to the follies, babysitting the kids, going to listen to the Cowley Boys, hit up the parade/ rodeo, and ended the week with the fireworks.

It was so nice this summer and I loved spending time outside, going on walks, or spending the night in the yard watching the kiddos play in the yard. Sometimes it's nice to have time to relax and have nothing more to do then enjoy time with your family!

Probably the highlight of my summer was making a trip to Cheyenne Frontier Days to watch Luke Bryan in concert. It was a quick trip because we went down on Wednesday night and were back by Friday afternoon. The concert was amazing and he was just as good looking in person as I had hoped he'd be. The opening act was Thompson Square and I definitely became a bigger fan of their songs after that night. The best part of the weekend was spending time with Dani & Emi. Before going to the concert, we ate at the Olive Garden and then walked around the fair for awhile before getting in line. While we were standing in line, we got caught in a rain storm, so all the time we took getting ready was pretty pointless since we ended up looking like wet dogs for the entire concert. It rained like crazy before, during, and after the concert. Even though I dealt sickness, wind, cold, rain and obnoxious people, it was all worth it watch Luke Bryan shake it!

 After the first rainstorm hit.

We even made it back in time for Cowley's Day to watch the parade and got to see all my cousins, aunts, uncles, & Grandpa Ken. After we watched the parade, we spent the day at the park watching Emi play in the volleyball tournament and catching up with the Smith family who came down from Utah.

Summer ended by having the week off from work, which we spent at home relaxing, going to Billings to go shopping for school clothes / supplies, and spending one of the days in Yellowstone. I forget how beautiful the park is, and wish I'd go more often. I didn't realize there were so many parts of the park I hadn't ever been to, and since we didn't have anywhere to go, we drove through a lot more of it. We saw the falls and went to Mammoth to eat walk around.

I'm amazed at how fast summer went. I can't believe I'm already back down in Laramie at school. It was a good break, spending it with my friends and family. Thanks to time off, I'm ready to be back in full swing at school! Bring on my last year of classes.

Superwoman For a Day.....

I always knew that mom's were superheroes, but it wasn't until yesterday that I truly appreciated everything a mom has to do.

Kara & Jason needed to go to Billings to pick out some stuff for their addition on their house. To make the decision process a little easier, I babysat the kids. It was one of the longest, most stressful 7 hours of my life. But I loved it and couldn't think of a better way then spending it with those sweet kids that I'm lucky enough to call my nieces & nephews. We played games, watched movies, ate dinner & popcorn, Just Dance'd, and completed everything on Katelyn's bucket list she made before I got there. We were even able to clean up our mess so the house looked good when Kara & Jase got home.

I must have done an okay job because they asked if I could do it again next time their mom & dad needed to go to Billings. I was even invited to stay the night and eventually left with tears of goodbye because they didn't want to me to go. I'm so lucky to be so loved by those kids.

After just 7 hours I was worn out. My parents and sisters even came to help for awhile, but I was still ready for bed by the time I got home. Mom's are definitely all like Superwoman. They do their job each & every day without a break, vacation, pay, sick days, or most of the time gratitude or notice for what they do. I have the best mother in the entire world, who does all she can for our family. She works herself to the bone for us. After yesterday, I'm doubly amazed that she's done this for over 30 years! With all the hard work and sacrifices you make, you really have to be a selfless person to be a mother.

This gave me a little insight to what a mom does every day. There's no harder job in the world, but also no more rewarding job. I can't imagine a better feeling in the world then to feel how loved you are by those little kids. My mom & sisters are the best examples of how mom's should be and act. I hope that I will be just like them when the time comes for me. Thanks Kara for letting my watch your sweet kiddos!

Target Practice.....

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved to play with guns. I felt like it was a "boy thing" to like to do, so I thought I was weird different for liking that. As I grew up, I figured I'd lose interest in this but it hasn't been the case. Even though it seemed silly and useless I wanted one. As much as I loved them, I never actually shot a gun until this summer when Kristen & I went shooting. 

My dad got a pellet gun a while ago and I had a lot of fun shooting it. So I decided since a real gun was too expensive to buy on a whim (but makes a great Christmas present), I wanted to get a pellet gun of my own. It came about 2 days ago and I love it. I got a Beretta PX4 Storm and even though it's only a pellet gun, it looks like the real thing (which is why I wanted this one)! 

I got some targets so I would have something to shoot at. I'm not too good, but I'm actually impressed that I hit the target so many times. Hopefully as I break the gun in, I'll get to be a little more accurate! 

I'm super excited to finally have my gun. It's just as fun as I hoped it would be! 

Fishing Adventure.....

Thursday night Kristen asked me if I wanted to go fishing since I had the day off on Friday. Kris likes to fly fish, which I've never done but I knew that so it was no big deal. Normally, I'm a sit on the bank and throw in my worm baited hook kind of girl, but Kristen is not that kind of fisherman. My family thought I was crazy to go fishing in capris and a tank top (to be honest I didn't know why I was dressing like this either, but Kristen said that's how she was going so I followed suit). Little did I know I had a surprise in store.

We headed up to Newton Lake (which is outside of Cody) and got all geared up. I didn't know how much fishing we were going to be able to do because it was pretty windy and started to rain. Luckily it let up and we spent a little over an hour on the lake.

Needless to say it wasn't a very successful trip. Neither of us caught a fish, and honestly we didn't even get a nibble! We aren't the most patient of fishermen, so we decided to head back into town and hit up Walmart. We ended our day with eating at Dairy Queen (Lovell or and Laramie should definitely invest in getting one in town). Now that I'm not quite as amateur at this fly fishing business, I'm sure there'll be plenty more fishing trips to come.

File Folder Games.....

When I was little I remember playing with File Folder games when we went to church. They had the cutest pictures, were really simple, but they kept us entertained (and quiet) during Sacrament Meeting. 

I was on Pinterest awhile ago and saw a "pin" about those exact same games. I knew I loved to play them, and figured Kara's kids would too (maybe even Kara- if they kept them entertained [possibly quiet] during sacrament)! So I got some my own copies from this website: http://www.finchfamilygames.com/

Needless to say, they were a hit. They took quite a "few" hours to finish all of them with the printing, cutting out, laminating, gluing (or using Zots), and magnetizing them. The large amount of time probably had a little to do with my OCD and the fact that I tried to make 10 separate games at once, but that's just a minor detail. I loved doing them though, they gave me something to, and with how much the kiddos loved them it made it totally worth it!

I not only wanted to make them for the kids, but also wanted to have them for when if I get married and have kids of my own. 

Adventure with Aunt Bethy.....

Last Friday I took Katelyn, Jacob, and Dallin to the library because Jake had gotten his own Library Card for Wyoming Readers at school and was a little anxious to use it. After school was out, we were on our way to the Library, where we all got some books. After we were all "checked out," we headed to Minchow's for some ice cream (Jake had a certificate for a free kids scoop and he needed wanted to use this perfect opportunity to cash in)! Each of them got some fabulous prizes from the Crane Machines while we were there. We ended the afternoon adventure by getting a pop and some gum from Maverick [I think they know how to work Aunt Bethy over - just tell me what they want and they get it :)]!

It was a fun little trip, and they had a blast (which was the whole point)! I'm excited for the summer and many more mini adventures to come.

Off to a Good Start.....

My summer has been great filled with lots of good times already. I've spent lots of time working, hanging out with the family, and not worrying about schoolwork! After my last final (Friday at 8 in the morning) I was out of Laramie on my way home for my break.

For Mother's Day on we had a pretty laid back day. Kara and her family came up after church to eat some dinner and then we spent the night outside playing in the yard.

My break so far has consisted of working, helping around the house/yard, a basketball tournament, going to Katelyn's piano recital and play, and enjoying the beautiful weather! Not too shabby for the first two weeks of summer.

A-Z.....

Kara is full of good ideas! I don't know how she thinks of such things. After seeing a picture she posted on Instagram of Katelyn and Jason studying the scripture and keeping a journal, she informed me how she keeps a journal. Instead of writing after each chapter, she journals according to topic. This way, whenever she needs to give a lesson or talk, she has scriptures and quotes already compiled. I loved the idea so much, I adopted this strategy into my own study.

Since I'm OCD and am a little obsessed with office supplies, I decided to make a craft project out of it. Instead of keeping a journal, I decided I wanted to use index cards. I couldn't just have a simple container, that's just too boring. I couldn't find alphabetical dividers that I liked, so I decided to make my own. I bought plain cards, colored them with permanent markers, used sticker letters, and then laminated them to keep them saved. To keep the various cards on the same topic together I'm using paper clips to keep them together (of course these couldn't be any paperclips, they had to match the color scheme).

I haven't been doing it long, so I don't have too much in mine yet. I'm trying to do better with my scripture study because I've been a little lax with it. I've decided to not only study the scriptures but also the conference talks (I don't look at them nearly enough). I've noticed such a difference in my days since I've been studying the words of the prophets more consistently. I'm so thankful to have the guidance of these inspired men and women to help me in life's journey. Thanks Kara for another great idea!!

Just Couldn't Stay Away.....

Well I guess I couldn't stay away from playing the piano in my church ward for too long. I was released from being the ward pianist earlier this semester and was without a calling for a few months. It's been the first time since I've been in Laramie that I haven't had a calling in the ward. I found out why on about a week ago. I was asked to be the Relief Society pianist. They told me they were suppose to call me about 3 months ago, but didn't want to give me too much to do since I already had a calling (which I didn't because they released me from everything).

When I told them I didn't currently have a calling, they weren't too happy about that because they said they would have used me in other areas if they knew I was available. :) I love playing the piano, so these last two callings I had are perfect for me, even though I get super nervous to play in front of other people. Oh well, it was nice to have a little break, but I'm glad to have something to do in the ward again!

It's Been Awhile.....

It's been awhile since I've cooked a full-course meal while I'm in Laramie going to school. We usually make something quick or go get something to eat for dinner because it takes too much time or we don't want to go to the store. :) Tonight, though it's been long enough since we've had a fancy meal like my mom makes us at home.

Dani and I wanted to make dinner so we could eat while we watched WWE, which is our Monday night tradition since last summer vacation. For dinner we made some barbecue steak, baked potatoes, corn, and homemade rolls. I attempted to make the rolls, they turned out pretty good, but still not as good as Mom's and definitely not as pretty! It'll take some practice, and hopefully one day I'll be as good of a cook as my mom. I need to do it more often then I do so I can get better!

I'm so thankful for a great mom who is such a talented cook and has taught us those same skills! I would be eating frozen dinners for the rest of my life if it wasn't for her (Either that or I'd be a regular dinner guest at her house)!!

Getting Creative.....

As with most college kids, my room has always seemed a little bare and definitely lacked personal photos of my friends and family. I didn't want to put a bunch of frames on my walls because I'm pretty picky about what they look like and I'm kind of lazy about printing pictures out.

When I was home for Spring Break, Emi's room was decorated so cute. For Valentine's Day, Kara made her a collage of pictures using string, clothes pins, and black & white pictures. I absolutely loved it and have been wanting to do something similar in my room.

The Inspiration

I don't have a headboard in my room, so above my bed seemed really bland. I figured this was the perfect place for my new project.

I decided I wanted to have a word made of wooden letters hang above my photos so it wasn't just be a string of pictures hanging on the wall. I ordered my letters from Hobby Lobby. They're 4 inches tall and and 1/8" thick. I painted them with black acrylic paint so they match my other decorations in my room. Then I drilled holes in the tops, used the same string as my "picture clothes line" to hang them up, and hung them on the wall with clear push pins.

I couldn't decide what pictures I wanted to use, and I also wanted to be able to spread my pictures out so I ended up doing two separate lines. Everything needed to match because I'm OCD (just ask my family), so I printed my photos in black & white.

The Finished Product

It turned out exactly how I wanted, and it didn't take very long. It was such a simple project. It took less then an hour to paint the letters, drill the holes, thread the string, and hang the letters on my wall. It took about another hour to edit my pictures, cut them out, and hang them up. Only two hours for something that looks that cute? I'll take that any day! :) I think it adds so much to my room to have something most substantial above my bed. It makes my room feel so much more complete and decorated in the way that I'm finally satisfied with. Thanks Kara for the inspiration, I never would have thought of this without you!!