Pigs Flying

We really didn't see any pigs flying, but I think Brad experienced the swine flu this week. Brad started out with a sore throat on Sunday night, and by Monday he had no energy and really was not feeling his best. We had a family party on Monday night so I enlisted Brad to the task of making a jello salad. Well, he overdid the jello and so we had 2 huge pans of jello. I guess the surpluss of jello was a blessing in disguise because he had no appetite due to his sickness, but he seemed to manage the jello, so he downed a whole 8x8 pan of it on Monday and that was really all he ate all day. By Tuesday he had a high fever, aches, chills, sweats, etc. and didn't move from the living room couch all day. He started feeling better on Wednesday, but was definitely not recovered. I tried to have him help me with the dishes, an easy enough task I thought. Well, half way through the task, he got so light headed and weak, he had to go lay down. The poor guy. Anyway, he is finally feeling well enough today to go to work. We'll see how he does. He was never really diagnosed with H1N1 influenza, but normal flu season is done and over with, so probably anyone with flu symptoms probably has the swine flu. I've never had to experience a sick husband before. Let me tell you, it really wasn't any fun. I am happy to say he is in much better spirits today.

A Shout Out to ElRay, El Rey de las Hormigas

I've been meaning to write this post for some time now, and after a little pressure form my mother-in-law :) I am finally doing it.
At the beginning of this spring our cosy little apartment was finally just the perfect temperature, but apparently it was too appealing for some to resist. Black ants started their invasion of our small home and became quite a nuisance last April. We battled them to no avail until we finally sought out the expertise of Teri's Uncle ElRay. He is entomologist who spends his days conjuring up horrible fates of insects who dare threaten the human world. We mentioned our problem and within a minute or two he handed us a small tube that would bring an end to our little invaders. ElRay we thank you. Within seconds they took the bait and then two dates latter they were no more!
We have now been living ant free for over two months now and we owe it all to ElRay, now know in our home as El Rey de Las Hormigas.
Brad

Spring and Other Things

I have had a lot of free time lately, but I have not utilized this time by posting on the blog. I decided it was about time. Weber State finished spring classes about two weeks ago. Brad has already started full swing into summer classes. How fun does that sound? I, on the other hand, cannot take summer classes, and I am worried that I might become very bored. I have kept myself occupied thus far, but only having a part time jobs provides me with a lot of free time. I have decided to read the books Brad has to read for his fiction class to pass time, I am open to suggestions for new and inexpensive hobbies.

We did plant flowers and vegetables last week. I guess you could consider that a hobby. Unfortunately, I don't know how well the tomotoes are going to do....we'll stay optimistic though. Most of our veggies and plants are in buckets and pots because we only have a 3x3 plot of dirt by our little home. I was so excited to plant some flower seeds in this little plot of dirt along with a couple tomatoe plants, but we have some sort of a bug, I think ants, that had a hay day over night, and the tomatoe plants are no more. And as soon as a single leaf pops up out of the ground from the flower seeds I planted, those dumb bugs chomp it up quite swiftly. Like I said, we'll try to be optimistic. Whatever the vermin is, it is leaving the chives alone, probably because they smell like onions and do not appeal to the bad-mannered bugs.

The tomatoe plant that has the most hope of survival.

These are the chives. We got the start from my parents house.

I hope we get at least enjoy some of the fruites of our labor by the end of the summer. I guess only time will tell.

In other news, my younger brother, Nathan, gets home from his mission in Salta, Argentina in five days. I am pretty stoked to see him. I can't wait to see how he has changed, and of course how he has grown. He is definitely staying busy his last week in the mission. We talked to him last week on Mother's Day, and he doesn't seem to even have time to think about coming home. I wonder if he's trunky at all. Even if he's not trunky, My mom sure is trunky enough for the both of them. She has been making all sorts of preparations for his return. She decided to paint a wall of his bedroom green to surprise him when he gets home. I helped Mom pick out the color last week, and we just need to paint one more layer on before it will be ready for him. This is the only wall in my parents entire house that has a color other than white on it, quite a bold move on my mom's part. Anyway, it sure will be fun to see him on Wednesday.

Our Attempt at being Domestic

My mother provided us with a whole flat of wonderful red strawberries last week. Of course, two people cannot very easily eat that many strawberries without becoming sick before they go bad. So, what did we do!?! We made jam! Very tastey jam, I might add. We spent Monday evening learning the ropes of making our very own homemade strawberry jam. Truthfully, it wasn't that difficult of a task, and it wasn't that time consuming. We worked together on this fun project while watching a movie displayed on our laptop that we had perched on the minute amount out counterspace we have. We were so pleased with the end result of our domestic endeavor. And better yet, we get to reap the benefits of the ordeal every time we eat a peanut butter sandwhich or have a slice of toast! Yum, strawberry jam.

School

It's almost over!

Birthday & Easter

We had a great weekend. Saturday night, Dad, Mom, Janel, Brad, and I drove down to Provo to see BriAnn's students in their totally awesome production of "The Music Man." It made me a nostalgic of the good old days of junior high plays. I have so many good memories. It was a great production, and so much fun to see.

Sunday, I got the great opportunity to go play with the Bells on Temple Square on Easter morning with the Tabernacle Choir on Music and the Spoken Word. Let me tell you, there is nothing like being able to literally be in the middle of such wonderful music and sounds. The bells were positioned in front of the choir and behind the orchestra, so we were completely engulfed by the beautiful sounds created. It was such a great way to remind me what Easter is really about. Every song reminded me of Christ. We have so much to rejoice and sing about!

After the broadcast and church, we went to my parents' house to have Easter dinner. Dad, Mom, Janel, Derek, BriAnn, Brad, and I were all in attendance. We had a great dinner that was prepared by my mom, and after dinner we got to color Easter eggs! For some reason, I find so much enjoyment out of this activity. Anyway, we made some very colorful creations as you can see. In addition, we celebrated my dear Bradly's birthday. He turned 23 on April 13th. He's such great guy. I hope he had a good one. Anyway, all in all we had a very fun filled weekend. We had so much fun spending time with our family.

Conference Weekend!

Ok, I know it is now Friday, but Brad and I had a great weekend last weekend. I actually had a camera with me, so I even took some pictures. We enjoyed spending our time with family, friends, and watching conference.

Saturday night we spent the evening over at the Winter's house. Brad's dad makes really good fish, so we had a great dinner. Nella, Will, and Mari all came up from Provo to spend some time with us.

We had fun while the boys were at Priesthood. I wish I had had my camera because Milly got nice and creative with everyone's hair. She had curling irons going and wigs on everyone. She actually only cut my hair, but I think it looks great! We had delicious apple cobbler after everyone got home.

Sunday Morning, we started out the day with yours truly giving shots to family members! I love being a nurse at times like these! I actually checked up on all of my family members' immunizations, and everyone needed a tetanus shot, so I performed the dirty deed!

In between conference sessions, we drove to Sandy to visit Grandma and Grandpa Frandsen. They had a great meal for us while we watched and listened to conference intently.........

and then we all went for a nice walk in the park behind their house.

It was so fun to spend the weekend with family and to be uplifted by the wonderful words prophets, apostles, and church leaders. I am so grateful for all that we have!