Happy Birthday R

This song must be played while reading this post.

Dedicated to R

R had his 25th birthday last Saturday. Crazy. It was a good day, well besides the crazy amount of snow that fell... The festivities really started at midnight when Ryley and Dusty went bridge jumping in a ridiculously freezing river. After we went to Dusty's house and played rock band well into the morning. After which we took a trip to the Idaho Falls Denny's because R got a free meal. Good times. We crawled into bed around 6:30 am. This made soccer practice at noon a little hard, but some how we made it.

Next on the list R opened his presents from me. He got some shoes, a plaid shirt, and hockey skates! I'm so grateful he liked them and I seemed to buy a good pair. (still a little nervous with our fiasco on Christmas) We were going to have a bbq in the park,but with the shady weather we went to his parents house so we could eat inside. We played a few games with our friends and family and then rocked some hamburgers.

After lunch I brought out the pinnate, which took me FOREVER to make. It was supposed to look like R. Can you see the resemblance? Well it didn't go quite as planned because it was lightly snowing when we took it outside and R decapitated it on his first hit. Oh well.

The day didn't end there. R blew out the candles on his mustache cupcakes. We took off and all went long boarding. Then to end the night we all went swimming until we were exhausted. Such a good birthday. You deserve it R! I love love love you!

Ryley, you are my best friend. I love you so much. I can't wait to celebrate every birthday with you forever!

Longboarding

R and I started sliding on our longboards as of late. So these videos make it look like we're going super slow and they're actually kind of lame, but I swear I'm going so much faster. Any way it's fun and hopefully we'll get much better and I'll stop being such a baby...

photos of me

Ryley and Levi and I went to take pictures for their digital photo class. Sadly I was the model. I usually hate pictures of me, but Ryley took this one and I actually really like it. Ryley is getting better and better each day. He has some really great photos that I'll have to post. Oh and ps check out my hair... it's growing!

Paradise

I hate myself for not posting any more Hawaii pictures yet. These are a few that we took through the lens of our Seagull with a digital. I think the lens makes everything look so beautiful. I'm excited to get the film developed and see the surprises.

This was my first attempt with Ryley. I didn't get his face light enough but I still really like it.

Ryley's shot of me. Better than mine

Glorified Ashley Flake's bike.

The view of the ocean from the canal house

We had to get a classic shot from sunset beach for Ry's first Hawaii experience.

Work wOrk woRk worK

I've been job searching.

It BLOWS

.I've traved 7 hours to find out I didn't get the job

.I've sat for 1.5 hours to have a 12 minute interview for a position 50+ are interviewing for

.The only art job I've applied for hasn't even called me back because I missed their "secret" job fair

.Last but definitely not least. I had an interview to for a bank custodial job. They asked me to explain to them why I thought I was qualified for the position. hmmmm I do have a 4 year degree and I was trusted with 200+ students and their learning, but why does that make me qualified to sweep floors and dust desks? It was super depressing and degrading. Is this really the kind of job I get blessed with in Rexburg for 4 YEARS of school.

I think I'm no very happy.....

haWaii

I know I don't have all my pictures yet, (our computer is full and I can't even download them all!) but it's killing me not to post some pictures so here goes nothing...

This is Ashley Bowen. Loved her underwater camera

Ryley swimming out of a cool rock. I could never hold my breath that long

I really want one of these cameras. There were some great shots

After snorkeling we ate at Waialua Bakery which has the most amazing COOKIES I've ever tasted. And I'm not exaggerating

Ashley Flake on this amazing point overlooking Wiamea Bay

To be continued...

Back Again

It's true. I'm back in Rexburg. Crazy. We just finished our crazy weekend and are half-way moved in with no plan to complete the rest of the process tomorrow. I will say that the 75 degree weather made it a little easier to be back, but I shouldn't have gone to Hawaii because once again I miss it like CRAZY! I'm in the process of getting all our pictures downloaded and then prepare for your minds to be BLOWN!

ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKY BLOCK NOW PACKARD!

"i am's, what are you?"

So I read this on my friend Whittney's blog, but I wanted to post it on mine instead of in her comments....

I am thinking.... I am super excited to be done with student teaching which means sleeping in, having the entire day to myself and maybe even going on a little excursion with my bff Ryley to California. (just checked the weather and it's supposed to rain there on Wednesday and Thursday so I'm not so sure what will happen.)

I am wearing.... My favorite Hudson skinny jeans, a black blouse, a bomber jacket, black wedges and also sporting pink hair from the "festival of colors" that we went to this last weekend.

I am creating.... lots and lots of resume packets including my philosophy of teaching, resume with my art on it, a picture of me, my license, and my letters of recommendation all clipped together to make a good impression on my future bosses. ALSO making a sweet "trees" for our house and learning how to make origami cranes to hang from it. I'm quite excited.

I am reading... NOTHING and HATING it! I finally have time and am horrible at picking out books. If anyone has read anything great lately please please let me in on the secret. oh I guess I'm reading cook books to further my knowledge of food and it's yumminess.

I am hoping... that Ryley and I get to go somewhere or do something fun this next week for our break. Also hoping I can find a job, that Ryely will get accepted to BYUH and we can live happily ever after on the beach.

I am hearing..... "beat it" by Michael Jackson on my pandora radio station.

around the house.... actually not too bad. 5 family and friends came up to crash at our place this weekend. Way fun but all the furniture is up against the wall and random things scattered everywhere. Probably won't clean it up for another 5 days....

On of my favorite things.... sunshine, laughter, falling asleep on Ryley, laying on the grass on a hot day, the feeling of being FREE!

My upcoming plans.... moving into an apartment with 2 bedrooms and making one of those rooms an art studio with an actual table (we're buying one off ksl today) with actual drawers and shelves and a work area to start getting serious about my art. We're planning on having an amazing summer filled with riding bikes (I want to start a bike gang if anyone wants to join) and camping and doing all the things I didn't get to do last year because of wedding plans. I just can't wait!

SO WHAT ARE YOU? Either fill out your survey in my comments or fill it out on your blog and let me know you make one on my comments.

Peace Out

Tid-bits

Some exciting tid-bits on my life.....

*Today is my last day actually teaching as a student teacher! YEA! I've loved the experience but am ready to move on to the next step which includes having my own classroom and also making some money.

* I went on a field trip with my students yesterday. Ryely came with me thank goodness. All the girls watched us with gittyness falling from their eyes. They guys weren't as happy. Some said they there going to fight Ryley, ya right, and others teased us. We were standing in front of the bus waiting for all the students to get back on on the bus. Some boys in the back started yelling "kiss her!" and stuff like that, and then the bus driver honked at us. Awesome.

* Ryely got to go helicopter flying with our friend Chandler. He said it was amazing. I'm hoping I get to go with him next week!

* Ryley is applying to BYU Hawaii. I really really hope he gets in and then I can live my life dream of teaching art in Hawaii with my love. Nothing sounds better.... well maybe except if I didn't have to work at all....

* I've been reading Rachel's, my facebook fiance, blog and decided I need to write more about me. She inspires me. I love her and hope we never grow apart.

* It's been really fun to live in Utah for a while. I'm not sure I want to stay here, but I'm a little nervous to move back to Rexburg. Ryley is my life so I'll go where he needs to, but sometimes I feel like I've outgrown that town so much. I guess it curses me a little to always be excited for "the next step" in life. I'm sure it'll be good once I get there.

* I miss all my old girl friends so much. They are scattered everywhere except where I am. I miss them. Being married is great, but it'll never fill the spot of girl time. I guess I need to suck it up and make some more friends. I hope I find some in Rexburg. It's just hard because all the students seem like babies and the community feels so old and lots of the young married couples seem odd. I guess I shouldn't say that. It just still seems weird to me that I have to be friends with married couples now. It's good and bad I think. When you have "couple friends" you only do things in dates and groups but never really make great girlfriends. Well that's what it feels like so far.

* Ryley and I are going to the Parade of Colors this weekend. No it's not a gay parade. I'm not exactly sure what it is but it's at the Budist temple and at the end everyone has a huge paint fight. It sounds wonderful.

* I hope everyone who reads this has a great day! I miss you all.

my husband's hot

Ryley is gone. He's flying around with his buddy Tovey in a helicopter. I'm at home. Playing with photoshop. I wish I was Ryley. But I have come across a few picture I really like. Yup they're of Ryley. Turns out I take lots of pictures of him because I don't see anyone else much and also because he's hot. Yup I have a hot husband.

Ok so I just put this one on because I miss my long hair

Cowboy Ryley

Up close Ryley

Welcome Home Levi (a month ago)

Yup Levi Price is back from the mish and on to real life. Levi is Ryley's best friend, whom I have never met one month ago. Ryley and I met, dated, and got married while Levi was gone. I will say it's been great getting to know him and even greater to see how happy it makes Ryley to hang out with Levi. If Levi were a woman I think I wouldn't be a Shaum right now.

Sunday Excursions

This Sunday was a beautiful day. Church was good, besides the boring sacrament talks. (really really boring this week) We ate a delicious meal. And yes I even prepared it. I will say I am getting better at cooking. I'm not as nervous and I come up with some good ideas for different concoctions to make. I make my first roast. It was super easy and DeliCious.

So after dinner and a great nap with Ry watching March Madness we decided to go feed the ducks at the park. It was great. This park is close to our house. We went exploring and found an entire little farm with chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and or course lots of ducks and geese at the pond. The ducks kept hissing at us which freaked both of us out a bit. I kept trying to scare them and hit them with the bread. They didn't even flinch. Lame.

We threw all our bread and walked around the park. I hopped over big wood polls for the first time. You know how guys always plant their hands on fire hydrants and posts and such and hop over the top, well I've never done that until today. Actually very freeing. We also decided to chase ducks around. I really wanted to kick one. I think I was feeling a little violent tonight.... hm. But it was a good thing I was feeling this way because a big goose was beating up on a duck with a mo-hawlk. He was pinning the duck down and bitting his neck no joke. So Ry and I saved him. We were pleased but the young family walking by seemed a little hesitant. Ha ha but I know for a fact we saved a ducks life.

Ryley fed one out of his hands. He was kind of nervous but I don't blame him. They were hissing and their mouths and freaky.

There were signs everywhere saying "Please don't feed the animals," and Ry is feeding the goats bread. They were midget goats. It was really funny watching them try to reach their whole bodies out of the fence. Plus there was a slightly bigger midget goat who kept head butting all the others with his horns. If he wanted to he could have launched those little goats. I would have loved to see it.

Great night. Great company. Great weather. Great times.

~Books~

Ugh. I've been working on student teaching stuff all night. It's the worst when you wake up and leave for work, come home to take a nap with your hot husband and all you can dream about is teaching, and then have to work on school stuff all night. I'm not even getting paid! (Even when I'm actually hired I'm still not really getting paid.... lame)

So I've been working on taking and editing pictures of projects my students have been doing. I kind of want to put them online because I have some very talented students, but I'm not sure if I'm really allowed to do so. I'll check into it. But one of the assignments I gave my drawing 2 students was to make a book. I did this because I LOVE to make books. It makes me so happy. A few of the books students made BLEW ME AWAY. Seriously so good. I made a book with them in class. I dedicated it to Ryley and my honeymoon. I love it. Making my new Honeymoon Love book reminded me of all the other books I've made. I pulled some out and looked and looked because it makes me smile. I have picture of one of the books I made last year in my book arts class. I thought I would share. And if any of you ever have the chance to take the book making class DO IT!

LOOK A SEAGULL!!!

This is Ryley speaking. Today has been a good day. I kissed chelse goodbye at butt crack of dawn in the morning. and then rolled over and went back to sleep to wake up a a more reasonable hour, like when the "Price is Right" is on. So after watching half of it i decided to go on a DI run hitting all of the DIs in the South Salt Lake Valley it wasn't going very well i had gone to 3 or 4 of them and nothing good besides a bunch of crazy poor people buying a bunch of crap they don't need to let clutter their houses.

SO with two DI thrift stores to go I enter a Ghost Town of a store there was literally me and three other people in the DI. If your smart the first place you go is the Collectable Case because that is where all the good stuff is. That is where I saw it this cute little camera that looked like a little black box and I knew that I had found something special. A Shanghai Seagull Twin-lens reflex Camera. It's a medium format camera and I can't wait to learn more about it and how to use it. It only cost me 50 bucks so i get the awesome self award of best find of the week so here are some pictures of the camera.

Photo Shoot

The other day we met our friend in Provo. She was just taking a random photo shoot. She took some pictures of us and they turned out great. Levi, Ryley's friend who just got back from the Ceskou Republiku was there and you can definitely tell where his mind is.

Yes my man loves lygers and that is why I love him.

So I think in my "I love" picture I had a stupid face. (big surprise) But she took a few other pictures of me that made me happy. And !YES! my hair is getting longer- sort of...

I wish I could take no smiling pictures better, but for some reason I always look pissed. I guess I'm just not model material.