Moved!

So we have finally moved into the house! Yay! We are still unpacking but at least we no longer have to go back to that dreadful apartment!

I thought that we may not have enough stuff to fill a big house, but um, guess what. We do! I don't know how we fit everything into such a small apartment because we seem pretty filled up in the new house already.

A couple of good things have already started happening since we moved. I am a complete neat-freak now! Not everything is unpacked so I have to grind my teeth and bare it, but for the things that we do have out...I am completely anal! The floors have to be vacuumed everynight and as soon as we get finished unpacking, the kitchen and bathroom will have to be at least swept every night and Swiffered a few nights a week....depending on time. Also, the trash has to be taken out every night and the dishes have to be done. I just don't think I can live in any other way than this! The thought of a messy house and/or bugs just freaks me out so so much. We've already had the inside and the outside sprayed for bugs but we've still seen these nasty ginormous cockroaches. But since I've been so crazy about cleaning, I've seen less. Oh - and I've been pouring bleach down the drains every night and after I shower. I just can't stand it messy...this house is too much for me to let any little thing slip by!

So anyway, I am pretty happy so far, but still getting used to the place. I hope that after we've finished unpacking and settled in, I will feel a lot happier with it. :)

The House

Yay!! We have the keys to the house! The guy we are renting from decided to give us the keys a little early so now we are able to go in and out as we please. :D

Upon further inspection once we were alone in the house and dying from heat so we were actually able to look around, I noticed that it needed a thorough cleaning. I really believe the last people who lived in the house smoked and the walls were in dire need of a wash. So Jared and I have been taking trips over there to clean the carpets, wash the walls, etc. I will be going back tonight with a sponge to really get the spots on the walls that need the most TLC.

We took the girls over there last night. Lexi is in heaven! She is really really going to love the backyard. I'm excited to get her a kiddie pool so she can swim. That dog loves the water! Tifa on the other hand was quite apprehensive. She is very picky about the grass she walks in and stayed on the porch. We had to keep picking her up and moving her to the grass, then she would promptly run back to the porch where the cement was safe. Silly dog! They book took to the doggie door and went in and out. I think it will take a while until they understand they can do that anytime, but for now we are making them go through it when they go outside and come back through when they want to come back in.

I think once it cools off, we will be spending a lot of time in that backyard. It is a good 30-40 yards wide and has a ton of room to run around in. I am so excited about it. :D I am already envisioning what I would do to the house if we owned it.... :D Maybe in a few years...we'll see...

We got to see my parents yesterday which was really nice. We all went to breakfast at IHOP and stopped by the house to show them. We only got to walk around the outside because we didn't have the keys yet. They seemed to like it a lot. It was great to visit with them.

Well, that's what going on in Thatcher-land!

Poor Tifa

My poor baby Tifa!! She has an ear infection! I took her to the vet this morning and when he was looking in her ear she nearly bit his hand off. Well.....she tried. Her teeth are like a tenth the size of a tic tac so she didn't do much. :)

Get better Tifa Lynn!

Tomatoes & Mozarella

Ok, I'm officially obsessed with tomato & mozarella salads...I've had them at restaurants just a few times but I finally decided I was going to make some myself...and I'm so glad I did. I made myself a delicious one today....I could probably eat one EVERY DAY!! So yummy! If you haven't had one, you must try.

1 tomato (the bigger the better)

1 block of fresh mozarella (this stuff is wet, not dry like the big block of moz)

(you won't use the whole block, but you will be able to get more out of it)

EVOO

Balsamic vinegar

Slice tomato. I like thicker pieces. Slice mozarella. I like them to be a little thinner than the tomato. Layer sideways on the plate, tomato, moz, tomato, moz, etc. Lightly drizzle a little EVOO. But don't put too much on because it will get too oily. Then do the same with the balsamic vinegar. I like a lot of the vinegr.

Viola! Tomato & Moz salad! I also like to add fresh basil, but I couldn't find any at the store last night, which made me mad. So yummy!

Jared thinks I'm crazy. :D

Public Relations

So last night was my last class for Public Relations. I did NOT like the teacher at all....at first. In the end, I realized that she is crazy and that is just who she is and I should just not take her too seriously. I learned some great things...but the best stuff came last night.

We took our final and I got 100%!!! I was so worried since this was my first test I had taken in like 5 years. I've been in school a long time but normally UoPhx does not have students take a final. I'm not sure why...but this is the case. So last night was my first test in a long time. I was so nervous and I got a little bit of test anxiety. But as I started going through it, I realized that hey, I know this stuff. I had only GLANCED at the materials at lunch, just a few hours before, but it was enough to sustain me. At the end of class, the teacher announced the highest grade on the final. I felt SO happy and proud that it was me! I feel like I have struggled with school for a while because of really not knowing what I wanted to do or really wanting to be there. But having that experience of acing a test just boosted my confidence. Too many times over the last few years have my confidence in my intellectual capabilites been challenged and shattered.

Then after that, we did a presentation on a PR campaign for President Obama's community service call to action. How lucky am I that it is in my field of work!! I LOVE working in the non-profit sector and hope to be able to work in this field the rest of my life. It is truly a passion of mind to help other people. And no matter how bad I think my day is going, it is all worth it because it makes the difference in someone else's life. Because of this assignment and the field I work in, I had the opportunity to discuss with my VP of Marketing & Corporate Alliances strategies that my team had come up with and what her thoughts were from a charity's point of view. She gave me confidence that our ideas were good and threw in some extra ideas that we hadn't thought of before. It was great to be able to present this as a whole to my class. I even came up with the campaign's name, logo, and slogan. I really love that part of the process. We did really well and ended up with a 100% on the assignment, plus bonus points that were awarded to the best pitch. :)

Anyway, I know this is super ridiculously cheesy, but I just wanted to share that my class left a really great feeling for me now that it is over because it helped to boost my confidence in myself and left me with knowledge about a field of work that I really do enjoy. I wish that UoPhx offered a degree specifically in PR because that would be so amazing. Maybe for my master's........

Mortified!

Ok, so yesterday I was walking to my car after work. I wasn't paying much attention, deep in thought when all of a sudden, I came face to face with the ASPHALT! I totally tripped over NOTHING, just my own feet and busted up my left and my hands and my phone a little. I thought for sure I had shattered the screen on my phone, but fortunately I didn't. Hilarious right? But oh, it gets better.

There was a car coming, and they stopped while I had to pick myself up off the road and keep talking. I was SO embarrassed! I know they had to have been laughing their butts off in that car at me. So I tried to just look at my phone and keep walking and not look at them and of course, they just SLOWLY roll by me. Yeah, it was awesome.

I totally forgot about that until I was at home today and walked into a corner with my hurt leg. I am such a klutz! :(

Updates

Yay!! We were approved to get the house! We will move in August....it can't get here quick enough! :) I am so excited to be able to finally live somewhere with a yard where my puppies can run and play. Jared is not happy about moving in August, but I say OH WELL! I want to move so he will just have to deal. It's not too bad though - the house is only 2 streets from where we live now.

This weekend we went to Mormon Lake my family reunion on my Mom's side. It was nice getting to see everyone. Especially my grandparents, my parents, Nick & Kat and my niece Kaiya! Little Miss Kaiya is SO adorable! I just want to squeeze her! Here's a recent pic Kat sent.

She is talking and walking around and completely adorable! She loves to give hugs and kisses to her FAVORITE auntie. :)

We had a baby shower for Nick and Kat for their new addition. I can't wait for my first nephew to be born! (On both Jared and my sides there are only girls!!) He is going to be so spoiled.

It was nice seeing my parents house. They have completely remodeled it. I couldn't help but think - um, why didn't they have a house like this when I was growing up!?!?! But I am very happy for them now. It is gorgeous. I'm obsessed with their new kitchen.

Jared's family was also in Phoenix this weekend. It was nice to get to see them. I always like when we get a chance to visit with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. They are such fun chicas! My favorite thing ever is having the other women in Jared's life tell him to cool it. Then he knows it's not just me. :) I also love when he gets a chance to argue with someone else who isn't me too. Hahaha. I think I have the most interesting and fun in-laws. I especially love getting a chance to play cards with my father-in-law and brothers-in-law. I always feel so awesome when I beat them. Then they cry when they lose. Hahah, beat by a girl! :D

This is my last week of school - well my last week of this class. Next week starts a new class. I am very excited for this class to be over and even more excited for my buddy Tina to come back for my next class! She rocks my socks and completely motivates me to do well in class. Love her!