D.C.

we made it! we're here! we're moved in! we're ready for school and work to start [in a couple weeks].

We left Phoenix at 3am on Wednesday the 11th and arrived in D.C. at 5am [2am AZ time] on the Thursday the 19th. Some would call that record time.

And it was.

Thanks to a couple captivating audio books, a tiny bit of caffeine, and a stop on Monday night for a little snooze, we made it safe and sound and had everything out of the trailer by 7am :)

we purposefully had low expectations of our place [just so we wouldn't be let down, as we signed the lease sight unseen], but after a little cleaning and a touch of Robinson we love it! 

the only thing it's lacking is a television, which should be arriving via UPS in less than 2 hours :)

needless to say we love it! it's a little sticky, but not nearly as hot or uncomfortable as PHX was when we left [lets just say I went running today at 9am with the sun shining and i'm not dead]

thanks to everyone who sent us off with love and support, visit us! skype us! call us! we'll miss you guys but are SO excited for the adventure ahead!

[video of our cross country trek to come :) as well a Lake Powell and Mezico post]

time flies

Yesterday, on our drive to the gym, Taylor stated, matter of factly, "I have 11 more days of work".

11. 3 days off next week for our D.C. trip. Then Lake Powell at the end of the month. Mexico the first week of July, and right when we get back, the 3 day drive (get-er-done) to D.C. 

It's such a big deal for me, moving. I love it, I love change. I'm excited for my first big-girl interpreting job. I'm excited to make new friends, to go to a new ward [although, I am also extremely sad to leave the H. kiddos :/ ]...new everything!

Taylor and I are SO excited! We are so blessed that everything has worked out the way it has. We are so blessed that Taylor got accepted to Georgetown, and that all the signs pointed us in the right direction. We are so blessed that my internship interview turned into a job offer. We are so blessed to have that gut feeling that we're making good choices, and that we're on the right path.

I'm so thankful for the spirit, for the overwhelming sense of joy I've been feeling the past few weeks.

I'm also pretty excited to be Taylor's sugar mamma for a couple years :) I think that deserves a few bragging rights...right?

things

Things I will miss:

{Taylor and Polo's ritual, sweet Marco and Polo, seeing Camelback mountain every day, "going" to work with Taylor, helping pick colors and details for all the pretty houses}

We are both ecstatic about the move! But every now and then I get a little sad. I know I'll love D.C. and I know it's going to be so fun, and we're making the best choice! But I sure hope we get to move back here {specifically about 2 blocks East of where we are now, one North?} someday.

I love you Phoenix! You are SOOOOOO much better than Mesa ;) 

two years

two years later:

we're twice as happy

and more than twice as much in love

Thank you Taylor for loving me, for sticking with me and having patience during the tough times, for always thinking of me first, for spoiling me, for teaching me so many things, for supporting me both emotionally and financially as I completed school, for putting up with all my little quirks, for learning to love all my little quirks ;) for doing the laundry, for washing the dishes every time I make dinner, for being my workout buddy even though sometimes I'm cranky,

and for letting me trick you into being sealed to me for time and all eternity :)

I love you so much, and the past two years have been the best of my life! I can't wait for all the crazy adventures we'll have in year three!

all the times we had together

Lately I've been of the mind set that I don't need to explain myself. And I find for the majority of decisions I make that is the case, however, I would like to give a brief explanation of my lack of blogging for the past several months:

Monday through Wednesday School from 8am until 5pm. Thursday through Saturday (most weeks) Internship from 8am until 5pm (on occasion, 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays). Every other waking moment: studying my @$$ off.

So forgive my absence, I'm baaaaack (don't worry, I said that out loud while I wrote, it a particularly creepy voice)

It's kind of incredible how I feel today. I honestly had no idea how much it meant to me that. Until last night when my friend Jewels stood up and gave her commencement speech on behalf of all us IPP-er's. I feel pretty darn good about myself, about all of us! We did it! We graduated the Interpreter Preparation Program! :)

School was really hard for me. The IPP was my THIRD program in school, I guess I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. And after a year break from everything, it was REALLY difficult to go back.

I am so grateful for Taylor and how much support and encouragement he has given me. I'm so grateful that he taught me the importance of education. I'm so grateful for his love and that every step of the way he believed in me.

I'm grateful for my class mates Bethany, Libby, Jewels, Doug, Consuelo, Kerry, Sara, Jen, Tina, and Tuesday for all the support, venting sessions, and kind words of encouragement throughout the IPP and Deaf studies programs the last few years!4

I'm grateful for Vicki, Windy, Michelle, Kay, and Deb for giving such productive and beneficial feedback, for always telling us how good we really are, and for being such amazing teacher's. Sure, there are amazing interpreters out there, but not everyone can TEACH interpreting. And just like that lady that none of us know how for political reasons(??) spoke at our graduation said, we really did have the best teacher's in the UNIVERSE! Thank you guys so much!

I'm grateful for my second mom and forever friend Loni Hatch so inspiring me to learn ASL in high school. I know you don't think you did much, but you SO did. I love you so much and am so grateful that you are in my life, and part of my forever family!

I'm grateful for my mentor, for all the interpreter's who let me observe them work, for all the volunteer experience I've had, for my calling at church which had made all the difference, and for my Heavenly Father and all the blessings he has poured out over me. I would not be where I am today with him and his love. 

I feel so good, and so proud of myself for not giving up when things got really difficult mid-semester. I'm proud of everything I've done, and everything all my IPP friends have done! We rock! :)

Also, anyone who has photos please EMAIL them to me! and I will do that same! :)

This is just a snippet of the photos that were taken, and yes I will be adding more :)

oh, and its probably about time I learn how to edit photos without picnik, since it's gone (sad day)...any tips?

{no, we aren't twins, but after seeing this picture, I'm pretty sure we could be!}

{Riley got his mission call on graduation day! Milwaukee Wisconsin! I'm so proud of you Riley!}