Summer Projects

While I was up in Idaho we got a little crazy with the sewing machine and made a ton of stuff! It was fun to spend the time with my mom and sister and take over the basement with our yards and yards of fabrics and multiple sewing machines. I'd say we were pretty productive. Here are some of the things we did...

With the help of my mom, I pieced, quilted, and finished the binding on this quilt! We got it all done in one week. Way to go us. The fabric took forever to find, though. We searched every fabric store in Idaho Falls and the surrounding areas, but nobody had navy blue fabrics that didn't have flowers or something dumb on them. We had to go all they way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to get this fabric. Luckily we were already there for dinner. : ) Isn't it cute?! I love it. I saw a quilt at Pottery Barn that I liked, but I wanted a better one. So this is my Pottery Barn knock-off quilt.



Here it is up close. I did some "decorative" stiching. Fun.




We got a lady at Porter's (a fabric/craft store) to give us a pattern for these receiving blankets. They had the pattern in a bunch of kits to buy, but we didn't want the fabric that came in the quilts. I think we asked the right person. She didn't make us buy it. Thanks, lady!


I used the same pattern to make a car seat cover. Aren't these dinosaures the best?



Hannah and I made some new bags. This one is remarkably smaller than the other bags I have.

And Hannah spent hours and hours cutting fleece and made the most amazing quilt. She worked so hard. Go here to see it! Thanks Hannah! We love it!

World Tour

Before the summer started I joked with Brooke that I was going to go on a world tour, especially while Matt was away. Before Matt left to Rhode Island, though, we took advantage of the time we had off and went on a few trips.

World Tour Last Stop: Idaho, Wyoming

For my dad's birthday and my mom and dad's anniversary we took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and went to Bar J. Bar J is a chuck wagon with entertainment, cowboys singing and telling jokes. It's pretty fun, and you get your dinner on a tin plate.

We stopped in Swan Valley, Idaho to have some world famous square ice cream. Huckleberry is the best.

We went to Driggs, Idaho to see my uncle Kent and aunt Betty's house/cabin that they are renovating. It looks great!

We had a small family reunion. This is my great grandma McKenzie, Lallis.

Happy 4th Anniversary!

On July 14th, Matt and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! It's hard to believe that we've been married for 4 years. The time has gone by rather quickly. To celebrate, we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Park City. It was amazing! They served the best steak I've ever eaten on a 500 degree plate! Who knew? The scenery was beautiful and we had a great time.

Our viewThis isn't a good picture, but we had to compromise with the flash.

World Tour: Utah

We spent a week in Utah with Matt's family. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but we had a chance to have a picnic in the mountains.

We went to Provo one of the days and had to go to J-Dawgs. We also went to the Thai Kitchen with our friends Russ and Mandy. It was great. They have the best Pad Thai. We also had a good time with Russ and Mandy.

mmm

World Tour: Kansas

Matt's older brother, Brad, lives in Wichita Kansas with his family. We found some great cheap flights through Allegiant Air and took advantage of a weekend in June to visit them. It's a direct flight from Phoenix to Whichita, which is great because the flight is short and easy. The only problem was we were sitting in the back where I couldn't see out the window. Let's just say that I broke my 9 year streak of not throwing up. It was a sad day. We only wish they lived closer because our nieces are so cute. We also had a lot of fun visiting with Brad and Mandy as well.

Jane

Annie

Thanks for letting us come visit!

World Tour: San Diego

I don't have any pictures, since we were only there a few days, but a few weeks after we got back from Hawaii and after Matt got home from High Adventure with our Stake, we went to San Diego so Matt could shadow his uncle. Matt's Uncle, David, works on the Naval Base at the hospital as a pulmonologist. It was fun to see his family there and to pay a quick visit to the ocean.

Where did Matt go?

Some of you have asked questions about Matt's whereabouts, and asked him before he left. Matt is currently at ODS, or Officer Development School, in Rhode Island. Let me explain. Before we started medical school, we weighed all our options. Medical school is expensive, as you may know, and for us it was a matter of how we were going to pay for all of our schooling, etc. An option that stood out to us was to apply for the HPSP, or the Heath Professions Scholarship Program, through the Navy. We fasted and prayed about it, and this was the option for us. They pay for Matt's school, plus some. In the end, Matt has to serve as a doctor on a Navy base for four years. We figured it was a worthwhile trade for the $300,000 + they would pay for schooling and such. Although it isn't for everyone, we decided it was the way to go.

Now in addition to his four years, he has to complete a month-long ODS, which is where he is now. ODS is not boot-camp. Some of you may have wondered this. : ) He's not going to have to do all that stuff you see in the movies and climb ropes, sleep in a metal bed with gray linnens, and get yelled at by some sergeant. And so far, they haven't cut his hair. ODS is a school where they have classes on Navy stuff, and Naval medicine. (And no, this doesn't mean bellybuttons.)

I'm still not quite sure what it all entails, so I'll have Matt do a post when he gets home giving us all the details. He does say it's pretty laid back and they have quite a bit of freedoms, with him being an Officer and all.

So while he's away, I'm spending most of my time in Idaho Falls, where the weather is much cooler than at home.