The Complexities of Being Earnest

The last couple weeks have been excellent, fulfilling, yet difficult and complex. (thus the title.) I'll explain later on.

Last weekend

So not last Saturday but the Saturday before, we hung more decorations and worked on our tiny yard. It was productive but still so fun because we also hung out at the pool.

 Heck yes.

 Hot stuff!

The date.

 Then, that evening we went to Kim and Rodney's for dinner and to see their local petting zoo. They live in Springville near a cute little farm/petting zoo place. I forgot my phone so these are all the pics I have, but we saw donkeys, geese, swans, llamas, sheep, horses, huge dogs (see pic for "Mogley"), etc.) It was really cool. I had never heard a donkey scream before so it was very informative.

 Look how cute they are!

Prime club incentive

These are the reps and coaches (and dallin's 3rd from left) at the Prime incentive this month. They got to race the cars at miller motor sports park and he said he had a lot of fun. 

 Congrats to Shanna & Matthew!

They had their baby boy Gavin!

I went over Friday night helped out with Austin and Kensley. Gavin was having problems with Jaundice, but now he's getting better so he doesn't have to use the light bed. Hopefully it's getting a little more manageable every day for her. They're all such cuties though!

 More Babysitting!

Last week I ended up babysitting 3 times! haha So obviously Rudy is crawling now. I think he likes me :)

 

Dallin and I both babysit on Saturday and it was fun! We went on a walk with Rudy and Jakey & Josie, and we found out how mesmerizing Baby Einstein is lol

Jakey's first Skype Message!

Okay, so this is kind of hard to see. Dallin's computer was logged into skype, and while we were gone babysitting Rudy he sent an instant message! Haha you can see all the gibberish and then Dallin's friend just responded "same." lol

Kinda big deal in the kids' life!

It's not great, but it's coming along.

I still don't enjoy cooking, but it's getting a little better. I cooked ground beef for the first time, and I also made a cake! I got a pic of Saint Dallin doing the dishes, and we've been watching the NBA finals (it's actually on right now.) That baby-faced, curly-head guy seems cool to me. 

 The DINK Life.

One time we were watching a House Hunters episode and this couple declared that they "live the DINK life." Which apparently stands for "Dual Income No Kids." lol It sounds selfish, but we are in no way ready for kids so that's us too. 

Anyway, this week I used some graduation money to revamp my wardrobe a bit. I went through and donated old clothes/shoes too. 

We've been enjoying the warm weather by going on a lot of walks with the J-Dogs, and Jake found a pond he loves swimming in.

 "And Wuv, Twooo Wuv..."

 I think we're funny. Besties for life.

 Doggie Slumber Party!!!!!

The kids had a sleepover with cute Lily! She is such a sweetheart. They love each other. Only thing is, she didn't seem to fit in with the J-dogs' over-indulgent, recreational eating style. She'll have to work up to it. They have iron stomachs.

 We're Classy Sweaters.

If you're going to sweat, you might as well do it with a cardigan draped over your shoulders and a skirt on. That was my perception of tennis, so I've always wanted to get into it. So dal took me on Sunday, and guess what?! It's friggin' hard & I suck! haha We still had a lot of fun. And we plan on playing often this summer to get better.

 The Best Doggone Hangout in Town.

They officially have their own room. (I'm pathetic, I know.)

 Sooo here comes the complex part.

I had to make the hard decision of whether to stay at my job or not. I loved a lot about the job, and it was mostly hard for me to leave because I felt like a jerk by leaving them. But there were facts I couldn't ignore about both. 

I don't really feel like college prepared me for these kinds of hard conversations and decisions. It was an eye-opening experience to have my first full-time job, weigh the pros and cons, and then eventually leave it. I'm realizing that being a working adult is not as cut & dry as it looks. You're always told to do what you love, but the truth is there will be things you love and things you hate no matter what you do. I definitely had working painted in a different light in my head until I actually did it. The other thing is, what I love is constantly changing. I enjoy so many different things, and I think it's okay to switch it up and do what you want, even if it's different. Since I've always struggled with being decisive anyway, this decision was maybe harder for me than it is for others. At the end of the day, I'm glad I learned the importance of confidence, how to work with different personalities, stay true to what you want, and the importance of challenging myself.

My New Job!!

Prodigy promos creates products as part of advertising for companies. It's interesting stuff. And, I found out that Shanna's sister Ciera (who also helped me design my ring) also works at Prodigy!

Of course I had to take a picture of my first day. I love the casual dress code because I detest dress pants. 

They had to take a picture of me for their website, and, long-story short I learned not to tell people about your talent for duplicating the "Blue Steel" look from Zoolander on your first day at a new job. Needless to say, I now look like a psycho on a website full of capable-looking worker bees. (This is the other guy who started at the same time as me.)

So, I'm a coordinator between the sales, art, and sourcing departments. There are a lot more people, they're so funny/friendly, I get an hour lunch, it's only 3 miles away from home, it's a big pay raise, free health care, fast-paced environment, and I feel very challenged and accomplished. The company is growing, and it's exciting to be apart of something that's ever-changing. There are still things that are hard just like any job, but I can tell I'm going to like it and I'm excited. This experience has taught me that life is about pushing yourself, regardless of money or any of that. I'm glad that this job will teach me a lot and I'm looking forward to mastering the intricacies of it. 

I hope Dave (dallin's dad) gets better because they're moving and he has swine flu and pneumonia :(

I've cancelled my gym membership and I've been working out with Michelle and Emma at Michelle's, outside running, or in the fitness center here in the complex. I really like it! I hate the gym. So the triathlon most likely won't happen anymore. But that's me- one of these blogs last year said we were definitely moving to Nebraska and that never happened either. I should have a disclaimer on this blog that anything I might say is subject to change. lol

Dallin took a test this evening, and I'm proud of him because balancing school and work is so stressful. It's hard work but so far he's doing great! There are so many ups and downs about the spot we're in now, and a lot of the time I wish I could see the future so that I know what to choose. But I guess all you can do is do what makes you happy now and do your best. So far we're doing great and we're blessed.