The Unexpected Undertaking

Hello again. This time I have some rather colossal news. But we'll get to that last.

"Jo Jo Barrea" is out of the Terrible 2's!

I can't believe how fast time has gone. It seems like just yesterday we got sweet "Sapphire" from a breeder in Saratoga Springs. I was wanting Jakey to have a playmate and Dallin just texted me the ksl ad out of the blue. (He is so thoughtful.) Since Cavamalts aren't too common we jumped on the chance right away. (Cheesey alert) Ever since, Josie has changed our lives and our hearts for the better. She has gone through so much in her short life (2 surgeries, allergies, infections, etc.) and she is literally just one big, walking, throbbing, heart. She loves so completely that she sacrifices her sleep, toys, play, food, anything to be with us. She is Jakey's best friend and you can tell they have a really special bond. This is Jake enjoying his treat from our little birthday shindig.

For her birthday we took her to the field, gave her treats, cuddles, and best of all.... icecream! lol

I put the one in here of her peeing because I think the sunset still looks pretty. Haha wrong time to pee Jose! 

Here she is eating her very own icecream cone! lol She was in heaven. 

After that, they got their hair cut. She was so hot before so now she's a lot more comfortable. I took them on a walk on the Murdock trail the other day while talking on the phone with Shayle. I miss her and I'm glad they're doing well and happy. It's really hard being an adult and having your friends be all over the country. :(

 Jakey loves blankets :)

We went to my mom's last Sunday for dinner, and Bentley, Indie, Jake and Josie enjoyed a bite of leftovers.

It was good to see everyone again, because it's been a while. Josie always cuddles with Jim it's the cutest thing.

Josie with Dallin.

We decided that we need to be more attentive to the kids oral hygiene, so we got them toothbrushes and tooth paste. Since I'm one of those "crazy dog moms" I decided it needed to be recorded.

Josie liked it, but Jake wasn't a fan.

Dallin's a great doggie dentist! 

We got to watch Rudy's antics with the doggies again last week. He's always funny with them. I think the best part was watching him give Josie kisses lol

Dallin kept saying we need to go out, but just for the record, Michelle and Brian loved my chicken and tater tots :) I'm getting better at this!

I keep seeing people with their dogs in the cart at the grocery store, so I thought I'd try it! It was super fun having Josie with me while I got all the stuff for the week. She seemed fine with it. She liked the change in scenery and all the attention she got from strangers. 

Bringin' in the Bacon

I got an "Alumni Survey" from UVU's school of education that was mailed to my school! It was so cool seeing my name and Alumni! lol just another one of those things that makes you feel so old. I had all good things to say because UVU has such a great program. 

I am seriously such a Harry Potter nerd. The Freeform channel does Harry Potter Tuesdays and even though we have all the movies on DVD I still get excited for it. I laughed so hard at this meme because I make Harry Potter references all the time in class. The Yearbook class edits sentences for their Bellwork, and the sentence is usually something to do with Harry Potter. I was talking to another teacher about how teaching a lot of different subjects is like splitting your soul. I was so proud of myself for making a horcrux metaphor! lol I think I said, "If I get one more subject, I'm basically Voldamort!" When a student complained about having to do pushups for saying a swear word, I said, "It could be worse. At least I'm not like Mad-Eye Moody when he turned Malfoy into a Ferret as a punishment." Luckily, I'm not alone because Whitney is just as into it. We spent a while on Friday talking about what's going to happen in the play that's coming out over the summer. But when I saw this I laughed so hard. Part of what's funny is the idea that being into a fictional world where magic exists is what makes you "cool." 
We are in the final stretch. I'm busy getting the social dance class ready for their performance, and it's going surprisingly well. (I was prepared for the worst, but they're working really hard.) We have a lot of events coming up to celebrate the end of the year, and I'm really excited!

Now we have even less. It's crazy how fast this year went by.

We had College day last week, and they had all the teachers wear apparel from their college. I loved UVU, so I was happy to represent my school. Go wolverines!

LOL the blur of a student trying to photo bomb us.

One of the things I like about my job is that it keeps me moving. Even on the days when I don't get to the gym, I still am very active. This was my record so far for steps!

We've had Sergeants come from the Army and Marines the last 2 weeks, and they play games and do workouts with the PE classes. They have loved meeting these amazing guys and ask them lots of questions. It's awesome having a little break from teaching and getting to watch them get excited and work together. I'm really glad they got to have that experience because these are such cool guys who've done a lot for our country. (I edited this pic to hide the students' faces.)

Mr. Fries is so funny. He decided 11 years ago that the first Friday in May is "Mr. Fries Day." He went around all day giving out candy and had his room decorated and gave away fries from Burger King. Lol what a cool idea! Way to make life what you want it to be.

Lol who can't laugh at this?

I need a hobby.

I feel like there's not much that I do besides work. So when Bob the painter was on tv, I watched it for a little bit and I was actually really into it! lol it's cheesey, but it was really cool watching him do it and it looked easy enough to follow the steps. Maybe I'll get into landscape painting someday soon. 

Article We Loved

Dallin and I read this article and we really liked it. We are trying some of these habits to try and improve ourselves and so far I like it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/habits-of-self-made-millionaires-2016-3

Utah Weather

One day it's hailing, the next it's sunny. 

We're Tea Snobs now

We finally went to Teavana after deciding that I drink a ton of tea so it should be the good stuff. (run on sentence) 

Anyway their tea maker is so cool because it separates it for you and it comes out on it's own from the bottom! I clearly can't explain it, but trust me it's cool. 

2 Weekends Ago

We spent all day on Saturday walking through the model homes again. They got them staged, so we were oogling the decorations and dreaming of what we were going to choose when we went to the design center. 

After that we went on a walk with the kids. We had a good time talking and watching this beautiful view.

After that we came home and decided to cook a feast for our date! We made a ton of crab, pasta, corn, and bread and it was delectable. We were in hog heaven. Afterward we played cards and talked. I think after constantly trying to chase the exciting, unique experiences for dates, I've forgotten how great the low-key ones can be. It's the best being married to my bestie.

Nails

I've been thinking of ways to make money over the summer, and I'm not going to lie.... becoming a nail technician crossed my mind. Dallin wasn't a huge fan because of how much school costs. So Idk what I'll do, because I'd also like to teach dance.

 

My Bro the Humdinger

He always says that no one has his name (which is probably true) so when I saw this I thought it was funny. It always annoyed him that I call him "Twenen" so his response was hilarious. (look what he's programmed into my phone as!) haha

Speaking of him, he's gettin another kid here soon! Kaylynn's going to have that baby any day now, so they're hoping it's not during his graduation! lol He's graduating tomorrow and I'm bummed I can't be there. Congrats Twenen & Kaylynn!

Date Day

Last Saturday we went to the Real Salt Lake game with a bunch of other clearlinkers and it was so fun because we got to go to this pre-game dinner thing and then all sit together. While we were walking in to the stadium along the canal, we saw this beaver chowing down on a tree! It was amazing, I had never seen a beaver up close before! I got a shirt and a blanket! They won and it was really fun, the only thing was that it was freezing!

Epiphanies

I talked on the phone to my mom for like 2 hours the other day on this topic, and topics like this. I wish I was better at this because I don't always have the courage to be true to myself.

Movies!

I don't remember what day we went to see the Jungle book, but when we went we ran into the Tuttle family and Amy & Andrew Davidson! It was cool to see them and it was a superb movie. 

Date Yesterday

We got to do the coolest thing yesterday! We played archery tag! It's like dodge ball, where you can't cross the center line and if you get hit you're out. I was so scared the first round, but it was sooo thrilling! We had never done anything like it, but Tonya and her bf Jake invited us. We were so glad we went, although we're a bit sore today from it. There was a lot of squatting and running. lol 

Anyway they're the salt of the earth and everyone else we met there were great too. Dallin was pretty good! I was okay, but I couldn't get my arrows to go very far for some reason lol

Here is a video of the start of a game. Archery is such a fun sport!

Now for the major news....

We just found out that Dallin is getting to open a new Clearlink office in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was so flattered that they asked him and trust him with such a big responsibility, and he is so excited for the opportunity. So, we'll be moving! He's going down really soon, we're going to need to sell the townhouse, and I'll go down after the school year ends. I'm bummed to leave the teachers and students at my school and the family members we have here, but I am really psyched for this new adventure. We definitely weren't expecting this, so we're going to have to get out of our contract with the builder and do a bunch of other preparatory tasks. I just can't wait for something new! I always wanted to see more and experience more of the country than just Utah, so I always told Dallin if we ever get opportunities to move we should do it. Who knew it'd happen and it'd happen now?

I think it's funny when people have their "5 year plan" or "10 year plan." In my experience, it's a waste of time because I could have never predicted the way my life has gone the last 5 and 10 years. I like it that way though. I am really stoked for this unexpected change, and looking forward to getting a job down there and making a life in a new place.

All that being said, it is stressful. Lol it's literally giving me gray hairs. I already know there will be parts that are going to be really hard for me to leave this place. 

Happy Mother's Day!!

Jakey and Josie forgot. They're so ungrateful. Lol 

Anyway, Happy mothers day to our mothers! All 3 are perfect and add different things to our lives and we wouldn't be the same without them. We definitely don't see them enough. If any of you are reading this, thank you and we love you.

Well I think that's it for the update on our crazy, constantly changing life. Whew. Good luck to us this next few weeks. 

-Sydney (The New Arizona Transplant)

Recent Happenings

Hey there. Here we are again.

2 weeks ago we went to Tanner park again. My happy place. And the dogs too. They had so much fun playing with other dogs, hiking, and swimming. 

Graff Fam Squared

 We hosted dinner last week, and Rudy was being cute with the puppies so I filmed it. They're besties now. All a boy needs is a dog :) pure happiness.

You only turn 27.5 once! 

It was Dallin's half birthday on the 14th, so now he's officially 27 and a half! I got him this handle for his games, and it better be made of panda because it was 100$. I still got a good deal because Trenden sold it to me, but I still got some major brownie points for that purchase because Dallin knows how hard it was for me to justify. lol He loves it so much he cried.

 It's finally spring!

Look how many steps I had the other day! Having this fancy watch is actually really motivating. It tells me when I've been sedentary for too long, and this day it told me that my active minutes was higher than ever before! Cool right?

We went on a walk yesterday and today! It was so nice to have it be warm finally!

 Granny's Turnin' 80!

My Granny Flanigan is turning 80, and I wish I could go out to Illinois to celebrate with them, but it falls on the last day of school. I am going to make a surprise for her instead and help get/make some decorations for the party and send them. I really wish I had a card that got me sky miles or something so I don't have to pay a ton to get back there! 

 My Spring Break

I was sick literally the whole 6 days we had off. :( 

Not ideal, but at least it wasn't strep. (Taken at the doctor's office.)

 So instead of going on wild adventures like everyone else, my break was really relaxing. I even put my tv in the bathroom so I could watch netflix while in the bubble bath.

 I read a lot of harry potter and took a lot of naps.

 I went to lunch with Tom on Saturday.

 I got a new pair of shoes, pants, and a jacket.

 I went and stayed with my mom and tom for the last couple of nights and we went to see allegiant!

Even though it was really different from the book, I still liked it a lot.

The last Saturday of the break I was the "building supervisor" while there were club teams using the basketball courts. It was nice because I got paid for 7 hours to just be there and work on lessons and stuff. I got a lot done.

This was Dallin's little work get-away to St. George. I wasn't that happy about it because I was sick and by myself with nothing to do because of spring break. But he had fun, and truthfully it wasn't that bad.

They went golfing a lot and swam and stuff.

They stayed in a really cool house with this courtyard thing. 

LOL. No words. 

 DA HOUSE

We've been knee deep in this house business for at least a month now. We've almost gone ahead with a few different options, but we've been very thorough with thinking it through. I've been really thankful for my dad recently because he's give me advice and drawn our attention to things we wouldn't have thought of. Anyway, it's the same price basically to build as it is to buy, so we decided to do that. Then we researched every builder in Utah to see who would give us the best deal. 

We ended up going with this one! Here's a video. We negotiated and ended up getting a really good deal on it. (Disclaimer: it won't look exactly like this because we won't have that many upgrades.)

We went to the design center once already, but we will be going back two more times. They just have every possible option set up and it's like stimuli overload in there. "The adult candy store" as they say. 

They gave us some fancy cookies and a binder to keep all the paperwork in. 

We are really excited about it, and it's hard to stop obsessing. We have to try though because it's kindof far out when we'll actually see it and move in. 

But seriously.... WOOHOO!!! :)  okay I'm done now. 

Skool.

Time is passing, and we are moving so close to summer! 

 On Monday we got a free Cupbop dinner! This is because one of the students parents owns that company so they give it to the teachers as a gift. So good.

Yes, I actually did my hair. Everyone was asking me if I got a haircut because they haven't seen it down in so long they forgot what it looks like. lol 

Anyway, this is what it looks like straight now that it's at the "LOB" stage. I thought I would document it just in case it never happens again. 

 Here's a pinterest inspired doo. I was still trying lots of cool hairdoos before I just wasn't ever straightening it because it takes so long. It was always up. For winter hibernation if you will.

 Here comes the doggie part

LOOOOOOONG doggie section this time. I can't help myself.

Josie has taken up smoking lol (and no that is not a tampon. it is the inside of a toy)

 She's a little trouble maker. Ate like a half a pan of lasagna by herself!!

They've gotten a bunch of new toys lately because I'm a weakling in the pet isle. Josie's not good at sharing. Jo has to have a pony tail to be able to see because they're getting a haircut next week. Jake's such a picky eater he won't even eat the new dog treats. 

Their fave

He likes to look out between the fence :)

This is Jakey leaned up against Dallin's knee. He was tired lol 

This article is basically the story of my life. 

 http://www.top13.net/differences-dog-lovers-dog-parents/

 I need to be re-invigorated!

I haven't been to the gym in like 3 weeks, and a lot of it is because i was so sick for 2 of them. The other week was just laziness. It's hard to start the habit up again. 

 Real Movies

We got both of these movies from redbox and it blew our minds. People are more controlled than they know by huge companies. 

 This one was so good by the way.

Date-ster

We got to meet Jame's girlfriend Charity, and hung out with them a couple weeks ago. We went to dinner and then played the board. It was really fun!

 James got down on the floor with the dogs and Dallin was throwing them all cheese for treats :) lol

Whitey & Shady

We saw the real slim shady on Saturday and tried a new bbq place! We went to 5 star and there was a live band! It was great food, a great time, and I learned to spin the ball when we went bowling!

 Kobe's last game

Dallin was a mess. He did great though and it was a perfect end to his epic career. He'll be missed. (By Dallin.)

You learn something new every day.

Dallin was riding in my car somewhere the other day (to one of our endless house-related outings) and he found the barf bag in the center console. He laughed so hard and said he wanted to put it on the blog, so I am now. Basically, the story is, I projectile vomited so violently and so regularly as a kid that Shelly and my dad had their cars stocked with barf bags. You see, regular grocery bags didn't work because I'd literally blow right through them. Since this happened pretty much any time we drove anywhere, Shelly stocked my car up as soon as I could drive. :) Thoughtful and practical. Now that's a story to woo a lover with. Dallin thought it was so romantic. 

So that's it I think. 

Short & sweet. 

See ya next time!

-Sydney