Can You Tell We Had Fun This Weekend?

Well, the picture doesn't do the sunburns justice, but both Trav and I have serious raccoon eyes......but they aren't just sunglass raccoon eyes they are goggle raccoon eyes!

We had an awesome day on Saturday. I finally got Travis off of his snowboard and onto skis again (for the first time in 11 years!) so we could go to Deer Valley Ski Resort. I had a patient of mine that works there and she gave me two free passes (yeah, it pays to have connections!). This resort is absolutely amazing. The views were gorgeous, there were absolutely no lines, there were more lifts than one could count, and the snow was fabulous! Not only did we get to ski this incredible resort, but we got to watch the US National Freestyle Mogul Championships. It was pretty freakin' cool. The jumps were awesome, and so were some of the falls. Luckily no one got hurt, and we had a blast.

Unfortunately, neither Travis or I even thought of sunscreen, so we both came home with our beautiful sunburns. What you can't see in the picture is that we are both already peeling, and that my nose has an actual blister on it! I've never burned myself to the point of blistering . . . I guess there is a first for everything. Maybe I'll learn my lesson this time.

A First I Wish I'd Never Had . . .

Yesterday, I lost my first patient. I'm sure it's something than many PTs deal with on a regular basis. Especially those that are working in the hospital. However, this is my first. It's been an interesting experience for me. It has brought a lot of emotions that I'd never dreamed it would.

The news came yesterday at 11:00 AM. This was not an expected death--he was a healthy 40 year old male. He'd had surgery for a hiatal hernia on Friday. He died of currently unknown causes on Monday morning--he simply didn't wake up. I was seeing him for his knee, and he was nearing the completion of his rehab. He was a very happy, pleasant, and exhuberant man and had become a good friend of mine throughout the course of his therapy. We'd talked about his family, his job, and his love for life.

The thing that has struck me the hardest was how unexpected this was. I last saw this patient exactly one week ago. As he left he simply said, "You keep that pool warmed up for me, and I'll be back at it in a week." He had no idea that this was coming. It has made me reflect on my life . . . if I died unexpectedly tomorrow, would I be happy with the life I've lived? Would I change anything? Have I told those closest to me that I love them? Ultimately I think the answer is yes, but I think I'm going to savor each day a little more--make the most it. I'm going to try a little harder, and live a lot more.

The Worst Blogger Ever

So, call me the worst blogger ever! Between a lack of time, and what seems to be a pretty monotonous life, I just haven't sat down to post a blog for well over a month. Sorry to all of you who have been checking our blog religiously. I'm sure it is no fun to log on time after time and see the same post over and over again. So, here's what's been going on in our neck of the woods. . . .

We continue to have lots of snow--there's still a minimum of 3 feet on the ground, but at least you can see the roads now. That is mostly due to the sun and has absolutely nothing to do with this state's highly commendable plow system.

I'm still working both jobs and loving it! Trav is doing really well with AMS. The foreclosure market is still booming. He recently set the record for the third best week in company history, and also holds the number one week set sometime early last year. We both just completed country swing and ballroom dance classes. Travis is actually really good--better than he will ever admit to anyone. I think he secretly enjoys it!!! Cha, Cha, Cha.

We're currently training for a 25K triathlon that will take place in the thriving town of Evanston on May 17th. We're hoping to complete the 3.3 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 500 meter swim without any medical emergencies. We've actually been able to get out of bed and make it to the gym by 6 am everyday. Surprisingly, we're both more energetic with our lack of sleep.

Trav turned 26 on February first. He is officially over a quarter of a century old. Being the gourmet cook that he is, his only birthday want was a new set of knives.

He also decided that to fit in with the Search and Rescue at the dog sled race and fishing derby that he needed to grow a beard. Here's his theatrical beard debut.

Christmas, A Little Late . . . . .

Christmas was fantastic this year! Not only did we spoil ourselves this year (because we finally can!), but our families decided to spoil us as well. We gave each other a 42 in flat screen TV, a Wii, and an HD DVD player. The Allred's gave us a camcorder, and the Vernon's gave us both Ipod Nano's as well as a trip to SPAIN!!!! That's right, Spain. We'll be leaving on May 23rd and returning on June 7th. After my brother's return from his mission there last year, my parents decided that they'd like to take everyone back this year. Luckily my boss is flexible with time off!!!!

Christmas always ends up being a multi-day ordeal at our house--at least for the time being. Things may change when we have kids of our own. But, for now we have our Christmas together at home, and then we head to Bountiful to have Christmas with Trav's biological mother's family.

Travis with our Nephew Kergen / Trav's Brother Danny

Me with our nephew Kergen/ Trav's Sister Amber with her Hubby Ira

Travis with Grandma Fenn / Our Niece Faith

Then we're off to Logan for the Allred Extended Family Christmas Party . . . . Christmas with Trav's immediate family . . . . And the famous Hirschi Family Christmas Eve Party (which due to the bad weather we were unable to attend this year as we needed to drive to Hoytsville). Sorry for the dark pictures--our camera battery was in the process of dying.

Our Nephew Jack in the Dog Bed / Our Brother-in-Law Aaron / The Family

We have very few pictures from this point on as our camera battery was dead (we had forgotten to charge it before leaving home--oops!).

The Vernon Christmas begins at 6:30 a.m. where we run to the front room see what Santa brought us--yes even though the youngest is 19 Santa still comes. After that we open presents from the immediate family members, and then we get ready for the day before rushing over to Grandma Vernon's house for the Swedish pancake breakfast with the extended family. After the Vernon festivities, we head to Bountiful for the Slade Christmas Dinner. It is after this dinner that our Christmas finally ends!

All Grandma wants for Christmas. . . .

Travis fell asleep at Grandma Vernon's with his newly gifted glove on one hand and the video camera snug under the other arm . . . .

As you can see, we had an absolutely busy and amazing holiday. Thanks to everyone for making it such a great holiday!!! We love you all.

Christmas is Coming!!!

Well, with Christmas almost here, we've been really busy. The weekend after Thanksgiving we put up our tree, which turned out beautifully. The next week we attempted something new--we put up Christmas lights on our house! After braving 23 degree weather, and a near death experience (like Travis nearly falling off the roof!), our house looked almost as good as the Christmas tree!
Last week was a busy week for us. On Sunday, December 2nd, we had the Vernon Family Christmas Party. We had a blast. It was the first year that we had everyone here in a long time. Santa Claus came, and we happened to get forgotten this year!!! Everyone had presents from Santa, but us. He (and grandma) both felt really bad, however, with Trav's relationship with Santa we were wondering if he'd done it on purpose.

When driving to Coalville, on December 1st, battling the Wyoming plow system--they don't plow or use salt on the roads, which caused us to throw a 360 on I-80, we decided to invest in an All-Wheel Drive vehicle. So, on December 4th, we brought home our new baby--LuLu. LuLu is an all black 2007 Nissan Murano who is currently the love of our lives! She's all equipped with remote start, alarm system, navigation, and XM radio. WE LOVE HER!!! It's been so nice to have a smooth ride above 65 mph! The pics just don't do her justice.

We drove LuLu to Salt Lake for the Forgotten Carols on Tuesday the 4th, to my work Christmas Party on the 5th, to a Christmas Party in Syracuse with our friends from the Wildwood Cove Condos in West Valley on Thursday, to the Kurt Bestor Christmas concert at Abravanel Hall on the 7th (which was absolutely spectacular--we'd recommend it to anyone), and to Logan following the concert. We had the Hirschi Family Christmas Party in Bear Lake on Saturday, and made the return trip to Evanston on Sunday.

Overall, things have been busy. We're excited to be able to spend a little time at home the next few weeks, and then things will get busy again around Christmas--which will be our next tale to tell. Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Day In Our Life

Well, we did it. After months of planning we FINALLY had time to start our blog. We now live in the thriving metropolis of Evanston, WY. Yes, thriving--the town has about $12,000 people. But, we wanted to live in a small town, and there are lots of benefits to living in Wyoming, namely fewer taxes and loan reimbursement for health care providers!

We moved to Evanston on June 23rd right after my final day of class of Physical Therapy school at the University of Utah. The reason for the move. . . . I accepted a job at Wyoming Specialized Physical Therapy, a private practice outpatient orthopedic clinic. I love my job! It is challenging each and every day, my patients are awesome, and basically I love helping people. You can check out our website to look at pictures of the clinic, check out my co-workers, and see my awesome profile! http://www.wyomingpt.net/

I'm also working 5-10 hours a week as an independent contractor for Summit County Early Intervention. I see kids 0-3 years old in their homes, teaching parents activities that they can use to help their child develop normally and correct any problems. I love working with the kids, and it's a change from being in the clinic all day long. Sometimes it makes for long days and working weekends, but ultimately it's so rewarding that it makes it all worth it.




We were also fortunate enough to be able to buy a house in Evanston. We love it! It's been so fun decorating and "playing house"! Mostly I love the garage--I'll never be scraping windows again!
















Travis is currently working as an independent contractor for Advantage Mitigation Services. He works from home doing foreclosure prevention, and unfortunately for the country and its economy, but fortunately for us, he is extremely busy right now. He's learning more each day and building quite a network of realtors and referral sources. He's planning on returning to school here at one of the outreach programs for either Utah State University or the University of Wyoming either this Spring or next Fall to complete his Bachelors degree.

Basically, we're loving life and our jobs. We're enjoying having a little extra spending money, and hope to no longer be driving old beaters in a few months. Life is good!