Wes & Aubrey

Smart Cookie

2012-01-10T14:18:00.001-08:00

Ella likes getting into the pantry and pulling things off the shelves. Consequently, the only things currently within her reach are the paper towels and a box of cookie bags. Even though she loves to pull those bags out, I thought for sure there was no way she could open them. Boy, was I wrong. I turned around from doing the dishes this morning to find her chowing down as fast as she could on probably the best thing she's ever eaten (pretty safe bet when you consider pureed vegetables and crackers are the staples of her diet). She looked so darn proud of her accomplishment that I let her indulge in a cookie or two. Seems her mother's chocoholic gene will live on.

The Sweetest Thing

2011-12-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

....is being her mom.

Dresser Redo

2011-12-03T14:32:00.001-08:00

I have new hobby: furniture refinishing. I got this old, solid-wood dresser off Craigslist for cheap. I had intended to redo it for Ella's room but later decided it was too awesome to hide in a bedroom (Ella's dresser will be my next project:). I sanded it down to bare wood, stained the top, painted the body white, distressed the edges, wiped the whole thing down with a glaze/stain combo, sealed it, and painted the handles a nice oil-rubbed bronze color. I hadn't intended on making it look quite so antiqued, but for a first time project I'm pretty proud of it. I loved the process and since our bare house is in need of some tables and dressers here and there, I'm planning on doing this many more times!

Before:

During (top's been stained and the body is just white):

After:

Curiosity

2011-11-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

...and a new incentive for keeping my windows squeaky clean.

A Tour of Our Home: Before & After

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

We bought this house about a month ago. We had two weeks of overlap with our apartment, so before we moved in we did the flooring and painted. After moving in we did the lighting and a few other projects. It was a big project, but we're so happy with how it turned out and love home ownership! It's keeping us busy!

Before: Pink door. Need I say more?

After: Much improved

After: Unfortunately, the yard has taken a turn for the worst. Houston is in a terrible drought.

The entryway. We love how the wood floors turned out!

Before: To your left of the entryway is the living room

Before: The dining room

After: The music room!:) Added recessed lighting. Furniture will come later:)

Before: The family room

After: Painted and added recessed lighting. Our furniture totally does not match the new wall color,but it'll all be moved into the living room when I find a better, more comfortable couch on Craigslist:)

Before: The kitchen

After: Plus that big ol' fridge

Before: Ella's room

After: Just added furniture. I really want to hang up some fun things for her walls

Wes made this chair in his high school wood shop class. Added a few of my old stuffed animals.

Before: The bright, green master bedroom. Seriously who paints their ceiling green?!

During: Ceiling's been painted

After: Still need to touch up a few places and, of course, address the boring walls

Just some more pictures of the house:

The master bath

The master closet (so nice!)

The study

The guest bedroom (where you'll stay when you come visit!)

Our Day

2011-09-09T14:17:00.001-07:00

I love my days with Ella. Everything's so new for her...sometimes I wish I could be as enthralled with the process of discovery as she is.

Practicing sitting up

Getting ready to take off and crawl

Taking a hard-earned break.

Love my little baby!

The Biggest Purchase of our Lives!

2011-07-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

...We're buying a house! This house! (Well it'll be ours in 45 more days:):

The front. When it's ours, goodbye pink door.

I can't wait for our first cold Houston night to light that baby...might be awhile:)

Formal living and dining rooms

The CRAZY hall bath! I kinda like it...

One of four bedrooms

Can't wait to post the After photos once we give it our own touches! Come visit!

Ella laughing

2011-07-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

I love this video of Ella taken a few weeks ago (at 3.5 months). Such a little sweetheart!

A picture update...

2011-07-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Life is good!

She loves to suck her thumb!

First time swimming....success!

Going for a walk

2011-06-10T09:44:00.001-07:00

She's a'growing!

2 weeks old

11 weeks old

The Month of May

2011-05-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, Ella took her first plane trip to Las Vegas! Since Wes couldn't come for the entire week, I got to fly solo with her on the way there, and while I was really nervous about how she would do, she proved to be a champ and slept the entire way. Wes was able to fly in a few days later. My studly brother, Robby, had his mission farewell on Sunday and did an stellar job. The people of Romania will be so blessed to have him and the message he'll bring. I always love visiting my family but this was an especially good visit as my siblings got to see Ella for the first time. I pretty much only saw her for feedings:). Can't wait to hear from Robby...he'll be sorely missed.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Ella had her baby blessing in church. It was such a sweet blessing and a wonderful day. My parents were even able to come for it which was wonderful. Ella is sure a sweetheart. Here are a few pictures of her over the last month.

Ella Grace

2011-03-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

We had our sweet little baby! Ella Grace Harris was born on March 22 at 1:51 pm after 11 hours of labor. (I felt like that was pretty fast for a first-timer). She was 7 lb 3 oz and was just shy of 20 inches long (although I remeasured her at home and she was definitely 20 inches:). Instead of going with an OB, I went with a nurse midwife group that was excellent. I hoped to have a natural childbirth experience and thanks to my midwife, I succeeded!

If you're interested, here's the birth story: I woke up at 3 am on the 22nd because my water broke. I hadn't been having contractions beforehand but it only took about 15 minutes for them to become regular, intense, and about 2-3 minutes apart. We stayed home for about 2 hours with them like that and finally they became too intense to wait any long. Upon arriving at the hospital I was sure I couldn't go without pain medication. But the midwife checked me and I was already dilated to a 4-5. So I decided I could do it. We walked the halls, I sat on the birthing ball for a good while, and enjoyed the jacuzzi tub. I pushed for about an hour or so (probably longer). Ella did fabulously well and even came out with a perfectly rounded head. Didn't even think that was possible. It was an intense 11 hours, definitely the hardest thing I've ever done. [My two cents: My advice to anyone looking for natural childbirth would be to relax. Sounds impossible but it is so not. Sometimes I'd be in the zone and just not move for 30-45 minutes even while having huge contractions. It was almost like I was asleep. When I was able to relax, breath, and pretty much not move I did great and progressed quickly. When I let myself think too much about the pain I almost couldn't handle it. There your go:)]

We love our little baby so much. It really is amazing how instantaneously you can love someone so much. She is the sweetest, purest little person I've ever known and I'm constantly amazed by her. And so begins parenthood. Lovin' it already:)

On Pregnancy

2011-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to use my blog for a journal but I've almost finished a 40-week milestone in my life that should probably be chronicled in some form. So here's the scoop on what being a primip has been like:

I can honestly say I've enjoyed being pregnant. I probably wouldn't choose to have carry around an extra 20 pounds over not, but the thought of being the vessel for the life of another human being is empowering. Awe-inspiring. It just makes me happy. The first trimester was not nearly as bad as it could of been. I had fears of being house-bound so I'd always be less than 20 feet from the bathroom, Zofran pills, IV's, etc. [Note: being a nurse makes you a hypochondriac]. Nothing even close to that was my experience. I worked nights for the first few months of the pregnancy which was difficult. Eating graham crackers and juice every hour or so was the only way I made it through. But being switched to the day shift and probably a leveling out of hormones was a quick fix for that.

Some of the highlights of pregnancy were hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time. No words can describe that feeling of pure joy and relief that you really are pregnant, that you didn't have a 4 week-long flu, and that your mood swings really are legit. Of course, Wes and I wondered constantly if this baby was a boy or a girl. It was hard for all of this to feel real when we had to call our baby an "it." I remember seeing the ultrasound and both of us being in awe of our baby-the hands, the feet, the spine, the face! The baby was real and then to find out we were having a GIRL was beyond exciting. I knew, though, after seeing our baby with our own eyes that we would have been beyond excited for either. It really didn't matter, just that she was healthy and happy.

I'm getting to pretty big:) I'm even more amazed than ever by the human body's ability to change and adapt. I can't believe I still have 5 more weeks to grow. Some days I feel like my belly just can't stretch another millimeter. But then it does. And I'm still ok. So amazing.

I think I've gone through the entire emotional spectrum these past months. I'm just coming out of a oh-man-can-I-really-do-this phase and am now happily entering into a I-just-can't-wait-for-her-to-come phase. Sometimes I wonder if I really can be as selfless as I need to be to be a mother but I figure some things are just learned with time. I can't even fathom how our lives will change next month but I guess the best thing I could ask for is this feeling I have of complete excitement for that change to happen. Bring it.

29 weeks

2011-01-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

...and feelin' fine!

Christmas Time

2011-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

Wes and I went to Las Vegas for the week before Christmas this year (we had to come back to Houston on the 23rd so I could work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Loved being low man on the totem pole AGAIN). We had a blast! The best part was seeing my lovely sister, Elaina, who just came home from her 18-month mission a few days before we flew in. I had missed her so much. I wish I'd gotten a picture of her picking us up from the airport but there were too many hugs being given to worry about taking a picture. Suffice it to say, it was so awesome. Among the many things we did on the trip were attending a baby shower hosted for me by my mom and sister (so fun!), playing lots of Christmas violin/piano music, going to seminary with my mom, watching the BYU bowl game, and going to Disneyland for a day! It was the perfect day to go because it lightly rained the whole day which kept the crowds away. I couldn't talk my doctor into letting me ride any of the roller coasters but that was ok. I honestly think waiting in line for rides is half the fun anyway:) Plus, I got to go on It's a Small World for maybe the first time in 15 years. I also brought my new camera which Wes gave me for my birthday and had fun taking pictures. It was a great week and I can't wait to see the family again soon.

BYU Football

2010-10-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends back, Wes and I drove to Fort Worth for the BYU v. TCU football game. Even though we lost, we had a blast being there with other Cougar fans cheering the team on. We had great seats--first row of the BYU section--and I suspect that if we'd played better, we would've made it on TV! We love our team!

Sugar 'n Spice

2010-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

We'd had our ultrasound yesterday and are so happy to say that we've got a healthy, active little girl cookin' away!

Nursing, Pregnancy, and Cougar Football

2010-10-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

Life is so good. I started working full-time days yesterday and it was great! Its a beautiful thing to have all your wits about you for an entire shift and not having to worry about falling asleep on the drive home. I love taking care of new moms and babies. It's been by far the best field of nursing I've worked in and good practice for what's in store. I can swaddle a baby like no body's business!

Pregnancy has treated me well thus far, and Wes and I couldn't be more excited for our lil' baby to come...in 23 more weeks. We find out what we're having on October 21! Care to make a guess? We have no idea, either. I wish I could say I have a motherly premonition but no. I have no clue.

Wes and I are heading to Dallas this weekend for the BYU v. TCU football game! I've missed seeing the boys in blue play, and regardless of the score we plan on enjoying seeing our Cougars in person. Now the drive home may be a different story...

17 week baby bump

When's that BAAAABY due??

2010-09-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

March 19th!

Yes, we're having a baby! We are so excited to be parents and couldn't wait to tell our friends and family. I had my first appointment last month and it was a surreal feeling for us to hear the baby's heart beating. Talk about a miracle! We can't wait for March to finally get here to meet our lil' guy/gal:)

For any of you who would like some comic relief, click on the video below (where the title of this post comes from). Skip ahead to 1:45 for the relevant bit (but the whole thing is good, too:).

Weekend with Christy

2010-07-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

My old BYU roommate and good friend, Christy, has been doing a summer internship in Dallas...just 4 hours from my house! I couldn't let this summer pass by without taking a trip to see her and did just that this past weekend. While it was a ridulously short trip, we did manage to have pack quite a bit into less than a day. We had some Texas homecookin'--er, well, restaurant-cookin'--where we sampled, among other things, southern black-eyed peas. Props to Christy for ordering them. We scored big time at a library book sale where we each filled a huge brown paper bag with books and paid $5. So awesome. I even got to see fireflies for the first time ever! Somehow the camera I carried around the whole time didn't see the light of day til I was getting to ready to leave. So here's our picture documenting the fact that, yes, we did in fact get to see each other even if the time was all too short. Such a fun trip!

Yellowstone goodness

2010-07-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

At the end of June, I spent a glorious week with my family in Yellowstone. Living in Houston, I've sure missed the mountains, the cool (and dry) air, and most of all my family. So with job hunting proving unsuccessful and at Wes' insistence I bit the bullet a month in advance and bought a plane ticket. Luckily it all worked out as I was able to accept a job just before leaving and negotiate a start date that was after my trip. Sadly, Wes could not come because of a lack of vacation days so I was on my own. My family and I had a blast camping, hiking, and just being together. Nothing beats a lazy afternoon laying in the hammock, playing "Settlers of Catan," or exploring the beautiful surroundings. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Can't wait to do it again soon! [P.S. I was on a roll and did TWO blog posts this time around!]

Oh what do you do in the summertime?

2010-07-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Cooking indoors in the summer has never been my favorite thing. Aside from the heat, summertime seems synonymous with grilling BBQ'ed chicken, corn on the cob, and enjoying cool lemonade. So for our anniversary present to each other this year, we bought ourselves a grill! Not a week on our porch and we've already put it to good use!

Mmmm...filet mignon and sautéed mushrooms, my fave!

The Right Miracle

2010-07-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Well the day Aubrey feared would never come has arrived... I am actually posting on our blog of over two years. You see we've had a bit of a miracle in our lives recently and Aubrey is apparently too modest to share it.

Those of you who have read Aubrey's posts of late know that she has had a difficult time finding a job since we've made our home in Houston. Who would have ever though it would be difficult for a nurse to find a job in one of the largest medical centers in the country. I'm not complaining though, our house has never been cleaner and I have never been so well fed!

Anyways, after three months of applications, interviews, and perseverance Aubrey received three job offers in the same day! I think I set a record for the most text messages I've received in a day (probably a grand total of five) detailing all of Aubrey's job search successes.

Next week she starts a job with St. Joseph's in downtown Houston. The location is great, she'll move to days before the end of summer, and they are willing to work with her on Sundays so that she can continue to be the children's music leader at our church. It's a good reminder that while God can work a miracle in our lives at anytime, His best miracles are worth waiting for!

Adventures in Houston

2010-06-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend, Wes and I decided to begin tackling our ever-growing list of things we want to do in Houston. We ventured out to Galveston and had lunch at one of our favorite seafood restaurants called "Gaidos" which has some of the best fish I've ever eaten. It sits right on the seawall and miraculously was not destroyed by hurricane Ike like so much of the city. The beach, while not as breathtakingly beautiful as those on the west coast, was so refreshing and, thankfully, oil-free. We also went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens which was pretty spectacular considering its small size. I'm getting better at taking pictures when we go out, hence the one (verses none) picture. Progress is progress.

We've loved being here in Houston. We've already made some great friends in our new ward and are enjoying our new callings (Wes as a ward missionary and me as...dun dun dun...the primary chorister. Yikes!). The hot, humid summer I was dreading is already in full swing but I'm surviving. We miss you all and hope that if you ever find yourselves in Houston, you'll stop by for a visit!

Still Here...

2010-05-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't posted anything for awhile and the reason for that is, well, I don't have much to say. Still no job, though I do have a few strong prospects. If you would've asked me two months ago if I thought, as a nurse, I would ever struggle to find a job, I probably would've laughed. Well, now I can say I've been sufficiently humbled and am hoping (and praying) something works out soon!

Merry Christmas to me!

2010-04-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm:)

We Made It!

2010-04-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

We're here! It's crazy to think that just over two months ago, Wes & I were just going about life Ridgecrest, CA and not even thinking about moving, and yet here I sit typing this in our new Houston apartment.

So here's the recap: we packed up our apartment over the course of a few crazy weeks. My family came down the day of our move to help send us off. After 3 long days of driving, 2 books on tape, and 4 states, we made it to Houston. We spent the next few days looking for an apartment and then looking for a second car since we no longer have the luxary of living less than a mile from both of our jobs. We found a beautiful 2009 Rav4 that only has 7500 miles for a steal. The man selling it will be moving in a few weeks so we'll get it then.

Wes is absolutely loving his new job with Encore bank. It's so good to see him so happy after coming home from work. I am still on the job hunt. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the walk in the park I thought it'd be. What happened to the nursing shortage? I'm hoping something works out soon because I'm getting seriously bored being at home all day:).

I haven't taken too many pictures these last few weeks but here's one of our new apartment (I still need to hang up the pictures) and one of my family on moving day (if you're wondering why we're pointing to the license plate, it's a tribute to my sister, Elaina, serving her mission in Indiana).

A Big Move

2010-03-01T15:32:00.001-08:00

We're moving...

to Houston!

Making Lemonade

2010-02-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

I can't say much has happened since last I posted, but I feel this nagging need to keep somewhat current on chronicling our lives. Even when nothing significant has happened. Plus I feel proud of myself when I click on a friend's blog and see my blog as being "recently updated." I get a small thrill out of that.

So what's new? Well in the way of my job, I've had to laugh at the irony of life. For as long as I've wanted to be a nurse, I've wanted to do labor & delivery. I got the opportunity to become one last month AND to move to working days. Could life get any more wonderful? I submit that it could not. However, for a multitude of reasons, I found myself really disliking L&D. Some of those reasons come with working in this small hospital. I think someday I could enjoy it (after I've had some kids of my own and hence know what-the-heck I'm trying to coach these women in!). So I am voluntarily going back to my old job on nights. Pros of nights: I'll never have to miss church, I think I'll actually see Wes more now, and I don't ever have to face to pain of waking up before the sun (never mind that I'll have to keep my eyes open at 4 am with toothpicks...). Overall, I'm happy. Go figure.

Wes got a new calling yesterday: 2nd counselor in Young Mens! We have an awesome group of deacons in our ward and Wes couldn't be more excited. He's always said he'd love to get into scouting again and now he has that chance (all the members of the YM presidency are, by default, assistant scoutmasters). He'll do such a good job. And now we get to go to mutual together!

A few weeks back my good friend Tammy got married. I had a blast going down to San Diego for the weekend with my old roommates. I miss my girls! Tammy looked beautiful, Dave is a stud, and the weather on the day of was great!

Houston Trip

2010-01-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wes and I had a wonderful Christmas. I worked Christmas Eve which was a drag but when I came home, we opened presents and had a great morning. I slept for a few hours and then my family came for dinner. It was so nice of them to come visit us seeing as it meant 8 hours for them in the car on Christmas day. We had an awesome time playing Rockband, eating food, and visiting. That night I received my Christmas gift from the hospital- standby! So nice! After working a few more nights, we left for Houston for a week. We so enjoyed spending time with family, eating delicious food at an assortment of restaurants, playing games with Joshua and Lauren (Wes' siblings), a trip to the temple (we miss being so close), and playing catch up. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary while in town and had dinner at a fancy little restaurant with a fabulous pianist who took requests! Such a fun night. It was hard to leave for home. As an added bonus to the whole trip, we got $700+ from Southwest for being bumped which will add up to a few free tickets. We're thinking a trip to DC in the spring might be nice:)

We're now back in Ridgecrest enjoying life. I am now on days orienting to labor and delivery and Wes is seeing some improvement to his job. We were both so happy when he actually had to stay late at work one night because he had so much to do! It's the simple things in life. We are both trying to stick to our eating and exercise goals (Wes is doing better than me). Overall things are very good. We are truly blessed and hope you all enjoyed your holidays spending time with family.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Update for December: Wes and I have been enjoying this month so much. We've carried on and created a lot of Christmas traditions (making fudge and bark, watching the array of must-see Christmas movies, putting puzzles together to the sound of Mannheim Steamroller, delivering goodies to friends, and decorating our apartment with the few Christmas items we've accrued in two years of marriage). This month has been great, despite the fact that I had to work my birthday and have yet to work Christmas Eve and Day, and our anniversary. Yay for a 24-hour workplace. But my birthday was great. Wes showed up to the nurse's station at midnight with gorgeous flowers and a delicious homemade cake. It was, to say the least, incredibly sweet and a huge surprise. It definitely made the night fly by. To celebrate my birthday, Wes and I left Ridgecrest for the day (a gift in itself, haha) and went shopping at an outdoor mall a few hours away. It rained the whole day but was so fun. I discovered the wonder that is Anthropologie. Such a great store! We had dinner at PF Changs which was lovely. However, it wasn't so lovely a few hours later when I became sick and was in the bathroom all night long. I'd never had food poisoning before (I assume that's what it was) and hope I never do again. BUT, it was a wonderful birthday and I love Wes for making any experience a million times better just because he's there and loves me (even working on my birthday and being sick). He's just the best. I am the luckiest.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Even though I have to work the holidays, my family is coming for dinner on Christmas and then Wes & I get to go to Houston for a week at the end of the month to see his family! Plus we get to talk to our siblings on missions on Christmas! Best Christmas presents ever!

'Tis the Season...

2009-12-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Disneyland & California Adventure

2009-11-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

This past week, Wes & I took a trip down to Anaheim to go to the Disneyland parks for 2 days! We left Tuesday night and stayed with Wes' grandpa who lives in Riverside. We got up early on Wednesday, drove to Anaheim, checked into out hotel, and walked the few blocks to the park gates. It's funny, I don't think you can ever be be too old to enjoy going to Disneyland. We went on most of the rides, including a lot of the "kid rides" and enjoyed every moment. We had found this website online before we left that told us the order of the rides we should go on to avoid the crowds and it worked like a charm. We waited no more than 15 minutes for a ride (most had wait times far less than that).

On Thursday we spent most of our time at California Advenuture. I think California Screamin' is THE best roller coaster ever created. Tower of Terror and Soaring over California were awesome as well. We had a great trip, so much so that we upgraded our tickets to annual passes (it was only $15 each to do it. Well worth it.). Her are some pictures of the trip:

Home Improvement

2009-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Before:

Wes & I got some pretty good advice before we got married: invest in a good mattress. Did we listen? No. Thus, after almost two years of waking up with sore backs, we remedied the problem. And added some extras :)

Now we have a guest room! Come visit!

Punk'in

2009-11-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

On Halloween day, Wes & I set off for the store in search of a pumpkin to carve. After searching high and low, we discovered that every pumpkin in our small town had been sold (ridiculous!). So we did the next best thing...we carved a watermelon. Enjoy!

Watermelon innards beat pumpkin guts any day!

We only got three trick-or-treaters but every one of those guys said our "pumpkin" was awesome! I think we're starting a movement...

San Diego Trip

2009-10-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, I fail as a blogger. Time to be better! This past weekend, Wes and I took a trip down to San Diego. Our main purpose in going was to see the BYU v. SDSU football game but we were able to pack in so much more than just that. We went to the Wild Animal Park which was awesome. It's a lot like the normal San Diego zoo except for this "safari trip" through an open area with animals roaming around. Pretty cool!

(I like this guy.)

We also ate at a great seafood place, went to Seaport Village, went to the game and dinner after with my very good friend Tammy and her boyfriend Dave, and bummed around our hotel.

The game was awesome, although the score was a little too close for comfort. We had great, cheap seats. I was so amazed with the number off BYU fans there! We had a blast!

August so far

2009-08-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a while, mainly because I have no new pictures to post (I'm horrible at bringing my camera with me when we take trips). So this post will just be an update of our activities as of late.

A few weeks back Wes and I drove to Las Vegas so Wes could fly out to Houston to see his brother, Austen, before he left for his mission. He was there for Austen's first time through the temple and his farewell. It was a quick trip but well worth it. I stayed in Las Vegas for the weekend, and it was one of my favorite times being home, even if we were all sick with bronchitis.

We went to Mammoth, CA last weekend. So beautiful! Wes' dad was there visiting some high school friends and we met them to do some mountain biking. Wes and I wanted to go camping on Friday night but with school starting the next weekend, everyone and their mom was getting in one last camping trip. With all 200 camp sites full, we had to crash in the hotel with Wes' dad. On Saturday, the guys did several hardcore biking trails, and I hiked. It was weird to be alone but I enjoyed the views none the less. In the afternoon, Wes and I did a bike trail down the mountain. The trail was beautiful and although I was slow-going, we had a blast!

Yesterday we made the trek down to Riverside to visit Wes' grandpa and to go to the Redlands Temple. Not quite as close as Provo, but the travel time makes the visit so much more enjoyable.
We had lunch with Wes' grandpa at the most amazing seafood restaurant I've ever been to. We had a great visit.

For our anniversary presents to each other this year (which we celebrate in July to spread out the December gift-giving:), we bought each other mountain bikes. We have yet to use them mountain-biking, but take frequent bike rides around town. We also bought a Wii! We love it and hopefully it will entice people (like our siblings) to come visit us!

As you can see, we've been putting a lot of miles on our car, but that's the sacrifice we make by living in the middle of nowhere!

Be it ever so humble...

2009-07-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

There's no place like our condo!

**I assume no one needs to see our bathrooms, extra/junk room, or garage:)

DIY Entertainment Center

2009-07-21T16:31:00.001-07:00

Wes and I bought an old, ugly entertainment center with the idea that we'd refinish it. Well we did, and it turned out great!

Before, with a little sanding

First coat of brown paint

Painted it black and then sanded the corners so the brown would show through

Finished product!

You know you're in California when...

2009-07-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

5. A few-hours drive will take you to the beautiful beach or outta-this-world hiking.
4. Gas prices are the highest in the country.
3. Local news spends half of their air time seriously discussing celebrity gossip.
2. The Govenator is the title of your state's commander in chief.
1. You experience an earthquake during dinner and it just wasn't that big of a deal.

Sista Missionary

2009-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

My wonderful sister, Elaina, reported to the MTC yesterday to serve an 18-month mission in Louisville, Kentucky. I'm so excited for her and really admire her strength and courage; she's a great example to me and so many around her. She and I have been best friends our whole lives (expect for that one time I left her at the store alone, and that other time she told me mom liked her better than me....). While I'll miss her like crazy, I know she's where she needs to be, and I can't wait to get her emails and letters.

All Things New

2009-06-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

We made it! Wes and I moved into our new home in Ridgecrest, California 10 days ago! On Saturday the 13th, we moved in and then unpacked for a few days before leaving on Monday to go up to Sacramento to get my nursing license. This state is crazy; you can either mail your license application in and wait a few months to get your license or make the 6 hour drive up to the state capital and wait a mere 30 minutes for the piece of paper that allows you to work. Obviously, we chose option B. From Sacramento we stayed the night in Lake Tahoe and then met up with my family a few hours north of our place for a week of camping and fishing. It was an awesome trip and sort of our last hoorah as a whole family before my sister, Elaina, leaves for her mission next week to Kentucky.

We got back to Ridgecrest on Saturday and went to our second week of church on Sunday in our new ward. I've never been in a friendlier ward. Everyone has been very kind and we feel like this will be a good place for us. Wes started work yesterday and overall it was a good day. I love that his office is a 3-minute drive from our house and that he gets to spend his hour-long lunch break with me at home:) He also works 9 hours everyday which gives him every other Friday off! Plus 10 federal holidays, plus 2 weeks vacation! Not bad!

I will start work this coming Monday. I'm a little apprehensive about working nights. I did it at Timp but I knew I'd be moving soon. This is more permanent. I just hope a day job pops up soon. I'll be working in the Maternal Child unit of the hospital which is comprised of peds, labor and delivery, mother/baby, a small nursery, and some med/surg.

Our new place is great! I'll post pictures soon. I'm actually using the internet at the library now since we're waiting for the cable guy to come hook us up and haven't been online in weeks! I'm kind of going stir-crazy being home alone all day with no connection to the outside world except for my phone:) Can't wait for a change of pace...maybe starting work won't be so bad afterall.

Camping, Wedding, and China Lake

2009-05-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Life lately has been pretty hectic. This month, Wes and I went to Arizona for Wes' cousin Jenn's wedding which was so much fun! Unfortunately I forgot my camera but let me assure you, it was a beautiful (yet stifling) day:). In other news, we put our camping gear to good use and went up Springville canyon for a night. While we were looking for a campsite, I saw a snake slithering away from one of the fire pits. Needless to say, we did not choose that campsite. We did, however, enjoy roasted hotdogs and starbursts, beautiful scenary, and an evening free from worldly distractions.

Next week, we leave for China Lake! We went down for one day a few weeks back and in that space of time, we managed to tour the naval base, find a condo, and procure a nursing job for me. Our new home has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, washer-dryer, and an attached garage...plenty of room to have visitors come and stay:).

Our new digs (minus boat)

Street view

Camping!

Life as a Nurse

2009-05-06T04:33:00.000-07:00

I've been working as a nurse for over three months now and overall I really do enjoy what I do. Right now my schedule is 2 weeks days, 2 weeks nights. I work three 12-hour shifts a week on the Med/Surg units at Timp Hospital. The major drag of the job is getting up super early or having to stay up all night (depending on the week). Actually, the real major drag is being away from Wes, especially now that he's graduated and totally free of school obligations after he gets home from work. Sometimes I just want to quit my job and stay home and do homemaker stuff like cook delicious meals and learn every interior design tip HGTV has to offer. But then I remember I did that for the month I had to wait for my license. Not fun. Yes, I like my job. It's taught me so much, not just from a nursing standpoint but real life lessons [Here is where I could insert "life lessons" such as don't let your tripped-out-on-morphine patient try to pee in a cup and expect a tidy job, or always be prepared with things like tape, scissors, and your trusty bottle of hand sanitizer. But I'll refrain.]. I've learned a lot about service, compassion, and good ol' hardwork. I'm lucky in that I've found a truly satisfying and quite rewarding profession. I'm a happy girl.

Wes Graduates!

2009-04-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wes graduated last Friday from BYU with a degree in Economics and a minor in Business Management. I'm so proud of him (and really happy I was able to talk him into actually going to his commencement and convocation). From his great experience at BYU and as an econ major, he is now so prepared to enter the business world....and to see all of life's challenges in glowing terms of cost vs. benefit ratios:) Wes, I love you!

Wes and his work buddy, Mark

The proud graduate ('s wife)

Receiving his diploma (as you can tell,
I'm not the world's best photographer:)

California here we come!

2009-04-23T22:16:00.001-07:00

Wes and I are heading for southern California next month. Wes took a civilian Naval job as a weapons contractor in China Lake (south-east part of the state). I'm looking at getting a job at the one hospital in town on the Maternal Child unit which would be awesome! We're really excited and can't wait to get down there. Wes has finished up classes and finals and so he's home free. Life is so wonderful.

Courtney's Wedding

2009-04-23T22:09:00.002-07:00

Some of my former roommates--Christy, Jessica, and Kelly--and I took a roadie up to Portland for our good friend Courtney's wedding. We had an awesome trip. I loved the scenary of Oregon and hope to get back there someday with Wes. We got up there Friday night and stayed with Kelly's family (thanks again!). On Saturday we drove to Portland for the sealing, pictures, the luncheon, and the reception. Amidst all that we saw the sights of Portland with Kelly as our tour guide. It was so good to see Courtney. Landon seemed like quite the catch. On Sunday we got up bright and early to drive home. Great trip!

Job Hunt

2009-03-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wes' job search is well under way. He's been looking into jobs for months and months, and all that work is starting to pay off. He's already had several interviews for jobs in the financial sector; the most promising ones inlude a position with Wells Fargo Financial in Las Vegas, the Officer Development Program at Amegy Bank in Houston, and a civilian Naval position in California. I have the most wonderul husband who is as hard-working as they come. Even with the crazy economy, we feel so blessed and know things will work out just fine.

Nursing Buddies

2009-03-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

This past week, some of my good friends from nursing school (Kalie and Angelina) came into town and we played all day (Amy we missed you...it wasn't the same without you there)! In true nurse BFF fashion, we bought matching scrub tops to commemerate the occasion. We had a blast!

At Zupas for lunch...

Our matching scrubs

Heinous nursing jackets

Austen's Birthday

2009-03-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

It was Wes' brother Austen's 19th birthday last month and we had him over for dinner and dessert. Wes made a delicious meal and this scrumptious trifle dessert. He is such an amazing cook! We had so much fun having Austen over and can't wait for him to get his mission call!

NCLEX Success

2009-02-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

After four years of college and one four hour long test, I'm offically a registered nurse! I got 180 questions on the NCLEX out of a possible 265. I felt pretty good coming out of it. Seeing that I passed was a blissful moment. I'm so glad to be done!

Aubrey Harris, RN

Hooray, hooray, we're on our way...

2009-02-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

Lucky me, I've spent the majority of the week in orientation meetings for work. Stuff about protocols, company standards, using a computer, blah, blah, blah. Not so fun. Wes has been busy with school, tests, work, church stuff, etc. We're both ready for a break! Tonight we're heading down Las Vegas to enjoy such a break AND so Wes can interview with Wells Fargo. He's not sure this is his dream job (or even close to it) but hey, it's an interview! Right now I'm looking out the window at grey skies and snow flurries. Can't wait for 60 degree weather!

My Job!

2009-02-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

I started working at Timp on Monday! I also worked yesterday. Two totally different experiences. On Monday, I felt out of my element and overwhelmed by the differences in Timp's system of doing things (charting, medication management, etc, etc). I came home and wanted to cry. Actually I did. But Wes helped me feel so much better and geared me up for Tuesday. I went to work yesterday and everything changed. The nurse orienting me to the floor was awesome at explaining things and, well, the day went great! I know I'm absolutely going to love this job and am so glad I chose to become a nurse. Plus, I made way more money than I've ever made before in two days! Not a bad thing at all.

All Good Things

2009-01-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Three good things: I signed up for the NCLEX yesterday....February 18th! I'm excited to tackle it and be done! I also got my diploma in the mail! College grad! Finally, Wes and I found our long-lost wedding pictures! They'd been missing for months but we found them and it's such a relief! It's the simple things.

More Excitement

2009-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well I can't say much has changed since the last time I wrote: I'm still not working, but luckily there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel, that being the strong possibility that I'll get my temp this Tuesday. So even though I don't have anything super exciting to say, I'd better stay in the habit of writing and say something. Something. End.

Ok something more: My sister, Elaina and I spent about 3 hours at the mall yesterday. We didn't buy a single thing (except for Elaina's haircut). We searched in vain for two seemingly easy buys: a black purse and a brown necklace. Apparently those items are no longer in fashion because 3 hours came and went and still no black purse for Elaina and no brown necklace for Aubrey. Oh well. The company was nice.

Wes and I went on a fabulous date last night which included dinner (at a real restaurant, not fast food), a trip to a museum (love the Bean), and a movie. And all that for a dollar (for the movie)! It was a lovely evening!

Just twiddling my thumbs

2009-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

One of the unforeseen consequences of graduation has hit me with a vengeance these past few weeks: boredom. I never thought I would ever have too little to do. And yet that's exactly the state I find myself in. I'm still waiting for my temporary license to be processed so I can get to work. I should probably be enjoying this new-found (and hopefully soon-to-be-over) leisure time, but it's hard when Wes is gone from 7:30-5:50, slaving away at school and work. I suppose I have managed to do a few productive things with this time:

1. Rearrange our bedroom
2. Crochet another FOUR inches onto my baby afghan
3. Keep Wes alive by making practically gourmet meals each night (i.e. chicken cordon bleu, potato soup with french bread, pot roast, LOTS of chicken, etc).
4. Visit with other graduated friends
5. Study (though very little) for the looming NCLEX (nursing licensing exam)
6. Thoroughly clean our small apartment an average of 2.4 times daily. Sigh.

Come on temporary license.

Christmas break

2009-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful this year! After Wes finished up his last final, we drove down to Las Vegas and spent a few days with my family. It was great to relax and visit. Among other things, we went caroling, ate Port of Subs sandwiches and watched the BYU bowl game (so sad...I won't even go there), did some shopping, had family temple trip, and ate out at In 'N' Out. So good!

On Christmas Eve, Wes and I flew to Houston, met his family, and flew straight to London! It was actually a little nerve-racking because our flight to Houston was delayed and we arrived just 30 minutes before our connecting flight left. But it worked out great! We spent 7 days touring through castles, museums, and churches. We took a bus tour of the city and saw just about everything we could've hoped to have seen. We even managed to see two Broadway-caliber plays: "The Sound of Music" and "Les Miserables." Les Mis was incredible, probably the best part of the trip! I also enjoyed touring through Windsor Castle and the British Museum. It's amazing how much history the country has.

Wes and I flew out early on New Years Day. We came back to Las Vegas for a few days then up to Utah. Wes has started his last semester of school and I'm waiting to start work at Timp hospital. It's good to be back and we're looking forward to a great new year!

Christmas Plans

2008-12-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

Finals week is almost over! I finished my one and only final on Tuesday, and Wes has one more tomorrow. Then, we leave for Las Vegas to spend a few days there with my family before flying to London with Wes' family for Christmas! We're pretty darn excited! I've committed myself to taking a ton of pictures of the excursion. We're gonna have a blast!

Working Woman

2008-12-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

I got a job! I'll be a nurse at Timpanogos Hospital working on the Med/Surg, Ortho, Neuro, and Pediatrics floors starting in January! The concept of doing what I love to do (and getting paid for it) is still sinking in. While it'll be a little scary doing something so new, I'm so ridiculously ready to be done with nursing school, papers, tests, and the most boring on-campus job that ever existed!

Joining the ranks

2008-12-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

I've been putting this off for too long. The time has come. So many of our friends are moving on to bigger and better things that we thought it was about time we got a blog! I'm not going to promise I will be the best blogger there ever was, but hopefully this attempt to chronicle our lives will be encouragement I need to take pictures and write commentary on significant life events. Here goes nothin'!