I got a new job!

... 6 months ago. 

But now it's official! I am a 911 dispatcher! I just finished my first week by myself after being in training since October.

Happening upon this job was so unexpected for me after a background in PR, marketing, and event planning, but using my communication skills in this capacity has been so fulfilling and such a blessing in so many ways. For one, the dispatch center is a five minute walk from my house, which freed up the car for the dialysis technician job Tyler just got all the way up in Heber. For two, three-day weekends. And most importantly, I get to help provide for my family doing something that I know is important. It's allowed me to develop parts of myself that I didn't know were there. 

One of the really cool things about my job is the opportunity it gives me to interact with police officers, especially during a time when they are so unpopular in many parts of the nation with the media and the public. Before working for the police department, I avoided police officers because the only interaction I expected to have with them was getting a speeding ticket or getting in trouble for something. Now, it is my job to find out as much about a bad situation as I can before sending my officers into it. It is my job to help keep my officers safe. 

It's not something people tend to think about in their normal every day lives. While we sit safely at our desks in our 9-5 day jobs, we don't think about officers spending their 10-hour shifts confronting dangerous people and circumstances, requiring them to use utmost caution and expect the worst from all suspects, all so that their community can have someone to call when they are in trouble. All so that their community can enjoy safety. It is true bravery and I have nothing but respect and gratitude for all law enforcement. 

I'm beyond thrilled to be part of an incredible team doing incredible things. 

Puff Oven Pancakes

This was my favorite breakfast meal growing up, tied with biscuits and gravy. And I always forget how to make it, so about once a year when I decide i'd rather make strawberries into an actual meal rather than dipping them in chocolate, I ask my mom how to make them. But I finally decided to document it here. 

1/2 c pancake mix

1/2 c milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter

1 lb Strawberries (sliced)

1 Can pineapple (pre chunked or cut yourself, and drained)

2 Bananas (sliced)

Sour cream (trust me. It's amazing!)

Brown sugar

2 glass pie plates

Mix pancake mix with milk and eggs. Put a tablespoon of butter each into two glass pie plates and place in oven at 400 degrees to melt. Once melted, pour half of the mixture into each pie plate and bake until solid (5-10 min. You'll want to keep an eye on it). While the pancakes are baking, slice the fruits and mix together. Serve warm, topped with strawberries, pineapple and banana slices. Dallop a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Make 8 servings

I Think I'll Go to Boston

Last month, I had the happy opportunity to go to Boston with the Needle team for a trade show. It was so much fun and Boston is AMAZING! It's definitely going on Ty's list of places he'll apply to med school.

In our spare time, we visited Paul Revere's house, the Forest Hills Cemetery, and Harvard Square. Boston is so beautiful and charming, and I completely fell in love with it.

This was George Washington's house... or something.

And the LDS Church got prime real estate right across the street.

I don't know who this guy is, but everyone was lining up to get a picture touching his foot so I was like YOLO

In other news, Tyler started his last semester of his undergrad this week! And I have barely seen him since...

Bye Tyler! See ya when the semester's over!

Guys, I think I married Superman. And not just because of the little curls of hair that fall delicately across his forehead. Tyler works tirelessly. He leaves for work before the sun comes up, goes to school, and comes home around 6 pm if he doesn't have tutoring or research to do. Then he does homework until as late as 11 at night. I'm so proud of him and I'm excited to see his hard work pay off. <3 <3 <3

Easy Living in Big Rapids, Michigan

Tyler's mom is some kind of miracle worker. When she decides she wants to do something, she does it, and she makes it looks easy. She threw us a secondary wedding reception that was probably a bigger deal than our first. She started her own company helping people holistically rehabilitate their injured bodies. So when she decided she wanted to orchestrate a family trip between all of our busy schedules to visit her dad Michigan, you better believe she made it happen.

Tyler, Juli, and Ryan made the 3-day trek to and from Michigan by car, and Papa D and I flew in later so we didn't have to miss so much work.

Michigan is a magical place. Tyler's Grandpa Thompson has a gorgeous 80 acre farm right on the creek, complete with a couple old dogs, a barn, a pet goat, a tree house, a swing, and lots of feral cats. It's a really special place because it's where Tyler's mom grew up and the Daltons have so many wonderful memories there. I felt so much peace while I was there, far away from the fast-paced life I'm used to and superficial things that don't matter really but that we start to think matter when we're surrounded by them long enough.

We went fishing, tubed the river, visited Amish country, went to the fair, golfed, and ate our weight in butter (Grandpa Thompson says it makes everything taste better. And yes, I did gain 5 pounds while I was there). I loved visiting Momma Dalton's family. You can definitely see where she gets it from :)

Meet Grandpa Thompson. He is jolly, sweet, and he always goes out of his way to make other people happy. He made sure we had all the food we could eat and followed us around with a camera snapping pictures until he figured there was probably at least one good one in there somewhere.  

My first fish! He was a beaut.

This is Ginger. She has a lot of energy but she's very plump and doesn't move very fast. When Tyler and I tried to go on runs, she would trot after us as fast as she could, trailing behind us until Tyler felt so bad for her that he walked her home.

Shucking home-grown peas in true farm life fashion. Nvm my lobster burn (only on my front half from tubing down the river for an hour without sunscreen) and my odd facial expression.

I think I like goats more than is normal?

IRCE in Chicago!

As a college freshman, thinking I wanted to be a landscape architect, I visited Chicago with a group from the Landscape Management major at BYU for a landscaping competition. It was so different visiting Chicago now, as a PR alumni with my event planning crew. Quite a different experience, I'll tell you what. It's funny how the way we change as people affects how we experience places and things, and what a difference the context makes.

We showed up in Chicago Sunday morning with guns blazing, ready to set up our booth. But it turned out we couldn't start setting up until Monday. So we spend the windy, cloudy day seeing the sights. We took a boat tour where the guide pointed out the architecture and the history of all the different buildings visible from the river. So cold... but so cool! Chicago has amazing buildings. I love the layers created by the different heights and shapes. Pictures don't do it justice.

The trip involved a lot of setup, takedown, running around, standing on achey feet, and perfecting my Needle pitch to curious passersby. But it also involved meeting amazing people, reuniting with Sherry (aka the biggest hoot of all time) eating plenty of Chicago style pizza, fireworks, Uber adventures, shopping, giant cake, and celebrating Carol-Lyn's last hurrah at Needle before she leaves to work for another company. I don't know how many times in my life I'll be able to say that someone is my friend as much as my boss, and it will be very sad not to have her around the office anymore :(

On a more positive note, Tyler and I handled our separation a little better this time.

Airy-Zona

Tyler and I went to Arizona last week and, aside from my car selfies, we barely took any pictures at all. If you want to stop reading here, I'll understand (no i won't).

Tyler scheduled his MCAT in Arizona because he wanted to take it in May but there weren't any tests available in Utah in May, so it seemed as good an excuse as any to visit Tyler's family. It was really nice to get away for a few days. It was nice for me, anyway... Tyler had to endure a couple of stressful days before he got to the nice part.

We are thinking he did really well, thanks to all the prayers from our loved ones and also thanks to Tyler studying his butt off on top of his brutal homework load. He impresses me every day.

He finished his test early so we went to the outlets for a Treat Yoself day. Cuz we deserved it. Tyler deserved it and I deserved it vicariously through him.

We spent Saturday in the garden pruning, planting, and replanting.

Momma Dalton and I got some good walks in and Ty and I really enjoyed spending Sunday with adults for a change :)

Thanks for reading. For a reward, here's a pic of me practicing my Kylie Jenner pout during our 10-hour road trip.

Stop this Train

Whoo! Been an eventful couple weeks.

I graduated from college! I now have a Bachelors in Communications with an emphasis in PR and minors in business management and editing. Or at least I will, after I pay all my student fees so BYU will stop holding my diploma for ransom.

It was a real treat to celebrate my graduation with my family and Tyler's family, who drove down from Arizona for the festivities. Ty and I took a couple much needed days off. He volunteered to be my personal photographer and took a few lovely pictures of me trying to not look like a big billowy lump in my graduation robes.

I gotta say, it was a bit of a bummer to graduate without Tyler. The ceremony was kind of lonely without him and I was super envious of all the couples walking across the stage and taking pictures together. But it was still a very cool moment when I heard my name called and I walked forward to take my empty diploma holder and shake hands with college heads I'd never met before. I had made it! So much has happened in the five years I've been at college, and I'm a different person now than I was when I first came. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to attend such a wonderful university and be influenced by so many amazing people.

After the ceremony, we all went to PF Changs for dinner, then back to squeeze into our teeny apartment to enjoy each other's company. It's such a rare and special occasion when so many of the people I love are in the same space with me, and it made me feel very loved. What a wonderful family I have.

I had a lot of notions about what being graduated would be like. When I started college, I figured that with my college degree I would be entitled to a great career and that I would have a full-time job offer right out of the gate and that everything would just come together easily. I'm sure it will all come together, but for now it's still in flux and I'm still figuring out where I fit now that I'm out in the world. I also thought graduating would mean waaaaay more free time, but I actually just use my homework time to do freelance writing, cook, clean and take care of my poor hubby who has 8 hours of school work and 2 hours of MCAT studying every day on top of work during spring semester. I am soooo proud of his endurance and diligence but also--and I think I speak for both of us when I say this--soooo ready for him to get a little break.

Another milestone: Ty and I hit one year of marriage a couple weeks ago! So the hard part's over now, right? ;)

Tyler and I celebrated one year of marriage by sleeping in, trying new restaurants, and going to the movies to suffer through The Duff together. (It did not live up to our hopes and expectations.) As students and newlyweds, these activities are fairly rare luxuries to us, and we savored them.

The year has gone by so fast. I am so thankful for my partner who patiently supports me and stands by my side as I learn the lessons I was meant to learn in this life. He has been the constant kind voice in my ear that tells me I am doing better than I think I am, that I deserve good things, and that everything will work out alright. Sure do love that guy. Here's to a great year and many, many more.