Lane County Fair

On Saturday July 26th we found ourselves at the Lane County Fair.  We enjoyed looking at the art exhibits, watching the pig races and sea lion show, we looked at most of the animals, and even listened Pat Benatar perform.

Me & Andy.

We really really enjoyed all of the art. Andy and I are both artistic so looking at art is always a treat.

I have a lot of memories watching the pig races at the Puyallup Fair so I was really excited when I learned that there were pig races being held at the Lane County Fair. Andy and I enjoyed watching those little guys race around the track. It's kind of a comical thing, when you think about pigs you don't typically picture them running. If you have never seen pig races you will have to watch them sometime.

The sea lion show was fun to watch and the host was entertaining. The sea lions did lots of tricks and they made us laugh.

I have a love hate relationship with animals. I really like animals but I am very allergic to them. I knew that I would likely have an allergic reaction to the animals but we to see them anyways-- it was worth it.

Pat Benatar is very talented and she can still belt it out. She sounds almost as good live as she does on her album.

All in all it was a great day at the fair and we are glad we went.

We Love To Excercise

When we moved we left behind our favorite gym, trust me it was a sad day. Since we have been in Oregon we have been diligently trying to find a gym that offers the classes we like, during the time of day we are able to exercise, at a  reasonable price. So far this has not been an easy task to accomplish. The gyms that have the things we like are over $50.00 a person per month and the classes tend to be held at the wrong time of day. 

We managed to get a free month long membership through Andy's work to one of the local gyms. We went to the gym almost everyday and attended a lot of the classes. We did Cross Fit, Zumba, Cardio Kickboxing, and Spinning.

Cross Fit was really intense, we both liked it. Zumba was kind of a joke, the intensity and fun factor just weren't there. You know it's bad when you go to Zumba and you are one of six people in the class. We both really liked Cardio Kickboxing, it was such a good workout. We tried out a few different Spin classes with different instructors and we just weren't feeling it. Poor routines and dirty music don't make for a good class.

After weighing out the pros and cons of this particular gym we decided to wait to sign up, we want to try out some other facilities in town first.

We both really like love to exercise and want to find a gym that we love too! Orem Rec, we miss you dearly.

An Answered Prayer

I am not the type of person who likes to spend my days sitting around doing nothing, I like to be active and I like to work. Getting a job has seemed like an impossible task. The unemployment rate here is high  and Eugene is a college town. In addition to those factors I don't know anyone here and don't know which companies are reputable. I have been fervently praying that the Lord might lead me to where I need to be.

The day after we went to the temple I received a phone call from a friend. She was calling to let me know that she was forwarding my resume onto a company who was looking for someone with my skill set. The next day my friend called and said the company wanted to come in for an interview later that day. I went in and interviewed a few hours later. Less than an hour after the interview ended I received a phone call to inform me that I got the job and was asked to start the next day. It was crazy how fast everything happened. I really believe that the Lord answered my prayers and led me to this job.

Some days work is hard and I feel like giving up. It is during these times that I remind myself that the Lord answered my prayers and I am where I am supposed to be.

I Love To See The Temple

July 21st was a rough day for us. I asked Andy if we could go to the temple the next day, he agreed and took the next day off from work so we could make the trip. The closest temple to us is two hours away up in Portland.

I always feel at peace and like my life has more clarity after I have been in the temple, this trip was no different. I'm so glad we went.

Change Is Good

To me moving equals change. And I personal believe that change is good. If we don't step outside of our comfort zone, we don't learn and grow.

One Saturday night we received a phone call. The person we spoke with on the phone asked that we arrive at church ten minutes early to meet with Brother Wilcox.

My mind instantly started to race, "I'm getting a calling. Where are they going to have me serve? I hope I end up in Young Womens. I hope I am not called to serve as ...." I tried not to think too much about it, ultimately the Lord knows best where I am needed and what I need in my life at this time.

The next day we arrived at church early and Brother Wilcox asked me and Andy to both step into the bishop's office. He said that things had changed and they were going to extend callings to both of us.

Brother Wilcox asked if I would be willing to serve as the Second Counselor in the Young Womens Presidency. My response was something along the lines of, "I'm excited!" He said he had never had that kind of reaction when he's extended a calling before. I guess most people aren't excited to get a new calling?

Then he asked Andy if he would be willing to teach the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. Of course Andy agreed.

We look forward to working with the youth in our ward. Change is good! 

Dinner With The Missionaries

When I was growing up the missionaries frequently came to our home (typically 2-3 times a week). Having the missionaries in our home was something that I enjoyed. When we lived in Utah we didn't have the opportunity to have the missionaries over-- too many members and not a lot of missionaries. Having the missionaries in our home was something I really missed. 

In our new ward we have two sets of missionaries (1 set of elders and 1 set of sisters). One Sunday they passed around a sign up sheet to have the missionaries over for dinner. I was so excited to signup! This was the first time since we have been married that we have been able to have the missionaries in our home.

Elder Bethea and Elder Dyorich came over to eat one evening. We fed them dill chicken (this is Andy's favorite), salad, green beans, fruit parfaits, and water with fruit in it. Everyone loved the food and we enjoyed getting to know the elders better. Hopefully we can have them over again sometime.

Bunco

A group of ladies in our ward get together once a month for Bunco. One day my friend Sarah called me up and asked if I wanted to be a sub for their Bunco group. Not knowing what Bunco was, I agreed. I was anxious to get out of the house and make some friends.

We started Bunco night off eating dinner (baked potatoes and salad) and then we started playing Bunco. I quickly learned that Bunco is a fasted paced dice game.  I didn't win any of the prizes but I had so much fun playing and getting to meet people in my ward.

I would definitely play Bunco again and hope that a spot opens up soon. If you have never played Bunco before, you really should. Bunco is the best!