What Happens...

When you boil some water to make a delicious Mac 'n cheese lunch, and your husband is feeling a little mischievous? Don't walk away, or when you come back, you will find this.

 

Blue water!

 

And then of course, blue noodles.

Easier to see how blue they are with that cheese in there...

 

And of course, blue + yellow = green.

 

These pictures do not do that color justice. It looked gross. I can usually eat a whole box of MnC all by myself, but for some reason this time I wasn't quite so hungry...

But it was pretty funny.

¡Mucha Confusión!

Ohmygoodness! I'm so tired of not knowing what we're going to do after we graduate!

1. Nate double majors adding Biology Teaching (to Environmental Science), we're here for 2 more years so he can get his teaching degree. Found out he can't double major.
2. Nate doesn't double major; Beth goes to BYU for her Masters, takes 2 years, Nate works and doesn't progress at all in the education department. Not going to happen.
3. Nate doesn't double major; we go to VA and wait a year until we're residents so we can afford grad school tuition. Live with the 'rents to help save money. Sad to leave our friends, happy to be near family. Up until an hour ago, we thought this was going to happen. But then:
4. Nate figures out he might be able to do a one-year post-baccalaureate program at BYU that would certify him to teach Environmental Science, and therefore Biology, which is what he wants. Beth can either take a break from school and work like a crazy person or get her Masters at BYU, taking one year longer than Nate (if she gets in).

As soon as we think we know what we're doing, some option is either taken away or pops up and we have to reconsider everything!

If Nate gets into the post-bacc. teaching program, we're going to stay here. If not, we'll be headed east. Or so it seems, at the moment.

Hair Regret?

So I  chopped my hair off (again).

This is actually a pretty big issue in our little home, because I know that Nate loves long hair, but whenever mine is long, it lives in a ponytail. It's rare to find a picture of me with ponytail-length hair left falling to my shoulders. Ever since I was a little girl, my hair has been pulled back out of my face.

I figured out that I don't like the feeling of it on my neck. Hence a ponytail or short hair, always.

Nate likes my ponytail about as much as he likes short hair, which is not really at all; and I've been feeling ready for a change from it, so I decided to cut it. If Nate felt the same about my hair either way, why not? He was even sweet about it and consented that I do look good with short hair, and since he knows I wont start wearing it down on a regular basis after 23 years of it pulled back why not just go for it.

So I did, yesterday.

I wanted to try something different. Perhaps be like my big sister Yara, who has had about a million different hairstyles and is great at pulling them off. I look a lot like her, so I figure I can pull off different stuff too.

Not the asymmetrical Victoria Beckham cut, apparently.

The main problem: I didn't have a picture with me to show the stylist. BIG no-no. I always take a picture with me. Unfortunately though, the printer was broken and I didn't want to go all the way to campus to print off a hairstyle that I figured a stylist would be familiar with. And they usually have books with pictures of various styles, so I thought I could find the same or a similar one.

I should have stopped at the broken printer.

I didn't find a picture that was close enough. So I tried to describe what I wanted to the stylist. Didn't work.

The long side looked good (maybe I'll try it again someday when I actually have a picture), but the short side was weird, and just looked awkward. She wasn't getting it. I had been there almost two hours (let's not fail to mention she was slower than mud) when I decided this wasn't working. I could tell she was tired and hoping I would just leave when she said, "Well, if you don't like it, you can always come back."

What?! If I don't like it, I'm not going to leave until I do! Psycho. I'm sorry your stomach is growling, but I'm not leaving with a freaky 'do.

So I told her to chop it all off. It's a style I'm familiar with and know I can pull off. Nate doesn't like super short hair, so even though I've had it like this and liked it in the past, I was pretty disappointed. I told him I wasn't going to do it that way again, and had every intention of keeping that promise. However, it's definitely better than it would have looked with the icky asymmetrical mess.

I have now drastically chopped my hair 4 times, the first being when I was a wee little 8th grader. I have loved it 3 of those times, though I've received a variety of reactions from others. (Mostly good, though I know my parents and hubby aren't the biggest fans- sorry guys).

I can't decide how I feel about it this time.

I'm bummed because I feel like I let Nate down.
But I do feel a little bit spunky.
And I know my grandma and parents will hate it.
But it's kind of liberating.

Nate was wonderful about the whole situation. I told him the story and that I was sorry, and he gave me a nice long hug. I didn't cry about my hair- never really seen much purpose, it always grows back- but he was and is being a sweetheart. If you see me and you like my hair, tell me so, because it will make me feel a little better about it. I'll probably post a picture eventually.

Not Ready

School starts again the day after tomorrow. Blegh.

I'm at the beginning of the end, but I am so not ready to go back to school! This break was way too short and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in and reading books for fun. I don't want to start studying again.

I'll only be taking 4 classes, so this will definitely be an easier semester than the last one... for me. But now it's Nate's turn to take 18 credits, and since I've already been there, I can honestly say its going to stink. Hopefully since I'll be less busy I can help him somehow. Do the dishes more often?

Speaking of Nate, he was awesome last semester! He got straight A's, and I'm so proud! I think he could do it again too. Although the 18 credit thing will be a challenge, he is super smart when it comes to this Environmental Sciency stuff, and he soaks it all up like a sponge. Never ask him a sciency question unless you have 30 minutes to spare for the answer.

[Tangent! This story amuses me so I have to share. Nate and I were just sitting down to watch Superman Returns, and during the opening credits there are all these funky stars and stuff. I asked Nate about them, and we had to stop the movie because he then taught me way more than I wanted to know and it literally took about 30 minutes. I don't think I remember any of it, but it was fun.]

ANYway. I got all A's and B's, which I'm pretty proud of. There's only so much you can do with that many classes and lots of work.

So I have no idea what crazy science classes Nate's going to be taking this semester, but I will be in:

Japanese 345: Traditional Japanese Culture. This class acts as a substitute for a non-Western Art History requirement. I will probably be the only one who does not speak Japanese, considering that the 300-level is generally for majors. Luckily I have been assured that the class will be taught in English. I hope. Konichiwa?

Spanish 441: Spanish Literature. The last of my Spanish minor classes. I'm kind of excited for this class, because I took a Spanish Lit class in high school and loved it. Some of the stories and books are SO good; I always wish my friends could speak Spanish so they could enjoy them too. Short story recommendation to anyone who does speak Spanish: La noche boca arriba.

Art History 306: Roman Art. Definitely going to ace this one. I love ancient stuff, and I already took Greek art, which is more or less the same thing cause the Romans copied all things Greek. Purposely saved an easier class for the end.

Art History 498: Senior Thesis. I'm looking forward to this the least. Once a week for three hours (on Friday of all days!) I "get" to work on a ginormous paper. Remember this picture? Yep, that is the subject on which my senior thesis will be written. Then at the end of the semester and my life at BYU, I get to present it in front of a million people and answer questions about it after. eek.

But I will be DONE in April! I am so excited. Everyone needs to come celebrate with me.

Then we will most likely be spending a few weeks of the summer in Costa Rica (finally) and then I might get a second job while I wait for Nate to graduate. I can't really get paid for anything in my field without a Masters, and while an internship would be good experience it wouldn't be paid, so I'm considering doing the Nordstrom thing again. ...I don't know. April is still 4 months away though (just four months! woo!) so we'll see.

While I can't wait for graduation in April, I still wish Monday would stay away a little longer.

Dos Años

As of today Nate and I have been married for two whole years! haha, sooo long, I know. But it seems so much shorter! Time has flown by like crazy.

This day two years ago started out a little frantic, getting everyone all ready to go to the temple while others prepared for the reception under big sister Yara's guidance. The night before had been wonderful, full of family members telling both embarrassing and endearing stories about Nate and me, and there was lots of crying and laughing all around. We were all up late and I wasn't really able to sleep due to excitement. I also had My Fair Lady's "I'm gettin' married in the mornin!" running on repeat in my head, so needless to say, it was a little hard to get up, and if I wasn't 110% excited, I might have tried to sleep in.

But we were sealed in the temple that morning (which was wonderful) and everyone cried and laughed again, and I'm pretty sure my dad whispered a threat to Nate that he "better take care of his daughter" as we left the sealing room.Then Nate and I had to endure the taking of thousands of pictures and were almost late for our own ring ceremony and reception. At least we knew they couldn't start without us. We were quite sick of the endless posing in the blazing California August sun, but I'm so glad to have the photos now.Then we had our ring ceremony. I got to spend some time hidden away with all 8 of my lovely bridesmaids while we waited for people to be seated, and Mom made sure to feed me a few early refreshments to make sure I didn't keel over halfway down the aisle from heat stroke and starvation and lack of breathing space from the dress. (It's really fun to have everyone doting over you for a whole day!) Being with my girls before the ceremony was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Then the music began and the procession went, and people were crying again, and I couldn't stop smiling. Nate's dad presided and did the little speech thingy and told Nate to shower me with flowers and treats as often as possible, and I said "MMhmm!" and everyone laughed and it was all perfect and wonderful.Then there was more picture-taking followed by music, food, and dancing. When I danced with my Dad we were crying, but Nate and his mom were grinning ear to ear (such is the difference between daddy's girls and momma's boys). There was delicious cake and my brother caught the garter and my Kaycie caught the bouquet, and then we got ready to leave. We left under flying rice and cheerios and tried to make our escape, BUT! during the partying my family was super sneaky and while the outside of our car looked relatively untouched, the inside was full of crumpled newspaper! (A retaliation on me from some certain past pranks.) We couldn't leave until we had dumped it all over the driveway (and left the mess for everyone else to clean up), but we finally did.Hard to believe all that happened two years ago! It feels like it was yesterday. Even our first anniversary feels like it was only a week ago. Last year we were driving from Virginia to Utah, and happened to be in Topeka on the 11th, so we stopped for the night and feasted on some tasty food and actually slept in a hotel instead of in the car in a random parking lot, as is custom for the 3-day drive. This year we have just done our routine things- work, hang out, be lazy, but with a quick trip to get some ice cream together. There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight too, so maybe we'll try and catch a glimpse after work.

These last two years have been great. I love my husband and am so glad that I really did marry
my best friend.

I Really Should do Something Productive

But I'm clearly in the mood to update this thing.

Well, Spring is finally here, which means lots and lots of sunshine and no more snow! [hooray!] It makes me about 1,000,000 times happier. It stays light outside till almost 9pm, which is also awesome because then I lose track of time at work, and think it's only 6 when we're actually close to closing! I love it.

Speaking of work, it's good, I still like my coworkers, and we still have crazy customers. I don't have any stories at the moment, but I will keep you posted!

School is good, except for the shortness of the term. I only have about 4 weeks left, which means the due date for my 10-page paper is coming up rather quickly. And I have yet to write a thesis statement! That's ok though, cause I have about 15 books from the library, so I have lots to work with (I hope).

Things for Nate are going well too. He's working at BYU in the evenings cleaning carpets, and in the daytime he gets to be the Service Manager for his friend's bike shop, which he really enjoys. He actually kinda likes the cleaning job too, cause it's super laid back and easy, and brings in a little extra cash.

When we can find free time, we of course go biking! Nate somehow got me out three days in a row last week, including the day I had gotten up for work at 5am. I am getting in better shape and rode all the way up the hill from Wymount to Rock Canyon Park, and then up the trails too. :) I am very pleased with this. We also rode a trail that's up past Vivian Park, and his buddies all think I'm cool for going with them. :D Hopefully there will be more days that we both have time off to go ride and do other fun things this summer. We're hoping to do some camping and some hiking in southern Utah sometime. Anybody want to come??

In other news, there are going to be some big changes for our families pretty soon.

First, Nate's family is moving to Costa Rica in July/August. His dad is the new Director of the Peace Corps for Costa Rica, so they'll be there for at least 3 and up to 5 years. We are definitely going to visit. [To do this week: Get Beth a passport!] Then came the problem of finding someone to rent their house. A young ward family? Me and Nate in 2 years when Nate (hopefully) goes to school out there? hmm.

Meanwhile, back on the West Coast, my dad who was recently laid off has been searching for any new job that would keep them in San Diego. However, all of California is in a state of bankruptcy, so my highly-qualified dad hasn't been able to find anything. My mom has been keeping the two of them afloat with her awesome eBay selling skills. (Seriously, it's really cool.)

Meanwhile, my pregnant sister was planning to move to Tennessee with her hubby just weeks before she pops, so he could go to med school out there, because he still hadn't heard anything from his first-choice military med school, where he was wait-listed. My dad started looking for jobs in Nashville, cause if they have to move, they want to be close to grandbabies. Perfectly reasonable. Maybe they could stay in the Dorsey's house, even though it would still be a full day's drive to Nashville? nah...

Then ONE day!

Everything magically fell into place.

Chase gets a phonecall telling him he has been accepted into the program at Bethesda! The school he was hoping for, the school that happens to be in Maryland, which happens to be right next to Virginia, which happens to be where the Dorsey's house is, which happens to be close to DC, where hopefully my dad can find some work.

My parents are (most likely) leaving San Diego.

They're going aaaallllll the way to the east coast, to house-sit for a few years while the Dorsey's work (aka vacation) in Costa Rica, and they'll get to be even closer to the new baby. Then Nate and I will hopefully go out east too, and we'll have my parents and sister, and eventually the Dorsey's again, close by.

Huge changes, but I think they're all going to be for the better, though I am a little sad about not "going home" to Escondido anymore. Cousins will all have to come out and visit!

Life

Hello friends!

These past couple weeks have been good. Nate and I are happy to have one more semester of school under our belts (if 2 classes for me counts as a whole semester) and a little less happy to have snow nearly up to our belts. Ok not really, but for about a week Provo was totally dumped on and there's snow everywhere. Luckily we have 2 cars until Sara gets back from VA, so I've been able to drive myself to work! Thank goodness, or I'd be a Bethsicle. Fortunately, its warmer this week, at a whopping 45 degrees! Who knew I'd ever be happy about that?

Nate celebrated his 22nd birthday on December 24th, and he got lots of fun presents from our families, who spoil us rotten. He got a fancy electric razor (from me), some clothes and gift cards from various people, a vegetarian cookbook, about 4 movies... lots of good Nate stuffs. And of course, we celebrated with large amounts of calzone for dinner. mmmm. We watched Dark Knight and ate lots of sugary sweets.

Then there was Christmas.
I stayed up to an obscene hour making homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and I must say they were quite a success. I only should have started making them earlier.
Because our parents both sent us huge Christmas packages, we actually had quite a stash under our Christmas tree. I think my favorite presents were an awesome pair of gloves from my mom, a massive box of Gushers from my mom (haha!) and a dishrack. I know it sounds pathetic, but when you don't have a dishwasher, a dishrack is a lifesaver. I'm pretty sure Nate's favorite thing was a little robot-bug that was a stocking stuffer. He crawls around and when his antennae hits something, he turns and goes around it- he also stops if you startle him with a loud noise. His name is Fred, and he's awesome. Thanks, RadioShack.
We watched Wall-E after opening presents and feasting on cinnamon rolls, and then we got ready to go to my friend Paul's house for dinner. Meanwhile, Spencer (Nate's brother on his mission in Riverside, CA) called. I think that may actually have been Nate's favorite present.. he can't wait for the next 6 months to go by so he can have his little brother back! June will be an exciting month, with Spencer's return, and Cait having her baby! Hurry up, June!

Paul and Stacy's House.
We hung out and chatted for a bit while the prime rib cooked (mmm) then we feasted. Dinner conversation was mostly centered on Lydia, Paul's 2-year old daughter, who kept demanding more juice. We lied and said there wasn't any left, but she's a smart little cookie and wouldn't have it. So she got more juice. Another highlight was when Allen (another work friend) found out you have to have a Beard Card at BYU in order to have a beard, and he was in shock. "A what!? Are you serious?? No wonder whenever I go bowling out there everyone looks at me funny!" (Allen has more facial hair than your average LDS guy).
Then, while heating up the oven for some homemade custard, it caught on fire due to a grease puddle in the bottom. It was pretty exciting, and we learned that their smoke detector does not work. Good to know. The fire put itself out in just a couple minutes, and eventually the smoke aired out, though we were freezing from the open windows.
We played MarioKart Wii and Scattergories after dinner, where we learned that negroes jump or bounce, and nuns can be found in a park. Ah, what a great game.
Overall, Christmas was a fun, relaxing day. Maybe next year we'll get to be with family.

In other news...
We're thinking about moving again. There's a place we were considering back when we first moved out of Heritage Court, but you have to be on a waiting list and we just wanted out ASAP, so we didn't bother with it. But it's close to my work, and your rent is a percentage of your income. You see, I'm (finally!) going to interview to become a supervisor at the store, and if I get the job AND we get one of those apartments, then Nate can finally quit working at the crappy car place. He'd probably get a part-time campus job to supplement my income a little bit, but he's taking a very full class schedule and wont be able to work as much. But we'd still be able to afford everything with the cheaper rent. And the apartments are really nice and homey, and we're told the ward is great, so that would be really cool. We'll see what happens.

Six Random Facts

Cait tagged me, so now I get to share 6 random facts about myself and/or Nate.

1. I usually sleep under the covers, but Nate pretty much always sleeps on top of them (except in Winter).
2. I always have to have something sweet around the house. Whether its cookies or candy, I can't stand not having munchies!
3. I can't sit normally in a chair. One leg always has to be folded up under me, or I sit cross-legged (even at school, with those annoying little desks).
4. I think I feel more relaxed when there's a little bit of clutter around the house, but Nate can't stand it and often has to tidy up before he can study.
5. Nate & I are major pack-rats. We have an entire storage unit practically full of stuff we'll never use again, but don't want to throw away.
6. We have the COOLEST Halloween costume idea EVER. And you'll have to wait and see what it is.

Stuff 'n Things

H'lo! It's been a while since I posted anything so here I am.

Life is the same as always- Nate doesn't like his job, but faithfully goes everyday. I still do like my job, but am also still waiting for a supervisor to move away so I can steal his spot. School starts in a mere 3 days, a fact I'm not quite ready for, but I am excited for my whopping two classes (Greek Art & Italian). Nate will have a full school schedule and hopefully wont get worn out.

We've been pondering about the future, and have come up with a semi-plan. It's still about 2 years away, but we're thinking about moving to Lawrence, Kansas after BYU to go to KU for grad school. Living is relatively inexpensive there (about the same as Provo), and I have a bunch of family in Kansas, so that would be really nice. I might get a teaching certificate and teach art in elementary school while Nate gets his degree in Environmental Science, Biology, or Education. I might go back to school for a masters later, but that all depends on money, time, and babies.

So, that's the plan! But we all know how much can change in as little as two years, so we'll see what happens. If I could move out there right now, I would. I hope the next couple of years go as fast as the last two!

On another note, I have a guitar! It's beautiful and BLUE with a black outline. My sister Caitlin is probably jealous. :) Nate's sister Sara is teaching us how to play. Once we get pretty good, we're going to get a nicer guitar for Nate. Sara wants us to make a band. We'll see how that goes. I'm really excited to learn to play. I gave piano up fairly quickly, but I don't think this will be the same. If only I could figure out how to strum and change chords at the same time..!

In other news, Nate has a bike race this weekend, and he's competing in two different things. One is just downhill, and the other is both up and downhill. I would die. That's about all the excitingness going on right now. Next time I'll try to include some of the funny stories about work, because Caitlin requested them. But for now, I'm going to go nap.

Just for Fun

What is his name? Nathaniel [not Nathan] Dorsey

How long have you been together? Three years this October

How long did you date? We dated for 1 year and 10 months & have been married for almost a year!

How old is he? 21

Who eats more? He can eat 2-3 times what I do at dinner time, but I think I snack more during the day.

Who said I love you first? He did, but he knew I was impatiently waiting!

Who is taller? That would be me... only by about an inch or 2 though. :)

Who can sing better? Hmm, I don't know! We're both ok. We both sing along to the radio and I love listening to him.

Who is smarter? Nate is the science genius; I don't understand any of that stuff! Talk to me about Art History and that's a different story.

Who does the laundry? I think I do it more often, but Nate helps too sometimes.

Who pays the bills? We both have certain things we're in charge of. I do rent and electric, he pays the car stuff.

Who sleeps on the right side? Nate does. Once we switched just for the heck of it, and I couldn't sleep!

Who mows the lawn? haha, we don't have one right now, but I'm thinking that will be Nate. I'm the only kid who escaped ever having to mow the lawn at home.

Who cooks dinner? I try to when I get off work before him, but he's usually in charge of our tasty Sunday dinners. (He's the better cook)

Who drives? Nate. Our car is manual and I have yet to master the technique.

Who is more stubborn? I think we're about even there.. Neither of us likes to be the first to give in with something, though of course we both do sometimes.

Who kissed who first? Nate kissed me- it was Halloween and afterward there were fireworks! (Some kids nearby were playing with sparklers.)

Who proposed? Nate, on March 8, 2007 at Bridal Veil Falls

Who has more friends? Let's see. Nate has work friends, friends from home, and biking friends. I have work friends, school friends, and a handful of best friends. But most of the time we just hang out with our very best friends- each other.

Who is more sensitive? What a silly question. Aren't girls always more sensitive? But he's very sensitive to my lame girly feelings and tries to be patient and understanding.

Who has more siblings? Nate. He's the oldest of 5 with one brother and three sisters. I'm the baby of 4; one brother and two sisters.

Who wears the pants? I think Nate does, though we make any and all important decisions together.

Now you know a little more about Nate and me! In other news, Nate and I are going home to Escondido, CA on Sunday and I can't wait to see all my family!!

When your sister calls...

....to tell you to update your blog, you know its serious. So, as Caitlin should be happy to see, here is a much needed update.

Life is basically the same as always; we both work just about every day, myself at the grocery store, and Nate at the car place. I have finally gotten word that a supervising position will be opening up sometime in July/August, and the current supervisors have encouraged me to apply for it. I guess if they think I'll be good at it, then I may as well go for it. It is more money! Until then I'll happily continue ringing up everyone's food; from the nice, friendly people to the grumpy "I'm on my cell phone so I'll glare at you when you tell me my total" people, with the occasional crazies.

Nate raced in a downhill mountain biking race a few weeks ago, and he got fourth place! Pretty cool, huh? He raced as a sponsored rider for his friend's bike shop, Urban Downfall Cycles. There were a few other guys riding for them too, and they all placed, so Urban Downfall definitely got some publicity. The shop is actually doing really well now that its summer. (There are pictures of Nate all over their website- he's pretty much their poster boy).

So, our apartment complex has new owners, and they have decided to raise the rent and start charging tenants for more things than we previously had to pay for (gas, cable & internet). Nate and I puzzled over whether or not we should move for quite a long time, but in the end we decided just to stay. Everything else is about the same price anyway, and usually other places are a bit smaller. We are pretty bored of our apartment though, so we decided we would just redecorate the whole thing. We started with buying a brand new couch! It hasn't arrived yet, and wont for about another week, but it looks like this. Our cushions are a little darker though.

Pretty nice, huh? We're so excited to get it; myself especially, since we already sold our old couches and are currently living in our camping chairs. :) We're going to sell our entertainment center and get a smaller tv stand too. I'll post pics once we have everything!

Another way to make our apartment more homey was to add some pretty flowers! Since my mom is Queen of Anything You Can Plant, I called her for advice and ended up with a lovely little summer bouquet. Red petunias, white mini-snapdragons, and blue lobelia for a patriotic look. The snapdragons are the tall green things in the middle- the flowers have yet to bloom, but they will!


Well, thats about all for now! I'll try to be better at updating in the future. :)

Nate da' Great

Beth really wanted me to write on the "blog". I'm not really sure how I feel about blogging... but whatever. And first off, what a weird word... blog...
It's nice to done with this semester of school, I had some pretty demanding classes. I took Anatomy and Chemistry, as well as working full-time, so it's great to have a break for the summer. It's starting to get nice out here in Utah, all the leaves are coming out, there's not three feet of snow I have to trudge through to get to my car... and best part of all, biking season is kicking up!
I have my first race coming up on June first, so I have a little over a month left to train and get ready. Anybody that knows me will know that I'm completely addicted to mountain biking. I don't know how Beth puts up with me and all the bikes and bike stuff I have crammed into our little apartment. But, she's patient and she really wants me to do what I love. And she also knows that after a long day at work/school, biking is the best way for me to relieve stress!
I currently have two bikes, a Banshee Chaparral and a Transition Blindside. I had another one, but about two weeks ago I broke it in half. Oops. The company should be sending me out a new frame within the next weeks. I currently have a few sponsors, one of which is my friends bike shop that he opened in Orem in December, Urban Downfall Cycles (check them out!).
I don't do much besides riding my bike and hanging out with my loverly wife, Beth. And that's pretty much me, I'm kind of boring! But, I'll post some videos (of my 25footer at moab) and other pics of my riding just for fun.