End of Summer!

I can't believe it. Summer is winding down and school starts again this Monday. Sometimes I feel like I'm "supposed" to be bummed that school is starting again, but to be completely honest, I am very excited. Jason and I really like being in school. We keep busy and we challenge ourselves. We have both been pretty lucky with our classes and teachers in the past, so we are hoping that this coming semester will be the same. We are both taking 18 credits, and while that seems like a lot, it will help us to just get done that much quicker.
This summer has lasted forever it seems! But we have had so much fun travelling and visiting friends and family. Two weekends ago, I was able to go to my friends KT and Will Scarlett's wedding in Las Vegas. It was just absolutely beautiful and so much fun to see them, Whitney, and Bekah. It was my first time being actually IN the Las Vegas temple, and it was beautiful. They had so many friends and family at the sealing. The spirit was felt, and lots of tears of joy were shed. I love being in the temple. Whether it is for a sealing, or to do work for the deceased, you can always feel the spirit and can always receive answers to prayers and inspiration to guide your life. I am sure I wasn't the only one that felt the spirit so strongly that day.
My family is in Hawaii right now...so jealous! But I'm so happy for them that they get to relax and get some R&R. They have been working so hard lately, and deserved the break! Number one reason they are there is to check out BYU Hawaii for Haley. It is one of her top choices of schools for when she graduates next year. I have had lots of friends attend BYU-H and only have the best things to say about it. What better place to go to school?
Jason and I got to thinking (with a little help and prompting from Haley and Mom), what it would take to finish off our bachelor's there in Oahu. Why not? It is a church school, tuition is just barely over what we are paying now for a community college, we would be with Haley, and we would be in HAWAII! I'm having a hard time finding any cons to this choice, and only a whole bunch of pros, but we will see. I tend to make very crazy spontaneous decisions like that, while Jason tends to keep me grounded. He thinks it's a good idea too, just wants to make the best decision to fit our needs and for our future. We will keep you updated on what comes of that! But for now, I just need to focus on the schoolwork at hand, and do well in my classes so that I will have an easier time transferring to a university. Not to brag, but I made the dean's list this past school year...first time ever in college! Pretty excited about that, can't you tell?
Our job is...well, our job, and while we get paid very well and are learning valuable life lessons, I have come to the realization that I can't do this forever, and probably not even for another year. It is very difficult on me mentally. I have too much invested of myself in this job, which leads me to be disappointed every time something goes wrong, which is pretty much every day, as many of you may know. From residents running away to relapsing into their pasts of drugs and alcohol, it has become exceedingly difficult to do our job to keep them safe, all while not worrying too much about it and not taking it personally. I, being the emotional girl that I am, have a slightly more difficult time than Jason does, but that's to be expected. I'm not really complaining per se, just because it is such a great opportunity that we will be very grateful for later on, but it is just so hard sometimes! You start to care so much about these people, and then you are constantly disappointed by bad decisions that they make that effect their health and safety...oh well, enough of that!
Today we went to a barbecue that our boss hosted for all of his homes' staff and residents. It was fun, a little awkward, and veeeery hot outside. I got sunburned on my chest and arms just from sitting outside for 45 minutes. All the rain has melted (rain melts? who knew!) though, and houses are being repaired for miles and miles throughout Minnesota. For those of you who have not heard, Minnesota has had some pretty bad flooding the past week or so...not AS much here in Rochester but up North, many people lost their cars and houses due to the flash floods and heavy rains. Jason's parents lost half of their back yard in a mud slide, and our basement just got a little flooded, but nothing too serious. And boy am I grateful. If we owned a house that got damaged, we would NOT have been able to afford some of the repairs that other people have had to pay for. Luckily, our condo is on the third floor. So...if the water ended up reaching that high, we'd probably have bigger problems to worry about! =)
Oh! Recently, we purchased a weight bench/exercise machine at a secondhand exercise equipment store...such a good deal! It came with free weights, a lifting bench, and a "leg lift" attachment. That's not the technical term, but I don't know what else to call it! We have been on a strict exercise routine, haha. I'm actually quite proud of us because, while we ran a lot, it had been a while since either of us had lifted any weights...and boy have we been sore. But reeeeealllly good looking, so it's worth it. Just kidding. Jason is my personal trainer and helps tell me what to do since I'm pretty much lost when it comes to weight training, and even though he tells me what exercises are called, I end up just making up other names for them, like "Madonna Arms," which helps me remember what they are going to make me look like. Haha. You just wait...give me a few months and I'll be the female version of Ronnie Coleman. And if you don't know who that is, you don't wanna know! haha.
So that's about all that is new in our lives. I'm so excited for our future! I am finally being able to "glimpse" at our life in a few years, and I like-a-what-I-see! Oh no. I better stop now before I go completely Richard Simmons on you. Love you guys!