See, I do exercise...

I have recently become very concerned with the lack of exercise I have been exerting. However, on my seventh trip to the bathroom today at work I decided to count the number of steps. A round trip from my desk to the bathroom door is approximately 130 normal steps. 7 trips = 910 paces. According to a quick google of "how many normal steps are in a mile?" I discovered there are approximately 2000. That's almost a half a mile folks! I know, I'm amazing. I think starring in exercise videos is definitely in my future.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We are so excited to announce...

...that Baby Christensen #1 is due to arrive on or around June 4, 2009!

Things Change

It was only a little over a year ago that we said goodbye to Provo and hello to Indianapolis. Provo treated us well, it was where we met, dated, fell in love, and started our lives together. In Provo we graduated from [our first phase] college. Provo was comfortable: Kyle basically grew up there, and I lived there for 6 years. We left behind our families, great friends, fun stores, Bajio!, and much, much more. We said goodbye to provo....

...and hello to Indianapolis! Aside from a quick house hunting trip/job intereview, I had never been to Indiana (shoot, I honestly had never even considered living in Indiana!) We lived in Indiana almost exactly one year. And this year was anything but a short detour in our lives. We loved it there! I think just about everyday that if it weren't so stinkin' far away from "home" we would live there the rest of our lives! In Indiana we met many wonderful life-long friends and got to spend lots of time with my Indiana family! We went to a Colts game, the Speedway, Chicago, Kentucky, Ohio, Amish Country, and Nauvoo! In Indiana, Kyle graduated with a Masters degree from Purdue. However, staying in Indiana just wasn't in our cards. Kyle was accepted into dental school at the University of Southern California, so after twelve short months, we said farewell to Indy....

...and hello to Los Angeles! Like Indianapolis, Los Angeles was also a place that I never honestly considered living, but this is where we are, SO I am determined to like it. Don't get me wrong, living in Southern California definitely has it's perks; however, there are a few things that I could really do with out (i.e. traffic, proposition 8, about 9 million people, housing costs, the Lakers, etc.) Los Angeles (acutally S. Pasadena) is where we will live for the next 4 years as Kyle finishes college phase 3! It is where we will start our family (no, that's not an announcement), and it is where we are having so much fun with so many great new friends! So keep watching as I continue to update on the California stage of our lives!

Still in Indiana - (Part 3 - Notre Dame)

Our last Sunday in Indiana, we took a quick trip to South Bend with Brice and Camille to take a look at the Notre Dame campus. It is a beautiful campus; we are sure glad we were able to see it before we moved!

I think Charlie Weis' driver thought we were famous...(or just some more obnoxios photo takers...I'll be honest, I didn't know who he was, Kyle just said "hurry, take a picture!" So I did...)

Still in Indiana - (Part 2 - Indy Zoo)

Still in Indiana (Part 1 - Nauvoo)

As mentioned in my 8/5 post, we went to Nauvoo for the Anderson family reunion. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Blah-g Schmog....

It appears that some of you have noticed the neglect I have been showing our dear blog these past few months.  I have even received a death threat (from an unmentioned individual) to update soon, or else!  

I wish I could say that my lack of blogging stemmed from a lack of exciting things...but that would be far from the truth.  We have actually been going non-stop since, oh July.... and now I have procrastinated for so long, I am feeling a built-up pressure to make my first blog back clever, witty, and interesting.  Well my faithful blog followers, I will do just that...tomorrow...(minus the clever, witty, and interesting parts!)  You see I have this life motto, "don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow."  

So starting tomorrow, I Emily, promise to hereby dig deep into the iphoto archives and update all who care to read about our fun and exciting lives.  

See you then.  

White Coat Ceremony

As part of the dental school orientation, they have a white coat ceremony for all the incoming students. Doesn't he look sharp! (9/5/08)

Back by popular demand

Wow, I successfully managed to skip an entire month! July mostly felt like a whirlwind...but I will try to hit some highlights. Let's see, where did I leave off...


Moving: oh yeah, so we are moving in T-10 days, and I am REALLY sad! I don't feel ready to close the Indiana chapter. We have made so many life-long friends that I am going to really miss! But hopefully we will be able to stay in touch through this little gem of a blog. (I am also going to miss our darling affordable apartment, my short commute to work, my adorable primary class, the huge rain storms, the green everywhere, and Uncle Brice, Aunt Camille and their family [but I know I will see them again, so it makes that a little easier]!) But California...ready or not, here we come!

About California: I am sure that LA is great! In fact, I have been there before. Let's see it was November of 1996...so I basically know all the ins and outs!?!?! We do have an apartment arranged (thanks to the help of a couple of terrific people that I have yet to meet), and a way to get our stuff from point A to point B, so things are definitely looking up! Kyle starts orientation FOR DENTAL SCHOOL at USC on the 25th.

About Dental School: I don't know if I have mentioned on here how thankful we are that Kyle is in dental school! It really is a dream come true for Kyle. He has wanted to be a dentist for as long as he can remember (well, I guess there was a short-stint in elementary school where he wanted to be a car salesman...anyway, I gladly accept that change of heart.) I actually got to see first-hand the excitement the guy has for teeth when he came with me to the dentist the other day to watch as I had two cavities filled. I am not exaggerating when I say he was like a kid in a candy store! Sick, I know.

About sick: no, neither one of us is sick, but I liked ending that last paragraph like that, so now I need to think of some clever way to transition into talking about our trip to Nauvoo with Kyle's family. (I think I just did!)

About our trip to Nauvoo with Kyle's family: We were very lucky that the Anderson (Kyle's mom's family) family reunion was in Nauvoo this year because we live so close! Nauvoo is a really fun, interesting, and sacred place. It is hard to not leave there without a stronger testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the early Saints in our church! (I think that I am going to dedicate an entire post to our Nauvoo trip [with pictures]...but let me just say I am so lucky that I married into such a great family. It is so fun to be around Kyle's little sisters and parents and to feel like I am really a part of their family. We missed you Natalie and Keith!)

About the lack of pictures with this post: The self-proclaimed computer tech in our household (I am not going to mention any names, but it definitely isn't me) currently has our hard drive (with all of our pictures, documents, etc.) out of the computer. Don't ask me anything else about that, because I don't really understand either, and quite frankly I get a little irritated every time I think about it.

About love at home: just kidding. Although...things have been a little tense around here because I get a little stressed any time I have more than one thing going on...and that causes me to not be the bright and cheery person that I usually am (ha). But things are definitely looking up now that my test is out of the way.

About the CPA exam: well it is over (for now anyway) I have been very fortunate to be 3 for 3 on my last tests, but I am not so sure that I passed this last one. But I am still holding out for a miracle (I should find out in about a month.) It would be really nice to never have to deal with those dreaded things again! Plus it might translate into additional $$$ when I find a job in California.

About me working in California: No, I haven't found a job yet...but I have several great prospects! I have a couple of interviews lined up shortly after we get there. Hopefully I will just happen upon the "perfect" job, that will allow me to work there at my convenience during the next four years.

Well I guess that about does it for this time. See you next month.

Be Still (My 'Be' Progression Part II)

I am not sure if this is one of President Hinckley's Be's (just checked...it isn't), but I am going to focus on it anyways, so bear with me.  

The last two days I have been thinking about something pretty much constantly.  It is hard to summarize on paper, but in a nutshell it is: at what point in my life will I be satisfied with the now?  In review of my past year, (this has actually been a challenge for me extending well beyond this past year...) I don't think that I have ever taken a moment to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the now.  By "now" I mean the exact minute, hour, day, etc.  It seems that I have been waking up each morning with the hopes that the day will just go by quickly (whether it be work, studying, my primary class, my commute to work, etc.)  When I look back, it seems that I never really even paid much attention to what was going on in this year.  My entire focus has been..."next year, when Kyle is in dental school" or "when we start a family" or "when I am done with my tests,"  etc., I think you get the point.  

So for the next little while, I am going to focus on being still and just enjoying life as it happens.  I going to try to not stress [myself out] that I have a test in less than a month that I am more than under-prepared for or that we are moving in a little over a month and we have no idea where we will live or where I will work or how we are going to move our stuff there or how we will pay for school.  Don't get me wrong, I am not going to ignore these things, I am just going to try to enjoy the process of accomplishing them.  

I would love to hear all of your thoughts on how you maintain focus on the present without constantly stressing about the future. 

Brace Yourself!

You want new posts? You got 'um!
(Scroll down...I have added 10 posts tonight.)

Cousin Time

My Grandma B. and a couple of my teenage girl cousins came to Indiana to visit. So this past Friday and Saturday we went up to N. Manchester to see them. Kyle, Brice, and I went golfing, we went to R's soccer game, we went swimming, and celebrated C's 6th birthday. We have such fun family!

Golfing

Last Tuesday Kyle had a day off of work, so the minute I got home from work he informed me that we were going golfing. It was a beautiful evening! And I didn't do too shabby for my first time out (probably better than I did any time last year!)

(we can't add...but that's not the point, I beat Kyle!)

Timeout

My little brother Mitch just called to inform me that I haven't posted any pictures of him recently. He said a lot more people would look at my blog if I did.

Here you go Mitch....this one's for you.

(isn't he such a stud?)

3 down...1 to go!

I just found out I passed test #3. One more test until freedom (and hopefully a larger pay check :) )

VISITORS!

Two weeks ago my parents were able to come and visit for a week. We had a great time. Kyle and I were able to take a couple of days off of work to go touring with them (see posts below).

Chicago!

*warning...the following pictures contain some extreme tourism.


While my parents were here this past week, we made a quick trip to Chicago. Unfortunately it was raining most of the day, but we still had a GREAT time.

The highlight of the trip however, was probably seeing Wicked. My mom, Kyle and I had all seen it before in New York, but we all loved it just as much the second time!

Kentucky

On the Friday before my parents left, we took another day trip, this time down to Kentucky. We drove from Indianapolis, to Louisville, to Frankfort, to Lexington and made it back to Indy just before the largest storm since the early 1900s hit.

Our first stop was Churchill Downs in Louisville.


In Frankfort, we toured the Kentucky state capital. (My dad is the assistant majority leader for the House of Representatives in Idaho, so when we are in other states, we always migrate towards the state's capital city to look at the various capitol buildings...I been to many capitol buildings, but you know the odd thing...I don't think I have ever been in Utah's....anyways)

After the capitol, we ate lunch and then went and toured Buffalo Trace Distillery. That's right, a bourbon distillery. Turns out 98% of the world's bourbon is made in Kentucky. The tour was actually very interesting.

When in Indiana...

...do as the hoosiers do.

...and go to the Speedway [in the pouring rain] the day before the Indy 500 for Carb Day!

Master Kyle

At the beginning of May, Kyle graduated with his Masters in Biology from the Purdue School of Science on the IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis) campus.  

Kyle, now that you have graduated with your Masters, what are you going to do?  Well, work at Costco...(and THEN go to Disneyland, of course!)

Be Grateful

*NOTE: I am about to do something I have never done on my blog before--share the spiritual side of myself.  So I am warning you now, I am going to just start typing (no proof-reading, no holding back!)  But I have a lot of things that I have been wanting to get off of my chest.  So if you read any further, remember you were sufficiently warned!   

One day at work this past week I was having a really bad day, it seemed that everything going on in my life all seemed to cross paths within the matter of one hour. The stress of everything had finally gotten to me, and you know what, I cracked.  Right there. At my desk.  At work.  This caused me to have a moment of self-reflection.  (This [self-reflection, not cracking...luckily] actually happens quite often at work...I am always thinking of things that I could (or would rather) be doing or even more typically, I am thinking of things that I should be doing to improve myself.)   Well this particular time, I decided it was time to get rid of the coulds, the woulds, and the shoulds.  Now, I realize this is a lofty goal and something that I definitely cannot accomplish over night, so I started brain-storming to come up with a plan of attack that would baby-step me into the person that I can potentially become.  Almost instantly I was reminded of a talk that President Hinckley gave my senior year in high school, "The Message: A Prophet's Counsel and Prayer for Youth," affectionately referred to as "the 'Be' talk."  

In this talk, President Hinckley states, among many other really great things, "I make you a promise that God will not forsake you if you will walk in His paths with the guidance of His commandments."

I decided that I would focus on one of His "Be's" each week and occasionally report my progression on my blog.  (Don't gasp, you can choose not to read it!)

Week One:  Be Grateful! 

I don't think that it is any coincidence that gratitude is the first on the list.  I have come to realize that you can make it a pretty long ways on gratitude alone! I am so grateful that this was the first one on President Hinckley's list because I have a lot to be grateful for that I often take for granted.  

Today is Mother's day so that is where I am going to start.  I am very grateful for my Mom.  Aside from Kyle, she is truly my best friend.  I love her so much, and rarely give her the credit that she deserves.  She is my number one supporter, and my number one fan.  She sacrifices so much for me and my family.  I think that each one of us, including Kyle and the dog, could honestly say that we each think that we are my mom's favorite! I don't know how she does all that she does!  I love you Mom.  

I am so grateful for Kyle.  He truly is my compliment.  We have so much fun together, and I love being around him.  I am so proud of all of his hard work and I learn so much from him and his character each day.  I am so happy that he got into dental school and gets to fulfill his dream of becoming a dentist.  I know that he is going to be an awesome one!  (I could go on and on and on....but let's be honest, this isn't the place!) I love you Kyle.

I am so grateful for both of our families.  We both have great parents that raised us well, taught us the gospel and led by example.  We both have amazing siblings that are all doing amazing things.  We are excited that we will soon be a little closer to them so we can share in more of their excitement.

I am grateful for my close friends.  Looking back, I have made so many life-long friends over the course of my life.  I have learned so many different things from each of them...but the common denominator is they have helped me become a better person.

I am grateful for my education.  I don't really like to work every day, and even more so I don't really like to spend all of my free time studying for the CPA exam, but I am grateful that I can have a good job that supports us right now and will allow me the freedom to scale back when the time comes.  I am thankful that when we move to California my accounting education will allow me to easily find a job.

 I am thankful that I was able to attend BYU and to have professors that cared about not only their jobs but also about me individually.  I am thankful for all of my classmates there, I just wish that I had say three more years.  

I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I am thankful that we have had the opportunity to live here in Indiana because it has really helped my testimony grow.  I have been able to share with my co-workers about my beliefs, and I have able to know what a ward-family really means.  I won't bear my testimony here, but I am really thankful for the guidance that I receive by knowing just an inkling of the greater plan for me.  

I am grateful for so many other things, but I am afraid that I have already bored you all to tears.  But this has been a good exercise for me.  I rarely publicly (I say publicly, because I don't know who will see or read this) express my feelings.  I challenge each of you this week to think of all of the things that you are grateful for! 

Blogging

Hi everybody! I realize I have been away for a while, and I promise that I will come up with something cute, creative, AND exciting to write about in the very near future! Until then...keep coming back :)

P.S. I DID talk to my boss (even though Keith wouldn't have). And I think that it went as good as it could have. The only reprucussion so far, is that I won't be able to attend a week of "tax camp" training during June. Bummer. I am sure that it would have been v e r y fun AND exciting. ;-)

The big day!

About a month ago (a couple of weeks after we found out...but before I had broken the news) at work my boss came to my desk first thing in the morning.  This is how our conversation went...

Susan:  I had a dream you were moving to Northern California; you aren't moving to Northern California are you?

Emily:  Northern California?  Nope, I am not moving to Northern California.

Susan:  Good.  I was actually really worried.

So...I am going to tell her the big news tomorrow.  I have had a really hard time deciding when I should break the news...I know that I am not legally obligated to tell her this soon, but I really feel that I would be being dishonest with her to wait any longer.  It wouldn't be so hard if I didn't like her so much.  In the end, there might be some monetary repercussions, but at least I will have a clear conscience.  Wish me luck. 

P.S. If you think that I am a fool and made the wrong decision, don't tell me.  Just make lots of comments on how you would have done the exact same thing :) 

Thunder!

...du du du, daaaaa, da, da, DA...THUNDER! (FYI, it is really hard to sing via the blog)

Yesterday we celebrated my first Saturday off in 3 months by going to Thunder over Louisville.  "Thunder" is the kick-off event for the Derby (aka "Kentucky Derby"--if you are an out-of-towner) which is in three weeks.  It entails an afternoon air show followed by "the Country's best" firework show.   Picture a half a million of Southern Indiana and Kentucky's finest (don't be afraid to use stereotypes) all smashed together on the banks of the Ohio river for five hours in 45 degree weather (36 if you factor in the wind chill); however, the fireworks were really good.

Back to "The Derby."  So Kyle and I have casually discussed going to the Kentucky Derby (we are out-of-towners, as is evident by the following story), so we thought, you know, we are in Louisville, we should just drive ourselves over to Churchill Downs and see what kind of tickets we could scrounge up.   The girl behind the desk just looked at us like we were idiots as she asked "for this year???" So I guess "The Derby" is one of the hardest sporting events to get tickets to. Who knew a little horse race could be so popular?

All in all, it was a good day.  Just another Indiana adventure.

You know you are in Kentucky when....

...you see people on a Prom date at Bass Pro Shops. 

For fun, here is the decoy shot.

you can see his sleeve in the corner of the previous picture.

Me

I spent the afternoon sorting through clothes that no longer fit and/or are no longer in style, and scheming of ways I could lose those extra pounds that have some how shown up in the past two years.  Then I ate a big bowl of ice cream (with hot fudge AND whip cream...).  I am pathetic. 

WAHOO!!!!!

This is Lindsay

Lindsay is one of Kyle's sisters

Lindsay likes to dance!

Lindsay found out today that she made it on the Cougarettes Dance Team!

WAY TO GO LINDSAY!
We are so proud of you!



This is Valerie

Valerie is my sister

Valerie is very studious!

Valerie is very interested in Medically related things!

Valerie found out yesterday that she got into two radiology programs!

WAY TO GO VALERIE!
We are also so proud of you!

Two years older and wiser too!

So I guess since both of our birthdays have come and gone, it is time to update the bloggity blog and let you all know about how we rang in our respective 25th birthdays.  

I will be honest, with our anniversary, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and both birthdays falling within two and a half months of each other, there was definitely a lack of creativity, BUT alas the birthdays must go on.  

For Kyle's big day, I went with the theme gift.  I got him this movie...

and we went and watched a Butler University basketball game (Butler is a local school that is currently ranked #10 in the nation) in Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Hinkle Fieldhouse, which was built in the 1920s, is the venue of the climatical championship game in the movie Hoosiers.  

Here are a couple of pictures from the big game. (ok actually one...my borrowed internet is struggling)

My birthday was also exciting!  Although it was on a Saturday, I had the pleasure of working throughout the morning and then spending the rest of the day with Kyle.  We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (believe it or not...we DIDN'T eat any cheesecake, I figured I would save my eight bucks and buy the ramekins used to make these) and went to the movie Vantage Point  (pretty good flick...I would give it a B "entertaining, but don't need to own it").  

All in all, the best gift for both of us would definitely be the dental school news.  We are so excited to begin that chapter of our lives; although we (well, definitely me) are not too excited to leave the friends we have made here in Indiana.  BUT, we don't have to think about that quite yet...we are only half-way through our detour here to Indiana.  

Mmmmm...PART TWO

Mmmmm...

I love molten chocolate cake.  And this recipe was amazing!

(for recipe, click on the word "this" and scroll to almost the bottom of the page)