General Conference Weekend

This week has been pretty busy but good. The weather can't seem to make up it's mind either......snow, rain, sunshine you name it.

I was in training all last week for my new position as CMR. It was good, but I'm glad it's over with. I'm ready to get started but unfortunately I still don't have access to all the systems I'm supposed to. Hopefully later this week I'll be up and running. I'm anxious to get started.

Monday Steve and I had a little date night/fhe. We watched Celebrity Apprentice during dinner, then went and did one of our home teaching assignments, then went and played racquetball. It was really fun! Steve said I'm getting better so it's getting more competitive (in a fun way). Afterwards we hit up the hot-tub----oh sooo nice!

Last Tuesday I had Relief Society training at the Tabernacle downtown. Since I work downtown I figured I'd just walk over after work. I had about 1 1/2 hrs in between work and when it started so I decided to go to the temple and do some initiatories. It worked out just right! I was able to do my 5 names then made it over to the Tabernacle w/ 10 minutes to spare. I met my secretary and 1st counselor there too. It was really good. Sister Beck, Allred and Thompson had some really good information to share on how to make our wards/branches function better when it comes to Relief Society.

Steve also went to the University of Utah for their Transfer Student Orientation. They had a lot of good information for him and he got signed up for 2 of his classes as well. After talking we decided to take 2 more classes at SLCC as well for the summer (since it's cheaper and he only needs a certain amount of upper division classes to graduate).

Wednesday after training I met w/ my new VT Coordinator for a couple hours and taught her some things I learned from the training we had the day before. I really liked what Sister Beck said about visiting teaching. She said, "It's the caring that counts. Count the caring." We're trying to help our sisters realized the importance of visiting teaching and to show real concern for the families they are assigned.

Thursday I also had Stake Leadership training, which was good also. The Stake RS Presidency focused on going back to the basics of Relief Society, which helped me a lot. I also talked to President Thorup (our branch president) afterwords for almost and hour about how to improve some areas of the Relief Society.

Friday was beautiful!!! We finished training early so we decided to go on a hike w/ Zach and Ali. They met us here, then we went to Subway to meet Rob, picked up a sandwich and chips, and went to the canyon. We hiked up Little Bell Reservoir, (our favorite hike if you couldn't tell), ate dinner, then fished a little. We then hiked back as the sun was setting, and rented a movie "The Tourist." It was a lot of fun; can't wait for summertime! Here are some pics.

Such a beautiful day!!!!

Cute Stevie

Zach giving it a try

Zach and Ali

Steve caught 3 fish in like 3 minutes! Nice job honey ;)

Steve and I at Little Bell

Beautiful Sunset

Saturday we slept in til 10, because we could and we were pretty tired from the week. We then listened to conference all day. There definitely was some good advice given during the talks (both days). Steve decided to make fly fishing flies while watching....multitasking I know!

Steve making flies while watching conference on Saturday

Sunday it was completely different (in terms of weather) to Friday. We had sooo much snow dumped on us over night it was crazy! Again we watched conference and enjoyed our time together. That night we went over to Jeff/Kim's and played "Ticket to Ride." It was fun!

We woke up to snow Sunday morning (big contrast from Friday's 72 Degrees)

There was a screw in the tire Monday morning.....urg, but luckily Steve fixed it for me while I was at work.

Spring?

It's supposed to be Spring but we got snow at least 3 times this week, including last night. What can you do?

Well this week was officially my last week in RSR. I'll start training this week for CMR and then start next week in that position. I'm excited for it and a little nervous too. I'll be learning new things but I'm sure I'll figure it out after a while.

Steve has been back to school after Spring Break last week. He also has orientation at the U this Tuesday to get his classes scheduled and used to the campus. One more month of SLCC classes then onto the U.

Tuesday after work we went to our branch temple night. We picked up a brother from the branch (his wife was gone for the week), and headed out. It was a good session even though we were small in numbers.

Wednesday night I met w/ President Thorup and the Elder's Quorum President to discuss home and visiting teaching. We had more move in's this past month so we rearranged some assignments. It was good to get things done even though it was a long meeting.

Thursday my 1st counselor and I went to welcome a new sister to the branch. Her and her husband moved down from Logan recently. They seemed like a great family.

Friday we officially booked our cruise!!!! We're going on an ALASKAN CRUISE w/ Disney!!! We're so excited!!! It'll be the first week of May! Can't wait!!!! I'm finally updating my passport to my married name too....better get back in time ;)

Steve picked me up after work and we went to visit Stacie, Phill and London. Stacie made some YUMMY chicken tortilla soup then we had brownies and ice cream for dessert (Steve actually made the brownies since he and Zack ate the ones I made the night before). After dinner Stacie and I went to Starbucks to review some math problems. She took a placement test the next day to get into a math class. She did great! When we got back we played 2 rounds of "Ticket to Ride" w/ the boys. London was so cute. As we came in Steve had a beeny on so she didn't recognize him, but as soon as he took it off she was like, oh yeah that's my Stevie Bear, and cuddled right up.

Uncle Stevie w/ cute London......he's her big teddy bear ;)

In an hour were going to a BBQ. I was going to make a cheesecake, but it didn't quite turn out, so since I made the crusts already I used them anyway. Instead I made a lemon meringue pie and chocolate pudding pie. Hope they taste well.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Well I have 2 Relief Society trainings this week. One on Tuesday at the Tabernacle and one on Thursday at the Stake. Should be helpful. Hope all is well. Keep us posted.

Changes....

Well in case you did hear, not only was Steve accepted to the U last week, but I also got offered the CMR position as well. This was actually my 3rd time applying for it, but most have to apply several times before being accepted. In this position I'll be supporting our customers who have managed accounts through Fidelity. We're the relationship side of the managed accounts so customers can call us when they have questions about their accounts, plus we call them at least annually to make sure they're in the portfolio that best suites their needs. The great thing about this position is that it shouldn't require overtime and I'll still be paid more than before. It's kindof ironic how things work out. The same week we decided for Steve to apply to the U, my position posted. And the same week Steve got accepted I got the position. We'll now be able to pay for the increase tuition cost at the U (it's double what SLCC is now)! The Lord truly does bless us.

Last weekend we drove up to Idaho so see my nephew Wade get baptized. I took Friday off so we could head out in the morning. We left by 10 am and got there by 3:30 pm or so since we stopped a couple times on the way. When we got there dad was cooking a turkey in the big dutch oven that we gave him last year. Steve helped him finish cooking it, then we had it for dinner. Grandma Hegerhorst came over too. The food was great and the company was even better! After dinner we played a game of "Ticket to Ride" w/ grandma, then we had to go home. We then watched a movie w/ dad (we brought some of Dave's up for him to watch).

The HUGE Dutch Oven

Dad and Steve after bringing the finished turkey in

The finished Turkey

The next day Steve went out w/ my dad to shoot some birds and ended up trapping gophers too. I worked on my homework paper most of the morning, then in the afternoon we got cleaned up and headed over to the church for the baptism. There was a good turnout for it and the meeting went well. Steve even got to give a talk on the Holy Ghost, which turned out really well. We were glad to be there for him on his special day. Barbara and Rich came down and stayed the night which was fun. We went back to the house and played some games, mainly Kristi, Barb and I. Good times ;)

On Sunday during sacrament meeting Wade was confirmed by my dad. It was neat to see his confirmation. After church we went home and had lunch w/ my parents, then packed up and went home. It's always a fast trip but a good one.

This whole week Steve has been off on Spring Break. He has gone to his parents and walked their dog Bailey a couple times and mainly been working on our bathroom wall/light. We put in a new light above the mirror, but unfortunately their was as whole in the wall so he's been dry walling it again. He's still not done but it's looking a lot better.

On Monday the 14th Steve and Rob picked me up after work and headed up to Stacie and Phil's for dinner. They made hamburgers, yumm, then the boys headed to Home Depot to get supplies to make a frame for their 2nd bathroom. Well the boys were gone quit a while and Stacie and I were upstairs w/out our phones (which they tried to call several times), so they just came home empty handed. They were trying to get wood that looked like their bathroom cabinets but couldn't find anything they liked, hence they came home empty handed. The good news is they know more about what they're trying to find. They also want to put stones in place outside so they can put a BBQ on it. We then all watched the last of the final episode of the Bachelor. It was a fun evening and good to spend time w/ them.

Tuesday after work (I stayed late), Steve went w/ me over to the church where we set up tables, chairs and put tablecloths on for our Relief Society Dinner the next day. We also gathered up the plates, napkins, forks, etc that we were going to use. I then talked to President Thorup for a while, since I wasn't there on Sunday. Steve was pretty hungry by this time, so we went over to Red Robins for a burger and fries. Yumm!

Wednesday I came home early from work in order to make it to our RS Dinner and help make sure it was all set up. I had noticed we had flower arrangements in our RS closets, so I had Steve get them out and put on the tables for centerpieces (the tables looked incomplete w/out them). We had a really good turn out for the dinner too. A lot of sisters brought food for our potluck, then we had a music number, and speaker, Sister Thorup. She talked about how to get to know other people and be kind and charitable in small ways. It was really good. We then had a couple games while we ate cake and ice cream. The whole night turned out really well, especially for our first BIG RS event.

Thursday I organized a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work. We put our lunches together w/ our team meeting and ended up eating while watching games of the NCAA and The Office. A guy on my team even made corned beef and cabbage in light of the holiday. It was alright but definitely not my favorite. I also had an interview assignment I had to do w/ another girl from my online class. I think it went well.

Friday I took the day off so I could get caught up on some things, and to spend time w/ Steve since he didn't have class. I also met w/ my new secretary, Cara, to go over some things. We went grocery shopping and watched a movie over at Dave/Joann's and invited Rob over. We then played "Ticket to Ride."

Saturday we did some cleaning, played racquetball, then went over to Dave/Joann's again. I also finished homework and did some RS stuff.

Today we got a new counselor in our branch presidency and I got 5 new sisters called to different positions. My secretary was sustained, 2 temple coordinators, my visiting teaching coordinator, and compassionate service leader and assistant. Several our moving out and lots have moved in recently so we're trying to juggle it all. Having more sisters in callings helps out a lot though. After church we had our Munch and Mingle, then we headed over to LuDean's for dinner w/ all Steve's family. Dave made his yummy ribs, then Joann gave a good lesson on prophets.

Well this will be my last week in my current role, then I'll start training on the 28th for my new role. I'm excited to get started but every role has a learning curve. Steve is excited to get back to school as well. He'll be doing full time school until next fall in order to finish his Bachelors, but it'll be nice to get it over with. Hope all is well. Have a great week!!!!

Hike and stuff

Well first things first.....Steve has officially been accepted to the University of Utah for this Summer semester! After he takes a couple classes Summer Semester we'll then apply to the College of Health in the Department of Health Promotion and Education w/ an emphasis in Emergency Medical Services. He'll get to take an EMT class this fall, which I'm sure he'll like. We're excited to get things going and get working on his Bachelors, which we plan to finish next Summer or Fall. I'll also be done w/ my MBA by next March....yeah!!! Then after his Bachelors we'll apply for PA school.

Besides school, Steve and I enjoyed last week together for once! Since Steve is no longer working and I'm taking an online class we have more time to be together at home; it's so great! We spent Monday just relaxing and Friday we even went on a date! It's been 6 months basically since we've had a Friday night together, crazy how fast time goes. Steve met me at Gateway where we then went to a movie. I had gotten the tickets during my lunch so we were ready to go. Plus it was the 5:30 pm showing which gave us Matinee prices, yeah! We invited Rob (and others to come) but only Rob ended up making it. Afterwards we picked up some food at Rumbi's then went back to our place to play "Ticket to Ride." Zack and Ali came over to play too. It was a lot of fun; love that game!

Saturday we slept in, then went on a hike up Little Bell Reservoir. It was kinda sunny and we wanted to get out (and Steve wanted to fish), so we chose to go a hike. The pathway was still somewhat snowy, but it was a great hike nonetheless. When we got to the top there was another couple just finishing fishing. Steve said they scared away all the fish though, but it was still fun. There were cute duckies in the pond too.

Cute duckies getting food

More duckies

Steve getting ready to fish

Beautiful Mountains

Just about ready to go......notice how low the water is

Ducks again

Still plenty of snow on mountains

Steve and I at Little Bell Resevoir

When we got back from hiking, we hurried and cleaned up and headed to the Jordan River Temple to do some initiatories. It was a great experience and the peace there. It's definitely one of our favorite places to be! Ironically there were ducks outside of the temple too, just eating the nuts by the trees. I think they were following us....:)

Ducks at the temple too!

We also got our other blinds in and put them up! They were for the living room blinds, which are HUGE!!! They are like 100 inches wide and 86 inches tall! The old ones were basically broken since we moved in, but since they're so humongous and a little expensive due to their size, we've been dealing with it. Here are some pictures.

Old blinds falling apart

Old yucky blinds

Old blinds



New blinds!!!! So white and clean!

And most importantly they WORK!!

We're excited to go up to Idaho this weekend for Wade's Baptism. We're so proud of him and his decision and want to be there to support him. I've also got LOTS of callings to make this next little bit. We've had a bunch of sisters move in these past couple weeks and will also be having several of my main sisters moving this month. I know the Lord will help me. I need to just trust in Him and know I'll be able to find replacements and train them even better than the last.

Love ya lots,
Steve and Penny :)

Updates......

So this past weekend we made some updates to the condo (since I got my gift card from our last campaign). We ordered new blinds online first thing! We've been meaning to replace them since we moved in but they haven't been "top" priority, so we finally got around to replacing them. The kitchen ones came first so we put them up on Saturday. The living room blinds are still being made I guess.

Kitchen blinds BEFORE replacing them........

Blinds AFTER.......sooo much better!


Kitchen before raising the ceiling and changing light out


A little decor above the microwave (now that we have room)

Our Bathroom BEFORE we updated it.... no frame and not my favorite lights...

Steve and Rob putting the first board of the frame up

2 board up now....

Our brooms helping to secure the boards (Steve and Rob's invention)



The frame is complete!!! Looks sooo much better ;)

Another angle of the completed frame

New light fixture (bright lights I know), we just need to paint over the old wall

New fan/light in the bathroom (which is brighter and circulates more air) and shower rod

Cute flower Steve got for me for Valentine's Day ;)

Steve's invention, garbage bag shirt (weaved). We made these for our family get together last Sunday and then had to wear them while eating, since we used utensils for silverware. It was fun and good to visit w/ everyone.

So, besides our condo updates.......we've been staying busy don't worry. A lot of things happened last week which has helped us in some decisions. We've been praying and thinking about what to do w/ Steve's work and school situation. Then last Wednesday we had our branch temple night which helped solidify our decisions. We've been talking about Steve getting his bachelors in something other than nursing, in the hopes of completing his degree sooner and moving on to school to become a Physician's Assistant. Well after the session we both felt strongly about moving forward with his bachelors, not in nursing. I had been looking up other health related fields at the U and we decided on Health Promotion and Education w/ an emphasis in emergency medical services. He then met w/ a counselor that morning and realized he could get done w/ his degree by next Summer or Fall. So, the next day I helped him apply to the U, so we're planning to have him start this Summer and get moving.

We've also been praying about what to do about his work. Needless to say it hasn't been the best of circumstances to work in. So, Friday while at work, his boss comes up to him and tells him she needs to talk to him. She then went on to say that since he wasn't going to take his radiology test to be certified that she was going to cut his pay (she wanted him to take the test but we'd have to pay for it, and he doesn't even need it since he's going on to PA school). She wasn't going cut his pay a little, but more than the secretaries (seriously, come on). So he said he'll just quit and give her his 2 weeks notice. She of course was very happy about that and said, "actually we've only scheduled you for Saturday and Monday and then you'll be done." Well after Steve got home from work Friday night we decided that he would just be done then since she wouldn't even give him 2 weeks. So Saturday morning he called her and let her know. She wasn't too happy about it, but it worked out.

So Saturday, we got to sleep in, then I made cookies for 2 families we home teach. I had Steve deliver them while I jumped in the shower real quick, then Dave came and picked us up to go to a play "The Tale of Two Cities." We also picked up LuDean (she actually bought the tickets). We met Stacie and their Aunt Julie and her friend and LuDean's sister Madella there. None of us could remember exactly what it was about, but it ended up being a REALLY great play. The actors/actresses did a great job, and even though it was a musical Steve actually enjoyed it. The stage was incredible too; I'd never seen one like this before. It was in a circle so the audience was all around them. It was really cool since they could change scenes quickly and you could see different angles that your normally couldn't. It was awesome!!! I would highly recommend it! Afterwards Joann and Phil met us at Red Robins, yummm! Thanks again LuDean for taking us; we loved it!!! That night we went over to Dave's and played "Ticket to Ride," so fun!

Well, I've been busy at work putting in at least 6 hours over time (since it's tax season and "strongly encouraged"), and visiting all the new sisters moving into the branch. We've had a lot of people move in since I've been put in in November, but I have a feeling we're going to have a bunch of people move out come Spring/Summer time. It's just the way it is here since most are in apartments, but it's fun to meet new people. It keeps us on our toes and keeps it interesting for sure. I also finished my Stats class this past Thursday; took my final at home and aced it! One more class done, now I'm taking an online class "Managerial Communication" which should be a good refresher. After this one 3 more electives and my capstone......getting closer. I just realized I'll finish my Masters by this time next year then Steve will finish his Bachelors, yeah!!! Nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel even though Steve will have another 2 yrs or so it's at least a lot closer to where we're headed.

The week before I also filed our taxes, now just waiting for our federal refund (received our state one already). We also went and had small part replaced in my corolla. Toyota sent out a letter stating the 2005 Corollas might have been affected (some engine module thing), so we went to a dealership to have it looked at and they ended up replacing the part, for free of course. I'm glad we took the time to have it looked at. That night we met up w/ my old companions Sister McPherron (Britney Graham now) and her husband Joe. We went to Texas Road House for dinner (Steve and I split ribs, yumm) then came back and played "Ticket to Ride." It was fun catching up w/ them and hanging out.

Saturday the 12th we had the Worldwide Leadership Training; it was incredible! The information should be available on www.lds.org so anyone can go review it. A couple things I got from it was to remember what we're all about. This work is about families and our salvation. As we go about our callings we need to remember this and realize that we're not just doing things just to do them, this is to help ourselves and others return to our Father in Heaven. It is only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can return to live w/ Him again. I saw this clip on lds.org and it reminded me of the importance of temples and the work we need to do there. https://lds.org/youth/video/kyiv-ukraine-temple-cultural-celebration?lang=eng Check it out! It brought tears to my eyes. We are so blessed to have so many temples so close to not only do our own work but the work of others. It reminded me when on my mission and the sacrifice those members go through just to attend the temple, maybe only once every couple years. I hope we're all taking advantage of our temples and more importantly realizing the responsibility we have, "where much is given much is required." Families really can be sealed together forever! We really do have a living prophet today who leads and guides us. I love the temple so much and desire everyone to go, again and again!

Well we found out Saturday that my nephew Wade has chosen to be baptized on March 12th so we'll be going up to Idaho for that. We're soooo excited for him! Can't wait to go and be there to help celebrate his special day! We love you! :)

My 27th Birthday!!!!

So this year my birthday happened to fall on Thursday, which so happens to be the same day I have class. So we decided to celebrate it on Wednesday since Steve has to work til 10pm on Friday and I have all sorts of things going on Saturday. We had planned to go out to eat at Red Robin, since it's one of my favorite restaurants, and I got a free burger coupon for my birthday. All week Steve was confirming that I'd be home by 6:45pm so we could leave the house at 7 pm. So I made sure I caught the 6 o'clock train and made it home by 6:45pm. I then hurried and changed and we left to the restaurant.

(Steve refilled the balloon he got from his b-day. Ironically it was still floating 3 months later)

When we got there, for some reason I decided to let Steve open my door (usually he just gets it when I'm getting in). So, he came over, opened my door and I got out. I then went to give him a kiss and we both got SERIOUSLY shocked on our bottom lip, I mean talk about electric shock! So that didn't feel so good and we were talking about it as we were getting to the door when I saw this car that looked just like his Dad's. I was about to say, "that looks just like you're dad's car" when Steve strategically pulled me in close. I didn't think anything of it and we continued to walk to the door. As we got in Steve was like, "McGrath party of 2," and said it a couple times kinda strangely. I was thinking, "I think she can see there are 2 of us." Well, as we go around the corner I notice Steve's parents, Grandma, Aunt Diane, Rob, my friend Eve and her boyfriend Darrell all sitting there waiting for us. I had no clue what was going on!! I can honestly say I was completely surprised for once!!! (I usually figure out when Steve is up to something).

We had a great time at dinner. The burgers were great and the company was even better! Our waitress brought out a chocolate ice cream cake slice for me (kinda funny it fell over and some fell on Eve and I) and then everyone sang happy birthday to me. When we got done w/ dinner, we went back to our place for cake and ice cream; Joann bought a yummy Snickers cake for me :). Steve then had to add all 27 candles and light them so I could blow them out. I was a little intimidated to get them all, but managed to be successful.

Lighting all 27 candles....

Steve and I just before making a wish.....

Got them all!!!!

We then opened cards and the gift Steve got me. He got the game "Ticket to Ride" that I talked about recently. I was sooo excited!! Steve said it definitely must be a hot item since there were only 2 games in the SLC valley. After chit chatting for a while everyone left but Rob, so we decided to play 1 round of the game. It was a lot of fun, even if Rob didn't let me win.....next time ;)

Not sure what Rob was doing or how this happened......

Steve, Darrell, Me, Eve, Dave, Joann and Rob

New game "Ticket to Ride" ..... so fun!

I'll have to admit Steve did a great job keeping it a secret from me. I was soooo surprised the whole evening!!! It was one of the funnest birthday's in a while. Thanks honey!

The next day, my actual birthday, I went to work and had class til 9:30pm but it was still fun. Steve put a pizza in the oven so when I got home we had a quick dinner before I had to go to class. I also had a lot of posts on Facebook wishing me a Happy Birthday, e-cards (Rose and Barb), phone calls, texts, etc. Thanks for the happy birthday song Mom, Dad, and Pauline. THANKS EVERYONE, YOU MADE MY DAY VERY SPECIAL!!!!!! Love ya all lots!!!

Other than my birthday, we've been busy w/ school and work. Steve and I have both been sick these last couple weeks, but we're hanging in there. I started another campaign last week which will run until the end of March. It's also tax season so we're "strongly encouraged" to do 6 hours of overtime. I have one more week of my class, then my final for my stats class. Steve decided to just audit his Spanish class since he doesn't need the credits and so he can focus on his other 2 classes. We also received his diplomas this week. He got his Associates of Science and Medical Assisting Certificate, both he graduated with honors. I'm so proud of him!

Steve showing off his diplomas

We had Eve and Darrell over last Friday for dinner. Steve ended up having to work, but since Eve is working downtown now we decided to still get together. We ended up both working til 7 pm, then Darrell came and picked us up. We then went back to our place where I starting making pizza dough while they went to pick up some toppings. By the time the pizza was done, we started watching "Blind Side" then Steve came home. After the movie we had brownies and ice cream and played a couple games of "Old Margarete." It was fun! It's nice having Evie back in the same building again too so we can have lunch together every so often and hang out more after work too ;)

Can't believe we're almost half way through February already. We're trying to see what trips we want to go on this year. We'll keep you posted......Have a great weekend! ;)