link to your backyard...

I am a bit excited to maybe have part in this new backyard blog... which i encourage all to invite. I am currently in two soil science classes (possibly one of the nerdiest things I have ever said in my life). But we are learning about soils and their compositions, etc. I am also taking an interior landscaping class which has so far been one of my favorite classes of all time. It's fascinating seeing all of the different types of plants that are on the earth. We are studying the effects they have on people's lives in the home and in offices, etc. It is incredible what they do. For example, a testing center at a university did a study once where they split their room into 2 sections and randomly sent students to either side of the wall. On one side, the room had no changes and student performance had no change. On the new side of the wall, plants were placed randomly and they noticed an average higher test score, lower stress levels,and a faster test-taking pace. Other contributions of plants is it reduces sicknesses. Work places spend tons of money trying to filter their air, but a room of about 1500 square feet, if it has just a few small indoor plants, that will do the trick, plus the other aesthetic benefits.Not to sound really fem. like my family already suggests I am, but it's very relaxing and look at all of the options you have. We get to work in the campus greenhouse this semester. Also we will be taking some of the plants home to see if we can keep them alive and well. This class is getting me pretty interested in maybe doing work in this area. My plan is to do landscape architecture and design residential and commercial landscaping, but this is a lot of fun as well. I'm slowly converting Betty to some of my ways. She has let me bring in a couple of plants already in our house, but by the time I'm done with graduate school we are going to be living in a jungle!
I have to have plants.. what can i say? I grew up in Kingwood "the livable forest" with a mom who kept tons of plants in the back yard and an older brother who has at least 30 hanging plants at his house.

APOLOGIZES

I hate not having the internet at home. It makes keeping in touch with people much more difficult. I promise that when we get the internet (can't promise when) I will be better.

Getting back to school has been good for me. Last semester Betty and I took it way too easily since we were getting married. Now I'm back at it full force. It's good for me to have a demanding schedule to remind me what real life is like!

It's also good to see the financial difficulties of real life. Last semester I was free to work all the time and made a lot of money. Now time being limited, I have to balance everything yet still keep up with necessities.

Betty luckily has her new computer and has started working with Renovations in Salt Lake. She will be paid soon I hope and we can get ahead for the next month or two. I'm still at Carrabba's but getting ready to leave. It's a great job, perfect schedule (what i want i get),
good friends, good money, good food/ discounts. But it's bringing out a bad
side of me. As soon as I walk in there i say to myself "alright.. what is some customer going to do to piss me off today". And because of that, plus everyone else complaining about picky customers/ crappy tips/ etc, i am stressed and dread going back in. I've learned to whine and complain at that job.

I must admit, I have been very blessed with the job.
Also, I am majoring in landscape management and
am proud to work at a place with plants all over the roof.

multiples in one day!

i find little time to do this blog business so i take advantage of the chances i get to keep updated. but i feel bad putting one huge long one cause then noone likes to read it!

One day driving home from work i passed this house that had a huuge snow fort out front and i was hooked. i wanted to build one. so last big storm betty and i spent about an hour in our back yard where it will be shady all season long piling up the snow. it was a saturday night, and the next day after church we were napping and heard screams and running little kids. Betty thought they were on our fort, but i was out of it/ didn't care. we wake up and go look and it's demolished! it was seriously half as high and we were very upset. So Betty's plan is to either put up a sign that it's for scientific experiments, cuss out their parents, or we could use michael's idea and put rocks or barbed wire inside the snow next time so they know not to mess with us anymore! haha

so evil... but oh so good. we are yet to build it back up.. we need some more snow.

twas good...

The birthday went really well.. Betty was very thoughtful and kind to plan it all. Although there was some last minute running for the party we enjoyed being with old friends. and when i say old i mean as of 1.5 months ago when we got married.
We had a bunch of people over and snacked on a bunch of healthy stuff since one of my buddies is vegan. Also played loaded questions which got a bit dirty at a couple points. Lots of fun though. This monday we played again with a couple people we home teach, no fun compared to two nights earlier!
We also watched transformers which has become one of our favorite movies, even though it's so long. Betty and i felt important and somehow cool to have had my buddy Trent spend the night over here on our couch. haha... we're pathetic.
anyways.... we leave in the morning tomorrow (thursday) for houston. we're excited to have a vacation again. we are too spoiled. real life will hit one day. we'll be gone for one week to have an open house and then spend christmas in the warmth.

turning 23...

this week has been really good. Betty and I say our prayers thanking our Heavenly Father for our jobs and the ease they make of our lives. We really believe that that has made my week incredible.
I have walked home everyday with over one hundred dollars in 5 hours or less. Easily the best paying job around and making the beginning of our marriage less financially stressful.
hopefully we get the hook up as well on the gifts in Houston, that should help out a bit as well since i'll be full time at school next semester with much less time to work. But Betty will be doing something she will hopefully like more.
Not bragging, but just expressing gratitude for an incredible job opportunity.

Also, i took my bosses wife to the post office in their brand new car for only about 40 minutes and he's like "don't worry i'll take care of you" so i get back and he tells me that he will offer Betty and I ANYTHING we want from the restaurant to eat and he'll take care of it. To say the least, we have our meal planned for tomorrow. My birthday meal will be about $80, and we don't have to do a thing, just sit down, order, and feast!

I'm excited for the transformers party, it will be fun to be with friends. I love when Betty does little things, they speak loudly to me. I think my language is "words of gratitude" and followed up with "acts of service" or whatever they are called.

looking for pictures...

i was looking at how boring a blog is without pictures. i bet 90% of people's time on blogs is just looking at pictures, and i have one!... so i was thinking of where i could find some. just remembered our old band website from high school. i don't know who last updated it, but it's a bit ridiculous and has some hot pictures of us from 4-5 years ago.
the link is www.freewebs.com/stereosymphony

i don't think there is any better title for this picture than
HELMET....
i wish i could do something terribly disgusting as we used to get away with... but i don't know ... betty? what do you think? she's told me no long hair ever again. looks like you're missing out.

enjoy.

i'm told i'm not a "blogger"

Maybe i'm just not meant to be a whole part of this blog/ internet keep in touch with friends and family business cause it never seems to work for me.
I'm still in 'la-la land' after the wedding. School is a very light load, work is back up and going really well. But I have life easy.... until I get back for next semester and realize I'm poor, have no time, and have a lot of schooling to go. But I'll enjoy it.

The wedding/ honeymoon went really well. I found it funny when Betty was on the phone with a high school friend on the way home from our honeymoon and she said "yeah, married life is great!" are you kidding me? of course it is... it had been 4 days... all of which we were on vacation and didn't have to do anything except sleep and relax... I found it funny

But it really is true, she was right.. just didn't know it for sure yet, married life is awesome. I love coming home to our house and waking up next to my best friend. Just like everyone always says "i definitely recommend it". I think a lot of the drama, stress and fighting while we were engaged had to do with Betty having to go home at night/ conflicts with parents, etc. But now all of that is eliminated and she just comes home and I don't have to make the 20 minute drive each way every night. Very nice...

I love hearing the people on campus that are foreigners and speak English perfectly but still use their native language mixed with english words here and there... "bueno... mettete sul Facebook (with an accent perfect and clear) y scrive esto: i'm looking for work" it's funny to hear it all mixed together.

anyways... for the two people that read this... or are there more mysterious people that see this? if so i need to link up to your blog, so let me know....

i'll try my best to keep up with blogger status, as defined by marisa, atleast one post every 2-3 days.