Headed to the Gem State

We are on our way to IDAHO! Where we met. Where lots of people we love live. Just two years ago, I brought Jaren with me to our family cabin.. we weren't even engaged yet. We four-wheeled and went site-seeing and he got a little taste of livin' with the crazy Furniss Fam! He also slept in the garage with the spiders on a hammock. So sorry, babe! OH the things we do for love. Now we are headed to IDAHO to  see fam and do some four-wheeling. Can't WAIT! Love this pic of us from when we first went to Mesa while we were dating. 

smorgasboard post.

...It's just a little of everything. Cuz I'm a little behind on blogging. There was that one time that Oscar (the pooch) got into my purse and devoured my $6 toffee/chocolate/caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory... ..but left the apple. Licked it DRY. That's what happens when you leave yummy smelling food in your purse on TOP of the bed and leave the house. Nothing goes unnoticed with a schnoz like Oscar's... Lesson learned. He and I don't have a very good track record... remember this post? Don't worry - I made Jaren reprimand him. Clearly - from the picture - Oscar's loving it. And Jaren still thinks he's getting a dog someday...

We also finally made it to the new outlet mall by Thanksgiving Point. LOVED IT. Jaren made a haul! I'm just glad my hubby likes to shop almost as much as me. I also got to help with graduation at work where L. Tom Perry spoke! Pretty cool.

We have a LOT of good friends in our complex. We are always playing games, walking to the snow cone shack, going to zumba, grabbing a  milkshake, making a temple trip, or just chatting in the parking lot. We are soo thankful for great friends! It was BINGO night at Applebees and guess what...both Holly and I WON!!! and I never win anything!

We ALSO babysit our friends' kids a lot! Which we absolutely love :) And I always take pics of them. Creepy? And sometimes we eat healthy summer salads for dinner....And sometimes we indulge in JDawgs! So good! The ONLY hot dog I will ever crave.
Then there was Mother's Day...We got to skype with Jentry in Chile, and Jeni/Cam/Callie in California. It was awesome! Jentry is doing so wonderful and almost seems... refined? Well, we'll see in about a year! We miss him, and are so proud of his decision to serve a mission!

I also thought a lot about my desire to become a mother someday and how grateful I am for my own mom. It's nice to be able to call her my best friend! She has taught me everything I know and even passed on her good looks :) I also have an outstanding mother-in-law whom I love and adore! Definitely lucked out with this one. Janna and Jeff were able to come to church and watch the primary kids sing that day (we did great!) and then stay for dinner. Jaren was in charge, so of course, he bought fried chicken the day before :)
Jaren also mega surprised me with geraniums!!! It was the exact planter I wanted and didn't get, but then dreamed about for several days. They look so pretty on our front step. I now feel slightly more "adult" with a planter outside my front door... strange? I LOVE taking care of it and watering and deadheading it. I hope I can keep it alive all summer! Jaren made me feel so special on Mother's Day even though I'm not yet a mom. It really means a lot!

That Callie Girl!

 Jaren was taking finals the weekend she made her debut, so I convinced Jeff and Janna to let me ride along to see the brand new babe! I was almost as excited as they were... this is their FIRST grandbaby. That's right - Jeni and Cam beat us to the punch. We'll get 'em back with twins someday. Probably. We even stopped along the way at Maddox Chicken in Brigham City - my FAV place for chicken EVER!
Callie took her sweet little time to arrive, and we were in the waiting room for two hours! Grandma and Grandpa were getting anxious... obviously. And finally... Callie Jane Harper was ready for us! Born April 19th at 9:27 PM. 7 lb. 6 oz. and 19 inches long. She was SOOO cute with the cutest little button nose.

The next weekend, the Harper fam came to Utah and Jaren was finally able to meet her. 8 days after she was born, Callie was blessed! She looked adorable and I couldn't stop taking her pic!

We love her and are so glad she finally made it to the fam dam!

Kassie's Work Party!

 I work with such great people! Seriously.

Here we are bowling for Student Employee Appreciation Day! These troopers make my job soo much easier! We would die without our students. We are a CRAZY bunch! I'm so lucky to love where I work.

One thing I love about my job is that we have "automatic" breaks in the year to keep things interesting - they are called SEMESTERS. Campus is much quieter now that Spring term has begun! I LOVE walking around BYU during this time. The grounds and flowers are perfectly manicured... and students are wearing shorts and flip-flops, throwing around frisbees, and holding hands. 

LOVE IS IN THE AIR, folks. Spring and Summer terms also mean PARTIES for our office. 

We definitely know how to have a good time. A few weeks ago we tied a pinata to the tree outside our office and demolished it for Cinco De Mayo. Jaren thinks we just party at work all day. Sometimes it's true.

I'm looking forward to NO SCHOOL for a few weeks for both Jaren and me (my online class just ended... I made out with a solid A!), zumba in the evenings, and LOTS of time to just RELAX! Welcome back, Summer. I've missed you.