halloween, thanksgiving, and a little christmas.

ricks and i lead a pretty quiet life. he goes to school and studies. i work on my final undergrad classes online, clean, and search for jobs. in the evenings we cook up yummy dinners and on the weekends we sleep in and teach primary. highlights include outings to taqueria davis, ben and jerrys, walks, picnics, and making up fun recipes at home. we also love watching movies and tv together and cant wait for the third season of white collar to come to netflix. we also watch a lot of 30 rock, food network shows, and whatever dvd is next in our netflix queue. we are pretty boring but we like it that way. we are both such home-bodies that it is the perfect lifestyle for us.

like i said, i am working on my last few classes so that i can graduate with my undergrad in april. i'm taking 4 classes on super exciting topics: intercultural communications, modern art art history, mindbodyspirit, and marriage enhancement. doing independent study is nice - the time aspect is super flexible: whenever ricks is home, i can put down my assignment and spend time with him. the hard part about independent study is that i can put down my assignment and do whatever i want. it takes a lot of motivation. some days im super motivated and whiz through a ton of assignments and other days im lucky if i get through half of one assignment, if at all. the good news is that im about halfway done with the courses and i just need to finish by march 30 to be eligible for april graduation - no problem. i am THRILLED to be done with my undergrad so soon. about a year ago, i was made aware that to graduate in my major, i would need to take 6 prerequisite spanish classes to get to the level of the required 300 level spanish class. i started right away and made my way through 2 of the courses, but, with the move to davis, it became a lot more difficult to finish those final 5 classes. they werent offered via independent study and i was unable to get a seat in one of the equivalent courses at UCD. luckily, my advisor at BYU allowed me to petition to replace my spanish requirement with an anthropology course on intercultural communication. so here i am graduating a full year ahead of where i would have been had i needed to find a way to complete the spanish courses. up next: deciding what i will do post graduation. a masters would be ideal but i just cant decide what subject to do it in. im extremely interested in left-brain activities like graphic design, fashion, and interior design. who knows, maybe ill find a career at hollister (see below) : )

as far as holidays go, we spent halloween at a ward party which was fun. we made chili for the cook off and came in third place. we were cheapies and used no meat or dairy products and the elitists inside of us labeled the chili as "vegan." : ) maybe next year, when we are rolling in the dough, we will use some meat and make it to first or second place. we were also cheapskates about costumes and just wore our normal clothes but told people were undercover agents or drug dealers. we are super classy. for thanksgiving, we actually flew back to utah and got to see our families really quick before turning back around and heading home. it was so much fun to see family and... I GOT A JOB. yes, in utah. my amazing sister in law hooked me up with a position at hollister. i worked a full day on black friday without any prior training; it was absolutely crazy but a lot of fun as well. afterward, i was transferred out to a store in CA where i start my first shift tomorrow. also of note, ricks had the best thanksgiving of his life. one of my favorite parts of thanksgiving break, besides being with family, was going to see the muppet movie. to be honest, we werent expecting much. however, ricks and i totally loved the movie! it was very funny. thanksgiving was a great little respite from the worries of school. we are very thankful for our family and are so glad we got to see them and do some fun things together.

once we got back to davis, the reality of law school sunk in a little deeper for ricks. there was about a weeks worth of classes left and now finals are in full swing. ricks' first final is this friday and this morning he headed to the library and, except for a quick lunch, i havent seen him since. i dont anticipate seeing him much over the next 3 weeks.

last week, before things got too crazy, we snuck out to the davis boy scout christmas tree lot to pick up our first christmas tree! i am in love with our tree!!! our apartment smells and looks so lovely. picking up the tree was fun, too. the boy scouts are so funny. when we got there, the boys were laying down on the stands they had set up to cut of the stump of the tree. then, they just watched as ricks and i picked up the tree and tied it on our car as their leaders encouraged them to help us. we also have a little advent calendar that i lovingly move along each day and the music of choice while washing the dishes is, you guessed it, anything and everything christmas!! ricks and i both purchased all of our gifts for each other on amazon, on the same account because we are geniuses! so now there is no tracking allowed for the either of us for fear of ruining the surprise. i love christmas time. : ) the only downside is that between ricks' peanut eating and the tree, i am vacuuming everyday and sometimes multiple times a day. ill be the first to admit it, im a little ocd about cleanliness but wow! i cannot believe how quickly our carpet gets dirty between the tree and ricks.

so there is the super exciting and amazing update in the life of davis! the end.

babysitting/life

here is the latest update in the life of davis. sorry if this is lame. this is mostly just for myself bc my memory sucks. enjoy!

i have been having issues finding a real job and so, to supplement our income until i find something, i have taken to babysitting. it has been interesting and i have been learning tons about taking care of/raising kids. i dont have a ton of experience with kids: i am the youngest in my family, i only recently inherited nieces and nephews, and i didnt babysit a ton growing up. before starting, my experience was pretty limited to say the least. on the other hand, i get a long pretty well with kids and i can handle/dont get grossed out by diapers.

when i first started, i babysat for a really cute 20 month old baby. i actually really liked babysitting this kid. he was really easy going and had the cutest laugh. but, dealing with his parents was not fun. there were a lot of issues with the way they handled their kids but how they raise their kids isnt my problem, it was how they treated me that i found ridiculous. this particular baby could only fall asleep in the car. he had to be driven around to fall asleep. personally, i think driving a baby to sleep is a dumb method and should only be used as a last resort, but, despite my personal opinion, i agreed to do this. i informed the parents that i would be expecting reimbursement for gas. (gas is expensive and driving the baby to sleep was not a condition laid out in the original agreement). the parents informed me that they felt that i shouldnt be asking for gas reimbursement because i was already getting payed enough. the stupidity of that statement... so, i stopped driving the baby and started taking the babe out in the stroller to get him to fall asleep for naptime. it wasnt a perfect substitute, but it worked.

the next hiccough came during the time that the baby was napping. one particular afternoon, after taking the baby out on a walk and then transferring him from stroller to crib, his mother informed me that she felt uncomfortable paying me to sit around doing my own thing while the baby was asleep. i told her that she had two options: one, i would stay in the house and she would continue to pay me for my availability or two, i would leave during his nap. she responded that i should be doing housework and setting up "play stations" for him to play with when he woke up. again, this wasnt in the original agreement but i didnt think it was too outrageous and so i began doing dishes, folding laundry, and preparing "play stations" that would be destroyed within .0002 seconds of the baby's waking. it was all a bit stupid.

i was very relieved when my time there ended. when they told me they were going to let me go, they also told me what a fantastic sitter i had been, that they would be happy to act as a reference, and that they would tell everyone that i had gone "above and beyond!" i definitely left that place scratching my head and i definitely havent used them as a reference. even if they do tell people i went "above and beyond" i dont want to be associated with them. like i said, how one goes about raising their child is none of my business, but lets just say their logic in their dealings with me was nothing compared to their parenting logic. i came home every day ready to burst with stupid stories.

ive since had a hard time finding a consistent nannying job. i dont regret standing up for myself and expecting to be treated and payed fairly. i see and talk with other nannies that feel as though they too are being taken advantage of with both gas and availability issues, i myself still feel taken advantage of by some of the families i work for . im grateful that some of the people i work for are fair. i work every friday taking care of a really sweet 1 year old and sometimes get calls to take care of twins and other kids in the area but still havent been able to find a solid job. its admittedly pretty depressing. im really glad to have opportunity to catch a glimpse of different parenting styles. im learning lots and lots of ways that i dont want to raise my own kids and, on occasion, im learning things that i do want to do with my own kids. its been an interesting ride.

ricks is still enjoying law school. he recently took his first midterm and he has no idea how to feel about how he did. he hasnt received a grade or any feedback yet and, since it was unlike any test he has taken before, he cant really gauge for himself how he did. overall, he is feeling happy and confident at law school and is gaining more and more interest in IP law. he loves toying with the idea of working as a copyright lawyer for a gaming company. although hes halfway through the first semester already, law school is still very new and his options are wide open at this point. it will be fun to see where his interests take him. im excited and happy that he is enjoying himself and loving what he is learning!

other updates.... lindsie and jonny came to visit last weekend. we had a lot of fun in SF! during stars weekend, lindsie and i found a cheap/awesome hotel in the middle of nob hill and purchased alcatraz tickets. the day the mendenhalls drove in, i had a weird inflammation in my gums and, afraid that something was wrong with my teeth/tooth, went to visit the dentist. the dentist told me he thought something was stuck up there (gross) and, after shooting me three times with an anesthetic, got to work digging around. after everything was said and done, there was nothing in my gums, they were just inflamed. i was given an antibiotic and, due to the anesthetic, i looked like a stroke victim. it was awesome. i was numb up to my eye.

so we all piled into the car and drove into SF. we immediately hit the town and wandered around chinatown looking for some good eats. chinatown was fun but we couldnt find a restaurant that looked appetizing, in fact, it all looked pretty sketch. it wasnt until we wandered towards north beach that we found somewhere we would want to eat. we had stumbled upon the stinking rose. when ricks and i realized where we were, we ran inside and they sat us immediately. it was really yummy. i won the best dinner between ricks and myself - i got the gnochetti. you bet your butt there was definitely gorgonzola in there along with pine nuts, asparagus, and GARLIC!!!!!! for dessert we went to ghiradelli square and then ate our minty, chocolatey creations down by the bay amongst the rats. seriously. this was all followed by a long walk in a very hilly city. calories burned.

saturday we hit mama's. after an hour long wait and some fun watching the older asian people exercise in washington park, i had the cinnamon chocolate french toast which was a win. we then wandered back through gross, poopy china town to check out of the hotel. north beach is clean and delicious. we like north beach. back in the car, we drove through and then walked through the castro. it was... unique. a man told me that he had had a banana for breakfast. next we found ourselves at chrissy filed in the presidio. it was way neato. great views of both the rock and the bridge, not very crowded, free parking, and a hot dog vender... what else could a person want!? ricks and i were inspired while being there that our next trip to SF should involve kayaks and crab pots in the bay. way excited. the only thing left on our agenda for the day was alcatraz. we had some time to kill so we found ourselves at pier 39/ fishermans wharf. it was fun to wander around but even more fun when we found awesome, hidden parking for alcatraz.

alcatraz was crazy cool. we loved it times a million. we also loved getting dinner afterwards because we were tired and hungry times a million. ive been alternately weirded out by the fact there are 3 on the loose alcatraz escapees/ wondering if the scene from CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was filmed at alcatraz. it looks the same. Linds and Jonny left way too early the next morning and Ricks and I suffered through, i mean enjoyed the primary program.

and to finish off this super duper, out of control, crazy long post. i wanted to share some pictures from our BBQ/pumpkin carving partay the other night. it was fun in the warm CA sun with some wardies. ps. i love hot dogs with caramelized onions. the end.

PICTURES:


the view from our room


stroke victim


the bridge


awww!


an old lady tried to put her arm around this pelican it snapped at her. ricks tried to sit by it. it snapped at him. it was funny,


alacatraz!


awesome possum view.


coolio farm. sunny eyes.


our pumpkin that i cut in half because im a genius like that.


the cute ryans. i need to email you this photo.

our favorite parts about davis. so far.

1. the farmer's market.

there are two things that we love about the farmer's market: first, we love the pluots (a crossbreed between a plum and an apricot). they are incredibly tasty and pretty fun word to say. we buy pluots everytime we go and i'm getting sad that with the season change, they might go away. the other part of the farmer's market that we love is fatface, a little shop that sells to-die-for popsicles. so far, we've tried three of the flavors. i've had the strawberry lemonade and the hibiscus mint and Ricks has tried both the hibiscus mint and the avocado lime. clearly, we liked the hibiscus mint because we went back for seconds but the other flavors were equally delicious. we are excited to try their other flavors as well, including sweet potato!

2. the dumpling house.

a couple in our ward recommended this restaurant to us. its a little hole in the wall with extremely cheap and yummy dumplings, potstickers, and fish and chips (fish and chips? i dont know.). we ordered 1 order of chicken postickers and 1 order of pork potstickers from a really funny old lady. the best part of the dumpling house is the amazing ginger sauce that is served with the potstickers. we are so excited to go back. Ricks went to the back in search of some hot sauce and when he came back with his favorite condiment, siracha sauce, it only sealed the deal that the dumpling house would be a repeater. it has also been rumored that if you call the dumpling house an hour ahead of going, they will give you something ridiculous like 50 potstickers for 18 dollars. sounds like a deal to me.

3. sam's.

sam's is a mediterranean cuisine restaurant. we'd heard that sam's was good but didn't really know what to expect. we went for lunch today and both ordered the falafel. Ricks and I had made falafel before but I'd never had it anywhere else. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that falafel, when deep fried the way it was at sam's, is infinitely better than when it isn't deep fried. it was very yummy and Rick's said that if we couldn't have Bruges in Salt Lake then we would have Sam's in Davis. They aren't even similar or even close to being a trade off but Sam's is pretty good. all in all, i would pick Bruges over Sam's any day. Ricks also ordered some fries which he loved but i found disappointing. I'm excited to go back to try other dishes from the menu.

4. the habit.

right before we took my mom to the airport, we stopped really quickly at the habit to grab a bite to eat. at the habit, they call their hamburgers "char burgers." I knew it would be good just based off the name, i really like char. also, the burgers aren't served with regular onions but rather caramelized onions which i have a love affair with and which ricks actually likes (he dislikes regular onions). although i ate while driving and couldnt completely focus on how it tasted, i could still tell that it was extremely good and much better, in my opinion, than the local favorite burger at burgers and brew. the habit also serves a nice sweet potato fry.

5. Trader Joes.

my favorite part about trader joe's so far has been the snack and dessert section. Ricks and I went for a walk the other day and ended up at Trader Joe's. we wandered around the store figuring out what they had to offer. Ricks came across some chocolate covered pretzels and I found my self something akin to Klondike Bars only the cookie part was graham cracker and the vanilla ice cream part was marshmallow ice cream with chocolate chunks. When Ricks found "power berries" he put the pretzels back and took the power berries instead. (power berries are different juices covered with dark chocolate.) so, we walked away from the store with snacks. I felt like a little kid getting to choose one thing to buy. when we were eating our treats, we compared who won, and, i wish i could say that the smores were the best, but, although the smore ice cream treats were pretty good, the power berries were the definite winners. so yummy.

food is definitely an important part in Ricks and my life. we love love love to taste, eat, cook, bake, experiment, and critique food. we are happy that we are in davis and are so happy to have found a few yummy places to eat.

playing catch up.

dearest friends and family,

i know i have started 1, 2, and maybe even 3 (?) blogs in the past. and they were all failures. i like the idea of blogging but i just havent been able to stick with it. but now, i am starting this, my fourth (or is it my third?) blog. it will mostly be a place for me to keep a record of what ricks and i are doing in our lives. accept the fact that i may not keep it up and that maybe, a few months down the road, in an effort at a fresh start, i may even start a fifth blog. if everyone is okay with that. then here we go.

Ricks and I moved to Davis, CA on August 11, 2011. we woke up bright and early and said teary goodbyes to our families. Ricks drove the uhaul and i drove the toyota. on our way here, Ricks listened to video game podcasts and i listened to the help. we drove straight through the sad state of nevada, stopping only for gas and were greeted in california with beautiful lake tahoe and the entry produce check. the few grapes left over from the trip, ricks, and i all were allowed to enter California and we drove the rest of the way to davis. the first two weeks we took up residence at the local motel 6 where i became very familiar with TLC's What Not to Wear, made it through 2 books, and applied for about a trillion jobs. Ricks learned that law school is a lot of fun.

we took our second weekend to go into San Francisco. Ricks last visited when he was five and i had never been. we first explored the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market where i had some very yummy okonmiyaki (the Davis farmer's market, although smaller, is just as good, if not better than San Francisco's, and definitely more fun!). We walked down to pier 39, which we had decided was a total tourist-trap-bust until we came upon the view of the rock and golden gate bridge. it was made even better when we found the sea lions! afterward, we wandered up to ghiradelli square where we shared a very chocolatey sundae. after a 6 minute wait which turned out to be 40 minutes (either the iphone lied about the bus schedule or the bus schedule was WAY off) we made our way to golden gate park and the de young museum. as any true american would, we skipped the picasso exhibit and headed straight for the american art. we loved the museum and were especially excited to find henri and bellows! to cap off Ricks' and my first trip to SF, we watched a crazy lady get arrested and ate at a great mexican restaurant at the mission. it was a good day.

my mom flew out to help us move when it was finally time to move into student housing. my mom and i worked hard to turn our little 600 foot, linoleum covered apartment into a cute, comfortable place to live. Ricks and I also got to talk in church while she was here- about parenting. haha. it was a lot of fun to spend time with my mom and im learning that i dont like goodbyes very much.

ricks is loving law school and i am enjoying a break from work and school although i really wish i could find a job. ive had one interview which i will hear back from this week. i also have 3 more interviews lined up this week as well. im already dreading having to take more classes but im comforted by the fact that its only one class a semester but also really annoyed that i can only take one class a semester. i wish i could get it finished more quickly.

davis has already been a lot of fun. everyone at church is so kind and welcoming. weve made quite a few friends already. ricks found the american river which has a few good runs for kayaking, i found out that there is an h&m about 40 minutes away, and, most importantly, weve found good burgers, really good potstickers, and we are loving having a kitchen to cook in again! the only downside to davis so far is that our bikes were both stolen. but, we have really good insurance, that, pending a police report, should reimburse us for our loss.

we miss all of our sweet family and friends at home but are excited about our new adventures here. we love you all.

goodnight.

ps. here are some pictures. i dont know how they got squished but if you click on them, they are normal.