In need of a new apartment

Although Chance and I have loved our cozy little apartment for the past 9 months, we have begun the search for a new place for a few reasons:

a. Chance is getting tired of moving the coffee table in the family room so he can stretch
b. After turning on the oven our apartment heats up to an uncomfortable temperature
c. The internet was down for the past 2 weeks
d. If you don't take a shower by 7:30 am the water is cold

And to top it off there was no water two days ago and we had to go to a gas station to use the restroom. Haha.. we got a good laugh out of that one.

Let the apartment hunting begin!

St. George!

This past week was the Hendricks family vacation in St. George and we had a wonderful time. The first morning I stayed in the hotel to finish up some big school projects and then Chance called me and something amazing happened. He said that the guys would be done golfing in 30 minutes and so I decided to take a break from my homework and go outside to wait. I sat down outside by the pool and put my feet up...

Then the most amazing feeling hit my skin. At first I didn't know what it was, and then I remembered... the sun!! Wow it felt soooooooooo good. We were all happy to see the sun coming from Provo, Idaho Falls, and Portland. My skin didn't know quite what to do with the sun rays and so I came back pretty red, but I am happy nonetheless.

The boys golfed every day and the girls took advantage of this time to go to the pool. I had so much fun hanging out with DeLyn, Tangi, and the boys. Niels and Davis are getting so big and are talking up a storm which is so fun/funny. Tangi is pregnant with baby #3 and it is a girl! She is due the end of May and we are so excited for her and Scott.

Brad brought a big container of treats that the boys (and I) loved. We hung out every night in our hotel room and just talked and laughed together. It was so relaxing!

Chance is so cute with the boys. And I have to brag, he won golf all three days! One of Chance's cousins, Brittany, and her family live in the St. George area and we had so much fun spending time with them at their beautiful home and at the pool. We had a yummy BBQ in their backyard and her kids entertained us with kareoke.

We went to the temple on Saturday morning which was a great experience. The temple is so beautiful!

It was so sad to say goodbye to family and beautiful St. George, but we are excited to finish up this semester and for Chance to graduate!

Leaving the beautiful red rock...

Thanks to Brad and DeLyn for such a great vacation! We had so much fun.

Easter

Happy Easter!

(View from our window this morning, seriously??)

I don't think the Easter bunny came to Provo this morning because of weather conditions. Eggs are not supposed to be hidden in snow, they need to be hidden in warm grass.

We have had a beautiful Easter/conference weekend nonetheless. Chance and I were able to read the accounts of the passover in the bible this past week and we both feel closer to our Savior. We are so grateful for Him and His sacrifice that He made for us. After hearing from the prophet and the apostles this weekend we are both determined to try harder to pattern our lives after Jesus Christ. We both feel rejuvenated and motivated to be better people. We went over to the Seibold's this morning for a yummy breakfast and conference and then we were able to meet up with the Brink side of the family at my Uncle Bill's house this evening for dinner. We both feel so relaxed and ready for the last week and a half of school! Bring it on.

One year ago today

One year ago today Chance asked me to be his wife and I said yes. Best decision I have ever made.

Mis Padres

I have the most incredible parents. I am so grateful for all that they do for me.

They are funny.

They are hard working and make a great team.

They are cougar fans.

They love the beach and take our family there for fun vacations in the summer.

They are best friends.

They love each other more than anything.

They walk side by side and support each other in their various roles.

They are very fun to travel with!

More traveling...

More travels.

And they are sooo cute together!

Anyways I love them so much and am so grateful for the example they set for me and my marriage. You guys are da best!

Cheesecake Factory = Yummy

Last weekend Chance and I went out to the cheesecake factory and we had such a delicious meal!! (Thank you Brad and DeLyn for the giftcard!)

• First of all the brown bread they give you before your meal is fabulous.
• The portions are so big that you can split things and still feel satisfied. Chance and I had the B.L.T. salad and then stuffed chicken tortillas for our meal. Both great. Our meal was served with these corn meal cakes that were sooo good, I need to find a recipe for them.
• We topped off the meal with a slice of Stephanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake- wow amazing.

Such a fun date night!

Trip to D.C.

Two weeks ago I was able to attend the Advocacy Summit in Washington D.C. with my masters program. It was a m a z i n g. The conference was great, we learned about the four top health priorities of the Society of Public Health Educators, as well as advoacy skills that we could use while discussing these topics with legislators. The four priorities we learned about were the REACH program (Racial and ethnic approaches to community health), DASH (Division of adolescent and school health), the block grant, and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education act. Monday we were able to meet with our specific state representatives and senators asking for increased funding for these programs. It was so neat to be on Capital Hill talking with the legislators from California. I loved it.

In our free time we were able to tour the beautiful city of D.C. Such an awesome place. We walked everywhere and we lucked out with sunny weather. I loved visiting the monuments, the Lincoln, Washington, Viet Nam, Korean, FDR, and Jefferson were some of my favs.

The museums were incredible to. I was able to go to the natural history museum, the national museum of American history, and the Holocaust museum. I wanted to go to all of them, but time just didn't permit- I guess that means we'll have to go back!

I loved all of the old buildings and the columns. I loved being in such a historical place. One of my favorite parts about the city were all of the quotes on the buildings, in the buildings, on the memorial walls, etc. They were so inspiring and spiritual. It was so great for me to remember that our country was founded upon God and righteous principles. I am so grateful to live in this country and to enjoy the many freedoms we are blessed with.

Monday morning we were able to go the Arlington cemetary. It was a very humbling experience to see all of the tombstones and realize the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to protect our freedom. We were able to see the changing of the guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since July 2, 1937. Rain, snow, hail, it doesn't matter. The changing of the gaurds was pretty sweet. Here is the ritual that they do all day, every day, until they are relieved, which is every half hour in the summer and every hour the rest of the year.

1.The soldier walks 21 steps across the Tomb. This alludes to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary in America. His weapon is always on the shoulder opposite the Tomb.

2.On the 21st step, the soldier turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds.

3.The soldier then turns to face the other way across the Tomb and changes his weapon to the outside shoulder.

4.After 21 seconds, the first step is repeated.

Anyways, I loved the trip. I learned a lot, became closer friends with the other students in the MPH program, and was inspired to be a better American citizen. It was hard being away from Chance for a week, but the reunion was AMAZING. Haha.. needless to say we were very happy to see each other. Two weeks after being home and I am still finding sweet notes that he has hidden throughout our house. Wow I love him.