A Long Overdue Update-Summer Version

As far as I can tell, I haven't truly updated since May...As you can probably tell, we've been busy. So here is our long overdue update--summer version.

In May I threw a bridal shower for my sister-in-law to-be:

Steven went on Father's/Son's campout with his dad/ brothers:



I spent Memorial Day Weekend with my sisters and mom in San Diego. We spent time on the beach, went to a Padres game, ate LOTS of good food, went shopping, bought lots of flip flops and had TONS of fun!!!
June--
The best part of June was that I said goodbye to KinderCare and hello to the Make-A-Wish Foundation!! I started as a summer intern and I'm still there. MAW is by far the greatest place I have ever worked. It will get it's own post when I leave in a few weeks :)

Also in June, we welcomed another Dorn to the family...Greg got married to Caitlin. Steve was best man and I was a bridesmaid.
Shortly after that wedding, I flew to Utah to see my dear friend, Katie get married to my other friend Gabe. I got to spend the better part of the week there to see her go through the temple, go to a Kelly Clarkson concert for the bachelorette party, help set up and attend the reception & be in the temple for her sealing. I know Heavenly Father believes in marriage!
A big shout out goes out to Jed and Jeff (two of Steve's mission buddies) who drove me from the airport. They actually parked in the garage to come pick me up in person, but I was waiting on the curb trying to minimize their efforts. They took me to the open house of the Oquirrh Mtn temple & to the temple for Katie's endowment. They waited while I was in the session and ate before they picked me up again and took me to my friend's house in Provo! AND Jed came and got me and took me back to the airport (and dealt with a minor meltdown I was having) on Saturday. Seriously those 2 saved me several times & I couldn't have been there for all the partying without them!!


After flying home, I was picked up at the airport by my cute husband and Raf. We drove straight to GIRLS CAMP!! Seeing as how I have been camp director for two years, I obviously couldn't miss camp. I ended up only missing the initial bus ride up and the decorating the cabin part. Luckily I had an AMAZING assistant director (Rikki) who went up with the girls and everything was great when I got there!!! I learned a lot about myself at Girls Camp...as an individual and as a leader. I got to see little glimpses of how special the Young Women are. I imagine that is how Heavenly Father feels about all His children who make good decisions. I can't tell you it was an easy week, but I sure learned A LOT and more importantly I learned to love the YW even more. It's easy to feel the Spirit when you're surrounded by all of God's beautiful creations!!!


Another fun thing in June was getting to go to a Dbacks game with the other summer interns. We went out for dinner (appetizers) at Macayo's and then took the light rail downtown to the game. We ended up split up for the game, but I had fun with Carrie & Victoria who also interned in my department!!!

Whew---we were clearly very busy in June. No wonder I didn't blog more this summer!!
For the 4th of July, we decided to combine our families (sometimes having in-laws that are good friends is SUCH a blessing & fun thing) to have a big BBQ/ Swimming party. We also watched the fireworks from the roof of my parents house. I almost drown in the early evening but did recover after my inhaler, lots of coughing/puking up water and taking the rest of the afternoon easy. The food was SOOOO good, I ate way too much and it was fun to have both families together.

Next, I turned 21...yipee! Here were some highlights:
-Steven bought me the cutest shoes ever for my birthday and he bought me a pink maglite.
-Steve came to work and took me out to lunch at Macayo's.
-My boss planned a surprise party for me with our department complete with DELICIOUS cake, balloons, streamers, EVERYTHING, even pretty crazy daisies (one of my faves)in a COOL vase
-The CEO of the company came up and wished me happy birthday and talked to me a bit!
-a few of my YW and my sister came over to have cake and watch chick flicks with me (Steve had previously committed to taking his Boy Scouts camping, so it was girls night)
All in all, it was a lot of fun!!

*Note: The shoes Steven picked out for me are the pink polka dot ones. He's pretty great.


For those of you who don't know, I'm daddy's girl THROUGH AND THROUGH...this may have something to do witht he fact that we share a birthday (or it's just that I'm very spoiled and he's always been WRAPPED around my finger...) Anyways, for our birthdays, my mom bought the four of us tickets to go see WICKED!!! Despite the close call of the lake trip for YW (that was supposed to be only morning and turned into an all day thing) and making it to the show, it was amazing. I've seen it before on San Diego Broadway, but Steven had never heard more than a few of the songs...needless to say he was hooked. One of the actresses (Galinda) accidentally threw her wand at part of it and it was HILLARIOUS to see the two leads try not to laugh and keep going. Good to know everyone is human!

*NOTE: I typed this post and then added pictures later...I realized the Wicked pictures are on my mom's computer...I'll have to find those!

Also in July, we said temporary goodbyes to our dear friends, the Drotars. They went to Pennsylvania for a few months for Raf's internship. We had a fun little get together with some other friends & we went to the temple with the four of us and Chris. We missed them like crazy and are glad they're back!!


In July, Steven turned 24!!! July is a month full of birthdays for us!! We love it :) We are three weeks short of 3 years apart. On Steve's actual birthday, we went mini golfing with our friend Tom and his girlfriend Chole (pronounced Show-lee) and her son Caleb. For family celebration, we went to Sardella's and had a cake that I attempted to decorate.



Also in July, probably the most important thing that happened for us was that Steven finally got his private pilot's license!!! He worked so hard and went through a lot of trials to get it, but he did it!! It's so good to feel progress when things start to feel like they are standing still. He felt ligit wearing his aviator sunglasses (birthday present) because he finally had his license. One down, several to go!!! (I'm not really sure how many he'll end up with)


In August, we discovered that our bed makes for a very cool fort. We decided to make a fort and watch a movie in there. While I showered, Steven decided we needed the complete surround sound office set up and snacks. I came out to quite the set-up!!
*Note: see all those cords, those were for the surround sound he hooked up.

My Beehives also threw a triple baby shower for 3 of the ladies in YW who are pregnant. I'm glad they're all finally showing (and one had her baby) because I was tired of getting asked if I was the pregnant one!! The girls did a great job...it was lots of work, but what party isn't?!

Clearly, we had a very busy summer! Stay tuned for the long overdue update-Fall version!

For Grandpa

http://malzshots.shutterfly.com/

Dear World,

(or the three people who read this blog)

I am one 5 page paper about the importance of background and reference checks in employment staffing (which is nothing compared to yesterday's 13 page and today's 7 page)
and one 10 minute PowerPoint presentation (about said paper) away from a college degree.

And then, life with free time comes again and maybe I will update my blog regularly...maybe

PS.. I just text this news to Steven (He is trying to spending as much time as possible away from the house for these last few days of school so as not to distract me)...
his text back: Boom sha ka laka
<3

Confession...

I am a bad blogger. I know. I figured I would be when I started. But, in my defense...I was peer-pressured into blogging to begin with. Or it could be that I have been taking 22 credits, working full time, planning camp, and being a wife...Well anyways, to make it up, I will be posting a picture for each month I missed Jan-April...Tomorrow I have the day off and will be able to update you on our busy busy summer!
I have a feeling once I get caught up, it will be easier to stay caught up.

So here goes January:



We discovered Organ Stop Pizza. It's amazing. Go to organstoppizza.com for more info.

February:

We had a Fancy Schmancy Party. I got Steven to wear pink. The food was almost all <3 shaped. We lost a lot of sleep preparing the food and I was sick for the actual party. Not many people came, but it was fun planning...except the part where our garbage disposal broke at 3am the night before and flooded our kitchen. Next time we throw a Fancy Schmancy party, we'll do it on a non-holiday weekend! For more pictures go here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007983&id=177400927&l=30041ad274

March:

Kayley was in a play. This warranted specially-made shirts. We are hanging on to them for her graduation as well. She was a dancer in the school's play, Pajama Night or something like that...it was cute and she did a good job.

We also went to Luke Days:

There are pictures of both of us. However, I feel like this picture kind of captures the day. Steven was as happy as a tornado in a trailer park (name that movie!) I thought it was hot and the parking/shuttling system was very very unorganized. But, he enjoyed it and that made it all worth it!

March was a busy month because we also went to Las Vegas to meet my bestest friend Jenni and her brother, Jackson for the weekend...That trip warrants it's own post with a picture slideshow so stay tuned!


April:

We didn't really do anything together, but Steven had two mission buddies, Jeff & Jed come visit. They had man weekend. Complete with baseball, guns, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

We love the Drotars!

A few months ago, some amazing people came into our lives...in February actually!! Rafael and Rikki Drotar. They are the coolest people since I don't know when. I guess Steven & Raf used to fly together at Turf, but weren't really friends. When we met them officially, we felt like we knew them from somewhere before...if it wasn't at Turf, it was the pre-existence!! Had we known them before we got married, they would have been in our wedding party!
I have the great privillege of working with Rikki in Young Womens. She is the Beehive Advisor and the Assistant Camp Director. I have never worked with someone so closely before! We have come leaps and bounds with the Beehives over the past few months! It is so nice being on the same page as someone you work with! Our lessons have become quite the spiritual experience that I look forward to every week!
Raf and Rikki are great!! We go on double dates often and the most common noise is laughing!!
Since before we were married, we've been praying for another couple to be friends with. A couple that I like both the wife and husband and so does Steven. For awhile, we had no one. Or at least no one that we could handle for more than a couple hours at a time. We were almost giving up hope and then the Drotars moved in! They are more than just friends, they're an answer to our prayers (apparently Heavenly Father was getting them married in order to answer our prayers!)
In some things, Rikki and are a lot alike and so are Steve & Raf. In other things, Raf and I are alike and Steven & Rikki are the same. I wish I could say in words how great we all get along. I can talk to Rikki or Raf for hours (but it's usually Rikki haha--Raf's attention span is shorter!) And Steve could talk to either for hours also! We have never had a couple that fit with us like this!
All in all, we love the Drotars! We are so thankful for having them in our lives! We have created life-long friends with them! We're hoping we have kids that get married so we can laugh with them through the eternities!

Random Thoughts on a Thursday.

Today was a LONG day. Days like this make me stop to think about priorities. here's how my day went...
6 AM Wake up, get dressed, try to teach Steven how to do my hair in a ponytail (my arm is still in a brace)
6:40 Work (the ponytail was WAY HARDER than I expected)
640-12 WORK WORK WORK
followed by a short break to have a picnic outside my work in the grass with my cute husband
12-430 work!
430-5 Study for Mgt final while I wait for my mom to come get me
5-530 Start scrabble tile necklaces with my mom, Talia, Jenny
530 Missionaries arrive for dinner.
530 ship Missionaries to living room to eat with Steven around the coffee table
600 have missionaries make necklace charms for their moms
635 Missionaries leave, we continue modge-podging
700 Leave (courtesy of my mom- I can't drive still either) to GCC
715 Take MGT test
727 Leave to Arby's to get dinner
800 stop at home to grab church bag
804 Camp Director Meeting (get in trouble for stupid stuff, have to explain multiple things AGAIN)
845 Confirm date plans with Rikki and then dash out the door
900 Home to finish tiles
905 Call from Steven- New fridge, he won't be home til midnight
907 Ruined first batch of epoxy-too many bubbles
915 Good batch of epoxy, finished tiles...left handed.
950 Mom, Talia, Jenny leave.

Worn out yet? Me too. Except I still have an ethics mini-essay to write and I'm a day behind in my posting for planning & budgeting. Not to mention Sister Lake's package that is sitting by my feet that may not get there in time now. And, the house is a WRECK! My anti-inflammatory medicine is still making me sick and we're also supposed to be buying a house in the next month. Oh and I can't shower unless I do it one-handed (Thank heavens I'm married--but I have to wait 2 more hours for Steve to come home) and even if I wanted to shower one-handed, I can't fasten any of the zippers or buttons or ties on ANY of my clothes.
It's days like today when I'm pushed to exhaustion...when I finally realize maybe I'm doing too much. It's hard for me to believe I'm actually thinking this. I'm going on 5 months now of 22 credits at a time. You would think i have a schedule down pat...not quite. I realized last night that I only have one class that lasts through may and my other three start in June. I don't even know what it's like to have one class at a time. I think it's Divine Intervention because I have to plan Girls Camp this month too.
There are a few things I'm absolutely certain of.
1. I have a problem saying no.
2. I couldn't do any of this without my husband and his patience. He keeps telling me girl hair is impossible to manage, but he's done pretty good so far.
3. None of this is worth it unless I enjoy it while I'm going through it.

I need to remember that 'this too shall pass'. When it's not school work overwhelming me, it will be work or kids or church. Always something. As long as I remember that I am learning and that all these things should be blessings, I think I'll keep going. I need to learn to cut out the unimportant things sometimes. It's ok to miss a meeting or post on a class discussion board a few days late sometimes. It's all about priorities. Today I'm resolving to remember my priorities and let everything else, "come what may and love it"

The Real Reason We Don't Have Kids...

So most of the time, when people ask why we're holding off on bringing "little dorns" we tell them we would like to enjoy some time as a young married couple and have both of graduated before hand. As far as I know, that is a legitimate reason, not an excuse.
Here's a little secret- apparently that's a lie. Read the following conversation that is pretty much verbatim to our discussion last night to find out why we don't have kids.

C: Babe, everyone we know is having kids, why don't we?
S: We're too young
C: You're not young! Why don't we?
S: Me not ready.
C: Why?
S: Me little squire.
C: What?!
S: Me little squire. Me not ready to be big chief. (pounds chest)
C: Are you kidding me?
-pause...this is where i realize I have to speak Pochontas to him, or he'll ignore me--
C: You no big chief ever. Me big chief.
S: No! Me little squire. Baby come, me big chief.
C: When you be big chief?
S: When the sun falls to the earth
C: So we just wait until dark and we have baby?
S: (without acknowledging my comment) and the sky rotates around the sun many, many times.
C: Then you be big chief?
S: Then me no little squire. Me big chief. We make little squire.

And it went downhill from there. So, imagine Steven talking to me in Indian terms, complete with hand gestures and some form of sign language. There you go, ladies and gentlemen! The real reason we don't have kids: little squire isn't ready to be big chief haha.

PS Don't read anything into this.

Anniversary Trip

For our very FIRST anniversary, we decided to road trip to Las Vegas. We stayed in the Stratosphere. The strip was a dirty, filthy place. We liked the temple. It was cold, but we had fun. We ate our wedding cake at 12:01 AM on our anniversary. Steven rode the rides on top of the stratosphere and I thought I was going to be a widow.

New Years Eve

Remember how I promised to update on our life via blog about a month ago? Well, turns out I have an upper respiratory infection (thank you KinderCare Learning Center & rain) so there's no time like the present to fill in the last three months!

New Years Eve- we spent it chaperoning my bro, Jaden's first co-ed birthday party! His birthday is actually in November, but it's always overlooked, so we decided to throw a New Years Eve Bash. There were lots of 12-13 obnoxious boys and some super cute girls there. However, Steve & I were the best dressed in all the land!


By the way, kissing at midnight on New Years is WAY more fun when you're married...who knew?

Christmas Eve & Christmas...

Has it really been that long since I blogged?? How sad!!
For Christmas Eve Dinner, we ate with my family. After receiving the traditional pajama pants, we headed out. We met the extended family of Mom Dorn for a HUGE ANNUAL Christmas party. We sang Silent Night in 3 languages (yay for returned missionaries!) for the talent portion of the night. I love these parties because I always meet someone new!! Mom Dorn has about 10 brothers and sisters, so there's always new people!


Nathan Dorn, I love you!

Our VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS was pretty exciting!! We got to sleep in a little and open lots of presents together :) Here are some pictures from the morning. We spent Christmas Lunch with the extended Dorn family and then spent dinner with the Ferrell & McCullough families. We were far too spoiled, but I loved it! Here's the pictures.

Attention World

We ARE alive!! We're just busy. I finally have my Saturdays back (goodbye compensation & benefits class!) and plan on spending the upcoming Saturday updating the world about the many adventures of our past few months!! I'm sorry to those who keep telling me to update...it's coming I promise!! I'll even add pictures too!