A Year of Reflection

Exactly one year ago today I lost a dear friend of mine in a car accident. Nych was only 21 when he died and his death shocked everyone who knew him.

I knew Nych from 3rd grade and he and I had remained friends into our adulthood. We had so many memories together from going on school trips together in elementary school, playing in the orchestra together in middle school, and just being goofy in high school. Pretty much all of my memories of Nych from high school make me laugh out loud when I think about them now. He was a huge ball of energy and could always, always make you laugh. He wasn't always a jokester, though, he was a sweetheart as well. I remember my senior year of high school when I was an office aide for my 1st period class he didn't have a first period so he would come to school early just to hang out with me in the office. Then, he would walk me to class just to make sure I wasn't walking alone.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful memories I have with Nych was when he came and danced with me at my wedding. We hadn't seen each other very often after high school but whenever we did he would always make it seem like it had been no time at all and would greet me with a HUGE bear hug and talk to me just like an old friend. I specificallly remember him coming to dance with me during the dollar dance at my reception and he had this giant, loving smile on his face then gave me a huge hug and told me how happy he was for me. I never thought that a year later he would be gone. I think about him and miss him everyday, but I am forever grateful for all of the memories I have to remember him.

Nych, you will be forever missed but you are always in my heart.

Rattlesnakes in our Yard?!?!

I was about to let Lola outside a few minutes ago and I got a feeling that I should look outside on the patio, just to make sure the light was on and everything was okay. Well, I saw something that at first I thought was a large stick on the mat right outside our sliding glass door...but it wasn't a stick. It was a rattlesnake!!! So I slammed the door shut, screamed then yelled, "DAN! THERE'S A SNAKE!" So he came running to my rescue and we looked at the dang thing through the glass. He wasn't very old; he only had two rattles. Long story short, the snake is gone and hopefully he has no siblings or even worse, a mama, hangin' around in our yard. I hate snakes...

Dune Season Has Begun

Halloween weekend commenced the beginning of dune season for the Curtis family. Dan and I loaded up our truck which I lovingly refer to as Shaq Diesel and probably gave an entertaining show to the neighbors as it was only the two of us loading a quad and dirt bike into the back of the truck. Dan is a pro at it but me, I had no clue what to do. But, we got it all in, threw the dog in with us for his first road trip, and headed out to the dunes.

Dan didn't want to waste any dune time by spraying the dirt off his dirt bike at home so at our first stop for diesel he made good use of the gas station squeegee and gave it a last-minute wash. :) What a little innovator!

This was the first dune trip that the boys (Tyler, Dan, Blake) were able to bring their new dirt bikes. Here they are anxiously awaiting the morning ride.

And here are the lovely girls of the weekend - Kristina, Me, Sherrida, Lillian.

Blake, Tyler, and Dan, my Arab husband...haha. These boys get along so well, it's amazing.

Jessie getting ready to take her little green car, Esmerelda (sp?) for a spin.

Dan was kind and patient enough to take me out for a little ride, just the two of us. I don't really know how to ride a quad in the dunes very well yet so he takes me out to the "little dunes" so I can get in some practice time.

Doesn't he look good?! People like to give him a hard time for being a "little guy" riding a big bike, but let me tell you, he can handle that thing like a pro! So talk all you want! haha.

You know, sometimes I put up a fight about going to the dunes and not being able to get anything done while I'm away, but this weekend was just what I needed. Things have been SUPER busy lately between work, callings, Dan's midterms, housework, etc. that it was a perfect get away from the everyday grind. And Moto behaved himself pretty well, too, minus the growling and snarling at anyone who made a noise in the morning. He's not a morning dog, I guess. :) Here's to happy duning!

Happy Birthday, Twins!

These ladies are A-W-E-S-O-M-E! We had a fantastic time celebrating their birthday at the Tequila Factory with delicious food and fun company. What the heck would I do without these two wonderful women in my life? My mom has been such a powerful example of what it means to be a strong woman and has shown me how to be able to be independent and goal-oriented. She's the one that pushed me to get to where I am today and I am so thankful. One thing I love about our relationship is that we always, ALWAYS end our phone conversations with "I love you" even if we're mad at each other! I love my mama!

And my Jannie has always been like my second mom. She spent so much time with me when I was kid and always let me do such fun things with her like paint clay pots, stamp up a storm, and cook! When I was a kid I loved "helping" (more like watching) Jannie cook dinner. She has inspired me to learn how to cook and I must say, my cooking skills are progressing. Thank goodness!

I'm so glad these two are in my life. I love you both!

Weekend Update

Sometimes I feel like I live for the weekends. Last week was one such week where I seemed to be counting down the hours until I had actual free time. Here's what my weekend consisted of. You may not find it exciting but sometimes this is all I need to become refreshed and ready to get back to Monday morning and living the crazy, busy life.

1. I got off work 2 hours early Friday to go get my hair done and spend two hours with one of my most favorite people ever. Love her!!
2. I went shopping. A must for having a good weekend.
3. I got to attend the General Relief Society meeting with the woman that inspires me the most, my mama of course.
4. I learned that if you stick my dog Moto under the water in the shower, he swims. Cutest thing ever!
5. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable in my new calling and am very thankful for the amazing ladies and fun girls to serve with.

It's early to say, but this week is going better than last. But hey, you can always look forward to the weekend, right?

Football, New Callings, and the Great Outdoors

Our lives, sadly, have not been very exciting lately. School and work and church are pretty much all we do. So you can imagine our excitement to have a 3-day weekend to ourselves to do whatever we want!

First, we went to the first U of A football game of the season with the Dyckman's. Although the Cats won, the 45 minute delay of game due to lightning strikes in the area and THIS GUY were probably the highlights.

So it looks like he decided to paint his whole head and ran out of blue paint? Regardless, this guy was C-R-A-Z-Y. Thank goodness he was like 5 rows down from us. Here are some prettier pictures.




Then, on Sunday Dan and I were released from the Nursery and I was called as the Young Women's secretary and Dan had previously been called as the Stake Sunday School secretary. We're both secretaries! Fun, fun!

And Monday, Dan decided to take me on a hike because I always complain that I want to go hiking. Well, the little hike we did was tons of fun but considering that was only my second hike, EVER, I was a little worn out. We did get in a little game of pine cone baseball which was hilarious! I'm sure everyone on Mt. Lemmon heard me laughing at Dan trying to hit the pine cones I was throwing at him. Hehe.







All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully it won't be another month before I have fun stuff to post. I'll leave you with a few rock 'n roll pics!

Three of a Kind

Enough said.