Doughnut Falls

I love snow. I feel like I'm in minority here as people clamor for signs of spring, but I love the way it transforms the ordinary grey and drab landscapes of winter and makes everything dazzle. We live in a wonderful world, my friends.

Robb skived off homework to go snowshoeing with me up to Doughnut Falls (over time water carved a hole in the rock face, hence the name). We brought water bladders with us to keep hydrated, forgetting that with arctic temperatures the water would probably freeze in the tubing...which it did (at least in mine...Robb managed to keep his flowing the entire hike. Don't worry, he shared with me :) ).

The end of the trail brought us to this point. After standing dangerously close to the edge for this shot, I was prepared to head back, when a fellow hiker encouraged us to crawl through an incredibly shifty looking tunnel dug into the side of the snowbank and see the falls from below. He promised that within three feet the tunnel opened up into a solid cave and the likelihood of dying in an avalanche was minimal...so we crawled on down and found this:

Breathtaking.

Daily Life and How to Chop Onions

I have a file folder for all my January pictures entitled, "Random" (creative, right?)...but that seems to describe life at the moment, lots of random (and amazing) things going down in Provo.

Julianne Dana left on Wednesday to enter the Missionary Training Center. She'll be serving in the Washington D.C. mission and speaking Spanish. I met her my sophomore year at BYU and we've been good friends ever since. I'm going to miss her...a lot, but she'll be such an amazing missionary. Hurrah for Israel!!!

Robb and I went on date to a packed Chili's. There weren't any tables free for the next 45 minutes, but there were two spots available at the bar. I've never sat at a bar before, but the hostess promised we didn't need to buy anything alcoholic, so we went for it. Cons of the seating arrangement: you are really, really close to the bartender/your fellow diners and you might be mistaken for a closet drinker. Pros: eavesdropping on the drunk man telling his life story to his date and watching two middle aged women play the field was immensely entertaining; twirly barstools are always fun; and the bartender kept our water glasses well filled.

Robb bought me a tripod for my birthday and it is wonderful to get pictures of us without having to bug innocent bystanders or resort to the huddle-and-try-to-aim-the-camera technique. These are a couple of pictures taken before our date (our smiles aren't completely candid because it was FREEZING outside).

And I made a revolutionary discovery this week. I was chopping onions for dinner and had to run to our bedroom for minute to relieve my streaming eyes, when I realized I had the means of protecting myself from the fiery vapors...my swimming goggles. The experiment worked, but it did require the loss of some dignity on my part and Robb may have started laughing so hard that he cried.

Further experimentation may be needed to see if benefits outweigh the risks :)

Robb Hays: Intramural Basketball player and Rocket Scientist

Robb started playing intramural basketball this semester with some guys from the ward. At 6 feet, 1 inch, Robb was our tallest player (by a long shot...we have a short, but speedy team :) ). He made a couple 3's and was the go-to guy on defense. Sadly, we didn't win, but there's always next time.

For Robb's capstone project, he (and his team) are entering a rocket in a NASA competition. The Frozen Finger's Launch was a practice run for the big day (and they weren't kidding about the frozen digits). The rocket went up great, but broke in half when the parachute ejected...so back to the drawing board. And that's what Robb Christopher Hays is doing these days!

Reader's Digest Version of December

I love the beginning of a new year. I get to take out all my good intentions that bottled up over the past twelve months and transform them into goals. Some will have to be recycled for a time when I possess more gumption and go-getter-ness, but on the whole I end up a better, more well rounded person from the process.

Anyway, in the year 2011 I, Lakin Marie Hays, will be a better blogger.

But I have to catch up on the past month first...

I got older (aka I'm now 23). Robb spoiled me rotten and my work party happened to fall on the same day. Woot for free parties!

We journeyed to Darby, MT to do some pre-Christmas celebrating with the Hays clan. We went sledding, ate amazing food, played board games, and got to soak up all of the wonderfulness of the season. I love family.

Unfortunately, we had to come back to Provo so I could work my scheduled holiday shifts. Someone has to be in the hospital on Christmas. I did get Christmas Eve off though and we decided to observe Christmas then. We got a pretty little tree, hung our stockings on Robb's pull-up bar, and cooked up a feast to share with Robb's brother, Brett, and his wife, Megan. It was Christmas on a smaller scale than I'm used to, but I think it helped me appreciate the blessings in my life more. I have a wonderful family and husband and we are all sealed together for time and eternity because of Christ's ultimate gift. And really, is there anything more important than that?

I managed to finagle four days off the next week to see my wonderful friend (or sister, she's pretty much part of the family), Erin, marry Nik Sorensen in the Medford, Temple (that, my friends, is why it's so important to be nice to the person in charge of your schedule). She looked gorgeous and absolutely full to the brim with happiness. It was so good to see old friends and family too. Medford will always be one of my favorite places in the world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Thanksgiving

I'm grateful for my wonderful parents who are always there for me; an amazing brother serving a mission in India; for the green slime they squirt on planes, allowing them to fly in icy-cold conditions; and that I married a man who, in addition to all his other sterling qualities, knows how to extract birds from beneath fridges.

I guess there's a hole in the siding of my parents' house that the landlord thought he patched up. After we took care of Fenton (bird #1) and released him back in the wilderness of Seattle, Gertrude (Bird #2) and Gabby (Bird #3) made an appearance in my parent's bedroom. We opened a few windows and they left after some hand waving action and pleas to stay far away from the females of the house. Barry (bird #4) came later the next day. By that time we were bird releasing experts and Dad and Robb had him out in ten minutes. I made a movie of our adventures with Fenton and I think Robb has a future on animal planet if Mechanical Engineering doesn't pan out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc33iTM3E8I

The rest of holiday was much calmer. Mom made us a wonderful turkey dinner. We went and saw the much awaited Harry Potter movie and we visited Boeing's Museum of Flight. Robb was in heaven. He wants to design airplanes after he graduates and walking around the museum with him was like having your own personal tour guide. There were exhibits from WWI, WWII, an airplane car from the fifties, and modern aircraft. It really is an amazing museum (I posted a picture of my favorite plane...look for the tiger jumping on a deer with Hitler's face :) ).

It was an amazing holiday and like always, the hardest part was coming back.

Yes...

In fifth grade I endeavored to read The Fellowship of the Ring in order to earn more AR points (oh the nerdiness of me). By the time I finished, I felt exhausted. Tolkien had dragged me step by step through a plot line where short periods of excitement were bordered by long trudges, hunger, and random songs in elfish. Although his method of writing more accurately describes normal life (work, sleep, school, random adventure, work, sleep, school), we all know the movies were better.

Anyway, if someone were to take the last couple weeks of my life and turn it into a movie, this is what would make the screen play cut (and even then, you may still feel like changing the channel to something more stimulating...like golf :) ):

The Defeat of the Dreadful Dragon, Debt (of the Honda variety)

Yes, after a year and half of saving (plus making monthly payments) we have paid off the Honda Civic. O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! We chortled in our joy! I know Debt has brothers, uncles and second cousins that will try and attack us in the future, but for now we are free.

The Ongoing War with Rhinovirus

I normally am a ridiculously healthy person. I constantly stand in awe of my immune system as it withstands the flu, fevers, and all the nastiness of the hospital year after year. But like all great heroes, it does have an Achilles heel--the common cold. Robb caught a minor version a couple of weeks ago and despite a strict cheek-kisses-only policy, it got me too...except, as usual, it mutated into something twice as strong with an endurance that makes Lance Armstrong look like a pansy.

I'm sporting an incredibly attractive yellow mask at work to keep my poor patients, who have enough health problems as it is, from catching something new.

The Last of the Seminoles

(Robb did not appreciate how I described his team's season of flag football, so he agreed to write this section)

As previously stated, Lakin's completely unfounded characterization of the quality and commitment of the 141st Ward Seminoles football team has necessitated my writing on her behalf.

The Seminoles (pronounced Seh-mee-noh-lehs) bounced back from a hard-fought 0-5 regular season to open the second round of the playoffs with a spectacular win over the mysterious "Team 217." The scoring effort was led by Ryan with two rushing TDs and one passing TD. Kade also scored on a beautiful 20-yard interception return to seal the deal. The first win of the season couldn't come at a better time, propelling the Seminoles to the Sweet 16.

That win set up their next tournament match-up with the ever-flatulent "Team Bean." The Beanos were unstoppable in their previous tournament appearance, scoring on every possession of the game. They entered today's match-up coming off an easy roll of 139th Ward. Today's game was a story of defense on both sides of the ball. Team Bean struck first with a long, slow march down the length of the field and a touchdown. The Seminoles had a chance to counter with a sustained drive all the way to the 3 yard line, only to be picked off on the next play after Ryan was blitzed and the screen dump missed its target. The first half ended 6-0 in favor of the Beanpoles. The second half saw another hard fought Team Bean score after Robb failed to sack the passer in time on a cornerback blitz. With time running out, the Seminoles once again reached the red zone only to be picked off after a questionable no-call illegal rush. Time expired on the ensuing Beanstalk possession, leaving the score 12-0, Beanie Babies.

The real story-line of the game came from Cankles McLoudmouth and his incessant whining to the refs on every play. Yes, every play. It was apparent to everyone present that he had no idea how to play football. We were all dumber for having listened to him speak. He was escorted off the field by campus police late in the second half for general idiocy. (Okay so I made that last sentence up, but it wouldn't have surprised me, given his overall lack of personal hygiene and moral scruples.)

Robb waxed a little more eloquently on his post than I was expecting, so I'll stop here :)

Happy Saturday!

Love,

Lakin

Autumn Walks and Rocket Launches

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

I've finally accepted that summer is over. I'm not sure if it was the constant presence of Robb's homework and my hospital shifts or the two inches of snow on my car that brought on this realization...but fall is here to stay and it is beautiful. We decided to take a short stroll around our block to take it all in.

Robb is in the Capstone year of his program and for his project a team of BYU ME students will enter a rocket in NASA's annual competition. The finished product will fly a mile high and contain some sort of science project inside. For practice, Robb and the gang made a rocket to enter in the UROC competition (I didn't get to go, but Robb took pictures for me).

I finished with orientation at the end of September and now I sprint around three shifts a week trying to keep up the veterans on the floor. It's the most worthwhile and stressful thing I have ever done. Lately I come home after a shift only to dream about nursing. My dream shifts are always harder than the real ones and I don't even get paid, so I decided I need to retire from my dream vocation and seek employment elsewhere. Any suggestions would be appreciated :)