Our New Home

After three weeks of organizing, problem solving for space, and cleaning I finally finished our new apartment and wanted to show it off. My little brother enjoys comparing my residences to shoe boxes and went on about how I should upgrade to a boot box with tissue paper in it on my way to one day actually having the shoes in the box...

Personally, I think that this new apartment beats the old teal counter, metal cabinets, and being able to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom at the same time according to my sister. My happiest moment was when I was vacuuming the other day and realized that I had to use more than one plug to get the whole house!!!!!!!

I cannot say how grateful we are to Bill and Rebecca for giving us the opportunity for such a wonderful place to live.

Here is the finished product:

THE KITCHEN


This next one is Calvin's Pan Tree, since were had no where to put pots he decided to build a place for me to hang them and it turned out wonderful.. I absolutely love it and think it adds a great feeling to the kitchen



I love tupperware...this is our makeshift pantry



OUR BEDROOM

Our bedroom is so large, it is wierd to have actual room in there...the bed didn't take over the whole room this time...



THE DINING ROOM

We just bought this table and I absolutley love it...we got such a good deal on it and I can't wait to get the mirror hung to finish off the feel.




THE LIVING ROOM





THE OFFICE/SCRAPBOOK CORNER

I am so excited to have my own place to scrapbook now. I might get more done since I don't have to trash the kitchen table to scrapbook anymore.

Project Dresser

Calvin and I's last apartment had a ton of built in shelving and closet space, but that is no longer the case. As a result, we bought a dresser, but Calvin didn't really like it caked in black spray paint, thus before I could finish our new apartment, I had to refinish the dresser to match our red nightstands. I have never done anything like this before, but it was a great learning experience and it turned out great!! The dresser looks way better now that you can actually see the grain of the wood.

After two cans of paint stripper, three days of sanding mostly by hand, and a few coats of stain, the project was finished and I was proud that I had done 90% of it on my own. Thankfully my sister in law, Jenni, was around to guide me in the right direction and Calvin was around to move the dresser...it was a heck of a project, but I am so glad that I did it. I learned so much and it turned out great...

Here are some pictures of the final stages...this is Calvin and Jenni putting the first coat of stain on...




The finished product..Compare the nasty black mirror frame to the beautiful finished dresser

Moving Box Mazes

After living in Provo, Utah for two years, the two years since we've been married, Calvin and I, well more so me, decided that it was time for a change of residence. Although we loved the teal countertop, the constant problems with the fridge, water heater, and the awesome cinderblock, it was time to leave our boot box as we so fondly called it. With Calvin attending the U and my job in Salt Lake it didn't make since to live all the way in Provo. So we packed up our apartment and this was the result...




My mom was definitely right, you don't know how much stuff you've accumulated until you start packing. It took me three days to pack up the apartment, but I was so grateful I did when it came time to move. Although I turned the house into a maze, I still found little spots to hang out in...



After all of the packing I was exhausted and not looking forward to the actual move. We moved on a Thursday night after Calvin got off work and thought it would take us forever, but with the help of some ward members, a good family friend, and Calvin's brother and sister in law, we were able to load and unload the truck in less than an hour and a half. I didn't realize that not all people know how to move, since I've done it so many times, but the moving coordinator in our Provo ward said that we were only the second smooth and easy move he has had in two years, since with all the other moves they hadn't even packed anything up yet. So the movign box maze was a pain, but much simpler.

Calvin looked so handsome driving the big truck, he was laughing because I wanted pictures, but they turned out cute...



We made it safely to our new residence in Alpine, Utah. Until further notice we will be renting my in-laws basement. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity and have already found it to be a much nicer place to be. We look forward to their return from Latvia (they have been serving a mission for our church for the past two years) and getting to spend time with them.

Football Time

So Calvin has been playing on this AA football team called the Desperados for the past few months. It has been quite the exciting adventure. I would have to say that the biggest highlight of the season was that I started the season not knowing what was going on and ended the last game totally excited about the game and following what was happening.

In terms of Calvin, he tried out and made the team as a wide reciever, however they didn't have a kicker. Calvin kicked in high school and hated getting stuck in that position, but once again that is what happened. I guess he wouldn't get stuck as the kicker if he wasn't any good at it. Man does he have one mightly leg!!!! They ended the season 9-2 losing in the Championship Game, but it was a great season for a first year team.

The games took Calvin all the way from Saint George, Oregon, Montana, and of course Utah Valley. He was a stud and I kept hearing about how he was the only reason they won most of their games. In fact in the game against the most brutal team in the league, he scored 9 of the 11 points so that they could win the game.

It is almost impossible to tell if the PTA are good from the sidelines, but all of the wives came to the conclusion that if Calvin was kicking we could pretty much assume that they were good, since he hardly ever misses. He is an awesome kicker and it is fun to compare him with the other kickers, since he is always better.

He is so happy when he plays football and it has been fun spending time doing things that he loves. He supports me in school and in my teaching, for once it was nice to support him in things that he loves to do as well.

What do you get the man with everything?

So I was trying to come up with something really great to give my dad for father's day, but if he wants something he goes out and buys it. So, material things were out, and I was clueless. However, while I was out scrapbook shopping, I saw the cutest book that said DAD in chipboard letters. This got me thinking and I decided to make him a book with all of our motorcycle excursions in it. I ran the idea by my mom and she said it was perfect because she was making a chipboard book the other day for a lady she visit teaches and my dad had come over and said he wished that someone would make him one of those with his favorite pictures of his kids. So I rushed and hurried to get it done in time, and I think it turned out great...I got a tearful so that must have meant if was a good gift...but I don't know dad, are motorcycles sports related???? Calvin and I couldn't come to a consensus...

Here are a couple of pictures of how it turned out (I don't have the last few pages because I had to get to the post office).. in my biased opinion I have become a pretty good scrapbooker..

Hearst Castle Revisited

My best friend got married at the end of April, so of course I flew home to enjoy the fesitivities and her happiness. Lisa looked radiant and Preston couldn't have been smiling any bigger. It was a beautiful night. Well, I ended up out there for three weeks, since if I was going to buy a plane ticket, I might as well make it worth the trip. Never again will I leave Calvin for three weeks, it was so hard. I was watching Lisa and Preston dance and all I could think about was how much I wanted my husband there with me.

In order to make the time fly by slighly faster, dad and I decided to take off on a motorcycle trip. I hadn't been on the BMW and needed to test it out. Unfortunately Mom got extremely sick, but Ashley was there to take care of her and dad and I headed off to see Hearst Castle. Now, I had been to Hearst Castle when I was like five, and it was boring, long, and a total waste of time...all I can remember is the Roman Pool. I figured going at 21 would produce slightly different results..and it did...After, dad asked me what I thought and I kept telling him that it was a lot cooler when I wasn't five...

So the trip started with buying sexy rain gear because it was going to rain (we lucked out and missed all but a few drizzles). Then we headed off to Anderson's Pea Soup for lunch on Saturday. Dad and I are both pea soup fans and enjoyed a nice warm meal after the cold ride. We then migrated south through Monterey (I still remembered the red barn you turn at to get to Watsonville) and a foggy ride down the coast. We ended up in San Simeon, staying at a Day's Inn (he totally loves me more mom, since there was a motel 6 down the street). We had overpriced food for dinner and went to bed early...no computer, no spectra vision, and nothing to watch...

Sunday we got up, and toured the castle..I was in awe...it was incredible and a place that needs to be visited at least once by people..I plan on taking Calvin there at some point in time, maybe the next time we visit my parents. It was amazing to see how people can live and the things they would choose to spend money on...

After the castle, we went home. It wasn't too exciting...after the castle it was all anti climatic, but it was a fun time with dad and the vineyards were nice...

Here are some of the best pictures...the Roman Pool...all I could remember




The Front Door...



The Dining Room...


Daddy and Newt...


Thanks Calvin for letting me spend that time with my family...and I decided that I want a cruiser first so I can wear leather...it looks better. When we are old we can get a beamer, they are more comfortable but for now I'm good with style

Full Circle: Aleisha's Job

Okay, so clearly I am not very talented with the whole blogging thing, but I have decided to try to do a little better, now that we have some exciting things going on to actually talk about.

In March I applied for an internship to fulfill my final year of college. Instead of taking over someone else's classroom, I will be the full time teacher, have my own classroom, get paid half salary, and get full benefits. It is a much better option in many regards and luckily I was chosen and offered a job as either a 4th or 6th grade teacher in the Salt Lake City School District at Newman Elementary School.

I have worked so hard for this and am so excited to finally start teaching in a few months. I guess life has a funny way of working itself out, since I will be teaching in what is now considered an urban school with 80% hispanic studnets (good thing I minored in Spanish)and what also used to be my mom's elementary school many years ago, in fact her house can still be seen from the parking lot. I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to many life lessons and experiences....

I felt all grown up on Monday when I drove all the way into downtown Salt Lake to turn in my contract at the district office. I was all grown up turning in tax documents and proof of my right to work here, giving them bank information for paychecks...all that stuff used to seem so scary, but I am a working girl now and all of that comes with the territory.

A Long Semester

Now that the last semester is over and I don't have to keep a stupid blog for that class about what I am learning about technology each week, I have cleaned it off and am ready for a fresh start. I am hoping to get to upload some pictures soon and actually keep people updated about our lives...although normally we simply work and go to school, occasionally there is something worth knowning about, we shall just have to see what exciting things Calvin and I do in the future.