House Hunting!

We started house hunting last week because it was my spring break, and it was really the only time i would have for awhile to do some hunting. We were kind of in a rush because our contract in Logan ends on May 15, and knowing how long closing can take we knew we needed to find a house quickly. I swear we looked at dozens of houses, but none of them could compare to the third one we looked at. When we pulled up to that house, I instantly saw potential. Then I went inside, prepared for disappointment like every other house was. But no! I fell in love! It was so bright and sunny and beautiful! Plus the backyard was massive. Jake and I decided to keep looking, but since we really felt like that was the house for us, we called for backup. Jake's parents and my parents came to see the house with us. Needless to say we put in offer in that day. The people that owned the house before us had done one of those government loan things, and when they could no longer make the payments (a really long sad story that I wish I didn't know), the government repossessed the house. Something called HUD. Not sure what that stands for, but basically what happens is the house goes on the market for ten days, and at the end of ten days whoever has the highest offer gets the house. FHA loans can only bid the asking price, but since we are getting a rural housing loan, we could bid higher, so after much discussion, we put in our bid and waited for the bidding to end Monday night.
Tuesday came, I could not focus on anything. I knew that our Realtor would call me sometime in the afternoon, which led to me not being able to focus on anything. When she called I nearly passed out. After she told me we won the bid I nearly tackled my poor brother (who was over for lunch) and started jumping around and calling my husband, parents, and basically any one that wanted to listen to me freak out.
So now we wait to close. We have all our loan stuff processing, and we hope to close at the end of April. Sadly, I have school til the seventh of May (stupid Friday finals). Then we can move in to our beautiful home.
Its so nice and bright. Really spacious. And once upon a time it was a model home, which means the house has lots of extras like a tray ceiling in the master bedroom. I am so excited to move in. I have just about had it with our little 400 square ft apartment. I need more room! But at the same time I love Logan and will miss it forever. But yay! A house. We are so excited to be moving on with our lives!
The front of the house!

Time for an update

Wow! It has been an incredibly busy last little while! Between the holidays, finals, Jacob graduating, school starting up again and sorts of other crazy stuff our lives have been jammed packed. I guess I should start with clear back at Thanksgiving.
This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Bangerters. Wow. Talk about completely different when compared to how my family does Thanksgiving. First of all there was what felt like a hundred people and it is an all day party. Way different from the Bullough Thanksgivings I grew up with having maybe thirty people. So that was way strange.
Next came finals, which for some reason stressed me out more than I can ever remember. Lots of papers and tests. Ehh. And Jacob had one test. Oh well, I guess he deserves it since it was his last semester. Then Jacob graduated. Without walking. The university decided that there isn't a need to do commencement ceremonies in both December and May (which they neglected to tell us until less than a month before we thought he would be walking). So if Jacob really wants to walk, he has the option to in May.
Once the semester ended Jacob started the looonnnggg interview process with the Boy Scouts. We originally started to consider the job back in September or October, but because he wasn't graduated yet we couldn't start the process. Once he called back in early December he was told there were no longer any job openings. But....The old adage it isn't what you know, but who you know was really proven. Our boss from summer camp really pushed for council to hire Jacob. And three interviews and about a month later we found out Jacob won himself a job. Yay! I am so excited for Jacob, and Jacob cant believe he is 23 years old and starting a job he can see himself doing for a very long time.
We owe a huge thank you to our camp director, Doug, and all the strings he pulled to help us get this job. Seriously! I just cant believe we are moving on with our lives! What a huge blessing!
School started up again last week, and I am taking 18 credits of upper division classes. Hopefully with Jacob being gone so much for work, I will really be able to focus and pound out some awesome grades. Hopefully. And if all goes well we will be moving out of Logan in May. And I can get a cat. And it looks like Jacob will be running a scout camp, so I really cant escape this whole spending my summer in the mountains. And yet every summer I say that I won't be back the following year. Oh well. There are worse things.
All in all its been a pretty great last little while and its hard not be optimistic about the future of this Bangerter family :)

Baby??

So...This weekend Jacob and I babysat for my brother-in-law. And it was yet another reminder of why we are waiting to have kids. I love those kids to death, but spending an entire day with them...That is just not something I am ready for on a permanent basis. The funniest part was that Jake's cousin was having his wedding reception at my in-laws and so everyone there thought it necessary to ask me why Jake and I are yet to have kids. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little. But....We have only been married fourteen months-ish. No need for babies yet! It was also quite humorous to me that my cute little nephew Dax was often mistaken for my own kid. And he is 13 months....I do NOT need/want a baby right now. And so please don't ask me if the reason we don't have a baby is because I cant have one. Please don't ask when we plan on having a baby. And please don't ask why we are waiting. Quite frankly, its not really any of your business. But I am sure that when Jacob and I do decide that it is the right time for us, I will tell you. Love Katie

Ignorance?

So recently, I have tried changing my attitude, as to have a more positive outlook on school, family, etc. For the most part, I can see a huge difference in myself i.e. more willing to get up early, doing my homework more than five minutes before it is due, and just all around being a happier person. But there are a few things I have to get off my chest, because they are just plain frustrating!

The first is an incident that occurred a few days ago. It involved a friend of mine asking me if my older brother was in to hard drugs, and how my family was dealing with that. First off, IF my brother was in to drugs, its none of your business! Secondly, its NOT my business either. And finally, who are you to judge my family? I mean honestly? Who cares? Does it really make a difference to you one way or another? And if my brother chooses to be some dumb a$$ junkie, that in no way reflects on my parents. He is perfectly capable of making his own choices, and don't judge him for that. My heck people can be so awful.

Okay so my second little annoyance is nothing like the first. Its actually pretty stupid, but it annoys me. BYU fans! Good heavens get off you high horses. I do not get why it is okay for you to rub it in my face that you go to BYU and BYU is the most amazing place on the planet. Not to mention their incredible sports programs right? Fine rub it in my face. But when my cute little underdogs USU beat you, don't make up some lame excuse. Just deal with it. Also, if I really wanted to go to BYU I could have, but in general, I don't like to spend my time with self-righteous people ( I realize this is a huge generalization and that there are normal people at BYU). I didn't really want to spend my college years at a university that basically takes away any chance for agency that I might have. Sorry if that offends anyone, obviously this isn't meant against every single BYU student ever.

Okay. Now I feel better. Not to much new going on in Logan. Three tests within the next week, and I am just thrilled, because it means the semester is going to be over soon. I did find out some sad news this last week. Thanks school for telling me I have to have 45 upper division credits to graduate. Grr...So now I have to go one extra semester. So Spring 2012 is looking great for me. Six years after I graduated from high school....Oh well. At least Jake can be done this semester. And so far the job outlook is pretty positive. :D Just keep praying we can find something that will be well...something.

Procrastination....

I have a lot of homework to do, so naturally, I am going to do the smart thing and avoid it at all costs. Since my last update my life has drastically changed. Kidding. But camp ended (Thankfully. I was sick of eating frozen sodium for all my meals). School started. And here we go again. This semester I got the genius idea to take more credits so I can graduate next December. (Bad idea no. 1) All throughout my college career I avoided taking to many history classes by taking my generals so I could get them outta the way, and not have to worry about it (Bad idea no. 2). So now, in the second semester of my junior year, I am taking three history classes (bad idea no. 3) on top of a CIL class, an FCHD class, and the worst of all, Deductive Logic (which in itself is bad ideas no. 4-7). Holy workload!!! Its only week two, and I am so bogged down with reading, more reading, oh and more reading, that I almost feel like I don't have time to even go to class. (Which would be bad idea no. 8.) At least I have way less workload as far as writing papers. So....
Anyway, I am super excited for Jacob because he is graduating this semester!!! I couldn't be more thrilled. It is kind of strange to know that he will finally be done with school, and it is really scary to think about the job market, but I know things will work out how they are supposed to. I just hope he makes it through the semester alive. (He has a lot of fun classes like me :D) So yup, in a few short months Jacob will be the proud owner of a college degree. Lucky duck. I might be just a little bit jealous. Just a little.... :D
Our lives are really not to exciting right now. But we are in school and trying to enjoy every minute of it. My new personal goal for the semester is to have gratitude. I need to appreciate the chance I have to go to school, because not everyone gets this chance. Hopefully that will help me stay positive. Hopefully....

Story Time

So...I have worked out scout camp for several years. And in the several years, the most famous person I have met there was a guy my dad knew from the Tooele County Health Dept. Until last week...
On Tuesday night, I had decided to go to bed early....I was tired...And Jacob came back from his free time shoot...He woke me up and proceeded to tell me that Donny Osmond and his son were in camp, and that they had just been up at the rifle range. Bull CRAP!! I told Jacob to stop lying to me and to let me sleep. But he continuosly persisted that THE Donny Osmond was in camp...After some comments of yeah right, and I just taught Britney Spears basketry....I realized he wasn't lying.
A few days later, I was sitting in my precious handicraft shelter, quietly singing the Mulan soundtrack (Logan had been listening to it earlier in the week, and it was stuck in my head). Pretty soon, Donny Osmond and the scout master he was with came in...The scoutmaster was all do you know who sings that song? do you know who Donny Osmond is? do you know what he looks like? Of course I do! Duh!!! (Not that I said that...) Next thing I knew Donny Osmond Katie and Skylar are singing freaking Donny Osmond songs....Yup! Sweet ACTION!!
In other events, I am so happy camp is halfway over. This year has been so much less stressful than last summer (I blame the fact that Jake is there to keep me sane). It has been a good experence, and it is actually kind of bittersweet knowing that this is my last summer there. (Hopefully, if Jacob can get a good job) I have learned so much from camp, and have met so many wonderful people because of it. Heck, that is the reason I met my husband!!! :D I have so many memories of Camp Steiner, and so many of them come from experiences that I would never change for the world. So it is kind of weird to know that the Camp Steiner part of my life is quickly coming to a close.
In other news, yesterday, Jacob and I got to attend a wedding for one of my best friends from high school. And having spent the last four weeks in 70 degree weather, it was quite shocking to our bodies to be in 104 degree weather for the better part of the day. We were disgustingly soaked in sweat....EWW...But anyways, Brittany and Derek looked so happy! And it was good to see some people from school again. Its so weird that they are finally married (they have been together since we were like 16). But I am so happy for them!!! Being married is the shiz nitz!
Only four more weeks left of camp. I am so excited to go back home, to do my own cooking/recipie finding, and to be able to shower every day without feeling rushed for time :D

Camp, Birthday, More Camp

Well...Jacob and I have been working at our super fun summer job for two weeks now. It has been so much fun to have Jacob at camp with me. He loves shooting guns all day, and teaching kids how to be safe/smart. I am having a blast doing a million different things, but my favorite thing is teaching. Especially since the stuff I am teaching is very hands on. I have been teaching the leatherwork and basketry merit badges. I am pretty sure I do not have a career in basket making, but it is really fun to work with my hands all day and to keep myself entertained. As another part of my job, I am the head commissioner, which is what I went to camp school for. Might I say that I really hate commissioning. It is so not my cup of tea. Walking up to complete strangers is not so fun to me. But I do it. Because I have to. So that is camp, minus a few lame experiences that I don't want to share...
This year, I actually have to take my poor old car back and forth to camp, and since our car is so not fantastic at long drives, we have to pull over at least once every trip, so we get to see some pretty spectacular views. So far this year we have stopped at Provo River Falls and Bald Mountain Overlook. Next week we are thinking of stopping at either the Duchesne Tunnel or at the Hayden Peak Overlook. I absolutely love the Uinta Mountains. They are so beautiful. I love driving the Mirror Lake Highway. And every drive is different. I especially enjoy the times when we get to see wildlife. Moose are by far my favorite animal in the mountains, and eventually I will get some pictures.
Last Monday, Jacob celebrated his 23rd (For a minute he thought he was 24....) birthday. Since we were going to be at camp, we celebrated with the Bangerter side of the family on Sunday. Cleadonna made him a chocolate cake, which he was so excited about, because I never make chocolate anything. He got two new pairs of jeans (which he needed desperately) some tennis balls and a movie. Pretty sweet beans I think. On Monday, I decided I was going to sing him every birthday song I know just so that I could annoy him. Plus, one of our camp friends thought it would be funny to have the whole camp sing to him. Oh yes, Jacob loved that. (Pretty sure he was incredibly embarrassed. Love Katie!!! Oh I forgot to mention that we went to birthday dinner on Saturday at the Brick Oven. Jacob loves that place. And holy cow. He decided we should get the feast for two (It turned out to be like a family feast). We both got garlic bread, a salad bar, a pasta bar, a pizza, and dessert. Wow. Talk about a lot of food. And it was lame, because I have been trying to lose weight, and I was down nearly fifteen pounds at that point, and I am pretty sure I gained it all back in one weekend. Not really, but still....It was a lot of food.
And so that has been our summer thus far. It has been a great experience, and I wouldn't change anything about it for the world.