Fall Break

A few weekends ago we went down to St. George to visit Dan's Grandma Crandall and meet up with all the Crandall brothers. Spencer and Kristen are moving to South Carolina soon (currently living in Arizona) and we all wanted to see each other one last time while it was easier. So we all met halfway! We had a short fall break (it consisted of Friday) from school but it was so worth making the trip.

We arrived early Friday afternoon and visited for the rest of the day with Grandma Crandall. It was really nice because usually whenever we see her has always been really quick as we drive through St. George to other destinations. We even got to cook her dinner which was fun:)

Saturday the boys hiked the part of the Narrows as well as Angel's Landing.

The Narrows


Andrew, Dan, and Michael at the Narrows.

All the Crandall Boys at Angel's Landing. (This was the first time they all were able to hike together in years so they were quite excited about it!)

Spencer flying off of Angel's Landing.

Ok...well as you can see on Dan's, flying=lying on a rock with your arms spread out like wings:)

Some parts of the trail were so steep and close to the edge (with up to 2000 ft dropoffs) that they had to hold onto metal chains bolted in the rock as they hiked (not pictured).

On Saturday while the boys hiked the girls swam with the kids, shopped, went out to lunch, visited with old friends, etc,etc...I didn't get any pictures. Wish I would have because the kids were cute to watch swimming and Aidan even got brave enough to swim!

Sunday we ended our trip with going to church with Grandma and having a quick lunch. I didn't get the greatest picture of all the boys with their grandpa (so Kristen and Cami if you have better please share!!!)

Aidan showing off his "cool" boot. He dropped a brick on his toe a few days before the trip:(

Dan and Abby

Dan and I with Grandma Crandall. It was so nice to actually visit for awhile and for me to get to know her better!

Updating the randomness

Okay, so I know the picture below is kinda gross but I can't help but think that a TB bug must look something like this...it has to be ugly. It just has to be! Anyways, after much struggle for Dan's work to follow through with his TB testing they FINALLY did at his last day on the job. His chest xray came out clean. GOOD NEWS! So he doesn't have TB but does still have TB exposure. So once our insurance switches again with Dan's active duty status he will be taking 3 different meds daily for 9 months. This will be an adjustment for him since I don't think he has ever really taken medicine in his life, guess he was just wanting to compete with me and the bagillion pills I take each day! All in all, we are just happy to know that all is ok.

Second, I think "crossing my fingers still..." that we finally found a house! In case anyone wanted to know, number 4 is the new lucky number. We put an offer on a fourth house a week or so ago. I couldn't even remember what the house looked like at the time (we had looked at so many houses that day and have probably seen 75 houses total. We put an offer on the one we liked best from that day, which fell through and this was our next favorite). I was so sick of looking at houses but knew it was nice so we went for it. Guess the less thought the better! Since we have gone under contract we have seen the house two more times and it is really nice. I was hoping for a different town, but the neighborhood is really nice. There are a few things that need to be addressed in the home in order for our loan to be approved so if all goes well we should be in our new home by about Thanksgiving:)

Our house...lol. I haven't taken any pictures so I thought a doll house would do. Blog posts are much more interesting with pictures in my opinion so I improvised!

And last but not least.....Dan is loving his new job. He started on Sunday so this is only his 3rd day but so far so good! Would be hard for Dan not to like a fitness job:) So far his schedule is worse than it was at the jail (yup! he got out of jail!!!). I didn't think that was possible to have worse hours until he got his shifts working until midnight but it's okay! We are just happy he has a job that pays more, with better insurance to cover more of my expensive medical bills, and to top it off it's a job that he loves!

As for me....I am just busy working, going to school, and trying to help us keep up on everything else until Dan's schedule calms down a little. I keep myself even busier with all my crazy craft projects that I just HAVE to do. They are what keep me sane though! That and watching Gomer Pyle:)

Crazy Thursday

Last Thursday a few interesting things happened.....

1-Dan got a TB test at work. It came back as positive exposure which is REALLY crazy. He was supposed to get a chest xray at work on Friday but the office was closed when he went. Hopefully he will get one today. He sure isn't sick....so I highly doubt he has TB but he may still have at least exposure to it and have to take meds for awhile. They also said it could be an allergic reaction so we will see! Neither of us really think it will amount to anything but it was sure added to our crazy Thursday!

2-I started to go into Anaphylactic Shock. Crazy, I know. I got an allergy shot a few hours before and didn't think anything of it because I have never had an severe problems beyond growing upside down muscles (that is what my dad calls my arms when they swell and sag from my shots...lol). Well...while I was at the store with my mom (thank goodness!) I started to get this really bad rash all over my body. It was growing quite rapidly and my ears and back of my neck got really hot and red. Well I decided to be on the safe side and call my doctor. I never would have guessed that he would tell me I needed to come in right away! While on the way there I started to get really hot and have a little bit trouble breathing...when I got there he had like 6 meds all lined up for me to take. I had to stay for a little while to have my heartbeat, blood pressure, and throat monitored but it quickly went all away thanks to the meds. I was just thrilled we were so close to the office and that my mom was there to help...if not I would have had to use my epi-pen which scares me a little. Anyways, all is fine and well now. They are just going to take my shots a little more slowly and told me to always make sure my epi-pen is with me.

3-Now for the not-so-crazy and not medical related stuff. It's EXCITING stuff too! Dan got a new job! He applied for a job on base at the fitness center to work as a active duty reserves employee. On Thursday he was offered the job and as of today he has officially accepted and will be starting work on Sunday. We are excited for the job because we will get the perks of active duty again without him having to deploy or move regularly (although he can volunteer for these things if he chooses to do so). He is excited to finally get to work in the gym (he had hoped to the whole time he was active duty) and we will have our good medical insurance back which will save us a bit of money! His hours may not be any better than they are at the jail now but he will be much happier I think.

4-We went house hunting and saw lots of houses that we liked! I actually enjoyed it....it wasn't as stressful and upsetting as it was the week before. Guess we are officially over loosing our last house. We actually put an offer on house #3 Friday morning that didn't work out, which is fine:) There were few others from Thursday we still like as well. So here's to hoping that #4 will be the new lucky number!

Dan's Project

While I was busy crafting before work and school started Dan was busy learning how to fix his car. While living in Louisiana he got a few rust spots from the rain on his car. Since his car is getting quite old and is worth less than a thousand dollars we figured it was the perfect car for him to practice on!

He sanded the spots first and then spray painted them.

The project took a lot of work and time but Dan did a really good job and learned a lot!

My Projects

This summer amidst looking for a job, house, and getting ready for school I got to do some fun projects that I don't normally get to do!

I got all ambitious and starting making fun bags to sell. I sold them for a month or so and then school started and I haven't as much since then. Either way, they have been a fun project and I am planning on still selling them on the side as well as my cakes and vinyl too. I enjoyed doing it in Louisiana and know it will be a good thing for me to do here too! Gives me an excuse to craft!

I got to teach the YW in our ward how to make these bags this past Wednesday and it was a LOT of fun! I missed serving in YW's so it was nice to be invited!

My other fun project has been cakes! We had a party for my brother's two friends, Kyle and Jack right before Jack left on his mission (Kyle leaves next week). I couldn't let the opportunity to pass by to make a cake!

I was REALLY happy about how the cake turned out. This is the most success I have had with fondant so far and I had SOOO much fun!

The bottom of the cake says "I hope they call me on a mission!" and there is a little dot by where he was called to serve.

The other cake I had a good time creating was this one for my Grandma's birthday. She LOVES teddy bears.

Both of these cakes are made out of homemade marshmallow fondant. My friend found the recipe for me. I LOVE it because not only does it work well but it tastes YUMMY unlike regular fondant.

I haven't done any cakes since school started but I am hoping to get together with my friend Megan soon. She has gone cake crazy just like me!

24th of July 10K

Okay, so I found some pictures on the home computer from during the time of my blogging absence that I really do want to post.

For the 24th of July Dan and his brother, Andrew, decided to run the 10k in Salt Lake for Pioneer Day. It was really fun to have my mom and Dan's family there to watch the race. Both Andrew and Dan did really well. I have a video below (pardon my excellent recording skills...lol) of Dan finishing and the great time he came in at! Runners from all over the world come to run this race because of the cash rewards...so no, neither of them placed but they still did really good and were among the first group of Utah racers to finish.

Dan after the Race

Sitting in the ice tubs. He said it was WAY cold and it took me awhile to get a picture before he could quickly hop out.

The runners.

The runners with Jordan and Michael

The wives of the runners.


Dan and I. (Notice how close I was to Cami compared
to Dan...i.e. she wasn't sweaty like him!)


Dan's family and my mom (not sure where Dan is...I was taking the picture).

Now one with Dan and I!

We had a really good time and can't wait for the summer again so we can go to more races!

Catching Up and Happy Thoughts!:)

To be honest, a lot has happened since I last posted and I can't at the moment even remember what! I know I have pictures on my home computer that I had planned on posting but oh well for now. I really just need to get caught up so I can enjoy blogging again. I know I did a few cakes I was dying to post about but other than that...my mind is blank.

So I am just going to start with what is going on now. The stuff that has been keeping me away from my blog:)

Dan and I both have jobs now and are working and going to school. Dan is working as a Foods Supervisor for the Davis County Jail. Basically, he is an inmate babysitter:) He tells them what to do and what not to do...and unlocks doors for them. He got the job from having experience in the Air Force in foods. So now instead of cooking he just supervises the cooking. He really likes the job. We could do without his crazy hours but are beyond thankful for his job:)

I got a job at Weber State University. After much contemplation I turned down a few other higher paying jobs for one that was flexible and at school. I have been stressed about school and figured this would be the best way for me to concentrate better on what is most important right now. I am the assistant to the Assessment & Research Coordinator. I basically assist with all the campus surveys. I create, edit, and evaluate them. I love how flexible my job is and just have to keep on telling myself it is worth the lesser pay.

A few weeks after we began our jobs we also started school full time. What a HUGE CHANGE! Dan has great study habits, I am still working on getting used to having to study. We are both crossing our fingers that all the studying we do get done pays off at the end of the semester! This semester is definitely a challenge for the both of us. Dan wants to major in teaching. He started the semester off planning on studying to teach P.E. and History. That might change to include Special Ed. We will see. As for me, I am majoring in Business Admin. I think I will more than likely add a finance emphasis and possibly a math minor. We shall see......

Other than work and school...well we will begin house hunting again in a few days. We spent lots of time house hunting before school started and thought we were just lucky enough to find the perfect house. We put an offer on it and have waited almost 6 weeks for a response from the bank (it was a short sale...). As of today the bank has decided instead of selling the house they are going to work with the owners and let them keep it. A major disappointment to us but I guess that just wasn't the house for us! So wish us luck that we will find that house soon:) I can't help but think that maybe God just knew we needed a break from searching until work and school got a little bit more under way. Now must be the time to add a little more to our plates!

As far as living in Utah. We LOVE being near family and are still trying to adjust the best we can. We did think by now we would be on the way to what we thought would be our "normal" new life (including not have all our stuff in storage, only one working car...amongst a few other things:) ) but I can honestly say I am grateful for where we are at right now. Our current life is what God knows we need.

My plan is never as good as God's plan. If our life was exactly what we planned we would NEVER have the chance to grow and change for the better. All the learning and growing we are experiencing right now will be worth it, I know that without a doubt. Every challenge we faced in Louisiana was beyond worth it and I know our new challenges in Utah will be worth it too. Challenges bring great blessings...so bring it on!:)


As for blogging....I am happy I am sorta caught up! Hopefully now I can just enjoy blogging as a hobby and stress reliever instead of it being something I am stressed about needing to catch up perfectly. That is what I am working on currently...the fact that I really don't need to be a perfectionist!!! Easier said than done:)

Visiting the Hmong People

Okay, so my blog is still acting up but I got it at least let me load a few pictures. I had quite a bit more that I wanted but if I waste anymore time trying I will never catch up with our family blog!

Back in July Dan and I went to California for the weekend to visit families he served from his 2 year mission for our church. He served with the Hmong people (an Asian group of people) and spoke their language while there.

He has always wanted to go back and visit but has not been able to since. Upon moving back to Utah this summer we decided to take advantage of our time off before we got jobs and life got hectic again.

We stayed part of the weekend with the Vang family. They have 7 children that Dan had lots of fun playing with. We even went to the State Capitol one morning and took lots of pictures with them (i.e. all the ones that won't load...). I really enjoyed getting to meet the family and am grateful for all the MANY meals they fed us. They were so good to us!

We arrived on a Thursday night, ate an early dinner with the Vangs and then went to the Bee family's house to visit and eat again with them. They were such a sweet family and fed us very well. Their little girl became attached to my hip as you can see:) After visiting with them we went back to the Vang's house to find them preparing ANOTHER midnight meal for us! I learned quickly that every Hmong person feeds you whenever you see them. So since we saw the Vang family twice, we ate twice! Needless to say...I was quite full after all that food!

The next day we visited 3 families in the early afternoon into the evening. We first visited Joey and his parents. I instantly fell in love with his mom. After she fed us she spent the rest of our visit teaching me how to cook lots of different Hmong foods. She instantly took me in as family and I loved getting to know her. She even gave us a wedding gift and told us how bad she felt for not being able to attend our wedding 3 years earlier. She was really sweet!

After we went and visited the Lor family who fed us again:) This family has 4 generations living under one roof (which is very common in the Hmong culture). The grandparents were in their 90's and didn't speak any English. The parents knew a little but I spend most of the time just listening to a language I didn't understand. It was a neat experience.

After that we went and had dinner with the Moua family. They took pictures for us which we still need to get from them so I can add it.

Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible stomach ache. I soon found out I had food poisoning. I will save all the details...but will say this, I sat all day on the bed with a bucket in my lap. I felt really bad because the Vang family had planned a few fun activities with us as well as we were going to see Dan's sister and family who also live in Sacramento. In the end, we left the Vang's house, checked me into a hotel, and Dan went on his way to see everyone else.

He will have to blog about the other families he visited sometime:) I wish I could have seen Summer and her family as well as everyone else but I guess there is always next time! I learned the hard way that my stomach just doesn't have much tolerance for food from different cultures:) But all in all, I am still very grateful for all the people I got to meet!