My Mom

My sweet Mom has been through a lot this year. She has had a small brown spot on her face under her eye for a few years that she thought was a "sun spot." She has been to the doctor and they would laser it trying to lighten it and it just wasn't changing. She had made an appointment with her dermatologist in hopes that she
could help her to lighten it somehow. When she arrived at her appointment to her surprise the doctor told her that she wasn't sure

that it was a sunspot and was actually concerned it could be skin cancer. She took a biopsy of it that day and told her that they would contact her with the results. After a few stressful days we got the news that it was Melanoma. The doctor talked with my mom extensively about Melanoma and the steps that would be ahead of her. She told her that melanoma was the worst type of skin cancer that you can get and that this was the "type of skin cancer that killed people." From here my

Mom was sent to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I went with her to her first appointment where the doctor talked about doing a larger excision of the melanoma. He discussed the different stages of Melanoma and that by taking a larger biopsy they can test the depth of the cancer. Depending on the depth deciphers the treatment. That day they

removed a large amount of tissue from her face and sent it for testing. We heard back a couple days later that they needed to go in again and remove a little more tissue in order to make sure that there were no residual cancer cells. She wasn't excited to have to go through that procedure again, but we did get the good news that the stage of her Melanoma was in the safe zone to not need testing on her lymph nodes. That was the biggest relief of all! Once it is in the lymph nodes it can spread like wildfire and that

thought scared me to death. My Dad was able to take my Mom in for the second surgery. At the end of it all she was left with a huge hole in her face that extended from under her eyelid down to her lip level. The doctor loosely stitched the hole together and they placed a heavy bandage on her face. The next day a Doctor had added her into the end of his day to do the reconstruction on her face. She didn't go into surgery until around 7 pm that evening and didn't get

home until around midnight. The doctor is one of a few in the world who can perform the procedure that he did. He was able to save my Mom's face and not use a skin graft. He went down into her neck to harvest an artery to put in her cheek so that she would be able to get blood supply and color, he also rewired nerves and muscles so that she could still blink and smile. I can't believe that blessing that it was to have her put into his hands

without us having done any research or time to even grasp what was going on. Although the last 7 months have been so difficult my Mom is truly looking better and better every single time I see her. With makeup you can't even see the scar and she is as beautiful as ever. We had a scare this last month....My Mom had noticed a lymph node in her neck that had grown over the last couple months. At her follow up with her dermatologist she showed her the lump in which the Doctor became very concerned and set her up another appointment at Huntsman. This following week was one in which I was so scared, worried, anxious, and trying to not panic. As badly as I wanted

to hold it together and not let every scary thought come into my mind I failed. We finally were able to get our appointment and get everything checked out. All of the nurses, PA's, doctors and staff were completely amazing. Having examining my Mom and running tests we were able to find out that it was a completely normal lymph node with no cancer. Words can't express my gratitude for this! I know that Heavenly Father is in charge and that it is because of him that my Mom is healthy and still on earth with us. I feel so blessed that the doctors have been able to be guided and catch the Melanoma early enough. My love for my Mom cannot be put into words! She is truly my best friend, my example, strength, and all I hope to be in a Mother someday. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father and for the strength and love he is able to give us every single day!

Fall is in the air!

We went up to Huntsville a couple weekends ago to scout for deer for Zach's upcoming deer

hunt. The weather has been beautiful and the leaves have been changing. We parked at the bottom of the mountain and hiked clear to the very top of Ben Lomond. Let me tell you....we were both dying! The entire hike is straight up hill with no flats. It was

the perfect workout! It was about a two and a half mile hike one way. Once we got to the top we parked ourselves on the ridge and Zach was able to glass and find several awesome deer. We had such a peaceful night and ended up hiking out in the dark with our head lamps. The next week my hubby packed in with his Dad and killed an awesome buck. Love this guy!

BIRTHDAY AND WEEKEND FUN!

 

MY BDAY WAS ON A WEDNESDAY SO ZACH AND I BOTH HAD TO WORK! I HAD A PRETTY SHORT DAY WITH MY VISITS SO I WAS ABLE TO MEET UP WITH MY MOM,

DENISE, SARA AND MASON FOR LUNCH! WE WENT TO ROOSTERS IN OGDEN AND HAD FUN GETTING TO HAVE A LITTLE GIRLS TIME. MY SWEET MOMMA GAVE ME LUGGAGE! I ALWAYS HAVE TO BORROW HERS WHEN I GO ON TRIPS SO I CAN'T WAIT TO USE IT! PLUS IT IS POKA DOTS AND HOT PINK, I LOVE IT!

THAT EVENING AFTER ZACH GOT OFF OF WORK I WAS STILL FULL FROM LUNCH SO WE DECIDED TO GO GET ONE OF MY FAVORITES....JAMBA JUICE! WE CAME HOME AFTER AND I OPENED ZACH'S GIFT. MY HUSBAND WRITES THE BEST CARDS AND THEY ALWAYS MEAN THE WORLD TO ME. WHILE I WAS READING IT OUT LOUD WE BOTH STARTED TO CRY. WE ARE JUST SO GRATEFUL TO BE EACH OTHERS BEST FRIEND AND HELPMATE! ZACH AND HIS PARENTS WENT IN ON A NEW FISHING VEST FOR ME THAT CAME FULLY LOADED! HE PUT IN TACKLE BOXES, FLY'S, HOOKS, AND ALL I COULD NEED.

NOW ALL WE NEED TO DO IS PLAN A FISHING TRIP! WE WENT TO SNUGGLE IN BED AND WATCH SWEET HOME ALABAMA...AND OF COURSE ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES, A REALLY LONG BACK TICKLE! THANKS FOR MAKING ME FEEL SO LOVED BABE.

THURSDAY WE WENT OUT TO DINNER WITH ZACH'S FAMILY TO KOBE! I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT AND THE KIDS LOVED THE COOK WE HAD! I'M SO BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH AWESOME IN LAWS AND FAMILY! THEY ALWAYS MAKE ME FEEL SO

SPECIAL!

FRIDAY WE PLANNED A DATE NIGHT WITH PERRI AND BRENT. PER IS 38 WEEKS PREGNANT AND THIS WILL PROBABLY BE

ONE OF OUR LAST DATES BEFORE MR. JANTZ ARRIVES. I MADE HOMEMADE TURKEY CHILI WITH ROLLS AND BANANA BREAD JUST IN TIME FOR FALL TO START MAKING IT'S APPEARANCE. THEY CAME OVER TO OUR HOUSE TO HAVE A COZY NIGHT IN WATCHING THE UTES VS UTAH STATE FOOTBALL GAME. WE LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SNUGGLE THEIR LITTLE MAN!

SATURDAY ZACH TOOK TYTAN TO THE

WATERFOWL EXPEDITION FOR KIDS IN FARMINGTON. THEY HAD A BLAST GETTING TO ROCK CLIMB, LEARNING HOW TO DO DUCK CALLS, AND SHOOTING GUNS AND BOWS. DAVE BROUGHT THE TWINS DOWN A LITTLE LATER AND THEY WERE ALL ABLE TO HANG OUT. ZACH IS SUCH AN AMAZING UNCLE AND HE TRULY LOVES THESE KIDS SO MUCH! I CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE HIM A DADDY SOMEDAY! AFTER HE GOT BACK WE PACKED UP AND HEADED TO EVANSTON FOR THE WEEKEND. WE HAD A GOOD TIME GETTING TO HANG OUT WITH FAMILY! WE WATCHED THE BYU FOOTBALL GAME SATURDAY NIGHT. SUNDAY WE HAD DINNER TOGETHER

 WITH THE FAMILY AFTER CHURCH TO CELEBRATE MY BDAY. ZACH HELPED THE BOYS WRITE A FOOTBALL PLAY BOOK SO THEY COULD REMEMBER THE PLAYS HE HAD TAUGHT THEM. MY MOM HAD CALLED ME LAST WEEK AND SAID THAT THEY HAD TRIED TO PLAY FOOTBALL WITHOUT ZACH AND THAT THEY CAME IN AND TOLD HER THAT THEY COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT ZACH HAHA. WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE THIS GUY. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR MAKING ME FEEL SO SPECIAL!

How I feel about turning 28!

09/09/15

I feel like it is crazy that I am 28 years old! Life really does fly by so fast, and I can only hope that I make the best of it everyday! Looking back I thought by 28 I would be married with a couple of kids...it is crazy that my life has not gone how I thought it would, but I honestly wouldn't change a thing! I have been able to grow and learn so much, and I have also been able to find a husband who I sincerely cherish and love in a way I didn't even know was possible. I have had a lot of experiences since I graduated high school that have stretched me and taught me so much.

My senior year I was offered a scholarship to go play softball in Nebraska. I remember having a hard time making the decision to go since it would be so far away from home. This experience was SO incredibly difficult at the time. I had a lot of days I felt completely alone. I was in a completely different environment and culture and didn't know a single soul. I lived in the dorms shared by the male and female athletes who were young and excited to party living away from home. I didn't have anyone around me who shared my morals or beliefs, and as a bonus I was getting my butt kicked in softball. There were so many nights I stayed alone in my dorm room while the rest of the dorm was partying, getting wasted, and doing who knows what else. I remember one night specifically that I was laying in bed crying so hard it hurt. I was homesick and alone....This was one of the first experiences I had in my life feeling completely and totally alone. I remember praying SO hard and just asking for even a tiny bit of comfort....just to know that he knew me and that he was listening. I remember feeling this overwhelming warm feeling wrap around me and it felt like I was being hugged. I knew then that Heavenly Father was aware of me and my struggles and that I would make it through this. While everyone would be sleeping in recovering from their hang over, I would get up early and go to the only LDS ward in the town by myself haha. When I would be getting back from church around noon they would be starting to roll out of bed and asking where the heck I had been.  These are just a few of the experiences I had while I lived in Nebraska and they helped me to be strengthened, to become more independent, and to help strengthen my testimony for future obstacles that would come my way!. 

I had decided to not go back and continue another year out at Nebraska and while I was home on a break I had the head coach from Chadron State University in Colorado asking me to come pitch for them. He had watched me play and was offering me an amazing opportunity to play for them along with a scholarship. I knew he was an amazing coach from having a couple friends play there, but at the time I was so broken down I didn't have any confidence to continue on. After a ton of praying to make a decision I decided to come back to Utah and move up to Utah State. I had so much fun up there! Probably too much...especially my first semester haha. I played so much, made a ton of friends, dated more than I knew possible, and pretty much bombed all of my classes. I spent the summer staying up there working and retaking a few of the classes I had done so poorly on haha. I know it wasn't the best, but it had been so worth it. After that semester I finished all of my pre requisites for nursing school and decided to apply down in Ogden. After I was accepted to nursing school I really wanted to stay in Logan and commute to class because I loved it there and had so many amazing friends there. My parents weren't too thrilled with that idea and I ended up going on KSL to find a place to live. I had only been to Ogden twice in my life! I didn't know the town or anyone in it. This move was another very difficult time for me! I had left my comfort zone once again. I started school and all of my classes were in the evening so I was able to continue working as a CNA. I transfered from the company I was working for in Logan to the one in Ogden. The company was Alpine homehealth and hospice. This may age me but this was before we all had a GPS at our side....so talk about difficult driving around to patients homes having no clue where I was! I got lost constantly! My first summer living in Ogden I decided to interview to try and be an EFY counselor. I had gone to EFY as a youth and loved it! I was accepted to be a counselor in Provo Utah! This was such an amazing opportunity and I loved every second. I had been considering a mission, but wanted to finish nursing school so for me this was like a little "mini mission." I sincerely saw miracles and learned more from the youth than i'm sure they learned from me! 

The nursing program I was in was an accelerated program and I felt that I lived and breathed studying and clinicals.There were a lot of overwhelming moments in that program! After I had been accepted I had prayed and told Heavenly Father I knew I could not do it on my own, and promised that if he would help me get through it that I would work my absolute hardest and that I would never forget that it was because of him! Even though this was some of the busiest time in my life I had been called to teach Relief Society. I learned so much from this calling and found that it helped balance me in my life. I made it a goal to not study on Sundays. It was really hard at times and I spent a lot of Saturday nights studying and setting early alarms Monday morning, but I know that I had been blessed because of it. After I had been released as a teacher I was also called to be a counselor in the Relief Society. This was yet another opportunity I was given to be able to serve and focus on someone and something besides myself.  Two days after taking my boards I had been waiting and waiting to see if I had passed online...at 11pm I got a text from a friend that said she had seen my name on DOPL. I had passed! I cried and immediately said a prayer of gratitude because I was sure I had failed. I was able to graduate at age 21 as a nurse and feel so blessed to have started such an amazing career so early.

After graduating I worked at Hearts for homehealth for a year and a half then I decided to go to the hospital where I worked on CVTU (cardiovascular thoracic unit) for a year and a half, and then to the ER for 3 years. I got into a serious 2 year relationship after I graduated and ultimately knew it wasn't right. It was a very difficult breakup. A while after this breakup is when I met and got into another relationship. That relationship ended up in a marriage. A marriage that was very difficult. This was yet another time in my life that I felt alone. I was working full time on CVTU working straight night shifts and had also started the BSN program. I remember sitting down at my computer trying to type papers and do my homework and just staring at the screen for hours. I was so tired and overwhelmed that I would just cry and not be able to focus longer than 2 minutes. Looking back I am able to see that those prior trials had helped prepare me for the most difficult time I would have in my life. These were very dark, lonely, hopeless, numb days. It was a time that I still don't fully understand how I survived. Having been able to have a few years of perspective since that divorce I am able to see that yes it was the MOST difficult time in my life, but it has also been one of the greatest blessings. Because of that situation I was able to be completely broken....because I was so broken my Heavenly Father was able to pick up those pieces, put them back together, and mold them into something more beautiful. Someone that is strong, someone who knows they can do hard things, someone who knows "who they are, and who's they are." I grew to not just know I HAD a Heavenly Father, but I grew to KNOW my Heavenly Father. Having known such heartache, I can know something so amazing. EVERY SINGLE DAY I see something more that I am grateful for in Zach! I see that because I have seen something so different. I cherish the looks he gives me, his compliments and kisses. That he lets me snuggle him and smother him. That he laughs at my jokes and sincerely loves me for ME. I cherish his testimony, his love for his family and my family, his love for kids. I cherish our eternal marriage and I will never take it for granted. I cherish these days we have alone together learning more about each other every day. I truly am blessed with the best!

Labor Day Fun 2015

This weekend will go down as the most fun Labor Day I've ever had! We got invited by our family friend's

The Jacob's to go to their property in Chalk Creek. We packed up and left Friday after work.We got up around 7pm and unloaded and had dinner with everyone. Zach and I stayed down at the "Salt Cabin" while the others had brought their campers to stay in. Zach got up early to go

scouting for deer and elk with Jeremy Saturday morning. After cooking breakfast and cleaning up we loaded up on the four-wheelers for a long ride around the property. The Jacobs have just over 10,000 acres of

gorgeous property! We were gone until that evening so when we got back we cooked chicken and potatoes in the dutch oven. Zach and I were standing outside and he randomly grabbed me and hugged me and wouldn't let go....I thought he was being weird when right after

that my cute in-laws came around the corner with a cake lit up for me singing happy birthday! My bday is in a few days and these cute people had thought of surprising me up in the mountains. I'm so lucky to have Bob and Susan as my in-laws! After staying up visiting with everyone we headed down to our cozy little cabin. Zach

and I stayed up talking and snuggling and listening to the creek running right by the cabin. Sunday morning we cooked breakfast and hung around camp. We played horseshoes and games with the kids, took a nap, and then that afternoon we road the four-wheelers to the top

of the property to East Lake to go fishing. We had success and the kids even out-fished us! On the way back we enjoyed all of the scenery and found a bunch of elk we stopped to see on

the hillside. I loaded up and headed home that evening so I could work on Monday while Zach stayed up one more night. Monday they all went on a hike and Zach and his dad were able to find

the tree that they had carved into when he had killed his first buck. I can't believe they were able to find it out of 10,000 acres and thousands of trees! It was such a fun memory for

them! We had a blast with our family and friends! We are so lucky to have people like the Jacob's in our life! I grow to love Zach more every single day! He's my rock and I can't imagine my life without him in it!

Shake it for me!

August 27, 2015

I surprised Zach with tickets to Luke Bryan over our Anniversary. I traveled to SLC to pick Zach up from work and we went to Cafe Rio for dinner. After dinner we headed to the concert. Dustin Lynch and Randy Houser opened for him which was amazing! It was a beautiful night and the weather was perfect! I loved shakin' it with Luke Bryan and my main squeeze! We sang and danced the night away! I love my sweet husband! Thanks for the fun night babe!

Last Weekend Of Summer

We enjoyed the last weekend of summer before school starts and fall is right around the corner. Friday after we got off of work we packed our bags and headed to Evanston. We stopped by Mtn Green and visited Zach's

parents for a little bit and then headed up. We were tired from work so we went to bed a little early so we could wake up bright and early to go scouting for deer in the morning. We got up bright and early

at 5 AM to head out. I love my time with my man and I soak it up everyday. When we got back to the house we had homemade biscuits and gravy (my dad's favorite) with my parents. Sara came up with the kids and we

got to all hang out until later that evening. The kids played a mean game of football with Uncle Zach while the rest of us sat outside and visited. Colt's dog honey just had puppies so there was plenty of

time playing with the dogs too! Later that night I helped my Mom make dinner and then Grandma and Grandpa came up for a game of Domino's. Sunday we had church early in the morning and then came home and had dinner

with the family. That afternoon my parents headed to go to Flaming Gorge and then we gathered the crew and headed out on a ranger ride behind the house. It was a beautiful weekend and we soaked up the sun and the time with our family! This is what life is all about!

Happy One Year Anniversary!! 8/14/15

Wow where has the time gone?! This year has flown by, and has also been the best year of my life. This sweet husband of mine has

The Olympic Park

helped me in more ways than I can ever express in words. My love continues to grow every single day for him! We decided to do a little "staycation" this year since I didn't quite jump on the ball to get something else planned. I am so glad we did

Cold Stone

what we did because we had a blast. Thursday night after we got off work we went and rented the movie "Insurgent" at the red box. We had dinner and snuggled and watched the movie. We took Friday off of work so we slept in and had breakfast in bed. After we got packed and ready for the day we headed to Park City. First off we went to the Outlet Mall for some shopping. I got a new shirt and pair of earrings and we found Zach some new socks (exciting I know). After the Mall we

The Chateaux Deer Valley

headed to the Olympic Park (this was definitely one of our highlights). We sat on the hill and watched the skiers go flying down the jumps into the air doing crazy tricks and landing in the pool. It was really warm and there happened to be a Cold Stone that we drove by so
we may or may not have had ice cream for lunch, oops! We planned on doing the Alpine Slide but decided against it because it was too dang hot haha....so instead we stopped by The Chocolate Factory to get a caramel apple to take home (these are my favorite). We drove around Main Street

Pool side

and some of the old parts of Park City to look at all of the cool little homes! It is my dream to buy an old home and renovate it (I have been watching too much "Love it or List it" while I do cardio at the gym...it passes the time fast) We checked into our beautiful Hotel "The Chateuax" in Deer Valley, and then headed to one of our favorite restaurants in

Cabella's

PC The Baja Cantina. After dinner we headed back to the hotel, hopped in our swimming suits and headed to the pool. The pool was in a beautiful setting tucked right into the mountains and it was a gorgeous night. 
Saturday we slept in and then headed to the breakfast at the hotel. We sat outside to eat and enjoyed the sunshine. It was so fun to think back on all

of our favorite memories we have made this last year. After breakfast we headed to Cabella's. Today we did a little bit of "His and Hers." Zach had a couple gift cards to use in which he bought ammo (exciting). We headed into SLC afterwards to Temple Square to

Little America

go to the Joseph Smith Building. We walked around there and then went to see the "Meet the Mormons" movie. The movie was really good and I probably cried a little too much. My Mom gave us a gift card to the "Little America" Hotel for Christmas that comes with your room and either dinner or

Feelin' like a VIP

breakfast. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous! We got checked in and then had an early dinner at the restaurant there at the hotel. After dinner we headed to our couple's massage I had booked us that evening. It was SO nice and SO relaxing. When we got back to our hotel room their was a little gift bag with snacks, they had come in and turned down our

bed, layed out our robes, turned on soft music, filled up our ice container, and had left us two little chocolates on our bed.....We felt like VIP's! We turned on a movie and relaxed the rest of the evening together, talk about spoiled! We slept in the next morning and then went to their breakfast buffet which is so nice. I am pretty sure that meal was the highlight of the trip for Zach:) We soaked up every little minute and loved our complete alone time together. It was a great start to another year of loving on each other! I can't wait to see what this year brings us! (hopefully a baby) ;)

I made him wear the robe, he secretly loved it!