Best Christmas Present!!

For Christmas this year Andrew gave me a wonderful gift: I got to buy a new temple dress!! I have a beautiful one from when I got married and my mom bought it for me, but unfortunately I have gained enough weight over the past year that it no longer fits. :( I've been renting a dress every time I go to the temple, and it's been sad not having my own. So for Christmas Andrew gave me a new temple dress, and it's beautiful!! I'm excited to go to the temple again and try it out. :) I love my husband!!

Blessings...

Pay your tithing....blessings will come!!! Financially, Andrew and I have struggled just as any normal married, college student couple does. December, this month, was turning out to be our hardest month financially, and we really wondered how we were going to make it through. As we have struggled with paying bills, we decided that we would still pay our tithing, even if it meant we wouldn't have enough for a bill, etc. As we have paid our tithing, blessings have come in unexpected ways. One instance, a couple weeks ago, consisted of being able to pay a bill we thought we were going to have to pay late, therefore incurring late fees. The latest instance, being tonight, as I looked at our bank account I realized we were about $60 richer than we thought, resulting in being able to finish paying our bills and STILL having some left over until the next few paychecks come in. Andrew has also been blessed with having the opportunity to work full days the past week. Each of these blessings I know have come from paying our tithing. It's something we've struggled with, but as we have become stronger in our desire to do what we know to be right, things have worked out for us, when there seemed to be no way for things to work. I am so grateful for the principles we have been taught by our parents and church leaders, and through the examples of others around us. I am going to bed a grateful soul tonight.

'Tis the Season to be Bells

I feel like a little kid today!! Being a developmental therapist in a fourth grade classroom, I get to experience fourth grade all over again. Pretty much the coolest thing in the world. :D I have made a Christmas ornament for my mommy, made a little puppy keychain out of pom poms, and have done numerous word finds, searches, etc. I love being around all the little kids, although it makes me miss my siblings and nephews, and makes me wish I had my own kids. Christmas time seems to be the time that brings out the best in people, and it brings out my childhood once more. Tonight when Andrew got home I chased him around the apartment with my cold hands: it felt wonderful to laugh and goof off again.

Christmas is always a time for me to reflect on the past year, and to look forward to the next year. The past year has been full of so many unique experiences and so many blessings that I cannot deny the power of the Gospel in my life. First off, a year ago I married my sweetheart in the Twin Falls Temple for time and eternity. Along with that first year of marriage comes the expected ups and downs, and learning and growing together. It has been full of "close calls" and numerous blessings. Our families have been a huge support to us, and love us so much, and have helped us out in so many ways. So, during this Christmas season, I thank those who have shown their love and support to us, and I also bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Without it, I would not be with my husband now, have my family, and have the knowledge, peace and comfort that I feel. Those are the greatest gifts I could ever receive, and would not trade them for anything. For if I don't have those, then what do I have?

Couponing: New Adventure!!

Thanks to my new friend and visiting teaching companion Heather, I am starting to get into couponing. Something I have been wanting to do, but was always too terrified to try. It seemed like so much work just to save a little. But, I found out today there are huge savings to be found!! I spend $10 at Albertson's today, after saving $36 AND receiving a $5 coupon for next time: so basically I spent $5 on almost $40 worth of groceries!!! Heather spent about $30, and saved $80!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing, and it was a real eye opener to me. There are three really good websites that Heather showed me, and I will post them later once I find them again. :) I am proud of my shopping trip today, and am looking forward to the next one!! (i never thought I would say I was looking forward to a grocery shopping trip, but I totally am now!)

Dear Cold,

Dearest Cold-that-continually-plagues-me,
I WILL NOT let you ruin my four days with my family. So you can just stop plaguing me with the sniffles, blowing of the nose, and coughing my lungs out. I WILL HAVE FUN IN SPITE OF YOU!!
Love, Katie

Anticipation...

Can I just say how EXCITED I am to be going home for Thanksgiving? I miss my family so much, and can't wait to go spend a few days with them. I have been looking forward to this break from work for awhile now, and Andrew needs a break from school as well. I am so excited for all the things we have planned: eating lots of my mom and sister-in-law's yummy cooking, Black Friday shopping with my mom and sister (yes, we're crazy, but I love it!), movie night with my little bro, going to the mountains to go Christmas tree shopping, and of course, watching Santa Clause flip the lights on at the Rupert Square! Most of these have turned into traditions, and mean the world to me because I spend it with my family. It is so much fun to have Andrew along now too, and adds to the joy of the holidays. Since talking on the phone with my nephew Shay the other day, I'm getting even more excited to see my nephews! I'm sad I can't be around as much to see them grow up, but it's fun to see them when I can, and talk to them on the phone. I'm also super excited for my sister-in-law Annie: she is having a baby girl in April!! It will be so much fun to see another little baby grow up in such a wonderful family. I look forward to when Andrew and I add our own happiness to the growing Bingham clan! All in all, there are so many things I am looking forward to: the little things that make life happy and worth living.

Uh....hello! :)

It's been a month since the last post, and I figured it's time for another update. Work is going so great now! I'm more into my work now, and am learning so many skills. Namely, I'm learning so much patience!! By the time I am done with this job and we have our own kids, I'll be so patient with our kids! (Ha, ya right...I"m sure that'll change). Anyway, work definetly has improved and I feel more confident in my skills.
Andrew is doing great in school! He just got the position as Assistant Director for the RecSports program on campus. He has been working hard towards this position and been putting in lots of hours to making the program run more smoothly for everyone. It will also be nice to have a second income! :) His classes are going really well, and everyday I'm excited to see the knowledge and excitement he has for his classes. He just registered for next semester and it is an exceptional schedule: classes on Tuesday and Thursday only! He just found out he has about four clusters done, so he will be very marketable when he is done with school. He is doing extremely well and I'm so proud of him for all he is accomplishing.
Overall, Andrew and I are doing fabulous! We are coming up on our one year anniversary: next month on the 18th it'll be a year since we got married! We have loved this first year, and married life just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. We're excited to see what the next year will bring!

One Week Down

Wow! I just survived one of the hardest weeks I have had in a long time. I have stressed over every little detail about my new job until I almost made myself sick, and about drove my poor husband crazy with my emotional roller coaster.
The week started off okay, but by tuesday/wednesday I was stressed to the max. Mostly over silly things I didn't need to worry about, but basically my schedule got completely flipped and I ended up going from part time to basically full time, working 9-6 everyday with an hour break. I work with a client at school, then an "in home" client two days a week and then two days at the center with the same client. It was overwhelming for me to have been switched so quickly, and with no training/tips on in home clients. Getting adjusted to this change has not been easy, and I'm still working on it!
Almost every night this week I constantly woke Andrew up with my tossing and turning, groaning and moaning, and whatever else I did. Then, after dealing with me all night, he has to wake up and try to help me calm down, even listen to me cry my eyes out. Throughout the day he dealt with numerous text messages (when I had breaks) and phone calls. Andrew has been such an amazing support to me, and I wouldn't have made it through this week without him. He has shown me a deeper love than I thought possible for someone to feel for me. He is a worthy priesthood holder who was able to give me a blessing of comfort and peace, and was there praying with and for me every step of the way. He taught me numerous gospel principles I haven't understood fully until now, and I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven for sending me such an amazing man to be my companion. You ladies out there, do not EVER sell yourself short of a temple marriage, it is not worth it. Wait out for a man who can take you to the temple, and give you a blessing in times of need. The priesthood is a constant comfort and such a strong spirit in our home, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
Along with Andrew, my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have been the biggest support I have. When times were stressful, I knew I could pray for help, for strength to make it through the day. You know what? I always came home at night, wondering in amazement how I made it through another day. Through Andrew, I was blessed with comfort and peace that the Lord was mindful of me and would help me through my trials. What greater gift is in this world than that of the Gospel? It teaches us so many wonderful things, especially that Christ has a special love for all of us. He is always there, even when it seems the world is against us and the adversary is pushing us down. He is constantly there, with a hand extended to pull us up. For that, I am eternally grateful. I will keep my head up, and press on through anything I may face, because I KNOW I have two heavenly beings, a dedicated husband, and family/friends rooting for me.

Domestic Trium...I mean Failures

So, normally I do an okay job at my "domestic duties." I keep the house clean, try to keep things organized, and I'm doing a much better job at grocery shopping/meal planning. However, today I apparently wasn't in the domestic groove, cause I had some issues.

In lieu of the fact my new job starts in two days, I decided to clean the house. While cleaning the bathroom, my favorite can of scrubbing bubbles ran out. Trying to be efficient, I sprayed that thing to get every last scrubbing bubble out of the can. Too late did I realize I should turn the fan on: by the time I did, my brain cells were heaving their last breath and a headache started.

Next on my list of domestic duties was to make something for dinner. Being a cold and SNOWY October day, I decided to make potato soup: yeah, sounds good huh? After getting a recipe from my sister-in-law, and adapting it a little, I attempted to make potato soup for the first time by myself. It went pretty good, I made my own little changes here and there, and was feeling proud of the fact I was making up a recipe. I got so excited that I decided to try a potato. It was the perfect tenderness, wonderful taste, and yet......always a yet.......it was HOT! Failing to wait till it cooled down, I burned my tongue on an inch piece of potato. Now I won't be able to tell if the soup tastes good or not.....my taste buds are gone.

This concludes my attempts at domestic duties for today. Forget the blasted sugar cookies I was going to make for my visiting teaching girls. If you need me the rest of the afternoon, I'll be nursing my brain cells (headache) and taste buds back to life....but I'm staying away from all medicinal remedies...I shudder to think what would happen if I even got NEAR that stuff.

No longer am I jobless!!!

That's right peeps.....I found a job! It is at a place called The Learning Center in Idaho Falls. I am a developmental therapist for a 4th or 5th grade boy. I will be working 9-3 Mon-Fri, and Monday after my school hours I will be working at the center with other people. I am so excited for this job opportunity! It will allow me to expand my knowledge and use my education in a way I have not had a chance to yet. It will also look great on a resume, and hopefully be able to use my experience here to find a job next summer in Boise. It has worked out so well that I know the Lord's hand is in it, and that we have been blessed.

In other news, Andrew is doing fabulous in school! He is having a great semester and things are going well for him. He received a scholarship which will help out greatly and he is very involved in his position of RecSports, and hopes to apply to be Student Director next semester. Doing so, he would be able to get a full tuition scholarship, so cross your fingers it will work out! I go out with him every night while he makes his rounds at the different games going on, and it's a fun way to spend time together. The following are just a few pictures of what we have been up to this fall!

Andrew and I buzz around on the Ranger when he works. The big orange coat is courtesy of RecSports for volunteers and managers. It's fun on that crazy thing!

Andrew and I kidnapped our friend Clerissa and took her to the park for a Smore's night. Since we can't build a real fire, we took our sterno can and little sticks from our indoor smores maker and took them to the park! It was a lot of fun, and full of gooey goodness!

Andrew is in a Crop Protection class, and he has to collect weeds and bugs. So we took a walk around a park/camping area in Rexburg and had fun trekking around the wild side of Rexburg, and picking weeds. :)

Fall Semester

Fall Semester at BYU-I has started, and boy are we not ready for it! After a week of fun and relaxation, Andrew is back at the grindstone doing homework. I'm looking for a job in Rexburg, which is easier said than done. We know that as we trust in the Lord, and we do our part, things will work out for us! We love our apartment, besides the fact our couch and tv are slightly too big, meaning the tv is closer to the couch than I would like. Oh well, life goes on. Rexburg is wonderful, marriage is wonderful, and life is great!

So excited looking for a job! ;)

Andrew excited to go to school...

Now he's getting annoyed and telling me to stop taking pictures like he was a kindergartener going to school for the first time. :)

Our ever growing garden! It's about twice as big now than this picture shows, but this is the only one I have of it so far! :) Most of this stuff we won't get to eat since we'll be going to Rexburg soon, but Andrew loves to be a farmer and play in the dirt. Hence the reason we have a garden full of produce we won't get to eat.

We love our house and having the chance to grow a garden! We have been married for six months now, and it's such a beautiful life! It's been wonderful to have a summer off, not having to work or go to school. All I get to do is love this handsome, wonderful man!

I bought Andrew and I matching shirts for the Fourth of July. He wasn't too excited about matching, he thought it was dorky, but I made him do it anyway. Guess who still wears that shirt now?!

Happenings....

I don't know if anybody really reads this ever, but hey, whatever!

Just an update on what we've been up to lately: I turned 22 on July 9th and had one of the most amazing birthdays ever! It was full of surprises, everything from my husband getting an entire day off work and my family surprising me by showing up! It was a wonderful day!! Andrew has been hard at work, diligently working to earn money to go back to school. We finally found an apartment in Rexburg, and we are really excited to move into it! The biggest piece of news I have is I have my Teaching Credentials/Certificate, which means I am a certified teacher! I'm not planning on doing much with it right now, but it has been a journey worth the taking and I am proud of my accomplishments and acheivements. Other things have their priorities right now, and despite what many people may think, I'm not planning on getting a teaching job right off the bat. Maybe one day in the future, but for now, nothing else will happen at this point. I'm loving life, loving my husband for the good man he is, and being grateful for the blessings and happiness that I have.

House pictures...some of them anyway

Here are a couple pictures of the outside of our house! I still haven't gotten pictures of the inside, but as soon as I do I will get

those posted.

Our garden is off to the left of the picture, and we have flowers planted everywhere. This is a picture from the beginning stages, so it looks a little different. Our lawns look much greener now too, because I have been diligently watering and mowing them.

Summer Time!

A little look into our lives:
What a crazy few weeks it's been!!! After house sitting for a lady in our ward a few days we finally got to move into our house!! It's so cool and I'm having so much fun!! We planted a garden, planted flowers, and are loving life! We will be going back to Rexburg in September to finish Andrew's schooling, so we're just enjoying our summer while we can! Andrew has been hard at work driving swather and loving the farm life. I'm busy cleaning house, making cookies, growing a garden/flowers, and loving my husband. I'll post pictures of our house as soon as I can...we don't have internet so I have to wait until I can run down to the local coffee shop to use their wi-fi!!!!! Hope everyone is well and having a great summer!

I FOUND A HOUSE!!!!

Well, the long awaited day has come: WE HAVE A HOUSE!!! It truly shows how the Lord works in our lives, and everything has worked out for us so well.  While we were still in Rexburg, Andrew had called some people about a house, but they only had one available that was a bit high out of our price range. So we put it out of our minds and then all the house hunting began again. Last evening, Andrew had left his cell phone with me and it rang. It was the same dear lady we had talked to before, and she said they had a house. The people who had looked at it before were not interested, so they immediatly thought to call us. It's right in our price range and it's the perfect location! It's just between Andrew's parent's house and where he works. We don't have a lot of noisy neighbors, and the rooms in the house are big. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, big kitchen, and a big front room with huge three-paned windows that has a great view of the fields and mountains. I feel so grateful for the help people have shown us and for the Lord. He worked it out so well for us and it is everything we needed and wanted. I feel so blessed for having a wonderful family close by that has allowed us to stay at their house until we found a place. They have been a huge help in getting us started. thank you to everyone who was looking for a house for us, and for all your support  and encouragement. 

House Hunting: It's a Problem

Have you ever tried to look for a place to live? I mean, other than Rexburg for all you students. In Rexburg it doesn't really matter where you live. You know you will be surrounded by people who, for the most part, follow the same standards you do, etc. When you live in a small town 40 miles west of Boise, however, it's a bit more difficult. Sure, there are places around, but you have to be careful of your neighbors and the actual condition of the place: was it full of smokers? was it taken care of? Hence the reason my facebook status says I'm STILL house hunting. My in-laws have been wonderful and amazing, letting us stay with them while we look. It's been great getting to know them more, but it's time we found our own place. My poor sister-in-law is sleeping on the couch because Andrew and I are sleeping in her room! Everyday I look on craigslist, newspaper, etc. but nothing seems to fit right or work out. Times of trial are surely on us right now, and I'm learning more patience than I ever have in my life. Moral of the story is, well, there isn't one. :)

School is...over? What?

I graduate tomorrow....since when did this happen?! All my life my goal has been to finish school: graduate from high school and then graduate college. High school graduation happened in 2005, and now four years later college graduation will be happening. It's funny to think the next homework I will ever deal with will be GIVING it out, instead of receiving it. How cool is that?!?!

The biggest question people ask when they hear of my graduation is: "What are you going to do next?" Well, my fine friends, here is my answer. On Friday, April 10th, I will be moving with my amazing husband to Homedale, ID, 40 miles west of Boise. We both have jobs lined up there and will be there throughout the summer. We are still house hunting and are looking for a place to live, but there are a few options open so we're still hopeful. As to finding a teaching job, that option is still up in the air: it will depend on a few factors. That's our plan for now, I'll try and do better to keep it updated!!!

Lonely, I'm so lonely!

Andrew has been gone all day, sanding floors for his professor. I MISS HIM!!!! He left around 8 this morning (while I was still in bed, hee hee) and he isn't home yet. So, I'm posting on the blog to pass the time. I'm writing lesson plans about run-on sentences, sentence structures, and other such English nonsense. I also cleaned just about our ENTIRE apartment, did all the dishes, all the laundry, and ate lunch. Now I'm sick of being in the apartment and want to go out and play. Alas, such is not to be. For one thing, my husband is gone so I have no motivation to go anywhere without him, and I still have lesson plans to write. Ah, graduation...so close...yet so far away!!

Life of a High School Teacher

I wake up to the sound of my alarm at 5:30. I groan, punch the snooze button, and cuddle up to my husband and go back to sleep. 9 minutes later, the stupid alarm goes off yet again. I know for a fact now that it is Monday morning and time to get ready. Why do I get up so early, you ask? I am student teaching at Highland High School in the wonderful land of Pocatello, ID. I live in Rexburg with my husband Andrew, so I need to get up at 5:30 in order to get ready and leave by 6:40. It takes roughly an hour to make the drive.
My day starts off by writing the daily assignment on the board for my 9th grade English class and my speech classes. Freshman English comes first: thank heaven I only have ONE English class; otherwise I'm not sure how I would survive. Currently we are finishing up Romeo and Juliet, and boy am I glad it's over! It has been fun, but it's definetly time to move onto something new. I am in the middle of grading research papers and thinking, "What am I getting into?" The next four classes are 9-12 grade speech. Right now we are in the middle of delivering their Informative Speeches. They are interesting students, that's for sure. The things they say sometimes causes me to just shake my head and move on.
I have 5th hour planning, so it's wonderful to have that break time. My cooperating teacher is quite amazing; she is such a great asset and I have learned so much from her! I'm going to miss her when I'm done, but it'll be a great feeling to know I've done the best I can and learned so much. Speaking of being done, I have three weeks of teaching left!! (not counting this week) I graduate April 10th and am soooo excited!!!!
I think this is a long enough post for now, but I'll keep you updated on my wonderful life! :)

Love at First Sight

Andrew and I got married in the Twin Falls temple on December 18, 2008. It was a beautiful day for pictures, and not too cold surprisingly. We met in April of 2008 and it was "love at first sight." :) My roommates Tracy and Rachel knew Andrew from a previous semester and told me I needed to meet this "tall farm boy" they knew. Being 6 ft tall, and a farm girl myself, I liked the idea of meeting him. He was in Homedale, however, and I was in Rexburg. Five hours apart didn't seem like it would work out too well, but, as you can judge by the picture to the side, it did work out. So here we are, a couple months later, married and just as in love as ever!

New Bloggers on the Block

I started this blog on a whim. Clerissa, Sandy, and Becky all told me to get a blog and Andrew and I had already been discussing it. So, here is our blog!!! Welcome everybody and hope you enjoy!