It's not quite Nigeria...

So Dan was supposed to go on a two week training mission to Cameroon in April. However, last Monday he got an email with orders to Nigeria, leaving that Sunday! When he called his command, they told him things were still up in the air. Up in the air indeed. He kept getting told it was cancelled, not cancelled, cancelled, not cancelled... On Wednesday morning he got an email with plane tickets leaving to Nigeria on Thursday. So we rushed around, packing, picking up anti-malaria drugs, getting everything ready, till he gets a call that evening telling him that the mission is indeed CANCELLED. Since Dan's bags were already packed and it was a long weekend, we did the only logical thing: Headed to St. George. It's not quite Nigeria, but its warmer than Salt Lake! Though in some ways I think our trip was rather similar to any army training he would've gotten...

Weapons Course

No trip to STG is complete without a round of shooting things in the desert. This time my Dad upped the ante by purchasing this lovely "Bleeds when you Shoot it" zombie target. 

SURVIVAL SKILLS COURSE

Anna and I ran down from the Ledges and met the family at the Chuckwalla trailhead for a nice afternoon Red Cliffs hike in the sun! We survived this rigorous adventure and were rewarded with ice cream from my dad's latest food obsession:  Marble Slab Creamery.  

BUILDING MISSILES

Well, we were trying to build rockets... But Dan and I's shot in the air about 10 feet and then dove straight down, nose cone in the ground- making it more of a guided missile. ROCKET DAY was still awesome/hilarious - despite my Dad's best efforts and premature victory dance, it was actually my Uncle Matt's rocket that took home the cake this year!

GATHERING INTEL

Admittedly, this army lingo tie in is pretty weak... But I did to get to catch up with my friend Brandalee  for a little bit, while she made this awesome wedding cake. I was totally helpful, I actually broke one of the decorative paisley swirls. Sorry again about that. I also got to see her little guys and kiss the top of Paxon's head - always a plus. 

{I also found a folder of pictures from Africa that I've been looking for a long time for. Yes, I was once blonde and tan.}

I feel bad for Dan not getting to go to Africa, its a pretty cool place and all. But, I still stand by the fact that

St. George, UT is the best place on planet earth. 

Love & Hate - Valentines Day

❤Love ❤

Started the day with some early morning spin. Followed by picking up donuts from our favorite donut shop, Banbury Cross, for a special valentine breakfast treat!

Hate –

I then had to go school alllll dayyyy. Shouldn't we get school off for such a major holiday?

❤Love ❤ 

Dan picked me up from the train station and took me to my favorite mall. He then proceeded to give me the best gift ever: he sat patiently, as in not a single peep of complaint, as I shopped at my beloved J. Crew.

 

❤Love ❤

 We honored our Valentine’s Day tradition of Pizza by going to The Pie. Never disappoints. 

Love/Hate: 

Last minute, we heard that one of our favorite bands of all time, Cursive, was playing at Urban Lounge. We both really wanted to go as Cursive’s “Domestica” is pretty much our favorite alblum of all time – we listened to it nonstop in our dating years – how perfectly romantic for a Valentine’s day date! Well… Domestica was 10 years ago. Cursive kind of sucks now. It would have been better to remember them as they were, not as they are in their present cello-less, political, Mormon hating state.  Also hate: really, really obnoxious drunks that spit/shove/ get totally outta control at show (I was rather concerned that the former straight edger in Dan was going to come out and beat up one of those drunks.)

 

Yet their was still something to love at the concert: the opening band Ume. Their lead singer/guitarist girl was crazy good! And her crazy hair was cool too. 

{probably should've waited till after the show to buy the shirt...} 

♥ Definitely love, not hate: My Valentine. 

SGT

{note: this is a reenactment}

Dan got promoted! He’s now Sergeant Dan. The promotion from E4 to E5 is significant because he is now an NCO (non-commissioned officer). So basically Dan is now super fancy and were totally rich…. Not really though. At his drill today I got the ceremonious job of ripping of his old rank, sticking on the new one, and then punching him in the chest. Its tradition! Rick, Denise, Chris and Jill came all the way down to watch the 30 second promotion, so afterward the least we could do was have them over for some food. Last minute I threw up some streamers to make it a "party." Next promotion I plan to go all out, themed party galore, good thing I've got a few years to work on it. 

Other than the promotion, not much else exciting has been going on...Well, Every night for the past week I go up to the U in the dark of night and hang posters as part of my side career as a guerrilla street marketer. The posters are part of my professor’s master thesis (crazy MFA creative writing people), and I will do anything to get extra credit in my Creative Writing Class. And I mean anything.

I’ve also been going to training for my new volunteer gig: Girls on the Run. I will be meeting twice a week with a group of 15 third grade girls to teach life lessons and then running laps in preparation for  an end of season 5k. Should be interesting…

{in all of his beauty, Meowers}

I’ve also spent the last week grieving over the loss of my beloved cat, Meowy (yes, as an 8 year old I was super good at naming pets, his full name is Meowers – don’t hate). He has been in our family for 15 years, technically making him more a part of our family than Katheryn, who has only been with us for 14... The most troubling aspect of this ordeal is that he didn’t go out in a blaze of glory befitting his cat awesomeness, but rather left without a trace. The circumstances of his disappearance are quite suspect as a creepy guy recently moved into a house a few blocks away from my parents and he is known to be trapping cats! He doesn’t turn them into the animal shelter, so we don’t really know what happens to them… I pray that Meowy didn’t meet that fate and rather lives on in the desert as the immortal magnificent cat he is.