The noises you hear in the Geriatric Section of the Hospital!

Last night we went into see Nanny in the hospital. There are so many old people in her section making great noises! The lady next to her lifts her leg and farts, then comments ahhh that feels better. Nothing like being 90 and being able to do and say just what you want. Then as we were leaving this old man in another room lets out the loudest burp you have ever heard. Mum and I were cracking up! Then before we could walk any further he lets out several more. I guess once you have got to that age, it's about comfort and not what sounds you can make. I defy any of my brothers to compete with these old people!!

Centipedes not allowed in the Shower!!

Have you ever had an Alien moment? Well I had one of those tonight after I got out of the shower. I had just taken a nice relaxing shower, washed my hair etc and was felling all nice and clean. As I was brushing my teeth I looked over into the shower to make sure I had not left any hair in there after washing it. (Mum is not used to having someone in the house with long hair again.) I looked in and saw what I thought was the hairball from hell. Then stopped and thought I did not empty out my brush in the shower. It is NOT possible to have left that much hair.
As I looked in the shower closer I realised that it was a centipede coming up out of the drain. I about screamed and then gagged at the thought of taking a shower with a centipede. I mean really, I can do with out any Alien moments. No gross creepy crawly things coming out of the shower drains. Ughhhh!!! Anyway I decided that it looked dead so I could just wash it down the drain, before Mum took her shower. I turned on the water and it came to life. No it was not dead and started to crawl further out of the drain.
At this point I am questioning whether I can call my brother Jeremy and get him to come over and get rid of this thing. You may laugh, but men are very good at getting rid of insects and other creepy crawly things. It is on the job description of things they must be able to do.
I decided to approach Mum and see what she wanted to do. She turned on the shower to try and wash it down, instead we burned and drowned it to death. Did you know that dead centipedes go still. So here I am trying to move it with a shampoo bottle to get it closer to the drain. It is so stiff now that we realise we are going to have to remove it ourselves. I decdied this was the time to beat a hasty retreat and put clothes on, before outside was going to become an option. Mum came to the rescue and got some cardboard. She had the door propped open and she threw it outside.
Needless to say she ran some more water down the drain before she got into the shower. The hot water also ran out during her shower, all at the cost of not shower with a centipede. Now the main question that still remains, is when did the centipede make its appearance??

Sitting here getting ready for bed and enjoying the feel of clean sheets and 5 blankets keeping me warm. I am packed and for once feel like I have packed light, the only problem is that I have a suitcase full of stuff for other people. It now looks like I bought everything but the kitchen sink for 2 weeks at home. At least I have plenty of room to bring chocolates and other such fun stuff back.
This week has been busy running errands and making sure that I have everything I need. Sometimes I just forget how much stuff I need to sort. I have had my personal chauffeur taking me around. Can I tell you how amazing Ben is? Well I am going to anyway. He has driven me around to all these different places just to be nice and spend time with me. He is the best!!
Tonight he bought me a pink Santa hat. He saw one the other day and was on a mission to find me one. We finally found one. It is cute and I will be a happy pink elf on Christmas Day. Watch for the photos. I get to work a half day tomorrow and then head home to clean up and fly out. I am so excited. I can't believe I am finally coming home. It has been a year and half since I was last there. The other fabulous part is that its Summer and I get to go swimming and get a little brown.
The sad part is that Ben can't come with me. UPS is of the devil as far as I am concerned right now. Well not really. Its a good job that pays nice and has benefits, but it means that he could not come visit with me. But luckily for Skype I will not turn into a complete basket case from missing him =)

The rest of Thanksgiving...

Cars are an amazing invention... but they can also cause stress and cost lots of money. Ben's car had an issue on Saturday, so we did not make it to Santa Cruz beach, but we did in fact make it to the beach. We spent a fun afternoon with Joe and his family. Once we knew what was happening, we loaded into the mini van and headed up the coast.

The beach was beautiful. Walking along the sand made me homesick, as did the lovely fresh smell of the salt and water. I can not wait to head home for some of that beautiful smell. We played a little on the beach. Ben's great family beat a hasty retreat and let us watch the sunset. I honestly can't say that anything could have made me more content or happy at that moment. Man of my dreams cuddling up to me as we watched the sunset... That has to be just one of those amazing life moments.

Afterwards we headed to the Oakland Temple to see the lights. The temple and grounds were beautiful. I was also able to catch up with Undram, from the mission. She is wonderful and it was great to see her. We then headed back to the house and got ready to leave early the next morning.

I had the best Thanksgiving.

Santa Cruz beach.... part 1

Isn't it always nice when someone you really like wants to do stuff to make you happy. Ben is taking me to the beach tomorrow, cause he knows that it will make me happy. We are going to go out tomorrow with his sisters Alisa and Marianne, and Marianne's family, stopping on the way through to visit his brother Joe's house and then cruise on out to the beach.

We are hoping to walk along the beach, maybe build some sandcastles with the boys, check out the boardwalk, and maybe even go on some rides. This is sort of a preparatory time, getting used to being at the beach for Christmas time. I am so excited, even though swimming is not on the agenda... The smell of the salty air, the atmosphere of the beach, Ben.... ah Heaven.

Anyways time to sign out.

Candice xx

Ceres here we are!

After 12 hours on the road, Ben and I made it to his home. It was actually the shortest road trip I have even taken. I really think it was the company, best I have ever had. Carla I promise he only beat you by a tiny, tiny bit. I have never sung as loud and proud with anyone, but you!! The weather is really nice here compared to Utah and I am so thankful for a little bit of a reprieve.

The family that I have met so far are really nice. There was nothing to be nervous about. Yet in saying that, here I am waking up at 6:30am cause I am still nervous. Ahh the joys of life.

Being Thanksgiving it does give me moments to pause. I am really thankful for my wonderful family who support me in all that I do. You are all the best. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for helping me find peace and happiness in this crazy world. He also opens so many doors for me to get to be places in life that I want, and that will bring me happiness. Thankful for a wonderful man that treats me so amazingly well. Friends who are there just to call and make sure that life is good.

Love to you all xx

What to Wear??

You know men really don't know how much effort we put into things. So I am in fact going to California. I have since run to the store for snacks for a 13 hour road trip, present for the family for letting me crash the party, and new tee shirts to look great. Did I also mention that I died hair on Saturday night too? No, well I did.

I am now in the midst of trying to decide what to pack. If Ben would call me back then I could figure out how formal their family is on these days. Don't want to be under or over dressed. Well the suitcase calls me.

Wish me luck!

While I am just being a happy little blogger.... California for Thanksgiving or not? What do you think? Will Ben be able to get the day off work? All these very important question will be answered tomorrow and I will know what I am going to be doing =)

Grr the Visa Process sucks!!

Tonight I was sitting there crying and trying to figure out if I was going to have to decide on going home for Christmas or staying here for the foreseeable future. I do not like this process that I am going through. 2 hours later and I had answered all the same questions in 15 different varieties and assured the American Government that I have not been involved in, assisted in, associated with, or plan to support; terrorism, racism, genocide, drug dealing, or prostitution - I think I may be ok. I mean I just want to stay here for a little while to teach children. Should it really be this hard for people wanting to stay here legally?

I could really go around the block and get a greencard for $25, but when you do it legally they harass you. I have permission from Immigration to stay and teach in the US, but if I want to be able to go anywhere out of the country I need a visa in my passport. I can only get this out of the country though. Which means I have to leave, and run the risk of them saying they are not going to give me my visa. Grrr!!

Anyway I have an appointment booked for when I am in Australia. So please feel free to keep me in your prayers. I mean I would like to come back and stay for now in the US. I do have a little motivation for wanting to be here right now.

Ladies and Gentlemen... I am back!

Dearest Family and Friends,

I know it has been several months since I have written a big email. Don’t worry I am not going to make the epistle 10 pages long or anything. But I will give you a little update on what has been going on.

As most of you know I am back at Santaquin Elementary teaching year 5. I love it. I love the students that I have and the teachers I work with. We got a new principal this year, so there were a few teething problems, but besides that life is great. My class is a little different that what I had last year, so I am enjoying the challenges that it is bringing.

I have been really busy with life outside of school too. I have moved to South Provo and started attending a family ward out here with my friends. I love the change of scenery. It is also nice to have a different calling. I am teaching Sunday School to the 15-18 year olds every second week. It means I can relax for one week and then work hard the next. It is fun getting to know them and enjoying what they have to say.

This has been a little less stressful than previous callings. I do love having something to do. I have also been really lucky to have some friends come and visit me. Over Conference weekend I saw Bec my cousin and her mum Laurel. We went to a lovely dinner at Olive Garden with Jasmine too. Bianca Lekias also ended up spending a fair while with me on her big trip. We got up to some fun things. We organized for Bianca to go shooting with some of out friends. As you can see it was lots of fun. There were some gun totting crazies there, but they were the ones w

ho bought the guns to play with,

After this fun time we got all dolled up for an 80’s night on the town. Before we went to the party we had to go watch Ben play football, so we rocked up all done up, with Suzanne, at the football field. Needless to say its been awhile since we have had that much attention… I mean really we looked fabulous. I don’t know what they were staring at. It was a great night of dancing and karaoke. I know this will be hard to believe but I was the quiet one that night. Except for one song!

I have really enjoyed living close to Suzanne and we have been doing some fun things. She has been organizing fun games night, and yes the girls are still the Trivial Pursuit Champs! It is so nice having friends that close. My new room mates are also awesome. One works full time in PR and the other is a law student.

There has been some other good things going on. We had a fun Halloween experience. A bunch of us dressed up like Alice in Wonderland characters. I was the white rabbit, but I refused to wear a bunny suit. That was a great night. Jasmine came down with us and Phoenix danced the night away until midnight. She was the hit of the show. The hay ride at the end was a little much, she was tired and said she just wanted to go to bed. That was the time we decided to call it a night. Well sort of. We had to do an IHOP run and Walmart run too.

That was also the night I officially started dating Ben. A lot of you know about him. But I will give you a quick run down. Ben and I were in the same ward for 2 years. Over the spring and summer I was the Relief Society President and he was the Elders Quorum President. This meant that we had to talk to each other. As this happened we realized that we had a lot in common. So we have been seeing a whole bunch of each other over the last few months and decided that we do like each other, so we are dating. He is a great guy and has survived meeting Jasmine twice. So that makes anyone a real man in my opinion. Not only has he survived that, but these last few days Nathan and Lisa have been here with the kids. Ben survived this with flying colours too.

It has been great having Nathan and Lisa here. I have loved seeing them and the kids. We have done some shopping, eaten out, and went up to Logan to chill with Jasmine and her family on Sunday. It was so nice to have a big family group, laughing and joking and just enjoying it all. I am so excited to come home at Christmas time and see everyone.

That is another one of the big parts of my exciting news. I have got permission to stay again here and keep working. I am still trying to work out some of the Logistics. How to be able to travel home and be allowed back in, but it will all come through.

I hope all is well for you all. I look forward to hearing what you are all up to; work, babies, family, school, and anything else.

Love to you all,

Love Candice xox

Erik Weihenmayer - Blind Man Climbs Everest.....

There are some people that have amazing trials through out their lives. In fact we all have things that we struggle with, but how we face them will sculpt our lives. I was privileged to listen to a talk given by Erik Weihenmayer. He is an amazing person and had great insights into life and what we can accomplish.

Erik went blind at the age of 13. He was somewhat bitter. But as time progressed, he became more accepting of his trials.

Sunday fun!

Last night I was up late, yes burning the candle at both ends. Watching movies and hanging out with a boy. That is good right? Today was a fun day at church. We had combined meetings all day. Nicky was teaching Sunday School ~ with a lot of help from someone else, who had lots to say. I love church.

During Relief Society one of our friends Julie was so enthralled with the lesson that she was practicing her signature for when she gets married. Then offering suggestions for Nicky's new signature. It was just one of those days when we struggled to focused.

I am sitting here waiting for Nathan to come over. He just flew in from Phoenix and needs to buy a new suitcase... Ahh the joys of traveling. I am excited to get out and do some more traveling. Suzanne, Cheri, and I have been planning our Alaskan Cruise. Fun fun!! Then off to D.C. for Nicky's wedding and maybe an Arizona trip. Life is great :D

Saturday and Sunday in Vegas....

Saturday was amazing in Vegas. We woke up, after minimal amounts of sleep, and headed down the pool for some sun chasing. Bikini on, chase bed, hot tub, and chasing the sun around. It was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit and it felt so nice to have the sun on my skin.

We decided after a few hours of fabulous laziness to go eat some yummy In & Out. I have never seen a line like that before. You have all the fans from all over, who were here for the basketball, lining up.


So filled with food we could go out for some more adventures. Nicky, Rachel, and I went all over the strip. We went on a Gondola ride, with a singing driver. He was hilarious. Had an Italian name, but was raised in France.

We had a bit of a hard time trying to find Nicky her Vegas souvenir. We parked in the MGM grand and totally could not find an exit from the Casino. Seriously the are built to keep you trapped inside and lose all your money there. We finally got out and raced to a little tourist trap for some fun Vegas memorabilia.

We got back to the hotel and met up with Marj and Kirsten to get ready to go out for the night. We decided that we were going to go find this Thai Restaurant. It was half an hour away from the strip, and when we got there, it was a take out. So off we went to Macaroni Grill. Dinner was great, even if it was getting later.

We drove back to the strip and headed out to a club. We met my friend Britt and his friend to go dancing. The club was so packed and there were sweaty bodies all over the place.

We had a good time dancing till 3am. Coming home the feet were sore, but it was well worth it. We had to be checked out of the hotel by noon, and Nicky and I wanted to go to church. We stopped by a YSA ward that meets at UNLV. It was fun.

Nicky and I then went to the hospital to meet up with Amber Kohntopp Waldren. Her baby was in hospital, while they were out visiting with family from Georgia. It was great to meet her hubby, but so good to catch up. I miss my wonderful friends from the mission that I don't see often.

We all drove home and had a fabulous trip back to Utah. We left behind the warm weather and came back to the chill. Ahh well life in Utah is great.

Vegas Baby!!!! Friday Night - The Truth about Wouded Wilderbeats

I was sitting at the computer waiting for my phone to ring... Marj called and she was there to pick me up. Marj, her friend Kirsten, and I were on our way to meet Rachel and Nicky in Vegas. We drove down to Cedar City (a small town of no consequence in Southern Utah.) We were having a bikini stop. After bikini's were purchased, we made it for dinner. Lets just say that white trash was out en-force. The group behind us had a huge fight with table slapping, storming off, yelling behaviour. Oh is was quality and then she came back for more.

The trip down was not too long and when we saw the lights of Vegas the excitement just grew. We struggled to find our hotel and after driving around the strip a bit, we were all checked in. The hot tub closed at 11:00pm, so we were devastated. We wanted to get the bikini's out.

Rachel and Nicky met us at the hotel after watching a BYU basketball game. We decided to head out on the town and see Vegas. A guy Kurtis, that i met online, came and was our tour guide. He is freaking hilarious and drives a hot mustang.

We all went through the Bellagio and waited for the water fountains to come on. Apparently they are not on after 1 am. 'Sigh'. We wondered around and stumbled onto a very drunk English Man. He proceeded to give Kurtis advice on what ways he could hit on me. Needless to say it was a hilarious conversation, but still a little embarrassing. We have been laughing about it since then. Kurtis gave me some ideas about real life in Vegas.

We went out for dessert at 3am which was great. Through out the whole night, we found different men who we totally would hit on if we were in the mood. Well not really, they were all the scary looking men. Marjory ended up with a midget in her pocket. We were all very jealous. Kurtis introduced us to the term Wounded Wilderbeasts. They are the girls who are staggering around, dressed up, looking all lost and waiting to be picked up. There were 1,000's of them wondering around the strip and casinos.

We came back to our hotel and Kurtis and I just chatted for awhile. Then before I knew it, it was 5am, which is 6am Utah time, and it was was time for bed. We had 5 of us piled into a Queen bed, pull out couch, and cushions on the floor. Needless to say when my head hit the pillow I was gone...

The day has finally come that I have decided to go online and tell my stories all in one place. I hope one day to be able to have such blogging skills as Jasmine or Nicky. I admit that I am an amateur, but I do have lofty goals. I am sitting here with Suzanne and enjoying some fun Friday night with the Dark Knight and online boys. Yes right now my world has sunk to that level that I have been meeting boys online.

Do not freak out about it. I have been on more dates in the last 6 weeks than the last 2 years in Provo. I have met some great people, I have also met some scary people too. Life is good for me right now. I am loving my job teaching 5th Grade at Santaquin Elementary. The class has 29 students and they keep me really, really busy. We have a few weeks left and then we are down to one term left. I can not believe that I have been teaching for this long already!! CRAZY!!

Well I am going to be keeping this spot pretty active once I can figure it out a bit. Love to you all

Candygirl xx