Moving Upward

Literally we are moving up! To the big city of Dallas TX. We actually have known for a while, but I have been super busy, and then super sick so I forgot to blog about it! I know, I let myself down a little bit too!

Through the month of November Dan received Job offers, that could take us all over, but after much deliberation, prayer and more prayer we decided to take the offer in Dallas Tx. Texas really has become home for us, we have loved it here and we really wanted to stay in the state so our wish came true.

Dallas is only about 1 1/2 hours north of Waco (where we live now) so moving is going to be super easy! I am so excited to be closer to a LDS temple, an international airport, and of course MUCH better shopping. Dan is happy just to have a Hockey team that he can cheer for down in the states (SILLY CANADIANS AND THEIR HOCKEY!)

I do admit that I am a little intimidated by such a large city, but I know I will learn my way around and LOVE IT!!!

We're not moving until May, but we are already anxious to get going. I guess once you know that next step is available all you want is to go, but I am trying to enjoy my last months here in Waco and experiencing everything we can.

Anyways just thought I would share the update!

HERE'S DALLAS!

Oh How a Song Sticks in Your Heart!

There truly is something magical about Christmas, and all that comes with Christmas, Yes even the shopping, the gift wrapping, and the hustle and bustle, and I LOVE IT ALL!! I never get sick of the repetitive Christmas music that plays on all my stereo's all month long! Every time I hear the orchestrated song "Sleigh Ride" I can't help but to think of those years I played the violin in my high school Orchestra in the Tabernacle on Temple Square, SLC. This was a major tradition for my high school and every year was AWESOME! Our big finale was always the Sleigh Ride song. We had the whip sound and all along with Mr. Hansen our Director playing the trumpet as horses.

I think back to those times and how awesome we thought we all were in high school. Oh wait I still think I'm pretty awesome. How riding a massive bus for 4 hours would be the highlight of the trip. Walking around temple square and looking at the lights, eating at Olive Garden and always disobeying the chaperones by sneaking out of our hotel rooms. I now realize how awful that is, and how much those parents had to of hated my friends and I, but to be honest I am sure I would do the same thing all over again.

I know that these little memories I write about are pointless to some of you to read, but I don't think before I put things on my blog, and I know that many of you , who went to Madison High School and played in the Orchestra, will be laughing about this, as your own memories come flooding back.

This is something that just popped into my head as I'm sitting here listening to "Sleigh Ride" :)

REMEMBER GREAT MEMORIES THIS CHRISTMAS, AND REMEMBER TO MAKE AWESOME NEW ONES!!!

LOVES!

These are my friends from High school. We all were in Orchestra together for many many years!

Vanessa, Megs, Siri, Deidre, Katherine, Heather, Me, Danielle, and Nicole

I believe this was my Jr. Year in Highschool (Date is wrong on Camera)

I'm a Mormon

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and being here in Texas has given me many opportunities to share about my faith. I get asked the question a lot of why I am mormon, by those who may not know what the mormon church is, or because they have different beliefs, so I decided that I would set up a mormon profile on here. I have put a button on my blog and if you go to the right hand side and click on the "I am Mormon" button then you can read all about why I am a Mormon. It was really fun to set up and I hope that reading this inspires you to make one if you are LDS, and if you are not check it out because its a great!! Its awesome to bear your testimony and to have the opportunity to have people ask you about the gospel!

Anyways Check it out!

3 Years and Counting

Dan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on the 10th of November. I can't believe it's already been 3 years. I look back on just those 3 years and realize at how much life has changed, how much Dan and I have changed, and the affect that change has had on our marriage (FOR THE BETTER). It's been an amazing 3 years with definite challenges and lots of ups and downs, but there is no one I would rather go through life with than Dan. He definitely makes life all that much more adventurous.

Our anniversary was on Wednesday; Dan sent me a dozen roses for each year we have been married. I LOVED IT! They were beautiful and I have never received so many roses before.

Thursday we took off, and this year we decided to take a trip to the coast to Corpus Christi.

here's our trip in a nut shell.

Thursday was Veteran's Day; we both had work and school off, so we headed to the coast early to see my Uncle Tom, and Aunt Cindy. We checked out the area, because with Dan's Job offers there is a possibility we will be living in Houston. We were able to see my cousin and he husband, and then we went to dinner.

After, we headed over to Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi Docks by our hotel

Our hotel was right on the beach, and the view from our balcony was beautiful. The picture on the right is the view from our room. Also Dan and Ranger (Yes we brought Ranger) enjoying the view. You could walk right out of our hotel and be on the beach. It was great taking Ranger for walks by the water, even though he hated it.

We went to a few art museums, and then to the U.S.S Lexington that was used in WWII. It was so amazing, and crazy to be on such a massive ship. We were able to walk through the whole ship. When we went down to the sleeping quarters, I became claustrophobic, and had a panic attack, and literally started running up those really narrow stairs just in like the movies. I now have dreamt about being in the army every night since. I wake up freaking out!

That night we celebrated our anniversary with a very nice dinner. 'The Republic of Texas' was on the top of the Omni Hotel, We had a great view of the ocean and it was really romantic. We ate like royalty! It was amazing!

Saturday we woke up and headed to the North Padre Island. It was a little bit colder, but we headed to the beach, and just walked the coastline, picking up shells and splashing our feet in the water.

We spent the rest of the day shopping and eating.

To end the evening we took a sunset boat ride out on the ocean. We watched the sun go down, listened to the music and enjoyed the view.

Of course entertaining ourselves.

Sunday morning we woke up and headed home. It was so much fun and I loved every minute of it.

Next year we will be somewhere different, a different city and a different life than we know here in Waco, Texas. Real Jobs and no longer be considered students. It's going to be weird and I can't wait!!

It has its own club and everything!

This week Dan is in Colorado at GSA. “What is that?” You ask? It stands for

“Geolological Society of America”

Now people, this is huge to the geology world. Everyone who is anyone in geology is apart of the GSA. Ya, they have little membership cards and everything. Since Dan has been traveling a lot lately I get asked the question of why, or what is it that your husband does? When I answer their question by responding that he’s a geologist, I have to prepare myself for an explanation of what that entails. It’s not just a simple one worded answer, people want to know what in the world he does as a geologist. You see, geologists are in high demand, and I also might add very good looking, but I am going to take this time to explain what it is that my husband does, or will be doing pretty much for the rest of his life.

Dan is a Geologist.

According to the English world dictionary, Geology is ‘The scientific study of the origin, history, structure, and composition of the Earth.’ And a Geologist studies all of it. There are many, many different types of Geologist.

What is it that Dan does specifically?

Dan is a Petroleum Geologist.

“A petroleum geologist is an occupation that involves all aspects of oil discovery and production. Petroleum geologists are usually linked to the actual discovery of oil and the identification of possible oil deposits or leads. It can be a very intensive task involving several different fields of science and elaborate machinery. Petroleum geologists look at the structural and sedimentary aspects of the stratum/strata to identify possible oil traps. Petroleum geologists make the decision on where the location of drilling will occur. This is done by locating prospects within a sedimentary basin.” –Sourced-

There you have it, that’s what Dan does.

I love that Dan is a geologist, I love that he’s doing something different and out of the ordinary, and that he loves it, and has such a passion for it.

I LOVE BEING A GEOLOGIST’S WIFE!

Ranger's First Race

Last weekend, a local animal adoption center put on a race for dogs, and of course humans. There was a 5k and a 10k, but there was also a 1k for dogs. It was for a good cause and we thought it would be fun so we signed Range up for his first race.

We got to Heritage Square about 7 am and the place was swarming with dogs. Some were dressed up in halloween costumes because there was a halloween costume contest after the race. We didn't dress Ranger up, he just wore a coat, but it was fun to see all the dog costumes.

Ranger did very well, we were nervous of how he would react around other dogs, but as soon as the whistle was blown, Range took off! He was in it for the win! ha ha. It was a fun to get out and spend a Saturday Morning with Dan. I swear I'm not a crazy dog lady, really I'm not, but I can't believe how many things there are for dogs. Its a whole new world I had no idea about. ITs GREAT! ha ha

Here are some pictures! ENJOY!

Where will He go Next?

I have been feeling a little guilty lately, and I would like some reassurance that I am not a horrible wife, but Dan has been gone so much that my patience is waring thin. I know the reason why he is gone all the time is for our family to have a wonderful life, I just miss him like crazy!!

We figured that out of the two(almost three) years we have been married Dan has been gone six months! We have managed and Dan has been so incredibly patient with me and my complaints, but this summer and early fall seems to be toughest.

INTERNSHIP- 3 Months

Then Since Then:

FIELD TRIPS

FIELD WORK: CALIFORNIA, UTAH, ARIZONA & COLORADO

EXPOS

JOB INTERVIEWS OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! Oklahoma, Colorado, Houston, Dallas, Wyoming

SECOND JOB INTERVIEWS OVER AND OVER AGAIN... Ok I do have to brag about this one. So far since school started Dan has had 5 interviews, and has received all 5 second interviews. YA HE'S PRETTY BRILLIANT!!

SEE! all this stuff it for us, for our future, for our children, and here I am complaining at how much he is gone. Yes I guess I am asking for a pity party and how pathetic I am. I don;t want you to think that I am not grateful for all of his hard work, I know how stressful this has been on him, but I'm ready for my husband back! Please tell me I'm not a bad wife.

Its in the Air...

This time of year I always get a little homesick.

September marks the start of the cold, the start of getting ready for the winter. The start of getting Christmas Ideas and the start of the end of the year.

Idaho in the fall is so beautiful and the air is so fresh and crisp. Compared to the Texas heat where it still feels like summer. I miss the leaves changing and the thought that in just a couple of months the town would be white with snow. I miss the fall smells at my parents home. I miss knowing that this weekend is General Conference and I won't be with my mom shopping at Mini Bizzar while the guys are at priesthood. I miss stepping out the front door and having that cold air hit my face. Its just the small little things that come flooding back to me this time of year. I love Texas, it truly has become my second home, but Rexburg will always have a special place in my heart.

He Told me not to bring it up but DAN TURNS 26!

I don't know why but Dan really struggled turning 26. Its so funny and adorable, so this Birthday I wanted to be good. Dan does so much for me 364 days out of the year and so i always want his birthdays to be super special and with him its pretty easy because he is so grateful for everything.
I loved that Dan's Birthday was on a Saturday so that we had the whole day to just hangout since he is going to be gone for the next three weeks. (Yep he is gone again!) We spent most of the day opening gifts and as you can tell Dan got an electric guitar so we had a jam session. I love sitting and playing the guitar together its so much fun! He also got a little mini fridge for his office. His office mate had a mini fridge but then he graduated and Dan really missed it, so I thought I would surprise him and get him one for his birthday. Ah I love how excited he gets!! HE'S SO CUTE!

Later that night we headed to Dallas to go to the Plano Balloon Festival. It was quite the ride up there,traffic was a nightmare but we had fun entertaining ourselves in the car. We spent the evening at the festival, walking around and watching the hot air balloons. Its amazing how hot air balloons work. They are so cool!
We had a late dinner at Freebirds and then headed home. Dan said he had an awesome birthday and thats exactly what I like to hear. Its weird to think that the next time we celebrate Dan's birthday we will be in a different town, a different apartment, well starting a change of life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!!

They say to always "Wear a Helmet"

I woke up Wednesday morning, and Dan and I took Range for a run. I was feelin good so I thought its finally cooled down enough that I could ride my bike to work. I loved it and it felt good to continue the exercise.

I head home for lunch and have a wonderful hour.

Little did I know what was coming!

So I am riding along and I make it to the busy intersection. I turn left and start riding, well a car pulls in front of me. I SLAM on my front brake and ONLY my front brake and go FLYING OVER the front of my bike.

Luckily my shoulder broke my fall and then my head hit second, crashing to the cement. Let me remind you that this all happens in front of a busy intersection and gas station. I'm pretty sure the whole town saw me take flight.

A nice older man pulls over and this is how our conversation goes:

Him: "Are you ok!?! I just saw what happened"

ME: " My shoe, I lost my shoe, can you please help me find it"

Him: "We will find your shoe, but you might have a concussion, follow my finger"

ME: "I can't I need to find my shoe"

Him: "Do you want to go to the hospital? Your head looks ok, but do you feel ok?"

"You need to be careful especially when riding with no helmet and slip on dress shoes"

ME: "No sir I have shoes, see! I just lost the one"

Him: "No, I know, your shoe is right here, I will get it for you, are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?"

Me: "No I'm ok I just need to go to work, Thank you so much for stopping, you are nice!"

Him: "Well I hope your ok!"

Me: "I am thank you so much!"

I go to push my bike and I messed up the front brakes and wheel, so with my damaged head, and a bleeding shoulder I pick up my bike and carried it the rest of the way to work. When I walked in My boss had a look of horror, They were so sweet to me and bandaged my up.

Today I am immensely sore, with massive bruises all over my body! My head is ok just a few bumps and bruises around my eye, and well, as my shoulder goes, it still pretty nasty and hurts really bad, but I'm ok.

The moral of the story is wear a helmet and DO NOT HIT ONLY THE FRONT BRAKES!!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Ah!! I love 3 day weekends! Its a good time for Dan and I to catch up on things and spending time together. School started back up about 3 weeks ago and Dan has hit the ground running. He is already crazy busy and going to be traveling a lot this semester! I thought I had him back once his internship was over but it looks like I will be a loner once again, but I will survive.

So our weekend was full of awesomeness. Days that I get to just hangout with Dan are always awesome.

Having Monday off was exactly what we needed. We had plans with friends later that day, but we wanted to make sure we took full advantage of every minute.

We have under a year left in Waco, Texas and we decided that we better start taking advantage of our surroundings, so we headed to the Cameron Park zoo! If you look at our previous posts we spend a lot of time at zoos. Dan and I love zoos!

It was surprisingly a nice zoo for being in Waco TX. We had fun taking pictures and looking at animals that we have seen a million and one times, but they never seem to get old. Here are some pictures from the zoo.

Then there is this guy! Yep I have to put a picture of range on here. He felt left out.

Is it creepy how much I love this dog?

I DID A TRIATHLON

This post is kinda long, I go into some detail but I don't feel bad because

I DID A TRIATHLON!!

I swam… I biked… I ran…. I FINISHED!!!

I did my first triathlon on August 21, 2010. The whole Mendenhall family crossed the finish line. I admit I was the last one in the family to cross, BUT I was not the last person in the race to cross, which made me feel good. My goal was to finish and I did!

It was hard, it was really hard, but I finished with a smile on my face, well once I crossed the finish line. J I seriously am so proud of myself and my family. It’s such an accomplishment and to say that I did it with my entire family is pretty amazing.

My family is honestly what kept me going!

I talked to Megan almost every day in panic over this stupid triathlon, but she always calmed me down and told me that she would be right there with me.

Even though she ended up kicking my trash she still was a great support.

I flew into Idaho on Wednesday night, and the rest of my family came up on Thursday.

Thursday morning my mom and I went and did part of the triathlon running trail. I did ok except for my lungs were on fire. MAJOR ALTITUDE CHANGE from what I was used to training in. The fam did a practice swim in Rigby Lake. I had a panic moment and thought I was done the water temperature in Idaho is a little different then Texas, but good ol’ Mikey helped me focus on the swim and not how cold the water is. He was awesome.

Thursday night me, my sisters, and mom went to go pick megs up from the airport. This is what Megs came down the stairs to:

Two missionaries came home that night too, so there were a lot of people there. I thought my mom was going to have a heart attack of embarrassment

The days were packed with such fun things like Jessica’s baby shower, Bear world, but most of the time my stomach was in knots. All I wanted was for race day to be here. When it arrived I felt more nervous, but when the start sound went off I dove into the water not thinking twice.

SWIM

Rainbow Lake, I had to swim around a lake.

We had our blue swim caps and goggles on and started swimming when the horn went off. My sister Michelle kept yelling to make sure I was ok, and kept telling me where to go because I couldn’t see the markers in the water. I think we talked for the majority of the swim, it helped pass the time. Ha ha probably wore us out more, but it still was fun. We caught up to my dad and we all just kept an eye on each other. At the end they had volunteers there to help get you out of your wetsuit, well they strip ya down, and mine got stuck on my foot, but they just kept pulling and pulling I seriously was bouncing up and down on the mat, telling them to let me just pull it off but they were persistent and got it off. My brother in Law Joe was dying of laughter.

BIKE

Training, I was very strong on my bike, but Rexburg Hills got the best of me, and that’s where I struggled the most and lost the majority of my time. I gave myself pep talks “Yes out loud” and sang along with my music. It helped. I was by myself for the majority of the bike so I thought I was the last one.

RUN

The running trail was intense. I do admit that when I started my run, Michelle and Megan passed me running to the finish line. They were a good half hour a head of me. It made me a little sick knowing I still had all my run left and they were about to cross the finish line, but I kept going.

To cross the finish line you have to go through our high school gates and run around the track to cross. I saw my family all cheering and I started to cry. It was very emotional knowing that I was almost done.

My sister Brooke grabbed my hand and told me to keep running no matter what. My sisters all joined me for the last little bit and they crossed the finish line with me.

I have an amazing family. My Mom and Dad are amazing for running in the race, and plus planning for our entertainment and keeping us fed. I honestly don’t know how they do it.

THEY ARE INCREDIBLE! I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THEM!!!

I am very proud of myself for doing something that I never thought in a million years I would do. Now I am hooked. I can’t wait for next year to do it all over again.

Here are the rest of the photos from the weekend!

Well its here

The triathlon that I feel has taken over my evenings with all the training, but its here.

Swim cap: Check

Wet Suit: Check

Running Shoes: Check

Bike: Check

So nervous I want to vomit: Check

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

Dan is Coming Home

Dan is coming home. In fact he will be home in about 30 minutes FOR GOOD!!!!

I AM VERY EXCITED!!!

I wanted to give Dan a welcome home gift, so I drew him a picture and had it framed.

Thought I would share my amazing art.

Swimming with something!

The Triathlon is in 11 days, and my nerves are getting the best of me. I try to comfort those nerves by talking to my sister Mich.

Instead of comforting words she sends us a picture of what we will be swimming with during the swim portion of the race.

Can't wait....

We Came, We Saw, He CONQUERED!!

TEAM B.A.D + Wives have FINALLY been made complete.

I realize this post is kind of long, sorry!

Dan’s best friend Adam got married in Vancouver, Canada this past weekend, and we are so excited for him and his new bride Nicole. I think Adam is happy, not only because he got married (obviously), but because he no longer is the fifth wheel in our adventures. (Not that it ever bothered us, but Nicole is definitely a plus!)

FRIDAY:

Dan Flew from Oklahoma City, and I flew from Austin.

I had to leave Ranger for the first time, and it was the saddest thing ever! Luckily he was in good hands!!

We met up at customs in Vancouver. It was a very interesting day of flying. Both Dan and I had delayed flights cutting it close for our connections. Luckily the second flight was held for Dan and four others, or else he wouldn’t have made it. OH THE JOYS OF FLYING!

Dan’s dad came and picked us up and we went to bed since we got in about midnight which is 2 o’clock Texas time.

SATURDAY:

We woke up and saw Dan’s other best friend Brady and his wife Lisa. Turns out their hotel room was right across from ours. They just had a little girl named Taya and she is perfect. Ah she is adorable and I must say she already loves her aunt Lesli.

We went for a run before breakfast and my lungs were ready to explode. The altitude change about killed me. I am nervous about what its going to be like in Rexburg the day of the race!!

All of us got ready and headed to the temple.

This temple made #7 for me! My different temple count is going up.

The wedding was at noon, and it was amazing. I cried through the whole thing. I just love Adam and am so proud of him for finding such an amazing girl!

After the wedding, it was pictures and more pictures, smiles and more smiles. Our hubbies and the rest of the wedding party headed to a park for more pictures while Lisa, and me were treated to a great lunch by my in-laws. It was great to catch up with them, without Dan dominating the conversation. MAN THAT BOY CAN TALK!!

Lunch was great at one of my favorite Canadian Restaurants “Boston Pizza” and then it was back to the hotel for naps. I love nap time.

Later that night there was a ring ceremony for those who were not in the temple. Adam and Nicole were so cute, and we were all so proud of Adam not cracking a joke during his vows. GOOD JOB ADAM!!

The day went by so fast, and it was already time to think about heading home. We cleaned up, and said good bye to Adam and Nicole.

SUNDAY: We said our goodbyes to Dan and Lisa, and headed to the airport. It was way to fast of a trip, less then 48 hours. Vancouver is beautiful and I wish we had more time to spend there.

I love weddings and I love that I was able to marry into such a close group of boys. I am proud to say I am married to a member of TEAM B.A.D!!

CONGRATS ADAM & NICOLE!!

We hardly touched the remote and it fell apart. I am not sure why, but we were laughing so hard about it.

Brady and Adam putting on their groomsmen ties for the wedding.

Dan and I just outside the Vancouver Temple. My face looks really fat in this picture. I don't like it.

Just hanging out waiting for the bride and groom to come out.

VANCOUVER, CANADA TEMPLE

They just look so handsome.

Me and Adam before the ceremony.

The groom and his groomsman

Me and Nicole at the reception. Her backyard and house is beautiful! It could be in the magazine Home and Garden magazine.

Uh, we are weird

The love birds

I'm not sure, but they are just funny

Little Taya, she was so adorable wrapped like a pea pod. ha ha she was so cute!

No comment....

TEAM B.A.D themselves

The famous pose that has to be done at every wedding.

At the Vancouver airport, there were birds flying around and they lived in the trees. It was adorable

My Sugar Pie. I love him so much!

He's cute when he's sleeping.

and thats the end of our Journey. Its never a dull moment for Dan and I, even if we live far apart from each other, we find some type of way of entertaining ourselves.

Occupying My Time

Dan only has 4 weeks left in Oklahoma at Sandridge! Now they always say the last stretch is the hardest, and who ever "they" are, well their right. The weeks go by so slow and the weekends Dan is home go by way to fast. But I am hangin in there, just counting down the days until I will finally get to have him home. I am starting to forget what its like to have him next to me on a Tuesday. No there is nothing special about Tuesdays, just an ordinary day. I just miss him.

Having Dan gone is hard, but luckily I have great friends who let me tag along and be the 5th wheel. Ya its a great feeling sitting at your own table at "5 Guys" and sitting in the middle with the couples on either side of me. ha ha

I do love my friends and I am so so grateful for them! TRULY!!

So Monday night for Family Home Evening we went to dinner obviously at "5 Guys" and went to a movie. "Despicable Me"

As everyone finished paying I stepped up to pay, and said one please.

The Lady said "Do you have your student ID"

I said "Oh no I don't go to Baylor, just regular price"

She said "Well your high school ID will work too, if you want to use that."

I said "Um I graduated high school 5 years ago, and have been out of college for a year."

She looked at my and said ok, and gave me my ticket, but she gave me a weird look, to be honest I don't think that she believed me, but oh well. Hopefully my youthfulness looking will stay with me forever!!

All in all it was a great night and I had loads of fun. I absolutely missed Dan, its amazing how much you rely on someone even just going to a movie.

4 MORE WEEKS!!

LOSER(Lesli Lancaster) Pure seduction/Last AirBender(Krista & Jeff)

The normal couple (Robert & Lauren)

Look how cute everyone is, and then there is me. My Mouth is huge, and my neck is about to explode. This picture was very hard to take, I am just happy I got everyone in!

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!