Christmas

Leon and I had I wonderful Christmas. We celebrated on Christmas Eve with Leon's family with a little pizza party. After I got off work that day we headed to Worland. We worried about bad roads but they turned out to be dry.
Christmas day we opened presents at my mom's, played some on my dad's new Wii and then headed to Ramie's for more celebrations. Our family sure is growing with little ones that kept us all bust. We enjoyed each others company and ate a Bethlehem dinner and watched the "Breath of Heaven." We also lit candles on the tree and sang Christmas songs. The best part was really just being together.

Belly Pics

Everyone has been requesting belly pics so I guess here are a few. I had to take them myself so they are not of quality but you get the picture. Really my belly has just started permanently being there within the last week. Before that it would be there and then I'd be as flat as ever shortly after. Sometimes my belly is really soft and sometimes it's hard. Somedays I don't mind it and other days it drives me bonkers. If I don't wear a tight shirt you really can't even tell :).

Ukrainian Christmas Feast

Three years ago I arrived home from the Ukraine right at Christmas time. We decided to have a Ukrainian Christmas Feast and have all of the extended family over to look at pictures. After the feast I brought the leftovers back to Casper and shared them with Leon. Every Christmas since he has asked me to make a Ukrainian Feast. I guess 3 years in a row means we can officially call it tradition. It was very tasty to eat tonight and brought back lots of fun memories of babushkas sweeping the streets and yelling at me to put my coat on and not sit on the ground because my ovaries would freeze! I also remembered all of my ornery little school girls and wondered how they have grown.

Breath of Heaven

12/21/09
As the holidays are drawing closer I'm greatly looking forward to our Christmas traditions. At some point during the holidays we always have a Bethlehem dinner and eat food that Jesus would have eaten. After that we watch the Breath of Heaven song to the Nativity video. We usually have to watch it multiple times because we are all in awe. Thanks to Youtube I thought I'd share it with any of you who haven't seen it.

Relief Society

12/20/09
Last week at church I wasn't late enough which meant people actually had time to talk to me before sacrament meeting started. So, I got asked to play the piano at relief society. Since my piano is now probably sitting at a dump somewhere from our little moving incident I didn't have a way to practice so I was soooo nervous and shaking when it came time to play. It all worked out fine though. God must have not wanted the piano to sound awful on songs about His son's birth.

Congrats to my Hunny!

So on Saturday I decided to start a "photo of the day" journal so that I hopefully get in the habit of some sort of journaling before the baby comes. I'm already 3 days behind and better get caught up!
So....
12/19/09
The picture of the day is my hunny because I am just so proud of him and have to brag a little! He only went to school until 6th grade. He's now completed his GED and completed his first semester of college with a 3.9 in the last 7 months! Not only was he going to school full time but he also worked full time and put up with me. He is just so amazing!

On Monday we got to hear our little babies heartbeat at the doctors. It was pretty exciting. Still feeling oh so tired and very itchy but we are getting close to the being done with that first trimester so hopefully that will help!

First Lights

We hung our first set of Christmas lights a few nights ago. Well..in all actuality Leon hung them and I was just moral support from the ground. Not too much but I still love them. I also picked up a 4 dollar wreath from Hobby Lobby for the front door so I really feel decorated!

We've Moved In...

The last day of October we moved into our new house. We had to be completely moved out of our rental within a day so we moved fast thanks to Leon's mom and my dad and little brother. Everything is here but now it's a month later and we are still unpacking boxes. Some day we may get it all done.
We are loving the house. It is three bedrooms. We turned one bedroom into an office and the other will become the baby's room (yes we are expecting!) whenever we get all the boxes cleaned out. Our living room, kitchen and dining room are all open with vaulted cielings so it makes the house look nice and roomy. Last weekend we painted the dining room yellow. I'm surprised at how bright it turned out but I think it's cute.
We have a nice patio area and a little backyard. Next spring we will have to put grass in but for now we are just living with the mud.
If anyone is in Casper we would love for them to stop by and visit!

So close...yet so far away!

Leon and I have been patiently awaiting for the closing date on our house. We signed papers last June for a little house. We wanted to get an old house with some character but after looking at the options we realized that it would be better to go with new construction since the interest rate is so low. So...all summer long I visited our little patch of dirt and watched the other homes slowly pop up around us. Then one night we had a hole in the ground with concrete around it. Boy, was I excited! I jumped in and made Leon play house for a bit. After that the house really went up fast. Soon we had walls, then a roof, and then rooms! Yesterday I drove by and and they had painted the inside and out! One week from yesterday we should be sitting at the bank signing the papers. We are so excited to have a place to call home!

Happy 50th B-day Dad!

The 12th was my dad's 50th birthday. We waited til the weekend to celebrate. Friday night was Homecoming in Worland. Dad held a car bash. The kids sure did like taking a hammer to the car! Saturday we went to Powell. Dad took everyone for a tractor ride. Then he packed up his tractor and old Ford and brought them into the sentinel celebration at the museam. The kids got to ride on an old unique steam engine. We toured the museam where we got to see Oma's baby quilt and watched grandpa's tractor bail hay. Then we headed to Lovell for dinner and cake. It was a busy and happy weekend!

This week was a challenging one for both Leon and I but it's good we had each other and good friends cause we made it through. Leon got his results back for his first round of tests and pulled all A's, even in Anatomy! I swear that boy is amazing! I'm working on my own now at WBI without supervision so that has been interesting. I've had a few fights but I try to respect the patients and they are usually quite respectful in return. This weekend was pretty laid back. Leon and I got Blizzards and walked around Mills which was Leon's stomping ground as a kid. He had a bunch of funny stories about places. We also found the Leprecaun Laboratory. We almost went in but then decided we didn't want to push our luck so we just took a pic of the sign instead.

7 Wonders of Casper

Last weekend we did the 7 wonders of Casper with some friends.Nothing like a bunch of 20-25 year olds running around town like they were kids again. We really had a good time. Afterwards we Karaoked and it was the first time I saw Leon laugh until he cried. We even talked Leon's friend Brian into singing country music and now have some good black mailing material.

Ally Sheedy

So today I got told I looked like Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club. I'm not convinced but what do you think?

Labor Day

I had to work during Labor Day weekend (nothing like working for free on a holiday) but Leon and I managed to sneak away for awhile so I could take a cruise on my 4-wheeler. It was short...but I enjoyed the wind in my hair for a few hours!

Birthdays Birthdays!

Bryce and Owen's birthday was last weekend so we went to Lovell to celebrate. It was the first time the whole family has been together in forever so it was a full house. Owen is getting to be quite the toddler and loves being chased. He and I got to laughing so hard together we couldn't stop! Bryce turned 18 and I just can't believe it. Even though he's twice my height and not so little anymore he'll always be my favorite LITTLE brother ever! (Don't forget it Bryce:)

Back to school...back to school to prove to Dad I'm not a fool!

Leon and I are back to school. I greatly enjoyed my 6 weeks off this summer but am adjusting well to my internships. Leon is working 31 hours a week and taking 13 credits so he is a busy man. We've been trying to rock climb together 2 times a week so that we see each other every once in awhile.

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

Since it was the last weekend before school starting my family came down to visit. Our intentions were to meet at Martin's Cove so that the kids could have the whole "pioneer" experience. The day started out cloudy but we ventured out anyways. Sure enough when it was time to pull the handcart it started down pouring rain. The kids were good sports but when Owen started crying we decided to turn back. We spent the rest of the day in Casper shopping, bowling and playing at the art museum.

Sally Sam

Tonight Leon's bother David came over to watch a movie with us. Whenever we have company Leon has to show off our garden which is now producing pumpkins. While they were out looking they found a little salamander. He was so cute! I think that last time I saw one of those was when my mom used to have them in her classroom in Shoshoni. We held him for awhile and then let him go. I named him Sam and sure do hope he sticks around for awhile! He may cure our desire to get a puppy.

YEAH!

Yeah! Leon completed and passed his GED this past Thursday. We are sooooo excited for him! He did really well on all of the tests (8 hours of testing) and even scored high enough to qualify for scholarships. This is a big feat for him and the teachers at the GED center can't believe he dropped out in 6th grade because he did so well.
After testing all day Thursday he went back Friday for more testing to see what college classes he could qualify for on his Compass. A lot of classes were already full but we finally found something we think will work.
We went out to the lake Saturday to celebrate this milestone as well as his b-day. His mom, nieces, friends Brian and Donny, and Donny's kids all came. We had lots of fun playing in the water and sand, broke open a pinata and came home with sunburns.
I'm so proud of my hunny and just can't stop smiling!

4th of July

I know it's a little out of order but I decided I wanted to write about the fourth since I just got my pics downloaded from it. Leon and I went bass fishing in a little run off lake near Boysen with the same group of people that went fishing with up by Jackson. I had never fished for bass before and was surprised at how wide their mouths were...I decided Aerosmith should have named himself after the bass instead. On the day of the fourth we went to the parade in Lander. It is such a fun parade because the firetrucks have a big water fight at the end and so everyone who wants to gets really wet. Sometimes when your in the middle of the choas there is so much water your blinded by it. It is really fun though because people of all ages (there was even this really really old man) are out there jumping around and acting like kids again.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

July 9th was my 20th birthday. Ever since I was little it seems that I've gotten to celebrate my birthday on multiple days. Have a party with my family, a party with friends ect. Well this year was no exception. On the day of my birthday my mom came to visit. We worked on girl's camp stuff and just got the chance to talk. It has been a long time since I've spent time with just her so it was a fun day. That evening Leon got me angel food cake and strawberries. He also gave me some beautiful pearl and diamond earrings. I just love them! The next day Leon had taken off work so he could spend the whole day with me. We went to the fair and rode rides until we were sick, which didn't take too long. We also looked at the animals and had a really good time playing these brain games that a booth had set up. That evening we watched a movie and my little brother came to spend the night. The next day my parents, Ramie and her kids came to town. We had a BBQ at my house and made homemade icecream. Then we went out to Edness State Park. It's a little pond that we swam and rafted in. There are lots of little fish that will come up and nibble on your toes. At first the kids were not sure about them but they got bravier as the afternoon went on. It was 3 full days of celebration and boy do I feel loved and lucky! I have such a great family and they always are so good to me!

A Bloody Ride

Today was "Flag Day" in Casper. Not sure how that holiday ever got to be, but it's a pretty big deal here. If you work for Natrona County you even get the day off. Anyways...I volunteered to take Leon's oldest nieces, Devin and Gadget, to the parade. As far as parades go it was a pretty good one. Over 2 hours long but the kids made out like bandits with the candy. After the parade I decided that we would ride out bikes to the grocery store to pick up a few things. We have 3 bikes but one of them is Leon's "trick" bike (he found it in the river and likes to ride wheelies and stand up on it and stuff). The only problem is is that it doesn't have any brakes. Leon's younger neice, Gadget, was stuck riding that one because she couldn't get on any of the others. She did really well up and down hills just putting her feet down. We were on our way home, all loaded down with groceries like melons, chips ect when we came upon a deadly corner. Gadget cut the corner due to her no breaks but that meants she also cut right into her sister and I. All three of us and our bikes ended up pileded on the ground, my head right into the metal peice that holds the chain. The gash wasn't really that big, but you know how head wounds bleed and this one was no exception. My face was covered in blood, the groceries were covered in blood and the pavement had a nice little puddle pooling. Poor Gadget went into histarics, screaming and crying about how she hates blood and to just leave her there because my face was scaring her. I tried and tried to convince her that I was okay and that I needed her to get up so that we could get home and cleaned up but she wasn't convinced. Luckily one of Leon's friends just happened to drive by and save the day by taking Gadget home while me and Devin got two of the bikes and the groceries home. Everyone turned out fine. Gadget put a whole pack of band aids on every little scratch and dirty spot, I butterflied my head shut and Devin walked away without a smudge. It always amazes me how brave you can be when you HAVE to be the responsible one.

A story for those with Germophobia

I'm not scared of germs, but I like to think of myself as a rather clean person. I keep my house scrubbed, wash my hands after using the restroom, usually squat when using a public restroom, ect. Well...today while working for Lita (an elderly women with a beautiful yard) I so graciously volunteered to clean up an old wood vine that had died. It was laced between chicken wire above a gazebo thing. The vine had grown thick and it proved to be quite the wrestling match (I won but came out of it with plenty of scratches.) After getting the vine all down I had a huge pile of stick to pick up. The dumpster was clear across the yard and down the alley. I didn't want to haul the sticks to it because it would leave behind a trail and make an even bigger mess so I decided to bring the dumpster to the sticks instead. Now this wasn't just a little dumpster. This was a BIG city dumpster. The ones they put in alleys for the neighbors to share. It didn't have wheels so I decided I would tip it over and roll it down the alley and into her yard. At this point I wasn't thinking about how much I would have to touch it, but just about the time it toppled over to its side I realized. Anyways...I ended up pushing and pulling the dumpster the whole way there because it didn't exactly "roll" like I invisioned. When I got there the sticks overflowed the dumpster (kind of like leaves over flowing a garbage bag) which meant they needed to be squished down. I tried a shovel but it didn't work. I finally decided my only choice was to crawl inside the dumpster to get them squished down. The whole time I just kept thinking in my head that my grandma lived through many dumpster diving trips in nastier dumpsters then this. After loading the sticks, I duck taped the lid shut and started my roll back in the rain (fyi..duck tape doesn't stick to wet plastic.) When I got the dumpster to it's "home" I still had to tip it back upright which once again involved a lot of touching. I felt pretty proud to have finished my task but I haven't yet decided if it was really the easier way out. The minute I got home I did get in the shower and scrub down good though.

Camping Fun

If you were to see Leon and I today we may appear to look like ripe tomatoes. Our weekend started out wet, with heavy rain. We had decided to go camping at Brooke's Lake near Jackson with Leon's friend Brian and his family. We made it up some super muddy roads in Leon's little mustang and arrived at the campground to find more rain. We decided to sleep in his friends camper that night instead of pitch our tent. It was a full house with six adults and 4 HUGE labs. The next day however we woke up to sunshine and blue clouds. We packed up our fishing gear and headed out hiking to Upper Brooke's Lake. On our hike we saw a real bear which I thought was pretty exciting! The boys fished during the day while I lazied around and read. When it was almost time to go I decided I better cast my fishing pole in the water a few times. I caught 4 fish almost in a row! (Leon and I both caught six fish each during the weekend. I usually am lucky to catch one!) I wondered if it was the same fish biting over and over but they seemed to change size and I moved spots on the lake. Our hike back down the mountain was pretty uneventful. That evening we enjoyed a hearty meal and smores of coarse. The next day we woke up with sunburned faces. It didn't seem to be that warm...we wore coats but the sun must have been tricking us.

Well...

Well...A little catch up on our lives. The day after getting home from our honeymoon I took off to Billings for a school clinical at the hospital there. I enjoyed the work...but got very very lonely. One day a patient (a cute shrine circus clown) told me that I looked homesick. He didn't even know I wasn't from around there. Anyways, I lasted 2 1/2 weeks before deciding to return home. I felt like a failure, but decided I was only 19 and still had time to fail a few more times in life. I will be able to redo my clinical here in Casper so that I can still get my degree but will have to wait until January which will put me behind my classmates a bit. It may turn out to prove to be the harder road less traveled but I am satisfied with my decision.
So....now I am working helping an older lady in her yard. She has quite the gardens and I am learning a lot about plants and weeds. It's all very interesting. I'm also working on sorting my moms boxes of pictures which is going to be quite the task. Oh...and I've also gotten a chance to play with baby Brody a bit.
In the evenings Leon and I work outside, take his nieces for bike rides and work on his homework. We decided that my parents are soooo ambitious! We went to help them on their house last weekend and were so tired by the end of the day. We don't know how they do it everyday.

Ericka's Birthday

A few days after little Brody Wolfe was born his momma had a birthday. Everyone loved adoring the new little one. Leon, Devin, Gadget, Joanna and I tried making Ericka a red velvet cake. It turned out alright but took $9 worth of red food coloring! The night we were baking the cake there was a tornado warning in town. A lot of people were running about and leaving town. One lady even drove around the trailer park Leon's mom lives in yelling "It's coming...everyone get out!" We didn't even know at first and were out on our bikes to get the needed ingredients. When the lightening and thunder came the girls would yell and run around the house. It was so funny.

Babies!

We have a new little one to welcome into our extended family. Leon's sister had a little baby boy last night at about 8 o clock. He was 22 in and 7lbs 7oz. Saw him for just a minute and he sure is cute! No pics yet...

Birthday Weekend

This weekend we had two birthdays to celebrate. On Friday night Leon's nephew turned 5. We had cupcakes and tacos and played outside with the new toys. Then on Sunday Leon's brother also had a birthday. I tried packing him a carrot cake but the pan cracked in two in the oven. We kind of saved the cake and it tasted ok. We also took him to Godfather's pizza and then went a swam in the spill way. The water was cold...but everyone got in except for me and had a good time.

Look how our garden grows!

We were so excited to check out our garden when we got home. We had full sized radishes, spinach and lettuce that we harvested and brought to Leon's family BBQ Saturday morning. It was so fun to have something fresh from our garden to share. I have not seen it lately...but Leon reports that it is growing well, especially the beans and that we have pumpkins sprouting.

We are back!

We made it back from Costa Rica early Sunday morning. It was a great time...nothing like what we expected but we still enjoyed ourselves. We spent a couple in Arenal near an active volcano. We never got to see the hot lava but we could see rock tumbling down it and did a lot of hiking around the rain forest. We hiked (it was considered a mild hike but was so steep and muddy!) to the top of an inactive volcano to swim in a beautiful lake that had formed up there. It was chilly but so refreshing after our long walk. We do explore the Venado Caves where we saw bats, huge spiders and fish. It was so fun to explore in there. We had to crawl through water and shimmy through tight places. It was one of our favorite spots.
The next couple of days were spent in Monteverde where we toured a cheese factory (they made chocolate cheese there) and zip lined through the canopy.
The last couple of days we spent at the beach. We did some buggy boarding, kayaking and snorkeling. We also built a HUGE sandcastle.
We really enjoyed our time together. We can't wait until our next vacation. We think we will
head to New York City!

OFF to Costa Rica!

This evening Leon and I fly out of Denver for Costa Rica. We have a lay over in Texas so won't actually get there until tomorrow around 11. We are so excited. This is Leon's first time leaving the country and my first time leaving the country as the most experienced traveler. It's a little nerve racking because I really don't know that much...but I guess it will be an adventure nonetheless. When ever Leon tells anyone about are trip he gets so excited and starts talking faster and faster. I'm glad he is looking forward to it so much.
Here is our rough agenda. We will be flying into Libera, finding a taxi to La Fortuna where we plan to hike around the active volcano at night so we can see the lava floe. We also plan to go spelunking in a cave with water in it as well as spiders, bats and fish. Its called Vernado caves I believe. After a few days in La Fortuna we are going to Monteverde where there is a Cloud Forest with suspension bridges and ziplines. There is also a cheese factory, butterfly farm and snake farm. After Monteverde we plan to just relax on the beach for a couple of days before returning home.
We will post pictures when we get back!

Graduation

Since I will be missing graduation Leon had me put on my cap and gown and walk through the house to Pomp and Circumstances while he blew noise makers and whistled. It was probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever done...but now we have officially celebrated it and I've officially passed all of my finals. Yeah!

Last Day of School!

Today it my last final...finally! I am really excited to be done with school, at least for a little while. I'm not actually officially done because I have to start my fieldwork experiences in about 2 weeks but I'm done here at the college and will be "graduating." The fieldwork rotations are each 2 months long and I will be doing two. The first one is in Billings which means I will be away from Leon. I am not yet sure how I will be able to do it...but I just try not to think about it cause it makes me sad.
Anyways, I have really learned a lot and am thankful for the education I've gained. Despite how much a complained, it actually was pretty fun learning.
Thanks to everyone who helped me get to where I am!

May 2...THE BIG DAY!

Wow! We made it and I'm officially Mrs. Miller. As the day came to a close I was absolutely exhausted but I just couldn't go to sleep because I didn't want it to all be over.
My sister and mother spent 2 days before the wedding in Billings getting food and last minute stuff. They then came here that night and we spent the day before making some preparations. They were soooooo much help and were patient and loving to me through my stresses.
The evening before we had a rehearsal dinner at the hotel my parents and several of my aunts were staying at. We ordered pizza and had dinner in the hotel lobby. The hotel was so kind to allow us to take over their space like that. We had to wait for my dad and little brother to arrive before we could practice so we let everyone swim while we waited. Leon was a great sport while we were swimming. All of the kids would hold on to each other to create a huge chain and then he would pull them all around.
When my dad arrived no one was ready to change out of their suits, so we just rolled out the runner in the hotel lobby and practiced in our dripping wet suits. We had a lot of fun practicing and the hotel guests found us to be cheap entertainment.
It was a great evening to prepare us for the next day.
The morning of we headed up to the lodge bright and early to get started with decorations and food preparations. We were blessed to have so many helping hands there. Everyone pitched in and did a wonderful job. Everyone contributed something. For example, my dad picked my flowers and brought up his old remodeled Ford pick up, my little brother picked my veil, my mom did so much planning and preparing she deserves a million bucks and my sister was right there by her side, my sis-n-law Mary Ann said an opening prayer, my aunts and cousins were there from all over the country to help decorate and the list goes on and on. I just couldn't ask for a better family!
My sister did my hair and make up and really made me look good. Thank you!
The ceremony was simple, but amazing. We worried about doing it outside but the snow really did add a beautiful backdrop. My little brother played Ashokan's Farewell on the Mandelen for my wedding march and that made it extra special. My dad gave Leon and I some sweet advice about picking the very best things in life and not letting things get in the way of our relationship and commitment because we were the best for each other. Leon and I had written our vows and the judge we used was so kind. At the end, I kicked off my high heels so that we could skip away through the snow. The judge picked up my shoes and Lily grabbed his hand to walk with him. It was just so cute!
At the reception we ate, talked and danced. It was so nice to see everyone and to have so much love and support.
The day ended up amazing. It wasn't what I had dreamed of, but I don't think anyone could have dreamed of something so good.
I loved it and am soooooo sooooo soooo thankful for everyones help!
I put a few pictures here but if you want to see more check out this webiste...
www.cwenskyphoto.printroom.com/marsieandleon
the password to get in is Miller

Celebrations

In anticipation to the big day we have had many celebrations. While I was in Worland doing some school stuff at the hospital the Trombley's threw me a huge bridal shower. There were so many people there from the ward. It was so neat to see them all again. My amazing sister packed up her kids and drove all the way from Lovell to come for the evening. I felt so blessed to have her and her little girls there.
My old roommate Yolanda and some friends also put together a little bachlorette party for me. They made me wear a silly banner out to eat at Sanfords. We ate and talked and then ate some more. That night Yolanda and I stayed up late discussing the thrill and trials of life.
It fun to celebrate with friends and loved ones and I feel so blessed to have so many of both in my life.