Katherine and Taurean

Merry Christmas from Disneyland!

2012-01-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

We're finally back! Taurean and I went home for a record long trip of 21 days! It was great to see family and friends. Taurean's parents decided to drive us to Disneyland the week before Christmas!

The Holiday decorations were spectacular! We spent 4 days in the parks, and the weather was perfect.

We even found Santa inside the Grand California Hotel

Holiday version of Small World. They even change the inside of the ride!

Because Taurean's camera died on our last day in California, we don't have any other pictures, but I'll post some family pictures later that were taken over the break.

Running the Ragnar

2011-11-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Well.... I survived the Ragnar. With 11 other runners, we ran 196 miles from Chattanooga TN to Nashville. It was the best and the worst thing I've ever done. I had a great time and I'm super proud that I survived. Six of the runners were from my ward in Louisville, and the other six are from Nashville. Thanks to my good friend Lydia who lives in Nashville, we were able to form a complete team!

This is after I finished my last leg. These are the gals from Louisville hugging me because it meant we were finished running.

Lydia and I in front of a cotton field along the route. The weather ended up being perfect. No rain, no snow, and 40 degrees during the day.

Here are some pictures from the finish line. Our team was running ahead of schedule, but a few of our runners got lost on their last legs and we ended up finishing a lot later than anticipated. But the important thing is that we finished!

So happy to be done. Don't mind me being awkward front and center

Louisville van with our medals!

Here is the entire team! We had a 13 year old boy- who kicked butt, and are whole team ended up being LDS!

Here we all are!

More photos to come

I Quit

2011-10-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day as a coach at Louisville Gymnastics! Although I was sad to say goodbye, I'm definitely ready for a break.

Goodbye LG, hello life!

Go Cougs!

2011-09-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Taurean and I headed south to Mississippi for the BYU vs Ole Miss football game. We had a great time and it wasn't too bad of a drive, only 7 hours.

Apparently Ole Miss is in a tiny town in Mississippi. I thought it would have been a bigger town, seeing as it's a pretty famous college. It's in the middle of nowhere and the nearest Target is more than 100 miles away. If that doesn't show how isolated it is, I don't know what will.

The weather was great and the natives were super nice! We got high fives and congratulations all the way to the car.

We would definitely do it again! Go Cougs!

DuPont Mansion

2011-09-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary Taurean took me to a bed and breakfast in downtown Historic Louisville. I was really impressed with Taurean's choice. We had a great time. We were the only people staying in the house so we had it all to ourselves. We LOVED learning about the history of Louisville and seeing all the old houses. In the early 1900's downtown Louisville was super ritzy, and lot's of the houses still stand today. Here are some pictures of the great house.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to stay.

Here are some photos I found online from the time when Old Louisville was something special.

In this one they're posing in front of the confederate monument which is still there.

Why did I not live in this time period?

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but it's been 3 years! Happy Anniversary Taurean, it's been the best three years of my

life!

Trip Home

2011-08-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Taurean and I were able to travel home for two weeks this summer! We definitely didn't take enough pictures, but here are some highlights from the trip. It was great to be home and see family and friends. We went to Lagoon with my parents and the older grandkids. Taurean and our nephew Josh just happened to both be wearing their new BYU football shirts!

Ice cream at Lagoon

Group shot

While in Boise we went to the farmer's market. Taurean bought me a large sunflower and a limeade that was delicious!

And what would a trip home be without a little costume party? I'm one of the pervy looking men in a blue track suit.

Once we got back to Kentucky we headed to a Louisville Bat's game for LDS night. It was pretty fun! It's good to be back

Did it rain?

2011-08-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Taurean and I thought it would be fun to drive the 2 hour drive to Ikea and spend the day in Cincinnati. On our way back to Louisville we noticed a few odd things....
Heading back into town, the freeway was completely shut down in the other direction...we figured it was just an accident. Traffic lights were out, but that happens all the time. Then we started noticing that trees and debris were all over in the road. I asked Taurean, "did it rain?" It wasn't until we got back from the grocery store and I opened our fridge when I realized that the power was off.
Apparently Taurean and I completely missed one heck of a storm. No tornados, just high winds. Our power finally came back on last night. I'm actually really sad I missed out on such a storm. The family I nanny for had a tree crew at their house this morning removing their tree that was destroyed.

Red River Gorge

2011-07-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

For Taurean's birthday I planned a surprise weekend getaway for us and some friends to Red River Gorge. Taurean had no idea and was really surprised! We found a nice cabin to stay in and had a good time hiking, hot tubbing, eating, killing bugs and relaxing.

Did I mention the bugs? Here is a giant spider that greeted us upon arrival. Needless to say, we stayed out of the basement the entire weekend.

Here is our group about to ride a sky lift up to Natural Bridge. It was so green and beautiful

Me waving like an idiot

Here is the actual bridge. You can walk on top of it! It's a natural bridge

Here is a picture of our cabin

Playing Mario Kart.

This sign speaks for itself...haha

That's my hand touching the crocodile

We went out to lunch for Taurean's birthday before heading home. It was a great trip

We have visitors!

2011-05-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last week my parents came to Louisville to visit! We had a great time showing them around Louisville and then drove up to Chicago for a few nights.

Our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Bat Museum. It was really fun and I was surprised how much we all liked it.

Friday night we went to the Hubbards Lane Kroger to see the rose garland being made for the derby race the next day. It was super crowded but lots of fun. I definitely recommend this to anyone living in KY

We kicked off derby morning with some home made mock mint juleps. They were delicious.

Then we braved the crowds and warnings about "infield tickets" at the Derby. This is the paddock and things are a lot quieter here than in the infield. We stood in this crowd for four hours and watched the Derby race on the TV screen in the background. It was definitely worth it and the weather was perfect!

We worked our way through the crowd and got a great spot right up against the fence. This lady checks the inside of the horses' mouths where there is a tattoo identifying the horse. This ensures that no horse switching occurs, and that the right horse runs the right race.

Derby Jockeys!

More Jockeys

Martha Stewart showed up, but I guess she wore her pajamas.

Kate Gosselin was also there

Later that night we were driving around to get ice cream and saw the Good Year Blimp landing on the ground. It was really fun to see it up close

Sunday morning we went to church and then drove 4+ hours to Chicago!

We took a boat tour of the city.

Taurean with a giant pizza at Giordiano's. It was delicious. I'll dream about it for the rest of my life!

It's the tulip festival in Chicago right now, and the streets are lined with beautiful tulips!

Shopping on the Magnificent Mile! Taurean and my dad were great sports. I guess they didn't enjoy it as much as I did.

Tuesday night we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley field. We had great seats, and enjoyed some authentic Chicago Dogs.

People put bleachers on top of their houses! It was nuts.

I'm sad that my parents are gone but we had a great time and have some great memories. I'm working on getting them to come back next year!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I irish dance, and secretly idolize Michael Flatley. Although he's ridiculous and hysterical, he rocks my world. Here's to the best holiday ever!

I can't help but laugh out loud while watching this video. So ridiculous, yet so great at the same time!

A great video!

2011-03-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

I love this little video. It has a great message and has really changed how I look at life.
Pixar Boundin

Dental School?

2011-02-06T20:15:00.001-08:00

When my husband started dental school I figured he would come home with models of fake teeth and all his classes would be about the mouth. O how wrong I was. Taurean has a huge test tomorrow and he has been studying 80+ pages of this crazy. Can someone please tell me how this is relevant to being a dentist? I'm just glad it's not me that has to learn this stuff.

This one is my favorite! I love the graphic that looks like a bunch of scribbles. Is ferrous even a word? I guess so...

Good luck on your big test Taurean!

Disney World 2011

2011-01-27T20:18:00.001-08:00

I just got back from a trip to Disney World with my mom and little sister. We had a great time. We ate a lot, we shopped and lot and we laughed a lot. Nothing like a 40% discount on all merchandise! I wish Abby would work for Disney forever. Here are just a few photos from the trip.

Here is the view from our room!

Dinner inside Cinderella's Castle! I was so excited to see what it looks like on the inside! Definitely worth it!

I know I'm a giant Disney nerd, but here is a picture of the new Fantasyland they are building! It's set to open in 2012! That's next year and I'm soooo excited. Sorry Taurean, but we'll have to visit Florida at least one more time while we're in Kentucky

My Saturday Night!

2011-01-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to watch this 90's gem over the weekend, Dennis the Menace! I forgot about "Switchblade Sam" who haunted my dreams as a child. I still can't get over his striped turtle neck! I could watch this clip 100 times and still be thoroughly entertained and scared at the same time!

Happy New Year

2011-01-04T19:11:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Park City

2011-01-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

Taurean and I just got back from a trip home visiting our families for the holidays. It was so good to see our families and friends. Here is my parents cabin where we celebrated Christmas!

We took a real Christmas tree to the cabin and made all the ornaments. It was really fun and I think it looks really good

The Wheatley grandchildren on Christmas Eve. They were so excited

Sleeping with dreams of sugar plums and Santa Clause

Chaos on Christmas morning

We spent the rest of the break tubing, swimming, playing games and eating lots of food.

Picture of the Wheatley clan

Even though we were home 10 days, it flew by. We also went to Idaho to visit Taurean's parents but I didn't have my camera! We'll have to get the pictures from Taurean's mom.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

New York!

2010-11-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in New York! I can't believe how much we packed into two days! The subway turned out to be very efficient and made it possible for us to cover so much ground. We woke up at 2:50 a.m. Thanksgiving morning and were at the subway station by 3:30. This is the view we saw as we got off the subway at Herald Square! This is what the show looks like at 4:20 a.m. if anyone was wondering. The crowds weren't bad at all and there were tons of open spots along the barricades to get a spot. However, the public isn't allowed to view the parade on 34th street at all. So we got the closest possible spot to Herald Square, which was a few blocks north.

Apparently each act gets a chance to practice their performance in Herald Square before the parade starts, so thats what was happening when we arrived.

Even though the parade starts at 9, because we were at the end of the parade route, it didn't begin for us until 10, so we had been waiting 5 1/2 hours outside before the parade even began! So total, we were at our spot for 8 1/2 hours! We were frozen through by the time it was over.

Here are some photos! We were shaking when it started and couldn't decide if it was because we were cold or excited

Tom Turkey!

Kanye West, I booed as he went by cause he's an idiot

Jimmy Falon

Jessica Simpson

And the true star of the show, Santa

After the parade we shopped and it started to rain, so we headed back to the apartment in Brooklyn. We then scouted out an open restaurant and ate Thanksgiving dinner at Applebee's. We went to bed at 8 p.m.

Here's the place we stayed! Thanks again Lydia for helping us find a place!

Friday morning we slept in a little bit, and rode the subway into Manhattan.

We went to Times Square

The Today Show

The Christmas Tree

We saw a matinee show of Mary Poppins!

The Metropolitan Museum!

And we ended our day at Serendipity's for dinner and Frozen Hot Chocolates! What a long day.

We made it to bed around midnight and woke up at five to drop Abby off at the airport and drive the 11 hours back home. It was a wonderful trip and I still can't believe that it all happened in just 3 days!

The Big Apple

2010-11-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

So here's the plan....
Taurean and I are heading to New York to see the MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE!
And even more exciting, my sister, Abby is coming with us too! I'm so excited! Through some wonderful generosity, we have a free place to stay and will be in the city for 3 nights! Wahoo! We're going to sing Christmas songs and watch holiday movies the whole 12 hours in the car. God Bless us...Every one.
My plan is to look like this while at the parade... but it's supposed to be raining, and we'll be standing on the side of the road at 4 a.m... so we'll see how my plan works out

Halloween

2010-11-06T16:44:00.001-07:00

No explanation needed

Fall

2010-10-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it feels like fall is finally here! Here are a few photos from the last couple months. I went to Huber farms with some friends to pick apples!

And I thought I'd give a shout out to my little plant that I've had since May! It's died and come back to life several times! Since we don't have kids or pets, I guess I'll talk about my plants. :)

Happy Birthday Amy!

2010-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to a dear friend! So many wonderful memories. I especially love this picture because we're riding in a gondola in Venice! Let's go on another trip!

White Coat Ceremony

2010-09-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Taurean had his white coat ceremony, where all the dental students get their white coats. Taurean's mom flew out for the occasion and we had a great weekend. Here are some photos. These are all the LDS students in Taurean's dental class, 21 total! He's lucky to have so many LDS friends with him in school.

Back 2 School

2010-08-31T17:25:00.001-07:00

This is where I will be spending my Tuesdays and Thursdays until December! I get to work with the school counselor and teach kids how to get along, be polite, get good grades, cope with life and other fun stuff. It's a private elementary school grades Pre K-8th. The kids are all really cute in their little uniforms and they are all really polite. Here are some major highlights from my day

1. School is a sad place. The teachers and adults are so mean to the kids. "Be Quiet!, Get back in line!!! Don't touch anyone!!! Say Please" I even heard one of the teachers rudely say "Be Polite!!" If adults talked to each other like this we'd all be punching each other.

2. The teachers lounge isn't as cool as I always imagined it to be. I distinctly remember the faculty lounge being a mysterious place where children weren't allowed. Today I was sad when I realized it's just a room with tables and a fridge. What a let down.

3. School counseling is the perfect job for me! I'm really excited to work as a counselor some day. The counselor gets to be the nice person in the school. I'll never have to yell, I have fun games in my office to help kids relax and I get to be the friend that the kids can trust.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on what other great things I learn while living in the elementary world.

Utah

2010-08-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Taurean has been using my computer for school, so I'm way behind on blogging. I went home to Utah last month. It was good to see family and friends.

Take a look at these giant water slides! Can you say lucky grandkids?

Nothing like a night out with the friends

Abby and I spent an afternoon with Tia! It was really good to see her

While I was home we were able to get away to Vegas for the weekend! We ate wonderful food, shopped and got to see the Lion King and the Beetles 'Love' Show

Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate! It was delicious!

Summer Fun

2010-07-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

We have had a really busy July. Here are just a few highlights from the past eleven days.

The photo we've all been waiting for!

Taurean wearing his scrubs on his first day of Dental School! I thought it was pretty funny that he was brushing his teeth when I asked him to pause for a picture. I think it completes the outfit. He's got his name tag on that says "Taurean Smith- Student Doctor"

So exciting!

I've been doing A LOT of swimming at the pool at our apartment complex. Every now and then friends from the ward will come and escape the heat. We've had lots of fun swimming!

U of L's Dental School hosted a "night at the downs" party for all the first year dental students. There is nothing better than a free night at churchill downs and $20 in food vouchers! We had a great time and I got to meet all of the LDS students in Taurean's dental class. There are a ton of them!

Taurean had his birthday. Since his birthday was on a Sunday (not only a Sunday, but a fast Sunday) Taurean wasn't expecting much for his birthday. Well! I sure showed him wrong. I sent him on an Amazing Race that led him to clues to find his birthday cake and his one present, A flat screen for our bedroom! We had an unforgettable dinner at the Anderson's with some amazing steaks. Thanks again Lance and Tiffany, especially since Tiffany went into labor the next morning and had their baby girl Macie.

Yesterday we went boating with the Stake President. Us and two other couples bid on a 'day on Taylorsville Lake with President Stuki' at a young mens silent auction. We had a blast! President Stuki was so nice to take us out all day. The weather was perfect and we all got some good sun.

Don't worry, in spite of the busy schedule, we managed complete this puzzle I found at a garage sale for 50 cents!!!! Possibly the greatest purchase of my life!

Oh, I almost forgot. On top of all the fun activities, we moved. Because our rent was about to raise $120 per month, we moved to a new two bedroom apartment. Moving was terrible, but I'm really enjoying all the space of our new apartment, even though we can't go to the pool anymore :( Here are a few photos.

The bedroom. Taurean's birthday present is on the dresser. We love it!

The dining area and washer/dryer! After being married almost 2 years, we are finally the proud owners of a washer and dryer!

The living room

And the Kitchen

It's been a great month so far and I expect the fun to continue since I'm going home to Utah for a few weeks on Tuesday! I love summer

Trip to Idaho

2010-07-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on the blog, so here is a quick recap of what Taurean and I have been up to so far this summer. In June we went to Idaho to visit Taurean's folks. We had a great time traveling to Idaho City (an old mining town), fishing and going to the theater.

This is a store in Idaho City. It's hard to tell, but it's a REALLY old house that is covered in layers of junk. This store is the epitome of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'
Here is Taurean on the boat. Fish were jumping right and left, but he never got a bite. Poor guy.

Here's a little gem that I caught while we were at the farmers market in downtown Nampa. It needs no introduction. Enjoy.

Cedar Point!

2010-06-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to convince Taurean to go to Cedar Point with me! Cedar Point is just outside Cleveland, Ohio and is a 5 hour drive from Louisville. We left Friday night and spent the night with our dear friends, the Leale's in Columbus. Saturday morning we woke up early and drove 2 hours to get to Cedar Point!

In case you don't know, Cedar Point has the more roller coasters than any park in the world!! Taurean and I love thrill rides and it was great to satisfy our need for speed.

We rode this bad boy twice. However, it paled in comparison to the ride in the next photo!

The red ride is called the Top Thrill Dragster. It shoots you off and goes 120 mph in 4 seconds! You then go up 500 feet in the air straight up and straight down. It was so much fun!!! We both loved it.

By the end of the day we both had pounding headaches and our feet were throbbing. But we would do it all over again. It was a great getaway. I love living so close to the exciting destinations!

Here is a video of top thrill. so much fun.

The Holy Land

2010-05-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Taurean and I just got back from a 10 day trip to Israel with my family! We saw so many incredible places and learned so much about our saviors life. We were part of an LDS tour group and had a guide who would teach us about each place we were visiting. It was incredible to open the bible, read about ancient stories and realize that we were at those sites. We visited Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mount Tabor, Mount of Beatitudes, The Garden Tomb, Caesarea, Pools of Shilom, Masada, The Dead Sea, Haifa, The Jordan River, Hezikiah's Tunnel, and many other places. In no particular order, here are some photos from the trip.

Here is the camel that we all took turns riding.Oh, The things we'll do for memories

Here is a picture of what the streets look like inside the Jerusalem City wall. There were lots of shops and things to buy.

This was taken in Jerusalem. Not exactly the cleanest city. But what can you expect when it's 3000 years old?

This is also taken within the Old City. Jerusalem has lots of stone steps, and lots of Israeli guards walking around with their giant guns. Strangely enough their guns made me feel safe.

The wailing wall. The lower stones are original and date back to the time of the savior. This is a sacred site where Jews offer prayers to God

Oh...just your everyday riot shields. They were at the wailing wall, and have definitely been used.

The garden tomb. This is where Jesus was resurrected. The spirit was really strong here. You actually get to go inside. It looks nothing like the pictures make it look

These stone steps used to be part of Caiaphas's Palace. Jesus walked up these steps just after Judas betrayed him. This is where Peter denied Christ three times.

This is Hezikiah's Tunnel. An ancient water channel that carried water into the old city. We got to walk through the tunnel that is still filled with water. It was pitch black inside and really cool.

This is the traditional site where Jesus was born. It's an underground cave that has 3 giant church's on top of it.

This is a cave in Bethlehem that gives a good feel as to what the cave would have looked like when Mary and Joseph were there. Even though it was so hot outside, the caves were extremely cool.

Taurean on top of some Roman aqueducts built by Herod.

This is Caesarea. An extremely beautiful area near the Mediterranean Sea. Herod built Caesarea as a port and a lot of it still remains today. I can only imagine how magnificent it must have been in it's time.

Family photo at the Synagogue in Capernaum. This is the actual synagogue where Christ taught many times.

What Nazareth looks like today

I was so afraid they were going to shoot me if I asked for a photo. Turns out I'm still alive. My little sister fell in love with all the Israeli men.

Dome of the Rock. This is where the ancient temple was located during Christ's time.

BYU Jerusalem Center. You can see these arches from the entire city of Jerusalem. Can't help but think about the role it might play in the second coming. We actually got to go to sacrament meeting there. It was awesome to take the sacrament just minutes from the Garden of Gethsemane.

Me and my sisters at the Mediterranean Sea.

This is the view from the Mount of Beatitudes. Overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing how much the area looks like Utah. Coincidence?

The Jordan River. Unlike the tomb, and Golgotha, the river looks just like all the pictures that depict it. It was really pretty.

Sorry for the extremely long post. This is the result of much editing and cutting, so I got it down to the bare necessities. It was a great trip and I recommend it to all.

Kentucky Derby!

2010-05-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Kentucky Derby! We really enjoyed getting into the 'derby' spirit. We had a party with our friends from the ward and watched the race on TV. They had live coverage from Churchill Downs all day.

I even made a hat for the party. I paid $3 for a gardening hat, spray painted it black and glued some dollar store flowers on it. Maybe next year I'll drop some big bucks on a real derby hat (although not likely). Here I am in my hat. I thought I'd put the picture in black and white because black and white pictures are all the rage.

Thunder Over Louisville

2010-04-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Taurean and I went with some families in the ward to the official Kentucky Derby kickoff, Thunder Over Louisville. Everyone goes to the riverfront, camps out all day for the world's second largest firework show. It was incredible and we had a great time watching the air show and snacking all day.

Here's the group we were with

Lance and Tiffany had their hands full walking back to the car, so Parker got to ride on top of the cooler

Here's a video of the finale of the fireworks. The video doesn't come close to doing it justice. I apologize for the high pitched shrieking coming from me. I couldn't help it.

Florida Vacation!

2010-04-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Taurean and I packed up and drove 13 hours to DisneyWorld! We had two free tickets into the parks because of the disney Give a day of Service Program. So we left Thursday around 2 pm, drove all through the night, slept from 3-7am at a rest stop and arrived at our hotel around 8:30 am Friday morning! We were planning on spending the day at the pool and relaxing, however Taurean begged to go into one of the parks. So at the last minute, we got dressed and headed to the Hollywood Studios park.

Here is our hotel. Not much to look at from the outside, but the rooms were nice and it had a great breakfast.

Here we are at the park. I think we look pretty good for only 4 hours of sleep on the side of the road.

Here is Taurean eating his home made lunch. Peanut butter and Jelly

Oh Taurean

haha, this picture just makes me laugh. The guys taking the pictures were like "it's just you two? You don't have any kids with you?"

Saturday we woke up very early and redeemed our Disney vouchers! Going early really paid off. The Park was empty till about noon and we got all the rides in before it got too crowded. We walked on to every ride. Splash Mountain was sending down empty boats.

Unfortunately, the short lines didn't last and the park got really crowded! This picture doesn't come close to showing how crowded it was. It was insane. Luckily we weren't in any hurry. We spent the busiest hours sitting down to a relaxing lunch.

This little beauty is all the rage. Everyone was wearing them. haha. I don't know why anyone would want to look like this.

ToonTown @ Mickey's mailbox.

Here is a picture of the parking lot when we left! haha, Our car was one of the only ones in the lot. Everyone who got to the park the same time we did, apparently left much earlier.

We hit some traffic on the way home. It was funny, everyone got out of their cars, started chatting and walking their pets up and down the lanes of cars.

Check out the videos from the trip! We had a great time!

Easter

2010-04-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

We had a very busy weekend, and it's not over yet. I'm on Spring Break so Taurean and I decided to go camping with some families in the ward Friday night. We drove about 45 minutes to Taylorsville Lake. We had a great time. The only problem was....this is where our tent was supposed to go....and...I kind of forgot to pack the tent we were borrowing! Luckily the Anderson's had room in their tent for us.
Here's a picture of our campground.
Saturday morning Taurean and I headed 3 hours North to Columbus to visit Mallory and Jimmy for Easter. We watched conference together and had our own egg hunt. Not the same with out kids.
Taurean headed home Sunday and I stayed in Columbus until Tuesday. All in all it was a really relaxing weekend, despite how busy we were.

Visit from Home

2010-03-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a whole week since my parents arrived. We had a great time! I wish they could come to Louisville more often. Here's a quick look of what we did while they were here.

Thursday morning I had to work, so my parents relaxed and unpacked until 12. We then headed out for a tour of Louisville. We drove past the church, Kroger, Target and drove through some neighborhoods looking at houses. Louisville has some great older neighborhoods with lots of character. We then headed to U of L's campus for a tour.

No one was on campus because of Spring break. After spending some time on campus we drove through Cherokee Park and headed to Churchill Downs. I hadn't ever been to Churchill Downs. It was really fun to visit, even though the museum was closed because of the flood.

After Churchill Downs we headed home to pick up Taurean and headed out for more sightseeing and dinner. We had dinner at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, which is apparently the original site of KFC, or something like that. The rolls were DELICIOUS.

Friday morning we woke up and headed to breakfast at the highly recommended Lynn's Paradise Cafe! It was amazing! I loved the quirkyness of the restaurant and the food was great.

This is outside Lynn's. Those are real suds inside the cup.

Me with my food. I think about the french toast all the time. It was wonderful. After breakfast we drove to Shelbyville to see where Taurean works and to visit the Zappos shoe outlet. I got a new pair of Vans for only $20! All the shoes are half off.

After Zappos we drove to Cincinnati to shop at the Gap Clearance Outlet. Later that night we saw Avatar which we all loved.

Saturday morning I headed to work while Taurean and my dad took a tour of the Zappos factory. Everyone met up with me at work and we headed to the temple and Costco. Here is a picture of the gym where I work.

Later on Saturday we took my parents to Steak and Shake for lunch and went to the movies to see Alice in Wonderland.

All in all it was a great trip! We all pigged out and spent some great time together.

Our Tree

2010-03-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Taurean and I had a paper airplane contest with some friends from the ward. Taurean's plane was the winning flier, unfortunately it ended up in our tree.
This morning we woke up to something else in our tree.... A possum! He's still out there staring at me through the window. Pretty cute little thing. Strangely reminds me of Muffin.

Flowers!

2010-02-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

These are the flowers that Taurean gave me for Valentine's Day. I love having fresh flowers around and I like watering and taking care of them. Unfortunately the tulips don't look like they'll last too long. Either way, they were wonderful while they lasted.

Aren't they beautiful?

These ones smell incredible. They are on the night stand by my bed, and they still look great!

Thaw

2010-02-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Look at this monster icicle! Our apartment building had a few icicles like this one hanging from different buildings. I took this picture after a few days of warm weather, I'm just sad I didn't get a picture when it was at it's largest size. Because it was 63 degrees yesterday the icicles are totally gone, i guess until next year.

Car Show

2010-02-20T18:13:00.001-08:00

Today I surprised Taurean and took him to an auto show here in Louisville. But this wasn't just any auto show....

We got to see BumbleBee!

This is the actual car that was in the 2nd Transformer movie. Taurean loves Transformers and he was so excited to see the car (BumbleBee is his favorite character).

We've made future plans to own a Camaro just like this one someday

Super Bowl and Snow Day

2010-02-09T06:46:00.001-08:00

We had a good time watching the Super Bowl this year. Taurean made salsa and I attempted to make chocolate covered strawberries. They turned out looking semi decent with some help from Taurean. We even decorated some to look like little footballs!This is what a snow day looks like in Kentucky. Work and school were cancelled for me today! I scraped off at least 5 inches from the top of our car. Unfortunately Taurean doesn't get to participate in the snow day fun, he's at work. I might go sledding later today.

Funny Commercial

2010-02-05T04:37:00.001-08:00

I love this commercial. I can't stop smiling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBFneuVw-P0

2010-01-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

Here's just a few photos from our trip home for Christmas. We built a crazy scary snow man with my dad's help. This was the day I threw up seven times. We think it was the flu

We took a family trip to Jungle Jim's Playland. It's exactly the same as when I went when I was this age. The kids loved it
The family also went ice skating. I made hats for the entire family minus the boys, except Josh
All in all it was a great trip and it flew by too quickly. Glad to be back in Kentucky.

Time for a Miracle

2010-01-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

One year ago today a miracle occurred on the Hudson River. As much as I hate being cheesy, I'm seriously flabbergasted when I think about the fact that everyone survived. What are the chances that this happened in New York City- one of the greatest cities in the world? It could have happened somewhere in Europe or Alaska, but no, New York.

I watched a TLC special two nights ago where they talked with the pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger and passengers and I sobbed like a baby the entire time. haha, who knows why. I guess in some strange way I see this as a testament that the Lord's hand is in everything. For some reason he decided that these folks were going to escape incredible odds at death and live to change the world. I highly recommend looking into the TLC special.

What an inspired man!

Fridge

2009-12-19T11:50:00.001-08:00

They say you can learn a lot about a person by looking at what they have in their fridge

Well, if that's true, then what does the inside of our fridge say about us? We are literally out of food. Aside from soda, we have butter, eggs, cheese, jelly, milk, mayo and water.

We are just about to head off to the store for some much needed restocking.

Did I mention...

2009-12-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Taurean got accepted to the University of Louisville!

Here is the email he received at 1 a.m on December 1st.

Congratulations!
You will be offered the opportunity to join the University of
Louisville School of Dentistry’s Class of 2014!
Dean John Sauk’s letter will be mailed via U.S. Postal service later
today.
Even though you have 45 calendars days from the date of the acceptance
letter to respond, doing so earlier will enable us to promptly provide
you other important information.

We’re looking forward to “good news” from you!

UofL School of Dentistry Admissions Committee

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

This is how Taurean spent his Thanksgiving

We had dinner with some families in the ward. We are wearing little pilgrim flower pot hats with our names on them!

It was a wonderful holiday, followed by some excellent black friday shopping. Taurean and I were able to fight the crowds at find a 1.5 TB external hard drive for $100! Which is a killer deal! And I went crazy in the Disney Store! Everything was deeply discounted. Let's just say that I am now the proud owner of 3 princess barbie dolls and Woody and Buzz figurines. I just can't pass up a good deal.

Over due Update

2009-11-19T11:03:00.001-08:00

It's been forever since I last updated, but not much has really happened in the past few months. Taurean interviews with the University of Louisville on Monday! Hopefully it all goes well. I'm sick and don't have a voice, it makes for a wild ride at work. The kids sense my weakness and run all over me. And I spend hours looking at items on etsy (hours that I should be studying) trying to figure out what crafts I'm going to start making next. I have so many ideas. Someday they might all become a reality...

And what is this, you ask? It's the money you could be saving with Geico! haha, I had a pretty good laugh at this a few weeks back.

FALL!

2009-10-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have always LOVED Fall and Halloween, but this year I am feeling especially festive! Here are just a few reasons why I love fall so much!

Reason #1. Help Grandpa Day!

Every year the cousins gather at Grandpa Wheatley's for 'Help Grandpa Day'! We pick apples off the trees, trim back dead branches and deep clean the house. I love 'help grandpa day' and unfortunately Taurean and I won't be able to make it this year. We are very sad we have to miss it.

Look at Josh's face! He's working hard to get that last apple out of the tree

Little Savannah loved picking the apples up from off the ground. The poor thing couldn't get her gloves on the right way. haha.

Reason #2. I LOVE HALLOWEEN! Who doesn't love a holiday where you get to wear costumes, be afraid of ghosts, carve pumpkins, get free candy, decorate with pumpkins, and scare your friends? I LOVE Halloween!

Reason #3. The Wheatley Halloween Costume Party! Again, Taurean and I will have to miss the party, but it gets better every year! We can't wait to see the pictures.

Bread maker!

2009-10-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Big news! I spent 6 hours on Thursday morning/afternoon attempting to do something I have always longed to be able to do. I tried making bread, and by golly, I sure made bread. The recipe I found made 3 loaves and used 8 cups of flour! Look at all that dough!

The last time I attempted making bread the crust started burning, while the inside remained dough. I was very worried that this would happen again and that all the ingredients would be wasted, but it worked out great.

I am more proud that I successfully made bread than if I had survived in the wilderness for a week!

The bread tastes great, and there are absolutely no air bubbles inside! I'm so proud of myself.

Reasons Why I love Amy

2009-10-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today is my dear friend's Amy's Birthday. Here are the top ten reasons why I love Amy. Believe me, it was difficult to narrow the list down to just ten.

10. Hilarious stories

9. That she reminds me of Cory Matthews and her love for TGIF

8. Excellent dancer

7. She loves watching the freaky ghost shows on the travel channel

6. Loves throwing parties

5. She is a world travler

4. Her house is haunted

3. She loves costume parties

2. Does great impersonations (Peter Jackson, Jack Sparrow, Hilda Velderschi)

1. She is always willing to support her friends with any crazy ideas that we come up with- Nsync concerts and poster making (so many lost hours), friend trips to Disneyland, irish dancing, movie making, music videos, the list goes on and on

Happy Birthday Amy!!! You're a great friend and a wonderful person!

The 2 greatest videos

2009-09-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

I think these two videos are hilarious! I am trying to convince Taurean that we need the black and white dog from the second video!

An unexpected trip

2009-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

On August 6th I found out that I would have a two week break from school and work! With all the things going at home (Abby's homecoming from Disneyworld, Mallory's farewell, Ang's cancer surgery and Liz's pregnancy) I decided to take a very last minute trip home! I spent a lot of time being with my friends, family and baby sitting my nieces and nephews, which is exactly what I wanted to do. Here are some highlights of the trip

Hanging out with Brooke and Jack

I got to see my friends and say goodbye to Mallory (who just moved to Ohio! which is only a few hours from Kentucky)

Abby and I met up with Tia on Saturday. Tia is our friend that Taurean, Abby and I mentor. We've grown really close to her and it was great to see her on my trip home

Abby and I rode bikes around the neighborhood...so funny since we haven't been on bikes since elementary school.

We had hamburgers on the deck with the family...a great summer delight

Luckily while I was home, Liz had her baby! Here are some photos of the new baby.

This is Liz right before heading to the hospital

Here is the new baby, Lilianne Elizabeth Behunin (I'm not quite sure on the spelling). She certainly has a head full of hair

Me holding the baby

While Liz was in the hospital, Abby and I took Savannah to her first day of preschool. It was fun to pretend I'm a mom. I even did her hair! Not bad for a first timer eh?

This was taken right before I left for the airport. These are all the grandchildren, minus 3 (Jack, Brooke and Lilianne)

And here is some video I took when we brought Josh and Savannah to the hospital to meet their new sister. They were both really excited.

Disney World Trip

2009-08-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to Disney world this past weekend. Taurean and I drove 13 hours south to visit Abby in Disney World. Abby got us all kinds of hook ups...great hotel deal, 3 meals a day for free and discounted souvenirs. Here are just a few highlights from the trip

Our Hotel: Disney's Pop Century

It was soooooooooooooo hot and humid in Florida. I'm serious, we were soaking within MINUTES of being outside. This is a picture of the outside of our hotel. It was so humid outside that the lens of my camera fogged up! haha

Here we are at Epcot. I think my Pluto hat says it all (p.s. notice how nice and blue the sky is)

Picture with Belle

Here is a video of the rain. It POURED for hours, out of nowhere.

We ate dinner in France at Epcot. The food was amazing and they brought around Remmi from Ratatouille. He was cute and he even talked! This picture was taken just before I spilt my Sprite all over me.

The entrance to my favorite ride

Abby standing in front of the "plush" wall. Apparently it takes a lot of work to keep this wall looking so great. Who knew? This is actually taken in the Emporium where Abby works.

Hey! The crew from UP!

The Emporium, where Abby works

And a short tribute to the visionary man who made it all happen. I love you Walt. You contributed so much to the World! My life would not be the same if not for Walt Disney. A true hero

DISNEYWORLD!!!

2009-07-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Taurean and I just decided to go to Disney World on Wednesday! Abby has 3 free park entrances which expire in a few weeks and found a really good deal on a hotel. So Taurean and I are packing our bags, missing a few classes and driving 13 hours to Disney World to see Abby! We are so excited! We'll spend all day Wednesday driving, go to the parks Thursday, Friday and Saturday and drive home Sunday! I'll get back in just enough time to take my final on Monday We are so lucky

Sunday TV highlights

2009-07-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Taurean and I were watching TV this afternoon and we stumbled upon one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed. At first we thought it was a joke, or a SNL skit, but we soon realized that it was no joke. This is hilarious! Please click the link to watch the video, you will not regret it. It's called, Flirty Girl Fitness! I crack up every time I see them swinging around the pole...so funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfIaLF xXwR8

Fourth of July & Taurean's Birthday

2009-07-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

As Many of you may know, Taurean's birthday just happens to be the fourth of July! So I surprised Taurean with a trip down river on the 'Belle of Louisville' for a fireworks cruise friday night. We got great seats on the boat, and kicked back for a relaxing trip down the Ohio River. We pulled back into town just in time to see the Louisville Fireworks from our great seats on the river. We had a really good time and would definitely recommend it.

Here we are on the boat, ship?

Downtown Louisville- a view from the river

While we were waiting to board, the boat started playing music! All kinds of American folk songs. I whipped out my camera and took some footage to document the moment

Saturday morning Taurean woke up to breakfast in bed and a scavenger hunt! I sent him all around the apartment finding cards that I had hid in pots, on top of our ceiling fan, inside books, under the rug and in his shoes.

The clues led Taurean to his 'Treasure' which included a basket full of candy, bottles of Coke, and some small presents.

What We Do

2009-06-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking me what Taurean and I have been doing since we arrived in Kentucky. So I thought I would start taking some photos of our daily activities. Here is Taurean in his typical attire studying for the DAT. Looks pretty easy if you ask me. haha

Here is a picture of me doing my daily typical activity, crocheting. Good thing I have hobbies to keep me busy

oh, and sometimes if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll wander outside to water my beautiful plant. Doesn't it look great?

A few nights ago Taurean and I thought it would be fun to have a sleepover in the living room. We blew up this huge air mattress that Bob and Greta left with us. It's like 3 feet tall when you inflate it. We stayed up watching Lord of the Rings and making cookies...which leads me to our next hobby...

BAKING. Taurean and I like to find recipes that look good and attempt making them. We made this really good raspberry cake. I've got the recipe if anyone's interested

And here is the classic "birthday cake" that we made a few weeks ago. The only thing we were missing was someone who had a birthday.

Well anyway...there you have it. These photos pretty much sum up the extent of our lives here in Kentucky. We haven't been out much since Taurean needs to study. I can't wait until he takes the DAT on July 1st. Then we'll be able to go out and do things on the weekend!!! I can't believe we've already been here for a month!

You're Hired!

2009-05-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well folks, in spite of the bad economy, I managed to find myself a job here in Kentucky! And not just any job, it appears to be a very promising job.... Are you ready to hear what it is?I'll be spending my days in this colorful and soft play land! I start training and hosting birthday parties, and by the fall (if things go well) I should be working as a gymnastics coach-teaching classes to kids! I start work next week and I'm very excited. Here is the website if any of you are interested in registering for summer classes :)

http://www.louisvillegymnastics.com

Notable facts about the facilities:

A 2,500 square foot spring floor and 3 spring floor tumbling strips
2 vault areas plus a separate Kindergym vault area for the 3-5 year olds
4 large single bars, 4 smaller Kindergym bars and 2 men’s parallel bars
12 balance beams of differing heights
4 climbing ropes, 3 sets of men's rings, 1 pommel horse
8 trampolines including two tumbling trampolines that are attached to foam pits for the children to play in
A Kindergym obstacle course area
A 9x48 (fix this) high climbing wall
So many mats that we have lost count!!!

Disney World!!!

2009-05-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Before moving to Kentucky, Taurean and I were able to spend a week in Disney World, which I never posted about because we were too busy moving. Here are some fun pictures from our trip

Group shot in front of the castle

Josh takes a shot a driving

Me pretending to hold the balloons

In front of Rockin Roller Coaster

Abby and I with Winnie and the gang

We took a 15 minute art class and learned how to draw Mickey Mouse

The infamous 'Kitchen Sink' (My parents helped us eat it. It had a whole can of whip cream in it

All in all it was a great trip. I just wish we could have spent more time there. Even though I broke out in a humidity rash on our third day. haha

Moving to Kentucky

2009-05-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, After 30 hours of driving, we finally made it to Kentucky! We took a little video of the 'welcome to Kentucky' sign, but the roads are so bumpy in our large truck that it's hard to see. Enjoy.

It's a good thing we set up our TV as soon as we arrived, because we not only learned where the tornado's are, but we found out that a water pipe burst in our area and that the water isn't safe to drink! Good thing we heard about this or we could be lying dead in our beds. :) Thankfully the water should now be safe to drink. Needless to say, Taurean and I religiously watch the news before going to bed.

2009-04-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

GRADUATION

Well, We finally did it! Taurean and I both managed to Graduate from BYU. Taurean took 5 years and it took me 3! Wahoo

ACCEPTED!!!

2009-04-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

I finally received my letter from the University of Louisville today! I've been Accepted! Now I just need to figure out which classes I need to take, what day classes start, and when I can come home for Christmas! Wahoo!!! I'm very excited. Taurean and I are heading to Louisville a week from tomorrow to find a place to live and we plan on moving to Kentucky on May 8th!

The world of Business

2009-03-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend I traveled up to Rexburg Idaho for a craft fair. Ang and I set up shop and attempted to sell our handmade goods! I've posted a link on this blog to my shop on etsy.com. My website is www.cherrytreeroad.etsy.com. Click on the shop to see what I've been spending the past 2 weeks working on. If you're interested I have a friend and family discount, so just let me know! I have all kinds of ideas for future craft projects, so I will likely be crocheting for the rest of my life. You can also see Ang's shop @ www.broadwaybabydesigns.etsy.com. Here are some pictures from our table at the fair.

REJECTED!!!

2009-03-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

I heard back from Ohio State today... unfortunately I was REJECTED! Nothing personal to Mallory and Jimmy, but I think Ohio State blows. I should be hearing back from the University of Louisville any day!

Vacations of the past

2009-03-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days I've been working on making a photo book that contains AT LEAST one picture from every vacation I've ever been on! It's been quite the undertaking to even remember all the trips we've been on, but I'm coming close to having it all done. While searching for pictures, I came across some GREAT Wheatley vacation photos. Here is just a small sampling of what my book of travels will have to offer. ENJOY!

I have no idea what is up with the pink jumpsuits

No one really looks happy in this picture

Needless to say...I don't think Dr. Martin Sandals will ever come back in style. How many pairs can you count?

Farewell Catie

2009-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Last night we bid farewell to Catie as she heads into the MTC tomorrow. She'll be serving in the Korea Seoul West Mission.

January is a time for Parties!

2009-01-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Murder Mystery Party

We had a great time playing one of those murder mystery games. Taurean and I went as a famous record producer, Philip Mabong, in love with the woman who was murdered.

Trip to Omaha

2009-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Taurean and I surprised Tarrah and Ryan (Taurean's sister and family) and flew to Omaha to meet the newest edition to their family- Lilah Sophia. We had a great time in Omaha. We were there from the 28th of December to Jan 5.

Let it Snow

2009-01-08T17:49:00.001-08:00

These are the icicles hanging outside our apartment

Settling into life

2008-10-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

After being married 2 months, life is finally settling down. Yesterday was my last day at the counseling center! I am now a 14 credit student working 10 hours, not 30. I am very thankful for the extra time I will have. I am planning on taking the GRE on Nov. 4th and will only be applying to two graduate programs. One at Louisville, KY and the other at Ohio State. Everyone needs to come see our apartment...we finally have couches!

Wedding!

2008-10-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Circus

2008-10-11T22:06:00.001-07:00

Taurean took me to the circus for my birthday!!!

Honey Moon Continued...Disneyland!

2008-10-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

Carnival Cruise

2008-10-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

No comment...

News

2008-08-10T18:17:00.001-07:00

Taurean and I are getting married on August 23! We are currently in the process of cleaning out our new apartment so that Taurean can move in next week. I am so excited to have him move down to Provo!