In the Big Leagues

Seasons Greetings, and the merriest of Christmases to everyone.

So this break has been rather good for Jordan and myself. We have been pampered by family, tanned by the sun, and right in the middle of lunch last week I got a call from an agency called StruckAxiom.

They do some amazing stuff, here is their website.  I have been hired under the title "Social Media Coordinator." In a nut-shell they want me to make sure that the company is always doing/saying awesome things. I am their official blogger, twitter, facebook, reddit, digg, stumbleupon, foursquare, and linkedin mediator. Also, if I feel like the company needs to do something cool, or undertake a huge project for wickedly sweet branding, it is my call to do so. I will also be writing press releases, websites, ghostwriting etc. etc. We will stay in Orem as they are in Salt Lake but they also have offices in LA and Portland.

I start on the 7th, and already have time off for the wedding.  Thanks to all who may have whispered a few prayers my direction. They were not overlooked and I truly appreciate it.

My news isn't as exciting as Dane's but I have started a new blog called Eat Out, Dine In. Dane and I go to new restaurants or restaurants we love and I review them, and after that we find a recipe that matches the food we ate at the restaurant, I make it and then write about it. I am really enjoying writing my blog and I have so many new restaurants to write about after the break. The URL for my blog is www.eatoutdinein.blogspot.com check it out!

Coming Soon...

an awesome video from the christensen family. 

Be excited. 

A Legitimate Post From Blaine

Sorry about my last post, but you know how it is. You write something up, you think it's so cool, and then you read it to yourself and you're like, "This is dumb." So you never post it. So then Amy does.

Anyway, I thought in the spirit of keeping the blog alive I would give an update and strongly encourage any and all members of the family to do the same, no matter how boring their lives might be (don't think your life is boring? Prove me wrong! POST!)

Things are really great out here in Provo. Finals have just barely started and while I am a bit nervous, I have full confidence that whether I do well or poorly, my parents will still love me (right, Mom?) The biggest news on that front is that both Amy and I passed our Stat Final. For those out here in the west, expect a party to celebrate this monumental achievement.

School aside, my social life has sprouted from the dormant seed of the past to the blossoming flower of the present. I've been chillin with my roommate Trace, making friends left and right, and perhaps most surprisingly of all, going on dates. It turns out the girls here are super nice and not as psychopathic as they may initially seem. As a matter of fact, this one girl Tiffany, who some had the privilege of meeting at our extremely successful family Christmas party, has in particular caught my interest. Realistically, nothing will happen, but being realistic is stupid. So, as one gossiper to another, I ask: Should I pursue something? Is that unwise with a mission in the near future? Is it better to stay friends or try to make something happen? Mind you, she's never dated seriously or even kissed a boy before! Do I have the audacity to take her lip virginity? Only time will tell.......

The only other really noteworthy thing was the Costa Rica trip that I, Amy, the young Whitmores, and the Jensens went on together. A splendid time was had by all. We did all sorts of crazy stuff like zip lining, hiking through the rain forest, crawling through flooded caves, and waking up before 7 am. A Costa Rica video is currently in the works, but for now I'll just post some pictures. Credit for these photos goes entirely to Samantha.

Please note that Grandma went zip lining. Be sure to mention it when you see her next.

Anyway, that's all I've got. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's posts! Ta ta for now!

Nada.

Amy's love life is dead.
its unfortunate but true.

And Amy feels that she should not have to post about Costa Rica because that is something all those slackers who say they have nothing to post about, can actually post about.

A.K.A
Scott and Krystal and
ANY of the jensens

Come on people

Where are the posts, people? Hello! So many people have things to write about.

1. Amy, what's this I hear about your LOVE life?
2. Blaine (and Amy) COSTA RICA??!!
2. Meg, your shoes are fabulous but what's going on with Ty? Things still going well?
4. Jordan and Dane, we need a Montana update!
5. Dayna. Jen. We've never heard anything. Dayna, tell us about New York. Jen, post graduation plans?


xoxo Gossip Girl

Tribute to Black Friday

This Thanksgiving I went shopping on Black Friday for, if I am remembering correctly, the first time in my life. Although the mall was PACKED, and it took us (me, Ty, and one of Ty's mission buddies) nearly all day to find what we wanted, it was VERY worth it because I got these beautiful shoes:

This isn't the best or biggest picture, but that's right, GOLD COACH SHOES!! I am in love. It was between these and vans and I decided these are more feminine, which is better for my tastes, as I'm sure you are all very aware that I am a girly girl. The best part is that Ty saw them first in Macys and showed me them and we thought they were sweet but they were $70 and that is not in my normal price range. We left, and as I pondered the dilemma, I decided I wanted them bad enough so we went back to get them but on the way we saw the actual Coach store so we looked in there... they had them for $50!!! However, then they did not have my size. I nearly entered an episode of depression, thinking that I would have to go back to Macys and pay $70 for what could be a $50 shoe. THEN.... Ty is a genius and decided to take a picture of the price tag as proof and we showed Macys and they price matched!!!! Hallelujah. 

And that is how I came to be the owner of new gold coach shoes. Which is why I now love black friday. I also purchased some new black suede boots with no heel -- they are so cute! I could not get a picture of those though. I was jumping up for joy (literally) because I have been looking FOREVER. Ty was also jumping up for joy because now he doesn't have to look for them with me. BEST DAY EVER! 


--Megdizzle

A Simple Man, A Single Man

***This was illegally posted. It was a draft written by Blaine that he felt was too boring to post. I took the liberty of putting it up for him. He can remove it if he feels so inclined

Sooooo........I felt really compelled to post as well, seeing as I've had some interesting things happen to me.

First, as the title of this post indicates, I am now a single man. Am I happy about that? Well, it's tough to say. There's definitely been a wide range of emotions associated with the breakup, but at the end of the day I think it was for the best.

On a marginally more cheery note, I was actively involved in these past midterm elections. See, at the beginning of the semester I very casually put my name on an email list for the BYU Democrats, and when I got an email for the first meeting I figured why not check it out? Since that first meeting I've become actively involved in the group and was even able to have all expenses paid trips to St. George and Las Vegas to do campaign work. Both trips were super fun and I was able to meet some of the very few Democrats who live out here. Needless to say, most of the work I did was in vain, seeing as Republicans pretty much dominated the elections, but I was able to work for (and shake hands with) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. So that's cool I guess.

Last but not least, my roommate, Trace Marriott (not one of THE Marriotts, but a relative. I have yet to seek deals on hotel fees, but it's on my to-do list) recently got his call to Argentina (Neuquen? I think? It's somewhere in southern Argentina) which means two things: He is now preparing for one of the most spiritually powerful experiences of his life; and, I'm going to get a new roommate. Am I totally bummed about this? Yes I am. Trace and I get along super well, he and our other roommate have had some really good times together (who, as a side note, is a 50 year old Baptist Korean whose wife and 2 children are still in Korea. Beat that) so I'm pretty irked that he'll be leaving.

Hello family,
 I figured it had been much too long since my last update. School is going very well. I think I am doing pretty well in most of my classes, although I can tell that I am starting to slack off as the semester comes to a close. I love my apartment and my roommates! I definitely like apartment life more then dorm life. Three of my roommates I met last year in the dorms and the other two are friends from back home. We all enjoy each others company and have yet to have any drama...knock on wood. Other things I am doing with my life.... I play soccer and volleyball intermirals right now. I am actually the captain of my volleyball team. I also just bought a pass to Sundance so I am very anxious for the snow to arrive so I can get on that mountain! Other then that, I am normally hanging out with my roommates or with Amy. Normally with Amy though. In fact many people have commented on the fact that Amy and I hang out a lot. We just love each other. I have accompanied her to many of her ward activities so a lot of people in her ward think that I am in there ward. Its like having two wards!!

 Alright, I know most of the above information is simply a bore to most people so lets cut the crap and get to the good stuff. The rumors were in fact true about the hook up. It happened to be with a friend from NY that I have always had a crush on. Nothing has happened with that since then however. We agreed to be friends and nothing more. I still hang out with him a lot without any awkwardness which is great! I have also gone on a couple dates with this one kid in my ward named Evan who I think is cool. I don't know if anything will happen with him though. Finally there is a kid in Amy's ward named Dan that I have a small crush on. The pictures are below are of Dan and Evan. Can we please have a poll on which one is cuter. It would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind that if either of these two boys knew I was posting their picture on this blog it would make me look extremely creepy, so naturally this information is confidential.

xoxo Bryn

Dessert Night.

As mentioned before, Bryn Blaine and I (or two B's and an A) started an exclusive club known as Dessert Night. Each sunday night we get together and bake a new dessert of our hearts desire. The idea came about because sometimes Sunday's can seem a little long and we wanted to pass the time while enjoying each other's company. 

On the first night official dessert night we made chocolate chip cookies

 Next was golden gram bars. They were ehh....good but ehh....

We made homemade oreos which were a hit. They didn't last well the next day but the day of they were delish

Once october came we (and by we i mean I) wanted to get festive. We made pumpkin cookies with decorative halloween candies 

Blaine got too busy for us so Bryn and I were on our own. We made festive halloween brownies

Finally, Bryn and I slaved away making desserts for the big family halloween party. We made oreo truffles and cupcakes. 

I love our little tradition. It might not be every week (we all are getting a little busier as the semester goes on) but its still fun when we do it.

xoxo

Amy Lauren 

Ps. Krystal is preggo. 

Halloween Par-tay!!!

Bryn and i slaved in the kitchen for hours prepared oreo truffles and cupcakes. we were proud of our creations. 

The food was so delish!! i was so impressed with everyone and their creations

 Jordan and dane did so awesome with their decorating. i had decoration envy. Presentation is everything and they did fabulous.

 We had a sick dancing party. i throughly enjoyed myself. i feel that dancing is always appropriate

At the end we watched "Halloween". Dumbest. movie. ever. Let me give you the plot line. Little boy goes crazy and kills people. Little boy goes to prison for life. Little boys grows up, escapes from prison and kills people. The end.
Overall the party was a total success. i love time spent with the cousin.
Sorry this post was lame but people were threatening my life if i didn't post and i had to do it quick.

FACT.

i know that many people have stuff that is post worthy so i am just going to come out and say it:

what the heck people!?!

blaine went to st. george and vegas
meg went to california
bryn got a hook up for real this time
josh and tiersha went to cali

And thats just to name a few.
i have two posts coming up for myself (halloween and dessert night)
but we might as well not have this blog if people won't post.
Not ok.

Are blondes really more fun?

I just got my hair highlighted. Some might say I am now a blonde. Some days I look in the mirror and feel that is true, other days I do not. What do you think?

Before...

...after!

See a difference? Ty told me that now that I am blonde, I am more fun. He is funny!

--Megan

Fun at the Lake House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4752dxvwTzY

Yo yo yo! Above is a youtube link to a music video that Cameron, Drew, Christian, Samantha, and Blaine put together at the lake house this past summer. We had a weekend up there with nothing but a video camera and an ABBA CD to keep us entertained.......and this is the result.

Oh, and by the way you might wanna turn down the volume at the very end........it's a little loud and a little obnoxious.

Anyway, enjoy!

Love,

The Jensen Family (technically Blaine)

You'll Never Guess Who I Saw...

So I went to the local Bridal Fair yesterday with a friend and guess who I saw there?  JEN!!  I grabbed my phone and took a picture for proof.

 

 But I zoomed in on the picture and she is wearing an engagement ring! 

 

 You guys, is Jen getting married?  Why is she at this bridal fair.  I can't believe I had to catch her in the act.  I hope her sisters aren't mad because they have to get the news from the blog.  Let me know if any of you out there know anything else!

-Tiersha

Hold the phones

Jordan, does this mean what I think it means?  Are you trying to have a BABY?!?!

Big Switch!!

For the last little while I have been trying to decide what I want to do about dance. I have been a little unhappy with where the major was taking me and decided that I should switch before I ended up hating dance when I graduated.

After planning my own wedding and keeping a pulse on seemingly everyone else's wedding plans I realized how naturally infatuated and passionate I am with planning. There is a major at UVU called Hospitality Management that will help me start a career in this area. It does focus on hotel and restaurant management but it will teach me good skills for planning events like working on a budget, catering and more. My goal with this is to start out as the wedding planner for a hotel and then branch out into being an independent event planner.

So after a lot of thought and a very helpful conversation with Dane's cousin I have decided to change my major to Hospitality Management. You are probably all wondering "But won't this set you back a whole lot and take you forever to graduate now?" The answer is no I still probably had two more years left in the dance program and by switching I will still probably have that long. I am meeting with the advisor for this program next week and he will be able to give me a timeline for when I should graduate.

I am very excited about this change and can't wait to start planning parties and weddings!! I also think it will be easier for me to continue working when Dane and I start a family. If any of you need a party or wedding planned just let me know!! :)  

Jordan

In other news....

Megan dyed her hair. She could now be considered a blonde!

Bryn plays soccer. She wasn't watching and a girl scored on her. The game ended in a tie. Other than her lack of attention, she played well.

Blaine has some personal news to share about a certain someone from back home. I won't spill the beans.

Thane and Shelby are counting down the days until the marriage. Yay!

Amy has been trying to flirt it up with guys. She really wants a boyfriend but she refuses to settle. Go Amy!

Kim hit a deer in NY. Gram was concerned for the beamer, Kim was concerned for the suffering and dying deer. Which one would you mourn?

Jess and Trent = need a baby. Cross your fingers for them.

Jenn might be ditching the huge halloween bash for some stupid tests. Veto.

Jill is too legit to quit. Aka, popular and has no time to chat.

Melissa fell off the planet. We are unsure if she is even aware of this blog and postings written in her name. hmm....

Jordan and Dane live in Orem. They might as well live in Mexico. Sad day. Maybe they play with us soon? or post?

Tiersha is a confirmed shopaholic. It was news to Josh. He is questioning the marriage.

On that note, a girls shopping trip to park city will be taking place on saturday. Details about the excursion will be posted at a later date. mother's and father's, want to send some cash?

Get on it!

People.

I check this blog everyday hoping to see new juicy posts. And what do I see? Nothing. Every. day. This has got to change. Some of you have not even posted yet! Lets get this blog really taking off once and for all.

Oh and ps I am going to California this weekend with Ty and some of our other friends and will be doing a  blog post about it afterwards with pictures -- stay tuned.

--Megdizzle.

Life of Amy.

I decided i should post because i am a nazi about others posting. Its not gossip filled but whatev.
I am in 14 credits at school. Easily the worst class i have is stats. I hate it. It will ruin my life. When i am not in class, i try to forget i am taking it so i can still be happy. Blaine has already started carrying me through that class. I might have to resort to getting a tutor but i hate the class so much i don't even want to pay it that respect of caring about it. Such a dilemma.
My CNA (certified nursing assistant) job is great experience for when i come a mom. For instance, i clean up HUGE bowel movements on 2-300 pound people. It can take up to a half an hour and gets everywhere!! When i get to do that for a 8 pound baby, it will be a breeze. I also move these 2-300 pound people from their wheelchairs to their beds. Also, much easier when done with a baby. I shower these people, feed them, try and understand their gibberish ( i am getting good at understanding people without teeth), put them in bed at 7pm, and wake them up at 6am....all things i will do with a much smaller human being and therefore its great experience for the future. As gross as it sounds, I enjoy my job. I work eight hour shifts but i never have a moment to sit around and be bored. I constantly have something to do. It goes by quick.
When i am not at work or at school, i spent a lot of my free time with my gang, Bryn and Blaine. "Two B's and an A" is what we are considering going by. Feel free to drop any better suggestions. We have a meeting spot at school for mondays and fridays, have an exclusive weekly dessert club (which ill post about another time) and pretty much don't do anything without informing each other. We have a strict rule that if a boy/girl social opportunity comes along, we should take it and cannot be mad at each other for ditching. We are trying to get married here so we support each other in dating. A lot of people think its weird how much i chill with the family, but we are BFForever and ever!! honestly, i don't know what i would do without the gang. we're legit.
My roommates are tight. They are the first ones i truly talk to/ get along with. They know when to give me my space but also be there for me. I love it. We are have a roommate date in a couple weeks (we hang out all the time at our place but we have a full day planned in SLC). They are both seniors. We are all very different from one another but it works out well.
overall i am very happy.
the end.

Wedding Details

Hi Guys!

For more information on our wedding location, date, time, etc., you can visit our new wedding website:

www.theknot.com/ourwedding/ThaneClark&ShelbyLitchman

Wedding planning continues to go well! We are happy and busy in Rexburg. We hope everyone is doing well!

Love,
Thane and Shelby

Twists and turns

So....

Ty and I have had some good talks lately (I even told him I was considering breaking things off) and we have decided to stay together. I think I was rushing a decision earlier that should not be rushed, especially considering he has been in my life for a long time and I care about him a lot. So we will see what happens!!

--Megan

1st Semi-Annual Conference Breakfast

Finally I have something to post about!  Josh and I hosted a breakfast this morning before conference.  It was so fun to have the cousins over.  Josh made the waffles, Blaine and Amy brought the syrup, Meg and Ty (yes he was there) brought the hashbrowns and Bryn topped it off with Simply Orange Juice!  It was a success. 

 

Since this was the FIRST semi-annual conference breakfast, you better believe there will be another one in April...stay tuned!

Rexburg is where the party's at!

Hi Family!
     It's so fun to read all of your updates! I am here to update you on the Rexburgins!

So I'm living at Brooklyn apartments this semester and I love it! My roommates are all great girls and we are having a blast :) We have a great ward full of cute guys..so lets hope I get some dating action from this ward! I actually did get asked on two dates the second weekend back which was pretty exciting, except for the fact that I don't like either of these guys. One of the guys is clearly not getting the hint that I don't like him and brought me cookies yesterday and asked me on a second date! YIKES! I really think there is a point when you can be too nice and I clearly have trouble letting guys know that I'm not interested. I'm grateful to be dating though.

As for school it is going well. I'm student teaching in a toddler lab this semester which is fun and also working with a special needs child every week for one of my classes which is really interesting and I'm loving it. (I am an early childhood/ special education major). I can either walk in April or July for graduation. I am going to be student teaching in the spring either in Utah or Vegas! Like Meg was saying though, it is really scary to be so close to being done. Once you leave the college life dating just becomes much harder.

As for the other family members in Rexburg: Jen is super busy with school and has already had a couple tests I believe. She has been hanging out with this one guy Matt, but there is no real potential with this guy. She is doing well though and will graduate in December! You go girl! :D

I also ran into Thane and Shelby today. They are also super busy with school and work. Shelby is working three jobs and Thane has a job on campus. They are going down to Utah for conference weekend, so they may see some of the fam while they are there. They are now officially getting married in St. Louis and wedding plans are a go! It was fun to see them on campus and I'm sure Jen, Thane, Shelby and I will get together for a dinner or something soon.

Well that is it for now! Come visit us in Rexburg!!

Pressure

I am feeling an unnecessary amount of pressure to post to this blog for fear that if I don't I will be shunned from the family. I have an incredibly busy week, have already taken 2 tests and have 1 left. Hence, in order to have the time to post I am doing it in my Adolescence class. I am taking away from my education to give you the gossip people, if that is not dedication, I don't know what is.

I would like to comment in three areas of my life:

1. I am a TA for statistics this semester. This is kind of funny b/c both Amy and Blaine are in the class right now, and I have already helped Amy a few times. I also have two other friends, who in reality are better friends with Ty, that are taking the class. One of them is Ty's roommate and former mission companion Brian. There was a test this week (poor Amy and Blaine) and I helped Brian understand a few last minute things so he would feel ready to take it. He told me last night he got a 95 and that my help really made a difference! Music to my ears -- apparently I actually do know my stuff even though sometimes I feel rusty. Anyway, I am enjoying it, aside from the 50 million assignments I have to grade sometimes. It is money though, so I cannot complain. I also just picked up a kid to tutor once a week for $13 an hour. Bank.

2. All I am going to say, is Ty is a great guy and we have a lot of fun, but we have our differences and I am not so sure he is for me anymore. This leaves me with the fear that I will possibly be back at square one soon and will not get married until I am 26 or 27. This fills me with much anxiety because all I have ever wanted to be is a mom with cute babies. This leads to more anxiety because....

3. I am supposed to graduate in April in psychology. I know I have probably told all of you that the next step for me is grad school. Lets be real though people -- word on the street is grad school is really intense and I don't know that I am that intense. I know I get good grades at BYU but it is like a totally different ball game when you are in grad school. Plus, I never anticipate being a big career woman anyway. Again, I reiterate, I just want to be a mom with cute babies. Now if I had my way, I would graduate in April in psychology and get married immediately to some hunk of a guy who is a bit older and already making bank so that I can start popping the babies out. Well the clock is ticking, and seeing as Ty is probably not the one, I don't anticipate this happening. So now what??? I am hoping to get a second degree in elementary education to prolong my time at BYU -- I mean, lets be real, where else am I going to find my husband??

It will be interesting to see what goes in these next few months and years for me -- it is very unknown right now. Creepy.

This is me in Idaho this past weekend at Silver City (a ghost town) contemplating my life.

One last thing: should I put blonde highlights in my hair? I am considering it, but would appreciate some opinions.

Peace out.

--Megan

The Provo Scoop

Amy got a job as a CNA. It is taking up her life and stressing her out. But she is going to make bank so its legit. Also, she saw Ryan. It was great and they are friends. Amy is still single and ready to mingle. 

Megan took a weekend trip to Id-a-ho with her boy toy and friends. She has plenty to share with us but she is a butthole and chooses friends over her family's blog

Bryn is dating a boy from her ward. They had a hottt make out sesh but have yet to have DTR.

Blaine is becoming more and more social. He wants to date around but seems to still be hooked on a little someone from back home. 

We are unsure what is going on in melissa's life because she has fallen off the planet and landed in freshmanville.


With how big our family is, we should have 2-3 posts a week so we are calling you out:

Jennifer Christensen
Jill Christensen
Megan Whitmore
Melissa Lund
Thane Clark (and Shelby)
Dayna Clark


if you don't post soon, a group of us has agreed to spread vicious rumors about you. Get on it.

Getting Good

Oooh, now this is interesting! So Megan, a bit touchy here, sounds like there is more of a story here, please share.

Dirty Lie

Alright, who posted that I was engaged?? Fess up. I will CUT you. It is not true people! Not even close.

--Megan

I heard Megan is engaged.

xoxo Gossip Girl (Anonymous)

Hi all

Just had a nice conversation with Shelby and Thane and they are really
moving along with all of there wedding plans.  We here in Arizona
are excited about a wedding in a temple we have never been to.  I
think we will fly into St.Louis and then drive to Kansas City to the
reception. Hope to see lots of the family at this next wedding!!
                                                                -----Kim Ann

Bryn's exciting life.

Hello Family, 
Amy was threatening my life if I did not post something. Warning to those who have not posted, Amy will find you...she will get you. Post, before its too late. Anyways, life here at BYU is great! I am finally not a lame loser freshman anymore (no offense Blaine and Melissa). I live in an apartment with five other girls at liberty square. I really like it so far. Its close to campus and really social. No boyfriend, but there are lots of RM's in my ward so you never no. I was called as FHE leader in my ward which means I have to plan lots of FHE activities this semester so any ideas would be appreciated. School is hard but I really enjoy all my classes. I am taking Physics, Chem, Geography, Public Health, and D&C. There is a reason I am taking Physics and Chem in the same semester. I really want to major in Public Health with an emphesis in health science, which means I have to take a lot of science classes here at the Y. Public Health is an awesome major for those of you who have no idea what it is. Jessica majored in it and Amy is planning on majoring in it also. Amy just wants to do everything I do. Anyways Public Health is the science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting heath to large populations of people. I am not exactly sure what direction I want to go with this but its an exciting major that has lots of opportunities. Well that's my life as of right now. Not to exciting. The picture I posted is of when I went to the dinosaur museum at thanksgiving point with my roommates a couple weekends ago.

-Bryn

Ah!!!

OMG did you hear, thane and shelby are changing the big hoopla to st. louis!?

stay posted for deets. hopefully from thane or shelby :)

Where's the Meat?

This is great stuff, I'm happy to know that Blaine is a genius, Jordan and Dane love each other to death and Rachel's kids are cuter than two chipmunks driving a tiny firetruck. But this is a gossip blog! We need gossip! So here are a few questions to get things rolling:

• What is up with Megan? Are wedding bells ringing or has she dumped him like a bad rash?
• What is the latest with Thane's wedding plans? Is everything on track or are there any wrinkles to the plot?
• Is it true that Amy is now addicted to crystal meth?
• Is Scott really as awesome as everybody says?

Anonymous Poster

Happy Fiet

Hello Whitmore Family!

Wonder who this is? It's me, Rachel! I know I've been MIA for many of the recent family events. I apologize for that. It's weird how real life means vacation time/expensive plane tickets/traveling with two energetic kids. We'll make it to something very very soon I hope.

I'm loving this blog! Thought I'd give a little update since they are few and far between.

My little family is growing bigger and growing up. Here's a little run down:

Bennett: He's almost 3 (Oct 19) and is our sweet little big brother. The terrible twos (if that's even a real thing) have come and gone and what remains is a sweet, kind, smart, loving, curious little bounder of a boy. His passions and pursuits include animals-specifically alligators, dinosaurs, Little Einsteins, Liam, library books, mac n' cheese, playing at the park, Lightning McQueen, and throwing sand out of our sandbox. He's a daddy's boy, but tells his mama how much he loves her every night before he falls asleep. There's hardly a sweeter, smarter boy around.

Liam: Little Liam. He turned one in August and is the sparkle of my eye. He couldn't be sweeter if he tried. He's a voracious sleeper, eater, and player and keeps up with Bennett better than you would believe. His loves include scooting around on his little booty (he still doesn't walk and never did a traditional crawl), pushing anything with wheels all over the house, crawling into my lap with books and turning around to look at me after I turn each page, doggies, blocks, and absolutely anything that Bennett has. He's shy of strangers (just like his brother), goes crazy with excitement when his dad gets home, and is the charmer of our ward. People tell me they sit behind him intentionally in Sunday School just so they can watch him. He's that darling.

Kevin and Rachel: After six and a half years of marriage, we still really really like each other and make a great team. Kevin is still working at the same law firm he joined right out of law school and really loves it. I stay very busy with these little boys and can't imagine life any better. I am teaching joy school with two other friends, so Bennett is getting exposed to a bit of a preschool situation. We moved into a new house in April that has kept us very busy, but we absolutely love it. Life is about as great as it comes.

I have a blog of my own, but it's private, so if anyone would like an invite just let me know.

We miss everyone and hope that we get the chance to see people soon!

Rachel

The Adventurous Updates of Jordan and Dane

After making it through their one year anniversary Dane is rather euphoric that his lovely wife has not found his weird quirks, bizarre sense of humor and thick sarcasm reason to rethink her Aug 14, 2009 decision.

Jordan has most recently started a new job teaching dance to tiny cute little girl dancers. It's a new experience for her, but she is most excited to help Dane pay the bills and to finally be able to teach what she loves so much. This means every Wednesday night from 4-6 she can be caught instructing "creative dance" which includes some basic technique as well as personal expression. After her girls learn the beginning steps, she will choreograph a complete routine only to be adorably preformed by her girls in May. Videos and pictures will soon be embedded.

Dane is having all too much fun with his schooling. He is still employed at the BYU adLab (www.byuadlab.com) where he gets to do things like this:

Now, not to worry, his job is completely professional and there is no threat of these two ladies causing any type of worry to his perfect marriage.
Dane is "Grant" a mascot for the ORCA research grant initiative at BYU. He is the creative director over this account. Grant parades across campus handing out POGS (the college aged family should know what this is) Students who team up with a professor to do a research project can be awarded $1500 dollars.
Dane has also interviewed at a few agencies and is awaiting a few call backs and pending job/intern offers. Any prayers nodded his way are graciously accepted.

Other than that Jordan and Dane continue to enjoy and write their love story day by day and kiss by kiss. But we needn't get too detailed there.

The Life of Blaine

Well, I'm thrilled to see that the gossip blog left the dark woods of obscurity and has burst into the sunny meadow of reality. In the hallowed name of our blog, I will post my current life status.

So, I'm at BYU and taking 6 classes (17 credits.......I'm keeping busy). I've got Human Biology, Psychology, Statistics, Book of Mormon, Writing, and The History of the Bible. Here's how I rank them:

6) Statistics: A boring class with little more than my sleeping peers to keep me entertained. For an hour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I struggle to keep myself awake while a boring professor drones on and on about means, medians, and heaven knows what else.

5) Writing: Worlds above Stat, this class is small and has a high school English class kind of feel to it. Unfortunately, the professor is nice to a fault and has informed us that he does not enforce due dates for papers. So, naturally, I haven't done a thing for this class.

4) History of the Bible: An interesting class with some great reading material in the curriculum, but unfortunately my class is small and the intellectual conversation is hard to stimulate. Who would have thought that Utah-dwellers would be close-minded?

3) Psychology: This class is super interesting and I may actually consider a career in psychology, unfortunately the only way to fit it in my schedule was by taking the night class. Sadly, this means that once a week I sit from 4:30 to 7 listening to the same professor talk about the same subject. I love psychology, but I don't love it for 2 1/2 hours. Then again, I'm not sure I love anything for 2 1/2 hours.

2) Human Biology: This class is interesting, engaging, and only an hour long. The way the human body works has always interested me, so studying it at the college level is a rush. The only thing I can complain about is when the professor tries to make biology a gospel-themed subject. Not that I hate the gospel or anything.....goodness, what a thought! No, I just like my church and my state separated, that's all. Keep my DNA and my Deity separate (I made that one up by myself)

1) Book of Mormon: See, I'm a spiritual guy....I put Book of Mormon as my favorite class! What's more spiritual than that? Actually though, I really love Book of Mormon. My professor digs into the scriptures in a way I have never experienced and suddenly I'm seeing things I never saw before. Sadly, I do have to complain about one thing. Luckily, it has nothing to do with the class, the professor, the curriculum, and thank goodness nothing to do with the subject. No, my issue is with my peers. See, I remain completely engaged in the lecture from the minute it starts to the minute it's over. My peers, on the other hand, feel that their busy schedules are more important than their learning and insist on zipping up their scriptures and putting away their notebooks during the last 2 minutes of class. The resulting racket is both distracting and infuriating. The professor usually ends with a spiritual clincher or personal story, and while he's trying to wrap it all up everyone around me is completely ignoring him! It takes everything in me to keep from jumping up and screaming like a lunatic, demanding for quiet. C'mon people! Where's the fire? This man is pouring out his soul for our spiritual nourishment, and all you can think about is getting out of here! It's ironic that the only time I consider violent acts against my fellow men is during a religion class.

Okay, that was a pretty long post......sorry about that. Lucky for you going to class is about all I do. I mean, let's face it, friends and dating are difficult investments of time and effort. So, I keep to myself. Is it a lonely way to live? Absolutely. But I'll survive.

We Party Hard in the Whitmore Family.

Yesterday we had a party in celebration of me passing my physical science class.

I took the class online because Megan told me it was easy and i would breeze through it. Little did megan know that i am a slacker and don't actually put in the time to learn the material. Trent (being a T.A for physical science) literally did my homework for me. I would hand him my computer and he would complete the assignment. I learned nothing and. When the final rolled around, i was terrified that i would not pass. It was intense. I complained a lot to anyone who would listen. I stressed about it. It was my fault i wasn't ready but that does not make it an easier pill to swallow. 

i took the final and waited two weeks to find out. I passed! i got a C, my first C in college! C's get degrees right? it was a beautiful day. Bryn being the awesome cousin that she is, decided it was  worthy of a celebration. (Josh's birthday the day before, no party, me passing the class, party haha)

We had drinks and food, courtesy of Blaine and his 529. We took pictures and talked long enough to make Josh fall asleep. Once the lame couples of the party left, we watched Paranormal Activity. It was intense. We all agreed it was so scary because it was slow and so real like. We all had a hard time going to bed. I do not recommend this to Jess or Tiersha. Your husbands will hate me forever. Overall it was a successful night. love it. 

Its Time.

Its finally time to start our gossip blog. it would have been made sooner but SOMEBODY dropped the ball on it and never got it done. So here it is in all its glory. This blog is to be used to update any and all whitmore's on each others lives. You can sign your posts or do it anonymously depending on the content of the post. For instance, if you were going to talk about how so and so wore the ugliest outfit the other day, i would leave out your name. But that wouldn't be very nice to say so maybe you should just keep it to yourself. Ideally, i would like this to be a successful blog and therefore request that everyone post at LEAST once a month. I will keep track and i will hunt you down if you don't. So here it is. Post number one. Isn't this fun already?

xoxo

-gossip girl.

just kidding. its amy btw.