Saying Goodbye

In February, one of Joe's most sincerest wishes finally came true. And I said good-bye to a good, old, trustworthy friend - my purple-ish coat.

It may all seem silly. I'm sure it actually is. But I loved this coat. I have had it since high school. I don't remember which year. But I remember my parents buying it for me over the Thanksgiving break when we were in Fairfield (like always), and we were shopping at the Vacaville Outlets with my cousins and aunt and uncle. Within a short period of time, a couple holes were burned into the bottom because the coat was stuffed into the trunk and the light in there burned the coat. I seriously hadn't had it for very long. I don't remember when, but the bottom velcro ripped off, so I only had the top velcro patch to use.  It had this awesome zipper in the sleeve, and I used to put smartees and tootsie rolls in there to eat during early morning seminary to help me stay awake. That kinda makes me think I've had this since Freshmen or Sophomore year, but like I already said, I don't exactly remember. 

I loved this coat because I could always maintain my temperature in it. Which also means that I never took it off (unless it was wet from the rain.) I would wear the coat all through the day at school, and all afternoon at home until it was time to get ready for bed. I wore this coat all through college. 

Every boyfriend I ever had (not that there were many) HATED this coat, due to the fact that I never took it off. Joe has been the biggest fan of getting rid of it. He always complained that it "wasn't cuddly." I always told him (well, all of them) that they were out of luck. I loved my coat and it wasn't coming off or going away. 

When Joe & I were engaged and I was away studying in Jerusalem, after I had been gone a month or so, Joe confessed one day that he had actually pulled it out of his closet and put it on because it smelled like me and then he didn't miss me so much. I've loved that story. 

Well, we took a trip down to Sidney and walked around the really big Cabella's. I finally agreed that it was time to look at a new coat, and I found this one for really cheap. I like cheap.

I will admit, there have been a few times that I have missed my purple coat. But in general, this new one is doing fine. It is more obvious when it gets dirty, and that just counteracts my laziness. But it is comfy and warm.

So here's to making new memories!

Amy Explores the Tuba

In my opinion, 2 year olds are all about exploring their personality. It's even better when there are fun things to explore, like, for example, TUBAs.

When Uncle Joe arrived, he brought with him 2 tubas. He brought them for 2 reasons: 1) family pictures; and 2) to play Christmas carols outside while the street fills with onlookers of all the Christmas lights. Joe and my brother Mark (on trombone) played the most. My sister Tracy joined in on violin. I did a little on flute.

The girls love the music. They especially like that Joe can play ANYTHING!!! For some reason, Amy was especially interested in the tuba. So Uncle Joe let her give it a try. She actually got a few really good sounds out. These are just some really cute pictures of her exploring the tuba. Oh, and a side note: Amy really doesn't like wearing clothes. She's cute in anything she wears, even if it is just her underwear. :)

I think this one almost looks like she is popping out of the tuba.

(Don't mind the Glenn Beck book on the table. We all had a chance to read it this holiday season. Just ignore the differing political views between several people in the family, and it's all good.)

After she got some good sounds out of the mouthpiece, she discovered the bell.

She enjoyed yelling inside it.

She made us all laugh! Maybe we have found another tuba player, just this time in the Biggs family.

My BYU Graduation

It only took me 9 years from start to finish, including my 2 year break for my mission. It was 13 semesters, including 1 study abroad and 3 spring terms, with only 1 class repeated and a 3.32 GPA. And I only changed my major once, to a simpler degree within my field of study. Had I not changed, graduation would have had to wait for another 2-3 semesters.

I need to remember never to give the camera to my husband.

All ready to walk and graduate

I'm so glad that my family was able to come out for my graduation. Unfortunately my brother David wasn't able to get off of work, but both Mark and Tracy left their kids at home with their spouses (thanks Rachel and Dustin!) and came. I have such a wonderful family!!!

Sisters!

Supporting husband

Proud parents!

Brother and Sister - all BYU grads!

With my brother-in-law Matt who is a Chemistry professor.

While waiting in line, a boy and girl asked me if I had anyone to walk with and if I knew anyone from my program. The answer was "no." So they invited me to walk and then sit with them. They were very friendly and super nice. They had been studying bio-chem. Right before we entered the Marriot Center, I had the realization that they might have had Matt as a teacher and so I asked them if they knew Dr. Asplund. Of course both of them had taken a class from him and commented on how great of a teacher he was. Just then, Matt walked by with the other professors. It was fun to see him! I was glad we were able to run into him later too.

This face is probably in response to how my feet felt from my shoes.

Joe wanted his turn to dress up too!

After actually getting my diploma

Just being goofy with my "Sample" diploma

Fare thee well, BYU. It has been a challenging and growing journey.