New Angle

Marcus and I have a new angle at life in Rexburg. 

We want to become Apartment Complex Managers. 

Free Rent--YES.

However, we would have to do some sort of work. We are looking into it hardcore. I wouldn't mind learning new office and computer stuff because learning it now could help me in the future if we ever own a complex of our own, or if we have the opportunity to be renters of some sort. Who knows? Anyhoo, the benefits are great.

Currently there are two possibilities. Hopefully one of them works out. The first complex we only have to do yard work for all seasons of the year, and all we have to pay is utilities and the apartment is a two bedroom. The other complex is a full on office job with office hours and everything. The benefit: free rent and we still get paid and bonuses. But it is a Full time job! Am I up to it? Are we up to it? Heck, I guess we'll have to be if we want it! And we WANT it! How great would it be to have free rent and a totally stable sit-down-office-job? How great would it be if the complex was right next to campus? How great would it be if the apartment owners were sweet?

What a blessed life we live. 

My ultrasound on Monday went really well, but I wasn't as far along as they thought so they had to do a vaginal screening which is basically like a pap smear, that's how they compared it anyways. It was a little uncomfortable but we saw our baby and he/she moved and everything! We saw the heartbeat and right then I fell in love. Marcus was a little like "wow, you really do have a baby in there." He will fall in love when he feels the baby move himself and when he holds the baby and when he hears the baby giggle for the first time... -sigh- life is a roller coaster for sure but it is AMAZING. 

When the baby moved I felt like the spirit of that child was already there. I don't really know when the spirit meets the body, but I think it is early on... or maybe it's just that the spirit can come and go until a certain point and definitely not after birth, but there are those individuals who have been transfigured. So many questions and mysterious I won't know until I get twinkled. 

Oh yeah, the official due date is March 19-21! Those are special days. That is Racheal's mom's birthday (RIP) and the anniversary of David's death. It would be nice to have a reason to celebrate around that time of the year. 

That is what's new over here. I really want to know more information about my new niece Lilly, though!

Love,

The Thackeray's

Vacation

Dear friends,

We finally parted ways with Rexburg for our little vacation. The drive was less than fun, but there were great things about it. For instance: We stopped in Utah for a cousin's wedding reception and it was probably the fanciest reception I have been to, and I was especially grateful for the cake. I have never really appreciated cake until the reception. It was a delicious lemon cake that was SUPER moist. So moist and so soft. My eyes were literally watering with every bite.

Marcus' family on his mom's side is uber rich. They all married doctors or entrepreneurs and you can tell by their luxurious houses. I should have taken pictures. I will never live in a million dollar home, but I will at least visit them now and again. The houses were all at least three stories. If anyone has ever been to Alpine/Pleasantgrove, UT (the rich side) that is where they live and that is what their beautiful homes look like.

This looks like Aunt Cheryl and Uncle William's house. Isn't it beautiful?

I was happy to stay in this home because it had a lot of qualities that I want in my future home. I love the color, the shape, the hard wood flooring inside. One day we will have a beautiful home that our children will remember as theirs and ours. But for now, Rexburg apartments and little houses are the way to go. Two more years and we'll be done. 

Right now Marcus and I are back in Washington at his parents'. I do not actually know our plans, but it is nice to be away from Rexburg and work. 

Here's a question: Is not liking my job the same as not being grateful? I am grateful I can work and get money one way, but at the same time I really don't like working at Kmart. I feel like complaining is one form of ungratefulness. UGH. Bare with me. Kmart is not what I am used to. I mostly liked my job at Ross because it was clean and organized. (Imagine and new Ross that is huge and has a place for everything.) Kmart is not like that. There are things that need to be changed in that store organization wise. 

Enough of that. 

I have good news to tell but not until the end of the week. Stay tuned. 

After school and Anniversary Plans

Hey Friends! We are sorry for the unusually long length of time that we haven't written in this here, our blog. We have been busy, well, I have been busy. I work and Marcus does the house work. This Fall semester better go by quick because It's already taking forever! We want to be done with school so badly!

Our plans for after school:

1. (I am graduating first) Stay home and relax a little bit for the last semester Marcus is at school
2. Head out to grad school in Washington/Oregon where Marcus will get his Masters
3. Live with Mom and Dad Thackeray
4. Work for a daycare/tutor center
5. Marcus will get a career going while we are still living with the 'rents in the basement
6. Save up enough money for a down payment on a house
7. Buy our first home!

Yes, there will be a couple of children in the midst of all these plans, but who's to say what Heavenly Father's plans are?

We are happy and excited for our future. The present is just as lovely though. We mostly do nothing these days because we are poor poor poor married college students. Since Brian, Marcus' brother, has been staying with us, they play video games like all day while I am at work. When I get home we sometimes watch movies, or play more video games. I do not participate usually; only when I am in a Donkey Kong kind of mood. I feel sick most of the time. Let's call it fatigue, for now.

For those of you who didn't know, MARCUS IS THE BEST COOK! So for now, while I am the one bringing home the bacon, he is the one making the bacon (except that we don't usually buy bacon because it is dang expensive.)

This is the Bellagio Hotel. We would LOVE to stay at this five diamond hotel!

Random: Carrots lightly cooked and added to Mac and Cheese is so delicious!

For our first anniversary we are planning on stopping through Las Vegas and staying at a resort hotel for uber cheap. I looked prices up on Hotwire.com and you can get a 4 star hotel for $36/night! Amazing? YES. So, we will do that. Plus there are a lot of free things to do there like the circus at Circus Circus or the Conservatory in the Bellagio. We also thought it would be cool to go to the Pawn shop from a show on History Channel called Pawn Stars. We used to watch that show before we started to have to pay for cable. We will only be there for one night though because we will be journeying our way back to my parent's house in California. We are celebrating Christmas with them this year. We thought it was especially important since our David will only be able to join through the heavens.

We hope you are all doing well and having fun!
XOXO

"How are you doing today?" "Blessed."

Okay people, I am going to write a poem right now without planning it out. What I write is what is coming out of my mind. (You have been warned.)

The sky is blue
but my stomach is empty
and there is no food
at least sitting here
no matter or worries, I will be fine
school is over and I have "me" time.
My job starts tomorrow
I hope it goes well
I wonder when I will get my first pay check.

Did you like it?

So, I am excited for this semester to be over. I passed all my classes and got average grades--which I am okay with, but I wish I could just get straight A's for once. I got two A's and the rest B+'s. Do you know how frustrating a B+ is? It means you were this close. -sigh-

After the Fall semester I will be done with Foundation classes, which are just general ed courses that people need to get their Associates degree. I am going to work my butt off so I can get my Bachelor's. I need one in my back pocket. School is hard, but it might end up being worth it once I finally get to take classes that I am actually interested in; classes that actually have to do with my major! I am only taking one class this Fall, though, because it is my off-semester.

Marcus got straight A's. I am so proud of him. He is a brilliant and gifted man and he works really hard to get his grades. Plus, he really wants to get an academic scholarship which will pay for his tuition, but he will only get it if his Cumulative GPA is a certain number--I think like a 3.8 or something like that. We are hoping he gets it for the Fall. The past three semesters he has gotten 4.0's, but his very first semester, before his mission, he totally bombed so that will always count against him... he  replaced grades for four of the classes but not the fifth because the school only lets you replace four. So, he has a permanent D on his transcript. But after he has all these A's the D will hardly be noticed.

We are excited to be going on a small vacation in August to go back to Washington to visit with Marcus' family. I hope we get to go to the beach. I miss the beach. That's what happens when you were born and raised in California. We are also happy to not have to worry about anything during that week. It will be nice just to be with the family. It is nice to have parents because they will always take care of you. Kinda like our Heavenly Parents. Even though we can not see them or communicate with them the way we do with our Earthly parents, they still love as and still always provide for us. Exhibit A: my Kmart job experience--definitely a blessing from above. They love us and the proof is in the good people we meet and the little blessings granted to us--the sun, gravity, flowers, babies, animals, modern-day revelation, scriptures, families, smiles, laughs, delicious food...

We are blessed.

XOXO

Puppy
I was inspired by my friend, Racheal's, post about puppies and which dog fits her. There were so many dogs to look at and choose from! The dog that best suits Marcus and me and our future family (because the dog we would get now or soon would need to be child friendly) is an Anatolian Shepherd. Super super cute! The description says he is not very playful, but then again, all puppies are playful! And he will just love the children and until I have children, he will love being my companion.

Except we plan on having children before a dog so that the dog knows his place.

He almost looks like a golden retriever but he is different. He is perfect, if not him then we would go with a Beagle, which are also adorable but small. Marcus seems to not like small dogs, but I know once we had one he would fall in love. I mean look how adorable this one is! He is ready to play and ready to take action. Perfect for boy children, which I plan on having a lot of!

My math final was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be, but I still think I could have done better.
It was comprehensive for the whole semester and I could not remember one little bit of information, so on that part I probably only got partial credit. But I did a course evaluation and earned 5 extra credit points. Hopefully that will make up for that question. Cross your fingers!

On another note, I completely forgot about an exit interview I was supposed to have today for one of my classes. The good thing is that my teacher is an awesome 80-year-old man who is so kind and he is just teaching because he loves it and he loves his students! I asked him if I could use him as a reference on a job application and he said "no problem!" Another funny thing that happened with him was at the beginning of the semester he said he would be sitting most of the time because he ages faster when he stands! He is full of humor and fun.

More to come later.

PS- Marcus and I have been married for seven months even today! Only five more months to go til it's been a year!

Temple Inspiration and Interview Tips

Guess what! I got the job at Kmart!

They called me the afternoon the same day of my interview to tell me. Their exact words: "we are very interested in hiring you if you are still interested in the job." Woo! That was probably one of the easiest times I've had getting a job. I totally wasn't expecting it!

Here's how it began:

Marcus and I went to the temple on Tuesday night. We missed the last endowment session so we went and did sealings  instead. After, the sealer encouraged us all to get ice cream. Marcus had a coupon for a free frosty at Wendy's so that's where we went. The thing about Wendy's is it is across from Walmart in Rexburg and you pass a lot of other stores to get there, Kmart included. After we got the frosty I was inspired to go to Kmart. I just wanted to look around and see what exactly Kmart was like.

If he could have, Marcus would have stayed in the boy toy section forever! He is a man, but there's still a little boy in there. My husband is adorable.

So we spent half an hour walking around when the PA maid an announcement,

"the store will be closing in 15 minutes, please make final purchases in the front of the store." 

We started making our way to the front when we passed a girl that worked there. I felt inspired, once again, to ask if they were hiring. She explained to me that a few girls were quitting and that they would be hiring this week. She told me to fill out an online application and then to call the next morning to set up an interview time. So I filled out an app that night and called the next morning.

Erik, the hiring manager, set up an interview for the next day.

I arrived fifteen minutes early and was very happy to be there. I started a good conversation with the girl at the front desk, Karli. She was a happy and laid back girl. She told me all about the drama in her other work location. I was glad that she compared it to working at Kmart, because she really likes working at this store better.

Great

I went in for my interview and nailed it! I could tell it was a great interview when one of the interviewers loved my comment about how one of my pet peeves is when hangers are facing the wrong direction. She loved it!

Later in the afternoon Erik called me back and asked if I would join the team, and I of course said "yes." I will be filling out paperwork today and start next week!

One of the biggest most obvious temple blessings yet!

So, I can testify that if you attend the temple Heavenly Father will bless you in whatever way you are looking for...or even whatever way you're not looking for!

Also, knowing how to interview is a plus.

Tips For Interviewing (Trust me, I've had several interviews in my lifetime.)

1. Be your best self
2. Make sure they know that you are full of integrity
3. Make sure to represent what is good for the company by explaining that you work hard and learn quickly
4. Try to keep eye contact
5. Hold yourself with confidence--don't keep your arms folded, have your wrists show in some way because it represents openness, and employers like that.
6. Smile a lot, but not in a freaky way
7. Answer their questions honestly
8. Make sure you have a few questions for them about there store atmosphere and the work environment
9. Try to get the feel of the store from the employees point of view too, to make sure you even want to work there
10. Try your very best not to be shy. If someone else is interviewing at the same time and they are showing a lot more personality, they are more likely to be hired because people want to work with other friendly people; shyness is almost the opposite of friendly.

Marcus and I are happy for the semester to finally be ending! We made it through our first school semester as a married couple! You can make your congratulations in comment form below! :)

We love you all!

Flour chips

For dinner tonight:

We made chips out of flour, oil, and water and then we poured a can of chili over it followed by salsa and diced red onions. So delicious! Once one of us has a job in Rexburg we will be able to afford more varieties of food and perhaps I'll actually home-make more things. I want to be one of those wives that make the house smell like delicious food every single day! Food is comforting and so tasty! 

Church was great today. The high counsel member gave a great talk about how when we look at our children and later our grandchildren and they ask us "why do you love me?" we will be able to get a little glimpse of the great love that our Heavenly Father has for us. That great love comes from a father that wants his children to succeed. He is wonderful, and He loves us. He sent His son, which proves it. 

This is exciting news! I finally finished the journal I have been working on for a whole year! It has never taken me that long to finish a journal before, but this year has been very eventful--good times and bad (Mel got married, I got married, my friends Racheal and Caroline got married, my brother passed away, and school started). I didn't write everything down, but I got the important stuff. I will be starting a new one tomorrow. The funny thing about me and journals actually has to do with the pens I am writing with. I need to have a good connection with the pen in order to love what I am writing. Oh yeah! If the paper is a weird texture I don't really like it either...unless my pen is just that great. I need to go pen shopping. I haven't had a really great journal pen in a while...could be one of the reasons it has taken me so long to finish that journal.

So, that is all for now.