I am an official Washingtonian

I got my one-way ticket to Washington and made my official move up on Saturday. I began my dental restorative class on Sunday which was why I needed to come up earlier than Jonathon.

I have really enjoyed it so far. Here are a few experiences:

*On my plane here, I looked out the window as we were landing and saw it raining and thought "This is my new 'HOME' now... crazy!!"

*On Sunday, my first day of my restorative class, I met a few girls who are also in the class. When I told one I was from Utah, she said "Oh! Are you Mormon?" "Yep!" I think this is likely the first of many. :)

*I LOVE getting to live with all these people

.*Jonathon and I are living at his parents house. Bob and Susie, my in-laws, and their five kids, Bob's brother Derrick and his wife Shannon and their five kids, Jorge Acosta (Family friend here going to school) and 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a hamster are all living here right now! It's the Huckvale Hotel. It is SO FUN!

.*I love getting to come home and playing with all these cute kids. Luke, Macy, Haley, and Reed are so fun and sweet. (Chad is too but he's older so it's a different kind of cute and fun) They helped me make Jonathon's "Welcome Home!" poster. And always welcome me home with a great big hug and say "NANCY!!" Haley even tucked me in bed a couple nights ago! She read me a bed time story about Winnie the Pooh, gave me a hug, and tip toed out the door and turned out the light and closed the door. It was adorable.

*I love how beautiful it is here. Every time I drive into the neighborhood and see the lake (pictures soon!) and all the trees, I can't hardly believe it. I get to live HERE?!

*I love how everyone recycles!!!!!!! It's soo easy to recycle here- just ask Jonathon about how much I love recycling.

*Today I bought Chipotle for me and Susie to eat. I brought it home and surprised her with it. As we were eating, she said "This tastes different.. it doesn't have any meat!" And lo and behold, they forgot the meat! I called them and they said "We're so sorry! We'll write your name down and you can come any time and get a free meal!" I gladly will!

*Today one of the girls in my class named Kam who is Hindu but lives in Canada said "Can I tell you something personal? I have watched you since the first day of class and there is something very special about you- about the way you see people and interact. You are very calm and have a great positive feeling to you. I really like it. Your parents did a great job of raising you."

.*I was really surprised because I didn't feel like I was doing anything special. I actually felt the opposite since I've been so tired all this week and my head keeps bobbing asleep! This shows how we are always an example.

*I'm also excited for more missionary experiences. :) It's strange so many of these people aren't LDS already like they are in Utah. They seem like they are because they are just.. great! I love them already!

Well, that is my update. Oh! I am interviewing next week at Dr. Gillespie's dental office. I am very hopeful-- I would LOVE this job! Dr. Steve Gillespie was the dad who retired from this office and also was Jonathon's stake patriarch. His two sons took over the practice upon his retirement and now Dr. Brad Gillespie is in our biship ric. It would be awesome to work there.

I also went to Best Buy and talked to the manager there. Me and Susie found a $20 bill on the ground and felt it was "from Heavenly Father" so I could find it. I used it as an ice breaker and gave it to the manager and then introduced myself and asked if they were hiring and indeed they are! I mostly just want to buy a camera and a great warranty with the discount. We'll see how it goes!

Love all my Utah family and missing you much! Love all my Washington family and grateful for the welcome arms!

Mixed Feelings about MOVING TO WA

I am moving up to Washington State on Saturday. Two days from today. I have many mixed feelings.

I am leaving the place I've called "home" for the last 13 years of my life. So many loved ones. My mom. Grandma Richards. Grandpa and Grandma Roush. My sister Shirley, her husband Jared, and the two cutest nephews in the world. My brother Steven. My WARD family that helped raise me in many ways (too many people to name.. they are all amazing-- I have to give one special shout out to Patty Steadman who gave me a free plane ticket to get up to WA in the first place! She said her company had an extra that would expire next month and go to waste and wondered if I wanted it. I couldn't believe how sweet and thoughtful that was! Thank you soo much Patty!!!) So many friends and familiar faces and people I've come to love. Wonderful dentists and assistants I've gotten to work with. Sighhh. :( Makes me want to cry!!

And yet, at the same time, I am SO EXCITED to begin the next phase of life. I'm excited to step out of the "poor college student" phase. I'm excited to move into a new little apartment that we can DECORATE (I AM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY DECORATE!!!!!) and make our own. Excited to be close to my Dad and little brother Nolan. I'm excited to get to live with Bob and Susie and catch up on the last four years we've been so far away. I'm excited to begin a whole new life and try new things.

Some things on my list:

-Sewing classes

-Spanish classes

-New work out classes

-Possibly TEACHING work-out classes

-Learning how to be a missionary! :)

-Learning how to be a better cook

-Becoming a better BLOGGER

(My sister told me that if I'm moving to WA, I have to be better with my blog! I thought that was a pretty fair trade. :)

-Picking fresh wild blackberries and learning how to make blackberry pie

-Becoming licensed to do FILLINGS in both WA and OR

-Getting to spend more time with Jonathon

-I've been really excited to get to go for Northwest walks with him and have BBQs

-Make new little married friends

I have so many pictures stored somewhere I want to share. And WILL share as soon as I find them. OH- add that to my list:

-FINISH PHOTOBOOKS/SCRAPBOOKS!

-My Grandma Richards said she can't think of me without crying. And yet, she is so happy for me to begin this fun adventure! That is how I feel too.

It is such a bittersweet experience. I know that moving is the right thing to do for us. It's been one of those things we've both planned on for years without ever even having to discuss it. And it's all worked out so perfectly. So UNBELIEVABLY perfectly.

Jonathon will be working for Sentry Insurance as a Business Products Account Manager (I'm not quite sure what this means yet..) covering the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA territory. He has a job WAITING for him upon graduation. Are you kidding me?! How amazing!

And I was able to work full-time Monday through Friday the last year gaining experience and learning so much. I worked at the greatest office in the world and.. the not so greatest office in the world and appreciate my experience at both.

Many times I've felt almost like we've received TOO many blessings. I don't feel deserving of all of this. And I know this is sad to say, but at times I even feel like I'm just waiting for something bad to happen since there is just so much GOOD in my life. I wish I could give it away to some people I know who have struggled and deserve some goodness in their lives too.

Well, now I'm just babbling. The main point is that I'm going to miss my home and it will forever be home to me. And I am excited for what lies ahead in my future, hand in hand with my wonderful husband.

:)

My Marathon!

I post all my running posts on my running blog which can be found here:

www.happyrunningduck.blogspot.com

Happy running!

I love dental hygiene

...when it is done right.

And the people at the dental office of Richard Ellis II and Richard Ellis III know how to do it right!!

I've got to work Fridays at this office for the last 9 months. I have worked Monday-Friday since January and me and Jonathon joke that my weekend begins on THURSDAY night because I just LOVE being at the Ellis's on Fridays so much! It honestly doesn't feel like work at all.

I wanted to share a cool thing from this last Friday.

About four months ago, I got the chance to do a "deep cleaning/Scaling and Root Planing" on a patient from Australia who has not had dental care in quite some time. After the initial visit, these patients come back every 3-4 months for a "periodontal maintenance" cleaning to keep the disease away. I was excited to see his name on the schedule since he was such an interesting, fun guy!

When I laid the chair back and had him open on up, I mentioned how his gums looked much healthier since his first visit and there was a lot less build up- (This makes hygienists VERY happy! In a way I can't explain through this blog! He responded saying:

"Well, I haven't had a cigarette since our last appointment! This time I quit for ME, and that's made all the difference."

I couldn't believe it. I was SO PROUD. And I couldn't stop noticing/commenting on how much healthier his mouth was because of it. He'd also been using a WaterPik daily and trying to floss throughout the week too which of course helps too!

It is times like this that I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I get this chance to be a dental hygienist and meet such awesome people. And to be able to SEE the positive effects I have on them! I can't believe I get to be so lucky to have this career that is so perfect for me in so many ways and especially to have been able to work with the Ellis's to show me my potential by their confidence in me. I will be forever grateful.

OH! And if you ever need a dentist, I will recommend them a million times- they are the best!

Getting excited for life!

Well, the title pretty much says it all. Exciting things happening in our future:

1. Jonathon is GRADUATING from BYU on academic scholarship

2. Nancy is running her first MARATHON

3. Moving to Washington!

4. Nancy is taking a dental restorative class to learn how to do fillings

-I can't wait to be in school again! Oh how I've longed to LEARN again!!

5. Getting to put in my two weeks notice at gay dental offices

6. HUCK CAMP family reunion

7. Getting to decorate our own little home again FINALLY

-getting to have a place bigger than just ONE ROOM in my mom's basement

8. Jonathon getting his first "big boy" job (and paycheck!)

9. Getting to play with my new nephew!

10. Possible vacations??

11. Buying Nancy her first pair of nice jeans- ever.

12. Thinking of the FUTURE future and that it gets to come up sooner than later in our future... buying our first home, having our first baby, having our own separate cars, etc etc. I guess that is the next phase of life- and it's gonna be so fun!

Sighhh. Can you see why I daydream so often? So excited for LIFE.

Jonno's opinions on the marriage topic

This is in regards to my ever so controversial post on facebook regarding the marriage dilemma.

President Monsons comments are spot on, but the applicability is somewhat limited to the 20 somethings. There are men in that age group who forgo opportunities because they are just having too much fun, or one of the other reasons he stated. In that age group, there are tons of opportunities, and plenty of willingness from the female gender. Even a considerable amount of eagerness from women who are approaching their mid-late 20s. So for the 20 something crowd, I believe the comments by the prophet are accurate and applicable.

Come mid 30s to mid 40s . . . not as applicable. It is no longer as easy as one may believe and if you have not experienced it yourself, you only think you know the answer, but I'd imagine that until you experience it you will never know exactly what it is like.

Women:

Many women have fallen into a trap of only complaining that they are not married, but taking no responsibility for it. The most common pitfalls I have seen are:

-Unrealistic expectations of a prospective spouses financial, spiritual, and physical eligibility (ie Gates money, Brad Pitt looks, and Spencer Kimballs spirituality).

-Unrealistic self perceptions. .to both extremes. Some believe they are far more eligible than they actually are, others believe they are not good enough for anyone to love, so the pre-empt the rejection by rejecting themselves.

-Make their lives so busy that they do not have time to date . . this includes church callings, extended education, family commitments every single weekend, GNO every weekend.

-Limiting factors Setting age limits on dating. It is one thing for a 25yr old woman to say she wont date a 40yr old. Its a whole different thing when a 39yr old wont date a 40yr old (and that happens a lot).

-Girl Groups that sabotage each other so they wont lose another single girlfriend from their group.

-Inability to disassociate previous baggage from current reality. They hold onto bad experiences from the past, and are convinced that all future experiences will be the same. (physical abuse, porn addictions, WOW problems, fidelity issues).

-A belief that ALL men are unworthy

-They have let themselves go to the point where they are not physically attractive, and their personalities are not attractive either.

-Princess complex everything is the mans responsibility, the women has to do nothing , and that includes returning a phone call, accepting a date, or even holding up their end of the conversation.

Men:

Many men have fallen into a trap of only complaining that they are not married, but taking no responsibility for it. The most common pitfalls I have seen are:

-Barbie complex . . Believing that there is a supermodel dying to get into bed with them, so they wont settle for anything less.

-Unrealistic self perceptions. .to both extremes. Some believe they are far more eligible than they actually are, others believe they are not good enough for anyone to love, so the pre-empt the rejection by rejecting themselves.

-Having too much fun hanging with the guys

-Limiting factors Setting age limits on dating. There are 50 year old guys who wont date over 35 because they want kids some day.
-Lost self confidence due to high percentages of rejection. In a straw poll amongst single men over 31 who attend the single adult wards/branches . . for every 10 girls they ask out, on average only 1.5 attempts are resulting in a date. Thats only a 15% success factor! And less than half those accept a second date. In fact, most women wont even bother to answer the phone or return the phone call when a guy calls, yet these same women complain to their bishops that they never get asked out.

Church:

There is another factor impacting dating and marriage amongst the LDS population, that I do not believe receives proper consideration. Somewhere along the way in an attempt to empower women to find self confidence in being a women . . . church messages have evolved to sending the message that women are completely flawless, and men are the source of all evil in the world. Very rarely is there a message from the pulpit praising men, and even more rare are messages from the pulpit telling women to get their act together.

A good example of this is the Porn issue. Have you ever heard a talk to the women about pornography? Yet I know several active LDS women who have told me directly they are addicted to porn, and its the hard core video stuff they are watching online . . . not just nudie pictures. Somehow they find a way to blame men for their own porn addiction, yet these same women have very harsh statements about men who are addicted to porn.

Another example, amongst the single adults who claim activity in the church . . . I know more women with word of wisdom and chastity issues, than men. Yet . . . most talks on these topics are directed towards men.

How often do we hear about gender attraction issues amongst women in the church? I know about an equal number of lesbian women as gay men in the single adult population . . . yet . . . we only hear about the gay men.

I have heard local leaders call single men stupid, lazy, too picky and other negative comments, while in the same conversation praise the virtue and discernment of attractive women who refuse to date.

Media:

Yes, I blame media for part of the problem. How many solid male role models do we see on TV? Most family men are portrayed as idiots, and most single men are portrayed as rebels. Its the male version of what we accuse the media doing with regards to developing unrealistic expectations of women. This only re-enforces pre-conceived notions amongst both men and women about eligibility.

Conclusions:

I could go on and on . . but I really dont feel like it. So in conclusion:

-Within the church, the 20 something crowd is very different than the 30 something and 40 something crowd. To believe the issues are identical is a misplaced belief.

-To presume that men are entirely to blame regarding the marriage issue is a falsely placed belief. Both genders carry an equal portion of the blame.

-Men still have the responsibility to do the asking, but women have the responsibility to accept dates, and do so with a mind open enough to consider their date as a long term possibility.

-All men should buy a luxury sports car and drive it to church. That has gotten me more dates from women in the church than anything else. Single women who would not even say hello to me one day, suddenly were approaching me and flirting with me the next. Oh and get ripped and learn to play the guitar.

That is all.

More random memories of Grandpa

More random memories of Grandpa:

*When Jonathon and I got engaged, I called one night and asked if Grandpa could keep his eyes out for a couch for us to use in our first apartment at the garage sales he loved to go to. He sounded grumpy but said 'okay.' The next morning he called us at 8 o'clock and told us to come pick up this couch he'd bought at a yard sale. I couldn't believe it!
*He came to all my lacrosse games, basketball games, and band performances. Every birthday dinner. Paid for every boating trip to Lake Powell, 4th of July breakfast, and annual Richards Golf Tournament. Even though at the end of them, he'd always seem grumpy and wanting to go home, you know he loved getting to be there and wouldn't miss it for the world.
*He helped my mom fix her car and house so many times when she came to him needing help
*He came up to Portland for my wedding in the Portland temple
*He was the first person I wrote about in my first journal when i was 8 years old. I wrote about how my grandpa sent me a $50 bill (I had never seen one in person before!) because he couldn't come to my baptism and that was the COOLEST THING.
*When Grandpa told me I had left my hotmail email account open on his computer and he saw I had 754 unread messages so he tried to delete them all. Thank goodness he couldn't figure it out.. He was amazed I could have so many unread emails. I've been working on that investment for years!
*Grandpa loved those little hard Oats n' Honey granola bars in the green packaging. I loved them with him.
*Grandpa always laughed when I'd come over and head straight for the "candy drawer" in the corner of their kitchen and tell me something about how he couldn't believe a dental hygienist could love candy so much and how I must have ten cavities with all the candy I eat.
*He loved his stupid dog Koko. A stinky black pug that he picked out himself at the pound. About a week after their dog Canon died, Grandpa came home with Koko. I researched the pug breed and found listing after listing of how they are smelly, mis-behaved, shedding, farting, snoring, stubborn dogs. And Grandpa LOVED her. She'd fall asleep on his lap all the time. She was his little girl. He especially loved that she didn't bark, unlike Cosmo. :) He hated how Cosmo barked so much and even bought him a bark collar once that Grandma refused to put on him because she thought it was inhumane.
*In my semi-final lacrosse game, during warm-ups, my grandpa came walking across the field from the fan side to where we were practicing. He told me "Nancy, when you captains go to the middle to flip for which side to take first, you need to shoot South first. In 45 minutes, the sun will be setting and will go right into the other goalie's eyes and she won't be able to stop your shots. You understand me?" When the time came, I called for heads and we won the toss. Following my Grandpa's advice, we shot South first. Grandpa always claimed he won that game for us. Haha. Some old guy sitting on the sideline won the game without even lifting a finger! :)
*Every summer our family went to Lake Powell. When we were younger, my grandpa would let us sit on his lap and drive the boat. We all loved this. We also loved how he would create the BEST waves for us to go over and try to throw us off the tube. His boat was named "Tooth Fairy."
*When I was little, I LOVED going to Grandpa's dental office because of the treasure chest. My favorite thing in the world was the rings. They were just those little 25 cent fancy looking rings for little girls. And since I was his grand daughter, I could take as many as I wanted. I took at least one for each finger every time. :)

Sigh, I want to write down everything I can remember for fear of forgetting it down the road as I get older. I love my Grandpa and I'm grateful I was old enough to get to know him on a more personal level before he died. Even now that he is gone, I've continued to learn things from him and about him that amaze me. He is the closest person I've ever had in my life to die. It leads one to wonder about what happens after death and makes the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation so much more meaningful, important, and personal. I know if we live our lives right, we'll be together again.

People keep asking if I'm okay and I feel like.. I can't say I feel TOO sad or bad. Of course it'll be hard not having him around, but he lived a long, successful, great life and got to "go" in a relatively easy way without much suffering. He got to enjoy life by eating whatever he wanted, drinking soda, not exercising, going on cruises, didn't get so old that he couldn't drive anymore, didn't have to experience being a "vegetable" at all or deal with losing his pride in having to wear Depends. He had started having episodes of Alzheimers more recently and who knows how hard that would have been down the road.. He had his stroke shortly after an amazing three week cruise to Europe and South America. He didn't have to suffer much pain and yet lived long enough after the stroke to allow time for his family and friends to accept our loss and say goodbye; so it wasn't completely unexpected.

I felt peace when I said goodbye to my grandpa. I'm happy for him to be able to move on the the next step of life, where he doesn't have any pain or worries. I'm grateful for everything he taught me and continues to teach me through the way he lived his life. I love you Grandpa!

Ways Grandpa and Grandma Richards helped us through school

Grandpa and Grandma helped me and Jonathon get through school probably more than anyone else (besides my mom who has allowed us to live at her place to save money and pay tuition--thanks mom!). They were not able to help us pay for school financially, but they helped us in ways that were equally important at that time of our lives. Words cannot express how grateful we are for them. Here are just a few ways:

1) They let Cosmo stay at their house for about 1 1/2 years while we had an apartment that didn't allow dogs. Cosmo loved them both but especially Grandma and felt like he had to "protect" her every time Grandpa came in the room and he'd bark his head off at him. Cosmo also had a "marking territory" problem and basically owned their house, which we felt REALLY bad about. I know this wasn't easy or convenient for them, but they knew it was a way they could help us at a time in need instead of us having to give Cosmo away. :( That would have broke my heart.

2) They let us borrow a car ANY TIME we needed it. Our car Lexie broke down NUMEROUS times during school and every time, we would call them up and they'd let us borrow one of their cars, even if it meant they would have to find rides to get around. They knew how much we needed it and would appreciate it. They even let us borrow their big, old suburban for about 3 months to finish the school year out. Every time we started up that old suburban, everything about it reminded us of Gene! It was a big, loud, sturdy car that was always there for us when we needed it. Grandpa and Grandma were genuinely SO EXCITED for us to finally get a new car that worked - not just because now they wouldn't have to lend theirs, but because they saw all the struggles we'd been through and how we were really trying our best to pay for school and save our money.

3) They let us do laundry at their place anytime.

4) They let us come over and eat. This was Jonathon's favorite. Every time we went over, Grandma would tell him to help himself to whatever they had, and he would! She also would make YUMMY dinners and send us home with left overs. Grandma loved having us over because we would compliment her meals so much-- they were always so good! Since we didn't have much money, we usually ate Top Ramen (or TR as we called it) or some other cheap stuff. Needless to say, we always felt like we were eating like KINGS at Grandma's house and I think that made Grandma feel good. :)

5) They treated us by taking us OUT to eat. The first time Jonathon met Grandma and Grandpa, they took us to Chuck-a-Rama. One of our favorites was when the four of us went to Famous Dave's BBQ. We had a great time and Grandpa and Grandma's eyes were sparkling as they told us all their stories.

6) They were great examples for us. Grandpa loved his family. He supported his family his entire life financially, emotionally, and spiritually. He was smart and was a doctor of dentistry. This allowed him to provide a great life for his family and provide opportunities for success. They love the gospel. I am constantly amazed by Grandma's testimony and how knowledgable she is in the Gospel. Grandpa was very honest- one time at our 4th of July breakfast up at Brighton, he needed to pay for someone's breakfast from the year before that hadn't been paid for. The kid helping him told him not to worry about it but he INSISTED he pay to make it right. And they love America and what it represents, that's why Grandpa loved bald eagles so much.

7) They listened to us and we all had some GREAT conversations. I can't count how many nights Jonathon and I stayed up talking with Grandpa and Grandma in their front room. We heard all of Grandpa's jokes and stories at least a couple times, and got advice from them. Grandpa and Grandma LOVED Jonathon because he is as big of a BYU fan as they are, which is hard to do!

My new blog

I've decided to create a blog to track my running and training for my marathon I'll be running in June.

happyrunningduck.blogspot.com

Enjoy! :)