Relaxing couple of days?

Well yesterday and today have been great! I have taken off work to just RELAX at my parents house being pampered the whole time. Unfortunately it isn't as great as it sounds. The reason why I am missing work and living at my parents house is that I had two of my wisdom teeth removed. Now before you start thinking that I am a big baby and that getting your wisdom teeth out is not that bad, let me explain my story to you and you can decide for yourself.

Yesterday I traveled up to Salt Lake to participate in a clinical research study on the effects of a new drug. I was the test subject. After arriving at 6:00am, they had me urinate in a cup and preform other preliminary tests on me to make sure that I was fit for the surgery and for the study. Needless to say I was. A little while later the nurse came in and informed me that they could see the nerves next to my teeth, and that the surgeon would normally preform a few other tests on me to make sure that it was ok to operate but that they didn't have the proper equipment to test me. If during the surgery, one of the nerves were damaged then I would never be able to regain feeling in my lower lip. I was stuck deciding if I wanted to proceed with the surgery or quit. After talking with the surgeon, I decided that it was worth the risk (I didn't know what was going through my head at that time, I'm sure that is why they make us be there by 6 so we make rash decisions).

The surgery was simply horrifying. They kept me awake, only giving me local anesthesia and laughing gas, so I was able to see the dentist prying my teeth out, hear him drilling, feel the crunch of my tooth as he broke it apart, and see the bloody utensils of destruction going in and out of my mouth with pieces of tooth and matter. The good news is that I didn't feel a thing. At least not during the surgery.

After the surgery one of the nurses kindly put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me back to my bed where I awaited the pain. You see, I was supposed to wait till the drugs from the surgery wore off and start feeling pain before I could ask for the test drug. The wait was a long one. But finally to my relief, (or so I thought) i began to feel pain. I immediately asked for the drug and it was administered to me blind folded. As it was going down, I could tell that it tasted sweet. I wondered if they sugarcoated all the drugs to make them go down easier.

After a few minutes I imagined I felt some relief so I stopped the stop watch which was timing when the drug actually kicked in. However after about 10 minutes or so, I realized that my pain was actually getting worse. It got so bad that I actually had to stand up and pace around my little area in order to keep my mind off the pain. I figured that the drug was just taking a while to start working.

After about half an hour I realized that this pain wasn't normal. Every other one of the patients seemed to be just fine. The nurse kept offering things, and finally I accepted a sprite. Wow! that was awesome. It felt so nice going down, soothing the burning in my mouth. I kept sipping that sprite till it was gone, then I asked for another one. Having soothed my pain temporarily, I decided to lay down for a bit. Without realizing it I was whimpering like a baby. The pain seemed to be coming from under my toungue, the back of my throat and on my cheek and not from my gums. Because of this I thought the drug might be working. One of my glands was swollen, so I asked the nurse if this was normal. She said that each patent reacts differently. After complaining about the strange feeling in the back of my throat, the nurse realized that this probably wasn't normal so she went and got the doctor.

I explained to him that I was in pain, and he proceeded to examine me. He said that I was completely normal and that the pain was coming from the stitches in my mouth. After this, I tried to lay down and rest for a bit.

Trying to sleep, I overheard one of the nurses talking to her co-worker. "He isn't asking for the rescue medication. Would it be ok if I reminded him about it?" Her co-worker responded: "I think that would be ok, as long as you aren't offering it to him, remember, he HAS to ask for it."

I had totally forgotten about the rescue medication. Man was I an idiot. The nurse came over and reminded me that I could take it, and I graciously accepted. After about 5 min of taking the 3 ibuprofen tablets and the lortab the pain was gone. It was like night and day. I did not realize how much pain I was in until it was gone.

The rest of the day was a breeze. I enjoyed the Brazil vs Chile soccer match, and I was able to type up a bunch of addresses for Wedding announcements, and I was even feeling good enough to drive home by myself (Although they wouldn't allow me).

That was yesterday. Today however is not so great. Day 2 after surgery is definitely the worst. Even through the lortab and ibuprofen I can feel the pain. Oh well, I will survive. The only thing that has made this all worth it is the fact that I didn't pay for a cent of it. In fact, THEY paid me. I mean honestly, I would totally do this again. Who ever heard of getting paid to get your wisdom teeth out? Besides, what are the odds of getting the placebo TWO times in a row?

The Pool, The Plans, The Patience

Well its definitely been a crazy week for both Owen and I! Besides the natural trauma of having to only communicate with Owen via telephone or video chat, it has been an insane week at the Camas Pool. And its only Tuesday!

(Warning: this next part is a rant. Feel free to skip past it...)

Yesterday was my first day as Lead WSI, and pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was awesome. When I got there, I tested the water to see how much chlorine was in it, and there was none. Apparently the pump had gotten an air bubble in it over the weekend and it did not pump ANY chlorine it all weekend. I had to figure out how to fix the pump and get the water up to a legal level. Then I had like 6 lap swimmers at 6:30 in the morning, which is really rare because usually we have like one lap swimmer a week, so I had to find the key for the cash box and figure out how to do the register and I asked a guy who apparently was 85 if he was a senior citizen. Oops. Then I had 3 people want to sign up for private lessons for that day which is kind of impossible because I have to call in teachers, but somehow we got that all figured out. I tried to ask the assistant manager how to shock the pool (which I would have to do if someone pooped in the pool or something) and he said, "Oh I don't know, you just dump a couple of scoops of that powdered chlorine in there and make everyone get out." Helpful. We had 3 crying kids even though the weather was super nice, and they were all in classes with just one kid AND the parent was there watching. I already have bad tan lines, and I'm only getting tan on my back, not my front. And there were bugs in the pool. And this was all only by 8 o clock. AHHHHH!!!!

Fortunately today was a lot better, or else I might have quit tomorrow. I think I'll make it after all. I also started selling at the fireworks stand yesterday, and I made a grand total of 3 sales. During 5 hours. Awesome. Hopefully it gets busier soon...

The wedding preparation is going pretty well so far I think. The "diet" has been going well--well, until I had a strawberry milkshake from burgerville and made chocolate chip cookies today...I finished addressing most of the invitations, which was a lovely task. We also finished printing all of them and assembling them. We just need our stamps to get here now! We still need a place to live for next year, and need to figure out how we are going to make the most awesome Disneyland experience ever, but I feel pretty good about how we're doing so far.

I miss Owen a LOT! Its only two weeks until I get to see him again, and those two weeks are going to take forever! I'm so pathetic about it. I always am listening to my stupid "love songs" pandora radio station (gosh darn you Celine Dion and Whitney Houston!), I try to chat with Owen while he's always at work, and every single little thing reminds me of him and how much I miss him. For example, right now I am making turkey burgers for dinner, and I miss how he always complains about how turkey is so inferior to beef or whatever (p.s. sorry babe, but turkey burgers are way healthier!)

But the good news is that in two weeks I will see him again and get endowed, and then in a little over a month, WEDDING! Oh yeah!

50 DAYS!

50 days until THE day, and only 19 days until I get to see Owen again! WOOHOO!

I know I have only officially completed my first full week back at home, but it already feels likes it has been a long time!

Started working at the pool again--that's been pretty fun I guess. We definitely are looking forward to more sunny days though. The high for the first two days of swim camp was only 62 :( But today renewed my hope in the Camas pool and we reached the high 70s so I think we'll be okay. This year is very different for me at the pool because I am the lead WSI (water safety instructor), and won't be teaching too many lessons. Yay for making more money, but I'm kind of bummed that I won't get that experience again. I love teaching swim lessons, even though it totally wears me out!

Birthday was on Monday--meh. Nothing too exciting, except Devynne made a super delicious 4 layer lemon cake for me with mango curd filling. We have to test it out before the wedding, right? I am excited for Devynne to make my cake, I think it is going to turn out wonderful!

The only other thing that's been keeping me going is playing some volleyball these past couple of days. We've been playing doubles on the grass which is super fun, but I am ashamed to admit that I definitely have serious bruises all along my forearms! I need to get back in practice!

Only 50 more days! I better get planning!!

One Week Down...

Owen here, and I want you all to know how much I love Chelsey! Yes I love her. A lot. And today it is her birthday. So for that very reason I have decided to blog. Happy Birthday Chelsey! Anyway...

Well, it has been almost a week since I said good bye to Chelsey for good, erm I mean till July when I see her. But this has really been one full week. Lots has happened concerning the wedding, namely Chelsey has found bridesmaid dresses, and also secured a spot for our reception. I think I may have found the suit that I want, and at an incredible deal, where I will get two suits for about $250. There hasn't been much room in my schedule for passing the time, but when I do have time, I have enjoyed reading Sherlock Holms, working on my animation and Video Chatting with Chelsey, my favorite thing of all. Wow I can't believe how much I miss her. I wish she were here right now. But I just need to keep myself busy and it will all work itself out. Owen OUT!

5 Flights in 6 Days

Oh man! I am exhausted! Finally done with all of the craziness and now here at home in Camas. This past week has been jam-packed every minute, but it was all worth it! Devynne's graduation was fantastic. It was wayyyy long, but Devynne's hilarious speech made up for it :)

"Okay, everyone do the Devynne glare!"

Aubrey's wedding was beautiful. We could not have asked for better weather--it was the first day that Seattle had reached above 75 degrees that whole year! I was so glad that we were able to be there for her special day to celebrate.

And then I flew back to Provo, PACKED A LOT (it turns out that I have lots of stuff...), tried to spend every spare second with Owen--he was so great, he even tried to help me study my notes on mass spectrometry and quadrupoles. Then I took my final Wednesday morning, went back to the apartment to do my final cleaning (I passed!), went with Owen to Tucanos (totally worth it when you're a member of the birthday club!), did a little shopping, realized what time it was, sped up to windy Lehi to drop off all of my boxes, and then made it to the airport just in time! It was a close call, but at least we got to spend as much time together as possible! And now I am home, trying to figure out how to get everything ready for this summer. Goals for this summer: be an awesome lead swim instructor, shadow a pharmacist, study for the PCAT, and get married! Wooo! Less than 2 months! I cannot wait! I hope Owen will do alright without me--I left him all of my perishables, including produce, when I left, so at least he'll be able to eat alright for a week or so. Anyway, the first full day of the summertime is over. This summer will fly by before I know it!

Study Break!

So instead of studying for analytical chemistry last night like I probably should have...I decided to pack. And whilst packing in the kitchen, I realized that I had FOUR different flavors of hot chocolate (roasted hazelnut, peanut butter, peppermint, and french vanilla), each with only about 1 tablespoon left in the container. Now, it's pretty warm in Provo right now, but there is NO WAY I was going to pack up those mostly empty containers. So I decided to try a recipe for FROZEN hot chocolate. I'd had it once before, but it was made poorly, because it was nothing compare to this delicious thing which I made last night! I had to make it up to Owen for leaving him for a whole weekend without food..When I saw the recipe, I knew I had to try it. This is what it said on the website:

It's famous, it's infamous, it's notorious. It has destroyed diets and led to love affairs. Marriages have been proposed over it, couples have been wed in it, princes have been made from it. People have traveled from all corners of the world for just one sip of our creamy, dreamy, icy blend of chocolatey goodness. It'll make you want to blow bubbles through your straw. It makes everyone a child again.

For years, fans begged and plead and offered firstborn sons for the recipe, but we three princes guarded the formula with our lives. It was such a closely kept secret that not even the White House could gain access to it. Jackie Kennedy once requested the recipe so that it could be served at a gala evening at the While House. I offered to travel to Washington to make it myself, but when my security clearance didn't come through in time, I refused to hand over the secret formula — not even to the First Lady herself!

When customers asked how it was made, we would respond that we had a Rube Goldberg machine churning it out in the back — a hodgepodge of arms, wheels, gears, handles, paddles, and even canaries in cages working in concert to concoct the magic elixir. We would never let on that it was as simple as a blender and some magnificent chocolate.

And now, to thank our customers for fifty great years, we've finally decided to share the secret recipe with the world. For truly authentic Serendipity taste, throw a sprinkle of magic in the mix. For this and all the frozen drinks that follow, the recipe yields one gigantic Serendipity-sized serving, which is perfect for sharing. Enjoy.

Now, I don't know if it was that good, but it was pretty dang good :)

So here's the recipe and I hope you enjoy!

6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates

2 teaspoons storebought hot chocolate mix

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

3 cups ice

Whipped cream

Chocolate shavings

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. (I would recommend chopping up the ice a little bit first--helps give it a better consistency). Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

And don't worry, updates from the wedding and graduation are coming soon!

Weekend Away

Wow, What a weekend!

Chelsey and I spent the weekend apart for the first time in months. Aubrey, one of Chelsey's best friends flew Chelsey up to Washington for her wedding which was conveniently the same weekend as Chelsey's sister Devynne's graduation. While this was great and all for Chelsey, it was torture for me. I simply didn't know what to do with myself. I guess I didn't realize how dependent I have become on Chelsey.

For example, let me lay out my diet over the weekend. Friday - Krispykream donuts for breakfast, Dominoes pizza for lunch, and cold cereal for dinner. Saturday - cold cereal for breakfast, J-Dawg polish for lunch, and a sixpack of donetts for dinner. Sunday - dry cold cereal for breakfast (I ran out of milk), a can of beans with tortillas for lunch, and luckily my parents were having me over for dinner or else I don't know where I would have gotten my nutrients.

Another example of how I am completely and utterly bored without Chelsey is the 17 plus hours I spent in the animation lab this weekend. Yes that is right I had nothing better to do than shut myself in the Crabtree basement by my lone self for the weekend. Not even the sun was privy enough to shine upon me this weekend.

And to top it all off, I did not get my wisdom teeth out this weekend. Yeah, Chelsey somehow thought that I was, but I actually don't get them out till the 28th, so yeah, I have that to look forward to now.

All I have to say is, I am so glad Chelsey is back now. Unfortunately she is leaving for good on Wednesday :( *sob* But the good news is our wedding is now only 2 months away! Hopefully I am able to survive till then!

This Weekend

So, this weekend is going to be insane but also AWESOME! I am so excited, and instead of packing, I am going to blog instead! Woohoo! Here is the itinerary of scheduled events:

TOMORROW

6:40 am: Have my wonderful and loving fiancee drive me to the airport. Then he will go back to Provo and get his wisdom teeth out! Yikes! Good luck Owen!

8:40 am: Fly from Salt Lake City to Portland!

9:50 am: Arrive in Portland

10:00 am: Get to enjoy my dad's new AWESOME restaurant in the PDX airport. I can't wait! I'm totally going to get a Waffalata cone--mmmm delicious...Here is a picture of the interior--doesn't it look awesome?

5:00 pm: Go sit in line for Devynne's graduation--lines are fun!

7:00 pm: Let the Commencement Ceremony begin! Can't wait to hear my little sis speak--I can't believe she's graduating already...

SATURDAY

Early early in the morning: Wake up, get lookin' good, and drive to Seattle!

11:00 am: Aubrey's wedding! I am so excited for her!

12:30 pm: Photo sesh with the new bride! :)

1:00 pm: Family lunch oh yeaah

2:30 pm: Maybe a little shopping in Seattle?

6:oo pm: Aubrey's reception! It's going to be beautiful!

7:00 pm: Greet people as they come to the reception and force them to sign the guestbook bwahahahahaha..Charm them into leaving wonderful memories and messages for the newlyweds

8:15 pm: BYE AUBREY AND SCOTT!!! Have fun! Tell me where you went once you get back! I can't believe Scott is keeping the whole thing a secret--that would kill me!

9:00 pm: Drive home exhausted :)

SUNDAY

10:00 am: Sleep in. Oh yeah.

1:00 pm: Go to church. Face many old primary teachers who will want to talk to me about our wedding. Smile through many congratulations while also trying to get a little gospel in there if possible.

4:30 pm: Head back to the airport and fly to Salt Lake. Try to study for finals on the plane! Or maybe just take a nap :)

I'm so excited to go home this weekend and be part of two very special moments of two very special people in my life. Thank you SO much Aubrey for making this weekend possible--I am so excited for you and Scott!

The Happy Couple :) I can't wait!

Hopefully I'll come back from this weekend with lots of pictures and good stories, and hopefully Owen will survive the weekend with two less teeth and not too much pain!

Movie Review #1!

Seeing as Owen is an animation student and wants to work at Pixar, and seeing as I am the hugest Disney fan ever, I would say that we see our fair share of movies. Now, we normally

wait until they have arrived at the Dollar Theatre to see films on the big screen, but this was one I had to let Owen take me to see in 3D. And boy was it worth it! Here are our opinions on the film:

Chelsey:

5 out of 5 stars!

I loved this movie! It was hilarious for all ages, and not 100% predictable, which was kind of fun. They have definitely improved the 3D technology--I didn't have a headache after watching the movie! One thing I would recommend is wearing contacts and not glasses when you go see this movie...the 3D glasses don't exactly fit over normal glasses too comfortably! But other than that...GO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW!

Owen:

5 out of 5 stars

I must say that How to Train your Dragon is one of the best films I have seen this year. Right from the start, the movie pulled me in with its humor, action, and awesome special effects. Although the film seemed to be targeted more toward the younger generation, I found many of the gags right up my ally. Because of these things, I would give this film 5 stars. It is one film that I would love to have in my collection to watch over and over again!

Oh yes, we are true film critics :)

The Utah BS

Okay, so I should probably stop calling it that, but this weekend, I had my bridal shower here in Utah! We went to Cafe Trio (which was funny, because I had convinced Owen to take me to the delicious Cafe Rio the night before...) and the food was GREAT! We got to sit outside on the patio, and the weather was absolutely lovely (I may have gotten a little sunburn on one arm). Thanks for everyone who was able to make it, and THANK YOU Brooke for going through all the effort to put on this fabulous event! You're awesome!

Awesome Things!

Okay, so Owen beat me to the first blog, but I have something AWESOME to share!

I found this website online today while I was at work, and I think that everyone should buy this book.

http://1000awesomethings.com/the-top-1000/

Check it out! I guarantee it will brighten your day :)

Welcome World of Blogger!

Hi All, Owen Here!

I just wanted the whole world to know that I (OWEN not CHELSEY) was the FIRST one to make a blog post. Just make sure we get that right for the record.

Well, this semester at school has been pretty crazy for Chelsey and pretty relaxing for me. Chelsey is taking a ton of credits at school, like 20 credits or something for spring term. She is working full time at the math department, and still manages to plan our whole wedding by herself.

I pretty much am doing nothing right now. Just working and taking one boring class.

Anyway we took some pretty awesome engagement pictures. You should check them out. We had Brooke, a really good friend, take them for us, and Chelsey sat and edited them for hours on end because she is awesome.

Well, this post is getting pretty long so I'm just going to conclude by saying "Do you know any patriots? I do."