Day at the zoo

This morning was the 5K race that I had signed up to run. While Jordan and I were driving I remembered that I had forgotten my inhaler. I walked over half the race before I started really struggling to breathe. I wasn't able to finish the race but I was proud that I got up early and went. It was a lot of fun.

After the race Jordan and I met Kylee and Jonah for brunch and then we all went to the zoo. It was such a fun morning.

Welcome to our family Beckham

Welcome to our family Beckham Lagrande.

Jordan and I were able to drive to Boise for the weekend and meet Beckham. He is so sweet and already adored by many. We love you Beckham.

We made it to the caves!

We found the ice caves! We spent the morning of my birthday exploring the caves. The floor of the caves was covered in a thick sheet of ice which made maneuvering a little tricky. We cant wait for it to warm up so that we can explore more.

Rexburg Ice Caves

This weekend Jordan, our friend Jake and I decided to spend the afternoon hiking. We set out to find the Civil Defense Ice Caves in Rexburg. The road were muddy and hard to drive through in some areas so our search was limited. We never found them but we did have a fun afternoon four wheeling and spending time together.

It was conference weekend and after listening to such inspiring talks Jordan and I went for a walk. It was such a nice day and created the perfect opportunity for us to talk, have fun and simply enjoy being together.

BYU-I Floor Hockey Champions

Jordans floor hockey team won the championship game on Wednesday night! It was a fun game to watch.

Jordan almost made it through the season unhurt but towards the end of the game he was slashed by the other team hurting his shin and ankle. He finished out the game but was sent home with an ice pack and trophy.

Flea Market

For Jordan's business class they were given a loan to create a small business. Jordan's team came up with the idea of a flea market. They charge each vendor for the price of reserving a table and marketing. The flea market has been the most successful business created this semester by far. Jordan did a really great job.

My friend Mallory and I reserved a table together to support Jordan and to make a little money. Mallory sold her photography and I sold neck ties, used CD's, books and my Dad's photography.

The ties and CD's were a hit and I made a hundred dollars profit! Jordan and I are returning next weekend to try for a second successful weekend.

One mans trash is another mans treasure.

Not too exciting but its my life.

This weekend Jordan and I invited some friends over for game night. We played UNO and a card game called Egyptian Rat Screw. Afterwards we all went for ice cream at the local dairy and then to our friend Rob's house to watch the movie Taken.

On Saturday morning I met Jordan on campus to go to the flea market that Jordan's business team put on for his class. It turned out great and looked like it was really successful.

We then drove to Idaho Falls and spent the afternoon reading books and magazines at Barnes and Noble, ate lunch at McDonald's (especially for Jordan) and then went to the store to get groceries.

We finished out the day by going to the laundry mat, making dinner and watching a movie.



Jordan was so excited about going to Walmart on a Saturday.

Adjusting to life in a small college town has been a challenge for me. I have to come to realize that life is pretty basic no matter where we live. We all go to work, spend time with the ones we love and try the best we can. You might as well enjoy it.

"As you walk your various paths, walk with faith. Speak affirmatively and cultivate an attitude of confidence. You have the capacity to do so. Your strength will give strength to others. Do not partake of the spirit so rife in our times. Rather, look for good and build upon it. There is so much of the strong and the decent and the beautiful to build upon. " Gordon B. Hinckley



The past few weeks I have been anxiously looking for a job in Rexburg. With a weak economy, limit on available jobs and hundreds of other married students in my exact position finding a job has been huge challenge.

I started applying at jobs that I liked or sounded interesting. This quickly moved on to any available jobs. Fast food, telemarketing, office assistants, I applied everywhere. With each week

that passed the bills kept piling up and our finances dwindling. I spent a lot of time crying, praying and becoming more and more overwhelmed at the situation. Finding a solution seemed to come down to the simple fact that if I couldnt find a job then I would either have to move while Jordan finished school or he would have to drop out and we move together.


This weekend my parents offered us a painting job in Boise as a way to earn some money. We of course accepted the offer and drove to Boise, Friday after Jordans last class. It was on this drive that I learned a great lesson. Jordan and I were discussing finances and our situation. He said that we were doing all that we could and all that has been asked of us. We needed to have confidence in our faith that the Lord would take care of the rest.

Not only did we earn enough over the weekend to cover our bills for the month but Monday morning I was offered a job in Rexburg. The timing, the pay rate, hours and location are too perfect to not be a blessing sent directly for my family. We feel so blessed.

It was Jordan's birthday so to celebrate we went to a movie and then I made him his favorite dinner. Steak with onions, spinach salad, potatoes and jello.

I married such an amazing man. He is fun to be with, always makes me laugh. He honors his priesthood and his devotion to making our family the best in can be. I love how he loves me exactly as I am.

Happy Birthday Jordan!!

Finding a job in the Rexburg area has been a challenge. It is very competitive for the two or three jobs hiring right now and a lot of people needing work. I haven't found a job yet and need all the good energy I can get sent my way.

My good friend Mallory just graduated college and is also having a hard time finding employment. We decided to get together for a girls night of bowling to have some fun.

We spent more time talking and less time focusing on bowling and both played horribly. We had a great time and it was just what we needed.

Jordan and I went to our first married student ward on Sunday. We are considered to be one of the "old" married couples in our ward married for an entire three months. Most of the couples in our ward have been married only a week or two.

Jordan and I are in our first home as a married couple! Our apartment is tiny (pictures can be very deceiving) but we love having our own home. The complex is across the street from school, has a gym, movie and game room and came furnished.

" Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to face many a danger, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle. "Annie Besant

Jordan and I had such a great time in Boise over Christmas. We watched football, played games, shopped, ate great food and went to the movies.

We celebrated two special family moments and created a few more, including our adventure home.

Jordan and I said our goodbyes and then we started our drive back to Utah. We checked the road conditions and everything looked clear....

We were only on the road for a couple of hours when we realized that the Utah/Idaho border was closed. By the then it was getting dark, cold and really icy. Jordan and I decided to stop and get a hotel room. (I think my parents were VERY happy about that decision) We found a cheap, kind of scary but clean hotel and settled in for the night.

In the morning we bought new windshield wipers, got breakfast and then hit the road again. The roads were perfect.....until we hit the Idaho/Utah border. We passed at least twenty cars that had spun off the road or crashed. Luckily I have a husband who is a fantastic driver in the snow and got us home safely. I feel very blessed that we didn't try to keep driving and that we followed our instincts and the spirit and were able to turn a scary drive into a great story.

We literally unpacked our car and started to repack it for the big move to Rexburg. We once again will hit the road to start another adventure in a day or so. Hopefully this one will have better weather.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Sunday night we got together as a family and decorated Christmas cookies.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Since getting married and gaining a new last name I did some research and discovered that the name Rabe is old-german for Raven.

Jordan and I spent the day in downtown Salt Lake City. We toured the church history museum, did family research at the family history center, watched the new Joseph Smith movie and then walked through temple square to look at all the lights.

It had such a Christmas spirit with the lights, carols and snow. What a great day!

Jordan surprised me last night with tickets to the Jazz game against Toronto. We had amazing seats and loved cheering the Jazz to victory with a 114-87 win.

Go Utah Jazz!

On Sunday our Stake Presidency asked us to complete the following goals for the year 2009. Jordan and I are accepting the challenge and are going to try and complete these over the course of the year. Its good advice and thought I would share.

Here was our challenge:

"Through our obedience we will receive blessings and our testimonies will increase."

- 1,000,000 Names:
Each member 12 and over should index 40-50 names each week. Go to www.familysearchindexing.org to sign up to volunteer. Indexing 40-50 names only takes approximately 20-30 minutes.

- 1,000,000 Pages:
All individuals should read the Book of Mormon cover-to-cover in 2009.

- 1,000,000 Minutes:
Each family should do a minimum of 90 minutes of missionary work or 90 minutes of temple work each month.

- 1,000,000 Dollars:
Put our homes in order to reduce debt and secure a financial reserve. Each family should save $1,000.00 or reduce their consumer debt by $1,000.00.

- 1,000,000 Pounds:
Each family should have a one year supply of basic food storage.

Boise State Football

Clay and Kylene gave us tickets to the final home game for Boise State while we were in Boise over Thanksgiving weekend.

The broncos won against Fresno State 61-10!!

We froze but had so much fun cheering for Boise state. Especially with Kylene's cowbell (which by the way is as loud in the stadium as it is indoors Kylene).

Thanks Clay and Ky for such a fun night.