Update on the Bratt family

We've had a couple of exciting events take place since our vacation to Las Vegas.

Phil is thinking about transferring to Utah State University, so we decided to go on a campus tour specifically for transfer students Oct. 28- and it was so much fun! We went on our on private tour and the student ambassador who was showing us around was awesome. We really liked him. Logan and USU is so much bigger than Rexburg and BYU-Idaho that I felt like a little freshman. I was blown away on how large the area was and how many students go there. I loved how the campus was so alive and active- and everyone was so nice to each other. I can see why the ambassador said how there is so much school spirit at the school.

After the tour, we were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet on campus and then we went to talk to a computer science adviser to see how long Phil has left in school if he does decide to transfer. It turns out he has five semesters to go! That's the exact same as Idaho State University, so we were relieved. Afterward, we met up with an old friend of mine and her husband for some ice cream. It was so much fun to catch up since it's been 9 years since we've seen each other! After the day ended, we totally had our minds set on transferring.

But, we just found out recently that ISU is changing its computer science program so that it will be shorter. So while we did submit an application to USU, we are going to wait and see how much the program will be shortened.

Until then, we thought of so many reasons why we should go to USU: 1. We wouldn't have to look for new jobs- there is both a Best Buy and Kohl's in Logan, so we would just both transfer. Whereas, Pocatello has neither and we know we can't stay in Idaho Falls for that much longer. Well we could, but that's an extra $600/semester to commute to the main campus. 2. We know people there. I have old friends attending USU, plus Phil's sister and her husband go to school there, so we would see them a lot more! And, our best friends are moving to the Salt Lake City area at the end of December, so we would be closer to them, as well. 3. The atmosphere is amazing. You can tell the students really love it there, whereas everyone I know attending ISU hates it. And, being on that kind of campus would help Phil in school, as well, I think.

We will just have to wait and see if he is accepted!

Another exciting event that just took place last week was that I won four tickets to the Disney on Ice show in SLC from a local radio station! I signed up to win on Facebook, but then I actually ran into the DJ who was holding the contest at work. I told him how much I would love to go and asked him how the best way to win would be. I think he really liked my excitement because the next day, I was informed I won! I was sooo excited! The radio station that hooked me up? 100.7 My FM. :)

Phil and I invited our besties, Chanae and David to go with us and we had a blast! We went yesterday and we ended up with pretty good seats. We had to get there early to get seats, so afterward, we had four hours of extra time on our hands. We decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory- yum, yum, yum!!! I got the four-cheese pasta and it was amazing. :) All the food there is amazing, but it is pricey. For lunch, it cost Phil and I $40. But, it was so worth it. Of course, we got cheesecake to go (we got the ultimate red velvet). I was expecting us to eat our cheesecake before the show, but everyone said it would be better to save it for the ride home. Wonderful cheesecake so close and yet so far!!! :P We walked around The Gateway while we waited and finally it was showtime! We felt a little out of place because we were surrounded by kids and their parents, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

Here is a look at what was performed:







I think we all agreed that our favorite scene was the one with Simba and Nala with the "Can you feel the love tonight" music. They were by far the best skaters and did a lot of neat tricks. But, we also loved the Tangled scene and the last performance where all the princesses and their princes came out and skated together. The trip was so much fun and so worth it. I am so glad I won those tickets!!! And, it ended perfectly with cheesecake. :) I was so full and tired though, that I couldn't eat all mine, so it's waiting in the fridge for me....

Las Vegas vacation

For months we've had a Las Vegas trip planned. After I quit my job, we decided we shouldn't go since we had to use the money we saved up to pay rent- we were pretty disappointed. We had invested $600 into the trip already on a hotel and a couple of shows and to make things even worse, we were having a hard time selling them.

On Monday, Aug. 1, the day we had planned to leave for the trip, Phil's mom sat us down and told us we might as well go since we put so much into it and to just spend money on gas and food- and be very frugal even on that. We were wary about it at first, but after a while we just threw caution in the wind. Phil already requested the week off, so what else were we going to do? We ran home, packed quickly, and just left- I don't think we've ever been so spontaneous before.

Since the original plan was to get a hotel that evening, since we didn't want to spend more money than we should, we decided to stay with Phil's sister, Stephanie, and her husband, Bryson, at the last minute- and they were great hosts! We've been wanting to visit them for a while, but never really had the chance, so we were all pretty stoked. That night we had a delicious homemade dinner and cookies- recipes I'm totally going to steal- and just spent the evening talking and watching YouTube videos. Then we crashed in their office on an air mattress we brought. We enjoyed ourselves so much, we called our hotel- Hampton Inn, right off the Strip- and said we would come a day late. The next day, we went on a tour at Anniversary Inn to see all the themed rooms while Stephanie was at work. She works there on the weekends and can get family members in for only $50. Since my birthday is coming up, we decided we should take advantage of that. :) Afterward, we went back to the apartment and played Super Smash Brothers Melee for FOUR hours with Bryson. I played Kirby the whole time and I think I only one twice. My thumbs were so sore by the time Stephanie came home. I wish I could be like her. Right when she came home, she immediately started making dinner for everyone. I think Phil would like if I was more like her too. :P We played a roleplaying game after dinner, which was actually really fun, and then headed to bed.

The next morning- Wednesday- Phil and I set out to Vegas. And this is what we met:




The lightning came so close to our car, it was so scary. But, we made it to Vegas safely, checked in then headed to the Strip. The hotel offered a complimentary shuttle, which was so nice since we did not want to drive. To save even more money, we decided to walk the Strip, which turned out to be a BAD idea. It is way longer than it looks. To get from Mandalay Bay to Treasure Island, it takes 1.5 hours. Our feet were killing us by the time we got there- it was where our first show was.

We went to see Cirque du Soleil Mystère. It was a very interesting show. The acrobatics were amazing, I've never seen it done so well before, but had weird characters and scenes...so it wasn't my favorite. The walk back was terrible and we woke up very sore- isn't that just sad? We decided we wouldn't walk again, so we bought tickets to a hop on/hop off city tour, which was way fun. We learned so much about Las Vegas and its history. For lunch we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, the third of its kind together- we've also been to New York's and San Diego's. I've also been to Orlando's. The food is amazing and the memorabilia is so cool to see.



I always get the twisted mac, chicken, and cheese- the best $20 mac and cheese in the world! Afterward, we hopped back on the tour bus and went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. We've been to one before in Los Angeles, but this one was cooler because the stars aren't behind rope, you could actually pose with them. We had a lot of fun with that. I was so silly, I actually got star struck once in a while, haha, but Phil was giving some of them attitude. :P



That night, we went to see the Blue Man Group at the Venetian. They were so crazy and hilarious and very talented with music, Phil and I both loved the show. It was really fun because there was a lot of audience participation, it made the show even better. I would definitely recommend going to the show! In the end, they threw toilet paper over the WHOLE audience and we all had a dance party in it. Of course, we ripped a nice piece off as a souvenir. :) After that we went back to the hotel. I really wanted to go on the gondala ride the Venetian offered, but there was a huge line and we were exhausted. Plus, Vegas is completely different at night. It's a lot creepier!

The next day (Friday), we took it easy because our whole bodies were sore from walking around so much, though the city tour helped a lot. We decided to hang out in Las Vegas off the strip and went on a free tour of the Ethel Mars Chocolate Factory- they make everything! M&Ms, skittles, twix, you name it. At the end, we got free samples of chocolate and it was seriously the best chocolate we have ever had. We ended up buying more chocolate. It was sooo good! There was also a botanical garden outside of the chocolate factory, so we walked around that for a while. I have never been to one before, so I thought it was really neat.



For the rest of the day, we just hung out in our hotel room (which was really nice) and watched television. We had no idea that walking around in 114 degree weather would be so exhausting! I drank so much water, it was crazy. Overall, our trip was really fun, but we're glad we're home. Though we came to this:



It's the same picture, I know, but I swear it's the exact same storm we drove through on our way to Vegas. Check out more pictures on Facebook! :)

Walking into the unknown

Exactly two weeks ago I quit my job at a weekly newspaper here in Southeast Idaho. I loved my job, it was pretty much perfect- except my boss. She was a horrible wretched woman who tormented and manipulated me whenever she could. I think it was because I wouldn't stand up for myself- she always told me how easily replaceable I was and I was afraid to call on her bluff. She was so hard to work with- one minute she was screaming at me about a problem she set up herself, then the next she was acting like a five-year-old and being so unprofessional. She is the manager there, but she is so caught up in her own world and excepts everyone to do everything for her, she didn't even know the current subscription rates. She demands respect, but from the moment I started working there, I was completely disgusted by her personality and her actions. I contemplated talking to human resources a couple of times, but then I was afraid of what she might do to get back at me. I put up with it for a year, but finally I couldn't take it anymore. It came to the point where my mental and physical health were in danger and this job was taking a toll on my relationships with family and friends. I got fell into depression, curled up into a ball, and shied away from everything and everyone. Even church. That took a especially big toll on me. I let the darkness of Satan seep into me and let it stay for way too long.

When I finally quit, I felt exhilarated for the first day. Then common sense hit me- how was I supposed to provide for my family and pay the bills? My stress level went up even higher and I would burst into tears for hours. I called a friend in my ward who I hadn't talked to in what seemed months and she immediately told me to talk to the bishop. I did, though I was so scared of what he might say. But, it was worth it and took a huge load off of my chest. I had waited for so long for Heavenly Father to bless me with another job to get out of the hellhole I was in. I had forgotten that He is not going to hold my hand throughout my entire life. I needed to make my own decisions.

I went to church for the first time in a very long time on Sunday. It was such a great blessing to take the sacrament again and to listen to the gospel. I'm slowly pushing the darkness out of my system and at times the old me comes out. Though I know I have a ways to go. I just can't wait to go back to the temple. Until then, I am working on healing myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I even have a job interview tomorrow at Old Navy. I hope it goes well. I'm going to miss writing, but I don't have to give it up completely- now I have time to actually work on my blog!

New Year Resolutions

As 2010 ends, I have looked back at how the year went and have pondered about how I can improve myself to be a better person from the experiences I have gone through. Overall, I think 2010 was a good year. I accomplished a couple of great goals- I graduated college and I started the first job in my career. I also went through a couple of trials- my unwed sister got pregnant, which was really hard on everyone, and I got in a pretty nasty car accident. Some things didn't change in a good way (like I didn't gain weight at all this year), but also in a bad way (my spirituality and faith hasn't progressed at all).

This year, I'm determined to stick with my new year resolutions! Here is an idea of what I want to do:

1. Increase my spirituality. Phil and I are pretty good about reading scriptures and praying together every night, but we could do better, and I want to work on doing the two by myself, as well. We've been slacking in the areas of going to church all three hours, paying a full tithe and going to the temple on a regular basis, so I definitely want to improve on those! I just got a calling to work in the primary, so going to church more shouldn't be a problem anymore.

2. Enjoy my time with my husband. With having a full-time job and with Phil going back to school full-time with a part-time job, it's easy to get in the routine of coming home, having dinner and just going to bed. Some days go by where we don't really have conversations. That can hurt a marriage, so I am going to start using the little time I have with Phil more meaningfully. I want to try to start going on weekly dates, having game nights, etc. I just want to make sure I'm taking the time to focus and love him. Our marriage is so great right now, but I bet it can be even better.

3. Eat better and get in shape! Right now, I have a routine that is maintaining my weight- which is an improvement from last year because during my first year of marriage, I gained weight! Phil has lost 15 lbs., I don't know how, but he is looking great and it has motivated me to want to lose weight too. I need to cut back a little more on eating out for lunch, though haven't decided how to do this yet, exercise-wise. I know there is a zumba class and I really want to do that, just need to find a workout buddy! :) I'm not going to set a goal of how much weight I want to lose, I just want to focus on having a healthier lifestyle and getting toned up.

So, there you have it! What are YOUR new year resolutions?

Our new car!

So, after looking around for a whole week, Phil and I found a car we both fell in love with at a Right Price Auto liquidation sale in Idaho Falls- a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. Our budget was originally $8,000-$10,000 and this car was $16,000. I wasn't too thrilled about the price, so I did my research and found the exact same car at a Utah dealership for only $13,000. I figured I would use this information to get the best deal out of this as I could. Well, the salesman was so intent on getting our business, he lowered the price to $15,500 with an APR of 8% and a payment of $300/month. We were thrilled with the APR because on my last car, my APR was 22%, but I did not like the price and asked to get a better deal or we would walk. I've never played hardball before, so I was really nervous about what might happen. The salesman left to talk to the manager and came back with this offer- $15,000, APR of 6.99% and a much better monthly payment. This was such a steal, we couldn't resist, so we went for it. Plus, I found out the Utah dealership sold the car I was interested in, so good thing I didn't go with them! This car is great, it has only 29,000 miles on it, lots of features and I love the blue color. Plus, we didn't have to put any money down and didn't need a co-signer. Plus plus, we get a free CarFax report on it since we bought it and won $35- yes, they pay you to buy a car! Merry Christmas to us!

Near death has given me perspective...

So, for those of you who did not hear, I was in a horrible car accident Dec. 1. I woke up that morning feeling like I shouldn't go to work that day, but I brushed off that feeling. I got in the car and started to drive to work in Rigby. I then had a feeling I should slow down, so I did from my usual 70 to 60 mph. The roads seemed fine, but I felt like I should drive extra carefully that morning. I glanced down and it was almost 8 a.m. That was the last thing I specifically remember before what happened next...

It was such a weird, out-of-body experience. Suddenly I'm sliding all over the highway. I don't feel any fear, I don't feel anything really. I swerved into the passing lane, then back into my lane, then through the passing lane again and through the median and onto on-coming traffic. I remember 4 or 5 cars passed me and I was determined to get back into the median. It felt so surreal and dream-like the whole time. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground with a few people surrounding me. I forget what they were saying, all I remember is that I kept asking them when I would wake up because I still thought I was dreaming. I was told I was in an accident and put into an ambulance. I was so confused and disoriented because I don't remember getting hit or feeling any pain or anything.

I was taken to the hospital in Idaho Falls and the doctors and nurses were astounded. I was hit by a car and t-boned by a semi-truck and I walked away with just bumps and bruises! Nothing was broken- except my car. It was completely totaled. Many people might have cried, saying "Why me!" But, I was completely humbled and grateful. Sometimes in this chaotic world we live in, we forget that the Lord loves us and is watching over us. This experience has deeply impacted my testimony on that. I have always feared being a part of a car accident. And, the Lord knew that. He made this horrible experience into one that I can move forward from quickly. I don't remember the accident at all and I didn't go through much pain. Sure, I still hurt- my body aches and I did get a twisted knee out of it- but, it could of been sooooo soooo much worse. The doctors said if the car hit me just a couple of inches to the left, I would have died. To add insult to injury though, the Idaho State Police gave me a ticket for driving too fast- but, like I said, I don't remember the roads being too bad.

This experience has opened my eyes so much. The Lord has lovingly given me a second chance at life! I don't know why, but I am so grateful and am determined to really live my life in the fullest- and that includes blogging more, too. :)

I am recovering very well and hope to get back to work on Monday- though I am terrified of the commute now. I still have bruises and I swollen hip and knee, but I am doing great. Thanks everyone for all your support through this. I'm so grateful!!!!

To view the news release of my accident, click here: http://www.localnews8.com/news/25971793/detail.html

This summer

Well, I have been out of school for almost two weeks and I have discovered that I have a lot of time on my hands and no idea what to do with it all. So, I have decided that I'm going to read- a lot. That was always one thing that bothered me when I was in school; I never had time to read. To make up for all of that lost time, I'm going to try to read 100 books by the end of August. I got lots of book suggestions from friends and family, but I decided to go ahead and read the top 100 classic books. There is a handful I have read before and a handful I recognize. Here is the list! I think it's going to be a good summer. :)

100 The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein

99 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

98 The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore

97 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

96 One Thousand and One Nights Anon

95 The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

94 Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

93 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

92 Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

91 The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki

90 Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

89 The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

88 Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

87 On the Road by Jack Kerouac

86 Old Goriot by Honoré de Balzac

85 The Red and the Black by Stendhal

84 The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

83 Germinal by Emile Zola

82 The Stranger by Albert Camus

81The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

80 Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey

79 Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

78 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

77 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

76 The Trial by Franz Kafka

75 Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

74 Waiting for the Mahatma by RK Narayan

73 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque

72 Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

71 The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin

70 The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

69 If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino

68 Crash by JG Ballard

67 A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul

66 Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

65 Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

64 The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz

63 The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

62 Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

61 My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk

60 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

59 London Fields by Martin Amis

58 The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

57 The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse

56 The Tin Drum by Günter Grass

55 Austerlitz by WG Sebald

54 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

53 The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

52 The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

51 Underworld by Don DeLillo

50 Beloved by Toni Morrison

49 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

48 Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin

47The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

46 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

45 The Voyeur by Alain Robbe-Grillet

44 Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

43 The Rabbit books by John Updike

42 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

41 The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

40 The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

39 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

38The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

37 The Warden by Anthony Trollope

36 Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

35 Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

34 The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

33 Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

32 A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell

31 Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky

30 Atonement by Ian McEwan

29 Life: a User’s Manual by Georges Perec

28 Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

27 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

26 Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

25 The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

24 Ulysses by James Joyce

23 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

22 A Passage to India by EM Forster

21 1984 by George Orwell

20 Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

19 The War of the Worlds by HG Wells

18 Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

17 Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

16 Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

15 The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse

14 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

13 David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

12 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

11 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

10 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

9 Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

8 Disgrace by JM Coetzee

7 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

6 In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

5 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

4 The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

3 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2 Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

1 Middlemarch by George Eliot