Trip to North Carolina

Marc works for a company based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. So they flew us back there for some meetings and for the company Christmas party. Raleigh is also where Marc served his mission. We didn't have a lot of time to ourselves, but we did have some time to check out some of the areas where he served. The highlight of the trip was visiting Duke and UNC's campuses. Saturday morning we went and walked around UNC's campus. The basketball arena was locked so we just peaked through the windows. Then this lady walks up to us and asks if we are from out of town, when we told her we were from Idaho, she said "follow me." Come to find out she is a women's basketball coach and she took us down onto the floor and took some pictures of us. She then gave us her card and told us to call her if we even needed tickets. This made Marc's day (for those of you that don't know he is a UNC fan). She told us that she loved Idaho potatoes, so Marc told her he would send her a box of potatoes. She was thrilled about that!

That afternoon Marc's boss took us to a Duke basketball game. It was a lot of fun, but not enough to make us Duke fans (sorry Mitch). The students were crazy and made the game fun to watch. Cameron Indoor Stadium is tiny and old. There were even stained glass windows on the outside. This makes it hard to get tickets, so we were grateful to be able to go.

Happy Halloween!

Last night I made Marc carve a pumpkin with me. This is what we came up with...

A change of plans...

I am not the kind to use my blog as a place to share personal stories and tell of my inner most feelings, but many people have asked and are wondering what we are doing now. There have also been rumors around Aberdeen that Angie is moving back to town, etc. So to set things straight, I thought I would fill you in...

Back in July my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her liver, bones, and a little bit on her lungs. As you can imagine the news was a shock and a devastation to our family, especially since we didn't know a lot at first. I was planning on teaching 5th grade in Rigby again the following school year, and Marc had just graduated and was doing an internship that would end in August. When seeing my mom in such a sickly state and realizing that dad would be starting harvest soon, I felt a strong obligation to be available to help my mom. Knowing that I was the only child in the position to help, since I don't have kids, I decided to quit my job as a teacher to be able to help mom and the family.

I wasn't sure how it was going to work, but just felt like this is what I needed to do. I worried what people would think since logically it was a pretty dumb thing to do...quitting my job when my husbands internship would be ending soon. For the most part people were nice about it or at least acted like they understood. When Whitney started school and Marc's internship ended we moved in with my parents and Marc started working for my dad until he found something else. We were a little worried not really knowing what the future had in store for us, and not really having any plans after harvest was over. We knew that with this ecomony jobs were going to be hard to come by. So we just prayed extra hard and had faith something would work out.

A few weeks after doing this a great job opened up in Aberdeen. It was through a produce company called L&M Companies out of Raleigh, North Carolina but it is based at Pleasant Valley Potato in Aberdeen. Marc got the job so we fixed up one of dad's farm houses and moved to Aberdeen. For those of you who don't know much about Aberdeen, unless your going to be a farmer, good jobs are hard to come by. Also I am taking over my mom's job of doing the books for Chandler and Angie's business, something I can always do from home. I never dreamed I would be back in Aberdeen, but I am so grateful I can be close to my mom during this time.

When I think back about how hard it was to take a step in the dark and trust that we were doing the right thing, I realize how much the Lord had a hand in how things worked out. I have learned a lot about trusting in the Lord and having courage through hard times. Mom continues to improve and I can't help but be completely grateful for how blessed we have been.

Catch Up

Here's a little bit of what we have been up to lately...
My sister Angie ran in a half marathon...me, Whitney, mom and my Aunt Deb showed up to suprise her when she crossed the finish line. She started crying when she saw us. I think the rest of the people there thought she was crying because she was in pain or something. You're my hero Ang, but don't ever plan on me joining you. Angie with cousins Misti and Abbie!
Whitney and I glad that we weren't the ones running!

We went to the Playmill Theatre with the Daws and the Archibalds. It was Quincy's birthday so the playmill actor sang to her. She wasn't too sure what to think of that.
Halle loving the play!
We have been able to watch Whit cheer at some high school football games. She is a pro at flying and is only a freshman.

Whitney drove dad's razor in the homecoming parade.

We went to a BYU game with these two cute girls

Other than that it is pretty much a guarantee that Marc is working on the farm and I am learning my mom's job and wondering why people like Accounting. (She did the books for Rooftop) Going from teaching 5th graders to doing books is a huge change.

Boys Trip!

A few weekends ago the boys went to Dallas for the BYU vs. Oklahoma game. The game was amazing to watch on TV so I am sure it was even better live! Even though the girls got to go shopping and get pedicures, I was a little jealous that I wasn't there.

Chan, my cousin Troy, Dad, Blair Dance(my dad's old roommate at BYU), Shannon, my cousin Ryan, Marc, and Garrett. They golfed more than 27 holes of golf that day. That part I was not so jealous of, 9 holes about kills me.

Garrett in front of the new Dallas Stadium.



I'm glad that boys had a great time and BYU made the trip worthwhile. However, our trip to Provo last week wasn't quite the same. Oh well, we still love the Cougars!

Happy Birthday Grandma Bradshaw and McKinley

Grandma Bradshaw's birthday was last Thursday the 23rd. This is a picture of her and her 7 children. Grandma Bradshaw is an amazing lady and is extremely kind. She has a lot of grandkids but always remembers specific details about what is going on in our lives and always mentions it. Whenever we stop to visit she always has a snack ready for us to eat. She is a wonderful person and we look up to her a lot. We love you Grandma Bradshaw!

My niece McKinley turns 5 today! She is such a cute little girl who is full of personality. She loves to talk on the phone and especially loves to call my dad just to chat. She has a lot of friends and is always so nice to run and give us a big hug whenever we see her! We hope you have a great day. We love you Mckin!

Bradshaw Reunion

We spent the weekend of the 4th with the Bradshaw family in Rupert. It was a lot of fun. We started the weekend with a great dinner and a night of bowling. Bowling was especially fun since I beat Marc (I got lucky it hasn't happened since our first date). Saturday morning we watched the Rupert Parade... Marc and Mitch, along with a lot of other brave people, jumped in the freezing cold well that afternoon. My excuse for not jumping in was that I didn't have my swimsuit, but Uncle Layne showed that a swimsuit wasn't necessary... The "well survivors" with Mitch holding up his winning T-shirt. The redneck neighbor showed up and we all watched him shoot up an anvul in the hay field, which was very entertaining. Here is the 50 pound anvul...

This is a video of the anvul being shot several 100 feet in the air...

The problem was finding the anvul after it was launched, thank goodness their were many volunteers to try and find it.

After about 20 minutes of searching and a lot of strategizing, it was found buried in the ground.

The boys shot shotguns the rest of the day, and we ended the night with a great firework show at Uncle Steve's!

Wahlen Reunion\ Kelsey's Reception

This last weekend was the Wahlen Family Reunion and my cousin Kelsey's Wedding Reception. It was a lot of fun to see family that we hadn't seen in awhile. We did a lot of boating, and went to the famous Aberdeen Daze Breakfast and parade. Saturday was my cousin Kelsey's reception in their backyard and it turned out beautiful. On Sunday we all went to Grandpa's ward then had a big family dinner at Grandpa and Carla's. My cousins Greg and Ali own a sno cone shack in Montana and treated us all to a sno cone, they were delicious!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Morgan, Tanner, Chan, Amber, and Jill!

My little brother Tanner turned 21 last Saturday. Tanner is in Detroit, Michigan serving a mission. A senior couple sent my parents this picture of him on his birthday! Tanner is such a hard worker and a great missionary. We can't wait to see him in only 6 months!!!

Grandpa Morgan's birthday was last week and Amber's birthday is on Saturday. I thought this was a cute picture of both of them. When I first starting dating Marc everyone told me that Marc was just like his Grandpa Morgan. I don't think I realized then what a great compliment that was. Grandpa Morgan is a great man of integrity and is extremely kind and generous. Amber is a wonderful sister-in-law and a great hostess. She is an amazing athlete and has a great sense of humor. Happy Birthday Amber and Grandpa!

My brother-in-law Chandler turns the big 3-0 today! Chandler is a great guy and a great boss. He is super easy going and fun to be around. He has the cutest three little girls ever and he is such a good dad to them. We hope you have a great birthday Chan!

Jill's birthday is on Monday! Jill is a great sister. Jill is the dare devil of the family and is often found with the boys playing golf or swimming with sharks while the rest of the girls are shopping. Her laugh is contagious and she is a great hair stylist. She is also a great mom and we wished she lived closer. Have a great day Jill!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Marc's brother Morgan had a birthday yesterday! Morgan is a great guy and an amazing griller. We spent New Years with him and Amber and we were very spoiled with their good cooking and hospitality! He also has a great personality and keeps us all laughing. We hope you had a great day Morgan, Happy Birthday!

Jam Packed Weekend!

Our weekend started last Thursday with Garrett's graduation. We had a family barbecue before and it was fun to see everyone. I still can't believe Garrett is old enough to graduate, but it's okay because we are excited to have him with us in Rexburg this Fall! Congratulations Garrett, we love you!

On Friday morning, Morgan and Amber came to visit. First we went golfing and then topped the day off with a very unsuccessful fishing trip and a visit to Mesa Falls.

The three boys casting, Morgan on the left, Mitch in the middle, Marc on the right.

After not catching anything with a fishing pole, Marc and Mitch decided to use a gun and chase an otter.

The fishing spot we went to was only a few miles from Mesa Falls

This is Morgan having way too much fun

To finish our fun weekend, we went to Aberdeen again for my cousin Kelsey's bridal shower and Whitney's dance recital. The bridal shower was fun and Whitney did amazing. Here is Kels with all of her cousins at the shower!

Happy Birthday Mitch

It is my brother-in-law Mitch's birthday today (Marc's brother). Mitch is extremely friendly and kind and will do anything to help others out. He is a great brother to Marc and one of Marc's best friends. Mitch is usually the life of the party and he is good at everything he does. We love living close to him and his cute wife Jaci! Happy Birthday Mitch!

Happy Birthday Angie

My sister Angie's birthday is today! Angie is a great sister with a great personality. It is always a good time when hanging out with her. She is always looking for a reason to party, and she is usually the life of the party. We talk on the phone quite a bit and she always takes time to listen to me and gives great advice and comfort. We love hanging out with her and Chan and spending time with their cute girls. We love you Angie, and we're looking forward to celebrating with you tonight.

Happy Birthday Jaci

My sister-in-law Jaci turns 21 today! Jaci is great, we have loved living so close to her and Mitch. She is very talented, kind, and has a great sense of humor. She is a great cook and decorator, and is an amazing game player. She is easy to talk to and a great friend to have. I am very blessed to have such a great sister-in-law. Happy Birthday Jaci!

Late Easter Update

We spent General Conference weekend at my parents house. It was great to see Aunt Deb and my cousin Troy who were visiting from California. I didn't get too many pictures, but one thing we did while we were there was decorate Easter Sugar cookies!



When we got home, Marc helped me to frost the leftover cookies. That explains why we ended up with a plate of cookies that had the names of UNC's starting 5. I loved it, I think I will make him decorate all cakes in the future!



On Easter weekend, we were able to go to Kuna and spend it with Marc's family. I had never been there for Easter and it was fun to be a part of their family tradition of hiding hats instead of baskets. I had heard about Terry's great hiding abilities, but I had no idea. Marc's candy was wrapped in duct tape and his hat was shoved down the vacuum hose. It took Marc a little over an hour to find it, but it took Terry over an hour to get the hat to fit down the tube.



Makayla's hat was taped behind the star on top of the ledge, which was Nancy's idea. They are a great hiding team, I was very impressed. Mine was hidden in a vase in the dining room. They said they were easy on me, but I still had to have Makayla and Marc find it for me. I wasn't used to such good hiding.

Thanks for the fun Easter Bradshaws!