Homecoming Parade

Last weekend Dixie State College hosted their annual homecoming parade where we walked down 100 S. dressed up as tooth fairies, dentists, and cavity bugs with our float and mobile clinic bus, handing out fliers advertising our next free Sealant Saturday activity held in our school clinic. Not a bad deal but I think kids would much rather have candy than free sealants. They'll thank us one day though. 

Tuacahn Theatre

A couple weeks ago Chase got us tickets to Disney's Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn theatre down here in St. George. It was one of the best that I've seen so far. It was almost as good as the Lion King and maybe even neater in some aspects, especially in the use of setting by incorporating the river behind the school to make it look as if they were really "Under the Sea." Chase and I had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, so much so that we've purchased tickets to the production of Aladdin that will be playing at the Tuacahn theatre next summer.

School

Okay, here's my last "catching up" post. School has been an absolute BLAST! I really am loving it! It's hard as heck and I'm busier than I've ever been but I'm managing it! I really have to thank my Heavenly Father for helping me through because there's no way I'd survive this without his constant helping hand.
When I say I've been busy I mean it, I've been busy! My typical week includes 3-4 quizzes, 2-4 tests, instrument formatives and competencies during clinic, some sort of SADHA activity whether it's service or just a meeting and hours and hours of studying. Every week! Like I said, It's a miracle I'm surviving. I've never had to work so hard in my life but let me just say that it is sooo worth it. Monday-Wednesday our class was required to attend the ADA (American Dental Association) that was held in Vegas. Don't mind if I do! It was so much fun. Yes classes were boring and walking around to all the booths actually got a bit tedious but we definitely made up for it by going out to eat at Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs for dinner! So Yummy! Yes it was a much needed break from school and class indeed. Now it's back to the real world and if you can't tell I'm having a hard time getting back into the studying. But study I must so until next time!
xoxo
Casey and I at convention:

The crack, halloween festivities, and camping in Pine Valley

Last weekend Kortney and Jason came down to visit Jason's family and whenever they do, we always make a point to hang out. We all went to a site in St. George called "The Crack," a place up in the rocks where there is a crack formation that you can climb through. Chase however didn't fit so we weren't able to carry out that adventure. I guess 20 lbs isn't enough, he'll have to lose more weight. Yes, Chase has lost 20 lbs. That must tell you something about my cooking :S 

Afterwards we all went to Staheli's farm for a corn maze and a haunted walk through. The corn maze design was pretty lame but it was still fun and we all enjoyed ourselves. I think I prefer being lost and trying not to find my way through while everyone else wants to be done after an hour and a half. What can I say, I just like corn mazes that much! The haunted portion was fun as well. Since Chase and I are too far from Salt Lake to go to a haunted house this year it had to make do. Halloween is my favorite holiday so I'm a little sad that this is all St. George has to offer for Halloween festivities. 
On thursday Chase and I tried another location out for camping. We went up to Pine Valley which is about 60 minutes north of St. George. It was a much better trip than our last camping excursion. This time it was cool enough for me to actually fall asleep and it was nice having pine trees and that fresh mountain air. An interesting thing we found in Pine Valley is that there is an old LDS chapel that still holds services. It is the oldest LDS chapel in continuous use. What's neat is that it was constructed to look like an  upside down ship.  

Chase and I also hiked around the area of Pine Valley Reservoir and decided to take a picture because it was so beautiful. If you notice, I also got my hair done. FINALLY!

Kortney's Wedding

One of my best friends, Kortney Stevenson, got married during the summer to a wonderful guy named Jason Homer. They were sweet enough to invite Chase and I to the ceremony. I was so glad I could be there for them. It was absolutely amazing. Their reception was held in a cozy little event center that was something you would see in a fairy tale. It was all so beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Previously to Kort's wedding I held a bridal shower for her at our friend Mary Blackburn's house. I made all the games for the party and although the girls thought they were a little tedious I think It turned out well and we had a great time :) 

Yellowstone Trip

During the summer Chase and I went on a trip to Yellowstone with his family. We took my little sister Summer with us as well and had a blast. On the way up we made a few scenic stops that were absolutely gorgeous!

Although the accommodations were a little crowded, we made it work and enjoyed the trip nonetheless. Summer even started to warm up to Chase's family :)

 While there we all hiked up to this beautiful waterfall. It was nice to sit and take a break!

And here we are walking around all the hot pots.

A New Home

Chase and I are now down in St. George, our new place of residence. The move was a long one, unpacking and organizing was the same but it finally is coming together. The heat is bearable...so far. The pool and hot tub are very enjoyable and the complex is nice. Our second night there was a cop chase right outside our window, one morning we came out to the cover of the truck bed opened. Nothing was stolen. Other than that, no disturbances. Hopefully we aren't in a shady part of town; it seemed nice. I had my orientation for Dixie's dental hygiene program yesterday. Other than being completely overwhelmed and nervous, it went well. Class starts bright and early monday morning. Wish me luck. Chase has found a job and starts training on monday as well. He's actually up in Logan right now and wont be back until wednesday. It's not very fun being here all by myself   :( I have plenty of classwork already to keep me busy.

Today I received my order of Harry Potter books that I had bought off of schoolastic.com at a great price! So stoked!

I have finally converted Chase to Harry Potter-ism. He had been quite "anti-HP" throughout our term of dating but after we got married he started watching the movies with me as I watched them. Now he can't get enough. Well...that may be an exaggeration. But he is counting down till the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out and since the books are SOOO much better I thought I'd get them for him to start reading and for myself to continue re-reading. Now I can stop stealing all of my mother's copies :)

Crazy In Love

Chase proposed to me on November 19th, 2010 at Little Mountain in Franklin, ID.

He did a wonderful job picking out my ring and he did it all by himself :)

Even Chase's family kind of likes me. Here's the wonderful lawn art his dad, Denton, did for us when we got married...

Our Honeymoon to Cancun

Cancun:

When we first arrived in Mexico, sunday afternoon, we were frantic trying to find our transfer shuttle. Well... at least I was. We booked our shuttle through Best Day and also one of our excursions. Let me just say Best Day wasn't very travel friendly to us and we probably wont be using them in the future. 

On monday we spent our time taking the local bus to WalMart to get groceries for the week. Of course we had no idea where we were going but we found our way and made it there and back with little difficulty. It's so crazy to see something so american and familiar but yet so different. They had fish piled in a big crate of ice, all their pastries and bread lying out in the open, and the flies were everywhere. Just for this reason I couldn't live in Mexico. Or anywhere out of the U.S. for that matter. 

Once we had returned Chase and I spent the rest of the day out on the beach in front of our hotel and rented jet skis. Chase almost threw me off twice, he definitely handles me with care. That night I had my first lobster tail dinner! It was very delicious and fun to try...however I still prefer beef. 

On tuesday we embarked on our first excursion to the Coba mayan ruins. We were picked up from our hotel in a van with about ten other travelers and on our way. We first made a stop in the jungle where we hiked in to a cenote that we actually repelled down into. But not before being blessed through an ancient mayan ritual. Afterwards we zip lined across a crocodile infested swamp (yes we did actually see crocodiles) and hiked to a little lake that we were able to canoe around in before enjoying a tasty lunch that the locals of a near mayan village prepared for us. We ended the trip by visiting the ancient mayan ruins of Coba, which contains the tallest temple of their civilization. 

On wednesday we booked an excursion to Chitzen Itza, the capital of the ancient mayan empire. Our day started out by first visiting the ruins of Chitzen Itza, known for the Kukulcan pyramid and the massive Ball Court. Afterwards we visited another cenote, which was quite different from the first. This one was much more open, bright. and had steps and platforms built in the site to make it more tourist and swimmer friendly. There was a 15' ledge you could jump off of and yes, jump I did! There were also many catfish in the cenote, swimming at the surface. That evening we returned to Chitzen Itza for a light show, sharing the story of Chitzen Itza and the culture of the people that lived there. It was pretty incredible. 

The following day Chase and I ferried over to Isla Mujeres, an island just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. We were able to walk to and snorkel just off of the north point of the island. It was a shallow area with a small reef so it was pretty light, relaxed snorkeling but we were still able to see a variety of fish and get within inches of them! 

Friday we found ourselves relaxing on the beach. You always need one of those days. We layed out, eating mangos and spent time in the ocean and in the pools of our hotel. 

By saturday we were ready for yet another excursion! Time to see Tulum and do some more snorkeling at Xel Ha! Funny enough, on this tour we were the only americans. Everyone else was local. We were very surprised. Tulum was beautiful though! Each of the three ruins we visited were all so different. Tulum sits right on the coast, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, making it one of the main ports of the mayan civilizaion. It's such a beautiful view! Following the ruins we made our way over to Xel Ha, a water park with many inlets and coves perfect for snorkeling. And snorkel we did! The fish were beautiful and there were so many of them! Chase and I swam with them for hours. We were even lucky enough to encounter a sea turtle and swam right above it for about fifteen minutes. We were literally only six feet above it! It was incredible!

Sunday brought us to the end of our adventure. Our flight home was unavoidable. I definitely could have stayed another week but it's always nice to come back home. Upon arrival at the SLC airport, Chase scouted out Paul Millsap and after about ten minutes of stalking stalking and making sure it was really him, asked him for a picture which he was generous enough to do. 

I made Chase drive home. I had to be to work the next morning at 7:45 am. Back to reality. Oh well, at least I can say it was a wonderful trip filled with many activities, learning and fun! Where to go next.....

My Top 10 Favorite Things

1: My Husband Chase
2: Kitties
3: Ducks
4: Getting My Teeth Cleaned
5: Halloween
6: Fireworks
7: Vacationing
8: Dreaming
9: Dental Floss
10: Reading Books
     *Not necessarily in this order

The Wedding Day

Formals

Engagements

How It All Began...

Chase and I met 15 months ago in April, 2010. One of our mutual friends, Tessa Allen introduced us at church. This is where it all started. Little did I know, Chase texted Tessa after our meeting, telling her to invite me to a bonfire later that night with a big group of friends. At the bonfire Chase and I spent a little more time getting to know each other and we exchanged numbers. After that night we continued to text and keep in contact. A week later he took me on a first date to Le Nonne Italian Restaurant. Although I really liked him I was already in a "non-committal" relationship with another guy but after only a couple dates I couldn't hold off any longer. Although I was very anti-relationship at the time, I liked Chase so much and couldn't help wanting to spend ALL my time with him so what the heck, it was official, after breaking things off with this other guy of course. Although, I admit, I did try to play the field for a couple weeks. Things progressed rapidly with Chase and I. I really liked him and it scared me to death. I had never planned on getting married any earlier than 24 years of age but with Chase it was different. It was real. So yes, it was scary. Chase was also 25 at the time so I had it in my head that he was wanting and ready to get married. I had to have the "I don't know what your plans are but I have no intentions to get married any time soon" talk with him. Multiple times actually. Chase persisted though. By the end of the summer it was a comfortable topic for the both of us to discuss. By september and october we had started looking for rings. That freaked my mother out! On november 19th 2010 Chase proposed to me with the words "ALX MRY ME" strung up with lights on top of little mountain which is in Franklin, ID. I said yes. The next six months I devoted to planning for our wedding on May 28th, and let me just say it was the longest six months of my life! I'm sorry to say I turned into the typical bridezilla. Hey, it's a stressful process, but the time did pass and when the day arrived I was ready. Chase and I were married in the Logan Temple that saturday at 12:45pm. We had a small dinner for close friends and family following the ceremony at Accolade @ Hamiltons and then a reception right after. I can't believe how fast the day went! Before we knew it we were scrambling to leave the reception to make it to our red eye flight that night to Cancun. While in Cancun we visited the Coba, Chitzen Itza, and Tulum mayan ruins. We snorkeled at Isla Mujeres and Xel Ha and swam just feet over a giant sea turtle. We visited two cenotes which are the underground rivers on the Yucatan Peninsula. Apparently there are 8,500 connected rivers. It was such an amazing trip and we filled it with as many excursions as we could. It's always nice to come back home though but now it's back to the real world.