Quarter of a Century

Well I'm a little bit older and hopefully wiser too.  I can't believe I'm 25, married, two kids, graduated from BYU,  helping my husband towards medical school... where did the time go??? It all sounds very grown up, but in many ways I still feel like a child.  So much still to learn and so much more to experience.  Everyday brings new lessons and challenges and greater joy and happiness.  I love my life and I'm so excited to see what this next year will bring.
My birthday was kind of hectic this year.  My birthday is on the 15th, and on the 14th Chase had a medical school interview at Touro University in Henderson, NV.  So we decided to pack up the kids and make a family trip out of it. Too bad I put the camera in the car and it stay there the whole trip. No pictures, sorry. We spent Friday and Saturday night with family in St. George and then after church we drove the two hours to Henderson.  We drove around to get familiar with the area and we love it! SO much shopping and a lot of nice neighborhoods.  We stayed in a really cool hotel/casino in Henderson and, of course, ate at the all-you-can-eat buffet!  It was fun to walk around, but Eden was so mad we wouldn't let her play the "games."  They just looked so fun!! haha. 
The next day was Chase's interview.  Me and the kids hung out at the hotel, and I even ventured out to the cafe for breakfast.  Everyone was looking at me like, "why is this lady trying to take two babies to a restaurant by herself??" But we seriously had no food and we needed to eat!  Thankfully the kids did awesome!  Eden was so well behaved (except for the part when she colored all over the table with crayons...) and West just had a bottle in his carseat.  Chase got back from his interview, which he felt really good about! (cross your fingers!) and we started the six hour drive home....
After that exhausting drive I just felt like being lazy for my birthday, so we stuck close to home.  I had to get a work out in after the all-you-can-eat buffet though.  Chase had work at 7am and school till 9pm, but when he got home he brought roses, sparking cider, and a card! so sweet. love him. Hopefully sometime this week we will get some alone time...
In other excited news, we bought a Tahoe! (also counts as part of my birthday). It's a 2003 Z71.  It's super nice and has all the bells and whistles!  - leather heated seats, new tires and rims... Chase loves that it has all the off roading extras, like the suspension and rear differential lock. It has some miles, but it runs amazing! And it doesn't hurt that we got on AMAZING deal. If you want to check it out there's a video the dealer put on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6duEsbhR4s). It was so nice to have on our trip to Nevada!! The Escape (pronounced the way Dory says it in Finding Nemo) has been just a trooper all these years, but our family is growing and with two carseats and a double stroller in the back there was literally NO room for anything else. I have to admit, I'll be a little sad to see her go.
All in all, it was a great birthday.  Shopping, time with family, new car...what more could a girl ask for!?  Actually, the greatest gift ever might be Chase getting accepted into medical school! Keep us in your prayers!