April Showers Bring May Flowers

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A lot has gone on in our family over the last two months.  April brought us General Conference, the end of another semester, a girls weekend {for me} in Santa Barbara, BYU Graduation, my former roommate's (McKenzie) wedding, our anniversary, and a trip to Disneyland! May brought us my twin sister's wedding, my older sister's birthday, my 5th and final semester at Utah College of Dental Hygiene, a total of 2 trips to Santa Barbara, a Bar Mitzvah, studying for boards, a new nephew, and so many more little things that it's hard to think of them all.  In these past 2 months, we have really come to see how blessed we are to have such incredible friends and family.

The beginning of April was General Conference.  We had the most wonderful time listening and watching the prophet and the apostles speak.  If you're curious to know what General Conference is or what is talked about in General Conference, watch the video below.  I promise you your life will change for the better if you choose to listen to General Conference.  I have watched it every 6 months for my entire life and my life continues to get better every 6 months.  I have learned so much and I can't wait to learn more from the prophets, seers, and revelators of this time.




April 14th-16th brought me finals week at school.  My second to last finals week ever! I can hardly believe it.  When Kurt and I got married, I had just finished my first semester of dental hygiene school.  I have learned so much over the past year, and I can't wait to become a Registered Dental Hygienist with my Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.  All the hard work will pay off in August when I graduate!


April 17th-22nd brought a girls weekend for Christine and me.  Kurt had to stay and work in Utah, and Christine was already going home so I decided to have a little "last hoorah" with her before we would both be married women!  We did a lot of wedding stuff :) I had a wonderful time with my parents, although I definitely missed Kurt and we really missed not having Elise there as well.


April 24th-25th was Commencement for Brigham Young University.  Christine & Payton were both graduating in Marketing from the Marriott School of Business.  We are so proud of them!



The happy graduates!


Ignore the fact that one person in this picture has no shoes.  We have a little story in my family that fits with this picture.  When Christine and I were in 1st grade (in Manhattan Beach, CA at Meadows Elementary School) our teacher, Ms. Valpredo, walked around the classroom without shoes.  Being 6 years old, we all wanted to do the same. She said she was the only one who could do it because she had a college degree.  Lo and behold, Christine now has a college degree and can do anything she wants, with or without shoes! 


Dad, Christine, & Mom 
Dad, Christine, Payton & Mom
The Sienicki Family {minus Elise :( }
Twins
We are all so proud of Christine and Payton! Congratulations!

On April 26th, my dearest friend, McKenzie, married her sweetheart in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.  I am so happy for her!  She was a beatiful bride, and I hope she has an even more beatiful marriage!

The bride getting ready with the help of her sister.


Love these girls! (From L to R: Amber, Alyssa, Lucy {bride's sisters}, McKenzie, Lindsey {bride's cousin}, Christine & Me)
At the dinner & open house in Salt Lake City.  It was such a perfect day for McKenzie & Ryan!


April 27th was our 1 Year Anniversary of being married for time and all eternity in the Los Angeles LDS Temple.  You can read all about it here. We had a wonderful time celebrating.  We have learned so much in our 1st year, we can only imagine how much we will learn in the 2nd!



On April 29th, we went to the Happiest Place on Earth!  Disneyland was such a blast! It was Kurt's first time and we definitely plan on going back for him to go a second time because we had so much fun while we were there.  It wasn't crowded at all, and the longest wait we had was about 1 hour.  But we walked on to most of the rides.  I used a Disneyland Crowd Forecast to try to predict what the crowds would be like.  And it was pretty spot on. Overall, we had such a great time and can't wait to go back.





Waiting for World of Color.  Kurt and I had never seen it before and it was incredible.  Watch the video below if you want to see how incredible it is!



We stayed with Kurt's cousin, Nathan, and his wife Laura and their adorable little girl, Penny in Costa Mesa.  We always have fun when we are with family and we hope to visit again sometime soon.

Then came my sister's wedding! I feel so lame because I didn't take many pictures, but I made the decision not to because I wanted to live in the moment, AND she had the most incredible photographer, so I knew the pictures would be taken care of.  Christine was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen!  She and Payton were married in the Los Angeles LDS Temple on May 3, 2014.
Happy Birthday, Elise! 24 never looked so good!
(Photo Credit: Elise)
Mr. & Mrs. Thompson!
(Photo Credit: Alex Haws)
AMAZING center pieces
TWINS!
I love my sisters so much!
Best Friends


Saying goodbye to my sweet best friend.  She's going to make the best wife!

As of May 5th, I have started my last semester at Utah College of Dental Hygiene.  On August 14th, I will officially be a college graduate (and I don't have to wear shoes if I don't want to)!  This semester is full of all things BOARDS related.  Every class we are taking this semester is preparing us for Boards and life outside of school.  My life currently revolves around case studies, Naional Board review classes, scaling the most tenacious calculus I have ever seen, studying 24/7, knocking my appointment time from 3 hours and 15 minutes, to 1 hour and 15 minutes (at the most), and SO MUCH MORE. I am more overwhelmed than ever, so any prayers you want to send my way will be greatly appreciated.

After my first week back at school, we went back to Santa Barbara. We are crazy, we know.  But we had to go back to attend the Bar Mitzvah of my favorite little man, Brent.  Brent has been my neighbor ever since he was born on May 5, 2001. He turned 13 and became a Bar Mitzvah.  We are so incredibly proud of him for the decisions he has made to get him to where he is at 13 years old. Not only that, but his family threw the most incredible party ever!  We had so much fun celebrating with him and his family.



The party was sports themed, so of course we had to represent our favorite team and favorite player!

May 11th was Mother's Day! Kurt and I have incredible mothers, and we know we wouldn't be anywhere without them.  They gave us life, taught us important lessons, and helped raise us to become the people we are now.  We love them dearly.


Like I said earlier, we have a new nephew! We are so excited for Ryan, Kaylynn & Dallin to have a new addition to their family.  I can't wait to meet the little bundle of perfection.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend! We did a lot of shopping, running, and had a little BBQ with Jason, Faith, & Amy on Memorial Day.  Kurt and I are so grateful for the members of our family who have served and are currently serving (especially my sister, Elise!).  We are so thankful to live in such a wonderful country where we have so many freedoms.

May 27th- Kurt played in his final basketball game in the Salt Lake City County League.  It was the final game because it was the championship game! They won! I'm so proud of him and his team. It was the first and last game of the season that I attended.  It was always difficult to find the time to drive up to South Jordan to watch him play basketball, but I decided to surprise him on Tuesday by coming.  Congratulations to these guys!



Salt Lake County Basketball Champions! (From Left to Right: Bryce, Mark, Brian, Danny, Brad, & Kurt)
Wednesday, May 28th, was Ward Temple Night.  We love going to the temple together.  This was our 19th time going to the temple together since I went for my first time last April 3 days before we were married.

May has really revolved around me studying for Boards.  A lot of people have asked about what I've been doing for Boards, what books I'm studying from, how long I'm spending on studying for each test, what each test is like, so I'm hoping to write about that sometime soon. I take my first test on June 7th, so it'll probably be after I take that.

Tomorrow is June 1st! Kurt and I can't believe what 2014 has brought us, and it's almost half way over already.  We are hoping that this summer brings us a lot of fun memories, fantastic experiences, spending time with family, life changing milestones, and much more! Keep checking back here for updates on our amazing life together.

Happy start of summer!


April & May Favorites
New Restaurant: New Thai Cafe in West Jordan, UT
Movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Drink: Sonic Slushies (Cherry Limeade & Watermelon with Nerds)
Cousins: Nathan & Laura (and Penny!)
Candy: Now and Laters
TV Show: NBA Playoffs
Witt Family Event: Jason qualifying for Nationals
General Conference Talk: How can you pick one, right?  Here are a couple of our top favorites



 

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Follow my blog with Bloglovin


A lot has gone on in our family over the last two months.  April brought us General Conference, the end of another semester, a girls weekend {for me} in Santa Barbara, BYU Graduation, my former roommate's (McKenzie) wedding, our anniversary, and a trip to Disneyland! May brought us my twin sister's wedding, my older sister's birthday, my 5th and final semester at Utah College of Dental Hygiene, a total of 2 trips to Santa Barbara, a Bar Mitzvah, studying for boards, a new nephew, and so many more little things that it's hard to think of them all.  In these past 2 months, we have really come to see how blessed we are to have such incredible friends and family.

The beginning of April was General Conference.  We had the most wonderful time listening and watching the prophet and the apostles speak.  If you're curious to know what General Conference is or what is talked about in General Conference, watch the video below.  I promise you your life will change for the better if you choose to listen to General Conference.  I have watched it every 6 months for my entire life and my life continues to get better every 6 months.  I have learned so much and I can't wait to learn more from the prophets, seers, and revelators of this time.




April 14th-16th brought me finals week at school.  My second to last finals week ever! I can hardly believe it.  When Kurt and I got married, I had just finished my first semester of dental hygiene school.  I have learned so much over the past year, and I can't wait to become a Registered Dental Hygienist with my Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.  All the hard work will pay off in August when I graduate!


April 17th-22nd brought a girls weekend for Christine and me.  Kurt had to stay and work in Utah, and Christine was already going home so I decided to have a little "last hoorah" with her before we would both be married women!  We did a lot of wedding stuff :) I had a wonderful time with my parents, although I definitely missed Kurt and we really missed not having Elise there as well.


April 24th-25th was Commencement for Brigham Young University.  Christine & Payton were both graduating in Marketing from the Marriott School of Business.  We are so proud of them!



The happy graduates!


Ignore the fact that one person in this picture has no shoes.  We have a little story in my family that fits with this picture.  When Christine and I were in 1st grade (in Manhattan Beach, CA at Meadows Elementary School) our teacher, Ms. Valpredo, walked around the classroom without shoes.  Being 6 years old, we all wanted to do the same. She said she was the only one who could do it because she had a college degree.  Lo and behold, Christine now has a college degree and can do anything she wants, with or without shoes! 


Dad, Christine, & Mom 
Dad, Christine, Payton & Mom
The Sienicki Family {minus Elise :( }
Twins
We are all so proud of Christine and Payton! Congratulations!

On April 26th, my dearest friend, McKenzie, married her sweetheart in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.  I am so happy for her!  She was a beatiful bride, and I hope she has an even more beatiful marriage!

The bride getting ready with the help of her sister.


Love these girls! (From L to R: Amber, Alyssa, Lucy {bride's sisters}, McKenzie, Lindsey {bride's cousin}, Christine & Me)
At the dinner & open house in Salt Lake City.  It was such a perfect day for McKenzie & Ryan!


April 27th was our 1 Year Anniversary of being married for time and all eternity in the Los Angeles LDS Temple.  You can read all about it here. We had a wonderful time celebrating.  We have learned so much in our 1st year, we can only imagine how much we will learn in the 2nd!



On April 29th, we went to the Happiest Place on Earth!  Disneyland was such a blast! It was Kurt's first time and we definitely plan on going back for him to go a second time because we had so much fun while we were there.  It wasn't crowded at all, and the longest wait we had was about 1 hour.  But we walked on to most of the rides.  I used a Disneyland Crowd Forecast to try to predict what the crowds would be like.  And it was pretty spot on. Overall, we had such a great time and can't wait to go back.





Waiting for World of Color.  Kurt and I had never seen it before and it was incredible.  Watch the video below if you want to see how incredible it is!



We stayed with Kurt's cousin, Nathan, and his wife Laura and their adorable little girl, Penny in Costa Mesa.  We always have fun when we are with family and we hope to visit again sometime soon.

Then came my sister's wedding! I feel so lame because I didn't take many pictures, but I made the decision not to because I wanted to live in the moment, AND she had the most incredible photographer, so I knew the pictures would be taken care of.  Christine was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen!  She and Payton were married in the Los Angeles LDS Temple on May 3, 2014.
Happy Birthday, Elise! 24 never looked so good!
(Photo Credit: Elise)
Mr. & Mrs. Thompson!
(Photo Credit: Alex Haws)
AMAZING center pieces
TWINS!
I love my sisters so much!
Best Friends


Saying goodbye to my sweet best friend.  She's going to make the best wife!

As of May 5th, I have started my last semester at Utah College of Dental Hygiene.  On August 14th, I will officially be a college graduate (and I don't have to wear shoes if I don't want to)!  This semester is full of all things BOARDS related.  Every class we are taking this semester is preparing us for Boards and life outside of school.  My life currently revolves around case studies, Naional Board review classes, scaling the most tenacious calculus I have ever seen, studying 24/7, knocking my appointment time from 3 hours and 15 minutes, to 1 hour and 15 minutes (at the most), and SO MUCH MORE. I am more overwhelmed than ever, so any prayers you want to send my way will be greatly appreciated.

After my first week back at school, we went back to Santa Barbara. We are crazy, we know.  But we had to go back to attend the Bar Mitzvah of my favorite little man, Brent.  Brent has been my neighbor ever since he was born on May 5, 2001. He turned 13 and became a Bar Mitzvah.  We are so incredibly proud of him for the decisions he has made to get him to where he is at 13 years old. Not only that, but his family threw the most incredible party ever!  We had so much fun celebrating with him and his family.



The party was sports themed, so of course we had to represent our favorite team and favorite player!

May 11th was Mother's Day! Kurt and I have incredible mothers, and we know we wouldn't be anywhere without them.  They gave us life, taught us important lessons, and helped raise us to become the people we are now.  We love them dearly.


Like I said earlier, we have a new nephew! We are so excited for Ryan, Kaylynn & Dallin to have a new addition to their family.  I can't wait to meet the little bundle of perfection.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend! We did a lot of shopping, running, and had a little BBQ with Jason, Faith, & Amy on Memorial Day.  Kurt and I are so grateful for the members of our family who have served and are currently serving (especially my sister, Elise!).  We are so thankful to live in such a wonderful country where we have so many freedoms.

May 27th- Kurt played in his final basketball game in the Salt Lake City County League.  It was the final game because it was the championship game! They won! I'm so proud of him and his team. It was the first and last game of the season that I attended.  It was always difficult to find the time to drive up to South Jordan to watch him play basketball, but I decided to surprise him on Tuesday by coming.  Congratulations to these guys!



Salt Lake County Basketball Champions! (From Left to Right: Bryce, Mark, Brian, Danny, Brad, & Kurt)
Wednesday, May 28th, was Ward Temple Night.  We love going to the temple together.  This was our 19th time going to the temple together since I went for my first time last April 3 days before we were married.

May has really revolved around me studying for Boards.  A lot of people have asked about what I've been doing for Boards, what books I'm studying from, how long I'm spending on studying for each test, what each test is like, so I'm hoping to write about that sometime soon. I take my first test on June 7th, so it'll probably be after I take that.

Tomorrow is June 1st! Kurt and I can't believe what 2014 has brought us, and it's almost half way over already.  We are hoping that this summer brings us a lot of fun memories, fantastic experiences, spending time with family, life changing milestones, and much more! Keep checking back here for updates on our amazing life together.

Happy start of summer!


April & May Favorites
New Restaurant: New Thai Cafe in West Jordan, UT
Movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Drink: Sonic Slushies (Cherry Limeade & Watermelon with Nerds)
Cousins: Nathan & Laura (and Penny!)
Candy: Now and Laters
TV Show: NBA Playoffs
Witt Family Event: Jason qualifying for Nationals
General Conference Talk: How can you pick one, right?  Here are a couple of our top favorites



 

My Last First Day and My First Last Day

Yesterday marked the very last first day of school I will ever have.  I cannot believe that in just about 100 days, I will be walking across a stage, receiving my college diploma.  I have worked so hard for this, and I'm not about to give up!  I am so excited for this semester and to see what it will bring.  I had my first round of classes yesterday, and they seem difficult, but I know I can do it.  I have such a great support system, and I know they believe in me, so it must mean that I can believe in myself too...which leads me to why I also included in the title, "My First Last Day."


Here's a little story to preface why that was included in the title.  Yesterday, I walked into school and our classroom was covered in pink decorations.  I didn't know what it meant, but one of my teachers came in {the one who decorated the classroom} and she told us about her Pink Points.  Intriguing, isn't it? Pink Points will be awarded to the students that are being positive during the semester.  Once the Pink Point Bucket is filled with Pink Points {little pink beads}, the class is rewarded with something along the lines of 100% on a quiz, pizza party, 1% extra credit, etc.  This teacher has a magnet on the board that says, "Pink an attitude, not just a color!" Yesterday was my first last day of not being "Pink". So I'm going to be PINK.  I came up with a list of a bunch of words that start with a "P" that represent "Pink" to me while I'm in school:


>> Positive
>> Proud (not in a prideful way, but in a be proud of myself way for all the hard work I am putting into school)
>> Professional
>> Persevere
>> Patient
>> Patients! (I need those boards patients! haha)
>> Perceptive
>> Poised
>> Passionate

Those are just a few that I could come up with at the moment, but I really do believe yesterday was my first last day of letting negativity have such an affect on me and working harder on being positive.

My husband has been telling me something almost everyday since we have been married, and I just now decided to apply it to my life.  He says, "You can't let other people's actions determine your happiness."  I have finally seen how much better life can be when I'm not worried about other people's feelings or actions towards me.  This semester, I plan on embracing what Kurt has said to me over and over (...and over...) during our first year of marriage.  It's Day 2 of my new found outlook on life, and I'll be honest, I'm kinda loving it!

I also decided that being "Pink" means setting goals.  Here are some of my new goals:


>> Study hard, play hard

>> Make my house a House of Order
>> Make my house a House of Prayer
>> Don't let the actions of others determine my own happiness
>> Make friendships stronger
>> Seek out resume builders
>> Be dedicated to my calling
>> Grow Spiritually everyday
>> Attend the temple every month

Now that you all know my goals, everyone who reads this {long with the rest of the internet world} can hold me accountable. I'm okay with that :)