Tannin is Expert at Pilates

While we still can't camp due to the cold, Taylor found a new hobby...Making little stoves to cook food over when we get to finally camp!

Here's the making of...

The burning of...

and the grabbing a glass of water to douse in case of fire spreading of.....

And how it's suppose to look after we worked out the kinks....

Tannin loves napping in the natural sunlight so she always tries to get to the window....No matter what obstacle!

Finally at the sunniest spot in the entire apartment!

She was watching me to make sure I didn't pick her up and take her away from her favorite place after all that trouble she went through to get there.  Climbing walls, jumping huge books...I mean, how could I?

How we celebrated Valentine's Day:

Taylor got me some pilates and massage things for my back and neck.

 I bought soy cheese and made his favorite...wheat crust quiche!

And the pictures we tried to get on Valentine's Day....

Haha!  These are better than any actual picture of us looking good.

While serving at the branch one Sunday, I had to snap a similar photo of Taylor from my last blog post...

What a kind priesthood holder.

My parents came over on Lincoln's birthday and took us out to eat.  They also took Tannin out...out of her cage, because that's what she desires most...that and fat worms.

 They took us to Cafe Rio after I got off work!

 This crazy girl would like everyone to know she wants out so bad she's willing to do tricks like walk on the ceiling constantly to get our attention.  When she first started doing this, we would run towards  her to help her and make sure she didn't fall....then she would do a cool flip mid-air and land perfectly on her wood perch or hammock ready to jump into our hands to take her out...so we realized she was playing us to get our attention...Smart one.

We had my parents over for my Mom's birthday on Saturday.

Playing Mexican Train

We got my Mom the Hymns and Primary book she used when she was younger.

Dad had to try out my pilates video :)

The making of protocols, policies, and dinners

January has been a busy month, and so has the beginning of February.  Taylor has been studying for the MCAT a lot, and I have been doing a lot of "Nurse Supervisor" work. <--That's my new title at work:  Nurse Supervisor Kelsey Drake!   It's not that cool, it just means a lot more work and writing up protocols/policies and making sure everything is up to date, listening to everyone's complaints when something goes wrong in Infusion, trying to schedule meetings, and understand new infusion drugs coming out.  Never thought I'd spend a whole day of work on the computer writing things up/researching new drugs instead of patient care.

Look at that fun, huge Tysabri drug insert paper to help me type up our Pharmaceutical Waste and Destruction Policy.  This month I'm working a on protocol to infuse the new drug Lemtrada.  I spent all day Thursday typing up my stuff like a machine; I even got to use a computer on the second floor!  That view was really bright and hurt my eyes.  I'm use to working in dark cubbies, I guess.

Tannin doesn't like when we are busy.  We've felt bad she always wants out, but we don't have time to always take her out, so we've been putting on aquarium movies for her.

She's hooked.  She even manages to look horrified when she sees the waves come up on the shore and get things wet!  She hates baths.

Can't keep her eyes off the screen.
See how she bulges out her neck?  That's when she's mad.  She was mad at that water.

 Taylor and I went to the Jordan River Temple and decided he's going to Med School.  Studying for the MCAT is so time-consuming, he's been too distracted to notice anything else...like that he put his dirty socks in his desk drawer....and it was there for a while.

 Taylor got some new shoes.  While shopping, we saw these shoes he use to wear all the time in high school.  The big tongue flap always in front of his jeans...Yup, he was a cool kid back in the day.

Taylor managed to take a picture of me one Sunday when we were bringing the Sacrament around room to room.  I was getting dressed up to go into a precaution room.  Also, notice my new skirt!  Taylor said I could buy a new skirt since I just paid for his semester at school.  $4000 tuition = 1 cute new skirt, right?  Just kidding, I also got 2 new shirts.  So we're equal. ;)

When I'm at work, Taylor sends me pictures of him studying....or not studying, and playing with Tannin.

He used this as an excuse for studying "biology".

Also worth mentioning, on our third game of Monopoly I won...finally.  And so it was decided we'd play a new game:  Risk!  Which I've never played but totally creamed Taylor's armies and ruled the entire world!  Australia was the last to fall into my reign.

Taylor and I have been having fun making up new recipes.  Every so often we get tired of the same ole same ole (since we can no longer change it up as much now that we're cheese-less and ricotta-less....I miss you Manicotti).  We decided to make a lactose-free Chipotle-type burrito, and another dish, vegan-quinoa-lime-cilantro-black-bean-salad. <--Working on that name.

The chicken burrito.

Next new recipe I will be a "copy cat" is the yummy lemon, olive oil chicken I had at Apple Bees with my Mom.

Jan-zoo-ary / Jan-U-ary

Taylor and I were sick the first week of January.  We did have fun going to the Hogle Zoo though!

We were just in time to see the elephants eat and do tricks, the lion roar and pee on a stander-by, zebras buck each other, and seals and sealions do tricks!

Newfie Seal painting a picture!

Show off....

Taylor loved putting his face next to the animals....they maybe didn't love it so much....

This big guy scared me to death!  He stood like this at his window when I turned the corner and just stared at me.  At first I didn't know it was a glass window and just thought he got loose!

Speaking sign language.

Not so sure what to think of us.

We had fun taking DeMarie around the U to find her classes.

It's been really busy at work the last 2 weeks.  I keep going over my scheduled time and it's exhausting.  I also dislike when work calls and texts me on my days off.  I hope it ends soon.  I thought this past Monday it would, but then we got a really late add on.  Luckily, the Dr. let me infuse him quickly since the patient tolerated it and I was over my time.
We had my parents over the next weekend for our favorite vegan meal ratatouille.

Taylor and I bought Monopoly to start playing on weekends.

Taylor pretty much trashed me...twice. I had to sell all my houses and put my businesses up for mortgage just to pay him $1000 rent.

Mr Money bags. 

The New Year

For New Year's Eve-Eve we hung out with DeMarie and the Drake parents.  We ate soy cheese pizza and played games. They also agreed to watch Tannin for us.  The next day we were going to head out to Nevada, but decided against it due to bad weather.  So our trip didn't begin until New Year's Day.

We stopped at Cove Fort along the way to rest and move our legs. 

It was snowy!

 In front of the Hinckley Cabin.

In the background, a few miles away, you can see the volcano from which the fort was built from. 

But Taylor was most excited to find the upside-down signature of Truman Angell carved in the door.

He was the architect of the Salt Lake Temple, and built the Red Brick Store in Nauvoo.
His name reads as T(diamond)A

Our first show in Vegas was seeing Elvis Live!

He's got some great anti-aging cream.

My favorite was "You Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog."

All of us getting a photo inside Planet Hollywood.

Seth did his best to avoid any picture he could by taking them...

The next day we went to the National Atomic Testing Museum, which also featured an Area 51 exhibit about aliens.

This robot alien was very mean at first, and tried to eat Taylor.

Our tour guide.

Taylor decided to go back to the robot alien with Kelsey, because he knew she would help calm the bad feelings.

The alien was SO happy, it turned into a dance off!  Who can do the robot better??

Checking our radioactive material!

This is Taylor conjuring a storm at Hotel Aria, using his superpowers gained at the atomic museum.

In awe at the beauty!

Hotel Aria was pretty classy.

The photographer of the trip was Dad Justice.  He had his artistic side come out and shine!

Oma and Grandpa Jack came for the end of the last day we were there.

After our long drive back to Utah, we picked up our little Tannin.  She was happy to see us! She was so comfortable being back with us, she fell asleep in Kelsey's lap on the way home.