Yesterday I had what I call a "quitting day", where I get really frustrated with work and bogged down by the people we interact with.
So today, Jon and I took the day off! We both slept in, spent the morning studying and getting ready. We then went to Golds Gym and signed up for membership. We held out.. so they took away our initiation fees, slightly lowered the monthly payments, and kept offering us things like free gym bags. We paid more than half up front, so that we don't have to worry about budgeting it in on a monthly basis.
We then came home and made some lunch, did a little more studying, and hanging out. We decided to go the gym for the first time this evening! Jon did cardio with me, and really felt the workout (as did I). I am scared to do weights with him! Then I'll be the one really feeling it!
After, we watched our new favorite show, House, and made a healthy dinner. And then.. of course.. we had to end the perfect day with the perfect treat! So we used the cold stones gift card Joy sent us (thank you!!!)
It was the perfect end to our perfect day:
Jon apparently wanted to show us the ice cream while he was enjoying it :)

Oh, and don't forget, we also got ZERO phone calls on the work phone! It was such a blessing. We feel ready to face the rest of the week.

Jon and I spoke in church today. We were nervous before speaking, but felt great once it was over. I talked fast, but I'm pretty sure I was coherent. Jon spoke slower than I did (thank heavens) and did a great job!! Many people complimented him on his talk.

also, check out Jon's new suit!!
What a stud, thanks for helping mom!!

Also, ownership is being changed for Summerwood Condos! Meaning.. we have a new boss! Who has an accountant. Our old boss will still have a certain percentage of the units, but our new guy holds the majority. We are excited to have an accountant who will get the bills and deposits paid on time. More people means more organization, and these guys seem excited and motivated with their new investment.
For example, our new boss Vincent, said he needed all of the tenants email addresses. I said we could leave notices to get them from our tenants. He went out and made fliers and is raffling off an i-pod for the tenants who turn them in with their email's! Jon and I appreciate the enthusiasm of this guy.

Tonight Jon and I drove up Provo Canyon and picked a random drive off point.


It was really beautiful up there. There was an old train station, park areas, and still water ponds.This is a dark one.. but it its a happy one.

We have been to all of our classes!

Jon really likes his first aid class. On his first day the teacher passed around pictures of severed limbs and deep wounds to desensitize the students. Apparently those pictures will passed around each class period. First aid is set up to be very hands-on and user-friendly. Jon thinks the teacher has a really realistic approach to the class. There will be skill tests that are pass / fail, and if you fail you basically do it again until you pass.

My family recreation class seems like it will be really fun. The teacher has set up the class in how I feel I would set up a class.. so clearly it really appeals to me. Everything we learn in the class, she said, we will use again in our lives. We have lecture Monday and Wednesday, and Friday we take a weekly quiz (so no midterms) and then we will play different games that can be used as wholesome recreational activities for families.
I am also continually thrilled with my New Testament class. My teacher reads straight from his Greek translation of the Bible and refers to early-Christian writings that he has gotten to translate himself. He has a very scholarly mannerism :)

Jessica and I went to Lori's wedding reception on Thursday night. Unfortunately Jon could not accompany us because he was too busy looking at severed limbs that night. It was soo fun to see all of the family. I loved talking to Heather (Tanner) and Michelle. I also had a great talk with Uncle Charlie about photo-shop and digital photography.
Here are just a couple of pictures:


Lori looked soo beautiful! And was still her loveable tom-boy self, even in the big white dress.Jessica, Dave, Lori and I. (this is not my favorite picture of myself.. but mom really wanted to see my new haircut)

We are happy it is the weekend! I hope everyone has a good one!

Jon and I loved having a 3 day weekend! We saw Indiana Jones and Hancock in the dollar theater on Saturday and Monday.

On Monday we were driving by campus, there is this beautiful pond, and we noticed a little huddle of baby ducks!! Soo cute.
There was good lighting so I took a picture of Jon's new haircut. Good thing you can't see the little nick I left from when the razor comb fell off! Oops, its tiny, I swear.


We bought most of our books and did all of our school business as well. We bought bus passes and figured out our routes. I had never taken the bus by myself before so the first day of school was an adventure. I think Jon and I were more nervous about taking the bus than our actual first day of school.

I had a good first day, only 2 classes. My strengthening marriage and family class seems really involved and I have an enthusiastic teacher. I think this class will relate to many of my other family oriented classes. My New Testament class seems like it will be really great, we're studying from Acts - Revelations. Our teacher is having our reading be done in the King James bible and any other translation we choose, to help in understanding the language and message of the New Testament.

Jon had philosophy and nutrition today. He is really excited for philosophy and is hoping nutrition will be more straight-forward than the ever-changing nutrition advice on the news.

We are excited to see how our classes go tomorrow, we will be sure to give you the rest of the update later.

I am sorry it has been so long since we've written. We ended up working about 13 days straight! Sunday was a small break, definitely not long enough. We have learned so much in this short amount of time. It has definitely worn us down, but I feel like I've learned an important lesson through these difficulties.
I've always been a strong believer in optimism, but I have never so clearly seen people's lives be so altered by their attitude. Most importantly- if you expect everyone in your life to make things perfect for you, you will never be happy. This I've learned from the endless array of upset, teary eyed parents who think that dusty baseboards are unacceptable. In the amount of time it takes many people to tell us a complaint, they can simply pick up a small piece of trash or run a rag over a dusty desk and have it done. Then there are the optimistic tenants and parents who have every right to be irritated or annoyed, and instead leave us feeling sorry but willing to help. For example, there is a girl who moved into a room that had no closet doors. We said we would be ordering some new ones. A couple of days later she called us and asked if she could just drape some fabric, she thought it would look nicer that way. She was truly making the best of a not-so-great situation!

We have become tough as nails with ranting parents, but we've also been humbled and learned how beautiful things can operate when you treat others how you would like to be treated. The golden rule holds true in all situations, not just the easy ones!

Anyway, it was great to see so much family this past week. I thought it would be stressful to have mom visiting, but really it was such a blessing to have some light and happiness during a stressful time. I loved going to see all my aunts in Bountiful. And while Pride and Prejudice the musical was a little corn-ball, their voices were amazing, and we enjoyed ourselves.

Natalie came on Sunday night and we got to spend a lot of time with her. On Monday she had to hang around our office and listen to all our tenants problems. Afterward we went the creamery and got drinks. Then we went out to dinner with Emilie (another friend that we met at school in Idaho) and her boyfriend Nick. It was great to see them again.

Jon and I (but mainly Jon haha) worked 40 extra hours this week of maintenance. We worked an endless amount over for our regular job, but the maintenance we do gets us $10 an hour. We also get a bonus for being completely full for the fall! Our bonus will increase if we get all the rent in on time as well.

Our big highs are coming with some more difficult lows, but we're learning, and working, and really knowing what its like to rely on one another! I don't know that either of us could do it without the other.

Here is a picture of the family at Pride and Prejudice:

We are walking and living proof that all of your worst fears for move-outs can all happen in one day... but you can still make it!
This is partially for my own sanity, to go through these stories and laugh at them.
Here are just three of the wonderful events of the past two days:

One girl we thought was supposed to be moved out, but it turns out she had a contract through this fall and winter... and we had no idea. So we got completely full, with no more room left for her.
Solution: We were waiting for the last girl's contract to arrive on the day that this happened, and the mother called, and had not sent it yet. So yay! No agreement! We put this girl on a waiting list for if anything falls through.

A girl came in with her contract. Apparently her friend had signed a contract and was all set, but she hadn't got hers in. We were all full. She got really mad that we didn't reserve her a spot and left.
Solution: At first I felt bad, but then again, she had no agreement with us. I just put her first on the waiting list and told her friend we would keep an eye out to see if anyone fell through with their contract.

We have a guy who has been out of state for many weeks and has his stuff still in his bedroom. We had to move 2 girls in there today. We left many angry messages telling him he could not extend his lease and he needed to get everything out right away. He didn't speak very much english and we were always leaving messages but never talking.
Solution: We finally left a message saying we were going to throw out all of his things. He called back and is coming to get his stuff tonight.

Those are just a few of the situations that make my stomach churn. Luckily, everything ultimately works out.
Jon and I worked until about 8:30 last night and then nursed our tired and aching feet. What a day!

Today I had all of the cleaners, carpet cleaners, and keys organized so I was able to stay in the office. We had about 15 move ins today, so it was nice to be able to stay in one spot.

Anyway, were working hard, and waiting for when we can play hard!

Mom is coming up on Monday and were excited.
Natalie from BYU Idaho is coming next Sunday the 24th and is going to spend 2 nights at our place.
We're excited to see everyone!

Much Love

Jon and I are officially calling Summerwood Condos "temporarily full". This means a lot of people have reserved spots since there are so few left, and are completing their contracts and bringing in their deposits. Unfortunately, some of these people will fall through. So, we've created a waiting list, and we are looking forward to when we will be permanently full.

Jon and I are all registered for this fall, and are looking forward to our classes.

Jon's Schedule:
Philosophy
Psychology
Anatomy
Nutrition
Entrepreneur Lecture Series
First Aid

Rachel's Schedule
*disclaimer* I have currently decided on my major being marriage, family and human development. I've been considering this for a while since it is a kind of focused sociology, which I love. The motivation behind this major is that I will get my masters in marriage and family therapy. Moving on...

Strengthening Marriage and Family
Family Recreation
New Testament
Human Development
Stress Management

Jon and I have set up our classes so that we can tag-team our job. I will being going to class 8:00 am - 11:00am. Jon's classes all start 1:00 pm and after, and vary on how late they go each day. This gives us 2 hours to switch off, which will be especially nice since we want to find a way to take the bus to school. It might even give us time to see each other in the middle of the day, yay!

Jon and I are currently waiting for someone to come in for an after-hours appointment, to get a tour and some information. They are 15 minutes late. So we are glad we had some time to update the blog!

Family- we are starting to think of how we are going to do Christmas. So once anyone solidifies any plans, we would like to know. We definitely plan on finding a way to be in Santa Barbara for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We have to work something out with our assistant managers, because one of us have to be in Utah pretty much at all times. So we'll update everyone when we know about flying or driving or dates, and please keep us updated too! Thanks :) love you guys