Getting the job of your dreams!

I'm a definitely late posting this as we have already been living in California for a month now, but I thought I should write about it so we don't forget. It may not be interesting for everyone else to read, but it is something I want to remember.

So we'll go back to April 2011. Trav was working hard to finish up school and we were trying to get his Curriculum Vitae (CV) together.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it is an extensive resume and basically a profile of yourself.  When we got done with it, it turned out to be 7 pages long. I asked Trav if we should cut it down because I am so used to a resume needing to be 1 page or 2 at the max! But he was like it is fine. Some doctors have 20 page long resumes. He proceeded to tell me that a CV is something that you keep adding onto as you get experience. So we worked the CV over and over trying to go through each bullet point and make it as strong as possible. As we were working on this, he was asking some of his preceptors if they would write him letters of recommendation. They were more then willing and he got one from his preceptor at Family Plaza Pharmacy, his preceptor and teachers from McKay Dee Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center, and his professor who actually was the one he interviewed with to get accepted in USN, Dr. R. They were great letters of recommendations and I have no doubt that they played a part in him getting job offers.  Next, it was onto the cover letter. Cover letters are really hard to write because you want to make sure all your grammar is good and put in solid information about yourself that will get the recruiter excited about reading onto your resume.  We spent several hours putting everything together and making sure it was crisp and perfect. Finally it was time to apply.  We worked on applying to a lot of different places over a period of a week.  Then the waiting game was on.

His first call was an interview for a Walgreens position in Lake Havasu, AZ. We took a quick trip to Vegas for his interview with the District Manager. We didn't get to do anything all that fun because all we did was prepare for the interview and do mock interview after mock interview.  It was really good practice and helped Trav have great examples for different behavioral questions. He went for the interview and I just sat outside in the car and waited because we already had to be checked out of the hotel and we had to head home right after the interview. When he came out he said it went good, but that we wouldn't hear back from her for 3 weeks or so.

His next interview was the next day with Target. It was a phone interview with their HR recruiter. He prepared the next morning and practiced, had the interview, and felt great about it. She had also invited him to have an interview via video confercing with the Area Manager in the California Bakersfield/Sacramento area that same week. So they scheduled that and he got the vibe that he was most likely going to get the job.  Well sure enough, he was offered a pharmacist job in Visalia, CA.  When he called me and told me I was like..."What did you say? Where is it?" I had never heard of it before and that night we did research and looked up everything about the area.  He also later recieved an offer for the Walgreens position he had interviewed for. We thought over both options and decided that overall the Visalia, CA job was a better option. We accepted the offer before every even visiting the city, which was a huge leap of faith, but we had both prayed very hard about the interviews and about our decision, and we just felt really good about California. I have to add that when we found out he got the first job offer of Target it was the GREATEST FEELING EVER!!!! Becoming a pharmacist is what Trav has had his mind set on since high school and to finally actually get that job of your dreams that can support of family was a huge relief for both of us! Finally you can reap the rewards of your hard work.

Next, we planned a trip to Visalia the week after he graduated to find a place to live. It was stressful only having 4 days to figure out where we were going to live, but we were really excited about the place we found and for the price it was. We were able to visit the ward we would be in on Sunday and it worked out great!

Some Goodbyes

The Sunday before we headed off on our move to California, Megan and Paul invited us over to have dinner at their house. They had cooked us a wonderful meal and we enjoyed talking and holding baby Evan! I'm so glad we were able to get together with Megan, Paul, Evan, Jaime, Keith, Colin, and Camden before we left. We really miss them a lot already, and were especially sad to miss Evan's baby blessing. I guess this is what happens when you move too far away. Defnintely an adjustment.

Colin, Keith, and Camden

Megan, Paul, and Evan

Jaime and her boys

My last day at work was Tuesday, June 28th. I really enjoyed working with the Wells Fargo Real Estate Group in Salt Lake City. My boss was awesome along with everyone I worked with. They always made me laugh in meetings. I will especially miss my friend Malerie. We worked a lot together and would go to lunch almost everyday. It is hard to leave a job that I really enjoyed and I was about 1 month from getting promoted, but Trav and I decided what would be best for US, not just me.

Me and Malerie

Mr. and Mrs. Toone

June 22, 2011

Jeremy and Amanda get Sealed for Time and All Eternity!

I can't believe my little sister got married! It really makes me think about how old I am and that fact that me and Travis are definitely no longer be called newlyweds considering we have been married for over 4 years. But the day was wonderful and they both were just beaming! It started out at the temple with the sealing. It was a beautiful ceremony and always the best part of the wedding day.

Brooke, Brianna, Ellen, and Shannon

Josh, Kevin, Shane, and Tyler

Lori, Heidi, and Tana

Waiting for the bride and groom to come!!

Waiting Group

The Happy Couple! (I must have got some light into my camera :( )

My sister looked gorgeous! I loved her hair, compliments of Brianna, and Jeremy looked nice as well.

Amanda's wedding dress definitely had some sass! Totally fits her personality.

Jeremy's mom, dad, and sister.

Enjoying the nice shade.

Favorite picture that I took. They just look GREAT!

After the sealing, Trav and I went out to lunch with Shannon and Josh to Olive Garden. It was nice to chat together, relax, and eat delicious food! Then we headed over to the State Capitol to work on setting stuff up and get ready for the dinner. I have to say that it looked to pretty! I absolutely loved it! Because the Capitol is public, there were some bus tours that came through. It was funny to see them taking pictures of everything was set up. One girl was with her husband/boyfriend and picked up my sister's bouquet and took a picture with it in her hand. It was pretty funny. Everyone that would walk through would comment on how beautiful it was. We definitely have to give the credit to my mom because she has the vision of how to decorate and make a huge area all blend together.

Next, it was time for the guests to arrive. Then they introduced the wedding party and then Amanda and Jeremy wre announced and came down the opposite stairs met in the middle and then came down the main staircase together. It was just like Beauty and the Beast! Super cute! Then we had a welcome from my dad and dinner began. The food was delicious and included ceasar salad, carrots, grean beans, mashed potatoes, chicken, and rolls. We also had a rasberry punch. Next it was time for the program. My dad talked, Jeremy's dad talked, and then Amanda and Jeremy. They also did a slideshow of Amanda and Jeremy growing up and their engagement, which was fun to watch and it ended with the video of the wedding day.

During Amanda's comments she told everyone that she really wanted us to all join in and dance. So we were all feeling the pressure. They did the dance with Amanda and my dad, and Jeremy and his mom and then they did the couples first dance, which is always so sweet. Then it was time for all the couples to get out on the dance floor and dance. It ended up being a lot of fun and Travis and I had a blast!

We ended the night with sending the happy couple off. We threw fresh rose peddles and balloons in the air as they walked under them. Jeremy had arranged a camaro for them to drive off in. The day was just perfect. I'm not sure that anything went wrong. I wish them the best in their marriage and all the happiness that marriage can bring!

As a bonus, we got to take some of their flowers home with us. They were beautiful and made our house smell like a floral shop!

If you want to see a quick glimpse of her wedding video click on the link below. I have watched many time and can't wait for the whole video to be completed.

http://vimeo.com/25551435

Family Fun

My mom wanted to put a family gathering together before Amanda's wedding and we left to California. My mom had everything ready to go for a picnic at Barnes park, but it was kind of rainy, windy, and chilly. So we decided to picnic at Shannon's house. We had KFC and some yummy fruit! Even though we weren't able to enjoy nature, we still had a great time with the company!

After dinner, we headed over to Boondocks in Kayville for some mini golf and games. Dad, Mom, Shannon, and Josh went golfing together and Me, Trav, Jeremy, Amanda, and Shane went together.

He isn't even golfing towards the hole because I missed him hitting the ball and so I told him to pose for a picture....and this is what we ended up with :)

From what I recall Trav won and Jeremy took second. It was fun to have fun and laugh together!  Thanks to my mom for always being so great to get us together!

Goodbye to the Robertson's

Trav's good friend through school was Jeff Robertson. I honestly think that he saw Jeff more than he saw me during the first two years of school. They always had a good time together at school and had funny nicknames for different people in their class. I could tell they were very similar in personalities when we would get the chance to hang out all together.

We enjoyed the time we would spend with the Robertson's. They are such a cute family and me and Trav love playing with Blake and Kierlyn! They are so fun, bubbly, and just great kids. Sadly, the day after this get-together they headed back to Arizona where their families live because Jeff got a job as a Pharmacist for Walgreens there. We really sad to say goodbye and hope that we will find time to hang out with them again!!

So So Proud!

June 4, 2011- Greatest Day Since Our Wedding!

Trav GRADUATES as a DOCTOR of PHARMACY!!! I am so proud of my sweetie for sticking it out and passing all his tests. He studied ever night all night long and he was so diligent. He wanted to do his best, so that he knew he gave his full effort and had no regrets. This is my chance to brag my hubby up because I just think he is the best and I couldn't be more proud of him!!

So happy that we will have more time to spend together!

I know that this picture is kind of a weird angle, but I just love the big smile on Trav's face. I just can see the relief that he has because this long journey is finally OVER! 

This picture explains perfectly the support we have from our families! I was so grateful that they were willing to come and share this special special day with us!

I attribute Trav's drive to succeed and work hard from his parents. Trav's dad has a full-time job, runs his farm, is a Bishop, and still finds time for his family and Trav's mom always goes above and beyond in any task, and she is excellent at gardening, housekeeping, and being prepared. She also gives her all for her family. I am lucky to have such amazing in-laws who raised such a well-rounded guy!

Our  parents were our support through these 3 tough years. You would think that Trav would be the only one that needed support, but I definitely needed it to. :)

Trav's oldest brother Adam, Trav, younger brother Mark, and our nephew Austin.

We are so grateful to have the chance to know and spend time with my grandparents! They love Trav as if he was their own grandkid.

Trav's sister Jaime was able to come too! We were happy to have here there.

I don't think I could express in words the joy both me and Trav felt on this day. It is beyond explaining! We are so excited to start the next chapter of life which involves NO SCHOOL!

A darn good reason to celebrate

Thursday, June 2nd

The University of Southern Nevada held a graduation dinner at La Caille. They had a really nice dinner to start it off. Then they had some speakers talk about the hard work that the Class of 2011 put into graduating and getting their education. At the end they played a slideshow of different photos from the three years of school at USN. Trav was in there a few times, but because he is a guy, he didn't take the time to submit pics to go in the slideshow. Lol, but it was still fun to watch.

It was great to have something official to celebrate graduation!!! It was so fun to talk with people from his graduating class.