Big 12 of 2012

        Recently, Nick and I reflected back on this amazing year since this was our big year together. We talked about some of our best moments of 2012 and wrote up this list in chronological order. This is what we chose to be our Big 12 of 2012!!!

February 25: We got engaged and what a glorious night that was!

May 5-9: Nick and I went on one of our first big trips together to the Oregon coast with the Durrant family.

June 8: With my family and Nick's family, I went through the Draper Temple for the first time! 

June 15: The biggest moment of the year and of our lives, Nick and I were sealed for all time and eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. Best day EVER!

June 17: Provo became my new home town. Nick and I moved into our first apartment together at BYU Wymount Student Family Living for the summer. Then on August 1: Nick and I moved again, but into a much better and bigger duplex home which we absolutely love!

August 2: We finally purchased Netflix and officially became addicted to the Office.

August 11-18: We went on a honeymoon cruise and traveled the world together to 4 different countries: Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Roatan, Honduras and Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands. 

August 25: Traveled back to Oregon with the Leavitt family for Scott and Megan's wedding!

September 3: Nick joined the BYU Junior Mini Baja Team (mechanical engineer team which will be competing this upcoming May in Washington)

                    (pictures soon to come in future posts of the baja they are currently designing and building)

October 28: San Francisco Giants won the World Series....again...

December 14: I completed my graduate school research thesis project and got an A and Nick passed his Government/Politics class which he despised the entire semester! This was a big deal so we went out for cupcakes to celebrate!

December 25: Just as mentioned in the previous post, we had our first Christmas together as Mr. & Mrs. Durrant which we thought was pretty significant, and Nick did not have to sleep on the couch, ha! 

Here's to you, 2012.....our best one yet and you will be a year to remember!!!!

Love,
the Durrants

Christmas 2012

Yes, Christmas has come and gone, but we still had to share a little about our first Christmas together as Mr. & Mrs. Durrant. First off, we were torn about getting a real tree or not, since we would be leaving for Oregon and Idaho in mid December. One evening, Nick's dad gave us a plant to put in our home.....after a few minutes of thinking of what to do with it or where to put it, our decision was made. We decided to use the house plant and substitute it for a Christmas tree and not just any Christmas tree, but our first one! Every year my mom gets us kids a Hallmark ornament, so pretty much we had a string of lights and the two Hallmark ornaments my mom recently got us. Isn't it a beauty!!!??? ....... Don't worry though, next year we will have a typical, Christmas tree and since we are on our way to collecting ornaments, nativities, and other Christmas decor, I can't wait to display it all for next Christmas!!!

For Christmas 2012, we spent it with my family up in Twin Falls, Idaho with my parents, brother Mark and his family, and of course, the two labs, Hershey and Jake. We had a great time with the family and puppies, baking cookies, opening presents, and recovering from the flu. Yes, several of us caught the flu over the holidays but we all still had a great time. Just made memories we won't forget. 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!!

Love,

the Durrants

Trip to Bend, Oregon

       So far, this winter break has been a good one. Right after Nick and I finished finals, we were lucky to leave Utah and head to Oregon for a get away adventure with family and friends. We first stayed and visited with family on my side in Portland and then made our way to Bend, Oregon with friends of Nick, who he has known since high school. Now if any of you need a new get away location, Bend should be on the list. It is absolutely gorgeous there. With Nick's friends we all rented a cabin for a couple days, technically in Sunriver, Oregon which is just south of Bend. The cabin was huge, beautiful, and amazing. When we arrived, it was a winter wonderland and even continued snowing the rest of the time we were there. We pretty much just lounged around the cabin, watched movies, went snowshoeing, played in the snow, played games, and ate lots of good food. Ha and from this trip I have a new dream....... I hope someday we can have our own cabin to get away to whenever we want, any time of the year. One day.....one day......

The Cabin!!! We fell in love with it!!!

Believe me, the cabin was enormous and there are many more pictures of the rooms but didn't post all of them to save room. Silly Nick.....As you can tell, he had too much fun posing in all the rooms. 

Love,

the Durrants

6 Months Down And A Forever To Go

On December 15, Nicholas and I hit our 6 month mark! That's right, 6 months down and a forever to go. Why I absolutely love being married to this man:

He is absolutely wonderful

He makes me happy

He has a funny, yet contagious laugh

He is fun to be with

He loves his family

He fixes my car

He kisses my forehead

He is smart

He is witty (which I am so jealous of)

We love and enjoy many of the same things 

He is so handsome

He takes me on outdoor adventures

He makes me want to become a better person

He has a strong testimony of the gospel

He loves his current calling in our ward as a nursery leader (which we serve in together...cute, huh?)

Love you, Nicholas Durrant. It's been a wonderful 6 months and I can't wait for what else is in store for us!!!!! XxOoXxOo 

                                                    

Love,

the Durrants

No More Classes

It is pretty amazing to think about that I have gone to school most of my life. Preschool at First Beginnings, Sawtooth Elementary School, O'Leary Jr. High school, Twin Falls High School, bachelors degree at Brigham Young University-Idaho (exercise science), and now about to finish my masters degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Utah.........which I must say is the BEST major EVER. This last Thursday I attended my last lecture of my life.....unless I decide to get a doctorate degree, which I highly doubt but let's not even begin to think about that. It's so weird to me that I have no more lectures to rush to or prepare for. Most of my life and have always been anticipating for the next semester and the classes I would need to enroll in. Though NOW I am having to anticipate for the real world and for actually working as a occupational therapy clinician. Though, I can't get too excited for another clinical rotation in home health and the NBCOT exam (national board exam for licensing) stand in between me and my first job of my career. 

This is a picture of my amazing OT class of 2013 on our first day of the program for our orientation, back in 2010. We have made so many wonderful and hilarious memories together as we have endured and supported each other through the past 3 years of the program. It's great to know and say we have made it and are almost done. Woo-hoo, way to go OT class of 2013. Good luck with fieldwork rotations and can't wait to see you at graduation!

Love,

Krisann 

Halloween & Thanksgiving

We LOVE Halloween time and all that comes with it, such as pumpkin carvings. For pumpkin carvings, we went to the Durrant family home and had a pumpkin carving party. Here are the results from our attempts:

Nick was SO proud of his......"Mid action throw up"

For Halloween night, Nick and I were pretty proud at the fact that we didn't spend one dime on our Halloween costumes. We just used old clothes, scrapes, and a dress of mine from a high school sweet heart ball (all the girls in the group made renaissance dresses). Anyways, we decided to go for the 'Princess Bride' look and I went as Princess Buttercup and Nick went as Westley. We thought it turned out pretty funny!

     For Thanksgiving, we spent it with Nick's family. Nick's cousin was preparing for a wedding the following Saturday, so their family booked their church building for the entire weekend, including Thanksgiving. So we had an amazing feast all together in their church building. Nick and I were in charge of the stuffing, chip n' dip, salad, and dessert. For the dessert I made homemade chocolate cream pie and pumpkin pie......all from scratch and used my mom's amazing recipes. I was pretty proud because it all turned out amazingly delicious and we were so excited to contribute to the feast!

My FIRST pumpkin pie.....EVER.....and was wonderful!

Preparing for Black Friday shopping...another first of mine....DUN DUN DUN.....

This is such a great time of year, for it really reminds us all of what we are thankful for and to reflect back on all of our experiences, adventures, trials, and blessings. I am truly grateful for the love of my life and everything, Nicholas Beus Durrant and to be sealed to him for all time and eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. I am grateful for the gospel, and for my amazing family and friends. I am grateful for movie nights with popcorn, flowers from my husband, puppies (Nick just rolled his eyes), warm fuzzy notes, pie, hot chocolate, our lovely new home, USA and free public restrooms, for being an Idaho girl, red meat, our washer and dryer, puddles and and the smell just after it rains outside, mine and Nick's adventures together, the Utah mountains, Netflix, opportunity to go to school and get a degree, Nick's laugh, Nick's ability to fix ANYTHING, my car which gets me all the way from Provo to the U of U for lectures, my mom's homemade southern cookin, cards from family and friends, packages in the mail (even if it is just a text book you ordered off of amazon), any chance I get to sleep in, hugs and kisses, and SO MANY MORE.......There is so much to be grateful for.......Oh how I love this time of year. 

Love,

the Durrants