Goodbye 2013!

As the year is most definitely coming to an end, all too quickly I might add, it seemed the prefect timing to count the impossible amount of blessings this year has brought us. 

First and most importantly I am so grateful for our Lord and Savior and the amazing gospel in my life. From going through the temple at the very beginning of this year, I could not be more assured on a daily basis of how right and perfect that decision was. The most spiritual and beautiful experience I've been blessed to have is to be sealed to Austin and I could not think of a better way to start the year!  I'm so beyond grateful for the continuous and everlasting atonement and that I am able to be in this place in my life today. The gospel has brought such a fullness to my life and my happiness has never been higher because of it. 

Austin and I are also both so blessed to be able to go to school... As hard and discouraging it can be at times, I really do know the importance of getting an education and am so grateful that we can work at it together. He's got a long road ahead but we know it'll be oh  so worth it. 

Of course we are so grateful for our families. We are able to do and accomplish so much because of them and their support, that I couldn't imagine doing it without them. 

We are most especially appreciative of our opportunities to travel this year. Starting with our long haul to Houston… As I've said multiple times that trip was such a blessing… at times in disguise but a huge blessing at that. It was the best decision we could have made, brought us so close together and we were able to learn so much. As well as Houston, I've found a new love for one of Austin's favorite places, San Antonio. We traveled there back and forth throughout the summer and were able to make a few more trips to end the year. As soon as we started dating, I heard constantly of Austin's love for the place and I never thought much of it. But I most definitely have started to realize why he loves it so much. We also were able to go to Seattle for my sister's wedding and have ourselves a little mini vacation. All of our travels have made it such a memorable year.

And of course I am eternally blessed to have Austin as my husband. This has been the absolute best year so far and I owe it all to that man. I know I will never be able to thank him enough for taking me to the temple. My absolute favorite date nights are those couple hours we spend at the temple and I know without a doubt it's the best thing we can do for our relationship. I'm so lucky to have him with me everystep of the way. He knows how to make me happy when I'm down and can always find the best in every situation. He's proven to be the hardest worker, from our summer together to the countless nights at the library studying for school, he really never fails to amaze me. 

Of course there's a million other things to add to this very short list but I really just wanted to touch on those few highlights of our year. As for 2014? More school, more work and more great memories to come. 

Our year summed up in a few pictures :) 

Our Little Leap of Faith

The days are winding down and we're officially two weeks away from our long haul home. This summer has been by far the longest, hardest, hottest and the absolute BEST one I could have asked for... For Austin and I, it's been our little adventure on our own, growing together, meeting new people, exploring a new (and big!) city and of course working hard. With that being said, the most amazing part about this summer would be the complete increase in faith that has peaked in my life. We started this summer by taking a leap of faith that Houston is where we needed to be and through our never ending roller coaster of a summer, The Lord never failed us. From us completely failing at sales to a miserably hot work routine and all the many, many bumps that happened in between, let's just say it's been far from easy. However, with that being said everything miraculously seemed to work out. At the end of each day our faith never wavered and now at the end of the summer our blessings are countless. It's truly amazing how we started out in May with only material, earthly rewards in mind and now at the end of the road, the rewards are so much more than that. 

I mean, how great is it that us newlyweds were able to work together as a team all day long? How great is it that we were able to learn so much about not only each other but ourselves individually? How great is it that the strangers we've met have turned into meaningful and long lasting friendships? How great is it that we were able to learn humility in the best way possible, by acknowledging our complete and grateful dependence on The Lord for everything we've both accomplished and failed at this entire journey. I am truly so appreciative for our hardships this summer and the outcomes of them... Because of them my testimony continues to grow on a daily. But above all... How great is that even through the hard times, there was an undeniable fullness to my life and I found myself completely and utterly happy knowing my Father in Heaven was and continues to be on our side every step of the way. He's just waiting for us to take that leap of faith, trust in the road He has in store, and run with it... 

What have we been up to?!

Long time, no blog right? Well Austin and I have been keeping ourselves extremely busy! To start, we have decided it was best for us to no longer sell pest control... We wanted something more concrete and definitely more of a guarantee... And our boss just so happened to make us an offer we really couldn't refuse. So low and behold we are now "Service Pros"! In other words, instead of selling the service we actually provide the service. I know, I know, none of you can picture me spraying for bugs. But! It's really not too bad. Austin and I get to work together, quite literally all day long. We ride in the same truck and service the same homes, 7 in the morning to 7 at night Monday thru Saturday. Call me crazy, but it is still great money for school... Which is sneaking up on us a lot sooner than I'm ready  for... Eeek! 

With our new schedule we really don't have a lot of down time. We do however make time to have some fun and see a Houston. My number one place to go when we have a couple hours free? The temple! It's definitely my favorite place and brings me "home" every time. I also love being able to go to different ones and see how gorgeous each one is. This weekend in fact, we just so happened to luck out and get Saturday off. So we made a little mini vacation out if it and visited San Antonio. Visited the fam, caught up on some much needed sleep and visited the San An Temple! Which let me tell you, absolutely stunning! San Antonio really is the perfect place for us to get away for the weekend and feel the love of some familiar faces that we've so been missing! 

Other than that, not too much is going on. Another plus about being a service pro - we're working with new people other than sales. Not that we wanted to leave our sales friends by any means but we now have doubled the friendships since being here. (And we still see the sales reps all the time!) Being in Houston we really have met some amazing people and built some great relationships. I just have to say one of the best things about this summer is the friendships we've made. I couldn't imagine the summer without them! 

             Saucy and Uncle Reuben 

               San Antonio Temple!

                  Houston Temple! 

               Austin working away! 

Oh and only six more weeks and we'll be home! Yay! :) 

What I've learned selling Pest Control

After finding out the obvious... The fact that I am not very good at the whole sales thing, I've decided the best way to confront that conclusion would be to put together a list of all the positive things I've discovered from selling pest control...  

- Patience is everything! You can go an entire day knocking door after door and you won't get someone who's remotely interested until 8:30... Now we all know I'm not the most patient person, so let's just say this has been a huge test. The patience and motivation to just keep chugging is really what it takes to keep going throughout the week. With that, I have to say this has been such a great opportunity for me to work on that whole patience thing, as there really is no other option than chugging along ;) 

- Prayer and faith really do get you through it all. If anything this experience has been one hundred percent worth it, just for the fact that everyday has helped  to strengthen and impact my personal testimony. A couple weeks after being here, Austin and I started wondering why exactly we were supposed to come to Houston. For those of you who don't know, Austin and I were going back and forth between two summer sales companies. After lots of praying and temple trips we both felt strongly about Alterra... And we have yet to find an exact answer. With that being said though, I know without a doubt this is where we're supposed to be. Without that faith, I know I would have given up a long time ago, but because of our constant prayers and faith in why we're here, everything has worked out and we've been blessed with many opportunities along the way. I've really just learned to take a step back, relax and when in doubt pray... Reassurance and comfort always come... 

- Probably one of the toughest things I really had to learn to get past - not taking rejection personally. After constant no's, I really started to think there was something wrong with me... Which may or may not be true, but! It really is that people aren't necessarily saying no to me... Just the service. 

- Why I married Austin. Like I said after a couple weeks, Austin and I were wondering why exactly we're here. One of the many reasons I've come up with is for Austin and I to grow closer together. We literally spend all day every day with each other and instead of getting on one another's nerve, it has completely worked for us (knock on wood :) ). I think the best part of working at Alterra would be being able to have the opportunity to work with Austin. This summer has been such hard work, and guess who has never quit? Austin. He's constantly going, going, going, always encouraging me, helping me and making sure we're doing what's best for us. ! 

- Of course, being here in Houston, I've really come to realize just how much I love Idaho! Really, Idaho is Idahome and I miss and love the fam oh so much, only two more months guys!

- And one last thing... Some people LIKE their bugs!!! Yup you heard me, some people really have no problem with ants and spiders roaming free. One guy I talked to said, and I quote, "You know, I see no reason to mess with God's critters. He put them here and as long as they're not getting in my home, I see no reason to kick them out of theirs!" Which I mean, good for him. I could never live with fire ants and hornets everywhere... But if he can than more power to him I guess! 

For those of you wondering what Austin's learned?? "A lot"... & there ya have it! We've learned so much in just this short time that who knows what'll change come the end of August :)  

                We send our love! 

Hey y'all!

   Wow what a crazy and busy past few months it has been! Since May, Austin and I have  finished our first year of college, moved out of our first house together and of course moved away to Texas!

    (Saying goodbye to the Farmhouse) 

   Our move down South was pretty much smooth sailing... Mostly thanks to Austin as he basically drove the entire way to San Antonio and then Houston nonstop... About 22 hours combined! Driving through New Mexico we hit the biggest sandstorm where we couldn't even see the lines in front of us... After that we were randomly stopped at about one in the morning by border control just getting into Texas... Other than that we made the long drive to Houston and let me tell you,  not only is it beyond gigantic, but HOT! Everyone warned me, but I was most definitely unprepared for the humidity. Despite the heat, humidity and hard work we really are starting to love Houston and make it our home. Our place here is tiny!! We're staying in an Extended Stay which works out great because we didn't have to worry about furniture, utilities or any of that before getting here. It's turned out perfect, we have a mini kitchen (even though we mostly live off cereal anyway)  and really are only here to sleep.  Our days Monday-Friday start at nine where we have our morning meetings with the team. From there, we drive about an hour to our area to start knocking doors till about 2:30. We take a quick lunch and then knock again until it's dark outside... Usually about 8:30/8:45. We then drive an hour back to the office for paperwork and end up finally getting back to our place around ten o'clock. We get lucky on Saturdays and get done at four... But needless to say the week is pretty exhausting. The job itself is a lot harder than I could have imagined. Of course we didn't start out thinking sales would be completely easy but it has definitely taken a while to get used to... I quickly came to realize that sales is not my strong area and rejections are tough! Austin  however picked it up pretty quick and has always been there for encouragement. With that, we are learning A TON  out here, trying to stay motivated, be positive and really reach our goals. I'd say we're slowly but surely getting better after each day. At the end of the day we just remember why we're out here and it always works out. What's great though is that we love everyone we work with! The guys are great and fun and we've made some awesome friends being out here. I'd say the best part so far would be getting to know and hang out with everyone on a daily basis.  

                   Crazy Sand Storm!

           Awesome farmer's tan from 

                          the Texas sun. 

   Other than working hard this summer we've been able to get away and enjoy Houston as well. One lucky night while waiting in line for a Houston Astros game with one of our work friends, some extremely generous, random guy came up and handed us three free tickets that were  just ten rows up from home plate! My first pro game with Austin will definitely be hard to beat. We've also been able to see the Houston Zoo, (which I had been absolutely dying to do ever since getting here! ) and drive over to San Antonio and see Austin's parents. That was such a fun getaway and we can't wait to go back! 

   It's crazy to think it's already the end of June and we only have two more months until we're back home and settling into our old routine. This summer has been so good to us, it's been perfect to be able to get away and have our own little adventure. Regardless of the heat, the crazy drivers or the door after door knocking, I know that our Heavenly Father sent us here for a reason and we wouldn't have it any other way. 

We love and miss you all!!

-- Honey & Saucy 

Covering the Basics.

What a year, and it's not even half way over! To start and to rewind a little bit, Austin and I began dating back in January of 2012. One thing everyone always asks us, "How did you guys meet?!" ... And we never know what to say. My family and his have always been close friends and Austin and I have always know of each other... Meaning, we didn't actually start talking until Austin had been home from his mission for a couple months. After that, the rest is history and we were then married on January 4, 2013 in the Boise Temple. Without a doubt, the best decision I have ever made. From there, we moved into our adorable farmhouse, as we like to call it, that we are so blessed to have available for us from Austin's parents, Sean & Dini. We have made some of the best memories while here, that I cannot wait to tell our future kids. Regarding anything from our freezing nights because we forgot to reload the pellets, or our freezing showers because our pipes froze... And for anyone that knows me, I HATE being cold, but needless to say these were all experiences I wouldn't trade for the world and wouldn't have wanted to share with anyone else of course. From getting married, we went right back to reality as we both are full time students, Austin at College of Idaho and myself at Boise State. With that I also work full time and Austin is a full time student athlete, so it's safe to say we stay pretty busy.
Immediately following the end of semester, (only three weeks away, yikes!), Austin and I are driving to Texas to work for the summer with a company called Alterra. This is such a great opportunity for us to make money for school and the following year. I'm hoping this blog will be a way for us to update family and friends on our sure to be exciting three and a half months in Houston. I just have to say how grateful I am for our support system. We are so blessed with our amazing families and all that they do for us. We can't wait to make you guys proud!