Fall 2012

A lot of things have changed since I last posted. I am so bad a blogging.... I really need to get better and give more frequent updates! Anyway, here is the buzz that is happening this Fall in the Gillies family. I am now working at a different job that started when school started again. I am the assistant teacher in the infant room at the UW Early Care and Education Center. I am so loving my job! I get paid to play with babies all day and engage with them in new ways I never knew before. It is such a wonderful opportunity and a good learning job. I am learning so much about babies and how to take care of them... these skills will be useful sometime in the near future for sure! It is truely a very amazing job and I love it. We have about eight babies right now and I love my tiny new friends. It is so fun to see them everyday and how they light up when you walk into the room! Mark was working at Tough Guys this fall but he is now starting to apply for graduate school and is having a pretty tough semester as it is so he has decided to resign his position until snow removal this winter. He will be in the process of his applications from now until January and some February. We are very excited that it is this time and really hope he can get in somewhere. Some schools he is looking at are of course University of Wyoming and then we are thinking of applying to University of Utah, Utah State, University of Eastern Washington in Spokane (which I would love because it would be way close to Charlene and Matthew) and then have a good program that he has a chance of being accepted to. We might also look in Colorado and Idaho and maybe South Dakota. He is applying for Speech and Language Pathology which is a pretty competative program so pray for him and wish us luck! We are both in our senior year and I will be graduating this December 7, 2012 at 4:00pm! I have ordered my graduation stuff and all that keeps me from being done is 13 credits and well of course passing those 13 credits. Piece of cake... if only the motivation would kick in! Mark will graduate with his undergrad next May and as I mentioned Graduate School is in the cards for us next. We both have new callings in church too. Mark teaches the Juniors and Seniors sunday school class and really enjoys working with these kids. I got released from my long time position in Young Womens and now reside in Primary teaching the Valient 8 class. It is a big change by I am adjusting well. We are just busy busy busy with school and life this fall and look forward to what the months to come have to bring! Here are some pictures that sum up what we have been doing lately.

I ran another Half Marathon in August with two of my really good friends Angie Taff and Olivia Peterson. This was their first half marathon! It was a lot of fun and a great last hurrah for the summer!

In september I went to TOFW (Time Out For Women) with Jamie Fowler, Amanda Scott, Suzzette Perriton, Hallie Wessman, Malia (her sister), Angie Taff, and a bunch of other great ladies. It was such a wonderful experience and we listened to such amazing speakers. And of course shopped til we dropped!

I have also picked up canning lately. So far this fall I have done 14 quarts of peaches, 9 quarts of quartered tomatoes, and 5 quarts and 7 pints of salsa. I remember canning with my mom when I was a kid and it is so much fun to pick up now as I have my own family. I've even got Mark involved! Happy Fall Everyone!