I'm Nocturnal..or trying to be!

For the past 3 weeks, I've been working nights. I have always been a night person, meaning I like to stay up late...not all night! I actually have enjoyed working nights where it's not quite so face paced (usually), especially since I just started working on my own last week so I feel like it's been a good adjustment. But as far the schedule goes, I feel crazy! I work from 6p-6a and then get home and sleep from about 7a-3p. I have come to find that humans really are made to sleep during the night as I've found that my body is so much more tired working nights and I require more sleep. Even with the crazy schedule I have and only seeing Curt for a couple of hours a day on the days I work (and even then, I'm not very awake and kinda crabby) , I'm so grateful to have a good job! My manager says she plans to have me work 2 weeks of days then 2 weeks of nights...that sounds better to me than all nights so I'll take it! (By the way, don't ask me right now why I went into nursing...Something to do with being kicked and slapped..Needless to say it's been a long night but only 2 hours left!)

Kylee Anne Pittenger

This little beauty was born on July 24th @ 2:58 a.m. She weighed in @ 7lbs 15oz and 18 inches long. Curtis and I are so excited to have our first niece!!!

Congrats Ashley, JB, Tyler and Jordan!! We can't wait to meet her!

1 Year Already??

I think it's a good sign that Curt and I both can't believe we've already been married a year! On Sunday, July 19th we "celebrated" on 1 year anniversary. I use that term loosely because we were actually driving in the car for 8 hours on the way home from Montana. But really, we were just happy to be together! It really has been an amazing year. Honestly, we have been blessed time and time again and we have so much to be grateful for. We have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives constantly this past year. We know that eventually we will have harder times, but we have made so many good memories to hold onto that will help us to make it through the trials of life. We are looking forward to an eternity of anniversaries!!

The highlight of our day (at least if you ask me), eating our wedding cake top...And it actually tasted pretty dang good!

Curt came home with beautiful flowers a couple days after our anniversary...such a sweetheart!

And since we both have a weekend off work in a couple weeks, we're planning to celebrate our anniversary in Park City (since neither of us has been there since living in Utah). It just so happens it's the weekend of Curt's birthday...Killing two birds with one stone I guess you could say :)

Counting Down!

In less than 4 weeks, I will be going here...

Where I will:

1. See our niece due on Aug 3rd, Sadie Ann James

2. Play with my fav little man Cooper

3. Help my sister and bro-in-law adjust to life with 2 kids

4. Hopefully see a bit of Philly

I can't wait!!!

In less than 4 weeks, Curt will be going here...

Where he will:

1. See our niece born July 24, Kylee Anne

2. Shadow a PT for more observation hours

3. Go boating with his bro-in law

4. Hopefully get some golfing in!

Even though we won't be together on our vacays, at least we'll both be gone at the same time (looking on the bright side of things) :)

Cooper Family Reunion

Montana is one of my favorite places. Maybe because I was born there, but especially because I spent a lot of time there growing up. Grandma and Grandpa Cooper lived up Petty Creek, out in the beautiful forest up a dirt road with the creek running right on their property. It's a gorgeous place and I have many memories of Petty Creek. We have a Cooper Reunion every other summer with my mom's side of the family. Even though Grandma and Grandpa have passed on, their legacy is endless and I love how close I feel to them while at Petty Creek. Curt and I were so glad we got to go to the reunion!! We left late Thursday and got to our destination at 3am. After a short 3 hours of sleep, we were off to the lake. We had so much fun boating, tubing, jet skiing and swimming.

The luau that night was lots of fun! Curt and I slept in our tent (it was the first time we used it outside not inside..a momentous occasion) and even though the air mattress went flat, at least it was more than 3 hours of sleep!

Saturday was spent playing Jeopardy (I represented my family and I'm waaay too competitive!), baseball with 2 person shirts (dangerous game!) and eating.

There were probably about 100 people at the reunion and it was so nice to catch up with cousins I hadn't seen in a long time. I'm so glad we were able to go and am already looking forward to the next one!!

Curtis' New Job

In order to apply to PT schools I need at least 100 hours of experience in a clinical PT setting. I volunteered for about 2 months at S.O.S. PT in Provo and got about 30 hours in. Well, it seemed like it was going to be tough to get in the rest of my hours. So I asked if they would be hiring anybody soon. They said they might be and would let me know. Well, within a week I had an interview and got a job at SOS! I absolutely love it there! The therapists are great and it is an awesome hands on experience. For the rest of summer I am just covering shifts that other Tech's can't work and I will be on the schedule starting in the fall. I am glad I chose to pursue PT, it is so fun and I love what I do. Glad I picked the right career!

Freedom Festivities

We started out the 4th bright and early, but not nearly as early as Lisa and Denis. They were so nice to invite us down to the perfect spot along the parade route that they had saved since before 5am! The parade was fun, but the highlight was seeing Elder Holland watching the parade with his grand kids. We were glad to know that apostles get to have fun too! Lisa even "sneakily" snapped a few shots of him. We didn't stay for the whole parade because let's face it, they get pretty boring after a while, and it got too hot!

We headed home, took a nap, played the Wii, made a flag cake dessert and then headed up Provo Canyon for a BBQ with Lisa's family. We always have so much fun with her family and they always keep us laughing for sure!


We finished off the night watching the Stadium of Fire fireworks. The 4th of July is such a wonderful time to reflect on the amazing blessings that we enjoy living in this country. I am grateful for the freedom that I have and I'm proud to be an American!!!

Manti Pageant

Those who know me know that traditions are very important to me. I am always thinking of new traditions that Curt and I can start in our family. We went to the Manti Pageant last year and decided to go again this year...I suppose that makes it a tradition! We picked up Lisa and Denis, got some not-so fast food at A&W and drove to Manti. We got there on early just so we could play some games and enjoy the beautiful weather. After a fun game of "Would You Rather" and "Yahtzee" we lounged for a few minutes before the pageant started. They put a lot of work into the performance and for the most part it is really good. A little cheesy at parts, but the overall message reminded me how grateful I am to be a part of this amazing Gospel and to know that my family will be together forever. That is the greatest blessing of all! We had a fun time with the Clayson's and Curt even stayed awake driving home while we all slept. (Thanks babe!) We had a really good time!

We did get a picture of the 4 of us, but I still have to get it from Lisa!

The Man with the Grill

Although we don't have children and are not expecting, we celebrate Father and Mother's Day for each other. It could be because we just like giving/getting presents. It also could be because my dad forgot my mom's first Mother's day, and it took a while for her to get over. We figure if we're in the habit of celebrating now, maybe that will lessen the chances of forgetting such important holidays. Maybe not, but that's what we tell ourselves. I got Curt a grill for Father's Day. "Walmart Special" as he likes to say. I think it's really cute and he think it's functional. It's already made for several great BBQs and many more to come!

Look at the happy man with the grill!

Ashley Barnes, RN!

I PASSED!! I am very excited to have RN after my work signature! I took the NCLEX on Thursday and I was convinced that I failed (like many others). 75 questions, 1 1/2 hours and $200. I was pretty much been miserable waiting for the results thinking I failed, so when the opportunity came to pay $7.95 to see my results, I had to do it so I could know one way or the other. I could have saved the money and waited till Monday to know, but the money spent was well worth it to put my mind at ease! I'm excited that I get to keep my job that I love!!