22 Before 23

With the change of plans of us heading to Idaho, I decided it was a great time to update some goals! I have so much I want to accomplish within the next couple years before we have kids. So here's my 22 before 23 and I'm stoked to check these things off! :)

1. Get my work published 5 different times

2.  Learn to enjoy the small things

3. Follow a budget to a T for at least 1 month

4. Take care of myself and my husband

5. Only own things I love

6. Write 50 pages of my book

7. Try 12 new recipes

8. Get offered a job on the spot

9. Master Crock Pot meals

10. Go another year debt free

11. Shoot a wedding out of state (i.e. Not Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, or Utah.)

12. Stress less

13. Print 2 albums for my family

14. Take a vacation with just Jacob and I

15. Go to two photography conferences or workshops

16. Reach 100 followers on my blog

17. Have 52 sessions within 2015

18. Spend more time in the here and now

19. Do a DIY for our apartment

20. Practice gratitude on a daily basis

21. Have a saving account that will last 6 months if needed

22. Earn over $2,000 in one month (My income only)

Comfort Zones May Be Beautiful...

I sat in my Grandparents' massage chair enjoying my day off when I got a call from Jacob. Eastern Idaho Technical College had an opening he could fill, but he needed to give them an answer within almost 24 hours. I didn't really stress at that moment because I thought we were both set on going to Torrington. But then he said, "I think this is something we should really pray about."
Of course I didn't want to pray about it. Jake was registered at Torrington, had his schedule set, FASFA was done, and we were beginning to look for apartments. I didn't feel like it was even something to think about! We needed a NEW place. Somewhere we could become independent and stand alone.
I won't lie. I came upstairs bawling to my dad asking him what in the world to do. Now, my dad is extremely wise. He doesn't always say things in the nicest and sweetest way possible, but, he is wise.
As I talked to him he reminded me that I don't always have to go to the Lord because sometimes it doesn't matter. Such as your cereal in the morning. But, he did say that both places will have learning experiences. Which I agreed with. But I already knew Jacob was set on Idaho. And as I talked to Jacob, I made an effort to explain if he were to decide Idaho, it should be for the school and nothing else. The gospel, our marriage, and his education would need to be the top priorities.
So, we are moving to Idaho. I'll full heartedly say not by choice, because I am ready for us to be away from everyone, including my family. I believe it's extremely important for newlyweds to get away from comfort zones. It's a struggle, I know it is, but it helps you rely on one another. And truth be told, comfort zones get you no where. And Idaho happens to be a comfort zone for both of us.

I might as well give a little lecture now. Please, please, please get out of your comfort zone. I'm an extreme introvert and I started my own Photography business! I have to talk to clients daily and interact with them, which is honestly something I still struggle with today. But after all my hard work and busting my butt I can honestly say I am so glad I got out of my comfort zone! Let's be honest though. Comfort zones are beautiful. But there isn't any growth. You stand still.

We will be moving to Idaho Falls August 13th and be leaving in two years when he gets his Welding license. Hopefully this time everything will go according to plan. :)

In other news, Jacob and I got back from New Mexico last week and it was a blast! I loved seeing my sister and brother-in-law. We were even able to work at their firework stand and in White City! After working Construction, almost anything else is pretty easy. So that was nice. :) We are Sunday School teachers for the 5 and 6 year olds. They are hilarious and I actually really enjoy it. And they do too, as long as I bring snacks. :)

MEET TAZ AND STRUMMER

The cutest, sweetest, and most insane cat you'll ever meet. Sadly, I can't say he's mine. My mom had been wanting a mouser for awhile, and since Jacob Ross had a friend who was giving away free kittens, we got this hot shot. My parents had a crazy and playful cat when they were first married named Taz. And since the kitten reminded them so much of him, they decided Taz would fit him well.

Now let me tell you something. My dad has been spoiling this cat to no end. Neither of my parents are huge indoor animal lovers, but Taz has slept in their bed every night since we got him. But hey, I'm not complaining. I enjoy getting some animal time since I know Jake and I won't be able to get a dog or cat anytime soon.

And then there's Strummer! While we were in Idaho, Jake spotted a good deal on Craigslist. It's a 1999 Saturn SL. It's got less than 93,000 miles on it and gets 35mpg on the highway! Did I mention we only paid $1,340? It's not a looker, but I have loved having a great gas milage car again. But now we have two cars which mean two insurances. (Bleh.) Depending on what job I get in Torrington, we may be selling the Durango, but for now,

we'll keep it.

In other news, I had to say goodbye to two good friends. Laura and Jarrett came into Cheyenne for two weeks to work for Ross Construction. I was gone at a family reunion part of the time, but it was such a blast going on some double dates with them. Plus work wasn't so bad when you have good company.

We've still been pretty busy with work. We're both exhausted, but looking forward to our next Vacation to New Mexico which is in 2 weeks! And we cannot wait! :)

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

Jacob and I headed to Idaho for a small vacation and the Peterson/Gibby Reunion. We spent the first couple days just relaxing and getting a couple errands done. I was able to listen to live broadcasts for my photography business by a favorite photographer of mine. Marketing and learning different techniques to adapt to my photography are honestly some of my favorite things to do. Jacob and I were also able make some extra cash by selling old things we didn't need. We ended up making over $200! Pretty much paid for our trip to Idaho. 

We went to Cafe Rio and Coco Bean was right next to it, so of course I begged Jacob to take me! I had the Better Than Whatever cupcake. Soooo Good! We'll have to make it a new tradition or something. 

On Friday we left for Island Park to the cabin Jacob's grandparents own. Jacob went fishing multiple times and caught some pretty big rainbow trout. Once I brought my camera out the fish did not take any bites. 

For a new family tradition, Connie brought out a table cloth and we all traced our hands and wrote what happened the passed year. It was fun seeing what everyone wrote. We also wrote to Elder Joseph Peterson our testimonies. I can't believe he's been out for 10 months!

I have lived in Wyoming for about 15 years I have never been to Yellowstone, until now! Grandma and Grandpa Gibby offered that I could go and I took them up on it! I was shocked at how much Yellowstone actually covers, and how much there is in the park. We got to go see guessers and Old Faithful which was probably my favorite part. I was thankful my sweet husband went with us. 

All in all, it was a great week with family. I'm thankful we were able to have a weekend to take a break from the busy. I'm also thankful for the men and women fighting everyday for the freedoms we have. We truly are blessed. 

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND

50-60 hour weeks are definitely taking their toll on me. I'm beyond exhausted, but so thankful to have the opportunity to be on vacation for Memorial Weekend. I'm sure I'll have a future post on our actual vacation, but for now we'll stick to covering what I haven't documented yet. 

Mother's Day Weekend my brother Jacob had Mormon Prom in Fort Collins. My parents asked if Jake and I could take him there and have our own date night. Most things were closed by the time we dropped them off, but we did get some dinner there. I forgot the name of the place, but it was honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had. And we finished the night out by watching Here Comes the Boom in the car in the parking lot of Prom. It was nice being able to relax a bit that night. 

As for Mother's Day, I reflected on two very important women in my life. My mother and my sister. And here's just a few reasons why they're amazing.

My mom works full-time at Sunrise Engineering, she manages the office at Ross Construction, continues running the house when she's home, and she makes a hot dinner for her family every night. It amazes my how much she does for not only me, but for the rest of her family. Especially my dad. I cannot express my appreciation for her example to me. She continues to see the good in everyone and is always serving her neighbor. She keeps a smiling face even through some of the toughest trials. As I went to college, I realized that my mother had always been my best friend. She told me why every boy wasn't worth my time, reassured me how cute red looked on me, and even when I went to school mismatching, would still claim me as her daughter. I hope that I can be half the mother she was to me. Thank you for always having my back, mom.

(Did I mention how absolutely stunning she is as well? My dad is one lucky guy.)

Jodi has been there for me through the thick and thin. When we attend BYU-Idaho together, we grew extremely close. We made brownie cupcakes with carmel centers, which would be the definition of a Pinterest fail. We studied together for Natural Disasters and Math 108, and we spent many nights up venting about pointless things. If you'd like to see some of our dumb, but kinda funny, college YouTube videos, click on of the links below. 

Talk Show   Halloween Scare   Cake Mix Cookies

Jodi has the greatest talent of making others laugh. She knows how to have fun when it's appropriate, but is also one of the hardest working people I know. She has so much motivation that when her mind is set, she will go anywhere she wants. I'm always amazed by how much she accomplishes. I'm also thankful for her ability to make everyone feel good around her. She accepts all and makes you feel as if you've always been apart of the friend circle. Thanks for being another great example to me Jodi. Cannot wait to spend two weeks with you this summer.

Advice | Peterson Update

It is amazing how the Lord puts people in your life at the right time, at the right place, and they say the right thing.
Last week I called my cousin Laura and we chit chatted about our lives. She was telling me about all the great things going on and then she said something that really caught me off guard. She said, "Jay, life really isn't that hard."
I busted up laughing. I really did. I couldn't believe she was saying that. But she went on.
"No, really. All you have to do is decide what you want, and go after it."
Laura was pretty much preaching the power of goal setting and visualization, which is something I tell everyone to do, and I was laughing at it…
This was kind of huge to me because of what had happened previously that week.

Jacob and I had just found out that there was a waiting list for the Welding Program at IT. Which meant he would have to do three years of school instead of two. Which meant an extra year of tuition, rent, and another year before being in a career.

So Jacob started to apply for Eastern Wyoming College, which was originally my first pick. I'll be honest, I wanted to be close to my family. I knew that the older we'd get, the busier we'd get. So I wanted to be close to them while I could. Especially since I'm gone 7 months out of year for College. But then I started researching.
Torrington's population is 6,800.
There is one skate park. (Thank goodness, because Jake would go insane if there wasn't)
One Elementary, Middle, and High School.
One Movie theater that shows one movie a night.
And if you do want to do anything, or want reasonably priced groceries, you have to drive to Scottsbluff, which is 45 minutes away, or Cheyenne, which is an hour and a half away.

I started stressing a bit. I was planning on running my photography business full time in the Fall, but how in the world would I do that with a population under 7,000? Many of those being college kids?
But Laura said exactly what I needed at that time. I had already decided I wanted to do my business full time. All I need to is make it happen. Obviously easier said than done, but I was thankful that Laura was there saying the words I needed to hear even if she didn't know it.

I still plan to do my photography business but I will most likely get a part time job so I don't go insane being home alone all day. Jacob is finishing up his application for Wyoming Eastern College where they currently have opening for their Welding Program. I am excited (and extremely nervous) for this adventure and to be close to my family for a couple years. Cheers to the next couple years!

What You Need To Do Right Now

Yesterday I attended a Photography Networking Event. It was wonderful to connect with such kind and talented people in my industry. I was so glad hearing that I'm not the only one who gets lonely in this business.

A very knowledgable photographer brought up such a great point that has completely opened my mind. He mentioned that if we were ever to have a Dark Age, if all technology crashed, we would have nothing documented of this time. Absolutely nothing.

Our generation is the most photographed generation, yet no one would ever know because we don't print.

We are guilty of not printing our photos. I'm guilty of it! I have over 5,000 personal photos on my laptop and I haven't printed them. But I need to. I NEED to sit down for just an hour and pick out photos for an album. Honestly, I know it wouldn't even be an hour because I would get so into it and I'd want to just go through photos all day.

So, why don't you?

One of my all time favorite things is going through my parents old albums and seeing their awkward dating years, my mom's "I-like-your-sleeves" wedding dress, and even pictures of me as a baby! I swear I went through those albums any chance I got.

For FHE this upcoming week, I am going to go through Jacob and I's laptops and get photos into folders for different time periods. I have challenged myself to print all those iPhone photos I never got to, and make albums for them. I want to show my kids our dates, our first car, the camper, the funny faces we made. I want my kids to see that.

I challenge you to do the same.

If you have time to be on Facebook, I promise you have time to pick out some photos to print.

Go through your phone, your laptop, your digital camera, and start printing your photos! I'm not telling you to go spend a fortune, or to get them in the highest quality there is, but I am telling you to print them. You do not know how much your kids, your grad kids, and your great-great grad kids will appreciate it.