Mom time, Study time, Job time

My fabulous mother came to Houston last week to hang out with me for the weekend.  It was so fun!  We had an idea of doing some projects, but really, we just hung out.  We ran, walked, swam, ate, drove, watched movies and prepared my headboard for me to make.  It was so nice having her around to talk to, laugh with, and just be with!

Now she's gone and Brady is still in the mode of study and tests.  To be more exact it has been this (each line equals a day):

study

study

church, rest

study

study

study

test, study

test, test, study

study

church, rest

test, test, study

study

test, study

study

test, study (now)

and still to come...

study

church, rest

test, study

study

test

Utah

These have been and will be his days.  His WHOLE days. My heart aches for him.  But he is almost there. 6 days 'til Utah!

Oh ya, and I got the job I have wanted since before moving here!!!

I will work at TIRR Memorial Hermann doing Therapeutic Recreation.  Best job period.

Car vs. Bike

Last Thursday morning was an exciting day in the Heaps home.  My mom was flying in that afternoon, and I was so excited to hang out with her for the weekend.  Brady left for school on his bike, and less than ten minutes later my nightmare came to life... He called.

Funny nightmare?  Not when he's riding his bike.  It takes him about 15 minutes to get to school on his bike, so 10 minutes is still when I am peacefully doing something else, knowing he is safe. But he called.  

Long story short, Brady got hit by a car on his way to school.  He left an extremely large dent in the side of the car, the front wheel and the handlebar on his bike was ruined, and he got some bruises on his leg.  Luckily nothing big for his injuries.  

This event was intense though because the guy who hit him tried to get out of paying for Brady's bike repair, and tried to threaten Brady with going to the Police to file a report because Brady shouldn't have been riding in the street.  In the end, this man saw the light.  Brady explained the man qualified as a hit-and-run (more to the story I'm not telling) and that the police would also then ticket him for the accident.  The man also realized it is very unlikely a car would win when he hit a biker.  Smart guy.

So Brady's bike is getting fixed.

This photo taken the next night after Brady finally found him, and he had tried to pop this dent out of his car.

Best photo.  Brady documenting his bruise.  Keep looking.  It did get darker.

We're thankful, we're thankful, we're oh so thankful!

What a day! We were blessed to go to the Blake's house for dinner on Thanksgiving.  Dave Blake works in the nursery with us and is amazing!  The whole family is amazing!  Their family goes onto the list of all that we are grateful for!  The Pace family was also there, and it was a feast to remember!  The food was delicious, the company was the best next to family (they felt like it), and Brady and I both felt so grateful for all our blessings!

Isn't gratitude a tricky thing?  You start listing things you're grateful for, and you realize you can't stop.  No matter life's circumstances, when I express my gratitude, I see the Lord in each aspect of life.  Gratitude is an expression of faith.  And it is true.  So I don't want to be grateful just one day, I am grateful everyday.  To see why, go here.  Or just look at my husband.

But such a fun day!

Brady was working on that blink.  Or just really happy.

Ping pong to work up an appetite

Lacrosse after the feast

Faces to be thankful for

Happy Thanksgiving!

That night we decided to be daring and head out to the Houston Premium Outlets.  These were by far the best outlets I have ever experienced.  Primm in Las Vegas doesn't even come close.  And these people came ready to shop.  When we first got there, we saw a mom and daughter get out of their car with suitcases!

Photo is blurry, but suitcase is fully visible

Long night

We woke up wondering if this is what it feels like to be old.  

Tennis

Since dating, Brady and I have loved Tennis, so it has been a blast that we can still go out and play at night.  We have managed to play usually three times a week!  Sadly, I don't win every time.

Right now our friends created a tennis tournament that has gotten us to get with friends to play.  We are in the semi-finals!  We play Kyle and Kina next.  They are a power couple.  Amazing.  BOTH in medical school, and also they get up early in the morning to go work out (including Kyle playing tennis with a bunch of pros).  We're kind of scared.  They're inspiring.

But either way, playing tennis in November in shorts and t-shirts and still getting hot!  This sounds perfect to us.

After our first game vs. Ted and Megan.  Sweaty, but fun!

High 80s in November

When leaves started changing in Utah, Brady and I started feeling sad we were missing Fall.  But then when we were still going outside at night in shorts and t-shirts in November... we continued to love where we are!

For Halloween, Brady and I were cows!  Not so exciting?  Well we got free Chipotle burritos because of it.  My favorite costume was a co-worker...

Watching her do therapy was amazing and hilarious.

My birthday came, and I felt loved by everyone!  At work I got breakfast and cupcakes.  Family combined together to get me a new camera!  So I am back to taking pictures!  And more surprises from siblings!  Thank you all for all the love!  We went to Potbellys for dinner, and then friends came over for cake and ice cream.  Yes, we have friends!  Although... no pictures of then were taken, so there is no proof.

Brady put me to work making FunFetti Cake, his favorite.

But he worked too.  This shows the panorama mode my new camera will do. Pretty cool.

Nelsons to Houston

The second week of September my parents came to visit and welcome us in Houston!  It was a fun weekend of eating, shopping, football, and being together!  Friday we spent the day in Nordstrom Rack while my dad found a deal on a suit he has been wanting for 10 years!  So of course, he had to get it!  It is a dashing suit!  Then, while my mom shopped for food to cook us dinner at the nation's top grocery store, Central Market, my dad and I enjoyed the nice surroundings by eating sample after sample of watermelon, pineapple, orange-carrot juice, ice cream, and more (H-E-B is good for the samples too, it's our go-to grocery store here, way better than Smiths in Provo). 

Friday night we went to Ruggles and enjoyed a delicious meal!  At one point my dad put his napkin down while my mom and I were in the bathroom, and the waiter came and folded it and put it back on the table nicely.  We came back and he kept talking about how he had never seen such amazing service, and he kept putting is napkin down again hoping the waiter would fold the napkin again.  Finally, my dad asked the waiter about this previous service he had performed... of course.  He said he did it because he thought it was my moms!  Ha.  My dad was disappointed.

Then we went to Austin to watch BYU play the University of Texas!  (Go Longhorns!)  There were over 100,000 fans there!  Amazing!  

Before the game we walked along the Ladybird Johnson Parkway

The beginning of the game was SO hot!  All of us were glistening and melting!

The picture before this was my dad reaching to take off his sunglasses.  The poor man had to wear them all night because he forgot his other glasses!

BYU lost, but the Heaps weren't devastated.  We were just excited Matt Edwards got to be there and we saw him! 

This was another fun weekend with parents!  Thank you for coming, mom and dad!  We love you both!

Life in Texas begins

When the Heaps left, the busyness of life began!  Brady started medical school at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston . . .

and I started my internship at TIRR Memorial Hermann doing therapeutic recreation...

We are going green and riding our bikes to and from work/school each day!  Really, it is just more convenient, but it wakes us up in the morning!  Our buildings are a block away from each other, so we meet for lunch almost every day!  This hour together in the middle of busy days is such a nice break!  We feel like every part of life has just been put perfectly in place, and we feel loved and blessed by our Heavenly Father every day because of this!  Go here to learn more.

Experiences from school/work over the past four months include...
-Jane getting hit by a car while riding to work
-Brady smelling like dead people when he comes home
-Getting caught in luckily only one rain storm to ride home, but getting completely drenched this one time
-Guy at lunch who wears the shoes and pants that go above his ankles every day
-Brady rocking his first two rounds of tests
-Jane applying for a job (interviewing this week)
-Brady sawing a body in half like a magician, but no magic involved
-Tickets given to us to a Houston Texans game on the 18th row, 50 yard line! (pictures lost, just our luck)

Way too many stories to tell.