Temple Lights

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we spent time with Sean's family up in Salt Lake. We braved the crowds to see the lights on Temple Square. Sean was feeling under the weather, so he was not able to join us. However, it was still a fun outing, and to top it off we saw Elder Perry and his wife.

I Love My Job!!!

Every day in labor and delivery is so different so I better hurry and write this post before I change my mind. =)

I really love my job. It is such an exciting and generally positive atmosphere. Birth is truly a miraculous event to take part in every day. People are so trusting of nurses and doctors and it is such a privilege to help them. I have to remind myself that even though I see deliveries every time I work, this is a huge deal for each individual family. It is so special for them and I try to remember that.

I had a patient yesterday who was so sweet. She said, "I'm so glad you're my nurse. You're so nice and helpful. Thank you so much for all your help." What a difference that makes in my day. I not only appreciate her kind words but it makes me want to be even better.

Another fun thing about being a labor and delivery nurse is that when women find that out, they immediately want to tell me their birth stories of when they had their kids. I actually like hearing about them and I like feeling included in the "mommy talk" even though I haven't had any of my own. (You know what I'm talking about. All the ladies at enrichment or wherever all talking about their labor and delivery experience.)

Being a nurse is a 24 hour job. (Or so I've learned.) Last weekend alone I think I got 4 "nurse calls" from random friends/ward members who need health advice. I always try to give helpful information but of course I don't remember everything from nursing school. Hopefully I can ease some fears of worried moms or moms-to-be.

I'm so grateful to be a nurse. And at least I know I'll always have a job because people will never stop getting pregnant. =)

My Hubby

What is your husband's name? Sean Bennett

What is the nickname you call him? Seanie (although my mom hates it when I call him that because she had a girlfriend in high school named Shawny)

How long have you been married? 15 months

How long did you date? We met in 7th grade and were friends through junior high and high school. We dated our senior year and then Sean left on a mission to Argentina and I went to BYU. We started dating when Sean got home and got married a year later.

How old is he? 23

Who eats sweets? Both of us...we love monkey bread, caramel, candy, cheesecake, anything yummy.

Who said 'I love you' first? Sean did...what a brave soul he is. I responded with "really?"

Who is taller? Sean is...by a whopping 9 inches. I like it that way because it's the perfect cuddle height and I can wear tall shoes anytime.

Who does the laundry? Both of us. Mostly I do though because he is busy with school and I'm home during the days since I work nights at the hospital.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking straight at the bed then I sleep on the right and Sean sleeps on the left. He has to be able to hang his right arm over the edge and that side faciliates it best. =)

Who mows the lawn? Well we live in an apartment so we don't mow the lawn. But I know for a fact that some day when we do have our own house, Sean will mow the lawn. He talks about how he can't wait to have a yard and a garden to landscape and work outside. I wonder if he'll always feel that way. =)

Who kissed who first? Sean kissed me first but being the very polite gentleman that he is, he asked before he made the move. How sensitive. Our first kiss was when I was 17 and he was 18.

Who asked who out first? I asked Sean out on our very first date. My friend (Hilary) and I planned it and we went out on the lake on her boat and played games and ate pizza on the water. Then we went back to her house and made sundaes. It was in January so I remember it being a little cold but lots of fun. Sean made the next move and asked me out 8 months later. Don't rush into anything honey. =)

I can truly say I am married to my best friend and couldn't be happier. This week I was sick (sore throat, runny nose, cough, congestion) and when I woke up from my sleep after a night shift he had made me homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch. He even made the noodles from scratch, rolled them out, cut them, and cooked them. Before I met Sean I didn't even know you could make noodles from scratch. What a catch!!! Thanks babes.

I tag: Laura P., Jami H., Hilary W. (you can tell about your fiance), and anyone else who wants to.

Burt the Turkey

Last night we had a fun, fall ward party. We first ate a Thanksgiving dinner (probably my only one this year since I have to work). There was a large pumpkin on every table as part of the centerpiece. Then after dinner, the activity was for the couples at each table to turn their pumpkin into a turkey with limited supplies. All we could use were pipe cleaners, colorful puffy balls, big popsicle sticks, plastic eyes, a plastic knife, and a little super glue. Everyone's creations were a little different but very cute. We had probably 10-15 minutes to create it and then the judges came around to evaluate. We are proud to announce that our table won the best overall turkey!!!! It was actually really fun and people got into it. It was easy and much cleaner than carving pumpkins. No one wanted to take our's home so I jumped at the chance. Now Burt the Turkey greets anyone that comes to our apartment. Notice his little feet and his glimmery toe nails (one fell off before we got home). Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Our Recent Hobbies

In the past few weeks I guess we've been feeling a little more creative than usual. Sean randomly decided he wanted to work on his carpentry skills by making a chair from scratch. He bought the wood and supplies and figured out the measurments to make everything work. It turned out more like a bar stool (kind of high off the ground and without a back rest) and I think it's great. We stained it this light color and I'm sure we'll use it for years to come.
I have really enjoyed this fall season and the beautiful colors outside. I wanted to have a few cute decorations to liven up the inside of our apartment, so with my mom's help over conference weekend we made a few things to put up.

These bats and ghosts are really easy and they're fun. We probably made 10 of each and we just place them around our front room for a spooky twist. (They would make a great kids project if anyone is looking for ideas. The only thing not kid-friendly is the hot gluing part.)

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween to everyone!!!!!

BYU Football

The winning score board--59 BYU, 0 UCLA

Brooke, Mike, Elizabeth, and Sean

The last two Saturdays Sean and I have enjoyed going to the BYU Football games and cheering on our awesome cougs!!! They are so far undefeated this season and the last two games they have defended like champs and neither team has scored a single point. Awesome job guys. I hope they go far this season.

Back to Reality

After a fun vacation to Ohio and Arizona and lots of celebrating it's back to the grind. We returned to Provo, Sean started school, and I resumed working. We both came home really sick (from all the airplane rides I think). Our throats were SO SORE. I couldn't talk or swallow without it killing. I was really achy and had a fever. We both went to the doctor and found out I have strep throat and Sean has a viral infection that must take its course. I started antibiotics and I'm already feeling much better. Sean is recovering too and keeping busy with the accounting junior core. We don't see each other much anymore since he's at school and the library all day and I'm at work all night. Like I said, back to reality. =)

Fun Times in Ohio

I saved up my vacation time from work and we got to head out to Dayton, Ohio to visit my sister Laura and her family. We had a ton of fun chasing the kids around and playing, playing, playing. They live in a lovely home in a great neighborhood and we were so glad to get to visit. Here is a glimpse of our fun.
Dallin in his camo hat. He actually kept this on for a few minutes before pulling it off.

Play time in the little swimming pool. The kids had fun splashing and getting wet even though the hose water was pretty cold. Dallin loves running water (the hose) and as soon as the pool was full and the hose was turned off, he was done. =)

At the national airforce museum there were hundreds of planes and this was a cargo plane of some kind. The museum was really cool and it was huge!! If you read every caption and looked at everything it would take weeks to get through it. We did it in about an hour. =)

Sean in front of the coolest plane ever--the F22. (I don't know anything about but that's what I was told.)

We enjoyed a morning at a cute farm called Carriage Hill. It was a perfect, overcast day and the scenery was beautiful. I like Ohio.

Elizabeth found a new friend, this little kitten. He followed her everwhere and wouldn't leave her sight.

Sean and Dallin Elizabeth and I in front of the barns. What a fun day this was.

Happy Birthday to Both of Us

Well August is a big month for us. Sean and I both have birthdays--mine on the 20th, his on the 25th. We forgot to take pictures on my birthday but oh well, it was still fun. We went on a bike ride, went out to lunch, and tried out a new little water park in Spanish Fork which was really fun. We love playing in the pool and that was the first time we went swimming this whole summer (sad day).

For Sean's special day we were in Arizona with his family. He had an interview that morning with an accounting firm in Phoenix but I decorated the house while he was gone. When he got home we went swimming again, played games, relaxed without school and work (a real treat), ate dinner at Outback, and came home to open presents and have Norine's homemade cheese danish. Yum!!!

Fun, fun, fun!! We love adding to our game collection. Thanks Natalie and Rachel--that was the perfect gift.

Happy Anniversary!!

On August 18th Sean and I celebrated our first anniversary!! It's hard to believe it's been a year but at the same time it feels like we've been married forever. In a good way. =) I feel so blessed to have Sean as my husband. I can definitely say I'm married to my very best friend. He makes me laugh every day and takes great care of me. I love him more today than I did on our wedding day.

To celebrate our special day we went to "Color me Mine" and painted ceramic pieces. I made a "happy birthday plate" and Sean made a "numbers cup". It's a little tradition I heard of--whenever someone in your family has a birthday, they get to be special and use the colorful plate and cup.

We then went to lunch at Tucano's which is a yummy Brazilian restaurant in Provo. They have tons of flavorful, exotic meat and that's Sean's favorite thing ever. The next day we also did sealings at the temple. It was a great way to look back on our wedding day and remember the covenants and blessings that accompany our temple marriage. It was a fun day!!!

Wedding Weekend

This past weekend we spent in Salt Lake City to celebrate Derrik and Kari's wedding. (Derrik is Sean's cousin.) Sean's parents came up and we attended the wedding breakfast, the temple sealing, and the reception on Friday. Saturday was a fun day for all of us. Sean and his dad went to Midway to golf while Norine and I got pedicures (an early birthday present for me). I haven't done that in a while--it was really nice. I am a little tickle-ish so that was entertaining. After we got pedicures we went to Gateway mall to enjoy the unseasonably cool day. It was a fun weekend to be with family.

Almost exactly one year since we were married here--we had to get a picture together.

An Experience Worth Sharing

So about a week ago I was as work in labor and delivery as usual. It was a relatively calm morning and things were going fine. A women (and her husband) come in and she looks like she's really hurting with the contractions. (Sometimes you can just tell when they're really bad.) Since I currently only had one patient I assumed I would be her nurse and she would be my second patient. I could just tell things would move quickly so I went directly into her room to get things started and check her dilation.

As I walked through the door her water broke. That was another sign things were moving quickly especially because this was her fourth child. So I asked her to lay down on the bed after her contraction ended so I could check her. We really needed to know how far she was and what the timing would be like before delivery. So she kept saying "I CAN'T SIT DOWN, I CAN'T SIT DOWN!" At this point my adrenaline started flowing and I knew it wouldn't be long. So she finally sits down on the bed and the baby's head delivered. No doctor was around because things went so quickly so I through on sterile gloves and proceeded to deliver the baby. I clamped the cord and cut it while stimulating the baby's back and drying it off. My hands were shaking and other nurses were around to try and help out.

So in the end both mom and baby were perfectly healthy. I learned a lot about delivering a child and now I can say that i've done it. I don't hope to do it again anytime soon though. A few nights later I had nightmares about it happening again. =) You can tell what was on my mind. =) Well that's my exciting story and I hope you enjoyed it.

Random Tidbits

So here are a couple things I wanted to share with you...

1. Today was a busy day in labor and delivery. This whole month has been really crazy actually. Listen to this...the month of July 2008 has had more babies delivered than any month on hospital record. (The records go back to 1989, I think.) That's right folks, we broke the all time high with a total of 474 babies born in one month. Wow. That's a lot of babies. So pretty much we're one of the busiest labor and delivery units in the country and Utah County has the highest birth rate in the nation. Sometimes stress levels are high and the intensity is scary but most of the time the outcomes are positive.

2. Sean is taking private organ lessons. He's our ward organist and he wants to get better at the pedals and knowing exactly how all the stops and buttons work. A very nice BYU professor, Br. Belnap, offers free lessons to the organists in our BYU married student stake. What a good opportunity.

3. I know we're way late on this update but Sean and I splurged and went to the real theater (as opposed to the dollar theater) and saw the movie "Ironman". We really enjoyed it and thought it was a great show. It was entertaining, suspenseful, had good morals, and was very clean. In fact, I don't remember one bad part. Anyway, you've probably all seen it already but if you haven't, you should.

4. One thing I really don't like is taking my car into the shop when something is wrong with it. I feel so clueless about cars and I worry that the workers are being dishonest. I know I should have more faith in people but these are things you have to wonder about. So my "check engine" light turned on and after a couple weeks of driving around ignoring it, I decided to get it checked out. The body shop investigated the problem and found out that some tube (I can't remember which one) had a whole in it and so it was causing inaccurate readings and so the light went on. So of course that one tube needed to be replaced and $90.00 later our "check engine" light is off. Phew!! I just like cars that work properly but require no maintenance.=) =)

Family Reunion

This past weekend Sean and I flew to Denver to enjoy a fun, Oborn family reunion. It was so nice to get out of Provo and see and new city. We enjoyed our time playing games, jet skiing, swimming, chatting, and of course eating good food. Sean and I love spending time with our families and hate it when we have to say goodbye. Here is just a glimpse of our quick 2-day vacation.
Our immediate family: Rachel, Norine, Glenn, Natalie, Sean, and Elizabeth. (Eric gets home from Uruguay in 6 months!)

Natalie and I with our reunion shirts on. K. & R. O. stands for Keith and Ruth Oborn, our grandparents.

Cassie, Rachel, Sean, and Natalie. Fun times with cousins!!

It was a perfect day to be outside. Blue skies, fresh breeze, and warm sunshine.

After an exhausting day in the sun, Sean fell asleep on the picnic table. Doesn't look too comfortable does it?

Our New Living Room

A couple of weeks ago Sean and I spent a Saturday painting our family room. These pictures make it look really light, almost white. It is a nice beige, neutral color though. If you look at the base boards and compare it to the wall color that's closer to the real color. Out of all the colors home depot had to offer I chose this specific one called "Gobi Desert". When I went to check out, the lady told me that this was the number one selling color in Utah. We are pleased with the results. (It really does look better in person.) =) =)

Our Week at a Glance

This is how I feel right now. Let me explain.

This week has been a very busy/exciting time for Sean and me. First, I'm officially done with orienting and now I work as my own, independent nurse in labor and delivery. My first day by myself was last Sunday and I was so nervous. (Saturday night I didn't sleep well at all.) Everything went fairly smooth and I was happy when the charge nurse (the nurse over all the other nurses) said, "Oh wow, it's your first day, I would have never guessed. You're doing really well." Phew!!

So then Monday Sean started summer term classes. He is taking full-time classes and working part time. He has lots of nightly homework for his business law class but I think he'll enjoy the term. Spring term was a nice break for him and now it's back to the books.

Also on Monday I worked again and it was the busiest I've ever seen labor and delivery. We had 23 laboring patients with only 18 rooms. We had to ask people to wait in the waiting room because we had no space available. Each nurse was overloaded and it was wild. I (now remember this is my second day on my own) was caring for 2 women both with twins on the way!! Crazy!!We had a couple emergency c-sections which are scary but we all worked together and helped out as much as we could.

On Thursday was one of the scariest days of my life. I took my national boards exams (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse. I studied hard for this test reading books, reviewing old class material, taking practice tests, and doing hundreds and hundreds of practice questions. I felt sort of prepared going into the test and when I left I wanted to cry. IT WAS THE HARDEST TEST I'VE EVER TAKEN IN MY LIFE! I was so discouraged about it. I even had a dream last night that I failed and I was so sad. Well today I looked on the website and saw that I passed my boards and I'm officially a registered nurse. Hallelujah!! Oh man what a relief. After years of school, studying, stressing--it all was worth it because now I am legally a nurse!! I feel so blessed and grateful to have passed. I know that I was being helped during that exam and prayers were answered.

On Saturday we spent the whole day painting our family room. 4 walls + 2 coats of paint = lots of work and a sore back. But it looks great now and I'll post some pictures this week.

Well all this plus the ward choir performing today in church (i'm the pianist) pretty much sums up our week. It was a crazy week and I'm glad it's over. =) P.S. I don't know who that baby is, I just thought he had an adorable smile so I posted it. =)

Long time no blog

I haven't blogged in a while because I feel like there isn't anything too exciting to write about. I enjoy having a real job and being done with school. I love where I work and the things I get to do. Starting a new job is challenging and overwhelming at times but I'm excited to be in labor and delivery. It's easy to let the miracle of child birth become routine when you see multiple births each day, but I try to remember how special each one really is. Sean is working part time and enjoying his job as well. At the end of the month he'll start classes for summer term.

I bought myself a new bicycle since my old one was from 6th grade and after 11 years I think I've worn it out. Sean and I love going on bikerides together and enjoying the warm weather. We also enjoy walking to the park to play frisbee, catch, or basketball. We spent the last of our target gift cards (from our wedding) on a sleeping bag for me and a couple camp chairs. We plan to go camping this weekend if the weather cooperates.

I just want to WISH A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the cutest three-year-old around, my niece Elizabeth Przybyla. We wish we could be with you to help you celebrate. Love you lots Elizabeth.

Adventures in Argentina

We just got back from our 12 day adventure in Argentina. Wow it was a lot of traveling and if we calculated it correctly, we spent 64 hours on buses and planes. We flew to Buenos Aires then took a bus across the country to Mendoza where Sean served his mission. At the end of the week we traveled to San Juan (2 hours away from Mendoza).

We decided to pack really lightly and literally went "backpacking" in argentina. Each of us had 1 backpack (the regular school size) and we filled it full. This was not a trip of beauty--no blow dryers, no hair spray, no makeup. It worked out perfectly though because we walked so much and on dirt roads and broken stone sidewalks--that's no place for a big, fancy, rolling suitcase.

It was a wonderful adventure to see the wonderful people in Argentina. They were so kind and loving towards us. They had next to nothing but wanted to give us food and drink and housing. I am so grateful for their kindness. We'll miss them. Here's a look at some of our adventures.

Here we are in Buenos Aires after traveling 7,000 miles. It was a long night on the plane (as you can see) but we were glad to arrive.

Here we are with Juan, Maricella, Cynthia, and Nacho. Sean baptized Juan and they are great friends. There was no way of contacting them prior to our arrival so it was neat to just knock on their door and have them be so excited. Juan had a framed picture of him and Sean in their baptismal clothes on his kitchen counter. They also have pictures of Christ and the temple all over their tiny, humble home. They are great examples for us of living the gospel everyday of their lives.

We went to a beutiful war monument on the top of a hill called "Cerro de la Gloria". It was a beautiful set of statues celebrating the liberation of Argentina from Spainish rule. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We went to the Zoo while we were in Mendoza. Neither of us have been to a zoo for over ten years and it was a beautiful day so we decided to go. It was a pretty nice zoo but I was a little worried about the quality of the cages and fences. This was the very first thing we saw when we entered, Monkeys outside of their cages. Not a good sign. It was a lot of fun but by the end we saw dogs, cats, monkeys, a big bull with horns, and a llama all outside of their cages. Yikes, I'm glad we didn't get eaten. =)

I had to take a picture next to these huge aloe vera plants. They must have been 7-8 feet tall. I guess some things are just bigger in Argentina. =)

We also visited the tallest mountain peak in all of the Americas. It's called "Aconcagua". There was lots of snow so we had to borrow coats before we went on this adventure up the mountains.

We got on a rickety old bus for 4 hours to come see the "Puenta Del Inca". It is an ancient bridge made by the Incans to cross the large river below. They also have ancient dwellings and an old chapel. It's amazing to think how long these structures have lasted.

Here we are in front of the ancient Incan bridge and ruins. It was a neat sight to see.

Here we are with Daniel and Lydia. They are a stalwart couple, both members of the Bermejo branch. Sean taught and baptized Lydia but Daniel wasn't interested at all. A while after Sean left, something changed Daniel's mind and he took the lessons and was baptized. We were excited to visit them on this trip and when we saw them they told us the good news. Last December the two of them traveled to Santiago, Chile (the closest temple) and received their endowments and were sealed in the temple. Wow, what a wonderful step for them. We were so happy for them --they are wonderful.

Argentines love meat and here is the evidence of it. In that way I wonder if Sean is secretly Argentine because he loves meat as much as they do. It looks kind of gross but actually it's pretty tasty. The chicken was my favorite, very flavorful.

Here is Cynthia and me in the back yard. She is such a cute little girl but don't let her fool you, she's a tough cookie. No dog or older brother (Nacho) can scare her. I think all Argentine children are adorable with their dark hair and dark eyes and light skin. Her mom (Maricella) asked if we wanted to take her home for a while since she's a lot of work (jokingly of course). We should have said yes. =)

Here is the whole group together. We had an asado (a big barbeque) in the back yard and all ate too much but it was great to see everyone and catch up on life. Back row: Daniel, Nicholaus, Alexander, Juan, Sean, & Juan. Front row: Maricella, baby Cynthia, Nacho, Paublo, Lydia, and Sister Caullo.

We went to a random museum inside a cave of a mountain and found lots of old bones. It's kind of funny because everything was written with marker and paper and it was a little....um what's the word..unprofessional. We still enoyed it though.

While in San Juan we went for a drive up to the mountains. Argentina has very beutiful country with mountains and lakes and everything. This is some pretty lake that I don't know the name of.

In San Juan we stayed with the most wonderful family with whom Sean had been close to while he was serving. This is us with the Nunez family. (Sean, me, Marcella, baby Bautista, Louise (the 2nd counselor in the stake presidency), Augustine, Julietta, and Samuel) They were such a kind, loving family and they would do anything for anybody. It was great to stay 2 nights with them.