Thanksgiving Surprise

I realize I am nearly a holiday late on this post, but I am unmotivated to blog lately because my desktop computer is so slow, and that is the computer that I upload my pictures on to. However, I just discovered a way to get pictures from Ben's camera onto the laptop, so hopefully I'll be posting a little more often. Like the last post mentioned, we're going to have a baby soon! I imagined waiting until Christmas to tell everyone, but this was such a hard thing to keep a secret, especially since it seems like it took forever for to actually happen :) We we're in Utah for Thanksgiving so we decided that would be a good time to spread the good news. Thanksgiving dinner was at Ben's parents this year so we were able to tell most of his family in one sitting.  It was a fun way to tell everyone, but it was kind of embarrassing to have all the attention on me. I guess I'll have to get use to that though as my baby bump begins to grow! To tell my side of family we passed around the picture of the ultrasound and waited to see the reaction on their faces, that was fun too :)

I do not have a face to see,
or put inside a frame.
I do not have soft cheeks to kiss;
I don’t yet have a name.
You can’t hold my tiny hands,
nor whisper in my ear.
It’s still too soon to sing a song,
or cuddle me so near.
But all will change come July 1st,
when they say I’m due.
I’m Baby Ontiveros;
I can’t wait to meet you!

October Happenings.

Ben celebrated THIRTY YEARS in October. It was kind of a low key day since I had to work, but when I got home I took him out to eat at his favorite pizza place in town. It's the college hangout but Ben has fallen in love with thier "Stromboli". Its pretty much just a pizza folded in half but they serve it with a ranch pesto sauce. Ben would eat it every day if he could! Then of course we had the traditonal Cheesecake with a few gifts. I am getting pretty good at my cheesecake, so Ben says, of course I don't like cheesecake so i wouldn't know if it really tasted good or not. Thats a present in itself, Ben getting to eat a whole cheesecake by himself! :) So Happy Birthday baby, here's to thirty more! :0
We didn't open the door for trick or treaters on Halloween. We figured in our neighborhood you never know who you are opening the door up for. We did go to our Ward's Trunk or Treat the night before. We love it, even without kids, its fun to see all the little kids. Some friends in our ward had a Halloween party early in the afternoon so we did get a chance to dress up. I think we won the best costume award, or maybe tied, I can't remember. It was fun though! Ben's bro gave us some underarmour spandex a few years ago and as soon as we got them the idea came to my head, Mr and Mrs. Incredible. So we finally got the chance to dress up. I didn't think Ben would go for it but he is such a good sport, all the guys were impressed...and I'm sure the girls were too, haha. We spray painted Ben's hair yellow, but it didn't work out so well since his hair is so dark to begin with. And don't be alarmed, his shirt is stuffed with a pillow for effect ;) Ben made the incredible logo out of felt and we bought the masks at a halloween store. Super easy costumes, and we were a hit with all the little kids. Hope you all had a Happy Halloween, we sure did!


We just got back from a trip to Utah. Ben's parents came back from serving as Temple President in Mexico. Even though we don't live close anymore it's so nice to have them back. We are still getting to know each other since Ben and I got married while they were out. They did get the opportunity to come back for our wedding though, and Ben's dad even got to seal us. While in Utah we got family pictures taken, I am looking forward to seeing how they turned out. Unfortunately we were having such a good time that we didn't even take our camera out, so if the rest of the fam has some good pics of the weekend send them my way.
We are looking forward to the Holidays. We got our first snow yesterday. It wasn't so bad. In fact everyone is saying it is suppose to be a mild winter this year. I sure hope so because apparently last years winter was horrid. Happy Holidays and bring on the turkey! :)

Just hangin in there.

We are keeping busy with jobs and school and finding a lil time to enjoy each others company every now and then as well. Our biggest struggle these days is taking care of our housing situation back in Utah. We still own our house but since we were unable to sell it before we moved we rented it out to a nice couple. Problem is, they decided that they would rather live there for free. So we are doing what we can to get them out. We are so thankful to family and friends for helping us out, cross your fingers for us that we don't take too big of a hit on this one.

We are enjoying the area, especially the beautiful Fall air. It was SUPER cold last week and I was feeling cheated out of Fall as it looked like we were heading straight into Winter, but it has warmed up this week. Yesterday Ben played in a football tournament for our ward, I think it was fun for him to get out and play after spending so much time coaching the middle school team and watching others intramural games at work. I am taking advantage of the great running trails before it gets too cold out. I suppose I will probably still run when there is snow on the ground, I just may not enjoy it nearly as much.

So we are heading into another week and are looking forward to Halloween. We are going to dress up this year. I haven't really dressed up since I was little, so this should be fun. Maybe we'll post some pics, depends on how things turn out!

Charlotte's Web

Ben has a new pet. He discovered this huge spider out on our back patio last month and has named it Charlotte. The spider is so big that I wouldn't know how to kill it if I wanted to, and Ben says he respects the hard work that this spider has put into spinning its web and wouldn't dream of ever killing it. So Charlotte remains. The web really is huge, just like the spider, and you can occasionally see flies and other insects trapped in the web. Gross, I know, I really hope the spider doesn't have babies and then we have a million Charlotte's. I couldn't get very good pictures of it, plus i was a little freaked out to be so close to it. Ben looked up the spider but can't figure out what kind it is, any guesses?

Bad Dreams

Ever had the dream where you can't remember your locker combination? I constantly had this dream growing up, but not only could I not remember the combination, sometimes I couldn't even remember where my locker was, and then once i found it, something else would go wrong, like forgetting my schedule, where to find my classroom, etc. Of course, these were just dreams. Well here I am again, but this time as an adult, watching it happen in real life. I have already been a hero to five students and it's only the second week of school. I'll see them with a look of panic, spinning the dial on the locker, and then they proceed to kick it when it doesn't open. They might try this a few times and then start to hopelessly walk away as the bell rings and the hallways empty. And thats where I come in, "do you need help?" They turn around with near tears in their eyes and mumble yes. So they tell me the combo and Ta Da, I open it :0 Gratefully they scramble to get what they need and mumble thanks and they are on their way. Fortunately I have mastered the art of opening locks, but I am wondering, why doesn't anybody bother to tell middle schoolers that you need to turn the dial past the middle digit once before you go onto the third digit? It would honestly cause a lot less stress for these kids, but until then, I don't mind being the hero. Besides it gives me a good chance to interact with some students without behavior problems :)

My "Classroom"

Like most work computers, all personal email and other websites that might keep you entertained throughout the day(ie facebook) are blocked. However I am still able to get onto our blog :) My first week at the middle school has been somewhat slow. Luckily we don't have many kids assigned to in school suspension yet, which leaves me with a lil downtime. Obviously the ISS room is not suppose to be a fun place, but I still don't think it needs to look like a prison. I found some motivational posters in the office and but them up around the room.

Since my phone can do amazing things, like take pictures and send them to my work email, I am posting a few here for the sake of something to do this morning :)

Spokane Temple

The first few days we were here we drove out to take a peek at the temple in Spokane Valley which is not too far from our home. It's hidden, not like many of the temples in Utah which are on hills, but I like how its tucked away in the lil valley amongst many trees. This weekend we went with our ward to do a session, it was beautiful, small, but unique in its own way. We are glad to still have a temple so close!

The Breakfast of Champions

No, not wheaties, Franks Diner. When we were scoping out Spokane back in May, considering whether or not Gonzaga was the school for us, we stopped in at Franks Diner late one evening. I hate trying to find places to eat away from home. I'm one of those people that goes to the same places and orders the same thing everytime. I figure why pay for something you may not like? Anyhow, we enjoyed our dining experience at Franks Diner and when we decided we were headed to live in Spokane a few months later we planned on going back to Franks Diner to try the breakfast. Apparently it has been voted Spokane's best breakfast 10 out of the past 11 years! So this morning we finally headed back for breakfast. It was great, but more than the food, i just like the idea that I am on a train! I have always loved trains. It is just a railway car now, but it once was owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad and served as private car for the president of the railroad. I would have taken more pictures but it was so crowded this morning and Ben wouldn't let me, he was embarrassed for some reason :)

JOBS

We are now the proud owners of JOBS. Ben landed a job as the Student Supervisor for the Intramural Program at Gonzaga. He won't be working a ton since he's got classes, but he is really looking forward to a great opportunity as his emphasis for his MBA program is sports management. My mom told me to get a whistle for him, but guess what...it comes with the job! As well as some pretty cool shirts. He's not really an official as the shirt portrays, he is in CHARGE of the officials, so he has a shirt just in case he needs to step in at some point. He also gets some cool polo shirts.
As for me, after a long search, one that started long before we even moved out here, I finally found a job doing what I love to do, working with naughty children :) I am the new Behavior Intervention Technician at a middle school in the next town over. It is a new position for the school so I pretty much get to call the shots. I will be in charge of the "in school suspension" and the aspect that intrigues me is that I will get to debrief with the students..."why are you here? what are you going to do so that you won't get sent here again?" etc. So although I'm not technically using my masters degree as in working as a school counselor/social worker, I am pretty close to it and this will be a great experience to help me get through some doors further down the road.
Last but not least...Ben also got a job as an assistant football coach at the same school that I will be at. He LOVES football and is excited to be able to teach kids all that he knows and get payed to do it! So we are being ever so blessed right now and are so grateful to have a sense of security that an income brings. Thanks for all your love and prayers!


Can you tell he's excited?! :)

Come Feed The Fishies!

Check out my cool new gadget on my blog! The Fish follow the cursor and if you click on your mouse it drops some food for them, and they EAT it. So come back and feed my fish whenever you'd like, they are special computer fish and they never die from too much food or other natural causes :)

Go Zags!

Don't ask me why they say go "Zags" when the mascot for Gonzaga is a Bulldog. I guess "Go Zags" just sounds better than "Go Bulldogs!" We caught a Men's soccer game yesterday afternoon. We started thinking Gonzaga's team was amazing but then we came to realize that the other team just sucked, but it was good entertainment anyway. They have a nice field and it was a nice sunny day. Randomly though thunderclouds appeared and lightning struck so they had to wait 30 minutes to play again after spotting the lightning, that is the league rules. So Ben had to get to class but i stayed and watched until it was too much of a bore as Gonzaga was winning by 4. I've also been playing a bit of soccer on my own with some friends from the ward. Its nothing too competitive but its been fun to get out and get some exercise.

RoCk CliMbiNg!

In July we headed out rock climbing one last time before we left Utah and we took my lil bro and sis with us. They did great! Both were a lil hesitant to get going at first, but then they both tore it up. Ben's good friend Steve also came along. Everyone says there are tons of great places to climb in WA so we are looking forward to more good times!

I showed them how it was done ;)





Isn't he a stud?!

I thought this pic was funny, she was asking Ben about all the logistics before she attempted her climb.



Even Ben got to climb a lil, often he has to hold the ropes for us all. Let us know if you ever want to go rock climbing, we'd love to have more company! :)

Picture Us Here

We have been here for just over a week now and are beginning to feel more comfortable in our surroundings. I jumped out of my comfort zone last night and went to our wards enrichment night. I met some great ladies and was excited to discover that there are several women about my age who are here while their husbands attend law school at Gonzaga. Ben also had his orientation last night for business school and met some great guys as well. Sounds like this will be a good place for us afterall :) Just wanted to give you a lil visual as to where we are so you can picture us now when you are thinking about us :) The segments are choppy, but trying to put this all in one clip was too much of a hassle right now. So hope this gives you somewhat of an idea-(view them from left to right...) When I viewed these on the camera they weren't as dark, but it looks like you can't see much in the videos. Sorry!

We have arrived...

I don't know if I can put an exclamation point to that sentence yet as I am still a little wary to be here, completely out of the familiar, but maybe within the next few weeks as things start to not be so new and strange anymore. We made our move this last week to Spokane, WA. Ben is going to Gonzaga University here to get his MBA. I finished my masters in social work last month and am currently UNEMPLOYED. I am frantically looking for a job so that I can now be the breadwinner for our family. Thankfully things came together last minute and we were able to find renters for our house back in Utah. We got here late last wed and slept on the floor in our duplex as we were too tired to even open up the uhaul until the next day. It was rough trying to move in everything by ourselves. We are sure grateful for all the packing help we had in Utah! Thankfully one of our neighbors noticed that I was struggling to move the big furniture into the duplex and came over to help Ben out. We are a lil scared about the area we live in. We found it on craigslist and had someone from the ward over here check it out for us before we came. The duplex is nice, nearly new, but the surrounding area is referred to as the ghetto. I hear sirens outside every night, many times. But our neighbors are nice and have been very welcoming. We have been given tomatoes and cucumbers, and offers for more cucumbers. So we will stick it out for now, but if things get too crazy around here, we are on a month to month lease and we can find greener pastures :O I think Ben is more excited about being here than I am. We were looking forward to moving out to the northwest, but I wanted rain and the cool breeze. It is musty and warm here, a lot like utah but its muggy. They say its going to snow a ton on us as well. Yipee. I dont like the snow much. But I will admit I am excited for a change of pace. Our ward is nice and I am enjoying my runs through Gonzaga's beautiful campus(with Ben riding behind me on his longboard to protect me from any crazies). Ben is looking forward to starting school next week. We were at the store and I asked him if he needed any school supplies...he laughed at me like a child embarrassed by his mother. What? Don't graduate students need school supplies too? I even told him he could use my backpack. Anyhow, just wanted to update everyone. Sorry no pics this time. We have most things unpacked but we still haven't gotten the cameras out. I should be documenting this all I know, but I've just been too busy and too tired. Pics to come soon, until then, so long from Spokane :)

Ready or not...here we come...

The plans are in the works. House is up for sale, job interviews are being set up, our new residence is being decided upon as well. We are out of here soon; where did the time go? We are pretty excited for a change of pace but its going to be super hard to say goodbye to family and friends. I don't think we will miss Utah and her stinkin heat so much though. Ready to get out to the good ol northwest!



And very excited at the prospect of seeing these guys a lil more...

TRIP AROUND THE northwest :)

We took a fun trip out to the northwest this last week to see my sister and visit my old stomping grounds. I couldn't do a whole lot as I was pretty immobile still due to my surgery, but it was nice to get away nonetheless, and GREAT to see my sisters family again!








I've never seen Ben more excited about cheese and ice cream!




Ferry Ride







Definitely my favorite older sister :)







Hope to visit again soon!