We DID it!

Well, after five and half years of college education, i finally graduated last saturday (december 8) from the University of Idaho with a Bachelors of Science in k-12 Art Education... what a relief... i have even checked my grades, and they are final, so i am completely done! It was a great day of reliefe and excitment for both myself, mark and our families. Thank you to everyone who supported me some how in those 5 and 1/2 years... i couldnt have done it without you... I AM DONE!!!!!!!!!!!! (marks excited... now his new saying is:

So when you getting a job?) hehe.

Thanksgiving - So many things to be thankful for...

Well November has come and gone so quickly... and so much has happened...

This year being our first "real" thanksgiving and with all the beautiful China we have from our wedding we decided to host thanksgiving here at our TINY little home in Kahlotus... There were 14 of us and it was absolutly wonderful to have most of the family here. Both Marks parents, betty and john, my parents, judy and garry, marks sisters and their families, angela, dwayne, sadie, allison, grant, suzanne and jake, and one of suz's friends from saipan, ashley joined us... there was lots of food and laughter to fill our home.

Mark and i also got into the car selling and buying mode, and have sold my 98 subaru outback and upgraded to a 2000 Volvo s40... i looooove it! God blessed us after searching around for a month or so in finding the exact car for the right price for us... pictures will come later after i clean it - snow attacked it!

Only 5 days to go and its party time!!!! I only have 5 more days of student teaching at connell high school to go and graduation is next saturday, december 8 @ 12:30pm in the U of I kibbie dome! After 5 and half long waited years it is almost done, and not just I but mark is releaved.... party is at the sawyer farm at 3:30pm if you would like to join us!

So with graduation coming up - job searching has begun. however, with it being in the middle of the year i will be substitute teaching for both Kahlotus and Connell for the spring semester... please be praying a job will open up for next fall - and possibly a place for both mark and i.

SNOW SNOW SNOW! After 3 year of living in Kahlotus, mark saw his first snow here... we recieved about an inch... but it dosent mean it lasted long - only one night and then it melted- but while it was here we played in it and got lots of pictures, even got in the christmas spirit, which i have been waiting for for months, and we decorated our house for our first christmas together as a married couple =). I cant believe we have been married for almost a year.... december 30! Nelson BC here we come!

Lots going on in the month of december, so keep a loook out for new postings....

Fill us in on whats going on with you... we would love to hear!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

A new year hus begun and we are just catching up!

HELLO FRIENDS! So much has happened in the last few months that we are just now getting a chance to sit down and catch up on life. At the end of August, Mark and i both began teaching again. Mark is in his third year at Kahlotus High School as the Agriculture/FFA teacher & advisor... He seems like he is enjoying it much more this year... he actually comes home earlier and dosent feel as presseured so i guess thats a good thing. As for me, I am no longer substituting! I am actually doing my student teaching internship in Connell, which is about 20 minutes from home. I am teaching at Connell High school in the art room. It has been a slow process but i am not getting classes handed over to me and i am actually enjoying myself. However, i now understand how mark felt at 9:00 at night and wanting to go to bed =).

These last few months have not only been busy with school, but with lots of other fun events. At the end of August while Mark finished up on the farm (which has been a good year) i got to go on a weeks vacation with mom and spend sometime with all the ladies in the Mohelman (my moms side) family back in my moms home town of Park Rapids, Minnesota! It was soooo much fun and i cant wait to take Mark back there to see it all... he still hasnt been back there.. Hopefully that will be the next trip.

In September we got to enjoy two weddings, both of which were groomsman in our wedding. Congratulations Andrew & Kristen Sayers and Geno & Holly Bonnalie! Mark had the privilage to be a part of Andrews wedding in Walla Walla as his bestman (Andrew was our bestman). Both weddings we beautiful and lots of fun.

Mark has once again been busy with FFA events... University of Idaho Ag days, fairs, and competitions... I on the other hand have had the chance to sit back and play a little with my best buds. A weekend in Moscow at the Kappa Delta 10 year Anniversary/Reunion, Baby showers, and short visits here and there. This weekend we are actually staying home, but starting friday night guests are showing up here. We are trying to double the size of Kahlotus (atleast thats what mark is saying). We are having a 24 hour BBQ from saturday noon to sunday noon, but with family coming friday night. So if you are in the neighborhood, stop by!

I am so excited for the holiday seasons to begin... our home is currently decorated in the autumn decor with pumpkins, leaves, etc. and i am loving it... plus it gives me an excuse to get crafty!

We hope all is well with you and your families, and hope to talk to each of you soon. Keep in touch, and I promise, i will try and do my best to keep up with posting whats going on with us. Let us know if you have blog we can check out!

God Bless & Happy Autumn!

Brittany & Mark

Pictures Top to Bottom:

-Mark & Andrew @ Andews Wedding, Sept. 9.

-The ladies of my family in Minnesota:

Cousin Jill & daughter Thalia, Aunt Joanie, Me & Javin (jills son), my mom Judy, Cousin Sheri, Aunt Janie & Cousin in Law Tracie

- Geno & Holly Bonnalie at their wedding in Postfalls, Sept. 22.

-Me and some of my Kappa Delta Sisters at the WSU Idaho Game. Sept. 12.

Ashely, Kara, Christina, Nicolle, Kelli, Katie & Me.

School's Out for the Summer!

Palouse Falls, about 20 min from our home in Kahlotus.

An afternoon walking around Lake Coure D' Alene

Enjoying time with Sigma Chi's at our first wedding on nine for the summer.

Congratualtions Dallas & Sal! ( Matt Robson, Mark and I; they were Sigma Chi Pledge brothers)

Real Kahlotus living.. Sleeping in our tent in the front yard.

The Snake River, only 8 miles from our door... a nice place to get away and relax... notive Mark, he was enjoying it very much!

Well, it has finally come... SUMMER! I dont know about you, but Mark and I are certainly excited for it. Not that it is going to slow down, but it is certainly needed.

The last month or so has been lots of running and going... Mark was busy finishing up the last month at school with paperwork, finishing up projects, FFA conventions and banquets, etc. So it has been really nice to have him home more. The last month for me, I feel as though i havent been up to much of anything... but i have been, lots of substituting at different school districts, helping mark out with different projects, cleaning up the front and back yard, planting flowers... etc.

We have also been busy with wedding's, trips to spokane and potlatch, visiting the near by river for some down time, having our parents stop in and enjoying kahlotus days and the sites you wouldnt expect to be out in the middle of nowhere.... We even have slept in our tent for a few nights because our AC was out and it was hotter in the house then outside... 90 degrees inside, 85 outside... enjoy Kahlotus summers.... ugh!

As for this summer... Mark and i just got back from the farm yesterday after spending 5 days there while Mark's parents were out of town... We are now back in Kahlotus for the next two days and then we are headed out again. This Saturday we are headed to Antelope, Oregon for 5 days for a Young Life camp at Wild Horse Canyon... This time we arnt working, we are simply going for fun. Mark and I are loading up two suburbans full of high school students and luggage. Once there we will enjoy swimming, high ropes courses, hiking, and many more ativities that are going to allow us to act like high schoolers again! HORRAY!

Then the following week (Saturday the 23rd) the day after get back from Wild Horse Canyon, We are packing up again and taking a two and a half week road trip to beautiful Sunny Southern California... We are taking 4 days to get there; camping at 3 amazing camp grounds along the way, while taking side trips to the beach, red wood forest, and whatever else we can find.

Then once we hit southern California we will be staying with my Brother Tom, sister in law Pattie and nephew Aaron for about 5 -7 days; enjoying the LA area... we are sooooo looking forward to getting down there and just hanging out with no agenda... one day while there we get to enjoy a 3 hour train ride to celebrate Aarons 5th birthday.

Then the trip home will take about 3 days or so, this will again include camping, etc.

Thank you to everyone for our wedding gifts once again. The funding for this trip came from some of the cash we recieved from our wedding... we saved some of it on purpose to allow us to have another "honeymoon" when we hit the 6 month mark. And we are soooooo ready for it. We are so looking forward to being just the two of us...

Once we arrive home from that we are parting ways... Mark heads to Wenatchee for an Ag teachers conference and I am headed to Boise, Idaho to spend 3 days with my maid of honor, Kara... So excited.

Then we are on the farm for most of the rest of the summer... with weekend trips to weddings and the lake, etc.

Its going to be one quick & busy summer, but we are looking forward to every second of it!

We hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer also. Please fill us in on whats going on in your life and what you are going to be up too... If you are ever in the area (Potlatch, most likely) let us know and stop on in...

Love,

Mark & Brittany

Hi Family & Friends!
Sorry to confuse you, but... I have always been jealous of people with neat looking blogs and i realized it was because I was on a "cheap" site for our blog, so i updated it... So please keep looking for updates on the Sawyers here. Hope all is well with you, and we'll chat soon!