Class of 2012!

April 27th was the second happiest day in our life

NICK GRADUATED!!!

I totally teared up as he walked across the stage. He has worked so incredibly hard (he graduated cum lade) going back to school was a sacrifice but will defiantly help provide a better future for our family 

 I am so proud of him 

 Dad and Mom Whiting

 My sister graduated from UVU's Culinary program 

We really lucked out that both Nick and Chrissy were in the same ceremony!

The whole Demke clan was there to support

 Hehe, I just had to post this picture. 

It was a beautiful day but kinda windy.

I was dragging Nick all over campus taking pictures (which was a fun walk down memory lane for me) but by this time he was hungry and DONE :)

Viva Mexico

We've been planning on going on a graduation trip for the past 2.5 years. The Monday after graduation we hopped on a plane and headed south of the border to Cancun Mexico.  Prepare yourself for picture over load in 3....2....1!

 The view from our window

 Our resort

 The weather was PERFECT (80 deg and Sunny) we basically lived in our swimsuits the entire time we were at the resort

 Beautiful aqua blue water and soft white sand

 For the "Honeymooners" 

 We only drank bottled water and the water from the restaurants, 

didn't want to spend all our time in El Bano 

 One of the restaurants at the resort was fancy "formal" place, 

they served delicious French cuisine 

 The resort was all-inclusive so everything was free (food, drink AND alcohol) 

Our waiter felt bad I only ordered water so he brought me a drink, we told him we didn't drink alcohol (we said "no cerveza" a lot) he assured me that it was ok only muy poquito in it.... 

 We did a tour through an LDS tour group, our tour guide Carlos was AWESOME. He had a secular knowledge about the Mayan history and culture and a strong testimony and knowlege about The Book of Mormon. We learned so much 

 Mayan Ruins at Coba 

about 250 AD which places it around the time of 4th Nephi

 The city was really big, we rode bikes through the jungle to each site about 8 km round trip

 The temple at Coba is the largest pyramid in Mexico

You can climb to the top (at your own risk) but I got vertigo just looking up it so I passed 

After getting all hot and sticky in the jungle we got to go swimming in a Cenote

This was so SO COOL! It's an underground freshwater pool or sinkhole

 The water felt so good. It was about 30 feet deep and it was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom. Some cenotes are so deep people scuba dive in them

 Nick jumped off the platform (which was about 20 feet high)

We then went to more ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. 

A city built on some cliffs overlooking the ocean

Just laying poolside, reading a book or taking a siesta 

 All of the fresh fruit was so yummy, I lived off it

 We did a couples massage (which was heaven!)

Nick is kinda tall for Mexico and his robe was a little short- hehe!

 Took a taxi to downtown Cancun, where they had a lot of

shopping and restaurants 

 Ate at Margaritaville (food was ok, atmosphere was really fun)

 Viva Mexico!!

Big News

We are feeling very blessed in the Whiting house.  2 weeks ago Nick had a job interview with a software company based out of Sandy. He wasn't even looking for a job, they found him (it's a pretty random story). Nick felt the interview went really well and we waited to hear back (they told us middle of the week). Wednesday came and went.....Thursday came and went and we hadn't heard back. We were both a little bummed but figured if it was meant to be it would have happened.  Friday afternoon Nick gets a call and it's the company offering him the job! Nick told them that he wanted to talk to his current employer and they increased their offer!  They gave us the weekend to think about it and this morning Nick accepted the position. He'll graduate with a real grown up job with a real grown up salary!  This comes at a time when the medical bills are increasing, we've been seeing a fertility specialist which equals lots of $$ (insurance doesn't pay for infertility).     

It's been a stressful week. We really enjoy the company Nick is working for and are sad to leave them. Also with this new job being in Sandy do we move or does he commute from Orem?  I just recently accepted a cluster position so I'll be working in the cardiac ICU and the cardiac progressive care unit.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave my job. As of right now, we'll stay where we are (we love our ward and love our neighbors) maybe after a few months of commuting we'll be ready to move.  Grown up decisions are hard. 

We realize what a huge blessing this is and feel so grateful for the Lord's hand in our lives. 

Conference Weekend

I really needed this weekend.  To echo the words of our beloved Prophet Thomas S Monson " My heart is full" after 2 days of messages of love, encouragement, hope and peace. There were several quotes and talks that I felt were meant for me.

"Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail, but to succeed 

gloriously" -Elder Richard G. Scott

"Brothers and sisters there are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or recieves some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt and certainly not to feel envious when good fortune comes to another person. We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other- to see who's the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful, or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin and surely envy is one of the most universal of those." - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"A young couple tearfully told me that they had just come from a doctor where they were told that they would be unable to have children of their own. They were broken hearted with the news. They were surprised when I told them that they were actually quite fortunate. They wondered would I say such a thing. I told them that their state was infinitely better than other couples who were capable of being parents but who rejected it and selfishly avoided that responsibility."

-Elder Boyd K. Packer

"Miracles are not always so immediate. At times we thoughtfully wonder why the miracle we have so earnestly prayed for does not happen here and now. But as we trust in the Savior promised miracles will occur, whether in this life or the next, all will be made right."

 -Elder Neil L. Andersen

Who didn't love seeing a certain new missionary

 singing in the MTC choir?

I was also able to finish my Easter crafts

I didn't make the SPRING blocks (I had purchased them a few years ago) but I did make the bunnies and I love how cute they turned out

Countdown....

In 30 days....

Nick will GRADUATE!!!

In 33 days we're going to

CANCUN!!

and today I signed up for

Half Marathon June 9

Spring Break

This year Nick had an entire week off for Spring Break. 

We planned on going here:

but instead we stayed home and worked (bummer!)

We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary

Nick surprised me with a special delivery at work that day

This week was also the start of

Nick has pretty much gone into a Basketball coma, I just turn him every 2 hours to make sure he doesn't get a pressure ulcer (I'm such a good wife) I was a little excited for the tournament, we even filled out brackets together- oh the things you do for the one you love :)  Norfolk St beating Missouri and Lehigh beating Duke?! Totally screwed up my bracket but that's the fun and excitement of the madness (YAY for the underdog!)

I found an awesome deal on Groupons for tubing at Soldier Hollow. I had to use a crowbar to pry Nick off the couch to go.  Too bad it was 60 degrees and the snow was more slush

We attempted to go down twice (the snow was so melted we couldn't even make it to the bottom of the run without stopping) fortunately they told us they'll honor our coupon next season.  We still had lots of fun together.  For our birthday's (last summer) Nick's sister gave us a gift card to the Melting Pot and we've been saving it for a special occasion.  Saturday we did a session at the Mount Timpanogos temple and then drove up to SL to finally try it out.

mmmmmmmmmmm FONDUE!

It really was AMAZING! We tried all 4 courses: cheese fondue, salad, main course (lots of meat) and finally the chocolate fondue.  At first it didn't seem like a lot of food but after 4 yummy courses we were stuffed.