Red Fish Lake

Since we moved to Hailey, we always wanted to head north to see Red Fish Lake. We heard about how beautiful it was, and time just kept passing away. Finally on a Saturday we randomly decided to take a drive. The further North we went, the thicker the trees became, and I was excited to see some green. Joe even said that parts of it reminded him of Washington. 

We walked to the lake and had to test the water out. It was FREEZING!! Which I guess makes sense because it's melt off from a glacier, at least that is what I have been told. But it felt so good...Joe got to enjoy all of the fun...

Here is a pic of him taking a dive...LOL he came shooting up out of the water, gasping at how cold it was. But did that stop him? Absolutely not...he dived at least three more times.

We both LOVE the water and enjoy it every bit that we can.

Vacation at St. George

We have driven through St. George a few times, but we never have time for Joe to enjoy the beauty the southern Utah has to offer. I was able to get a few days off around Memorial Day so we decided it would be the perfect time to enjoy a trip there. We invited my Mom to come with us. We didn't know for sure if she would be able to come with us or not due to potatoes, but that morning we were about to leave, she got a call she could come! We were excited to have her join us.

We stayed at my Grandpa and Grandma Neibaur's home in St. George, such a nice place to stay at. We arrived Friday evening. We left Saturday morning with the intention of going to Zion's Canyon (the main reason why we were there in the first place) but got distracted by a sign stating the Grand Canyon was just over 100 miles...Who would have guessed that it was so close to where we were? My mom and I had been to Zion's Canyon, but no one had been to the Grand Canyon....it was unanimous!! We headed south to the North Rim and were so surprised at the thick trees. We were expecting the desert. It was not too hot and offered some fun hikes that allowed us to see the landscape.

I have to add the both my mom and Joe were nervous about the heights and standing so close to the edge. I knew this about Joe, but I had no idea that my mom was afraid of heights... I had to tease them a little bit.

We also visited some ruins of the ancient Indians who would migrate from the rim to the bottom of the canyon according to the seasons.

 It was hard to show the beauty and the extreme depths of the Canyon...my camera doesn't do it justice.

One of the few wildlife we came across....

 I had to take this candid pic. I think my mother is such an amazing person. I love her so much.

We had taken of few of the hikes that were recommended by the visiting center. We were pretty tired, but wanted to make one last hike before we called it the day. We started off, and it was a slow steady climb uphill...I kept thinking, ok we just have to make it at the crest of that hill, and that crest never showed up!! After what seemed like a ways up, I decided to that I was toast and called it off. By the time we got home, we were exhausted (I can't speak for mom) but here's a pic of Joe ready to pass out =0)

Long story short....that night we ran into some problems with the water heater. So we went to my Grandparent's ward, and at the end we talked with one of the Bishopric asking if he had any recommendations of who to call. It turned out that he knew exactly what was wrong and was willing to help us out. What a huge relief!! Unfortunately our Sunday was messed up because of this ordeal, but we felt so blessed to get help. We were able to sneak in a visit to the Jacob Hamlin home. 

Monday we went to a temple session. This was Joe's first time in the Temple. It is a favorite temple of mine. I love the pioneer spirit these older temples have. There is so much pride and love put into the building of dedicated to the Lord. 

We were hoping to make it to Zion's still, but it just didn't work out. Oh well, that will be saved for next time.

Christmas 2012

We spent Thanksgiving at Joe's family in Nampa. His brother Mark was able to visit from Seattle area, and then his mom and brother Phil hosted it at their home. Unfortunately Joe's dad didn't make it. It is always fun to get together, especially since we don't get to see Mark very often. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!! Oh well...

We spent the weekend before Christmas at my parent's home. We were hoping to spend Christmas time with them, but I was scheduled to work the day before and after Christmas, so we decided to stay home in Hailey for Christmas.

 We bought this tree during the Black Friday sale. I bought some ornaments from the dollar store, some from sales at Gardner's Village, and the crystal ones are Joe's grandma Grace's. You can't really see the detail...

I actually came to love how it all turned out. I still need to come up with a tree skirt...I have been using an old sheet since we've been married, it works right? And Silky LOVED lying on the sheet. We love her =0)

I made some Christmas angels as part of my gifts for family. I think they turned out pretty cute. I got the idea from an angel my Aunt Tarryn made for my sister Stephanie. I have actually made a Garden Angel (herb theme), a Liberty Angel, and a Halloween witch, as well. They are so much fun to make =0)

Some of our decorations I have collected or made throughout the years. 

Some of the angels on the middle shelf were grandma Grace's. 

GraDuaTioN!!

I graduated with my Bachelors in Science from Weber State University December 14th, 2012 at 1:00 pm. My mom and sister Stephanie met us, and it was so good to see them again. I had no idea how LONG the ceremony was going to be. But I am grateful that I walked, and enjoyed the idea of accomplishing a big goal I set for myself when I graduated from High School. I know, who would have thought it would have taken me ThIrTeEn YeArS!?! My mom and dad gave me a freshwater pearl necklace, I LoVe pearls!! They were so beautiful.

 



Stephanie was the photographer, she did such a great job!! I love her pictures. Mom took us out to Texas Roadhouse, so yummy =0) The Bare family gave me a necklace with exchangable medalions that have inspirational thoughts. I have seen these and always wanted one. These gifts are wonderful for remembering these moments whenever I wear them.

Thank you, Stephanie and Mom, for joining Joe and I on such a special occasion!! And thanks to all of my family and friends for your love and support. I am so blessed!

Note!! I passed my SPI and OB/GYN in February, where I came a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. I passed the Abdomen/Superfical test in October. My official signature is: Krystell Johnson, RT(R) (ARRT),  (RDMS) OB/GYN, AB....Wow! Now that's credentials ;0)

Miracles really do happen!!

I was hired on as a full time ultrasound technologist at the St. Luke's Wood River Hospital in Ketchum, Idaho!! My start date was November 9th, my sister Stephanie's birthday, what a great day =0) Joe and I were able to find a nice condo to rent in Hailey, just 11 miles south of Ketchum. We moved into it that weekend with the fantastic help of my mom, Joe's mom and brother Phil, and a guy from the Elder's Quorum Presidency, Bro. Pettingill. They saved us from doing SOOO much by ourselves. We owe them a lot.

The hospital: looks like a resort!! No joke, I was a little turned off when we drove up to it for my interview. But during my tour and interview, Kandis Pederson-Romero (the manager and previous US tech) won me over, along with the super friendly Radiologists (who knew they existed, right?!! ;0) ), Joe and I left feeling really great about it. Now that I have been there for a few weeks, I can honestly say I LOVE IT! I love the friendliness of the employees, doctors, patients...seriously, Joe and I talked about how nice everyone is in this area...I hope that Joe finds employment close by when he graduates so we can stay here.

The condo: is so much nicer than we had wanted or needed. But then again, I have been told that's to be expected with this neighborhood. But we LOVE it and are enjoying the open space. We REALLY miss our old apartment in the ol' Catholic Church, it was so cozy and simple, and cheap!! Almost half of what we are paying now. But this new place has a patio, garage, gorgeous appliances, a dishwasher and disposal (Joe and I feel like we are in heaven not having to hand wash everything), a bigger tub in the master bathroom (not the huge ones), 2 bedrooms and 1 study...front loading washer and dryer....Oh, and a gas fireplace!! We have only used it twice...but it's kind of fun. Our cat Silky is loving the space and spastic moments of running around back and forth through the hallway and living room. She is out of control, but we love her anyways.

The Ward: is so small!! We belong to the Hailey 2nd ward, in the Carey Stake. The chapel size reminds me of Chesterfield, and the number of members too. This could be fun! I enjoyed the close knit ward in Chesterfield. We are excited about getting to know the ward better. At Twin Falls and Pleasant Grove, people were constantly moving in and out, therefore changing things around. We added to that chaos. SO this will be a nice change, we hope! Our first Sunday we went to the Boise Temple Dedication (Joe's first dedication. It was such a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk. Pres. Monson was so personal and fun. Joe has never seen him like that). So last Sunday was our first Sunday meeting the members, and that was Thanksgiving weekend. We will see if the numbers change after the holiday.

The graduation: is set for December 14th!! And yes, I am going to walk. I figure it took me 5 1/2 yrs of working strictly towards ultrasound, and since I graduated from high school in 1999 that I have been trying to figure out my career...it is worth the walk. I am hoping for a smaller group since it is in December. WAHOO!! So exciting!! I have one more comprehensive final, and I am done, at least regarding school. I still have to take two more national exams for abdomen and OB/GYN...but I am done with school, what a relief...

The landscape: is such a nice change to the flat, barren lands of Twin Falls. We love the trees, the hills, and the wildlife. Joe drives me to work when he can, and we often see herds of elk on the drive. The people here seem to take their time and enjoy life. That is something we have to get used to...10 miles below the speed limit isn't such a bad thing, right?

Over all, we are beyond excited for this new change for us!! Joe does have to commute to Twin Falls which is 69 miles south of Hailey. This semester he has one class a week. Next semester he has twodays of classes a week. Then the summer he has 40 hrs of clinicals a week for 8 weeks at Twin Falls. In the fall he has 20 hrs of clinicals a week at Gooding (45 mins from Hailey) and 2 days of classes a week at Twin Falls. Then in the spring he will have 40 hours of clinicals a week at Ketchum, where I work. He has been so supportive of this move for me in my career. He quit the job at C3 in Twin Falls, and has committed himself to be a "stay at home hubby" and a full time student. He has been wonderful with keeping things clean and cooking dinners. He even packs me a lunch and makes my breakfast shake. WHAT A KEEPER!! I am grateful for him.

I am grateful for miracles, that a new graduate like me can be employed 40 hrs a week, Monday-Friday, 4 days a week, no oncall (unless it's an big emergency that can't wait), and usually no holidays...Seriously, how blessed am I? And Kandis graduated from Weber's program and was trained at Twin Falls too, so she knows where I am at and is so patient with me.

Heavenly Father is good to us. He is good to all of us. Sometimes it seems like things will NEVER fall into place...but just with my experiences in my life, things eventually do. And they end up better than I could have hoped for. Meanwhile, I tend to complain, moan and groan...But He is always faithful. There is this song that I love and I can't find the name or the lyrics...but it comes to my  mind every now and then. It starts out as, "Gentle healer, my deliverer..." and it talks about Him being the giver of gifts. I like that, He is the keeper of the covenant, He will alway be there...

Halloween 2012

Joe wanted to be Caesar for Halloween. We had some extra sheets that we didn't use anymore, and I got a few supplies from the dollar store or Walmart...and I will have to say, not too bad!! It was fun to put it all together, and Joe was so excited.

He won the First Place Costume Contest at his work. He had some pretty good competition, so he was excited.

I gathered up some stuff that we had for a Pirate costume, and bought a few additions.

We had a our car decorated for the Stake Trunk O'Treat. We had a fun time =0)

Fall Photos

Our Young Women's did a fundraiser for next year's Girls Camp. It was only $30, so we decided to help them out. We didn't know how it would turn out...here are they are, not too bad...

Here are my favorites:

Here are the extra shots...