Merry Christmas, and a Snow Vlog!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Ben and I will be in the Bahamas for the holidays with my family! I know, we're VERY lucky, and SO grateful to my parents for such an awesome Christmas gift! Watch the Vlog below on our mini drama tonight regarding our travel plans haha!

Ben and I didn't do Christmas cards this year due to our stressful circumstances, but we DO hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! And a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love you all!

It's been a LONG time!!!

Let the Vlogging begin...

I've officially lost it...please enjoy.

Watch this one first...






And then this one....



Stay tuned for more!!!

Short one...

I have a LOT to post about, but as I left my camera in St. George, I won't post a lot till I have pictures! But I wanted to let everyone know we made the choice to move to SG. I know a lot of people said stay in Cali...which surprised me, but we had to go with what felt right to us.  We've got a lot of great plans for our future, and this just fits us best right now!

Also, check out my new music myspace page! It has two of the Christmas songs I recorded a couple weeks ago. (Some of you may recognize them from the CD I did two years ago...but these are new recordings. Anyway the url is: www.myspace.com/kirstentyrrel

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I can't wait to get my camera back to post pictures! Love ya all!!!

WE NEED YOUR HELP PEOPLE!!!

So Ben and I are still at a cross roads! We are SO stressed that we are losing sleep, and when we DO sleep, Kirsten does "voices" in her sleep! Last night she did Miss Swan...from MAD TV. Oh yeah ok... a few times, according to Ben. Scary stuff. SO I've posted below where we stand. I've NEVER had such a hard time making a choice. I feel like HEavenly Father is trying to answer my prayers, but I"m not really sure what he's saying. Both choices are EQUAL! So read on and PLEASE give me some input!


So I told my bosses about our potential move to SG, and the CEO basically had a heart attack. He immediately started shooting down the idea because in his mind SG won't have any more opportunity than Orange County. If anything, it'll have LESS opportunity. SO over the course of 20 minutes I expplained ALL my reasons for why we might go. The cost of living is less...my family is there, we're ready to start a family soon...blah blah... he wasn't entirely convinced still..but could sorta see my reasoning. So I left feeling relieved that I'd gotten it off my chest, but irritated because of the reaction- making me feel like I just CAN'T leave. I HATE feeling like the control has been taken out of my hands, and someone else is choosing for me. So I felt crappy...but then I talked to Chris, my more direct supervisor (who had sort of seen this as a possibility) and he took it a little better, but still wanted me to stay. He was suggesting places Ben could get a job...and one of them was UCI, the college. I actually thought it was a good idea...cuz then Ben could get his MBA for FREE in another year! But...I still felt like we are supposed to GO. LAter that day at home Ben and I started thinking about the possibilty of telecommuting...that I could still do my job, but from SG! I started typing it all up, things I could do, and things my co worker would have to do. I was really excited! If I could keep my pay and my insurance...but live in SG my life would ROCK! SO the next day I proposed my idea to BOB, the C.E.O. I expected him to be just as excited as me about the idea...because he totally wants to go green and this would help us be paperless! He immediately had a negative reaction to it though-thinking of all the stupid things I wouldn't be able to do- like go to the electronic store to buy supplies...things that the office person HERE could do. SO Frustrating. He didn't say NO yet, but it feels like a NO.

So now here we are at a MAJOR crossroads. I know it seems like a given to move to SG and maybe it is...but here are the pros and cons for each...

St. George

Pro's:

Living close to family
Kirsten can get her bachelors degree
Living with parents can save lots of money and help the severence stretch longer
Kirsten can get a variety of different jobs that will pay well with the great resume she's built up
Ben can find a job working for Non Profit if he chooses
Ben will still get his unemployment checks
Car insurance is half the price
Food is half the price
Gas is cheaper
Cost of living is cheaper when we DO move out (by at LEAST half)
We could start performing again at St. George Musical Theater
Ben and I would start a music company (teaching voice, piano, recording studio)
We could afford to start having kids sooner
Closer to friends and younger couples


Con's

Loss of insurance (BIG CON)
No job guarantee
No MBA program for Ben (unless he gets his MBA at SUU)
Leaving Kirsten's great job and super great pay behind
No Disneyland or the Beach (BIg woop...we still have our passes)

ORange County

Pro's

Maintain insurance
Can still afford to live off of Kirsten's pay and Ben's unemployment
Kirsten continues to grow with job-possible raise
Ben can get his MBA at UCI

Con's

Ben has no insurance as it is
No savings potential
Ticking time bomb until Ben finds a suitable job
Not many friends or young couples
SIX hours from family
Cost of living is high and getting higher with a state tax raise to 9.25% (It's 6.25 in SG)
All the opposites of my pro's for SG..haha

SO based on that info, what would YOU do? It might seem obvious, but REALLY what would you do?

I just felt left out....

SO I added a baby countdown. I'm tired of being the only one without some baby floatin on my page...so I went with three...and there you have it.

Bye Bye Opera...

So it's official for those of you who don't know--Opera Pacific closed it's doors last Friday...I guess the fat lady already sang...cuz it's over! (haha)

Thankfully Ben was able to get a small severance and we had some money saved...so we should be ok as long as we can get out of our apartment lease! We are hoping and praying...and it looks like we have a few good leads! Just tonight a guy emailed us about our apartment, he and his fiance are getting married December 6th and he has been looking for a place for them...and she lives in Utah..and they are LDS, and he graduated from BYU...sound like anyone else??? SO WEIRD! They are in our EXACT situation! I may even be able to get her a job at my office to replace me! So we're optimistic that we've found our "replacements" ^_^

Anywho...here are some pictures from the farewell party for Opera Pacific, hosted at Sue's house...the Director of Development. It was a fun way to see everyone one last time. I hope everyone finds great jobs and finds the silver lining in this sad thing that's happened!

Ben, Emily (ticket sales) Renee (group sales), Joseph (tickets), Wayan (Special Events)

Bob (CEO) Michelle (Special Events), Ben

Ben and sweet Mary, the secretary

I thought this was the funniest dessert to bring! haha...I ate elmo...
And for those who may have missed this picture...Ben and I assisting the costume department to rent out some costumes. Don't we look awesome?

Meanwhile, Ben is enjoying a little break from the working life. Today being Veterans day, I was able to spend some extra time with him! I'll be sad to work my full time hours starting again tomorrow...I hate that he's home without me! But we'll survive...and hopefully Ben can find a TERRIFIC job in SG! Pray for us! Thanks for all your support so far! We've definitely decided SG is the place for us right now!

Past, Present, Future

Last night on our horrible drive back to California from our visit to St. George I found myself reminiscing on the past. We were listening to Michael Buble, his latest album and it was bringing back SO many memories. I felt like blogging right there and then so I'd get all my memories down, but alas, I was in a car. So I'm going to try at it this morning.

Last May I was living a very VERY different life from the one I lead now. Not better or worse, just different! It all started when I got sick of working for the bank, so I thought I'd just get a paper route instead of the bank and work one hour a day as opposed to 6-8! Unfortunately no routes were available so I looked elswhere. I found a fun serving job at Red Lobster, and started right before spring semester at Dixie ended. I was anxious to finish my associates degree, so I decided tofinish out during summer semester and took on (foolishly) 16 credits! For those of you who aren't aware, 16 summer credits is like 32 regular credits. You are doing 16 weeks worth of work in 8 weeks. It was a little scary at times! And as if that load weren't enough...(by the way I STILL worked at the bank AND Red Lobster) I found a paper route! So my days were like this: Wake up at 4 to do my paper route, done by 5:30. Went back to sleep for an hour, woke up and went to my morning math class (can't remember what time), went to work at the bank until 1 or 3, got off work and went to the college to work on my online classes, ate dinner and went to Red Lobster from 5 or 6 to 10 or 11 at night...went to bed and started all over again! The crazy part was that I took on this schedule so I wouldn't focus so much on my social life... I needed a break from boys! But I still somehow managed to date a lot during that phase...and I was NEVER tired! It amazes me now that I only work 8 hours a day and I'm EXHAUSTED. I was working 16 hour days and had SO much energy!
I wish my mom had taken a picture of me in my red lobster uniform, with my Zions Bank name tag, a bag of newspapers and my backpack, cuz I have NEVER been that busy! It was SO fun.


Aside from the huge workload, I also had the most incredible YEAR when I lived in the main street house. I made the BEST friends and made memories that will last me a lifetime! We'd have dance parties with our strobe light and techno music that would last for hours.

We'd dress up in 80's attire and walk through Harmon's to buy junk food. We'd stop at Sconecutter to get something in the middle of the night and get out of the car in the drive thru and have a mini dance party. We'd have karaoke parties and sing our GUTS out We'd go to the lake and lay on the beach and just talk about life...and wonder what'd happen to us all. Life was SO simple. It was FUN. It was EASY! I had three of the BEST room mates anyone could ask for. Lauren and I had already become really good friends, and through the bank I connected with Tara and Jessica who were looking for two room mates for a house they were moving into. It just worked out so easily and we were all roommates for about a year! Lauren and I got the small bedrooms upstairs that were more like haunted lofts...but we made it work, and Tara and Jessica had the bottom bedrooms. Our house was old, but SO much fun. We had a LOT of space, and some retro appliances that were pretty sweet. The summer I was working really hard I splurged and bought a trampoline which was really fun for us all to hang out on, to sleep out and lay out on.


I look back on those days and just ache for them sometimes! Our kiss boards in the dining room, our room mate dinners, our dinners at Iggy's, all the boys that came and went, the girls finding a lizard in the Christmas tree when they were taking it down and screaming bloody murder, the boys that lived in our basement and made us feel safe, the Halloween party with all of our friends when we played Sardines and somehow a ton of people hid between my bed and the wall, all the Christmas decor my roommates had to endure for my sake, the bats Wes gave us to protect intruders, WES in general...my best friend for 10 years who was there for me when I needed him most,

the fact that he was always the only guy hanging around all hours of the night, driving around in Lauren's car, all the memories at the cabin in Pine Valley, being there for Chanelle and Elliots engagement, planning and enjoying Chanelle's, Lauren's and my weddings,

lunches with Chanelle and Lauren before Chanelle met Elliot, and even after, how GROSS our house was when we first moved in, and how much of a HOME it felt like after a few short weeks, the girls spying on me when I had gentlemen callers, mag light flash lights, Wes's first kiss night, the fact that all the weird things happened to Jess and I when Lauren and Tara were out of town, Lauren meeting Jake, New Years with the greatest friends ever, my friends coming to see me in shows at St. George Musical Theater, my birthdays with my friends, and of course the infamous "crotch video" where I ripped a hole in my shorts and didn't realize it till the end of the song...and ALL the other moments that made that phase of my life UNFORGETTABLE!

Next, is the PRESENT.

Ben and I bought a NEW CAR! Ok not NEW, an 07 Prius. We have officially gone green, and in turn have put more green in our pockets! We just drove to St. George and spent a mere 45 dollars round trip for gas! 45 MPG baby! Here is a stock photo of our car...I haven't taken pics of it yet:

We love LOVE that we have 4 doors now! It was such a pleasant drive to SG and back even though we had our laundry and brought back some Christmas decor! We have a family car now woo hoo! :) And the BEST part is that we got out of Ben's lease on his Solara! LEASES SUCK!!!

Ben and I carved pumpkins Tuesday night...of course his turned out great and mine looked special....

While in St. Geezy we had a LOT of fun with the animals for HAlloween!!!

AND NOW FOR THE FUTURE...

Ben's company is CLOSING. By Friday the company will no longer exist. Ben's last day will be Wednesday...and he only gets two weeks pay as severance. It's weird the feeling I had when it actually HAPPENED, and became more than a speculation. I'm a little scared but overall through this whole thing I have felt peace, knowing it will all work itself out! I still have a great job that will carry us through most of our bills thank heavens! :)

But we have plans. I love California, I love my Disneyland pass, I love the ocean. Lots of people would kill to live here at least once in their lives...but Ben and I felt really strongly this weekend while we were in St. George that we need to find a way to make that home. I found a few promising jobs today on craigslist for St. George, and Ben applied for two of them. We feel like if we have faith and just make the move then the Lord will work it all out for us. We are hoping to have a family soon and don't want to raise our family here in OC...it's far too pricey and we just don't feel settled. Ever since we got married and started our lives here we've felt un settled, like something wasnt quite right. I've of course been homesick, and have missed my family and friends A LOT. But I feel like we'd be moving for the right reasons, instead of just for reasons of just missing my fam. Ben and I spent most of the drive in silence, thinking about our future...and this morning we realized we had both been feeling the same urgency to move to St. George. So pray for us as we make our final decisions and try to live off of a small income. This economy is scary...and we are firsthand witnesses of the effects it is having.

So there you have it....PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE! Thanks for reading....

Lately...

I haven't been very good at posting lately! I started a post a week or so ago and got all mixed up in the picasa stuff..only to find that it's not compatible with MAC so, no collages from ME! Just lots of pictures of what we've been up to lately! :) Ben's company is almost definitely closing (It's not been announced yet, so I can't say that it IS...but technically...well it IS. So...Ben is on the job search and we are praying he finds a GREAT job with even better pay! He never ended up GETTING that raise he'd been told of since February...because of obvious reasons, the company has no MONEY! So we're hoping for the best! Scary times we live in, but we're not scared. We know the Lord will watch out for us.

Something we REALLY have been missing is DISNEYLAND! Ben's pass expired back in May, and we just got new ones, so we have gone twice already! We simply LOVE that place. It's magical and it takes our minds off of our stress! What finally pushed us to DO it is Lauren and Jake's visit last Saturday. They came down for a last minute vacation with Jake's parents and we met them there! It was really weird cuz I hadn't told Lauren we were coming, so I tried to call her when we got inside the park and she didn't answer. So we got in line for Thunder Mountain and I texted her telling her she needed to call me back ASAP. I said to Ben, "Wouldn't it be weird if we just ran into them?" right after I said this my phone rang and Ben said "THERE THEY ARE!" so it was kind of a cool coincidence. We had a great time with them for a few rides and loved getting back into the groove! :)

We got to ride the new TOY STORY ride..it's fun but my arm hurt for a couple days after! :)

Waiting with the Castos...

My handsome Indiana Man...

This was actually my first time on the Jungle Cruise! We were killing time waiting for our fast passes to be valid, and it was a fun little ride!

Also, Ben and I celebrated our SIX month anniversary! It has gone by SO fast, I can't believe we have been married half of a year already! I know that's a short time to many of you who have been married YEARS, but for us it's a big deal! :)

Ben pouring the cider...he cooked the meal!

Yummy Fajitas!

We also have enjoyed a wonderful adventure of "de-flea-ing" our animals. This would be AWFUL if we had THREE animals so I'm glad we only have two, but it still sucks!

The animals enjoying their flea bath...ew it was gross. The cat had like 40.

HAHA I love the blur of his face...poor dog.

All clean and flea free! :)

We also sold our big oversized chair we've had all this time. It made our apartment feel twice as big! We moved some stuff around and this is one side of the living room...(it's a bit messy).
And here's the other side! Now we have use of our fireplace! We only have 4 months left on our lease but it'll be sad to leave our little honeymoon cottage! It has been nice and snug and kept us REALLY close!

And last but not least...pictures from Ben's birthday! He got an ipod from his mom, and I got him the old 1989 version of Electronic talking battleship! I also got him a big water bottle for his desk at work, and a movie that turned out being rated "R"...I hadn't even thought to look cuz he said he used to watch it a lot as a kid! Apparently he watched the edited version on TV...lol.

I also got him a big water bottle for his desk at work, and a movie that turned out being rated "R"...I hadn't even thought to look cuz he said he used to watch it a lot as a kid! Apparently he watched the edited version on TV...lol.

Ben's mom made him his favorite carrot cake! Thanks mom Tyrrel for doing most of the work to make Ben's birthday so fun and relaxing!




Ben also let me straighten his hair before his mom cut it...hahaha. It was harder than I thought it'd be! :)


So that's what we've been up to...lately.