MAY 2013

Every time we go on a road trip, it seems like we see a unique license plate. A lot of the time I sit in the passenger's seat wondering what in the world people are thinking and then other times I think, huh....that's interesting....so when we were on our way down to Milford to celebrate Memorial Day we found this license plate gem. Also, as we were eating Reese's Pieces, I found this oddly shaped piece and wanted to document it's uniqueness. On our travels, we made a stop at the Hill Aerospace Museum. I thought it would be boring, but it was actually really cool inside.

 

 

After our stop at the museum, we headed south to Milford to celebrate Memorial Day. We went to the cemetery and remembered those that had gone on before us. Words cannot even begin to describe just how much I miss them. I'm so grateful for their wonderful examples of love, courage, and support.

 

We must have worn Kam out, because he barely finished his lunch before he dozed off at his desk.

JULY 2013

Having married Dallon, a former employee of the beautiful Capitol Reef National Park, I get the opportunity to see incredible sights and learn about this amazing park. On our trip down to Wayne for the Fourth of July, we decided to make the short hike up to Cassidy Arch. We made sure that started early in the day so we didn't bake like toasted cheesers. 

 

 

Dallon is wealth of knowledge when it comes to the park because he grew up right next to it and then worked there for a number of years. Michael Scott also knows pretty much everything about the mountains/landscapes in Wayne County. So between the two, I get to hear a ton of stories about the park's history. I love to hear not only about the history of the park and surrounding areas, but also about their hiking/camping stories in said areas as well.

The Fourth of July is probably our favorite holiday and we had a great time celebrating our nation's independence Wayne County Style. Here's our top ten list of why it's our favorite holiday:

1.We love to celebrate our freedom.
2.We love summer.
3. We love parades.
4. We love cotton candy (me more than Dallon, it's my kryptonite).
5. We love barbecues.
6. We love fireworks.
7. We love family time.
8. We love 'Merica'
9. We love traditions.
10. We love cotton candy (yes, I know I already said it, but it's so nice you gotta say it twice).

This year our cute niece Maddix decided to participate in the WC  Fourth of July Talent Show. She sang a Taylor Swift song and did an outstanding job! As you can see, she was the smallest girl, but what she lacked for in size she made up for in talent. We were amazed by her courage to stand up in front of all those people and sing by herself! She rocked it to say the least.

While we were visiting in Wayne, we got to spend the day at Fishlake! I've always wanted to go fishing there on a boat! I remember back in the day when we would load up in the Astro Van and run in the annual Fishlake races. I started out running the kiddie race around the trailer park, then graduated to the 3 mile road race a few years later. Whenever we would run these races, I would look out at the beautiful lake and see a ton of boats, hoping that someday I could go fishing/boating there. Who would've thought that I would end up marrying a guy who practically grew up living at Fishlake?

Anyways, it was a beautiful day full of fishing, (Maddix won the battle of catching the most-probably around 40-50 perch catch and release style), sun bathing, deer sightings, chatting, and laughing. We had a great time with Shanda, Darci, Kelton, and Maddix.

JUNE 2013

Disclaimer: I'm trying to play catch up on documenting our lives together, so our posts might seem a little out of order. I know we're about two years behind, but we've got to start somewhere right? I hope you enjoy the recent and the not so recent events of our lives.

 

With being new to Cache Valley, we are constantly exploring every place we can get. Dallon knows how much I love Sunday drives, so he suggested we pack a lunch and go for a drive. We decided to go to the south end of Cache Valley, towards Paradise. We found Porcupine Reservoir, a beautiful lake surrounded by pretty mountains. While we were exploring, we found a cute little stream to have our lunch by and soaked up the cool mountain air.

 

The Month of May 2014

May has been jam packed with a variety of activities for us.The first week of May had Dallon busy busy busy. He had a couple of intense finals and worked diligently with his study group to earn high marks on all of his tests. I am completely amazed by his hard work and dedication. Being a biological engineer student is not an easy task, but he is up for the challenge and loves learning.

On May 3rd, I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Family and Consumer Science Education, Magna Cum Laude. (Dalaki also graduated this same weekend with his Bachelor's degree in Communication). This has been a long time coming, but I am so very blessed to have completed my degree. I couldn't have asked for a better support system for the past six years. I had a great cheerleader section at my graduation and glowed with utmost happiness up on stage. Mike, Sharon, Shanda, Luxi, Maddix, Krista, Derek, and Navy rounded out the Durfey side. Shelley Mom, Nish, Dalaki, Koda, Mandi, Daezia, and Kam rounded out the Livingston/Spaulding side. We were so grateful they could all come to celebrate with us! (Stay tuned for more grad pictures)

It is kind of surreal as I think about what the future has in store. All I've known for the past six years is being a student. It is crazy to think that I will have a 'grown up' job come August. Now that I have finished my degree, I can't help but think of all the things I will miss. I will miss my fellow graduates and hope to continue rubbing shoulders with them in our future careers. They are a great bunch of people and I have loved getting to know them the past two years.

I will miss Julie Wheeler, hands down THE best professor in all the land! I would not have graduated without her constant advice, listening ear, reassurance, friendship, and inspiration.  She is such a great person and I feel so grateful to have had her as a mentor.

I will also miss seeing my partner in crime on campus every day. Dallon helped get me through the tough and stressful times that college brings. He was the voice at the end of the day encouraging me to keep on keeping on when I had had enough and wanted to give up. I am so grateful for his undying love and support.



After all of the graduation festivities, Nish agreed to let Kamdon stay with us for a few days. That kid is so funny! Dallon and I love all of our nieces and nephews. We love every opportunity to spend time with any of them and this wasn't any different. Kam had us laughing the entire time. We can't get over how smart he is and how much he LOVES to talk. He even told us all about COD. Our friends Colin and Sara came over for dinner and to play some COD. Dallon died at one point in the game and yelled out, "Are you serious?!" Kam didn't skip a beat and replied, "I'm serious! I'm good at this game!" He also explained over and over again that his school is his work.




May is a busy month, especially with track. Region track was rescheduled and so Dallon and I were not able to help in the booth. But on a positive note, The Chief, Daezia, Akaydeh, and Trex were able to come visit for the weekend. We love having visitors! We took them on a grand tour of the valley and took Dad to his favorite store, Al's Sporting Goods. We had a great time exploring, getting Aggie Ice Cream, playing racquetball, watching Mulan and Extreme Couponers, and chatting it up.

(Kin decided to have a photo shoot in their fort that they built. It was made out of a red blanket and umbrella)

The next week brought the state track meet. I don't know what it is about this event, but I absolutely love it! I love soaking up the sun and watching amazing athletes perform. It also makes me miss being in shape and not having a care in the world, I mean other than running to the best of my ability. It is just incredible to see these talented athletes work so hard and see their progress and accomplishments. The weekend was filled with laughter, cheers, competitiveness, and fun. Being out in the sun all day sure took its toll on us.....27 beverages later....and a few naps.....we were good to go!

After the meet got over, we had the opportunity to stay at Jim's house in Salem. We had a great time playing card/board games, ping pong, tennis, listening to his new car's sound system, and having intriguing conversations. We always have a fun time when we get together with Jim.

The third week of May, the docks were finally put out at the Benson Marina. We went with Colin and Sara to go night fishing after I got off work. We love it out in the great outdoors! It was a beautiful night, a sky full of stars, a light breeze, and some okay fishing. We caught a couple carp, and one pretty good sized catfish, which tasted delicious btw.

The next week brought some sad news. Colin and Sara told us that they would be moving to Oregon. I'm not going to lie, it was rough news to take. We have loved spending time with them the past year. Ever since they came to our house, the day that they met, we have considered them some of our very best friends. We are so sad to see them go, but wish them the best in their endeavors.

This past weekend was completely filled with family festivities. On Thursday we visited Krista, Derek, and Navy. Krista gave me eye lash extensions and did a wonderful  job! There are somedays when I don't have the best confidence, and it is crazy just how much better I feel with these extensions. Navy is such a happy baby and Dallon had fun watching her while Krista worked on my eye lashes.

We then headed south to Milford for Daezia's High School Graduation. On the way down, I put the finishing touches on her t-shirt quilt that I have been working very diligently on the past couple of months. Daezia had quite a bit on her plate this weekend. She made the graduation slide show, was named the Valedictorian, gave a wonderful speech, and sang a solo! I felt so proud to be her sister. She did such a great job on all of her tasks and I am amazed by her courage and strength. There is no way that I could have sang by myself in front of all those people! She truly has a heart of gold and I know she is going to accomplish amazing things in her life. She is such an inspiration.

(I did EWWW -Nisha)

Our festivities did not stop there, on Saturday we had Tayleah's baptism. She was absolutely radiant in her gorgeous white dress. She insisted that I braid her hair into a side pony tail so that everyone could see just how long her hair is getting. Tears filled my eyes as I watched this strong and beautiful Child of God be baptized, when there was a time when we didn't even know if this day would come. I am so grateful for her example and for her sweet testimony.

On Sunday, Stockton Mitchell was blessed and Tayleah Reese was confirmed. Stockton was handsome in his white tux, and Tay was gorgeous in her fancy dress. Both were given beautiful prayers and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the spirit testifying that these ordinances are vital to being a member in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

While we were in Milford, we had a great time playing games (ie the name game and box of lies), watching youtube videos, getting brain freezes, cooking, eating, laughing, analyzing, singing, going on pop runs, as well as remembering those that have gone on before us. I always loved living in Milford because it felt like the party always came to us. Grandma and Grandpa Fisher always had a special connection with their offspring and I was fortunate enough to grow up right next to them. So when anyone ever came to visit them, we got to see them as well. It is a blessing I will always cherish. Having grown up and moved away, it still is wonderful to see family and friends gather in Milford to pay tribute to the ones that inspired them. I am so grateful for the family in which I was born into and will always cherish my time with my immediate and extended family.

Even though we are super busy, we can't help but feel overly grateful for the life that we live. We have been married a little over two years now and we couldn't be happier. We are so grateful to have wonderful families and awesome friends.

April came and went....2014

The month of April brought exciting happenings. On April 4th at 1:53 am, we received a text message from Daezia stating, "Baby Stockton is here!!! He's large and in charge." Jeep and Nish welcomed their fifth child into the world, Stockton Mitchell Spaulding. We rushed down to meet him as soon as we could. We even brought a surprise visitor with us to help at the annual track meet, none other than Melanie aka Millinie Vanillinie.

While we were in Milford, we got to celebrate Tay's birthday. Daezia made an amazing Elsa cake and we watched as she eagerly opened her presents. Tay is a spunky little girl and we literally laughed out loud when Nish told us that she requested spy or prank stuff for her birthday. We then laughed out loud again when she used her problem solving skills to not only find a picture, but to glue it onto her spy ID card. We sure love our Tay and family time!

April also brought our first night fishing trip with Colin and Sara. We went out to our usual spot at the Benson Marina. The docks were not out yet so we had to fish off of the shore. We weren't very lucky, seeing how I caught a minnow! But Sarah caught the first catfish that was a somewhat reasonable size.

The last week in April, I was offered a full time teaching position at Central Davis Junior High School in Layton, Utah. I will be teaching an array of Family and Consumer Science classes with one of my fellow graduates, Lexi Brown. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher/friend to work with as I embark on this new and exciting adventure. I also was offered a basketball coaching position. We will be staying in Logan and I will make the 45 minute commute.

Philosophy of Teaching

      Hello, my name is Kaitlin Durfey. I was born and raised in the wonderful town of Milford, Utah. I currently attend Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I am studying the field of Family and Consumer Science Education. I plan on obtaining my bachelor’s degree to be a licensed teacher.
      I have always been engrossed in the intricate studies of the family. I believe this passion came about because I come from a family of eight kids. Family life is a very important subject that our future generation needs to be familiar with. It is a building block that is critical to their upbringing. I hope to be able to enlighten teenagers about this very precious subject, so that they will be able to become outstanding leaders, friends, and people. I owe my family everything, and want to study to become a Family and Consumer Science teacher. I want our future students to know what it is like to have strong family bonds.

Official Aggies

Well folks, it looks like that summer is about to be over, yesterday marked the last day to have student fees and tuition paid off, (or else one would lose their classes.) Luckily we were fortunate enough to get all of this taken care of and we are set for the upcoming school semester. We are official Aggies now because we finally got our student id cards...which are pretty fancy if ya ask me. Campus kind of overwhelms us, but we're getting the hang of it. We also took our first stroll up the Old Main Hill....what a doozie! Hopefully it gets easier to climb with time. 

We also finally made the trip to Bear Lake! I had no idea that it was in RICH county....who knew?? It was a beautiful scenic route and we finally got to our destination, North Shore around 11. The water was chilly, but we got used to it after a minute. It was incredible to see the turquoise colored water! And to add to that, it was HUGE! To tell ya the truth, it looked like an ocean for awhile. We swam around a bit and Dallon had me laughing out loud numerous times. First when he was "walking in place" and then when he walked like a crab. There is NEVER a dull moment with him, ever, even if there's a fire! We are constantly laughing and I absolutely love being married to him.

Anywho, I finally got a job! I am a hostess at Kabuki, a Japanese Steakhouse. It was intense at first, but I'm catching on a little at a time. I love to meet new people every time I work and the people I work with are pretty chill. I also start my other job tomorrow, as a high school volleyball official. I am intrigued to see how things are run up here. I went to one meeting already and have my first match tomorrow at Northridge, a junior varsity tournament. Dallon is still working at West Liberty. It has been quite the experience for him and he's loved meeting new people. 

Well, that just about sums it up for the Durfeys. We're keeping it real in Cache Valley. Chao.