Tyson and Brandi

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Draper Temple

Sunday afternoon we all decided to get out of the house and go for a drive up to the Draper Temple! We took a little different route on our way there and saw so many gorgeous homes with the most amazing views! Wow, Utah seems to have so many nice homes! I want one!!! Anyways, this temple truly is magnificant! It looks out over the entire Salt Lake Valley and at night the views are spectacular! When we eventually move back to Colorado, I'm going to miss having so many beautiful temples so close!

Grant helping little Miss Macie and Halli with their umbrellas!

Tyson, Me, and My Parents!

The "Gilleland Boys" (and Macie!)

Supercross SLC

My family made the long trek to Utah to both attend two very exciting events, this supercross race and to celebrate my graduation. We were afraid we were going to get rained out, cold and miserable so we all came prepared with our jackets, ponchos, blankets, and umbrellas! However we were not allowed to enter with our umbrellas so we ended up hiding them in some nearby trees and surprisingly enough they were still there when the races were over!

We all agreed this race was by far the best one all year! Reed and Stewart were so close! They were passing one another throughout the entire final race. In the end, Reed was intentionally slowed down by a teammate of Stewart and Stewart pulled away too far for Reed to ever catch back up! We were all a little sad about that as we were all cheering for Reed. It was still a very exciting race and we were all on our feet the entire time! Tyson just about fell down the stairs at one point he got so excited! Nevertheless, we all had a great time freezing in the Utah stadium!

Chad Reed Interviewing before the big race!

Brittany, Durant, and Nic

Chad Reed (#1) getting ready for the big race!

Durant was a trooper! It was pretty cold, but as long as he was getting fed cotton candy, starbursts or any other form of sugar he was happy. Here grandma just gave him a big piece of cotton candy to suck on.

Stewart came out on top...we were all a little upset about that!

Last Day of School Forever!!!

Who would have thought that the last day of school would be so hard! Of course, we had a huge party including all sorts of delicious food, dancing, laughing, and promises that we will still get together and stay in touch over the summer and over the years! And I hope we do! But the hardest part about moving from one stage of life to another is the good-byes! Every phase of my life has brought so many priceless memories. My two years at UCDH will definitely hold some of my fondest memories! I was lucky to have a class of 54 girls that all got along! That is pretty amazing in and of itself considering the fact that girls seem to have a bad rep for drama! I was able to get to know most every girl very well as we were assigned seating charts and clinic groups that rotated over the two years. Each girl had something amazing about them! I am so grateful to have such an amazing class filled with so many wonderful friends! Thanks class of 2009 for beings so fantastic! I will miss you!!!

Burning of the Blues!

So for the past two years, we have all been going to school day in and day out wearing the same blue scrubs! In many ways it made it easier to get ready in the morning as I didn't have to think about what I was going to wear! But in many ways, wearing the same thing for two years straight can get a little boring to say the least! It was final, the scrubs had to go! Buring of the Blues was organized and one by one we sent the "blues" up in flames!

Monday, March 30, 2009

What is it about going to the dentist that seems so dreadful?!

So I have always thought Tyson was a pretty tough guy...and generally he is! However, I cleaned his teeth today and saw a whole other side of him! He would begin to moan before I could even get the instruments in his mouth!

It has been a goal of mine to change the way people view going to the dental office. I've always tried to make it the best experience possible, but I'm afraid this veiw of going to the dentist is going to be a hard one to crack! Of course no one likes going to the dentist, and for whatever reason people seem to dread having their teeth cleaned by the hygienist! The even thought of going to the dentist makes many people cringe! I just don't understand it... I just love what I do and I don't think me or anyone else on the dental team is too scarey! Most of the offices I've been in are actually quite nice and the staff are generally very welcoming... Is it the sounds, the smells, the faces covered by masks?! Or possibly it just simply has something to do with being the one in the chair! I think that's it! I love everything about the office... But I'll have to admit, I don't always love being the one in the chair!

Halli also came to see me today! It was her very first time ever going to the dentist and I think we had a pretty good time! She was excited for me to "check her teeth!" She was probably the best two year old ever to have in the chair! In all reality, she was probably better than most of my adult patients! Tyson could definitely take a lesson from this little sweetheart!

A Piece Of The BYU Experience!

Go Cougars!

So both Tyson and I seem to be coming to the end of our college careers as I will be graduating the end of April and Tyson will graduate from BYU in August. Tyson has suddenly come to the realization that he hasn't fully had the entire "BYU experience!" So we made the decision to get a little more involved! We went the the BYU men's volleyball game against UNLV this past Saturday and had a great time! BYU won in four matches. I found out that I have already forgotten most of BYU's school song, which is sad... I was there not long ago! We have big plans to hike the "Y" this summer and hope to make it to another baseball game and maybe even a lacrosse game... Hopefully by the end of the summer Tyson will feel like he's more fully had a great BYU experience! GO BYU!!!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Dental Hygiene Written National Boards- Check!

Well today was a day that was long dreaded and I'm just glad it's over! Today I took my National Dental Hygiene written test! I've been studying long hours every day for months! I mean I've studied so much my eyes have been having a hard time focusing and I've never had eye problems in my entire life! I've been studying in depth material on dental anatomy, physiology, microbiology, radiology, pathology, pharmacology, community health, case studies, and more! To be honest, I don't think I've studied that much that hard in my entire life! I didn't realize how nervous I was for this test until I couldn't sleep the past two days and when I did finally drift off, I'd wake up to horrible nightmares about not getting there in time to take the test, or not being prepared with the stuff I needed to be allowed in which would result in an automatic fail! I would wake up with my heart beating out of control and in a pure state of panic! The nerves also got to my stomach as I spent many hours curled up in a ball on my couch as my stomach tensed in knots! Once again, all I can say is I'm glad it's over! I won't know how I did for another 4-6 weeks, so the anxiety hasn't completely subsided! It's just nice to know it's out of my hands at this point. I did all a could do and now I must patiently wait for the results. The results that will get me just one step closer to my long awaited career as a dental hygienist! I'm sure Tyson is just as happy as I am about them being over, since all my time lately has been focused on studying! Now I have anesthesia written, anesthesia clinical, and dental hygiene clinical boards to worry about! Graduation is just around the corner! I have to constantly remind myself that this too shall pass and to make the most of what's left of my school days forever! I'm definitely going to miss all the great girls that have made my experience at the Utah College of Dental Hygiene amazing! I know I couldn't have made it this far without them. We are all excited about graduating and getting that dream job as a dental hygienist but the only thing I hate about moving on from one great phase of life to another is all the great people and friendships that often get left behind. So I've decided I'm going to enjoy every bit of my last 15 days as a college student! Wow, only 15 more days....

Sunday, March 15, 2009

2009 Dental Convention

Lindsey, Suzy, and I did a group research project on Xylitol project for the convention. It definitely wasn't highest on our priority list, but we had a good time throwing it together. We are just glad it's over! These two girls are absolutely amazing and so much fun to be around! As my life at UCDH slowly is coming to an end, I'm beginning to see how much I'm going to miss my UCHD girls! They are absolutlely amazing and have helped me get through dental hygiene school! It definitely hasn't been easy!

Valentines Day!!

Our fist Valentines day as husband and wife was very humble, yet absolutely perfect! Tyson surprised me with a dozen long stem roses, a box of chocolates, and the sweetest card. I took the 2008 Time Year in Review Magazine and made it my own. I changed the cover and added a special insert which had a special on our Wedding Day! It turned out perfect! I made him one of his favorite breakfasts and we watched our wedding video in which neither of us had seen yet! It turned out perfect! Later he treated me to a delicious dinner! All in all, it was a perfect Valentines Day!