Christmas Card Blog Style

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE CALDERS

This has been a busy and exciting year for us. In March we went back east for a Spring Break trip. We had the opportunity to spend time with good friends and Ryan finally got to see the east cost. We spent a week in Rhode Island, Boston and New York City. We had such a great trip. In August we went to Washington DC with my family and grandmother. We had never been to DC and we loved it. There is so much history there and it really instilled in us a sense of patriotism. Lastly, we are finishing up our final year of school to complete our Bachelor's degrees. Both of us plan to graduate in May and couldn't be more excited.

Ryan: Ryan was recently called to serve as the Elder's Quorum President in our ward. He has been very busy, but has loved the opportunity to serve and get to know everyone in our ward. Ryan has also been working hard to finish his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with a Math Minor. He currently has a 4.0 GPA in his electrical engineering courses. Ryan is currently working at the Energy Dynamics Laboratory in Logan. He is working on improving the efficiency of wireless power so that it can be used to power electric vehicles. He recently completed his senior design project which included the creation of a wireless power demo that powered a 100 w light bulb. Ryan also sent in applications to graduate school. He has applied to Utah State University, MIT, UC-Berkeley, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also applied for a graduate research fellowship through NSF. In January he will be interviewing with NAVAIR. We looked forward to where this next year will take us and Alyssa is so proud of all that he has accomplished.

Alyssa: Alyssa was released as a Primary teacher and has been called to serve as the choir pianist and ward chorister. Alyssa enjoys to opportunity to improve her piano skills and likes organizing the music for sacrament meeting. Alyssa is currently working on her senior project that will be completed in May. Her group is working on designing a gel with silver that can help overcome antibiotic resistant bacteria. This year she will present her research at the National Institute of Biological Engineering conference and at Research Day on Capital Hill in Salt Lake City. She will also graduate in May with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Engineering with a Chemistry Minor. Alyssa has a 3.96 GPA here at Utah State University. Alyssa plans to look for biological engineering jobs upon graduation.

Thank you for your continued love and support. We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Love, the Calders

Ryan's Senior Project

Last night the Electrical Engineering department had a demo night for all of the seniors to present their senior projects. It was so fun to see Ryan's project. He is so glad to have the project completed. He did such a good job and I am so proud of all the hard work he has put in this semester.

His project was a wireless power demo. Ryan and his partner Dan were able to power a 100 W light bulb. This is the first time that wireless power has been done in Utah and this is truly Ryan's passion.

Girls Night Out

Last weekend Ryan had a final from 6 pm to Midnight so Perla, Michelle and I got together to celebrate the fact that we all turned 21. Perla and I both turned 21 in December but Michelle had been waiting since January to celebrate with us. We went out to dinner, did some shopping and went and saw Tangled. It was a cute show and it was fun to watch a Disney movie again. I absolutely love these girls and am so lucky to have them as friends.

Christmas Devotional

On Sunday December 5th we went to the First Presidency Christmas devotional at the conference center in Salt Lake City. We drove down with our neighbors and my brother. In Salt Lake we met up with Ryan's family to watch the devotional together. The Tabernacle choir sounded amazing and it was great to hear from the First Presidency in a more relaxed setting. In President Monson's talk he mentioned three stories that he reads during Christmas time. One of them was The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke. Ryan and I recently finished this story and we really liked it. I would recommended it to anyone looking for a Christmas story to read. After the devotional we went and looked a the lights on temple square. I absolutely love Christmas lights and I was like a kid in a candy store. My favorite part is the reflecting pool and this bright orange tree just south of the temple. We had a great time and it was fun to be able to see family!

Birthday

I have gotten really behind in blogging, but the end of the semester can do that to you. Anyways, my birthday was two weeks ago. I am now officially 21! That day Ryan had set up a massage for me. After that we went to dinner at Elements. That night we went and saw Forgotten Carols. Forgotten Carols definitely puts me in Christmas spirit. Overall it was a great day! It was so nice to have a break from the stresses of work and school and be spoiled for a day.

Christmas Decorations

Once back in Logan on Saturday night I just had to set up my Christmas decorations. I absolutely love Christmas and I was just too excited to wait. I set up our little tree with the ornaments I had collected. My family had a tradition that every year we would get to pick an ornament so over the years I've collected enough to decorated my tree. It's a little eclectic but each ornament definitely has some memories. I also set up my beautiful willow tree nativity. Each year Ryan's mom gets me another addition for it and this year I got the back drop.



After I had all of that set up Ryan asks me if I want to get a wreath. He is so sweet to think of me and how much I love decorating so of course I say yes. After looking I don't see one that I like so I decided to make my own. I think it turned out nicely!

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we spent thanksgiving at the Calder's. We drove down Thursday morning (much to the disappointment of the family) and then joined in the preparations. Although there wasn't much left to do. The tables were decorated so beautifully and the food was delicious. After eating Ryan and I took plates of food over to Grandma and Grandpa Calder who weren't feeling well enough to come over for the feast. It was fun to sit and chat with them. Ryan also helped them reset their timer for their outside lights. Then we headed back for dessert and a movie. On Friday, Ryan and I did homework in the morning (yes I know it's vacation but we just have so much to do). That afternoon we ate lunch at Pizza Factory and then went to see Harry Potter 7 part 1. I thought it was alright, definitely much better than the 6th movie. Ryan's Aunt, Uncle and cousins joined us for the movie and took up a whole row (minus one seat)! Good thing we were the first ones in line. Saturday we helped them set up their Christmas tree and headed for home. It was such a great weekend and we loved being with family.

Blizzard

Today Utah received a blizzard warning from 3:00 pm today until 8:00 am tomorrow. So in honor on this storm USU closed campus starting at 2:00 pm today! I really lucked out I got out of my last class today which is my least favorite. EDL, where Ryan works, was also closing down so we were home by 2:00 pm today. It has been a long time since I was home this early during the week.

I amazed as I just watch the snow come down, and the wind blow outside. I'm glad my brother was able to leave early enough to beat the storm. I'm glad Ryan and I aren't leaving until tomorrow. I would be a nervous wreck if we were driving during this craziness!

Turkey Bowl Pictures

So the last post talked about the Turkey bowl but here are some pictures of the game in action!

Turkey Bowl

Today was the annual ninth ward turkey bowl. The Elder's quorum is in charge of it which meant Ryan. However, he used his new found skill of delegating and thanks to many people it was a success. The Elder's beat the High Priest in flag football this year and I know what you're thinking that the Elder's always should but in our ward the High Priest usually win. After the game we had a great pre-thanksgiving dinner. The Elder's quorum activities committee made a great turkey and everyone else brought great pot luck dishes. It was so fun to chat with friends. I was amazed at how many people came. It was definitely a success!

Happy Day

So despite the gloomy weather today, it has turned out to be a great day. First, after weeks of the NSF graduate research fellowship application weighing on our minds we finished it! After spending the past three days to write six pages of essay and recruiting many people to help edit them we finished them this morning. Hallelujah! They turned out really well and I'm so impressed with how much Ryan has accomplished during his time here at USU. Now we just have to wait until April to find out the results.

Second, I had this huge take home test for my biological systems modeling class this weekend. Because it was a test we could only ask our professor for help and boy did I need all the help I could get! However, after five visits to his office, around 15 hours of work, and 35 pages late I am FINISHED! Now I will be able to sleep again.

Another good thing is that my time conflict with my classes was resolved. I had been looking forward to taking tissue engineering since I first started my biological engineering degree and this spring semester I would finally have time to take it. However, the last class that I need for my chemistry minor was offered at the same time. Now there is an online version on the class but that cost an extra $681. Needless to say I was stressed out. But after talking to other students who had the same problem we approached the biological engineering department and got the time for tissue engineering changed! Now I can take both classes without paying extra money.

Lastly, Ryan and I slept in this morning! It has been so long since we had gotten a decent night's sleep. So extra sleep + three amazing little miracles today = Happy Day

Odds and Ends

Well it has been awhile since my last update but we have just been so busy with school and work. First off Ryan had a call back from NAVAIR so he will be flying out to interview with them in December or the first part of January. He also had a Performance and Design Review for his senior project which went well. The faculty in attendance were impressed with his presentation. My senior project group also presented our research at the IBE regional conference and our poster took first place. Also, it looks like I'm finally to a point in my research where I can start writing a journal article for publication.

Ryan and I were officially released from our primary callings a couple weeks ago and I must admit it has been quite the adjustment to be back in Sunday School and Relief Society. However, I do get a chance to go back on Sunday to teach sunbeams. It will definitely be a change from the 11 year old class that I'm used to.

On Monday, my grandpa had open heart surgery to replace a valve just like my mom did two years ago. On Sunday we drove down to Sandy to visit him and my parents who also came to visit. Luckily this surgery went better than my mom's and my grandpa should be able to come home today.

Random Update

So it turns out I do get a new calling in church. On Sunday I was called to be the ward chorister and choir pianist. I'm nervous to be up in front of people and to have to play the piano in sacrament meeting. Although this will force me into practicing the piano which will be a good thing. That way I don't forget how to play!

Also, on Monday night for family night Ryan had the idea that we should make caramel apples. He went and bought the caramel, apples and Oreos. That night I was in charge of crushing Oreos and Ryan was melting the caramel. However, the caramel wasn't really melting and then it was starting to burn. So we quickly dipped the apples in the thick caramel and then tried to roll them in Oreos but the caramel was hardening too quickly. Ryan decided just to eat it without Oreos but when he bit into the apples the caramel was rock hard. So our little Fall adventure failed but we definitely made some memories.

Last week Ryan also had the opportunity to interview with three companies during the Tech Expo. It is great to see that there is a job market for electrical engineers and it is fun to think about all the places we might end up next year. These interviews definitely made us excited to be done with school. Also, my graduation packet is officially turned in with my fee paid so as long as a pass my classes I'm done in May!

New Backpack

So last week the zipper on my backpack broke. Sadly I had to retire my backpack but on the bright side I got to pick out a new one. Which makes me quite happy. I have a backpack fetish. I can't get enough of them so I relished this chance to have an excuse to get a new one. After searching one of my favorite sites (ebags.com) I found a keeper. This backpack has everything I could ever hope for: a laptop pocket, cold pack (like an adult built in lunch box), water bottle holder, and great organizing pockets. Well sorry for all the rambling on my backpack but I just love backpacks! Below is a picture of my latest toy!

New Calling

Yesterday Ryan got a new calling in church. He is now the Elder's Quorum President. He is worried about it but I know he will do great. We are both sad to be leaving Scouts. I never thought that I would say that but I actually liked Scouts. I know Ryan is going to miss it to he was just getting in to it and enjoyed camping more regularly. I know I am going to miss teaching Primary with him, but this will be a good growing experience for us.

Washington DC

On our last week of summer my grandma paid for my family to fly to Washington DC to see the Glenn Beck "Return to Honor" rally. The first day in DC we went to Mount Vernon (George Washington's home) and Gettysburg.






The next day we went to the Washington Monument, toured the White House and the Capital Building, and then we also went to the Library of Congress. After that we drove across the river to Arlington National Cemetery. It was amazing to be there and see all the grave markers and remember the sacrifice so many have made for our country. We also got to see the changing of the guard at the tomb on the unknown solider. That night we went to Alexandria. I absolutely LOVED this town. It is very historic and charming. While we were there we went on a ghost tour where we heard ghost stories at their location. It was a blast!







On Friday we went to the Washington DC temple. The temple is beautiful! After the temple we headed into the city and went to the Holocaust museum. It was huge. I was amazed at how many people and places were affected by this event. Later that afternoon we went to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. That was so much fun. It had all my CSI stuff. We got to solve a crime, crack a safe, be in a line up, and do some police simulations which included pulling someone over and a gun simulation.


On the last day we went to the rally. It was so HOT and there were so many people but it was fun to be apart of it. We had a great trip!

Temple Fork Sawmill

On our last Monday on summer Ryan and I drove up Logan Canyon and then hiked to the sight of the temple fork sawmill. The hike was 6.4 miles round trip and it was so beautiful.





On our last Monday on summer Ryan and I drove up Logan Canyon and then hiked to the sight of the temple fork sawmill. The hike was 6.4 miles round trip and it was so beautiful.

Anniversary

Well its official.. Ryan and I have been married for one year!!!! It has been such a great year and I feel so lucky to be married to my best friend. I look forward to all the years to come.

Well last weekend was again a great one. On Friday Ryan and I went to the temple and watched some White Collar episodes (our new favorite TV show). It is about how an art theft/ bond forger etc. now helps the FBI catch people like him. Anyways on Saturday we had a pizza party with our primary class. I think they wore Ryan out during the game of tag.. haha. For dinner that night we went to Hamilton's. It was delicious and so memorable. The last time we were there was the night that Ryan proposed. After dinner we went to the Cache county rodeo. It was great. One of my neighbors from St. George was actually in the rodeo so that was cool. For our anniversary Ryan got me all the stuff to scrapbook all the pictures from our first year together. It is still in the process but I'll post some pictures when it is complete. I'm so glad he got me all the stuff because I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I got Ryan the new Starcraft Wings of Liberty game. He was so surprised. I guess he didn't think I was listening when he talked about how excited he was for this game.

Well, our summer is coming to an end. This is our last week of work before heading to Washington DC and then school starts :(

Nearing the end of Summer

Well as sad as it is we are nearing the end of Summer. For our final month of Summer Ryan and I have been busy. Ryan took the GRE last week. He did very well on the Quantitative and Verbal but we are waiting on the score for the Analytical Writing as well as the complete score summary with the percentiles. He also changed the spark plugs on both our vehicles and took them in for their 100,000 mile tune ups.

We also took our final exam to scuba certify and will complete our open water dives towards the end of the month. We will also be celebrating our 1 year anniversary this weekend! I can't believe it will have been one year. Time goes by so fast. I'm so lucky to have gotten to marry my best friend.

Also, my brother Mike will be moving up to Logan for school. It will be so fun to have him up here. I've really missed him we used to spend a lot of time together.

And now for our last summer event we will be going to Washington DC the week before the semester starts. My grandma is taking my entire family to DC because she wants us all to attend this rally that Glenn Beck is holding called "Return to Honor". She is a big fan of Glenn Beck apparently. Anyways, we are super excited to end our summer with a bang!

Cabin!

This weekend Ryan and I went to my family's cabin that is by Oakley, UT. We left Friday morning and stopped in Kamas to get groceries. We met Mckell and Sari there (Ryan's best friend from high school and his wife) and then headed to the cabin. When we got there we played horse shoes and badminton. Ryan and I did much better at horse shoes then we did at badminton. That night Stuart and Melissa came up (Ryan's trainer from his mission and his wife). We ate dinner, played Wii, and watched Sherlock Holmes. Well, I don't know that you could say that we watched it since we all fell asleep.

On Saturday we woke up and made breakfast. Then we packed lunches and headed down to Rockport dam to do some boating. The weather wasn't that great so Sari and I stayed on the boat, but everyone else gave wake boarding a shot in the cold and choppy water. When we got back to the cabin we made dinner and then made a fire. We sat out there for a couple of hours making smores and enjoying the stars. The stars were so bright and you could see so many. Some times its nice to be away from all the lights in the cities to actually get to see all the stars. The we came in and watch a couple episodes of the OC.

The next morning we watch more OC and then packed up and cleaned the cabin. We ate lunch outside and played a couple more games of horse shoes. I actually got a couple of ringers which was great. Maybe next year I'll be able to avoid elimination in the Horse shoe tournament :) Overall it was a great trip and I'm so grateful for my great-grandmother for purchasing the land up there and creating such an amazing legacy for the family.

Our very social weekend

Last weekend was so much fun! Friday after work we went to the Elder's Quorum BBQ party for our ward. It was out in Cove at a member's parent's home. This house was huge it had an indoor racquetball and basketball court. So we ate yummy hamburgers and played sand volleyball. This sand was so soft I couldn't help but squish my toes in it the whole time.

On Saturday morning we had BJ and Nancy over from breakfast and some Wii. For breakfast Ryan made corn meal pancakes, bacon and smoothies. All I did was pick up bagels but they were right out of the oven fresh. YUM! After playing Wii Ryan and I buckled down and did our Saturday chores, went grocery shopping and prepared our primary lesson. That night we went out past second dam and enjoyed some dutch oven with Ty and Natalie. This was the best dutch oven I have ever had. Ty really out did himself. He made BBQ chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, rice, potatoes and peach cobbler.

Sunday we went to church and taught our primary lesson on David and Jonathon. Good news, a new primary teacher was called today so we won't have two classes anymore! After church I made lasagna, breadsticks, and texas sheet cake. We finished reading our last chapter for scuba! Then some friends came over to chat, we went on a walk and skyped with my family. Over all it was a great weekend!

Holiday Weekend

This weekend was the best weekend that I have had in a long time. It was nice to have a break from work and spend time with the family. It started on Friday when Ryan and I drove to Springville to stay with his family. That night we went to see A-Team. I thought the movie was well done and quite entertaining.

The next morning, Saturday, we got up and went four-wheeling in Spanish Fork Canyon with Ryan's family. We rode the four-wheelers to this lake where we had a picnic lunch and shot 22's. I had never shot a 22 but it was a blast and surprisingly I actually have pretty good aim. I also drove a four-wheeler for the first time. I was super nervous but I'm proud of myself for driving it around the entire lake. On the way down I drove the Ranger which I like a lot better because it drives more like a car and you have seat belts so I wasn't as nervous. Then we all headed home and clean up to go to Stadium of Fire. It was the best fireworks show that I have ever seen. I LOVED it. Carrie Underwood was also great and so were the other performers. It was a perfect day.

On Sunday we went to church with Ryan's family. And we got to attend gospel doctrine for the first time in months. The lesson was amazing, but I'm not sure if this is because we just haven't listened to a lesson in a long time or if it really was that good. As much as I love being in Primary it was nice to have a break from singing Primary songs, getting the kids to behave, preparing a lesson, and helping them look up scriptures (this is much more of an ordeal than you think). After church we had a family dinner and Grandma and Grandpa Calder came over. This was also Ryan's birthday dinner with his family since his birthday is on Thursday. For dessert we had brownies with homemade hot fudge sauce and whip cream. It was delicious! After dinner we drove to my family's cabin which is out by Oakley, UT. My entire extended family on my dad's side was there. It was packed but so fun. That night we ate the most amazing BBQ chicken thanks to our family chefs and watched the movie UP. That night my entire family slept in one room! There was no floor space with all the air mattresses and cots; which was probably a good thing because it was freezing! We had the window open but the temperature dropped to 30 F in the middle of the night.

On Monday we got up and took some of my cousins for a ride on the Ranger. Then we ate breakfast and took my mom for a ride on the Ranger. When we got back Ryan and I challenged my mom and dad to a game of horse shoes. We were ahead the entire game but my parents came back and won with a ringer :( After that we went for a hike up to our claim. The claim is a tree that my dad had first carved his initials in when he was 11. Then he and my mom carved their initials in a heart when they were engaged. Over the years my siblings and I have had the opportunity to carve our initials into that same tree. This year Ryan and I got the chance. It was a really neat experience and as my little sister says, "We actually have a family tree." After the hike we loaded up the car and headed for home. The trip was perfect!

Trip to St. George

We went to St. George last weekend because my brother Michael was receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. On our way down we went to the Manti Temple. It was beautiful. It is one the the few temples that hasn't really been altered since it was built. The pews are the original wood and the carvings in the rooms was amazing. I really felt the pioneer spirit here. I would highly recommended that everyone attend this temple. Ryan also spent most of the weekend setting up my mom's computer and my brother's laptop. She had a virus on her old computer that made it so slow and then wiped a portion of her hard drive. Good thing Ryan is so great with computers. He also set up a server so that they can print wirelessly to the new copier/printer in the basement. It was great to be able to go down and see family and to watch the Celtics pull off a victory!

Are you the Carrot, Egg or Coffee Bean?

Here is a cute story that I found on handling adversity that I would like to share.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of your life. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life, flavor, to them?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

Terrorist act on the Allero

So its official... someone has finally become so jealous of the Allero that they decided to cut the suspension cable. Alright so it just broke from wear and tear but still. Anyways, like I said the suspension cable broke but that's not all it punctured a hole in the driver's side tire and went in an inch. Thankfully we have AAA and they came and towed the Allero away to get fixed and all should be well by Friday.

We now have a blog

So I decided to start a blog for those of you who would like to be updated with what Ryan and I are doing. Well currently it is summer and we are both working full time. Ryan works two part time jobs. The first is at the Space Dynamics Lab (SDL) where he wires and assembles lasers that test for air quality. The second job is in a mobile robotics lab at USU. He is programming a robot to recognize certain colors and objects and use a robotic arm to pick them up. I am doing research at USU with nanoparticles of metal and their effect on the environment. In the Fall we will both start our senior year and plan to graduate in May 2011.
We are currently the 10-11 year old primary teachers in our ward and the 11 year old scout leaders. We like being involved with the kids and listening to the crazy comments that they come up with.