Here is a brief update on Team Eliason. We've had a great 2010 and we're excited for all of the things coming up. We thought today's date was was particularly memorable, being 1/11/11 and all.
2010 truly started, for us at least, on May 1st. Mark and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple the afternoon of May 1st and started our awesome adventures together! Our decision to marry each other has been the best one we've ever made, and we consider it"the greatest investment" (that's why our blog is called that - because family is the best investment of time, energy, and love).
The summer months were spent in Tempe and Gilbert, AZ, where Mark worked for Teach for America as an instructor for the new corps members (working 14 hours days or so) and I worked as a research assistant for some BYU professors. We spent the weekdays in a dorm room on ASU campus and enjoyed the cafeteria and the convenient gym and pool each evening. (Having a cafeteria necessitated the use of a gym and pool each day.) Then, on the weekends, we would go to Mark's parents' condo in Gilbert that was on this beautiful lake (man-made of course). But, we had breakfast every morning outside on the patio with the water and the ducks and the cute turtles. Then we went inside because even by 7:00am, it was pretty hot outside. We had a very kind ward there and we were able to spend time with Mark's brother, Jon, and his family and we also spent time with my brother, Ammon, and his family (as well as Jes's awesome family). A great summer together.
At the end of the summer, before Mark and I went back to Provo (Mark was going to start his first year at BYU Law and I was going into my third), we took a trip to the Big Apple - so fun! We stayed with Aunt Jan and Uncle Paul and had an absolute blast. We have included some pictures below, so we will not discuss this in detail.
(Mark has strapped his backpack on tight, just in case he falls out of the raft or something....cute boy!)
We entered law school this last fall and had so much fun going to school together everyday. Although law school is not always just a fun party (shockingly), if you are ever going to do it, the best thing is to have your spouse with you. If only one of us was in law school, talk about never seeing each other! But this way, we are always seeing each other. We have been so grateful to spend most of our first year together side by side at our study carrels and seeing each other during breaks between classes. It helps to have this experience together as well, since law school can be demanding. Mark has been so awesome and has been my inspiration to study. He is so diligent and such a good worker. He also has one of his best friends in the first year class, which is great. Mark and I are on the Environment, Energy, and Resources Society (EERS) board (an enviro law club on campus) and went to Denver to a NEPA conference in October. Mark is also the 1L SBA rep, which basically mean he is on the student council at BYU Law. So popular! I started the Immigration Law Forum this past semester and we have had some good events, including an immigration bill debate. I also set up October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month at BYU Law to help raise awareness and increase prospective attorney commitment to the cause.
Also, Mark and I have been able to do some fun camping this last fall and summer. As part of the EERS board, we planned an overnighter with law students in Spanish Fork canyon. In the first part of October, Mark and I trekked down in our trusty Subaru to Capitol Reef National Park and camped in the Dixie National Forest. Thank you to all the people who gave us camping gear for our wedding! It was put to good use!
In November, Mark - the amazing athlete - convinced me to sign up to do a triathlon together. We accomplished our goal in running, biking, and swimming - all in a row (which basically means we finished without dying). We trained a bit here and there and had some fun nights at the RB pool and some lovely bike rides to beautiful Utah Lake (and when I say "some" what I mean is "one"). Provo is so pretty in the fall.
Mark worked diligently fall semester to line up some sweet externship opportunities. In May and June, we will go to Uganda where Mark will work as a legal extern at International Children's Legal Aid. He will be assisting AIDS victims with their wills. Then, in July/August time, we will take a trip to Oxford, England! This has been a dream of ours, and we are excited to go. Mark will be a research assistant to an Oxford professor and will research international public law.
This next semester, I will be dancing again with a BYU team, this time with a contemporary dance group that does outreach into elementary schools. It's called Kinnect and try to teach ideas and problem-solving through dance.
We were so glad to visit with family over the holidays and we send our love to all friends and family! Keep us posted on your lives!
Much love, Jana and Mark
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