Mark & Amanda's Blog

HAPPY GENERAL CONFERENCE WEEKEND!

2008-10-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you are all prepped and excited for General Conference. What a great time to hear from our leaders and gain that added spiritual strength that helps us to carry on for the next six months.

Amanda and I are going to put up our favorite quotes and talks so we can all share and blog with everyone and learn from each other. We want you all to do the same.

Amanda and I have been working tirelessly the last few months to look for employment. We looked long we looked hard the last few months. Amanda started as a long term Substitute for a kindergarten class at Madison Elementary. She wanted the full teaching position. The principal told her she couldn't be hired on as a full teacher because she was not yet in the Teaching pool for the district yet.

This put a damper on acquiring a full time position. Time passed Amanda kept substituting for this class and occasionally she would get a carrot dangled in front of her face. Rumors, hope, whispers that she would be interviewed. Well that interview happened at the end of September she got THE JOB!!!!

We were all so excited. she had worked so hard and was unsure what the out come would be. We celebrated by going to Lana Thai. The interview went great and now she is in the Everett district in full teacher status and the teacher for this Kindegarten class room!

Around the same time I had received a call from a recruiter, at a top marketing company connect with a Bellevue based chemical distribution company, who had seen my réaumé on Monster, as had happend a few times in the past. She wanted to know about my interests, my leadership experiences and my exposure to marketing and communication.

Actually looking for someone with communication and marketing background made my ears perk up a bit. The skepticism melted and dripped away, like Dougie eating an ice cream cone next to the pool. Then the recruiterd said our marketing team and I have looked over your résumé and we really think you have the qualities of clear communication, leadership, business and interpersonal background we are looking for as member of marketing customer solutions team. After she said this, she started to tell me she had already sent me an e-mail giving a volume of information about the company. Chempoint is an E-distributor of fine and specialty chemicals based in Bellevue WA. It's parent company Univar Based in the Netherlands is the largest independently owned chemical distribution company in the world.

Feeling I should pursue this opportunity I told her I would read over the information and powerpoints she sent me and I would call her back.

Long story short two weeks later I went to 3 hour interview on the 22nd floor of a 22 story highrise in Bellevue. I was slightly overwhelmed by the offices size and the three floors Chempoint occupied. I went through six half-hour mini-interviews. I told the interviewers of my experience at BYU-I, my Eagle project, my Senior capstone project's at BYU-I and at Cascade. Each interview had 2 team supervisors from the various departments I'd be working with.

Some duo's were similar in characteristics and demeanor making it easy to answer questions. Some duo's were complete opposites. One would give a look of acknowledgement and agreement and the other looked at me like... what did you just say? ... Are you speaking English? This difference of reaction threw me off once or twice but I did my best to stay focused.

After the interviews I went through a job shadow... here are some of the thing's I'd be doing if I got the position....

• You will follow and/or implement special instructions for various accounts and maintain accurate and up-to-date notation on all service incidents.
• You will create new ideas and effectively present useful suggestions for improvement of existing processes, and be ready to implement them.
• You will train and coach new team members as they are hired.
• You will answer incoming phone calls, place customer orders, and consistently provide excellent service to our customers.

After it was all said and done, I thought I had been hurled into a whirl wind. Or like I had lost at a game of underwater battle fish in our pool.

Days passed. The recruiter called back ... I wasn't sure what she would say... It was a toss up whether or not I had the position. She asked for examples of how the interview could be improved. I gave some suggestions. she then told me that the interviewers liked me. That I talked elloquently, I was inclusive, creative and I took the time to convey and understand messages instead of blabbing and making up what I think they want to hear. She then shocked me saying, I got THE JOB!!!!

After the call I yelped! I did a few bronco-busters, like a bull kicking it's back legs up in the air. This got everyone's attention. After telling Amanda mom and dad, that night Amanda and I celebrated the new position at Olive Garden. I start Monday Nov 20th.

Happy conference weekend!

Love,
Mark and Amanda

View My Visual Media.

2008-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I need your help. An advertising group I'm applying for want's to see some of the visual media projects I did in college in an E-Portfolio. I'm going to post all of them here and I want Everyone to vote which one is you favorite!. Make comments, give suggestions, the pictures with the most votes will be put in the Online Portfolio. Copy link to the projects posted on Picasa. Let me know what you think.

http://picasaweb.google.com/amandamcclain/VisualMediaPortfolio#

Thanks
Mark

Photos are updated!!

2007-10-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

Finally, I know it's been for ever but this built up the anticipation right? Let us know what you think.

M&A

an update on life.

2007-08-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

T-minus 10 days and counting! Everything is coming together for the wedding. The JSMB buffet luncheon will be a blast and Amanda and I are so excited for everyone to make it. The plans for the WA reception have been set and it will be beautiful. We'll have pictures up after the wedding and of course we'll take pictures of our honeymoon cruise to HAWAII!! Things have been crazy here, now that my class is over I have to sit and wait for the grade. Sue Jay and James are in town. We went to the Blue Angels WOW was it loud but fun! (pictures coming soon.)

Mom, Susie and Jay are at Street of Dreams for mom's Birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! We've had so much fun with games, swimming and playing with James. Things are going well here and in Rexburg for Amanda. She has all of our stuff moved into the Apartment down at school. She found her self a job and she's doing a lot for the wedding plans. There's so many decisions for a wedding wow! There's just so many plans, and paper work everywhere not to mention my accounting class in the midst of it all man that is the scariest thing of all Is that it's a class I need to pass. It's the hardest class I've ever taken. I've checked my grade every day for the last 3 days. Regardless of how well I've done on the homework and previous tests I have to pass the final to pass the class. Today the test grade was posted and I passed!!!! I DID IT, IT's DONE!!!!!! thanks to mom and her wonderful tutelage. I made it through and I have no more fears or massive obstacles to jump through for graduation. I'm thankful for that and I know that life after college will still be a challenge but after the hard work Amanda and I have put in throughout our lives I know that Amanda and I will make it and as always, we'll have fun while making it.

WE love you all.

From fun, to MORE FUN!

2007-07-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

California's been over for a few weeks and Already we're sooo excited for Next year! Even sooner then that comes even more fun!... The wedding..."sigh"... Isn't life grand!

Well we're all hoping you like our California pictures we put up on Picasa check out the link at the bottom.

P.S. Amanda lost her Cingular cellphone Wall charger. We think it was lost at the beach. Did anyone pick one up, or have an extra one?

Let us know.

Love Y'all,
Mark and Amanda

Home Sweet home... until the snow starts.

2007-07-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Amanda and I have housing for fall the address there is

160 S 1st W
Rexburg, Idaho 83440

Amanda is currently living there now. Once school starts I move down there as well. Love yo all

Mark and Amanda

Wedding Registries

2007-06-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Mark and I are now registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, and Walmart. You can view these online or simply go to the store to see what we have. The lists will be updated this week as certain colors of linens and materials were not present at the stores we registered at, but are available online. So expect some changes in the next week to those lists!

Also, there are a few items we placed on the list that we do not want people to buy us now, but things we want for the future, in our permanent home - whenever that happens! We were hoping some of you would put down cash or store credit for some of these items. These items are:

Bookshelves
microwave
vacuum cleaner
electric skillet
ironing board
sewing machine
king-size bed

Many of these items are scanned and listed to give you an idea of how much we need for these items. However, if some of you wish to contribute smaller amounts that add up to the sum we need, please feel free to do so!

Thanks guys!

Amanda & Mark

Our Rexburg Home

2007-06-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Rexburg is swamped with students and there is only so much housing! After searching and praying, the Lord blessed us with a house just north of the BYU-Idaho Stadium. We'll be close enough to walk everywhere we need to go! Here's the address:

160 South 1st West
Rexburg, Idaho 83440

I will be living there July 1st & Mark will move in Sept 4.
Feel free to send all snail mail to that address starting July 1!

Amanda

1 PM Wedding Luncheon

2007-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi

We've reserved the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for the luncheon on th 18 and need to know who can make it for that after the wedding. So we can have an approximate head count for both families. If you can please respond with a yes or a no that would be great Thanks.

Mark and Amanda

Look! In the distance, what could it be?

2007-05-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

It's a wedding approaching. All Aboard, It's the final call for the Mark and Amanda Express. We've felt prompted, and decided to move the wedding up to August. August 18th to be exact, at 10:30 AM Bountiful Temple. The temple's set and we are too. We hope this works for all. We love everyone and are excited for this wonderful time.

See you Soon!

Mark and Amanda

A Statement Of Invitation To All:

2007-05-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

To all those who may be reading this. This is mine and Amanda's blog, it's gone through many changes. IF and yes that is a big IF you have a blog, or a website, or some other online way of keeping in touch post it in a comment let me know and if you'd like I'll link you to our blog.

Watch out for Ninjas,
Mark

A Visit to Aunt Gloria's

2007-05-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Aunt Gloria and Uncle Terry invited us over to visit and store some of Mark's things over this summer vacation. They invited me in, hugged me and made me feel like a precious member of the family. Here's a picture of Mark and I in our future dream home! ~Amanda

Graduation

2007-05-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

We got our camera back! Yea! Here are some pictures of Amanda's graduation. She graduated with a Bachelors in Elementary Education on April 7, 2007 from Brigham Young University - Idaho. Her mother, Rebecca, and her father, Robert, came to Rexburg for the event. Amanda's soon-to-be-brother-in-law (that's a lot of hyphens), Jason, was there too. Her sister Muriel will be getting married on June second. Please enjoy the pictures!

~Mark

Us From Every Angle

2007-05-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

The study guide answers to all your questions

2007-05-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks All for commenting especially on our most adventure climb up the Y. The trip was definitely a team effort. I ended up amazing myself and everyone else with climbing as much as I did. It was way steeep! But, not that long 2.5 miles round trip roughly.

Yes, yes, Provo... allow me to back up and endulge y'all with a story. During finals week and packing I got this call from mom and dad... or rather a short email saying they wouldn't be able to make it to take me home. We had the addition of Cute Baby Gabriella, to our family and they were helping out there. I panicked at first but then, I realized wait a second I took a grey hound from Boise to Everett on my own when my flight got canceled over Christmas break. I can do this.

So The plan was to get me to Susie and Jay's I'd stay with them. Amand and her wonderful parents helped me to pack and loaded me up and we made our way down to Utah. I stayed with Susie and Jay for a week but felt it would be for the best if I found a place of my own. I picked up a spring summer contract at Park Plaza... if any of you know where that's at... it's about 5 blocks from Susies... or so. Amanda lives in the same complex. We've both had to relocate in the complex due to renovation... so much moving around!!!! We go running up to the temple and back periodically. Just this week Amanda started a full time sub job at the school she's hired at in the fall. I only see her at nights.

It's hard but it helps me focus on the Online Accounting class i'm taking... 1 class shouldn't be terrible. But I can't count the number of times i've heard people give their condolences, saying that I'm going to die and it's the #1 program in the country and perhaps the world. I'll survive... I'd better. Mom and dad Rigby should have landed at their desitnation by now. So I'll see them in 3 weeks when I fly home back to WA.

PS Write a comment or email me with any blog url's or cool family websites so I can attempt to link them to my blog.

Y...Because we could.

2007-04-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight Amanda, myself, Doug and Jay climbed Y mountain to the top of the Y. It's something Amanda and I have wanted to do since we moved into Provo. Jay and Doug were indespensible... The first... third or so... ehh maybe half we walked and rested and used the wheel chair to get up the trail. When I wasn't using it Jay and Doug traded off carrying the chair. After that Amanda and I hiked. Toward the top Jay and Doug Fireman carried me a short way. It was a blast we got up to the top just after sunset and we sat at the top looked out at the city and enjoyed the view. (At times upside down hanging off the face off the face of the Y.) It was awesome! Not to terrible of a hike.... Again thanks to Doug and Jay. The photo's didn't turn out that great but will be posted soon. We slid and hiked our way down the hill via moon light.

2007-04-24T10:55:00.001-07:00

Answers!

2007-04-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

CORRECT ANSWERS ABOUT AMANDA

yep
yep
blue
yep
popcorn
if I saw you in heaven
I need thee every hour
kenneth cope
yep
yep
yep
yep
swimming
yep
green flavor
10 commandmanets
crochetting
gospel
yep
yep
yep
yep
yep
San Diego
yep
yep
yep
yep
cologne that smells good
yep
thanksgiving
stick whatever
yep
starlight
yep
yep
teaching - flags
yep
red
salad
sugar candy
rap
several
any pervert
where there are too many people
yep
sci fi
not going
anything I have to watch rather than play
yep
yep
twisty-tie thingies
yep
the one I can't see
ice fishing
fishing
the one I can't play
both are ok
n/a
yep
n/a
yep
yep
both
stinky-fish smelling flowers
yep
the one you have to keep fixing
haven't watched
?
yep
yep
when I wasn't in charge

CORRECT ANSWERS ABOUT MARK

What Mark Says about Mark
yep
yep
Turquoise
Ham noodle Caserole
Yep
Depends on mood
IF you could Hie to Kolob
Yanni
85 degrees under sun on california beach
yep
The hatchet/ The River
Yep
yep
Dusting
Bubble yum
A Knights Tale
Basket Weaving
Amanda
yep
Snow tubing
yep
yep
yep
Yep
yep
Pralines and cream
mountain
ocean
Thanksgiving Dinner
Tulips
Christmas
no preference
yep
yep
yep
Bow and Arrow
Wilderness survival
What Mark Says about Mark
Laundry
Puke brown/green
burgers
Laffy Taffy
Or MJ or Prince or songs that swear
Na
MJ Prince
Frozen winter cave/campout
Yep
yep
yep
Soccer
cinnamon
"Bear"
Boondoggle
Long-term Schedule
The one I can't see
Tubing behind Truck- Ice snow kicked up
Hiking
Pokemon Snap
PC
n/a
spring
Jamocha Almond Fudge
Mountain
Desert
Barf
Stinky-fish smelling flowers
April Fools
The expensive 1
Barney
?
Contacts
Gun

Mark got 46% correct.
Amanda got 24% correct.

We assume this to mean that either Amanda knows what she likes and doesn't like and doesn't mind letting Mark know OR Amanda just doesn't know Mark well enough! Or even that Mark doesn't talk about himself enough. Whichever way - we want to know your scores, so post 'em!

Did you get 100% ? If you did, let us know; we might let you get an extra piece of wedding cake as a prize! =)

How Well Do You Know Me?

2007-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Mark and I realized that a lot of our friends and family need a little bit more info about us - so, we asked each other our favorite things and our least favorite things. To make it even more fun, we decided to do it on each other and test how much we knew about each other.

So, listed below are the questions we asked each other. Below that is what Mark said about Amanda. After that you have what Amanda said about Mark. On Tuesday we will post the correct answers.

We decided to figure out who got the betters score - who knew the other best and guess at why that was.

You can even see how good you are at knowing your sibling/friend. Just answer the questions about your family member/friend and see if you got them right. Perhaps you know a lot, perhaps you don't - you should find out!

When were you born and where?
How old are you now?

What is your favorite…
color
dinner
junk food
song
hymn
song artist
napping spot
subject in school
book
vacation spot
sport
chore
flavor of gum
movie
craft
subject to talk about
constalation
winter activity
summer activity
video game
pc vs mac
temple
season
ice cream
mountain or valley
ocean or desert
smell
flower
holiday
car
tv show
childhood toy
glasses or contacts
gun or bow and arrow
merit badge or project

What is your least Favorite…
chore
color
dinner
junk food
song
hymn
song artist
napping spot
subject in school
book
vacation spot
sport
flavor of gum
movie
craft
subject to talk about
constalation
winter activity
summer activity
video game
pc vs mac
temple
season
ice cream
mountain or valley
ocean or desert
smell
flower
holiday
car
tv show
childhood toy
glasses or contacts
gun or bow and arrow
merit badge or project

WHAT MARK SAID ABOUT AMANDA

Nov 19, 1983; Rome, NY
23yr, 5 mo, 2 days
purple
broccli rice
ice cream, C.C.C. dough
Casie and JoJo - all my life
come thou fount
eric claptin
hammock
science
scriptures
don't vacation
soccer
dishes
spirament
animated scripture movies
painting
marriage
orion
snowball fights
swimming
wii boxing
pc
No absolute fav.; Hawaii
winter
CCC dough
mountain
ocean
my cologne
pansies
easter
mini cooper
didn't watch tv much - full house
kid sister/my buddy
glasses
gun
service, painting a fence

WHAT AMANDA SAYS ABOUT MARK

December 30 1983; Everett, WA
23yr 3 mo and 21
Blue
Russian Chicken
Ramen
?
Come Thou Fount
?
Long beds
Interpersonal Communication
?
New Port Beach California
Kayaking
The one I don't have to do
Cinnamon
PRESTIGE
?
Catan
Big Dipper
Hibernating
Boogie boarding
Wii ….
mac
Salt lake
Summer
Pecan praline
Valley
Ocean
Food
rose
Easter
One I don't have to drive
Mash House, Grey's anatomy
My blankie
Glasses
Gun
Citizenship in the Commujnity
What Amanda Says about Mark
Bathrooms
Brown
Calamari
Anything without sugar
Any kind of rap
NA
Christina Aguilera
Testing Center Desk
Math/Acct
Textbooks
Northern Russia
Mountain climbing
Anything that loses its flavor quick
Finding Nemo
boondoggling/widdling
Scheduling
The one I can't see
Snow Ball fighting
Foot Race
The one that won't turn on
Pc
n/a
Winter
pumpkin swirl
Mountain
Desert
The one that chokes you in the back of the throat
Dandilions
Forth of July
The expensive 1
The Blank Screen
Dressup
Contacts
B&A
The one that makes you get up at 4 am

We will be posting the real answers on Tuesday. So now is YOUR chance to see how well you know us!

The Life of Amanda Sue by Mark

2007-04-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Honestly, there's no place to begin but the beginning. Amanda was born in a place far, far away, a little town you may of heard of, called Rome....New York, not Italy. The two siblings that came before her cushioned the fall down from heaven. She grew up just like any other military brat - living on a base. Learning the Military alphabet before the English alphabet. Their family later moved West where Amanda grew, matured and became a young lady. Then they moved to Altus Oklahoma where her parents currntly reside. While in Altus, she learned the flute in band, she swims and she gained a strong love for the scriptures at an early age. This has continued with Amanda into the 21st century. In 2001 Amanda was accepted to BYU-Idaho with flying colors. Her scholarly genius and hard work has helped her excel academically as well as in life. She served 18 months in the Utica, New York mission. She then returned and continued her academic and scholarly ways in the BYU-I first stake 5th ward. Where she met Mark and the rest is history... From the beginning to the present and onto the future this is but a small chapter in the Amanda Sue McClain saga. ( future chapters of the saga to include a handsome strapping young man named Mark.)

Mark's Biography written by Amanda

2007-04-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just some FYI on Mark:
Mark Rigby entered this world on Dec. 30, 1983. Born and raised in Everett, Washington, he enjoys percussion, scouting and kayaking. Mark recieved his eagle and then served a mission in Washington. He didn't do it alone though! He had several friends to help him on the way. He played games and watched movies with Tyler Anderson, wrote/edited papers with Olivia and hung out with James White and Steve. He excelled in academics, went to a local junior college - received his associates and then transfered over to BYUI to persue a bachelor's in communications, specifically, public relations.

Thank you All!

2007-04-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

After last night, All of the Rigbys and Larsons should have heard the big news! Your comments, compliments and congratulations have all been appreciated. Amanda and I are way excited to be together at the beach. I'm especially excited to show off the Ring!

Love you all
Mark And Amanda

2007-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog. Here you will find our story - a story of love, laughter, and craziness, and of course Catan!

We thought this was the best way to tell our story, so sit back, relax and enjoy:

Amanda and I were attending BYU - Idaho where the Lord put us in the same Family Home Evening group. That was the first week of September. By October, we were dating. Time passed fast. As November neared, we were talking just about everyday. Dad can attest to that - I had to double my anytime minutes!

Well, Christmas rolled around and we were apart. Amanda and I almost died. We didn’t have a way to get a hold of each other. Santa Clause (a.k.a. Amanda's dad) fixed the problem by getting her a cell phone. It was our lifeline. Amanda was in Draper Utah and I was still at BYU-I in Rexburg, Idaho. She came back up to campus for an exam given at the testing center. We spent the whole three-day weekend together. On the last day, she told me she liked me, no... that she loved me. I pretended I didn't hear because of all the noise. I made her say it three times! (Mwoahaha). The weekend passed; we kept talking on the phone. Then, Amanda drove up the next 7 weekends in a row so we could be together. It was hard. Even when we were together, we were doing a lot of homework!

One thing we did know was the peace we felt was real, and that our time together since we met in September was something special.

This semester Amanda was teaching first grade full time as a student teacher and I was writing, publishing and campaigning. We were busy, but still managed to talk and have time together.

After months of dating and many a-good-laughs, and sweet evenings together we started to talk about our future together; this seemed strangely odd but calm and happy. We discussed where we'd be around fall and winter and how each other's plans included being together. After time, prayerful thought and discussion we talked about marriage. The weekend before Conference, we went ring shopping. It took a couple hours and four stores, but we finally found what we were looking for. I teased her and kept her guessing whether or not I had purchased the ring. I came back a few days later with the money and bought the ring.

I came down for Conference Weekend and brought the ring to get it sized.We didn't have any time though! We bounced around between Provo, Draper and Salt Lake. We listened to Conference from six different places - from Amanda's bishop's house to the Press Box in the Conference Center.

Well, the ring didn't come into play until Amanda's
graduation. Her dad was in town and I was going to ask his permission. He was busy working on two of his kids' cars. Well, it was Saturday before I could get him alone. We drove together to drop things off in storage. Rexburg is small so I had to talk fast. I waited for him to bring it up; he asked me if I really loved Amanda and what my plans were to provide for her and our future family. I assured him I loved her and was willing and ready to take on the responsibility. He gave me permission. I said nothing to Amanda. We just packed the van and headed for Provo. Twelve hours later Amanda and I went with Jay and Susie to have Easter dinner with Jay's grandparents.

The next morning we all woke up early, to take her parents to the airport. Stealthily I directed Amanda to Temple Square. It was early and quiet. Amanda didn't bring her jacket. I gave her mine. As we cuddled on a bench, I reached in to get the ring. She laughed and told me the ring was on the other side. I pulled back, and we watched the sunrise as the cool crisp air warmed up.

The next day, I woke up early again! I wasn’t sure how dressed up and professional I should look for kindergarten. Because we took the carpool lane we showed up to the school an hour early. Again, the air was crisp, the sun wasn’t out and the area was deserted. I asked Amanda if she wanted swing on the swings. She joked, "but it’s too cold." Finally, she agreed and we went out to the swings. What I didn’t know at that moment was that Amanda loves to swing. (This was a perfect coincidence that worked with my master plan.)

I pulled out a poem about teachers and read it. I then told her how good of a teacher she is, and how much she’s taught me. She smiled. I jumped off my swing, almost falling in a puddle of water, went behind her and started pushing her higher and higher. Then I slowed her to a stop came around in front of her and started to get on one knee. She told me to step back a foot or so. I was grateful. I was standing in a few inches of water. I would have soaked my knees! I would have done it but this worked out better. I dropped to one knee and asked Amanda to marry me.

I gave her a kiss and we hugged for a few minutes. With time to spare before she taught, we called Mom and Dad and shared the good news. They had been expecting our call. They were excited for us beginning of our adventure together.