It's Been a While

So my family has started pestering me about not posting anything for so long, so today I'm going to attempt to get you all caught up on our lives!

My last post was in March, so I'll give a quick recap of the last six months...

April: My birthday! I turned 24 this year, and man do I feel old. Yuck. But anyway, we had such a great time. We went up to Park City and spent the night. We stayed at The Yarrow, which is a pretty old hotel, but it was still nice. We had dinner at this place on Main Street called Buona Vita (Italian for Good Life), and it was hands down the best Italian food we've ever had. I was in heaven the whole night. We also did a little shopping at the outlets, because who can go to Park City without shopping?

The yummy cake from Nothing Bundt Cake
that John got me for my birthday!

On our way to Park City!

I know I look dorky, but I wanted to show off the
cute purse John got me for my birthday!

The chocolate-covered strawberries and sparkling
cider that was waiting for us in our hotel room.

John and I before we headed out for dinner!

May: In May, not too many exciting things happened, but we did get in a lot of fishing and hiking. This is probably the only month this year that we really, really took advantage of the outdoors outside of our neighborhood. I think it's just because the weather was so perfect and we didn't have a ton of stuff to do. We hiked up in Big Cottonwood Canyon a lot and checkout out a lot of cool waterfalls. We went fishing up at East Canyon and also at Daybreak (so I guess there were times we didn't venture far from home).

John went on a fishing trip with my Grandpa, Uncle and cousins. The boys all had a good time and John brought home several fish that we cooked up and had for dinner one night. While the boys were out of town, all the girls stayed at my Grandma's house and we had a fun bridal shower for Adriana.

Up at Big Cottonwood Canyon!

One of the many waterfalls we found.

John next to another waterfall up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

John baiting his hook at East Canyon.

East Canyon Reservoir

Me holding up the first catch of the day! A small-mouth bass!

Here's John's small-mouth bass, emphasis on small. :)

John fishing at East Canyon.

Ignore me, just check out the large-mouth bass I caught
at Daybreak. This is not my best picture!

Me and my handsome hubby! Just showing that when
we're not hiking or fishing, we do clean up pretty well...haha.

June: In June, nothing exciting happened at all.....oh, wait! That's when our 2nd anniversary happened and when my little sister got married! (I just had to do that, Adriana!)

So, since we bought a home this year and we're planning on going to Hawaii next year for our vacation/3rd anniversary celebration, this year we decided to lay low for our anniversary, but that doesn't mean it was any less special. It turned out to be a really fun day! We started the day by going to Red Butte Gardens, and it was beautiful! We then went to lunch at a place downtown called LunaBerry, which is known for it's crepes and boba smoothies. So good! After that we saw an Off-Broadway Theatre play, and then went home to prep for our night out, where we went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Then we came home and John had set up the guest room to be our "Hotel" for the night, which was really romantic and sweet.

My little sister got married on June 13. I was lucky enough to be her matron of honor. It was a lot of stress, but also a lot of fun, and it even gave me enough content to write an article here about her big day. The wedding really was beautiful and a lot of fun. Now she's all grown up and living in San Antonio with her hubby who is in the Army. Makes me feel super old, but I guess that's how life goes! Another important part of the wedding: My sister got my Grandma to dance, which is a big deal, because my Grandma does not dance! :)

Also in June, my grandparents in Wyoming came to visit us for a weekend. We had a lot of fun with them even though they were only in town for a couple of days. Plus, they got to be our first ever guests!

At Red Butte Gardens!

John chilling on a swing.

Me and my hubby on our 2nd anniversary!

John crossing the path over the pond at the gardens.

John being John. :)

Had to post this to tease John! He thinks he looks real
cool here, haha. This is us all dressed up before going out to dinner.

Our waitress was super cute and wrote "Happy Anniversary to You"
on our cheesecake plates at the Cheesecake Factory.

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen with the bride and groom.

My sister and her husband, Wesley. Such a cute pic!

July: This was a big month for John. Not only did we celebrate his 27th birthday, but he also got a new job. He'd been at his previous company for around three years, and although he loved it, he felt like he wasn't moving up. He is now working for the University of Utah. Even though he's only been there a few months, they've already asked him to take on tons of extra projects and to help train other employees on new processes. I know he'll be moving up there in no time (especially after he graduates in December! Yay!).

For John's birthday this year we got together with some of our best friends and went to dinner and then hung out at our house and had cupcakes. It was a relaxing and fun night. My family has a ton of July birthdays, so John got another party at my grandparent's house. We had a "tea party" with pink lemonade, complete with lots of cupcakes, cookies, and other goodies. It was so much fun. My Grandpa was even the "guest of honor," although no one would have recognized him in the photo we have of him (see below). Such a great party!

We had a fun 4th of July with our neighborhood during the day with a breakfast and program, and then we hung out with some good friends in the evening to watch fireworks in Sandy. We also went camping with our good friends Becky and Charlie up in the Uintas, but unfortunately it rained the whole time! We still had a lot of fun though. We went fishing, did a little hiking, and even had a salamander wander through our camp one night. It was pretty cool.

Me, Chris, Prasad and Gaya waiting for the
fireworks to begin on the 4th of July!

Prasad, John and Gaya at the fireworks.

John and Chris on John's birthday...Chris hates hugs, but John loves them. Haha.

John with Becky and Charlie before we headed to his birthday dinner!

Chris, me, John, Becky and Charlie at Sugarhouse BBQ for John's birthday!

John blowing out the candle on his cupcake.

At the family party. John and Alexander. They're best buddies!

All the yummy treats we had set up for the birthday tea party.

Breiton checking out everyone's "about me" posters.
All the birthday people had one.

Everyone holding their cupcakes before blowing them out.

Evon and Loghan pouring the "tea" for everyone.

Calvina, the guest of honor.

John with his pinky out!

John opening gifts.

I got John a meat smoker for his birthday, so my Grandma
in Wyoming sent him this apron to go with it.

August: August was another one of those months where nothing much happened. We harvested a ton of veggies from our garden at John's parents house, which has been so good this year. We've hardly had to grocery shop because of all the yummy stuff we grew. We also went up to Snowbird a lot to catch the Friday night movies they do in the summer, which was a lot of fun.

We were picking close to this many veggies three times a week!
Everything turned out so well.

This zucchini was hiding from us. It's huge!

John and I up at Snowbird for a Friday night movie!



This picture is really relevant to anything, but I just can't believe
how long my hair is getting! Longest it's ever been.

September: Last month, John and I went on our "summer vacation," which was an overnight trip up to the Homestead in Heber. It was such a nice weekend trip and so relaxing. We stopped and hiked around at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, and then also walked around Cascade Springs near Heber. We saw tons and tons of beaultiful trees changing too. We ate at a couple of the local places in downtown Midway/Heber, and also rode on the Heber Valley Railroad. The train had a special where you got a 2 hour ride, chocolates from V Chocolates downtown (soo good!), and got to listen to string music. It was really cool.

I also had the opportunity to go scuba diving for work. It was a really interesting experience, and a lot of fun. I went to Blue Lake, which is near Wendover. Random, I know, but it's a really popular place for divers. If you're interested in reading more about my experience or seeing pics, check out the article I wrote about my adventure here.

Bridal Veil Falls

John on our way to Bridal Veil Falls

We finally got a "kissing picture!" We've been trying to
successfully take one of these for ages, haha.

John feeding the fish at Bridal Veil Falls.

The falls again.

In Heber we stopped a memorial the town has made for all it's
war veterans. Very cool because it sits at the top of a hill for the whole
town to see. It was very humbling and a great view of the city.

Another display at the memorial.

On the way to Cascade Springs we saw the most beautiful fall colors!

Cascade Springs

John on the path to Cascade Springs

Me and John at Cascade Springs.

Check out the caterpillar we found! It was so furry!

The Homestead

Hanging out on the ground of the Homestead.

Standing in front of the entrance to The Crater, a deep pool of
water inside a cave that people use to scuba dive or snorkel.

Inside the Crater.

John on the Heber Valley Railroad, getting ready for our ride.

John and I on the train.

One of the fun local spots we stopped at. It's a little
cafe that's themed with old cars, etc. Very cute!

October: So far this month, we haven't had a chance to do much, but last weekend we did go for a drive on the Alpine Loop with our friends Prasad and Gaya and took a lot of pictures. This weekend, we did some fall decorating, and I even did my first "crafty" thing I've done in a long time...I made a wreath! You would never guess I only paid $3 and spent 15 minutes putting it together!

We grew our own pumpkin in our garden this year!
It weighs in at 25 pounds. Can't wait to carve it!

The wreath I made.

I'm sure I've missed a lot of other things, but this is the jist of what we've been up to for the past several months. Now I hope you're all happy! :)

What we've been up to

I have gotten pretty bad at blogging, not that I was ever great at keeping up with it, but I just thought I'd put up some pictures of what we've been up to lately. There will be a lot of random photos, but it's better than not posting anything, right?? Anyway, here goes...

We went up to Farmington Bay with some friends to do a little
birdwatching. That tiny dot in the distance is a real bald eagle! It was
so cool to see him, even if he was far away.

Here is a close up/blurry picture. He was eating a fish!

Our friend Prasad took these next few photos of us at the Bay.
They turned out pretty good, although neither one of us was really
dressed or done up properly for a photo shoot, haha. It was still fun.

Me with my really handsome hubby! :)

I love this one. We were watching fish swim around.

As a housewarming gift, we received a wok. We have never used
one before, but we decided to make ham fried rice. John found the
 recipe and even made it himself. I was just his helper and chopped
up all the veggies, etc.

Look at that. I think that's the first time I've seen John with
a cutting board and knife in his hand...haha (I'm kidding of course).

The finished product! It was soo tasty!

This last weekend we finally used the free night's stay at a hotel that I won
last summer at a company party. It was SO nice to get away for a night and
just relax, even if we were only 20 minutes from home!

Here's John standing in the kitchen of our hotel room.
We were just amazed that the room had a "full" kitchen!

As part of our night "away" we went to Gardner Village to do some
window shopping and have dinner. It was a ton of fun. John was really
excited because we found one of his favorite sodas, Big Red, at the candy
store there. He can usually only find it in Texas. It was a big day for him..haha.

This weekend we also went to the new City Creek Center! It was so much fun.
The crowds were insane, but other than that, we had a great time. I can't wait to go back!

A little update on our house. We haven't done a whole lot since my
last post, but we did work on the sitting room a bit. We got a
little side table to go between our chairs...

...and we got a nice bench and rug! We still need to get a different pot for
my plant to go in, a lamp and have the piano moved down. After a few
decorations, this room will be done!

More pictures of our house!

Big surprise that my blog post is about our house again, right? Haha. We haven't done a whole lot of things furniture wise with our house, but we have done some decorating, so I thought I'd put up a few photos of what we've done in the last month. We still have a long ways to go, but it's coming along. Our next goal is to finish up our sitting room. Then we'll start working on the family room, then the guest room, then the other two bathrooms, and then the garage and outside. Like I said, we still have a long ways to go! But it's been so much fun, and I like taking my time searching for the perfect decorations or things that I want. We have been to a lot of cool consignment stores, furniture outlet stores, etc. and have found some great deals. Anyway, here are the photos!

The living room. We got some new pillows (I'm planning on doing green and
 salmon accents in this room), and hung up our wedding photos. We are
going to stain the table you see in the background a darker color and keep it as a
game table. I also have a movie shelf that I'm going to sand and paint.

Dining room. We hung up our giant "Madison" clock, and got a centerpiece
for the table. John found it at Target for 8 bucks! John was so proud of himself, haha.

The chairs for our sitting room. I LOVE these chairs...they are exactly what
I was looking for. We still need to get a rug, bench and lamp for this room. Plus, my piano
will go in here. It's going to be such a cute cozy room when we're done decorating!

Our new bookshelf! We had fun decorating this little area.
And now all of our book are easily accessible! :)

One of my favorite new additions to the kitchen/dining area.
Cupcake pictures! They were the perfect design and color. I love them!

Our front door area. This will probably change once we finish up the sitting
room, but it's definitely more inviting with a rug and something on the wall.

My magnet board. I had this in college and painted it lime green to
match my room, so I just repainted it red and we hung it in the kitchen. I also found
these cute little wooden things so I painted them and turned them into magnets.
It's a great place to keep photos, shopping lists, wedding invites, etc. AND we
don't have to clutter up our fridge. I hate magnets on fridges for some reason.

A couple more kitchen decorations...new clock, fruit basket, and
glass jar for my bamboo plant. It really makes the kitchen look better!

This is a work in progress. I have all this space above the cabinets
in the kitchen, and I have found some decorations I liked, but obviously I still
 need more up there. I'll be changing things around on this shelf for a while I'm sure.

I can't believe I haven't blogged since last year!

It's been so long since I've had a new blog post!

Anyway, Christmas and New Year's were a lot of fun this last year. We spent time with family and friends, ate a lot of really good holiday food, and got to (sort of) relax. Unfortunately, because right in the middle of the holidays I was starting a new job and we were in the process of moving, we didn't get to relax and celebrate as much as we would have liked. With all our things packed up (meaning no Christmas lights, a tree or the ability to bake holiday cookies), and the crazy stress involved with starting a new job and moving (not recommended to do within the same month if you can help it!), the holidays really flew by. We did however get to have a pretty awesome New Year's Eve, since it was the first night we got to spend in our new house! It reminded me of a movie, because we toasted in the new year with coffee mugs (they were the only cups we could find), haha.

Since then, things have continued to be pretty stressful as we get settled in, but luckily, it's good stress. I am having a great time decorating and getting things organized, and John doesn't know how he survived without a garage.

Work is also going really well for me now that I'm settled in. I feel like I'm starting to get into the swing of things, and have been busy, busy, busy writing, editing and doing all the things I love! I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm having so much fun. And you really can't beat a four day work week where you get to choose your own schedule!

Anyway, back to our house...we have been busy getting things organized and put away, and although we still have a lot left to do, I've had a few people asking when I'm going to put up pictures, so here you go! And keep in mind, not all the rooms are finished! I'll start in the basement and work my way up.

Our new couch! It is so extremely comfortable! Obviously this
 room still has a long ways to go.

Our new entertainment center and TV (John's pride and joy, haha)

Our office nook! I love the desk. It's so much more roomy than the
desk we used to have. And now, I don't have to crawl underneath it
every time I print something. Haha.

Another view of our office nook.

The basement bathroom! It was so much fun to decorate.

Another view of the basement bathroom.

And, another view of the bathroom.

Our new dining room table and area rug. I love this table so much!
You can also see our matching bar stools.

Our kitchen, and new fridge. I have never known of a fridge
that could be smart, but this one took me a while to figure out. It's a good thing
my grandparents have the same one, so I could practice for a couple months.

Another view of the kitchen. And our sad looking fruit
basket haha. Guess it's time to go to the store.

One last view of the kitchen.

Our laundry room!! The best part? I don't have to put quarters in these machines to
make them work. First time in about six years that I haven't had to do that.

Our bedroom. I love the light this room gets!

Another view of our room.

My favorite room in the house -- my closet! Isn't is just beautiful?

The master bath. Don't mind me in the mirror, haha.

Another view of the master bath.

We don't have a closet in our bathroom, so I decided to decorate the
shelves with baskets to keep it organized. I love how it turned out!

The Good and the Bad...

This week has been very eventful for me! Now that it's coming to an end, I figured I'd blog a little about what's going on in my life. And unfortunately, I have bad news along with the good news.

The GOOD news: I absolutely love my new job! I was extremely overwhelmed on Monday, because it was my first day, but now that the week has come to an end (yes, I realize it's only Thursday, but we only have a four-day work week!), I am positive that it was the perfect choice for me. I have already learned so much, and I have been able to use all the skills I gained in college. Thank goodness I was an editor at the Dixie Sun for four years because it really did prepare me for this position. The people I work with are all super nice and helpful, and I've even had a couple of stories published. I can't even explain how much fun it is to come into work and do what I LOVE to do all day long. It's awesome!

The BAD news: Since I started a new job three days before we were supposed to close on our house, we have to wait to move in. The underwriters don't have verification of my employment because I have not received a paycheck yet, so worst case scenario, we'll be moving Jan. 5. This is really not ideal because we were excited for the tax break, moving in before Christmas, and getting settled before the new year started. I guess all we can do is hope for the best. I think buying a home is more stressful than anything else I've ever encountered. And I get stressed a lot. Half of our stuff is boxed up, we've sold most of our furniture (hello pillows on the floor!), and we had delivery dates set for all of our furniture and appliances. Plus, we didn't even put up any Christmas decor (not even our tree!) because we thought were moving. Now we look like a couple of scrooges. Oh well. I guess we'll just have to live in chaos for a few weeks. However, I'm sure we'll be even more grateful for our house when we can finally move in!

PS - I don't have any pics to post up right now, but our house is totally finished and looks amazing. I'll have to take a few pictures next time we go to "visit."