Proud New Parents......of a Chevy Malibu

Yes that is right, we finally bought a car and it is our little baby. Today I picked up Trevin after work and we set out on what I thought would be a miserable journey to find a new car. We had our eye on a 2007 Chevy Malibu in Salt Lake. We headed up there figuring the salesman would be a jerk, we would hate the car, and come home miserable. These assumptions were all based on previous car shopping adventures. Well little did I know how surprisingly please we would be with today's outcome. We went up to Mark Miller Toyota in Salt Lake. Best place ever to buy a car, ps if you do buy a car there mention our name because they like referrals. Anyways we test drove this Malibu that we had had our eye on. Before we ever started the car buying experience it was decided that I would do all the talking, I'm the money person and most definitely better at bargaining. Anyways we went on the test drive and the salesman came with us. Super awkward. I couldn't say how much I loved the car and I would pay whatever for it and didn't even need a test drive with the salesman sitting right there. That would ruin the whole bargaining effect. So as Trevin drove the car around I picked out every possible thing there is to hate about a car and shared my opinions loud and clear. By the time we got back from the test drive Trevin was fuming mad and I thought he would never speak to me again. Unfortunately he has never been very good at the bargaining thing and had no idea that it was all fake. Well we struck a deal with the salesman, got a good bargain and drove off the lot as proud new parents of a Chevy Malibu. Hopefully we wont have to do the whole car buying thing again for awhile now.

Rehab and Car Shopping

So I've been trying to kick my addiction for McDonald's ice cream cones. They aren't all that bad for you, I mean if you need a treat it doesn't get much better than a 150 calories cone of dreaminess. Unfortunately this little dollar splurge has started to add up and so Trevin has been desperately trying to get me to quit. It is tough and some days I go through withdrawals but I am officially clean since Wednesday. So what four days? Don't worry I'm still going strong......except for the carton of ice cream I bought at Smiths today. Oops.

On another happy note, Trevin and I went car shopping today and I absolutely hated it. Our car, aka the Sauna is becoming unbearable without air conditioning and we aren't sure when it will completely give up on us. Anyways, there is nothing worse than walking around car lots in the 100 degree weather gazing at all the car that are way out of your budget wishing you could buy them. We schemed and plotted and recalculated and reassessed and no matter how hard we tried those beautiful cars were still out of our price limit. The cars in our budget were the ones in the back corner with the beat up bumper and smoke coming out the hood. Well needless to say we left the dealership empty handed hoping that maybe next time we would be more lucky. I don't know if I'm even up for a next time.

Oh Summer Please Stay Forever

Well unfortunately summer is coming to a close really soon. It is even more unfortunate that I feel like my summer is just beginning since classes ended on Thursday. Despite school and work Trevin and I managed to have an amazingly fun summer! It seems like there were lots of moments this summer where I realized how awesome this summer has been and how much great stuff we have been able to do. These were the very best, most fun moments of the summer. Here they are....in no specific order:

Swimming in a cove at Lake Powell. Another boat drove by playing California Gurls and since then I absolutely love that song.

The hot tub at the Waldorf in Park City. There was classical music playing in the background and an awesome view of the mountain, not to mention it was our anniversary!!

The Fort Collins drive-inn. We saw Toy Story 3 opening night.

Riding jet skis at Bear Lake. This picture is actually Lake Powell but you get the idea. Trevin's parents rented us some jet skis to play around with while we were at Bear Lake

The Rockies Game. My parents took us to a game while we were back for a visit. We had great seats and the Rockies won 17-2

Jack Johnson concert. The concert last night was so awesome and inspired this blog post.

Eating McDonald's ice cream cones. I am seriously obsessed, just ask Trevin. Actually don't ask Trevin because it's embarrassing how much I constantly want them.

SUMMA SUMMA SUMMA

As of yesterday it is officially summer! Trevin and I have been living it up as much as possible before he starts getting busy with school. Yeah for once Trevin will actually have hard classes and homework and I will be the one playing Tiger Woods Wii golf all the time....or maybe just hitting the mall instead. This past weekend we went to Colorado for Trevin's buddy's wedding. It was the best hoe-down I've ever been to. I totally forgot to take pictures so I'll just have to describe it. The groom was in jeans and a cowboy hat and we were sitting on hay bales. Need I say more. Haha but actually it was a really awesome wedding and so much fun to be back home. We were able to spend sometime with my parents and my brother's family. One night we actually went to the drive-in with Richard's family. It was the opening night of Toy Story 3 so naturally we had to go see it. The drive-in in Fort Collins has to be one of my favorite summer things to do. The weather was great and my sister-in-law Adriane even supplied some pretty awesome Toy Story 3 snacks for us. We had so much fun in Fort Collins that the whole way back to Utah all I could think about was how fast we can get back.

We now have a week at home to make a little money and remember what its like to not be on vacation all the time. After this week we are headed to Bear Lake for Trevin's family reunion. I can't wait! It has been awhile since we have seen his family and most important our lil nephew Callin......he's really the reason for all the excitement.

Trevin has just been working hard playing with dirt everyday and I just started the second semester of summer school. Really it is about time for the whole school thing to be over. Besides that things are pretty normal here for us. Just really loving summer!!

Our Adventures as of Late!

Well, Allison has been bugging me for a few weeks to update the blog. I've been putting it off, but figured I should probably get around to it. Honestly, i should have done it weeks ago seeing as how I now have a million things to update about. I hope that I can get everything in that I want (and more importantly what she wants).

Summer is finally upon us, and Allison and I have been enjoying it! Its great to finally have Allison back to her normal self after a few brutal semesters of school. She is currently taking spring and summer classes, but they are not nearly as intense as the last few semesters. Its great to be able to spend more time with her. Along with school, Allison continues to work at Merrill Financial. I keep telling her that she has to hold onto that job for as long as she can. Why? Well, Memorial Day weekend her boss Roger took us to Lake Powell on basically an all expenses paid trip complete with houseboat, ski boat, jet skis, great food and best of all great company. We had an absolutely AMAZING time. Nothing better than relaxing in the sun, stuffing your face constantly and having lots of laughs with some great people. We were really sad to leave and wish that we could live on that houseboat. We are looking into a few business ideas that would allow us to live on Lake Powell year round. Haha.

The weekend after Lake Powell we got together with some good friends from the ward, TJ and Vanessa Stone, and took a nice morning hike up to Stewart Falls. Allison had been wanting to go on a hike for awhile, and we heard that Stewart Falls was a great hike to go on. We were quite surprised with how much fun it really was. The hike wasn't too hard and the falls were actually quite amazing.

Well, those two adventures were fun and all, but the best was this past weekend. Believe it or not, we have been married for 1 YEAR!!! Yeah, I still cant believe it either. To celebrate, I booked a nice (an AMAZING) hotel up in Park City to just relax and spend some time together. We headed up Friday afternoon and came back Sunday. We had an amazing time together. We decided to split up Friday and Saturday as far as planning activities went. Friday was Allison's day. We started off with a little picnic in Provo canyon (definitely a nice surprise). We rolled into Park City at about 3, caught a movie (Iron Man 2, yeah i got to pick) and then went to dinner at the No Name Saloon on Main Street. They are famous for their buffalo burgers, and they did not disappoint. Allison even got one and enjoyed it, which is saying something. Saturday was my day. The weather wasnt the greatest, so we decided to take it easy and kind of just relax. We woke up late, hung out in our amazing hotel room and then went and did a little shopping. Allison, like any other woman, loves to shop. Park City has some nice outlet stores that had a ton of stores that Allison loves. I gotta say, I think I was an amazing wingman, and helped Allison get some pretty nice new clothes. We have learned over the past year to compromise, so after shopping we returned to the hotel to relax and watch a little World Cup action (great work USA and Argentina by the way). Allison was a great sport, thanks to the shopping and a dozen red roses. We ended off Saturday evening with dinner at a great Italian restaurant. It was a perfect ending to a great day. Sunday morning we again woke up late, checked out of the hotel and visited the farmer's market on main street. More than anything it was kinda fun to just people watch. Haha, i think farmer's markets bring out some of the best people. Anyways, we had an amazing weekend and it was the perfect way to celebrate our first year of marriage. A perfect weekend for a perfect year!!

Whew! That was a mouthful. We are now back in Provo for a few more days before some more adventures. This weekend we are heading back to Colorado with Trevor and Natalie Sterling for an old buddy's wedding. We are excited to get back to FoCo and spend some time with Allison's family. We haven't seen them since Christmas, so it should be a good time. After Colorado we are off for a week, just enough time to recuperate and prepare for the annual Bear Lake trip which is always a good time. We are really excited for the rest of the summer and Allison will give the next update (thats right babe, its now your turn).

No, its not the shade. Allison really is that tan. Glad that some of us don't just turn red in the sun.
View of the boat with the main man himself. Thanks Rog!!
Allison and Cari on the boat.
Darren and I about to be killed on the tube. Not the greatest idea.
Hiking up to the Rainbow Bridge Arch. Didn't know it beforehand, but it happened to be the 100th birthday of the Arch. Kinda cool.
Nothing like a morning boat ride.
Getting ready for a jet ski ride.
View from the houseboat...Amazing.
The happy couple at the falls!
TJ and I hiking up to the falls. Picture makes it look a lot more daring than it really was.
Just hanging out in the hot tub. The Waldorf Astoria really brought her A-game. Loved that hotel!
After one year of marriage its surprising how much you learn to compromise...Allison gets roses in front of the fireplace and I get to watch the World Cup.
A little taste of our room, the picture doesn't really do it justice.
TV placed conveniently in front of the toilet...every man's dream.
Bathrobes and Slippers, gotta love 'em.
Dinner at Ghidotti's, an amazing Italian restaurant. (Yes, totally romantic and totally my idea)

11 months of marriage

So this week was our 11 month anniversary. I know all you old people laugh that we still count months but pretty soon we can start counting years! Until then I thought I would share what I've learned for these first 11 months of marriage

June '09--There is no off season for ESPN

July '09--Guys really don't like to see you crying, it freaks them out at first

August '09--Life is really amazing when you get to spend it with your best friend!

September '09--Men really can do dishes, cook, do laundry, and grocery shop.....it just sometimes takes no clean dishes, no clean underwear, and no food for them to realize their potential

October '09--Working in the church nursery can really show you how mature your husband is....when they eat the goldfish and take the kids toys to play with themselves you know you still have awhile before you have children

November '09--Sometimes boys need space, living in a 400 sq. ft. hamster cage can make a guy crazy enough to have us rent a new apartment and completely pack and move all of our stuff in 24hrs. using only a Honda Accord.

December '09--Every husband really needs a Wii

January '10--A heated mattress pad is not essential to a good nights sleep on a cold winter night, husbands are an even better substitute

February '10--Husband's hate you see you stressed will do anything to make it go away

March '10--There really is no off season for ESPN!

April '10--As the weather warms up watching people awkwardly try to flirt on campus makes you so grateful you're already married

May '10--Just when you think life can't get any better you wake up the next day and find yourself more in love than the day before

Life After Accounting

Let me just tell you since my last official accounting classes of college ended a week ago life has been amazing! I had forgotten how relaxing and fun life could be. I decided to make a list of all the things I've rediscovered since finishing the semester. Waking up late, going to bed early, afternoon naps, any sort of sleeping in general, cooking, running, Trevin, laughing, the mall, friends, the list could go on and on but I think you get the point, accounting is bad for the soul but I'm so grateful to be done!

Trevin and I celebrate our one year anniversary in a month and a half. I cannot believe its been a whole year but this past week has made me realize it has been the best year of my life. Trevin is the best husband in the world and since I'm into making lists here's my recent bragging list on him: he's been doing laundry, dishes, cooking, surprise dates, and good dance moves, it doesn't get any better, love him!

This blog is so random but the final thing is since I have this new found free time I've been trying to cook new things and try new recipes. Let me tell you some are studs and some are duds (Trevin told me dinner sucked the other night, its ok because I didn't want to eat it either). I think I might start updating on new stuff we make that's actually good. Here is our latest stud....remember girls camp or scouts? Tin foil dinner all the way! We put marinated chicken and vegetables in aluminum foil and grilled it. We were so happy we took some pictures, here they are....