We Could Use Some Spontaneity

Saturday I was blog-browsing. I happened upon some random person who recently went to Hawaii. As I was creepily looking through their blog, I decided to price out a trip to Hawaii. The plan was to save up some money and surprise Troy in a few months. Minutes later I'm on kayak.com looking up flights.

Imagine my surprise when I realized the cheapest tickets I've ever seen to Hawaii (and believe me, I've looked quite a few times) were for flights in 3 weeks. Not a lot of time to save up but hey, that's what a tax return is for right?

The adventure begins in 24 days!!

Dear Spring, Please Stick Around.

I am fully aware that there is a 99.9% chance it will snow within the next week, but for today, I'm happy to be out enjoying the sunshine (and a burrito) with these cool dudes. 

      

Whats your favorite way to enjoy spring weather? We're looking for lots of good ideas for this year!

Stand Up Comedy Night 2013

Troy and I are on a health kick*.

We had been doing really well..but then came the plateau. As I was researching, I found the following chart.

Thus...

Stand Up Comedy Night 2013.

First, I bought streamers and balloons to set the stage. 

Next, I picked up crazy straws and overly sized glasses.

And, let's be honest, no party is complete without Pin The Tail On The Donkey.

We took turns telling jokes, 

And participated in some intense Tail Pinning. 

By the end of the night we were the epitome of health.  

*Actually, it's more like a "Treanor-style-health-kick." We tend to do things our own way. 

Supercross

My work likes to plan lots of random activities. We legitimately have a party planning committee. Luckily, I'm fortunate enough to be a part of it. Thus, we do awesome things. A few weeks ago my boss randomly texted me saying he wants to get tickets for everyone to go the AMA Supercross event in SLC. When the boss wants to buy everyone Supercross tickets, you don't say no.

We had a good time. The kids next to us got into a wrestling match. A guy almost fought Troy over a churro. You know, an average night at the track.

Afterwards we came home and ate ice cream. Can't get much better than that right?

Yay spring!!

The only good best thing about Provo is the spring time weather. My first summer here, I kept waiting for it to get hot but was surprised when October hit and I felt like summer came. I guess thats what happens when you are used to Vegas weather.

Instead, it stays pretty nice throughout all the summer months...except for that reliable snowstorm in the middle of May each year. Weird.

This year, my goal is to take advantage of the nice weather. My mom loves to make fun of how pale I am every time I come home so I decided to surprise her this year.

This weekend Troy and I went out to Bridal Veil Falls. I hadn't been there since I was about 10 and Troy was a Bridal Veil Falls virgin.

My family vacations always revolved around a beach. However, we did take ONE trip to Utah when I was growing up. I'm still not sure how we convinced my dad to go inland for a vacation but we did. That's when I had my preview of the falls. This is where my dad proposed to my mom. After going this weekend, I can kind of see why. It's the most beach like place I've been in Utah...after Provo Beach Resort of course.

It was nice to get out of out apartment and be close to some form of water. Plus, I got some sun. Watch out mom, I'll be tan before you know it!

Happy Easter!

Troy and I had to make some awesome eggs in order to make up for not doing any last year.

We also did an Easter egg hunt in our kitchen. Which, if you've seen the size of our kitchen, you'll know must have been quite difficult and time-consuming.

Now I'm off to make our traditional deviled eggs, ham and roasted potatoes (BONUS: When you're still starting new traditions...everything you do is traditional.) so I'll leave you with this parting message. Elder Holland always says it better than I ever could anyways.

What is going on?!

I kill plants. Not on purpose, but let's just say it's been known to happen...more than once. It's just not in my genes.

Thanksgiving 2010: My mother-in-law got some bulbs for us to plant. I was super excited but my hopes were not very high. The plant grew... and then eventually shriveled. Probably because I gave up and stopped watering once the summer ended. 

Tonight Troy and I happened to notice something crazy going on in our living room though.

I'll be presenting at plant growing seminars in a city near you soon. 

Juice Fast

Troy and I are doing a 10-day juice fast. We don't want to talk about it.  I almost convinced myself that Skittles count as fruit. And Troy almost killed a man over a hot dog. 

Let's talk in 10 days or so.

A Monkey Birthday

Saturday was Troy's birthday. I told Troy to wake me up as soon as he got up (he's is notorious for waking up earlier than any man should ever wake up) but he didn't. Luckily, I woke up around 6:30 and discovered him already awake. Don't even ask what time he actually got up...sheesh.

First things first...presents. Troy is also notorious for is guessing his presents before opening them. I don't know if he's ever opened a gift without already knowing whats inside. It's a pretty impressive talent. So this year I took things into my own hands. I wrapped every gift in the same size box with some extra stuffing so that it didn't make any noise when he tried shaking it. I thought it was genius but he claims that he still guessed some of them.

We had thought about going down to Vegas for his birthday (since he shares a birthday my dad as well...crazy right?) because he's really been itching to play a round of golf. We decided to save some money and stick around here since the weather has been so nice. It been in the mid 50s everyday. However, Saturday morning we woke up to this.

Can you believe that?! The nerve. 

With golfing out of the picture, we brainstormed some other ideas and ended up at a gun show. Yes, a legit gun show...where they show guns. Not one where people walk around pointing at their muscles. 

It was actually pretty fun. Troy got to look at all the guns and I got to play with some search and rescue dogs. Not a bad deal if you ask me. Afterwards we went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. Delicious. We did some shopping and made it home in time to catch a movie. 

Our movie didn't get out until 9:30 but we were champs and made some homemade brownies after getting home. Had to prove we are capable of staying up past 10 but we managed. We also got to talk to my dad and wish him a happy birthday. Coincidence that my two favorite men on the planet share a birthday? I think not. 

I forgot to get candles so we had to improvise a bit (thus the lack of pictures...it was kind of sad display). I sung and we ate then fell asleep on the floor while watching a golf movie.

I was so excited to spend the whole day with Monk on his birthday. I'm voting that January 7th should fall on a Saturday ever year. Who's with me?

New Years Resolutions

I have about 7 billion New Years resolutions this year. I'm not quite sure how that happened. However, none of them involve removing these babies from my life...

That would just be extreme. 

Hope your new year is off to as good of a start as ours is!

The Answer to Your Winter Blues

Lets face it. Winter in Utah sucks. 

Last weekend, Troy and I were lounging around our apartment in complete boredom due to the fact that we can't enjoy being outside any longer. We decided to go to Target just to wander.

Thats when we stumbled upon the wonder that is Nerf. Naturally, we bought 2 guns and a larger than necessary bag of darts. 

We set up our playing field and gave each other a base to reload. We have strict rules on how many shots it takes to kill someone. One shot to the chest and you're done. Same with a head shot.  However, if you get an appendage shot, it takes another appendage and a belly shot before you're out. Let me just say... Best. Saturday. Ever.

Be warned though. Your house WILL look like this afterwards and you WILL continue to find random darts throughout the house for the next week or so. 

The Pink Series Half Marathon 2011

Time travel back to October 8th with me. That will make this post seem like its not completely outdated.

Back in July I was talking to some girls in my ward. A couple of them said they had completed a marathon and I was very impresed. They also all agreed that it's mostly a mental challenge. So then I got to thinking that maybe it was possible for me to do it. I decided to start with a half marathon though in order to decrease my odds of dying. And that is the story of how I signed myself up for a half marathon.

I created a training schedule for myself and stuck with it pretty well...even though it involved waking up at 5 am everyday for a 12 weeks. Naturally, the day before my race was the first day of snow this season. Troy and I had to take a last minute trip to the store to get warm running clothes. I was planning on wearing my tank top and shorts but clearly Mother Nature had other ideas.

The race was in Park City so it was even colder than I thought it would be. When I got on the bus to drive to the starting line, I probably had 20 layers. I regreted this decision once I was on the sweltering bus for 30 seconds. Our bus driver got us lost on the way too which was exciting. We almost crashed into a mountain. Seriously. Who would have thought it was even possible to crash into a mountian? We finally got to the start line and froze a little while longer until they would finally let us run.

The first 4 miles went SUPER quick. I was shocked. The snow wasn't as bothersome as I anticipated either. I actually didn't get tired until mile 9 or so. But by then you're so close to finishing that you want to just keep going. Pretty soon I was finished. Weird. It actually wasn't that bad! I wanted to finish in 2 hours and 10 minutes. My time ended up being 2 hours and 15 minutes but I was still happy with it. Considering the weather, altitude, wind, and it being my first one I think I did ok.

And now for the pictures...

Troy was my awesome photographer. This is the finish line area before being invaded by runners. 

Apparently I run with my thumbs up. I'm such a cheerful runner. 

Getting my "charm". It was an all women race so we got charms instead of medals. 

Best part of running 13.1 miles is eating all the free food after. Totally worth it.

All in all it was a great experience. I'm totally converted. Right when I finished I thought that I'd like to stick with half marathons rather than doing a full marathon...but now I've changed my mind. Who would have thought I'd ever like to run.

Utah Marathon Relay 2011

In an effort to build "office culture" our office has started doing all kinds of random actvities. So far we've had the boat trip, the horse riding excursion, and the Utah Marathon Relay. Troy and I have been pretty busy so the only one I've been able to attend was the relay...go figure. Luckily, I'm currently training for a half marathon so I was actually a tiny bit excited about this one. 

We got there bright and early. Don't even ask what time Troy and I had to get up that day. It was definitely not a Saturday appropriate wake up time. They said they were starting at 7 sharp...that was a lie so we stood around for a while before the race. 

Once things got going it was really fun though. Basically they take a full marathon and divide it into five sections. Each runner does a leg and then you can say you did a marathon without actually having to do it. 

Photo credits go to Troy Boy. 

 I was the third runner on my team. So grateful that I wasn't the last person to go. It got quite warm once things got going. 

You're right, this is a great picture of me.

I had set a goal for myself to finish in 50 minutes. But, because I'm awesome, I did it in 48. Speed demon right? 

Overall our teams were pretty great. We didn't win. In fact they were already giving out the awards before our last people were even back yet but it was still a fun experience. Troy did catch that hilarious looking monkey for me while they were throwing out prizes though...thus we were the real winners. 

Welcome Back Boys!

The change in the weather lets you know its that time of year again. You know where I'll be tonight. Fingers are crossed for more Civil War reenactments!

Our New Adventure

Guess who is the newest member of the YSA 67th ward bishopric?

THIS GUY

Yes, Troy and I are back in a Singles Ward. I'm convinced that we got sent back since we weren't very good at it the first time. The last two weeks have been filled with ward prayers, FHE activities, and opening socials. No signs of things slowing down any time soon either. Next week our FHE/social is going to be catered by Malawi Pizza (one of the benefits in being in the Belmont Condos singles ward I guess).  We're pretty excited to get to know everyone and participate in all the activities. Especially since we don't have to worry about the awkward aspects of a singles ward. It is pretty funny to be back though. I thought singles wards were funny when I was in one...well, its MUCH funnier the second time around. 

Also, this week I found out I'm getting a promotion(?) at work.  We're not really sure if its a promotion or not actually. I was told to hire someone to take my place. Then they told me I'm going to be the new accountant for the law firm. Considering I have zero knowledge of accounting, prayers are much appreciated. 

Summer Cleaning

Last week in preparation for all the visitors that we would be having in the coming days we decided to do an extremely thorough cleaning of our apartment. That's when we stumbled upon this gem...

Yes those are all mine...not to mention the two other pairs that are in the trunk of the car.

You may now all comment.

Get me some ginkgo biloba

This may seem confusing but stick with me through this. 

In high school all my friends and I had a livejournal. (“El Jay” if you were cool). We were really good at it. We would all post at least every day, sometimes up to 5 times a day but we won’t get into that. Occasionally I still like to go back and look at my livejournal account. I didn’t keep a handwritten journal at the time but this website has a pretty good history of my life on it.

Fast forward to present time. I love my car. That car has been with me for years. First car I ever drove. Learned to drive in it, had my first accident in it, took it to college. The whole sha-bang. Sadly, the car is getting old now though. He's loosing some paint up top and getting wide around the middle. But the real bummer is the fact that my fog lights turn themselves on. Its gotten to the point that the only time they turn off now is when I turn on my left blinker. I found out about this because my car battery would constantly die due to the lights turning themselves on. I now have to leave my blinker on while the car is off in hopes of maintaining some semblance of battery life. 

Fast forward to today. I was at work and I thought about a specific time I went to the movies with some friends. I remember thinking I would never forget that movie but alas, I have forgotten. I can’t even remember what it was about. The only things I remember are the year and the company that I was with. So of course, I can’t stop thinking out what movie it could've been. So I turned to the livejournal in hopes of finding out.

While reading through some old entries, I stumbled upon this piece of literature from September 18, 2004. (I hope you enjoy the high school writing style)

“ok so yesterday my car battery died while I was at school so there was no getting home for Ms. Alex. Durham and I had to wait for mi madre to come and pick us up. Then we had to get Matt and drop him off at this bowling thing then get Kritter then take Durham home so then of course I missed guitar. Its ok that I missed it though because I already know my song so now he won’t freak out when I actually know what I am doing since he gave me 2 weeks…if that makes any sense.

So then when my dad came home we went and jumped my dear car and got it home. At home, we pulled some stuff apart and took out the battery and such and brought the battery to Auto Zone…(get in the zone…AUTO ZONE!!...yes that Auto Zone) they charged up my battery while my dad and I went to Subway. We got the battery back and put it in the car and it worked. But I do have a short in my ‘lights wand’ so that my fog lights randomly come on so I have to watch that”

The wiser version of myself. With my best friend...who remains my best friend. So lucky

16 year old version of myself, thank you for trying to help adult version of myself. You are so wise. Unfortunately, adult version didn't even remember that. I remember the car breaking down, but not the helpful warning. Go figure. 

4th fun...Part I

Anybody who religiously follows blogs has probably read all the 4th of July posts...or so you thought! We decided to hold off just a little longer on reporting about our holiday weekend simply because, well, we went up to Rexburg Idaho. Just to educate those who have never been up to the biggest little city in Idaho I am including a map of Rexburg in this post:

Now you may be asking yourself if this is a legit map. Well, I got it off Google Maps, so it most certainly is.

Rexburg is just a ton of nothing with four main roads that form a square (in talking to people from Rexburg I have since found out that there are actually only two main roads. Seriously?!)

Our reason for going up is because my sister Corinne went through the temple for the first time. She is heading on a mission to BRASIL!! I'm super excited for that. Anyways, we went up there to join her in that occasion. 

In front of the Rexburg temple

It was nice being able to spend time with family. The next day we went on down to Logan for the fireworks show there. All the family from the surrounding area was there. The fireworks ended late and anybody who knows me knows that I cannot stay up late. We lucked out and found a room in Logan so that we could head back down to Provo.

Olivia and Corinne were able to come down and join us for the weekend in Provo. We always think that there is not a ton to do in Provo, but my sisters reminded us that they are coming from Rexburg. We really enjoyed spending time with them and are glad that they came down, even if they had to ride back up north with complete strangers.

Also, the Next Food Network Star is on, so we are going to break this bad boy into two parts. Stay tuned. 

We really want a dog...

It’s been a while since we bragged about the dogs.

This weekend we had the chance to go up the Humane Society. The weather was pretty crazy so we only had the chance to play with one dog. But goodness gracious was she adorable. I'm pretty sure if our apartment allowed dogs...or even if we thought we could get away with it...Troy would have brought this one home in an instant.

Meet Coco. 

She is a 7 month old Labrador Retriever. This dog has some spunk. We were playing with the tennis ball but then she found some tennis ball fuzz (you know that stuff that peels off the actual ball part). I almost think she had more fun playing catch with the fuzz than with the actual ball. She is super playful but also super cuddly. She's definitely a puppy though. I checked yesterday and Coco still hadn't been adopted . If she stays there much longer we might find ourselves looking for people to dog sit while we find a new place to live. Any takers?

A Promise To Return...

Pop Quiz!!

The lack of blog updates from us means that…

a.     We got a dog and are now too busy throwing tennis balls that we no longer have time for anything else.
b.     We decided we hate technology and have shunned all forms of social media.
c.      I got a new job.
d.     None of the above, we’re just lazy.

If you went to high school in America then you’ll know the answer is always C. Duh.

That’s right people of the blog world, I have a job. A full time job actually. Which apparently takes up more time than not having a job. Go figure.

I’m working at a law office that is actually three different companies in one. There is a financing company, an asset protection company and an actual law office. Just try to figure out how they all mesh together; it’s quite the puzzle. I’ve actually really liked it so far though. I’ve been there since April but due to the blogging hiatus you might not have known that. So I’m basically a law genius now. What, you want to set up an LLC? Yeah I can do that for you, no problem. And yes, I’ll even get the EIN for you.

And because no blog is complete without a photo, here is evidence that I am not lying.

Surprise, it’s my desk!

In conclusion, yay for having a job but boo for ditching the blog. Therefore, I hereby resolve to do better and still do fun things even though my life is slowly being consumed by pleadings, holding companies, and blueprints.