Mark and Callie

I Never Thought I Would Love Grocery Shopping So Much!!!

2011-12-08T18:09:00.001-07:00

Mark and I have entered that crazy world of couponing. I will admit that when Mark first brought up the idea of being "coupon people" I cringed and was full of doubt. After reading our coupon book of choice, I have been diligently clipping coupons for about a month. I have my huge 3-ring binder already starting to get full. Also, I have taken it upon myself to dig through our apartments recycle bin for discarded Red Plums. Lately... it has been so worth it!

This is a picture of our recent haul from Walgreens.

Here are our savings stats:

Original Cost of all items purchased: $102.00

Total Amount cash actually spent: $46.00

Amount earned to be spent at Walgreen's on our next purchase: $24.00

TOTAL taking into consideration savings earned on next purchase: $22.00!!!

That is right folks... i just got $102 worth of stuff we actually need and use for $22. I've never been so happy to press the "yes my total is correct" button! That is 78% savings!!! I'll take it!

In case you want to know, this is what we got:

· 4 – Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil

· 4 – Kleenex Big Tissue Boxes

· 4 – Morton Salt

· 3-pack Crisco

· 1 – Pledge Multi-Surface Spray

· 2 – Windex Multi-Surface Spray

· 2 – Pledge Wipes

· 3 – Small Palmolive Dish Soap

· 1 – Scrubbing Bubbles Spray

· 4 –Pack Schick Hydro Refill Pack

· 4 – Dove-Men Deodorant

· 1 – Degree Women’s Deodorant

· 1 – Dove Women’s Deodorant

· 2 – Heavy Duty Packing Tape

· 3 –Pack Scotch Tape

· 3 – Revlon Nail Polish

· 1 – Sharpie Marker
1 - Brachs Candy Corn (because I just couldn't resist!)

Update

2011-11-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

I have been awful at posting this year!! (but i just did like 3 different posts... so scroll down if you're interested!) here are some updates that have been a long time comin!

This year, we went to a couple Real Salt Lake Games

We went bowling!

We had fun with our nephews magnetic ball toys!

Mark took some really cute pictures of himself!

I found this BYU hat and wore it around the store

I dyed my hair!

Had a great time on Temple Square!

Mark put chips on his sandwich. when i told him i didn't want any on mine...

...he gave me these instead

I started cutting Mark's hair. And I'm not to shabby if i do say so myself!

I made pies

We've had Mark's parents over for a few family dinners at our place

I helped mark discover the joys of apple peels

And we've had many a fun times with this lovely lady!

That is a quick recap of the last few months!

Marks Birthday

2011-11-16T20:53:00.001-07:00

For Marks Birthday this year we had a pretty low key day. The week before we went to dinner with John and Sherry to Tuconos. It was a meat frenzy! On the day of, we both went to work. The day started out not so hot. Mark had to be to work at 5:00 am and when he tried to leave at 4:20 his car wouldn't start. So I crawled out of bed and drove him. But, on the bright side, we got to spend that much more time together!

I picked Mark up on my way home from work. When we got home, Mark opened presents. I got him new windshield wipers (he has been so jealous of how well mine work) and i surprised him with a wonderful photo book of the first two years of our marriage. After presents, Mark took a nap while i hung out. When he FINALLY woke up we had dinner at Cafe Rio. Then we went to his parents house where we sang and had Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes! (thanks Wendy!!)

Unfortunately, the only pictures we got were on my phone.

The candles flames are the same color as the wax! Cool!

Wednesday, Mark had the day off of work. He claimed birthday week rights and rented a video game and has been thoroughly enjoying it!

Silly face!!

Hee Haw!!!

2011-11-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went to Hee Haw farms before Halloween with our friends John and Sherry. We had a great time! My favorite was definitely the cotton candy. Me least favorite part... when mark smacked me in the face with a tether ball. It was both awful and embarrassing... embarrassingly awful!

Mark and I had fun waiting for JS to get there by feeding the goats. They all ran over to mark when he started cranking the wheel for their food.

Mark had fun delivering the food on this crank system they had set up

Just a good lookin' John Deere Farmer! My Grandpa would be proud!

We had fun getting lost in the corn maze... until we all got hungry! then we wanted out!!

After our great times at hee haw we went to John and Sherry's with some In N' Out burgers! it was a great night!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

We carved pumpkins for Halloween! I look a little creepy in these pictures, but i like my toothy pumpkin! Mark HATED his pumpkin. He kinda started carving without a real idea of what he wanted to do. in the end we decided it looked like E.T.! He threw it away soon after taking the pictures, he just couldn't handle having it around.

Love Day

2011-10-14T13:30:00.000-06:00

Mark and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on Tuesday. It was a wonderful day of our love!

Keeping up with tradition we went to Park City. We love that place. especially on our love day! On the way down we saw these 4 helicopters. We decided they were representing our 4 years of marriage! (sorry if you can't see them very well... and aren't we so patriotic!?)

We did have a HUGE disappointment. Every year for our anniversary, we used to go to this cute little fudge shop. this is what we found this year...

CLOSED!!! we were quite sad.

Anyway, we quickly recovered because we had dinner at Zoom. It is one of Robert Redford's restaurants as part of Sundance.

For appetizers we got pulled pork quesadillas. YUM!!

I got these intensely flavorful noodles!!! I want more right now! they were so savory and delicious!

Mark got the steak. It was also very delicious!

Let's just say that we were very full afterwards, and our wallets were much lighter. This tied for our most expensive meal ever! But oh so much better!

We drove around and thoroughly enjoyed the fall colors. We decided we were married at the exact perfect time when everything is beautiful and the weather is perfect!

And better late than never, mark got me roses!! So sweet!

Girl Weekend

2011-09-21T19:48:00.001-06:00

So about a month ago I went to Arizona for a girl party for my moms birthday. My mom knew about the party, but she didn't know that i would be coming. So, Sanya picked me up from the airport and we met Tamra and Tara at Mom's house.

Mom got home around 1:30 and after the cheesy unveiling of me we partied it up!! We ate delicious burritos curtsey of Sanya, then we went to QT, walked around Hobby Lobby, then headed over to Harkins and watched "The Help." Afterwards we went to Grandpa and Grandma Hatch's for a wonderful visit. That night we had dinner at Sauce.

The next morning we got ready and had a delicious, humongous breakfast at Crackers. Then we went to the temple. Afterwards we all went shopping and got some amazing deals! That night we talked about "our true natures" aka what personality type we are according to the book "It's Just My Nature." (if anyone is curious, i am a type 3)Tamra gave us all pedicures while we discussed our personalities and watched a movie. Tamra got this family tree made for Mom. I think it is so awesome!! i want one!

Then on Sunday the boys and kids met us for church. It was a lovely weekend!!

Successful Outing

2011-09-18T09:05:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Mark had the day off. Yesterday the "apartment stylization" fund in our budget had some money in it. So, yesterday Mark and I went out looking for ways to spend that money.

First, i must give a little bit of history. The first year Mark and i were married, we were trying to decorate our first apartment. We had most things, except we both felt our couch needed some accent pillows. (after all, pillows are an essential part of all living rooms) For probably an entire year we wound up at Kohl's about every week to every-other week looking at their pillows. We NEVER bought anything! we would show up, go straight for the pillows, look around, gough at the prices, and leave.

Yesterday we bought pillows at Kohl's!!! it was maybe the most ironic thing ever. at least to us. The best part is that they were 50% off! AND, we had a $10 gift card! That is the first successful part of the outing.

Successful part number two: we bought new towels. Our towels were getting pretty gross. we are both quite relieved to have new ones.

Successful part number three: we bought some accent pieces at TJ Maxx. On a side note, Mark almost kidnapped a small child while we were there. Or at least that is what her mother thought. So i was in line to purchase our items when we remembered that we had something to return in the car. So Mark ran outside to get it. There was a family standing in the parking lot right by our car (i'm assuming they were parked nearby). As Mark ran near our car, one of the little girls from the family (probably about 3 years old) stepped right in front of Mark. He essentially was tripping over her and was holding on to her to keep her from falling down. It was at this moment that the Mom saw what was happening and yelled out " Oh My Gosh! Oh My Gosh!!" as if Mark was trying to run off with her. I thought it was pretty funny, but Mark was pretty shaken. Ha ha!!

Successful part number four: we had lunch with Mark's cousin Briant and his wife Camille! We hadn't seem them in ages and had a great time with them! not to mention, we went to Texas Road House!!! Yummy!!! I'm going to eat the leftover rolls for breakfast!!!

Overall, it was a successful day! mostly just because Mark didn't have work and i had him all to myself all day!!!

That tall black vase was one of the accent pieces we got.

These are some built in shelves. I'm having a hard time figuring out what to put here, so in the meantime it has been accumulating piles. I added the bowl (accent piece).

I plan on putting something cooler in here, but until i figure it out and buy them, mark put golf balls in there. I better hurry and figure something else out or he could get used to it.

SF by CC

2011-09-06T12:51:00.001-06:00

This past weekend Mark and I rented a Volkswagen CC and took a little road trip to San Francisco! We had a blast! here are some pictures from the trip!

On our way there, we stopped in Sparks, NV for the "Best in the West Rib Fest" This was the original purpose of the trip before we decided to keep going to SF.

I had to get a picture with the Aussie guys of course!

We tried two different kinds of ribs. these guys were the BEST by far!! Yummy!!

I also had to get some fried pickles. Unfortunately, they were disgusting and i had to throw them away. I guess Mark will just have to take me to Salt Lake to get the good ones!

We noticed that most of the people there were quite overweight. probably because they were all consuming these huge plates of potato chips

We didn't try their ribs, but i liked their armadillo grill.

Luckily they had these hand washing stations! we were so messy!!

After lunch, we hopped back in the car and drove another 3.5 hours to San Francisco! Here we are on the Bay Bridge.

We stayed with our friend Dave who lives a block away from AT&T stadium. So we bought some tickets from scalpers and went to the Giants vs. D-Backs game! Unfortunately my D-Backs lost, but it was really fun!

The next morning we got up and went to a farmers market. We tried these Vegan doughnuts which for being Vegan doughnuts were actually pretty tasty!

Then we got in the car and drove to see the Muir Woods!

On our way back we did some sight seeing. unfortunately because of the fog there was not a lot of seeing to do.

We spent the rest of the day at Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, eating a yummy lunch, and going down windy Lombard St.

The next day we got up and drove to San Jose so Mark could show me where he used to live. We had lunch at the restaurant he used to be a server at and then drove up the coast back to SF.

After a nice nap at Dave's place we drove to Oakland to see the temple.

After the temple we ate some delicious goat-cheese pizza that was to die for!! i want some right now!

We had a great trip! Thanks for being such a great host Dave! we loved your apartment and you were a fantastic tour guide!

Family Pictures

2011-09-01T10:57:00.000-06:00

Enterprise Plug

2011-08-31T15:49:00.000-06:00

I have now worked for Enterprise rent-a-car for a little over four months. Things have been going great, and I am now at the Salt Lake City airport. The major issue right now in our group (southern Idaho down to St. George) is that we are low on people at many of the locations. So, if you or anyone you know is in need or would like a job in southern Idaho or Utah, let me know. There are opportunities both full and part-time at the airport for anyone interested, and management training positions for those with Bachelor's degrees.

You can get more info here: http://www.erac.com/default.aspx or just call or email me and I can tell you about what I do. I know the recruiter for the group, and she moves those that we refer to the top of the list.

I hope you don't mind my plug, but I have been thinking that someone might appreciate it!

Mark

Old News

2011-08-17T11:09:00.000-06:00

I semi-recently attended a Harry Potter party. Rita Skeeter, Fluffy, and Dolores Umbridge... you've gotta love 'em.

Hulu Blues

2011-07-21T19:18:00.001-06:00

I recently subscribed to Hulu Plus. I have been deeply, DEEPLY disappointed. I have been playing it thru my Xbox 360 and have had nothing but problems. First of all, most of the shows i want to watch are only available online; defeating the entire purpose of paying for Plus. then, when i find a show i can watch it is constantly buffering. THEN, when it actually manages to play for more than 30 seconds, it randomly skips ahead several minutes. FRUSTRATION. needless to say i have now cancelled my subscription. Ugh.

Bountiful Baskets

2011-07-09T12:20:00.000-06:00

Mark and I got our first Bountiful Basket today! We are so excited about it. This is how it works. You pay $15 and get about $50 worth of fruits and veggies (roughly 50/50). the only catch is that you don't get to pick what you get. But i love it! This is what we got this time:

Spinach

Tomatoes

Mushrooms

Broccoli

Colliflower

Red Pears

Appricots

Plums

Passion Fruit

Bananas

Apples

Pineapple

It took me a good hour to prep/wash/chop everything so it's ready to go for this week!

Thanks for telling us about it Wendy!!! You are the coolest girl in the world! Everybody should check them out and see where the nearest location is to you!

Marky

2011-07-05T16:59:00.000-06:00

I love this boy!!

George and Mark

2011-06-30T15:09:00.002-06:00

This is George Urban Johnson. He is Mark's Grandpa. I think that he and Mark have a striking resemblance!
What do you think?

Would you like to see what Mark is going to look like when he is a grandpa??

Just a cutie pie!!

Australia Trip - Sydney

2011-06-11T13:31:00.001-06:00

This is the third, and sadly the last post of pictures from the Australia trip. (if you missed the others, just click on "older posts" at the bottom) Sydney was awesome!!! I won't say much because the pictures speak for themselves!!

Messing around in the hotel

Walking to Abby's Baptism

Abby on her big day!

All my siblings, except Zack

Nathan, Sanya, Allison, Mom, Me, Tara, Jordan

Abby and Family!!

Shelly, Nathan, Abby, Evan, Nathan

The whole fam damly! (except zack and the az kids)

Me and Sanya!

Creepy!

This was a crazy flower girl on stilts... that's all i know.

The girls!

Shelly, Allison, Sanya, Me, Tamra, Tara, Mom

Eating the yummy street/tent food!

We spent most of one day in Manly

I love that bald man... and his chocolate!

The baldies!

Manly... get it?

Cute Penny

Just my little manly

Family Pictures

What an AMAZING trip! Thank you Nathan and Shelly for this incredible opportunity!! I'm ready to do it again right now!

Australia Trip - Cairns

2011-06-03T11:42:00.000-06:00

Cairns, pronounced Cans, was UNBELIEVABLE!! Here are some aerial shots from our plane.

First things first, we had to eat. I had the best fish n' chips EVER at this little shack right by the beach.

Even Mark ate his own entire plate! he doesn't even like fish and he loved it!

Our hotel was AMAZING!!! Not only was it huge and beautiful, it was literally right across the street from the beach. Seriously, we walked out the back patio and crossed the street and we were on the beach!

This is us being silly just before our fist time going to the beach.

This is the last picture of my sunglasses. they were washed into the ocean shortly after this. it still makes me want to cry. Well now i guess i should tell you the story. Mark and i decided to go for a little job on the beach. as soon as we started, a HUGE wave came and took us both out. we seriously were swept away. along with my flip flops and sunnies. We found the shoes... not the glasses. sniff.

The next day we drove up to Port Douglas to go on our diving trip!! This is us checking in!

The boat.

Adorable preggy Tamra!

Getting ready for the dive!

Nemo!!

The whole group

Both mornings that we were there Mark dragged me out of bed and we watched the sun rise on the beach... so romantic!

Pajamas on the beach!

We just can't resist taking silly pictures!

On our last day we checked out of the hotel and hung out on the beach until we had to go to the airport.

These are probably the cheesiest pictures I've ever taken... and that is saying something!

Jordan, you make a GREAT little mermaid!

We didn't have nearly enough time here. I WILL go back someday!

Australia Trip - Brisbane

2011-06-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

Australia was AMAZING!! We are so sad we had to come home and get back to real life. While we were there we visited 3 different cities. Here are some picks from our stay in Brisbane.

Me and my sister Allison at her house in Inala.

We went to the Botanical gardens and saw where Allison got married and enjoyed the beautiful shrubbery!

Allison and my new Brother-In-Law Mark. Or as we like to call him... Maark.

We tried our best to get some jumping pictures... it didn't really work out.

Oops...

The next day we went to South Bank. We enjoyed the beautiful cityscape, hanging out, and some museums.

We also loved messing around with this lizard.

Australia has some awesome trees... just wait

this is probably my favorite tree we saw. this is all one HUGE tree. it's so big, they have to support it with those beams.

High Five jump

Penny has the longest tongue ever!!

Probably the most important discovery of the trip was Max Brenner. He is the bald chocolate man! This is a chocolate bar. mmmmm. i want some right now!

The first time we went, mark and i made the mistake of ordering the marshmallow hot chocolate... it was good, but nowhere close to the Italian thick hot chocolate. oh my! melt me some chocolate and stick it in a HugMug (we decided to call it the Toilet Cup instead of the HugMug)!

We spent some time in the Modern Art Museum. Unfortunately they were in transition mode, and not a lot of exhibits were open.

Next we wandered into the natural history museum

(this one is for you John!)

The next day we went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was so cool! we saw tons of cool animals and even got to hang out and pet kangaroos!

(another cool tree!)

There were a TON of kangaroos laying around here. you can't really tell in the pictures though.

HUGE BIRD!!

Then, we took the windy roads all the way up to O'Reileys Rainforest and did the Tree Top Walk! It was awesome. we got there right before the sun went down so we couldn't spend as much time as we wanted there.

Brisbane was awesome!!! But just wait for what comes next!!

Changes

2011-05-06T15:51:00.002-06:00

Our lives have changed dramatically in just a matter of days.

Within just a few days of each other Mark and I were each offered new jobs! Mark is now working for Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, and is LOVING it! he is doing so great at learning the nuances of a new job, and not to mention a completely new field. I am working for Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) as a staff interpreter in the PIP Deaf department. We both feel so blessed!!

Also, last week we moved into our new apartment! I absolutely love it! and i can't wait to save up some money so we can decorate. we are missing a couple essentials...such as a couch and a TV. but those can wait a little while. We decided that we weren't going to decorate anything until we could save and pay cash (Go budget club!!!), but Mark splurged and surprised me with a new addition while I was out of town this week for work.

We had talked about getting this chandelier for the dining room, but thought it would be down the road a while. I absolutely love it! You did a great job hunny!

And since i have been really bad at posting this year... here is a picture from my birthday... in March!

The Next Adventure!

2011-04-12T16:25:00.000-06:00

My family is taking a trip!

We will see this:

and some of these:

and this:

and a bunch of these:

and celebrate her wedding

and see her baptism!

and I can't wait!

And We're Back!

2011-01-06T11:02:00.004-07:00

China was AMAZING. I want to go back right now! We loved loved loved our time in China, but sadly we are now home and trying to get our lives back in order. We are both looking for jobs (anyone know of any interpreting positions??) and trying to get back into the swing of things.

For anyone that is interested, while we were in China we posted pictures to photobucket. here is a link:

http://s908.photobucket.com/albums/ac284/mcvanwagenen/

Zaijian!

2010-08-22T23:01:00.001-06:00

Or in other words....

Goodbye!

We're out of here!

See you at Christmas!

Groupon

2010-08-13T11:33:00.002-06:00

If you are not signed up for groupon, you should really sit down and think about joining. You just set up an account and they send emails of great deals. Today I got a $100 gift certificate to Picabo photo books for $25. If you are interested in that, you can still get it for the next two days. If not, I am sure there will be something good.

Finding deals on things I want is what I do. I figured I would share the info as I am sure everyone loves a good deal.

Click on this link to get to groupon:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1401375

2 Weeks

2010-08-09T19:50:00.006-06:00

We leave 2 weeks from today!!!! I can't wait! i wish we were leaving tomorrow!

These are (supposedly... according to google) pictures of our city.

We officially have our visas and travel docs. China here we come!

The Trip

2010-08-05T15:17:00.006-06:00

As you know, two of my sisters came up for the Paul McCartney concert, but that's not all we did. unfortunately we didn't take very many pictures. but here are the ones we did take.

This was definitely one of my most favorite things: lunch at The Garden in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

it was so good because we discovered

Fried Pickles

They are AMAZING!!!

So amazing, that after we had them we had to go other places we knew had them so we could have them again!

MMMM. i need them again. (Mark, can we go soon??)

The next most fun thing (after Paul of course) was that we went to a Ben Folds concert!!!

Sanya even extended her trip just to go to it!!

AND, we convinced Mark to come!!! Yipee!!!

It was so fun! My fam needs to come visit me more often!!

Cozy

2010-08-02T14:16:00.006-06:00

I saw this and thought it needed to be shared. It is just cool! -Mark

Oh Paul!

2010-07-30T08:37:00.004-06:00

Oh my. Where to begin??? My sisters Sanya and Tara and our friend Tobi came up for the Paul McCartney concert. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! We had so much fun!

Here we are before we left.

Let me just say, that i have never considered myself to be a "silly" girl. But, remember seeing videos of all those girls screaming, crying, fainting, etc. for The Beatles back in the day? well as soon as Paul came out, I all of a sudden became one of them.

Well, not just me. Tara was sitting next to me and I couldn't stop jumping up and down, giggling to myself, and she couldn't stop screaming. literally, all night. my ear was ringing. Tara and i just kept looking at each other and laughing because we couldn't believe Paul was in our midst.

needless to say, we were pretty excited!

I had so much fun! I'm pretty sure all the lame people around us thought we were crazy for screaming, standing, singing, yelling, screaming some more, belting all the songs, and dancing all over the place. We had a great night.

Thanks Paul! Come back soon please!

Goodman Reunion 2010

2010-07-01T09:06:00.020-06:00

This past week we were in AZ for a reunion with my family. We had a great time! so get ready for some pictures!!

first of all, i must start with the drive down. we left at 4:00 am so that we could get there at a decent time. unfortunately we weren't counting on an entire highway being closed for 2 hours due to a forest fire. so here we are parked on the freeway.

once we got there the kids swam and we recouped from our long drive with a little BBQ.

That night all the boys went to a D-backs game (i am still pretty peeved that i didn't' get to go, since it was the plan for Mark and I to go and whoever else wanted to could come.... jump to everyone going but me!! ugh!)

so the girls got to take all the kids to Grandma Hatch's to pick some corn.

we kicked off the official reunion with a trip to the temple. afterward we all went out for lunch. i ordered the artichoke chicken and it was literally the best thing i have EVER eaten in my entire life. i need more.

The next morning we all met at the greatest gas station and pit stop in the world, QT, and headed off for some camping!

Mom and Zack were out for most of the way.

setting up camp.

we had a great location! we were right next to this fun swing that all the kids loved to play on.

hanging out

the kids were constantly filthy. granted, there is a lot of dirt in the forest.

at night, we had a little program. for part of it, the kids played a game where they would pass a ball around and when the music stopped playing, whoever was holding it had to do something. they loved it!

Bryce had to make his scariest face.

carter had to strike a pose from wii fit.

bed head.

we were in charge of lunch on the second day. So, i thought this was a great opportunity for some box lunches. of course i had to personalize them with each name.

here we all are with our lunch boxes!

horse shoes was a very popular activity. mark got pretty dang good!

classic.

Look how cute!!!

mom made these cute little kits for all the grand kids. adorable. they each got a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack for exploring and collecting treasures!

tamra brought her notorious marble game. we played a lot!

One time mark and i went to take a nap. he took off his shoes and found this, regardless that he was wearing tennis shoes AND socks.

The night we got back just the adults went out to Texas Roadhouse. it was so good, and fun!!

The family pics:

It was a great time!!! i can't wait for next year!

That's MR. Graduate!

2010-06-30T10:13:00.006-06:00

I'm a little bit late in posting this, but it doesn't make it any less exciting!

Mark Graduated!!!

here he is on his very last day of school. In order for him to graduate, he had to write a senior dissertation. On his last day of school he met with 3 advisers in order to defend his paper, so that is why he is dressed so cute!

Mark had his defense on Thursday and it went great! they just suggested a few modifications. He was making those changes on Saturday when i told him i had a surprise for him, blindfolded him, and took him to a....

SURPRISE PARTY!!

he was pretty surprised! I'm so glad all of our friends and family could make it!

After the party Mark's parents insisted that we get graduation pictures together since we both graduated so close to each other.

When it was all done we had a little balloon launch!

a few days later we got stuck for a couple hours on our way to AZ (story to come). While we were waiting, Mark called Melinda and had her check his email for him. There was an email from his main adviser telling him that his modified paper was approved and he OFFICIALLY graduated!

Here he is right after finding out he passed his last semester with a 4.0!

Mark, i couldn't be more proud of you! you worked so hard, and guess what??

YOU'RE DONE!!!

Anyone Want Some Stickers?

2010-06-01T10:06:00.006-06:00

So, Mark, Melinda, and I have gone in on a little business venture. We bought these scrapbooking/crafty stickers and are hoping we can sell them.

Here are all the colors.

There are also lower case letters and numbers.

They are technically for "shadowing" but i have already found lots of very fun and entertaining things to do with them.

such as:

mess with people while they are napping!

The feet were definitely the hardest because i kept tickling him. but he had no idea about the rest!! ha ha.

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T09:50:00.005-06:00

Memorial day was quite the treat this year. we spent time with family and friends and good food.

here is mom getting all the good times started!

once all the fam made it over, we all climbed in the cars and went on a little hike.

Melinda with Alex and Ian

Mom and Dad

Mark

Steven and boys

Dad teaching the boys to make whistles out of grass

Me and sleeping baby Alex

After the hike we went home and got our lovely dutch oven breakfast going!!!

Mark made orange rolls. i think we put too many in, and let them rise too much. but they still tasted glorious!

It was a wonderful relaxing day!

Smores

2010-06-01T09:42:00.003-06:00

Since moving in with Mark's parents we have had a grand ol' time! One of our favorite things is the fire pit in the back yard. we have made smores at least 3 times in the past 1 1/2 weeks. The first time we managed to take some pictures.

this is me making fun of Mark. he is truly his mothers child. Everything must be done in a FANCY manner. on this occasion it included putting all the smores ingredients on a beautiful platter.

Notice the MASSIVE marshmallows. mark's mom found them for us, hence all the smores. You literally use 2 whole graham crackers and if you do it right a whole chocolate bar.

granted, they are a little messy.

One of my favorite things about the huge marshmallows is that you can roast it, take a layer off and keep roasting! mmmm!!!

fam: i'm thinking we are going to need these at the reunion.

My Husband Loves Me

2010-05-20T10:32:00.002-06:00

How do i know this? he bought me tickets to see THE Paul McCartney. He just gets me (Mark, not Paul. although i think he might as well...)

I can't wait. and the best thing is, my sister is coming up from AZ to see it with me. (San, you know now that i wrote that on my blog you can't back down right??)

Sanya and I went to see Paul back in 2005 and it was the greatest thing EVER. and now we get to see him again, but this time at Rio Tinto.

Paul, i can't wait to see you again!

Thanksgiving Point

2010-05-18T11:25:00.005-06:00

Park City: The Best Get Away Ever!

2010-05-15T18:55:00.006-06:00

During/after moving, we were able to stay up in Park City for a little vacation thanks to Mark's parents. We invited our friends/neighbors John and Sherry to come with us. We had a blast! between discovering a cute little restaurant named "Good Thymes" and the constant hot tubbing, we have decided it is the best place ever.

We really just hung out, ate, hot tubbed, played games, watched movies, and hot tubbed some more.

John has a fancy camera, so we had a little photo shoot Sunday after church.

John and Sherry

The hotel is right by where Mark and I had our engagement pictures taken, so we reenacted it. During all the chaos of moving, we didn't have time (or should i say John wouldnt allow us) to look for Mark's dark dress socks, so he wore these white short ones with his suit. of course he had to show them off for the picture.

Mark, running. enough said.

the dramatic posing at the fireplace in the lobby.

me and cute preggy sherry. yes, my eyes are closed, but she looks so cute!!

deer in the headlights.

It was awesome. i want to go back right now!

Changes!

2010-05-15T18:47:00.003-06:00

We have moved! we have been planning to for quite a while. We finally sold our contract and made the treck to Sandy. The best part is, we did it in 1 day! it was the most stressful day of my life, but we did it, and its over!

We never could have done it without Wendy and John and our friends at U-haul. They were all awesome, especially John, for literally spending ALL day with us helping. and especially Wendy, who brought food, and was partially able to snap me out of my comatose state.

The best part of the whole thing was that during all of the wild packing, we had a HUGE D.I. pile. we didnt know what to do because it would have taken about 2 hours of back and forth trips hauling everything there, and we just didn't have the time or the vehicles. So, we took everything out to the curb and put a FREE sign on it. it was gone in about 20 minutes. the most amazing thing ever!!! at one point we had 7 people all out there rummaging through my things! '

i tried it take a couple pictures in all the mayhem, but it didn't turn out so well. i was trying to get all the people milling around the pile of stuff, but they weren't cooperating. they kept moving around.

So, we are happily moved in with Mark's parents, and enjoying every minute of it!!

Vonatar

2010-04-23T07:26:00.002-06:00

We saw avatar a while ago, and it was great! There was just one thing that bothered me from the time Jake Sully went into avatar mode, until the end of the movie. The Vonage logo on his face was very distracting. Sorry if I ruined anything, but Callie laughed when I showed her. -Mark

We Are Moving To A Little Place Called......

2010-04-16T17:17:00.005-06:00

中山!!

Well, it's about time we made it official, and by official i mean announce it on our blog. Mark and I are moving to China for 4 months to teach English, and have a little adventure!!!

We just got our official assignment today. Zhongshan, China.

Here is a little information about our city:

it is a sister city to Honolulu, Hawaii
there is/will be a lamp museum, in the shape of a lamp
there are several hot spring resorts
has the largest bronze statue in the world
a pedestrian mall (of course!)
the above notable Fufeng Pagoda which is 7 stories and was built in 1608
the province has 500 miles of coastline

it is located in the Guangdong province, which is SouthEast China, near Hong Kong.

Our current departure date is August 23rd, although we may opt to go a little earlier to have some time to ourselves before everything starts.

Can't wait!

Birthday Bash!

2010-03-24T08:15:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my golden birthday! and it was full of loveliness!

mark and i ready to have a great birthday day

We had lunch at yummy Carrabba's. I LOVED the fried zucchini and my delicious pina colada smoothie!

Then later Mark and I went to see Alice in Wonderland. I absolutely loved it! I think all Tim Burton movies are so fun to watch.

this is also when the surprises started coming. I made Mark take me early to the movie because i needed to have good seats for my birthday. while we were waiting, our friends/neighbors walked in. i was so excited! "what are the chances?!!" i think i said. Yeah, mark invited them without telling me. little sneaker. THEN later my friend Kat showed up! i was so thrilled! i had invited her earlier but she had said she had to work. turns out she was in cahoots with Mark. Those little sneakers!

Then after the movie we invited them to come over for the cake mark had made for me. when i walked in the door i discovered a full fledged surprise party! complete with wonderful decorations! (thanks wendy!)

All of us! This is the only picture i have with Wendy and Syd :(

Mark's mom and dad!

Camille and Briant!

Sherry and John!

I know i look creepy in this picture, but the cake looks so good! mark made me this wonderful ice cream cake all by himself! Wendy helped with the frosting, my favorite color!

I was very lucky this year! Wendy and Melinda got me all the fixins for a fantastic pedicure. complete with pedegg, not shown here.

Mark got me a variety of bathroom goodness (i'm sensing a theme here....)

a fun shower cap to replace my old nasty one. he also got me some princess body wash and some yummy Reese's.

and John and Sherry gave me these awesome earrings all the way from China. (well, i guess everything i got today probably came from China... but these are more authentic!)

After everyone left Mark and i got a little camara happy.

he was so proud of himself for throwing such a successful surprise filled birthday for me

we tried to see how many hats we could put on Mark.

Thanks for such a fun day sweet!

Callie, There's Something I Have to Tell You

2010-03-18T12:15:00.002-06:00

You're a redneck.

Love, Mark.

Insanity

2010-03-13T19:25:00.004-07:00

a funny thing happened today. Mark and i were driving in the car talking about things that we had done that day. I told Mark about work, some of the funny calls that i had, and then we ran out of stuff. then Mark said, "OH!! I got sucked into an infomercial today!" he said "it was a workout one." I immediately got real excited and demanded to know the name of it. "Insanity" he replied. "I watched it too!!!!" i said.

I had really watched the entire infomercial last week. for about 20 minutes. I really thought it was cool and that it would be an awesome program.

anyway, we had a good laugh that we were both so hook on INSANITY.

for a clip of it, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLK28BHJDd8

Morning Glory

2010-03-12T14:17:00.002-07:00

I am not, i repeat, NOT a morning person. let me rephrase that, i love the mornings! i love to get things done and feel like i have accomplished something before the afternoon comes. however, to take that first step out of bed is NOT my thing.

Once i am up and going i am fine and dandy, but if you want me to get up and going, you will have to move heaven and earth. Just ask Mark. i think i may have brought him to tears the other day with all the mean things i said when he was trying to get me out of bed. (sorry honey! I'm not myself i promise!) This is where i would like to discuss the real me, and the morning (in bed) me. As probably everyone who reads this knows, i am a fairly nice person, or at least i like to think so. but the bed me will do, or say, anything to stay in bed; even for just 1 more snooze. I am the master of convincing myself that i have all the time in the world to get ready and be to work on time, even though i only have 30 minutes.

The real me is very practical. she makes plans, has goals, and has a whole list of things she would LOVE to wake up early for. but when the time comes for me to get out of bed and do all those things, the bed me takes over. its a horrible thing.

I have always had this problem. i just love to sleep and lay in my nice comfy bed.

I Love This Time of Year

2010-03-06T12:52:00.004-07:00

For just this very reason

In fact, Mark just called me as i was writing this post saying that he just had a Reese's egg and we need to stock up. I couldn't agree more babe!

Playin' Hooky

2010-03-03T16:10:00.005-07:00

Yesterday Mark and I decided that we needed a break. So, we took work off and headed up to Park City to ski at The Canyons. It was so fun! we used some passes that we had been saving so we had a lovely free time! I was completely exhausted! I've never been skiing all day before and I'm feelin' it today! but it was very worth it to spend the entire day with my love muffin!

Chocolate Cake!

2010-03-01T15:38:00.004-07:00

This past weekend we got to go to the BYU basketball game with Mark's parent's. (it was our Christmas gift to them). during the game they made an announcement that if BYU scored 80 points or more we could bring our ticket stubs into Magleby's for a slice of free chocolate cake! Now, sadly, BYU lost their final game and the championship, but they DID score 81 points!

So here we are getting our free cake!

Mark so excited to take his first bite!

Glorious. Simply glorious.

yes, i actually licked my plate.

and i was so disappointed when it was gone.

I would like to thank the BYU men's basketball team and Magleby's for making this post possible.

Ode To My Blow Dryer

2010-02-18T13:42:00.004-07:00

I suffered a tragedy today. my blow dryer has officially died. At the worst possible time; at 7:40 am when i had wet hair and needed to be to work at 8:00 am. We have had a great go, my blow dryer and me. he didn't last incredibly long, but what can i say? he was cheap. I have enjoyed his retractable cord and although the "cord" button broke, i still found a way to make it work. Up until now he has been very reliable and trustworthy. thanks for the past 3 years.

i will miss you blow dryer!

The Ballroom Dance Kid

2010-02-16T15:11:00.004-07:00

Due to Tamra's question regarding the "old dance medals" comment from the previous post, I figured I had better just clear things up now. From about the third grade to the seventh grade, I was a ballroom dancer.

The Cumberbun. My accessory of choice.

I was quite the waltz and quickstepper, but I also took a close second to Shakira with my hip shaking cha-cha!

Valentines Day

2010-02-14T19:06:00.003-07:00

Well I have finally updated my blog. I have several new posts, so scroll down if you would like to see them all. We took some cheesey pictures of us today for V-day. Here we are just before leaving for church.

Mark got me this cute new headband!

An Olympic Theme Night!

2010-02-14T18:46:00.005-07:00

As everyone knows, the Olympics have begun. To kick them off right, we had an awesome theme night with Briant and Camille. We did an international night and watched the opening ceremonies. it was wonderful. here is the night!

Briant and I getting very excited about our delicious spread of joy.

Mark turned some of his old dance medals into some Olympic medals for us to wear!

Briant getting ready to have some fun in his fun shirt

The food! we had mini doughnuts to represent Holland and/or Germany. (during my research I found claims that both originated this delectable dessert)

Pot stickers to represent China

mini Bruschetta to represent Italy!

Quesadillas to represent Mexico/Spain!

and mini dogs to represent the U.S.A.!

all the flags we could round up - U.S., Mexico, and China

and to top the night off, Mark made a DUTCH oven cobbler

mmmmmmm!

It was a great night! we had great food and enjoyed the opening ceremonies!

Skiing

2010-02-14T18:43:00.002-07:00

Mark and I have been several times to ski this season. However, we have not taken very good pictures. so here are the ones we do have!

My Little Bro

2010-01-27T20:20:00.002-07:00

My Little Brother is officially a Marine now. Congratulations Zacky! We're so proud of you!

English??

2010-01-20T09:51:00.002-07:00

As many of you know, i have graduated. People keep asking me what i am doing now that i'm done with school and my response is "I'm taking more classes." I just can't seem to be able to let go! So, i am taking classes at SLCC (salt lake community college for my non-UTard family). I have joined the ASL fast track program to get my interpreting skills up to par... and I LOVE it! The only downside to this, is that i have to drive to Salt Lake twice a week, which for me is quite a bit of driving considering i used to take the bus everywhere.

But, Mark and I have found a way to turn my boring drive time into my productive time! I am learning Mandarin! We got a CD set from the library and I'm getting pretty good if i do say so myself!I can already say "I am an American," "I speak English," "I speak a little Mandarin," "Do you speak English?," "Excuse me, can i ask?," I know how to make a phrase a question, say two different types of "yes" and "no," and all kinds of variations and mix-and-match's of all those! Considering I've only done it for about a day and a half i'm feeling pretty good. So good in fact that I had my first dream in Mandarin! It was SOO weird. In my dream i kept trying to talk to Chinese people saying all of my new phrases, but towards the end i just kept running around shouting English?!!! English?!!! I felt like i was stuck saying just my few phrases and i was desperate to find someone who I could really talk to! I thought it was pretty funny!

Arizona

2010-01-10T15:51:00.006-07:00

So after Christmas Mark and I went to see my familia in AZ. here are a few pictures from the trip. i tried to put them in order, but it didn't exactly turn out. so here we go.

here is most of us before dinner on some night.

Now that Mark has been in the family for some time now, I thought it would be safe to introduce him to St. David. that is the town i was raised in until i was 13. very small.

Mark met my Grandpa (papa) for the first time. pretty sad, but true.

we paid my dad a visit

A grand event occurred during this trip. Mark tried sushi for the first time.

it was also my sister Tara's first time as well. here they are with their first bite! can you see the fear in Mark's face? He didnt really care for it, but i figure it takes a couple times to convince him right?

We took several trips to the movie theater. i'm not sure why because we actually only saw one movie while we were there. (we had bad luck, it was sold it so we went early the next day to buy tickets in advance) Anyway, we kept seeing these stupid speed limit signs that were ridiculous speeds. in this same little complex there was this one as well as one that was 13 mph.

and, you can't see it in this picture, but directly above the speed limit sign there is a no parking sign. and yes, we are in a parking lot.

The grandest event that took place this trip was decorating my mom's bedroom as a surprise for her. we did the ENTIRE thing in about 8 hours while she was at work. And it was a lot of work. My mom has lived in her house for 10 years and has never done anything to her bedroom.

I'm really upset that we didnt get a good before picture with her previous furniture in there, but its not all that much different without the furniture. just picture very outdated things lying around.

Anyway, this picture was taken right after we had removed the nasty wall paper border that was going along the ceiling. when we took it down it revealed the previous color of the wall, that hideous pink.

Sanya, getting exciting to see some color on these walls!

Tamra, painting away

Mark and my brother-in-law Calvin spent the entire day spray painting (not in this picture obviously). but they spray painted a dresser, an armoir, a table, a mirror, and a frame. very busy boys.

The finished product. needless to say my mom was stunned!

right before we had to leave for the airport we all met at 5 guys for lunch. Mark and I love it and try to go there often, but none of my AZ family had been there before, so we introduced them. 5 guys didnt disappoint!

Me and TK

Mark me and Dally Pally

Me and Tama-lama

The girls minus one: mom, sany, tk, and me

all of us

It was a great trip! It was so fun to see and hand out with everyone! and we got to be out of the cold for a while!

Christmas

2010-01-03T10:41:00.009-07:00

Christmas was great! we had a little Christmas morning at our apartment with just the two of us. Here are the pics. I was pretty disappointed we didn't get one with both of us. we were just too excited to open presents. And, as you can see, we went back to my family tradition of getting ready for the day before presents!

Mark got me several new earrings

Mark got a new game!

i am very fierce when i open presents!

Mark got me some booties to keep me warm!

I got Mark some Dutch oven accessories. I didn't know how to wrap this lid lifter, so i thought i would add some humor.

Mark's mom got him this apron along with a Dutch oven for Christmas. so here he is showing it off. yes, those are chaps!

Showing off my new booties!

The back to Mark's apron

Mark with all his new Dutch oven gear. the oven, the case, the liners, the lid lifter, the lid stand, and some tongs!

After presents Wendy came and picked us up and we went up to Sandy to Mark's parents house. We made a glorious breakfast!

Wendy slicing the quiche!

i made these delicious lemon poppy seed pyramid muffins!

The Quiche

Melinda and Alex

Ian playing with his train!

Strauss trying to catch the chickens that got loose

we had a great great day!

Marshmallows

2010-01-03T10:20:00.003-07:00

This year Mark and I started a new tradition: making marshmallows. We adopted it from Mark's Grandpa Johnson who used to make them all the time. When the time came for us to make ours we really wanted to make them together, which we did. however, they didn't turn out so well. actually they looked and tasted a bit like Jello Jigglers. gross. (we found out that we did everything right except we used the wrong attachment on my kitchen aid. picky picky picky!)

so for the next attempt Mark had to go solo since i was at work. But, in order to make me feel more involved in our new tradition he recorded it for me! so cute! here it it is.

My Dear, Sweet, Sugar Plum, Love Bug Graduate Girl!

2009-12-16T21:22:00.002-07:00

Done, Finished, Complete, All Inclusive, Total. . .Callie is a college graduate. Lucky! Callie, you are so cool, and I am pretty jealous. I am so proud of you! This is big, real big! Why so big? First off, it is just awesome. Second, your textbook buy back money gets to go towards my books. Third, you now have more free time to ski. Fourth, you worked so hard. I have been so impressed how passionate you are about what you are studying. Your papers were amazing, and I have learned a lot from you. The greatest thing I have learned is the importance of seeking the things you are most passionate about. I am excited for our future and for all of the many wonderful things we will do, see, and probably eat together. You are my buddy, my pal, and my love bug. I love you to the fullest!

Here she is off to school for the last time. She doesn't even have to register for classes next semester. So Jealous!

It's Christmas Time in the City!

2009-12-08T17:32:00.006-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but we got our Christmas tree and other Christmas festivities all set up! Once again, we just got an itty-bitty!

In addition to the tree, i made Mark a new Christmas countdown. If you remember last years, Mark got to open a new "gift" everyday until Christmas, in each gift there was a new coupon to use. This year, there is a new activity/adventure to do everyday! It is so wonderful!

So here is the countdown. Everyday Mark opens a new envelope telling him what we are going to do that day.

so far we have read several Christmas books, had an egg nog taste test, made cookies, gone for a winter walk, and more. (they will get more exciting once we are done with school and have some time!)

For the countdown i got a bunch of wonderful Christmas books from the library

the nativity

the final tree set up

Merry Christmas!

In-N-Out

2009-12-04T09:39:00.004-07:00

So, In-N-Out has finally come to Utah. And with this grand occurrence, Mark has been very excited. Although the lines have been atrocious we managed to go once around 11:00 pm when they weren't quite as bad.

Mark has been so excited about In-N-Out that it is even being manifested in my dreams. a couple nights ago i had a dream that Mark wanted to be part of In-N-Out so bad that i found him washing their dishes. I went up to him and asked if he was even being paid for this, to which he replied "yes, I'm getting $2 an hour." Then, the guy washing dishes next to him turned around and said "WHAT??!!! You're getting paid??!!!!" Then this other dishwasher guy got so mad that he started to fight Mark. But my main man can throw a mean punch and that guy was down before he knew what happened! Oh the power of In-N-Out!

Thanks Day

2009-11-27T17:57:00.008-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Mark's family this year. Here is our day in pictures!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the American Fork house.

Katrina did all of the decor and set up! It was gorgeous!

the candlelit fireplace

Wendy made these great coloring/activity packets for the kids to color in this room. (they are on the table)

Yummy gumballs!

The hot chocolate station!

The dining tables! My favorite!

MMMMMM!!!

Here is my main man prepping for some yummy dutch oven!

Getting the food!

Mark checking on the progress of his masterpiece!

Wendy and I taking a break from cooking to snap some pics!

My love and me!

After dinner we all played some games.

first we played a Thanksgiving trivia game

Then we moved on to some Thanksgiving pictionary

We had a great time, with great people, and great food!

BYU v. Air Force

2009-11-23T07:56:00.002-07:00

Saturday we went to the BYU game with Mark's brother Steven and nephew Matthew. Don't mind my hair, I came straight from an overnight trip.

We might have to go to all of the games next season just so we can have access to these! This here is a "Cougar Tail". It is about a foot and a half long maple bar doughnut. Amazing!

Matthew enjoying his frozen lemonade. It was cold out, but he insisted.

Gets Him Every Time!

2009-11-19T19:44:00.002-07:00

Every time this commercial comes on Mark giggles, then laughs, then has to lean on the wall for support. EVERY TIME!!!

Two Five

2009-11-18T19:53:00.003-07:00

I thought I would take a moment and share about my swell birthday month so far. Friday the 13th we had a Boy Scout camp out. I didn't really want to sleep in the cold for my birthday, but I wanted to continue my quest for dutch oven perfection. We enjoyed a wonderful soup, Parmesan rolls, and a classic cherry cobbler. I cooked dinner and then took off for my love bug, and my bed.

Enjoying the cobbler

What?!!! A birthday card from Condorman! Ok, Ok, I found the card and tested out my cursive. I got the classic eye roll from Callie. . .happens every time I bring up the winged warrior. One day I will convince her that Condorman really is a good movie.

We started the day off with some amazing Bisquick danish's, and then we went to Sandy for a little party. Mom, Dad, Callie, and I had lunch at Food For Thought. It was very much tasty! Then we went for a little birthday shopping. I wanted a new white dress shirt and black dress shoes. I think I was just meant to wear a french cuff, I feel so fancy. My shoes are superb as well. Maybe we can take a picture some time.

We ended the day with a movie and ice cream. What more could a kid want for a birthday party? It was a wonderful day. And I got two new little ones to uncle! Madeline 11/13 and Alex 11/17. November is no longer just about the turkey and I. Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday songs and wishes. I am loved.

Birthday Month

2009-11-01T19:39:00.004-07:00

I went to change my background to a Thanksgiving one today, but Mark insisted that we have a birthday one to celebrate his birthday month. I tried to talk him into a "birthday week" background, but he was pretty set on "birthday month."

So here is to you my love! Happy Birthday Month!

(Plus, how can you resist this face??)

And just to start the month off with a bang, here are the top 50 reasons why i love Mark!

He is:
1. Sweet
2. Caring
3. Thoughtful
4. Considerate
5. Clean
6. Helpful (in all situations)
7. Generous
8. Funny
9. Service Oriented
10. Dedicated
11. Hard Working
12. Efficient
13. Faithful
14. Cute
15. Good Memory
16. Smile
17. You Like My Cookin'!
18. Smart
19. Follow-Through
20. Time-Management
21. Frugal
22. Goal Setter
23. Family Oriented
24. Supportive
25. Understanding
26. Kind
27. Loyal
28. Curious
29. Good Dresser
30. Good ...
31. Loving
32. Help Around the House
33. Good Listener
34. Planner
35. Likes Good Music
36. Interesting
37. Wonderful (in every way)
38. Good Taste
39. Strong
40. Good Kisser (when he wants to)
41. Fun
42. Make Me Better
43. Well Rounded
44. Likes Outdoors
45. Talented
46. Exceeds my Expectations
47. Observant (Obsental??)
48. Wants to be a Little Kid
49. Great Bod
50. He Loves Me Back!

Happy Birthday Month Sweet! I love you forever!

The Best Two Years..... Ever!

2009-10-23T20:20:00.003-06:00

I'm a slacker and never posted our anniversary. It was October 11th. We had a pretty low key day. We kept up with tradition and spent part of the day in Park City. Here we are making a quick stop at Bridal Veil Falls. It was very windy, so that is why my hair is so funky... FYI.

The cutest boy in the world!

When we were driving in PC we saw this tree will all these shoes on it and thought it was awesome!

We went to lunch, walked around Main st. and then got some dessert at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Mark got a chocolate dipped ice cream and i had the best caramel apple i have ever had in my entire life! mmmmm.

here is Mark so sad that his ice cream is gone.

It was a great great time! I'm so lucky i have been able to spend the last two years with this boy and i can't wait for forever!

Dreams

2009-10-09T21:03:00.002-06:00

This is Mark Chiming in. . .You see, I have been thinking recently about some things that I have always thought would be cool to do/see/be, but thought were somewhat inaccessible. Let me give you four of many ideas about what I am talking about.

First, I was raised knowing that James Bond was the coolest (besides Condorman), and that I needed to drive his kind of car. I have decided that maybe I never will own an Aston Martin, but I need to drive one for a day at some point.

Second, due to my love for skiing, I have always wanted to heliski. I don't need to jump 30 feet out of the helicopter onto a cliff of Alaskan snow, but I want to take a helicopter to the top of some mountain to ski down.

Third, I want to drive a Big-Rig! Just give me the open road and let me have at it for an hour.

Fourth, I know El Camino's may seem ugly to some, not I, I think it would be the coolest to get an old one and restore it to its amazing glory.

Needless to say, I have some interesting things on my list of things I want to do. Now how in the world can I make it happen? The Aston Martin dealership in Scottsdale, AZ wouldn't even let me touch the Vanquish. Jumping out of a helicopter to ski just sounds expensive. I don't want to have to get my CDL to drive a Big-Rig. I ski, I golf, I study, I don't restore cars.

Some of the coolest things out there seem just that, out there! I want to do a little research project with the help of those of you that read this. Post to this message or email Callie or I one or two or ten of your dreams. I want to see what I can find out to make it more accessible.

If your dream sounds silly, don't worry, I like El Camino's

Mark

Dinner Catastrophe

2009-10-01T08:36:00.004-06:00

So yesterday Mark and I were in a hurry! We were doing laundry, had to go to mutual, trying to arrange for our carpets to be cleaned (we have lived in our apartment for almost 2 years!!!),and trying to set up interviews for church. And in the middle of all of that, we had to have dinner. We decided on sloppy joes. because honestly, who doesn't love slopppppy joes? (and not to mention they are fast.) So i set out to make dinner while Mark was making calls. I finished cooking the meat and both Mark and I went to get the laundry (have i mentioned how much i HATE not having my own washer and dryer?? HATE HATE HATE!!!!).

When we were walking back into the apartment i was so excited to walk in the door and smell glorious sloppy joe meat! I walked in and was immediately very confused. I didn't smell sloppy joes at all! it was very very different. So i walked over to my meat and realized what i had done. I made taco meat. I dont know how that happened! so after some serious laughing and me being a bit heart broken and disappointed ( i believe my exact words were "i don't want no stinkin' tacos!") we had nachos instead!

And, i earned the award for the dorkiest cook of all time. Apparently i should not be allowed in the kitchen while under pressure.

Cupcakes and Kool Aid

2009-09-28T08:43:00.006-06:00

As is beginning to be tradition in our family, Mark and I went for a "Sunday drive" last night. It was much shorter than normal because i just couldn't wake up from my nap. So, i ended up sleeping for 3 hours more than planned. (yes, i took a 4 hour nap and it was wonderful!) So by the time i got up, fixed dinner, and hung out for a while, it was time for bed. But i just HAD to have my Sunday drive with Mark.

So in order to convince him to take me even though it was so late, i told him we could take some cupcakes and Kool-Aid.
That was all it took.

So we drove to the Y parking lot and ate our cupcakes and Kool-Aid while we beheld the splender that is Provo at night. It would have been much more romantic if it weren't for all the BYU student who had the same idea. (except i would venture that we were the only ones cool enough to have cupcakes and Kool-Aid.)

anyway, it was lovely. Everyone needs to experinece the joy that is cupcakes and Kool-Aid

P.S. I managed to get "cupcakes and Kool-Aid" in this post 4 (now 5) times. It's just so fun to say!

What Happens When Mark Gets Bored on the Lift

2009-09-25T17:36:00.007-06:00

Today Mark went mountain biking at Sundance. Here is what he came up with while waiting on the lift with just him, some sunflower seeds, and his phone:

(in case you didn't get that, he takes slogans quite literally. he he)

It's that time of year again! Aren't the colors just gorgeous!!

My Heaven

2009-09-17T16:00:00.003-06:00

In my opinion, it doesn't get much better than Reese's. They can brighten even the crappiest of days.

Yesterday was one such day for me. And my wonderful brilliant husband knew just how to fix it for me. When i walked in the door after work i was greeted by a beautiful bouquet of flowers and 2 packs of Reese's. It's Love!!

My addiction for Reese's is deeply rooted. It is just the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. I actually used to keep these on stock. At one point i was buying them in bulk. I would honestly go to walmart and take the entire box from the checkout line.

Now i am sad to say i grew up and no longer spend my money on such frivolous things as a year supply of Reese's (they actually lasted me about a month), but that's not to say i dont miss them.

And in case anyone was wondering. If you have a Coke and a Reese's at the same time...
Pure Heaven!

Those of you who know me well know that this is the way to my heart!

(p.s. don't those little water droplets on the can just make you thirsty??!!!)

My Life Right Now

2009-09-14T14:46:00.006-06:00

I had to change my background to something more fitting to how i feel. All day, everyday I spend every spare moment trying to catch up on my school work. I have A TON of reading to do for every class. And skimming and pretending to read are not options because I also have to write 1-2 page summaries for everything i read. AND, my teachers keep giving me more articles to read ON TOP of the regular assigned reading.

Last week i thought i was the coolest person ever because i was actually a whole week AHEAD on my reading assignments. Enter the group presentation. I kissed my buffer goodbye! I don't understand how a week can go by so quickly. Now i am prepared for my presentation, but i am seriously struggling to finish the "regular" work. Mark and I keep trying to figure out when we can invite friends over, practice my golf skills, and hang out, and every single night seems to be booked with "catch-up" work (not to be confused with ketchup).

I just have to keep reminding myself that i just have to get through the next few months.... and i am FINISHED!!!!!