The Hancocks

A Few of my Favorite Things

2013-06-17T23:25:00.001-07:00

So I am sitting here thinking about my day, and I could make a list of all the things that made my day rotten but instead I am going to do the opposite. I am going to make a list of a few of my favorite things that made my day GREAT!

1. Netflix- My favorite past time as of late is being able to sit down after the dishes are done, the baby is bathed and tucked into bed, and turn on Netflix and watch an episode or two of my favorite show.

2. Toy Story- When I am at my wits end with a fussy baby, especially when he has double ear infections and nothing seems to sooth him, I can always count on good old Toy Story. This has become Ethan's favorite movie, not so much mine. But I do love that it makes my boy happy when I can't.

3. Instagram- I am becoming a big fan of Instagram. I really enjoy finding new apps for Instagram. For example, RansomGram & BeautifulMess. It's fun to just mess around with pictures and add effects to them and just pretend like I am a photographer.

4. Happy Hour at Sonic- This has become an issue for me and the hubby! We are always going to Sonic during Happy Hour and getting our Route 44 Strawberry Limeade. They are DELICIOUS!!!

5. Last but certainly not least, My Family!! Life would be pretty boring without these two. I love them more than anything else in this world.

Photo Friday

2013-06-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!!! Hope you are all enjoying your Friday. I was going through some pictures tonight and so many of them brought back so many good memories. This little gem was taken when Kyle and I were living in our Salt Lake apartment when we were first married. We talk about this time in our life often. As you can see in this picture, I am holding dozens of flash cards, books, and notebooks. These were all used in our anatomy class that we took together. For those of you that have taken anatomy, I am sure we can all agree that it isn't a fun class, but when Kyle and I look back and think of all the nights, days, weekends, etc. we spent studying, we are always able to say "that was a blast taking that class together!" We would study really hard for our tests and on tests days we would walk to class, kiss each other and say good luck and take the test. At the end we would always walk out and immediately start asking each other "what did you put for number 23?" or "what was the answer for number 42?" It was a lot of fun having my husband as my study partner especially for anatomy (wink wink!) Enjoy your weekend everyone! If you get a second go through your old pictures. I bet you will find some good ones.

The Hancocks

My 2011

2012-01-23T15:46:00.002-08:00

I always get so overwhelmed when I think about blogging. There is so much I need to get caught up on but I wouldn't even know where to start so instead I am just going to blogabout the highlightof my 2011 rather than do a recap of the whole year. 2011 was a good year for Kyle and I. We were blessed in so many ways, we reached some major milestones in our relationship such as buying a house, Kyle getting accepted into the nursing program, and I graduated with my LPN. But the biggest and most exciting milestone for Kyle and I this last year would have to be...... finding out we were EXPECTING!!!

We found out we were pregnant August18th. I of course found out first and somehow was able to keep in the news all day and didn't tell Kyle the exciting news until later that evening. I drove to his work and filled his car with pink and blue balloons and put the positive pregnancy test on his seat. I hid in the parking lot and waited for him to come out to his car. It was actually pretty hilarious to see Kyle's reaction. He was shocked and in disbelief. But as the news sunk in he became more and more excited. We told our parents a few weeks later and they were all thrilled to say the least. We found out the gender of our little one on November 9th. It's a BOY!!! That was a crazy feeling to find out if we were going to have a son or a daughter. Once the ultrasound tech said it was a boy I instantly started to cry and shouted out "we are gonna have a son!" In that moment, this pregnancy became very real to me. On November 17th I was able to feel our little guy kick for the first time. There is no better feeling than feeling your baby kick and move around inside you. It helps me to feel more connected to him. It is crazy how much I love him already and I haven't even met him yet. I'm sure my love for him will be magnified 1000 times once he is here in my arms. My due date is April 24th so I am counting down the days. I have been really surprised how fast this pregnancy has gone. I thought for sure I would feel like it was dragging but instead I am getting nervous by how fast it is going. I don't feel prepared at all but who ever is with there first child?

Kyle and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to become parents. I know we won't be perfect but I do know that we will try our hardest to raise this child in a way that will be pleasing to ourHeavenly Father and I know without a doubt we are going to love him more than anything in this world.

I haven't been very good at taking "belly pictures"but I have taken a few so I will share with all of you what I have. Enjoy!

7 weeks

17 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

If you notice, my hair gets shorter as my belly gets bigger!

Lately.....

2011-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wow so much has transpired over the last few months! I don't even know where to start, but I will do my best to get everyone caught up to speed. Lets start with September. September 3rd was our second anniversary. To celebrate we started the day out by going to breakfast at Ruth's Diner. I had only been there once before and I remember it being absolutely fabulous so I thought it would be fun to take Kyle there. He agreed that it was fabulous too. After breakfast we spent the day in Park City and shopped at the outlet mall. We then went to Main Street and enjoyed a tram ride up the mountain. It was so beautiful up there and the weather was perfect. That evening we went to dinner at Ruths Chris. It was delicious! I am not much of a meat eater but I thoroughly enjoyed my steak. Of course I didn't take any pictures of us until later that night when we got home, well Kyle took pictures of me while I opened my gift from him. He gave me some shoes for work that I had picked out a month or so before. I was so excited to finally be able to wear them.

I had given Kyle his gift a few days before our anniversary. It was a helicopter ride! I tried to schedule it so that we could do it on our anniversary but they were booked so I had to schedule it for the weekend prior to our anniversary. It was so much fun, short, but fun. We tried to take pictures but they were all pretty blurry.

Kyle started nursing school and it has kept him more than busy. We knew from the beginning he was going to be pretty occupied with homework but no matter how much I tried to prepare myself, it has been hard not being able to spend as much time with him as I used to. I think it is hard on him too but he keeps reminding me that it will be worth it in the end. If only the end were closer. Kyle's mom has always taken pictures of her children on there first day of school and I wasn't about to break tradition so I took a picture of him on his first day. Doesn't he look so cute?

We have lived in our new house for about six months now and we are enjoying it more and more each day. Kyle and I were called to be primary teachers in our ward and we really enjoy our calling. I love our ward, everyone has been so welcoming and kind. We still don't know everyone but each week someone comes up to us and introduces themselves.

A few nights ago, Kyle and I were sitting home and our doorbell rang. Kyle answered it and a few minutes later he came up stairs with this...

I was so excited that someone in our neighborhood would think of us and include us in there neighborhood traditions. It made me feel like we were a part of this neighborhood/ward.

On a more sad note, an unfortunate event has taken place in our family. Our family dog of 14 years passed away. She has been quite sick for awhile now and the last few weeks she has gotten much worse. My dad made the decision to have her put down and put her out of her misery. Chamois was an incredible dog. She literally was a man's best friend. When I went to my parents house to say goodbye to her, I couldn't help but to cry while thinking of all of the memories I alone had with Chamois. She will be missed so much by me and my family. This picture was taken a few hours before my dad took her to be put down.

I love you Chamois!

2011-08-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

WOW! Where has the time gone! I wish I could say I have a good excuse as to why I haven't blogged in awhile but the truth is, is that I have been lazy. I have done nothing but work and enjoy my time off from school. Our summer has been an uneventful one. We had these big plans to go camping any chance we got, go to St. George a few times, go to a drive in movie, go swimming, go to Lagoon, but no, we haven't done any of those things. Instead we went to San Diego for a week, we have had several BBQ's, we are going to Jackson Hole next week, we have become addicted to Dexter, we have been on multiple walks around the park, we have gone on a lot of bike rides, we have gone hiking a few times, we have enjoyed a handful of delicious snow cones, we have stayed up past 2am more than once, and we have enjoyed every second of it.

Our house is finished, we moved in April 1st, Kyle got into the nursing program at UVU, I graduated with my LPN and passed my boards, our 2nd anniversary is in less than a month and I am so excited to give Kyle his gift. It's a surprise and I don't want to spoil it so you will all have to wait until I give it to him before I tell you what it is. I don't want to turn this post into a novel so I guess I will stop here. Until next time..... peace out. (Here are some pictures of our trip to San Diego. You can't have a post without pictures right?)

Bellmont Park

fun and freaky roller coaster

We took our beach cruisers down to San Diego

Boogie Boarding=fun and a lot of salt water in my mouth

San Diego Temple

Watching fireworks on the beach.... AMAZING

We made a pit stop in Hollywood on our way to San Diego

Our House

2011-03-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I have been really bad at blogging lately but I have been trying to take lots of pictures of our house while it is being built and I thought I would share them with all of you.

Here is the front door

The stairway on the second floor

This is our kitchen

And this is us love birds in our livingroom

2011-02-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on the Hancocks. School is back in session. Kyle is at UVU and I am still at MATC. This semester is keeping us busy and we can not wait for summer! I am going to spend my whole summer by the pool and sleeping in. But we also can't wait for April and here is why (drum roll please) Kyle and I bought a townhouse! It is being built right now and won't be ready until the beginning of April. We are so thrilled and can't wait to start this new adventure. Another little update... I went blonde. I haven't decided if I like it yet or not. It is taking a long time getting used to it. I hope it grows on me soon though.

Here is some pictures of me both brown and blonde... I think I like the brown.

2010-12-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

Hello blogging world! It's been too long since I have posted on here. School is done, Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year is approaching. I am happy to report that I did well my first semester of nursing school.... I almost got all A's. I was one percent away from getting an A- in pharmacology. I have been out of school for almost two weeks now and I am taking full advantage of my break and I am thoroughly enjoying myself. I have mostly enjoyed spending more time with Kyle. We have been able to actually go on dates. It has been so much fun staying up late watching movies, sleeping in and making breakfast. I will be extremely sad when it ends.

Kyle spoiled me this Christmas. The majority of my gifts were gifts that I knew I was going to get but he was able to pull off a few surprises. My favorite surprise though was my tickets to see Sarah Mclachlan. I cried when I opened that present. I have told Kyle from the beginning of our relationship that I would love to see her in concert. Little did I know, he took a mental note. I didn't spoil Kyle quite as much as he did me but I did get him a gift that went over pretty well with him. I got him season tickets to Real Salt Lake. I was pretty excited to give him that gift.... I knew he would love it. My family started a new tradition last Christmas and it's called "I love you gifts." Instead of buying everyone in the family a Christmas gift, we drew names and made homemade gifts. Last year Kyle and I were in Arizona for Christmas so we didn't get to participate last year but this year we were able to and I can honestly say this was my favorite part of Christmas this year. Kyle drew McKenna and I drew Taylor. I made Taylor a wall hanging that holds your earrings. It turned out really cute and I am pretty sure she liked it. Kyle's gift was awesome. I was more excited for him to give McKenna her gift than I was to give mine. He made Mckenna a beautiful lamp. It was perfect for her. When Kenna opened it she started to cry so sure enough all of us girls started to cry.... it was awesome. Kyle and I really enjoyed making these gifts. We make a good team when it comes to craftiness and drilling through ceramics.

This is Taylor and McKenna with there gifts from us

Isn't that lamp awesome!!!

Well the New Year is almost here as well as my birthday. I usually get really excited for my birthday but for some reason this year I'm not. I just feel like it's an insignificant birthday so why bother getting all hyped up about it. I'm sure Kyle and I will do something fun for it but I want it to be simple. I do on the other hand get very excited for the New Year. The New Year brings about so many possibilities. Anything could happen. The unknown is exciting and yet makes me nervous too. Kyle and I have been so blessed this past year in so many ways. 2010 has been good to us. I hope this next year will be just as good and than some.

2010-11-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! I have been terrible at the blogging thing lately. Life has been so busy with school and work. I hardly have time for anything else and when I do get a spare moment, I use it to catch up on house work or to catch up with Kyle. Before I started school, Kyle and I knew it was going to be time consuming and that we would see less of each other but we didn't realize it was going to be this hard. We really were spoiled our first year of marriage. We saw each other all the time. We had classes together, we studied together, and we loved every minute of it. There are some days that we only see each other for 5 minutes in the morning.... I hate it. But we know that this is only temporary.

I wish that this post was a little more exciting or that I had something really exciting to share but unfortunately I don't. Our lives are pretty basic.... work, school, home, repeat. We do get to have a little vacation soon though. We are going to Arizona for Thanksgiving and I can't wait. Last years Thanksgiving was ruined due to the flu..... while everyone else was stuffing there faces, I was throwing up out of mine. So I am really looking forward to this Thanksgiving and feasting on all of the yummy foods. I am also excited for the 80 degree weather.

One Year Anniversary

2010-09-21T13:34:00.001-07:00

September 3, 2010 was our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Yay we made it! Our big trip to Belize was mainly our anniversary gift to ourselves so we didn't go all out on our actual anniversary but we still celebrated. I had school in the morning and Kyle had work that day as well so we didn't get to do anything special that morning. I wasn't home by the time Kyle got home from work so he called me and asked where I was, I told him I would be home soon. So when I got home, I walked in and saw flowers sitting on the table. I was so excited to see those because if anyone knows me, they know I love getting flowers, and if anyone knows Kyle, they know he hates giving them, something about them being a waste of money and dying, blah blah blah. A few weeks prior to our anniversary Kyle kept asking me what he should get me and I would tell him flowers and a nice card would be the best gift ever for me. So when I saw the flowers I was completely satisfied and content. After giving him a hug and kiss for the flowers, he asked if I wanted to play a game, the hot and cold game. I was like a little kid and shouted YES! So after playing the game of hot and cold, I found my card that he got me that brought me to tears and to top it all off he bought me some shoes that I have been wanting for the longest time. It was fabulous! He spoiled me. For Kyle's gift, I got him Bee's tickets and I made him a card and gave him his favorite treat and favorite cookies. My gift to him was pretty lame compared to my gift. I have decided that guys are impossible to shop for. But fortunately I have a husband that would have been satisfied with a just a kiss and maybe a little extra.... wink wink. After exchanging gifts Kyle and I drove to the Salt Lake Temple and did sealings which I thought would be appropriate since a year ago we were sealed to one another. It was my first time doing sealings and I really enjoyed it. After the temple we enjoyed the most fabulous dinner at the Roof. We had an amazing evening together and I wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

I feel so fortunate to be married to Kyle. He truly is my best friend. You know you are with the right person when you are able to look your worse and act like a complete idiot and yet he tells you that your beautiful no matter what and will love you no matter what, and that is how Kyle is. He makes me feel beautiful when I'm not, he makes me want to be a better person. He makes me want to play and laugh and enjoy every moment. I hate no spending as much time with him as I used too. I feel like a part of me is missing when we aren't together and I think that is what love is supposed to feel like. A friend once asked me if spending eternity with Kyle was too long? My response to her was it isn't long enough. I love him more than words can describe. I hope that one day everyone gets to feel as happy as I do when I am with the person I love, because it truly is the best feeling ever and I contribute all of my happiness to Kyle. I love ya babe. Here's to one year and an eternity to go.

The Roof

My gift!

Getting the cake ready

Kyle learned his lesson... NO SMASHING!

We went to the Bee's game the following Monday

Newest Adventure

2010-09-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Me on my first day of school

So in a previous post I had mentioned that I had gotten into a nursing program and since that post I have started the program. After just a few short weeks, I have learned to maintain a sterile field, insert a foley catheter, give shots, anything and everything about macrolides and aminoglycerides. I have also taken my first pharmacology test, fundamentals test, medical terminology test, and I just finished taking my mental health test. It has been really good so far. I am actually really enjoying it. If I were to have a complaint though, it would be not seeing Kyle as much as I would like. We have decided that we were spoiled our first year of marriage. There isn't very many newlyweds that get to go to school together, take classes together and study all day and all night together. Kyle and I were literally together all day every day, and we loved it. So needless to say, it has been hard going to school without him and not having my trusty study partner. I'm not used to going hours without seeing him. It will take some getting used to. He has been amazing though with me going to school everyday and working almost every night. He helps me out so much by doing all of the household duties such as washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and packing me lunches. To him they may be small little tasks but to me they are huge helps. I love him to pieces and I honestly don't know what I would do without him. I love ya babe. Thanks for all you do.

Out with the Old and in with the New

2010-09-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

The day after Kyle and I had gotten home from our vacation we had to pack up our apartment and move to our new one. It was a little stressful but with a lot of help from my family, a uhaul, and lots of food, we managed to do it. We loved our apartment at the Gateway and we will miss is, but we love our new place too. We live next door to our really good friends, Lyndsee and Clint, and I am walking distance from my parents house. Another bonus to living in our new place is it is much closer to my school.

Here are some pictures of the old place....

Dining/living room

The livingroom

The kitchen

Our office

Our bedroom

Our bathroom

Our awful stackable washer and dryer

Our entry way

Our view

Here are some pictures of our new place....

I love this huge closet

And I love my new washer and dryer.... they are amazing

I'm not quite sure what to do with this room yet, for now it is my junk room

This place is a little bit smaller than the old place, but I love how much cozier it is. We are happy to start an new adventure in our new home.

Favorite Pictures

2010-08-30T08:47:00.001-07:00

This is the restaurant at the resort. It was really good and the atmosphere was cool. It had windows around the whole restaurant so you had a 360 degree view of the island.

This is the dock to our resort. I am waiting patiently for the costal express to pick us up and take us to town.

Kyle trying to climb a tree!

Lazy Croc's! Best restaurant ever. It is on a dock and there are crocodiles swimming around the dock and they come right up to the dock.

See! I told you. This is Jaws.

Kyle swimming in the pool in the caves. Most refreshing water ever.

In front of our resort

Estelles. Great breakfast food.

Fidos

Favorite drink

In town

This is Top. He was our guide when we went snorkeling. Kyle and I were in town riding our golf cart around and we saw Top. We yelled to him and he ran over and jumped onto our golf cart. He asked us to give him a ride home. I was shocked when I saw where he lived. It was pretty sad. He was a really nice guy.

Basketball court. It was so colorful, this picture doesn't give it justice.

Our last day on the island, Kyle and I were sitting on the beach and this guy approached us and asked if we wanted to see some of his work. Kyle fell in love with it. We ended up buying a sail boat from him and he engraved it for us. We asked him to just write "Belize 2010" on it for us. When he handed it to us it read " To Kyle and Miranda Belize It 2010 Zericote wood, By Joe." Ha ha, Kyle wasn't too happy! Oh well, it makes a good story.

This is the plane we took back to the mainland. I didn't want to go on the two hour boat ride so I begged Kyle to get us plane tickets instead. It was a 17 minute flight.

View from our 12 seater plane

We have a lot more pictures but I am getting too lazy to put more up. Maybe some other time.

What We Have Been Up Too.....

2010-08-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I went to Belize on August 7th through the 15th. Lets just say it was AMAZING. Before we left I was having the worst anxiety ever. I had never been out of the country before and this was the first big trip I had taken without having my parents there. Kyle and I were going to be on our own, in a strange country that I had never heard of until we started planning this trip months before. So I was a bit nervous. I was hoping that once we got there though that my nerves would be put to ease but they weren't. We flew into Belize City and my first thought was HUMID! But I was trying to stay positive and get excited. We got our luggage and found ourselves a taxi and asked him to take us to the water terminal. While we were driving there I was praying, hoping, and wishing that our resort looked a lot nicer than what I was seeing. It definitely is a whole new world down there in Belize. Kyle had been to Mexico before so he was used to seeing rundown, poverty stricken places. But for me this was a huge shock. Once we got to the water terminal, my thoughts shifted from humid to "Yuck, what are we doing here?" Kyle was feeling a little discouraged himself. We were tired, hot, and annoyed by the people trying to earn a buck or two off of us. After waiting an hour for the boat to leave, we finally boarded and started heading to the island that we would be staying at..... Ambergis Caye. The boat ride wasn't my favorite thing to do but I didn't mind it. Kyle and I were able to get some pictures along the way and I was able to take a little snooze. When we arrived to the island, a guy from our resort was waiting at the dock for us so that he could take us to the resort. Kyle and I and another family all got into the boat that would be taking us to our resort. When we got to our resort I was in awe. It was so pretty. I honestly felt like a millionaire. The staff there treated us like royalty. They showed us to our room and again, I was in awe. Here are some pictures or our resort, our room, the dock we were dropped off at after riding the water taxi and the dock at Ambergis Caye.

The only way to get around the island is by water taxi or golf cart. The first night we were there we took the water taxi into town and went exploring. We had dinner at a place called Sunset Grill. The atmosphere was really cool. The restaurant was on a dock and swimming around it were these huge fish. If people wanted they could dangle a fish above the water and these huge fish would jump up and grab the fish out of there hand. I was to afraid to do it so we just watched.

This is Kyle waiting for the water taxi to pick us up

This is me looking at the huge fish

Every morning Kyle and I would wake up and go swimming at the pool for a coulpe of hours. It was an awesome pool. There were two pools, one in the front and one in the back. The back one was more for swimming and playing. The other pool was mostly for lounging in.

It wouldn't be much of a vacation if we didn't do any excursions while we were there and it would be a waste of a vacation if we didn't go snorkeling in Belize. So our first big adventure was the Catamaran Cruise. This was so much fun. We took the Catamaran around the island and to the other island, Caye Caulker. We stopped at Caye Caulker and had lunch there and did a little shopping. We also did some snorkeling along the way. We got to snorkel at two different locations, Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan.

Caye Caulker

Lunch at Caye Caulker

Kyle swimming with the fish

Our other adventures included renting a golf cart and driving it around the island, cave tubing, visiting the Belize Zoo, and witnessing the famous Chicken Drop.

Allow me to explain the chicken drop. So there is a board with a bunch of numbers on it and people bet on these numbers. Then they bring out the chicken. A person takes the chicken and spins it 3 times and then shakes it a little bit and then blows on its bum. Gross! Then they put the chicken on the board and waits for it to poo on a number and if it poops on a number that a person bet on, that person wins a prize. It was pretty hilarious to watch.

Cave tubing was amazing. We sat on these inner tubes and floated down a river while going through caves. It was scary at times because of how dark it was but we did have head lights on. It was so pretty in the caves and in the jungle that we had to walk through to get to the river. While we were walking, our guide showed us a termites nest and told us that we could eat the termites. I was skeptical at first, so of course I made Kyle eat one first. He said it tasted just like mint and carrots. So I tried one and sure enough, it tasted just like mint and carrots.

We spent a lot of time in town too, mostly to shop and to eat. They had some really good restaurants there, well I guess I should say they had really good food. Some of the restaurants were questionable but somehow I had the courage to eat at these restaurants. A common dish served in Belize was cerviche! It is so delicious. I didn't think I would like it because it has fish in it and I am not a big fish eater, but I was all about trying new things and I am so glad I tried this. It was my favorite thing to eat there and I would order it everytime we were at a restaurant. Another thing that is really common there is Fanta sodas. They mostly serve alcohol but with us being non drinkers, we drank a lot of soda and Fanta was the only sodas they had. They had your typical orange fanta but they also had pineapple soda, which was Kyle's favorite, and they had fruit punch fanta which was my favorite.

I have quite a few more pictures but this post is becoming way to long so I will post some of my favorites and call it a day. All in all Kyle and I had an amazing time and we are so glad we got to experience Belize. Together.

We're Back

2010-08-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Kyle and I are back from our awesome trip.... pictures to come soon. We are frantically packing up our apartment right now. Wish us luck.

Houston Airport

2010-08-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

Patiently waiting...

2010-08-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

It's 6am and we are sitting in the SLC airport. It wouldn't be a typical trip for us if we didn't whip out photo booth! Here are some pictures of previous airport waits.

San Diego Airport

Phoenix Airport

Yuma Airport

Photo Booth from Houston and Belize coming soon!

Life is GOOD!

2010-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am happy to announce that Kyle and I are officially done with physiology. We took our final on Wednesday and we were pleasantly surprised by how easy the final actually was. We haven't gotten our grades yet so I guess we will have to wait and see how easy it really was but we walked away feeling pretty good about it. Now on to the more exciting news. Kyle and I are leaving tomorrow to go to BELIZE. Yes I said Belize. We are so excited! We have been planning this trip for a few months now. It is going to be amazing. We are going to be there for a little over a week and I am planning on just living by the pool, walking on the beach and getting a killer tan. Here are some pictures of the resort we are going to be staying at.... its ok you can be jealous!

See you when we get back. Hope you all have a great week, I know I will!

Jackson Hole

2010-08-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Kyle and I got to go to one of my favorite places, Jackson Hole. We went with my family. I have been going there almost every year since I was a little girl. Kyle had never been so I was really excited for him to go there and experience the wonders of Jackson Hole himself. The drive there is so pretty. It is one of my favorite drives. On the drive there, there is a place that we always stop at, the Cheese Factory. You can't go to the Cheese Factory without buying cheese.

While we were there we stayed at the Painted Buffalo. After getting settled into the hotel, we went into town and shopped a little bit, then we had dinner at Mountain High Pizza Pie.

After dinner, we all went swimming and sat in the sauna. I didn't get any pictures of that though. I didn't feel like bringing my camera to the pool, but we had a good time. I love swimming and so does Kyle. I sometimes think he is part fish. The next day Kyle, Taylor, Shon, McKenna, and I went out to breakfast together at a place called Nora's. The food there is great but the service is awful. We go there everytime we go to Jackson Hole. You would think we would find somewhere else to go to eat since the service is so horrible, but the food is too good to pass up.

The highlight of that day though was that evening. Every time we go to Jackson Hole we go to this thing called the Bar J Wranglers. Its basically dinner and a concert. My family and I have been going there for as long as I can remember. It wouldn't be a trip to Jackson without going to the Bar J. You have to know my dad in order to understand why it is so important for us to go to this place. My dad hates going to Lagoon, Disneyland, Walmart, anything that has lines in it. He hates waiting in line. But there is one thing he will wait in line for and that is The Bar J Wranglers. The show doesn't start until 5:30 but my dad will get there at 8:00 am and wait in line all day long so that we will have front row seats. I have never gone to that show without sitting up front. I always feel bad having him sit there all day all by himself but it is so worth it and I think it gives him a sense of satisfaction by sitting there all day and getting us front row tickets. He is a big sweetheart. I love my dad.

It was a short trip but certainly needed. Kyle and I have finals to look forward to this week and then we are done with school for a few weeks. We had such a good time with my family. We always have a great time when we are with them. Thanks mom and dad for a great time. We love you!

Here are some other pictures from the trip......

Best ice cream ever

Kissing in the park

Sitting in the saddle

Kyle really wanted this hat but it cost a pretty penny.

Me and Pyper entertaining ourselves

The states we drove through

Random pictures put to good use

2010-07-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

So I have all of these random pictures on my cell phone and I can't get myself to delete them so I decided that I should just make a "cell phone picture post" and put these pictures to use. So here they are... don't judge.

This is Kyle and I at the Bee's game.

The Bee's Stadium

My adorable parents on my Dad's new Harley

Kyle and I driving to Wales

Our cute Lucy

My brother and my favorite puppy in the whole entire world

Kyle and I being goofy

Boating+ a fabulous treat= Perfect Summer

2010-07-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have discovered a new fabulous treat that you all must try. It is pure heaven. I don't really have a name for it other than Margaritas, virgin style of course. Here are the ingredients:

- 2 cups of vanilla ice cream

- 2 cups of ice

- 2 cups of margarita mix, which can be purchased at Costco

Put all of the ingredients in the blender, mix well, and enjoy. Trust me, it is delicious!

Over the weekend Kyle and I got to go boating with our good friends Lyndsee and Clint. I was so excited to go. I have been wanting to go boating all summer long. I love to go boating but no one in my family has a boat so I rarely get to go, so I love getting the opportunity to go. I didn't take very many pictures and I wish I had because we had quite a few picture perfect moments but of course I didn't capture them. Lets just say that Kyle and Clint are quite the duo on the tube and Lyndsee and I are just little rag dolls. We had an awesome time with minor injuries!

KOL

2010-07-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Kyle and I went to the Kings of Leon concert. KOL is Kyle's favorite band. He has been listening to them for years now. He considers himself their biggest fan. We bought these tickets the day they were up for sale, which was a few months ago. So we have been waiting anxiously for this concert and the wait was definitely worth it. They are so good and even better live. You can't say that about very many bands but with these guys that is the case. Our good friends, Ryan and Lauren got tickets too. They got tickets for the pit, Kyle and I got tickets for the seats which I was happy about, but it would have been fun to be in the pit with our friends. We got to see Ryan and Lauren before KOL performed so we snapped a picture together.

We had a blast together. I love spending time with Kyle, especially when we are doing something he loves. I love seeing him in his element. But it doesn't matter what we are doing, we always enjoy being together and make the best of it.

4th of July weekend and more

2010-07-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

For the fourth of July, Kyle and I went four wheeling with our friends Lyndsee and Clint and then later that night we watched fireworks at Jordan High School. It was a lot of fun four wheeling. It was so pretty up there. I wish I would have gotten more pictures but it was kind of hard taking pictures and trying to stay on the machine. On Monday Kyle, Lyndsee, Clint, McKenna, and I, went hiking at Bells Canyon. That was probably the hardest hike I have ever been on. 90% of it was straight up hill. But it was worth it. The waterfall was gorgeous. I love the Fourth of July. It is probably my second favorite holiday, Christmas is my first favorite holiday. I love getting together with family and friends and having a bbq and lighting sparklers and getting eaten by mosquitos. I also think that I love the Fourth of July so much because when I think about it, I associate it with warmth and summer and I absolutely love summer. If I could have it my way, it would be summer all year long. I love being outside, soaking up the sun and the heat. Unfortunately, I feel like I haven't been able to soak up the summer like I would like to. I have been busy with work and school, but whenever I get the chance to be outside, I take it. Here are some pictures of our Fourth of July weekend and some other summer activities.

A Much Needed Update

2010-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone (which equals probably 3 people... if I am lucky.) It has been way too long since I have updated this and so much has gone on these last few weeks, so why not blog about it. First of all, Kyle and I have some very exciting news. No I am not pregnant. Although this is almost just as exciting. I got accepted into an LPN program. Ok so maybe its not as exciting as being pregnant, but we are pretty excited. I start the program this August and I can't wait. It will be intense, but it is such a great feeling to finally see light at the end of the tunnel and to feel like you are finally moving forward. This is a picture of me holding my acceptance letter.

Kyle and I have been going to school this summer which isn't my favorite way spending my summer but we didn't have much of a choice. I had to get physiology done this semester in order to start my LPN program so Kyle and I decided to take it together. It has been so much fun being in class together again. We are each other's favorite study partners. We are doing really well in this class too, which is such a relief. I have been dreading this class ever since I started college. But all in all it is fairly easy. We will be excited when we are done with the class though.

Since Kyle and I haven't had much of a summer vacation, we have been trying to plan little getaways so that we don't go insane from all of the craziness. We went to St. George a few weeks ago with Kyle's sister Meagan and her boyfriend Jake. It was so much fun. We had a blast together. It was really fun having Meagan and Jake with us. It gave us an opportunity to get to know Jake a little better too. He is an awesome kid. He is leaving on a mission at the end of this month which is going to be sad when he leaves but we are really excited for him too. He will be an awesome missionary.

While we were in St. George, we decided to drive to Vegas for the day. It was so funny driving down the strip with Meagan. She had never been to the strip before and she was just in awe and amazed that there was a Walgreens and a McDonalds along the strip. We had fun in Vegas but I don't think I could spend more than just a day at that place. Here are some of the pictures of our little getaway.

MOAB " A Total Eclipse of the Heart"

2010-05-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Kyle and I got to go to Moab with our friends and we had a blast! We got there Friday afternoon and started setting up our infamous tent cot (Kyle's birthday gift that he had to have.) After we got settled, we loaded up Ryan's truck and headed to Dead Horse Point. It was awesome. It is so pretty there. After admiring the sites and taking a few hundred pictures, we started making dinner. We BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs and had baked beans. Baked beans+ Kyle+ small enclosed space and no ventilation= an angry and nauseated wife. After eating dinner we headed back to camp and sat around the camp fire and roasted marshmallows. The next morning we woke up bright and early and started making a delicious breakfast which was yummy breakfast burritos....mmmm good! once we stuffed our faces we packed our back packs and headed off to the arches. I was really excited for the hike mostly because this was Kyles first time coming to moab and I wanted him to experience it and see what it had to offer. What a better way than for him to see breath taking arches. So we hiked devils garden which was really neat but I think Delicate arch is by far the best arch there. By the time we were done hiking, we were starving, hot, sweaty, and our fingers were the size of sausages. To solve the starving situation we made hoggie sandwiches when we got back to the car and ate them. We headed back to camp and decided we needed to cool off and rinse the sand and sweat off of us so we all jumped into the river. Ok we didn't exactly "jump" in the river. It was far too cold to just jump in and take a delightful swim. We had to ease our way into the river, and once we were in we immediately would jump out. Somehow, though, the boys decided they needed a challenge and challenged each other to see who could stay in the river the longest with the freezing water up to there necks. To make a long story short, Kyle was the last one to get out after being in there for forty minutes and when he came out his lips were blue and that is no lie. Me being the concerned wife that I am, I yelled at him and said he was going to get pneumonia. I am happy to report, he doesn't even have the sniffles, but I was really concerned that he would for sure suffer from hypothermia and pneumonia. To help the boys unthaw, we went back to camp, started a fire, prepared dinner and enjoyed the rest of the night hanging out at camp, eating, shivering, playing games, and listening to our neighbors blast there music. The next day we got up and started packing up our things so that we could make the trek home. We had an awesome time and I can't wait for next year's Moab trip.

Here are some highlights of the trip:

1. Downloading the London Broadway Lion King song.

2. 3 of the 6 banana nut muffins getting devoured by a dog that didn't belong to us.

3. Blasting "A Total Eclipse of the Heart"

4. "Close you eyes"

5. "Who sings this song?......ME of course!"

6. The outhouses

7. Last but not least, not having to study for a flippin anatomy test!

Landscape Arch- the beginning of our hike

After our hike. If you look closely, we are sweating!

Dead Horse Point..... love these girls!

The Window

My adorable hubby!