I celebrated my 26th birthday in May and I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who wished me a happy day. Sheldon gathered people and I was able to spend some time with great friends. Thanks guys!

We had dinner at Red Robin and it was delish!

After dinner Sheldon treated me to Zeppe's and Nicole and Jake joined us.


***

We have also been loving the summer weather! A while ago we had a get together around our fire pit and made some yummy s'mores.

At one point the fire got a little out of control and Nicole was a little nervous.

Happy summer everyone :)

26.2 Miles...Utah Valley Marathon

This past weekend I ran the Utah Valley Marathon. It was my first marathon and first time running 26.2 miles! I am so glad I did it and can't wait to do it again! It was definitely intense, especially because it was pouring rain in the canyon but it was worth it! Here are some shots of the event.

(Warning, I look far from glamorous in these...I had just run 26 miles in the cold, pouring rain!)


Here is the proof that I finished!

My greatest fan!

My other greatest fan. Excuse the language on the sign...you just have to know my sister. I thought is was pretty funny though.

My running buddy.


My sweet mother-in-law came to my house with one of my sister-in-laws and decorated my front door to congratulate me. It was such a fun surprise.

This sign was also taped to the door but it had blown off by the time we got home. I loved it!

Hello Again

I'm back...at least for a small moment. The last few months have been crazy busy and things don't seem to be settling down. The only reason I am even making a post right now is because I have been sick and stuck on my couch for the past couple of days, so I figured rather than being bored I should do something productive like make a post. Anyway, we have been busy with the house remodel, work and our own individual activities. For Sheldon it has been school, school, school and for me it has been work, work, work and training for the marathon. I have had some setbacks with the training due to a few spouts with illness but I am hoping for the best. Anyway, here is a glimpse into our recent lives.

First of all, my little brother got married this past weekend. I guess I should say younger brother, rather than little brother. We are very happy for him and his beautiful sweetheart. Andrew and Stephanie have been dating for 4 years and we are so happy to finally have Stephanie and her adorable son Kyson join our family. Here are some snap shots from the wedding.

This is my brother's beautiful bride. Nicole (Nicole Grace Photography) did her bridals and I LOVE how they turned out!

Dancing at the wedding reception.


This is Steph dancing with her son Kyson. He had to cut in during Andrew and Steph's first dance...guess he was feeling left out.


This is the awesome photographer. Poor Nicole had no idea what she was getting herself into when she said she would be the photographer for this wedding. She was such a trooper and she did an amazing job. Thanks Nicole! We owe you big!







Sheldon and I loaded all of the wedding gifts in our car and took them to our house for them. So they decided to come to our house to open them and they let us watch. Little do they know we secretly kept some...just kidding.


My mom and dad.


Becca and Nick and my uncle Terry and Pam.


***

I couldn't resist but end this post with some photos of my naughty, naughty, naughty yet adorable puppy.

RAIN+DIRT=.......

.....A very MUDDY PUPPY! (Yes, all the dark spots are MUD)

I actually took these photos months ago before I knew mother nature was going to make a habit of this wet weather. Let's just say Harli is making this her new look. The dog LOVES MUD!!! I am sure I have given this dog more baths (I guess I should say Sheldon has given this dog more baths) than a dog should have in a life time.

Isn't she adorable?....OK I am being sarcastic. But it is a good thing she really is because if she wasn't I am sure Sheldon would have given her away by now.

Washington DC

Brrrr...I NEVER thought I would go on a vacation where I would have to pack snow gear! I HATE the snow and cold...however, the scenery of beautiful Washington DC and being with our good friends made it all worth it. This vacation was jam packed with activities and site seeing so we literally came home with HUNDREDS of pictures. I have posted only a small number of them here on my blog but this post still managed to be SUPER LONG! There are so many pictures!

Our first day in DC we went on a White House Tour at 7:30 am. It was early but fascinating. After the tour we attempted to tour some of the monuments but didn't last long because it was SOOOO cold and gray.

Later that night we went out for a night on the town and had a Valentine's Dinner at the Melting Pot. It was quite a fun experience.


Dear oh dear...we could rarely get him to take a decent picture with a straight smile.


This is Sheldon demonstrating how he felt after eating our delicious dinner.


Nicole and I celebrating our 1 year Friendaversary...haha (inside joke for Nicole)



The next day mother nature gave us some SUNSHINE and slightly warmer weather, mid 30's maybe. We spent the day site seeing the White House and all the Monuments.



Nicole and Jake just jumping for joy and having fun.


I know it looks like I am falling in this picture but I am not. We were just playin' around but we thought this photo was hilarious.


The Thomas Jefferson Monument.


Cute Nicole jumping for joy again, she is super excited in this picture!








The Lincoln Monument.






Views of the Washington Monument and the frozen Reflecting Pond from the Lincoln.



Love this picture of these two...so cute.


We were not sure what Sheldon was doing in this picture, proposing I think (guess he forgot he already did that and got me almost 6 years ago)



The Vietnam Monument.




The following Day we rode the METRO into the city to tour some of the Smithsonian Museums.





Exploring the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.




Touring the Smithsonian Museum of Art. Sheldon doesn't appreciate art like I do hence the forced smile in this next picture. Lets just say the art museums were not his favorite but I LOVED them...amazing!



This picture was created solely from human finger prints dipped in ink...we are staring hard to see the individual finger prints. It was the most amazing piece of art.


An original PICASSO


Sheldon, Nicole and Jake staring hard, too hard, at nude Adam and Eve. haha



Touring the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The piece below was pulled from the ruble of one of the World Trade Centers that was destroyed on 9/11.




On our final day we went to the Washington DC Temple. It is a breathtaking temple.



Here is what we did on our down time...Wii boxing matches.

I kicked Sheldon's butt however I was so sore the next day.


This is where Nicole and I could be found anytime we weren't out site seeing or doing an activity. I loved the black recliner I am in. I claimed it our entire trip. I wanted to bring it home so badly. And Nicole was always right beside me in her recliner that she loves. We had to get a picture of us in our recliners...it was comical how often we were in them. We are cheering our delicious peanut butter shakes made by our hubbies.


Got snow?...Crazy huh? The boys helped Nicole's dad chip out ice on the roof and in the rain gutters to prevent leaking.


Jake and Nicole with Nicole's parents. They were so sweet to let us stay in their home during our visit.

Vacation ending :( Here we are getting ready to go home. We were sad to leave. Nicole and I were secretly hoping to get snowed in so we didn't have to go home but at the same time we were ready to get home to our puppies! I missed Harli SOOO much!

Told you it was a LONG POST! We had such a blast and saw some amazing things. Despite the snow and the cold it was beautiful and I am so glad we went. Thanks for the adventure Jake and Nicole!