Monkey Rock and Celebrate America

We've had some unseasonably warm weather this past week so we jumped at the opportunity to go swimming. We went to a little place called Monkey Rock which is about 15 minutes north of Rexburg. There isn't any monkeys or a rock that looks like a monkey, but there is a bridge to jump off of, a beautiful waterfall, and an area to swim. It was the perfect way to cool off on a hot day.

It was great until a windy storm rolled in so we decided that it was time to head to Driggs for the Celebrate America festival. 

 

 The first time ever I got to see the Tetons!

We were lucky enough to have the storm stay with us the entire drive. Once we got there we hung out in the car for about twenty minutes and waited for it to pass. This was our first time ever going to this festival and it turned out to be better and bigger than we expected. There was tons of bounces houses for kids, and some other entertainment. The best part is that the only thing you pay for is food. The food lines were SUPER long. We waited at least an hour for a burger, but now we know for next time to pack a cooler with dinner and snacks.

We got to listen to two members from the Beach Boys sing their songs, and then the fireworks started. They were amazing! They used the speakers from the concert to play music that went along with the fireworks. Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA" which was awesome and so powerful. With fireworks going off and the crowd singing the chorus with him it screamed American pride. 

We sat in the parking lot for an hour before we could even move, and the funniest thing happened. There was a kinda creepy middle aged man alone in the car next to who asked us if we want to form a 'squeeze plan' to get out of our parking spots and into the line of cars that wasn't even moving yet. Taylor and I politely declined since we weren't in a hurry and knew that we wouldn't be getting out of there anytime soon. He turned out to be super entertaining because we got to watch him execute this 'squeeze plan' and help another car get out. He was crazy and got into a fight with some girl about waiting your turn. Seriously, so hilarious. People are in way too much of a hurry these days..

On a much sadder note: my piece of crap wonderful car, Stella, is now officially banned from taking highway trips and can only drive in town. She's had some transmission issues for the past year, but she took a downhill turn yesterday. It's a very sad day in Stella land.. and Rachel land too. 

Spread Thin?

Growing up we always had Mormonads laying around the house, and this morning I was thinking about a specific one. I looked all over Google, but was having trouble finding it. I remembered exactly what the picture on it was just not the exact words. Thanks to a tiny picture of it on LDS.org I was able to find a bigger picture of it.

I had three work days off this week which made me excited because I finally got to be a housewife for a few days. I cleaned, I made cookies and brought them to Taylor at work, and kept the house in order. Thursday eventually came and I had to go back to work. By the time I got home I didn't want to clean, and by Friday after work I didn't want to do anything. I felt like all I had done all week is clean. Whether it was cleaning our apartment or picking up after the kids I wanted none of it. Sadly, there is always something that needs cleaned.

I woke up this morning dreading the chores I needed to get done knowing I had to do them by myself since Taylor had to work a half day. I had a list a mile long that I needed/wanted to get done. The apartment was a mess, and Sheldon is staying with us again for at least the 7th weekend in a row. I know it is only Sheldon and he wouldn't care, but no one wants their house to be dirty when they have a guest coming. Dishes needed done, floors swept and vacuumed, bedroom cleaned, and so on. On top of the cleaning I wanted to make my mom's potato salad and I wanted to make cookies again and do a better job than last time. We went grocery shopping last night and all of the cupboard food still needed put away. It was just a lot, I was tired, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. 

At 8:21 I took a step back and realized there is no where that says I have to do everything on my list, and maybe I should sit down and eat a bowl of cereal first. This is when the Mormonad came into my mind. The way I was feeling is a little different then what the ad says, but why am I trying to spread myself too thin? Any of it could be done later in the day or another day. 

I think one of the hardest things when you're newlyweds is realizing that the TV show housewife you have in your mind is far off from what you might be ale to be. Taylor married me knowing that I would be working fifty hours a week, and he never said that I had to do everything. No one expects us to be perfect except for ourselves. 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best dad in the world! I am so lucky to be your daughter.

It is so hard to put into words how my dad actually is. He made sure that we always took family vacations that turned into great memories. 

He is annoying as can be, but it is all out of love. I really don't think I would want him any other way. Sometimes he even lets us annoy him without getting mad at us. Everyone needs a taste of their own medicine. 

He is always there for me in the big moments of my life. He sat through 15 baton recitals and is still sitting through more of Rebekah's. He sat through many parades, and went on many baton trips. He sat through my super hot and long graduation, and was there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.

He has spent many hours driving the boat around so that we could ski/tube/knee board/wake board until our hearts content. He does this without even asking if someone else will drive the boat so that he can take a turn. 

He taught me to love the outdoors, and to love fishing. He taught me to shoot a gun, and didn't hate me for not wanting to hunt. He taught me to camp, build a fire, and cook in a dutch oven. 

He is a dang good dad, and has gotten the opportunity to be a dang good grandfather. I don't know what I would do without him. He does so much for my family, and puts everyone before himself. I love you daddy!

2 Months!

Hooray we made it another month! I'm really not one to celebrate month anniversaries, but we've made it longer than many celebrity marriages so why not?

We decided to break out the sparkling cider (mainly because I wanted it to stop taking up room in the fridge) and made a decent dinner.

Neither of us really felt like cooking after long days at work so we picked the chicken up in the freezer section at Walmart. I had made this chicken before in a different brand so I thought that they would taste the same. It turns out I was extremely wrong. The sauce for the chicken was so spicy. Like make your nose run-can't take it anymore-throw most of it away because it is way too spicy. Chicken aside it was still a nice night. 

So far we've learned that...

- It's okay to not do laundry for three weeks and then have a mountain to wash.

- It's okay to love and look forward to pizza Fridays more than you probably should.

- It's okay to let the dishes pile up in the sink because unloading the dishwasher seems like too big of a task after dealing with the kids all day.

- It's okay to not have the perfect relationship. With both of us working full work weeks there are plenty of days that we are tired and grumpy and that is just how life goes.  

- It's more than okay to laugh until you're about to pee your pants because your husband can be so dang funny.

On a completely different long over due celebration..... We have a potty trained toddler! Or at least potty trained during the day. It took longer than I expected, but he finally caught on about two weeks ago. He never tells me that he has to go potty it is always "I want to go potty." Sweetest words I have ever heard.

The Little Things

I feel like our life has gotten extremely boring since we got married.. We go to work, watch tv, and go to bed at a time earlier than most people our age. It has gotten pathetic. Luckily I am pretty good at finding joy in the little things.

Growing up in Pennsylvania the closest LDS church was always thirty minutes away. This left no opportunity to walk to church. Last week the kids I watch were telling me about how they walked to church the previous Sunday, and that I should too. Being that Taylor and I only live a half mile from our church we decided to take their advice and so for the first time in my life I walked to church today! (walking to church in Rexburg doesn't count since it was on campus..)

My favorite dessert place out here is Kiwi-Loco. They have the yummiest frozen yogurt! It is the next best thing to Rita's Italian Ice or any of the soft serve places back home. We had the chance to make a quick stop to Kiwi-Loco with Sheldon and Kristyn. She just got her mission call to El Salvador/Belize. So awesome and exciting!

For some reason I am a sucker for stupid commercials. I always think that they are funnier than what they really are. I just saw this one yesterday and I think it is hilarious. Gives a whole new meaning to Wednesdays.

Double the Fun

This past Saturday we went on a double date with Taylor's twin, Sheldon, and his girlfriend? friend? Kristyn. It was fun, and we got to explore a place that we had never before. I would say that it is the prettiest place in Idaho Falls.

We were going to the park that we took our engagement pictures at, and then we realized that it was part of the Idaho Falls Greenbelt. We decided to walk the Greenbelt and see where Idaho Falls gets its name from. The walk was nice and you had the temple in view almost the whole time. I loved it.

Suuuuper pretty, right? It could almost be mistaken for Niagra Falls ;)

We hung out with the seagulls and ducks for a little while before we decided to head back to the car. Once home we tried out our new deep fryer with wings and fries and rented a redbox. The weather was perfect, and it was nice to have people to hang out with for an afternoon.

sooooooo cute. 

Trying Times

Sometimes life is hard and it sucks, and sometimes life gets better.

Months ago Taylor and I made some mistakes which changed all of our plans. In attempting to make things right again we went through some hard things. We were kicked out of school until September, we gave up a temple marriage, we lost money to housing, and we spent the last few months of our engagement in a long distance relationship.

It was the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my life. I felt completely alone, and I had no idea how to get though it, let alone plan a civil ceremony. Until we were married all that I did was work, watch Grey's Anatomy, and spend my weekends in Grace. I only looked forward to the weekends, and the week that I would see my family. I was basically living my life for the future, and hating dealing with the present.

We were doing everything like we were supposed to, but it still felt like nothing was going right for us. There were constant bumps coming up along the road. At times I really didn't know if we would make it out of this mess. There is no way we would have made it out if it wasn't for the Atonement and the repentance process.

Eventually things have to work out, and they did. I have my endorsement back for school, I will probably be going through the temple in three or four months, and we will be sealed in the temple in a yearish. Most importantly, I am very happily married to my best friend.