Escape to..Maui!

This past week we had the opportunity to vacation in Maui! It was a much needed vacation and we couldn't have asked for more!

Shout out for the Holidays! Being in 80 degree sunny weather caused me to think of the Holidays..never. Whenever we saw a Christmas tree or Christmas ornaments, they clashed with the surroundings because lets face it, Christmas and 80 degrees just dont really mesh well when you live in Provo.

We got the chance to go snorkeling and swim with turtles in front of Tiger Woods' home. These turtles are protected by the state of Hawaii and if you touch them, you are fined 10k. A huge one happened to be directly underneath me and as I attempted to scamble out of the way...yeah..my fin touched it!

The water was freezing (none of the guys agreed) so I had to wear a wet suit and I still felt as though I was swimming in a bucket of ice water. Ouch.

This is Roger. I dont know who taught him this; all I know is that he is a genious. This is Roger waving to you. He would do this everytime you waved at him and the faster you waved, the faster he waved back at you!

We went to a Luau the night before we left. These Polies shook it like no other. They told us their secret of "the shake" but I will never share.

Crazy spinning ball things. I was waiting for someone to get whacked.

A little crispy. Can you tell??

This is THE buff one and what can I say.. I had to snap a little one on one with him!

The Hyatt had the most amazing breakfast ever and every morning, Matt and I endulged. I can never look at breakfast the same after staying here!

The view from the back of the resort. It was a little hard to leave.

Matt kind of looks like he's in pain in this picture and he has every right to look just that. He didn't put on a lot of sun block and his back was flaming red.

Maui Wowie!

So supposedly this sunked boat has been at this location for 3 years and the man who owns it has a 3 million dollar fine for not moving it. I hope someone told him.."Move your boat!!"

The last supper! Our last lunch at BJ's before our red-eye flight home. Great ending to a wonderful vacation!!

Snow? In November?

Is it really supposed to snow in November? I guess in a place that actually has four seasons, seeing snow in November is a common phenomenon. Oh Vegas, we long for ya!

I have been tagged so I hope my tagger is someone who actually reads this! Ashton!

Jobs
..Campus Club School Uniforms (that was a slave joint to sum it up)
..Dental Faculty Practice as a personal assistant
..ASWA Law (good times)
..Nordstrom (enough said)

4 movies I have watched more than once
..10 things I hate about you
..Meet the Parents
..Madagascar
..Hitch

4 places I have lived
..Ukraine
..Las Vegas
..Texas (glad it's over)
..Provo

4 TV shows I watch
..90210
..Ugly Betty
..Desperate Housewives
..Privileged

4 places I have been to
..Denmark
..Hawaii
..Cancun
..Laguna Beach

4 people who text me regularly
..Mags
..Matt
..Chacha (242242. Try it. Any mind boggling question you have, THEY have the answer to.)
..Little bit of everyone

4 Things I am looking forward to in the coming year
..Moving back to LV
..Progressing in our lives!
..Helping my husband with all the upcoming responsibilities
..Having a baby!!

4 surprising facts
..Well for one, apparently our dog can read after she props herself up on Matts shoulder like a parrot.

..My husband goes to great lengths to capture the beloved Broncos game as we wait for cable! And he tells me he isn't all that creative! Well babe..I beg to differ!
..I am obsessed with cooking. The harder and more extravagant, the better!

..We are literally freezing!

Texas to Las Vegas to Provo

On Thursday, October 9th, Matt and I woke up at 4 am to drive to Vegas. We left at 5 am and arrived in Las Vegas at a little after 10pm. One four letter word perfectly summarizes the drive: hell! We left Texas when it was dark, drove all day, and finally arrived in Vegas when it was dark. The hundreds of miles blurred into one long nightmare which we are glad is finally over!

This was the one single fascinating thing that I saw during the drive. As we crossed over New Mexico and then Arizona, I found myself asking the question "Who in the world would want to live here?" along with a couple of other words mixed in there. If you want to go for a scenic and a super long drive, Texas to Las Vegas is NOT it!

New Mexico....seriously? The sign says that Las Vegas is 1 mile away. Too bad the GPS still said that we were 700+ miles away.

That Sunday, we thought it would be fun to take the dogs on a walk at the Pueblo Park. The "mix" and "fat" and "fatter" over here enjoyed themselves.

"Hey! Fat butt! Are you gonna walk or what?" Cookie only lasted about 10 minutes and then we had to carry her the rest of the time.

My parents and Matt and I had the opportunity to go to the temple all together!

This past Tuesday, Matt and I made the move up to Provo. Yes, we are still adjusting!

We rented the largest truck that Penske had to offer and our stuff barely fit! Our little home barely fits all of our furniture! Provo is so very different from what Matt and I are used to however, its kind of fun. I couldn't think of a better place for the both of us to be right now.

Just yesterday we celebrated my Double Dose! My big 22! We spent the whole day in Salt Lake shopping and then went to Happy Sumo at night with some friends! Kudos babe! It was awesome!

Na na na na...Hey..Hey..Hey...Goodbye!

It's inevitable that change will come sooner or later. For Matt and I, change is what the future holds for us. I like to look at change as something positive. I believe that with every experience, you gain knowledge and grow as a person. After the growth has passed, you look back and see that indeed that change has made you into a stronger, wiser, better person and you become grateful for that change. That leads me to believe that change is indeed a positive matter!
Are these safe to eat? Every morning I cook eggs for Matt before I head off to the gym so that when he gets home from the gym his breakfast is ready! When this contraption landed on the skillet, a couple of mornings ago, I questioned my relationship with eggs. I have never found them to be gross.. until I saw these twins. I dont know why, the more I look at this picture, the more I am repulsed by it! ARE THESE SAFE TO EAT?

Yeah baby! The 1,233.6 is the distance that my awesome husband and I will be traveling on Thursday morning! That's right! So long Texas and hello Las Vegas! We are leaving at about 5 am and will be arriving in good ol' Vegas at around 8-9 pm. Believe it or not, I am actually looking very much forward to this!

My sweet husband walked out of the bedroom last night with these lovely pajamas that devour the body of whoever puts them on. All I could do was stare. I believe the words "What the.." escaped my lips. As I put these ginormous bottoms on for the picture, I felt as though I was doing a Weight Watchers commercial. Well good news! I now weigh half of what I used to weigh thanks to these pants!!

I think the 400 lb club called and said they wanted their pajama bottoms back. What do you guys think? Slash and trash or keep and wear?

In the meantime, we will be packin for home and the next post will be in Vegas!!!!!

Why I outta..!

Being the sushi fanatics that we are, Matt and I decided to venture out to Sundance Square in Fort Worth and eat at Piranha Killer Sushi. It was delicious! The streets were lit up with thousands of lights and it looked amazing!

After grabbing ice cream, we decided to just wonder around. However, most of the places were already closed so needless to say, we were aimlessly walking around. We finally spotted a bicycle cop and asked him to take this picture for us and to perhaps suggest a couple of spots to go to since were had some time to spare. He proceeded to tell us the whole history of Sundance Square, all about the bars, alcohol, music..etc. All I remember is wrapping my thin sweater around myself and wondering if I was going to make it through the lengthy description of the history of this Square as the bone chilling wind blew through me. As the cop described each place we should visit at Sundance Square, he would conclude by informing us that it too was closed (just like everything on Sundance Square except the Borders!) So after our Borders visit, we headed home!

Isn't this a lovely work of art? No! Not the Mustang! The art work of the pigeons! As Matt and I were running to our car Sunday morning, a little late for church, cookies in hand (for the 6 year olds that we teach) I stopped and was literally mortified by the scenery in front of me. The pigeons bombed us! There is no excuse for this. My mom once told me how she accidentally hit a pigeon as she was driving down a small street and at one time I felt horrible for the poor bird. Not any more! All I have to say is if you see em.. please...SPEED UP!

Life is Good

I am so grateful for everything that has happened and the way that it has happened. It seems as though things always seem to fall into place and once they do, you are finally able to see the big picture and how the way everything happened is the best way things could have happened. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I couldn't be more grateful! Almost on a daily basis I find myself looking through some of the old pictures from the past couple of years. I think I'm about due to be home in Vegas and see everyone! We have a month left and are so grateful for the opportunity that we have to make this just a great last month!!

Matt is a huge George Strait fan. When George was in town..(January I think..) we got a chance to go thanks to Matt's mom who got us the tickets! It was so much fun and George brought down the house! Next time he's in town, ya'll should go!

The company that we owned used to do work for Nevada Ready Mix and thanks to Larry Miller we had the wonderful opportunity to meet Stacy and Clinton from What Not To Wear! One of the ladies who works for NRM was nominated by her mom and chosen to be on the show! Amber Higginbotham is her name and if you get a chance, watch the episode! It was one of the best! Watch for 1/100th of a second clips of us as well throughout!

Matt and I cant wait to see our puppies! The have been at my parents house this whole summer! Dont let the one on the left fool ya.. He is definitely a mischievous one who acts as though he can do no wrong! The one up top...well.. lets just say that her " I ate Santas cookies" shirt couldn't define her any better!

Oh yeah! Savin the best for last! This was my husbands adorable outfit from Wal Mart to one of his friends "Ugly Christmas Sweater" Party. Lets just say that the vest is a womens 3X and the turtle neck is a womens Medium. Lovely isnt it? I'm sure you will be able to find something quite similar this year if this outfit strikes you fancy! The best part is.. We will be back just in time for plenty of these for the coming Christmas Season!

All Things that Inspire

I have always heard about how good these Chicken Soup for the Soul stories were though I never took the time to actually sit down and read them. I am now obsessed! My goal is to read all of them! I want a library just of Chicken Soup for the Soul books! Every story in this book just inspired me so much! Just about every night, Matt and I would sit on the couch and I would read story after story. At times, I would get chocked up and through tears streaming down my face, finish the story. At other times, Matt and I would laugh and laugh. Oh how wonderful these stories are!! I have been thinking about starting up an "Inspiration Blog" where I post stories and quotes that just inspire and uplift! I'm thinking it over.. The following is a story that just touched my heart, when I read it, from the above Chicken Soup. It is titled True Love.

Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grotesque hunchback.

One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Frumtje was repulsed by his misshapen appearance.

When it came time for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and climbed the stairs to her room to make one last opportunity to speak with her. She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly asked, "Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?"

"Yes," she answered, still looking at the floor. "And do you?"

"Yes I do," he replied. "You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, 'But your wife will be humpbacked.'

"Right then and there I called out, 'Oh Lord, a humpbacked woman would be a tragedy! Please, Lord, give me the hump and let her be beautiful.'"

Then Frumtje looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife.

That in a nutshell is true love!!

Everything IS Bigger In Texas

#1.. Super-Sized Everything!

This is a picture of some Texas-size fireworks. Lets just say that things come in four sizes: small, medium, large, and Texas-sized. That last one, Texas-size pretty much means ridiculously gigantic. If you order a Texas-size dinner, it will probably feed you and your whole family for a week(or close to it!!)

#2...BUGS! What, might you ask, is this on our door? That is a good question! All I know is that I was walking up the stairs to our apartment and as I stuck the key into the keyhole, looked up, screamed, and jumped a mile back. Then, I proceeded to run all the way down the hallway to the apartments on the other side of the building, pull out my phone, and call one of my friends to come rescue me and help me get rid of ...this. It took us 30 mins, 10 of the neighbors newspapers (which they never bother to gather up), about 15 throws, a couple of mad down-the-hallway dashes, about 6 screams, and two girls. Needless to say, it is gone!

This is just the beginning. This is the lovely visual outside of the gym. You open the blinds and whala! There it is...waiting to eat your hand off! This spider is literally the size of your palm and the web that it sits on is probably 3x3 feet! The jagged stitches in the middle are the spiders recent artwork. It pretty much has a mind of its own. I have a video of one of the girls husbands feeding it. Yes, feeding IT.

#3...Appetites

Out of all the restaurants in Mansfield, Texas Roadhouse is the only one that stays open past 10 pm. This is probably why the whole office goes there once a week. This picture is quite deceiving because Shawnee, the girl on the left, is truly excited to be here and I, on the right, am faking it. It's a fun lil Texas tradition although I must say, I am still a true sushi fan at heart!

We thought that we would express our love for the Texas Roadhouse! All of us at the table decided to take these wonderful pictures to serve as memories of how much we love this place!

#4...Ambition

Ambition is truly bigger here in Texas! Mr. Brown, on the left, is a gentleman I have mentioned before whom we go and visit on a weekly basis, among many others, at a hospice in Fort Worth. He truly is an example of ambition because one of the girls out here got him a 300 piece puzzle, which he told us he loved to put together, and he actually completed it in less than 2 weeks!

#5...Green Trees

Matt and I love this park! I had to make the #5 biggest thing in Texas be "green" trees because a green tree is just a beautiful tree! In Vegas they all typically look brown and in Utah, most of the time, white. Thus, the green trees here are beautiful!!

#6...Creativity

You all wonder what we do during our spare time. Well...here it is! jk. Shawnee, on the left, got a huge balloon making kit for her birthday and we thought we would put it to good use. You be the judge! Do we have crazy circus balloon making skills or not?!

#7..Last and definitely not a shortage here in TX...PRIDE!

Seriously, I have never in my life seen so many state-pride items. Anything from coffee mugs, to t-shirts, to bags and hats, to jewelry, to shoes, to whatever can be painted red, white, and blue with the state of TX on it! Pretty much everyone from TX has a huge star in their homes, a TX symbol, and I never thought too much into it.. So I thought it would be cute to put one in our apartment! It is now Matt's least favorite thing in the home! We, in this picture, represent the TX Platinum Wives Red Hat Society. Texas pride baby... Cant wait to come home to Vegas!!