Update....

Here's a last minute update for everyone....

After a lot of thought, prayer, discussion, advice, etc... Dave has decided to drop his classes. We are going to take some time to be able to enjoy each other's company before he goes back to school. Holding off on going back to school will allow Dave and I to make a plan for the future and really figure out what we want to do. And then when Dave knows for sure what he wants to do he can go for it, and feel good about it. :)

Autumn is approaching...

I'm glad. Really. But I'm not ready. The forecast for this weekend is cold. :( Saturday it will be hot but a storm blows in on Sunday dropping the temperature about 30 degrees and then Monday we're going to be stayingin the 60's. (That's a big change from the 90 degree weather we've been having lately). They've even forecasted snow in the Uintas! You'll have to start watching soon for my posting about the first snow of the year. Last year I think the first snow was in mid September (granted I was at a higher elevation then than I am now). The sad thing was that I was planning on going hiking on Monday with Dave and my friend Scott. Now who knows.

But I'm not complaining- I love a good storm and it has been way too long since we have had one. The last storm that passed through here happened while Dave and I were on our honeymoon. It was raining so hard some parts of the valley flooded, but where we were (at Snowbird) it was clear all day.

It's almost jacket weather in the morning anyway. The weather here makes me laugh- I guess I'm still not used to the big changes in temperature. It's not uncommon to have a 30 degree change in one day (lows in the 60's, highs in the 90's). Jacket in the morning, tank top in the afternoon.

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

Today Nico Sandberg, the oldest of the nephews, is going to be participating in the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival (http://www.timpfest.org/). I had never heard of this festival before, but apparently it is a big deal for storytellers. Last Sunday Nico did his story for Dave and I and it was really good! :) It was a lot of fun to watch and Nico did such a good job- he totally got into with a little acting and accents- it was really entertaining. It's a big deal to be able to get up on stage with all of these professional storytellers (I know a few of you out there that are probably just a little jealous). Can you imagine telling someone that your profession is storytelling? :) That's even better than "author." I'm a fan.

One thing that I noticed early on about the Garaycocheas was their ability to tell a good story. :) They really get into it- talking with their hands and their eyes and the stories are always so good! It's a big reason why I enjoy hanging out with the family so much.

The Tale of Desperaux being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread.

I have just started reading this book and it is so incredibly cute! I totally recommend it to everyone. :) I know it's a kids book, but it makes me smile. The chapters are short so it's good for "inbetween" activities (like when I am at work and waiting for something to open or save, etc). And pretty much every chapter makes me smile for one reason or another. It's just a sweet book. :) And it reminds me just a little of the stories my mom used to tell us when were young.

Sophia...

My sister in law (technically my brother in law's wife), Julie, had her baby yesterday! A little girl! Sophia. :) Sophia is the 15th from her generation, the second girl born, and the first little girl born in Utah (yeah, I have recently acquired 13 nephews and 2 nieces now in addition to the nephew and nieces I had previously). I'm excited to meet her. :)

Dave has been in school for three days now, enough time to kind of getting an idea of what he is in for for the remainder of the semester. I am sure he doesn't agree with me, but I am glad that he has his classes every day- the classes are short and it's a lot easier to reinforce ideas when repeatedly dealing with them, rather than one three hour class per week. (That being said, I always tried to sign up for the three hour class once a week).

His Physiology class uses this transmitter thingy in class. I'm not certain of the details, but it's an electronic transmitter that students will use to answer questions during quizzes. (I have visions of the transmitters from "who wants to be a millionaire" in my head, but I really have no clue). It sounds kind of cool. I think my sister, Leanne, was talking about how they were trying to use something similar to this at the school where she teaches...

There's a three day weekend this week and I don't think Dave and I will be doing anything special. I'll try to convince him to go for a hike one of the days but we'll see. I love three day weekends but it's really too hard to plan anything for them- hotels are usually booked (or really expensive) and I'm really too lazy to try to drive anywhere.

Wish there were more exciting things to report, but I'm the lame one these days. :) I think I got all my excitement out of the way during the summer. Now that fall is beginning it appears I'll be going into hibernation. :) Speaking of fall... it's finally getting cooler here... We try to sleep with the windows open as often as possible and last night I had to get another blanket because it was so cold out. I am not sure if it will even make 80 degrees today (but then again, the day is still young). This being Utah, it will more than likely warm up again, but it's a good reminder that fall is on the way.

Happy Day!

I got the wedding photos and they are awesome! :) It was so much fun to look at them and really think back on the wedding. :) I am so thankful to James and Whitney Clissold at Dream Photo Design (http://www.dreamphotodesign.com/)! They did such a good job! We have all of the photos in Black and White and in Color, which is great- each has a different feel. James also took pictures of the reception (I'm so glad as well). I didn't think to take any pictures of the centerpieces that my friend April and I created (well, April, really, but I helped) but James saved me on that one. :) And I have my very own pictures of Dave looking like a GQ Model. :)

Start watching your mailboxes for your own copies of these photos. :) The hardest part will be choosing which ones to put on the blog as a sample. :)

We had no clue how to cut the cake. :) The photographer stepped in and saved us.

My GQ Model. :)

I love Dave's laugh (and this is a pretty good picture of what he looks like when he laughs)

This is all close family (and one uncle)... parents, brothers, sisters, partners, nieces/nephews.
There's something like 50 of us here.

The centerpiece (lavender in a vase)

Our Rings.... mine is a simple gold band and Dave's is Tungston.

Good News!

The wedding photographer dropped of the photo CD! So I'll finally be able to see the wedding pictures! :) And that means you will too!

More to come soon. :)

Last Hurrah (Before School Starts)

Well, Dave starts school today. After realizing yesterday afternoon that there was a major conflict between his class schedule and his soccer games, we had some last minute reorganizing to do. And his schedule looks pretty manageable now. :) This semester Dave is taking Physiology, Physics, and Math 1070 (a stats class I think). Only three classes but it's considered full time! Next week Dave will start shadowing a member of the Physical Therapy department so he'll have a chance to really learn about the program and everything that is involved.

On Saturday Dave, Pookie, and I went up into the Uintas to Mirror Lake. I had heard that Mirror Lake was just beautiful, but I'm a little disappointed. It was really crowded- lots of people fishing (my sister's husband, Doss, would probably have a lot of fun with this place).

We got out and walked around the lake (which was fun) and also went off and hiked a little bit elsewhere (where there were not so many people).

Pookie was a good watch dog- except she kept barking at all of the fishermen (here's Dave trying to get Pookie to be quiet).

I was able to take a lot of good pictures though. :) Enough pictures to annoy Dave too.

By the end of the trip Pookie was pretty tired- she just curled up in Dave's lap and slept the entire time. :) It was pretty cute.

Wrap Up

Well, it's Friday and I'm not even supposed to be at work right now. We're having the employee retreat today so we're all going to a park and enjoying the day instead of working. Unfortunately I was sick yesterday and did not come into work (thus the reason I am here early this morning). Anyway....

Dave and I are finally coming out of our shells, a little bit. We are having my friends Jeremy and Renee over for dinner. It's the first time that Dave and I have invited our friends over for dinner. :) Hopefully it will go well... I am excited.

Other than that we just have a quiet weekend planned. Nothing too special. Dave wants to have a quiet weekend before school starts on Monday and he has no time for anything anymore. :(

Still no wedding photos. :( I'm excited to get them but I have no clue when I'll receive them. It's just supposed to be a wedding CD (I decided I wanted to print my own pictures) but it doesn't seem like that was any quicker. Oh well. I'll let everyone know as soon as wedding photos come in.

I'm excited...

So for a long time I have been wishing that my family was on the mainland (well, I would love it if they were all in Utah with me, but... I'll settle). Anyway, at risk of spoiling it for my sister I just found out that she and her husband plan on moving to Portland, Oregon in October! I am so thrilled that McKenzie and Doss will be so close! :) Dave and I will be able to go visit them much more frequently.

Anyway, so I am so excited. :) Dave and I plan on making a trip out to Oregon in October to welcome them and to bring them some house stuff. We also are going to the Oregon Coast (two birds, one stone).

Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

That's pretty much my thought for the day. :)

PS: Heather, McKenzie, Katie- I love you guys. :)

One Month (and other things too)

So Dave and I have been married for one month, today! :) Whoo hoo! I love it. :) Married life suits me. I love everything about it (really).

It has been a quiet week so far- the good news is that I have plenty to do at work so I keep pretty focused and the day goes by quickly. I still love the projects that I work on (this job works so well with my strengths) and I have been enjoying working here. I have also had enough time to work on the other things in life that need attention- like making a new (better) budget spreadsheet for myself (I'm quite the Excel nerd), and working on Dave's schedule for the next semester. So I feel productive all around. (It's a nice change from a few weeks ago).

School starts next Monday- I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly, but then again, I'm not really surprised it went by so quickly.

Dave and I went to our family ward on Sunday (we haven't had the best attendance since we've gotten married mostly because of travel). I think I am going to really enjoy it. It is really different from the singles ward (obviously) and will take some getting used to- especially with all the kids everywhere. On Sunday, in Sacrament, the little 2 or 3 year old girl (she was little) sitting in front of us started singing "she likes to move it move it" pretty loudly. It was hilarious. It got the people sitting around her to laugh. But we went to all three meetings- Relief Society is always the hardest for me to go to for some reason. I'm still too shy about meeting new people but give me a little bit of time and it won't be so bad. I think I will really like my Relief Society though- lots of friendly sisters. Anyway, tonight I am having my first visiting teachers come by. It should be good (I hope).

Motorcycle Racing

So this big excitement from this past weekend was that Dave and I went to a motorcycle race. It was fun to watch- these guys go whipping past us at like 160 miles per hour. The Woodburys (Mark and Jason) are a team in endurance races- each event is 1.5 hours long and they have to keep going the entire time but can switch off riders as often as needed (or not at all). A pit stop is required at least once per race. We saw two guys go down in this past race, thankfully neither were hurt (but one had been in first place).
Dave and I go help out as "pit crew." Which means I sit there and chat (and occasionally take pictures) and Dave gets up and helps the two switch riders (watches for the signal that the rider is coming off the track, holds the bike, helps to refill the gas tank, etc). The longest race of the season is coming up in a few weeks- it's a four hour endurance race. Dave and I will definitely be there for that.
Anyway, it was mentioned that maybe Dave should start practicing/training for these races so that he could start racing. Hmmm... I'm not so sure about that. I have been told that racing on a track is safer than riding out in the streets, but still- he'd be going 150 MPH! Not to mention that a new pair of tires is required for pretty much every race. So we'll see.

Recipes

Hey! I am looking for some good recipes. I need a little variety in my cooking and I always love a challenge. Please send me your favorite recipes or leave them in a comment (or leave the URL in a comment).

Thank you!

Entropy (Friday spelled backwards)

Entropy: Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.

Sheesh it's the end of the week already and what do I have to show for myself? Oh well, I'm just glad it's the weekend again.

I get to clean and organize this weekend... I'm trying to get our spare bedroom organized- it's become the craft/storage/food storage room and is basically just a mess. (This is actually a constant on my to do list- we'll see what actually happens).

Tomorrow Dave and I are going to a Motorcycle race out at the Larry H Miller Track in Tooele. Dave's best friend, Jason, races his motorcycle and there happens to be a race tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun- these guys are going about 150 MPH on the straightaways and about 90 around the turns (Dave is NOT allowed to race his motorcycle, that and it's a really expensive hobby). I went to a race last month and had a lot of fun- I am looking forward to tomorrow's race. It is Jason's last race before he goes back to Med School in Ohio (he leaves on Sunday).

Also tomorrow is my friend Zane's wedding. :) So many people getting married this year! Before this year I had gone to two weddings (both were sisters) in the past five years. In the past 30 days I will have done 3 weddings (of course, one was my own).

Wii Fit

While I was in Oregon over the weekend I managed to find a Wii Fit (they have been sold out in Utah since they came out). These things are awesome! Wii Fit is a game/program (something) that has yoga, aerobics, balance games, and strength training- kind of a computerized personal trainer. It comes with a balance board that can determine what you are doing by your weight and the way you are standing on the board (the distribution of your weight).

Anyway, I gave it a go last night and it is actually fun! :) I ran through the yoga moves (something that I'll be doing more often) and did the strength training as well. I'm definitely going to try to make a habit out of using it! :)

Miscellaneous

It's a Wednesday and I really have nothing to say for myself today. :)
We took Dave into the doctor yesterday and the good news is that he didn't break his leg. But he's going to have a nasty bruise and a lot of pain for the next few days (can you believe that he's happy because this means he can go play soccer on Monday?).
Life is just chugging along at it's normal pace. I am not especially motivated at work (uh-oh), but I'm trying. School starts in just a few weeks. We're trying to figure out what this means to us. Will Dave go back to school? Will he focus only on school or will he work full time as well? It's going to be interesting. It doesn't help that the classes he wants to take don't necessarily fit with a 8-5 job. It will get interesting.
Fall is over a month away but I find myself already excited for it. Not necessarily for the cold and the dark, but for the changing colors and the holidays. Okay, a crisp morning here and there would be nice as well (just to liven things up). I've already noticed that it is getting lighter later each morning- and I've noticed it takes me that much longer to get out of bed each morning. :) After Hawaii I don't think I'll ever get used to the way the length of the day changes here. :)


And for no reason at all, here is a picture of a cool tree stump.
(The tree fell over so you are looking at the bottom of it)

Dave's Soccer Game

Dave plays a lot of soccer. In the summer he is on an outdoor league and he is on an indoor league pretty much year round. The past few months has hasn't had much of a chance to play though but last night he had his first game on a new team. Dave is easily one of the fastest players on his team and he is amazing! Lots of heart as well.

So last night Dave and another player were running after the ball and collided- we could hear the crack of their shin bones from across the field (yeah it sounded bad). And then Dave went flying/rolling. :( Today Dave has a nasty limp so we are off to the Doctor this afternoon to make sure there isn't a fracture.

And depending on what we find out and how Dave feels next week, he might be back for more soccer (crazy).

Cascadia

This past weekend I met up with my family in Portland, Oregon and we drove about 2 hours south to this park called Cascadia. It's a well known family secret- we've gone down there since I was young (it was discovered when my dad was a kid). It's a great place- small campground, lots of trees, hiking, and swimming. The only catch is that the water is snow melt so it is COLD! But so much fun.

It was good to good to see my siblings again- lots of fun. I'm looking forward to the future when weekends like this become more common. McKenzie, Jamieson, and Doss will be in Portland for the remainder of the week, but I had to return to Utah last night.

Going back to Portland is always interesting- I never know what to expect. Will I hate it or enjoy it? This last time was good, but I was ready to get back home to my husband. :)

Portland, Oregon

Well folks, I am off to Portland, OR for the weekend. I am pretty excited actually, aside from the flying part. My brother, Jamieson, and my sister, McKenzie, and her husband, Doss, will be meeting me out there. Our dad and his wife live there so it will be kind of a mini family reunion. Definitely the first time in years that we will hve been all together like this. It should be fun. Sad to say Dave will not be coming on this adventure with me. :( Stupid gas prices. Although, I did try to convince him to call in sick to work so that we could drive out there today. He didn't go for it (bah, work ethic). So Dave will stay home and take care of the Poo and relax all weekend while I go out and enjoy my siblings.


I think we are going either to Cascadia (a beautiful campground about 2 hours south of Portland) or to the Oregon Coast. Either sound wonderful. It will be great to be surrounded by trees and water and forests and all that good stuff. It is a nice change from Salt Lake City. :) I'll be taking lots of pictures. :)