Matthew's Birthday and Spartan Race!

Well... I'm only a month late, but better late than never, right? June 9th is Matthew's birthday... It was also the same day as the Bear Lake Half Marathon, so if you ask me, I'd say his birthday sucked, but he was sweet as always and said it was great. I ordered most of his presents off of the internet... I just feel like I have no time for shopping anymore! But I was disappointed because only one of them got there in time... So I made him a card, he opened the one present he got, and then we had to rush off to the race! I was so excited to get him a remote control helicopter, and he was excited when he got it, but then it didn't freaking work!! I was so upset... We returned it and got another one and then the remote on that one was messed up. Freaking depressing... :( So we have received a refund for that one, and I'm trying to decide if we want to go for the best out of 3... We'll see. One of these days we are going to find the time to go out to the Gaucho Grill too! It is a Brazilian BBQ place here in Logan that we have been dying to try. We were supposed to go on his birthday but... again, the race got in the way. Luckily, the day of his birthday he got to run a half marathon, go golfing with my dad and brothers, and... I don't really know what else. Another good thing is the weekend before, his mom made his favorite orange cake for him. thank goodness for good mothers! I tried to make it for him last year (about a week after we got married) and I failed miserably with the frosting! That will always be a fabulous memory of Matthew telling me the frosting wasn't ruined and trying to fix my awful frosting. So this year, I just made a different kind of cake instead of trying to make the good kind. I did made the homemade frosting recipe from his mom (not the orange one, just the regular vanilla) and I am slowly getting better at it! YAY! See the pictures of the cake celebration here:

My hubby is getting too old! The box of candles only comes with 24 candles... He has outgrown that, so I decided to be a cheapskate and get creative instead!

My little hottie with his cake. :)

I always make him make a wish. I doubt he really does it, but at least he pretends for me!

And he blows them out! :)

I seriously have the greatest husband in the world. I was so bummed that I couldn't do anything super exciting for his birthday (we seriously just haven't had time), but he has been SO easygoing and so sweet about it. He is such a hard worker and makes me laugh every single day. I make fun of him for being such an "old man" all of the time, but he still has 50x more energy than me! I don't know where I would be without him in my life. I am so glad I found someone who I can have so much fun with and who makes me so happy! I love that old man. :)

To stay on the subject of Matthew... on June 30th, he had his race that he has been waiting forever for! It is called the Spartan Race. For those of you who have never hear of this race... Holy cow!! It is intense! It's basically a half marathon mud run. Sound fun? No. This is not your average mud run. It is 12 miles and has about 25-30 obstacles. Some of these obstacles include: climbing over walls, climbing up ropes, net walls, carrying a bucket full of rocks and sand up a hill, tying your feet together and jumping up a hill into tires the whole way, shooting a gun, throwing a spear, "run" through mud pits that are seriously deeper than your waist, climb up a hill under barbed wire in a mud pit, etc... And if you screw any of these obstacles up or can't complete them? 30 burpies. Haha Matthew is amazing! He only had to do burpies twice for missing the target on the stupid gun shoot and for slipping off of a wall that was practically IMPOSSIBLE to get across, especially for someone his height. Haha he was running this race in like 95-98 degree weather! Holy cow, I would have freaking passed out! But he did so good and he finished it faster than I finished my half with just straight running. Haha he is way too good. It was so fun to watch him race and watch him do something that was actually hard for him. He did so good! He is always looking for "the next hardest thing"... It is seriously sickening. So what is next on his agenda? Practically the two hardest things I think anyone can do in their life... a full Ironman and an ultra-marathon (100 miles). Yes, I am married to one of THOSE people. He seriously won't stop until he has done everything he can do. He has already done a half Ironman and I thought that was amazing. The thought of a full Ironman freaks me out though... Who does that!? I guess we'll see what comes next for him... Until then, here are some pictures from the Spartan Race!

Just chatting before the race

And so it begins!

Coming out of the first 4 mile loop

Kinda far away, but that's him in the middle climbing the rope. He reached the top at the same time as the guy next to him, but he just reached up with his way long arms. :)

Coming out of the second 4 mile loop

Heading up the mud hill. It's just a picture of his butt though. :)

Coming towards the finish line! YAY!

Doing Burpies... :(

It's over!!!

I wouldn't touch him... haha

Haha I love this picture with his parents... :)

My Spartan!! :)

Bear Lake Half Marathon 2012

Ok, so remember how I was REALLY good at blogging for a while there while I was training? Well... I didn't keep up with that very well... But I am here now for an update! On June 9, we ran the Bear Lake Half Marathon. It was SO much fun to run with Nicole and Angie and accomplish something with both of them. Running with them definitely made the race go by so much faster. I can't even imagine having to run it by myself. We chatted (mostly) the whole time and were so excited and kept each other going. I think we all took turns going through the "just go ahead and leave me" phase... I actually felt really good though and did better than I thought I would.We were like a minute over our goal finishing time too, so I'd say that's pretty good. I mean, if you average one minute out over 13 miles, that basically means your pace was like 4 seconds slower than you'd hoped for. Can't complain about that... Haha  It was a lot of fun though and I was so happy with all of the support! Basically my entire family was there to cheer us on (Dustin couldn't be there because of school), I had 4 siblings running in it with me, my in-laws were there, and then Matthew and my sister-in-law Trisha ran in it too! Overall, it was such a fun race and even more fun because of the time it created for me to spend with my family.

Matthew and his sister, Trisha, after kicking trash and finishing the race. Trisha took first in her age group!!

Trisha was running in her very first half marathon as well, and she did SO good!! She was a collegiate cross-country runner at UVU, but has taken some time off from seriously running to have 2 kids (I know, she totally doesn't look like she has had 2 children! She looks amazing!!) Well, Matt decided he was going to run it with her to give her someone to run with and motivate her and everything. (That poor girl... he is a beast to run with!! Haha just kidding, I love him.) They did so freaking awesome!! They finished in like 1 hour and 42 minutes! Trisha took first place in her age group and Matt took third in his, which also means Trisha basically took third place in Matt's age group... Freaking awesome! What kind of a family did I marry into?? Haha I wonder that every day of my life... I have to work freaking hard to try to compare to them, that is for sure! But I love my entire in-law family. They are such amazing people and so supportive.

Angie, Nicole, and I coming up on the finish line. Haha I look like I'm going to DIE!!

After finishing the race! :)

When Nicole, Angie, and I were about a mile out, I saw Matthew running towards us. It was kind of nice to have him there for about the last mile. Nicole and Angie kind of got the "Will someone please tell Matthew to stop talking" theory, but that's what I trained with the whole time! That's what I have been used to, so I finally have started to feel like it is somewhat motivating... Haha It was nice to have someone tell us about how much further we have to go and where the finish line was. It was so fun finishing that race even though we all  got pretty tired at the end. The weird thing was, it was kind of an emotional thing after working SO hard for something and pushing your body to what you feel could be its limit, finishing and being done is pretty emotional. I feel so proud of myself and my family. After every injury I've been through in my life and making the decision to quit soccer to try to save my knees, it was so nice to accomplish something that seemed to big to me such a short time before. The longest I had even run before meeting Matthew... about 2 miles. The longest I had ever run before deciding to train for a half marathon... 5 miles. I never thought I could do it, but I did and I am so happy about that!! :) Now... Angie and I (and anyone who would like to join us!) are training for a FULL marathon... September 15th, baby!! Top of Utah Marathon, here we come!! Wish me luck, training thus far has been pretty brutal and I am pretty tired on my Saturday runs, but I might as well do it now while I'm already half way there. AHHHHH!!!!

All of the people in my family who ran (L-R) Matthew, me, Angie, Nicole, Ang, and Josh. WOOHOO!!

Like I said, it was so much fun training with a bunch of members of my family and having a goal we were working towards together. I remember Josh calling me after I told him to sign up for it... He had just barely realized how far a half marathon was ("I always knew a marathon was 26 miles, but I didn't realize this would be... half... that..." haha good one, Josh!). Then he proceeded to pull the "I'm not a distance runner, I was always a sprinter! Speed and power, not long distances!!". Yeah, I pulled that one too... Haha but guess what? Ang and Josh signed up too and they freaking did it too? And guess what else? I think they are addicted as well! Haha they are already looking for another race to sign up for... LOVE it!!

Matthew and I after the race. Love this guy!

I guess the last thing I have to talk about is my wonderful husband! Goodness, this guy is awesome!! I loved running with my family during the race and chatting with them while we were training... I loved the feeling I had crossing the finish line knowing I had completed such an awesome thing. I loved training and realizing that running is such a therapeutic thing and helped me really understand my body so much more.... But what I loved the most was finding a love for something my husband has loved all along. I loved going on long runs with him (he even woke up early to run with me on Saturday mornings). I loved sharing a common interest and finding something that we could spend time together doing. Sure, he is a MUCH better runner than me, he is incredible, but he still ran with me at my pace most days unless I went without him. He was such a support to me and has always told me he believes in me and he knows I can do it. Anyone can tell you that, but there is something about it coming from your husband that makes it so much more meaningful. A million other people could tell me that they are proud of me and that I did great, but as soon as Matthew tells me he's proud of me... THAT is what makes it all worth it. :)

Anyway, I think that's it! For now... I still have lots more updates to come! Hopefully today, so stay tuned! Moral of the story is, find something that makes you happy and do it. Find something that makes you work hard, something you never thought you'd be able to do, and do it! There is no better feeling! :) And if nothing else, find something that your husband likes doing that you think you hate, and do it with him! It is kind of fun and I think they have lots of fun teaching you how to do something they excel at. Anyway, off my soapbox!

Until next time!

Anniversary Weekend!

That's right, it has already been a year!! Can you believe it? I sure can't... And what a year it has been! e have moved several times, both of us graduated this year, and now Matthew is applying for medical school. All of that on top of adjusting to married life (which wasn't really much of an adjustment...) and this year has been crazy. Marrying Matthew definitely was the best decision I have ever made in my life, and I was actually surprised at how easy and natural the decision to marry him was! A lot of people don't have that same ease when deciding who to marry, and that doesn't make it any less right, but I had such a good experience going through the dating process with this guy. :) First year is the hardest? If that is the case, we have a long, happy, carefree road ahead of us! Sure, we had some disagreements and issues at some point, but overall, we have been extremely happy and easygoing.

This year, Matthew planned our anniversary, which was so great of him, and didn't let me in on it at all. On Friday night, he picked me up from work and we went out to dinner at Elements. We had a giftcard there and has never eaten there before because it's kind of pricey. So we decided to go there for this "special occasion" and IT. WAS. DELICIOUS! We did a 2 for $40 deal where we got an appetizer, soup or salad each, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. We thought their serving sizes would be small so we wouldn't get a lot of food, but they were actually surprisingly large! Even Matthew couldn't finish, and that's saying something! So we got calamari for the appetizer, both of us decided on clam chowder, I got salmon and he got a seafood pasta, and then we shared cheesecake and a chocolate souffle for dessert. I was in heaven the whole time, it was so delicious!

Matthew and I at Elements that night. :)

After dinner, we headed down to Salt Lake and stayed at my in-laws house for the night. We chatted with them for a little while after getting there and then we went to bed. That morning, we woke up and headed to Park City! :) I hadn't been there in a while, so it was a lot of fun. We went hiking in the morning, and despite "forgetting to" (or refusing to) put on sunscreen and getting lost a few times, it was fun! We had a hard time finding actual trails, but once we did it was beautiful!! We found a lake at some point on the mountain and decided to sit on this cute little dock to rest and chat for a little bit, and it was really pretty! We even took off our shoes and socks to put our feet in the water. We were shortly joined by a little duck and we tried to feed him granola bars, but he didn't like them very much. The fish under him sure liked it though! By the end, we were tired, hot, and sweaty, but it was still fun.

Matthew and I sitting on the dock by the lake

The water was COLD, but it was refreshing. :)

After our hike, we went over to the Olympic Park where I had actually never been before! We watched some skiers do jumps into a pool, which was pretty cool, and then we went on the Alpine slide. We were going to do the zip-line as well, but after watching it, we decided it was LAME. Besides, we zip-lined in Mexico on our Honeymoon, so we decided nothing would really compare to that (especially not this one). But the Alpine slide was pretty fun!

Matthew demonstrating how to go on the Alpine Slide

I didn't take any pictures of the rest of the day, but it sure didn't stop there. After the Olympic Park, we went shopping at the Nike outlet (and only bought socks) and then headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready. After we got ready, we went to Massage Envy!! :) I had never had a massage before, and it was so fabulous! We got full-body massages and I am pretty addicted now. I wish I could afford to get one once a week! Haha it was so fabulous. After that, we went out to dinner and then called it a night. We were so exhausted after a long day of playing that chilling at the hotel was all we needed. The next morning we just woke up, ate breakfast and headed back to Salt Lake to visit our families for the day. It was such a fun weekend and definitely needed! :)

Other than that... Life is so fabulous now! I am getting ready to run my half on... SATURDAY!!! BAH!! I am so excited, and I think we are all more than ready to do this. :) Angie and Keith are coming into town tomorrow night with their kiddos and I am so excited to see them! It will be yet another fun weekend. Some more exciting news, however, is... I am DONE with school!! YAY! I had a fabulous (but stressful) May semester, but it is over now! I finished off my college career with 3 A's in 4 weeks. :) I was asking Matt what I was going to do with all my spare time, and I've found the answer for that as well! I just became the head coach for a U-11 girls soccer team here in town! I am so excited and I think it will be so much fun to get back into the soccer world. I am either going to love it or hate it, so we'll see which way it goes. It will be fun to try to build up the soccer world here in Cache Valley. I think that is it for now! Matthew will be turning in his medical school applications within the next couple of days, so more details will be developing on that within the next several months. Wish us luck!!

Until next time.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend was memorial day and we didn't really do anything, but it was great! School has been really tough lately and I've started to get a little burned out, so it was really nice to take a day off and relax. Our weekend started on Saturday. Matt was leaving the house when he met our neighbors from upstairs. They mentioned that they were heading over to Al's Sporting Goods to hit one of their big annual sales, and immediately Matt wanted to go over. So that morning he dropped me off at work and headed over to check it out. I swear the kid called me like 50x that morning about things he wanted to buy!! After work, he picked me up and we went back to look around. Well... needless to say, we got A TON of stuff! We didn't have any camping gear, but we always want to go camping, so we got a lot of stuff. Matt was running around the store comparing prices of tents, looking up user reviews on his phone, and then running back to tell me all about it.

The thing I was most excited about was our tent. We have wanted one since we got married last year, but we just never got it. We started out looking at a two-person tent and I told Matt there was no way we would fit, so I vetoed that immediately. We started looking at 4-person tents, but those were $50 more than the others, which was upsetting. We decided the extra room would be worth it, and we decided we were going to go ahead and make the investment. Matt went to grab it while I stood in line and he was gone for FOREVER! When he came back, he had a completely different tent. I asked him what took him so long and he was like, "Sorry, I had to check the reviews on this tent!" Well... It turns out, he had found a tent that was $15 cheaper than the tent we were looking at, except it was a 6 PERSON tent!! :) We were so excited!

So Matthew ended up using his birthday money from his parents and I used some of my graduation money and this is what we ended up with...

One 6-person tent, 2 sleeping bags, one fishing pole, one hiking pack w/ water bottles, one biking water bottle, 2 headlamps, and... that's all I can think of! In this picture, I am also wearing my new outfit that I bought with my JCPenney gift card Matthew's parents got me for graduation. I love it! So anyway, that was our Saturday adventure. We wanted to go camping this weekend, but the weather would not allow it. Oh well... We have all summer! :)

Monday was another chill day. Unfortunately, I had to go to work for 3 hours, which was kind of lame, but we still had fun. We started out the day going on a run (Did I mention the half marathon is in less than 2 weeks?? Yeah, I'm kinda freaking out...). Let's just say, I wanted to cry, collapse, and curse at Matthew all in one run. Haha It was time for us to run 9 miles, and Matthew decided to choose THE WORST route ever!! We ran the Bonneville shoreline... That probably won't mean anything to most of you, but basically, it is typically a hiking trail, so it is loose gravel and uphill for about 1.5 miles. Seriously, I have never wanted to quit so badly. It sucks that it had to come 2 weeks before race time because my confidence was kind of shattered, but Matt made me feel a little better when he told me the half marathon wouldn't be nearly as hard as the 9 miles we just ran. That trail may have only been 2 miles or so long, but my body was shot for the rest of the run! My knees hurt for the first time since I started training (they still kind of do!), my ankles were dying, and I just wanted to go home! Haha needless to say, I finished and I survived and that's all that matters. Now it's basically smooth-sailing until race day!

Anyway, the rest of the day was more relaxed. We went shopping, went to Cafe Rio and just enjoyed talking and spending time together. Matt then let me redbox "The Vow" (finally!), which totally made my night! I can't remember how everyone else felt about it when they saw it, but I really liked it! I was kind of depressed by the fact that she truly never got her memory back (which happens in real life too), but I thought it was great. I had heard the story of that couple before I even saw the movie, and I was really impressed with their story. There are some things that upset them about the movie (like the divorce) and I can't say I blame them. Anyway, it was great!

So that was our wonderful weekend. As for everything else, life is starting to calm down a little bit. This week is my last week of school... EVER! It still seems so surreal to me, but I am so excited! I am going to start looking for a full time job, so we'll have to see what happens. Matthew has been working on his medical school applications all month and he can/will start turning them in on.... wait for it... FRIDAY! I can't believe we are already to this point. I am anxious/excited/nervous to see what will happen with that in the next few months. We are also coming up on our first anniversary next Monday! WOW! I will probably blog about that next week though. :) Matt is planning the weekend, so I don't know what's going on with that, but I think we are going to try to go away somewhere. We'll see what he has in mind! :)

Until next time.

Graduation!!

Wow! Life. Is. INSANE!! I wouldn't have it any other way because I love being busy... Well, maybe I'd calm it down just a little bit! I am surviving though and taking a break to Blog... First of all, I GRADUATED!! Sort of... Haha On Saturday, May 5th, I walked the walk in the ever so fashionable cap and gown and got handed an empty diploma case. :) It was good and I was grateful for all of my support that came.

My parents and fabulous husband after the first session

My wonderful and supportive in-laws who came to celebrate! I am so grateful to them for all of their love and support and for raising such an incredible son!!

Ok, so the morning started out on the quad where all the graduates met up. I found my HR buddies and we all celebrated together. Then, all of the graduates walk from the quad, through campus, to the Spectrum where we have the commencement. The morning commencement was great! We had a Navy SEAL speak to us and he did a great job! He said a lot of things that I really liked and kept it short and interesting enough to keep me entertained. My name wasn't in the program, sadly enough, but Matthew's was this time! Haha Matthew "fake-walked" last year, but graduated this year due to some additional classes he wanted to take for medical school.

My hubby who has kept me sane through school the past year

In between sessions, we went and got some sandwiches at Jimmy Johns (YUMMY!!) and then actually drove to Smithfield to watch my niece, Makelle, play soccer. It was a lot of fun to be outside in the beautiful weather and see my niece follow in her favorite aunt's footsteps (me of course!).

Look at that game face she has on!

She ran the whole time. Haha even if she didn't touch the ball when she got there, she chased it like a mad-woman! :)

After the game, I had to head back to the spectrum for the business school commencement. That one wasn't quite as entertaining. I sat with my HR folks again (and our friend, Justin, who Matt grew up with), so that was good, but we were all falling asleep. It was a long day and the speeches didn't help much, so I was kind of glad when it was over.. Everyone's gotta do it though, right? It's part of the experience! My sister, Kelsey, graduated the day before and she couldn't come up for mine, but she sent some beautiful flower leis from Hawaii with my mom for me to wear. They made my outfit lots cuter! :) Thanks, Kel!

Justin and I at the Business school graduation

All in all, it was a good day. I was exhausted, and Matt and I just relaxed the rest of the day, but it was a lot of fun. I am grateful for all of the support that my parents, siblings, friends, and of course my wonderful Matthew has given me. I finished! I have no idea what I'm going to do now, but that is part of the adventure, right? I am still in classes 6 hours a day, 5 days a week until June 1st, so maybe I'll finish with that before figuring out the "what next?".

I love my dad! He has been such a great support system to me throughout the years and helped (actually more than helped) fund my way through college. He has always worked so hard to provide for our family and I admire him so much. My education meant so much to him and he really made me appreciate what I was getting. I can honestly say he is one of the main reasons I got through college. He is so great and has taught me more about the value of work than any class could ever teach me! I love you, dad!

My mom has also been there for me every step of the way! We actually started college at the same time, and that was so fun for me! She is going to be done next year and I am so, so proud of her! She is such a hard worker and passed me up on every single test she took. (Thank goodness we aren't in the same major, she'd just make me look bad!!) She was there for everything and I could always call and vent to her about school, work, dumb boys, everything! I love her and am so grateful for her example.

How could I end without something about my best friend and my love, Matthew?? He is the greatest husband a girl could ask for. He got me through my last two years of school and helped me stay focused and motivated when I needed to. Whenever I was nervous about a test, he would always help me study and tell me he believed in me. He makes fun of me for being a business major because it's "easy", but I know he knows I'm smart. He has put up with me, flaws and all, and loved me all the way. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us now! (By the way, MCAT test scores came back, and my hubby is a smarty-pants!! I love him and am so proud of him!)

I told you so.

No, I'm not saying that to you, that is what Matthew is saying to ME. He told me I'd "come around". He told me I just needed to give it a chance. He told me... I would become obsessed. I have always wanted to think I'm a runner, but I just could never do it. I hated it. I felt better about running one mile as fast as I could than trying to tough out 5 miles at snail speed. Well... needless to say, I think I am obsessed. I don't look at working out with as much dread, rather, I wake up every day thinking "when am I going to run today?" I think I am becoming obsessed. One mile, even two miles, just isn't good enough anymore; I get grumpy when I don't run (because some days you do other things or rest); and even if I hurt, I can't wait until my next run. So here are some reasons I love running. (P.S. can also be used as why people love working out in general. Everyone has their thing, mine is just starting to be running...)

1-

(Photo courtesy of Pinterest, of course!)

 Isn't it so true? Running helps me run off the stress of school, the frustration of work, the fear of the unknown (which there is beginning to be a lot of nowadays in our house), everything! It is an hour where I can get out, get some fresh air, and just... RUN! Haha It's pretty exhilarating! I come home with a new desire and motivation to get things done. It also gives me more energy to actually do those things, so that is good because energy is what I need most days!

2- It is something that Matthew and I can SHARE now. Let's face it, running was always "Matt's thing". I mean, it still is because he is SO much better than me, but I have really enjoyed the days where we get to do it together. He has taught me so much about it and it makes it so much more than just running! He talks to me the whole time, and even though I want to punch him in the face sometimes, I love it. I love that it is something we can do together and it is a good way to spend time together while still "getting things done". Need to deposit a check at the bank? Why not just run there and get 2 things done at once! Haha I truly love it when I get to run with him

Side story: I ran a 5K this past Saturday with Nicole, Matt, Trisha, and my boss, and Nicole was getting SO frustrated with how much I was talking (Matt has worn off on me more than I thought!). I realized that I used to be the same way when Matt would tell me what to do when I run, but now I do it and can bother others! Haha I guess I'll have to just talk to myself from now on because Nicole wanted to punch me. :)

3- I feel AWESOME afterwards!

(Another good Pinterest find)

I love that picture too. I can get side-aches, blisters, and straight up feel like I want to DIE during a run, but I never regret it afterwards! It is truly something that has boosted my self-esteem, made me a happier person, and helped me deal with the stress of finals, graduating, and, again, the uncertainty of our lives right now. (Can you tell that I HATE uncertainty?? Well... I do.)

Ok, so I'll just do the top 3 things I've been thinking about. :) I have finals to study for anyway. Haha but I have to get up to 7 miles this weekend. I am pretty excited. Ever since I ran 6 miles last Saturday (not yesterday) I hit the milestone of "longest I have ever run", so I will hit it every weekend afterwards. We will get up to 9 miles before doing the half, so it's kind of scary/exhilarating that I'm already approaching 7!! AHH!!! 

Anyway, finals are this week and graduation is on Saturday! AHHH!!! I will try to do a post next Sunday because I know I won't have any time after that. My schedule for the 4 weeks following graduation will be:

7:30 AM- 2 PM (no breaks): SCHOOL

3 PM- 8 PM: Work

8:15-9:00ish: Run :)

9:00-bed: Husband time/Homework

Yeah... Maybe I'll find some time to eat and sleep in there... Who knows! Pray for me! Haha I wish graduation was an actual end, but I will survive. I am still super excited! I am almost done!  I am glad I can finish school in just 4 weeks this summer so I can enjoy the rest of it. YAY! On top of all of that, Matt and I are moving a week after graduation, so that will add some stress and excitement.Wish me luck. :) 

Until next time... 

Picture Catch-up!

So here are just a few pictures to catch you up on our lives... We don't take many pictures, so these were pretty monumental! :) Matthew is finally done with the MCAT! YAY!!! I was so glad it's over. They started an hour late, so after he had been gone about 5 1/2 hours, I was starting to panic. But, nonetheless, it ended and we can hopefully move on with our lives. He won't get his score for a month, so we'll just have to wait and see how it goes! If he's not happy with his score, he'll probably take it again in August, but he is submitting applications this year regardless. :) YAY! Lots of crazy changes coming our way this year.

(Love this boy! :) I got him this balloon and put it out with his breakfast on test day.)

More updates:

For Christmas, Matthew got me a snowboard (courtesy of my awesome sister, Angie), so we HAD to take it for a test run! I took the day off of work and Matthew already had it off (if I remember right) and we went to Beaver for a day! Ok, so we were cheap and went on the "bunny hill"... Oh well, I still had fun and fell a couple of times! I swear there were children laughing at me as they passed me sitting on my butt...

(Here is one of the only pictures we took while snowboarding and it was after we were done. Haha)

Then this past weekend we finally got a chance to dye our Easter eggs and hide them from each other! It was actually a lot of fun even if it was a week late. We did get our baskets on time, and that was a lot of fun. We set a $10 limit on each other (which meant we didn't waste our money on grass and eggs and instead I used newspaper and rubbermaid containers) and went shopping at Walmart the night before. There wasn't much of a surprise as far as what was in our basket, and we ended up sharing all the candy anyway. Basically, the limit just meant we didn't buy a crapload of candy to make ourselves sick for the next several weeks... Just the next several days... :)

(Here we are dying our eggs. I was really proud of the yellow egg. It probably turned out the best. I was upset with how bad the pink sucked.)

(The finished product! We did a solid of every color and then we both got to create 3 of our own, mine are all the ones you think are awesome!)

Hiding the eggs in our little apartment was a lot of fun! First Matthew hid all of them and I found them and then I hid them and he found them. We laughed a lot, he called me a cheater a lot because my eggs "weren't visible" the way they were supposed to be, and that was just a lot of fun.

(This is us after finding all of the eggs! It really was a lot of fun, even if our apartment is small!)

We also went to "Baby Animal Days" the Saturday before Easter and it was a lot of fun (but probably only worth the money because we had a buy on get one free..) I bet parents with children like it a lot because the kids LOVE to pet and play with the little babies. Ok, let's be honest, I thought they were adorable. Unfortunately, I don't think we took any pictures that I can remember. My favorite part was the baby bears from Yellowstone! Freak, if those things didn't grow up with the desire to eat me, I would totally buy one right now. :)

Then on Easter we went to church, of course, and then we went and had dinner at Chett & Trisha's house. That was a lot of fun. Matt and I have been really focusing on trying to spend our weekends visiting our families while we can. There is a good chance that next year we could be across the country or something, so we have been trying to visit them while we can now. With Nicole & Jeremy and Chett & Trisha in or just outside of Logan, we have kind of taken that for granted and not visited them as much as we should. But we have been doing that now and it has been great. I especially love seeing my nieces and nephew. They grow up way too fast, but they are all so smart and funny! :)

So anyway, there's my little update! Even if I have pictures, they're still very few, so I'm sorry. :) But there ya go! Until Next time!

P.S. Aren't you impressed with how well I've been blogging lately!? :)

(Just a little picture to send you on your way!)