We Are Thankful For...

With Thanksgiving right around the corner and this month being one to reflect on our gratitude, we decided to make a list of some of the things that we are thankful for in our lives, some are silly, and some are more serious, but they are all things that we are grateful for this Holiday Season!

His:

A Wife That Cooks Good Food

Star Wars

Xbox

My R2 D2 Droid

Dogs

Food That Can Be Delivered

Lazy Saturdays

Breakfast In Restaurants

Kung Fu Movies

Toilets

Fresh Fruit

Swimming Pools

My Mission

That I Was Able To Find A Job In A Rough Economy

Brothers

Hers:

Rain

Pretty Flowers

Hot Chocolate

Warm Blankets

My Bed

A Clean House

A Dishwasher

A Washing Machine

A Husband That Likes My Cooking

Creativity

Music

Smiling Faces

My Dads Garden

That We Live In A Big City

Modern Medicine

Ice Cream

My Primary Class

That Marc Served A Mission

A Brother & Father That Served Missions (And Another Leaving Soon)

Clothes To Wear

Theirs:

Family
The Temple
Each Other
The Gospel
Scriptures
Education
Good Jobs
Our Home
Health & Safety
Eternal Marriage

That We Have Nice Things

Time Together

Technology

Yummy Food

Modern Conveniences

That We Can Live In Arizona

That We Have Family SO Close

Freedom

People That Fight For Our Freedom

Our Country

Good Friends

A Car That Works

Hobbies & Talents

The Savior

The Prophet

Local Church Leaders

Holidays (Paid Time Off)

Good Books

Answers To Prayers

Spiritual Experiences

The Holy Ghost

That We Can Be With Our Families Forever

Tasty Treats

Missionaries

Family Vacations

And Much Much More...

Summer Getaway...

This Summer we were lucky enough to be able to spend a week with my family at our camp in Maine! It was a crazy trip! We left on a Friday night and took a red eye, which we will probably never do again, and I will also say never wake up on a plane and eat airport breakfast for your birthday...Happy 24th birthday to me! Anyway, my brother who is in Idaho flew to Phoenix and we met him and flew to Maine with him. Even though we didn't get to talk, it was nice to have him along, and it wasn't until a few days before that we realized that we would fly with him. We had a a layover in Philly, then flew to Bangor Maine. After we got to the airport we got a ca to take us to get the rental car. We still had about a 2 hour drive to camp. It is pretty tricky to find, but we found it without any trouble! When we pulled up in front of the driveway, my grandma, sister and brother jumped out in front of us with balloons and sticks on their heads pretending to be moose! I didn't get any pictures, but it was definitely a sight to see!

My mom and grandma had made a yummy birthday lunch. We ate and opened presents, then we played in the water. Here are a few picts! I know this is a gross pic, but the water was really cold, we were a little chicken to get in and if we had the camera, the boys wouldn't throw us in! It is always hard for my to dive right in though, the lake is 80 ft deep right off our dock, yeah, that is scary, plus it takes me a bit to get over the swimming with wildlife, and eels thing, my parents would tell you some pretty embarrassing stories from when I was younger and too scared to get in, but we will save those for another time!

The Sunset was beautiful that night, here are a few pictures, but a big warning, I love the Maine Sunsets, so there will be plenty pictures of sunsets! Sorry some of the pics are dark, I haven't had time to lighten them up.




The first Sunday we were there was 4th of July. There is a little town about 40 minutes from our camp that we LOVE to go to on the 4th. They have a town party there is music craft booths, yummy food and beautiful weather. There is a lake that the town is built around. For the 4th people go out on the lake in their boats and crowd around the edges of the lake to watch. They take a boat out into the middle of the lake and set off the fireworks, they reflect off the water and are so pretty. I didn't get any pictures, I forgot my camera at the house, but believe be, it was beautiful and so fun! The weather was great!

The next day was my brothers last day before he went back to school so we went and hiked. The mountain we hiked is the one that is in the sunset pictures. Here is a play by play of our hike, it was pretty hot and took us about 4 or 5 hours from start to end, but this isn't a nice easy hike!
















The next day we went to Bar Harbor Maine! We ate yummy food and had fun walking in the shops. We went and stuck our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. Marc called his parents because they were in San Diego playing at the beach and we thought it was pretty funny they were at the Pacific Ocean while we were at the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the country! Here we are with the ocean in the back ground eating our delicious ice cream. We went through blueberry withdrawals after that trip!

On the drive home we found an LL Bean outlet and couldn't pass it up! They had great deals and we each got some fun stuff! We decided we were going to stop at a fun ice cream place that we love on the way back. We had driven in two different cars, so my brother and sister came with us. We were a little surprised when we pulled up and my parents and grandma were there too. They stopped at the store on the way back and we went on ahead. As we were driving we saw a moose running along the side of the road. It got scared back into the woods but we sat and watched it for awhile.

We always have a work day at camp. Since so many families share it we all pitch in when we are there it make it look great! This last year a new cabin was finished on our land. There were a bunch of trees that had to be cleared so that the cabin could be built. My parents rented a wood chipper and we spent 8 hours clearing trees and plants around the camp. It was so hot that day! We took tons of water brakes and a lunch break but we were beat, and dirty! But since we were right by the lake, we jumped in clothes an all and that was the BEST part of the day! Here we are getting our much needed swim after working all day!



We had so much fun going out at night looking for moose in the boat and showing Marc around camp. Here are a few more pics of how we spent the evenings. The first pic is a loon that swam right by us. There was also a beaver that would swim around the dock at about the same time. It was so fun!






Here are a few more sunset pics and some of us walking across the train tracks. The train used to be how our family got into camp. They would stop and have to carry their bags all the way to camp. The train still goes through camp, but it doesn't stop anymore. The bridge is super scary, if you are like me and scared of heights! I made Marc hold my hand the whole way! I was so scared I would fall!

David and Goliath

I have to post this mostly because it was too cute to forget, and it was a few weeks ago!

I teach the 9 and 10 year old Primary class in our ward. We talked about Ruth and Naomi and it said to let the kids know that David that slew Goliath was the great grandson of Ruth. So, I asked the kids if they knew the story, and since we had a few minutes and would be learning that lesson in a few weeks asked if someone wanted to tell us really quick about the story. A boy raised his hand and said he knew, so I asked him to tell the class the story. The story went something like this " There was a little boy named David who was walking down the street and saw a lady selling beans..." (Do you see where this is going?) "He bought some from her and planted them, it grew a really big beanstalk and he climbed up it and there was a big giant that lived in the clouds and David killed him!" I did my best not to laugh, and told the boy that he confused David and Goliath with Jack and the Beanstalk, he then said "well they both kill giants, same thing"! Too bad he wasn't at church the week we learned the real story! I wonder how long he will go thinking that Jack and the Beanstalk is a Bible story?

Playing Catch Up, Marc's BIrthday!

I know we have been non-existent in the blogging world, but here are a few reasons why
1. My little brother's High School Volley Ball Team were playing GREAT! They ended their season 22-0 AND Arizona State Champs! We went to all the games we could near the end of the season and were there to scream and shout as the winning point went down on the court!
2. The same brother graduated from high school and celebrations were abundant!
3. Marc decided he wanted to go back to school, so I have been working full time and over time while he studies and goes through the application process to get a masters.
4. Summer vacations and swimming have kept us out of the house and off the computer!
5. Marc and I each celebrated our 24th birthdays almost a month apart, and between celebrating with both families, our weekends have been used up.

So, now time to play catch-up!
On Marcs birthday his parents, took us and his little brother out to lunch. Marc wanted to go to a family favorite Mexican restaurant, and we were so full! We had fun visiting with them though! Then that night we celebrated his birthday, just the two of us! I heard earlier this year that Bennihana, a super fun teppanyaki grill, has great monthly coupons. I signed up to get them and put Marcs name and birthday down thinking that if there was some fun birthday coupon I could use it! BEST IDEA EVER! About a week before his birthday I got an e-mail for $30 off a meal and dinner and the chef's table. I called and made the reservation and did my best to keep it a secret, I have a hard time surprising people because I like to see their reaction, but I kept this one. We got in the car and I drove so he wouldn't guess along the way. He figured it out before we turned into the parking lot, but he was so excited! We had been wanting to go but never had! When we got the menus they told us that their monthly special was a $40 dinner for two! It included, soup, salad, shrimp, chicken, steak, veggies, and rice all cooked on the grill right in front of us! It was SO tasty! Because it was Marcs birthday they brought out a half a pineapple that was carved to look like a fish with orange slices, lime slices and a cherry to make the tail! It was so cute, but I forgot to take a picture since there was a creepy little girl sitting by us that looked like she was going to attack it! They did take a picture for us and gave us a copy and emailed us one, so here is the only picture we have!

I felt pretty bad though, because I have made him a cake every birthday since we have been married and wasn't able to since I was working, but my mom made him a delicious German Chocolate Cake the Sunday after, it is his family tradition for just about every birthday!

We also celebrated with his family but there are 4 birthdays within a month, so we had one big party! We went to Ancala for a Delicious dinner then back to his parents for ice cream cake, swimming, and presents. Overall he isn't so sad about being 24 anymore!

Gila Valley Temple!

The Gila Valley Temple is doing their open house, the temple is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours away, my parents decided they wanted to go with my brother and sister, so Marc and I tagged along. We left about 7am and were home about 6pm, it was a pretty quick trip! We have some good family friends that live in Thatcher, the city where the temple is, so we used their house to change into our Sunday clothes. These friends wrote, choreographed, and organized the Temple Cultural Celebration that will be held before the Temple Dedication. They had all day rehearsals and since we had to run get the key to their house, we got to watch some of it! It was amazing!

There were a lot of people going through that day so we didn't really get to stop and talk too much. We were in and out in about 10 minutes, not including the 12 minute video before and our pit stop for cookies after! It was so beautiful! It will be a huge blessing to the people in the area to have a temple so close to them! Here are a few pictures outside the Temple. My dad took some of the family, minus himself, I'll post some of those as soon as I get them! Sorry about our squinted eyes, the sun was so bright!

I Need Ideas!

I love our ward. It is small. Everyone is so friendly! We know this is the ward we were supposed to be in. We didn't really like the apartments we moved into, but something was telling us to do it. We found out that the ward had been fasting for new people to move in. So here we are! I was pulled into primary within the first few weeks, so I don't really know too many of the women. Some how Marc and I keep getting asked to do things. For example, a few weeks ago we were asked to speak to the Young Women about preparing for the Temple, I used to be in Young Women, but I was TERRIFIED! We did really well, and had parents come up and say how their daughters talked about it after. Well, Sunday the Relief Society President called and asked if I would speak at the Visiting Teaching Conference on Sunday. Again I am TERRIFIED, but this time for very different reasons! I have been to the temple, I remember preparing to go through, I could relate to the subject. This time I can't. The topic they want us to speak on is from Elder Aoyagi's General Conference talk "Helping Hands, Saving Hands". I have only been able to have Visiting Teachers for 5 or 6 years, but my experience has not been anything to model after. I will admit, I have had times where I don't go, I have had companions who won't go and leave me to go alone, but I have never had Visiting Teachers that come like they should. I have always been under the impression that if other sisters take time to visit you, you should do the same. I do my part, but the other half is rarely fulfilled. I don't know how to talk on how Visiting Teaching has helped me in my life other than serving others, I have to talk on both. So, If any of you have stories of how your life has been blessed by Visiting Teaching can you share?! I promise I will not claim your stories as mine, and I also will confirm with you if I can use your story if it is something I feel I should share with these sisters. I know that some of your experiences may be personal and you may not want to share, I totally understand, feel free to share your comments on here, or if you would rather e-mail me at mliving at hotmail dot com. Thanks so much!

Return of my Malagasy Brother

My brother has been serving his mission in Madagascar for the last two years and came home on March 24th! We have been so excited for him to come home. The Sunday before he came home my sister and I made signs to have at the air port. He was scheduled to come in around 8pm, but a few days before he was supposed to come home British Airways went on strike. We were all a little worried about how that would effect his coming home. Well, they redid his flight plan and he came home about 8 hours earlier. Unfortunately, there were people that couldn't be at the airport with us, but our whole family was there. We have loved having him home and hearing about the life he lived with so many amazing people for the last two years! Here is the one picture I took at the airport, I was too excited and just wanted to hug him.

He has super white hair and has always been easy to spot, except when there were a ton of blondes getting off planes. We have so much fun with him! We will all be sad when he leaves to go back to school! I will post more pictures when I get them!

Babysitting & 100th Post

Finally after way too long this is my 100th post!

Marcs brother Ben and his wife Danielle went to the temple and asked us to watch Tyler. Tyler LOVES Marc! They dropped him off at our office after work and we took him to our apartment to eat dinner. Marc drove him in their car, they whole way he was pointing out cars and getting so excited. He calls Marc "ma" and would say it over and over until Marc acknowledged him. He immediately found Marcs stash of Sunday School treats and was too distracted by everything to really eat. We watched a little bit of Bolt, he would laugh so hard when when Bolt would do anything. Marc laid down on the couch for a little bit to watch the movie and his little buddy was right there with him.

He was so cute cuddled up to him. They are best friends! We love watching him and playing with him! Hopefully we can play with him again soon!

My Valentines Present!

I have been trying to be really crafty and make cute things. So for Valentines Marc got me a sewing machine. I really want to learn to sew, I am not that good at all so if you want to give me lessons, I am willing to take them. I decided to make pillows for our couch. Marc helped me pick out some super cute fabric to use. I think they turned out really cute, I am working one a few other projects, but I am having a few problems with elastic! Anyway, here is a picture of one of the pillows, sorry it isn't a great picture. The fabric is a dark brown with tiny white polka dots!

Dining Table

For Christmas, Marcs Parents got us a gift card to Ikea. We have been needing a dining room table really bad, we sold our last one to my cousin before moving out here and our card table wasn't cutting it any more! Marc wasn't too excited to make the trip and he wanted me to get a table I liked so he stayed home while my mom, sister and I went. We enjoyed a delicious lunch before hunting for the perfect table.

There was a big sale going on that day, unfortunately, the table I picked was not on sale. It has a leaf that pops up from the middle, that makes for a HEAVY table. Luckily there was a nice man at the store that took care of loading it for us! The box was a giant octagon, and super heavy. Marc and I had to lay it on the railing and slide it up the stairs, I was so scared it was going to fall over the edge! It made it, and it was pretty easy to put together, so were the chairs! Here are a few pictures, they aren't great, but tell me what you think! Ignore the pile in the corner, we are still trying to figure out where to put things!

Christmas and New Years!

I have some time off from work so I can finally get caught up on our Holiday adventures! We had all our presents under the tree the week of Christmas. Marc and I both can admit to peeking at our presents growing up, so we have to find really good hiding spots and both make an effort to not even touch our presents or we will start speculating. We were doing so good until Christmas Eve when I wasn't looking and slid on one of my presents. Mar freaked out wanting to make sure it wasn't broken. I felt the top of the box and it all seemed fine. Then my mind started working and I began guessing. He never would tell me, but I did get it right! We spent Christmas Eve being lazy and hanging around the house since work had been crazy the week leading up to it. We woke up and made homemade cinnamon rolls. We got a little creative, we used our flour mill and had whole wheat cinnamon rolls. One batch we added macadamia nuts and carmel! YUM! We made a trip to the store for Egg Nog, and that turned out to be a mistake! We got home and made homemade tomato soup for dinner, we had Martinellis Cranberry Apple Cider to go with it and watched Christmas story. We had fun making food and spending the day together. I was so excited I wanted to go to sleep so I could wake up the next day! When we went to bed I had a hard time falling asleep and ended up waking up and waking Marc up at 7:30.

The night before we took turns filling each others stockings. Part of Marcs went on the tree, so he filled mine then hid it under a blanket. I filled his and did the same. When we woke up we came into our living room and peeked at our stockings. Then it was present time! We took turns picking the present the other had to open. I had to wait for the last one that I had guessed and open it last, and I was right! Marc got me some pretty sweet Converse All Stars! He also picked out some great clothes for me! He loved all his presents too! I was really excited that he even liked all his stocking stuff! After cleaning up we headed over to his parents house. We ate pillsbury turnovers, a Chase Christmas Morning Tradition, and opened presents! His parents gave us, among other things, a gift card to Ikea to buy a dining table. I will post pictures soon! After opening presents we played wii and spent time together until dinner. His parents made a delicious Beef Burgeon! After dinner we headed to my parents. They had been in Colorado and got home early Christmas morning. We opened presents with them, we got Sonicare Electric Toothbrushes, talk about dentist clean! We had been wanting them for awhile and were grateful to get them! Thanks mom and dad! After that, we headed out to Chandler to visit my grandma and cousins there. We opened more presents and snacked on lots of goodies. When we finally got home around 11 we were beat!

We both worked the next week and didn't really get to celebrate our 2 year anniversary, hopefully we will before our 3rd! We had to work New Years Eve but got home around 5:30. We changed then headed over to my parents. They had a huge party and invited a bunch of people from their ward. The party stared at 4 but we got there at 6 and there were cars lining the street! My mom made BBQ pulled pork, my dad smoked a turkey, and someone BBQ'd Brisket. It was DELICIOUS! There were so many people there and I didn't know most of them, but it was so fun! My Aunt and Uncle were visiting from San Francisco so we spent time with them and their kids. We were so full. We spent the rest of the evening with my family. It was a crazy night too and we were so glad to come home and sleep!

On New Years day we went to Marcs parents for a feast. They made a ton of food and had everyone over. We love spending so much time with our families and having a little vacation time here and there! We hope you all had a great Holiday too!