A Little Taste of Paradise

Guess where we just spent a week!?

HAWAII

This was the first vacation Tyler and I have taken alone since our honeymoon! It was so nice to soak up the sun (like Sheryl Crow...haha) and not have to entertain any family or friends. Love ya'll, but it was sure nice to have some boy time all to myself :) We went to some great places, got a little burnt, and really just relaxed. We had no agenda and for those of you who know me well, know that it is a major step towards my over-planning recovery...haha

Me enjoying some "Shave Ice"

We walked through downtown Lahaina almost every night. The road is lined with restaurants, art galleries, shopping, and sights. This is also a really historical area since it used to be the home to royalty, Maui's first jail, and the largest Banyon tree in the world (almost an entire acre!) Most importantly, the street itself halfway hangs over the ocean, so the waves were always near by.

One afternoon we stopped by a "Shave Ice" place and the guy that owned the shop was so amazing. You could tell that he really cared about his little icey treats and wanted to make sure every customer was just as happy as he was about their cup of goodness. Unlike our continental favorite "Bahama Bucks", this man made each syrup from scratch. He told us he buys pure can sugar from the nearby plantation and mixes it with all the fresh fruit on the island. I got Mango, Guava, Passionfruit, and it was like eating the iced version of the fruit itself. The syrups even had the fruit pulp in them!!!

On the Road to Hana

There is a beautiful road on the East side of the island called the road to Hana. This 2 hour drive has over 600 switchback turns and 54 one way bridges. It winds all along the side of the mountainous cliffs of the Hawaiian rainforest. This was definitely the most beautiful part of the island. There were beautiful views of course, but also great little farmer's markets, hikes, and creatures.

Hiking the Pipiwai Trail

We stopped to take a 2 mile hike into the rainforest on the Pipiwai trail past the "7 Sacred Pools" and through an amazing bamboo forest. The bamboo forest was crazy because there aren't any branches for birds to land on so it is dark and silent. A little creepy :) At the end of the hike there was a huge 700 ft. waterfall! You could stand a good 20 feet from the base pool and still feel the mist of the water from crashing against the rocks.

We also went on a great snorkel trip and swam with schools of fish and sea turtles. I would post pictures but we were a little goofy looking with our snorkel masks and sun burnt faces...haha!

It was a great time and as mushy as it sounds the best part was just relaxing and spending time with Tyler. I love him too much for my own health.

Thanks Maui....it's been grand!

You're Gonna Be Popular....

Guess what I am dragging my sweet husband to see tonight!!!???

!!!!!!!Wicked the Musical!!!!!!!

I seriously cannot wait. I read the book, I have the soundtrack, I've held the music in my own hands and it is fabulous!

Go here to enjoy some of the tunes for yourself:

Music from Wicked

I met one of my very good friends from high school for lunch the other day and we both reminisced about our theatre days and how we miss it. I can't describe how badly I would love to do something creative again, and by creative, I mean musicals :) They are really a piece of my soul and I know that sounds cheesy but it is a feeling from my gut that I can't shake and I haven't stepped on a stage for 5 years. One day...that is what I keep telling myself.

But...for now, I feed my hunger by dragging my poor husband to whatever I can put my hands on. Seriously...you should hear this soundtrack....capital 'A' Amazing.

Since I have been galavanting around the globe I haven't had time to really plan out our food like I usually do and boy is there a difference! The past couple months we have spent at least $300 on groceries each month, not including eating out....crazy!!!!

Behold....the budget and belly saver:

July's Meal Plan

I know I am missing a few days at the beginning of this month but they are already gone and this took me long enough. I went shopping today and bought food for all of the items on this menu, PLUS some stock up items and only spent $100!!! Bargain city right!?

ps. If you are planning on shopping before Wednesday, Albertsons has the most amazing peaches on sale right now for $0.99 (capital A amazing)....plus pork loin for only $1.69/lb (usually like $6....fantastic!)......and BOGO on their small cheeses. Fry's is doing thier case sale so I stocked up on Powerade for Tyler and saved like $5 and a ton of other stuff too!

Whew....my life feels organized and so does my bank account.

Rollin' with the Homies

So...post number one in a series of quick catch up posts so prepare yourself!!!

Colorado Springs

I had never been to Colorado before and I had heard so many great things so I was really excited when I found out we would be having some work meetings up at the beautiful Broadmoor Resort.

The Broadmoor Hotel & Resort

Me and the Homies
(on what I'm sure was a pure silk couch)

Not only did I get to stay at this mansion estate of a resort but I really got a good taste for Colorado as well. We each got to pick a 'recreation' for our second day at the resort...now understand this is a 5 star Luxury place and the spa is ranked in the top 5 in the nation or something ridiculous. What did your girl do????!

JEEP TOUR!!! Why wouldn't you want to drive around in the beautiful weather soak up the sights, go for a hike and cross over 7 waterfalls, see the Garden of the Gods, and drive through an old gold mine railway?

That is way better than getting a little foot rub if you ask me :)

Near the Top of Pikes Peak
(standing over a waterfall)

Garden of the Gods

This picture does not do the Garden of Gods justice. The landscape was so green and lush and then there would be huge red sandstone formations just jumping out of the ground. This view is actually from a higher view and then we drove down through the canyon. There were little spots like this for at least 10 square miles. It was awesome! I also got to see these guys:

Our jeep driver said he had been driving this path for about 10 years now and this was only the second time he had ever seen these rams come over the side of those cliffs. The man who actually built the Broadmoor in 1910, also built his estate in the Garden of the Gods and the Rams live on his property. It was really awesome!

View of the Broadmoor from Cripple Creek Railroad

To top it off we all got some really nice gifts from our company for the close of the fiscal year. It was a nice little reprieve from the daily grind at the office. I can't wait for next year...where could we go next!?

Mares Eat Oats and Does Eat Oats

I have had some really great experiences lately. I feel like Tyler and I are closer than ever, I have been totally blessed at work, we have great friends, our families are getting into the swells of life as we all get married, life is marching on.

There are plenty of things to update you about:
-Lill's Wedding
-Colorado
-Lake
-4th of July
-The dentist (yikes!)

But...just know we're chillaxin', rockin' and rollin', groovin', and livin'.

Here's a picture for giggles and good measure:

Life is like a rag bone....find something to balance it on and it makes for some giggles and a good time.

Driving While Sleeping

Here is a quick excerpt from our drive tonight. It had been a long day at the lake (10 hours) and we were exhausted. Just as a pre-cursor, Tyler likes it when I sleep because he can blare his crazy rock music and since I'm such a hard sleeper I don't wake up.

Example 1:
Tyler: Would it be wierd if I told you I wished you were asleep right now?
Me: Yes. That would be wierd.
Tyler: Well, it's a good thing I didn't tell you that than, huh?

Example 2:
Tyler poured himself a fresh soda with ice in a cup while we were driving down the road. He looked at me, paused, raised his glass, and knocked it right up against my head. I looked at him stunned, "Did you just 'cheers' my head?"....
"Yep."
A minute or two later I picked up my water bottle, took a drink, and Tyler stuck his head out awkward while driving and gave me this weird look. I took another drink and he cleared his throat. I looked at him, again stunned and said, "OH...am I supposed to 'cheers' your head?".....
"Yep."

Oh heavens....the things that happen when we are tired. I love this kid.

This is the Story of a Girl

Christie and I had so much fun planning this bridal shower...we drove all over town on Saturday, cut up tons of veggies and fruits (with the help of Dan...thanks buddy!), decorated, searched for some kind of sandwhich to feed everyone...an event in itself (thanks again Dan). It turned out great and we had around 30 people show up for the fun! Thank you so much to everyone who came to support L!

The Loot!

Everyone ate and got to visiting and then we played a little "get to know the couple" bingo game where you had to guess if it was the bride or groom based on a clue. These two can be tricky since L can keep up with pretty much any boy on a quad and her favorite food is mashed potatoes....she is definitely a special gal! She is so excited to get married and will make a great wife.

Carsyn just wanted to help so bad!

We are so excited for the lovebirds and know that they will have a great life together. L was such a gracious guest of honor and made everyone feel welcomed. She got some great gifts and we had a ton of fun!

Let the Good Times Roll

It's long overdue...but I wanted to still share! In the midst of all the wedding planning for L we have managed to find several lake trips at the same time. Boy, my body was craving a tan in a bad way....we're re-donkulous pale up in this hizzy! haha!

Dad on the Knee Board

D had the time of his life at this trip to Roosevelt. We shortened up the rope really tight so he was riding the knee board right on top of the wake and sometimes infront of it like a surfer. He had SO much fun!! Look at that big 'ol grin on his face. I would have been terrified but the boys seemed to love the thrill of potentially throwing their face right into the prop...whatever it's all in good fun right? lol

Me and Ruby Sioux

Here's a quick glamour shot of me and the puppy. She did so great on the boat! She was a little nervous to get in and out of the boat but just hung out for the most part. I got her to play in the water a little bit on the shore but anything past her shoulders must have been near drowning because she was terrified. One day...a little more exposure, and I'm convinced she'll be able to save my life if I needed it....haha...yeah right!

You Can't Have One Without the Other

Love and Marriage! I love my husband! Yesterday was our anniversary, very anti-climactic, but sweet. Tyler drove down to Tucson to pick up his new truck (happy aniversary to him!) and I squeezed out of work early to clean the house and make myself beautiful for a nice little date. He text me when he pulled in our driveway but after several minutes he had still not come into the house. I was anxious to see our new purchase, since I still had not seen the truck (I trust him to buy a truck on his own...he's a big boy). I opened the door and he was standing there with a bouquet of flowers. I'm so silly, I got a little teary, but earlier in the day I thought to myself, "I know Tyler isn't big on giving flowers and I know they'll just die, but it would be really nice if he got me flowers". He read my mind and with his own little twist bought me a brightly colored bouquet because he said they were more like me than stuffy roses. We went to dinner and rented a movie and quickly fell asleep as soon as it started :)

I just have to take a moment of gratitude for the blessings I am constantly given. I feel like there are no expectations for me to repay and yet I am continously blessed. Tyler and I do the best we can to have a happy home, a healthy marriage, a fun life, and fond memories of our time together. I cannot look back at one moment in my life with Tyler and say that I was not truly happy. He loves me unconditionally, he pushes me to grow as a person, he supports and strengthens my love of the gospel, he works so hard to provide for our family, and he treats me like I am the most important thing in the world. (For those of you that know him....he loves me more than his Honda....that says a lot...haha)

We have blessings poured on us beyond measure and I can never be thankful enough. We are truly a team and I am so thankful for the paths we have taken to lead us together to this point. I am so excited that we have eternity to enjoy our marriage and our future family and I know life will continue to be sweet as we continue to work for it.

It's Rainin, It's Pourin, The Old Man...You get it

I'm in the big "T"....Texas! Boy is it muggy down here! There is a ton of thunder, a little lightening, and I think it will probably rain tonight. I guess I have always thought of Texas as the desert. I picture the Alamo with dust devils and tumbleweeds, but it's so green here! It's beautiful! BUT....no thank you wet air...my hair doesn't like it, my sweat glands don't like it, my clothes don't like it....I don't like it....hahaha.

I just got some yummy room service...hallelujah for people that don't mind being anti-social because we are all tired. Long day of work in Tejas! It's time to curl up, eat some pasta, and watch some reality tv.