Haha lately I have been feeling a little like Bob Wiley with his pet fish Gill . . .
Whenever I have to be away from the apartment for more than a day or two, I make sure and bring Kenny along with me! Yes, Kenny is my pet fish lol. I bought him in February and my whole family thought he would have died already. But nope! Still goin strong!
Since I've been staying with my parents while Tyson has been out of town, I had to bring Kenny along with me. But today I'm back at the apartment; and I couldn't just leave him to bake in my car while I was at work! So he sat at my desk all day, ran errands after work, and is finally back in his tank at the apartment.
If I'm back at the apartment that means one thing...... TYSON IS COMING HOME!!!
That's my excited face :)
I'm so happy he decided to come home a day earlier than planned! I really was starting to go nuts without him! The next few days we spend together are going to mean a lot since he may be leaving me for a few months :(. If his plans follow through this weekend then I'll post about it by early next week. Until then, I'll just continue as if he isn't leaving me :/.
Now, I don't really condone just spending money because you have it (or don't) and you have nothing else to do, because quite frankly, I am a huge saver and don't like spending my well-earned money; but this weekend was different.
Tyson left Friday forLake Powellwith his family and won't be back until Thursday! Let's hope it rains and he can come home a little sooner :).
Some of you may be wondering why in the world he would go without his wife or why I would even let him go without his wife either! Well, things are getting kind of crazy around here and with school starting and other possible adventures down the short path, Tyson really needed a vacation before it all starts up. I on the other hand, just don't have the capability of taking a week off from work. It would be impossible; plus, someone's gotta keep food on the table ;). Not to mention, lakes and water aren't really my thing, so I'm not missing out too bad.
That's exactly what I was going for ;)
So, while Tyson is out on the lake for a week, I've been staying with my parents. I haven't lived at home since i was in high school so it's kind of strange lol. But I miss seeing my family everyday so it's kind of like my little vacation as well.
Saturday I went and bought myself a Brand New 2011 XTerra!I absolutely loved my first one and just had to have another one. I figured it was time to upgrade since my miles were just about to hit 100,000 and my car would become almost worthless at that point. But, the good thing with an XTerra trade-in, they don't lose value when you drive them off the lot like most cars. They actually retain value for quite some time and are extremely reliable.
I have had so many great times in my car with friends and family. So many fun road trips, fun weekends, dancing and singing with friends, and SO much more! It really was kind of sad for me to leave it behind as i drove away (I can get pretty attached to things lol). But at least i was driving away in its brand new version. It was an easy transition and it's so pretty!
Huggin my car goodbye :(
I definitely couldn't have done the whole 2 and half hour trade-in on my own. My step-dad Steve was an amazing negotiator and I'm only paying $330 a month! It helped a lot that my car was not only in such great shape, but Nissan has a College Grad special going on that added $2,500 to my trade in value! All-in-all, i'm very happy with my new purchase.
I ended up being alone last night since my parents went to dinner and so did Ryan & Madison; so I drove my new ride to the mall and pampered myself with some new clothes :). I work hard for my money and it never hurts to spend a little bit once in a while.
That's it so far this weekend. Let's hope Tyson and his tan-self are coming home early this week so i'm not so lonely! We've never been apart this long and it just doesn't feel right.
Friday, Tyson and I decided to just head to Bed Bath & Beyond to use our last gift certificate and stay in and watch a movie. Anytime I think of Bed Bath & Beyond, it reminds me of this clip from Old School haha my step-dad and I love this movie! "Maybe Bed Bath & Beyond I dunno. I dunno if we'll have time!" Thats when you know you're married when BB&B becomes a big part of your day plans lol.
We finally used these cute popcorn cups I got from a bridal shower. It also came with a larger bucket but we didn't need that much :)
Our movie night consisted of some good ol' John Q. Such a good movie! Denzel always does good movies though so we knew it wouldn't be a bust movie night.
Saturday, after Tyson got home from his workout and after I stuffed him full of chocolate chip pancakes,bacon, and egg filled toast, we headed off to meet up with Ryan & Mad for a movie date.
Harry Potter is always a really good movie. You just can't go wrong. I only read the first three books because they started getting too long lol, but the movies really are so great and it is so sad they are all over! I remember doing my 5th grade book report on the first book and now, 11 years later, it's over :(.
We really did like the movie. The only 2 problems we had with it were #1: the way Voldemort dies is really anti-climatic. He basically turns into pieces of ashy paper and blows away in the wind. Really? After 8 movies they couldn't at least have him explode from Harry's wand or anything? #2: After Harry finally kills Voldemort after how many years, NO ONE at Hogwarts or in the wizarding-world is cheering or clapping. Nothing! It was weird! I thought I blacked out and missed a congratulatory scene where everyone is thanking him for risking his life for how many years, dying, coming back to life, and finally killing the guy! But no. Nothing.
So besides the anti-climatic ending to the whole point of the Harry Potter series, it was really good :).
After the movie, we met up with my mom and went to the last Blaze home game of the season.
Always a good game with the Blaze but this one was intense! It literally came down to a few points in the last seconds of the game; we scored a touchdown to pull ahead and take the W! So much fun! *My mom thinks I should tryout for the dancers. They seem to have a bit more talent than the hometown NBA team I auditioned for before. But that means getting back in shape... hmmm ;)*
Today after church, Tys & I decided to hit up the Hogle Zoo since we didn't think it would be that crowded. Boy were we wrong! I forgot the zoo is in Salt Lake County, not Utah County lol; so lots of people were out today.
Tyson is hatching :)
Getting my Swamp People on
*FYI, if you have never watched Swamp People, YOU NEED TO!
We decided to catch one of the shows they put on at Discovery Theatre; yeah, definitely and 100% geared towards those 5 and under lol.
This owl was hysterical. I had no idea how it was perched on the branch and it was just staring into the light the entire time (probably wishing it would die since it was so dang hot today!)
This little monkey was posing every time it moved ha so cute!
And of course, the elephants. We love Baby Zuri! (although, she was "baby Zuri" 3 or 4 years ago, so she's more like a teen I suppose.
The "Zoorassic Park" was in town as well. Not sure what I was honestly expecting, but the (slightly) moving machines were pretty cool I guess.
I love dinosaurs, but I would die if these things were still roaming around my backyard today!
Tys & I decided we had both deserved a quick little weekend get-away. St. George seems to always be a good place to hurry and get out of town without spending a lot of money, and you can be back to work by Monday.
We left after I got back from work Friday around 4 and made our six hour journey down south. I'd like to say it was the typical 3 1/2 hour drive but we had some car trouble.
The engine started making a strange sound, the RPMs were going way up, but our speed was dwindling fast! It's a 2009 Nissan Altima, so it's not an old car, and it was just serviced about 2 months ago. So we were lost as to what in the world was wrong.
Some nice travelers stopped by to help us out while we were stopped at the Chevron but they didn't know what was wrong either. I finally just went inside and asked the desk clerk if she knew anyone around Beaver that could help us. Thankfully she had the number of a man who owned a repair shop around the corner. He was at home but was nice enough to drive to the shop and help. But he seriously couldn't find anything wrong with the car either and said the rest of the drive was basically down hill so we would be okay to head to St. George and hit up the dealership the next day.
Well, what do you know, the car never gave us another problem the rest of the trip.... go figure lol.
It was so nice just getting to relax by the pool....
I have a suit on... promise! lol
and enjoy meals out and a movie night. We ate breakfast at the Bear Paw Coffee Company...
It is so yummy! If you've never eaten here you really should! It's just on 75 North Main Street in St. George. Yummy crepes, waffles, pancakes, and more!
We also went and saw Horrible Bosses that came out this weekend.
Such a GREAT movie!! Seriously! We loved this movie and so did our families that all text us to go see it after we got out of our movie lol. Perfect cast and great comedy. No nudity either! Just some crude language lol. But it was awesome!
We have seen some really good movies lately! We also Redboxed Battle: Los Angeles last week and LOVED it! It was intense from beginning to end. I liked that it gave an alien movie point-of-view from the Marine side of things instead of a citizen. It was kind of like a more action-filled Independence Day. Great movie-night flick!
Anywho, We are home safe now. No car trouble on the way home and we're just getting settled in for some T.V. and bedtime.
So happy we got some R&R this weekend; much needed, but would still like some more :).
The 4thofJuly is always a family favorite. Not only do we get to all hang out and get together for some good BBQ, but we get to blow things up while celebrating our Independence!
Ryan decided to start the day off right....
Ry's potato gun; they couldn't get enough
While Ryan and Steve were busy shooting targets off the mountain with their potato gun, the rest of us played Rack Your Balls... until it started raining.
Rack Your Balls; also called Blongo Ball online
The rain really was pretty irritating. It was so off and on so we weren't really sure on what to plan on doing. Ryan, Madison, Tyson, & I decided to just deal with it and go 4Wheeling around the mountains for a bit while mom & Steve cooked dinner.
After a yummy BBQ dinner and some relaxing on the back balcony....
Tyson and I headed down the hill to his parent's house for some fireworks; since they're completely banned from Suncrest.
Until it started raining.... AGAIN. Seriously the rain and wind were completely unnecessary for this kind of holiday! Let's hope that Pioneer Day on the 24th is not the same.
Dear America,
Sorry the past few years have not been going as planned, but a new election is around the corner and just know that I will cast my vote in order to hopefully put a man in charge that really does care about what you are meant to be. I'm so grateful to have been born into your beautiful land and to have been provided with such amazing opportunities. I'm also beyond grateful for those men and women fighting to protect you day in and day out. This is your special day for all to remember and think about what you really stand for. So enjoy it because it's all about you :).
Like I mentioned, there would be too much going on this weekend to make it into just one post, so I'm separating them out again :).
Sunday was a day with the Buck fam. After church we headed to a nearby field by Lone Peak High and played some croquet. I love playin croquet with the Bucks, I always lose but it's always so fun.
Jason & I were too hot and tired to help set up; I think Roxi was too lol
I've already lost the game (thanks to Jason as always) & poor Roxi is always behind lol
After some croquet in the park, Tyson decided to try and "upgrade" his fireworks lol. I even joined the assembly line to move things along but we only got around to doing about 20 "upgrades". (don't wanna get in trouble for making illegals lol).
If that's not a guilty face I don't know what is lol
The fun wasn't over yet! We decided to play Rack Your Balls since it was so nice out. You may have heard this game called something else, but around here, that's what we call it lol. It's a chill game but really fun. We've even introduced it to the Shillingford/Ehin family and they love it too!
Tys & I were undefeated last night :)
And then the Pre-4th of July events began. We got too excited and decided to light off some fireworks. Not sure what's really legal anymore so we just lit everything we had that we weren't saving for the big day. Thankfully no one was hurt and nothing was set on fire! Haylee and I even joined in by lighting some flowers; the boys kept telling us to wait until the fuse was almost gone before throwing it but I don't trust my slow reflexes to throw it before it goes off in my hand lol.
We were finally able to stay at the Buck's until about midnight! Usually we have to leave around 9 since I would have work the next morning. We'll have to see how long we stay out tonight since unfortunately, there's a regular work day tomorrow :(.
I miss being in high school with no worries and hardly any responsibility! I'm feeling a little burned out lately and I definitely need a long vacation. I went straight from high school to a spring, summer, fall schedule in college; finished in 3 years, worked during my last year of school, then started my full time job 2 days after my last day of school - yeah, needless to say I'm a little burned out.
Enough venting, hope everyone has/had a wonderful 4th ofJuly!!!
I figured I would do a Saturday post since the 4th of July weekend will be pretty busy and loaded with activities :).
As I mentioned a few posts back, my 2 cousins were in town from Minnesota for EFY. They got back earlier this morning and their flight doesn't leave until tomorrow morning; so my mom had me, Tyson, Ryan, & Madison entertain them (and Alex) for the day so they wouldn't be bored.
We started off at one of our favorite places... Boondocks! I'm pretty sure this is the third post that mentions a trip to that place haha - don't judge! :)
We hit up the batting cages first. Madison and I use batting cage time for some practice for family wiffle-ball. It just kills my hands but we didn't do too bad; did I mention we do slow softball pitch? lol. Ryan & Tyson always kill it on fast pitch though, and I think Charlie, George, & Alex just enjoyed messing around lol.
Then we went mini-golfing, spent some of our tokens on fun games, and ended at the go-kart track. We made sure to end with this one since the younger boys had the intentions of messing around and possibly getting kicked out! Ha really guys? But thankfully, they didn't and we're still allowed to come back :).
We definitely needed some grub and split of for either Rumbi Grill or Cafe Rio. Both SO yummy!
Our night wasn't over! We went to Hollywood Connection for a change since I have never been there and some of the others haven't been since high school. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE! Seriously! We apparently paid for some "Unlimited All Day Pass" that we got "hooked up" with. Yeah, not so much. We ended up having to pay for roller blades to skate, a locker at the rink (paid twice since I had to get back in my locker and couldn't lock it again), and had to pay for laser tag. So, we aren't really sure what our unlimited pass covered lol. Not to mention, there was absolutely NO air conditioning! So, everyone was extremely hot and sweaty! Take home message: Don't waste your money at Hollywood Connection; stick to some place like Boondocks.
But it wasn't a completely negative experience; we had a lot of fun roller blading! I can't honestly remember the last time I went roller blading; probably at Classic Skating in the 6th grade lol. So much fun!
Ryan was definitely trying to bring back some old moves.
Tyson and I have finally been able to relax and chill for the night. I was craving watermelon(my new obsession), so we drove to Win Co and bought some. To our awesome surprise, they also had a ton of fireworks that were SO cheap! We have never shopped there and we love it! It's like a mix between Walmart and Costco; new grocery store for us for sure! So, I walked away happy with my watermelon for the night, and Tyson was able to load up on supplies for bombs and who knows what lol. Please pray that the boys don't set anything on fire this weekend!
Well, that's all for today! Everyone have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Be safe, don't light anything on fire, and have lots of fun with family and friends! And also, remember why we are really "getting a day-off from work Monday".
Today is my dad's big 50th birthday! Every year he always says that our birthdays are considered "The Holy Day"(Ry begs to differ when mine comes around lol). But for my dad's birthday this year, he made sure to call it "The Holiest of all Days." haha just a little joke we have since we were kind of his heathen children at times lol. Not to mention, my dad always said, "I can't wait for tomorrow.""Why Dad?""Because I get better looking every day." haha very true, my dad has always been so handsome and gets better with age. :)
My dad received his gift yesterday that I had been working on for a few weeks! If you couldn't tell by my previous post what his gift might just be, then read it again lol. I made him a DVD!
I had A LOT of help from my grandparents when it came to gathering old photos; but man was it worth it! He was such a cute baby and looked JUST like Ryan! I was able to make a copy and send it to my grandparents too. They received it a lot sooner than my dad but they were nice enough to keep it a secret; they have never seen one of my videos so the feedback was much appreciated :). So, THANK YOU Grandma & Grandpa for helping me gather pictures!
My dad is huge on Rock & Roll; that's probably where I get my love for bands like Van Halen and Aerosmith. Mixing all of his favorite songs was a lot of fun and gave his DVD the touch it needed to be perfect just for him. He said he loved it and it was the BEST birthday gift he has ever received - sorry Ry, not sure you can one-up me this time! ;)
My dad has always been my big teddy bear. No matter the 6'4" stature and large build, he has always been the sweetest most caring man I know. He has been through so many upsand downs and accomplishedso much in his life. He really knows how to stay positive and carry on with a better out-look on things. I really admire him for how positive, humble, gentle, calm,low-key, and strong he always is; I definitely didn't inherit all of those traits but I know Ryan did :).
I hope you have a wonderful Birthday dad and hope you know just how much i truly do love you and cherish every minute we have together since they can be pretty far and few between.
