Road trip, new car, and the most amazing 1st year anniversary!!

So the last couple of weeks have been really busy for Dave and I. You would think being out of graduate school and working I would have more time, but mysteriously I find myself with no time to do the things I thought I would be able to without school in my life. So that's why I haven't blogged lately. Dave and I have been searching to find a newer car for us to drive. Dave and I have been driving beater cars ever since we could drive. We have never had a car newer than 1993 because we have been in school and didn't want to have a car payment. So this was a big decision for Dave and I. We fell in love with wanting to own a Subie, not because we are tree huggers but because we wanted an AWD car for the snow and to go camping. We want a car to haul all our camping gear in and our bikes. So we decided on the Forester. We looked on-line and around Salt Lake and found out we could save a lot of money by buying out-of-state. Most people are scared to do that because you don't get to see the car but we had the best car buyer in the state to help us, my dad. He is amazing at buying cars and talking people down on the price they offer you. Plus he knows cars and knows what to ask and look for. After a bad experience with a California Subaru car dealer (which I won't tell the long messy story now, ask me if you want to know the details) we found this beautiful forester in Tucson Arizona. It was an amazing deal and my dad talked him down even more than the internet price, I don't know how he does it. It happened that we were leaving for our anniversary trip when my dad sealed the deal with this guy so we decided to re-route our Lava Hot Springs anniversary trip to Arizona. Here is our beautiful new car!!

Dave is so excited about this new car, can't you see him beaming. Or maybe that's because we have been married one glorious year!!

The best part about this Subie is the huge sunroof, you can't see it from here but it has a sunroof that goes half way back into the second seat

So our anniversary trip turned into a road trip to pick up our fun new car. A lot of people asked if we had fun because we were driving most of the trip but those people had no idea how much fun it is to go on a road trip with Dave. We had the best time traveling in our new car, taking the scenic routes and seeing beautiful Utah. We caught a last minute flight to Tucson after visiting LAX for two hours (neither Dave or I have been to LA but now we can say we have). The couple we bought the car from was so nice and met us in Tucson. They had the car detailed and it was just perfect. We stopped at Glen Canyon dam and even took the tour. (dave wanted to go on the tour so bad so we got tickets on the waiting list :) He was like a little kid in a candy store on the tour)

So we stopped in Flagstaff for the night and then drove up through southern Utah. I had forgotten the leaves had changed in the mountains because in the city they haven't changed yet. It was breathtaking to see all the leaves and the colors. We opened our sunroof and just enjoyed the ride.



We stopped at Cedar Breaks and snapped a few pictures. One of the best things about being married to Dave is that we both love to travel and see places. Not many people would want to travel with their wife in a car through southern utah looking at the sites for their anniversary. That is why I have the best husband in the world!! We loved the sightseeing.


We found a romantic Spa and Lodge in Brain Head (which I had no idea existed in southern utah). If anybody wants a romantic getaway stay at this place during the summer. The summer rates are amazing for the place you get to stay in. It's called Cedar Breaks Spa and Lodge. So we had the perfect anniversary, road trip, and got a new car all in one week!!

A tribute

Some might think this might be a weird post but I am posting more for myself than for anybody else. I wanted to tell people a little bit about my Uncle Allan Price. Not many people are that close to their uncles, however my Uncle Allan was like the grandpa I never had. My dad's dad died when he was 18 so I never got to know him. My grandmother on my dad's side was an amazing woman who lived as a widow for more than half of her life. She lived to be 99 years old and was such an amazing woman. So as I grew up visiting my aunt's and uncle's I became very close to my Uncle Allan. This past Wednesday he passed away. Today was his unbelievable funeral. That is why i am posting about this amazing man. I hope everyone is as lucky as I was to know someone like my Uncle Allan. He knew exactly how to make you feel special. When you would talk to him he would look you in the eye and listen so carefully to what you said. He would listen to anybody and any problem you had. That's hard to find in this busy world. He loved to share the gospel with anybody. He was a man of integrity and faith that radiated when you were around him. You always wanted to be the best around Uncle Allan. He was also very patriotic. He served in the Air Force and knew what it meant to "fight for our country".

His funeral was one of a kind and one that I will never forget. The talks were so inspiring that I walked away thinking "what really matters in life?" Knowing someone who did so much service and never really thought about himself makes you think about your life and what you are doing day to day. At the grave side we were able to witness patriotism at it's best. Members of the national guard were there to walk the casket and then fold the flag on top. I was absolutely mesmerized watching how precise they were with everything. I was balling just because of how beautiful it was to watch these men and the respect they had for this man who they didn't even know. After they had finished folding the flag the leader then inspected it and walked over and handed it to my aunt. (I was a mess by this time). During this entire experience there is a bagpiper playing "amazing grace" in the background. Following the flag folding they did the 3 gun salute. It was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. I love you Uncle Allan.