Pictures

Since our blog is lacking in pictures, here's a couple old ones.

Above: Chrissy, Nick and Alec, Kamala and Travis, Amanda and Gavin, Erin and Matt, and Cassie and James—October 2007—Murder Mystery Dinner

It was hilarious! I was the bride and my husband was murdered by the sheriff, aka Matt.
Above: Jacob, Kelly, and Chase, Gavin and Amanda, Logan and Ashley, and Erin and Matt—Fall 2007—I think this was taken around Halloween when we made spud nuts (Idaho style donuts) at our apartment.

Things to do at Wal-Mart

I ran across this the other day and couldn't stop laughing. These ideas are just like pranks my friends and I pulled in middle school. Unfortunately, I feel my immaturity slipping away--and it must be rekindled! Merryn, Kim, Berg, Heidi...let's go to Wal-Mart. ;)

Things to do at Wal-Mart while your spouse/partner is taking their sweet time

1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people’s carts when they aren't looking.
2. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.
4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares ..... and see what happens.
5. Go to the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.
8. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. Look right into the security camera; use it as a mirror, and pick your nose.
10. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti- depressants are.
11. Dart around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna look" using different size funnels.
13. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, say "PICK ME!"
14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"( And last, but not least!)
15. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and, then, yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

SCUM

Matt and I are scum. Matt told one of his friends last week that we'd pick his wife up at the airport last night (because the husband's out of town). Yesterday evening Matt and I talked about how we needed to pick her up--and we didn't think about it again until 7 a.m. this morning when I noticed seven missed calls--around midnight last night. (That's when her flight came in.)

So, because of us she either had to walk all the way from the airport to the school where her car was parked, or pay and take a taxi. Not only that, after she finally got to her car (however she managed) she still had to drive an hour or so to meet up with her husband in RAGBRAI.

We owe them BIG TIME! We've thought about paying his tuition this year, but $35,000 just doesn’t seem enough. We will definitely be groveling at their feet forever! Does anybody have any good ideas for something we can do to try and make it up to them?

Sweet Surprise

I've been trying to get Matt to post something on our blog for months--especially since he doesn't have school as an excuse right now. In an effort to make him post, my tactic is to post as many things as I can think of that might embarrass him. ;)

Exhibit A: (I thought this was the cutest thing ever.)
Matt and I usually go running together in the morning. On Thursday we got a late start, and I had to come back earlier than Matt to get ready for work. About half an hour later I heard a knock at the door, and there stood Matt (soaking wet by the way), holding these in his hands.

I'd mentioned a while back that I loved those flowers that I saw growing all over Des Moines, and he'd seen some during his run and thought to pick some for me. It totally made my day! He said he felt pretty stupid running the last mile or so with flowers in his hand.

Hopefully that'll be enough to motivate Matt to post. If not, all you readers are in for a treat! Haha, just kiddin'...

Finally we made it

to Saylorville Lake!

Last Saturday we tried for the second time to bike out there. Matt found where the trail hooked back in from the road, and we had a great ride. The lake is beautiful! I definitely want to ride out there again. Anyone want to come? I feel guilty every time I ride with Matt. My bike's a little better than his, and I don't have to work as hard as he does. Usually I'm coasting along, not working extremely hard, and Matt's in front of me peddling like a maniac. The first time we rode our bikes I fancied the idea that I was in way better shape than him, but I've ridden his bike a time or two since then--and it's definitely the bike, not him. (Matt's in better shape than me right now, anyway.)

I'm so glad we decided to buy bikes. We use them all the time. And Des Moines is the perfect place to bike! There's hundreds of miles of paved biking trails around here. When Matt and I go biking or running, we're always surprised when we find another trail we didn't know existed. I like to think of it as hidden passageways in an old house--but instead they're all throughout the city. They're secret, and it's like a treasure hunt to find them….Or you could just get a trail map and the search would be over…but what's the fun of that... ;)

These pictures are embarrassing, but we'll post them anyway. Hope you get a good laugh at us.

I'm in love

with Thai food. Last Friday night Matt and I went to Cool Basil in celebration (or maybe mourning) that school's starting next week. It was heaven--definitely recommend it and the price is really reasonable! I don't know why I like Thai food so much, but I think Matt could talk me into eating out everyday if we went to Cool Basil. We tried the vegetable rolls, the cashew nut chicken, and something else (but I can't remember what it's called). We especially loved the rolls and cashew chicken.

Fourth of July

This is long overdue, but Matt and I had a blast fourth of July weekend.

On the fourth we had a BBQ and played games with friends at a nearby park. Then Matt and I headed over to Racoon River Park around 6:30 to stake out a place to watch the fireworks. We ended up going home at 7:30 because we got bored of waiting. I slept for two hours then we decided to see if we could still get into the park to see the fireworks. We drove up just in the nick of time and saw everything with no problem. It turned out perfectly!
Saturday we attempted to bike out to Saylorville Lake, which is around 30 miles roundtrip from our apartment. We hadn't brought the map with us because we assumed the trail would be clearly marked. At one point the trail turned into the road and we could never find where it hooked back up. We ended up riding around a part of town that wasn't that, ah, great. So we headed to the farmer's market and sampled our favorites, road a little longer, and then played tennis with friends. We still hadn't had our share of samples so we went to our favorite store, Sam's Club. Ah, the life!

Sunday was my favorite day of the break because our great friends, Josh and Brittany came to stay with us as they traveled to dental school in Virginia! We were so excited to see them! Josh and Matt were friends in high school and later roommates in college for a while, but we haven't seen them for over a year-and-a-half (crazy how time flies). The last time we saw them their little boy couldn't even roll over. Now Teigan's two and walking and talking like crazy--and they have a baby girl now, too! We're hoping that we'll end up in Ohio next year and be close enough to visit them every once and a while. Thanks Josh and Brittany for coming out of your way to see us!

Tagged: Random Facts About Me

This is for you, Natali.

1. I love lists. I am all about schedules and "To Do" lists. I used to be borderline OCD about it, but I think I've gotten better being married to such a low stress guy.
2. Matt enjoys cooking more than me--by far. Before Matt and I married, my idea of a meal was eating soy sauce with rice--not stir fry--plain rice and plain soy sauce. For most of this year I've tried to cook two new dishes a week, and I actually like it a little. Too bad most things I make, Matt rates five or six on a scale of one to 10. ("A five is still a good score. It means I like it," he says.)
3. The dark still scares me if I'm by myself. When Matt's gone on overnight trips, I usually end up falling asleep with the lamp on. Matt always gets a laugh when he scares me in the dark.
4. I'm a morning person. Most days I'm up by six.
5. I'm not a big shopper and feel guilty spending money. When I do buy something, I often end up taking it back later because I don't "need it." Like my obsessive compulsive list and schedule fetish, I've gotten better (or worse depending on how you look at it) over time. Someday when Matt's done with school I think I'll have no problem buying cute clothes and furniture and decorations….. :)
6. In high school I swore off marriage until age 27. My plans consisted of attending BYU-Hawaii, serving a mission, earning a master's degree, and teaching English in China before I even thought about marriage. But I met Matt my first week in college and was engaged at 19. So much for those plans! I am thankful however, that the Lord had other plans for me. (And Matt and I have a deal that someday we'll finish up what I didn't get done before I married.)
7. I can never grow my fingernails out. I don't know why…it might have something to do with the fact that I bite them. :)
8. Not much makes me happier than being outdoors. Take me to the mountains, the beach, or the forest, and I'm in heaven. I especially love the outdoors early in the morning and during spring and fall.

I tag: Krista B., Brittany M., Kristelle L., and Abbey C.

July Goals

One of my friends posts her personal goals on her blog at the beginning of each month, then she reports back on how successful she was at accomplishing them. I think I'll give it a try:

Physical: Do cardio for at least an hour six times weekly, and weight train three three times weekly. Only have treats one day a week.
Mental: Expand my knowledge for work-related projects.
Social: Don't judge others.
Spiritual: Sincerely study the scriptures 30 minutes and pray sincerely two times daily.

Here goes!