Fun March Weekend

We had a busy weekend!  Mom and Dad came to town for a weekend full of family events.  We had a cousin's wedding reception and a cousin's mission farewell.  On Saturday morning we had a 5K run fundraiser for my cousin and his family.  He has been in the hospital and some of his students from UVU put this run together for him! There was an incredible turnout and it was fun to participate in. 

 Here are a few pictures from that run:

Just a quick shot of the starting line:

All of Nick's relatives who attended:

After the run, we went with Brandon, Scott, Mom and Dad to the BYU spring scrimmage. The weather was incredible!

Mission Reunion

This weekend we attended a Guadalajara, Mexico mission reunion that Mark's mission president was hosting in Saint George.  President and Sister Watkins are now serving in the St. George temple visitors center and invited any missionaries who could make it for a couple days of fun.  

We arrived on Friday night and after a short visit we headed over to an authentic mexican restaurant, El Coyote Charro.  The food was delicious and the small group had fun visiting.  We stayed the night in the ever-so-luxurious Super 8 motel... Our motel room was actually bigger than our current apartment so it felt very spacious to us.  We relaxed by drinking hot chocolate and sticking our feet into the hot tub which felt incredible in the comfortable night air.  

The next morning, Sister Watkins took all the ladies out to all-you-can-eat french toast at Kneaders.  It was tasty and we all shared stories of how we met our husbands.  After breakfast and after checking out, Mark and I enjoyed some shopping before visiting the temple grounds.  The day was very comfortable and the sun was out!!! I have missed that sunshine.  

We then headed to a nearby park for the main event: A picnic with carne asada and cebollitas ("little onions" which Mark has been raving about for a few months).  A good sized group attended and many many mission stories were shared.  

After a couple of hours visiting in the wonderful weather, we played a game of volleyball in the sand courts.  After the game and getting nice and pink from the sun, we took some group pictures.

Top: All the missionaries

Bottom: With the wives

Then and now....

It was a fabulous getaway and we had an amazing time.  Although it wasn't quite the same as the beach, it felt good to be in the sun and have my toes in the sand. 

Welcome to the Family

On January 24th, much of Utah Valley experienced some freezing rain.  The moment the rain hit the windshield or the concrete it turned into ice, creating the illusion of just being wet when in reality it was all black ice.

On Mark's way to work at 7:45am, he was stopped at a light on University Parkway going towards I-15.  In his rear-view mirror he watched a couple blocks back as some cars get into an accident.  As he was thinking how thankful he was that it wasn't him, he got rear-ended by a car that slid on the ice.

Luckily, everyone involved was fine and Mark only had a sore neck the next couple days.  A couple days after the accident we went to the tow-yard and got everything out of the car and said our goodbyes.  Mark took me on our first date in that car!

While we waited to hear from insurance, we were given a cute Fiat to drive for a little over a week.  I loved this little car! It was a lot of fun to drive but absolutely TERRIBLE in the snow.

After a week of car shopping, we bought our new little family member: 
A 2005 Kia Spectra5

 We love it! It is a manual so I am learning and Mark is working hard at teaching me.

On our first day as insured car owners, we drove to Salt Lake for a lunch date to Gourmandise Bakery.   Mark has been craving this sandwich since the last time we went, 8 months ago: 

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich!

While we were waiting for our food: Sometimes Mark lets me take pictures of him...

A Little Bit of Green in Winter

Back in October I found some seeds I had bought a while ago.  I had some soil from a school project and so I planted a few seeds.  I planted Daisies, Cosmos, Zinnias, and I was most excited about the Chives! A few days later I had cute little green plants for all of the flowers...and the chives never came in.

Left Pot: Chives, Center Pot: Cosmos, Right Pot: Daisies and Zinnias

I'm surprised at how long they have lasted, living on our tiny and cold windowsill.  I'm also surprised at how ridiculous they look 

3 1/2 months later:

The Cosmos just look like a bushy and friendly weed:

The Daisies look like a tangle of stems at the base of the Zinnia with one TINY flower:

And the Zinnia's flower is really pretty...

But it's a little ridiculous how tall it is!  

Are they supposed to be that tall!?  

I've enjoyed having my green friends to keep me company this very cold and snowy winter!

My excuse for neglecting our blog...

Here is a story.  I will claim that this is the reason I have not been blogging as of late.  At least it is what I tell myself.  In my opinion, there are few blogs/blog posts that are exciting without pictures and my ability to capture our life with pictures has been very difficult over the past 6 months!  It will most likely be very boring to all of you but I would still like to record it for my sake because it has been such a battle for me! Here is my very boring, frustrating, long, and eventually victorious story about my battle for a camera...

June 2010: I bought a digital point-and-shoot camera from Sears.  A great little Sony that served me well and took decent pictures and video.  

November 2011: The camera begins to act up.  When I would try to switch modes, the camera would sometimes freak out and jump from video to picture to video to picture to video to picture...and so on for about 30 seconds until it would finally pick one.  The camera still worked fine, did the job, and took great pictures so I wasn't too bothered.

December 2011: I was home for Christmas and I vaguely remembered that when I purchased my camera I had also paid for the Sears extended 2-year warranty.  My mom and I went to Sears and spent a long time there waiting for an employee as they tried to find information on the warranty.  They eventually came back with a pamphlet and told me to call the number on the back. I called the number and the Sears warranty service looked up my name, phone number, and address and told me that because I was not in the system, I must not have purchased the warranty.  

Now, I was PRETTY sure that I had but I could not find any proof of it.  It was a little annoying but like I said, my camera still got the job done with only a little frustration.  

July 2012:  My camera had been getting worse but was still very usable.  Mark and I had been married for a little over a month and in preparation of moving, I was doing lots of organizing.  As I was going through our file box, I found a pile of receipts and in this pile was my receipt for my Sony camera!  This was seriously SUCH a miracle.  On the receipt it showed that I had, in fact, purchased the 2-year warranty.  BUT, it also showed that I had made the purchased EXACTLY 2 years ago in July...just two days later than the day I had found the receipt.  I had two days to act on my warranty before it expired! 

I tried calling Sears to find out where I should take my camera and no one knew.  So I went to the nearest Sears, explained my situation, and they sent me to the Sears repair center just a few miles away.  I turned in my camera and the people at the repair center were super helpful and nice.  I just figured that since it was free, I might as well get rid of this annoying stuff my camera was trying to pull.  They said it should be back within 2 weeks.  

August 2012:  I got an automated voicemail from the repair center saying that my camera was in and ready for pick-up.  I went in and after searching the store for it, the girl discovered that my camera had actually been sent to the WRONG place and had to be re-sent to a place that carried the right parts.  It would be 2 more weeks.  I went in after I got another automated voicemail after another couple of weeks, and my camera was actually still in transit...I would have to wait one more day...I just really wanted my camera back so I could start recording my married life and work on my blog!

I got my camera back and all seemed well for a few days.  It was taking pictures and not freaking out at all.  Then, when I wanted to take a video, I realized that the slider (to change the mode) on the right side would not move at all!  I didn't want to force it and break it so I took it back to the repair center and off went my camera again.  August 31st I sent it off for 2 more weeks.  

September 18, 2012:  I went into the repair center to pick up my camera.  Having learned a lesson, I went out to the car and checked my camera before I drove off. The slider was now sliding...but the mode was not changing.  The camera was stuck in picture-taking mode no matter how much I tried to change it. The repair center apologized and told me to go to the nearest Sears and see if I could get a replacement card from them.  This would give me the worth of my camera toward a new one.  I went to Sears and after talking to 4 different employees, the manager told me he could do nothing for me. I went back to repair center and they apologized and sent my camera off again.  By now, me and all the employees of the repair center were on a first-name basis.  

October 8, 2012:  My camera was back and so I went in to pick it up, again.  Again, I checked to make sure it was actually working, and AGAIN it was not. This time the slider was still sliding but the camera was now stuck in video mode and would not change!  I was so fed up! If it had not been for the kindness and humor of the employees at the repair center I would have been significantly more upset.  They sent my camera back for the FORTH time and told me I would be getting a call for a replacement card.

A few days later, I got that call and another week later I had a Sears replacement card for $130 towards a new camera!  I kept it on the fridge so I would not lose it and when I finally went to look at cameras at Sears I stuck it in my purse.  At Sears I remember pulling it out and showing it to an employee there but I was not ready to make a decision, so I put it back in my purse and went home....and could not find the replacement card anywhere!!!  ****Now, this part is really embarrassing.  I feel ridiculous for having misplaced $130 and was so sick about it.  I felt soooooo stupid.****

I tried calling the replacement card place back, and left them a message explaining that I had lost my card and if possible, could they send me another one?  I got a voicemail from them while I was at work in which the girl said "We got your voicemail...it looks like you have been cleared for a replacement card....and it looks like we sent you one.  If you have any other questions or concerns, please give us a call."   Seriously?  

EIGHT more times would I call and leave messages.  EIGHT more times did I hear their answering machine that said "Leave us a message and we will call you back as soon as possible."  EIGHT more times did I have to repeat my name, phone numer, repair-tech number, and admit my stupidity.  In total, I waited THREE months without getting a single call in return....

January 20th 2013:   Mark and I were talking and he told me to call ONE more time.  I called and left the same message I had left eight times before.  Three hours later, I received a call in return...but missed it because I was sleeping.  I immediately called back and SOMEONE ANSWERED.  I could not believe it....I explained my situation to him and his response?  "Oh of course we can send you another card. It should be there in 5-7 business days."  I told him he had made my day.

So while waiting for the card to arrive in the mail, I did my research and decided on a camera, which happened to be $70 off until Saturday!  Friday, I checked the mail about 7 times...and around 4:00 it appeared in the mail box!  I immediately went to Sears, afraid that if I waited, my luck would cause the replacement card to spontaneously combust into flames.  After talking about cameras with a few very helpful employees, I purchased a new camera!!!  It only took a little over a year...

I know that when we eventually have kids, I will want a good camera.  However, I am no photographer and don't want to be too confused by a camera.  So I purchased a simple SLR camera...the Canon Rebel T3.  I still have a lot to learn about it...but I should be blogging more often now and with pictures!  

There must me opposition in all things, right?  If it hadn't have been for that crazy frustrating battle, I don't think I would be so excited over this new camera!  

Our New Church Calling

Mark and I finally received our first calling we have had since we have been married.  We were called a few weeks ago and were able to start today at church!  I was talking to a friend in the ward about a month ago and was expressing how we still had not received a calling.  Being in the primary presidency, she told me that our names were definitely mentioned in some meetings and would be getting a calling soon.  I told her how much Mark loves kids and how good he is with them- how we would LOVE a primary calling. However, I also expressed how something like nursery would be difficult and hectic and I would love a chance to bond with some kids who would actually listen and learn from us.  

Well, of course we all know what happened.  We got called to be nursery workers!!! Despite my previous lack of interest, I was actually super happy when we got the calling.  I figure that being in nursery will be a great way to satisfy my baby-cravings and simultaneously work as great birth control!  Our ward is MASSIVE and has over 600 records in it and lots and lots and lots of babies.  Therefore, there is a junior and a senior nursery and we will be working in the junior one with 18 months-2.5 years.  

Today was fun and interesting.  Luckily, we had another couple with us today and only about 10 kids. During play time it was fun to look around the room, wonder where all the kids were, look behind me and find that about 6 little boys sitting around and crawling on Mark.  Most of them were very well behaved and a joy to interact with but two hours in that room makes time fly and sucks every ounce of energy out of me!  It will be a new experience to go to church and only listen to a message for one of the three hours.  We are so excited for this opportunity and know it will help us grow in so many ways.  

 And hopefully, I won't ever get kicked in the ribs again...

Mark the TA

I took Mark a lunch today and visited him on campus during his TA office hours.  It is such a weird feeling every time I go back on campus.  It is so strange to feel so unfamiliar with such a familiar place.  While on campus, part of me feels like I have been there every day this past year, while part of me feels like everyone around me knows I'm an intruder.  It's nice to be done with school but I definitely do miss it.

In the lunch for Mark I brought a string cheese, but not any string cheese.  This string cheese is one we have been saving since we opened the pack weeks ago, saving it for when we could eat it together...

Yes. This is real life.

Then, being me, I insisted that we get a picture of my man as a BYU Chem TA.  

Who knew something so simple could be such a struggle....

Aw, there we go!

Mark the TA: