August 2012

August has been a crazy busy month. Matt finished summer school, and got his 2 weeks break for the year. Poor guy. And we got to move upstairs :) I am not a gopher and I am not meant to live underground. Things are dark and cold under there and hubs didn't fit in the doorways.

We still haven't really had a chance to "get settled", Matts football is currently the main attraction on our bookcase, but we are getting there. And when we do "settle" I am sure we will love it.

Matts parents and Melissa came down for a dental conference the middle of August and we had a great time with them. It was so awesome to have them here to help us move. I almost died getting our mattress down the stairs last year at this time... k that was dramatic. I just stood at the top of the stairs and flopped my body weight on the thing trying to squeeze it through the stairwell- all the while yelling out order to Matt. Either way I knew getting that beast up the stairs would be worse, so it was awesome to have Matts dad here.

We ate a lot of delicious foods that weekend as well. I tell you they spoil us every time. Also I can not get enough of the Taco Amigo real peach shakes. Sinful. And they are only here for a minute... every time I have one I worry that it might be my last and start planning the next. This is how people become obese.

We knew we wanted to go somewhere for our anniversary. And we had "decided" on so many different places. In the end we found ourselves Arizona. At the end of August. Ya we did.
Grandmas response to our plan: "Im not sure why in the world you would want to go to Sedona- it sure didnt turn me on".

But we had such a great time- it was so nice to get out of "The Bubble" and spend a full week with the hubs. Just us. It had never happened before.

Saturday

We drove forever. And im sure we saw every possible landscape possible.

Matt wanted to stop in Panquitch for a "Sand-quitch". We  just had a pizza.

We made a dam stop at the dam visitor center .

We checked in to our "cottage". It was really a trailer painted with red sandy stuff I think... but it was pretty cute. And we had a pool right beside us!

Sunday
Going to random wards (not in Utah) is my favorite thing. Matt witnessed a fight in his class and in Relief Society the "new toy" aka the keyboard that played hymns by itself caused quite the uproar and took 5 minutes to get started.

After lunch we decided to go for a drive. Sedona is surrounded by the most amazing red mountains (?) you have ever seen.
Let me explain the cheesyness of these next few pictures. You know how pinterest is plastered with all anniversary pictures ideas? I wanted in on that, I wanted in bad. So a few weeks ago I rounded up all the supplies and we made a lil chalkboard. In my hopeful mind we are going to take pictures with it every year until we die. Its already pretty dinged up from falling into a cactus- so who knows if it will even make it to year 5. Every time we got out of the car Matt asked "is the plaque coming". Usually it was. He was a good sport. I know its silly- stop judging me.

As it was Anniversary Eve we watched our wedding videos that night while we ate dinner. And then Matt gave me these earrings. They are my birthstone and match the ring my parents gave me on my 16th birthday.

Monday

Monday was Phoenix day. More driving. Yay. Also- I had no idea those huge cactus-es (cacti? Always so confusing) they have in cartoons actually existed. They do and they are everywhere and I love them.

First stop- Camelback Mountain. I had heard it was a must. After some research and knowing we only had one day to experience all things Phoenix we decided to go on the wimpiest of hikes, but it was still awesome.

Then we went here for an amazing lunch. Matt is uber-harsh on all things American that try to be Mexican, and even he said it was legit.

Then it was shopping time. Hours and hours of shopping. We hit up the famous "Last Chance". Matt got more things than me which just made me mad. Places like that stress me out a little. There were hundreds of bargain thirsty women on the hunt. I feel like when we have to block of isles so the shelves can get restocked we have a problem. As we were walking through the show isle I say something along the lines of how stupid this is, my stress levels rising, and just wanting a stupid pair of toms. Just than a war-torn girl looks up and says, here have these. A real angel this girl was. Just my size and everything. Then I was done with the chaos. 

We headed tot he outlet mall and within a few hours decided we were done with the shopping and ready for a movie. A Monday matinee, neither of us could remember if we had ever done such a thing. We went to see Brave and were the only ones in the entire theater.

Then we headed to the Rainforest Cafe for Anniversary dinner.

Apparently Matt was super excited? scared? trying to stay awake? super sick of pictures probably

Then we went to a Diamondbacks game. We are nowhere near baseball people, but it was a real Phoenix-esque activity.

Turns out the Diamondbacks are terrible at their sport, and by the time it was about halfway over we were kind of done. But for some reason neither of us wanted to admit it. Finally Matt says "If we go right now we could probably stop and get some cheesecake on the way home". That was basically him saying lets leave right this moment. So we did.

Tuesday

We were exhausted. We had a lovely little breakfast on our porch and then got locked out. Then we went for a few laps in the pool. And took a lot of ridiculous underwater pictures- dont worry I will spare you of those.

Then we headed up "Oak Creek Canyon" O my gosh. The most twisty, turny, beautiful little drive you have ever seen.

A squirrel is what he is spiting at. Poor guy.
 

This is getting to be a stupid long post. Ill speed things up.

Wednesday

Another tasty breakfast on the porch... another day being locked out of our cottage. Oops. Payroll never sleeps... or waits for no one...or whatever the kids are saying these days. So I worked Wednesday morning. With a few swimming breaks. And then a we went for a stroll in downtown Sedona. A cute little place.. but super touristy, and I can see why granny had failed to be turned on by it.

I realize that 90% of our pictures look like this. We decided if we ever get rich we will hire a nice little photographer to come with us on all of our trips. Actually we were thinking of bringing Nicole along with us in case that never happens. 

All the cool tourists go up to the airport to watch the sunset, so we decided to join them- since we could afford that adventure. It was cloudy (hey there monsoon season) so the sunset was less than neat but the rocks were still beautiful.

Thursday

Dont worry, were getting there, we leave on Friday.

Thursday was Grand Canyon day. We loaded up the plaque and we were off. For another very long drive.

Turns out you can walk right out too the edge of the canyon, and off it if you like. I was freaking out the entire time, and Matt was trying to push my buttons. Our children will never see the Grand Canyon, I refuse to take them.

hahaha Panorama fail

  

We waited like 10 years to get a picture here. And Matt closed his eyes in both tries. nbd.

So close the the edge. Matt is holding my hand as he took this. Just in case.

Kissing in the rain, at the Grand Canyon. Ba da bam! Dramatic no?

Friday

We headed back home, and left pretty early because Mom and Josh were there waiting for us.

We spent time with our family that weekend. And Saturday Mom Nicole and I made 2 batches of peach jam. So domestic right.

 

Mom was here for most of the week and we had a blast with her. My parents spoil us too. We are lucky lucky to be able to have such great families who come visit us and who we have so much fun with.

Overall- super successful week in Arizona. And successful  month as well. Matts back in school. Its going to be a tough semester. But somehow the end of the tunnel is almost visible (perhaps a false, unhealthy, sense of hope). He takes the DAT in the spring, and I have already decided that we are going to go to Dental school in Phoenix. And have one of those big cartoon cacti (?) in our yard.