Watalope

Ever heard of a sharing shack? There is one by grannies house and is a little hut people either drop off fruits and vegetables that they have too much up, or (in our case) pick up peoples extras (or garbage). Every time we pass the sharing shack Matt and I stop. (Thats where the decorative gord came from). So yesterday we stop and I get back into the car with this little beauty.

Matt, clearly flabbergasted, asks "What is that crazy melon you brought into the car?". We decide it is a Watalope. Half watermelon, half cantaloupe.

On we go with our evening and head to the grocery store. (Where we got a 10lbs. bag of potatoes for 98 cents!!! Its amazing how excited that made us). As we walk around we see our Watalopes twins... and learn he is a Tuscan Cantaloupe.

Back to the car we go. We get in. And O, the smell. Our little Watalope was stinking up the car with its overripe odors. Were driving home with the windows open, Matt holding the watalope, and me begging him to throw it out the window. He refuses, for safety reasons.

We then dwell on all the silly ways to kill Watalope.

I feel weird talking so much about a cantaloupe so I will skip to the end. We ended up throwing him off a bridge on BYU campus. I threw the little guy like a shot put right off that bridge. And it felt good. There were lots of people walking around for 10 at night... so it felt a little risky to cause an explosion of melon on their walk way.

A immature 17 year old activity? yes.

Matt is on the look out to see if we show up in the Daily Universe Police Beat.

My Matty

Just like I suspected... being Mrs. Matthew Lowry is a dream.

Day 1 - Perfect. My stress outs are not secret and Matt had been preparing me mentally for something going wrong on our wedding day. Because something always does right? wrong. I have the best familIES in the world. And some fantastic friends who all helped so much to pull it off. We didn't get married till 2.... lots of people thought that was because that was the only time left at the temple. Do they not know my mother? That time was booked a good week before we were even engaged the middle of April. No, I just don't wanna wake up at 4am to get my hair all did up.

Matt and I drove out to the Temple together, and of course got their early. Which was so nice because we got to spend some sweet extra minutes together. I love the Temple so much. I love that I can be with Matt for the rest of FOREVER. Such a huge amazing blessing.

I always knew that if I ever walked out of a Temple after getting married it would be awkward a heck. What do all those watching eyes expect? I am not really sure. But I do know that I was right in my perdition. I was awkward. But thrilled. So it didn't matter. We had a ton of special people there to help welcome us into the world as newly weds.

After a few (some might say a lot) of pictures we hurried back to Lethbridge for the Partay. What I pictured? No. A bit better. I had a blast.

I have always heard people say O it doesn't matter if you show up at _________s wedding, they won't even know you were there. FALSE. It was so so so nice to have friends and family together. Haliaka and Courtney (My bridesmaids) both drove forever to get there... and my Granny and her husband and an Aunt and Uncle and my cousin Haley and her husband Trevor all came up for the event. Not a short drive... especially when your trapped in a rental van together. And Bud is driving. I owe them. I got to meet a ton of Matts family as well which was awesome after hearing so many stories. Overall... perfect day, fantastic people, sealed to the love of my life. Success.

But... that was only Day 1. Honeymoon time.

We were at The Cliff at Snowbird. Yet another gracious gift by my parents. We got there at 4 am. Gross right? We walk up to the front desk.

Front Desk Man: Can I help you? (with a tone of confusion)
Me: Yes, we are here to check in. (with a big tone of excitement)
Front Desk Man...in his sassiest tone possible: Really, because I don't have anyone else left to check in tonight. Are you sure you are at the right place?
Me: Yes. Im sure. The papers are in the car.
Me: snotty rude 4am glare.
Matt: Calming pat on my back
FD Man: Well...

Idiot found out reservation. We found out that "The Cliff" is apparently a little classier than Super 8. Everyone else there was retired and not on their way to be poor students.

We unload our stuff... and Matt goes to give FD Man the key for the Valet parking guy in the morning (Classy huh). The entire time FD Man apologizes for not making us feel welcome and judging and blah blah blah.

The rest of the week was fabulous. We went on a Zipline and Alpine Slide (MAttski still has some bumps to prove it) and one of those crazy trampoline jumpy things (As uncomfortable as they look.)

We rode up a tram to like 11 000ft i think? At the top of a mountain. It was glorious. Mostly because I didn't have to walk up it :) There were gophers EVERYWHERE. But all the signs called them "potguts". Random. And really funny.

And then Matt rode a Mechanical Bull. Hilarious. I hooted and hollered the entire time.

Friday we went to grannies and met mom and dad and opened all the registry presents that had been ordered online. From here on out Christmas might be a bit of a let down. It was glorious.

Since then we have done a lot of unpacking. buying. setting up. planning.

MAtt started school Monday, and I started work. The days when we had nothing to do and could stay with each other all day long passed WAY too quick.

But real life with Matty is just as fun Honeymoon with Matty.

He is wayyy better than I am being married.

For instance..... yesterday I pull up to the house and there he is waiting for me outside! Heart melts. I blabber on about this as we go into the house. I turn the corner into the living room. There sits lover boy at the table with dinner all made an waiting. WOW.

.....today, I get home early from work and think now is the time to shine and my wifely duties. We end up with too much pasta in a pot, a burnt cookie sheet, and apparently I fried up a decorative GORD to feed my new husband. 20 Points Matt.

Conclusion: The last week and a half has been the best week and a half I have had in the last 22.5 years. Also I love my HUSBAND. More everyday. And I am so happy he looks right over all my sillinesses. Like feeding him gords.

Were going to the zoo zoo zoo

There has been lots of planning and choosing and spray painting and gluing and picture taking and... it was time for a break.

The obvious getaway... The Zoo.

We have been planning to do this for months... like 4 of them (were children). I was super excited and sang the "Were going to the zoo" song on a regular basis for the week before. Ill admit it, the night before I had my grumpy pants on. In a big way. I was just pulling into my driveway from Matts house when he called. "Summer Sausage or Turkey Breast?" In yet another attempt to please his bridezilla Matty was up at 1 in the morning making our lunches for the next day. Heart melts, grumpy pants fly off, zoo-excitement returns.

As a rule, all great adventure days begin with a fatty breakfast sandwich.(how terrible is it that food has such control of my emotions?)

We get to the Zoo... and notice that all of Calgary had decided to join us there. It was CRAZY BUSY.

How awkward is this picture? We wanted so badly to get a picture with a Giraffe. Harder said than done... especially with dozens of children flocking around our feet.

We both have peacock radar on these days... the reception is peacock themed and thus we buy anything with a peacock feather on it. Meeting Mr. Peacock in real life was super exciting... maybe too exciting? I lost control of my emotions, started chasing the bird to quickly and Matt had to bring me back to life with a disapproving "Tiffany!"

Is it sad that our favorite part of the Zoo was the butterfly room? Seriously so cool! There were thousands of them everywhere. I walked around with my finger out hoping one would land there... it didn't, but Matt almost got him to land on his head.

Around lunch time we decided to hit up an elephant show. So while we ate our tasty turkey sandwiches we learnt all sorts of fun elephant factoids. (Like that they have giant fat pillows in their feet and dont make a sound when they walk- glorious right?) After the show we went and got right up close and personal with the elephants.

When you first walk into the Zoo there is the "Jurassic" area on one side and the "Canadian" area on the other. As a child we would always run past those to get to Africa, Australia ect. Matt and I did the same thing. And just like when I was a child we ended on the Canadian section. And Im not sure why. Its kinda lame. They have an exhibit of "ground squirrels". Really were going to devote room to a gopher? No, the gopher needs to be shot. The bear was alright... but Waterton provides a better view.

I had set some very high hopes for the Zoo. Extremely high. And they were surpasses - very rare. It was so fun to get away for the day and not HAVE to do one thing. It has been a weird summer... less summery more weddingy. I am happy about that, but it was nice to switch it up for a day.

Also, we are getting married in 11 days. Were almost to the single digits people!!

Jellystone

I had last saturday off work. Yay, sleep in! No, not sleep in. I hear mother coming down to my room... she opens the door and says "wake up were going to Jellystone!" and walks out of my room. Understandably confused I yell "WHAAAAT is Jellystone". "It's where Yogi Bear lives" and then she runs upstairs. O, right. Of course, Yogi Bear.

Once I came to my partial senses I knew were were headed to Montana for a Smith Family Hike. Mother loves Glacier, smith family hikes... and mostly the huckleberry ice cream.

It just isn't summer in Southern Alberta until you have been on a hike.
We went down to Glacier last weekend for a hike mother described as a "quick 20 min walk around the lake". 3 hours later it occurred to me I have never been told the truth about a looming hike. But it was a good time.

Smith girls in a lake.

Is that a bear? No no its pops. Cooling himself in a swampy stream. "This is what we did on the farm"

I might have been misled about the a adventure I was taken on... and my father might have ate all of his lunch by the time we were 10 min in - and then started eyeing ours...and we probably bought all the huckleberry ice cream in the park (making for some disappointed non-smith children)... and Nicole and I likely bickered in the backseat for an hour while we waited at the boarder... but overall a successful trip to America.

Chickens

Matt started back at the chicken factory today. Which is a happy thing. A summer job is kind of an important thing for both of us this year. Downside... I work 9 am - 4 pm, Fiance works 3pm - 12am. The only window of hangout time is a bit on the undesirable side.

I think to myself its ok... its only for 47 (47!!!!) days. And then we will be married and see each other all of the time.

O. Wait. No... we will not. He will be working to get smart like Einstein and I will be working to get rich like Bill Gates.

So I decide this is probably how life is going to be for about the next 45 years.

I guess it makes those little windows of hangout time all the more precious.

For now... I return to listening to our wedding playlist and looking at our pictures. I wish that could pass for only slightly pathetic.

Stats

June 22 2011 means....

Knowledge of Matt Lowrys existence for 8 years
Friends for 5 years
Dating for 7 months
Engaged for 2 months, 1 week

Wedding in 1 month, 28 days, 16 hours

Excitement level.... through the roof.
Stress level.... also rising.

Also... that I have become a complete cheese-ball. Sorry.

Little Sister

I am starting to realize that change is what life is. Don't get too settled into any stage. My once fuzzy headed, slightly chubby faced, little kid smelling sister is grown. It was kind of mind blowing to watch her go through the many graduating rituals. As we have got older it has seemed that the 4 year age gap has shrunk. Graduation weekend I feel like it was eliminated.

Nicole amazes me. I find her wittier, and smarter than most. I can no longer blame her academic success on my teaching her the Alphabet before she could walk. It is very possible this girl will take over the world.


Our little family is going through so many changes. So exciting, and I love them. But sometimes they kinda just make me wanna cry.