Holiday Recap!!!

We have been really busy this holiday season. We had a wonderful thanksgiving and Christmas. Over the last few weeks Tyler and I painted our bedroom. We both wanted to do something a little different, and I think we got the look we were aiming for. I know it is not a style many may like, but we absolutely love how it turned out. Our next ambitious project will be painting the rest of the house one room at a time. We also put up some address numbers on our house. Slowly we are making a home one day at a time. I love working on projects with Tyler it's a great time to spend together away from work and school.
With both families being within an hour we have two thanksgiving dinners. Tyler's family started a new tradition this year by going to the Tucson Country Club for dinner. The food was extra tasty and it was really nice not cooking or cleaning after the fact. My family stuck with the traditional packed house and cooking until the kitchen catches on fire.

For christmas we left the dogs in the wonderful hands of our neighbors. It is really crazy how much you can worry. They have been sick with a stomach virus called Geardia ever since we got them and after fifteen visits to the vet and several bottles of medicine they are still sick. I just hope they get better soon because it's not very good to my pocket book. We couldn't wait to get home and play with the little guys. My mom decided that because we don't have kids yet and she spent most of the Christmas money on the grandkids that she would buy some toys for our dogs. This was really nice because a couple days ago we bought extra tough dog toys and they had them ripped up within an hour.

Just in case you noticed. Yes Tyler did shave his head. I think it turned out really good.
I was offered to go back and work on Post over Christmas break that was really nice because the temps get payed desently I am still working as a nanny. I really enjoy my job. It is really fun.
This last picture is for people who don't believe it snows in Arizona. My cousin Sharon in Alaska tried to explain to me what a real Icicle looks like.I would just like to show her that I have seen them before. If you look closely in the following picture you might see one.
Over the Holidays we also had the chance to see some old friends at a wedding. It was the Saturday before our 2 year anniversary and we were getting ready to celebrate in Bisbee we wanted to walk around some shops and go through some tours. Tyler's friend John called and said he had just realized that Tyler never got an invitation, but he was getting married that morning. So, we changed our plans and headed to Tucson. We had a great time. John and his new wife will be living here close to us in a couple weeks because he just got excepted into the Captains training course on base. It will be nice to have some more friends close by.
There was one part of the Christmas that was not fun. That was last night we were sitting on the coach at my moms house and I spilled an entire glass of water on our new laptop. It started working again a couple hours ago, but I am really nervous to see if it stops working again. To bad we didn't buy a warranty.Today we spent the afternoon helping my brother move. It was nice because there were a lot of people to help. The holidays were really nice, but it was really nice to be back home, and play some games and watch a couple movies. My mom got us Planet Earth for Christmas I haven't seen them and I am excited to watch them.

Real Smart

Not to be crazy dog people and do a lot of posts on them but we thought this was pretty funny. So the dogs like to try and get stuff off the kitchen counter but they're too small to reach anything for now, and pretty much yelling at them and tying them up hasn't deterred them a bit from doing it. So yesterday we bought some little gates to keep them out of the kitchen. We thought they might jump it when they're older but that it would work for now. It took Reggie a few hours to figure out how to beat it.

Too Cold To Go Outside? Problem Solved

Liz didn't want me putting up anymore pictures of the dogs but I can't help it, they're just so gosh darn cute!

Gila Valley Temple

On March 18, 2010

The Gila Valley Temple is scheduled for opening. Since we try to go every couple of months the 4 1/2 hour drive one way will be cut in half. I can't wait. Hopefully we will be able to go to the temple at least once a month from now on. My birthday is March 21 what a great present.

October

This month consisted of many things. Halloween was a lot of fun. Tyler and I spent the morning painting trying to finish our porch and trim. White is much better then Pink. We then spent time together carving pumpkins. We both did a pretty good job if I must say so myself. Tyler's Skull took a lot longer to carve it was more complicated then mine. I was really excited to carve a wolf because I have always liked them since I was really little.
After the carving stopped the real fun began. Here in town there are several community Haunted Houses. Tyler had never been to a haunted house and I was eager to begin the night.
We went to four different places. Two were scary, one had potential but lacked a little the other one is another story in itself. At first Tyler wasn't scared but then once things started to jump squirm and scream he no longer wanted to be the first one to go around the scary corners. I didn't mind much. Mostly I went first with him behind me except for one place these creepers were chasing us. I got really scared and I just took of running. I did get really scared on several occasions. One Haunted House was very unusual. It was called the House of Hell once they got you in they tried to show different real life situations, murder, drugs, suicide, abortion, and abuse. All of these were acted out during the haunted house. Then when you entered the last room the lights were out they showed a video of Jesus on the cross, and then they prayed for our salvation to help us find Jesus if we were trapped in any of those situations. I must say I had never been so played in my life. Their motives were very deceiving. It was plain weird.
The day Before Halloween

My niece Destiny is in the marching band in High School. It was the last football game, anid we decided to go watch her. I was able to get some friends together from high school. I must say I had a blast. Riquel and I have been almost in separable since we were twelve. Eddie I havn't known as long. Mckay left right before we took the picture. It was great to see my high school buds on the old turf. Also that night we were babysitting for a friend of ours who went out of town for a funeral. I watch kids all the time. That's my job. Bryan wouldn't stop running off every chance he got. Up and down the bleachers, and around the snack bar.
Disney on Ice
My family all went to watch Disney on Ice a couple weeks ago. I loved it. Tyler thought it was ok. The production included; cars, tinker bell, little mermaid, and the lion king. The princess Pre-show was pretty neat also.

Third Place

We took third place on our co-ed softball team. This was our first season together as a team and going into the tournament we were in second to last place. We both had a lot of fun.

Puppy Fights

New House

Ok so here are a few house pictures. The yard is pretty barren right now. When we first got it there were weeds all around the house and in the yard two feet high but thanks to me on the weedeater, liz raking and liz's dad on the bobcat we got it taken care of.

So this is the front of the house. The tree has just been pruned by elizabeth using her brand new pruning sheers. If you look closely near my shadow you can see Reggie and Malfoy trotting along. I had just taught them to come and gave them treats each time they did. After that they wouldn't stop following me. They want to eat all the time.


Here we have our backyard and garage/shed. At the moment it is fenceless.


Here is our family room/dining room/kitchen. Its kind of messy right now with the move and dogs. If you want to play a finding game, here are the items to find in the picture: a bag of puppy pads, a used puppy pad, Jesus, a tool kit, toilet paper and an air freshener.

New House, New Family Members and a trip

Its been a little while since we last updated our blog. We have both been very busy with school, work and the very long and painful process of buying a house. We moved into our house just over a week ago. We haven't taken any pictures of it but we should post some in the next few days. I took a trip to Quebec City, Canada for three days while Liz had the privilege of closing on the house while I was gone and she did a great job. We just adopted two new members of the Nelson Family, this is Reggie and Malfoy. They are weimaraner brothers, 8 weeks old. Its hard to see in the pictures but they have light blue eyes while they are puppies and they later turn to silver.
Here are some pictures from Canada. It was very pretty. I've never been to France but I imagine it looks a lot like this.

My Beautiful Trip to Alaska

Last week was spent in Alaska with my mom as my travel companion. We had a wonderful time. We went up to go to my cousins wedding (which turned out beautiful.) We spent several days planning for her big day, and several days touring around the beautiful state. We went to the Anchorage Zoo where I saw many animals I had never seen before. Seal, Eagle, reindeer, ox, mountain goat, moose, and moose were some of the animals. It was pretty neat. We also drove to Soldotna where the wedding was held. The drive was spectacular, and I was able to see a glacier from a short distance. We had the chance to go on a day cruise around Fox Island, which was a great addition to our trip. Although I didn't see any whales on the cruise I did spot otter's in the ocean, and see lions which was pretty cool. I really missed Tyler while I was away, but that just means I will have to travel back there someday, and I don't mind that one bit. Before the cruise we visited the see life center where I was able to touch different sea life including several different star fish, and sea corral. It was an adventure of a lifetime. In Soldotna I had a live incounter with a very large moose. He was just walking in someone's driveway. They really are exstremely large animals. The sun really shines 24 hours a day. It took me several nights before I got used to that. When we arrived the first day it was 3:30 at night and the sun was bright in the sky. WIERD! The weather was perfect throughout our entire trip. I would incourage anyone who gets the chance to travel Alaska to take it. I learned a lot about the state that is only celebrating it's 50th year. Everyone we met were adventurous people who were very self reliant upon the land. It is a wonderful state that many people know little about. I am glad I was able to experience first hand the Alaska. One thing that I thought was really crazy is the amount of people. The enitre state of Alaska only has 600,000 people and 300,000 of them live in Anchorage. Their are more people in Tucson then their entire population. We were also able to spend time on the Temple grounds it was very gorgious. It was on a Monday so the Temple was closed but I was glad we were able to see it.

IT'S OFFICIAL, I'M A SUNDEVIL!!!

After 10 weeks of waiting, I've finally been accepted into the Master's program for Software Engineering at Arizona State. I just added my first class and am pretty excited. When I first applied I was really excited and then after about the 6th week of waiting for a reply I started to hope that I wouldn't get accepted so that I wouldn't have to go back to school. I've also been renounced by some as a traitor and a Scumdevil since I just graduated from the University of Arizona. I do agree that I am crossing over to the dark side and look forward to it.
Liz and I have also begun shopping for our first house. Its scary and exciting at the same time because you never know what you're really getting. We may have one tomorrow or in four months depending on how things go. Hopefully tomorrow!! but we'll post it when we do.

Tombstone and Mount Graham

We spent the last two weekends visiting Tombstone, AZ and with family at Mt. Graham.


At the Cemetary

Just thinkin'


Shootout at the O.K. Corral

Eatin' s'mores with Preston around the campfire

Recent Trips

We've been slacking a little with our blogging so here is a little update of the last month or so. Liz finished up her semester at school. I went on a trip to Las Vegas for a week. Liz wasn't able to come with me because of finals. I forgot the camera most of the time that I was there except when I went to eat at a mexican restaurant with my boss. The restaurant had a couple of fake horses outside so we decided to get a few shots with them.


I did a little gambling and won $200 but lost $700. Just kidding I played a few slot machines and only lost $5. Then last week, Liz came with me to Hampton, VA. While I was out working, Liz toured the area around the hotel snapping photos. We had a hotel on the bay by a marina so she got a lot of shots of boats.


The last day we got to go to Virginia beach and play in the ocean. I buried Liz in the sand and gave her a huge body with a long crab arm.

Homemade Treadmill!

Gonzo spent over twenty minutes playing on his homemade treadmill. It was funny watching him.

A Very Fun Weekend!!!

This weekend we spent a wonderful time at Parker Canyon Lake. We camped, ate smores around our campfire, and hiked. It was a blast. It was a beautiful night. The sky was very dark, and we could see all the stars clearly. We really enjoyed sitting around the campfire, and relaxing. That night I was freezing. I don't like waking Tyler when he is in such a deep sleep. After shivering for a couple hours I woke him up and tried to squeeze into his one man sleeping bag. He had stolen all the heat, and my sleeping bag was not doing the trick. I didn't fit too well, but atleast I wasn't cold anymore. I think it was in the 30's. When we woke up the next morning we hiked around the lake. It was very pretty. The lake didn't look large from where we were camped, but once around the back side of the lake it seemed to never end. It was a lot larger than it looked. We have been planning this camping trip for a long time now, and it was definetly worth it.

Tyler's Oreo Blizzard

I just got back from a week in Virginia just outside of D.C. Overall it was a pretty boring trip. Liz stayed at home with the hermit crabs while I was in meetings during the day and wining and dining at night (well at least dining). While there I realized how boring trips can really be without my little buddy Liz there. And I did feel bad about eating out for every meal while she was home living on turkey sandwiches and mac and cheese. So last night we went out to a nice restaurant together. I've realized though that eating out gets old real quick. It's also very fattening.
My first trip out to Virginia I ate like a fat kid in a candy store and put on five pounds. So this time I had learned my lesson and ate light. I even ordered a salad 2 times which I'd never done before and found out that they can be quite delightful.
I also experienced my first real big snow storm where it snowed 12 inches the first night in Virginia. I would have gone out and rolled around in the snow but I didn't want people looking at me funny. Overall I'm not in love with traveling but its good to break up the routine and remind me how great it is to be home.