Grand Canyon Trip

All my life I have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. I have seen so many pictures and documentaries, but nothing prepared me for just how amazing it really is. Pictures do not do it justice, especially my pictures.

I took almost 300 pictures (in one day) of the Grand Canyon, I’ve narrowed this post down to some of my favorites, although I wish I could post them all. I included a picture of Ty and our backpack, even though we were only there for one day it was packed extremely full, and I admit now that I did pack things that I didn’t need, like my GameBoy with all its games. In my defense you never know when you need to help Zelda out of a jam. Also in this collage you will see that we found a Hobbit home, the little door was located in the Watch Tower.

I love climbing trees, I guess it is something I never grew out of.

This is the Watch Tower, Ty and I never really read anything about this place but it is amazing. You’re able to climb to the top and see the most spectacular views. On a side note, there is a cute little gift/snack shop next door, and by this time of day Ty and I were beat so ice cream sounded amazing. For $3 dollars they gave us a super small cup, but it was self serve so Ty loaded up the ice cream and then snuck back for seconds. I only wish I had a picture, we definitely got our monies worth!

Here are just some more scenic pictures of the Grand Canyon. We were on the South Rim by the way.

After our fun day exploring we spent the evening in the little Grand Canyon city, which is about 5 minutes away from the national park. They have a cool IMAX theater that shows a 40 minute movie on the canyon. We decided to go, and although the movie had some cool shots, it wasn’t that grand (ha ha ha). It went through the history of the Grand Canyon, but the acting was cheesy and it jumped around a lot. We left early the next day so we could meet up with Ty’s family in Lake Powell. Along the way we drove through Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. It was fun to stop at the little markets they had along the roads, but it was sad seeing all their houses along the way, most looked pretty run down.

I forgot to mention that before we left for our trip we had to stop by Tatooine. Tyler and I are big Star Wars fans and finally saved up enough to make it to this alien planet! Just kidding, this was actually the California sand dunes that we saw on our way. It really does remind me of Tatooine though.

We had a great time at the South Rim, and really would recommend that everyone should visit. Next time we are going to plan a little more time and go on the river rafting trip, the helicopter rides, ride horses along the Colorado river, and tour the old Indian ruins. There is so much to do there!

Thanks Kevin & Heather

If it weren't for our friends Kevin & Heather we wouldn't have been able to go on our amazing trip this past week. Tyler has been working very hard, so when the opportunity came up for us to go to Lake Powell we couldn't pass it up. We just got home tonight, so I will do a couple posts about our trip later, but in the meantime I just wanted to thank Kevin and Heather for taking such good care of Charlie while we were away! I know he had a great time with you, and especially with Brie, we'll have to arrange some play dates for them. I also wanted to say thanks for sending me emails and pictures while I was away, it was nice to see how much fun Charlie was having. It is good to be home and even better to have Charlie back with us.

What Year Do You Belong In?

A fun little quiz....

You Belong in 1983

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?

Last Day

Today is my parent's last day at the MTC (Missionary Training Center), I can't believe how quickly the week has gone by, I'm sure its been even faster for them. They have really enjoyed their time there, but it has been a lot of work and they've had a lot of homework as well. I was so sad I wasn't able to go home to Utah to see them off, but I am looking forward to a trip out to North Carolina. They found out that they will be living in Whiteville, NC. I hear its pretty close to Camp Lejeune, which is where Ty and I would be stationed if we get sent to NC. Anyway, my parents will be reporting to their mission next Friday, the 26th and I know they are anxious to get started.

I love this picture! They look so cute and happy.

High School Tag

Your High School's full name: Jordan High School

High School Colors: Maroon & Gray

School Mascot: Digger Dan (beetdiggers)

Did you date anyone from your school? After I graduated

It's Friday night where are you: hanging with friends, or working

Were you a party animal: No

Were you considered a flirt: I didn’t really develop my flirty skills until after HS

Were you in band, orchestra, choir, or other group: No, very non-musical

Were you in any clubs: None that I would want to admit to

Did you ever get expelled or suspended: No, but I did get kicked out of a couple classes

Can you still sing the fight song: No, and I couldn't when I was in school either

Who were your favorite teachers: Coach May & Mr. Ekins

Where did you sit during lunch: wherever, didn’t really have a set table

Who was your prom date? Jerome

If you could go back and re-do high school would you: H No

Were you a nerd? “were”… I still am.

Were you on any varsity teams? No

Where did you go senior skip day? Hmm, wasn’t everyday senior skip day?

Have you gained some weight since then? No, I think I’ve lost some.

What do you remember about Graduation: Getting my gown stuck in the chair


Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I did attend, it was fun seeing everyone again. I wish I had more time to talk to more people, the night was kind of hectic.

I tag anyone who went to high school...

New Season

I love The Biggest Loser, it is so fun to see how much they change throughout the show, the end results are always amazing. I think it is a very motivating show, and it gets me wanting to work out as well. Its fun to see the different challenges they have to go through, but you also learn a lot about what to eat and how to exercise. It really changes peoples lives for the better, which you really cant say for most shows on TV. It starts this September 16th, so if you haven't watched it before, I encourage you to watch it now!

I have only seen the previews for Privileged, but it looks really good. I love the girl in it, JoAnna Garcia. She use to be on Reba but I didn't recognize her at all until I looked up the show. She kind of reminds me of Amy Adams, I swear they could be twins. Anyway, this is about a girl who goes to work as a tutor for some spoiled rich girls, it looks like it might be kind of fun so I'm excited to check it out.

So, I have been looking for a new talk show to get into. I'm not a fan of Oprah and Ellen kind of drives me crazy, so I was totally excited to see that Bonnie Hunt is starting her own show. I've enjoyed her movies and think she is pretty witty. I've watched a few of her shows and I think it has a lot of promise. She seems like a really genuine person, who also has good standards. I'm excited to the show take off.

Tyler and I LOVE The Office, I think it might be Ty's all time favorite show. We just finished watching Season 4 and we can hardly wait for Season 5 to start. The characters are so much fun, and we've really gotten attached to their stories. I love how normal the all seem, just like people you would really meet at work. I guess Michael is a bit extreme, but I think deep down he has a good heart. Again, we can't wait for this show to start!

Okay, so Heros is my new favorite Drama (sorry Lost). I absolutely love this show! The characters and their powers are amazing, I love superheros so its so nice having a whole show dedicated to all sorts of different Heros. The villains are extreme and totally creep me out, I have no idea if The Company is good or bad, but I'm still leaning towards them being bad. If you havent been watching this show you are totally missing out. I really am so anxious for season 3 to start!

Okay, who doesn't love Survivor? Watching people slowly waste away, perform in crazy challenges, lie, cheat and steal. Its awesome! I got into this series pretty late, but I'm totally hooked now. I love Jeff Probst, and wish that he and Jennifer Aniston would get together (I just think they'd make a cute couple....). I'm excited to see this new season and Jeff says this one has a little romance as well, so that will be fun to watch!

I'm still deciding about Chuck, but I have to admit I think I like it. Its about this totally average guy who also has a photographic memory. His friend sends him a disc or something with all this "spy" info on it, of course he remembers everything on it and so the FBI has to send a special team out to protect Chuck and along the way Chuck helps them solve crimes. It's really a lot of fun, and the cast is great!

Random

Below are some random pictures of our week. Last Friday was my friend Patty's b-day so we went to Claim Jumpers to celebrate. We had a great time, I hope Patty had a wonderful birthday!

Last Saturday we spent some time with our good friends John and Jaime. We went to the driving range on Miramar and then back to our house to watch season four of The Office. I can't wait for season five to start.

Charlie loves using a pillow when he sleeps, I will often find that he has rearranged a toy to use as a pillow while he naps. For some reason after his surgery he would burrow under the pillows to take naps. I guess he liked it dark or something.

Friend of the Month...September

Have you ever noticed while looking through your friend’s blogs that most have a long list of family/friends to the side? Have you ever wondered just who those people are? Well, I have. For me, these are just a few of the amazing family and friends that I have. I have met a lot of amazing people over the years and since Tyler and I move around so much blogging has been a great way of staying connected. I thought it might be fun to start a “friend of the month” club, in which I will chose, at random, a friend from my blog list (and maybe a few who don't have blogs) to introduce to everyone. I think this will be a fun way for me to let my family and friends know what I really think of them! =)

So, for the month of September I would like to introduce to you…..Jessica W. (I won’t use last names in case some people would prefer me not to.)

I met Jessica while I was working at GE, probably 5-6 years ago. Jessica worked in the exception processing department. After I had been with GE a year or so I applied for a job in the same department and got it. I remember Jessica was so nice to me; she took me in and showed me the ropes. As time went on, Jessica and I became closer and closer. I remember on our breaks we would go for fun walks to get away from all the “crazy” people we worked with. =) Jessica and I have similar personalities, but are also different, so I think we complement each other well. Jessica is very smart, friendly, and kind. She has a witty personality and is fun to hang out with. I was just reading through some of her posts http://www.pudgeandco.blogspot.com/ and found myself laughing out loud. She is an amazing writer, and I would encourage her to write a novel, I think she would be a fantastic author. One of her posts that I thought was amazing was one entitled “A Christmas Theory” dated December 23 2007. She has an amazing testimony and really gets me thinking about life and about the gospel. She is so humble, and a great example. I know I have learned so much from her and am so lucky to have her as a friend. Jess, you are awesome! I hope that we will continue to stay in touch throughout our lives!