2007 Continued...Forever, Always and Eternity begins June 9, 2007

After 3 years, this day finally came! On June 9th, 2007, Ryan and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. We were going to get married on the anniversary of our first date which is June 5th, but that day fell on a Tuesday and we figured it would be hard for people to get off work to come celebrate with us, so we pushed it to the 9th. Our (dating) anniversary was still special because we were able to go through the temple for our Endowments on that day. It worked out just perfect!

The night before we got married I didn't get any sleep, not because I couldn't sleep, but because I didn't bother going to bed. I stayed up all night cleaning the house, doing laundry and packing for our honeymoon. My mom stayed with me that night at my house and she didn't get to bed till 1 or 2 in the morning. I then woke her up at 4am cause I had a hair and makeup appointment at 5am. Sorry mom! Poor Ryan didn't get much sleep either because I kept calling him asking him stupid questions! Sorry Ryan! After my appointment we went and picked up Ryan and we were off to the temple!

During the ceremony I cried and cried. It was wonderful knowing that Ryan and I were finally married and not just for time, but forever always and eternity! Poor guy is stuck with me not only for the rest of his life, but forever after that!! :) It's crazy how much Ryan and I are alike. Our families, backgrounds, likes, dislikes, life choices and trials are sooo similiar... I know for sure Ryan was meant for me!

I have a story about the picture below... Before Ryan and I started dating (he probably didn't even know I existed at this point), I was driving past the Salt Lake Temple with someone else I was dating at the time. I remember looking over at the temple and just staring for a bit. All I could see was Ryan and I on our wedding day getting our pictures taken and he was spinning me around...just like in the picture below. Now don't get the wrong idea, I am definitely not the kind of person that had 'visions' about who I was supposed to marry. At the time I just figured it was just wishful thinking on my part. I now really believe that someone up above was watching over me and letting me know that there was someone better (much, much, much better) waiting patiently for me to figure that out. I am so grateful that I listened. I am also grateful Ryan waited for me to find my way! I love this picture! It's funny how we don't realize the 'clues' or answers that are given to us to help us find our way till later down the road! Things really do happen for a reason!

Our wonderful family!

Ryan and his mom, Colleen!

Me and my mom!

Ryan, his dad Jeff, and stepmom Kate and me!

Kate offered to do our flowers for us and I am glad she did! They were beautiful! I let her arrange them how she wanted and she did a great job! Thanks Kate!

Ryan and his sisters, Tawnie and Jolie!

Me and my sisters, Holly and Steph!

Jolie and Tawnie decorated our car after our ceremony so we drove from the Salt Lake Temple to our luncheon at Eldredge Manor in Bountiful with our car like this! We still have no idea how they found the car. We parked in the Conference Center parking lot and it is a BIG parking lot! I don't think either of them got any sleep the night before either with everything they did for us!

Ryan and I didn't want a huge reception so we opted for a small luncheon with about 100 of our closest friends and family! It was just perfect! I have a really hard time when the attention is on me, but having the luncheon made it a lot easier! Ryans brother in laws, Sean and John even planned the program for us, so we didn't have to do a whole lot! Thanks guys!

All us girls at the luncheon!

The boys at the luncheon! Don't they look handsome?!

Our cake! I absolutely LOVED this cake! Ryans sister Jolie made it for us and she did a wonderful job! She really needs to have her own bakery business cause she is amazing with whatever she makes! I forgot to tell Kate we needed flowers for the cake, so the day before the wedding Jolie and Colleen went to pick out flowers for it. They did a wonderful job!

Mmmm. Doesn't this picture make you thinkRyan has something in mind? Looks guilty doesn't he?

Yup, he had a plan, but look who got it worse! For months after we got married, I would apologize for getting him so bad. Then one day Ryans mom and grandma came to visit and we watched our wedding video...that's when we noticed.... RYAN STARTED IT! I don't feel so bad now! At least we are both smiling, right?!

Right after our luncheon we were off to California for a road trip! Thanks Jeff and Kate for the the plane tickets and the first couple of nights at the Hyatt!

Thanks Higginson photography & video for the wonderful memories!

Thanks Suzy for helping me feel like a picture perfect bride!

Thanks family for all your love, support and all the planning & preparations!!

The Honeymoon... this post is by me, Ryan. Laura expressed that I have to do a post so here it goes. After our wedding we immediately had to change and get to the airport. I was in charge of our Honeymoon, if I would have planned it a little better I probably would have waited until the next day to leave. It was still fun. We got on our plane & took off to Los Angeles. When we got there we got on the "Blue Bus" and took a ride to our first hotel near Disneyland. The Hyatt. Thanks to Dad & Kate we were able to stay at the Hyatt. It was only a few blocks from Disneyland, and like I said, if I would have planned it a little better we would have gone to Disneyland.

While we were staying at the Hyatt we decided to get our rental car the next day. I arranged to get just a normal sedan and the lady at the rental car place was kind enough to let us upgrade for free and let us get our car a day early. We got a brand new Nissan Altima, nice car! So we got our car & decided to do a little bit of sight seeing. As you can see Beverly Hills was on the list. We took a ride down Rodeo drive. We didn't see anyone famous. While in Beverly Hills we took a little drive over to Hollywood. Hollywood is really not as cool as I thought it would be. While we were there we HAD to eat at one of Laura's favorites, California Pizza Kitchen.

Another day on our Honeymoon SeaWorld was one of our stops. Laura was so excited, look at her nice little outfit. Her bucket is full of salt water taffy. She is all set to go!!! SeaWorld was a lot of fun. We were surprised though. Even though it was Southern California it was a little chilly. I think it was only in the 60's.

After we left Anaheim we had reservation at a hotel in Pismo Beach. That is a really cool little surf town. Even that was a little chilly so we didn't get in the water. We spent a couple of days there. Our hotel was right on the coast, we had a great view of the ocean. It was a nice place, not a lot of tourists.

This Frog was our little 3 wheeled car we rented to cruise around town. We had to wear these sweet biker helmets! My Woman looks like a CHIP... (California Highway Patrol)!!

I couldn't help it, I had to test the waters. That's as far as I got. My feet got wet! I can't wait to go back and really get in the water. If you ever have the chance to get to Pismo, we recommend staying for a day or two. What a relaxing place to stay.

SAN FRANCISCO!! BURRRRR! After we left Pismo, we took Highway 1 all the way up to San Francisco. Highway 1 is really neat but I don't recommend it if your schedule is a little tight. It took us probably about 4 hours or more longer than I thought it would.

San Francisco was the last stop on our Honeymoon journey. As I mentioned before, if I would have planned it a little better, we would have spent more time there. What a really neat place to go. It is really diverse. We had to take a trolley car ride. We weren't sure how they worked and how we were going to get back to where we started, but we figured we would give it a try. The hills in San Francisco are really steep. We couldn't believe those old cable cars could make it up & down the hills safely.

Good job Ry! See, blogging wasn't that bad, was it?!



Ryan doesn't give himself enough credit. He planned a week long vacation all by himself and it turned out great! We had a lot of fun! Even though Highway 1 took us a lot longer than we expected, we saw a lot of neat things. We went to a lot of places that I had never been to before. Good job Ry!

First Trip to Moab

In September 2007 we went down to Moab. Ryan has been there many times, but this was the first for me! Someone gave us a tent as a wedding gift so we decided to use it. It rained all night long the two nights we were there, but we stayed warm and dry all night! I love Moab and I'm always asking when we get to go back. Hopefully soon! Right Ry? :)

Our Christmas Cottage

2007 was the first year decorating our first home for the holidays! Ryan was sooo excited and he did a wonderful job! Most of the homes in our neighborhood decorate with all white lights so we thought we would be a little different and do green and red. It really made it look like a litte christmas cottage. We even had to keep driving by our house to see how cute it looked! I know, silly!

Every year for Christmas Ryans mom would give him a nutcracker....which means Ryan has a lot of them! They looked so cute on the mantle. Keep em coming Colleen! :)

Ryan and I on our first Christmas morning in our Christmas Cottage!

Our puppies opening their Christmas gifts. We bought them a new water and food dish. Yes, they were excited!! :)

Well, that's it for 2007! Finally, I know. Now on to 2008!

We're Baaaack!!! And Our New House

We're Baaaack!! Finally, after a month... here's a new post. Yes we are still posting about the past... I am not sure why I decided to start from the very beginning, but since I did I have to finish telling the story. Again, stayed tuned and we will eventually get to current life.

Here are a few BIG events from 2007!

In March 2007 we bought our house!! Ryan and I took a day off of work and went out with the realtor first thing in the morning. We looked and looked and looked, but we just weren't seeing anything that felt like home....till we went through this one. As soon as we walked through the front door I fell in love with it. Then when we went in the kitchen I was sold. I was excited when Ryan said he loved it also. We put in an offer that day and a month later we were paying on our first home!

Since we weren't married yet I moved in first... there were definitely some scary nights since I wasn't used to the area and the noises of the house, but I made it through. Ryan moved all my stuff in by himself. The day I moved in we both had to work an afternoon shift so we had to be to work at 3pm...Talk about a quick move! Ryan worked hard and we were able to get to work ontime.

This is the kitchen I fell in love with! I don't use it as much as Ryan does, but I sure like the looks of it!

College Graduation... Finally!

What a loooong road! It took me 8 years to get to this point! In March 2007 I finally graduated from Weber State with a Bachelors degree in Communications. I even graduated with Honors! Who would have guessed after my first few years at Southern Utah University?! Wow, what an amazing feeling. It was really weird to be done and not be traveling to Ogden every day after work, but it sure felt good. It probably would have taken me much longer without Ryan by my side. He sure did help me through it. Now this was a great day! Thanks Ryan, Mom, Steph, Jolie and Tawnie for coming to support me!!

Gas Rodeo Anniversary

Since Ryan and I first started talking at the gas rodeo in 2004, we make sure we go every year to celebrate our 'Anniversary.' For the past few years Ryan has even competed in it. It is so fun to go and watch and the one on June 2nd 2007 was even more fun. Ryan had a HUGE fan club. His entire family came to watch and so did mine! Ryans dad even brought along his camera and took pictures of the whole event!

Ryan is a PRO on the backhoe (that is what's it's called right?)! At the rodeo, they have to pick up an egg with a tablespoon and drop it in a bucket. Ryan is always soooo quick and doesn't have any trouble at all. Everyone always compliments him on his skill!
This rodeo was extra special for us.... it was just one week before we got married! So we celebrated our anniversary at the place where it all started and got married the following week. Thanks Jeff for taking all the pictures for us! What great memories!

A Big Black Hole!

Yes we are still alive and kicking. So much for keeping up on the blog! Sorry to all those who check in on us just to find nothing new...! I have not been feeling very well and when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is deal with a computer that won't cooperate. Not only have I given up on the computer, I have given up on my Halloween crafts and cleaning the house. My poor house has not been cleaned for over 3 weeks. Can you come save me too Jolie? Hopefully soon I will be able to get the ambition back up and post about my favorite year ever... 2007! Then, I promise we will get to the day to day happenings. Well, I won't promise day-to-day, maybe week to week!

Year Three and Many New Adventures!!

2006 was a fun and exciting year. It included first-ever snowboarding, the Sundance Festival, big surprises and more babies!

So, in January 2006, Ryan taught me how to snowboard. No I can't turn or do any fancy tricks, but I can stay up for about 2 minutes, ok, maybe 30 seconds!!! I can also fall on my behind, back and face! Pretty neat huh! My biggest fear before we went the first time was getting off of the lift, but Ryan held my hand and pulled me right along. After a few times I got used to it. I really enjoy snowboarding and hope we get to go more this winter. Ryan is a pro at snowboarding! He can do all sorts of fancy stuff. He doesn't get to do much of it with me there though since he spends most of his time helping me get up!
For some odd reason, I love going to the Sundance Film Festival. I love walking up and down Park City Main Street and just people watching. I also love going in the shops to see what interesting things we can find... The following pictures are of us playing dress-ups in one of the shops.... and you thought dress-ups were for little girls!!?

We have gone to the Sundance Film Festival a few times, but we have never seen anyone famous or been able to get into any of the films. Except for in 2006! This particular year, I was determined to see someone famous AND get into a film. You see, Jennifer Aniston was in one of the films and she is one of my favorite famous people! I went online and got tickets to one of the shows (but, of course the Aniston movie was already sold out). We took work off and went up early in the morning. But, instead of going to the show we already had tickets for, we decided to stand in the 'hopeful' line for tickets to see the Jennifer Aniston flick (I can't even remember the name of it. I just remember she was in it)! We waited in line for a couple hours and ended up getting in! I was sooo excited and Ryan was way excited for me. But, the greatest surprise came after the movie. Experienced Sundance goers probably already knew this, but I didn't..... After the show, they brought in the cast. Yes, Jennifer Aniston was there and I was absolutely thrilled. Now, the film festival was exciting, but the most exciting event of 2006 was March 17th, also known as St. Patricks Day. Here's the story...

Ryan had the day off work, but ended up coming in for a couple hours to take a test for his promotion. I was supposed to have a potluck with the people at work, but decided Ryan and I would go to lunch to celebrate instead. Well, after his test, we were headed to lunch but ended up being stopped by our bosses who asked us to stay for the potluck... so we did. We decided we would go to dinner instead. When Ryan got home, he called me at work and said he decided to make reservations at the Melting Pot. Sounded good to me! The Melting Pot is one of our favorite places to eat! When Ryan came to pick me up, he had a huge bouquet of flowers... roses, daisies and sunflowers! Now, that's weird, he got a promotion and I get flowers! Sweet! Anyhow, we went to dinner and it was delicious! After dinner, Ryan asked what I wanted to do... of course I said 'I don't know'. He suggested we go for a drive and we ended up driving to the place we went on our first date. We got out, walked around and went to see the view. After a while, Ryan said some cute things, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. My answer? 'You are crazy!" Followed by 'Yes!' I definitely didn't expect him to propose the night of his promotion celebration. I was very surprised and excited!

And three months later, we had 5 more babies. Yes, our Daisee had more puppies on June 2nd 2006. We ended up giving all except one away to complete strangers... the last one, stayed with us. We now call him Oreeo and I am glad we kept him. He adds a whole lot of humor to our home!
Poor Ryan always has to fight for his spot on the bed! Oreeo ALWAYS takes over his spot!

Wow, what an eventful year huh?! It sure was a lot of fun! Good Times!

The Second Year

Ok... so here's a few more pictures and stories from our beginning. These ones are from our second year together (2005).



Ryan and I love to vacation. One of our vacations took us to Bryce Canyon. We had sooo much fun. At one of the trails there were some cute little squirrels hanging around so we decided to try to feed them. Ryan got down on one knee and held out the food and the squirrel ran up his leg. It was so cute. Kinda scary, but cute! We had a lot of fun watching and playing with them.

Ryan and I also are a little spontaneous... (probably more than we should be!) After Ryan sold his scary 3-wheelers, we decided we wanted to buy some 4-wheelers. So after work one Friday we went out to Tooele and picked some out. Then next day we went and picked them up. Ryan's was yellow and mine was red. We mostly drove them around my mom's yard and neighborhood, but we sure enjoyed having them. When we bought our home, we didn't have room to store them, so we decided to sell them. Boy, that was a sad day! But I try to remember the fun days with them. One of the places we took them was to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in southeastern Utah. We went on Easter weekend so it was WAY cold, but it was still a lot of fun. We went with my mom, my sister Steph and her kids Kamryn and Kaden. That is definitely a place we want to go again when we buy more 4-wheelers and when it's warmer!

On Halloween 2005 (Steph's 27th birthday) we had 7 babies. Ok, WE didn't have 7 babies, but our little shitzu Daisee had 7 babies. I had sooo much fun with those little puppies. It was soo hard to give them away. Although, four of them are still in the family thanks to my mom, Ryan's mom and Tawnie (my sister-in-law). I love being able to see them still. Oh, and I must mention, two of the others went to my mother-in-laws co-worker. So I know those two are being well taken care of also.

I know a lot more happened in 2005, but for some reason these are the only pictures we could find from that year.

Stay Tuned!! We will soon get to the current happenings... :)