Meet P.J.

So for the past little while, Blake and I have considered getting a dog! After having to leave my beloved Rusty in Utah, the dog of which I've had for 9 years this thanksgiving, I've had an aching in my heart for a dog. I love them. They truly are man's best friend, or at least they are mine! I want to save all the dogs in the world. Ceasar Millan, the dog whisperer, is my hero. I'm obsessed with his ability to "rehabilitate" dogs, and train owners. I take to heart everything he says about dog's behaviors and how all they really want to be in the world..well is a dog. Anyways, I will rant about him another time!

Well, I have decided against it for the time being. We have a place right now that would allow a pet, but I just don't think it would be smart (Financially or work wise) since we will be leaving in the summer! So, maybe next year. It also limits us when looking to find a final place and what not!

To make up for the ache that I've had...we borrowed Blake's family dog for the past couple weeks. I've loved every minute of it! Well most..he's had some whining issues, but thats where we have put in to play what Ceasar Millan has taught us, through his show, and his book. And he is doing great! It's been such a blast to play with him, snuggle, and just have been enjoying the company of having a dog spirit in the house! It really is uplifting!

Among walks, I took the opportunity to give him a nice bath, and a hair cut!

Here he is :). So cute! Thanks for coming P.J. we will surely have you over again!!! I think i did pretty good for my first time grooming a dog. :) I didn't think to take a before pic! Sorry.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our Beloved Tarantula, Timmy!




Blakes Brother and his wife!

Blake and I both carved Half
of a face on the pumpkin!

Blakes Half.




My half, I knew he was going to be doing something crazy,
So i tried to make mine evil.. :)

The result.

So, I made chicken enchiladas and wanted to make them Halloweenish. Hence the Boo written in Olives! :) It worked for me!





All of our Pumpkins! Blake did his side first, and he did the mouth very high up on the pumpkin..so the candles had a tough time lighting
him up! But we still loved our creation!









On Sunday, I made Dinner in a pumpkin! It was soooo good! Definately will be a tradition for us!






We got a total of 14 trick or treaters that night! Blake and I had a lot of fun passing out the candy to the cuties! Some of them..were too old to be trick or treating I think. And when we only gave them one piece each, they'd look at us like we were the worst "Halloweeners" out there. I didn't feel bad at all though, especially because we were limited on candy, and they would come in huge groups with pillowcases full of candy. They were perfectly loaded!

Anyways, next year Blake and I are hoping to hit up some party and be able to dress up! We didn't hear about any parties this year, so we just had a relaxing time at home!

Also, I've noticed a lot of people are already putting up their Christmas decorations..I absolutely am going to be jumping on that Bandwagon!!! I think once it snows a lot more people will be putting theirs up too! I can't believe it hasn't snowed yet, IN CANADA...in NOVEMBER!!! It's snowed in Utah multiple times already. Absolute insanity!

Conference Weekend/Canadian Thanksgiving

Last weekend Blake and I were able to go to Utah for his mission reunion, conference, and mostly to visit my family!

We left Thursday, a day earlier then I had planned, and stayed till Tuesday, which was a day later then I had planned as well! As short of a trip that it was, it was all very worth it.

Last year I only got to see my family every 6 months! I was not going to do that again. This year of course was going to be a little different, we aren't settling in anymore, and we learned that Blake being the only one able to work, and going to school is not good. So we lightened the load with Blake only taking 2 classes, and not working as many shifts that are as long or late! So we have a lot more time to travel, plus we don't have his WONDERFUL grant anymore, unfortunately, so he can afford to miss some school!

We didn't do much while we were down there. My main focus was to get Blake to be an Uncle. He is an uncle you know. Sometimes we both forget he is an Uncle, because he hasn't been around Robert enough to feel like he is! We got to do a lot of catching up! We of course, hit up Cafe Rio while we were down there as well!



Blake with Rusty, my dog that I've had since 6th grade.

Unfortunately, I didn't get hardly any pictures..I should be better about that. Next time we go down I will snap a lot of pictures.



This is Blake with one of his Mission Presidents. President Barrett. I absolutely loved meeting them, they were both very sweet!

This past weekend, was Canadian thanksgiving! I LOVE being able to have 2 thanksgivings in a year!! One right after the other, and then following them Christmas. It makes fall the absolute best season of the year! Now, the actual Holiday is on monday, but we always will be doing the dinner on Saturday so that we can have monday to play, instead of everyone eating and then heading back to their homes.

I went out a couple days early to help Mama Schnoor with the meal. I made pumpkin pies last year, and they were a pretty big success, so I decided I would make them again, along with one of my holiday favorites Candied Yams. Emily was there a day after me, and all 3 of us were in the kitchen all day long! It was a lot of fun.

I'm grateful for the opportunities that I have to really practice my homemaking skills. This year Mama Schnoor fed 20 people!!! I couldn't even believe it! But I can't wait until I have my own family, and am feeding that many people! It's weird to think that in a few years, Mama and Papa Schnoor and my parents, will no longer be the ones feeding their kids, but we will be feeding them!!! So exciting!!!

I love the holidays that we are able to reflect on the things we are grateful for, and the ones that have meaning behind them. I also love that it brings everyone that we love together!

Anyways, once again I did not get any pictures of the feast...next year I will for sure. The amount of food is Unbelievable. We devoured a 24 lb turkey if that gives you any idea! My favorite part......leftovers!

That's what we have been up to!

P.s. I got my Winnie the Pooh halloween town out of storage and am SOOO excited to set that up. Blake has also agreed to let me spend 10 dollars on dollar store halloween decorations.. :) its all we can afford! Love it.

We're Back!

****WARNING******* EXTREMELY LONG POST*******

I would've updated you sooner, but we have been without internet until this week! And folks, WE-ARE-HOME!!! Back in good ol' Lethbridge, Alberta! I've gotten used to the fact that Lethbridge is now my home, away from home (Utah). In fact while driving across the states, all the way back to this province, I was soo excited!

Blake and I left Sunday, the 29th of August, and got back the following Thursday. Besides all the HORRIBLE tolls (in which has convinced me to NEVER live in the East, PAST Wisconsin), it was a really fun drive home! We weren't rushed and just took our time to drive, stopping when we needed to, eating when we needed to, etc.

The first day we drove from Saint John, NB to Palmyra, NY. Okay, so it was more of the outskirts of Palmyra but still, the next day it only took us 15 minutes to get to actual Palmyra. We stayed in this little place called the "Scottish Inns". I was a little hesitant at first, because it was kind of a no name motel, and right on the edge of town. But when we walked in, and up to the front desk, we saw a bunch of pass along cards and a picture of the workers with Donny Osmond. I was at ease once I saw that ;). And honestly, that bed was THE comfiest bed I had ever slept on!! Best night of sleep ever!! And there was a huge fridge in the room, plus a microwave, and it was roughly the same price as a Motel 6, minus the smoke smell and NO fridge/microwave in those rooms!! So much better.

The next day we spent most of the morning and afternoon in Palmyra. We went to the Smith Farm/ Sacred grove, and it was SO wonderful. The last time I was there, I was a senior in Highschool visiting my friend Noelle, and it was in December. I have to say I liked it much better this time around. The last time Blake was there was when he was 2 yrs old, so it was basically like his first time seeing everything! Here is Blake and me in front of the Smith house, where Angel Moroni had appeared to Joseph Smith! And next to that is the Entrance to the sacred Grove!



We then went to the Grandin where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. Blake wasn't too enthusiastic about it at first, but once we got in there, and the Sister missionary gave us the tour, he was pleasantly suprised! We got a copy of the first 16 pages of the very first Book of Mormon. It was so awesome! In this picture Blake is trying to fold the pages, which are on a huge sheet of paper front and back.



After the Grandin, we stopped at Hill Cumorah. It was so peaceful and beautiful. The whole time we were in Palmyra we just kept talking about Joseph Smith, and all his experiences in the places that we actually got to be at. It was such a testimony strengthener! And when we were driving over to Hill Cumorah, it is quite far away from the Smith farm, and we just put it into perspective of how far he had to go, and when he actually got to the hill, how much he had to hike, and all the trees he had to go through and how he found the actual spot where the golden plates were buried! Its just mind Boggling but it makes me so happy!!



We got done seeing everything, around 2 and had a veeeerrry long lunch break at McDonalds afterwards. Seriously, we stayed there for like 3 hours just talking, and enjoying the nice air conditioning. Oh! I forgot to mention, Blakes car does not have any air conditioning. Humidity..and driving in the sun..for hours..with NO air conditioning = HORRIBLE. Luckily, that day there was a lot of cloud coverage, compared to the day before were it was stopped traffic almost the whole time we were in Maine. ON A SUNDAY. In blazing sun. So that is why we enjoyed the air conditioning for hours.

So at about 5 o'clock we were planning on driving half way to wisconsin! So like 8 hours or so of driving. And to save money, we planned that every other day we would be sleeping in the car at a rest stop. Well, we were about ready to stop around 9 o'clock at night, we were pretty tired, but then..we suddenly remembered how miserable Chicago traffic was going to New Brunswick. We decided to drive a couple a few more hours to get through Chicago, and it would work out perfectly because just outside of Chicago is an awesome rest stop called "The Oasis". Perfect. And we were SO smart to do what we did, Chicago traffic was still pretty busy but it was not grid locked, or even close to that like last time! Chicago was much more enjoyable, and Blake could actually look at the city, compared to last time where he had to keep his eyes straight ahead so we wouldn't crash.

Well, we got to the Oasis and we're sooo ready to crash! We went to the restroom, and came back..when we noticed this sign.. "2 hour parking Only". Dang it. We considered sleeping over by the huge Semi's, but I was scared that a tired truck driver wouldnt see our midnight purple, almost black car and run us over. And I also felt bad for taking a truckers parking spot to begin with. Wisconsin was still 6 hours away, and it was already 12:30, plus the time difference of an Hour, so it was really 1:30. So, we set out to drive to the next rest stop..we drove..and drove..and drove..and there was NOTHING. Finally, we only had 3 more hours to go till Wisconsin and we were past the point of being so completely exhausted, that we had actually become even more awake, so we said why not? I got the brilliant idea too that we could find the Church and sleep in that parking lot! Wahoo!!! Oh by the way, no more tolls once you get to Wisconsin. We were so happy, we seriously spent 50 or more dollars on tolls. Still cheaper then going through Canada though. (Gas Prices).

Blake served his mission in Milwaukee, WI. But when we were driving through, it was at night, and he wouldn't dare take me there at night time, yet alone even in the day. And I was okay with that. I hated the thought of knowing that thats where he was though..sooo scary! We arrived to his favorite area Fond Du Lac, WI. Got to the little Church there (seriously, smallest church i've ever seen, being raised in Utah there is a Church on each block and they're BIG). It was about 6 in the morning when we got there. Sleeeeep. Yeah, well..worst night of sleep EVER. Okay, not even a NIGHT of sleep, worst 3 hours EVER. At 8 we checked in to a Motel 8, and got their just in time for Breakfast!

Well, the original plan for Wisconsin was so we could meet up with a lot of Blakes favorite families. It didn't end up happening, we met up with one guy and Blake was really glad we did. But we just had no time to see everyone because of varrying work schedules and such! But something we did get to do, was go to the famous Culvers. Blake told me about Culvers driving out. That they have amazing "Butterburgers". Butterburgers? I know. Greasy goodness. So the whole summer I just looked forward to having a Butterburger, and it did NOT dissapoint! mmmm.


Isn't it Beautiful??

Well, our next destination was Bismarck, North Dakota. We drove and drove and drove, and had planned on staying at a rest stop, but then were so miserable by the time we got there we wanted a Motel 8. We were quite impressed with the last one. But Bismarck..ohh how horrible you are. Every Hotel/Motel was Full! Unless we wanted to pay 100+ dollars. No thank you. We figured the next rest stop would be relatively close. Wrong. It was like 4 hours away! We slept better then we did in the parking lot in Fond Du Lac. We got like 6 hours of sleep, but it was still horrible.

Finally, we were on the last stretch home. 9 more hours. I was dreading the border, but it turned out to be just fine! We got home at like 5 that day. Oh to be home again. No more APX. No more Humidity. No more basement Suite. We didn't come back to that horrible basement suite. We now have our own little house that we are renting. All to ourselves. Life is good!

Summer, sighs of relief.

Well, it's finally here! The end of an APX summer is in sight! I can't believe it. Has it really been 4 months? Um, it DEFINATELY has and thank GOODNESS there are only single digit days left! I was a lucky one though, I actually got to leave to Utah for a month. And then just this weekend both Blake and I flew out for his brothers wedding for a few days! So we were lucky. Others..not so much. They were here..THE WHOLE TIME (amy). So my excitement is only a portion of what others may be experiencing with the end in sight.

Blakes brother's wedding was absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures! Too bad. Once some are posted, I will be sure to steal them and post them on here! Brayden and Janae were beyond happy! It was such a beautiful day, and I was so glad Blake and I could be there with them! Chris, the guy that filmed Blakes and mine wedding (video on the side) actually came and did theirs as well! He is such an amazing guy! If anyone is interested let me know and I will give you all his info! It was so much to hang out with him again. He is legit.

It was for sure hard to come home though, we kind of wish we would've just driven out home, so we could stay, but its going to be worth it to be back here because we are going to meet our quota of installs! BIG YAY! We had a red eye flight home, so our flight left from Calgary to Toronto at 1 a.m, 4 o clock eastern (which is even worse because we both still suffered from jet lag). We were sooo tired, we thought the 4 hour flight would be easy to sleep through. We got seated, there was hardly anyone on the plane, and we were in the back, where there were hardly any people. It was so dark and quiet. All is good, right? WRONG. Once we got into the air, this lady walked her old mom to the back, and sat her RIGHT behind us. They were talking..sooo much. And on top of that, they turned on BOTH of their reading lights. Seriously, the only lights on in the WHOLE plane. Were we mad? Uh, chya'. Blake, a little more than I...okay, a LOT more than I was. I got probably an hours worth of "sleep" the whole 4 hour flight. And that was all the minutes I got some shut eye added up together. Not an hours straight of sleeping.

We finally got to Toronto and we just both felt shakey and sick..so we got some food and that helped a lot. We had 45 minutes, which was just perfect to walk to the end of the airport to Tim Hortons (I had never been before that). I hate waiting around. Which..is why it was horrible when our flight left an hour late. But, it was our final destination so it was okay, no stress there.

Once we arrived in Moncton it was a 2 hour drive back to Saint John. Wahoo....No, really, I was happy because its the LAST week of being here. And I'm actually quite excited for our drive home. We're going to stop in Wisconsin for a day or so and visit Blakes mission. How cool is that?

Oh, some other good news. The 2nd day we were back at home (in Alberta). We got a reply letter from the Immigration office. Wahoo!!!! Unfortunately, I can't work, still, until my permanent residence gets approved, which is kind of a bummber because we thought I could work while it was being processed. But the point is... THEY REPLIED. They HAVE my paperwork. And it IS being processed. No more wondering about if anything is happening, it is!! Yay! So, I think its another 6 months, not 3 like i thought..because I was counting from when I sent it in..so I'm just gonna say its 6 from when i got a reply! So by Christmas basically I will be legal! Hopefully, its less time then I'm thinking. But either way we are sooo much closer then where we were! Yay!!!

Anyways, come Sunday we will be OUTTA here!! So good. So good.

1 year Anniversary

So, when our anniversary morning approached, (Aug. 14th) I was just full of love, joy, and gratitude. I watched our wedding video a number of times, and had to share it with the world! (It's on this page if you want to see it). Blake isn't usually into the wedding video at all..but...yesterday he was!!! He actually LIKED watching it with me!! And WANTED to watch it!! :) proud moment in my life, thats for sure. But there really is no better feeling then going through the temple with the one that you love knowing that you will be spending the rest of your life with them! So it was awesome to be able to have that little gem of a video. I'm sure I will make it a tradition to make him watch it with me each year! No matter how fat, or wrinkly we get. It will be nice to know we looked good on the best day of our lives right!?

I had been planning our anniversary for a while. Given our situation, I thought Blake would be working ALLL day, so I just planned a dinner. A dinner that I would make! I hadn't cooked in FOREVER!! (Not exactly doable in a hotel room). I was excited. But to add to the excitment, our awesome head tech Chance, gave blake the rest of the day off!!!! (Big Thanks to Amy as well for that ;) ). We weren't expecting this, so we had to make last minute plans..what was it? We went to ....the name is escaping me now...but it was a beautiful nature park!!! It's a little penninsula of New Brunswick, with coast all around it. Blake was determined to find creatures, so we drove, and hiked, and HE searched and got gross. It was fun!! So much better then me sitting at home alone, not knowing when I should start dinner. :)



When we got home I started dinner. It was a pretty late dinner. I made Ham and Cheese Chicken Bake (SOO good!!) with Bleu Cheese mashed potatoes (yes I made them) and a salad! I had also planned to have a somewhat romantic Sparkling cider as a beverage but I couldn't find any..so Coke in wine glasses would have to suffice. After an hour and a half, the chicken was cooked, and the potatoes mashed. We were ready to chow. All that was left was to get the salad out and washed. Blake had been waiting patiently at the table the whole time. He was anxious. He wanted to get the salad ready..so..as he was making way to the fridge..it was slow motion. His elbow caught the top of the Wine glass, and it tipped. CRASH! It was Broken. At this point I could NOT stop laughing.




Why was I laughing? Well, the night before I had made spaghetti. The table was set, and it was our first real dinner together since being out in New Brunswick. The table was set with glasses, that were..in fact glass. I had originally put out the plastic cups, but I switched to the glass ones because I thought it looked more appealing. Well..in the midde of dinner, Blakes elbow had caught the glass, I have no idea how, but it did, and knocked to the ground. Also, just to add, Blake had an aboslutely HORRIBLE day with installs..he was already in a bad mood.

After a repeat, I handed Blake a plastic cup and said with a smile " Sorry Hun, you're not ready for glass." He frowned. Then I added "Or..more so the glass isn't ready for you." We finally got dinner on the table, unfortunately having to nuke it in the microwave, because of the clean up we had to do. He felt so bad!! I just had to keep telling him it was okay! But it probably didn't help that during dinner after my glass was out of coke, and he had to refill his, because his 1st serving was now soaked into papertowels in the garbage can, that I said "Dang, we should've got more coke!" hahah. He didn't appreciate that. But all in all, the dinner was a success. The food was great, and the company was greater.

While we were waiting for our food to settle, so that we could move onto to dessert (Fudge Sundaes), we were lying on the bed, and just back and forth were asking eachother "What was your favorite experience of our 1st year being married" "What was your least favorite" etc. "I love you" "I love you too" , and me of course asking "are you glad you married me?" I always ask that. :) and I always get the same answer "Nope. not at all" *sarcasm*.



Blake and I live such a wonderful life. Yes, there have been many up's and downs, and when people say the first year is the hardest, I can honestly say that it is. At least, this far. At times it really has been a struggle for me. But as we continue down our path of an eternal marriage, and life together, I know that Blake and I will continue to grow as individuals, and as a couple. I'm so excited for whats ahead! I am so happy about the woman I am becoming, and the wife that I have become. I am so happy to have a husband that works so hard for the both of us, and really does carry the weight of our lives on his shoulders. I couldn't do it with out him.

Happy Anniversary Babe!!!

Six. 6. ses. s-i-x. SIX. six. SIX.

six days until i come home to my sweetheart!!!!

So far, so good.

I know, I know. I've completely slacked on keeping the blog up to date. So here I go!!
I've been in Utah for almost a month now. In fact, I leave back to New Brunswick a week from Tuesday. As much fun as this trip has been, I am SO ready to go back to my husband. No more of these Utah trips without him!! Blake, this means you need to make sure a girl can see her family more then every 6 months! ;) No it's not convieniant, but trust me, it's very much needed.
I've gotten such a good fill on girl time, family time, and special "auntie melissa" time in. It's been wonderful. Two of my best girlfriends will be/ have already getting married this summer. I've been spending mucho time with my twins, seeing all the plans, and have gotten a good feel on to what will be going down on August 20th, in which I will not be able to attend. I feel much better about missing it, though it will still be hard! On Friday I was able to go to one of them. It was so beautiful. It was my first sealing I was able to attend since being married. I'm so grateful that I was able to be there and experience that special time in such a special place! A few days before I was also able to go to a session with my mommy!
Amongst all this wedding stuff, I've had lot's and lot's of time to reflect on my own special day. I've remembered so much about the planning, stresses, and happiness that I've seen these two brides experience. And honestly, I wish I could go back. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I would marry Blake over, and over, and over again if I had to. Luckily, our marriage is for eternity. And as much fun as it would be to do the whole wedding thing again, I have so much comfort in knowing that where I was married, was the right place. When I was married, was the right time. And who I married, was the completely right guy. Forever. And I love that I can look back, and regret nothing about any of the experiences I've shared with Blake.
We're coming up on our 1st year anniversary, and I can't believe that I've made it this far. If I can make it through a year of being a wife, and month of being away from Blake...as well as 2 months living in a hotel..I'm pretty sure I can take on the world. Or at least.. that's what I will tell myself!

Anyways, Utah... Thank you for the memories, and thank you for being my home for so long.... But alas, it's time to REALLY go home :). And I will be seeing you again. Soon. I'll make sure of it.

Here are some pictures, enjoy.

This is a fire that happened right next to my house the weekend I got to Utah. It was terrifying.


My adorable Nephew. :) He's definately a water baby.
Chopped my hair off! Love it.

One of my besties. She got married!!!

Destination? Anywhere...Kind of.

So, for the past week I have been in Utah!!! Yes!!! I finally am here, after almost ANOTHER whole 6 months have gone by of not seeing my family. I will be here for about a month, and I know I will love every minute of it. For the most part.

So my flight was at 6:30 in the morning, New Brunswick time, so in reality I was leaving to go to Utah, before anyone in Utah had even gone to bed!!! Blake and I didn't even end up sleeping that night, because we only would've gotten 2 hours worth, which would have made us both more tired..at least we thought. My sweet, sweet hubby, drove me allll the way (10 min) to the Moncton airport. It was then 4:30 in the morning.

He walked me in, figured out tickets, and where I should go. I was very anxious, Im not too fond of traveling by myself. And I definately wasn't used to a small airport..even though that should've made things better, I didn't like that everyone in the whole airport could see me..and maybe figure out my plans?? (jokes) But really. Also, everyone was speaking French...they'd immediately switch to english once they said a whole phrase, or who knows maybe two, of french and I would simply reply "Hi, how's it going." :)

Blake watched me go through security, which is the part that makes me the most nervous. Not because I'm scared they will find anything, because of course ..they wouldn't, but it's the part where you have to walk through the metal detectors..does anyone else get nervous that it's going to beep simply because of a bobby pin or something? I purposely didn't wear a belt that day because I don't like forgetting to do things like that.
Anyways, I look back after successfully completing the security, and through the metal detector, I see his face. Smiling..and yep, I star to BAWL!!!! I've left him before, but I'm telling you, it get's harder everytime!!! I blew him a kiss goodbye, and he blew one back. And that was that. ( A few minutes later he texted me that I did a good job, *presh*)

After many, many, hours, and some close calls, such as almost missing a flight because they didn't give me a pen to fill out the declaration card, and the customs line being FOREVER weaved back and forth across the floor, I made it to Utah!!!

Much to my dismay..my family was in fact NOT waiting at the bottom of the escalator like I had expected..did I get a little teary eyed? Maybe. Did I go to the wrong terminal? Yep. But eventually I did find the white haired man with a salt and peppered goatee waiting by my luggage. Yes, this was my father!!! My mother, sister, and adorable nephew were also there, waiting in the car outside. I was living the life.

Utah has been amazing so far. Just like I remembered it, minus all the new developments right next to my house, and the new church we go to! I have just been soaking everything in again. I have loved seeing a Church on every block again. It's a nice change from driving down the road for 10 minutes wondering when the Church was finally going to appear. It's also been so nice to see the temples up on the hills, in the city, and everywhere else!! I love to see the temple. Really.

I miss my husband terribly, but he is such a good man for letting me have what I so desperately needed. 2 of my best girlfriends are getting married this summer. One I can go to, the other I can't because of another wedding I must attend with my hubby. (his brothers). I've been spending so much time with the one I can't attend, and it has been wonderful. I love that the bonds that you can share with some people are so strong, that they will always be there, no matter where you have been, or how long you've been there, when you find a way back, it is the same. I still get sad thinking about how I'm going to miss what we grew up talking about, but I know where I need to be, and that's right next to my hubby!

So, my life is pretty much all fun and games right now. I'm having much needed mother/daughter, sister/sister, and time with my girls. Blake is the BEST husband anyone could have, and that I am lucky enough TO have. He works so hard so that we can be comfortable financially, and takes care of me in a inumerable amount of ways. Including sending me off to see my family and friends for month. After this trip I'm hoping to come back refreshed and ready for the next adventure that Blake and I will have.

We've been married for 11 months yesterday.

:) Bring on eternity!!!

Dare to Hair

So, this is how I have felt about my hair lately. I was going to be creative and take a picture like that myself.. but thats how HORRIBLE my hair looks. I can't even post a picture.

Since being married I've had to cut back on what I spend on getting my hair done. As much as I don't think I can survive if I don't color my roots as soon as I see them, I always do. In fact, I've been surviving WITH roots for the past 3 months!!

I also have a hard time trusting people with my hair. I've had some pretty bad experiences. I miss my hairstylist back home sooo much! Not only does she make what seems to be an impossible head-of-hair look amazing, it's just SUCH a therapy to be able to sit there, chat, and leave looking amazing.

So, for a healthy head of hair you're only supposed to color it every 6 months right? Well, this works out perfectly...I only go to Utah about that much! And luckily, my hair grows sooo slow so it needs about that much time before it needs a good trim.

Well, it's about that time again. A week from today I'm leaving to Utah and at the top of my list of things to do, you will find "Get New Hair".

Yep folks, I'm cutting AND coloring. I already have found a style, but what I need your opinions on are what color to go. I've been brown, blonde, red, red/brown, brown/blonde, blonde/red, brown/blonde/red. You name it, I've done it.. well kind of. I always stay with the comfortable warm colors, when I go blonde, its not BRIGHT blonde, its sandy blonde. When I go brown, I go light brown, not CHOCOLATE brown. So..people... I need change. Right now I'm gold/red/blonde/brown. Keep in mind its very faded.

So do I go BRIGHT blonde, or DRASTIC dark, (usually when I go that dark, I always get a red tint to it, but everyone is doing that color now so thats out) What should I do??

HELP!!!

P.s. Blake wants Blonde..but...I'm really..not so sure how I would like that.
P.s.s If you want to know my hair type : Thin and Fine.

Don't let the bed bugs bite

So lately, I have been having the WORST sleeps of my life. I toss and turn all night, then end up beeing groggy and tired all day, just to do it all over again the following night. And on top of that

My back is SOOO SORE.
I hurt.
A lot. Call me weak.

In fact, one day I cried about it.
These beds are NO BUENO.
Thing is, Blake is sleeping just fine.
What is going on?!

I won't complain too much, but I will tell you this.....

Back Rubs
Are
THE
Best.

I love my husbands hands.
Always have.

But right now,
I appreciate them.

Yo-ho, Yo-Ho, an APX life for me.

June has almost come and gone, and I can't wrap my mind around how fast time is seeming to go out here. 2 months down, 2 more to go.
This has been such an adventure to be so far away from home, but I still haven't been able to call it a home...in the least.
At times I have felt so helpless, useless, and impatient with how things were going. The income we are getting in, hasn't been sufficient to what we need to have in order to survive.
Laundry alone has been costing 7 dollars a week. Ugh.
(We now air dry our clothes)
That's not the only thing we've had to "sacrifice". We have been eating canned soups, oatmeal, applesauce, and easy mac for the past few weeks.
No, it's not healthy nor ideal,
But, we are surviving. And that's what matters.
(Sometimes it's better to be smart, than picky.)
Attitude plays such a big part in our daily lives. Things that seem impossible at the time, can be overcome with simply changing your attitude.
I'm so grateful for the power to do remarkable things,
by just thinking in a remarkable way.

Beach day

Yesterday, we went to Parlee Beach!! It was fun to finally see the anticipated ocean, and all the creatures that occupy it! As you can see..this is one of Blakes favorite things to do. His first catch of the day, a crab!!

This is what I saw the whole time we were there, they wen't down the whole beach crowding around some creature they would fine. This time it happened to be a beached Jelly fish! There were a lot!

The boys touching the jelly fish..the ended up throwing it back in the ocean..trying to "save" it.

Yes, they caught a fish! They all chased it and ended up getting it onto the beach...Unfortunately..when we tried to throw it back..belly up. We like to think he came to in the end.

Another crab. A main event of the day was "crab fighting". They made an arena and everything for it.

Here is one of the arenas, oppenents: a snail, and a hermit crab. The large crab didnt seem too interested though.

The last find of the day, a STARFISH. It was soo cute!

All in all, the day was a sucess.

Next week we're thinking Bay of Fundy.

Crowne Plaza

Well.. WE MADE IT!! After a long day of packing, dissappointment, and unpacking! We are finally settled in a comfortable room in our new home at the Crowne Plaza. Oh yeah, and I'm officially 20 now! Yay!!

So all day Sunday, we were doing things. I woke up pleasantly to my cute Blake getting me breakfast and bed. What a great way to start off my birthday!! For those of you that know me well, you know I stress..very easily..and worry..about small things. Well, there was no time to celebrate, snuggle, or get ready in my head. Blake had to repeatedly tell me to calm down and relax and to be happy! I tried. It didn't work too well. We had to be out of there by noon! It helped that I had packed the day before, but it still seemed like there was a never ending load of things out to our car! And on top of that it was RAINING. Beautiful. So here I was, going in and out of the Hotel, back and forth, in sweats and a t shirt. Hair getting matted down and curling. GROSS! I know. It looked very fitting that I was a joyous girl turning 20. Jokes.

The car was finally packed..completely..packed. We had no vision out of our back window, and I had no leg room. Luckily, our destination was only 2 hours away. I actually enjoyed the drive. I got some quality time with Blake, we talked the WHOLE time. It was nice. The scenery was also BEAUTIFUL. The vegetation here is sooo green!! And there are so many body's of water out here! We made it that much closer to the ocean!

We finally got to Crowne Plaza. SOOO excited. The Lobby looked AMAZING. The service was GREAT. We got to our room. HORRIBLE! Okay, well they are actually very nice..but sooo small!! I was so disappointed. I was expecting a suite. Somewhere I could cook...nope. I knew if we were to bring all our stuff in, it would not be comfortable. I was already upset that I had brought a bunch of extra stuff we DIDN'T need, but not having places to put things really gets me in the wrong way. I mean its better to be prepared, then unprepared..but I wasn't prepared for a room that small. Well, eventually, after venturing the whole hotel, we found a room. With two queen beds, that extra bed makes all the difference in how big a room is. We are now living comfortably in Crowne Plaza.

Making meals is still difficult, but we're managing. We had to get a fridge brought up to our room, and were supposed to get a microwave as well, but we had to be put on a list and LUCKILY we got that microwave today! Wahoo!! I've been making top ramen, oatmeal, and easy mac in the Coffee Pot. It's been interesting, but it's worked none-the-less.

My birthday turned out to be just great. I got many wonderful texts and phonec calls and later that night we went to boston pizza with the group, had a GREAT meal (Thanks Chance and Amy!!), and came home and opened a present from Blakes family. It was wonderful. Blake also bought me cupcakes the next day, because the ice cream cake I wanted was a bit pricey. The cupcakes were SO good. (You better believe I made him sing me Happy Birthday when I ate my cupcakes).


Anyways, that's all for now!! Oh yeah, the weather has started to be absolutely wonderful. This sunday Blake and I are hoping to get to the coast.

Farewell Lakeview Inn and Suites

It's been a little over a month and we're still managing to survive. Not that I had any doubt that we wouldn't, it's just...the initial thought of living in a hotel room for a month wasn't very appealing to me. But it's a LOT better then I was expecting after seeing the pictures of the hotel online before we came out here. It's also a HUGE step up from the motels that we were staying at along the way, I actually feel somewhat SAFE here. With that being said, I'm more then ready to leave this place.

Fredericton, you are very green, and very wet. But you're beautiful. Blake and I have enjoyed much of what your city has to offer. At times, you gave our APX team a good week, and others a really slow week. But overall, it was a good area. I also appreciated the sun, when it decided to come out. The people are incredibly nice, and we couldn't have picked a better area to kick off our summer. Don't worry I'm taking pictures, I just don't want to post them on here just yet.

Lakeview, your continental breakfast was very enjoyable, but that may only be my bias opinion because my sweet husband got up early each morning to bring me breakfast in bed, even when he had a late night! Orange juice, some cereal, a muffin, a bagel, and a yogurt each and every morning. I love him. I also have to give you props for your hot chocolate...that is...when you HAD it. I also really appreciated the Non-Smoking environment of the entire hotel. Loved it.

Room 317, you have given me shelter, TV with cable, and a decent bed. But here are the things I won't miss : the roaring air conditioning, the sink that won't drain, the toilet that takes 10 minutes to flush, slow internet, footsteps of a giant, gross green carpet, *Knock Knock Knock* "Guest Services!" in the early morning, random beetles, towels that feel like sand paper, keys that won't work, and a fridge that ruins fresh food.

It's now time for us to move on, to bigger and better things. Okay, so we're going to another hotel, but it really is...BIGGER and BETTER. Crowne Plaza in Downtown Moncton, look it up. With a pool and decent exercise room, I am ready to call you my new home.

I've never been more excited for a change of scene.

Rule Book

Through out our lives, we all have experiences that shape out the type of person that we are. Some influences we let in, and others we keep out. For instance, in elementary wasn't it just the coolest to wear your hair the same way as your friends, plan out the same out fits wear them the same day, and meet at the same place on the playground every reccess?? It was even cool to have a crush on the same guy! Everyone could be friends.
Once you enter Junior high you begin to find yourself a little more as an individual, able to seperate yourself from those that are "cool" and those that are not. Cliques are formed, awkward stages come and go, and so do some different habits. (Things that you will do and things that you will not.)
By the time highschool comes, you've formed a pretty good idea of where you fit in. Everyone knows who is liking who, who dresses the best, and who just doesn't fit in.
And thus, this is why i ask the question... WHO MADE THE RULES? Just to give a little insight here are some definitions of Rule: a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement, etc. to control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern.

Don't get me wrong. Rules are good, rules have helped me become the person I am today. And I'm grateful for that. But who made the "rules" about what type of person is acceptable, and what type of person isn't? Why does everyone think there is a certain way to feel, or think?

I'll be the first to admit I have a "rule" issue. I care so much about people, and want to help them, but where I go wrong is that I try to fix their problems by telling them to fix it..how I would fix it. I've caused myself and some others a lot of stress because of that. Now I'm on the other end of it. I find that people are trying to tell me how I SHOULD or SHOULDN'T feel about one thing or another. Trying to make me live by their "rules". I don't like it... at all. I feel like the person I am, and that I'm happy with, is wrong. This leads me to my next question.. is it selfish to want to be me?

Is it selfish to want to feel, the way I feel, without being questioned for it or feeling guilty about it, just because someone else isn't happy about it? Is it selfish to not WANT to change how you think, or feel? Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to change things about myself, I want to be a better person...who doesn't? But is it selfish to not change..if you don't think making those changes are in YOUR best interest?

I want to make everyone happy just as much as the next person, but everyone, includes me too.

This Summer

When I was growing up, dating, and all that, I never thought I would be married, yet alone living in Canada freshly after turning 19. No, I never planned on it. But now that I'm living it.. life couldn't be more exciting.

We set out on an adventure this summer, where you might ask? New Brunswick, Canada. I know, I had never heard of it either. Where Maine (and the United States Ends) New Brunswick begins. We drove across the Continent. I like to say Continent now, because I now sort of belong to two countries, so it's easier for me to talk about where I'm coming from if I say it that way. Anyways! We drove state side. It was fun, scary, and exhausting all at once! It was such a nice change to be spending the whole day together, rather than apart like we had been doing for the past 8 months before!

We've now been here for over a month, and as much as I'd like to say it's been such a "vacation" for me, I can't. In fact, it's been quite stressful. For the both of us. But amongst all the stress, and any other hardships I seem to be facing (being away from my family, being an immigrant, weddings etc.), Blake is always there to pick me up, even when I fight it, and try to do it on my own. He knows what's best for me. And I hope that I can ammount to the person he is.

Something that I love about being out here with Blake, is that we only have eachother. I mean we have friends and family out here, but you know what I mean. We are growing as individuals, and as well as a couple. Spiritually, Emotionally, and in little ways that I couldn't even describe.

As my 20th birthday is approaching, I couldn't be more excited to be sharing it with my husband. Miles, and miles away from home. Of course its hard, but leaving the teen years behind couldn't be easier. I'm ready to grow into the person that lifes shaping me out to be.

Bring on the 20's.

It's Time

This time, I’m going to do this blogging thing the right way.
Or at least.. how I think it should be done.
This time it’s all about Blake and I, and our life.
Good and bad..but mostly good.
And about the things we are experiencing together.
It’s not just about ME and MY feelings anymore.
We've gone through a lot of changes this past year,
And it’s time.
Let the adventure begin..er, uh..continue! :)