Hunting, Hiking, and Wisdom Teeth

Adam's cousin came into town to visit last week.  One of the activities they (well, we) embarked on was...

Jackrabbit hunting.

Do you see that? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 jackrabbits!

Oh, and this is because I was taking the pictures that night so I wasn't in any of them!

This weekend Adam and I went camping and hiking at Fossil Springs with some friends.  It was fun!  The water was FREEZING!  But it felt good after hiking 4 miles to the waterfall, and then 4 more miles back.

And Adam got his wisdom teeth taken out this morning.  Poor guy.  I think all four of his teeth were embedded.  Needless to say, he's still in a lot of pain.  But it went well and he is on the mend!  He had an awesome doc!

His teeth.

Celebrating the First of Many Years

Like I mentioned in my previous post, Saturday (June 4) was Adam and my first wedding anniversary.

He got me flowers!

 

 Aren't they so pretty??  He did good!

I kidnapped him on Friday and we went on a surprise getaway weekend to Phoenix.

We had dinner at this awesome restaurant:

 They even took our picture and emailed it to us!

Here's a close-up on that surprise "Happy Anniversary" dessert.

Adam says it was the best steak he has ever had.  Ever.  And he was surprised (about the weekend and dinner)!  Guess I done good.  :)

And the next day, our actual anniversary day, we went to a DBacks game with Adam's parents and his cousin who came into town to visit.  I wanted to tell the information people that it was our anniversary so hopefully they would make a big scene and announce it and whatnot.  Unfortunately that didn't happen.  Oh well.  At least the DBacks won!  Woohoo!

My co-worker/friend's husband insisted on saving the top of our cake from our wedding, so it has been sitting in their freezer for the past year.  Tradition is to eat the top part of your cake on your 1st anniversary...  We missed it by a couple days but we will be having it soon.  It will probably be gross, but I want to be able to say that we did it!  Haha.

Times Are A-Changin'

Hello my slightly neglected blog!  I just finished putting together the first family newsletter for my mom's side of the family (which was super fun!) so now is as good a time as any, especially since I'm in the informing mood!

Most recently, Adam and I moved last weekend to an apartment that is BIGGER (yay!) and closer to the U of A.  We had tons of help -- it only took 30 minutes to move our stuff out and 30 minutes to move it in!  It was awesome.  We're still living out of boxes but we're slowly getting things arranged and organized.  So far, we love it.

 Old apartment:

This is the Living Room; notice that tons of things are crammed in here -

Adam's desk, the keyboard, coffee table, couch (not pictured but to the right), Adam's Architecture stuff...

 Old apartment porch.
(And that window to the left is the bedroom.)

 Move-out day: Goodbye old apartment!

Move-in day: Hello new apartment!
(Spacious.)

At least those are empty boxes...

New apartment means new ward!  And this time a whole new stake!  Church on Sunday was a little sad, but we are excited for the new opportunities we will have and the new people we are going to meet and get to know!

Did I ever mention that Adam and I went to the Air Show (which was in Phoenix this year) back in March?  Well we did.  And we saw the Thunderbirds (they are awesome).  And I got a nice tan line from my watch.  I (kind of) wish I had a picture of that!

 

Adam applied to the Architecture program at the UofA!  We won't hear back from them to see if he made it in until July.  Boo.  But we're hopeful and optimistic that he will!  My husband is talented and smart -- he's pretty awesome.

And Adam's sister gradidated from high school, LDS Seminary, and the JTED nursing program!  Of course we went to all three ceremonies.  I'm just so proud.

And last but not least, this weekend (Saturday to be exact) is our very first wedding anniversary!  We will be celebrating.  But I cannot tell how because it's a secret.  Adam doesn't know!  Hehe!

Stress Relief?

A lot of people say that exercise, and lots specifically say running, is what helps them de-stress.  I'm not sure if this particular practice is a stress-reliever or stress-inducer for me.  I guess I'm just not very good at pushing myself through pain.  Soccer practices were never my favorite, all that running and having to be faster than others or a specific time.  Killed me!  I hated it.  Yeah it made/makes me be more in shape, and yeah I probably feel good afterwards, but I just have a really hard time being in the middle of it.  Also, exercise - I guess I'm not so fantastic at getting myself motivated to do it.  I'm trying to be better, and I'm getting there.  But mornings are probably the worst.  And ironically my ideal time to work out (and could be a whole other post discussing that).  If I can stay inside and work out it's usually better.  But trying to get me to get up early and go outside and run?  I can't say that it's easy.  Our new apartment complex has a nice work out facility AND a tennis court AND a racquetball court, and I am determined to do better!  Once we get there.

I think my personal stress relief is sleep.  If you know me at all, you probably know that I enjoy my sleep.  I like the mornings but don't really see much of them.  I'm working on that too.  Baby steps.  So, sleep = stress relief?  I don't know if that really is true, but if I didn't get much sleep the previous night and I find myself alone in my quiet apartment in the middle of the day, the couch is very inviting, and I will probably give in.  This also could be a-whole-nother subject...  I don't pop awake when it's morning-time (I'm not sure many people do? Hopefully I'm not alone in this...) but I also don't have great will power to make myself awake.  My warm and comfy bed is oh so VERY inviting.  It doesn't help that Adam covers the window with a thick blanket, which = no sunlight, and likes all sorts of fans blowing making it chilly up in here.  But on the other hand, if I sleep too much I'm quite susceptible to feeling guilty for doing so.  Which could = some stress.  Hmm.

I really need to learn to lead a stress-free life.  It makes life more enjoyable for me and everyone else around me, and I also worry about my ulcerative colitis acting up when I'm pregnant.  Stress = flare ups.  Example: planning a wedding.  I think I do pretty okay most of the time, but like I just mentioned, I tend to, I guess you could call it stress, when I sleep in and skip my shower to avoid taking another hour or more to get ready and then add a half hour to that to get to work.  I'm lucky though to have a loving boss who doesn't mind what hours I come in to work as long as I get my work done.  She's a good mom, I mean boss.  :D  I just don't want to put any future babies in any sort of harm with any sort of medication I may have to take if I have a flare up while pregnant or breast feeding.

So here's to being stress-free!  Wish me luck on finding my relief-outlet.  Thanks in advance.

Some Money Savin' Tips

I'm no expert, but I'm learning and so I wanted to share!

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Money Saving Tip #1 - Don't spend more than you earn.  This is a no-brainer but apparently lots of people have trouble with this concept.

Money Saving Tip #2 - Create a budget and STICK TO IT.  Make realistic and reasonable goals for how much you want to spend on certain things each month.

Money Saving Tip #3 - Coupons.  (This includes ad-matching.)  But don't buy things you don't normally buy just because you found a coupon for it.  I am a super beginner when it comes to coupons, but I'm trying to learn little by little!

Money Saving Tip #4 - Make a grocery shopping list before you go to the store.  Sounds too easy, right?  But it really does help!

Money Saving Tip #5 - Add up your groceries while you shop.  That way you can make sure to stay on track with your budget.

Money Saving Tip #6 - Keep a price log - of the things you buy and from what store.  This sounded hard and time-consuming when I first heard of it but Adam and I did it tonight and it is pretty simple!  Just write the current prices while you shop next to each item on your shopping list.  And then transfer it to an Excel spreadsheet when you get home.

Money Saving Tip #7 - Don't buy too many things you don't need.  I like to say we each can get one extra item, or maybe get as many extra items that doesn't exceed X amount each shopping trip.  We can live being frugle without living like we're poor!

Money Saving Tip #8 - CHECK THE RECIPT before you leave the store!  Silly?  Not so!  Just tonight Adam and I found we were charged double for something of which we only bought one.  Who knows how many other times that has happened!  Every dollar counts.

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And there you have it.

We are striving for better spending trends, and I feel like we're on a good track!

Do you have any tips of your own?