The deer let us get really close. We didn't even use a zoom lens. The baby is cute.
This little guy jumped on my lap because I smelled like granola bar.
Surprise Lake. 
The Tetons.
And mom, we took all these pictures with our new camera. It's great!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Animals and the Grand Tetons
Brandon and I finally made it out to the Tetons this weekend. On Friday we did a nice five-mile hike around Jenny Lake. On Saturday, we hiked up to some alpine lakes. What I thought would be a short hike was actually a 10-mile round trip hike. It just about killed me. It was actually less steep and less hot than the 8-miler we did at the Grand Canyon, but unlike the Grand Canyon, it went up to 9,500 feet in elevation. It turns out that I have really bad lungs because when we got to about 8,500 feet I started getting a headache and chest pains. But I finished. Our trip was also marked by the presence of friendly animals. We saw a moose, lots of elk, a grouse, chipmunks and squirrels of all varieties, a marmut, a deer, and a snake. The only thing I didn't see was a bear. I was disappointed because I've seen a bear every time I've been to Yellowstone and once at Yosemite too. This broke my good luck streak. I saw another friendly animal at Brandon's house. I went to the garage to check if the cats had enough food and water and I found a skunk eating the cat food. I call this one frienly because she was nice enough not to spray me. The deer let us get really close. We didn't even use a zoom lens. The baby is cute.This little guy jumped on my lap because I smelled like granola bar.Surprise Lake.
The Tetons.
And mom, we took all these pictures with our new camera. It's great!
The deer let us get really close. We didn't even use a zoom lens. The baby is cute.This little guy jumped on my lap because I smelled like granola bar.Surprise Lake. The Tetons.
And mom, we took all these pictures with our new camera. It's great!
Craters of the Moon
The weekend before last Brandon and I went to Craters of the Moon National Monument. It's pretty much a bunch of extinct volcanos and lava flows. It's a pretty creepy landscape, but fun. I wouldn't be surprised if it were the inspiration for Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Here are some pictures of us having fun:
on a cinder cone
The fat lip
Inside a lava tube
on a cinder coneThe fat lipInside a lava tube
Lava flows
Friday, July 18, 2008
Plans for school!
I decided that it was time for another update on my plans for school. I am starting my third-to-last semester in September. I'm still majoring in Spanish, but my minor is now in Anthropology. I will really just be taking archaeology classes. I'll graduate next December.
Brandon has a few options for school. He could graduate in civil engineering in December and go on to a masters in engineering or architecture. Instead, he wants to finish engineering and start on a double major in geology. That would take him four extra semesters, but I think it would be well worth it, considering how much he loves geology. We just need to figure out whether he would love it as much as a carreer and a major.
Brandon has a few options for school. He could graduate in civil engineering in December and go on to a masters in engineering or architecture. Instead, he wants to finish engineering and start on a double major in geology. That would take him four extra semesters, but I think it would be well worth it, considering how much he loves geology. We just need to figure out whether he would love it as much as a carreer and a major.
Unexpected favorites
With wedding gifts, I am usually a stick-to-the-registry girl, so it surprised me to get a few awesome presents that I hadn't registered for. I am very excited to use all of these:
One great cookbook with a CD, from Bexar. Brandon will be thanking you for that, because now I can actually cook for him.
The most beautiful bowl I've ever seen, from Brianna. Sometimes I catch myself staring at it. Bexar also bought me some candleholders to match.
A slow-cooker, from Brandon's uncle. I wasn't excited about it at first, because I thought we didn't need it. Then I found some delicious recipes that I can't wait to try like chicken and shrimp jumbalaya or slow-cooked minestrone. It will also be a really easy way to cook while I'm at school during the fall and winter. Hey, I bet I could make feijoada in it, too.
One 10-cup food processor. Okay, I did register for this, but I don't know who it's from, so I want to thank them on my blog and tell them that I will be trying every salsa recipe that I can find.
Sadly, I haven't been able to use any of these things yet because in the month and a half that I've been married, I have spent a total of FIVE DAYS at my own apartment. The rest of the time, I have lived out of a suitcase, borrowing cooking supplies from the in-laws and using every excuse to get out of my spider-infested basement. I probably won't be using them anytime soon, either, because I have three weeks before coming back to Provo, and when I do, I will have to move again in another three weeks, so we are keeping everything in boxes until then. But thank you, surprise gift givers. And Ashley. I liked your non-registry gift, too.
One great cookbook with a CD, from Bexar. Brandon will be thanking you for that, because now I can actually cook for him.
The most beautiful bowl I've ever seen, from Brianna. Sometimes I catch myself staring at it. Bexar also bought me some candleholders to match.
A slow-cooker, from Brandon's uncle. I wasn't excited about it at first, because I thought we didn't need it. Then I found some delicious recipes that I can't wait to try like chicken and shrimp jumbalaya or slow-cooked minestrone. It will also be a really easy way to cook while I'm at school during the fall and winter. Hey, I bet I could make feijoada in it, too.
One 10-cup food processor. Okay, I did register for this, but I don't know who it's from, so I want to thank them on my blog and tell them that I will be trying every salsa recipe that I can find.
Sadly, I haven't been able to use any of these things yet because in the month and a half that I've been married, I have spent a total of FIVE DAYS at my own apartment. The rest of the time, I have lived out of a suitcase, borrowing cooking supplies from the in-laws and using every excuse to get out of my spider-infested basement. I probably won't be using them anytime soon, either, because I have three weeks before coming back to Provo, and when I do, I will have to move again in another three weeks, so we are keeping everything in boxes until then. But thank you, surprise gift givers. And Ashley. I liked your non-registry gift, too.
You guys have the cutest kids
Well, my photographers LOVED Caroline and Mabel. Here are more cute pictures of them:
Friday, July 11, 2008
My car
I am posting this in hopes that my brother and sisters' teasings will get my parents to expedite the process of fixing my car situation. As everyone knows, I have a little red Corolla. In January of this year, the registration expired. Since it's registered in Texas, I can't renew the registration, and since the title isn't in my name, I can't get it registered in Idaho. It doesn't really matter that the title isn't in my name, though, because we apparently don't have a title for it. Mom and Dad realized that it was lost when they went to transfer it to Brandon and me. They said that they'll fill out some paperwork on the lost title and get a new one under my name. But I'm thinking that this will only happen when they come to the US to bail me out of prison when my car gets impounded. Luckily, the car is insured. Too bad that doesn't matter either, since I have never been sent proof of insurance. So, when a cop pulls me over for having expired registration and asks me for my proof of insurance, I will have to give him one that expired in October.
Here's something that will get them motivated. When Brandon and I go back to Provo and find a new place to live, it's likely that the place won't have much off-street parking. In that case, it will cost them $30 per day to have an unregistered car, because believe me, the police come every day, and they will give me a ticket every day until I get it fixed.
Or we could take back Brandon's Buick and leave my car with his family to sit and get snowed on all winter long. The Buick's shocks are so bad that it's like riding a roller coaster. Really fun, but according to Brandon's uncle, that car is a death trap.
Seriously. Please fix it.
Here's something that will get them motivated. When Brandon and I go back to Provo and find a new place to live, it's likely that the place won't have much off-street parking. In that case, it will cost them $30 per day to have an unregistered car, because believe me, the police come every day, and they will give me a ticket every day until I get it fixed.
Or we could take back Brandon's Buick and leave my car with his family to sit and get snowed on all winter long. The Buick's shocks are so bad that it's like riding a roller coaster. Really fun, but according to Brandon's uncle, that car is a death trap.
Seriously. Please fix it.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Idaho (for Jennifer)
Jennifer,
Sorry about not posting lately. I have been living in an 88-year-old woman's basement and she doesn't have internet. But today I am babysitting Brandon's siblings and I therefore get free use of their computer.
It would be difficult to give an unbiased report on Idaho, since I'm living here in the summer, and it's much nicer than the freezing winter months. But surprisingly, I really like Idaho. Living in a small town doesn't bother me-- Blackfoot can provide most daily needs and if I need something else, Pocatello is only 20 minutes away. If Napoleon Dynamite gave you the impression that everyone in Idaho is a hick and owns a llama, then you actually have the right idea about life in Idaho. There are llamas. Lots of llamas. And cows and horses and goats and sheep. I live across the street from a dairy farm. It provides a nice view but when the wind kicks up, it smells like cow poop. The kids go to their neighbor's house every day to feed their chickens, dog, and calf. It's a really cute calf. I fed it once. But since I like animals and wide open spaces, it's fun for me.
Despite what I had thought, there are plenty of things to do in Idaho. Last week we went to a pool in Lava Hot Springs and I jumped off a 30-foot high dive. That wasn't as painful as bellyflopping off the 10-foot springboard, though. It knocked the wind out of me and the next morning I woke up with mysterious bruises all over my body. I also helped Brandon's little brother buy $90 of fireworks and set them off. I thought that just Brandon was a pyro, but apparently it runs in the family. Besides that, Brandon and I are planning more trips. We are going to the boobs this weekend (that's what Ryan calls the Tetons now). If I had my kayak with me, I would go to the Salmon river. It apparently has some good kayaking.
Living so close to Brandon's family has been quite a different experience. His brothers and sisters are too young to really understand marriage, so instead of thinking I'm his wife, they think I'm his sister. Last week we were at his family's house for almost three days straight. When we showed up at 11:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM, his brother got mad at us, because we should have been there earlier to do things with them. That was the morning after we got home at 11:30 the previous night. Trying to explain to him that we needed time together was useless, because to him, "time together" includes time with the entire family. On one busy day I had a bit of a meltdown. I went home and refused to do anything else that day and told Brandon that we might as well live with his family considering how much we're over there. I got over it soon enough to go golfing with his family. But we did go home early that night.
Being here has made me do some unexpected things. Suddenly I am the person telling the little kids to get the kittens off the kitchen counter and put them back in the garage. Of course, I mainly do this because Mia carries the kittens around all day and they so obviously hate it, and I am against cruelty to animals. And having them on the counter really is gross. I also get up at 7:30 to go to work with Brandon. Anyone that knows me knows that that I would never get up that early to work. But I do work. I paint handrails and help Brandon do things at the construction site. I have safety goggles and work boots and everything. Nothing but braces has ever made me feel so unattractive.
Anyways, Idaho has been a learning experience. I keep learning more about Idaho, kids, Brandon, and even myself. But the biggest thing I've learned is that you should never, ever live with your in-laws.
Sorry about not posting lately. I have been living in an 88-year-old woman's basement and she doesn't have internet. But today I am babysitting Brandon's siblings and I therefore get free use of their computer.
It would be difficult to give an unbiased report on Idaho, since I'm living here in the summer, and it's much nicer than the freezing winter months. But surprisingly, I really like Idaho. Living in a small town doesn't bother me-- Blackfoot can provide most daily needs and if I need something else, Pocatello is only 20 minutes away. If Napoleon Dynamite gave you the impression that everyone in Idaho is a hick and owns a llama, then you actually have the right idea about life in Idaho. There are llamas. Lots of llamas. And cows and horses and goats and sheep. I live across the street from a dairy farm. It provides a nice view but when the wind kicks up, it smells like cow poop. The kids go to their neighbor's house every day to feed their chickens, dog, and calf. It's a really cute calf. I fed it once. But since I like animals and wide open spaces, it's fun for me.
Despite what I had thought, there are plenty of things to do in Idaho. Last week we went to a pool in Lava Hot Springs and I jumped off a 30-foot high dive. That wasn't as painful as bellyflopping off the 10-foot springboard, though. It knocked the wind out of me and the next morning I woke up with mysterious bruises all over my body. I also helped Brandon's little brother buy $90 of fireworks and set them off. I thought that just Brandon was a pyro, but apparently it runs in the family. Besides that, Brandon and I are planning more trips. We are going to the boobs this weekend (that's what Ryan calls the Tetons now). If I had my kayak with me, I would go to the Salmon river. It apparently has some good kayaking.
Living so close to Brandon's family has been quite a different experience. His brothers and sisters are too young to really understand marriage, so instead of thinking I'm his wife, they think I'm his sister. Last week we were at his family's house for almost three days straight. When we showed up at 11:00 AM instead of 9:00 AM, his brother got mad at us, because we should have been there earlier to do things with them. That was the morning after we got home at 11:30 the previous night. Trying to explain to him that we needed time together was useless, because to him, "time together" includes time with the entire family. On one busy day I had a bit of a meltdown. I went home and refused to do anything else that day and told Brandon that we might as well live with his family considering how much we're over there. I got over it soon enough to go golfing with his family. But we did go home early that night.
Being here has made me do some unexpected things. Suddenly I am the person telling the little kids to get the kittens off the kitchen counter and put them back in the garage. Of course, I mainly do this because Mia carries the kittens around all day and they so obviously hate it, and I am against cruelty to animals. And having them on the counter really is gross. I also get up at 7:30 to go to work with Brandon. Anyone that knows me knows that that I would never get up that early to work. But I do work. I paint handrails and help Brandon do things at the construction site. I have safety goggles and work boots and everything. Nothing but braces has ever made me feel so unattractive.
Anyways, Idaho has been a learning experience. I keep learning more about Idaho, kids, Brandon, and even myself. But the biggest thing I've learned is that you should never, ever live with your in-laws.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Addendum
These were just a few of the wedding pictures I got today. There are seriously more than 700 of them, and they all turned out really well. The photographers gave me (and anyone else) permission to print out any of the pictures, so I will put them on Snapfish. Bexar and Bethany, there are more cute pictures of your kids. There are cute pictures of everyone. I'll be putting the rest up soon!
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