Just A Little Update

I went and saw Mama Mia yesterday afternoon. It was really great! I wanted to get up and dance but refrained. The music is really fun and I was really impressed with the whole cast. If you haven't seen it yet go see it!

Today I've been getting ready for our trip to Nauvoo. To help with costs I've been making a few things so we don't have to eat out for every meal. It's hard packing good food though! I don't like eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or anything like that so I made stuff for chicken pitas, BLT sandwiches, chips and veggies with dip. It's gonna be good and I can't wait to go!!!
Yesterday I wanted to take a few pictures of some of the beautiful houses out here. We drive past this one everyday and it's just all by itself with lots of land around it. I didn't notice it at first because the trees kinda of block it from the road but now I always look forward to seeing it. I love the red doors and big porch!

(Now, I tried to get a great picture from inside my car-- I was too embarrassed to get out. The owners pulled up when I was about to take it and I got scared they would ask me if my car was having problems or something so it isn't the best picture) Now I'm pretty sure it is not a duplex even though it has two doors. I ran out of time to get photos of the other houses but I will before we move back to Utah.
P.S. The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer is out and it looks pretty intense...(if you go to www.imdb.com you can watch it)

The Winner!

We knew it! If you watch the Food Network you'll have to watch this guy (when his show comes out). His food is awesome!

Our New Hobby

So it might sound lame but we have started doing puzzles together and we love it! We finished this one a while ago, but I haven't had the heart to take it apart. Tony came home last night with a new one for us to work on and I had to take a picture of our hard work before it was put back in the box.

The Next Food Network Star

I love watching the Food Network. It's probably one of my favorite channels on TV. Tony and I have started watching The Next Food Network Star on Sunday nights. We love this show! Different chefs compete for their own show on the food network. Last week it was down to three people. They had to make a Las Vegas style buffet (they were in Vegas for this episode) for 50 people and tape commercials for their show--one that they would use if they win. Instead of eliminating someone last week the judges kept all three contestants! It was too tough of a decision! This Sunday is the finale! We want Aaron to win!

Dear Cafe Rio, I Miss You.

I used to go to Cafe Rio around once a week. I either ordered the pork tostada (which is the exact same thing as the pork salad, if you request the soft tortilla, it's just smaller, and they use a scoop of sour cream instead of guacamole and you save about three bucks) or the pork tacos.
I now live three states away from any location. When I come back to Utah, I will first say hi to my family and then...I'm going to Cafe Rio.

We're Going To Nauvoo!

I have the most amazing husband in the whole world. When we moved to Bentonville we talked about taking a trip to Nauvoo, BUT it is a 7 hour drive and might cost us a bit to get there and stay in a hotel. I told Tony it would be too expensive and that this summer may not be the best time for us financially. Last week, after picking up Tony from work, he said he has a half day of work on August 1st (my birthday) because of a company activity they're having that night. He told me we could go to the activity that night OR we could leave for Nauvoo for a weekend trip for my birthday. Hard decision...We're going to Nauvoo and I can't wait!

BYU Intern Hike

On Saturday we went with our friends to the Wal-Mart visitor's center (pictured above). It is in Sam Walton's original variety store in downtown Bentonville. Inside they have Sam's office, truck and just a bunch of Wal-Mart stuff. Downtown Bentonville is absolutely gorgeous. Lots of little stores with a park in the middle. The houses around this area have so much character to them. One of these days I'm going to take some pictures of the beautiful houses here.

After the visitor's center we went to a BYU intern activity--it was a planned picnic and hike at a state park in Oklahoma. We had a lot of fun. Instead of going on a hike we walked down a trail to a waterfall. Some of the interns had kids and it would've been too hard to hike with for them. We were glad because it was so hot outside!

It was a great day!

Arkansas Safari

Weekends are so much fun with Tony. He's always planning and surprising me with really fun things to do. Last weekend we went to The Wild Wilderness Safari. This place was about half hour away from our apartment. You'd think they would only have farm animals but that was not the case at all. We heard, don't know if it's true, that this facility started out as a animal rescue shelter and when people started coming to see the animals the owners turned it into a family attraction.

Half of the place is a petting zoo while the other half is a drive through safari.

PETTING ZOO(Six week old baby tiger)

Lemur

DRIVE THROUGH SAFARI

Our Home

After we got engaged, Tony was offered an internship with Walmart, Inc. We knew it would be a great opportunity for him and his future career so we decided we would do it. I say "we" because it has been a big change for the both of us. After our honeymoon we stayed a few days with Tony's parents and then packed up and drove two days to Wal-Mart's headquarters--Bentonville Arkansas.
Wal-Mart hooked us up with a really great apartment that is fully furnished with everyone down to dishes and linens. On top of that, the complex has two pools and a gym. They also pay a big portion of the rent. We're really lucky! Hopefully it doesn't set our expectations for life too high...we'll be moving back into a regular college apartment in the fall (one that costs more than what we're paying now) so that will be a good reminder that life isn't this easy!

We really like the Bentonville area. It is very beautiful and has the "small town feel" even though everything you would need is within 15 minutes. We really enjoy it here!

Honeymoon

(Leaving the wedding dinner)
Tony's parents were wonderful and got us on a cruise for our honeymoon. We had such a great time! The cruise was awesome because we had everything planned out for us and didn't have to worry about driving anywhere or finding somewhere to eat. Plus you have people who make your bed and clean your room everyday. Can't beat that!
We stopped in Freeport for a day and went snorkeling. It was my first time and I loved it. It was a little scary trusting my equipment not to leak but eventually I got the hang of it.
Our next stop was Nassau and this was my favorite place. Our excursion here was going to a little island for the afternoon. We had lunch here and played with the sting rays! We put on snorkeling gear and swam around with them. We also got pieces of fish and were able to feed them. They are huge!
(Me trying not to move- notice the sting ray right behind me)
On the ship we went to a few shows, ate lots of ice cream and even tried the slot machines. Tony says I would probably be addicted to gambling if I did it more often. Probably. I think we won about $2.50 and it was pretty exciting.

Overall the trip was so much fun and I want to go on another cruise someday!

Wonderful Day

Tony and I started dating back in July 2007. We were in the same student ward and lived across from each other. After a year of being in the same ward and not knowing each other (I guess timing really is the key) the magic happened and we fell in love:) We were married on May 2, 2008 and it will always be one of the happiest days of my life.
We were married in the afternoon so after taking pictures we headed to Eaglewood for our dinner with family and friends. We had a great time. The food, flowers, cake and everything was perfect.

(Our beautiful table settings- Eaglewood did such a good job)

(The top of our wedding cake)

Out of the whole wedding planning process, I think picking out the cake was my favorite part. My mom and I had a great time sampling tons of different cakes! I LOVED our wedding cake. It was so different and tasted really good.
Everything was just how I imagined it would be. I'm so grateful for both of our families and our friends for all the work they did. It was a wonderful day!