Two-Year Anniversary

Yesterday marked our two-year anniversary, and we decided to celebrate by going to the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake. We've never been there before, but had always wanted to go, so this was the perfect opportunity.

We stayed in two different rooms during our two night get away and both were fantastic! Last night, we dressed up and went to a nice Italian restaurant. It was so wonderful spending this time together as we reflected on the past two years, and talked about our hopes, goals, and dreams for the future.

I'm so grateful for a wonderful husband like Travis, and that we've been sealed in the temple for time and all eternity! I really can't imagine my life without him, and frankly, I don't want to. Our love for each other has grown so much since that day we were sealed together as a family, and we know it's only growing stronger everyday!

Snake River

This past weekend, Travis and I accompanied our friends, the Philbricks and Greens, on a camping trip to the Snake River. We had way too much fun! This was my first time river rafting, and it was a blast. I didn't get to raft as much as Travis because of a recent surgery I had on my leg, but it was still worth the trip. When Travis was little, it was a tradition for his family to raft the Snake River with the Philbricks. Now that Travis and Rob are older, I guess the tradition is starting over again with a new generation!

Besides rafting, we were able to drive up to Jackson and stroll through the very touristy town. It was fun to see everything, especially all the antlers! While there, Travis thought it would be funny to cool me off by pouring cold water down my back. So I got him back good! Right in the face! It was great! I wish I would've taken a picture of that one. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip with wonderful friends, and can't wait to do it again next summer!

The Big 2-5!

Travis turned 25 on Saturday, and we had tons of fun celebrating his big day. We spent the morning playing miniature golf. The first half of the game, Travis was on fire and I did awful. But then the tide turned the second half of the game and we ended up with a tied score!

After miniature golf, we had a delicious and very filling lunch at Brick Oven, one of Travis's favorite places to eat. Since this was a special occasion, we actually ordered root beer instead of water! I don't know how many mugs Travis drained...the waitress commented while refilling his mug, "I should've just given you a pitcher with a straw!" After she left, Travis said, "...Yes, please?"

We spent the afternoon catching up on original Star Trek episodes, and that evening Travis's parents joined us for an Oreo ice cream cake. It was my very first ice cream cake, and though it didn't look like much on the outside, I have to admit, it tasted delicious, and it was so easy to make!

This evening, we had another little party for Travis as our friends came over and wished him a happy birthday, and joined us for a wonderful Family Home Evening. It was so much fun!

Happy Birthday Travis!

You Know You're An Engineer When...

I think being an engineer is a good fit for me.

Lacee and I decided to go on a short walk around the block tonight to get out of the house a little bit. There's a small park (Maeser Park) right behind our house that takes up the back half of our block. As we were walking around, Lacee noticed they had moved one of the picnic tables from one end of the park to the middle of the park. When she commented on it, I replied, "Oh, they did? I didn't even notice. But I did notice that only the front two legs of the table are bolted to the concrete pad; the back two legs are missing the bolt." Lacee looked at me and laughed. It's pretty typical for me not to notice big things, but I generally always notice small details. (I'm dreading the day when Lacee comes home with a drastic haircut and I don't even notice... )

A lady I used to work with on occasion at BYU showed me this comic the other day. I hope it's big enough to read. Maybe you have to be (or know) an engineer to get it, but I think it's great!

Clear Creek

Friends always ask me what I do over the summer now that school's out. Well, I work! Last summer, I was hired on to be a teacher at Clear Creek Summer Camp, which is basically a week-long outdoors camp near Scofield where we teach fifth-graders about the trees, flowers, animals, and the history of that area. It's a lot of fun, and I've learned a lot from working there these last two summers. My favorite part is catching pot-guts in homemade traps! My least favorite part is being away from Travis for the week. There's no cell phone reception, but there is a computer from which I can e-mail him.

(Don't worry, we only use the mouse traps to open
and close the trap's door...)

Last weekend, when Travis picked me up from camp, he surprised me with, lo and behold, another camping trip! My clothes were already dirty and still smelled like smoke from the long week, so why not? We met up with Rob, Kim, Colby and Kat around Payson Lakes. We always have so much fun together! I love this picture- it looks like I've been camping all week, and I love the difference in our sticks. I guess Teddy Roosevelt said it best: "Speak softly, and carry a big stick!"

Father's Day Fun

To celebrate Father's Day, I decided to surprise Travis with a canoe trip down the Provo River. We had a blast!

We rowed for a couple of hours down to Utah Lake and back, and had so much fun together! I am so grateful for Travis and the wonderful man that he is. He is such a strength to our family, and a wonderful influence to everyone around him. He'll be an amazing father one day!

Happy Father's Day! :)

Unemployed!

After working at the housing office for over 3 years as an administrator, Travis took the plunge and quit his job. Because of how this joint program is structured, he only has one year to work on and defend his thesis for his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. Quitting has definitely given him extra time to do this.

This has been a bitter-sweet thing for Travis; he's made the housing office advance in so many ways, not to mention saved them thousands of dollars each year by the things he programed and integrated for them. Everyone was so sad to see him go! I don't know what they're going to do without him. Our friends have joked with us saying that the housing office will probably cease to exist, and students will be homeless and wander aimlessly around campus.

That weekend, we took a small camping trip to celebrate. Travis cooked pasta for dinner. To be honest, it was the first time I've ever had pasta while camping. But it was so easy to make, and delicious!

When he went to school this week, he forgot he didn't have an A sticker anymore! Poor Travis didn't even know where any Y parking lots were located! Luckily, he found one empty spot in the nick of time. He'll get a G sticker starting summer term for being a graduate student...but we will miss the close parking! Travis also received a T.A. Fellowship for Fall/Winter semesters, so this unemployment won't last too long. We know that his job at the housing office has been a blessing in many ways to us, and for that we are so grateful!