Our first tree!

Doug and I had a great weekend. Saturday morning I got early, (sadly not by choice, I am accustomed to waking up early for work) so I decided to make Doug some bacon, eggs and pancakes before he woke up. I started the eggs and cracked them all, neglecting to save two eggs for the pancakes, so we ended up just having the eggs and bacon. It was still delicious. After breakfast, we headed to the gym, worked off all the eggs and bacon, and then headed to the dollar movie theater which is just down the street from our apartment. The theater is just one screen, and has about 1,000 seats. Literally. It is a huge theater, but only has one screen, so you are left with only one show time to choose from for whatever movie you are wanting to see. Also, since the theater is so big, there is a lot of audience noise which includes soda sipping, popcorn ruffling, and candy box shaking. Despite all that, the movie we saw was terrific. Midnight in Paris was a fantastic film and we really enjoyed watching it on a Saturday afternoon. On the way out, we saw a Christmas Tree lot and decided it was a great time to get a tree! We saw the cutest little tree, but decided to pass since we were not sure if our apartment would allow real trees in the building. So to play it safe, we decided to get a fake tree at Target! We got a 6 foot fake tree, stocked up on ornaments, and I even bought a pine tree candle to burn to give the feeling like the tree is real :)

 Here is our first Christmas tree, all bare

 This is what makes our tree "real". Smells JUST like a real tree!

 We got strands of beads and ornaments to decorate the tree

 Doug is actually really good at decorating the tree. I am sure he had a ton of practice growing up!

Here is the finished product! Just missing the star on top!

So Doug and I have our first tree! Not too bad! We got ornaments to decorate this tree, but we decided to start a tradition of getting a new ornament every year to add to our family Christmas tree. This year we will just have one, but after 30 years we will have enough to fill a whole tree! Getting married has been such a blessing, especially when we can create our own traditions and make lasting memories! 

Turkey Day!

So this post is all about Thanksgiving, but most ladies out there know, that Thanksgiving Day prep starts way before that long Thursday morning. Earlier in the week Doug and I went grocery shopping for the big day. It was just going to be us and a friend from Church, Barrett, so we didn't need a ton of food, but Doug picked a 15 lb turkey. Oh Doug. The whole week up until Thursday I have been looking up recipes, planning out the schedule for each dish, and slightly stressing since this would be my first real Thanksgiving all by myself, with me creating the meal. I knew I had to get some things cooked before Thursday in order to get everything done, so Wednesday after work I was planning on making rolls and the mashed potatoes. Knowing this would take up my whole night, I figured Doug and I would just have an easy bowl of cereal for dinner, and really treat ourselves the next day to a good meal. Well, to my surprise, Doug's mom ordered Pizza Luce for us... from California! They delivered the pizza to our apartment! She got a Papa size Pepperoni for Doug and a Mama size combination for me, PLUS a caesar salad! It was such a surprise and perfect since I knew I wouldn't be able to cook for us that night. Thank you Lenny for being so awesome!

Our delicious dinner Wednesday night!

 So after I made the roll dough and mashed potatoes, we went to bed late. I woke up at 7 am and threw the dough into the oven, and got the Turkey ready. I felt like I was molesting the Turkey. I got the giblets out, and pulled the skin up so I could get the butter under the skin. I really didn't have the option to get squirmy with the raw turkey, so I just rolled up my sleeves and got the job done. I put lots of parsley and onions all over the turkey and hoped for the best. It actually turned out really well! It tasted delicious, but it certainly took longer to cook than the plastic it was wrapped in said to cook it. We had mashed potatoes, gravy, home made rolls, sugared asparagus, brown sugar beans with bacon, sparkling cider, and of course... TURKEY!

 So proud of my turkey

 yummm... it was all so good. Doug loved the beans. Yes, he ate something green!

 Doug carving the turkey. He did pretty good for his first time. We will have many more years of practice! 

So Thanksgiving was a success. After we ate, the boys were on the couch watching football. Once the food settled in our tummies I made some ice cream and we broke out the Pumpkin Pie that Barrett so graciously purchased for us. It was a great way to cap off the night. As things came to a close I realized some things through this experience of my first Thanksgiving as a married adult. Here we go:

Days of Prep before Turkey Day: 2

Number of hours to prepare all the food: 8

On a scale of 1-10 how bad my back hurt mid Thursday morning: 11

Days our left overs will last: 5

How many minutes it took to eat a meal that took hours to make: 35

How many minutes it took me to clean the kitchen after the big meal: 45

Will I be making Thanksgiving Dinner for my future family?: Wouldn't want it any other way. 

So I am not gonna lie, Thanksgiving Dinner is a lot of work and is over in a blink of an eye, but it was so worth it. The memories made on days like these are priceless. I am sad we are not with our families but it was fun to have our very own Thanksgiving. Here is to next year! 

Nauvoo get-a-way

This weekend Doug and I decided to take a trip down to Nauvoo, Illinois since I had Friday off of work. We woke up at 5 am and hit the road, and Doug was doing everything possible to shave off as much time on the ride. I had to practically beg him to let us stop for a potty break, so he agreed to stop at some McDonalds in who knows where. It was the nicest McDonalds I think I have ever been in. I had to take a picture of the sink. It also was 100% employed by people over 80. That was kinda weird to see all the old people making burgers in the back. Anyway, we drove through Iowa, and had to stop on some bridge for a barge traveling on the Mississippi to pass through. I have never seen a bridge move into place, it was crazy. Once we crossed over the bridge we drove into Illinois!

 The barge chuggin its way down the Mississippi

 Once we got into Nauvoo, we drove up to the temple. It was so beautiful! It is built after the original temple built in 1846, which was later burnt down by those who drove the Saints out of Illinois. This temple was finished in 2002, and it is simply breath taking. There are so many details to the temple, and Doug and I learned a ton about the history and how the temple was built. Nauvoo is very small, and the main street consists of a few small hotels, a few tourist shops, and the temple. So we went into the local shops, talked to the owners and learned some cool things about the town. I absolutely loved the small town feel, even if it took us 20 minutes to walk up and down the main street and saw basically everything the little town of Nauvoo had to offer. We were able to take some pictures, but sadly the temple was closed for cleaning, so we will just have to return in the Summer to do a temple session. 

 Sunset over the Mighty Mississippi 

 skipping rocks 

 The LDS Saints were forced to leave their homes in February, dead of winter, and traveled in hand carts  and wagons just like this one!

 Doug served his LDS mission in the Peoria, Illinois mission, and he has a photo of himself as a missionary sitting just like this in his suit. I wish I had his original photo, but I don't, so just imagine Doug as a spry young man with a tie and name tag. 

 My attempt to be cool and copy Doug

 As the sun went down Friday night Doug and I found the headstones of Joseph, Hyrum and Emma. We didn't really know what to do in front of headstones, so we just smiled for the camera, ha. 

The next day was by far the best day ever. We got up early and found the stone bridge arch which is where Joseph kisses Emma for the first time in the Joseph Smith movie (for those of you who know what I am talking about) It was not really what I expected since the pictures and movies show something much more beautiful and lush than what we saw, but it was still fun to go and see. After we saw the arch, we then went through Old Nauvoo and went to the homes and shops that are still there from back in 1840's. We saw Joseph Smiths home which had a gorgeous view of the Mississippi. We went to the blacksmith shop and saw a nice man make us a horse shoe, and we also learned about how bricks were made. I loved being transported back into the 1800's and learning about an industrious and hard working people who loved God. My testimony grew tremendously and I have great respect for those who suffered and sacrificed so much so that I can have the Gospel in my life today. 

 After Nauvoo we went to a city called Carthage. This is where the prophet Joseph Smith was killed. It was amazing to see where he was, be in the actual room, see the very window he fell out of, and touch the actual hole that shot through the door and killed Hyrum. It was a very spiritual experience for me, and I really enjoyed learning new things about a story I have heard over and over again.

 The window that Joseph fell from after he was shot 

 Finally, after Carthage, we headed to Quincy, Doug's first area in his mission. He was so excited to go! He took me to see his old apartment, the park where he used to jog, his favorite look out spot where him and his companion would get a pizza and just eat it while looking out over the Mississippi River. I was happy to see him so happy and remember good times on his mission. We stopped by the local TCBY and got a treat, and then we headed to see Doug's favorite family, The Stillwells! It was fun to surprise them and come say hi to their family. The best part was when one of the children heard Doug being called by his first name and the little boy said, "Wait, your name is DOUG?!" haha, they only knew him as Elder Robinson, so it was pretty funny to see his little wheels turning as he made the connection that Doug = Elder Robinson. We had to head out to catch a show in Nauvoo that night but we had to turn around and get a picture of the Stillwells. Doug had a great time and we felt so welcomed in their home. Thank you Stillwells!

It was a wonderful trip and we loved spending time together. Our six month mark of our marriage was happily celebrated with the good people of Illinois and we can't wait to go back!

Happy Halloween!

So last night was the ward harvest party. Prior to going to this party, it was mentioned many times that all costumes should be uplifting and not scary, and it was to be called the harvest party, not a halloween party. Suggestions for acceptable costumes were given like historical characters such as Joseph Smith, George Washington, or King Arthur. That made ideas for costumes a little difficult for Doug and I, and really, we didn't even start thinking about possible costumes until it was time to leave. So, in a mad dash I put on a flannel shirt, jeans and boots, braided my hair and called myself a cowgirl. Doug got on a pair of his tightest pants, v-neck shirt, this weird hood/scarf thing I got, parted his hair, threw on some glasses and we penciled on a little mustache. He was, of course, a hippster. Most people didn't get it, but I loved it. There were lots of cute families who put way more effort into their costumes than we did. Camie and James were Where's Waldo and looked great. 

 Wait, who is that hippster guy? 

 The Superman Family!

 This boy was completely compliant with the costume rules.

How can you not love that face? The Harvest Party was fun, but we don't have kids, so really, it was all kinda awkward for us since we just stood there and watched parents and kids running around. Luckily we ran into the Sadlers, another couple in the ward, and we were able to go out to dinner with them later that night. We got some delicious pizza at a local pizza place and Doug fit right in since we were in Uptown. That part of the city is known for the young college hippster scene. After dinner we went over to the Sadlers apartment and we played Bang and hung out and chatted all night. We didn't get home until 1:30! We haven't stayed out that late since before we were married! We had a great time though and were glad to spend time with friends!

Let's get squirly!

Land of 10,000 Lakes?? More like Land of 10,000 squirrels! There are so many of these little guys here. Doug and I were driving home one afternoon, and we drove one block and counted 12 squirrels running up and down trees, across the street, and darting in and out of bushes. Going on a walk outside here guarantees you a squirrel sighting. One evening Doug and I went for a jog and while running we saw a white albino squirrel! I didn't know if I should just stand there and watch or go get my camera! I was so excited to see an all white squirrel I was acting kinda nutty... (I am hilarious...) On a walk to Walgreens to return some Red Box movies tonight, I came equipped with my camera. Here are some pictures we got of the many squirrels we saw on our walk tonight.