This weekend was one of our best yet! But BYU lost in football :(. That was actually kind of pathetic. Anyway, on Saturday Lane had to go to Moab to do research on the rock pools there and I got to tag along! First we went to the National Park and took some samples and I got to help! Then we went 4 wheeling over to another spot to take some more samples and we stopped by this really cool place called Bartlett’s Gulch. It was so pretty! Today after church (and after napping of course) we took a drive up by the Provo Temple and then hiked up Rock Creek Park a little ways. The trees looked amazing with all of their different colors. It was a beautiful day out and it was so nice to be outside. Tomorrow Lane’s dad comes to visit us and we’re so excited!
Lane and I on Pride Rock (key Lion King music) I got to be a scientist and read the GPS. Later, I got upgraded to putting samples in bags... Lane hard at work. But he's doing the same job as I was at the BEGINNING of the trip. Hmmm...maybe I should take over his research hours? The fall foliage in Rock Park. Even though fall means it's going to get really cold soon, I still like seeing all of the colors.
Today Lane and I have officially been married for two wonderful months. To celebrate, we went to Olive Garden (and Kylie, my old roommate and our good friend, came along too ;) ) Lane and I engorged ourselves and so we came right home and fell asleep on the couch. What an eventful evening...
After almost 2 months, we finally got our wedding pictures. Want to see some? Go here: http://www.kkstudioconnect.com/apps/customer/index.php?clientID=13786&albumID=15935. Happy looking!
I just got my federal aid award for the school year, and it was so much more than I expected! I clicked on "View Financial Aid Summary" and this is what came up...
Aid Year Totals A LOT OF MONEY!
We really needed this money so we could focus on school and not have to work, and now that will be possible! We are so thankful for all of our blessings. We know we are being watched over by Heavenly Father.
Hello readers! Well, if we still have any. Sorry it's taken us so long to update. What with the wedding, the honeymoon, and getting ready for school, we've been pretty busy. So we’ll start with…
The Wedding!
We got married on August 8, 2008 in the Portland, OregonTemple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a pretty popular day, with 21 other couples getting married just in that one temple.
Some of our cute flower girls.
We went on our honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta for 2 weeks, and we stayed in 3 different places. The first place we stayed in was called Yelapa, which is a secluded bay that you have to take a boat to get to. We stayed in the little thatched hut pictured above, and it was so nice because it was really relaxed and uncrowded.
Every night we ate dinner on the beach and watched the sun set.
That's what a usual sunset looked like.
One day when we were walking to the beach we walked under a palm tree, and about 2 seconds later a coconut fell to the ground. We were close to having some serious injuries!
One night we awoke to lots of rustling in our room. We couldn't figure out what it was, so we turned on the light. We found a crab trying to lick the chocolate off of a Kit Kat bar wrapper that we'd left on the ground. The little guy wouldn't give it up, and the next morning we could find no sign of the crab or the wrapper.
Lane went fishing in Yelapa and caught some fish. The first day he went they were pulled over by the Mexican marines and were detained for over an hour. They had better luck the second day (when he caught the fish).
Our picture-taking kind of decreased as the trip progressed, so this is a picture taken while we were staying at our second place. We went out to eat at this restaurant that lets you write all over the walls, and we found some BYU stuff! PS we went to the game yesterday and it was AMAZING! 59-0 against UCLA. Go Cougs!
We went boogie boarding a couple of times. The waves were awesome because the monsoons would whip the wind and waves up. We got stung by jellyfish (me once, Lane 8 times), but it was still really fun.
The last place we stayed at was at my parents' timeshare. There were lots of different pools to swim in, and in order for the mainenance guys to cut the grass, they had to walk on a ladder to get to the island. While we were watching, we almost saw one of them fall in!
Enjoying a day at the beach!
On our drive from Oregon to Utah, we stopped in Idaho to stay with Lane's grandma for the night. We visited his mom's grave site while we were there. It looks so unique and cool!
Right before school started, we went up to our friends Jamie and Kenny's cabin in Heber City and stayed for a couple of nights. We went quadding and played games. It was so fun!We went out to dinner with some of my relatives on Friday night. We had way too much food but the company was great.
And lastly, I cut my hair! It feels so short, but I really like it. I have to look more mature now that I'm married :)
For our guests who are going up to Oregon for our reception there, we have some suggestions of things to do and see! (compliments of Ellen, Lane's sister. I've never been to most of these places so I used her wording verbatim!)
Peanut Butter and Ellie's: Super fun restaurant for families - healthy and fun kid's menu with a lot of fun activities for kids. Great food for parents too!
Portland Zoo: (just outside Portland) - the zoo is a great one! Stomps all over San Francisco's - literally. There are no elephants in SF - Portland has one of the best elephant programs in the country!
OMSI: One of the nation's top ten science museums, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a world-class tourist attraction and educational resource - Current Exibit: DINOSAURS!!!
McMenamins: Hotels/Restaurants/Theaters (There are several locations in and around Portland - I have yet to find a McMenamins I don't like!!!!)
The location that serves as one of McMenamins' favorite neighborhood theater. Swedish Evangelical Mission established its church here in the 1890s - Now it's the Mission Theater that serves food! OR go eat a burger and watch a movie at to the Bagdad Theater. In 1927, Universal Pictures spent the enormous sum of $100,000 to create a splendid and state-of-the-art theater, complete with an expansive stage, gurgling fountain, grand colonnade, and Middle-Eastern decor, right down to the usherettes' Arabian-styled uniforms. Even Leon Strashun, conductor of the Bagdad's orchestra, was a musician of great renown, having studied under Tchaikovsky. The place was proclaimed "a triumph of artistry and craftsmanship."
Powell's Books: A City of Books! Truly one of the world's best and largest book stores. (Downtown Portland off Burnside)
Japanese Garden: At the heart of a Japanese garden is harmony with nature. Through the careful use of plants, stones, and water, areas of serene and quiet beauty emerge. These peaceful spots in the Garden lend themselves to meditation and contemplation. ($8 for adults)
Portland Rose Garden: Portland's roses are world-renowned for housing a diverse and expansive collection of rare, unique, and beautiful roses. It is also the oldest public garden of its kind in the States.
Broadway in Portland: See an off-Broadway show! 23rd Avenue: Lane took me here last summer, and it is so fun to walk around and look in all of the different shops! They have joke shops, souvenir shops, and of course, clothing stores!
