The Story: December in Colorado & Our Christmas Adventure

  Colorado is known for its wonderful 300 sunny days a year, and it IS wonderful! It's been nice not to have  the inversion like Utah. Besides the sunny days, there have been other wonderful things we have enjoyed here in Colorado.  Here in Colorado all the subdivisions have names and at Christmas time each subdivision marker gets decorated with Christmas lights. It really adds to the Christmas spirit with all them little twinkle lights (I think anyways).  Another thing we were able to enjoy this December were the Mormon Chorale concerts.  Daniel and I traveled up to Lakewood to see my cousin perform in the Chorale.  At this performance they joined with the Methodist bell choir and it was a delight! I've always enjoyed bell choirs, (secretly I want to be in one, one day) so it was nice to be able to attend a performance this year.  We also attended the Chorale again here locally in Parker. We were able to sit up close, which really added a lot to our experience.  About a week and a half before Christmas Daniel's brother David came to town and they were able to go out and do some ice fishing which neither of them had done before, and they also went out and did a little shooting. While David was here all three of us went to a hockey game.  GO AVALANCHES!! we won in over time. It was a good game!

      About a week before Christmas we decided to surprise my family for Christmas. So Christmas Eve about 2 in the morning we woke up and packed are things and hit the road.  We traveled for about  3 hours and stopped for a power nap and then an hour or so later we made another stop where Daniel discovered some great milk.  He kept ranting and raving about how delicious it was. "Oh, it's so creamy!!"  I think we hit the jack pot in the milk department.  Also with this discovery, we had to drive through the whole town to get back on the freeway.  I think they built it that way on purpose... We finally made it into town around noon. We stopped at home but no one was there, so we called my sister to see if my parents were at her place, so we could surprise them all, but no luck.  My sister and I talked and she revealed she was headed to Target with some of the kids.  We got off the phone, and Daniel and I jumped in the car and drove down.  We scrambled around the store looking for them, then Daniel spotted them at the end of the aisle.  We slowly walked closer and closer and then I saw my sister look up and do a double take, so I started waving my hands and yes did a slight jog towards them. We embraced and then I saw that little watery sparkle in my sisters eye, which made it all worth it.  Tears of joy!  Then we drove back to my parents where I called them and told my mom to look outside to see if our present had been delivered. We were there on the doorstep and surprised them.  My parents kindly asked if we wanted to stay for dinner. (Where else would we go...?? haha) On Christmas we slept in and then my parents went down to my sister's house to be with her kids and to see all the fun gifts they got. We stayed behind and opened up the few gifts we got each other and had gotten family.
                                                       




Thanks Moma Valentine!

 






It was nice to be with family for the holiday and to make more memories- Thanks for letting us join you!

The Story: Colorado Dreamin'

    During the summer Daniel decided what he wanted to do for school. Gunsmithing, what is that? Don't ask me! ;)  So we looked around for places he could enroll.  He found 2 places on this side of the Mississippi-Arizona & Colorado. We looked at all the pros and cons and Colorado it was!  So we packed up our apartment and moved in with parents. In October we went to Colorado, looked around and found us a nice apartment.  We rented a U-Haul, packed it up and both our cars! (Barely had enough room!)  Then on November 28th at 5 O'clock in the morning we headed out.  We landed at our apartment at about 5:30 that evening. We were exhausted from all the packing and the long drive, so we only unpacked our cars and grabbed our sleeping bags and sacked out on our family room floor. The next morning we (well...about 94.7% Daniel) unloaded the U-Haul.  We got everything sorted and put away that day and the next except our couch..... We ended up putting the couch in the back of Daniel's truck for about 2 or 3 weeks.  I was not about to help carry up a 50,000 lb.couch up 3 flights of stairs!! Okay, so it's not 50,000 lbs, but I can tell you this.. IT'S HEAVY!! I could have toughed it out on flat ground, but stairs?? NOOOO, thank you! The first week at church we met a couple that was in the same boat as us, newlyweds with no kids, and the husband had been in the Army so Daniel and him had a lot in common, so we've latched onto them somewhat. I thought we were pretty tight, so I had Kaylon come help Daniel Move the couch since they were both muscle men. So now we have a couch and let me tell you it's a dream! No more stacking pillows and blankets to try and stay comfortable while watching a movie. 
     Daniel and I have really been enjoying it here in Colorado. The people are nice, nice sunny days, and there is a lot more open land, which we both really enjoy, but yet we're 1 minute away from Walmart & Target (Literally!) I've been working hard at Pearle Vision for my cousin Ben (Dr. Dixon), while Daniel is waiting to start school and work.  We miss our friends and family, but have been really enjoying this new adventure!

The Story: Adventures of the 14-14

Our first apartment was #1414 and we had many adventures there! Getting settled in as newlyweds, learning how to share space, and learning each others "quirks".   The first few months were definitely an adjustment for us, but many memories were made. One thing that really made this place memorable was the wonderful neighbor we had living above us, and I mean WONDERFUL...... or peculiar is a better word perhaps?  We have many stories that involve her that  made our short but wonderful stay there that much more exciting! I'd hear her vacuuming and stomping around when I'd get up for work at 4:00am, her loud evenings with friends or new found strangers?? She came down one day to apologize for all the noise she had been making (she'd had multiple complaints made about her loud evenings) she made sure we knew she could hear the people above her so she always tried to tip-toe around her apartment. Really you call those stomps tip-toeing?  Well anyhow, we were the nice neighbors being all forgiving and then I swear after that she cranked up the weirdness. Here are a few of our experiences. One day she ran into Daniel and told him that she was going to start giving piano lessons and that if either of us were interested to let her know.  Then suddenly she had an electric keyboard she was always playing on.  One day Daniel told me he heard her play the chorus of the Indiana Jones theme song for about an hour straight, she played her keyboard none stop, needless to say this was out on her deck-not muffled by apartment walls.  Maybe this was her idea of promoting her new business? She then caught me one early morning as I was headed to work and told me she was moving (aka being kicked out-come to find out), but not to worry cause she would be back to teach.  Teach what exactly?? She also informed me she rescued a homeless man that was going to help her pack and move her things. This homeless man then wandered around our complex for days and then she kicked him out of her apartment. I think he stole some of her alcohol... Not exactly sure what happened there- he seemed like a fine pick ;)  On another occasion Daniel and I had loaded something up in his truck in front of our complex and just as we were headed off I hear her yelling "Kathryn, Kathryn wait" so we stopped.  Quickly she throws this box on my lap through the window and says, "here's a present for you guys, love ya" and turns around and leaves. This present wasn't so much a present.  It was a box with some old family photos, and screwdriver, a bay area source book from years ago, sheet music, and other odds and ends.  One other experience I remember was we had some friends over for dinner and to hang out, once they left I got a text that said "Look outside."  She was right outside our patio playing on her keyboard with a tip jar on her table. P.S. this was at 10 or 11 at night, probably not many passer-byes?
Well, needless to say we enjoyed the memories we made with her and all the great people we met while living there.  We miss the area and the wonderful ward we were apart off.

The Story: Matchmaker

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch.

      Daniel and I met in 2005 online, yes.... online. I lived in Utah and he lived in California. When I saw his picture I thought "man he's good looking!"  I somehow tricked him into giving me his number- I guess it was my good looks and charm??  We talked a couple times on the phone, but he didn’t seem all that thrilled… not really the response I wanted. Months went by and I moved to Provo. One night I decided I’d give him a call. It was totally out of the blue and I wasn’t even sure if he’d even remember who I was, but I thought I’d try it anyways. I’m pretty fearless with that stuff as some know. After that Daniel and I starting talking more.  In April of 2006 Daniel joined the Marine Corp. and then in 2007 he deployed to Iraq. During his deployment we chatted quite a bit. I’d wait up late at night hoping he’d get on to MSN messenger so we could talk, and quite frankly I think he was always hoping I was on when he’d get up in the morning, or after he got off duty or a patrol.  We’d get on the Chevrolet website and create different Silverado’s, look at claw-foot bathtubs, and would research different colon cleansers.  Random topics, but very bonding ;)  During this whole time I kept trying to use that charm that got me his number to get him to come out and visit me. Well it worked! Cha-ching! In April of 2008 he finally came out.  I know it’s horrible, but I don’t remember much of what we did, other then we went to Chile’s for dinner after I picked him up at the airport.  Then then end of May I went to Disneyland with the family I was nannying for and we hung out a little bit there. The next time we saw each other was that July. We went to Disneyland together again over the 4^th of July.  I soon left for my mission and we exchanged a couple letters then bam! I was back. We started talking again and then in October 2009 he came out to see me while my mom was in the hospital. Then he came out again for new years. April of 2010 he was done with his active duty and had decided he was going to move to Utah. He moved out here “not for me” though. We dated and then we broke up and then in the fall of 2010 I told him I wanted to get married and then plans were made.  We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple March 12, 2011 exactly 6 years after my brother and 12 years after my sister.  And this is our story.