Feast, Family, and Festivities

This year Jonathan and I celebrated Our First Thanksgiving at Mimi's Cafe in Provo with my Mom's family. We had a great time visiting with family, and enjoying some great food. The best part was no cooking, or mess to clean up!

After we enjoyed dessert at my Aunt Emilee's house.

This also means I got to enjoy the company of my favorite puppy Mia! I was surprised that she remembered me, and loved me just as much as she used to:) because I hadn't seen her since before the wedding.

I have so many things to be grateful for... but spending the day with the people that I am most grateful for was the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving.



My Sweet Gma and Gpa



Beautiful Kiersten and I



Watching Football with Jon

Goof Balls!

 Later that weekend, we spent the night with Jon's family welcoming in Christmas with the Annual Curtis Family German Advent. Jon's Mom went to Germany on a Mission, and carries on this tradition with her family.

We light a candle on the German Nativity. Once the candle is lit, the heat from it spins the fan on the top. It's really cool!

We eat German treats:) Made by Jon's Talented Mom... Jon loves "Black and White Cookies"

Then we play Charades and the Chimes. You don't know how competitive Jon's Family is until you play a game of Charades with them!

Now all I have to say is... Ta-Ta to Thanksgiving... and Come on Christmas!!

Our Nest is Blessed

About a month before Jon and I were married, we decided to start looking for a place to call our own. We diligently searched, spending many Saturdays looking at apartment after apartment...

One Saturday after searching all day, we made one last stop at a basement apartment a couple blocks from campus. I immediately fell in love with it! I was already picturing in my head how I was going to make it our own. The couple renting it out had us fill out an application, and said they would call us and let us know of their decision. Sadly they mentioned they had already had a lot of interest in it.

We crossed our fingers and said our prayers... and the next Monday they called to let us know the apartment was ours if we still wanted it!! And OF COURSE we did!

So without further a do...Get ready to begin your Virtual Tour of "Our Home."


Front Door



The Kitchen... Notice the dirty dishes in the sink, I can't ever keep up on them!

I hope you can notice the color theme... Red & Black:)

The LG Front Load Dryer was one of our first big purchases!



Where we hang our keys:)

The Dining Room... I love the window into the Kitchen!

Table Centerpiece... The Letters were from our Wedding Cake.



The Ceder Chest my Dad made me:)

The Living Room

Our 2nd big purchase...

Our Trusty Fouton:)



Our Wedding Book

 

Can't have a Home, without a Bathroom

The only thing I don't like is... No tub, but we have a huge walk in shower!



The Office

His Desk



Her Desk



The Bedroom.. (My sister asked Jon if he was sleeping in a girls room.. Hehe)

The Night Stand (Fun Fact: Jon is the first person I have shared a bedroom with!)

Room Divider we used at the Wedding

On top of my dresser... Little Memories from our Special Day.

But... The very best part of Our Home is the part you can't see... Its the spirit I feel here, I am so happy to have such a great place we can call home...





Nothin' to do... but Celebrate YOU!

This weekend we celebrated Jonathan's 23rd birthday because we were both busy on his actual big day.
I thought Jon deserved a big surprise because he is such a hard worker... So I planned a weekend getaway.
While Jon was away- I packed up all we would need in my car, then when he got home I suggested we go celebrate his birthday with lunch at Tucano's (a really yummy Brazilian grill in SLC) The food was amazing, and it just kept coming and coming until we told them to stop! Jon really liked it because it reminded him of food he had on his mission in Paraguay.

I spilled the beans and told our waitress we were there to celebrate Jon's B-day... So they came by with their drums and had Jon shake a tamborine while they sang "Happy Birthday" in Portuguese to him. They even brought him ice cream... Too bad we had already eaten WAY to much!!

Then little did Jon know... We made our way to Provo where I had made reservations at the Hines Mansion Bed and Breakfast. I also had tickets to the BYU game for that night (courtesy of Jon's Dad)
As soon as we started to head further south Jon was wondering where we were going... When we arrived he had the game figured out, but was very surprised to find out we would be staying the night.

Although the game was COLD, and it was kinda boring to watch (BYU was blowing the other team out of the H20!!) we still had so much fun spending quality time together.

The next morning we got up and enjoyed a yummy complimentary breakfast. The Hines Mansion was a very nice place to stay. Our favorite part was soaking in the big Jacuzzi tub after a freezing football game. It was nice not to have to drive home after a late game. The rooms and service were amazing- I highly recommend it!

That night Jon's parents came by for dinner. His Mom baked him a Birthday Cake (his favorite... Funfetti), and we played all his favorite games... He got a really nice new hoodie and a Wii Soccer Game (it's ordered, but still on its way) from them.

I can't speak for him... but I thought it was a great way to celebrate an amazing son, friend, and most of all husband... I love you Jonathan!!

Honey and a Moon

I am a little bias... but Jon and I had the best Honeymoon ever! I don't mind being a Newlywed, and most people tell me we are still in the "Honeymoon Phase." I learned in class the other day that has more then one meaning... When newborns are premature, they will usually have a "Honeymoon Phase" that is when they will do really well, and then tank... Lets pray that doesn't happen to us! Being newly married- I have found it requires a lot of patience, humility, and forgiveness. Although sometimes it feels like a rough go, I am so happy I am married to my Best Friend.

Here are some adventures from Our Honeymoon.

1st and 4 most we had to clean our car...

Then we made our way to Miday, Utah. We stayed in a nice Worldmark Condo (compliments of Jon's Parents:)

We enjoyed staying in and watching a movie- with popcorn and treats we got from Jon's siblings:) Thanks Guys!

We had the opportunity to go Horseback riding, and ride on the Heber Creeper Train- I got a picture with the conductor to show to our Nephew Cohen- He loves trains!

We also swam/snorkled in the Famous Homestead Crater!

I found out the my Husband is quite the barbecue-er... It was nice having our own little barbecue out on the balcony. One night we had hamburgers and steaks another.

We also SPLURGED- and went to a 5-star restaurant in Park City called the Riverhorse. And yes, the food was as good as it looks!

BUT... Probably the highlight of the whole trip was the Hot Air Balloon Ride!

In the "Honeymoon Phase" or not- Let us always remember, to love each day we have together.