I really am here!

Oh my goodness! Where did August go? Can we back up to that month for a minute? I have lots to tell you about.

August 11th marked the ONE year anniversary for Gary and I. Do you remember that he had a seven week internship in another state and I didn't go with him? I have to admit, the first three weeks he was away were REALLY hard, but then I started to get used to it and then it started to get easier. Not easier to have him gone, but easier to deal with having him gone, if that makes any sense. Of course a plane tickeet was purchased so I could go see my hunnie and we could be together to celebrate our anniverary. When I got off that plane and walked through the airport past security to pick up my bags, I'm pretty sure I had the biggest smile on my face (in antcipation of seeing Gary) I didn't realize it at first, but once I realized it (thanks to a few strange looks), I remember trying to tone it down a little bit but it just wouldn't go away...

Gary picked me up in Phoenix. Of course he looked so good as he jumped out of the car and gave me one of his AWESOME hugs I'd missed so much! We then hopped back in the car and drove two and a half hours to Sedona, AZ. If you haven't been there (or like me, even HEARD of it) I totally suggest you go visit sometime in your life! It is this cute little town that has over 22 bed and breakfasts, 200 plus hikes and a super cute little main street to walk up and down that reminds me of Banff, Alberta for some reason. When we got to our awesome Bed and Breakfast we asked the owner about the 'must do' things in Sedona. He told us that we couldn't leave Sedona without visiting the airport to watch the sunset and went on to tell us about how beautiful it is.
We took his word for it and quickly unloaded the car and headed up the airport road to where he told us the perfect look out location was to view this amazing sunset. When we reached the top of this road where the parking lot was for this look out point, Gary and I could NOT believe our eyes. We couldn't believe what we were actually seeing. What was it you might ask? Well, in addition to a sunset deep in the red rock of Sedona, AZ, we saw HUNDREDS of other people standing in the very same place to look at the very same sunset! I don't know why we had in our minds that we would be the only people up there. A few others wouldn't have been abnormal, but we certainly didn't know that it was a meeting place for EVERY visiting tourist in Sedona! Did we get a picture of the sunset? Nope. Did we get a picture of all the people getting pictures of the sunset? You betcha!


The HIGHLIGHT of our Sedona trip was Slide Rock. THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE TO GO TO SEDONA! So, if I understand right, there is this river running down the mountain and the rock has smoothed out along the river and has grown a thin layer of algea. Enought to become quite slick and this place is basically a natural made water slide! It was SO much fun! I was out there playing with all the little kids. Gary was like all the other parents out there telling their kids (or wife, if our case) that it was time to go. All those poopy germy kids didn't bother me one bit, I was all over this fun rocky slide formation!












After we got all cleaned up from the fabulous 'water park' we decided to take a stroll down main street. Many of the shops were closed but all dining establishments were open. Gary and I just wanted some ice cream. So, we went into this one little store to check out the flavors. Just as Gary asked for a sample of this certain flavor I looked down to notice quite a few small flies chillin in the freezer flying around. I didn't blame them one bit, this place was a HOT one! If I was small enough to fit in a freezer, I would have climbed in too. However, it doesn't make for some delicious ice cream when you see a few dead ones laying on top of the very flavor you JUST heard your husband ask for a sample of!!! I linked my arm in his and quickly guided his cute body out of the ice cream/bug cooler establishment leaving the sample in the hand of the employee. After a quick explanation of my actions, Gary thanked me for SAVING HIS LIFE and we continued on our little walk.

Further down and across the street, we came to a place called Black Cow Cafe. Yet another ice cream establishment. This time we noticed a sign on the front door that said "No Bugs Allowed" so we figured it safe to enter. As you see in the picture below, we got ice cream and as always fought over the very bottom of the cone...you know, the yummy crunchy pointy end part with a few drops of melted ice cream inside? The LAST of the delicious treat. OK we didn't really fight over it, but it turns out that Gary and I actually BOTH enjoy that part of the cone very much, so it doesn't make for a 'perfect match' in the ice cream eating department. We have to take turns eating that part or rock off to see who gets it each time. But it's worth it to share an ice cream cone with that cute boy!



As mentioned above, Sedona has over 200 different hikes. The second night in Sedona, we actually stayed in a different bed and breakfast hotel. We asked these owners which hike was the best hike. They pointed us in the right direction. It was the coolest hike! In all actuality, it is a 12 mile hike (ONE WAY), but most people only do the first 3.2 (or 6.4 round trip) because the hike crosses over the river about 13 times and once you hit that 3.2 mile, you then have to walk IN the water to continue on the trail. Gary is standing at the end of our 3.2 mile hike in. Each time we had to cross the river, there were rocks to jump across on, unless you slip and fall like I did, getting my shoe and foot completely wet inside. Yucky feeling if you're NOT going for it. But it was a beautiful hike and really fun! I only wish we would have had more time to do a few more hikes in that area.



It was SO amazing, I HAD to show you...Have I ever mentioned that both of my Grandmas make FABULOUS bread and that I've ALWAYS wanted to learn how to make bread. Both of them have shown me more than once and yet, I've never really actually tried to make it on my own. Until recently. Below is a picture of my very first attempt at making bread. I ground the wheat into 100% whole wheat flour and did everything on my own from scratch! Are you as proud of me as I am of me?!? One thing I really do need to work on is remembering to turn on the oven BEFORE it's time to put them in. I went to put these in the oven and realized I had forgotten to turn it on so they had to sit there and wait (meanwhile getting even BIGGER!) for the oven to pre-heat. I need to practice more and get better...



Not bad for a first attempt eh? Oh, did I mention that this past summer I also made a whole bunch of home made Strawberry and Raspberry Jam as well for the first time? You guessed it! We ate warm home made bread with home made jam! It was so fun to actually eat a little treat that I totally made from scratch!



I flew down to Arizona again to drive back with Gary. But before we left, we made sure to hang out with his brother Brad, and his wife, Sarah. (You can call her Sarah OR Tara, Gary's family call us either name and we've just learned to answer to both!)





Although, I'm not a fish eater...this was cool! Brad ordered crab legs and while we were waiting for our food, our waitress brought out this super sweet little thing. That silver thing in the picture below is the butter! A tea light candle is lit below heating and melting the butter in the tray up top! And then the other thing is for Gary's meal. He ordered ribs and she brought out this piping hot dish of water with a lemon in it and a cloth on top (to keep the steam in?) and a lemon to hold the cloth from blowing away...or something like that! We thought it was classy though! But don't ask me what the name of the restaurant is...I forget.



I couldn't post a new blog without posting these pictures. Let's hope Gary doesn't mind! Gary has needed his wisdom teeth out for quite some time now and just has not been able to fit it into his schedule. School is a big concern for him and he refuses to miss classes. So, I scheduled an appointment for him to have his wisdom teeth removed two days after we returned from Arizona which would give him a week to 'recover' before he returned back to school for the year! I volunteered to be the designated driver and waited in the lobby until he was done. and the nurse told me I could go back to sit with him while he 'woke up.' Now that was a precious moment EVERY wife needs to have with their husband! Gary was HILARIOUS. First of all, this was a Tuesday and on the Saturday after this minor surgury, there was the first BYU football game. Gary's biggest worry before his surgury was whether or not he'd be 100% for the game and be able to #1) attend the game and #2) cheer loud. I now know that it was actually and truthfully his #1 concern because the very first thing he said to me when he was (barely) alert enough to converse was (this took about 5 minutes for me to figure out what he was trying to say, by the way) "Am I going to be able to go to the Football game? Ask him K? Ask him K? Ask him K?" He was serious about this because AS SOON as the Doctor came in this room, he hit my foot and pointed to the doctor to remind me to ask him about the football game.



He then ask me: "Can you see my tounge?" (and then stuck it out as shown below). "Can you see my tounge?" (Stuck it out again). "Can you see my tounge?" (you guessed it, stuck it out again). He did this about 15 more times.



If any of you know Gary well enough you know that he does NOT like small spaces. And elevator is even too small. Well, if Gary wasn't so out of it, he would NOT have liked the room that he was in. You can't really tell by the pictures that well but this room was BARELY big enough to fit a lazy boy in it. And in order to lay it down, you had to open the door. I was sitting on a very small, narrow bench along side of the chair he is sitting in, and had to put my feet up on the arms of the chair just to fit in there. Anyhow, Gary would NOT have liked it one bit had he actually been alert. However, after he was done sticking his tounge out at me, he started scanning the very small room and looked up at me and said "This is a really nice place. I like it here! It's a really nice place." He was so cute!!!



And here he is, smiling for the camera!



Here I am with my first Scentsy order! It came in two huge boxes so of course I unloaded it and began to play by dividing it into piles before I started putting the orders together! Hmmm, the boxes smelled SO yummy!



Gary, SO happy that he was able to attend the first BYU Football game of the year! He's had some 'mouth/teeth' problems since and has been in some pretty bad pain, but he was good to go for the game though.



And finally, what do you get when you have over 10,000 people from all over the world (well, ok, MOSTLY Asia) in Salt Lake city in ONE building? Nu Skin Convention! It's been a crazy week for me and the rest of the employees at Nu Skin, but actually quite fun! The first day I worked in Japan Registration - by the end of the day I was bowing at EVERYONE and saying "Hi" the way they do like we say "OK." For the rest of the week, I was a filler in person in the order processing section taking orders and TRYING to communicate with these people who don't speak english. They had this major party (ok, the whole thing is a party) on the first night and after we had finished working a bunch of us went in to celebrate with them...here is Jeff, a co-worker who jumped in with these Japanese women (who LOVED it, of course).



Here we are with a little boy who has a skin disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa or EB for short. Nu Skin donates a lot of money to researching cures and relief for the children with EB. Over 12,000 people in the world live with EB and most of them are children. EB causes the skin to blister and breakdown, making it very painful for children with EB to touch or be touched by anything. They are called the Butterfly Children because their skin is a fragile as butterfly wings. This little boy is the one that we see quite a bit at Nu Skin functions. Just looking at him breaks my heart.



The other day we got REALLY bored at the registration booth so we decided to dress up like distributors and have a photo shoot. Oh yeah, did I mention that I also got braces on again? Yup, there they are!



Good long update eh? Lots of pictures, good stories...and great fun!