Rich Kristen and Landon

Baby Boy's 1st Halloween

2011-10-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

I took Landon to the church tonight to Trunk or Treat. We had a fun seeing everyone's costumes and visiting with friends. I love everyone here. I am really going to miss them when we move. Landon's Auntie Jess bought him his costume. He was the cutest little Bat I have ever seen :) Happy Halloween!

Family Time!

2011-08-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

This past week The Nash's came to Myrtle Beach. Landon was finally able to meet his Grandma and Grandpa Nash, his Aunt Angie, and his adorable cousin Brooklyn. We were worried they weren't going to make it because of hurricane Irene, but Rich and I convinced them to come anyway and we had a wonderful vacation with only one day of rain. We had beautiful weather, gorgeous beach days, games of Ladder Ball, yummy dinners, tons of Fudge from the Fudgery, lots of shopping, blessed my little baby, and lots of laughing and visiting. It really was such a great week with them and we were so sad to see them leave so soon. It always feels like the time flies by. Anyway,, here are a few pics we took for you to enjoy :) Thanks for coming Nashs we love you guys!!

Landon's Newborn Pics

2011-08-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

So I took Landon to get his newborn pictures taken last week and it was much more eventful than I had expected it to be! Lindsey Mills took his photos and before coming she told me to make sure I keep him awake before the shoot so he will sleep and to feed him right before so he has a full tummy. Sounds easy enough right? Well that entire morning before his apt. he was screaming because he wanted to sleep and Mommy kept poking him and not letting him so he was really not happy. When we got to the studio Lindsey undressed him and was rocking him to try and get him to fall asleep. As we are all sitting there he gives a little grunt and shoots wet poop ALL over the photographer and her beautiful couch they were sitting on! Oh my goodness I almost died! haha. I think I apologized a million times. It then took us 3 HOURS to get the little man to fall asleep. He was wide eyed and looking at everything when we got there so getting him to sleep was quite the task. Seriously, it was so much work! When he finally fell asleep she started taking his pics and he then decided to pee all over many of her props! It was hard work but I absolutely love his pictures so it makes it all worth it!! These are just a few Lindsey sent me. I am waiting to see the rest when she is done editing. I seriously melt when I look at these. Love him so much!

1 Week Old Already!!

2011-07-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

This little one has stolen my heart :)

Landon Isaac Nash

2011-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Landon arrived July 18th at 12:35 PM. Since he was breech we had a scheduled C-Section. Rich and I were so emotional all morning! We were excited, nervous, scared, a lot of things! Once we got to the hospital they took me back and prepped me for surgery. At about 12:10 they finally wheeled me back, gave me my spinal and brought Rich in to sit by me. The surgery itself was not nearly as bad as I had expected. All of the nurses and my doctor were wonderful. The only thing I felt was a lot of pressure and tugging. Landon came out butt first with his legs sticking straight up! They suctioned him out and he let out the sweetest little cry I have ever heard! Rich and I cried our eyes out I think. It was the best moment I have ever had. They held him up for us to see him and said he looked great and took him out to my mom so she could clean and check him. She wasn't allowed in the room with us for the surgery itself but once it was done they let her take him over.
While they stitched me back up mom brought him back in so I could see him and kiss his cheeks and then she and Rich had to take him to the nursery. He was so pink and beautiful when he came out. I could never have imagined how wonderful it would be to see my son for the first time. It truly was a blissful feeling I will never forget. Rich was so sweet to calm me and keep me distracted during the surgery. I had to wait on him for a few minutes in the OR before the surgery and I thought I was going to have a panic attack! It was so much better once he was by my side.
While I was in the recovery room they were measuring and weighing Landon and making sure he was a healthy boy. They came and told me the results which was such a relief. He was 7 pounds 5.4 ounces and 19.25 inches long. His head was a little flat where he was crammed in my belly wrong but it already looks much better! After waiting in the recovery room for what felt like an eternity they finally took me up to see my baby and hold him for the first time :)
Jessica did an awesome job taking pictures and videos for us. She documented everything for me since I was stuck in the recovery room for so long. We sat and ooohed and awwwed over baby Landon for hours that day soaking it all in. He nursed great the very first time which was a huge relief to me! He has such a sweet temperament and was so good for us in the hospital while I tried to recover.
Our stay in the hospital after the first day could not have been worse after Landon was born. I think I had every complication I could have and thought several times I would die! Dramatic I know, but it seriously was not fun! ha After surgery my temperature was 94. Too low so they smothered me in blankets but I felt like I was 105 degrees and sweating like crazy. I hurt terribly that whole day but figured that was how I was supposed to feel since I had just been cut open! That night I started having trouble breathing. I ended up having a reaction the the pain meds I was on and started shaking and convulsing out of control. This is the worst pain when you are trying not to move and or bother your incision! That lasted a few hours and then life got a little better for a moment. The next morning they told me I needed to get up and walk around. Jess and Rich were helping me to the shower and I felt a ton of blood gush out of me and then I passed out! I felt so dizzy and weak that entire day. Come to find out I had bled internally and had to have a blood transfusion because my hemaglobin had dropped from a 12 to a 6.8. It took most of the day to do the testing and paper work for the blood but once I had that put in me I was much better! By Wednesday afternoon I felt well enough to go home. I was so ready to get out of that hospital! I was so lucky to have so many wonderful nurses taking care of me. I knew most of them since they have all worked with my mom for so long so it made all the bad things happening bearable!
This is such a long post but I wanted to write about Landon's birth before I forgot all the details! It was a rough few days for me but in the end totally worth it! Rich and I have been in heaven kissing and snuggling our sweet baby. It is such an amazing love you feel for your baby. We are so excited for this phase of life. It feels so much more meaningful to me now and I can't wait to just be a mom!

Counting down the days....

2011-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Not much going on here. Just working and waiting for our little bundle of joy to arrive. We finally have everything ready (I think!?) so I feel very anxious now for him to get here. I almost blacked out at work today because it is so hot here I think I am overheating. It's not much fun dealing with pregnancy hormones that make you hot already and living where it is 100 degrees everyday and having another body inside me heating me up even more! I have decided that being pregnant is a lot less fun in the end! ha. I think I have had constant heartburn and this babe must be laying on some nerves because my legs keep giving out on me and they hurt! On a happier note I only have 4 weeks left and I am so grateful for this baby. Every time he moves and kicks I am reminded of what a miracle it is to be able to grow a little human inside my tummy! Rich and I really can't wait to have him!!

Boring post :)

2011-05-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

8 Months

There really isn't much going on but I haven't written in forever so I thought I would do a quick update. Since my last entry Rich and I have done a few things worth writing about :) We went to Utah and Washington for a week to see my brother in law Chris marry a very cute girl! We loved being in Utah seeing all of our friends and family and of course eating at Cafe Rio!! My sweet mother in law and sis in law threw me a really nice baby shower and I had a great time opening awesome gifts for our little man and visiting with some of my favorite friends. It was a lovely, much needed break from life. Since we have been back at the beach we have been working quite a bit and getting ready for our babe to get here. My best friends from High School threw me another baby shower as well which was amazing. They really went all out for us and I am so blessed to have stayed so close with all of them since Elementary school! As far as the pregnancy goes I think I am ready to throw in the towel! ha I am so done. The heat and humidity here might be the end of me. I am so hot and miserable the minute I walk out the door. Also, not sure if it is because of the position the baby is in or what but I am lucky if I can walk by the end of the day. My back has been giving out on me a lot lately and Rich has had to help me numerous times just getting around the house. It is so painful!! On a brighter note I only have 8 weeks left so I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I can't wait to kiss and snuggle our little boy. I get more and more excited the closer my due date gets. We are working on the nursery and as soon as it is done I will post pics!

Oh My Goodness

2011-04-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Just needing to vent for a second! I have hit the 27 week mark in my pregnancy and I think my belly doubled in size the last three weeks!! Yes, it is all exciting and all but VERY discouraging when I feel like I am growing at a rapid pace and still have 13 weeks to go! Not to mention, my Dr. feels I am getting too big too fast and told me to stop eating so much :( This really is very embarassing to me and I'm not quite sure why I decided to share it with my friends in the blogging world but I need some input! Did any of you moms out there go through this too?? And when I say go through this I mean gain weight like CRAZY when you don't even feel like you are eating a lot more than normal AND you exercise regularly?! Ha just wondering cause at this rate I will need to be on the Biggest Loser after this babe of mine decides to enter the world and give me my body back!!!!!! I would and will do this over and over again until our family is complete and I know how lucky I am to experience any of this I just needed to write how I felt because I am breaking my bank on maternity clothes! :)

It's a WHAT?!

2011-04-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

So Rich and my mom and I went to the Dr.'s office today for the ultrasound I have been waiting for forever! We were so excited to see our baby GIRL.... As we sat there the tech started going through all of the mandatory things...checking them off one by one and giving me so much relief to know our baby is healthy and I can stop worrying about so many things being wrong. As she is going through everything she stops and goes "Oh, and it looks like you're having a boy!" And all three of us say "A WHAT?!!" YES, that's right. We have been wrong all along! We are actually having a little baby BOY! haha. We were laughing our heads off the entire rest of the visit and still can't believe it! All I have looked at are pink frilly girlie things and now we have to completely switch over to all boy stuff AND pick a name! We really couldn't be more excited though. I always said I wanted a boy first since I loved having an older brother so it all worked out I guess! I thought Rich was going to do cartwheels out of the office. I have never seen the man so thrilled in my life! I think he is already envisioning all of the sports they will be playing together and coaching all of his teams! I really shouldn't be so surprised since there are so many boys in the Nash family :). Anyway, baby is healthy which is #1 and I really can't wait to have a little Momma's boy! I can hardly wait to have him in my arms! I have never been so happy and love having this time to bond with him while he is stuck in my tummy!

Getting Bigger... and bigger...and bigger...

2011-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I am 24 weeks now and I feel like this pregnancy is crawling by. I wish it would go a little faster! I am so ready for our baby to get here already! Rich and I finally bought the crib a few days ago which I am pretty excited about. I haven't bought anything yet so it was fun getting to splurge a little. Next on my list is to find some bedding for it so if anyone has suggestions on where to look I'll take it! I haven't found anything I love yet. Baby is doing great. She is starting to kick me all the time now which has me smiling all day long. I love feeling her move around. Such a crazy feeling! Anyway, our ultrasound apt is Monday so I will post those pics right after!

Baby Girl :)

2011-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

I have been such a slacker with keeping our blog updated and now I finally have something to blog about! Rich and I are having a baby GIRL!!! We found out this week and are so excited! The due date is July 23rd. Right smack in the middle of summer. We are living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina now so I have a feeling I will be bobbing in the pool or the ocean the whole last month I am prego because the summers here can be brutal! We are naming our sweet little babe Greyson Aubrey Nash. This is a name I have always loved so when we heard we were having a girl it wasn't hard at all to pick a name! She was moving all over the place when we had the ultrasound. She was kicking and grabbing her toes and putting her little butt in the air. Oh, I was in love just watching her. I really can't wait to finally have her in my arms. I am only 17 weeks along so I have a nice long wait ahead of me! I think I was the ONLY one in both Rich's and my family to vote for girl when we were asking everyone what they thought. Pretty much everyone was convinced it was a boy! Being pregnant has been quite the adventure already. The first trimester I was sick as a dog. I literally had to snack on crackers constantly or I would be sick. The second trimester has been so much more enjoyable. I feel like my belly is getting huge already which really makes me panic to even think about what it will be by July! I still haven't felt Greyson move yet but I am excited to actually feel her moving around in there and know she is ok! I worry a lot :). Anyway, that is the latest of us and our new addition we have cooking! I will try to be better now with my posts and as soon as I have pics of Grey I will post again. We are so excited we are having a baby! All this baby talk and pregnancy talk has completely consumed me since the day I saw the pregnancy test read positive! I am really having so much fun with all of it!! Here are some pics of my belly Rich took today... Oh, and a pic of our other baby sunbathing :)
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Change...

2010-04-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have never been one that likes change. I know it can be and is (most of the time) a great thing. It is the main thing I have been working on since marriage. Learning to accept change more easily. In the last year Rich and I have moved three times. For someone who doesn't do well with new surroundings that is A LOT to deal with! But looking back on each of those moves and experiences I wouldn't have done anything different. We have had an amazing life together so far and I feel like I have seen the world! I am always joking with him because I have traveled more with Rich in the last year and a half than I did my entire life! It has been so memorable and I feel truly blessed. We are now about to tackle yet another move! We have recently found out we will be moving back to Utah. Another big change for us but we have family and friends there and are excited to be with them again! Rich has had a job opportunity with the same people he works with now come up so we are crossing our fingers that everything goes well! (More to come on that later). My mom came out last week and since we know we are leaving again we did all the touristy stuff here in Kentucky! We went to the Horse Park, Keeneland, ate at some great local restaurants friends recommended, and visited one of the most beautiful cemetaries I have ever seen. Kentucky is gorgeous right now. I have really come to love it here. Also, the dog in the pics is our new little buddy. Sampson ran away from me about a month and a half ago and it was the most horrible experience. I still worry about him but we are so in love with Baxter and I am having so much fun with him! My mom found him for us and he is literally as sweet as he looks!

Catching up and meet Sampson!

2010-02-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

It has been such a long time since I last wrote on our blog! Just to give you all a little update on Rich and I since Christmas, we are now living in Lexington, Kentucky. Rich was offered a job to be the Director/Coordinator of the Kentucky Baketball Arena here with some of our good friends. He also does ticket sales on the side to events around the world with them and actually just spent two weeks in Vancouver for the Olympics! He is really enjoying being around so much basketball for his job too! Since we have been in Kentucky I have been job searching which has not been fun! Still working on that and trying to enjoy not being so busy although I am getting a little anxious! When Rich found out he was going to Vancouver I decided two weeks in Kentucky by myself in the cold weather would be torture so I packed my bags and drove to Myrtle Beach to stay with my parents. We had such a great time and Mom and I did lots of shopping which is always the best! While I was there my Mom and I flew to Los Angeles to visit my sister and her boyfriend Kyle too! It was so great to see them and spend time with them. We had a blast. Spent the weekend eating the most amazing food, shopping, riding bikes to the beach, and best of all.... we went to a park where they were having a pet adoption from the shelter my sister works at and I got a dog! (I called Rich first of course to make sure it was ok... I had been begging him and working on getting a dog for the past year! :) ) Anyway, our little Sampson is a Chihuahua/ Dachshund mix. Since he is from a shelter they aren't sure of his exact age but they are guessing he is about a year and a half old. Poor guy looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks and was shaking in the cold. I knew I had to have him when I saw him and he has already been the perfect dog! He was so scared when I got him so he got really attached to me right away. He follows me everywhere and cuddles me to death! Not sure how he feels about men yet... he is so sweet and doesn't bite but he hides when a man is around. I hope that doesn't mean he was abused by one or something?! He is slowly warming up to Richie though and we are completely crazy about him! The pics below are of him in our apartment laying on our bed and happy to be loved and in a warm home!

Chistmas 2009!

2010-01-03T11:29:00.001-08:00

This year we spent Christmas in Utah with all the Nashs! It was a full house and it was so great seeing everyone again! With 5 grandchildren running around there was never a dull moment! We had the best time shopping, eating yummy food (and then waking up every morning to work it off- Thanks Ang for motivating me!), building Gingerbread houses, playing games, watching movies, and just being with family. Thank you Linda and Larry for the wonderful Christmas! We were so blessed this Christmas and are grateful for all the amazing people in our lives!

Au revoir Bruxelles!

2009-12-19T04:25:00.001-08:00

Rich and I are bidding farewell to Belgium tomorrow and it is such a bitter sweet feeling. I have been so anxious to get home this week that it has not hit me until today how sad I will be to say goodbye. Belgium has been an experience Rich and I will talk about for the rest of our lives. It truly has changed us. My eyes have been opened to so many things and the people we have met have made such an enormous impact on us. We have grown to love each and every one of them. We finished out our last day here, by running to the chocolate outlet to buy three huge boxes of chocolates for our friends and family who have heard us bragging about it since the day we arrived! Our friends Anja and Uros met us there and then we had lunch by the square one last time. We have a special place in our hearts for these two! They are such fun people and Anja and I have shared a dungeon of an office on our very own floor at work day after day laughing and trying our best to actually get some work done! It was a perfect end to our time here. Wish us luck hauling our four HUGE suitcases onto trains, buses, and metros tomorrow!

Christmas Fun in Belgium

2009-12-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend Rich and I went with our friend Karolina to see the light show at the Grand Place and the Christmas markets. It was a freeeezzziinng cold night but the lights and decorations really got us in the Christmas spirit! Enjoy the video! (I wasn't thinking at the end and turned the camera for a different angle like a dork, but you get the idea!)Hope you all are having as much fun as we are shopping and getting ready for Christmas day!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-26T03:09:00.001-08:00

Today I am so grateful for:

This Man.

This place.

And these people.

We hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday and take the time to think about all the wonderful things in your life!

MEDICA 2009!

2009-11-25T01:18:00.000-08:00

Since the very first day we started working at Obelis the focus has been on preparing our team for the largest Medical convention in the world! This convention took place in Dusseldorf, Germany last week. It was an exhausting week, running around on our feet from 9-6 trying to sell Obelis' services to as many people as we could! If you know me, you know this gave me the worst anxiety I have ever experienced! Sales is really not my thing, but after the first day I was much more comfortable and was able to get the job done! By the end of the week our small team had made 1167 contacts! We worked hard, but the evenings were great! We were taken to the nicest restaurants in town and had the best time hanging out with all of the Obelis employees. And the best part... Rich got to share a room with the Boss men the whole week! ha. We stayed in a woman's home the whole week and somehow Rich was the lucky one who got to sleep with Gideon and Doram which made his week a little more interesting! They definately kept Rich busy running around and doing all the extra jobs like setting up and taking down the Obelis booth and anything else they could think of to throw his way! Our time here is almost up! We are trying to enjoy every minute we have left. Some of you requested some pics of our bosses (which by the way if you want any great stories on these two hilarious men just ask Rich!) and the event so here they are!

Barcelona, SPAIN!

2009-11-23T06:53:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago Rich and I went to Barcelona, Spain for four days with two other couples. Some of the things we saw were all of Gaudi's artwork and buildings, Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, and Tibidabo. My favorites of Barcelona though are the beautiful views of the city you can find and the beach! After days of walking everywhere, we decided it was time to rent bikes! This was the best decision we could have ever made. We spent two hours riding around and along the beach in the sun (which we had so desperately missed since we NEVER see the sun in Brussels). Barcelona was another wonderful trip! It is a BEAUTIFUL city!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

2009-11-02T12:03:00.003-08:00

Yesterday, November 1st, Richie turned 26! Going to Bastogne was all he wanted for his bday but of course we had to make his real bday special too! The day began with church like usual on Sunday and then there was a baptism right after. There is a family here that all decided to get baptized and Rich has been going with the missionaries to help teach them. Their eleven year old wanted Rich to baptize her so that was very special for him! After church I made Rich his "Bday Dinner" and then we invited two other American couples and another friend from church over for some cake and ice cream and games. The night was a success and I am so happy we were able to celebrate his bday with our new friends over here!Happy bday to my amazing husband! Love you LOTS!

Bastogne

2009-11-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend Rich and I traveled to Bastogne. It is about three hours away from Brussels and the ride there was so beautiful. There were so many huge fields of cows and trees with all their bright colors. Fall is my favorite time of year! Once we reached Bastogne we tried to find a tour that would take us to the sites. The lady at the information center (in really broken Enlgish I might add) told us that there were no tours running that day (of course!) but we could walk to the sites. So like anyone else we thought well sure it is a beautiful day and walking never hurt anybody so we took off! At first it was ok because it only took about 20 minutes to get to the first monument which was made to honor all the American soldiers that died during the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne. After that we went to their Historical Museum and saw all the uniforms, weapons, and other cool war stuff! Everything was great up to this point until we started our trek to the next site where an hour later we found ourselves on this tiny road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cows! When we finally reached the next monument we were dreading the walk back and not too thrilled we tried WALKING everywhere! We should have known! But by some miracle, as we were taking pictures by the second monument a car pulled up with two men from America one a soldier and one a marine asking us where the next site was. We told them where they needed to head and slipped in the fact that we had been walking everywhere and the next thing we knew we were getting chauffeured to the remaining sites we wanted to see! At first I was pretty wary jumping in the car with two strange men, but we ended up having a blast with them and they couldn't have been nicer! The last site we went to see were the foxholes in the forest of the Ardennes. The soldiers stayed in these throughout the Battle of the Bulge to protect themselves and they are still there today! It was crazy to see. We walked out into the woods and you could see these foxholes everywhere among all the trees. I kept imagining what it must have been like. Especially since it is only November and already freezing outside! They spent a month holding back the Germans in the middle of the winter waiting out and sleeping in these foxholes! Incredible! This trip ended up being one we will never forget and it truly made me appreciate even more our American soldiers that fought so bravely in Bastogne!

A Night Out!

2009-10-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Since we started working at Obelis, Rich and I have been grilled for not going out enough with all the interns. Yes, I will admit since marriage we have mellowed down a lot... maybe a little too much cause these days our favorite thing in the world on a Friday night is having a good dinner at home and watching a great flick and we are completely satisfied. What has happened to us?! We are already an "old" couple! So we decided this weekend we would show all our fellow Obelis friends we still know how to have fun! (Really the main reason why we have avoided going out with them as much is because they are some hard core partying Europeans and being Mormon, we weren't sure how exciting we would be drinking our water and all) BUT the night ended up being one of the best nights we have had here in Belgium! We met at our friend Anya's place and visited for hours before we actually hit the town. We had the best time getting to know everyone better and other local Belgians that joined us that evening. I seriously think Rich and I laughed nonstop! Then we went to this Celtic club that is exactly what you would expect for a club in Europe. Tons of strobe lights, too many people, crazy techno music, and of course a fog machine. We danced our little hearts out that night until about 3:30 in the morning and finally called it a night. We even had to ride a taxi home because all the public transportation doesn't run that late! We probably won't be making a habit of this every weekend, but I am so glad we went and for the friends we are making. The people here are the best!

Living the Belgian Life

2009-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would post some pictures of random things we have been doing since we have been living in Belgium. Nothing too exciting- Just thought some of you might enjoy!

We LOVE Plaka- Best gyros in town!

Beautiful Waterloo (Again-sorry I like this one!)

Always falling asleep when we travel!

We get lost a lot so sometimes we have to go to ghetto internet cafes and look up directions!
Momma Romas... YUMMY pizza!
Feels like we are always standing in the cold waiting for a tram or bus

With friends walking around the Grand Place

A hotel in the Grand Place (Main Square)

Belgium's Beach!

Mini Europe- This is a model of the main square in Brussels- notice the umbrella... it has become my new best friend since we have been here!

Our favorite waffle place at the Stokkel Market

More waffles!
Mannekin Pis... a statue of a little boy peeing and the Belgians love it!
The Royal Palace
Us with the Atomium- we can see this beauty from our balcony

We are loving life!

Waterloo

2009-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rich and I went with Meghan and Brandon to Waterloo. For all you history buffs, Waterloo is the place where Napolean met his final defeat in June 1815. The monument is a 28 metric ton Lion on the top of a hill which symbolizes new-found peace in Europe. It was a very quick trip down but it was well worth it. To get to the top of the hill you have to walk up 226 steps which completely worked Rich and I since we have not been exercising over here as much as we would like! We both can feel the burn in our legs today which is sad! Anyway, it was a peaceful day and the view from the top of the monument was beautiful. It was nice to get away from all the noise in the city for a bit and learn something new! Europe has taught me a ton since we left the states!

The Hague Netherlands Temple

2009-10-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

I got way behind blogging and I like to keep my posts seperate so if you noticed I am making three new posts on the same day you are right! A few weekends ago Rich and I went on a ward temple trip to the Hagueu Netherlands Temple. It was a two hour bus ride there and back on a cold rainy day. The ride was beautiful though. All the leaves are changing and the homes we passed were probably the cutest things I have ever seen. People around here keep their yards in tip top shape so everything always looks so clean and nice! It was an amazing day and the temple was gorgeous!

Twenty Three!

2009-10-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

This month I turned twenty three! Wow I am getting up there! ha. I asked Rich before I started writing this blog how old I was because I honestly got confused for a second and he rolled his eyes at me for not knowing my age now when I am only 23! Anyway, my birthday was a great one this year. I had to work all day Friday (my actual bday) so we celebrated it Sat too, but I will start with Friday. At work, we brought in a cake and celebrated with all our fellow interns/employees as good ole Obelis. It was great and everyone was so sweet wishing me happy bday all day long! That night I requested a pizza place called Momma Romas for dinner. Our friends Meghan and Brandon came with us and we spent two hours after work jumping trams trying to find the dumb place! We finally did though and it was completely worth it! On saturday I went shopping and came home to a wonderful dinner my husband made and some gifts that were much needed! He gave me some beautiful flowers, slippers, socks, money (to shop with), and some Belgian chocolates of course! It was such a great birthday! Thanks to my inlaws and family for helping me get to go shopping! ha. I loved being able to look guilt free! I have to say my hubby is the best on Bdays. He always goes above and beyond to make it special! I am a lucky girl!

Paris

2009-09-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Rich and I headed to Paris! We found a really cheap bus to take us! Usually you can catch a train that takes about an hour and a half but since we are cheap it took us almost four! The ride there was an interesting one. Our bus driver had some serious road rage and was cussing every other car out that we passed and slamming on the breaks every two seconds. Needless to say I was a bit car sick and grateful when we arrived at our destination! We "splurged" and stayed in a Best Western which was surprisingly nice! That first day we arrived we got settled into our hotel and took off to Monmartre to see the Sacre-Coeur. This is a beautiful church on top of a hill where you have an amazing view of the city. Around the church there are tons of art, restaurants, music, and people shopping. We had such a great night walking around, seeing the views, and eating the best crepes we have ever had! Once we made it back to our hotel I instantly started feeling pretty sick. Lucky me spent the rest of our first night in Paris hugging the toilet! I got the worst food poisoning I think I have ever had! It was absolutely terrible! Rich had a tour planned for the next morning with New Europe where they take you on a four hour walking tour of the city and learn as much as you can about Paris. He was so excited to go on this tour and I felt pressure to not dissapoint so I mustered up every ounce of energy I had left and we went on our tour! Rich loved it so I was glad we did it! After the tour we went back to the hotel and I crashed early in hopes I would get better after getting some sleep. The next morning I was much better and ready to go! We spent the day visiting the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame, and going to the top of the Eiffel Tower! We had the best time. Paris is the most beautiful city! It was definately one of our favorites. It really is such a romantic place with couples everywhere! That night we watched the light show on the Eiffel Tower and walked through the parks surrounding it. Paris is a place we will always miss and look forward to visiting again!

Our Trip Through Europe!

2009-09-01T11:24:00.001-07:00

Our trip through Europe was an unforgettable experience! We had the best time. We left Utah August 12th and arrived in London the next day around noon. We spent two days seeing everything there is to see in London and even saw Wicked which I have been wanting to see so badly! I loved it and thought it was just as great as everyone said it was! After London we dropped off our luggage here in Brussels and spent the day seeing the square and taking in what was to be our new home for the next few months! The first thing we did was try Belgian waffles which were way yummy! Then we jumped on a night train to Milan, Italy. In Milan we spent the day admiring their beautiful duomo, eating true Italian pizza, and Gelato! Then we jumped on a train to Florence. Florence was one of my favorite places. It was just what I pictured in my mind when I imagined Italy. After Florence we headed to Rome! Here we went to the Vatican City, Sistine chapel, and saw the coliseum. Rome was awesome but the weather felt like Myrtle Beach and we thought we were going to pass out running around in the heat all day, but it was definitely worth it. If you have never been to Rome you must! It was incredible. (I will probably say everything was incredible throughout this whole post but everything really was!!) After Rome we went on to Munich, Germany. I think Munich was Rich's favorite. There is so much history in Munich. We saw where "Crystal Night" took place ( Not sure how to spell the German name for it), toured the city and learned all about Munich, and we went to Dachau which was the first official concentration camp ever built and the others were modeled after. Dachau was heartbreaking. I felt sick after visiting it. I can't believe what actually took place there. After Munich, we went to Berlin and caught a train to Poznan, Poland. Poznan was so fun! Rich's brother went on this journey with us and he served a mission for our church in Poland so being there with him and meeting all his friends was a blast! We loved Poznan and I fell in love with a hot chocolate cafe called Cocoa Republica. Best hot chocolate I have ever had! Next was Krakow. Here we walked around the square, shopped at the markets, ate wonderful polish meals, and did a tour of Auschwitz. I was hesitant to see Auschwitz after seeing Dachau. It is hard to see what those poor people went through. No words can describe how you feel standing in these camps. Every tour we went on the tour guides would say how important it is to learn and see for yourself what happened to these innocent people so we can make sure it never happens again. I couldn't agree more. Forget Rome, if you are ever in Europe see one of these camps. You will never be the same! After Krakow we took another night train to Prague. Prague was so pretty! The buildings in Prague are so great and are painted beautiful colors. It is a city I will never forget. Then we went to Amsterdam. Amsterdam was one of the most interesting places to me. We did a tour with a group through Amsterdam and within the first five minutes we were walking through the red light district! I was shocked! Apparently, the red light district is huge and on almost every street around the square. In fact, I learned that they put the red light district by all the huge churches to further "test" people. I thought that was crazy! Anyway, needless to say Amsterdam was quite the experience. I saw more sex shops than I ever thought possible in one day as well as marijuana selling coffee shops! haha. The history there is very intriguing! After Amsterdam we headed home to Brussels. Once we were settled in our place we took off to Brugge which is in Belgium and only an hour away. Brugge was great! It is surrounded by water, has great shopping, and the best chocolate you will ever eat! Since we have been in Brussels we have been trying to learn our way around the city and get a feel for the place. I am already loving it and can't believe we will be here until Christmas! Our trip through Europe was one we will never forget. I did things and saw things I never thought I would do! I slept in awful night trains with some scary people, hostels of all sorts, some hotels, and much more! ha. Rich and I feel like it all was a dream. We feel so lucky we were able to have such a trip and we are happy Stevo was able to join us! We are already planning our next weekend trip so we will keep you all posted!

Something I came across...

2009-07-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

My Dad asked me to go through the millions of boxes of things they have been lugging around since I graduated high school so I started sorting through them tonight. I found so many things that took me through memory lane. All my favorite pictures, letters, and cards from loved ones. It was so fun reading what people wrote to me and thinking about memories I have forgotten about. One thing I came across especially caught my eye. I found a poem my sister wrote for me one Christmas about nine years ago. I remember she was getting ready to leave for college at BYU and I was so sad she was leaving me behind. I remember opening it that morning and how special it made me feel. I have always admired my sister for so many reasons. She has such a fun personality and it is never the same at home without her here. One part of her poem says :

Sometimes I want to cover your eyes,

hide your from heartbreak, suffering and lies.

Not long from now, I'll go far away,

your hand I can't hold and show you the way.

I guess reading this poem just made me realize even more how much my sister has meant to me throughout my life. She has always been a best friend and someone I can turn to for comfort or advice. My whole life she always looked after me and she still does. I am lucky to have such an amazing sister. Someone I'll be friends with forever.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-07-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my mother's birthday so I thought I would share some pics and write a little about the day and about my wonderful mom. We woke up this morning and went to church and mom gave a really great lesson! When we got home Rich and went to work and made mom a birthday dinner. We told mom she wasn't allowed to help but she kept insisting so it ended up being the three of us in the kitchen! Rich made his famous rolls which were incredible too! After dinner and cake (of course!) the guys had to go to a church meeting so mom and I took a nice long nap and then walked on the beach. It was a really nice and relaxing day. And her big surprise was that Matt, Jess, Dad, and Rich and I went in on a gift for Mom which is tickets for her to go see the American Idol concert next week which she is THRILLED about! Anyway, I just wanted to tell my mom how much I appreciate her. She is an amazing woman. I admire so much about her and am blessed to have her in my life! Happy Birthday, Mom!

FINALLY! (I know I am so bad at this!)

2009-07-13T20:44:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give everyone a little update since my last post was in 2008 :). Rich and I finally graduated this past May. What a relief! Since then we have been on the move! Two weeks after we graduated we went on an amazing cruise to the Caribbean. I was in heaven all week. It was the first cruise I have ever been on. We stopped in the Cayman Islands, Belize, Honduras, and the Florida Keys. We met so many great people and did things I will never forget! Once we returned back to Utah we did laundry and packed up my car and drove to South Carolina to spend the summer with my parents! (Notice the pic. on the left-my dad mows the lawn in this hat to "protect his face and neck from the sun" and Rich and I can't get enough of it! Just love my Dad). Anyway, Rich was so sweet and knew I really wanted to come home for a bit so he helped make that possible and we have had a blast! We have been working at our friends resort here in Surfside Beach and on our days off we are either at the beach or doing some other tourist-y thing. I have been trying to show Rich everything! Our addictions this summer have been watching Friday Night Lights (the series), watching the Bachelorette, taking night walks on the beach with Marley, coming home to Mama's cooking :), cuddling Buster (yes he is STILL alive and kicking!!), and sitting out on the patio during huge thunderstorms. My parents have spoiled us! We are excited to share it all with Rich's parents and little brother who will be coming to visit this week! Anyway, coming to Myrtle Beach was kind of last minute and very unexpected for me so I have loved every minute of it. Next on our crazy agenda is we are moving to Brussels, Belgium! Rich was able to get an internship over there for a marketing company and is very excited. I am so proud of him. He is always chasing his dreams and making it happen and I get to come along for the ride! I have never seen the kid so excited about something! He doesn't start until the beginning of Sept. but we are going out on Aug. 12th to do some backpacking around Europe with his brother Steve for a few weeks. I am so unbelievably thrilled about this! I didn't travel much growing up and then I marry Rich and I am seeing the world! I am a lucky girl and feel so lucky to be able to do so many incredible thing with such a fun guy :). Anyway, I have made a promise to myself that I will blog about everything we do in Europe so everyone hold me to it!

Sweet Carolina!!

2008-12-31T10:22:00.001-08:00

My cute mom and Marley! (he was my wedding gift from Rich which then became my gift to my parents! :)
Mom and Alisia (my brother's girlfriend who we love!)

Night out with the girls! Jess was with us but somehow didn't make the pic.

Me and my sweets

Sisters!

So this Christmas we flew home to South Carolina and spent it with my family! It was so great! It had already been about six months since I have seen them which is torture for me so needless to say I loved every minute of it. I wish I had more pics of my dad and brother but I was a slacker with the picture taking. Anyway, we spent the week shopping, eating, going to movies, playing on the beach, golfing, hot tubbing, visiting friends, and watching a few games at Beach Ball Classic! It was so much fun having everyone together again. It gets harder and harder for me to fly back to Utah! The weather there was nice and warm the whole week we were there too which automatically made my week. Anyway, we had such a great holiday and feel so blessed for everything we have been able to do and enjoy. Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful week and for all you do!

First Christmas!

2008-12-18T16:38:00.001-08:00

So, Rich and I exchanged the gifts we got for each other early because I requested money so I could go shopping for clothes (that I desperately need) before we fly home to Myrtle Beach to see my family! We had a lot of fun! I gave Rich some pajama pants and a beanie and he gave me an umbrella so the blizzards won't leave me looking like a wet dog by the time I get to any building and MONEY so I can shop! I LOVE to shop and haven't been able to do much of it since we got married being that we are both in school full time and are hardly able to work so I am thrilled! I felt bad cause I stuck to the $50 limit we gave ourselves and Richard did not so his presents were sad compared to mine! Sorry hun I'll do more next year! :) Anyway, it has been so fun getting our first Christmas tree and decorating it together. It has made our apartment smell amazing and really gets you in the Christmas spirit! We hope everyone has a memorable and safe Christmas this year!

ROCKBAND!

2008-12-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

Ok.. so this picture really does say it all! I am officially addicted to Rockband! I have never played it until last night and I am now ready to swipe the good ole credit card so we can play it every night of our lives! Our friends Christa and Randall had us over for dinner last night (which was amazing! ) and then we spent the next hour or two rockin out and disturbing the people who live above them! (Sorry! we couldn't help ourselves!!!) Anyway, needless to say we had a blast and now I am trying to figure out a way to make this a christmas gift for myself this year! :) Also, I was quite proud of my husband.. he was pro with the guitar and drums! I sang and played the bass and couldn't help but dance the whole time. Christa and her husband killed us of course and were true rockstars due to the hours of playing they had on us, but we will be better competition for them once I convince my husband that Rockband is now a necessity! Thanks for the fun night guys!

Hmm....

2008-11-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

So last night my sweet mother in law took all of the girls out (Ash and Ang and me) to see Twilight! We were thrilled and I was SO excited all day to see it! And I have to say, it was kind of a let down!! Does anyone else agree with me? I have talked to so many girls and they absolutely loved it so maybe it is just me?! I thought the beginning of the the movie really struggled. I don't like the guy playing Jacob, and Edward was a little too weird. He looked like something was wrong with him (other than the fact that he is a vampire) the whole time! Not in a cute way like in the book but almost an odd, creepy, stalker-ish kinda way. ha. I will say the second half of the movie was much better and I started to like Edward a little better. I don't know. I am obsessed with the books so much so I guess for me nothing will be able to top them! Anyway, thanks Linda for taking us out! We had a really great time and sure had some good laughs! :)

Halloween Fun-What was I thinking?!

2008-11-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Us at Work!
So for Halloween this year Rich and I decided to dress up as ourselves in 50 years! I hope and pray this is not what we are to expect! We got everything at DI and my father-in-law's closet! We honestly could not stop laughing when we were done getting all dressed and ready. That night we threw a party (with lots of help from Linda!) and invited all our friends that needed something fun to do that night! We had a blast to say the least! Anyway, thanks everyone for coming we hope you had as much fun as we did!

My bday that was two months ago (can you tell school has taken over my life!!)

2008-11-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to write a little thank you to everyone who helped make my bday so special! I had one of the best ones yet! I woke up that morning to a fabulous breakfast made by my sweet husband and spent the day shopping, getting my nails done, and eating cake with wonderful friends! Thanks so much again everyone! (The wedding pic I am holding was from Linda and Larry! We didn't have any pictures in our home yet of our wedding so they gave me this one! I love it and it now hangs on our living room wall! Thank you we love you both!)

Catching up!

2008-10-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

This post is probably more for me than anyone else but I realized that I have never written anything down about our wedding day and honeymoon and that is sad! SO I was just going to give a brief summary of both! We were married on June 14, 2008 in the Salt Lake City temple. The week before our wedding was really rainy and cold and I was having a stroke that it would ruin our big day, but luckily the weather changed and it was perfect! We were so lucky to have so many friends and family come to our wedding. All my best friends that I grew up with from South Carolina even made the journey to Utah to be there! We all went to get our nails done on friday together at Bonny Nail and my mom and Linda (my mother-in-law!) brought breakfast for everyone! The night before our wedding we had dinner at the Skyroom. The dinner was great and we had so many wonderful little speeches given by our parents, siblings, and friends. I was a basketcase the whole time and felt like I was going to cry my eyes out! I am so grateful for so many incredible people in my life. Thank you so much Linda and Larry for the great meal and fun night!
The next morning I was up by 7 getting ready for our big day! Kira and Natalie at Suggestions Salon (Love them!) did my hair and my mom and sister came with me. After that I ran home grabbed everything I needed and left for the temple with Rich and our parents. The temple was amazing and absolutely perfect! It was so fun coming out of the temple and knowing that we had made it and would be together forever. The rest of the morning was filled with hours of picture taking and filming for our wedding video. That was enjoyable for the first twenty minutes but after two hours we were burning up and getting tired smiles! Our reception was at our friends grandma's house in her backyard. She has a BEAUTIFUL home! It was exactly what I had always wanted. We had dancing, the best food ever from Marvelous Catering, and beautiful decorations (thank you so much Ashley you are amazing!). I have to thank my parents too for such a beautiful wedding and helping make our day so special!
Sorry everyone here comes the mushy stuff but I just want to thank Rich for being such an amazing husband and for making me so happy! I am so lucky to have him and love life so much more with him in it!
OUR HONEYMOON! Ok so we chose to have our honeymoon in Zihuantanejo, Mexico and we had a blast! We left the morning after our wedding at 4:00 am and got into Mexico around 3:00 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, due to the lack of sleep and stress of the wedding I was sick as a dog! My poor ears felt like they were going to explode the whole flight! Once we landed I was determined to ignore how I was feeling and make our first day in Mexico memorable! We went to this huge grocery store and bought some food for the week and then went to the resort where we were staying called Club Intrawest. We would never have been able to stay here if it weren't for some of our friends that had a timeshare here and let us have it for the week! I can't say enough about this resort! Rich and I walked into our condo we were staying in and just started running in every room screaming with excitement! Our condo had a huge deck that overlooked the ocean so we spent a lot of our evenings sitting out there and loving the view. The whole week we went downtown and rode buses to all the different beaches, swam with dolphins (this actually horrified me! Rich laughed at me the whole time. I had no idea dolphins were so big!), got massages, shopped, and ate some of the best food I have ever had! Since Zihuatanejo is more of a small fishing village with not a ton of tourists it is a little more difficult getting around if you don't speak Spanish! Thank goodness Rich is actually quite good at speaking Spanish because I was clueless the whole time! Anyway, we had an unforgettable honeymoon and can't wait to go back some day!
(Sorry this post ended up being quite long! It is hard to summarize when writing about the times of your life you used to always dream about!)

We're Bloggers!

2008-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to start a blog for forever, but I have been so busy and am an idiot and it took me a while to figure it out! I can't even take that much credit because my good friend Kristen from work helped me do everything! (Thanks Kristen it may have never happened without you!) Anyway, I am so excited to have some sort of record of Rich's and my life together because I have been really bad at keeping a journal so hopefully this will keep me motivated. I will do my best to keep it somewhat interesting so we don't bore you all to death! It's hard when we both are in school because the hours of homework makes me think I should stay home and never leave our apartment, but Rich is always making sure we keep things exciting!