Reunited

Then...

...And now.


Last weekend we had a mini reunion with my best friends from high school. I've known these girls since I was 15. We've graduated high school and college together, we've seen each other get married and have kids. We've been together as teenagers and adults seeing the good and the bad. Until I got sisters in law, they were the closest thing I had to sisters and even though we have our own lives and go months, even years, without seeing each other I still consider them some of my closest friends. It never fails that when any of us get together the time will be filled with laughter.
On June 5 we got together with our families and had a bbq. It was the first time that all of us had been together for a year (I think we had everyone at McKenna's shower). True to form we laughed till our cheeks and our stomaches hurt, and it was way past our bedtimes. We had a great time catching up on all sorts of stories, many of which included labor and parenting so we didn't have much to contribute then but we had lots to learn.
Thanks girls for a great night and we look forward to doing it again real soon.

In the beginning

Today marks the one year anniversary of our first date (of round 2). Nate and I waxed nostalgic thinking back to that first date and how much has happened in the year since then, and seeing as I haven't written anything about our beginnings here or in my personal journal I thought now would be a good time while the details are fresh in my mind, sorry if it's kind of long.

Nate and I met in January 2007 through a LDS singles website. Though a number of friends had urged me to try the online scene I was strongly opposed until that year I decided to give it a try as part of a New Year's Resolution. My dear friend Stefani helped me put together a profile and Nate was one of the first people I clicked with. We really connected well and had fun talking a lot online before we finally met. We went out a couple of times and, well, our second date was kind of a flop for both of us. Shortly thereafter I left on vacation to Paris, he got busy with year end exams and started dating someone else, and we ended up falling out of touch. I figured it had run it's course and that I'd never hear from him again.

Flash forward 9-10 months later (which seems like a lifetime)and we were unexpectedly thrown back into each others lives again thanks to the power of Instant Messager. I was dating someone at the time and Nate had just gotten out of a relationship so we talked often as friends while I tried to pass the time at work. During our time talking I found myself wishing I had the connection and communication that Nate and I shared with my boyfriend at the time. Not long after that realization, my boyfriend unexpectedly ended our relationship. I was heartbroken and in the aftermath the following day at work I found myself desperately wanting to talk to Nate, and sure enough he was there. From then on our relationship quickly grew closer, though it would take another 3 weeks before we finally saw each other again since he was swamped with finals.

Saturday, May 17th finally arrived and I made the long trek out to Glendale dressed in my new outfit feeling full of nerves and excitement. It had been a long time since I'd felt this way about a first date, and yes we considered it a second first date since it had been over a year since we'd last seen each other. 45 minutes later when I arrived at his apartment, Nate took me on a tour of his school campus and then we headed off to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (Nate's traditional post final treat). After dinner we returned to his apartment for a mini Office marathon, then he suggested we go do some geocaching at a few sites nearby. This was my first time geocaching and I felt a little silly scouring the locations looking for the little treasures as Nate stood back and watched since he already knew where they all were.

The time came for me to go home and for some reason (it must have been construction related) I decided to take the I-17 home from the 101 in Glendale. Much to my surprise, I discovered after entering the ramp for north and southbound split that the southbound ramp was closed thus forcing me to go north. I either missed the sign completely or I had a subconcious desire to go to Flagstaff. To my further dismay I quickly found that the first couple exits off the freeway were closed and I had to go several miles in the wrong direction before I could get turned around. Once I finally got driving in the right direction it was late and I just wanted to get home. As I passed through Phoenix I spotted something strange a short distance ahead of me in the lane I was in. As I got closer I realized what it was, two lone road flares smack dab in the middle of the road, no stranded cars around, no other flares were leading to the shoulder. I quickly looked in my rearview and passenger side mirrors only to find several cars beside me leaving me with the only choice of going over the flares since there was no room for me to change lanes. I figured I was going fast enough that no harm would come to my car, nevertheless I drove the rest of the way home with my window down constantly checking for burning smells (which were there slightly) and watching my heat gauges convinced that my car was going to blow up right there on the freeway. I finally managed to make it home in one piece though this wasn't the only time we experienced car related mishaps while dating, including getting my car locked in a parking garage and Nate's battery exploding on the freeway.

From then on we tried to see each other as much as possible, which much to our suprise never seemed to be more than 2 weeks. It didn't take us long before we both independently of the other realized that if we took the best parts of all of our previous relationships we'd have each other, and the rest is history.

Birthday Hanukkah

A few years ago my roommates and I instituted the practice of Birthday Hanukkah. The practice came out of the observation that birthday festivities seem to stretch out beyond one's actual birthdate. Between different groups of friends and family outtings, the celebration usually lasts about a week. Now I imagine as I get older birthday hanukkah will gradually shrink as my friends and I get more involved in married life and raising families but at least for now the week long celebration continues and I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Friday, May 1st
After work I met up with Nate and my family at the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly glass exhibit they've had going on for a while now. I've been wanting to go since it got there but hadn't had a chance and with it leaving at the end of May we figured we'd better get on it. For those that aren't familiar with Chihuly he does huge blown glass installations throughout the world. He takes a lot of care to make and place pieces that really fit in and play off of the natural surroundings. Here are some of my favorite shots.



After we got done wandering around the gardens we went to Macayo's for a birthday dinner with my family. Since my birthday is on Cinco de Mayo it's only fitting that I celebrate with Mexican food.

Sunday, May 3rd
This was our Sunday to cook dinner for Nate's family, which can be an event in and of its self. On any given Sunday we can have between 15-20 people (including kids) at dinner. It can be a fun challenge since I like to cook but it is definitely a change cooking for that many people. This Sunday was also special because we celebrated my brother-in-law Danny's birthday (May 4th) and mine. My mother-in-law made each of us a cake (mine was chocolate of course) and we opened presents. My favorite had to be the card from my mother-in-law with a $50 bill inside but not because of the money. Upon seeing it my niece Audrey pointed and started laughing hysterically..."Haha, you got a DOLLAR! Haha." I didn't have the heart to tell her it was more than $1 so yep Audrey I got a dollar.
This particular Sunday was also fun because my parents came over to join us for dinner. It's fun to have the two families enjoy spending time together and get along. I had to laugh because twice my nephew Ryan mistook my dad for Pappa Matthews. The first time Ryan came running in from playing outside and dog-piled my dad who was sitting on the floor. It left dad a little surprised, and Ryan a little embarrassed but we all got a good laugh. About an hour later after we had finished having cake, Ryan came running in again and gave my dad a big huge around the legs only to realize moments later that it wasn't Grandpa. What a cutie!

Tuesday, May 5th
This one deserves a post of its own since my hubby's so cute.

Wednesday, May 6th
On Wednesday my friend Chrissy and I went to Cafe Rio (Yay! more Mexican). Chrissy's birthday was in the first part of April and I had been trying to take her out for weeks, so it was a joint birthday celebration.

Friday, May 8th
On Friday evening Nate and I went miniture golfing. This was our third time going since we first started dating and our score had been at one win each, so this game would put one of us ahead of the other. I started out with a few excellent holes, including a hole in one, that put me way ahead of Nate but things can change in the blink of an eye and after a few bad holes I fell behind and was never able to regain my ground. He beat me by 8 strokes.

Saturday, May 9th
On Saturday I had the chance to have a girl date with my good friend McKenna while my mom played grandma and watched her daughter Anna. It was nice to have some girl time, see a good chick flick, and chat over dinner.

It was a busy week but a great time to celebrate with friends and family.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

This year was my and Nate's first time really celebrating our birthdays together. Nate was being very sneaky and would not give me any details about what he had in store for my birthday despite several poor attempts on my part to extract some bit of information from him.
The day started out with finding a card that he slipped into my purse before he left for work. I always love getting little notes from him and wish I could return the favor more but he doesn't have a purse (thankfully) and usually leaves before I do. Then I had a lovely bouquet of purple flowers delivered to my office. I mean what girl doesn't like getting flowers at the office?
When I arrived home this is what was awaiting me on our back patio.

Nate had picked up take out from my favorite Italian restaurant, Mardenely's (aka Rigatony's old Mesa location)and served me a candelight dinner of crusty bread, antipasto salad, and baked ziti. Yummy!

After dinner it was present time. After rifiling throught the tissue paper I pulled out of the gift bag our Garmin GPS unit, and a yellow brick with longitudinal coordinates attached. I had to go geocaching for my present.

So we hopped in the car and I led the way. Upon reaching the specified location I searched around and found...another yellow brick with coordinates attached. After a few more searches that led me to his dad's print shop and the old Matta's restaurant (the site of our very first date) each time finding another yellow brick, I was led back home to our back patio where Nate had hid a green (supposed to be emerald) envelope. Inside were two tickets to Wicked at Gammage in July.

Now I'm not a big Broadway musical fanatic but I did like the book and The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was growing up. I think I practically wore the VHS tape out, I owned red sparkly shoes, and I had a small battery operated dog I named Toto that I carried around in a basket.

I thought I did pretty good with his birthday but I think he just raised the bar.

Easter Fun!

For a number of past years, the Easter holiday has been, shall we say uneventful. My parents' stopped giving us Easter baskets years ago (not that I need the candy) and I'd occassionally dye some eggs or go to the Easter Pageant but that was about it. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy the chance to reflect upon the death and resurrection of Christ (aka the true meaning of Easter) but it seems like everything is more eventful when there are kiddos around.
The Thursday before Easter we went to the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple with my family, Nate's parents, my brother and sister-in-law and their three daughters. As is tradition with the Easter Pageant we all got there early to claim some seats, ate our dinner picnic style and cuddled up to wait for dark when the pageant would start. I can remember doing something like this since I was in Young Women's going to the pageant for the first time, though I have to admit the cuddling is much better now that I have a hubby. As we waited for the pageant to start, my nieces pulled out sheets of paper and walked around asking the ushers/cast members for their autographs. They were so excited to come back with their sheets full of signatures from Follower of Christ, Unwise Virgin, Roman Guard, etc.

On Saturday we went for a hike at Peralta Pass with my niece Kaylee who was staying with us for the weekend. I had never hiked Peralta before but the weather was perfect as it was cool and had just finished raining earlier in the day. I loved seeing the trail all clean, green and glistening with rain drops, though I had to admit some desert plants give off an interesting odor when they are wet. We couldn't quite peg what plant it was but all along the trail something kept giving off an odor that bordered on clean/fresh and musty/revolting.

On Easter Sunday we went to Nate's parent's house for dinner and an egg hunt. My nieces looked adorable in their matching Easter dresses their mom made, complete with white hats. Aaaahh, I aspire to be that creative.

The kids all waited patiently as we hid the eggs. I spotted my nephew Ryan sitting all by himself far away on the side of the curb waiting for the hunt to start. Didn't we hid those eggs well? The funniest one was a metallic green egg that must have blended in with the grass because we sat back and watched almost all of the kids run by it several times before I pointed it out to one of them.

3 Months and 100 Days

Wow time really does fly by. A few weeks ago we passed over the 3 month mark and now we've hit 100 days as husband and wife. I know it's just a drop in the bucket compared to many other married couples out there and to the time we have ahead of us but it's still fun to sit back at look at the beginnings of our marriage and how we are progressing as spouses. Sometimes I look at Nate in awe and go "you're my husband," or "holy crap we're MARRIED!" It's all in a good way though.
As newlyweds we get the usual question of "how's married life? is it everything you thought it would be?" And I would have to reply with a resounding YES!
~We've become accustomed to sharing a bed and really like it.
~We haven't gotten into any fights over toilet seats, clothes, or dishes (I know eventually we'll have a fight though I don't know what it will be about, probably something silly like a word during Scrabble).
~We already complete each others' sentances and figure by the time we're old we'll have mastered the art of telepathy and will no longer need to talk. However, we are aware that just because there's a 90% chance we are thinking the same thing we can't assume we're thinking the same thing because inevitably making that assumption will get one of us in trouble.
~We love spending time together and have yet to get tired of each other. We can spend all weekend together and still be bummed to go our seperate ways Monday morning for 8 hours. I wonder how we survived all the times while dating when we'd go our seperate ways at the end of the evening for days and even weeks on end.
~I've become an aunt twice in addition to inheriting 8 other nieces and nephews when we got married. That's an adjustment in itself since I'm the oldest in my family and haven't had a lot of kiddos around for a long time.
~Upon the birth of my new nephews we have been, as expected, getting the questions of "When are you guys going to have one?" "Are you getting the baby fever/flutters/on-the-brain/etc?" "You guys are next." And whenever I get sick, even if it's just a cough, someone suggests it's because I'm pregnant. Nope, sorry to bust the bubble but we're not there yet. If anything going to the hospital to visit my sisters-in-law after delivery makes me realize that I'm not quite ready for child-birth and motherhood just yet. Having new babies around will be good to help me get more comfortable with the whole baby thing but for now this sugar mamma has to continue to bring home the bacon and fry it up.
~We're still trying to find our way in our new ward. Everyone is very nice, but it's different being the new kid on the block, especially since I can be a little shy around new people. I know it's just a matter of time before we get used to it and eventually find some new "married friends." We both try hard to not loose all of our single friends but it is funny how the dynamic changes a bit.
Overall the transition's gone really smoothe and we're having a lot of fun getting to know each other as husband and wife. I'm not under any kind of impression that we're "perfect" but it's difficult to think of many ways in which it could get better. I guess only time will tell. As one of Nate's uncle's wrote in our guest book, "It's only an enternity."

Prophets, puzzles, and pie.

Last weekend was General Conference and I always enjoy the opportunity to be uplifted. I love how every 6 months were blessed with the chance to listen to apostles and prophets and how if we go with open hearts we can receive personal revelation about our lives as well as the direction of the world around us. Plus who doesn't relish in the opportunity to roll out of bed 5 minutes before church starts to watch it while wearing your pj's in the comfort of your own home. This was our first General Conference together and while we don't have any little folks running around that we have to keep entertained/focused, we do have to keep ourselves awake. Usually I do pretty well but there is something particularly soothing about the music, the speakers voices, and being in the comfort of your home that will inevitably put me to sleep for a bit during at least one session. So to combat General Conference Sleeping Sickness, Nate suggested a we work on a puzzle while watching conference. So he picked up a 1000 piece photocollage Snoopy puzzle, which we did manage to complete by the time the weekend was over. Though I think my head was swimming with images of Charlie Brown and Sally for a day or two; I got to know their various expressions very well.

On Sunday we went to dinner at my parents' house where they had invited the missionaries in their ward to join us. It was fun to all pile in the dining room and pass around plates of roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and rolls. It almost felt like a mini Thanksgiving holiday.

Then for desert we were treated to Marie Callendar's Chocolate Silk pie. Yum Yum! That Marie has a good thing going on. Overall it was a very enjoyable and rejuvenating weekend.