Trip to Utah

Okay, i'm feeling like a bum because i went to Utah last weekend and only took like 4 pictures. But i decided to put them all on here and fill in the blanks?

Phoenix is a concrete jungle. i commute 40 miles each way to work and back 5 days a week. i spend nearly 2 hours a day on freeways and stuck in traffic. I was really needing a chance to get out of town, and realized i haven't been to Utah since October!! i still have family and friends up there, so i bought a ticket and went up for 2 days.

My friend Julie came and picked me up. She is SO much fun to hang out with! i don't realize how much i miss her until i see her again! (like when i got in her car- there was a bag of mounds candy bars with like 12 empty wrappers- Totally Julie!!)

We went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast- which was Amazing!- and then went shopping. My sister Amy and my niece, Lola, came to meet us! Lola was shy for a little while, but eventually warmed up to me :) She is So dang cute and has grown up SO much since Christmas when i saw her last!!
We ended up back at Amy's house just hanging out for a while. We went to dinner at Rubio's and then went over to Grandma Rawson's house to hang out! Me and Grandma have always been close and i really miss visiting with her on a regular basis.

Sunday I hung out at Amy's house. We made Taco's for dinner and my brother, Russ, and his wife, Selena, and Grandma came over for dinner. Julie came over to hang out too. SO much fun!

So, nothing too exciting but a great break from my busy, work-filled life, and much too short! The only down side to the 2 day trip was that it RAINED the WHOLE 2 DAYS!!

Lola- climbed into my bed and made herself comfortable :) Jules, Me and Lola outside of Rubio's after dinner. QUICK picture cuz it was SO cold outside!!

Lola- saying "cheez" when we take her picture! But if you tell her to smile, she closes her eyes! Toss up- funny lips or closed eyes?

Lola and me- again, she's saying cheez :)

At the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. To be honest, the only reason she's letting me hold her is that she's really scared of that bear.

Easter Saturday :)

I know this post is long overdue- i just didn't have my camera for a little while and then was out of town. But- i'm back in business and excited about Finally having something to do a new blog about!

The Saturday before Easter i got together with my 3 best friends and their husbands at Jen and Russ house. (Yes- i was the only person there without a spouse). The night was SO much fun!! We (the girls) dyed Easter Eggs together, while the boys BBQd and talked amongst themselves. Then we ate dinner- some super yummy grilled salmon, couscous, salad- everything was great! and THEN we watched a great "Easter" movie. My friends thought for a long time trying to think of a movie about easter or bunnies or something... so we watched House Bunny! i know it's a stretch- but it was SO funny! Overall had a great time!

The finished products.

and this is what the boys did. BBQ-ing and other Boy stuff.

2 weeks of Spring Break!!

okay, so i didn't ACTUALLY get 2 weeks of Spring Break. As most of you know, i spend my afternoons working at a high school. My spring break was March 7th-14th. Instead of just relaxing for the week, i decided to use my extra time to get LOTS of things done! i had a chance to straighten out my finances, send some important emails, update my resume, wash and detail my car, get new tires, get my windshield fixed (FINALLY!!), plant flowers in the flower beds out front, make an appt to get my eyes checked, take the dog with me to hike Thunderbird mtn, a trip to the temple, and even got a chance to finish my book and start a new one.

BEFORE i cleaned out the leaves from fall and old dead flowers.

And after i finished planting the new ones. i was pretty proud of myself. Now i'm doing my best to keep everything alive!!

Marcy had his Spring Break the 14th through the 21st. and he decided to spend it with me :) He got in Saturday night and i LOVE seeing him!! We went to eat that night at BJs at Desert Ridge. Great food and Great ambiance. AND, the suns game was on and we got to see my brother on TV!

Marcy was a great sport for the week and tagged along with me at the high school for 3 afternoons!! He hung out in the training room, got water ready, loaded the golf cart, hung out at softball games with me, cleaned water bottles, sat at track practice with me, and even met with my school principal and several of the coaches (all of whom were trying to talk him into moving here to AZ and they'd give him a job). It probably wasn't marcy's first choice for how to spend his spring break, but i appreciate his good attitude. Spending time with Marcy is the best! no matter where it is or what we're doing!

Marcy and I both enjoy eating out. and we did ALOT of it while he was here. it's possible i put on 10 pounds in 7 days. We ate a little of everything: BJs, Qdoba, Wingstop, Quiznos, KFC, Amado's, Cinnabon, TGIFridays, Carlos O'Brian's, In-n-Out, Sneaker's Grill, AND Dairy Queen. BUT when we weren't eating out, we did find some fun things to do!!

Wednesday night we went to the Suns Game! Superfun time and our seats were great! Marc took some good pics that night!

Thursday night we got together with some of my friends and their spouses and went to a Spring Training game: Padres vs Mariners. Marc and I both wore our Padres shirts- but we were pretty stoked to see Ken Griffey Jr playing for the Mariners. But the best part of the game was just hanging with friends :)

Overall it was a great week! but like they say, all good things come to an end. Marc had to fly back to Texas on Saturday morning. He's been gone for 3 days and i miss him already. Time to settle in for the next 6 weeks til i get to see him again!

Valentine's Day

i know this is a little late, but i just barely got some of these pics. i went to Texas last month to visit my boyfriend, Marcy. He is wonderful and made this the best valentine's day EVER!!

It was a quick weekend for me, but totally worth the trip. i got in late friday night so we didn't do much, but i did have flowers and cards and gifts waiting for me :)

Saturday morning, Marc had to coach a basketball game, so i finally got to go and watch him in action. And even though his team got beat pretty bad, he's still a great coach and the kids love him.

We went to lunch that afternoon and watched a movie- just enjoying spending time together. I don't know how many of you have ever had a long-distance relationship, but they're not easy. More than anything, i just miss being in the same room with him.

Anyway, he had reservations for us that night at La Boca Paila, located at Rancho El Charco in La Joya, Texas. Translated into English, we ate at this cool restaurant on the lake at a ranch outside of town. We got there a little early, and got to watch the sunset over the lake and even go on a wagon ride through the ranch- they have some cool animals and an old church and a few other things- (they hold a lot of weddings and special events out there.) The wagon ride was narrated with history of south texas, including bits by John Wayne himself.

The restaurants was cool, and food was great. Service left a little to be desired, but it was a busy night. They had a live band set up after dark and things really started to fill up. It was a beautiful night and i was ready to be somewhere not so loud. Marcy and I ended up on his property by the river. We put down the tailgate on his truck and got to talk and look at the stars. i saw my first ever lightning bug (or fire fly? i think they're the same thing?) Then Marc put on some music and even attempted AGain to teach me how to dance. All things considered, it was a wonderful night and i couldn't have asked for anything better! My boyfriend is so good to me and i love him so much!!

Sunday consisted of Catholic mass in the morning, a trip to the cemetary, and then a couple hours of Mormon church. My favorite thing about Sundays in Mcallen is that we always go to Marcy's parents' house for dinner. His mom always puts a lot of effort into making a special meal while i'm visiting, and this was no exception. I really love spending time at Marcy's house with his family- they're so much fun and i'm so comfortable with them. Overall, it was a Great weekend!!!

Sunday afternoon with the girls

My 3 best friends from high school are all living here in Phoenix. We try to get together still as often as we can. This past Sunday was a great reason! Amber gave birth to Baby Harrison 2 months ago, and they were blessing him at church on sunday. So naturally, we all went to sacrament meeting and then skipped the last 2 hours of church to go back to Amber and Cory's for lunch. Just a few of the pics from the event.

Everyone got a chance to hold that ADORABLE BABY!!

And another side note- Amber is definitely tackling being a new mom better than anyone i ever new. and she's SO DANG CUTE!!