UT - to - TX (via CO)

After our honeymoon, we returned to Utah and stayed with Nick's sister Mikelle for a couple of days while we packed up Nick's stuff into John (John Elway- his car). His little Corolla was packed- the driver had to sit on a pillow and the passenger on a sleeping bag- but we managed to make it to Denver. We spent a few hours in Loveland pass where I braved a snow/ice storm...I just stuck behind the sand truck!

When we arrived in Denver at his parents home there was a Penske truck with a towing trailer waiting for us in the drive way. We had planned to pick up the truck ourselves, however the stop in the mountains kept us a few extra hours and thus Nick's dad was kind enough to get it for us so we could pack up first thing in the morning and head out. And that we did. We had a nice night complete with a homemade dinner, a few hours of sleep in a warm bed, and a hot shower. We took off late that morning with nothing more than a road map and an end destination.

We took turns driving the beast- not going more than 60 mph or stopping anywhere that we had to reverse the trailer! We made it to Abileen, TX before we needed to stop for the night. We discussed the possibility of getting a room for the night there in Abileen, however we didn't want to spend much and we had a bunch of extra space in the back of the truck. So...you guessed it! We found a welcome center just on the edge of town and we stopped there and parked. There was a security guard that came over and introduced herself- there were a few other cars and trucks parked there and we weren't really that creeped out. There were nice restrooms which we used to brush our teeth, etc. Then we hopped in the back of the truck and made a bed, piling every blanket we owned to soften the hard wood floor. We both climbed into Nick's sleeping bag and we watched an episode of Animaniacs on my laptop and then called it a night. It got pretty chilly during the night- good thing we slept with socks and sweatshirts and my pashmina and everything all in one sleeping bag. Unfortunately I slept on the side of the sleeping bag by the zipper which meant that every time Nick rolled over, the sleeping bag would unzip and I would freeze until my shivering made him roll over again! There was frost on the windows when we woke up- it said it was about freezing- and so we quickly headed out to find a gas station with hot chocolate! We drove all through Texas that day and pulled in to San Antonio around dinner time. Amy was actually at Young Women's but Ben and Isabelle helped us load their old couches into our truck and then we headed out for the last stretch. We finally arrived at my parents at bedtime and we were exhausted. It was nice to sleep in a bed that night!

We unloaded the truck the next day and stacked all the stuff in the garage. Then Nick and I filled the beast up with gas for one last time and returned him- whew! The trip was fun together and we ate tootsie rolls most of the way as Nick's mom had given us a huge bag. It wasn't that bad, but I am glad we are here for now!

I took a picture each day of Nick sleeping- please note that number one, Nick is sleeping with puppy (my baby blanket) and number two, I took them while I was driving...quite a feat! We also took a picture of me in Vernon, TX- woohoo! And of course one with John so packed on the way to Denver and another of the Penske truck with John being towed behind!

Moving on up!

Our front door #369; Our bathroom counter; Our view from the front door; Our kitchen!

TWO MONTHS!

Two months ago, Nicholas and I were in Tahoe for our honeymoon!  I can't believe that it has been that long- and then on the other hand it seems like it was forever ago!  I realized that I never really blogged or posted pictures from our honeymoon...so here it goes.

We flew to Reno on Friday morning and then rented a car (a bright blue PT Cruiser) and drove down to Tahoe.  It was very beautiful when we got to Tahoe...until then, not so much.  We arrived with about an hour left before we could check in to our hotel room and so we went to find lunch.

In case any of you are not familiar with South Tahoe, most everything is along this one road that goes right though town...little ski cabins are back on little roads, but all of the hotels, shops, and restaurants are along one road.  Our hotel was just barely over the state line.  About 100 feet away was there were a few big casinos!  Our hotel was gorgeous- a Marriott Timber Lodge that had a ski lift right next to it.  Nick was a little sad that there wasn't snow and thus we couldn't use the ski lift and go skiing- it definitely would be a great spot to stay when we go skiing there!  There were little shops and such all around and you could just walk down this main street- it was so cute!

Anywho, we drove past our hotel a bit and parked aways down the street.  Then we got out and strolled along trying to find somewhere to eat.  On our journey we did find a grocery store not far from our hotel which proved to be wonderful!  We finally checked into our hotel after lunch- our room was bigger than our new apartment will be!  It had a full kitchen, large bathroom, king bed, living room with fireplace, kitchen table and bar, washer & dryer, and two huge plasma tvs!  It was fun for sure!  We walked down to the grocery store and got a few groceries so we could make breakfast and such.  It was so nice to have a full kitchen complete with pans and plates and everything!

Throughout the weekend we went on a boat cruise around the lake.  It was a bit chilly and windy, but so fun to learn so much about the lake!  We sat outside on the top deck the whole time.  We also took a drive around part of the lake and got out and played on the beach...it was fun but beware- the water is COLD!  We also rented Ironman to fully enjoy the large tvs in our hotel room.  And we ate at the really great Mongolian barbeque place where you could go to a buffet of "raw" foods and many sauces and then take your dish to the big circle grill and the chefs cooked it while throwing plates and such around.  It was good food and really fun to watch!  We also ate at a Hard Rock Cafe in one of the casinos.

We were sad to leave, but at least we stopped at In-and-Out in Carson City before hitting the airport!  It was such a fun time- the first real vacation (not going to visit someone, etc) that I can remember!  At one point during the weekend Nick said that he was going to recommend honeymoons...I guess he had a good time too!

Our next journey was moving all of our wedding presents and Nick's stuff to Houston...so stay tuned for that post!

(pictures are as follows:  on the way out of town we stopped to get at least one picture of me at Lake Tahoe!; the water is so pure and clear that you could see a white dinner plate if it was 75 feet below the surface (just one bit of trivia we learned on the boat tour!); leaving the hotel (I just like to point out that my suitcase was the smaller of the two!); our hotel (the building with the clock Nick is standing right in front of is the ski lift!); the only picture we have together from our honeymoon (we had to ask someone to take it and it turned out they were Russian and Nick got to chat with them for a bit!); Nick in the yellow coat is on our boat tour looking at the coastline; Nick in COLD water!; Nick at the Hard Rock Cafe!

I'm dreaming of a white...

I'm not sure how much luckier I could be these days, so for my first blog posting, I'll share the joy! (And Alee can update with more detail or info as she deems necessary :)

First, Alee and I signed a lease yesterday morning for an apartment! It's a brand new one-bedroom apartment and will be (hopefully!) finished for us to move in on the 19th. It's great in that we are only a few minutes from her parents' home and Alee's work, plus we get to stay in the same ward here, too. It's also right next to a park-and-ride which should make commuting to work for me convenient. We're very excited to finally be moving into our own place.

Next, speaking of commuting to work, I received and accepted a job offer this last week! It is a project accountant position in the property management side of Transwestern, a nationwide commercial real-estate and property management company. I will be working in the Galleria in Houston and am looking at a start date of the 17th! We are very grateful that I've been blessed with this offer, especially given the increasingly rough economy.

And lastly, (and secretly perhaps my favorite of all ;) while I have been writing this post snowflakes are falling outside! Yes, it is in the 30's and snowing here in Houston, TX, and I love it. No, it's not sticking and, no, I can't ski in it, but it's a good flurry here and I love that I am lucky enough to get snow in Texas :)

Thus, "the moral of today's story is:" we're counting our blessings!

-Nick