Catch-Up

This blog will involve a very quick overview of our "family firsts".  So far it is just us two but let the adventures of life begin!

We are going to have to play catch up and start with the beginning of our family and work our way to present day.

Nate and I first met on the Cross-Country team at Southern Utah University.  We were able to spend a lot of time with the team together which made our courting days short and sweet! It didn't take long for us to know our love for each other and for the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

We dated for around two months and engaged for three! 

Wedding day. March 13, 2012 at the Mount Timpanogos Temple. Glad we made this decision!

 On our honey-moon we went to San Diego.  We stayed at a nice beach side resort (even though it was waaay to cold to get into the water, it was still fun none the less. We had a lunch on the beach then swam in the resorts pool, which you could view the beach from.  We just pretended that we were at the beach while in the heated pool :)

We visited Sea World

and the San Diego Temple! It was so beautiful.  This was my second time going through the temple and we did a Spanish endowment session!! Nate had a good time understanding because he knows Spanish from his mission, but I had to use head phones!

We also made sure to check out the renovated Mormon Battalion Center followed by an amazing Mexican dinner.

 This was our first bike ride together.  We rode from our first apartment together.  This is a fun view of cedar city.  We love living so close to the red rock!

 Next was our first Easter together.  We celebrated with my brother Austin and friend Danny Keller in our basement apartment.

Nate's egg won.

 Next was our first time camping together! We stayed near Panguitch Lake.

We fished this river and stopped for a bit to eat until it started raining hard core! I love when it rains (that is when protected and safe).  We stayed in our tent and listened to the crazy thunderstorm. 

Round two for fishing.  Nate was using his coat for protection against the sun.

Tryin to get one last fish (or a fish at all) before the sun goes down.  I have decided that one of the things I enjoy most about fishing is that there is PLENTY of down time to think, talk, and enjoy the scenery.

This was our fist Celebration of Christmas while being married.  

 We got our Christmas presents early while the Fox's (Nate's sister Nikki, her husband Erik, and there sweet little Lucy!) were visiting from Virginia. 

 Nate's side of the family gets into their gingerbread house making.  I love it.  Heather (Nate's mom) offers to make the house (while we are still in school and busy) and then provides tons of candy that we get to put on the houses, and often into our mouths.. that is if it isn't candy from years ago.

Christmas was at the West (my side) family.

 The traditional fruit in the stockings! Nate didn't get the "use the banana as a prop" memo.  

We were so grateful to receive a very nice sewing machine from Santa! Thanks Terry and Susan (mom and dad).  I have been able to compete some projects, and mend clothes already!

 This was our own personal family celebration together.  Nate's Aunt Shannon donated her old tree to us and my mom gave us her extra tree decorations so we could have a tree this year!

Cedar City 4th of July Parade!

Cedar knows how to celebrate! Instead of just your traditional salt water taffy, we got pepper plants!! I am growing them right now on the steps of our front house.  

 Our ever so adorable first family car......  No this car has given us some trouble, but we have stuck to it (though investing more than we planed) it still runs.  Thanks to the help of my dad and our friend Clinton Rhoton. Its a 2003 Saturn something.  Though it sometimes gives us trouble, we find ourselves averaging 30 miles per gallon, so we are happy.

 To end our very brief update I wanted to show our current home/ apartment. Can't beat the prime time parking right in front and the perfect-for-locking-up-our-bikes rail guard. Since Cedar City is a small little place we often find ourselves traveling by bike instead of car.  Also Southern Utah University campus where we are currently attending (I'm graduating this December with a Bachelor degree in Biology.  Nate is  a Math major graduating in two years) is less that a mile away. (Notice the pepper plants from the parade:))

As I have covered our first year I have found myself remembering so many more things that I wanted to include in this "Catch-up" post, but I decided that I could put them somewhere else in our family blog! Lots of fun and adventure!