Surprising Adventures!

The last week or so has been eventful for us here, but in a good way. Here is what has happened:

Last week was a big long week for Mark and his work. Apple's unveiling of the launch date of their new iphone caused his place of business  to go into over drive since they were down a few people. Because of this, Mark ended up working his day off (thanks to it landing on the pre sale day) making 6 straight days of work. Along with the following week (or rather this week) being long as well. 

This is where Mark was really sweet and surprised me by taking me to One Sweet Slice cupcake shop (the recent winners of Food Network's Cupcake Wars...and yes they were that good). His reason behind it was because we probably wouldn't be able to spend much time together in the following weeks (between work and packing). To top that off we ended up at The Pie which was just across the street. Yeah, I was in heaven...yummy cupcakes and yummy pizza and great company. Life couldn't get any better. Or could it?

Yup that is right to sweeten the deal, Mark told me that we could come up to Poky and visit my mom and family. Which was nice because I was really kind of missing them and my "little" Bailey. Even though it was just a weekend trip (up Saturday night and back Sunday night) it meant a lot to me and I am sure to my family. 

To make this week even more we finally got keys to the new place and we can finally start packing. There isn't much here that needs a to be packed so with any luck the moving in part will go smooth and easy. I fear the worst part will be moving my stuff down since we will have to have a U-haul and I have some heavy items. Not that it will be too bad just a little time consuming cause I have a lot of stuff....

But that wasn't the only surprise that we had...

Picture isn't that great...sorry

Yup, we are pregnant and expecting (hopefully)! I surprised Mark on the Thursday that we had the cupcakes. Even though it was a light line there was still a line. So we talked and decided that we would wait and test again once we were back from Idaho and once again we had another more definite line so just to make extra sure, we tested again and for a third time we had another positive!  We get to go in to the OB/GYN in October for our first appointment. 

Adventures at the Salt Lake Temple

Let me just start out by saying this was the first time that I have been inside of the Salt Lake Temple. I have been on the temple grounds several times through out my life but never inside. 

Friday night, Mark proposed to me that we should go and do a temple session after he got off work on Saturday. I was like OK, yeah I guess we could (to be honest I was feeling more like staying in...I guess that is the time when I should be going to the temple the most). Now, since we live just south of SLC we are within minutes of several LDS temples. Sort of overwhelming in a way for the non Utah native/resident for a few years. 

Now for those who don't know about temple sessions or have never gone, they can be a bit lengthy which is what I told Mark so he was like, OK we will go to the Salt Lake Temple where it isn't as long.  Plus, it would give me an opportunity to see the temple up close at night and also see State Street again. This also meant that I had to take Mark to work since it was for obvious reasons. It would have been stupid for him to get off work (he works in downtown SLC), pick me up, and then turn right around and go back to downtown SLC. So just in case you were wondering, yes, I did survive and no it didn't kill me to drive alone down here. 

So we get downtown by the temple and were lucky enough that we didn't need to have validation for parking in the parking garage (how sweet was that?). So we get parked, under the Conference Center and because we forgot that the grounds/street on the outside of Temple Square was being worked on, we couldn't just go and cross the street, we had to go up to the corner and over. Which coming out from the temple allowed me to get this shot of it (with the annex in the middle...would have been sweet with out that there but it worked)

 This picture was taken from the Conference Center. I have to say it was definitely a different experience going through a live session, I would elaborate further but because of the sacredness of the Temple and the ceremony itself I shouldn't talk about it, at least in such an open space. Needless to say...yeah it was different. 

It made for a great experience over all and really helped Mark set up for his lesson on Sunday about the Fall of Adam and Eve. Yet that wasn't all of our adventures.

Monday around 5:30 pm the power decided to go out due to a fairly strong thunderstorm. Now I like thunderstorms as well as the next person, but only when I am not alone. The apartment we are in gets dark quick and where we had no candles and apparently no flashlights, yeah I was a little jumpy you could say because I am still not accustomed to all the sounds and people around the complex. The power was out til around 10 pm...the good thing is we have candles (and they smell yummy) so that when this happens again, I/we will have some light to see with. This whole adventure with the power going out made me realize that we were not prepared as well as we should be. So you can be sure that we will start getting supplies together like more candles and flashlights with extra batteries and some other items. 

OOOHHHH YEAH, I almost forgot to tell you, Friday Mark and I signed the lease papers for the new basement apartment we have been wanting! Not sure when the official move in date will be (the owners are finishing up some small items) but hopefully by the end of the month we will be out of the apartments that we are in which we both will be grateful for. We will still be in the same ward that we are currently in so that I guess is a plus. Although I am not the new kid in town anymore...a few other couples have moved in since I moved in here almost a month ago. Sigh...what new adventures will be in store for us this week?

Sunday Adventures

Let me just preface this post by saying that even though it was Sunday spending time with Mark and just having fun exploring new things in SLC was probably one of the greatest days I think we have had since we have been married.

The day started off with a fairly good three hour block of church. Even though it was fast and testimony meeting it was still pretty good. Of course, for me anyway, it could have been because we ended up sitting behind this family with 3 adorable but funny/entertaining kids.

This post I am afraid is going to start sounding like a play by play of the day...I don't mean it to be! We will see what I can do to keep it somewhat interesting. Did you ever have one of those days that you  just feel like you need to get away from where you are? Well I felt Mark and I needed to get away and so when I proposed the idea he agreed. 

Oh yeah! If you didn't see it on Facebook, Mark and I have found THE BEST PIZZA on the planet. OK that might be a stretch but oh my gosh it was YUMMY. I don't know what they do with their crusts but oh it is to die for! 

Welcome to the best pizza "dive" in SLC! The Pie Pizzaria!

Yes, it is underground BELOW a pharmacy on the campus on University of Utah. I guess you can quickly get some asprin to help in the event of a heart attack because yeah, the food is just that good and meaty!

The wall mural and the entrance to the place. You have to go down the stairs and around the light post and walk next to the stairs to get in. All the graffiti that you see bordering the mural? Yeah it continues into the restaurant. 

http://entertainment.sltrib.com/restaurants/view/pie_pizzeria_the_salt_lake_city
The above pic is the inside but must have been during the day because it was not this light when we were in there.
 The inside was lit by those little candles that you see in restaurants, you know the little red ones? The ambiance is way casual, family friends but the atmosphere is slightly loud which is OK because you will be to busy stuffing your face with food. 

Sorry for the horrible pictures. You can see the glow from the candle so you can tell how dark it is. I would have used the flash but when I did it lit up the whole place and I really didn't want that much attention. The top pic is their garlic cheese pull apart. Basically it is a pizza crust stuffed with cheese. and then sliced up in strips. MUST HAVE!
The bottom pic was obviously our pizza, the Pie Combo. We should have ordered a small pizza cause Mark and I were full enough of the cheese bread that we were only able to really eat a slice, but it was YUMMY. I can't say that enough. This place has won a lot of awards for having the best pizza in the area.

So after dinner we decided that we would hang out around the Gateway Mall and the Clark Planetarium.

http://www.weddingmapper.com/plan/vendor/attractions_entertainment/gateway_mall/44196

http://www.digistardomes.org/worldlist/indexp2.html

While we were there we caught the movie of The Dark Knight Rises on IMAX. Mark had seen the movie before and I had yet to see it but it was the first time that we had both watched it on an IMAX screen. It was loud, in your face, body shaking experience but it was AWESOME!

Then we headed home since it was going on midnight. We took State Street all the way home. This has to be and really always has been my favorite view in Utah. Driving up or away from the Capitol building at night. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wyojones/5564606719/

All and all it was a great night and both Mark and I told each other that we will have to definitely do this again. It really was nice to spend the time together, getting out of the apartment and away from everything!

Adventures in Shopping....

  From the title of this post I am sure you can guess what I am going to talk about. Yup, Mark and I went shopping together for the first time as husband and wife. Actually, the first time we have ever went shopping for more than just a few items. 

So before I start, let me ask first this question...is it the "norm" for women to take more time in shopping and comparing items than men? Cause it seems like that is the case, not sure about you, but at least that is the case in my experience. When asked their opinion the answer that seems to be returned is "I don't care...it's food." Sigh...please tell me I am not alone in this?!?

Despite the differences in shopping style and technique (is there really a style or technique in grocery shopping? If so, why isn't it considered a sport...dang it, I want a gold medal!!!) we actually did accomplish a lot in that short trip at Super Target. **Note: If it wasn't for the multitude of Target gift cards that we got (and we really appreciated them) we would not have shopped there. Wow, the price on some things was ridiculous. Needless to say I won't do the bulk of my shopping there...LOL.

I do have to say that I am getting better at navigating the city in small quadrants. Mark is still making me drive most anywhere we have gone which I guess is a good thing that way I know somewhat where I am going. Although, against my beliefs I finally had Mark install a navigation system on my phone. I hate those things but I guess it is a necessary evil until I get to know the place. Still not feeling the whole grid thing...any tips or tricks in figuring that out?

Welcome to Utah...

It is crazy that Mark and I have been married for about 5 days now...crazy how time flies. The wedding was absolutely wonderful, the sealer at the temple did a beautiful job (I even cried) and the ceremony itself was just indescribable.  Hopefully we will be posting pictures soon...I know there are a ton on Facebook already but I hope to soon have some on here for you guys as well. We were so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family there to share in the magic. Thanks again for all you did!

Yes, you are reading that sign right. It says Welcome to Utah! and on the other side of the road is the one that says Welcome to Idaho! I am sure you probably can guess which one I would rather see BUT a new adventure is starting not only for me but for Mark as well. So many things are starting to happen for us here (like the possibility of getting out of his current small box of an apartment) to a larger 2 bedroom apartment for right around the same amount! We are both feeling really good about the thought of that. 

Last night was my first night staying at Mark's place and oh my word...Redwood Road is a noisy road indeed. I have never heard this much traffic in my life in my own home. I mean when I was living in Poky we lived just off one of the smaller main roads and I all I could really hear was the trains and the sirens...so I am sure I will get use to the traffic at some point in time (I hope). Not to mention all the people that don't seem to sleep at night in the apartment complex where we live...but we will survive, well I will survive, Mark is already adjusted to the noise level. LOL.

Not sure what the next few days hold before Mark goes back to work on Saturday...I think part of that time will be getting me use to the cities and the stupid grid system that they have down here for the streets. Either way it should make for a real adventure, but isn't that what life is all about? Making memories as we go on through life? I think so...so with that let the adventures begin!

It's Almost Here!!!

Literally the day is pretty much upon us all...and I have to say my stress level has pretty much gone through the roof (although I can't speak for Mark but I am guessing that his stress level has gone up a bit too). There has been sooo much going on lately that I just had to stop and take a break and just relax for a bit before this happens:

which may or may not have already happened..."I didn't do it, Nobody saw me do it, You can't prove a thing!" LOL

Between packing and getting last minute wedding stuff organized and put together I am pretty sure I could give Godzilla a run for his money in Tokyo...but as crazy as this has been for us, we are still super excited for it  to be happening. We have heard from so many of our family and friends congratulating us and sending best wishes that we have truly been blessed. It means the world to us that you all want to share in our happiness.



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