One Year of Love

I have been a horrible blogger lately, and I really don't have any good excuse except that I have been ridiculously lazy and tired. Even though I have been home from tour for three weeks I still blame Texas for making me completely exhausted. There have been so many things that I need to blog about, but the thought of remembering all that has happened and writing it down is way too daunting so I will just fill you in on the most recent adventure Joe and I went on. (hopefully, I'll fill in the gaps sometime...) 

On April 25th we celebrated our one year anniversary! I am really bad at remembering dates so I was quite proud that I remembered this! (Joe is great at remembering all the things I forget and sometimes gets upset when I don't remember important dates...whoops)

Joe and I decided to do something for our anniversary the following weekend and just have dinner together the night of the 25th. I decided to put my "domestic wife skills" to the test and cook a dinner out of the ordinary! (we have perfected chicken alfredo, hamburgers, tacos, and salads...it is time to venture out of my comfort zone and try something new!) I called my mom the night before in a panic about what to cook. My mom is an incredible cook and can blow anyone's taste buds out of the water, so I knew I was in good hands. She rattled off a few recipes that were basically Iron Chef America worthy and I got increasingly more worried until she said I should make Salmon. I laughed a little thinking, "Salmon? Really, Mom? You think I can make Salmon?" Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I thought, and I busted out a pineapple and maple glazed salmon and rice pilaf accompanied with a nice green salad and freshly dipped chocolate covered strawberries for dessert made with love by yours truly. 

 I'm disappointed I didn't take any pictures, but you can rest assured that dinner was hit! I was so proud of myself for making a real meal all by myself without any help from Joe! :) 

Fast forward to Friday April 29th...Joe gave me strict instructions to pack for a weekend away and to be ready at 3:30 sharp! I'm out of class at 3:00 so I was a little concerned with how I was going to pull it off, but somehow I managed and was only 5 minutes late.(this is huge people!) I had no idea what he had up his sleeve, all I knew is that we were heading to Utah. I slept for a little bit (Joe will argue that I slept for hours, but really I didn't it was more like 45 minutes). We pulled up to his friend Zack and his wife Hilary's house. Zack is one of Joe's old mission companions so it's always fun for them to get together and reminisce on good 'ol mission days.  We had dinner with them and then we were whisked away for a fun filled night of go karts, bowling, and a lot of laughs. We had a blast racing and trying to spin each other out. We got in trouble quite frequently, definitely put their little whistles to good use! All of the kids working there were in high school and definitely power hungry.

Zack and Hilary 

It was so cold that night!

 After we were frozen stiff, we went inside and played a few arcade games.  It was so much fun to run around and be a kid again, competing to see who could win the most tickets was my favorite- I actually beat Joe at a game! That happens very rarely... After we were done at Boondocks, Zack and Joe had a guys night and hung out in Zack's "man cave" while me and Hilary stayed up gabbing and talking about anything and everything! It was so much fun, Hilary is so sweet and had some really insightful marriage advice for me. Her and Zack were Married in August of 2009 so she had some great input and helpful hints for me. It was getting late and Hilary and I were so tired and the boys showed no signs of settling down, we were tempted to lock the door to their bedroom and fall asleep leaving them to sleep on the couch. Don't worry we weren't that mean :) 

I was nervous for Saturday, if you some how forgot, April 30th was the date Joe and I were supposed to get married so it was a bittersweet day. As we ventured out for the days surprises and festivities we were greeted with a gloomy, snowy, and frigid cold day! I couldn't have been happier to see snow! Joe said he was hoping and praying that the day turned out crappy, in hopes of avoiding a mega meltdown on my end.  

Our first stop of the day was Temple Square! The thing I love most about Joe is that he can make any situation completely hilarious and entertaining. We all have been to Temple Square a million times, but with Joe it is so exciting and so much fun. 

Lost in the parking garage

I don't think I've ever seen him walk down stairs

 We walked around the temple grounds and went inside the visitors center in hopes of finding my favorite Sister Missionary, Sister Hardy but no such luck. I asked around to see if any of the sisters knew where she was, and they all raved about how great she is and how she is all over the place, definitely no surprises there! :) I enjoyed watching the brides flood the temple grounds almost as if they were fighting for the best picture spot. All I could do was think how happy I was to not be in a wedding dress in the freezing cold that day. Don't get me wrong, I want nothing more than to marry Joe, I am just glad it'll be warmer when we finally get married! 

We played around in Salt Lake spending some time at the Gateway, of course we made a stop at the Apple store, Joe is obsessed with all things Apple and wants nothing more than to have an ipad. We had dinner reservations at a Brazilian steak house called Rodizio Grill. I was so excited because I have never been to a Brazilian steak house before, my Dad rants and raves about how amazing they are so I was super excited! We were seated and the feast began immediately with deep fried banana's glazed with a crunchy sugar coating, they were heavenly! They had an amazing salad bar, my favorite was the coconut pineapple coleslaw! 

If you've never been to a Brazilian steak house I'll explain how it works: You're given this little wooden token with one side painted green and the other side painted red.  When you're ready for the meat you flip your token over to the green side, and you are instantly flooded by men with huge pieces of pork, chicken, and beef on skewers eager to serve you.  The slice off a little piece of meat with their massive knives and you grab it with tongs and gobble it up and wait for the next man to bring you something different. Things can get a little crazy, because before your eyes your plate is getting filled with a wide assortment of meat and other goodies. You can't blink without having another guy at your table offering you savory items. We ate so much that we both had to loosen our belts haha embarrassing, I know. My favorite was the grilled pineapple that they brought around, so yummy! 

Happy and full :)

  Our weekend away to celebrate our one year anniversary was so much fun! I love being able to get away and not have to worry about school and enjoy one on one time with the man I love! Just a little side note, we get married in 136 days! YAY! :)