Return With Honor

Yesterday my siblings came home from their missions! We were super excited that they ended up coming home on the same day. My brother Brandon served in the Porto Alegre North Mission and my sister served in the Knoxville, Tennessee mission (even though none of her areas ended up being in Tennessee). They were both amazing missionaries and I am so grateful for the blessings they have brought to the lives of others, including mine. I love you guys! Welcome Home!!!

Tree Hugging Neighbors

(You'll have to pause my music playlist to hear the sound on the video)

So I left for my run this morning, turned the corner, and then I saw the sidewalk barricaded with a bunch of policeman on one side and a bunch of hippies on the other side. Across the street there were news crews staking out a chunk of the sidewalk to park their vans. One of the protesting hippies held a sign saying "Save the Oaks" with a website so I checked it out when I got home. As is turns out tomorrow is the day the court is deciding whether it is legal for the university to cut down the trees to build a new sports complex. The Berkeley Grandmothers for the Oaks are inviting everyone to a candlelight vigil tonight and a slumber party at the oak grove tomorrow night . Just another bit of Berkeley for ya!

Happy Birthday Rex!

This is a random picture but I like it. Today Rex turned 27 and we celebrated by going to see the Indiana Jones movie and then going out to dinner. I made Rex a Chocolate Texas sheet cake because it is the only kind he really likes (and he LOVES cookies and cream ice cream). Rex is such a great husband and I'm so grateful to have him. He likes to tease me and he always makes me laugh! Right now he is enjoying somewhat of a break from podiatry school for the summer. He has a simulation lab on Mondays and Fridays and some research to do over the summer. Rex loves to watch movies (right now he's really into watching all of the Stargate TV shows) and he really likes to play board games, especially Settlers of Catan. He also enjoys basketball and most other sports. He loves kids and I love to watch him play with them. Rex is definitely a kid at heart and I love when he gets really excited about something and a huge smile spreads across his face. I love you Rex!

Dillon Beach Part 2

Rex and I were rained out of our honeymoon so last weekend we got to go back and enjoy the cute beach house at Dillon Beach. My camera's battery was dead so I missed taking a picture of an awesome starfish that I found while we were walking on the beach. We had a great time relaxing in the hot tub on the deck, watching movies by the fireplace, and enjoying the beach view. This was a last minute picture we took right before we left.

Rex taking a nap.

The view from the deck. Not bad eh?

The day has finally come...

I have been buying gas at Costco religiously to get the best price. Sadly the price there has now passed the dreaded $4 a gallon mark. Do you remember when gas was less that a dollar per gallon? I know I wasn't old enough to buy gas then but I remember seeing the signs! I sure miss those days.

Discovery Kingdom

To celebrate the end of finals Rex wanted to relax and watch a movie so we went to see Ironman. The next day we decided to use our season passes and try out the Six Flags that is nearby. We drove about a half hour north to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We had a great time!



Discovery Kingdom is mix of rollercoasters and an awesome zoo! We only rode a couple of rides because we were enjoying the animal shows too much. (Also because we stood in line for almost two hours for one rollercoaster.) We watched 3 shows featuring dolphins, sea lions, and a killer whale named Shouka!

Here is Shouka posing for a picture with me!

Which one is the king of the jungle?

Finals are finished...for now

Yea! I'm so happy that finals are finally finished and I didn't even have to take them! Rex has been studying non-stop the last two weeks. His class schedule this semester included Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, Lower Extremity Anatomy, and Clinical Medicine. I think that he is definitely more relieved than I am that he is finished...until next semester.

Inspired by Laura's birthday cake I decided to make Rex a dirt cake to celebrate the end of finals. Yummy!
I had to include this picture for two reasons. The first is that Rex and I have been married for almost 5 months now and I was determined not to make spaghetti every night. So I finally broke down and made spaghetti for the first time (because we had some pasta sauce leftover from making pizza). The second reason is that I decided to make a yummy spinach salad and chocolate dipped strawberries to go with it. I thought it made such a pretty dinner I was a bit disappointed to find Rex fast asleep for the night at 6p.m. (He stayed up the whole night before studying for a test). Needless to say, I enjoyed my pretty dinner by myself! Rex did get some leftovers the next day.