Our Highly Anticipated Packages Arrived!

We are stimulating the economy little by little....



An abundance of cardboard packages, oh what could all of this be!?


That's right, a drum set for me!!


I am so lucky my husband is willing to help me put together the drum set AND teach me! He's pretty fantastic at playing and at being an awesome dude.


Testing it out.... I'll probably be a professional drummer in a month or two ;)


This is one smokin' hot drum set! (minus cymbals)


(Disclaimer: Though Clark already has a drum set, we had to purchase another one so I could learn properly...I am left handed and Clark is right handed so if we only had one set we would constantly be changing the placement of the drums and cymbals. That would be no fun. Having two sets will make learning so much easier now.)

The "I Have Nothing Better To Blog About" Blog

Why hello out there! We are kickin it here in Gilbert as per usual, trying to keep this Sabbath day as holy as possible. It was fast Sunday at church today since our Stake Conference is next weekend. I broke our fast a little early (totally by accident, I swear) when the lady I teach Sunday school with offered me a homemade chocolate chip cookie and I accepted without any hesitation. I started munching away and only when I had a bite or two left did I realize that I had totally forgot about Fast Sunday! Ehhhh, I thought, the cookie is almost gone so I might as well eat the last two bites! I don't like wasting food, it is a pet peeve of mine. And now Clark is studying. Are we righteous or what?

In other news, our awesome neighbors introduced us to caffeine free diet Pepsi.

Have you tried this yet!?? I can't believe how good it is. The thing is, I totally prefer Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew, but I cannot have caffeinated beverages after 5 pm or else I am up allll night. I'm like a little kid with a sugar high except I'm not bouncing off the walls. My brain just won't shut down. So, now I can drink soda late at night and not worry about being up all night on a night I don't have to work.

Also, we have just discovered this awesome yogurt at Fry's (Kroger).



12 g protein and only 4 carbs and 80 calories! I have never been one to count carbs and I could care less how many carbs/calories are in the yogurt, but 12 g protein!? I sure do love me some protein! This is definitely better than the regular yogurt which has only 8-9 g protein and the lite yogurt tastes nasty so we never buy that anyway.

So our awesome neighbors who introduced us to ceffeine free diet pepsi also presented us with a couple of cacti for our anniversary last month! We wanted to show you one of our little babies. She is pretty cute, for a cactus:


Alas, the hot weather is finally taking it's toll on our beloved Halloween pumpkin. This pumpkin has lasted since October. We had the intention of carving it but never got around to it. Now we'll just have to see how long it takes us to make the effort to throw it away or throw it in our compost pile:


Our backyard: slowly but steadily progressing. Doesn't look like much, does it? Just you wait, it is going to be a tropical paradise soon. As you can see we are just trying to sift the rocks to clean out the sticks and random debris so we can plant grass seed. We may have to resort to sod. I am getting sick and tired of looking at a dead backyard. I want green and I want it now!


Now here is our pride and joy: our little garden starting to grow! We are so pround of these cucumber plants! Each day, one by one, they sprout up!

And our lovely tomato plant!


We're first time gardeners, so give us a break. It may not look like much, but we sure feel like proud parents!

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about what to do with our backyard? Right now we are just clearing the rock and dumping it near the back fence wall or transporting it to the front of the house. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

And here is a shot of Clark...nice face by the way

We're Hangin In There

Uggghhh...it is currently 97 degrees outside! Tomorrow it is supposed to reach the triple digits. I don't know how I'm going to handle running and training in this weather. I don't know how I did it last summer. All I know is I now have to go running when the sun is just about to set or I feel like I'm going to die. Clark hates that I run at night time but I have only one other option, and it's an option I hate to even consider: running on a treadmill day in and day out. The only days I run on a treadmill are the days I go into work. And I only do this because I don't want to pass out running under the relentless sun and heat at 4:00 in the afternoon. But treadmill running for 1+ hours is not my cup of tea. I would much rather be out in the elements when the sun is down...

oh the joy of AZ spring and summer weather.

In other news, Clark is just weeks away from graduation!! Still hunting for a local job in the PHX valley, we're praying something comes along by summertime. The economy has affected the healthcare industry for new graduate nurses HARDCORE. But that won't effect us celebrating Clark's achievement; here we come Six Flags! FINALLY!

We bought the most awesome bookcase off of Craigslist. Seriously, so stoked. That is why I am blogging about it- it is just that cool. The people wanted $100 but we got it for $60 and they were sweet enough to include delivery! Here is a photo of our great find:

Nice, right!? It has the vintage look I adore and specialty furniture stores around here sell similar bookcases for $400+. So, I do feel good about this purchase.

Over Easter weekend, Clark went up to SLC to celebrate a wedding that got postponed until August. He had a really great time seeing his parents, brothers, relatives and old friends. I was a little disappointed when he returned home, he had taken only 5 pictures the entire weekend and none of them were of family!! Here's a picture of his blood blistered thumb after jamming with his old mission companion Thomas Miller:


As you can see, Clark was playing so hard that he literally developed a blood blister over his entire thumb. The other pictures he took were of his thumb as well. Close ups. I guess he was thoroughly impressed. I was hoping for some pictures of our beautiful niece Violet, but NADA.

We just turned our A/C on for the first time since October. I was hoping to make it through April before we had to turn it on.

I just received my updated passport in the mail today! So we are all set to go for the Tobler family cruise in August! Can't wait! I already bought a pretty dress for one of the "formal" nights-- that is how much I am looking forward to the cruise! It is a sexy red little number, you can look at it here it you want.

We've been working really, REALLY hard on our backyard and we even planted a little garden! We will post pictures a little later when things are looking more presentable :)

Well I hope that you all are doing well and not suffering from the heat as we are. Just make sure to drink plenty of water this time of the year!

The Titanic and it's Crew Rolled into Town!

Last week my parents stopped by while they were hauling their boat back up from Mexico to Washington. Every time I see it I can't help but think TITANIC. It looked humongous parked in front of our house. Luckily no one ever complained to the HOA- it was parked out front for 4 days! Here's a picture of what I call the Titanic (it's real name is Big Windy). Pictures don't do it justice.


The boat makes a great background for a photo op, don't you think?


Mom and Gretchen were getting along quite well. Gretchen must have known my Mom is a cat lover.


We made it over to the town Guadalupe, which is just South of Tempe, and exactly what I imagine a small village in Mexico to be like. It was in this town my Dad found two huge pot/vases, one of which weighs more than a grown man. These pots/vases will go great in my parents home since they are currently remodeling their living room, dining room and kitchen to have a more Southwestern/Mexican vibe.

They also bought us a late house warming gift!


One of the outdoor home decor markets even sold metal cacti!


We had a great time with my Mom and Dad and were really glad they could stay 4 nights rather than just one! Thanks for stoppin by!

Monument Valley & the Grand Canyon- Anniversary Trip

I Can't believe it, we actually remembered our camera. I must say, our anniversary is very well documented. We decided to head up North to Monument Valley and then hit up the Grand Canyon on our way back to PHX. Here are several photos from our 1st anniversary adventure!

We saw this monster on our way out of town. Can we say small penis? (Crude I know. But it's true.)



The View Hotel directly facing The Mittens and all of Monument Valley.


We're so in love! Posing with The Mittens.


Clarkman


Just a pretty photo


Looks like an add for a Nissan commercial, don't you think?


Thoughtfully gazing


Hi Clark! Driving through the Monument.


The Totem Pole


We basically have professional photography skills



We thought this dog was dead...until it woke up when we took the picture.



Absolutely awesome, unobstructed view of The Mittens from our hotel balcony


View from the restaurant


It snowed Monday night, and this is what we woke up to when we stepped out on the balcony the next morning!


The Grand Canyon! Clark is meditating hardcore...


Oh my gosh, Clark, don't let go!


Oh my gosh, somehow I managed to get myself into the same predicament!


Clark doing his infamous pose


Nice framing with the tree, babe!


Yep, we sure did have a good time seeing awesome sights! It was a great anniversary trip!

One Year Down...

Happy 1st Anniversary to us!!


We're happy. Really. We are. :)

Upcoming Anniversary Trip Change

Our anniversary is this weekend. We are not going to SIX FLAGS anymore due to work/school commitments.

LAME

So instead we have a back up plan that should prove very fun and exciting. And since we love the outdoors it should be well worth the journey. We will post pictures when we return! That is, if we remember our camera!

Quality Furniture at...Fry's Marketplace???

Earlier today I was at Fry's running some errands (Fry's is the equivalent of Kroger, or a store that uses the Kroger brand, for those of you who don't live in AZ). On my way out I noticed some end tables. I have been looking on craigslist for a nice wooden end table but even in this economic crisis people are asking way, way too much for their cheap furniture. So Clark and I went back to Fry's a little later to get some chocolate milk and look at the end table. Clark was skeptical of the quality, but the box was heavy. I knew it would be a good purchase.

$20 and some assembling later....

We have an extremely nice end table for our bedroom! And it is real wood, not that particle board stuff that ikea sells. Woo hoo for good buys!

A Little Spring Cleaning?

We've been letting Gretchen wander outside a little more lately. Apparently she rolled in dirt somewhere around the house and came in completely filthy! So we did what good parents should do: we bathed our little girl.

She's frightened and helpless.


We actually tried to blow dry her as well. She tolerated it quite well.

My New Running Buddy

I just purchased this little gem:

It's a Polar rs200sd heart rate monitor! It comes with a chest transmitter strap and a foot pod to gauge my distance, pace and heart rate! I can't wait for the little guy to get here! Quite an investment but I am hopeful that my training will drastically improve. Since I can't do all of my workouts and runs with my friend/coach Jenna, this will be the next best thing!

YouTube Rocks!

I absolutely love YouTube. You can "YouTube" just about anything- kinda like googling but you get a short film rather than a hyperlink to read a bunch of words! Clark has "YouTubed" how to make potato salad and other various recipes. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I missed the first 10 minutes to Twilight when we went to the theaters. So I youTubed Twilight and, to my great luck, found the portion of the movie I missed! Of course Summit Entertainment is trying to restrict the entire movie from being played on YouTube but various members have posted the entire movie split up into 12 different parts. So it's like watching segments of the movie 8-9 minutes at a time. Maybe it isn't exactly honest but I was DYING to see what I missed and I didn't have time to drive to the movie theater. I may just have to watch the entire movie via 12 segments on YouTube tonight!

Another great find: does anyone remember this song from the 80's? I absolutely LOVE it. It makes me want to sing karaoke like no other.

I also love reading the random comments to videos. People and their comments are so entertaining.

Maybe He Really Would Do Anything For Me....

I made Clark see Twilight with me yesterday. He was so unwilling; he made a big fuss about feeling like less of a man. But he knew it would make me happy to have him there by my side :)

I told him we couldn't lose, since the movie is now only showing at the $2 theaters in town. Leave it to me to wait until the movie is almost OUT of theaters and on DVD.

(I think he secretly liked it. He keeps asking me all sorts of questions about vampires and such, as if I am an expert. Dude, I have only read the books ONCE, I have only seen the movie ONCE. I am not a "Twihard" but yes, I am a fan.)

I happened to like the movie. Of course. I knew I would. And now I'll probably want to see it again since we did miss the first 10 minutes. It is only $2. I can handle that.

Very Bad News (Ok, it's not that dramatic)

I feel so....OLD... having to admit this:

I went to the dentist on Tuesday. Turns out I have two cavities. No biggie. I kind of expected that. In addition to those cavities, however, I have to get a CROWN! Oh my gosh, I thought only old people needed crowns! I guess one of my old fillings is so worn down that ANOTHER cavity has formed on the same tooth, and now I need a crown?! Uggghhhh.


I don't even know how this happened. I happen to have good oral hygiene. I brush twice a day and floss... but probably not as much as I should. But at least I do it!

I was very depressed for about two hours after my appointment. Clark was sweet and ordered Hungry Howie's pizza since I was in no mood to cook dinner. Then he ate himself into oblivion. Seriously, he ate himself sick. I thought I had a super-human appetite but man, can that boy eat.

Back to the teeth issue though...I have now resorted to having floss handy at ALL times. I bought extras to keep in my work bag and to keep in my purse. I REFUSE to let this happen again!

A "Healthy" Snack

Vegetable is in the item description so it must be healthy :)

These are quite tasty, you should try them!