Oh, The Places You'll Go

This couch has been through a lot in it's lifetime. I became very attached to it very quickly. I thought it was very vintage looking and perfect for our little newlywed apartment. Justin was never crazy about the floral fabric, but I insisted it was the most perfect couch. This couch has moved from Boston to Utah (where we acquired it from Justin's wonderful sister and brother-in-law) and then from Utah to Arizona. It has been moved in through a window because the door was too small, has had a leg sawed off because the next door was also too small, it has held a sweet mother while she nursed her child, it has had three playful children jump upon it, and it has kept us so cozy as we watched countless movies with friends, family, or just the two of us. It broke my heart when I realized our move to Arizona finally did this couch in. It's cushions were lopsided, it's fabric becoming dull, and it just didn't feel as cozy. Our perfect little newlywed couch will be missed.

Two Years

On May 9th, Justin and I celebrated our second anniversary. I can't believe two years have already passed. This year our anniversary was on a Monday so we celebrated mostly on the Saturday before. We didn't do anything too extravagant, but we did go to Roy's for dinner on Saturday. Roy's is an amazing Hawaiian restaurant that is at the hotel we stayed at after we got married. We went there the day after our wedding before we left on our honeymoon, so we thought we would go back this year to reminisce. It was just as delicious as we remembered. After Roy's, we walked outside the hotel for a little while. It is such a pretty hotel with little streams, pretty bridges and walkways, and a live band. It was fun to just relax and enjoy being together.

On Monday, our actual anniversary, we decided we needed to celebrate again. Golfing is something Justin and I love to do together. We went to a driving range and hit some golf balls for a little while. Nothing too romantic, but very us. We had a very fun anniversary weekend.

"I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend..."

Graduation

Ok so I'm a little late on this update, as well as those to follow, but I figure it's never too late to post about GRADUATION! Justin graduated back in December, but UVU doesn't have a ceremony in December so he never got to walk. When he started his job, they told everyone they would not be able to take time off for a year, so don't even ask. Later we found out that you could take time off if it wasn't around a holiday, but only after all your training and boot camp was over. Justin was really bummed that he wouldn't be able to walk at graduation. As time went on, all of Justin's coworkers got sick. It may seem like I'm exaggerating, but I literally mean every...single...one, except for Justin and one other guy. I don't know how he didn't catch whatever was going around. I even had it, but somehow it missed him. Lucky guy! Justin started thinking about the fact that he was one of two people that had perfect attendance. He decided there was no harm in asking for the day off and he would regret it if he didn't just ask. After a long, long wait, his manager told him that graduation is a once in a lifetime thing and he needed to go. We were so excited! The day Justin walked was also my mom's birthday, so it was fun to be able to celebrate with her as well. It was a quick trip and we wish we could've stayed longer, but it was so much fun to go be with family and friends. It was especially fun to see our niece, Avery, because she has grown and changed a lot since we last saw her. She has such a personality now. I was a little selfish and wouldn't let anyone else hold her the entire weekend. I love sweet little babies that just love to be held.

Justin walking into the ceremony and first seeing us in the crowd. His face makes me smile every time I look at this picture. You can see how happy he was to be there.

The Korean band that performed at the ceremony. I was bored out of my mind, but Justin said he really liked it... I guess that's all that counts.

This guy took my boredom right away. I could not stop laughing at his crooked hat. My mom, Sam, and I were seriously shaking we were laughing so hard.

Justin and his friend Daniel

The happy graduate

Justin and me

We were so happy Jodi could be there to support Justin.

Justin and Dallin

Justin and Sam

Oh how we miss the Van Blerkoms...

It was freezing outside so we were hurrying to take pictures and didn't even notice my mom's eyes were closed in this one. It is the only one of us with my parents at the graduation.

Oh well...

Opening Day

Justin and I love baseball! It always reminds us of summer and when we were first dating. We used to go to Diamondbacks games all the time when we lived here for a summer while we were dating. We even got on the kiss cam once, which was not only at the stadium, but also on tv for some reason. It was extremely embarrassing to kiss in front of so many people!

This year we got to go to opening day! It was so much fun! It made us realize how close summer is! After the game, they put on a big fireworks show, which made the game even better! We love going to the games together and remembering all the great memories we have there.

Our New Home

It has taken me forever to take these photos, but I finally did. Here is our apartment!

Before:

After:

This is my favorite part of our house!

I've always wanted a little shelf to decorate on top of the cupboards!

Avery Ella Mitchell

So I realized I never posted about our trip to Utah. We got to go to Utah for a quick trip over President's Day weekend for our niece's blessing. It was fun to be home and see our wonderful family and friends! It was definitely too quick, but lots of fun!

Avery

Me, Kim, Melissa, and my sister Stephanie

My sister Stephanie, my mom, me, and Avery

Justin, me, and Avery

How blessed can we be?

I am feeling so blessed right now. I don't know why Justin and I deserve what has come our way, but I could not be happier. Not only has Justin landed an amazing job that he loves so much, but now I have been given the opportunity to begin the perfect job for me! I was just hired as a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant for a school district near us! I could not be more excited! And the best part of it is, it will be close to home so no more long commutes! I cannot wait to start this amazing job! I've had a few days since we moved to Arizona where I had a pity party for myself and honestly wondered why we moved. For the most part I have been happy and have loved having free time and hanging out with family while Justin is at work. However, I did LOVE my job and our life in Utah, so there were a few days I wondered why I ever thought it was a good idea to leave. I already knew it was right for us to be here, but I feel it more and more everyday as everything falls into place. We feel so lucky and so thankful for how we have been blessed and the wonderful life we have here in Arizona. We cannot wait to move into our apartment this weekend and finally really get settled into our life here!