My Husband the Eagle Scout

So, being in Washington we decided to go explore some of the beauty of the area. We decided on camping in the Olympic mountain range after going to the Lavendar Festival in Sequim. sweet Pete has all of his badges, plaque and metal to show that he in fact is an eagle scout. You would think that this would mean that the motto "Be Prepared" that was ingrained in every little Tenderfoot would surface while packing or "preparing" for the outing. While getting stuff ready I looked over to see Pete stuffing in ONE scratchy old blanket for both of us. That's it. For the Olympics.

so, I questioned his antics to which he replied "we'll be fine." (he says that he was planning on what he would normally pack for himself, thanks babe) I added two more fleece blankets. and long pants and a sweatshirt. He was wearing a short sleeve button up shirt, dickie shorts and carpet shoes (the thin, cord loafer shoes) I had on a t-shirt, plaid shorts and keens.

We started the 4-mile trek up the mountain thinking we would be there in an hour or so. wrong. It was a 1/2 mile elevation gain with plenty of switchbacks. I think the other hikers we passed thought we were crazy. Needless to say it took us way longer than we thought, and Pete was covered head to toe in sweat, enough to wring it out (thanks for carrying the pack). The lake was beautiful! Definitely worth the hike.

We started to set up a tent close to the water and then it happened. Mosquitos. not just a few... enough to SEE the swarm. we tried to get the poles in the tent as fast as possible to hide from the impending blood suckers, after just two poles we climbed into the haven to escape our impatient predators. I quickly changed to cover my body and pete, well pete just stayed there. Being the covered one, I ran out again and finished the tent. With night closing, the temperature dropped about 20 deg. it was freezing. We tried and tried to get warm and comfy, but to no avail there was not enough blanket for both of us and Pete didn't have any long pants. silly pete. Being so cold he pulled out his McGuyver boyscout skills and used my skirt and his necktie to conjure this:

I'll give him mad props for his creativity. Still didn't help my situation. Pete can sleep ANYWHERE. seriously, anywhere. so, he actually got sleep. I on the other hand tossed and turned trying to cocoon in the blankets in hopes of staying warm. It didn't work too much. We ended up leaving at around 5:30 am so we could get real sleep in our bed.

At least it was an adventure that we'll laugh about for a long time. and remind us to always follow that vital boy-scout motto. So here's to you Eagle Scout. Those merit badges sure paid off.

Reasons for loving washington

the time is coming close to us leaving and we have been able to do so much while we've been here. I really LOVE Washington. Within an hour you can be at the beach, in the mountains, rainforest, big city, etc. it is awesome! just thought I'd let the pictures speak for themselves. I just wish we had pictures from kayaking.

Sweet Land of Liberty!

For those of you who don't know, I absolutely LOVE holidays. I love all the festivities, decorations, time with friends/family and traditions associated with any holiday. With that said, I have to say this was one of the best 4th of July's ever! I think living in Utah slightly takes away from the significance of the 4th because the 24th is the biggest party of the year (yes, I love that too...) but it was really different being in WA where no one has a clue about the 24th and everything is focused on celebrating our freedoms. Also, it could have meant a bit more this year since Pete is now military and we are realizing the honor and commitment that is required to represent this great land. So... now for the day.

We started the day with an amazing hike in Enumclaw (small town by Puyallup) up Mt. Peak. Somehow we went on the wrong trail and ended up hiking vertically up the 1.3 mi. peak. we found the real trail after getting to the top, oh well at least that side gave us a better view of the valley. Afterward we went into the quaint little town and found lots of small little shops, including Sweet Necessities. It is a store bursting with treats from homemade fudge, hand-dipped chocolates, sweets and the best ice cream ever! I even ventured to try the honey lavender ice cream. tastes just like it smells. The town was gathering to celebrate the 4th together with a

home-town parade complete with kids on decorated bikes and a a decorated old-folks home bus. good times. we didn't stay but loved to be in the atmosphere.

Next it was onto the pool party/BBQ at a friends home, I wish I would've taken pics of the home, it is the closest I've seen to what I would like someday. Pete grilled up some rockin orange glazed BBQ chicken and corn on the cob.

After a few hours, we went home to get ready to celebrate the holiday by supporting the USA Men's Soccer Team in the Gold Cup tournament at Qwest field. It was a blast! The US dominated and we even got to see Real SL's Kyle Beckerman work his magic in the midfield. It was awesome! To end the night we all went to Ruston Way in Tacoma that is next to the sound. Apparently it's a huge tradition to have fireworks off a barge in the sound. It was pretty sweet to have an amazing show on the water and still see all the other cities behind it going off. It was a very full and fun 4th of July. Happy Independence Day!

Qwest Field:

Jill, Nate, Andy supporting the team

Pete being Pete...

My camera's interpretation of the fireworks:

We Are in the ARMY now!!

Last Wednesday, Pete finally signed with the military and our lives are now completely owned by the government.  He joined the National Guard and will be doing Military Intelligence (MI).  His job is to be an interrogator and a linguist and so he will be learning Chinese as part of his training.  He reports to basic at Ft. Jackson, SC on August 11, which will last 10 wks, then onto Ft. Huachuca, AZ for 17 wks for job training (AIT), and finally to Monterrey, CA for 63 weeks to learn Chinese (DLI).  So... needless to say, starting August we will be apart for a while.  Thankfully I graduate before he goes to language training and that is the only time I can be with him.  Looks like my first job will be in CA and we will most likely be living on base for that year.  After that, we will return to UT so Pete can finish up his accounting degree at the U, and he will become a weekend warrior unless he is deployed.

Many have asked how I really feel about all of this, well I've had super mixed emotions.  I was actually pretty against it for a long time because I have witnessed others go through some really rough times due to the military.  The more I think about it the more I put my trust in the Lord's hands.  Pete has been so excited about it for the last few months and that excitement only continues to grow.  He is taking this very seriously and I am proud of him for being willing to serve our country and protect what we hold so sacred.  I realize this is not an easy road by any means, but we can do hard things.  This makes me even more grateful that we have a temple marriage that binds us so closely together and makes us work even harder at our marriage.  I am just starting to realize now that I AM AN ARMY WIFE!

On the lighter side, at least the military is paying for school for Pete, our housing, we get great benefits.... and you can't forget the military discount!  oh, and not gonna lie... men in uniform are HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE....  

Play Date

Do you remember when you were a kid and you used to be so excited to call a friend and ask "hey can you come play with me?"  ah, the good ol' days.  well i did that last week with my good friend Genny.  She moved to Vancouver, WA for her husbands job about a year ago, and that's the house we lived in for a while last fall.  Well we decided on a play date, cuz really, who doesn't enjoy play time?  She was awesome for driving up here so we explored Tacoma together.

We went up to the bridge in Tacoma which features blown glass work by Dale Chihuly 

who is a local artist who has done work internationally (even at Abravenal Hall in Salt Lake)

 
The ceiling with blown art all over... he even hides little Cherubs in his work

Then off to Stadium High School.... that's right it's a HIGH SCHOOL, but also happens to be the one that the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" was filmed at!!  

Then, onto Point Defiance, a park that is on the Puget Sound and has lots of places to stop and enjoy nature... we even ran into a mamma Fox and two baby foxes.

Overall, it was a super fun day, even if it was a little cloudy, and I made a few wrong turns...

I love Sundays!

I am so thankful for Sundays!  

I love going to church and being reminded of how great God is.  

I love feeling the spirit which reminds me of the covenants that I have made and why I live the way I do. 

I love the reminders and small nudges of the spirit to become a better person recognizing that different is good.  

I miss sitting in church with Pete but am glad to know that we are being taught the same things even though we are 1000 miles apart.  I miss my ward and especially the sisters that I serve with.  and mostly I am so grateful for sunshine on Sundays so that I can enjoy God's astounding creations of this area! (as Pete puts it "if I had my own day, I'd make it the nicest day of the week")

HAPPY SABBATH!!!

Seattle Adventures

So I am doing an internship in Bonney Lake, WA (I know, it's appropriate) in an outpatient orthopedic clinic this summer and Pete was nice enough to move me up to Puyallup (said like Puke-it-all-up really fast) to stay with his brother Andy in the house. The drive was pretty long, but not as bad as during the winter time. Instead of wondering if we were going to live because of the snow, we just hit an incredible rain storm that made us wonder if we were going to hit another car for lack of visibility. oh the adventures. Also, we got to stop by and see my brother Stu and his wife Lanea for lunch. Thanks Lanea! so that was fun.

we got up to Puyallup and decided to help around the house since it looked like a slight disaster... the grass was about 8-10 in. long. so on thurs, we went on a long run and then pruned the trees, mowed and trimmed the grass, cleaned out the fridge, organized my room, and cleaned the bathroom. what a day. we were able to hang out for a bit and on Saturday we were able to go up to Seattle for the market and the tulips. And then go to the most amazing REI ever! It was such a fun day!

The beautiful happy future mother's day flowers Pete got me!







The awesome bike in the city.

totally wanted to get one of these, but i realized it would only last for a little bit.

and last but not least... awesome music in front of starbucks. classic.