The Berry's

Newlywed Graduates!

2010-11-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

June 10, 2010
Disclaimer:
This is long overdue....
but made possible with the faster internet now.
In California our internet was too slow to do any pictures on our blog,
so that is why there is a huge space between posts.
Enjoy!

This has been one crazy fun year of marriage.

We have lived in

Provo, UT

and

San Diego, CA

and loved each experience in its own separate way.

Now it is time for our First Anniversary
so we got work off to head over to

DISNEYLAND!

We were both so excited because the last time I went to Disneyland I was 8 and Nik's last time he was 18.

This was MUCH overdue....

and came at a perfect time for living 90 minutes away from the park at the time.

Here are some pictures I can FINALLY load up with the faster internet.

Welcome to Disneyland, ya Lovebirds!

In front of Splash Mountain.

We did this one twice.

Loved it.

Pictures below.

Don't know why this is sideways

I love him!

This was our delicious lunch

And our waiter snuck into the picture

It was so good!

We stuffed our faces and didn't have to eat for the rest of the day.

Before

After.

OMGoodness! It was sooooooOOOOooooO Good!

On the Matterhorn.

First time on this ride because when I went at 8yrs old,

some guy fell off of the ride just prior to our visit,

so it was down for construction.

Eek.

I WAS a little nervous to ride it.

1st ride.

Made him go first because I didn't want to fall out.

My MOST FAVORITE ride EVERRRRRR!

Nik and I waited a little longer than 2 hours to get the front seats.

It was AWESOME!

(don't mind my goofy face)

Our last ride of the day.....

I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY MIND!

But then I wanted to go on it again right away.

It was amazing.

Well, that sums up our trip. It was so fun.

I love this man and the fun times we have together.

Allred/Berry Family Pictures

2010-11-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

My awesome friend

-Andrea Wanlass-

took our Family Pictures this weekend

and here is a sneak at what she did.

(p.s. - last time we took Family Pics Hannah was a newborn

...8 years ago!

About time?

I'd say so!)

I love my family.

More to come.

Thanks Andrea!

Here is her info if you are interested...

...and you SHOULD be!

Facebook

Blog

Contact her.

You won't regret it!

In HIS Time

2010-11-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

This has been a hard concept for me to comprehend. Patience hasn’t been one of my best qualities. I thought I did great while waiting for Nik. Of course I had my ups and downs but I survived those two years. I did it. We made it. But looking back at that….I wouldn’t really call that Patience. I would just call that “waiting” just like a pregnant lady….let me explain.

When Nik left, I knew when he would be back…just like a pregnant lady has an estimated due date. There is something to look forward to. I thought I would be perfect as a pregnant lady (in the future) because HECK that is only 9 months, not 24. I might be perfect at it…but I wouldn’t call it patience.

To me…patience is waiting for something to happen and not knowing when that might be. Now THIS is very hard for me. I have a HARD time not knowing. Ask my mom (or Nik, as I shared this with him on our first date) about my first Disneyland experience. I was NOT about to wait an unknown number of hours to find out where we were going. Not gonna happen!

Well these last 3 months my patience was tested to the max. Let me explain….Nik and I have been married for 1.5 years and this whole time we have made many choices with Prayer and Faith. We got married 6 short weeks after he returned home from his mission and then the day after our reception we moved to Utah where I had a job but Nik did not. We didn’t know anybody except my aunt who lived 30 minutes south and Nik’s great-aunt who lived 45 minutes north. So…we were pretty much flyin solo in good ol’ Provo. Although that was a difficult 10 months away from what we were comfortable with in Mesa, we felt we needed to experience it and are so grateful we did. Nik was able to get a job 1 week after arriving.

Then we heard of this opportunity in San Diego selling pest control. That was another experience that helped us grow. I was able to work with the same company there with Nik, so we were both employed. It was awesome to live there for a few months. After 2.5 months there, my old boss from Mesa called me to let me know she needed me NOW but Nik still had 5 weeks left in his contract in San Diego. We decided I needed to go home to AZ without him to be able to keep the job I loved and we needed. (so, if I lost you, we married in AZ, moved to UT for 10 months and then to CA for a few months, then back to AZ).

After being apart for 5 weeks while Nik was in CA and me in AZ, he was finally able to join me and we moved in with his parents house. They are so kind, generous, and they love us. I am so thankful for them and their hospitality, also for his dad giving him work while finding a job. We have been living with them since August and we are so blessed. Well, Nik had been applying everywhere for any sort of job. He focused on Bank of America as they have great benefits and pay. One of the positions he applied for actually did a phone interview and then a real in-person interview with him. Even though he interviewed, he kept applying for more positions with BofA. Well, he kept getting emails back denying him a position but they weren’t specific as to which position he was denied. So I thought a few times those were from the interviewed position. But then they would send him a request to do a background check…and then I got my hopes up again. And THEN we would get more denied emails. And I got so sad. That position looked so promising! For some reason, Nik has always been better at keeping his chin up and positive. (I think that is why we were meant for each other….so I could grow.) Well after we were suppose to hear back from that interview after a week…..it was 3 or 4 weeks and THEN we heard back….AND HE GOT THE JOB!!! He got it! And Nik just said “I told you we would be okay.” Yes, yes he did…but I just have a hard time. WHEN? When was he going to get a job? There was no timeline or expiration date. This has been hard but such a blessing to move forward with Faith.

Okay, I had to take a break from this post...as I'm sure you did IF you are still reading this...so let me just make this short-ish story shorter.

I love my Heavenly Father and His plan. He keeps putting things in my path to help me grow with Patience, but I usually just give up. Maybe I don't even give up, I just complain. I might not even complain, I just get really sour about everything. My wonderful husband is a sweet man because he puts up with me when he is so strong in this. And my Heavenly Father is wonderful because He KNOWS I can do hard things...He will never give me a task He knows I cannot handle.

Like I said earlier....I believe that is one of the many reasons Nik and I were meant for each other. I wouldn't say we are complete opposites, because we aren't, but there are many things we are opposite in.

He like the crust of the brownies, I like the inside. PERFECT!

He like the crunchy cookies, I like the soft...sometimes not so perfect.

(only in the sense that I get all my cookies to myself).

He is always warm and I am always cold. THE BEST!

We are both picky eaters but about different things....so food usually never goes to waste.

I could go on...but the most important on, and the reason for this blog is

PATIENCE.

He likes to live each day in itself and I can't help but look forward and wonder...

which then makes it difficult to have patience.

I love him and my Heavenly Father, who has the plan set out for me...and probably gets a good laugh every now and then over my ridiculousness.

Well, enough. This was extremely long. Thank you.

Oh, and Nik starts his new job in 12 days!!!! I'm so excited. WE'RE so excited.
With that comes better hours for everyone involved = more time together.

LOVE!

Berry Happy!

2010-05-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't have access to the internet yesterday, so today will have to do.

Yesterday, May 13th, marked one year from the day Nik asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We have it on video because he was super sneaky (knowing me, you have to be) and still I have yet to see the video. Someday when we get back to Mesa I will, but it has been in storage all this time.

I am so lucky to have him as my husband. He is the best thing that has happened to me. He makes me laugh all the time, helps me learn and grow, and makes me so happy everytime I look at him. At times I feel I do not deserve him because I just could never imagine being any more happy.

Nikolas James Berry,

You are the man I have waited for

and

dreamt about my whole life.

Thank you for finding me and loving me.

Love,

Dawna Genette Berry

Four weeks from now we will have graduated from the Newlywed Stage in life. How exciting! We are hoping to go to Disneyland since it is right around the corner. [Keepin' my fingers crossed]

Sane Again

2010-05-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 10th...I became sane once more.

I was able to go grocery shopping with a full budget and my buddy.

I had my coupons cut, my recipes laid out for the next two weeks, and some money!

First stop - Smart & Final. Here I got Nik his favorite cereal, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS. $1.88 is something I couldn't pass up. Not exactly the cheapest I have paid but it definitely was a good deal here in SD.

Next stop - CVS. I was able to stock up on canned veggies and some RAISIN BRAN, Nik's next favorite. The boxes of cereal were smaller but only $1.38 and heck, still under 2bucks, I will take it!

Last stop - Von's. This is where I stocked up on the majority of my food list to last us 2 weeks.
[heck, this is WEIRD having to wait 2 weeks for a paycheck. for the last 3 years I have received a check every week. HORRIBLE!]
I got Nik his last favorite cereal that happened to be on sale, HONEYNUT CHEERIOS. $1.48 wasn't bad at all!

But let me tell you the best deal of the day!!!

Betty Crocker cake mixes, frosting tubs, and original brownie mixes were all BUY 2 GET 3 MORE FREE!
Wait, what? Pay for 2 and get 5??? Kidding me? I had to ask the gal next to me in the aisle if I was reading that right. And THEN I had 75cent coupons. 6 of them!
It pays to buy newspapers in bulk.
So...I bought 2 or 3 rounds of 5 items each the first time but they were out of German Chocolate Cake frosting so I had to come back that night to get the new product. After work at 10 I went back with Nik and got 3 pairs of German Chocolate Cake frosting and cake mix and 2 pairs of the FunFetti kind.
I was sooo happy. We are going to make cupcakes up the wazoo!
(I even got Nik his favorite cake mix - Carrot cake, but shhhh. I am excited to surprise him with that!)

Well, thank you for checking this out!
All in all...I purchased $296.09 WORTH of food but only paid $138.55.
I saved $157.54 being a 53.21% savings! I WAS STOKED!
Nik was very happy too! We finally have food in our pantry and fridge after 3 weeks of it being empty.
Such a nice feeling. I have had better savings percentages but after 2 months of not being able to shop like this, it feels GREAT!

One Year Later

2010-04-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

One year has come and gone...

...and nobody can believe it.

April 29, 2009

You might be asking what happened on this day.

No, we did not get engaged on this day.

No, we did not get married this day.

No, we did not start dating this day...(well sort of).

And no, I am not crazy for celebrating all the little things.

This day was the day Nik returned home from serving an honorable

and

full time mission in Tokyo Japan.

This day was the day all of us, family and friends, had one huge smile

plastered on our faces.

This day was the day that a son, brother, boyfriend, and friend

returned home after 749 LONG days away.

This day was the day I felt I was living in a dream.

(as I'm sure many others felt too)
This day was the day I had been waiting 3.5 years for.

Let me show you this day...

...the few pictures I have on this laptop.

Okay, well I had a few more pictures to put up
but my computer wouldn't load them.
I will update this post if I can get them up here.

Thank you, Nik, for doing such a great job

over in the lands of Japan.

Thank you for being such a great example.

This day was a special one for so many.

We all love you.

p.s. I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

Me? Tan??

2010-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

Okay....So....last night we went to Target to get me some new flip flops.

I heart Target flip flops.

The top is rounded perfectly with my toes...a slight square toe with a slight curve. PERFECT!

So...like I was saying...we went to get my flip flops for the summer. 2/$5.

Nik was down the aisle checking out the Clearance shoes.

He found his favorite shoes in a new color...for $5.

SCORE!

SO HE BOUGHT 2!

I laughed and rolled my eyes...but heck, if my favorite shoes were only five bucks...I WOULD BUY MULTIPLE TOO!

He was so funny to see him so excited to get new shoes and to get 2 of them. Silly goof!

It was funny.

But let me tell you about my awesome shoes.

The white flip flops.

Today I wore my knee shorts and the white flip flops...and the brand new white shoes make me look TAN!

I love it!

The end.

(Great blog, eh?)

Story of the Day!

2010-04-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Mark this day on your calendar - April 20, 2010.

And no I am not talking about Weed Day...

I am talking about the day I realized admitted I was an addict.

A Coupon Addict.

Let me share the story with you:
Nik and I have been living out of a suitcase for the last 10days.
All our other stuff has been in packing boxes.
I haven't shopped for groceries or looked at any ads for about 3 weeks.
I haven't clipped coupons for 2 weeks.
I haven't even opened my coupon binder for 2 weeks.
YESTERDAY this all fell apart.
Nik and I FINALLY moved in to our apartment here in San Diego
(and yes it is the actual city of San Diego on our mailing and location address. Everyone asks. True story. No we are not rich [hence the story] it just comes with the job)

Anywho...I had to go shopping for a few necessitites - Milk, bread, eggs, meats, etc.
I went to Vons (which is the same exact thing as Safeway and Smith's). I love it!
My coupon binder was still in a box SOMEWHERE in the apartment at the time of my shopping adventure.
I walked into Vons and felt so naked and so alone.
Naked because my coupon binder wasn't sitting in the shopping cart with me
and
Alone because Nik wasn't with me.
Now, I can handle and NEED to handle Nik not being there because he works EXTREMELY long hours...sometimes until 8 at night.
However, I cannot and WILL not handle my binder not being there. My binder keeps me sane. I realized without her I am lost. I felt so uptight and not "together" about the whole shopping experience.
IT WAS HORRIBLE!
I walked up and down the aisles with no clue of what was on sale, what I had coupons for, what coupons expired that I need to throw away, NOTHING!
AGH!
I felt like I was committing a murder...a murder of our money...to THROW soooo much of it away!
ok, so that MIGHT sound a little dramatic...but no joke, I felt horrible! NEVER will I shop without my buddy. She saves me lots of money!

SO...I ended up making it out of there ALIVE, thank goodness, and headed home with $47 spent. WTH!?!?! And I only had 4 bags to show for it.
Yes, Cali and SD are more expensive to live in but that is just unacceptable. That is what I spend in 2 weeks of groceries. YUCK! The prices weren't too bad, it was the fact that I bought them when they were not on sale and without a coupon. Two very big NoNo's.
I tried to relay this story to Nik but he was so so SO tired, I don't think he understood the sadness I was feeling.
Sad Day,
This CANNOT and WILL NOT happen again.

Thank you.
Thank you.
You are awesome listeners/readers.
I am sure if you read hard enough, you could hear me and the pain in my voice.
I know my Mamma can!

The End.

New Blog

2010-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well....I have started another blog. I thought ONE was hard enough...so I need your help to keep me inline. ;-)

Anywho...it's true. Here is the link.

http://www.dawnadinners.blogspot.com/

It's just a simple blog that will showcase new recipes I find.

Heck, who doesn't want to try something new....and can I say....EASY!!!
I know I like that idea! And so does the Nikster.

So...as I look for new recipes and try them out, I will post them here for you to try.
I have to successfully complete the recipe in order to post it...which means ANYONE can do it too if I have!
Trust me...I am NO Pro and definitely NOT any better than anyone when it comes to cooking or baking...but I AM trying to expand on the few recipes Nik gets stuck eating every week.

Check me out. Follow the adventure. And enjoy!

I am always [the whole purpose of the blog] looking for new delicious and simple meals....so email me if you have some for me to try! I would love it!

Email Me

NikDawnaBerry{at}gmail{dot}com

Let's Save Money!

2010-03-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Do you get the Sunday Paper?

yes

Do you use coupons?

yes

Do you like to SAVE MONEY??

Yes

Now…if you answered YES to all of the above (like me)….did you know you could save even more money by purchasing MULTIPLE Sunday papers???

YES!!!

Well you can.

Ask your local paper if you can receive more papers and possibly get a discount.

Nik and I are signed up to get FIVE

(yes, 5 from the same company)

Newspapers EVERY Sunday!

It is like Christmas morning every Sunday Morning.
We look outside our front door and see 5 red plastic baggies
with Newspapers in them.

Inside those Newspapers are COUPONS!

Oh….what happiness!!

See….

Before November I had NO idea you could order multiple papers to get multiple coupons for the same product.

I had NO IDEA! You know what that means…MULTIPLE opportunities to save on one item and stock up. Can you say AWESOME?!

I can!

So…

Now when there is a good deal on something that I have a coupon for…

I can now get 5 of that item and start storing more in my Food Storage!

Let me tell you a story:

Nik and I got married in the summer and after a few months of grocery bills…we realized that other than Rent Payments, those receipts for groceries were our biggest monthly expense.

One of two things needed to happen:

1) Starve

B) Save Money

We decided that starving wouldn’t be the best of ideas…so we went and bought a 3-ring zipper binder, baseball card pages, and dividers.
We then subscribed to the newspaper and started getting one Sunday paper each week.
That was great and we saved $13 (out of $127) on our first majorly-focused trip to the grocery store.

We were excited!

$13 is like a movie and popcorn

half-a-shirt!

(lol)

This went on for a few months and we would save a few bucks here and there…then in November came the BEST Relief Society Activity EVERRRRR…

How to Clip Coupons and Budget!

I was SOOO excited to go there and learn how to save us some money!

WHO wants to spend all their money on food??

I’d rather spend money on

home décor

clothing

shoes

movies

go on a FANCY DATE with Nikolas!

Food??

All you do is buy food, eat it, and buy some more.

DUMB but important, I guess.

Becky, the Coupon Genius in my ward that taught the class, gave us some great tips and to go check out our local newspaper’s Savvy Shopper, Amy. I went home that night and looked her up online. It showed Amy having a seminar at the hotel right next to our apartment that upcoming Tuesday.
I was STOKED!
I signed up and that night the two of us went to learn how to save money!!!

The Savvy Shopper, Amy, was GREAT!
She was funny and kept the class alive.
Everyone in the class was so shocked by her money-saving stories and techniques.
With our eyes wide open and jaws dropped to the floor in disbelief/excitement we all scribbled down notes and vowed to never pay full price for an item again!
Going to that class allowed us to get a discount when we order up to 5 Sunday papers.
We pay $18.75 each month to get 20-25 newspapers
(depending on the number of Sundays in the month).
It is AWESOME!

So…we have had many great weeks with our grocery bills.

I get excited for Wednesdays when the new grocery ads come in the mail

and

Sundays when the retail stores and coupons come in the paper.

This is how my week goes –

Sunday: new coupons come to my doorstep for me to clip and organize in my binder.

Wednesday: new grocery ads come in the mail for me to browse and circle with a permanent marker what deals are good for us to buy.

Saturday: I make my shopping list of what he need for meals the next week and what we can stock up and put away in our Food Storage.

Nik and I then go shopping

(it’s always great as a team that way we don’t over spend or get something we don’t need or so we don’t overlook a great un-advertised deal)

and we try to get the most we can with our $25 Grocery Budget.

It has been a ton of fun…especially because we make such a great team!

Now, the best week we have had so far was this last Saturday.

Let me lay out my savings and maybe you will join me in the

Coupon Clipping Fun.

Toiletries (we bought Shampoo, Conditioner, Toilet Paper, and Hairspray):

Pre-savings Total: $43.76

Spent: $27.52

Saved: $17.08

Percent Saved: 39%

# Items Purchased: 20

Groceries (Too many to list…oh and some name brand stuff for FREE):

Pre-savings Total: $99.65

Spent: $34.59

Saved: $68.22

Percent Saved: 68%

# Items Purchased: 52

*Now,

we DID go over our budget for the week

but the prices were

too good

to not get the items at that time.

ESPECIALLY since they were name brand…

and cheaper than the Store brand.

Let me lay out some of the best deals from that day.

Honey Bunches of Oats (Family Size).

Originally $4.50

Purchased for $1.18

(We got 12 boxes. Heck yes! Some for Food Storage and some for every day use.)

Bumblebee Tuna Cans.

Originally $0.69

Purchased for $0.33

(We got a few stacks of those. Tuna is a cheap staple food for us right now.)

Pasta

(Don’t remember the name but it WAS name brand and not generic. BONUS!)

Originally $0.99

Purchased for $0.50

(Another easy and cheap staple we both love!)

(THE BEST DEAL!)...

Bumblebee Single Serve Tuna Pouch

FREE!!!

I was/still am SOO HAPPY with our shopping trip!

We saved sooo much money and stocked up our pantries really well.

All that money we saved could go to bigger and better things.

I LOATHE spending money on food because it feels like it’s ALWAYS GONE!

This makes me feel better about spending money on food.

Yay!

Anybody can do this and save money just like me!

*Call me CRAZY...

but saving money is

AWESOME!

I'm sure if you tried it...you'd be hooked.

Daylight Savings...

2010-03-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

...is KICKING our TRASH!!!

It has been over a week now since we jumped forward an hour...and it IS getting better

BUT STILL!

Arizona is smart.

WHO wants to screw up their internal clock for a bit JUST to be able to get out of bed earlier???

Make any sense?

Didn't think so.

Why don't we just wake up when we want to?

I like that idea.

Who seconds it?

We wake up when it is still dark.

NOT A FAN!

And go to bed when it is still light.

What the HECK?

My perfect day would start at 8am when I wake up

WITHOUT

an alarm clock...

Open my office at 10am...

Close the office between 1pm-3pm for naps

(Hey! Other countries have a rest time each day! Let's do that!

And then I will be okay with the idea of saving daylight.)

And leave at 5pm...

Then go to bed...around....I don't know when....

Sounds like the perfect day for me!

I remember last summer, just after arriving here in Utah,

we ran to Sam's Club for some shopping after work.

We entered just after 8pm.

The sun was still out...

At 9:15pm we left...and when we walked outside, the SUN was STILL UP!

I looked at Nik and then my watch.

We were so confused!

Anywho...Nik and I only have to deal with this for another 3.5 weeks.

Then we go to California which is the same time as Arizona right now...and what we were used to just 2 weeks ago.

Then we will go to the wonderful Desert Land....and stay the same time allllll year long!

We like that idea!

Loves!

Happy 280th Day!

2010-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying...No I have not personally counted down how many days Nik and I have been married.

One of my friends blog - Kimber & Casey - posted something about Googling your name. She suggested we go and Google our names and let her know what we found. Well Kimber, I hope you are reading this!

When I Googled Dawna Berry I found a wedding website for a Dawna Berry and Michael Tousignant. I searched through and they got married in NH on June 13, 2009. Nik and I got married June 10, 2009! Crazy! She gave up her last name and I received it. I'm happy to be a Berry.

Short story shorter...on their website was a countUP for how many days they have been married...and it said 277 days. Well Nik and I got married 3 days prior...so that makes us being married 280 days!!!

So....I am not a silly little Counter-Upper....I just Countdown! Which brings me to the next thing.....150 days til we are back in ARIZONA for GOOD!!! Now THAT I did countdown. haha. No, I did not use a calendar and count it (like how Nik said would be the smarter thing to do)...I used an online website to count it down for me! lol. Much easier! Heck, I would get lost in the 70's and have to start all over again. haha.

Thank you Mr. Internet!

How many days have you been married??

And Happy St. Patty's day! I can't wait to show you what I have done to celebrate. Nik thinks it has been fun too! Can't wait to show him the yummy cake I made for tonight's dessert. YUMMM!

Texas Roadhouse is Special to Me.

2010-03-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

April 28, 2009

8:45 pm

Me, Rach, and Katie Jean sitting in a booth at Texas Roadhouse.

The 2 of them were so giddy as I just sat there.

Just.Sat.

I could barely do anything.

I could barely eat.

Nothing.

They were all smiles and laughs and excitement.

You wanna know why we were this way???

At that EXACT moment, Nik was in an airplane over the ocean heading back home to the U.S.A from Japan.

This was the moment I had waited over 3.5 years for.

I was so excited but didn't know how to act or think.

It was an out-of-body experience....like I was standing off to the side watching myself go through this.

For the next 12 hours....I was so out of it.

I slept just fine...WHEN I finally went to sleep.

Rach and Katie Jean kept me company while I made my Welcome Home banner to hold at the airport...and then they went home around 12:30 in the morning.

It was so weird to think that Nik was coming home.

I finally went to sleep and slept just fine.

Around 6am I started having difficulty sleeping cuz I knew Nik was going to call me from the airport and I didn't want to miss his call.

He finally called and I sat there in my jammies on the couch for quite some time talking to him.

It all felt like a dream. Felt like another out-of-body experience.

I didn't know if what I was seeing was even real. It felt like it shouldn't have been.

After our conversation on the phone, I got ready for the day.

I was suppose to be at his parent's house by 4:30 so we could get to the airport before his plane landed at 5:20.

We pulled into the parking garage at 5:23. Amy (his sis) and I RAN through the airport to get to his terminal before he showed up.

With all Nik's friends and family and my family standing around, he finally appeared and it was wonderful.

Look at that Handsome MAN!

He gave everyone hugs and then he gave me a huge huge, lifting me off the ground and squeezing me so tight!

I was on cloud 9.

Showing off pictures.

I couldn't believe this was real...like, was he REALLY home?? Home to stay??

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!

The rest of the night was great....but that will be for another post.

I didn't mean to give you this huge long story..I really just wanted to relive the Texas Roadhouse experience.

That night was so good...to have my girlfriends with me at my favorite restaurant on a wonderful night.

I hadnt been to that restaurant again until last weekend.

Terri and her friend, Justin, went with us and it was so fun!

It was so cool to have those strong memories that meant so much to me and share them with Nik as we drove to the restaurant. I was able to explain exactly how I felt in that last 24 hours of "single-ness".

Gosh...I love Nikolas James SOOOO much!

I am so lucky to have these wonderful memories and to me ABLE to remember them so clearly.

Terri and Justin

The Berry's!

Some nice guy took this picture for us.

Yay for Texas Roadhouse! We had so much fun with Terri and Justin and Nik LOVED the food....we went there last night with another couple. That place ROCKS!

Arizona...Here We Come!!!

2010-03-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Nik and I have made the decision that it is time for us to come HOME! We have enjoyed this adventure of being newlyweds in Utah...but our journey up here has come to an end.

Maybe it is more me than him....but we want to be home with friends and family. We want to be home with the desert. We want to be home to the place we have lived our whole lives.

But there is one little pit stop on the way...San Diego!

Next month we will be heading to San Diego for a summer job. Nik will be selling Pest Control and I will be working in the office taking care of the appointments and paperwork for that company. I am excited for a change but to still be working in an office. I love the office job. I am excited to be working with Nik. Nik's best friend Josh got him an interview with the company and luckily we were hired on. Now we get to spend the summer with friends! Josh and Kylee did this same thing last year and enjoyed it. We look forward to the great opportunities it can bring. Living in San Diego in the summer is going to be AWESOME!

Then in August we will leave San Diego and head back to ARIZONA! I couldn't be happier. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right...and this totally does!

There is one thing Nik and I will not agree on.....being sad about leaving our jobs up here. Yes, he has been so blessed to have a Full Time job but it was just one of "those" J.O.B.s. = Just Over Broke. He is happy to get out of there and do something he WANTS to do. As for me...I am going to miss my boss and his awesome family. They really took us in under their wings. I felt immediately like family. They had us over for their family Independence Day party, an Office Christmas Party (which was only Nik and I and their kids all playing RockBand 2. It was so FUN!), and then they had us over for The Superbowl. It was so fun to be around little kids. Their 2 youngest are the same ages as my 2 youngest sisters. They are so cute. Paul also helped Nik and I move into our 2nd apartment, helped us after the deer accident with towing, and picking me up at home for work when Nik was at school with the car. I am going to miss Paul (my boss) and Mary (his wife). They were so nice. It helps when you love your job to have a great boss. Thank you Paul and Mary.

Well....now the word is out. Hopefully you are all as excited as we are! We can't wait to COME HOME!!!!

Let's have a party when we get there! K? K!

Letters to Eternity

2010-03-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Letters to Eternity - This is what Nik titled my Christmas/Valentine's Day gift...and no I am not posting this SUPER late, he really did just give it to me tonight.
The thing is...Nik is very very thoughtful and a natural romantic.
It takes him time to think up a gift to give and lots of time to make it....so that is why it is late.
I'm just so happy I have it now.
We have been together for 4.5 years now and every time we exchange gifts for the many different holidays, his is ALWAYS BETTER! I told him tonight that we are not allowed to exchange gifts anymore because my gifts are never as cool/thoughtful/original as his are.
So let me now move on to what he gave me...but I have to explain a little.
Nik went on his mission to Tokyo, Japan from April 2007-April 2009.
All that time we wrote back and forth.
Even the 15 months prior to him leaving on his mission we wrote letters back and forth.
I have kept every single letter.
The originals are in 4 3-inch binders in sheet protectors. That is 1 whole foot of letters!
Well, Nik being the awesome husband he is, decided to make a book with those.
He would sneak out to the local Geneology center and scan every single last letter.
He then had them bound in a book.
Actually in 2 books.
1 book from January 2006-March 2007.
1 book from April 2007-April 2009.
Let me show them to you now.

When I opened this gift, I could feel all his love and effort put into this project.
This definitely came from the heart.
I can't even BEGIN to describe how much this means to me!
These are going to stay around for years and years and hopefully through generations.
This is a great story of our lives together before marriage.
We keep writing letters to each other.
I have a little mailbox I made back in YW's and it sits on our bookshelf.
When we write a letter we stick it in there and then the other person sees it and takes it out to read it and reply to it.
I hope that in future years we can do this same thing and make another book.
This made me smile.
Isn't he an awesome gift giver?
But how is he ever going to top this one?? For reals!

WHAT the HECK!!!

2010-03-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

As this is mine and Nik's first winter with snow, many have warned us about Spring Fever.

Spring Fever is when the weather starts getting warmer and the snow melts away, you get really excited for the new season. New season of windows being left open, flip flops popping out, and short sleeved shirts.

This last week has been in the high 40's and low 50's.

BEAUTIFUL!

Then out of NOWHERE comes this storm.

Let me describe this GLORIOUS day for you....and hopefully you could catch the eye-rollage I just gave.

Thursday March 4, 2010.
Wake up at 6am.
Turn on the news at 6:30am.
Weather is at 32degrees.
I thought to myself "Oh what a wonderful day this will be!"
The weather man lays out the temps for the day...
Morning: 32. Noon: 50. Afternoon: 46.
Grant - KSL's weather man, says that in the afternoon there will be rain with a chance that it turns to snow.
Now, just so you know, Grant has not been the most accurate when it has come to these storms.
I didn't believe him...or maybe just didn't WANT to believe him.
Nik and I went to work with short sleeves (mainly because we were going to be inside all day) and I brought a light "Arizona" jacket to ride home in.
We leave for work at 9am and it is a beautiful morning.
The sun is out, people are jogging, and I am happy!
Nik comes over to my office for lunch at 1pm and there is a little cloud cover.
He leaves from lunch at 2pm to go back to work and there is a slight drizzle.
Now the fun begins...3pm hits and the rain comes down harder.
In my office, I have a glass wall and door ahead of me, so I can see everything going on outside.
The rain begins acting strange.
The rain comes down casually, then hard, then casually, then SNOW, then hard rain, then BIG SNOW, then a drizzle, then a spray, then SNOW, then hard rain...over and over again.
All of this goes on and each new change lasts only a few seconds to a minute of two and then it is on to the next change....snow, rain, barely anything, rain, snow, etc.
Well, 4pm rolls around and Nik needs me to run to BYU's Surplus Sale right down the street.
They sell their used electronics and he wanted a new flat screen monitor.
I told my boss about it and he wanted to check it out too since he has never been before.
At this point it is snowing but not sticking...Hallelujah!
This was good.
So I took a picture of what my office parking lot looked like before my boss, Paul, and I went to the sale.

Paul and I stood outside for at least 20 minutes at this sale waiting in line to get in.
We got in, I found Nik a used, but in very good condition, flat screen monitor for $50.
Paul wasn't impressed with anything he saw...but for poor college students, these sales are awesome!
Paul and I went back to the office.
5pm rolls around and this is what the parking lot looks like.

CRAZY!
When we were standing in line, I was catching HUGE snowflakes. The size of quarters!
It was awesome but so freezing because I was in my "Arizona" jacket...i.e. a thin hoodie.
When Paul and I were driving back, you couldn't see a quarter mile ahead of you because of how hard and fast it was coming down.
I was so scared because I knew that in an hour I would have to drive down and pick Nik up from work.
Luckily the snow slowed down to where I could drive when I got off work at 6.
Here is a picture of the top of my car when I was leaving.

That is at least an inch. Maybe 1.25 inches.
I should have put something up in the picture to give reference. sorry.
Anywho....here is a pretty tree right in front of where I parked.
Remember, 3 hours earlier this was a brown tree and completely green grass.

Pretty, huh?
See, I can handle the snow if I can be inside my house.
It is very pretty to look at when wrapped in a blanket, watching a movie inside, and having a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for dinner.
I was able to pick Nik up safely and return home with both of us in one piece.
I was lucky the snow had slowed down and so it wasn't difficult at all to drive.
It was just very weird that EVERYTHING was white when only hours before it was green and brown.
He is a panoramic shot of the front of the building Nik and I live in. Cambridge Court.

And here is the shot of what we see outside our window every day. Glenwood Apartments.

It is very pretty....and cold.

Now this morning I woke up to the cars slushing outside on the streets.
Snow has covered even more of the roads and sidewalks and trees.
I wish I could stay home with Nik and we could cuddle up with The Office, lol, and some hot chocolate.
We can't wait for Spring and to be done with this white STUFF.

Here is a picture Nik sent me (sorry it is from a phone) this morning as he was headed to class. This is our parking lot...and it didn't look like this last night. Thank goodness we were able to find a spot in the parking garage.

Now, don't think this is a "downer" post. We are very happy to have to opportunity to live up here and go to school and have all these learning experiences. Neither of us have lived outside of AZ, except for the 2 years Nik was on an LDS Mission in Japan. We have learned so much about ourselves and what we want in our future.
Thank you Utah for being so pretty, but please cut it out with the snow.

The End.

The In-Laws

2010-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

I married into a wonderful family.

I am so happy that my Mother-In-Law is not the "typical" MIL in most jokes.

She is so nice and sweet and I can tell she genuinely cares about me.

As a late Christmas present/Vday gift, my Mother and Father-In-Law

sent Nik and I a gift card to Carrabba's.

We love that place!

Randee (my Mother-In-Law)

always talks about how much she loves this specific dish...

and I believe it is the Pollo Rosa Maria. I think that is it.

I decided to take her word on it and ordered it....

AND IT WAS AMAZING!

I thought I wouldn't like it when I saw there was no red sauce in the dish...

but it was so delicious.

It is a chicken breast stuffed with cheese and then a mushroom sauce over it.

Whether that is the dish she loves or not, it was so good!

You all should try it the next time you are there.

Then...Nik's Grandma - Nanu - is so sweet and makes me smile and laugh all the time.

I am so blessed to have another awesome grandma in my family.

Every...and I mean EVERY holiday

she sends out a holiday card with some little goodie inside.

For Vday she sent a cute card with a gift card to the theatres so Nik and I could have a night out.

And she always personalizes the cards.

L.O.V.E

THEN....we get another card last week and so I thought

She must have forgotten she already sent us a card

becuase it was in a red envelope.

I open it up...and it is a card for the Chinese New Year with her wishing us a

Happy Chinese New Year.

SO CUTE!

And I guess it is good luck to give people a dollar...

so she sent both Nik and I one.

How stinkin adorable is that?!?!

I love getting random cards.

They let Nik and I know that people are thinking about us and they love us.

There are many more examples

but these are a few that really brightened our days recently.

Thank you, my wonderful family I married into!

Nikolas!

2010-03-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

To continue on my mushy post from last night, I found this little survey to do on my handsome man.
So without further ado:

1. Where did you meet?
Officially – EFY 2005 (Thanks Josh and Kylee for being the connecting piece), but I had my eye on him back at Red Mountain that semester prior where we were both going to school.

2. How long did you date before you got married?
Almost 4 Years!!! (There were 2 years of waiting for him while he was on his mission in that 4 years)

3. How long have you been married?
Just about 9 months.

4. What does he do that surprises you?
He wakes up early on Saturday mornings to take the laundry down to the laundry room. =]

5. What is your favorite feature of his?
His eyes are such a handsome hazel color…and his hair, when gelled, is the kicker!

6. What is your favorite quality of his?
He always opens up the door for me…in any situation. So lucky to have him treat me like such a lady!

7. Does he have a nickname for you?
Babe.
Or when I feel like being super cheesy/funny I will call him my Stud Muffin (cuz I think that is silly but cute still) and he will reply "Yes, my Studette Pastry". Not even sure if Studette is a word, but it makes me laugh when he says it.

8. What is his favorite color?
Red and Black.

9. What is his favorite food?
Anything Japanese…or Pizza.

10. What is his favorite sport?
He likes to play football but isn’t big into watching it (thank heavens!)

11. When and where was your first kiss?
On the bench at Falcon Hill Park the night of September 24, 2005. Right after an awesome D-Back’s game and a trip to Cold Stone. =]

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
As cliche as this may sound...we love spending time together. Whether it is a simple walk along the Provo River, having dinner AT the dinner table with no distractions, or catching up on our favorite TV Series.

13. Do you have any children?
Nope.....someday though...

14. Does he have a hidden talent?
He is a great cook. He can look in the pantry and put things together (that I wouldn't think of) to make a meal and it always tastes good!
He also has an amazing talent at calming me down when we take different chances in life together.

15. How old is he?
23

16. Who said I love you first?
Me

17. What's his favorite music?
Pretty much Alternative. He will listen to Country but it isn’t something he would pick on his own.

18. What do you admire most about him?
He has a great way of taking chances and making it work out in his favor. I am a big planner and he likes to just take things as they go. That is something I need to be better at.

19. Do you think he will read this?
Only if I tell him I posted it.

Three BIG Words.

2010-02-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

Those of you that know me real well can confirm the fact that I remember silly little dates of

when silly or simple things happen in mine and Nik's relationship.

Don't ask me how...I just pay close attention to detail.

Well...4 years ago, today, Nik said 3 very special words to me...

"I love you, (and then he added the best part) Dawna."

I remember it every time February 28th comes around.

That was one very special night to me because I knew he had waited so long to say it in the perfect moment...

not to just say it to say it and have it be premature.

He always told me he felt very special about me but he didn't want to say those 3 BIG words until the perfect moment and when he could say it with all his heart.

At that point we had been dating for 5 months and 4 days.

It meant a lot to me that he waited for a special time

(and not even on Valentines day) to say it.

Nikolas James Berry...I want you to know that

I love you more today than I did on February 28, 2006.

Thank you for loving me!

Fondue, We Love You!

2010-02-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

Nik is great at surprising me and I am trying my hardest to not get impatient with the surprise (if you know my "Disneyland" experience, you know what I am talking about).

One Saturday Night in early January (yes, I AM just barely getting around to posting this) Nik wanted to take to on a Surprise Date. It was so fun! I had no idea where we were going except for the fact we were going north to Salt Lake.

We found a parking space and started walking around downtown. I still had no idea where we were going. I loved this whole idea of him surprising me! He takes everything to the max!

All of a sudden he opens the door to the restaurant...The Melting Pot.

I could not believe it! I was so excited!!!

Here was our appetizer. A yummy Spinach/Artichoke Cheese Dip with breads and veggies and apples.

I didn't think apples with the cheese would be good, but it turned out to be my favorite.

Our quaint little booth. So cozy and romantic.

Our main course - Lobster Tail, Brats, Ravioli, Chicken, Sirloin, Beef, Red Potatoes, and more veggies.

It was amazing!

And so much fun to cook with our little sticks.

Enjoying some Lobster Tail.

A nice man in the booth next to us took our picture for us. So sweet of him to offer.

I love this man I am sitting next to!

Onto DESSERT!

This was amazing!

My favorites were the strawberries and bananas.

Nik's favorites were the marshmallows and cheesecake.

Delicious!

If you can't tell from the look on his face...that bite was Heaven.

Nik, that was such a nice and fun surprise! I can't wait to go back.

Sidenote: At work this last week I won a contest and my prize was a $50 Gift Certificate.

I got to choose the restaraunt and since this place was amazing when we went, I had to get the certificate to The Melting Pot!

Now Nik and I can go again on someone else's dime.

YAY!

Rock Climbing

2010-02-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Some of Nik's co-workers invited us to go rock climbing with them a few weeks ago. It was awesome. We didn't even know the rock gym was right around the corner from our apartment.
Nik and I have found a new fun thing to do in Provo. We can't wait to go again!
Here are some pictures from our date.

My Handsome Man

Waiting to belay.

Now it's my turn to climb. And I made it to the TOP!

We went up to the second story to do Free Climbing (no ropes attached). Nik made it all the way up to the top...and then some. I made it this far and it took all I had to hold on long enough for the picture.

Here is one of Nik's many times at the top of the climb. He is a fast climber...it makes my arms really tired when I have to belay him.

After a long night of climbing we ran across the street (and through the snow storm) to The Pizza Pie Cafe. They have pizza, pasta, and salad buffets. It's awesome!

Nik and I love this place. The owners were so smart to put it in the middle of a college town.

Words of Mother Teresa

2010-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating and building, others could destroy overnight. Create and build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

--Mother Teresa

My friend posted this on her blog and I had to share it. I love it so much. So true.
"It was never between you and them anyway"
Thanks Joslyn.

Oh deer.

2010-02-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

Friday Night

6:05 pm

Dark Highway

Open field to the East

50 mph speed limit

Truck

Deer

BOOM!

The big dent on the hood is from the deer's head.

The damage to the grill is from the body.

The bumper didn't budge hardly at all.

Dead stupid deer.

The antlers broke off from contact to truck and asphalt.

The nice police officer lady drug it off to the side of the road for safety.

Look at that hair on the bumper.

Pretty sick.

I would show you the poo smear on the driver side but figured I would lose a few Followers of my Blog.

I know my Mamma would appreciate that picture being left out.

Here are the antlers that we picked up out of the street.

The right one broke in pieces but the left looks like a clean whole break.

Truck in shop

Hopefully:

It's declared a "Total Loss"

Brother (owner of truck) gets check

We fix truck (if worth it)

Everybody is happy

Now we are back to one vehicle.

Not too hard with our schedules.

Luckily we only work a mile from each other and only a mile from home.

P.S. I have one huge thing to be thankful for in this mess...Nik wasn't hurt one bit. Thank Heavens.
And for those of you who know me...you know my reaction to this was not as lite as described...I just figured I would save you the details because I bet all of you could picture it yourself. :)

Thank You, Mamma.

2010-02-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

"I see my mother kneeling with our family each day.
I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray.
Her plea to the Father quiets all my fears,
And I am thankful love is spoken here.

Mine is a home where ev’ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow’r,
With father and mother leading the way,
Teaching me how to trust and obey;
And the things they teach are crystal clear,
For love is spoken here."

My Mother is such a wonderful woman. The past 8 months of being married and starting the new chapter of my life in a totally different state has really opened my eyes to the lady my Mom has molded me into.

For 18 years I lived with her (and my whole family of course) and in those 18 years when I would need her, I would have to search the house to find her. Countless times her bedroom door would be shut so I would knock. It would be silent and I would knock again. Thinking she couldn’t hear me because she was in the back of the room or in the bathroom, I would quietly let myself in…and there she would be kneeling on her side of the bed with her hands clasped together, her eyes closed, and her head down. Sometimes she would softly turn to me and ask what I needed or she would say “just a minute” and at that time I would quietly back out of the room. She would finish her prayer and come out of the room to find me a few minutes later.

There were also many times on Saturday and Sunday mornings I would wake up later than usual and find her at the kitchen table eating breakfast while reading her scriptures. I wouldn’t really see this on the weekdays as I was always to school super early…but I imagine she would follow the same routine through out the whole week.

Now I am married. I moved out of AZ. I have my own habits to form and I see how she has influenced my life. I find myself doing things without even thinking about it and then when I’m done I realized my mom would do that same thing.

Thank you, Mom, for doing the right things…because I follow your footsteps without even thinking about it. I am so blessed to have a wonderful example in you.

I was never good at reading the scriptures on my own growing up. I just couldn’t find the time/make the time to sit down and read. When I would try to read, randomly, I wouldn’t understand it very well. I have always had a problem reading and understanding that language of the ancient prophets…but things are changing.

Nik and I wake up EARLY for him to get to school on time and I am left with a few hours until I have to get to work. I watch The Today Show every morning and use to sit and watch it until I had to leave…but I wanted to start habits to better me, my family, and my future. I decided to read my scriptures while eating my breakfast every morning just as my Mom would do. It is so wonderful. I don’t fall asleep like I would when reading them in my bed. I understand what they are saying and I can actually follow the stories. I get so excited when I learn something new. And I am so happy to have found the time to dedicate.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me. Even though I might not have done everything you taught me when I was young, it’s catching up with me now and I want you to know you are a special woman in my life. You are my best friend, my example, and my Mother.

“Today you have been the Mom I needed you to be.” (From Michael McLean’s song “Lullaby For Me”) I love you, Mom.

The Opening and Closing of Doors

2010-01-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven”

– Orson F. Whitney

From the Article:

The Opening and Closing of Doors

This quote has meant so much to me while growing up...and even more so now.

Hearts have been broken.

Scabs have been torn.

Pain has increased.

And plans are always changing.

But enduring to the end and having patience has always been a struggle for me.

It is one of those virtues I have to learn and be tested for in order to have it.

Someday I will get it.

Maybe at that time

Hearts will heal.

Scabs will disappear.

Pain decrease.

And peace be found in change.

Maybe.

I Hope.

For now I have to do the best I can.

God would not have given me trials I could not face.

Trust.

Faith.

Hope.

Sincerely from the heart,

Dawna G Berry

P.S. Thank you to my husband, Nik, for standing by me through everything, helping me, and loving me unconditionally.

I love you!

The End of 2009.

2010-01-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Nik and I had an awesome opportunity to go to California for New Years. It was made possible because our friends decided to get married in San Diego and so we wanted to go support them and make it a fun trip.

Tuesday after Christmas we drove over from AZ to Oceanside, CA. (Sidenote: I drove the WHOLE way and that is a big accomplishment for me! Just sayin.) We got there around 7ish in the evening and met my good friend, Terri, and her fiance, Brandon, at Red Lobster. Being so close to the ocean made my cravings for seafood sky rocket. It was so fun talking with them and meeting Brandon for the first time.

That next day we woke up and walked down to this little restaurant for pancakes and eggs. It was such a nice walk right there next to the ocean. The weather was awesome and it was a great way to start the day!

After breakfast we went back to Nik's Aunt Macy's house (she was so kind to let us stay with her and Uncle Jim while in CA) to get ready for "Our Day in Oceanside." We went out to The Pier and walked around. There were fun little shops and food and we just...just had a blast being together with no worries for the day. There was a lite drizzle the whole afternoon which made for awesome cloud cover. Geez...it was just so fun! Here are some pictures of this fun day we had in Oceanside:

Me out on The Pier.
Look! Someone that donated money for The Pier has the same spelling as me! That is so awesome and rare I HAD to take a picture! woot woot! There were like 6 other Donna's on that pier...but mine was the best!

Us again. I love him!

Here is the Pelican Nik wanted as a friend. This picture was taken right before Nik almost got his hand bitten off. Pelicans are not friendly. whoops.

Nik and his new guitar we bought at one of the shops. Those are sprinkles in the picture so we had to hurry and capture this moment.

After we had fun on The Pier we were treated to dinner with Aunt Macy and Uncle Jim. We went to a pretty chill Mexican Restaurant for Happy Hour. It was nice getting yummy food for half off! They have really good nacho's there.

Uncle Jim, Aunt Macy, me, and Nik after dinner.

That next morning was New Years Eve Day so we were headed out for the wedding down in San Diego. Nik and I left early in the morning because we were afraid of rush hour traffic...but since it was kinda a holiday, there wasn't any. So we ended up getting to the San Diego Temple a whole hour before the bride and groom even showed up. It was a great day for Janessa and Travis and Nik and I were so happy to be a part of it!

After all the festivities were over it was time to ring in the New Year! Bring on Twenty-Ten. All us friends wanted to go out to dinner. There were 3 vehicles following each other around to find a place to eat...and when Josh's GPS sent us driving on the WRONG SIDE of THE ROAD...we lost one of the vehicles because they were actually paying attention to what was happening (unlike Nik and I) and made a quick turn to correct that bad decision. It was pretty scary seeing all these headlights coming towards us and a median to keep us from getting over easily to the correct side. So we did a quick U-ey. The other car with our friends decided driving around wasn't worth it and went and did their own thing. Josh and Kylee kept in front of us because they had the GPS with Sam and Bobbie...so we were following behind them thru 20+ minutes of driving and 8+ U-Turns trying to find a California Pizza Kitchen but the only ones around were at the Airport and Mall and we didn't want that. So finally we passed a Cheesecake Factory and decided that would end it all. No more driving! Well the wait was too long there so we went across the street to PFChangs. We waited about 30 minutes there and were seated. THANK HEAVENS. We had a FEAST and ate it ALL! What a fun night.

Josh and Kylee! (Thanks for the help, Josh in finding this place. It was quite the evening! Fun times in Cali.)

Sam and Bobbie!

Me and Nik!

The whole gang with our feast!

After dinner Nik and I went back to Oceanside and rand in the New Year there. That next morning we headed back home to Utah. It was a great trip. We had so much fun catching up with family and friends and we enjoyed getting away from the snow.

Look Back at 2009. April - July

2010-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Nik is home after serving an honorable & faithful 2 year LDS Mission in Tokyo Japan. April 29, 2009.

Our first hug in over 2 years.

Melissa and James got married May 30, 2009 and Nik and I were able to be there for them!

We were sealed (married) in the Mesa, AZ Temple for Time and All Eternity June 10, 2009.

Over at Paul and Mary's Family Party for Independence Day.

Out to Fireworks with Josh and Kylee.

Nik found Waldo!

Waiting for the Midnight Showing of HP6. Kinda bored?? Yep.

The Homecoming of Nik's Mission President...President Hill...

And his Mission Mom...Sister Hill.

Look Back at 2009. August-December

2010-01-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Out to Sushi with part of the Fam. We had a FEAST!

Our campsite...in our own little Living Room!

Hobo Dinners

Making S'Mores.

Out at Tucano's with Melissa and James. Great food. Awesome friends.

My first Homemade Apple Pie!!!

We began coupon clipping. We get 5 of the same Newspapers every Sunday. Crazy, yes.

First Haircut. Before.

After

Out to see New Moon on Thanksgiving Day with Amy and Sam.

Decorating Christmas Cookies with Christa and Camron.

In front of the Bellagio in Vegas!

Nik and I on the pier in Oceanside, CA.

Wonderful Families

2010-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

This past holiday season...or rather the last 6 months has really filled my heart with gratitude. I am thankful for many things...but to list a few:

The family I was born into.
They helped make me the woman I am today.
I am sealed to them forever and ever and I couldn't be happier.
My dad has always been a strong father to lean on and he has my best interest in mind at all times.
My mom is my best friend. She is someone who will just listen to me and not give advice to "help" because at times I don't want it...I just want ears to talk to.
Caren is my little sister who has been there for me through everything. We have a lot of common intersts...i.e. a nice truck with a beautiful sound system. ;)
Baylee makes me smarter everytime I see her. She always has some piece of random trivia to share with everyone. She is so smart!
Hannah keeps me on my toes. She is always making me laugh and says the most random clever things.
I love them all.

The family I married into.
They stood by me the whole 2 years Nik was gone.
They accept me for who I am.
I can feel their love for me.
Brian has made me feel like family as his second daughter since Nik and I started dating.
Randee is so fun to talk to. She is a great mother to Nik and everyone that comes into her home. I love not having to fear my Mother-in-Law. :) She is great!
Jake is such a big brother figure. He has always been so kind to me.
Amy is another sister that I love. She is so fun to talk to and I am so happy to have another sister so close to my age.
Sam is a crazy fun little boy that keeps everyone moving. I have never had a brother so it has been fun to watch him grow up these last 4+ years.

The family Nik and I created.
It has been so fun to live with and be married to my best friend.
We have had so many laughs together as we try to get this married thing down.
Nik is a wonderful husband (as cliche as that sounds). He makes me laugh so hard and he watches out for me. He holds me when I'm sick. He drives me around in the snow. He opens the doors for me. He is amazing and treats me the way that every girl dreams.

I was talking to Nik about this on our long drives this last week...and I find it amazing how our families are so awesome! Nik has always felt like a part of my family and every member of my family shows it. I was telling him how blessed I am to marry into a family that takes me under their wings like their own. I haven't had to worry about any In-Law problems. I love them so much. I know that Nik and I were meant to be together and because of our choices to get married and sealed in the Temple we have been blessed in so many ways.

I love my life!

If You Can Laugh Through It, You Can Live Through It.

2009-11-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

This is an oldie but a goodie.

I was about 6 years old, making Carrot (my sis Caren) 3 years old. It was a summer day so my dad was at work and my mom was stuck with us kids all day. She had to get ready for the evening or something like that so she picked up McDonald’s to keep us occupied and fed while she took a shower and got ready. Would you like to know what I had in my Happy Meal?? My family could tell you because this is what the whole story revolves around. I had Chicken McNuggets. YUM!

My mom headed into her bedroom to get ready and Carrot and I sat in the kitchen at the table eating our Happy Meals. I was a little bored and decided it would be fun to take a piece of Chicken McNugget and stick it up Carrot’s nose just to try to get it out later. She didn’t fuss, didn’t push away, didn’t fight at all…she LET me do it! She might have been 3 but I was only 6…so heck, we didn’t know any better. Haha.

I shoved a piece up here nose, just in the front part of the nostril, and then the part I was looking forward to the most was suppose to happen next – getting the nugget out. Hello! Operation was a game I was VERY good at. So as she sat there in the chair I ran around the kitchen getting forks, butter knives, toothpicks, and even tweezers from the bathroom. I tried and tried for a long time. I was using all those tools to try to get it out, I even made her blow out her nose while I pushed the unclogged nostril shut. That didn’t help either! I was beginning to panic because I knew my mom would not be happy with this.

After enough time went by and Carrot just sitting there patiently, I decided to knock on my mom’s door for help. She yelled through the door to find out what the matter was and I yelled back through “Caren stuck a chicken nugget up her nose and now it’s stuck!”

My mom came rushing out of her room and went straight for Carrot. She tried everything too and all it did was push the nugget up even further. She decided it would be best to rush her to the Cigna Healthcare for help. We got there and from what I remember, Carrot was just fine…other than the fact she had a clogged nugget-nostril. The nurse stuck a suction hose up to her nose and it pulled that nugget right out!!! WHEW!!!

Now, I did not confess to my mom that I was the one that actually put it up her nose until about 3 years ago. All this time she thought it was Carrot and it was so funny. Now whenever Chicken McNuggets are brought up, the family always gives me crap about it. Hahaha but it brings up good laughs.

As my subject lines says “If you can laugh through it, you can live through it” I am laughing and living…and I sure hope Carrot is now. Hahaha Poor girl. Word to the wise, never leave kids alone with chicken nuggets. :)

The Rude Awakening && Some Laughs

2009-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve never considered myself to be claustrophobic but in this last year I have found myself to be more and more scared of being trapped. This was all proven even more so this last weekend. Let me start from the beginning.

Saturday morning Nik and I woke up to find snow falling down ever so nicely and lots of snow on the bushes and cars across the street in the parking lots. It was so fun to look at that and realize we lived in a place that SNOWS! Snow is pretty and it is fun but I don’t like to be cold or wet…so we shall see how long I really think it is pretty and fun.

We finish getting ready for the day and around Noon we are ready to head out and run some errands. The snow had stopped and the snow on the bushes and cars had melted. I ran down to our parking garage to get the car while Nik finished getting ready. I brought the car up and parked it right in front of our door for an easy leave. The sky was blue and pretty and I thought it was going to be a great day out. WRONG! I ran inside to finish packing up my purse and waited no more than 2 minutes for Nik to finish up. We walked outside to get in the car…and it was SNOWING. HARDCORE!

Just a reminder…we are from Mesa, AZ and we were lucky enough to get an inch of snow 1.5 years ago that actually stuck to the ground. That was a crazy fluke. That never happens. So we do not like the snow, nor are we used to it. I was sooooo scared driving. I couldn’t see far ahead of me nor could I see too far behind me. The windows were fogging and so I to take care of that while making sure I got the snow off the windshield, so on and so forth. The snow was coming down so fast it would just sweep across the street. I felt soooo claustrophobic because I couldn’t see all my surroundings clearly. I was so afraid of getting in an accident. I HATED IT!!!!

Luckily we got to our destination safely and that storm only lasted about 15 minutes. Then it was clear blue skies the rest of the afternoon.

Did I tell you I hate snow and am not a big fan of Utah??? We are going to AZ for the holidays to thaw out. Thank heavens!

Onto the funnies. Nik and I stopped at Sally Beauty Supply to get some hair clippers so I can cut his hair, which turned out great! While we were checking out Nik decided to check out the little cheap items right there in front of the register. The one item was one of those collapsible brushes that you have to open up and then push the bristles out and then you can use it. Well, Nik opens it up but pushes WAY too hard on the bristles and snaps the brush, causing some of the plastic connector pieces to fling across the store and down the aisle. His face was priceless. My face was shocked. The cashier’s face was caught off guard. And all in all we couldn’t stop laughing. Nik ran over to get the plastic piece as I just stood there stunned at what just happened. The cashier was nice enough to not make us pay…it was only a dollar. No biggie. We got in the car and our sides were hurting so bad. I wish I would have been able to take a picture of his face when it happened. It was HILARIOUS! Then all throughout the day we would just randomly say “Remember the hairbrush?” and bust up laughing. We were laughing so hard we had tears streaming down our cheeks.

I am so happy to be married to my best friend who makes me laugh even when I am miserable because of the snow and being wet…all because of a hairbrush!

Friday Night Corner Help

2009-10-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

For my Birthday, Caren came up to spend the weekend with me and Nik. That Friday we decided to go get burgers at Five Guys (the BEST burger shop everrr) and then go to the movies and see Love Happens. In between events we had to kill time so we ran down to Walmart just to walk around. As we were leaving there was, and always is, some person on the corner asking for money or help or anything. Well this one guy was asking for any kind of help to get a job. Nik decided to pull over and tell the dude about his own job. We found out the guys name is Brady and he looked to be in his 30's or 40's.

Nik kept talking to the dude but was also holding up the line of cars trying to get out of the parking lot. As the cars behind us were honking and getting irritated, so was I. Our movie was about to start, people were getting mad at us, and I didn't really think the guy would actually take what advice Nik had to offer. I'm sorry. Don't judge me. This certainly has taught me a lesson on judging street corner people.

As people kept honking Nik decided to pull back into the parking lot and talk to the guy some more. I, yes unfortunately, mumbled some under my breath as we were going back to the parking lot. I understand and have 2 handfuls of family members that are currently seeking jobs or better ones then where they are currently. I understand that the job market is not the best and that many people are suffering. I am terribly sorry for my rash judgements towards this man. I didn't think he would do anything but keep sitting on the street corner.

Nik gave him the address to his office. Nik is a Supervisor for this company that sets up Realty Seminars. It is kinda like a telemarketing job and so the turn-around rate is very high. They hire anyone as long as they can speak and arrive to work on time. The pay starts around $8/hour but if you do well they are quick to raise you up. So the chances of this guy getting a job there if he showed up was high. Brady sounded like he was a good worker and he said the only reason he is out of a job was because the construction business is hurting and so he got laid off. He has a family back at home and just something to make money to put food on the table. I then started feeling so sad for him and immediately started helping Nik give him confidence about showing up to his office and that he would most likely get a job. Nik told him that Wednesday is the hire day and to be there at 11am.

We leave and go to the movie. I apologized to Nik for being so crabby about helping this man out. At least his sign wasn't asking for money but rather for a job of any kind. I should have been more kind.

Wednesday came around and when Nik got off work I asked him if Brady ended up showing up. He did! And even better...he got the job! But wait...it gets better...he shows up early each day and ends up signing a lot of people for the seminar. Brady is very good. I felt really bad and started crying because of the judgement I placed on this man from the street corner. He has now been there for over a week. He is doing very well. Nik will even get a bonus if the guy sticks around for a month! It looks like he will unless he finds a better paying job.

I now look at the those in need a little bit differently. Kind of changing the subject - When my mom was here visiting we passed by that same Walmart corner and there was a different person there. My mom hurried into her wallet and pulled out a few bucks. I asked her "Why did you give him money? Why not just run over to McDonald's (which was right next door) and get him some food? He is probably hungry." My mom then so calming and with such a caring attitude said "That man is hurting and he can use what he wants with that money. If he wants food, he can get it. If he wants alcohol, he can do it. It is up to him and he will be judged with what he does with the money he was given, not me." I never thought of it like that. The only reason I thought so horribly was because back home there was a homeless man on my street corner by Walgreens and he would get money and he would go get alcohol from Walgreens with it. That is what he did and so I haven't had the best feelings towards giving money to those people.

Anywho...LONG story short...I am so grateful for my husbands kind and loving personality. He is always willing to help people out. I am so very blessed to have a mother that is STILL an example to me and someone I look up to. I really do hope Brady can keep this job until he finds a better one. I pray for those out there that need help. I pray for my family and friends that are without jobs and are struggling. My opinions have changed and I am trying everyday to be a better person. We all need help. It is not our place, nor has it ever been or will it ever be to judge wether one is deserving of it or not. We need to give help and what others decide to do with that help will be up to them and we will be blessed for it.

Utah Residents...maybe.

2009-09-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

September 22nd I celebrated my 21st birthday. It was a beautiful day with a high around 70degrees. Lovely Utah weather. Well instead of doing something outdoors, Nik and I decided to celebrate by going down to the DMV to get Utah licenses and become residents...and...Nik is almost 23 and still doesn't have his 21-and-older I.D. so this was a time for both of us to get ours.
The DMV wasn't that bad. In fact it was fun. The old guy that helped me out was really nice and friendly and funny. He just wanted a friend to talk to and I guess I was that friend for 10 minutes.
Nik and I passed the multiple question test and recieved our temporary licenses until our real ones come in the mail. They then took our AZ I.D.'s and punched a hole in them to cancel them out but they still gave them back to us incase we wanted them as souviners...so heck, we love AZ and that is our "home" so we kept them.
After the DMV I wanted breakfast at IHOP so we ran down there and had some yummy cinnamon swirl french toast. After eating, we left to go to work and by this time it is 11AM but probably only 56-60degrees outside. This is important to know as I tell you the rest of the story.
We exit IHOP and all around us is shade. YES SHADE. Shade makes it colder because there is no sun. I am from AZ...I like the sun. I want the sun. Nik and I both immediately fold our arms and crouch down a bit as to try to keeps ourselves warm as we race to the car. We didn't think about jackets. Hello....in AZ people are still wearing tank tops and shorts. So we are freezing and Nik looks over at me and with the saddest little pouty voice ever asks:

"Can we go back to the DMV and have them take out the hole in our Arizona license?? I want to go home. I don't want to stay here. It's too cold."

It was the cutest and at the same time most sad thing I've every heard him say. lol. If only you could have been there to hear him. Heck! I totally agreed with him and told him we should go back right then! We hoped in the sun-baked car and let the heat from inside the car melt away our chills. We decided we would never use our sunscreen again for the car...we like it hot!
So...I am not too sure how we are going to survive the winters here but we are going to tough it out and finish our schooling. We are not quiters!!! I love Nik and how he makes me laugh in any situation. This was one of those when it was definitely needed.

Open Please!

2009-09-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Nik and I will be celebrating our 4th Anniversary since we started dating on the 24th of September. Don't get that confused with our Wedding Anniversary because we have just past the 3 month mark! woot woot. That being said....these past 4 years he has done nothing but treat me like a princess and now his queen. One thing he has always done and been very strict about is opening my doors. I do not open any doors when with him because this is one of the ways he likes to show me that he loves me and cares for me. For the first 1.5 years before his mission it was nice and fun getting use to having my doors opened so politely. Then he left for his mission and it was a little hard the first couple days REMEMBERING to open my own door and to not just stand there. lol. I finally got use to it and the 2 years of his mission went on. He came home and didn't even hesitate one second to open a door and would even give me a sad look when I would forget and open a door myself. Hello! He was gone for 2 years! I kinda got out of the habit. Anywho...needless to say, I haven't opened a door for myself when he is around ever since he returned.

Well, right after we got married we moved to Utah. We are all alone but are trying our hardest to make friends to change that. I do have family here and so does Nik but they are all about 30 minutes away, in opposite directions. So we do see them but not very often and not as often as I would like. So, what I am getting at is that when Nik and I aren't together, I am alone. I will go shopping at the mall alone or grocery shopping alone while he is at work. There are many things I do on my own and I open every door, no problem. Well yesterday my sister, Carrot (or rather Caren) came into town for my birthday and after dropping Nik off at work, we went to the mall to go shopping. Okay...so....I am not alone at this moment because Carrot is with me. Carrot and I get out of the car and walk up to the Nordstrom doors to enter the mall. We get to the door and I just STAND THERE. haha. I look at the door and then her as if I am waiting for Nik or someone to open it. I then burst out in laughter! haha. I wasn't alone at that time so my mind just automatically told me to wait and the door will open. hahahaha. I end up opening the door and explained to Carrot what the deal was. haha. Everytime I was with someone for the last 3 months, it was Nik and he would open my doors.

LOL! I hope you find this as funny as I do. I felt like a complete idiot! It was classic.

Oh wait! Later on that evening when Nik got off work we all went out to eat and then to see Love Happens. (great movie, btw) We go to the theater and this is one where you open one door and then you have to go thru another one right after that. Nik, of course, opened the first door so Carrot and I went in. We then stood there waiting for him to open the next door but he was still holding the first door for the other people behind us, because he is just that much of a gentleman. Carrot and I are standing there and it doesn't register in my head that Nik is not going to be able to open that next door until about 5 people gather into that same confined area as the two of us. So after it registers I rush over and reach for the door, which was completely weird, and I opened it for everyone else while laughing to myself. It was very funny. Carrot understood what was going on only because of the mall scene I put on and she was laughing as well.

Nik is so wonderful to me and to any lady he is around. I love that he cares this much for me and every other Daughter of God to do this. No other boyfriend has ever treated me the way he does and I love him even more for that. I could go on and on about him, but I think you catch my drift. Hope you enjoyed my funnies.

Open Please!

BOO!

2009-09-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay....let me start out by trying to describe out apartment layout to you...When you are in our bedroom you can walk thru the bedroom door to the living room and then take an immediate left into the bathroom...or...starting in the bedroom again, you can walk thru our walk-in closet and go into the bathroom thru the other door. Hopefully that makes sense...as our bathroom has two doors in it to walk all the way thru.

SO! That said....one night Nik and I were watching something on the TV in bed and it was really funny that I got hiccups from laughing so hard. When it was over I forgot I hadn't taken off my makeup nor had I put in my retainer. Nik was asleep so instead of opening our bedroom door to walk thru the livingroom into the bathroom that way, I walked thru the closet to get to the bathroom and quietly close the bathroom door behind me. I had the hiccups really bad. They were hurting my chest every time. I was trying to keep them quiet so I wouldnt wake up Nik but it wasn't working.

As I am done brushing my teeth, taking off my make up, and washing my face I am almost done getting ready for bed and heading back when all of a sudden Nik POPS open the living room entrance into the bathroom and SHOUTS "BOO!"
I SCREAMED bloody murder because he was suppose to be asleep!!! He was not suppose to hear me!!! And for all I knew it could have been an intruder scaring me in my bathroom!!!

After I am done screaming and Nik stops laughing, Nik explains he was trying to scare me to get rid of my hiccups. Well...hiccup...hiccup....they DIDN'T GO AWAY!!!! Nik couldnt stop laughing. He was practically on the floor! I was still scared out of my mind...oh and it being pasts 11pm I am pretty sure our neighbors LOVED him for that, just as much as I did!

haha....Now looking back....whenever either of us bring it up we can't stop laughing. I seriously thought someone broke into our apt and he just thinks it is funny I screamed so loud. UGH! hahaha. Nik was suppose to be sleeping!!!! HAHA.

Boo???

Slower Traffic Keep Right

2009-09-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ok....lemme tell ya....I am not the biggest fan of Utah drivers! They are always speeding and driving crazy and seriously I miss the speed cameras in AZ. When I was there in AZ I hated them but now they seem like a really good idea. Well I guess there is a law here in UT that does not allow for such cameras and it really ticks me off! Do you know how many red light runners I see on a daily basis?? At least 2! How about speeding?? Too many to count! This really scares me because what is going to happen when snow and ice come? The same thing!!! And of course there is never a cop around when you need one. So...here comes by story...

Nik and I live in Provo and on this one Saturday I was heading about 20 minutes south to Payson to help my Aunt paint her house that she is trying to sell. I am heading down the freeway and there is tons of construction. I watch for the speed signs because the last thing I need is for a ticket and especially a ticket in construction where the fines double for speeding. I finally find the speed limit sign and follow it going just a little over 5 mph over...I was trying to keep up with traffic.

Well the speed limit kept changing as I went in and out of construction. It goes from 55 to 65 to 75 to 55 and so on and so forth. I kept a pretty good eye out and always went 5 over what it said.

Sidenote: I got a ticket about 1.5 years ago for going 15 over...all because I wasn't paying attention and never saw the new speed sign. So a cop on a motorcycle on the other side of the road WAVED ME DOWN! He didn't even come after me with lights and all...he WAVED! Ugh! So I turned around to go get my flippin' ticket! I was afraid that if I didn't turn around he would come after me and I would get in even more trouble. DUMB! So yes, I got a speeding ticket and it was a nice $172.75 fine. Let me tell ya...I am very cautious now when it comes to speeding because I know what it does to your insurance, as that is my line of work. It scares me to death!

So...back to the story...I am driving along with traffic and as I turn a corner I freak out because I see a cop standing next to his murdercycle with a speed gun aimed at traffic. I was in the middle lane and hoped he wouldn't have caught me because I forgot how fast I was suppose to be going and what my actual speed was. I flipped out, let go of the gas pedal real fast, and couldnt keep my eyes off the rear view mirror to see if he was coming after me.

After staring for like 30 seconds behind me....HE WAS AFTER ME...LIGHTS AND ALL! I was shaking and tears started filling my eyes. I was trying to come up with some horrible excuse about some friend of mine in the hospital and I was her only friend so I had to RUSH there...but nothing was coming to mind. ugh! He is after me at full speed. Comes right up behind me for what felt like an ETERNITY!!! My heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and I was sweating.

After probably 15 seconds, he turned his blinker on and moved in the lane to the right of me and sped off. WHEW!!! He was after someone else. Now...I was freaking out but this time I was not going to "give in" and get a ticket like I did last time from a simple wave of the cops' hands. I was thinking that if he really wanted to pull me over he would put on his sirens and I would make him work for it! hahaha. Thank goodness it wasn't for me. whew! The whole rest of the drive I was shaking and so scared. Even when I got to my Aunt's house I was shaking and still short on breath. And let me tell ya....the whole 20 minute drive back home guess which lane I occupied. THE RIGHT! Yep. Let all them UT drivers pass me and get them some tickets!

But wait...the story doesn't end there! That night Nik and I went to West Jordan to visit one of his comps who is half Japanese and his mom would make us a traditional Japanese dinner. (Nik went to Japan for his mission so that is why this is cool to us). So...on the 40 minute drive there I was so worried about speed. We finally got our selves in the HOV lane and figured we would be safe. Only 15 minutes into the drive we saw a cop car coming full speed behind us with lights on and everything. GAH! My heart dropped - AGAIN! Luckily the cop was just trying to get in front of some other vehicles to be able to move across the lanes all the way to the right and off he went after some other dude. The thing was....the car he pulled over looked to be going the same speed as everyone else, so I don't know why he got pulled over and I never will...but if that cop just felt like picking him out of the crowd that was all going about 12 MPH over the speed limit...then the cop could have pulled ANY of us over...Nik and I INCLUDED!

GAH! Speeding scares me and the tickets that follow. Not a fan! Twice in one day....scary!!! So the right lane is my new favorite place to drive. I don't care...I will not speed....I will go a couple over the speed limit but I will not get myself another speeding ticket. They cost so much money and stay on your insurance for 3 years!!!

Sharing is Caring!

2009-09-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while but boy do I have some funnies to tell you!

Let's start with the usual dinner at the Berry House. Ok? I usually have the main meal made by the time Nik comes home and then when he gets home I finish the last stuff...veggies, fruit, salad, or anything else that is better fresh. Sometimes I will ask Nik for his help and this one particular time made me laugh the hardest.

I ask him to cook up the frozen green beans and so he started with getting the bag out of the freezer and getting a bowl down from the cupboard. He proceeds to put the frozen green beans in the bowl and puts them in the microwave. Once it beeps he pulls them out, puts some butter on them as well as salt and pepper. He brings the bowl to the table.

Notice how I never mentioned him putting the now cooked green beans on our plates or in separate bowls? That's right...because it never happened. We eat dinner and then before I know it I look over at him and this is what I see - Nik holding the green bean bowl up with one hand and a fork in the other, grabbing the LAST green bean out of the bowl! They were GONE! He sees me looking at him with a sad puppy-dog face as he puts the last one in his mouth. He then immediately looks down at the bowl and then back at me and realizes he ate them ALL! He smile with a mouth full of green beans and swallows. I asked "what about me?" in a sad little cute voice. He replies "I brought these over to share" and smiles again in a sorry but cute smile.

Hahaha I couldn't help but laugh so hard at that face and what he just did. It was the funniest thing ever. Lol. Yes, he really did mean to share but he was just enjoying them too much and ate them all. So every now and then when we have to share something I always joke about letting me ACTUALLY eat some of it or what not.

This same thing happened at breakfast one time. He had made waffles and brought everything to the table. He asked what I wanted to drink and I told him I wanted milk. Well, I'm not if it is this way with every male but with Nik he would rather keep it small and simple. So he grabs a big cup out of the cupboard and pours milk in it and brings it to the table. That's right, just one cup....a big one. Well I didn't really pay attention and need any milk to drink until later...and of course it was at the moment Nik takes the last sip of milk. I look at him with that same over-exaggerating sad face as I see there is no milk. He makes the same "whoops" face as he looks at the cup and then at me and then at the cup and back at me. haha. It was so funny I laughed hysterically again because this was the second time sharing wasn't really the best of options. haha. We both laughed for a long time.

I love my husband and how cute and funny he is. He is always making me laugh with the funny little silly things he does on purpose and not on purpose. He is all mine and I couldn't be any more happy!

Me? A New Wife? Must Be.

2009-07-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know what my problem has been ever since we got married...but I canNOT for the life of me read and follow a simple recipe. SIMPLE, I said.

It started with Monday's Sunshine Chicken. The recipe said to bake COVERED for 30 min and then UNcovered for 15. Guess what Dawna did...yep...UNcovered the whole time. Seriously...I felt like such a doof cuz the chicken didn't come out crispy like it should have and it simply told me what to do. duuuhhhh Dawna.

It's a good thing we ate out Tuesday night on our way to Harry Potter cuz it would have turned out a mess just as Wednesday ended up turning out.

So Wednesday comes along and I get home from work. I have 2 hours to get dinner made and then go pick up Nik from his job. I wanted to actually make something good rather than the norm - Mac & Cheese or Hamburger Helper. An idea popped in my head - CHILI! Yeah, baby! We got all the stuff for it, I just need to thaw out the ground beef. I go stick the frozen meat in the microwave and it starts heating up. Then I realized and figured the chili would taste much better with more time to simmer...so I decided I would make the chili another day and instead made some last minute recipe searches and came across Mini Meatloaves. All we needed was ground beef, onion, salsa, cheese, bread crumbs, and egg...oh and a muffin pan. Had all that! It cooks for 20-25 minutes, plenty of time before Nik gets off work. "Okay, Dawna...let's do this."

I take the thawed ground beef out of the microwave and chop up the onions. I decide - "Oh, ground beef and onions...you must brown them together. Okay I got time for this still." So I put them in a pan and turn the stove on. "Brown the meat and onions together...smells good. Can't forget the salt and pepper for taste. Yum!"

Once I am done with that, I put it in a mixing bowl so I can add the rest of the ingredients. Then I stick my hands in the bowl to mix it up and I think "hmmm...I don't remember it being THIS hot when I would make it with Mom and Carrot. I'll get a spoon." So I mixed away. Forgot the egg, but didn't realize that til after the fact.

I spray the muffin tin and think to myself, again, "I wonder why I have to spray the tin. The meat isn't going to stick. Oh well...I'll follow the instructions (or rather destructions) like I should." The meat mix goes in each hole and I place it in the 400degree oven. I wash the dishes during that 20minutes and then I take the meatloaf out.

"Hmmm...they are a little dark. I must have cooked them too long even though that was the shortest time possible. Oh well, gotta go pick up Nik."

I leave the house and I kid you not...1/2 mile into the drive I realize "IDIOT!!! You aren't suppose to BROWN the GROUND BEEF! DERRRRR" I laugh the whole way to Nik's office and on the way I call my Mom to share with her my funny new episode of "New Wife-ness" and we share a good HARDCORE laugh...but she tries to make me feel better and tell me that she is laughing WITH me and not AT me. Well truth be told...this ONE time...she was right. She was laughing with me. I couldn't believe myself.

Nik jumps in the car and I am still laughing. I told him everything and we were gonna eat it anyways cuz that was our dinner. He was laughing pretty hard too. He was happy I was laughing at myself too instead of crying over it. I must say I am very proud of myself for that reason.

We get home and eat it along with mashed 'tatoes and corn...I tried to not screw those up too much. Turned out good. I checked the recipe for the meatloaf and NO WHERE on the card does it say to BROWN the meat. No Where. I was just thinking "Onions and beef...must brown." I was also still in the mindset of CHILI!!!

Needless to say we are still alive and kickin'...comforting feeling, right? Twice Baked Meatloaf is a new Berry recipe!!! You should try it! NOT! hahah. But I will give you the recipe below of Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves. How you choose to make it is up to you...and as you see from my example...browning the meat is not a good route to take. :D Enjoy!

Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves
1lb Ground Beef
1/2 c. Finely chopped onions
1 egg
12 Saltine crackers or 1/2 c. Bread crumbs
1 1/2 c. Mexican Four Cheese
1 c. Salsa

1) Heat oven to 400degrees
2) Mix first 4 ingredients with 1 c. cheese and 1/2 c. salsa
3) Press evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.
4) Bake 20-25 minutes. Top with salsa and cheese and bake 3 more minutes until cheese melts.

Did you see any browning to do?? Nope...but you are more than welcome to do so! Twice Baked Meatloaf. YUM!

So...am I a new wife?? Must be!

The Beginning of a Beautiful Thing

2009-07-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

As Nik and I have spent almost 4 years together, the most recent verse of our song began on June 10th of 2009, so we decided it would be fun to share a blog as we write out this song ourselves.

Now let me explain why our blogger is ~CuzItsUAndMe~...because that song, 'You and Me' by Lifehouse is what Nik and I consider 'our song' and what we danced to as Husband and Wife for the very first time. It is a song with special meaning to us.

So give us time right now as we try to figure out this blogging thing.

We are excited to be able to connect and keep in touch with our family and friends this way.

Love you all!