Newer House

It has been so long since I have posted anything and part of that can be blamed on my lack of internet connectivity and not having my desktop hooked up, for that matter.

We finally moved into our new house! It is not exactly brand-new but it is new to us. We moved in mid November and we are currently in the middle of remodeling the top floor. While it is less than stellar (or even livable, the only complete rooms are the bedroom and the bathroom) it is nice having all the space for storage, the parking space, a beautiful gigantic backyard (we have over half an acre!) and of course a new washer and dryer that I don't have to put change in to operate!

This is the front of the house-- we know, it is a mess. The previous owner TRIED to xeriscape the yard, but his weak attempt is now our eyesore. The only thing we can do now is wait until spring to fix the curb appeal.

At the moment we have no kitchen. The house was built in 1953 and the last time the kitchen was remodeled was in the 70s, we think. A new kitchen was much needed. We tore out the old cabinets, flooring and some walls to make room for our new kitchen, which will be completed mid January. We also bought all new living room furniture but have yet to set any of it up and our couches are still in their delivery plastic. Not only is our new house unorganized but it currently has a layer of drywall dust from the kitchen demolition.

The only thing in the front room that has been redone and is complete is the fireplace. It was originally a mossy green (seen here) and now it is a beautiful mahogany-brown color. We stripped it, sanded and stained it. It is my favorite thing we have done so far... I wish I had a picture of the after so you could all believe that one day this house will be amazing, it might just take a few months.We knew when we bought this house that it would be hard work, so far it has been a pain and when the house is done you are all invited over for cocktails.

More pictures coming soon. Or when I have the tools and time for it.

I can not believe October is almost over. So much has happened in the last few weeks that it is hard to believe that this is my life. Garrett and I are in the process of purchasing our first home and it has been quite a wild ride, but an exciting one nonetheless. Our realtor, Megan Herrick, has been awesome and we are so glad that there are honest, hard-working people out there to help us make such a huge and time-consuming decision. We have not closed on the property yet, so unfortunately it is still a waiting game with all the inspections and paperwork. All I can say is that the house is in Holladay and I will post pictures as soon as we actually buy it.
I am still actively looking for a job and I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It may just take a while to get there. I am bummed out, however, about November coming and me still being professionally unemployed.
This past week has also been emotional for me as one of our close family friends' son passed away. I grew up with this kid, and though a few years younger, I was deeply saddened by his very untimely passing.
I have been taking life very seriously this week and all I can think about is that I don't know if I would ever be able to make it through a situation like that. You raise a child for almost 19 years and so quickly he is gone. The thought is painful and unbearable. No mother should ever have to bury their child.
My lamentations this week have a caused me to think deeply about my own life and how blessed I am for every facet of it. I am so damn luck to live this life and be surrounded with people that love me.

You will be greatly missed...
Chris Erick Despain
Oct 28, 1990 - Oct 21, 2009

Kitty

Time just goes way too fast these days. I feel like I have been graduated forever and I still don't have a real job. I have been trying so hard to find one, but this market is very discouraging.
So, because I only work part time I got a kitten.
I have been wanting a pet for a very long time. I thought I would get a dog before I would ever consider getting a cat, but cats are more independent and don't require as much time as a dog would.
We are still thinking about his permanent name but we've been calling him Charlie. He is so adorable, I can't get enough of him.

Three & Twenty Eight

I know I'm late but...

We celebrated this week,

3 years of bliss.




28 years young.



Everything that I could ever want.
Everything that I'll ever need.


I love you more.

MEHICO

The second half of the trip was amazing. It was SO humid and my hair was out of control most of the time. That being said, I would most definitely say that I look stunning in ALL of these vacation photos. Here are some highlights.

In front of Cortes' house. Note to the Mexican government: Don't worry, these are just 15th century walls and cannons-- go ahead, let everyone walk all over and touch everything. It's cool, they won't get ruined or vandalized. Notice the lovely prostitutes in the background.











Fort San Juan de Ulua. So effing HOT and uncomfortable. Yes, I am sweating profusely in this picture.

Me and Gar ran up the Cerro de las Culebras one
morning and it was absolutely beautiful.
This is where my mom grew up.





















On our way to El Tajin ruins we had a little cabin fever and stopped at a roadside hut to buy Cold Coconuts, aka, Cocos Frios.
Don't drink and drive kids.

After 4 long hours in the car, we finally made it to El Tajin. During the ENTIRE time (almost 2 weeks) in Mexico, this was the only time I saw other American tourists. The sign where you pay for admission was pretty funny. The English translation was a bit off. Notice the third bullet, ha ha ha! I couldn't stop saying this afterward. We got in free because we have different abilities... and we had our student IDs.

This is Sparky. He lives at the awesome eco-lodge we stayed at. You can't tell from this picture, but he has a crippled leg because he got hit by a car when he was a street dog. Miraculously, his foot was saved from amputation with acupuncture. Then after his adoptive American owners built this place, they let him become the watch/guard dog for the property. Apparently he will sleep by each door of each guest for a portion of the night, but because we were the only people there that week, he slept by our door all six nights. He knew not to come in our suite and he never barked. What a sweet soul.











Picking pomegranates at my great-aunt's house. She saved them for us so that we could pick them off the tree! How deliciously thoughtful.


El Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa. A bunch of old things in cases. Also, Garrett meets his long lost Mayan twin.


Teocelo Falls and my mom holding a chicken.













AND...
This is a picture of a photo from my great aunts house. WHO is that gigantic baby in the middle with the 80s band hair?!!!

Big Fat Mexican Wedding

I came back last week from Veracruz, Mexico. While there, I attended my first Catholic/Mexican wedding, visited family I'd never met, and spent a good amount of time relaxing. The first leg of the trip I was with my mom, that was the wedding part. Garrett came later, that was the relaxing part of the trip. The whole thing was great, we got to do everything that I had planned and wanted to do, plus more.
First the wedding:
Me, Enrique, Claudia and Mom, just after the ceremony.

As part of the reception there was some bride and groom hazing performed by friends and family members... I know, wtf? My thoughts exactly.








Then a short while later, it turned into a rave-esque party, complete with balloons and glow sticks, just as everyone was getting tipsy. I also made a slew of high school buddies. My new friends were all pretty wild, in fact they were the life of the party.


Even mom danced, and she hadn't had a single drink all night.


I had a great time and the wedding party finally ended around 1 am. I went out with Claudia's daughter, Rebecca, and her high school friends. All of whom were adorable, and so drunk. For some reason they all had a hard time believing that I was 23 and graduated from college.

More pics soon...

My Former Life

The other day I was transferring all of my documents and pictures from my hard drive to flash drives because I have this feeling that my beloved desk top HP is gong to die soon. And mama don't wanna be left with no proof that her life outside of Utah never happened.

I stumbled on this.










Yes, I am wearing a head mic and those skankalicious ruffles on my chest are real and i am wearing a choker. And yes, I wore this ensemble in public twice a day for three months at one point in my life.
All I can think about when I see this picture is that I was not the person I was in high school, nor was I the person I am today. It is unreal to me that in the past five years I am so different and in a completely opposite place in my life than I would have ever imagined. I am so grateful for life experiences.
Even if they are embarrassing only a few short years later.