Biking Adventure!

So I promised I would blog about my mountain biking trip with Dad the other day. I was super excited about going! I have been wanting to go for a bike ride for a while, but Malone doesn't have a bike, so I haven't really had anyone to ride with. Dad knew of alot of trails and such around here, so we decided to go to a trail up by warm river. The trail was thick with brush, narrow and rough, which made it hard to stay on my bike. I did get thrown at one point into a bush getting a few scratches on my leg, but I laughed about it. Dad was pretty far ahead of me most of the time, but we stopped and rested alot and got a few pictures of the beautiful landscapes. By the end of the trip I was drenched in sweat and exhausted. I guess I'm not in as good of shape as I thought!! Turns out though, my bike was in the wrong gear which made the ride twice as hard as it should have been. After the bike ride, we coasted back down to the car and we drove over to the upper and lower Mesa falls. It was the first time I'd been there and it was really beautiful!! I thoroughly enjoyed my ride with Dad and spending time with him. He and I don't get a chance to do much just the two of us. I hope that we will ride again soon!! This time in the right gear haha.

Beautiful scenery!!!

Dad is waaaay up there!!

Townhouse?

That's right! Our secret is out. Malone and I have been looking into getting a townhouse. We figured since we'd be here a few more years and as high as rent is going, we might as well invest and build equity while we're here. So we've been looking at our options and see if it's even possible for us to afford it. We've narrowed it down to three here in Rexburg that we really like. One is a little above our price range, but it's SO beautiful. Malone and I fell in love with it! It's a little bigger than we need (4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths) and it has an attached garage and a basement. Tons of room and just beautifully built. It's right next to the church on a quiet street close to the neighborhood we're in now. The second one we like is actually right next door to the first one, exactly the same except it's a little smaller with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The third one is down the street in a different neighborhood, but it's also a 3 bedroom 2.5 baths with an attached garage. They're all similar, just the size varies and the floor plans are different, and of course the prices are different. All the ones we're looking at are BRAND NEW.

It's super exciting to think that we might be able to do this and actually have SPACE of our own! But I'm trying not to get my hopes up because there's still a chance it may not work out. I hesitated to even tell anyone about it since it's still an unsure thing. The bad part about this is we have no apartment as of the end of this month since our contract is up and we don't want to renew or move into another one. So, my parents are letting us stay with them while we're in between... Sound familiar to anyone? haha. Malone and I will be staying there during the 7 week break for sure. Hopefully by the next semester we'll be in our own home of some kind. Exciting huh?

Speaking of next semester... I just registered for my LAST SEMESTER AT BYUI!!!! That's right! I applied for graduation and from what I can see, everything is on track like I planned. So, technically I only need 6 credits to graduate and then I'm DONE. What then you ask? I haven't got a clue! But I'd like to start up my own business doing illustrations/window painting/ wall murals/whatever else i can get my hands on, so we'll just wait and see. It'd be nice if I could actually make some good money doing what I love... just imagine that! Not a whole lot of people can say that haha.

Malone's still in school for a couple more years. This semester has been a rough one for Malone. He's been so busy with work it's hard to make time for school sometimes. I've been doing my best to help him out with his writing class (since English is the only subject he's taking that I can actually help with! Everything else is hard). We'll both be glad when this semester is over, which is in 2 weeks!

Lately I've been riding my bike alot more. It's been super fun, but Rexburg is a little boring. So the other day I asked my Dad if he knew about any good trails in the area. As we got to talking, we decided to go on a bike ride together up by Warm River tomorrow. I'm pretty excited! But a little nervous since I'm not in the BEST shape ever. I think Dad might kick my butt, lol. We'll see. Wish me luck! I'll take pictures.

Independence Weekend!

It's been an interesting holiday this year. Since the 4th of July landed on a Sunday, Independence day has lasted all weekend. Fireworks have been going off Saturday, Sunday, and Monday as well as lots of parades and such. So, it's been an Independence Weekend.

Malone and I had a good time this weekend just taking it easy. Malone had to work Saturday morning, so he couldn't go to the parade with me. I didn't feel like driving all the way to the IF ones by myself to be with my family, so I just jumped on my bike and rode to the Rexburg parade. I was by myself, but it was fun to experience the parade on a bike and just cruise around to all the stands and just enjoy the splendor! I am a people watcher, so it was fun for me to watch all the kids having a blast and watching the parade as I rode. It was pretty cold first thing Saturday morning, so most people were wearing jackets, long pants, and blankets. I rode my bike all the way to Broulims where Malone was working. I surprised him with a delicious Jamba Juice and a little visit from me! It was fun hanging out with him at work since it was extremely slow (everyone was at the parade). Eventually I made the journey back home and relaxed till Malone got off work. Later on Malone and I went to my parent's for a BBQ. It was way fun! Dad was grilling burgers, hot dogs, and brats listening to 50's music while everyone was getting ready for the picnic outside. It was like a picture perfect little family get-together. After lunch, we played some volleyball and kickball. My neice Claire and my brother Parker got nailed with the kickball by my dad (who felt so bad!!), which quickly ended the game... afterwards we had a cherry pit spitting contest.

We hung out for and cooled off downstairs for an hour or two and eventually decided to light off some fireworks. We had about 4 or so of us lighting at the same time so it was a constant show for about an hour! We even managed to get Parker to light some fireworks (he was really nervous about it at first!). Malone and I had to go a little early since he had to run back to work. But I think we both had a really good time, even though we ended up foregoing the big IF Fireworks this year, which is my favorite part.

On Sunday, Malone and I went to church and ended up hanging out at home for the day. While at church, I was overwhelmed with this feeling of gratitude. It may have been because it was July 4th, but it was a neat feeling. I am just so grateful for everything that Malone and I have been blessed with. I am so happy to be a member of the church and to have the knowledge of the gospel, and to be able to have the opportunities to grow and to learn. I am so happy to be married to such a wonderful man who works so incredibly hard, honors his priesthood, and makes me so happy everyday. I am always amazed at how blessed we are and how Heavenly Father always provides for us. Money is always tight and sometimes we don't know where our next meal is coming from, and somehow we always have everything we need in the end. We have two cars, a nice apartment, food in our cupboards, we're both healthy and happy, and we have jobs. Not everyone can say that and I am so grateful. I know that we are being watched over all the time. I am so grateful for our family and friends. We have such amazing families.

I am grateful for the men and women who fought and those who fight today for our country and for the freedoms we enjoy. These men and women sacrifice so much. They sacrifice their time, their health, they sacrifice being away from their spouses and children for months to years at a time. I don't know if anyone can fully appreciate what these men and women do for us everyday.

Thanks to everyone who loves and supports us. We love you all and wish you the happiest 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July!!