Alot of NEW can be exhausting!

So we officially closed on our first home August 18th! It was such an exciting day. Malone and I have been living in one bedroom apartments for two years, and now we have a three bedroom house! I never thought it was possible for people in our circumstances to have the opportunity to own a beautiful home like ours. I have felt so overwhelmingly grateful and blessed. It makes me want to do everything possible to continue receiving such wonderful blessings. We were also lucky to have family around that could help us move in! That helped out TREMENDOUSLY! Within two hours, we were moved in thanks to all those helping hands. Thanks guys!

Since Malone and I knew we'd be closing, we have been searching for a little someone to be in our family... a new puppy!! We had decided on getting a certain breed, Miniature Pinschers, for sometime. The other day I just so happened to stumble across a woman who was selling some pups for a really great price right here in Rigby! Malone and I went over there, and I instantly fell in love! They were 41/2 months old, which were a little older than we had wanted... but they were so sweet. I couldn't choose between two of them, and then the woman gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. Two for the price of one! Without thinking, I said YES. We brought home two boys, Altivo and Tulio. We got the names from the movie The Road to El Dorado... lol.

Now that it's been about a week, I've been reminded of how much work puppies are. I have to keep a constant eye on them so they won't mess on the floor, or chew on something they shouldn't, or keep them off the furniture, etc. It's been hard getting any unpacking done because I'm so stressed about them making doo doo on my brand new carpet... I'm starting to wish I had thought this through more before we got them. But, then again, they have their sweet sides too. When they are ready to relax, they are great cuddlers. Not to mention, they tend to do the funniest things. They like to sneak up and attack each other, like a pouncing cat. Pretty entertaining. I just hope that they'll calm down eventually. I worry that we may have taken on too much all at once, and we'll end up having to give one of the boys up. I'm not sure how happy they'll be once school starts and Malone and I are busy with our schedules again. We won't have as much time at home with them. **sigh**

It's been a stressful week to say the least. First the dogs, then moving, then trying to settle in the house with dogs. But I did get to celebrate my 24th birthday Thursday! After work, my mom took me shopping and out to lunch. She got me some much needed shoes and some school clothes. That night Malone had to work and I didn't want to party without him, so we planned on a real party for Sunday when my brother and his family could come also. So that night my sister Ashley made me some delicious blueberry cheesecake ( my favorite!) and we played Settlers of Cataan. Malone was able to get off early which was a nice surprise. Sunday everyone got together and we played games and had steak and funeral potatoes ( also my favorite) with some delicious banana cake (yum

We're getting a HOUSE!!!!!

It's true! We close on the 18th (Wednesday). Malone and I have been looking into getting a house for about 2 months now. We've been throwing away thousands of dollars a year in rent and we just couldn't help but wonder if there was a better alternative... turns out, there is! We were able to talk to a broker and a lender and we were able to get an affordable loan on a brand new townhouse! We got a loan through USDA. It's a subsidized rural development loan. So basically, our payements are dependant upon our income. Since we have a lower income, we were approved for a $157,000 loan. We found a townhouse in Rexburg and got a great deal for $143000. The government helps pay our mortgage, so we only have to pay $518 a month! That's lower than RENT! We have to pay an HOA, which bumps payments up to almost $600, but still, that's a good deal. Our interest rate is a fixed rate at 4.6%, which is a great deal. Long story short, we are closing on this townhouse on Wednesday and we're completely stoked!! It's a brand new home 3 bedroom 2.5 baths, 13,800 sq feet, and includes an attached garage, stainless steel appliances, knotty alder cabinets, tiled bathrooms, tiled kitchen floor, walk-in closet, master bath with double sinks, a laundry room, and more! With the purchase of the townhouse, we also receive a free flat screen TV!

I never thought it'd be possible for a young married couple like us to have such a great opportunity to have a beautiful place of our own so early on in our marriage. I feel so blessed! Malone and I are planning on having some kind of party once we're all moved in...since we'll have ROOM to invite people over now!

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!!

Hate being sick...

So this past week has been, well, simply horrid! Last Sunday, I started getting this really sore throat and had alot of mucus running down my throat. My "cold" just got worse and worse to the point where I was hoarse and couldn't stop coughing. I started getting head aches, body aches, light fevers, and chills. I went to work and school all week anyway and just endured through it with no voice and feeling completely miserable. But by the time Friday came around, I couldn't take it anymore. So I convinced Malone to take me to the Dr. After spending maybe 15 minutes in the office, I walked out of there with a prescription for antibiotics and some steroids to treat laringitis and bronchitis, in hopes of preventing minor pneumonia. So what may have started out as a cold, turned into something much worse. In the past I have bragged about how I never get sick, except maybe a cold or something. Well, I jinxed it this time. I'll never brag about my good health again! Since I've been taking the medicine, my sore throat is gone, no more aches or chills, I'm not coughing as badly as before, and my voice is recovering. I am so glad I didn't wait another week to get into the doctor. I just hope I didn't get anyone else sick!!

Other than the "health" theatrics, things have been alright with Malone and I. I had an interview with the hospital 2 weeks ago for a secretarial position in the education department. I just found out a couple days ago that I didn't get the job. It would have been so great for us too. It had great pay, part-time hours, offered benefits, and it was right here in Rexburg only a few minutes from our apartment. I've applied at a few other places, but nothing yet. Malone also has a chance at a job in Idaho Falls as an assistant for a Mechanical Engineer, which would give him a great opportunity to get some experience in his field. We're still working on that though, so we'll see how it goes.

Right now we are looking for a new apartment... again. Yeah, rent is going up and it just isn't worth it. So we're looking at our options and hoping to find something soon.

Happy Mothers Day!

Mothers Day was on Sunday. Malone and I were invited to have dinner over at his sister's house in Sugar City. The food was so good and his family was wonderful! And then after that we were able to go down to my parents house and visit. Overall it was a good mothers day. My mom actually gave ME a mother's day gift, even though I'm not a mom. It was a potted plant that I can put by my front door. It was pretty! I've been wanting one, so it was nice.

I am so grateful for my mom and mother-in-law. Both are such great ladies. If I could be half as great as them then I'll be set! I have to personally thank my mom for her love and patience she's always had for me. I have not been the easiest daughter to raise, I'm sure. But now that I'm married, I've got a whole new perspective on what it means to be a wife and mother. And it has finally hit me what a wonderful mother I have. When I was younger I never appreciated or understood why she did the things she did . I never understood her at all, really. But now I do, and I am so grateful for everything she has taught me. She has been such a wonderful example in so many ways. I know that she is the best mom in the whole world. I hope that I can be a good mom like her someday. But until then, I can practice being a good wife like her. Thanks mom for all that you have done and still do for me everyday. Thank you for your prayers, love, and patience. I love you so much!