I'm A Believer!

I've heard many people say that they find great deals on sites like KSL and craigslist, but I just didn't get it.  Every time I looked, people were trying to sell 12 year old stuff for $50 less than I could buy it new.  (Granted, I'm pretty good at finding deals.)  If you add in drive time, and the stress of fitting it into our car, it just wasn't worth it.  However, my horrible oven FINALLY kicked the bucket a couple of months ago and now... I BELIEVE -

I picked up this beauty for $375!  (Please don't tell me if you've found a better deal, because then I'll have to figure out a way that mine's somehow better , and if I can't do that then I'll lose sleep, and probably end up in therapy...it's ridiculous!)  I had to get cleaning tips from the lady I bought it from because it was SPOTLESS! (She used rubbing alcohol, BTW)  I totally would have believed her if she had said that it had never been used.  We've been having fun making pizza, cookies, etc.  Love it!  I'll be visiting KSL a lot more frequently now that I know there actually are great deals to be found.  (Randall will be so THRILLED!) ;)

Second Honeymoon

Randall and I had a long argument discussion about what we should do for our 10th anniversary.  We wanted to do something AMAZING since it's a big anniversary, so we discussed several options.  Randall's been wanting to do a road trip to Oregon (where he served his mission) for a long time.  I also would love to go there, but it think it sounds like a fun trip to take the kids on. I also noticed that round- trip tickets to New York were only $200, and I've always wanted to go there...

We even considered doing a repeat of our Honeymoon. On our honeymoon we stayed at the Anniversary Inn for two nights (the Hayloft room and the Swiss Family Robinson room), then we drove to California and went to Magic Mountain for the first day. We stayed on the Queen Mary the next night (Randall's favorite) then proceeded down to San Diego for a few days. I lost my temple recommend on our wedding day (found it months later in my WINTER coat pocket), but fortunately the temple worker called my bishop so that we could do a session at the San Diego temple while we were there. I'm SO GLAD it worked out, because the temple is SO BEAUTIFUL inside and out. We also explored the old mormon batallion historical sites.  We proceeded to Vegas and stayed at the Excalibur for the first night, then a hotel close to our reception the following night.  I LOVED our honeymoon, but we just went to southern California last year, and again, that's a doable trip with the kiddos...

Well, after calculating how much each trip would cost, we decided that if we're going to spend a lot of money anyway, we might as well gooooo - to Hawaii!  I spent HOURS planning out every detail of our trip.  What day we were going to Pearl Harbor, where we'd go snorkeling, what are the best restaurants on Oahu... I searched for the best possible deals on hotels and airfare, and when I was about to reserve our plane tickets I got a HORRIBLE feeling.  I seriously felt SO homesick, even though I was at home.  It was really weird, but I realized that I just CAN'T leave my babies for that long when they're this little.  The older ones I wouldn't worry about as much.  As a matter of fact, when I asked Carter where we should go,  first he said: "Someplace romantic," then he followed that up with:  "Wherever will take the LONGEST."  He was totally excited for his sleepovers.  I knew the little ones would be fine too, I just could NOT make myself buy those tickets!  I sheepishly approached Randall and told him my feelings.  At this point he just threw his hands in the air and said, "Whatever you want, honey."

I figured that 3 nights away from my kids was probably the max I could do right now, and I couldn't see going to any of the places we discussed for less than a week.  Not to mention that the main thing I want to do at this point of my life is SLEEP, and if I went someplace awesome, I'd feel guilty napping instead of going out and seeing the sights.  Therefore, I we decided a "staycation" would work best for us.  We've stayed at the Anniversary Inn and the Alaskan Inn lots of times throughout our marriage.  I LOVE them because they have huge jetted tubs, and they bring breakfast to your room in the morning. (Seriously, why don't more hotels do this?)  We decided to stay at the Anniversary Inn for 2 nights, and the Alaskan Inn for the third night.  Our actual anniversary was my favorite day of the "trip."  We did a session at the Salt Lake Temple (where we were sealed), ate lunch at the Garden, watched the Joseph Smith Movie, then stayed in the same room that we stayed in on our wedding night.  It was SO NICE to walk around the temple and remember our wedding day.  The weather was gorgeous this year, which is how I thought it would be for our wedding, but oh well...

Don't we look EXACTLY the same as we did ten 10 years ago? ;)

 

(At The Garden Restaurant.  Randall's kicking himself for not moving that chair.)

Our cabin at the Alaskan Inn. 

The next day we slept in (HOORAY!), went to a movie, had dinner at the Oaks Restaurant in Ogden Canyon, then checked into the Alaskan Inn.  I wish I would have taken some pictures at The Oaks, because we sat out on the patio by the river while we ate our dinner.  It was really beautiful, and a fun little place to go.  Our "staycation" may not have been as AMAZING as Hawaii, but it was exactly what we needed right now.  We WILL go to Hawaii someday...maybe our 15th...17th...only time will tell! 

Happy Anniversary!

     I've been wanting to write down our dating story since before we got married. So now, in honor of our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, I'm actually going to do it!  It will be long, and undoubtedly boring for all of you...so I apologize.  I believe I've mentioned before that we met at Laura's wedding because D and Randall were previous mission companions. The rest of our initial dates are pretty memorable because it was a long distance relationship and our "dates" were actually weekend vacations.

Our First Date

     We met at my Grandpa's house, and then I rode with Randall over to Cari's for a barbecue.  I remember thinking that I was oddly comfortable being alone with this boy that I'd only said 2 words to previously.  AND that he had ADORABLE dimples.  We ate dinner in the backyard with Cari, Roger and their kids Steven and Meghan, Laura and D, Tara and Jay, Alexis and Dave, Jenny and Christian and their two kids Mrysa and Brock.  After dinner we watched the boys play basketball for a little while. (He was showing off, and I liked it.) Then we held hands while we walked through Wheeler Farm.  Well, technically I was holding one of Mrysa's hands and he was holding the other, but yeah...
Fun Fact:  If we all got together today there would be 27 kids running around!

Our Second Date/The Cabin

     After such a short acquaintance, I was shocked to hear that Laura had invited Randall to go to the cabin with us a few weeks later.  I was surprised that he was actually coming, but also excited and a little nervous that he would see me in my "cabin state."  I packed a few beauty products that I normally would NEVER bring to the cabin, and looked forward to seeing him again.  He rode down with my Aunt Janette, Uncle Glen, and cousin Amy.  We played Nerts (back when he would actually play games with me), Mission Impossible (back when we all could still run without injuring ourselves), Leg wrestled (Who's brilliant idea was that?), hiked (held hands briefly for real this time), and heard ALL of my embarrassing moments shared lovingly by my family members (Did they WANT him to NEVER talk to me again?), which can be found here.  I remember feeling a little sad watching him drive away with my relatives. 

Utah trip

     At this point, my friends were very interested in meeting this mysterious "blind date."  So Lindsey, Julia, and I planned a trip to Utah. We went to the Salt Lake Temple and watched The Testaments (which Randall was late for, by the way), went bowling with some of Randall's friends, and went to Music and the Spoken Word at the tabernacle (held hands again...he was a fast mover).  :)

California Trip

     My friends Lindsey, Julia, Leah, Randy, Ryan, and I decided that we wanted to plan a California trip and go to Magic Mountain and the beach.  I invited Randall to come with us.  It was a little weird to be with him AND my friends for some reason.  Probably just because my friends and I were constantly together for years and were very comfortable, and when Randall was there I felt like I had to make sure he was comfortable and entertained all the time.  Or maybe it was just a blatant reminder that if I actually ended up with this guy I'd have to leave my friends and move 400 miles away.  I don't know. 
     The first day we went to Magic Mountain and Randall dragged me on a ton of rides that I would have sat out if he weren't there...but it was really fun.  I don't exactly remember how this happened, but later that night Randall hopped in the shower and I went to the hotel pool. (To get something I'd accidentally left there earlier maybe?)  My HILARIOUS "friends" decided to quickly take off while I was gone so that Randall and I would have some "alone-time."  Unfortunately, they were unaware that I hadn't taken a key to my room, or that Randall takes RIDICULOUSLY long showers.  Therefore, I was locked out of my cheap hotel room in the middle of the night.  I banged on Randall's door, which only alerted our creepy middle-aged neighbor that I was locked out.  He came out of his room and kindly suggested that I come into his room and wait.  Ummmm, no thanks!  After another 20 minutes (SERIOUSLY LONG SHOWERS) our kind neighbor came out again and encouraged me to come watch The Gladiator with him.  Yeeeeahhh, NO WAY!  Fortuntaly Randall was FINALLY out of the shower and let me in.  Then came the part that my friends knew I had been avoiding...I was alone with Randall!  To somewhat explain myself, I didn't see our relationship really going anywhere (because he lived so far away, and I had already planned to marry someone that was on his mission) so I didn't want to kiss him.  Well, my friends had other ideas and they ended up working out.  We shared our first kiss that night.
     The next day we went to Santa Monica Boulevard and rented tandem bikes to ride to Venice beach.  I was feeling kind of sick (probably from all of the crazy roller coasters I rode the day before) so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise...but it was still a fun day.  It was actually my first time ever seeing the ocean in my life. 
DISCLAIMER:  I apologize to my mother (and Randall's) who probably didn't know that we were alone in a hotel room that night (for a very short time) or approached by a creepy middle-aged man for that matter.  And to my kids - No, you can't go on an overnight trip with your friends. ;)

(Riding the parking lot tram at Magic Mountain)

Meeting the In-laws

     At this point in our relationship, I was a little stressed.  I was REALLY starting to like Randall (I mean, have you SEEN his dimples?) and I wanted to cut him off before it got too serious.  I was NOT going to leave my friends and family/school/work and move to Utah so why continue this relationship?  I planned to break up with him on my next trip to Utah.  Randall had initially told his family (after the cabin trip) that I was definitely marriage material, but was getting tired of my distracted/friend-absorbed ways.  He was considering breaking up with me as well.
     Well, the time came and I was back in Utah, only this time he planned to introduce me to his family.  His sister Jackie was blessing her baby Katelynn, so the whole family was getting together.  I was obviously nervous, but they were all AMAZING.  I felt SO comfortable and seriously loved them all IMMEDIATELY.  Needless to say, I postponed the break-up...

     This is when the trips start to mix together in my brain.  We were together as much as possible even though I was working as a substitute teacher AND at the Safekey office PLUS going to UNLV full time for elementary education.  Randall was working lots of hours for Sew What, sometimes even overnight.  Neither of us were getting nearly enough sleep but we were really enjoying the time we had together. 

(At Tara's Wedding)

     We had a few interesting (Randall would say frustrating) phone conversations during this time.  During one conversation Randall said: "Well, I know I love you and I want to figure out a way to be together."  I was a bit surprised, so I responded "Well, what if I love you too?"  I thought I was pretty tricky, but I didn't fool anyone.  I only had to think about it for a couple of seconds and I could honestly say that I loved him, but I just hadn't thought about it yet!  At least he knows I didn't just say it light-heartedly!  He still teases me about that to this day. That along with a conversation we had where he started talking about marriage. I MIGHT have mentioned that I still feel like a little girl, and I didn't know if I was mature enough to get married.  To be honest, I still don't feel mature enough!
     I was truly conflicted at that time, because I only had a semester left of school and student teaching.  I loved my jobs, and obviously my family and friends in Vegas.  I couldn't imagine moving to Utah, even though I had lots of family there.  I remember my friend Marie (who was already married), encouraged me to focus on what's REALLY important.  Actually ALL of my family and friends had already recognized what a great person Randall was.  I think I was just afraid he was too good to be true.  I just KNEW he must have some hidden problem that would end up making me miserable for the rest of my life.  I was really paranoid about men, and had always planned to marry someone that I had known for YEARS to be sure that they weren't just putting on an act until after the wedding.  Fortunately, I was eventually able to put my fears behind me and move forward with our relationship.

(Right before we went to General Conference at the Conference Center, October 2001) 

     We got engaged over Thanksgiving weekend in 2002 and I moved in with my sister Cari after Christmas that year.  It was SO nice to be able to see each other all the time like a normal couple.  My wedding day started out really hectic, but ended up being one of the best days of my life.  Sure I was sleep-deprived, and it was SNOWING at the end of APRIL, and my sweet hairdresser slept through her alarm clock, not to mention other more personal issues I was having 2 WEEKS EARLY...BUT we were both there ON TIME, and I was sealed for eternity to the BEST, most HANDSOME man I've ever met.

(Thanksgiving Day 2001 with the flowers Randall gave me when he proposed.)

     I'm so glad that I had such great advice when we were dating, and that everything worked out in the end. I know that I couldn't have found a more perfect partner for myself than Randall.  I love him SO much, and my love for him grows with every new addition to our family, evey sweet thing he does for me and the kids, every funny comment, every trial, every day that he heads off to work to provide for us, every night that we snuggle on the couch and watch TV, every time he comes home from work and searches out each child to give them a kiss or a hug, every night when he reads to the kids and tucks them into bed, and of course, every time I see those adorable dimples.

     Thank you Baby, for sticking with me through all of my foolish fears, and being spiritually in tune enough to know that we are meant for each other.  I LOVE you!

Is There Anything More Beautiful?

Maybe...

Quote of the Day

"When I grow up, I'm going to give my kids EVERYTHING they want.  Not be a RUDE MOM like you."

Just had to document this one so I can rub it in her face show it to her when she IS a Mom.

To Infinity, and Beyond!

Easter!

We started out our Easter festivities on Monday, dying Easter eggs for family night with the Palmers (who are pretty much family, because our kids are going to get married someday).  They turned out really cute, I think.  Too bad my picture-taking skills are terrible.

Laura  (brave woman that she is) volunteered to have ALL the kids over for a sleepover on Friday night. 

Can you count the children?  There are NINE in all!

We had the annual Brown Family Easter Hunt on Saturday.

 I don't recall ever hiding eggs in snow before...

We also dyed MORE eggs!

Sunday morning we woke up and discovered that the easter bunny had visited us once again. 

 Can't...

 stop...

 posting...

 pictures...

Sunday we started getting ready for church really early because Randall finally changed the clock (that I apparently use most of the time) forward for daylight savings.  Therefore, I added an hour when I looked at it (like I've been doing for weeks) and was oblivious to the 20 other clocks around the house.  It turned out to be good though.  Here's why -

Before

8 minutes later...

Yeah, she dumped a whole cup of orange juice left out from breakfast, and also tried to ingest a pink Easter stamp.   Not cool.  Fortunately, we had a plethora of time and were able to quickly wash her dress. 

After

Seriously... 

 can't... stop...

 Happy Easter Everyone!