Happiness is a Warm Puppy

Just in case I ever needed more proof that my husband really loves me, he gave me the perfect early Christmas present: an 8-week old beagle puppy. We got our new baby Snoopi almost two weeks ago, and she is so fun and cute! Even Steve, who had to be persuasively talked into the idea of a dog, has found her too adorable to resist. He's started taking her on walks, which at first really terrified her, but now she's starting to like them (especially if they run into other people who will fuss over how cute she is - she's such a show off). We brought her to a puppy playdate with Steve's brother Dave and his wife Aspen and their two dogs. She loved Dave and Aspen but was a little timid around Bart and Ruby. She starts puppy obedience classes tomorrow morning though, so hopefully that will help her feel more comfortable around other dogs. She seems to be really smart and easy to train. She's been pretty good with housetraining, and she likes to sleep in her crate. Her favorite toy is a little squeeky stuffed raccoon that I bought her because I want her to start practicing scaring away the raccoons we sometimes see in our yard (they terrify me!). You can tell she has a beagle's hunting instincts because she definitely treats her toy like it's prey. She will do this funny army crawl under our coffee table and lie there for a minute before jumping out and pouncing on it, and then she'll violently shake it back and forth in her mouth. She uses the same hide and attack method on our shoes as we walk by the table, especially my furry slippers, so we need to figure out how to teach her the difference between shoes and animals. But her very favorite thing to do is snuggle up with us on the couch. She's really sweet and affectionate, and we think we definitely picked the right pup for our family.

Honeymoon #2 - Mexico

We had such an amazing time in Mexico! It really was the perfect honeymoon- beautiful beaches, wonderful resort, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy being newlyweds. We stayed in the Sandos Playacar Riviera resort, which is the new addition (just completed this spring) of a larger resort. It's an all-inclusive resort, which was so perfect for a honeymoon, because we didn't have to worrry about a thing the whole time we were there. The beaches in Playa del Carmen are AMAZING, and our resort was the last one down the beach in a whole row of resorts, so if we walked down the beach south from our resort it was totally isolated with nothing but the beach and the jungle. One day Steve and I walked pretty far away from the resort down the beach and it started pouring rain. We had left our towels and bags and everything back in front of the resort, and there were no buildings anywhere near us, so there was nothing we could do but just enjoy walking in the rain. The first two days we were there it was sunny in the mornings, but rained all afternoon. After those first couple of days though, we enjoyed nice weather for the rest of the trip. The ocean was too rough to do any snorkeling or anything like that, but we still played in the water some almost every day, and spent A LOT of time just hanging out on the beach (my now peeling sunburn is evidence of this). Steve taught me how to play chess on the giant poolside chess set, which was fun, even though I could never beat him. The resort also had shows at night, which were kind of entertaining, and a dance club. One crazy thing about being in the middle of the jungle were the strange animals we saw wandering around the resort grounds. There were lots of really big iguanas, but then some other animals that we had no idea what they were -- one looked like a gigantic rat with a long nose and short stumpy tail, and another looked sort of like a ring tailed lemur, with a super long tail that pointed straight up. It was a little spooky to be walking down to dinner at night and see one of these mystery creatures just a few yards away, but it added to the Mexican experience. Speaking of the Mexican experience, I was SOOOOO happy to have my spanish speaking husband there! I thought that the resort would probably be mainly English speaking since its catering to tourists, but that was not the case. Steve spoke in Spanish to everyone there, plus he was able to figure out things like bus schedules. The food was great; there were a bunch of buffets for all meals, plus four reservations-only restaurants for dinner. We tried out a different one every night- Brazilian, Asian, French, and Steakhouse. Our room was really nice- it was a large suite with a plasma TV and big jetted tub in the room, which was nice to relax in on the rainy days. On our last day there we went to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. They were really cool to see, totally unlike anything I'd ever seen before. They also made for great photo opportunities, so if you want to see more of our pics, click HERE. Then that night we went to Casino night at the club where we played blackjack and craps and won a hat and a fanny pack (such great prizes...lol). It really was one of my best vacations ever - everything I could imagine a honeymon being - and I am so appreciative of my wonderful husband for taking me on such a great trip!

Newlyweds

Since I haven't written anything for a while, I thought I should catch up on everything we've been up to for the past couple months before writing about our latest vacation. Being married is so much fun! Steve and I both keep saying that it's even better than we thought it would be. It's been really nice settling into our home together and adjusting to being roommates ;) We went on a Labor Day trip to Colorado to hang out with my family and celebrate my mom's birthday, which was very fun. The picture on the right is Steve and I in front of the John Elway statue at the Denver ESPN Zone where we went to watch the Utah game. We also visited the CU campus in Boulder since Steve is thinking about applying to law school there. I would love to live by my family for a few years, but it would be hard to move away from our home and Steve's family. There are so many things to consider, but I think wherever we end up it will be a fun adventure for us to share together and grow from. Steve has been very busy with school and studying for the LSAT. He takes it the first weekend in December, and even though I know he's nervous, he has been doing a lot of preparing so I know he'll do well. It hasn't been all work and studying though, we've been up to a lot of fun things as newlyweds also. We've gone on a couple of fun double dates, to Biaggi's with our friends Mark and Torrey, and to the Melting Pot with my cousin Vicki and her husband Mike ("Where's Ben Wade?"). Steve's birthday was especially fun! First we celebrated with the fam with a delicious dinner at the Evans house the Sunday before. Then on his birthday, I took the afternoon off work and we went to the Sanctuary Day Spa to use our gift certificate for a couple's massage that my boss gave us as a wedding gift. It was sooooo nice and relaxing! Any couples living around Salt Lake should definitely check it out for a special occasion, it is a really nice package- after the massages you get to relax in a big tub with refreshments....it was very fun. Then that night we went to dinner at Flemings, which is where this picture was taken. Neither of us had been there before, but we would highly recommend it now- delicious! Then we went home to open presents and other birthday surprises. I gave Steve half-season Jazz tickets, which is kind of a present to me too because we have so much fun at the games. We went to the first one last night (preseason) and are excited to be there the rest of the season.... Go Jazz!

Honeymoon #1 - Our weekend in San Francisco

Steve and I had so much fun in San Francisco! Our first day there we went to Golden Gate Park, and ate way too much at an amazing Sunday Brunch at the Park Chalet. Needing to burn off some of those brunch calories, we rented bikes and rode all over through the park. It was a great way to see the whole park. We also rode down to the beach and went along the coast a little ways, which was nice, but it was pretty cold being so near the water with the ocean breeze. After the park, we went to Chinatown, where we shopped around for a little while before having some dim sum at a little Chinese restaurant.

The next day we took a cable car to Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. After walking down Lombard, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf. We bought some clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls from a street vendor, and found a park bench on the bay to sit and enjoy a very San Francisco lunch.

On our way to Pier 39, we saw a special exhibit of a World War II submarine that had been restored to look just like it did during the war, and of course Steve couldn't pass up going on the tour. I have to admit even I thought it was pretty interesting, although it was tricky maneuvering around down there when we were sharing a set of headphones for the audio tour since we were too cheap to rent more than one ;)

After the tour we made it to Pier 39, where we had fun hanging out in all the weird shops and seeing the street vendors perform. We have a bunch of silly pictures of us trying on hats at one store on the pier that you can see in our photo album. Next we went to Ghiradelli Square for some amazing hot fudge sundaes, and we shopped at the Cannery for a little while before going on a cruise of the bay that took us under the Golden Gate bridge and around Alcatraz.

We ended the day at a seafood restaurant with candlelight and a beautiful view of the bay. On our last day, we went back to the wharf, and decided to go through the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. There was a lot of freaky stuff, but it was pretty entertaining. All in all, it was a wonderful honeymoon and a great way to start out married life! To see all the pics, click HERE.

Our Wedding 8-15-2008

Steve and I were married on August 15th, 2008. It was such a wonderful day! We had a beautiful garden ceremony at the Magnolia Grove Reception Center in South Jordan, Utah. Other than a strong breeze that kept blowing up my veil, and a moment of panic when we couldn't find the rings, the ceremony went off without a hitch. My Uncle, Brent Smith, was able to officiate, and did a great job!

After the ceremony, we enjoyed dinner and dancing at Magnolia Grove with our family and close friends. My colors were pink and gold. After we cut the cake, there were a few toasts, which was one of my favorite parts of the night. It was so fun to hear from the people we love and receive the congratulations and support of our family.

Steve and I danced our first dance to Tim McGraw's "My Best Friend", which we love because we have always been each other's best friends. Then my dad and I danced to Ray Charles "You are My Sunshine". I chose that song because my parents sang it to me when I was a little girl. It was so special to me to share that moment with my dad, who I love so much. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun dancing was! I had been afraid that no one would get out on the dance floor, but our guests were having a great time showing off their moves. It was really great to let loose and enjoy the company of our friends and family.

At the end of the night we tossed the bouquet and garter (seeing Steve's brother Clint fight for the garter was so funny!), and departed the reception hall through a tunnel of sparklers to ride off in a stretch limousine. All in all, it was truly a fairytale evening. It was everything I had ever imagined my wedding being, only even better, because I married a man who's better than I could have ever imagined. I am so excited to be Mrs. Steven Evans!

For more wedding pictures, please click HERE. I will keep uploading them as people send me more.