Fun! Fun! Fun!

This weekend was SO much fun! We were able to do a lot and got a lot of things accomplished...here is the run down:

Saturday

Saturday morning we woke up at 7 am! (I don't even get up that early for work!) and went to the temple. Afterwards we went rockclimbing up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The climbs we did were kind of difficult, but it was great because it really worked me! I love it! Afterwards we came home and Kenneth studied for an exam and I did a little around the house. That evening we went over to our friend's house (Mark & Debbie) for homemade pizza (YUM YUM!) and to play the Wii. It was the first time I tried out the Wii Fitness...and not going to lie, I probably looked like an idiot for a lot of it! It was a lot of fun though and it was fun to hang out with friends.

Sunday

Sunday we went to church and I had a CRAZY day in Primary (the program for children 4-11). The primary president was not there - and she is also our pianist, and also our music leader ended up not showing up. So, Alyson (the other leader) and myself were running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to prepare the music portion of the program. It was a little choppy, but I think the kids still had fun.

After church, Kenneth and I took a short nap and then we went crazy in the kitchen! We made homemade salsa, cooked some pinto beans (for soup and refried beans) and homemade bread. It was delicious! The only downside was that our house was ridiculously hot!

After we were done in the kitchen, we cleaned up and finally put away our camping gear and tools. Our extra bedroom is FINALLY an extra bedroom! We emptied everything out so it is so open now! I love it! I wish I had taken a before picture to have it up here!

Well, that was pretty much our weekend...it doesn't sound like a lot of paper but it was busy, busy! We both had so much fun!

Bugs in Utah?

So I have always loved Utah because there are fewer bugs than California...and I LOVE not being eaten alive by mosquitos! My opinion quickly changed (about the bugs, not about me loving Utah) when Kenneth and I went hiking and rock climbing this last Wednesday.

We went up City Creek Canyon, which is just by the State Capital. I LOVE Utah for the fact that we can go hiking and rockclimbing just 5 minutes from our house, and therefore can go after work on the weekdays. It is GORGEOUS up there, and we hiked up about 15 minutes to the cliffs for a quick climb. The hike was easy at first and then towards the top it got REALLY steep! Thank goodness someone had anchored a rope in so I could pull on it...but the rope did not go far enough! It took me like 5 minutes to go the last 20 feet! I have a real fear of falling on my butt while hiking up, and especially while climbing down. Anyway, we finally reached our destination, and realized that along the way my body was DEVOURED by mosquitoes! My arms, legs, face, feet and neck were itching like crazy! I tried to display some self control and NOT scratch them...but I learned I have none! Anyway, we did our climb which worked me pretty well. It was incredibly fun though! After we did the one climb we gathered our stuff and made our way back through the bug infested woods. Don't even worry...it took me about 15 minutes to get down the 20 feet this time! No...I'm dead serious! Thank goodness for good hikes and climbs...and bug repellant...which we will DEFINITELY have to remember in the future!

Grow Garden! Grow!

Oh man...we planted our first garden about 2 weeks ago and we have been so excited about it! Here is what we planted:

3 tomato plants
2 zucchini plants
2 crookneck squash plants
1 green bell pepper plant
1 jalepano plant
1 cucumber plant

We ripped up grass, watered, fertilized, planted, built a little sprinkler system, and added a lot of tender lovin'care. I would watch with great anticipation EVERY DAY to see if anything was happening...which is kind of bad because it isn't going to grow overnight...

SO, I decided that I had to stop looking at the plants every few hours otherwise I would drive myself insane...so a couple of days passed by and I went out and our plants were DYING!! Bugs have been eating all of the leaves, which made me really mad! So, we rushed to go buy some bug spray. We sprayed down the plants and added more fertillizer...do you think they're going to make it? Do you think our little plants can hold on a little bit longer?? I sure hope so! I've been including our little garden in our prayers even! Grow garden! Grow!

Kiesig Family Reunion!

This last weekend we (me, Kenneth, Michael & wife Kim, and Alisha) headed out to California for the Kiesig Family Reunion...here is the run-down:

We left Thursday after work and headed out to Woodland, CA. We drove through the night eating a lot of junk food, and watching a lot of movies. We arrived at Pa A's house around 2 am. We went to sleep and for SOME reason I woke up at like 8 am. Miserable!

Anyway, after getting ready and eating breakfast, Michael, Kim, Alisha, Kenneth and I headed out for the Vacaville outlet stores. People bought a ton of stuff, and then we made our mandatory trip to In-N-Out! I love that place! Then we continued down to the camp ground near Monteray Bay. We got there about 4 pm. Once there we set up our tents (everyone made fun our our little back packing tent...I'll have to post the picture comparing ours with Michael and Kim's) and then just hung out with the family.

Saturday we played lots of games with the family members and hung out on the beach ALL DAY! I went body surfing for the first time, which was fun, but the waves were kind of weird there. They only broke right against the shore, so you rode the wave and then were pounded into the sand! It was kind of painful, but still really fun! The downside was that it got really stormy and rained on and off for several hours! We stayed at the beach the whole time though! We sat under the little canopy during the rain storms and laid out in the cold sand the other times until the storm passed and it was sunny again.

Come Sunday we packed up all of our stuff, and headed out! We had to drive 3 hours up to Sacramento again, and we stopped by my mom's place for a quick minute to say hi. Then Alisha had to see her best friend for another minute. We finally got out on the road at like 4:30pm! It was another long day in the car! We finally got into Salt Lake around 1:15am. Not bad!

Anyway, all in all it was a great trip! We got to hang out with family and play games, and hear little Tytus Andrew (he's like 3) sing Phantom of the Opera (he's totally going to be famous some day) and see all the other little ones. It was so fun! I was NOT happy about waking up this morning though...work...yuck! Anyway, let's all hope that Kenneth didn't fall asleep while taking his test today!

Angel's Landing

So, these are long overdue but here are some pictures from our Angel's Landing Hike in Zions National Park. It was GORGEOUS!

My brother-in-law, Steven and I at the beginning of the hike...

The gorgeous mountain we climbed! It was so fun!

A little cave that the boys found. Kenneth, of course, if having fun as usual. He is just like a little boy! He gets excited over the smallest things! It's so cute!

Steven and I on the saddleMe and Kenneth at the VERY top!

A look down from the huge pile of rocks we were standing on above. Isn't it beautiful?!?

A look at Kenneth with the beautiful, lush valley below!

The brothers...manly poses of course!

Me and Kenneth with the gorgeous view.

Steve-O

Me and Steven

The BEAUTIFUL view! I love hikes and I LOVE Utah!

St. George Fun

Hey! So I completely forgot to tell everyone about the awesome time we had in St. George last weekend! Kenneth's parents had a condo in St. George for the week and they were unable to go, so Kenneth and I were the "parents" this weekend and took his siblings, Chantale and Steven.

We drove down Friday and stopped by a little restaurant called "La Fiesta" and then headed the rest of the way down. The weather there was PERFECT! Clear blue skies and warm sun! Finally...a place where it really does feel like summer!

On Saturday we woke up and made a scrumptous breakfast. Afterwards we went to Green Valley Gap for some rockclimbing, and then went swimming and laid out by the pool. Afterwards we did some shopping - flip flops only for me and Kenneth and a new dress for Chantale - and then we came home and made chicken puffs for dinner...YUM, YUM! We then went out towards Snow Canyon and did a hike called "Turtle Wall" - we sort of missed where the WALL was, but it was a beautiful hike nontheless. It was incredible green with all the rain we've been having. That night we just watched a movie and pigged out on popcorn and licorice! What else is vacation for!

On Sunday we all just relaxed and went to church...full filled day with scripture reading, journal updates and letters to friends on missions. Then, on Monday, Kenneth, Steven and I headed back home (Chantale stayed the whole week and had a friend come down on Monday evening). On our way home we stopped by Zion's National Park. Kenneth got a parks pass for his birthday, and I have never been. We went and hiked "Angels Landing" together, which is one of the most popular hikes in Zions. It was GORGEOUS! The view was absolutely spactacular! We took pictures so I will have to put them up soon. The only downfall with the hike was that I got sunburned on only 1 side of my body...so now I have a ton of tiny blisters all over me neck...NOT cool! Anyway, it was SUCH a fun weekend! I'm excited the next weekend is already here!

Grateful for Blessings

I have been trying to show more gratitude for my blessings lately. I have been blessed with SOO many things, and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father. I would like to list just a few things I am truly grateful for.

1) Kenneth: I am so grateful for my husband. He is so kind and sweet, and he treats me like I am a queen. I know he would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him. I am so grateful that we can talk about anything, and that we have open communication to help our marriage remain strong and to become even stronger. I'm also grateful that he is an AMAZINGLY hard worker. I'm so grateful that he is a handyman and that he has been able to do so many things with our little house to improve it so much.

2) My testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: I know, without a doubt that this church is true. I don't understand everything, but I cannot deny the Spirit which I have felt while reading the scriptures, hearing the prophets speak, through prayer and church services. The gospel is not just something I believe, it is who I am. It is encompassed in everything I say and do. I am so grateful for the Prophet, President Monson. I know he is a man of God, and that he is the Lord's mouthpiece here on the earth. I am so grateful for my Savior. I love him, and am constantly in awe of the love he has for me, despite my innumerable flaws and shortcomings.

3) Family: I am SOO grateful for family! I love my parents, and am grateful for the many lessons they taught me while I was younger. I am grateful for their influence and support in my life. I am grateful for siblings and nieces and nephews. I'm also grateful for in-laws, and am SOO grateful that Utah Mom is finally getting better. We saw her on Monday, and she jumped off the couch and is able to walk around normally. She was so full of energy and her cheeks are filling in a bit (that's right...she's gained 6 pounds in like a week!!!). I am so grateful for family, and I am grateful that families can be together for ever.

4) Friends: I love friends! I don't get to see many friends very often...and most of my friends are scattered about in different states and even countries, but I think about you guys all the time! I love thinking back to funny memories, and lessons I have learned from my friendships. Thanks for being my friend! If any of you ever come down to Salt Lake...stop on by!

5) Our Home & Jobs: I am so grateful that Kenneth and I were able to buy a home! I love our little house!! I am so grateful that we were both raised learning how to save money and live frugally so that we can afford such things. I am also so grateful for our jobs which allow us to save, pay for expenses and have fun! I am having a great time working at 3-Form still, and Kenneth has a blast now that he gets to shoot arrows and do CAD drawings all day. I'm so grateful for the experience it will give him.

Well...this is already ridiculously long, so I'll end there...I'm sure no one has read down to here anyway! Oh well! I am grateful I've been able to reflect on just a few things I am truly grateful for!

House Pictures (cont.) - Living Room

After we finished up our kitchen, we began remodeling our living room. Unfortunately we don't have any before pictures...but just picture this in your mind:

1) NO light in the living room

2) Nasty industrial base moulding

3) Wood paneling covering up perfectly good sheet rock

4) EXTRA NASTY aspestos ceiling tiles

Needless to say, we needed to change ALL of these things...

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS:

We decided to close in our window to allow for one large wall

Due to all the nasty tiles and wood paneling, we had to re-sheet rock most of the room, including the entire ceiling and 2/4 walls...this was byfar the worst part of the project.

AFTER PHOTOS:

In the living room, we ended up filling in an window, re-sheetrocking, painted (green on walls and tan on ceiling), replaced outlets, added base boards and crowned moulding, and added a new light fixture.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add a photo of our backyard earlier...here it is. It is actually 2 plots which is really nice! We lovingly called our backyard a "meadow" because we had so many dandelions. We finally bought a lawn mower 2 weeks ago so we aren't as ghetto.

BACKYARD:


Well, that's it! That is our lovely home. We love it! There is still lots to be done, but we are going to take a break this summer (well, let's be honest...KENNETH will be taking a break this summer. I do help out some, but he definitely does the majority). We are going to try to finish up the little things inside the house and will hopefully be able to add the garage and second story above it next summer.

Kitchen Pictures - Several Months Late

Alright! I'm finally getting pictures of our house up! We bought out house in the middle of December. It is in Salt Lake City, about 3 minutes from downtown. It is small...which is just right for us! It has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and a HUGE backyard! We've got lots of plans for improving it, and started on day 1!

FRONT OF HOUSE:

KITCHEN BEFORE:






Kenneth started ripping down walls the FIRST day we had the key! My brother Michael came over to help out with some of the action.

Michael acting all tough...

The MESS that was the kitchen

Our new doorway from the living room to the kitchen

Tiling the new kitchen floor

Kenneth installing the new cabinets, sink, countertops and dishwasher

Filling in the old window

KITCHEN AFTER:

It looks SO much cleaner and nicer!! I love it!

Our kitchen is kind of small...so we can't get a full picture...the dishwasher is on the right hand side.

WELL! That's it! All in all we ripped out old cabinets, and flooring, filled in a window, ripped down a wall and built a new doorway opening, tiled, redid the plumbing, added electrical outlets, installed cabinets, and countertops, as well as a garbage disposal and a dishwasher...Phew!

We still have finishing touches to do in the kitchen, like adding our tile sealer, painting the ceiling, changing the light fixture, etc, but all in all...it is a great transformation! I am so proud of Kenneth for doing such an amazing job. He did all this in only like 3 weeks! Whoo hoo for hott hubbies who do construction!

Weekend Update

So, this weekend was initially plan-free, but that quickly changed! As we were coming home from work on Friday, we got a call from Kenneth's parents. His brother, Steven had a Father-Son Campout that weekend, and Kenneth's dad needed to stay home with his mom. So, they were wondering if Kenneth would go camping with Steven instead. We said of course, and hurried home to pack up really quickly and head down to Highland. Once there, Kenneth and Steven took off for their trip.

That evening I made plans to hang out with my old roomie and dear friend Heidz. She came with her sister Ciara, and we hung out and chatted for awhile, and then headed down to Provo to a little concert for a new artist. It was really fun, and SO GREAT hanging out with old friends! I loved it!

Later, she dropped me off at the Noyce home and I spent the night there. In the morning I had fun just hanging out with the in-laws and figuring out what Utah Mom needs to eat and do to help her gain some weight again. We came up with some good exercises and foods that are healthy yet high in calorie content.

Once Kenneth returned from camping, we headed down to Provo to help our friends, Danny & Heather move into their new apartment. It was good to be able to help them out and see some of our other friends there...the only snag on the day was the fact that their brand new couches don't fit through the basement apartment doors or windows! YIKES! Hoepfully they'll be able to figure something out.

Sunday was a SUPER relaxing day. We had Stake Conference which was wonderful and just relaxed, baked bread, and took a walk by the Jordan River. Super fun! Anyway, that's about it!