2010 in a Nutshell

So I've decided I'm not very good at blogging. Since it's been a while since our last post, I'll just do a quick recap of what we've been up to recently.

We had a very busy summer and did a lot of traveling. Our biggest adventure of the year was traveling down to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. The weather was HOT but the scenery was incredible.

The top picture is of Havasu Falls. It looks small but it was actually pretty big.

This next picture is Moony falls. I guess a few years ago it used to be split up at the top and created two waterfalls that came down this cliff, but in 2007 there was flash flood that nearly cleaned out the canyon and made this waterfall just one massive stream. You can't tell from the picture, but the fall itself is at least 100 feet tall.

The next picture is Beaver falls. It's not very tall, but very beautiful and fun to play in! The water was so warm! I'd say between 85-90 degrees, which felt really good after hiking in the 110+ degree sun.

There was one more waterfall we played in called Navajo falls. It's about 35- 40 feet high and had a really cool cave underneath it that we could jump off of, through the waterfall, and into the pool below. Scott was even brave enough to jump off the top of the waterfall. I'll post a video once I figure out how :)

Penny also had a good year. We bought her a pass to the Course -a-Lure obstacle course and it was fun to watch her time improve after every run throughout the summer! She loved it and we are definitely doing it again this year.

Although she has gotten bigger and is learning some new tricks, old habits still die hard. She's had her share of getting into trouble, but it's hard to look into those big brown eyes and stay mad for too long!

We spent our 3 year anniversary in San Francisco and had a lot of fun visiting Alcatraz Island, eating seafood, and even catching a round of golf with Grandma and Grandpa!

We had a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas. I worked a lot during the month of December while finishing up with my last semester at the U. I am now officially graduated!! With ski season and Sundance in full swing, Scott has been putting extra hours in at his job. But he still finds time to make it up to the slopes about once week.

2010 was a great year for us, but we have a lot in store for this year as well. We are looking forward to a great 2011, and hopefully I'll be better at posting as well!

Not-so-Fairy-Tale Ending

Every little girl grows up with a dream; a dream of someday finding the perfect match. The match that would be love at first sight, a match made just for you and no one else as if created in heaven. You'd be the perfect fit for each other, like Cinderella and the glass slipper. A love that you know will last for decades, nay, centuries of complete bliss and triumph. I'm not talking about prince charming here, I'm talking about every girls dream of the perfect pair of shoes!

I found my perfect match just over a year ago. It was as if they were calling my name. We've spent many nights together strolling and even dancing at weddings and parties. I always took good care of my treasures in hopes of spending those timeless moments together throughout my mortal existence.......

......but my dreams were soon shattered in an instant.

Lucky for me I was able to identify the culprit quickly and she was placed safely behind bars, for the time being. Sadly, this had not been her first offense.

Ode to the JEEP

So many times you carried us and dropped us like a rock

You spent more time with your friends- the mechanics

Every time we fed you high octane, flooded you with synthetic oil and bandaged your broken parts

We cared and cried for you when you left us stranded in the middle of the road...

And now you pushed us TO FAR!!

Away from us you go

Enjoy your friends forever more that will probably separate you to salvage the few good parts left, or worse, you end up with some other unfortunate soul to have you cause pain to.

You gave us nothing but headaches and empty pockets with nothing in return

Goodbye forever and never come back, enjoy your last ride on the back of a truck as we wave goodbye and celebrate!

Time- Never enough for everything

Life is busy as it always seems to be, whether your battling out those final semesters in school or even planning a vacation, time always seems to keep you going and it sometimes seem there isn't enough of it. No different for us, Carynn just finished out her second to last semester at the University of Utah and looks forward to a summer away from the text books and into more novels, working at a garden nursery and choreographing for community theater. I am in the middle of a run of 'The Three Musketeers' at Hale Center theater and am also looking forward to a break. As both of us were hitting the limit with work, school, shows, work and everything else; we planned an impromptu vacation for four days to Las Vegas. It was all revolved around relaxing and we got exactly that. Fun at the pool enjoying the nice 80 degree weather, fun shows to enjoy and just being with each other as that seems to be a rare commodity in our lives right now. We are both looking forward to summer and our exciting vacations planned to Lava Hot springs, Bear Lake, and Havasupai (most excited for that one). Not to mention a summer of Bees Baseball (as long as the weather holds out which it hasn't been)! So as we push on coming to the end of our busy schedules, we only find ourselves jumping into yet another pool of time envelopment and enjoyment. We wish everyone the best this coming summer and hope that all your time is used in the best way you think possible. One idea- turn off the T.V. and get outside (that is if the rain will give us all a break)!

Our new addition

For those who don't know, Carynn and I were awaiting the arrival of our new family member just over a week ago. We were planning and ready to adopt a little Cairn Terrier into our family only to have it end in disappointment. The day before we were supposed to go pick her up we were informed that one of the puppies she was living with came down with parvo, a very bad disease for puppies, and they had to keep a two week watch on our future puppy to see if she would come down with any of the symptoms and so they could treat her. We waited the two weeks only to receive the bad news that she did contract the virus and didn't make it. It was a sad time for us but turned out alright in the end. We were lucky enough to find another Cairn Terrier and were able to pick her up and she couldn't be a sweeter puppy. We have had her not even a week now and we have loved every minute having her in our little family.

So say hello to Penny, our nine week old little puppy :)

Invincible Cell Phone

I've had my Sony Ericsson Walkman slider phone for about 3 years now, which, these days, is a pretty long time to have a cell phone. I've thought about upgrading to a smart phone or Iphone, but this one still works well for now, so maybe once it finally dies I'll be able to make that upgrade. But I learned the other night that this phone has no plans on dying soon and will remain invincible for a long time to come.

My phone has faced a lot of tragedy in its life; dropped down cement stair cases, being left on the top of my car, even dropped into a puddle of water where I had to take it a part and let some pieces dry before it would work again, but in all these cases my little fighter has never failed to make a quick recovery and return to its proper uses. Its face is covered with battle scars, scratches, dents, and chips, all the right signs of a well-loved phone.

On Monday night, I thought for sure I would be saying goodbye to my old friend for good.

Our apartment complex is conveniently located directly across the street from the Brickyard Plaza, a quaint little shopping complex that we visit quite often for our regular groceries and shopping needs. Monday night was no exception. The only inconvenience about the plaza's location is that the only crosswalks are located either one block north or one block south of our complex. We usually forego the crosswalks and jaywalk across the 4 lanes of traffic. This can sometimes be a lengthy and dangerous process. On monday night we decided to attempt the cross but were having a hard time finding the right opening between cars just big enough for us to run across unharmed. Finally, our chance came. We had just enough time to jump into the first lane and cross it safely and then make it across the other lanes before the traffic came too close. Halfway through the third lane, tragedy stuck. My cell phone slipped from the pocket of my hoodie and fell into the lane of traffic, helpless. I tried to rescue it, but Scott swiftly pulled my arm and brought me safely onto the sidewalk. We watched in horror as cars, trucks and motorcycles drove swiftly through the lane of traffic, unaware of the cell phone lying in their way. I was ready to watch my friend meet the hard rubber of a tire and shatter into a hundred pieces, finally falling in its last battle. Scott saw that an opening of traffic was approaching and made the daring rescue by running out into the street, grabbing the guiltless victim, and returning safely to the side walk before the next rush of traffic approached. My cell phone was rescued, and, best of all, came out of the fight untouched, unscratched, and stronger than ever.

I guess it'll still be a while longer until I trade this phone in for another one, but that's ok. After all we've been through together, I wouldn't want it any other way.

My Oragami Valentine

We're not usually a very romantic couple. Our typical night together (on the rare occasions that we actually have a night together) normally consists of maybe watching a movie and then going to bed early because of Scott's early morning work schedule. Lately, because of my work schedule and Scott being in a play and having to rehearse each night, we don't get to see each other very often, or at all. So with all of the craziness and business of our lives, imagine my complete surprise when I woke up Sunday morning (yes, Valentine's Day!) to find on my kitchen table 2 of my most favorite things: Lilies and cinnamon bears! For the past 3 Valentine's days I have asked Scott not to buy me flowers because prices are always way too high in February and it's just not worth it. Being the creative genius that he is, this year he made me flowers instead! With a few pieces of construction paper and some online oragami instructions, I got the prettiest flowers I've ever received! I love my Valentine!

Flambe!!

So I thought I would try someting a little different for dinner the other night. I had to make good on a bet I had lost to Carynns dad and I owed him dinner. Since I can't afford a nice meal for 4 we had the in-laws over and I made a nice dinner instead. I made Steak Diane with sauteed potatoes and peas with a side of Angel Hair Pasta with shrimp and tomatoes. It was my first attempt to flambe anything and it turned out great. For desert I made a cake in my skillet and topped it with a chocolate carmel mix topped with chopped pecans with a side of homemade vanilla ice-cream. I had a lot of fun making it and the results came in, dinner turned out delicious!!

Friends with the Mafia

Scott has connections to the Mafia! Well, not really. This DVD, "Mario's Conviction," is a documentary about a man from Detroit, Michigan who was very much involved with underground crime in the city; that is until his wife made the mistake of allowing two young men in suits to enter their home. This is a powerful story of conversion and sacfrifice and one man's transformation from Mafia to Mormon. Although Mario was baptized even before Scott was born, Elder Butler dined many times in the home of Mario Facione and got to know him and his family very well. Scott and I had a geat time watching this movie, especially when they would interview people from the stakes and wards in the area that Scott remembered from his mission. I recommend this DVD (or the book) to all of you!

A Year in Reflection

2009 seemed to slip by without us noticing. It wasn't as adventurous or exciting as 2008, but it still had its good moments and its challenges too.

The toughest challenges of 2009 were the loss of Carynn's dear Aunt Colleen in April, right around Easter, and Scott's sweet cousin Michelle just before Christmas.

Both of these losses, although sad, gave us time to reflect on the meanings of the holidays and remember the family members that are preparing a home for us on the other side. Our testimonies have been strengthened as well as our ties to both our earthly and heavenly families.

But we can't look at our challenges without looking at the many blessings that we also have. The blessings of 2009 include:

- Having the chance to live with Scott's mom for the majority of the year. This gave Jayna and myself a lot of time to get to know each other a little better. We are grateful for Jayna's hospitality towards us and her willingness to put up with us for 10 months!

-Sending out a Missionary! My little brother Riley left for his mission in May to serve in the CLAM! (California, Los Angeles Mission). We love getting letters from him each week and it was so good to speak with him on Christmas. Having a member of the family out serving a full time mission has been a blessing and strength to us. We love you, Elder Groves!

- Moving out of Jayna's home and back into the world of being independent adults. We love where we live and love the friends and ward members that have been so warm in making us feel welcome.

-Scott's new job!! This has been one of the greatest blessings we could ask for at this time. He is doing what makes him happy and it has paid off! Not only does it help our financial situation, but Scott showed so much talent and skill in his first weeks of work that it didn't take long for him to be promoted to a supervising position! I guess all that time and money at a University really does pay off.

- My schooling. It was a tough year for me, but I got through it. One of the highlights of my educational journey so far has been the wonderful chance I had this past year to intern at the Ouelessebougou Alliance. Not only was I able to see the inside workings of a Non-profit organization, I had the chance to exercise my french language skills on many levels, educate the local community on our sister community of Ouelessebougou in Mali, and make some friendships that I know will last for the rest of my life. It has been a life-changing experience I will not likely forget.

Plans for 2010:

We hope to have another year of seeing change and improvement in ourselves. We hope to strengthen our bonds with each other, our families, and our friends. We also hope to do a bit more traveling! And..... graduation! If all goes as planned, I will be graduating in December, finally.

A brief look at 2009