techno-time

Hey guys! Do you see that cute little instagram icon to the right? Well everyone, that means something pretty big happened in our little home this past weekend. You see, I am a 22 year old college student and yet I have made it these 22 years without ever owning a smart-phone . . . but that all changed on Saturday!

I went from my solid little sliding keyboard phone to a brand new iphone 5s! It still kind of freaks me out . . . mostly because A) it is pretty expensive compared to my cheapy phone, and B) It is way too fragile for my clumsy hands!

My last phone has been dropped into the pool a couple of times (and one of those times it sat at the bottom for a couple minutes), chewed on my all sorts of babies, and accidentally slid off my lap onto the driveway just about every time I stepped out of the car. Oh yeah, and I leave it EVERYWHERE, but no one ever wanted to steal it so it didn't matter if it was at Wal-Mart over night, or hanging out at some park all alone because it would always still be there when I went back for it. And that little trooper never failed me! No cracks, no chips, no faulty screen, nothing. But I get the feeling I will have to be a liiiiittle more careful with this new gadget of mine, so wish me luck!

I am however looking forward to quite a few things. I have been excited to join the "instagram club" for quite some time now. It'll nice to be able to finally be a part of group messages. Plus, now that I have more use for my phone I will probably have it on me more, which means no more missed calls or texts!

On a completely different note, there is something else that worries me. I have been to way too many gatherings and parties where half of the group was too distracted by scrolling through their phone to join in on the conversation. I have seen way too many couples out on a date, both constantly unlocking their phone for a quick scroll through. And way too many mom's ignoring their kids in an effort to catch up with social media. This scares me because I know that it could be easy to fall into that pattern. But in this way I am lucky to have never yet had the chance to get pulled in that direction, and I am even more lucky to have a husband who has always been so good at putting his web-life away to be a good husband, son, brother, and friend. Let's hope I can learn to do the same!

So again, wish me luck as I adjust to this somewhat large change in my life.

Walking on Sunshine

Sundays have always meant a few things . . . church, family time, reading, naps, aaaaaaand walks. Lately it has been a tad bit too chilly for one of my favorite Sunday afternoon options, but not this week! The sun was shining bright and we were excited for a breath of fresh air in the Idaho-an outdoors. 

In just a couple of weeks we will be leaving this part of the country and moving on down to Texas . . . and we decided it was about time to start saying good bye to the nature that surrounds us.

So after a lovely day at church, a deep nap, and a family dinner we pulled on our Nikes and went on a mini adventure . . .

Now it is time for a story. Have any of you heard of a Chupacabra? No? Well it is a creepy little vampire dog thing that is said to live mostly in the Americas. Most people don't believe in them, or have never heard of a "Chupacabra" but Kirby and his friends each swear to have seen "The Creature" at various places, mostly along the river and always late at night. To add to their stories, farmers nearby the places of their "sightings" have found their animals dead with strange bite marks (and Chupacabras are known to be blood suckers of lifestock, mostly goats). But anyways . . . I always get creeped out by their stories, especially at night and near the river. And yes, they have turned me into a believer.

During our walk Kirb was having way too much fun pointing out the places where The Creature probably hides along the banks, or freezing at the sound of the smallest animal rummaging in the bushes. Totally got me a little creeped, but I am so happy to have a husband that can turn an ordinary walk into a chupacabra hunting adventure! But according to him we also passed by Area 51 . . . yes, THE Area 51. . . so you can never really know.

An ordinary day is always a little more exciting with my Kirb.

Then we turned the mood around, making the day a little more romantic. So we took a trip up to the exact place where he first asked me to be his wife. This was the first time we had been back to visit this very special place and reminisce on the very beginnings of our fairytale. I am so thankful for the moment I said "yes" to the sweetest man I have ever met. I loved making memories then and I love making memories now. I hope to keep them all with us forever.

In case you were wondering this is a "chupacabra trail" ...we also found one of their beds haha

Our special place.

The man who decided to put a ring on it.

Totally mushy, totally cheesy . . . but what can I say, we are totally in love.

before I die I will...

This story starts about 5 years ago, when on a whim, I created my own little bucket-list...

This list contained about 50 of the things that I wanted to do in my lifetime. Yet, following the pattern that most of my "great ideas" seem to follow, years went by and this list was shuffled to the back of my memory and lost among the many other faint ideas and memories that I had filed away. 

While cleaning out the contents of my computer the other night I came across this little bucket-list that had once been so important to me...

I opened the document and read.

As I read through the list I paused to highlight every hope and dream that has been achieved since the creation of the list. I was slightly disappointed at how short the progress I had made seemed to be. 

Then I noticed something...

Of the 16 items that I had crossed off the list 14 of them had been crossed off only since, and because Kirby had come into my life. This simple fact made each little item crossed off the list mean way more than a simple check on a to-do list ever could on it's own. These checks each represent a special memory I now share with my sweet husband.

I am so thankful for the experiences that this young marriage has brought in to my life and I cannot wait to see how many more "checks" we add to this list in the years to come...

the "checks" I have achieved because of him...

This summer Kirby and I drove from Idaho to Florida, to Alabama; then from Alabama to New York, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado back home to Idaho.

 

That blonde blur next to the cutie in the green plaid is me!

 I am glad I saved a screen shot of the beginnings of "Muir to Love."

I seriously miss having a pool, and warm enough weather to swim in it! This was at our apartment in Alabama.

So the pictures of us in this B&B are all lost somewhere on Kirby's old memory card...totally heart-breaking BUT we will be staying here again!

 

The Full Length List:

1.  Go through the temple - 2012 
2. Visit at least one temple in every state (39 left to go as of 2013)
3. Ride on a train
4. Sing karaoke in public - 2010
5. Shake hands with a prophet
6.  Learn how to play the guitar
7. Go scuba diving
8. Visit the Sacred Grove - 2013
9.  Ride in a hot air balloon
10. See a show on Broadway
11. Go on a cruise
12. Become a wife – 2012 (details in this post)
13. Become a mother
14.  Milk a cow (yeah, I know, weird...but I do live in farm country now!)
15. Go on a road trip across America - 2013 (details in this post)
16. Keep a scrapbook for my kids
17. Learn how to take care of all my own finances
18. See the Christmas lights on Temple Square - 2012
19.  Go skinny-dipping
20. Teach someone how to play the piano
21. Eat an authentic Chicago dog - 2013
22.  Learn how to French braid - 2013
23.  Leave the country - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - 2012 (details in this post)
24. Sew a dress
25. Run a marathon
26.  Help build my own home
27. Visit New Zealand
28.  Learn to salsa dance - 2010
29. Join a book club
30.  New Year’s Eve at Time Square
31. Go on a safari
32.  Learn to play poker - 2012
33.  Plant a tree
34. Climb the statue of Liberty
35. Graduate from college
36.  Start a blog - Muir to Love - 2013 (details on this page)
37. Go ice fishing
38. Have Mexican food...from Mexico - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico -2012
39.  Build a tree house
40.  Swim in a waterfall
41. Go backpacking
42.  Keep my own garden
43. Live in another state (not counting school) - Alabama 2013 (details in this post)
44.  Go snow-shoeing
45. Harry Potter Land
46. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast - Spokane, WA - 2012
47. See a real life palm tree - Charleston, SC - 2011
48. Go to Paris
49. Host a dinner-party
50. Own a house

I know...this list is kind of boring as far as bucket-lists go.

But I wanted to create a list I could actually accomplish...and I plan to! 

Good luck to you all on achieving your own personal goals and dreams and thanks for reading!