Texan Summer: Month 3

Well I might be a couple of days early, but month three is practically over...which means just over one month left! This month has truly made me fall in love with this city. Austin seems to have a hidden gem just waiting to be found around every corner, and I plan on discovering as much as we can before we leave! 

So anyway, here are the updates/life lessons/who-knows-whats since my last update...

Beat the Heat

Something you might not know about Texas is that it gets super hot...haha just kidding everyone knows that! But that doesn't make facing the heat any easier, let alone beating it. 

So here are the tricks I have learned to help beat this crazy heat!

#1: Take a dip in a refreshing pool.

I must admit that morning lap time is my new favorite cardio.

(Side note: Most of you know I have been on a long journey to healthy hair, so I have learned a few easy tricks to keeping your hair safe from those dang pool chemicals - so for those who are interested: I dump a little water from my water-bottle on the ends so they don't soak in the chlorine, I don't get all the way in on the first day after washing my hair because the natural oils also keep the chemicals from soaking into the strands, and my favorite product and safe guard is a UV protectant - since pool time is usually accompanied by sunshine!)

 #2: If you are more of a sunshine soaker than a pool diver, make sure you have the proper tools for beating the heat!

The farther we get into summer, the hotter it gets, and the less patience I have for laying out...here are the tools that help me make it through on the days that I brave it.

1: A book you can really get into to take your mind off the fact that you are melting!

2: Some nice cold water...hello hydration! This water bottle has been my constant companion all summer.

3: Some dark shades, no one likes to be a squinter!

4: Maui Babe Browning Lotion, my one and only...if you are going to endure the heat might as well have a great tan to show for it!

5: A refreshing/healthy snack to keep you satisfied enough to outlast the sun.

6: A hat for when the shades start to slide off your sweaty face (it's inevitable).

7: A soft, large beach towel! Let's face it, the hotter it gets the more uncomfortable that lawn chair starts to feel, so why not cover it up?

8: Whenever possible find a poolside buddy to keep you entertained...and if you are lucky find one as handsome as mine ;)

#3: When all else fails, Blue Bell Ice-cream on the go is a sure save to a scorcher.

Linc knows what he is doing.

Roll it and Pull it

Two things you may or may not know about me are that I have a major sweet tooth and that I love to bake...and that, my friends, makes for a dangerous combination. 

I hardly ever have time to waste in the kitchen during the school year...so once summer hits a monster of sorts is unleashed.

Let's just say it is a good thing that we have friends here so we don't have to eat my experiments all by ourselves...get ready for food pics galore.

This past month I have:

...found my new favorite ice-cream recipe! Brownie cheesecake ice-cream...talk about yum. I have literally made 4 batches of this stuff and it seems to disappear as soon as it is finished.

...discovered that funfetti cookies from scratch are just as pretty and taste even better than from the box.

...put those lemon/raspberry cupcakes I love so much to good use.

 

...found my new favorite rich chocolate cupcake recipe

...and last but not least I finally had the guts to make a cheesecake by myself, a samoa cheesecake that is ;) HOORAY

Night Owls

When Kirby and I make it out together it is usually 11 or later, which seems to be when downtown Austin comes alive. On this particular night we headed out late with a couple of our closest friends out here and drove up and down 6th street (where clubs, bars, and crazies on bicycle carts are all you can see) just to feel like part of the action, stopped for a slice of some of Austin's most famous pizza, and then of course had to hit up the trailer park eatery for some delicious food truck doughnuts.We probably gained 10 pounds but who is keeping track?

Tell me eating this isn't worth gaining 10 pounds, and I won't believe you.

A soft Gourdough's Donut with coconut cream filling, hot fudge, and coconut flakes on top!

(my mouth is definitely watering as I type this)

We seem to be surrounded by the yummiest Tex-Mex out there. On one of our other late-night outings we discovered Baby-A's, conveniently just down the road from us and is surprisingly home to our new favorite - the stuffed avocado and the flying pink elephants.

July Babies

Apparently July is the month of birthdays in this office (including someone special named Kirby), so we had a fun little celebration to kick of the birthday month! A cake for each birthday boy and girl (the reason for the cheesecake), a pool full of friends, and lots of love to go around. 

Happy early/late birthday to Kirby, Zak, Pace, Justin, and Jacque!
I am so happy to have such great people to spend the summer with.

I can't wait to see where the rest of this birthday month takes us!

This Month's Who Knows Whats

When I thought he was at his meeting he was actually being sneaky.

I about had a heart attack when he pounded on the door.

What a sweetie. 

 I think that the cast of the lost boys was missing a certain little boy named Dominic.

So I guess some holiday happened to be this month... (details in previous post)

Lincoln has found his true calling. 

Congratulations to this little fishie, he has completed his first round of swim lessons!

I had a migraine and Kirby had a cold...so Dominic brought us a special treat and a movie to help us get better. Melt my heart.

Uncle Kirby and Dominic have a hard time hiding exactly how they feel from their face.

Oh and I fell in the oven. This burn is still giving me grief. 

So I guess other than that all there is to say is that we LOVE our nursery kids and look forward to every Sunday with them, we miss our family and friends and can't wait to see them, Kirby and half the office is super sick (don't ask me how I managed to stay healthy) oh and Obama came and ate at our favorite cafe downtown so life is still weird here in Austin, and that's the way they like to keep it.

Now is when I would normally say "until next month!" but considering that a special boy of mine has a special day coming up I am afraid I would be deceiving you if I acted like that wasn't post worthy.

So until July 22nd!

Love you All,

Madison Muir

land that I love.

 It is all too easy to take for granted the blessing that this country is and the significance of living in a free land. We owe so much to those who devoted their lives to shaping this great country, and to those who continue to sacrifice all that they have. So I just wanted to get in a quick thank you, to all those men and women, past and present.

Thank you.

Now...for those of you who don't know, the fourth of July is my favorite holiday, let's just get that out there.

It is my favorite for several reasons, mostly for the memories and excitement that accompanies the day...and also largely because fireworks are near the tippy top of my most favorite things list.

Plus who doesn't love a holiday that falls in the middle of the summer?

 

Growing up the 4th of July meant Nana's homemade ice cream, kickball and BBQ with our closest friends, watching fireworks from the middle of the lake, Papa's birthday and all the fun that comes from a summer night full of the best of friends, family, and explosions.

So naturally I love it.

I would also like to give a huge shout out to all those Wibergs out there! Kirby and I are the only two who could not make it to Grandma and Grandpa's this year...which we wish we could have changed! 

I am sure we missed out on a lot of fun, and hope everyone had the best Fourth of July!

Kirby and I have spent the fourth together for three years now, each time in a different part of this great country, and each time I am forced to remember how lucky I am, for this land that I love and my own personal American dream I live each day.

This year the whole office was able to go out super early in the morning in order to end the day early as well and be home at 5! (It's truly a miracle, I know!)

At least he got to show his patriotism on the doors...

 

The other wives and I had planned an office wide BBQ for when the guys got home, which was a blast and if I might add, extremely delicious!

 

We then packed our best big blanket, a ton of sparklers, and our most patriotic spirits and headed to catch a firework show with our friends! (have I mentioned how lucky we are to be surrounded by such great friends? Well, let's just say we have it good) 

But you know how everything is bigger in Texas? That included the amount of people trying to see fireworks. IT WAS A MADHOUSE. We thought we would be smart and catch a show that wasn't in the crazy downtown area...but apparently there is no such thing as a firework show that isn't crazy here.

People were camped out on their cars all along every road, blankets and lawn chairs were laid out in front of gas stations, restaurants, and just about anywhere you could squeeze. 

We found ourselves laying our blankets down outside of Torchy's Tacos watching some dinky, distant fireworks for a while until we received news that the other half of our party had found a much better place...so we jumped in our cars, somehow made it through the traffic (might have ran across the highway a couple times while the cars were at a standstill) and as soon as our backs hit the ground the first boom of fireworks started directly in front of us. 

It was magical.

Also remember the "tons" of sparklers we brought? Well we definitely used every last one.

 

I think that it is safe to say that chasing fireworks all night with the love of my life and some good friends will make this a fourth to remember.

Hoping you all had the most wonderful 4th!

With love,

Madison

together

Lately I have had to let my husband be gone much longer than I want to, but that doesn't make the moments he is gone any easier.

You see, since I met Kirby Lee Muir my favorite way to be is together.

Most couples need their alone time, which I know can sometimes be nice
but I only truly need one thing: to be together always with my Kirby.
and that is how it has always been with us.

Most of what we do can be done alone, but we choose to do it together.

we go on adventures together.
we cook our Sunday dinners together.

we create memories together.

we pray together.

we get into bed & wake up together.
we try out new things together.

we do our chores together.

we laugh at the silliest things together.

we read our books in bed together.

we make our future plans & big decisions together.

we tell stories together.
we grow together.

we do it all together
 and nothing could make me happier

Our moments together are always a treasure
...and in those moments when we are apart we are wishing to be together.

It is because we are together that I am who I am today.

The biggest blessing and most comforting thought that I have in this world is the knowledge that I will be together with my sweetheart for eternity

...and I wish the same on all of you who do not have this magical blessing.
I promise that it is one worth searching for.

Texan Summer: Month 2

 Well ladies and gentlemen we are now two months into this whole living in Texas thing. I know, it's crazy huh? It feels like we left Idaho a lifetime ago, but at the same time it has flown by (figure that one out). It's strange how time moves here...It's like we are in limbo. We have a nice apartment, but it isn't home. We have endless amount of exciting places to explore, but no time to do it. We have so much, but none of it is permanent. The only constant in our life is each other, so our few hours we get to spend together are now even more precious than before. 

Kirby is still working his bum off and I am so grateful for his dedication and will to keep going and always do his best. (He had his best week a couple of weeks ago so three cheers for Kirb! Yay!)

I am still spending every day with my sister in law and cutie-pie nephews, finding any bit of cleaning I can to keep myself busy, and soaking up as many new books as I can fit into the summer!

(which reminds me...I need new recommendations for a good/fun book to escape into, so please share!)

Anyway, in the last month Dominic turned 3...so weird...oh and we almost had a tornado go right over us...obviously we're alive so it's whatever.
Also, I gave a talk the week after we were welcomed into the ward AND now Kirby and I are nursery leaders so that's cool. Oh and we went to Buc-ees. So life is pretty good around here.

 Also, keep your fingers crossed that some day I will have something other than an iPhone to take pictures with...I am sure that would make sharing pictures a lot more fun for all parties.

But let's start with the night we almost starred in Twister 2.

The Tornado

At around 4:00 pm Kim and I were driving to the mall when the radio informed us that we were under a tornado watch. So I got online to see if we had heard right, and it turned out that just about every county around us was under a tornado watch...which I found it isn't a super huge deal. I had never had to deal with something like this before so I did my research and discovered that a watch means it is somewhat likely, but not for a while, it is more kind of a heads up to watch for the tornado warning. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and we were like "eh whatever, let's shop."

Later that night I was down at the gym with all the tvs on when a warning came on the screen letting us know that Burnet county (our northern neighbors) now had a tornado warning in effect. By the time I got up to our apartment the most intense lightning storm I had EVER witnessed was quickly moving on top of us...normally this would excite me, but knowing what it might bring took all that excitement away.

I spent the next bit of time at my sister in law's apartment watching as more and more counties were taken off of tornado watch and switched to a warning...including our own Travis county. We stood there, in the little 3rd story apartment for quite a while, unsure what to do. We knew it would be smartest to get somewhere safe, but with her little boys already asleep, waking them and finding shelter seemed like too large of a task if we weren't really in danger. So we waited. 

There were several other wives in the same boat. Do we wake the kids up? Do we wait it out and assume we are safe? Are we even really in danger? That question was answered when the news reported a tornado that had touched down just northwest of us and was said to be heading southeast. 

I threw together a quick bag of the important things (aka my laptop and the Frozen DVD) then helped Kim run across the parking lot with her two boys to the apartment's clubhouse where we were on ground level and a little safer. I then ran to another wife's apartment to help grab her three sleeping babes to take cover in our make-shift safe-house. 

Pretty soon there were three families hanging out in the bathroom at the clubhouse watching frozen on my laptop (high five to me for some quick thinking, am I right?) We were surrounded by thick stone walls and absolutely no windows. Which kept us safe, but also meant we couldn't see what was going on outside. So we just watched the storm's radar on our phones. By the time it showed that the storm was right on top of us we didn't know what was going on outside. The power turned off a couple of times, and the thunder might have made me jump more often than I would like to admit, but that was really all we experienced. So we waited there until the warning lifted...then went home feeling a little silly. It must have gotten pretty windy here though because there was stuff blown all over...including all of the pool chairs which ended up in the deep end of the pool.

Oh and fyi my husband had been selling a couple hours away and wasn't even included in the tornado watch so I made him stay there and go out to a late dinner with some buddies to wait out the storm...he kept trying to come be with me but I wouldn't let him be the hero.

So anyways. We didn't see a tornado. Which... A) I am kind of disappointed about, it would have been cool to see one as long as the tornado was far enough away to not hurt us, B) I am happy to say that that means we are all alive, and C) if it makes anyone feel any better the tornado that did hit close to us mostly effected rural areas so no deaths...but it did lift a house off its foundation and throw it a couple hundred yards so...maybe we weren't over reacting?

Also, the kids had a blast. When we got back to the apartments Dominic brought a movie over to his mom and said "can we take this one next time?"

 An unplanned slumber party.

When you think you might die, you snap-chat.

...and cuddle with cute girls like this little princess.

PIRATE PARTY

Pirates are fun, birthdays are fun, and spoiling your nephew is fun. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun at Dominic's pirate pool party palooza!

Uncle Kirby got to spend the whole morning frosting cupcakes and being a pack mule. We love him.

 

 This is why he is more fun than their aunt.

 

The only cool party is a pool party.

So...there was a lot I didn't get in this pictures, balloons and streamers, a shark watermelon, kids in eye patches, cheesy cannon balls and more! But I had the honor of getting to help make some of the cute marshmallow pops so hip hip hooray! Kim definitely blew this pirate party out of the water!

 I wonder who got him all that...? Also, cute ketchup face, am I right?

 

Showing off the cool toys.

Lately Kirby has loved having Sundays to read to Dominic, and Dominic has been way into his Thomas book with a monster in it. So, while I was fine with just giving him the T-Ball Set, Kirby became determined to buy him "Where the Wild Things Are" to read to him. What a cute uncle!

So obviously the party was a major success for everyone involved. Dominic is definitely one loved little boy...and if you met him you would understand why.

IN OTHER NEWS

A photo-dump from the last month. It's only appropriate.

Meet 4 of my best friends. The cutest little fishies in Texas.

Because driving to the gym is sometimes our only alone time.

When you can't find Linc, always check Uncle Kirby's closet.

 

So we went to Buc-ee's for the first time...that was very exciting. We are talking super gas station with a wall of gummy candies, fresh fudge, and delicious jerky. Obviously my kind of place.

Dominic got into a major stare/glare off with Kirby. Like we are talking he held this glare all night...and climbed across the table to get right up in Kirby's face. We were all dying. The video is priceless.

Because it is peony season...and everyone else was sharing theirs...and I'm a follower.

Bike ride with Aunt Madison.

This is Dominic's favorite video...he has watched it over and over with the biggest grin every time.

Well ladies and gentlemen thanks for visiting my lonely blog!
You are all sweeties!

Until July 14th!

Texan Summer: Month 1

Well it has officially been a whole month since we moved to Texas! So I figured it was about time for a little update . . . Remember when I said it was a little chilly here? Well that did not last long at all! This summer is starting to feel as hot as everyone warned us it would be, it is not a huge deal for me who gets to hide out inside or cool off in the pool, but just thinking about that poor husband of mine walking around in the scorching heat all day breaks my heart! He is so dedicated and such a great provider, what a man! 

I feel like we have experienced a lot in this little month, good and bad, so here are some highlights from our first month in Austin:

He's My Sales Guy

Kirby, who had only about a few trainings and no pre-season experience, got his first sale on his first day knocking! I had to take a pic of the cutie when he got home . . . I see a "first-sale-of-the-year-picture" tradition in the making ;) He makes me so proud everyday!

A Quick Look at a Day in Our Life

This month our daily routine has looked like this: It starts out with a trip to the gym. Then we come home, he changes and leaves for his meeting while I make lunch. He comes home from the meeting, eats his lunch, kisses me good bye, and then sets out to knock doors. I then do whatever I need to for work (I am an assistant for Kirby's manager), followed by any necessary grocery shopping. Then the rest of the day is spent between playing with my nephews, hanging out at the pool with the other lonely wives, or finding new fun places to visit. This month we have really only been to the outlet mall, and a fun Hawaiian Ice stand, but I'm not complaining! Then once it gets dark I finish any household odds and ends and make a quick trip to the little apartment gym to pass the time (aka we don't have TV but the gym has a personal TV on EVERY machine so it is more like going to watch TV and only happening to be working out at the same time). It works out quite nicely because by the time I get home and showered my babe is home! Because it is normally close to 11 pm when he pulls in he never wants a huge dinner so we snack on some veggies, watch an episode of Parks and Recreation, then go to sleep...once the alarm goes off the routine gets stuck on repeat. I must also mention that being in the south again means at least one new flavor of bluebell ice-cream a week, and we are constantly finding new favorites! Then the send of the week eventually rolls around and Sunday is Kirb's only day off, so we love the chance to attend church and relax together. It's not much, and I miss him so much throughout the day, but we do what we gotta do!

We can't resist . . . his and hers bluebell . . . "Dat cookie dough!"

 I am so glad my little buddy loves these southern thunderstorms enough to sit on the curb and "ooo" and "aww" at each flash of light with me! Just look at how cute his excited face is! This was the first storm we have really been able to watch this summer and it did not disappoint!

Waving goodbye as he heads off for another long day of work! I love that man!

A portion of our apartment gym aka my night time tv spot. I think I need this in my future house!

 

Easter

Easter is such a marvelous holiday, and I must admit that we had a wonderful first Easter living away from parents (which was sad but we did out best)! Check out this post for details.

Student Teaching Interviews

I had a crazy encounter with student teaching interviews, just about everything went wrong leading up to the day. First my scheduled interviews had somehow all been set up as face-to-face interviews even though this would be impossible considering that I am half way across the country. Then when that was all sorted out and I was scheduled for an online interview I got dressed all professional, layed out all of the documents and cheat sheets I could ever need, and sat at my computer for over an hour ready and anxious for my skype interviews . . . only to find out that everyone had left and skipped over me and there was nothing I could do.

THEN after lots of tears I was sitting on my bed a couple days later, halfway through folding laundry when I received a call from an unknown Idaho number. I answered the call and immediately found out that this my interview then and there . . . no warning whatsoever. Just all of the principles I had planned to meet with separately . . . together . . . asking me questions . . . over the phone. I didn't have any of my helpful papers near by, hadn't had time for a personal pep-talk, and was a little flustered. But in the end it went extremely well! This is only a testiment that things will ALWAYS work out the way they are supposed to. Who knows, maybe if I had done it on the day when I thought I was so prepared I would have encountered technology issues, or been too built up with anxiety from waiting that I wouldn't have been able to be myself. Whatever the reason, everything worked out (there may have been a bit of fasting, lots of prayers, and a priesthood blessing that pushed it that direction) either way, I was immediately offered a job at an elementary school close to home . . . YAY! Fate is on our side my friends!

Cinco de Mayo

As I mentioned before, Sundays are Kirby's only day off . . . so knowing that he would be working on Monday the 5th (aka Cinco de Mayo) Kim and I planned a little family celebration the Sunday before. We found the copy cat recipe for Chipotle's chicken burritos and spent the night before and a few hours after church preparing the food for our little fiesta! It was a success indeed! Plus we kind of made a liiiiittle bit too much so we had burritos, nachos, and quesadillas for daaaays after, which was quite wonderful if I might say so myself! Then once the little boys had gone to bed, I whipped out Kirby's "special surprise treat!" I guess it didn't end up being a surprise because he guessed it quite easily, but I made some fried ice cream for the grown ups and it was surely delicious!  Kirb and I make special trips to a local Mexican restaurant just for their fried ice-cream, but I had never attempted to make my own. I found a super simple recipe and am currently kicking myself for never trying it before because it was so easy and so great! Ole!

Mothers Day

Mothers are wonderful creatures aren't they? I at least know that my mother and my mother-in-law sure are! Without these wonderful ladies I know that I would not be where I am now, and while there is so much more that I could say, right now I just want to say thank you. Thank you Mom for always being there, for always knowing just what to say, for always making up the most exciting bed-time stories, for always tucking me in, for being a best friend and a shoulder to cry on, but most of all thank you for being a great example of what a mother is. And thank you Karen for raising Kirby to be the gracious man that he is today, for always putting others before yourself, for jump-starting our married life in so many ways, and for loving me like a daughter. I love both of these wonderful ladies so much and don't know what I would do without them!

So I am sure we all experience the panic of not knowing how to show our love and appreciation accurately on Mothers day, I know I do. It seems to be especially hard when you are so far away . . . but I found a compromise by ordering the moms in my life some fun cupcakes all the way from Washington DC. At least they look yummy right? I wish I could have been there to try one!

Another wonderful thing that comes with Mother's day is the chance to skype my funny little missionary brother in law! I have never had a brother to go on a mission so this whole experience has been very new to me, but it was great to see Kelton and it will be even better to give him a big welcome home hug in a few months!

After meeting with all of Kirby's family over the computer I decided it was time to say hello to my own goofy little family! We had a lot of fun, what a couple of great families I have!

My mom sent this picture after she opened them all, thank heavens for smart phones right??

Madison and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Yesterday was definitely one for the records, two classic bad day stories found themselves right on top of me for one massive crazy day . . .

As a lead in to bad day story number one I would like to tell you another quick story about some treasure: While working with my second grade classroom I was part of a lesson where the kids were all supposed to bring a "family treasure." They brought everything from framed pictures to artifacts from family vacations and everything in between. I had with me the single most important physical item that I own, my very own treasure, an item that I keep with me at all times, an item that carries meaning and emotion with it that I could never replace . . . any guesses as to what it is? I will give you a hint, it is really sparkly and fits perfectly on my left hand . . . my wedding ring! I have a habit of glancing down at my hand periodically to admire just how perfect it is. So after a stop at the gym, an office lunch, a trip to Sam's club, shopping at Target, and loads of laundry, I found myself at an indoor play place with my nephews when I decided to hold my hand up for a quick admiration of the beauty on my finger. I immediately noticed something was wrong . . . see if you can spot it in this picture, it is kind of hard to miss:

My heart immediately dropped, how could this have happened?? Not only is one of the main diamonds GONE but the entire setting just disappeared! I had been so many places that day there was no hope in finding it. I am still kind of in shock and totally heart broken. I called the jeweler and he said that they could probably fix it, but that means trusting the mail from Texas to Idaho with my treasure. . . which I can honestly say I don't. So we will see what happens, I might just have to wait 4 months to get it fixed. 

While yes, I am still heart broken and frustrated, I know that with or without this beauty I still have my husband and while the ring is a symbol of our love and devotion nothing matters more than the fact that we have each other forever and for always!

So while I was in this very vulnerable and emotional state last night I was so happy that my sweetheart made it home way earlier than normal due to a storm so crazy it would have been suicide to have anyone walking around outside . . . which brings us to story number two:

Kirby and I decided to brave the storm and drive out for our first official date in Texas! We had a delicious dinner and that sweetheart got me all happy and smiley even when I was determined to wallow over my ring. While at dinner Kirby's manager texted him and asked us to come over for a little late night training, so we packed up our left-overs and ran through the pouring rain back to the car. Before pulling up to his manager's apartment we stopped the car outside our stairwell so that Kirby could go grab his notebook . . . he was at the door to the stairwell when I realized he had left the apartment keys in the car, after a few attempts at yelling over the dumping rain he finally heard me and motioned for me to thrown them to him. I had a hard enough time seeing him through the rain, and once I stood up out of the car to throw a little better the rain was hitting my face too hard to really open my eyes so I panicked and threw the keys underhand so they went straight over his head and landed right on the overhang from the second story of the stairwell. 

So now it was about 10:30 at night, pitch black (except for the lightning), the rain was not coming in drops, it was more like a large bucket was constantly emptying a waterfall onto our heads, we had no keys to get in to our apartment, seemingly no way to get them back at this moment, and were late to a training. We tried looking from the second floor onto the overhang, but through the darkness and the rain we could not see a thing, tried searching the ground below in case they had bounced off, but again the visibility was way too low. Because the rain was so loud we had to shout to hear each other, so naturally our good friends heard us echoing in the stairs, and Kim, Keegan, and Dominic had seen us running around as they were watching the storm through their window . . . and they all came out to the stairs to watch the madness. So now, with an audience Kirby became extra determined to find the keys. The daredevil first tried climbing the soaking, and slippery window pane below the overhang (I about killed him, it scared me so much!) but it got him high enough to reach over and feel around in the overflowing rain gutter above . . . but he did not find anything. Then (I had to turn around and not watch this part) because he had his friend hold the swinging stairway door as steady as possible as he climbed up the door knob to stand on the top rim of the door (keep in mind that this was also soaked and slippery) but his recklessness payed off for as he felt around in the gutter this time he grabbed hold of the keys and saved us and was left with nothing but a few cuts on his shin! By now we were both dripping wet and soaked through to our underwear, so needless to say a dry change of clothes was welcomed with open arms!

 I would just like to also point out that while this entire predicament was ALL my fault, my husband never once got any bit frustrated with me, he simply went about finding a solution to our problem, and that is one of the reasons why I love him so much!

A soaked couple after a date night gone wrong.

I know that I am not always the best at describing events . . . so I took this picture in the morning, in hopes that it might make the story a little easier to understand. Those windows are the ones he scaled, that door is the one he stood on top of, and that gutter hanging off that little roof is where our keys were stuck . . . oh and that opening right above it is where we all stood to watch the brave act ;)

So as you can tell, we have experienced a lot in this short month, and it has been a growing experience every step of the way! I love sharing these times of constant learning and growing up with Kirby Lee Muir!

 

Thank you for reading!

XOXO

our egg-celent easter

Easter is such a wonderful time of year. It represents a special event that effects all of our lives and that we all depend on every day. Our Savior loved us so much that he gave his life for us, and through his love and grace we can be saved and rise again as he did. I am so thankful for the sacrifice my loving savior made for me, and will continually strive to live a life devoted to showing my love and appreciation for him. All that I am, and all that I have I owe to him.

I love my husband for many reasons, one of them being his sweet Spirit and strong testimony. When we were dating he told me of one of his favorite hymns, that I had not been too familiar with, it is called "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown" and I would just like to share my favorite verse from it: 

No creature is so lowly,

No sinner so depraved,

But feels thy presence holy

And thru thy love is saved.

Tho craven friends betray thee,

They feel thy love's embrace;

The very foes who slay thee

Have access to thy grace.

We are all loved and watched over by a heavenly father and brother who love us more than we can ever know, even if we don't deserve it or recognize it; no knowledge is more important in this life than that, and nothing can bring more peace and happiness.

 I love whenever we sing this song in sacrament meeting because my sweet husband goes silent at least once a verse . . . the only time I ever see him get teary is during hymns (although most of the time he his pretty good at hiding it and probably hates that I just publicly shared this haha).

Sundays with my eternal companion are always my favorite.

Now to change gears a little . . . What did we do for Easter? Well, I am glad you asked. It all started yesterday and was full of Easter Carnivals and decorating eggs with my sister in law and nephews, seriously so fun - and just a little messy . . .

Before we get into this any more, I would like to point out that this is actually the third Easter Sunday Kirby and I have spent together. Last year we were out of town for Kirby's grandpa's funeral, so a couple of days before Easter Kirby somehow totally surprised me with a basket full of all my favorite things and the necessities for egg dying. I was caught totally off guard and had nothing to show in return, so, knowing that he has been working his butt off all week I figured it was the perfect chance to make it up to him. So I put together his own little egg hunt in the apartment, and bought just a few of his favorite things.

I just filled a dozen little eggs with our favorite Easter candies and silly little love notes, then hid them around the house while he was still sleeping.

After finding all the eggs I was just snapping a few pictures of him reading my notes. I am glad I caught this face, he must have just found a good one ;)

An Easter Brunch success! 

All of the favorites for my favorite.

This being our first Easter without the real adults (aka our parents) Kim and I made our first official Easter dinner! Complete with ham, funeral potatoes, dinner rolls, and salad. I am feeling very accomplished right now if you couldn't tell. 

I didn't get any pictures of us all, but I made sure to capture Kirby and Dominic sharing the throne (we only had 4 dinner table chairs and had to improvise)

While Kirby's egg hunt was a lot of fun, the little hunt Kim set up outside the apartment for the little boys was definitely more exciting. They loved running around and grabbing as many eggs as they could, I couldn't stop laughing at those cuties.

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter full of remembrance and chocolate, because we sure did! Happy Easter!

Love,

The Muirs

keep the change

If you have ever read the little welcome blurb on my blog then you have heard that I describe our life as one of "constant change." I refer to it this way for several reasons. First of all we are both college students, in our twenties, and newly married (one year, 4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days just in case you were wondering), so obviously life is full of your basic changes. Adapting to living with someone new, trying to keep track of bills we have never had to pay, constantly preparing and planning for the future, you know, your basic growing up stuff. But on top of that, Kirby is a part of the summer-sales club, which means we pack up and move across the country to somewhere new for 5 months out of the year only to pack up again and move back to Rexburg . . . then push repeat the next April. It literally feels like we are finally settled and getting into our grove somewhere right when the shuffle catches back up with us. . . I know this sounds like I am complaining but I swear I am not! I love not just traveling across the country each summer, but truly getting a taste for life in a place that is entirely different than home! I feel like you can't truly experience life if you are always stuck with the same people in the same city.

Plus I am a sucker for road trips, watching the scenery seamlessly change from mountains to cities to cactus to palm trees over and over again, being trapped within a foot of my sweetie for hours where we can talk about whatever and sing along to whatever and turn anything into a game. It never gets old for me! 

This year our favorite road trip pass times included: solving the trickiest riddles we could find online (8+ solid hours of riddle-solving my friends!), playing the entire Les Miserables movie soundtrack (just wait until you hear my Kirb sing Who Am I . . . I die every time haha), our own version of 20 questions (he is waaaay better than I am), listening to his motivational books (aka nap time for me), and playing "I spy something green" in New Mexico and all of western Texas (for real though, where are my trees?). Anyways . . . Did I ever mention what our destination was this time around? None other than good old Austin, Texas.

My first impression of Texas was not the best . . . it was literally like 10 hours past nothing but tumble weeds and dust, and that is not an exaggeration. I about died to think that this is where we were moving. But slowly (and I mean very slowly) we started to find some hills, green grass and small trees. Then we were in Austin. I haven't experienced much of the city yet but I can tell I will be loving it here. First of all, thank heavens to finally be near some good shopping! Second of all, hello southern barbecue and blue bell ice cream! (Don't be too surprised when we both come back with 20 extra pounds of fat). I am still a little unsure about the weather here though. When we pulled in late Sunday night it was humid as all get out and blazing hot . . . then Monday woke us up with a crazy southern storm (I definitely missed those!) and it was seriously so cold all day, and since then the warmest it has been is the low 60s. So here's to hoping that not packing a single jacket will end up being a good thing! Plus I am ready for some pool time ;)

With all that aside we love the office he is with this year, love having familiar faces nearby, love having family across the hall, and love our ever changing life! 

Pictures of the Move

He gets rather animated when singing along with Hugh Jackman . . . man I love this little nut!

While my mom was over she accused me of being sentimental, and I full-heartedly agree. It could also explain why I took a picture of every detail of our old apartment. 

This was our first home together and we shared so many special memories that are so dear to me in these rooms, so of course I want to capture the details before they are gone!

In the last week we moved from this...

(Speaking of being sentimental, I have kept and dried one flower from each bouquet of flowers Kirby has given me, ever since we were dating. That is what you see on top of our dresser!)

 . . . to this!

 It is so nice to be the first residents here. We don't have to worry about sketchy stains and most of all bugs! Woo hoo! But my very favorite part of living here is the closet space. Kirby and I finally get our own, big closets. It's a miracle!

 Sorry, this post might not be the most exciting! But what can I say, these are the moments that make up our life, so I love each and every one of them!