First Attempt

Wow! Snowboarding is really fun but it hurts so bad!! I know that it will get better and that the first time is the worst so that gives me hope. Mandi, Jazz, Mike, Kyle and I went up to Brighton for a little bit of night boarding before the season was officially over. Kyle and I were feeling a little bummed cause we didn't get a chance to fully take advantage of the snow this winter. I'm glad that we got to have a little fun before it is gone. I was actually surprised that after the first run I started to figure things out a little bit. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. The good thing was it didn't take an hour to get down the hill anymore and it is a lot more fun when you are on your feet and in control. The bad thing is the faster you go the harder you fall. I learned this lesson good a couple times. I never would really fall back but I sure shot forward a couple times and my knees paid for it. I was waiting for the bruises to hit before I posted so I could share my beautiful battle wounds but they came and left as fast as when my board would flip forward and I was flying through the air. Besides the 3 day recovery period, I loved the trip and can't wait until next year when there will be powder instead of ice and we can go work our magic again. Funny how bodies are so quick to forget the pain. I guess without this little quirk we would be too scared to live life.
Kyle, Me, Mandi, and Jazz after the first run.
Yup, that's me up and going! I still couldn't tell you if I'm normal or goofy though.
Me, Kyle and Mike
After the first couple runs Mandi and I were confident enough to tackle the mountain ourselves. I know that the boys loved to go off and finally feel some speed! We needed a little break half way down and this is the product....

End of Road Work

The construction zone has finally been completed!! In light of that I thought I would like to let you know a little more about us. There are so many things that we love to do that this is going to be harder then I thought. We are constantly out doing something or going somewhere. It makes life interesting!
We love to go Rock Climbing. I don't have much experience (or muscle for that fact) like Kyle does but it is fun to take off after work and get a climb in. We are only about 5 minutes away from Rock Canyon so it is easy to do.
Kyle has always loved to go Mountain Biking. Usually when he takes his Saturday trips with the boys I can get a little scrapbooking done. I love to be creative and do something productive with our pictures. I don't see the point in taking them if you are never going to have a way to look at them. In this picture Kyle is on Slick Rock Trail in Moab. We try to make a trip there once a year. Not only do you get to bike but you can swim in the Colorado River, hike through Arches, and camp. I still think camping in the Mountains is more fun though. Its not so hot but we still like them both.
Sundays in the summer are my most favorite days. We love to go wade the rivers and have picnics outside. When it gets a little cooler at night it is perfect to take walks or bike rides and lay on the grass watching the stars. We are getting really excited for summer now that the sun is starting to shine. Anything to do with outdoors in the summer is exciting.
We also love the beach and vacations! We have so many dream vacations that are just waiting to happen. One of our favorite vacations is to take the weekend and head down to Mesquite. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa we have that option! It is fun to go and relax in the sun.I'm pretty sure that this is top on Kyle's list right now. I don't think a day goes by without me hearing about how he wants to go fishing. Hopefully I will get my license soon so that I can start going with him!
Kyle grew up mountain biking but I grew up on four wheelers and motorcycles. I have been driving them since I can remember. We love to take them camping or shooting and spending time with family.
Kyle loves to go snowboarding. We are planning a trip soon but this is going to be my first attempt so I'm a little nervous. I'm going to need a lot of help...and messages.
Temples!! They are the most beautiful place inside and out. Church and temples are such a important part of our lives. I am so grateful to have married Kyle in the Mount Timpanogos Temple. It is such a blessing to have your family for time and all eternity.
I know it seems crazy right now but we love the snow....for a little while at least. We loved having a white Christmas this year. I think that if it is going to be cold there better be snow. Otherwise it can just get miserable. January is the worst for ice and no snow. We didn't take the opportunity to enjoy the snow by sledding and snowmobiling like we had hoped.

We love the little things in life and try not to take advantage of them. I will never pass up the chance to cuddle and watch a movie, drink Mt. Dew, smell the rain, stay up late, take a walk or sit outside, listen to the river flow, and hug all our loved ones. I am so grateful to have family close to share our time with. If you think I left anything out let me know. haha

*Under Construction*

Everybody that knows me, knows that I am a big perfectionist and everything has to be the same and in order. For that reason I thought I would give you a little heads up. I am going to be updating and revising our blog over the next little while. I know it is surprising but we will see how this whole blogging world goes. That means that nothing will really be the same. All the posts now will be added to or changed a little and there will be new posts as well. Because I have to have things in order, it will mean that the newest post that I add really could be at the end. Good luck! For those of you that take a look at our blog I would like to thank you. My computer is SOOO slow, I wouldn't be wanting to do this for nothing.

New Years Eve

Jake and Anni planned a New Year's Party at Debbie and Gary's this year. We played games all night to help bring in the new year. I'm so glad to have married into such a fun family.

Mandi, Valerie, Me and Kate

As long as there is Internet, this is what a day at the Alvey house looks like. They are always on their I-touches or computers. Kyle, Jared, Zach, and Gary.

Kate and I are rocking out on Guitar Hero showing our mad skills.

Brooke, Myli, and Kamri some of our cute little nieces.

Christmas in a Wrap

We were super busy with Christmas parties and fun this year but we wouldn't have it any other way. I got a little lazy and didn't take many pictures this time but there is always next year. There were so many traditions that our families set that made the Season right. I hope that I will have traditions for my kids when the time comes so that they can't wait to come around family and join in the fun. Kyle and his brothers, Zach, Jake and Jared. Anni with Madi, Me, Mandi, and Jake at the Alvey Christmas Party.Kyle won the Jelly Bean count at the Sevy Christmas Party. He was so excited about winning. Just for the record guys, there was no cheating.

Eva won the Pooper Scooper count. She is a smart little girl. Pictured is Danny, Betsy, and Wyatt, Eva decided to take a little nap. All that counting wore her right out.

Our first Christmas Morning together! Good thing we have each other to spoil. I love him so much and want to give him everything. The "Christmas Limit" was a good idea on Kyle's part. Pretty sure that it will be a keeper for next year.

Jaws! In Florida's Universal Studios

My work was awesome and sent Kyle and I to Orlando, Florida for the NAR (National Association of Realtors). They "hired" him for the week and paid everything for us to fly out there and work a couple days at the convention. Although the days were long and very tough on our feet, we had a lot of fun. I loved that I was able to spend all day with Kyle and share my work with him. I do have to admit that I still felt too little to be out there on my lonesome with just Kyle and I in the working world. It was a really good experience for us. If anything, its better to work in Florida for a week than at home in an office, right?

The people at NAR were nice enough to rent out Universal Studios for only participants and realtors/brokers. They also gave everybody $10 in Universal Bucks so that we could get our own souvenirs of our choice. Ok so most of the people thought that beer at a theme park was pretty cool but that's not how we roll so we got a sweet Spiderman mug and magnet. It is our new tradition to buy them for every place we visit together. It is a pretty fun tradition. If you ever want Kyle's famous hot chocolate at our house we got you covered. I admit that Jaws scared me that time; I'm a baby I know.

So did this lady. But when you have a 12 ft tall person a couple inches from you face when you turn around I think you would be scared too.

We couldn't fly out to Florida and not have a little non-work related fun so we stayed an extra day and because Disney World is so dang expensive we found Gatorworld. It was a pretty cool place to see. I was picked out of the crowd and had to hold this gynormous snake. I would show you the pictures but Kyle forgot to take them and filmed it all instead. It will be a good video to watch. I was tough, you would be proud.

We thought this Alligator's leg was going to fall off so we seriously took like 5 pictures.

We wanted to go to the Orlando Temple but we thought of it a little too late. I didn't know that we needed to keep our Recommends with us at all times so I guess that is a good thing to know now.
It was such a pretty temple. I wanted to go inside so bad.

There were super cool buildings down one of Orlando's main streets. 2 of them were upside down museums. I think that this one is called something like Wonder Worlds?

We couldn't come all the way to Orlando and not go to Disney World so now I have been there...sorta. I know it doesn't really count in my book either but we went to Down Town Disney and admired all the Lego statues. If that was as close as I can get I will take it. It was an attempt to jump start Kyle's memory. You would think that a trip like Disney World would be unforgettable but somethings...ok most things...just slip his mind. It was good to walk around and let the memories come back to him.

Boys and Girls of Every Age, Wouldn't You Like to See Something Strange

Parties and more parties, you can never have enough fun! We had liked getting into the Halloween Spirit this year. It was our first Halloween together so it was fun to buy all the decorations and set everything up. We had a couple friends get together on Halloween so we had to make the house look nice!
Will and his date, Nate and Katie, Joe and Julie, Casey,Andrea and Jocelyn, Kyle and I, and Whitney and Eric all came to play. We played games like...
Eating doughnuts on a string. (I don't think one girl won)
And Bobbing for Apples.
Kyle and I were Nerds for the night but for the Alvey family Halloween Party he had to come up with the most perfect costume. What would work better then being the Newly Weds like we already are? It was really fun idea. You can't tell all the details to our costume but for those of you that want to know what a Newly Wed looks like, here is an idea...
Besides dressing up and watching scary movies for Halloween, every year we try to make it to the Big Red Barn for a hayride to the Pumpkin Patch. It has been a tradition in my family for quite a few years. We will go and pick out the best pumpkin and then when we come back Grandma has a wonderful dinner made and fresh Apple Cider Doughnuts from the Barn. We all look forward to it every year. I wish that I would have remembered to take pictures but I slacked off a little this year. I did manage to take one picture of Mandi, Kyle and I in the Corn Maze at Cornbelly's. We didn't get lost for too long but what do you expect when everybody cuts through the corn to the end?

Moab

Kyle and his family love to try to make a trip to Moab, UT every year. I have gone the last couple years with them while Kyle was on his mission. It is always fun but needless to say that I loved having Kyle with me this time. This year we got to hike to the Delicate Arch. I didn't know that it was so big. I think that everybody should visit it at least one time.

We stopped at the Hole in the Rock. Doesn't this jeep make you feel like you are in Bedrock?

Kyle was helping Kayden feed the sheep. I thought it was so cute.

Of course you have to find time to go biking. Anytime Kyle gets to spend time on a bike is a good time. I am impressed with how good he really is. He scares me a lot but that doesn't seem to change anything so I best get used to it.

Fun in the Sun

July is always one of the most busiest months. We do so many fun things. This is a little of what our summer looked like. I am sad to see it leave.
Eric, Whitney, Kyle and I
Kyle's work gave us tickets to see a Bee's game. It was really fun. We enjoyed watching the game and eating Dip-n-dots (its a must).
Kyle's work also sponsors the Spanish Fork Rodeo every year so we got free tickets. We love going to the Rodeo. We had 3 tickets so we brought along my little brother Kaden.
Kaden all dressed up like a Cowboy.
Ice Blocking is the perfect activity for a warm Summer night. We decided it would be a fun Family Home Evening activity so we all got together for some fast, grass-staining fun!
1..2..3.....
GO!
Meet Spike! He is our little friend we found camping up at the Proper-T. It would have been fun to keep him but it is sad to take them away from their homes and end up killing them somehow. We love to go camping and see what adventures the outdoors has to offer. I think I have only seen two of these in my life so it was a pretty exciting trip.