Best. Decision. Ever.

We celebrated our one year anniversary on Saturday the 14th in Hermosa Beach.  It was a crazy but perfect day.  Eric took me to dinner at the Chart House where we ate the most delicious meal either of us have had in a long time. I am so glad that I made the decision to marry Eric.  He is the most wonderful, caring, trustworthy, hardworking, and perfect-for-me husband.  I love you Eric and I'm so excited to see what life has in store for us. 

My camera is broken, so I didn't get any pictures of our anniversary celebration, but here are some wedding day memories.  All photos taken by our amazing sister Collen - check out her website at colleenbell.com!

And we're living happily ever after....

California

This last weekend we went to Cali for a whirlwind weekend of apartment shopping, weddings, and family time.  We flew in Thursday night and spent the night with Eric's brother John and his family.  It was so fun to see our little niece and nephews who we never get to see, but all that will change when we move down to San Diego!!  We spent Friday in San Diego shopping for apartments.... what a nightmare!!  By the end of the day, I was so stressed and confused about what to do.  Everything down there is so expensive!  I may have had a slight breakdown at one point, but Eric reminded me that, somehow, everything will work out.  If we have faith and trust the Lord, he will always provide. Eric can always calm my fears... thats one of the many reasons I knew he was the one for me.  We have so many friends in similar situations, and although I know it will be tough, I also know it will be worth it in the end.

Here is the only picture I took all weekend.... us in front of the LA Temple.

Saturday was a beaufitul day.... it started off with the sealing of Nick and Teal in the Los Angeles Temple.  It was a beautiful ceremony and we were so happy to see our good friend Nick so happy.  He married a beautiful bride named Teal (his new favorite color) and couldn't stop saying the word "wife" all day haha.  We spend that afternoon with the Ashby's in Hermosa and got some much anticipated family time in. Our little nephew Jered is getting so big and is so cute, we hate being so far away from everyone. It was so good to spend some time with the family and the weekend definately went by way too fast.  I felt like we were rushing from place to place the whole time.  It will be so nice when we are there for good and we can have all the family time we want.

Here is a cute pic of Jered from Uncle Eric...

A very festive weekend

Some of the boys up here had their girlfriends come up and visit this weekend.  I, for one, loved having a few extra girls around (sometimes the amount of testosterone is overwhelming).  We were glad that they let the married couple hang around with them.  On Saturday we went to the Portland Saturday Market, and then back to Punchbowl Falls. We really love it there. Last time we went to Punchbowl Falls I really dropped the ball and missed Eric jumping off the 80ft cliff.  He didn't jump off the 80 footer again on acount of his injured tailbone, but I did catch this little diddy on camera. 

Here are some more photos of the weekend. 

The famous VooDoo donuts.... we waited in line 45 min for these babies.

Katy and Marty! What a cute couple!

The whole group at the falls.... Eric's face is my favorite.

Sleeping in Seattle

Well, I successfully completed my first road trip, on my own!  Granted, Seattle isn't very far away from Portland, but its an accomplishment none the less.  I took the 3 1/2 hour drive last week to go visit my aunt Cricket and my grandparents who were visiting her from Denver.  Now, if you know me at all, you know that I am not good with directions.  One time I got lost going from my house in Littleton to a Wendy's (about 3 miles away - in the town that I grew up in.)  I am happy to report that there were no dramatic driving experiences and I drove from my door straight to Christine's!! 

I had such a blast in Seattle that I extended my stay and came home a day later than I had originally planned.  We went to the famous Pike Market in downtown Seattle and we had so much fun sightseeing and people watching.  We even bought fresh fish, shrimp, and fruits and veggies that we took home that night to cook up for dinner!!

We bought one of these...

And some of these....

and some of these...

And I love these people...

My Uncle Dan built this building (The blue one in the back)...

The next day we went on a little cruise around the Seattle area.  Unfortunately, this is the only pic we got... it was a windy day.

On my way home I stopped off at the Tomyn's for a homemade, Korean breakfast.  A squid omelet.... yumm. They are some of my favorite people and I'm so glad that I was able to stop and see them.   Here I am with Song Song (I seriously love this lady.)

I Love Lucy

 

Today is Grandma Lucy's Birthday!! If you know us very well, you know that Lucy is a very special person in our lives.  I have been so lucky to have her so close to me after I moved away for college.  My most special college memories are my weekly visits with Lucy.  She is an amazing woman who has made a huge impact in so many lives, including mine.  I Love You Lucy! Happy Birthday!!

Punchbowl Falls

Ever since we got here we have been wanting to go these waterfalls called Punchbowl Falls right outside of Portland.  Eric went last summer and loved it so much, and I couldn't wait to go!  Last week was just about the hottest week in Portland's history so we decided that it was the perfect time to head out to the falls and get some relief from the heat.  The falls are about a 45 minute drive outside or Portland and its a 2 mile hike into the falls.  I've been on a lot of hikes in my lifetime, but I can honestly say this was one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen.  Everything was so green!!  I felt like I was hiking in the jungle!  And the waterfall!  It was like something in a movie!  Seriously, so beautiful!!  The boys all decided to jump from the top of the highest waterfall (about 70 ft). YIKES!!  Eric hurt his tailbone a little bit when he hit the water and the poor guy hasn't been able to sit comfortably since Saturday and he has been relentlessly begging me for a butt massage.  Here are some pics from the hike!

Tinky led the way!

The whole crew!

The waterfall they jumped off.  They jumped from above the waterfall to the left.

Kimi playing in the water

The smaller waterfall

My handsome hubby!

Happy 4th!!

We had a great fourth of July weekend here in Portland.  As per usual it was cloudy and crappy weather, but the clouds went away just in time for the fireworks to start.  We went to a local firework show and the fireworks were really impressive!!  After the show, we all piled in to the back of Jade's truck to beat the traffic.That didn't turn out to be the best idea and crowds of people passed us on foot.  We had a great time though and it was the perfect way to celebrate the freedoms of living in the United States!

Tim, Cam, and Eric getting ready for the firework show!

Marty and Eric on our way to the show.

The married couples at the firework show!

Some of the crew pile in the truck after the show.