Off the beaten path

This last Saturday we decided to join David and Suzie for a little hike. We wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather and maybe start a tan. I was unaware of David's famous trails that he always finds that turn out to be trails that don't actually exist or that lead to nothing. And thats exactly what our hike turned out to be. We first stopped at a place where David thought there was a trail. It turned out to be an empty, dried out riverbed. A quarter mile later we turned around because it just took us to the base of some cliffs. He then drove to another spot where he thought that the trail would take us to the edge of Snow Canyon. We all knew that wasn't going to happen but entertained the idea anyway. We kept walking and walking. There was nothing to see except trees and rocks. It was fun to be together though and we laughed about our pointless hike. The funny thing is yesterday David took his motorbike back to this same trail and said it was ten miles to Snow Canyon. We are glad we turned around when we did. We might have ended up camping out all night.

This is where we stopped hiking and stopped to take a break.

Laura and Suzie enjoying the sun

Can you spot the lizard? David spent some time trying to catch it.

Suzie was talking and not paying attention and stepped on a cactus...ouch! I didn't think they were that hard to miss.

Our Engagement Story

Well since it has been a while since we last updated our blog, I finally decided on something to post. We have just been so busy that taking pictures has not been a top priority. Furthermore, I thought it would be a good idea to take one day of the week to share a personal story of some sort and hopefully fill people in on our lives prior to meeting and also together. The stories may be in random order but we will do our best to make sure that the time lines are well understood.


So...This is the story of our engagement. Laura and I had been dating for about four months before we started talking about a future together. We had been on trips to see each others families and both knew that we had met the "right" person. So the next step was obviously to get engaged and we set out to find the perfect ring. We spent a lot time on the internet trying to figure out what ring to get and how much to spend. I had already secretly purchased a diamond before we even started looking for a setting. We spent a couple of weeks without luck trying to find the perfect setting. We eventually found a style that we liked from Tacori:(This is not the exact style because I couldn't find the original picture, but this one is similar. Also there are two band, the engagement band and the wedding band. Both have the same design.)

The ring from Tacori was way out of my price range so I went to the nearest jeweler to see if I could have it made. Luckily, I found one that at one point worked for Tacori and knew how to do all the details. This was encouraging and so Laura and I ordered the ring. On the way out of the ring shop, as sly and anxious as most of you know Laura is, she quizzes the salesman on how long it will take him to make and asks him to call her with any questions or problems and to let her know when its going to be done. Not paying attention to me shaking my head frantically indicating silently to not give out any information because it would ruin any surprise that I could have planned, the idiotic salesperson tells her the exact date and time that we can pick up the ring. I was so mad. Now , I knew I was in trouble because I would either have to lie (for my first time ever...lol) or there would be no cute engagement story and no surprise. For the next two weeks we waited and I obviously chose to lie. I couldn't be the only loser in the world who didn't put any thought into how they were going to ask their soul mate if they wanted to get hitched. So after the guy called to tell us the ring was done, I told Laura they needed a couple of extra days. She didn't believe me...at first. And in fact, she kept checking my pockets, in my car and everywhere to see if I had hidden the ring. She was so anxious to just have it, I don't even think she cared if I did anything cute to surprise her (just so all of you know and especially for those of you who don't know her well, Laura always knows what she is getting for Christmas and her birthday before it comes. She makes it really hard to surprise her). Anyway, we had scheduled to go out to dinner and to Smart Cookie with our friends Garrett and Megan. Before we met up, I was able to pick up some flowers and devise a plan to get Laura out to her sisters house in Springville where I would make the proposal. Since I had led on that I didn't have the ring and she thought that I did, she was disappointed throughout the night when I never popped the question and eventually gave up pestering me about it. While we were at Smart Cookie, Saundra, Laura's sister set up the flowers and ordered cake from PF Changs. She hid the ring on the flowers somewhere (She forget to tell me that part, so when I went to propose there was no ring in the box):
After setting everything up, Saun called Laura to have her bring something out to the house that she needed that night anyway. So it made it easy to convince Laura, unsuspectingly. So we headed out to Saun's and Laura expressed to me how sad she was that her ring was not done. At that time, I knew she had fell for it and that I would actually get to surprise her.

When we pulled up, Jackson, Saundra's little boy came running outside all excited. I thought that he was for sure going to blurt out the secret. Apparently, Saun gave him a really good lecture because even though he acted like there was a present for "Lulu", he didn't say a word what it was. He kept studdering and fumbling over the words "Lulu, Lulu, come downstairs Lulu. Come see downstairs Lulu!"
It was so cute and actually worked out perfect. Here are some pictures from the rest of that night.

Mountain Biking by Elephant Rock

We had a really good time biking just outside the house in St. George. Laura and I have been going to spin classes and I think it really helped with the riding skills. Some of the terrain is pretty tough and really rocky. These pictures are taken by elephant rock and the turtle wall. David was our tour guide and we look forward to doing a lot more riding.

They must be related, check out the helmets!

Like father,

Like daughter!

I should be wearing a helmet as well, but since there were only two I was kind enough to risk my life for the safety of my family.

Riding Southeast of St. George

A couple of weeks ago David took me out for a ride. I haven't had the time to post anything until today. We had a really fun ride. Sorry the pictures aren't that great. I took them with my camera phone because I forgot to bring the camera.




Why I like riding:
1. You get out of the house.
2. You cover a long distance and get to see a lot of great scenery.
3. Make you feel like a man especially when you ride difficult terrain.
4. You get dirty.
5. Diet pepsi.
6. The women make food while you play and its ready by the time you get home and always extra tasty...or you just go out to eat afterwards.
7. Hot tubs and hot shower.
8. TV and movie after a long hard day.
9. Relax
10. BED!!!

Dinosaur Tracks (The nerdiest post I have ever done...I apologize)

While out riding we came across some dinosaur tracks. Here is some information about the dinosaurs tracks if you are interested. We found them in a one of the many sandy washes found in the area. This is what the sign said about it: Exposed in the wash are dinosaur trackways which document the passage of at least two different types of dinosaurs. The trackways are exposed in the Moenave Formation, a floodplain deposit more than 200 million years old. These trackways are some of the best examples of their age found in western North America. Although the exact identity of the dinosaurs which made these footrints may never be known (no skeletal remains are found in association), both types walked erect. The larger tracks were probable left by a large herbivore (such as a prosouropod) believed to be 20 feet long and weighing 8-10 tons. The smaller dinosaur, likely a carnivore (coelurosaur), was estimated at 10 feet long and 100 pounds. Scientific Study is continuing on these footprints and the surrounding rocks to learn as much as possible about the prehistoric event recorded here.

The Coelurosaur

Coelurosauria is a diverse group of theropod dinosaurs that include tyrannosaurs, ornithomimosaurs, and maniraptors; Maniraptora includes birds, the only coelurosaurs alive today. All feathered dinosaurs discovered so far have been coelurosaurs; in fact, some scientists believe that most members of coelurosauria bore some kind of feathers. Fossil range is middle Jurassic to late Cretaceous.

The Prosauropoda

Prosauropoda were a group of early herbivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic and early Jurassic periods. They were frequently the predominant herbivore in their environment, and quickly reached large size. All prosauropods had a long neck and a small head, forelimbs shorter than hindlimbs, and a very large thumb claw for defense. Most were semibipedal, although at least one large form was fully quadrupedal. They were originally thought to be the ancestors of the sauropods, but are now considered parallel lineage.

Sunset at Red Cliffs in St. George

Here are some really cheesy pictures that Laura and I took while out hiking in St. George. There are always really pretty sunsets here. I won't comment much because there is nothing to say. Just enjoy.

More Hiking Pictures from the Red Cliffs

The TRUTH about the previous post by Laura

I am actually not blogging in the picture. I don't know why she thinks that...lol...but now I know why she was sneaking around with the camera taking random pictures!

So I haven't told a lot of people this but I guess now is as good a time as ever. I have been applying to medical schools. This is a recent decision and so I have spent a lot of time on the computer researching schools, filing out applications and getting things sent. As for medical school things are looking really good. I have already had two interviews and have two more next week. I am hoping to get a couple more just to make sure I have options. Wish me luck.

The truth about our blog

I thought Bryan needed a pat on the back for the hard work he has done so I want to tell you the truth and here is the picture to prove it. He is in the background working on our blog. Bryan has created our blog and this is the first thing I have ever put on here, Bryan even has to show me how to do this. He is awesome as you can see since our blog is up and running and is very cute... I am bragging now, but I can't help it because I love our blog. Bryan is the best husband.

LAS VEGAS!

Last weekend we made a trip to Las Vegas to visit some of our friends. We forgot to take pictures while we were there...guess we didn't do anything worth photographing. Anyway a few things we like to do in Vegas:
1. Go to Cheesecake Factory (for some reason we cannot get away).
2. Ride the Roller coasters and hangout at the Bellagio.
3. Eat at the buffets and see a show (haven't done much of that though).
4. Go to wedding receptions?...For some reason everyone we know lately is getting married in Vegas and not just at the "Little White Chapel".
5. Hang out with our friends.Here we are at Cheesecake Factory!!! Limoncello is the best desert there. We saw it at Costco. We don't dare buy it because we would eat it all in one sitting.

Recently, we have gotten into the habit of eating sunflower seeds on long trips. It helps with keeping us awake. Anyway there was no place to throw our seeds and they were overflowing and it was getting gross as you can see. We figured that they were natural so we dumped them out. Why am I posting this?

Sometimes interesting...or maybe not at all.

For lack of better things to write about, I must write about the weather. Whether (get it!) you know someone well enough to share your deepest secrets or you have just barely met them, the topic of weather is always available. There are sunny days, rainy days, windy days, snowy days and sometimes all of those combined days. It is a good topic for starting a conversations or even discussing the whys and reasons for not getting something done.

But here in St. George the weather is normally predictable and therefore a boring topic for conversation. Infact, the number one reason for moving to St. George is weather, and as boring of a topic as it might be, St. George is a great place to live. There is lots to do and plenty of things to see. Because the weather is sunny and normally warm during the winter, there are always outside adventures to go on. There are bicycle trails, hiking trails in Snow Canyon and Zions, running trails, ATV's and rock climbing.

However, yesterday and today have been quite different. Yesterday it rained and not just a little...It poured. Last night the wind was blowing and a storm rolled in. It has been snowing all afternoon. It is not sticking that much but it is still snowing. In a way, apart from the disruption from the norm and I am sure it will be the topic of discussion around all the elderly in the community, it is refreshing and nice. Sometime we miss the change of seasons...until I think about shoveling the walk and defrosting the everytime I stop to go somewhere.

For the lack of a better topic, here are some pictures of the weather and the views from the house we live in. We love it.

The story behind our cats and some reasons for having them.

We don't want to be thought of as nasty cat people because we post pictures of our cats on our blog. However, we do have cats. Furthermore, we don't have kids, so we kind of think of our cats as our kids. The reason being is that having cats is enough responsibility for us right now. And since kids are kind of out of the question right now for us and because everyone else puts their kids on their blogs, we thought we needed to put some of our kids on too.
Because it has been a while since we have posted anything about them we thought it was time. For those of you who don't see us all the time, we have two cats. Roger and Fiona. We got Roger almost a year ago as a kitten (he is the one in the box.), and we got Fiona a few months later when we decided that Roger needed a friend when we were not at home. Roger is a definite boy. He really loves women. In fact, he only purrs when a girl holds him, especially Laura. On the contrary, if a man picks him up he begins to growl and will swat them on the face. Naughty. He is really fun, loves to play and get into things he is not supposed to. Fiona on the other hand seems to be quite the opposite. She is a tiny and petite, loves to talk and whimper when she wants attention. She doesn't really like to be held but will purr when you get close to her. She loves to play with things that dangle or little pieces of paper. At times we think she might be down syndrome because she hits her head on things all the time and falls down the stairs. She gives out a little whimper when she does anything stupid. Together, Roger and Fiona have a blast. They chase each other all the time, swat at one another, sleep together, give each other baths, hide and jump out when the other is not expecting it and, if you can believe it, they even make out. We aren't just meaning a little smoochy smoochy, but more like french kissy, "I want to jump your bones and break the commandments" lovin. Its really fun to watch and we really enjoy having them. We know most people prefer dogs, and we still like dogs, but for us and for right now, we like cats.
Here are 10 good reasons for having cats:

1. They might love you back. Then again they might not...still, its a thrill of a challenge.

2. They are warm. If you are lucky enough to share your lap with a cat (or in our case your whole body especially with Roger) , you will find out that they make a nice warm pet. We use ours as a heating pad. It's great. We just put them where We want warmth. Of course, if you move around, this does not work and you might find yourself full of holes. Also, beware the cat who likes to knead or paw a place before resting. That can be painful. None of mine do this, thank goodness. Ow.

3. They catch mice. OK, some cats do. It's what they do with the mice afterwards that is most important. The cat that leaves the whole mice mess on the floor is a loser. The cat that eats the whole thing is a winner and usually a heck of a good hunter. The cat that just wounds mice and lets them go needs to be put out. The cat that leaves little mice tails and feet behind needs to be a bit hungrier before hunting mice. Yuck.

4. They eat leftovers. OK, mine do. Eggs, tuna, cake, pie, quiche, bacon, sausage, vegetables, lasagna, pizza...mine will devour. We don't really like that, but its cute at times. We do feed them cat food, they just like leftovers for dessert.

5. They come when they are called. And, if they don't, opening a can is sure fire way to get them to your side quickly or just say "kitty treat"! They even come every time we use the microwave, open the pantry or cuboards.

6. They are affectionate. If they aren't, sprinkle some catnip around. They become very loving. Warning, some cats go crazy when exposed to catnip. Be cautious!

7. They are curious. OK, some are just plain nosy. Still, they care. They show it. Ours like to play a game called "what's in the bag and/or box" and can go in and out of a bag for hours. If something is actually in the bag, this game may last for days. Do not try putting your hand in the bag while they are in it. You may require stitches afterwards. Never pick up the bag with the cat in it! I warned you. And if you don't like being scratched, declaw them like ours. But only do it if they are little kittens.

8. They love to sleep. Watching them sleep makes me want to sleep. OK, it relaxes me. Yes, it makes me lazy. Still, they always have something to do. Sleep. Shhh.

9. They like adventure. You may wake up and find them on your head, face, under your chin, in your aquarium or on the table. You never know. Then again, they might not move for days. Cats are a mystery. I have not figured mine out yet.

10. They purr. This is a great noise. I love it and sometimes, I can hear the purr clear across the room. That is one happy cat. They make you smile. You have to. It makes up for all of the darn hair that they shed everywhere.