cArViNg PuMpKiNs! :)

First off, yes I am suppose to be doing homework right now because I have a ton to do. But everyone needs a break to do something they enjoy! School is coming along..busy! I am just thinking..just a little over a month left for this semester.. I can do it! Jesse has actually been busy studying as well lately! He takes the GMAT this Thursday!


So this last Sunday we were able to carve pumpkins at my mom's house! We highly enjoyed it! I just wanted to do it all night but eventually had to leave and go to bed!

Jesse's pumpkin:

Cute little guy!..missing a tooth.

Marissa's Pumpkin:

You can't look at that and not smile back!

Then my Mom wanted us to carve the squash, Jesse did a fine job!

Finished products:

Happy Halloween!..now it is crunch time to think of costumes!

Wedding pictures..

Jesse and I went and took more pictures at the temple a while ago because on our wedding day it was pouring rain/snow (we were told it was confetti from heaven-celebrating for us :) ).Our photographer thought it would be a good idea to get a few more pictures since we weren't able to get much on our wedding day. I just posted a few. They are under pages on the right hand side.

Autumn Awesomness!

Last post I mentioned how we wanted to go hiking, this last week we were able to go up to the mountains 3 times! 
It was delightful! So Beautiful, We loved it!


We were able to go to Ogden and hike Waterfall Canyon. Their wasn't much of a waterfall since its October but there was all the fall leaves!

Then one day after work we drove up farmington canyon and we found a small trail!

Another highlight of my week, I was able to see my brother Tyler! We went out to dinner Friday night and hiking again up Bear Canyon saturday morning with my Dad!

Baby Elijah and Tyler

Mama Oram and Candace

Eria, baby Eli, and Brooke

Saturday evening we went out to a pumpkin patch!

I love my nephew Eli! What a Stud!

Saturday night we got together with some friends and Jesse had the great idea of making ginger bread haunted houses!

Starting Fall!

I just love when the seasons are changing. I am flooded with wonderful memories and it makes me excited! One great memory that I have to bring up since it was exactly one year ago today...Our First kiss! :) I am very happy I decided to kiss HIM that night! ;) I guess I will share the quick story... At this time last year I knew I liked Jesse-he was an amazing guy that had everything I wanted in a husband, but it scared me because I knew once I committed to dating him it would go fast since we knew each other so well.

 10/10/09 - I finally decided to have the "talk" with him and tell him how I am feeling, that I wanted to date him but take it slowly. 

Then when I was leaving he was giving me that look of

 "I want to kiss you, but I am suppose to take it slowly so I probably shouldn't..." 

So I had to ask him what he was thinking to tease him and He said "what do you think?" 

and I replied "Do you want me to show you or tell you"..as I was leaning in he slips in "show!"

I love October because of the leaves on the trees changing colors and I love going hiking up in the mountains and enjoying the many colors..we have attempted to go hiking a couples times lately but get busy with other things..hopefully before it gets too cold or snows we will get up to the mountains! :)

I love General Conference! Of course I had to bring it up! It always makes me SO HAPPY..but I am glad they come out in the Ensign because I was exhausted this year and have to admit I miss bits and parts of it!..

October always brings PUMPKIN SHAKES to Dairy Queen! Oh how we LOVE them! Good thing we got 2 buy one get one free coupons this year! On Oct 1st we had to start October right and enjoy one of the many to come! :)

Well continue on blogging...I enjoy it but I am not very good at it. I feel that I need to have a picture in order to have a post. I am not the best at remembering to take pictures. I thought if I brought my camera places (keep it in my purse) I would remember to take more..but it still doesn't happen.

I don't feel like much goes on since school is my main focus right now, but Jesse and I still get to enjoy our time together. I hear so many other couples who their schedules are completely opposite and don't get to see each other much and I am very grateful for the time Jesse and I get every day together-it keeps me going! He helps me stay motivated through school!..and by next fall I will be doing the same for him.

Saturday was a busy but fun day. Jesse and I both didn't have to work and we took advantage of that by enjoying sleeping in..doesn't happen very often with our schedules having work and school. We went to Matt's (Jesse's younger brother) football game in early afternoon-still feels like summer outside and I can't complain a bit. I love the fall but am not ready for the cold weather. Matt's team played awesome 21-20..good game! Now that it is football season we are watching a lot more and I am learning a lot more as well. Jesse is so kind to explain basically all the rules to me so I can understand the game a little better-which makes me enjoy watching it even more!

Jesse and I drove down to Logan with my mom and sister Brooke to help my oldest sister Courtney and her husband Christopher move from Idaho. Baby Maxwell is getting much bigger and I love playing with him..but it seems like every time I do he loves to spit up on me. This time it happen to be right before we left for the Relief Society meeting all down the front of my dress and in my hair! But I still love Maximillion!

Sunday my cousin Brandon and Lisa blessed their son Ryker! It was good to see the whole family! Seems like everyone is having a baby lately...my time will come but later! I will just enjoy the other babies for now!

Thanks for the people who took these pictures..because yes I did steal them so I could have pictures!

Golfing!

Jesse and I were invited to play in the Castaway Golf Tournament this last weekend. It is a couples golf tournament at El Monte Golf Course in Ogden. I was a bit nervous since I am not a golfer and thought I was just going to embarrass Jesse and myself. We went to the driving range a few times before so we could practice. There were many times I would struggle and I would be lucky to be able to even hit the ball. It ended up being very fun and we did better than we thought we would. Golfing just might be another hobby I pick up and enjoy with Jesse! I am glad Jesse took me- I even won a new laptop bag! :)

School has started..Thank goodness for labor day!

 So as everyone knows school has started..meaning the stress is on! Some people have told me the 2nd year of the nursing program isn't as bad as the first year but I don't know if I can believe that yet. This school year started out a little crazy, but I am hoping it will get better. So much information to give us students in such a small amount of time! Too much reading!! That is one of the many things Jesse and I have in common..we both don't like reading. Jesse is still busy at work. We don't get our evenings completely together now-like we did all summer-since I have to do homework but I still can't complain. We are trying to get up early some morning and exercise so we can just relax together in the evenings!


Thank goodness there was the great Labor Day holiday that we could have a long weekend and go up to the cabin at bear lake. It is always very relaxing to be able to stay there. It wasn't quite boating weather-a little too chilly for that. We were able to go four wheeling. Jesse's Dad, Scott, took us on an adventure up Hodges Canyon and Jesse says was a bit dangerous and I agree but it was exciting as well! A little risk taking climbing up a stream most the time, watching the side by side tilted on 2 wheels, and Jesse rolling the four wheeler-he is just fine though! :) 

Our bike rides with the whole gang down to the park are always enjoyable as well!

PARAGUAY!!

The beginning of August, right before school started we went to Paraguay-where Jesse served his mission. Jesse's mission friend Dallas Larsen and his wife Brittany asked if we wanted to go a few months ago and we decided it would be a good time for us to go and visit before we have children and more responsibilities in life. It was a way neat experience to be able to go out of the country again (for my 2nd time now) and see how these people live outside of the U.S.-very humbling.

Here are a few highlights of a trip:

Waiting in the Salt Lake Airport, excited for our long airplane rides ahead of us. 

Flew from SL to Denver to Houston to San Paulo, Brazil to Ciudad Del Este, Paraguay. 

It was suppose to take around 26 hours of traveling to get to Paraguay but to add to a long traveling adventure our flight from Denver to Houston left late so we missed our flight from Houston to Brazil which only leaves once a day at 9pm. We enjoyed this bus that drove by as we were waiting for ours to take us to our hotel in Houston.

So we decided to make the best of it and find something to do in Houston since we were going to be there all day waiting for the next flight to leave. We heard about this amazing mexican restaurant and now I wish there was one in Utah. So GOOD! If your ever in Texas and there is one around make sure you hit it up! :)

We also went to an Aquarium because I always enjoy them!

The white tiger was pretty neat. And of course Jesse's shark face! :)

And then we finally get to Paraguay! Wow was it a shock for me though. No one speaks English, I can't understand a single thing. Jesse just fits right in speaking fluently-it didn't even seem like it was my husband at first. From the airport we cram into a taxi and I think that was the scariest ride. In Paraguay they don't have many road rules or if they do no one follows them. Any speed you want, no lanes, and when there is a roundabout you don't slow down you just pray you don't hit another car or they don't hit you. But I got used to it the more we were there.

This is what most Paraguay roads looks like.

The 2nd day we were there we crossed over the border to Brazil and went to Iguazui Waterfalls. Wow they were amazing. Sorry pictures just don't do justice. BEAUTIFUL!

The next day before we headed out for our 4 hour drive down to Asuncion, we went to Itaipu Dam, which is one of the 7 modern wonders of the world. It is the largest electrical powered dam. Pretty amazing.

One day we happened to get a flat tire in a rental car. Good thing Jesse is such a handy man and knows how to fix them and we happened to be right in front of an LDS church with the Bishop and his family there to help as well.

Cero Lambare-One of the only hills in Asuncion. Jesse was able to show me basically everywhere he served. The picture to the left Jesse calls this the Nephi Statue. ( He has the exact same picture taken on his mission)

We had the opportunity to go to the Paraguay temple and do baptism.

My cousin Cory is serving in the same mission as Jesse did right now and Jesse knew what area he was in so on Sunday we went to the church he was at and I was thinking it was going to be hard to find him because he would be in class or something. But we walked in and turned the corner and there he was. He knew about us coming to paraguay but had no idea if he was going to be able to see us and for sure didn't think while he was at church! He was fun to see and talk with him for a few minutes. He is such a good missionary, sharing the gospel to the Paraguay people! So proud of him!

A lot of our time in Paraguay we visited the families Jesse got close to. Below is the Arevalos-Acosta family Jesse converted-who are strong members of there little branch.

Below: The Mora family, the Dad is the Bishop, was Jesse's 2nd family in Paraguay. They loved him..and still do. We went over for Sunday dinner and she made of some excellent paraguayan food. The 2 dogs in this picture were their pets but another thing about Paraguay is they have so many stray dogs roaming everywhere, some were cute some were disgusting but Jesse says they are full of diseases and we aren't allowed to touch any dog.

Christian and Juan Carlos were fun to visit with. Christian was able to speak a little English so of course it was a little better for me. They both shared the conversion stories, they were neat to hear. They both have such strong testimonies and are planning on serving missions within the next year.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to go paraguay and that Jesse took me! The members are strong and very humble. They are willing to give anything to you when they have basically nothing. I was glad that I was able to experience a little taste of where Jesse lived for 2 years. I am so happy he served a mission and shared the gospel with the Paraguay people!