We Moved To Texas!!

Eeeeeeee!!! Little did we know when were in Texas for the BYU vs TCU game, deciding that we wanted to live there, that within 7 months we would be! Michael was hired as a Technician for Vivint and was sent to Wichita Falls, TX in April. (The apartment was less than a mile from Sheppard Air Force Base...Only a few of you will know the significance of this.) I finished school in Vegas and went home to Provo for a little while to spend some time with Grandma and pack up all the things my oh-so-male husband didn't think to bring with him. (Sometimes I wonder how he survived for 27 years without me.) I packed my poor little Hyundai Elantra its absolute limit (there was barely even any room in the front seat) and kidnapped my Aunt Susan so she could drive me, I mean drive with me, halfway across the country. (I'll be honest, she drove about 23 of the 25 hours it took us to get from Provo to Wichita Falls.)

Utah

My Grandpa worked for Union Pacific when he was a young man.

This is what we saw for the however many hours it took us to get through Utah.

The GPS on my phone was trying to kill us...

A previous "accident" broke the latch connecting the bumper to the rest of the car. A massive tumbleweed knocked the bumper loose so we duct taped it to ensure it didn't rattle off during our cross country drive.

Chimney Rock, CO.

I had an Oregon Trail Geek moment, :)

They lied.

We stopped at a hospital in New Mexico after finding out that we had been exposed to Whooping Cough.

One of the Indian Reservations in New Mexico.

Everything was abandoned and worn down.

The last 1/4 of a car graveyard.

The duct tape started to lift so we applied more!

Albequerque!

We drove through the night and made it to Texas in time for sunrise!

A Texas sunrise! 

Wichita Falls, TX.

The exit to the apartment.

The apartment complex. I was only here for a few days before we were transferred to Fort Worth.

The view from our back door.

Our back porch.

The back wall of our apartment. Far left window is the spare bedroom, middle window is the living room, and the right window is our bedroom.

Michael coming home from work.

I've Done It Again...Dang it.

Every time I sit down to start blogging again, I look back at all the months I've missed and wonder WHY?! Playing "catch up" is such an unsatisfactory way of keeping our friends and family up to date on our many adventures. I think I've found a way to stay current on my blog posts, but I'll tell you about that in another post.


Okay, so I left off in March...I turned 27 and Michael and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary!

Anniversary Weekend - The Anniversary Inn-Logan, Utah

We stayed in the amazing Taj Mahal room. The only thing I didn't quite like is that there were no windows to provide natural light.

Rose petals were sprinkled throughout the suite. We loved the tub!

Our suite was two stories.

The bed was huge!

The Logan Temple

We had Indian food for dinner. It was yummy, but Michael refused to smile for the picture.

The bathtub filled from the ceiling!

There were colored lights that changed the color of the water.

Real Steel, snacks, and the jets in the tub. :)

Breakfast!

The shower sprayed water from the ceiling and the wall!

-April was full of lots of studying, test taking, and paper writing and in May, I completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication. I moved back to Provo for a short time, but you'll read the rest of the story in another post.

2011 Wrap Up

I made a goal to post more often as to keep those friends and family members interested in keeping up with our adventures informed since we now live in a different state than most of them. It's a much more difficult goal than you would think. I find myself having all these fantastic adventures with Michael and forgetting or procrastinating posting about them. Here is yet again another "playing catch up post."

Michael and I enjoyed an eventful last few months of 2011. We spent a few days in Texas (for the BYU vs TCU football game at Cowboys Stadium!!) with Michael's brother David and his wife Melissa and their children. Melissa and I were in heaven! (Go Cowboys!!) Michael and I have decided we like Arlington, TX as our future place of residence.

X marks the spot where JFK was shot in West End, Dallas, TX.

The museum near where JFK was assassinated.

Michael at the Dallas Temple...trying to find directions on the GPS on his phone.

The group at dinner. Michael's dad recommended the restaurant.

Michael thoroughly enjoying his steak.

My husband has a cute butt. ;)

November saw a milestone in our lives...I made my first Thanksgiving Dinner!! I can't find the pictures, but I assure you that my turkey was absolutely perfect. I'll post pictures if I find them. :) Michael and I spent Thanksgiving with my Grandma and Aunt Jackie. It was a great day full of good food and even better company.

December was rough. We made it down to Vegas for Michael's birthday and Christmas; I even threw him an awesome BYU vs UNLV Rivalry birthday party. Sadly, Michael's dad was very ill (we were afraid he might pass away) so it was less than the usual Gardner Christmas this year. I'd never seen my husband really cry until this trip. It was heartbreaking to see him so sad and scared for his dad.

January - March of 2012 has found Michael and I separated and not enjoying it one bit. I have moved back to Vegas for my final semester of school and Michael has stayed in Provo to work and go to school as well. We're not enjoying this arrangement in the least, but at the end of May I will be finished with my Communication Degree so we're sucking it up and enduring to the end.

*February 24, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of my Grandpa's death. I still miss him every day.

Grandpa's chair.