Phoenix Zoo Lights

Last weekend Jake and I went to see Zoolights with our friend Tamlage and his gf Kalicia.  It was quite an interesting experience.  My back was killing me and I couldn't breath half the time, but I had to suck it up and walk around for a few hours.  The lights were pretty but I think we all were expecting more.  It definitely wasn't $8 worth!  It might have been made more for kids anyway.  But even though it wasn't all we were hoping for it was fun to leave the house and do something new.  Afterwards we had some hot chocolate and played the dice game!  yay!  Tonight we're planning to go see the lights at the Mesa Temple.  Oh, and yesterday Jake's unofficial adoptive brother Josh got married!  Congrats Josh and Rebecca!  It was fun to spend time with family and get to know them a little better.

And update from the last post: we never found anything out about the policemen and helicopters, but we think it was probably drug related or something.  Woot!

Leaving the Temple.  The photographers made them walk out about three times.

These were some zoolights across the lake.  They were really pretty!

An orangutan/ballerina/elf

Ghetto Much?

So at this moment, Jake is looking out our windows at some cops with M-16s and a helicopter flying over our complex shining a spot light. Um... creepy? About five minutes ago Jake was taking Jitters outside when he saw something out of the corner of his eye... a cop up against the wall, brandishing a very large gun. Then he was hit by the spot light, and he stood there trying to look as innocent as possible to avoid being taken down by the watchful cop. The helicopter is still circling and we'll be looking online for the news to see if we can learn anything about what is going on!! Our apartment is so ghetto!! But thank goodness for a wonderful husband who doesn't make me take the dog out at night :)

Elf Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Babysitting

Well today ends our two week babysitting adventure. We were privileged to watch our good friends Tomi and Naomi's dogs while they were visiting family in Japan. There names are Mei and Sue, both chihuahua's, and Jitters is used to them because she was at there place while we were in Utah. The only problem has been our cat. She was terrified at first and we had to lock her in our room. But now, on the day they leave of course, the cat roams free. The dogs are probably more scared of her than she is of them. It's been pretty crazy having two extra dogs in our tiny apartment, but these dogs are very obedient and love to cuddle! Sue is very inquisitive and likes to know what's going on. She likes to sit and watch me make dinner a lot. Mei is so sweet, she is constantly scratching at my arm so I'll pet her. These dogs love attention, and Jitters acted pretty jealous at first. We've had a lot of fun but we know these guys will be happy to get home where they can run around again!

The girls

Sue

All four of them in one picture! The cat was too terrified to run away

Jitters. So crazy cute!

This is what Mei does when she wants attention. And every time I tried to take her picture she'd turn her head like that.

The cat found high ground to stay safe

Weddings Galore

Well it seems there have been an unusual number of weddings this year. I think I've gone to more weddings in the past 9 months than I have in my whole life. But last week Jake and I were able to witness my brother Rory be happily married to his wife Rebecca, and what an amazing day it was! We flew to Utah on Oct. 15th so we could be there when Becca went through the temple (in Logan). Then we had a sweet dinner at her aunt and uncle's house. Thursday was exciting, my mom and sister and I went shopping for shoes, jewelry, and food. Doesn't get much better than that! Jake was driving around Salt Lake and Provo all day trying to find chocolate for his mom and the APX place for his check, so I felt pretty bad for having such a fun time while he was stuck in a car. Thursday night we set up for the luncheon. The church where the luncheon was being held had a reception just before we got there so we got stuck cleaning that up so we could deccorate. It was hard work but it turned out beautiful so it payed off. Then the big day, Oct. 17th. They were married early that morning in Salt Lake. My grandpa Zaugg sealed them and it was lovely! What a neat experience! After the ceremony and pictures, we headed to the luncheon for some great food from Maddox. After lunch and clean up, we went back home for some R and R, but all too soon we were off again. The reception was nice, it was fun to see family and friends and be able to spend more time with them. The rest of the weekend we just hung out with family, cooked food, played games, watched movies. The usual. I love my family! And I miss them tons but it's nice to be back home and in the swing of things again.

The happy couple

My parents and the bride and groom

We loved our shoes but they hurt like crazy! Why do we put ourselves through such torture?

Mmmm... Maddox...

Busy, busy, busy

Well we are now in Arizona, and things have been rather hectic! Right after we moved in I started school at ASU, which has taken some time to get used to. I still hardly know where anything is on campus! We drove up to my parents house in Utah over Labor Day weekend to pick up our wedding gifts and get the rest of my stuff. Jake is still selling security but he has a new job starting soon. Jake's brother got married last week and lots of family came to visit so it was fun to see them again. And in a couple of weeks we will be returning to Utah because my brother is getting married! So a lot has been going on. But... a friend of mine has been wanting to see some of my art and i figured posting it on here would be the easiest way so, ta da!

Our Cute Family

One of Jitters new favorite things is sunbathing! She loves to sit in the sun. So between about 8 and 9 in the morning she pushes the blinds aside and sits. She loves it so much she usually won't come even if Jake calls her. And that's huge. We actually caught Jitters and Sphynx napping in the sun together one day. That never happens! And here is another picture of Jake and Jitters. So freaking cute!

Sydney Pays a Visit

My sister Sydney came to visit last week, it was so fun! I missed being with her so much! We didn't take too many pictures bet we got to do some pretty awesome things while she was here. On Tuesday we drove down to San Diego to visit my cousin Krista. We went snorkeling and saw sharks and a sting ray! There were leopard sharks and guitar sharks in only about 5 to 6 feet of water. So much fun! We also got to look in some tide pools, and later we ate at a great Mexican restaurant in Old Town. One condition for Sydney's visit was that we had to pay for half of her plane ticket. But my mom called and said we wouldn't have to pay if we took Syd to see the musical Wicked in LA. So Jake was nice enough to let us go and it was AMAZING!! The performers were brilliant and the effects were fantastic! We had such a good time! So other than that we watched movies, went shopping, and went to the pool. Thanks Jake, and mom and dad, for letting me spend some much needed quality time with my sister!

Sisters, Sisters. Never were these such devoted sisters!

The drive to LA. Probably one of the scariest driving experiences of my life. We saw the Hollywood sign though! So that was cool.

Sydney and Jake had so much fun together!

Family Update

So life here is pretty much the same as usual. Jake goes to work and I stay home with the pets. We did get to go to the beach with Jake's office the other night. We had a bonfire with hot dogs and s'mores. Pretty sweet! The ocean always astounds me every time I see it. Hopefully we'll be able to go more often before the end of the summer! Here are some pictures of the beach trip we took this morning. It was wicked cold at first but got pretty nice by the time we were leaving. On the way home we got stuck in traffic for three hours. Fun eh?? We have the best luck. And here are some more pictures of "the kids." They are getting so big!

What a beautiful day to go to the beach huh?

Boys will be boys. They see a hole and they have to start digging.

We buried Jake! It was quite hilarious to see a random head sticking up out of the sand.

Jitters, back when she had cute ears. Now they just stick up like a normal chihuahua's.

Isn't that just the cutest thing? Jitters loves to cuddle with Jake! He's the only one she'll listen to as well.

Our gorgeous Sphynxy Cat. She's almost full grown!

Bath time for Jitters! She is so tiny!

San Diego Zoo For Real

So we finally did make it to the zoo, and we had a grand ol' time! We had to drive back to San Diego to get our car anyway so Jake took another day off and we went to the zoo. It was pretty much amazing! My favorite animals of the day were the otters. They are just so much fun to watch! The gorillas were awesome as well. So big and such incredible creatures! We were able to see a seal show and got a close look at these enormous cat looking things. One of the best thing about the day was at around 6:00 most of the families went home, so it got less crowded and easier to see some of the animals. If ever you are in San Diego go to the zoo! You won't be disappointed!

There were tons of monkeys at the zoo! This one was my favorite though...

Jake took TONS of pictures of birds. Again this one is my favorite.

The otters. They seriously are the cutest things!

My pet giraffe.

San Diego Zoo Take 1

So Jake took the day off so we could go to the zoo, which is sort of a belated birthday present. We were crazy excited, and after the hour and a half drive to San Diego we were ready to see some wicked awesome animals! Well we got lost and had to turn around, and at about that time our car decided to stop working! The oil pressure light came on and it kept telling us to stop. So we pulled into some ghetto gas station and baked in the sun for over an hour while we waited for a tow truck. In the mean time, Jake was trying to work out our insurance/warranty for the car. It was all very frustrating. But eventually we were towed to the nearest VW dealership where we surrendered our car which we've only had for a month. By this time it was too late to go to the zoo, so we rented a car and drove back home. We're still trying to figure everything out with the car, but hopefully when we pick it up we'll make it to the zoo!

The exciting drive down

Jake's angry eyes. waiting for a tow. We've been married about a month and a half and have been towed twice already.

We did get to see a bird show from some sweet pigeons and finches, so the day wasn't a total loss!