2 Years and Still Going Strong...

January 2, 2010 was the happiest day of my life, and now 2 years later... I am just as happy!

To celebrate our anniversary Joe decided to surprise me! After a late night the evening before at the Tempe Block Party, I woke up to find Joe at the end of the bed with a suitcase in front of him.

He  informed me that I needed to pack up a few outfits, my toiletries, and wear comfy clothes. As I got ready and packed, Joe disappeared and returned with Hot Bagel (the yummiest of breakfasts).

We then hit the road! I had no idea where we were going and I think Joe had a lot of fun keeping me in suspense. We headed north on I-17... so I was glad I had put on warm clothes for the day ahead.

It wasn't until we turned off towards the Grand Canyon that I knew what the day had in store. Being that Joe is from California I had taken him to the Grand Canyon on one of our first dates. He explained that that trip was a fond memory of his and he wanted to share the experience again with me.

We entered on one side of the Grand Canyon's south entrance and drove to the other entrance stopping along the way. I loved looking in all the gift shops and exploring the historic buildings from top to bottom.

After our afternoon at the canyon we continued our drive. Within about 20 minutes I knew that we were headed towards Sedona. I could have never imagined the great evening that would follow.

We pulled up to L'Auberge Resort. This resort is not like any hotel I have ever stayed in before!! Our room was a tiny cottage located on Oak Creek. Within the cottage was a wood burning fire place and even an outdoor shower!

We went out to a nice dinner and then spent the rest of the night sitting by the fire, drinking wine, and reminiscing about events that have occurred in the 5 years we have known each other. These hours were my favorite part of the day. I love talking with Joe! He is extremely funny, compassionate, and caring. When we talk there is no judgement... just happiness.

After a wonderful night, we spent the next morning walking along the creek outside our room and drinking coffee. It was so hard to leave! We have now decided that staying at L'Auberge will be an anniversary tradition. We hope to relive this amazing experience each year for many years to come!

Thank you Joe for making our 2nd Wedding Anniversary so special. You are such a wonderful man and my best friend. You continue to surprise me each and every day. I am extremely lucky to call you my husband. I am grateful for the memories we have made and I know we will make many more.
                                           I LOVE YOU!!

New Years 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011 was a great year! Some of the highlights included our March trip to visited my brother Mitch in Ohio and our July trip to Hawaii!! In between these great moments were little blessings. 2011 included more time with friends, family, and my loving husband Joe. I will cherish each and every moment as I say.... "HELLO 2012"!

For New Years Eve, Joe REALLY wanted to experience something new. We had never really gone out for a New Years... so this year we went big! Joe, myself, and Kelly went to the Tempe Block Party!

The first adventure of the night was taking the lightrail to Tempe. It was not bad at all on the way there... but on the way home, IT WAS PACKED. We were like sardines :)

It was tons of fun! I have never seen so many people all crammed into one place (except maybe at Disneyland). We began our night walking down Mill and checking out all the exciting activities. Since we hadn't eaten, our first stop was The Mellow Mushroom! We had some Blue Moons and Pizza... with some laughs in between.

We then headed to a Beer Garden where Joe say his favorite band of the night, Cousin Affect. They are a local group from Phoenix and Joe really liked how diverse they were.

We finally rang in the New Year at the main stage! The Gin Blossoms were playing and it was nice to hear music from my youth.

It was so nice to experience something new with the people I love.

I know that 2012 is going to be a great year... I have a feeling some exciting events are in store!

Christmas 2011

What a wonderful holiday Christmas turned out to be! Joe and I were able to spend lots of time with the people we love and the celebrations kept on coming! The entire holiday consisted of Pre-Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, Christmas1, and then Christmas2...


We began our Christmas festivities with Pre-Christmas Eve! This was our time to celebrate the holiday with my dad and Kurstin! They to us to Carefree Station in Carefree, Arizona. The place was AMAZING!! Wonderful food, atmosphere, and service. We had a great time chatting and exchanging gifts. Christmas was off to a good start!

The next day was Christmas Eve. Joe and I went to my mom and David's house around 4:30pm. The evening was spent eating Red Devil (amazing BBQ chicken pizza), opening our Christmas PJs, decorating cookies, and sitting outside by the firepit. 

The next day was Christmas1! Joe, Cody, and I headed to my mom's house around 8:00. We spend some time making a delicious breakfast and then it was time to open presents! My mom always goes OVERBOARD when it comes to Christmas... and this year was no different! We had so many gifts to open and spent the entire morning doing so.

Joe got a NEW guitar from SANTA!!

Christmas1 was magical. Thank you mom and David for all the hard work you put into such a special day!

Then we were off to Christmas2! On Christmas night, Meghan Lee came into town! Meghan is Mitch's awesome room-mate in Ohio. She has tons of energy and is great to have around. Since Meghan was here we decided to have another Christmas morning on Monday! It was so nice to extend the holiday :)

After Christmas2 we went to As You Wish to paint some pottery! It was so nice to sit with the entire family and paint. I won the award for most creative :)

In all, Christmas 2011 was amazing! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family and loving husband. I am looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us!