that's what i love about sunday.

i think that song paints a pretty good picture of what sundays feel like.

here's what i love about sundays:

going to church

having time to write in my journal

not having to exercise

dinner and games with friends

writing mission buddies

going on walks

naps, naps, and more naps

and a recent favorite: going on picnics with my husband

zachary took me to a {gorgeous} part of base yesterday.

it had trees and picnic tables next to this lake, with swinging chairs.

we planned on eating lunch and reading our books,

but we ended up talking and laughing non-stop for a couple of hours.
it was the perfect sunday activity!

what is your favorite thing to do on sunday?

-the wife

lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

zachary had president's day off, so we spent it at the montgomery zoo!

before we got there, we made a list of things we thought we would see.

this list included a:

lion

double stroller

dip-n-dots

an orangutan

tiger

camel back

bear

chimpanzee

boa constrictor

foreigner speaking a foreign language

baby elephant

an i <3 (insert state) t-shirt

boa constrictor

gorilla

spider monkey

hot dog

peacock

sunburned individual

person eating an ice cream cone

parrot

zebra

golden eagle

camel

child on a leash

we then made a 5 x 5 grid and placed each one of these in a square and played

{zoo bingo!}

i really have never had so much fun at the zoo in my life! we determined that the loser owes a 15 minute back massage, along with having to do the dishes for a whole 2 days.

guess who lost?...yes. me.

after lurking creepily around the lunch tables, trying to see what different people ordered, zachary spotted his final object {a hot dog}. the lame part was that i could have won 3 different ways, but 2 of the animals that i needed, the zoo didn't even have! i tend to get pretty competitive, so i will admit that at first i was a little bitter. that wore off quickly though and we were able to enjoy a cute little train ride.

the good news is: i only have 1 more day of dish duty!

another fun thing we did over the weekend, was go to a mardi gras parade. they threw out candy, mardi gras beads, and moon pies {random!}

we topped off the night with some good ol' cici's pizza.

my family used to go there when i was a kid all the time! it sure brought back some good memories.

well, until next time my friends! sayanora.

-the wife



grateful.

we are still loving it out here in 'bama-ville!
i feel like we have been so tremendously blessed in how easy it was to adjust to all of this.
zachary is loving asbc, despite the long hours.
he gets to do fun stuff like shoot guns at the firing range.
see what it's like to be struck with tear gas.

       {....ok maybe not so fun.}

and yesterday, his flight had a big soccer game.

it was fun to go watch and support him.

i am loving being with him every chance i can.

i actually met a few other wives this week and we've hung out almost every day.

i haven't known them for very long, but they are some incredible girls!

i am amazed at how welcoming they are and at how much they have to offer.

they have been my saving grace out here.

days can get pretty lonely when you are stuck in a hotel room by yourself.

i am so grateful that i was able to meet them and become friends with them,

because they are such wonderful people!

i have really been opened up to the tender mercies of the Lord while being away from utah.

it is easy to overlook how much he blesses me each day.

i thought for sure that i would get here and more homesick than ever!

while i do miss my family and friends a whole lot, i feel like i've been able to stand my ground.

that alone tells me that i am being watched over and cared for everyday.

what are some of your blessings? don't be afraid to spill your guts! :)

-the wife

Valentine's Day

So, I frequently tell people (Sarah) how much it drives me crazy to see things such as this on Facebook, blogs, etc:


"Shnookums, I'm so happy that you are the sweetest little love-bug that I've ever smooched."


or


"Happy Anniversary lover-baby-google-bunches!  I hope to look in to your dreamy eyes for eternity!!!"


or


"I have the hottest husband/boyfriend/fiancé!  I can't wait to kiss him later!! *giggle giggle*"


It seems to me, to do such twitterpated blubbering in front of any creepy and insincere eyes completely cheapens the emotion of love.  Not only that, but I was always one of those folks that felt uncomfortable when others were lovingly-blubbering between each other. Yes, I know, that's MY problem.  If you don't want to hear it, stop reading.  Otherwise, humor me and continue... it will get better, I promise.


So am I going to write a post on Valentine's Day and not say anything about my wife?  No.  In fact, quite the opposite.  For one thing, Valentine's day is about selflessness, and me holding back from telling the world how much my wife means to me is selfish.  Maybe marriage has made me softer.  Maybe my wife has broken my manly shell.  Maybe I have seen the light... I don't know.  Or, maybe it's okay to tell others how much someone means to you every once and a while.  So here it goes...


My heart melts when I wake up in the middle of the night to Sarah wrapping her arms around me.  I'm nearly overcome when I come home to her and see the genuine (always so genuine!) smile that she has to greet me with.  My heart skips a beat when I see her from a distance and realize for the billionth time that she is all mine.  In fact, let me share with you a story.


Today I was walking out to the workout track here at Maxwell Air Force Base with a bunch of flight-mates.  Suddenly a silver car drives by and - in a matter of a few milliseconds - the following thoughts raced through my mind:


Wow, that's a pretty woman driving that pretty car -- Crap!! Zach, you're married and can't think like that anymore -- Oh wait!! -- That's my beautiful wife!  Yes!  Zach, you are married and you CAN think like that!


One of the other guys said, "that girl was smiling lots, who's girl is it?"


Proudly (oh, so proudly) I say rather unintentionally-dreamy, "Mine."


That is just one moment out of a dozen I experience every day with Sarah.  Perhaps the thing I love most about my sweet wife is just knowing how lucky I am to have her.  I know it's cliché, but she is my other half. No, I take that back, she is my other three-fourths!  My life is so much better with her in it.  I will always be grateful for her courage in following me into the wild blue yonder, just so she could be with me forever.  I will always be grateful for her care.  To be blunt - but honest - I will always be grateful for how hot she is too (talk about a self-esteem boost - she picked me!!).


There you have it folks... I've done it.  I've confessed to the world how much I love my wife.  I've shared something special with the masses.  That mass of people could include friends, loved-ones, enemies, and creepy stalker people. But let's be honest, 75% of the reason I wrote this post was for Sarah, 20% for me, and maybe 5% for you.  If that offends you, then you might really be offended by this:  I don't love you nearly as much as I love her.


To all those people that have someone, share with THEM how much you love them.  If the most romantic thing you do today is write on Facebook: "I love my Bear-Bear so so so much I could spit!" - shame on you.


To all those people that don't have someone, let the love-struck fools in the world blubber a little.  I promise, you have the stomach for it even if you don't want to admit it.  Some day it will be your turn and you will be a teency bit ashamed to admit that it's kinda fun. ;)


-the husband

a chance for change.

after 30 excruciating hours in the car, we finally made it here to Maxwell AFB!

we stayed at our cousins' house the first night and loved it!

they are actually my best friend kaitlyn's brother and sister-in-law, but since i am now an

averett, they happen to be my cousins!

that is so cool to me! :)

anyway, we had a good time catching up with them.

the next night we stayed in some little run-down hotel in memphis.

it didn't look run-down on the internet, but let me tell you, looks can be deceiving!

we seemed to manage though.

there's no need for anything more than a bed when i've got my cute boy sleepin' next to me.

the next day it was only five more hours {that felt like a breeze!} of driving and we made it to Montgomery.

while driving in, i became a little nervous of the big city.

there are freeways, buildings, and one-way streets everywhere!

i remember being so anxious about how big everything was when we stopped in memphis.

i found myself looking over my shoulder every couple minutes for some dude with a knife.

or saying a silent prayer that when we got back to our car, it would be all in one piece.

it was a relief being able to just leave the next day.

while staying here though, i have nowhere else to go!

to help with this, zachary and i have spent the last two days just driving around,

catching a glimpse of what the south is all about.

it has been simply delightful!

when you hear the words:

{southern hospitality}

 that is no exaggeration.

people that you have never met are so nice, so friendly, and so excited to

learn about your life!

it's sad to say, but it feels so unnatural.

i don't remember ever feeling like that much in the last 11 years living in utah,

let alone being like that.

so, that is what i am going to do.

from now on, i am stepping out of this shy, invisible bubble that has been around me

since before i can remember.

the one that has been keeping me from meeting so many people with something good to offer.

so...no more awkward silences as i am standing in line at the grocery store.

no more trying to find a seat in public that will keep me secluded from unwanted company.

and certainly, no more trying my best to avoid eye contact from a passerby.

this is goal of mine.

put into writing.

a goal for change and improvement.

i will be sure to let you know how this turns out.

wish me luck!

-the wife

my electronic world.

yay for the iphone!
boo for at&t

i hate at&t.
i don't think i have ever met a person that had decent reception with them.
yes, verizon is getting the iphone this month, but del rio is the only place in the world
that doesn't have data coverage with them!
let's compare:

 = no reception

 = good reception (the only place within a hundred miles)

it wouldn't surprise me if after the iphone comes to verizon,

at&t goes under completely.

we're hoping they will make some major adjustments and try better to

accomodate their customers.

until then, don't get mad if we never talk.

this time, it really isn't my fault!

-the wife

are we there yet?

in only two weeks from today, we will be driving across the country...again.
the day after we got engaged, zachary and i hopped on a plane to florida
to help his brother and sister-in-law move home from selling security systems.
the only flaw in this fabulous vacation was not getting a plane ticket back...

okay, i can't really be honest in saying that, because it was one of the best trips
ever! {despite being in the car for 36+ hours.}

I had a blast meeting my soon-to-be brother and sister-in law and their a-freaking-dorable baby girl:

{kloie}

anyway, call us crazy, but we will be driving to maxwell air force base in montgomery, alabama.

it is estimated to take a whopping 30 hours.

good thing zachary just stocked up on a bunch of new games on his phone, because i

think that is the only thing that will keep me sane!

we are wondering though if any of you have any good suggestions of things to do down south? he will have the weekends off, so we want to go take a look around the area. if you know of any fun places to go or things that we just gotta see, then please let us know!!

-the wife

one good steal of a deal.

today we made one of our very first steps to being grown-ups.

we bought a couch.

not just any couch though.

the perfect couch.

we walked into rc willey hoping to find something in our price range.

that's when we spotted this little beauty:

we fell in love with it instantly.

it was only $599 and we thought we could do that, but wanted to keep lookin'.
we then went to the 'scratch and dent' area of rc willey and let me tell you...

that place is the most amazing place ever invented.

we found this exact couch for only $400!

not only that, but the guy that sold it to us knocked off $50 even!

so for only 350 big ones, we purchased the couch of our dreams.

do you want to know why it's the couch of our dreams?

1. it is a sectional. LOVE them!
2. it's very comfy.

3. can you see how wide those cushions are? = some good cuddlin' with the lieutenant.

4. we loved the colors of the pillows. they will be easy to color coordinate decorations

    for our living room!

5. did i mention it was only $350???

we are super excited about it!

next step...washer and dryer.

any suggestions?

-the wife

integration.

tadah! we decided that it would be more convenient just to blog together.

now you can be updated on both of our lives at the same time!

today marks the 2 week anniversary of our blissful married life.

{and by blissful, i mean absolutely 100% fantastically wonderful}

we were suppose to move to del rio, texas on january 4th.

right now...we are living in north salt lake, utah.

as you can see there is some serious confusion in these two scenarios.

it's a long and complicating story, but the gist of it is:

we will be in utah until february 6th! yay!

this gives us a lot more time to see family and friends, as well as a moment to
breathe and enjoy being together as newlyweds.

i know i've said it before, but being married really is
everything i ever wanted it to be and more.

i'd be lying if i didn't say it is different trying to incorporate two lives into one.

not hard.

just different.

but there is nothing more worth it.

i love being able to snuggle up to my cute boy every night,

and waking up to this face every morning...

delightful isn't it?

he takes such good care of me.

i fall more and more in love with him every day.

i can't believe that i am actually living this life!

-the wife

do you believe in magic?

i sure do now!

to me, magic is waiting your entire life for your wedding day
and having it go perfectly.
magic is being able to spend time with more family and friends
than imaginable and relishing every moment of it.
and lastly, magic is leaving the party that was thrown just for
you and your honey and being ten times more in LOVE than
when the day began.

everything was so wonderful all day long.
i've heard so many times that it can be a stressful day and we may
not even have time to think of each other,
but it wasn't like that at all!
i owe it all to my handsomely incredible husband.

{husband}
        that is so fun to say!!

i have an overwhelmingly extreme feeling of love.
it feels like i am going to burst at the seams any minute now.
this boy that i have been in love with for months is
finally mine forever!!

being married is everything i could ever want and more
and our wedding day will most definitely go down in history as
the most magical day of my life!

{more pictures to follow shortly}

-the wife

today is the day!

i love to see the temple, i'm going there today....

i have always wondered how i will feel on the day that i go through the

temple for the very first time.

let me tell you...it is exhilirating! 

i feel all nervous inside because i've never done it before.

but at the same time i am more than ecstatic to be closer to my 

Father in Heaven than i have been since i can remember.

i am very grateful for my friends and family that have 

sacrificed their time to be with me. 

i can't think of a better way to spend this happy occasion 

than with the people i love!

the church is true and i am so happy to be a part of it!! 

annoyed.

abraded.  afflicted.  aggravated.  agitated.  angry.  antagonized. bothered.  browned off.  bugged.  button pushed.  chafed.  displeased.  disturbed.  embittered.  enraged.  exasperated.  frustrated.  graveled.  harried.  heated up.  huffy.  galled.  infuriated.  irked.  maddened.  miffed.  narked.  nettled.  peeved.  perplexed.  perturbed.  piqued.  pissed.  plagued.  put out.  resentful.  riled.  rubbed the wrong way.  ruffled.  soured.  steamed.  ticked off.  tormented.  troubled.  upset.  vexed.  wound up.

ode to josè

let's go back to May 15, 2010.
there i am.
little 19 year old me getting ready to move out into the big world in a couple months.
what is a number 1 necessity for living on your own? a car.

i'm pretty sure i looked for at least 8 months prior to this for the perfect car. 
one that wasn't too ugly, but still affordable.
i got a call from my pops that day and he said he found one!
i called my bestie katlin and we went and test drove it.

sure, it had 168,000 miles on it. 
sure, the paint was peeling on the hood.
sure, you couldn't unlock the driver's side door from the outside.
sure, the cd player would skip all the time.
and sure, it was squealy when it was cold outside.

but i didn't care.
it was a good little car.
the next day i wadded up what little money i had and bought
my very first car... josè.

fast forward 8 months {yesterday}
i sold josè...sniff sniff.
thank you little buddy for the memories.
thank you for getting me to ephraim and logan safely.
and thank you for not freaking out when i popped your tire.
you will always hold a special place in my heart.

it's that time of year...

no, your eyes are not deceiving you.

we haven't even had thanksgiving yet, but my blog is now decorated for 

christmas!

this is my most favoritest holiday that there has ever been.

there is something about it that is different from everyday life.

i don't mean just christmas day either. i mean all of december.

i love the music that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

i love how everyone is happy and cheery.

i love the christmas movies that come around once a year. {ok maybe i don't always save those for just christmas time. elf is a year-round fav}

i love having an excuse to make hot chocolate and cuddle up in my pajamas.

i love all of the christmas decorations, especially the lit up houses.

i love eating candy canes. {they're like christmas in your mouth} 

i love decorating our christmas tree.

i love the gift exchanges.

i love the thoughtful kind hearts of others that seems to be more openly shown around this time.

i love the focus that we are able to have on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

i love the all around good feeling that accompanies this joyous month.

along with the things listed above, this christmas just got even better, 

believe it or not.

the reason being that just three days afterwards,  

i'm getting married!!!

oh what a blessed fantabulous day!