do you remember?

my dearest luftwaffe-

do you remember one year ago to this exact day and hour?
we were running around downtown salt lake city, freezing our bums off, watching the fireworks, while stealing kisses every chance possible.
what a perfect honeymoon.

can you believe it's already been a year since we sealed the deal of our lives?
one year since we promised to love each other for forever and nothing less.
it feels like it was just yesterday.

remember how early we had to wake up to get ready?
no wait, that was just me.
4:30 came much too soon after staying up until midnight to put the final touches on our reception decor.
remember picking me up from the hotel room where i was getting my hair done with the girls?
my heart skipped a beat when you walked through the door.
the day had finally come that i got you for keeps.
remember how late we were in getting to the temple?
it was a good thing they couldn't start things without us.
remember how beautiful our sealing was and how great it was to have our friends and family with us in the Lord's very own house on our very own wedding day?
remember how you stepped on and ripped my wedding dress in front of all of those said friends and family?
don't worry babe, there wasn't any major damage done.
remember how cold it was taking pictures outside?
it chills me to the bone just thinking about it.
remember how perfect merilee made our luncheon?
remember all the wonderful things that our loved ones said about us there?
do you remember how handsome you looked in your air force blues?
it still melts my heart.
remember how great our reception looked?
i couldn't have asked for it to have turned out any better.
do you remember all the people that came to wish us well on our special day?
remember the great food that was served?
me neither.
next time we get married, let's be sure to eat some of our own food that we took weeks to plan out.
remember the drive up to salt lake and the countless number of times we looked at each other and yelled, "we're married!"?
remember getting to the hotel room, you in your tux and i in my dress, and hearing all the oohs and ahhs from passerbys?
remember the first thing we did {well, almost the first thing ;)} was order pizza because we were starving?
remember the feeling of being able to snuggle up and fall asleep, knowing that we'd never have to say goodbye and part ways again?

oh how in love i was with you that day and how even more in love with you i am today.
happy {late} anniversary honey.
thanks for one fabulous year.

love,
your wife

columbus day weekend.

dear mr. columbus,

i want to thank you for coming to america so many years ago. because of you, i was able to go on one of the best three-day vacations ever with my husband. we took a five hour drive to big bend national park and boy oh boy, was it delightful. can you feel our joy?

we had a rocky start at first. this sight definitely made my stomach turn:

i thought we were in for a couple of cold, wet days. it's hard to believe, that ten minutes later, it looked like this:

we set up camp, ate smores, and played games on our first night:

the next day, we hiked a couple miles to "the window":

it was so nice to be around mountains. it gave us that safe, enclosed, utah feel. i lurved it. thank goodness, we didn't have any encounters with wild animals like everyone else around us. between the couple bears and mountain lions that were spotted, we got lucky and only had to deal with the numerous amount of skunks.

seriously though.

i felt like our camp was being overtaken every night. we actually had one skunk almost rip a hole in our tent, trying to get in. it woke both of us up and i shined my flashlight in its direction and i could see its little nose poking through our zipper. i didn't want it to spray us, but i didn't want it in bed with us either, so i grabbed zachary's shoe and smacked it in the face. it pulled back and stuck its tail up in the air immediately! we held our breath, hoping it wouldn't spray and luckily it just walked away. that was one of many during our two night stay.

we spent the rest of our time doing things that all people on vacation should do.

eating ourselves sick with junk food:

{i added the pumpkins to give it a falltime feel. little things like that make me happy.} 

sleeping in:

 {nighttime/sleeping is probably my favorite part of camping}

eating delectable breakfasts and dinners: 

{cinnamon roll pancakes and tin foil dinners, mmm!}

and napping:

{isn't he so cute?}

so, basically we just slept and ate the whole time. it was a much needed getaway and we are very appreciative of your long journey to discover this land, so we can enjoy it. thanks again!

                 

love,

sarah

the proposal anniversary.

one year ago today, i said yes to the most important question of my life:

"will you marry me?"

i can remember it like it was yesterday.

zachary managed to take me by complete surprise as we sat there in that little da40 aircraft.

{for the full story, click here}

i have to commend him for that, because there are few times in my life where
i have actually been surprised.
there were so many emotions running through my head in a matter of seconds.
i wanted to jump for joy and at the same time burst in to tears.
it was such a thrill!

it's so funny to think back to that day and realize how much we really didn't know each other.

compared to now anyway.
it was a time full of superficial twitterpation.
that sounds bad, like we didn't love each other or something.
not true.
of course we loved each other or i wouldn't have said yes.
but, after feeling what i feel today, it's incredible to see how much the dynamic of our relationship has changed and turned in to something much deeper; a stronger love than i have words for.
i can't begin to tell you how much i appreciate him and care about him and i love the fact that
it only keeps getting better.
thanks for picking me, babe, and for asking me to be your wife!
i love you.

-sarah

the end of a long haul?

i have butterflies in my stomach.
all. the. time.
not because my cute husband wakes me up every morning, just to kiss me goodbye before
work. {even despite my horrid dragon breath}
not because after i get out of bed, i am sometimes welcomed to a cleaner-than-the-night-before kitchen and an unloaded dishwasher. {a very welcomed sight to see}
and not even because i am constantly being left little notes around the house telling me why he loves me more than any other human being on the planet.
while these joys of being married to my wonderful man do give me butterflies, they aren't the kind of butterflies i have been having as of late.
remember how we had a bit of a change in plans in our adventures here in del rio?
well, the review board that zachary was a part of met three weeks ago.
word on the street is, we just might be finding out the results of that meeting....tomorrow.
just typing that sends my stomach into disarray.
after waiting around for 3 and 1/2 months, it's almost like we've become numb to the fact that we have no clue where we are going to be or what we are going to be doing for the rest of our life.
i have tried over and over to picture ourselves ten years down the road.
heck, even five years down the road.
are we going to be happily settled in to a beautiful home in massachussetts?
could we possibly enjoy the luxury of moving to aviano, italy, or maybe ramstein, germany?
or could we be living in logan, utah, close to family and surrounded by familiarity?
i can hardly believe that we are this close to finding out.
we basically have two options in all of this: either they keep us in the air force, or they don't.
i haven't decided which one i would rather have.
obviously, if they kept us, we would take our next assignment and move wherever they need us.
i have absolutely loved seeing new places and meeting new people over these last several months,
so i feel like there is no loss there.
on the other hand, i would give anything to live close to our families.
we visited them last month and it makes me so sad to see how quickly our nieces and nephews
are growing up.
zachary and i have a secret plan to be the best aunt and uncle ever and that's nearly impossible
when we live 2,000 miles away.
not only that, but there's something about being with people that you know love and accept you, that makes you never want to have a reason to leave.
maybe it's a good thing that all of this is in God's hands because if it were up to me, we'd probably end up being here another year while i tried to decide which option i like more.
we definitely don't want that to happen.
i can undoubtedly say that i am so grateful for this wait to be over.
we have learned a lot and have done our best to be patient, but we are ready to know.
no matter what the outcome, we will trust that God has our best interest at heart.
thank you for all of your prayers and support.
we couldn't have done it without you.
wish us luck!

-the wife

rants, raves, and ramblings.

isn't this song adorable?
it about makes my heart melt.
i found it as i am sitting here procrastinating writing our wedding thank you notes.
yes, we have been married 6 months and i haven't sent them out yet.
i am kind of a failure when it comes to things like that.
two days ago was actually exactly 6 months that we've been married.
it's so crazy how quick time flies!
it seems like yesterday i was just going on my first date.
do you remember your first date?
i went to the movie 'cars.'
when we got there, i turned around and my best friend was sitting behind me.
i. was. so. mad.
i'm pretty sure there were some not-so-nice things written in my journal that night.
then you turn the page and the first thing you read is "i'm not mad at kaitlyn anymore."
that's the epitome of our relationship.
we could never stay mad at each other for very long. {except when trying to draw magnifying glasses}
speaking of cars, did you know there's a cars 2?
sequels usually blow.
kind of like transformers 2.
i've tried watching that one 3 times and have fallen asleep every time.
i hear transformers three is pretty good though.
your thoughts?
we are going to it tomorrow night in san antonio and i'm super excited.
why are we going to san antonio just to see a movie, you ask?
we are flying to utah on saturday!!
i am so giddy about this trip.
as giddy as seeing a new puppy.
speaking of puppies, did i ever tell you that we bought one?
meet jetta:

isn't she adorable?
sad story: we bought her and sold her a week later.
i know, we're pretty pathetic.
we can't even hack having a puppy.
it was fun while it lasted though. {sort of}
kinda like "it was fun while it lasted" when my brother bought me
a puppy for christmas a few years ago.
we put it in the laundry room for the night and it had diarrhea all behind our washer and dryer.
dis-freaking-gusting.
speaking of christmas, zachary and i have talked about spending it on our own this year.
obviously it would depend on where we are at, our leave situation,
and if we could afford going home.
i'm wondering though, what was your first christmas away from home like?
was it a good or bad experience?
would you recommend it for our first christmas as a married couple?
i can't imagine not being with my family for christmas, but since i have a new family now,
it might be fun to start our own traditions and such.
speaking of traditions, i had better go carry on the tradition of writing
thank you notes for our wedding gifts.
i promise i am grateful for everyone that supported us!
i just have a hard time keeping a long enough attention span to get the job done.
peace out.

-the wife

leaky faucet, coming through.

i've never cried in a movie before...until the other day, watching p.s. i love you.

i don't know what it was, but the thought of ever losing zachary seemed so unbearably awful that i couldn't keep myself together. {cheesy, i know}
but if you look at it that way, then it was a good cry. right?
wanna know what else can make me cry?
this video:

works every time.

being married and loving someone enough to know that your whole world would be a wreck without them has turned me in to one big bawl baby.

i sure do love that husband of mine!

-the wife

our humble abode.

remember when i made a goal to get my house clean and liveable?
well i am finally finished!
i know i said that i also wanted to paint and decorate, but considering we aren't going to be in this house for as long as we planned, i decided to hold off.
since everything looks decent though, i can now give you an official tour!
for starters, this is what it looks like from the front:

not exactly the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it's good enough to call home.
our grass is actually a lot greener than that now, so that's one plus!
you walk in the front door and you will be planted right in our living room:

this is where most of our cuddling/watching-lost action goes on.

i love this room!

connected to it is our beautiful dining room:

...and by beautiful i mean bland, boring, and lifeless.

yes, we know that this is a sorry excuse for a table.

we've been married 5 months and still haven't bothered to buy one.

thank goodness we got this little beauty for our wedding or we would be eating on the floor!

next is our kitchen.

what looked like this when we first moved in:

now looks like this:

that calms my nerves just looking at the after pictures.

i think my favorite part about our kitchen is this bad boy:

it was a christmas gift from my mom and dad and i absolutely adore it!

it is beginning to become my very close friend.

and you can't forget the laundry room, right next to the kitchen:



small and quaint, but it gets the job done.

we love our washer and dryer.

it took us a while to take the plunge to buy them, but it has definitely been worth it.

they even sing us songs when a load is done!

just around the corner is this hallway:

have you ever been to young house love?

it is this incredible site that features a young couple that love to decorate and design.

they have so many cute ideas and i want to use one of them for my hallway someday.

this idea consists of a collage of white frames filled with anything as fancy as a wedding picture or as simple as a bird feather.

my favorite one will be a long horizontal frame with the words "you are my sunshine" sewn on white cardstock with thin yellow yarn.

i hear those words often in a day from my cute boy and i want to make
them a part of our home.

the first door on your right down that hallway is our office:

we found this sweet awesome desk at wal-mart for really cheap.

probably because the quality is really cheap...

it has worked well for us though.

other than that, we don't have much to put in here.

someday, i want a nice comfy couch. 

maybe red or yellow.

and a bookshelf or two with loads of good books!

this will definitely be the room to go to for peace and quiet.

the second door on your right down that hallway, is our guest bedroom:

considering we don't have any kids and we never have any guests, this room is nothing special.

it has become our ironing/store-our-junk-in room.

but, in case that makes any of you shy away from visiting us, i can promise you that we do have a nice queen size mattress and clean sheets that you wouldn't want to miss. :)

now back to the hallway, the second door on your left would be the bathroom:

if you go through that door on the back end of this picture, it also leads you to another bathroom that is connected to our bedroom.

we treat it kind of like a his and hers bathroom set-up.

i decided not to show you pictures of mine since it is the number one room in the house that i struggle the most with in keeping it clean.

curses to being a girl and needing a billion things to get ready with.

and last, but not least, here is our lovely bedroom:

loads different from the last time you saw it, eh?

see that little soccer ball piggy bank right there?

that's where we are saving up all of our change {literally} to go on a trip to disneyland!

we are making some major headway with a whopping $75.65.

only a few hundred more to go!

i can't even begin to tell you how great it feels to have a clean house!

i feel so blessed to be where we are right now.

life is good and seems to only get better with time.

-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