Moving!

So Austin and I have been talking for a while now about moving to a bigger apartment. We were waiting for a while because our current apartment is within walking distance of BYU which was perfect because we only had one car. However, once we bought our second car, moving became a very real option! Earlier in April we found two places that I thought were perfect and was pretty set on and they both fell through. I felt so frustrated at the time, but looking back, it was actually a blessing!

We went through a phase a while back too where we were like “oh we make good money, we can live in a nicer place” but the more we thought about it the more we really set a stricter limit and looked for a place with the utilities included. It just makes budgeting so much easier and we realized it gives us a real opportunity to save over these next couple of years.

I have been trolling Rentler for months now and I came across a listing for an apartment that was only $850/month with all the utilities included and also about a 5-7 minute drive to BYU. The icing on the cake? This apartment had a washer and dryer and was also pet friendly! I went to look at the apartment myself the first time since Austin was still pretty busy with spring semester classes. When I first pulled up I thought, huh, this is interesting. So on the street there is a business and you go up a staircase around the side of the building. The apartment wasn’t anything fancy, but it was roomy and the price and location were unbeatable! Of course I go home raving to Austin and he agrees to come take a look. He wasn’t super impressed but we decided to keep the place in our back pocket. After another 3 weeks of looking, we kept coming back to this first place. I never thought of Provo as a dangerous place, but let me tell you…I feared for my life in a few of the places I went and looked at! We decided to meet with the owner and we learned he was planning on replacing the carpet and also installing laminate flooring through the living room and down the hall. With this little announcement we were pretty much sold! They wanted us to move in a little sooner than we were planning since the place had been vacant since June.

We went back to the apartment and knelt down and just prayed…prayed to know if this was right and if it was, that it would all work out. It was an awesome experience. I know that Heavenly Father shut some doors a little while ago so that we could find this place that hit all our main points! Austin can get to school so fast, I’m close to the freeway for work so that we save on gas, we can get a dog, there’s a washer and dryer, and we have SPACE.

So the tricky thing is…we had to pretty much pack up and move out right when we got home from Disneyworld. Austin was back to working all day and so I tried to do most of the work. We also had to move on a Thursday to avoid certain fees with our current apartment complex…Austin couldn’t get work off so I essentially loaded up all the boxes and tubs and moved those myself. Austin had friends come over at night to help with the furniture and what not. We have some awesome people in our ward that helped us out! In the afternoon though, I literally thought I might die. It was so hot and I was so sweaty and well just enjoy these pictures.

While the boys were unloading all the furniture, I went to get McFlurry’s to thank them for their help! I’ll never forget driving through the McDonald’s driveway and saying “Hi, can I get 6 McFlurry’s please?” The girl literally chuckled and asked “Is that all?” We were both cracking up by the time I pulled up to the window!

After it was all said and done, Austin and I decided to use a gift card and go to Chili’s. It was almost 10 o’clock at night, we were filthy, and also matching (unintentionally). I’m pretty sure we were quite the sight. Haha, that Chili’s really hit the spot though. I’m so grateful that Austin is my buddy. We work so well as a team and I love that sometimes I pull a little more weight and sometimes he does and at the end of the day, we’re just happy.

It was so weird to see our old place all emptied out! We didn’t realize how much we’d miss our ward family. We have been desperate to move, but we really did feel a little sad once it actually started happening!

It has been so fun organizing our new place though! I just thrive off of organizing! Also, please note, Austin and I can officially get out of bed on our own sides so that one of us doesn’t have to drawl over the other one anymore! That office is pretty nice too! I love that Austin now has his own work space!

Daytona Beach!

After Disney World, my family was headed to Miami for some more baseball games and Austin and I decided to stay a night in Daytona Beach. We drove straight to the beach and I was in my happy place.

For lunch we tried this amazing place and their fish and chips were to die for! Obviously half of our vacation excitement comes from the food 😉

We found the cutest little Bed and Breakfast that had amazing reviews! It’s run by an older couple, Art and Polly, and during breakfast Saturday morning Art played the guitar and sang for us. They honestly treated us like we were their grandchildren. The breakfast was AMAZING! We had peach cobbler, since you have to have your dessert first 😉 After our cobbler we had ham and these awesome fried pancake things, I don’t even know what we were eating but it was good!

We went back out on the town after getting cleaned up from beach and we found this cute little diner for dinner. I ordered the grilled cheese and I had no idea what I was in for. It was like 4 pieces of bread, plus tomato, plus bacon, plus I was in heaven. I also LOVE my ice cream so we couldn’t pass up the chance for a real diner milkshake. It was heaven.

Saturday morning we went back to the beach and stayed as late as we could before driving back to Orlando for our 7pm flight. We always have to hit up a Hooters whenever we’re near one since we don’t have one in Utah! Luckily there was one right next to the airport! Austin LOVES their wings, and I’m a pretty big fan myself. He was one happy boy; he’s all about that garlic parmesan! So….we got pretty fried at the beach the second day. I thought we were applying sunscreen, but evidently not. We were so fried and by the time we got to the airport we could barely move, it was not the most pleasant plane ride home. My eyelids got burned so bad, they were pink for days after being home! All in all, it was a fantastic vacation and I’m so happy we have these opportunities to cut loose and take a break here and there! Plus I wouldn’t want to have my adventures with anyone other than this guy!

Disney World!

First things first, let’s talk about how I got Austin on two Disney trips two summers in a row! HAHA! But really, we had so much fun in Disney World with my family for a few days. In Disney World they do this whole “Magic Band” thing that’s actually pretty sweet! It works as your park ticket, hotel room key, and for us it paid for meals and snacks since we got the meal plan! Ever since these babies showed up about a month early, we have been so excited!

Miracle of the trip….I packed everything I needed for 6 days into this little baby! Long gone are the days where I’m the one person with the overweight bag to be checked in the family! Poor married life does things to you!

Austin and I flew in late Monday night and got to ride the “Disney Express” to our hotel. It was about 1 a.m. by the time we were on the bus and the bus driver was hilarious. We stayed at the Art of Animation resort in one of the Little Mermaid rooms. The little theme was so cute! The hotel also had a Lion King section and a Finding Nemo section! So cute!

On our first day we went to Animal Kingdom! Florida is HOT…haha I don’t think I’ve been this sweaty in a long time! But it was honestly just too much fun. On the safari I saw a baby giraffe up close and personal! It was awesome! Since my parents had the Photo Pass, Rachel and my dad were all about hunting down the photographers for the best shots! You have to love the little animations they throw in there.

These are my new best friends. We all stopped at a bathroom and these guys were dancing and trying to get people to join in and everyone was blowing them off. The lead guy kind of looked at me and I smiled and a few minutes later he called me over. I humored him and booty shook for a while and then a whole bunch of people joined in including Rachel, my mom, and Megan when they came out of the bathroom! I just love that carefree feeling of “I’m on vacation, I don’t know anyone here, I’m going for it!”

On our second day we went to Magic Kingdom. The new mine train ride was cute! The witch at the end about gave me a heart attack though!

Gaston’s Tavern was AMAZING! They had his chair and the antler chandeliers and everything! Right outside we got to meet him and he was priceless. He messed with my mom so much and his character was just spot on. We were all cracking up! For lunch, Rachel and my dad magically got us into the Be Our Guest themed restaurant. They had the most amazing french dip sandwiches and it was amazing inside! Of course we had to get a cupcake with “the grey stuff.”

Megan talked us into the teacups and so we go to get on, telling the attendant we need two cups to fit all 4 of us. As we walk out tot get in the teacups, there is only one teacup left…I don’t know how in the world we managed to fit, but we made it happen! These pictures make me laugh so much 🙂

We took a break in the afternoon and came back later that night to shut down the park! Haha it reminded me so much of when we were kids and my dad would bring us back late at night and we thought it was so cool to stay out that late! It was raining and we powered through! Austin and Megan got to see The Country Bear Jamboree for the first time! We just laughed and laughed and laughed. We walked right on Splash Mountain (probably due to the rain) and rode Pirates of the Caribbean too! So…we are used to Disneyland and in Disneyland, there is no picture on Pirates of the Caribbean. We were totally caught off guard and I think our faces are priceless!

On our last day we went to Hollywood Studios. Austin loved all the Star Wars stuff!

First thing in the morning we rode the Rockin Rollercoaster! So back story…when I was maybe 10 or 11 we came to Disney World and it was back in the day when they did the parent switch pass. Rachel and I always rode a ride with one of my parents first, then we would back through the exit and ride with the other parent since Megan was too little to come. We did that with the Rockin Rollercoaster and the second time, I totally threw up as I was stepping out of the car right on the platform. I have been teased for it ever since and I am proud to say that this year, I did not hurl!

Of course you have to love the Tower of Terror too! Actually, I’m not a huge fan…I had to take a major ride break after riding the rollercoaster immediately followed by  this beauty.

Austin and I got pretty competitive on Toy Story Mania too 🙂 That one has always been one of our favorites!

For dinner we ate at this cute character dining buffet place which got us tickets for the Pixar Orchestra Show and Fantasmic! The characters in Florida really love photobombing! The Pixar Orchestra was amazing! We watched clips and scenes from movies like Up, Monster’s Inc, Cars, The Incredibles, Toy Story, etc. while a live orchestra played the music from them. It was probably my favorite part of the trip. You also gotta love Fantastmic. The show is a little different from the one in California and we were talking about how it’s so weird to be so used to things being a certain way and almost anticipating certain music or certain parts of a show and then it throws you off when it’s different! I think we’re just hard core Disneyland people 😉

On our last morning together, Friday, we went to breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. The food was AMAZING! After breakfast my family drove us to pick up our rental car since we were continuing on our own in Daytona Beach. It was so hard to say goodbye to family! It breaks my heart every time. I don’t know if it will ever get easier. These guys are my best friends and I love how close we are. I hope that when Austin and I have kids we can cultivate the same types of relationships with our kids. I hope we can be each other’s best friends since my family members have always been my best friends!