Our recent adventures

Patrick and I have been spending a lot more quality time together. Sure, we still sit in front of the boob tube WAAAAY too much, but at least we're getting outdoors more often and going on actual dates where we try to look hot for each other. It's been great. Here are a few of our "outings" lately:

BOWLING

My fractured elbow is still pretty sensitive, so I had to bowl left handed. Well, it turned out surprisingly well. I bowled 98 the first game!!! And kicked Patrick's butt! (I made him bowl the first game left handed, too.)

Alison: 98, Patrick: 76 or something

Don't mind my big bootie - the picture is of my terrible form bowling left handed.


Patrick was challenging himself to beat his speed. I can't remember if he hit 24 mph or 27 mph, but it was funny how sore he was the next day!

TEMPLE QUARRY

We spent a few hours hiking around. There's usually a river there, but it was all dry. We hiked downstream a bit and found WATER! It was freezing cold, but we got in up to our knees anyway. It was a fun day hopping around from rock to rock.

Isn't he handsome??!

THE RESERVOIR UP PARLEY'S CANYON
We rode Patrick's Triumph up Parley's Canyon, which was fun all by itself! Then we went to the reservoir and hiked around. We had a contest throwing rocks at a big log in the water. Patrick won. :) We had a boat race with pieces of bark, tried to catch a trout, and had a lot of laughs. It was a lot of fun.


ANTELOPE ISLAND
We drove up to Antelope Island on a drizzly day. I had never been there before. We drove around the north part of the island, then took the east coast road down to the ranch that is still there. We both enjoy walking around historical sites and checking out all of the old stuff. Patrick got devoured by some bugs. Either I'm not as sweet as he is, or wearing pants and shoes rather than shorts and sandals was a smart move. :) We drove back up to the north part of the island and walked out to the water, skipped rocks, and caught brine shrimp. Other than the wind, rain, and my allergies, it was a great time. Carl's Jr. afterward was pretty great, too.

Patrick looking for more rocks to skip.

I've been taking pictures with my phone, since I can't find the battery charger for my camera. They're not the greatest pictures, but they'll do. And since I'm the one taking the pictures, they're all of Patrick. :)

But here's one of me before a date where we ate at an amazing Mexican restaurant in Murray then wandered around a bit.


Going on dates and spending active quality time together has been such a blessing for us in strengthening our relationship. I highly recommend it! :)

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Patrick is currently in Las Vegas for the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Car Show. He's having a blast, and I'm sure he's loving the warmer weather. He's so crazy, he left with a caravan of hot rods Thursday morning. Patrick was riding his Triumph, and it was raining....HARD. So, my darling manly husband put a black plastic garbage bag on like a diaper to keep his butt and crotch dry, since his chaps don't cover those areas. I'll update this post with a picture, because, YES, I did take a picture. :) I'm so nice, I know. He said it was a cold ride in the rain, especially on his hands, but it was a fun adventure, which he greatly needed. He'll be back sometime Monday, so in the meantime, the kitties and I have the house to ourselves. :) Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. It's so quiet!

Anyway, my Easter will consist of lots and lots of homework. I might make a nice dinner for myself, but we'll see if I get that far. It is 3 am, after all.

So, all the rest of you with normal schedules and such, have a wonderful, peaceful Easter.

Love ya!

an overdue update...

It has been far too long since I last posted something on here...

Patrick's dad, Ken, and his wife, Paula, came into town for Patrick's sister, Lissy, and her husband, Dan's going away festivities. Wow, that was one CONFUSING sentence! Lissy and Dan went to Mexico for the Peace Corps. Ken and Paula make it out to Utah once or twice a year, so they came out for the party. They stayed with us for over a week while Patrick did some work on their RV. It was absolutely wonderful to spend that much time with them! I am so blessed to have amazing in-laws!! So, needless to say, I didn't do ANY blogging during that time. I pretty much sat around, ate the bountious amounts of food that Ken cooked for us, and listened to Paula do the dishes. This was a daily routine. And I loved it. :) I miss them already.

So, I guess we're back to normal life. I've been fighting a cold. Patrick is selling his little beater (anyone want an old Corolla that runs well???) and getting an old Jeep Grand Cherokee that we can use to go 4-wheeling and camping. Yeah! The weather is finally warming up a bit, and I can't wait to start planting flowers, tomatoes, and anything else that suits my fancy. Patrick can't wait to ride his motorcycle without getting all decked out in his leather.

We're both caught up on LOST. That's pretty cool, because now we can watch it together and talk about it without blowing anything cool that happened. :) Silly, I know, but it's still an update.

Merry Christmas!

We've been having a great week...

I got back from Denver on Sunday, and Patrick picked me up from the airport. He greeted me with a rose and a CD of love songs by the Rat Pack. He can be such a romantic sweetheart. When we got home, Patrick ran downstairs and started up our new dryer...a Christmas surprise for me. Yeah!!! I am so excited to have a dryer again!

The 22nd was our 1 year Anniversary. We went to a little dinner at Noodles & Co., saw RocknRolla, then came home to enjoy the evening together. It was nice to spend an evening focused on each other and our relationship.

Last night, the 23rd, I finished Christmas shopping, and when I got home, I was super antsy to give Patrick his presents. He had mentioned that he had one more gift for me, besides the dryer. So, I set up his presents on the dining room table, near the little blue Christmas tree I bought to take with me to Denver. He came into the room, and we exchanged gifts.

I got him a Simpsons 2009 calendar, the book 101 Nights of Romance (we need a little spice), a frame for a sweet picture he bought at Speed Week, a jar of pickled herring from Ikea, jam, juices, and soda from Ikea, and I have another gift of the vintage and vehicular nature that isn't quite finished. Also on the list to do as soon as possible is heated gloves so his hands don't freeze while he's riding his Triumph throughout the winter.

Patrick pulled out a 4GB memory card and handed it to me. Funny...my camera is dead... Then he pulled out a box that has a new camera!!!!!!!!! It's a really nice camera. Really, really, really nice. I am so excited to start taking pictures again. Sunday night we watched a movie, and Patrick had stuck the box with the camera with all of our DVDs and VHS. It blended in so well that I didn't even give it a thought. He wanted me to see it and ask about it, but I didn't even give it a look. Turns out, his sister and brother-in-law bought us the dryer for Christmas. They're going to Mexico for the Peace Corp, so they wanted to to do a bigger present to make up for the next couple of years that they won't be here.

What a great Christmas! I know we did presents way early, but we were both too excited to spoil each other. Tonight we're going to make dinner with a bag of Ikea meatballs I bought, and we'll probably rent a movie, read Luke 2, and enjoy a nice quiet Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, we're driving up to Brigham City to spend the day with Patrick's mom and step-dad, sister and brother-in-law, and maybe his step-dad's kids.

It's been snowing for 2 weeks here in Utah. It is most definitely a White Christmas. I love it. I really don't love the snow, but I love how it makes it feel like Christmas. Some years in Phoenix, we'd play outdoor racquetball on Christmas day and it was WARM. That can make it feel less like a wintery snowy holiday. :) So, I feel blessed to be spending the last handful of Christmases in Utah where it really feels different.

One thing we did during Christmas when I was a kid was tons and tons of service projects. We baked for neighbors, did 12 Days of Christmas for older single people at church, dropped off boxes of Christmas goodies, food, and presents to families that needed a little help, and just gave when and where we could. I am so grateful for parents that raised me that way.

This year, my mom and dad asked that instead of giving them a present, we do some sort of service and tell them about it. Yesterday when I was at Barnes & Noble, they were doing a book drive for the Sandy Boys & Girls Club. So, I bought a few books for them to donate. I think donating something like a book is a valuable gift. Reading is such an important part of life, so I was happy to participate in the book drive. Patrick thought it was pretty cool, too. :)

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy life's blessings, show gratitude, and bless the lives of others. :)

1990...What the....??

So by now you might understand that Patrick is a total hot-rodder. Any vehicle less than 25 years old is new by his standards, and nearly a sin for him to drive. It pains him that I own and he has to sometimes drive my 1998 Accord. It would kill him if I earned the Pontiac Vibe or G6 through Mary Kay and actually took the car instead of the cash ($375/month) which could be wisely invested in fixing up a proper hot rod that could be painted an appropriate shade of pink.

Anyway, the point is that my grease-monkey-hot-rodding-hubby is the proud (??) new owner of a 1990 Corolla.

I have to pause for a minute so I can have a good chuckle!

Okay, chuckling has subsided. His boss sold him the car for $100 to use on days he can't ride his Triumph to work during the winter. It needs a few inexpensive repairs, so it's really a great deal. Sure it's a hunka junk, but it drives.

I followed Patrick to the place where he was doing emissions on the Corolla, and it was just odd to see him driving that itty bitty car. He swears it will be a total of 2 weeks that he might drive the car during the winter. And quite naturally, he'll make sure it has a loud exhaust, shoots out firebombs out the back, and a questionable paint job. Just 'cause. (shaking my head...)



P.S. There's an awesome camera on a super sale that I want to get. If that pans out, you better believe I'll get some pictures up here of the new beauty!!

New Helmet

Patrick got his new helmet in the mail today. It's a pilot's helmet from.... Fill in the blanks. :) You either know and recognize it or you don't.

Patrick's Baby

On August 12th (we think), Patrick got his Triumph Bonneville. It was seriously like taking a kid to a toy store to pick out a toy he's been drooling over for months. Something along the lines of Ralphie dreaming about getting a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. Here are a few pictures from the exciting occasion:

Waiting to sign the paperwork.
A supportive wife. :)
Patrick sitting on the Triumph Thruxton...he wanted that one, but it just wasn't as comfortable as the Bonneville.
The salesman brought out Patrick's Bonneville.

Patrick's first perch on his new girlfriend.

The close-up. Look at that grin!

The beautiful and sexy Triumph Bonneville.

Patrick brought her outside, ready to ride off into the sunset.

And off into the sunset he rides...