blue bayou

the first week we were here, eddie and i got season passes with another couple to the water/ amusement park, blue bayou, and we loved it! then this week most of the wives in the office bought season passes so all the girls can go together while the guys are at work. it was the best idea.  i surprisingly and thankfully had monday off work, which turned out to be the only day without rain in the past few weeks. we hit up the waterpark and had a real good time. 

 {thanks candice for the pics!}

1 year ago today

was the best day of my life!

the day we had floor seats to my favorite artist of all time-

TIM MCGRAW

i still think about that night all the time.

canoeing

on sunday eddie and i went to a state park about an hour away and rented a canoe. the last time we were in a canoe was during our engagement pics! this experience was very different.  instead of being in the middle of an open lake in the desert, we were cruising up and down the bayous and rivers in louisiana. 

 we love louisiana! 

our week in photos

this past week was pretty uneventful.  we both just went to work everyday, with a few things here and there to break up the monotony. 

first, eddie received his acceptance letter from the U.  ever since the admittance phone call from the dean, he's been checking the mail 3x a day looking for the letter.  the one time i happened to check the mail without him it came! he was so excited. 

also, there was a 2 week selling competition at work and eddie's team got third place- so he won a playstation 3.  he's been wanting one of these since before we were married.  i've always thought gaming systems were a big waste of time so i discouraged it but what can ya do when he wins it!? go eddie!

his latest thing has been making homemade lemonade. he makes it on the stove and it's so good! candice and josh came over last week for some lemonade and shrimp. 

somewhere i had heard that la madeleine's was good so we went to try it out.  we even took pictures out front b/c i thought it was going to be awesome and one of our favorite restaurants of the summer.  it was terrible! it was run by a bunch of 17 year olds and the $30 food was comparable to airplane food. 

but luckily we ended the week at a good restaurant.  

we went to sammy's for the 3rd time and it was delicious

gator swamp tour

last weekend we headed out with the majority of eddie's office for a true louisiana adventure-a swamp tour!  this state impresses me more and more with each thing we discover. we learned that louisiana is covered in bayous, and there are more than 2.5 million gators in louisiana- 1 for every 2 people! our tour guide said there were thousands of them swimming all around our boat. oh and fun fact- the particular tour company we went with is owned by a guy that was on deadliest catch.

the whole gang- this is one fun group 

on the airboat. these boats go so fast and swerve all over the bayou- we couldn't have loved it more

the guide said to stay in our seats but the second the boat stopped everyone jumped up and started walking around the boat to get a better view of the gators. also, the boat was so loud everyone had to wear those red earmuffs 

the gators were lured to the boat w/ raw chicken! rod the guide would tie chicken on a stick, drag it in the water and the gators would come creepin right over

at one point the gators were getting feisty so eddie had to push off any that tried to climb on the boat while rod backed the boat up to go find a new area. check out how beautiful the bayous are

that's rod.  this was probably all the guys' favorite part of the tour when rod grabbed the tail of a gator and told them to help him pull it in the boat!  of course he swam away but it was thrilling. 

just hooking his chicken while he picks out which tourist he's going to throw overboard. he was crazy and so funny

here are just some great gator shots! another highlight for me were the happy gilmore gator quotes on the boat.  happy gilmore and billy maddison are still 2 of my favorite movies.

at the end they let us hold (or kiss) baby alligators.  this one was less than a year old.  typically they grow  3-4 feet a year, but they keep this one in air condition so it stunts its growth. 

 i know, right!?! i love this picture. sometimes they would just jump up out of nowhere and they had to be swatted back into the water. 

such a great day.  this will be a hard sunday funday to top

Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to our wonderful dads! 

We are both very blessed to have great dads who we talk to regularly. 

There is nobody on this planet as wise as your own dad, that's for sure.

Eddie & his dad have a special relationship.  They talk all the time and are each other's best friend.  I'm grateful for him and the things he's taught Eddie- my favorite of which being how to treat a lady! Eddie treats me like gold and I know he learned by example. 

Marianne pretty much said it best... I really think of my dad as one of my best friends.  He's always supported me, and I know he'd do anything for me.  Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad! 

Here is a tribute I wrote to my dad back on Fathers Day of 2009.  I will always love these memories.   As I wrote in his card this year, after Eddie, he is always the first person I call when I'm really upset or really happy about something.  He's always been willing to share personal experiences that relate to how I'm feeling which always makes me feel better.  On the flip side, when I have good news I like telling him first! Like when Eddie told me he got into law school my dad was the first person I called.  

I'm very grateful for the relationship I have with my dad and for the support and love he has always given me.  Dad you are the best! I love you~

law school

eddie is going to law school at the university of utah in the fall! 

i'm so happy for him i could burst. 

all his life people have told him he should be a lawyer.  

he's very smart and analytical. 

no matter what he decides to do with it,

 law is the perfect background for him. 

he called me while i was at work yesterday to tell me the good news. i started screaming and wanted to know all the details! i could tell he was so happy and relieved. 

i'll tell you why this is so exciting.  

he applied to only 4 schools: 2 in virginia and 2 in utah.  

he got into both VA schools (richmond & george mason)

 but would have to sit out a year and start fall of 2012 since

 i still have a year left of my program at BYU. 

but now he can start this fall! we're planning on selling our apt. in provo
(which is sad because we'll never find one as cute and cheap again)
and moving north.

all his hard work preparing for and taking the LSAT, writing essays and completing applications has paid off...


congratulations eddie! 

ladies' lunch

on saturday these two beauties, whitney & candice, hosted a lunch for all the wives in the office

we piled high our delicious cafe rio-like salads and 

chatted and played games for a few hours. it was fun!

all these girls get to hang out everyday while i work in the office.  

i'm grateful for my job but wish i got to see them more often! 

our louisiana casa

this is the apartment we're living in for the summer.  it's in gonzales, which is 20 minutes south of baton rouge and an hour north of new orleans. we love it.  the first day we drove up to our apt eddie was thrilled we had a garage.  i can tell he still enjoys clicking the garage door open every time we come home- it's our first one! and i love the bathroom right off our room. in the past i've always had to walk into the hall to get to the bathroom. i feel like a real adult now that it's attached to the master bedroom. 

cute

via

are you kidding me!? 
cutest creature ever.
i say creature cause eddie thinks its a dog
 and i think its a polar bear

Oak Alley Plantation

This weekend we went to the most beautiful place: Oak Alley Plantation. 

The home is over 200 years old and the oak trees are over 300 years old.
This plantation is right on the Mississippi, almost to New Orleans.