High School Dance

You heard me. Danny and I went to the Viewmont high school Christmas dance a few weeks ago, and we (and by we I mean mostly I) had a blast. Russell got asked to go by a girl from school and Danny and I went as their chaperones. Here are a few pictures from the experience:

A few of my favorite things about the experience:

-I decided to "ask" Danny to the dance like all the high schoolers do. I did it all tricky though so I was home pretending ot be asleep when it was all delivered. I just had a bunch of balloons with notes inside of them (one with my name on it) and a sign that said, "Don't burst by bubble, go to the Christmas dance with me." To make a long story short, he thought it was one of our friends playing a joke on us and had no idea it was from me, so he wanted me to pop the balloons. I finally got him to pop the balloons and he was so confused when he saw my name. Needless to say, it didn't go as planned. I was laughing pretty hard though.

-Watching Russell dance. He has no inhibitions and it is awesome. We should all be more like that.

-Russell and his date both voted that I was a better dance than Danny :) Although I gotta admit, Danny has some sweet moves!

-If you want more details and you follow Russells's blog, go here for more: Gafugamugabub.

ONE YEAR!

We made it. haha. Danny and I have been married for one year, as of yesterday. They say that the first year is the hardest, and although last year was pretty tough at times, if thats as bad as it gets I'll take it! I love being married to Danny, I don't want to be cheesy but I really am so grateful to be married to him. Every day I realize he is even more perfect for me than I could have known. I'm a pretty lucky girl.

So because of school and budget we didn't get to do anything too exciting for our anniversary (we REALLY wanted to go on a cruise), but we did get out of Logan. My parents were out of town so we went and house sat for them and did a few fun things in Salt Lake. On our honeymoon we went to the Desert Star Theater so we went again this year as tradition. This is us before the show. We LOVE the Desert Star theater, it is always a good laugh.

I asked Danny to give me the Harry Potter movies for my anniversary present ($33 for all six at Costco-Thanks for the tip Michele) so we had a little Harry Potter marathon and then went to see the new movie.

It was awesome! And I found out that I totally married a Harry Potter nerd. If you ever have a question about the logistics of Harry Potter, Danny knows the answer.

We really just had a relaxing weekend away from work and school and got to spend some quality time together.

We had to go back to Logan on Sunday (our real anniversary) for church but after church we ate the top of our wedding cake and watched our wedding video (Thank you Julianne and Nathan!) This is us reenacting cutting the cake at the reception. We are both a few pounds heavier, in our pajamas/snuggies, and this is the worst picture ever but I think it makes it even funnier)

It was great to reminisce on the wedding day and how wonderful it was. It all went by so fast but looking back I am so grateful to have so many incredible friends and family that were there to celebrate with us that day. So thank you! Here's to many more wonderful years to come!

Fall is Fantastic

I love fall. There is something about the crisp leaves, bright colors and cool air that just makes me happy. These are a few of the activities that also make me happy.

My sister Julianne came into town for her friend's wedding, so that means we got to hang out. And she brought Addison! This is a picture of Addy me and my mom at Gardner's Village. We had a lot of fun hanging out and staying up late talking.

Carving Pumpkins. One of my favorite Halloween activities. I think ours turned out pretty good this year thanks to Danny's artistic abilities. The

picture is a little crazy of me but little did I know Danny wanted to be normal and smile.

Costumes. Especially this little guy in one. This is Danny's nephew Xander, and if he wasn't cute enough already he is the cutest little chinese man I've ever seen.

Gufubamugabub

I started another blog! As mentioned in the earlier post "Criminal Mastermind," my little brother Russell is hilarious. So I started a blog about it. (Gufubamugabub is what my dad calls him, and also the name of the blog) It's private but if you would like to read it let me know and I will add you. Ok thanks.

Update

I was looking over our blog just barely cuz I'm bored at work and I noticed that I haven't really given an update on what Danny and I are doing with our lives lately. Sorry about the lack of pictures, I am a major slacker but I found two off the internet for your viewing enjoyment. So here it goes.

Danny is back in school, full time, and working on campus as a "computer lab consultant." Which really translates into doing his homework and getting paid for it! He is also playing on the Utah State Mens soccer team and is really excited for this season. The team has a lot of great players on it and are doing really well. They won last weeks game 7-1!

Just a side note: last week my little brother Russell (the criminal in a previous post) came to stay with us and needless to say we had a blast. Anyway, one of my favorite comments came from him when we were watching Danny's soccer game. We had only been there for twenty minutes and he got really bored and layed down with his head in his arms. He turned to me and said, "Marissa, why does Danny even like soccer anyway?!" haha. Leave it to Russell to say it like it is.

As for me, I am back to working full time and bringing home the bacon! I decided not to go to grad school yet because after fasting and praying about it Danny and I decided it was not the best move for us right now. So I got a job at USU Charter Credit Union full time as a teller (really using my college degree right?) and am loving not having school.

I have currently appointed our spare bedroom as my craft room and am putting it to full use. I will try and post a few of my favorite creations soon. I am taking a spanish class through the city so hopefully I will be bilingual soon. Also, I am trying to learn how to be a better cook so if any of you have good recipes please let me know, I want to try them!

I think that is all that is going on for us right now. We finally feel settled in our new apartment and are excited to be living in the same place for at least a year!

Our New Addition

Meet Fernando!


Um, I mean...I don't know how that picture got in there. haha. Made you look.
Meet the real Fernando!

Danny and I got a fish the other day and I'm so excited about it. His name is Fernando and we are already good friends. We eat breakfast together every morning and he even looked right at the camera when I asked him too! I love fish, and I am determined not to kill this one.

Criminal Mastermind

My little brother Russell is the funniest kid on the block. Danny and I are staying with my parents in Centerville for a about a week until we move back up to Logan and what can I say, this kid cracks me up. I have considered starting a blog just for all the funny stuff he says. The other day something happened that I have to share.



I was eating breakfast the other day and talking to Russell about helping Danny and I wash our cars when Russell grabs my spare car key (luckily the one without a key chain remote) and ran outside yelling, "I'll get the car ready." I didn't think much of it until I realized that he has had an obsession with learning how to drive lately (he is going to turn 16 in October). My parents have had numberless conversations with him about how boys who have Down Syndrome do not get to drive cars, and for the most part he is fine with that. But in the back of my mind I thought maybe I should go see what he is up to.

I opened the door to see Russell sitting in the drivers seat of my car ready to get moving. I panicked, ran out, and coaxed him out of the car, reminding him that he can't drive, we weren't ready to wash the cars, etc. He got out and I locked my car and went back inside thinking he would just hang out for a while until we were ready. I checked on him a few minutes later and he was still trying to get into my car, running around trying every door multiple times. Then he saw Danny's car and ran over to give it a try. The car was locked but that didn't stop Russell. He noticed that back window was cracked so he slid his arm in, unlocked it, and climbed into the front seat. Luckily he didn't have Danny's keys. After a while, he came in the house, defeated.

We sat down and were talking about how he shouldn't be trying to drive when the light bulb turned on. He pulled the spare out of his pocket and exclaimed, "I know, I'll put the key in the door, turn and get in!" I didn't think he would really be able to pull this off because who uses keys to get into cars anymore? He went outside and about two seconds later my car alarm went off. Russell came running inside as fast as he could with a terrified look on his face, ran to the corner of the living room, chucked the key on the table, and ran into his room to hide. He had been caught and Danny and I were laughing so hard we were crying. He came crawling sheepishly out of his room a few minutes later, but it was not over. Danny and I were prepared to play this moment up...

We told him that the police were on their way and that he was in big trouble for trying to drive without a license and breaking into our cars. His reply was, "I quit driving! I don't want the police to take me to jail!" Then he tried making deals with me so I wouldn't tell my mom. Yeah right.

The day went on and Danny and I didn't think much else of it but Russell every once and a while he would ask us if we could hear the sirens coming yet; he was convinced the police were coming for him. Then we were watching the evening news and Russell seemed unusually interested. He watched very intensely and as the hour was ending he started muttering, "Please, please, please don't talk about me." He literally thought he was going to be on the news.

We finally told him that he police weren't going to come and that he was not in trouble but I think he learned his lesson. Pretty sure he will not be attempting to drive cars anytime soon, although I must admit he does pull a pretty good criminal face.

Remember the Alamo!

Last Sunday Danny and I went and walked around some of the sites in San Antonio. First we saw the Alamo, which Danny gave me a quick history lesson on. A few interesting things I learned is that we lost the battle, this is where Davey Crockett died, and that the fort is surprisingly small. However our troops held off the troops from Mexico for a long time and inspired others with their gusto. This is where the phrase, "Remember the Alamo!" came from and was a monumental battle that eventually led to us gaining Texas. (that was my kindergarten version of the Alamo. Don't even ask me to explain Star Trek)
Next we went to the San Antonio river walk which is so beautiful! It is crazy the things they have built over and around this river. (It is still up for debate which was there first, the river or the buildings) But anyway, there was a hotel in which the lobby was the river, all these restaurants built right on the edge, and everything was so green and vibrant. Last year Danny texted me some pictures of the river walk and I told him I wanted him to propose to me there. While its a little late for that I am still so glad we went!

World Cup-Goodbye NC- Welcome Home Robin- Hello Texas- Fathers Day- One Year Anniversary

Warning! This post is going to be longer and more involved than even that title!
So it has been a few weeks since I have blogged and boy has it been an eventful few weeks! (and I didn't even take very many pictures) So here goes nothing. I really do apologize if you get bored you don't have to read it all.

First off... the World Cup!

I could not be Danny's wife and not talk about his LOVE for soccer and the world cup. This is so huge for him. The night before the world cup started he got really excited and retreated to a boy-like state of excitement. The next morning he woke up early, started singing, "Ole, Ole, Ole, ole!" put on a soccer jersey and said, "It's Christmas that only comes every four years!" I am not going to pretend that I understand his excitement but I do love seeing him like this. It makes me laugh pretty hard.

Goodbye North Carolina!
It started off with Danny and I's decision to leave North Carolina and the pest control industry for the security system industry back in Texas. When we moved to North Carolina we thought it would be the perfect situation because we could be close to family while still making as much money as we would be in Texas (or so the pest control people said). After a month of hard work we had made fewer sales in pest control than Danny did in security systems last year and security systems pays a lot more! So we sacrificed the comfort of being close to family to be able to make a little bit of money.

We took a day to explore Raleigh because we hadn't been able to see much while working all the time. We went to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, downtown Raleigh, and Duke University. Here are a few of the photos:

This is the skeleton of a blue whale. It was HUGE! (see Danny to the side)

Oh no! Something is eating Danny.

Welcome Home Robin!
We also got some exciting news right before we left that Danny's brother ROBIN IS HOME! Robin has been serving in Afghanistan for the last 6+ months and getting to see him was a huge reason we decided to go to North Carolina. So it was perfect timing that he came home the day before we left. We took one last trip out to New Bern and got to spend time with Robin, Mar and the kids, in which I neglected to take pictures. Sorry. It was so great to finally meet Danny's brother! And Danny hadn't seen him in a few years so we both were so glad.

Road Trip/Hello Texas!
So we left North Carolina Tuesday morning to drive to San Antonio Texas. The GPS and mapquest both said it would take about 22 hours and we thought, "We are both adults, we can just drive straight through." Wrong! For some reason it was a really long drive for both of us and at about 1 in the morning after driving for 16 hours we pulled over and stayed the night at a really classy Red Rooster Inn. I did learn a few things on that road trip and here are a few of my thoughts:

• Baby wipes, GPS and books on tape are road trip essentials. Lesson learned.
  
• New Orleans: wow. It has been how many years since Hurricane Katrina and just while driving through it there were so many building and bridges that were still in ruins. So crazy.
  
• While we were eating chicken in New Orleans and watching the Lakers/Celtics game there was a news flash about the BP oil spill and everyone at the restaurant got really upset. It hit home to me that this is really affecting this people. It finally was real to me.
• When you eat too many Starbursts, grapes no longer have flavor. Sad.

Alright so we made it to Texas, we are finally going to be in the same place for at least two months.

Next up: Fathers Day!
Since the week had been pretty busy already I didn't have time to even send out Father's Day cards or anything but Danny and I have the most amazing fathers! My dad and I have always had a special relationship. As the youngest daughter I was always "Daddy's Little Princess" and although I get teased for it, I love it. My dad would take me on Daddy daughter dates when I was younger and I still remember going out for ice cream and just spending quality time with him. He taught me to be strong in the gospel and to gain a testimony for my own. He is a worthy priesthood holder and is always there to give me a Father's blessing or whatever I need. I love you Dad! Danny's dad is also an incredible man. He is one of the hardest workers I know. While serving as a bishop in their ward and working full time he always takes time to put his family first. He and Luz have such an amazing marriage and I am so glad Danny has learned how to be the perfect husband and (future) father. I am so grateful for Jose and the choices he has made for his family that made it possible for Danny and I to meet and be married. We love you Jose!
And a quick little thing about the future father of my children: Danny! (the picture is of the kids attacking him in the morning and him trying to sleep through it) He was pretty excited that he got a treat in church because he's married and will be a father someday. I am so glad that he is so great with kids. Every time I see him with his nieces and nephews or just any kid I get so excited for the day when we get to have our own family. He will be a wonderful dad!

One year!
Alright and you are probably ready to kill me for my long-windedness right now but one more thing: Danny and I started dating a year ago yesterday! I know that is so lame to even bring up but it was pretty huge for us to finally move from the friend realm into the dating realm. This is a picture we took that fateful weekend. It is also pretty cool that we are back where it all started. It was June 20th 2009 when Danny flew me to Texas to visit him. That night we talked about why we had never dated and I think I told him something along the lines of, "Be glad you've never dated me, you're better off that way!" And he replied with, "Why don't you let me decide?" He kissed me and we started dating the next day. And I'm so grateful that he did! That also means that it was our 7 month wedding anniversary so also yay for that!

The New Place

I wanted to post a few pictures of the new place since it is such a huge difference from our old basement apartment. We didn't pack much so it looks pretty sparse but the pictures from the website online make it look as great as it really is so I give them the photographic credit.
This is the amazing pool where I am now spending most of my afternoons. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be out there killing the bugs. I told Danny I would try knocking doors with him for two weeks and then decide what to do from there. Well my two weeks is up and for some reason this pool seemed more inviting than the people on the doors. No it really came down to the fact that I was slowing him down because I was always thirsty or had to use the bathroom or what not. And it turns out I'm really emotional when it comes to rejection. I'm gonna go let him work his magic on his own now.
And this is an aerial view of the floor plan. It's pretty sweet really. In fact just looking at this picture is making me want to rearrange the furniture. Maybe that is what I'll do today. After the pool of course.

Feliz Cumpleanos Danny!

"Danny, hold up the cake so I can take a picture." Awesome.
Just wanted to give a shout out to my hubby because he turned 26 on Saturday! No offense to those of you who are 26 plus but I feel like 26 is old. Good thing he still acts like an 18 year old! No really though Danny is amazing and it has been a pretty huge year for him. Here is a review of some of the incredible things Danny has done this year:

• He flew me out to Texas to visit him, we consequently started dating...finally! (he also rode The Steel Eel, the biggest roller coaster of his life, a big feat for him)

• He had an amazing season as captain of the USU mens soccer team (this is an awful picture but Danny is number 11 in the background)

• He got married!
• He got accepted into the Jon Huntsman School of Business

• He won three intramural soccer tournaments (yay for free t-shirts!)

I could go on and on but I'll spare you the cheese. Danny is so great and has been really important to me for a long time now. I'm so grateful for his parents for having him and raising him to be an incredible man. He is the perfect husband for me, always making me laugh, cheering me on and being patient with me. I can't wait to see what will happen in his 26th year of life!

Andy Garcia

"Hey, you look like Andy Garcia." This is a phrase that Danny hears multiple times every day, and especially knocking doors. There are some people that won't even open their door to talk about pest control but they come running out on their front porch to tell him that he looks like Andy Garcia. He just laughs and says that he gets that all the time but for a while I would get pretty offended when people told him this. I finally confessed to Danny that I hate it when people tell him that. He showed me some pictures online and I came to realize that I was thinking of George Lopez. There is a huge difference. So just for the record, yes, Danny does look like Andy Garcia, but not like George Lopez. (For those of you as unaware as me, Andy Garcia is above, George Lopez is below.)

The NC!

34 hours and 11 states later, Danny and I are finally in North Carolina! We have been here for about a week now and we have already had quite a few adventures. Here is a list of a few things I have LOVED about it here so far:

• Our shower is at least 4 times as big as the one in Logan
• The humidity is great for my dry skin
• It's not snowing here! It's in the 70's and 80's most days
• The swimming pool, weight room, front-step garbage pick-up, and free refreshments at our complex. Feeling pretty spoiled.
• All the quality time with Danny (he's stuck with me now)
• Free cable!
• The beach is two hours away
• Washer and dryer

Here's what we have been up to:

The first day here we went to play with Danny's sister-in-law Margeli and her kids Chiara, Fabrizio and Bella. We only had one day but we got to go to Atlantic Beach and play a few round of hide and seek.

Just eating some lunch.

My husband the mermaid. This was pretty funny because the kids were sitting calmly on the blanket eating lunch and Mar and I were going crazy burying Danny in the sand. We're real mature like that.

Bella is the funniest little girl. She always pulls the craziest faces (a woman after my own heart.)

Ultimate hide and seek. I'm pretty sure Danny has some bumps and bruises from this round but it was totally worth it. Call me crazy but I think Chiara fit better in the cupboard.

Our first day knocking doors. My hair has been perma-poof since we've been here. Something about humidity...

The Raleigh Temple! Beautiful!

Those are our Raleigh adventures for our first week here. I'll try and get some pictures of our apartment to post because our "second home" is pretty incredible compared the the humble abode we occupied in Logan.

Graduation

I finally graduated from Utah State on May 8, 2010! It was five years coming but I have learned a lot about life and a few things about social work while I've been in Logan. Doing the ceremony and walking thing seemed a little bit ridiculous to me because we were simultaneously moving and cleaning but I'm glad I did it. I'm so grateful that I have met so many great people while at Utah State: great roommates, professors, classmates and of course Danny. Its crazy to think that one decision to come to USU made such a big difference in where I have ended up. So glad I made the right decision. Here are a few pictures of the day.

I had to put this picture in because we went out to Dinner at Ruby River after the ceremony and Russell ate a HUGE Buffalo Burger, fries, milk, and part of an onion blossom. I ordered the same thing and didn't get through half of it.