Dave and Ariel

What a Great Summer!

2009-07-15T00:55:00.023-06:00

I was just looking through all of the pictures on my phone from this summer and I found myself amazed at what a wonderful time I've had....so I thought that I would share a few of my favorite pictures/moments with the two or three people who actually follow our blog. ;)

The family get togethers have been such a blast for me this year (even though we haven't broken out the croquet set). It's been wonderful to have Ariel around to get to know everyone and experience bocce ball, frisby golf, Barksdale BBQ's, great board games (thanks Al), our "unique" Birthday songs, etc, etc... (sorry about the formatting...the published post came out nothing like the preview...I had all the pictures bunched together and looking nice...oh well)

Ariel has also been taking me to the arcade from time to time and that's been a blast..surprisingly. ;) I had never thought about playing arcades with my fiance on a Friday night, but it's been fun.

Of course, the engagement and wedding planning have been the biggest highlights of all. I can't believe how much I love Ariel. Our wedding is just 30 days away and I can't wait. I've had a great time being involved with the wedding planning..from the proposal, to doing invitations, picking a wedding dress for Ariel, to deciding on food, location, etc..I've had a great time being involved in any way possible.

And the most recent highlights from this summer have been the 4th of July and Camping up AF canyon. The 4th was so much fun..from start to finish. We got together with the family early on in the afternoon and had a fun time BBQing and chatting with everyone. Then we had our own little firework show in the driveway with Mom, Dad and Mary and Liz's families. Afterwords, Ariel and I went to the lawn in front of the Provo temple to watch the stadium of fire fireworks and later took a stroll down to the creamery for ice cream. We ended the night with sparklers and roasted marshmallows on Ariel's stovetop (yes, we're that classy).

So, back to what I said at the beginning..What a Great Summer! And the best is yet to come. August 14th!!!

Engagement photos

2009-06-15T16:43:00.003-06:00

Hey, so we've narrowed it down to this photo for our invitations. Any input on whether we should go with black and white or color would be wonderful. :)

Thanks!

2009-06-13T04:56:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, Ariel and I had Dustin take some engagement photos for us and he did a great job. These were his first portrait photos that he had taken, so I'm quite impressed. Anyway, I thought that I would throw a couple of them up here so that everyone can see how gorgeous Ariel is. For anyone who doesn't know, we're getting married on the 14th of August. Yay!

Actual cruise/Florida photos

2009-04-16T00:14:00.008-06:00

A few of my younger brothers, from left Nathanael, Aaron, and Daniel.

The people we sat with for dinner, a fun New York couple.

We bought an underwater camera and the pictures turned out surprisingly well.

Except this one, where I look like a skeleton. Seriously, my hand looks like its wasting away.

Fishies.

Mom and I, looking fancy and tan on our last night.

Daniel and Nathanael, hilariously goofy kids. :)

cruise photos

2009-04-06T14:37:00.001-06:00

hey! I put up cruise photos online, here's a link to the album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018860&id=1062376117&l=d44681ed72

black holes

2009-04-05T09:01:00.003-06:00

Dave and I enjoy some very entertaining texts volleys. Example: We were talking about how scientists are attempting to create a black hole--mostly how ludicrous the idea is that they, on purpose, are trying to create something whose destructive power cannot be controlled (hypothetically). Anyway, Dave sends me this text with the caption "They did it! They finally did it! They created a black hole!!" A few days later I got sucked into one, too, then Dave came in to save me in the third photo. :)

cruise

2009-03-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

I'm in Florida! My mom and I leave for our cruise ship in a little bit and we are SO excited. I'll post pictures when I get back. :) love you all.

V-day present!

2009-03-09T22:42:00.006-06:00

So, my sweetheart got me the most amazing Valentine's Day present....a sewing machine! (Thanks to all the sisters who helped Dave pick one out) I've been wanting one for a while, I love that he listens to me and remembers these things.

So! Here are some pictures of my first "project" with it. I have a couple tank tops that have been coming apart at the strap seam (don't know why, definitely not "busting out" if you know what I mean), and here is my repair job. (Picture 1: my sewing set up, I got a cute buffet table at Bed, Bath and Beyond for way cheap, LOVE IT! Picture 2: Torn seam. Picture 3: Repaired!)

Here's a picture of my new bookshelves, too. I painted my room this perfect green 2 weeks ago and I love being home now. :)

Valentine's Day weekend

2009-02-15T15:21:00.006-07:00

Hey! Ok, back from our mini-vacation. It was so great. Very relaxing. While I hate paying for my timeshare, it really is nice to be able to stay in such a great resort and feel like its free. :) Our condo was huge! Full kitchen, large living room w/fireplace and flat screen, murphy bed (in the living room), and a large bedroom also with flat screen. Though, my favorite part was probably the bathtub. Sounds weird, but in my new apartment, the tub is only for showering (the surface of the tub has been worn away by the constant drip from the faucet, not so good for bathing). So, this bathtub with limitless hot water was AMAZING. Anyway, moving on. Our first day there, we walked around downtown. Dave got up earlier than me and went to scout out the town, then took me to some really neat places. Theres a coffee shop/bookstore called "Off the Beaten Path" that we liked (Dave took pictures, very cute place). Then we went to a sweet little bookstore called "Epilogue," which was probably my favorite place. They had an Antiquarian section in the back with all these old-book-treasures. We sat on the floor, looking through tons of books, checking copyright dates and trying to feel out their value. We both found some really amazing things. Dave will have to write about his, but I found a book of poems with a letter inside, postage was 2 cents, 1914. It was so incredible to get this insight into that time period through the simple letter and poetry. I also found 2 volumes of a history collection, copyrighted 1847 with beautiful gold filigree on front, back and spine. Its worn a bit, but they're wonderful. We went to a cute 50's themed diner after that, as seen in the Dave picture. Then we went back and napped for a while. (BTW, when Dave came back from his exploring that morning, he brought flowers and my favorite juice. What a sweetheart!) We then went to the hot tub (outdoors, so freezing, but really nice in the water), then to dinner at a cutesy little italian place for calzones. Next day, we went back to the bookstore, found some more treasures, took a nap, saw "He's Just Not That Into You" (not for kids, we felt terrible for this poor kid in the theater with us, far too scandalous) which was an OK movie. Then we went hot tubbing, then up the mountain to this cool pizza place for dinner. After, we went to watch some live music (a very odd band, rap-funk I think Dave called it?). We drove back on Saturday and tried to stop at all the bookstores/DI's along the way, and I bought more books. We made it home in time to get all dressed up and go to dinner at La Vigna, then we rented Lord of the Rings. I don't know if this weekend sounds ideal to anyone else...but it was by far the best Valentine's Day I've EVER had. Its definitely the first one where I dared to be excited about it, dared to hope that my significant other would take care of me. I don't think any of you are in the dark about this, but I'm crazy about Dave. He is the most wonderful man I've ever met (sorry, daddy), and I love all the time I get to spend with him. I'm so grateful to have him in my life.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-11T00:14:00.002-07:00

So, I may be a terrible blogger. :) It's been a while. Dave and I are headed out of town tomorrow, bound for Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I'm SO EXCITED. This week has been really busy at work, and the busier it is, the more I dislike my job. Here's a picture of where we're headed:
Looks pretty. I'll post pictures when we get back!

2009-02-09T22:01:00.002-07:00

So I've seen quite a few of my friends and family doing this "Random 20 Facts" thing on Facebook or on their blogs...so I thought that I would follow suit and put up my own 20 random facts about myself list...(this is Dave by the way)

I used to have a giant mole/birthmark thingy on my face until I was 13 years old
I’ve worn glasses since I was in kindergarten
I served a mission in the Canary Islands (owned by Spain, just off the coast of Morocco)
My brother Jim was the first person to convince me to read the scriptures
John convinced me to read novels (Thanks John!)
I first grew my goatee when I was 15 years old
In high school I played football, wrestled, threw shot and discus, and ran in a couple of 4X100 relays.
I was engaged after being home from my mission only 3 ½ months.
I was divorced after being married for 2 ½ years
My brother and I used to fight each other with various “weapons” (croquet mallets, sticks, steel bars, etc.)
I can play (to one degree or another) the guitar, piano, ukulele, saxophone, clarinet, and timple (look it up, it’s a real instrument).
I have been to the “Fire Swamp” and the “Cliffs of Insanity” from The Princess Bride.
I went to school at BYU Hawaii for a semester after my mission.
When I was a kid, I was rushed to the hospital, bleeding from my ear, because my sister Liz pushed my head into a rocking chair.
I have broken my femur, tibia, fibula, 2 vertebrae, several fingers and my big toe (John should remember the toe. I actually severed my big toe and had to have it sewed back together)
In 2007 I lost 70 lbs in 3 ½ months. Dropping my body fat down from 26% to 7%
In late 2008 I gained 30 of those lbs back.
I’m in the process of learning several programming languages (MXML, Actionscript 3.0, and Ruby)
My favorite food is Sushi
In high school I bench pressed 405 lbs. I weighed 192 lbs at the time.

BABY!

2009-01-07T15:21:00.005-07:00

My first nephew came on Monday night!! His name is William Andrew Athens, he was 9lbs and 22in. He's pretty much the cutest ever. I got to hold him today and I fell in love.

Name the Dave face

2009-01-07T15:13:00.018-07:00

Here's a collection of photos Dave sent me yesterday as a game, "Name That Dave Face!." See how you do!

Belated St George post

2008-12-31T16:13:00.009-07:00

These are from our night out, we went to Ruby River and had DELICIOUS steaks.

Here are pictures from our trip to St George in November. We had a blast, so relaxing! It was my first time using my timeshare and I was pleasantly suprised. It was nice to go down there and have a mini vacation without having to take time off of work (we work sunday-wednesday, nice long weekends!).

mom!

2008-12-31T15:21:00.005-07:00

My mommy is coming on Friday!!

You know, in movies they always show women freaking out before their Moms come to visit...cleaning, cooking, etc. I never understood that feeling until now. My new apartment is messy messy messy and I need to do laundry and clean out my car....oh dear.

I'm so psyched for her to come though. I saw her last in May when I went to Florida to visit. She's a ton of fun, I hope my Barksdale family will get a chance to meet her. If not, here's some pictures.

Decemberween presents!

2008-12-28T15:21:00.002-07:00

Christmas was great. Here's the master blaster list of what I got:

Pretty Baby Martin Guitar w/nice case
Adorable matching guitar strap
Jane Austen collector's edition hardcover book
Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories hardcover book
Penguin cookie jar
Sterling silver necklace chain (11'!), so cute
hair stuff and shaving stuff
a "just for work doodles" book
'Wanted'
'Burn After Reading'

Dave is so good to me. He's so thoughtful and knows just what I like. I'm so grateful for him, especially this time of year when I need family so badly. I'm so glad I was able to spend Christmas Eve with the Barksdales. It felt more like home than I've felt in a long time. It was so fun singing with Sue, Dustin, Mary, and Dave on Christmas. It made this year very special to me. Thank you all for making me feel so welcome and loved.

Christmas

2008-12-25T16:35:00.008-07:00

We've had such a wonderful Christmas and Christmas Eve. Last night the family got together to mingle, eat, and play games...and we all had a Blast. Everyone brought delicious food (Sue's meaty dish was AMAZING) and we all ended up with a week's worth of leftovers.
The games were a blast like always. Kathy and Bryce set up a pinewood derby style race with cars made from chocolate bars and candy. Unfortunately (or fortunately..not sure yet) Bryce prefaced the competition with "there are no rules." So it quickly became a competition to see who could cheat the most. I'm not really sure who won, but it was fun.

After everyone left, Ariel and I wrapped each other's presents and got our stockings ready. That was much more difficult for Ariel than it was for myself since we couldn't find my stocking anywhere. Not to be deterred, Ariel grabbed some duct tape and went to work. about 30 minutes later I had the best looking stocking I've ever seen. It was wonderful.

First thing in the morning on Christmas...and I mean FIRST thing in the morning (12:04 am)...we decided to open up stockings. After we were done with the stockings we couldn't resist opening up the rest of our presents, so we made quick work of those as well. I still can't believe how Amazingly thoughtful Ariel is. My Christmas was perfect because of her. She got me the most incredible gifts...I swear that she can read my mind.

After we woke up, we made breakfast together, put together John's stocking, and watched Wanted. We didn't know where John's stocking was either, so I ended up sewing one out of black velvet while Ariel wrapped all of his gifts...courtesy of the family.

All in all, it's been a great Christmas. Hopefully all of you feel the same. :)

2008-12-23T16:23:00.005-07:00

So, Dave and I opened a few of our presents early. Early ones from him were this GORGEOUS edition of Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens and an amazingly perfect guitar. I love this book so much. It's green leather with gold pages and a red bookmark ribbon. I can't believe how perfect it is for Christmas. I love it!!!!

The guitar is a Baby Martin. It's smaller than a regular guitar and has the most beautiful sound.

This is the neck, its so pretty!

First ornament

2008-12-21T15:13:00.001-07:00

Dave and I got our first ornament today. We went to Hallmark in the mall and picked this one. We like the elephants. : ) I'm excited to put it on our tree.

Doodles

2008-12-15T16:32:00.004-07:00

Ok, so Ariel forgot to add a couple of her doodles that I particularly liked...so here they are:

Training

2008-12-15T15:28:00.006-07:00

Work last week may have been the most boring thing ever.
Luckily, Dave and I were in it together, so we could amuse ourselves with our doodling skills. Obviously, all the skills are on the Dave side (and I'm pretty sure he dumbed down his skills a lot, for my sake too!) , but I try. :) Anyway, here's an insight into our doodle-prowess.

Late night

2008-12-08T17:40:00.005-07:00

Last night was so fun. I've been needing a hobby, so Saturday night on our date night, I got a book on how to make POP UP CARDS/BOOKS!!!!!! I was so excited. Then, last night Dave decided to make this cool device charger thing (where all the cords for your devices are behind the scenes, it looks nice). So, we stayed up until 6am working on our different projects with Arrested Development on in the background. It was nice. Makes me grateful not to have kids. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE kids, and I'm so excited to be a mom, but there's something that you lose when you have obligations like that. It seems like the spontaneity leaves. It was fun to do whatever we felt like, no matter how unhealthy or illogical or random it is. :)

(BTW, neither picture is anything we actually made, just pictures somewhat similar to what they may have looked like. Plus, Arrested Development up top, which rules.)

about dave

2008-12-01T16:22:00.010-07:00

To me, Dave looks like these boys.

But, I'm pretty sure he sees himself more like this guy.

Science may never be able to explain it...

But I plan on loving him until he looks like this.

:) Happy Monday.

(It's almost Christmas!)

hehe

2008-12-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

toothpastefordinner.com

sick sick sick

2008-11-30T16:58:00.002-07:00

Dave is a sicky boy this weekend. I hate seeing him so miserable . . . this is the first illness since we've been together (I think?) and its been an interesting experience. I like learning new things about him, and I definitely still am. Lucky for us, I'm getting sick at the same time! Though it's not as bad as his nearly (he has this funky vertigo thing going on, scares me). I'm at work missing him desperately, as he's home sick. For those of you who don't know, Dave sits two seats away from me, I can usually hear his voice on calls or he's sending me a work instant message. Work is quiet and dull without him here. Is it bad to be so dependent on him for happiness? I mean, I'm not UNhappy without him here, but life, days, moments are better with him. I'm pining!

Best Birthday Ever!

2008-11-16T22:51:00.006-07:00

A little over a week ago, Ariel wrote a post about my birthday (this is Dave by the way, finally throwing up a post onto our blog) this year saying, "Today is Dave's birthday, and can I just say, the best birthday ever. Bold? Maybe. True? Definitely." And she was right!! Anyone that knows her knows how incredibly thoughful and amazing she is...my birthday was yet another example of this. When I was in Spain on my mission, I was called to an area in which I had the opportunity to play for a professional baseball team named Los Llaneros. It was the most amazing time of my mission. I was able to become friends with such wonderful people with whom I was able to share my beliefs. When I left that area after 7 months, everyone on the team signed a baseball for me. I've had that baseball in a ziplock back for the past 4 years...that is until a couple of days before my birthday...Ariel had found the baseball (I didn't even know that she knew about it) and had it put into a glass display case. I can't even begin to explain how much that meant to me. The second item in that picture is a leather bound version of my favorite book; Les Miserables by Victor Hugo...unabridged version. If any of you reading this haven't gotten around to reading Les Mis, put that at the top of your To Do list...it's amazing. And after you finish reading it, come back to this blog and drool over my sweet copy of it. Those are just two of the MANY ways that Ariel made my birthday absolutely wonderful. I'm so grateful to have her in my life.

2008-11-16T21:32:00.008-07:00

Today was absolutely gorgeous. I slept in, Dave and I had a mini picnic, work is slow and I'm off the phone for an hour.

The sun was out, and we went to the park to devour (perfect word for what we did) this little lemon pepper rotisserie chicken from walmart (only $4.98!). No utensils, no plates, just the park and messy hands. It was random and spontaneous. I love that Dave likes things that way (not messy, but spontaneous.. :). There were some dudes walking their dogs in the park, and while saving our chicken from them, I really started to miss having a pet. You feel so loved when you have an animal that runs to you when you get home.

I miss my Maeby so much. She was my black, adorable, genius cat who was the biggest thing I gave up through my divorce. I first got her for my first anniversary...my ex and I ended up celebrating the day we met instead of our real anniversary because we were extra poor on our real anniversary. Anyway, my ex brought her home and woke me up on a Sunday morning by putting her in our bed. She was so tiny and so cuddly. I then took 3 days or so off work so I could play with her. We'd take naps in the afternoon where she'd stretch out with her teeny body against mine and her head on my arm. She picked up using the litter box right away and never had an accident anywhere else. We played hide-and-seek and fetch, and she made me so happy. In a time when I really wanted to feel needed and loved, she was there. We ended up giving her to the neighbors when we split, and I haven't seen her since. It makes me pretty sad sometimes. Someday, when I finally have a place of my own with no rules like "No Pets" or "No boys after 11:00", I'll get another animal. I feel so spoiled, I don't think I'll find another like my Maeby.

Downer post?

my family

2008-11-12T18:59:00.003-07:00

My crazy family, at our sealing last summer.

We're a little goofy, but pretty much perfect in every way.

scrapblog

2008-11-11T20:04:00.002-07:00

I made a Dave scrapbook page! Try http://www.scrapblog.com...very fun.

vacation

2008-11-10T15:06:00.003-07:00

I'm so excited. Dave and I are going to St George for the weekend next week. I bought a timeshare through Worldmark by Wyndham with my ex, and was trying to sell it. Apparently, there's about 10,000 hours of time available for every one timeshare buyer. Ouch! So, I've decided to keep it. This is my first trip through them, and I'm way excited--I need a vacation so badly! I won't have any more paid vacation through work until January, which is sad. LUCKILY, I have the best shift ever (Sun-Wed) so I have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years off with full weekends after them. Plus, my mommy is coming in December to help with my brother and sis-in-law's baby, and Dad is talking about coming in January, so it's pretty much like I'll have vacations. I'm definitely rambling. Sorry. Anyway, the pictures of this place are so gorgeous, and we got a 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen and washer/dryer, and gas is getting cheaper...AH! I'm so excited. My ex is coming Wednesday from California. I think of my St George weekend as a reward for not killing him when he comes. :)

If work doesn't kill me first. I have a 4 hour on-phone stint today! No breaks! Way too long! Exclamation point! !! My only relief is that I can see Dave from my desk and he is looking foxy today.

hottie mchothot

2008-11-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

My Dave is so hot.

This is him about 8 months ago. All this and ridiculously smart and perfectly sweet. How could I not fall for him?

working.

2008-11-09T02:37:00.005-07:00

It's late Saturday night, I'm sitting around with Dave. He's reading about Flex so he can be an IT mastermind (Flex is a programming language...and foreign would be an accurate description of it. Looks like gibberish to me!), and I'm doing nothing productive. Which, considering I'm taking the time to write, is probably not the best in that I have nothing to write about. :) Hm. Today was a good day, we went to a football game this morning which was way fun. Its mid-November, but it was a gorgeous day. Good football (though our team didn't win), as it was a championship game. I really do love football, especially on a Saturday morning. Most of my Saturdays growing up consisted of several hours of football games and yard work. Makes me all nostalgic. Anyway, took a DELICIOUS nap with Dave. I love those naps where you feel super rested after, and not all groggy and sick-ish. Tonight, we went to a bookstore, then just drove for hours. Listened to music, did a little bit of car dancing, found a fun lookout spot, bought a fish, left it on a random doorstep...you know. The usual for a Saturday night. Dave makes simple things like driving to no-where in particular so fun. Everything is an adventure with him, and I say that in the "adoring girlfriend" way, not the "I've-been-with-him-so-long-it's-not-fun-any more" way. I'm so lucky .

Dave's Birthday!!!

2008-11-05T22:36:00.006-07:00

Today is Dave's birthday, and can I just say, the best birthday ever.

Bold? Maybe. True? Definitely.

Honestly, its been so long since I had an occasion I could really get excited about (holiday-wise). In the past, it hasn't been nearly as fun because I was with someone who bought themselves everything they needed, wanted, and more. Because Dave is so against buying things for himself....ever, it made it easy for me to get him meaningful, well thought-out gifts. By consequence, Dave LOVES them and is so adorably grateful. I'm psyched for Christmas. The pictures are from when we went to dinner for his birthday at the Mountain Mercantile Grill in Midway. The cups photo may be my favorite...there were 4 different kinds of cups on our table. That's just too many! The others are cheesy couple-y pictures you all can groan at. :)
Dave's birthday reminds me of my own birthdays...weird to think of them. I mean, I can remember many, but some fade altogether. (Now I'm all reflect-ey) Think of all the toys, gifts, occasions, parties, get togethers that we completely forget. I mean, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm sure my parents tried their best to make each one memorable, and I bet I was so excited at the time (I always am, I'm quite exciteable). Makes me wish I had been more faithful in keeping a journal. I was perpetually renewing my vows to write every day, which led to having random notebooks with 4-6 entries, a few floppy disks with ancient word docs on them, cutesy little journals with charts with the boys I like and my friends liked....hard to keep a solid record when your life's events are kept in some sort of twisted shotgun-like organization. Now, I've got 3: my regular journal, my Dave date book, and my blogger blog blog. Not that this helps too much, I'm still scattered, but at least I'll have quantity if not quality. Bonus: I'll have 3 different points of view of my life right now. Throw Dave's journal in there and we've got the New Testament! (No lightning, please)

Anyway, beyond my rambling, work has been good. We had a Dave team meeting, which included delicious pizza and sooooooda. Somehow Dave managed to avoid the team singing him "Happy Birthday", which is a real shame, cause they always sound so good! It's probably cause they know Dave can beat them up. ; ) Life is good.

ariel

California Road Trip

2008-11-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dave and I went on a road trip the weekend after we started dating... (early August) We don't waste time. More photos. :)

At our hotel/boat. The Delta Riverboat in Sacramento. SO FUN.

In Truckee, California. We were in search of something called the Toggery, which we saw on the google maps street view when we were looking for places to go. It was a cute town, and after much searching we found it, but not before finding this store...it was called Jackass Something..I can't remember. But very quality western wear. :)

Dinner Theater on our riverboat hotel. Taken by this crazy kid who did a full out Chippendale dance at the request of the host of the show. Very impressive. Also why Dave looks alarmed and I'm blushing a little.

Grand Sierra Hotel in Reno, our fancy night out

Driving to Reno

Jack Johnson Concert

2008-11-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Dave and I went to the Jack Johnson concert in August with his sister Sue and her boy Dustin. Here are pictures.

Halloween

2008-11-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

hola. this is my first ever blog post. historical event, ladies and gentlemen! (I talk as if more than myself will be reading it...)

OK, I always wonder with these kinds of things...where do you start? should I try to catch up everything that's been going on this last while? should I just start from today?

I guess Halloween will work. Halloween was good. Dave and I went out with Rose and her boy Justin. We were sexy sexy (sweaty, mom?) pirates. We went to this "house party" which was less party than house. After we went to the Bayou and listened to old men croon. Dave and I went home and watched Dexter after. Fitting. :)