Marriage Log: APARTMENT FOUND!!

Hello! I know I haven't blogged in a while but Breana's hair blog inspired me!!

So, Chase was living with his brother and sister-in-law in a nice 3 level town house in Holladay but the landlord is nuts and the place was a bit too expensive for what it was worth, some might say. SO. Chase and I began looking for an apartment :) I have never been apartment hunting before! So it was exciting to get to go with my future husband!!

I went on Craigslist and found a ton of places within our price range but...well, let's just say that you can't choose a place primarily on the pictures/info off of the internet...which I wasn't planning on doing, which is good...really really good. Anyhoo, I made lists of the places I liked and made appointments at almost all of them to go see.

The first place was the back end of a house...it was as good as a back end of a house could be except that they probably could have cleared out all the stuff they were storing there and dusted/vacuumed/put tile where the kitchen was/put the toilet against a standing wall instead of the shower curtain etc. etc. Sufficed to say, we did not take that one...

Then we saw a 700sqft apartment that was pretty alright but, alas, the neighborhood was kinda shady and they didn't allow pets which was kind of a downer.

Then we saw a teeny tiny newly remodeled place (a couple actually) which we were considering but we need storage space for our 3 bikes and work out equipment! And room to use our excersize videos!!

ANYWAY! We, eventually found a nice-sized, well-kept, storage-included apartment on the second story in a big complex. :) It has a pool and little gym. It isn't huge but bigger than what we've seen(and for less money), it has these nice TALL windows so lots of light gets in (*thumbs up*), it has a storage unit on the patio, it allows pets, it's in a fine neighborhood, AND you can accent the walls :D Also, it's much closer to work so we will probably ride our bikes when it's warm. The thing that bothers me most is that you have to go through the bedroom to get to the bathroom, which may be good since it will force us to keep the bedroom picked up. Also, there isn't much storage space in the kitchen which doesn't bother me now because we don't really have anything yet but once we get married I think it will bother me more... we'll see.

The REALLY annoying thing is that I don't get to move in all the way for another 5 months!! LAME!! But Chase will move in now. So, I'm planning on just moving in my furniture stuff, since I don't really use it at my house, and then moving in the rest of my stuff later. :)

here are some pics of the complex.

RIVERBEND

as relaxing as it is charming

a Thanksgiving-palooza!!

Hello all!!! Here I am blogging again. It's been sooooooooooo long, I know! Since Halloween pretty much. *sigh* I just haven't had much to say. BUT now I have Thanksgiving to blog about! :)

SO. Thanksgiving. The day of giving thanks. This was an especially fun Thanksgiving because it was Chase's and mine first Thanksgiving as an engaged couple and last Thanksgiving not being married! And his parents and brother and sister-in-law came over! So it was 10 people! The Nortons and the Gregorys! Two seperate families that would soon become one! *sigh* (CAN'T WAIT!)

So, it was me and Chase, Chases parents, Nathan and Breana, my parents and my two brothers! Nicely paired off haha! My mom took care of the Thanksgiving staple food. ie: turkey, cranberry whatever-form-it-takes-on-varying-from-year-to-year, stuffing, mashed potatoes, condiments etc. And then everyone made/bought something for the dinner! (well, I didn't...but I'm the baby...so I don't have to...right? Spoiled, I know!) The Nortons all together brought everything else... Chase made pot stickers (His specialty! It seemed a bit strange but they were the first to go. *shrug*) And I know Breana made awesome spinach dip (even with the substiution of which we do not speak) and Chase's mom Karen made her Norton salad (it is eaten at every Norton gathering I'm pretty sure. It has BACON in it!)

So, all in all it was a totally delicious, fun and full-of-family holiday!! :D

Halloween

So, my Halloween was pretty much awesome!!! The whole weekend was great! I wanted to get pictures of all aspects but, alas, I forgot my camera through most of it. Anywho, here are some fun pictures from halloween day at work.

They had a pizza party and a pumpkin-pie eating contest and a costume contest and later in the day people could bring their kiddos to trick-or-treat around the office. (don't have any of the kiddy pictures up because they're not my kids and it creeps me out to put pictures of other people's kids on the internet without their knowledge...) The last hour of work pretty much I was asked to go and take pictures of the staffers with their kids though and it was pretty freaking fun! There were some really cute kids in some really cute costumes! :)

I was the tattooed lady!! Still have some of them on a week later...

He was an explosion survivor! But everyone thought he was a cat! He put the costume together in about 30 seconds, so I was impressed! :)



Dave Harris was Harry Potter!




This is Jem and the Holograms! Really! HAHA! Just kidding. It's Kristi Chaney, Sierre Reid and Becky Wakefield


Here is the Allen family! They're not polygamists, they're just close. :)

Here's Megan! She's SUCH a nerd!



We have arrived! :D

Victoria was a fairy! She MADE that costume! :D
here is our desk. The customer service team is the only team that decorated their area!!! CS REPS FOR LIFE YO!

After work I went to a party with my friend Laurie and my fiance Chase! It was Laurie's birthday so we gave her presents and went with her to this par-tay in Orem. I didn't think it would be so great but IT WAS! I wish I had taken a pic or two AT the par-tay. But I didn't. There was dancing in the garage and Simpsons: Tree House of Horror episodes in the basement. Chase didn't really know any other guys dancing so he wasn't having the best time but we danced for awhile and then watched some Simpsons :) It was pretty sweet!!

Laurie went as a housewife! She stuffed her pants with towels so that her behind looked HUGE! It was pretty hilarious!


This is Amber, Jill and Britt. Those Betty and Wilma costumes were homemade! SO cute! Jill was a pretty hot Indian also...

After the hundredth person asked him if he was a cat, he gave in and transformed into a cat!

Here I am grabbing Laurie's HUGE behind...it's not her real butt so it's okay that I'm slapping it...not inappropriate at all!

Here is Laurie adn Chase doing THEIR pose! Ignore the tail between Chases legs...couldn't decide which on of the two looked worse...

MY BUCKET LIST!! :D

(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
() Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
() Gone to Washington , DC
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made a prank phone call
() Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
() Danced naked in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
() Hitch-hiked
(x) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(x) Snuck into a cemetary late at night
( ) Been Snipe Hunting
( ) Taken anyone Snipe Hunting
(x) Gone tee-pee creeping

NOW, JUST SOME GET-TO-KNOW-YA QUESTIONS!
1. Any nickname? ... Pachel, Rachy Poo, Baby babe, freak, Rach-rach
2. Mother's name? .... Patricia Sue
3. Favorite drink? .... Water!
5. Body Piercing? .... 5 ear piercings and HAD my nose pierced
6. How much do you love your job? .... I like it a lot but love is a strong word lol. I'm happy.
7. Birthplace? .... Salt Lake City, UT
8. Favorite vacation spot .... I love Oregon. :)
9. Ever been to Africa ? .... Nope, but I have a kid over there! Shout out to Filipe!
10. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? .... YEP!
11. Ever been on TV? .... nope :(
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? .... Nope, they're a lot bigger than they look...
13. Ever been in a car accident? .... OH YES!
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? .... 4 door. Love the 4-door
15. Can you drive a standard car? .... Does that mean a stick shift? Because, no.
16. Favorite pie? .... pies--not a favorite of mine--but probably choc cream <===same here grandma!!
17. Favorite number? .... 3
18. Favorite movie? .... ugh, SO MANY!!! Right now...HSM *embarassed*
19. Favorite holiday? .... HALLOWEEN!!!!!
20. Favorite dessert? .... Molten Chocolate Cake!!! YUM!
21. Favorite food? .... Flaming Hot Cheetos
22. Favorite day of the week? .... Saturdays OF COURSE! :)
23. Favorite brand of body soap? .... My uncles homemade stuff or Dove
24. Favorite toothpaste? .... colgate?
25. Favorite smell? .... Chases cologne!!
26. How do you relax? .... Watch movies or read
27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? ... 31-years-old hm. Married with 3 or 4 kids. Staying at home, maybe living in Price, taking care of my family. :D
28. Furthest place you will send this message to? .... Whoever sees my blog! :D
29. Who will post this the fastest? .... Amy???

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Okay, this isn't HSM. It's a quiz about high school though! :) Got it from Amy's blog! Thanks buddy! (For the record, I WISH my high school experience had been one big musical. *sigh*)



1) Did you date someone from your school - Nope, I went to A dance with a guy from school. The rest were from Church. :)



2) What kind of car did you drive - I drove my parents car, didn't have my own car until I was in College, for most of high school it was FRANKENSTEIN. He was a green Ford Taurus (yes, like Conan O Brien!) We called it FRAKENSTEIN because he had a bunch of other parts from different cars and he was green! :)



3) Did you pass your driver's license test the first time? - Not the stupid written test but the drivers test I did. I ROCKED that test! I didn't have to parrallel park but I did have to pull into a spot in a parking lot and then back up into the spot behind and to the right of me and I DID IT!! It was the highlight of my driving career!



4) Were you a party animal? - Nope. Not even close! Unless you consider Bible study a party...which I do! :)



5) Were you considered a flirt? - I'm sure I did but I wasn't well known enough to be considered a flirt by anyone. lol



6) Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? - Nope



7) Were you a nerd? - I don't think so



8) Were you on any varsity teams? - NOpe. I was on Dance co...there was only one though...

9) Did you ever get expended or expelled? - No way! my mom would have killed me!

10) Can you still sing your fight song? - Some of it..."Hail Highland High...the school that we will always cheer...we will...survive...our school song from year to year! Banners will fly, to proudly wave our black and white...honor fame and glory too all this and more we give to you our highland hiiiiiiiiigh." Then we would do this cool stomp and clap thing. I never really even tried to learn it, just...knew it one day.

11) Who were your favorite teachers? - Mrs. Ebert and Mrs...some other spanish teacher. They actually enjoyed what they taught. And Mrs. Nielsen!

12) Where did you sit at lunch? - Various places...depended on the year.

13) What is your school's full name? - Highland High School

14) School mascot and colors - Highland Rams and black and white (because it used to be a prison) and gold sometimes.

15) Did you go to homecoming and who with? - I went to homecoming once and it was my sophomore year with Jayme Barton, my best friends brother.

16) If you could go back and do it again, would you? - If I could go back with the knowledge I have now I would. I wish I had enjoyed high school more.

17) What do you remember most about graduation? - How boring it was. And the ugly skirt I wore.

18) Where did you go on Senior Skip Day - Nowhere...don't recall having one....

19) Were you in any clubs? - FCCLA...honorary member...and that's about it...

20) Have you gained weight since then? - YES *grumble* I was dancing, like, 10 hours a day everyday back then and now I work at a desk all day and then go home and sleep.

21) Who was your prom date? - My high school sweetheart (from church) Holt Higgins.

22) Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? - Don't plan on it...but I have like 7 or 8 years until then so who knows.

23) Did you have a job while in high school? - Nope. Well, I worked part time at my dance studio in exchange for lessons. And I did my parents laundry for money. lol

Did you know that...

-My favorite color is.....Aqua and/or a seafoam kinda color

-My favorite dessert is.....Chocolate Molten Lava Cake from Chilis!!!

-My favorite Sunday CD is....One of the WOW CDs

-My favorite anytime CD right now is....Goo Goo Dolls Greatest Hits

-My favorite show is...The Office

-My favorite place to be is .... Chases with all my friends and family

-My favorite time of day is..... 5:00pm

-My least favorite thing to do is......fill out call logs

-My least favorite thing to wear is....socks

-My least favorite place to be is .....in an awkward situation

-My secret obsession right now is ......SYTYCD

-I miss.....Karen and Bart (I haven't talked to them in a long time!)

-I have been terrible at ......taking calls today

-I have the....coldest face

-I look forward to the day.....I GET MARRIED

-I love my....Savior and Lord!!!!

The AP August 2007

Here are pictures from my trip to the Arabian Peninsula last summer (August 2007) Don't worry I wasn't in a war zone or anything like that! :)


Here is our bathroom. Tere is a "western potty" and a "squatty potty."



Here is Laurie trying on a berka. We got to have tea in this little bedouin village. The ladies gave us a couple of berkas to take home. :) We had tea and dates. (it's a fixture over there)

Do you see the big black thing on my hand???? THAT IS A BUG!! There are these Beetles with really really hard backs.
This is the entrance way to the living room of the house we stayed in!
Here is where I stayed with my mom and BFF!!
Here is a BIG feast we had on the floor. But remember not to show the soles of your feet to anyone and only pass things with your right hand. The left is for wiping. :)
Here is my money!!! I am rich!!!! One "Restaurant" and one is a bathroom.

Here is the living room where we talked and stuff.



here is the house, like, 15 of us stayed in when we visited this tiny town called Schwamea (sp?) Right on the beach!!!
Do you see the MASSIVE spider??
Here is Laurie petting the baby camel at the camel farm. :)
Here I am on the beach being extremely immodest! (ankles galore!)

My mom, Zaheed, me, Saheed, Laurie. Look at the GREEN grass!

That camel is looking RIGHT at me!!! I love him!
These camels were scratching themselves on the truck! :)
I'm drinking camels milk! Not so good but I wasn't about to miss out on an experience like that!

Me and Laurie best friendin it up on a cliff!
About to leave! You can't tell from this picture but Chase SURPRISED me and came to say good bye! :D
The living room of another house we stayed in.

Laurie and I covered up. :)

Wedding Log Stardate 10.02.2008 AKA: The dress cont'd

So, I don't feel like typing a lot.

Here is the detailing on my dress. It is lovely and summery and kind of hippy-y and unique and I love it!

The ribbon was supposed to be brown and it has a reddish tint to it but it doesn't really bother me. It will also be thinner. :)

I am very happy!