Summer in Washington!

Brad and I got to spend a week with his family un Washington. The trip started hours before the sun came up, this was about 3-4 hours into our trip. We made it with only 3 bathroom breaks...(that's to impress Jeremy and everyone else that knows about my small bladder!) When we first got there we went sailing on their sail boat. It was so fun, super relaxing and perfect weather!

I even got to test my sailing skills, which was an excuse to quote "What about Bob?" I sail!! Ahoy!! I had so much fun trying to catch the wind in the sail, it's harder than you think.

We went to Seattle to shop around the touristy things and for a Mariners game. Safeco Field was very nice, and since it was rainy we got to see it with the roof up! They didn't end up winning but still a fun game.

This was after we went to the team store and got Brad a new hat, he was like a kid in a candy store, we got the conformation smile/smirk and we were off to our seats!

At Mariners games they give away "Rally Fries" to the fans that have the best poster. Brad wanted to make one to see if we could get any. We didn't end up getting the fries but it was still fun to hold up and get the funny stares.

The rival fans sit together!!!

We also went on a lot of ferry rides, but it was a very brisk wind so by the last ride Brad and I wanted to stay in the car!

This is the view from the car window while on the ferry, Pretty cool huh?!

We went to 2 different light houses, this one you could tour and go all the way up, Brad and I, mostly me got a little nervy and didn't go all the way up. A little way down from this light house, we did a fun hot dog picnic and enjoyed the fun surroundings.

This was where we did the picnic, and it was right by the light house, it was where they kept people from invading. It had been partially restored so people can continue to come see it.

Linda took some "engagement" pictures of us. They are family pictures but with no kids they always look like engagement pictures, but it was a lot of fun on this little beach. Brad and I skipped rocks, walked around the tide pools, and Linda successfully stacked rocks. (it's harder than you think.)

This was a fun summer trip we got to see family, new things, and go to Buffalo twice. Brad and I loved hanging out with everyone, playing games, and getting away from home. Thanks for the amazing trip Linda and Dave, we love you and are grateful for the things you did and do for us!

Olson Family Trip to Zion

Sorry this is insanely late!! Computer wouldn't load my pictures! But here it is, at the end of a long semester Brad and I were definately looking forward to some vacation time! Our first vacation started the day after we finished school. We met my parents, Jules, Bowles, and Henshaws in Zion, Utah! The day we got there we did dinner outside and used the fire pit that was on the hotel grounds and had hot dogs and everything that goes along with it. Mom gave the kids bubbles, which was fun, even those Lizzie was really the only one that got the hang of it!

After hotdogs we roasted marshmellows, Rachel was having a hard time so we let her do her own thing (to prevent a fit) and she just stuck her stick and marshmellow in the hot coals and was so proud of herself she was waving it around, hence the faces! One of the best part of the trip for Brad and I was watching the kids play and interact. They are getting so big and we just don't see them that much, we love our family and this was what this trip was all about.

Mom had tons of fun crafts for the kids and apparently for Jules and I! We made foam ocean landscapes. Weston and Mimi went to town with this one!

After the kiddies went to bed we did a cream soda blind taste test! Apparently Jones cream soda tastes like refried beans.... Ha I think it's just Shannon's pregnancy hormones! It was a lot of fun, but very bubbly tummies after.

We did a fun nature walk, and it was the perfect time of day there was cloud cover and not too hot! Brad and I loved watching the kiddies find all the bugs. It was nice because we all walked at our own pace and took pictures.

There were tons of stink bugs on the walk way and dodging them was the a task, because there wouldn't be one for awhile and then one would seem to pop out of no where! This is Brad being so brave.

I was not kidding when I said nature walk, we saw deer! This is Jules and Brad being twinners with their matching hats and dreams of being the next Jeff Corwin! haha

We had a blast and really enjoyed hanging out in the pool and in the hotel room, we shopped in Zion and had a fun lunch at Oscar's. It was the perfect trip to start the summer. Big thank you to Mom and Dad for making it happen, Love you tons!

It's all in the jeans!!!

Brad and I have been in desperate need of some new clothes that fit and aren't from high school. We finally had some extra money so we went down to kohl's and got Brad 2 pairs of his favorite jeans that happened to be on sale so it made them 2 for the price of 1!!! He still has another pair that is just getting close to throwing away so the timing was perfect. I hate shopping for jeans, it's the most uncomfotable, ego blasting, realize-how-big-I-really-am experience. Last time I found some jeans, the people were really nice helped me find what I needed but I definately paid a hefty price for it. Last time Brad and I were in Bozeman, MT we went to a store called Vanity (where I found the cutest dress) and the girl that was working was super nice and they had more options than the other store and was about a third the price! So, for this shopping trip we went to Vanity in the Idaho Falls Mall, and the girls totally helped me out and were just throwing pair after pair in my dressing room. And with great success I came out with 2 new pairs of jeans. Brad and I are set for a bit now!!

oh P.S. my favorite thing about this jean store is that it's not only your size and then short, tall, regular. They do waist and INSEAM!!! I've never seen a girls jean that does that, It's wonderful having jeans that fit all around and best of all no hemming!!

Healthier Eating

Being so busy, we eat whatever is fastest! But on my days off I really like to cook! This was from Cinco de Mayo. I didn't put the picture up but I came home from work and Brad grilled some chicken and we have grilled chicken tacos and I made virgin strawberry daiquiri's, so yummy! The other day I really wanted kabob's. I really like sho-yu chicken so we grilled chicken kabobs with onions and mushrooms that marinaded in the sho-yu sauce for a few hours. When they were almost done we grilled the tortillas and threw it all together. It was so good and not too bad for us.

By the time we ate we had 2 flour tortillas and a chicken breast with vegi's! We love grilling and are so happy it's semi grilling weather!

If you have anymore fun grilling ideas let me know!! We're up to any challenge..

Last but not least my favorite of all. When I have more time in the morning, I like to mix up my Slimfast. (I've been drinking slimfast forever, it's my favorite thing to have in the morning) I always keep frozen berries in my freezer. Schwan's sells a mixed bag that has Blackberries, Blue Berries, and Raspberries. I also always keep another bag of blueberries, but because I really like them. So I put my normal slimfast in the blender and throw in about a cup of berries, and it's this wonderful chocolate berry shake.. I highly suggest trying it those slimfast lovers out there.

Random...

With Brad and I both in school and working, life is a little crazy and a lot of busy! At the beginning of the month my friend Jen and sister-in-law told me about something called Bountiful Baskets. For $15 I got all of this!! It was so fun because I love fresh produce but really can't afford as much as I would like. All of this lasted me about 3 weeks and was so fun to have, Brad's favorite was the melons, and trying an artichoke for the first time!! When school started up again we had to say good-bye to the beard. Brad loves having his facial hair and I don't really care either way, but here is Bradley with no more facial hair. He can't wait to graduate next year! I will never see a clean shaven face again... so he says!!

A Fun Visit!

My parents decided to make a trip up to Idaho to see their long lost daughter! Dad hadn't been to Idaho since they brought up wedding presents over 2 years ago! They arrived on dad's birthday so we had "Moon Pie Cake" which if you're wondering what that is, it's my disasterous cake turned into something creative! Sadly, Mom had shingles still, and there's not much to do in Rexburg when it's cold so we didn't do much, a lot of laying around and talking. Mom wanted to eat on my china, which is so beautiful, and so we had dad's birthday dinner on it. We had honey lime chicken enchiladas, so good! And mom had me bring out my china so she could give me holders to keep my china in! It was well worth pulling the china out of the boxes! On Sunday we went to church, came home and relaxed. I made Sho yu chicken in my big electric skillet, (which i haven't opened since getting from my wedding) I love it!

Brad and I won Sorry Sliders at this years Pharmacy Christmas Party, It's pretty fun and so we knew mom would like it. There are a few different game boards so we tried all 4 of them. We also had awesome weather on Monday, the car said 68!! Mom and Dad must have brought the sunshine with them!

The day they were suppose to leave look what we woke up too!!!! Proof that I'm not lying when I say we have snow in the middle of April. Luckily, Rexburg is special and when mom and dad left they said when they got to Rigby there wasn't very much snow. (Rigby is 15 miles away, crazy huh?) It was such a fun weekend, and I'm glad that they came up to see Brad and I, we love visiters!

Super Bowl

Ok, so I know this is like 2 weeks old, but at least it's being posted! Brad and I had our 2nd Annual Super Bowl Party with a few friends. It was so much fun, obviously our team lost but whatever we had a lot of fun and food! Brad and I got matching jerseys last summer and wore them whenever we watched the Colts! We love Peyton!!! We had tons of food. I did a nacho bar that was a hit and so fun! I also did blue and gold sugar cookies in the shapes of stars! (Blue for the Colts, Gold for the Saints) Brett and Alyssa brought this yummy cherry cheesecake made out of cherry chip cake! So good. Jen and BJ brought yummy banana bread with maple frosting and apples with a really good dip we had tried the week before with them. Danny and Heather brought the best egg rolls!! So we really did have a ton of food.

We had plenty to drink and still have a ton left over but we still have Blazer games to watch with friends so it's come in handy!

This was Brad having too much fun with the camera when Danny and Heather arrived! See all that snow...Blah!

This is Brynlee who we absolutely love! She's BJ and Jens daughter, just turned 1 about a month ago! She's so funny, and leaves Brad and I cracking up! She was really good throughout the yelling, laughing, and all around loud noise. She also really loves Brad!