Our Fun 24th Pool Party!!

This year, for the 24th of July we decided that we would host a party because we had The Perfect place for it!! The Pool!!! I spent the day getting ready for it, which means cleaning so that the house looked presentable!! Barry went golfing about 7:00 AM, so I was able to get A LOT done!! I wanted it to look nice because Barry's Dad and step-mom were coming over for the first time since we've been married, and it actually was clean, not a bachelor pad!! But it ended up that we spent pretty much the whole time out by the pool, so they didn't even walk in the door. All well...that's what I get for worrying!!

Anyways, Albertson's had ribs on for $1.00 a pound, so I got the meat, and it ended up being only $3.50 for 7 Ilbs because they didn't have the correct price. Did you know that if you correct Albertson's on prices, they will give it to you for free? Well, I was pretty proud of myself for getting so much meat for so little!! I put it in the crock pot at 10:00 AM with Famous Daves sauce, and by 6:00 PM they were falling off the bone! We had everyone bring something, so it worked out to be a pretty good feast!! Not bad for my first hosting of a party!!

This picture is of Greg Buckway, our friend, and Barry! They were dressed alike so I thought it was a kodak moment!! :0)

Greg has been a great friend to both Barry and I! He comes over to the house a lot, and has even cooked us dinner a couple times. Barry and Greg met in college, and he was even present on our 2nd date...so I've known him for about 4 1/2 years. It's great to have good friends that you stay close to!

Of course Barry had to change so that he wouldn't look too much like Greg.

Barry and I after eating the great food, and before we went swimming!

***WARNING!!! The picture you are about to see is...well I don't have any makeup on. But just remember, I was about to get in the pool!! :0) But my CUTE new family!!

Greg and our other friend Mindy Falkner sitting by the pool. They decided that sitting by the pool was as good as getting in!

This is Karen and Tom Hurst. Tom is the man with MS that we take care of from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM at night. I cook him dinner, Barry feeds him, and then we are his companion for the rest of the time. We don't have to do any other work except feed him, and we get free rent and they pay for our food. It has been a good experience for us, as Barry and I have had to learn a lot more responsibility. We enjoy being able to save A LOT of money!

***ANOTHER WARNING!!* Picture in the pool!! We had a lot of fun swimming around and playing!!

This is Larry and Candy Schenk, Barry's Dad and step-mother, and my new in-laws!! I love them so much!! They are SO supportive of Barry and I and are always willing to help no matter what!! Thank you Larry and Candy for all you do!!

Barry's mother Shelly wasn't able to make it because she was in Park City shopping with her family. We missed her, but we will have another party soon for her to come and enjoy the fun of the pool!!

And of course, the night wouldn't be complete until the fireworks!!! We went to my parents house in Sandy to watch them, because Murray didn't have any. This picture is not that great, but it was the best one I could get

So our first 24th of July together was Wonderful!! We Love being able to get with friends and family and really appreciate what is important!! We are so grateful to them, and love them so much!! We are very grateful for all of our pioneer ancestors, if they were pioneers that came to Utah on the wagon trek, or if they came to America by boat from Germany, Sweden or Ireland, we are deeply indebted, and feel so blessed to be in this country, and the Great State of Utah!!

Remember When...

Since my digital camera is on the fritz, and I desperately need a new one, I decided that instead of trying to make my camera work for this post, I would go through my pictures on my computer. As I was looking through them, I saw the Cute pictures of Barry and I when we went to Jim Brickman on February 14th, 2008, and it reminded me of the CUTE story!! So if you've already heard this one...Sorry, but I wanted to write it down!!

Last year in February Barry was in Hawaii the first part. I wanted to do something fun for our FIRST Valentines together!! That's right!! Every other year Barry had been away at a golf tournament (golfers just aren't that romantic), so I was listening to the radio like usual, and FM100 had contest about the quirky things your valentines does. Of course, Barry is the Cutest, quirkiest guy ever, so I had a lot, but decided on one. This is the email I wrote:

"Good morning Brian & Rebecca, I have wanted to email you my quirky Valentine since Monday, but since we moved we haven't had internet at work. So I'm finally able to let you know about my Wonderful, quirky Valentine. I have to preface with asking have you ever seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" The father thinks that Windex is the Cure-All for any ailment under the sun. Well, my quirky Valentine believes that Tums are the cure all for any ailment. It goes from anything from my stomach hurting, to pain in my legs, or just a simple headache. Thankfully he is rather healthy, so he doesn't take them very much. But I love laughing whenever I say "I have a headache," and he says, "Take some Tums! They'll help." And he is completely serious. I love this man, and I love everything about him, especially the cute quirks that make me laugh, and have a wonderful day just talking to him. I hope you get this, and laugh with me about how wonderful my Valentine is! Sincerely, Megan Nelson"

They wrote back:

"Megan, You've won today's My Quirky Valentine contest! You've got tickets to the Jim Brickman Valentine's Concert at Kingsbury Hall and dinner for two at Schneitters Restaurant at Zermatt! Congrats! Brian and Rebecca"

It was 8:00 AM here in Utah, and it was 5:00 Am in Hawaii, but I wanted to tell Barry that we were on the radio!! Unfortunately he didn't answer, but I told him when he called me back!! :0) So here are some pictures of us before heading to the concert (sorry they're grainy, they were taken by my cell phone).

This is at the Concert!!! It was Awesome, and we had SO much fun!!

What a great way to spend our first Valentines together in our 3 year courtship!! Of course we were able to share Valentines this year, but we didn't win tickets!! I made him a list of quirky things that I love about him for that day too. Here are some of them:

-You asked for, and were ecstatic to receive a case of canned ravioli

-You compared me to Lacey (Barry's Dog) when we first started dating

-You never got mad that I told everyone you had turrets

-You wanted to feel a “pop” toy go off on your head

-Our fourth date you hugged me, then didn't touch me the rest of the evening

The dinner to Zermatt was incredible also, though we didn't use them until April after my birthday. But we got 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert!! We had to pay the tax and tip which came to 30 dollars, so you can imagine what the cost of the food would have been had we not had the free dinner certificate!! I love this memory, Love Barry, and I love remembering how cute and Quirky my Husband is!!

One Month and Counting....

We did it!! We finally got married!! We decided that the best way to stay in touch with our family and friends would be to BLOG!! We're so excited to share our lives with all of you, and we're very grateful for all of your love and support!! This is also a great way to show our wonderful pictures. So here are a few of our PERFECT DAY!!

Me getting ready...that was a crazy, Wonderful day!!

Our First Kiss as a married couple!! (wasn't that about the sweetest kiss you've ever seen!! :0)

Cutting the Cake
Throwing the Bouquet

Famous Garter Toss!! (I was just glad he finally got it!)

"Our First Dance" Not really, but the photographer had to go, so what could we do! :0)

Barry has been the perfect husband, VERY easy going!! He said he wouldn't mind if I cut my hair and after it was done he said he LOVES it, and doesn't think I should grow it out again, because he loves it so much!! We'll see if I do or don't but for now, I'm just happy that he loves it so much!! Our ONE MONTH anniversary was Saturday, and unfortunately we spent most of the day apart because Barry had a golf tournament, but I went shopping with my Mom and Aunt. Then when he got home, at 9:30 PM, we went on a date with another couple and didn't get home until 12:30 AM! But it was a good way to celebrate that month ago, The Greatest Day of Our Lives!!