Why I love the Desert

School and work.  That's pretty much the theme of our life right now.  Marcus is working and taking 20 credits at school.  I am teaching high school which is my work, and going to school to finish up my license which is work too, only I don't get paid for it.  Since Marcus has classes during the day, and I have classes during the night it can be a little difficult to fit in recration.  It mostly comes in the form of a netflix movie or a round of mini golf at Trafalga. 

However, a few weekends ago we were lucky enough to get a reprieve from the monotony of our lives and escape to St. George.  Well, it was almost an excape.  I went for a CTE conference and Marcus was nice enough to accompany me.  While I sat in meetings he stayed at the hotel writing a paper for one of his classes.  An afternoon climbing around the red rocks, and a fantastic picnic high up on a plateau that only four wheel drive could get us to made for a fantastic vacation.

Better Blogging

I've always been pretty horrible about writing in my journal, but while Marcus and I were in Europe we wrote in our travel journal every day.  I guess there is something a little more romantic about sitting on a bench near the Eiffel Tower and writing about a day at Versailles or spending a train ride through Tuscany recording everything about your last day in Rome that ended with the best night at a small outdoor cafe across the river in Trestevere.

So I figured I'd start blogging again.  Just about stuff.  Like normal, daily stuff.  It might not be a weekend trip to Seville, and it might not be an account about how Marcus got hit by a car while binking the Dingle Penninsula in Ireland, but its what normal life is all about. 

Our normal life is less exciting.  Mainly this fall its been a standing Friday night date at the football field to watch Danny, homework {Marcus doing homework, me correcting homework}, and setting up our new appartment.  In, the mean time we've found a few minutes to get some fall pictures taken, go to a pumpkin patch in Santaquin, and send Marcus' younger brother off on a mission.

It might not have been quite like spending the day walking through Fussen, Germany, but its been a good fall and one short post doesnt quite do it justice.

 

Photoshop Filters

I've learned the coolest trick with photoshop!  It all started with a really misleading tutorial on pinterest.  Some digging led to me finding out how simple editing photos can really be.  Who knew?Check out these action filters.

A Little England & Germany

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Backtracking

I know that catching up after four months of blogging is a hard thing to do. Especially when two of those months have been traveling around Europe. But I'm going to give it my best shot and backtrack over our past adventures. So here we go...

On August 26, just after my graduation and Marcus' finals, we left for Europe. We have spent the last two months visiting London, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Ireland, and finally Spain. It has been the best two months of my life, and we have had so many amazing experiences and adventures. We have learned so much, seen the world, and have been able to spend so much time together! We still have another month left here in Spain, and are looking forward to many more adventures.

 

Hasta la Vista

You know those things that you hope will happen, that you dream will happen?  And then you know how they seldom do?  

Well one of my biggest dreams ever (of course aside from marrying Marcus) is coming true.  We are going to Spain!  After jumping through the many UVU credit approval hoops, we have officially been accepted.  Our travel plans have been made (a big thank you to the wonderful Elaine at Columbus Travel), and we are counting down the months until we get to leave.

Its just over two now.

Marcus loves to be spontaneous.  So we spontaneously planned to travel around all of Europe for one month prior to our experience in Valencia.  We're hoping to hit up the countries of England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, and then finally Spain.

You can find me in my spare time reading Rick Steve's Europe through the Back Door 

or pinterest-ing amazing European towns.  

I honestly can barely wait.  Its definitely giving me something to look forward to at the end of my last semester in college.  Three months in Europe is sounding like the perfect reward for four years 

of extremely dedicated studying.

Last week we received our plane and eurail tickets in the mail.  We are going to have to hurry from UVU, where Marcus will be taking his last final, up to the Salt Lake Airport to catch our flight to London.

We're looking forward to celebrating our one year anniversary a couple days later. 

Honestly, we feel so lucky to have this opportunity and we cant

wait to begin our adventure.

Christmas in the Country

Over this Christmas break we celebrated Marcus' first Christmas in America

in the past two years.  We reminisced about past Christmases.

Marcus and I have spent two Christmases together,

one saying goodbye to another (he left on his mission on December 26th)

two Christmases 6000 miles away talking on the phone and skyping,

and finally, Christmas together, married and sooo happy.

We've had so much fun spending time with Mike and Crystal,

ice skating, getting familiar with new jobs, and just lounging around.

Marcus and I definitely had a Christmas theme.

We are planning an adventure, a European adventure.

Currently, we are in the process

of working out the details of a two month

internship in Valencia, Spain. 

Our excitement is through the roof at this prospect

and we are excitedly making preparations.

Marcus gave me a 'go-europe' travel backpack. 

It is definitely my favorite, it matches my travel Sahel exactly.

He also bought us another duffel so that we can hop on trains

and tour museums with ease.

My husband also was thoughtful enough to begin writing

in our adventure journal, a big leather bound journal that

i gave him for our wedding.

Spending time with family has definitely

been the best part about this break.

We are excited to get back to school, and are looking forward

to the new semester.