Oldies but Goodies

 Lets go back babe!
Our honeymoon to Kauai was the best trip ever. 
We stayed at this awesome condo in Princeville called Pali Ke Kua and we ate breakfast and sat on the patio to this every day....

A sweet turtle cave we found, thanks to a couple we met on a hike that gave us the tip off.

The Kalalau trail to a 300ft waterfall! The North Shore of Kauai is so rugged, it can't be accessed by road, but 11 miles of the shore can be hiked. We did 8 miles total and were pooped by the end!

This is the best sushi I've ever had! Jalapeños, cream cheese, and salmon....deep fried tempura style, just the way I like it. 

And this was our view while eating the most amazing sushi ever. After it rains, multiple waterfalls start rushing down those luscious green mountains. It's absolute paradise. 

A good friend told us to try this place...The Wishing Well....more like the Moldy Oldy Well. But the shaved ice was absolutely delicious. On the off chance that they were open (since they were open only a few hours a day), we got shaved ice at every opportunity. 

Loved this car! Mark hated it. My favorite memory in this car was trying to eat a pomegranate while driving through Waimea canyon at break neck speeds, throwing out chunks of pome along the way. It was a bit messy!

Oh hey babe!

 The beaches were deserted! It was bizarre, we hardly saw a soul and had most of the place to ourselves. Just the way you want it on a honeymoon!

 AWWWW! I love this picture of us. 

 Beautiful Hanalei Bay on the North side of the island.

 Love this picture too! 

There's nothing like being in the most beautiful place on earth, with the person you love most, and being away from everything that is your life. Moments on this trip were probably the happiest of our lives...so far. 

I found these...candid shots from our bridal shoot. Love these. 

The festivities officially ended when we cleaned the car! 

Home sweet home. 

Announcing our New Addition!

After waiting through long winter months for our babies to arrive, the ants have finally made it! That's right, we are proud owners of 30 ants who have made their home in green NASA gel right in our very own kitchen. (I know, kind of gross....but hey they're family now).

My brother Brad is AWESOME and gave Mark the ant farm for Christmas, with the ants being mailed directly to us. Well, days of waiting turned into weeks, turned into months....it was just too darn cold this winter!! But alas the weather has begun to turn to spring, and they came all bundled and packaged in a tiny tube in the mail. 

Most days they just busily dig away. I think they're happy little ants. 

Sometimes, though, if you get really close to their tank, they start frantically running to the top and jumping up and down like they're yelling at me "HELP, HELP ME!" And it makes my heart break a little. Maybe I'm just giving them way too much credit for having that kind of emotion. 

Either way, we LOVE our ants. According to 'Uncle Milton's Ant Farms' they can live for 1-3 months on the gel. Then what??! Can't just let the little guys die?! Guess we'll just have to set them free when it comes down to it. Kiss our little babies goodbye, and send them into the big bad world. 

Hot car, Hot hair, Hot man painting

 Oh the dear Green Bean! The life he has lived with me the past two years. He's turned into a real hot head the past week, overheated, and blew a head gasket. We found a subaru expert who reassured us we'll still get a good 100,000 miles out of him before he dies for good. Time will tell! 

I went a bit red!! New color feels soooo good!

Our front entry way was looking a bit dingy, so we did a total makeover and painted it a "Dusty Olive". 

Facing daring heights on the ladder, I told Mark I was never meant to be a firewoman! 

A Day of Love

I am in love with this man on this Valentine's Day. 

We spent a Friday night a few weeks back riding the new Front Runner train from Provo to Salt Lake. We ate dinner and then walked around the planetarium. 

Despite realizing we had 80 minutes to wait til the next train home in 20 degree weather, and making runs to and from the Murray hospital to keep warm....we had a wonderful time, and eventually made it home! 

Other Winter Happenings

It's been a very fun filled winter so far! Skiing, Beliebing, and JJETS partying! 

 Katie and I hit the slopes at Snowbird for a windy, powdery day! 

 New Year's Eve...Mark and I found a lonely road to shoot off some fireworks, bringing in the new year. 

 Being a bunch of Beliebers! So fun to hang for a night with the JJET gals. 

Sibling and cousin lovin'. Luke showing off his new jacket, so proud he's joined the cult of faithful 'North Face jacket wearers'. 

Our First Christmas

We had the most wonderful first Christmas together. We woke up on the 24th to a lot of snow. We made our way up to Logan and spent Christmas with the Johnsons for the next few days. My old roommate and friend Farnaz and her sister Farin also came up to Logan with us. Farnaz spent last Christmas with us and told me she wanted her sister to experience 'a normal Mormon Christmas'. It was really fun to share and exchange our different traditions and holiday experiences. We learned that the The Three Wise Men were in fact Zorastrian, which is Farnaz and Farin's religion. 

We got even more snow up in Logan and enjoyed being cozy in the house with each other while the snow fell silently for a few days. We skiied at Beaver Ski Resort together, ate together, played in the snow, made ski jumps, played games, and went to midnight movies.

Christmas eve dinner was fabulous with ham, turkey, and sweet potatoes. We shared the Christmas story with each other and sang Christmas songs. Then we went to bed all cozied up in flannel pj's, excited for the morning. 

Christmas came and we awoke to my mom's traditional gum and candy trail to the tree and bursting stockings! The boys all got remote control helicopters and spent the morning trying to figure out how to fly them. The girls got crafts and jewelry, and pjs and lotion, and all things girl. 

I was so excited for my parents to open the gift the chitlins got them. We found these glass stars that we had engraved with our names. And I figure, as more little people and big people come along, we'll add to the stars! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KurtKnudsen

 The big Christmas Eve snowstorm! My man was king shoveler while we were at home in Logan! It was a constant endeavor.

 Cute stars from Piggy and Dirt by Kurt Knudsen. And the adorable wrapping and packaging. Mom and Dad loved them!

Luke finally found a buddy to play his Lego pictionary game with. And of course a few rounds of nintendo in the boys' 'puffin pajamas'. I made them pose like their brain cells were dying. Other activities included skiing and ski jumping in the back yard!

Beautiful Farnaz and Farin....they found a buddy in puppy Sophie. They loved her. It was so fun to have them at the house, their sweet personalities and funny stories and pizazz for life added so much to our trip. 

 Mom busy in the kitchen! She kept us well fed with delicious food. She really makes Christmas so memorable every year with traditions and spiritual experiences and of course her yummy cooking. My favorite this year was the Quiche we ate for breakfast Christmas morning.

 Our table set up for Christmas Eve dinner. 200+ votives left over from the wedding came in use again.

Christmas morning 

The whole fam damily. 

Luke and Brad packaged up a Christmas gift for Mark that was a BIG box and ultra heavy....only to open it and find this at the bottom of the box. Weights and a small wrapped package....a Take 5. 

Brad and Luke's other gifts to Mark. 

Yay for Christmas! I loved so much being able to share Christmas with Mark. I felt so complete and fulfilled. I didn't want to be anywhere else but with Mark and my family celebrating the birth of the Savior

Winter Wonderland

Back to the Christmas season....a little recap

Mark and I went on a date to Temple Square for an interfaith concert at the Tabernacle. This date was especially significant. The first date we ever went on was to Temple Square for a Rachmaninoff/Brahms concert at the Tabernacle in February of 2012. And this was our first time back since then.

How things change! 

I-15 sing a long with Mark

Mark's got swaggy!

The Blue Lemon at City Creek....This is where we ate dinner on our first date