FHE- Pumpkin Carving

The truth is, carving pumpkins doesnt get old just because you do. Matt and I enjoyed carving our pumpkin for our Family Night activity. Last year we carved Wendy, daughter and logo of Dave Thomas. This year we tried to be just as creative. True to Matt's heart we created Homer from the Simpsons.


Two days later his face has fallen apart but we definitely had fun in the process.

Palo Alto

My little cousin Trevor (who is not so little anymore)had a waterpolo tournament in Palo Alto this past weekend. He flew up with his dad, and so we (Me, Matt, Brandon and Marie) all went to go cheer him on. It was a short road trip with the fam but oh so fun. We met Trevors teammates and discovered the beautiful world of Palo Alto. I guess I didnt know what to expect but I can compare it to Bel Aire in Southern California. Beautiful and Rich!!! The high school where the tournament was located actually looked like a college campus more than one for high schoolers.



We had quite the excitement as we saw black squirrels (who knew they existed!?)and chickens roaming the campus. They were definitely not afraid of people as they came right up to us.



It was a new experience for Matt as it was his first Water Polo game! We both learned new rules and strategies and tried to keep up with all the whistles. All in all, it was a success and we are looking forward to our next road trip to Napa Valley!

Mount Diablo

Since moving out to San Francisco, Matt and I have basically been keeping each other company. We dont have very many friends yet. In fact, we have one set of friends. We met them in our ward about a month ago and have hung out with them many times since. Jeremy and Rachel grew up in the area so they have taken us to places not very many people know about. This past Saturday we went on a hike up Mount Diablo. Although many people know about the mountain, not very many people know about the rock slide on the way down. Basically you end up surfing down the rocks. Matt and I both realized we felt like a kid again while we were "surfing" the rocks; feeling like we should be getting in trouble, but definitely enjoying ourselves. The hike ended with a beautiful sunset and wide open space. We couldnt see anyone else on the mountain. These places really do exist so close to a big city!

Conference Break

Matt and I love to go on walks. One day we met a man on one of our walks who told us about this beautiful trail in Moraga. Side note... the Iraq War Memorial is just down the street from us and the man we met calls it an eyesore. Apparently there has been some contention over this piece of land. Anyways, in between sessions of conference we decided to hunt down this trail and found beautiful rolling hills with lush trees and an amazing view. Moraga is just five minutes away from Lafayette but we never knew about this beautiful park. We drove through and ended up in Oakland right by the temple. What a beautiful sight and perfect day!

Home Sweet Home

A few pictures of our humble abode. If the layout is confusing to you, thats because it is confusing to us too. We dont really understand what the architect/homeowner was thinking, nonetheless, we love our little home.

House Hunting! Orinda, Berkeley and Beyond

So... my sister has been pressuring me into updating my blog. I have to be honest, I have never done it before. I got as far as creating a blog and she actually created the first post. I am slowly learning how to be blog savvy and maybe one day will continually update it. Until then, this is my story... I am living in Lafayette, California with my husband Matthew. When we got married we didnt know we would end up here. We actually lived with my parents the first three months of our marriage. While we loved being around family, it was time to move out on our own. My husband accepted a job in the financial district of San Francisco, so we moved up here without a place to live but with hope for the future. We used our family connection and lived with our cousins for a week. By the end of the week we hoped to have a place to call home, but as fate would have it, our only opportunity fell through at the last minute. (We wont go into the details, but it ended with us at Wells Fargo Bank having every employee there telling us to be grateful we didnt end up with "D-face" as we now call her, as our landlord.) We took the hint. Unfortunately, my parents were already on their way up to deliver our stuff; basically clothing and wedding presents as we had no furniture to call our own. Thanks Mom and Dad! We packed it into storage and found a temporary housing situation on craigslist. It wasnt a perfect situation but we made do. Matthew accustomed himself far better than I did. My poor husband had to listen to me cry almost nightly, while starting a new job. What an amazing man! Craigslist soon became my best friend, and after two weeks when all seemed hopeless we found a place to live. Beautiful Lafayette. We couldnt be happier! Well... maybe if it was a little cheaper!