St. Geezy for Halloweenie

  We enjoyed a  sunny weekend getaway filled with prank wars, that's-what-she-said-jokes, fence hopping, and memories that will never be forgotten. Friday afternoon is when this getaway began and we didn't stop until Sunday at about midnight. Some of my favorite parts of the trip included:

-Dance party just about everywhere we went. If you turn the music up loud enough, just about anyplace can become a club. 

-Watching Michael's eyes light up like a fat kid in a candy store as he launched water balloons at the other condo full of friends.

-Passing the sexiest lambourgini on the freeway.  Yes, this luxery car was somehow going slow enough for us to pass it.  I've never seen such a beautiful hunk of metal in my life.

-Getting one final sunburn for the year

-Michael's papa coming and supervising our repelling endeavors.  I probably never would have made it off the cliff without him. SO terrifying, but SO fun. 

-Hopping fences to check out all the fancy shmancy mansions.  Yup, if anyone wants to give me a billion bucks, I'd know just what to do with it.

-Barbequing the tastiest lunch ever on Sunday.  I didn't have a food baby after this meal, I had food twins!!!

-Beautiful Saturday morning temple session.

Now for a quick pic recap

Isn't this picture funny? Michael has always said that he loves it when couples start to look alike.  This pic is proof that the process is indeed occurring.  It's just a matter of time until my five-o'clock shadow starts coming in.

 I honestly thought I'd be widowed by the end of the day. My crazy husband is fearless.  This is Michael and Sam repelling suicide Aussie Style.

The Cliffhanger!!!

All smiles after my survival down the cliff. I thought Michael was going to have to push me off to get me to take the fist step down.

 

                                                                  Love these ladies..and Zack!

                                                     Colby and Crandall.  How cute.

 Oh, and we went to Thriller at Tuachan theatre.  Man those folks are talented.  I've never wanted to be able to dance like a dead person with a  limp so bad in my life!

  This picture is acutally back at home.  I just had to post it because it's our first trick-or-treaters ever.  Jack, Jackson , and Nat are lookin fly!

Halloween, you treated us well.  Thank you for all your scare-tacular adventures.  Can't wait until we meet again next year!

BOO!

-Nattie Dawn

A Shard of Brunette Greased Lightning

A shard:
Saturday morning began like any other.  I woke up that morning feeling like P. Diddy, I ate some Fruit Loops, and I took a trip to the Emergency Room...wait, what?!  Let's rewind to Friday morning when I dropped a glass on our faux tile floor and it shattered into a trilllion and one pieces.  Apparently one of these tiny shards was elusive enough to avoid being swept up so it was  positioned quite conveniently to lodge itself into my heel on Saturday morning. This tiny little piece of glassy torture wedged itself up there real good.  It wasn't budging despite how much I poked at it with my tweezers.  Mom and Husband convinced me to go get it taken care of.  Problem was that none of the clinics or insta-care places were open on a Saturday morning.  Bummer.  So, to the ER I went!  They took real good care of me there and a shot of lidocaine, a couple quick incisions, and twenty minutes later I was released.  Since ER's aren't cheap, Michael teased that it could be one of my Christmas presents.  I think it was a good thing for me to experience being a patient for once.  I now know that lidocaine injections really are as painful as the patient's make them seem.  I also know that smiling faces make all the differnece when being treated...and I learned next time that I should sweep, double sweep, and triple sweep when I decide to break a glass. Amen.

Kind of embarassing when I see how itty bitty the glass was.  But I promise it was stuck up there good, the Doc said so!

 Brunette:
Since I got out of the ER so speedy quick, I was still able to make it to my hair appointment, and that's what really matters. :)  The lovely Hanah Goodrich at Salon Bela put low-lights in my hair. I love it! Whether or not blondes or brunettes have more fun is still to be determined.

 Greased Lightning:
Saturday night was our 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Party with all the amigos.  I sure do love this tradition. Mikey and I decided to be Danny and Sandy from Grease.  We felt like cool cats all night. Oh, and we won the Newly Weds Trivia game that we played.  Tell me 'bout it, stud.

-Nattie Dawn

21 and having a lotta fun!

Another birthday come and gone...but not without one heckofa party!  My Michael knows how to treat a lady, especially when it's her birthday. See below:

My nineteenth birthday.  We had been dating one month and I was treated to some Tucano's.  My heart was stolen at this point. (I'm sipping on some heavenly Brazillian lemonday FYI)

 One year later, for my twentieth birthday, I savored some chocolate cake in our suite at the Grand America Hotel complete with a facial.  Yup, still has my heart. 

This year, my 21st, the celebration all began at midnight with some bubbly.  Don't fret, it's the apple cider kind of bubbly that you drink around a campfire with some really great friends.  I still totally felt sophisticated and 21 though.  The morning of my birthday we got up and ready for church.  Teaching primary is the most satisfying thing on your birthday.  "Mercedis, please be quiet/sit down/sing/go to class.  It's my birthday. (Insert puppy dog eyes.)" Worked like a charm all day!!  After church I had a lunch that consisted of sweet potato fries.  But it's ok. It was my birthday.  Then things really got wild when we busted out some Prison Break.  Perfect Sunday afternoon.  Around five o'clock Michael's sneakiness began.  I was given orders to bundle up.  Lots.  Scarves, winter coat, boots.  I was ready for Antarctica.

Ignorance is bliss.  I didn't know what was going on, but bundle me up and tell me we're going for a birthday surprise and I'm a happy lady.

 ...and then came the blindfold

 ...and then the pillowcase?  Michael always goes big, and never goes home. 

Then things got sketchy.  He  essentially drove me around in the mountains for an hour. We jammed out to soft sunday sounds and chatted about the meaning of life, but why he thought an hour of disorienting me was necessary, I do not know.  He knows I can barely find my way home most days.  Anyways, once the car stopped I was COMPLETELY confused as to where we were.  My guess would have been that we ended up in the Himalayas.  Oh how wrong I was.  He carried me for quite some time and then we stopped.  He slowly took of my blindfold and....SURPRISE!!  We had reached our destination at his parents house, which was filled with so many of our beloved family members. It rocked.  My sweet mother in law made some tasty enchiladas that were even Natalie style (No veggies.I know, I'm going to nutritional hell for not liking veggies)


There's something magical about getting the special plate on your birthday.  Makes you feel like the Queen.

Michael decided on a theme for this gathering and it centered aroud my love for my guitar and The Beatles.
I adore this cake...

Is it bad that I forgot to make a wish when I blew out my candles?  What else could a girl need?

 No party is complete with a Pinata!

 That's right, release your chocolatey goodness!!

 The mastermind behind it all.

The celebration didn't end yet!! The next day for lunch my dear friend Holli ordered me so freaky fast Jimmy John's for lunch!  The wrapper says Happy Birthday Natalie.  It was probably the best sandwhich my tastebuds have ever encountered.

Thanks everyone who made my day so special.  I love you all so much!! 
-Nattie Dawn (the 21-year-old)

I am Wildcat

Last week the Mr and I were able to attend a BYU football game and we had a fantastic time.  It really is a teriffic place.  I felt like Benedict Arnold though.  Today I learned that this...

is SO much more me in my element.  College for me has been like my own personal Hogwarts.  Weber State has been especially good to me.  I have been able to obtain an eternal companion, life long friends, a completely debt free education, and the best years of my life here.  And although I may go to a BYU game or two, and heck I may get excited when I hear about Boise State's successes(I am an Idaho girl afterall), Weber State will always have my heart.

-Nattie Dawn

Silly Saturday, Sleepy Sunday

This week was one of those jam-packed, gotta keep sane type of weeks. But it's ok. I survived.  This afternoon has been fabulous to just relax.  I probably should stop taking such long Sunday naps though.  When you dream about having lunch with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and robbing a bank, it's probably time to wake up. The Olsen twins were lovely though FYI. Saturday was an especially eventful day for us.  Here's a recap in picture form. GO...


                                            Ran one of these(Weber State Ventilator 5K)...

                               Froze my hiney off with these two lovely ladies

Dancing like this ..

                                                         In preparation for this

It was a good time all around. I think we all need those silly and sleepy kind of weekends every now and again. 

-Nattie Dawn

Random Musings...

Because my mind is bouncing in a billion different directions right now.  Let's get started with something that made me chuckle.  My main squeeze Michael has always been a charmer.  I feel like he could become best bros with a rock.  This pic was taken at my brother's wedding recently.  I feel like he's channeling his inner politician in this one.  Look out for...Crandall for President 2012.

This last week I had the opportunity to try my hand in the operating rooms.  Don't be alarmed, my hands unfortunately didn't even touch a scalpel, lancet, or chainsaw.  I got to hone the ever elusive technique of intubating(funny word for strategically feeding a breathing tube through someone's vocal cords and into their trachea).  Any ya know what? It went pretty darn well.  No broken teeth, no destroyed vocal cords, no angry doctors.  Success in my book!  Only downside was no one would sit by or talk to me at lunch.  Come on people! I don't have leprosy, I'm just a student who would love to be your friend. Ok, glad I got that out.

Maybe no one would be my friend because I looked like this?

Don't worry, I drowned my sorrows with Rootbeer Floats and Season 1 of Prison Break. 

This weekend General Conference rocked our socks as normal.  We were able to attend the Saturday afternoon session live.  I sure do love our dear sweet Prophet and his Apostles.  I felt the spirit touch my heart so many times. Verty thankful for the words which were spoken.

Ok I'll end my rambling soon, but a big shout out to my best girl Taniesha Marie on her engagement to Leighton.  They've both been so instruemental and influential on my life and I thank them and wish them the best!

Remember- "Jumping for joy is good exercise"

-Nattie Dawn