I just love July!!

This was the most fun weekend ever!! It was the 4th of July as well as Greg's birthday. It was a weekend of food, entertainment, friends, family and everything in between.  Friday night we had our date night at JCW'S, Greg's favorite burger place. He LOVES it!! We had a delicious dinner and headed out. While we were driving a Brad Paisley song came on and we started talking about Stadium of Fire since he was going to be there. Greg loves that guy, and said that he wishes we would have gotten tickets to it. I started smiling and couldn't hold it in anymore. I had bought us tickets for Greg's birthday and was planning on giving him the tickets Saturday morning. I just couldn't hold it in. I blurted it out and he got so excited! He kept asking if I was serious or if I was just messing with him. I was serious and I was so excited for it.

Greg is so lucky, his birthday is July 3rd and since that was a Sunday he got two birthdays. We started celebrating on Saturday after some lawn mowing and car washing. We got ready and headed to Sammy's, his other favorite burger place for some lunch. His favorite thing about that place is the pie shake. They take a piece of pie and blend it up with some ice cream. Its amazing!! After stuffing our face with as much as we could, we got a shake to go and headed down to the Provo carnival. I love carnivals so much!! It is my red neck white trash side that I try and hide so much, in the summer it just comes out! We walked around and looked at all the stuff people were selling. It was burning hot so we didn't stay to long. We headed back home in time for Stadium of Fire!! I had never been to it before and I was so excited. We watch the fireworks every year at his parents house, but its just not the same. It was amazing in the stadium.

Just waiting for it to start!

(I think the lady behind us hated us)

The stage.

We didn't have the best seats but it was still a blast! We had so much fun, I think I might want to go again. They do so much work for that event and do such a great job. It was amazing the whole time. I loved the guys dropping in by parachutes, the jet fly over, Brad Paisley and of course the fireworks. It was such a great night!!

Sunday was day two of Greg's birthday. We went to church and break the fast were the ward sang him happy birthday and the bishops wife gave him a gift. We just love our ward. They are so much fun and they love him. It was so nice of them to sing to him and I can't believe they remembered it was his birthday! After Break the fast we took a little nap and then headed up to his parents house for dinner. There is a tradition at the Cannon house. Every Fast Sunday they have breakfast for dinner. This worked out perfect since Greg's favorite meal is biscuits and gravy!! So I made that and his mom made everything else. We had so much food! We had biscuits and gravy, waffels, eggs, bacon,  and hashbrowns. It was crazy!

After dinner Greg got to open his presents, such a lucky kid.

We all sat around after and chatted. Once we got sick of each other it was time for 4-square!  Greg's family loves that game. Every summer we spend hours outside playing, and it gets intense! His dad usually refs while he is sitting and watching and never makes everyone happy. Its so much fun when he calls something and someone gets made. I love how competitive his family gets. Even his mom. Its so funny!

Once it got dark and we could no longer play it was time for birthday pie. Yes birthday pie. Greg loves pie so much! Especially banana cream pie. He is always asking for it and can never turn it down.

He turned 26 but thats all they had so... 27-1 haha

Rex is so proud of his son for making it to 26!

Look how cute and happy he is!!

The pie was delicious! His little sister Cindy made them and did such a great job. But I have to say the cake I made for him was better haha. Just kidding. It was a little over cooked which made it dry. I hate my oven! But I am pretty proud of how it turned out.

If you know Greg, you know that he LOVES BYU and The Hulk and HATES U of U. So this is what I made. A BYU cake with The Hulk ripping the U in half. I thought I was pretty clever!

Happy 4th of July!!

I just love the 4th! It is such a fun holiday. My family has a big party every year that involves a lot of food and swimming! All of my aunts, uncles and cousins come over to our house for a full day of swimming. They usually arrive at about noon and stay til about 7:00 or so. My family is crazy which makes them so much fun! My aunts have you laughing the whole time and someone is always doing something stupid. I just love my family. Not to mention my nieces and nephews are the cutest things in the world. So prepare yourself for lots of pictures!

Elyse eating the cupcake that she frosted. She loved it!

Elyse holding baby Elle. She loves her so much and always wants to hold her.

Grandma Chatterley sent the girls some patriotic dresses. Look how cute they are!

Mack was in his stars and stips and Elyse had her necklace on so we did a picture with all of them. Taking a picture of 5 little kids is extremly difficult!

Mack was playing with Elle. He loves her!

Mack trying to get as much popcorn in as he can.

I think he did it!

Ayden would twist Elyse in the swing and let her go. They both loved it!

I swear she is smiling.

Grandma and Meg eating some popcorn. My cousin makes sweet and salty popcorn so thats why everyone is eating it. Its delicous!

A nice cloudy 4th of July... there goes my tan!

Greg was waiting to get in and kept getting sprayed by a water gun.

Greg with his girlfriend. I can't believe how obsessed Meg is with him! She is always yelling for "Grewgk".

Craziness in the pool.

The spectators.

We had to keep pushing our chairs back because we would get splashed!

Carrie with the turtle! That turtle was loved by everyone.

Lindsey feeding Devin some popcorn. He was being a seal.

Ayden was told she could eat whatever she wanted since it was a holiday. She came out with this giant dougnut! By the end of the night she said her tummy hurt and she needed to lay down.

We fit a lot of people in that little hot tub.

Greg's turn with the turtle!

I love this little boy!

And this little girl!

She is smiling because Greg is taking her picture.

This kid is always jumping

That is a lot of people! My mom and I counted and we had 56 people over that day!

Mack and the turtle. He is learning how to smile! So cute!

Ayden brining me some homemade ice cream!

So my cousin kept spraying everyone with water and making them mad. He was spraying all the ladies in a circle talking and non of them had their suits on. He was spraying anyone he could get. He kept getting my dad and by the end my dad was soaked! So it was time for pay back. My dad has an old fire extinguisher that you fill with water and compressed air and it sprays out. So he filled it with the ice cold water from the ice creame maker and destroyed my cousin! It was hilarious and my dad loved every minute of it!

Look at him smiling!

They got sick of swimming so it was craft time. Amy was so proud.

Elle sleeping, can you see the drool coming out?

Mack eating his popsicle. Look at it running down his stomach. He is so cute!

Kevin putting on his floaty for the hot tub!

Greg and Mack going of the diving board!

Greg and Kevin in the hot tub. The annual tradition. This year Mack was lucky to be invited.

Elyse and Meg seeing what everyone is doing.

Mack teaching Greg how to whistle. He loves Greg so much!

Greg with his new hairsylist Meg. She does such a great job!

So that was our weekend! We had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of it. I think I need to start working out to get rid of the 10 pounds I gained, but it was well worth it!

Current Creek!

Greg and I had the chance to go up to Current Creek with his family this past weekend. His parents and sister went up on Monday and the rest of us came up through out the week. Greg and I made it up Friday afternoon and got to spend a little bit of time with a couple of his sisters before they left on Saturday. We had so much fun up there! It was so warm and mountains were beatutiful.

We pulled up and Greg wanted to head out on a ride to check the place out. So about 20 minutes after we arrived we were on the trails. His sisters and cousin had told us about one that they loved that we had to check out. We headed to it and I was so excited. I am getting so much better on dirtbikes and just want to keep practicing. We got to the head of the trail and it was MUDDY!!! Since it was so hot and the snow was melting there was water and mud everywhere! It made it so much fun. Greg took the side of the road where it was less muddy and made it though fine. I did not see that little side trail until to late. I am not very good at turning yet and could not stop and turn in time. So I went straight for the muddies part. I got about 4 ft in and my bike just stopped moving. I was stuck!! I hoped up and didn't even have to hold it up. It just stood there. I could not believe it. Greg came walking back to help me and boy did we have fun! It was so stuck and the muddy was so sticky. Our feet would get stuck so we had a very hard time getting that bike out. We finally did and continued on the trail. Just my luck to be riding for 3 minutes and already be stuck.

These pictures do not do it justice. It was horrible!!

We continued on the trail and took all of the little side ones as well. It was so much fun and so pretty. The mountians are green and there are a few little creeks running through all of them. It was amazing!

This is my super cheesey smile. Cute huh

The sun was blinding us on the top of this hill. It was hard to take pictures.

That night we wanted to go on one last ride for the day. It was getting dark so Greg and I hopped in the Rhino while the others took the four-wheelers. We took them up a trail we had taken earlier that day and wanted to go up a little side one we never tried. We took the side one and it was so much fun! We were the first one's to be on it all year! Greg was pretty much making his own trail some of the time. There was so much snow and fallen trees. It made it a little difficult.

Kathy, Bryan and Cindy

(you can't really see her, but she is there!)

Waiting for Greg to move the fallen trees from the trail.

We went as far as we could, plowed through as much snow as we could, then we reached our limit. There was to much snow so we had to turn around. Yes that is Bryan trying to show off his muscles.

That was such a fun ride! I could not believe all the snow that was still in the mountains! Its almost JULY!!! The snow made it a little harder for me in some places. It even caused my first real crash. I was following Rex on a ride when we came up on about a 10 ft long pile of snow. If you have ever driven through snow you know you have to go fast to get through it. So he went through and kind of jerked around right at the very end. That scared me, this man has been doing this for his whole life. I was so nervous!! So he pointed to right were he went and motioned me to go through that same spot. I was pretty glad because the other side of the trail is a rocky hill that led into a creek. He also patted his hands down on the air to go slow. That didn't make sense to me or to Greg. Greg told me its all about momentum. So I went as fast as I could. I really wish I would have listened to Rex haha. At the very end of the snow there as a huge hidden log! I nailed the log and my bike stopped but I didn't. I flew off but landed in the snow so I didn't get hurt. My first crash down! That better be the only crash.

That first night there were so many people that Greg and I decided to sleep in the bed of the truck. We have slept in the trailer with that many and its just not fun. I actually love sleeping the the back of the truck so I was pretty excited!

Saturday it seemed like everyone was leaving. Greg's cousin and his family were leaving as well as his two sisters, a boyfriend, and his mom. There would only be 4 of us left! So that morning we stayed around camp and played with the little kids. 

Carter helping Aaron play catch. This little boy is so cute and funny. He loved the four-wheelers and always wanted to be going on a ride. He would stand next to them and just yell "Please" over and over agian. He was in heaven!!

Diane had never been on a dirtbike, and Aaron as insistent that she try at least once before they leave.

Cindy was holding Juliet while her mom was riding. She is so cute! Greg calls her the Gerber Baby. She really does look like it!

Diane on the bike! She did such a great job and really enjoyed it!

Once they left and it was just the 4 of us we decided to go on a ride. We went up to some great views and had so much fun! The trails were a little hard for me but I did them! We had to deal with mud, snow, tons of rocks, ruts in the trail, and crossing kind of deep streams! It was so much fun.

This was such a pretty view!! To bad we had to use self timer so you cant really see what is behind us. This is as far as we could get on this trail. It came to a T and on both sides they were covered in to much snow that we could not get through. We rode for a straight 25 miles that day. I could not feel my butt. It hurt so bad!! That was my first long ride on a dirtbike I had ever done and I could feel it. Who knew the next day we would go even longer.

The next day Greg's mom came back up. She had to go home for a wedding on Saturday and headed back on Sunday morning. Sunday was my favorite day! We left early and went to some really pretty places. We stopped at a great overlook and then went to this little pond. There was so much water there!!! We stayed there for awhile and just played around. We through stuff in the river and skipped some rocks.

Those logs were NOT sturdy!

My posing just like Greg.

Once we left the pond we continued to follow the trail and we were having so much fun. This was a nice easy trail with a small creek running beside it. It was so pretty! Rex stopped and started to fiddle around with his GPS, we were on the trail to get to Daniels Summit so we headed there. We were hoping we could make it and not get stuck by some snow. The trail was continued to stay clear of snow and we made it to the road. This would be the canyon road that all the cars are on. Yeah scary. So we he had to cross the road and follow it for about a half a mile then we would reach the Lodge and eat some lunch. This was the scariest part for me of the whole trip. I don't like being passed by semi's. That is not fun. But we made it safe and sound and had such a delicious lunch! It was worth the scary part.

Me and Cindy with our dirty faces!

 That was such a fun trip! It was short, but we took advantage of every second that we could! I can't wait until our next trip. I am already antsy for it!!

Love Notes.

Love notes are the best thing in the world! They just make your day and make everything so much better. I remember those ones in middle school that would say "Your hot, want to go out with me?" I never thought they could get better then that!

The other day Greg had to come and get something out of the car while I was at work. He got what he needed and left and didn't even say hi. I was a little sad. I got done with work and headed to my car, and this is what I found.

This just made my day!! I love getting little surprises like this. I used to get them all the time when we were dating and I had my Jeep. I never locked my Jeep and I would always find cute surprises in it. Usually it would be a little note, sometimes a flower he picked. I just loved it so much! I kept every one that he gave me. I have them in a binder and read them every once in awhile. It is so fun and brings back so many memories.

Once we got married he didn't leave as many. I was getting a little sad about it. But then they started up again!! I left him a note on the mirror to remind him to do something the next morning. When I got up in the morning there was a note from him. It said "Don't forget to kiss me before you leave" I know it was not that romantic, but I loved it! I leave my house at about 6:10 every morning and I would usually kiss Greg on the cheek before I left. I never thought he even noticed when I did and didn't. He did notice, and he hated when I wouldn't kiss him goodbye. So now I kiss him everytime no matter what!!

After these couple notes we didn't stop. We were always leaving notes for each other on the mirror. We now have a dry erase marker in our bathroom just for this reason. I even made a little sign we could right on. (I copied it from a blog, and I love it!) I can't tell you how much I love waking up and wonder what he wrote before he went to bed. It makes my morning so much better and puts me in an instant good mood! I just love getting notes and I love to give them! You should all give it a shot, it makes things so much better!



Life is not perfect, but I love it!

Today in my browsing of the blogs I stalk I came across a few things. My friend had made a post similar to this one and it really hit me. We are in very similar situations. Her and her husband are poor, finishing school, and wondering what med school they will go to and what adventures that will bring them. She talked about the things that are always on her mind and how she often thinks about the negative instead of positive. As I was reading her blog I was agreeing on everything she wrote.

-Where is Greg going to Physical Therapy?
-When will I be done with school?
-I wish I had a social life.
-Clothes I wish I could afford and a style I could pull off.
-When will I be a good cook?
-I need a hobby.
-Why can't I get rid of Facebook?
-Moving from for school is in while, but I know it will sneak up on us.
-Will I make friends when I move?
-When will Greg find a job?
-I am sick of my job and ready for a new one.
-I can't wait to build a house.

As I read this I kept thinking, "There is so much stuff I wish I could change"

It seems like nothing ever goes the way you plan it or want it. You can focus on they way you want  things or have fun with the way things are.



I stumbled upon this today on a blog I secretly stalk. I really liked this. Why dwell on the things that didn't happen when you can look back and enjoy what did.  I have a great life and I love it!!

-I love that I am in school right now. I have met so many great friends and would not have met them if I had gone earlier.
-We live in the cutest basement apartment that I just love! I am so grateful to Greg's aunt and uncle for letting us live their while they are on their mission. What a blessing that is to us.
-I love having no money and being creative for date nights. Picnic in our front room with Pasta Roni is the best date ever!!
-I love all the time that Greg and I get to spend together and how strong our relationship is always growing.
-I love that Greg is in school now and working so hard to get in to PT school. I can't wait to move and see the adventure it will bring and how it will bring us closer together.
-I love the gospel and the blessing it is in our lives. I love our callings and the ward we are serving in. We have so much fun with them and my testimony is always growing.
-I love our families and the support they are to us. They are always there and we have so much fun with them. I am really going to miss them when we have to move for a few years.
-I love how great Greg is with kids and how much they love him. He will be a great dad.
-I love being poor newlyweds. This time will always mean something to me.
-I love that Greg likes my cooking, even when I think it is horrible.
-I love that Greg is my husband. He has done so much for me and continues to do more everyday. He is the reason my life is so great!!