Goldbug Camping Trip!

I figured since I'm here and my husband is knocking on doors somewhere in town, I'd blog about our camping trip to Goldbug, Idaho.
I'm not much of a camper, but I enjoyed this camping experience with a HUGE exception of the hike to get there. More on that later.
Rory and I went with his two best friends from high school and their wives.
Rory and Kelly
Kenneth and Ronna
Sam and Katie

His friends married awesome girls, they're a lot of fun. We love being the wives us these best buddies. 

We drove from Rexburg in Sam's dad's old pick-up truck. Rory and Kenneth had a lot of fun laying out in the truck bed on the way. The drive was about three hours, and we didn't get to our destination until it was dark outside.

So we set out to hike --ready for this?-- in the darkness, with a few small flashlights, uphill. All uphill. It was seriously like climbing stairs for an hour straight. Even though it was dark, it was fairly hot and we were dying. There were times where I would stop and think, "I can't keep going, this is ridiculous." It didn't take me long to remember that stopping would be the death of me. The whole time I couldn't help feeling like something was following me, either a  mountain lion or a deranged murderer. That kept me going.

Finally, we heard the rushing water. We were there. Goldbug is so cool because there are hot springs everywhere. They were the most natural spas I've ever seen. 

Rory threw some cans of Chef Boyardees into a hot spring that was too hot for anyone to enjoy. He said they'd be hot for lunch tomorrow.

We changed into our bathing suits in the darkness and got camp set up. I was trying to ignore the rattlesnake Sam and Katie saw, the rat Ronna saw, and the mouse I saw.

We all got into a soothing hot spring, drank grape juice, ate fruit and watched the moon until we were pruney and completely drained. 

Rory and I got to sleep in a tent with Ronna and Kenneth (Sam and Katie had their own two-man tent). I must say, that was a great sleep. We had sleeping pads and sleeping bags, and the weather was perfect.

We woke up at about 8:30 am, had some breakfast and enjoyed the hot springs some more. Then we had a little lunch (those almost-hot Chef Boyardees and we were on our way.

I kicked myself for not bringing any water. I thought I'd be fine with all of the juice we brought, but it turns out, by the end of the day, the juice was worsening my thirst. After the hike down, I couldn't take it anymore -- I drank from the stream running down from the hot springs. And I didn't get sick :)

Here are some pictures:

Kenneth and his wife Ronna. They were married last December.

The wives!

This is how dark it was.

And there were lots of steep drop-offs. Sadly these are the only pictures I got from that night.

Breakfast!

Kenneth forgot to pack the tent poles, so he made a giant make-shift one. It worked out!

My tanlines. I know, I know.

Sam and Katie.

Our men!

Awh! Rory got a scrape!

The wives!

Sam's lunch.

As soon as we got home from the camping trip, we caught the last half of Rexburg's annual Demolition Derby! We went to this on our second date, but missed it last year. We had to go this year. They are so much fun! So redneck!

They're muddy too! This picture doesn't really show it, but a mudwave came right at us. Guess it was a bad idea to wear white.

Overall, a very fun weekend!

The tap water isn't as good in California. I forgot about that.

Took the second digital test. Negative.

Moving on -- we've moved!
Yesterday we drove from Rexburg to Santa Clarita, CA, where neither of us have ever been to. We're staying in a furnished apartment for the three months. At first glance after a fifteen hour drive, the place was absolutely wonderful. The couches are a lovely sandy faux-suede, the table is dark wood, we have a dishwasher (yay!) and a laundry room (super YAY!!). Then on closer inspection, we discovered that whoever had this place last was a slob. There are crumbs everywhere (on the lovely faux-suede couch, the chairs, the floor), little dark hairs are stuck to the shower walls, and the carpet is just. . .ugh. I did some power cleaning today, but without a vacuum, there's not much I could do.
This bugs me because Rory and I took so much time to make our apartment spotless and sparkling clean for our renter, but whoever had this apartment apparently couldn't have cared less.
This morning I found out there is no Internet (what?), no TV (what?), and I'm not guaranteed a car every day (Oh, no.) It's okay! I'm used to not having a TV, the only reason this was a let-down is because there's. . .nothing else. I slithered my way into someone else's Internet. Thank goodness one of our neighbors decided to make a password unnecessary to log into their Internet, because I got hooked right up. I must say, it's pretty fast, too. Thanks, neighbor!
I had the car today so I was able to do some much-needed grocery shopping. I have to share this moment:
Rory and I went to the CVS last night for some TP and air-freshener (the apartment smelled like cat pee. Now it smells like peaches!). We asked a girl in line where the nearest Wal-Mart is. She gave us directions, but I didn't pay much attention because I would let my iPhone guide the way when the time came. Well, the time came today and I remembered her directions and found the SUPER Wal-mart, no problem. I love me a Super Wal-Mart. I'm pretty proud of my memory and navigation.
I'm thinking to keep myself entertained, I'm going to try to get a job at Panera Bread, part-time. I worked there two summers ago, hopefully that helps seal the deal. If not Panera, then I'll try to be a seating hostess. There's no way I can just sit around for three months. Of course, I am pretty excited about the pool here.

Okay, pictures anyone?!

 I love all of the counter space! The only problem is, there isn't a drawer big enough to hold the silverware tray. What the heck?

 Oh yeah, the walk-in closet. Very nice!

 Lots of towels, sorry.

 Who knows?

Rory is down here selling pest control. And what do I see outside of the living room window? That. Oh, the irony.











And there you have it. I really like Santa Clarita so far. Everyone I've met is really friendly and nice, the the town has everything we need and everything is really close together. And of course, it's a three hour drive to San Diego rather than a day trip. Love that!

To be or not to be?

Today was my last day of college as junior.
Here's the other exciting news:

I bought a pregnancy test on Monday. I don't feel pregnant or even really suspect it, except for skipping a period last month but for me, that's normal. I've also had a "butterfly" feeling in my stomach off and on for the past month. Not that that's a sign, but it is interesting. I just bought the test because Rory and I are moving next Monday to California and his family lives here in Idaho. I would feel bad being pregnant this whole time, finding out in California and having to call them up on the phone to tell them.
Tuesday morning before class, I took the test. This is the kind of test that only has one line show up if you're pregnant. And show up it did!
Barely....
I didn't know what to think because the line was so faint, so I snapped a picture of it with my iPhone and went to school. I showed the picture to a couple of people in my class to get their opinion, and they agreed that a faint blue line was present. I mean, if they can see that on a low-quality phone picture. . .
I didn't want to tell my husband or family before I knew for sure (that is SO hard for me!).
Today I bought a more expensive test, the fancy digital kind that says "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant". This one felt much for intense because the answer is not up to as much interpretation. Or is it?
Rory was home when I was taking this test so I was trying to be as quiet and nonchalant about it as possible. In our little apartment, it's not that easy.
I did the test and waited, waited, waited, waited. . .
"Not Pregnant"
Well, sheesh, what am I supposed to think now? My explanation for this is that I took the digital test in the afternoon and my pee was pretty clear from all of the water I drank. I heard that dilutes the hCg and can alter pregnancy test results. I took the first test in the morning, and it was positive (I think?). I have another digital test, but I'm too scared to take it tomorrow morning, and that's $10 down the drain if I use it too soon.
If I am pregnant, I'm only three-four weeks. I think we got pregnant around Father's Day. Perfect timing.
Needless to say, I was pretty down after taking the digital test this afternoon. Rory noticed this (sidenote: when I came out of the bathroom, he started kissing my belly. Father's intuition?). I had to tell him what I've been doing. I was hoping to surprise him, but since I'm back to being "unsure" I figured I should tell him. I showed Rory the first test and he agreed with me that there was a faint blue line there, but of course we couldn't argue with the "Not Pregnant" result of the second test. . .okay, I can.
Since I'm on the subject of babies, here are some names I have figured out:

Girl: Melissa Marie, Allie Christine, Olivia Lynn
Boy:  Jordan Thomas, Dallas Ricky, Alex Charlie

I love Melissa because of the song "Sweet Melissa" by the Allman Brothers. Allie is just so cute and so is Olivia. . .I feel like everyone is naming their girls Olivia these days though.
I picked Jordan, not only because it's my maiden name, but I just think it's a great boy name. Dallas is a name that grew on me. It kind of fits with my in-laws theme for their boys' names: cowboy. Dallas is such a cowboy name, and with Rory as his dad, how could he not be? I've always liked Alex. Allie and Alex? I know, I'm that girl. All of the middle names are family names.
Look at me getting ahead of myself! Guess we'll know for sure on Friday, maybe?

What are we doing now?

School, school, work, school.
Technically Rory is the only working now, bless his heart. He works at a craft & frame shop that is probably the most successful and respected private business in Rexburg. I worked at Arby's from last March until this April where I happily quit. I absolutely despised that establishment, but stuck with it because I felt too awful to put the burden of money-making on just Rory while we were both in school. We're managing though. Rory also makes phone calls for my stepfather to get people on board for becoming a client for him and we get a nice chunk of what Bill makes from people signing up. That's helped us.
We're also going to California (hooray, hooray!) for a few months while we're off from school because Rory will be selling pest control which we've heard brings in some big $$. Rory's a great salesman, I have no doubt that he'll have success.
I just don't know what I'll be doing in California in the meantime. I'll only be a couple hours away from my family in San Diego, so I'm sure I'll be making some day trips. I don't know, I'll read? Get in shape? Yeah, I'll get in shape. Rexburg's cold weather turns me into a flipping vegetable.
As far as school goes. . .boy is MY load light, especially compared to Rory's. My big thing right now is participating in BYU-Idaho's news, Scroll Digital. I do some on-the-field reporting and video editing and I anchor the sports shows on Fridays. I anchored my senior year of high school and I loved it, and people gave my lots of compliments about it which was nice. That was my thing. Once I got to college, I put it on hold to focus on my studies, and then I sort of forgot about it.
This semester I was re-introduced to it, and it feels good to have gotten back in my groove. I just can't help but feel like it isn't my calling in life. At least not right now. I'm really good at it (in fact, it's probably one of the only things I'm really good at.) Just when I feel like I'm on the road to success, I have discovered something I'd rather do and yearn to do. I'm talking about becoming a mother.
I hear some tires screeching.
Mother? At 21 years old? Only been married 10 months? (10 months on the 18th, I'm rounding up)
I know. Honestly, I didn't want to have kids until I was graduated from college, but here I am, three semesters from graduating, and I want to have a baby. I know my limits...I know I couldn't go to school while caring for a newborn, nor do I want to do that. My mother didn't do that -- she never worked after she started having kids and I think that was good for us kids, and I want the same thing for my kids.
Now before you get too excited, Rory and I aren't "trying" for a baby, although he tells people we are because he's so excited. I'm looking at more as handing the reins over to mother nature. If it happens it happens, if it takes some time, that's fine too.
We'll keep you updated!

Who We Are

Well, hi!
I'm a newlywed (almost 10 months of marriage), I'm 21 years old, and my husband is the best!

Yes, we are one of those young Mormon married couples. I was 20 when I got married and my husband was 22. We got married in the San Diego LDS Temple on August 18, 2011. What's our story?

We met when I was 19, single and not ready to mingle. I had just gone through three breakups within 12 months, and I was so ready for a break from relationships. The day of my most recent breakup was the day I met my husband. I thought he was cute and wonderful, but I didn't want to jump back into another relationship. He felt very differently. (We were freshmen up at BYU-Idaho by the way) Rory was looking for a wife, and he tagged me as a potential wifey the day we met, and he pursued much to my obliviousness.
Well, two months later we were on our first date, two hours later we were sharing our first kiss, two weeks later, we were engaged.
Yep.
Then one year later, we were married.
Now here we are 10 months after our vows and still crazy about each other. We live in Rexburg, Idaho in a little apartment above a mattress shop and we love it. We're wrapping up our junior year at BYU-Idaho, and we'll be living in California for the rest of the year which I am SO excited for!

A little about us:
Rory: Rory is a born-and-raised Idaho boy, but so southern at heart. It makes sense that he served his mission in Nashville and loved every bit of it. He picked up a southern accent and still has it. My sweetheart is studying Health Science and Chemistry so he can be an Orthodontist. He's supporting both of us by working at a craft store after school and on Saturdays. He loves Disney, painting, being outside and the church.

Kelly: I'm a San Diego girl, but paler than my Idaho boy. I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 16. I'm an anchor and reporter for our university's (online) news station. I'm studying Communication, Sociology and Family Studies. I'll let you in on a secret: I hate sociology! I also love Disney, singing, anchoring, and cooking.

Us: People often comment that they've never seen a couple together for two years who are still so crazy about each other. Just wait until we've been together for thirty! It just gets better with us. We never have fights because there's nothing to fight about. Yes, oh yes, I have bad days and I can be unpleasant at times, but my husband is so sweet that he just makes me feel better instead of worse. He's 6'4 and I'm 5'1. He's a blond hair, blue-eyed gentleman and I'm a brown hair, hazel-eyed free spirit. We love telling our story to dating couples to get them excited about the joys and blessings of marriage.

We're in love!