The Hunts

Kitchen! It's about time!

2010-10-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

So we finally finished our kitchen and I am so happy! It has felt like forever in the making! Here is a before pic and some after pics! We are so proud! We did 99% of it ourselves....(thanks luke and mom and dad for the other 1%...or more than 1%....whatever...who's counting....)

EW YUCK! Nobody was happy with this!

This is a custom pantry that we built into the wall.

This is a hutch we designed and built in the dining room.

Caribbean!

2010-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

John and I just got back from the Caribbean. We cruised from Miami to Cozumel, the Grand Cayman and Jamaica. I thought I would post a couple of my favorite pictures. There are a couple more that I love that I will post later!

Finally a new post! Bathroom Makeover

2010-03-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is the first of our house posts. This is the master bathroom. It is much improved. Here are some before and after photos.
This is the yellow and green vanity. Beautiful.

This is the nasty stand up shower and beautiful pink accent tile.

New and Improved Vanity

New shower and tile

New tile and moulding

18 Things to do before you're 18???

2009-08-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was getting ready for work. I walked into the kitchen and examined my cereal options. John and I have a large stash of cereal. Neither of us ever want to be without cereal, milk, or soda. So I look on top of the fridge and see several healthy options. Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, Fiber One Stuff..... Then I looked down and saw the orange box. Reesey Poofs as we affectionately call them. So I grabbed the orange box of delicious chocolatey peanut butter goodness, poured myself a bowl and sat down at the table. I brought the box with me so that I could read the back as I often do. That's when I saw the title "18 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU'RE 18".

I thought to myself, oh, I have done a lot of things in my life. I wonder how many of these I can check off? I would also like to mention that the day that I read this was about three days before my 27th birthday. In the back of my mind I thought that this was some sort of interesting test. I am nearly ten years past this list so I really hoped that I would be able to check all of them off. I could only check EIGHT! The 18th one was reach 18 years of age so that one doesn't even count! I was so disappointed. I went to work and seriously thought about that stupid cereal box ALL DAY!

Here are the 18 things:
1. Ride the worlds biggest roller coaster.
I LOVE roller coasters. I have, however, never been to the Kingda Ka at six flags in New Jersey. I have been to six flags in California (biggest disappointment ever, vowed i would never go back, especially on Latina Day...)

2. Bungee Jump.
reckless. enough said.

3. Score the winning goal/basket.
I scored the winning point in a high school tennis match. Does that even count? I dont think I ever scored the winning run in a high school softball game. Besides, the thing said goal/basket. Failure #3.

4. Win an award, trophy, prize.
First success. I have definitely won a few awards.

5. Learn an instrument.
Success #2. Guitar, Piano, Trumpet.

6. Go backstage at a gig.
Success #3. I have an awesome Hootie and the Blowfish story. If you haven't heard it, you are gonna wanna ask me about it.

7. Meet your idol.
I counted this one as a failure because I haven't met all my idols. I have met a few of them i.e. mom and dad. I figure they don't count though because of course I have met them.

8. Play a part in your favorite tv show.
Failure. This made me think of my favorite TV shows. 48 Hours Mystery. I NEVER want to play a part in that show.
Big Bang Theory. I would love to be an extra. Sign me up. Failure.

9. Meet someone with your own name.
I have indeed met someone with my own name but I have NEVER met anyone that spelled their name like I do. I also count this one as a failure. I have issues with this. No one has ever spelled my name right in the history of my life. Alison, Alisson, Alyson, Allyson, Allison, Alason. Ridiculous.

10. Make a discover, have it named after you.
WHAT???? Huh???? How many people have done this?

11. Get away with the perfect practical joke.
I feel as though this was a success. Ask anyone that knows about the SS, Provo style would agree.

12. Own a pointless collection.
Success. I once collected rocks.

13. Invent a word that makes it into the dictionary.
Yet again, WHAT? I am from here on out vowing to start making up words.
Word number one I am making up......ok harder than it seems. I will get back to that one later.

14. Conquer your biggest fear.
Haven't done it. Working on it.

15. Raise money for charity.
Ok. We have all raised money for charity. But then when I started thinking about it. I dont know. I feel like a failure here.

16. Pass your driving test the first time.
SUCCESS! Despite making the guy in this red booty shorts scream and tell me that I sped through a school zone, ran a stop sign and failed parallel parking. I think he felt bad for me. I teared up and he wrote passed....

17. Complete a road trip coast to coast.
Dang it! Failure. Driving coast to coast. Never done it.

18. Reach 18 years of age.
Ok success i guess. Fake one.

I think the people at General Mills should really think about this list. How many of their exec's have completed all of it. Seems slightly unattainable by the age of 18, or in my case 27. Yes?

Back on the wagon....

2009-08-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

Ok so I realize that it has been months since I have posted and I am ready to get going again. Hopefully. A lot has happened this summer. It has been so hectic. We finally closed on our house and moved in only to find that nearly everything is either broken or needs fixed or replaced or something.... I think that is usually the norm though when you buy an older home. I am all fired up this morning because the guy that is supposed to come and fix parts of our AC called to say he doesn't have the part and that he will have to order it from California....seriously? We have been waiting for a month for him to start work. He is just now realizing that the part is in California. Ironic since he didn't come Friday because he was in California. If only he had known he could have made a stop to pick up this glorious little part that will hopefully reduce my power bill from the ridiculous sum of over 500 a month.
Anyways, enough of that. I went to girls camp, we bought our broken house, we went to Pioche for the fourth, we went camping with all of Johns family, and next weekend we are going on vacation to San Diego (despite the fact that we have no money since we moved into our broken house....hotel was non-refundable and booked in June).So here are some pictures, many of them stolen from other blogs because I am the worst picture taker ever.

Hunt Campout 2009

2009-08-11T10:19:00.001-07:00

Ok here a few of my favorite pictures from the Hunt Family Campout! I, yet again, took no pictures so all of these are stolen from Lari and Kit. Included are some of my favorites.

This first picture totally confused me. John and i didn't go to the creek and apparently it was the biggest mistake of our lives. I got home and checked Lari and Kits blogs and was SO confused when I saw this picture. Where in the world did this miniature goat come from? Was it just wandering around down by this so called creek? Is it real or did Lari whip out a plastic goat as a prop. If you know Lari you know that she probably has one. I mean come on, this must be the most awesome creek ever. I deeply regret not going.... I had a good nap while everyone was there, but I could have seen the mini goat had I gone! Clearly a big mistake.

Kids at the creek.

How cute are these girls!

A very exciting conclusion to family olympics.

Silly bubble blowing.

John with a mouthful HA!

Our Broken House

2009-08-11T09:42:00.001-07:00

So the projects have begun. There are a lot more than either of us were prepared for. We are both trying to keep things in perspective and not get overwhelmed!
I will update more as we make some improvements!

Here is the nasty 70's opening in the wall.

Mike ripped it out and the rest will be coming out when it cools off a little.

Here is a picture of one of our lovely little problems..... fantastic.

Pioche!!!!

2009-08-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July is a wonderful time. It is a time that makes me immediately think of family, homemade rocky road, Pioche and Alicia stinking the place up! I must admit it is one of my favorite holidays. The last two years have been kind of a bummer for us because we haven't been able to go to Pioche and join in the festivities. It appeared as though this year was going to be the same. A few days before the fourth John and I were talking and we just decided what the heck, lets go. So what if it's 10 hours away. So what if I feel like barfing everywhere! So what! We told my Mom we were coming and told her to keep it quiet. We wanted it to be a surprise. It turned out to be an excellent decision. We arrived in the middle of the night and snuck in to one of the houses that no one was sleeping in. When we woke up around six the next morning we startled a few people. There may have been a few moments of heart failure. We had SO MUCH FUN! We relaxed, ate good food, watched movies, slept, I ate a ton, John worked, we went sight seeing, I ate a ton, played with nephews and niece, I ate a ton....
There's just no way for me to explain how fun the Pioche experience is! I love my family and I love Pioche. I can hardly wait for next year!
And of course I was a slacker and didn't take any pictures...so the few that I have are stolen.
Kids waiting for the fire works to start in Caliente. It was so nice and cool!

Grandparents eating their ice cream.

Marcus and Dallin in a jail cell in the million dollar court house. Marcus looks scared and Dallin looks delighted! Cute boys!

Kids posing with the mannequins in the court house. Click on the picture to see Dallins face. Hilarious!

Cutest little boy I HAVE EVER SEEN!

Girls Camp

2009-08-11T08:55:00.001-07:00

Girls camp was fun...and hard. It is so different going as a leader. I guess I kind of expected it to be a little bit like when I was in Young Womens. I was wrong.
I will say that my young women were the best behaved, most considerate, caring, kind, and strong young women there. I couldn't have been more proud of them. There were a few times when my jaw actually dropped when they would say or do something not knowing I was watching (jaw dropping out of happiness). It was great to have a small number of girls. There were only six young women. Anne and I had it easy!

It was cold!

Our Bishopric came up for the day on Saturday.

Trisha and Hannah fooling around. They were probably supposed to be in class and I was yelling at them or something.

Vern, Hannah, Trisha, Me and Sabrina. Lovely costumes. I don'e even know where they came from but they were very stylish.

I'm not sure what we have happening here. A mullet, a scary princess and a knight?

I am not entirely sure why we were scared but it appears as though something terrifying was happening.

Well....this is Anne with a mustache.

And of course one of my young women stole my camera and took a picture of me when I was supposed to be escorting them between classes. I didn't find this picture until I got home, but it is evidence that someone (besides me) was ditching fire building! Shame.

Graduation Suit Style

2009-05-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

This was one of Johns graduation presents. I think he looks pretty good!!!
Thanks again mom and dad for everything! We love you!

I told him to strike a pose and this is what he came up with! Pretty striking?

I would like to point out several things in this picture. A) he is very handsome
B) please notice the briefcase on the floor next to him.....he is such a little business man.

GRADUATION CELEBRATION!!!

2009-05-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

So My parents came into town this week to help us celebrate and we had such a fun time. They got here on Tuesday and we basically just shopped all of Wednesday and Thursday. Then on Friday night we went to a D-Backs game. Saturday we went shopping and they bought John a new suit to celebrate his graduation! He looks so good! (pictures of his handsome face in a suit to come) Then that night we had Johns official graduation celebration with all of his family at Coco's. It was a success!
A special thanks to all of Johns family for coming and helping us celebrate. John had a great time and you all helped to make him feel very special on his day. I couldn't be happier to be part of such a large and loving family!

Here is our view from our cheap seats that actually turned out to be really good!

Here is a blurry Kit and Jaden trying to decide what to order.

Aunt June with an ADORABLE Claire in front!

Dennis holding Colby while he eats a fork.....

I had to put his picture in cause Kit and Jaden are so cute....and cause Johns face is hilarious!

Cute Maren, Emmett and Ian.

Johns brother Duane with his sister Ally and the two babies!

Girls Camp

2009-04-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

So our ward girls camp director got pregnant so she is no longer allowed to go to camp (crazy rules i know). They decided that i was the next obvious choice and so i am now called to be camp director....I made some conditions before i would say yes though. At YW's last night i was taking pictures of the girls to go on a poster we have to make. Our theme is something lame and princessy so i took pictures of each of the girls with a plastic crown on to add to the poster. I decided that the bishopric needed to be on the poster as well. They couldnt say no....the ward needs someone to take the girls to camp and i didn't hear anyone else volunteering!

Failure!

2009-04-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

So I failed again! We went to Overton for Easter weekend and I didn't take a single picture. It was a whirlwind trip. Luke and John spent all day Friday working on my car and then Saturday morning finishing it up. Then John and I drove to Vegas on Saturday afternoon to get the alignment done. Then we came back and just hung around on Saturday night and then got up and came home Sunday. It was so fast. I did however have plenty of awesome photo opportunities with Dallin and Troy. I totally failed though and didn't get my camera out of my purse even once. Dallin and I played in my parents backyard a ton. That boy cracks me up, and Troy is getting so big. He is adorable! Hopefully the next time we do something besides work and.....work, I will be more with it and take a picture!
Thanks again Luke! You are the BEST!!!!

Recipe Numero Uno

2009-04-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Leash,
Here is recipe number one:

Crab Ceviche
8 oz. imitation crab (and I HATE imitation crab, but this is still really good)
1 chopped roma tomato
1/4 chopped red onion
2 limes
parsley
salt
pepper
1 avocado chopped

Just chop everything, juice the limes, flake the crab and salt and pepper to taste. Then I take one pita each and cut it into sections and then divide the sections again so that they are thin. I spray them with a little bit of pam and then salt them and put them on the top rack of the oven under the broiler til brown and crispy.
So we each eat half the ceviche and one pita each for 8 points.

Delicious! It doesn't look super great but it tastes so good!

2009-03-30T14:02:00.001-07:00

Survey about your Wedding Day!

This is a survey for all of you married folks. Fill it out and don't forget to tag other married couples on your friend list.
Alicia tagged me to do this since today is her Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary Alicia! I am so glad you are my sister!

1) When was your wedding day? March 8, 2008
2) What day of the week was it? I couldnt remember if it was Friday or Saturday. My sister in law Alicia had to remind me! It was definitely a Saturday!
3) Did you get married in a church? No, Temple
4) How many in your wedding party? Both of our parents and Joyful. She was the Maid of Honor/Best Man all rolled into one!
5) Where was your reception? At the Overton Chapel
6) How many guests were invited to your wedding? Between both receptions probably around 600
7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal? 3 months
8) Who did you hire as your photographer? Alan Ozaki and Aaron Preciado did the most amazing job ever!
9) Did you have a DJ or a band? We had really great wedding music CD's that I got from Chrisi's wedding
10) Did your father walk you down the aisle? Nope, Temple wedding
11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests? Our colors were chocolate brown and a sort of teal color. I let Joyful wear whatever she wanted so she had this like brown and white wrap dress.
12) Who was your Maid Of Honor/Best Man? Joyful
13) Did you have a Bridal Shower? Yes i got to have two! One in Tempe and one in Overton! They were both so much fun!
14) What type of limo did you get? We drove my awesome 2001 Camry!
15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party? My bachelorette party was fun. Holly Jo took me and Joyful to Vegas and got us a room. We went and ate good food and went to a show. She is the best!
16) What type of wedding gown did you wear? White....
17) How was the weather? The weather was perfect that day!
18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon? Started in Vegas then went to the grand canyon then Sedona then had our next wedding reception at the end.
19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day? The reception. I had to much fun!
20) How long have you been married? 1 year and 1 month
21) How old were you when you were married? 25
22) Did you live together before you were married? No
23) How soon after your wedding did you have kids? who knows
24) Did you change your name? Yes but I was a little sad to get rid of Whitney.
25) What was the first dance song? We didn't dance at our reception.
26) Favors ? None
27) Any drama? um....
28) Any regrets? I forgot to throw my bouquet!
29) What was the weirdest gift you received? A basket that had all St. Patricks day stuff from Oriental Trading Co. It looked like a leprechaun barfed in a bag.
30) Who did the cake? Annetta Aki. It was one of my favorite parts. I absolutely loved that cake!

Ok, I tag all my sister-in-laws!

HA!!!!!

2009-02-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

This made me laugh for about an hour. I'm serious. Click on the picture and look at it up close..... the cat's face in so funny.

My sister made me do it

2009-02-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Name Game
This one is just for fun. . . play along if you want!
1.YOUR REAL NAME: Alysson Kaye Hunt
2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle name) Lou Eugene
3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad) Kenneth Lloyd
4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Hunal
5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal) Red Dog
6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born) Kaye St. George (LAME)
7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning) The Black Diet Coke!!!!!!
8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name) ALNT
9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie) Vanilla Oreo
10.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name) Kusko Mill
11.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle) Alyizzle
12.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name) LNKAONUNT
13.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets) Black Kusko

VALENTINES!

2009-02-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

So i need to apologize straight off because we did so much fun stuff Valentines weekend and didn't take a single picture! I had my camera the whole time too! I am lame! Anyways, last week I won tickets to the NBA Jam Session on the radio. We went on Friday night and had a good time wandering through the convention center and seeing some famous NBA players. Saturday was Valentines and we had bought tickets to the ballet a few weeks ago. We went to see Romeo and Juliet and it was AMAZING! We had the best time.

After the ballet we decided to go to this restaurant that i have always wanted to go to. Its called Pizzeria Bianco and i first heard about it on Oprah. She said it was the best pizza in all of America and Oprah knows her pizza! I went once a few years ago and there was like a 7 hour wait so we just left. It is right in the middle of downtown in this historic old building that only has like 10 tables. There is one man that makes all the food...Mr. Bianco. Anyways, we got in line at 4:30 and the restaurant opens at 5. They filled up the ten tables and then we got our names on the list and they said it would "ONLY" be a 5 hour wait!

We decided it was now or never so we walked over to a movie theater nearby and saw Taken, which was CRAZY! Really good though. After the movie we walked back to the restaurant and sat outside for a few hours just hanging out. Good thing it was good weather! Our name finally got called and we got some seats. IT WAS SO GOOD! I am serious. Oprah was not joking around. Most delicious food ever. When we were almost done eating a guy walked in and john was like hey that guy looks familiar....yeah thats kevin johnson! I, of course, had no clue who Kevin Johnson was. Apparently he used to play for the Suns and then moved to Sacramento and now hes like the mayor or something. I would also like to point out that he didn't wait 5 hours. I heard the hostess whisper, "give us 15 minutes"......
So, all in all, really fun Valentines! Best ever actually! Way to go John!

2009-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Some of my sister in-laws decided to have a yard sale last weekend. John and I decided that it would be good time to get together since Kit and Jaden had come all the way from Payson. We met up with them Friday night and went to dinner and then John helped Jaden unload his truck with wonderful yard sale items. It was hilarious. Johns sister Maria had sent a dresser down to be sold to the highest bidder and we found all sorts of treasures in the drawers. John found a black wig, and Jaden found some sassy hats. It has a simon and garfunkel feel dont you think???

Ok I had to include this picture that I also stole off my sister-in-law Kits site. This is her husband Jaden and for some reason this picture cracks me up. He found a pioneer outfit and couldnt resist giving his sweetest pioneer face!

VACATION!

2009-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ok John and I just got back from our vacation with my family. We had the best time and I got a ton of good pictures but I will just put a few of my favorites on here. John and I went down on Sunday and stayed at a nice hotel in L.A. then we had Monday to ourselves. My family came Monday night so we filled the day with fun stuff. When I was growing up my parents took us to this beautiful museum that I wanted to take John too. It was great. We were almost the only ones there which was amazing since usually there are three hundred screaming children. Its a huge three story natural history museum. I was having so much fun I only got one picture while we were there! It's a good one though! it is very reminiscent of "Night at the Museum"!

Then on Monday night we all met at my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jim's house. Of course everyone immediately started cooking! We had Greek food that night which is a family favorite. Dolmas, Lamb Kafka with mint sauce, hummus, tabbouleh, tomato and cucumber salad, baklava. I don't know how to spell any of it but it was delicious!

The next two days were spent at the Santa Monica pier and at Manhattan Beach!

This picture is my favorite!

The rest of the trip was spent at Disneyland! My parents are so good to us! Thanks again for taking us all on the most fun vacation!

I'm not really sure who was more excited about this...John or Dallin....

Here is poor baby troy wishing this was all over....

As we were leaving the park for the final night I realized that I hadn't had anyone take a single picture of me and John. We hurried and had Alicia take one as we were walking out. As you can see we were looking and feeling a little tore up by the end!

Christmas Time!

2008-12-08T12:38:00.001-08:00

So John and I actually put our Christmas tree up right before we left for Thanksgiving so that it we be up when we got back. I am just now getting around to putting a picture of it on here though. Notice how we have no ornaments on the bottom two feet of the tree. Kusko would wait until he was home alone and then take them down and play with them! What a bad dog! Notice him sulking on the couch.

Tea Party

2008-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

So every year the girls in my family hold an annual tea party. There is always a different theme. This year the theme was locations. You had to dress to represent a certain location or country. Then you have to bring a dish to share from that country. In the past we have done certain era's and decades and all sorts of things. It was pretty embarrassing the first year John came home for Thanksgiving. That year we did a tea party based on the book Fancy Nancy. I was so embarrassed. Anyways, here are some pictures (and I am no longer embarrassed). I was from Japan and wore my kimono. We also have a "talent" portion...if you can imagine....

Isabel was from Greece and played a festive Christmas duet with MaryLou.

Katie is hilarious. She wanted to be from Germany so decided to be a Nazi! Thanks to Randall she had an incredibly authentic costume.

MaryLou was from Hawaii. She played a recorder song. (not with her nose)

Alicia was one of my favorites. She was an English queen complete with authentic English teeth! She did some stand-up comedy for her talent. My favorite: How many ears did Davy Crocket have? Answer: 3. His left ear, his right ear, and his wild front ear! Get it (front ear...frontier...) Whatever. I thought it was hilarious.

Josie was an Egyptian queen.

Aunt Jane was Caesar. She even brought a Caesar salad.

All in all another fun and hilarious event.

THANKSGIVING!

2008-12-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

John and I went to my parents house for Thanksgiving this year. We went there last year too actually. We had a good time. There was tons of food and fun. Here are some pics of the event:

Two turkeys with a turkey...or maybe its a ham....

Another game of hockey

2008-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Johns old roommate Johnny absolutely loves hockey. He bought two season tickets to the Coyotes. He couldn't make it to this past Saturdays game. Since we took him to one game this season he gave us the tickets and we enjoyed another hockey game. We had a great time! It was a close game. We lost 2-3 to the Dallas Stars...stupid Texas!

Young Women Sleepover....poor john....

2008-11-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks ago my Young Women asked me if they could have a sleepover at my house. I said sure, if you plan it then we will have a sleepover. I thought that there was no way they would actually get it all planned. We were in Nevada last sunday but apparently they had a planning meeting after church and informed me Wednesday night at our activity that the sleepover was all planned. When I asked when it was going to take place, one of them said...well its in two days, you said we just had to plan it and we planned it for that day. So Friday night came around and eight young women piled into our tiny little apartment. We had a good time but at about 12:15 I realized that something has definitely changed. I absolutely could not stay awake. I left the screaming (poor neighbors), laughing, wild young women and tried to get some sleep. Of course John and I were up by 6:30 but the young women slept til about 8:30 or 9. By 11:30 we finally had them all home! Whew!

Halley asked if I would dress her up so I got my old Kimono out and did my best!

One of the girls never wears make-up or does her hair so she asked a few of the other girls if they would give her a make-over. It was really funny to watch them with their kits and their boxes and bags. It was like watching surgery. I am not sure they changed much. There was a whole lot of makeup and some straight hair. They all seemed very pleased with their work. Here is a vern before picture.

Here is a Vern after picture. She actually looked great because who knew she had those long legs! I had never seen her in heels and a short skirt! I think they all had a good time!

Grandma's Big Birthday Extravaganza!!

2008-11-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind in my blogging so I am going to go ahead and get caught up to everything we have been doing. First is my grandmas big birthday party. Almost everyone was there. It was fun! We had pictures and good food and prizes....whats better than prizes? John and I won a gift card to a restaurant. We used it already to go on a date! It was great! Here are some of the photos I took during the party!

This one is my favorite picture! Aren't these boys so cute! John and baby Troy!

Carolee and Grandma laughing about something.....

Carolee and Zeke

John and Heather Whitney

Alicia and Troy-Troy

Me and MaryLou

Why I Love My Husband!

2008-11-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

1. Where did you meet your husband? I met John at a munch and mingle in our singles ward. Its one of those weird activities where we all stay after church and eat a meal in hopes of finding our one and only soul mate by the jello salad.....
So, my old roommate Regina was sitting with her then boyfriend at a table with this new guy that was very mysterious. He had longish hair and was all tan and handsome and I had never seen him before. I decided to go sit at my roommates table. So I sit down and her stupid ex-boyfriend starts in about the wonders and glories of Mexican dentistry.....Seriously I got so annoyed. He was telling me all about how there is no difference in quality of dentistry between a doctor down the street and Tijuana. Well, I wasn't going to let him go on like that so I basically got in a fight with him in front of this handsome stranger. I felt foolish. Well, the jello salad was gone and it was time to clean up. The mysterious stranger was putting away tables. I went over to my friends and they gave me some encouragement so then I went and asked him if he wanted to come to a party that night. He said he would and he gave me his number. I called him that night and we went to a party. Here I was thinking I was with the new mysterious stranger. Actually he knew everyone there because he wasnt new. He had just been away for the summer. I again felt foolish....
He of course has no memory of any of this. According to him I did in fact ask him to go to a party but that is all that he remembers.....

2. How long did you date before you got married? We met on August 26th and got married March 8th. So like 7 months. That is pretty short now that I think about it. I couldn't be happier though!

3. How long have you been married? We have been married for a whopping eight months!

4. What does he do to surprise you? Much like Zeke, John has a hard time with surprises. He does bring me home flowers every now and then which is really nice. He mostly just does stuff for me. He always takes out the garbage which is perhaps the greatest thing he could ever do for me. I HATE doing it. He will clean the kitchen or take the dog out. Mostly he just does little things that I love.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His calves. I want to bite them.... HA Just kidding....sort of.

6.What is your favorite quality? When we were first dating my friends would be like, I dont know if you can date him. I would ask why and they would say well, he is kind of like Jesus! That was their response. They didn't think I could date him because he was like Jesus.... Thanks a lot friends. Jerks. He really is the nicest guy I know. He is the most grounded human being. He knows why he is here and works so hard in everything he does. He is the one that drags me to stake conference and helps me with my calling.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? I don't think so.

8. What is his favorite food? Well, John will eat stuff that I don't think should be eaten. He is crazy. He eats stuff like broccoli water and diet coke mixed with hot cocoa. Stuff that is disgusting and doesnt make any sense. I think his favorite food is whatever he is eating.

9. What is his favorite sport? Ok, John loves his sports. His favorite sport to play is Tennis. If you were to ask him what sport he would play professionally if he could it would be tennis. But he LOVES to watch football. You better believe we watch some Cardinal action on any given Sunday. He also likes to watch baseball and tennis but not the way he loves football. He has taught me a lot about football. Like what a first down is. What the little measuring thingy is for. Ya know, good stuff like that.

10. When and where did you first kiss? Oh our first kiss!!!! So let me preface that by telling you where our first display of affection was besides hugging. We were at the cheap seats movie theater. We were watching Transformers and three-quarters through the movie he reached over and grabbed my hand and then leaned over and said....Hey is this ok? Oh it was adorable. That was all that happened. Then a few nights later we had gone for a walk to the park and we laid down on the grass and he gave me a little smooch. I love him!

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? I think our favorite thing to do is play tennis. Although we haven't really had any chances lately. When we have had chances we have been playing like crap because we never get any chances to practice. Here are some other things we like to do: play shrek super party, go to ikea for breakfast, go to the drive-in, play phase ten, watch movies, walk our dog, wash our dog, play with our dog, snuggle, read, etc.

12.Do you have children? No.

13. Does he have any hidden talents? John has a lot of hidden talents. I think they are hidden for a reason though....like his sweet dancing skills. He and Zeke had the same teacher. One thing John does SO well that no one knows is that he can play a mean guitar. He is very impressive.

14. How old is he? 25

15. Who said I love you first? John did of course. I am not the say i love you first kind of girl. I dont actually remember where we were. We were probably at my house.

16. What is his favorite music? EHHHH. Worst music ever. His favorite music is weird 90's music. We definitely don't love the same music. HOWEVER, just the other day he did tell me how much he likes the new Beyonce song. I think he has been listening to my radio stations lately!

17. What do you admire most about him? He is so good. He is genuinely good. Everything about him is good. He is always trying to do good. I also admire how smart he is. He hates school and every now and then I glance at his homework and cant believe the stuff that he does. He is so close! Only 7 more months of school!!!

18. What is his favorite color? Light tan, said with a nacho libre accent. No he always says like gray or clear when I ask him that question. So light tan, gray, and clear.

19. Will he read this? Yeah probably but not for a really long time. Actually I will probably tell him to read it when i see him next.

Thanks for sending this to me Carolee. I cant wait to see you guys this weekend!

COYOTES!!! OOOOOWWWEEEEEE! (thats my howl)

2008-10-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

Johns office gave him some free tickets to the Coyotes game Thursday. It was a lot of fun. We went with his old roommate Johnny and his friend Kacey. They were great seats only a few rows back from the ice. We also got to go to some fancy shmancy lounge for dinner and stuff. It was pretty awesome.

Recent Adventures!

2008-10-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

This is a young womens activity we had last week. Brother Jones in our bishopric took all the young women....all 7 of them....to some lake about an hour away. The water was COLD but we all went tubing and had SO much fun! We had a BBQ that night. My young women are the best! I love them!

2008-10-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ok I got this off my sisters blog. She stole it from Kati apparently and told me to fill it out also. She is right it is indeed going to be a tight race between us. She will probably win though. I mean come on....she is an old lady....she has a lot of years on me!!! I'm assigning a rating of 4* for I loved it and 1* for I didn't hate it.
Oh....and I never intend to read Lord of the Rings......

The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books. They estimate the average adult has read only six.Here’s what you are supposed to do:Look at the list and bold those you have read. Italicize those we intend to read.*Star the books we LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen**

2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien***

3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte**

4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling ****

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee****

6. The Bible ****

7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte**

8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott ****

12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy**

13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14. Complete Works of Shakespeare

15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger**

19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20. Middlemarch - George Eliot

21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald**

23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams*

26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll***

30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame**

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis****

34. Emma - Jane Austen

35. Persuasion - Jane Austen

36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis****

37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini****

38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden***

40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne**

41. Animal Farm - George Orwell**

42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown****

43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez***

44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ****

47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding**

50. Atonement - Ian McEwan

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel*******

52. Dune - Frank Herbert

53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons**

54. Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen**

55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens***

58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon***

60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck**

62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold*

65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas***

66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding**

69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville**

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ***

72.Dracula - Bram Stoker

73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett****

74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75. Ulysses - James Joyce

76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath***

77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78. Germinal - Emile Zola

79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray***

80. Possession - AS Byatt

81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens***

82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker**

84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87. Charlotte's Web - EB White****

88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom****

89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle****

90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery****

93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94. Watership Down - Richard Adams

95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas***

98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl***

Fun at the ZOO!

2008-10-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our fun day at the zoo. The weather was perfect last Saturday so we set out to see some exotic animals. We rented one of those two person bikes and rode through the whole zoo. We had so much fun! Originally it was supposed to be us with Ian and Braden but then they had a football game. We decided to see it anyways though! It was such a fun day!

Super Kusko!

2008-09-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was hard at work on Monday night in the dental hygiene clinic. John had just gotten home from a long day at school and he found that Kusko had decided to have some fun while we were away. I had gone to Kohls earlier that day to buy some new running shoes. My old ones were starting to get big holes in the sides so John said I had better go buy some new ones....or else....
So I bought some shoes and decided to wear them to clinic. I left the shoe box inside the Kohls bag on the floor. Kusko usually doesn't bother stuff that isnt edible but last night he must have been bored or something. John opened the front door and heard some weird rustling under the table. He said he was a little worried because he thought no one was home. Then he saw little Kusko wearing a Kohls bag like a cape! He had shredded up some of the stuffing from inside the shoe box and somehow had gotten his head and one leg through one of the handles on the shopping bag.
I love when John stumbles upon stuff like this. There is no way I would have reached for the camera. My first thought would be, Oh No! Get the bag off the poor stupid dog! But John of course reaches for the camera first. I think that is a good sign for his future parenting skills. He will be taking pictures and I will be freaking out.... sounds like a pretty good partnership actually.

Peach Pie! (and a sleeping dog)

2008-09-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

So I decided to make a pie from scratch! I have never done it before. I made the crust and everything. We had some extra peaches lying around and it turned out so well! It made two so I took one for my young women to enjoy!

And while I was at work one evening John was "studying". He was actually taking pictures of our sleeping dog that he loves! I bet you he didnt let the poor sleeping dog lie though. He loves to torment him!

Favorite Video

2008-08-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

So I watch this video probably once a week. I cry every single time. It is one of my favorites!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiGKWoJi5qM

Oh man its so good.

Birthday/Impostor Teacher

2008-08-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

So for my birthday Johno took me to a fancy resort and we swam and watched movies and played tennis and did everything that I love. It was ridiculous amounts of fun. It was gone before you I knew it! Happy 26 to me! I have the best husband ever!

So I started teaching at Mesa Community College this week. I feel like a total impostor! I walked in on the first day and I saw the first years and second years sitting on the opposite sides of a big clinic waiting room. I walked over to the second years since thats who I will be teaching. One of them turned to me and said, um....are you a first year because if you are you should be over there and you arent wearing the right color of scrubs. I just looked at her and said no...i am not a first year. She looked back at me for a second really confused and said, well we are dental hygiene students. I said oh.... Then she said, are you supposed to be in here? I said....yeah i think so. I am your new teacher. Then she looked me straight in the face and said, what? how old are you? are you sure? I said 26 and yes.

Since then we have just done clinic procedure stuff. They arent allowed to call me Alysson. They have to call me Mrs. Hunt which is weird since most of them are either older than me or we are the same age. Weird. Sometimes I dont answer though. I am still getting used to this Mrs. Hunt thing. I am not Mrs. Hunt....I guess I am but I still dont answer right away when called that. I have to think about it. I think they think I am bogus. Its hilarious. Tonight we reviewed piezo's. When I was telling them how to use it I think they were shocked that it wasnt a big practicle joke but that I actually am their teacher. Most of the time I feel confused because I still feel like i should be in school. the other teachers dont really mix with the students. The teachers go over and stand behind a desk when there is any down time. i feel weird with them so I just stay with the students. i guess that further perpetuates my impostor teacher status. Oh well. The other teachers arent as fun as the students.

Olympics....and Anatomy??? and hopefully this doesnt offend anyone....

2008-07-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ok so can I just say that I LOVE the olympics. I think it is great. Everyone comes together and America competes with everyone and we all have pride for our countries and we cheer each other on. It is fantastic! However....I do have certain reservations about attire that the athletes wear.
For instance, the famed swimmer Michael Phelps. I realize that they have these new suits designed by NASA to make them swim faster and glide through the water like never before. I mean, they have pretty much set new American and World records for nearly every event since the new suits were introduced. BUT....I just dont understand what happens when he turns around. I was surfing the web and I found this picture with an article about American Olympic Gold Hopefuls. I decided to read it and this was the picture they had of him.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE TURNS AROUND??? IS HE ANATOMICALLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE???? I just don't understand. I mean he has to have a butt......right? It just doesn't make any sense!!!

We MOVED!! Heres why.....

2008-07-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

As it turns out there is a drain around the corner from our apartment. One of the maintenance people had put a cap on that drain and that meant that the torrent of rain we received on a Sunday afternoon had no where to go but in our apartment. Thankfully we have some of the best ward members ever. They were there in a flash to help us get some of our furniture on bricks. When they finally gave us a new place to live (24 hours later, and without air conditioning for the first week) the ward showed up in full force to help us move up the three flights of stairs. They were amazing and it was so humbling to see how a ward family can step in and help you when you need it most. Now we are three flights up and if we have any leaks or water problems up here....I think I might jump.

Our doormat floated away!! You can see how high the water got on this picture.

This is after they had uncapped the drain and the water was going down.

He can brush....but can he floss....

2008-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know some of you may think this is overboard but I can give you a very long list of reasons why this is necessary. Just ask Duane if you don't believe me! He is so cute!

Fourth of July with Dallin and Troy

2008-07-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

We had a good and very hot fourth with my brother Luke and his family. Alicia and I hung out and we all played with their two cute boys Dallin and Troy. It was so stinking hot though....blah.

POOR Blue Blankey!

2008-06-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Ok this picture is for my family. They are going to crack up. One day I was at work and John was home studying. He thought he would be sweet and decided to make the bed. This was the result. I know I have issues. I am sorry Mom!!! I know you tried your hardest but I just cant survive without blue blankey!!!! We are working on it. Baby steps. I have gone three nights without it. That is some sort of record. Actually it wasn't by choice. Stinky little Cuzco got excited and leaked a few drops while standing on poor blue blankey. He (blue blankey) is in the wash and I just don't know if he will survive. Come to think if it I dont know if Cuzco will either. This may be blankeys final washing (either that or Cuzco's final washing). I love you blue blankey!

Our First Camping Trip!

2008-06-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

This was our very first camping trip! We have had several since and we even went fishing and caught several whoppers!!! Of course we forgot the camera.... Anyways, this is John looking very cute whilst camping!

Renaissance Festival Fun

2008-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ok so I thought I would take pictures from the past few months and really try to sharpen some of my blogging skills. First is the wonderful and confusing experience of the renaissance festival that John felt was vital to our happiness. This first photo is of John riding a pink pony. To his defense he did lance the ring.....he was knighted "Sir Little Girl".....
He is looking pretty savage with the axe! Clearly this was an exciting and educational experience for me!

First Blog....

2008-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ok. I am not sure whether it is out of guilt or what but I have decided that John and I need a blog. Everyone else in the fam seems to have a blog and we have been feeling the pressure! Just as a warning, this is going to be slow going. Don't expect anything fancy! We are talking baby steps. My goal is one posting a week at least. We will see how it goes.