Kitchen! It's about time!

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!

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

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???

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....

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.