First Paycheck!! And an Upgrade?

Last night Josh brought home his first paycheck!!! They even drew a smiley face on the envelope! :-) Josh hated me for making him take a picture...but I just HAD to. Plus he won't be getting an actual paycheck anymore because they'll do direct deposit. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity. He was so excited when he got home. We went to deposit the check together (we are cheesy...we know!) and then got some cold stone to celebrate. No holding back...we got "love it" sizes this time, even without a coupon. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to know that if I went to the grocery store right now I could pay with my debit card, a check, or even cash. Who uses cash anymore? :-) I actually can't because we have a LOT of student debt to pay off, but TECHNICALLY SPEAKING...I could. Horray to beginning our climb out of student loans and into savings!!!



Okay..about my "upgrade". So I had to get a new phone so I went to the phone store and after much researching the sales guy figured out I had an upgrade available. Then he asked what I wanted. Me: "Something undestructable." Him: "They haven't invented that yet." Me: "Darn. Then what is the cheapest phone." Well...the orange beauty below is what that conversation landed me! I was playing around with it, trying to make a few calls, return a text, change the annoying ring tone, and got a little frustrated. I've seen 3 yr old play phones with better features. Then I remembered how this was supposed to be an upgrade...hahah. I guess it kind of is though seeing as how this phone can turn on and make phone calls. (My beautiful pink one no longer does either of those things!)

This week has been a LOT of fun. Monday we both had the day off work. I went to the beach with JT, Christine, and one of her friends, then we went in the spa, then to mom and dad Duffy's for FHE. Tuesday, Wed, Thurs we had work. After work Thursday I met Adrianne at the movie theater to see the Time Traveler's Wife. We grabbed some Golden Spoon, I taught Adrianne how to sneak it in to the theater, and enjoyed our movie with 4 other people. (I love when there aren't that many people in there!) Luckily I had a couple of movie passes I've been saving, because it is now over $10 per person! Yikes! I had read the book at the beginning of the summer and have been anxiously waiting foor the movie to come out. I didn't want to see it alone and I knew it wouldn't be one Josh wanted to see, so I made Adrianne read the book and come see the movie too. As usual...the movie was nowhere near as good as the book. I really don't think I'll even rent or buy the movie when it comes out. It was kinda slow and the characters were not as likeable as they are in the book. Warning though...if you are going to read the book be prepared to skip a few pages here and there. It's a great love story...but the author gets carried away with the passion. After the movie we went to Mike and Adrianne's for amazing fajitas and homemade quacamole! Dinner at their place is always good. Friday I had the day off work, but still had a lot of school work. I took a break at lunch to meet up with Alia down at the beach and then the bagel shack. That was a lot of fun and it was good to see her. Then it was back to school work for the rest of the night. Saturday we slept in then met up with Scott, Hannah and Aaron for the Angels game! They have season tickets and were so nice to invite us! Josh has been wanting to go all summer and was so excited to get the chance to go! I'm trying to be better at briniging my camera and taking pictures, and so I was able to get some really cute ones of the kiddos! They were so fun and were troopers through the game and the extra inning! We even managed to get one the big screen during one off our dancing/wiggle breaks! I still get so excited about that...that was mine and megan's mission at the games when we were kids. Hannah and I got snacks about every 15 minutes, we got everything from skittles and soda, to chicken fingers, french fries, milk shakes, icecream sandwhich, and popcorn! I was sad to discover however the my stomache does not process the food quite the same as it used to. I slowed down after the milkshake...but hannah charged right on through the rest of the game!! Josh and I had such a great time. I don't know about him, but I totally felt like a little kid again! It's kind of like going to disneyland... it makes it so much more fun to have little kids there to get SUPER excited about everything. Oh yeah, and the rally monkey songs they have are hilarious!
Thanks again for inviting us...we had so much fun!!!! Note: the pictures are in reverse chronological order because I'm lazy and I always forget I have to upload them backwards!

Aaron didn't make it to the end of the game...


Intently watching the game (during end of the extra inning!)

The aftermath of the giant cookie ice cream sandwhich.

Hannah showing off her beautiful ketchup lipstick!

Aaron with his lemonade and a chocolate milkshake! (He kept walking around and taking a sip of all of the drinks :-))

Hannah

Good look babe!

Hannah kept putting the Angles Princess hat on Josh.

Aaron took this picture of the field.

Josh and Scott (picture taken by Aaron!)

Josh and Scott (Picture taken by Hannah.)

That hat was so cute on him.

Aaron with his mom's GIANT smile!

Hannah feeding Josh the yellow skittles she doesn't like.

Me and Hannah (she is very proud of her missing 2 fron teeth!)

Aaron, Josh, Hannah, Scott

School!

I started classes yesterday and all I can say is what was I thinking taking 3 english classes at the same time....I hope I can remember which assignments are for which class and when they are due!!!!!! Plus my other 2 classes!!!!

Heather

Last Monday Josh's cousin passed away. She was very young, only 32 with two young kids and a loving husband. She had been battling breast cancer for a couple of years. She faught very very hard! We attended the viewing, funeral, and burrial on Saturday. I think we all had a hard time. I haven't been to many funerals in my life and I don't really have much to compare it to, but I don't think I deal particularly well with death. I know that sounds funny, who really does, right? The only other funerals I have been to recently and that I can really remember were for older people who had lived a long life and so death didn't seem quite as tragic. All week Josh and I had been thinking about and praying for Heather's family and this gloomy feeling just felt crushing whenever I thought about it. I was anticipating that feeling to multiply during Saturday's events and was nervous because I hate crying in front of people. It was amazing though to enter the church building where the service was being held and to just feel this overwhelming peace and calm and almost joy at truly celebrating a life lived to the fullest. There was a beautiful display of pictures of Heather, her wedding dress, some scrapbook pages she had done, games and books she loved, and lots of purple, her favorite color. Then during the service, her family members spoke about her good nature, loving spirit, and humorous personality. I think I laughed and cried harder than I had in a long time. It was amazing to feel the Spirit so strongly there as her family members exercised and shared their faith of eternal families with us. It is a principle of the Gosple of Jesus Christ that I have never doubted and so I always assumed I had a strong testimony of it. However, after Saturday my knowledge and understanding has multiplied by a million. It was so beautiful to sing Heather's favorite hymns and primary songs that spoke of conquering death, and of the second coming of the Savior, and to know in my heart that those things are true. All of Heather's family did such an amazing job at sharing stories about Heather and their testimonies. We were invited over later for a family dinner. Although I wished it were under better circumstances it was so great to be able to see those I knew again and to meet the rest of the family. They are truly amazing people and I enjoyed so much talking and getting to know them better. That night while Josh and I were driving home we were talking and recaping the whole day. I was telling him how I was sad I didn't really get a chance to know Heather very well. I had met her for the first time at my bridal shower, and then didn't see her again until Adrianne's, and only saw her a handful of times since then. It's incredible though, how much a great person like that can have such on impact on others, like me, who only barely got to know them. I was also thinking about all of the stories and talks I've heard where people tell about these amazing people they know, who just sound unreal because of how good they are, and I've often wondered who are these people?! And then it struck me that Heather is one of those people, and then I felt this overwhelming gratitude that I even got to meet her and talk to her and know as much as I did about her. I just felt, and feel, so very prilivged.

So I'm pretty sure I'm missing some pictures and I still need to steal pictures from Kristen (Texas) and Auntie (AZ) but here are the others...completely out of order as usual.

Megan, Mom, Me at the BEST Italian cafe with paninis and gelato after Megan tried on WEDDING DRESSES!!! (she looked stunning in ALL of them. I have no idea how she is ever going to pick just one!)

Me and Grandma Peterson (we visited my grandparents while we were in Utah)

Grandpa Peterson

I LOVE this one of my grandpa.

On the coach's balcony in front of the practice field of our beloved cougars!!!

cougar football practice field

the milk jug my mom chose as a vase for my birthdy flowers. i think i know what she is wishing for. sorry mom, maybe next year.

the pretty and very cheerful gerber daisies!

the bracelets megan gave me for my birthday. they provided lots of entertainment. and they are soo cute!

josh surprised me with crepes for breakfast with our families! (adrianne you were very missed!)

i was surprise and very excited!

all of the toppings!

then the next night we went to el torito grill with my dad and family. it is by far my favorite restaurant.

megan and dan.

josh and me.

my not so pretty feet made prettier by my awesome bamboo looking toe ring!!! thank you adrianne!!! :-)

me getting fitted for a toe ring! you wouldn't think it would be such a process to pick out and get a toe ring, but it was for me! When I was younger I remember the "big kids" went to the saw dust festival and got toe rings. I always wanted to go. So when we were thinking of something fun to do we thought of going to the saw dust festival and I just HAD to get a toe ring! So we went, scouted out the best looking ones, then got one. My mom had to document of course and the owners of this booth thought I was crazy. They were reffering to mom and adrianne as my entourage, asking me if this was my first toe ring (why else would i be so excited?!?) and at the end of the ordeal the man working there told us he was glad he came to work today because he had never seen anyone so excited about a toe ring. (we saw tons of cool stuff there andd even stopped to watch a glass blower for 30 min)

birthday cake. homemade by mom. very good.

the most adorable little girls in the world!!!

coats and jeremy and grandpa (who LOVED having the kiddos around!)

chrissy and brynn.

brielle

kaylee