A new addition

While we were engaged we decided that we wanted a dog. Dru hates dogs with a passion but for some reason he really wanted a boxer. I also love boxers and am an avid dog lover so I was all for getting a dog. We kept our eye on the newspaper for a good price, and about a month before we got married we found our good deal. We called the number, but all of their puppies were spoken for. I was crushed. About 10 minutes later I got a phone call saying that one of their puppies was going to be available after all. We could come look at her that night and decide. I did not get my hopes up because I was very specific about what I wanted. I wanted a fawn boxer with a black face, and white paws. When we went to look at her she was exactly what we wanted and she would not be ready to go with us until we were back from our honeymoon, so the deal was even more perfect. We were going to get our puppy after all. We went to visit her once a week so that she could get to know us before we took her home and on August 13th, 2007 we welcomed Madison into our family!!

She wasn't even as long as my forearm when we first took her home and now she's almost 50 lbs and around 2 ft tall (on all fours). What a growth spurt!

I know it sounds like we just had a child, but in a lot of ways we did. Dogs are so much work. We have finally through the potty training and the anxiety of leaving her home alone. Maddie is such a sweet good dog. She loves people, especially children. She knows many tricks and is very smart. She loves to play with her ball and with my mom's new beagle puppy Tugger. The only struggle with Maddie is that she refuses to sleep in her doggie bed and has to be cuddled up to us. I guess this is our fault because when she was small we let her.

This is Maddie cuddling with her Dad!

A home to call our own

While Dru and I were engaged we purchased a town home that was in construction. We were brave and decided to do much of the work ourselves to save some money. We painted the entire house, and put in all of the trim pieces (ie moldings and doors), did all of the tile in our bathrooms (floors and showers), and Dru put hardwood floors in our kitchen and dining room. We did not realize what we were getting ourselves into, especially while trying to plan a wedding. We finished our home and were able to close on it 3 days before we got married. We had most of our belongings moved in before we did, so although it was very stressful, it paid off in the end.

Honeymoon

This is a picture of the swimming pool at our hotel.
The day after we were married, we were lucky enough to spend a week in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, which is just an hour away from Cancun, but not as wild. We stayed in a hotel right on the ocean. We spent time snorkeling off the coast of Cozumel, touring the ancient Mayan Ruins Tulum and Chichen Itza (one of the 7 Wonders of the World), and at an amazing conservation park called Xcaret. Xcaret had a great night show and many wild animals to see. You could even swim with the dolphins for a small fee, but we opted not to do that. They also had a cenote that you could snorkel (an underground river). We enjoyed our trip very much and would love to go back again someday.

The beginning

Well I finally decided to take the time and start blogging. I love to read what my friends are up to, so I thought that maybe you would like the same courtesy. I guess the only place to start is at the beginning of our life together.

Dru and I met officially on our first date. It technically was not a blind date because Dru already knew who I was. We grew up around the corner from eachother and attended the same church. We hit it off immediately and the rest is history. Dru and I were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on August 4th, 2007.