Changes and Grown Up Adventures

This week Daniel and I realized that we needed to make a decision. We went to the main office of our apartment complex to let them know about a bug home that was growing in our bathroom. (She seemed to think that they were carpenter ants.)

Then she gave up a sheet to mark whether or not we wanted to renew our contract. Either we agreed to another year in this apartment, or we would need to pay an extra $200 a month to go month to month until we find another place to live. We have been getting really close to our house down-payment goal. After a careful look at the number (and a guess as to the future of interest rates and home prices), we decided that we would start looking for a house in the near future. It is exciting and scary, all in all, it is very grown up! In a few months, we will be ready  to start looking for a house. Hopefully it will all turn out to a good choice for us!

This week we spent a lot of time trying to make our decision about whether or not we would sign our paper that we didn't have many activities. We spent a lot of time trying to decide our best options, but we did go visit several neighborhoods to look at the houses and get a feel for the areas. We also tried to figure out a tentative time line for our house looking adventures.

The only other really interesting thing we did this week was starting to plan our summer vacation. We looked at routes to take back to Utah and Idaho, planning stops to see a long the way, and a guess as to how much the trip would cost as well as other things. Finally, we started to plan our family reunion. We are hoping to do some fun things for the reunion. We will just be happy to see our family and friends!

Abolish Daylight Savings

Looks like it's my turn again since Elissa has book club tonight. The book this time is "The Princess and the Goblin." I don't know anything about it, so you'll have to ask Elissa. She read it in a hurry and I haven't had time to ask her about it. I have finally decided to read Ender's Game. I haven't finished it yet, but now that I'm a little older than last time I tried to read it, I can see why people think it's a really good book.

I'm not sure that we've really had much that is new or exciting to talk about. We're still adjusting for Daylight Savings time -- I'm not quite as tired most of the time but I can't seem to wake up feeling rested yet. I maintain my opinion that the world would be better off without it. Either leave it on or off, I don't actually care as long as we don't do this absurd switching every six months or so.

Saturday I got to go with the Youth on a temple trip. It was a really good experience to get to share with the youth, some of which I've had in my class each week. That took most of the day since we had to drive down to San Antonio and back.

A Lazy Week

This week has been a pretty lazy week. We did finish everything we needed to do, but we don't have many adventures to share on our blog! I'll post about what I can remember that might be interesting to all of you!

Earlier this week Daniel send me a message during work that says something like "Hey, I want to take you hiking!" Well, as you probably all know, I don't really love hiking, but because I really liked him, I said, "Okay." So, after some research, we found a place that was supposed to have some good hiking trails. Come to find out our research lied, and it had one short hiking "trail." It was fun to get out and about while the weather was nice and to see some new scenery. If we had been brave and it had been a little warmer, we might have tried a nice little dip in the springs that they have along the trail. We still might have to go back some time and try it out!

This week we also decided that it was about time we buy new sheets. When you see some holes it is probably time for new sheets! And, who knew that there were so many options when you are picking out sheets? (Oh, probably most of you knew, but we didn't!) So, we finally picked out some sheets after lots of looking and deliberating. Next we pre-washed them, and after a test night or two, I think we can agree that they are pretty nice!

Finally,  this week I finally got a new lunch kit for Daniel. So you all know the context for this story, right after we got married Daniel and I bought some Ziploc divided lunch containers to carry our lunches to school. (We got them with a coupon and everything!) They are pretty good little lunch containers. We brought a sandwich along with some fruits, vegetables, and snacks to school with us every day. But, like all cheap containers, they'd had it. After trips through the dishwasher, as well as an inability to store anything liquid, it was just time to let them go!

Unfortunately, that meant that I needed to find a new way of packaging Daniel's lunch to take to work. I fell in love with these American Bento Boxes, but realized that they were really more for children, and not for grown men to take their lunches to work in. (They also didn't have a perfect box for storing a sandwich, which is basically a lunch staple)

So, I went back to researching and after a visit to a few stores found that Rubbermaid was making a nice little storage box, but the size/shape I wanted only was sold in large box sets. Once I got over the fact I'd have to buy some boxes I might never use, Daniel and I went to Walmart. Luckily for us they had a post clearance (returned well after the store sold out) box sitting on the shelves. We got 30 pieces for $7.00!  Then we ordered a lunch box online because the ones we had just wouldn't hold Daniel's lunch!

All in all we had a good week. It was fun to get our containers on sale, and it was a good week over all!

Discovering New Parts of Austin

This week we got to see some parts of Austin that have been here all along but that we hadn't visited yet.

Our first new place was the Alamo Drafthouse, which was pretty fun. Basically it's a movie theater where they serve food to you instead of you having to go get stuff at the concessions stand during your movie. We thought it was fun but probably not worth the price (especially for the food) to do that on a regular basis. The movie was . . . I forget, but it was a decent movie but nothing too memorable. It was about two CIA agents who end up trying to date the same girl and sabotage each other.

Later during the weekend we visited the Lakeshore mall where we got free pretzels (they just didn't compete with PretzelTime). Then we discovered a farmer's market in the parking lot. It was pretty fun to look around, they had all sorts of locally grown fruits, veggies, honey, and then all sorts of crafts. They even had live music and "Locavore" t-shirts (which I thought were pretty ridiculous). We might actually head over there to get honey sometime when we need more.

The other place we found this week was a little bit disappointing -- not because it wasn't nice, but because it was a park that had no parking and by the time we walked to it we were too tired to want to do anything there. Anyway here's a picture:

As you can see, it's made for people to be walking or running around the lake.

Anyway, we had a fun week and got to explore a little more about Austin

Fry Sauce, Games, and Other Adventures

This week has been a fun one. Saturday we decided to get French fries at Five Guys which is one of Daniel's and my favorite places to get burgers and fries. I decided to finally try out their Cajun fries, and Daniel decided to ask and see if they had any fry sauce. Of course, it being Texas and all, they didn't have any, but after some asking from the girl at the cash register the cook offered to mix up some mayo and barbecue sauce for him. He was pretty close to describing what we would consider "real" fry sauce, so we didn't correct him. In fact, we were amazed that he even had any idea what might go into fry sauce!  My Cajun fries were like having fries with seasoning salt and a small, metaphorical,  flame on them! They had a great taste and then your mouth was on fire! We also love to call up my Dad to tell him where the potatoes came from to make the french fries. Though he won't do it, we always hope a little that Call Farms will make the board some day. Then everyone will know that the potatoes that made their fries were Famous Call Farm's potatoes!

Then we went to a game night put on my Daniel's work manager. We played blokus and lost to an 8 year old. (One of Daniel's co-worker's kids who came to the beginning of the party). They we played a couple of rounds of Bang followed by a quick round of Apple to Apples. It was fun to meet Daniel's work people, and to have a group to play games with. It was a good time!

Earlier in the day on Saturday we helped with an eagle scout project. The scout had collect supplies  to fill 1000 backpacks.  Each backpack had a blanket, two small snack items, a small package of wet wipes, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, and a comb. Basically it was a little hygiene kit for those in need. It was set up really well so you just grabbed a backpack and walked around in a circle past stations where you put on of each item in your bag. There were lots of volunteers so it didn't take too long to finish the whole project. Daniel and I each filled up 8 or so backpacks each. It was good to see people in the ward and talk to them. It was also fun to help out!

A Girl's Week

This week was an eventful week, but most of the events (at least for us) revolved around me and my activities. It did seem to rain for most of the weekend, but we need rain to stop the drought, so we will take all the rain we can get! Daniel didn't have too many interesting things happen this week. (That we can remember, anyway), but he was productive at work testing his project.

Friday night and Saturday morning was our regional women's conference. We have 3 or 4 stakes worth of women in our Austin building and then several other stakes watched remotely around Central Texas. If you wanted a parking spot or a decent seat, you had to be really early! Anyway, we had Sister. Julie B. Beck come and our main speaker during the event. It was kind of cool because on Friday night she took 6 questions from people in the audience. Saturday she gave us more of her thoughts and impressions. Daniel went in the evening to fold up the chairs that they had set up in the gym behind the chapel.

Sunday we ended up sitting on the stand during sacrament meeting because our ward is so big!  Most weeks people end up standing in the foyer because the few seats that are available are hard to find and they are embarrassed to search for them during the middle of the meeting. So the bishop asked those who could and were able to sit on the stand to allow more seats for family that might otherwise have to stand in the foyer. This week we took him up on his offer. It was kind of weird, but not totally bad. We might do it again next week!

Last night I hosted book club for the first time! We read the Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. (It is about an imaginary bus ride from Hell to Heaven). It is a really great read! (obviously I have to say that because I did pick it out to read for book club!) In a very C.S. Lewis style it is allegorical, but it isn't too long! It makes you think about yourself and the things that you might be choosing that are keeping you from becoming better. Only a few people made it to book club, which is probably good because our apartment is only so big! Anyway, we had a good time!

Two and a Half Years

It's crazy to think that as of yesterday we've been married for 2 1/2 years. It's been amazing! On our first Valentine's Day we realized that our half-year anniversary was the day after, so we figured we'd celebrate our "Halfiversary" instead -- anything we would buy would be a whole lot cheaper. Anyway, this year we decided to take a day off work, and head to the Temple for an endowment session. We did some other fun things too -- like eating out at Olive Garden (it was Elissa's first time there). I think that was really the highlight of the week. Here's a bit about the rest of the week though:

This last weekend I hosted my first candidate for NI (National Instruments). For those of you who aren't familiar, they fly their candidates down for a weekend and have 3 interviews on Friday (so the candidate can show they're worth hiring) and the host shows them around town and answers questions (so NI can show they're worth moving to). Hosting definitely has some perks -- like free dinner, but it is a drain on free time and can be stressful. Sometimes candidates are married and I would get to bring Elissa with me to dinner. Anyway, it was pretty fun. The guy who came down to interview was a BYU student who came from Beijing and is majoring in computer science. Lucky for me he was a nerd, so we had things to talk about.

I don't really know what else to talk about this week, but know that we're alive and happy down here in Texas.