Major Update :)

Alex and I started with our dating story and well slacked as you can see.. We got married on the 12th of August 2011.. it was a perfect wedding I wouldn't of changed anything or ask for anything better. It became a three day event and we enjoyed every min. of it. My mom and I had a blast getting all the details done and planning for such a special day. On our anniversary Ill have to write in more detail all about it :)  Alex and I honeymooned in Lake Tahoe at a really nice resort that had everything. It was Gorgeous the whole time we were there and we just enjoyed ourselves and had so fun!! Then we headed to La Grande Oregon woot woot.. Where we now reside still. We have a beautiful home here. Its so fun to decorate and re decorate and I just love being home cooking, crafting, yard work, and anything else that has to do with our home I just love it. Alex finished working for the forest service the end of November and now is running a carpet cleaning business here! He does so well for our family. He will start the pre PA program at Eastern Oregon University in the Fall.. The best part is he has it all paid for through grants and scholarships YAHOO. Our ward here is so wonderful, we have so many friends that have become our instant family here. We are really busy being Ward Missionaries the perfect calling for us:) We absolutely love the families that we are teaching each week and working with. It has been the best teaching the gospel with Alex, he truly teaches me so much daily. We couldn't ask for a better ward. So thats the update on us:)

Meeting The Millers

The following weekend I had the privileged of going to La Grande to meet Alex's family. I left after work so I got there kind of late.. His parents were so sweet to wait up and be able to meet me. We had a great conversation with his Mom and Dad. It was so great to get to know them and meet them for the first time. We then stayed up till four that morning "talking" haha just kidding we really did talk.. The next night Stephanie and Earl ( Alex's brother and sister in law) had all of us over for Mexican food. It was so yummy and nice to meet the rest of the family. We had fun with the kiddos. All of the little girls and I played with their baby dolls and barbies I of course was in Heaven. We played Janga and lots of other games.. Alex took me to ice cream afterward and we rented a movie. Then hung out the rest of the night with his little brother and sister. I was able to sleep in Cassidee's room with her and so we had a slumber party every night. We had so much fun!! On Sunday Alex had to give the lesson in Sunday school. He did such an incredible job and taught me so much. It was so fun to meet all of his friends and they all call him Nelden so every time they said it I was taken back.. On Sunday was Mothers day and I got a suprise phone call from Sister Toorea and Sister Stallings ( two missionaries that I trained) President Merkley gave them permission to call me for Mothers day because S. Toorea's family disowned her and I am her Mommy!! It was so great to hear both of their voices!! They both sang to me the songs that I would always sing to them and they gave me stars with a color.. It was so sweet and yet so hard to let them go. After church we had s'mores at Jennifer's and all hung out around the fire.. Cassidee also pulled the best prank on Alex called wet Louie we laughed forever over that one.. Alex and I were going to go for a drive afterwards and as we were walking back I noticed that my license plate had changed.. His dad had put a Goss Motors thing around it ( its where he works) I told him thank you really loud and that I loved it.. Everyone laughed and Stephanie said Welcome to the Family Julie. The next morning I had to leave:( its always hard to leave when you've had so much fun. It was so great to go to La Grande and feel so comfortable around his family.

So as Alex was saying.. We had a fabulous weekend with all of the family here for the three weeks that Bonnie and her family were up.. We had a blast going to Silver Creek Falls with everyone. We were able to ride down with Tom and Jess and Dulany.. We had a blast with them and good laughs and talks along the way. We ate at our favorite Olive Garden it was Alex's first time so it was fun to introduce him to that place.. We shared the chicken parmigiana it was really tasty!! The best part was the company all of my siblings all being together and the kiddos.. so fun! We then hiked around silver falls and had a blast.. The hill was a killer so Alex decided to carry me the rest of the way. He definitely is the best. He (now) knows that I am not really the hiker girl.. Our first date he took me hiking then we have gone hiking a few more times and I finally let him in on that little secret that really I dont love it.. On the way home we saw these incredible flowers and I made Tom stop to let us take pictures my sister in law is amazing at taking them and so she got amazing shots of us which I love. Then it was time for slurpees and the drive home. We went to the McMinnville baseball game that night and then Dinner with Bj and Shawn.. It was a wonderful Saturday. Another page of our beginnings. I love everyday that I get to spend with Alex. He really is amazing to be around and the great conversations that we are able to have. I love the way that he treats me each and every day like there is nothing else that he cares about. Even though he has a lot on his plate at times he makes me feel like no one else matters when he talks to me or when I am with him. I am so thankful for him in my life and the love that  we share.

Silver Falls....

It all really is starting to run together all of the things that we have done together. There might have been another trip made in between this weekend or it could have been the week that we thought we were gonna die from not seeing each other or maybe that was just me. I know two whole weeks without seeing each other right? that is the longest we have gone without seeing each other since we have began our time together. It has been nothing but happy times, maybe a few times of difficulty have come our way or rather times of our love deepening and finding true roots in the deepest parts of our souls for each other. But those times are times we never dwell upon it's only upon the good we remember. We may think for a period or at least I have that things are too hard or the task at hand or task's are plain out daunting. In these times we begin to think of how we will do it but in all reality it is  more a time of sculpting by the master's hand in a little thing called life. Everything that we go though in life has a purpose, that is something that has been sunken deeper and deeper into my soul as my short time on earth has gone by. God works many mighty miracles around us each day whither we take notice or not. And those times when noticed are the sweetest tender mercies we will ever find. Now on to the real part.... So from what I recall our third weekend together was defiantly one to remember, we did things like go to Silver falls outside of Salem and went to eat at olive garden both firsts for me. I may have received a little bit of gruff for that but I probably had it coming. We also as custom ran around on Sunday trying to make it to every meeting on time and have a little bit of time to talk and go for our Sunday drive. The little things right? I am very thankful for every moment that we have together. It takes a lot of moments to fill a life time and with Julie and I every moment is one to remember. To be continued.......

Oregon Coast!!!

When me and Julie got together for the second time, we had a blast at one of our absolute favorite places with her whole family at the Oregon Coast. We I think got up there Friday night and started it off perfectly by of course going for a walk on the beach and doing what we do best just talk. On Saturday morning we all went for a walk on the beach and past the time taking pictures and just enjoying of each others company. That's the best part of life I feel, it really isn't important what we do alone but more of what we do together. I mean when do you remember something important in life that you did completely by your self? I bet it's a whole lot less. It was a perfect day not to mention on the beach with sunny weather for the most part. I know that never happens right? We topped the day off by going to Moe's a restaurant right on the beach. The coast really isn't the coast without a trip to Moe's. Then we came back and had a BON fire one of my absolute favorite things to do and Julie's also. I think we even managed to have some swim time with all of that.The we ended up going whale watching too, that was a way fun experience and from what I have heard it's usual for you to go out and not really get to see much at all but that wasn't the case for us. We got to see a few different whales and the coolest part was really the fact of just being out on the water having fun together. After all that fun in one weekend to out it all into a few words it was so very hard for me to head back home and each proceeding time it has gotten harder and harder for me to go and say see ya later to Julie. I am so very thankful for all that Julie and I have, she is the reason I will be the best person I could become. That's really what a relationship is always about. Achieving perfection together, cause I sure know I would have to have a lot of lives to even put a dent into become a close to perfect person. Not that we will ever achieve that but we can always try right? She draws me unto the Savior and my Heavenly Father, she is the reason I strive really hard to be a good guy and always do my best. I'm so excited to have her a mine forever and for the love that we already do share for each other. I feel that's what love doe's to you. It makes you reach for the sky and stretch for the horizon. Love can change so many things and it's that love that will always drive us to give our all for each other.Thought thick and thin. When you have a strong love for the Lord you have a stronger capacity to love others.And that's advise I have followed to find Julie. Love you Julie!!!