Excited

We have 10 days until we get the keys to our new home! So exciting :) So much more packing to do... Each time I get things ready or move around my apartment, I think of all the things I'll enjoy about being in a house.

A larger kitchen with a pantry and enough cabinet space that I can put ALL of my dishes away and not have to stack boxes of cereal on top of the fridge.

A laundry room with storage and counter space to fold clothes. And don't forget the laundry chute!

Having more than 1 bathroom. Especially a master bathroom.

The fireplace.

GARAGE!

Not hearing people above, below, or next to me.

Room for a ping pong/pool table in the future.

A place for a craft room.

Toilet paper and paper towels can be stored somewhere besides my bedroom closet.

Not having to deal with limited parking.

Not hearing random car alarms going off multiple times throughout the night. (hopefully)

Not smelling cigarettes outside my door.

Room to entertain.

A nice backyard with an awesome deck.

CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING!

A linen closet.

Wood floors.

Storage, storage, storage.

80's Rock Party 2011

A little back-story:
Matt started a new job in May. The group of guys he works with are all pretty close knit and spend time together outside of work. About a week into his job, he got to know the guys in his department better and they started telling him about an annual 80's rock party that one of them hosts. Two of the guys play guitar in the band that plays the music at the party. Although the party wasn't for months later (it almost didn't happen this year) we were excited for this evening everyone talked about and I was excited to meet a few people Matt works with that I hadn't yet.

This isn't some silly, small get-together either. Actually, we all probably look pretty silly but it was really fun. A stage with speakers and band equipment was set up in the backyard and everyone who attended dressed in 80's attire. Well, mostly everyone except for a couple boring people. The band played songs from Iron Maiden, Metallica, Bon Jovi, and ACDC to name a few. There's food, drinks, and socializing after the "concert." And although we were invited to this party because of the guys Matt is friends with at work, this was not a "work party." I'd say about 40 people attended and most of those weren't work people, but just friends and family of the band members. There were even neighbors watching over the fence and enjoying the show.

We had a good time and I'm already excited to attend another. It was pretty fun finding clothes to put together for an outfit too.

On to the pictures!

People kept thinking I'd sprayed color in my hair just for this. Ha! I'm way cooler than that. :P Note to self: when a girl tells you she likes the yellow in your hair, which was originally lime green, it's time to re-dye it.

The formulations crew

Rock on! 

If you think the guy on the left is one of those boring people who didn't dress up, you're wrong. His outfit was inspired by Angus Young from AC/DC. It's a shame you can't see the shorts.

Ratta-tat-tat and a kitty cat

A week from yesterday I got together with some of my close friends for a girls' night. I was so glad it worked out! I think it was the first time all of us had been together since my wedding. With one of us in Provo, one in Sandy, one in San Francisco, and me in Salt Lake, it makes it difficult to coordinate a time when we can all do something. We met at Iggy's for dinner and then had planned to watch a movie that we used to watch a lot in junior high/ high school. Instead of the movie, we ended up just talking the whole night. It was really fun and much needed. 

A few days later I spent the day with my mom for her birthday. We went to lunch, spent time at a few quilt stores, and then ended up at Gardner Village. I generally don't go to this place just because I feel like the majority of the stores are overpriced, but it's still fun to look around to see what's there every once in a while. Rather than just being the typical Gardner Village scene, there are crazy witches displayed all over the area since it is October. We also stopped at Archibald's restaurant for a little snack (Tasty fried green tomatoes, bread pudding, and drinks. Mmm)

In front of a giant pumpkin

Trying on some witch hats in a "bootique" haha.

After Gardner Village, it was time to pick up my mom's birthday present. This little beauty has now become a new member to the Toy home. 

Matisyahu Concert

This Thursday Matt and I went to the Twilight Concert Series to enjoy the music of Matisyahu. For those of you who haven't heard of it, the Twilight Concert Series is a free set of concerts that take place in Pioneer Park throughout the summer. In 2006, Matisyahu was the opener for a 311 concert we attend. Unfortunately we got to that concert late and missed him, and although we did get to meet him after the 311 concert, we were sad we'd missed seeing him perform. So getting to see him and it being free on top of that, was something we definitely weren't going to pass up.

We started our night off by eating dinner at Ekamai Thai Curry, a place owned by one of our friends and very conveniently located across from Pioneer Park. They have super yummy dishes (I highly recommend trying the mango sticky rice for dessert) and Matt and I seem to always be craving the food lately.

After dinner, we went in to the park and found a spot on the grass. Everyone was sorta doing a picnic style thing during the first band, sitting in groups on blankets and eating various foods from the tents set up in the park. Then when Matisyahu started setting up, things got pretty crowded. We were pretty surprised at the amount of people and how much everyone attending varied in age and style. I think we saw people from the age of 5 all the way to a couple who looked to be in their 70's.

Matisyahu has a different way of doing concerts than other artists. Instead of singing everything the way you're used to hearing it on the cd, he remixes and changes up a lot of his songs. This made for an interesting experience. While it was cool to listen to some "new" songs and see how much he could push his musical creativeness, it was also sort of hard to recognize some of the songs. But despite that, about a dozen pot circles around us, and the fact that I couldn't really see the stage for the majority of the concert, it was a pretty fun night.

If you're not familiar with Matisyahu, here is a youtube video of one of my favorite songs he sings. Although it is probably his most popular and somewhat overplayed, (it was the music for many of the 2010 Winter Olympic clips and commercials) this version is a bit different and he does some wicked beat boxing mixed in too. Plus, I'm always a sucker for the acoustic versions of songs.

Florida!

A couple weeks ago we took a vacation to Orlando, Florida. We'd had it planned since January as a way of celebrating our 2 year anniversary and also graduation. It was so exciting once the time finally came for us to pack and board a plane. I was a bit worried about the weather being gloomy since a couple days before our trip weather.com told me that it was supposed to thunderstorm every day we were there. Luckily, it only rained a bit the evening we flew in and a little bit the next day. Plus, Florida rain is warm, so we didn't mind it much.

Thanks to my parents, we were able to use some RCI credits for an awesome resort hotel about 10 minutes from Disney World and relatively close to SeaWorld and Islands of Adventure. We had a great and very exhausting time. Because I don't want to spend numerous vacations going to the same destination, I wanted to pack as much as I could into the week we'd be there. We went to six theme parks, two beaches and four malls. I'm glad we got to see all I had planned, but my feet weren't so happy with me. The very next day after arriving we went to Epcot and The Magic Kingdom in the same day. We were gone from about 9:30 am to midnight...good way to set the pace for the rest of the week.

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed not having to cook food or clean up anything. That may be one of my favorite things about vacations. Sad, but true. So, because pictures generally say more than words, here you go my friends. And if you'd like to see more, check my fb page.

Tasty sandwiches in Downtown Disney

SeaWorld

Getting to ride a Segway

Shopping of course!

We waited in line for a ride and it started to rain. Since we were next on the ride, we didn't get out of line but rather let it pour down on us. Then they shut down the ride because of lightening. We basically got soaked for nothin'

Seuss Landing at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Here you can see the rooftops of Hogsmeade from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure. It was seriously so real, just like I was in the movie. Unfortunately, the grand opening isn't until June 18th, so this is all I could see of it. 

Daytona Beach

Matt's Graduation

Sorry about the hiatus folks. I know this is a little late but it still deserves a blog post.

Matthew graduated from the U on May 7th with a BS in biology and a minor in chemistry. It feels so nice for both of us to have our bachelor's degree finished with! And I know Matt was super excited to finally be done with school...for a bit (hopefully). The day was pretty chill and go with the flow. His convocation ceremony started at 1:30 and lasted about an hour. I'll have to admit, I was a bit jealous of how his ceremony played out in comparison to mine. Since his graduating class was smaller than mine, he was able to do some little things that I couldn't. Things like: walking in with all the graduates at once while bagpipes played, (There was no such thing during my graduation. The graduates just walked in on their own time and found a seat before it started.) having one person announced at a time, as opposed to mine where we formed two lines and had to different announcers, and also getting to walk on an actual stage. Whoo, so fancy! However, in Matt's words, he described the whole event as very "anti-climactic."

After the ceremony we walked outside for the usual pictures and then headed to the restaurant of Matt's choice (Red Robin) for dinner.

Enjoy some pics.

Getting ready to walk on stage and be announced

Matt and his parents

Matt and his aunt

eating at Red Robin

I Stole This

I recently found a fellow blogger's post highlighting various things that have happened to her in the last decade -since it is now 2010 and all. If you read my last post, you'll know that being a better blogger is something I am striving for. And because this decade post inspired me to write my own, I'm stealing the idea. It may not be very interesting but here goes.

2000 - I was starting my 8th grade year at St. John's. This was a major awkward year as far as looks go. I chose to re-take my school picture, only to have the original one show up in the yearbook. I had braces put on. I was very frustrated not to be able to start wearing make-up (against school rules). Every girl in my class had a certain pair of white and pink vans, I was made fun of for having a different style of vans; which I thought was funny since my intention was to be different anyway. I loved school lunch.

2001 - I switched schools. It was overwhelming at first. I aced my science class, made some cool things in wood shop, and tested out of gym to save myself the embarrassment of, well, being in gym. I was the only one who could do a standing tuck at sophomore cheer tryouts. I had to stop eating avocado. I met Matthew.

2002 - I dyed my hair blue for the first time. I started high school cheer - it took some adapting. I cheered on 3 squads. Matt and I started dating. I took AP history - bad idea. I had my first art class with Mr. Allen, awesome. I shared a locker with Whitney and we decorated the inside with colorful homemade magnets of anime characters and 80's cartoons. I rode the bus. My love for English grew. I got my braces off. First kiss. I learned how to do fulls.

2003 - I became a varsity cheerleader. I sprained my ankle. I didn't have my license, most others did by now.   Matthew drove me home from school every day. I wore glasses. One of my most embarrassing life moments happened. I fell on my head while doing back handsprings during half time at a basketball game. I discovered the wonders of Tylenol Flu.

Homecoming game junior year

2004 - I finally got my license. I car pooled with Whitney to school. I quit cheer and it made me happy. I went to every lacrosse game. I was a TA. I sluffed school for the first time. I chopped my hair. I ate cheese rolls for lunch - gross. I got contacts. I took the ACT's twice. I applied for college.

2005 - I got in my first and only accident. I graduated from high school. I started college automatically assuming I could do as little effort as I did in high school and still pull off good grades. I scraped by with a 3.0 my first semester and realized how wrong that idea was. I discovered the pros and cons of Trax. I got my first job. I declared my major. I finished my freshman year of college on the dean's list - and every semester after. I attended my first concert.

Alta graduation

2006 - I took Asian Civ. One of my favorite classes and professors ever. I quit my job. I went to nail school. I switched my degree from a BS to a BA. I got my first ticket.

2007 - I started taking Spanish. No, I cannot converse in the language. I lived with the Rudy's in a downtown condo for the summer and I loved it very much. I pretty much lived off of salami, cheese and triscuits. I accidentally left my keys in Matt's car one night and he had to drive downtown just to give them to me so I could drive back to my parent's house in Sandy. Somebody rear-ended Matt on the freeway off ramp. I was flown on a surprise trip to Pier 39. Matt proposed. I took photography. I started planning a wedding. I met 311.

Em and I backstage at 311

I'm engaged!

2008 - The best and worst moments of my life occurred in the same couple weeks. Matt and I tied the knot. We had to say goodbye to someone who meant a lot to us. Went to Mexico. We bought Havarti. Squirt was put to sleep. I started doing nails at a salon rather than from home. I watched the Summer Olympics every day. Matt's car was totalled in an accident. We bought a Subaru. We celebrated our first Christmas.

Erik and Matt at our wedding

Mexico

2009 - I started a blog. Surprised Matt with a b-day party. Matt and I went to Vegas for spring break. I graduated from the U. Matt took the DAT and we sent in dental school applications. I adjusted to no longer being a full time college student. I went to Washington for a week. I experienced my first solo plane ride. I had to switch eye doctors. Havarti died. I got front row seats to my very first Keith Urban concert. We got Roxy and Lyla. Attended our good friends' wedding.

Make a wish

Vegas

December's Events in a Nut Shell

Well it's been a few weeks since I blogged last. Sorry about that. A few events have happened since. Of course Christmas being the main one, we'll start with that. Strangely enough, although I was listening to Christmas music pretty early and I was so excited for the holidays, I didn't finish my shopping until the 23rd. I'm the queen of procrastination. - That was just a small side note in case you cared and thought you yourself waited until the last minute to get gifts done.

This year we went to visit the Kaefer's on Christmas Eve and the Toy's on Christmas. It was nice to visit one house per day rather than both on Christmas. That way we got to spread out the festivities a bit. Not to mention we were able to have tasty dinner cooked for us both nights.

On Christmas morning Matt and I slept in a bit and then opened the presents we had gotten for each other. Matt surprised me with a couple of my Christmas gifts, one of them being a new pair of boots - which I have worn almost every day since. He mentioned to me earlier in the month that I had too many shoes already and so I just assumed he wouldn't be buying those. But I was so happy to get them and the other things he picked out for me.

So Christmas came and went, both Matt and I worked all day on the 26th and then on Sunday the birthday festivities started. I woke up to find that Matt had cleaned the kitchen and added a new addition. He bought me a kitchen cart, which was a total surprise and I was pretty excited for. (If you've seen my lack of counter space you'd understand.) On top of the kitchen cart, were a few more presents but I had to wait for those. We then headed to breakfast with my family where we had some good laughs and I had to be embarrassed by the waitresses singing to me. Then we headed home to open my other presents and see what to do for the day.

This is where I found out exactly what the kitchen cart was intended for. Matt bought me a Keurig coffee machine and it is amazing! Sorry for all you non-coffee drinkers, I guess you just don't understand... But, you don't have to just use it for coffee, it will do hot chocolate or herb tea as well, depending on what you buy for it. It makes a cup in 60 seconds! But that isn't the only reason that it is so super awesome compared to other coffee machines. There is no mess in clean-up. No icky filters to deal with. It's simply these little cups of ground coffee that you put in the machine and then discard when it has made the coffee. I L.O.V.E IT! After drinking some hot chocolate from our trial run, we headed out to exchange some items from Christmas and check out the sales going on. We ended the night with dinner at Tepanyaki which is very tasty. I highly recommend it for those of you who haven't been. Just be warned, it is pricey.

And to bring the events and 2009 to an end, we went to a hockey game on new years eve. It was a pretty intense game which went all the way to overtime and a shoot out. Now since it is 2:15 am on Friday, January 1st 2010, I figure I am already on track for my new years resolution - to update my blog more often.

And of course, this lengthy post could not be complete without pictures!

Getting something exciting

Super cool boots

I really needed one of these. I'm always spilling!

New can opener that doesn't leave a sharp edge

Breakfast

The new kitchen cart and coffee maker! 

Oh, and now I can actually turn my spice rack. 

The area I had it before was so tight I didn't have room to spin it around.

Happy New Year 

from the Grizzlies game!

Woo hoo!

It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by

-Thanks so much for the advice Keith.

On September 9th I attended my very first Keith Urban concert. For those of you who know me well, you know how excited and happy I was about this. Keith is one of my all time favorites and I have wanted to attend one of his concerts for a long time. So when I found out tickets were going on sale in March, I asked my sister if she would go with me and she agreed. (Matt is not at all a country fan.)

Since I had to work all day when tickets went on sale, Emily was ready and waiting for 10:00 am to hit so that she could order them online. She must be very quick at navigating those internet pages too because we ended up with front row seats - not the ones on the floor, but still very very good. I could hardly contain myself knowing that I was actually going to a KEITH URBAN concert! But, I had some time to simmer down during the 7 months of waiting. About a week before, Matt asked me if I was excited for my concert. It had been so long that I responded by saying, "what concert?" haha. I quickly came to my senses though.

To start off our exciting evening Emily and I went to Pho Green Papaya, a Vietnamese restaurant, to try out some new cuisine. We tried quail and pho (a Vietnamese soup) and some other things. I actually liked everything we got. I'll for sure have to visit that restaurant again. After dinner we stopped to get some bubble tea for the ride over to the concert. Yum! I had every intention of taking pictures of our experience with the new food but of course I forgot. So here are a couple pictures to give you an idea.

fried quail

pho with steak

bubble tea

And now on to the real fun of the evening. Keith was just amazing. The concert was everything I expected it to be and more. He had a great compilation of songs and I was singing along to every one at the top of my lungs. Although he did not play my favorite song from his most recent cd, he did sing the main song that marks the beginning of my love for his music - and it was awesome! But, the most spiff-tasticly amazing part of the night was when he came into the crowd to sing and was only about 2 rows up from us. Pretty sure I couldn't stop screaming. The girl next to me, who seemed too overly involved in text messaging to be a true fan, probably thought I was crazy. Oh well. I had a great time and went home with a scratchy throat. Thanks Emily for coming with me, I say we do it again. Until next time, Keith.

the view from our seats

look how close!

rock on