Man vs. Food

Bryan loves the show Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel.  We enjoy seeing the crazy food challenges Adam takes on.  Tonight Bryan and his dad did their own Man vs. Food.  They each ordered a Willy Burger at Hazel's Drive-In.

Before:   

{I didn't realize Bryan had just put a french fry in his mouth}

After:

They both did very well; I think they were done in 20 minutes!  Then they went for a nice long bike ride to work it all off.

We're enjoying our California Adventure trip- we've been to Monterey, Salinas, San Jose, Folsom, San Francisco, and Oakley.  Our next stop is camping in the Sierra Nevadas.  We also found a place to live!  It's in Fair Oaks, which is right next to Folsom.  We'll go back to Utah for a few weeks then plan to move on August 23rd- one month away!  

Folsom, CA

Last week Bryan got a job offer in Folsom, California.  We are so grateful for this opportunity and excited to be moving on, but I can't help feeling that this is moving us in the opposite direction I was hoping for.  Basically I cried for three days straight last week trying to wrap myself around this new idea.  I'm scared to death to leave our friends and the life we've known here in Provo, and it makes me ill to think of the 3,000 miles that will separate me and the rest of my family.  But, it's time to go and this is the place for us so onward and upward!

To comfort my teary soul I've been doing lots of research on our new home.  We're not sure if we'll actually live in Folsom or one of the surrounding areas (we'll decide that next week when we go out to find a place.)  But here are some of the awesome things about Folsom:
- It's only an hour and a half away from Bryan's parents.  It will be so fun and helpful to have them close by.
- It has an outlet mall (yea!), Target, Michaels, Costco, and all other essentials
- The Sacramento Airport is close- and it looks like I'm going to be a frequent flyer
- The Sacramento Temple is nearby
- It has a library
- It looks (and everyone says) it is a really pretty area- I'm hoping to be surrounded by trees again
- It has a hospital (Bryan said, "great, I can do crazy things on my mountain bike and not have to go too far if I get hurt,"  I said, "I was thinking more along the lines of we can have a baby.")
- Yes, it has a prison that Johnny Cash sings about (and every single person we've told about the move has reminded us of this:)  )
- There's a 32 mile walk/bike trail around the city- hopefully will be helpful in saying adios to baby weight
- If the trail doesn't do the trick there's a "Hot Hula" class at the local 24 Hour Fitness
- We've heard that there are a lot of church members there, so we're hoping they'll take care of us and be our friends.

We have a whirlwind month before we work on moving- a trip to California to see family and friends and check out our new casa, a visit from my family once we're back in Utah, and Bryan's graduation in August.  Then we're hitting the real world.  It's definitely not going to be easy, but I know it's going to be good.

three years

July 6, 2007

It's been three years since we became Mr. and Mrs. Martinez.  Best decision ever.  My husband is swell.  For example- whenever we're sharing he always lets me have the last bite.  How wonderful is that?  He is kind, patient, generous, smart, and funny.  Sorry girls that I took this great guy before any of the rest of you could get at him.  Today I'm celebrating my luck at getting to be his wife forever.

Party in the U.S.A.

We've had an excellent 4th of July weekend.  I was a little apprehensive at first because it was my first time not being home in Virginia for the 4th.  But, let me tell you, Provo knows how to celebrate Independence Day.

Saturday morning we went to the Ballon Festival with the Paulsens.  It required waking up at 5:30 but was so worth it.  It was neat to see all the balloons get filled up.  Unfortunately it was pretty windy so not many balloons were able to fly but that's okay.  Afterward we went to Macey's for a FREE french toast breakfast.  It doesn't get much better than that.

Saturday night we sat outside the stadium and heard Carrie Underwood's concert perfectly (and could even peek through the fence and see her on the screen!)  I was pretty happy we didn't fork out the big bucks to actually be inside because we had almost the same experience and were so much more comfortable.  I will take lying on a blanket eating rice krispie treats over sitting in cramped bleachers any day- especially now that my back has noticed the extra weight it is carrying and has started protesting.  The fireworks were amazing and it felt like they were exploding right on top of us.  

Tonight we had a barbeque with some friends in our ward.  We had a great time eating and playing with Sparklers.

Tonight I am so grateful for the country we live in.  I watched Music and the Spoken Word this morning and got a little teary as they sang "God Bless America."  We are so blessed to live in this wonderful country and I know that God has blessed us in so many ways.  It was a wonderful weekend full of celebrating the red, white, and blue.