Cory & Kristen Hill

The Primary Program

2011-09-25T19:35:00.001-06:00

Today was our ward's primary program. I have to say that I love this program every year. Hearing from the kids is so much fun. It is also a blast to sit and watch the kids as they get restless throughout the program.

At one point, the Sunbeams on the front row were REALLY bored. One girl tried to crawl over the wall at the front so she wouldn't have to sit up there. The teacher caught her just as she had one leg swung over. Not to worry, she attempted it later in the program as well. She didn't get quite as far the second time before she got caught.

A little boy within the same class was so bored that he took off both of shoes and were playing with them on the banister in front of him. It completely cracked me up. The little Sunbeams are always my favorite because they were sitting there pulling faces at people out in the audience and just in general.

I have to say that the week of the Primary Program is always one of my favorite weeks to attend church. Gotta love it!

The Latest on Cory

2011-09-21T21:11:00.005-06:00

Cory decided recently that he needed to focus on getting his degree more quickly. So, he has decided to go back to school full time and move to part time at his job.

He has really enjoyed being in school full time and he feels like he is accomplishing a lot more by just being in school full time. He is hoping to have his degree finished in 2 1/2 years in Computer Science/ Network Administration.

I have to admit that it has been really nice having him home at night since he goes to school in the mornings and then works in the afternoons.

He is also enjoying being a Primary teacher for the 11-12 year old boys.

I'm Back

2011-09-21T21:06:00.002-06:00

So, after a long absence from writing on the blog, I have decided to start up again.

And to start with, I have a funny story. Monday night, Cory and I decided to play racquetball after work. When we were finished, we stopped at Big 5 in Layton to buy some wraps for the handles of our rackets.

As we were paying for our stuff, the cashier looked at my shirt (I happened to be wearing a Key West t-shirt) and said "I served my mission there." It took Cory and I both a second to realize what he was talking about. And then we both responded that it was cool that he served there.

And then, as my parting comment, I said "Well, he (and I pointed to Cory) served in Cabo San Lucas."

Cory could not stop laughing at me as we continued walking out to the car. It probably isn't that funny of a story but Cory was definitely laughing and I have no idea what prompted me to say it. :) Oh well . . . . at least I had sort of a snappy comment back to the cashier.

How can you not love this face?

2010-02-16T19:46:00.001-07:00

It makes me smile every day when I come home from work . . .

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-12T20:04:00.002-07:00

Cory and I got some pumpkins for Halloween. We decided to carve them the week before. I think it took us about 2 hours from start to finish with one pumpkin. We ended up not carving the second one because it took so long.

The pumpkin we did carve turned out great. However, it only lasted about a day and was all wilted by the time Halloween actually came around . . . poor pumpkin.

Here are some pics of what it looked like before it wilted.

Say hello to my little friend

2009-11-12T19:53:00.004-07:00

We have a new addition to our family. Her name is Poppy and she weighs about 8 1/2 pounds. She loves playing with her toys (especially her frog) and playing fetch.

We got her over Halloween weekend from Cory's mom. We love having her around and she is always entertaining. Now if only we could get her completely potty trained . . . .

Here are some cute pics. Enjoy!

My favorite part is the little hair that sticks up on her head. We had her groomed last week and it's still there. . . . cracks me up every time I look at her. :)

A Tough Week

2009-09-23T21:08:00.001-06:00

My Grandma Marshall died just over a week ago. This was particularly rough because it was my first grandparent to pass away. She will be greatly missed.

Mae Andrew Marshall (1925 - 2009)

Mae Andrew Marshall, 84, a longtime resident of Logan, passed away peacefully Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. She was born June 7, 1925, in Logan, Utah, to Lydia May and Alexander Leroy Andrew. She was raised and educated in Trenton, Utah, graduating from North Cache High in 1943. Mae attended the William Budge Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1943 and then joined the Nurses Corps in 1944. She graduated from nursing school in 1946 and worked at the Budge Clinic for Dr. Jay C. Hayward an Willis Hayward as a registered nurse. She married the love of her life, Arthur Bryan Marshall Jr., on July 3, 1946, in the Logan LDS Temple. Later she went to work at the Budge Hospital and worked there as it changed to the Logan LDS Hospital until she retired in 1986 after 40 years of service. She had been the supervisor for the nurses float pool at the end of her career. She also volunteered for many years at the Senior Citizen Center. An active member of the LDS Church, she has served in many or all of the organizations, including in the Primary and Relief Society presidencies. Besides her love for her family and their activities, Mae enjoyed quilting, crocheting, playing softball, bowling and golf. She has made all of her relatives beautiful, crocheted afghans and doilies, donated 50 dozen pairs of booties to the Humanitarian Services, and prior to her death made lap afghans for some of her friends at Terrace Grove. She loved to travel and has traveled to many states and parts of the world. She was a great wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and will be greatly missed by her family, which includes her husband; her eight children, Pat (Keith) Dagley of North Ogden, Utah; Kim (Karen) Marshall of Hyde Park, Utah; Scott (Pat) Marshall of Hyde Park, Utah; Kaylene (Joe) Yonk of Mendon, Utah; Bette (Kim) Liechty of Mt. Juliet, Tenn.; Sue (Dave) Draut of DeWitt, Mich.; Paul (Kelly) Marshall of Hyde Park, Utah; and Janet Deters - Scott Hofer of Green River, Wyo.; 39 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are sister-in-laws Wanda Andrew, Ruby Andrew and Ann Andrew; and brother-in-law, Leland A. Cottle. She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Mildred A. Cottle, Donald L. Andrew, Merlin L. Andrew, Norman J. Andrew, Dean C. Andrew, Heen Andrew and Laree A. Cottle. Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, at the Crockett Ward Chapel, 325 Lauralin Drive, Logan, Utah. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center, Logan, Utah, and from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Saturday prior to the services at the church. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the staff at Terrace Grove Assisted Living Center, Integrity Hospice and Dr. Robert Nash and staff for their loving care of our wife and mother. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Perpetual Education Fund or Missionary Fund of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

More House Pictures

2009-09-23T21:01:00.004-06:00

So here are some more long awaited pictures of the house. Sorry it took so long. These ones don't have any of the decorations either. Those will be coming in a little bit.

More House Pictures

2009-06-15T20:19:00.007-06:00

As promised, here are more pictures of the house as well as some more details.

Square footage: 1,737
3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
0.21 acres
Unfinished Basement
2 Car Garage
Fully fenced yard

View from the street.

This is the backyard. Rather than having a sloping yard,
the owners put in a small rock wall.
This is the guest bathroom. All the floors are completely
tiled as well as the countertops.

This is one of the bedrooms. Don't worry, it looks much
better than in the picture.

My absolute favorite feature is the kitchen. I didn't
think that I would like it when I saw the pictures but i absolutely LOVE IT!!!

The family room from the top of the stairs.

The family room from the kitchen.

House Pictures

2009-06-12T21:24:00.002-06:00

So, here is the first picture of the house. It's not very good quality and hopefully we will have some more soon.

Enjoy!

Exciting News!

2009-06-02T21:08:00.002-06:00

So, Cory and I have decided to buy a house. We close at the end of the month and are super excited.

I don't have any pictures just yet but I will hopefully have some soon so check back later (and I promise it won't be too long before I post again).

Christmas Catch up

2009-01-20T21:43:00.005-07:00

So I'm a little behind in posting pictures from Christmas. Please forgive me.

The weekend before Christmas, Cory and I went up to Logan for our annual Marshall family Christmas party. Things have changed a lot this year with my grandparents but it only made us all the more grateful for them and my whole family. Here is a picture of most of my family with each of my grandparents.

Cory and I went to my parents house for Christmas. It was a lot of fun, especially because two of my three brothers and their families were there. We had a lot of fun all week.

Probably my favorite moment of Christmas was giving my parents their Christmas present. This year we gave them a calendar with a collection of pictures from over the years. We had some pictures from us as kids growing up as well as some of the grandchildren and all of us as couples. Each month had a different theme, one for each family, my parents, the grandkids, the holidays. It was a blast to put together and even more fun seeing my parents face when they realized what it was.

The second part of the Christmas present was that we had "borrowed" all of my parents pictures over the years and organized them, scanned them in, and put them in photo albums. It was so much fun to see my parents expressions. Too bad that I didn't get any pictures of their reactions.

I think that my parents really enjoyed their present. It was so much fun looking through all the albums and reminiscing about everything growing up.

A day or two after Christmas, we decided to build up the snow bank in my parent's field next door and go sledding. My dad helped with his 4-wheeler and pushing the snow up to make a long path/tunnel that was easier to sled down. It was a blast! And we definitely didn't want to come home.

Steve's kids got a train table for Christmas. This was the adults helping put it together.
It was hard to tell who had more fun with it initially.

Liz holding Belle in a Christmas hat. So cute!

Tate opening a Christmas present.

Cory standing next to the snow bank that we had built up.
It was at least 4 to 5 feet tall (Cory is 6'2").

Lights on Temple Square

2009-01-20T21:30:00.003-07:00

Right before the holidays, Cory and I decided to take a trip to Temple Square for our annual trip. Here are some pics from our excursion.

Cory standing with the shepherds.

Kristen standing with the shepherds.

Tagged!

2008-11-07T21:12:00.005-07:00

My friend Angie just tagged me . . . so here goes!

8 TV shows I watch
1- The Office
2- Chuck
3- House
4- Desperate Housewives
5- NCIS
6- Lost
7- Burn Notice
8- Extreme Makeover - Home Edition

8 Things that happened yesterday
1- Carpooled with Cory to work
2- Attended 4 different meetings
3- Read my job description for the 1st time (I've been in this position over a year)
4- Waited for 40 minutes for our dinner (last time I go to that restaurant)
5- Scanned in over 150 pictures
6- Went shopping at KMart (they are going out of business and everything was at least 50% off)
7- Watched The Office
8- Downloaded some new games onto my blackberry

8 Favorite Places to eat
1- Texas Roadhouse
2- Cafe Rio
3- Pei Wei
4- My Kitchen
5- My mom's kitchen
6- Market Street Grill
7- Firehouse Pizza or Fredrico's
8- Charlie's Ice Cream (in Logan)

8 Things I am looking forward to (no particular order)
1- Christmas
2- Thanksgiving
3- Sleeping in tomorrow
4- Having certain bills paid off
5- Cory being done with school
6- Snow
7- Twilight Movie
8- Marshall Family Summer Vacation 2009

8 Things on my wish list
1- A new phone (I hate my blackberry)
2- To lose 15 more pounds (I'm definitely on my way though . . . WAHOO!)
3- A fun family vacation
4- To be a stay at home mom
5- Another fun vacation with Cory
6- A new wardrobe
8- A new couch

8 People I tag
1- Liz
2- Traci
3- Danica
4- Jen
5- Amy P.
6- Mandy
7- Chrystal
8- Teresa M.

Halloween, Leaves, and Weekend at my Parents

2008-11-05T19:41:00.012-07:00

Halloween is the biggest holiday at my work, even bigger than Christmas. All the employees go all out. We have huge costume contests, cubicle decorating contests and everyone brings there family to trick or treat to all the cubicles. This year, my team decorated our team area as a circus/carnival. This is one of my coworkers who was dressed up as the Human Cannonball.

There was this cute kid that came through dressed as a chicken nugget. I laughed so hard and had to take a picture. Mostly because we tease my niece Madison all the time about how she is going to going to turn into a chicken nugget because that's all she eats. The bucket that the little boy collected his candy in was his "dipping sauce."

Cory and I had to rake a tons of leaves in our front yard before it got too cold and snowed. We decided to take a few hours one night and rake it all up. We were finally finished after 11 1/2 full leaf bags. I wanted to play in them a little bit before we bagged them all up. Although I forgot that you're supposed to pile the leaves up enough so that they cushion you when you jump in them. Oops! I only hurt my knee a little bit.

Then Cory and I decided to go up to my parents house this past weekend since Stephen and Mandy were going. We also haven't been up there in a while so thought that it was time to go visit again.

We had a blast playing on the four wheelers, shooting the paint ball gun, and playing in the leaves. Here are some pictures from our fun weekend.

My dad with the grandkids on the four wheeler.

Everyone was helping raking the leaves. Tate and Madison were gathering up armfuls of leaves to put them on the pile.

Stephen was having fun throwing the kids into the pile of leaves.
Tate was the only one that didn't like it at all.

The kids all had leaves everywhere on their clothes
and in their hair when we were done.

We all took turns shooting the paintball gun but I couldn't resist taking a picture of this.
I think that Tate had the most fun shooting the gun.

Funny Pictures

2008-10-22T19:20:00.008-06:00

So I have been going through a lot of pictures and files recently and found some funny pictures of family and friends that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

My nephew Trevor in his new swimsuit from Hawaii. This was back in 2002 so he is only about 2 years old in this picture (he's now 8).

My sisters-in-law Bobbi, Mandy, and myself at a family function about 6 years ago.

Angie (Hammond) Dewey and I in Hawaii in 2002. This was at Waimea Bay.

My old roommates from M-2 in Old Farm. Jen, Kellie, Traci, Mary, and me.

My roommates and I used to have "Wrestle Mania" every once in a while. This is Jen, Kellie, and me one night. We sure did have a lot of fun.

4 Wheelers!!

2008-09-18T12:35:00.003-06:00

My parents bought a 4 wheeler a few weeks ago and Cory and I went up last weekend to take a ride on it (we also wanted to go see my parents). We had a blast! We went up above Hyde Park into the canyon and were riding all over the foothills. I was sitting on the back most of the time letting Cory drive and I got a little dirty because of it.

Here are some pics from the weekend with the 4 wheeler.

Wow was I dirty . . . my hair even looked gray.

My dad riding around the yard.

Can you believe it?

2008-09-16T19:24:00.004-06:00

Last weekend, Cory and I had the opportunity to go to Syracuse to my brother Steve's house for my nephew Trevor's baptism. I still can't believe that he is 8 years old and has been officially baptized.

It was a great experience and I was so proud of Trevor. It definitely made me think of my own baptism day and the wonderful feelings.

I only got a few pictures (and sadly only one and Steve and Trevor) but here they are below.

Trevor & Steve right before

My cute nephews playing in the yard afterwards.
Connor, Tate, and Cohen (from left to right)

Badminton and Bicycling

2008-09-14T21:16:00.005-06:00

So Cory and I decided to go visit my parents over Labor Day weekend. We wanted to take our bikes and go for a short ride while we were there. Since we are trying to save money on gas, we decided to pick up a bike rack for my Honda Civic. Trying to put it on the car became a comedy of errors.

The instructions say that it only takes about 30 minutes to mount on the car. Boy, are they wrong. Cory and I had a little bit of a difficult time getting it on. We were close to getting it all done when we realized that one of the pieces was stripping the screw that we were trying to put in it. So, we had to take the piece back to REI to get it replaced. So, we made a quick trip and they were able to swap it out for us. When we got home and realized that they had forgotten to give us the washer from the new set. So, I had to run back to REI while Cory put another piece of the car rack together. At this point, it was 7:45 and we were planning on leaving by 5:30. It was also getting dark so we knew that we had to hustle.

So, when I got home, we finished putting the bars on the top of the car and when to put the pieces on that actually hold the bikes. Cory was already working on one (what he had been working on when I ran back to the store) so he told me to pull out the other one to put on the car. I opened up the box and pulled it out. I followed the first couple of steps and then realized that I was stuck since I didn't have any tools. I asked Cory where they were and he said that they should be in the box. My first reaction was to ask if he was kidding. After looking around for several minutes to find the missing tools and hardware, we realized that the piece that we had purchased was missing the required pieces.

At this point, it was 9 p.m. and we were 3 1/2 hours late leaving from Salt Lake. So, we just decided to leave without the bikes since REI was closed and there was no way that we were going to get the replacement box that night.

As we were driving to grab some dinner, we heard something roll off my car from where we have been mounting the bike rack. So, we pulled over to see what had fallen off. One small piece hadn't been screwed on tight enough and had ended up coming loose and rolling off. Since we were on a side street when we heard it, a car had just happened to drive over it. The piece was slightly broken but still usable.

So, we took off to Logan. The weekend was still definitely worth it even without the bikes. My parents ended up buying a badminton set and it was a blast! I don't know how many times I was hit in the head with a birdie from my dad.

The weekend was really relaxing and a lot of fun. Cory and I were also able to make dutch oven ribs and potatoes for my parents and Jon & Liz. They all seemed to enjoy it a lot.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Nursery Leaders

2008-08-27T12:27:00.002-06:00

Right before Cory and I left to go to Hawaii, a member of the Bishopric stopped us after Sacrament meeting and said that he wanted to extend a calling to us. . . . to be the Nursery Leaders in the ward. Cory and I were both somewhat stunned and couldn't respond for a minute. Although I wish I had camera at that point because Cory's face was priceless.

After the initial shock was over and Cory could close his mouth again, we accepted the calling.

I have to admit that it is tougher than I originally thought it would be. Having 8 18-month-olds crawling all over you and demanding your 100% attention is somewhat draining. It is a little fun though and it's especially fun to see Cory interact with the kids.

Bad Habits

2008-08-26T21:13:00.002-06:00

So as most of my close friends and family know, I have a very bad habit of being addicted to Diet Coke. It's something that I have done since I was a teenager and haven't been able to kick the habit . . . until now.

I am very proud to say that I have officially gone a whole week without drinking a single drop of Diet Coke.

I have tried to stop drinking it several times over the years but have never been strong enough. All that I really needed was a good enough reason to stop.

Last week, I ended up in the emergency room due to some kidney stones. I can honestly say that I have never been in that much pain in my life. And I definitely wouldn't wish that on anyone. One of the things that the doctor told me was that I really needed to stop drinking soda as that is probably the primary reason that I got the kidney stones. So, after a few really bad caffeine headaches, I think I am on my way there.

Wahoo!!

I've Been . . .

2008-08-24T18:17:00.003-06:00

Tagged

My friend Angie tagged me

A. Attached or Single - Attached
B. Best Friend – Cory
C. Cake or Pie – Either . . . as long as it has chocolate somewhere
D. Day – Saturdays so I don't have to go to work
E. Essential Item(s) – Flip flops, Chapstick, hair elastic (although Cory did say that I don't go anywhere without my laptop)
F. Favorite Color – Blue
G. Gummy bear or Worms – Gummy Bears, they taste better
H. Hometown - Hyde Park
I. Indulgences – chocolate, ice cream, bloggin
J. January or July – January: I love bundling up, plus starting a new year
K. Kids – Nope
L. Life is incomplete without – Cory
M. Marriage Date – March , 2007
N. Number of siblings – 3 older brothers.
O. Oranges or Apples – Apples . . unless they're cooked (I hate cooked apples)
P. Phobias or Fears – water (although I am getting a lot better and I definitely enjoying snorkeling now)
Q. Quote – "Rise to the Divinity within you."
R. Reason to Smile – lazy Saturday mornings spending time with Cory
S. Season - Spring 'cause everything comes alive again
T. Tag – Liz and Danica
U. Unknown fact about me – I collect clocks from everywhere I've traveled
V. Vegan or Oppressor of Animals – oppressor of animals
W. Worst Habit – working too much. I have gotten a lot better lately.
X. X-rays or Ultrasounds – what kind of question is this?
Y. Your favorite food – Stoganoff, Cafe Rio, or Pizza
Z. Zodiac Sign – Leo

Hawaii Pictures & Details

2008-07-31T21:29:00.035-06:00

Cory and I just got back from Hawaii. So, we thought we'd give a little update on how our trip went.

We were in Hawaii from Thursday, July 24th through Tuesday, July 29th. It was a blast and much needed! We are both feeling really relaxed now. The one downfall to going to Hawaii in July is how hot it is . . . YIKES!!

Below I have included some fun pictures. I tried to give a daily recap of what we did as well. I hope you enjoy.

Friday - Polynesian Cultural Center
Cory and I decided to go to the PCC since he has never been there before. The PCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of Polynesia while providing scholarships for hundreds of Polynesian students attending BYU-Hawaii.

It gives you a pretty good feel of what the different cultures are like of different islands in Polynesia, including Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, and Samoa. They have different activities around each of the islands that you can participate in. Here are just some of the pictures from that day.

The sign at the entrance to the PCC.Cory & I standing in front of one of the many waterfalls.Tonga performing in the Canoe Pageant. All of the islands were represented.
Cory & I at the show before it started trying to kill some time. I couldn't resist.

Also on Friday before we went to the PCC, we found the Hukilau Cafe and decided to eat there. It's a little different than the Hukilau Cafe in "50 First Dates" but it was still fun anyway. And the food was really good.

Saturday - Hanauma Bay

On Saturday, we made the trip down to Hanauma Bay to do some snorkeling. This is one place that I didn't get to visit on my last two trips to Hawaii so I was pretty excited to go. Cory was just plain excited to go snorkeling.

We did end up getting a little sunburned while we were here. Cory got it a little worse than I did since I had gotten a good base tan before we went (I learned my lesson one of the last times I was in Hawaii . . . I'll never go to the beach again without sunscreen).

The view out over Hanauma Bay from our beach towels.The palm tree we were sitting next to on the beach.

There aren't really any bad views on any beach in Hawaii

Look closely at this picture to see if you can find the crab. . . .

We saw a great sea turtle

Some of the many fish that we saw while snorkeling

Cory & I in our snorkeling gear in Hanauma Bay

Sunday - USS Arizona Memorial (Pearl Harbor)

Cory and I decided to go to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl City. The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship.

The level of respect that everyone had while we were there was incredible. As soon as we walked onto the memorial, everyone became quiet and very respectful.

The sign outside the visitor's center

This anchor was taken from the hulk of the USS Arizona.
It weighs over 19,000 pounds.

This is a model of what the USS Arizona looked like before it sank.

A model of the Japanese air carrier

The outside of the USS Arizona Memorial

There are a couple portions of the USS Arizona that are still visible above water.
This is gun turret #1.

This is the flag that flies over the memorial.

This is the Shrine Room with all the names of the crewmen who
lost their lives aboard the USS Arizona.

Cory with a battleship in the background.
The buoy marks the end of the USS Arizona.

Kristen with the battleship.

After the USS Arizona Memorial, we decided to take a drive up to the North Shore. It was a nice drive and we were able to watch the waves for a while.Cory looking at a wave right before it hits him

One of the most beautiful views from a beach on the North Shore

Monday - Valley of the Temples & The North Shore
On our last day in Hawaii, we decided that we just wanted to spend some more quality time on the beach. So, we took a nice drive up to the North Shore. On the way there, we stopped to take a short detour through the Valley of the Temples.

There is a really beautiful Buddhist temple in there past a cemetery. The Byodo-In Temple was established in 1968 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In was built entirely without nails and was built to represent the mythical phoenix.

Kristen standing on the bridge in front of the Byodo-In Temple

Byodo-In Temple

Sand gardens at the Byodo-In Temple

The large Buddha within the temple. This Buddha is thought to be the largest figure carved since ancient times. Towering more than 18 feet, the immense figure is an original work of art carved by the famous Japanese sculptor, Masuzo Inui.

This Bell House contains a five foot hight, three ton brass bell. A soft wooden log called the "shu-moku" is used to strike the bell. The bell is customarily rung before one enters the temple to spread the eternal teachings of Buddha.The Hall is popularly known as Hoo-do, or the Phoenix Hall because a pair of legendary birds of good omen and of Chinese origin is seen perched on both ends of the roof with their wings spread and ready to fly. The grounds of the temple are beautiful and have many things to look at. This is a small gazebo that we wandered to.

There are beautiful waterfalls in a couple of different places.

These are the stairs leading up to the gazebo.

After leaving the Byodo-In Temple, we also went to the LDS temple in Laie. It is another beautiful site on Oahu. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Other Random Things to Note
There were a few other funny/random things that happened to Cory that I thought were worth mentioning.

1. Parking at our Hotel: We stayed at a hotel off Waikiki beach in Honolulu. However, because the number of people that were staying there, there were a limited number of parking spots. So . . . . we ended up having to park at one of their sister hotels about 6 blocks away. It made for a good walk every morning and night.

2. When we picked up our rental car at the airport, they gave us a car that someone had smoked in before. It made Cory and I so sick after the first day that we took it back and asked for another car. Because we had a problem with the first car, they upgraded us to a red Mustang convertible for the same price. It was great to have a convertible all week long. Here are a couple of pics.

3. On the walk to the car every morning, we passed a really funny sign. I don't really think that any other explanation is needed . . .
4. Another random thing was that the room that we stayed in at our hotel was the only room on our floor that didn't have a balcony. Apparently on each floor, there is only one room that doesn't have one . . . and we got it on our floor. It was funny because when we looked at that hotel, it was cheap but we could still get a balcony . . . and then we didn't end up getting one.

Family Reunion

2008-07-14T22:18:00.021-06:00

The weekend of July 12th, Cory and I had the opportunity to go to the Stephenson Family Reunion. This was my mom's brothers and sisters and all of their kids. It was held at my grandparents' cabin up Logan Canyon. Our last Stephenson family reunion was in 1989 . . . it's been a while. Now, most of us are married and have kids.

Overall, it was a blast! It was so great to see all of my cousins again. We played a lot of games, went on several walks, played on the big swing, and ate some great food. Below are some pictures from our adventures.

The Giant Swing
My grandparents have a giant swing next to the cabin. It can be a little scary at first but it is a blast. It was a rule at the reunion that everyone had to take a turn, even my grandparents.

My mom as she gets ready to take her turn on the swing.

Cory trying not to be scared while he looks like a little kid.

Even I had a little fun . . .

Mandy taking a turn.
My grandma . . . .

Trevor was reaching out to try to grab leaves while swinging.Madison enjoying a ride.

Other Random Pictures

My cute grandparents with the cabin in the background.

Trevor sitting by the fire pit eating some cheese puffs.

Almost the entire Stephenson family . . . . there were still 16 more that weren't able to come.

As a tradition, we always hide bubbles for all the little kids. I couldn't tell who was having more fun, the adults or the kids . . .

Cory & I packing up a few things before we had to leave . . .

My dad enjoying some good conversation

4th of July

2008-07-07T19:30:00.004-06:00

We had a great 4th of July. We were able to go to Logan to spend time with my family. We had some good times including floating down the river, watching some fireworks, going for a walk in the canyon, and even playing kickball.

Here are some fun pics of the family at the fireworks on Thursday night. I will try to post more pictures later but I don't have any others on my camera.

Hawaii . . . here we come!

2008-07-02T19:49:00.004-06:00

Cory and I decided the other day that we needed a break from everything (especially our jobs) so we booked a trip to HAWAII.

We are going July 24th through July 29th. It will be somewhat of a quick trip but we wanted to go anyway.

Cory has never been before and he is super excited. So excited in fact that he bought us some snorkel gear to take with us on the trip. Below are some fun pictures from when we got the masks and fins tonight and had to try them on. . .

I'm a Princess

2008-07-01T22:41:00.002-06:00

So I just found this cute Disney Princess quiz on one of my friend's blogs and thought I would give it try.

I turned out to be . . . CINDERELLA!

Click here to find out which Princess you are.

You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Pics of the New Place

2008-06-23T12:45:00.005-06:00

So, I've been getting a lot of grief over not updating the blog very often. Here are some pictures of our house from the outside along with a funny story. I will be posting more pics of the inside soon.

Last week, Cory & I were trying to be proactive in getting our house pictures up on the blog. One night after work, we decided to run outside really quick to take some pictures. We walked out the front down and closed the door behind us. As Cory shut the door, I asked him to make sure that it wasn't locked. He checked and . . . sure enough, it was. We didn't think it would be a problem because you usually have to lock the door with the two deadbolts.

We had just barely locked the back door as well since we didn't think we'd be going anywhere that night. So, we were officially locked out. Luckily, we have people that live in an apartment below us so we could just call our landlord to come unlock the door. I ran down there really quick and asked it we could borrow their phone (yes, we were standing outside with no shoes and no cell phones).

I knocked on the door to the neighbors house and asked them to use the phone to call the landlord. Our neighbor's first question was, "Aren't the landlords out of town?" Cory and I had completely forgotten that the landlords were out of town and would be for another week. Luckily, they had left the name of their son to contact in cases of emergency.

We ended up sitting outside for over an hour before the landlord's son came and unlocked the doors for us. Needless to say, we are very careful whenever we go outside for a minute now.

The front of the house.

We have a cute barbecue/patio area out back along with a big lawn.

Cory sitting out front of the house waiting to get the house unlocked.

Husband Tag

2008-06-13T23:10:00.003-06:00

1. What is his name? Cory Kim Hill ( But his friends and family call him Fathead )

2. How did you meet him? I had a bet with my roommates to see who could talk to the most guys. . . . and he was one of the lucky ones that I talked to. We met at Ward Prayer in our Student Ward in Salt Lake.

3. How long have you been married? Just over a year . . . one very long year.

4. How long did you date? We dated for just over a year and were engaged for 3 months after that.

5. How old is he? 27 but will be 28 in November.

6. How old are you? 26, almost 27 (YIKES!!)

7. Who is a better singer? I would definitely say me. He can't carry a tune to save his life.

8. Who is smarter? It depends on the subject.

9. Who does laundry? We both do but I do it more often. :)

10. Who does the dishes? We both do but I do them more often.

11. Who pays the bills? We split them evenly (depending on who has more money that month).

12. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

13. Who mows the lawn? He does but I do a lot of the weeding around the house.

14. Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time because he loves to make me cook.

15. Who drives? He does (and makes me car sick almost every time I get in the car).

16. Besides you, who is his best friend? Jim is his best friend

17. What was your first date? We went to a haunted corn maze . . . he thought that I was more scared than I actually was and tried to comfort me by holding my hand.

18. Who proposed? He did at the Logan Temple on November 27, his birthday. I knew it was coming because he gave it away by driving up the wrong street. :)

19. Who has more siblings? We have equal. He has 2 brothers and a sister. And I have all brothers.

20. What is your favorite thing about him? My favorite thing is that he makes me want to be a better person and my best self. I also love his smile and his blue eyes and the way he always takes care of me.

I Tag: Mandy

My Brother's Wedding

2008-06-05T19:47:00.010-06:00

My oldest brother Jon got married to Elisabeth Cooper on May 10th in the Houston Temple. Cory and I had the opportunity go down to Houston to be with them on their special day. The trip was a blast and it was great to see Jon get married. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Jon and Liz coming out of the Temple.

It was so hot that day that all of us were trying to
hide out in the shade as much as possible.

Here are Jon & Liz with my parents.

My dad is a big jokester but you have to be
quick to catch it on camera. :)

Jon & Liz with most of the family.

The beautiful Houston Temple.
The happy couple at the reception.

And last but not least, what would be a wedding
without a few car decorations.

We're Moving!!

2008-03-26T22:39:00.004-06:00

So, we just wanted to let everyone know that we're moving. After living in this apartment complex for over a year (Cory has now lived here for three years), we decided to move out. WAHOO!!

We were able to find a little house in the Sugar House area that we will be renting. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a garage, a good-sized yard, and washer/dryer hookups (which is definitely our favorite part). We also like the fact that we don't have to walk 1/4 mile from the parking lot to our apartment (this is not a joke at all). We get to park right behind the house.

Anyway, we signed the lease about two weeks ago and were so excited that we went home and packed up half the apartment. :) I can't tell who is more excited, me or Cory.

I will be sending out the address soon (probably once we actually move in).

California Trip

2008-03-22T10:30:00.009-06:00

Cory and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary. CRAZY! Time has flown but it's been a great year.

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to spend a few days in California. We went to Universal Studios and Disneyland. Mostly because I had never been there before. It was so much fun! Here are some quick pictures from our trip.

Enjoy!

This is us outside Universal Studios in front of the famous globe.

We went to see a Shrek movie in 3-D so they gave us these fun glasses.
We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture.

This is us right inside the gates of Disneyland before you walk into the main portion of the park. We were so excited to be there.

In front of the Castle.

On the California Screamin' Roller Coast.
Cory made us go on this ride about 7 times before we could leave. It was by far his favorite. :)

We also got to walk one of the Disney parades.
This is Pete's Dragon blowing fire out his nose. :)

Back from Christmas Break

2008-01-02T22:26:00.001-07:00

Cory and I are finally back from our Christmas vacation. We spent about a week in Logan and then went up to Idaho for 3 days. We had a nice, quiet (for the most part) Christmas. Cory gave me diamond earrings and necklace as well as an MP3 player while Cory got a TomTom navigation system.

We also went sledding with my neice and nephew, Trevor and Madison. It was a blast, especially when Stephen knocked over Trevor as he came down the hill. Trevor was trying to kick the tube and instead ended up flat on his back after his legs flew out from under him when Stephen hit him. It was hilarious.

My brother Stephen also got another Yorkie puppy a few months ago. We had a lot of fun playing with her this week and I got some great pictures of her (below). She loved sleeping in the shoes, attacking Stephen (pretending to be a little bear on her hind feet), and just being super cute.

Another highlight was my nephew Tate. He was pretty entertaining the whole week, especially when he decided to make "motor" noises for about 20 minutes. Here is a short clip of him entertaining us (not the whole 20 minutes, I promise).

He also knows when there is a camera around and posed for this really cute picture when he saw me coming.

Our First Christmas Tree

2007-12-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, we put up our Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago. When we first pulled the tree out, we were amazed by how many tags came on the cord. It totally made us laugh so we had to take a picture of it.

And here is a picture of our decorated tree. We are really excited about Christmas this year and to have extra time to spend with our family.

Adventures from This Summer

2007-12-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

As I was looking through our camera today, I noticed that we had some pictures from one of our camping trips this summer. This picture below is when Cory decided to tear a tree stump in half so that we would have some wood for our campfire.

Another fun trip that we took was to Jackson Hole for my birthday. We took a ride to the top of one of the ski lifts and took some great pictures. It was a blast, too bad the camera died before we could get better pictures on the way back down.

This was us as we were riding to the top of the mountain.

Our First Blog

2007-11-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Cory and I have finally decided to try out blogging. We're not sure exactly what we'll talk about but thought that we'd give it a try.

Cory and I put up our Christmas tree last weekend. We are really excited to celebrate Christmas together this year in our own apartment. There are even presents under the tree already. :)

This has been a great year for Cory and I. We were married in March and then went on a honeymoon to the Bahamas. It was a blast. We have also been on several other small trips this year. We went on a camping trip to Red Canyon in southern Utah with Cory's sister and her family. Cory also took me to Jackson Hole in August for my birthday. We have also been on several trips to Logan and to Pocatello to see family.

We are both also keeping very busy with work and just getting settled in our apartment. We live in an apartment in Salt Lake City. We are hopefully going to be looking for a house soon since we don't really enjoy living in the apartment very much.

We will add more later but just wanted to get started.