I had an awesome birthday. I got to go eat at Outback and pick a movie to watch. I chose The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Brandon was such a sport and watched it with me. This was an eventful week, both good and bad.

The Bad:

My Dad was submitted to the hospital late Saturday night because he had a stroke. (This does not help my emotional stage I am in lately). My Dad is only 53 and very active and healthy. He has a tear in his vertebral artery in the back of his head and blood clots have formed all around it. He is in a lot of pain and can't really comprehend what is going on. He is still in the hospital today, Sunday, getting several tests done. He also just recently found out that he will lose his job in December. So he needs your help. Please please please pray for my father that he may be able to become well and healthy again very soon.

One of our dear friends Dan Moedl got a kidney stone (on my birthday) and has been sick all week. Brandon and Dave gave him a blessing Friday and ever since he has been doing a lot better. His enormous kidney stone miraculously broke down by itself, and he is starting to "pass" pieces of it. Man, I am so thankful for the priesthood! He is still in pain though so say an extra prayer for him.

Now for the good:


Brandon and I at Outback for my birthday dinner. This is the birthday "dog" a.k.a Sundae I got to eat in celebration of turning 23.





















Brandon eating the Bloomin' Onion at Outback. Man was he happy about eating there!

















This is the "Slave Packet" I received as a gift from my Hubby. I am super excited to redeem my slave rewards. Examples: 3 full body massages, 2 times he will clean the bathroom without complaining, 3 times he will wash AND dry the dishes.. and more!

















I was craving pumpkin chocolate chip cookies so bad so while I waited for Brandon to get home from school on my birthday, I made myself some birthday cookies. Note there were a LOT more cookies than this and I took this picture the day after I made them!


All my old roommates took me out to dinner for my birthday on Thursday night. It was so fun to have a night with the girls and to hang out with them all again. I am the first to get married out of all 10 (3 not pictured) of us, so it is always kind of awkward between the singles and the married.















We went to see Twilight on Friday. My awesome friends Steph and Allyx got me this Twilight jacket and I sported it around all day! I have decided I need to see the movie again to really decide what I thought about it. NOTHING from my ideas in my head were close to how they portrayed it all in the movie. It made me so sad to see Edward as a skinny, gross teethed-really red lipped- boy.. but overall I would say I am happy with the movie and want to see it again.



Me crocheting with my kitties..


This is a horrible picture, but as I have mentioned Brandon and I tend to match and we do not plan on it ever. This was on our way to Zuppas for our anniversary dinner and we both walked out in white hoodies with something in a shade of pink on the front. I was wearing a white headband so I made Brandon put one on too so we could be totally matching. He only kept it on for a few moments.




















Mike and Leslie stayed with us one night this weekend, and Mike fell in love with the kittens.. and this is a big deal! This is Mike and Gunner. Notice Gunner's paws.. he is so darn cute!





















Miracles really do happen! Gas has dropped below 2 dollars! I have not seen this since high school. I sang at the top of my lungs, "Hallelujah" as I drove past this gas station.


The day has finally come! I made funeral potatoes for Brandon. He has been talking about these potatoes his Mom makes ever since we got married. So I got the recipe from Janene so I could make Brandon happy.. and it worked!


I am convinced Utah has some of the best sunsets EVER! Sunsets make me very happy so I thought I would share this one with all of you. I saw this on my drive home one night this week.

Can you believe it?! It has been three months. It honestly feels like so much longer than that. We are so comfortable with each other that it feels like we have been married forever! But in a completely good way. We are planning on going to Zupas tonight for dinner. It is our favorite. I can't wait.

So it is my birthday on Tuesday, the 18th, and I told Brandon all I wanted for my birthday is for him to go to my workout classes with me. I have been dying for someone to join me. Well since he has school every night next week, I made him go to kickboxing this morning with me. He lasted about 15 minutes and then walked out. He told me he couldn't do it and was too embarrassed. He is so adorable! He actually did really well, he just needs to not worry about other people. And we were in the very back and no one was looking at him, but he was still worried. I am just happy that he tried. And it made me soo happy to see how he really did want to go for me.

So like I said my birthday is Tuesday. Well Brandon is the absolute BEST HUSBAND EVER and got me kitties for an early birthday present! I have been begging him for a kitty and he has always told me that he will let me get a kitty if he could get a new computer. Well the computer he needs is at least $1000 so I figured I was never going to get a kitty since we we can't afford a new computer. Well I guess last week, when I went to dinner with he girls, Brandon went to go look at kitties, but fell in love with them, he brought them home that night! A week and a half before my birthday. They are they cutest things you have ever met. And so entertaining. All they do it sleep and wrestle. We got 2 boys from the same litter. They love playing. We clipped their claws last night and they hated it. They meowed like crazy. I felt really bad. But now they can't climb on the bed and it makes it totally worth it. Here are some pictures:


This is Sniper. He really likes to play Hide and Go Seek.


This is Gunner. He is really really fast and can jump like no other!


This is them wrestling.. they usually kick each other in the face like this.


Steph and Dave came to visit the kitties!

My boys sleeping. They like to go wherever Daddy is at.


He fell asleep doing his homework.. haha


Just going out with Dad..




This video is of Sniper playing with his new toy. Gunner found the bag more interesting!

Well it is the middle of the semester of school now and we are TOTALLY overwhelmed with everything going on. Seriously counting down the days until Thanksgiving break. I am extremely busy with school and sometimes pull all-nighters to get my homework done. Brandon has big projects due a lot and they take tons of time. He is also starting to work for a mobile marketing company called Xanthem. They provide companies with new options to market their consumers. It is a great idea! And it is the new thing now. Tons of companies are doing it. Like redbox.com. (Which we are OBSESSED with!). So anyways, Brandon is continuously creating new logos, business cards, and designing things for this new company. His first appointment with a potential client is on Tuesday!

At school I am working on 2 accounts in classes. One is called Job Pix, a college student job source website, and the other is UCMA, a mother and baby health care center in Payson Utah. They are not the most exciting accounts, but I am loving the experience. I am pretty much doing account planning right now, which basically is getting to know the consumers. I am in charge of figuring out who the consumers are and what they want. I never thought I would like this but it is fun! We even had to do an ethnography for each, and follow around a complete stranger for 3 hours. I had tons of fun with it! We are also editing and cutting all the film so I am learning tons of new things.

So basically every day this is our routine..
I got to work and school everyday around 8 AM. I get home at about 6:30, I start making dinner. Brandon goes to work and school everyday as well, and walks in the door around 7:15. We eat and talk until about 8, then since we don't have a dishwasher, we do the dishes together and continue to talk. At first, I was completely ok with not having a dishwasher, but now that we are even more busy, I want one so bad!! But we take turns washing and drying so it goes a lot faster having both of us do them. Then we go in to the second bedroom and sit at our separate desks, which face opposite walls, and do our homework. Then I usually go take a 15 minute nap, in purpose of "rejuvenating myself," but end up falling asleep around 11 or 12, then totally regret it when I wake up in a panic the next morning! Brandon lately has been falling asleep early as well, but somehow we take turns...

My Wednesdays I call my "Suicidal Days." This is when I have 3 quizzes due the next morning, and always at least one assignment or a midterm... since BYU believes in a midterms every 2 weeks. But somehow I make it through. Brandon is really helpful and supportive. He helps me calm down and wakes me up sometimes when I fall asleep too early.

I love cooking for him, even though I feel like I don't have enough time. We were given potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomatoes from Janene's garden, so we have some type of meal that incorporates those ingredients like every night! But it is awesome! We don't have to go to the store to buy those! And since I only get home like 45 minutes before Brandon, I try to make food that is quick so we can eat right when he gets home since I am always STARVING!! I mainly make mashed potatoes, chicken either breaded or marinated, steaks, chicken pillows, tacos, hamburgers, meatball surprises, stroganoff, stir-fry, homemade pizza, homemade lasagna, spaghetti, waffles, omelets, french toast, and beef stew (This is Brandon's favorite). Like I said, I love cooking, I just wish I had more time for it. I want more recipes so if anyone has something they love to make, send the recipe my way.. I am ALWAYS up for trying something new. We have tons of recipe books, but sometimes they are too overwhelming for me. I never know what to pick.

We always hang out with our friends Steph and Dave and Allyx and Dan. Yep, pretty much our only friends! And we love them! And we are soooo sad because they all are moving to Idaho the beginning of January so we will be complete losers after they move. I have to pretend like it isn't happening or else I will get really emotional. Oh and Steph and Dave are engaged!!! YAY! They are getting married on December 27th in the San Diego Temple. I am so excited. It will be so perfect. We went with Steph to her final dress fitting on Thursday and she looks GORGEOUS!! I can't wait until Dave gets to see her in the dress.

Chris, the youngest of 8 Marcum children tied the knot last Saturday, November 8th, to Julia Bradley. These two were so giddy the entire day. You could instantly tell how excited they were. They got sealed in the Rexburg, Idaho Temple. These two were actually the 1 millionth ordinance performed in the Rexburg Temple since its opening in February. Chris even raised the roof in the sealing room! Haha it was awesome. It was so fun to have the entire family there. And it was also fun being at a wedding, but not having it be ours. It was fun to watch and help out.

I am way excited to have Julia as a sister now! We are only 2 weeks apart so I know we will connect really well. She is so fun to be around. I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

The funniest part was Brandon and I received 5 gifts at their reception! We got married 3 months ago, but I guess some people didn't make it to ours and wanted us to still receive our gifts. Awesome right? That was our favorite part of getting married... the gifts! Keep them coming!

Brandon and I with the newlyweds.

We decorated their car. We had everyone write down advice for the couple on post-it notes and put them all over inside the car. It was way cool.


The kids signing the book.


I forced Jordan to hold my hand. By the look of his face, he thinks I am the worst aunt in the world.


Us outside the temple after the sealing.

Check out this article. I just found this on the internet randomly. I thought you all might enjoy reading it. Basically, a boy from BYU lied to his bishop that he was obeying the honor code. I am not sure exactly what he was doing, but it was bad enough that he got excommunicated from the church. He graduated in August '08, but BYU revoked his degree since his classes the last semester were not valid, since he was not obeying the honor code. Seems pretty understandable right? Well this guy created a calendar of returned missionaries. Each month has an RM on the page in his Missionary outfit, and then with just pants or small shorts on.... so shirtless. And he says since he got excommunicated, the sales on the calendar have doubled and he is happy about it. So he chooses damnation for some money? Hmmm.. well anyways, read the comments at the bottom. Everyone is blaming it on the church saying we are hypocritical and say this is all because we think we can do whatever we want.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/thegodblog/item/byu_strips_degree_from_creator_of_mormon_hunk_calendar_20081027/

http://www.mormonsexposed.com/

Also you can google Men on a Mission Calendar and see other articles about it.

I love Halloween! It is so fun to play dress up and run around and act kinda crazy. Even though I did this everyday for work at Disney World, I still love Halloween. We got to carve pumpkins with Allyx, Dan, Stephanie, and Dave the night before. We had awesome designs. I made mine into flowers. I got the idea from a Martha Stewart magazine cover in the check out line at Walmart when we were buying the pumpkins! haha. I was happy with it.

Halloween night I guess is different now that we are married though. Sad to say, but Provo kind of uses Halloween as an excuse to dress however you want. And act however you want. There are HUGE parties everywhere with tons of dancing and loud music. Even though I love to dance, I am just not really interested in going to those type of events anymore. So we went to Dan and Allyx's with Steph and Dave. Of course we all still dressed up. Allyx made really yummy Halloween desserts and foods. We played games all night and I actually had the time of my life! I love hanging out with them. And it is really fun to see how happy Brandon gets when he is around his guys.



This is us making the same faces as our pumpkins.

Carving pumpkins with the group.


Brandon and I on Halloween. I was his ball and chain.

Zombie Slayers, Ball and Chain, and Thing 1 and Thing 2.

We went to Disney World! But I wish we were still there. It was way too short for me.

I am still a seasonal employee, so all I have to do is work once a year to keep my status and still get the benefits. We got frequent flyer points so we decided to redeem our free flights and go to Orlando to escape for a weekend.

We left Thursday afternoon, the 23rd, and didn't get in to Orlando until midnight. But we didn't mind. We were so anxious! Brandon and I met my Mom and two sisters, Lindsey and Brittney down there in Florida. We had to wake up Friday morning to run some errands for me. I had to get my new ID, I had to have a re-look to make sure I still was approved as my characters. Then we went to Animal Kingdom during the day. I love this park! My most favorite show ever is the Lion King show. I think I have probably seen it 30 times or more now.. but I still get the goosebumps every time! I also love the Nemo show, the Dinosaur ride, the Safari ride, and the Everest ride. Seriously such an amazing park. Then we went to Epcot. I actually spent the first hour calling people for shifts, and going in to princess break rooms trying to get a shift. I had been trying for a month but could not get one until I got my re-look. So I was pretty desperate. But finally a girl in one of the break rooms gave me her shift! Whoo! So I worked as a Cindy "spare" Saturday morning at 6 am. So I sat around as an extra, waiting to make sure all the Cindy's (10 in Magic Kingdom a day) showed up for their shifts for the day. I was actually then moved to Epcot and did a lunch dining shift. When I worked full time there last year, that was my least favorite shift. But I loved it this time! I soaked up all the time I got with those little kids! I realized how much I missed it. Those kids were so fun! Then I met up with everyone in Magic Kingdom. We went on a bunch of rides, and even got Dole Whip! My favorite part was when we rode Splash Mountain, my Mom and Brit got completely soaked!

Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios all day. They have this new ride called Toy Story Mania. IT WAS AWESOME!! We rode it 3 times in a row. We were obsessed. It is like a ride, and you wear 3D glasses, and you shoot a Nerf-gun-like thing at a video screen and shoot targets. You get more points for certain ones. Seriously look it up online. Or go to Disney World or Land to see this ride! We hung out by the pool all day Monday until we had to leave for the airport.

I am so thankful for my family and Brandon for going down with me. We all needed a break from school and work.. so it was perfect. Here are some pictures:



Green Army Man! This was my favorite character to be.


The whole group at Hollywood Studios.


This is us really enjoying the Animal Kingdom Parade. I think this is one of the many moments we forgot our ages while we were there.


Magic Kingdom in front of Cinderella's Castle.


Zerg trapped us! This is from the Buzz Lightyear Ride.


At Epcot in front of the ball. I like him a lot!


I am pretty sure Brandon's favorite part of the trip was the food. I had coupons for free popcorn. Brandon had 4 popcorns in 1.5 days. He is obsessed!


My Mom will kill me when she sees this picture, but this is after she got SOAKED on Splash Mountain! She was a little surprised! haha

Hello all, sorry it has been so long since we have updated our blog. It has been a little extra busy in our home lately. And I told Brandon it was his turn to post, but he hasn't had the chance. So I wanted to share with everyone a wonderful experience Brandon and I had the past few weeks.

Well I guess we had a rough start when we got married. Not between us, but with outside factors. In fact, I am so glad we were here together, because I never would have made it through this alone. Right after we got married, Brandon found out he lost his job at The Music School and wasn't going to get paid for the past 2 months of his work. They went out of business and had no money to pay their employees. And my work has been struggling for a while with money and has always been late on my paychecks. But at this point, they were 4 paychecks behind. So Brandon and I both didn't have money coming in. Then we found out that Brandon did not get approved for Residency and we would have to pay the full out-of-state tuition amount at UVU. And then we found out we got denied for all our loan and grant applications. So Brandon's classes dropped since we didn't pay tuition. We didn't know what we were going to do.

Before the wedding, we were so busy planning, and busy going out of town for wedding and family things, that I never had the chance to pay my tithing for about 2 months. So finally that Sunday I caught up. This was really hard since we were struggling, but we didn't even second guess it. THAT SAME DAY, blessings started coming. I finally sold my hair which we were trying to do for a month, Brandon was able to stay at Square Magazine and get more hours so he could make some money, my work paid me all my paychecks they owed me, my Dad offered to be our Loan Lender and loan us the tuition money without interest (yep he is the best Dad ever!), and I got an interview for a second part-time job! We were overwhelmed with joy and tears as we realized who had sent these blessings. We knew exactly why we received them. This experience re-confirmed the truth that we must always go to the Lord first. We are so thankful for the Lord and the lessons he has taught us.

And actually, this situation brought Brandon and I closer as we dealt with our first "bump" in the road in marriage. And he was so good to me while I was so stressed! He has taught me how to relieve some of my stress and has helped me "try" to be more relaxed. He had complete faith in the situation. I have really learned a lot from Brandon since I met him. He is the calmest person ever, and does whatever he can to see the positive in any given situation. I am so thankful for my Father in Heaven who has blessed me with such an amazing husband. Without him, who knows where I would be!

We have had many adventures such as wrecking a car, an ear infection, stomach flu's, starting school and moving into our apartment. But overall it has been amazing because we have been through it all together.

We went on our honeymoon to Riviera Maya Mexico for a week. This was seriously the best vacation we could have ever asked for. Our room was right on the beach and had everything we needed within a 30 second walk. Everyone knew we were on our honeymoon and treated us like royalty! We wish we could still be there right now..

We moved into an apartment complex in Orem Utah and we are still trying to organize things. We both have been on our own for several years now, so we have accumulated a lot of stuff. And not crappy stuff, but really nice things. But we just don't have room for it all. Last Saturday, September 6th, we had our first yard sale! We officially don't have a yard, so we went down a couple of blocks to a corner with lots of grass and trees and set up. Before we even unpacked the boxes, we had a SWARM of people. Talk about overwhelming! People could have walked out with our stuff and we never would have known. But we ended up selling more than half of our stuff and donated the rest to DI. A successful day!

Brandon started school at Utah Valley University and is absolutely loving it! He is taking several art classes on top of graphic design classes. He sometimes stays after school to finish his work but doesn't even realize he is staying after. He comes home every night with a huge smile on his face. It is priceless. Brandon is still working at Rooster and White part-time as well as The Music School. He is a busy man!

Steph started another semester at BYU and is taking a full load. She is still working at Closet Technologies in between all her classes. She is a super senior this year and can really feel it. She is taking 3 senior level classes and 2 freshman classes. What a difference! She is the oldest person in those classes, but I guess that's what you get when you transfer schools two times. She is excited to finish and to graduate in April 2009.

We have been told its typical for newlywed couples, but we bot cut our hair! Steph and Brandon made an agreement that if Steph could cut her hair, then Brandon could buzz his head. Steph chopped off 17 inches and is selling it to a company that makes wigs out of human hair. She is still trying to adjust to it. Brandon had a really cool Mohawk for a week then buzzed it all off. He loves it.

The wedding was amazing! We are so thankful for all of those who were so kind to come to Idaho to spend that special day with us. It was a dream wedding for both of us and we couldn't have asked for more. Everyone helped put things together and things just looked amazing. The weather was perfect, which is surprising for Idaho! We got married in the Idaho Falls temple at 12:30 and had a luncheon at a local church with all close friends and family. We then had a reception at the Marcum's home in Rexburg. An outside reception was Stephanie's dream and it came true!

We then had a reception in Colorado after the Honeymoon and it was also amazing! This reception was perfect as well. The weather cleared up just right before it was to start, so all got to see the beautiful view of the lake. Brandon's parents flew out for it and it made us so happy!

The flowers were seriously so bright and beautiful. We took a picture with all of them since we were obsessed with them!

We are so thankful for all those who helped out and were able to come, and all those who were so kind to give us presents and share your love! We are still waiting on our photos, so as soon as we get those, we will be sending out thank you cards.

Some of the pictures have been posted on the photographer's website if you would like to see. Go to http://www.pextonphotography.com/, then click on weddings.

The video from the temple is also online. Go to http://pointedigital.blogspot.com/2008/08/stephanie-brandons-same-day-edit-video.html
. We are so happy with both of these and hope you enjoy them.