Attatched

It is 2:00 am. I just got done vacuuming my bedroom. Why? Because I am unable to fall asleep without my husband. He works graves and we no longer sleep at the same time, snuggled right next to each other. Honestly it bothers me.

Dustin and I met February 14, 1996. We were at the same ice skating rink for our ward's mutual activity. No, we were not there as part of the mutual group, we were leaders. He had just returned from his mission, three months prior, and was the deacon adviser. I was there because my brother was the Young Men's president and I was helping him. My brother introduced us. Dustin offered me a ride home and upon arriving, asked me out for that weekend. I apologized and told him I wouldn't be able to this weekend. I told him that I was going home for my boyfriend's mission farewell. Not words he wanted to hear, I'm sure. He asked about the weekend after that, I agreed. We said goodbye.

February 24, 1996. This was our first date. He took me to see Vandermiede, a magician, at the Murray theater. I think we even got ice cream after, but I'm not sure. All part of his clever plan to not spend too much on a date that might not pan out. He had been set up many times since coming home. And I did have a boyfriend, after all.

I think, much to his surprise, we had a good time getting to know each other. He asked me a lot about my boyfriend and the promise ring I was wearing, trying to see how serious it was. I pretty much told him it was very serious and I just planned on dating and having fun until my boyfriend returned. He seemed okay with it. It didn't sour the date. Maybe it even gave him a challenge, I don't know. After dropping me off, he asked if I wanted to go to a fireside with him the next evening. I said sure, I had nothing else to do.

To make a long story short, in that 1st week of knowing each other we went on 5 dates. The boyfriend didn't work out like I thought it would and we were never apart from that time forward.

So, is it any wonder why I can't sleep without him? After 14 years of marriage I can count on one hand the number of times we have been separated (well, if you don't include the annual hunts).

I try to keep myself busy, facebook comes in handy. My daughter tells me all the time that she got up in the middle of the night to turn off my TV because I had fallen asleep with it on. Housekeeping makes the time go fast, but it is the last option.

How happy do you think I am to say this?:

Dustin Merritt will no longer be working the graveyard shift!! We will be sleeping in the same bed, at the same time. And I will not be vacuuming my house at 2 am anymore. At 2 am I will be fast asleep in the crook of my husband's arm.

I cannot wait.

Winter Fun

The first part of November we were hit with two big snow storms. We took advantage! My kids love to play in the snow. I, however, do not. I was good sport and went out anyway and took some snapshots. I love winter snapshots! For some reason, they are my favorite! So enjoy!

*note: My kids were off track all November, Ryan was in school









Dustin loves the snow!! (crazy) He hooked the sled up to the 4 wheeler and pulled the kids around for a good hour. I was too late to get pics of the girls. They gave up early and wanted their hot chocolate (always a tradition after snow play). The boys were not! They even made a jump. Their cousin Jerimiah had slept over, so he got to join in the fun!













Fun for everyone! Now I'm just waiting for spring. (why is winter our longest month?)

Marriage has Changed Us

While blogging about our trip to Mexico,something wonderful happened. Dustin and I celebrated 14 years of marriage! I consider this a huge accomplishment. We have come along way since those early years of marriage. We are both so different. He no longer yells, complains, and argues that the toilet paper is on wrong! I have convinced him that there never was a right way and he should just be happy if it finds it's way to the toilet paper holder. We are both not quite as opinionated as we once were. We have learned to find common ground, but we still have hard time with not being right. Something that will never change, I'm sure.

It amazes me to look at old pictures and really comprehend how young we were! That has definitely changed. We are no longer that young, cool couple. We are the middle aged grumps. We both wake up each morning with stiff backs and joints, cursing our age. Our bodies are not what they used to be. We both have gained about 30lbs from that day.

My goal after the wedding day was to start school.I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Teacher? Counselor? Something humanitarian? The choices were endless and mine to achieve! Those plans came to a screeching halt 4 months later when I learned I was pregnant. I am very, very far away from those aspirations.

Sometimes it is a little confusing. I feel sad that I am not that girl anymore. I'm so different. Should it really be that way? Shouldn't I have stayed true to who I was?

Then after really contemplating, I realize life is all about change. Life was never meant to be lived from the exact same spot where you started, otherwise I'd still be at home. I heard Elder Costa once say, "Do not be afraid to confront the waves of your future." My future definitely brought in waves of change. I feel confident in the way I have faced them. Because of them, I feel I am a better me.

So, Yea for marriage! Yea, for the changes it has brought to me and my life! I look forward to the many, many more that are in store! I hope to face them confidently.

Days 7 & 8; Going Home

The next two days were spent on the boat, heading back to LA. I have to admit we were ready to see our kids again by the end.

We managed to keep ourselves busy. Dustin entered a free throw shooting contest, he took third place. We also took advantage of the rock climbing wall on the ship. I have to say one of our favorites was the frozen yogurt machine! We ate a lot of that stuff!!





We enjoyed the adult time this trip offered us. It was our first time ever being away and we took full advantage!!! Thanks to all our family that made it possible. And a BIG thanks to my Honey!! It was the best birthday and anniversary celebration!!!! I experienced my first taxi ride, my first trip out of the country, and my first time to ever swim in an ocean!!

Day 6 : Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta was a very modernized city. Right outside our port was a Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, and their local mall. Talk about convenient!

Since we like the city tour so much in Mazatlan, we chose to do the city tour here as well. If we had time and still felt like spending money (man it went quick on this trip) we were going to do a zip-line.

We traveled up a very large mountain! I though we were going to die! But in the end it was worth the scare. Our driver took us up to view the city. It was beautiful! As we watched over the ocean we saw some whales hovering close. We never saw their tails, but you could definitely see something in the water and the guide said this is the time they see them.

After roaming the modern part of this cit, he took us up into what the call the "canopy," basically it was their rain forest. Many poor houses. It was quite humbling.

We ended up in a little village. We were able to see the kids coming home from school. One boy was riding his donkey! The boy's name was Philemon and his donkey's name was Philomena! Very clever!

In this village was a tequila factory. It was interesting to see the process this fruit goes through to become alcohol. They started with a HUGE pineapple and ended up with a bottle of liquor. Part of the tour was to taste the drink. People were surprised when we refused. they pressured a little more and we told them we don't drink. then a little more pressure! We told them it was a religious conviction and right away we heard, "You're Mormon, huh?" We said yes and then we heard, "Mormons? Oh, I've heard about them! Don't you have more than one wife?"

Dustin was quick to reply," No. I can only stand to have one!" So sweet, isn't he? I then explained to the lady (Elizabeth) the whole history and all. So our religion came up and we did a little missionary work. If you can really call it that...

We ate lunch at the only village restaurant, boy do they take advantage of that! Dustin and I split a piece of chicken and rice. It still cost us $22! But, right next door was a little store, the owner was a potter. He made beautiful dishes! I fell in love with the Mexican art work! i decided I need some little bowls as thank you gifts for my sisters-in-law who were tending the kids. So I was quite happy after that.

We headed back to the boat. It took us about an hour. We still had plenty of time to do the zip-line, but we really didn't feel like spending more money. Next time.

This city was beautiful!! I wouldn't mind going back, but Mazatlan was still my favorite!

on the boat after we arrived

couple pic on the boat, see the mall in the background?

can you see the whales?

view from the top

pineapples!!

village home

restaurant

hand made bowls I bought

tile I bought for my kitchen, by Jorge Lopez, done by hand

Day 5: Mazatlan

Mazatlan was by far the poorest city we visited. It was pretty shady, but it was by far my favorite city. We had the best tour guide who took us into the city and explained the culture to me. I really loved it. We basically shopped in the market and a few galleries there. But we did visit an awesome church. The building was gorgeous! It was, however, strange to be taking pictures of the church while there were people worshiping.

It really was the poorest city. The minute we stepped off the boat, you knew it. There were little children wandering the streets, selling tiny boxes of Chiclets gum for money. They didn't know English. They would just come up to you and say. "Money?" It was so sad. It took everything in me not to put like a dollar in every child's plastic cup. They were so dirty and hadn't had baths. It was awful.

The city market was culture shock! I have never seen so many bugs in my life. Vendors who had money, covered their food goods with plastic, but the poorer ones had none. Their food and candy were swarming with flies, bees, and a lot more. I wish my kids were there to see it!

Inside the market was crazy! The meat market took my breath away (not in a good way). The meat was not refrigerated well. I couldn't imagine having to shop there.

Hard to see why I liked it so much? Well, the people were very friendly. It made up for it. We apparently have a lot of family there. When the peddlers asked us where we were from and we said Utah, their response was the same. "Oh, my __________ (fill in with brother, parents, cousin) lives in Utah. We are practically family!" Of course their intent was to get us to buy from them, or book a taxi with them, but it was fun. One guy noticed Dustin speaking Spanish and asked, " Are you from Utah?" I nodded and he pointed to his sign. It said: LDS welcome.

It was fun to experience the city. Something we didn't do in Cabo.

Here are a few of the pictures we took.

Wish I had taken some of the market.

pic of Mazatlan, can you see our boat??

pic of the city from the highest point

Church we visited in downtown

cliff divers, CRAZY!!

being brave, but then realized it was not my hat on my head...

Day 4: Cabo

We were really excited to get off of the ship and see Mexico. Cabo did not have an actual dock, so we had to be tendered in by little boats. There were like 3,000 people on this ship! It was going to take a while, so we waited, and waited. Finally it was our turn to load the tenders.

little boats down below to take us to shore




Cabo from the ship



waiting to be tendered in

We got ashore and the first thing we saw was this:





Not very appealing and the smell was awful, but we kept watching. It was interesting to see how they cut the fish up.

In Cabo they really just dropped you off in their market. We were met by some very aggressive taxi drivers and tour guides. All were pining for your business. It was overwhelming. I have never been out of the country, so it was shocking for me. I felt bad turning everyone down. We had already booked sea kayaking and snorkeling through the ship. We found that to be a mistake. We paid $155 dollars and there were guides willing to do it for $70. Oh, well.

Sea kayaking was an adventure to say the least. I am TERRIFIED of water!! I wanted to be a good sport though. After all, we are in a place we will probably never be again. We paddled out to Lover's Beach from the main area, about a mile. I was reminding myself to breath the whole time. I did not want to go into a panic. We made it. I was so relieved, but had given myself a stress headache!

They let us play on the beach a moment, but then we had to board a little boat. It took us on a tour of their rock formations. We saw quite a few of the water life as well.



this separated the Sea of Cortes (side we were on) and the Pacific Ocean





We also saw Land's End. It is the end of the Baja Peninsula.



Then we were instructed to put on our snorkeling gear. This made me a little squeamish, but I reminded my self of how I had survived the kayak. It cam time to jump into the water and I was PETRIFIED! The guide could tell and suggested I sit rather that just jump in. I did, and I was proud of myself.

I wish we had brought a waterproof camera to get pictures of what we saw under the water. It was amazing. We tried to reach out and touch the fish, but they were too fast. Dustin and I swam hand in hand, gazing at all the angel fish, clown fish, and Dorey fish (not sure what they are really called, they were like Dorey off of Nemo). So romantic, huh?



After about 20 minutes, we both became ill from the sea water. Ugh. It was so salty!! We just swam for a minute and then headed back to the boat.

Soon they told everybody to come back. We took our gear off and headed back to the beach where we had left our kayaks. We jumped into them again and paddled another mile to the main beach. This time I was a lot more calm and was able to enjoy the thought of being out in the sea.

When we got back and it was all over, Dustin asked, "So, did you like it?"

I just simply relied, "Next time will be better. I won't give myself a headache."

I wish we had pics of us on the kayak, but they wouldn't let you bring anything but a water bottle. Maybe next time.

We got back to shore and did some shopping. I learned quickly to not window shop like I would in the states. The minute I seemed interested in something, the owner came up ready to offer me a good deal. "Good deal for you today, Senorita!" or "Special price for you, Senorita."

I did buy my girls some handmade, clay whistles. I got a cowboy hat. Dustin loves it! Don't have much to wear with it though.

We got back on the ship at about 4:30 pm. Waited on the deck to leave, then we crashed for a while in our bed. It was an exhausting day!!

Day 3: The Boat

(our sad little pic of the boat)

While this is day three of our vacation, it is day 2 on the boat. We were headed to Cabo. It took me a while to "get my sea legs", but I found them with the help of Dramamine. (I have yet to get rid of it completely now that we have been back for 5 days) We enjoyed sleeping in, no rush to be anywhere. We just ate and ate. We found the all you can eat frozen yogurt machine and helped ourselves whenever we walked past.

In the afternoon they had a volleyball tournament. We entered. Our team took 2nd place, not too bad. We even won a silver medal! I wish I would have brought my camera, but who would have taken the pictures anyway?

I then decided to go to the gym (I was still trying to be good). It was nice to be able to workout. I knew I needed it after all the food I had been eating the last two days. But, then it was time for dinner again. Oh well.

It was a formal night and, again, no pictures. (Dustin will not be allowed to be in charge of the picture taking from now on) It was a nice night. I enjoyed being with my husband and experiencing something new for the both of us.

*I worried about the kids a little on this day. They were to be moving form Wendy's house to Taryn's. I was hoping everything was alright. I missed them for a minute. :)

pics of the boat from the internet:

this is the Promenade, main shopping area on the boat

swim deck, also deck where the yogurt is found

that's a big boat!

Mexico Trip: Days 1 &2

Day 1: Long Beach, CA

We left Salt Lake early on the 6th. We flew into Long Beach and stayed there for a day. We were lucky enough to get a deal for the Hyatt. It was such a nice room, better than the Super 8 we were planning on. The first thing we did? Slept. Yes, we are officially old!

We napped until my friend, Kellie called. I was so happy to meet up with her. It had been since her wedding in 2008 that I had seen her. It was so nice to spend lunch together. I wish we had brought our camera!!

Her boys were adorable! Joey is her oldest. He was a crack up! He was our entertainment. After lunch we all went to the pier where he put on a show for us. We were lucky to have a stage just for him. Her little boy, Merrick, had woken up by now and what a cutie!! Oh how I wish we had our camera!!! Darn it!

Later that night, Dustin and I returned to the pier (after another long nap). We ate at a little Italian pizza place called Stefano's. So yummy! We toured the shops. I found a cute hat!!! We headed back to the hotel. We made sure we got enough sleep for our big day!!

Day 2: LA Port

We got up and got ready to head out to the cruise ship. After about a twenty minute ride, we arrived. We were nervous. We had a scare earlier in the week about my driver's license. We were not sure if we were going to be able to go, but they assured us over the phone we would be fine. But you never really know unless you are there.But they were right. We made it through customs with out any problem and boarded the ship.

We were not departing until sunset at 5, so it gave us lots of time to tour this massive ship!! It was huge!! We found our room, our dining room and table, and the sports deck. On the sports deck they had mini golf, a skating rink, ping pong, and the rock wall. We were excited to try them all out.

Then we decided to EAT!!! The buffet was really good, so we know the food was promising.

After a lot more wandering, it was time to go to the top deck to watch us leave. It was real exciting. It was also really hard to look down. I hate heights and we were at least 100 ft in the air!

Once we set off, the whole atmosphere of the boat changed. It was now loud and full of excitement. Very much a party!!

as we are sailing out

at night it got pretty cold!!