Congratulations, Stephen!!

Bachelor of Science in Communications!

After 6 years of working towards his bachelors degree, Stephen has now finished his last assignment and headed to the graduation ceremony in Phoenix Arizona. Stephen was blessed to receive his GI Bill through most of his education. It paid for 95% of his school and living expenses! I am so proud of Stephen for sticking it through and finish his education even though he didn't believe it would be a benefit to him.

There may be a day that he will need his degree, not today, but maybe someday. I am so glad I could "gently" push him through the last two years of his education. He has worked hard and deserves a big break!

Stedman Graham (Oprah's boyfriend) spoke at the ceremony. It was a little tough to understand what he was saying at times because of the feed back in the University of Phoenix stadium. After graduation, Stephen was the only one graduating in his major, we headed to Stephen's favorite restaurant to celebrate, Chompie's! Here are a few pictures from the ceremony.

My neighbor and some new stuff!

For Stephen's birthday we stopped by Target to pick up some new living room furniture. So I spent the next day putting it all together. No, I have not decorated at all. Sorry, not my forte. BUT, I did get it put together in about four hours and before Stephen got home from work. I would like to say it is "high" class stuff, but we are pretty poor and don't have a ton of money to squander on items of less importance. We have a bigger fish to fry. Stephen would really like to buy a new truck, so we are saving our pennies (literally).

I put up a few pictures of my hard work. As you can see, I didn't decorate. If you are some kind of an interior designer, I would like to know what I can do with this tiny space to make it look better and to bring all the colors together. I don't have the eye for it.

Also, I wanted to share with all of you the very cute neighbor that lives in our back yard. YES, a cute little rabbit. I have given him a few carrots but he wont come up close. (At least I think he is a he). I spent about three days trying to get a picture of him. So finally I can share how cute he is with all of you!

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Yesterday Stephen celebrated his 28Th birthday by waking up and heading in to work. I wake up at 6 AM to make him breakfast and lunch. I tried to make yesterday a little more special by making a good hardy breakfast filled with cereal and a banana. Then I made him a nice turkey sandwich, my specialty. He came home from work and I baked a cake (yeah right) and left him the most awesome heart warming card by the cake. Yep, it make fart noises.


Stephen and I went to the movies, me in my sweater as usual, and watched Wanted, then I took him to pick out the living room furniture we had saved up for. So all in all it was a decent birthday. Just the two of us for now.

the 4th!

Happy Independence day!

Stephen and I took a 6 and half our drive up to Denver Colorado to spend the three day weekend with Craig and Blair. Craig has been living in Colorado for over a year now and I am not 100% sure he loves it up there. It is July, I was wearing a sweater. Craig and Blair are heat dwellers like myself. They are looking for a new place to move and enjoy the heat, so far they have talked about Utah. I am not sure they know what they are getting into with the freezing weather Utah can provide.

Craig showed us all the great places to eat down town and the incredible shopping. Downtown Denver is unlike any other downtown I have been to. The town is clean and reputable. We road the bus up and down the out door mall and then headed back to the apartment to battle it out in Rock Band. (my new favorite game)

For Blair's birthday, Craig bought her a shiny sliver car to take her to her awesome advertising job in downtown Denver. I took a few pictures just so I could compare a 2008 to my 2002 mustang. My car does not compare.

We had a great weekend hanging out with family, even though they woke us up each morning to work out for an hour and a half at 6 AM!! I am so grateful to have family semi-close to spend time with.

Arizona, Dry? Have you been to New Mexico?

Well for the last few days I have been suffering from a terrible head cold. It doesn't seem to go away. I talked to a few people who are "from" here and they said it is really dry here. I told them I was from Arizona. They laughed!!! Supposedly New Mexico is drier! Stephen and I decided it might be good if we explored this new land. So we joined a hiking group and went on our first official hike last night. Lucky for me it was super easy. Stephen and I even ran the last mile back down the mountain to get a little more exercise. Of course, Stephen beat me. He has longer legs.

We took a few pictures from the sort of top of these little hills. Enjoy!

The move

Just like that, my last day has come and gone. I am sitting in front of my computer in Albuquerque New Mexico (which shall be known from this day forth as ABQ). I was given a retirement party at work for my last day/my birthday and that couldn't have been a more correct way to celebrate. I do not have a job and have decided I will substitute teach until something comes along. Cooper, Liz, and I went out to the fountains as planned. We have been planning for the last three years to run through the fountains as soon as one of us was fired or quit. Well we waited, and waited, and waited. The fountains never went off. So I took a few pictures of us pretending to run through the fountains. All in all a great way to celebrate my last day with the University of Phoenix.

The drive over to New Mexico was very uneventful. We stopped and ate lunch with Stephen's dad, John, in Heber. A nice little restaurant called the Red Onion. If you drive through you should really check it out. I ate a delicious hamburger that never quite settled in my stomach. Surprisingly, Stephen drove the entire 6 hours! How did I luck out?

I have been here for three days. I have not accomplished much, to say the least. Mostly, I have been trying to figure out how to fit all of my clothes into a tiny closet. I left half of my shoes at Susan's house and still more stuff! I have decided this apartment is the perfect size and I am too big to fit. If any of you actually lived close I might think about giving away half of my wardrobe, seeings as I wont need it for the next billion years.

All in all, ABQ is beautiful. The apartment is dark and deary (Stephen loves it) and I have one friend, Stephen. We joined a gym yesterday and I worked out in a space the size of my living room. Gyms here are a little sparse and when they do sprout up they are expensive and TINY! I suppose most people get their workout done outside while biking and running. I would probably join them, but I am addicted to lifting weights. AND NO, it is not hot here. Far from hot, actually. Yesterday the high was 89!! SERIOUSLY! Where is the heat? I did love that about Phoenix, actual heat. I walk around with a sweater on and Stephen believes I am nuts.

I suppose now that I have been freed from the slavery of a job I will be able to compose more lengthy blogs for those of you who are just as bored as I am.