A couple weeks ago we had some friends in town.  We spent the day down in Doheny because they have good beginner waves for people learning how to surf.  Tanner is such a great teacher!  This was our second surfing attempt.  The first time Tanner and I went out was about a month ago here in Newport.  My arms were seriously dead after paddling through a couple waves and Tanner ended up towing me out after that.  I just held on to his leash that was attached to his ankle and he would paddle for the both of us. :) What a great husband right?  Newport wasn't very lucky for me, I got up for about 2 seconds and quickly fell of my board.  Doheny was great though!  Tanner didn't have to tow me out and I actually stood up on multiple waves! After a year of having major anxiety over surfing, I have finally overcome my fear.

 I can't believe the summer has come and gone so quickly!  We have tried to take full advantage of living in such a fun area where there is so much to do.  Back in April, Tanner and I joined an outrigging Recreational team.  It was great finding something that Tanner and I could do together and it was quite the workout.  We paddled for a few months and decided that our excitement for outrigging had come and gone, so we cut it short.  But we have some great memories to keep with us!

Banana bread

I HATE making banana bread! Who ever thought that it was so hard to make.  I have made probably 6 loaves(3 different recipes) and NONE of them have ever turned out.  I hate it!  I will never make banana bread ever again. Such a waste of all my ingredients.  Boo.

Welcoming Summer

As bummed as I am about my summer being consumed with work and school, I am definitely excited that it's finally here.  I love barbecuing in the summer time! Tanner and I had ourselves our own little barbecue the other night.  It definitely lifted my spirits and made me think of all the things that I am 

 looking forward to this summer.

Swimming

Saturday Beach Days

Bike rides

Wearing my new bathing suit

Lake Powell

And of course barbecuing

  I have been so spoiled up to this point.  This is my very first summer ever working and my first semester of summer school.  Luckily I know this will be the last summer I ever have to take school so I think I can handle it.  It's probably a blessing that I am always so busy because on my down time I get pretty homesick for my family.  Everyone tells me that it gets easier, I'm crossing my fingers that it will. 

Camping in Malibu

Tanner and I went on a hike to a swimming hole. The water was freezing at first but we quickly warmed up to it. Of course, Tanner saw a rock and wanted to jump off.

I made Tuna melts for dinner. Unfortunately we left them on the fire 10 minutes too long on one side and they were really charred on one side. Good thing we brought a lot of smores to fill us up.

Tanner booked a campsite for my birthday back in April. This was the first weekend we could go and we had a lot of fun. We drove up to Malibu Creek and only stayed one night.

Tennis Tournament

Obviously this is a catch up Blogging day for me. School and work have consumed my life these past few months and I never have time to post what Tanner and I do on our time we have off. We went to the Tennis Tournament last month in Palm Springs. It was SO FUN and SO HOT! I sweat all the way through my shorts and it literally looked like I had pee'd my pants. It was worth it though, Tanner's dad had great seats for us and it was fun to watch the pro's.

Free date night

They had about 5 or 6 different types of shark's in this pool.

I can't even explain how nasty the Sting ray felt. It was so slimy and gross! When you put a finger on the edge, the side's of his body would curl up.

Tanner and I went to the Long Beach Aquarium a few weekends ago. On Friday nights they open up the Shark Lagoon and it's free! It was pretty cool

Mod Podge

So I was feeling extra creative this week and decided I wanted to try Mod Podging. I have never done it before and wanted to try it out. I seem to get very ambitious with a project, I am not a perfectionist and I don't like being told how to do things. Like sewing, I hate more than anything trying to follow a pattern. They are so complicated and I just don't have the patience. This is also the reason why every craft I do is uniquely mine. I made a quilt once in young women, the squares weren't lined up and it looked like crap. I never even finished it because the picture I had in my head of what it should have looked like required too much patience on my part. (Luckily it was finished by one of my great young women leaders years later for a gift when I got married.) So in this whole Mod Podging project I was pretty sure that instead of asking someone for help and step by step instructions I would just try it out. I think it turned out great, although they're are bubbles under the paper that I didn't smooth out and the paper isn't cut exactly symmetrical. I am very proud of the end product!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was so great this year. Our first married Valentine's together. Tanner and I picked up Cafe Rio salad and Tres Leche(Best dessert) and ate it at a park that looked over the beach and Newport.

We forgot that we needed a bottle opener to open the sparkling cider. It was so fun to celebrate Valentine's Day with Tanner. He is so great!

Happy Hoildays

We had such a great Holiday season. We left on a 2 week cruise a few days before Christmas. It was so great to spend time with my family and celebrate the Holidays with them. We went to Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Ensanada Mexico. We ate SO much, drank our weight in Virgin drinks, and loved taking a break from school and work. It was a very memorable holiday season.

New Years Eve

Maui
The best shaved ice EVER!

Snorkeling in Maui

Tanner was able to surf in Maui and Kauai

I had a blast hanging out with Madelyn. She is the greatest friend!

Oahu
Pearl Harbor

We celebrated Christmas a little early since we left a few days before Christmas

We went to a Creche with Brooke and her family. The kids wanted to dress up and Luke insisted on being Mary. Joshua and Luke made a very cute Joseph and Mary.