July is wrapping up...

Whew. What a month. July is almost over; I'm not sure where it went!

Nate and I got home from the family vacation to Island Park yesterday. It was such a fun time! We went fishing quite a few times with Ralph, and Bree. Bree loves to go fishing! She was so brave... She brought one of the fishes Ralph caught inside the cabin with her bare hands. She kept telling us, "Aww... He's so cute!". It was hilarious- the girl has no fear! Bree and Andrew also love to ride on the 4-wheelers. Bree kept asking when we were going to take out the "folla-wheelas", and Andrew simply would say, "vroom, vroom!". They are so active and up to do anything. They definitely kept everyone busy!

Camille, Brand, and Kenzie arrived early Saturday morning- after a short detour to the other side of Idaho. It was so much fun once they all got there. We toured Yellowstone on our last day... I am sorry to say I was in a no-good-very-crabby mood; Nate was very tollerant, like always. But on the bright side, Yellowstone was an experience. Old Faithful was very cool, and the scenery is beautiful. We didn't see any animals to Bree's dissapointment- BUT- We got some fabulous ice cream in West Yellowstone. After that, my mood improved. Ice cream heals the world!

After we left the cabin, on our way home, my reliable ol' Ford Focus decided to give us some hassle. It hit the 70,000 mark on our way there. I think it may have been having a mid-life-crisis. It would randomly start chugging to the point that we would have to pull over. Nate was getting so frustrated! He is so knowledgable in... well, anything, that is was hard for him to not know exactly what was wrong with it. But in the middle of nowhere, there wasn't much he could do about it. Poor kid. We got home none the less, just a little bit later than planned.

Well, everyday is an eventful one with the Whickers. We just can't get around it!

Oh, by the way...

July is going to bring the Whicker's a few more exciting weeks! For starters, I have tomorrow off work! Whew. Now that I am over that excitement... I have an interview for a pharmacy technician in training position at K-Mart on Tuesday. I am SO excited! This would be an amazing opportunity for me, it would help jump-start my career. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Also, my grandparents from Missouri will be coming to visit next week! We are so excited for them to get here. It has been a little over a year since we last got to see them.

And, last but not least, we will be going to Island Park, Idaho with Nate's family over the 24th of July. They have a cabin up there; it's actually where Nate and I spent our Honeymoon last year. It is absolutely beautiful there. We will document our travels, and put up some pictures when we get home! It is going to be an exciting month!

Wendover... Show me the MONEY!

Or, not. I guess I shouldn't have set my standards so high! For our main anniversary gift, Nate and I gave each other the gift of a short little trip to desolate Wendover, Nevada. My parents, and my cousin Jared all packed into our Kia Sorento and joined us on our little excursion to nowhere.

Our hotel was so interesting... The "pool" was the size of a large bathtub, and the sheets came equipped with small little burnholes! It was great fun! The good news is, our room stayed mighty chilly, so we were definitely comfortable. The really good news is the lobby had a waffle maker! It was one of those flipper machines that allows you to make golden beauties like this one:

Enough about the hotel! To make a long story short- The penny slots stole my money. It may have been the neon enviornment that made me so unlucky...

I don't know what it was but every time I touched a machine the generosity in it dissappeared. I won not even a dime! Nate did much better than I did, he had a really good time, and found a slot he made friends with. He called it the "kitty machine". It screwed Jared and me, but for some reason, it really liked Nate. This is it.

Where did we spend our first anniversary dinner at you ask? Well, it was very fancy, and extremely exclusive... Pizza Hut! Okay so it may not be fancy, and we may have been the only people there, BUT it was very tasty, and great fun.

In the couple hours we spent in the casinos, I have one major complaint... I was never given a beverage! Everyone around me was fully hydrated, I on the other hand was quite parched. I simply wanted a diet coke, but no, not for me! The waitresses must have sensed my unlucky streak and decided I wasn't worth the buck. I lived, and got a beverage as soon as we left from the nearest gas station!

We had a great time! It was the best trip a 1st year veteran couple could ask for! My parents, and Jared helped make it even more fun. Thanks for coming with us!

We're Official!

Nate and I have officially been married for one year! It has been an amazing ride so far... And has gone by so incredibly fast. I am blown away that just one year ago Nate and I had the pleasure of being married in front of all our family and friends.



This year has truly shown us both how blessed we are, and how many obstacles we have the power to overcome when we work together. Having a partner in crime is a priceless gift.

Speaking of gifts... they are so hard to get for Nate, because he doesn't ever need anything! If he wants something, he saves up for it, and buys it himself. We had talked about getting each other something small; it's the day that matters, not the gifts, right? Nate surprised me with a beautiful arrangement of flowers that he had delivered to my work. They made me so happy!


What did his thoughtful wife purchase for him you ask? I, the great listener I am, had asked Nate what he wanted, and he told me.... Socks. He wanted some comfy socks. So that is what I bought him. Socks!

While we are talking about gifts, I have to thank my mom for the album she made for Nate and me. It is fabulous! I have no album with pictures at all. It has inspired me to get together more pictures from our wedding. It is beautiful, and so special. Thanks for being so thoughful mom.


I know there will be many more years of creative planning to compensate for my lame gift of the first year! But at least it makes for an interesting story!

Happy Anniversary Sweetie! I love you!