SMAllred

Eternity... HERE WE COME!!!

2011-08-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, trying to get sealed after you've already been sealed once is quite the ordeal. Steve and I worked on our sealing cancellations/clearance since August of last year and it was quite the emotional trial. Finding addresses for former spouses, former spouses not accepting letters from our bishop, returned letters that added complications, ward changes, etc. Finally, at the end of June, all our paperwork was compiled and completed, and our Stake President sent it all in to the First Presidency.

The next few weeks were filled with much prayer and fasting by our friends and family on our behalf. We prayed that the approval letters would come in time for us to be sealed when my family would be in town the first weekend in August. Day after day, week after week we waited for the letters. Finally, they arrived on July 29th.

Immediately, Steve called the Salt Lake Temple to see if they had any openings at all for August 5, just one week away. Not only did they have an opening, but they had four or five! We could not believe it!!! We scheduled the sealing and called everyone to let them know.

It was an amazing experience being in the temple with my sweetheart. The temple workers were so sweet and so excited for us. It was really really warm in there (which I think added to the special attention that we received) but we were so thrilled.

I'm grateful beyond words for a loving Heavenly Father, who knew the desires of my heart... to share this moment with my family, to be in the temple that I wanted, and before Trevor was born. It made the whole experience that much more special.

So, how does it feel being sealed to your best friend and all the children that you will have together? AMAZING! There was such a sense of relief and comfort. We didn't even realize how much it was weighing on us that we needed that sacred ordinance.

Eternity is going to be wonderful.

2 Years and 99 days

2011-05-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day in the Allred household for two special reasons.

First off, Steve and I met two years ago today.

And second, we have 99 days left as a family of 2.

Isn't life grand?

The results are in...

2011-04-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

... and it's a BOY!!!!

Face

Little boy parts

Arm and Phalanges

Profile

Profile #2

Creepy Looking 3D

We are excited (and a little bit nervous)!

Our Active Little Parasite

2011-02-10T14:58:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, we had our second doctor's appt and we were able to have the first little glimpses of our little parasite:

Doctor says everything looks great and we have a very active little baby... to which he added "Good Luck" for my benefit. I think Steve was way too excited to even realize what was going on... he just kept saying, "Wow! That's our BABY!"

This is our "Hi Daddy!" picture.

12 weeks down... 28 more to go!

My Three New Loves.

2011-01-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

Zofran.

Phenergran.

Pepcid AC.

With these three I'm more than like to remain mostly human throught the whole day. However, while we have tried to manage our relationship, I have learned three things...

1) Maximum Strength Pepcid AC.... Otherwise after three hours you are wishing you can pop another when in fact you can only take 2 in a 24 hour period.

2) Phenegran makes me a little loopey. The first night Steve couldn't stop laughing at me, nor could I. (I think he really appreciated the change in pace).

3) Dont ever get the bottles for Zofran and Phenergran mixed up. Otherwise you will spend all day wishing you were in bed asleep and all night in bed wondering why you can't sleep.

I think that the four of us (six if you count Steve and Parasite) are going to make a great team for the next 2-4 (or more?!?!) weeks!

Parasite

2011-01-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

So as some of you may know, a couple of weeks ago I went to the ER with severe abdominal pains. Several tests were done, including ultrasounds, blood tests, and xrays. Results were inconclusive and I was sent home with pain killers and was told to call if it got any worse. Luckily it did get better.

However, in some of the blood tests, they did find that I have a parasite. This type is quite common among women between the ages of 20 and 40 although, cases have been found outside of that age range. This isn't something to worry about and in a few months, the parasite will be big enough that my body will pass it on it's own. At that point, we'll dress it up all cute and bring it home.

In the meantime, I taking lots of naps and enduring heartburn.

Christmas at the Allreds

2010-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love everything about Christmas. It's so magical and wonderful! And I love decorating for Christmas! Here's some of the decorations that we enjoyed this year....

Our real live Christmas tree, hand picked at the corner Christmas Tree Park and carried home. (I helped carry it the entire way home this year!)
And don't worry, I got to decorate it twice this year because it fell over a couple weeks ago...

We have decided that we are going to collect ornaments as a family tradition. This year's ornaments were made from a nut and shell lei from Hawaii.

The Christmas pillow from Steve's mom and the hand-me-down garland from my mother (which I love however we will need to find another place for it next year. Steve does not like the fact that he cannot put his arm around me while sitting on the couch and I did not like the night that it fell on me while we camping out on the couch all night.)

Our beloved Willow Tree Nativity.

Not really a Christmas decoration, but we are excited to have this picture of President Monson.

Our keyboard adorned with a simple nativity and polar bear and, yes of course, Christmas music.

Our stockings (which were hung with care)
BTW, I think Santa forgot to bring oranges to our house because we each had a can of mandarin oranges in the toe of our stockings....

The cutest nativity set that Steve got on his mission in Louisville, KY

Our coffee table with Christmas stories and candies...

... which are guarded by this nutcracker which Steve painted as a wee lad.

Merry Christmas from the Allreds!

Some photos...

2010-12-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you would like a picture or two?

Gordon and Steve fixing Monica, the Civic.

Dressing up as firemen at the Police and Fireman's breakfast on July 24th.

Climbing to the top of Mt. Timpanogas

First Day of School... classic pose.

BYU Game!

Gordon and Laura Cooper (our best friends and neighbors) as Pilot and Stewardess,
Catch Me If You Can style...

Steve the Contstruction Man and his woman, Deputy Melissa

Don't mess with this!

Melissa at work at UVU

Did you miss us?

2010-12-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

So... it's been a while. Don't worry we are still alive a kicking. Here's what we have been up to!

Hawaii was marvelous! It already seems like it was a dream! We loved the ocean, we loved the weather, but most of all, we miss the people. We attended a native ward and fell in love with the members there. They were so warm and welcoming and loving! We were invited to so many different dinners (an actual legitimate Hawaiian Barbecues) and our last Sunday following sacrament meeting we were invited to the front of the chapel and the ward sang Aloha Oe and brought leis. It was so amazing. So much love. At one point I turned to Steve and said "Steve, we are the only white people here!" We miss our brown brothers and sisters!

As wonderful as Hawaii was, we were glad to be home and be in our own space. We both had our first semester at UVU. Steve has settled on majoring in Construction Management and a minor in Business Management. I'm still set on Nursing and I'm planning on applying this next fall and hopefully be in the program starting Spring 2012. We both were so stressed about going back to school after so long but it was a success! Steve did super well in his math and accounting classes and I aced my nutrition, chemistry and algebra classes. It was a great start to our education out on the right foot.

I went back to working at the Gap. A few months ago I started a campus job as a receptionist in the Accessibility Services Department. We help set up accommodations for students with learning or physical disabilities. The best part about my job? I can study and do homework while working. Nothing like getting paid to study!

Steve started working for a Realtor helping flip and fix up houses. This past November, he started a freelance handyman business, The Handy Handyman. We posted a couple of ads, and what was intended on being a side job, has turned into a very busy full time job! In the past few months, Steve has fixed a cracked foundation, numerous drywall fixes, installed a couple of toilets and water softeners and several other odds and ends. I'm so proud of him and his new-found ability to provide for our family.

Our ward is great. We are in a married student ward which means that everyone is pretty much in the same boat... busy and poor. Steve has two callings... 1st Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency and the Elder's Quorum's Activity person. I'm part of the Relief Society Weekday Activity Committee. We have a great bishop and our fame to claim is that Bryan Kariya, the well-known running back BYU Football Team, is our home teacher and Matt Putnam, one of the defensive linemen, teaches Sunday School.

When we aren't busy with school or work, you can probably find us hanging out with our neighbors, the Coopers, or working on some new craft or projects, or perfecting our Allred Bread.

We are loving life right now and we are so excited that Christmas is right around the corner!

Home, Sweet Sweet Home!

2010-06-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

This is our neighborhood...

and we live in this house...

and we can walk to this...

and enjoy many of these...

Visitors Welcome!

Where does the time go?

2010-06-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we have been here for a month already! Over a month! We have less than 3 months left... and my heart hurts to even think of leaving here. I love it here.... I love hearing

the birds in the morning, smelling the flowers on the breeze mingling with the scent of the sea, the beauty all around! Being here has made my heart sing!

Last week we had some amazing adventures. For our date, we went to the Dole Plantation with

our friends, Liv and Ryan. We raced each other through the maze... they beat us by like 20

minutes (but if you ask them, they would say 30 mintues... but we have the time stamps to

verify). After a delicious cup of Pineapple Whip, Steve and I went on a tour aboard the

Pineapple Express. It's amazing to hear fun little facts about the pinapple industry. Like...

pineapple is not native to Hawaii. It is believed that a ship carrying pineapple from South America crashed on Hawaii and that's how it got here!

Saturday, we were able to get into PPC for a good deal. (When you are out knocking doors, you tend to make a lot of friends with connections.) So we drove up to the North Shore and enjoyed an evening of culture. After the show, we went down with Amber and Brady, our other friends, and started taking pictures with the cast. Then, one of the directors grabbed a mic and started talking to the cast about some special guests from Utah. I look over and saw Sherri Dew! I couldn't believe it! I was so giddy! Steve finally convinced me to go up and get my picture with

her. So I did!

On Sunday we went to our ward, got a seat and heard a very familiar voice two rows behind us. Sure enough, we turn around and there was Lloyd Newell sitting there with his whole family. We couldn't believe it! Now Steve was the giddy one!

The following Tuesday we both had rough days at work so we did a night on the town and tried Sushi again. Steve is a big fan, but me... not so much. But Steve has a wife that loves him so very much that we went to Genke Sushi. I tried a deep fried spicy roll and I loved it! I have

determined that as long as it's warm or hot... then I don't mind it.

Wednesday we got up and went snorkeling with Team Canada (the sales guys that transferred here from Canada) and had a blast! We went just off Electric Beach. Apparently, the power plant heats up a bunch of water to spin the turbines and then they pump the warm water back out to sea. We were out there swimming around where the water comes out. I loved it because it was so warm! The guys had fun swimming down and then being pushed out by the water being pumped out. I tried but it killed my ears. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have that mastered!

On Friday, the boss was in town and he treated the company to a do. We all went up to the

North Shore and we played at Waimae Bay. Small world that it is, one of our co-workers flew his girlfriend out for a couple of weeks... This girlfriend turns out to be my friend Tarah that I worked with a few years back! Such a small world!

Guys played a bunch of rounds of 500 on the sand and in the water and then we all got together and played Ultimate Frisbee. It was so much fun running around with everyone in the sand! Once we all were tired and sore from playing that we went cliff jumping. There's a pretty famous rock there that kinda just sits on the beach that is a very popular jumping spot. Steve and I were supposed to jump at the same time... but Steve's legs didn't jump when he told them to. I came up out of the water to see Steve go in!

The highlight of our week was Friday evening... Todd took us all skydiving! And I tell you, it was A-MAY-ZING!!!! We were one of the later groups so we were getting pretty excited as we watched all of our friends and co-workers come in and tell us how awesome it was. Our turn was up and Steve's instructor came and harness him up. The other two guys got harnessed up. And we waited. Soon, we hear, "Alright. Let's go!" I'm standing there, no harness, no instructor, and no shoes (I had just sent up my shoes with a girl that forgot hers... She was on her way down). Just then, this guy runs in, passes us all, runs in the back room, and comes out dressed in a jump suit, wearing a helmet. He goes over to the list and with a very heavy accent, calls my

name. Needless to say, I started having my doubts at that point. I harnessed up and we ran over to the plane and boarded.

Steve had a blast with his instructor! They all were joking around. The two guys we were with were joking with their instructors. Soon we reach, 10,000 ft and open the door. My instructor and I inched toward the door, I tell Steve that I love him and we were off. IT was overcast at the moment so we were speedily approaching the clouds. But the time I finally adjusted to the fact that I'm falling 120 mph towards the clouds AND the ground beneath them, it was pretty enjoyable! We past through the clouds (it's cold in the clouds by the way), we got on the others side and pull the cord. I tell you, that harness hurts! But I'm grateful that it's there! The view was incredible! The sun was near setting and it was cutting through the clouds over the ocean. you could see the coral in the ocean and we even caught the end of a polo match. It was just so beautiful! I looked around for Steve and saw a parachute corkscrewing. I knew that it was Steve. My instructor and I floated around for a while and came in last! Of course Steve was there with a big ol' hug and kiss for me. (Steve later told me that when I jumped out of the plane, his thought was "Now I have to jump to get that girl back!")

Steve has had a few rough weeks this past month, but this week provided a turn and he was able to squeeze in a couple sales. He feels that he has his mojo back and he's pretty stoked for this next week. I have been so proud of him and how hard he has worked.

Stay tuned for this weeks adventures! Love you all!

PS. I got to drive a Mustang Convertible on Saturday! (with Amber and Liv)

Some Pics.... for now...

2010-05-20T23:44:00.001-07:00

Of course, we are here in BEAUTIFUL Hawaii, having super wonderful experiences and loving life... and our camera breaks! It wasn't too much of a surprise, it is an old camera and we were wanting to get a new one in the next year or so, but still... it breaks... at the beginning of our summer in Paradise. Hopefully we can get it to limp through the next few weeks and months with a handy dandy rubber band. :)

Our first week out here, we went to Ewa Beach (pronounced Evah) and tested out the boogies boards. Steve discovered that he doesn't like the taste of salt water... but LOVE the waves! I wasn't too fond of all the coral knocking around my ankles but we had so much fun!

Last week we were able to go on a date to Pearl Harbor, but it took us so long to get there (Google maps took us to the middle of an industrial park), we only had time to walk around and see what we want to do NEXT time we go. Even for the short amount of time that we had, it was a very sobering experience.

This week our two adventures included snorkelling in Electric Bay were we swam with sea turtles and saw dolphins jumping out of the water! If it weren't for the boats cruising around, we would have gone out to say hi to Flipper.

Today we went on another date to Waikiki and enjoyed strolling the mall. We tried some "authentic" food from the food court. We didn't care too much for it. Stopped by the Ferrari Store, Swatch, and looked a Pick A Pearl booth. The lady was so cute with her selling tactics... Perfect sourvenour for your honeymoon. We just smiled. :) We also browsed some of the local markets and started making a list of things we want to get at the Swap Meet.

Work is going really well. Steve had a little bit of a slow start but really rocked it last week! The reps are doing better than expected and because of that we have enjoyed dinner at PJ Changs and going to Robin Hood as incentives. This week has been a little bit more difficult for him becuase they moved him to a newer, nicer area. But everyone seems to be struggling in that area. We now have 12 reps in the area and 5 techs with 3 girls in the office. We are pretty busy with the paperwork and all that. But its great to be so busy.

We finally found a place to stay for the summer. Our boss hooked us with a really nice condo by the Ko' Olina Resort. We live on a golf course and within walking distance of four gorgeous man-made lagoons.

Needless to stay... we are doing really well... and we are HAPPY!

Aloha All o' Y'all!

2010-05-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

We love Hawaii. Not all the critters that infest our kitchen at night... but everything else... we'll take. Happily.

Today we went to the beach and enjoyed playing in the waves and boogey-boarding with our friends and co workers... Liv and Ryan. The sky was so blue and the water was warm! the sand was a bit coarse and there were bits of coral being thrust around but it was so wonderful! The palm trees were swaying and the breeze felt so great!

The complex where we are staying is a bit questionable. Alright... a lot questionable. Like I mentioned, we have critters (aka cockroaches) invade our kitchen every night. We have a system where when we get home at night, Steve goes in and kills them all (usually 3-5) and then I go. In the mornings, he gets up and gets them all before I got downstairs. Don't I have the best husband ever! (I did kill one all by myself and a can of Raid this afternoon though. Take that Mr, Roachie!) Plus, there are a bit of questionable people roaming the streets here. (ie... we live down the street from the Homeless Shelter). However, our fearless leader Todd found us a great place to live in Ko'Olina which is like resort city! We can WALK to the beach!

Pictures to come soon!

What a TERRIBLE summer we are going to have!

2010-04-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's such an awful thing... we HAVE to go to Hawaii for 4 whole months this summer.

It's true. Steve is going to join the ever growing industry of summer sales and I, as his ever faithful wife, will join him. (I know... it is such a sacrifice!).

We are pretty excited. At first, I was bummed about the whole deal because I would have made better sense for me to stay here and keep working my job (which I LOVE!) to make sure the bills got paid and whatnot. But a position in the office opened up over there, and I took it!

Stay tuned for updates on our Summer in Paradise!

Easter Fun

2010-04-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

Our date night Friday night was decorating eggs...

...which turned out pretty spectacular!

And the Easter Bunny stopped by Saturday morning!

Out with the old....

2010-04-09T10:08:00.001-07:00

And in with the new...

Yes... I finally found a spring wreath! I ended up making this one but hitting all the after Easter sales... it was pretty cheap!

Cards Galore!

2010-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been on a card making kick... Here's some of the stuff I've done:

New Position

2010-02-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, my store manager approached me about a position that was opening up. She explained that it would be a temporary Brand Expert position. This would entail being a part of the leadership/management team that would oversee the merchandising and the visuals of the store. My heart totally skipped a beat! That is exactly what I did for six months in Oregon and I loved it and I missed it! I drove home that night so absolutely excited that I could not get to sleep! It was better than Christmas!

A few weeks later and I interviewed for the position. It did not go well. I was reminded why I don't like giving talks, why I don't like meeting a ton of new people at once, etc. I don't know what people are thinking and I get so nervous that my brain just stops... My interview was with the lead manager over this position, however, this was a new experience for him, so my store manager sat in. I love Andrea and I was excited that she was going to be there until I realized, that she was going to interact at all in the interview! So I was doubly nervous. The longer it went, the worse it felt like it was going. Jordan would ask me a question and I would blank out. Or I would stutter or stumble through my response. I really felt like I was giving up at some point towards the end. At the end of the interview, I thanked them for the opportunity and walked away knowing that if I were to get this position, it would defintely be by divine means of intervention, and not by my interview performance.

Well, my friends, there has been some means of Divine Intervention.

This past week I was extended an offer for that position, to which I accepted. As it turns out, they were very impressed with my interview and with the experience that I already had. There were two candidates that they wanted, that they ended up creating two positions.

I know to some of you this may seem silly, but I cannot express how blessed that I feel to have had this opportunity. It really has been ideal. The timing, the requirements, my ability, so much has lined up that I doubt that I could have designed a better situation for this to happen. I'm so grateful to my managers and mentors who have taught me how to do my job so well, a supportive husband who believes in me, but most of all, my Heavenly Father who really does love and care fore me.

Dear Husband...

2010-02-15T08:39:00.001-08:00

Dear Husband,

I think my phone is in the car... which you took to work today. If I don't answer my phone today, it isn't because I'm sleeping, or that it isn't charged, or any of the other usual reasons. I simply lack the ability to teletransport and retrieve it.

I love you bunches and will miss the tender texts that you send and the quick conversation during your lunch.

Love, Wife

PS. Please remember to bring it inside when you come home.

Golden Perfection

2010-02-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had a ward Valentine's Day activity which included a potluck. I baked rolls. This was my first time with rolls, and I'm pretty stoked with how they turned out! Steve came up with the recipe and on his lunch break he called and coached me and ta DAH! Don't they look amazing?! (They tasted pretty good too... although we decided that they needed more salt and more yeast).

Happy 25th Birthday Melissa!

2010-02-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our Home!

2010-02-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Yes... this is our home. Our Home Sweet Home.

Our front door - complete with our dead, dried wreath from Christmas. Still waiting to find a spring wreath to replace it with

Our front room. Note: I still haven't hung our pictures.

Our front room from the other angle.

Our kitchen...

Complete with our Special Plate...

... and plenty of John Deere artifacts...

Our bathroom with my washer and dryer (which now work thanks to my handy hubby).

Our room. Note: the A&W lamp on Steve's nightstand.
It was a gift from Steve's brother. They know me all too well!

And finally our catch-all room. Once we find a home for Steve's tools and obtain a bookcase, it just might turn out alright.

Oh, and here is the second set of couches. In a month or so they will go to their new home with Dave and Keshia.

We love our home. Thanks for visiting!

The Newly Wed Update!

2010-01-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

The past six weeks (has it really been six weeks already?!?) have been great ones. First Christmas as a married couple (we enjoyed our Christmas John Deere PJ pants on Christmas Eve, enjoyed the afternoon at the Allreds, and the evening with the Gunnells, Bairds and Ziehls). First New Years (celebrated by popping popcorn on the stove, drinking Root Beer (of course) and watching Up). And we have enjoyed creating our first home in our first apartment.

Steve and I are no longer working at the bakery. There was too much drama there and it was out of control! I quit on Dec 18th and Steve quit on Christmas Eve. Steve has since started working at Standard Plumbing in Sandy in the warehouse. He does a lot of the shipping and pulling and stocking of the online orders. There is talk that he will be the full time "On-Call" person, meaning the person that does the on-call orders. He's pretty stoked about that.

I'm still part time at the Gap. It's slowed down a bit but that's to be expected. However I am interviewing for a temporary manager's position on tomorrow. It will be part time for three months and full time for another three with a bonus $150 a month. I feel fairly confident about the job as it deals primarily with merchandising and visuals, which was pretty much all that I did last summer in Oregon. Keep your finger's crossed!

We are attending a married student ward which we LOVE! We have made great friends with our neighbors, Laura and Gordon Cooper and we have had dinner with Jana' and Tyler Aitken (Tyler served in the same mission as Steve... small world.) We love our Bishop, too. He's pretty amazing.

I feel like our apartment is pretty settled. We have been extremely blessed when it comes to our furnishings. In one week we went from four old folding chairs (like the metal ones at church) to two sets of couches, a washer and dryer, and a coffee table... for $100. We had a desk, given to us by Amy and David (the same desk I used as a little kid), a dresser from Mom and Dad Allred, a bed that I got in Oregon, my cedar chest, a book case, and a TV and TV stand from my parents. I still have yet to hang all of our pictures. Still can't decide where to hang the big one...

All in all, we love being married... It is treating us well...

**Our camera is giving us issues. I feel lame when I do posts without pictures. :( **

Withdrawls...

2009-12-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

Today I'm home sick with a cold.

Steve is at his new job at Standard Plumbing. He took the bus too. So after he gets off work at 6, it's and hour and a half until he gets home.

Back in the day when he was at the bakery, he got home around 2.

Only 4 1/2 hours until I can see my sweetie pie...

The Best Christmas Ever...

2009-12-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

WE ARE ENGAGED!

2009-11-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yes... it has FINALLY happened! This passed Tuesday, Steve popped the question and of course I said yes! Here's how it happened:

We had planned on Tuesday to carve pumpkins. Steve had this great idea to have a pumpkin carving contest (everything is a contest or a race). So he set it up so that we were facing each other and couldn't see what the other person was carving. He was so excited that he had his pumpkin carved before I had mine cleaned out! So I quickly carved a face and scooted mine over to by his. He grabbed the camera and told me to close my eyes. He turned his pumpkin around and I opened my eyes. He had carved "Will you marry me?" in his pumpkin with the ring sticking out of the top. I got all chocked up and he came over and knelt down and put the ring on my finger.
It's amazing to be engaged to such a great man. It's been so much fun calling our friends and family and sharing our news.

December 22 will be a great day!

2009-10-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

This last week was not too terrible, however a lot of things happened. Melissa and I got called into the bakery on Tuesday to help package and decorate cakes. Melissa taught me how to make Boston Cream Pies and some other really cool stuff. All week long Melissa got to do the cakes. She had a major blast. I got to learn to run the mixer. I mixed all day Thursday and most of Saturday.

In Institute on Wednesday we had a question and answer deal; everyone in class wrote down a question then our teacher went through and read them for all of us to answer together. (We are taking a Dating/Courtship class). Someone wanted to know if a temple trip was a good first date. We also covered the subject of who picks out the engagement ring. That one got heated, I never knew that it could be such a big deal.

This is a shout out to Danny and Mary for the rockin' game time party for the COUGARS yesterday. Even though the MTN doesn't know what HD is, the game was fun and we won. Mary's chicken chili was amazing, the drinks refreshing and the company was outstanding!

Over the last few weeks Melissa and my mom have been canning, jamming, and all that fall fun. Melissa loves feeling all domestic and stuff! Not to mention that she's been working on some amazing baby quilts for her nieces and nephews.

Bunch of Hicks

2009-10-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

So one thing that you ought to know about Steve is that he is a farm boy. Grew up breaking in horses, digging holes for fence posts, gathering chicken eggs, and just about everything else. (He was also in the FFA Club when he was in high school.) He is pretty hick and is proud of it! For example, he has a John Deere Blanket and a set of John Deere cookie jars.

Since I met Steve about five months ago, we have built shelves for my roommate Beth, built a garbage can enclosure for some friends of his, done lots of work in the garden and cleaning up the firepit area and around the yard.

Steve is so much fun to work with. (The nail gun is my favorite!) He is an incredibly hard worker! This week alone he has cleaned out the chicken house, helped mow the pasture, weedeated most of Danny's yard, and will hopefully start demoing and redoing a friend's basement next week. He does all of this on top of his full time job.

Our Half Marathon (June 13, 2009)

2009-09-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

So this past summer, Steve and I ran the Helvetia Half Marathon in Beaverton, OR. I had been training since February and he started, well shortly after May 17th. It was so much fun training. One day we ran 5 miles and Steve said, "That's the furthest that I've ever ran!" Three days later we ran 11 miles. It rained on race day and it was super himid which is a bit rare for Oregon. We finished in 2 hours and 24 minutes... our times matching perfectly.

This was a big accomplishment for me because if you know me... you know that I am not vary athletic. But it was a goal that I set. I was able to complete the whole thing non-stop and even was able to sprint for the final .1 mile. It was amazing to have Steve right there beside me, encouraging me every step of the way... literally.

The Spirit of God

2009-09-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today was Ward Conference in my ward. We had a great talk by my Bishop followed by the Stake President. Mid way through the stake president's talk, the fire alarm goes off. BEEP BEEP BEEP! Along with the alarm was a lady's voice giving instructions. "Can I have your attention? Can I have your attention? (Stake President chimes in "You have our attention.") This is a fire alarm. Please use the nearest exit to exit the building. Do not reenter the building unless notified by the proper authority." Stake President leans into the mic and says, "I am that proper authority. Please head outside."

Turns out that the pressure was too high in one of the boilers and set off the alarm.

I would like to think that the Spirit was there today and like a fire, it was burning.

Do you see what I see?

2009-07-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

I love the ocean. It is my happy place. The sights, the sounds, the smell... I love it all! My heart sings whenever I am there!

So today for the last time in a long time, Steve took me to the coast so I can have the sand between my toes (because he is a sweetheart like that). It was a fun filled day with squeaky sand, cooling winds, seashells and round rocks, crashing waves, salty air, noisy birds, romantic walks, childish games, tender love notes, and moments of absolute bliss. My heart was smiling and my soul was at peace.

After the beach and shopping at Lincoln City (found a great pair of board shorts for Steve... and I was reminded again why I don't like shopping for swimsuits) we headed down to Depot Bay which is the whale capitol of the world... or something like that. While we were enjoying the waves beat against the rocks and feeding the squirrelers, I looked up and saw the backside of a whale disappear under a wave! Can you believe it?!? I was so stoked! (You should hear the camera footage... I was screaming I was so excited!) Unfortunately I wasn't able to point it out to Steve in time. After another five minutes of looking, I started second guessing myself and decided that it must have been something else. It seemed to be too close to the rocks.

About 45 minutes later, Steve and I were enjoying a FABULOUS meal at Tidal Raves (highly recommended to anyone in the area... thank you Troy!). It was a beautiful moment when the clouds cleared up and revealed a glorious blue sky and golden sun! I hear Steve gasp and "There's a whale!" Sure enough... there was a whale as close as was the earlier one. We enjoyed watching the mist from the blow hole and the back rolling across the bay.

Then, Steve said the most amazing seven words... "Honey, I was wrong... You were right."

This is the first

2009-07-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hi I am Steve I am new at blog activities. This Blog will contain info on me and my sweetheart Melissa Gunnell. on day not sure when we will be the Allreds. Until that happens we will keep track of our joint activities, this includes dates, road trips, camping, ER visits, and many others.

Melissa and I meet one sunday morning in May (17 may 2009) she and her roommates had a "new roommate" open house, this included craps (thats why I was there, food). We took a quick interest in each other, I was interested in her Half-Marathon training and she thought I was cute. Due to some recent events I needed a new ward to go to, most of the people at her place went to the Canyon Road Ward. As friendly as they all were I found myself feeling very welcome.

At church James decided that we were going to have a movie night at Beth's place (Its the same place that Melissa lives). Melissa and I pulled up at about the same time so she waited for me while I parked, as we walked up together. I couldn't believe how tis super cute girl was in to me. as the movie started seats were shuffled and we ended up sitting next to each other, then the talk started. We talked as if we had been friends for years, very comfortable and friendly. It was a click, instant best friends. With the end of the movie we exchanges some texts and decided that we should go on a date.

I was supper excited to see her at FHE however she had to work. i thought it would be nice if i just so happened to stop by her work and say hi (this is when I learned she didn't work at the Washington Square Mall). I stopped at the Gap and didn't see her, with a few texts and some humble pie we planed to meet at Target parking lot. Not far from there we found BK and got some milkshakes, again it was like old friends our first date was a third and a fifth all in one (we were there so long that they had to kick us out)