Thanksgiving and Black Friday

This Thanksgiving we went to spend it with Jason's side of the family in Virginia.  It was a nice time with family.  We drove the nine hours there and had a fun ride.  We went to eat with Jason's dad's side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a new experience, they did not serve your traditional food. We ate ham, short ribs, and salmon along with carrot casserole (kinda tastes like sweet potatoes).  I don't like sweet potatoes so I enjoyed the carrot casserole.  We had some yummy pies and watched football.  Later that night Jason and I went to Walmart to stand in line for a laptop that was on sale for black Friday.  I have never stood in line for anything but it was an experience.

Unfortunately, a few days before we went to Virgina, Jason's laptop crashed on him.  Luckily, everything was saved onto flash drives or the Icloud.  It was basically perfect timing since we were going to ask for laptops for Christmas anyway.  Now, we will just buy it and he will use it early.  So, anyways, when going to Walmart on Black Friday, make sure you ask people when there standing in line by a pharmacy what there in line for.  We were standing by the balloon that says stand here but there was a line that had formed by the pharmacy for the laptops.  It was a bit tense for awhile but we were numbers 9 and 10.  This meant we were guaranteed a laptop, but they made you stay in line.  If you had to leave to go to the bathroom you needed a pass, which was only for fifteen minutes.

At 10pm they began selling toys but some people began taking the shrink wrap off early.  There was a huge fight that broke out in the garden center over Powerwheels Car's Car.  People were punching each other and the police came in to arrest people.  Who knew power wheels were so deadly.  LOL.  To make a story short, we got the laptops at midnight and went to sleep at 2am. Before we went to bed at 1am we drove by Target and the line was still completely out the door, it opened at midnight.   We woke up at 8am and went to Target to get other things for family and friends. 

Power wheels Car that caused all the drama

The next afternoon we had a traditional dinner with Jason's mom and siblings. It was yummy. It was a good time had by all.  Now on to Utah for Christmas. 

My 26th Birthday and News

I apologize for not updating this recently.  As we all know life gets busy and hectic.   Jason had the opportunity to apply for a potential job in Washington D.C. for upcoming master's degree graduates.  He took a weird test and they told us the results last night. Unfortunately, they were not the results we wanted but we know the Lord has plans for us elsewhere.  We are both scheduled to graduate in May 2012 and we are pretty excited to see what life has planned for us.

I turned 26 on October 19th.  It was a great day, I went to school and had to take a test but I did well on it.  I also had to go to work with my preschoolers.  They all sang Happy Birthday and kept saying it all day.  The night before Jason had decorated the apartment and bought me roses. He is such a great sweet husband.  We  went to eat dinner at Olive Garden and played mini gold in the mall.  It is a glow in the dark mini golf course.  It was fun.  Jason also made me cake and bought me a GPS.  My mom got me a massage and a Kohl's gift card.  My sister gave me some money and Rafa got me a gift card to Olive Garden.  My mother in law got me some new shoes and so it was a great day.  Then my awesome visiting teacher and dear friend brought me some cute little desserts. Here is a picture of them, they were cute and yummy.

Predators Preseason Hockey Game

If you know us you know we love sports.  Jason found a coupon for free tickets, minus the five dollar processing fee to a preseason Nashville predators hockey game.  We were so excited.  I never liked hockey till I meet Jason but it is so fun.  Our tickets were in the lower level behind the goal and it was a fun game.  We of course won.  The Nashville Predators seem to be doing very good in preseason.  We always have fun times at these games.  If your in Nashville you should come during hockey season, it is always so fun. At the end of the game we took pictures by the ice.

The Flood of September 15

I woke up this morning to water on the floor in the bathroom vanity.  Apparently, we had a leak in our apartment.  Jason and I cleaned it up and then found out it was also in the kitchen.  We called the apartment office and they said they would send someone over. I stepped outside and found out the apartment kiddie corner of us on the top floor had their water heater burst last night and the water had seeped through the walls and floors.  

Our kitchen walls

Our light bulb and fan in our bathroom, copper was coming into it

Luckily, we were lucky.  It was just funny watching water come from the ceilings and walls.  It was a big mess, the neighbors had to have fans in their apartments to dry it out and then we had to spray it to kill the mold that would be forming.  Here are some pictures to show ya the damage to our apartment. 

Labor Day Trip 2011

School started this past week and we are both happy with classes and teachers.  It should be a good semester. Jason's dad is getting remarried this weekend so we are taking a trip to Atlanta.  We arrived late Thursday night and had an early Friday morning.  They got married in the Atlanta Temple and it was nice re hear the blessings the temple gives us as married couples.  It was very hot.  We went to this very nice place for lunch called the Canoe.  We both had a gourmet burger and fries and a brownie with real mint ice cream. The ice cream was green, it was pretty cool.  If you got up from the table in any way the waiter folded our napkins.  It was very cool. That night went well, the reception was pretty and was in a very small music hall.'s

Coca Cola Musuem

Georgia Aquarium

The view in the tunnel at the aquarium

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Ihop with Jason's aunts and uncles and drove up to downtown Atlanta.  We went to the Coca Cola Museum and the Aquarium there.  It was a pretty cool tour. We got to see how Coke was bottled, made and a cool 4D movie about the missing ingredient for Coke to taste good. Then there is a room that you get to taste all the different coke products from countries.  You get to take a 12oz home with you too.  Also, the aquarium was very cool.  I got to see sharks get fed, huge tanks overhead as you walk through.  The animals were very fun to look at see.  We then went to varsity to eat dinner, it is a famous burger joint.   It was a fun weekend and a good time to be with family.

Titans Game

On August 27th, 2011 we went to the Tennessee Titans preseason game. We found some tickets for a pretty good price and had a great time.  They played the Chicago Bears and we won by one point. It was such a fun date night.  We were excited to go since we have never been to an NFL game before.  Luckily, we have the Tennessee Titans for that.  Unfortunately, this is the only game we could go to since the rest are on Sundays. :(  

We had this little girl that shouted the whole time sit next to us, she cheered "Go Titans Go."  It was cute.  We have this mascot T-Rac, he is a raccoon.  It was a good game and we had a blast

Trials and Blessings

Lately, I feel like I have been in a rut of trials.  I have been trying to figure out for a few weeks what I was doing with my life education wise.  I found out that my Early Childhood Education major was going to take me an extra semester to finish.  I am getting sick of school and just ready to be done.  I have been in school for awhile and just want to start a new chapter in my life.  

Luckily for me Jason found the Liberal Studies Major with an emphasis in teaching and learning.  It is a shorter route to what I want to do, and when I graduate I can take a few classes while I work to get my teaching license. It works out perfectly because he and I will now graduate in May 2012 and when he gets a real job we will probably move closer to where his job is.  I have an awesome counselor who it made possible. Thanks to many prayers from family members I am feeling extremely blessed.  

On top of that, I got asked to speak in the Spanish and our ward about the Lord's covenant people.  I think the Lord needed to remind me of the blessings we receive when we strive to live up to our covenants. I am glad the trial is over but glad for the lessons learned.

Fun in the Sun

We decided we needed a vacation and took a trip to visit Jason's family in Virginia.  Along the way we went to Virginia Beach.  It was a very nice time.  It was fun to play in the water and feel the sand under your toes.  Jason and Chad (Jason's younger brother) tried to get me ride on a bogey board.  Unfortunately the first night I was feeling sick and the waves were not helping Surprisingly the water was very warm and the hotel we stayed in was just off the boardwalk.    

Jason's Mom and brothers and I

Jason and I

Virgina Beach sunrise

Jason and I on the boardwalk

our view from the hotel and the boardwalk

A slide on the beach

Sadly, the last day we were there the fire in North Carolina blew in smoke and made it hard to be outside but we were able to walk around in the stores and enjoy the beach again. It was a good week off and just spending time with family.  Also, we took family pictures so I posted some of them.

One year Anniversary--July 21, 2011

One year ago today I married my best friend and husband Jason Barber.  I cannot believe that a whole year has passed by and it has been awesome. Jason surprised me with two dozen red roses, a beautiful necklace, and a scrapbook of memories from a year. I gave him a jar full of 100 reasons why I loved him.

It was so cute, we also went to one of my favorite restaurants Olive Garden. Our waiter was not very interested in us so the manager felt bad and gave us a free piece of cake.  We also went bowling and had a blast. I am so glad I have him in my life and many years ahead of us. 

Minnesota Family Reunion 2011

In mid July I flew to Minnesota to my family reunion on my mom's side.  I have not seen my mom for a year so it was fun to see her and my sister Gabby.  We went up into Northern Minnesota to go camping and swimming in the lakes.  Unfortunately, Minnesota was on a state shut down because they were having money issues so some of our favorite parks were closed.  We still got to go to Saw bill Lake and swim, and it was definitely a lot cooler in Minnesota than it has been in Tennessee.

As we drove up North we stopped in Duluth, MN and saw these tandem bikes.  There was one that seated six people. My cousin Sara, Terrance, Morgan and Spencer, Gabby and I all pedaled around this track.  It was so fun but it was hard work.  We were all sore the next day. It was a great family reunion.  Mom, Gabby, and I went to the Mall of America.  It was a lot of fun spending time with my family.  Sadly, Jason had to stay home because he had class and had to work.  It was hard being apart for a whole week but we survived. 

Country Music Association Festival

For the first time we went to the CMA festival in Nasvhille.  It was a blast.  We spent the whole Saturday downtown, weathering the 94 degree weather and humidity.  After many bottles of water, fans, misting stations and good food we had a blast.  There were many stages with country singers singing, a family zone with dogs jumping in water, ABC block party, the sports zone with these awesome new cars.  We got alot of free food and many t-shirts.  It was a good time, apparently it is a big thing here. People from all over the country come here to see it.
 
That night we had tickets to go to a concert in LP field where the Tennessee Titans play football.  It was alot of fun.  Josh Turner, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Clint Black, Rascall Flatts, also Scotty and Lauren from American Idol performed too, and other upcoming artists played. It was such a good concert, the temperature dropped while we were there and I think Jason got sick unfortunately.  But, we enjoyed ourselves. 

This is our view from our seats

The LP field sign

Jason and I in our matching shirts

Martina McBride and Lauren Alaina

The AT&T building

My Sister's Visit to Nashville

My sister Gabby came to visit us in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She came with us when we drove back from Atlanta. It was fun to show her our apartment, Nashville, and just spend some time with her. We took a day trip to Nashville to show her the sites. For lunch we went to the Hard Rock Cafe here. She had this awesome drink with a fruit salad on the top side of the glass. We hit some of the shops on Broadway and we ate White Castle burgers, they were delicious. It was really good to spend some time with my little sister. Technically, she should be younger sister since she is taller than me now but she will always be my little sister. Love you lots Gabby.

Jason and I by a guitar pick in Nashville

Gabby and I by Elvis in Nashville

Atlanta Trip

At the end of May, we took a mini weekend trip to Atlanta ON May 27th-May 29th. My step brother Sergi graduated from high school. We drove down to Georgia to spend some time with my dad and his family. It was fun, my little sister Gabby was down there too so I got to see her. It had been a year since we saw each other, so it was a good time.

We also got to spend some time with Jason's dad and his fiance. That Saturday we went to Six Flags White Water Park. It was a water park with a lot of water slides. I like water slides, but cannot ride roller coasters. I am a wimp, Gabby, Sergi, and Jason talked me into riding this ride called the Tornado. You sit in a inner tube for four people and ride down this tube which drops you drastically and then you swing back and forth in this tunnel. I was so terrified, I crouched down the whole time and screamed. It was so scary, but after I was amazed I did it and survived.

Recent News

So, I got called as Primary Secretary in our ward, it has been such a joy to be with the little children of the ward. They really do have a sweet spirit and really teach me new things each week. I love it. Our Nashville Predators made it into the playoffs for the first time in awhile. We have loved following them lately. They started a new thing with a raffle so we woke up early Monday morning May 9th and got tickets for the raffle. I have never won anything in my life when it comes to competitions. But, lo and behold, I won and was the ninth person to get the chance to win $10 tickets. They were of course at the top but it was such a fun game. We ended up losing and are now out of the playoffs but it was such a fun year. Go Preds Go!!! As we left the game and got back to the car, some guy had hit my car but luckily he was honest and stayed to tell me he hit me and we exchanged insurance. It is nice to know that there are honest people in this world.

Our crazy weekend

On Friday we went to the last home game of the regular hockey season for the Nashville predators. We got some good tickets for Jason's birthday and had a great time. During the beginning of the game the glass in between the players and the fan broke somehow so they had to duct tape it so we could start the game. Also, we had some fan throw a catfish onto the ice and the refs did not do anything about it for awhile. How in the world does someone sneak in a fish past security was my question.

During one of the intermissions we had the singer from the group Alabama sing. It was pretty cool. Nashville predators did not play very well but they came out with a win 4-1. The only reason we stayed in the game was the goalie who made 44 saves.

Also, this morning we went to a driving range and hit golf balls around. Unfortunately the weather here is 80 degrees and humid. I am not the best at swinging at things but it was fun. Tonight we are going to a party for Jason's industrial organization group so it should be fun. Life is good, hope your all doing well as well.

Nashville Predators Game-March 10, 2011

So, its been awhile since I have updated our blog. Life has been really busy with school and work. I work at a preschool and caught the flu and gave it to Jason so the last part of February we were fighting the flu. We had spring break the week of March 10th and really wanted to go to a NHL hockey game for the Nashville Predators. We found out that you can go stand in line and the first 100 tickets are only ten dollars on game nights for the Nashville Predators. Unfortunately, we got there late and we were number 102 and 103. So we splurged and bought tickets that were really close to the rink.

We went to the game on March 10th and had a blast. The played the Minnesota Wild, this was our first NHL game so we had a lot of fun. I had a laugh at the lady that sat next to me because she kept calling the puck a ball, the goalie a stopper and all sorts of weird lingo. We enjoyed a funnel cake and only in Nashville will you hear country at a hockey game. Every time the team scored Tim McGraw's song I love it would play. It was fun.

Our First Christmas Together

We went to Virginia this Christmas to be with Jason's family. We spent two weeks there. I got to see Washington D.C., ride the metro, see the Washington D.C Temple and see snow on Christmas night. We also had fondue with peanut oil and all kinds of meat, onions, and cauliflower at the grandparents house which was amazing, very tasty. We had a good time being with family and just enjoying the holiday season.

When we went to D.C. I got to ride up to the top of the Washington Monument and see the amazing view for there. Also saw the Lincoln Memorial, the National History Museum, Air and Space Museum, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (basically where they print money). It was pretty cool, on our way to the National History Museum we saw a squirrel sitting on top of a trash can eating a granola bar. It was pretty funny. The Metro system there is pretty cool, but you definitely need to pay attention to where your going. In Union Station we had some amazing Great Steak Sandwiches, they were amazing.

On our way home from Washington D.C. we stopped by IKEA to see if they had an end tables for our living room. We found two tables in the AS IS section for $3 a piece. We spent our Christmas break painting our tables black. It was a fun project and now they are in our living room.