Our first house. :-)

You know you live in the Alamo when….

*Anytime someone asks you where you live, you respond, “The white house that looks like the Alamo” and people know exactly what you’re talking about.

*When a friend sees your house and says, “My grandparents lived there when they were newlyweds!”

*Every time the Aggie bus stops in front of the Alamo, you lose internet connection.

*You can have a normal conversation when someone is in the bathroom and the other person is in the kitchen that are on opposite sides of the house.

*The living room is a multi-purpose room: dining room, TV room, emergency food storage room, student library, game room, office, and exercise room.

*You can’t touch the ground when you sit on the couch because the couch is raised to store food.

*Whenever you hammer nails into the wall to hang up pictures, it sounds like the wall is going to crumble.

*You can’t turn on the furnace because the house might burn down.

*The best heating source in the whole house is the oven.

*There are multi-outlet plug-ins and extension cords in 3 outlets for the whole house.

*Every time you blow dry your hair, it trips the breaker.

*You can’t shut the front door without locking the dead bolt or else it will come open.

*Your oven/stove is a 70’s yellow color.

*Your counter can come up and down and is held up by ropes and carabiners.

*If you turn the kitchen sink on all the way, water will spray everywhere.

*Fitting 2 people in the kitchen is a tight squeeze.

*You make your husband sleep on the left side of the bed because the ceiling on that side is caving down.

*The closet is 1 ½ feet wide and 5 feet long- not a lot of storage space.

*The walls in your closet are being held together with puddy.

*You ALWAYS wear flip flops in your bathroom because you don’t know how long the carpet has been there.

*No matter how many times you wash your sink, it always looks dirty.

*It’s really hard to get warm water from the bathroom sink. The left faucet is really hot water and the right faucet is really cold water. To get warm you have to go back and forth between faucets.

*The bathroom ceiling is being held up by a plastic sheet that is screwed into the ceiling.

*You pay $190 a month in rent, and that is expensive!

The first snow of the year in Logan- Oct 27.

Corn Maze

Jayson and I went to the corn maze for Halloween. :-)

Tri!

I did an Olympic Triathlon in St. George in September. It was really hard be very fun!

Half Marathon

My mom and I ran the half marathon together in Logan in August. Then we went to Bear Lake and enjoyed the warm weather and went boating. It was Cannon's first time wearing a life jacket- his cheeks were so squished!

Wedding Book!

Hello! I am on a roll in posting- horray! SO, our wedding book is finished and posted online. Anyone is welcome to check it out. Let me know what you think about it. :-)

1. Highlitephotography.com
2. click on Weddings
3. click on Proofing (at the bottom right)
4. password: rasmussen (Make sure it's all lowercase)

The first fish I caught!!!!!!!

Me holding the fish- we named him Leroy.

Gutting the fish for my first time- I had to wear my gloves because I was a little grossed out.

Here is the finished product- not bad!

I caught my first fish this summer! One night for FHE Jayson and I decided to go fishing. It was getting kind of late, but we thought we could go for a little while anyway. So, we were sitting there and fishing away. Nothing was biting and we weren't anywhere close to catching anything. It was starting to get dark so we decided to reel in and head home. As I was reeling in I felt my pole jerking. I said, JAYSON I CAUGHT ONE!! He told me to give my pull a jerk so I was flipping it up and down. (I guess that's how you hook a fish...) I reeled in, and sure enough there was a fish. We think it was a trout- but we're not positive. When Jayson grabs the fish he notices something a little strange. The hook was caught on the fish's side and not inside his mouth! When I was reeling in, the hook got caught on the fish and I pulled him in. The fish was coming in with me whether he liked it or not! We had a good laugh about that! We took it home and had a yummy dinner. We cooked it on the grill with lemon juice and garlic. It was very tastey!

First time fishing!

Over the summer Jayson took me fishing for the first time! We went up to second dam in Logan Canyon. We didn't catch anything, but we still had fun!

Golfing in St George!

Over the 4th of July weekend all the boys in my family went golfing at Entrada. I went along and drove the cart and hit a few balls. But I'm not good at golfing, so I mostly watched. It was a beautiful morning and we had a blast!!

Bike Riding!

One of our favorite things to do together is go on bike rides. Lately we have been doing more mountain biking and love exploring the canyon and finding new trails.

Floating down the canal in Logan!

Getting ready to tube down the canal! SOOO COLD!!!

Finishing our bike ride back after a fun day floating down the canal.

Camping!

We went camping with My cousin Levi and his wife Lithie. We went up Logan canyon and were able to enjoy the nature and beauty. We played Killer Bunnies, a funnnnnn card game, and Jayson beat everyone by far. He has so much luck when we play games!

Crusin' it up!

We had the best honeymoon! We went on a cruise that started from Miami then we went to Key West and finally the Bahamas! At Key West we enjoyed the beach and ate the classic Key Lime Pie. At the Bahamas we went on a glass bottom boat excursion where you stay dry and enjoy the fish at the same time. We had the best time of our lives!!!

Some wedding pics!

When we walked out of the temple it was POURING rain!!! Everyone got so wet, but we had a lot of fun taking pictures on the big stairs while trying to keep somewhat dry. :-)

Wow- I need to update this thing!!

So, I need to update and let everyone know the latest! Jayson and I are living in the Alamo! It is perfect for a first place to live. Jayson is working at Advanced Heating and Air and I work as a CNA doing home health care through Sunshine Terrace. We are both taking summer classes and are keeping busy between work and school. Right now I am uploading wedding pictures to my computer so I will post some ASAP! :-)

ONE MORE DAY!!!!!

So here it is officially Friday, May 1st! I can't believe Jayson and I will be getting married TOMORROW!!!!!! I don't feel nervous at all, only excitement. I feel like we've been waiting so long for this day and it would never come and now it is finally here. We have prepared so much for this special day and I am so happy to have the opportunity to spend time and all eternity with Jayson. I love him and I can't wait to be his wife!!!!!!!!

Pre-wedding/Bridal Pictures!

This last Saturday (April 11), we went down to SLC and got our bridal/pre-wedding pictures taken at the capital and in front of the SLC temple! It was a beautiful, cloudy day....however it did start to pour rain right at the very end!
If you want to check out some more, go to this website. It is the blog of our photographer and she posts her favorite pictures!
http://www.highlitephotography.blogspot.com/

Spring Break 09

The most Magical Place on earth- Disneyland! We went with Jayson's family over spring break this year. We had a blast!!!!! It was so nice taking a break from school and work and having fun instead!

Construction!

We've had a fun time working on our house! We have had so much help from our friends and want to say a big THANK YOU to all of them!
When there is painting involved, it's inevitable to prevent the paint fight! We got in a big paint fight and ended up with paint all over our faces and in our hair!
Our house is almost all done being painted and we've added new carpet to our living room. It seriously is looking like a normal, clean house now!

BON FIRE!

We went up the canyon with a bunch of friends and had a big Bon Fire! We roasted hot dogs and s'mores and had a great time!!

Missing China

Today I was really missing the kids I taught in China. I am teaching in a preschool right now, and there is a little boy from China and he reminds me of the kids I taught. He is one of the cutest kids in the preschool!
I love looking back on my pictures from China, here are some pictures that show how adorable the little kids are over there!!

China reunion!!

Natalie got together with her friends from China! They went to Cafe Rio then hung out at Madison's house. (Me, Tara, Brighton, and Madison)

Being inventive!

We were both craving cake and decided to make one. We didn't have any frosting, so we invented our own recipe for frosting. We mixed a bunch of ingredients together, it turned out to be very lumpy, but it still tasted delicious!

First Christmas

This is our first Christmas of many together. It is also one we will never forget. When Natalie was on her way over to Jayson's house to open presents, there was a huge snowstorm in Bluffdale. She ended up getting stuck in the middle of the street on a snow drift. When Jayson came to the rescue in his truck, he ended up getting stuck too. This is the most snow both of us has ever seen! It took over an hour to get both of us unstuck, and it felt good to be nice and warm in Jayson's house. The first picture is inside Jayson's garage. It snowed so much, it blew into the garage and there were huge piles of snow inside.

Bowling!!

On Christmas Eve we went bowling with Jayson's family. Take note of the score and see who the winner is. Jayson doesn't look too happy in this picture because he did not win. Jayson's mom Paula was the best bowler of all!!!

First date!

This is a photo of the first date we went on when Natalie came home. We are full of smiles! :-D

Photo-shoot!

We got our pictures taken during the Rasmussen family pictures. They turned out so cute!!

Family pictures!

During the Christmas break, Natalie's family got together for family pictures. Everyone was there and it was great!

Our little buddy!

We have a lot of fun playing with Natalie's nephews Trent and Owen. Trent absolutely loves Jayson and has a lot of fun with him.

Christmas 2008

We spent the Holidays going back and forth to different family parties. At the Rasmussen family party we were able to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas! The one thing we both wanted was to be together! We totally got it. ;-) Jayson is also looking good with his new look. :-) Since Natalie's been home, we've been spending every possible minute together!!!

Home again!

Jayson proposed to Natalie for the second time when she got home at the airport! :-D Happy Day!!!!!!!

URGENT NEWS!

I have the greatest news! I changed my flight from China so now I get home on Saturday the 13 instead of the 18th! I am so so excited to be home 5 days sooner! :-) I am excited to see everyone in 4 days! WAHOO!!!

Save the Date!!

Natalie's students!

I have 8 students that I teach here in China. They are between 7-9 years old and they are catching on to English very quickly. At the beginning they could only read a couple words, but now all of them can read a whole sentence!! It is so much fun watching them progress. We do a lot of fun things in class. The first picture is on Halloween and all the teachers dressed up and the kids made Halloween crafts! The kids can be a handful most of the time which is teaching me a lot of patience. But at the same time I love them to death and we have so much fun!

I love technology!

Jayson and Natalie have been talking to each other on skype almost every day since she's been in China. They have had fun playing question games, telling stories, doing mad libs, watching movies at the same time, talking about everything and getting to know each other even more! They are learning to be creative since they can't "go out" on dates.

NAT!! Only a month left my love!! Look!! Even my hair is crazy for you!! I love you!! We are so close!! We are making it!! I LOVE YOU!!

Sanya=Paradise!

We went to an Island called Hainan and stayed in a Providence called Sanya. It is said to be the Hawaii of China. It was so beautiful! I had so much fun eating mangos and coconuts and enjoying the sun and the beautiful beaches. Two of the days we were there we snuck into a Marriot Resort and laid around there. The pool was huge and the beach was beautiful! It was a very relaxing trip.

Shanghai

Shanghai was a beautiful city. It was very clean and had a lot of big buildings, which looked beautiful at night. Shanghai had great restaurants and lots of yummy food! :-) We also went to the Zoo and saw lots of animals- including the famourous Panda Bear!

Beijing

On October 1-3 we visited Beijing. On Oct. 2 we went to the Great Wall of China! We went to the "secret" wall, which isn't restored yet. There weren't any other tourists, it was just our group there. It was so quiet and peaceful and the wall was amazing.

Xi'an

On September 29 we rode a 26 hour to Xi'an. While there we visited the Terracotta Warriors. These are warrior statues discovered underground by 2 guys digging a well. There are over 2,000 soldiers and each of them has a unique face. It was so cool!

Longshen

On August 11-12, we stayed in a small village in Longshen. The scenery was amazing!!

Guilin

August 6-12 Natalie went on a trip to Guilin, China with 16 other girls! It was so pretty, the mountains looked like "Dr. Seuss" mountains. She rented bikes for a day, rode bamboo rafts, went hiking, swam in the mud caves, and enjoyed beautiful scenery.

Hong Kong

Natalie's first stop was in Hong Kong. It was beautiful! The streets were full of people and buildings.

Farewell, See you in 4 1/2 months!

On July 31, 2008 Jayson and Natalie had to say their temporary goodbyes to each other! Natalie left for Zhongshan, China to teach English while Jayson was staying behind and going to school and working. They are about to have some fun and hard times ahead of them.

Save the Date!

Jayson and Natalie will be getting married on May 2, 2009. They would like to invite you to attend. Please save the date for this special day in their lives!

Moral Support

Today July 31, 2008 Jayson left Natalie at the airport, where she went to China. Jayson would appreciate any moral support and encouragement that anyone can offer. Natalie is the most wonderful person in the world.

The engagement from Nat's point of view!!

Jayson offered me a plane ride home Tuesday night. We were flying and it was a pretty normal flight except for the lightning and rainstorms. Jayson was acting a little more nervous saying this flight was very important to him. When we got to Salt Lake Jayson was circling over a neighborhood. He told me to look out the window and I could see the words "Natty marry me?" from the airplane. He spelled the letters out with rope and had about 40 people down below help him set the rope on fire. He played "Grow Old With Me" over the radio and asked me to marry him and I said YES! He gave me a beautiful ring and we were both so excited. When we landed our families were waiting to celebrate with yummy ice cream! It was the best night of my life!!!!

On July 22, 2008 Jayson and Natalie became engaged to be married... What a wonderful day!!

Wow! What a good looking couple!! It is meant to be!! Thanks for all the good times Nat!!

Ready, aim, FIRE!

For one of our crazy adventures we went paintballing. It was a lot of fun even though it ended with a few bruises.