Getting Stuff

Any of you who know Jack also know that he loves his video games and any of you who know me know that I love to spend money. Anyway, with Jacks incredible love for games and my incredible love for spending money we ended up with a Nintendo Wii the other night. In a random boredom moment Jack and I found ourselves at Best Buy walking around. We both commented on how fun it would be to have a Wii but of course they were completely sold out of them as was every other store in the Provo Valley. A couple days later Jack found himself with an hour to kill before I got off work and wandered back in to Best Buy. This time they actually had one Wii left and Jack literally had to outrun a 30 year old guy to get it. We've loved our Wii. We bought Mario Party 8 and it's actually one game that I don't completely suck at. Of course Jack still beats me at it but it's fun to play together. And I figure if I'm going to lose my husband to a video game I might as well enjoy it with him.

Also, many of you know that sad news that the Tryons are officially leaving us this weekend. They are headed back to Washington DC for 3 years where they can make something of themselves and come back all presitgious and such. We are incredibly sad and every time I think about it I cry. Anyway.... we have adopted their pet hamster (which we gave them for Christmas) George Michael as our own. Now Buster and Lucille have an older brother. Fun for them. We are also the proud owners of 2 new fish. Jack claims he's going to flush them but I think he'll forget about them soon eneough. ALSO... we are getting their washer and dryer! This is what I'm most excited about. I can finally do laundry at my home. I don't have to wait till all our clothes are dirty and then spend an entire day at the laundry-mat. Good times. So I guess their are perks for them leaving us.

Girl Stuff

As some of you know my brother Todd is getting married to Dana Asay at the end of August. We're so excited to have another sister in the family we can hardly stand it. So to celebrate we decided to have a girls weekend. My Mom, Kimberly and Dana all came out to Provo Friday night and we all went to dinner at the Olive Garden. Chick food and girl talk... who could go wrong with that. It was awesome and we ate till we almost threw up. It was so good. After dinner we went back to the hotel and painted our toenails and did facials. We spent the night talking, laughing and taking pictures. It was great fun. *A special thanks to Jack for supplying all the amazing Nuskin products.

Saturday morning we got up early for a busy day of shopping. I had forgotten how exhausting shopping with my mom could be. I was sure we would scare Dana off but she held her ground and fit right in. That girl can shop. Which is good because no one can spend money like the Wilkerson girls. It was a ton of fun. Dana had to leave early (after only 9 hours of shopping) because her and Todd were going to the Drive-in so Todd whisked her away and my mom, Kimberly and I finished off the night with Cafe Rio salads. Which is the perfect way to finish any day. It was the most fun we'd had in a long time. We're making this a yearly tradition so if any of you want to come with us next year... I have a 19 year old brother that needs a wife.

Sin City Stuff

Because Jack and I are such amazing employees we hadn't taken any time off for vacations this summer. People at my office take weeks off at a time and I figured it was only fair that I take one day off and have a real vacation. So Me, Jack, Joan and Tryon all packed up our bags and we piled into the Tryon's car and headed off to Las Vegas! We wanted to have a real trip before the Tryons headed back east for Law School (who does that?).

Anyway, our amazing trip started off with a stop in St. George for some great Mongolian BBQ. The Tryons had raved about it for years so we figured we should try it out. It really was great- they actually used sticks to stir up my dinner. How amazing is that? It looked very Mongolian-like. Impressive! After dinner we went and watched the new Batman in the theater. SO amazing. We were all shocked at it's awesomeness. Joan even had nightmares about the Joker. Poor girl... not sure how she even slept with her husband snoring at such an intense level right next to her. (Jack and I didn't sleep) It was awesome though and we all stayed up late talking about it. Which didn't bode well in the morning when we all had to wake up early so we could get to Mesquite for breakfast at the Oasis! Who can beat $6.50 for a breakfast buffet? It was great.

We got to Vegas about noon and spent the day sight-seeing. We walked through all the hotels and stores and then went to the M&M store and The Star Trek Experience. We went to an amazing magic show. It was so cool and I think we were all impressed... who wouldn't be when an airplane appears onstage in less than 5 seconds. Come on! We finished with dinner at Planet Hollywood in Ceasers Palace where we made great friends with our waitress from Poland. By this time we were all exhausted from walking all day so we headed back to the hotel and spent a little time in the hot tub and pool.

We had to head home the next morning as all of us had to work early on Monday. It was a short vacation but definitely one of the better ones.

Ultimate Fun Stuff

As the 4th of July approached Jack and I realize we had no plans. The Tryons were going to be in Canada so we were left to find entertainment on our own. Eventually, after a huge debate over a road trip to Oregon or a close to home camping trip, camping won. We searched EVERY camp site in Utah (via the internet) and found one that still had sites open. So Friday morning we loaded our car with all sorts of exciting stuff and headed up Nephi Canyon.

We arrived at Ponderosa campground in the early afternoon and were pleasantly surprised with our campsite. It was gorgeous! It was nestled in the middle of a group of pine trees with a running stream right next to it. It was the only campsite that was nestled away from the other sites so we were completely alone. It was great!

Jack and I decided to drive up the scenic Nebo Loop that was right by our campground. It was absolutely gorgeous! We stopped at the very top and took pictures with the entire canyon in the background. It was amazing. It was so green and pretty. Seriously one of my new favorite spots in Utah!

Along the Nebo loop is a canyon called the Devils Kitchen. There's a small walk and then out of nowhere is this amazing canyon full of red rock formations. It was so cool!

We spent the entire Friday afternoon/evening driving around looking at the sights. We even went on a small hike. Fun stuff! Jack made AMAZING tinfoil dinners for dinner that night and then we made delicious s'mores. We stayed up late talking about politics, movies, and goals. It was so fun to just be the two of us.

We slept in the car that night.... There were bear warnings all over the campground. Wether or not there was actually a bear is besides the point it was scary! So we spent a rather uncomfortable night in our Nissan Sentra. Still fun though and once the sun came up we gladly moved into our tent with the air mattress. I mean come on people everyone knows the shining sun kills bears. So we were safe. Breakfast consisted of Bacon, Eggs, Hashbrowns, and Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. It was amazingly delicious.

Now our camping trip is done. We are home safe and sound and couldn't have been happier with our 4th of July camping trip.

New Stuff

We are FINALLY all moved into our apartment. All the pictures are hung and curtains are donning the windows. It's so nice to be all moved in. PLUS our landlord finally made it over and installed out air conditioner so we are enjoying that imensly! Jacks brother Adam came over last weekend and fixed our shower so we are eternally grateful for that! Now I just need to see if I can bribe my brother into bringing my washer and dryer out! It seems like everything is up and running. Hopefully it stays that way for a while.

We were able to spend some fun time with Jacks family this last weekend. His brother Adam and his wife Angeline came down on their way to a wedding. We got to go to dinner with them and catch up (read *listen to Jack and Adam argue about politics). So that was fun. Then the rest of his family came out on Saturday and we spent the day at the water slide/pool. We rarely make it back to Roosevelt so it was nice to see everyone. I even have a slight sunburn from the days festivities.

Jack got a promotion at work! They offered to give him more training so he could work with the shipping departement as well. He'll make an extra dollar an hour. Yay Jack!

One of the girls I went to High School with was killed in a car accident this weekend. She had been married almost a year and had a little baby boy. I've been really upset about how unfair life can be. No 22 year old should have to bury his wife and no baby should have to grow up without his mommy. Its got me thinking about all the people I've lost in my life that were too young to go. When I was 12 my best friend Tiffany Ellingford was killed in a freak horse accident. I remember feeling lost for a really long time. It's been 10 years and I still have a box of notes and memories of her. A few years later my cousin Jackson was killed in a motorcycle accident. I was in California at the time and it was so hard to be away from my family even if it was only for a few days. I flew back for the funeral and it was really hard for me to believe it actually happened because I was gone while everyone else went through the after shock. I know what it's like to lose people I love far too early! All this has got me thinking about the people I love today. I want you all to know I love you and what an impact you have had on my life!