Mary Frances and Shawn

Something New Saturday

2012-01-21T12:02:00.007-07:00

For those of you that don't know, I like to keep sentimental items. I'm pretty sure it runs in my family. Although, I'm not as bad as my grandma who used to keep everything, or my dad who still has shirts that are embarassingly old. I can and do throw stuff out. But I do have some things I like to keep, like my grandpa's antique camera and WWII foot locker. Some of the things I keep are silly like notes from jr high, all my dance pictures or things with my name on it. Sometimes I find something I kept and wonder what ridiculous impulse made me keep it, those I throw out immediately. Some others items I keep are ticket stubs. I have all the Harry Potter movie stubs, the ticket from the Olympic medals ceremonies I went to with my mom and every ticket stub of anything Shawn and I have been to together. I thought the Shawn items started when we started dating after his mission....until the other day while cleaning out our storage unit of a second bedroom (which is now clean, organized and usable!) when I found this It's the program from our first date in high school! Even though we were only friends apparently some funny impulse hit me again, I think I'll keep this one though!

One more week

2011-12-06T12:20:00.003-07:00

In one week and two days I will be done with the semester. The problem is in the next 36 hours I have four assignments, one final project, one portfolio, two papers and a quiz to get through. The first three mentioned are due in just five hours...and I haven't started. Windmagedon really messed up my study time last weekend, between the power outage and the Cochran cleanup I didn't get much done. Why is it I can always find time to blog when I shouldn't, but when I have ample time I choose not to?? Well, I decided to forgo lunch today to work on my assignments before class. I'm starving as I sit in a quiet room alone in the LNCO building. In walks a girl with a pizza, which smells slightly old but delicious none the less. She ate her pizza and left. Seriously? Go eat in a normal area, it's just cruel.

Brick Wall

2011-11-08T13:29:00.003-07:00

I have hit a wall. It's tall, strong, unmoving and impenetrable. I feel like this semester should be over now, yet I still have a month left. Losing focus and having no motivation to study are understatements. The worst part is that on the other side of the wall is a land of no studying, no papers, sleeping in, Christmas fun, baking, tea-ring, family and actual time with Shawn. It seems like I'll never get to that land. This is my last year of college (yes I will finally finish next semester), I'm so close but every day seems like forever till the end. So, in an effort to kick my butt into gear (I should be studying now during my 2 hour break of the long 12 hours of school Tuesday), I ask you to help me. What did you do in school when you hit a wall with the end of the semester so far away? Any tips would be helpful. No motivational speeches necessary.

Happy Halloween Birthday!

2011-10-31T20:21:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to this handsome guy! We had a fun time celebrating Shawn's birthday this weekend. I put together a 'surprise' party on Friday. But, Shawn got off early and ruined the surprise part. It was still fun to have friends over for a BBQ and fire pit. We watched the Cardinals win (which Shawn loved since he served in St. Louis), roasted marshmallows and enjoyed delicious food. Saturday we woke up to visitors from Daybreak, Jessica and Bridger. Followed by Elliot's football game and lunch at Cheesecake Factory with Shawn's parents. After that we got to enjoy watching the Utes win from the rowdy and fun North end zone. The evening was finished with Geoff dominating us at Settlers of Catan: Cities & Knights. On Sunday I let Shawn relax while I made garlic bread for dinner at the Cochran's, which was also yummy! Today, Shawn's actual birthday, we went to school and I made beef ragu (recipe found here) for dinner and we finished off our leftover cheesecake! It's been a very fun weekend. Happy birthday Shawn, hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did. Love you!

"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?"

2011-09-11T16:05:00.005-06:00

10 years ago I was settling into the first few weeks of 9th grade. That morning I got ready for school as usual, said goodbye to my mom and ran out to my carpool. As I opened the car door Landon said "The World Trade Centers have been hit by planes!" Halfway in the car and halfway out, my confusion and fear were instant. I pulled the car door shut. Looking back now I was shutting the door on the innocent naive world I knew. The short drive to MPJ seemed long that day as we listened to the radio. News came of another hijacked plane and possible bomb threat on the White House....wait did they say the White House?! Now it was personal, my sister Jessica was an intern there. What was happening, was she OK, how was I going to find out? Surely my mom would let me know ASAP. Wrong. I made my way to my first class in a daze. The hallways were buzzing with chaos as trickles of conversations hit my ears....New York....planes...terrorists...bombs....DC....crashed....falling....Trying to break through my haze Brett said "Don't worry Mar, everything will be fine." I looked over at him and remember saying very clearly "You don't know that Brett, Jessica is in the White House." Brett's face fell, but he quickly said he was sure she was fine. I turned and walked into Geography alone as Brett and what seemed like all my other friends went across the hall to Foods.

I don't remember those first few classes very well, all the teachers were trying to calm down younger students and feeding us older kids with the latest news. We spent Seminary watching the burning towers and more speculation from newscasters. All day I waited for news about my sister but none ever came. Still worried I headed to my soccer game at WX. I couldn't even tell you who we played that day or even if we won. As we were warming up I spotted my mom across the field and yelled "Is Jessica OK?" She smiled and said "Yes she's fine." She couldn't call the school and tell me that?!

A few weeks later Alan Jackson's song "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning" came on as my dad and I drove home from a soccer game. My dad said he liked the song and turned it up. One line says "In a crowded room did you feel alone?" That's exactly how I felt.

I got these plates at Target last month. How different the skyline is today.

My International Communication class focuses on memory and how people remember major events in our past. Shawn and I woke up today to watch the memorial. Unfortunately, Shawn didn't account for time zones and we missed most of the broadcast. It still got me thinking about ten years ago and what each of us went through. I asked Shawn how he found out and what he remembered about that day. My sister Morgan blogged about her experience here. Jessica and her family came over and we each shared our memories of September 11, 2001: Jessica being evacuated from the White House as the plane that hit the Pentagon flew overhead, Nick in Russia on a mission and Shawn's mom calling him down to the TV room to watch the news. Today I learned a little more about myself and a little more about my family. I think that's one of the lessons we still have, is learning about ourselves, family, friends and country. Jessica wasn't thrilled to re-live the day, but I think it's important to reflect and talk about things. After all that's how we learn and change, right? Where were you when you found out, what was your day like?

Summer happenings

2011-08-03T13:15:00.012-06:00

Whew! Last time I posted I was dragging through finals week of Spring semester, now it's finals for Summer semester. What happened? Where did all the time go? Well where ever it went it took my summer with it. Shawn and I have been busy doing the following:

- enjoying the hot summer days
- eating outside
- fire pit evenings
- laying outside on our hammocks
- swimming with family
- Ogden 5k (yes I did it!)
- boating

Most of the Cochran clan headed down to Zion for a family reunion. 'Most' of the family includes grandpa, 2 of his siblings, their kids, grandkids and great grandkids! I'd never met half the family but it was fun to get to know everyone. We went swimming, hiking, had a basketball tournament, large dinners and even a service project. Shawn and I finally broke in our tent we got for our wedding and loved sleeping outside.

We also celebrated our 3 year anniversary! We both had the weekend off and spent it relaxing together. For dinner we went to our favorite Indian place down the street, got Cold Stone for desert and watched a movie at home. Pretty chill weekend, but it was just what we needed.

Last weekend we went to Bear Lake with my family. Strange going without my parents, but we figured it out. We spent our time boating, at the beach, golfing, mini golfing, playing games, getting shakes, getting drinks and chasing nephews and nieces. The kids had a blast on the boat, they loved the tube, knee board and wake board. Shawn is getting the hang of the wake board and has started trying to jump and get air.

Crazy busy but fun summer! 2 weeks left and then Fall semester starts. We'll enjoy it while we can!

Sorry about the picture overload but Nana and Grandpa in NYC need to stay connected with pics of the grandkids, including the annual grandchildren pic by "the tree" in Bear Lake. Enjoy! JD took his kids out and rode the knee board with them. Some of these pics include Joey and Sam's first ride, and Joey's amazement and goodbye wave when his dad let go.

We told the tube riders to raise their hands for a picture, unfortunately captain JD didn't get the memo. The boat went and jerked the tube while Joey wasn't holding on and he fell off the back. Look closely and you can see Morgan's shocked face and the top of Joey's head behind Charlie's arm as he tumbles off the back!

finalssss..........

2011-04-25T12:07:00.003-06:00

Lack of blogging due to the following: 3 final exams, 1 final paper, 1 final portfolio, 1 photo project all within the next 48 hours. Followed by 1 final exam next week. Will blog after Wednesday.....or maybe I'll just sleep.

I did it....

2011-04-19T10:21:00.003-06:00

My friend recently started a blog for her healthy part of life. She tracks what she eats, her workout etc. every day. My family for many years has talked to each other about their work outs. While in NYC I got a daily recount of my parents run or workout. Growing up it got to be so much that I banned certain people from talking to me about healthy stuff, what I ate or didn't eat and working out. Daily exercise talk is too much for me, so here's what I've decided to do. I won't do this every day, but I need an outlet about exercising. This will be my forum for the ups and downs of working out, attempting to run and eating better. No, this is not my own "Biggest Loser" (although I love that show), you will not know my weight, maybe a comment about loss/gain, this is not my pity party for sympathy or praise, JUST AN OUTLET. SO, here goes.... - I was dreading going to the gym on Monday since I hadn't been for over a week, and haven't had some of my asthma medicine. But, after class Shawn and I headed over to the rec center. I started out up on the track. Now, you must know my exercise has been hit and miss (mostly misses) for a while. Last time I ran this track I could only do 2 laps (9 laps = 1 mile) which is quite pathetic. So Monday my goal was to run 3. Well, I ran 6! Walked another, ran 2 more, and finished walking 3. It felt good, considering I could barely run at all before. I continued with some weight lifting, abductors, adductors and stretching. Still feeling pretty good Shawn and I went back up and ran another 5 laps with a sprint at the end! 2 miles later, I was starting to think I will be able to run 3 miles in a month. Good start!

5k Update

2011-04-16T16:34:00.002-06:00

Training is not going so well... I woke up Sunday congested, sore throat, my ears hurt along with an achy body. That was the high point of the week, it's been down hill ever since. So to say the least I have not been training or exercising all week. Not looking forward to Monday, but I have to do it.

5k.....hopefully

2011-04-04T22:55:00.002-06:00

My sister-in-law, Katie, and I have been saying we should do a 5K since I got engaged. That was 3 years ago and we have yet to do one. Well that all changes for me this year....hopefully. The Ogden marathon ends right outside the doors of my work. So my work, The Imaging Depot, has offered to pay it's employees entrance fee for whichever part of the race we want to do. A couple of us decided to do the 5k. I don't believe Katie will be joining me, but Katie, start training with me and we'll do one this summer! Training was supposed to start today...........better luck tomorrow?! I've never been a runner, but 3.1 miles can't be that bad right? Here's to getting in shape and running in my first official event ever, and hoping it won't be my last. Katie, and all the other 3 of you that read this blog will be the ones holding me to it. Updates on my progress to follow. UPDATE: Shawn saw me typing this up and asked if he gets to do it with me, of course! So I signed him up as well. We'll keep each other on track.

Fruit Bowl

2011-03-31T20:48:00.002-06:00

Summer is coming, can you feel it?! I spent 90% of this glorious day inside working. The few moments I spent walking to my car this evening got me excited for summer, the sunsets, the heat, boating, family trips, being outside and fresh fruits and veggies. This is what our fruit bowl looks like right now after a trip to Costco and Smith's. Our fridge also holds strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples. Now, how do just two people eat all this before it goes bad? Some of the fruit will be for Conference Sunday breakfast, but the rest we will enjoy. Here's to hoping Summer comes a little faster, I'll be thinking about it with every bite!

Visit to NYC

2011-03-27T17:48:00.006-06:00

Dear Mom and Dad, It was great to be able to visit you in NYC. Shawn and I had so much fun traveling around and exploring the city with you. I'm glad we were the first to come which meant we got to experience some things you hadn't seen yet. Some of the highlights were NY tourists spots including the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, shopping on 5th Avenue, the Museum of Modern Art, China Town & Little Italy, Top of Rockafeller Center, the Empire State Building, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park and ground zero. We also loved exploring the upper west side where you live, seeing the temple and your office, and going to your ward in Harlem. Of course we found amazing food in NY including some great finds featured on the Food Network, Grimaldi's: best pizza ever, Brooklyn Icecream Factory, Levain's: great cookies the size of your fist, the Shake Shack, and great Italian in Little Italy. Getting to see Wicked for the first time was also incredible! Thanks again for letting us come see and stay with you! Love, one appreciative daughter + one appreciative son-in-law

President's Day

2011-02-28T20:27:00.002-07:00

Shawn & Elliot Pretty sure Shawn was trying to turn the camera off... This is a little late, but for President's Day we went up to Brighton. We spent the day with my sister, 2 brothers-in-law & 2 nephews. It was fun and exhausting. I'm not a great skier, but somehow ended up trying to find my way through powder. I tried following Shawn and my sister but usually ended up on my back, at one point I took a nice rest with my skies straight up in the air :)

Spicy Chili

2011-02-03T13:12:00.004-07:00

Made this last night. It was spicy and delicious! Didn't taste like normal old chili, plus Shawn made homemade corn bread. We were quite the cooks, and our house smelled amazing all night. An old friend of mine went to culinary school and is now doing an internship at the LA Times. He did this recipe for something for that. The link for the recipe is below.

Christmas Traditons: Postcard to NYC

2010-12-26T14:44:00.002-07:00

One of my family's Christmas traditions are these: Swedish Tea Rings. Every year I would help my mom make these and deliver them to our neighbors and friends. But the best one was always saved for Christmas morning. After opening presents we would enjoy this once a year treat. Well, Nancy and Joe are in NYC for this Christmas and next so I took up the honor, stress and enjoyment of making them. Although my mom did find a way to make them for my dad this year! Dear Nana and Grandpa, Since you are away this year I decided to carry on the tradition and make THESE Your other children were very surprised and happy when I showed up on Christmas Eve with these in hand. Especially since I didn't do my math very well and each tea ring was twice the size it should have been! :) Christmas morning was great for all to have a little piece of Christmas past and mom in each home. Tea ring and coke after presents, what more could you need? Hope NYC tea ring is as good tea ring at home.

Austin Cade Lee

2010-11-08T22:05:00.004-07:00

I have had a couple practice photo shoots lately. This is our newest nephew Austin and his older brother Payton! Thanks again to my sister-in-law Kelli for letting me use her boys as my models, so cute. Coming soon: my niece Libby and the Real Salt Lake game!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY!

2010-10-31T15:25:00.003-06:00

Shawn asked me weeks ago to change our blog background bc he was "bored with it" so here's a quick change for Halloween/his birthday. That's right today is Shawn's birthday, Happy Birthday love! Being a Halloween baby Shawn loves Halloween. When I got out our decorations this year I realized our collection was quite dismal. It may have worked in our apartment, but our house looked pathetic. So I started celebrating a little early and got going on more decorations. It's not much but its a start, and I'm sure it will keep growing over the years. Shawn got his very own first ever grill for his birthday, and a fire pit will follow (hopefully the awesome Utah Utes one from Costco!) Last night we had some friends over for dinner, cake and the Utah game, go Utes! This morning I got up and cleaned up from last night and made Shawn a special Halloween/birthday breakfast, then we started our Harry Potter marathon in preparation for HP7 in a few weeks! I'll be making Shawn a delicious steak dinner tonight, decorating our Halloween ginger bread house and his parents are taking us out tomorrow. I hope I've made your birthday a fun month Shawn! I told Shawn we were old today and he said "we're not old till we have kids" I guess we won't be old for a while :) Love you Shawn! PS: Also a Happy Birthday to my brother JD today, and my dad aka Elder Lyon yesterday!

Halloween

2010-10-22T22:36:00.002-06:00

We had our friends Heather & Brad over tonight to carve pumpkins! It was fun to catch up, and we enjoyed doughnuts and hot chocolate after. More Halloween posts to come, it is Shawn's birthday after all :) Maybe I'll even finally post pics of our house decorated and everything!

Belated Labor Day

2010-09-13T19:13:00.004-06:00

What do you do on Labor Day when neither of you have to work and no school? First you sleep in then you make crepes and fill them with this this and this then you go shopping in Park City at the outlets then you get Indian food for dinner then you share said Indian with siblings and finish the night off with Settlers of Catan Awesome labor free Labor Day

New JOB!

2010-09-03T15:51:00.003-06:00

It's true I'm DONE with Costco! I got a new job at The Imaging Depot. It's a new photo lab in Ogden that the Inkley family is opening. I get paid more, will be full time, benefits & they work with my school schedule! I will start on Tuesday :) I had my last day at Costco today which was bittersweet but mostly just awesome. Some things I will miss:

seeing Shawn at work
the fun girls I work with
seeing people I know but don't see often (the ones I actually like running into)
the short commute
taking/receiving lunch to/from Shawn
my family visiting me at work
the friends I made
sharing the looks of frustration/astonishment/bewilderment/dismay...(the list goes on and on) with the girls in photo after some member did or asked something ridiculous
the funny ridiculous questions or things members do ie. "will these pictures melt in the car?" , the lady that wouldn't buy our holiday stamps b/c they had a "smoking snowman" on them: it was frosty the snow man with his corncob pipe! .... endless list
knowing exactly what to do, how to do it and what's expected of me

things I will not miss so much

the essence of Costco ie. the smell, the members, the employees, the general feeling there
members getting mad at me for stuff that's not my fault ie. their heads getting cropped off, they pushed the wrong button, again the list is endless
the stupid members that ask or do ridiculous things: "which one is glossy or lustre?" duh the one that says glossy on it (our examples say glossy or lustre), walking a member through how to order their pics as I read EXACTLY what is on the screen, "How long is it going to take?" if you've ever been to Costco you'll know there is a GIGANTIC sign that says in caps 1-HOUR PHOTO hmmm..... people getting mad at me b/c I can't ring up non-photo items at photo and then leaving the gum, milk, or clothes on the counter for me to put away, the calls right before we close (especially on Saturday or during Christmas) wanting to know why their stuff won't be done today....etc I'll stop before I get too mad
members getting mad at me for stuff that is my fault, no one is perfect what is yelling going to fix?
angry managers (luckily mine was nice most of the time) that will do anything for the member even if it's against Costco policy and makes you look like a jerk
members demanding and getting whatever they want
having to tell people they can't use someone else's card
mostly the members at Costco

Things I am excited/nervous about

new job, new place, new managers, new co-workers
new machines, especially the massive ones that can print 44in wide and super long
no Costco members
working only in a Photo store not a warehouse that has tons of other stuff
being able to teach and work one on one with customers
not having to call customers "members"
not knowing exactly what I'm doing, how to do it, what's expected of me, but trying to learn

I know I'll have some of these issues at my new job but most of them will go away. This new lab is more about teaching people how to use and enjoy their photos so I'll have more time to explain and teach and not get frustrated. Now don't be offended if you're a Costco member, I just don't like the ridiculous ones! But I am no longer an employee so now I can join the regular members and hopefully be a good one, not a ridiculous one!

Udpate

2010-08-25T16:04:00.003-06:00

No pics of the house yet. It's still a work in progress. We lost a lot of storage space in the move so we're still trying to find a place for everything. The kitchen and our bedroom are done, still working on the office. Our cute house has some quirks b/c it's so old: tiny closets and no outlets. It's been hard trying to find a place to plug things in! Despite these things we've loved it so far. Our internet will be hooked up on Monday so I'll try to do some pics then. Another thing we love is the yard. Right now we're laying in our hammocks in the back in the shade :) while I steal internet from Great Harvest! It's slow but it works for now.

Moving!

2010-08-15T22:29:00.003-06:00

It's official, we're moving! Which also means no more managing!!!! Everything fell into place this past week. Shawn and I started looking at places last week but weren't having much luck. On Wednesday we looked at a cute house for rent. The landlady said she had had a lot of interest so they were just going to pick who they liked out of all the people she showed it to. Crap how were we going to stand out with the application just asking for basic info? Brilliant idea hit me, I wrote down some more personal info on the back about Shawn and me, including that we had managed apartments for 2 years and knew how to be good tenants. The lady told us she had a wedding to go to all day on Thursday and they would continue showing it through the weekend and then make their decision. So we prepared to wait all weekend and continued looking at other places. But she called the very next day, and wanted us! So we're moving this weekend into a small house a block north of where we are now. We get the top floor, and another college student gets the basement apartment. The square footage is the same as what we have now, but there are washer/dryer hookups and a yard! Pics will be coming soon!

Other Favs

2010-08-04T22:55:00.007-06:00

Here are some more I've been working on. Thanks to all my models, and let me know if you want to let me practice on you! Through looking at other blogs I found out that the color isn't as vivid on their pics either. Apparently that's just how it it, boo.

Remember These?

2010-08-03T17:40:00.002-06:00

Summer time has also allowed me to do some learning with my camera and Photoshop. I found some websites I love, thanks for the tip Kath! Through these photographers I've learned a lot of tips and even more about Photoshop. These pics are from a shoot with Jess, Nick & Bridge last fall. Love the before and after

Summer Time

2010-08-03T16:30:00.006-06:00

Our summer has been full of fun this year! Here are some pics from Bear Lake, boating trips, fun with friends & Nancy's retirement party.

Katie and Tyler's Wedding

2010-07-10T23:42:00.007-06:00

Shawn's sister, Katie, got married this week! We are so happy and excited for her and Tyler. They had the ceremony at the Bountiful Temple, then a luncheon and reception later on. It was a great day, besides the fact that my car got broken into at the luncheon and they stole my purse! Don't worry, they tried to dump my purse and wallet in a dumpster but missed and someone found it. So I got my purse back, but they had stolen my credit cards and used one before I could cancel it. Everything worked out in the end and we had a great day celebrating the marriage with family and friends. Katie's photographer was nice enough to let me shadow him and follow them around at the temple. Here are a few of the shots I got. Congrats again Katie and Tyler, we love you!

Bear Lake take 1

2010-06-15T22:56:00.006-06:00

We waited until Sunday to head up to Bear Lake for the weather to get a bit better. Of course it was worth the wait! We had a great Sunday dinner, a walk on the beach and movie night. Monday we slept in, spent a few hours on the beach with one quick dip in the freezing lake to cool off, had a nap, more movies and a great dinner. We went to a new Latin bistro called Cafe Sabor and it was fantastic. We sat outside and enjoyed the sunset and cool breeze. The pic is from my phone so it's not very good. We each ordered our own burrito not knowing they were as long as your fore arm and twice as thick! Between that and the homemade guacamole we were stuffed. Great times with beautiful sunsets, sunburns and celebration!

Photography Shadowing

2010-06-11T14:28:00.006-06:00

Tyler seeing Katie in her dress for the first time getting ready! Shawn's sister Katie is getting married next month. She had her bridals on Tuesday. They picked a photographer I referred to them who did my friend Heather's wedding. He was nice enough to let me tag along and shadow him during her bridals. I just got a new camera and am still getting used to it, but it was fun and we was great about answering questions and giving me tips! Thanks again Karen and Katie for setting it up! After uploading these pics I noticed the color changes and not for the better. Sorry for the weird coloring they look better I'll just have to figure it out for next time!

2 Years!!!

2010-06-11T13:55:00.005-06:00

2 years ago! Great friends Heather and Brad who knows what I'm doing but I love them laughing in the back Chios singing to the Marianne cute couple dancing I can't believe Shawn and I have been married for two years already! It's crazy how fast it has gone by, but we've had lots of fun and good times along the way. We planned on going to Laguna Beach for our anniversary trip, but my close friend, Marianne, got married and wanted me to be a bridesmaid. So we stayed home and enjoyed the festivities yesterday. The day started out at the temple for the sealing. As we were sitting waiting for the ceremony to start I couldn't help but think what a wonderful place to spend our anniversary sitting in a room very similar to the place we started our marriage. It was great to watch our friend's be sealed together while sitting next to my other close friend Heather. The luncheon was at the JSMB and the reception at the Lion House, so we spent most of the day on temple square. It was great to have Heather and her husband Brad there the whole day. It was also nice for Shawn to have someone to hang out with while Heather and I got ready, took wedding pics, and performed our bridesmaid duties. Thanks Brad! Marianne was a beautiful bride and we are so excited for them! As for celebrating our anniversary we are heading up to Bear Lake this weekend, and planning our annul trip to Ruth's Chris, can't wait! Happy Anniversary Shawn! I love you and look forward to all the years we have ahead of us.

Practice Pics

2010-04-25T14:09:00.004-06:00

Shawn and I had an unexpected Saturday off together yesterday so we went on a hike up Mueller Park Canyon. We didn't make it quite to the top of Elephant Rock because of the snow, but almost. We took our camera with us which slowed us down and we almost ran out of light by the end It was a lot of fun, we'll have to wait a week or two for the snow to melt before we try again. Here are some of our favorites from the hike.

Busy Bits

2010-01-27T14:07:00.003-07:00

Shawn and I have been a tad busy since my last post. Christmas at Costco was madness. Our lines in Photo reached down past the TVs for hours on end, we had endless stupid questions such as "Is it really going to take that long?" Well you just stood in line for twenty minutes, so what do you think?! Besides Costco our Christmas was fun. It was good to see family from out of town, and we hit all the houses we could. Since then we have both returned to school, working less at Costco, but still keeping busy. For my birthday Shawn took me up to the outlets and let me shop, so fun. For dinner we went to Cheesecake Factory, which was very good. After that we took our desert to JD and Kathy's and played Settlers. We had four days off together, what more could I want? Great birthday, thanks Shawn! My new favorite channel lately if the Food Network. They have a show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" which features chefs and Food Network stars telling about what foods they like to eat and where you can get it. Last week they featured a bakery in Salt Lake called Les Madelines that makes THIS.... It's called the Kouing Aman, and it's delicious! They roll out the dough, then layer it with butter, fold and roll again, then layer sugar and salt, fold and roll again then bake in a muffin pan. It's like a layered croissant but better. You have to share one, and only have it once in a great while. But for that once in a great while it's totally worth it.

After Thanksgiving shopping

2009-12-03T13:35:00.002-07:00

I'm not much for going out after Thanksgiving and shopping. We went to Kohls at 11am the morning after and the lines to pay wrapped half way around the store. So we turned around and left. Instead I got online and found 2 great deals at Kohls and Macy's. I got 1 duvet (regularly $160, down alternative), 2 pillows (buy 1 get one free, reg $20 each), 1 duvet cover, 2 shams, 3 decorative pillows, and 1 set of sheets (together regularly over $500) ALL for under $300! The receipe? Online deals including free shipping from both stores + extra 15% off from both stores + all items on sale 60% or more + $20 gift card = I saved more than I spent. Love that.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T22:54:00.005-07:00

We had 2 Thanksgivings this year. We started out at Shawn's aunts house with his whole family, which was great! We could only stay a little over an hour b/c of my allergies to her cat, too bad. Then we moved on to Jessica's where we attempted Jessica and Nick's first Thanksgiving, which was a success! Jess and Nick made the turkey, stuffing, carrots, jello and potatoes. We made the rolls, grandma Lyon's pumpkin pie and failed at the gravy. Everything turned out great except my gravy, whoops. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

2009-11-08T00:49:00.004-07:00

Shawn and I went to So You Think You Can Dance tonight. The show was awesome! We love watching the TV show but have concluded it is even better in person. Shawn's sister Katie and her boyfriend came over for dinner before, we had homemade BBQ chicken pizza yum! Then we all went to the show. Our seats weren't together, we bought ours for a deal on KSL and Katie won hers off the radio. But it was still great, these dancers are AMAZING! Seriously one of our best date nights ever. I die, it was BANANAS! Janene and Jason Addiction with Kupuno and Kayla Top 3 guys Evan, Brandon, and Ade Funny thieves Jeanette and Brandon Brandon and Janene doing Battlefield Brandon and Janette super girls Janene, Melissa, and Kayla Katelyn and Jason doing Bollywood The Butt dance with Evan and Randi (Randi's from Utah!) Janene and Phillip Pretty good pics considering how far away we were! They may be a little blurry but they came out better than I thought they would.

Wright Pics

2009-11-07T15:04:00.005-07:00

Shawn and I went out to Wheeler Farm today and took family pictures of the Wrights. Here are some highlights! Bridge grunted and pointed at all the animals, a lot.

BIRTHDAY BOY(s)!!!

2009-10-31T12:23:00.010-06:00

Happy 23rd birthday to Shawn! This weekend is filled with activities with family and friends. Everything started yesterday by getting off work early, then West High football, then the New Yorker for my dad's 60th birthday. Today we had doughnuts and hot chocolate for JD's birthday, baby blessing for Josh (our newest nephew), then undecided plans for tonight, either dinner, football game, or Halloween party? Anyway, it's been a packed weekend with more to come. Happy birthday to dad, JD, and Shawn! In the craziness of everything I just wanted to make sure Shawn knew I love and appreciate him! Happy Birthday babe!

Update

2009-07-08T20:59:00.007-06:00

The last couple weeks have been so fun, busy but fun. We've been boating, working, golfing, working, celebrating the 4th, working, and enjoying summer!

Heard on the golf course...

2009-06-18T21:56:00.004-06:00

Shawn and I both had the day off today, and we spent it golfing. We started chipping and putting at Eaglewood, where I chipped one in. Then we moved to Oakridge for 9 nine holes with my dad and JD. Back to Eaglewood for a bucket and 9 more holes. As I was walking to the range I found $20 on the ground! On the 6th hole at Eaglewood Shawn shanked it far left into some houses that lined the course. As we drove up to the house we found some kids and their dad, where the following conversation happened: the dad-Did you you hit a Nike? ....(we shook our heads no) Callaway? (again no) ... how about a Precept? Shawn - No, I ha a Titleist the dad - oh where did that one go guys? We saw one of those too. The dad proceeded to find Shawn's ball and throw it to him. Ha good thing the kids were playing football and all had helmets on! 2 buckets of balls, 3 birdies, 1 chip in, 2 free rounds of golf, + $20 later and no Costco...not a bad day!

Happy Anniversary!!!!

2009-06-13T20:27:00.004-06:00

Wow one year later and still going strong! It seems like I have just always been with Shawn, but at the same time it is crazy we've already been married for a year. It's been absolutely amazing and we can't wait for the adventures ahead. To celebrate we headed to San Diego for a few days. We enjoyed the sun, sorry about the rain back here! We went to the beach, where we saw dolphins, Sea World, Ruth's Chris for dinner, and Seaport village. It was a blast!

Chio Reunion

2009-06-13T19:58:00.003-06:00

My friend Heather got married a few weeks ago. Once the happy couple got back from their honeymoon we had another pizza night before we all go our different directions for the summer. Heather moved down to Provo with her husband, Marianne is preparing for graduate school, Ingrid is going to DC for an internship and then to Cambridge for school in the fall, and I am going to summer school and a couple small vacations. Good luck to all!

Update

2009-05-14T15:36:00.000-06:00

Here's what we've been up to the past couple of weeks. Including pizza night with friends, golfing with the boys, bowling with the kids, and Boston

Belated Giveaway

2009-04-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

This should be fun.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

Restrictions:

1 - I have complete creative freedom.

2 - But it will be just for you.

3 - You'll receive it by the end of March

4 - You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same giveaway to 5 people. 5 - Don't forget to take a picture of what you get. Hooray!

Tagged

2009-04-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

Here are the rules: 1) Post rules on your blog 2) Answer the five '8' items 3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment 8 Favorite TV shows 1. Friends 2. Grey's 3. Private Practice 4. The Office 5. Brothers and Sisters 6. Deadliest Catch 7. The biggest loser 8. Ace of Cakes 8 things I did yesterday 1. Woke up at freakin 8 AM 2. Went to work 3. Printed pics, green ones even stupid machine 4. Got a coke from Pace's 5. Took a nap 6. Watched TV 7. Had Robintino's for dinner 8. Hung out with Shawn 8 things I'm looking forward to 1. Spring 2. Summer...especially boating 3. San Diego with Shawn 4. Camping 5. Swimming 6. Meeting my new nephew:)!!! 7. Finishing school, some day 8. Having my whole family here. 8 Favorite restaurants 1. Cafe Rio 2. Pace's 3. Olive Garden 4. Mandarin 5. The Dodo 6. Hires 7. Ruth's Chris 8. In 'N Out 8 things on my wish list 1. Finish school within 18 months 2. Knowing where Shawn will go to school after SLCC 3. not managing the apartments some day 4. not cleaning the laundromat some day 5. buying a house some day 6. a new car some day 7. that not all the good names will be gone by the time we have kids 8. that our parents will always have good health;)

28 Days and counting...

2009-03-31T12:15:00.000-06:00

Only 28 days left of school for this semester. Here's what I have to look forward to in the next 4 weeks: 2 papers, 1 final project, 1 presentation, 6 quizes, and 2 tests, 1 comprehensive and 1 not. Both tests are April 28th, and everything else is due either the 14th or the 16th...awesome. At least I'll have the big stuff done before Boston, then I'll just have to study for my 2 finals! yay. Shawn will be done by the end of April too. Then he'll be done for a while, but I will hopefully be doing summer classes. Oh the fun and the joy, I can hardly contain it all........

Diana! and a bike

2009-02-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I did our taxes early this year. Yes, I even got them in before the deadline in April, be proud! Anyway, we decided to treat ourselves with some of the money. Of course we turned to ebay for a good deal. Shawn found a bike and I found a Diana camera. The Diana was first made in the 60's but didn't sell. It's a dinky plastic camera that gives out soft pictures. Because you can't control every aspect of the camera you never know what you're going to get. I hope to post pics within a week. Marci has a Diana, to view some of her pics click here, here, and here. Wish me luck on my new adventure! As well as Shawn, but his bike isn't here yet.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

For our first Valentines Day as a married couple Shawn took me to the Mandrin. After that we had a nice evening at home ad watched a movie. I gave Shawn an ihome for the bedroom so we can wake up to music at 5 am instead of his annoying phone alarm. When I got home from work I walked into clean apartment and beautiful flowers on the counter. I picked a keeper!

Christmas time!

2009-01-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

our first Christmas tree

crazy Sara ruining our picture

"Non" (as Lucy affectionately calls Shawn), and Lucy

Lucy watching the Navtivity

Shawn called these two the 2 Charles's

Shawn took me snowboarding for the first time. I rocked it.

Sorry it's been a while since our last post. My sisters have been giving me crap b/c I gave them a bad time about not posting very often. So here are a few pics from the last month. Although, we have not had much time since we both have been working over 40 hours a week at Costco....wonder why we didn't have time to post? Hmmm weird

"No other gang of college men dare meet us in THE MUSS!"

2008-11-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Last February Shawn and i decided to join the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section). $120 for season tickets for the two of us, a MUSS tshirt for both of us, and seats on the 11th row, totally worth it! This season has been great. We got to sit by some Chios during some of the games, and enjoyed the spirited crowed around us. Last night was the cherry on top. We picked up Pace's, and headed out to the game. We had to kick some girls out of our seats so they stood behind us with their friends. They drank half the game, and fell on me for the other half. But that was the only downer, we cheered on the Utes and had a blast! Although we had to stand through the whole season it was too much fun, and we're planning on signing up for next year too! GO UTES! BYU - Shawn's first live Holy War experience TCU Blackout Weber maybe? Not sure which one this is

Fun with Filters

2008-11-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

In my photography class we are learning how to play in Photoshop. I already know most of the stuff we are going over, but I have learned a few new tricks. Here is our most recent assignment, fun with filters! The first is the original picture and the rest are the fun times I had in photoshop.

Happy Birthdays!

2008-10-31T22:59:00.000-06:00

October is filled with Birthdays on both sides of our family. We have Payton, Lucy, Grandma Billie, Joe, JD, and Shawn. So happy birthday to all on their respected days. To celebrate Shawn's birthday we started with dinner with his parents last night at Texas Roadhouse, yum. Shawn and I both had to work today, but we were off by 5:30. When Shawn got home we opened his gifts. He is now all set for the upcoming snowboarding season with a helmet, gloves, goggles, coat, and snow pants. All found at great deals, which all together cost less than the coat at regular price! Go me. After presents we went to Tucano's, the Brazilian restaurant at the Gateway. It was really good, topped off with a nummy snickers cheesecake. We've had some fun celebrating all the birthdays this month, we love you all! Happy Birthday Shawn, I love you! PS Our camera died so here is a picture of our first venture to Tucano's a few months ago

New Departments!

2008-10-23T20:39:00.000-06:00

Exciting news on the working front in the Cochran home. Shawn has been promoted to full time and switched departments. He is now in the maintenance department instead of the food court. This means he won't come home smelling like old hot dogs and grease, yay! Now I can give him a hug when he comes home without saying "you smell like food court go shower and then I'll hug you." Not that I don't love my husband, I do, I just hate the smell of the food court. So now he gets to work more hours, work at his own pace, take his breaks when he wants, better schedule, and more money. Although this also means he has to open, cleaning the store before we open at 5 AM. LAME!

I also applied for a new position, in the photo lab....and got it! I applied a few months ago and didn't get the position, but the manager had me do some cross training so I could help when they were busy. So I have been working over there a couple days a week for a month or so. When the new position came up the manager told me to apply and out of 4 applicants I got it! So now I will be in the photo lab from now on. I have a better manager, better hours, and better work. Plus our benefits will go up with Shawn working full time. So it's a win win all around for both of us.

We cracked

2008-10-19T18:11:00.000-06:00

Yes its true we finally cracked under the peer pressure of the blogging nation. We have been meaning to do it for a while but never had the time. I finally found the time today. Shawn is at work, so I was trying to take my Sunday afternoon nap....to no avail. Shawn called and woke me up after only 30 minutes and I couldn't fall back to sleep. So here I am creating our blog. Any welcoming words or good suggestions for blogging would be greatly appreciated. I'll try and be better than my sisters who only post once a month. I get bored with them, so I'll TRY and update ours more than that. So here goes....

Shawn and I both took yesterday off from working at Costco for the Utah football game. We have season tickets in the MUSS. But after some thought we decided to spend our only Saturday off else where. We went up to Morgan with our friend Austin and went shot gun shooting. Austin lives up there so he took us to a neighbors house up on the mountain. We were completely by ourselves and had a blast. Although, we are all sore today. Lame. But we had fun none the less!