Ben and Cynda

OUR BLOG IS MOVING

2010-08-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I am changing our blog address. So follow this link to my new blog and make sure to change it on your links.

http://www.benandcynda.blogspot.com/

4th of July

2010-07-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Yes I know this is late. But still....so we went to Kentucky for the 4th of July this year to visit Nate, Stacie, and the girls. Can I just say after this visit I want to move to Kentucky. It is seriously beautiful there. There are rolling green hills, horse farms, and open land (one thing I miss living in CT). It was so much fun spending time with Nate's family and to take a little 12 hour road trip with Ben.

So as you can I was a little nervous to get too close to any of the horses.

But of course he had no fear.

One of the horse farms around Nate's house.

Seriously love this girl.

We had bought a bunch of sparklers to take with us so Ben had fun lighting them for all the kids.

Bella

Sophie was terrified of all the fireworks so I think this is the only picutre I got of her before she retreated to the car.

My Golden Birthday

2010-05-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying this is over a month late. But hey better late than never. Right??

This year I turned 23 on the 23rd hence the title My Golden Birthday. So Ben asked me if I wanted to have a party and told him it would be fun to have a small get together. But once we started inviting people we realized that it was not a small get together. We ended up renting a common room in one of our friend's apartment buildings so we could all fit. It was seriously a blast. But I must say the highlight of the night was the cake Ben made for me.

Now this cake has quite a story to it. So let me begin. Now I am not sure if you all know but Ben loves to cook. He has always made me great birthday cakes. This year's cake was amazing. Let me give you a breakdown in order of its layers. Chocolate cake...Cheesecake....Chocolate cake....Chocolate Gnash....Chocolate cake. Then over the whole cake was homemade chocolate frosting. I hope you all followed that long explanation and can just imagine how amazing this cake was. Now the story begins. Ben and I were trying to load everything in the car quickly to take over to the party. Ben took the cake down to the car and set it on his seat so he can run upstairs to grab more stuff. We both go back upstairs one more time to get the last items. When we get back downstairs our landlady was outside and Ben started talking to her while we are getting into the car. He opened his car door and was saying goodbye and then WHAM he sat down on right on the cake. While this was happening I of course let out a scream and tried to stop him but I was too late. I saw the whole thing happen and couldn't stop it. Luckily he did not completely sit down due to my scream so only half of the cake got smashed. Please see photo below. Now many emotions were running through us at this moment.....shock....sadness....laughing hysterically.

Now don't worry we had some friends pick up a new cake so we didn't have to serve everyone cake that Ben sat on. But then as I was showing everyone the cake they all thought it looked delish so we ended up just cutting off the piece Ben sat on and ate the rest. And let me tell you it was AMAZING. I don't know how I got so lucky that I have a husband that will spend 8 hours on a birthday cake.

This is right after he sat on the cake. Sadly we didn't get a picture before the disaster hit.

When they came out they brought the mangled cake and instead of writing happy birthday he wrote happy "butt"day.

The Reenactment

I was really bad at taking pictures and I actually stole these from Kristin so sorry for the lack of pictures.

NJ Nets

2010-03-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Last night Ben and I went a NJ Nets basketball game (yes I am aware that they have one of the worst records in the NBA but they did win the game last night). I ended up getting some free tickets from work so we thought hey why not. We drove down after work and sadly because of traffic we didn't get there until half time. But it was still really fun. Our tickets ended up being in the center on the 8th row. So pretty much they were really good. I had never been to a NBA game before so I was quite excited. But I totally forgot to take my camera with me. How I did that I have no idea....I am still a little upset. But Ben brought his phone so maybe I will try to figure out how to upload those.

I will post some pictures from my birthday really soon!!

The Lovely Weather of Connecticut

2010-03-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

So last night was the worst rain and wind storm I have ever been in. It was seriously insane.

This is what I woke up to see:

This is down the street. How we still have power I have no idea. But apparently it is going to be a while until someone can come and cut it down bc so many trees fell down last night.

This is our back yard.

So maybe this is a little unrelated but..... these are our snow angels we made during the last snow storm.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a snow plow ran into your car?

2010-03-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well now you will no longer have to wonder.

Last week Ben was driving and a snow plow turned right into him and it seriously sliced our car as you can see. Ben was fine but I wish I could say the same for the car.

Christmas in California

2010-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

So I might be adding posts in reverse order. Anyway, Ben and I went to California for Christmas this year. We only were in Bako for just enough time to throw Erin a bridal shower. After the festivities we headed down to a beach house in Newport for about a week. The house was seriously amazing. Our balcony had a perfect view of the ocean. So let’s just say after spending a week on the beach we did not want to leave.

Sophie is seriously darling. I am kinda obsessed with her.

Bella reading her note from Santa. She was so excited.

The girls at the bridal shower. I don't have a lot of pictues yet. But I have to say all the deocrations turned out so good. Stacie should serioulsy be a party planner.

Everyone at the shower.

Please notice Ben's impeccable posture.

As you can tell Ben was really exicted to be at the beach.

The fam after Erin went through the temple.

Erin GOT MARRIED

2010-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Ben and I flew to California for the weekend for Erin and Warren's wedding. It was a very quick trip but I enjoyed every second of it. We took a red eye flight on Thursday night and got to LA around midnight. It took FOREVER to get our rental car so I did not make it to the hotel where Erin was having her bachelorette party till like 2am. Once I got there everyone was going to bed but it was still fun. The next day was the day before the wedding. So as expected Erin, Stacie, Bella, and I went to go and get manis and pedis. Right after that we had a family dinner on Erin's roof in Huntington. It was seriously so cute and the food was amazing.

All the girls

The rooftop

The Fam

The happy couple

The next day was the wedding and reception. Everything turned out so beautiful including Erin. Her dress was seriously amazing. I still cannot believe Erin got married last weekend.

Coming out of the Temple

Darling

The Fam

The girls

I think this is my fav pic

The tables at the recpetion. I wish I had more pictures of the room. It was stunning.

Their first dance

Outside the reception

Parents: Round 2

2009-12-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Once again I am making a post about a month late. One day I will get better at this whole blogging thing. Well the day after my parents left Ben's parents came to visit us. We drove down to D.C. to pick them up. We spent about 5 days in D.C. It was so much fun to spend so much time there. There are so many things to see D.C. and I thought we could see them all in 5 days but sadly no. After spending so many days there it made me want to go back even more.

Ben at the Air and Space Museum. We went on a guided tour here and I have to say it was the best tour guide I have ever seen. I left feeling like I could ask this guy anything and he would know.

We stopped by the Washington D.C. temple

Arlington

Mount Vernon.

After we left D.C. we drove back to Connecticut but stopped at Gettysburg on our way.

Our next stop was the city. Us with Ben's parents on the Brooklyn Bridge.

And of course the trip would not be complete unless we stopped by Stew Leonards. This World's largest pumpkin that they had there.

So I know it looks like we went on the trip mostly by ourselves but I promise Ben's parents were with us the whole time. We are not the greatest at taking group shots.

The Parents Came

2009-11-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

This is quite a bit late (about a month) but I thought I might as well still make a post about it. So my parents came out here in the beginning of October to see the New England Fall. We drove up through Connecticut and up to New Hampshire and Massuchusetts. It was the perfect time and the leaves were gourgeous. Then to finish off the trip we met Erin and Warren in NYC for a couple of days. It was so much to see almost my whole fam and spend so much time with them.

This is Lake Winnipesaukee, which we thought is where "What About Bob" was filmed but later found out it was filmed in Canada. Ben was quite upset about his revelation.

The parentols by the covered bridge

Mom and I apple picking. So much fun.

Plymouth

Ben, me, Erin, and Warren on the Brooklyn Bridge

The girls on the subway

Blue Man group was amazing. Seriously loved it even though I was so nervous they were going to try to bring me up on stage.

Me and padre in CT

I wish they all could be California girls

2009-09-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

On the east coast it seems like you have to pay a toll anytime you drive. With that in mind, a couple of months ago I was driving to pick up Erin from JFK and I passed through the toll booth and when I handed the man my money he started singing "I wish they all could be California girls" by the Beach Boys. (We still have California plates on Gus Gus.) Usually these tooth booth people are not the nicest and won't even look at you when they take your money. So I started laughing and for a second didn’t even care I had to pay my $5.50 toll. (Also an annoying thing because it use to be only $5.00.) Then on Sunday I drove to pick Ben up at LaGuardia airport. On my way there I passed the same toll booth and I had the same tooth booth worker and don't worry he sang that song to me one more time. What are the odds??

AMERICAN IDOL

2009-08-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

This was quite a while ago but I thought why not just put it up anyway.

My friend Lindsey and her little girl and I went to the Good Morning America concert with David Cook, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen in Central Park. It was seriously so much fun. What I could not understand was everyone's obsesion with Adam Lambert. Seriously every girl went crazy over him. Apparently they don't care he doesn't like girls.

We had to take the 5 am train to get there in time for the concert. Such an early morning but well worth it. After the concert we just walked around Central Park, had a delish lunch at a diner with Lindsey’s husband, and then took the train home.

Captain's Cove

2009-08-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have received many requests to update my blog. So here we go. It is going to be short but maybe I can add some more in the next couple of days. No promises though.

A couple of weekends ago we went with some friends to a (for a lack of a better word) seaport village called Captain's Cove. We went up to get some lunch which of course consisted of fish and chips and to try to win a lobster (see pic below).

If you catch one of the lobsters they will cook it up for you. Sadly, we did not win. But the boys think they now know the strategy so next time they will win for sure.

VEGAS

2009-06-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago I made a little trip to Vegas to see my family. It started when my brother picked me up at the airport late Tuesday night. The next morning I woke up and borrowed his car and drove to Richfield, Utah, to see my grandparents. I spent a couple of days there and then headed back down to Vegas to meet my parents, Erin, and Warren. When I got there my parents and I took Bella and Sophie to the park. So can I just say Bella and Sophie had gotten so big since the last time I saw them. Sophie is the happiest baby ever and just so cute. So for the weekend the whole fam was there and it was so much fun. It was sad to say goodbye to my parents and Erin on Sunday but I was happy I was staying a couple more days to hang out with Nate, Stacie, and the girls. It was so much fun going to Bella's swimming lessons, going to the library, and playing scrabble with Stacie (we tend to do this every time we are together, I don't really know why).

Walking up hill holding a 2 year old.....very exhausting.

In love with Bella's head tilt.

All the girls minus Stacie.

At the park with Sophie and Bella

Bella and my mom playing on the slide.

The Fam plus Warren minus Ben

Typewriters

2009-06-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

First of all I am just wondering why libraries still have typewriters. Does anyone really use them anymore?
Secondly I would like this experience with you. So I am sitting in the library today studying for school when these 2 ten-year-old girls come and sit next to me where typewriters are sitting. Then they decide it would be fun to play on the typewriters. Now you may not know this but typewriters are really loud. Like annoyingly loud. They type on these typewriters and giggle for like 30 min. It is taking every ounce of me not to say anything. Finally they leave and I can focus on my hw. But then a study group sits right behind me. Then the ten-year-olds come back. Lets just say I lasted about another 10 min and left.

SUMMER

2009-05-03T12:55:00.001-07:00

As I think of summer the words of HSM entered my mind "summer....sUmMeR.....SUMMER." (Ben just informed me that I needed to put the last summer in all capital letters because they get louder as they go on.) I just love the summer mostly because it finally gets warm and you can go to the beach. Last weekend summer weather hit so we went to the beach. The beaches are so different than the ones in California but I love them. You have the normal sand on the beach but then next to the sandy beach is a park with big trees and grass. So you can have a bbq on the grill in the park and then walk to the beach once you are done. All in all it was an amazing weekend that we did not want to end.

All the guys playing bocci

BBQ

Sabbeth Day Picnic

Some of the girls

Our HSM Jump

Happy Birthday Sister

2009-04-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

So today is my sister's quarter of a century birthday. Happy Birthday Erin. Just wanted to tell you that I miss you and that you are really cool. And I thought I would put up some nice old pics to reminiscence of your previous 24 years. I hope you enjoy.
We will start with some normal ones and then go from there.

Crazy hair day at BV.

Please tell me you remember "One"

This needs no explanation.

Birthday Weekend

2009-03-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Shelly and I in NYC
Tod's Point in CT

The amazing breakfast Ben made for my birthday

So all I have to say is that it was so much fun having my mom out here this past weekend. Let's do a little recap. I picked her up from the White Plains airport (so happy I didn't have to drive to JFK or LGA) on Thursday and then we went shopping. We went to this huge mall in White Plains. I loved it. The next day Ben got to work from home (which was nice because I was going to have to take him to work in the morning and then drive back home since we only have one car). My mom and I went and got pedicures from a place down the street (totally want to go again since it is so close). Which was amazing and badly needed. We also made some bows for my hair. I kinda felt like I should be making bows for a child or something but nope just me. Saturday I woke up to Ben making me breakfast. Now you may not know but Ben loves to cook. And he is also into the presentation of his food. He made me apple and pear crepes which were amazing. But I think the best part was his presentation. He seriously amazes me. After breakfast we went into the city to see Little Mermaid. They all wore rollerblades so it made them look like they were swimming. It was so different and I LOVED IT. Then on Sunday my mom made me a birthday dinner which consisted of: ham, twice baked potatoes, rolls, and pretzel jello. All I can say is that Ben and I have been eating left overs all week long. So nice. Then sadly I had to take her to the airport Monday afternoon. It was so sad to see her go but before she left I bought my mom and dad tickets to come in October so I am already looking forward to that. Oh and I cut three inches off my hair on Tuesday.

Surprise Birthday Party

2009-03-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last night Ben and I were headed over to the Jensons to play some games. This is a normal occurrence so I didn't think much of it. So Ben and I got there and I am trying to go to the door we usually go in and Ben tells me we should go to the door upstairs. So we are half way up the stairs and then he tells me we should go to the other one. So we walk back down the stairs to the other door. We wait a little longer and then Mike finally gets there and lets us in. We get to their apartment and Mike opens the door and then moves aside so I can go first and once I walk in I was greeted with people yelling surprise and singing happy birthday. I seriously had no idea. But it gets better. I look around and see there is some reoccurring theme in the decorations. It is no other but a HSM (High School Musical for those who may not know) party. There was a HSM table cloth on the table, yellow and red streamers all over, cupcakes that were decorated HSM, and HSM 3 was playing in the background. It was seriously all decked out. Yes I do know that I turned 22 but a HSM party is totally still respectable for someone of my age. Now to get back to why Ben was making me walk up random stairs and back down. Little did I know the Moffits were running late and they got there the same time as Ben and I. So Ben had to stall me a little so they could get in. While Ben and I were standing at the door downstairs (after walking half way up the stairs to only walk back down) I saw some girl running on the street but didn't think much of it. Later I found out that was Ami running so we would not see her. But Aubri and Kristin are seriously amazing for throwing me a surprise party. I loved it and we even played Nertz for a little while. And I must just say that Kristin and I totally won. After Nertz we ended up playing 4 games of "Acquire" (a game in which the Moffits, Stokes, Jensons and us are obsessed with) which did not end till about 3 am. Sadly I never won but I was close. Overall, all I can say is that you guys are amazing and thank you so much for throwing me an amazing party. I would post some pictures but I do not have any yet but I will post them once I get them.

Weekend in the City

2009-03-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the Moffits, Jensons, Stokes, and us decided we would have a girls night and a boys night. So the girls went to the Stokes' apartment and the boys to the Jensons. The girls just talked all night while the boys played Risk and Acquire all night long. The next day we all went into the city and went to The Museum of Natural History. Given no one really slept the night before we were all really tired but it was really fun. After the Museum we went out to dinner and then went back to Grand Central and got some Juniors Cheesecake before getting back on the train. We all got different kinds so we could try everything but I must say the chocolate mousse is still my favorite. While on the train Mike and Kristin fell asleep so Jared thought it was the perfect time to pull a prank of them. The idea was that all of us should move seats and sit behind them and then convince the train conductor to tell them that they missed their stop and that we had just left them on the train. All I can say is that the train conductor was seriously amazing and we got the Jensons really good. I am so happy that Jared filmed the whole thing so we can watch their reactions over and over again. Overall, it was such a fun weekend in the city.

The Greatest Creation

2009-03-04T14:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, this post is about food. One thing that I now do is rave about food. Ben's family is full of ravers and I think it is starting to rub off. In case you didn't know Ben and I love to cook. We especially like to try to cook new things. To give a little background on the greatest creation: On our way out east we stopped in Minnesota to see Kim, Drew, and the girls. While we were there they took us out to this Italian place that had the most amazing food. Ben and I both got manicotti that was made in crepes instead of shells and it had not only marinara sauce but alfredo sauce too. It was seriously divine. Ever since then Ben and I talk about that meal and how we should make it. Then the other day I was looking in the cookbook to find something new to have for dinner that week and I saw manicotti and instantly thought of the place in Minnesota. So we decided to recreate it and it turned out amazing. Thank you Memmotts for introducing us to our fav meal.

I Am The Proud Owner

2009-02-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

I am the proud owner of High School Musical 3 and I LOVE it. So for Valentine's Day Ben and I decided we would each get something little for the other. So Ben surprised me with HSM 3. Seriously what a great husband. He knowing submitted himself to watching HSM 3 numerous times by giving that to me. So we got it in the mail on Tuesday (since it just came out) and I was so excited to watch it and he conveniently went and played basketball that night and told me not to wait for him because I just had to watch it. So yes I did watch it and it was amazing.

One Year Anniversary

2009-01-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a year. So crazy. It has gone by so fast. And yes I know this is a couple weeks late. But on our actual anniversary we were in Idaho spending Christmas with Ben's family so we decided we would celebrate when we got back. Ben surprised me with tickets to Tribute 1964 (A Beatles Band) at Carnegie Hall while we were in Idaho and we went last weekend. It was so much fun. Before we went to the concert we went to Juniors to have some dinner along with cheesecake. I can't tell you how much we love Juniors Cheesecake. It was so much fun to walk about the city (even though it was snowing and I thought I was going to die because it was so cold) and go to Carnegie Hall. And the concert was amazing. I hope would totally see them again. And I thought I would add a little wedding picture as well to reminisce.

Newport Beach
December 29, 2007

Boston and Salem

2008-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago we took a little trip with some of our friends. We started out our trip to Boston. We then walked the Freedom Trail throughout Boston. It was so much fun and quite tiring. I was amazed with Lindsey due to the fact that she made the walk 8 months pregnant.

After Boston we headed to Salem. It was quite crazy there since it was the weekend before Halloween.

The next day we went up to Harvard and then to the Boston Temple. It was so pretty becuase of all the fall leaves.

Wii Fit

2008-11-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last night as Ben and I were on our way home Ben wanted to stop by Best Buy to see if they had any Wii Fits. I personally didn't want to because every time we have checked they have not had them and we know they get their shipments on Sunday mornings and they never last till Monday. Needless to say I was positive they would not have any left on a Friday night. So I sat in the car while Ben went in to see if they had any. He was taking a long time so I called him and he told me they had one left. We were so excited. We came home and started playing and we love it.

NYC with Erin

2008-10-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

So Erin and her roommate Lisa came to NYC for the weekend so I went in for the day to hang out with them. It was so much fun. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, went shopping on Canal Street, and ate at Mama Mexico. I would post lots of pics but Erin and Lisa took most of them so I am waiting for them to send them. But here are a few:

I will post more when I get them!!

Maybe It's Just Not Meant To Be

2008-10-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

So Ben and I (well maybe actually just me) have wanted to see Mama Mia since it has been out but we just have not made it. Then we thought it had left the theaters but Ben found it in a theater about 15 minutes away. So last night Ben and I decided to go. We thought we knew where the theater was but unfortunately we were wrong. We ended up going to the opposite direction. Once we realized it we turned around and we finally got there 15 minutes late. We did not mind that too much since all we would miss was previews anyway. We went to the box office to get our tickets and we find out they only take cash. Too bad we didn't have any cash on us and the nearest ATM was a couple blocks away. Needless to say we turned around and came back home.
Then tonight we thought we would try again. We decided we would give ourselves plenty of time so we would not be late. But lets just say it did not work that way. Once we got on the freeway we noticed that there was tons of traffic. So we thought it would be better to take the back roads to the theater instead of sitting on the freeway. So after navigating through all the random towns we made it only 3 minutes late. We got to the box office to buy our tickets and they told us that last night was the last night they showed Mama Mia.
So we have come to the conclusion that maybe we are just not meant to see Mama Mia.

Weekend Vaca

2008-10-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

So Ben's brother Matt and his wife Jenn came out for a vaca in NYC. They got here on Friday night and came to CT for the weekend. While they were here we went into the city (my first time since living out here), Hershey PN, and Gettysburg. We had so much fun.

I LOVED HAIRSPRAY!!!

We walked arount Central Park before eating at Mama Mexico, which I must say was so good. While we were there Ben had the Marachi(sp?) band play some song from his mission. He was quite excited about that.

We went on the Hershey tour of how they make chocolate and then bought a lot of chocolate.

Ben was quite intrigued by the cannon.

Little Round Top

The Trek to the East

2008-09-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

So Ben and I have finally made it to Connecticut. CRAZY!!! We had to get little Gus Gus out here so we made the long drive. But I must say it was not too bad of a drive because we spread it over a week long period and I never drove once. We first started out our little vaca at Mt. Rushmore. Which I must say was cool but not really that cool. Then we went to Minnesota to see Kim and the girls. It was so much fun seeing them. Then we went to Nauvoo for 2 days. Another place I would say you have to go to. Then after that we went to Chicago and had Chicago pizza; which was quite good. Then I think we stopped in Ohio and then we got to Connecticut. So we had quite a few stops which was nice since it broke up the drive.

I will put some pics of our apt very soon. We are very close to being moved in. But I must say so far I really like this place.

Little Whitters Got Hitched

2008-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend little Whitters got married!!! So CRAZY!! But it was so much fun because Kristi, Nattie, and Tia all came up for the event.

GRADUATION

2008-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

So Ben and I graduated this past semester. Ben actually graduated in April and I will be done by December but he walked late and I walked early so we could graduate together. It was so much fun.
My whole family came up which was a complete surprise. My brother and sister told me they could not come so when they walked in the doors of Olive Garden I was shocked. Now if you know me I am not good with surprises (I was the one in which my friends threw me a surprise 16th birthday party at a pizza place and when I walked in with my parents I was so embarrassed because I thought my friends were having a party without me and they just did not invite me). But I was so excited to see them. It was so much fun to see them because I did not know if I was going to be able to see them before Ben and I left for Connecticut.
So I have so many pictures from graduation because my father got a new camera and Nate got a little crazy with taking pictures. I must say Ben enjoyed all the pictures that were being taken of him.....he actually compared it to our numerous wedding day photos.

Fourth of July

2008-07-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

So we went up to the cabin for the fourth and it was so much fun. It was great to get out of the Berg and have a little mini vacation. They had a firework show over the lake and it was amazing. We drove the boat to where they were setting off the firworks and we were so close that we had to look directly up the whole time. Meanwhile little sparks were hitting the water around us and we could hear them sizzle. I have to say one of the coolest firework experiences I have had. But it was so much fun!!! Too bad we are back at school but only 2 more weeks. I am so excited!!!

Some of the children.....

Ben waterskiing

WHITTERS

2008-06-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know this is so late but.....ya I really don't have an excuse. So last weekend Ben and I went down to Whittney's house to have a little BBQ for her birthday with the fam. So here it is!!!! It was so much fun hanging out with Whitt, Ryan, and her fam.

California

2008-04-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

In the hotel room. Bella is just so cute and she is so BIG. It is crazy!!

All the girls at the beach!! It was so much fun.

We were able to walk around the Newport Beach Temple. It was so much fun because the last time I was there was for Ben and I's wedding.

Me with John and Shelly at Premier Eyecare.

So I just had so much fun in California for the week. It was so nice to get out of the cold and be able to lay on a beach. It was also great to hang out with the girls. Can't wait to do it again.

Shelly Came to Visit

2008-03-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend Shelly came into town to hang out with Ben and I. We had so much fun....even though it was such a short trip. We picked her up on Friday afternoon and that night we went to a Jon Schmit concert (he is a pianist) and it was so entertaining. We all loved it. Then we just hung out on Saturday and Sunday. Ben's sister was blessing her baby, Lily, on Sunday so went down to Idaho Falls for a little bit. We were sad to drop Shelly off at the airport this morning but I am excited to see her again in about a week and a half.

The Mother and I

Me and Ben with Lily

Birthday/Easter

2008-03-27T16:54:00.001-07:00

So I turned the BIG 2-1 on Sunday which also happened to be Easter, so me and Ben celebrated both. Well the day before we went down to Ben's house and had a birthday/easter party for me, Chad (brother-in-law) and grandma Donna. It was so much fun!!! Me and Ben hid easter eggs in the basement for the kids to find and then we all had an amazing dinner. So then when Sunday rolled around I woke up to an amazing breakfast. I really wish I would have taken a picture because let's just say that Ben is really into the presentation of food. He made me crepes with homemade apple filling inside. It was seriously divine. He then garnished the top of the crepes with a lovely display of apples and put little chocolates around the plate. I was very impressed.
Then we went to church and I made it a purpose not to tell anyone it was my birthday because I feel somewhat awkward in the ward and I did not want any attention on me. Then we came home and once again Ben made an amazing dinner of ham, twice baked potatoes, and rolls. But that is not even the best part he made me a cake (seen below). Now this was not just an ordinary funfetti cake. Ben decided that he wanted it to layered. So I had a four layer cake with frosting in between each layer. It was delicious.

Side note: I also went out to lunch with the girls!!! It was so much fun!!!

After the Birthday celebration it was then time for Easter. So this year Ben and I made baskets for each other but then we realized that we did not get easter baskets so told each other that we just had to find something around the house to put our easter gifts in. This is what we came up with:

The Lamp

The cookie jar

COUCHES

2008-03-27T16:49:00.001-07:00

Ok so I now totally feel like a married person. You could not believe how excited I was to finally get couches. It is weird how these things in life (like getting couches or china) excite you. But hey they do so I thought I would share my excitement. Ok so we are finally starting to hang things up in our little apartment and I know what you are thinking....yes it has taken me about 3 months to reach this point. But listen....all I have to say is that it is hard going to school full time and doing household things. Who would of thought? So this is just a whole new world to me.

Poor Little Gus Gus

2008-02-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

Ok so little Gus Gus has had a really hard life this past couple of months. So in December Ben and I were in the mall parking lot in Idaho Falls about to park until this massive truck started backing up....we honked and tried to reverse but both did not work and his huge hitch receiver went right into little Gus Gus's front bumper. See picture below:

Then last week Ben was at Broulmins and when he came out little Gus Gus had been hit again. Honestly, what are the odds. Getting hit twice in about 3 months. Luckily this one was not bad and the guy left a note on our car telling us that he hit us. But still

Island Park

2008-02-18T14:07:00.001-08:00

So me and Ben went snow-shoeing over the frozen lake. It was really fun.

This is the back of the cabin. It is seriously so pretty.

And then the front. Once again the amounts of snow is just amazing.

The sunset behind the cabin.

So we made a snow cave this weekend. I had no idea these things even existed. But i must say I was a little nervous when I was inside in fear that it would just cave in on me. Luckily it never did.

So this weekend me and Ben went up to his cabin in Island Park to relax and see his family. All I have to say is that I did not want to leave. It was so much fun.

Idaho Open House

2008-02-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Me and Ben with Holly and Sophie

The whole Johnson Family (minus the 2 on the way(and no one is not mine))

Me and Ben

SNOW DAYS

2008-02-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is outside our apartment. The snow is so deep that is covers the first 4 steps.

This is the car next to us this morning in our apartment complex.

Look at this tower of snow outside this person's house in their front yard. This is just down the street from us.

One of the many huge piles of snow that we have in every parking lot imaginable.

Ok so I know it snows in Rexburg but seriously this year is the worst I have ever seen. Last night it snowed a foot alone. Little Gus Gus could not even get out of the parking spot this morning because the snow was so deep. Luckily a snow plower came into our apt complex this morning because if not we would have to push Gus Gus out everyday. The sad thing is that in the 10 day forecast there are 3 days that are partly sunny and the other 7 is snow. Then today there is a high wind advisory and if it does blow tonight we are going to have major drifts. Not excited for that. I hope you enjoy theses pictures I took them all this morning. It is crazy here right now. Last week it was so cold here one day in the middle of the afternoon is was at least -15. But during the night it was -22. School was canceled but of course BYU-I was not.
Well I hope you all enjoy these wonderful pictures that we took.

Wedding Pictures

2008-01-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

Check this website out to view pictures from the wedding:

Wedding Pictures

Everything turned out so perfectly. I loved every second of it!!!!

HONEYMOON

2008-01-22T16:30:00.001-08:00

So yes I know I am just really bad at updating this blog but hey maybe now that I am married I will be better at it. Yes I know it is a long shot but maybe.

So me and Ben were married on December 29, 2007 at the Newport Beach Temple. It was the greatest day of our lives.

Then we were off to our honeymoon but I had no idea where we were going because Ben was in charge and he wanted to surprise me. All I knew is that is was warm and we were flying somewhere. Both very good things. Once we got to our hotel room the night of our wedding there was a present sitting on the table and I opened it and inside was a picture frame that had a picture of a palm tree and said HAWAII. I was seriously so excited and could not wait to get there.

So long story short we went to Hawaii for a week for our honeymoon and it was so much fun!!

Ben loves drinking coconuts and so one day we searched until we found a little fruit stand and they had them. So Ben went crazy and we had to get one. Now as for me liking them....ya....not do much.

This is at the dole plantation!!! We loved it so much there (well the food actually) that we went twice. My favorite was the chocolate covered pineapple while Ben's was the pineapple ice cream with crushed pineapple on top.

So while I was laying on the beach Ben was making animals in the sand.

Engagment Pictures

2007-11-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

You can view our engagement pictures by following this link. The password is: hawleyc

www.gugelmanweddings.com

2007-10-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is the night it happened.

Just loving my ring

I'm ENGAGED!!!

I got engaged on October 16 and yes I know it is the 27 now. But hey my life is pretty busy right now. I am getting married on December 29, 2007 at the Newport Beach Temple. As you have noticed that is about 2 months away so lets just say that I have a lot to do very quickly.

JACKSON HOLE

2007-08-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

This picture is for John Hawley

OH how I love the antlers

Me and Ben's Little Trip

2007-08-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

The view from the PCH

Yes that would be a wooden horse tied up to a fence.

Monterey

Ben thought he was really cool

WICKED

2007-07-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well if you look really hard you can see the "hollywood' sign....its that little white thing in the background.

Me and the fam

Look at the elephant!

Outside the theatre before Wicked

The beach at Santa Monica

Family BBQ

2007-06-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

So Ben had this idea that we should have a underwater family picture....it just really didnt turn out the greatest but hey its the first time Shelly has put her head under the water for 30 years!!!

Me and Ben

Well dad tried to take a picutre of us underwater but it didnt turn out very well due to the fact that we are almost not in the picture.

IDAHO

2007-06-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

CLIMBING "R" MOUNTAIN

Oh yes I know I am very hard core when it comes to climbing mountains

So as we were sitting out apt talking about what food we could eat next the idea came to our minds....hey maybe instead of eating every hour we should go on a hike. So on a hike we went...in fact we decided to climb a mountain.

Then after we climbed a mountain we decided we should go on a 16 mile bike ride. Lets just say this is the most active Cynda has been in a very long time.

A trip would not be complete until you saw a giant potatoe you could climb and sit on. While we were taking this picture the lady told us that instead of being the Bud girls we were the spud girls...... this made me laugh really hard.

Eating dinner at good ole' Johnnys

2007-05-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ok so here is my first posting for my blog and I have not taken a single picture since I have been home in Bako so I decided to just put some pictures up from school. But I will get better at this as time goes on.

One night at the infamous bon-fires in Idaho!!