Becoming Domestic

For those of you who know us, you know that Tyson does a lot of the cooking (ok, the majority).  Before we met, he didn't live off of Mac & Cheese, cereal, and PB sandwiches.  He would cook for himself every night.  Now I, on the other hand, definitely lived off of those things!

When I moved in with Tyson, I started cooking a little more and now that we're married, I'm definitely making an effort to try to cook every night!  We usually sit down on Sunday nights and make a menu for the week.  Tonight is stuffed peppers!  Tyson has made them a few times, but it's my turn tonight (as he is still at work!)

I just realized that I haven't shown anyone a picture of our new Dyson!

I HAD to use Tyson's apron to cook with tonight.  I knew it would help!

Stuffed peppers....ready to go in the oven

My next task: cutting a pineapple for the 1st time

Here she is!

Ok yes...this is all I got out of it.  Better luck next time!

Slumber Party and Pigman 70.3

Tyson was competing in the Pigman 70.3 triathlon on Sunday in Palo, so we packed up Saturday night and headed to the Foster's so it would be a short drive to the race Sunday morning. After I spent Saturday morning working, we left for Cedar Rapids to pick up Tyson's race packet and goody bag! Then we headed back to Center Point to spend the night with the Foster's. As soon as we pulled up, Braydon was waiting for us at the door (he had been asking for about 30 minutes when we would be there!!) The guys headed outside to play baseball which ended in a water fight, while Robin and I relaxed in the air conditioned house. :)

Adam and Robin cooked us dinner and then Tyson and Braydon headed back outside to play more baseball while Adam made pancakes for Tyson's breakfast the next morning. After the pancakes were done, we went for a walk, and then came home for a little more relaxing. About an hour and 15 minutes past Braydon's bedtime :) he requested that Tyson read him a book and put him to bed. Braydon LOVES his Uncle Tyson!! The rest of us crashed not much later than B!

Water fight!!

B and T cuddling before bed

Race day morning, Tyson and I got up at 5am to get ready to leave by about 5:30. It was an extremely foggy morning, and for most of the drive we could barely see anything! However, we made it safely to the campground, Tyson got checked in, and went to warm up while I walked around. Finally around 7:00am we headed down to the beach for the pre-race meeting. We waited and waited for it to start. The minutes kept passing and then finally at 8:05 (almost an hour after the first wave should have started) they announced they were waiting for the fog to lift a little more. Tyson finally got in the water at about 8:30 (his wave was originally scheduled for 7:48). We knew this was only going to make it worse during the rest of the race with the heat and sun!

He finished the swim and I sprinted up to the transition area to see him before he took off on the 56 mile bike. After that, I went to read and nap in the bed of the truck! :) Around 12:15, Adam and Braydon showed up to cheer on Tyson. We saw him come in from his bike ride, but due to cramping during the ride, he decided to opt out of the run. Good decision! I would rather him not die out on the 13.1 mile run! :) We were proud of him either way!! Way to go Tyson!!!!

Transition Area

Check out that fog!!

Gettin' ready!!

Can you find Tyson??

Lookin' good after the swim!

Letting us know he's cashed!

B helping Tyson pack up

The guys!!

The Married Life

Since the wedding, we have just been trying to get back into a routine (work, workouts, and life).

One Friday night, we went golfing with some friends. We only made it through 8 holes before the rain decided to ruin our plans!







We also volunteered in the summer program for kids at church one Saturday night and Sunday morning. Tyson says it was the best form of birth control ever! :) We had matching purple shirts and everything!!


The following weekend, we helped Mr. and Mrs. Nelson celebrate their wedding!! We had a great time, especially watching Cory dance for Kim before he took off her garter! I've never seen Cory move like that....or Kim so embarrassed!!





Finally this past weekend, we went to dinner on Friday night. Then picked up Tropical Sno and a movie on the way home. Saturday we spent with Ava and gave her LOTS of loving!!! We also took her to Robin's baby shower and she was definitely the life of the party. On Sunday, we slept in and then hit up Panera for breakfast (Tyson had never been there for breakfast!! I told him he was missing out). Then I worked Sunday afternoon and night while Tyson had a long bike ride and run. What a great weekend with my hubby!

Oh, and this week I have started "training" for a triathlon that I'm pretty sure Tyson has me talked into doing at the end of September. Now...if only I could talk myself into it!!

Bach Parties and WEDDING!!!

Obviously I haven't gotten better at blogging. Every time I think about blogging, I get overwhelmed with how far behind I am, that I just put it off more!!

Anyway, this is going to be an extremely shortened version so that I can get to what we've been up to SINCE the wedding!

Rachel's bachelorette party was spent with a night in Des Moines. We headed down in a 15 passenger van and spent the afternoon shopping. We then went to the hotel, opened gifts, ate, and got ready for a night out on the town!! We went to the Funny Bone for some great comedy! Then we headed across the parking lot to a rooftop bar (not sure of the name). We spent a large majority of the night here! It was a blast!! Then, after I got directions on a napkin from the DJ to another bar (Buck's or something like that), we headed there. I scored a free tshirt when I walked in!!! We spent the night dancing away and then headed back to the hotel around 2:00am.
Sunday morning was spent driving home and trying not to get car sick! Hahaha!







Tyson's bachelor party was delayed until the week of the wedding. He waited for his Nevada boys to get into town and then they took off for Riverside Monday through Wednesday. They went golfing, spent some money at the casino, and I'm sure other adventures in Iowa City, but I didn't care to ask. However, when they returned home on Wednesday, they had gained another 3 people, so the party continued!



FINALLY, we made it to our wedding day on Friday. I woke up (at my friend Elizabeth's house) to a rainy morning. I was kind of nervous, but figured the sky would clear by 4:30! I showered and got ready, then headed to the hotel to get my hair done around 10am. My other bridesmaids, Tyson's personal attendant, Ava, my mom, and Tyson's family spent the morning hanging out and drinking mimosas (well, Ava didn't drink any!). It was a great morning!

A few of us then headed to Waverly for the hour of pictures that Tyson and I would have together. We hadn't seen each other, and waited for our first moment pictures. I walked outside and Tyson was waiting at the end of the patio with his back facing me. The closer I got, the more I could feel the butterflies in my stomach!! I finally reached him, put my hand on his shoulder, and turned him around. That's when we both lost it....but how perfect to have that amazing moment photographed. I cannot wait to see that pictures!!

The day went on and it started to get a little more humid and a little more hot! By the time we did wedding pictures with the wedding party, the guys were sweating through the tuxes! We called it quits early and let everyone cool off. Finally, 4:30pm was here and it was time to get married!!!!! Everything was perfect, and if it wasn't, I didn't know or care at that point. I could not stop smiling when I was standing with Tyson.

We could not have asked for a better day, better family & friends, better location, or better anything. It was all perfect!!!

(I'll have to do a little more searching for some wedding pictures! I don't have any saved to the computer yet)

Meinders Wedding, HyVee Triathlon, Father's Day, New Tractor, and a Fiesta!!

Ok ok...I promise I'll get better about this!!

Meinders Wedding - June 12, 2010

I took off on Friday for Jared and Sandy's wedding in Kansas City with the family. Tyson couldn't make it, after we realized at the last minute that the date we THOUGHT the HyVee Triathlon was on....was actually wrong. We had planned on it being June 5. Oops! The race was actually on June 13. :) Anyway, the weekend was great nonetheless. I got to see my family and couldn't have been happier to help the new Mr. and Mrs. Meinders celebrate on their special day!!

Ava looks totally out of it...but she was just mid-blink :)

Siblings

Sisters

HyVee Triathlon - June 13, 2010
Tyson competed in the HyVee Triathlon in Des Moines this weekend as well. The race was originally supposed to be an Olympic Distance race, but with storms rolling in, the race was cut in half to a Sprint Distance the morning of the race. Although this was a little disappointing because he was definitely prepared for the longer race, he still PR'd his Sprint time by 4 min!! What a stud! :) Tyson also got to see and spend time with a friend from grad school, Kyle and his wife Kim. They live in Arizona now so it's been several years since they've been able to spend time together! Kyle is originally from Iowa and when they were in grad school Tyson used to make fun of Kyle for being from here and how there was nothing to do in Iowa, etc. Well....looks like someone has changed his perspective. :)

Father's Day - June 20, 2010
After working in the morning, Darren, Wendy, Ava, and Sophie picked us up and we headed to Dumont to spend Father's Day with my parents, brother, and grandpa. Although my parents have a gas grill, my mom had mentioned that my dad really wanted a charcoal grill again like they used to have. We decided this would be a perfect Father's Day gift for my dad. Tyson and I picked it up on Friday in between storms and brought it along on Sunday. When we got to my parents, Tyson and Josh made it their mission to get it put together so my dad could use it to grill supper!

Focused!!

It's starting to look more like a grill!!

Sophie and I

New Lawn Tractor - June 23, 2010
So, after it rained for a week straight, our lawn was in serious need of a cut! However, Tyson and I both knew our push mower was going to struggle through it. Anyway, I set out to mow and it was just ridiculous. The grass was way too long and it took me about twice as long to get through it all. The best part....when I was done, it still looked bad because of all the chopped up grass! This must have been the last straw for Tyson because two days later he was shopping for a lawn "tractor". He found one, purchased it, and it was supposed to arrive on Tuesday. He was all ready to see his new baby!! Sadly, it didn't actually arrive until Wednesday. BUT...Wednesday night, there he was, mowing the lawn. And then he mowed again Thursday (I think), and Sunday as well!! Hahaha!! I must admit, this is going to make mowing so much easier! I haven't used it yet, but hopefully I will soon.

Couple's Shower....Mexican Style - June 26, 2010
Wendy planned a couple's shower for Tyson and I on Saturday night! With the help of my bridesmaids and mom, she threw a GREAT fiesta!! We had a blast!! Nothing beats margaritas (beer for Tyson), tacos, chips & salsa, gifts, and friends/family!!!
When all the guests arrived, Wendy began with the games. The first one we played was to have Tyson blindfolded and feel some of the women's (and Adam's) legs to figure out which pair of legs were mine. However, he didn't get it right!
Then we played The Newlywed Game. The 3 couples were us, Carl & Alissa Ericson, and Adam & Robin Foster. We were each asked 7 questions. Sadly, Tyson and I were the losing couple. The Ericson's won with a whopping 11 pts, followed by the Foster's 10 pts. We came in last with 6 lousy pts! However, I will proudly say that I got Tyson's first vehicle right, as well as his least favorite bill....TAXES!! After the games, we enjoyed some mexican food and drinks, then opened gifts from our wonderful guests, and enjoyed our time with everyone!

I cannot wait to marry this guy! <3

Me with 3 of my 4 bridesmaids! I love these girls!

Wendy and Darren showing how authentic they are!


Tyson and Alissa

Memorial Day weekend

I'm a little behind on my blogging! I told Tyson that he was more than welcome to update this....but he hasn't taken me up on that yet! :)

Over Memorial Day weekend, Tyson decided to take a much needed few days off work. Usually he works on Saturdays and holidays, but he took off Saturday through Monday! Too bad I had to work all weekend, so we didn't really get to enjoy the extended weekend together. However, Tyson kept busy with some projects! Even though we're a family of two, we have 5 bikes (only 1 is mine). We needed some storage in the garage and Tyson decided to prove me wrong and use the "man tools" he bought a few months ago! He said that I told him he didn't know how to use them....but I don't recall this conversation. Either way, after a morning trip to Ace Hardware to get supplies, Tyson spent the afternoon creating 4 bike racks and 2 golf bag racks.

You might be wondering why he only make 4 bike racks when I mentioned that we have 5 bikes. "Spinderella", which is Tyson's triathlon bike, has a spot where she sits in the office inside the house. :)

Never again will I say that Tyson isn't handy :) Anyone need some projects done? I'm sure he's itching to use those man tools again!

Two of the four bikes!

I tried to get all of them in here.

Golf bag racks.

Invitations

Well, we got all of the invitations mailed out on Tuesday morning! Some of you might already have yours by now. It was such a relief to get those off our hands. Now Tyson thinks he's done with everything until July 22....why do I feel like there are still a million things to get done?! :)

My dress has been in since April, but I'll start dress fittings probably sometime next week or the week after. My bridesmaids' dresses should be arriving soon as well! It looks like everything is coming together and starting to be a little more real. I just can't wait to get that first RSVP in the mail!!!

Goodbye invitations!!

**Check out my previous post! I posted some pictures of the tv! **