Where we've been, What we'll see...

Cars, Houses, Accidents, London...UPDATES

2010-04-04T00:38:00.010-06:00

So... It's been awhile. The latest news is that we found a great car. A black Mini Cooper S. I love it. Brent found it after the Corolla he bought for me for Christmas blew up on us. It was crazy that I finally had a car that I was actually excited to drive.

Unfortunately, in even more recent news, the Mini was smashed. Poor Mini. A stupid lady turned into Brent when he was going through an intersection. And she lied and said he ran the red light, so now we don't have a car until insurance proves who was at fault (her). I hope the Mini isn't ruined....... :(
Also recently, we had been looking for houses because Brent got an awesome job. We will be in Utah for awhile now. So we found a perfect house in Daybreak in South Jordan, they are these modern looking solar powered houses. Not only is it a brand new house but we get to have it built as well. but this is what it is going to look like. This is the Model home but it is the same exact layout and style that we are building.So there is just a few pictures but it has that 30 foot ceiling in the living room, it has an upstairs loft, 3 bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms. We already have money down and are pre-qualified we are just waiting for them to get the permit to break ground on it, and we are waiting and hoping that we qualify for the mortgage loan.

Last on our list of updates, Brent finishes up his classes this semester, and we are going to London for a week for his graduation present and our vacation. We are going to an Arsenal match because that is Brent's favorite football team, and he was sure to get me a jersey to wear when I am there.
And that is about it for now. I'll be finishing up with school here in December, then who knows. As you can see, Bowzer is doing well and he is still our little baby. <3

Nikki's 21st Birthday!

2009-10-11T23:37:00.008-06:00

So the picture's are kind of out of order, but basically Brent took me to fabulous Las Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday. This time around we did vegas right, it was such a blast. Brent and I and two of Brent's coworkers drove down in our fabulous rental car....a Toyota Prius! Got a speeding ticket even with a radar detector. (Luckily Brent and I weren't driving, but I still feel bad for his coworker.) We got to Vegas and went to the VIP check in at the Flamingo. Brent had the hook up as he worked with the (now former) manager of Donny and Marie. We got discounted, SUPER nice rooms. That is what a vegas hotel room should be, wayyy better than the Luxor. The room was complete with a tv in the bathroom mirror so you can watch from the tub or shower, (or toilet i guess).
We also got free tickets to the Donny and Marie show. We headed there and saw that the four of us were by far the youngest people attending to show. But we had really good seats and it was all still fun even though none of us have ever listened to Donny or Marie. Our parents were jealous of us. :)
Next Brent and I put our money into the slot machines for the first time in both of our lives! And of course we didn't win anything and realized the slots were pretty much a waste of time. Brents coworkers lucked out though it was just us that kept losing. After that we left the Flamingo and walked around the strip for awhile. We watched our friend play some roullette, and finally went back to our hotel room for the night.
The next day we did some more site seeing and browsing. Saw the lions at the MGM grand, went to an Arcade and saw Sonic the hedgehog, went to the Coca Cola store, then rested up for Brents big birthday surprise.
We had dinner at the rainforest cafe before heading over to the Hard Rock Hotel for my surprise. Brent tried to cover my eyes as we drove in because there was a huge bilboard with Dane Cook on it. My baby knows what I like and he knows how to spoil me! We enjoyed Dane Cook's Isolated Incident show as well as two comedians who opened for him who where actually really funny as well.
After the show brent played his first game of roullette as I looked on. I watched as some people next to us lost a LOT of money and I watched a lady win a good amount. I finally peeled Brent away while he was ahead 30 bucks. Brent was proud of his winnings and would proudly express that he had "beat the house" for the rest of the night.
we headed to margaritaville for kicks (in our friends cases' for drinks) When the bouncer handed back my ID he told me happy birthday. We watched all the drunks an the crazies below and I started getting the feeling that it was getting close to being time to leave. After awhile vegas makes me feel a little depressed for humanity. Two days was enough time.

It was a great vacation and it was an AMAZING birthday present. My husband knows how to treat me and show me a good time. :)

What I want for my birthday

2009-10-01T12:11:00.004-06:00

Okay basically this year for my birthday I want all things superficial, makeup, clothes, shoes, and hair products. I don't know why but i just have the urge and need for this kinda stuff this year...

but my husband is taking me to vegas for an awesome vacation and we are seeing a show that he is keeping a surprise. And i basically have the most amazing husband in the world so that is all i need.....

but as far as want..
I am craving this stuff.

Bowzer

2009-09-24T11:49:00.002-06:00

So there is a lot we need to update but now is not the time we are getting fast internet soon so that we can post pictures and they wont take forever to upload. but here is an important event in our life, particularly in the life of Bowzer...

One day we noticed Bowzer was scratching his eye a lot, and then it started not opening all the way, and then it was oozing gross stuff and we didn't know what had happened. We were all set to take him to the vet.

Then Brent calls me to tell me that he pulled a seed that was an inch long out of his eye! We saved the seed I can't believe it was in there all the way. We took him to the vet still but he was already getting better. And now he is fine

So Brent saved bowzer's life.
and we found out bowzer weights exactly 3.6 pounds! and he is 10 months old!

San Diego & Portland

2009-07-03T10:33:00.004-06:00

So Brent & I went on vacation to San Diego and Portland to visit our families and friends. We took Bowzer along with us and he was very good in the car. It was really fun being home, not so much fun driving there. Bowzer loved his vacation too because he had tons of people to love him
and he had big backyards to run around free in.

My New Hobby...[DiSTRACTiON]

2009-03-27T18:35:00.002-06:00

So I have this new thing where I have to go on youtube and watch different makeup tutorials. It is really detrimental to my productivity and homework completion but its a new obsession. My favorite ones to watch are the ones put out by XTeener, because she uses everyday makeup and finds cheaper alternatives to the really expensive kinds. And I do not have a lot of money to blow on M.A.C. or any of that fancy stuff. (If i did have money I would totally blow it on that though)

I also really like Michelle Phan's channel. (Yeah i know they are both asian girls) But Michelle just knows a lot of different things so she has a lot of variety to her tutorials.

You wouldn't really know it about me but I really am into makeup i just don't have money for it and I get too lazy to take the time on doing it in the morning or any other time really. But its definitely something that I'm interested in.

Bowzer's 4 months old!

2009-03-19T18:05:00.006-06:00

Bowzer is now 4 months old and he weights 2.5 pounds. I can't believe he's grown. He's still tiny and adorable... He has gotten a lot better about going to the bathroom outside. Now he stands by the door and looks at us when he needs to go out. He also has gotten good at sitting and laying down on command.

Bowzer doesn't really like taking baths but he gets dirty a lot. The other day we started to teach him how to swim

Brent has two big boxes full of packing popcorn in front of our house and we decided to let Bowzer play in them today

We love him.

PUPPY!

2009-03-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

About a month and a half ago we got a new addition to our family. .. his name is Bowzer!
He is a teacup Chihuahua/Maltese mix. Right now he is 1.6 pounds and the lady said he is only going to be 3 pounds. He is very playful and friendly and he loves people.

So basically, Brent wanted to get me an animal because he knows that I love them. First we got a ferret named Roxy. We had her for about four days and then realized she sucked. She bit me all of the time and I had scars all over my hands from her. She didn't bite Brent, only me. So we took her back and Brent put his Xbox 360 + 30 games up for trade for a puppy. We had lots of offers surprisingly, but this little guy was the best and cutest one! He is smaller than Brent's shoes!

Brent didn't even want a dog and he doesn't really like small dogs but he LOVES Bowzer. I am so amazed at how much Bowzer has changed his heart. Of course I adore Bowzer... how can you not? So if you have not met him yet please come by!

Semesters, Holidays, Updates etc.

2009-01-04T19:38:00.008-07:00

Brent and I have been married for almost five months now. We are about to start the winter semester at BYU tomorrow :( Vacation wasn't long enough. But we haven't updated in awhile as was pointed out by our friend. Our first semester at school as a married couple was very hard for both of us. Not necessarily because we are married, pretty much because school was just really hard. We both had to drag ourselves out of bed at 7 on most days and walk to class. Brent had to work afterward and I had to look for jobs. I got one at Bath&Body Works but they hardly ever scheduled me so it wasn't like I worked there at all. We had fun cooking together and I discovered that I really like cooking I'm just not so great at grocery shopping. My favorite thing to make has been chocolate chip cookies.The first picture is my first official meal that i cooked. Deviled chicken. I didn't realize my eyes were half closed when i put it up.
Anyway, speaking of cooking, Brent is the real cook. I can follow recipes, he can make up his own and have them come out AMAZING. The best meals we've had, he has made up on his own.
So basically I went to school and sold hand soap and lotion and Brent went to school and sold iphones. We spent out nights watching movies and playing video games, occasionally going out to eat and hanging out with friends.
October 9th came around which means I turned 20! And Brent gave me an amazing Birthday the second year in a row. He came home with a Cheesecake saying "Happy Birthday Nikki". He also got me/us/Himself a PS3. He got my Pirates of the Carribbean on Blue ray. He took me out to Tucano's. And later on that Craig and Kim and their baby, came over to our house for cake.
Somehow the semester ended and somehow i ended up doing pretty well, and so did Brent. I was working a lot because of the Holidays. Then my mom and little brother came out to visit. That was great because I missed my family a lot.
Our first Christmas was great. Brent made it really special and we had a lot of fun together. Most of the presents under the tree were from Brent to me. But he did get a brand new car this year so that was his big present.

Anyway so that was our Christmas. We watched the Office for awhile and we had Ihop for dinner. Gizmo really liked our Christmas tree. I'll leave you with him. He wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Wedding, Honeymoon, Home

2008-08-24T22:43:00.014-06:00

So Nikki and I made a deal that I would spend the time posting all of the images and she would fill in the blanks, but two vaults and two DR Peppers Later and I cannot sleep at all. I have not drank caffeinated beverages for close to a year until just recently and I can already tell the impact it is having on me. For some reason I still do not know how to navigate the images on this so they are NOT in correct order! use them as a type of visual aid/ reference. Anyways, onwards towards the story of our beautiful wedding and honeymoon!
So August first I jumped on the Jet Blue and headed down to San Diego. Nikki, her mom, and brother all came to pick me up at the airport. I had not seen Nikki for three months, and even though we talked everyday, it still kind of felt like I was meeting her for the first time at the airport! We reacquainted and headed back to her house. When we got to her house we met up with Todd and went to the Soup Plantation. Todd had gotten some free lunches so he took us out. After lunch we went back to the Soto's house and hung out for a while.
The Next day was the second, a Saturday, and the only thing on the agenda was a family reunion at Grandma Dumoulin's house. We drove down to her house where they were having a bbq, pool party, and they had even rented a bounce house. Nikki's Grandma is the sweetest lady you will ever meet. There were so many people there, but they were all very accepting of me. I really did enjoy hanging out with the family. After eating lunch, Nikki, Her sister Jenny, Jenny's Husband Dan, Todd, their other cousin, and myself all went to play Lazer tag at a place down by Jacque's house/ sea world. The Lazer tag arena (Ultra Zone) was actually really big, and there was somewhere near 35 competitors in the game. I placed 16th I believe over all, but really did a lot worse than I thought that I would. After Lazer Tag we went back to Grandmas for some cake and then went to Nikki's house and just relaxed.
Sunday Morning we went to Church and I got to sit in class with Nikki's five year olds! It was really fun seeing her teach the children and watching them interact with her. I thought that it was really special that even though there were only two children there that week the class was really unique in that the spirituality of the children filled the room. After church (fast sunday) we went home made lunch, then went to the beach for a nice walk. We love going to Torrey Pines Beach. It is by far our favorite beach in California. It is very clean and not too crowded. We can almost always play in the surf and find different sea life in the small tide pools on the boulder at the southern most part of the beach.
Monday was the day for a day at the beach. We had gone sunday, but not to play. Monday was the day we had planned on hitting the beach for some sun and boogie boarding. We took a little while to get ready to go because before we could hit the beach, we had to go downtown and get our marriage license. We drove down with Nancy at about 9am and she dropped us off at the courthouse, but the problem was the that court clerks would not allow us to get married! I had a temporary renewal form with my license because it had not yet been renewed as I had not been in the state of Oregon to renew it. The form was state issued and yet it was still "invalid" to the marriage officials! So the phone calls and panic set in! I called Brett who was caring for Gizmo during our time away and had him ransack my entire house looking for my old utah license which had been discarded but still showed a valid expiration date. He then overnighted me the license so that I could get my marriage license. My parents also called Kathy Myers, one of their friends, and had her do the same thing only this time producing my Passport. Both of our friends were able to find the pieces of identification and ship them to us the next day. It was hectic but it all worked out in the end.
My parents got into town monday evening and took Nikki and I out to dinner. We went to El Toritos in Mira Mesa. The food was good but nothing to really write home about. They told me they had a very special lemonade that turned out to be country time. That night Nikki and I stayed in Carlsbad with my parents so that we could get up early and go to disneyland with my parents and Candice. Disneyland was fun and I found it funny that My parents walked faster and longer than any of us! While in the park we had lunch at the Blue Bayou next to the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. They food was really good, but I don't know that it was really worth thirty dollars a plate.
Wednesday was the sixth (8-6 day). That morning we returned to the courthouse and then prepared to go to the temple for Nikki's Endowment. The day was very special and ended with dinner at Black Angus. We went to dinner with Nikki's family, Jenny, Dan, and My Family as well. It was very good and relaxing after a busy day.
Thursday was the day in which all of the planning and last second decisions had to be done. Nikki and her mom had done a lot in preparation though in that all I really had to do that day was help Nikki pick some of the songs for the play list and I think that was about it? My parents drove around San Diego while I was at Nikki's preparing music. Chris drove in around 3 though and he and I went downtown looking for Gay Mart and the Buffalo Exchange while Nikki and her Mom finished planning. Chris drove in from Vegas with the idea that he would serve Nikki and I in any possible way possible. It was very nice having him there as the best man as he really did help us with all of the preparations. We drove around all afternoon and found Buffalo Exchange, but we never could find "Gay Mart." After searching for a few hours we met up with my parents in Balboa Park at the Space Museum. That evening Craig, Kim and Elise came into town, as well as Grandma Howell, Jane, Harold, and Dave and Phyllis Spaulding. We went to a mexican restaurant with Grandma Spaulding near the Temple and then went home for the night so that we could get some rest before the wedding the next day.
Finally Friday came and I was up at 5 am to be ready. I was so excited to see my beautiful bride in her wedding dress at the temple. This was in reality a day that I had thought and dreamed of my entire life. It was so wonderful as we met at the temple and were able to be sealed together for time and all eternity. The sealer spoke to us of the many covenants we were entering and the eternal blessings we would receive from them. I mostly remember more than any other thing he said that though Nikki is to hearken to my word, it is based solely on my ability to hearken to the Lord's word in that I am only passing his blessings and commandments to Nikki. The Temple was amazing that day even though there were so many people there to be sealed. I had thought it would seem busy though it was so peaceful I never really thought about it. The spirit in the temple was so strong and inviting. I left the temple that day with my eternal companion. I left with that secure feeling that she would never leave my side, and I would never leave hers. That we were equals and that I would cherish her for the rest of my existence.
We left the temple to a balcony where all of our friends and family were waiting. Nikki's Bridesmaids, our families, My best man Chris, and of course Jared Medley, the Bug Eyed Photographer. It was a great celebration as we left the temple and reunited with our friends and families. It felt so good to know that each and every person who was there approved of our marriage.
After taking about a million pictures at the Temple, Chris took Nikki and I in his stretch limousine (corolla) down to the reception at the Marina del mar. The reception hall was very pretty and right on the water. The room looked to have been built in the 70's as there were many rich wood accents and wall panels, but Nikki's family had covered the room in beautiful teal accents which gave the event somewhat of a story tale feel. It wasnt as nerve racking as I thought it would be though. I was pretty sure I would be nervous and what not throughout my wedding. I had always thought that was how it goes down at a wedding, but I just told myself that I am a man now and have nothing to be ashamed of, so why not just go in and enjoy myself. It was really nice to proclaim my love and feelings for Nikki in front of all of our friends and family at the reception though the majority of the attendees were Friends of the Sotos. The event was really beautiful and emotional. Nikki had a very hard time with the emotions involved as did I. I thought the hardest part of it all was when I had to dance with my mom, and Nikki had to dance with her dad. I think we all choked back tears though Nikki let them flow freely. Nikki and her dad danced to the song that goes "did you ever know that you're my hero?" as I danced to "Momma." The reception was nice and went quickly. The lemonade chicken was good, but the mango cake, chocolate sheet cake, and strawberry wedding cake were the best.
After the reception we went back to the Sotos and opened up the wedding presents and finished getting packed for the trip to Hawaii. Chris just slept in his car while we got ready. When we finished he drove us over to the hotel and the day was finally over. The hotel was nice and they upgraded the room because it was our honeymoon. They even gave us strawberries and martinellis!
The next day Rey took us to the Airport and we headed to Hawaii! We had originally planned on just riding public transport in Hawaii, but when we landed I really wanted a rental car. I asked around but everyone wanted to double their fees because I am 24 and not 25, big deal. We grabbed our suitcases and boarded the local bus. We rode for a bit and my phones gps would not register so we began to get scared as to where we were and if we really were on the correct bus. A woman who looked and smelled like a drifter saw that we were maybe lost and came to our aid. She was very sweet and helpful. It is really a sad world as how we judge character based on appearance and our individual circumstances. She was a kind women and I really wish I had gotten her contact information so that missionaries could talk to her. An hour or so later we had reached what we thought was our stop and got off the bus. My gps now worked and indicated that we were really about half a mile away from the realtor's house where we needed to pick up the key for the condo, so we started walking. The roads were narrow and dark. There was no sidewalk, and there was limited visibility. It was risky, but at this point it was late and we had to walk. We made it to the house fine and picked up the key just 10 minutes before the last bus would pass for the day. We got to the bus stop and waited. We could finally relax as we waited for the last ride home, but after about 40 minutes of waiting we figured it wasn't really coming. With a 3 mile walk to go, we decided we had better start going. It was a three mile hike to Turtle Bay from Ted's Market, so I grabbed Nikki's Suitcase and towed her's and mine so that we could maintain a good pace. Nikki did really well especially considering the long day we had embarked on and she was wearing sandals with close to no support. We walked for about twenty minutes before the bus passed us on the side of the road with no hesitation of stopping. He had been an hour late, and still did not bother to help us so we continued on. It was dark and very dangerous to be walking that night, but then something happened just moments after the bus passed, a car pulled over with a woman and her son who appeared to be close to our age. They offered us a ride and as I pondered the decision I felt a strong spiritual impression that it would be fine for us to ride with them. They drove us for the remainder of the trip and we could finally sleep. We had both been praying that we would make it quickly and safely, and the Lord truly answered our prayers.
Sunday came next and we had thought we would get on a bus and go for somewhat of a casual sunday ride around the island so that we could plan out what we would do during the remaining week. We got on the bus and found that it stopped right at the Oahu Temple. We got off and went to the visitor's center. It was another blessing that day that we were able to see the temple and the visitor's center which we had thought would be closed. That evening we just relaxed at the house and planned what we would do the remainder of the week. The first thought we had was that we would rent a car.
The next day we moped about as we waited to meet up with kenrick and hawaii mini rental. Nikki wanted to take a nap, and luckily Arsenal was playing FC twente on espn. So I got to watch an Arsenal Match on my Honeymoon! How cool is that? After the match we rode the bus once again down to meet Kenrick at the Hawaii Pacific university. He was a really nice guy who had graduated from BYU. We got the car and we were off! We punched the Dole Plantation into the gps and headed out.
THe Dole Plantation was so good. We went and got Dole Whip and Tons of Fresh Pineapple juice. After the plantation we got back into the car and headed up to look for a surfboard rental. We went to a couple of shops but after talking to them I decided that the surf was way too flat to even be renting a long board. So we got dinner and headed home.
The next morning we got in the car and started driving. We wanted to go to hanauma bay to get our snorkel on. We drove all morning to find that the bay was closed on tuesdays! how lame is that? so we thought wed try the surf idea again on the south shore. we went to local motion to find out about board rentals, but they only had boogeys so we got them. We drove over to sandys where the waves were very nice but the brake was right on shore. Nikki didnt feel comfortable with the size of the waves and I didnt want to go alone so we just took the boogeys back and had lunch at a greek sandwhich shop in the strip mall there. I also found an animation shop called split obsession. After going to the animation shop we went to the art gallery next door and got directions to look for snorkel spots. The lady directed us to a nice little beach by a pier where they have submarine tours or something. We snorkeled there for a bit and then headed back to the north shore thinking wed make it intime for the luau at the polynesian culture center. we got back a bit late so we decided we would go watch the sunset and sunset beach and take some pictures of it. Before we went we stopped at one of the shrimp shacks though and got some garlic shrimp. It was a bit messy but really good. After watching the sunset we decided to go back home and end the day.
Wednesday was game day. Back to the south shore so we could finally get some sweet snorkeling in! Also we had to trade kenrick minis so we made the most of the trip. Hanauma bay was really amazing. it is funny because they make you watch this history video of the bay and their heritage before you are allowed in the water. They want you to be scared you'll ruin their state if you touch anything so they scare you before hand I suppose. The bay was very nice though even with lots of people in it you could see a lot of wildlife.
After the bay we decided to head back into Honolulu to find some dinner. we pulled into the parking lot of a place called "Phuket thai." We decided it looked ok so we went in. The food was horrible. I would never recommend it to anyone ever. After we ate we decided to go to the the big mall. We went in and found out how big it was as we started getting tired just walking about. After some time at the mall we decided we had had enough and headed home.
Thursday was kind of our day to just enjoy our last real moments in hawaii and make a game plan for how we would get the car to kenrick and get ourselves to the airport with no car. We drove down to the southshore again, but also because we had left our $50 gate key in the other mini and needed to get it from kenrick. We first met up with Kenrick at sandys to get the key. While at sandys we walked up and down the tide pools looking at the wildlife and finding the hollow bodies of crabs. I still really do not understand how they hollow out and still look whole and alive? After the tide pools we went shopping in Honolulu again. We found an outdoor mall with a movie theatre and decided to watch Batman. After the movie we walked around a bit and thought we would find some dinner. We went to a place that i can't remember the name now but it was like the hawaiian roadhouse diner or something. Basically like your classic california styled diner with a hawaiian twist. Nikki wanted to get some virgin margaritas sometime while we were in hawaii so we decided this would be the place. Dinner was very good and extremely filling! After dinner we went to the honolulu beach and took some pictures before calling it a night.
Friday was chaos! We got up early and took the key back to the real estate agent's home. After that it was off the the airport. We took our luggageto the airport because we didnt want to walk about with it all day. then we met kenrick at the zoo to give him the car. after losing the car we went to the zoo for a couple of hours. The zoo was really pretty run down and many of the exhibits were closed do to dead animals. I was really surprised peta or some other animal group hadn't had the place shut down yet.
After the zoo we walked about 2 miles looking for lunch. We found a mexican place called "la cucaracha" (the cockroach) and had a decent but overpriced meal (welcome to hawaii). After eating we walked and shopped all day until we finally got on the bus and headed to the airport. We had a red eye flight back toOregon and our open house was the very next day!
It felt good to be back in oregon, although i really couldnt sleep as tired as i was. I helped set up for the reception and nikki took a nap. The reception was italian themed with tons of olive garden lasagna and morrocan egg rolls. There was also a huge Italian poster on the basketball court and Italian Ice to drink. It was fun seeing so many of my old ward members though none of my friends came due to not living in the area. The food was good and we all had a lot of fun.
The next week we packed up and drove the Penske truck home. It was a fun vacation and we are finally back in Utah with lots of stories and tons of unpacking to do...

I miss my baby

2008-06-20T00:11:00.002-06:00

well, Brent and I have been away from each other for almost two months. its pretty hard on me because i'm used to seeing him every single day. i thought having a job would keep me busy and it does to an extent but i was only scheduled 16 hours this week.

after one month i am already tired of working at mervyns. i dread having to go and the hours crawl by when i'm there. but i will deal because we need to start saving money and i need to contribute.

the only good thing about brent and i being apart for two months is that we only have a month and a half more to go. im really excited to marry brent, and as i get more things planned out i get even more excited. i'm also kind of nervous because time is running out and there is still a lot that we need to figure out.

brent seems to always have something to do and i need to find hobbies. i wish i could hurry up and find something that i loved as much as brent loves footy or cars. i'm at a total loss though, i don't even know where to begin.

ive been restless the last three days because i had them off but i had nothing to do so i just wasted time in the house.

yeah i guess my posts will probably be boring compared to Brents.

Honey Moon Plans

2008-05-24T11:43:00.002-06:00

So we are planning a trip to Hawaii
We will be staying in a condo on the North Shore. We found a condo on the Fazio golf Course at North Shore. It is right by Turtle Bay and looks really nice. We got a really good deal on the condo, and will be there 6 nights. We haven't planned exactly what we will be doing all week, but now that the condo and airfare is booked I am relaxing a little bit. I think this will be the most expensive vacation I'll ever go on, well hopefully not, because I still want to take Nikki to Europe later on.

Wedding plans-
Nikki and her Mom are still plugging away at the wedding plans. I know right now the biggest priority is getting the invitations ordered and sent out. I'm not sure where we are on other things, but I know Nikki is trying really hard to get it done.

Nikki's Job-
Nikki picked up a summer job at Mervyns. We are hoping that she can transfer that job up to the University Mall once we get married. She has been working really hard lately and though it is tough, she seems to like it. Her department is Lingerie. Sounds like fun, just helping older folk find undies.

Indiana Jones-
The movie was horrible. They needed to create a movie that actually felt like you were in a far away country (like the other indys), but they made it feel like the movie was made in a set at mgm studios. It was really corny, really bad one liners, and no hot chicks. Hardly an Indy movie. They just fell into the same bad trend as remaking rambo and rocky. Just because the actor still exists doesnt mean you remake movies with him 20 yrs after the original trilogy. They really should have called it the "Indiana jones movie" I think it came from the same guys that did "date movie" "scary movie" etc.

Other-
I got my windows tinted on the Subaru this week. I also went to Chad's house to watch the Champions League final. The match was intense, but Manchester United just barely pulled a win after John Terry slipped in pk's and allowed ManU to take the match.
I have had a few calls on the corolla, but I am not sure how soon I want to sell it.

Turtle Factory-
A few of us have been researching the reality of building a JDM type shop in the Orem/Provo area. We want to have a sales floor as well as an install bay. I have been calling all the parts companies finding out every detail of what it takes to sell product/ pricing. I have also been scouting locations. Next thing I will do is start writing up a business plan and see if this even looks to be a profitable.

Life is busy, but going well.

LA Galaxy Tonight...

2008-05-04T01:04:00.003-06:00

I bought my ticket months ago (Sec 34, Row 8, Seats 1 & 2), and was very excited to see the Beckham/ Donovan Duo. I was not disappointed with the match. I think the US is starting to catch onto how Footie should be done, but there are definitely some huge US tweaks in the set up.

Rice Eccles? stadium (no idea how to spell it), is a decent place for a match, but they don't even display the injury time or anything.

Anyways the match started off in the hands of RSL but David Beckham had two shots on goal and both of them went in without hesitation. Beckham old as he may be, is still an amazing player. Donovan played alright but nothing amazing. He does have spectacular ball control though.

As for Salt Lake? They have a very clean playing style, but still MLS teams think its volleyball and they need to pass the ball in the air 90% of the time. Also RSL places a lot of faith in Beckerman which I don't understand either? He has a good view but there were a few other players on RSL I thought played much more aggressively and with more style.

My camera sucks, but here are a couple of pics:
You wouldn't believe how many stupid girls were there to look at this guy's butt. Its all I heard them chanting about throughout the match.

Corner from Donovan

I conceived and created this shirt about ten minutes before the game started:

Then Beckham started staring at me:

So Much I Miss

2008-05-03T16:31:00.002-06:00

So Nikki has been gone for a little over a week now and it is a very surreal feeling. You see someone you love everyday for a year and then they're gone. I can't decide if it feels like a dream that she has been here and suddenly leaves, or if I was dreaming she was here from the start? It seems like every moment I spent with her never lasted long enough, though sometimes we did nothing at all it was always amazing.
Last night was the first RMR drift event. I still dont have the CHOLA up and running so I took the Subaru. It is NOT a drift car, but was still pretty fun to go out and slide around. I really can't wait to get my Chola going so that I can actually start training and improving my technique.
Monday marks the beginning of parking my car and riding to work. Hooray for the environment, hooray for my health, and hooray for my bank account!

Moving...

2008-04-29T15:31:00.003-06:00

So yesterday I (Brent) started moving into the new place. I met up with my subaru friend and we took over some of the basics (DVDS, some clothes, etc) first. Then Rory came over with his super lifted tacoma and we moved the big stuff. After Rory had left, Chris and I (plus 4 other people) pushed the corolla with a flat tire over. It was very hard to move. I continued through the night and finally got everything moved. I need to go back to the old house for some odds and ends, but I am happy its almost over. Chris put the stereo together and we got the tv up and running, and this morning I finished doing laundry and unpacking all of my clothes. I will be spending the next 4 months sleeping on an air mattress as well. Oh, and did I mention the pump only works plugged into the car? yeah that was an interesting find at 2 am.

I miss Nikki mucho. I can't wait till August!

My First C

2008-04-22T16:23:00.004-06:00

probably the first of many C's. But I have a C in New Testament. it was incredibly hard for a religion class though.

**EDIT**4/30/08** Turns out that C is really an A-. I guess he curved the grade a lot! I'm stoked!!

I am going home in 2 days. I'm way excited but worried about not seeing brent until a week before we get married.

i can tell that married life is going to be difficult. but hopefully rewarding as well.

-Nikki

End of the Semester

2008-04-21T20:41:00.002-06:00

So I am ready to be done as well (Brent). This has been such a long and stressful semester. On a brighter note, my mom did come into town today. She and Nikki hung out for a bit at Craig's house today as well. I think that pretty much everyone is still in love with Baby Elise and for that very Reason they all want to be with her all the time. Nikki loves holding her a lot as well.

So anyways that is how the semester is almost over, life is good etc etc. im excited.

Ready for this to be over

2008-04-14T15:57:00.002-06:00

I'm so done with this semester. Aside from the fact that I have a billion finals to study for. I'm sick of Utah, I'm sick of being stressed, I'm sick of BYU, I'm SICK of roommates, I'm sick of certain people taking away from our wedding, and I'm ready to go home.
-Nikki

From Autumn to Ashes to sold...

2008-04-11T16:52:00.002-06:00

Sooooo I sold Ashes today. That should free up the budget and we are both very happy about it.
Having rebuilt the bike, we weren't too sure how easy it would be to sell. I had it up for one month and today signed it over. We have been praying alot for that sale so it was very nice.

BABY Elise!

2008-03-24T13:29:00.004-06:00

So Craig's baby was born a week ago (March 17, 2008). Her name is Elise Mckay Cheney. I am an uncle and pretty excited about it. My parents drove up this weekend to stay for less than a day and drive home. It is pretty unique how they think sometimes. They didn't even stay the night. Anyways we went up and saw baby elise and my parents Saturday, and it was really was hard to go home. I can't wait to have kids, but all in good times. For now I'm mostly excited to marry my Nikki.

A Letter to Elise (The Cure)
Oh Elise it doesn't matter what you sayI just can't stay here every yesterdayLike keep on acting out the sameThe way we act outEvery way to smileForgetAnd make-believe we never neededAny more than thisAny more than thisOh Elise it doesn't matter what you doI know I'll never really get inside of youTo make your eyes catch fireThe way they shouldThe way the blue could pull me inIf they only wouldIf they only wouldAt least I'd lose this sense of sensing something elseThat hides awayFrom me and youThere're worlds to partWith aching looks and breaking heartsAnd all the prayers your hands can makeOh I just take as much as you can throwAnd then throw it all awayOh I throw it all awayLike throwing faces at the skyLike throwing arms roundYesterdayI stood and staredWide-eyed in front of youAnd the face I saw looked backThe way I wanted toBut I just can't hold my tears awayThe way you doElise believe I never wanted thisI thought this time I'd keep all of my promisesI thought you were the girl I always dreamed aboutBut I let the dream goAnd the promises brokeAnd the make-believe ran out...So EliseIt doesn't matter what you sayI just can't stay here every yesterdayLike keep on acting out the sameThe way we act outEvery way to smileForgetAnd make-believe we never neededAny more than thisAny more than thisAnd every time I try to pick it upLike falling sandAs fast as I pick it upIt runs away through my clutching handsBut there's nothing else I can really doThere's nothing else I can really doThere's nothing else I can really doAt all...

My Take

2008-03-18T11:52:00.002-06:00

January 30, 2008

two weeks ago brent and I decided to drive to Oregon to visit his family. So we rushed to pack, stopped by and bought food and started driving. It was a horrible drive because it was an All-Nighter. We stopped a couple times to take naps. I couldn't sleep though cuz it was uncomfortable and too cold. Even though I couldn't take turns driving, i stayed awake with brent the entire time...
Oregon is beautiful and green, with forests and trees and pnes and ferns everywhere, it is absolutely gorgeous. The Columbia gorge is beautiful too!
Brent stopped at these waterfalls that were gorgeous and there was a cute bridge too. I loved it and we took some pictures there and continued on.
Portland was amazing.
Finally we got home and surprised brents family. Then we went out to dinner. It was really nice and comfortable being with them
The next day brent and I went ring shopping. We went to a bunch of different jewelry stores, but I didn't like any of the rings.
Finally we went to the Shane Company and I found the perfect ring. We bought it but the center diamond wasn't set in the ring so i knew i would be getting a proposal but not until the ring was finished.
We showed his family and we hung out again and the next day, Sunday, january 20th we set off to go back home.
Brent pulled over at the waterfalls again, saying he had to use the restroom. He came back and said we were going to hike up to the bridge by the waterfall. I was okay with that but i thought he wanted to hurry up and get home.
We started walking and there were some people close behind us, once we got to the bridge the people started taking pictures of us. it started to dawn on me...
brent got out the ring box and asked me to marry him, of course i said yes.
Then i told him that he was supposed to get on his knees and ask and put the ring on my finger...he said "oh yeah"
the bridge was wet so he had to kneel on my feet, then he asked me again and put the ring (without its center diamond) on my finger. Then we were engaged!

We toook some more pictures and then we went back to the car and continued to drive home, calling our friends and family on the way to tell them the news.

what was most amazing about us on that trip was that we did not get into one single fight even though that was the most tired either of us has ever been. When we drove to san diego we must have gotten irritated with eachother at least 3 times.

but this just shows how much we've grown and how perfect we are for eachother.

SO we are Engaged...

2008-01-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

So Last weekend Nikki and I decided to go for a Trip to Oregon. We drove all night Thursday and got to Wilsonville around 2pm Friday afternoon. No one knew we were coming so it was really cool. We definitely surprised my whole family. While in Oregon, Nikki and I went Diamond shopping and found the ring she liked the most. We bought the Ring and planned to get it put together back in utah. It was really nice going home for a short couple of days. On the way there we went to Multnomah Falls which Nikki loved. Anyways on the way out of town we went back and I asked her to marry me. So now its official we are getting married August 8th of this year in the San Diego Temple. Now for the planning....

Schools Started Again, time to be tired...

2008-01-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we are off. School has started and we are back in the full swing of things. Nikki is taking a full load of classes as am I. We have been looking a lot more seriously at rings. Life is good, but stressful right now. Maybe not even stressful, just very busy. I am enjoying my semester so far though. I got a calling to be in the publicity committee as well. So I get to make flyers and the church programs. Work has been very slow for me this month, but I am not too worried. I started looking into family housing today as well. Anyways, times are good, but life is busy and will continue to be for a little bit.

I Love him so much it shakes me all the way down to my toes

2008-01-06T01:39:00.001-07:00

I found this email saved in my drafts and now I realized why I saved it.

It was sent to me from Brent on July 28th, 2007

NIkki,
I know that these last few weeks have been pretty rough, with school and
friends with both of us.
I know there are times when we think it could end, i know there are times
when you're my only friend.
I want you to know how much i think of you, i want you to know that there's
nothing i wouldnt do.
You need to know that I love you, you need to know that id never leave you,
I hope that you know that everyday, is an opportunity for me to say,
i love i love you, you mean so much, i love you i love you, i love your
touch,
i love your words, the things they say, I love how you make me feel each
day,
i know there are times when life is rough, but baby please, lets never give
up.
i ll love you today, i ll love you tomorrow, dont worry sweet nikki, i ll
love you forever.
so please sit easy, just today, and try to remember the words we'd say,
so please look back, into my eyes, you ll see yourself there, the love of my
life,
thank you for reading these few short lines, thank for grabbing my behind,
thank you for loving me each day, thank you for patience in things i say,
thank you for being my one true love, thank you for fitting me like a glove,
i could never say to anyone else, i love you so much you make me blush,
nikki elese soto, you truely are, an angel sent to me from far.
i know this will last forever and ever,
i know i ll be there, i ll help with whatever,
your needs are mine, we're one and the same,
your face is mine, to kiss everyday.
i hope this poem can make you smile,
i hope you'll think of me for a while.
so nikki i love you, in every way,
i ll be thinking about you every day.
tonight i will kiss you and tell you i love you,
i ll hold you and listen, to everything you say.
so have a beautiful day...

your true love...brent

9 months later...

2008-01-05T02:19:00.000-07:00

My Christmas vacation was good. It was nice to spend time with the family and see friends and relax and sleep in. I slept a lot. I got lots of good stuff but really Brent got me everything I wanted so I was just happy to be with my family and friends. As the time for me to come back to Utah grew nearer, I was sad to leave my family but I was also incredibly HAPPY because I would be with Brent again and I knew I missed him a lot but I had no idea HOW much until I walked out of the Airport and saw him. I had a very pensive break, and being with Brent tonight confirmed my thoughts.

I wish that the feeling I have right now never goes away.

I was too hours late, but Happy Anniversary baby!

Christmas week of 07....

2007-12-30T15:12:00.001-07:00

So this week was Christmas. Nikki went home last Saturday and I flew home sunday morning. Christmas was good, and it was super nice to see my family. I havent seen them in forever. I got some power tools for christmas and i bought myself an rc car. Craig got a rc helicopter Candice got lots of gift cards. Brad also called and we talked for about four hours. It really seems that he is loving his mission. I have been missing Nikki, but I am sure she is having a blast at home. I have my corolla almost sold, the guy will be coming to get it tomorrow. I cant wait to get rid of it. I am paying for my trip to England this summer with the money from the Corolla. I bought it for 1700 and am selling it for 2000 so to all of the people who keep telling me the car is worth nothing and its ugly bla bla bla, yeah its a nice car and it sold itself. I had a deposit within the week of listing it. Life is good and i am almost ready to start the next semester.... Nikki will probably post about her christmas soon as well...

New Carrito!

2007-12-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Well I ended up picking up a new car this week. It is a Subaru and siiiiick. Aspen White Pearl is the color with gold bbs rims. It's semi new/ used but I got a super good deal on it. Although she didnt like it upon initial purchase, nikki told me its pretty yesterday so score. The wing goes on soon its in the shop.

This year's Christmas...

2007-12-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Because Nikki will be headed home for Christmas we decided to our Christmas early. I decided that since she loves the Pirates of the Caribbean I would do a treasure hunt for her presents. She started with Johnny Depp and ended with some booty (boots). It was a pretty good time and Nikki came out smiling!

i miss you.

2007-12-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

you say the words
and i believe
but you feel so far away from me
even when you're right here
i'm missing you
and i'm in tears

maybe you can feel it too
maybe i feel far from you
what are we supposed to do
what are we supposed to do

you tell me and you show me that you really care
but i get sick inside sometimes feeling like i'm not there
you need me, i need you,
i love you, but i can't feel you

where did we go caught up in our own worlds?
stressed, lonely, unhappy, busy, tired bored
you feel like i'm cold and i feel like you're distant
its hurting my soul, there's a whole piece i'm missing

i'm missing you
i'm missing you
i'm missing you

i miss you.

Diamond Rings...

2007-12-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today before The Golden Compass started, Brent steered me into a Zales and I proceeded to try on different engagement rings. Neither of us particularly liked any of them although I loved how glittery and sparkly they were. It was then that Brent realized that we would have to spend quite a few hours looking at different rings....I already knew we would. So..... one of these days we will go again to more stores.

After we left Brent told me how nervous the experience had made him; seeing the ring on my finger. I thought that was really cute, because I didn't really think about it too much because I knew we were just trying them on for fun and to get an idea of what we liked. Next time I think we'll take a picture and scare our parents. And Brent can try on some bands........

Nikkis First Model...

2007-12-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

So we decided to build some models the other day. Nikki had never built one so I bought a couple of them and we built them. Nikki built the Ford GT and it actually looks pretty good. Tomorrow is the Golden COmpass though so Time for bed....

taking a shot at this again...

2007-12-05T02:26:00.000-07:00

so much to say
but there are no words

no words i can write
no words i can speak
that could possibly describe
the person that i see

behind those sleeping eyes
is my one and only
the one who i adore
and the one who Loves me

Loves me when i'm beautiful
Loves me when i'm ugly
Loves me when i'm laughing
Loves me when i'm sobbing

Loves me when i'm sick
Loves me when i'm healthy
Loves me when he hates me
he can't get enough of me

and i Love him
i Love him
i Love him
i Love him.

when he's happy
when he's angry
when he's stunning
when he's grungy

when i kiss him
when i miss him
i can't ignore him
i adore him

but when he's sleeping
when he's dreaming
is when i know
i'm not leaving

when his head is on my shoulder
and his eyes are closed and vulnerable
with my lips against his forehead
when i'm inhaling his sweet scent

when i listen to him breathing
all i know is i'm not leaving
because i Love him
and i need him

I adore him.

Silent & Quiet

2007-12-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Silent and quiet I sit here alone,
sitting and thinking, chilled to the bone,
The last time i felt so bitter and sad,
was the time at your house, when someone got mad,
This night a tribute to you and me,
I've thought of you all day so hopefully,
I've wondered and hoped you knew what I meant,
I've been so busy but waited throughout,
I hope tonight you sleep better knowing,
that in the morning your smile will be glowing,
I hope you smile tonight before bed,
I hope your read the words that I said,
Tonight I sit so Silent and Quiet,
tomorrow I'll sit, with you in my arms.

Celebrity Morphs of Nikki and Brent

2007-11-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

Holiday Starters...

2007-11-16T11:51:00.001-07:00

so Lately we
have been doing quite a bit of nothing! Here are a couple of pictures from Nikki's Birthday and just mulling about the house. Oh and this is our child, Gizmo. We also got some Chef Costumes from Ratatouile? or how ever you spell that. Chris brought them to us from work, so hopefully we can get those pics up soon as well. Last night we went to the L'oreal Finals at the MOA and hung out with Stanton and Rubi a little bit as well. Things are going well, just getting busy with school, work, and the Car project. All is well though and we just keep on smiling. The Holidays are here and Brent has most of his shopping done though so that's a relief. Next week we fly out to Idaho for thanksgiving with Brent's family so it should be exciting.

Smiles can be temporary, but our happiness will last forever...

This is just the beginnning...

2007-11-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

So now that Nikki and I have decided we kinda like eachother quite a bit we've decided (I decided) that we should start keeping track of things.

Like ocean winds, and things to be, this is where we've been, and what we'll see...