How Lucky I am

3 6 5  D A Y S

I can't believe it's been over a year since 

I married my best friend!

H O W   L U C K Y   I   A M!

We have a little trip planned this weekend, but we still 

wanted to plan something special closer to our anniversary!

My boss told me about a cute little B E D  &  B R E A K F A S T  called  T H E  A L A S K A N  I N N!

They have separate cabins with different themes for any occasion!

We stayed at the Timberwolf Cabin

The whole place was decorated with wolves!

It really allowed for some needed relaxation!

They even had complimentary sparkling cider for us!

The next morning, we awoke to breakfast waiting for us at our door!

It was the most delicious french toast either of us have ever had!

I said it once, I'll say it again...

H O W   L U C K Y   I   A M!!

A Pup Among Dogs

Frankie is our sweet little doggy.

He just turned 3 Y E A R S  O L D, and is crazy playful!

In our new home, we are fortunate enough to have a dog park! 

Frank is normally awesome with other dogs, so tonight we decided to give it a try!

Poor Frank was 100% the new kid on the block!

The other dogs were so interested in him, he was scared out of his mind at first!

He wouldn't leave our side, and it was absolutely H I L A R I O U S!

The other dogs weren't picking on him, just wanting to play!

Of course we happened to pick a night to bring him that all the big dogs were out!

We had 2 Great Danes for crying out loud!

After about a half hour of cowering behind Mom & Dad, 

he finally warmed up to a couple of dogs that were more his size. 

He had so much fun and it was so good to be able to let him just run around! 

It's so fun being in this new apartment!

As soon as we got to the dog park, everyone there was introducing themselves

& their dogs!

We are so truly blessed! 

Erykah Badu

All of Michael's family is E X T R E M E L Y musically inclined.

Because of that gift, Michael has an obsession with finding new music, and attending concerts.

I am not opposed to this at all, but sometimes these concerts can get a little crazy...

Every Thursday at Pioneer Park in SLC, they throw these cheap concerts.

They are always a fun time, and can get pretty out of control.

I don't handle these kinds of situations well, but Michael is good about helping me feel comfortable.

This particular Thursday, a gal was playing named Erykah Badu. 

If you don't know her, most probably wont, I would suggest looking her up!

(D I S C L A I M E R: S H E  S W E A R S  A  L O T.)

She has an extremely unique voice, but definitely knows how to put on a good show!

Once we were threw with the concert, we decided to walk back home. 

On the way, we see a kid riding a bicycle seated for 7 passengers struggling to get up a hill on this bike all by himself!

We offered to help him, and he absolutely allowed us to jump on! 

We were so shocked and had so much fun pedaling this bike! It definitely was not easy,

but it was well worth the effort!

Living in Salt Lake City has been so good to us! 

We have had so many lucky experiences like this one!

We are so sad to have to leave!

Welcome to Ogden!

Our first day in Ogden was definitely a stressful one!

We spent all of the day unpacking and trying to get things all stowed away,

but that night, we made plans to have some fun!

We had heard that it was the W E B E R  C O U N T Y  S T A T E  F A I R!

Michael had a buddy from the Marines who had a couple of free tickets, so we jumped on them!

We invited Michael's little sister, Julie, and her boyfriend Michael.

At the fair, they had a real hypnotist!

I had never actually seen a show that worked, so I was completely enthralled with the show!

He had people thinking his arm was going thorough their bodies, he was disappearing,

and even at one point made them believe that he had killed one of the kids on the show!

Our 1st  A N N I V E R S A R Y is coming up, and although Michael already gave me this gorgeous pearl necklace for  it, I ended up spending more money on him on accident! 

(I  J U S T  C A N T  H E L P  M Y S E L F!)

I ended up going over budget by buying him this red, leather, gorgeous, F A N N Y  P A C K!

If you don't know us very well, we are all about the fanny pack!

Michael carried one around all throughout high school, and I sported one all over California on our honeymoon! Match made in heaven? T O T E S!

To even the gift giving, Michael bought me this S E N T S Y!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am obsessed with making my home smell good.

I've been addicted to candles ever since I can remember and have boughten my sisters far too many candles for presents over the past 20 years. 

These were perfect finds for us!

I can't believe it has already almost been a year of marriage to this guy! 

Time flies when you're having fun!

What's that phrase?

M A T C H  M A D E  I N  H E A V E N?

I can't think of a better way to describe our relationship!

I love this boy!

Payson Lakes

My family has started a new tradition where we go down to 

Payson Lakes, and camp for a weekend.

We just returned from this years camp out, and it was so much fun!

Unfortunately, it was so much fun that I forgot to take pictures... 

BUT, we did celebrate one of my nephews F I R S T  B I R T H D A Y!

It is so hard to believe that cute little Benjamin is already a one year old!

We bought him a cute little outfit, and I am so obsessed with this picture that my Brother sent me, that I can't help but post it!

We love this boy so much, and are so blessed to be able to watch as he is growing up! 

Happy 1st Birthday Benjamin!

We love you!

Ogden

M O V I N G

Michael and I are coming up on our first wedding anniversary.

We are also coming up on our move to Ogden, UT. 

Moving has become a bitter sweet taste in my mouth.

I am excited to begin a new adventure in Ogden, but sad to say goodbye to the friends and memories we have in Salt Lake City! 

The toughest part about the move, is being O N E  hour and F I F T E E N minutes away from our family.

I know in retrospect that isn't T H A T far from Orem, but it will be the farthest I've ever lived from my family and I am not looking forward to it.

I suppose the Lord has something new in store for us in 

Ogden and that is where we are supposed to be. 

So here is to a new A D V E N T U R E!

Here is to taking a leap of F A I T H! 

Ready or not, here we come!

Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day was such a lucky day for us:
BOTH OF US GOT THE DAY OFF!
Hallelujah!

We had so been looking forward to this day, and boy did it not disappoint!
We spent Pioneer Day Eve playing 4 square with Mike's brother Brad and his friend for a while,
and then decided to see The Lone Ranger at the Megaplex!
Being married, we find ourselves trying to get to bed earlier and earlier each night.
It is so fun for us when we actually have an evening
to relax and go out late!

The only thing I can relate it too is when little kids have a bedtime of 6:00pm, but
every once in a while, the parent allows their child to stay up until
8:00 or even if they are R E A L L Y  lucky, 9:00!

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The morning of the 24th, we got up pretty early and headed up to Ogden and met up with our good friends Michael, Jill, and their B E A U T I F U L daughter Olivia Garlick.
We had made plans to go to the Ogden Pioneer Parade, and although I am sure it wasn't as extravagant as the SLC parade, it was pretty impressive!

That night, Michael and I decided to attend the days of '47 rodeo!
It was absolutely amazing!
The Bull Riders were competing for a $200,000 G R A N D  P R I Z E!

Even though I A L W A Y S cheer for the animal, the cowboys were still pretty impressive!
I am so grateful to be living in Utah!
We feel so blessed to be able to celebrate our Pioneer heritage!
Happy Pioneer Day!

The Ranch

A couple weekends back, Mike and I were able to go down to 

Panguitch lake to go camping with some of the Riding clan. 

I guess Mike's great Uncle has land down there that we get to visit! It is absolutely beautiful!

This was a fun chance for me to meet the other side of Mike's family! Because of different circumstances, we just haven't had a chance to really sit down and visit with them. 

How grateful I was for the opportunity to really get to know this amazing family I am blessed to be a part of!

Sorry for the rough picture, but for the first time ever we 

were able to try out 

sleeping in the back of our Tribeca! 

Our friends let us borrow their SUV mattress and it worked out so well!

We slept like rocks!

Some of the boys went down by the river 

and found a place to build up a dam! 

They raised the water level from 1 foot to 4 feet!

It was a pretty impressive watering hole!

We were so happy to be able to spend a weekend out of cell

phone service, and with such an amazing family!

How lucky we are!

BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS!

My best friend is finally home!

After 2 weeks of sweating in 120 degree weather, 

Mike has returned!

Basically I love this man more than ever before.

They say that absence makes the heart grow stronger,

and this my friend is so true! 

Each day I thank my Heavenly Father for this amazing man!

Thanks for Reading!

The Ridings

'Merica

Happy   I N D E P E N D E N C E   Day! 

Normally this picture would be of me and my extremely handsome husband, 

but he was actually spending his 4th of July honoring his commitment to the

Marine Corps! 

Yes, this outfit is   E X T R E M E L Y   patriotic, but it seemed appropriate

to me that I should wear what Michael would wear had he 

been able to celebrate! 

God Bless America!

The day was spent with a lot of family thank goodness!

Every year, we go to the Lasson family picnic at Scera park.

Last year, we came up with a game that has really seemed to catch on!

You take a ball (one that is fairly light and is easy to hit ex. volleyball, soccer ball, etc...)

and hit it around trying to keep it off the ground. 

Basically it is the equivalent to "Keep it Up," normally played with a  balloon.

The hint to this game is the classic toe point.

This hint is accomplished by thrusting both arms out so your body forms a "T" like shape.

(This is to help better your balance.)

Then, flexing your leg, you lift it in a firm toe point in an attempt to make contact with the ball.

It is a skill that I don't think can ever be perfected! 

We love this game!

Our evening was spent without fireworks this year, which is just as well seeing how dry it has been! I hope you all were careful, and celebrated wisely!

We spent our evening in Park City swimming, eating, and playing games with our cousins.

Such a fun time! 

I am so grateful to have a family who is as ridiculous as I am!

They are even patient to put up with the weird games I think of,

and the awkward comments I make! 

Good thing Families are forever! 

#bedwetting

Thanks for reading!

The Ridings :)

Love the One You Choose

A phone call.

All it takes is one simple phone call to change

a bad day into T H  E  B E S T  D A Y!

Being away from Michael has taught me a couple of things:

1. I actually can get out of bed on my own really early when necessary.

Which is an A M A Z I N G accomplishment for me!

&

2. Going days without a communication with Michael makes motivation hard to find.

Mike left for Annual Training in California on Saturday the 29th of June. 

Since then, I was able to talk with him most of Saturday through text messages,

but once they arrived on base, it was silence. 

I had no idea how he was, where he was, what he was doing, what was going on,

if he was happy, or if he was healthy!

It doesn't sound like it would be T O O excruciating,

 but it was worse than I thought it would be.

Sunday, I got O N E text message saying he didn't have much service and wouldn't be able to talk with me until next friday. (Just to be clear, the friday he was referring too is July 12th!)

This put me into an instant panic. How the lick was I supposed to survive without any sort of communication???

I   W E N T   N U M B.

Much to my surprise, however, my amazing husband surprised me with a phone call on Monday evening! 

It had only been a couple days since we last communicated, 

but my mind was so focused on the long term ahead of not talking, 

that the phone call 

forced my emotions to do a complete 180 degrees!

A simple 29 minute phone call that could have fueled me for days.

It really made me realize how much I should appreciate the little things Michael does for me. He brings me flowers, calls me just to tell me he loves me, hugs me till I pop, even down to getting me a glass of water. 

What is that quote, 

"Chose the one you love, and love the one you choose?"

At no greater time in my life have I felt this to be true.

It is hard having him leave me so much. 

I can hear people talk, wondering where he is, if we are doing alright, why he isn't with me;

They wonder if we are fighting... Always is it hard to be without him, but I wouldn't trade it for a thing. I am so proud to say that my husband is willing to put his life on the line to defend this country. 

I am proud to be an A M E R I C A N. 

ANNUAL TRAINING

Every year, Michael has to leave me for anywhere from 2-4 weeks to train with the Marine Corps. Well, Michael leaves me tomorrow for 15 days... KILL ME NOW! It will be the longest we have been a part, and the least we will be able to talk. I am just so grateful for this man and the amazing influence he is on my life!

Here is to the next two weeks of DIY decorations for our new apartment!

No Longer a Teenager!

Growing up is kind of a bitter sweet situation. My 20th birthday just passed and Mike made it a Birthday to remember! However, I feel sad to be leaving my teenage years! The teenage years were amazing and I guess it is just time to let them go!

I am very excited to be entering into a whole new part of my life though!

Michael spoiled me rotten for my Birthday! He took me shopping and let me spend way to much money! Then he got me my favorite food for dinner. (Pizza) and had a relaxing night of watching movies! How perfect is that??

Since my Birthday was on Monday, we celebrated on Saturday! It was definitely a memorable celebration!!

Then, on Monday, when I got home, Mike was waiting for me with our favorite donuts! He had pulled one out and lit 20 candles and sang to me when I walked in the door! It was such a perfect greeting! Unfortunately, the candles burned out of wax and started boiling the donut! It was wonderful! :)

That evening, we went to FHE and our amazing friends surprised me with decorations, and a candle lit cake! Who could have asked for as better celebration!? 

I am so blessed!

A New Look!

Alright, So as many know, I've been working for years on growing my hair out. After so long, I finally feel like it is getting longer.

Girls, you'll understand how frustrating it is to grow it out. You feel as though you aren't making progress and It is always the same style!

Lucky for me, I have an amazing hairstylist. (She also happens to be one of my best friends!) Kara Kocherhans! She is amazing! I trust her with anything she wants to do with my hair!

Anyway, Mike had this bright idea that I should cut bangs... So we did! We are loving them! Although they do require a lot of upkeep, they are pretty fun!

Laser Field

Living in Salt Lake City has provided us with many opportunities 

to be with our new friends! 

We decided to try and put together a FHE group, and much to our delight, it has been quite a success!

I'm going to post some of our activity ideas.. I always forget to take pictures while doing things, but hopefully I will get better!

On this particular occasion  my random brain decided it would be so fun to set up a pretend laser field in our home. 

We took red yarn and taped it down our hallway in a pretty complex pattern. (Not really. We just zigzagged down the wall.) 

It looked a little something like this:

I didn't know I was so flexible!

You learn a lot about yourself when going to a laser field of death!

I didn't get a picture of it, but Becky actually taped her pants to her ankles so as not to burn herself on those lasers! OUCH!

Mike and Ian were probably the most creative when it came to going through.

They folded their bodies in ways we never thought possible!

Sharesa was moving so quickly,

it was hard to catch a still shot!

BobbyJames really got into it! Look at that form!

This is just one of my many ideas! More to come!

My random brain sure does make for a fun activity!

Thanks for Reading!

The Ridings :)

C O L O R A D O

The week after we got back from Disneyland, we were fortunate enough to be able to go to Frisco, Colorado with the Mike's family!

We did so much, I couldn't possibly post all of it, but here is a summary in pictures!

Found some fun costumes at the Childrens Museum!

Hiking to Hanging Falls with the family!

This day was such an "Adventure!"

This swing takes you over a cliff 1,700 feet off the ground! 

Plus, we went on cool cave tours, a way fun alpine slide, AND a roller coaster that is the highest elevated coaster in North America! 

Quite a sucessful day!

Thanks for reading!

The Ridings :)

M E M O R I A L D A Y

First of all, thank you to all of those who are out

serving our country, and to those who have served in the 

past! What an amazing opportunity

we are given to spend a day in memory of those who

have done us such a great service!

Lucky for me, I got to spend Memorial Day weekend with 

my own American hero. 

A couple of months ago, some good friends of ours decided we were

going to make the trip to Disneyland over Memorial Day weekend.

So, Friday night, we packed up our vehicle and headed off! 

In case you are wondering, we took a Dodge Journey. 

We had 6 people packed into it.

Mike and I have never been in a car ride for so

 long that made us feel so squished!

It was totally worth it!

So we drove through the night stopping for gas occasionally.

Sorry it's so blurry! 

There was little room for movement to get a good picture!

After the longest car ride of my life, we finally got to Disneyland! 

This was the picture that I begged we take! 

I was so happy he dipped me!

This was right as we got into the park... Becky and I went a little Picture happy! 

Totally worth it though!

I will probably post another time about our beach experience just FYI!

We did the classics of course. This is at "It's Tough to be a Bug."

I actually can't watch most of the show because it has spiders in it.

Yes, I am terrified of the ugly things, but Mike loves it so much

we go every time! It's fine though, I burry my face in his shoulder 

and make him feel like a man, so it is a win win situation!

This is our group! We feel so blessed to have met these people!

They made for an extremely memorable trip to Disneyland!

(Left to Right: Sharesa Bedingfield, Ian Bedingfield, us, 

BobbyJames Hubbard and Becky Hubbard.)

This was taken after we went on Splash Mountain... Mike barely got wet!

Lucky dog!

I know this one is HUGE, but this picture is too priceless to be left small!

Most won't understand the beauty behind this picture, but if any 

of you are youtube lovers like we are, Olan Rogers is a must to look up!

Once you watch a couple of his videos, this picture will make more sense..

#mischiefmanaged #thechiefhaslanded 

This is our last picture from Disneyland.

If you are going in the near future, I highly recommend going on the 

new Car's ride. It was probably my favorite ride this time around. 

You need to get in the fast pass line though as soon as you get into the park!

Not only will your kids love it, but it is fun for adults too!

Mike and I realized on this trip how truly blessed we are. 

We have amazing friends, who we love so much, an opportunity for travel,

and we have each other. 

I love this boy more and more each day, and I can't believe he is mine for all eternity. 

I'd call that the greatest blessing of them all!

Thanks for reading!

The Ridings :)