TAGGED......I think?...... :)

Well, I saw my name on the lovely Leslie's Blog...so I am guessing this means me and not another Kim...if it is...Leslie you get two birds with one stone! :) (sorry it has taken me soooo long to do this...I haven't been on forever!)

You take the fourth picture folder and post the fourth picture in that folder. Then you take the sixth folder and post the sixth picture in that folder. Explain the pictures and then send the tag along. Here are my pictures:



This picture was taken back in May when Jake and I went with the Chapman's down to the "Garden of the Gods." It was taken from the observation deck.



This picture is kind of sad... This is Jake's childhood dog Motley. It is Jake's brother Jordan saying good bye to him a few days before he died. :( I am sure he is having a grand old time in doggie heaven with my dog.

You know, this tag has almost made me want to make this a tradition...I feel like I hardly ever post because I dont have anything to post about...so maybe I will just put up random pictures to keep my audience pleased. :) Thanks Leslie!!!

As for those that I am tagging.....
Lisa H., Brittnay R. and Alyssa W.

California Dreaming....

Well, as sad as it is...Winter is coming...and I can't do anything about it. But in the mean time, Jake and I decided to enjoy the short season that they call Fall. We went up to the mountains to look at the aspen trees changing colors. It was a beautiful sight. If only the seasons would skip winter and just go from summer, fall, spring, summer, fall, spring. :) As you can tell, I am really excited for the seasons to change...haha. In the mean time, the trees were awesome...so enjoy!

ALOOOOOOOHA!!

Jake and I had an amazing week last week. We had the opportunity to go to Hawaii with Jake's family. We rented a beach house on the island of Oahu on the North Shore in a town called Laie. The house was right across the street from the Polynesian Cultural Center, BYU Hawaii, and the temple. The house was right by the water with a beautiful view of the ocean from the back yard. The week was chalk full of awesome activities. We started the trip off with our red eye flight from Las Vegas (where we met up with the fam) and flew to Honolulu. We arrived in Hawaii at 5:20am and the whirlwind started right away. After we got the cars, we found a local breakfast place and had breakfast. From there we went to a place called the Punch Bowl. It is an amazing cemetary and memorial for the men and women that fought in WW2 and other wars between now and then. It was incredible to see all the names engraved on the marble. It made me so thankful for the freedoms that we enjoy from their willingness to die for it. The rest of the day we went onto the military base and went on a supermarket sweep for the groceries for the week. I'm pretty sure that the team that I was on (Jake, Sue and myself) killed everyone else. Our mad skills are nearly unbeatable though. After shopping we made our way up to the beach house. The house was pretty nice. It looked like it had been newly remodeled with new tile, kitchens, and bathrooms. The house was 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2 kitchens, and 2 living rooms. Jake and I were able to snag the master bedroom. It rocked! After dinner, we were all sooo shot that we all passed out for the night.
The next morning was a little bit of a late start, but still productive. We went to this beautiful snorkeling spot called Hanauma Bay. The water was gorgous. The swim was a little rough with a few war wounds amoung the group with Jake scratching his back on the coral and a few of us scratching other parts like knees and arms. The water was so warm and clear. We even saw a sea turtle while we were swimming. Since we started a little late, we had a short day...but I don't think any of us were too upset since we were all still a little jet lagged.
On Tuesday we had a very early morning with leaving the house at 4:45 to get to the Dolphin swim excursion. IT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE TRIP! We went out on a boat with a guide in search for the wild dolphins. During the early hours of the day they come in near shore to play....and boy where they having a good time. Once we found them, and were able to get close enough, we slowly slipped into the water and snorkled with them! They were beautiful! We were able to get about 6ft away from them as they swam right below us. After the dolphins they took us to a spot where sea turtles go to have their shells cleaned off by these special fish. They would just sit at the bottom of the ocean, and then would come up every now and then to get some air. They were a lot bigger than I thought they would be. Next, they took us to this area where there were fish galore! They were all so bright and colorful. Some people had some fish food that they were feeding them, which made the fish go wild. They would swim so close to you and so fast. The whole experience was amazing. After the excursion we went on a short hike up Diamond Head Crater to a look out point at the top. It felt like you could almost see the whole island. The scenery was gorgous.
On Wednesday, we went to Pearl Harbor where we saw the USS Arizona, the USS Bowfin, the USS Missorri, and the Aviation Museum. All of it was great. It is truly amazing how large those ships are! Going onto the USS Missorri, and seeing how big the guns are and the length and height of the ship was just insane. Then seeing what was left of the Arizona poking above the water was heart breaking. It was so sad to look at it and know that there were hundreds of men entoombed inside. And after going onto the submarine...the USS Bowfin...I know that I could never be in one for longer than a few minutes...especially submerged! The Aviation Museum was pretty sweet, especially being there with Jake's two brothers and sister that are going into the Airforce. It makes me proud to have military in my family.
Thursday was a girls and guys day. All of the guys woke up early to go golfing down on the military golf course, while us ladies woke up late to have a fun day of shopping on the North Shore. The guys all got their butts kicked by the newly returned missionary that hadn't played in 2 years...haha. They tried not to let that bruise their egos, but they had a good time anyways. The girls, on the other hand, had a wonderful time going to all of the little shops on the North Shore. We probably all spent a little bit more money than we needed to, but there was just so many cute little knick knacks that we all "had" to have. After shopping and golfing, we drove down and met the boys at a beach called Sandy Beach. We went there with the hope of going boogieboarding, but it ended up not being a very good beach for beginers. Sadly enough Kit, Jake's brother, found this out the hard way by getting flipped off his board and smacked into the volcanic rocks that were hiding under the water. His back got really beat up, but he survived. I think we learned our lesson, because we didn't go swimming there again.
Friday was another late start with us going to the Laie Temple for a 9:00 temple session. The temple is beautiful! There are waterfalls in front of it and palm trees that line the driveway up to it. Being there with all of Jake's family was truly a speial experience (even though I'm pretty sure most of them were asleep during all of it but Grandma, Tyson and Me). Afterwards we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. That was lots of fun. Seeing how all of the islands are different and special in their own way was really neat. I loved seeing all of the bright outfits and the beautiful dancing. The show at the end of the day was sweet. It went from island to island showing the different dances of all of the islands. I think the fire dancers were my favorite dance.
Saturday was the last day that we were in Hawaii. :( But, we did make the most of it by going snorkeling at Sharks Cove. Once again, the water was so warm and beautiful. We didn't see nearly as many fish as we did on the excursion, but it was still amazing. It was pretty cool to see how much better all of us got at snorkeling as the days went on. After snorkeling we went and got these icees that we heard were amazing.....and they were. And it is a good thing that they were because we stood in line for them for at least 10-15 mintues! They were snowcones with icecream at the bottom of the cones. I got mine as a shake and it makes my mouth water thinking about it. After getting our treat, we finished the trip with going home and making dinner and then making and eating smores.
Overall, I would have to say that it was one of the best vacations that I have been on. If you ever get a chance to go....GO! (and don't forget to take me with you!!!)

These pictures are for the most part in order as I mentioned them above. ENJOY! :)

A Fun Day of Sports

Jake had the opportunity to play in a soccer tournament that his company sponsered. He was by far the best player on the team, and I am pretty sure that he even scored the most points on his team too. His team made it to the Semi-Finals...kind of by default...and then lost in that last game. (I think since his team had to wait around so long for the game before his to finish, no one really wanted to play that last game.) But all in all he did an awesome job...and hasn't lost any of his mad skills.

Later that night, Jake bought some Rockies vs. Padres baseball tickets from a guy at his work. The seats were right on the first baseline 9 rows back from the field. They were beautiful! Not only were the seats amazing though, we won!!! It was an awesome game...especially since everyone around me all of a sudden becomes that much more of a Rockies fan when I am around. (But it is impossible to out cheer me.) Hehe. :) Overall, the whole day was full of fun and excitement.

We Survived The First Year of Marriage!!!

It's true, we did it and we didn't kill each other! We celebrated our first anniversary on the 4th of August. It was a great day. We decided that we didn't really want to spend that much money for it because we are going to Hawaii in 10 days, so we are trying to save a few more pennies for that. When Jake got home from work, I was waiting at the door with a long stem red rose for him. When he walked through the door, he had a dozen assorted roses for me. They are beautiful! It was funny when we were both standing there with roses for each other, but it was cute. After we traded and put them in water, we left to go out to dinner. We went to dinner at Texas Road House (one of our favorite places to eat...if you haven't been, you should definitely go!) After dinner, we came home and watched the first movie that we ever saw together...The Count of Monte Cristo. It was fun to think about where we were 2 years ago, and were we are now. It is amazing how much we know and love each other now, compared to the first date that we went on. I truly do love Jake more than words can say. He is my everything. He has completely changed my life. It is so wonderful to be able to wake up every morning to my best friend. He is such a good example for me, and always loves and supports me. There is no one else that I would be more happy to call my eternal companion than Jake. Being sealed to him for time and all eternity was the best decision that I have ever made, and I give thanks everyday that he waited for me. :)

Jake, Happy Anniversary!

I know that it will only continue to get better and better.

I LOVE YOU!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!

On July 29, 2008, Jake and I celebrated Jake's 31st birthday! I know what you are thinking, Jake looks wayy wayy wayy too young to be 31, I know. His baby face does a good job hiding the years, but its true. We didn't get to do very much because we both had to work, but when Jake got home from work, I had a scavenger hunt waiting for him. It started off by a trail of starburst leading into the apartment to his empty golf bag in the living room. On the bag it explained to him that he needed to find the clubs in order for him to get his present. Clue by clue it lead him around the apartment and even down to the cars. When he left the apartment for the last clue, which was down in his car, I ran into the apartment (I had been hiding in the hallway) and set up his present, a new set of golf clubs, where the old bag was sitting. When he walked in, saw the gift, and unwrapped it, he was sooo surprised! It was the gift that he was dying to get, but I had told him that it was going to be impossible to afford. Well with the help of my mom and dad, and a little cheating on the budget, he got them! He says that it was the best Birthday ever...but I don't know, the birthday i threw for him last year was pretty awesome too. :)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!!!

FFF...aka...Forced Family Fun!

Over the past few weeks, both Jake and I have been able to go to family reunions for both of our families. Surprisingly, they were both in Utah. My family reunion was in Orem at my brother's house. It was just my immediate family...my parents, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 1 grandma, 4 nieces and 2 nephews. Jake's reunion was up in Park City at a lodge. It was his extened family, including his mom's cousins. Starting off with my reunion, we had a weekend full of fun. On the first day we went on a hike, lunch at a park, and a western themed dinner. Friday we competed in silly olympic games, and had a luau for dinner. All of the guys danced for entertainment. Jake did an awesome job...he gives Bieonce a run for her money. :) Afterwards my brother put a huge projector screen up and we watched a movie outside. The last day, we had an unbirthday party for all of the kids and then took swings at a pinata. My sister made a beautiful cake that tasted as good as it looked. That night we went to the Orem Fest and watched fireworks. The weekend all together was great! Jake's family reunion was on the 4th of July. It started out early that morning with a flag cerimony. Two of Jake's brothers, his Dad and one of his brother's friends performed the ceremony in their military uniforms while his sisters sang the national anthem. Jake then gave a little speach about patriotism that went really well. After that, and breakfast, everyone went outside to build their soda bottle rockets and to play Scottish games. They had a log toss, hammer throw, and Scottish relay. I won out of all the girls that threw the log and the hammer. I was pretty proud of myself. After lunch, we were able to launch our rockets! We filled them partially up with water and pumped them full of air....and boom! Some of them launched really high. After dinner, we played games the rest of the night. The rest of the weekend was filled with Home Improvement style house cleaning and maintence at Jake's parents house. His family is frantically trying to finish the bathroom in the basement of the house in anticipation of Jake's youngest brother returning home from his mission on July 23rd. I cleaned Jake's grandma's antique stove in hopes of selling it to an antique dealer. I also puttied the garage in preparation for the first coat of paint ever to be applied to the garage. Jake's family has been living in the house for 23 years........its about time I would say. To finish things off, I helped cut and nail up the sound proof boards on the ceiling so that sheet rock can be put up and paint applied. Jake spent the day putting in insulation throughout the basement with his brother. Jake was also part of the sound proof board installation, along with his brother. All in all we were able to get a lot done.......hopefully Jake's family will be able to finish the bathroom in time. We are so glad that we were able to participate in both family reunions........they were a lot of fun! Thanks goodness for eternal families!!!

Root'n Toot'n Gun Shoot'n Fun!

This past weekend, the Elders Quorum of our ward got together for their very first activity with Jake at the helm. The guys decided to go Shot Gun Shooting. I begged Jake to let me go with them since I am my Fathers daughter, and love to go shooting...but Jake didn't let me. :( But I was glad that the guys got to have an afternoon together and do the manly thing to do. The guys were able to hang out and shoot guns, and then have a nice lunch provided by Aarons mad BBQ skills. Out of the array of guns that they had to shoot, Jakes favorite gun was the Assault Rifle. Overall Jake said that he did a pretty good job shooting, so I was proud to call him my husband.

Thunder! NaaNaaNaaNaaNaa Naa!

The other night here in Denver we had some awesome Thunder and Lightening storms. So I grabbed my camera as fast as I could...and I actually got some really good pictures! I was so proud of myself!

Enjoy!!

No More Sugar Mama For Jake!

Today was Jakes first day of work at KPMG! I dont think he is quite as excited about working as I am, but he will get used to it....or at least he better. :) He has been in school for so long that I think it scares him a little bit to know that he will be working for the rest of his life without a summer break. It is so nice to be able to come home and have him be there to hang out with though. Instead of only seeing him for about 40 minutes at lunch and maybe an hour or two when he would get back from class, I get to see him in the morning when we are getting ready for work, and for 4+ hours when we both get back. It's awesome. The only thing that is going to be less than awesome is that his student loans are going to come due soon...and then we will have loans equivalent to the cost of a Large house in Kansas. haha But it is well worth it. Jake is awesome at what he does, and he is going to help out so many people with his abilities. Maybe i should drop out of work for awhile so he can be the sugar daddy. :) hahahahaha

Going...Going....Gone!!!

Last week I took the big step and cut off my hair. I went to the wonderful and talented MaryLynn, and she did an amazing job. I cut off 10 inches to donate it to Locks of Love. It is so nice to have a fun summer haircut. What do you guys think? Don't worry, it grows back if you don't like it. :)

Dr. Jacob Lawrence Esq. LLM...soon to also be CPA

Today is the happiest day of our lives! JAKE HAS OFFICALLY FINISHED SCHOOL! After 23 long years of schooling, he will finally be entering the work force with the rest of us normal people. :) Jake has taken a job with KPMG in Denver and will be working in the tax group doing corporate tax returns. After his last week of finals I could hardly recognize him as he neglected to use a razor for the same period.........can you say Grizzly Adams? Actually, he prefers Jeremiah Johnson instead. I had no idea who that was, but after a brief explanation from Jake I have come to learn that Jeremiah Johnson is the title and also the name of the main character in a Robert Redford film where Robert Redford portrays a man who leaves the civilized world to become a mountain man. Jake only wishes that was him. Now its on to studying for the CPA exam, cleaning our cars (the cars haven't seen a car wash in quite some time), and getting Jake to finish my Honey-Do List. In the mean time we will enjoy spending more time together in the evenings and will actually be able to enjoy eating dinner together at a decent hour......say 6pm instead of 9 or 10pm. I will be glad to have him back now that, as he says, "He is a free man!"

What the Heck am I doing here?!

Well, here goes nothing. Since a lot of my friends from the Bible Park ward have or are moving away, I thought this could be a really good way of keeping in touch with them, and with the rest of my friends and family that are all over the U.S. I hope I can make mine half as cute as all of yours!

Jessica, this is for you. :)