Passing time with the Perrys

Oh a traveling we go

2011-09-25T23:15:00.006-06:00

So a little while ago we decided to go here...

and I'm not going to lie, it was fabulous! Getting there of course was an adventure, so buckle your seat belts as we embark on this journey.

Our flight to Hawaii was leaving at 9:30 in the morning. Everything was set and ready to go. We had Paige's bag of bribes (I mean activities) all set and we were on our way. We make it on to the runway and Paige is just staring out the window. And then the pilot comes on the speaker. Apparently something was wrong with the air valve and was preventing the engine from working correctly. (Side note: My first thought was, "Something's wrong with the philange!") I also point out that this happens to be the engine that is right outside my window, so yes, I would very much appreciate if it was working correctly. We taxi back in to the gate where we are told to sit tight and hopefully it will be a quick fix. The pilot comes over the speaker 3 times over the next hour as we sit to let us know each time that "what they just tried didn't work but we have a few more tricks up our sleeve". Eventually they run out of tricks and we are told we need to get off the plane because they need to order a part for the plane. We receive lunch vouchers and are told to come back in a couple of hours and everything should be good to go. So around 1:30 we return only for them to announce that our flight has been delayed until 11:15 that evening. Wonderful! Thank goodness for our many wonderful friends who offered to come pick us up so Paige could get a good nap in her own bed before we needed to head back to the airport. We watched the BYU game (which according to our day I shouldn't have been surprised they lost) and went out to grab a bite to eat (because I very efficiently cleared out my refrigerator of nearly all our food). Then we head back to the airport around 9.

Paige was wired to say the least. She is absolutely fascinated by airplanes, so really, an airport was not the worst place in the world for her to be. We get back on the plane and cross our fingers. As we taxi out again Paige exclaims, "Oh no, again!" My thoughts exactly. :) Thankfully, all the philanges and everything else were in working order and we were on our way. Even better, Paige did sleep for a couple of hours (which we thought would never happen!). And finally we land. But our journey does not end there...

I had called ahead to the rental car company and explained that our plane was delayed. The guy I was speaking to asked for our flight number and says, "No worries. The most important thing is you guys get here." So I figured everything was all good.....nope! At 2 in the morning, everything is dark at the airport. The sign at the car rental station says wait for the shuttle to pick you up. So we go and wait for the shuttle. And slowly everyone else from our plane gets on shuttles to hotels and other rental companies. Kevin goes and asks the crossing guard (yes there was a crossing guard at the airport at 2 in the morning :P) if this rental shuttle would be coming. He assured Kevin it comes all the time. Kevin's thought was "all the time...at 2 in the morning?" So he gets on the phone and gets the call center. The lady on the line informs him there was no message left regarding our rental so I must not have called. And there was no one at the rental place but if we would just wait until 4:30 they could get us all set up. :D Once again we needed to rely on our angel friends. Melanie was so great to come get us at 2:30 in the morning and even more fantastic because she broke into her brother-in-law's car to come get us. :D Now that's what I call hospitality!

The rest of our trip was blissfully uneventful. We spent most of our time on the beach. We spent one day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. And Melanie and I spent A LOT of time catching up. Muchisimas gracias to Kevin and Mel for being so wonderful to us. We loved our time with you guys and you made our trip absolutely fabulous. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Needless to say, we'll be back again someday!

Paige's 1 year photos

2011-03-22T23:33:00.007-06:00

A week and a half ago we took Paige to get her 1 year pictures done. We were rained out a few weeks ago when we originally had it scheduled and it's been pretty much raining ever since. That day the weather was absolutely perfect. Here are a few of my favorites (you can see more on my Facebook page if you're interested):

Things started off a little shy.

I put the next four up because the sequence is so funny. The photographer kept trying to get her to run towards the camera and this was the closest we ever got. The last picture is her making a hard right to run for freedom. :) Does this girl have a mind of her own or what?

Proof that on occasion she will cuddle with me

This is what happens if you ask Paige if she's cute. :)

I really wish I knew what prompted this expression but it just makes me smile.

She's signing and saying hat...as if we didn't already know that. :)

A little wiped out at the end. :)

Like I said there are plenty more on Facebook if you're anything like her parents who just can't get enough of her. What can I say, she has us wrapped around her little fingers.

Happy Birthday to Paige!

2011-02-20T15:18:00.004-07:00

I'm still not quite sure where this last year went but it has sure been a joyous one! Paige celebrated her 1st birthday two weeks ago and each day keeps getting better and better. We spent the weekend in Sacramento because Kevin's brother was getting married so we had the special treat of having all of Kevin's side of the family celebrate Paige's special day with us. The wedding was on her birthday so we did a little party for her the day before. Everyone eagerly anticipated the classic cake eating but of course Paige always does things on her own time and in her own way. She didn't want anything to do with the cake unless Kevin or I fed it to her. :) As a result, Dad and Mom ended up messier than Paige as you can see below. Here are a few pictures of us with Paige at the temple on her birthday.

The next Monday my mom had a layover in San Jose on her way to see her mom so Paige and I met up with her for a quick lunch.
Paige continually amazes us. She soaks things up like a sponge and each day is full of surprises with all she has learned. And although we never seem to be able to capture it on film, she is such a happy little girl. We love to hear her laugh and she can put a smile on our faces like no one else can. I'm so grateful every day for our little miracle and look forward to all of our wonderful adventures in the year to come.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-16T23:34:00.005-07:00

Better late than never.... :)Christmas Eve...best food EVER!
As one of the kids at church said...."It's Santa's helper!" Cutest helper if I do say so myself. :)
Bryce finally gets to move back in line
Checking out her loot from Santa
Paige and Mom sporting her adorable hat from Aunt Ash
The craziness of Christmas has set in
Daddy helping Paige
Ooooo...paper
The best gift ever! (Paige is thinking "Why wont this come off?")
Snow on my birthday...Paige didn't quite know what to do about it. :)

Santa

2010-12-20T13:37:00.001-07:00

Paige was never quite sure what to make of Santa but at least she's not screaming in the picture. :)

Paige walking

2010-12-08T14:59:00.002-07:00

So about two months ago, Kevin and I had a debate about when Paige would start walking. She's been cruising for about 2 months now and Kevin thought for sure she would be walking by Thanksgiving. I thought that was a little premature and went with the more conservative answer of by Christmas. Well the night before we flew home Paige decided to take her first two steps. Then nothing for a week. On Thanksgiving evening, she bonked her head on the end table at my parent's house and started crying. She started looking around for me and I was in the middle of the room. So in her trying to get to me let go of the end table and walked straight toward me....a good 6 or 7 steps. The best part was she did the same exact thing about 5 minutes later. Anyways, we've been trying to get her on video ever since but she hasn't really wanted to walk on command. Last night we finally got some video and I put it together below for your viewing pleasure.

Paige: 8 months

2010-11-05T18:54:00.005-06:00

How is it possible that Paige has been out of me longer than she was in me? I swear, before we know it she will 18. Where does the time go? This last month has been so much fun as Paige is really starting to interact with us more. Her favorite games are peek-a-boo and showing us how big she is. Her "flirt" is back in full force and cuter than ever (see picture below) and she's started giving hugs and kisses (all kisses must be given to mom first...I've trained her right!). She is crawling faster than ever and spends all day cruising the perimeter of the couches and entertainment center...which means walking will be just around the corner. We started feeding her solids this month so she's being exposed to the yucky but oh-so-good for you vegetables....green beans, peas, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, and her favorite (yes that's sarcastic)....avocado! She's talking up a storm with words like mama, gaga, lala, baba, and something like gla-gla (that's the closest I can come to figure out how to spell it). Last night she dropped her sippie cup and we said uh-oh and she started saying it with gusto. :) Still no luck with dada but we're hopeful. She's started her first signing so she now signs milk and more. And boy does she love to read. She's quite the "paige" turner (that's for Kevin and Scott :P). Still no sleeping through the night but at least she lets mom sleep in. And as for teeth, they're still hiding but she's got 6 on their way....4 on top and 2 on bottom....at least she's efficient. Oh and did I mention she's finally getting hair! She's such a joy and I couldn't picture a better life!

A crawling adventure with daddy

Why not play with the toys in the toy basket?

Baby with an attitude (and yes, she keeps them on...it wasn't just a photo op)

She loves to eat her whale

Looks like a baby cut out for Seattle weather!

Enjoying the ride

This is her "flirt" magnified

Intently watching "Baby signing time". The world could come to an end and she'd have no clue as long as she can sign with Alex and Leah. :) I sure hope her bear is picking up on it too. :P

Our little jack-o-lantern

2010-10-31T23:20:00.003-06:00

Wearing the same costume her daddy wore 26 years ago....

Paige's Room - FINALLY

2010-10-07T21:51:00.003-06:00

So we ordered Paige's furniture in June right before we moved. It said it would be shipped in 2 weeks. Finally in the middle of September it arrived. So Paige's room was finally transformed from the storage room to her room and she got to move out of the bathroom (I know kind of weird but she had to go somewhere). Here are some of the pictures of her room.

Paige: 6 months

2010-09-05T18:46:00.005-06:00

6 months already past...it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. She brings more and more joy to our lives everyday it seems though. She's playing with us a lot now. She sits up all by herself and does not like to lie down if she can help it. She's begun to fake cough to get attention and her squeals are as loud as ever. It's so much fun to see her personality develop.

Oh, and she's quite aware of the fact that she's the cutest thing ever. One of her favorite past times is to stand up on the pew at church and flirt with the ladies behind her. You should hear the whispers...."Oh, isn't she the cutest thing ever!" "Come on cutie, give us a smile" "She's like a china doll" "I just want to squeeze those cheeks". Paige soaks it all in and is probably thinking "I've got them right where I want them". She'll smile and tease the whole time....as long as mom is still holding her of course. :) One of these days she'll get over her stranger anxiety.

Here are some pictures of her from the last month.

Crawling is right around the corner....

This is Paige's "flirt"

I think she's trying to tell us she's through with being swaddled :P
Look at me....I'm a big girl now.

July trip to Bakersfield!

2010-08-31T23:21:00.005-06:00

In July, Paige and I joined Mom and Dad and Bryce on their trip to So Cal to see my grandparents. All in all Paige did a great job even if she had just entered her stranger anxiety phase. We sure missed Kevin but enjoyed our time with family.

Paige and Grandpa Tanner at In-N-Out. Paige never quite knew what to make of him. :)
Swimming in Grandpa Richards' pool....classic.

She loved to chew the diving sticks. You'd think she'd give up trying to put the whole thing in her mouth....not my daughter...she's persistent!
Grandpa and Grandma Tanner with Paige
Paige was an early riser and we enjoyed our morning visits when it was just us and Grandpa Richards. She even let Grandpa hold her!
One of the few times Paige didn't need to see me to be content. I should have kept cousins around more often during the trip. :)
Any trip to Bakersfield wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Green Frog!

See, I told you....unfortunately she likes dogs. I'm confident we'll break that awful habit. :P
4 generations on the Richards side.
Paige and I with Grandpa and Grandma Richards. Can you believe they are 93 and 89!?!?!
Paige and I at Newport Beach. It was overcast but we thoroughly enjoyed the crashing waves.
Not the best picture in the world but this was the only way to get Paige's face in the pictures with the waves in the background. She was so fascinated by them.
Sleeping in the car....
...but not for long!
Paige and Bryce...so cute
Thanks again Mom and Dad for letting us tag along!

Paige: 5 months

2010-08-29T21:48:00.000-06:00

Just some pictures of Paige having fun!

June trip to Seattle

2010-08-23T23:34:00.007-06:00

In June we were lucky enough to go home for a week and a half for Jannette's graduation and to see Brandon before he left for his mission (don't ask me when they grew up...they're both supposed to be little still). It was wonderful to be home and enjoy such a special time.

Paige love starring out the window on the flight. She was a great trooper and even slept for a little while.

4 generations on the Summerhays side
Paige with Great-Grandma Summerhays
The quality is poor but this is such a sweet picture of my two sweethearts sleeping
Paige, Mom, and I were able to meet up with Mel for a couple of hours before her cruise (so glad we ended up in Seattle at the same time!) BTW...she looks better at 4 months pregnant than I do 4 months past pregnancy (hence I'm not in the picture :P)
Breakfast the morning of Jannette's graduation. That's a cinnamon french toast. Jannette's expression pretty much sums up the food. It was delicious though!
The queen on her royal throne.
Our young musician already hard at work.
Helping Grandma Richards in the kitchen
And unfortunately it appears that Paige loves dogs. Melina and Paige kept checking each other out the whole time but both seemed to like one another and played very well together.
Paige and Grandma Perry
Happy Paige
I think Paige really loved the trees. Anytime we were by a window she would just stare (can't imagine where she got a love of the northwest from :P). Finally Kevin just propped her up on the couch so she could look out on her own. :)
Aunt Nettie and Paige
Goldilocks and the three macs...wait...that's not how it goes. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is just right!
While we were home she discovered her toes.
Just chillin' and oh so cute. Check out the cheeks on that girl!
Two cuties!
Kevin's first father's day. I think being a dad suits him well, don't you think?
The uncles playing dress up.
Paige with Elder Richards just before leaving for the airport. Somehow I think they'll both be much older the next time we take a picture like this. :)

Paige: 4 months

2010-08-23T23:25:00.005-06:00

Sorry for the serious slacking....

Just for fun. If you can't tell already...most of her pictures are usually with something in her mouth. :P It's hard to get a smile out of her on camera. I swear she smiles until she sees the light pop on and then it turns into one of those "what?" pictures. Oh well...she's sure cute. At 4 months she was babbling away, would start to let me put her on her tummy more, and loved to grab things like her rattle and pacifer. We love her so much!

After a long hard day....
Just because I'm so cute (even with all my drool)
Hanging out in my new toy (yay....more breaks for mom and dad!)
More updates to follow!

Paige: 3 months

2010-06-07T16:23:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of Paige from the last month as promised. She turned 4 months on Saturday. How do they grow up so fast?!?!? She has her doctor's appointment tomorrow so we'll find out all the details of just how much she's grown....and the dreaded shots. :( It breaks my heart just thinking of it.

2010-06-02T12:46:00.002-06:00

So Paige is ticklish it seems! Hopefully not as much as I am. :-)

Enjoy her laughing! It's the cutest!

2010-06-01T16:41:00.003-06:00

Here's a video of Paige playing with the toys that hang from the car seat handle. (No spit up this time, I promise!)

She's been learning how to reach out and grab things for the last two weeks, and this was the first time I noticed her actually playing with these toys. It's so cool to watch her learn these things!

Paige: 2 months

2010-06-01T14:28:00.003-06:00

Sorry I haven't been better at posting pictures of Paige. These are pictures of her from April at 2 months. I'll post some in a couple of days of her from 3 months. We just love her so much and have so much fun with her all the time. She's such a joy in our lives!

2010-05-09T23:42:00.002-06:00

More pictures

2010-04-03T01:05:00.003-06:00

Just some more pictures of Paige from the last couple of weeks. Can you believe she's already 8 weeks????

Paige is getting better at taking baths....she likes the water enough....it's just everything else she hates. :) Tonight, however, she was great when I took her out and even....wait for it....let me put on her lotion!!! Funny enough, she started crying after she was dressed....go figure.

Cuddle time with Daddy!

All ready for church. This is what I call Whitney's dress. This was the dress Ash and I picked out for my parents to bring her home from the hospital in. Isn't she cute? (Don't mind the headband being crooked...she doesn't like dresses so much and hates headbands so we didn't want to jinx her calmness)

Just hanging out (literally!) One night we were having a hard time getting her to settle down and the only way Kevin could calm her down was by holding her out and just letting her legs dangle. Whatever works, right?

Paige after church a couple of weeks ago. This is what I call Ashlee's dress. Nothing too special about it...I just have a picture of Ashlee as a baby in it. BTW....Paige loves to sleep on Daddy's pillow. Definitely a favorite spot in the morning when Mommy isn't ready to get up yet. :P

Paige's Blessing

2010-03-13T23:31:00.005-07:00

Last Sunday was Paige's blessing. She was fussy before and after church so the pictures didn't turn out great but she was still adorable. Kevin's parents and sister were able to join us for the weekend. It was so wonderful to have them there. A special thanks again to Karen for all of her help for the week! We miss having you all around!

I still can't believe how fast she is growing! We were out running errand tonight and I heard a newborn cry and realized my little baby doesn't cry like that anymore. It really is a cruel joke that they grow up so fast. Below are a few other cute pictures of Paige. Enjoy!

Good times with Grandma

2010-02-27T13:26:00.005-07:00

Paige sure loves her grandma! We've been so spoiled to have my mom here for the last three weeks....we thought Mom would have about 2 weeks to spend with Paige but she didn't want to let a moment pass by. :) It's been so wonderful to have her here....don't know what I'm going to do without her. We sure love you Mom!

Here's a little family photo Mom took for us last Sunday. Paige did great at church

This is the dress I was blessed in. I'm so glad Mom was able to find it. Apparently Paige is pretty pleased as well. :)

Paige and her new friends

2010-02-15T00:53:00.003-07:00

This first one is just because I think she's cute. I know...completely unbiased. :P

These are Susan and Talmage's little guys. They've been so excited to see the baby so they came over a few days after we came home. It was really fun to watch them throughout the pregnancy....they always wanted to feel my belly and Macayden always insisted he could feel her move. :) Jamison would always have to say hello and goodbye specifically to the baby. The last time I saw them before I went into labor Jamison even wanted to give the baby a hug goodbye. Cute boys :) They were both really excited to meet Paige (especially Jamison). Macayden was excited too but more excited to get to play the Wii with Kevin. :P Oh well, boys will be boys. :)

Paige's First Bath

2010-02-12T01:09:00.003-07:00

Here are some pictures of Paige's first bath. She didn't really like it all that much but Kevin somehow didn't capture any of those moments. She's sure a cutie though and we love having her around.

2010-02-07T20:50:00.004-07:00

It's a girl!

2010-02-05T10:45:00.002-07:00

Welcome Paige Marie Perry!

8 lb 5 oz, 20.5 in

Mom and baby are happy and healthy!

It's baby day!

2010-02-05T09:35:00.002-07:00

It's 8:30 AM, and Carli's comfortable and resting up for pushing time.

If the baby comes when we think it will, I'll shoot for that live broadcast at about 2:00 PM, Pacific time.

Baby-cam!

2010-01-31T21:51:00.004-07:00

So, we're supposedly having a baby sometime soon. Maybe even this week, if the rumors are true.

I figured, since not everyone is going to be able to be here for the big event, that I'd make a way for people to see Baby ________ (sorry no spoilers yet!) live! Through the magic of CCD sensors, H.264 compression, wireless communication, HTTP streaming protocols, and Flash (err... scratch that last one) it'll almost be like you're right there with us! (Please, don't pick up your computer in your arms. The baby won't feel it and you might drop the computer.)

When you get the momentous text message and/or phone call, I'll try to figure out a time (PST) to do a live video feed. At that time, jump over to http://ustream.tv/channel/kperryua to see the cutest baby in the world (and maybe a tired dad and a much more tired mom)! If you can't make it live, I'll save the video for later watching. If I REALLY love you, you can probably convince me to do another live stream. ;-)

No guarantees though. The problem with magic is that it just doesn't work sometimes, for any number of reasons.

P.S. The password for Ustream is Paige.

2009-11-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Miss Perry!

2009-09-23T19:21:00.006-06:00

Here she is! The newest addition to the Perry family. We had our big ultrasound this morning and after waiting 1 1/2 hours to see the doctor, our patience was rewarded. She's healthy and strong....10 fingers, 10 toes, and everything progressing just as she should. We feel so grateful for this wonderful blessing in our lives.

Sorry the scans of the ultrasound aren't clearer, but you get the general idea. She didn't want us to see her face too much. Every time we would get a good shot straight on, she'd move. One time she even put her hands in front of her face. We'll have to work on the camera shyness. :P I just love the one below though of her feet. She had them crossed at her ankles....such a little lady already. :)

Grandma....it's time to get shopping! :P

Daddy....it's time to start discussing names! :P

Happy Birthday Kevin!

2009-04-19T11:50:00.002-06:00

Well it was yesterday but it was something interesting! Yay...something to blog about. It's kind of ridiculous that our christmas tree was the last thing eventful to report on. We're truly sorry we're so boring. Anyway, Kevin's birthday was yesterday. We didn't do anything too exciting but it's still a fun day to celebrate. We did get woken up at 8:30 to the lovely fire alarm going off. I know you parents are rolling your eyes that it was annoying to wake up at 8:30 but we're enjoying the sleep while we can. Then to top it off, our apartment didn't have any hot water....still doesn't. Surprise Kev! :) But all in all it was a good day....complete with games and of course spice cake. Kevin laughed every time someone called and said "How does it feel to be a quarter of a century old?" I told him I like his birthdays because then he's only 1 year younger than me now. I know, I know it doesn't make a difference but it makes it look better on paper at least. :) He really appreciated all of the cards and calls though. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

Fingers crossed that something interesting will happen again soon.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2008-12-01T01:32:00.005-07:00

What....Carli is actually posting something?!?!?! No we haven't died or just escaped from prison. Its called Kevin and Carli don't have cute kids to post pictures about. In the last couple of months its been a lot of working and then coming home and getting ready to work the next day. We've had fun but not really anything blog worthy. I'll have to save our Thanksgiving extravaganza for another day (something to make you want to come back and read more :-P). Today I thought I'd share our very first Christmas tree with you. I spent the last two weeks scoping out a tree worthy to be in our home and after many miles and hours we found it right up the street. That's usually how it works though isn't it. Kevin finally gave in and let me buy the tree before Thanksgiving (thank goodness). Kevin is very adamant about Thanksgiving being its own holiday and not being overshadowed by Christmas (needless to say he hated walking in stores at the beginning of October and hearing Christmas music already :-D). Anyway, no surprise what we were doing Friday when I got home from work. You know you're obsessed with Christmas when you save a few hundred dollars of your wedding money and dedicate it to Christmas decorations. Those cards have been sitting in my wallet for 1 1/2 years. But not anymore. We had a great time picking out decorations for our tree and even more fun setting it up. And don't worry, the Chipmunks were playing in true Richards style. We're still missing the skirt and the tree top but we are enjoying sitting in our front room with the lights off enjoying our beautiful tree.

Bunko anyone?

2008-09-07T21:49:00.004-06:00

Last night we had a bunch of couples from the ward over for a big Bunko night. It was an absolute blast! Let me tell you, if you want a way to get a bunch of people who don't know each other feeling comfortable really fast, bunko is the way to do it. We have several people who are interested in getting together on a semi-regular basis now. I know many of you are reading this and saying to themselves...Kevin and Carli are being the social bees....trust me this is strange for us to think about as well. But we're loving every minute of it. Kevin even went so far as to invite all of the guys over for a big Wii tournament while the girls go and do "whatever it is that girls like to do". :) We caught a few pictures just for you toward the end of all of the fun. These occurred as we were doing the prizes. The coveted prize for the guys was feetsy dinosaur pajamas that glow in the dark.

Sean ended up grabbing them and was such a good sport to show them off to all of us despite the 100 degree weather. And in case you are wondering, 14 people in a one bedroom apartment in 100 degrees is very warm....totally worth it though.

The other convenient thing is Kevin managed to snap some pictures with Susan and Talmage in them. For those of you who don't know...they're practically our better half. We're at their place nearly as much as our own and I know San Jose wouldn't be nearly as great if they weren't here. Anyways, it's only a glimpse but you can kind of put a face to the name....Susan is the one in white with curly hair that is pinned up...and Talmage is the blond with a BYU cap on.

We're really grateful for the friends that we've been able to make and for all of the friends that we hope to get to know even better. Hopefully there will be many more bunko nights to come...

San Francisco...what a treat!

2008-08-20T23:02:00.006-06:00

This last weekend we had a blast. And part of it had to do with why we are dressed this ridiculous. I know without context it looks like we are a couple of nerds who fear for our lives. Well, we are nerds but not because of how we're dressed.

Kevin's mom and sister came to visit this weekend. We love when family comes to visit (even if it takes a week to recover from all of the fun). It was worth it though. Kevin was able to take off a couple of days of work to spend time with them....I on the other hand was not so fortunate. So that meant I missed the beach and some shopping but I suppose someone has to make the money that Kevin spent. :P

Saturday we spent the day in San Francisco. As you can tell from the picture, San Francisco greeted us with some wonderful fog. Unfortunately, it was 90 degrees in San Jose so we dressed for 90 degrees. One of these days we'll learn. The saddest part of all was the fog completely covered the Golden Gate Bridge. I guess that just means Karen and Jannette will have to come again to see it firsthand. Despite the cold and the obstructed view, we had a blast.

We took a segway tour through the city. Let me say, quite the little adventure. As you can imagine, we had plenty to laugh about. I'm happy to report though that all four of us did a decent job. However, I think we were stuck in the handicapped group. 3 of the 10 of us crashed and burned.

The first occurred about 5 minutes into the tour. The poor lady bruised her pride more than anything else. She was unable to continue but convinced her husband to stay on the tour. Personally, I wished she hadn't (you will soon discover why).

Not more than 5 minutes later the guy in front of Karen wiped out. He was messing around and trying to be fancy. He was driving us nuts the entire time. It was probably a mean thing to say but we all thought he deserved it.

Our final wipe out was our favorite. There was a bit of traffic so our tour guide took us up a side street. Now remember, this is San Francisco....so we're talking hills. As long as you keep going you do just fine. Well this wipe out happened to be the husband of the lady who wiped out earlier. He claims his motor gave out but we think he freaked out because of the hill. (It turned on just fine when he stepped on it again.)

So the rest of us are going along just fine and the next thing we know this guy is right in front of us. Jannette with all of her amazing skill was able to avoid him. I, however, was not as fortunate. I thought I had gotten out of his way when he collapses back into my segway. This of course sent me sprawling. It really wasn't that bad of a fall however. A bruised behind and scrapped up elbow is a small price to pay for as much as we were laughing the rest of the afternoon.

We also were caught off by a large tour bus and I had a mini freak out when I couldn't get my segway to slow down going down one of the steeper hills. I'll never again forget to do the potty squat :)

Of course we hit the shopping (which I loved!) and the trolley and the usual sites. It was a real whirl wind of a day but we loved every minute of it. So thank you Karen and Jannette for coming to see us. We love you and hope you'll come again soon...after all you need to have the sourdough and crab. And to the rest of you, see what you're missing out on! :P

OH, and one last note....HAPPY SWEET 16 JANNETTE! I know you wont read this until later but I hope your birthday and party was the best ever. We love you!

PICTURES!

2008-06-17T17:22:00.021-06:00

The moment you all have been waiting for....pictures of our new home! It's still not in its final state but almost all of the furniture is here and the boxes are gone. We love it and hope you enjoy the pictures!

New Job!

2008-06-12T21:16:00.002-06:00

I know everyone has been waiting for an update for a while and I have something great to report.....today I accepted an offer! It's been a long process of putting out resumes everyday with no response. Two weeks ago I finally had an interview. While in that interview I received a voicemail from another company that was interested in me. No response for a month and in two days, two responses....go figure. So for the last two weeks I've been interviewing with both companies and weighing out my options. After trying to figure out what would be the best for me, for our situation, and for the future I accepted an offer with Bridge Bank. I'll be going through a training program where the end hope is that I can become a lender. I'll begin as a credit analyst. This will be a great foundation for me. And I'm so excited to actually be using my degree! Oh and I'm so thrilled to not be making Provo wages anymore :) So, if you can't tell....I'm pretty excited.

And yes....we are in our apartment now. Our furniture has finally arrived and the boxes are almost gone. I haven't forgotten about posting pictures, but I have a few more boxes to move out before I unveil our home. Plus, I'm just building the anticipation. :) Kevin and I really love it here and are so grateful that things have turned out so well for us. We have been very blessed and are excited to see what the future brings as having officially entered the adult and real world.

An update...

2008-05-29T11:52:00.008-06:00

So some people ::cough, cough:: have been requesting an update. I wish there was something interesting to tell but life these days is pretty slow. Our days consist of Kevin going to work and Carli applying for jobs. We're down to less than a week until we can move into our new place which we are so excited about. The close quarters of the hotel room are wearing us down. It'll be amazing to live in a place where there are actually rooms and I can't see the door from the back corner of our place. But we're still happy and healthy. Since there isn't too much to report I have posted a comic we found last night for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.....

1 year down....eternity to go....

2008-05-13T21:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Kevin and my anniversary. It's hard to believe that a year has already passed. And yet, at the same time, it feels like it just happened. We had a great time reflecting on our wedding and all that we have accomplished in the last year. It has been a wonderful year and I know that things will just get better and better. Not that everything in life will run smoothly, but as long as we have each other, everything will be fine. I'm so grateful for Kevin and all he does for me. There is no one else I'd rather share my life with. I love you Kevin.

Greetings from California!

2008-05-03T15:13:00.002-06:00

We survived! And Carli only had two melt downs! I think I'm finally learning how to deal with change.

Kevin and I left Provo on Wednesday. We decided to do the trip in two days so it wasn't so stressful. That meant we weren't in a huge rush to leave town. We checked out of our apartment at noon. Unfortunately, I realized half way through Nevada that I left my sourdough start and beef base in the fridge! Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time I've done it. Anyways, we stopped at Costa Vida so I could have one last pleasure, stopped to get Sensuous Sandwich so we could take a little of Provo with us, and hit the road. The wind was crazy, but other than that it was uneventful. We stopped for a relaxing night in Winnemucca.

Thursday brought In-N-Out. That was exciting and comforting. We finally arrived in San Jose and were excited to see how familiar things were. I think that helped a ton in making the transition easier. We also visited with our good friends from last summer. That also made things so much easier. I can't tell you how much it helps having some friends in a new area.

Friday brought apartment hunting. That was a shell shocker. Both Kevin and i came back pretty discouraged. Our attempt at trying to save money was completely thwarted. Several of the places I wouldn't even get out of the car, and a good majority brought back very real memories of walking around downtown Houston. We basically came back to the place we were staying and had to re-think our entire plans. We threw around many ideas and ended up with a game plan.

I'm pleased to report that this afternoon we signed a lease for our new apartment! Both of us felt really good about our choice and the more we were playing with the idea, the more sense it made. It puts us in the same ward we were in this summer, and the best part of all is we are in the same complex as our friends! Things do have a way of working themselves out.

So Kevin and I are happy and well and looking forward to starting this new chapter of our lives. We love you all and thank you for all of your help and prayers.

Welcome to Baby Wilson!!!!

2008-04-27T20:03:00.003-06:00

Tonight Ashlee finally had her baby! She had been up since 1 in the morning and the latest addition to the Richards family finally decided to make his appearance to the world. He is 8 lbs 8 oz., 21 inches, and his head was 14.5 cm. Both mom and baby are doing great! Now if they could just decide on a name....

See I told you our blog would get more interesting. I'm currently in the middle of packing but I wanted to share our wonderful news with you all. I'll be posting more as soon as I can about Kevin's graduation, his family's stay, and of course our move. Crazy times, but so much fun!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

2008-04-18T16:37:00.002-06:00

For those of you don't know, today is Kevin's Birthday! He's spent his birthday the same as most others....finals. But good news is, 3 finals are done only 2 to go. He's so great! But hopefully once he gets back from his last final we'll have a little more to celebrate. The Spice cake is in the oven now and then its on to presents. :)

As if there wasn't enough to celebrate, today was also my last day of work! I'm free! I'm really looking forward to the break. Anyways, that just means the roller coaster of the next few weeks has officially begun.

School's out... FOREVER!

2008-04-16T12:18:00.002-06:00

Huh? Kevin's posting? Well, it's half my blog too, you know!

Yesterday I finished my last class of my last semester of my last year of school. It's crazy to think that I've been going to school for 16 years. But now I'm done! Carli asked me yesterday if it felt "surreal" that I'm never going to be in class ever again. Truthfully, it doesn't. I usually get that feeling of "oh, wow, I can't believe it's happened already", but this time, nada.

I think part of the reason why is related to what my dad said to me on Sunday. When he did his internship before his last year of college, he felt like the entire school year dragged on and had less meaning than it had before, since he knew that he was already competent and capable of going out into the field and working. I feel pretty much the same way, only I had two internships!

Of course, I don't feel like I've wasted my last year here at school. I've really learned a lot, and I think the things I've had to do and work on have helped "mature" my knowledge of various fields in computer science. And I still have the possibility of doing a Master's degree floating in the back of my head, because I've always felt the desire to specialize. Whether or not this becomes a reality depends on many things.

Now, all I have to do is finish my finals and walk (oh yeah, and pack... *sigh* ) and then it's off to (too) sunny California and Apple!

(Can't wait for mom, dad and Jannette to come down!)

DanceSport

2008-03-16T21:04:00.002-06:00

As promised, I'm reporting on anything interesting that happens in the Perry home. Friday Kevin had DanceSport. It was our traditional 8:00 on Friday slot. This meant an early morning which I was not excited about. It was great watching Kevin though. I still wish I was the one on the floor dancing with him but I've gotten over the bitterness now. Kevin was competing Gold level Rumba which was so much fun to watch. Not to mention, he's just cute! Since it was such a high level Kevin didn't think he would make it past the first round. Boy was he wrong! He actually made it to the quarter finals. I was so proud of him and if I was the judge I would have put him through another round...not that I'm biased. :-) We were able to watch some of the evening dancing which was fun. As we were leaving we were talking about how we will never have this opportunity again. It's strange being at this point in our lives. It's always sad but kind of exciting to see where the next stage will take us. I do know one thing, dancing will always be a part of the picture for us even if it's not the same as what we currently enjoy.

The day they've all been waiting for

2008-03-10T22:37:00.002-06:00

So today was the day. I lost my husband to Smash Bros. Brawl. Kevin has been waiting for this game for almost a year now so he was so excited. I'm glad he has his new toy. It'll just be interesting to see how many days I come home to him playing now. :) In Kevin's defense though he's really good about not letting it take up all of his time. As long as that is the case, I don't mind sharing....

I did have a triumph with the game however. Those of you who know me know that I can't play video games for the life of me. Well today I beat Kevin, Brandon, and Bryce! That's right. Brandon and Bryce of course blame it on the fact that it's new and they don't know the controllers yet.....riiight. They just can't admit that they can't play as well as they can boast. :)

Behind the Times

2008-03-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

So I know the blogging world has been going for a while now, but I just never could bring myself to start blogging. Well, in the matter of a week, my sister-in-law, both sisters, and two friends all had me going to their blogs. I guess it's about time I got in with all the hype.

Now don't expect too much from us yet. Part of why I never started to post before was that there wasn't anything particularly interesting going on with Kevin or I. It's not like Whit who is getting married or Ash who is having a baby. Our life for the time being consists of 8 hours of trying to stay motivated at work and convincing Kevin to go to classes for a few more weeks. :) Not that we're complaining. Life is great and we wouldn't have it any other way for the time being.

Now, lest you think you shouldn't keep yourself tuned in.....it's not like our life will be boring forever. We do have the adventure of moving to San Jose in May. Oh the joys! The apartment hunting, the furniture buying, the job searching. Plus, you'll get to read about how Carli once again can't handle the stress of change. What's not to like. :)

So stay tuned, and Kevin and I promise to do our best not to be boring. :-P