that boy.

i've been organizing my blog. 

i've read every blog from the first time i wrote from new york on january 11, 2008

up until january 31, 2009 when chase had six months left.

it was a landmark and a break through. 

it was a blog about how much i loved chase. 

at the time i didn't realize it, but i think thats when i was getting over it.

i remember praying about what i should do about that one.

i wanted to ask if i should write him off.

before i even knelt down i just felt sick to my stomach.

i knew i should. i didn't want to. i didn't.

four days after writing that blog, i got a call.

yes, my blog said that i was settling with myself and school and wasn't dating.

well, that was fine.

because when i answered, it was jon. jonathan from second grade, jonathan from recess, jonathan with a mullet, jon from jr high who'd moved back from texas looking grown up with a hair cut, jon from seminary,  jon. who i saw and talked to, knew who he was dating but never really heard about. jon who i always had a crush on. 

he called me. he called me and said he was driving by my house and wanted to see if i wanted to go to dinner. 

i remember looking at my piles of homework. thinking about how i'd set this night aside to finish it. 

i said yes.

we went to noodles and company. 

he had sent off a missionary too, we were both taken. 

dinner turned into a drive down to provo, just him and i. 

we had a blast. we met up with my roommates at some gymnastics place. 

that night he hugged me. for a long time. 

from then on, we were inseparable. 

three months later, we turned into more than "just friends".

three months after that, chase and jon both came home. 

three months later i was engaged.

6 months later married. 

and i couldn't be happier. 

here is our first few weeks of marriage.

i LOVE that boy. 

wk 2.

figuring out how to use this. 

old mirror next to our bed. 

this weekend!

oh the 4th of july! my favorite holiday!!

i've always loved america, and being married to a Marine has only intensified that love. 

jon and i decided to go to huntington beach for the festivities!

i've been there the past two years and it was JUST fabulous!

its going to be a little bit different this time, being married 

(NO i didn't meet someone at the beach 2 years ago and make out with him during the fireworks)

(and NO i didn't see someone from utah that i had met and made out with at studio 600 two weeks prior)

but it'll be so great. 

two years ago, i had just moved home from new york. (crazy!!)

jessie, lyndsi and I decided to road trip to CA to visit amanda boo. 

oh, we had so much fun.

knott's berry farm, laguna beach tide pools, yogurtlandyogurtlandyogurtland.

parties andddd the 4th of july! 

all four of us ran the morning 5k.

(lyndsi ran it in like 10 minutes.)

then we all went to the parade.

bff's.

there is a guy in the ward who lives on main street, so everyone gathers there for the parades.

tons of people got on the roof and this is lyndsi and i wondering HOW the hay to get up there. 

(yes, we made it up in one piece)

these glasses have been perfect for 4th of july and u of u activities. haha. 

sisters posing for the cameras while watching the parade. 

it was so great being single, wasn't it?

here we are walking to the beach to enjoy the fireworks. 

how i miss them!

who is this guy.

my two besties.

(those pants. i love her.)

it was the funnest vacation ever!

last year i was living in huntington beach with amanda, and jill came to visit! 

it was a little more tame this time.

amanda was dating nephi, i was waiting? for jon/chase?? confusing time in my life,

and jill had just gotten out of a relationship.

still so fun though. 

always faithful. 

so excited to see marines!

at this time, jon was in boot camp for 3 months. boo.

favorite. i love her. enjoying the parade together. 

after the parade, we went swimming. we didn't plan this but it was perfect! 

red white and blue!

amanda and i on our way to the neighborhood parties before the fireworks. 

i guess those popsicles are july 4th go-to snacks. 
jill, me and amanda at a BBQ.

i'm so excited to take my boy up there and enjoy being an american.

usually during the flag raising or national anthem or whatever, 

jon has to stand at attention, no talking, hands at his sides and direct gaze.

we laughed about him watching the entire parade like that.

we laughed but then just kind of sat there and wondered if he will really have to do that...

anyway, planning outfits and treats! It'll be so fun to spend the weekend with our favorite go-to!

see you friday amanda and neeph!

be ready to take lots of photos!

photoshoot!

jon and i didn't get a honeymoon right after the wedding.
we DID however, move to sunny san diego!


one day, a couple months before the wedding, 
i was reading a photographer's blog. 
she was doing a special in southern california. 
she was going to be shooting there a week after our wedding!


i discussed with jon and we thought it would be so fun!
we wanted to have pictures in california-our new home. 
so we booked. 




they make me so happy to look at because they capture the excitement and newlywed love we had that first week of marriage. 

which is why 7/8 of them are of us kissing.
enjoy:)

photos by ashlee raubach.
taken at the san clemente pier, california. 

wk 1.

i've been following fellow blogger chuckles and grins for quite some time.

awhile back, she did something i thought was really cool. she took a photo of herself every week for a year. she started the first week in january and ended the last week in december.

well, i'm starting late.

i want to do that for our first year of marriage.

i'll try to do it every monday.

sitting on our bed leaning against the window.

visitor weekend.

jon's dad's half of the family came to visit! it was quite a fun weekend.

they got here thursday night.

on friday i went to a job interview (wish me luck...but not too much luck because i'm not SURE that i want it. follow up interview tomorrow. hmm...)

then we drove over the coronado bridge to coronado island and went to the beach.

its a cute little island. most of it is a navy base. we went on base to go to the beach. the beaches on base are usually nicer. they're clean and not packed at all.

this is a bad picture, but the only thing about beaching on base is the noise. planes were flying above us the whole time SO low to the ground and so loud. i love it.

jon's pa bought us a little grill! we are so excited! we've been talking about getting a grill since we moved in, but it hasn't been on the top of our list.

his dad was so sweet to get it for us.

(that pink shelf. we found it on the side of the road. cute huh! it matches my flowers perfectly.)

this picture is so cute. they were trying to be funny and every time i went to take the picture, John's lid would fall off. i snapped this just in time. his face. haha.

jon lighting our grill for the first time! look at his hand placement.

boys boys.

another awesome find. i saw a washer and dryer on the side of the road on base. i told jon that we really needed to go get them. he discussed with his dad and his dad thought they were on the side of the road because they were broken. well, while i was at my interview, John (the dad) went and picked up the dryer with Kathy (the step mom) and alex. when i got home, we had a new dryer hooked up and working perfect!! i was so happy!!! turns out, John didn't think the washer looked good and when they went back for it, it was gone anyway. so he bought us a brand new washer. i am so happy and i can't thank them enough. its been so annoying having to pack up our dirty clothes and go do laundry at the barracks. its free, just a pain.

jon wanted me to take this picture of him "working smarter, not harder."

(on his way home from work, jon found a really nice ladder on the freeway...we are so blessed)

on saturday, we went to the san diego county fair!!!!

at costco, they sold us 4 tickets, 4 free sodas, 50 ride tickets and a free parking pass for only 54 dollars. it was a ridiculously good price seeing as how tickets were usually $13 each and ride tickets were $20 for 30 tickets.

this is us on the swings. i was obviously pulling my hair up while jon was doing who knows what.

this ride was really fun. swinging soo high up!

alex, jon and I went into a fun house. i've never been in one before.

this one had windows and mirrors in triangles and you had to try to find your way through.

yes i did run into one of the windows.

jon heard about deep fried oreos so we thought we'd better try them. they were alright. pretty bland.

this is butter man smiling at jon and i.

at the end of the day, we stumbled ourselves upon a demolition derby! i'd never been to one, but i have heard good things. it is JUST the thing for Jon and John (i know....i know.). they were excited and had so much fun.

it was so redneck, but it was fun yelling and getting really into it.

this car already had a lot of damage, so i kicked in the door just to see that i could.

jon picked the car he thought would win. he was right of course.

it was a fun-filled weekend and now we're home alone again!

come visit us soon. we've already gotten bored of just looking at each other!

;)

ps. here brittany writes about their honeymoon 
and time spent in san diego with jon and i.

here amanda blogs about the weekend we spent with her.

baseball+laser tagging+yogurtland=a very fun weekend with our favorite go-to couple!