I'm back...

Stay tuned for pics and a synopsis!

I'm off to Oklahoma for two weeks!

I plan on eating Mexican and/or barbeque every night!

Yah mon

We're back from our trip to paradise and it was amazing!

We stayed here...

and this was the view from our room.

We spent everyday on the beach...

laying out...

and reading...

and playing in the water.

And this guy offered to sell us souvenirs and/or weed off his raft. We declined on both counts.

Then we went parasailing...which was awesome.

(please excuse the bad Jamaica accent during Peter's commentary and all the shrieking)

We also went scuba diving with an instructor who I've dubbed the Ocean Whisperer because during our dive with him we saw a sea turtle, a lion fish, three sting rays, an electric eel, a tiny jellyfish, two squids, and a zillion gorgeous fish. Sadly, our underwater camera was out of film already, so we can't really prove we saw all that, you just have to believe me.

And we enjoyed great food and entertainment every night!

In conclusion, we had a great time...

and everything else that happened in Jamaica, stays in Jamaica!

(Just kidding, nothing else happened)

Hello! You've reached the Mathews...

we can't come to the phone right now because we're at the beach! Leave us a message and we'll return your call when we get back to reality!

Celebrating two years!

Two years ago today I married my best friend and sweetheart. These two years have been full of joy, challenges, changes, and adventures and I love Peter so much more today than I did on our wedding day because of those experiences!

Here are some pictures of us along with way...

I think this was our first Valentine's Day together in 2004.

This was around the time of Kate's wedding, so...fall of 2005?

I don't know where we were going here, but it must have been 2005/2006ish because I rocked the big blonde curls my first year teaching.

This was at Huntington Beach in California during the trip where Peter proposed in August of 2006.

An engagement picture taken at OSU, spring 2007.

Our beautiful wedding, May 12, 2007.

First dance.

Easter 2008.

Summer 2008 in Calgary!

Skiing at Lake Louise, spring 2009.

Peter, I love you! You make me laugh, you teach me about forgiveness, patience and kindness and I'm so grateful for you!

My attempt at gardening...

So apparently, it's really too early to plant much yet. End of May is when it's ok to plant things that are sensitive to frost. Pansies, however, are not all that sensitive. So to give my "garden" a little color, I got some yellow and purple pansies and also got some quaking grass, which will grow tall and will come back next year.

Looks a little meager for now, but in a few more weeks I'll add some more and hopefully what I've already planted will fill out a little. I'll also mulch later, so that will make everything look nicer. It's just too early yet...isn't that weird? Back home, the key is to wait until after Easter but then you're good to go. Different climate up here.

These little dudes popped up all by themselves and I can't decide what they are (because my knowledge of flora is so vast, you know). Maybe tulips? I wanted to move them because they're in an akward spot, but they have monstrous big roots and are all connected. So, they will stay where they are and we'll see what they turn into.

This is my next project. See all those little, obnoxious white rocks? Who would put those in their garden?? Someone before me, so I'm going to try to get them all out so I can plant pretty flowers here too. I'm in a gardening kind of mood I guess. I want to plant some big flower pots on the back deck too. All in good time...must wait for the weather.

Oh happy day...

Happy, happy dishwasher day.