Today was a hard day for me. It was also beautifully touching to see my family rally together in such a hard time. The support system that is in a family is an amazing thing. My Uncle Lynn passed away this past week from a sudden heart attack. He was mowing his lawn, went inside for a drink and collapsed. He never woke up. He was 57 years old. My heart aches for his wife Brenda and my cousins, Brandon, Justin, Tiffany and Staci. How heart breaking to lose someone close to you so suddenly, talk about emotional whiplash. His funeral was today in Manti and it was a beautiful service. It was conducted by my cousin Dale Bryan (my mom is one of 9 so I have about 70 cousins/second cousins) and he did a great job. We started with the family prayer that was offered by my dad and he was quite emotional. We're all still in shock from this because Lynn was quite healthy, he was a miner in Winnemucca Nevada. When we walked in and sat as a family it just reminded me of how important family is. I've been to a few funerals in my life but they were always for older people who had been sick and expected. There have only been two that I have been to in which an amazing person was taken suddenly. They were both extremely emotional. My Aunt Leslie gave the opening prayer and she's a crier. I am such a sympathy crier its not even funny. I was almost bawling by the time she was done. My cousin Staci read a tribute to her dad that I don't know if I would have been able to get thru if I was in the situation. To be able to get up there and not just break down on the stand shows how strong she really is. My Aunt Patsy (who is just a year and a half younger than Lynn) spoke about the amazing life he lived and how much he helped her when her first husband was killed leaving her with 3 small children. She explained to us how he was always there for her and how much he meant to her. My Uncle Guy reminded us of all the jokes he used to play on us. He really was an amazing man. As we were driving to the cemetery to lay him to rest we drove from Manti to Wales which is about 20 minutes away and I was explaining to Chandler about how in Ireland people pull over when they see a funeral procession out of respect and how I wish more people here did it. As we were passing a small ranch out in the middle of no where Chandler pointed to some cowboys who had pulled up to the main gate and had taken off their cowboy hats and held them over their hearts. It was the most moving thing I have ever been a part of. It quickly brought me to tears, I was so overcome I couldn't even talk. Even as I type this I am emotional. God bless those men, and their parents who raised them to show respect. They will probably never know how much their simple gesture effected our family but it was a moment I will never forget. After hearing nothing in the media but the horrible shootings in Colorado it was so nice to see that there is good in the world. After we had the graveside services we went back to the church and had a dinner that was provided by the ward and was very much appreciated.
After the meal Chandler, Jill and I drove to my cousin Sariah's at Quirks Quandaries to see the nursery for her baby boy that should be coming any time now! Its amazing to me how one life can so suddenly end but we'll get to be blessed with another little McArthur in the near future. I just know her little boy is up in heaven playing with my Grandparents & Uncles Kelly & Lynn. Life is a beautiful thing and something I know I take for granted too often. I'm so happy I was able to go to this funeral. The love that was present in the chapel for my uncle was touching. He truly will be missed by everyone.
xoxo
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Honeymoon
So for our honeymoon we went to Park City for the weekend and then the cabin for a week after that. It was really a blast. I loved having all of our family up from Texas and being able to spend time with them. It was great. Park City was a dream come true because it was about 20 degrees cooler than Draper and even rained. It was amazing to be at a comfotable temperature again. If PC wasn't so expensive I'm telling you I would live there.
We got there Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon and it was great just to get away for a few days. There was the most adorable little balcony that I spent my mornings on and enjoyed the view.
We were so cool sitting out there with our iPads, watching baseball and reading (I was reading and Chandler was watching baseball) we did some shopping on Saturday and I got the cutest purse from Fossil and it was even 40% off! It was so smashing, I even went back and bought Jill one for her birthday because it was such a good deal! Then we went and got the most delicious pizza ever at Maxwell's Pizza. We ate a whole 20 inch pizza it was so delicious. They have one in Salt Lake as well so I will definitely be there again. After shopping and lunch it started to completely down pour so we just went back to the hotel and hung out. It was great to sit on the porch and watch the storms. Saturday night we went to the Westgate Grill and had the best food ever. The chocolate desert at the end was AMAZING! I also had this really yummy chicken, there was so much food that I couldn't even finish it!
We went home on Sunday and had a BBQ with the whole fam, my parents came up from Pleasant Grove and brought our friends that are here from Northern Ireland, Yes Chandler and I are so blessed that people traveled 5,000 miles to be with us on our special day. We had people from Utah, Idaho, California, Texas and Northern Ireland there to support us. It truly was awesome and I just want to take the time to thank everyone who came. It really was the perfect day. After our BBQ we opened all of our presents and really we got the most amazing presents ever. Tons of people gave us cash and since we're saving for a house it was exactly what we needed! Crazy to see how many people love us. Thanks again everyone!
Monday morning we woke up and went to the cabin, there were 13 of us in all and we had a great time! All the kids slept out on the deck so we could see the stars (yes, I know I'm married but I still classify myself in the kid group sometimes)
On Tuesday we woke up and headed to Starvation Res. to take the boats out and just have a good time little did we know that the wind would turn it into a battle of epic proportions. Chandler's step-dad Terry is not allowed to step on a beach anymore because everytime he does the wind runs wild. We put up the canopy and that helped a bit but it was bad enough that we couldn't really take the boats out because it was so choppy. We finally gave up and went home after about 4 hours of being sand blasted. We went back again on Wednesday only to find the wind WORSE for the first hour we were there. We were out trying to Ski because the water was calm but I looked back on the beach and couldn't see the easy up. I told Terry and he whipped the boat around so fast that Chandler fell flat on his butt. We got back to shore only to find out that the easy up snapped in half! This is the THIRD one that snapped! Seriously we have the worst luck ever. Lake Powell destroyed the last one but Walmart has always been really good about replacing them.
We went back to the main dock and decided to have lunch in a pavillion and see if the storm would pass, Terry's luck must have turned around because it turned out to be a beautiful day. We went to the other side of the lake and got to play in the water all day. It turned out to be awesome! When we got back to the cabin the adults decided it was time to get in the hot tub and it was great. Whoever thought of putting a hot tub at a cabin is a genius. The only downside to the whole trip was when we woke up Thursday morning with NO WATER! How the freak do you have 13 people in a cabin with no water. We couldn't flush toilets, or shower, or do dishes or anything. I mean come on. We made it work though. It wasn't horrible. Friday morning we went over to Flaming Gorge and rafted the Green River, the water was so cold that it felt awesome and there were tons and tons of fish in that river. If we would have had to make our own dinner that night we would have been fine, but we ended up going to Wingers in Vernal. We didn't have to do dishes :)
We came back to the cabin that night and it was a downpour so we slept inside and I ended up getting bug bites while we were there all over my sides and underarms. It almost looks like chicken pox so I've been trying to get in the sun to see if they will fade. They have gotten better so thats the good news. They itch like crazy! Hopefully they'll go away soon. We went home on Saturday and I was so happy because I got to take a shower and it was the most amazing thing of my life. I love having clean hair. We went to the Rodeo that night because the Rodeo is awesome and I sat by the most obnoxious people of all time but welcome to the rodeo.
I went and told the rodeo clown it was Heathers birthday so he would come and embarrass her and announce to all of Draper that she's now 44. She didn't think it was as funny as I did tho.
All in all we had a great week and it was an awesome relaxing time. I just want to say thanks again to everyone that came to our wedding. It was awesome. We're so happy we could share it with you, thank you for the gifts and especially for the memories. It was an amazing time in our lives and one we aren't likely to forget.
xoxo
Our amazing hotel suite
We got there Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon and it was great just to get away for a few days. There was the most adorable little balcony that I spent my mornings on and enjoyed the view.
View from our cute little balcony
We were so cool sitting out there with our iPads, watching baseball and reading (I was reading and Chandler was watching baseball) we did some shopping on Saturday and I got the cutest purse from Fossil and it was even 40% off! It was so smashing, I even went back and bought Jill one for her birthday because it was such a good deal! Then we went and got the most delicious pizza ever at Maxwell's Pizza. We ate a whole 20 inch pizza it was so delicious. They have one in Salt Lake as well so I will definitely be there again. After shopping and lunch it started to completely down pour so we just went back to the hotel and hung out. It was great to sit on the porch and watch the storms. Saturday night we went to the Westgate Grill and had the best food ever. The chocolate desert at the end was AMAZING! I also had this really yummy chicken, there was so much food that I couldn't even finish it!
My delicious chicken
We went home on Sunday and had a BBQ with the whole fam, my parents came up from Pleasant Grove and brought our friends that are here from Northern Ireland, Yes Chandler and I are so blessed that people traveled 5,000 miles to be with us on our special day. We had people from Utah, Idaho, California, Texas and Northern Ireland there to support us. It truly was awesome and I just want to take the time to thank everyone who came. It really was the perfect day. After our BBQ we opened all of our presents and really we got the most amazing presents ever. Tons of people gave us cash and since we're saving for a house it was exactly what we needed! Crazy to see how many people love us. Thanks again everyone!
Monday morning we woke up and went to the cabin, there were 13 of us in all and we had a great time! All the kids slept out on the deck so we could see the stars (yes, I know I'm married but I still classify myself in the kid group sometimes)
Us relaxing on the hammock at the cabin
We went back to the main dock and decided to have lunch in a pavillion and see if the storm would pass, Terry's luck must have turned around because it turned out to be a beautiful day. We went to the other side of the lake and got to play in the water all day. It turned out to be awesome! When we got back to the cabin the adults decided it was time to get in the hot tub and it was great. Whoever thought of putting a hot tub at a cabin is a genius. The only downside to the whole trip was when we woke up Thursday morning with NO WATER! How the freak do you have 13 people in a cabin with no water. We couldn't flush toilets, or shower, or do dishes or anything. I mean come on. We made it work though. It wasn't horrible. Friday morning we went over to Flaming Gorge and rafted the Green River, the water was so cold that it felt awesome and there were tons and tons of fish in that river. If we would have had to make our own dinner that night we would have been fine, but we ended up going to Wingers in Vernal. We didn't have to do dishes :)
We came back to the cabin that night and it was a downpour so we slept inside and I ended up getting bug bites while we were there all over my sides and underarms. It almost looks like chicken pox so I've been trying to get in the sun to see if they will fade. They have gotten better so thats the good news. They itch like crazy! Hopefully they'll go away soon. We went home on Saturday and I was so happy because I got to take a shower and it was the most amazing thing of my life. I love having clean hair. We went to the Rodeo that night because the Rodeo is awesome and I sat by the most obnoxious people of all time but welcome to the rodeo.
Heather getting embarrassed by the rodeo clowns, Happy Birthday!
All in all we had a great week and it was an awesome relaxing time. I just want to say thanks again to everyone that came to our wedding. It was awesome. We're so happy we could share it with you, thank you for the gifts and especially for the memories. It was an amazing time in our lives and one we aren't likely to forget.
xoxo
Monday, July 16, 2012
Finally!
Okay, so for those of you that don't know us I don't know why you're reading in the first place but I'll humor you and introduce us. My husbands name is Chandler he gradutated from The University of Utah (Go Utes!) in May and I couldn't be more proud of him. Because Chandler graduated from Utah we are hardcore Ute fans. Anything that has a Utah logo on it Chandler feels the need to own, which is okay because red is one of my favorite colors :)
My name is Andrea, I don't really have any great accomplishments like graduating or anything like that because we couldn't afford tuition for both of us at the same time and I don't know what I want to do with my life so I didn't spend money on tuition. I probably should have but school and I didn't get along so I just went back to working full time. I like my job a lot so I'll figure out school as time goes on.
We met in August of 2009 thru a mutual friend and our first date was a Blink 182 concert in September of 2009 and got married just barely in July of 2012. Yes, we live in Utah and were together for 3 years before we got married. Unheard of I know. We just wanted to wait until Chandler was done with school before we got married. We love anything to do with sports. Love the Jazz, The Utes, The Red Sox and The Eagles. We're kind of all over the place. Our favorite band is 311 and we travel to see them, yeah we're obsessed okay?
We're just your run of the mill type of people, we like long car drives listening to music and talking, hanging out with our friends, going to concerts, and relaxing at home. He loves to play Xbox and I love to read so it makes hanging out easy. He'll usually ditch me for the Xbox anytime Grey's Anatomy, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Army Wives or Desperate Housewives reruns are on TV. He hates those shows with a passion.
We just got married like 10 days ago so I haven't gotten our wedding pictures back to post all the cute ones like the people who are good at blogging do but when I get them I will put them up. Then it will be all personal and what not. Heads up in advance I am so not awesome at blogging, but I love to read other peoples. Its like being able to know whats going on in peoples lives that you still want to keep in contact with but don't have time for 2 hour phone conversations every week. I think its just smashing so hopefully I can keep you all entertained.
My name is Andrea, I don't really have any great accomplishments like graduating or anything like that because we couldn't afford tuition for both of us at the same time and I don't know what I want to do with my life so I didn't spend money on tuition. I probably should have but school and I didn't get along so I just went back to working full time. I like my job a lot so I'll figure out school as time goes on.
We met in August of 2009 thru a mutual friend and our first date was a Blink 182 concert in September of 2009 and got married just barely in July of 2012. Yes, we live in Utah and were together for 3 years before we got married. Unheard of I know. We just wanted to wait until Chandler was done with school before we got married. We love anything to do with sports. Love the Jazz, The Utes, The Red Sox and The Eagles. We're kind of all over the place. Our favorite band is 311 and we travel to see them, yeah we're obsessed okay?
We're just your run of the mill type of people, we like long car drives listening to music and talking, hanging out with our friends, going to concerts, and relaxing at home. He loves to play Xbox and I love to read so it makes hanging out easy. He'll usually ditch me for the Xbox anytime Grey's Anatomy, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Army Wives or Desperate Housewives reruns are on TV. He hates those shows with a passion.
We just got married like 10 days ago so I haven't gotten our wedding pictures back to post all the cute ones like the people who are good at blogging do but when I get them I will put them up. Then it will be all personal and what not. Heads up in advance I am so not awesome at blogging, but I love to read other peoples. Its like being able to know whats going on in peoples lives that you still want to keep in contact with but don't have time for 2 hour phone conversations every week. I think its just smashing so hopefully I can keep you all entertained.
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