Maxon Madness

Piper is HERE!

2011-09-06T17:13:00.001-07:00

Piper has arrived! She is the best thing that has ever happened to us and we're so thrilled to share her with you! More updates, pictures, and videos - coming soon!!

Find 100's of cute birth announcements at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Piper's Second Shower: Sock Monkeys!

2011-07-25T14:25:00.011-07:00

My best-good friend from college, Heather, along with husband Zach, threw Piper, Tyler, and Me a fun co-ed baby shower with a Sock Monkey theme :)

Heather thought of every detail and was truly a wonderful host! Thank you Heather and Zach for opening your home to 40 of our closest friends and family members. That is no small feat!

Heather and Me in front of her awesome diaper cake and "candy bar" filled with red, brown and cream colored candies.

Another view of her adorable cake which not only included diapers, but adorable flower hair clips for Piper :)

The tables were adorned with red flowers in vases from our wedding, colorful sock monkey's that Tyler's mom and step-dad gave us, and old photos of us as kids!

Megan and I made paper boxes for the gift card prizes we gave away for fun contests like baby bottle beer guzzling, diaper sniffing, gift bingo, and guess the $ amount in the basket.

Delicious vanilla and red velvet cupcakes Heather made from scratch - YUM!

Let the beer guzzling begin!

Curtis WINS! But we're not sure if biting the nipple off the bottle is cheating? LOL!

Start sniffing! Each diaper has a different melted candy bar in it and whoever guesses the most candy bars correctly wins the prize! (Andrea!)

EEEEW!

We had such a great turnout and it was really fun to see all our friends and family so excited about Piper and participating in all the silly games we had planned. Our friends and family are such amazing people and we adore them so much... never a dull moment!

Mike B

Brittany & Merek

Brianne - Boo-Yah!

Asher with Grandma Stacie

John, Robbie & Isabel

Cristina

Dedra

Heather

Ryan & Andrea

Brittany

We're so amazed at everyone's generosity and all the sweet, sweet gifts and books for Piper! She is one blessed and spoiled little girl already - thanks to our incredible family and friends :) She won't need clothes for a YEAR - LOL!

We loved this soft giraffe and the sweet music it played

The tiny clothes were just adorable! We were ooohing and aaahing at every outfit!

Itty bitty shoes :)

An awesome bike trailer from Grandma and Grandpa so Tyler can take Piper on bike rides <3

Trevor was SO clever and had several onesies screen-printed with hilarious sayings

Ruffles, ruffles, and more ruffles - I can't get enough of them!! SO CUTE!

This is my "I can't believe the time Lenore spent on this" face :) She hand-crocheted the prettiest little blankie for Piper... what a labor of love!

Diapers are an AWESOME gift

A sock monkey basket filled with all kinds of goodies from hairbows and a brush to nail clippers and desitin... all the little things you forget about.

And the new cult classic for parents: Go the F**K to Sleep! I'm sure there will be nights when Tyler and I refer to this as therapy :)

Thank you to ALL who attended - what an amazing baby shower. We can't wait for each of you to meet our baby girl... just 4 more weeks!!!!

Maternity Photo Shoot

2011-07-14T17:44:00.004-07:00

**CAUTION - there are bare belly pics below that you may/may not want to see**

With that out of the way... my very dear friend and co-worker, Jessica Harrington, took these beautiful photos of Tyler and Me... and Baby Piper. I thought for sure I'd HATE them, but many, many friends encouraged me to do them anyway - stating I'd treasure them later - and I already do :)

I'm so glad we have them and so many turned out just beautifully. Thank you Jess! Please observe for yourself below!

**Moms, Dads, other family... if you'd like a copy of any of these, please let me know which photo(s), what size(s) and I'll print and/or frame for you**

XOXO - Kelsey & Tyler

Only 58 More Days!

2011-06-24T15:40:00.004-07:00

Ahhhh.... I love the sound of that! I've enjoyed being pregnant and I've been fortunate not to have any complications or discomfort so far... but only 58 more days... that has a real ring to it :)

Here are some quick pictures and updates:

This is my last attempt at regular jeans! LOL! I'm really pushing the envelope...

I finally broke down and bought the real deal - full panel maternity jeans in a size 10... it had to be done. The weather is getting warmer so it's a bit of a bummer to have an extra layer on my tummy, but at least I'm not sharing my printed undies with the rest of the world. I'm sure everyone else appreciates it :)

Notice also that the wedding ring is missing?

It no longer fits on my swollen fingers... Tyler lost his wedding ring some time ago, so now it's really interesting to places together and see the strange looks of disapproval we get from people. Apparently, traditional relationships are still all the rage! I feel a bit sorry for those that really aren't married, but are committed to raising a baby together... they deserve some props, too!

Anywho - moving away from my soapbox...

Here are some fun pictures from our 29 week ultrasound. Piper is in the 60th growth percentile and therefore very average and right on track for her due date of August 21st. We're visiting the OB office every two weeks now to make sure she's not in distress and that my blood pressure is steady and healthy. So far, all check-ups have been wonderful!

Here is our first 4-D picture of Piper... you can really start to see her features here! Her face is kinda smunched up - she didn't really like all the poking and prodding of the ultrasound while we tried to shake her up and get her to move :)

The distortion on her left eye is literally her FOOT right up in her eye socket - and she wasn't about to move it! LOL!

Here you can make out her hand... we think she's sucking her thumb! And you can see the silhouette of her nose and cheeks a bit.

And lastly, this picture shows the bottom of her foot floating in the upper-left-hand corner.

We can't wait for her arrival - she's gonna be a precious little girl!

Asher is Born!

2011-06-10T16:49:00.002-07:00

Our nephew arrived today!

Trevor (Tyler's brother) and our sister-in-law, Marietta, had their baby boy at 9AM this morning.

Asher Keali'inui'omana Maxon

He was 8lbs. 14ozs. and 21.5 inches long - here are some pictures of his first moments:

Piper's First Shower: A Pajama Party for "Jammies"

2011-06-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Judy threw me an amazing mini-shower for Piper. Her best friends and my pseudo "aunties" were there - Jerri, Colleen, and Elizabeth - along with my Mom and her best friend Shirley.

Judy had something up her sleeve the entire time she was planning and kept asking me to arrive 15 minutes later... or another 15 minutes after that... I couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but when I arrived, the surprise was a PAJAMA party!!

We had told her about Piper's name and that her initials would be P.J. - and that Tyler though it would be cute to call her "Jammies" - and Judy ran with it! It was so adorable. She even found matching sock monkey pajamas for me to wear as the honored guest and her as the hostess! LOL! I absolutely loved it.

Here I am arriving to a bunch of ladies in their pajamas!

This is the beautiful and oh-so-girlie table that Judy set.

The food was amazing - virgin Mimosas, egg casserole, cinnamon bread, fruit salad, potatoes, asparagus, and more... nom, nom!

And what shower would be complete without gourmet cupcakes from Sprinkles?!? These were so cute and very tasty!

These are just some of the gifts... all were beautifully wrapped and each one had a pair of "jammies" taped to the front :) Judy thought of EVERY detail!

I even got to wear a crown for the event... Mommy-to-be!

Colleen, Jerri, and Elizabeth - wonderful, loving ladies who helped take care of me while I was in college at ASU and learning the ways of the world! I admire them greatly!

Matching Jammies

Mom and Shirley - more women I look up to and admire more than they know!

Three generations - almost...

This l'il guy is TOO CUTE! He's a "Barrel of Monkeys" monkey :)

I also loved these precious monkey bookends mom got us - they are perfect for the nursery.

Mom has also been crazy busy knitting!

This is a precious sleep sack and matching cap... a bunting for cold weather... I can't wait to see tiny Piper in this little bundle of sweetness.

Another one of mom's creations - a SOFT knitted blanket and matching cap in the perfect shade of pink - I just love this one :) This is the one I think Piper will drag around the house and call her "blankie".

And seriously, this was an amazing haul for just one little girl at a shower with just 7 people. There were some gifts sent from other family members far and away, but WOW - just WOW! Thank you Judy, Mom, Shirley, Jerri, Colleen, Elizabeth, Auntie Karen, and Grandma (and all your male counterparts!) for the amazing LOOT!

We got so many cute outfits, tons of safety gear, our carseat/stroller/play yard combo, feeding supplies, a play mat, diapers and wipes, bath time necessities, and MUCH MORE!

Thank you notes are on their way - xoxoxo!

Oh my goodness... where did the last 9 months go?

2011-05-19T15:56:00.005-07:00

WOWZERS. So much has happened in the last 9 months and I've not been a good little blogger :( I'll start with the most recent newsworthiness and move backwards from there... post-dating... so be sure to scroll down - WAY DOWN.

Most of you already know - WE'RE EXPECTING :) Here are some fun pictures and editorial of our experiences so far:

I'm 28 and a size 6... feeling good... no morning sickness!

I'm still 28 and STILL a size 6 :) And still no morning sickness!

I'm 29 now... still feeling great... but using a hair band to hold my pants shut... but still rocking the skinny jeans :)

OK - different jeans altogether! But still not "maternity"... roughly a size 8 and buttoning on their own.

And here we are now - 5 months along and using the hair band again... very rapidly outgrowing my size 8 jeans... but happy and healthy :)

We decided on a name for our little girl:

Piper Janelle Maxon

We've loved the name Piper for almost 5 solid years now, and try as we might, we cannot seem to stray from it. Nothing else captured our hearts and our creativity more than Piper - even after reading a ridiculous book with over 100,000 girl names. Craziness. Janelle is Tyler's mother's middle name, and Nell is my grandmother's middle name, so we've decided it's a perfect fit for Piper and it will give her "roots" to both sides of her family.

Piper simply means "a player of pipes" - perhaps she'll have musical abilities that Tyler and I could only dream of! Janelle means "God is gracious" - and while Tyler and I are not religious - we do believe we are blessed and enriched because of her.

We've purchased Piper's bedding collection and have begun to get her room ready... it'll look something like this after Memorial Day Weekend:

Image Courtesy of babybedding.com

I've always been a huge fan of old, vintage items and when I discovered this Sock Monkey bedding nothing else held a candle to it! I waited 5 months to purchase it to be sure it was what I wanted after exhausting all other options. It's gender-neutral enough that we can use it for a little boy some day, too :) We're excited about some of the pieces we found and items that have been gifted to us that support our theme as well. We'll be posting pictures of the finished room shortly...

Here are a few pictures of Piper in the womb:

The Jersey Fist-Pump!

A super-skinny arm...

And her precious little "digits" on her right hand :)

We have another appointment with our OB on June 7th for a growth ultrasound and I'm sure we'll have more pictures to share then!

No other baby news for now... please scroll down as I complete other "catch-up" blog entries to recap the last 9 months - LOL! XOXO

April Weddings and Family Visits

2011-04-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

April was a gorgeous month in Arizona - the trees and shrubs are blossoming, the summer grass turns green again, and the citrus trees give off that ever-loving orange aroma that is just to die for! And the allergies get BAD :)

We attended two weddings in April for some very close friends - who, in fact, used to be each others neighbors! What a small world it is!

First up was Jana and Mike on April 2nd... their wedding was OVER THE TOP and simply to die for... likely the nicest wedding Tyler and I have ever been to and ever will go to again :) We really felt like royalty and we were just regular guests! I can't image how the bride and groom felt on their special day... not to mention their pampered wedding party. It was truly a magical experience and we're so grateful to them for their kindness and friendship!

Next up were Merek and Brittany on April 23rd. Their fabulous reception was in an outdoor garden that was just spectacular - not something you see every day in Arizona - an oasis! They were the cutest bride and groom on the planet and had a genuinely wonderful time on their special day. Tyler and I just adore these two and their artistic abilities, sense of humor, and love of travel... kids after our own hearts... they'll make it all the way to forever!!

Image courtesy of www.theharringtonproject.com

April also brought a WONDERFUL visit from my dad and step-mom... to see the baby bump... and my aunt Karen, uncle Doug, and close friend Debbie. I don't have any picture proof of these visits :( Hopefully someone does!

We love our treasured time with family and friends and April was chock-full of it! We are so fortunate to have so many special relationships...

Viva Puerto Rico!

2011-04-03T17:18:00.001-07:00

We went to Puerto Rico for a week in March with my mom and step-dad, Don. What a blast! We stayed in a fully stocked condo in a little beach town called Loiza (about 40 minutes from San Juan), rented a car to get around the entire island, did day trips and ocean excursions, and soaked in the sun and latin culture. It was an incredible experience and I'm so glad we were able to go on what could be our last vacation for quite a while :)

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

Mom and Don being silly in Ponce :)

The El Yunque Rain Forest (the only rain forest in North America)

San Filipe del Morro Castillo & Forte (built in 1539 by Spanish settlers)

Hacienda Buena Vista Coffee & Cocoa Plantation

We were there in cocoa season and got to see a natural chocolate bar made from scratch! We also got caught in a torrential down-pour of rain, but it was warm and wonderful :)

On the adorable, quaint, private beach (part of our condo rental) - Tyler enjoying a cerveza!

We have thousands more pictures from this trip that I'm sure I'll post in time with more in-depth stories, but for now, just a taste!

We've Gone Country!

2011-03-13T15:34:00.001-07:00

Tyler and I are 355 days apart... almost a full year exactly. We're both Pisces and we're more alike than different! LOL! This year was a BIG DEAL because I had the last birthday I'll ever have (my 29th) and Tyler turned 30.

He's really into country music lately so we decided to go full cowboy and host a Bar-B-Que for our closest friends and family. We wore our western hats, wrangler jeans, bandanas, and of course, our best shit-kickers (boots) :) We played country music all night and served pulled pork, red hot shrimp, potato salad, cornbread, baked beans, spicy chili, watermelon... and so much more!

The weather was gorgeous and we had a great turnout! Thank you to ALL our friends and family that came out (from as far as Southern California and Las Vegas) and to the amazing women we call mothers and aunts who helped cook and clean up! WOW... I feel the birthday love!

Here are just a few photos that really capture the madness:

Jon Long arriving with plenty of brew and a BEER Funnel - Oh boy!

Jon Binger helping on the grill - working his magic! YUM!

Yes - the cake really says that - it's the title of a country song if you can believe it!

"If I can't be number 1, Then number 2 on you!"

A birthday kiss... love...

Trying to blow out 59 candles by myself - thanks for the help babe!

30 of them were YOURS!

Jon & John - squaring off in Ladder Ball

Stacie & Terrin

Me & Mom (and Piper's in there, too!)

Side note: my best friend Megan bought me this Dirty Dancing shirt in hopes my belly hadn't gotten too big - I squeezed into it - but I couldn't resist wearing it for my birthday :)

Tyler & Corey

The food smorgasbord!

Everyone enjoying the food and the party :)

Don and Paul watching March Madness in the "bar"

Marietta (due two months before me with a baby boy), Penny & John

My work buds - Dedra, Jon & Jess

My gigantic belly at just 4 months! And our great neighbors - Jackson, Greg & Corrie

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

An Exciting Announcement...

(click on picture to enlarge)

Christmas Day Dive

2010-12-26T17:18:00.003-07:00

So, my husband and his step-dad, Jon, have an annual tradition... three years running now... of jumping in the freezing cold pool on Christmas morning :)

This Christmas was NO exception:

This tradition requires some liquid courage of course... and what better than Cuervo?

Ick.

But... whatever warms the heart, right?!? We certainly don't want it to stop beating...

The weary men... thinking about their daunting task.

Praying to the pool gods for mercy on their souls... and male body parts!

Taking the all-important shot of courage.

At the edge - ready for their dive! Well... maybe not really ready, but determined!

And they're in...

And OUT! LOL!

And the VICTORY high-five. Well done gentlemen, well done. It's all over... until next year :)

5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

2010-10-30T13:43:00.002-07:00

Every year Tyler and I host a Pumpkin Carving Party at Halloween Time - it's a blast! We have so many friends who love Halloween as much as we do and the creativity is astonishing ;-P

This year - we decided to kick off the party with Absinthe. What better than a hallucinogenic to get the creativity started!

Here are some of our finished pumpkins - including Tyler's self-portrait pumpkin:

And below - our friends and guests! What great company!

Claudia and Shane with us.

Claudia, Shane and Marija with Tyler.

Ty and Justin.

Dedra and Me.

Jon and Ellie.

Ryan and Andrea.

Shane and Claudia.

Todd and Lillie.

Hope you have a spooky Halloween!!

AZ State Fair

2010-10-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ty and I headed for the state fair again this October. Last year we went to see the Black Crowes... this year, classic southern rock band, and a personal favorite, Lynard Skynard! The fair is crazy over-priced, but you can't beat a $20 concert ticket :)

Here's a quick recap of just some of the highlights of our day - we played hookie from work so we could get all-you-can-ride wristbands for $20 and free entrance and parking! LOL!

We had to laugh at the TINY beers... these things go down QUICK.

I genuinely tried for a good self portrait... and as you can see, I did well if I had only been trying to get myself! Sorry Ty... I guess only half your face was worthy this time...

This was the largest, most awesome sand castle I'd ever seen... so much detail!

The view of downtown Phoenix and some of the "fair attractions" from the chairlift that covers the entire amusement park.

Getting ready to head into the concert!

I love the fair at night... it's so much cooler than during the day and the lights are pretty :)

And here we are! These guys sound the same as they always have even with a newer lead singer... the audience was very energetic and we really enjoyed ourselves!

We loved "Tuesday's Gone" the best... it sounds amazing LIVE... and I did get my encore this year... Sweet Home Alabama of course :)

[The Black Crowes failed to sing their most popular song last year so I wasn't anticipating a good finale... I was pleasantly surprised! Thank you Lynard Skynard!!!]

Seattle Wedding Reception

2010-09-20T13:58:00.014-07:00

When Tyler and I tied the knot almost a year and half ago, we knew that having our wedding in Arizona would make it difficult for my extended family and friends to attend, especially since we got married in the middle of one of the worst recessions our nation has ever seen!

So, during all the planning of the BIG wedding, we were constantly thinking ahead to having a second reception in the Seattle area soon after. Well - it took us a year and a half to plan and afford the second reception, but it was well worth it!

We were greeted by dozens of close family and friends one on of the wettest and windiest days in the Pacific Northwest in a long time! But, the wonderful thing was that while the rain was heavy - it only lasted a short time while we were preparing for the event and then the sun peeked out :)

The reception was casual, outdoors at the Kirkland Marina, we served wine and beer, Costco party platters, and some yummy desserts! Very simple, but it seemed to be extremely enjoyed by all and it gave Tyler and me a chance to make some REAL connections.... rather than being so rushed as we were with our original wedding reception.

One of the most indulgent treats we gave ourselves was professional photography - from my Scrapbook.com co-worker Merek Davis and his beautiful wife Brittany - via their side-business: www.davisweddingphotographers.com

We flew them up to Seattle from Arizona and spent most of the weekend with them - what FUN it was to get to know them better and to have other people worrying about taking photos at our event :) We enjoyed having them with us as friends and professionals. Here are some of their photos from the event! WOW!

So - a special shout out to Merek and Brittany for surviving the cold and capturing who we really are... and in my hometown. It means the world to Tyler and me that you would take a "vacation" with us and be so attentive to our photo needs and desires. Your skills are phenomenal. We love you both. Thank you.

And to our family and friends in attendance... BIG HUGS and THANKS... it was a joy to see all of you and we know most of you made LONG trips to Kirkland to see us! We love you! XOXO

Ready...Set...MBA!

2010-08-20T17:48:00.003-07:00

wow. i'm 28. i've been away from education for 6 years. i'm currently 2 weeks into my MBA. I'm glad i'm doing it. it's definitely an adjustment. it's free. the time is now.

Keola Turns 8 - Skateland!

2010-08-20T17:15:00.008-07:00

Our nephew, Keola, turned 8 on August 3rd and decided to have his party at Skateland (an indoor roller skating rink, much like SkateKing for those of you from the PNW... only WITHOUT - surprisingly - the awful, rank, foot-odor smell).

Here are just a few shots I was able to get of the Birthday Boy and the family with my increasingly terrible camera. It's all but fallen apart... waiting desperately for my 8 mega-pixel smart phone ;-P

Everyone seemed to be celebrating an August Birthday :)

Keola and Uncle Tyler

Cousin Caleb and Keola

The Skateland DJ and all of Keola's friends and family singing Happy Birthday!

Mama Mari is on the far right.

Grandma Sheffet makes the best cakes!! This "avatar" cake was cookies & cream ice cream cake and the cupcakes were chocolate stuffed with actual "oreo" cookies!! YUM.

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

DONE! Not sure why the headache - he hasn't even had any ice ream yet! :)

The Birthday Boy!

Dad (Trevor) and the B-Day Boy!

Cousin Tiata, Auntie Jen, and Uncle Jay

Keola trying to keep up with crazy Uncle Tyler

Tyler and Cousin Caleb heading around the rink.

Cousin Robbie and her son Jayde making a good go of it!!

Grandma Stacie and Grandpa Jon - hitting the rink for the first time in years... and doing SWELL!

Grandpa and Grandma Maxon and Uncle Tyler

Grandma Stacie, Great Aunt Les, and Cousin Terrin getting their groove on...

Cousins Terrin and Alec and didn't I say this already... CRAZY Uncle Tyler!

Auntie Kels and Cousin Terrin

Auntie Jen doing a fly by!! Woah. Lookin' good Jen!

Wish I could've captured all the fun but MAN, those kids move fast! I was 8 once, too, and I can't believe my parents kept up with me ;-P

Happy 8th Birthday Keola - we love you big man!!

So behind... Projects galore!

2010-08-20T16:53:00.004-07:00

OK - so my "1 weekend 2 shots" thing doesn't seem to be working out for me! lol! I hate to admit that I'm the kind of person who can't stick with something and see it through to the end... but seriously... lately... that's how I feel.

Anyhoo. We've been busy, and I'm not completely void of taking pictures. I just can't find time to blog them :)

We recently had our shutters installed!! We purchased plantation shutters for 50% of the windows in the house.... we have other plans for the remaining 50%... that'll come later. It's completely changed how we feel about the house - it's amazing how complete it makes it. And I'm digging the privacy! lol! No more ducking and dodging all the windows in a fruitless effort to retain some mystery for the neighbors. They look great... check it out!

Entry Way - with dark gray paint and shutter

Sorry for the dark image... but this is the kitchen (sliding glass door behind the curtains)

We constructed the moulding and curtain rod, finished the edges with some caulking, and painted it white to match the trim. The white curtains actually let in a TON of light, contrary to what this photo shows :) The walls in here are also a dark gray.

This is Tyler's man cave (did you catch the word cave? hence the dark stain :))

The room is a beautiful harvest orange - GO BRONCOS - and the shutters look better than we ever imagined with the dark furniture... We'll be adding more memorabilia as time goes on and this will become the ultimate Denver fan room!

At the top of the stairs is the loft area. Another dark picture, but this paint is actually a MUCH lighter gray. This room faces west and the summer sun is BRUTAL. These shutters are sure to do the trick! Can't wait to see how much we save on air conditioning :)

The boudoir. Again, a dark grey color, but the white really pops now! We love our sleep and it's been difficult not to wake up with the sun for the last 6 months, but I think we're "covered" now... no pun intended. Well...ok...maybe just a little one.

We can't wait to do more with the house, but our savings account needs a break ;-P

Now... to get some stuff on the walls... I feel a bit like I'm in a padded cell and that all objects have been removed for my safety - lol! Mom's coming for a visit next week and I'm sure she'll be able to help me make some decisions.

ok... I missed week 4... WEEK 5: One Weekend - Two Shots (challenge)

2010-07-27T13:31:00.003-07:00

I already missed a week... and the fourth week... its still early in the game, darnit! Oh well... onto week five we go :)

We've been busy! We're having the house painted (we've also painted some ourselves), I'm working on all kinds of projects - nick-knacks for the house, photos for Grandma and Grandpa, digitally creating parent albums with photos from our wedding, we're selling a bunch of stuff on craigslist, and we've been trying to fit in as much time for friends and family as possible.

Tyler's cousin Eric and his wife Kory and their two boys, Cooper and Jake, were in town the weekend before last... here are some fun family shots from our day by the pool :)

Nothing else new to report... hopefully by next week I'll have made more progress on some of my projects so I can share them with you :) Tata!

WEEK 3: One Weekend - Two Shots (challenge)

2010-07-15T11:32:00.005-07:00

Hurray! I finally finished my art installation (the one I mentioned a couple weeks ago) and it looks awesome on the wall :) I'm happy with it, and Tyler likes it, too.

Clearly, we still need some paint on the walls... and I might put some moulding around it to make it "pop off" the wall and look more like one piece. But I need more time to think about it :)

My second picture (or subject) for this past weekend is my Mother-in-Law, Stacie. This is GREAT picture of her - one of my favorites on record! We went to PF Chang's to celebrate her NEW JOB!

I'm so proud of her for taking the leap and leaving a company that treated her horribly and took advantage of her. She's 55 and embarking on a new journey with a company that is nothing short of amazing to their employees. She's working for EDMC - like Tyler! She'll be a Financial Aid officer and likely won't work in the same building with Tyler for at least 6 months, but nonetheless, she's on the road to a much more positive working experience and we wish her the best!

Dinner was a great time to celebrate and to catch up with family.

Hope you had a great weekend and I'll see you next week with more photos and updates!!

WEEK 2: One Weekend - Two Shots (challenge)

2010-07-06T20:30:00.007-07:00

OK - I'm still here. Still taking photos. That's a good sign. I might be able to stick to this after all. Here are my two....err....three shots from the weekend:

Paint is happening. We're so excited! Thank you Stacie and Jon for the buckets of paint as our housewarming gift... we wouldn't be anywhere near this phase if not for you :)

Our Entry - BEFORE

Our Entry - AFTER

I love the drama the dark color creates, especially at night. The majority of the house is staying light, open and airy, but I just had to have some kind of dramatic entrance - lol! Our friend and painter, Rob (let me know if you're interested in his services - he's amazing!) is doing a great job. He's quick and very affordable. He'll be here all week, so I'm sure by next weekend, I'll have more before-and-afters to share.

Window tint is getting done tomorrow at 7am sharp and shutters are due in from China in about 4 weeks... it's coming together. Privacy will be a very welcome amenity to have again :)

Oh T.G.I.Friday's!

This is the exact location where Tyler and I met 6 years ago... it's since burned down and amazingly, this corner of the building is all that remains, and you can barely make out where the sign used to sit... the wood behind faded from the blazing Arizona sun.

We're hopeful our marriage won't burn to the ground as this building has... ;-) We have very fond memories of this place and our bartender, Jason. As far as we know, he left years ago.... so Jason - we hope you're safe out there doing something you love.

All good things must come to an end.... and our time at Friday's is no exception. Here's to new places, people and experiences!

R.I.P T.G.I.Friday's.

One Weekend - Two Shots (Challenge)

2010-06-29T09:31:00.005-07:00

My friend and co-worker, Dedra, has challenged me to take more pictures :)

You would think... being a scrapbooker, that I would take photos ALL THE TIME - not the case. I carry my camera everywhere and FORGET to use it - constantly.

So, I've ponied-up and Dedra is keeping tabs on me! Here is a link to her blog where you can learn more about this challenge and the book that inspired her:

http://dedralong.blogspot.com/2010/06/year-of-mornings.html

WEEK 1... here are my two photos:

Creative Chaos

I've started an art installation for the new house. A mix of vintage and ephemera pieces... I'm excited to share the final product with you soon!

My babies! I often forget to photograph the dogs... this photo is indicative of a regular weekend at the house. Tyler loves the pups and he hangs out with them on the floor for hours! They are loving the new house and have adjusted so well. I think they are truly happy :)

ONE YEAR!

2010-06-24T09:51:00.006-07:00

I can't believe Tyler and I have been married ONE YEAR (on June 20th)...

We took a quick weekend trip to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Mexico - just four hours from the house and we were at the ocean. The Sea of Cortez is beautiful this time of year! Super aqua and deep blue hues... and MAN, it's a desert out there! White sand everywhere, and HOT... a different kind of hot than Phoenix. At 7:30am each morning when we woke up, the sun was just searing our skin... thank goodness for SPF 100 :)

We really didn't take many photos at all - but here are a few - we had a great time just relaxing (not something we do often...)

You can click on the picture to enlarge it... this is a true sandy desert!

I loved the wild life! We say Cranes, Seagulls, Crabs and Jellyfish.

A quick photo before the waves nearly knocked us over.

Trying to escape Tyler who would have loved to push me under :)

Do I look like a serious white gringa or what?!?

In the spirit of making friends everywhere we go - Tyler and our new friend Trae took a wild ride on a banana boat - it smacked them silly a few too many times to count! LOL!

Thank you babe for the trip - It's one I'll never forget!

Happy First Anniversary...

Love you.

4 Things Right Now...

2010-06-15T16:37:00.002-07:00

Grabbed this from a friend's blog:

Four shows I watch:
1.Pawn Stars
2.It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
3.Forensic Files
4.American Pickers

Four things I'm passionate about:
1.My husband and our amazing communication
2.My home... and cleaning it
3.Scrapbooking and decorating (aka spending money!)
4.Spending time with family and friends and trying not to lose touch...

Four phrases I say a lot:
1.Grrrrrrrr.
2.Hun, can you get that down for me?
3.STOP BARKING
4.Thank you

Four things I've learned from the past:
1.Stop. Make time for me and the things and people I love.
2.Things are things and every"thing" is replaceable.
3.Moderation... eating, drinking, spending money... everything is better in small doses and is more appreciated.
4.People remember the good things.

Four places I would like to go:
1.Paris France
2.Dubai India
3.Australia and New Zealand
4.Back to Puerto Vallarta (where Tyler and I honeymooned)

Four things I did yesterday:
1.I worked... and had a very productive day! Wrote a newsletter, made some advertising connections, and caught up on search engine marketing.
2.I bought myself two t-shirts and a pair of crop pants at Tilly's for our trip to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco, Mexico) this weekend.
3.I filed all the paperwork in the entire house... and crossed that project off my "to-do" list.
4.I watched Tropic Thunder with Tyler and the dogs.

Four things I'm looking forward to:
1.New window coverings by the end of July - yikes - it's getting HOT.
2.A second wedding reception we're planning in Seattle for extended family and friends
3.Going home tonight and crossing several other items off the "to-do" list (can you tell I make lots of lists?!?)
4.Fresh paint in the house... I can hardly stand living in a white box :( But I'm grateful for all the we DO have!

Four things I love about winter:
1.Decorating the house and wrapping Christmas presents.
2.Seeing family I often only see once a year...
3.Earmuffs.
4.Traveling to Denver for Bronco's games.

Four things on my wish list:
1.More time in a day.
2.A clean garage.
3.A call from a long-lost friend.
4.A happy life for my dogs - oh how I wish they could talk!

House & Yard Updates!

2010-06-02T19:00:00.011-07:00

Well, well, well.... it's been too long! I can hardly believe that 3 months have passed since we took possession of the house and MOVED IN :) We're nowhere near done (and don't plan to be for many years) but we're unpacked and getting pretty settled. We've even tackled some BIG projects - like the yard!

Here are some updated pictures and descriptions:

SOLD! The house is officially ours on February 25, 2010 :)

Here is the finished house with front landscaping... in this photo we're still missing our "HOA" grass between the street and the sidewalk, but it's been installed since then.

A closer view of the front.

This is a view of the front side yard... you'll see concrete here later :)

Now it's time for TREES! We planted 18 by ourselves!

These are the two BIG trees we got - still babies - but happy and healthy!

A Fantex Ash and a Purple Leaf Plum

This tree should grow to be 40 feet tall with a 20 foot canopy... SHADE!!

Grow baby grow... it can't happen fast enough.

It took us almost 4 weeks to get the sprinkler system in after we planted the trees... but we managed to take really good care of them - deep soaking them in the Arizona clay for about an hour at a time, twice a day... I still haven't seen the water bill.

Next up - 16 Italian Cypress trees! These guys will grow in tight columns up to 30 feet high if we let them. Some very nice privacy indeed.

Tyler dug all the holes!

I dropped in all the trees and backfilled with clay and mulch :)

We accomplished 18 trees in about 4 hours on Easter Sunday... YAHOO!

Time for Rock and Sod!

6 Tons of Rock and 2100 SF of Sod look like this :)

If you click on and blow up the picture, you'll also see the cement walkway we had poured on the left side of the house.

Beginning to lay the weed barrier...

Here you can see the corner cement slab we had poured. When the tree gets larger we should have some shade. This will be a perfect place to put a bench and some potted shade plants.

Here's another good shot of the curbing barrier we put in around the perimeter to contain the pea gravel we put down in the tree/flower beds. You can also see where we extended the concrete around part of the house - another great place for a sitting group, some art, and some potted plants :) I'm seriously honing my "green thumb" - so far, so good...

Before we could begin laying the sod, we had to level the yard and removed about 4 tons of dirt!

And here we go!

We discovered early in the process that it was rather difficult to cut the sod pieces, especially around the sprinkler heads and trees... so we got creative!

(observe the electric turkey knife - genius!)

This really was no small task.

We started laying weed barrier and leveling dirt about 7am. All the rock was in by about 11am. Sod started going down just after that... but by 3pm in the blazing sun, we began to lose steam and had to call in reinforcements to finish the job before dark!

Enter Todd...

...and Lillie!

They SERIOUSLY saved the day!

And I was actually helping - not just taking pictures :)

VOILA!

We finished - just before the sun went down!

Here you can see the huge 10x13 slab of concrete we had poured to extend the patio (to the right).... and the 2 foot border we extended from underneath the patio, adding a lot more usable square footage to the yard.

And the sprinkers work :) The sod is flourishing and we're enjoying the finished yard so much! There are a few more photos to come... including the dogs basking in their new space :)

Stay tuned!

CoCo - Here we come!

2010-03-11T15:17:00.003-07:00

Hurray! Tyler and I just bought tickets to see Conan O'Brien's stand-up routine in Phoenix on Friday April 30th!!! HAD to share :) So excited...

Reminiscing...

2010-02-08T15:24:00.008-07:00

Happy Monday! I dislike Monday's, but I'm certainly trying to make the best of this one... It's been a LONG weekend.

Friday night I got food poisoning - ick! gross! cooties! nasty! I was up all night purging the yuck from my body. Saturday was *rough* to say the least. Tyler took me to Urgent Care Saturday night and I got some medications to calm my nausea. I slept pretty good, but was still a bit rocky on Superbowl Sunday. I made it to work today and felt pretty productive. Thank god for Facebook - I know who won the Superbowl without even watching - Go Saints! Laissez Le Bon Temps de Rouler!!

It's days like today that I wish I was on my honeymoon again :) And since I've yet to share pictures on the blog - here's a quick recap of our 10-day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico:

View of Banderas Bay from the Plane

Downtown Clock Tower

View of the Resort Pool from our Hotel Suite

View of the Ocean from our Hotel Suite

Discovering Downtown Puerto Vallarta
Tyler on the Malecon (boulevard)

Being Seaside was awesome... it's been awhile!

We Discovered Senor Frogs!
The sign behind Tyler says "Horny-Mooners"

When you order a BIG beer, be prepared for the staff to drink your first one!

Obviously a very fun place to throw back a few brews and watch the culture.

Tyler spent almost every night at the ocean's edge...

A Pirate Ship Booze-Cruise!

Our Host - Roc!

Miss America (me) singing La Cucaracha

One of the best events by far... we enjoyed it so much!

Las Animas

Yelapa (my favorite seaside town on the bay)
and my new friend, Pedro.

Bucerias (great seafood - our favorite meal on the trip!)

Las Marietas Islands

Via 1800's Dutch Cast Iron Sail Boat

What a perfect day for snorkeling!

We even had some friends join us along side the boat...

Absolutely breathtaking - we're so fortunate to have seen these creatures in nature :)

The Outdoor Adventure was Awesome! Very Challenging!

We rode burrows WAY up the mountain and zip-lined back down.

Tyler was a natural at repelling the rock wall.

After some apprehension, I got the hang of it!

We bumped into some of my old High School friends downtown! Crazy!

Back at the hotel for some much needed R&R... and the biggest drink we've ever seen!
Coco Loco, SO CUTE!

Tyler couldn't get enough of the water slide :)
He'll always be a kid at heart!

Thank you Mom and Don for giving us a vacation we'll never forget - we love you very much! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to return with you someday. **Viva Vallarta**

Denver Trip & Broncos Game

2010-02-02T11:05:00.006-07:00

Our trip to Denver was so much fun last December. We bought tickets to a Broncos game at the beginning of the season and picked a game we were sure we could win! We LOST to the Oakland Raiders by 1 POINT :(

It was COLD in Denver, but so much fun to see a great game, meet fans of all kinds, and explore the city.

Me - FREEZING!

Tyler - exactly one mile above sea level

16th Street Downtown

Paramount Cafe was THE place to eat and grab a drink... YUM!

The view from our Hilton hotel room! (Thanks Judy!)

It's GAME TIME!

Go Broncos

The stadium was gorgeous... and huge!

We tailgated from 8AM-2PM and met the neatest people.
Matching Ponchos :)

Right next to the Raiders fans - LOL!

SUPERfans - wow...

We couldn't pass up a photo-op with this guy!

The Shotski
*I will never look at my skis the same way!*

Enjoying the beautiful view and a very close game!

Progress on the New House

2010-01-29T17:46:00.005-07:00

We are nearly there... still scheduled to close on February 17th and ready to move in February 20th! It's really starting to become a reality as we finalize our loan docs and visit the house frequently to be sure progress is good.

There are still some major things to do, like carpet and landscaping, but nonetheless - it's looking more and more like a BEAUTIFUL house every minute.

February 20th cannot seem to come fast enough. We are so excited to be able to have a home where we can grow and begin the next chapter of our lives. We still have to pinch ourselves most days - it just doesn't seem real!

More updates will follow as the progress continues 10-fold. Stay tuned!

The house has officially been dubbed the "Maxon Mansion"
by our good friends Ryan & Andrea G.
We like the sound of that! Thanks guys :)

Front of the house

Garage door painted

Close up of stone-work

West side of the house

East side of the house

Back of the house

Unlocking the house for the first time!

The feature that made this house a must-have...

The front door from inside the house

The kitchen cabinets

The kitchen counter tops (granite)

Dining room light fixture

Bathroom vanities

Wedding Pictures (just the highlights)

2009-12-18T17:11:00.014-07:00

Hey Everyone,

We've received multiple requests for wedding pictures :) If you're not doing the whole Facebook thing - you probably haven't had a chance to see these yet... so here are just a FEW of the 450+... the best of the best. Our photographer was amazing and we highly recommend her for all your photography needs (she travels ;)).

Marnie McCown Guard
Crescendo Photography

Tyler & Kelsey Maxon
June 20th, 2009
Fountain Hills, Arizona

THANK YOU grandma, grandpa, mom, don, sarah, jenny, dad, kris, staci, jon, alec, terrin, john, penny, robbie, megan, todd, trevor, chris, corey and ALL of you who travel many miles to share our special day - we love you so much!

Houston: we (almost) have a house

2009-12-10T15:48:00.007-07:00

The recent progress on our new home is nothing short of amazing. We signed papers back in late September on our dream house - a new build - completely from scratch. We've made large earnest deposits each month since then as a way to "finance" our down payment.

In late October, we grew concerned about reaching our estimated finish date of February 28, 2010... as NOTHING had been done on the house. However, we visited the property just before Halloween and here's what we saw :)

The View to the North

The View to the South

Wall-E (sustainable life - a token of good things to come?)

We were thrilled to see they'd excavated the land in preparation for the foundation. We were finally one step closer to our dream and proud of what we'd saved so far - - in order to reach our lofty goal. Within DAYS (no joke... only about three days) our plumbing was piped, tension rods and rebar were being laid, and our foundation was ready to pour!

Plumbing! (North View)

Tension Rods and Rebar are IN! (Southwest View)

Anxiously Awaiting Concrete... (South View)

And Finally... a Slab! (and seriously w/in a week!)

Front Porch

Our Cement Truck
(heading for the washout after pouring our foundation)

Once we had a foundation - we were elated! We felt like we'd finally arrived - - our dream is becoming a reality and time is flying. We've been to the property every weekend taking pictures and paying close attention to the building process. We're looking for mistakes, things we can ask to have changed - if minor - and honestly, we're so impressed with the quality of craftsmanship that Ashton Woods (our builder) has displayed. They take pride in their work - and they work FAST.

Here's what's been achieved in just four short weeks:

Two Stories of Framing is UP! (Southeast View)

Front Porch (garage is to the left)

Tyler in the Front Doorway

Me on the Staircase (no roof yet - just black sky)

Suddenly we have more Detail Work and Windows :)

Scaffolding is UP and the Crew can Start the Tyvek Barrier

Back Yard/Back Porch (Northwest View)

This Picture Shows the Scale of the House
(can you see me on the bottom left side?)
I know I'm a dwarf, but seriously, this makes me look even dwarfier! LOL!

So - today is December 10th... our plumbing, gas lines, electrical, and some cable/speaker wires are in. The house is wrapped and the roof is prepped for tiles. We have a "pre-drywall" meeting December 14th where we inspect and make any changes to the wiring, etc... then its full-steam ahead on the insullation and drywall and a crew will come out and get started on the stucco exterior.

Whew! It's happening so fast, but we're right on target - and we're so ready to be in our new home :)

Thank you for taking an interest in and sharing our journey. We are so grateful for family and friends like you - we wish you all the prosperity the world has to offer this Christmas!

XOXO - Kelsey & Tyler

A Mighty Flood

2009-11-16T15:45:00.004-07:00

We had an exciting weekend to say the least. Saturday I was home cleaning and decided to do some laundry. Little did I know - less than one hour later - my house would be FULL of water!!

Thank goodness for home-owner's insurance.

We're working to assess ALL the damage, file the claim, and begin the necessary repairs and replacements... hopefully it will be quick and painless. Here are some choice photos of the damage 150 gallons of water can do from a second-story laundry room:

Snip-its from my Bachelorette Party :)

2009-11-06T17:21:00.005-07:00

I can't tell you much - but I can tell you this... My bridesmaids Robbie and Megan threw a fantastically fun party for me with the help of my Aunt Judy at the Pointe Hilton - Tapatio Cliffs Resort!

Thank you Megan and Robbie for putting forth such thought and creativity in your decorations, games and prizes, and fun eats and drinks.

Thank you Judy for scoring us a great deal on Cabanas and a room for the night! I'm so glad you stopped in for a bit, too :)

Thank you to my guests for traveling so far (in the sticks) to spend the day and a night out... full of debachery and nearly laughing until we peed our pants!

Here are some of the photos I *can* show you:

... And the rest is history! Strictly confidential :)

My Bridal Shower

2009-10-14T13:30:00.010-07:00

OK - Better late than never, right? I'm working a bit backwards here, but wanted to share a few key thoughts and moments from my Bridal Shower - - - back in March :)

My Matron of Honor (we prefer "maid") Robbie, and my bridesmaid Megan, threw a great party! They ran with the wedding theme and bought all polka-dot decor. I loved the balloons, the super-cute dotted napkins, and the amazingly yummy cake!

I am SO thankful to all the guests who came out to help me celebrate this BIG rite of passage... My mom, mother-in-law, aunts, long-time family friends, distant cousins, college friends, work friends, my best friend from high school, many of Tyler's friends whom I've come to love and adore, and so many others - - - WOW. Thank you all... I'm so glad we share such a great memory together.

Robbie had some fun games planned: a quiz about how well our guests knew Tyler and I (we even stumped our own mothers!), a memory touch exercise where guests had 30 seconds to reach in a bag and feel for "wedding night" items... then they had to recall what they felt and write it on paper, and finally a bridal bingo game for gift-opening. All the games were great fun, and at times a bit "revealing" and funny!

Tyler and I got several generous gifts from our wedding registries and other unique and "sexy" things that made me blush! I was overwhelmed at the generosity of my family and friends - Thank You!!!!

Robbie and Megan - a HUGE shout out to you - THANK YOU for creating such a special day for me. You two are truly the best kind of friends (and family ;-))

New House...almost!

2009-09-29T15:26:00.011-07:00

It's been entirely too long since I've blogged... my... where does the time go?

I've been increasingly overwhelmed with all the stories and events I want to blog... our wedding preparation, our wedding itself, our honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta, etc. that I've simply been avoiding writing at all! LOL

But - Tyler and I are super excited about our most recent purchase :) Another house!! This is our "dream" home. Our "family" home. A place our kids will know their whole lives and come home to for the holidays and summers when they are in college. Where they'll bring their husbands/wives and our grand kids. A place where family and friends and can gather for holidays and events and feel comfortable... enough space for everyone to move around!

For now - it's still just US - but it won't always be that way, so we're looking ahead to the future and this purchase marks a new chapter in our lives together - officially - as husband and wife.

So, we know what you're thinking... it doesn't look like much! LOL

It's a brand new build in a sough-after neighborhood just down the street from where we are now, called Morrison Ranch. We're approximately "Stage 3" of 5 stages of building... so near the end, but not to be without dust and building noise for at least another 2 years or so :)

We purchased the corner lot (#563 on the map above), which gave us an extra 150-200 square feet of space in the back and side yard. I think the most thrilling part of this whole process has been choosing the things WE want, like the elevation, color, cabinets, flooring, features, etc. Here's just a taste of what's to come outside and inside our new home:

We chose the cobalt blue/charcoal gray Craftsman elevation
(a throw back to my pacific northwest upbringing)

Tile, Grout, Cabinets, Granite Counters

Carpet

We chose the gray/black swatch to hide dirt, spills, and traffic patterns!

Bathroom vanities throughout will be this cultured stone
with white under-mount sinks

Here are the floorplans
(click each image to see a larger version)

You can also watch a virtual tour of the model home here.

We'll continue to share the progress as the house is being built... if all goes according to plan, we should have keys in hand no later than February 28th (just in time for our birthdays!!)

What a fabulous adventure this will be - thanks for sharing it with us.

Tyler's Braces are OFF :)

2009-05-21T16:45:00.004-07:00

He's lookin' good...
Congrats babe! You're a handsome devil.

Congratulations to Tyler!

2009-02-06T14:27:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone! It's been so long since we've updated this blog, but we really haven't had anything to report :) Life is as usual...

However, we did received some VERY exciting news earlier this week for Tyler.

Tyler received a promotion!!!

He is now a 2nd Director for South University! It not only means more moola, but he's finally doing something he's great at, and that he LOVES. He's mananging a team with 2 Project Associates (his immediate and advanced "helpers") and so far, he has nine brand new employees fresh out of training class (his Assistant Directors of Admissions). His job now is to motivate and educate and build and strengthen his new team... all while learning the ropes in his new management position.

I am so proud of him!

He's excited to be in his new role with EDMC (Education Management Corporation) and we see a very long and secure future for him, there.

Congrats again babe! (And a BIG thank you to our friends and family for your support)

XOXO - Kelsey & Tyler

The Proposal

2008-11-04T17:45:00.002-07:00

Thursday, July 19, 2008 Tyler and I set out an incredible adventure I never thought possible!

We left the house at 5:15AM and headed out to meet up with Trevor (Tyler's brother) and Mari (Trevor's girlfriend). We were riding a Harley Davidson Heritage Soft-Tail Motorcycle!

The itinerary:

DAY 1 - Thursday:
Phoenix, AZ to Mammoth Lakes, CA (Yosemite National Park Area)
Approximate ride time: 9 hours

DAY 2 - Friday:
Mammoth Lakes, CA to Yosemite National Park
Approximate ride time: 1 hour
Spend the day inside the park
Depart Yosemite, CA for San Francisco, CA
Approximate ride time: 4 hours

DAY 3 - Saturday:
San Francisco, CA
Spend the day at Pier 39
San Francisco, CA to San Bernadino, CA
Approximate ride time: 6.5 hours

DAY 4 - Sunday:
San Bernadino, CA to Phoenix, AZ (HOME)
Approximate ride time: 7 hours

We'd been anticipating this trip for months and had packed light, remembered the sunscreen, and were smart enough to wear helmets. So, off we went with the wind howling and the exhaust pipes blasting... hoping to make it through the great Southwest desert before the afternoon heat hit!

We didn't. We hit record highs in Palm Desert... 117 degrees and rising by 11:30AM!

I nearly passed out from the heat and had to ask Tyler to pull over immediately. We re-hydrated at the nearest gas station and prayed the heat wouldn't hold us back again... but we required SEVERAL more frequent stops for water and electrolytes, we doused ourselves (fully clothed) in gallons of water, and what should have been a 9 hour drive north, took nearly 14 hours! But alas, we made it to Mammoth Lakes, met up with our friend Bryan and crashed at the local Motel 6 after a HUGE meal at the nearest pizza joint.

Friday morning we all woke and stumbled upon the BEST breakfast food in the entire world... a little place in Mammoth Lakes called STOVE'S - GO THERE! After breakfast we headed into Yosemite and found the most EXPENSIVE gasoline we've seen thus far:

Here are some of the most breathtaking views in the United States:

After lunch in the park, we headed for Lower Yosemite Falls. It was a nice little hike in the shade, and a great relief to be OFF the bike! LOL! The waterfall was amazing and the cool breeze and the continuous mist of water was an incredible juxtaposition from the desert heat the day prior.

As we headed down from the hike in the falls, Tyler signaled to me to come closer to him - now, having spent four years with him at this point, I was sure he was plotting something hilariously humiliating like throwing a spider on me, or pretending to push me into the rapids underneath the falls - so needless to say, I was hesitant to join him.

After a little persuasion, I finally followed him to a more sheltered part of the walking path, away from the mist of the falls and the swarming tourists. It was then that he got down on one knee, pulled a ring from his pocket and asked if I'd spend the rest of my life with him!!

I immediately began to CRY and shouted, more audibly than I realized, a resounding "YES" and heads turned from every direction! Oops! Trevor and Bryan popped out of the bushes, like the true paparazzi they are and pictures began to snap from every angle. Tyler had let them in on the "plan" before the trip kicked off, so Bryan came ready with a bottle of champaign and plastic cups - so cute! - and we all celebrated underneath beautiful Yosemite Falls.

So, as a newly engaged couple, we got back on the bikes and headed for the City by the Bay - San Francisco!

Saturday, oddly enough, was record high temperatures in San Francisco! No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't escape the heat! But nonetheless, we spent the day playing "tourists" down on Pier 39. We ate fish & chips and salt-water taffy, shopped for Alcatraz souvenirs and watched the sea lions sun-bathe for HOURS!

We knew we had to get started home or we'd never make it back to Phoenix by Sunday night. We said goodbye to Bryan in San Francisco and headed for San Bernadino... we really wanted to rest our heads on a pillow by midnight...

And we arrived in San Bernadino by midnight - hooray! Only to find out that there was a RODEO in town and all hotels/motels for 40+ miles were completely booked! Our only choice was to continue riding into the darkness in the direction of Phoenix until we could find a vacancy... at 2AM, we found it!

We were up again bright and early - no rest for the weary - and figured we could be in Phoenix before dinner. HOME - REST - RELAXATION - and no more PAIN in my backside!! I was ecstatic. However, we found ourselves in the desert again - DEATH VALLEY - to be exact and it felt hotter than the first day! So what should have been about a 7 hour ride became 14 hours very quickly - AGAIN!

We arrived back home around midnight, but the memories of the trip were well worth it! We traveled over 2,200 total miles in just four days on Harley's! I still can't believe we did it...