Its been a long time...

Howdy,
It's been a blogging hiatus at the Brown home mostly because we have had no time to spend talking about ourselves on the computer. But now that we are officially done with school until September, we can be as vapid and shallow as we were previously.
Terence and I have been having a great time since the last post we officially celebrated our first anniversary on April 3 and had a great weekend getaway at the Zermatt in Midway. We had some great adventures trying to find a Walmart that won't actually exist until 2011 and ate some of the most amazing food at a little place called the Snake Creek Grill. Lets just say it is worth the week that I had to work to pay it off.
The dogs have been getting bigger and smarter. Escaping from every form of confinement that we try and enforce is sort of their hobby now. They never seem to amaze me in fact they remind me of the T-Rex, on the Will Ferrell version of Land of the Lost, who has the brain the size of a walnut but the walnut is actually as big as a slug bug. They constantly outsmart me, who knew.
In more recent news my sister Mandi and her husband Don welcomed a new little boy named Luke into their family. He is cute and pink just as babies should be. We have been able to spend some time with their family and they are having a lot of fun with two kids now! I will do a picture post soon that will give you guys a little more insight into whats been up. Also, my Dad returned from Iraq and was able to come home and chill for a couple of days. Terence and Don have been gnawing at the bit to golf with him and they have taken advantage of the local courses.
Speaking of golf, Terence was asked to play in a tournament with Coach Mendenhall and a few other players to represent BYU. They played against the U and had a great time! They didn't win but they played well and learned a lot.
This weekend we were invited by Rhen and Kori to go to the Hale's Ranch in Idaho. We have been up there once before when it was chilly and snowy and so much fun. We like doing things together and getting away to ride four wheelers and fish was automatically the best plan that they contrived.

Goodness, there is so much that I have left out. But I may have to write it all down in a chart and make another post.

Luck o' the Irish!

Luckily we now have pictures on our blog!

As many of you know we have added another puppy to our clan and she is great and full of energy! She is a Great Dane Mastiff mix and can already put her paws and nose over the counter. Ah, I think we forget how big things will get.

Coach is doing well and I think they are finally getting used to eachother. Coach is no longer ripping her apart for coming near us and she has gained the sense to stop biting his tummy and unmentionables.

The other day I came in from folding laundry to make dinner and I found this. Mind you this is one of the first times that they were not forced to be in the same room.

We are excited that she seems to be getting the hang of going to the bathroom outside. Finally! she is also good at whining, Terence seems to think that Coach has his same temperment and Cypres and I tend to meld together. To that I say I am potty trained so it has no validity.

Hopefully they will keep getting along and not causing too many problems.

The Monotonous Month of March

March has arrived and with it many many tasks for our family from homework to home improvement. We recently added a new friend to the family, She is a Great Dane and we decided to name her Cypres. She is EXTREMELY active and into everything from socks to dishwashers. Even though we love her it was touch and go as to how long she would live if she didn't start going to the bathroom outside instead of everywhere I walk. But we are excited to say that she might possibly be sleeping through the night now, we are hoping its not just a fluke.
She has been keeping Coach in shape though they are constantly battling it out and pinning each other.
Along with new puppy training we quickly recognized that two puppies in the house means double the cleaning we have to do. Therefore, we decided a fence was in order! Unfortunately, it has been raining on our parade so the fence is still in the work but I am getting to the point were I will work in the snow and sleet to get that barrier up!
While we have been waiting for different projects to come together we spent our time watching the third season of 24 every spare moment we had. Lets just say it was intense and apparently rules do not apply to Jack Bauer that apply to the rest of the civilized world. We have decided that we can't watch season 4 until we have a break from school all because of two nights of going to be at 4 am.
Hopefully I will get some visuals up here soon but we all know I have been promising that feat for a year so don't hold your breath just yet.

Blizzerding, Blundering, Blues.

Utah... Ah what can I say. I have a love hate relationship with this state. One moment I am walking on campus after it has rained and it feels like the beginnings of spring and I think to myself " What could be better than the end of January and the beginning of Spring?" Of course I added a grateful thought that there would be no more snow incidents. The next day I went to play with Coach outside and to my surprise I stepped on wet and cold snow. Imagine my face and my immediate recollection of my statement the day before. Arrrg! I have once again jinxed myself into a snowy walk at school. But enough about my relationship with the weather and more about our family.
School is in full swing here with upcoming assignments and trying to get ready for tests we have been extremely busy. We have to remind ourselves sometimes that we love it and that it's worth it ( okay, okay it's only me that has to do so!) But we love it and love having this time together. We have both been blessed by having the opportunity of taking some internet classes for our majors. This means homework that we do together at home while trying to watch The Office. Surprisingly, this was only attempted once and only by myself. Terence knows better than to try and do anything while watching The Office.
We have also decided to become healthier eaters for the rest of our lives. We will see how that actually pans out but for now it is a bit interesting. Spinach has become my new friend and I tend to put it in everything; pasta, eggs, sandwiches, and even salads. I even contemplated putting it a batch of whole wheat bread I was making. I quickly remembered all of the failed breads that I have made since December and decided against ruining three hours worth of work. It did make me think though about healthy bread recipes, please feel free to share any that you may have. I am always up for fun new things to try.

Exciting Events Transpire.

Our lives have been hectic and we have been running around like crazy people. Finally, we have time to stop and share a little of our lives with you. Recently, the Cougars were invited to the Las Vegas bowl in Nevada to play Oregon State. Terence played well and we had a great time with our friends on the team. Vegas had perfect weather until we had to sit outside for more than three hours and cheer our guts out. I ended up with a cold and some great clothes. Terence on the other hand has a great bike that will appear as a late Christmas gift in two to three weeks.
As far as Christmas goes this was our first official Christmas as the Terence and Sara Brown family! We were able to spend time with each side of our extended family while eating great food and having great conversations.
My husband also realized this season how I am a horrible, awful, no good, game looser. We have tried to play games before and he did get a small glimpse at how truly ghastly I will act if I am not winning but alas the game "Munchkins" put it over the edge. I lost and well I was a bit of a stinker the rest of the night. Of course, I apologized over and over again only to be met with the words, "Wanna play another game with me?" Ah... wonderful.
We received many amazing gifts this year for Christmas, some of our favorite were gifts to help us around our new home. Terence received a gift card from Home Depot with which he bought a tool set and Drill. He also received some yard tools that he has been hinting for mercilessly. Then there is me. I received two amazing gifts that I had been hoping I would get. Hold your breath because you will not believe it a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer and Williams and Sonoma Peppermint Dish Soap. The Kitchenaid came from my mother and the dish soap came from my Mother-In-Law. Now I know how my mother guessed what I wanted because well I am sure I fit it into every conversation we have had since Terence and I were married 8 months ago. But... How did my Mother-In-Law know that I have a secret love for everything peppermint except the candy??? I don't think my husband even knows that. Now I love to wash dishes while I have bread baking in the oven!
Needless to say we have been blessed this Christmas season by being in the presence of family and friends and hope that the coming year will be as fun and eventful as the last!

Here is to trying to add a picture

Birthdays, Friends and Sushi...

These past few weeks have been so fun for our little family. My Mother-In-Law's birthday was on Sunday the 11th and we were able to spend some much needed time with the Brown clan that night celebrating a wonderful lady and all of her accomplishments. If I haven't told you before Kori and I are very lucky to have the In-Laws that we do. Caring and Loving are just a few words to describe them! We had a great Saladmaster meal and three cakes! We love to hang out with our families and have so much fun when our schedules allow it.
This week we have also been able to take care of another dog. My mom went to Washington D.C. on a really fun get away! She couldn't take her dog Bella so we decided to sit for her and give Coach a friend for a while. They have had so much fun running around and playing that every night they are pooped. T and I have been loving the extra time!
Last night we went out with some of T's friends from Football to a Sushi house. That is right I said sushi! Some people may think that Terence and I are not very refined but we eat raw fish, so they must be wrong. I tried quite a few different rolls but ended up regressing to a sauteed beef dish instead. Terence of course had the all you can eat sushi and loved it! Thanks to our friends that came with us and made the night so fun!