Ben and Elena

Halloween Photos

2011-11-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

The pumpkin Ben and I carved for Halloween this year. If you can't tell who it is, you must not watch Disney movies.

This Halloween my friend Caterine and I threw a Halloween Couples Party. We had such a blast throwing it together, and it could not have turned out more perfectly. We had 9 couples total, which made 18 people at the party. Everyone dressed up in their costumes and got really into it. We carved pumpkins, had a costume contest, ate really awesome food, and played Halloween bingo. For more pictures from the party, go to my facebook page, I've added them all there.

On actual Halloween night, Ben and I went to my parent's house in Buda and all dressed up to walk around the neighborhood. The theme this year was "Clue" characters. Grant dressed up as Professor Plum, but didn't walk around with us. Some people had a hard time telling who we were. Umm...are we the only family that played Clue growing up? I thought it was pretty obvious who we were. Anyway, Halloween night was fun, and now the countdown is on for Thanksgiving!

Anna Marries Handsome Rob

2011-10-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Ben and I went to Queen Creek, Arizona for his cousin Anna's wedding. It was so much fun, and such a nice escape from everyday school and work. It was hot, hot, hot, in Arizona, and for once I was wishing the Texas weather had traveled with us. Despite the hot weather, the wedding was absolutely beautiful.

Waiting for Anna and Rob to come out.
Ben and Jeff hanging out on the temple grounds.

Anna and Rob coming out of the temple!

Ben posing for me at the reception.
Me and Grace taking a picture before the reception started.

It was so wonderful to see all of the Gordons and getting to spend time with Ben's extended family. Ben and I are so thankful to Jeff and Grace for letting us stay at their place during the wedding. As with almost all vacations, it didn't feel long enough!

Alli's Birthday Party

2011-08-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Guess who's turning 12 this month? This girl:

Her birthday's not until August 25th, but we had a little family party this weekend to celebrate before school starts up again. It was Disney-themed, so we all got to dress up! Naturally Alli's costume was awesome:

Us with the birthday girl.

Can you guess who everybody is? My dad was Gaston, but it's kinda hard to tell from the photo. We had a lot of fun and I'm always happy to have an excuse to get in costume!

Dallas Trip Last Weekend

2011-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Cynthia took Ben and I to the Genghis Khan Exhibit at the Irving Arts Center. We couldn't take any photos inside the exhibit, so this is all we got. With my IPhone too, so not as good. The exhibit was really beautiful, and I learned so much about the great warlord. There was a video that tested the DNA of men in Asia, and I think something like 3/4 of them are related to Genghis Khan in some way.
After the exhibit, we went to "Genghis Grill." They were giving out coupons at the exhibit, plus it's delicious. They just built one in Austin, so we will get to go more often!

In the evening we went to Chili's for dinner with Daniel and then to the dollar movie to see Thor. It was awesome, and I'm not just saying that. Really, it was probably my favorite superhero movie that came out this year.

Every time I take a picture of Ben and Daniel, I am always blown away by how alike they look. On Sunday we went to hang out with Millie and Dean, Ben's grandparents, and it was fun to visit with them as well. Only a few more weeks of freedom before Ben's second year of law school starts!

Party Boat!

2011-07-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went on a party boat with a bunch of people from my family's ward. We had an awesome time.

Best picture of my Dad. EVER.

Zilker Botanical Gardens

2011-07-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've been to the Zilker Botanical Gardens, and Ben has never gone, so when Daniel came to Austin to visit us for the weekend, we thought it would be fun. It was fun, but one thing I always forget about Texas is it's always hot, hot, hot.

The Oriental Garden is by far the coolest part of the garden area.

Ben and Daniel chillin' on a bench.

Our cat. Sometimes I just can't help myself. I think she looks majestic in this one.

Camping Trip!

2011-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big camper. In fact, pretty much every camping trip I've been on hasn't been fun. Granted, a lot of those camping trips were when I was a teenager going to Girls' Camp, but when I was growing up my family tried camping time and time again. It never really worked out. But, despite all my past experiences, Ben convinced me that we needed to get supplies for camping and start going. We went this past weekend to Pace Bend Park, which overlooks Lake Travis, and we had a wonderful time. This was the view from our campsite:

At night, Ben and I took our camping chairs and went and sat on a hill looking up at the stars and looking at the city lights of Austin. Yes, we were camping, but we weren't that far from civilization.
In the morning, Ben cooked breakfast and we went swimming in the lake.

I told Ben we can definitely go camping again, as long as every time is as fun as this time was.

Girls' Day Out

2011-06-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Take Mexican food at Piscis...
Mini Blizzards at Dairy Queen...

Matching aprons and making cookies...and you get...two super fun days! So glad Adrienne is home and we've gotten to spend so much time together! I love you, chica!

Summertime

2011-06-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Summer is already going by way too fast. Here's a few things we've been up to:

In May, Andrea and Daniel came to Austin to visit. We took them to our favorite spot at Zilker Park, overlooking the downtown area. It was a perfect day for it.

Andrea just took the LSAT, and should find out her score soon! UT is one of the schools she's applied to, so we are hoping that's where she chooses. We'd love to see her more often.
My brother Grant starred in his high school play, where he got to kiss two girls! He was hilarious, and definitely stole the show. We went to support and snapped this photo of some of the kids.

I drove up to Round Rock to see my friend Allisa and meet her new baby Molly! She's 3 months old, and such a doll. Allisa and I had a great time chatting and catching up since it's been a while since I'd seen her.

Me with Molly.

And finally, Grant got his Eagle Scout! He is now officially an Eagle, and he's only 16! His project was to plant a historical marker. About 45 people from the church and community came out to help him. He finished the project in December, and he had his Eagle Scout ceremony just a few weeks ago:Yay for Grant! Some other fun things we plan to do this summer: go camping, go to Schlitterbahn, spend time with Adrienne (she comes home to visit this week!), swim as much as possible, go to Dallas, and relax. Ben also has scout camp and high adventure for young men's that he will be going to. We're doing well, and enjoying life in Austin as usual. :)

Two Year Anniversary

2011-05-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, a boy named Ben and a girl named Elena fell in love.

Two years ago, they made the best decision of their lives and got married for time and all eternity in the San Antonio Texas LDS temple.

Today, Ben and Elena are living happily married in Austin and loving life.

Happy Anniversary, babe! You make my life complete. I love you.

Alice in Weinerland

2011-05-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a duplicate post. If you are a steady Ben and Elena blog follower, these pictures might look a little familiar. It was the annual Buda Weiner Dog festival again this year, and Ben and I couldn't miss it! Adrienne wasn't there this time around, and Grant didn't want to go because he was too tired, but Ben and I still went with my mom and dad. The theme this year was "Alice in Weinerland". Lol. Some of the dogs' names were hilarious. My favorite was "Red Log".

Latest Gillis Happenings

2011-05-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

It feels like these last couple of months have gone by so fast! Ben has been super busy with school, and I have been keeping on top of work, school, basketball, etc. I know it's been awhile since I blogged, so here's an update on us. The weekend of April 15th, Ben and I went to Dallas to visit his parents and grandparents. We went to White Rock Lake with Cynthia, which was absolutely gorgeous. I got a tad bit sunburned, but it was worth it for the fantastic view.

Whenever we go to Dallas, we stay at Daniel's house, and Ricey likes to climb to the very top of the kitchen cabinets and observe the action going on down below. Here's a good shot of her just chilling up there:

Daniel and Ben made these wooden cutouts about 15 years ago, and Ben said they would always display them during Christmastime. Daniel, Ben, and I are all huge Calvin and Hobbs fans.

We went to dinner at Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant, which I have been dying to go to forever. The food was really really good, and it was super noisy because it was so busy.

On Sunday we went over to Ben's grandparents' house, Millie and Dean Walden, where we played scrabble, ate Easter cake and ice cream, and got to visit. We got to see photos of Millie and Dean's cruise to Hawaii. They are frequent cruise goers. When I can convince Ben to take me on one, I know who to go to for advice on the best cruise! We always have so much fun visiting Dallas and it's so nice to see family and get away for awhile.

Dallas February Road Trip

2011-03-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

At the end of February, Ben and I went to Dallas to visit his parents and take a weekend away from work and school. One of the best parts about the trip was getting to see my friend Jessi from freshman year at BYU. Her family lives in Dallas and we've been trying for the past couple of months to pick a weekend where we're both in Dallas and can see each other. Finally the stars aligned. We had a great time driving around in her dad's fancy car, eating at Jason's Deli, and just catching up on life. She and Erik are expecting a baby boy in a few weeks, and I am so excited for her. Jessi and I got married within a week of each other, we're both from Texas, we both have dark hair, etc, etc. I love this girl and was so glad I got to see her!

While in Dallas Ben and I went to the Dallas temple with his mom Cynthia and did an endowment session. The Dallas temple is not as pretty as San Antonio on the outside, but I am liking it more and more every time we go. After the temple, I tried to get this little kid to take a picture of us all together, and this is the best photo we got. Yep. Oh well. Cynthia took us to this great Italian place and we had a nice time catching up.
Later that day we went to the Dallas nature preserve and walked around and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We really wanted to go to the zoo, but it was way too crowded and would have been chaotic. The nature preserve has this spot where you can go up to the top of a building and see the landscape from up high. It was quite windy, but such a nice day for February. Here are some shots of the nature preserve:

Me, Ben, and Ben's dad Daniel.

Ricey giving me the stink-eye. She loves Dallas because she has the reign of the whole house.

On Sunday, Ben and Daniel brought out this map of the world that he and Ben put together when Ben was little. It was all made out of cardboard and colored and cut out by the two of them. We had a fun time putting it together. I managed to do South America, but I don't quite excel in the geography department. We had a great time and are excited to go again soon!

Indiana Trip

2011-02-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

The weekend of Jan. 21st I went to Indiana to visit my older sister Natalie, her husband Trevor, and their new baby girl Madelyn Emery Hedman. I added all of my pics to my facebook page, but here are just a few for fun:

Trevor, Natalie, and Maddie

Me and Maddie

Maddie smiling at me

I had such a great time in Indiana and enjoyed getting to catch up with Natalie and Trevor and spend time with Maddie. It was hard being away from Ben for a couple of days, but it was worth it to take a break from work and get to meet my new niece. Due to the large amounts of snow in Indiana, I can definitely say I wouldn't want to move there any time soon, but it made me wish Nat and Trevor lived close by so I could see them more often.

Dallas New Year's

2011-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ben and I went to Carrollton, TX for New Year's which is where Ben grew up. I brought my camera with me, but unfortunately did not take too many pictures. With a sister-in-law for a photographer, it's a little intimidating. Of course I got plenty of good shots of Ricey.

We mostly relaxed and hung out at Ben's house, which was fine by me! Here's a candid of Daniel.

While we were there, Andrea did a sort of mini-photoshoot with us. Here are some pics I pulled from her blog.

This one was just too cute not to post.

Ut Memorial Museum with Cynthia and Andrea

2011-01-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

We were very lucky to have Cynthia and Andrea come visit us in Austin. While we were showing them around the UT campus, we checked out the UT Memorial Museum, which Ben and I had never been in before. Here are some pics from that:

Outside the museum with the mustang sculpture.
This ancient horse-creature that used to dwell in Texas.
We had a great time, and we both really appreciate that Cynthia drove her brand new Lincoln all the way from Dallas to Austin, and then back to Dallas with us and Ricey in the car. You're the best, Cynthia! We love you!

Christmastime

2011-01-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Ben and I got to do a lot of fun things this December. We spent a lot of time with both sets of families hanging out, watching movies, going to museums, going out to eat, the usual. Here are some pics of us with my family minus Nat and Trevor and Maddie.

Every Christmas Eve we go out to dinner at Johnny Carino's. It was delicious!
After finals, Ben went to Utah to visit some of his good friends.
We went to "Main Street Bethlehem" in Burnet, TX. It was super cold but totally worth it.
With the whole fam.
Petting the camel with Alli. My next post will be all about the fun things we did with Ben's family!

December Update

2010-12-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

We've got our Christmas tree up, some presents wrapped, and our stockings hung. But right now it doesn't feel a whole lot like the Christmas month. It feels like law school month!

It's finals week for Ben, and he is getting more and more stressed as his first exam approaches. I have full confidence that he is going to do great, and that he has nothing to be nervous about, but of course he's a little worried since this is his first experience with law school tests. Then after finals, he will need to start applying for internships, so that's something he's planning on working on once finals are over. I am so proud of him and how hard he works at school.

As for me, I have been crazy busy with work. We just moved into a new office, and I am taking on a lot of new responsibilities. It's nice to be challenged and to be able to learn new things, but there are some days when I feel like I have so much going on I don't know where to start first. Mostly things are good, and it's nice to have good co-workers.

We have a lot of family activities going on this month, including choir concerts, family parties, the annual "bake-off, and of course the Trail of Lights! Life is so good, but it is so busy! Wish I had time to post pictures, but I'll have to later. Hope everyone is having a great month and getting into the Christmas spirit.

Halloween Weekend in Dallas

2010-11-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might be wondering why Ben and I weren't more festive this year with our Halloween holiday, it was mostly because we decided to go to Dallas last weekend! Even if we weren't trick-or-treating or bobbing for apples, we still had a fun time hanging out with Ben's parents. Ben's dad took us to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, where we took a picture next to Jumbo, the wooly mammoth sculpture.

A cool porch swing we found outside the museum.

The underwater predator that I would never EVER want to meet.

The animatronic T-REX. Rawr.
After the museum, Ben and I went to see "Despicable Me" at the theater with Cynthia. Such a cute movie. Dinner was delicious and afterwards we got frozen yogurt! We had such a wonderful time and it was nice to get away for a while and spend time with Ben's family.

Halloween

2010-11-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Everyone is posting Halloween pics, so I thought I'd join the fun! This year's edition:

I really wanted to do matching costumes, but we never had time to go out and get them. Very low-key Halloween for us this year. I made the Minnie Mouse ears and already had the dress, and all Ben had to do was put a pot on his head to be Johnny Appleseed. However, if you want to see some successful costumes from the past:

Peter Pan and Tiger Lily (our first Halloween together!)

And Zorro and Elena. Cue Spanish music. Second Halloween together. Oerall, the ward party this year was fun and we had a good time, even if a lot of people's costumes were way more creative and exciting. We're hoping we can still carve a pumpkin this weekend if they're not all gone.

Ruth Bowden's 100th Birthday Party

2010-09-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Not many people can say that they know someone who is 100 years old. But we do! Ben and I went to Kerrville this past weekend for his great-grandmother Ruth Bowden's 100th Birthday party! Unfortunately I am not the best at taking pictures, but plenty of other people were, so I didn't feel too much pressure. I'm sure it will be a little while before we get the photo of us with Ruth that the professional photographer took, but here's one from a year a half ago!Heidi and Amber posing for the camera. Those two are so cute!

Little Kyle! I like to think that Ben and I were his favorites at the party. Ben got called "The Baby Whisperer" a few times.

Hanging out in Kerrville with the wild turkeys in the background.

Ben's cousin Jared who looks like he could be his brother, Ben, Aunt Janet, and Ben's cousin Grace. Thanks to everyone! We had such a good time and were so happy to see everyone!

Labor Day Fun with the Fam

2010-09-21T15:23:00.001-07:00

Labor Day was a blast! We went with my fam to this awesome park just south of Buda where we rode our bikes, ate awesome food, and swam! There are no swimming pics because my mom didn't want to take any.

My dad is the master of the grill.

Alli and Ben having a great time. Hope everyone else had as much fun on their day off as we did!

The Start of Law School

2010-09-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. It has been exactly one month since my last post. Part of that is because I haven't felt that we've had anything "big" to post about, and the other part is that things have started getting busier with Ben in law school. Today marks the end of the second week that Ben has been at University of Texas Law School. He is enjoying it so much and I love hearing about all the cases they discuss in class and how that affects our laws today. It's also nice to have a husband who is happy and busy and really loving what he's doing. I was worried that when he started law school he wouldn't find it as fascinating as he thought and that he would be disappointed, so I am very glad that has not happened. As for me, I have been working 8 to 5 every day and trying to stay busy having lunches with friends and whatnot. When Ben was still at his full time job, he would come home every day and have lunch with me, and I really miss being able to see him during that time. So, even though I have Ricey for company, occasionally I go out to lunch with a friend, or, like yesterday, have lunch with my mom. It's been a pretty smooth adjustment so far, and usually Ben comes home around 5 every day, so he's not gone much longer than he was when he was working. Any way, no pics to post this time, just some thoughts for the day. I hope everyone is having an awesome Labor Day weekend!

Trip to Oklahoma City, OK

2010-08-04T15:34:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Oklahoma City, OK to meet up with my sister Natalie and her husband Trevor:
They were doing their yearly road trip from Caifornia back to Indiana, so we thought we'd have a little family reunion while they stopped in Oklahoma. The trip consisted of some pretty big milestones for the Garcia family. The first one of which, was my little sister Alli getting her ears pierced!

Everyone says we look like twins. Now that her ears are pierced, we're even more similar!

Another big milestone: my sister Adrienne made friends with a gorilla. This gorilla would offer her some celery every once and a while, but Adrienne always refused it. I don't get that girl. Who wouldn't want free food from a gorilla?

And another huge milestone: having our family all together at the Oklahoma City Zoo and loving it! It was a great trip, and Ben and I had such a blast with everyone. We are also very happy for my sister Natalie who is due in October. I will post more pics of the OK trip on facebook, if anyone wants to see more. We're now back in Austin and counting down the days until law school starts!

Fort Worth Water Gardens

2010-07-11T16:57:00.001-07:00

July 4th weekend, Ben and I went to Dallas to visit his family. One of the coolest things we got to do while we were there was go to the Fort Worth Water Gardens, about 45 mins outside Dallas. The gardens were absolutely beautiful. I have never seen anything like it. We went with Ben's mom, Cynthia and his sister Andrea.
Andrea was home for a visit, and it was so fun to see her. She is so much fun to be around and so sweet. As evidenced by this picture, of course.
This is the "Active Pool", which was by far the coolest water sculpture there. I kept thinking I was going to fall in, especially when we walked through it, but luckily I was safe.

As always, it was great to see Ben's family and spend time with them. Unfortunately, I didn't take any more photos of the three day weekend, but it was a blast!

Capitol Trip

2010-07-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated, so I am just going to post some pictures and summarize the latest happenings with us. For those of you not from Austin who may not recognize the above picture, Ben and I went to visit the Capitol building the weekend of June 25th. I have been to the Capitol many times since I was born and raised here, but this was Ben's first time to go. It's not a particularly exciting thing to do, but it's cool to see the different rooms and to walk around with all the Austin tourists. It's really funny that because there are so many people always roaming around the Capitol, the animals are not afraid of people at all. Take this squirrel for example:

This little guy was convinced we were going to give him some food. He got so close we almost touched him!

Anyway, the Capitol is always fun to see, and I'm glad Ben got to experience it.

Ricey Gets a Bath

2010-06-24T15:39:00.001-07:00

This was her reaction when she found out she was going to get a bath: No, I am not kidding. She was against the idea from the start, but fortunately she had no choice in the matter. She smelled bad and the kitty litter stains on her paws spoke volumes. I, for one, never knew you were supposed to bathe cats ever. Since the only cats I ever had growing up were outdoor cats, we were lucky to see them twice a week, and my dad would have never thought about bathing them. But I am married to a man who believes firmly in bathing kitties, so here's what happened:

The above pictures illustrate her, "why me?" attitude during bathtime.

She was just too funny looking afterwards to not take a million pictures of, but I settled on the best two to post. I never knew that wet kitties looked like drowned rats. She might have looked funny, but she sure smelled better, and her fur fluffed up quite nicely once she had licked herself for an hour. I read a lot of blogs where moms post pictures of their baby's faces during their first bath. Maybe that is what inspired this blog post. Ben's dad took most of the pictures, so I have to give credit to him. We really enjoyed having him over for the weekend and I even baked him a cake to celebrate his birthday coming up on June 28th:

Happy Birthday!

Hamilton Pool

2010-06-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend Ben, his dad, and I went to Hamilton pool to go swimming. Hamilton pool is this gorgeous cave full of water where people can go and swim during the summer. It's about an hour outside of Austin, and totally worth the drive. Unfortunately, when we got there they said the bacteria level was too high, so no one could swim. This was a major bummer, especially since it was so hot outside. Anyway, here are some great pics we took. Ben and I are determined to go back and swim when it's open.

Ben and his dad enjoying the plants and walking toward our picnic spot.

Look how clear that water is! I couldn't believe there was bacteria in there!

It was truly breathtakingly gorgeous. I cannot wait to go back so we can actually jump in!

Texas Thunderstorms, Snails, and a Hole in the Wall

2010-06-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago we had a killer Texas thunderstorm. One of the things I missed dreadfully while at school in Provo was the Provo weather's inability to provide a significantly loud and wonderful thunderstorm. I love listening to the rain and the thunder and watching the room light up with lightning. What's also fun after the rain is watching all the little buggies coming out of their hiding places. Normally I am not a fan of bugs, but I thought these snails were too cute not to take a picture of! It's fun to see snails after the rain. But, look what the rain also brought to our apartment complex besides snails :

If you can't tell what that is, it is a hole in my closet wall. A hole that was made from water seeping into the walls during the thunderstorm. I woke up in the morning to find a huge hole in my closet, and thankfully only one or two things got wet. I was very grateful that my wedding dress and Ben's ties are on the OTHER side of the closet, and did not get damaged.

Here's the hole from a closer viewpoint. So, I called the apartment complex and they said they would have the maintenance guys come and "fix" it. Basically the guy came in, looked at the hole, said, "that's really big" and then said he couldn't fix it until it stopped raining outside. I thought, ok, fair enough. Turns out when I called the office today the maintenance guy says he can't come and fix it until it's totally dry. Ummm....it's a hole in the wall from which water is leaking. I don't know if this thing is ever going to be dry. So, now all my stuff has been moved out of my closet and is scattered around our room in disarray. Oh, and the carpet guy came by, pulled up some of the carpet, and then left. So, I'm not very impressed with how this situation has been handled so far. I hope they fix it tomorrow. I'm starting to think that possibly I attract water coming in from unwanted places. In my freshman dorm at BYU our basement apartment flooded four times in one year!

Zilker Park!

2010-06-01T13:56:00.001-07:00

This Memorial Day weekend Ben and I went with my family to Zilker Park. If you've never been to Austin before, Zilker Park is the absolute best spot in Austin for hiking, swimming, canoeing, etc. When I was growing up we didn't visit the park that often because we were always so far south, but now that Ben and I live so close, we try to take advantage of it. My parents, Alli, and Adrienne met up with us at the park and we all went canoeing!

Here is Alli making a face. She was actually quite the paddler. When my arms got tired, Alli got a turn paddling, and she usually outperformed me.

Ben was having a hard time keeping up with me...ok not really. He was the one doing most of the work.

Here is a very shadowy picture of me. Yay for canoeing!

A beautiful view of downtown Austin from our boat. After canoeing, we had a huge picnic with all the yummy food my mom bought. We were pretty much all wiped out afterwards. Canoeing is harder than it looks. I hope everyone else had as much fun on Memorial Day as we did!

More Pictures from Dallas Trip!

2010-05-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ben's mom Cynthia took us to Olive Garden for dinner and then we went for a stroll around the mall afterwards. Thanks for the pictures, Cynthia!

I love Andrea's face in this one. haha

Dallas Trip

2010-05-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Ben and I went to Dallas to visit his parents. One of the coolest things we got to do was go to the JFK Memorial and see the part of downtown Dallas where the fateful parade took place. Here is a picture of the building and the sixth story window where Kennedy was shot:
The picture above is the actual memorial. It wasn't anything particularly cool to look at, just a wide structure built out of concrete. It is supposed to represent an "open grave".

Ben and his dad are standing near the area where Kennedy was shot. This part of Dallas was really beautiful and really well-kept. Lots of people were around checking out the statues and such.

We also went out to Olive Garden with Ben's mom and Andrea. It was delicious and a lot of fun to catch up, but unfortuantely I didn't get any pictures (Cynthia, if you're reading this, please email me the pics you took!)

This is about how we all felt when we got home:

Anyway, it was a fun trip and as always it was wonderful to spend time with Ben's family. Wish I had more pics to put up, but that's it for now! Off to another day of work!

Shopping

2010-05-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

I went shopping last night. It has been a looooooooong time since I've gone. For the past three months I've kind of been on this rebellious streak about clothes. The thing is, it seems like every time I step inside a mall, I can find absolutely nothing to wear. Not only do I feel like nothing fits me right, but I also feel like I'm caught in this weird-no longer a teenager but definitely not an old woman-phase where I can barely still shop in the "Junior's" section, but can't quite shop all the time in the Women's section. For instance, about three weeks ago I convinced Ben to go to mall so I could poke my head inside Forever 21 and finally spend the gift card I got for my birthday over eight months ago. Well, I covered every inch of that store, finding nothing but clothes like these:

Ewwwwwwwwwww. I'm sorry, but why would anyone in their right mind wear those hideous things? (I'm sorry if whoever is reading this likes clothes like these) Honestly, I could not find ONE SINGLE THING. And I seriously tried. Anyway, it seemed like every time I went shopping I would get all down on myself because nothing looked good on me or nothing was cute. Well, last night I went to...

and you know what? I found three things!!!! And I could have bought more! Target has restored my faith in clothing stores in general. Thank you, Target. Thank you for having reasonable priced, cute clothes that also almost all happen to be modest. Thank you. (P.S. Target did not pay me to post this) Just curious if any other Mormon girl out there is having trouble in the fashion world right now...let me know I'm not the ONLY one, please.

One Year Anniversary

2010-05-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't really part of the post, but it was just too cute to not put up. I honestly feel like a proud parent by the amount of pictures I take of this cat. Honestly, I know no one else thinks they're as cute as I do, but oh well. Ooh and awww if you like.

Our one year anniversary was absolutely incredible! After work on Friday, Ben surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of red roses. He sure knows what I like. And the best part of it is that they still look this good! I don't know where he bought them from, but they've lasted quite a while. Anyway, I loved my flowers, and then we got in the car and set off for San Antonio! Our trip included several destinations including the Iron Cactus on the Riverwalk. The food was pretty good, but not the best Tex-Mex I've ever had. We had a great coupon for a free appetizer though, so we couldn't pass it up.

We also had a chance to visit the beautiful, amazing San Antonio temple where Ben and I were married a year ago. It was great to go back and enjoy all the beautiful stained glass and to feel the Spirit so strong. That temple has and will always hold so much meaning for me.

Here's a picture of us in front of the water fountain at the temple. Yes, we are both squinting because it was very bright outside. Unfortunately, during our wedding a year ago the fountain was broken, so we weren't able to take any shots by it. So here was our attempt. While in San Antonio, we also went to
We didn't take any pictures though, because we didn't want to have to worry about getting my iPhone wet. It was such a blast though. It was my first time ever to ride a huge loopy roller coaster (the Great White), but Ben convinced me to do it and it was pretty fun. I was pretty dizzy afterward, but I conquered my fear!

Most importantly after our one year anniversary, I love my husband more than ever and am so grateful for him. I am looking forward to all our journeys ahead and excited for everything life will bring. I love him!

The Wiener of OZ

2010-04-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. This weekend Ben and I went to the 13th annual Wiener Dog Races in Buda, TX. We met up with my family and we all went to watch those doggies show off their stuff. It was hilarious to watch and even funnier when the dogs totally lost sight of where they were going and started chasing the other dogs they were racing against. The best part was trying to guess which dog would win before they started. Pink or green almost always won. It was especially fun because my sister Adrienne is back in Austin and it was so good to see her and spend time with her (which I am sure we'll be doing a lot of this summer). Here are some awesome pics for your enjoyment:

Look at him go! He totally won this race. By a landslide. And what color was he? Green I think...

There they go!!! (This is when our seats were much farther away, and we moved as people left)

Alli, Ben and I enjoying the sun and the races.

This dog and his owners were sitting in front of us for most of the races. Seeing his face almost made me want my own wiener dog! He was just too cute! Overall this wiener dog named Alexander was named "The Wiener of Oz" and him and his owner got a grand prize of $500. Pretty good if you ask me. I'm totally counting on going again next year for sure!

Enchanted Rock

2010-04-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Ben and I had the chance to go to Enchanted Rock to climb and enjoy the view. It was truly breathtaking. I was extremely proud of myself for climbing all the way to the top, especially since climbing and hiking have always been Ben's "thing". It was a two hour drive there, but it was worth the wait. The weather was gorgeous and it was a perfect day for it.

The park was closed when we got there so we had to wait a little while for it to open. There were literally millions of bluebonnets lining the road, so we just had to get out and take a few pictures! I love Texas in the Springtime!

When we left I felt like I had really accomplished something cool. I'm glad that Ben makes me do things that I'm not always completely comfortable with sometimes. It really makes me realize that I can do lots of things if I just set my mind to it. The trip was a lot of fun and I'm so glad we went!

Pregnant

2010-04-08T15:18:00.001-07:00

No. I'm not. My sister is. I have to say my Natalie getting pregnant was a bit surprising. I thought she and her husband would wait a little longer since he still has lots of school left. Shows what I know. Of course Ben said he wasn't too surprised and knew it would happen soon (go figure). I am really happy for her, and it's crazy that in October I will be an aunt! AHHH! I currently have mixed feelings about babies though. I love them, they're adorable, and every time I see pictures of them I think or say, "AWWWWWWWWWWWW". But at the same time, I remember what life was like when my mom was pregnant with Alli. I remember lots of crying, throwing up, poopy diapers, etc. Since those memories are still fairly fresh in my mind, and since Ben and I are saving up for law school in the fall, the chances of me having one are slim to none right now. I know everyone says that all of the bad pales in comparison to all of the good, and I totally agree. I'm very happy for all of my friends who are taking that huge leap of faith and starting their families. I'm just not ready yet. We're not ready yet. But I'm excited and ready to be an Aunt! Bring on the niece so I can enjoy all the good for awhile... :) For now I'll just stick to taking care of this one...

Pics of Rice!

2010-03-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

I also managed to take lots of pictures of our new kitten Rice! We got her from a shelter just recently, and she has been so much fun to have around. She acts crazy sometimes and runs around the apartment for no reason at all, but she loves to cuddle and loves to be petted, and loves to have lots and lots of attention! She is a very high energy cat, but Ben and I really like her and she has made life really fun. She is about 8 months old and so sweet.

Apartment Pics!

2010-03-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

So, I've been super busy with work and doing training and everything, but I finally managed to make the apartment look clean and cute enough to post some pictures. Take a looksie:

My walk-in closet!

So there ya go! Some new pics of our new apartment! Enjoy!

I got a JOB!!!!!

2010-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right. After my long blog posts about how you never know if an interview went well, etc, it finally happened to me. I got a job. And I am very happy about it. Today was my first day training, and it went really well. My boss bought me lunch and I got to chat with her and start finding out about everything I'll be doing! I am really looking forward to it. A lot of it is data entry, and a big portion of it is calling people and making sure they are going to attend their medical appointments. It's not being on the radio, and it's not doing anything involved with broadcast, but I am still so happy nonetheless. I feel like the Lord has really blessed me and rewarded me for all my patient waiting, praying, and fasting. I am so grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the fact that it pays well. It's nice to know that now Ben and I both have jobs, and we're a double-income family again. :)

On another note, this purple beauty is currently in the shop:

The van went into the shop today to get looked at, and it looks like it's going to need some major repairs. So, we're carless for a while. It kind of reminds me of when Ben and I first got married and when we moved into our apartment...except that time we were carless for two weeks, and this time we're hoping it's a lot shorter than that. The mechanic said he should be able to have it repaired by Friday, so let's hope that he was being honest. It's really nice having my parents around to help drive me to work and everything, but it kind of reminds me of what it was like before I had a license. And I really like driving.

New Apartment!

2010-03-02T14:48:00.001-08:00

Ben and I are officially moved in! We love it and I have been working like crazy for the past week and a half to make it all beautiful and color coordinated. Pictures to come VERY soon. :)

Job Interviews

2010-02-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

So, I know that this is probably the situation a lot of people are in right now. Looking for work and having to do about a million job interviews. I've read so many articles that say things like, "If they show you around the office, then that's a good sign" or "If they introduce you to their employees, then you're in!". Well, I am just going to say that I disagree with all of those bits of advice and I don't believe you can ever truly judge if an interview went well or not.

Here's why I think that:

Ben and I have been in Austin for about a month and a half, and I have interviewed for about 8 positions. Usually I have come out of every interview feeling like it went well. I'll get all excited and think that it's the perfect job for me, and start envisioning myself working there. Then, a couple of days later, I'll get a call from the company and I'll be told that I didn't get the position. It's so frustrating when this happens, because it makes me think that even though I thought I did my best, I wasn't what they were looking for. I have decided I will no longer get my hopes up. But I will have a positive attitude. I am going to smile and be cheerful and go on about my merry little way. I am not going to sit and ponder about how an interview went or rewind all the details in my mind and remember everything that was said. I know that's going to be challenging, seeing as how when I get back to my parents' house everyone is going to be asking, "So, how did it go?" but I know that if I have a realistic and optomistic perspective, that will be enough. I refuse to get all excited and hyped up about something until there's a job offer on the table.

For those of you who were wondering where I am in the job department, I had a job interview today with ESPN Radio Austin, and a job interview last week with Mavin Exams. Still waiting to hear back from those.

Good News

2010-02-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

So, Ben and I are moving into our first apartment in Austin in just two weeks! I am so excited and really, really, ready. It's been a lot of fun spending time with my family and hanging out, and the free rent and free food have been great, but I am very ready for Ben and I to have a place of our own and for me to be able to start decorating and making the place look all cozy and nice.

Also, some other good news...I have a temporary two week job that starts this week, and I am excited to be able to do something different and feel like I'm useful. Even though I interviewed for a full-time job with the company and didn't get the job, I feel like Heavenly Father has blessed me with this opportunity to get my foot in the door and see what happens. Anyway, things are going good, Ben's job is going good, and I think I can finally say that I do miss Provo a little. But it's not really Provo that I miss. It's the people in Provo. Just to be clear.

And...I'm officially obsessed with LOST. Ben and I have been watching all the seasons starting with Season 1 since Christmas break, and I am totally hooked. We're almost done with the fourth season, so I feel like maybe I can catch up in time to be able to watch at least one or two episodes of the sixth season on TV.

In Austin and Loving It!

2010-01-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

So, it's been over a month since my last blog post, but for those of you who know me, (which I assume is everyone reading this blog) I needed some time to hang out with my family and enjoy being home before sitting down and telling everyone what we've been up to. When Ben and I got to Austin, we thought we would both land jobs really quickly and be able to settle into a new apartment before the end of the month. Well, things didn't exactly turn out that way. For the last few weeks, we've been struggling and applying for as many jobs as possible, but not having any luck. I had a couple interviews, but nothing ended up working out. So, it is with so much happiness that I can blog and say that Ben found a job! My dad referred us to a guy who was in my stake all growing up, and he said he was looking for people. So Ben and I both went in and interviewed at the company, and Ben got the job! I am so happy for him, especially since being jobless was especially hard on him. So now, we are finally planning on signing a contract for an apartment this next week, and hopefully moving in a couple weeks.

So, things are good. I'm still looking for a job, but now that Ben is starting work on Monday, it takes a lot of the pressure off. I had an interview on Thursday, and they said they would call me by Monday or Tuesday, so I am praying and hoping that I got it!

Here are a few pictures that we took over the break when the whole family was here:

Leaving in Two Days...

2009-12-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of mixed feelings before our crazy road trip and move to Texas. I think even though I say right now that I'm not going to miss Provo...I will. And even though being in Texas again is going to be so awesome, it's going to be a lot different without a lot of the people who make it what it is. There are some things I won't miss, like the crazy rushed marriages and the corny BYU memorabilia, but I am sure I will still hear those stories from my friends in Provo and I can always buy stuff online from the BYU bookstore if I start missing it. I'm going to miss my co-workers, my great boss, Classical 89 in general, our awesome apartment, the lack of humidity, and I'm going to really miss not getting to see Adrienne and Andrea. Ben and I have spent so much time with them and I feel like all of us have gotten really close this semester. I will miss my favorite restaurant in Provo:

Lots and lots of great memories at this place. I will also miss the amazing cheap dollar theatre with all the fun Friday nights it has provided to us over the past few years. I'll miss all of my amazing friends that have made Provo and going to BYU such a fun place. But, I am excited and ready for our new adventure. I would list all the things I'm excited for...but...I think that would take too long. Besides, Ben is done studying for his final and it's time to continue our Smallville marathon! Next post...probably when we're in Texas...

Countdown

2009-12-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

10 days until Ben and I are back in Texas!

Laura Bow and the Dagger of Ammon Ra

2009-12-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

So, lately Ben and I have been playing old computer games from our childhood days and it's been a lot of fun. Yes, we're kind of nerdy, but when you think about it, there aren't too many board games that are that fun or interesting to play with just two people. So, Ben told me about his favorite game as a kid, "Day of the Tentacle". I played it, (with him giving me lots of hints), and I totally dominated if I do say so myself. So, we decided after that we would play my favorite computer game, "Laura Bow: The Dagger of Ammon Ra". I remembered this game so difficult my dad had to help us out a lot, but also being a lot of fun.

Well, playing this game a second time around was not only difficult, it was practically IMPOSSIBLE! We had to look at the walkthrough almost every time to figure out what to do next. Here's an example:

This Act is really fast paced, so you better be on your feet! You are in the mastodon room with the murderer chasing you. You have to run away fast or be killed! Run to the pterodactyl room and shut the door behind you by using the hand cursor on it. Wrap part of your wire on the door to temporarily seal it shut. This will help to slow down the murderer. Run into the medieval armor exhibit, close the door, and slide the bar across it. This will also help slow down the murderer. Go to the locked room that had the faded "Employees Only" sign on it. Let's confuse the murderer. Move the nearby chair in front of the locked room's door. Stand on the chair, and open the transom (window) above the door. Now run into the ancient Egyptian exhibit and hide in the empty mummy case. The murderer will enter, not see you, and head for the locked door. The murderer will think you climbed through that little window that you opened, and will decide to break down the door.

I mean, c'mon! This is supposed to be a kid's/teen's game. Anyway, we made it through the game all the way to the last act, only to find out that we didn't have enough snake oil to kill the king cobras, and...we died. Thank you, Sierra Games, for making this game so difficult. And thank you, to all the contributors on YouTube, who were kind enough to put up a video of what happens when you get past the snakes and win. That was the only way I was able to get closure.

1950s Christmas Party

2009-12-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Ben and I got all dressed up and went to my friend Brittany's Christmas/Birthday party. It was 50s themed, so we did the best we could to look authentic. I honestly just wanted to wear my new pencil skirt that I got for $10 at Dillards, so I tried to make my outfit fit the theme. There was a lot of bubbly (Martenelli's of course) and it was really fun. We took tons of pictures, but here are some of my faves:

Almost a Christmas card photo.

My sister Adrienne and I

First time ever kissing under REAL mistletoe.

Posing with the birthday girl.

I think themed parties are always the best ones.

Thanksgiving!

2009-12-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

So, I would have blogged earlier, except that my computer has been going wacko lately...and I haven't been able to get on until now. I took my laptop (MacBook Pro) to the "simply mac" store and they told me I need a new computer battery and a new power cord. So, I'm using Ben's power cord for the time being while I wait for my lovely new gifts in the mail from Amazon.com. Anyway, Thanksgiving was an absolute blast! Ben and I went to the Gordons' house in Queen Creek, Arizona and spent hours and hours of fun eating, laughing, talking, and relaxing. Here are some fun pictures:

Me and Andrea

All the boys playing "Medal of Honor"

The best part of being in Arizona was forgetting about life for a little while and just being able to spend time with people we love. Thank you everyone who made Thanksgiving so much fun!

Old Moon

2009-11-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend my sister Adrienne and I went to see New Moon. Ok, I'll admit it, my freshman year at BYU I was way way into the Twilight books. I read the first two in a period of two days and anxiously awaited the third book. I raced through them all and desperately hoped I would find someone like Edward. Now that I am a few years older and much wiser, I have to say that I am so glad I am not married to Edward, and that I married a wonderful, amazing REAL man vs. a fictional vampire. Some reasons why I am now in love with Ben and not Edward:

-Ben is constant and practical...not moody and emo

-Ben's eyes are a beautiful blue...not a weird red/goldish color

-Ben cares about me and loves me...he would never leave me to fend for myself for four months

-Ben eats food...not blood

-Ben's family is really nice and normal...not made up of unrelated vampires

-Ben is always warm...not freezing cold all the time

These are just some of the reasons I thought of. Oh, and Ben can pull off the angry/sexy look better too.

Basketball and Country Dancing

2009-11-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend Ben and I went to the BYU men's basketball game with two of his old roommates, Pete and Mitch. They both have girlfriends, so it ended up being a triple date. It was a lot of fun, and the game was pretty good. We were playing some team called, "The Bradley Braves". I had never heard of them before the game. After the game we went to YoZone and got some delicious frozen yogurt. I liked the date because it was fun and not too long. Sometimes when Ben and I go on double/triple dates they can go on for a long time. Don't get me wrong, we love to do stuff with other people, but it's nice to be able to have some time after the date to hang out at home just the two of us.

Here's a picture from a basketball game Ben and I went to last year:

Then on Saturday, Ben finally went country dancing with me! I've been trying to convince him that we should go for the past couple of weeks, and he finally gave in. We hadn't been in about a year, and I had to re-teach him some of the moves, but we had a really great time, and I think

he likes dancing more than he'll admit. Funny how country dancing brings out people of all different heights, weights, and ages. It's kinda cool to see everyone dancing and having a good time.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2009-11-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I've debated for months about starting a blog. I didn't want to be labeled as one of those people who gets a blog right when they get married, but I knew I was going to have to jump on the bandwagon sooner or later. For the record, Ben and I have been married for 6 1/2 months now, so I would just like to point out that I am not part of that crowd. I waited approximately 6.5 months. I have been blog-stalking for the past couple of days, trying to figure out exactly what it is that makes a post funny or interesting, (hoping that I could copy-cat some ideas) and I've realized that everyone's blog is unique to them and who they are. So I hope that as I blog, people will read this and go, "Yeah, that sounds like something Elena would say". Yes, it's true. I tried many times to commit Ben to one or two blog posts a month, but his response was, "How about once or twice a year?" so, you'll be hearing mostly from me. Hope that's ok. I'll try to post about twice a week, unless nothing interesting happens. And hey, feel free to blog-stalk me. Because if you're on my list of blogs I like, then I blog-stalk you plenty. Hey, even leave me a comment so I know you're doing it.