Yup.... I'm still alive

Ok..... so I do apologize to all you bloggers because I most definately waited WAY too long to post something!!! But yes, I'm still here, and yes we are doing well! We are now living in Idaho YAY!!! The move up was RIDICULOUS!!!! We were in a HUGE rain/hail/snow storm from Provo all the way to Malad... and it was freakin May 22 for crying out loud!!! When we left Arizona the heat had broke 100 degrees for the first time of the year.... when we got to Idaho.... it was windy and rainy and grey. Raylon drove the Uhaul, I drove our car, and Derek drove Raylon's car. It was a grueling 15 hours, and adding pouring rain, plowing through puddles, hydroplaning, and almost hitting cars that had slid out of control and were sitting side ways on the highway was a wee bit stressful.
We finally arrived to Idaho and began our awesome adventure to see our new country house... literally a country house *blegh* We drove, and we drove and we drove until finally we arrived at our little country home north of Rexburg. The land lord... was PSYCHO!! and that was an understatement!! She had basically lied about everything that she told me about the house... and Derek and I soon found ourselves in a BIG disaster. When I say this... I mean we literally will never see a house like this again!! The kitchen was BRIGHT green and Gold, the cupboards were metal (like a locker), the carpet was nasty green and gold flowers... I thought that if I spilt water on the floor that the flowers would grow out of the carpet. Ok..... not to mention.... every room was covered with sheer drapery. This wasn't any ordinary drapes..... they were NASTY colors such as PINK, GREEN, TEAL, GOLD etc. When Derek asked the land lord if one of the drapes was broken... she went off on Derek and told him that only city folk worry about keeping their windows covered so no one could see in. Then she went off about how she has never locked her door in her entire life and she has been just fine. Ok... she was soo weird! Along with our beautiful kitchen, and drapery among the house... we also had a PINK tiled bathroom.... head to toe!! AWESOME!! We also had a hand made clothes line hanger INSIDE our very own house. Ok.... so first of all we are way out in the middle of nowhere.... we are in a HIDEOUS home, and then... to top it all off we have a PSYCHO land lord. YUCK!!
Because of the sheer drapery within our home... we had absolutely NO privacy. Due to this matter, I would look out the window and see our landlord snooping around our yard and peeking in our house... can you say creepy?! She also came over at least 5 times the day we moved. Oh sorry I forgot to mention, the psycho land lord lived NEXT DOOR to make matters worse! Anyways... she came over a billion times... not only is this uncomfortable.... but she would stay..... and she wouldn't leave. It was horrible. This house was her dead husband's dead mother's house. She wanted to keep it the EXACT same way her mother in law left it. She even asked Derek if he would plant flowers in the garden b/c it would remind her of her mother in law. Our stove/oven had a manual with a 50's girl on the cover. I'm pretty sure that SOME things really should be updated over the years wouldn't you say? She told us that we had to read the manual before we used the stove or oven b/c if everything wasn't wired just precise it could start a fire. Can you say WOW? Now... we're in this creepy situation, and then the landlord started changing how much money we owed her... is that even legal? Nope.... but she thought it was! I'll get back to that detail in just a minute. When I talked to the landlord on the phone before we moved, she told me that the house was very well insulated, and we would never have to turn on the heat. BULL CRAP!!! Our house was FREEZING!! It had no insulation and it held no heat whatsoever. In order to heat our house we had to use the propane tank. Derek called the company and asked how much it cost. In order to fill the tank, it cost $200, and he told Derek that the average bill we would have to pay to fill it during the winter months would be $500, and then we would actually have to pay the heating bill on top of that!! Excuse me.... but the landlord was a filthy liar!!! At this point.... we knew immediately that we had to get out of the situation!!! We gave our 30 days notice, but told her if she wanted someone in it before the 30 days.... we could be out. Soo.... the last day of the month she called us and told us we needed to be out that night!!! EXCUSE ME!!! Psycho lady... that's not right at all!! But, because of the situation we were already in, and because she kept taking our money, we knew that we HAD to get out of the situation before she pushed any more money on us.
Well we got a big crew together, hunted down a truck and trailer and unpacked all of our stuff within 2 hours. Now comes the crappy part. The landlord decided that she wasn't going to give us back our security deposit b/c she held the house for half a month until we moved in. Little did she know that my dad is a lawyer and that what she was doing was illegal. Her husband and her RAILED into Derek and I, and I have never seen a fight so nasty. Basically what it was coming down to was we would be seeing them in court b/c they took our money. Finally, after I started crying my eyes out, the husband softened up a little bit and they agreed to give us back half of the deposit, and then take off what we owed them for the 10 days we were in the house. This is after the fact that they just increased the price we owed them for the 10 days over five times. Derek and I agreed to take the $96, basically because we didn't want to deal with these crazy people anymore!! We lost about $250, but we learned a valuable lesson! It sucks going through experiences such as these, but you always come out a better person in the end!!
Because we only had 1 day to get out, we are now staying with my parents. Does it suck? YES. Is it better then the alternative? ABSOLUTELY!!! I'm so grateful for my awesome parents for helping us during this super hard time, and I'm grateful for my amazing husband to go through these crappy times with!! Luckily while we were living in Arizona..... we were frugal with our money so due to our unemployment and set back with everything, we are doing just DANDY! We've also done a TON of odd jobs for people so we've been making money here and there through it all!! I really am happy with where I am in life because I feel stronger and better for it!
Now... I know that you people are thinking to yourself... how did Derek and I get into this situation and why did we move into that house? The answer to this question my friends is that I trusted someone. She gave me her word and she lied. Will I go through this again? NOPE!! Will I ever put my trust in someone like this again NEVER!! But, please everyone just look out!! This crap is so easy to fall into and scamming is absolutely ridiculous!! Be careful and I love you guys!! Thank you to everyone who has been so helpful!!

Finally..... an update!!!

Wow.... things have been super crazy busy over here at the Dawson home! We had spring break, my parents visited, we made a quick trip to Utah, and we've been slammed with homework. One thing at a time though!! First off, I had SOOO much fun when my parents came!!
Day 1: We hiked the Windcave trail at Usery Mountain Pass. It was the perfect length of a hike! The windcave at the top really actually ended up being an overhead hang with flower like pot things hanging from the top. Sadly, it was infested with bees, red beatles, and little chipmunks. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time at the top. Also... not long into the hike, I was leading the way in front of my parents. We were talking and all of a sudden we heard a loud rattle. I stopped immediately, and a rattle snake came out of the bushes and crossed the trail literaly a foot in front of me. My heart began racing and I couldn't move, then... it hit me and I started saying, "OH my gosh, oh my gosh it's a rattlesnake!!!" and I ran behind my parents. Haha the whole time they were saying, "Mary, get out the camera, that's really cool."
After the hike we went to Lee Lee's, which is an Oriental food market. My dad served his mission in Japan so he LOOVED Lee Lee's! I couldn't get my parents to leave, but i'm glad they had a lot of fun, and bought some really interesting food! After Lee Lee's we went to Boa Ba's, tried their really weird drinks, then picked up Derek from work. After that we we went to Barro's pizza, but... ended up on a very long detour! We finally made it and scarfed down our pizza. We ate at Barro's b/c they have a new gluten free pizza so my dad was able to eat it. My dad just recently found out that he is a celiac, so it was kind of challenging trying to find food that my dad could eat! After Barro's, we went to Alice in Wonderland 3D. Day 1 was a succes!!
Day 2: My parents and I went to the Phoenix zoo!! We had a lot of fun, and this day it got up to 91 degrees. It was SOO dang hot!! After the zoo, we chilled at the hotel for a bit, and then made our way to the Chandler Fashion Center. The Chandler Fashion Center is the BIG mall down here!! My parents couldn't believe how big it was, they thought it was so neat! After, the mall, we went back to my apartment. Derek and I made them yummy fajitas!! So delicious!! After that we went to the Mesa Temple and watched the Easter pageant!! It was unbelievable how many people were there!! The pageant was well done, and gave me chills at the end when Christ was resurrected. It was an awesome experience!
Day 3: Derek finally had work off! We spent the day at the Dodger's Spring training game!! We had another detour on the highway... but we made it!!! We were cheering for Manny the whole time, and I even bought a #1 finger. My dad made fun of me the whole time, but I just HAD to have it! haha. The sun was on our right side the entire time... so let's just say all of us came back a little uneven! I had a line right down the middle of my legs with the right side BRIGHT red and the other side still white. It was a little embarrassing. After the game, we went to RA sushi! Love the sushi, hate the atmosphere!! The sushi is sooo good, and we went during happy hour so everything was super cheap!!!
What a FUN time!! We were able to do so much, and my parents loved everything about it!! I'm so grateful for my dear parents!! I love them so much, and they are amazing!!! Here's some pictures, sorry they're not in order!























What a fun time we had!!! I wish they could come back and visit again!!! There are still things I need to blog about..... but that took forever so I am done for the day!!!! More news coming soon!! :)

Just for fun!

When is your "engagement" anniversary:
April 26, 2008

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary:
Aug. 15, 2008

3. How long have you known your spouse:
Just under 5 years. Technically though, we met each other when we were about 8 years old playing night games, but we didn't "really" get to know each other back then.

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged:
2 1/2 years.

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
The VERY first time was playing night games in my backyard, we met again at ballroom nationals in Provo.

6. What is your spouse's full name:
Derek Ray Dawson :)

7. Do you have any children:
None yet!

8. How many - boys/girls:
None

9. Do you have any house pets:
No.... we have allergies, and we also don't want to pay the extra fee at our apt.

11. Do you live in the country or town/city:
City, we found out that we're more of the country folk though haha.
.
12. What are some of your favorite activities together:
Dancing, boating, 4 wheeling, cuddling, movie watching, hiking, game playing and traveling.

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot:
Umm.. we liked traveling to Arizona before we moved here, but we would like to travel to some place with a beach.

14. When did you first kiss?
Exactly a week after our first date.

15. What church do you attend?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

16. Did you get married in a church? Where?
The Idaho Falls Temple

17. What town is your current address at:
Chandler

18. Do you work or stay at home:
I work.... way too much!!

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon:
Salt Lake City

20.What was the funniest gift you gave when dating?
While we were on ballroom tour, one of the teachers talked Derek into buying me a ring with his name on it. haha

21.How long have you been together?
4 1/2 years

22. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
7 years when we first met, 8 months from the second time we met, and 3 months after we were ballroom partners and really started to get to know each other.

23. Who asked who out?
Derek's cousin (which is my good friend) actually invited us both to go to the haunted house, but after that, Derek got my number and asked me out.


25.Where do you each work or go to school?
I work at Physicians Physical Therapy, and Derek works at SCP. We both go to Chandler Gilbert Community College.

26. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Umm... that is a tough one, I'm not sure.

27. Did you go to the same school?
Nope... our schools were rivals.

28. Are you from the same home town?
Nope

29. Who is smarter?
Derek, but we both have our own subjects we are good at.

30. Who is more sensitive?
I am.... I'm a little softy

31.Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Texas Roadhouse

32. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Ensenada

33.Who has the craziest exes?!
Derek...

34. What is something that first attracted you about him/her?
Tall, dark, handsome and a dancer.

35. Who does the cooking?
Both of us

36. Who is more social?
I am

37. Who is the neat-freak?
Derek!!

38. Who is more stubborn?
Me... :p

39. Who hogs the bed?
That would be me.... poor Derek!

40. Who wakes up earlier?
Derek is my early bird

41. Where was your first date?
The Haunted Mill.... it was a good reason to hold his hand :)

42.Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends?
I did

43. Do you get flowers often?
Nah, I'm not too big on that..

44. How do you spend the holidays?
Together and with the rest of our family. I am all for family traditions!

45. Who is more jealous?
That would be me

46. How long did it take to get serious?
Umm... we became exclusive a month after our first date. We had our little break ups but we always knew that we were supposed to be together. It honestly didn't take long at all to get serious.

47. Who eats more?
Well this is a toss up. I eat a lot consistently... BUT, Derek goes through phases where he could eat our whole fridge! So he fluctuates.

48. Who does the laundry?
We both do. I am usually the designated folder though. Folding laundry is a chore that I really don't mind.

49. Who’s better with the computer?
Derek is.

50. Leave a piece of advice for the other couples:
-Don't go to bed mad.
-Don't hold things in. Let it all out and talk about it.
-Look forward in your marriage.
-If you're religious.... keep it as the focus in your marriage. Pray together, read scriptures together, and stay strong together.

My Parents are Coming!!!

WOOHOO!!! My parents are on their way this very minute to come and visit Derek and I!! It's going to be so much fun!! I have planned some fun things to go out and do.... but honestly, the thing I can't wait for is to just be able to see them!!! It's super hard living 900 miles away from my family, and I am just so grateful that my parents are going to be able to come down and see us. It will be fun to show them our apartment and catch up on all the things going on in life. I seriously have the best family in the world and I love them to pieces!! I'm sad that Julia and Karl couldn't come with my parents, but I'm grateful that at least my parents can make this trip!!!
Things you should know about my parents are:
1. They are pretty much the funniest people in the world, and I almost pee my pants from laughing whenever my parents get on their kicks.

2. They make an amazing team. They've shown me how a marriage should be, and they balance each other out perfectly. My parents are best friends and they are so happy together.

3. They've taught me everything I know. My parents taught me to be the person I am today, and I'm so grateful for the mannerisms and the love that they showed me to have for others. It seems like many kids these days do not show respect or love, and I am so grateful for my knowledge of this importance, and I will someday teach my own children to have love and respect for others.

4. They are supportive and loving of their children.

5. They are super smart and very hard working!!!!

6. They taught me to have my own testimony, and because of them I have the firm foundation that I have in the gospel and with my beliefs.

Basically, I could go on and on about my wonderful parents.... but I won't!! I can't wait to see them, we are going to have so much fun!!!!

♥ Happy V-Day ♥

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!! I love V-day b/c you get to share it with the ones you love, and it gives you a reason to celebrate without spending too much money! I hope everyone is having a great weekend with the ones they love!!! V-day is the best!!
Last night Derek and I celebrated by going out to eat sushi at a place called RA sushi. The sushi was amazing and it was a pretty fun atmosphere, but.... the only thing I would change is for them to turn down their music. They have their music blaring SOO loud that you can barely carry on a conversation. Other than that, it's a great place with amazing food!!
RA sushi has happy hour from 3-7 where a select choice from their menu is half off. I LOVE happy hour!! We got 4 rolls of sushi for about 12 bucks. Not too shabby at all!! B/c we went during happy hour it was a little crowded so there was a small wait. The manager came out and told us that b/c we were first timers and b/c of the wait he was going to get us free dessert. So for our dessert we had fried bananas with caramel and rasberry drizzled on top, and a side bowl of chocolate ice cream. It was my first experience with fried bananas... it was probably my last too... but Derek was a fan so that is good!! I hope you are all having a great Valentines, love you all!!

Here is a picture of our fried banana. I took a picture when we were halfway done eating... my bad!!


This were the cool decorations that were dangling from the ceiling. It was dim lighting but it set the mood very nicely!


This was our to go bag. Haha I thought that the little saying "Take me I'm yours" sounded like a Valentine... so again... it set the mood quite nicely haha.


It was a bummer that I forgot to take a picture of our sushi... but dang was it good!! Here we are happy as can be waiting for our food to come out. I loved the decorations and the background of our booth that we were sitting at. We could NOT take a picture for the lives of us!! haha our camera blurs so easily, and when our camera kept flashing in the dimly lit room, everyone kept staring at us. Therefore... we didn't attempt to take too many picture b/c we felt silly... so here is the least blurry I could get for you bloggers!! Sorry folks!

Update

Well, I'm not gonna lie, not too much is new on our end of things. We are both working full time and going to school part time. We are super busy and we don't have a whole lot more going on for us.
But you know what? For this I am grateful. I am grateful that we are not struggling right now. No one is sick or hurt. There is no drama, and there is no bad news or something completely out of the ordinary to share with you guys. I am so grateful for Derek and for all of his hard work that he does for us!! He is amazing, and I love him to pieces!!!
2 weeks ago we went to a little tiny town called Eagar which is about 20 min from the New Mexico border. We went with our friends Tim and Tori to visit their families and play in the snow! I wish we would have taken pictures the day we pulled each other on sleds behind the Artic Cat b/c that was so much fun!!! Haha while I was being pulled on the sled, a giant obese dog tackled me and and pushed me off of my sled and then started humping me! HAHA it was out of control and I couldn't get this massive dog off of me!! Tim had to tackle the dog to the ground for me and then he pulled the dog inside so that he wouldn't take advantage of me again. Hahaha that dog was out of control but it definately made for some good laughs over the trip. Tori had her baby shower so the girls went to that while the guys went out coyote hunting. Too bad they got stuck in the mud for 2 hours and didn't even get to hunt but they still came back with great stories to share! It was so relaxing just sitting around the fireplace every night laughing and telling stories, and staying up late playing games. We are so grateful for Tim and Tori, and we are sure going to miss them because they are moving to California this week! :( Here are some pictures that we took on the way home. These pictures were all taken at the Salt River Canyon.
Timmy!!!

I guess I never really stop dancing....

Lovers

Right before we left to come back home

Raylon had a birthday last week!!! We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner last Thursday night to have a birthday party for Raylon, and a goodbye party for my mother-in-law. She has been down here for 2 months staying with my sister-in-law who is prego. She has been super sick so my mother in law came down to help her out!! It was fun to have my mother in law down here and we will sure miss her!!
On Saturday night Raylon threw a big ol' birthday party!! We went to his friend's house and hired a d.j. We had a fun time dancing and pigging out with a bunch of friends!! It was definately a great night! Love and miss you all!! Hope everything is going well for you!!

Christmas!!!

Derek and I had our first Christmas this year without snow!! I am not going to lie, we actually really missed it! One day I was doing homework and Derek was pulling stuff out of the closet and got into all of our snowboarding stuff. Trying to set the mood and get into the christmas spirit, this is what happened.


For my work, I volunteered to work with the Physical Therapists for the Nutcraker, and I had a lot of fun getting to work with some of the ballerinas. Because I did volunteer work they gave us free tickets to go to he show, and we had a lot of fun!! My little neices got to come as well and they LOVED it!!
After we went to the Nutcracker, Derek and I went to the temple to look at all the beautiful Christmas lights! We had so much fun!! There were choirs singing and missionaries were everywhere spreading the gospel. It was such a fun night!
Both of us in front of the temple lights.

Derek in front of the lights.



Another fun thing to do here during the Christmas season is to go downtown! They have a 40 foot tall Christmas tree made entirely of tumble weed.

Me in front of the Christmas shed.

Chrismas Eve we didn't have any plans, so Raylon's friend invited us over to his house. We ate homemade chicken noodle soup, played spoons, and we acted out the Nativity Scene, and we even went caroling. we didn't do any ordinary caroling, we sucked helium and went caroling. Hahaha it was so much fun, but all of us just about passed out in the middle of the song!! haha another funny thing that happened was that 2 of the grandkids refused to act out the nativity scene, so they made me dress up as a wise man b/c i was the only adult who would fit into the costume. I did not live that down, Derek and Raylon made fun of me the ENTIRE time!

Christmas morning we woke up and opened all of our presents!! My dear sweet mom sent us quite a load of presents!! Thanks to her we had a christmas this year!! We are so grateful for my mom for helping us out and doing that for us!! I about cried when she sent a load of presents b/c we only had 2 presents under the tree until then! We didn't know what any of our presents were this year, so we felt like little kids all over again!! Derek can not handle surprises haha so he struggled waiting until Christmas to open them up. After we opened gifts Derek attempted to make my mom's Christmas breakfast to help me with my homesickness. Haha it did not taste like my mom's, but it was so adorable of him to do that!! After breakfast we went out to Maricopa and spent the rest of the day with Derek's sister and her kiddos. It was so much fun seeing how happy they all were and how excited they were to show us all of their presents!!
This Christmas was such an amazing Christmas!! It was SOOO hard being away from my family, and I was super homesick, but it was OUR first Christmas together. This will always be a very special Christmas to us!
For New Years Even we spent it with our good friends Brock and Tara Greer! We had loads of fun!! I don't have those few pictures uploaded yet, and my camera just died so I will have to post about it next time!!! Love you all lots and lots! Hope you all had a great holiday season!
Derek sportin' his awesome new sweater my sister bought him! He wore this sweater the day we had to give talks b/c he wanted to distract the audience from his talk. haha