A Much Needed, Thanksgiving Break

 

Watching football

Well hello! Sorry it's been a while since the last post. Nursing school has been consuming my life. Luckily, the semester is almost over! Ryan and I did have a nice break for Thanksgiving though. We got to spend a lot of  time with both families.We started the break at my parent's house where we got to catch up with Graham. We haven't seen him since August so it was fun to visit with him. We missed Ian all week. He was in San Diego with some friends. 

 

 Thanksgiving dinner was at the Pobanz's this year. It was delicious! We always have so much good food. I love spending time with my family!

                                

 

After dinner we headed over to Ryan's parent's house. Rob, Sarah, and the kids were staying there too. We had so much fun playing with baby Easton and Ellie. Ellie kept us all busy making forts, playing barbies, having tea parties, and making cookies. We missed Jessie and Bryce though. They were in Colorado with Bryce's family.

That night, Gayle, Sarah, and I decided to brave the crazy crowds and headed to Walmart for some late night shopping. It was definitely crazy but lots of fun! Sarah and I ended up sitting in the dog food isle for two hours waiting for ipads. I'm still trying to decide if it was worth it. We did make lots of new friends and some funny memories. 

The parties didn't stop with Thanksgiving this year. My Grandma and Grandpa Mortensen left on a one year mission to Baltimore, Maryland on Monday. Since they will be missing Christmas, we decided to have a Christmas party and family pictures on Saturday. It was good to get together as family one last time before they left. We also went to their farewell on Sunday. We are so excited for them and this exciting event in their life. We will miss them but they will be great missionaries. A year will go by so fast!

Unfortunately, the break had to come to an end and we had to go back to school. Luckily, we only have three weeks left! I better get back to the books. See you in three weeks!

Just for fun....

I found these old picture I've been meaning to post. In October we invited my parents and Ian over for soup and to carve pumpkins. We also went to a fun spook alley here in Logan.

Notice the mysterious orb between their faces. Spooky!

Looks good Ian

Ryan was sad because his "U State" pumpkin fell apart.

Time to catch up

Ryan and I have been so busy with school and work so we're a little late on the blog update. This post will summarize what we've been doing the last couple weeks. 

School- 

First of all, school is keeping us both busy. Ryan is taking a lot of hard classes like calculus 3 and physics. He also started his new job at the library. It's been a great change for him. I started the nursing program. It's so good to finally be in my program. Even though it's hard, we both love being students and working together toward our common goal. Along with school, college football has also started. Living right next to the stadium allows us to experience the true Aggie fans. So far we are two for two! Let's go Aggies!

Labor Day Weekend-

We had a great Labor Day weekend spending time with our families. On Sunday, our nephew Easton was blessed. He is such a sweet little boy!

After the blessing we met my family at our cabin for dinner and to spend the night. Mom and Grandma made an amazing dinner like always. The next morning, bright and early, Ryan took his parents fishing while I enjoyed more delicious food from Mom and Grandma. Unfortunately I had to work that evening so we had to hurry home to Logan. But overall it was a great weekend!

Birthday-

On Thursday we celebrated my 22nd birthday at Rooster's with my parents, Ian, and Grandma & Grandpa. It was a fun evening with good food and good company. What more could you want? Ryan surprised me with a very cute yellow purse. He did an awesome job picking it out. I love him!

 Fishing Report-

What's a blog post without the Willis fishing report? It's actually been a good week of fishing. Ryan went up Friday afternoon and caught 8 fish! He even brought the big one home to eat. (It's currently in our freezer). Just yesterday, Ryan and I both went fishing up Logan canyon. It was very eventful! We didn't catch anything for a long time but finally Ryan hooked one and let me pull it in. I was so excited that I had a fish on the line that I fell in the river and managed to get a giant welt on my leg. The fish was tiny, but it was worth it. We didn't catch anything else but we both fell in the river at the same time. It was hilarious! I actually enjoy fishing. I'm excited to keep learning from my awesome husband. 

 

Jessie & Bryce's Wedding

On Friday, August 17th, Ryan's little sister Jessie married her sweetheart Bryce. We had such a fun day! It was great to see all the Willis family again and meet Bryce's family and friends.

  The celebration began at the Salt Lake Temple with a beautiful sealing. After pictures, their luncheon was held at a Thai food restaurant in Salt Lake. The food, picked by Bryce and Jessie, was delicious! They then had a classy reception at This is the Place Park that night. We ate more good food, sipped on slushies, listened to great music, and chatted with friends and family. The whole day was such a perfect celebration of their new marriage.

 

Ryan made sure to have water for the bride and groom during their pictures. 

It was a very hot day!

                   Ellie loves her uncle Ry               Ryan, Jessie, & Sarah posing for pictures

 We had lots of fun hanging out with Travis & Oriana all day. They are such great friends!

Caught in the act! Ryan and I made sure their car was decorated. We used oreos, whipped cream, toilet paper, and coke cans tied to the back. Ellie thought sticking cookies on the windows was hilarious.

Thank you Uncle Jed for the great candid pictures!

Congratulations to Jessie and Bryce! 

They are so perfect for each other and we are so happy for them.

Fishing Report

Ryan and I took my family fly fishing on the Weber River in Coalville last week. My mom packed a delicious picnic lunch and we were off for a day of fishing. Only my dad had fly fished before. Ryan was a great teacher. We were in the river for three hours! It was fun being out in the river as a family.

 

 Ryan tied the flies and got us all set up.

 

                                             The Boys                                     Mom, Ian, & Dad

Unfortunately, we didn't catch any fish. Graham and I did have one on our hooks though. Our next lesson will have to be on reeling them in. Even though we didn't catch anything, we all had fun trying a new thing as a family.

Lake Powell

This last weekend we took a quick trip down to Lake Powell with Ryan's family. Because of work, we had to drive through the night and got to Kanab at 3:30 am. It was a little crazy but totally worth it

Everybody had a great time! Ellie loved playing on the beach. It was Rob's first time back since his accident but he jumped right back on the skis. Jessie and Bryce made a castle that looked like a big beehive. We missed Sarah and baby Easton, but had a great day on the lake. 

Lake Powell is Ryan's favorite place in the world! He's been going since he was 8 weeks old. It's so fun to make new memories there as a couple.

Fly Fishing

 

I've learned that my husband is quite the fly fisherman. We had a chance to go to East Fork in Southern Utah to fish. We had fun catching fish of all sizes. I even caught some using worms! Ryan has since bought me a fly pole and is going to teach me how to fish. He's been fishing on the Logan River while I work in the evenings. We're looking forward to fishing together. Watch for future fishing reports!

                                                        We caught beautiful brook trout!

                                 

Honeymooning in Hawaii

Ryan and I spent a week in Kauai Hawaii for our honeymoon. We hiked, read books on the beach, and ate great food. Our favorite treats were the sushi and mac nut ice cream! This trip was a fun way to start our new marriage. 

                           Hiking the Napali Coast

         Sunset over Balhi Hi on Hanalei Bay Beach

                                                                                                          

                                             We celebrated Ryan's 24th birthday at a luau

                                                Making drift wood sculptures on the beach

Our Wedding

After a year of dating and a five month engagement, Ryan and I were married in the Salt Lake City temple on June 2, 2012. It was a perfect, beautiful, sunny day! 

 

                                                                     Mr. & Mrs. Willis!

                                                                 

 

The Mortensen Family

                                                                   Our two families
                               

                                                                    The Willis Family

        After the ceremony we had a wonderful luncheon in the Wasatch Room of the Joseph 

                                                             Smith Memorial Building.                                            

                                                                  My sweet cousins!

                                                              Jessie, Lizzie, & Sarah

                       That evening our reception was held at the Salt Lake Hardware Building. 
                                                          It was such a fun celebration!

                                              Bryce, Travis, Ryan, Rob, Graham, & Ian                                  

                                                                       So Handsome!

                                                      My mom made my beautiful dress. 
                                                               It was absolutely perfect!

                                                               Our sweet niece, Ellie!

                                                         Our friends, Travis & Oriana

We are so grateful for all the friends and family that were there to support us. The day was absolutely perfect! We love each other and LOVE being married. Ryan and I are now living in Logan and attending Utah State University for the next couple years. We are looking forward to achieving our goals together as we begin this exciting new journey.

              Thank you to Chad Keyes for the amazing pictures!