COUCH FOR SALE!!!

We are asking $90 for this couch.  It is super comfortable, we just don't have room for it in our apartment anymore.  Let me know if you are interested!  It also has many pillows, but you can take or leave as many as you want. email me at and10020@byui.edu if you are interested!

Memorial Day

Well, this year for memorial day we really wanted to go camping.  My father in law had a 45% coupon for kelty camp stuff.  Kelty is a super nice brand of outside camping gear, backpacks, etc.  Tanner and I want to go camping a lot when we are older and have kids so we thought this was a good opportunity to get it all 45% off!  Well, we were disappointed because none of our camping gear came.  And on top of that, it was a heavy downpour, and it even started snowing.  Not cool.  So, we spent the night in his parents camper for 2 nights.  That was still fun.  We watched the grinch in the camper, and had a good time.  I didn't take any pictures....but we had a fun weekend!  On Sunday we helped his brother Ty move to Montana.  That was crazy.  It was so super cold, and not very enjoyable.  But we got them settled in in no time and we had a good time spending some time with them.  To top off our memorial day, we watched the Grinch.  What a good weekend!

I am a true believer

So, the first 5 months of mine and Tanner's marriage, I will admit, we were super lazy.  We would stay up until 3 in the morning watching prison break and other movies, sleep until 10 or 11 (oh my) and then waste our day doing silly things like facebook, watch movies, eat popcorn, go to school, etc.  We never did anything fun, exciting, uplifting, nothing.  We found ourselves getting into this hole where we started gaining weight.  and being lazy.  In high school, i LOVED staying up late and not going to sleep.  I've always been a party animal. hahaha. But now that I'm married, I'm realizing that that's not exactly the right way to live. My dad has always taught us to go to bed early, and to wake up early.  But none of us have ever believed him.  Well, now I'm starting to believe him.  In March-ish, I realized that we were really lazy, and that we both had gained weight.  Gaining weight is never attractive. haha.  Anyway, so we decided to make different goals for ourselves.  We decided to go to the temple at least once a month, exercise EVERY DAY, go to bed at the latest 11:30, actually cook dinner and cook healthy, not watch tv so much, and make more time to study for school.  Oh my lanta....I feel so much better!!! I love exercising every day, and especially because it's with my hubby.  We always glance at each other and wink haha and it just keeps me goin!  I have found that going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and especially EXERCISING every day, has made both of us happier people, more alert, and we have more fun together!!  We are starting to realize how funny each other is, and we just have a ton of fun together.  It seems that now everything fits into our day that didn't used to.  It's kind of weird.  But, to sum this all up, I just want to say I'm a firm believer in exercising.  Not gonna lie, the first 2, even 3 weeks of exercising was NOT enjoyable.  Like at all.  I would feel like death during, and I would just fall and die after like 10 minutes of running.  Oh ya, I forgot.  I made a goal to not 'become a runner' but to 'become comfortable at running.'  My whole life I've felt like running is a weakness of mine, and I've always been a really slow runner.  So...I decided that running would be my goal for the year.  Become comfortable at it, and hopefully lose like 15 pounds.  Anyway, exercise isn't easy, but now after about a month and a half, I am actually starting to enjoy it.  And I've lost 4 pounds! Woohoo for exercise.  All of you out there that have ever felt like Tanner and I, lazy, and fat, you can change.  Because  if we are, so can you!!

 p.s. We made goals to look like this someday:

This is what Tanner wants to look like:



  And this......this is me. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. We'll let you know our progress.

:)

So....I know every woman out there thinks they have the best husband in the world.  But I think after reading this post, we all would agree that MADDIE STEVENS has the best husband in the world.  There are many reasons why I do, but this is the most recent one.  A little background on this,  So  last night Tanner and i started watching Rango.  It's about a lizard, and it's hilarious.  Well, I got bored and started painting my toenails.  Without saying anything, Tanner took off his socks, put his feet up by mine and said, "paint mine."  I just kind of stared at him like are you serious?  But...I didn't hesitate, and I got right on it!!  I painted them pink and purple with a cute little message on them.  I was laughing my head off the whole time because I kept wondering why he was letting me do this. hahahahahahahaha oh my heck so funny.  When I finally let him look, he died.  As I'm sure you can imagine.  But, we went to bed and he didn't ask me to take it off.  Now ladies- if you have a husband like mine- you know he's a keeper.  hahahaha I love him so stinking much!  Anyway, here are some pictures:

                                                                   Here's HIS toes

                                                                And here's mine.

                                  This is true love. hahahaha. I just got thinking...in 10 years when I                         show our kids my blog, what are they going to think?? BAHAHAHAHA

Our new found love

Well, Tanner and I have found our new found love.  Any guesses????




















.....FISHING!!!!  I've always enjoyed fishing, and he's always wanted to go more, so we decided to make it a weekly thing!!  We love it.  It's relaxing, it's a break we both get from school, its time we get to just be together, its a time to get away from our hot apartment, and many more things.  I just like it because it's just me and my hubby, doing something we love, with the one we love.  So far, we've caught 8 fish total. haha.  None of them have been large but we figure we have to make baby steps right???  Here's some pictures.

 This was our fishing trip on Saturday.  We went to Robinsons Creek in Ashton.  This was my first fish.  Biggest one of the day...haha

                                  Here's Tanners little minnow. hahahahahahaha just kidding.

 Gorgeous view!!  We had to hike a ways to get where we were.  My legs are all scratched up from it, but it was all worth it.

                                           What a fun day.  And I sure love my hubster.

This is love. haha.

Here's a video to brighten your day.  It sure brightens mine whenever I watch it.  I love my hubby. He's a keeper :) Sometimes he gets in these moods where he's super goofy and makes me laugh till my gut hurts.  It's so funny.

Remodel

So...Tanner and I decided we were sick of clutter, and wanted something that "Tanner and Maddie wanted."  It was kind of fun.  We were blessed with a tender mercy recently, we found an abundance of money we didn't know we had, so we decided to use it to do something we both wanted: a remodeled apartment.  I've been so excited to decorate my apartment the way I want it. hahaha.  With a color scheme, and my own arts and crafts.  Anyway, so one saturday we went to Idaho Falls and went on a big shopping spree!! We got a table, a cough cover, pillows, 2 adorable lamps, a ottoman, a tv mount, and little odds and ends.  It was so fun to put the house together with my hubs.  We had a lot of fun.  It was fun to just spend the day together, laugh together, spend money hahaha, and just spend quality time together.  I took some pics of Tan in his work mode.  Something I love about Tanner is how hard of a worker he is.  He has been so determined to buy his own tools and drills etc, and this is why.  He loves doing things for me and making me happy.  Not only was I excited, but he was just as excited with his toolbelt hahaha.  I love him.

                         He was measuring the wall to get our tv mount just perfect hahaha :)

                                              He thinks he's pretty cool with all his tools :)

.I wish I had a before and after picture, but I forgot to take pictures of what it looked like before.  Oh well!  Here is the finished Stevens apartment:

 We got this adorable table for a exceptional price.  I just love it.  Now we can actually eat on a table and not the ground! haha.

 Our tv mount is hilarious.  We can pull the tv out like 4 feet, and its so funny.  It will be like in the middle of the living room by the time we pull it out all the way...haha.

 I just love how it all looks.  there's no more clutter, and we love it.  We are so grateful for the extra money we had to be able to do all of this!!!

This is my favorite part:  I just finished this a couple days ago.   I found the idea on pinterest and we both loved it.  So I decided to make my own!!

The one on pinterest looks a little different then mine, but I love mine more hahaha.  It's a key ring holder!! I love the his and hers idea. Anyway, we love it!!  All I did was painted a board, (That tanner made for me) sand it to make it look antique-like, I found the hooks at target, and I found the letters at porters.  I painted the letters red, glued them on, and bam.  DONE!!! Anyway, I kinda like it.  I'm likin the idea of making my own decor :)

There's one more thing that keep forgetting to put on here.  My hubby is very talented when it comes to building things.  For  a wedding present to me, he decided to make our bed.  Not buy it.....MAKE IT!!! He spent so many hours doing it. He cut down his own trees, and literally made this bed from scratch.  It was probably the best present ever, because he made it with his bare hands, all by himself.  He is so talented, and I keep telling him that he should start a wood building business someday.  He said that this bed is probably worth thousands of dollars.  Anywho, I just love it, and I'm so impressed with Tanner's skills too! Love you sugar.

Mothers Day!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...my password somehow didn't work for like 2 weeks...super annoying.  But anyway, mothers day was 2 sunday's ago, and what a wonderful day it was.  I've always thought it to be so cool that we actually have specific days set aside to celebrate mothers and fathers. I told that to my mom and she said, "They need to have every day be a mothers day." hahaha I love that woman.  But anyway, we decided to tell both of our moms that we were going to the other moms house, so both of them would be bummed...haha.  Well we decided we wanted to surprise both of them on their special day.  So first we went to my house and surprised Jillian.  We decorated the kitchen with a sign, streamers, and some balloons. We dressed up in nerdy and hideous outfits, waited till she got home from church, hid downstairs, sneaked upstairs and crawled around, and scared the living daylights out of her.  She was outside talking to my dad, so Tanner and I snuck up on her.  Tanner called her phone so that she would hear it and go into the kitchen to answer it.  Well when she turned the corner, there two strangers were, with tights on their heads, and one yells, "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!"  Haha it was hilarious.  She screamed at the top of her lungs, and we got a good kick out of it.  Here's the video to prove it:

Oh it was hilarious.  We love scaring my mom.  We had a nice chat with she and my dad, and then we were off to do the same to my mother-in-law!  Here are some pictures:

I found this adorable sign at Deseret Book and I loved it.  This has always been my moms motto, to live a more simple life.  So I decided it was perfect! I bought both of us one so now I have the same one haha.

I love this picture with all of my heart!!! hahahahaha it kills me because this is exactly how my mom and I are.  We always have fun together, and I just love her.

I am so grateful for such a wonderful mother.  I'm grateful to have someone I can talk to whenever, and one that will help me become the best wife I can be.  My mom has been such an example to me, and I hope I can be like her someday.  There's just something special about your mom, something that no one else has and can ever have.  She is everything to a daughter.  And she is everything to me.  I love you mamma!!! Love, your little Maddie poo-ba!


After we surprised my mom, we drove to Ashton and did the same to his mom.  We decorated her bed with notes, and put up a sign on their balcony.  Here's pictures:

Tanner and I wanted to try and put a "memory lane" on Stacey's bed.  On one side I put some fun memories she and I have made together from the day I met her until now.  Tanner did the same thing but he wrote things from when he met me, until now.  It was kind of fun to have a trail leading up to why we love her.  She also had a great reaction to two strangers scaring her in her own bedroom:

I am also deeply grateful for my mother-in-law.  She has been such an inspiration to me in times that I've been in need.  She is so funny, and such a pleasure to be around.  I have definitely been blessed to have her as my second mom.  Love you Stace.

I'm just so grateful for the two mom's that I have.  They are both so wonderful, and make me feel like such a gem all the time.  Love you both!!! Happy Mothers Day!!

Diamond Rio!

Last night was the Diamond Rio concert at BYU-Idaho.  I got strep throat the day before, and so I was really bummed because the doctor said I was contagious for another 48 hours.  Which meant that i probably shouldn't go out in public and get the whole world sick. haha.  So, we planned not to go and to do something else.  As the night came nearer, I was complaning because I wanted to go so bad!!! Well at about 6:45 my mom called Tanner and said she had 2 extra tickets.  WOOHOO!!! So we were able to go!  We had better seats then my parents, and Tanners family.  It was hilarious.  The concert was spectacular, I had a ball!!   Thanks mom and dad for the tickets!!!

The audience was huge!!! the whole hart was packed!

Loverboy's 23rd birthday!!

It's kinda of weird to think that my hubby is 23.  Because I'm only 19. haha.  I forgot to post about his birthday, but it was back in April, the 10th.  The night before his birthday, I planned a surprise party at his parents house.  A bunch of his close friends came out and we had cake and icecream, played games, and sat in the hot tub.  It was really fun, and I think I surprised him!  We spent the 'birthday eve' at his parents house out in Ashton.  In the morning, Tanner didn't wake up until about 10. haha he wanted to sleep in on his birthday so, I let him. I asked him what he wanted to  for his birthday and he said he wanted to go out to his and build something.  He loves to build things, and he is way good at it.  He built me some plaques so I can do crafts for our apartment.  Let's see, he and I went on a fore-wheeler ride and went on a little hike.  It was fun.  We went to a fresh hot spring, and drank a sip of the water. It was delicious!  We headed back to Rexburg, and we went to eat at Sammy's, his favorite hamburger and shake place.  Then Tanner, his best friend Aj, and I went to a movie.  I don't remember what it was, all I remember was it was stupid. hahahahaha.  We all came out and just laughed because it was so dumb! Good memories.

Both our families had birthday dinners for him, it was sweet.  My family has a tradition on birthdays where we go around the table and say one thing we love about the birthday person.  So this time it was my hubby.  I liked hearing all the things my family said they love about him, because it made me realize even more how lucky I am to have him.  At both of our houses we had steak, because oh man, Tanner would die if he didn't have steak at least once a week! hahaha I love him. 

Anyway, his birthday was fun, and I am just so grateful for my husband.  It is weird to think that we will be together forever, but I wouldn't want to spend forever with anyone else.  We have both helped each other through a lot, and it strengthens us every day.  I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father for sending Tanner to me.  He sent the perfect person to me.  Love you Tanman. 

Here's some pics of his bday festivities:

                                                             Love you loverboy.

grateful

So, due to my last post, I've been frustrated just with life in general.  Well, besides my frustrations, another tender mercy happened to me today.  Tanner and I have volleyball class together every Tuesday and Thursday, and today was a frustrating day for both of us!  We got put on the same team (by accident haha) and were both the team setters.  The people we get to play with are very inexperienced, and some of them are even beginners.  Well, the setter position usually are the ones that help the team get going, and explain to them how everything works.  It was hard being the setter and trying to get everyone to be in the right spot at the right time.  One of the girls on our team complained to coach that tanner and I were yelling and not really explaining things to her. Well, turns out we were only trying to help.  Anyway, I was getting down on myself because this girl thought I was yelling at her.  I've never been one to yell at people, or even get mad at them.  So it was just kind of weird to me.  Well, as Tanner and I got home we were talking about the day and just how you can't really change people.  They have to have the desire to change, and to be better.  Just like our volleyball class, if you want to get better you actually have to act and ask questions.  You only get better by experience.  I was really frustrated for who knows why, but oh well.

 So I got onto my BYU-Idaho finances, and i was filling out my FAFSA.  As I was doing that, Tanner and I noticed that I had money just sitting in my BYU-Idaho account.  I had no idea it was there!  And it was an exceeding amount of money I'd gotten from scholarships.  I won't tell you how much it was, but let's just say that I am so grateful.  First, I am grateful for my Dad.  Because he is a religion professor at BYU-Idaho, I get 4 years of half tuition payed for.  If you think about that, people would DIE to be able to have that.  I've never really thought about it as a blessing, I've just always been like "Oh, that's cool."  But man, now as I'm married and poor, I cherish every penny I see. Ya know, I don't know why but some people think down upon teachers, because their profession doesn't make as much money as others.  But you know what, my Dad is so knowledgeable in the gospel, and is such a blessing to so many people around him, including me.  Thanks Dad, for being a blessing in my life.  For helping me pay for college.  For helping me get an education.  For just being you.  I love you Dad!

Last but not least, I am so grateful for my eternal Father.  For giving me trials.  Last night while playing wallyball, I dove for a ball and landed flat on my tushy.  I came home and couldn't walk, and could hardly sleep.  It happened at the most inconvenient time too.  That always seems to happen, and it always baffles me why trials come when they do.  But I'm starting to realize why.  They seem to come at times when you really need them.  At times when you need to be strengthened.  It's easy to just want to give up, and not keep going.  But that is not how I'm going to be- I am going to keep going.  Life is worth living.  It seems like the past 6 months have been chuck full of trials.  And It's been hard.  But it's been to help me, because I need it. Life comes at you when you least expect it, but it's when you most need it that they come.  I am in the Symphony Orchestra on campus, and oh boy is it hard! I got into the first violin section as the 3rd stand.  I was shocked when I found out that's where I was sitting.  I got a scholarship my first semester here, and it just keeps rising and rising.  I've been looking at the Orchestra in a negative way, that I'm not very good, and everyone in there is way better than I am.  I've realized that that's why I'm still in the orchestra, and still getting money for playing in it.  I am good!  I just don't realize it yet.  I am so privileged to be in the orchestra- I get a $600 scholarship every semester for crying out loud!  There are so many things to be grateful for- I've just been missing the whole point.  Things that we often times don't realize- are our greatest blessings.

 Oh my heart is just full today.  Every day I am finding something new to be grateful for, and it is just amazing how our Heavenly Father works.  I am so grateful for Him for giving me the trials that He has.  I am finding out that He wants us to succeed- and that's why He has given me these trials.  So I can learn to overcome them, and to look towards Him for help.  I am blessed to even be here on this earth, so I need to live up to my potential. and strive to be like Him and enjoy the trials that come.