Sneak Peak

I debated on posting this first picture because I am not done painting this room. Additionally, I could not find the before picture, which was annoying but imagine nice green and orange pastel (not for me - ick) colors on the wall. I still need to finish painting the trim around the windows white and our nice new hardwood floors are piled in the center of the room. I am not sure when we are going to get around to actually installing them, so for the mean time they are serving as a handy junk table.

Basement Living Room BEFORE:

Basement Before had beautiful Ronald McDonald doors... Basement Living room AFTER: We ordered a new T.V. and a new couch which should be arriving this week. We also plan to get rid of the oversized love sac so if you or someone you know wants it, let me know :) So in other words, disregard all of the furniture :) Kelli's craft room BEFORE: Kelli's craft room AFTER: My mom was re-upholstering the furniture in the basement... I don't know how to sew quite yet. Kitchen BEFORE: Kitchen AFTER: Standing in the living room, looking in towards the kitchen BEFORE: Standing in the living room, looking into the kitchen AFTER: We removed the wall and this picture is looking into our beautiful kitchen ;) Needless to say, this is why I have been a horrible blogger lately. I am afraid this kitchen project is going to take FOREVER! Kitchen Hallway/Fridge Area BEFORE: And another BEFORE AFTER: Kitchen Hallway Gone, Space for the fridge added Basement Guest Bedroom Before: Basement Guest Bedroom AFTER:

These doors took a good 5 -6 coats of paint to get rid of the hideous circus colors.

And that is all I have for now. I still have a lot of work on the house so do not expect another update for at least another few weeks or so...

Update: Demolision

I don't have internet at home so I apologize for the long delay in posting. This is our progress in the kitchen so far - Removal of the wall between the kitchen and the living room. I am so excited! More updates to come...

Canyoneering in Zion

Can I just start out by saying, this weekend in Zion was AMAZING! Even if we were only there for one day, it was worth every minute! So as the pictures will tell you, Jonathan and I went canyoneering with some friends through Birch Hollow, Orderville, and the Zion Narrows.

This was our longest rappel - it was a 100ft cliff and I honestly could not get anywhere near the edge because, believe it or not, I am terrified of heights. I don't think I even looked down until I was half way down the rappel.

And this is Jonathan coming down the long 100ft rappel.

Birch Hollow had about 7 rappels ranging from 50 - 100+ feet. I love the wedged boulder in this picture.

WEEEEEEEEEE!

There was a creek that started half way through Orderville canyon and the further we went through the canyon, the faster, and the deeper the stream got. Eventually we had to put on wetsuits and swim through a few places.

Below is the last picture we took - Just as we reached the end of Orderville Canyon, and we entered into the Zion Narrows we heard a huge thunder boom. We all looked up at the sky and noticed it was filled with dark clouds. We still had 3 miles left in the Zion Narrows, so as you can probably imagine, I immediately had an anxiety attack imagining flash floods.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the Zion Narrows because I was too concerned with getting my butt out of that canyon as soon as possible. I was bummed that we couldn't take more time to enjoy the beauty of the Zion Narrows because it probably was the most beautiful canyon we went through. However, when we finally reached the end of the canyon and it started pouring rain, I was so grateful to no longer be surrounded by 500ft cliffs on both sides of me.

Tomorrow we move into our new house and I am afraid I might cry in pure happiness to be finally out of Midway and into my very own HOME!

Buzz

I have been begging Jonathan to get a hair cut for weeks now. Today after work, he asked me to buzz his head because he thought it would help "lighten his load and help him think clearer". I laughed and figured - Why not? Hair grows, right?

And more inspiration into our soon to be kitchen remodel: A black island with Marble countertops (if we can afford it of course).

Frank the Tank

Tomorrow Jonathan and I are going to look for kitchen remodel stuff and I am SO EXCITED! I remember seeing the above scene from "Old School" and laughing because I thought "who honestly spends their Saturdays shopping at Home Depot?" Well, apparently I do!

On Thursday we had our house inspection and everything went really well. We were also able to talk to the current home owners and learn about their ideas and plans for the home. The homeowners have not only taken such great care of their home, but they are also super nice and really helpful, which makes us that more excited to move in on OCT 4th!

My current kitchen crush: Vintage Modern with Marble accents...

What I love most about this kitchen, other than the fact that it is white, and elegant, and modern and beautiful - I love the see-through cabinets with glass! I love white kitchens, but Jonathan really wants a wood colored kitchen. I grew up with wood kitchens, so naturally I am intrigued by the white. Whereas Jonathan grew up with white kitchens and wants something more 'rustic'. As sexist as this comment might sound - Isn't the kitchen the woman's domain? Oh the difficult decisions in life ;) Everyone who we talk to about remodeling our house, warns us that remodeling is one of the most difficult hardships on a relationship. This thought makes me a little nervous...

Actualization

There is light at the end of the tunnel! Our long never-ending search for a home has finally come to fruition. We found a great home, in an amazing neighborhood (Sugarhouse), with a two car garage, and a big nice yard. With the economy as bleak as it is, we feel that we got a really great deal on this home. I would post more pictures of our new found sanctuary but I would prefer to post the before and after pictures once we fix it up. The house is in great condition with all new plumbing and electric, new windows, etc. However, the first thing we plan to do is to add another bathroom in the basement (currently there is only one bathroom), and update the kitchen. I know these are no simple tasks, but I am so excited to be able to add my own personal touch to this home. I have seen too many updated homes that simply do not meet my standards and/or taste. This home has just what we want and need for the next 5-10 years - I couldn't be happier! I know that as the time grows closer for us to move in, the more and more excited I will be. Our closing date is at the end of September. This is going to be one long month of anticipation!

Moving along

Last weekend Jonathan and I went rappelling down Battle Creek Falls in Pleasant Grove to practice for our larger upcoming adventure with an outdoors group to San Rafael Swell this weekend. On this trip we plan to do a few more rappels - one of them being a 180foot rappel. We are really excited! Honestly, I am so happy that we have branched out of our everyday lives and taken the initiate to meet other awesome people in Utah. Ever since I have started reading this book called "Deep Economy" I wanted to stop being a hyper-individualist-American and meet more people - I would go into more detail but I am afraid I won't make any sense unless you read the book (which I recommend to EVERYONE).

Below is both where we began our rappel, and a picture of the device that clipped in to our harness and held us to the rope - Needless to say, I was hesitant to trust my life with it...

On a side note, I started my job this week and so far I believe that I am really going to enjoy what I do, which is always a good thing :) Now that I have a new job and Jonathan has been working at a law firm part time for a while, we are going to look at homes again. We aren't going to get too excited about any homes because we really aren't sure what the future is going to bring. All we do know is that we have a SUPER long commute every day that is going to be nearly impossible in the winter (I can't even think about winter quite yet since this summer has been so amazing).

I also know that I have a deep desire to wake up in the morning to a home/apartment/condo, that is filled with all of my decorations, my clutter, my memories, and my love. The picture above is from our apartment in VT and although our place truly wasn't anything special - I loved it for what it was and what we had. Lately, I have become obsessed with stalking design blogs and it only makes me crave something of my own that much more. I hope I can do a better job of designing, but of course that might also require a little more money than we have to spare :)

However, I will continue to remain patient as I have simply loved and enjoyed this summer in Midway. There is nothing more peaceful than the beautiful surroundings and sunsets we see everyday.

Alas!

I finally got a job and I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity! As of Monday August 9th I will be working at the Huntsman Cancer Institute with the Multiple Myeloma team as a Study Coordinator. I wish I had more to write about the whole process, but I need to focus on finishing writing my final paper for my Practicum/Internship. As of tomorrow, I am officially done with my MPH...unless of course I decide to take classes in the fall since my job makes me eligible for tuition reimbursement. Who knows? I just hope this job will provide Jonathan and I with a brighter outlook for the upcoming years.

Happy Monday

So after my daily run this afternoon, I was sitting at my computer researching Healthy People 2010 stuff (and also blog stalking about missing out on Chicago thunderstorms) when I realized, that the room I was sitting in was beginning to grow darker. The weatherman said we might be getting a storm this afternoon but I usually don't get too excited about anything the weatherman has to say. But ALAS - A huge thunderstorm just rolled through the Heber Valley! Unfortunately while I was basking in this fun thunderstorm, I couldn't believe my eyes when suddenly I saw a fire had started on one of the mountains on other side of the valley.

I have been keeping my eye on it, and I believe the fire is disipating. But Still! - Can you believe it? I find myself feeling a little nervous about a fire breaking out on our side of the mountain now. How horrible.

And now for a little video of the storm....

Hopefully I will have better/more exciting news in the upcoming weeks as I continue to apply for jobs. Keep your fingers crossed for us :)

Starting Anew

Unfortunately I lost access to my "jonathanandkelli" blog due to an issue with blogger vs. google accounts and attempting to reset my password to an email address that I no longer have access to. So instead of wasting more time trying to get access to the old blog, I have decided to start anew. Trust me, I wasted hours trying to get access to the other blog because I hate to loose all of those memories but oh well.

So this past week I went to Chicago and spent a TON of time with my family since it was our family reunion and an equally enjoyable time hanging out with friends. For a nice preview of our family reunion pictures - go to this website:

http://www.erinbphotography.com/blog/?p=206

And here are a few photos that I took...

The Smith Girls

Below are all 24 of my nieces and nephews. The oldest is Becca who is turning 15 this week and she is holding the youngest who is Elysse. I am sure there are many more additions to come :)