The Reneer Family

One Day More...

2012-01-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

So I am finding joy in the things I used to love. Like reading...I read this great book called "The Message" by Lance Richardson. It was a great read and quick and easy. Gave me new light and ideas of life in the hereafter. I am now reading "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. I am excited to get in it.
Another thing I am rediscovering is my love for the music from "Les Miserables". We got the 25th anniversary Blu-ray for Christmas and totally love it. It includes encores with the original cast from 1986. Here is my favorite clip:

One Day More with the original cast!
Those are just some of my new things I love!

Next post will be about Ryan and his new job!

New Years Disney Style!

2012-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

For the New Year, we went to Disneyland. A once in a lifetime thing. We went because we have an annual passport to the park. We enjoyed our time down there with the record breaking crowd! We saw what we wanted to and enjoyed an extra treat at Goofy's Kitchen for dinner on Dec. 30 from Dad! It was tons of fun! The park was still decorated for the Holidays so it was fun to be there with Christmas still around. About an hour and a half before midnight hit on New Years Eve, the fog settled in to so there was no sight of fireworks but sounds of them were nice! Here are some highlights:

We got to ride this twice in the same sitting in the same day...once at the time pictured above and then after midnight when the park became a ghost town!

Christmas

2011-12-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

We've had a great Christmas season! We have most enjoyed just being together. We have been busy as can be but have had tons of fun.

This is us at the 144th ASMC Christmas Banquet. We had tons of fun being with friends!
After Chris' concert at Temple Square
At the Joseph Smith Building with the Bartlett's
Ryan's nephew loved our train under our tree and dragged Ryan to see it with him. It was adorable.
Temple Square with the Olsen's. Brittney and I went to UVU together.
These were made into neighbor gifts. (Place in 300 degree oven for 3 min then cover with another pretzel) DELICIOUS!!!
For our family for Christmas I made them all a journal that they can fill in about their history.
We were playing games all night with the Gustafson's and this kind of catches all the excitement of the end of the quarter game. We were really competitive by the end. It was a GREAT amount of fun for everyone!
Ryan's gift Christmas morning
Ryan gave me this necklace because our hearts are entwined with each other.
After a wonderful sacrament meeting at church, we went to see Grandma, Grandpa and Mom. Each year is still hard but we relish in the memories they left us. We then went to Dad's house and opened gifts with them. Then went and visited the Reneer's for a little bit too.
Christmas was good to us. We got some things we needed and some fun gifts. Thank you to all our family for a great holiday!

What's new in our life...

2011-12-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to blog...that is a new year's resolution for next year. I will just include our Christmas card and you can see how busy we are...I do have other pictures to share and will get them up soon.
Here is our letter that was included in our card:

December 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been quite a year for us! We have done a lot and enjoyed the year being together.

In January, Elise started her student teaching at Copperview Elementary in a 6^th grade classroom. She had so much fun with her class. She learned a lot and had great students to work with. They were a great support for Elise as the deployment wrapped up in Afghanistan for Ryan.

March 20, 2011 marked one year to the day since Ryan left for Afghanistan. It was an exciting day for us…he was finally coming home! The neighbors put up flags on our street—way cool to see! Elise made a banner, got flags for everyone, and a friend came to take pictures so that nothing was missed! Ryan said that the flight was long but Elise thinks that waiting at the airport for 1½ hours or more for the plane to come was longer. When the plane landed and the flag came out of the cockpit, cheers went up like no other! Elise, of course, was crying and couldn’t stand still. This was the moment we had waited for for 9 months! (That’s how long it had been since we’d been together for leave.) When the door opened on the plane, even louder cheers came out of everyone there. The soldiers then filed out of the plane. Ryan finally came out with tears in his eyes. When we finally got to hug, it was the BEST hug ever! We just held each other. Newpapers were taking pictures, family was taking pictures, and tears were flowing all around. It was the best moment of the year!

Shortly after Ryan got home, Elise graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. The very next day we headed off to HAWAII!!! (This was our first vacation that Ryan didn’t have to go anywhere when we got home.) We enjoyed the military discounts there and stayed in a cabin right on a private beach! We took pictures on the beach with a photographer, saw Pearl Harbor, the Laie Temple, went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, enjoyed the local shops, and luaus. We had so much fun but sadly never saw a sunset there. It rained cats and dogs at some point almost every day! The Hawaiians felt bad for us and apologized for the weather but we told them that it was okay because we had left 8” of snow in our yard back home. We enjoyed our time there and hope to be able to go again!

The rest of the year has just flown by! Here are some of our highlights.

We went with Elise’s family to Yellowstone in June. It was Ryan’s first time and he thoroughly enjoyed it! Ryan participated in the Centerville parade, we went to Stadium of Fire, saw the Tabernacle choir, and ran in the Freedom Run in Provo all over the 4^th of July weekend. Then, of course, in true Gustafson fashion, we all went to Disney World in August. We had a lot of fun and created many memories along the way! We then went to see Josh Groban in Vegas which was a fun quick overnight getaway. We also went to Disneyland in October for a couple of days. What can we say…we love Disney!

Elise is now the secretary for the Family Readiness Group for Ryan’s unit. She also has set out on a home business selling Paparazzi Jewelry from our home. Ryan has been on the job hunt and works for his unit out at Camp Williams when they need extra help.

We are so grateful for many things this year: great memories, family, friends, the Gospel, our Savior, and those who are serving over seas so that we can be together and celebrate. Please keep those serving in your prayers. We hope that you had a great year and wish you the best for the coming year!

Love always,

Ryan and Elise Reneer

ryanreneerfamily.blogspot.com

Photo credits: Top: Rachael Nelson (homecoming), Middle: Conrad Prusse (Hawaii), Bottom: Elyssa Gustafson

New job!

2011-09-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

I am going to start selling jewelry for $5 from a company called Paparazzi. Check out my Facebook page-Paparazzi by Elise. Find it on my profile or on my status'. If you would like to host a party just leave a comment here or on my facebook page!

Disney World!

2011-09-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I went with my family to Walt Disney World for 12 days! We had this planned for 8 months and it was finally here. We had a crazy start to this vacation! Dad was working the night before on Amtrak and the train was looking late...not good for an early flight. Well we got to the airport on time and Dad missed the plane. The train was too late. He had to end up taking a later flight. When we got to Florida, Dad had us get a shuttle to the hotel so we didn't have to sit in the airport for 6 hours waiting for him. The shuttle needs it's own post but in the short-the ride was the scariest of my life. It was pouring rain, he was drifting, and left the car on while getting gas. Let's just say Elaura was REALLY scared. We got to the hotel and got our room. Dad called us from his first class upgrade and said he was on his way finally. We got dinner and hung out because we didn't have a car to anywhere. Dad got to the hotel around 1 AM. The next days we spent them going everywhere at Disney World. We bought annual passes for both Disney Parks-Disneyland and Disney World. We went to the water parks and all the other ones in between. We had so much fun! It was just WAY too humid for my likings. We enjoyed every minute. Oh did I tell you that it rained like crazy a couple of the days. We just put on our ponchos and went at it. We were just soaked from knees down including our shoes and socks. We had so many pictures taken there and so I will only choose a few. To see more, come on over and see my new adventure!

This is the Sand Pail we bought at Typhoon Lagoon! It's full of ice cream and all the toppings. We ended up buying 2 to feed all 7 of us! It was so fun!
There are just too many pictures to post them all here! Just some of our highlights!

DISNEY and MORE DISNEY!!!

2011-08-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I went with the family to Disney World for 12 days! It was so much fun but VERY humid. We did everything there. I have TONS of pictures to go through and pick out the ones that I want to post. Between me, Izzy and Ryan we have tons of pictures! As I was thinking about the pictures, I decided to find a Disney background and found a few but this one was the best for now! I am excited to show all the pictures and fun we had! Chris is also creating a music video of our trip. He took video coverage and hoping that as soon as he has time to sit and do it that I get to post it! This weekend Ryan and I are headed to Josh Groban in Vegas! It's a quick overnight trip but we are excited! Post more later!

Ryan

2011-07-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to tell you all how much I love Ryan! It has been a different life since he came home 4 months ago...Yes! 4 months ago!!! Time has just flown. Anyways, he told me that he would always make me laugh when we were dating and he hasn't failed yet. He always makes sure that I know that he loves me. He has tried so hard to try to find work and struggled. He wants to work and support me and our future family. We have tried to find him a job. He got one that is going to be just a side job but it is at Primerica. He sells life insurance policies. They really are a great investment. They can help out when a family member suddenly dies. My family all have one and it was the way that we helped pay for my Mom's funeral. He has been training but it doesn't start paying until he has his license. But this last weekend he went to drill and as much as it was drill, he was glad to be paid for his work. He then found out that this week he could work out there finishing up what wasn't finished and he took the opportunity. I haven't seen him so excited to work. He really is eager to work and I am glad that he is happy to do it. Ryan really is an example of hard work to me. I love him with all my heart and am grateful that I am his eternal companion!

BUSY BUSY BUSY....

2011-07-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy that I haven't been able to put up our last days in Hawaii or any other pictures of what we have been doing....need to make it a habit to update more often.

Our last days in Hawaii were so fun! We drove back up the island to try out all the local food. We stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation but didn't see much because of the rain. We then stopped at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and tried the shrimp. It was good. We then went up to Ted's Bakery and had a HUGE eclair and bought a pie that is the popular flavor there-Chocolate Haupia Cream! OH it was SO SO GOOD!!! We also went to Laie Point where you can see all of Laie. It is just so beautiful there! We also did some more shopping at the swap meet. We then enjoyed a dinner cruise around the harbor of Honolulu. We enjoyed virgin Mai Tai's, crab and steak! It was a fun night but maybe not on our list for next time. Sunday we just bummed around. We stopped at Pearl Harbor again to read some more of the signs, we ate at a fun mexican restaurant called Bandito's and then went to the beach to see what was going to be our last sunset but as had happened the whole time we were there, we never saw a sunset while in Hawaii. We took a red eye home which we are not doing again. We really enjoyed our time in Hawaii. Here are a few pictures.

We have been so busy since we got back. It's a good thing we take pictures so I can remember all the events. We had concerts like crazy for Elaura and Chris, Les Miserables, Memorial Day, funny photo shoot with Elyssa, Elaura's senior awards night, clean up at Eastmont in honor of Mom, Elaura's graduation, made a skirt with Elyssa from no pattern and of course our anniversary! For our 2 year 1st time together anniversary we had a nice breakfast, saw "Pirates of the Carribbean: On Stranger Tides", ate at Little America and stayed at Anniversary Inn. We had so much fun together celebrating our anniversary. We had our friends The Butlers over and the next day they welcomed their daughter into this world. We played Michael Jackson on the Wii and chatted. The next week we went to Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove and took Elyssa and Chris. We rode three rides at the carnival where we pretty much made ourselves sick and then went home and had strawberries and cream.

This last week has been crazy! We went to Yellowstone with my family. It was Ryan's first time there and it was so much fun to take him around the park. We visited all the sites, floated the Snake River, watched a play at Mack's Inn called "Home School Musical", and Ryan got his Junior Ranger. I love the Junior Ranger Program. It teaches so much about the park and some of the history of how the park became what it is now. We saw 2 bears-one black and one grizzly, tons of bison, elk, an eagle, and LOTS and LOTS of Mosquitos. We were eaten to death. You couldn't sit outside because there were too many!

We came home a couple of days early so that we could enjoy the 4th of July weekend. We started with my 5 year high school reunion. Saw and chatted with some friends and met spouses and babies. Sad there weren't very many there. Saturday morning Ryan participated in the Centerville Parade. It was so fun to see him shaking hands and handing out flags. He had a blast! That night we went to the Stadium of Fire! Brad Paisley and David Archuleta were awesome but the best part was the fireworks! It took us 2 hours to get home that night-that included our walk to the car. We were exhausted but we still got up early Sunday to go see the choir. We took Izzy and had fun listening to the music our mom loves so much on her birthday! Sunday night we went down to Ryan's families house to stay because we were getting up early again to watch the Provo Freedom Parade and running in the Freedom Run! Ryan ran the 10K and I ran the mile! We were so exhausted after all that that we crashed after fireworks with Elaura, Izzy and Elyssa.

We have had an eventful 2 months. If you read this far, thank you! Hope you enjoyed it!

Laie Temple and PCC

2011-06-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Day 5
We got up early and went to the temple. Oh my gosh is it GORGEOUS!!! We attended a session and I am so glad we did! We really enjoyed the beauty of the temple. After we came out, I was able to see my roommate Becca Haws and catch up with her quickly. She moved there to go to school. We just really enjoyed the beauty of the temple. We then had lunch at McDonald's and then walked into the Polynesian Cultural Center. Oh my it is the Disneyland of Hawaii. We barely got to see most of everything we wanted to see. We just had so much fun enjoying all the culture. We had tons and tons of pictures by the time we were done. We went to the luau and enjoyed the food and then went to the show. Loved it all! But next time, we are not doing Pearl Harbor and the PCC back to back because we were past exhausted.

Pearl Harbor

2011-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Day 4
We went to Pearl Harbor on about our only sunny day! It was such a neat experience to be there with Ryan. We met 4 survivors who were just the sweetest men there. This day wasn't about fun, it was remembering our military family and honoring them. It was a very good experience that really got to me and especially to Ryan. The video we saw really got to me but I am so glad that I was able to honor those and see history for myself. We also saw the USS Utah. We then went over to the USS Missouri where the peace treaty for World War II was signed. It is the last battleship the US has that is now retired. We took an Ipod tour that was so incredible. By the time we saw all of Pearl Harbor, we were worn out. What a neat day though. We really enjoyed it.

Day 2 and 3 Hawaii

2011-06-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a hard time with blogger and decided when I was able to get it working again, I would just hurry and post our trip as fast as I can. So I will just hurry and list our details for day 2 of Hawaii.
Day 2 we went to the ITR at Schofield Barracks to get our great discounts on the activities we chose to do on the island. Then we went back to our room looking for beach time. Well we found this instead.

We hadn't seen rain like that in a long time! We had so much fun playing in the rain and being soaking wet. I tried uploading the video but it wasn't working. But these pictures say it all! We ended up staying in the rest of the night and watch history unfold as we all found out the Osama Bin Laden had been killed.

Day 3 highlights:

Beach outside our room-got sunburned but am loving the tan!
Kualoa Ranch-took 2 tours there-Hawaiian Fishpond and Garden Tour and Movie Site and Ranch Tour

Some movies made there are 50 First Dates, Mighty Joe Young, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Pearl Harbor, George of the Jungle, Lost, and Tears of the Sun are the ones we knew of. You will see some of the signs in the pictures below of some of the famous spots we stood in.
After the tours, there was a luau that ended up being so intimate because there were only 6 people there including us! It was so much fun! I made a plumeria flower clip for both of us (they told me to make one for Ryan!) and then we made a fish out of the green leaves. Did you know that if you are going to wear the flower that it says something depending on the side you wear it? The right means you are still looking and the left means you are taken or married. The food was delicious and we had so much fun! Ryan went up during the show and did the martial art they were teaching. Here's the video:

We got back to our room a little late but it was well worth it!

Paradise!

2011-05-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2011
We had talked to a friend-Jeanette Knight-who had a friend in Honolulu who does photography there. So we got up early and went and took pictures on the beach with Conrad Prusse. We had so much fun! He complimented us the whole time on how easy it was to photograph us. We just really enjoyed taking pictures on Waimanalo Beach where the water is blue and the sand is white. We are so happy with the way they turned out. The hardest part is picking some for all of you to see but how can I get just a few from 159! They are all so beautiful!

We went to the Aloha Stadium for the Swap Meet! Oh we loved the swap meet! We found so many fun things that we wanted. We did limit ourselves but we did go back 2 other times to find what we found the first day and decided we wanted them. After the Aloha Swap Meet, we went to Schofield Barracks to get us some groceries for breakfast. We bought them at the base because they were cheaper. We then went back to our room because we were so dang tired and rested. We had KFC for dinner and listened to the light rain outside our room. We were out cold by about 9:00 PM local time.

At the Swap Meet!

The view from our door....see the ocean is right outside our room!!!

Ryan standing in the rain with his souvenirs!

Me out in the rain!

HAWAII

2011-05-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2011

We had a crazy day! We had had graduation the day before and packed until late that night. The morning we were leaving Elyssa and Christopher were singing in the Community Messiah Sing In and we weren't going to see the real thing so we went for a listen. They both had solos and WOW!!!! they are AMAZING!!! Christopher did a great job on his tenor part and then Elyssa sounded like an angel. At that point, I was even more disappointed that I wasn't going to be here for them the next day to hear and support them. I did hear though that they did just as amazing of a job the next night. Anyways, after we left for the airport for our HAWAIIAN VACATION! We were getting on a jet plane and leaving all 7 inches of snow behind and heading towards SUNSHINE and WARMTH!!! We were so excited! This was our first vacation since Ryan got home and what was even more special is that this time when we got home.....HE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE AFTER!!!! Just so everyone knows, Ryan has left for training or gone back to his deployment when we have had our own vacation before so this was a real treat! We flew out that afternoon and got to Hawaii around midnight Utah time. By the time we got to our cabin at the Army Recreation Center, it was around 2 AM Utah time. We were so tired. We literally crashed when we got in the room.

The morning we left.
See...7 INCHES!!!
On our first of 2 flights to Hawaii.
We got there and just loved the feeling of vacation!

GRADUATION!!!

2011-05-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

I graduated on April 29, 2011 from Utah Valley University with my Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. I am so glad that it is over and now it's time for decisions of what to do next. I am trying to decide what is best for my family and I at this time. We will see what the future brings!

Where do I start?.....

2011-04-15T16:03:00.001-07:00

I have so much to update on this blog I don't know where to start....except with pictures of the best moment in the last little while. Ryan came home on March 20, 2011. It was the best day since my wedding. I am so glad he is home. I thought that I would share some of my favorite pictures from that day.

(The above are all from Rachael Nelson)
This is embarrassing...but it's all the emotion that I felt when I finally saw him come through the airplane door. I really do hate this picture but it shows the emotion that I felt at that moment.

(The above are courtesy Salt Lake Tribune and UTNG.)

(The above are all from Rachael Nelson)
These are either from Elyssa or me.

All these pictures do most of the talking. I hope that everyone who was there that had their picture taken with Ryan was included. The ward lined our street with flags for him when he came home. It was quite emotional for both of us.
It was such a fun day and I now have Ryan back in my arms and love having him home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!

2010-10-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING RYAN!!!

Well since Afghanistan is 10 1/2 hours ahead, Ryan's birthday is a little longer as are most of the holidays we celebrate!!! Ryan is now 26!!! I sent him a fun box and was able to watch him open it on Skype. He is so funny. I love him to death!!! I am so sad that we can't celebrate together but I am grateful that I am his eternal companion and get to always celebrate with him.

This is what I am thinking of how much longer till I get to be with him again!!!

He is so hilarious!!!

I can't wait till we get to be this....TOGETHER AGAIN!!!

I love him with all my heart!!! I can't wait till we are together again!!!
I love you Ryan! Happy Birthday!!

Our Summer....

2010-08-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a crazy one. It has been a whirlwind of events. Ryan and I celebrated our first anniversary completely separated but were able to spend the day on SKYPE together. It was a hard day as I am sure you can imagine. We really had a hard time being separated that day.
We were counting down the days till we saw each other again. Well it wasn't far away. He came home on July 1 for his 2 week R and R.

Ryan stepped back because he wanted to give the lady that offered to take pictures his camera. I wasn't sure what was going on of course. Elyssa and Christopher came with me to the gate to surprise Ryan when he came off the plane. He had no idea at all. It was totally awesome!

My hug that I finally got after 2 1/2 months without him!!! The greatest feeling!
My accomplices...We had so much fun waiting for the moment!!!
We spent the first 2 nights at Anniversary Inn. It was so much fun! I got to cook for someone other than myself!!
Here we are on Mom's birthday-July 3rd-at the cemetery. Hard day but we also celebrated Ryan's halfway mark with his contract-not the deployment, that's September.
We celebrated with all of Ryan's family and my family with a BBQ!!! It was so much fun and Ryan was so glad to see his family.
After the BBQ, we went to the Sandy Library to watch the fireworks across the valley. This was our first 4th of July together. He was gone last summer to ROTC training at West Point. We spent Sunday the 4th just relaxing and did pack for our vacation. Monday the 5th, we went to Long Beach, CA for a week to just get away from everyone and relax. We drove down Monday and were there till Saturday. Tuesday we went to Venice Beach and it was a little more chilly than we planned but we still had fun.
Here we were unsure if we were going to have fun on a cool beach. We planned on warmer weather and it definitely wasn't.
Us with our picnic lunch on the beach. It was an overcast day and we forgot to put on sunscreen and we were COOKED! It hurt bad!
Ryan rolled up his pants but that did no good obviously!!!!
I don't like cold water at all as you can see. We drove back to the hotel and got our favorite Jack-In-The-Box for dinner. Wednesday I was in a lot of pain from my burn which was on only half of my body because I was laying on my side when I got burned. Not a good idea. We did walk down to the beach that night and walk around after sunset. So romantic. I enjoyed every moment.
My favorite picture of us on R and R.
Ryan and I decided that we didn't want to go back to the beach because we didn't want to get burned any more so we decided to find something else to do.
WE WENT TO DISNEYLAND!!!
Now we took TONS of pictures here so I am having a hard time deciding which ones to post. We rode Buzz Lightyear and Ryan won that! Then when we rode Toy Story I WON!!! It was great!!! We went to the new water show "World of Color". That was spectacular! I don't want to post those pictures because you just have to go see it!
MICKEY MOUSE!!!
Another one of my favorites!!!
We rode this classic ride for the last time before they change it so that it is updated with all 6 movies. Love this ride and can't wait to ride the updated one!
Had to be cheesy at Disneyland!!! I love my knight in shining armor!
Saturday we drove to Las Vegas! There we went to one of our favorite broadway shows...
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!
After the show, we realized it was our 13 month anniversary! See the date!!!! We were so excited that we got some sort of an anniversary! And we enjoyed every minute of it!!!!
Sunday we started our final leg home. We stopped at the Bell's for a break and to say hi. She posted pictures of us there. (We stopped after my siblings did.)
Monday the 12th when we finally got home after spending the night at the Bell's, we saw our friends the Swart's. They didn't know Ryan was in town so their surprise was awesome.
We then had 4 days left till Ryan went back. We went that night to Toy Story 3 and cried our eyes out. Then we went to Spaghetti Factory....our favorite!!! It was the perfect family night. I couldn't dream of a better way to spend it.
Wednesday the 14th, we saw Eclipse! Then had dinner with my family at Winger's.
Thursday the 15th, we went to dinner with Ryan's parents at Los Hermanos. It was good. We had to wear these funny looking shirts to get our drinks for free.
That night we slept under the stars!!!
Friday was so much fun. We went to the Draper Temple and did sealings.
We then went downtown to the Roof Restaurant. Uncle Gary gave us the money!! Thank you! We enjoyed it. It was our first time being there!
We then went and walked around Temple Square and the Gateway before going home.
We then cried because we were going to have to say goodbye the next morning. Man it sure was harder the third time saying goodbye. We still had 8 months till he was home for good. It was so hard. I cried and cried and cried. I miss him so much and am so glad that we had such an amazing 2 weeks together.

I then went to Nauvoo with my dad and siblings and to Yellowstone. Those pictures aren't as important so I won't post them. We did a lot in those 2 weeks with the family that you all would get bored with it if you aren't already.

Ryan and I are counting down the days till we get to be with each other and the number is 211. That's still a long ways away.
Ryan, I love you and am so glad we spent every minute together while you were here. Can't wait to make more memories!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

2010-06-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the one year mark of the best day of our lives. We were sealed in the Draper Temple one year ago today! Ryan and I can't believe that it has been that long and that quick at the same time. We are spending our anniversary on Skype together. Not ideal but it will do. I love him so much and I am truly the luckiest woman on the planet to be married to the best man on the planet. I am so glad that I have such an incredible example in my life. I am grateful that he honors his priesthood, serves his country and does all that he does for me. I love him so much!
Here are some of my favorite pictures from that day:
If you missed out, this pictures probably was one of the best moments besides the sealing...my uncle dressed up as my Maid of Honor because I didn't have one. Just made the day even better. We did miss 3 important people that day but I know deep down in my heart that they were there with me all day long. I truly have the best family on the planet! By the way, that was probably the best smile that was on me that could be caught on camera....

Jordan River Temple

2010-06-04T20:32:00.001-07:00

One year ago tonight, I went through the Jordan River Temple to receive my endowments before being sealed to Ryan the next week in the Draper Temple. It was such an amazing experience. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the Temple. I went through Jordan River just like my angel Mother. I knew she was there and I just drank in the experience. Tonight I went to the Draper Temple to mark the anniversary of that experience. It was so nice to be reminded of the blessings of the covenants we make with our Father in Heaven.

Memorial Day

2010-05-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank Ryan for his service to our country. It's so hard being so far away from him but he's an example to all and I appreciate and love him for that. I can't wait till we are reunited in 290 days! I love you, Ryan!!!! By the way, this picture is from the 1st week we started dating in October 2008!

I also wanted to honor my Grandpa who served in the Navy during the Korean War. I miss him so much and am so proud of his service for our country. I love you Grandpa!!! (and Grandma, of course!) This is from high school graduation by the way!!!

Love to all that serve or have served our country! Let's continue to support our troops!

Seattle...

2010-04-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

I was able to go see Ryan a couple of weeks ago. He got a 4 day pass and we were able to spend that time together before he departed for Afghanistan. We did all the Seattle highlights and enjoyed them all. We also just relaxed as that is a big part of why I went to see him. I needed to get away so we enjoyed relaxing together and just being with each other before being separated for more than 6 months. These are just some of the highlights of our trip. We are so grateful we got this weekend together. It really has helped but then the second goodbye we gave Monday night was even harder. That was so extremely hard especially because we knew that the next time we would see each other in person would be more than 6 months. I love him so much and I hope that the time flies faster than any of us think.

Our first of 3 different reunions! Oh I was so glad to see him. My face was beaming....as was his!

I got us these bracelets in San Francisco. He wears my name and I wear his name. Green is so that he can wear it and I have blue-his favorite color and yellow is the symbol of homecoming.

Life size table and chairs....Ryan get out from underneath the table! He thought it was funny he could fit underneath! Lots of laughing!

Atop the Space Needle before and during sunset. I have the most romantic husband...I love him!

The Seattle Temple...spent a nice hour in the Celestial Room with my eternal companion!

We decided Saturday night we would have a picnic and watch our favorite TV shows!
Pizza, Army Wives, CSI Miami

This is us at our private picnic!

Pike Place Market

These are the flowers Ryan wanted to buy me but I couldn't bring them home. :(
(From Pikes Place Market)

This on the harbor cruise, our last hours together!

I am sorry the text is out of order...if anyone has any secrets to help me do this so that it would work out better, let me know. I hope you are able to figure out what goes where. I am so sorry....hope to improve as time goes.

My Countdown Calendar...

2010-04-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I made a countdown calendar to when Ryan comes home and I finally finished it. The red days are 300, 200, 100 and the last 10 before he comes home! It will stay there permanently till he is home! We are down to 344 days till he comes home!

News Article

2010-03-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is the article I was quoted in. It was in the Deseret News on Sunday, March 21, 2010. The pictures I have already posted were attached to the article online but then they were never printed.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700018225/Guardsman-get-patriotic-send-off-from-families.html

Thank you for all the support you have offered over the last week. We appreciate it. We will keep you up to date as much as we can. We love you all!

Deployment

2010-03-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ryan left this morning for Afghanistan. Please pray that our troops get to come home soon. I miss him terribly.

Oh check out the Channel 4, 5, and 13 news tonight and tomorrow. We will be on it with the 144th Army unit. Oh and the Deseret News tomorrow will have pictures.

Thanks for the support.

KSL is the owner of the bottom photo Deseret News is the owner of the other pictures on top. Great ones of me obviously but I feel that is how we all feel when our loved ones get on those planes.

8 Months...

2009-10-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pay tribute to my mom taken by a horrific event 8 months ago. I miss her so much and can't believe that it has been that long ago. Time just keeps going and it doesn't stop. My life just keeps me extremely busy and it's a nice thing. I am surviving with my head above water. I am grateful for all the support I receive from all of you.
A happier note...I received an award in the last couple of weeks that I forgot to mention earlier. I became the Employee of the Month at Sweet Tomatoes. It came unexpected and was such an honor. It's one of the those times that when I sit quietly I can remember my mom and her excitement most of you know about. It's so nice to remember how she was so excited for things I received throughout my life. I miss her and look forward to the day I get to see her again!

Our Crazy, Busy, Exciting Summer Update!!!

2009-09-17T08:45:00.001-07:00

This summer has been one for the books. We have been so busy with life that we haven't time to update the blog. I will start at the beginning of our exciting summer. I went through the Jordan River Temple like my mom on June 4th. That was such an amazing experience. It was so amazing and I know that my mom was there the whole time. Bless my dad's heart, that was the neatest day for me to see him in the temple. Being in the Celestial Room was so incredible. I love him so much! He is truly the best.

We then were married on June 10 in the Draper Temple. It rained the whole afternoon in between everything and as most of you know, we did end up with the reception in my backyard as planned and it was beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a better day and a better family that helped out so much.

Ryan and I went to Disneyland on our honeymoon. We had so much fun there! Ryan hadn't really seen Disneyland and so it was so much fun for me to watch his face light up with the child excitement inside him. We spent 3 days in Disneyland and then just relaxed our last day. On our way back to the airport we saw the San Diego Temple which is gorgeous! Our flight home was quick and we stayed at a hotel since we had no where to call home yet.

Reality hit hard Monday morning...24 hours till he left for West Point Academy Training for 1 month. He wasn't quite packed so we spent way too much time packing him and making sure he had everything. I wasn't quite the happy wife I should have been but what do you expect when you have been married for 6 days and your new husband is leaving for 1 month. I tried my hardest to be happy and get him ready. Tuesday morning hit hard when we went to say goodbye. I wasn't the happiest and it made for a miserable day.

While he was gone, my family moved out of our home. We picked a day and made a massive move that day. I spent 2 weeks in my home by myself cleaning, setting up house, and waiting for Ryan. I had our furniture delivered the day before he came home and made sure that the house was clean for him when he finally got to walk into our home!

I picked him up at the airport on July 17 with a big sign, balloons, kisses and huge hugs. Elyssa came with me inside the airport to take pictures and be there with me. Dad waited in the car so that we didn't have to pay to park. Ryan greeted me with a huge kiss and hug and we both cried. It was so nice to have him home again.

We spent the next couple of weeks moving him in, cleaning up the rest of the house, enjoyed being together again, I worked and he kept moving himself in. Annual Training came in August and he got out a week early to take a vacation with my family to......DISNEY WORLD!!!!

Disney World was so much fun! Dad took us all for 10 days down to Florida. We flew down all together. The first day August 16th, we visited the Orlando Florida Temple grounds and enjoyed the beauty of the temple but hated the humidity-it was bad and we all were wondering who picked this time of year. We also visited the beach and enjoyed jumping in the ocean waves. Ryan had never been to the Atlantic Ocean and he was a child that I had to-seriously-keep my eyes on so that he didn't end up at the bottom of the ocean! It was so much fun and the water was so nice!

We spent the next 7 days at the Park! It was so much fun! We saw so many things, did so many things and slept little. Ryan told his army buddies that he was more exhausted at Disney World than he ever is at drill or training. I laughed-Welcome to the Gustafson way of vacation....we see and do everything we can on vacation. We enjoyed everything about the parks and started to plan a return trip for who-knows-when. We all keep wishing we could just jump back on a plane and go back right now-especially Ryan and I. We spent one day at Blizzard Beach and just had a blast in the water! We all saw the sun a little much that day! We all were so tired at the end of the day. While we were there, there was a space shuttle launch that was to happen at 1:35 AM the morning we were leaving. So we had dinner after Blizzard Beach and took a 2 hour nap so that we all could go out to the beach area and watch the launch. We sat out there for 45 minutes waiting for the launch and then at 1:25 AM, they cancelled it due to lightning. We were so sad. That was our golden chance to see that! So we turned around and went back to the hotel to sleep for I think it was maybe 3 hours more before we had to leave for the airport. The day we came home was a LONG day. We hadn't slept well/got any real sleep in over 24 hours.

We spent the day we came home recuperating so that when school started the next day we would be alert and alive. Yes we started school the next day after a 10 day vacation! That was crazy...reality hit hard! But reality hit hard Tuesday the day we got home because our toilet had a problem that took a while in the afternoon to fix. Not fun but funny!!!

School started and we wish that it would end. It's keeping us very busy. I am constantly working on homework and working at Sweet Tomatoes. Constantly going and never stopping.

Labor day weekend we went to South Pass, Wyoming. We visited the crash site. That was my first time there. It was hard to look and see where my life turned around in 2 seconds-ok maybe a few more than that but still. The distance the car traveled was not what I thought it was at all. It was much further and it blew my mind. That was a good thing for me but it was very hard. Later that night in Rock Springs, we blew off fireworks in an empty parking lot. That was fun! Lots of illegal fireworks! That was fun. Then Ryan and I drove home Monday and tried to accomplish some things before class resumed the next day. I tried to gather myself all together so that I could go back to school with no problem.

School has gone on and on and on. Ryan and I have hit land marking dates-the day we first met, the day we went out on our unofficial first date, our chaotic trip to Wyoming last fall, our first anniversary of when we started dating and looking towards our rough future.

Just so you all know, Ryan leaves for Afghanistan for 1 year on March 17, 2010. I am not excited at all but I am going to need everyone here to help me get through it all. We are spending every moment together until he leaves and now are starting to get him ready for this hard trial we have to go through.

Our lives are so crazy and that's why I haven't gotten to putting a blog post up. I am truly sorry that it has taken a long time. I am going to try to do it on Sundays when I am relaxing. It's a nice thing to do on relaxing day so start looking for updates at the beginning of the week.

Pictures are still in process for Izzy so as soon as I get most of them, I can post a huge slideshow and hopefully put a picture for each event I have talked about. I promise I will hurry with those...Love to all who read to the end of this!!!

I PROMISE....

2009-08-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

I promise all of you that by Labor Day I will have this updated. There will be a HUGE update!!!!

WEDDING DETAILS!!!!

2009-06-05T20:32:00.001-07:00

Sorry about getting this posted so late. Weddings are crazy to plan! But it's all coming together and I am so excited!

Here's the link to mapquest with the directions to my house
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Sandy&state=UT&address=1703+Albury+Rd&zipcode=84092-3736&country=US&latitude=40.572001&longitude=-111.843653&geocode=ADDRESS
There you can see where the location is.
Just so everyone who knows the Gustafsons...they are moving to this address just 8 houses to the North. That is why the address seems kind of weird.
We are registered at Shopko, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target. We would appreciate it if you include the gift receipt just in case.
Thank you so much! We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!!!
Don't forget this is the Event of the Century!!!

Love you all!

Quick Update!

2009-05-10T21:09:00.001-07:00

We are so busy with wedding plans. They are coming along but they are sure keeping us busy. We are so excited for the day. Ryan won't let me forget how many days away we are (just so you know...3o is where we are at here on this Mother's Day)!!! My life is trying to find normal but it is taking time. But what is normal when you are planning for the biggest day in your life and it won't be normal after that to plan for that sort of event!?! I wanted to give a shout out to my wonderful mother tonight. I made it all the way through the day which I thought was going to be hard. I am so thankful for the gospel we have. I know without a doubt that I can still be with her and that she is always with me no matter what. She has an influence in what I do in my life and I am so grateful that I have that knowledge. I love you so much, MOM! I miss you terribly as does everyone else. (But not as much as I do :) ) Happy Mother's Day!!!! You are wonderful!

That's all for our update....oh watch out for announcements in the mail. If I have your address, they should be out this weekend!!!! YAY!!!!
Love to all!

Updates...

2009-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Life is finding a normal and getting caught up a little bit. We did have a nice night out on the town. We went to Macaroni Grill. There we saw my friend Jeanette Greenlee. She is amazing. She sang to us and gave me the most beautiful flower that has now fully bloomed. It's beautiful. Ryan also gave me flowers. We went to the National Guard Ball at the State Capitol. We danced a whole 3 dances. We wanted a photo taken and we ended up waiting about an hour for our picture to be taken. It was fun night. We had so much fun being together and not having any concerns of life at all.
Thanks Ryan for a wonderful night!

Tribute to my MOM!!!

2009-03-18T16:26:00.001-07:00

This is my mom and I the night I got engaged! It was such a special event to have her there for. She is the most incredible woman I know of. She is my Super-MOM! She is always there for me and is my confidant. I tell her everything. She is the best example I have in my life. She is my best friend. Life isn't always fair to us but I know that no matter what happens, she is always going to be my amazing mother. I can't wait for the Second Coming to arrive so that I can see her again. I know she is near all the time and will influence me the rest of my life. I love her with all my heart and can't wait to see her again!

I LOVE YOU, MOM!!!!

4 Months of Dating...3 1/2 months till wedding!

2009-02-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today we are celebrating 4 months since we started dating! Time flies! We attended the Draper Open House officially and enjoyed every minute of it. We even got to listen to my seminary teacher play at the church afterwards. Bro. McDonald was amazing! What a way to top off the tour!!! I say we attended it officially because Ryan and I got to clean the temple a couple of weeks ago and take our own self-guided tour. That was neat to do together but he had/has the advantage over me because I haven't been through the temple yet. But it still was a neat experience both times. I am so excited for June 10 to get here so we can go through that temple together! I am so excited for our lives together! The Draper Temple is our place to go and enjoy being together even if right now it's inside the car in the parking lot. This temple will be our temple and I am so excited!!!

Family Night at the Bartlett's

2009-02-24T20:16:00.001-08:00

Ryan and I went to Amanda and Shawn's for dinner and family night. First Ryan had to go to his single's ward family night, then he joined us. We had cooked mac n cheese and brownies and he stole them out the kitchen window and didn't say anything. He came running in and greeted me with a huge kiss. When Amanda went to serve the food, it wasn't there. We reacted to that and he didn't react. Then I realized that he had taken the food. We all called him names. We teased him for a while. Then we sent him out to the car and he had the food.

This is him after we found out. So we had him do it again for pictures! What a funny guy!

CELINE DION!!!

2009-02-24T20:10:00.001-08:00

My family bought Celine Dion tickets for Christmas in 2007. She cancelled her concert because of sickness in November 2008. So Sunday night we attended the concert which was electrifying! We had so much fun! We were sad it was on a Sunday night but when you have had the tickets for a year and she's your favorite, you gotta go! We had fun! Thanks dad for the tickets! It was awesome!!!

2009-02-16T10:47:00.001-08:00