The Big Island - Our First Trip as Mr. and Mrs. Evans

So this is a little late...but wanted to post some fun pics from our honeymoon trip to Hawaii.  After THE perfect wedding day a girl could ask for, Jake and I had a couple days before heading to Utah to say goodbye to Jake's brother, Austin, before he left on his mission to Cape Verde.  Then we drove down to Las Vegas to fly to Kona, Hawaii.  We were so blessed with the opportunity to go on such a fun, big trip for our honeymoon.

We flew in Thursday evening, and got to our condo around 9 of 10 pm. It was surreal to be there, but we were so excited to start our week there. One thing we should have put together, is that we didn't have any food that night...and all the stores close by were closed. and we had no car. haha so...that night...we had the complimentary bag of popcorn for dinner out of our room. lol We laughed at how pathetic it was of us that we had to eat popcorn. But literally nothing else was open. believe me, we checked.and walked up the hill to the shopping center to be sure. Too funny. So, bright and early we indulged in a breakfast at our resort.  It was delicious. And the view was beautiful, right on a golf course by the ocean.

Neither of us had been to the Big Island, and Jake had never been to Hawaii before at all, so it was a fun adventure for us to get to know the island and explore together.  We got colds right after getting there, so that kinda ruined our beach plans for a couple days, but the pool at the resort was gorgeous as well.  We stayed at the Kona Coast Resort.  After recovering from colds, we made the journey to the nearest beach.  We decided to walk there our first day....that was a mistake. haha it ended up being a couple miles down the road, and with flip flops and blistered feet we walked and walked. We were so excited to finally find the beach! haha Magic Sands was the beach, and we ended up going there majority of the week. It wasn't a huge beach, but it was the perfect body surfing/boogy boarding beach.  We had a blast, and the water was so perfect.

Some other fun things we got to do while we were there was a couples massage, with the sound of the ocean out the window, a delicious dinner at Rays on the Bay, where there were Manta Rays in the ocean right aside the dinner table, we went snorkeling and fed the fishes frozen peas, which were quite the hit! Jake was completely surrounded by fish! ( i kinda freaked out by it, lol) .  We also found the most amazing beach our last day we were there...we rented a car and drove about an hour north.  This beach was gorgeous and SO worth the drive. We saw the most beautiful sunset there, our last night on the island.

We finished the week eating another great meal, and then adventured back to the little airport to fly back home.  It was a great week, full of memories.  We loved being married, of course :) and then had some funny funny experiences that we'll never forget...Jake getting stung by a bee while we were driving down the highway, running into a coral parking curb with the rental car...the list goes on and on. It was a week I'll never forget. Although it was only about 4 months ago...it feels like it almost didn't happen! haha but we are so grateful we had the opportunity to go. Hopefully we'll be able to return back to Hawaii soon. Next time, I'm taking Jake to Oahu to see my home there :)  Enjoy some of the pics we took :)

 We packed PBJ Sandwiches one day for lunch...and this is what they looked like when we wanted to eat them...So not appetizing haha We laughed pretty hard at how pathetic they looked :)

 Had to take a pic of this...its pretty famous there. lol Donkey balls...who would have thought..lol

 our favorite beach there on the north end of the island

 We found this sand castle...and thought we'd claim it as our own lol

 This burger was called 'The Clogger, aka the Double Flusher'. Jake was so proud. lol it had gravy, a deep fried burger...and more..oh goodness, it lived up to its name! :)

 Love the mahi mahi!

 This little green trolley was what we rode around our resort, to the beach and back...fun little ride for sure

 the beautiful Kona Temple. We wish we went in! We didn't think we could without church clothes, but...we heard we probably could have..sigh...but at least we got to visit. It was a beautiful way to end the trip.

 Sad to leave!

We had a blast!!! I miss the beach, and love that we were able to have a week on an island. Perfect! Thanks to those that made it happen!!!

New Jobs!

So...remember when I admitted that I didn't know how up to date I'd keep my blog?! haha. well...its only been like...7 weeks or so. haha but...I thought I'd update everyone on our job situation. We've been SO blessed by the prayers and help in finding Jake and I jobs.  After about a month in Sacramento, I got a job at Chevy's, a mexican restaurant here in town.  I just happened to walk in by a spur the moment decision, and I got the job! It was such a blessing! I began work there basically the beginning of November.  It has been a great help and such a blessing, but it was hard always working in the evenings and weekends.

Jake got a part time job at The Gun Range here in town.  He works in the back, sorting and cleaning the bullet shells.  It's not a very exciting job, that's for sure :) But they work great with Jake's school schedule, and are very flexible, so its been a perfect fit.  SUCH a blessing.

Then just about 2 weeks ago, Lori, Jake's mom, sent us a Craigslist job posting. I have applied for dozens of jobs off Craigslist over the last few months, but I decided to give it a try.  It turns out it was SUCH a miracle! :) I recently was hired to work as a Receptionist at a small financial firm here in Sacramento called Sutley Wertzer, Inc.  There are only about 7 of us in the office, and everyone is really nice and easy to work with.  I've really enjoyed the more laid-back atmosphere. It definitley beats being on my feet all day at work, getting food all over me, and smelling like food every day after work. :)

Right now I'm currently working both jobs, weekdays at Sutley Wertzer, and weekends at Chevys.  It's a miracle that I've been able to have both to help us out right now.  It has been a journey getting this far, and a test of faith for sure.  But we've both learned a lot, and are forever grateful that the Lord truly does answer prayers and cares for us individually. Money can be a frustrating thing...I think it always will be, regardless of what stage of life we are in.  But it's so reassuring that although we don't have much, that as we pay our tithing, things always...always, work out.  We just have to trust Him. It's not always easy...but its what Jake and I truly feel deep down...the trust in knowing that it will work out, and that things really aren't as bad as they seem.  :)

I'll be putting up pictures of our Christmas decorated apartment soon to share.  But a quick update on us, we couldn't be happier. Jake and I just celebrated 4 months of being married, and its amazing to see and feel how much more I love him each day.  Jake is doing great in school, lots and LOTS of work, but he's doing wonderful! And we're loving celebrating the Christmas season together.

The Big Move! Our New Home in Sacramento

We are pleased to announce that we are officially moved and relocated to Sacramento, California! It's only been the 3rd move that Jake and I have experienced together...Yes...and we've only been married for 2 1/2 months! :) But it has been an exciting adventure. Jake got accepted into the Paramedic program at Sac State, so he came out early to go to orientation and get things settled.  My dad was amazing and helped by driving the truck and U-Haul trailer back with me. What a blessing! It was also great to have some daddy-daughter chat time...It's been so crazy recently, I feel like it had been forever. We made it in all in one piece! We couldn't exceed 65 mph the entire trip from Utah to California...which was actually pushing the recommended 55 mph for the trailer :) We PACKED everything to its fullest. :)

The official move in day was October 8th, 2013.  We arrived in the early afternoon, and Jake's uncles, Rick and Dan, were our heroes and helped us unpack EVERYTHING from the truck and trailer. It was pretty entertaining to watch our system. Rick and Dan unloaded the truck and trailer, than shoved a huge load of stuff in the elevator with Jake in it (mind you, the elevator is a little small...somewhat ghetto of a thing :) ) and then I was at the top floor taking shifts of stuff into the house. After about 2 hours of this process, we finally finished. So grateful for the help we got.  We celebrated that night and started to get stuff unpacked. Needless to say, I was excited to not be living out of suitcases and boxes.

It's been 9 days since we moved in and we can happily say that we are just about done getting everything together. We still have to pick up our bookcase from my parents house in Livermore (yay for only an 90 min drive!) and then we'll be done with our bedroom.  Below are some sneak peeks of the place.  It feels like our home now.  It's been so great.

We live on the top floor, yay for no upstairs neighbors! And right next to the elevator, which is a blessing for location wise for us. We're right there and our car is right at the bottom of the elevator in the underground parking. It does sometimes sound like someone is closing a sliding closet door loadly on the other side of the wall, haha. But I've become more used to the sound already.  :) Jake did a great job picking this place out. It's absolutely beautiful here! I had no idea Sacramento is nick named, the City of Trees! And are there trees! It's beautiful.  We live right next to the American River, also breathtakingly beautiful. We have yet to explore that..Can't wait for that. We have discovered we live about 5-15 min away from any store we will need, and school for Jake is a 5 min drive, 10 min bike ride.

The job searches continue for us, I'm looking for Full Time Job opportunities, and Jake will hope to get a part time job to do that with his classes, which are M/W/F from 8-5pm.  We have already seen such amazing miracles having been here.  Seriously, it is truly amazing. The Lord is SO mindful of us.  We' ve been blessed with the good news of being able to get a Student Loan so that Jake can go to school, officially!

Our new ward is really great, we love them already.  Very quirky, but...after all of my years in different wards, I've discovered they all are :) But its a good quirky.  I've never felt so welcomed in a new ward before.  We look forward to serving with them and getting to know them. Heck, we are giving the opening and closing prayers during the Primary Program Sacrament Meeting! And Jake's been asked to teach Elders Quorum in a couple of weeks. :) We're ready to get involved.

The Lord has truly blessed us.  Jake and I are so in love and being on our own has been a great opportunity for us to learn and grow together even more.  He truly is my other half.  We've been so blessed by our family and friends. Thanks so much for all the love and support!

Our next big goals : JOBS! We need jobs and $!!! haha. 2.  Finally finish our Thank You's from the wedding. 3. finalize all home organization.  And getting on a routine schedule would be nice :)

Enjoy the pics! more to come!!!

 Walking into our apartment!

 The Front Room

 the Dining Area

 Coming into the not so clean kitchen! sorry :)

 Looking towards the entry way and the door to our wing of the place.

 Our upscale bathroom! :) Still working on making it "cute" :)

 The wall in our entry way. We love it!

 Looking at the front door....

 Our back view! We have a little balcony, that has been the housing for our cardboard boxes for now :) But We have a beautiful view of all these trees! Love it!

Jake and I on moving day! We're officially becoming California residents! woot woot!

Thanks to all for your gifts that have helped us create this beautiful home! We love you! More pics to come when we finish the bedroom! :)

Becoming Mrs. Jake Evans

Well..Obviously a lot has happened in since my last attempt to start up a blog habit...There's too much to go back and recap for the last year...but in short summary...I moved in with one of my friends and co-workers from Heritage Makers, Megan Vernon, which was SUCH a good decision.  She and I became best friends and had a blast! We became great friends with our neighbors and made the tradition of Milkshake Mondays and hangouts.  I was soo truly blessed to have her as my roommate.

Not only was the move a great thing for my social life and friends, but I had no idea what was truly in store for me.  I did lots of dating last year which was a blast! But always in the back of my mind, with every guy that I started to really like, I'd catch myself thinking....is he the one?  There was always something missing with each of them...

In November of 2012, the apartment/townhome next to us got evicted and a whole new apartment of boys moved in.  I always told Megs that we should go introduce ourselves, give them cookies or something...but we never actually followed through. Finally one night during Ward Visits (my calling as Co-Ward Mission Leader) I visited the new apartment of guys.  I soon found out I had been in the MTC with them! Small world...I only recognized one of them though.  They all seemed really nice, but didn't think anything of it...My was I wrong! I would see these guys around ward activities and I tried to be social with them...they seemed to be...outcasts :) or at least not very interested in the ward.  But we all got along when we chatted...I soon got to the point that I knew their names...well...most of their names. There was one I always forgot, and I felt horrible. His name was Jake Evans.  :)  Yes, I could remember the rest, but I'd always forget Jake's. I felt so bad! One day, Jake and I got home at the same time, and as we share a parking lot, we started talking.  I asked him his name for the last time, and told him that the next time I forgot his name, I'd buy him a pizza....let's just say, I never had to buy him that pizza.

We all soon started hanging out as friends..Laser Tag, Basketball nights, wiffleball in the church....We all had a blast - not to mention my crush on Jake got stronger every time we were together...Then, in February, I got the sad news that my dear dear Grandma Phelps had passed away.  It was a really hard event in the family....however, as bittersweet as times like that are, I truly believe that my Grandma Phelps brought Jake and I together.  He was SUCH a caring friend, and he went above and beyond to make sure I was okay.  That sparked our friendship and relationship..and my was it a spark!!! After receiving an entire banana cream pie from Village Inn from them, to text messages, and hang outs...Jake and I's chemistry took off. We felt so comfortable with eachother from the start....That weekend, we spent basically 4 straight days together...I was falling hard.  I had a planned trip to visit my mission for the sealing of the Ruelas Family...and that week, it settled in for the two of us, that this wasn't just a fling...that we wanted this to last.  So...within 2 weeks, we became official and seriously dating.  I fell in love....truly fell in love, for the first time.  And it was GLORIOUS.

Living next door from eachother allowed us to spend literally every day together after work...It was an awesome opportunity for us to truly get to know eachother.  April came around, and we finally made it official! Jake proposed!!! April 25th, on the way to the airport - Jake drove me to temple square to have a "moment" before I left to visit the Ericksons for the birth of baby boy...We ran to the gates of temple square where a trail of rose petals started....they proceeded all the way to the fountain in front of the Assembly Hall.  There was a ring box and an iHome with an iPod set up.  He then started the music, and he danced with me, right there, to 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You' by Elvis...it was so romantic...I was on cloud nine.  He then got down on one knee...saying, 'take my hand, take my whole life too...' and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said yes! he was shaking so bad :) and then go up and we embraced and started to dance again. the next song to follow was our first song 'I Can't Wait' by Runner Runner...It was PERFECT! I couldn't stop smiling...we ran to the airport after that and said goodbye :)

The rest is history! the wedding plans proceeded, and my family was AMAZING and worked so hard to make everything perfect for our big day....i can't thank them enough...Skipping through the engaged months...to our perfect day, August 3rd, 2013...We finally were sealed for time and all eternity.  It was perfect. Never have I felt the spirit so strong as i did when we walked into that sealing room, filled with people that we loved....the love and spirit in that room was truly overwelming. I lost it and cried from that moment through the whole thing :) tears of joy...such joy...to be surrounded by such a spirit...and to kneel across the alter and look into Jake's eyes and promise forever...it was perfect!

We honeymooned on the Big Island of Hawaii, had an open house in Vegas, and then came back up to Provo to our little basement apartment....Then hit a whole new stage of our lives! We soon got a text from jake's uncle, Rick, that if we were serious about trying to end up in Sacramento, we needed to get down there now! We felt really strongly that this was the right thing..so...we have been getting everything together to move to Sacramento for Jake to start Paramedic school and begin his dream of becoming a fire fighter.  I'm so proud of Jake and all he is doing. And I'm so so so happy to be married to him.  Life has been nonstop for us since we started dating, yet we grow closer and closer and fall more and more in love every day.  I'm so blessed to have him by my side...I've never known a love like this...and it is, in my eyes, perfect.  Perfectly imperfect...and oh how happy I am! We are nervous but excited....here we go!!!