Husband Tag!

Charity "Husband Tagged" me and I thought that it would be fun to do. So here is a little background info on Mike! :)

5 Things He Loves
1. Me, Mayhem, & Chaos
2. SUPERMAN!
3. He loves being active and staying in shape! Right now he is training for a marathon in January!
4. Watching wrestling from high school or wrestling on YouTube
5. Tattoos, and I'm really hoping that he grows out of this one!

5 Things On His To Do List(this is really what's on his list)
1. Work out
2. Get someone out to fix Ashlee's water heater
3. Schedule a date for someone to fix the bulb in the t.v.
4. Iron his clothes for work tomorrow
5. Take Christmas Pictures....yes, I'm making him, but its on his list! :)

5 Foods He Enjoys
1. He absolutely LOVES sushi!
2. Buffalo Wings
3. Chocolate chip Pancake/German Pancakes....its a tossup
4. Chocolate Milk
5. My homemade Lasagna

5 Things You May Not Know About Him
1. He's allergic to cats, but he loves them so much that he had to keep Chaos when we rescued him!
2. He took state for wrestling in high school
3. He can't dance at all but likes to think he can and does little movements back and forth! Its hilarious!
4. He worships Arnold Schwarzenegger....its a little weird!
5. He has a very dry sense of humor and people don't know if he's joking or serious half the time.....but a little tid bit of information, he's joking almost ALL of the time and just likes to get a reaction out of people.

5 Places He's Lived
1. Mesa, AZ
2. Gilbert, AZ
3. Scottsdale, AZ
4. Chandler, AZ
5. Tempe, AZ........yup, just Arizona

5 Quirky Things About Him
1. He thinks his hair looks good when he grows it out no matter how many people tell him it looks hideous! :)
2. He can't stand wrinkles and irons his jeans and his t-shirts!
3. He blows his nose in the shower and grosses me out every morning!
4. He needs a couple minutes of quiet time to himself right when he gets home. Then he will sit and talk to me.....the drive home just doesn't cut it, he needs those extra minutes! :)
5. He has to sleep on the right side of the bed everywhere we go and when he is about to sleep he roles over on his right side, which means cuddling is over! :(

That sums up Mike in a nutshell! Love you Honey!!!!

I'm tagging: Natalie, Lori, Rhonda, and April :)

Tis' the Season!

I generally do not like anything Christmas before Thanksgiving. (We need to get through one holiday before we start the other!) But this year feels a little different.

We are all seeing the effects that our economy is having on everyone and everything. Friends, family, people at work, and Mike and I have been starting to watch our spending a little more. I have been hearing "Bah Hum-Bug" A LOT at work and when walking through stores where Christmas is being commercialized. At first I was in the same boat. Mike and I have to be very careful this Christmas and it has made me a little sad. My favorite part of Christmas is buying for others and seeing their faces when I give it to them! But then I had a reality check.

Every year it seems like Christmas is getting further and further away from its real meaning. People have been concentrating on the gifts, the trees, the decorations, the holiday movies more and more. Because of this everyone around us is not happy with the season this year. That is why I believe that this is the perfect year to bring Christ back into Christmas. He is our one true Savior that brings comfort to our hearts. We may not have money to celebrate Christmas, but it does not cost a penny to celebrate our Savior's Birth.

Because of these thoughts and feelings, I have been in the Christmas spirit more and earlier this year than I have in years. I am so grateful to have the faith and wisdom to bring me such comfort during these hard times.

Its not about the presents, its about Jesus Christ and the gift our Heavenly Father gave us when sending him to earth. With this Mike and I are wishing all of our Friends and Family a very Happy Holiday!

Its Mayhem & Chaos at the Peters....LITERALLY!

So I don't know if we told you that we decided to keep the Kitty! I was so excited because I was getting really attached to him! And the Kitty now has a name.....CHAOS! I know, I know, people think we are crazy for naming our pets Mayhem and Chaos! Their names fit them SOOOOO well though!

Chaos has adjusted really well to our home and Mayhem now has a little play buddy! We are trying to teach Mayhem to be a little bit more gentle, but I think its close to impossible. He loves to play with Chaos and gets a little out of control.

Mayhem's favorite thing to do with Chaos lately is run around the house with Chaos in his mouth! Chaos starts to meow really loudly like its hurting him, but if Mayhem puts him down he turns around and attacks Mayhem. They both love to play with each other. And hopefully I can catch Mayhem in the act of carrying Chaos so I can show everyone how hilarious it is!

But yes, having two pets has definitely spiced things up here especially since they are both so little still. So when we say that its Mayhem and Chaos here, we are meaning it LITERALLY!!!!! :)

The Birthday Girl....

I know I need to get a lot better at posting things right after they happen! But at least I'm getting them up there, right?!?!

So Saturday, October 25th was my 28th birthday. I wasn't really wanting to do a whole lot because I wasn't too thrilled about age 28..... 28 just sounds SOOOOO much older than 27! I can officially say that I am in my late twenties! :(

Well, I started the day with a little pampering at the day spa! It was so nice and needed! Then I met my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for lunch at my favorite place....The Cheesecake Factory! It was so good and nice to sit and relax for the morning. Then my mom and Ty came into Phoenix to go to dinner with Mike and I. Ashlee just got a job at a really nice steakhouse called The Keg. She made reservations for all of us and it was probably the best steak I have ever had! I HIGHLY recommend it! :) Then we went out for a little bit with my friends.

Mike was such a trooper the whole day! He had something to do that day and had been up since 3:00am. After he got home he went straight to dinner with us. I didn't even want to go out with my friends because I knew how tired Mike was, but he insisted that we went. He didn't complain once and tried to make the night perfect. However he ended up falling asleep at Lindsey and Ramey's house. That was our cue to leave!

Even though I wasn't too thrilled about 28, everyone made it a great day! Thank you everyone and I love you all very much!!!!

Let's Go Phoenix Suns!

On Wednesday night Mike was able to get hooked up with tickets to the Phoenix Suns Pre-Season Game. I was really excited because I had never been to a game before.
When we got to the arena, the tickets were waiting for us along with another surpise...we got hooked up with "back-stage" tickets after the game too!

Our seats were also pretty good, we were sitting lower level and the game was easier to watch since we were so close. Mike and I left a couple of minutes before the game ended so that we could go to the Team Store and get something to autograph. Once we found a little basketball, Mike and I headed toward the Suns' locker room!

We saw all of the players! And let me tell you that Shaquil O'Neal is freaking huge! I felt so short standing there by them. Mike was looking forward to seeing Steve Nash the most, so when Nash came out, Mike got his autograph and a picture! For my first time at a Phoenix Suns' basketball game, it was awesome!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

About a week and a half ago at work I decided to go to lunch. As I walked out of the doors of the bank I heard a little kitten crying in the bush. The kitty was the littlest thing I have ever seen and I thought the mother would be somewhere around. I kept looking for the mama cat and couldn't find her. I couldn't leave the kitten outside by itself, you could tell that she was really scared, so I brought her into the bank. No one at the bank wanted her and I couldn't just let her go outside. So I called Mike and he told me to bring her home!

I first took Kitty (that is what we are calling her until we decide if we are keeping her or not) to the vet. I didn't want to bring her home if she had anything wrong with her. The vet weighed her and she didn't even weigh a pound! He also said that she was probably only 4 weeks old, if even that. After we found out the Kitty was healthy I brought her home and introduced her to Mayhem.



Mayhem has definitely been curious of Kitty and loves to play with her. But we have to remind him to be more gentle....he tends to get a little rough with her. But Kitty seems to like Mayhem too! I'm starting to really get attached and now have to convince Mike to keep Kitty!

California, Here We Come!!!!

About 5 months ago, Mike told me that he was going to be signing up to do the Disney 1/2 Marathon over Labor Day Weekend. He was going to do this with a couple of Wells Fargo Employees. Together, they would wake up at 4:30 in the morning at least 3 times a week. They were completely dedicated.

Well the weekend finally came and we all headed to California! We were all So excited. Mike, Cassidi and Graham were excited for the marathon, and I was SUPER excited for Disneyland....and their marathon! :)

We left on Saturday, August 30th REALLY early in the morning. We were driving and we wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time to shop in Palm Springs and make it in time for the marathon check-in. We spent about 2 hours in Palm Springs and then had to drag ourselves away from the Outlets before we spent all of our money. Mike was obsessed with the Nike Outlet, while I was obsessed with Coach, Banana Republic, Prada, Gucci, and the Kate Spade Outlets! :)

After shopping we continued the drive to check-in to our hotel, and then to check-in for the marathon. The marathon check-in was at the Disneyland Resort so we had to walk through Downtown Disney. This REALLY made the excitement grow more! We walked around and did a little shopping after Mike and the others collected their marathon things. However, Mike dragged us away before we really wanted to go so that they could rest before the 1/2 Marathon.

Sunday morning Mike, Cassidi, and Graham were all awake by 3:30 in the morning. Landon (Cassidi's Fiance) and I were not about to get up that early, so we said that we would meet them at the finish line. I know, I know, we could have been a lot more supportive, but 3:30 is WAY too early!!!! By 7:30am Landon and I were up and heading to the finish line to meet everyone. There were TONS of people there and I was surprised that we found them! Everyone did a really good job. Mike finished 13.1 miles in under 2 hours and Graham and Cassidi were just over 2 hours and 15 minutes! Good Job Guys! That night we went for a little dinner celebration to everyone's favorite....Sushi!

Monday we celebrated Labor Day at Hunnington Beach. Mike, Cassidi, and Graham were really sore and wanted to take it easy for the day. So we hung out on the beach, rented body boards, and played smash ball. It was a really good day except for the fact that Cassidi and I almost drowned in the ocean! Note to self....don't rent a body board and go out in the ocean without instructions or knowing how to swim well!!!!

Tuesday was the best day by far....well, at least for me....we were spending the day at DISNEYLAND! I absolutely love it there and Mike hadn't been there since he was 10 so there was a lot of new additions. We were able to go on all of the rides that we wanted with the exception of the Haunted Manson, it was closed for "Beautification" and I was really disappointed. However, both of us experienced a new ride for the first time and Mike and I both said that it was our favorite. It is the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster, and it is light a giant video game. We loved it and were able to get this picture from it! As you can see, I totally kicked Mike's butt in the game! :) Another picture that we got was at Splash Mountain. We had to ride this ride twice to actually get a good picture. However, I was not so happy after the second time around. I was placed in the very front row and got COMPLETELY drenched!

Disneyland was so much fun! There are also WAY too many pictures to actually show, so I have created another slideshow for everyone to enjoy. We had a blast and have already been talking about next years trip. I told Mike that next year I MIGHT do the 1/2 Marathon with them. But that is a REALLY big Might! :)

Monsoon Season Is Here!!!!

August in Arizona has always been known as Monsoon season. We get most of our rain the entire year in one month. This year has been crazy, and I've never seen Monsoon season this bad! The other day the wind and rain was so hard that it looked like a mild hurricane. After the storm was over there were trees uprooted everywhere. Then tonight we had another storm pass through. This one didn't have wind like the last one, but it was the craziest lightning storm I have ever seen. This video doesn't even do it justice. It looked like someone had a strobe light outside, lighting up the whole sky when it flickered! :)

BUSY, BUSY, July!!!!!

As I stated before, July FLEW by because we were so busy all month! With that said, I apologize to everyone for barely posting anything this month. But I figured that I would make it all up in one big blog! So.....here goes!

July started out with a proud parent moment....Yes, my baby graduated from Puppy Training School! We named our baby Mayhem for a reason, he was out of control! So I looked into taking him to a couple of training classes. I didn't think they would work as well as they did, but it is amazing! He is the best dog now and knows lots of new tricks! He's growing up so fast!

Later in the month...July 14th to be exact, Mike and Caleb celebrated their 26th birthday. (See blog below!) Happy Birthday Boys! :)

After Mike and Caleb's birthday, we were busy preparing for our week and a half trip to Idaho! I was SOOOOO excited I couldn't wait! We were going to be having a family reunion for both sides of my family. So there was a lot to do! We went and bought our first family tent, sleeping bags, lantern, and pads to sleep on. We love camping, so we were really excited to finally have camping gear! :)

On Wednesday, the 23rd, Mike, Mayhem and I started our vacation. It started with a 14 and 1/2 hour drive to Idaho. Mike was not too thrilled about having to drive, but with all of our camping stuff, and our little baby, Mayhem, we really didn't have a choice. I was really nervous that Mayhem would have a hard time being in the car that long, BUT he was VERY good! We left the house at 5:30 am Arizona time, and pulled into my dad's driveway at 10:00pm Idaho time. It was a VERY long day!

Thursday was the first day of the Gutierrez Family Reunion. We had to wake up early so that we could get up to the camp-site in time. However, we were not woken up by our alarm clocks! We received a text from Caleb! Christopher Dashel Peters was born on Thursday morning, making Mike and I an Uncle and Aunt for the second time! We haven't met him in person yet, but he is a beautiful baby in his pictures! CONGRATULATIONS, Caleb and Marti!

After getting the exciting news, we were finally off to the reunion. We had a blast! I LOVE spending time with my family! We sat around the campfire, played games, made boats to float down the river (which never happened), golfed, visited Mesa Falls, floated Warm River, had a program, which WE won, and took LOTS of pictures. There are so many pictures that I had to make a slide show! So feel free to watch the slide show in the blog below! :)

After leaving the Gutierrez Reunion, we headed directly to the Sommer Reunion. This was a little bit more domestic and we actually were in our family cabin in Island Park. We got there a little late so I wasn't able to get any pictures there, which I am now regretting! :( Mike, Ammon, Ty and my cousin Miguel decided to jump in Henry's Lake that night! Then we sat around and played games until it was time to go to bed. It was fun being able to see my Dad's side of the family too!

After the reunions passed, we were able to sit and relax the rest of the week at my dad's house. I think its the perfect vacation because we don't have an itinerary and we CAN actually relax! We visited with family, went to a couple of movies and then went shoot guns with my dad on his birthday, August 1st! Happy Birthday, Dad! Shooting guns is one of my dad's favorite things and now I think its one of Mike's favorite things too! (They always say "You marry someone like your parent!") Mike actually picked up on it really quick and had a really good aim! Then once the event was over, Mike was soon planning his next big purchase....a GUN! He will also be joining my dad and brother next year during hunting season!


Finally our trip was ending but we had one last thing to do! We were heading to Utah for the day to visit some of my best friends and their husbands. We spent Saturday with Sadie and Nathan Schanz and Shalee and Chet Blasucci! It started at the local swimming pool and then ended at Sadie and Nathan's for a BBQ and games. I love seeing them and I wish I could see them more! Plus, all of our husbands get along well so we have a lot of fun! Every time I see them though, we swear that we are going to take pictures. And every time we forget.....this time was no different! We end up having so much fun that we completely forget to bust the camera's out! Again, another regret!!!! :(

Then today, 3rd, Mike and I started our drive back home. We arrived safely home and are preparing to go back to work tomorrow. :( Why is it that vacations have to go by way too fast? At least we are going back fully rested! :)

The Reunion!

We took SOOO many pictures at the reunion, that I had to create a slideshow! Enjoy!

Happy BELATED Birthday to Mike & Caleb!

First things first.....I need to apologize to my husband and brother-in-law for getting this up SOOOOO late! This month has been EXTREMELY busy and I didn't get around to posting this up! (Again, Sorry!)

As many of you know, my husband is a twin....not identical. On July 14th Mike and Caleb celebrated their 26th birthday! We went to Mike's parents and had a really nice dinner and then had cake. It was really fun. But the very best part of Mike's birthday is that for a couple more months he only sounds ONE year younger than me! :) That is until October rolls around, then I go back to being the cradle robber!

Happy Belated Birthday, Mike and Caleb! :)

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

The Fourth of July was spent in Tucson, AZ this year. Mike and I drove down Friday morning and spent the entire weekend there. It was so much fun. We played in the pool all day on Friday and had a barbecue with the family. We were missing a couple of people though.....Robert, Grant, Stephanie and their kids, Ashley & Cameron, Kimball, Ammon, and Dustin (whose on a mission). But when you have a family this big, its almost impossible to get everyone together at the same place! :)

That night we went to go watch the fire works, but we were disappointed to find out that they went off earlier than what we thought. So we played with Sparkler instead. It always seems to amaze me that no matter how old I get, I still love SPARKLERS! :)

The next day we decided to go to the Desert Museum. I was told that it was like the zoo but with desert animals. Hmmmmm....I should have caught on right then that it was going to be outside. I'm not such a bright one at times and thought that we would be spending times indoors. WAS I WRONG!!! We ended up walking through the desert in over 100 degree weather looking at animals that I would rather be running away from! (Snakes, Lizzards, Scorpions, ect.) Although it was extremely hot, and we were sweating to death, we still had a lot of fun with each other.

I was so happy that we were able to go to Tucson for the 4th of July weekend. I hadn't seen Melissa and the girls since our wedding! And now there was a new addition....Little Mathias! He's the cutest thing! And Mike and him had a little bonding time! :)It was a perfect weekend.

Paige made a BEAUTIFUL bride!!!!

Its official....Paige Eubanks is now Paige Adams! I was so excited that I was able to go to Utah to see Paige get married. She was so pretty and everything looked so good. The wedding had Paige written all over it! Yes, the wedding was somewhat traditional but had Paige's touch of originality. They were no "I do's" just a loud "YES" when they were asked if they take each other as man and wife. Everything was perfect!

Durango, Colorado

Lately, Mike and I were just wanting to take a little trip and get away. That finally happened on Memorial Weekend. We went to see our friend's Chris and Elizabeth in Durago, Colorado.

I have never been to Durango and I LOVED it! It was so beautiful there. The first day that we were there we went into the town and walked around. It is very touristy and had a lot of different shops around. Mike was in heaven because that weekend they had a biking race. So he was able to sit and watch all the bikers do their thing. (I'm pretty sure he wished he had brought his bike so he could get in on the action!)That night we went to dinner and had the two best things ever....Sushi and Coldstone! :)
















The second day we were there, we decided to take a little nature hike. Chris first took us to a spot where people do a lot of rock climbing. Chris showed off his skills of rock climbing that he is perfecting, and Mike and I climbed a small rock just so we could see the view.


The second place we went to was a trail that we hiked for about an hour. Again, there were rocks everywhere to climb, and this time Mike thought that he would try climbing a bigger rock than the first one we climbed together!

I made Chris take the pictures because I didn't want to watch Mike climb up the rock....just in case he fell, I didn't want to have to witness that! :) However, the biggest milestone of the hike....Yes, even bigger than Mike's rock climbing!....was that this was Lil' Mayhem's first outdoor hike. He was in puppy heaven!

All in all we had a great time! We had a bit of a weather shock....70 degrees is cold for us when we are coming from 100 degrees! But other than that, it was the perfect weekend get-away!

"Calling it the Cadillac Ranch"

After hanging out at Dave and Busters for Rhonda's going-away party, we all headed to a little place call Cadillac Ranch. It took A LOT of begging, but I finally persuaded Mike to ride the mechanical bull! All I can say about it is....Mike would make a really good rodeo cowboy! :) He was able to stay on the bull for a really long time and finally got THROWN off! It was hilarious, but I don't think Mike thought it was too funny the next day. He had 3 BIG strawberry bruises on his knee from squeezing the bull with his legs! NOTE TO SELF......NEVER ride a mechanical bull while wearing shorts!!!! :)

Bye-Bye, Rhonda :(

Two weeks ago, we had to say good-bye to one of our good friends, and Mike's Boss....Rhonda Bell. Everyone was really sad to see her go, but we made her last weekend in Arizona a BIG PARTY!