TGIF

Chad's work goes golfing Friday afternoons, but since it was stormy, he decided to come home instead. It turned out that I had the afternoon off as well. Since this rarely happens, adventure was calling our names. We jumped in the car and made our way to SLC.

We made it to American Fork and found ourselves at a complete stop due to traffic. Bad idea leaving right at rush hour. 4 cops and an ambulance squeezed through the shoulder of the road. That's definitely not a good sign. A few minutes later, we came up to the tragic accident. I couldn't help but peek out the window to see the damage. They had just pulled the man out of the smashed car and he was laying on the pavement about to be put on the stretcher. 

This hit me real hard. It's like life stopped for a moment. I don't know if that man survived or not, it would be a real miracle if he did (judging by the looks of the car). My heart aches not only for the man, but for his family as well. I can't even imagine the heartache they are going through. It made me realize that we can't take life for granted. Life can change in a split second and who knows what lies in our future. I am grateful for that little wake up call. 

On a brighter note, we enjoyed our little date night at City Creek. I tried convincing Chad to eat at Cheesecake Factory since we have a gift card, but the 50 minute wait didn't sound appealing to him. He convinced me into getting Chinese at the food court instead. Let's just say our stomachs were regretting that decision. I should've listened to my fortune cookie, "Fight for it. You will come out on top". Needless to say, it was a perfect night with my man. 

Life Lately

Life has been so crazy lately. I feel like we are in a movie that's playing in fast forward. Moments are passing by so quickly, we can barely keep up with everything. With us both working and going to school, I feel like there are days where we barley even see each other. All I can say is I am literally counting the days when we are both done with our finals and can at least eat dinner together.  Here's our week at a glimpse...

Monday: The Duffys had 2 extra tickets to the Jazz game. It was the last game of the season against the Lakers, plus the seats were on row 17.... how could you pass up an offer like that?! Although the Jazz lost, we still had a blast! I caught a little basketball and we saw Phil from Modern Family. They showed him on the big screen, so we were determined to find him in the arena. After 10 minutes of playing "Where's Phil", Melissa spotted him. Our life was complete. After the game, we ate at one of our favorite pizza restaurants, The Pie. Of course, it was delicious. 

                                   Do you see him?

Tuesday: Since I'm now in young women's, I get to attend the weekly activity each week. This week we went to the Timpanogos Temple and did baptisms for the dead. Afterwards we had pizza (third time this week!) at a park. It's so fun getting to know the girls. We have such an amazing ward. 

Wednesday: We got a bulldog!!! Her name is Lucy and she is from Columbia. She is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. Bruno loves her, which is a good thing, because they are eventually going to have puppies together :) She is the same size as Bruno (about 11 inches tall) and they are already best buds. It's really cute!

Thursday: Chad got my bike up and running, so naturally, we had to test it out. We went on a little bike ride around the neighborhood. To say I love it would be an understatement. I am obsessed with it! It is an awesome bike that will last a long time. 

Thursday: Chads work has an intermural softball team that he plays on each week. They played two games, back-to-back. It was a chilly night on the field, but it was fun cheering their team on!

It's been a great week, but I can't explain how excited I am for the weekend. Let the Easter festivities begin!

Jazz vs. Raptors

Right after work, Chad decided it would be fun to head up to the Jazz game in SLC. Since it was a spur the moment thing, we were rushing to get ready. Chad reached into a drawer and his razor sliced a chunk of skin off. I feel like we always get hurt when we are in a hurry. Does this ever happen to anyone else?! 

With blood gushing everywhere, wads of tissue on his finger, and dozens of bandaids, we jumped in the car and made our way to the Energy Solutions Arena.

It has been approximately 11 weeks since we have been to a Jazz game (I know that thanks to my Instagram), so it felt good to be back in our stomping grounds. We love Jazz games. We used to go all the time, I guess you could say we are slowing down with age. I mean, Chad turns 27 this month! Crazy!

It was a great night with the Mr. I always love our spontaneous date nights.

Temple Square

My sister Stephanie, and her family came down yesterday from Idaho. My parents, Amy & Bryce, and Chad & I met them in Salt Lake City for dinner. We ate at Crown Burger and then went to City Creek. After a little shopping, we headed across the street to Temple Square. 

It was so fun to be with everyone, but it was freezing!! Chad, being the sweet man that he his, snook off and bought all of us hot chocolate. He is such a sweetheart! 

Warriors vs. Jazz

Last night was the Utah Jazz's first pre-season game against the Warriors. We left right after work and got up to SLC right as the game was starting. Chad scored some awesome tickets on row 21 court side. We stocked up on pizza, fries, dippin' dots and chicken tenders; we are suckers for food when it comes to sporting events. Chad was rooting for the Warriors, and I was for the Jazz. Luckily, the Jazz pulled through. I always knew they were better then the Warriors :) It was such a great night!

Grand America Hotel

For our anniversary, Chad surprised me with 2 nights in the Grand America Hotel. I have never been so excited to stay in a hotel, let alone a five star hotel. It was hands down the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed in. It was BEAUTIFUL. Our room was the size of our house in Provo. It was spectacular.

The view from our balcony

Saturday morning, we treated ourselves to the amazing buffet in the hotel. We couldn't stop stuffing our faces because it was THAT good. After breakfast, we decided to go to the Hoogle Zoo to work off our breakfast. Plus, Chad had never been. It was busy and very hot, so we didn't stay too long. We were grateful for the mist fans throughout the park!

After the zoo we went to the Gateway to do some shopping. There was a Farmers Market going on in the streets. It was fun looking at the the booths and watching the local dancers. We stopped at a small burger joint for some lunch. 

Later that night, we decided to get dressed up and go to dinner at the Garden Room at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We had a great view of the city. As we were about to leave, our waitress gave us a balloon and told us to make a wish. As we were thinking of what to wish upon, the ceiling retracted and opened into the night sky. Everyone in the restaurant watched as we let our balloon go (it was kind of awkward actually, but a memorable experience). 

As we were walking around temple square, Chad surprised me with a carriage ride around the city. Neither of us had done it before. It's fun because you get to see the city from a different perspective. It was a romantic way to end our date.  I would definitely recommend it if you've never done it :)

This past year has been the best year of my life. I love having my best friend with me through everything. I'm so excited for the goals that we've set to help us become even stronger. I will be eternally thankful for him and his example to me. I love you Chad!!!!