Life as we Know it

Tyler and I have been back in Provo for about 5 weeks now and we love it. We love that we have our own little apartment that we're finally settled into, and that we both have jobs that we enjoy. We love our new ward and getting use to this "married life" thing.
The weekend we came back to Provo we had our little Open House. He reserved a pavilion at Nielsen's Grove, and the week prior Mama Southwick helped us pick out food from BYU catering. Everything worked out wonderfully. Tyler picked up the food and we set it out, the threatening rain stayed at bay leaving a windy but beautiful evening for us, no one was too upset when we were completing the final touches and I still wasn't in my dress at the start of the Open House, and we it was small enough that Tyler and I could roam and talk to everyone that came. Unfortunately we didn't get very many pictures, but here are a few that we did get. Tyler and I have worked hard to get everything settled into our apartment. For a week or so, our apartment felt more like an obstacle course than a home. There were boxes everywhere and so much stuff that we weren't sure where any of it belonged. We were pretty embarrassed when people from the ward would come over and it was a struggle to make it to the couch and then to actually find a place to sit on the couch. But no worries, five weeks later and we are in great shape.
We've had a lot of fun making dinners together and other tasty treats. One night we ambitiously made our own tortillas and they turned out pretty good!
I've learned: homemade tomato pasta sauce is tricky to make the first time, a batch of cookies or muffins seems a lot bigger and lasts a lot longer when there are only two people, Tyler loves chocolate things, Costco frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies, and new knifes really are sharp. I will spare the pictures of my poor thumb.
With some of our Target Gift Cards, we decided to invest in board games. Tyler introduced me to Othello. A game he's never lost. He failed to mention that small fact until I was ready to give up on the game I could never win. Yet, through perseverance and determination, I am pleased to announce that the champion has been beaten. The point of the game is to have the most of your color remaining on the board. Here is proof of my victory (I was white and he didn't have any turns left :)And here is Tyler's look of disbelief
We also invested in some camping gear to enjoy the great outdoors. It took a couple of weeks before we felt like we had the basics covered and we could venture to the mountains to find our very own camping spot. This past weekend we finally packed our gear into the car and headed to the infamous Payson Lakes Campground (I actually don't know how truly infamous it is, but it was recommended by a couple different sources). It was a gorgeous drive and we were getting excited to finally go on a camping trip. We came to the campground and it was full, as were both of the two large campgrounds up the road. It could have been a beautiful place to camp, so we got out of the car and took a picture of us there to try and compensate for our lack of camping.With Tyler's driving hunger and a cooler full of roast-able hot dogs and marshmallows, we found our own fire pit on our way back to Provo and reaped the rewards of the food portion of our camping preparations.There was plenty of room for a tent, it was just too bad there were "Day Use ONLY" signs everywhere...
Saturday we spent the afternoon with Grandma Southwick fixing her computer and going to eat at Golden Coral. I am always amazed by how much Tyler can eat, and it was so good to see Grandma again :) On Sunday we tested out our new ice cream maker and made the most delightful homemade vanilla ice cream with Spencer & Allison, and Jill & Tevya. I just wish we had pulled out the camera, but maybe next time.