We're so excited to share our life with you that we've decided to post more than once today.
First on our list of things to discuss: Our Wedding.
It's true we got married on July 20, 2007 in the Salt Lake Temple. Needless to say, it proved to be a highlight of our year. The ceremony went off without a hitch (well there was some blood but it got cleaned up before Ly could really freak out), we had a nice family dinner and then the next day our reception at the Red Butte Gardens was everything we'd hoped for and more. Ly was sad because it didn't rain - she really wanted wedding pictures in the rain (she's an odd one). Instead it was 100 million degrees (no seriously, it was the hottest day of the year), and as the day wore on Alan started to regret teasing Ly about her inexplicable desire for thunderstorms. Luckily everything else worked out just as Ly imagined - flowers were beautiful, cake was excellent (key lime...yum), music kept things hopping and we heard the breakfast food was tasty (although we didn't actually get to eat any of it.) For many the highlight of the day was the infamous bouquet toss during which Ly pelted Alan's dad with the flowers. Oops. The highlight for us though was getting to spend time with our family and friends, most of whom traveled quite far to come celebrate and show their support for the newlyweds. So here's a belated thank you for that.
Second thing to discuss: Our non-worldly travels
While it would be nice to say that we went to Italy or some other fantastic country on a vacation that would be lying. We have, however, managed to travel quite extensively over the past few months. For Thanksgiving we went to Arizona to see a majority of Ly's crazy family for an entire week. We took Karrianne and Quinn to the movies where we discovered that there is in fact a big difference between licorice and twizzlers. We then drove home (or rather Alan drove while Ly slept) via the Grand Canyon where we stayed for a few days on the South Rim. It was fun especially because Alan had never been, but Ly still thinks the North Rim is better. We spent our first Christmas as a married couple in sunny San Diego, during which Alan got to witness first hand the chaos of a holiday in the Bolig household complete with a hunt for a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, dozens of cookies and an unforgettable holiday trip to Disneyland. Our 2 day adventure at the happiest place on earth was certainly one of the highlights of our Christmas break. We were lucky enough to win these dream fast passes that let us get to the of the line at both parks anytime we wanted for an entire day. It was awesome and allowed us to ride all of our favorite rides more than once. What a treat -- especially for Alan who had never been to Disneyland before (as shocking as that seems). New Year's was spent in Zion National Park. Unfortunately, Ly got super sick and slept in the car/hotel instead of hiking and exploring the park, much to Alan's disappointment. Luckily she had already been there before, or it would have been a real travesty. Throw in a few other trips to Vegas and San Diego for cancer conferences and family/panda quality time, and that pretty much sums up our adventures of the west over the past 11 months. Maybe we'll get to Italy next year.
Third thing to discuss: Life in Utah.
Unlike Alan who grew up in Salt Lake, living in Utah has been quite the challenge/change for Lyanna and certainly has taken some getting used to. On her way to work in the morning (if she braves the freeway) Ly can literally drive by farms. Complete with cows. Things close early which make life difficult if you're as forgetful as she is. There certainly are not as many things to do for fun as there are in Boston and San Diego. However, living in Provo has it's advantages. Cost of living is super cheap (no seriously, people complain when their rent is like $300), there are beautiful mountains, it's close(r) to California which results in multiple trips to San Diego, and the people she works with are quite nice (and down to earth - a rather refreshing quality in another human being). The best thing about living in Utah though is that we have family close. Tab and Dust live close enough to have bi-weekly dinners, and a quick trip up to Salt Lake allows us to visit with Alan's family any time we want. We've enjoyed getting to spend the quality time with our family before everyone moves on to bigger and better things outside the Salt Lake area.
We have some very exciting news to share.