November Happenings :)

Sorry ya'll, no pictures this week... BUT that doesn't mean that this post isn't still exciting ;)

So this last week was busy as usual for Bryce and I. We worked and studied and Bryce had a big test. However, we ended the week with a fun date night :) So Bryce had a long day on Saturday- he took me to work, had a 3 hour test, and then went to work himself. And since it was my turn to plan date night, I (being the nice person that I am!) made him take another test ;) But this one was a little more fun then his other one.
On some sticky notes I made a little story about a boy and a girl named Bryce and Amanda who are looking for a night full of fun. The whole reason I did it was so that Bryce could have a relaxing night full of things that he wanted to do. The first question made him choose what we would have fun dinner:

A. Italian (Olive Garden)
B. Burgers (5 Guys)
C. Rolls (Texas Road House)
D. Somewhere new (Copper Mill)

He chose B as his final answer- so we headed to 5 guys and got burgers and Cajun fries as well as some good ole' soda.

The next question was what he wanted to do after we ate

A. Rent a movie
B. Make desert
C. Go see Interstellar
D. A combination of the above

Bryce went with choice C. Interstellar was pretty good! But, it was also almost 3 hours long! We weren't really expecting that so we ended up finishing the movie at about 11:30. We were so tuckered out afterwards that we came home and fell asleep and slept until 9:30 (Bryce) and 10 (me). Definitely a perk of 1 o'clock church! And thankfully we both had the day off!

The other questions included what the dress code was for the date:

A. Sweats
B. The norm
C. Fancy Smancy

He chose the norm since that's what I was wearing and what was available to him in the car without going home first

There was also the question of when it would start:

A. Now (this is the answer he chose!)
B. After we go home
C. Don't make me choose

And there was who will pay for this evening of fun

A. Amanda
B. Bryce's wife
C. The sexy girl
D. All of the above

That stud chose D! Lucky me ;)

This week will be just as busy for us as regular, if not then a little more so. We register for our classes next semester and we both work a few more hours with the holiday season ramping up. But hey, it's looking like Bryce's brother Conner is coming to visit this weekend so it's something for us to look forward to!

Till next time ;)

Killer Ending to October

Bryce and I have been busy busy busy as usual! But, we were able to have some fun final days in October :) On the 24th our friends Josh and Jasmine came up for the weekend and to go to the Howl with us. For those of you who don't know what the Howl is- it's the biggest Halloween party in all of Utah and it is put on by our school. There's a massive dance, a concert, free drinks and an oxygen bar.
This year it was sponsored by Rockstar which meant a ton of free drinks from them and the concert was put on by Mike Posner.
Bryce was a Sexy Lumberjack, I was an Indian, Jasmine was a Flapper girl and Josh was a Ghost Buster. We had so much fun! And here's some pictures of the costumes :)

The happy couple :)

Jasmine and I have celebrated Halloween together for 3 years now and this is the first time we weren't Facebook Stalkers. But as usual, I had a total blast with her! Love this girl to pieces!

And here are Josh and Jasmine-so glad they came!

Then the next Thursday was my 21st birthday and Bryce and I took the whole day off and traveled all around ;) Psyche! We did take the whole day off but we didn't go everywhere-just 3 malls and Zupas and my grandma's and playing with puppies ;)
But yeah, Bryce was a total trooper going to all those different stores. We did a lot of window shopping and both ended up with a few new things but it was just a lot of fun to go shopping with not many people at the mall. And to end it we went to Zupas with Jenny and Dallon, Russell and Erika, and Josh and Jasmine. It was fun to see them all and eat at my very favorite place! 

Then we went to Grandma Joyce's and had a birthday cake and just hung out for a bit. Then back to Logan to end the day with my wonderful Hubby who I was with the whole time! It really was a great day :)

Halloween was the mark for 1 year since Bryce proposed. We celebrated by watching the Nightmare Before Christmas (how he proposed last year) and ate chocolates (where the ring was when he proposed). Unfortunately we forget to get See's Chocolates so I improvised a bit with Alvey's Chocolate to make it up :)

It won't let me flip it-sorry! 

            

Oh and Bryce let me get my hair done: Just some blonde highlights, not much!

And that's what's been going on in the McRae family lately :)

Headless Chickens

Okay I know I know, weird blog title. I just couldn't think of anything else and that actually explains the last few weeks pretty well.  Here in Logan we have been BUSY BUSY BUSY and I feel like the last week I was running around like a headless chicken up until today.
Bryce and I are both still working about 25-30 hours a week and doing full time school. It just so happens that this week was when a lot of midterms and projects fell and I had a 12 ho shift on Saturday which threw off my regular study and cleaning schedule. So our poor apartment was a bit out of wack for a few weeks there. But, as of this morning the dishes are done, the bathroom is clean, the laundry is finished and all of the rooms have been swept, mopped, vacuumed, and dusted. And it feels GREAT to sit on the couch and finally have a minute to relax and blog.
Some exciting news: BRYCE GOT HIS HANDGUN! He's been wanting it for quite some time (before we ever met) and this week Bryce finally got it :) He was so excited that he was even patient enough to explain how it worked and let me play around with it for a bit. He also was nice enough to let me get a new workout outfit which I love :) Thank you Bryce!
But funny story on how this all happened! Bryce has been growing up his facial hair for 2 months. He hasn't shaved since we left Alaska and went to the Beach House before school started. Now, I like Bryce's scruff, I really do. But the beard and mustache were getting to be a bit too much for me. So I made Bryce a deal that if he shaved we could go get his gun. (I would have let him get it even if he hadn't of shaved but shhh don't tell him! I'm glad it's gone lol) Here's a picture so you can all see the improvement ;)

BEFORE-yep that was 2 months, well just shy of 2 months

He wanted to keep his mustache because the ends were starting to curl haha goober :)

And here is my sexy man with his scruff back! Hip Hip Hooray!

In other news: My parents are coming to visit today! It's Fall Break tomorrow so today is Friday schedule for classes, and I don't have any Friday classes.  My boss was also nice enough to give me the day off, so I get to spend the afternoon and evening with them! I can't wait! My parents really are the best :)
I know that's not much for missing the last few weeks of blogging but sadly that's all I can think of and I don't have time to keep blogging-it's on to homework and then spending time with the parents and Bryce :)
 HAPPY FALL from the good ole' Logan cemetery that I walk through every day- lucky me haha but hey, I love the trees!

Busy Bees!

Bryce and I keep getting busier and busier! But, it's also good news because we both have jobs now! That's right, I got a job and I started on Friday! It's awesome and a pretty perfect fit for me actually: a jewelry store :) So if any of you are ever in Logan, Utah come to Schubach Jewelers in the mall and I can help ya out ;)

Stay with me this week: I haven't been sleeping well for some unbeknownst reason so I'm a little groggy and frazzled which makes me kinda random in my writing... My apologies :)

Random tidbit for you, but did you know that at Utah State, an agricultural school, that sheep herding happens on campus? I didn't either until I saw it on Wednesday. It was actually pretty sweet!

Here's a cute story: So this week we thought we heard an owl outside. But the more we listened we realized it wasn't an owl at all: it was a little kid crying! So I looked out the window and there was a little boy holding his bike chain. Turns out it fell off and he was running late for school. So Bryce (yes I'm going to brag) being a total stud goes down and helps the kid fix his bike! Which actually ended up making Bryce late for class.. but it was just so cute! He's gonna be such a good dad :) and no, we are not expecting :P I just mean in the future!

 In other words: my major is interior design and we were drawing pictures from magazines this week. So here is my drawing in stages:

This is the final for now: until my teacher gives some more recommendations probably. It took me a good few hours to do but hey, it was a blast! And I didn't trace at all. The textures is what took me so long. And for those of you who know me well, I had to be really patient! Which was a hugeeee challenge for me. 

And last but not least:Bryce got a pair of nice clippers and after a month he finally cut his hair!

Before:

And after (watching the Broncos game):

Bryce and I had a pretty busy week full of studying and work but we're still loving life :) And if there's anything you ever want to know about, just shout it out and I'll blog about it most likely the following week :) Hope everyone is having a wonderful September! 

Chalk the Walk-Provo Edition

So this weekend Bryce and I made our first trip down to Provo for the school year :) We were only there late Saturday night and Sunday but we packed the day with lots of fun! We went to church with Jenny and Dallon and then we went and saw our good friends Josh and Jasmine afterwards for a bit. It was fun to catch up with them and see them again :) Then we went back to Grandma Joyce's for a delicious dinner! Following that we (Russell, Erika, Jenny, Dallon, Bryonna, Megan, Kevin, Bryce and I)  all went to the Chalk the Walk-Explore the World. By the way a quick explanation of who is who: Russell and Jenny are my siblings. Erika is married to Russell. Dallon is engaged to Jenny. Bryonna is my cousin and Megan married my cousin Devin so she's my cousin too. Kevin is pretty much my 4th brother (the family has adopted him in practically ever way). And Bryce-well I don't know who he is;) JUST KIDDING!  It was really cool walking around the parking lot and seeing all the different art work. And the crazy part-a large majority of the artists are HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. And as you will see they have some mad talent. Here were some of the favorites:

How cool is this octopus coming out of the ground?

Good ole' Fox and the Hound-one of my very favorite Disney movies growing up!

Mine Craft

Angry Birds

A very inspirational piece

Wreck It Ralph!

An astronaut- Kevin thought this one was really cool

Frozen of course!

I thought this was a really neat use of color

American Gothic-classic.

Had to do the yoga pose since I'm taking yoga

This was a featured artist and it was AMAZING

I just thought this one was really pretty

Childhood memories :)

Again I had to do rock climbing since I'm taking a class

This makes me think of Utah in general-so many good hikes

Another featured artist doing Candy Land- it was so cool!

Other than that we watched the Denver Broncos Football Game and a devotional at Grandma's house and then after Grandma loaded us up with some food (THANK YOU GRANDMA) we headed back home to good old Logan. Here's to another busy week! 

Announcements, Announcements, Announcements!

Yes that is a little tune, and for those of you who recognized it: YOU ROCK!

So this week is a week of announcements, and happy ones at that! The first being:

MY SISTER JENNY IS ENGAGED!

                                              

Dallon proposed at the end of August, right before school started. It was so hard to not say anything to Jenny about it because Dallon actually called me for ring opinions! He decided to get a ring that he thought she would like and then they would go ring shopping together for the real thing later :) Well he chose a total winner because Jenny wants the exact ring just a little smaller (She's a size 3!!! And you thought I had little fingers...LOL) CONGRATS GUYS! The big day is December 27 in the Gilbert, Arizona temple. SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU BOTH!

Now time for the second announcement:

RUSSELL AND ERIKA (My bro and sis in law) ARE PREGNANT! 

This will be there first baby and it's going to be a..... BABY GIRL :) They are due at the end of November. That's right-a Thanksgiving baby :) Congratulations you two! I can't wait to meet her!

As far as my first 2 announcements go this is the reason they are delayed:

1. I have been so freaking busy that finding time to blog has been pretty rough

2. Jenny and Dallon didn't post on facebook right away and obviously I couldn't post about it before them!

3. I thought it would be super fun to post about 2 happy family events at once!

4. It gave me some pretty awesome pictures when I didn't have any for this week!

In other news: Happy birthday to my Father In Law Bret! And Happy Birthday to my Brother In Law Reed! We wish we could be there celebrating with you but hey, we will see you soon hopefully! 

Little side note here: Reed butt dialed me the other day and when I texted him to see if he needed something he told me that he is in a dance class called Guys and Gals. (It's a class at school that Bryce was in back in the day!) He wanted me to tell Bryce that he loves it and is having a blast! We also heard from another source that he likes it so much that he keeps trying to practice with his little sister Summer. How awesome is that?! Stud.

Also, Happy Birthday to my amazing Mom. Her birthday is on Wednesday and I really wish I could be there with her. My mom is one of my very best friends and I would not be where I am if it wasn't for her and her love. No matter the distance I know I can always call her or talk to her about absolutely anything. Happy Birthday Mom, I LOVE YOU!

As far as life goes for Bryce and I-we are still settling back into the routine of things. Bryce is working 2 part time jobs because he's the best man ever. He works about 15 at Aggie Shuttle and about 10 or 15 at Best Buy. On top of that he's also a full time student, so we're taking it one day at a time and seeing how it goes :) But he is doing AWESOME! His fun class: BILLIARDS (How cool is that?!)

I have still been on the hunt for a job, BUT I've had 2 interviews! I should be hearing back from the one this week and the other that I applied at (a jewelry store!) told me they need to process some things but they should have a position for me in about a week and a half once it all goes through! So I'm hoping that means that I'll have a job working 25-30 hours a week in the next week or 2! I am also a full time student-my fun classes being Power Yoga and Rock Climbing!

We've also been converting to our healthier life style! We have been using our UP bands and tracking how much we walk and how active we are. We're also eating lots of fruits and veggies and tracking our goals and calories. We've both set weight goals that we want to get down on and we've been encouraging each other and doing great! Bryce has also set a goal to have a lot less soda: as in only when we go out to eat and seriously rationing the soda his mom gave him (Baja Blast). And he has done really well! My goal specifically is to have a lot more water and almost entirely eliminate soda from my diet. We were talking today and both of us have been losing our appetites for unhealthy, sugary, and not so food for us foods. GO TEAM!

Well I think that's about it for the week, but if I think of something else then I'll let you know next week:) HAPPY SEPTEMBER EVERYONE!

6 States in 6 Days!

Yes, we really were in 6 days in just 6 days! We left Alaska on Tuesday the 19th and flew to Seattle where we caught a flight to San Diego (There's 3 states in just 1 day!) We stayed in California for a few days and then we drove through Nevada, Arizona and finally made it to Utah on Sunday! And that makes a grand total of 6 states! But now, here's for all that in between and a little bit of catching up :)

So, like I said earlier, the McRae boys came and visited us in Alaska! And on one of the days, my dad and brother Russell took us fishing. And if I do say so myself, we did pretty good :) Another added bonus was that instead of the foretasted pouring rain, it was sunny and beautiful! So enjoy the pictures!

We caught halibut, salmon, pacific cod and ling cod

Bryce caught his biggest halibut so far

Bret got a pretty good one too

And Conner caught this Ling Cod

Yeah, it's a pretty freaky looking fish

Here's another view to give you an idea of just how weird of a fish it was!

We also went bear watching a few different nights. On the last night they were in town we headed out in the rain and saw quite a few of the bears! We saw 2 mama bears: 1 with 2 cubs and 1 with 3 and a few other grown bears as well. It was pretty sweet :)

We absolutely loved having Bryce's dad and brothers come visit us :) And just 10 days after they left, we got to go to California to spend a few days with them at the beach house! Yes, Bryce and I actually got a few days of real summer and it was just what the 2 of us needed :) Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures :( But that's because I just left my phone in the room the whole time and enjoyed the waves, sand, and sun with my husband, in-laws, and some of their friends :) I also got to meet more of Bryce's extended family and I got to know everyone a little bit more and I would have to say-I really did luck out marrying into the family that I did. I absolutely love it!

On Saturday we went back to the desert and the next morning we took off and drove the 12 hours back to Utah. We stopped and saw Mark and Amy (a companion of Bryce's from his mission and his wife) and then we got our car from my Grandma Joyce's house and we got to see Grandma, my sister Jenny and her boyfriend Dallon, and SURPRISE I got to see one of my best friends from high school. Dezi and her boyfriend Sione. It was really nice to just see them for a few minutes but then we had to continue on our way home. We made it back to our apartment around 11:30 and started the school the next morning; Bryce had class at 8:30 and I had it at 9. 

In other news: Bryce got a job with the Aggie Shuttle (the school shuttle) and he also has some hours that BestBuy is offering him! Such a relief that there's already a job. I have still been hunting for one but I am really excited for an interview I'm having next week- so we'll see how it goes! 

Well that's pretty much what's been going on with us in a quick little segment. So now I must run to finish cleaning and doing homework and hopefully having an awesome date night! Still working on the details :) But have a great day everyone!

My Guy, is a TOTAL STUD

So this week I decided to do a tribute to my awesome hubby :) He always works so hard and I feel like I need to brag a little bit about it for him! (Since he never would)

(This has nothing to do with the hard work-this was just from our date night tonight and I loved the face he made haha- Would you like some chips with that Salsa Bryce?)

Okay, now back to bragging about my man:)

As you already know, assuming you read our blog regularly, or even semi-regularly, Bryce drives buses and gives tours during the summer here in Ketchikan. During the month of June he got nominated for being a hard working, all around star employee. There were 5 nominees in Ketchikan to start with and Bryce was one of the final 2 to get his name and such sent up to the rest of the state for evaluation. And guess what?! HE WON! Bryce was 1 of 5 winners in all of the state of Alaska to be chosen as A "HAP Service Superstar" ( Hap is his company and Service Superstar is exactly what it sounds like haha)
Here is what they wrote about him:

"Bryce has a great team mentality and is an outstanding mentor to other drivers. His willingness to step in and help other Driver Guides with their dispatch, their tour and those who are scheduled on ADA is commendable. He displays an outstanding and extraordinary attention and dedication to guest satisfaction and team morale and sets the perfect example of what a great Driver Guide should be!"

And yes, that exclamation point was theirs, not mine! THAT'S MY HUSBAND! :) So proud of him! And did I mention that along with this amazing write up, he also won a 7 day cruise which we are very excited to take :) I wish you could have seen his face when he was telling me about it. He was pretty much beaming from ear to ear, but was totally humble about it. Yeah, can I just say one more time, STUD.

Also this week, Bryce participated in a friendly basketball game with his company against the other bus company (ACT) and the Capefox (Saxman) employees. Their team didn't win, but it was really fun to watch him play :) I tried to get some pictures, but my cell phone just didn't do the trick, but here they are anyways. Bryce is in gray with blue shorts if you can pick him out!

In other news, we are really excited to have Bryce's Dad and brothers here to visit us for a few days! Bryce and I are both going to request that Wednesday off to go fishing with them and my dad :) We're also excited to have the Bruners visiting us as well while in port on Tuesday! They're going to be in on a ship but we're excited to see them even though it's just for the day! Bryce is hoping to be able to take his family and the Bruners on a tour, and I'm hoping they'll come visit me at work either before or after!

We are also looking forward to being back in Utah for school and having our own apartment again :) We've been living with my Brother Russell and his wife Erika which has been fun, but we're looking forward to having our own place again and getting back into the swing of things at school. And we are so excited for California! Just a few more weeks :)

Sunshine and Burgers

It has been a BE-A-UTIFUL week here in the good ole' 907 (Code for Alaska, get it? The area code! lol) Anywho, pardon my silly joke- it's the Youngberg side coming out in me ;) But really, Ketchikan has had some gorgeous weather the last few days and Bryce and I were both fortunate enough to have a day off in the sunshine! Sadly we didn't get the days off together :( But hey, we both got breaks which is great! And we got to walk the docks at night too which is always a blast! That's actually how we spent our first time together in Ketchikan last year (right before we started dating). We sat on the docks and talked for like 3 hours. Good times and good memories and if I do say so myself, it had a great turn out ;)

I spent Tuesday at the beach for a few hours and soaked up some rays-I got a little burnt unfortunately but it's already gone off to a tan so all is well there :) Then I just walked around town with my friend Brianna and we got smoothies and killed time till Bryce was off work. Once he got home we went to Roses Caboose for some burgers and milkshakes. Boy was it DELICIOUS :) I love little hole in the wall (or cabooses on the side of the road) with their yummy greasy spoon menus. SO GOOD!

This is what a beach in Ketchikan looks like-and boy do I love it!

And I got the whole beach to myself pretty much which is shocking! Normally when there's sun everyone and their dog are at the beach. But this time there was just a few moms and their kids a little ways down from me. I chose prime time to go apparently!

Brianna Kay McLaughln-oh my goodness this girl cracks me up haha Best friends since 7th grade and you can see why in this picture lol She's never afraid to be goofy and have fun. She came with us to get burgers and shakes but she is crazy and doesn't like burgers-so she got a chicken strip basket instead (still delicious)

Bryce got the Hellboy Burger. It had red pepper flakes, chipotle sauce, jalepenos, and pepperjack cheese on it. He says it had quite the kick (and he's the one that wanted a picture with his burger believe it or not!) I just got a plain old bacon cheeseburger but that's my kind of burger right there :) SO GOOD!

Bryce got Wednesday off and he spent the first half of the day fishing with my Dad and cousin. They went salmon fishing and caught some Pinks, Bryce caught 5! Unfortunately Bryce felt under the weather for the rest of the day :( But he's doing much better now! So that is definitely a positive :)
Also some GREAT news! Bryce's Dad and brothers are coming to visit! I'm not entirely sure of the date yet but I believe they are booking their tickets this week and will be up at the beginning of August. Bryce's dad has already been here before (last summer) but it's gonna be fun to have him here again and fun for Conner and Reed to experience Ketchikan!


Well that's it in the McRae life this week but keep enjoying the sun for us to all of you who get nice summers! As for us, we're back to rain tomorrow- gotta love Ketchikan :)