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 :)

Exploring the Docks and Name Changes

For those of you who don't know my nieces, they love going for walks on the docks behind my parent's condo. My parents actually live right in front of a boat marina-AKA the view is pretty sweet. So every once in a while after Sunday dinner when it's beautiful out-we'll go on a little adventure. 

And let me tell you, those girls love to look in the water and see all the little creatures. Last year Bryce was quite the hit, catching a jelly fish for them to poke. But this year him and Russell, my brother, as well as Kevin, the practically adopted 4th brother, took turns pulling out jellyfish for the girls to hold and poke and throw back into the ocean. The girls absolutely LOVED IT. Along the way though Bryce, Russell, Erika, and I got a little distracted by this red jelly fish. Turns out he actually got caught on the docks, but they helped him get free and then I tried to take some super amateur photos with my phone. 

Bryce also learned that if you touch the top of a red jelly fish, it won't sting you. When he first went to poke it he went so fast that I thought he had gotten stung. But no, turns out he was just being cautious in case it did ;) However, it kept throwing up its little "legs" ;) which he was careful to avoid. All in all it was pretty fun. 

Enjoy a few pictures from our lovely Sunday afternoon at Nana and Papa's house :)

The jelly all stretched out

Trying to escape

Look at them legs!

Nana and Addie

Addie wanted Bryce to give her a piggy back ride back to the condo-she loves him :)

Also a little update on the name change process:

I was told by the DMV that in order to get my license changed to say McRae that I needed to have applied for my new SS card. I accidentally left everything I needed for it in Utah so with help from my Visiting Teacher and from my Mother In Law I was able to get everything I needed. The day that I got it all I sent it back out to get from SS card changed. Today I had the day off so I went to the DMV and was told that it does no good to apply for the SS card with my new name. I just have to have my marriage certificate which I mailed YESTERDAY because they told me to. So now I have to wait to get it all back in the mail so I can change my license before we leave for school and before my license expires. Talk about stressful. Hopefully that will all get taken care of soon. And thankfully I have an awesome husband to help calm me down when I do get my little stress outs. I married a WONDERFUL man. I love you Bryce!

More next time!

Love,

The McRae's

4th of July Fun

This 4th of July was a little different for Bryce and I than last year. Although we did spend both of them together, this time we were married! Which...made it that much more enjoyable :)
Unfortunately we both had to work, but we got to end the day with a family BBQ at my brother John's house. There were burgers, hot dogs, deviled eggs, jello jigglers, baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad, chips, veggies, fruit pizza and more! And it was all delicious :)
After we ate we went outside and did some "fireworks" with the girls. Unfortunately, finding fireworks here in Ketchikan (especially legal ones) is nearly impossible, so we ended up with a lot of poppers from Wal Mart. However, they were PERFECT for my nieces (ages 8,6 and 3). These pictures will give you a little look into just how much fun they had with them ;)

As you will see-Addie, the 3 year old gets the award for best facial expressions!

Lexi had to pull really hard on the trigger to get her gun to go off, but it was a success!

Kaytlin kept decorating the plants and weeds with the insiders of her poppers

And Addie was fascinated by the whole process. 

1

2

3!

After the BBQ we came home and then about an hour later we went and watched the fireworks. In Ketchikan they don't start till 11 because that's when it gets dark enough. We watched from Cruise Ship Dock number 4. Another unique thing about the fireworks here is they do them out on a barge in the middle of 2 islands, Ketchikan and Pennock. So there in the middle of the water and you get to see their reflection. Unfortunately my pictures on my phone didn't turn out the greatest, but this will give you a bit of an idea of what it's like.

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! I know we did!