We have a blog!

So Isaac and I decided it was time for us to start our own blog. So here it is...

isaacandmeg.blogspot.com

and make sure not to put in issacandmeg.blogspot.com...because I am pretty sure it is a website for terrorists....how do i know this you may ask....well I may have made that mistake just barely.

Happy Be-Lated Fourth of July and....

I AM ENGAGED! For those of you who may not know....but I think you all do. I don't have time now but I will give details real soon! I love you all! Ta-Ta, I am off to Lake Tahoe!

This last Memorial Day weekend I was lucky enough to tag along with the Paulsen family to beautiful Lake Powell.  We left on Saturday around 7:00-ish and began our long journey down south.  Isaac and I rode dow with his parents in the truck.  We stopped off in Kanab to make some lunch and then were quickly back on the road again.  

We arrived in Page in the afternoon and waited around the Marriot until our rooms were ready.  All the kids were very excited and eagerly waiting for the vacation to begin.  While waiting we played a little frisbee with none other than the Aerobe Flyer and goofed around with the kottlers.

After our rooms were ready and we finished unpacking, some of us went to go put the boat in at the marina.  We then got the boat in and headed back to the Marriott for some delicious pizza.  Shortly after Isaac and I headed to the pool.  It was a bit chilly outside so we hopped right into the hot tub with Emma and Ethan.  

That night Abbey and I headed to our room with Adriane, Mike, and there kids.  Mike and Adriane were so nice to let me squeeze in with them, it was very nice having a bed to sleep on. Sunday morning came around and it was time for church!  It was the craziest thing, when we walked into the chapel we sat right in front of the Lundbergs, a wonderful family in my home ward.

After church Annette (Isaac's Mom) had prepared a wonderful lunch for us all and we were off to our next adventure...THE DAM TOUR!   And what a tour it was!  

Stewart (Isaac's Dad) reserved a private tour at the Dam Visitor's center for all twenty of us!  That's right there were 20!  We learned so many crazy and interesting things on the tour.  We were able to walk on top of  the Dam and also go down it on the elevator.  Walking on the top was beautiful, but also a bit scary when you looked over the edge.  Little Ben (Amy and Josh's little boy) was fearless and looked like he wanted to jump right off!  The Dam tour guide was great and I learned so many great and interesting things. 

 

Isaac was so silly, but that's why I love him!  I have to say, my favorite part of the Dam tour was my Special Friend also known as Jane (Amy and Josh's little girl).  We instantly became friends on the tour and remained friends the rest of the trip.   

Memorial Day had finally come and it was time for the big excursion to the wonderful, the beautiful, RAINBOW BRIDGE!

Stewart was so nice and rented two boats so that everyone could go together to Rainbow Bridge.  We all met at the marina.  Isaac and i went with Adriane, Mike, Audrey, and McKala.  The kids were a bit hesitant about the boat it seemed, but they soon got the hang of it.  McKala even got her own little seat.  Isaac on the other hand was not hesitant at all and got real comfortable.  

On the way over we made a couple pit stops, one of which was at Dangling Rope!  We had some lunch their that Annette had put together and then we got some ice cream...and oh was it was quite delicious.  

As we left Dangling Rope it started to get a bit windy, so we rushed over to our destination.  We finally got to the canyon and then we arrived!  It was just a short hike up to the bridge, Ben had fun picking up swords...aka sticks and finding buried treasure...but not just any buried treasure, PIRATE TREASURE!  We had finally arrived at the beautiful Rainbow bridge! 

Isaac was ready to go!

As we were up there taking pictures, we saw a big strike of lightning and just seconds after heard thunder...it was time to leave, but luckily we got some good pictures.

This wonderful picture was brought to you by a young photographer named Jane...my special friend.  I think she's got some real genuine talent!

Cute little Ray-O was definitely enjoying himself.

 

As we were leaving there was a tour boat leaving as well, he tolds us all to just follow the boat and ride its wake, this was very nice because it was very windy at this point and VERY wavy.  We started to leave and it was still a very bumpy ride so we transported all the kids in the Cobalt and Annette came in the rental boat with Adriane, Mike, Isaac, and I.  It began to rain, and by rain I mean poor!  We were SOAKED!  But it all made great memories.  We all made it back safe with only a few bumps and bruises along the way.  That night I think we all slept very well.

The next morning we went out water skiing.  Isaac's family is very talented in the water.  Kera, Isaac's sister, who is pregnant, got up with no trouble at all and had some real nice cuts.  She even skied on one foot and held onto the rope with her other foot!  NO HANDS!  It was amazing!  Adriane also went skiing and got up real fast after not having skied for a long time, I was lucky I got up on my second try haaa, even though I had skied a few days before.  It was so much fun though.  There is nothing like the first or second ski of the season.  I love that shaky feeling in my arms and legs afterwords.  As I was out on the water I was feeling a bit gutsy and I guess got the good cuts in.  It was so much fun! 

The best part I think though, was watching Isaac wakeboard.  Boy is he talented!  And this was just him warming up!

Ya, he's a babe.

So later that day everyone decided to find a beach to just lounge around at, so Isaac and I went to go get the boat and bring it over.  It was so much fun, tubing, building sandcastles, lounging around at the beach, and the weather couldn't have been better.

The Paulsen clan at the beach.

Fun tubing tricks with Jane, Abby, and Emma!  They were all so brave and stood up!

And we made the most AMAZING...UNIQUE...MOST INCREDIBLE Sand Castle.  But we wouldn't have been able to do it with out the wonderful help of my special friend and the treasure hunter Ben!

Two great architects at work.

The whole designing crew.

It was so much fun getting to know Isaac's family better.  The Paulsens are incredible people and they were all so nice to let me tag along.  It was definitely a trip to remember!

Playing catch up....and Mom for bit...

So spring break 2009 was a blast, from hiking through cool rocks to getting stuck on Indian reservations. This picture was taken on our first hike of the trip. It was so beautiful with all the red rocks and the blue sky. 

Lauren and I were brave and jumped in the water, little did we know how cold it would be. 

Our second expedition was led by our fearless leader Isaac Paulsen. We set out for the cave around 11:00-ish and didn't get back till about 4 or 5. We got a little lost and somehow ended on an Indian reservation. It was a bit frightening but no need to fret, we did survive....Just barely.

Not too far away from this point we found a large factory looking building....we suspect nuclear weapons, but that is just what we think. The whole trip was great, and I think it is safe to say we all had a good time.After spring break it wasn't too much fun, work, school, and then more work and school. Every once and a while Isaac and I tried to find things to help us wind down from the hustle and bustle of life. One time we decided to go to the Discovery Center at Gateway with all Isaac's nieces and nephews, I brought Gracie along too!

Both Emma and Gracie delivered a fantastic broadcast. It was a big day for KSL.

The helicopter ride was pretty intense, Emma doesn't look too sure about things, but with Isaac in charge, I'm sure it will all be ok....Just taken a little stroll around town.
Now for the ENTERTAINMENT! Beautiful job by Emma, Mocia and Gracie. Never in my life have I seen a finer performance!

A month or so later, Isaac took me to a formal for his fraternity. It was up at Deer Valley. So beautiful and the food was great!

So much fun!

Dont' we just look so patriotic? We were originally invited to an exclusive dinner with President Obama and the First Lady but we just simply had to turn it down. I'm sure they'll understand.

Then about another month an a half later, after the stresses of finals, one of my dearest and best friends got married on Thursday May 7! Whitney Scott...now Asay, looked so beautiful and happy. I am so excited for her and her fun new stage of life to come!

Mo was my temporary date till Isaac came along, ah Mo, what a cutie!And then my real date came! I just love him so much!

The next day we went to support the sisters at the fun run, a very competitive and important race to all those who attend Oakridge. Emily started off real good in the beginning, as you can tell by the picture.
On Saturday night we all got our most retro looking clothes and played some serious games of tennis. Afterwords we went t0 SCBC and enjoyed some delicious hamburgers and then went to Steve's to play some games, including the one you see in the picture.

It was very intense and unfortunately Joss and I were the one's that made it fall. It was very funny to watch.

Montair Elementary School

I forgot to mention, while we were in California I was able to go visit my old elementary school Montair Elementary.  I was so nostalgic, the smell, the playground, the building, ah it was so neat.  I love Montaire, so many fun and exciting memories.  

President's Weekend with Franie

Rain, rain, rain.....and more rain. Of course the weekend we go it rains. People were saying it was the most rain they've had since October. Fortunately it didn't manage to put a damper on things though...ha no pun intended. We flew in Thursday evening and went right to Sean and Julie's where we enjoyed a wonderfully tasty dinner followed by The Office. We then headed to Grandma and Bob's and crashed for the night.
Friday we woke up got ready and had dome wonderful blue berry pancakes, so delicious. We than began our adventure in the city! BART is the most convenient way to get into the city since parking costs a fortune so we hopped on BART. From there we then got on the N Judah...little did we know at the time we got on going the wrong way. Needless to say, we ended up on the exact opposite side we wanted to be on over by the AT&T field by the water, it made things a lot more exciting though. After we got going the RIGHT way, we ended up over near Golden Gate Park, lucky for us the rain decided to hold up for a while as we walked around. Our first destination was the Academy of Science. The newly renovated building is incredible. Inside there are two domes, one is a planetarium and the other is an atrium full of butterflies and birds and fish. It is really humid inside but really neat. Throughout the rest of the museum they have taxidermy...sorry I just really wanted to use that word...animal exhibits and an aquarium.

We saw the craziest looking animal while we were there...and this antelope too...ba ha ha just kidding Isaac. So many cool things though, it was a bit overwhelming. Oh and let us not forget the one and only... WAXY MONKEY TREE FROG!

Yes, it is true...it DOES exist, and oh man, if looks could kill, all I have to say is that this frog means business. The fish were pretty cool too...the ones in front of the glass that is...To say the least, we enjoyed ourselves very much. Did I mention you could go up on the roof?! Well you can! Very neat...but also very windy.

Behind us you can see where the domes are...really cool. After we wanted to go to the De Young Museum but we decided to just hang around the outside of the building...which is really cool because...THERE IS A GIANT SAFETY PIN OUTSIDE!

How insane is that? Just imagine the fun that could be had with the giant safety pin...your options are endless.

So after we had our fun in Golden Gate Park we began to head down to Fisherman's Warf, with a few pit stops along the way.Including this one, and along with this... I guess on St. Patrick's Day they put green dye in the water, oh those Irish characters.

When we arrived at fisherman's wharf it began to rain, and by rain I mean poor. We got some sandwiches and some good chowder and then met up with Isaac's friend Josh and his wife Kirsten. They were so nice and drove with us through China Town. Josh speaks fluent Mandarin and so this made things very easy and convenient. We went to this hole in the wall type place down a dark alley where they make fortune cookies. It was really neat because we got to see how they where made. After China Town, Josh and Kirsten were nice enough to drive us to a BART station. Despite the rain, we were all happy. Luckily we made it back real easy to Orinda. That night we went to a Thai restaurant in Walnut Creek and Bob practically tried to burn Isaac's tongue off with all the spicy food. He survived, but we were all worried. That night we were all very tired and went right to bed.

The next morning, St. Valentine's Day, we had Bob & Nancy's Famous Eggs Benedict Breakfast...it sounds so official. Isaac got me the most beautiful pair of earings for Valentine's Day, he is so sweet. We then headed of down south to Carmel. The drive is beautiful. We stopped of in Monterey and walked around Cannery Row and got some really good Ghiradeli's Ice Cream. Oh Cannery Row, just can't get enough of it. I almost forgot to mention the House of Seven Gables. I guess it is a house my great great great great...and i think one more great grandparentss owned. Now it is a bed and breakfast. Beautiful house though, and right on the beach. After, we continued our trip further south. As we approached Carmel we tried to drive down the 17-mile drive, but unfortunately because of the AT&T golf tournament at Pebble Beach with various stars such as Bill Murray and Kevin Cosner, we were not able to. We got down to the beach nonetheless! It was beautiful! i just absolutely LOVE the ocean. You can hardly see it but that is supposed to be Pebble Beach Golf Course in the background.Contemplating...OK so he isn't contemplating, just fixing his camera, still so so cute though.We tried to make a sand castle, but sadly enough it was taken away by the sea...ocean. After a long day at the beach...or at least what seemed like a long day, we headed back to Orinda to grab some dinner. We went to a little family italian place......so the food wasn't that great, but even better, our server was extremely awkward. Words can't give it justice how unbelievably uncomfortable it was for us ha ha. It definitely made some great memories. We then went back to the house and crashed.
Sunday we went to Daily City, just south of the city and met Josh and Kirsten for church. They live in a beautiful area that overlooks the ocean. It was raining real hard while we were at church. The power went out half way into the meeting and they decided to dismiss everyone early. We took advantage of the extra time and went to go see Josh and Kirsten's place. They were so nice to have us over, it was real fun getting to know them both.
After Isaac and I still had some time to burn so we went to the Point Fort underneath Golden Gate bridge. We got some hot chocolate and a muffin at a little cafe near the fort. While we where there we saw the most adorable little British boy. He said the most funny things, I just wanted to take him home with me right then.

So anyways, this fort, it was built in 1851 to keep out foreign powers and protect the bay. It was really neat and Isaac and I had so much fun walking around. We didn't get to spend nearly as much time as we would have liked to, but it was still so interesting. Here are some pictures of the fort...So under the bridge is where the fort is and if you look closely, the little specs in the water are surfers, yup, that's right, die-hards out in the surf catchin' some pretty sweet waves with the most beautiful backdrop...how lucky are they.This was a really cool spiral staircase in the fort...which had three levels.Isaac got really excited about this room After the Fort, we went back to Lafayette and met Katie, Sean and Julie at the little mexican restaurant out by Trader Joes, Isaac and I split some really good fajitas. We then had a lot of getting ready to do for grandma's big dinner party with the whole fam. It was quite the production but a lot of fun. Isaac mixed his first drink for Sean, to our best knowledge, it was a success.

On our last day, we went to Johny's Dohnuts and got some tasty treats. We then ventured over to Hayte and Ashbury in the city. This is where many hippies and anti-war activists got together in the 60s and either hung out or participated in protests. I am really excited because I bought a history special on iTunes on the 60s, specifically in the city, and i am really excited to watch it after going there...ya i am not wierd at all.

Just a little taste of hippie ville, apparently in Bob's younger years he spent a lot of time down here.

We had lunch real close by at a place called Cha Cha Cha, very excentric and good. After we quickly walked around Ghiradeli Square and somehow made it inside a restricted area...ya, we're kind of a big deal. Oh and let's not forget the palace of fine arts.Ya, real funny Isaac, we ended the trip with dinner at Skates on the Bay. It is right on the water and there is a beautiful view of Golden Gate Bridge and the city. We had so much fun and crambed so much in just a few days, but I think it was worth it.