1st year Anniversary

WOW, I can't believe its been a year!! We ventured back to Flagstaff where it all began. We stayed at our favorite place, The Inn at 410. We also ate at all of our favorite places and of course made a trip to Maloney's. On Saturday we took the skyride to the peak of Mt. Humphrey's, exchanged gifts/cards, and ate some yummy wedding cake! Don't worry it wasn't really a year old, we had the topper remade for our anniversary. =) On Sunday, we had a photo session with a Flagstaff photographer all around downtown. I can't wait to see how they turned out! Flagstaff is our special place and now we will have it captured in amazing photographs forever. Our weekend in Flagstaff was a great way to celebrate our first year together as Mr. and Mrs. as well as our 8 years of AMAZING friendship.

SUMMER 2010

Soooooo.......Its been a while but here is an update on our summer adventures.

First, we started out in Breckenridge, CO. Brad and I took on the challenge of the first married road trip! Well, we survived 14 hours each way and actually had a lot of fun doing it. We drove through Moab, UT on the way there and Durango, CO on the way home. While we were there we went horseback riding, bike riding, hiking, and river rafting!!

Next, after being home just long enough to do some laundry and pack again, we were off to Carlsbad, CA (San Diego) for the whole month of July!! Here I got to do most of the relaxing as Brad had to work. But, he did get some time to play. We went out to some of the most amazing dinners, spent time on the beach, went sailing, played golf, and even made a trip to Sea World.

Now we are home and trying to get back to "normal". We had a wonderful 1st summer as husband and wife and are looking forward to MANY more!!

Brad's Birthday Surprise

AMAZING!! Let's begin with the fact that I am HORRIBLE at surprises but pulled this one off. I booked our flight in December and kept is a secret until Feb. 12!! I even got it to work with Brad's work schedule ;).

Brad opened his birthday card on Friday and inside was a gift ticket that I made. Hand drawn hot air balloons and a cute little note asking him to "fly away with me". Brad was very excited and a little nervous, I think. He may never admit to it but he was!

We met our ballooning crew at 6:45am, on a SATURDAY! Definitely worth missing a little sleep. We drove to the launch site in Chandler, Az and watched the process of filling the balloons. There were two other balloons that also flew this morning. The sun was shinning and the morning was PERFECT. Once the balloon was ready we jumped in and took off. It rises pretty fast but once we were up it was very smooth. Our pilot, Mike, was very entertaining and made the flight even more fun. The winds created an interesting landing but it, again, was smooth. After we had the traditional Champagne toast and a little snack before heading back.

The whole experience was very exciting and we love having new adventures together! Birthdays as a married couple have turned out to be even more amazing than I could have ever imagined. Now, to begin to research and plan the NEXT adventure....

Enjoy the photos!

Ringing in the New Year

We began New Year's Eve with a nice hike at the McDowell Mountain Preserve. The weather and the sunshine was the perfect beginning to the day. One of our New Year's resolutions is to spend more time outdoors. It is always so relaxing and rejuvenating for us! Later that evening we went to our friends, Erica and Jonathan's house, to ring in the new year. Being with good friends is always a good way to start the new year!Brad and I had a VERY exciting 2009 and are ready for all the new adventures in 2010!!

In the Chrsitmas spirit...

Sunday morning Brad and I got up early, packed the car full of presents, and set off to meet the Lopez family. Brad's work adopted the Lopez family this year for Christmas and I got to help be Santa! We delivered all the presents the Four Seasons employees provided as well as the wonderful stockings Brad and I stuffed for the family. The best was when the 4 year, David, saw his new bike!! The entire family was very gracious and even returned the favor with some amazing home made Tamales!! The whole experience was a nice reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. The love and appriciation in the Lopez's eyes when we arrived was, by far, the BEST Chirstmas gift we could ask for.

The 1st Russell Chirstmas Tree

The very first Russell Family Christmas Tree! Its Official =) Each year Brad and I take turns decorating the tree. You may have guessed by looking at the pictures that this year is my year to decorate. Brad prefers a more contemporary, simple look. I, on the other hand, LOVE the colors and singing lights. YES, the lights blink and sing Christmas tunes!!

Thanksgiving 2009

Another year to give thanks to family and friends!! This year we spent Thanksgiving day with a new friend, Carla. She invited my dad, brother, myself and Brad, over to celebrate the wonderful holiday. We ate an amazing, southern, Thanksgiving treats!! I even baked a pumpkin cheesecake!! We hope everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving and hopefully soon we will be able to invite family to our house and begin the Russell Thanksgiving traditions. =)