The cutest kitties you've ever seen - any takers?

About a month ago, we made a startling discovery! A cat decided to have kittens under our deck! We had seen this mommy kitty prancing around our condos for several months, and then it was like she dissapeared. Little did we know she was busy having babies - five of them - and they made their home under our deck! Dave thinks it's destiny... but back to the story. Once we figured out they were there, we began feeding the mom cat and taking care of her. She is a calico, Emma chose the name Callie for her. She is a very good cat - very well-tempered, clean and quiet, and loves to be cuddled with (this is starting to sound like a personals ad). She is also very good with kids and doesn't even get upset when Emma tries to pick her up or grabs her tail! She can live outdoors or indoors, and seems to like the combination of both. The five kitties are just as good as the Mom, and they are oh-so-cute! There is an adventurous orange one that likes to play. Two black ones, one long-haired and one short haired. One is also very energetic, and the other one is a little more shy. There is a calico one that looks like the mom. And then there's a black one with white paws that is very small. They are all so cute, and we love them, but just can't keep them. They're now starting to wean and starting to eat kitty food, and we can't afford to keep feeding them all! So, if you or someone you knows wants a kitty, please let us know! We want to find good homes for these sweet kitties. If anyone knows me, knows I'm not the hugest fan of felines, but these cats are changing my mind. They're so fun and good! Up top are some pictures of some of the kitties, not all of them are very good, because the little ones get kind of scared of the camera. But please ask around, we need to find these kitties a place to live before winter comes. Please?! Let us know if you're interested. Thanks!

Happy [Belated] Anniversary!

On August 10, Dave & I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary - hooray! It's been an awesome few years! It was Dave's turn to plan the celebratory activities. Since the actual date was on Sunday, we had the fun on Saturday. We were both a little sick, but didn't let that stop us. We started out at the Clark Planetarium to see the IMAX Movie of "Fly Me To The Moon". One of our first dates was at the Planetarium, so it was fun to go back. The movie was really cute. The other movies I've seen there have been more documentary-style movies. This was kind of like a Pixar one and it was 3D and everything. We then hung out at the Planetarium, where this picture was taken, on the "moon". After the movie, Dave told me it was time to shop. He's not a huge shopper, but said we could go wherever I wanted and take as much time as I wanted and get what I wanted. So we shopped for a while, that was fun. Then we had dinner at Ruby River - delicious (that is the new word Emma learned yesterday)! And then went for a drive. We reminisced a bit about our courtship experiences, our wedding, and the time we've been married. We ended by getting concretes at Nielsen's Frozen custard and went on a drive up to the Bountiful Temple, where we got married. It was a fun night to be together! On Sunday, our actual anniversary, it was pretty much a normal day...we exchanged presents and cards. We did have to speak in church though. Dave had to speak first - ha! So he did the introductions. He started out by saying it's a good day for the Ryerse Family, as it was our 3rd Anniversary. He said it's been the best three years of his life, and he's loved every minute of it. Then he said that it just keeps getting better...but it doesn't just get better, you have to make it better, he said. Then he told me how much he loved me and how kind and forgiving I am to him. He transitioned into his talk than on the topic of forgiveness. It was fun to hear him say that in public, he mostly just tells me these types of things when we're alone. But he's right, it does just keep getting better, but it doesn't just happen. You have to make marriage happy and good. It reminds me of an Ensign article that was featured several months ago about how marriage is like a garden - it needs to be weeded, watered, and tended constantly. That has really stuck with me. I am excited to see where our garden goes and how it grows in the future! My Dave, you are my sunshine! I am grateful for what you bring to my life. It's been a great ride... thanks babe! I love you!

I-Da-Ho!

So we spent last weekend in Idaho, Twin Falls to be exact. Lots of Dave's family is from there, and Sue (mom) grew up there, so we really wanted to go to the temple open house. That was the main purpose of our trip, but we did some other fun things as well. We drove up Saturday afternoon with Dave's siblings, Randy (the chauffer - ahhh! Hold on for your life!) and Julie. I didn't notice many of the surroundings, or don't even remember what movie they watched on the way up. I was too busy indulging myself with Breaking Dawn, the latest in the Twilight series that came out early that morning. Pretty good. I'm more than half way through it now, and can't wait to see what happens. Anyways, back to the story. So we drove the 3 hours it takes to get there, and got to Uncle Mac & Aunt Marsha's home and hung out there for a while. Then we went to a place called Gertie's Brick Oven Cookery. It was a buffet-style pizza place, and it was crazy! Here are just a few of the types of pizza we tried (or turned our noses up at and said "eww!"): Cashew Chicken, Seafood, Pepperoni Ranch, Hawaiian, Double Cheese, Crab, Idahoan (had hash brown potatoes and bacon on it), and Idahoan with Ranch, Classic pepperoni, some weird kind with peppers and what they called "sausage" on it that was really cow heart. Yeah, before you loose your lunch, they had yummy dessert pizzas including Bavarian Cream, Blueberry, Raspberry, Chocolate and Caramel, Cinnamon Swirl, and my favorite, the Reese's Pieces. Yum! We would get a piece, and then cut it up, so we could sample lots of different kinds. If you're ever in the area, it's worth stopping. We met Dave's Uncle Parry and his wife Angela, and their four kids there. One of them is from Parry's first marriage, Frank, and he lives in England with his mom, but he's here for the summer. He's about 15 now, and Dave was shocked because hadn't seen him since he was a little boy. His accent was a crack-up, he was a cool little dude. They had an aviation theme too, so I thought the decor was fun. And it was a hit with Emma. They had a little arcade, and some rides for little kids. Emma liked the "Kiddy Red Baron" she rode on. We went then to Dave's cousin Michael and his wife Melody's home in Twin, where we just talked for a long time with all of Dave's other cousins who were there, and then played American Idol on the Wii. Then we watched the second Singles Ward. I liked it better this time, the first time I saw it, it wasn't as fun. But maybe that's because we ended the movie at about 1 a.m., and we all know how I get when it's late! (: Sunday, we went to church at a retirement center. Mac & Marsha help run their sacrament meetings there. It was sweet! The opening prayer and song, the sacrament (one lady tried to swallow the cup and wouldn't let it out of her mouth...that was interesting), and then two short talks that couldn't have lasted more than 5 minutes, and then the closing song and prayers. Short and sweet. But I missed going to RS and Sunday School. We went back and played at Mac & Marsha's house. We rode their four-wheelers all over their property, that was kind of fun. Dave loved it...that's one of his dreams someday to get a bunch of ATV's for our family to go riding lots together. Emma had a great time, too. We just hung out and played at the house that afternoon, and then all of the cousins and their wives and kids came over for a ham dinner. It was fun to see that family, because we don't see them very much anymore with everyone all grown up and busy and stuff. We talked for a long time with everyone, and chased Emma in the backyard. Which brings up a great blog article for next time...the names we've thought of for our little boy. Don't even ask, everyone was, and you don't wanna know! (Ha ha, some of you know what I'm talking about). Monday, we woke up and had a fun breakfast on the back patio with everyone. Then we went to the Twin Falls temple dedication - the true reason for the trip. There is a large stake center adjacent to the new temple, so that's where we watched the video. Then we went through. It was relatively small, but beautiful! My favorite part was a mural they have in one of the instruction rooms of Twin Falls and the surrounding landscaping. They had deer on it, and even a tiny lizard they had us find. It was neat. All of the volunteers were great, one thing I love about the church is how organized and efficient it is. And the volunteers are so happy. Even a little boy who had a broken arm was in charge of holding the main doors to the temple open, and he had a large grin on his face. I thought that was cool. Emma loved the chandelier in the Celestial Room and was pointing and staring the whole time. She was very reverent though. Most of the time. She also said "I see the temple" throughout our time there. We checked things out from the outside after that, and headed back to the stake center where they had cookies and drinks, and elaborate decorations and displays. It looked more like a ritzy LDS wedding reception in the cultural hall/gym than part of the open house. But it was pretty cool. After that, we said our goodbyes to the fam. It was great too, because Grandma Lilly, who isn't very mobile but Twin Falls is such a part of her, was able to go. I think she enjoyed it. We made a run to Sonic for happy hour (the Ryerse's are crazy about Sonic!), and then drove home, again, I read all the way. Emma sang half of the time to keep her self entertained, which was cute. Her favorite song? "I Love to See the Temple" of course!