Birthday, Reunion, and Washington!

Wow! So much has happened the last week and a half! But first things first :) Happy Birthday to me! On the 17th I turned the great age of 22! To celebrate Alex drove me down to St.George Utah where we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in the St. George Temple, an exciting dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse (you know where they cook in front of you) and best of all, Little Mermaid! If you have never been to Tuacahn, I highly recommend it! It is an outdoor theater up against the most beautiful red rock canyon. They have the most wonderful productions and this year they did Disney's Little Mermaid! The music was incredible, the acting fantastic! They flooded the stage with a water wall, skated across the water and made this performance truly memorable! Alex got great seats and it was a grand time had by all!



Our next adventure was the Stucki Family Reunion! My Mom's side of the family is very big and so full of fun! We were at a place called Baker Ranch in the middle of nowhere. Okay so really it was about an hour outside of Soda Springs Idaho. We enjoyed painting shirts, motorcycle rides, four wheeling, eating lots of delicious food and spending time catching up with family! We did have the scare of our lives though. On Sunday morning around 4 or 5 am we were woken up with one of the biggest thunder storms I have ever heard. Lightening was everywhere and our cabin shook with every thunder clash! I was very scared, but Alex kept me safe! We found out the next morning that the storm had started a wild fire just on the other side of the mountain and we were kept from harms way. We left Idaho around 2 o'clock and started out for our next journey!

The drive seemed to last forever but we finally made it into Vancouver Washington at midnight! We slept like a baby that night and enjoyed spending time with Alex's family for the next three days. On Monday we spent the day at the Oregon coast. It was cold (as usual) but full of fun! We hiked around an area and played around on the beach. We ate a picnic lunch and enjoyed a bike ride through the little town of Cannon Beach. On Tuesday we went to a family activity area. They had paddle boats and I saw a Salamander for the first time. We played a game of horseshoes against Daniel and Mark, we won by one ringer! Way to go Alex! Tuesday night I also saw a blueberry bush for the first time and enjoyed picking 13 pounds of blueberries with Alex's Mom! She taught me all the tricks of the trade to getting the biggest and sweetest blueberries! We picked another 15 pounds to take home to my mom and eat on the drive the next morning. Mark got a haircut and Alex and his Dad worked on changing the oil. We said goodbye and drove to Boise for a shorts night sleep and then home to Provo!

It was truly an amazing week and I am so grateful to be blessed with such wonderful family, on both sides! Thank you to all who made this wonderful week possible (subs for work, mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins!). Now we are back to the real world, school starts tomorrow! I'm sure we'll have a new post soon!

Oh yeah! How could I forget :) My best friend Amber got engaged! Her and Adam will be married in the Oakland Temple on 11/11/11 at 11:00am! Alex and I are looking forward to go out to California to celebrate this wonderful event with them!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread!

This weekend started off a little rough. Earlier in the week I didn't think much of my itchy throat but then it I realized it would be quite a doozy! I was limited to otter pops and cough drops. On Wednesday I took my last final of summer term and Alex took me out to Texas Road House to celebrate! Thursday my sore throat turned into the cold of the century! Alex was so good to me. Every time I would wake up in the night coughing or blowing my nose he would ask me if I was alright or if I needed anything. Being sick is much better when you have a spouse to take care of you. On Sunday I was debating whether or not to attend all of church and I got my answer with an invitation for Alex and I to see the Bishop before church. I am the new 2nd counselor in the Primary Presidency! I am very excited to work with all the kids in our ward, although today I wasn't allowed in because I am contaminated :) Alex and I shared a wonderful dinner and shared fudgesicles in bed. We decided that even if we were millionaires, that is how we would spend our Sunday afternoons together. I always get the cooking bug on Sunday and got the courage to try out chocolate zucchini bread! It turned out great! And Alex did all the dishes, he really is the best in the whole world! This week will be an exciting one! Derek's birthday was yesterday (Happy Birthday Big Bro!), tomorrow is Amber's birthday and Wednesday is yours truly :) I'll have some fun pictures of birthday celebrations soon! Have a great rest of your Sunday!

Love,The Doroshkins

Cold Stone Fiasco!

So the other night Alex decided that he was in the mood for something sweet and cold. We headed over to Cold Stone, a favorite of his and stared at the menu for quite some time. I'm sure everyone can relate to the battle going on inside of our heads: "the Peanut Butter Perfection looks delicious but I don't want to even think of the calories!" and "Oh! New healthy smoothies! I'm sure they taste great, and only 150 calories!". Well in this particular situation the Peanut Butter Perfection won out for me and Alex chose the healthy smoothie. It only took a second after sitting down that the reason why the smoothie was only 150 calories was because it consisted of dull tasting fruit, artificial sweeteners and poorly ground up ice. After spending 4$ on such a treat Alex was upset it wasn't all the picture portrayed it to be. There was a long line in the store and so going back and complaining didn't seem like the best option. So instead we got in the car and with an upset husband we made our way home. Still full to the brim, I took Alex's smoothie when we got home and decided to doctor it up a little. I don't think Alex quite believed me when I said I would make it taste better, but the wife comes through again! Alex loved his smoothie after that and the night ended pleasant indeed! So the moral of this story? 1. Don't get the smoothies at Cold Stone and 2. Trust that your wife always has some sweet trick up her sleeve to make life better :)

White Water Rafting and Spiritual Uplifting

This last weekend Alex and I were able to travel down to Boise to spend the weekend with my family. Derek and Jennie had their open house but we were able to squeeze in a little fun!

Friday we went down the Payette River! This is my most favorite activity but Alex had never been before! It was a great run! The water was freezing but the sun was very hot that day (thank goodness :) Alex and I even took a "lovers leap" off of a popular rock jumping spot. Although a little nervous at first Alex had a great time and I hope we have many more trips down the river!

On Sunday we were able to attend church and listen to the testimonies of the congregation. A man got up and said something that has stayed with me since. He bore his testimony of family. He had attended a family reunion and had a great spiritual experience. He pondered why it was that whenever he was with family he would always be spiritually uplifted. He bore testimony of the importance of family in our Heavenly Father's plan and how it is with our families that we can return again to be with our Savior. I love being with family and spending time with them, but as much as I love spending time with Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, it is time with Alex I enjoy the most! He is the most loving husband and he is so self-less and loves so completely! I don't want this to turn into a mushy post but I am so grateful to be married to such a great man and to be sealed in the Lord's temple for time and all eternity. If you want to learn more about eternal families and the blessing of the priesthood on this Earth I invite you to go to LDS.org It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that has made all the difference in my life and brought me the most joy and happiness!