Yurt in the Yukon

We failed to get a post up covering the first week of December, so we'll fill you in briefly on what went on. The week was busy with school and work, but mostly filled with celebrating our friends new baby! Our friends Ben and Camille had their first child, and we quickly fell in love with their beautiful baby girl. We helped them out with dinner a few times and just tried to spend as much time as we could with their little family.

Following our week of baby celebration for our friends came a week of anniversary celebration for us! Can you believe we've already been married for a full year?! The last year has just flown by, and yet we feel like we've been together forever (which really is a great thing, since we are blessed to be together forever). There's a saying that goes, "the first year of marriage is the hardest," and if there's any truth at all in that statement then Chris and I are going to have the easiest marriage ever. We've loved every moment of the first year, every new thing we've learned about each other, and every adventure we've shared. We are continually in awe at how much more we love each other now than we did a year ago, a month ago, a week ago, or a day ago. Right when we think it's not possible to have any more love, it increases, and it's ever coming more clear what it means to have Christ-like love. We've tried to center our marriage around the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have definitely seen the blessings from it.

To celebrate the best year of our lives we went on a trip to Whitehorse, Canada. With the help of a ferry and a rental car we were able to stay in the most magical location - an original Mongolian yurt on some private land outside of town. We spent a long weekend snowshoeing, walking around town, swimming in hot springs, talking in Canadian accents using the word "eh" as frequently as possible, and warming up by the wood burning stove in our little orange yurt. It was perfect. So perfect, that I can't adequately describe it with words, so instead here are some pictures and a video that Chris made of our trip.

It was a beautiful sunny day on the ferry to Skagway

It was COLD. Or maybe we were just wimps.

The yurt overlooked a secluded lake 

The inside

Our host informed us that the yurt was actually made in Mongolia, and we were impressed with the intricate hand painting on the supports and door. The owner ran some power cords out to the yurt for lighting and built a weather-proof roof over the top. Mongolian tradition is to step over the threshold with your right foot without touching the door frame.

Don't worry, there was a full bathroom inside our host's home we could
use when we felt the need for running water.

We hoped to be able to take advantage of the secluded location away from light pollution to enjoy the northern lights, but every night the clouds moved in.

Our host let us borrow snowshoes and we trekked around the frozen lake below.
This friendly dog decided to join us, and his confidence was comforting when we would hear cracking and moving of the ice beneath us. 

My hair and Chris's beard got frosty from our breath as we hiked.

Our ferry back to Juneau was late at night, so we threw our sleeping bags
on lawn chairs in the heated solarium and snoozed.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

The Old Married Couple,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

P.S. Yes, I, did win the dance off we had while driving around Canada. And though the video may not adequately show it Chris did participate, he just didn't have moves quite as smooth as I did.

Dani's Birthday!

Well, this week was a whole lot of the same old same old with going to school, working, and the ever lingering process of trying to legally change my name (apparently it gets to be extra hard for me to switch over all my I.D.'s because I'm from Wisconsin and married that Utah boy IN Utah - the horror!). So if anybody has an extra copy of a drivers study guide from their 15 year old learning how to drive let me know, because luckily I get to take that test! How fun! I mean, I've been driving for 8 years now, 5 1/2 of those years I've lived in Utah, how much should I prioritize studying before going back to the DMV? I guess I just have a fear of those trick questions, purposely designed to trick anyone who didn't take drivers ed from that state. Maybe I'm overreacting....

Anyways, alongside our usual everyday activities the day that stood out this week was my birthday on Friday. First off, thanks to all who called, texted, emailed, snail mailed, snapchatted, wrote on facebook, or otherwise wished me a happy birthday (my family is the greatest between all the parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents and aunts I think I was wished a happy birthday in every possible way shy of morse code and carrier pigeon)! I love you all!

And secondly, let's just all take a moment to remember how wonderful Chris is. Now, I try not to get all mushy and gushy all the time and brag about how I have the most wonderful and perfect husband ever, but the truth is simply that I get all mushy and gushy and want to brag about how I have the most wonderful and perfect husband ever. And he made sure I knew that on my birthday. Not only was I spoiled silly the whole day - I didn't have to do anything myself - but he had planned out an epic surprise date. He had to work in the afternoon but as soon as he was off our adventure started with a delicious Olive Garden dinner. Chris drove us to Idaho - yup, we left the state for my birthday - and we went to Lava Hot Springs. These are the coolest natural hot springs turned swimming pools either of us have ever been to.

Needless to say it was a perfect day and a magical night! I am continually reminded how blessed I am and how loved I am. I really couldn't ask for more.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew