August, 28, 2007

Well, Josh is at school again today, and since I had to wake up at 4am to drive my sister and her family to the airport--I didn't try to start work today. So, I'm at home doing loads and loads of laundry and dishes and trying to get my life organized before school and work starts next week. Josh and I have had a great last few days. Gary was in town, he left yesterday, but we got to hang out with him a lot this weekend and that was really nice. On Sunday, Josh's grandparents came into town, so we all went to the Heber property to show them around there. It was great to spend most of the day with them!

So, now we're a little lonely because Gary is gone, so are Josh's grandparents, and so are Katie & Luke and Livi and Spencer...

Andru and Marilee are still in town with their kids, but they're staying near Salt Lake, so we don't get to see them as much. This weekend will be fun though because Tori gets into Town and so do my parents, and then Jarrett might come down from Logan to visit and I think Aaron gets into town this weekend too.

So, we'll be able to see more family soon. Then, Jamie moves back up on Sunday or Monday, and then our friends, The Well's, get back around the same time. So, it will be good to have people around again.

August 27, 2007

Today was a great day. We had a min Blonquist family reunion. HAHA. Unfortunately, Josh started school today, so he couldn't hang out with all of us, but some of my family was in town and so we all went to Lagoon. Katie and Spencer were sick (hope you guys feel better soon!!) and so Luke stayed back with them at our place while I took Livi with me to Lagoon. We met up with Andru and Marilee and Annalee and Samuel. Also, a niece and nephew of Marilee and Andru (from Marilee's side) came with us. They were really nice kids!A great side bonus for the day was meeting my new little niece, Lauren, before we left for the park, and she is SOOOOOO cute, by the way! I didn't have my camera with me so I didn't get a picture of her, but she is cute! She looks a lot like her sister, Annalee.We got to Lagoon and hung out at their Lagoon-A-Beach, the water park. After hanging out there for a few hours, we ate some food and headed off to some rides. At one point, Andru and I mistakenly got on a water ride that we didn't know was a water ride--grrr....After getting completely SOAKED, we had to go buy some new shirts so we didn't have to walk around the rest of the day in dripping wet clothes. The kids had a blast and we all had a lot of fun too. It was a great day!!!! It is so fun to hang out with family and to spend time with them doing something so fun! Don't we have the cutest nieces and nephews!!!

August 25, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: First of all, Happy belated birthday to Marilee Blonquist! We hope you had a great birthday! We can't wait to see you in a few days!!!

Also, Happy Birthday to Jarrett Blonquist!!! We hope you're having a great day and enjoying California! We'll see you in a few days too!

Well, we're slow! Now, that we're back in the States, we've gotten horrible at keeping up with the blog. Here's a recap of the last week....We flew into New York and spent the night there and then we flew into Chicago on the 17th. Then, we hung out there for a couple of days...Josh had to fly back to Utah on Sunday the 19th for Law Review training...I decided to hang out in Batavia for a little while longer. I stayed until Thursday. I hung out with my family, my friends, and then I also painted a room in my parent's house--because I'm cool like that...haha!

It was a fun little vacation. It was great to ease back into American life by stopping at my parent's house first. We had a blast.

Anyways, now we're both home, and we're getting back into our routine. I've had endless laundry to take care of, we have been cleaning the house--3 months of being unoccupied can create a lot of dust and dirt! Josh has been doing stuff with law school all week, so he's been busy. He also has 12 interviews set up, so far, for different Law firms around the country. Those will all happen next week. A few in California, a few in Texas, a couple of Illinois and Utah, etc...It's great! He has a lot firms that are interested in him, so that's really great!!!! Hopefully by Christmas we'll have some news about jobs for next summer.

Anyways, Gary flew into Utah yesterday to get some things taken care of with his condos. So, it's great to have some more family here. It's making adjusting back into Utah life A LOT easier. Katie and Luke and kids get here on Sunday night and so do Andru and Marilee and their kids. That means we get to meet our new little niece, L.E. (aka-Lauren Elizabeth) and that is going to be so great! Then, Jarrett flies back from California that night and Tori will get here a few days later and then my parents get here around that time, and THEN Aaron flies in for a day or two for the BYU football game...So, it's just great that (Almost) the whole Blonquist family is going to be visiting in the next few days.

On top of all that, Josh's grandparents get into town in the next day or so, so we're SOOO excited to see them and spend some time with them! This is just great having so much family and having so many of them visit!!!! We're so excited!!!

Anyways, that is our update...I still have a bunch of pictures that I'm going to upload in the next day or so--and show birthday pictures, and Blenheim Palace pictures, Illinois pictures, and Utah pictures...YEAH! I know you're all excited!! Okay, we'll Josh is off to school to finish a Law Review assignment and I am off to do MORE laundry!!! YEAH!

Friday, August 17, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: We made it to Chicago safely. It was an uneventful flight, which is always good. It took us only 2 hours and 20 minutes to fly here and so that was nice and short! My dad picked us up and took us back to their house. We hung out the rest of the day. My friends came over for a little bit to say hi because one friend is already leaving tomorrow to go back to school, so she, and others, came over to say hi before she left. Other then that, we hung out relaxed, played some pool, and went to bed early because we are so worn out from flying all over. The JET LAG is HORRIBLE!!!! Wow! Anyways, tomorrow should be a fun day. We're going to help my mom who is catering a wedding, and so that will be good to get some money! HAHA!

Today was great! It's great to be around family again! We really missed them a lot!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Well, we made it back to the States! We have had a LONG day, but it feels great to be home and to be safe.

We woke up at 7:30am and were out of the apartment by 8:00am. We had to take a taxi to the train station because half of our suitcases have broken wheels from the long summer...Haha! We got to London around 10am and to Heathrow by 10:30am. We got everything squared away with our luggage and then we set out to get some food so we could use the rest of our British change. After getting all of that taken care of we headed to the gate. We thought we had an hour before that plane left, but it turns out they were already boarding when we got there. We boarded and then sat around for over an HOUR while things got situated. We flew Air India and that was an adventure in and of itself...that's all we'll say about that!!! The plane left late and then when we got to New york, there was a lot of "traffic" at the airport with all of the planes coming in so we had to fly around in the air for another 30 minutes. It wasn't so bad, but THEN when we landed they wouldn't let us deplane. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. Well, then 8-12 Homeland Security officers, policemen, and medics boarded the plane. It turns out that a man had gotten REALLY drunk on the flight and had throw up all over the place and had been threatening the flight crew and stuff like that. So, they had to restrain him during the flight and then have him escorted from the plane. That took another 30-45minutes. so, when all was said and done we had been ON THE PLANE for over 10 hours....wow!

We got through customs without any problem and got to our hotel and by this time it was almost 7pm. We ordered food and had it delivered because we were literally too tired to go out and get food. We just relaxed and watched CNN for a little bit and went to bed early. We have MAJOR jet lag!!! It was a good day...and we're really glad to be home safe. Tomorrow we fly out to Chicago to visit family and friends for a few days, and we are SOOOOO excited!!! YEAH!!!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Hello all! Well, today is our last day in England. It's a little sad, but we are looking forward to getting home and back to family, friends, and school. This summer has been an amazing adventure! Anyways, yesterday was a great day! I had a wonderful birthday. Josh was super sweet to write that blog about me. He's an amazing husband!

Anyways, today was really fun. Josh had to go to the library for a few hours this morning because he needed to finish up some work/research that he's been doing. After that, we went to Woodstock (about a 20 minute drive from Oxford by bus) to get to Blenheim Palace. Sir Winston Churchill was born here , grew up here, and is buried here. It was really fun to get out of our house--even if it was POURING rain!!!!!! It was a beautiful palace and and wonderful day. We had so much fun! We had to run around in the rain for a while today, so by the time we got home, I was developing a little head cold. HAHA! Josh went out to dinner with Dr. Talmon (the professor he's been researching for this last month) and I stayed home and packed and cleaned. We had to also find a hotel to stay at for tomorrow night, so we have been staying up late trying to get that squared away.

Anyways, that was the excitement for the day. We leave tomorrow! WOW! This was an amazing summer and we can't believe it's almost over. Cheers!

eight14eightyfive

so I don’t know if you know, but 8/14 [yesterday] is a big deal.

my wife—the amazing, the beautiful, the sweet kiera—turned the big two-two, and i couldn’t be any happier. kiera really is the most amazing girl in the world and i am so lucky that i got to spend the day with her.

and i'm even more excited [and lucky] because i get to spend every day for the rest of eternity with her.

so, to my sweet love, on your birthday [or in this case the day after your birthday], please know how much i love you, how much you mean to me, and how much i want you to have an amazing twenty-third year. i hope it can be your best [at least so far—i promise i’ll make your future years even better]!

i'm grateful for our memories so far and excited for the ones will soon make.

always yours---josh

p.s. i hope forever is long enough

Monday, August 13, 2007

BY KIERA: Well, as you can tell, we had a wonderful anniversary yesterday. It was really a great day. Thanks to everyone who called, emailed, or otherwise wished us a Happy Anniversary. It was wonderful to get all of the well-wishes!

Today was fun. Josh went to the library to work today, and I stayed home and cleaned, packed some things, and read. When Josh got home, we hung out, ate dinner, and watched HOUSE--our favorite TV show. We also made plans for tomorrow--it's going to be a great day!

Sorry there isn't anything else to report for the day. I will tell you something funny that happened yesterday though. We were getting ready for church, and I was trying to blow dry my hair. Well, I have to use an adapter and a converter to make sure that I can use my American hair dryer. Well, I was about halfway through blow-drying my hair and suddenly there was a popping noise and the converter exploded and CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!! We had a little fire going in our kitchen!!! Well, I screamed and without thinking pulled the converter out of the wall--still on fire. It immediately stopped the fire. It was crazy! I was lucky the fire died and didn't keep going. It probably wasn't the brightest thing for me to do--pulling it out of the wall while it was still on fire--but it LUCKILY did the trick! HAHA! So, we were lucky it wasn't a lot worse.

Anyways, that's the exciting news for us. As for today, it was cloudy and rainy today, so we didn't go out and walk or anything. Well, hope everyone had a great Monday! See ya!

Josh's Thoughts on being married...Kiera's video won't post!

Our Anniversary...

We had a wonderful day!

Josh got me flowers!

Josh got a card--we're on a budget...haha!
We went to church today. It was a great meeting!
We had a really fun and relaxing picnic at the University Park. It was cloudy for about 2 minutes, but that cloud went away, and left us with a beautiful blue sky. BEAUTIFUL!!
It was a really warm and beautiful day. We both ate some really good sandwichs, chips, carrots, yougurt, bananas, and cookies. YUM YUM!!!

And then we napped--it felt really good!

And Kiera kept napping...She was really tired!

Josh and I have decided that this is what we are going to look like in 40 years...

That's right people....Us in 40 years...Sweet!

Then and Now...

We didn't think it could get any better then it was that day...

Everything about this time was so perfect and wonderful...

But here we are, two years later...

And we again find ourselves thinking...It can't get any better then this...

Two Years And Counting...

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS...

We loved the dating days...We spent a lot of time at the beach.

We love visiting family (no these are not our kids, but they are our cute niece and nephew!!!)

One of our favorite memories. Josh taught me how to Snowboard at Park City.

We love to travel to different places--Like the Grand Cayman Islands

and Jamaica

and Malibu. We have a blast together where ever we go.

We love to go on walks and hikes together.

We still love spending time with family.

And we LOVE BYU football!!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Hello all! We had a great Saturday and hope everyone is also enjoying the weekend. We woke up and did some stuff around the house, Josh went and worked at the library for an hour or so, and then when he got home he wasn't feeling well, so he took a two hour nap. He's getting a little sick, so that's no fun.

After the nap, we went and walked to town to return a couple of shirts that I didn't like as well as I thought--typical, and then we walked around and hung out there for a while. We also went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of food for the week and for the picnic we're going to have tomorrow (for our anniversary dinner). We decided that since our anniversary is on a Sunday, we didn't want to go out to a restaurant, so we are going to have a picnic at the University Park. So, we're excited about that!!

When we got home, we got all of our plans for flying home squared away. We fixed our flights and everything so that we fly to Chicago and stay there instead of staying in New York for 5 days. So, we're really excited about that because we get to hang out with family!!! YAY!!

After that, we watched a movie Ice Age: The Meltdown--pretty funny, and then we went to bed. Fun day! We love the weekend! Cheers!

Friday, August 10, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: First of all, Happy Anniversary to Katie and Luke (Kiera's sister and brother-in-law)! They've been married for 6 years now! So congrats, and we hope you have a great day!

Things were pretty chill here today for us. Josh worked at the library all day long today and he met with his professor and got everything squared away for his externship. He now has everything turned in and so he has completed 6 school credits for this summer,s owe are well on our way to graduating a semester early! Also, he got approval from the law school to take a couple extra classes during the next school year, so that he can get enough credits to graduate--so we're all set! So, we're pretty stoked about all of that.

Anyways, I read most of the day, did more laundry and that's about it. It was really cloudy today, so we didn't go out because it could have rained at any second.

When Josh got home, we went over some things that we needed to get done--finding a way to switch our flights around for when we fly home--Josh found out that he needs to be home a day early for Law Review stuff, and seeing if we could still go to Scotland this weekend. It doesn't look like the Scotland thing is going to work out anymore--bummer! But that's okay! We're going to have fun here in Oxford-which is still a pretty sweet place to be on your anniversary and birthday!

Well, that's about all we have to report for the day. It's the start of the weekend now, so we hope everyone has a fun time! Cheers!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Today was a good day. Josh worked all day long on the research project he has so that he can get caught up on his hours. I did laundry, read and worked on my school assignments. It was a good day. There isn't a whole lot to report for the day though. We were just busy all day with different things. We're getting some planning done for our trip this weekend too. We're excited. It was a good day!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: First of all, Happy 27th Anniversary to Gary and Cathy! We love you guys and hope you have a great day!

Okay, so today was AWESOME! JOSH IS HOME!!! YEAH!!! I am loving today! Josh had a safe flight from Newark, NJ back to London. It was so great that he left when he did, because HUGE storms hit Newark a FEW HOURS after he left and now Newark is flooded and planes were delayed because of the rain and everything. We were just so lucky that he left when he did. Literally he missed the storms by a couple of hours.

Anyways, he got in around 10 am and he was home by 1:30pm. He had a great time back in the States and really enjoyed the East Coast. We'll have to post pictures a little later today of everything he saw and did. He's glad to be home though. It was a long 9 days!

I worked on my school lessons until he got home and then we just hung out the rest of the day. We went and played ping pong and did a puzzle too today. (I know, we're really exciting people!) HAHA! Anyways, it was just a great day. I'm so glad he's home and he's glad to be home. Now, we're just planning our trip for Scotland--our Anniversary is on Sunday and my birthday is on Tuesday--so we're going to take a trip to Scotland for those two occasions! We are so excited! Then, Josh needs to finish up his research for the professor here in Oxford and then a week from today we leave to go back to the U.S. We're still trying to figure out if we can switch our tickets from staying in New York those four extra days from the 16th-20th and maybe get it switched to Chicago or something like that. We'll see what we can do. Anyways, it was a great day! Cheers!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: This is the last day Josh is going to be gone! YEAH! He gets home tomorrow morning and I could not be more excited! Today, he had his two interviews in Washington DC. He said they went really well. He especially liked McLean, Virginia. He interviewed with a firm there and he loved the area and he loved the office, so he was especially excited about that interview. After the interviews he went to the Pentagon for a information session with JAG. He thought it was really cool to go inside and see everything. He also walked around and saw some more of the sites in the area. He had a great time in Washington DC and thinks that he likes it better there then New York.

So, as for me, I went and paid the last of the rent today, went to the store to get some groceries, and worked on my school assignments. I only have a couple left, so I am stoked about that. Getting a whole class done in two weeks is so awesome! I love it! Way better then dragging it out for four months. That's what we get to look forward to when we go back up to BYU. Anyways, I also did some fun reading again today and just enjoyed the warm weather. I also talked to Cathy on the phone for a while, and it was great to talk to her and here what's going on with everyone in California.

So, today was a good day--it's an even better day because Josh leaves tonight to come home! YEAH!!! I am so excited, can you tell!?!? It's been a long 9 days, but it was important that he went and did all of the interviews and met the people he met and what not. So, it was worth it. Well, have a great day everyone! CHEERS!

Monday, August 6, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Hello all! We hope it was a good Monday for everyone. It was a good one for us.
I had a fun day, reading and doing my school work. I finished the autobiography I've been reading, and now I'm on to a new non-fiction book. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but I am having a wonderful time. It was another beautiful day, and so it was great to enjoy that. I went walking around today and shopping and just enjoyed downtown. It's such a great city!
Anyways, Josh had a busy day with information sessions. He has his two interviews tomorrow and then he leaves to come home! YEAH!!!! It's been a long time apart and it's great that it's coming to a close.
There's not a whole lot to report for the day. Sorry, we're not more exciting! HAHA...I guess I'll try posting more videos, so that there is something cooler to look at then just this tiny post.
Well, enjoy the day! Cheers!

Sunday, August 5, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend. I had a great Sunday today. I woke up early and got ready and walked the 2+ miles to church. I really do enjoy the walk because it is so energizing to go for a walk for that long in the morning--there's something about starting out your day with a walk. Plus, it is an absolutely GORGEOUS day here! It’s 82 degrees and I am loving it! As I walked, I noticed that all of the flooded spots that we took pictures of and posted on this blog, have now dried up completely. If you step on the grass, it's completely dry! It's amazing to see what a week of sunshine can do. Plus, the Thames River is way down, so it's great! Life is back to normal, at least for Oxford.
Anyways, church was great. I met a few people in the ward today, which was nice--too bad we only have one and two more Sundays here. They are some great people in this area! After church, I had some funny experiences walking home. For one, it was a windy day, so my dress kept blowing up in the air--and of course it would only ever do that when someone was walking by me...typical! Then there are some other funny stories, but I'm not going to share them here. One is particularly amusing, but you'll have to ask to find out.
Anyways, Josh had a great day today as well. He went out with another law school guy to church and then they walked around downtown Washington DC and saw the sites and enjoyed the day. It was a relaxing Sunday for them.
So, that was our Sunday. Enjoy the week! Cheers!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: First of all, Happy 35th Anniversary to Noel and Ursula (my parent's, for those of you who don't know them). We hope you have a great day! We love you!
Okay, as for today, things were pretty relaxed. I had to do the cleaning again today--you know how it goes, twice a week I have to clean everything in the apartment. I think they're a little too strict about things here, but hey, that's all right! At least that keeps everything really clean all of the time.
After cleaning, I went and read outside for a while. Then, I worked on my school lessons. I completed two lessons today, so that was nice, but it took a lot of the day. So, that's about the extent of my day.
Josh had a fun day again. In the morning he went and took in the sites of New York, since he hadn't had time in the previous three days because he's been so busy with interviews and what not. Then, in the afternoon he left from New York and flew into Washington DC. He was really excited because he has never been to there before. He got settled into his hotel and then went out and walked the neighborhood. He's going to go and check out the various sites tomorrow when he has more time. So, it seems like he's having fun.
So, that sums up our day. We're both having a great time! Be safe everyone and have a fun weekend!

Walking around the top of the Leaning Tower

Florence Video

Friday, August 3, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Happy Friday everyone! Things are going great out here. It was a beautiful sunny summer day in Oxford, so it more then made up for the rainy day yesterday. Today was fun because I got some school work done (still rocking my assignments so that feels really good), but I also went for a walk in the afternoon, went to the grocery store, and then went and paid our rent. So, it was nice to get out and enjoy the warm weather. It was a funny walk to the grocery store, but I won't bore anyone with the details. If you want to know, just ask.

Anyways, Josh had a good day today too. He went to another interview this morning and he said it went great! So, we're stoked to see what comes from all of these interviews and parties and meetings and what not. The rest of the day, he wrote a million emails (he is always needing to write a million emails, poor boy!) and went to a few information sessions again with some law firms. He is so good about emailing people. After that stuff, he worked on some other random things and then walked around for a little bit to enjoy the city. He's having a great time.

Well, those are the highlights of the day. Not a whole lot to report. Everything is going great for us. We're loving this summer and are really going to miss Europe when we go home in a few weeks. This has been the experience of a lifetime!! Well, have a great day everyone. Cheers!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Well, it rained today. It was bound to happen, and it's okay! We've had almost a whole week of sunshine, and so it's okay if it needs to be cloudy and rainy once in a while. However, that did keep the activities of the day limited to inside. It was a colder day too, so it was especially an 'inside' day for me. I worked all day on my school lessons and trying to find information for indoor activities to do for a family reunion that the Blonquist side is trying to prepare for next summer. I'm having a hard time thinking of ideas that boys and adult men would want to participate in, so if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to them.

Let's see, what else? Besides working on school and reunion stuff, I read more of Open Secret which is the autobiography of Stella Rimington, who is the former Director of MI5 (the British version of the FBI)...Have I mentioned this book before? Maybe I have--sorry if this is redundant. Anyways, it's a pretty interesting book, and I like learning about how people who work for various agencies get to the positions that they hold. It's an interesting read, but then again, I like non-fiction in general, so I'm partial.

Anyways, that's about the sum of my day. Josh's day was much busier. He had an interview with a law firm today. He thought it wentreally well, and so he was stoked about that. He also went to a barbeque for law students--hosted by the BYU alumni association in the area. He also attended, throughout the day, information sessions hosted hosted by various firms in the area. He seemed to have a fun day and is enjoying learning more about the legal profession and how to interview for a job....haha.

Anyways, life is good. We're having a blast. Hope all is well with everyone! Enjoy the day.

Gadfield Elm Video

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Well, this is our 100th post. WOW! We have been busy little bees on this blog, haven't we! It's the start of a new month, which is always fun. This month is especially good because it's our 2nd Anniversary on the 12th and my 22nd birthday on the 14th. So, we like August; it's a good month.

Anyways, today was a good day. No rain--this is like the coolest thing ever! It's wasn't super warm outside today, but that didn't matter because we least it was sunny! I did the dishes, the laundry, and some cleaning this morning. Then, I spent the afternoon working on 2 school lessons. It look me the rest of the afternoon to do that. Before I went to bed, I read some books fora little while. I am loving being able to have time to read for fun. It's just so great!!

Josh went to lunch with his old boss from Deloitte today. They had a good time. Then, he worked for a little bit, did a million emails, and hung out with his grandpa Fred for a little bit. He had a great day too. It was busy for both of us, but that's always a good thing.

Well, hope everyone is having a great day! I think i'm going to upload a couple of videos today about random stuff...so look forward to that....haha...Be safe!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

BY JOSH AND KIERA: Hello all! today was another chill day with not a whole lot to report. (By the way, the above picture is of a cute house on our street). I worked on my school work today, read some books, and reorganized some things (that have to do with scrapbooking) on my computer--that took 5 hours! WOW! Anyways, other then that, the day was relaxing. No rain again today. I am loving that! They say that August is supposed to have more rain, but for now, it's dry! That's always a good thing. The flooding in Oxford is almost all gone now, and so that is making life easier for a lot of people in this area. Josh got a haircut today. He got his dry cleaning done. He worked for a little bit today (St. Anne's is the college he is working at) and he went to a law firm party also. Fun times for him...haha That's about all for now. Sorry we don't have more interesting stories to report. I guess that's a good thing though, in a way. We're just enjoying our cute town! Have fun and be safe! Cheers.