Summer & Tyler

crazy in love...


Saturday, August 29, 2009

Thoughtful Him

Posted by Summer

Ty surprised me this week with this piece of art that reminded him of me-the way I dress, my iPod/headphone wearing/dancing self, that if you notice is married, and even wearing a ring on her left hand. :)
I still get the warm fuzzies when he does stuff like this for me-I don't know if I deserve him sometimes...  It was so cute and thoughtful for him to think of it for my new office/craft room and is now hanging up as of last night.  I love it!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Hi-ho, hi-ho, its off to work I go....

Posted by Summer

Work, work, work....it's all I do nowadays, but I'm loving it!  I cherish any small amount of down time I have, especially my hour for lunch.   It's funny how when I have less time for myself, the more I manage to fit in.  I've had 3 shoots this week, one tomorrow morning, and I  had to cancel (a first for me)  another this weekend because things have been so hectic...


Way too hectic to be a timely blogger about some of the exciting things that have happened the last few weeks:

1.)  We are down one roommate!  No disrespect to Seth-cuz we love him...but 6 months newly married and feeling like a tenant in your own home can be....well...uncomfortable sometimes.  I don't have much to complain about, because Seth and Jason are pretty easy roomies, but it's time to have the house to ourselves, and we are so excited!  
2.)  We moved all of my scrapbook stuff clogging up the living room and now have my own office/craft room in Seth's old room...LOVE IT, and especially the extra closet space. :)
3.)  Jason (other roomie)  and Ashlee just got engaged!  Their wedding date is Nov. 6th...which means we will be roommate free in less than 3 months.  Her ring is gorgeous!  I've yet to see one like it...(Oh!  We've been ring shopping for me but it's pretty far down there on the priority list)  
4.)...our summer has been so much fun (except for our adventure last Sat.)  and we've been enjoying the outdoors as much as possible and every non-stormy day is spent cruising where we need to go on our scooter.  With the hot 100 degree weather we had last week we finally were able to tube the Provo River.  After an extremely productive "Summer Cleaning" Ty and I were super excited to get out and do what we've been meaning to do all summer.  

Basically we thought it'd be a great idea to double up on a tube and float the river all the way to his parents. We'd seen a ton of people float by on kayaks and stuff so no big deal right?? Uh...they must be professional outdoorsy people, because I am so thankful to be alive right now. 

 Starting out a bit downstream of Bridal Veil Falls, we barely were able to make it 1/4 of a mile.  Capsizing several times, losing my precious Rainbows sandals and thankfully finding them again, we got out thinking how foolish we were.  The river was low and we were hitting and getting stuck on rocks and our tube was so small that I had to practically straddle Tyler just to stay on.  We passed a few people fishing and picnicking---no smiles, just weird stares, which probably should have told us something.  The water didn't feel that cold after getting out, and we were cracking up at how silly we looked....we did go to all the trouble of planning it, so we gave it another shot, just to say we tried.

Not even  10 minutes later, we came up on some rapids.  The water wasn't even waist high for Tyler, but wow....it was STRONG.  What felt like a lifetime of holding on for dear life with one hand on the tube, losing my shoes, and trying to stay afloat and getting some kind of footing with bare feet while we were being pushed downstream, I actually thought that I was going to drown.  I have never been so scared in my life...we couldn't get the tube flipped back and we were really struggling to the point of exhaustion.  Ty finally caught a hold of my hand right when I didn't think I could hold on much longer with my other.  This story sounds so lame as I'm writing it...and Tyler acts like it wasn't that big of a deal...but he was freaked-and I was really freaked!  When he was able to pull us to safety, my feet had pools of blood that were bright purple...they hurt so badly and I didn't know what I had done to them, or if I would be able to walk the next day.  I had to close my eyes during the 20-30 minutes it took for him to get us across and couldn't stop shaking-I just laid there on the raft while he walked back to get our car.   Almost passing out at his parents, he scooped me up and threw me in a hot bath to warm up.  It was crazy...I'm so thankful that we were okay and all we have are scrapes, aches/pains, and bruises to show for it.  

A bunch of friends want to go tomorrow afternoon at the "correct" spot and invited us to go with.  I'm not so sure about how I feel about that idea yet, but what I am sure about is that I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband.  All that craziness made me realize how much he takes such good care of me and always goes the extra mile to make me feel safe, comforted, and loved.   I'm a lucky girl...

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

My next summer vacation will include this

Posted by lebruf

Saturday, August 15, 2009

My Best Friend's Wedding

Posted by Summer

Casey and I have been friends since second grade when we were Panda's at Park Oaks Elementary, went to Los Cerritos Jr. High (also known as the "Prison," as we were confined to our classes with no windows), and then went to both Westlake High School and Moorpark College before I moved to Utah.  We even worked together for a time...thanks to 24 Hour Fitness and their Kids Club.  Surprisingly she stuck with it and still works with kids at Amgen.  Props to her!  I HAD to get out or I'd still be questioning whether or not I wanted my own children if I had chosen to stay in that profession.  :)


 I smile every time I think of what we did when we would "play" together as kids. Check out all the nerdy things we used to love to do! 


  • Going to both her and my brother's ice and roller hockey games
  • Jumping on the tramp at Lindsey Zane's house
  • Building forts and making up our own club...Casum & Loopty Loop
  • Being tomboys and playing football with the boys in her cul-de-sac (Cookies & Milk/cookies w/o milk plays)
  • Campfire Girls
  • Laying out and swimming in my midget sized pool and pretending we were "really" swimming
  • Lake Nacimiento w/the Ritchie family and kneeboarding for my first time (when that used to be cool)
  • Babysitting the twins across the street
  • Our numerous crushes and boy drama
  • Her brother Jonathon would drive us to school every day and we'd constantly listen to 311
  • Dipping our Oreos in tall glasses of milk
  • Watching her soccer games and thinking how tough she was
  • Walking to Longs and collecting every Bonne Bell flavored chapstick they made
  • HALLOWEEN and trick-or-treating! (She always had the best costumes, thanks to her mom Shelley--her Blue M&M & Turtle were my favs)
  • Sleepovers and trying to stay up all night...but never could
  • Wearing tall socks, our Nike shoes, and going on runs
  • The smell of her mom's gingerbread men for school and making rock crystal candy
  • Rollerblading (Oh yeah!!)
  • Walking to middle school with Jenny Lacey and Kelli belly
  • We were crazy about Little Caesar's Crazy Bread
  • Picnics at Zuma Beach w/us, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and my dad
  • Discoving swear words and feeling bad when we kept saying them back and forth...we were such NERDS!
  • Lots of Taco Bell and cinnamon twists
  • Counting the "F" word in our favorite movie at the time "Seven." (Completely unneccesary...I don't think we ever figured out quite how many there were.)
  • I still think of her when I hear the song "Runaway Train" and Chicago
It is hard to accept the fact that great friends can come into your life, then for multiple reasons end up drifting away.   I am extremely lucky that she and I have stayed friends all these years, and that I was able to be one of her bridesmaids in her wedding on July 31st.  She was a GORGEOUS bride in her red dress...it fit her perfectly and everything was just beautiful.  




{Case and her parents, Shelley & Pete}

{Shira!!}


{Getting into the dress}
{Me & Dani}

{Justin the Groom}
{Erika, the world's best Maid of Honor}

{Drinks all around (prior ceremony) minus the shorty}





{Casey's first nephew}
{Jonathon and the girls}



{My dollar dance w/the Bride}


{My husband the dancer!} 

{My bouquet}

Justin is a very lucky guy...I LOVE this girl and I am so happy to have her in my life! She will be my friend forever-no matter how much time passes or how far away we are, it's so nice to know that she's just a phone call away. (& she actually picks up the phone just as much as I do! :)


I'm looking forward to years and years of more crazy and fun memories!  I love you Casey Case!

Friday, August 14, 2009

How Men and Women Argue

Posted by Summer

This is pretty awesome....Tyler showed this to me last night.    



Wednesday, August 12, 2009

New post on port blog

Posted by Summer
Friday, August 07, 2009

History Repeats Itself?

Posted by lebruf

So I'm reading in Wikipedia the other day when Summer and I were having a discussion on how time is measured. We use B.C. and A.D. to note the year, but this is a result of us being part of Western Society (which is somewhat synonymous with modern society), and not because it's been the universal standard. In fact, there is an interesting theory on the idea that 297 years of our recorded history never existed.


I had read how the Myans, the Chinese, and many other civilizations had their own ways of keeping track of time, and specifically decimal time had them dividing the days into 10 hours, with 100 minutes each, with 100 seconds per minute. The most interesting of these (to me at least) was the French Republican Calendar, which hasn't been used since 1795.

But I digress...

As I was reading the entry on the causes of the French Revolution, it started to sound very familiar to our current situation.

  • Pre-revolutionary France's famine, disease and malnutrition is our modern day equivalant of a healthcare system in dire need of reform, and our growing epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and increased rates of cancer diagnoses.
  • France's balooning national debt was a result of fiscal mismanagement and a budget drained by years of war as well as the consipicuous consumption by the noble class. I would equate France's nobility and clergy with our modern day politicians and deep-pocketed corporations who actively lobby to ensure profitability at the expense of taxpayers.

No, I'm not against capitalism, I'm not pro-Obama, and I'm not turning into a liberal or a radical but from what I read... I really wonder how long this situation can go on before it ends violently.

Just a thought.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

I love you

Posted by Summer

Tyler,

I'll admit, marriage is dang hard...not only for me, but especially for you, a former bachelor of most of your 31 years before dating me.  I think some women are made to be in a relationship (ME!)...but for men it's a different story-it takes a lot of adjusting and learning on their part.  
I know how hard it is at times when I am overly sensitive,  complain about your ugly pair of vans, and poke you when you are snoring (Although it has been close to zero lately!)  You are such an incredible husband...so thoughtful and considerate, and are always conscious of my thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  I appreciate everything you do for me...so much that I've been meaning to make this list!

Thank you for:

1.) Knowing how to apologize
2.) Really showing that actions speak louder than words
3.) Loving Heros and True Blood as much as I do
4.) Bringing me flowers to brighten up my day

5.)  Enjoying the outdoors and what nature has to offer
6.) Taking me to Snowbird and Sundance on a whim

7.) Getting us a scooter!  Even though it's for frugal reasons as well, you know how much I enjoy our weekly rides down at your parent's so it feels like it's for me. :)

8.) Loving me even when I'm "adorkable" in my new helmet.
9.) Taking me on new scooter adventures every day
{Getting ready to do a tour of the Alpine Loop and Provo}

10.)  Not getting mad when I am a complete klutz, and even sympathizing with me when I hurt myself
{scooter exhaust burn}

11.)  Letting me sleep on road trips to California
12.)  Cooking and introducing me to amazing new foods!
13.)  Teaching me the English language, as well as about my own ethnicity.
14.)  Being a tall, hot hunk
15.)  Making me feel like a beautiful woman
16.)  ...and making me feel smart sometimes too. :)
17.)  Actually dancing with me at weddings!  I can't believe my husband's got moves I've never seen before! 
18.)  Being so spiritual and intellectually stimulating
19.) Always showing me how much you love me by your touch and the way you look at me
20.)  Telling me I have a good singing voice even though I know I suck!
21.) Putting your iPhone away when we are in church. :)
22.) Being such a good uncle

Ummm....this is way too easy-I have so many more. I don't know where to stop!  I love you honey and am so lucky to have you in my life!  Happy 6 months next week!

Monday, August 03, 2009

My last week of unemployed vacation!

Posted by Summer



Things have been so hectic lately I forgot that I haven't blogged about the job offer I accepted 3 weeks ago!  I have been in contact with this company several times over the last 4 years about a position there, but the timing hasn't been quite right for either of us.  I worked very closely with them as they were our medical supplier when I managed Bio-Medics. We were actually one of the first plasma centers to try out their new online ordering and tracking system...an amazing tool to decrease wasted medical product and a much needed time saver.  The best asset about this company is their customer service--every contact and phone call made to them was an enjoyable experience, and hope that I will be able to live and hold up to that standard.  With less than 25 employees and a new distribution facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, their 20% plus overall growth every year (especially in this economy) is impressive in of itself.  This is a wonderful opportunity to grow my career with them and I'm really excited to start on this new chapter of my life.  

My first day is next Monday and it almost feels like I'm starting the first day of school! I'm afraid that Grandma Tanaka will be back in full force...early to bed, early to rise...
Hopefully I don't give Ty the shock of his life at what a boring wife he has-now that there is a reason to get my full 8 hours of sleep. :)

I've never realized more than at this point, that things really do happen for a reason.  Looking back over events in the past several years, things seemed at times completely hopeless and the future bleak...Never would I imagine my life how it is now-different and unexpected,  but happier than I can ever remember.  I'm so blessed and I thank Heavenly Father everyday for what I've been given.  Sometimes it takes many disappointments, worry, and heartache,  but if that's what it takes to appreciate the small and simple things, then for that I am grateful!


Monday, August 03, 2009

Goals

Posted by lebruf


Just had an amazing weekend in California. Amazing only because we managed to fit so much in such a short amount of time, but didn't manage to get in a few basics like visits to many of our close friends. Two weddings doesn't leave you much time for extracurricular activities, so I'm not going to even count this as a vacation.

Summer was a GORGEOUS bridesmaid at her best friend's wedding, as well as my younger sister at her own best friend's wedding. I shed a few tears at Amanda's best friend's wedding. She grew up 3 houses down the street from us until we moved when I was 18. Amanda (great friend that she is) managed to keep in close contact with Lindsay, even though they went to two different high schools and they've been on opposite coasts for more than 4 years now.

Anyway... driving through Southern California was a mood lift in itself. I'm decided.
I want to get back there, I want to get back there soon, and I am ready to start planning to make it happen in the next couple of years...

I know what all of you haters are going to say... cost of living, traffic, current job market, blah blah blah... but I know where I want to live. Don't get me wrong... I'd much rather be living in UT than most other places. I'll take here over Arizona, Nevada, Texas or the East Coast, even over inland CA... but given the choice it will always be coastal California.


Preferably Corona Del Mar