Amy's Big 2-1!

Due to the fact that I don't drink the 21st birthday isn't that big of a deal for me, but it was a good birthday! Tyler gave me some really pretty jewelry, tons of beautiful roses and the 2nd season of Friends! It was awesome! I also got to go out with my family a few days before my birthday and they gave me some sweet stuff and we ate really good pizza after a long long long wait, but it was worth it. I also got to go out with my friends and they made me a "Lauren" pizookie which was superb and got me some radical presents! I am so glad that I got to celebrate my birthday with such wonderful people. It was sweet!

Melting Pot. Happy Birthday Kimmy!

So this past weekend we got to celebrate Kimberly Nicole Clausen's 24th Birthday!Teh whole family rode in one car and that in itself was a party. It is always an adventure when we go out together. We went to Hibachi Steak House for dinner and then to The Melting Pot for Dessert! It was good times, but not worh the money in my book. Just melt some chocolate over the stove at home and dip stuff in it...

Congrats Danielle!

I know I am a little late, but I wanted to post this picture of Danielle and I on her graduation day! It was way fun... I got a little tan while me and my family were scorched by the sun at Kelly Stadium... good times! After the graduation we did get to have a little fun and eat good food and home made icecream with family and friends!

Becoming something...

Saturday night Tyler, Danielle (my sister), and Kyle (my cousin) all went to a hip hop concert hosted by the local radio station power 106 fm. To say that I was disappointed in humanity is definitely an understatement. Not only were most of the performers cussing more than I knew humanly possible, there were people lighting up joints all around us. Now as I was planning on attending the concert it never occurred to me that this would happen, honestly I think I am just naïve to think that people would respect others and keep that to themselves, but instead my faith in society has been somewhat altered. It is sad to think that people cannot listen to music in a public arena without bringing drugs and alcohol into it. I could have done without the drunk, scantily dressed, dancing woman in her mid thirties who decided to whip out a joint while sitting right next to Tyler and I. It is so sad. I just wanted to see Chris Brown perform and what I got was something else. I came to the realization that society has changed a great deal and because of the standards that I have kept I haven’t been exposed to a lot of bad behavior. Yes, I know people do drugs and drink alcohol, but I haven’t been around it to that degree ever before. It made me really sad to think that so many have no standards at all. It made me really grateful for who my savior has helped me to become. I know I am far from perfect, but I am proud to not be the scantily dressed woman rubbing up against my drunk husband while looking like a total fool to the people around me.
The clencher was when one of the artists got up on stage and as an introduction said “I believe in God, do you?” It made me so sad to think that Heavenly Father is known and loved by so many yet they disregard everything he teaches us. Tears came to my eyes to think what that must be like. How could you love someone and believe in someone and not want to be like them? That is when the whole “accepting Christ as your Savior” kind of came together. So many people believe that as long as you accept him as your savior you are saved, but that is just not enough. We need to be like him, share his words, and help those around us. There is more to life than satisfying ourselves. Christ challenges us to become something…the question is: What have we chosen to become?

What the blog am I blogging about?

Hey there fellow bloggers. I just felt like communicating with the world of the internet. I am freaking excited for this week. Tomorrow my little sister graduates high school so my sisters, my mom, and I are all getting our nails done and setting up for the after party. I am so stoked for that! I am also getting my hair cut with Danielle on saturday morning so say goodbye to my long locks.
I got a new job... I am working at Censource (my dad's company) and I like it. I am learning new things and it is a breath of fresh air! I am really grateful for the things that I have been blessed with. A new job, good weather, a break from school, good grades last semester, good family and friends and a husband who loves and supports me and the list goes on and on. Of course, life is not always easy, but I am happy that I can always turn to my father in heaven when I need him. He saves me everyday.
Tyler and I are looking into buying a condo soon and we got to learn a lot about that in a workshop that we went to in inglewood on saturday. If all goes well we will get qualified for the loan and we can start looking for a new home! Our goal is to be in a place by december so I will let you all know what happens. I just can't help but smile when I think about a bigger closet that fits not only my clothes, but Tyler's too, a dishwasher, and maybe even a washer and dryer hookup and an attached garage! I would be living the dream... It is funny what you take for granted, but now that I am without those things I can't wait to have those luxuries once again and hopefully someday soon! :)

GET MARRIED!

I just wanted to share this with you... our wedding photographer made it on to the new tv show "get married" on lifetime and some of our engagement pictures were on the episode. I thought you might want to see it! I was really stoked when I watched it! If you go to Amelia's blog (www.Amelialyon.com) and get to the link to the website for "get married" you can search for amelia lyon photography (under local professionals in southern california) and underneath their picture there is a little icon that looks like a camera. That is where you can view their segment of the episode. The two pictures of us are: us laying on the grass and tyler kissing my cheek while we are basically standing inside a bush. The episode airs again on wednesday june 11th at 7:30 am if you want to tivo it or something!

The newest Rex... Dylan Riley Rex

Ryan (Tyler's Brother) and Kristen had their baby girl last night! We are so excited to see them in October for their wedding! It will be a sweet get away and we will get to see our new niece! We are so happy for them and can't wait to see them in a few months! Congrats!

Noche Buena

 Danielle and I with Sarah...

                                                                          Noche and Sarah...

Yesterday Danielle and I went horse back riding with Tyler and Judd (Tyler's Dad). It was beautiful! We got to the stables before Judd did so Danielle got a chance to get acquainted with the horses because she hasn't been around a horse in a long time. Judd saddled up Sarah for Danielle and Noche Buena for me. We rode down in the hills of Yorba Linda where the old orange acres dam is... while Tyler and Judd walked near us helping control the horses. I got to have reins though so I got to have most of the control which was sweet! It is a really cool connection that you have with the horse, like this bond of trust. It is a really cool feeling and I suggest everyone try it. I am excited to ride more and get to know horse back riding again (I used to do it when I was little). We're grateful for Tyler's dad who is so willing to share these beautiful animals with us. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure...

Happy Birthday Tamara Lyn!

A couple weeks ago the Fam and Spencer Rex went down to San Clemente for my Mother's 44th birthday bash. Dinner was super good and we went down to the pier after dinner and walked around down by the beach. I went shopping earlier that day with my mom and sisters so it was a really fun and relaxing day! Tyler and Spence were at the beach all day and met us down there at the restaurant. I got to ride home in the back of Spencer's truck in the seat that folds out the side of the cab. My bum wasn't happy. :) 

The Sweet Life

A couple weekends ago we got to go to Balboa with some of our friends. We ate way too much at BJ's Pizza and got crazy with the pizookies. We walked around at the funzone, took the ferrie over to Balboa Island and walked around looking at the amazingly adorable houses. We also went to the candy shop! It

was good times for sure. I think we all kind of felt like little kids again! It is always a lovely time being down by the beach with good people surrounding us. Tyler and I are blessed with good friends who are close. We get to see our family and friends often which is important to us.

All in all we have many good things in our lives. I have been working full time and going to school part time at night. It has been really hard and Tyler and I both know that it will be better if I can work less so that I will have more time for school and studying. I decided to give my two weeks notice to Berrett Pest Management. I am not sure what job I will be getting. This isn't a normal thing for me. I have a planner, I plan things, and I don't just quit a job unless I have a plan. But I know that Heavenly father and my friends and family want me to be happy. I knew that the next step towards getting a new job and feeling a little less like my life was taken from me by work and school was to give my two weeks notice. I was really nervous, but everything is fine. I have a very peaceful feeling that everything will work out. I have the Lord on my side and I can and will be blessed as long as I keep the faith. This is something a little foreign to me because I always have a plan, very rarely do I just walk by faith without knowing exactly how things will turn out. I believe that the older I get and the more often I step back and think, the more I notice that life forces you to do things you never thought were possible. How greatful I am for that. I wouldn't be the person I am today if that wasn't the case.

Get Fit!

So sorry that I haven't posted a blog in a while. There has been a lot going on around these parts. Shira has been getting on me about not posting so I thought I would. School is busy as the semester comes to an end. Tyler and I are both planning on taking one or two summer classes so our summer will be eventful! haha. I wanted to update you all on what we have been doing. My baby sister Danielle and I ran in teh get fit 5k on April 19th and that was really fun! My older sister Kimberly and cousin Tiffany walked it and it was good to be out and doing something active. I think my favorite part of the run was the first mile and crossing the finish line. I was really happy to be running with my sister. She used to run a lot before her knee went out and she was on track to do a marathon, but after the half marathon she had to stop because of her knee. I was happy to be the person to run with her for the first race in a long time.

Above is a picture of all of us after the race. So gorgeous aren't we? haha. We got to see some of our friends too! We saw Becky at the starting point, Jared Rummler passed us, and we saw Jared's dad too. It was cool! After the race we all went back to our house and ate breakfast and watched Juno! The girls hadn't seen it yet and I needed to change that!

Tyler was at Long Beach State playing all day in a Volleyball tournament for institute. He had a fun team and he really enjoyed playing and I made it to watch the last couple games. They made it all the way to the finals and lost against the long beach team. It was a good, active day!

Trolleywood

So I got to go on a Rex girls weekend get away a couple weeks back and I wanted to share some of the pictures! On thursday night Cindy and I began our journey by heading to the long beach airport and we arrived on time to Oakland which is more than we can say for Jessica. Her plane was like an hour and a half late and she was meeting us in Oakland from Washington! Julia was on time from Utah though! Cindy, julia, and I went to get the rental car while waiting for Jessica and finally we arrived back at the airport to pick her up. We got a sweet little jeep so that was fun! Thursday night we stayed up way too late and friday was sight seeing in the city.

Friday night we headed to Pleasanton to stay closer to where Kristens baby shower was the next day. Saturday was a good day meeting new people from Kristens side of the family and celebrating her new baby! We also went to see Jamie Winter (Cindy's Nephew) and his family and then we headed off to Santa Rosa to see Cindy's brother, Spencer and his family. On sunday Spencer made us breakfast and we got to hang out before heading to the airport to end our trip. Luckily we were all in the same terminal so we got to hang out before each of us got on our flights!

We arrived home safely on Sunday night and I was happy to see Tyler. I missed him! It was our first weekend apart since we have been married so it was weird not seeing him and sleeping next to his sister instead of him. haha. I love my husband!

It was a good time for sure and we got to visit many places. It rained a little bit, but it was still beautiful. We got to visit family and friends and at times it was a little busy, but overall it was a good trip! I enjoyed sleeping in a different bed every night, but not necessarily getting woken up every once in a while by Cindy's snoring. It was okay though because luckily I brought my ear plugs! haha. Tyler had a fun weekend watching basketball with his dad and playing way too many video games with Pat, but that wasn't unexpected. :)

March Madness!!!

VEGAS!!!
So March has been a blast so far! To start off spring break we got to go visit the Alleman Family! We took a trip to the snow and also went to Buffalo Wild Wings and ate way too much while we watched the Laker game! It was so fun being up there with our friends who we haven't seen in so long! We are happy that all is well with them in their new location. We miss them, but we are so happy that they are all happy and Healthy!




EASTER...

Easter weekend was also super fun! We went to the park on saturday morning and had our traditional easter egg hunt and brunch. It was a beautiful day and it was so much fun being outside. We played some Volleyball with the fam and ate some good food. Our brother in laws Morgan and Brett were playing with the kids on the play ground. It was good times as always hanging out with the Family.

On Easter sunday we went to Bretts farewell and then over to The Pitts house to have easter dinner. We got to take some pictures next to MY DAD'S NEW PORSCHE! I always remember him saying that he wanted a porsche someday, but I never thought it would actually happen! I am proud of him. He worked hard and got something for himself. Granted... it is an expensive gift for oneself, but he deserves it. He has slaved away for years to provide for us and never asked for much. Our Easter dinner was wonderful. Grandpa and Grandma Stout were there and so were the Clausens. After that we got to go see Tyler's Dad's horse, Buena. We hadn't seen her in a while so that was fun.
Tyler's mom and I are going to San Fransisco this weekend and we're meeting Tyler's sisters Jessica and Julia there so that we can attend Kristen's baby shower. We are all getting excited and on sunday Cindy and I talked more about our plans! It going to be my second trip this month. It is so fun to travel, but it is also nice to be home again. I can't wait to see the city of San Fran!

FAREWELL BRETT!

Last night we said goodbye to Elder Brett Royle Clausen. He is off to serve in the Argentina, Rosario Mission for the next two years. He is my brother in laws younger brother and he is also dating my younger sister, Danielle. It was hard for all of us last night saying goodbye and watching him and Danielle take their last few looks at one another was pretty crazy. It was really emotional for all of us. Brett has become a member of our family and it is like my brother has left on his mission. We all feel a closeness with him and we have come to love him. Tyler had a girlfriend when he left on his mission so he totally knows how they feel and I think it was surreal for Tyler to watch them say their goodbyes. Now that I am in love with someone I can totally empathize with Danielle. I can't imagine how that must feel to have someone you love leave you. But I beleive that they will end up together. Tyler and I have many friends and family who have waited and ended up together. It is going to be an adjustment for all of us, but since we all love and miss him I think it will be easier for Danielle. She has people that understand how she is feeling. Good luck Brett. We love you!

February Continued...

So we ended February with a fantastic weekend with friends and Family! On Friday 2/22 we went to the LA Clippers game. It was fun! The Mary Kay Ash Foundation for Breast Cancer research teamed up with the Clippers and raised $4, 300 for more research! It was so fun to be in a big group wearing those pink shirts...Tyler sports his all the time!