Steve and Marina: Oh the places we've been

I was reading a friend's post about all the amazing places she has gone in her first year of marriage, and I realized Steve and I have had an amazing year + of marriage! We are trying to make the most of the time we have together before we have children, enjoying each others company! I feel like the luckiest woman alive because Steve is so great to me and takes me on such fun adventures! He is my best friend, and whether we are flying in a prop plane over the grand canyon or water skiing at Bear Lake, we have a blast! This past year + has been the best times of my life! Here is a year in review.

We honeymooned in SEDONA, ARIZONA and it was beautiful and relaxing! All of the red rock is so amazing!!!

As as surprise, Steve arraigned a small plane tour of the GRAND CANYON! I'm really not bored, I promise!

It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I've seen the Grand Canyon many times before, but never from such a vantage point! The plane was pretty small, it only seated 5 people, this is Steve and I with the pilot.

Steve took me to CALIFORNIA the summer after we were married, and we had a blast visiting with my cousin Karen, and exploring Santa Monica, Hollywood and Rodeo Drive! Here we are at the Getty Center.

We rode tandem bikes along the SANTA MONICA PIER! That was an experience! We really had to learn to work together! I guess I wore him out!

We even went to see Wicked!!!!

We went to the UTAH LAKE FESTIVAL with a bunch of my Glenwood Friends.

We were waiting for a boat tour of Utah Lake--They made amazing “hats”.

BEAR LAKE or the “Caribbean of the Rockies” was amazing. This is us on the back of a jet ski.

The water was so amazingly blue!

We went camping with our Married Ward. This picture is lacking in people... oh well.

On the way to Arizona for Christmas we spent the night in LAS VEGAS and went to the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. BYU beat UCLA by 1 point in an amazing game ending block! We were right on the 10 yard line about 15 rows back, so we had the perfect view!

My favorite part was definitely afterward, when we rushed the field!!!

Over Christmas, we went on a horseback ride in the San Tan Mountains with my mom. It was only Steve’s second time on a horse. We went 8 miles—what a trooper!!

Christmas with my family in Arizona. All 6 kids plus many of their spouses/girlfriends/etc.

For our 1 year anniversary, Steve took me snowboarding. We fell down a lot, but sure had fun!

No year in review would be complete without the giant game of TWISTER!

I graduated with my Bachelors from BYU in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. It was such a neat experience because I felt really supported. My family and extended family was there, and cheered so loud at the commencement exercises that Dean Miller said, "I think you've got the loudest cheering section!" Go team!

I had never been to OHIO, so we flew out for Steve’s sister Liz’s wedding! It was beautiful, and so neat I got to be there for the sealing!

All the bridesmaid's with the beautiful bride.

I also saw a friend I went to Romania with—Megan Sears—who was serving in the Stanton’s ward in Cincinnati! Small world!

Right after we got back from Ohio, we turned around and moved 4 days later. Here we are in front of a Pony Express stop—somewhere in Nebraska I think!

It was so fun being able to spend so much uninterrupted time alone! I think it took us about 4 days to drive cross-country! (We were driving a 16 ft moving van)

Living in Greenville, NC, we are less than 2 hours from GORGEOUS beaches! We have gone several times already with our new friends and neighbors the Stinsons.