Life Since my Last Post

Wooow it's been quite a while since I last wrote. However, I got an itch to write again and decided it was time to let ya'll know what's been going on in my life since then.

JUNE
The end of June was tumultuous for the Challis Family. Josh got really sick one week after not being able to get rid of a cold. The last few days of June we spent together in bed as I tried to keep his high fever down as best as possible. After a week of moaning in pain, not being able to eat much or sleep for that matter, I finally convinced Josh it was time to go to the hospital. He was admitted after a four hour wait with Pneumonia and he spent the next 3 days being poked and prodded. A week after he was released he finally regained his strength and was doing so much better; That also has to do with the fact that his mom came to be with us when he was in the hospital. She was so helpful in taking care of Josh while I worked and she fed us some yummy dinners!

Right: Josh getting admitted as well as some breathing treatments (antibiotics, etc)

Left: Josh and I enjoying his last day in bed watching movies





JULY
Was a very hot month especially in San Antonio where we spent 4th of July at a family reunion. Josh was still recuperating from his illness but we had fun sight-seeing, watching fireworks and spending time with family. Funny Story: Josh lost about 10 or so pounds during the time he was sick and all of my aunts and uncles noticed. They would comment, "Man Josh you look like a stick, is Melissa feeding you?" With my family all averaging 5'5 or so Josh is a giant among us standing at 6'4. Usually my family thinks Josh eats all my food bc he looks so well fed while they think I look too skinny. It was nice not getting those weird looks of suspicion for once. In my family we like to eat so when you don't you get funny looks.

 Left: Josh acting goofy on our tour boat of San Antonio Riverwalk. Josh had never been, other than the heat, he loved it.

Below: We visited the Japanese Gardens which were gorgeous.

Bottom Left: Man vs Food....I finally fed Josh :) 60 inch pizza which was finger lickin' amazin' (we had left overs for 2 days split between 10 people)

AUGUST
We made it!!! ONE YEAR under our belt and it feels great. We celebrated by going on a cruise to Belize, Roatan Island and Cozumel. It was a blast, all the food, the sun, the food, the activities, the food, and the food was amazing :)

Some of our friends thought going on a cruise our first year would be hard to top off in the future but we like to Go Big or Go Home! Our adventures serve as great reminders of our youth and those memories become more beautiful each passing day. I've grown into the type of person that sees the positive and light in things. I always try to find the good so when I remember back on these memories I only remember the great times we had. Because let's be honest people 7 days on a ship with my husband, parents, and siblings was not a picnic everyday! It was just great being all together.

SEPTEMBER
Is our relax month. We went to a Rangers Baseball game with some of Josh's co-workers. We went to Speed Zone on a work outing that I put on for our Dallas team. We went to Conroe to my dad's ranch with all of our cousins to go mudding. Yes, this is what a relaxing month looks like. We like to have fun and keep busy!

OCTOBER
Is a bittersweet month because my youngest sister Giselle left on a mission to San Francisco/Oakland Visitor's Center. It was amazing to hear her testimony and how she has matured over time. I know this experience will help her grow in many ways but it was difficult to let her go. I write her just about everyday and think of all the craziness our family will miss while she is gone. However, she is in the right place at the right time doing the right things.

 Left: The last Sunday we spent with Kika.

Johamy was M.I.A. (actually she was in Provo, UT and sadly couldn't make it down).

I'm going to miss my Krazy Kika

Right: Just after landing from sky diving in Moab Utah (2011)...a graduation present she got me.

He likes - She likes = Our life

It's June 19th almost a year of marriage and each day is a new day, a new lesson learned. Here are 19 interesting facts:

1. He likes to listen to talk radio.
     I like anything BUT talk radio.

2. He hates anything wasteful.
    I waste most things.

3.  He reads science fiction.
    I write creative non-fiction.

4. We love watching movies.

5. He loves everything about animals.
    I'd rather experience animals in 2D.

6. He is addicted to politics.
    I'm addicted to fashion.

7.  He dreams of living in the country.
     I'm ok with being a part of a country living inside a BIG city.

8. He loves mustard.
    I look good in mustard color.

9. He Googles anything and everything. He loves to research things.
    I got my degree in 2011. Haven't written a research paper since!

10. We hate math. Enough said.

11. He cries during sad movies.
      I Laugh Out Loud every time I see... The Stars are Brighter (minions) 

12. He looks to the future.
      I stay in the present.

13.  He wakes up with a smile on his face.
       I wake up wishing I had a meat cleaver in my hand.

14.  He loves to drive fast and get speeding tickets.
       I drive fast and never get speeding tickets.

15. We love to cuddle.

16. He is cheap.
      I love to spend money, it's therapeutic.

17. He has little patience.
      I have enough for the both of us (for now).

18. He turns into a beast when he's hungry. (This is typically every 2 hours)
      I am a bear if you wake me up from a nap or in the morning.

19. We love each other unconditionally.

Note: Part II will come out some time in the near future.

Okies and Guns

Josh and I have discussed guns in our home but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that Josh got this feeling he should purchase an AR-15 to begin his arsenal as part of our protection. Let's attribute this feeling to his disdain for our current government leaders and the ever imposing doomsday which plagues our society.

These babies are quite expensive so naturally he had to convince me of the sell. He's a salesman so that wasn't too hard. The deal was, "You can spend $2500 on something you really need". My response a few days later, "I want a Mac ohhhh and a sewing machine!"

Josh was too excited once we agreed on the deal that he immediately emailed his grandpa Hank for advice on the gun. The response he got is UNBELIEVABLE and something we were NOT expecting. Grandpa Hank replied, "Josh what a coincidence, a while back I bought you an AR-15, all you need to do is come pick it up but I bet you won't want to wait until Christmas to do that!"

That next weekend we were driving to Oklahoma with my sister Giselle in the back seat drooling on her pillow while Josh and I jammed out to Bon Jovi. It's about a five hour drive so to break up the monotony of the road we stopped at a fruit stand (which by the way had amazing nectarines and peaches) and mostly chatted about religion and politics. It helps that there was a referee aka Giselle in the car.

When we got to G-pa Hank's house it took every ounce of will for Josh to not turn the conversation towards the gun. Luckily men think alike and G-pa Hank brought it up. Josh was so excited to go shooting the next morning even though he was feeling sick and his throat was aching. He rose out of bed about 6 in the morning without an alarm clock! Needless to say he spent 5 hours out at the shooting range getting his gun ready for regular use even foregoing lunch. That usually doesn't happen in fact it's nearly impossible, he get's very grumpy without food and simply cannot function.

Gun range + Josh= Happy Man






Well the trip was short but Josh got his AR-15. We are now one step closer to living on a farm or ranch in the middle of nowhere, Podunk USA.  

FYI...I'm now working on my side of the deal...maybe my parents can buy me a sewing machine?!

Cinco de Muddo Run

A months ago I came across a Groupon for a 5k obstacle mud run and my first thought was YES! I can do it!! (silly me...)

Josh was against the idea the entire time...and I mean every step of the way he was kicking and screaming. Let me explain:

1. He is a sprinter not long distance runner
2. He thought a 5k meant 5 miles (insert me laughing my head off)
3. We later found out we were going to be moving into our new apartment on the same day

So the Cinco de Muddo Run was planned and my cousin Marty and Abby came along with us as well. We did very little training for the run during our preparation for the day. I figured I was running a mile or so 3x a week on the treadmill so 3 miles would be a cinch. 

We got to the ranch a little late and were the last ones to arrive in our wave. To our amazement and deep concern the first obstacle was to swim across a river. It was a muddy, slippery bank and the water was freezing so before I could chicken out I started swimming across with full force (I should have stretched before the fun too, oops). 

It was nice running through a forested area because it was quiet and we could actually run through it rather than meeting an obstacle every 100 yards (I later found out I had a few rashes on my arms and legs from running through the brush). The trail we ran on was very narrow!

We entered this "Fun House" which was NOT fun at all. We entered this dark maze made out of wood with tires and mud as a pathway. Let's just say my shoes did not survive....If you have ever had to use an outhouse just picture yourself walking through it!!

This is some of what my poor delicate body endured...

 Needless to say I did fail the course AND sprained my ankle BUT I got a medal for finishing :) #I'mnoquitter #neverenteringthearmy

This is what I thought I looked like.....

But my husband probably describes me more like this...

This was us at the end of the race. We were Team Rangers!!

So after a long morning of killing my body we got home and started packing up our stuff to move into our new apartment. Good thing our friends came by to help us, we would have died if we had to do it alone! My dad and sister happened to drive through town from Provo and I fully took advantage of that help as well. I love our new place...it is still in the works but the best thing about any abode is wanting to come home after work and feeling peace and tranquility (our patio overlooks the grassy grill area we share with a few other apartments). It's an amazing view for an apartment complex, I even have a huge tree that gives us shade and we are on the 2nd floor. I've gotten Josh used to the good life and now he can't go back! HA HA he now appreciates the fact that we each have our own sink in the bathroom. Ohh the little things in life....

Ft Worth Arts Festival

I know it's been a while since I've written in my blog...It's like me trying to write in a diary (not gonna happen consistently but I try).

A few weeks ago Josh and I decided to try something new. We asked our friends John and Cassandra to come with us to an Arts Festival. Before the festival we went to this hole in the wall Mexican restaurant (I found a groupon online and thought it may be worth it). Food wasn't bad at all! Although the location looked iffy.

Then we got to the festival ...

The sun was out and it was a beautiful day with a slight chill when the wind blew. There was a lot of crazy looking art which of course was just up the alley for Josh (don't worry he will NOT be decorating any walls of our home). 

We got pulled aside by some guy asking if we wouldn't mind being interviewed and of course Josh threw me under the bus, "I don't want to do it" he exclaims, "But she will". "Um sure," I respond a little hesitant. He goes into his spiel telling me I'm going to be interviewed by Lea Michele (who happens to be standing in the middle of this crowd with over sized black sunglasses and 5 shades too dark). I was confused as I got closer to her and the guy says just go with it and then the camera was on.

(Disclaimer: I watch Glee and this was NOT Lea Michele no matter how much she wanted to be. Not even a mile close)

Apparently this young lady also named Lea Michele had made some painting/artwork on the set of Glee and she wanted my opinion on it. The conversation went something like this:

LM: Hi I'm Lea. I made this on the set of Glee. What would you pay for this?

M: Ummmm honestly? Like 10 bucks

LM: *Scoffs* Um ok well this is going for about $28,000 in New York!

M: Really?? What's made of geez??

LM: *Laughs* Well I can't tell you that! So what do you see when you look at this?

M: Hmmm it looks kinda cool, almost looks like you a bunch of magazine strips and glued them in different places and glossed over them. 

LM: Ok so would you hang this in your house.

M: Ohhh no. 

LM: Ok well thank you (insert M here...pretty sure she was rolling her eyes under her sunglasses)

I guess my frankness wasn't what they were looking for. But honestly I took one art class in college and all I could think of if Duchamp can make a toilet art this wannabe can make it somewhere too. I just didn't understand why she thought using the name of Lea Michele and saying that she made the artwork on the set of Glee would actually sell the piece of artwork. I guess they were expecting an idiot or ignoramus who would fawn at the feet of a "celebrity". EPIC FAIL. 

The experience was fun. There was music, art, food and lots of people watching. We loved it. 

Afterwards we went to the Water Gardens, which was just a few blocks away from the Art Festival. 

Newly Wed Game

Last night we had a couples potluck/game night. It was a lot of fun! The food was every word you can think of for delicious, (so much so we all took pictures with our iPhones of the recipe) we had Chicken Taco Pie. It might have been the extra chilli powder Rian put in the pot or our growling stomachs that made it taste so yummy.

After dinner we played the Newly Wed Game.

Rules: Everyone gets pieces of paper and a pen. There are questions you will answer either about yourself or about your spouse. For each question you get right there's a point given to the team. NO CHEATING (no eyebrow raising, mouth twitching, or winks to signal answers). This is a game about how well you know your spouse.

Contestants:
1. Wilhite's: 8-9 months of marriage, Rian is loud and Cari is quiet.
2. Seegmiller's: 9-10 months of marriage, Stephen and Megan were once asked, "What kind of nerds are you??"
3. Beck's: 3 years of marriage no kids, Cassandra has "The Look" down pat! John gives her a lot of practice
4. Challis': 7-8 months of marriage, Melissa (me) is the enforcer, Josh is the rebel.

We had about 20 rounds (questions). Here are a few examples:

1. Wife: If you were a Disney Princess who would you be? Beck's guessed correctly (one of the few) CINDERELLA (John says because of her two sister....more info was not given haha)

2. Wife: What is the most annoying habit about your spouse? Wilhite's did NOT guess correctly but Cari said Rian being loud and he said not cleaning up after himself

3. Wife: My husband is the best at ______ and the worst at ______? Challis' got it right CUDDLER, CLEANING

4. Husband: What will your first child's name be (bonus if you get the middle name too?  Seegmiller's agreed on Luke Stephen and Emma Riley (They even know their second son's name! That's teamwork right there)

5. Husband: When was the last time you stayed up past midnight other than going to the ER, pharmacy or grocery store? Seegmiller's went to a concert however the date was not specified and Stephen was holding Megan up most of the time because she was falling asleep (Can't keep a teacher up on a school night!!)

6. Husband: What was your spouse wearing on your first date? Wilhite's couldn't even agree on what was the first date needless to say Cari said work clothes and Rian said a jacket!!!

7. Wife: If there is ONE thing that belongs to your spouse that you could get rid of, what would it be? Challis' wrote down their answer immediately....SCUFFY (aka Josh's cat, I'm still working on my genius plan)

8. Husband: What is your spouse's favorite flower? Beck's got it! John said Gerber Daisies (which are her least favorites and SHE GAVE HIM THE LOOK), he smiled big and responded, "Peonies" and then she smiled in relief.
Final Score:
Seegmiller's WIN IT with a high score of 15
Challis' followed with a close 13
Beck's tried their best and came back from 0 to an impressive 7
Wilhites trailed behind with a 5 (I suggest some practice for the next time we play lol)

We had a great time with some wonderful friends while enjoying getting to know each other a bit more.

What do YOU do for fun?

Josh and I are in a rush to get everything paid off so that we can enjoy life and as he says "get out of the rat race". So we are paying off his school loans (which shouldn't take more than 4-5 months). We then want to pay off our cars as well. Dave Ramsey calls it the Snowball Effect and it really works. We have already paid a few other things off and are well on our way to enjoying more of our money the way we want to.

POINT IS: We need ideas of what to do around Dallas that is free (or very little cost)!!!

We usually have date night once a week but we run out of ideas. Please help us fill our calendar by giving us ideas on what to do. 

I've listed a few suggestions that came to mind:

1. Work out (I got a free 7 day pass to 24 hour fitness)
2. Picnics (when the weather cooperates, Texas is very fickle one day it's sunny the next it's pouring rain)
3. Walks around our apartment complex (There isn't great scenery around our place, mostly road construction! When will 183 be finished??)
4. Attend the temple (It's a pretty long drive which means a lot of gas but it's one that we try and make at least once a month)
5. Watch movies at home (we are pretty frequent to Redbox, I get weekly texts from them giving me $0.50 off my rentals)


Can you think of any?