A Very Merry Christmas at the Buckway's!

On Christmas morning Gary and I headed over to his families house with our hamper full of presents. It's fun because Gary's family still has some little ones who still believe in Santa Clause. It's fun to play along with them. We were opening presents till the cows came home. Gary got me everything that I could have hoped for. My favorite present from him was this beautiful heart shaped locket that has engraved on the back, "Love Gary 2008." It was just the sweetest most unexpected thing ever. I loved it! I gave Gary this harness for rock climbing. As you can see from the picture, he absolutely loved it. Gary's family is sweet. They all were so generous. They are so much fun to be with and made Christmas just how it should be; loving, caring, and a blast. What a fantastic Christmas! I can hardly wait for next year!

Christmas Eve!!!

Wow, what an absolutely wonderful Christmas we had! It started off with the Durrant family traditional dinner where we all bring our favorite food from our favorite restaurant and then put it all together and have our Christmas eve feast! It was fantastic! I of course brought Cafe Rio, but we had food from Olive Garden, The Pie Pizzeria, Schezwan Gardens (Chinese), Pizza Hut Pasta, and Red Lobster. Does it get better then that? The only thing that was better was the company. We had the whole family together, even grandma. This was the first Christmas with out grandpa John. After dinner my dad reflected back on grandpa's life and example. I love him so much and miss him so much. It isn't the same with out him, but I am so grateful to still have such a wonderful and giving grandma. After these regards, we all sang Christmas songs. We had a competition on who could sing the loudest and Gary won. He was pretty darn proud of himself. Then the present opening began. My parent's were so incredibly giving. One of the many wonderful gifts we received was a camera which I am so excited for, specifically so I can create some sweet blogs. I am just so grateful for such a wonderful family. I honestly don't know how I got so lucky. This is the way life should be!

I Love My Dad!

My Dad just gave a phenomenal talk in church today. He talked about prayer in a way that really touched me and inspired me. My dad has such a way with his words. He talked about how we should view life through the lens of a prayer. He taught to always have a prayer within our hearts. He told a story about when he was a Freshman at BYU. He said that one day he saw a cute girl praying over her lunch in the BYU cafeteria. So my dad trying to be the "smooth guy" went up to her right after she had opened her eyes and said with confidence and humor, "Your prayers have bean answered!" The girl didn't find this as humorous as my dad did and told him to go be the answer to another girls prayer instead. Ha! Although my dad might not have felt so good after the girls reaction, it sure makes a pretty hilarious story today. After mentioning this story in his talk he continued to talk about answer's to prayer and how we know when they have been answered. It was such a good talk

The other day I went and saw my dad in action at the BYU law building. Him and the other four justices had several trials there so that the law students could watch. I kept having to remind myself that it was my dad up there saying all those intelligent, important, and powerful things. My dad is so great in so many ways. Adding Supreme Court Justice on to his belt makes him that much more incredible. I hope that I can be as integrable, hard working, accepting, optimistic, supportive and loving as he is. I love you DAD!

Buckway Updates

Gary and I were a knight in shinning armor and a damsel in distress for Halloween.

My best friends Marse (Rodeo Queen) and Cassie (Super Mario) at our Halloween Party.

Saint George!

Saint George with friends.

Girls Night!

Since we have been back from the summer, we have been going to school, working full time, and still trying to fit time in for fun. Graduation is nigh for the both of us and we are ecstatic to finally be done. I will graduate in Exercise Science and Health in the fall and Gary will graduate in Business Management in the summer. Ooo, just talking about graduation makes me so excited!
I am currently working at the University Mall at a store called Signature Baby. I sell baby clothes. Kind of funny given the fact that I don't have any babies, but I definitely bring some cute things to baby showers. I am also teaching aerobics at Orem Fitness Center. Gary just got a job working at the University Mall right down the hall from me at a store called Sakora Jewelers. He likes it because he is still doing sales, but this time its diamond rings rather than security systems. It's really fun working so close to each other.

Some fun things we have been able to squeeze into our busy schedule is going on a weekend get away to Saint George with our friends Marse and Lance, and Cassie and Danny. Marse and Cassie are girls that I grew up with. Its fun hanging out with all my girl friends and their husbands. It's crazy how we are all grown up, married, and some even having babies now. Its a fun stage in our lives. I also make time for occasional girls nights which are also fun.

The other night for Halloween, we went to Cassie's for a party. I dressed up as a damsel in distress and Gary was my knight in shinning armor. Gary got his costume at Wal Mart the night before. It was made for ages 12 and under so it looked pretty hilarious on his 25 year old body. At the party we went on a scavenger hunt and ate the best cobbler I have ever had. Go Cassie!

Life is so good now. I will try to be better at keeping you all updated on what's happening with the Buckway family.

Buckway Up-dates

Hello Hello! So I figured it's about time I update you on the lives of the Buckway's. Sorry its been so long since my last entry. I guess I will try to start from when I left off. The summer eventually came to an end in San Fransisco. Probably the highlight of our summer was when my family came for a visit. We were constantly doing one fun thing after another; Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods, etc. etc. I truly can't imagine a more wonderful, supportive, fun, and loving family then my own. They are all so great. I am definitely one lucky gal. Above are some pictures of us in Muir Woods. The tree's were huge! The summer as a whole was a bunch of fun, however, I think that we are definitely done with summer sales for a a good while.

My Talented Sister

Before we came to Cali, Andee took some Glamour shots of me. I must say that Andee must be pretty darn talented in order to make me look this good. For Gary's Birthday I wrote him a poem. Andee was able to take the poem I wrote and paste it on one of the glamour shots that she took. Gary loved it. Thanks to Andee and her talent that keeps on getting better and better.

American Idol

So Wednesday around seven o'clock I heard on the radio that American Idol auditions were being held the next day. So my curiosity started ticking. In previous seasons of American Idol I have always wished that I would have tried out. I felt like if I didn't take the opportunity then I would regret it. So I called my wonderful husband up who was on his way home and told him about it. He was so supportive and agreed to drive down to San Fran with me that night and register for the audition. The next morning we woke up at five thirty and left for the audition. There were ridiculous amounts of people there, thousands! There were also at least ten video cameras going around and filming the maddness. We even saw Justin off of the first Season of American Idol (he is the one that was in the final two with Kelly Clarkson). It was awesome. His hair is even bigger in person. We were told the night before at registration that it would be a fast prosess, ha! Gary and I were there for 10 hours! Seven in the morning till five in the evening. Yeah I was about ready to burst. Gary was more patient then me. He is so chill, it helps me stay calm. We waited ten hours for me to sing ten seconds of a song. American Idol auditions is really not what it seems. Very few people actually see Randy, Paula, and Simon. They were not even there at these auditions. Out of four to five thousand people that were there, probably only about fifty made it to the second round. Unfortunately I was not one of them, however, it was such a good experience. I am so happy that I did it. Now I can say that I tried and not have to wonder and regret anymore. After the audition, traffic was so bad that Gary and I went to Fisherman's Wharf and had a sour dough bread bowl and shared a fantastic crepe. It was a great reward for waiting all day in an American Idol line. What husband waits in a ten hour line with his wife. Talk about supportive. I love you Gary!

Weekend Get Away

Last week Gary came home from work and suggested that we have a weekend get away. So, we did just that. We packed up our camping gear and drove about two hours away to the beautiful Sonorah, California. Before we came out to Cali, Gary was watching Discovery Channel and saw that you could pan for Gold in Sonorah. Gary's dream is to be Nicolas Cage in National Treasure. He is so funny. So we found a nice camp site that was right next to the noisie high way and that felt like sleeping on slanted concrete, its all about the experience right? After a long night of no rest we got up around six and went exploring and then BB gun shooting (THe Firstline Security sign made a great shooting target). Durring our expedition we came across the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. It was called Pinecrest Lake. At Pincrest we rented a kiyak and explored around the lake. Gary and I got in a water fight and of course he won. We just had a blast. This lake was seriously a little spot of paradise. After the Lake we fufilled Gary's treasure hunting dream and went Gold Panning. This was so cool. There is a lot more to Gold Panning then I ever would have thought. Even thought we probably only found about ten dollars worth of Gold, Gary absolutely loved it. He said that he could do it every day and be the happiest man alive. He is crazy, I love it. The only bad thing about it was that my camra died so I couldnt get any shots of our fun Gold Panning expereince. Gary said that we will just have to do it again so we can capture the moment on film. Gary has never suggested going to such length just to take a picture, ha, he is just my little gold panning man.

Happy Birthday Gary!

July 5th was Gary's 25th birthday. I started the day off with making Gary's favorite breakfast, crepes with strawberry's and chocolate. Gary had the day off, but I had to work with a client for about three hours. So, Gary decided to come to work with me. We had a blast. Romell (my client) thought Gary was super funny and super cool. We played basketball at the church and Romell beat both Gary and I in "PIG." Then we went to Cold Stone and got our selves a treat. After taking Romell home, Gary and I went to Lake Elizabeth which is about three minutes away from our apartaments. I think this lake is one of my favorite places. It is so beautiful and soothing. After walking around the lake Gary and I went to the pool and soaked up the sun for a little bit. That night we went out to eat at AppleBee's and Gary got to open the presents I got him. It was such a great day.

Fun with the Family

My fantastic family came and visited Gary and I in California. We had so much fun. We went to Muir Woods, the Okland Temple, Fisherman's Warf, Alkatraz Island, etc, etc. We painted the town red! (that phrase is for you Dad) My family is so incredible! Not only are they hilarious and fun to be with but they are so selfless and thoughtful as well. My parents totally spoiled us. They do way too much for us and no matter how hard we try, they keep on spoiling and spoiling us. Gary and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family. What a great example to follow for Gary's and mine future family. Pictures of our fantastic vacation with the fam are soon to come.

More Fun in the Sun!

Well hello hello. First off, I would like to apologize for my lack of blogging. I have had some camera difficulties and have been unable to post pictures. For some reason I thought that a blog wouldn't be complete with out a pic, but today i over came that thought and decided to blog anyways. Life in Cali is still going great. Last week Gary and I went to Muir Woods and went on a hike. We thought that the hike would be fun and relaxing. There was no doubt that it was fun, but it was probably the farthest thing from relaxing. The hike ended up being six miles long and more then half the time vertical. Towards the end of the hike Gary and I got lost some how and ended up in a quaint little town right by the beach. So, we played on the beach a bit and got a bus ride back to our car. It was quite the adventure. An adventure that will not be forgotten. Another unforgetable event that happened a couple of weeks ago was when Gary and I played tennis. Gary wants to become a better tennis player so i put some targets up on the opposite side and said that if he hit one of them then he would get a ten minute back message. So, with his determined eyes on the target, Gary tossed his ball in an attempt to hit a serve, but as he swung, his body followed with a tad pit too much force and ended up face planting it on the court! It was probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen Gary do. Just thinking about it, even two weeks later, makes me crack up. Ah, life is good. Gary is doing great at his job and I am loving my job more and more each day. Well I will try to post pic's ASAP and also try to keep you all updated more frequently.

Gary is #1!

Last week Gary's office was told that who ever had the most sales would recieve a hefty cash reward. It was a long tough week, but guess who pulled through as the number one salesman? Yup, thats right, the one and only Gary Buckway Jr. I was so proud of him. Gary also got a 3.9 this last semester and just recieved notice that he was put on the Dean's list at UVU. Gary's basically got it going on! I landed a great job out here in Cali. I work for a company called Cypress and I am a Life Skill Couch. Basically this means that I go around to homes of mentally challenged individuals and teach them about basic life skills that we all tend to take advantage of sometimes. I am pretty excited about it and it seems to be treating me right thus far. It is a job that is super rewarding and that helps me realize just how blessed I am. I have Gary to thank for that as well. He is always helping me look at the positive things in life and to be hopeful, rather then worry like I do so well. I am so grateful for that!

Loving the California Life!

Gary and I are currently living in the beautiful state of California. We are up on the northern coast in a city called Fremont. One of the billion reasons why its so much fun being married to Gary is because of his occupation. For the past four summers Gary has traveled to Las Vegas, Reno, Oklahoma, Illinois and now Fremont to sale security systems. I being his wife, have bean lucky enough to accompany him on these adventures. When we were dating I visited him in Oklahoma for about a week (the best vaca ever!) and last summer we lived in Romeoville, Illinois which ironically is next to a city named Joliet, ha! And now we are here in California soakin up the sun and working are darndest. Gary is doing really well so far with his sales and I am currently still looking for a job. It is so easy to get caught up in work during the summer that we tend to forget about the things that are most important. Because of this, Gary and I have made it a point to stay focused and faithful. On our way to Cali I made a scripture chart. We haven't missed a day yet and I can't tell you the difference it has made. Its amazing how good it feels when your doing what you should. The Lords plan truly is the plan of happiness. When we follow the teachings of the Lord through the scriptures and through our prophet, it brings inevitable happiness along with it. I am so grateful to the Lord for making me so happy.

One Fun Thing After Another!

Married life has been a blast since day one. For our honeymoon, Gary and I went on a cruise to Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island. In Ensenada Gary enjoyed bargaining with the local street sellers and I enjoyed watching him. We also went horse back riding on the beach and saw one of the few blow holes in the world (a blow hole is essentially a hole in a rock that blows out water when the tide comes in). On Catalina Island we went scuba diving. Gary had been many times before but it was my first. I loved it! I swear i was a fish in another life. We topped off our honeymoon with going to Disneyland. It was a blast! Since then it has continued to be one fun thing after another!

Married Life Rocks!

The married life is fantastic! Gary and I just continue to do one fun thing after another. In the past 12 months we have bean to Ensenada, Mexico, Catalina Island, Los Angeles, Chicago, Orlando, The Bahamas, and Ephraim, UT. After all these fun places I have found that the funnest place to be is anywhere Gary is. He could be sitting on our D.I. couch or soaking up the sun on Nassau beach and it would be equally fun. We have a blast together no matter what we do. Now that is what marriage is all about!