Surprise! I'm starting a blog! It will mostly be updates and pictures about our little family. Hopefully it will not only be a great resource of memories for Matt and me, but a way to stay in touchwith our extended family.

First a little introduction to each member:

Here's a picture of Matt at the beach in San Diego. We met online through eHarmony November 14, 2008, and then met in person December 30th in California, and have been nearly inseparable ever since!

Here's a picture of me 8 months pregnant in our home in Salt Lake City. We've been married for a year and half now and are expecting our first child Evelyn Marie Streeter, sometime in November. Pregnancy has been kind to me so far; the first 6 months seemed to fly by. Because it's my first pregnancy and I have a tall torso, many people are surprised that my belly isn't larger. We're confident that Evelyn is healthy though, because of my consistent weight gain (40 lbs. so far) and Evelyn's surprisingly strong kicks. I sometimes use my belly as a desk while lying down, and it's amusing to watch the laptop bob up and down as Evelyn tries to give herself some additional leg room.

This is Tipsy and Ayso. Tipsy has a bit of white on his ear and Ayso has a black spot on her chin. Though not literally members of our family, they definitely inspire a lot of affection and laughter in our household. So don't be surprised when I give updates on their antics as well. In this picture they are cuddling on the bed, a favorite pastime of theirs, especially when it's cold.

These are pictures of the Terrace apartments. We moved here in August so that Matt could go to graduate school at the U of U. As you can see it's a large complex, with all of the apartments facing an inner courtyard. The courtyard has a play area, covered BBQ and picnic area, and a swimming pool. There's a lady in red passing by our apartment in the photo. We're on the second floor next to the elevators. We chose these apartments because they were close to downtown, and very close to the Trax and bus routes. Matt takes the bus or train directly to school nearly every day.

We enjoy living so close to the temple! It's just a mile or so up main street. It's still surprises me every time I unintentionally drive past it. We've really come to love the Salt Lake Temple. We love learning about it's history and discovering it's many beautiful facets. Matt and I go to the temple at least once a month, usually on a Saturday since that's the only time Matt has off. We'd like to visit all of the temples in Utah, but it's hard to ignore the convenience of staying close by. We did manage to go to a session and eat at the cafeteria of the Jordon River Temple on the way to Paul's last Thursday.

For exercise, I like to take walks around our neighborhood. despite living on a busy street, the area is mostly residential, particularly behind the Terrace apartments. Just north of us there is a unique neighborhood of houses with no street! The houses all face inward, and their front yards face a shared lawn and pathway. This is my favorite place to wander by on my walks because each house has it's own personality.

Most of the homes near us are beautiful old homes. I love admiring their architecture.

We live just around the corner from our church building, no more than a five minute walk. The whole ward is within walking distance. In fact, last Sunday, Matt's elder's quorum decided to use their lesson time to go out and visit members of their quorum who had been absent for a while.

Autumn is so beautiful in Utah! First the leaves start changing in the mountains, but soon the fire of color spreads throughout the valley. Because the neighborhoods around our home are older, the trees are older and taller too, and quite breath taking.