Happy 24!

Let me just start off by saying, What an AWESOME weekend!

Friday!

Scott started us off by throwing a birthday celebration for Michael the night before. We went to Brick Oven with a bunch of crazies. ;)

I think the Waitress was a little relieved when we walked out of the restaurant. Ha ha

Then we went to see the new Star Trek movie. Which was awesome. 

Michael and I had the entire night paid for! Thank you Scott. :)

Saturday!

The following day was Michael's actual birthday. He turned 24. Woo Hoo!

Isn't he such a cutie! 

I planned a party for him with his family. It was especially fun, because his sister Bonnie, and her family were in town for the weekend.

 We ate lunch, and played for hours! We played:

• Pop the Balloon
• Army Navy
• Water Balloon Volley Ball
• Everybody's It Tag
• Star Wars
• Volley Ball
• Kick Ball

With the help of my mom and sister Grace, I even made a fishing booth!

Did it actually let me upload videos!? As Michael would say, "Un milagro!"

Here's Michael fishing out one of his birthday gifts, a couple of tickets to the Living Planet Aquarium!

The Living Planet Aquarium was Amazing! There were so many cool things to see! And... I got to pet a ray!

Look! It's Dory

The otters may have been my favorite. even thought they were just sleeping.

So FUN! I want to go back...

Sunday!

Sunday, was our new baby nephew, Noah's baby blessing. Isn't he adorable?

Monday!

Monday was Memorial Day. It felt so good to have an extra day to play. We started the day by throwing a karate party for the nephews. Charlene was nice and let us use the studio. Instead of birthday chopping a birthday cake, they chopped a breakfast cake with a samurai sword. In addition, Camille brought several different kinds of muffins.  Yummy! Look at all the fun we had! 

and, I'm stealing these from Kimberly, because I think they're awesome! Especially the one of Jonny.

Poor Dad hurt his ankle. At least he was able to break a board.

After all the karate fun, we headed up to the canyon. It wouldn't be Memorial day if we didn't hold some cucumber boat races, now would it?

My boat was ahead, but Michael's passed at the last second... This was probably our tenth run. The sails were no longer intact. You're luck if the sail lasts the first run! Ha ha. 

Well, like I said, it was such a great weekend! Thank you for everyone who contributed, and to the Brooks family for the good times! We love you all!

4th Degree Test & Karate Tournament 2013

So... I've been kind of reluctant to blog. Blogging has been a good outlet for me since I've been too busy to write in my journal. However, it's also very frustrating. Videos take ages to upload (if they upload at all), and the last post I wrote, about my experiences and friendships I made while I was working at Hogi Yogi, had issues saving and I lost the entire post! Grrr..
Anyways, I figured I'd give it another go because earlier this month was mine and Michael's 4th degree black belt test and the spring 2013 Bobby Lawrence Karate tournament.
We started off the tournament with the demo team competitions. Scott put our demo together. We performed well that night. We placed first in the 3A division, which somewhat surprised me. So here goes my attempt to upload the video. Let's see if it's going to work this time... Nope. Not today. I guess pictures will have to suffice.

The remainder of the tournament went very well. Michael and I showed up a little late to judge, and they already had all the rings organized by the time we got there. For me, it was perfect. It gave me the opportunity to bounce from ring to ring to watch and cheer for all my ninjas. 

Addison and Quinn getting ready to compete. 

Austin Poulsen. He placed first with White Tiger. I was one proud instructor! 

Landon and his brother Garrett. 

I was so proud of Landon! He messed up on White Tiger, but  he restarted , and with a couple ques from me, he got through the entire kata!

Here's Carson. 

He got that third place medal in flag sparring. And then guess what he did with it! He placed around his baby sisters neck. Awww!

Me and the Bronsons. This picture is becoming a tradition. 

 There were over 600 competitors, and we got through all the divisions hours before the black belt test! 

I didn't do great in my division, but I expected as much. I can't hope to place when I don't practice at home... Yeah I have to do better with that. I did however do better in sparring. I scored 3 points on Joelle, which I consider an accomplishment. 

Michael on the other hand, was AMAZING! (I love bragging about my husband!) He placed in every event he competed in! He took third in traditional kata and 1st in traditional weapons kata. His weapon kata was called Total Eclipse of the Moon. His commas were slicing through the air so fast! you couldn't even see them! 

Now to the good part. Sparring!!

Not only did Michael place first in his division, but he went on and became the GRAND CHAMPION!! Woo Hoo! Here are the people he faught:

Colten

Kuba

Jared Stout (AF)

Martin Tinoco (Lindon)

I hate watching him spar... It seems like every time he gets hurt... 1st it was his foot, and he had to wear his black boot. Last year he took a sidekick to his ribs, and they hurt for months after. This time, in his match against Jared, he took a spinning hook kick to the head, and it actually knocked him out! Right after the kick, he stumbled and then collapsed into Miki's arms. Miki was one of the side judges. He was only out for a couple seconds before he came to. The paramedic came and checked him for any signs of a concussion. I guess he passed all the tests, because they let him back out to spar. Ah! He really needs to stop scaring me like that! Anyway, he finished and won his match against Jared, and then he won the Grand Champion match  which he fought Martin Tinoco. I actually have footage of that one, but Michael thinks it's a boring match and didn't want me to post it. Next time. 

For winning, Michael got $500 prize money. 

Check out Spanish Fork's loot this year! 

And then the wife takes the prize money. ;)

Now, on to the test. There were pros and cons to the black belt test this year. They ran it differently than they've done in the past. We started off with 50 squats, and  this time there were 4 rotations. The rotations consisted of kicks, power karate, weapons and grappling. Then we were tested on the first part of Kanku Di and Kanku Sho. I thought it ran smoothly, and I liked the addition of the power karate.

I disliked that Michael and I weren't tested on any of our 3rd degree curriculum, and that the 3rds and above weren't highlighted like they've always done in the past. Oh well... Also, Miki wasn't the m.c. He is the best! Maybe next time. 

Well, Michael and I are now officially 4th degrees. Here's the video of us receiving our belts. We must be rubbing off on each other, notice how we do the same fist pump. Ha ha. (I attempted to upload it...)

Here's the rest of the testers. 

Valentines

In prep for V-day, my lil' sis and I painted our nails red and pink. We made a big mess... but also had a lot of fun!

If it was up to me, Valentines Day would be a national holiday. Unfortunately, it's not, and Michael still had school and work. I was luckier, and had Rebekah cover my shift so I could prepare for later that evening when we finally would get to be together. 

My sister-in-law, Kimberly wrote this in regard to the holiday. I thought it was cute and wanted to share it.

Valentines Day Shout Out.

Cute! right? Anyway, back to my Valentines day. I spent a good portion of the day with my mom, but when I went back to our apartment, I found these waiting for me on the table.

My husband is such a sweetie!

I told him the pink bear was very cute, which she is, but would eventually end up in my parents basement, because she didn't match our bedroom. He was insulted and argued that Michael Bear, the stuffed bear he got me for my birthday a year ago needed a companion; he needed a Haley Bear. Ha ha. I loved his sweet logic behind the idea. 

I asked Michael if he really thought the pink bear represented me. He agreed that the pink bear looked like she was high maintenance. He said he'll take me to find a new bear that matches our room and my personality a little better. Ha ha. 

After Michael was done at karate, I picked him up and we went to eat at Sizzler. We arrived right when they were about to close. The staff probably hated us that night... We both ordered steak with sweet potato fries on the side. The manager came out and informed us they were all out of sweet potato fries but would give us $20 in gift certificates to make up for it. We definitely weren't complaining. 

I did something for Valentines day for the hubby as well. I debated about sharing this, but I put so much effort into it, plus someone reading this somewhere might think it's a good idea and try it out. If you are not married, or if the idea of what goes on between couples behind closed bedroom doors makes you blush, by all means, stop reading now. 

If you are still reading this, don't tell my husband, because he doesn't know I'm posting this. 

For Michael for Valentines day, I created my own version of the The Game of Love. Click on the link to see where the original Idea came from. Don't worry, this site is clean. The dating divas are all about strengthening marriages. 

Because I gave you the link, I guess I'm not going to go on about the details or rules of the game, but I did work hard on it and would like to post some pictures. I made the game board on a white sheet.

The Little Monkey was his Playing Piece. 

During the game, Michael landed on different spaces where he earned shrimp, chocolate covered strawberries, homemade Oreo cookies, sparkling juice, massages, the video game he's been wanting (Star Craft, Heart of the Swarm) and some other fun things. At the end of the game he scored... if you know what I mean. ;)

My advice for anyone who wants to give this game a try: play it earlier in the evening. We got started late, and we were both extremely tired. We decided to give it another go the following morning, and it was a lot more fun. Michael enjoyed the game so much, he said we should play it every Valentines Day. I'm really glad he liked it. 

For anyone who's interested, this doesn't just have to be a valentines game. You could create it for you anniversary or for your spouses birthday. It's a fun way to celebrate and strengthen your marriage.

Quick Review, Because I've Been Slackin...

Well with all the celebration and festivities that come around this time each year, I've gotten a little behind on keeping our blog updated. Here are some of the highlights from the past couple months.

• Craig left on his mission. He gave a good farewell talk. I'm so proud of him.

We're so cool. 

• Thanksgiving was at Grandma and Grandpa Decker's new house this year. We ate a lot, went on a walk and played Thanksgiving bingo. Jennie announced she's pregnant. Another cousin! :) 

Look how big the Decker side is getting!

• I applied for BYU... Again... We'll see what happens. Maybe with all the freshman deciding to serve missions, I'll get in. *fingers crossed*
• Our house got egged... Yeah... I was ready to shoot someone; especially after it rained the next day and left the foulest odor.
• We made our own J-Dawgs and went bowling with the Brooks

Look at that intensity. Blue Steel. 

• Michael's Christmas countdown was a success! Thank you everyone who participated. It made him feel really special.

• December 11th, my mom turned 45. (I think). We went to Pizza Pie Cafe to celebrate.
• I made a gingerbread house with my sister.

Yep. We're Pros.

• One of our neighbors did the 12 days of Christmas for us. We got things like: jello, toilet paper, candy and doughnuts. YES!
• Michael did the 12 days of Christmas for me. I got things like: a free back scratch, a free chick-flick movie night (popcorn included), and Recess candy bars. My husband's a sweetheart.
• We attended the Nelson Christmas Party.
• We had a karate Christmas Party. Where one of our students, Andrew Heap won the new Kindle Fire in a drawing. Guess who else came to our party. SANTA! I was sad, because Michael left before we could get a picture with him.

Santa and Andrew. 

Also, while we were cleaning up after the party, Mr. Scott performed this awesome form with pom poms. This may or may not be the result from eating too many Christmas treats. 

• Michael finished another semester at BYU. That boy is amazing!
• We survived December 21st, 2012!

• For my birthday, I got the stomach flu... and new boots. :)
• While I was sick, Michael got me Gatorade and I watched the 2nd season of Glee. (Glee's my guilty pleasure)
• Christmas eve, Michael took me to celebrated my birthday since I was sick on the actual day. We went to see Breaking Dawn pt. 2 and ate at Red Robin for lunch. That evening, we made a fancy dinner together. 

• We woke up the next day, and it was Christmas! It was our first Christmas together as a married couple. We opened stockings from each other. Michael got me the new Taylor Swift album I've been wanting. Thanks babe!  After that, we went to my parents house where we spent the rest of the day playing our new Wii games we got for Christmas. Michael and I got Mario Party 9 and Donkey Kong, and my sister got Just Dance 4. 

Aww.. look at us in our Santa hats. :) Kitty got a chocolate kiss for Christmas. 

• The two nights before Christmas, and the night after, Michael and I slept at his parents house. We were house sitting in addition to watching these two rascals, while they traveled to Idaho to spend time with the Cochrans. 

Koda and I are actually becoming buds. Michael and I watched a movie, and he came and plopped himself on my lap.

At first I was dissapointed we wouldn't wake up in our own appartment Christmas morning, but it was actually really nice. It was like staying in a hotel. And I got to take a bath in their jetted tub. That made it all worth it! 

• Michael and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. I came home from work expecting Michael to be at karate, but he surprised me by taking the day off. This next sentence is a little graphic, so feel free to skip it. I walked in our appartment to find him lying on the living room floor with nothing but some batman underwear on. Ha ha. Yep, he surprised me alright. He got me roses and took me to see Les Miserables. It was the most amazing movie! I sat there mouthing the words to all the songs. If you have not seen that movie, watch it. Watch it now while it's in the theaters! It's definitely one that needs to be seen on the big screen. :) When the movie was over we went out to eat at Tucanos. I love my boy so much for making our anniversary such a fun day together. Thank you Michael Bear! It's been the best year of my life! (After Les Mis, I've been having a hard time deciding to listen to my new Taylor Swift album or the Les Mis soundtrack.)
• On the 29th, Chloe came over and we had a girls night! We went out to eat, watched a chick flick and made peanut butter bars. It was so good to spend some time with my bestie! I miss her! Her mom just had another baby girl. Her name is Aria; from what I've been  told, aria is a musical term. She's going to be a musician, just like her big sis.
• That same night, Michael had a mans night. He went over to Scott's house. They watched a couple of UFC fights and played Starcraft. Ha ha.
• New Years Eve day I had to work. Not only did I have to open Hogi Yogi, but they closed early so I had to close too. Not only that, I was the only one scheduled! According to Kyle, he did it because in the past it's been really slow on New Years Eve day. Well let me tell you... it was NOT slow! It was one of the worst experiences of my life. On the bright side, people kept handing me ones. I made $13 in tips. Also, Michael, Rebekah and Richard came and helped me close, so I didn't have to stay there late.
• New Years Eve eve, we spent with the Brooks. We ate a yummy ham dinner, and played video games. We also lit a gingerbread house on fire and had party poppers. When 12 o'clock came around we all drank bubbly. I think my nephews had an easier time staying up than I did! 
• New Years day, we both had work off! That never happens. Unfortunately, Michael woke up with a cold. Instead of going sledding with his family, we played Mario Party, got a pizza delivered and watched a redbox. Kimberly and Lance were sweet and brought us cinnamon rolls. 
• One of our pipes froze. We went almost an entire day without running water. It's a lot harder than I would of imagined. 
• Today, I got work off again! We trained this morning with Master Lawrence, and ate out a Chili's. Yum!

That's about everything I can think of. As for New Years resolutions, well I haven't really set any yet... but I've been thinking about it. I'll set some next week when Mike goes back to school. :)

And with that, I'll conclude with this quote:

"Tomorrow I'll quit procrastinating." 

-author unknown

Happy New Years Everyone!

Tournament Nov. 2012

The Bobby Lawrence Karate tournament this November was fun and long. Friday night, we went for the demo team competition. For the amount of practice we had, I would say we had a pretty decent 

demonstration put together. Nice work Scott, for making this possible. 

Then there was American Fork's demo which took first. It was absolutely Amazing! just like always. :) One of my favorite parts is when Joelle and Josh do the malando kick together. I want a husband/wife spotlight in our next demo!

After the demonstrations, Michael and I staid to help out with judging and cleaning up. Earlier Saturday, it had started snowing, and by the time we left the expo center, it was a full on blizzard! Jessica was our ride home, and we walked out to her car to find it dead... After scanning the almost empty parking lot for someone who could help us, we finally found a nice lady to jump Jess's car. Jessica came out to thank her, and it was only after she drove off that we realized we were all locked out of the running car! We called the Sandy police, only to be told they could come break into her car, but would have to smash a window. The only other option was to call her husband Kurt, who was in Provo, to come up and save us. Which he did. Meanwhile, we were stuck out in the blizzard. Fortunately for us, the very last person in the parking lot was our friend, Jon Bronson. Jon staid with Jessica while his wife Kristin took Michael and I to get something to eat. (We were starving!) I'm so thankful for the Bronson's, so we had a warm car to wait in while we waited for Kurt to come unlock the car. By the time Kurt showed up, the roads were extremely bad... We were very blessed to make it home safely.
Michael and I went to bed at 2 in the morning, and had to get up early to go back the following morning.
The next day consisted of hours and hours of judging.... It could go so much faster if each ring could have knowledgeable scorekeepers instead of the 10 year olds they had making multiple mistakes. They slow the entire ring down. Oh well...
Here are some of my students at the tournament who competed and did awesome jobs! I was so proud of them.

And here I am judging with my friend Nathan... It was fun to hang out with my old pessimistic buddy. ;)

Unfortunately, the events went so slow, that Michael and I had to wait until after the black belt test to compete. The test went well. Everyone from our school who tested passed. Scott got his 5th degree! Woo Hoo! Here's Sydney who just earned her 1st degree black belt. 

Here's Michael warming up before competing. Look at those straddles! Scott's doing his Tuscan Raider imitation in the background. :)

Finally we were up to compete. Michael wasn't feeling too great and kept sliding on the slippery mats while he was sparring. He ended up taking third anyway. That's my boy!
He placed second in Contemporary Kata with Ba Sai Dai.
He placed first in Contemporary Weapons with Sato. See for yourself.

I competed in three events, none of which were sparring. I'm a chicken. I did end up placing first in Contemporary Kata with Black Ice. I thought Joelle's form was better, but hey, I'm not complaining. 

All in all, it was a good Tournament. I can't wait until May's. Michael and I will hopefully be testing for our fourth degrees. *fingers crossed*

iPhone 5!

Michael and I got iPhones today! I'm so excited to have all my music on my phone! Check it. :)

And mine has a super cute case!

Yay!

Walmart Bingo and Homemade Pizza

A week ago, we went to Hopper's Farewell. Yesterday, Michael and I went on a group date with him. Wednesday, he's leaving to the MTC. Crazy huh.

Anyway, I'd like to share our fun date.

It was Michael and I, Chloe and Hopper and Craig and Summer. (Craig and Hannah broke up, in case you were wondering.)

We met up at Walmart and played Walmart Bingo. If you'd like to play your own Walmart bingo, click here to get the bingo cards. We played against each other as couples. Chloe and Hopper won. I thought it was a fun game. Hopefully the others enjoyed it as well.

After Walmart, we went to my parents house and made homemade pizzas. Craig and Summer got the pizza stones and theirs stuck right to the stone. They had to eat their pizzas off the pizza stones with a fork. I really need to learn how to properly use one of those.

Rolling out Dough

Hopper cutting Chloe's heart pizza

This one was mine. It was delicious!

So Cute

After our pizza dinner, we went to our place and watched John Carter. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was a great movie despite it's bad reviews. 

I had such a great time last night. It was awesome to spend some time with my friends. I don't get to see them all that much. Now Hop's leaving on a mission and Craig is following soon after. They are going to be fantastic missionaries! I have no doubt.