25 ain't so bad

So yesterday I turned 25. Yep, hit the official mid-twenties. And it's only up from here. :) Now I understand why people say they don't feel their age...I'm 25 now and still feel like I'm 18. Crazy how fast time flies by. But in spite of the reminders I got yesterday that I am now a quarter of a century and halfway to 50, I must share the joys and blessings that 25 years has allowed me.

1. At 25 years old, I have been blessed with amazing family and friends. All the phone calls and texts and family poems and cards full of birthday wishes reminded me of the wonderful people that are in my life. Seeing myself surrounded by amazing people like you makes me think, 25 years ain't so bad. With a support system like this, I can do anything...even turn 25. So bring on another 25!

2. At 25 years old, I have a husband who loves me, who gave me breakfast in bed, who remembered my favorite hallmark characters (Hoops and Yoyo...they're a hoot!) and sent me an ecard with them, who suffered through a chick-flick for me, and who checked to see that my knees weren't creaking thus proving I'm not too old. 25 ain't so bad. Bring on another 25 just like this.

3. At 25 years old, I have been able to appreciate the beauties of this world. What a wondrous world we live in! Heavenly Father has blessed us tremendously. And two special people in my life shared wonderful displays of this beauty with me. Thank you for showing me 25 ain't so bad. Bring on another 25 filled with the beautiful creations of this earth.

4. At 25 years old, I have come to appreciate many sports. But beyond that I have appreciated the support of family and friends while playing sports. Yesterday I had the chance to witness this loving support as I attended a baseball game with my aunt Aida and my grandma. Aida's nephew, Casey Fien, on her husband's side plays AA baseball for the Detroit Tigers. He's playing here in Mesa this weekend and his immediate and extended family on the Cooper side, plus Aida (and me and Grandma) traveled from California and Tucson to watch him play and cheer him on. What a wonderful display of love and support and encouragement! See, 25 ain't so bad. Bring on another 25 filled with this kind of support and I'll be just fine.

Aida and Grandma.

Some members of the Cooper family watching the game.


The gathering after the game. Grandma enchanting all.

Aida enjoying the family, and Casey and his mom chatting.

So thank you to everyone for making the last 25 years special and for helping me look forward to the next 25+ years. I can harldy wait to see what are the next things I'll learn. I love you all! Love you Kyle! And the biggest thanks goes to my Heavenly Father for all these wonderful blessings!

Go Trojans!

Yes, that would be the USC Trojans. Who else? My mom and dad came down on Oct. 25 to go to the USC football game against the Univ. of Arizona in Tucson. Oh and to visit with us too of course. :P And despite the fact that they would be sleeping on twin-sized mattresses in a cramped room, they were more than willing (Dad especially) to accept the invitation to go see the Trojans play. We were so glad to have them with us. It was such a fun weekend. We even got to meet up with my aunt Aida for dinner before the game. Thanks Mom and Dad for coming! It was a blast! Here are some pics from the football game.

The Trojans about to begin the battle.

The boys hard at work.

The final score: USC 17 Arizona 10.

Although a victory, it was still too close for my dad's liking.

The victors! Coming to celebrate with their fans and the band.

Dad cheering on his USC Trojans.

Mom and Dad at the end of the game.

Dad able to relax because USC won, and

Mom able to relax because Dad's Trojans had won.

Green Family News Flash!!!

Hot off the press! As of about 10 minutes ago...


KYLE PASSED THE ARIZONA BAR EXAM!!!!!

We are so excited!!! The Lord continues to bless us.

I wanted to take a picture of Kyle on this all important day, but he wouldn't let me just for this posting. So I'll have to sneak the camera around this celebratory weekend. Thanks to Columbus, we get a long one. :) And thank you for all the congratulations! We're happy we can celebrate with everyone despite the distances. Well, we're off to a friend's surprise birthday party. (aka perfect opportunity for me to take a picture of the newest AZ lawyer. ;) ) Love you all!

Golf...not for the weak

This is me golfing on Saturday. Okay, so maybe not really golfing. More like trying to learn how to swing a golf club, connect with the ball, and not look totally uncoordinated while doing so. I did have a good teacher. Kyle showed me how and then let me do my thing. I didn't do horribly, definitely laughed a lot. And though it was fun, I'm paying now for never having done this before because my arms and shoulders are STILL sore.

AZ--Keeping it real, and hot!

Alright, so here is a bit more of an actual update of what's going on down here in P-town, AZ. We've been here for almost 2 months now and still trying to get used to the heat. Although, we've got to the point now where 93 degrees (the usual temp after sundown) feels pretty good. Sad, I know. We have been assured that you never get used to the heat. And our hopes of enjoying the cooler temperatures in the fall were slightly dampened when a lady I met at the RS broadcast said she doesn't mind the summer because it's supposed to be hot. Instead, she hates the fall because you expect it to get cooler, and it doesn't. So, we're now looking forward to the winter. Never thought I'd ever say that. Haha.
Aside from the heat, we've had fun getting to know people a little better in our ward and we've enjoyed being able to spend time with Kyle's sister, Staci, and her family, plus my aunts Melissa and Jill and their families. Kyle's parents have come down a couple of times also which has been fun. Last week, Vicki (his mom) taught me and the grandkids (Staci and Kirk's kids) how to make butter mints and spudnuts, family recipes for those melt-in-your mouth after-dinner mints and donuts made with mashed potatoes. They were really tasty and a lot of fun to make. (Kyle was pretty adamant about me being a part of the mint making because they are his favorite Christmas tradition. Well, to eat them that is. ;) I'm glad that I got to be a part of the process and would have done it even if he hadn't been so...clear about his wish for me to learn. :P )
When we're not playing...Kyle's working at the County Attorney's office and learning a lot. He has just about 2 more weeks until he gets his results for the AZ bar exam. So we are anxiously awaiting that news. I try to keep busy looking for a job, keeping the house in order, and teaching violin lessons on Saturdays. Right now I only have one student, but her mom is helping me find more.
Below are a few pics of our first couple of months here.

Here I am eating our first meal in our apartment on our "table". Yes, it's a box. And though I look pretty cozy, Kyle had a little more difficulty getting comfortable having legs twice as long as mine. Oh, and the reason we're eating on a box is because our furniture and most everything else didn't get delivered to us until about 3 days after we got here. By the way, thanks again Mom and Dad for helping us drive from Denver! It would have been difficult without you and much less entertaining. :)

This is my wonderful husband being patient with me as we decide where to hang our pictures.
Here he is on the other side of the room. After reviewing the pics, we went with above the TV.
The realtor who tried to help us find a place to live invited us to a Diamondbacks game. So this is us the day after we got here.
And here is Kyle brushing up on his golf swing this past Saturday. After teaching me some pointers, he showed me how the more-experienced golfer does it. I was very impressed with how far he got the ball to go.

ATV Bandits

I know this may come as a shock to everyone, but I'm actually updating our blog! It's a miracle, I know. :) Although it's not very much today, since I found this new program for editing photos (Picasa 3, downloaded it for free!) I can assure you that there will be much more to come. I'm having fun playing around with it and it makes it super easy to post to the blog. So, here is my first creation...a collage of the ATV Bandits! These pics were taken on our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We went on an ATV tour through the mountains that included not only these sweet bandanas and goggles, but also took us to a tequila tasting. We learned all about how it's made and the different flavors they can make. Don't worry, we didn't try any. ;) By the way, we were absolutely filthy afterwards. Guess the goggles and bandanas were good for more than just great fashion. Well, more pics and updates to come. I'm gonna go play on the Picasa program some more!

Pictures!

Married to a Lawyer!

So, it's been awhile since we updated our blog. We're now moving onto week four as a married couple. For those of you following along at home, that's almost a full month we've been married. We had an incredible time celebrating with so many friends and family. Thank you all for coming and sharing in our special day.

Adjusting to married life hasn't been too big of a challenge... Yet... We're learning the art of storing all our wonderful new gifts without much storage. It's a challenge but we're having fun making it work.

This past week we got some exciting news that Kyle passed the Colorado Bar exam. It was an exciting day in our household and we celebrated by having milkshakes from Carl's Jr. Now the trick is going to be for Kyle to find a job to put that law license to work! We love you all and hope everything is going well!

The big day is just around the corner!

So, inspiration hit as I read my brother and sister-in-law's blog announcing their exciting news of expecting their 3rd beautiful child! So I decided that I would share what I am excited about... only 13 (practically 12) more days until Kyle and I get married!!!! Yep, I put off counting down for so long but now it is almost here and I just can't help but count down. We are so excited to get married! We want to say thank you to all of you for your love and support. We have received so many warm wishes and great advice and many generous gifts. We are incredibly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Thank you! We love you!

Engagement Photos Slideshow

Photography courtesy of Dusty Volkel. www.volkelimage.com

The proposal!

WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED January 5, 2008 HOW IT HAPPENED Have you ever seen those proposals on the jumbo tron at sporting events? Well, this one didn't happen like that. I never really knew when the actual proposal would happen. However, one bright, warm, winter morning Kyle promised me a surprise trip. I thought he was a little crazy when he told me to get my gloves, hat, and winter coat seeing as how it was 60 degrees outside. Off we went on our journey to the high country without a clue where we were going. Along the way the weather turned cold and snowy, making me thankful for my hat and gloves. Turns out Kyle wasn't crazy after all. Kyle's favorite part was when we saw a sign along the way that said a company was offering sleigh rides a mile off the road. I exclaimed, as only I can, how much I wanted to go on a sleigh ride. A mischievous grin crossed Kyle's face as he exclaimed, as only he could, "Oh. Good to know." As our journey ended, we found ourselves at Devil's Thumb Ranch where Kyle had prepared a romantic sleigh ride for two. The snow was falling perfectly as we embarked on our excursion through the trees and pastures meeting new friends along the way. At the completion of the ride, we were dropped off at an inviting campfire made for us. As we enjoyed sipping some hot chocolate goodness that I can still taste, Kyle took off his gloves and I thought, "Are you crazy? It's cold out here." As he got down on his knee, I announced to the nearby horses, "Are you serious?" With that, Kyle told me I was the girl of his dreams and that he wanted to spend eternity with me and asked me to marry him.

About Kyle

Wow, where do I start? There's so much good and wonderful about myself, I'm not sure I can fit it all into 4000 characters. I'll do my best. I was raised in small-town Nevada where I learned the finer points of the outdoors and how fast small-town gossip can travel. I've since graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a Political Science degree and earned my Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of law. I finally took the bar exam and now, with all my free time, I'm helping plan a wedding.

About Carla

Those of you who know me know that I don't really like to be in the spotlight. So writing this little blurb about me is pretty hard. But to be nice to those who don't know me, I'll do my best to tell a little bit about me. I am 24 and currently live in Greenwood Village, about twenty minutes south of downtown Denver, working at an investment company downtown. I graduated from BYU in 2006 with a Family Science degree, emphasizing in Family Finance, and two minors in Business and in Music. After graduating, I traveled around for about a year just visiting various places and then settling in Boise for a few months where I lived with my oldest brother and his family. I was able to learn a lot while living and working there. Finally, it was time for me to come home and I moved back home at the beginning of 2007. This had to be the best decision of my life since it led me to meet the love of my life, Kyle. :)

Our Wedding! Important Info - Please Read!

April 12, 2008 is the all-important day.

The ceremony is at the Denver Temple at 2 pm. All those invited please be there by 1:30 pm.

We are registered at Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

For those out-of-towners needing lodging, see below for hotel info.


Extended Stay Hotels: (both located about a mile up the road from Carla's parents' house)
Each room has a small kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator.
A shuttle is available from the airport to the hotel and is also available to be reserved to drive from the hotel to the reception.
ExtendedStayHotels.com

1. 4885 S. Quebec St.
Denver, CO 80237
303-689-9443
1 Queen-size bed
Regular Rate (1-9 rooms booked): $44.99
Discount Rate (10-20 rooms booked): $35.99
Discount Rate (21-40 rooms booked): $31.99

2. 5200 S. Quebec St.
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
303-220-8448 x1102
1 Queen bed
1 Sofa bed
Regular Rate: $49.99

JW Marriott

150 Clayton Lane

Denver, CO 80206

303-316-2700

***If you decide to book a room at either of these Extended Stay Hotels or at the JW Marriott, please let us know so we can be sure that you get the discount.

P.S. It shows up a lot better if you click on the image.

For a few more hotels near the Hunts' house, click on this link: www.denvertechcenterhotels.com

Hopefully that's all the info we need to provide. If you have any questions, please contact our people and they'll get back to you. Or you can just email us and we can do the work. :)

How We Met!

Well, this story is one that began with a very Mormon cliche. A couple of months after I moved back home, I was extended the opportunity to serve as Relief Society president in our little church branch. For those of you who don't know what the calling of Relief Society president is, basically I was responsible for making sure everything was alright with all the women in our church group. Kyle was serving as the Elders Quorum president, being responsible for the men of our church group. Serving in these positions brought us together, providing us opportunity to serve together and to get to know each other. Kyle concocted a plan, when we were both asked to visit some less-active members of our branch, whereby we would go together to make these visits. From that moment on, we've seen each other almost everyday.