VW Passat (2001-2009) RIP

Des Moines - Garrett and Sarah Condie's VW Passat, 8, died unexpextedly Saturday, July 25, 2009 at the Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines, IA.

The Passat leaves behind his two owners who were shocked to see him go and who are grieving for the loss of their vehicle, especially after recently dumping money into the piece junk.

The Passat entered the Condie family in 2006 after Garrett's mission. It provided fun times for Garrett and saw him through his 3 years at USU. People were amazed at the sound system the then-bachelor Garrett was able to put in. He could put any lowriding hispanic's sterio out of business.

After unexpectedly not starting after a trip to the mall, many techniques were used to revive the poor Passat. However, after a towing to the dealership, the Condies made a tough decision to pull the plug instead of sinking more into it.

Goodbye Passat. We will miss you, expecially because you left us high and dry. But no worries, we will get over our grief and eventually move on. Goodbye Passat. Rest in Peace in your new upcoming home: the junkyard.

A private funeral service will be held later this week. The family would like to thank everyone for their outreach of love and support. In leiu of flowers, please donate to the Condie Car Charity which will go to a much needed couple *cough* who have resulted in a similar car death situation.

Nauvoo

When we found out we were moving to Des Moines I was most excited about the fact that we were only 3 hours away from Nauvoo. Not wanting to pass the experience up, Garret and I along with Russell, another sales rep, went to Nauvoo on Sunday. Sundays are the only days we have off and what better way to spend it than going to Nauvoo.

Garrett had already been but not I. I just ate it all up. I love learning and learning about church history really opened my eyes up. I've been reading the D&C each day trying to even learn more. Here are some pictures from our journey. The weather was perfect and it wasn't crowded at all. It felt like we were on a personal tour the whole time.
Crossing the Mississippi

Entering IllinoisThe original Sun image
Lyon Drug is where Garrett's Grandma served when she was a missionaryI am jumping rope over the rope we made.
Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's Graves


I told Garrett we needed to vary our "stand by each other with our arms wrapped around each other" pose we always do. Thus, I am sitting on the stairs of Joseph's Red Brick store by a flower pot. This is where the Relief Society was established.
This was Garrett's pose of choice... This is the seventies hall. I loved all the artifacts it had in there.




And we're back to the traditional pose in front of the BEAUTIFUL Nauvoo Temple.A statue of Joseph and Hyrum

Coming away from Nauvoo both of our tesitmonies were stronger. I felt so lucky and blessed to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. I am also so grateful for the opportunity temples give us and to be able to be sealed to Garrett forever. Going to Nauvoo was a dream fulfilled and something I will never forget.

I Should Be Exercising...

It's no secret that I love to exercise but lately I seem to lack the gusto to go. The weather here in Iowa has been rainy, rainy, humid and rainy. With dark skies and wet pavement it makes me just want to stay inside under a blanket all day. But then at the end of the day comes the guiltiness of being lazy.

So I should be exercising right now but I am finding things to do to put it off until I can't anymore. Thus, the blog post. It should keep me from hitting the gym for about another 15 minutes...

The reason our blog hasn't been updated for awhile is that nothing much has happened. We did drive from Reno, NV to Des Moines, IA and I thought I would have a ton to blog about. It turns out the sagebrush and antelope of Wyoming can lull anyone to sleep and Nebraska, though beautiful, is flat and pretty much the same thing over and over again.

Des Moines is breathtaking, lush and green. The only thing I don't like about it is that I don't know where anything is. Usually I use the mountains to realize what's North and South but here everything is pretty flat and there are so many trees you can't see anything. At least we're breathing good, oxygenated air.

On our way from Reno to Des Moines we stopped in Rupert and Logan to say hi to our families quick. We miss them so much. In Rupert we were able to stop by our lot and see that the foundation for our house has been poured. EXCITING!

Originally our house was going to be finishing by Novemeber 1st, but with interest rates rising our house's deadline has been pushed up. We should be first time homeowners by Septemeber...CRAZY. We are both so excited to have a home of our own and for the opportunity we will have to live in Rupert.

Well, I guess it's off to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the opportunity and time I have to exercise it's just that this murky weather makes me lazy! Until next time...

An Update & An Announcement

I really need to get better at this blog thing. Now that Garrett and I have 5 friends actually looking at our blog I guess I had better update it more than once a month. Five friends doesn't mean high demand so updating twice a week would just be absurd. So I'm going to go with once a week to every two weeks...maybe...

So here is what has been happening in our lives lately. As of right now we are still in the bountiful land of Reno *cough* but will soon be getting the heck out of dodge (is that the right saying? I think I heard my mom say it once). This is where the announcement comes into play.

No, I am not pregnant. That is not the announcement. *Drumroll, please* On Saturday we are heading off to Des Moines, Iowa to sell for the second half of the summer. That's it. That's the grand news. It may not seem like that big of a deal to you but to us it is heaven sent.

Reno has been hard. The economy here is terrible. Every 1 in 23 homes is foreclosed. And the unemployment rate is 13%. Now that's a prime spot to be selling alarms, right? WRONG!

So we are definitely excited to be going to a new area and another part of the country. I have never been to Iowa before and am excited to see what it is all about. The most exciting part for me is that it is only 3 hours away from Nauvoo. I have never been there and am excited to see all the old church history sites.

Now that the announcement has been announced it is time for an update. Nothing much has changed here in Reno. Garrett still goes out each day, working hard and is doing awesome. He has averaged about 1 a day and it almost halfway to his summer goal! I am so proud of him. How hard it would be to go out each day and knock on doors and get rejected again and again. But when he gets that one sale it makes his time worth it.

I am still being selfish out here in Reno, doing whatever I want during the day. Usually this means I spend my morning with Garrett, kiss him goodbye to work, exercise, nap, clean and do some projects. However, this week that schedule has been altered.

As of today I am on the mend from a cold. Out of the blue I got the common cold and have been battling to not get Garrett sick. He has been so good to me. The other night I was going to sleep out in the living room on the couch so I wouldn't get him sick. I woke up to see that he had moved the mattress in on the living room floor so he could sleep next to me. How cute is that?

He has gotten the bath water going for me each day, made sure I take my medicine on time, bought me immunity smoothies and just rubbed me when I ache. Poor thing has got no attention as I am knocked out on the couch 90% of the time due to drowsy medicine. What a man! I am so lucky to have him in my life. He always puts me before himself and wants what is best for me. Oh I just love him.

You'll be glad to know that I am 87% better. No more sore throat and no more aches and chills. Just a leaky faucet of a nose. But all should be well by tomorrow.

Last I wanted to post some pictures of our drive last Sunday to Lake Tahoe. I had never been and pictured a lake just like Bear Lake. When I saw Tahoe I was speechless. It is a huge, vast oasis of water. So much bigger than I ever thought it would be. The scenery was breathtaking and I wish we could've spent more time there (It was 50 degrees and Sunday...so yeah).

We may not be the most photogenic bunch but we sure are a lot of fun. Thanks for surviving this tremendously long blog but like I said, we're so much fun so why not read it!

A Step Back in Time...

Sundays are the best days out here during the summer. Of course church is thrown into the mix, but the best part is that Garrett and I get to spend a whole day together! I just love Sundays.

Even though Garrett is exhausted by the time Sunday comes around, he always makes sure to take me out of the compound (the fond name I gave the Apartment complex) so that I can see a little more of Reno and a little less of four surrounding walls. I am so lucky to have a husband who endlessly puts me before himself.

This Sunday we went to Virginia City, an old historic mining town. It is about a 40 minute drive up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was so beautiful to wind around the mountains and see the pretty landscape.

Virginia City is kind of like Jackson Hole, only much smaller. They profit off of the cowboy theme. Store workers are dressed as cowboys and the women as saloon girls. And there are plenty of saloons.

One of the neatest parts of Virginia City was the old cemetery, dating back to the early 1800s. It was nostalgic to walk to boarded sidewalks and watch as people passed by riding their horses.

Reno may be one the armpits of the world, but when you venture out into the surrounding scenic treasures you can really appreciate this land.
P.S. It was really bright! I couldn't look at the camera.

The Biggest Little City...

It's summer and that means it is time for selling. Garrett sales for APX Alarm and this summer we are currently in Reno, NV. Very exotic, right? I just love going for jogs on the trail by our apartment only to hear rattlesnakes in the distance and try not to let the leaping lizards get the best of me. But really, we are grateful that Garrett has this job and is able to do so good at it.

We arrived in Reno a week and a half ago. We are living in really nice apartments. Many other sales reps have complained about the apartment but to Garrett and I it is heaven because: 1. There is a dishwasher 2. There is disposal 3. There is a tub 4. It is a huge tub. So huge that 4 people can fit in it, seriously.

Garrett is doing well this summer. Reno has been hard hit by the economy so it's been tough to sell. However, Garrett has been able to sale everyday. We know it is because of all the prayers that are on our behalf. Thank you. It is tough but Garrett does well to push hard everyday. The foreclosure rate here is 1 in every 23 homes. Can you believe it?

We won't be in Reno much longer. Probably 2-3 weeks at the most. Then it's off to somewhere new and we have no idea where.

Sometimes I get lonely being at home all day but it had been a nice break. I get to work on some projects, go to the gym, and take naps. I feel bad doing all this knowing how hard Garrett is working all day. But I do have a job as well. I work for APX writing news stories for their website. I write approximately 10 stories a day.

We are so blessed and miss everyone, but it's fun to have this new adventure. Don't forget about us here in Reno.

This is Garrett and Wesston, ready to leave to Reno from Rupert. The two drove their motorcycles out and I was left to fend for myself with the stick shift Passat. Good news is I only stalled 3 times the entire 8 hour journey!

Still Alive After 13.1

We did it! Garrett and I finished the Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon. It took us just under 2 hours and 25 minutes (I beat Garret by .01 of a second). It was great to see many members of our families out supporting us.
The night before the race Garrett got about 30 minutes of sleep. He was so nervous, not knowing what to expect. When we got to the starting line there was a gospel choir singing getting everyone excited. As we were waiting in line for the port-a-potties at the starting line we saw the Black shirt team from The Biggest Loser. We were able to talk to them and they were really nice. I even shook their hands and since I talked to them Garrett owes me $6 dollars.
We were in the port-a-potties when the actual race started, but no need to worry because with over 13,000 people participating in the race it takes a while to cross the finish line.

The race as a whole was good. About mile 11 the marathon winner ran past us...sad when a marathon runner is faster than you are at a half marathon.
Crossing the finish line was great. Garrett and I ran through holding hands.

I am so proud of Garrett for accomplishing this. He is so good to support me in my hobbies and even does them with me. With that being said, I'm still trying to convince him to run a full marathon. This is where I need your help! Pump him up for it. I'm shooting for the St. George Marathon in October. Garrett can do it!