Oh they say when you marry in June...

Just a line from one of my favorite musicals - has nothing to with this post. Wow - June has come and gone, can't believe it! A LOT has happened...here's the not so condensed version of my month.

Girls Camp - went up for the last day/night and had the luxury of sleeping in a pop up camper. If you wanna know my REAL feelings on camping, my sis. Kara posted on the matter and it pretty much sums up my thoughts perfectly. Check it out HERE. This picture was captured while we sought shelter from a freak thunderstorm that rolled in after it had been sunny and HOT all day! Gotta love that GA weather! Enjoyed the car rides there and back with the Sonic stops in between. We had lots of fun in the short amount of time. The girls are fabulous and have such sweet testimonies!
Oh... our ward was split last week and Rod and I are in a brand new ward. I absolutely LOVED the girls and the women I worked with. I can't talk about it too much b/c it makes me sad but I know it had to happen - needless to say I will miss them terribly!!

Dad came to ATL for business and it was fun having him here. We drove up to Greenville, SC one day and had dinner at Saskatoon (a restaurant franchise we usta rep). Edmund (the owner) was so good to us! We ate all kinds of wild game - it was tasty! Def. not a place for a vegetarian tho!

Kara and Q stopped in for a few days on their way to Key West. We had to go to Hard Rock b/c Kara is a VIP member and I thought they'd shut the place down for us but apparently she hasn't reached that status just yet... :~)
Kara and I got pedicures & did a little shopping while the boys played XBOX (lame). We also got together with our friends to have Father's Day dinner and played Settler's...always a treat!

Traditional pilsner glass complete with a chocolate shake

Love him

JAX came to visit!!! I had to take her to a GA Sonic or it just wouldn't be right! There's just one face missing here...we missed u Jenna!

Braves Game!!! FINALLY!! Lived here for 1.5 years and just now going to a game...pretty pathetic I must say. Ofcourse we had to get our Chipper Jones jersey's to make it official! Had good seats, ate the stadium served cuisine, cheered for the home team (Jax is a retired cheerleader so she really knows what she's doin) and had a BLAST!


Jones is the man

I had Jackie teach me to make her famous cinnamon rolls and how to use my Bosch that I got from my mom! I'm pretty sure it's a sin to have one and not use it on a regular basis. I'm quite embarrassed about it myself! It was tricky finding enough space to roll out that dough but she's a pro so we got it done. Ofcourse we had to wear out matching aprons!!! Jax and her mom made them - aren't they adorable?!

The aftermath...YUM! Totally worth the pile of dirty pans...

We played Settler's at night, Jax caught on real quick and did so good! There were some words exchanged but we're all still friends.

Thanks for the great company we've had thus far!!! Russ & Erin - we can't wait to have you guys out here in a few weeks!

It's the little things in life

At work today I took a quick run to Sonic b/c I was in desperate need of "a fix". My coworker Dana and I will usually trade off making Sonic runs and as I've expressed in previous posts, it pains me that everytime I pull in, I'm nothing but a stranger to them. As much as it hurts - I have come to terms with it and try not to expect any form of recognition from the staff.

And then today...it happened

I pull into the drive thru and before I even begin to speak - I hear this magical question thru the speaker:

"Just a Vanilla Dr. Pepper today?"

My mouth dropped open..."Did I hear that right?" It took everything in me not to scream out in sheer joy!!!!!

I get to the window and the girl that hands me my drink said she recognized my car so she knew what I ordered - as if she was defending herself b/c she thought it may be weird...she was soon to find out that I was def. the weirdo! At this point, this girl was my new best friend and I couldn't hold it in anymore! I told her all about my "good ol' Sonic Days" and when I heard her say my drink order over the speaker it TOTALLY made my day!

It was the best tasting Vanilla Dr. Pepper I've had since living in Georgia.



(No need to post a comment about what a loser I am that I'm actually blogging about THIS...I'm well aware ppl...WELL aware.)

SISTERS COME TO GEORGIA!!!

I wanted my sisters to come and visit Rod and I for a few reasons, but when I found a really good deal on flights I decided - WHY NOT!?
They had to see how we roll in the dirty souf right?! :~) Just kiddin guys...just kiddin.

Highlights w/o pics include but are not limited to:
*Volunteering Celine to sing in church - she did AMAZING!! Except now ppl think I can sing like that! Whoops!
*Getting pulled over by a cop on the way back from Sonic - got off with a warning! PHEW!
*Watching "She's the Man"
*Playing games at night
*Going shopping
*Beautification Day - haircuts, manis and pedis.
*Having ppl to yell at/with....lovingly of course! :~) (If you've been to the Durney residence, you know we communicate rather LOUDLY!)

These are in no particular order obviously and I'm too lazy to copy and paste chronologically


Chateau Elan...right after Danna inhaled a blue coconut slush from Sonic


Took the girls to World of Coca Cola - Rod loves getting the bottle of Coke at the end so it was worth it!

On our way to Tallulah Gorge - picture pit stop


Rod and I forced to sit on a bench - this time by Anais


Wearing her slammin' new shades indoors


Danna's faces are priceless


The woven basket walkway at Six Flags


Didn't hike it - but we took pictures to prove we were there!

Mellow Mushroom in downtown Atlanta
Danna informed us after about 15 mins of being there that this statue was "starting to really freak her out". None of us had seen it b/c we all had our backs to it except for her. HA!
(Credit and thanks to Jenna for introducing me to MM when I visited you in NC - memories.)


In memory of Kara and Anais' 1996 white Toyota corolla wagon - R.I.P.

First night in ATL - had to hit up the Varsity!

This is what happens when the Coca Cola lady asks who's been to the Factory before...and you raise your hand.

Whatta bunch of "Posers" - (the way Kristin would say it) :~)

We arm wrestled...repeatedly. It was embarrassing.

What they thought of being in Georgia with me!!!!


My house...isn't it lovely? :~)


We love our roller coasters...well, all of us but Danna.


Coca Cola Couch

Best sushi this side of the Mississippi - literally!

Aren't you jealous that Rod got to spend ALL week with US!?!?!

Anais' idea and by far the greatest picture of the entire trip!!! Man those kids were heavy!

Love you guys! Hope you had as much fun as we did! :~) We missed you Kara!
Rod says it's so quiet now - he's right - COME BACK!!!!!

Valentine's in Savannah

I will start this post off with the fact that I'm a very hard person to surprise. I don't even like surprises all that much b/c it means I wasn't "in" on something - yes I'm fully aware how ridiculous that sounds. I am way too observant and I ask too many questions which makes it impossible. I'm not being puffed up about it...it's just the truth. Well, off to work I went a few Saturdays ago and I come home to this!!!!

I felt like I was being asked to a school dance again! Right after I left Rod got up and washed our brand new sheets and made our bed with our new comforter set, blew up 72 balloons and filled each of them with a slip of paper with something that he loved about me. MELTED MY HEART! I was sad I had to pop all of them b/c I totally woulda left my room like this for the day! :~)
Thank you so much sweetie - I love you!!!



I wasn't supposed to know about the Savannah trip Rod was planning but he hadn't said anything about our Valentine weekend plans! So...I took it upon myself to plan something for us! I was looking up hotel rates and Rod happened to glance at the computer, I tried to hide it but he caught me and asked what I was doing. He wasn't too thrilled to see I ruined his surprise - (SEE! Sometimes I don't even mean to!!) His best buddy Jon hooked us up with a sweet deal at the Marriott on the Riverfront and it was AMAZING!!! That is def. one thing I don't mind spending a lil' more money on - a nice, clean hotel!!


Our friends suggested we eat at a place called the Crab Shack while we were there so we decided it would be our V-day dinner. This place was literally...a shack! It was so awesome! We got the seafood platter and I couldn't believe how much food their was!! Crab legs, crawdads, shrimp, oysters, sausage, potatoes, and corn. I LOVE seafood but I have never actually had to crack, peel and shuck my own before so it was quite an experience! I admit, I couldn't do the crawdads myself b/c they still have their beady little eyes on them and I felt so bad! It was sooo good and def. a place we will be going again someday!


We went downtown a few times and Rod had a goal to find the Forrest Gump bench and get a picture of him eating a box of chocolates while sitting on it waiting for the bus. Ok maybe not the bus. That dream was killed when we found out the actual bench is in a museum! I made him sit on several benches to take pictures anyways! :~)

Rod's mom told us about the Paula Deen restaurant that was in Savannah so we thought we could just roll up and score ourselves a seat at this downtown eatery. WRONG! They have a waiting list and they take reservations at the door starting at 8 or 9 every morning! Couldn't believe it! This is a line of ppl waiting to make their reservations.


Rod decided we'd try anyways so he dropped me off and I walked up to the hostess outside and asked her how long it would be to get 2 ppl seated for lunch. It didn't look promising either but she asked for my name and after I told her she said, "Hey - I'm Jasmine too!" Pretty sure that's what sealed the deal b/c we were up on the 3rd floor in 20 mins!

After enjoying our Lady and Sons southern cookin'! Yum!


Forsyth Park - once again wearing sandals and yes it was cold! We are such tourists...

Rod dawg LOVED these trees!!

Another forced bench picture...

There are TONS of old houses in Savannah and I decided this is the one I want. It's sad to think I will have to tell the ppl that live there that they will have to move out b/c I will be residing there when I retire. Atleast I'm giving them some notice!

Had to go and check out the historic Confederate Army fort - Ft. Pulaski!

Afterwards, we drove to check out the beach but it was soo cold and windy and I was NOT feeling well! We went back to the hotel for me to take a nap. A few hours later I felt well enough to head downtown for our last night to have dinner at this scrumptious New York style pizza place!!


Before we left, we walked down River Street and took a pic outside of the hotel to try to get a shot of the sweet view! I was pretty annoyed that I was still feeling sick b/c there's nothing worse than being sick on a vacation!

All in all - beautiful lil' city with lots of fun memories! Thank you babe for everything! Can't wait to go again!

Being this cold makes me miss my AZ!

This is my "missing AZ therapy session" - I'm extending apologies to ppl hoping for an update worth reading...this my friends, is not it.

I miss my Sonic on Lindsay and McKellips, where everyday I would pull into Stall 6, and one of my buddies would walk my drink out to me w/o me even pushing the button...yes they knew my car and pretty much the time(s) I'd be arriving....sad I know.


I miss streets that ran perpendicular and freeway exits only being a mile or 2 apart, that way if u accidentally missed it, you could flip around and you'd be right back on it! I drive at least 10-12 miles if I miss my exit here, it's brutal.

I miss wearing summer clothes and sandals - IN THE WINTER!! I now face the monthly decision..."to pedicure...or not to pedicure!?"


If you've ever been here - you already know what this is...
I miss my Costa Vida. Their sweet pork goodness that is my latter-day manna. Do you think they would overnight?!

I miss those west-coast sunsets...they are unlike any other. I don't know what it is but I just love them!!!

My Sunday Drives - (usually Las Sendas Mtn or Lehi Road) - my moment to roll down the windows, blast my music, drink my pop and totally revamp for the next week. Best stress reliever EVER!

Naturally, I miss all of my family and friends who have most likely forgotten about me, but what I wouldn't do to get my hands on this cutie...

Just to clarify...THIS cutie! :~) Jk Anais...jk!

Husband Post

Husband Post per Jenna's request, and I love her too much to let her down! :~)


Whats your husbands name? Rodney Lowell Crumpton

How long have you been married? 1 year 1 month 27 days - I counted

How long did you date? I love this question - we FIRST dated Nov. '03 and AGAIN in Mar of '07

How old is he? 28

Who eats more sweets? Probably me but he has quite a sweet tooth! He always likes to get candy he knows I won't want so he can have it for himself

Who is a better singer? Me - but he knows lyrics to lotsa songs and will sing in the car for me

Who is smarter? Rod is WAY smart, but I think we are equally intelligent

Who does the laundry? I do - he tries to help but I hardly ever let him

Who pays the bills? Bank of America BillPay - I usually write the checks

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does

Who mows the lawn? the apartment landscapers - but do they HAVE to come at 6AM!?

Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time but he has a few dishes he likes to cook

Who drives? Both - and I'm a backseat driver too, he LOVES that

Who is the first to say they are wrong? Rod...I am rarely wrong :~) but when I am, it takes me a LONG time to admit it!!

Who kissed who first? He kissed me, we were watching Zoolander and I fell asleep and he started kissing my forehead to wake me up and when I opened my eyes - BAM! ...sneaky sneaky!

Who asked who out first? Hard to say - he got my # but we hung out with the same ppl so we never really had to set anything up at first

Who wears the pants? That'd be me...Rod stop shaking ur head


I tag anyone willing to share!

Rod's Bday and Baby Leah!

I'm late but I wanted to give my hubby a shout out for turning the big 2-8 on the 15th!!!


15 attributes I LOVE about my Rod dawg
1. His laugh - this has prolly been my favorite thing about him since I've known him. Especially when he's talking on the phone with his brother Russell...Erin u know what I'm talkin bout.
2. His sense of style- even tho he's super picky, I appreciate that he doesn't dress like a frumpster.
3. He's athletic and knows a ton when it comes to sports - I've always liked that in a guy.
4. Rod can cook! If I ask him to cook something, he willingly whips something up and it will taste good too!
5. His hugs and kisses - the best in the west...or I guess east now! :~)
6. His patience and calm demeanor - I don't know how he does it!? Especially being married to me!
7. He is super funny - most ppl don't know this about him when they first meet him b/c he can be rather quiet...but his best friends/family know he is hilarious!
8. Rod is Mr. Handyman - he has such a vast horizon of knowledge when it comes to "man stuff" and I am so impressed by his abilities!
9. His loyalty to his friends - he would do ANYTHING for them. Lucky for me I'm his BEST friend!
10. His work ethic...I'm never worried that Rod will always work hard and will succeed in whatever he does!
11. He's a worthy priesthood holder - 'nuff said.
12. His spirituality and gospel knowledge - I still can't get him to write my talks for me tho!
13. How much he adores his nieces and nephews - it gives me complete confidence he will be a great dad someday.
14. His subtle surprises - I'm nearly impossible to fool but he still manages to sneak a Sonic trip when I least expect it.
15. The love he has for his family - I have never heard Rod speak poorly of anyone in his family, he is so forgiving and has the utmost respect for all of them.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pic of him....how adorable is he?! PS he tries this face now...not the same effect as it prolly was then. haha!


So here's to my birthday boy - I LOVE YOU BABE!!! Ur the BEST and I'm thankful to call you mine!

Alright so our friend Kristin is quite the baker - I'm not just saying that either just b/c I know she'll read this. :~) Everything she makes is fabulous. Well Byron (her husband that Rod and I work with) gets this bright idea to have Kristin construct a birthday cake ESPECIALLY for Rodney....it's not what ur thinking ppl....

Those of you who know me rather well are aware that I HATE several words in the english language. This picture below is a replica of the one I despise the most!

Yup...starts with a P ends with an OOP. I had to call it "Turd Cake" or "Crap Cake" b/c I physically can't bring myself to say the word.

Her fecal matter smorgasbord...impressive right?! A big thanks to Kristin for her willingness to actually make Byron's sick, twisted vision into a reality - and still making something so vile, so delicious! Rod especially appreciated it! :~)

Ok I know this deserves it's own post but wanted to give a shout out to Carrie and Loren who had their beautiful baby girl - Leah Bee on Dec. 6th!!! She's a DOLL and I can't wait to meet her!! Love u guys!


Well I better get packin' - Rod and I are off to Texas for Christmas in the morning. Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday! 'Til next year!

Giving Thanks...Arizona Style!

We got to go to AZ for Thanksgiving...this was the year all my cousins would be in Mesa (except for Jeremy who's at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio). Rod & I flew in and shared a plane ride with the UofA basketball team! I'm thankful I don't face half of the discomfort they do trying to squeeze 6ft. 8in. into a tiny airplane seat for the 4.5 hr flight! Phew!
After our flight we got our Costa Vida fix...I'm thankful for sweet pork tacos. Coldplay was that night and I thought they were playing at Dodge Theater in downtown Phoenix. We were already an hour late (on purpose) when we arrived at a DARK and EMPTY Dodge and realized it was at Jobing.Com arena in Glendale...another 30 mins away! I'm thankful Coldplay waited for Rod and I to show up...the show was grand, and they played "The Scientist" in the audience...acoustic style - I couldn't have asked for more from them.

After the concert we had planned on meeting friends at Sonic. I'm thankful for my friends that waited over an hour in the cold just to see my ugly mug. U guys are the BEST!

Next day was Thanksgiving!!! I'm thankful for my loud/crazy/hilarious family and a home cooked meal that I had nothing to do with.

After our feast...it was time for KICKBALL!

The family kickball game has been a decade long battle between boys vs. girls. We've had injuries...screaming fights...and several of us have been on the verge of disownment. But it's by far one of the funnest things we do as a family.

Girls Team...we make kickball look good.

Boys team...a couple suffered from Turkey bowl accidents - including 2 broken ribs and a major foot trauma. Still killed us 17-3. I'm thankful Rod wants to stay married to me after witnessing his first Julander/Durney Kickball match. :~) It gets real ugly sometimes...


That night all the girls in the fam...and Blakey went to see Twilight. Why all the haters...yes it was low budget but I thought it was charming. Ok I didn't like Jasper who reminded me of a blonde version of Johnny Depp in "Edward Scissor Hands"...weirdo. But I'm thankful for Edward Cullen personified. :~)

After Twilight Anais and I went with Jax and Jamie on a "Sunday Drive"...on Thursday. (Thanks for pointing that out Jam) :~) I'm thankful for QT being open on Thanksgiving b/c a Sunday Drive is not complete without a vanilla Dr. Pepper.

Guns. My grandpa has tons of em. So we drove out to the desert for a little shootin' trip. I'm thankful my grandpa can still bust out a .357 MAG and take down target after target with one hand. What a stud.

The big girl cousins...we love eachother (and hoodies)

Anais and Danna lovin' on Rod dawg.

I tried to spend as much time with this lil' guy as I could. I'm thankful my nephew doesn't cry when I go to pick him up even tho I'm a complete and total stranger to him!

Gibson absolutely LOVED Rod...it was seriously the cutest thing ever. I was somewhat jealous but how can you feel anything negative towards these 2?!?!? AWE!

A few other highlights that unfortunately I don't have the pictures to prove:
*Birthday dinner and party for Buddy Nick
*Happy Hour at Applebee's with the old gang
*Karaoke night at Native New Yorker
*Shopping with Care Bear Square Hair
*Getting to see friends and family (not everyone unfortunately) :~(
*Breakfast with the girls and our husbands/soon-to-be husbands at GIANT HAMBURGER
*Beating everyone in Settlers & getting to write my name in the box (more gratifying b/c I stomped Kara & Q at their own game) HA!
*Dinner at Sekai Sushi


Well I thought I'd finish my posting bc Rod's away at a campout...yes he's now an advisor in Young Men's! I have no problem being alone at night, but I def. don't like the fact that the bugs can sense when my husband is away!! I just killed this...

Say hello to this filthy creature better known as the House Centipede...creepy huh!? It almost makes me miss scorpions...but not quite!

Anniversaries!

One year of MARRIAGE & one year in GEORGIA!

I know this is so typical but I'm gonna praise my husband here for a minute...he really has been the most patient, kind, and loving man I could ask for and I find myself very undeserving of him a lot of the time! Moving all the way to Georgia was REALLY difficult for me...those of you who know me are aware that I don't like change and I avoid it if at all possible. I have come to find out in this last year that change is GOOD and even sometimes NECESSARY! So thankyou to all my friends, family and ppl that may not know they've even helped me thru this transition...I appreciate your patience and understanding with how ridiculous I can be! Ok...done with my rant.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks...

We kidnapped Sydney - our newest Beehive and headed over to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast/milkshakes. They are crazy...and I love em!


We've got 2 out of 3 concerts down.
Weezer was classic. Dashboard was amazing.

Oh, but Chris, we paid to hear you sing...not to give every-other-song-electoral-vote updates on Obama. Lucky for you...those prodigious pipes of yours help me see past ur political frailties.


Rod and I stayed in downtown ATL at a nice hotel and ate Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for our anniversary dinner - pricey yet delicious. Atleast they gave us a complimentary dessert! YUM!

My hunky lil' modernized cowboy...he wore his Steve Madden boots to Ruth's Chris to get away with wearing jeans. A cowboy can ALWAYS get away with jeans...hehe!

Our year anniversary in GA we decided to head up to Lake Lanier and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL fall landscape. It was MUCH colder than we had anticipated. Rod's face says it all.

This is one of my FAVORITE trees by our office-love love love the red!! Notice how we are STILL sporting our sandals! I have actually invested in some closed-toed shoes...I learned my lesson last year when it snowed! No promises the trend will stick...

Getting out the Vote!

For my sister Kara that is! Her fabulous obsession with Shabby Apple Clothing has provided her the rare opportunity to possibly win a friendly lil' competition they have going to feature their vignette on the website as well as winning the outfit itself! The mere fact she was a finalist AND had the owner vote for her should speak for itself...but being the good sister I am, thought I'd help tip the voting scale. (Not ACORN style tho)! Voting ends Nov. 19th so if you would be so kind as to submit a vote for her at the link below - we'd appreciate it!
Click Here to Vote for "Times Square Countdown"

Feel free to read the story behind her creation...I think we can all relate somewhat to needing a lil' "pick me up" after a relationship gone sour. I choose a different way to "deal"...


Dear Sonic, I love you.