Meet the Mackelprangs

Sedona Family Vacation

2012-05-22T20:40:00.003-07:00

The first week in May, my family got together for a relaxing vacation in Sedona, Arizona. My parents rented a house in town and the location & size were just perfect. While we were there, we went on multiple hikes, at at some tasty restaurants, and made a baby blanket for the soon - to - be newest family member! It was so nice to see my family, especially Chelsey, Nate, & Mariah since they had been living in Utah and I hadn't seen them since Christmas.

Had to be gender neutral - Found out we are having a Girl 1 week later!

Josh & Sarah's Wedding

2012-05-11T18:09:00.002-07:00

April 14th, 2012 Josh & Sarah were married in the Las Vegas Temple and I am so glad I was able to attend! It was a beautiful ceremony and reception. I was so impressed with all the decorations her family pulled together for the center pieces. They were all different but coordinated perfectly! Sarah looked amazing in her dress and the couple just oozed love - I love that part of weddings!

Craig & Dawn Mackelprang

Jared & Leanna

How totally handsome does the Mr. look here!

Besties!

Labor Day 2011

2011-10-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Chad and I went to visit our family in Vegas. While there, we went with the whole Mackelprang clan to visit the dolphin exhibit and Secret Garden. I was surprised at how close we could get to the animals. Addy and CJ loved the dolphins. Addy was hilarious - she kept getting startled when they jumped out of the water even though she new it was coming. We went on the perfect day because September can be brutal in Vegas but the cloud cover and light wind made the experience quite nice. I'm proud to say that I've now seen the exhibit where the tigers that almost killed Siegfried... or was it Roy? lived. I still remember what an uproar that caused - Sad - but our visit to the zoo was free from danger and will be a memory cherished forever :)

Lincoln City, Oregon

2011-08-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, my Rasband family had a reunion on the Oregon Coast. Everyone attended and we all stayed cozy in a lovely house on the beach. While there we visited the aquarium and had a blast watching the crazy big crabs, pythons, and jelly fish.

We also spent a ton of time at the beach. We had a sand castle competition, flew kites, and explored amazing tide pools. I saw starfish which, though it's not my first time, never seems to get boring.

We also picked blueberries which are a Hilton family favorite. So far, we have picked blueberries in North Carolina, Maine, and now Oregon.

It was great to spend time with my immediate family, grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles all at the same time. Chad & I got to spend a lot of time with Chelsey & Nate which was great since we don't live by them anymore. It's only been 1 week since I've been home but I already miss everyone and want to plan our next vacation!

Seattle July 2011

2011-07-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've pretty much died as far as blogging goes but I'm back! Better late than never right?

This year has just been flying by and I'm getting a little freaked out about what that means for the rest of my life.

As a short recap: I've been at General Mills for just 2 weeks shy of a year and am still loving it! How did I get so lucky to have this job?!

Chad & I celebrated our 2.5 year anniversary in June - and yes he made fun of me for still celebrating months but I figure it's allowed till year 5.

I raced in my first triathlon in April and couldn't believe what a thrill it was! I'm signed up to swim the relay portion of a full tri in October with my Mom (bike) & Grandpa (run)

Yesterday, I returned home from an amazing trip to Seattle, Washington. General Mills had their end of the year region meeting in Seattle and I extended a couple days to visit my friends Allie & Drew Strong.

The meeting started out with some awesome lectures - one from an internal economist that seriously blew my mind. Then later that night, we ate dinner in the Space Needle. Great view, tasty food, and good company - pretty much an awesome night.

The next day, we had some down time to explore the city so my friend Gloria and I wandered all over Seattle with most of our time spent at Pike's Market. I could get lost in there for days! I went back the last day of my trip to get some food before flying home and I had the best Mac & Cheese of my life. For those of you who know me, you know I'm a Mac & Cheese connoisseur. I've tried a hundred different kinds but this was by far the best.

That night, my region rented out a dinner venue called the Garage. The Garage is this awesome bowling ally, pool hall, karaoke & bar. We all partied till late in the night and I discovered I'm not half bad at pool. Who knew?

The next day, I met up with Allie Strong. I've not seen her in 3 years - since her wedding day! So nice to reconnect. That night, while Allie was teaching dance, her husband Drew and I visited their friend's market. I had a food truck pork quesadilla and then we went to the Mariners game! We had awesome seats thanks to Drew's friend (4th row!) but sadly the Mariner's couldn't manage to score even one point. Boo.

The next day, I took the bus to the Seattle Zoo. I give myself props for that one :). The zoo was beautiful and it was a perfect day. I even got to see a Jaguar! That's a first for me. That night, Allie and Drew took me to their fav. Indian restaurant. It was delish. Then we got ice cream and visited the coolest bookstore I've ever been to.

Saturday came too quick in one aspect, but I was missing Chad and glad to see his handsome face at the airport that night.

Finally, one of the most exciting parts of my week was purchasing my very first, long awaited, DSLR Canon Camera! So, you might see more posts in the future just because I'll have a camera to document my life with!

Weekend Getaway

2010-11-06T08:43:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago, Chad and I had the privilege of joining his cousin Ashley at her family's beach house in San Diego. We were down on Imperial Beach, just miles from the boarder and right smack on the coast. I have been wanting to go to the beach all year and couldn't believe how lucky we were to have a practically free vacation with all the amenities.

While we were there, we tried some good food and explored San Diego, Coronado Island, and Hollywood.San Diego was great, we had amazing mexican food and enjoyed the interesting and not too busy city. Hollywood, however, was a nightmare. The traffic was horrendous and we didn't even get out of the car. Our goal was to see some of the "famous houses". We drove through a lot of neighborhoods but rarely knew who's house we were looking at.

After visiting Hollywood, our friend Jordan treated us to a night at Knotts Scary Farm. I am a baby. I hate scary things so this was a challenge for me. We did find a compromise so that the boys had fun while I kept my sanity. When they went into a haunted house, I ducked into a gift shop to escape the Demons wandering the park scaring people.

When Monday arrived we all sadly loaded back into the car to drive home. It was a great weekend and some of the fun moments are documented below.

Life in Scottsdale

2010-09-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Scottsdale is Awesome. After being here for almost 2 months, I think it's safe to say I love the city. I love how clean it is. I love the green (and I mean completely green bark) trees. I adore the clear, vibrant sky, and I'm thoroughly overwhelmed with the plethora of food choices. Thanks to General Mill's I've been able to eat at many of these delicious establishments. A few of them are:

Brio Tuscan Grill

White Chocolate Grill

Sapporo

Sauce

Thai House

Of these restaurants, my favorite is definitely the Thai House. For those of you who live in Scottsdale, its amazing and you should go! (corner of Shea and Scottsdale Rd.) Their mango sticky rice is to die for and I love love love the curries.

Apart from eating, Chad and I have had some other adventures too. We were so lucky and got free tickets to the John Mayer/Owl City concert. I am such a fan (of John Mayer) and was overjoyed at the idea. The concert was in an outdoor amphitheater and we had grass seats - so much better in my opinion than sitting on a hard chair.

We have also seen a comedy show (amateur for sure) at a Mexican restaurant no less-random! We road tripped to Vegas to see our family and we went to our first Diamondback's game.

Now that we are pretty much settled, I'm excited to explore the city on my bike, hike Camelback, eventually go to Havasupai, and see more of downtown Phoenix.

European Tour

2010-07-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, Chad and I just got back from backpacking through Europe! We started in London but due to the ridiculousness of trying to add and move around pictures in this program, we will be working backwards through our trip.

Our last stop was in Paris, France. The picture below is of the back of the Notre Dame. It is one of the most gorgeous buildings we saw.

While in Paris, we went to the Louvre and saw many amazing pieces including the "Liberty Leading the People".

The Winged Victory, One of my all-time favorite sculptures.

The front of the Notre Dame.

Of course the Mona Lisa, and yes it is small.

The Code of Hammurabi was amazing. It is the first known written law and is older than the 10 Commandments.

The architecture of the Louvre is awesome. I would go there just to see the building.

We went to the Eiffel tower at night which I highly recommend because it's much more stunning when the lights go on.

Before going to Paris, we rented a car and traveled down the Rhine River. We saw many old castles and we both agreed that the Rhine is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

One of the castle Ruins along the Rhine.

The people were growing grapes for wine right on the mountainside.

The Castle Marksburg where we had a guided tour.

These pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the place.

The Dome Cathedral in Koln, Germany. It is the largest gothic cathedral in Germany.

While we were in Amsterdam, we found a lovely cheese store and are now enjoying the purchases we made there!

In Amsterdam we went to the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. Van Gogh is my favorite artist and I was in heaven. I brought home many more paintings to add to my growing collection.

While in Amsterdam we rented bikes which was a genius idea. We had so much fun cruising all over the city and the weather was wonderful.

We went to Rotterdam for the Tour De France and saw the preliminaries up close and personal! Yes we saw Contador and Lance Armstrong from 2 feet away but sadly our camera failed us at the crucial moment. So, you can see Armstrong finishing on the big screen.

Food was a big part of our trip and boy did we have some good food. This picture was taken at a wonderful restaurant in Rotterdam.

Before visiting Rotterdam for the Tour De France, we stayed in Antwerp, Belgium. Chad loved this city and so did I. It was small, quaint, beautiful, and the people were really friendly. Antwerp is trying to become the fashion capital of Europe so there were a bunch of fun (though expensive) boutique stores.

The amazing cathedral in Antwerp.

This food was amazing! Notice all the sauces we had to choose from!

While in London we visited the British Museum. I am in Love with the British Museum. I could spend a week there. Below is the Rosetta Stone.

Shakespeare's Globe theater where we saw Henry VIII. We were in the standing (peasants) crowd and it was unique but exhausting!

Yes, we went to Wimbledon. I don't know how we got so lucky to score amazing tickets but we did. We saw Venus Williams in her final match (she lost) against Tsvetana Pironkova.

One of the many stunning views along the River Thames in London.

St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In London, we went to Gordon Ramsey's Maze Grill. It was the best food I've ever had period. I'm not a fan of Ramsey's cursing on Hell's kitchen but after going to his restaurant I've decided he can do whatever he wants.

Westminster Abby. I loved the tour of the inside but we were not allowed to take pictures.

Obviously Big Ben

Gate at Buckingham Palace. We made it in time for the changing of the Guard.

Windsor Palace was our first stop after getting off our overnight flight. Notice that all we brought we are carrying on our backs. Yes we are exhausted at this point but the palace was beautiful.

This trip was so amazing I can't even begin to record all the things we did, saw, ate, and experienced. I can't believe I finally made it to Europe and I am most definitely planning on going back.

Birthday Bliss

2010-05-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

My 22 birthday was fantastic. My hubby made it great starting with breakfast Saturday morning and ending with yummy cheesecake on Sunday night. Here are some pictures from the fun weekend.

MY AWESOME WIFE!

2010-05-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

(MY FAVORITE PIC)

Hi Everyone!,

This is my 1st post on this blog and I make this special anomaly to raid Kay's blog because I wanted to let everyone know how awesome she is! Kayla turns 22 in a couple days and I wanted to publicly let her know how much I appreciate her in my life. I am in awe of the things she has accomplished and the things she can put up with (mainly me). The past 17 months have been amazing and I wish time would become heavy so that we could spend more of it together. We have some great adventures ahead of us. I hope to have the camera nearby to document those times. Mostly to take pictures of her. I truly am a lucky guy to have someone so responsible, caring, and passionate as Kayla. Thank you for everything babe!

Happy Birthday Kayla!
I love you!!!

The Luckiest Husband,
Chadwick

Advice Needed

2010-03-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Chad and I just bought tickets to Europe for this summer. This trip has been a long time coming as many of you know. I am out of my mind excited and want to visit everywhere. Unfortunatly, we have limited time and so I would like to know what those of you who have been suggest as the must-visit destinations. We are going to be in London for 4 days. Then we are traveling through Belgium, next to Amsterdam, then through western Germany down to Paris (4 days) and back up to London. We have 15 days total to work with. Please let me know your thoughts!

Coolest thing I've ever seen

2010-03-18T12:48:00.001-07:00

These eco-friendly houses are amazing! Not only can you pick them up and ship them anywhere in the world without any hassle because they are made of old recycled shipping containers, but they are super unique and comfortable. A Port-A-Bach sleeps two adults and two children comfortably. It folds up into a solid steel shell. It comes with a kitchen and bathroom (composting toilet). Seriously the coolest invention I've seen lately. All over the world construction companies are building homes out of these shipping containers. It is a great way to help recycle and preserve the environment without putting a kink in your style!

Chugs

2010-02-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Chad and I are debating getting a puppy when we move to Arizona and I'm interested in what you all think. I personally think chugs (mix of pug and chihuahua) are adorable. They also are great apartment dogs, amazing with little kids, and most important-shed very little. So, take a good look at the picture below and vote on the poll!

I'm a roadie!

2010-02-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Not the groupie kind but the road bike kind! I've embarked on a new adventure with a couple of goals in mind. 1) Tour the Grand Canyon, 2) Ride route 66, 3) Ride Hwy 1 in California! I've just bought a new Trek 1.1 road bike and taken my first ride up the Provo Canyon. It was a major success. I always fear that I'll get a great idea but it will stay just that, an idea. Or the other problem is I'll think I'll like something but then don't. It was a big investment to buy this bike and all the gear but after my first ride, I'm in love. I'll keep you all updated on my best rides and if you are into road biking let me know! We will be road buddies!

My Bike!

Think Green

2010-01-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting site (http://www.greenissexy.org/) while reading Vogue. It's my favorite magazine because it doesn't have tons of annoying or dirty articles- Just interesting pictures and a few topic stories. Anyways, apparently Rachel McAdams started this site, and it has some fun and easy ways to live greener. As everyone knows, I'm interested in this type of thing but not very good at it. So, I thought I'd share this site with everyone who's in the same boat as me.

PS: also funny- http://www.uranusapparel.com/products.html

2009-12-30T17:09:00.000-08:00

I have officially been married for a year and I am happy to report that my husband and I are still madly in love. :) I have been asked multiple times if it was a hard year and I feel sort of like a spoiled brat because it has been wonderful and flew by faster than any other year of my life. I guess people expect you to say "ya it was hard but we made it through". I have no such feelings though-so sorry. Our anniversary was quite fun. We both had money from Christmas so we shopped till we dropped then went over to the Venetian and had a great 3 course dinner at San Marco owned by Mario Batali. It was really fun because we got 5 cheeses, 3 unique vegetables and 1 fried dish as our appetizers. Then we both order gourmet pizza and pasta. My pasta had a pureed cauliflower sauce which was to die for. After that we headed over to the Bellagio for our favorite Pina Coladas. I had so much fun that I'm sad it's over but I'm excited to start our second year of marriage which I'm sure holds more surprises and fun than the first.

2009-11-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

Kayla is thankful for:

1. An amazing husband

2. New job with General Mills

3. To be able to move out of Utah to somewhere warm (Arizona) in a few months

4. Adorable sisters and being in town for Christina's 4th birthday

5. Loving parents who are always willing to give advice and council

6. Great In-Laws who hosted Thanksgiving for the Hiltons

7. An Uncle who is always willing to help-even last minute

8. Supportive friends who care about Chad and Me

9. A car that runs

10. A God that answers prayers

2009-10-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

The reason I haven't posted anything for months is because my pictures were trapped on my camera. I finally got a converter and now I can update everything since I realize no one bothers to read if there are no pictures.

These are some of the adventures we had this summer.

The Real Salt Lake Soccer Game where David Archuleta performed after the game.

Hiking in Spanish Fork with Ashley and Jordan.

The park after the Fourth of July parade with the Stolworthy's and Ashley.

Hiking the falls.

San Francisco trip with my family.

Day date to Salt Lake City

San Diego 2009

2009-06-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Chad and I decided to take a little vacation right after school ended. We visited the Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, and SeaWorld. Plus we went to the beach and a Padres Game. I loved it all.

Padres Game

San Diego Beach. Next time we go it will be warmer and we will boogie board. Thats my favorite.

Notice the great view of the lion's rear in the background

It was sadly a little chilly that day. But still a blast.

Usually pandas just sit in one spot and eat, but this one was in heat so she was all over the place. Pretty entertaining

Sushi Night

2009-06-14T19:25:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday Chad and I had our friends over at our house for our weekly dinner and we decided to attempt sushi rolls. We found this awesome little Chinese market on Center in Provo which had everything we needed. We used you-tube to learn the techniques for rolling and how to cook the rice. Our friend Jordan was very nervous about how his would turn out, stating that he was just going to make a Chinese Quesadilla. However, his was as good as anyone elses. If you were thinking about trying sushi rolls yourself, go for it. Ours were almost as good as Happy Sumo. We did have to substitute chicken for fish because Keri is pregnant but that didn't make to much of a difference because the seaweed gives it all the fishy smell you need. Here are some pictures documenting our success.

21st Birthday

2009-05-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

May 16th I turned 21. It was a wonderful day, mainly because my husband Chad put so much thought and effort into it. He woke up early and made the exact breakfast I had asked for...Ego's, fruit, hash browns, and juice. Then, he secretly filled the bathtub with bubbles so I could take a bath, and he even provided me with my favorite magazine. A little later, he took me down to a beautiful salon where he had made an appointment for me to get a massage and a pedicure. It was so fun to be pampered and the best part was how cute he was about everything. Later that night he took me to Happy Sumo, one of my favorite restaurants, where he had arranged a surprise party for me with many of my friends. To finish off the night, we all went to see Angels and Demons. I could not have asked for a better birthday. Thank you babe.

Girls Party!

2009-03-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, my parents and sisters came into town. On Saturday night, my three younger sisters slept over at my house and we had a girls party! My youngest sister Christina was so excited that she kept asking all day long if it was dark enough for us to have the party yet. After dinner and after my parents had left, we watched Girls Just Want to Have Fun and ate fully loaded cookie dough ice cream with Reese's shell chocolate topping. It was a blast. Chad was part of this girls party but he was a great sport and I'm pretty sure that he had a good time, although he would never admit it.

Springville

2009-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Chad and I are officially hitched and now living in Springville. Personally, I am a big fan of big, exciting cities but when we were looking for places to live, I was just taken by Springville. It is just outside Provo which makes the drive to school and work bearable. However, this small town has a very different feel from Provo. It is quaint with only a Main Street and State Street. There is one grocery store and a very small but fully functional library. I love our family ward with all the young couples and elderly people. There are very few middle aged families which makes it unique. My first time in Relief Society was during the fast and testimony meeting and I was taken back by the faith and interesting stories told by the older women in the ward. They really have had interesting lives and I am excited to learn from them. Chad and I are still trying to set up house. Currently we have a couch, TV, and bed. We are working on a dinning table and are making do with TV trays for now. The apartment is roomy and perfect. I'm excited for it to all come together.

Totally Spoiled

2008-11-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Apparently I missed the memo growing up that said when you get married you get a freaking ton of presents. I mean, more presents than your whole life's birthdays and Christmases put together. I had no idea that people are so nice and giving in regards to weddings.

So, I just wanted to thank everyone who gave, and will give, Chad and I a present. It has been amazingly helpful. And, you will all be receiving a thank you card personally written by me, because that's what good brides do.

Bridal Shower #1

2008-11-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Kim and my sister Chelsey threw me a smashing bridal shower Saturday.

Food: Brownies, chips, wraps, cheesecake, water with cute little rasberries and leaves frozen in the ice.

Games: Try and guess my age in a bunch of photos-this one was pretty funny because we couldn't agree on what age was correct.

A memory game of Kayla and Chad's firsts/likes: first date, first road trip, favorite food etc.

Presents: To many amazing ones to list.

I also got the best book ever with personal advice from all my friends and family who came to the shower. My aunt had the genuis idea to give everyone a scrapbooking product (I love to scrapbook) and have them give me some advice while incorporating the name of their item. It turned out amazing.