The Golden Couple

Class-Vegas

2009-05-13T06:28:00.001-07:00

Alison and me during Family pictures out in Las Vegas. We got to see Alison's sister Amanda take out her endowments and get sealed in the temple. Alison has tons of photos of it on her facebook page. It was a great time going out there and seeing her family.

Mama and Papa Rakes wanted a family picture since we all wont be together for another couple years. It was fun. Garret is huge and Leah is cute. I did not get to teach them the ways of phase 10 but next time it will happen! If Alison has a job teaching we will go to Montana to see her family for Christmas!

Class has started again for us at UF. This time the History department finally got me. Yes I am taking an African course. It is a requirement for me to graduate. I have no interest what so ever about this part of the world but will be able to learn a little bit about it by the end of May. Some requirements colleges have are so crazy. Taking this class and a language class are the 2 requirements that make me just go ???. Also while buying our books for classes Alison got a parking ticket. She parked (and knew she was not allowed to park there) ran inside to the front desk and asked about having a book... they answered "no" and she went outside probably 3 minutes later and had a ticket. UF enjoy your donation for your crappy parking system.

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

After an exciting game of flag football we spent the whole weekend cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of "crap" that has built up over the year! We had a huge trash can bin that we filled and emptied 3 times. We went to Goodwill twice, sold old clothes at Plato's closet (garments made a lot of clothes useless for Alison!), and we now have 3 hall shelves empty for us to use for whatever. It feels so good to have a nice clean home. We are not done yet but got the organizing done. We now have the bathroom and kitchen to organize and clean. We figure we got one more year left here so let's try to make it nice and clean. 26 years later I finally understand about having a clean house. Better enjoy it now before I have kids who make a mess.

Today I got free lunch at MOE'S again...thank you Birthday coupons! Also After selling Clothes to "Plato's closet" we got back $16.50....I know it's nothing near what we spend on clothes but it was better than just getting rid of them and getting nothing!

Summer time

2009-04-24T09:05:00.001-07:00

This summer I will only have work and one class. I need to find something to occupy my time. I love learning about German soldiers on the eastern front so if anyone knows some good books or movies then let me know. I know we will get our moneys worth out of NetFlix but reading a good book is always nice.

If I do not get any good suggestions then I will be playing ALOT...I mean ALOT of video games. So many video games Alison will take a bat to the XBOX 360. So give me some summer ideas on facebook or through my email. Summer is finally here!!!!

New Phone

2009-04-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Last night we saw Marley and Me....really cute movie. If you even have a hint of wanting a dog or having a baby then don't watch this movie. It is a great movie about the family. We enjoyed it and we are afraid we will lose the privilege of living next to grandpa since we will have a dog! If you have not seen it put it on your netflix list.

The time has come. I have a new phone! After tinkering with my mom's phone I decided to go with the one she has. So far I have not picked out my own cell phone. I just go with what other's have around me. The only person jealous of the new phone is Alison. Her phone looks like a fossil with my phone in the room. When i figure out my new phone number I will let you know. I think Andrew and my dad have the new phone number so ask them! ;)

GATOR FOOTBALL

2009-04-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Orange and Blue Spring Football game was this past weekend and WOW! We had an attendance record of 65,000. It was a full house! Parking was also CRAZY! Usually we start at $20 a spot and go down but instead we went up since parking was getting full every where! It was a great day and atmosphere. Brantley is the backup QB to Tebow and he did awesome. We will be okay when Tebow is gone! Football season is a religion down here in the south.

HISTORY of SCIENCE

2009-04-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

This picture is of Galileo....really it could be a a picture of me now that its towards the end of the semester. Just got done with History of Science class last night...Boring! One more psychology class...thank goodness....but Spanish goes on another week..egh!. I look forward to putting this semester behind me. I know the summer will go well and I hope to have energy and enthusiasm for the fall semester....Also Alison needs to find a job for the fall! Pray for her success!

Easter

2009-04-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

For Easter we spent it down with family in Orlando. What a weekend it was. Every time we get together with the "cousins" they put on a crazy show! The real highlight of the weekend was when Max put a stuffed animal near grandpa and he thought it was a real mouse and flipped. I really thought grandpa was going to die right then and there of a heart attack. It was really funny. We got our ORANGE and BLUE Easter basket and it was an overall great weekend! Good seeing everyone! Grandpa said we can not live near him in Orlando if we have a dog...so no pets for us right now! Next weekend is the ORANGE and BLUE spring football game! We will see if we can break the attendance record of 40,000+....!

NETFLIX

2009-04-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

We are loving NETFLIX. So far 2 movies down and a lot more to go. This movie last night was awesome. Since I am going to be taken German I left the German language on and had English subtitles. The movie had some great parts when it came time to show factory to factory fighting and also a great scene of a thousand soldiers trying to leave on a plane made for 50. Great movie and it makes me hate the Russian winters even more. Next up on the list....

Alison is watching NETFLIX online right now. So life is good. We can send the movie out on Monday and by Wednesday have a new one. We are enjoying it and suggest it to everyone. It saves a fortune in renting fees and we have gotten our moneys worth with in a week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-04-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Alison's birthday. For the most part she thought she was going to spend her birthday alone since she had class all day and I was playing basketball. (I was only playing basketball to help with her surprise party). At around 8:30pm she gave me a call when I was on my way home saying "I am lonely come home, it's my birthday I want you to be here." Little did she know I had a little something planned for her. At around 9pm I knocked on the door and she came to open it. There was Her friends and me yelling happy birthday. Britani got her an ice cream cake made of her favorite ice cream "Phish food", her friend Tricia brought some flowers for her, and I got her.....

A new Perfume she had been wanting. I also got her some lotion and NETFLIX. Most people feel I will be the benefactor of her presents.....movies and good smells! GOOD TIMES! So Alison got to have ice cream cake with her friends here and we spent the rest of the night goofing around. I love you Alison and thank you for being a great wife! Happy Birthday!

Conference

2009-04-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Conference....good times. Alison and me stayed home and watched both Sunday sessions. What a good time. I am always curious about what other people think of conference and what they got out of it. From my understanding it was "HEY, STOP WASTING TIME, STUDY MORE, LIFE IS ONLY WHAT YOU MAKE IT SO DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED!" Alison and I have a goal now to go to the temple at least once a month! Once we graduate we are going to try and live close to the temple. If we live in Orlando we will try and go once a week followed by PHASE 10 with Grandma and Grandpa.

The Free Food Way

2009-04-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Just got another email for my birthday. Alison and I went to Applebee's and had a nice sit down dinner with all the old folks who eat dinner at 5:30. When ever we go out now it is for free or a major discount! Love those food coupons I get in my email! Anyone else got any more fast food places or restaurants that I can sign up for? Alison got a coupon for a free entree from Moe's that is good for a week...so more free MOE'S...WELCOME TO MOE'S!

German

2009-04-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Since Spanish class was not going so well I decided to pick up a new language class. Any guesses? yep, German. You think learning German would be hard and I am sure it would be but I am not taking a language only class. It will be a class that teaches BASIC German language and culture. So instead of being bombarded with language learning we will also have a break to learn about other things the German culture has to offer. So wish me luck and I know it will be great. We are hoping learning this helps for when we move over to Germany for awhile. Living in Europe would be great so that I could see the sites of WW II and other historical things that most people would never get a chance to see.

FREE FOOD

2009-03-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

The other day my boss gave me a coupon for a free ARBY's sandwich coupon. He told me he got it through email. This got me thinking about what other free coupons are out there. I most recently had a birthday and got a Free Smoothie coupon and enjoyed using it 3 times. So Alison and I went to all of our favorite food places and signed up for their email list and the next day our inbox was filled with free coupons! The Best one is MOE's. They gave me a free entree coupon for my birthday ($6-8 value) and also gave me a Free cup of Queso Coupon ($5 value)! So we planned on not eating out anymore but with free food galore...why not? I suggest if you want to eat out and not spend alot or any money at all...then sign up for email lists. Great way to save money and eat out! Subway is also a good one...for signing up for their email you get a FREE 6-inch sub with purchase of a drink! so Go for it and sign up for emails!

9 months and still Golden!

2009-03-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

For our 9 month anniversary Alison and I went to the temple. It was a special day going to the temple but even more special since we got to be there to see Katherine go through for her first time. It was also nice to see my wife work with the youth. I am so blessed to have her. Behind a successful man is a hard working women. She is truly a strength to me in everything that I do. She helps with my school, work, and even church callings. I look at my patriarchal blessing and now fully understand what it means. Alison I love you and look forward to spending eternity with you! I hope I can be the husband you deserve.

March Madness and Brackets

2009-03-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of the best times of the year for sports. This true tournament really can decide a winner! I love filling out the brackets and watching all the games. I love when a small-nobody school comes out of no where and shocks the world. It's great when David slays Goliath but for the most part Goliath kicks the crap out of David. Good times. I will let you all know who won with the brackets out of our family! Alison is mad I filled out 2 brackets!

Filling out brackets can be so fun! If you never filled one out then you are not an American! You need to march your butt back to communism and forget about it all! Just kidding. We will give you a chance next year to redeem yourself!Brackets are a way of life! The Gators will be on the brackets net year and probably be a Sweet 16 team!

GATORS

2009-03-26T08:22:00.001-07:00

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas Joy

This is me enjoying my present! Santa was awesome this year!!! I got an XBOX 360 with Guitar Hero and Sonic Tennis. I am so excited for this gift that I already want Alison to enjoy it with me! We have ordered a pink controller for her to play some games with me!

Alison is openingvone of her many gifts. She already knew what some of her gifts were since she helped pick them out. I had to send her away while I bought them. Shopping with her is so much fun! Shopping together can be a great idea at times but other times it's just exhausting. Yeah for my Wife!!!!

Cartel

2008-12-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

CARTEL

This is one of my favorite music groups. They were on Tour at University of Florida. This is Brit's first concert she got to go to. What an experience it was.I recognized the lead singer getting interviewed and after he was done we stepped in for some football talk and pictures.We ended up talking to him for awhile and having a really good time! Come to find out he is a HUGE GEORGIA BULLDOG fan so after the 49-10 beating the took I doubt they will be coming to Gainesville anytime soon. What a great guy that really is down to earth with the fans. This is one band that Megan will really get into! It seems now that every concert we go to we meet someone from the band and it ends up being an awesome show. Hostetler's are not meant to be held back from restricted areas at special events!!!! Mom I suggest you download "Honestly" and "Say anything (else)" by this group! Good times!

All American Rejects

2008-12-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

ALL-AMERICAN-REJECTS

We went to see the All-American Rejects in Orlando and this picture lives up to the "a picture is worth a thousand words". When we got to the concert Alison went to the bathroom while I waited outside. As I was waiting someone started banging on the door that leads outside. I didn't go and open it in fear that it was someone sneaking in and didn't want to get kicked out for letting them in! A few seconds later Security goes and opens the door and here come the Lead Singer of the band. I talked with him for a few moments and then he left. I wanted Alison to meet him and a picture so I rushed into the Girl's Restroom and grabbed her out of there. None of the other girls minded that I was in there. So once Alison and me met up with the lead singer we tried taking a picture. Alison's camera ended up failing and being on "low-battery" so we couldn't take the picture to document our "groupie" moment! The lead singer was about to go back stage and the girl you see picture on the right did not want to miss this opportunity to take a picture! So she volunteered her Camera and jumped in the photo with us!

My Grandpa thinks the name of this band is hilarious. When we told him we went to see this band he started non-stop laughing and said "you actually paid to see that band?"...then he replied "they are rejects...hahaha."! It is still so funny to think about grandpa laughing about the band! Look past the name of the band and you will find some really good music that is wholesome for all ages.

Making Christmas!

2008-12-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS TIME BABY!!!!!

I believe and I Received this Holiday. Alison came through with the BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER! Last year I went over the limit we set of $100 by buying her the "Friends" DVD collection. So this year she evened the score with an Xbox 360...She Wins!!!! I remember Santa would never get me any video game things. I believe this is the best Santa! Now it is time to get rid of the old Game systems and start with the New. Mom and Dad GTA is a lot more violent and graphic on this system!

Working at the RESIDENCE INN give me a lot more time with everything so I think I will start doing a little more blogging, mainly for my mom and Carmen since I think they are the only ones who read it and on occasion Alison's dad takes a look at it!

4th of july

2008-07-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Alison is always bummed that she never gets taken to fireworks on the 4th of July. So to surprise her I brought the fireworks to her. So when I got home from work I lit up the sky! This picture show all the pyrotechnics I was doing in our driveway! Good times! I will be surprising her like this the rest of her life! I burned my thumb to...but that is the price I will gladly pay for my wife's happiness!

Pancakes with Love...it's sticky!!!

2008-07-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Great things happen when your married. I woke up right before church to find Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Bacon. Who said the honeymoon was over? HAHA...It's great to be me! It has become our tradition now to make this breakfast before church! It's the little things like this that make a marriage happy and successful. I love her with all my heart and am so glad to be sealed to her forever....and so is my stomach!

Just Married

2008-07-02T15:24:00.001-07:00

We are finally married! June 13th we tied the knot. Everything went amazing. The weather was the only factor that day but some how played nice for most of the wedding and pictures! It was the happiest day of my life seeing her smile at me across the alter that day! I got my #1 draft pick for life! Alison makes me so happy and is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I love you and will forever!

Temple

2008-05-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Less than 3 weeks away. We are so happy and excited! It is a very fun and stressful process planning a wedding. I am glad that I will only go through this once. Today we finished up our interview with the stake president and he gave us some good SHORT advice. He told Alison that when I proposed to her that I paid her the biggest compliment she will ever receive in her life. He also told me that when he interviewed her that he could tell she was special and I was a very lucky man. I have known from day one that I am a lucky man. Every time I see her smile I get all excited that she is the one I get to spend eternity with. Let the countdown begin! (Alison started the countdown forever ago)

Golden Baby

2008-05-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

GOLDEN BABY

The GOLDEN Child at his finest. This is our engagement photo. We look great! Less Than 3 weeks away....I can't believe it has been almost a year since our actual engagement. I am so excited to Spend my life with her despite the tears and emotional roller-coaster. Love is patient! Alison's bridal shower was amazing...thank you for all your help. Next weekend we move into our new apartment so if anyone has a good back and wants to help move us and paint the rooms let me know!

Hotel

2008-04-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Hospitality Field of work needs signs like this up every where. Just when you don't think humanity can reach an all time low for intelligence and rudeness....someone comes along and let's you know that Humanity is still striving to be dumb, rude, and ignorant about things. I won't elaborate on this story but needless to say this weekend has reaffirmed my beliefs in hating Northerners...preferably the ones from new york. I just want to scream and pull out what's left of my hair when they enter my building. My family can agree on this statement since we live in South Florida aka "Southern New York"! Next time you New Yorkers want to come into my hotel please have your $10 payments ready before speaking to me.

Summer Wedding

2008-04-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Summer Wedding and stuff...

So this "B" represent that school is over and I got a B for my final Grade. All done and finished on a high note. Things will get alot harder now with my history classes and other things I need to get done before graduating. Slowly but Surely I will get done with school.

Now that school is out it's time to do the hard stuff. This book will be my guide to everything. Not really but It would have helped after seeing all the crap Alison and other girls go through for putting together a wedding. Being Mormon makes life alot easier for planning a wedding. Ceremony and reception hall are a set deal..thank you tithing! All our invitations are out and if I missed anyone...I am sorry and I will get you something in the mail later.

Last but not least this is a book I got Alison for her b-day. It is an awesome book and really makes you aware of everything you eat when you go out. Did you know that all of Chik-Fil-A's sandwich's are under 500 calories...no other fast food chain can match that. At Arby's it's more healthy to get a roast beef sandwich than the Caesar wrap. This book is full of cool pictures and facts about what to eat and where. It has EVERY fast food place and restaurant you can think of. It also goes over stuff at the grocery store and goes over what to eat on Holidays. This book is awesome and I give it 2 thumbs up. Look into it. Wal-mart has it the cheapest for only $13.87 ( found this out after i spent $15.98 for it at Target)! Hate to say it but Wal-mart will put everyone out of business soon enough...wish they sold Wal-mart Gas around here!

Another Spring Game

2008-04-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

One year later....! This photo was taken of us at the Orange and Blue Spring game. Last year at the Orange and Blue game was the day I knew officially that I was going to marry Alison. That has been the best decision of my life. Alison you make me so happy and make everything worth while. I hope I can be everything you want in a husband! I love you and can't hardly wait for these 2-months to pass.

Orange and Blue Spring Game

2008-04-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

GATOR FOOTBALL

Just to give you an idea of how crazy we are about football down here we had a record crowd of 61,000 show up to watch the Orange and Blue Spring game which is nothing more than a glorified practice. Alison and I went with all of her friends and watched the show. Before the "game" started we got to see our friend, Gary Bryant, race against a football player. He made a valiant effort but did not win. He did get alot of cool NIKE gator football gear free. I did not have a chance to put sunscreen on so I got burned during the event. My friend Mike lives across the street from the stadium and sells parking. I was able to help him and make a quick $70 in 2 hours. Come fall games i will make about $200 in 2-3 hours. Nice little chunk of change for me! Go Gators!

Spring Break

2008-04-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

BEACH DAY and 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Being spring break and our 1-year anniversary we decided to go to the beach! Alison and I had a great time! My foot got sunburned and her neck is burned but other than that it was great. I threw her in the water a few times and had a few nice skim-board runs! Having the beach so close is nice. People in places like with no beach access are missing out!

It is our official 1-year anniversary! It has been the best year of my life dating Alison! I am so happy to be the one to marry her and have her in my life forever. She is a great strength to me and supports me in everything. I love you "babe" and can't wait for June 13th!

Friday Night Lights

2008-03-30T11:49:00.001-07:00

Alison and me just love this show. I got hooked on it during last year's march madness and just felt like putting this picture up. It is such a good show that shows how the high school athlete goes through his every day life in a Football crazy town. Football is EVERYTHING in Texas and this show gives us a little glimpse on how it is. GREAT SHOW...watch it! This show has also let's me like Texas a little bit more.

Also congrats to Jeff and Kendra! Exciting news. First all the wellington kids are getting married and now babies. What a past few years it has been. Thanks a lot Kendra and Jeff...now I got to talk Alison out of having kids right away...argh!

March Madness

2008-03-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

MARCH MADNESS

March has come and gone and what a month. It has been a great b-day for me. Alison got me a new Wii game..CALL OF DUTY 3..you use the Wii remote to strangle German Soldiers.

Andrew has returned from his mission. It was great to see him. His first night back we took him to a Gator Basketball game...Fantastic.

Also Alison's family came to visit and it was a fun visit. They got to see the Orlando temple, stay at my hotel, and have Leah play Wii all day. It was nice to see them and my family get along and have a good time. It will be scary to see how crazy we all get when we get together towards the wedding date.

Good times. So this next month we will be scrambling for a new room mate and getting more wedding plans going! All is well!

Bowling

2008-03-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

It was a dramatic finish for the night of Wii Sports. I only needed to get the spare to win the game but to my luck...only got 2 out of the final 3 pins down. Alison just needed to get a spare for the win. She knocked 8 down on her first try and on her final bowl got one pin but not the other won! Making me the winner 170 to 168!!! I WIN...whats the name of this game? I WIN. She can beat me all she wants but I got her! She usually beats me bad but I finished her off! She loves playing the Wii when she is winning but hates it when the PIRATE WII beats her!

Apartment

2008-03-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

After work Alison went home to get some sleep. Usually she falls right to sleep but for some reason could not go to bed. So to make her fall asleep she went and surfed the Internet. After a little while she went on to Craig's list to just browse. Craig's list is a market place to buy/sell anything. She noticed in housing an apartment right next to campus for sale. So she jumped right on it and sent me over to see it. Later that night we made an offer and now are "renters" of an apartment right next to campus! It's a huge 1 bedroom 1 bath and will all be for a little under $500/month! We lucked out and love it! You will all have to come see it once we get moved in and all set up! So we can move in June 1st...Carmen come help us with the handy man stuff and Curt you can come help do the dishes....hahaha! Mom's....send us some stuff!

Wii

2008-03-14T13:04:00.001-07:00

Wii time

Back by popular demand is my blog. So alot has been going on for me lately with school and work. My birthday is coming up and Alison surprised me with an early b-day/anniversary present. Yep..we got a Wii, Wii, Wii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alison dominates me in Wii bowling every night but i finally got her once. That's all i need is just one time! We have lots of fun on it. Alison says i become a Wii pirate when i play cause of how i yell!

9-months

2008-01-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

9-month anniversary

Alison and I celebrated our 9-month anniversary this weekend! It was a great one! I came over to her house early to find that she had made breakfast for me! I love the little things she does for me! She is so special and awesome and I am lucky to have her in my life! She is definitely a strength in my life and this has been the happiest 9-months of my life and I look forward to spending eternity with her!

New Job

2008-01-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

The 14th is when I start my new job! I put my 2 week notice in at the Cabot Lodge and they are sad to see me go! New opportunities await! I am very excited and look forward to this new job. Getting the job really picked my spirits up since according to everyone Florida lost to Appalachian State since we didn't beat Michigan! Dang the loss stings! I also give approval to my mom's reviews about "ENCHANTED"! it was a cute movie! Dad never leave an emergency credit card behind for the girls!

Riley

2008-01-02T13:54:00.001-08:00

FUN AT HOME

Alison and I spent our first Christmas together and it was great! She got me everything I asked for and then some! We then were able to go home and visit my family! This picture sums up the trip! Our new dog Riley is so cute and just full of love! He is like a baby little bear! Great trip and here is a blog entry for everyone to read! I will be better so my mom and Alison's dad have something to read! They blocked this website at work so I havent been able to blog lately!

flag football

2007-10-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Flag football

I am just reporting that there will be at least one athlete in the family after Saturday! Alison came and played flag football with the big boys and showed them all up! I will just go over her stats to show you why i am marrying here:

8 - catches

120+ - yards
2 - touchdowns

1- quarterback sack

1-pass deflection

2 - quarterback hurries

So she was on fire and it was so much fun watching the guys from Alabama yell "get the girl" and then one guy would go get her but she would run for 60 yards and a touchdown and the guys would rag on the guy that was covering her! it was good times! She also ran over Bama...he wont admit to it but we all saw it! ;) Call and ask Alison because she will tell you all about it!

Halloween

2007-10-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween

So during the past month or two we started watching a show called "Rock of Love" and after one episode we were hooked! We at first thought we were the only ones who watched it but come to find out there is a bunch a other people who were hooked on the show! The show is Bret Michaels picking amongst all these girls (groupies) to be his girlfriend so we decided to be Bret and the winner (Jess) for the Halloween dance!

So here is one picture of Alison and me dressed up compared to the two we were suppose to look like! I even wore eye liner like he does in the show! Ah, Party Like a Rock Star!

Bret and his girlfriend Jess... I heard they already broke up so i guess that is the life of a rock star and being a rock star's girlfriend!

This is Bama and me posing! He was Mike Vick and was dragging around a little dog by a noose the whole time! It was so funny! Do i look good with long hair!

Party Like A Rock Star!!!!!!

UTAH

2007-10-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Utah also and I thought this was a great picture of us! There is a million more pictures i will put up later when i have time! Thank you mom and dad for flying us out there and thank you Curt and Carmen for letting us stay and trash your house!

This was Alison's first time ever going to Utah so it was an enjoyable experience for all. She saw BYU and all the parents taking their kids to class with them, the mountains, and the prophet.

Us seeing the prophet really made the trip! While we were at the Joseph Smith building we were going the bathroom and when i came out of the bathroom i found myself standing next to the Prophet! In all the excitement for Alison to see him i ran into the women's restroom to grab her! It was worth it!

This is us at the conference center. Alison used here "Getting front row seats at Gator basketball games" tactics to get us these seats at conference! Grandpa...you would be proud! The trip was fun and we had a blast! Thanks again for making this trip possible!

Home Again!

2007-10-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Golden Child Returns

Last weekend Alison and I went home to surprise my dad for his birthday! The look on his face was priceless when we walked through his office door. He did not know what to say but his smile said it all! I know..it's nice having a surprise visit from "the golden couple"!

We also had the chance to meet our new little brother "Riley" and he is just adorable! Watching him jump around using all 4 legs at once is hilarious! The best was seeing him chase "sprinkle" around and kept hitting his head on the coffee table in the living room! It was so funny! He is a good addition to the family! When you walk next to him he looks like a little bear since he so fluffy with all of his fur!

Alison and I went pumpkin hunting with my mom! We forgot how fun it was to mess with pumpkins so threw a pumpkin decorating party at my house for FHE!
This is my room mate "Bama" decorating his pumpkin! Isn't he special! We had 4 pumpkins for everyone to decorate! Alison did a good job planning the activity as FHE mom! So that has been our past week in a nutshell! Oh yeah, The Gators won and that always makes us happy along with Tim Tebow being 1st place in the Heisman Voting! YEAH BABY!

Cable TV

2007-10-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

This is for Curt and Carmen...GET CABLE TV. I am going to die come Saturday and I can't watch my usual intake of College football! Come on Curt get with the times and out of the dark ages! I will stink your house with a smoke smell since I will be sitting in a bar watching games all day! Everyone at the priesthood session that night will think I have a "word of wisdom" issue!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Oh the Humanity!

Utah here we come

2007-10-02T02:26:00.000-07:00

Headed to Utah

This week Alison and I prepare to go to Utah for conference. This will be her first time going to Utah and conference. With all the traveling her family has done she would have at least passed through Utah. We will meet up with new friends and fiances and catch up good times. Also I will take Alison to my missionary reunion. Introduce her to a few good friends and then leave. Alison is mostly just worried with all the snow she is about to see since she has no warm clothes. It will work out fine! She will also use this time to look at wedding dresses and other wedding stuff since there is a plethora of wedding supplies in Utah.

The other thing Alison and I have been up to is Apartment hunting. We won't be married for almost a year but we are starting to eye places to live. We are trying to get an idea of cost,size, location, etc.. for when it comes time to find a place to live. It is exciting but another challenge that I will wait to conquer around spring time.

So the Utah trip is the big thing and apartment hunting is another thing. School has been good! I have learned (FINALLY) that you need to read on your own outside of class to understand the material and not wait for the teacher to assign it to you. Yeah, after 12+ years of schooling I finally understand. Better late than never!

Labor Day

2007-09-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Alison has survived another weekend with family! We spent Labor Day swimming, boating, and jet skiing with everyone! It was very fun! We also have a wedding date sate as of now! June 13th which is a Friday! So leave your calenders open to see an amazing event...Jeff getting married! Our next big adventure will be taking Alison to Utah for conference! She has never been to Utah so this will be a fun experience for all! If she can handle that then she is ready to be a Hostetler!

In other news Alison has a job now to help pass time! she is working at the hotel at the breakfast shift and bar shift at my hotel now! she is doing great and it's enjoyable seeing her every morning!

The Gators are on a roll! Dad has been coming to gainesville to see the games and most importantly play flag football on Saturday! All of 4th ward love having him coming and playing! See you in 2 weeks when we play Auburn!

school is good but challenging! this week i have 2 tests so that will tell me how i am really doing and understanding everything being taught!

That's all for now so stay tuned for More details on our trips and game day experiences!

It's Official

2007-07-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's Official

So now here comes the details for everyone since your all dying to know! I have had the ring now for about 2 weeks and wanted to give it to Alison the first day i got it but had to wait! So this week i realized it was time to get it done! I wanted to propose to her at sunrise at the beach but scratched that idea since the beach is about 2 hours away from gainseville! I am sure she would know something is up if i woke her up at 3am and said "hey let's go to the beach!" Well i wanted to do something with the beach still so i was fishing for ideas! i talked to my dad about it and he told me of how pretty the sunset was at Cedar key on the Gulf Coast. So this week i put the plan in motion! Propose to Alison at sunset at the beach off the gulf coast! All week i told her what we were doing and told her that my dad said it was a nice place to go and told her we needed a date night since we haven't been out in awhile! she agreed and said she needed it since she would be moving all morning into her new apartment! She didn't suspect a thing. So all day she was stressed out about the move and i didn't think it was a good time but she told me she was looking forward to it! So we went! it was a 45 mile drive from gainesville so we had time to talk! during the car ride i told her i had it down to 3 rings to choose from! so she was clueless once again about what was going to happen! So after getting there and seeing the sunset hidden behind clouds i was discouraged! Well we went to dinner at a nice place over looking the ocean! After dinner we walked around and then sat on a bench overlooking the Gulf! (side note: a thing we like to do for each other is set the other ones phones with an appointment saying something cute like "kiss Jeff at 7" or "give Alison a kiss at 3") So with this detail in mind i had my phone set to go off at the right time saying "ask Alison to marry you"! Smooth, i know!!! SO while sitting on the bench my phone went off and she asked what it was and i told her it was meant for her! she saw it and smiled still not thinking anything of it and kissed me! After that i told her i had something for her! Then i pulled out the ring and then the tears starting flowing! Then i got down on one knee and said "Alison Michelle Rakes..Will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?" amongst the tears she said "of course" and gave me a huge hug and kiss! It made my heart melt to see her cry and say of course!I then asked her if that meant yes? She smiled, laughed, cried (all at once) and said yes it does! So on July 27th i asked Alison to marry me and she accepted! As for dates set it probably wont be until the summer time! Thank you all for your Love and support! Alison looks forward to becoming a Hostetler...but i think that's only since she hasn't met Andrew yet!

sun screen

2007-07-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

This post is in honor of Sunscreen! this has been my new favorite one to use! Alison bought it for me as a joke but i used it anyways since getting sun poison is not fun at all! I have not been burned since using it and am happy with my "not tan" body! The beach is to far away and the pool just isn't as fun as the beach! I remember sitting in the shower for hours on end once sun poisoning struck! After that experience i vowed to always use sunscreen! I also noticed how expensive Sunscreen is now having to buy it for myself and not have a million bottles to choose from in Mom's bathroom! Writing this blog makes me want to go to the beach now! maybe tomorrow after flag football!

pleasure island

2007-07-17T00:03:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was spent celebrating Melissa's birthday in Orlando at Pleasure Island. I brought Alison along with me so she could meet some friends from high school and it went really well. They all loved her! So far so good for both of us meeting each other's friends and family! Just the other day Alison's little brother was asking when i was coming back to visit so we could play some games together! No real news except school is kicking my butt and i need to get some more work done! Work is going okay for me and i am going to talk to my boss about a raise or promotion since i will be going on one year! Speaking of Jobs Alison has decided to sit out a year from school to avoid a 30k out of state debt and just work! So we are job hunting for her so she can have a little something something on the side! not much more but so much more to say! keep you all posted!

OUCH!

2007-07-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

OUCH!I hurt my finger playing flag football on Saturday and this is what it looks like... kind of! You never know how much you need or use a little finger until it decides to get hurt and take a vacation from the rest of the hand! I hope it gets better soon or i will need to go to a doctor and have them break it or something!

2007-07-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend Alison and I were able to attend her friend's wedding! it was in a cute chapel next to lake Alice and they had a nice reception at a nearby hotel! This our third wedding together! Of course all this is giving her ideas and just fueling the marriage fire!

This pictures is of the bride and groom...just kidding...i like Lego's and decided to put this as the picture!

During the wedding i met alot of Alison's friends who are extremely jealous of her right now! The reason being is that they all have boyfriends of 3-5 years who still haven't popped "the question" and here i come about to ask after only 3 months! They are happy for her but wish their boyfriends would get their butt in gear!

I have also noticed that there is wedding stores, wedding commercials, jewelry stores for wedding rings, etc... EVERYWHERE! i have never noticed them before but now its every where! i am just going to take that as a sign! ;)

Stay tuned because the 3-month anniversary is coming up! I am also done with my first week of classes at UF! Let's just say i am not a fan of using online material and video things right now! NOT COOL and of the DEVIL is all i have to say about that! Other than that problem everything is good! i am getting enough sleep between class,work, and Alison!

First Day of school

2007-07-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day of classes at UF! I did it! I made it!

It's alot different having your first day of school without your mom to take pictures and pack your lunch. Actually it stinks! Gosh what i would give for a meal from my mom! I am taking 2 classes this summer and both seem to have really good teachers! Only down side about my classes are that they are Gen. Ed. Courses meaning it's alot of freshmen! (The only thing they probably care about is that I am old enough to buy them beer!) I will keep you all posted on how everything turns out!

It happens

2007-06-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

GOOD TIMES

So the trip to Texas was an over all success. I was able to have a greater appreciation for Texas (not much), make some new friends, and most importantly talk to Alison's Dad. You're wondering what her dad and I talked about? well I will let you take a guess!

He said I was a fine young man who was raised well and made his daughter happy! So stay tuned for more details from "the Holy Land" and "Golden Child"

BBQ

2007-06-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

The kitchen. Pretty nice.

The Serving area! As you can see the Gourmet Chef takes pride in his work!

The great Dining Hall! So luxurious...it was a 4 hour wait! ;)

Alison's dad told us this was "Top 50 Texas BBQ" places to eat! To be in the Texas Top 50 for BBQ is an honor since BBQ places to eat are as abundant as baptist churches in the south. The Rakes Family took care of me while i was visiting so no worries mom!

High School Football

2007-06-27T21:43:00.001-07:00

MORE FROM TEXAS

High school Football and BBQ that's what Texas is about! Maybe you can see me maybe you can't! This is the local high school football field! Nice artificial turf with play clocks in both end zones of the field! To the right you can see the red chairs in the stands which is special booster seating. Notice the two story press box! one level for coaches and coordinators the other for Alumni and big time boosters! You can't see it but on the other side of the field they have bleachers about the same size with a coaches box for the away team and fans! Also very nice! Think you would see this in Florida...Heck no! So this is just the playing field...don't even get me started on how nice the practice field and player facilities are!

This is the entrance to the field for the players and everyone else i guess! I just took this since Alison died her hair red and the sign says it all! To the right is one of the buildings only used for football players along with 2 practice fields that are pretty nice with all the works!

This is the sign to the locker room! The school has two separate buildings for the football team! one is special locker room and the other looked like coaches offices! So i asked Alison's dad about this team thinking they must be really good to have all this! Come to find out they were 0-10 this year! So this school is really sorry and they have awesome things and ALOT of support and money going into them! I can't even imagine what a winning high school football team's field and facilities like! The whole trip i was obsessed with seeing a high school in Texas to see if they really are spoiled and treated like "Gods"! This impression just comes from watching the TV show "Friday Night Lights" ( i recommend it)! Good times!

Texas trip

2007-06-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

THE TEXAS TRIP

After much driving and talking we finally made it to her home at around 1am! We would have been there sooner but so many gas and bathroom breaks later! Once in Texas Alison took me to see the Texas A&M stadium! She must really love me to drive almost two hours just to see a football stadium!

Texas A&M stadium is not as "Holy" to me as THE SWAMP so i had no problem jumping on the field and taking a quick picture! Alison still doesn't have that Hostetler blood in her for sneaking into sports complexes or on fields but it will come to her!

Alison forgot to turn off on our side exit! So we ended up in Waco,Texas! Home of the Baylor Bears! It was really nice but still nothing like the swamp! So we spent this day soaking in some college football in Texas! I did a whole nice long blog but deleted it since it didn't turn out right! I will do more about my Texas trip on the things that matter most there....High school Football and BBQ!!

THE CIRCLE

2007-06-14T02:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew, Bama (jesse), Jeff (me)

With our powers combined we give you

"THE CIRCLE"

2-months

2007-06-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

So 2 months is in the books for Alison and me. Every month we celebrate our anniversary or whatever you call it! So it was her turn and it was a huge surprise! She took me to "Fun Works"! Before the date even started she was off to a hot start because she "stole" mom's recipe from her blog for chocolate chip pumpkin cookies and made me a batch! Best way to win me over is threw my stomach! Then for dinner we went to a cute Italian restaurant which was nice and had an enjoyable meal! Thinking the evening was over she surprised me and we had some fun at "Fun Works"! We first did batting cages which was fun! Then the competition set in and we did the Go-Karts. she got a head start and i couldn't pass her no matter how hard i tried! the worker that was there saw the competition that was going on and intervened when asked and with a remote slowed her car down enough for me to come bump her and try to pass! She then yelled at him when she found out what was going on and sped away. I tried not to end the night on a bad note so we did putt putt golf but that didn't go so well for me! Lets just say my mind was focusing on other things at the time! She got a hole in one and i got an 8 on a hole and that was the end of me! I pray she lost the score card! So overall it was a great anniversary celebration! I love her and she makes me happy! I always said any girl i date for more than 2 months would be the one i marry and we are past 2 months so stay tuned! ;)

Shane Matthews

2007-06-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

Exercising is so rewarding! I finally convinced Alison to come run stadiums with me at Florida Field and it was worth it today! As we arrived to the stadium there was about 200 kids on the field. They were doing drills and just playing around (it looked like alot of fun)! Alison didn't want to run since so many people were watching but we did and to help break the ice i tripped on a step and it helped ease her nerves. Alison and me ran the student section and she made it! On our way out i told her we should go into the locker room so she could see the Gator head and the national championship trophies! She was scared of getting yelled at and kicked out but i convinced her it was in the HOSTETLER blood to get into sport's places we weren't suppose to be at. We got in through the weight room and i showed her around then got into the HALL OF FAME HALLWAY! It was awesome! After we looked around it was time to go home! On our way out i noticed a guy standing next to us that looked familiar! He kind of reminded me of a former UF QB. I didn't think it was him until someone said "hey Shane come here for a sec.." Alison told me not to go bother him but it was my duty being a HOSTETLER and GATOR FAN to meet him! So i went over and made small talk which seemed like forever but was really 20 seconds! He loved it when i said "yeah, you use to sling the ball all over for 500 yards a game"...he smiled and said "yeah that was me!"....not exact words but that's how i am remembering it! So I have met another Gator Great! 3 QB's a WR, a basketball player and i just need to run threw a few coaches and I'm done! So it was a Gator Day! the GOLDEN CHILD once again solidifies his place at #1

here is Shane's status as UF's QB....Spurrier's first "student"

Matthews set 50 school and 19 SEC records while playing three seasons under Steve Spurrier. He compiled a 28-8 career record as a starting quarterback, including a 19-4 mark in SEC games. He guided the Gators to their first official SEC championship in 1991. After an excellent 1991 season, he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Cleats

2007-06-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

It was finally time to retire my old cleats and get a new pair! this is the new pair i have invested in to start running all over Bama and Andrew. I ran for 3 Touchdowns, 3 Interceptions (2 returned for TD's, and threw about 8 TD's! We have high scoring games! Hopefully this blog will please the natives! As for spelling...BLAH! The cleats are white so i will have to use a toothbrush on them to keep them clean! When i was in seminary i had my mom buy cleats for me for memorizing the WHOLE joseph smith story! those cleats last from 1999 all the way to 2007....best cleats ever! Everything else is life is good and i think i got the idea of how to blog...we will find out if this works....EVERYONE I AM GOLDEN! By the way....Cleats were kind of exspensive...so i bought some Under Armor....Alison has a picture....I look ripped!

started

2007-05-14T20:41:00.001-07:00

i had to bear curt in putting up the golden child blog....look for many other posts to be put up here and please no corrections on gramar or spelling!