The First Cut is the Deepest.

Good thing I didn't get cut. This last weekend I went to my first mini camp with the Bengals. This is a picture of downtown Cincinnati from the river banks on the Kentucky border. There were a ton of people in town for the Kentucky derby and you could tell at the airport. Every woman was carrying a large hat box luggage piece. That..... smack in the middle of the picture, is Paul Brown Stadium where I will be playing my games. You can't see it in the photo but just left of the stadium is our practice field and other facilities i.e. weight room, training room, cafeteria, meeting rooms, etc.I am really pleased with how the mini camp went. These are some of the bruises I got from butting heads with the best of them. Not bad huh? You should have seen the other guy. Seriously, this picture does no justice for how I actually felt after three days of two a day practices. Not to mention I never adjusted to the time change.
While I was there I finalized my paperwork and signed a contract for two years. Its official. Yo soy BENGAL! The NFL is definitely a different game. People there mean business and it is not just playing for fun anymore. But don't get me wrong, it is still fun. Now that I am back Cami and I are working on getting packed and getting ready for the season. Go Bengals!

Cincinnati Here We Come!

Well guys, the draft is over and for those of you that don't already know or can't figure it out I am going to be a Cincinnati Bengal. The last hours of the draft were absolutely gut wrenching. I was trying the very best I could to keep myself distracted so I wouldn't have any opportunity to dwell on it. Typically players are notified by the team before a selection is made. As the draft was coming to an end I knew I was going to be signed as an un-drafted free agent. Sure enough, as the last selection of the draft was picked the phone rang and it was the d-line coach at the Bengals. I report next Friday for my first camp and then a few weeks later I will have another.

Cam and I are so excited we are nearly speechless. Things worked out just the way we were hoping . Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers but I owe much to my Heavenly Father for this opportunity. Cami and I feel so blessed and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. We will keep you all posted. Go Bengals!

Anniversary Weekend

Michael and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort this past weekend. The hotel was so amazing. We had our own villa and we had such a great time. We went to the pool all day Saturday and enjoyed our time together.
We took a few pictures in front of the beautiful golf course, next to our room.

At the resort they had a recreation area where we got to play a few games together. My favorite was the bocce ball.

Here is Michael showing off his golfing skills.
Croquet was another fun game we played. I also smoked my hubby!
We had such a great weekend together. These past three years have flown by. I am so lucky to sealed for all time and eternity to my best friend. I am so blessed!

Brothers Retreat in DC

Michael and his older brother Brian who lives in San Diego decided it was about time they go visit their brother Daniel and sister in law Kristin in Washington DC. The brothers had such a great time together. Brian and Michael had bikes and each day headed off for a new adventure to see all of sites that DC has to offer.
View of the Lincoln monument standing at Washington monument
This pretty much explains the Marquardt Brothers! DORKS!!
Daniel, Brian and Michael. Who would ever mess with these guys?

All in all they had a great time together. I know they all missed their little brother Josh who is on a mission, but next year he will be able to join them. I think all the brothers hope to make this a yearly tradition to get together. Maybe the girls need to start a Spa weekend!! I will talk to the mom in law about that one! Thanks Daniel and Kristin for being so kind to have everyone come visit.

Fun Night

Peter finally came to AZ so we could meet his sweet fiance Kati. We are so excited for them to get married. She is such a doll and will make a great addition to our family. We all got together and had dinner at the Glenn's house. It was such a fun night.
Kisses... Kisses... Kisses..... Our two cute nieces had so much fun playing together all week while Jenny was in town.
Just the three of us!
Kati and Emmy

Emmy Morphy

Our sweet Emmy Morphy and sister Jenn have been in town this past week hanging out in Arizona. We have been having so much fun hanging with the Glenn's and watching the two girls play together. Em was at our house tonight and I had to take a couple of pictures of how cute she is.
She has the prettiest eyes. She has so much fun walking around and around our coffee table.
Uncle Michael has to be one of her favorites, every time she sees him she stares at him for awhile and makes a cute smile. We are so happy we have been able to spend some time with our sweet niece and sister. Wish they lived closer so we could see them more!

Good Find

I am very excited I found two end tables this weekend at a second hand store in Scottsdale. I just wanted to share my find with all of you. I am still trying to convince my hubby that they are perfect for our small apartment. One of the bad aspects of being a designer is I am constantly changing my mind on "my style"!! I am sure I will figure it out one day. They are great for our space and darling!!

Just the two of us hanging out on Sunday night after our Stakes fireside. Michael had the opportunity to speak about how the gospel has impacted his athletic and personal life. He did a great job and they had yummy cookies for dessert. Wish everyday could be a weekend!