Mayan Ruins

Getting here was a disaster!!! We drove an hour on the empty toll road only to be turned away on arrival because we couldn't pay the $20 (yes, $20 USD) toll. We had no cash, no ATM access, and no debit card machines. So, after tacking 2 hours on our excursion we finally made it to Chichen Itza before closing!!

Let's Make A Deal Costumes

Made the morning of using safety pins, silk flowers, and tacky astro-turfish grass squares.

Chicago Food Tour

Dalaney waged a battle: Chicago deep dish vs. NY's thin crust pizza. In Chicago, the sauce was on the top of the pizza and that freaked me out. In my opinion, NY wins all the way. Chicago's hotdog wins the battle hands down though, complete with a crunchy full-size pickle and cucumber. Yummm

Lost in paradise

We're safe and sound in an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. We took the red-eye from LA last night and arrived in Cancun at noon to sunshine and intense humidity, despite the dreary weather outlook. Tonight, I ate the most delicious skewer of grilled shrimp and indulged on bottomless guacamole. More pictures tomorrow! :)

5:40pm lounging in lush Chicago park.

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ATTENTION! True story. We witnessed a robbery in the heart of downtown Chicago. While ordering at Fat Johnnie's (yes, that is a trailor in front of someone's home), an African American man grabbed a teenage boy's wallet and ran into the distance. Unfortunately, these pictures were taken after the aforementioned crime and contain no hard evidence of the perp.

Where in the world is Oprah?

Home of "The Winfrey Show"

We love NYC and would love it even more if we lived there, however, we have to confess that we're relieved to finally be GONE. Our stay was extended almost 2 days longer than we'd originally desired due to poor planning on my behalf. Now that we're settled and able to physically recoup in Chicago, our plans are 110% clearer and organized. With trial and error out of the way, we're confident about the remaining cities which OFFICIALLY stand as (in order as they appear): LA, Cancun, DC, SLC, San Juan, & Boston.

Relieved to have independent transportation after arriving in Chicago, we quickly caught the Advantage rental car shuttle. After asking for our confirmation number, the native Chicago employee asked "Would you like economy?"
Thinking nothing about their accents, I was bewildered.
"What is academy?"
"Economy."
"Academy???? Ohhhh...Economy. I get it."

And speaking of language barriers... Today, we attended a Spanish ward in Chicago, and I literally caught 3 words (familia, englasis, and nombre). I texted my mom, "Spanish ward today, I feel for Grandma and Gramps." But only until they learn the language.

Some imagery

Staten Ferry Island
We watched The Fantastiks!

Love this show. It's soooo addictive.


Our luxury transporation during NYC Fashion Night Out, courtesy of Volkswagen.


Highly recommended pizza. Yes, those are meatballs. And yes, we ate the entire thing. In one sitting. Red carpet (ignore the homelessesque backpacks)!!

We're still alive!!!!

**Picture=inside joke.

I once read an article about an adventerous guy in search of a decent night's sleep at the following:
a. Central Park
b. Brooklyn Bridge
c. Bronx Zoo

If you find this article romanticizing in any way, I can personally attest from first-hand experience that you must be crazy.

Its true: I survived sleeping in Central Park, sans stabbing.

Later that night/morning, on sidewalk, as we dutifully anticipated pending tickets to The Regis & Kelly Show.

And they're off...

We spent the weekend with my Aunt Beth, Uncle Ronnie, and Rebecca. Delicious food, card game domination, and Scantron bubbles were enjoyed by all. Then, post-Sonic-Happy-Hour, these Hammondites dropped of us at the New Orleans airport where this picture was quickly snapped. Then off to the Big Apple we went!!

Time FLIES when you're having fun

We've never been very good with plans, so thankfully the pass allows you to change flights until three days before. I've crunched numbers and time to work out our current plan. But, the plan could still do a 360 since now I'm convinced we need to visit Bogota, Columbia.

On another note, we sold two text books on Amazon today! And...Groupon wants to feature Serendipity PhotoBooths in New Orleans!

Shaking our money makers

Despite the harrowing heat, we dutifully set up the photobooth at two high school football games this weekend. We charged $2 for 2 photo strips and quickly noticed a trend among Caucasian preteen girls. Overall, we made a $175 profit (every little bit helps..) and hope that the photobooth trend eventually catches on in Mississippi.

Thankfully, Dalaney is headed out to Utah this weekend (planned ahead of our 30-days of travel) to do two BIG events. And during this week I've received two inquires about pending events during the time that he'll be visiting. Miraclessssss!!! Never, ever have we done four events in one week. Yessssss, I, Hannah Mecham, am a believer!!!

So, we're happy campers (cross your fingers that the 2 events follow through) and are looking forward to the ginormous vacay.

ps. Did you know ginormous is a legitimate word in spellcheck?

Itinerary must-do's

1. Attend a second taping of CBS's Let's Make a Deal. We went in Vegas last year and Dalaney won $4k. Best. day. ever. Can't wait to show yall what I'm planning on wearing. Two words: nasty hot.

2. At least one day at Disney World. Dalaney's never been. We're considering attending a Timeshare presentation to score tickets.

3. Smithsonian, White House, Holocaust museum. ect.

4. Manhattan LDS temple.

5. Eat all the delicious food in Chicago that Dalaney raves about.

6. ELLEN SHOW. I requested tickets online but never heard from the show reps. Does anyone know how hard it is to get in standby?

7. Statue of Liberty. We didn't have time during our 15 hour trip.

8. Lay on the beach all day on an exotic island (location pending).

9. Visit Mechams, Lauren, Crystal, Dani, Hannah, ect. in Utah.

10. Crash MTV VMAs on Sept. 12th and go star sighting.

How will you save $$$ traveling?

Since purchasing our AYCJ passes, I’ve decided to watch Groupon for discounted restaurant, entertainment, ect. gift certificates in all the cities we plan on visiting.

Have you ever used Groupon? You never know what you are going to find, so if you know your itinerary check it out and plan ahead!

Today, NYC's groupon caught my eye:

$15 for one of three boat tours (Skyline, twilight, or historical) with NY Waterway Tours, $26 value

The night tour sounds majestic, but after buying two passes I think it is still exceeds our budget. I'm going to continue watching daily though so we can eat and play cheaper.

Join here so they’ll know I referred you!

Wait....what are yall doing??!

While we (both Americans) were completing an internship in the Scottish Parliament, Dalaney and I met and became the best of friends. So, it seems completely fitting that, now married, we would continue our traveling tradition. We've been married since January and have already traveled to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. Marteen, Dominican Republic (all on our honeymoon cruise) and Costa Rica (a summer vacation with my family). AND NOW WE'LL UTILIZE THE AYCJ PASS.
After graduating from BYU in April, we both have determined that our degrees (him: political science and spanish, me: print journalism) are seemingly useless. So, our plans include venturing back to school, most likely in January.

In June we made the move from Provo, UT to my hometown, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to reside behind my parents home and save money. To earn money, I work at my dad's school uniform store, and Dalaney recently built a second photobooth which we rent out. We are also avid salvage shoppers and sale items on Amazon & eBay. Although we haven't saved as much money as we ideally anticipated, we are going to take advantage of this time in our lives and travel!!!

Follow us in our upcoming wild adventures :)

Oh Thanks Jet Blue

Back in May, Jet Blue surprised the public with its $10 one-way flights. Although a handful of strict stipulations surrounded the discounted flights, Dalaney and I dropped everything, drove six hours to Las Vegas (since we couldn't find any flights out of Salt Lake) and flew to NYC. Dalaney had never been and mom and aunt were also flying there from New Orleans. In total, we spent approximately 14 hours in the city (dinner and breakfast in the Big Apple) and 15 hours traveling. Yet, totally worth it.
I exclaimed, "Oh, Dalaney, we have to go to New York City!! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!!!! Never again can we go there for so cheap!!!!!!"

And now, Jet Blue has done it again.

"Oh, Dalaney!! PLEASEEEEEEEEE. We have to buy All-You-Can-Jet passes!!! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

So now, three months later, we're planning a second trip to New York City.

Living the loser post-grad dream

As the crazy-married couple that we are, Dalaney & I purchased JetBlue's $499 All-You-Can-Jet tickets (AYCJ) for unlimited travel through the month of September. Since this is probably the most exciting trip that I could ever envision, I am committed to blogging about every destination, activity, cuisine, ect. ect.
Our itinerary is going to look something like this (yet in no particular order...)

New Orleans
Chicago (I'll finally get to see his old mission stomping ground!)
Boston
NYC
Washington DC (neither of us have ever been...)
Seattle
SLC (I'm actually dying to visit!!!)
Los Angeles
San Juan, PR
Orlando (maybe?)

If you have any ideas about what we should do in any of the above cities, please share!! Oh, and buy your pass and come escape with us.

ps. I've already made Dalaney promise me that we can attend another taping of Let's Make a Deal (now filmed in LA). Pray we win some $$ to support our lifestyle!

Easter Bunny

Apparently, my mother forgot to ship my esteemed, annual Easter basket.

You might be wondering...Does marriage nullify one from receiving a goody-filled basket? Dalaney proposed this silly assumption too.

You see, that's the problem I've noticed about this whole marriage thing. People automatically assume that you no longer enjoy the simple things in life -- Easter baskets, week-long birthday celebrations, lavish Christmas presents.

For me -- the answer is a firm NO, marriage does not disqualify the innocent from celebrating holidays ideally. Traditions, people!

Well, at least until the marrieds have their own offspring. After a heated debate and analysis, this is the conclusion that we arrived at.

I'm not making any promises, but at that point in life, I will commit to reevaluating my expectations. Until then, however, I will continue to anticipate Cadbury creme-filled eggs and milk cartons of Whopper malted balls.

Don't fret about the quality of my 2010 Easter, though. Or place unfavorable judgement on Jenny Martin.

Begging for my forgiveness, she generously granted temporary spending privileges with her Wachovia debit card. So, Dalaney and I sped to Walmart Supercenter where we bought $18 worth of Reese's eggs, chocolate bunnies...you know, all of the Easter essentials.

Thanks skinny momma!

(Even Ryan understands...)

Secret rooms

Some people claim that their world's dramatically change when they get married. For me, this is definitely not the case.

But....since the beginning of my marriage, I have identified a few, ahem, new-found fantasies.

Exhibit A:
A gorgeous laundry/wash room. This definitely beats the dirty laundry mat that I currently visit. Yes, feel sad for me.

Exhibit B:
An outrageous walk-in closet the size of most humans' living rooms. Although I've never exactly possessed any obsessive compulsive tendencies, I couldn't help but color coordinate my clothes here.

Exhibit C:

A chic, organized walk-in pantry.

If you want to make my dreams come true...

Okay, oh my gosh. I am hyperventilating. Literally.

I. love. this. dress.

I have never, ever loved an article of clothing so much.

I've been searching for the PERFECT Easter/graduation dress. And I found this Zac Posen dress which fulfills all of my wildest dreams.

Unfortunately, it was produced in 2007, and even if I could find it for sale anywhere online... I'd have to sell my beloved Prius to even consider owning it.

Ahhh, I have to go wipe up my drool. And dry my tears.

Looking for a good book?

While visiting Duchesne, I raided their public library.

Jeannie, Dalaney's mom, is the librarian, so she signed me up for a shiny, new library card declaring my new surname, Hannah Mecham.

I reviewed the NY Times Best-sellers where Katherine Stockett's The Help achieved the #1 spot.

Stockett, a Mississippi native, creates unique characters to portray the social and political environment of Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. Intertwining the perspectives of African-American maids and the privileged white women that they work for, I couldn't put the book down, and I finished it in just three days.

My mom emailed me the other day encouraging me to read The Help, and I chuckled out loud because I was going to recommend it to her.

Turns out, they are now producing a movie based on the book. I can't wait :)

And the madness has begun

Dalaney and I completed our March Madness brackets last night. Shout out to the insightful advice from my basketball-lovin' dad!

Because of all these unforeseen upsets, I'm only 4/7, so I'm no longer eligible for the $10 million dollar prize from Sobe Lifewater. :( And it's too bad because I'd already decided how I would have spent the much-needed money in my head. Two words: early retirement. Before even entering the workforce...

I decided that it would be simply foolish to drop out of BYU with only 3 weeks left. So, despite my acquired fortune, I was willing to endure. Very mature for a multi-millionaire.

And yes, I'd already decided that I was going to bequeath you each a beach condo in Hawaii. Yes, you!

On a different note, BYU dominated Flordia today and is advancing to the second round! Go BYU!

Awaiting the weekend...

As students who strategically schedule our classes, we're lucky enough to start our weekends on Friday :)

Ideas for this weekend:

The $1 theatre--The Blind Side. I've been dying to see this...
Sleep-in
Michael Jackson tribute show in Springville
Make lasagna with the yummy recipe that I found and an Oreo pie
Disney on Ice (I snagged free tickets at work)
Finish season 2 of Prison Break

What are your plans for the weekend?

Serendipity Photobooth

You should have seen our living room this weekend. It has been transformed into a workshop. Lumber, 9 foot panels, saw dust, and screws are scattered everywhere. I feel terrible for the couple living below us.

Why?

We are building a photo booth. We booked our first wedding reception, and we're sooo excited to be legitimate "wedding crashers."

Dalaney soldering the wires to our illuminated retro arcade buttons.

The finished product: Yes, be impressed. My masculine husband built this incredible booth with his bare hands. It is sooo much fun! You can learn more about our photobooth at www.werentphotobooths.blogspot.com.

P.S. Yes, this is our living room. And no, besides our photobooth, there is nothing in our living room/dance floor.

P.P.S. I promise to post CLEAN, CUTE apartment pictures this week.

Honeymoon Holiday

Our home for a week: the beloved Norwegian Pearl.


After two days of rain, we finally found sunshine in St. Thomas. And we got BURNT!
We enjoyed jet skis, dance parties, beach barbecues, and snorkeling across the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic, just a day before the earthquake. Standing in front of the trash piles that line the city streets.

Hiking in the Dominican jungles to a waterfall. Our "tour guide" gave us giant umbrella leaves to block the rain.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The water was crystal clear and the sky pristine!

Serendipity

Although I'm constantly boasting about whimsically meeting my soul mate in Scotland, it's technically untrue... You see, before we departed for Europe, we were required to enroll in a prerequisite classroom experience. And on the first day of this classroom experience, I entered the classroom tardy and made a b-line next to him, the cute guy.

While some might argue that the seat was the most convenient, that's definitely not why I choose that particular seat. With his bustling beard and buzz cut, I was completely intimidated. On a weekly basis, I had to endure his merciless peer review + grades. Yet, little verbal communication occurred throughout the semester.

Who could have known that that Mysterious Boy would someday be all mine? Sensing the centrifugal force from Day 1, I think I did...And since our happenstance, nothing has ever been the same.

Brief Biographies

Dalaney is a double major: Spanish and political science. He dreams of politically reviving the conservative fundamentals of the Republican party across Utah. In an ideal world, Dalaney would eat a "sweetie," or dessert, after every meal--breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Achieving the ideal balance of country morals and a city-esque attitude, Dalaney is highly desirable-- and well-rounded to say the least. Automotives, trivia, religion, fashion, food, and technology all rank high among his interests.

Daydreaming about exposing the next "Watergate" scandal, Hannah is a journalism student. She is constantly envisioning the quintessential business proposal. After numerous attempts at a savory Indian Chicken Curry, Hannah is still in the process of perfecting the dish. Hannah can complete a book in several sittings, enjoys finances, blog-stalking, and can hit more balls than Dalaney at the batting cages.

Since crossing paths in September 2008, Dalaney and Hannah have merged a mutual appreciation for LOST, Utah expo shows, Europe, Blockbuster Rewards program, Drudge Report, crawfish chowder, The Office, Cafe Rio's pork burritio, Seven Peaks, Macy's Martha Stewart home decor, Honda Metropolitan scooters, Drumsticks ice cream cones, PCs, Bill O'Reilly, skiing, and our newest addition, Prison Break.

We are so excited to graduate from BYU in April. Over the next few weeks the next chapter in our lives (aka 2010-2013+)will be determined. Please keep us in your prayers!