The Groom's family!

We are pretty a pretty good looking bunch of people I would have to admit. Harrison says it is scary how short the Gladden family is! He said that we look like Hobbits and Harrison is Gandolf. I about rolled off my chair laughing when I heard this. I guess we are all about the same size!

I know... my family is pretty scary!

Another post... at long last!

I know... I know... I said that I would be keeping this blog up for everybody to keep up with us. And I failed! The last time I tried to blog I got very frustrated and almost ripped the computer out of the wall. I think I have finally settled down. HA HA HA!

I have so much to post about. We have had a few things happen since the first of February. I promise that I will get the happenings of our lives down. Let me just recap very quickly for you all.

I had my mouth surgery President's Day weekend in Grand Junction, Colorado. It went very well. Harrison had to leave back to Provo before the proceedure was actually done, because they had to reschedule my surgery. I was pretty bummed that he wasn't there to rub my head and feet while I felt so bad for the first couple of days, but I had such a good time spending a week with my parents and younger siblings. My youngest brother, Westley, and I had quite a few slumber parties and late night movies. It was fun making tents and sharing blankets with a 5 year old. I helped my mom put together a bridal shower for my new sister in law the last day I was in Colorado. Poor Shawna got the flu and couldn't attend her own shower. I stepped up to the plate though and filled the position of Bride... with my swollen mouth and stitches. I was able to ride the train back to Provo. It was the first time I had ever ridden the train. I really enjoyed it. The train was scheduled to arrive in Provo at about 9:30pm, but it was running way behind, and I finally rolled into town at about 2:30am. Poor Harrison had to be to School 5 hours later!

Harrison and I attended my brothers wedding reception in the middle of March. Charlie and Shawna were married in January and had their reception on March 15th. It was a fun party. I was a bridesmaid along with my sisters and one of Shawna's sisters. It was fun. The interesting thing is... I have been a bridesmaid three times... and they have all been after the fact of myself being married. Pretty funny! I have some fun pictures that I will post of that event!

Harrison and I sat down at the end of March and decided that it would be in our best interest to get all of our debt paid off before graduate school. We have the last half of our truck to pay off and my glorious braces to pay off as well. So, we both got second jobs. Harrison picked up a job at BYU as a janitor at night during the week. I got a job at the cute little Italian Gelato Cafe' across the street from Nu Skin a few nights a week. We are both very tired working so much, but we know it is for the best. After we get our debt paid off we will be saving the extra dough for a wee little baby... whenever that may happen.

I think that may be all of the grand events happening in the world of Allen! I promise to have photos of our most recent events soon!

Happy Birthday Harrison and Gary!

We spent the evening with Gary and Amanda. Gary and Harrison have the same birthday, so we celebrated all together. We had so much fun eating pizza and having some laughs.

Our New Home

Here is our new house from the street. We live on a busier street that could seem a little scary. We do live between a pawn shop and an extended stay motel. We feel really safe though. We have not had any problems so far and the people around seem to be pretty nice.


This is our TV/Guest room. This room has many purposes. It is used for guests (see the air mattress rolled up to the side), it is used for our TV and video game room, and I use it for my workout room too (that is why the mattress is rolled up).


This is the computer and music room. There is enough room for the computer and for all of Harrison's instruments. We have our log bed stored in here for now as well. We are trying to sell it... any takers?


We are so happy to have more than a closet for a bathroom. It also has a bit of storage space in it as well.


This is our bedroom. It is right off of the living room (don't mind the laundry on the floor). The room is a really good size for us and as you can see, there are lots of windows. There is NO sleeping in while in this room. The sun is gleaming through the glass at about 8am if you are ready for it or not.

This is our living room. It is HUGE! We had enough room to have a good sized sitting room and make a small dining room behind the sofa. We realized that we did not have that many pieces of furniture as soon as we moved into this larger space. I think we will have to invest in some new items soon.

Settling In

Well, we are moved into our new home. It all happened so fast, but I think we are finally all settled in. There are only a few boxes left to unpack. It is a good feeling. We had good help from family, which made the process very simple. We are thankful for a supportive family.

We sure do love being close to the places we live our lives at... school and work. I have not had to drive to work once! Harrison has been able to ride his bike to school and work almost everyday. He has taken the truck on the days it is bitter cold. We have not had many days over the freezing mark the last couple of weeks and that makes for almost painful bike rides.

We enjoy our three bedrooms. It seems that we have enough room for everything. I am most excited about our spare bedroom. I feel like a real grown child. I can have my parents and in-laws actually sleep in our own house. We actually have room for them. It is a good feeling for me.

I don't have pictures of our new place just yet, but as soon as we take some, I will be sure to post them. It is a really nice place. It is an older house, but it has been remodeled in almost every way. There are new floors, doors, and more! We also have central air conditioning, which around here, is a rarity. I almost think that central air makes it worth living in.

We are so thankful for all of the blessings that the Lord has blessed us with. We have health and happiness. We have food in the cupboards and a roof over our heads. All in all, a pretty good life!

The boxes keep growing!

Here a box, there a box, everywhere a box!

It seems that the boxes are just everywhere! And our stacks keep growing and growing. It is just amazing to see how much junk we actually have! We have taken a load of things we don't use anymore to the local D.I. (a local thrift store). I think we could probably get rid of a lot more too!

After a few days of packing, throwing away, and donating, Harrison takes a break! He deserves it. Especially since he starts school this coming Monday morning. Life is going to be a roller coaster ride for the next week I feel.

Saying good-bye!

We were able to sell our piano just 24 hours after we posted it for sale. It was such a blessing to be able to sell it so fast. We are thankful we don't have to pack it and move it again. We are sure that Harrison's brother, Nick, is glad he doesn't have to help move it as well. We bought the piano shortly after we were married with good intentions. We were going to make BEAUTIFUL music and fill our days with sweet sounds. Well, real life happens... and the piano just sits in the living room, day after day, with no attention. It is a sad thing for a piano to just sit in a living room of a family who does not play it. So, it was sold to a new home. A cute little Asian couple bought it. They did not speak very good English, but they seem to be quite happy with their new treasure. The wife plays the piano beautifully! I was sad to see the piano go, but oh well, there is always time to save for another one I suppose.

Moving Madness!

Well, the madness of moving started this past week. We will be moving all of our things to our new place next Saturday. Every night has been filled with packing and de-junking. It seems that our lives have gone through a rather big transformation in the last week. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord answers prayers. Just a week ago we were trying to find ways to minimize stress in our lives... and wha la... two days later we find a new place to live! We are truly blessed.

We are moving... again!

Good news! We found a new apartment! It is very exciting for us. It is a 3 bedroom duplex in downtown Provo. We will be moving from Orem, back into the town we spend most of our lives in anyway. We have enjoyed living in Orem, but we have found that it is almost pointless for us to be there. We live in Provo, but we sleep in Orem (if that makes sense). The apartment is just two blocks away from where Jaala works and just about a mile from BYU where Harrison goes to school. We are so excited. As soon as I get pictures of the new place, I will be sure to post them. This also means that we have a new address. Our new address is 128 W 300 South, Provo, Utah 84601. Please drop us a letter in the mail sometime!

Our First Post

Here we go! Let's see if we can keep you all up to date with our busy and sometimes crazy lives. Here's hoping! We have so many requests from friends and family to send pictures and email updates on our lives. I thought this would be a simple and easy way to appease you all! Now we only have to post once and you can all come and see what we are up to!

And so now let the madness begin!