They came, they went, and mother damn! WE CONQUERED!

Pictures are lacking on this post because we left our camera attached to our computer. DOH!

The holidays were a lot of fun! I'm glad that they're over, because man alive the stress might have just killed me, but it was definitely worth it.

We kicked off the holidays on Wednesday the 15th with the Annual Ham Dinner at Eric and Lisa's house, which was amazing, as usual, and they had quite the turn-out. A lot of the friends came. After the dinner, we had the white elephant party. The nasty sandals from last year reappeared, and Eric ended up with one. Tyson was happy about that.

Then on Thursday, I had Bunco with the ladies that I work with, and that was pretty fun too. It's nice to just get away and play for an hour or two.

Theennnnn on Friday we had the Peterson Christmas party, which just so happened to be in Nephi. We showed up fashionably late (45 minutes) which just so happened to be the same time that Santa showed up. So, we made the kids stay in the car for a minute or two while he moved his big red butt inside. Then we went in, but alas, he hadn't gotten all the way inside, so the kids got all excited. We did the usual, sing songs, the kids sat on his lap, and then we all got to eat. We left thinking that we had plenty of time to get home, since it had started to snow. Well, we drove all that long way, just to get on Bangerter as my sister is calling me, and then pass the gas stations as she's telling me to get off. Buuut that was too late. We'd hit the traffic jam. If you're familiar with Bangerter at all, where you exit off of I15... any way, there is a light at the exit, and then a light at the gas station, then from there, it's like a quarter mile until you go underneath the train tracks. WELL, Right after the gas stations, we stopped. About 20 minutes later, we went under the train tracks. From that point it's about 1/2 mile to Redwood Road. Maybe. Well, it took us about 30 minutes to get to that light. So, to get from the gas stations, to Redwood, it took us 50 minutes. It was 11:30 before we even got home. And for almost an hour, we were less than 15 minutes from our home! Sucked for us, but sucked even more for the SUV that had rolled over, and caused the accident. I never heard anything about it on the news, so I'm assuming no one was hurt.

Moving on. Saturday we had the Greenwall Christmas party, which was definitely a little quieter with Connie and Lee being gone. But, they're serving the Lord in Bolivia as Temple Presidents. So, it's for a good cause. We talked, ate, and played pictionary, which absolutely was not quite. It was funny watching Jess try to trip Adam Crayk as they ran to the chalk boards to draw... Fun times.

Sunday was spent with Justin's family for his birthday. Yep, Justin is 26. He wasn't too excited about it, but I don't care how old he is, I still love him. =) We had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. It was kind of sad because not everyone made it. Lots of sick people in the family. But it was still nice to be with everyone.

Monday was then spent with my family for his birthday. We went to see the lights at Temple Square, and then we went back to Christy's for donuts. Jack was sick, so the Tingey's didn't come. Needless to say, at this point we were a couple of fatties.

Tuesday was spent with his friends, and it was the actual day of his birthday. We got pizza benders, and the Halvorsen's and the Newman's came over. It was a lot of fun! We admitted to some guilty pleasures... CABS A' HERE! Hahahaha! We laughed really hard, and I felt like it was a good way for him to spend his birthday.

Wednesday was our day off. We didn't do anything, and I liked it.

Thursday we went to Ruby River with Justin's parents. Like I said, a couple of fatties. After dinner, we had to run to Wal Mart to do some last minute shopping. Go figure.

Friday was Christmas Eve. We went to Grandma Jex's house, did some gift exchanging, and then we had to go because my family's party started at 6. At my parent's house, we had steak and king crab legs, artichoke, and salad. Then we studied for the book, and took the test. I did horrible!!! Normally I can win one of the prizes, but alas... my brain farted out nothingness. So I won the boobie prize. After that my dad read us the story of Christ's birth, and the we did some gift giving. When Justin and I got home, he let me open a present early... and it was... GOLDENEYE! Only the coolest game ever! We played it a few times, and had a lot of fun. Then, it was time to go to sleep. Yeah right. Justin went to sleep, I laid there.

Friday morning we got up at about 7:40 AM and opened presents. Justin got me some shelves, a jewelry box, and lots of jewelry to go with it. He also got me some movies and what nots. Then it was time for him to open his whopping 2 presents. The first was a Disney puzzle of the 7 dwarves. I told him that it would make sense once he opened his other present (which i wrapped about 6 times with newspaper). So he started unwrapping, and unwrapping, and unwrapping until he got to the FedEx box which was labeled "All firearm sales are final" which he read aloud, and just looked at me. Then he opened it more, and saw the little box that said Ruger LCP. Then all he could say was, "This is way over 150" Which was our limit. Buuut he loved his little gun. It's a great gun for a concealed carry permit. Which he is going to get. He was really excited about. I'm starting to get a little tired... so I'm going to wrap this up. We then went to Justin's parents house, and then came home. Then to his grandparents. Then to my parents. Then home. And then... it was Sunday.

Woooow. I know.

Holidays? Bring it on!

I am starting to feel the stress that is December. Starting next week, I have secret santa, family parties, work parties, secret santa visiting teaching style, weddings, bunco, white elephant/ham parties, and obviously holidays. Christmas Eve parties, Christmas Day visits, New Years Eve/Day parties..... Soooooooo needless to say, it's going to be interesting to see how it turns out.

Along with all these parties and what nots, I've applied for a new job. I really do love this job more than anything, but my brother in law informed me of a job at his work where they offer benefits, 401k, PTO, and an actual salary. At this point in time, I have to be more realistic than anything. Seeing how we're not insured... Benefits would be AH-MAZE-ING. It would definitely be a big weight off my shoulders. Always worrying about what if this happened, or what if that happened... and when your family has a history of kidney stones, and you yourself have had one.... yeah. Then there is Justin.... I don't even know what to do about him. Kidney diseases, back problems, he's just a big stressball. So, I applied, and I'm hoping to hear back from them soon. I guess that I didn't add my resume to the application online, even though I know I did... so I had to send it in again on Thursday. Oh well... fingers crossed!

Well, I hope everyone is having a great holiday so far! Happy shopping to those who have yet to finish. I'm done, but Justin is not. I told him that if he has to go out on Christmas Eve, he was going by himself, which he said that was okay with him because he'll be done faster. So, whatev.

I'm really excited for Christmas, because I got Justin an awesome present. I'm really excited to give it to him, and I think that he's going to love it. I've had it for a couple of months now. That's just how excited I was about this present. I think I'm a genius. I can't tell anyone what it is yet, seeing how Justin doesn't even know, and this could ruin it for him. If he chose to read it. Which he probably won't. BUT JUST IN CASE.

I had one of those moments where I was set on something, and couldn't think until I got it done. I told Justin that we needed stockings. So, I went out and bought some. Well, like a week later, I asked him to pull out my bin that has my Christmas books in it, and surprise! there were two stockings in there, that I had bought the year before. I laughed a lot more than Justin did. =)

Anyway... I'm going to try and update again before Christmas, but if I don't.... Thennnn....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

And in the occasion I don't update after that...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oh how thankful I am.

It was a good Thanksgiving, and a good break. I enjoyed the time off, and got a lot done. We had dinner at my parents, and then I went to the cabin with my parents and we watched ALL of Lonesome Dove, which for those of you who don't know, it's 6 hours long. I'd read the book this summer, and it's my dad's very most favorite book EVER. So we decided to go to the cabin and watch the series which stars Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, Rick Schroeder, Chris Cooper, Steve Buscemi, and so on. It's really a fantastic show, if you like westerns. And the book is phenomenal. Anyway. Got that done, got Justin's Christmas all done, and that was a good feeling. I'm really excited for Christmas!

23 DAYS!

Oh how I love .... everything. -Enter Sarcasm-

Happy Monday!

This morning was started off with a sick husband, who remained in bed whilst I got ready all alone. Definitely had a late start, but that's normal. I drive my niece and nephew to school, and they were running late as well, so they took their instant-breakfasts in the car. We were all getting buckled when my nephew yelled, "Mom!" And I looked over, and he had his breakfast all over his pants. No bueno. So my sister starts cleaning it up, and my nephew ran back inside to change his pants. Needless to say, we left at about 8:25, and school starts at 8:30.

So, we get to school, roughly 7 minutes late, and I tell the kids to go straight to class, which they did. Well, working with my Little Guy at school, he said that he had to go to the bathroom, which he says all the time. So I let him go. I decided to make sure that he got there okay, and wasn't playing (which we struggle with). When I got up to the bathroom, I come upon him peeking into the girl's bathroom. Wellllll that wasn't acceptable. So my Little Guy lost his recess. Sad for him.

THEN. The Department Head isn't here, she's out of town, and the #2 in our department left sick. That's always a little stressful.

AND The maintenance guy was out this morning putting down rock salt, and he fell, cracked his head on the asphalt and had to be taken to the hospital, so he's going to be out all week. Having him gone makes the lunchroom a wee bit more stressful. We have to shift the jobs around, and what not.... super fun.

So thank you Monday, for bringing in the week SO NICELY.

I have the best job ever

So, I work in the special education department as an instructor at an elementary, and I work with one little guy each day, all day. He is 8 years old, and he is a hoot. I'm just going to refer to him as my little guy, for privacy purposes. Anyway, let the stories begin!

wis = with
I was asking my little guy if he knew what the date was. He got a surprised look on his face and said, "You're going on a date wis your boyfriend?" I laughed, and said, "No, do you know what the date was today" to which I got an "Oh, you wanna go on a date wis me?" *eyebrow lift* Honestly. This kid is such a ladies man, it's hilarious.

I work with my little guy until almost the end of school on some days, and on one particular day I stood up to leave, and the little guy grabbed my hand, held it with both of his, and said, "You stay wis me?" *again, with the eyebrow lift*

There is every once in a while that my little guy will get stuck on one thing, and it's really hard to get him to move on. On this particular day, he was being a robot. He kept talking like a robot, moving like a robot, and not listening like a robot. So amongst all the robot dance moves and the voices, he turns to me and says,
"I am a robot.
You can't boss me.
I can run fast,
But you can't find me."
That's just how he is. He sings everything, and he is so silly, but it's just because wants to have fun all of the time. ALL OF THE TIME.

Way back when he was in kindergarten, which now he's in 2nd, I was doing some one-on-one with him, and he was distracted by the things on the table. To get him to focus a little more, I made him stand up and face me, and the first thing he does is yell, "BOOBS!" And grab on to both my lovelies. Oh man. Just ANOTHER one of those things.

Oh well, he makes me laugh.

Good News and Bad News...

We'll start with the good.

Halloween was fun. It wasn't a typical year, though. When my family went to the witches at Gardner Village, it was just Christy and her kids, Lori and Jack, my mom, and then me. It was still fun, we just missed everyone else. It was also a different year because ... drumroll ... Justin and I dressed up! WHOA! We actually went out to a party, instead of sitting home and watching Ghost Hunters, which by all means is a sacrifice.

Here are some witch shots... BTW, it snowed whilst we were there. Yeah, snow.

And then here are some Halloween ones!

This is Jess, Justin, and Braden

Even Auggie dressed up, though he wasn't too happy about it.

Kerry and Sarah, haha best costume ever Sarah!

The donut game

It was a fun party, so thanks Scott and Mel!

Okay, so now for the bad news.

Something is wrong with my dog. Auggie has been limping around, and he's shaking, and won't eat or drink... it's really upsetting me. Jake and Spike (my old dogs) both were put to sleep because of things with their spines... and I worry he has the same thing. His back legs have no control it seems. He trips, and stumbles, and my parents have tried to prepare me for the worst... We're taking him to the vet tomorrow. So... I'm going to put some happy pictures up, and think positive thoughts, and hope and pray for the best.

He loves me, and sleeps next to me

He has the longest tongue ever...

Haha he's just putting up with me here

And he's sitting.

And then he's wrapped up in my blankie.

Sigh.

PLEASE be okay.

Our Ultimate Vacation Spot

Justin and I both love love love Moab. I've been going there since I was little, and my family and I took Justin for his first time this year, and needless to say, he loved it. So right after we got back from the annual 4-Wheel Drive Trip, I convinced Justin that we needed a Jeep. So we got this bad boy....

So Justin has been itching to go back since we got it, which was in April. Or May. Sometime around there. So, originally we planned on going to Disneyland with the Greenwood's, which I was STOKED for, but after putting together all of the costs..... it wasn't going to happen. So, we asked Justin's parents if they wanted to go to Moab with us. They just got an X-Terra, so it was only logical. We went to Gemini Bridges, Arches (Delicate Arch), Secret Spire, Cliffhanger Arch, and other places. It was a lot of fun! We went to a few overlooks, and by all means, I can't remember everywhere that we went. Either way, it was all pretty and I loved it all. Here are more pictures -->

This is at Arches

This is Long Canyon Road, which was a wee bit rough, but has an awesome rock that you drive under, as shown above.

We definitely had a lot of fun. We got to spend a lot of time with Steve and Ann, which is always nice. We got some shirts and what nots while we were there.

And then when we got home, Justin had to wash his trophy off. It made him a little sad. And also cost $12. Honestly.

So that was our trip, in a nutshell.

THEN! On Saturday....

GASP! What could this be?!

Oh my land! What could live here?

Oh it's Auto! My guinea pig!

Yes, I got a guinea pig. He is super adorable. And very camera shy. He was kind of freaking out that I had a camera in his face... so maybe I'll get some more pictures of him later, when he's a little more comfortable. It's funny, because I got him on Saturday, and then BAM! Monday night, Christy gets a puppy. It's a great week for this household! I don't have any pictures of her Shorkie puppy yet, but don't you worry. I will.

So... I took some NyQuil, and I can tell it's starting to work, because I feel a bit like a zombie, and my eyes aren't focusing. So, I shall say goodnight.

Oh time passes.

I feel like a lot has happened, but I'm not sure that's true. Let me see.... there was a fire.... conference.... cabin......... haircut....... new baby.

I just don't know where the time goes. But here's some photographic proof....

Jeanette Maxwell did my hair. And I love it.

This was the sunset on the way to the cabin. Cool, eh?

Nighttime shot. A little smoke in the distance.

Auggie likes to poke his head out the window whilst we drive.

This is on the way to see the baby haha note the joy in his face.

He really was excited, I just don't think that he knew what to do or what to expect. But when we got there, Jack said, "When Heavenly Father sent her, she was zero, and this big!" -cupping his hands together like he was holding water- "And now she's here, and she's none years!"

Hahahaha I love it. It's such an innocent thought process.

Mom and baby are doing great. They've been home since yesterday!

Vacations, Crafts, Birthdays. All in one month.

So this month, we have quite a few birthdays. From start to finish it goes: Adam, Ann, Cindy, Lindsey, Kailey, and Emmalee. If I forgot any, please forgive me. There are just so many to remember!

So over Labor Day my family joined the Crayk's family on a trip to Island Park. It was a lot of fun! It's been a really long time since I've been there. It was fun, it was dark, and it was chilly. But we did a lot of fun things. Yellowstone, Old Faithful, the lake with the rope swing, an antique show with puppies, fires, talked, and so on. Here are some pictures.

It was a lot of fun. We had some fun!

And. I've been making bows. They're really fun to make! And I have to admit I feel quite crafty when they're done.

But anyway. Fun.

Coolest day ever!

Aside from the day I got married.... naturally.

BUT GUESS WHAT?! If you haven't heard of Give Away Today, it's just not going to be as amazing. Anyway, it's just a website that gives things away each weekday. Wednesday's give away was a new item from Down East Basic's, which just so happens to be one of my very most favorite clothing stores. So I entered, not thinking too much of it. Well... lo and behold, I log on today, and who was the winner? ME!

I have never won anything before! It was the coolest thing ever! I've emailed them back so I can HARDLY wait to hear what the next step is. WOO! New clothes!

THEN.

Spent some time with my mom, which is always valued. We got some fabric, got some clothes, and then we went to a party. A Stampin' Up! party.

It was a lot of fun. We made a card, and saw some other really cute cards. It really made me feel quite crafty. I like making stuff... Never really done it before. But my mom ordered some stuff, and I ordered some stuff. I got a necklace that allows me to change the stuff that is inside. It's really cute, and I'm excited to get it. I'm not sure what I'll put inside of it yet... but with the way today is going, I'm sure it will be awesome.

WOO!

Cabin Trips

So this last weekend, we went to my parents cabin. We met Eric and Lisa there, and then Matt and Emily were just a couple hours after that. We all sat by the fire talking, when what do we see? A little 2 x 2 buck. Just chilling, eating his grass. Wasn't even phased by us. Then roughly a half hour later, some horses charged us (really, they were just running near-by) but it definitely sounded like they were coming after us. Naturally, we all jumped and had minor heart attacks. No big deal. After that, we were ready to go inside. It was kind of chilly, because it had been raining. Well, we got inside, and the games began. We played Nerts until 3 AM. Needless to say, my sleeping pattern was ruined. I've been up until 12 or 1 since Friday night. Justin isn't too happy about it.

Anyway, Saturday morning rolls around and we have the door open and the windows open to allow a breeze and keep it cool inside. WELL. It FELT like it was 5 in the morning, but a darn rooster starts crowing! OVER AND OVER! I thought I was going to kill me a chicken. I was way tired. Well, we got up, had some breakfast, and then we went on a nice drive to upper Joe's Valley. It was raining and very muddy. It was a lot of fun, and our jeep got really dirty. Justin, I think, has finally satisfied that ever-burning urge to go four-wheeling. We went off the trail on this road that was COMPLETELY mud. The jeep was all over the place, and Justin was quite worried. Matt, Emily, and myself all got a really good laugh out of it. We made it to the end of the trail, just in time to run into Shane and Ashley. What are the odds?! The trail is roughly an hour long, maybe longer, and they were right behind us. Kind of funny to be waiting to turn around and Ashley's head pokes out, waving and smiling at us =)

Once we got back to the cabin, we watched a movie, ate, and then the Smith's and the Newman's left. Justin and I had the cabin to ourselves! It was really nice to have our friends there, but it was also nice to be alone. =) We made our dinner, and just sat by the fire and talked. We got attacked by the biggest beetle I've ever seen, but Justin was a man, and took care of that. We went inside not long after that and went to bed. Well, he went to bed. I played on my iPod. Sunday morning I made us some pancakes, and we relaxed and watched some movies. It was a lot of fun. We left just in time to make it to the Larson's house for some dinner. After that, we went to my parent's house to celebrate Jack's 4th birthday, Trevon's 10th birthday, and Lori's 30th birthday. YAY! It was pretty fun. I love spending time with our families. They both have so much to offer, and they're always so willing to offer it too. I hope they all know how much we love and appreciate them!

On an awesome note... I HAVE 3 MORE DAYS OF NANNYING! THREE! That's like.... 27 hours. Ohmyland. I can't even wait. THEN I'm back with my Jackson, right where I want to be. =)

One year down, eternity to go.

So on the 16th, we celebrated our one year anniversary! Justin did really good. We decided that we're going to take turns with planning, and this year was Justin's turn. He left for 'work' wednesday morning before I'd gotten up (really he just went to his parents to do some homework), and then I left for work at 9. When I got home at 12, there were flowers on the stairs along with a card, and some passes to Lagoon! Since we went to Disneyland and Six Flags on our honeymoon, it was his recreation, Utah style. But because the weather wasn't the best, we decided to wait and go later. We went to lunch together, and spent the rest of the day with each other. It was awesome. I can't believe that it's been a year already. Time has flown by! We've definitely fought, and we've definitely had some really funny moments, but every day I learn more about him, and I continue to love him more each day! Even though it may not seem like it =)

Other than our anniversary... nothing too awesome has happened. Haha SO I will update when something else awesome happens.

Relief Society

Imagine that... I actually get to go! We're doing service, tying quilts and decorating boxes.

OH MY LAND. The boxes are for the hospital for when a child dies. They put the child's things in the box, and give it to the parents. How stinking sad is that?

I have to admit though, I'm really excited to go. I want to actually become a part of the ward, not just be a primary teacher. I'm pretty sure too, that 99% of the ward doesn't know us, so this is a good way to get to know people.

Last week at Bunco (yes, I went and played) I made a new friend. That was nice haha! Someone that is actually the same age as we are, but they're just a little more advanced in life than we are. But it's all good. They're really cool.

I've started babysitting for the summer, and I can already tell I'm going to need a lot of sunscreen and a lot of energy.

On the flip side, I'm making excellent progress in Lonesome Dove!

Lightening

That was a great Sunday! It isn't over quite yet, either. Granted it's 10 pm, but I'm a night owl, and the possibilities for tonight are endless!

Tomorrow I start babysitting. I'm really excited because the kids are cool, as are the parents. I'm thinking that we'll get along great.

Just a week and a half until Justin and I have been married a year. How crazy is that?! It went by so fast. A year ago today I went through the temple, and we saw Kari and Sarah there.

Ten days and counting.

Oh man... I suck at this haha

I promise, I'm going to get better. I am going to add some more pictures, and I'm going to give a great update! I guess we should go back a few weeks, or a couple of months...

More photos from the four-wheel drive trip - Lindsey this is for you =)

This is just one of the many stupid competitions my brothers do. It was really funny though...

Because my dad got Adam!

Then Jack didn't react quite the way I was expecting when I said, "I see London, I see France..."

And just like usual, Jess took it to the next level.

This is Gemini Bridges. There was a memorial for a kid that had fallen, and died. It was a little upsetting for my nephew.

Me and my girls =) They're getting SO BIG. Give it a few months, and Ciera will pass me. Then it's just a matter of time for the other two. Sigh.

Another one of the cool places. I forget the name... Balancing Rock or something like that. haha

This was just along the road we were on, and we stopped to play. Pictures can't show JUST how high up it was. It was almost sickening.

This made us all nervous... and sick.

This is a park in Moab, and it's amazing! It's just full of musical instruments! Honestly, it was the coolest thing that I'd pretty much ever seen.

But like I said... that was over a month ago. Since then, we've done a lot more. We went to St. George with Justin's family for Brett's graduation. GO BRETT! We saw Brian Regan, went to Zion's, spent some time swimming, went to Mongolian ,>

Then, the next weekend was San Rafael Swell. What a weekend. We got there roughly 5:00 pm, and it was wiiiiindy. The wind would come and go, but mostly came. We hiked a little around the camp, and looked at the pictographs (whatever they are) that we'd missed on the drive in, which honestly I have no idea how we missed them. But it was fun. We got the tents set up, matress set up, and then went and sat by the fire. Well, come bedtime, we get in our tent, and there's sand all over everything. We tried to tough it out for a little while, but I thought Justin was going to scream. So needless to say we ended up in our Jeep at about midnight, as did everyone else aside from Johnny and Kelly, but they have a $600 tent... it's a little better. Saturday we hiked some more, went down to the river and the bridge was covered with someone's ranting about how much N'SYNC sucked. I mean, it was ALL OVER the bridge... it kind of made me wonder.... anyway. After we were done there, we went to my parent's cabin in Fairview. Matresses, showers, and NO WIND. It was really nice. It was a fun weekend, just that dang wind!

All in all, it's been a good couple of months. I quit my night job which has allowed me to spend a LOT of time with my husband, which I really needed. Now my job at the elementary is almost over, and babysitting begins. I'm excited, but nervous. Just because of the unknown...

Our one year anniversary is coming up. How weird is that? Time flew by. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm finding that I love my husband more and more everyday.