Justin & Tracee

My bad

2012-02-06T14:35:00.001-07:00

So my last post was a little on the cryptic side, but no. I'm not pregnant. :(

We're actually moving! I was sooo excited because although I do love my sister and her family very much, I think it will be good for us to get into 'our own place' even though it's still an apartment. We'll hopefully be in a ward that has people in our same phase of life. Maybe we'll even make some friends... who knows. The possibilities are endless!

Again, sorry about the fake out :)

Sad Day

2012-02-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

So you may or may not have noticed that something changed recently. I deleted my email, but had some complications. When I went to check my blog, I couldn't log on. So I had Justin add me, and suddenly: pictures are all gone!
At least the posts are still there... I'll have to go back and edit them to add the pictures, because if I ever print this business out, it'll be LAME if there aren't any pictures.

Anyway. Nothing too new is going on. At least nothing that I can openly talk about, yet. I will be singing from the rooftops as soon as I'm given the green light. I've been sooo excited, but I was sworn to secrecy, so I guess that's the best I can do.

Tracemus Day

2012-01-17T12:48:00.001-07:00

I turned 26 this weekend. 26! I am officially on the downward slope of my 20's. Wow. Luckily, age doesn't bother me because I will probably always act like I'm 12. No big deal.

Friday night we had my party with my parents. It was nice, even though my grandma and grandpa Greenwall didn't know why we were gathered together. :(
Note: I gave Justin the COOLEST Tracemus Eve present. A chillow! It's a pillow that's always cold. Haha coolest present... get it?!
Saturday Justin and I went shopping and ate and watched Moneyball. He
Sunday we had dinner at the Larson's, then had cake and ice cream for me.

But the fun doesn't end there!

With my birthday money I bought:

Mission Impossible : 1, 2 and 3
Live Free or Die Hard (the funniest in the series)
RED (if you haven't seen this, I highly recommend it)
A new hair-do which I've been told is hinting spring/summer
Pens
A Skirt
Stuff for my hair

And I think that's all....

I feel this was a very successful birthday thus far.

Here's to 2012, bringing changes galore!

2012-01-13T12:52:00.001-07:00

There are so many possibilities this year. Things are going to be changing, and those changes lead to other changes, and in order for me to start processing the new year, I've decided to start writing them down.

Change #1 - Justin WILL be graduating this year. HOLYBEANS! I am sure there are tons of people that can sympathize with me... School suuuuucks. And I'm not even the one going. This semester is going to be quite the trial. I told Justin the other night that I need a lot of attention, and if I don't get it, it will come out at 11:00 PM right when he's about to fall asleep. Which can definitely wear on a person. Myself included.

Change #2 - With graduation comes moving. We're coming up on year 3 living in my sisters basement. It's definitely been a blessing, but we're ready to move out. Personally, I think they're ready for a theater room as well. So win win! So with that change... where would we move? Out of state? Into a house? A town home? The possibilities are endless!

Change #3 - With moving comes jobs. Jobs also could have the opposite effect, get a job first, then move. We've talked a little about this, and the chances of him getting a job and what not, so I've come to not expect one thing. I have a tendency to think of one thing, and then I want it that instant, and if I don't get it, I may or may not be a little miffed about it. Who knows.

Change #4 - This one is not a definite change. But a family? *This is not an announcement* I'm just saying that anything is possible.

Sad Change #1 - Auto died. It was such a horrible week for me. I'd been mad about this, and ornery about that, and then on Friday the 6th, I was actually in a good mood. Justin was gone on the Klondike camp with the scouts, and I planned a girls night with my sister. While at work though, I'd made an appointment to take my guinea pig to the vet because he'd stopped eating a couple of days before, and I was getting worried. Well... when I got home, the poor guy was laying on his side, having a seizure. I ran up and got Christy, asking her to hold him while I drove to the vet... but I was shaking so bad we decided to have her drive. I'd already started crying because I just love my pets so much, and he went. I had him wrapped up in a towel, and he was just gone. So we went to my parents, and added to the pet cemetery in the pasture. RIP Auto Bot!

Hopefully there won't be anymore sad changes this year. My ticker can only take so much.I'm crossing my finger for good news, vacations, and happiness!

Need a job?

2012-01-05T11:32:00.003-07:00

Just so happens that my job is hiring right now. It's a cool company, and I work here! What more do you need? :)

https://www.smartrecruiters.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/jobmarket.woa/wa/jobMarketHomePage?fp1=50283287

There are a few different positions, and if you have any questions. Let me know!

Hello world!

2012-01-03T14:52:00.001-07:00

So, the holidays make it next to impossible to do anything other than holid-ize. There were Christmas parties and ham dinners and birthdays and then birthday parties and birthday dinners. Sometimes it's really expensive having a birthday in the month of December. I try to keep Justin's birthday as separate as I can, but sometimes it's just to dang hard. Anyway- this is how the month went.

And just so you know, there is construction going on in the lot next to our building, and it's causing the whole building to shake... kind of mimicking an earthquake. Which in fact, one of the techs actually thought it was. Haha!

December started off nicely. Kind of slow (except for at work where we steadily got more calls each day) since our family parties didn't actually start until the 17th, but when they started... they started hard! We had our friend Ham Dinner at Eric and Lisa's house on Friday the 16th. The white elephant party that accompanies the dinner every year was quite fun. Some of the gifts were MIA so we're wondering if they moved to Maryland...
The next day (Saturday) I had 3 parties scheduled. Justin's family party at 4, the Greenwall party at 6, and then my work party at 8. Wow. I know. We started off by going to his grandma's house and eating the homemade Cafe Rio salads that everyone provided. Super yum. We opened gifts and did the game where you can steal... I came out on top with a gift card to Barnes and Noble (sorry Heidi) which will fuel my addiction to journals and pens. Justin is thrilled about it. I only have like... 3 empty journals. So no biggie.
Once we were done there, we went to my family party. I really love being able to hang out with all my cousins. They're a lot of fun, and we enjoy each others company (at least, I do.... I guess I can't really speak for them) but unfortunately schedules are just so freaking hard to work around! And it doesn't help when some of them live 4 hours away. Either way, it's really fun to get together and talk with all of them. It's especially fun when they text you like 2 weeks later announcing their engagement! YAY NICOLE!
We didn't leave my family party until 10, which is when the work party ended. So that one got the boot. It's okay, I see them M-F 8-4:30 which I feel is enough.
The next morning (Sunday) I went to my mom's house to babysit my niece while my sister taught in Relief Society. That's always fun. She has this thing where she grabs your finger, and then takes you with her WHERE EVER she goes. It's really cute and I just can't say no to her. So we walked all over the basement. Once my sister got home, I went to church with my mom. It's been a while since I've been in my home ward, and it was fun to go back. I don't know too many of the people there anymore, but it's crazy to see the kids that I used to babysit passing the sacrament or just be all grown up. That night we celebrated Justin's birthday with my family. We had some angel food cake with fruit which is delish.
Monday night we had Justin's birthday with his family. We all went over to his parents and had dinner, opened all of his gifts, and then had cake.
Tuesday night we went to Ruby River with Justin's parents for his birthday. It's always nice when you can have a little one on one time with the parents.
Wednesday night was Justin's birthday. I told him that he could open one of his Christmas gifts since I'd already spent too much on him. I tried the whole "You can pick a present if I can pick one" but he wasn't going for it. He ended up picking the jacket present. I was worried that it wouldn't fit, but it did. PHEW. We then went to Italian Village, which we both love. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. After dinner we went home and watched... something. Probably House. We're super exciting.
Then Thursday and Friday were nights to relax. Saturday was Christmas Eve, so we did our traditional dinner with king crab legs and steak, then we did the book contest (we didn't win) and then my dad read the story of Christ's birth, then we all got some gifts and went on our ways.
Christmas morning, we got up about 7:30 and opened our gifts. It's always kind of funny to sit there and watch each other open gifts, but it's so fun! Justin and I are our own family, and we have our own little traditions that we do, and it's fun. I love just spending time with him. After that we spent the day at Justin's parents, and then his grandparents, and then we finished the night off at my parents.

That was a little exhausting writing that all out. I love the holidays.. but it's kind of a relief when they're over. It's like I can finally breathe.

Oh, and 11 days until my birthday.

Lucky

2011-12-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

I normally don't really care for the song "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend" but Justin really made me feel that way today.
First of all, I can be a spaz. I was having one of those typing spaz days (while we're at work, we chat over gmail) and I was being all sorts of crazy, talking about him taking me to see Taking Back Sunday for my birthday. He informed me that we'd have to go to either Brazil, New Jersey or Pennsylvania to do so, and I didn't see what the problem was... but that's not what I'm talking about now.
We just had an email go around our dept. that told us to clean because the CEO is going to be walking around looking to see what it looks like (clean, dirty, unlivable, etc), and so while we're quite busy, all the guys start cleaning their desks (the noise level went way up, people opening and shutting drawers, air being sprayed on keyboards, boxes being moved). To make a long story short, I was getting really irritated. I started going off on Justin about the guys, and then I moved on to friends. How I really can't count on a lot of them (not all) but being the dramatic, ornery, short tempered person that I am, went off about how I can only count on Justin and I continue to think I have friends when I don't (I really do) and what not. Well, Justin responds with this :

yep: I am glad I married my best friend

me: Me too.

yep: <3

And magically, I am okay again. He's pretty great :)

Bring it on, Christmas!

2011-11-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

So this year, I got my tree up a week BEFORE Thanksgiving. I couldn't wait any longer to put up my Christmas Decorations. They're so cute! I'll post pictures later. My husband was wanting to feel the Christmas Spirit a little more this year as well, so what better way to feel the spirit than to have some holiday music on while we look at our tree?!

Anyway, I've been thinking about movies that make me shed a tear or two, and this is what I came up with.

PS I Love You
Charly
Phenomenon
Titanic
Pearl Harbor
Dead Poets Society
Moulin Rouge
Finding Neverland
Bridge to Terabithia
The Lion King
Atonement
The Green Mile
My Girl
Beaches
Marley and Me
Benji the Hunted
Charlie St. Cloud

By all means, these aren't the only ones. There are some that make me cry in fear, but I left those out.

I don't often watch these shows, because I'm not a huge fan of crying, but there are just some days that you need a little swelling of the heart, and leakage of the eye.

The feeling is mutual.

2011-11-16T09:37:00.001-07:00

I love when I'm able to bond with someone over mutual feelings over another person. Whether those feelings be good or bad, it's always nice when you can say, "So you know so-and-so? They said the DUMBEST thing yesterday!" Or "You follow this blog, right? Did you see this post? Custest thing ever, huh?!"

Sometimes it's nice to know that you're not crazy for thinking your thinks. (Yes, I know thinks isn't used correctly, but I'm referring to Dr. Seuss-genius.)

But then there are those times when everyone loves a person, and all you can think is, "Really? THAT PERSON? They're one step above dog poop rolled in nuts."
And then there is another time when you just can't help but like that person, and everyone else thinks they're just a big, giant, idiot stick. (ex-boyfriends, what?)

But such is life. So the sayings go, people are brought in your life so you can teach them, or they can teach you... some are brought in for a season, a reason, or a lifetime... so on and so forth. There are hundreds of different sayings, but I could only think of those ones at the moment. You get my point though.

Am I right?!

2011-11-09T18:04:00.001-07:00

Best time to see a spider : while holding a vacuum.

Worst time to see a spider : getting out of the shower.

I get kind of worried

2011-10-10T13:39:00.001-06:00

Earlier today while sitting at my desk, I was listening to some ladies (GASP! ladies in the tech department?!) talk to a guy I sit by, and they made the comment of, "Why is it so stinky down here?"

Well this bothered me.

Because I can't smell it.

AHHHH!!!! I'M GROWING IMMUNE TO THE STENCH OF GUYS!

This is a problem. So I immediately went and talked to my boss about smells that don't give him headaches, and I immediately put something out. Which I don't think is going to do the trick, because I can't smell it. Granted, it was from the dollar store, so who knows how well it will work, but I think I am going to invest in some spray. Hopefully that will remove some of the smell, or at least cover it up for a little while. Just something that will change the smell down here a little bit so I know when it's stinky or not.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm ALWAYS right. Most of the time.

2011-10-03T11:47:00.000-06:00

And Justin has recently figured this out.

SO. One day over gmail chat, we were discussing how I ask for Justin to buy me things. I do it all the time, mostly joking. It's pretty much anytime I see something bright or shiny. Well, Justin asked me to buy him something. So I did. Here is how our conversation went:

*This chat has not been changed to portray the argument in it's entirety*
me: See how easy that was? You're like 'buy me something' and I'm like 'okay'
Justin: I have gained a lot experience watching you do it to me all these years
thanks btw
me: You're welcome.
All these years?
I didn't start until we were married.
Because that's when you stopped buying me things.
So 2 years.
Justin: yeah all these years
me: These past two years
All these years implies more than 3.
Which is not the case.
Justin: plural is anything more than 1 and adam says your wrong.
me: uM NO.
Justin: how do you figure
me: Because I'm your wife.
Justin: ok fine. these past 2 years I have learrned this
me: Thank you.
And here's a dollar.
Pfft, I just bought you shirts! You better damn well agree with me!
Justin: yep

Pretty self explanatory. Although he didn't really agree with me, as you may or may not have gathered. A couple of nights later, Justin and I were watching The Office and Parks and Rec with my sister and her husband. When the shows were over, Justin started talking about how in one of his classes, they had a debate about few = 3 or more, and couple = 2, and Justin said, and I quote, "So these refers to 3 or more." And I said yes, and then it dawned on both of us. I started yelling about how I was right, and he was yelling about who knows what, because he was WRONG! And it wasn't even me that proved him wrong! IT WAS HIM!

That was one of the most AMAZING arguments I've ever had with my husband.

Granted, there are definitely a MILLION 'marks' that when we die and go to heaven, we need to find these and fast forward/rewind to determine who was right/wrong. I don't know if anyone else does this, but we'll be arguing about something (not in a hateful way, but more jokingly) and one of us will yell "Mark it!" and it kind of ends the argument, although there may be talk about when we're in heaven how it's going to suck to have to apologize, or who is going to be wrong more... it's super fun.

So I've recently been inspired. Inspired to do what you may ask... Well a few things. Mind you these are in no particular order.

2011-09-27T21:53:00.001-06:00

So I've recently been inspired. Inspired to do what you may ask... Well a few things. Mind you these are in no particular order.

First- to make things. Easy things that never crossed my mind. Like a wreath. And a birthday board. Things that allow me to have a creative outlet. It feels good to have something come together, that comes from my hands. It may not be the most amazing thing, or the cutest thing, but it's mine. And that means a lot. Another thing that helps me relax, aside from coloring, is the action of writing. Not like stories from my mind, but quotes from other people. I have a journal that my sister gave me, and I've been filling it up for years. There's something about reading these beautiful and unique thoughts from people and then the motion of writing it out... I wish I still was in a calligraphy class. Sometimes you'll see my finger wagging around in the air, and that I because I'm writing something in the air. Usually what I'm saying, or what someone else is saying. So try not to judge.

Second- to drink more water. I have a friend that goes through a gallon a day. WHOA. I struggle getting half of a bottle down. So, now that I'm sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, I think it might be a good idea to get some water in my system. Plus, it will be good practice for when I'm pregnant* and carrying around a giant mug. It seems like a good, healthy habit. Maybe I'll even throw in a lemon, who knows?
*I'm not pregnant.

Third- be grateful for what I have. I have a great apartment, a lot of awesome shoes, jackets, and clothes. I also have a husband that loves me. A family that loves me. A puppy that loves me. I have a job that provides for my husband and I, and offers me benefits. I've got a car. Justin has a car, a job, and he is extremely smart. So honestly, how lucky am I?

These are just a few of the things that have been particularly prominent in my life as of late. But definitely not the only things. But seeing things written out, I feel like I need to prioritize a little more. Just one of those things where I'm seeing where things stand in my life, and it helps me think, "oh hey. maybe there are more important things."

And why is it so easy to take a pill everyday to make ourselves healthier, or better, but when it comes to praying or reading scriptures, it just gets harder and harder? It's almost like someone doesn't want you to take those positive steps in your life. :/

Sent from my iPod

Family Reunion, here we come!

2011-09-19T18:36:00.000-06:00

So this weekend the Peterson family is having it's first reunion in.... years. Aside from the Christmas parties of course. Anyway.

We're getting together this Saturday at my mom's house. To give you an idea of how ginormous our family is... I have 4 older brothers/sisters. So, there are 5 kids total. We EACH have to bring 4 dozen cookies. Let's see. That means there will be 20 dozen. Which equals 240. That's a lot of cookies. There are probably around 100 people in my family from my grandparents down. And it just keeps growing. It's going to be a par-tay.

So I was thinking of doing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and I can hardly wait. I'm thinking that I'll just make an extra dozen for myself.

One of those things

2011-09-16T12:02:00.000-06:00

The other day, I was so insanely ADD, that I couldn't finish anything. Which is why I'm posting this now, and not when I actually started it.

I had one thought after the other, and man alive, I couldn't organize a single one of them. At first it started with me sitting down to write a blog, and then thinking, "I really should eat a shake while I write this." So, I get up, make my shake, and then what do I do?

Go watch The Office.

20 minutes later, I put my cup in the sink, and sit down to write... yet again. But I hear a noise upstairs, and I had to talk to my sister, so I run up. I sit and talk for a minute, then head back downstairs.

I stand there for a minute trying to think of what I was going to do (which is blog) and decide I need some laundry done. Which is much more productive. So, I start a load, and sit back down to watch another episode of The Office. Speaking of The Office, I love Netflix. Best idea ever!

The moral of this story is that I had mental ADD for a night, which caused a delay on me sharing my super-exciting story with all of you!

The end.

New blogger

2011-09-09T13:23:00.001-06:00

So I just changed to the new blogger interface, and man alive, it's how I would have done it myself. I'm SUPER glad that they finally updated. Granted, it's going to take time to figure out where everything is again, but I'll figure it out.

Moving on.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a few interviews. You may remember. One with Control4, one with The Ready Store, and then one with Stampin' Up! which all happened within a week of each other. What are the odds? All summer I don't hear anything, and then the week before my job at the elementary starts, I have 3. Say la vee. I'm fairly certain all three went well. It was kind of funny, because I knew someone on the inside at each job. I was getting updates from two of the jobs. The other job, it was more like "Oh, well if that's what they said, then usually the next step is hiring."

After praying and waiting and whatever else it took, I was offered a job at Control4. I was SO excited. More money, benefits, and a mostly woman free environment! I truly loved working at the elementary, but it will be nice not having to worry about all the women talking and talking and talking. And everything that goes in hand with that. So I accepted the job, and worked my last week at the elementary.

I'm going to miss my friends that I made at the school, I'm going to miss my little guy, and I will definitely miss the hours. But I guess this is all part of growing up... a full time job. I'm ready though. I start Monday at 9:00 AM. Then it's all downhill from there. =)

Luckily for Justin and I, we were able to get some trips out of the way before I started my new job. We went camping to the navel of Utah, Levan. It was pretty fun. My brother pulled his trailer up, and then my other brother pulled the four wheelers down. We drove them around, and then the kids realized that they could drive them, so they drove in circles around the camp. We also had a minor mishap with our bacon. I bought turkey bacon, and we had it for breakfast on Saturday, but then come Sunday morning, when we cooked the rest of them up... they tasted like crispy nothing. Justin and I sat down, and started eating, and we're both looking at each other thinking "Uhhhmmmm, something is wrong here..." and then Justin realized that the bacon had soaked in our cooler water all night. It was in a bag that unfortunately got pushed to the bottom, and took in a bunch of water. So, there went our breakfast. Oh well.
We spent a few hours at Yuba Lake, which was my first time there. It really is a nice little lake. Not too busy. I took my dog, and the poor thing was beside himself with fear. Maybe because I dragged him into the lake with me, but who knows? But don't worry, he still loves me.

After camping, we headed to his parents cabin. As soon as we got there, I showered. And I was excited. We played some games, and watched some movies. It's always so relaxing at their cabin. We all walked down to the swings and some played horseshoes, some threw frisbees, and then there was swinging. Hahaha which reminded me of when Justin fell out of the swing when we were dating. HAHAHA! THAT was hilarious.

I finished The Help this week. Talk about a FANTASTIC book! I LOVED IT! I've heard that people don't like the ending but I'm not sure what they were expecting. The book isn't a love story, and I thought the ending suited it. Anyway, I can't wait until I go see the movie.

Interviews and much much more.

2011-08-21T12:11:00.000-06:00

So in the past week, I've had two interviews. First one at Control4, which was all due to the lovely Kateka. It went really well, and I actually have another interview via phone set up for Monday. Which is really too bad because I suck at phone interviews. Horribly. Either way, my second interview was with The Ready Store, which was set up through an old friend from 1800Contacts. It was very random and spur of the moment. I saw her at 6:30 Thursday night, and then Friday at 12, I had an interview. Thursday afternoon Stampin' Up! called, and alas, I had an interview for this Wednesday. So, even though all summer I didn't hear one single word about a job, now that school is almost back in, I've got three interviews. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense. But I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities, and can't wait to figure things out. I know that I was all psyched about being the PE teacher, which I really am/was, but after everything that happened with my legs and spending all that money, it was kind of a wake up call as to why insurance is so important. So my priorities have had to shift slightly.

I can't lie either, at this moment in my life, I'm embracing change. I've been at the same job for a few years now, with a little break while I went to school. I've been out of school for over a year now. Justin is still going, but that also means he's working, going to school, and free time is spent doing homework. Which, I appreciate everything that he is doing to provide for me. I love Justin. He is such a hard worker, and he has the most amazing goals which he is completely able to achieve. I'm so proud of his ambition, and his focus, and control. He is so motivated and he knows just what he wants. It really is such a comfort to know that I'll be with him for eternity.

Moving on in the weekend. Saturday was rough. A word that I can't even say ruined everything. I found out my aunt (my dad's sister) has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Looking it up, the first line reads "Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD (pronounced /ˈkrɔɪtsfɛlt ˈjɑːkoʊb/,^[1] "KROITS-felt YA-kob") is a degenerative neurological disorder (brain disease) that is incurable and invariably fatal." So that gives you an idea as to what my Saturday was like. I think the hardest thing is knowing what my aunt will have to go through. She's already forgetting things, she's started tripping, and it's just the beginning. For some reason, their family has been hit HARD with trials. My uncle died when I was just little. Then my cousin's wife died in her sleep, leaving him with just a little baby girl, and this was years ago. But then my cousin died 3 years ago. Leaving his daughter with her step-mom and grandparents. She's now in her 20s, but that doesn't make it any easier. Now my aunt has been given 2-6 months left to live. Sometimes you just have to wonder how much one family can take. And the things I mentioned are just PART of their trials. It blows my mind. I know that Heavenly Father only gives us as much as we can handle, but it doesn't make it any easier to comprehend. So there have been a lot of tears. A lot of prayers. Not only for my aunt, but for my grandparents. They've already lost one child, I'm not sure how they'll take losing another. For my dad, and his sisters. I can't imagine the pain these next few months will bring for them all. For my cousins, and what they'll have to endure. So instead of me praying about jobs, and what not, I'm now praying for comfort, love, and understanding.

I had a friend post asking about happiness, and what it was. I can honestly say that the thing that makes me most happy is my family. They can make me the most crazy, the most angry, and they can make me laugh the hardest. But without a doubt, they make me the happiest.

Things are MUCH better, thank you!

2011-08-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

Even though I had the worst weekend ever, things started looking up almost instantly. But how could they not? Anything is better than pink eye and poison ivy. This last weekend we went to Justin's parents cabin, and spent the night there. Saturday was really fun. We went kayaking! At first I was a little nervous, because the area where we pushed off from had a lot of trees and bushes and what not in the water, and I had all these horrible images of tipping over and having to swim in it. But it worked out. So we went for a little ride just around the trees and bushes. At one point, we turned a corner and this HUGE bird took off going "AHHH!!!! AHHH!!!!" And it nearly gave me a heart attack, because I started to think if the bird turned on me, I was going to have to beat it with my oar, which would then lead to me tipping over... but alas, all was well. Then Shane did a little fishing. Then Justin noticed some freaking ginormous crawdads. So naturally, they started to fish for them. Once they got one, Justin decides to eat it. So he pulled out his little camp stove, and throws it on. Yucko. But he ate it. We had to go home a little earlier than normal because we still had to go grocery shopping and birthday gift shopping. So we left around 4, and got our to-do list out of the way.
Sunday morning, I started babysitting for the lady who lives behind us. They have 4 kids. So that was an adventure. It really wasn't that bad. Eli (the little 2 year old boy) was SO easy to watch. He didn't cry ever. He went down for naps like a champ. He went to bed at 7:45 like a champ. And all in all, it was a good experience. Justin would come over and hang out with me and the kids. Eli loves Dora, and Justin would sit and watch it with him. It was adorable. Kind of funny because Justin rarely does that with his own nieces and nephew. But this was a bit different of a situation. We finished babysitting Tuesday night, and I have to admit, there were some serious learning experiences in that time. Both on parenting, picking battles, and how to handle things. I hope I remember!
So, a couple of weeks ago, I had told Justin that I wanted to do something that was just us. We've been doing a lot of family stuff lately, which I love, but it's summer, and I don't want to miss my chance to hang with just my husband.
So. What did we decide to do? Go backpacking! I was super excited. We invited some of our friends to come, and got all ready. Well. There must have been something lost in translation, because when I told Justin I wanted to go somewhere 'easy' he heard 'moderately hard'. I'd never been backpacking. Sooo.... little bit of a rough start. 3 miles straight up hill. What the face. Definitely wasn't ready for that. This was a trip I think I needed to prepare for. And didn't. So, we stopped a few times so as to catch our breath, and to let the old man running up pass us. Yeah.
2.5 hours later, we found our camping spot. It was a nice little spot next to the creek. There was a full moon, so right in the middle of the night, it felt like there was a spotlight on us. It was dang bright. And from what we thought, there was going to be a meteor shower, but alas, the moon was too bright to see anything. The next morning, we decided to forgo the hike up the rest of the mountain, and just started home after breakfast and cleaning up. We walked up to the lake, which was pretty. On our way back to get our stuff, Justin and I stumbled across some moose. Which kind of scared me. Two big moose, that were looking right at us. Little intimidating.
Now I'm sore, and my sleeping schedule has been thrown off. But the latter is because when we got home Justin and I took a 3 hour naps. Oops.

Recap of the worst weekend ever.

2011-08-04T19:49:00.002-06:00

So, like I said. I had pink eye. It started Thursday morning, and hit full on Friday morning. When I woke up, I thought Justin had punched me in the eye during the night. My eye was watering like crazy, so I got up at 5 and started to wipe it off and what not. Justin, my brother Jess, and I were all planning on going camping from Friday to Saturday and dig for trilobites, geodes, and go to Topaz Mountain. I wasn't sure if I should go with or not (I didn't know at the time that I had pink eye) so I had Justin give me a blessing, in which something was said about doctors and I took that as a "don't go, you need to check this out" sign.

They left, and my brother in law Adam took me to my parents so that my mom could drive me to the insta-care. When I got there it was roughly 7:00 AM so I went to sleep in their spare bedroom, and my mom woke me up at 10, and off to the insta-care we went. We went to the Riverton Hospital which was completely empty. We got right in, and he told me it was pink eye. I'd left my contacts in for too long, and he said one probably just got irritated, and I didn't leave it alone, so that's probably why it happened. Anyway. He prescribed me some eye drops, and told me I couldn't put my contacts in until my eye was completely healed. Mind you, my prescription for contacts is roughly -4.00, and my glasses are from my sophomore year in high school which puts my prescription at like a -1.00. So, my glasses help me see a few inches further than what I see without any help. I got my prescription filled, and went home. The eye drops left the WORST taste in my mouth, so as soon as I took them, I'd eat to mask the taste. Awesome, huh?

Onto my 'flat warts'. So, like I said, I have these all over my leg. When I had Dr. Forsha look at them a couple weeks ago, he was all "Oh yep! Those are flat warts. You probably have dozens of them" which I do, and I don't find amusing. So, they did some experiment with ointment on my hip, and then Thursday they put the dpcp (the ointment) on my warts. Well, they got red and itchy. Then Friday night they started to blister. Then more started blistering. And the itch continued on. Finally Saturday afternoon, after sending a picture of my leg to my parents, my mom called me and told me to call the doctor. So I did.

Me: Hi this is Tracee Larson, I have flat warts all over my leg.
Dr. Forsha: Oh yes yes, I remember you.
Me: Well, they're starting to blister up, is that normal?
Dr. Forsha: Oh well, no. Basically what we're doing is a controlled allergic reaction, so it's like putting liquid poison ivy/oak on your leg. The concentration must have been a little high. Are the blisters twice the size of the warts?
Me: More, at least 3-5 times bigger.
Dr. Forsha: Hmm. Well, why don't you call me tomorrow, and if it's still this way, I'll call in a prescription for Prednizone.
Me: Okay, thanks.
Dr. Forsha: -click-

So, Friday night I didn't get much sleep what with all the itching and eye business. And with Justin gone, I just sat and watched TV all day. I had to move the lazy boy like a foot away from the TV so I could watch it without getting a headache. Then Saturday night was about the same, but with Justin home. I just laid in bed and tried not to itch. So Sunday rolls around and I call Dr. Forsha back, and he calls in the prescription to help the itching.

So, we go to Wal Mart to pick it up, and the guy at the pharmacy asks if I've ever taken it before. I've had hives before, but I don't remember. So I say no. He goes on to tell me that it can give me an upset stomach so it's better to eat when I take them (yay, more eating) and that I'll have 5 days of taking 3 pills, then 5 days of 2 pills, and then 5 days of 1. Woo. Then, he looks at Justin and says, "Now, this can cause moodiness."

Um, hello? I have pink eye, and itchy blisters all over my leg, and I can't see a damn thing. I'm already moody.

So Justin and I laugh about that. But I do have to admit, the prednizone is doing a fine job, and most the itchiness is gone. Hallelujah!

Going back to my dermatologist appointment with Dr. Forsha on Thursday, I was told to call back 3-5 days later to let the office know about my reaction. So that's what I did. I talked to the phone nurse, who says she's going to call in my prescription for me to pick up tomorrow (Wednesday) and she'll call me back to let me know. So I wait, and a couple of hours later, she calls and says, "Well, the Doctor decided that since your reaction was so severe, we're going to put you on a different cream that you put on once a day. It's called somethingIcan'tremember and it'll be in a box of 24 packets. Can you pick that up tomorrow at the Riverton Wal Mart?" Which I respond with, yes, thanks, blah blah blah.

Wednesday morning, I go to Wal Mart.
Me: My doctor called in a prescription for me yesterday. My name is Tracee Larson
Lady: Okay, just a moment.

Lady: Um, okay. Do you have insurance?
Me: No, I don't.
Lady: Oh, well this is $600 dollars.
Me: Okay. Well, I'm going to have to talk to them. Sorry!
-I turn and walk away so as not to freak out at the poor lady just doing her job-

Awesome. I call the dermatologist office back, and guess what? They're all out to lunch. For a full hour. Once I finally get someone, I'm transferred to the phone nurse, and naturally, I get her voicemail. So I leave a message about how the prescription was $600, and that's not going to work for me so we need to figure something else out. Another couple of hours later, she calls back saying that they don't have a licensed doctor in the office, so she'll have to call me tomorrow. Which is now today.

I called the office earlier today, but no one answered. Go figure. Then to my surprise, the phone nurse calls me back.

Phone Nurse: Is this Tracee?
Me: Yes it is.
PN: Hi this is so-and-so from South Valley Dermatology, and I've talked to one of our doctors, and we've decided to go with a cream that you can apply to your leg 3 times a day. It's all purely samples provided from the manufacturer.
Me: So I won't have to pay anything?
PN: That's right.
Me: Thanks, because I don't have insurance, and I can't afford much more.
PN: I'm so sorry. We keep it here in the office, so is there anyway you could come here and pick it up? The problem is we're going to lunch soon and won't be back until 1:30.
Me: That should be just fine.
PN: Okay, it's kept in the fridge, so we'll have it ready for you.
Me: Okay, thanks.

So, la-de-da-de-da 1:15 rolls around, and I head over. I go in, and ask for the prescription for Tracee Larson, and the girl (who I assume is new can't find it. So I mention that it's in the fridge, and she goes and looks there, and still can't find it. Then a nurse practitioner whatever comes and asks what it's for, and I say my leg. Luckily, she finds it. When she hands it to me, I asked her to just look at my leg really quick, because I just have some questions, which she is fine with. When I roll up my pant leg, guess what reaction I get? "Good heavens girlfriend!" 1- I am not your girlfriend. 2- your office did this to me!

So I ask about scarring, how long it will take to heal, etc. I get the answers I expect. Not the ones I want to hear, but I expect them nonetheless.

So needless to say, at this point I'm satisfied.

But then, and I feel this encompasses my whole experience with this dumb office... When I go out to my car, I jump in and start the car, throw it into reverse just as someone pulls in next to me. Well, I wait patiently for this 50-something lady to get out of the passenger side. She opens the door, and BAM. She hits my jeep with the door. WHAT THE! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! She makes a little "Oh no!" face, and continues on her way. Just leaves. Doesn't even make sure there isn't anything there. No 'I'm so sorry I'm an idiot and can't control the stupid car door' just nothing.

I'm past the point of handling anything more this week. So if you need me, I'll be curled up in bed sleeping until Sunday morning.

don't even worry.

2011-07-29T16:16:00.001-06:00

I have pink eye.
What am I five?!? I remember friends getting this when we weren't even old enough to go to school!! Honestly!!
So that means that I get to disinfect my house from top to bottom. Goodie.
Also, the eyedrops leave a DISGUSTING taste in my mouth.
Fhtsycvifystshxhcghkbmvxsusfxhxjvjg

I R PISSED!

Along with pink eye, I went to the dermatologist on Thursday because, lucky me, I have 'flat warts' all over my left leg. So, a couple of weeks ago the doc put an ointment on my hip, which then swelled and scanned and itches like mad. Then when I went back on Thursday, they put the same ointment on all the little devils. I'm having flashbacks of my hives 2.5 years ago. The itch is driving me MAD!

So all in all, best weekend ever!!

What The Face

2011-07-25T15:12:00.000-06:00

So this last weekend (July 24th weekend) Justin and I took my niece and nephew to Fairview. Since we live with them, it wasn't any big deal. They're great kids, so we weren't worried. Madi and Trevon were really respectful and obedient. Justin and I did learn that when you're packing food, and you think you have enough... double it. We definitely ran out of drinks the last day, even though we got 2 boxes of capri suns, and a case of water... oh well. Lesson learned. It was a fun weekend though. We went to the parade and watched some movies on the projector. My mom bought some arrows and got my brother's bows out, and everyone played with them. It was really fun.

But I realized something. I used to take pictures ALL THE TIME. I mean, a lot. I just really like having pictures to remember things with. But for some reason, which I haven't quite worked out yet, I don't take pictures anymore. I don't know if it's because I want a better quality camera, or I am too lazy, or what... but I don't. It kind of makes me sad. Justin claims I still take a lot of pictures... but I had my camera with me this weekend, and I didn't take one picture! What the face?

YAY!

2011-07-20T20:49:00.000-06:00

Grandpa is home. Doing fantastic.

And breathe.

On to other news.
I've been finding out that being the bigger person is LE SUCK. It's amazing how it comes at me from all the different aspects of my life. Like
A- Friends. Time after time... I guess that's just what happens. Grow up, forgive and forget... I guess.
B- Co-Workers. It's funny how you can think that you know something and then the next second, everything you thought you knew is flipped turned upside down. (Thank you fresh prince) So on I go with life, choosing to not say anything.
C- Church. Yes, church. Alas, no one is perfect.

So, I must act my full 25 years, and move on with life. And not be spiteful. Which boy o boy, that's HARD. I'm quite spiteful. Sometimes mean. So, bite my tongue, my nails, my gum, whatever, so as to not say anything that might offend. Hah.

Anyway.

Oh grandpa

2011-07-15T15:23:00.001-06:00

Just get better. Remember this? Well, last night my grandpa started having heart problems. I'm not positive on all the details, but I do know that he had an ambulance take him to the hospital last night. And he had a pacemaker put in. And his body went into shock. He currently has a breathing tube in, and because they're so uncomfortable, they're sedating him. He should come out of it hopefully tonight, or tomorrow.

It just doesn't make any sense, because my grandpa is so dang healthy! My mom and I were joking just last week that he's almost too healthy. Well, that just goes to show you that it doesn't hurt to have some deliciousness along the way.

Well, on a side note, but related to my grandpa...
For some reason, in my family, we have runny noses. Anything can trigger it. We laugh, it runs. We eat, it runs. Slightly cold out? It runs. Sneeze, run. Look to the left, it runs. A cloud floats by, it runs. And mine is running now. My grandpa had a surgery to help his. Maybe one day...

This is something that ALWAYS makes me happy. It can make me cry it's so pretty. Music is the key to my heart. The back story on this clip from Glee- Kurt (in the white outfit) leaves the school his boyfriend is at. His boyfriend is the main singer and he's singing him this song as a goodbye.

And then one that still makes me happy, but not in a teary way...

THEN! If you know scrubs at all... this is just hilarious.

Glee has a tendency to push it as far as it can go, and then a little farther, which I'm not a fan of. BUT the music is amazing! The dancing can be pretty fantastic too. And then Scrubs... just makes me laugh. Pretty much one of my favorite shows. Along with Supernatural. So I recommend them.

Okay okay.

2011-07-12T13:03:00.002-06:00

So, after much deliberation, I decided to add the picture of the 'All Seeing Eye' to allow you to see the creativity that oozed from within my soul.

Yes. This is me. One of my shameless ideas to make money. My dad thought that it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Why was I not out playing like most kids? I don't know. I had a box, and I used it. Now that I've found the website mentioned in the previous post, I'm sad I never thought of doing those things.

Moving on.

This past week my mom and I went to St George. My parents own a condo there, and they decided to rent it out. So everything had to be taken out, and cleaned. We were buuusssyyyyy. When we got down there, the temperature inside of the condo was 89 DEGREES! And the carpets had just been cleaned, so it was muggy. I turned the air on STAT. Gradually, the condo got down to about 74. It felt GREAT. My mom and I got there Tuesday night, and we cleaned Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We took a load of things my mom didn't want to the D.I. and we moved what we could into the main room so it would be easier for my dad and brother to load when they got there. Jess and my dad arrived Thursday night in a big moving truck. Then on Friday, it was my cousin's wedding. My parents went to the temple that morning, and Jess and I hung out watching TV. When my mom and dad got back, my mom and I went to the luncheon, and Jess and my dad started loading all the furniture into the truck. Later that day, Christy and Adam and their kids met us at Breck's reception. I'm so happy for my cousin! He met a BEAUTIFUL girl. I hope they're really happy. They deserve it!

After the reception, my mom decided to take us all on this little hike to see petroglyphs, or hieroglyphs... whatever they're called. As we're walking along, we're all looking at this ginormous dark cloud heading our way that looked QUITE foreboding. So we kind of picked up the pace. When we got to the carvings, it was sprinkling a little bit, and then lightening, so we decided to head back. On the way back, the lightening was getting worse. Christy and Adam and their kids ran ahead, and Jess and I had our cameras taking videos because it was CRAAAZY. We were just kind of strolling along, and then BAM! Lightening hit behind us, and we all started running. It was a ways away, but close enough that we took off. When we got to the cars, we got in, and about 60 seconds later, it started to POUR. Big huge drops. It was a lot of fun just sitting there and watching it.

This is a video of all the lightening we were running through

The pretty sunset before the storm

This is the dark cloud heading our way

Hiking around in the dark

This was when we got into the car. Jess and I.

My family in the garage

The family with me

Madi was taking pictures

We headed home, and were just hanging out in the garage. Watching the rain. It was really coming down! Ciera Madi and I ran down to my grandparents condo to see what they thought, and then we ran back so we were soaking. In the garage, we have a ball hanging from the ceiling to show how far you can pull in. Well.... my family being my family... we made a game of it. The game was called "Don't Flinch" and what you do is measure how close the ball is, and then throw it around the circle and you can't move. Hahahaha I don't know. Then Adam threw a curve ball, and told us all to take a step to the right without measuring, and then we threw it... pretty sure that every time my dad took a ball to the face. All in all, it was a really fun week. We only went swimming a couple of times.

After we'd run around in the rain

Hahahaha this is our game!

Pre-dadgettinghitintheface shot

Jess not flinching

Madi still taking pictures

I wish I could be a kid again!

2011-06-30T12:53:00.004-06:00

I just found the COOLEST website. It's all about crafts for kids, making things out of cardboard... which is something I did all the time as a child.

In fact... One time when I was about 10 years old, being the money hungry child that I was, I had an idea. One of my parents had just gotten something that came in a HUGE box. One big enough that I could get in. So what did I do? I poked a hole in it that was about my eye level (while on my knees) and then made a little slot with a bag on the inside to catch the money that was put through the slot. What was the money for you ask? Oh, well I'd made myself into "The All-Seeing Eye" which was what the hole was for. I'd put my eye up to it, and when someone put money in the slot, they could ask me one question. It worked much like an 8-ball. I had to put notes on the box like "Don't stick your finger into the hole" and what not. My dad thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. We have a picture of me in the box, and him kneeling down by it. I'm a little embarrassed by this story... so we'll leave the picture out.

Back to the website... they do things like this! Talk about cute! A big mailbox in the living room, and then individual mailboxes on each door... I wish I'd known about that like 15 years ago, because I'd be all over that. But think about it, how cute would it be to have a family home evening or a Super Saturday with your family, and you all put together the big mail box, then make your own little ones, and decorate them all. Then, you write nice letters! Write why you love them, something that they do that's helpful... I mean, it's even a good idea to do with your husband. It's always nice to have a little reminder, no matter how cheesy.

Needless to say, I'm more excited than ever to have a family. I just hope that I remember these awesome things! Maybe.... I think I might start a binder of things to do with kids when I actually have them... I mean... who knows? We might not have internet by the time I have kids. We might have a chip in our heads that just feeds us information... You never know.

Hahaha oh my

2011-06-30T00:37:00.001-06:00

I found this on pinterest, and man alive, some of these make me laugh so hard! Like 1-3, 5, 7, 9... really, they all made me chuckle a little bit.

3 Weeks Down

2011-06-28T00:18:00.002-06:00

So, as much as I love summer... it starts to wear on me. I get so bored! I try to entertain myself. I've covered lamps, I started a wreath, I have a quilt in progress, I've got a pile of books to read.... but sometimes I just want to get paid. I didn't find a job for the summer, so I kind of stopped looking. I've got my job at the school waiting, and get this, I'm going to be the PE teacher. Hhahahahahahaha. So weird. I'm really excited though. Maybe it will help me lose more weight. I'm thinking I should start running or something, because pretty sure I will have to run a mile with the kids. And how embarrassing would it be if I killed over while doing it? So yeah.

Anyway. I'm just chugging along. Peeling my shoulders away. I'm not sure if there will be anything left by the time I'm done with them. That sunburn was a lot worse than what I thought. Justin said 'ew' to my shoulder when he saw it. Such a sweetie face.

But back to summer. I read 3 books in about 5 days (The Hunger Games) and then I read a couple of Mary Higgins Clark books, and like I said, I covered a lamp. My sister started to help me cut the pieces to the quilt, which by the way is harder than it sounds. I started to cut my first rectangle, and had the ruler thing held down, started to roll the cutter, then it all moved. I yelled, Christy started laughing, and I was done.

AND THERE IS A LITTLE BLACK FLY THAT KEEPS FLYING AROUND MY HEAD AND I COULD LOSE IT AT ANY MOMENT!

In other news, I've fallen in love with Criminal Minds. And kind of Without A Trace. Essentially, Ion Television is the greatest. I watch it all the time. My boss always jokes about how I should have gone into criminology or something like that, because this stuff fascinates me. I read Ted Bundy's story, The Stranger Beside Me. It's his story from the point of view of his friend. Ann Rule worked with him at a suicide prevention hot line. She knew him before everything with him started... Just the workings of the mind intrigues me. How someone can snap like that, and still carry on in their life, as a normal person. I think that's why Criminal Minds has caught my eye. They go into detail about the type of person, and all the different details about them. I don't know how much of it is true, but it sure caught me.

Well, if anyone has an idea as to what else I could do with my summer, I'm open to suggestions. =)

Summer feet

2011-06-22T22:37:00.000-06:00

I found the coolest stuff to paint your toes with. Sally Hansen something or other. But so far, I love it. And I love how tan I look compared to Justin :)

Sun Burn

2011-06-22T10:06:00.004-06:00

Ah man. I got a killer sunburn at Cowabunga Bay yesterday. BUT MAN ALIVE IT WAS FUN! It's freaking expensive to get in, even with $6 off, but it was totally worth it. My front side is burned, but that's all. The chairs don't lay back. And grass is limited. But the slides were pretty great, the lazy river was also pretty great. Here are the slides, and what they all look like. It's such a fun place, and it was actually really eye opening.

My sister and I were talking about the different body types that were there, and how most people don't care what they look like. They're just there to have fun and get some sun. In my family, I'm pretty sure I was the only one who wore a tankini that showed my tummy. My sisters were always in the one pieces or tankinis with shorts that show nothing. We were talking about how it was either because of our morals, or our lack of confidence or what. But we've just been the kind of people that hide our goodies. I don't know.

June 16th was my anniversary with my hubbestie. Two years. It feels like it's been forever, but in a good way. I basically can't remember a time with him not there. It's too hard to imagine. I'm totally okay with that. We celebrated by going to Park City and stayed at a nice place that we got a steal off of groupon. The next day we went to the outlet stores and purchased some things there. Then we went back home and napped for a couple of hours. The next morning we went to the Dugway geode fields. We spent a couple of hours in the wrong spot, but we figured it out and started to dig in the right spot. We didn't find anything, but also didn't know what we were doing. It was still a lot of fun, and we're definitely going to go back. I love that Justin and I have the same interests. That we want to do the same things. And most importantly, that we have FUN. No matter what situation we're in, for the most part, we can laugh and enjoy each other. Granted, there are times when I get a little hangry (hungry=angry, thanks Justin), but we still love each other. Happy Anniversary Justin!

And then, in honor of Father's Day, I wanted to tell a funny story or two about my dad =)

So when I lived at home, my room was in the basement. There was one night that we'd all gone to bed, and all the lights were turned off. I was hanging out downstairs and decided that I needed a drink of water. I didn't turn on any lights because I didn't want to disturb my parents... so I started to feel around trying to find the couch and table so I didn't hurt myself. I found the first couch, and then the table, I just had to find the second couch. I was reaching my hand out to feel for the couch when I touch someones shoulder. Well.... if you know my dad at all, he's easily startled. SO. He screams, I screamed, he screamed, I screamed, and ran into my mom's room, who while all this is happening, she's yelling "what's going on in there?!" -SIGH- I'd interrupted my dad while he was praying. hahahaha

My dad is deathly afraid of spiders, and he also has this morning ritual where he goes into his bathroom and grabs the mug by his sink, rinses it out, and then fills it up and takes a drink. He normally does this before he has his glasses on. So my mom thought it would be funny to put a fake spider in his cup. It was a bell that had legs poking out of it, that kind of rolled around. The next morning, my dad got up and started his ritual. Filled the cup up and then poured it out. Well, the fake spider was rolling around the sink... and my dad started to yell up a storm. I'm sure there were a few cuss words in there, but he was yelling loud enough that my brother heard him from the other end of the house, and came running. Meanwhile, my mom is in bed laughing her head off.

I love my family.

Bah!

2011-06-20T17:56:00.001-06:00

Does anyone else struggle with loading pictures onto blogger? They always upload to the top rather than where I want them to, and trying to type under them... don't even get me started on that. Honestly.

Mind? Where are you?

2011-06-20T12:33:00.003-06:00

So, Justin and I have one of the coolest bathrooms ever. I mean, COOL. I'll post pictures at the end of the post. Well, we bought some things to put up in our bathroom, and we just use push pins to hold things up, haha, so don't look too closely. I opened the drawer that they are normally in, and couldn't find them, so I went to the other desk, checked those 3 drawers, and they weren't there either. So, then I went to the nightstands, and checked the 4 drawers there. Then I got distracted and was looking at the things I keep in my nightstand. 10 minutes later I couldn't remember what I was looking for. Well, I stood up and looked around for a minute or two, grabbed my blankie, and then came back out to the kitchen. Stood there for a minute. Then I finally remembered what I was looking for. So I came back to drawer #1, and TA-DA. Right in the back. Sigh. My obliviousness really hinders any progress I want to make.

Anyway.... here is my bathroom. And yes, these are all the real colors.

My bathroom used to be more green, black, and white, but then I found this clock at Target for $3, and I couldn't resist. Then on a trip to Fairview, we found the tin posters, and they fit right in. Thus, making our bathroom super awesome.

My bookshelf

2011-06-16T12:28:00.007-06:00

I love my bookshelf.

I love all the things on it, all the pictures, all the decorations... everything. One of my FAVORITE things on my bookshelf are these books...

Book #1-

Book #2-

Book #3-

Book #4-

Book #5-

Book #6-

Book #7-

Book #8-

Book #9-

Book #10-

If you haven't read them, I highly suggest that you do. they're the diary of a British girl, and man alive, are they hilarious.

You're welcome.

The before

2011-06-15T20:19:00.001-06:00

Continuation.

2011-06-15T19:45:00.005-06:00

So, here are the fabrics and the lamps that I did. I forgot the 'before' pictures of the lamps, so you'll need to imagine them being orange first. Something else that I've done recently is made pillow cases for Justin and I to use. Some that matched a little more, and gave us a couple more to use.

The Fabric

The Lamps

The Pillow Case

Oh, and by the way...

2011-06-14T21:59:00.003-06:00

It's getting crafty up in this hizzle. My friend posted about a wreath that she just did, and I loved it. It's a bean wreath! How cute is that? Well, since it's the summer of awesomeness, I'm going to start making things for our basement/home. On my list so far is this....

Quilt- easy peasy one, because this is my first time

Covering lamp shades- I bought the lamps from my friend, and just need to cover them with something that matches our decor

A bean wreath- it was so freaking cute, I need one of my own

Staining or painting my coffee table

Whatever else tickles my fancy

I'm really excited. I have all the fabric for the quilt, and I'll start cutting it soon. I'm going to post pictures of the fabric so you can see the cuteness it radiates, and I'll post some before pictures of the lamps. But, seeing how I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary, I was thinking that it's time for me to start being able to do things on my own. Being able to make my house look like a home. Not that doing these things are the only way to make a home... I just don't have the money or the room for the things that I want. So, I'm going to improvise and use what I have. Maybe get a few things on the side. But along with the crafty side of growing up, there is the side of cooking, like with a crock pot. Gotta learn some different recipes for that, because Justin and I will get sick of barbecued pork loin pretty quick. We went to the store the other day and stocked up on meat. Steak, pork loin, and hamburger. So, needless to say, I need some ideas. I googled a little bit today, but was really only half-assing it, because I wasn't feeling my A-Game today. Anyway... I still do my e-mealz but Justin and I suck at going to the store, and suck even worse at printing the menus off each week. We've been a member since January, and we have 10 menus printed off. Oops. Just a quick update on those, because I know some of you might care =)

There are different menus to pick from, like fat-free, gluten free, portion control,vegetarian, low-carb, etc.

There is a meal for each weeknight, so Monday-Friday. Along with the menu, you get a shopping list.

You can choose a specific store you'd like to shop at, like WalMart, Kruger, etc.

Some of the meals we've had are Pasta e Fagioli, White Bean Chili,Creamy Chicken Broccoli Bake, 3 Cheese Manicotti, Baked Spaghetti Pie, Winter Veggie Pasta Toss, Taco Cornbread Bake, Black Bean Soup, Spicy Shrimp, Huevos (hahahahaha huevos...) Rancheros.

We've made most of those things, but not all of them. The ones I listed are from each different menu. Most are really easy, like under 30 minutes. They use basic spices, basic ingredients, and so on. I've really liked making the meals, it's just a matter of staying faithful to them. Which we struggle with.

Golly. I was thinking this would just be a short, easy post... and man, did that turn out differently than what I was expecting. Heh.

I guess I'll update.

2011-06-12T21:27:00.013-06:00

So, it's been a while. Let me think... what have we done?

Well, we've gone ghost towning on a few occasions, gone to the cabin, camping, met up with friends... things like that. I can't even keep it all straight. There have been a lot of vacations, a lot of changes, and a lot of snow.

It's now summer for me. School has been out a couple of weeks now, and boy, have things changed. Next year, I'm going to be... get this... the P.E. Teacher! Ba-dun-ching! Kathy is going to get the curriculum Chad used last year, and I'm going to have a look at that, and create from there. What are the odds. How weird is that going to be?

--Pictures from Ghost Towning--

--Pictures from Geocaching--

--Pictures from Moab--

--Pictures from seeing Carrie--

--Pictures of our weekend with the Wingates--

For some reason I don't have a good picture of Adam and Nicole, so I'll get a good one on the next trip =)

This Thursday is the 16th. Which means I've been married to Justin for 2 years. WOW. Time flies by whether you like it or not. We've been able to travel around Utah quite a bit. It's been a lot of fun. We've really grown in the time too. Adjusted to having two people, learned to sleep with another person in the bed, things like that. We love to hike and to send time together. Which is why for our anniversary, we're staying in Park City Thursday night, looking around Friday, and then on Saturday, we're going to go look for geodes. Haha. We like it =)

4 Wheel Drive Trip 2011

2011-04-14T22:32:00.006-06:00

Every year my family goes on a 4-wheel drive trip. It's usually over conference, and we go places in Utah. This time we were in Moab (where the majority of the trips are) and naturally, my family started some ridiculous peer pressure thing.... so enjoy one of the Peterson Family talents! Acting like kids!

And some pictures...

Picture Post

2011-03-22T17:32:00.006-06:00

This is my niece's door. Obsess much?

This is the infamous Beiber that gave me a heart attack. But this is Madi posing, not Ciera.

This is my niece's super cute headboard my sister made. It's all fabric.

This is my sister's dog. His name is Maximus, and I love him. He's a boy, but the groomer must not have noticed....

My niece Molly. She's about 6 months, and TONS of fun. When she's not screaming.

Giving up on life?

2011-03-22T09:45:00.004-06:00

Have I ever thought about giving up on life? No. Not really. I've jokingly said "I hope that I die, then you'll feel like the biggest assface ever." Which probably isn't really that funny, but I was making a point at the time. I've thought about others, and why they would take their lives. Because honestly, it's not a solution in the least. There was a boy on our street that hung himself, and his dad found him. His uncle tried to lift him up. His sister saw him. Those are three people that will be haunted all their lives. The girl that broke up with him the night before he took his life... she'll have to carry that around with her forever.

Now on the other hand, I've thought about taking other people's lives. Hahahahahahaha in fact... I was chatting with my best friend at work, and this was before we were really friends, but one of the first things we talked about was how I wished I could hurt people with my mind. But I feel like that's what 1-800-Contacts does to people. I wanted to kill people through the phone on a daily basis. But don't worry, I've mostly passed that phase of my life.

A funny (but true) story

2011-03-16T08:49:00.006-06:00

So, I need to give a little background for this story.

I love scary movies. I watch them all the time, and therefore I have a somewhat demented thought process. I think scary things, all that. I don't really get scared... I just think the 'what if' kind of things.

My shower is shaped like a rectangle.... here is the layout.

My shower door is frosted, so you can't necessarily see through it, but you can see color, and a blurry shape... etc.

OKAY.

So, my niece was texting me saying that she had something to show me, and she was SO excited about it. She was asking when I'd be home, if I'd left yet, etc. So I told her I'd be home around 10 pm, and she was fine with that. She'd just wait until I was home to show me.

Well, Justin and I left his parents house, and got home around 10. I yelled for Ciera when I walked in the door, but Adam (my brother in law) said that she was in the shower. I said to have her come down and show me when she got out of the shower, and we'd leave the doors open. So we left the door at the top of our stairs open, and the door into our place open. The dog followed us down so we played with him a little, but then I had to go to the bathroom, so I walked in, and turned the light on.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy standing in my shower. I screamed louder than I have ever screamed in all of my life. As the scream was coming out of my mouth and giving Justin a heart attack, my thoughts start processing WHAT I'm seeing.

Thought #1- The guy isn't moving.

Thought #2- He looks an awful lot like Justin Beiber.

Thought #3- Oh my land, Ciera must have gotten a life-size cutout of Justin Beiber, and it's in my shower.

Well. That's exactly what happened. Ciera babysat that night for her aunt, and that was how they paid her.

I'm pretty sure that shenanigan took 17 years off my life.

Day 5

2011-03-08T13:54:00.005-07:00

What have I learned in the past month.

Well, I've learned that I need to let things go. Being pissed off about them isn't a solution. I can either be proactive and try to figure out a solution that is realistic, or I can forget about it. Which I think is the easiest thing, because it's usually just me that feels that there is a problem. It'll make my life a lot nicer for myself and Justin if I just drop it. =)

I've learned that change is good. It's not always expected, but it's sometimes necessary.

I've started cooking. I signed up for e-mealz, and I'll tell you what, I've never cooked so much in all of my life. I am the youngest in my family, so there were a lot of nights that my parents and I would eat cereal for dinner, or mush for dinner... it was simple. Justin on the other hand is pure man. He wants meat. So, THAT'S been an adjustment. We've been following this plan, and it's been SO nice. It plans out the meals for the week, there is a grocery list to follow, which then helps us save money.

I've learned more things, it's just hard to sit down and write it all. Especially because I'm sure there are things I have learned, but just haven't recognized it.

Day 4

2011-03-07T11:21:00.003-07:00

The reason I'm alive.

I have NO idea. But I'm here for a reason.

When I was 8, we were in Lake Powell and our boat was tied up to the dock. We had the cover on our boat because it was April,which turned out to be windy and cold. Everyone was taking showers because it was too cold to jump into the water and get back out, so we had the shower running, which meant the boat was on. I remember laying down underneath, where my parents slept. They wanted to change, so they told me to go lay up on the bench. I got up, and told my mom that I was dizzy, but she told me to just go up and lay down. So I did, and that's all I remember. I guess my sister Lori was yelling at me because they wanted the towel that I was wrapped up in, and as she was yelling at me, she noticed that my eyes looked weird, and yelled for my dad. He immediately knew what was wrong. Carbon monoxide poisoning. He came running up, grabbed me, and ran out on the deck. As he came running out on the deck, a ranger came running out with a tank of oxygen. My dad gave me a blessing, and I woke up. I wasn't making sense though, because my mom was telling me that we were going to fly in a helicopter, and I was asking if we were going to fly like a bird... something like that. They drove my mom and I up a really steep hill to the helipad, and I was life flighted to the nearest hospital. I remember my doctor's outfit, and him pushing on my chest to get all the air out, and I remember being on oxygen... but other than that, I don't remember much.

There were too many circumstances that worked out in my benefit, that if they had been different, I'd either have serious brain damage, or I'd have died. Just things like my sister wanting the towel, my dad instantly knowing what it was, the ranger coming with oxygen... if these things hadn't of happened, I may not be here.

So on that note... I know there's a reason I'm still here. I just don't know what yet. =)

Day #3

2011-03-03T14:45:00.003-07:00

I'm going to maybe do a couple of these a day.... in order to catch up =)

Something that makes me feel better.

Justin makes me feel better =) until he says mean things.
My family can make me feel better.
Shopping initially makes me feel better, but then I see my bank account.. and the lack of funds...
My dog makes me feel better, until he breathes in my face and I want to die.
I have a cute guinea pig that makes me feel better when he squeaks at me.
Cadbury eggs make me feel a hellofa lot better.
Writing makes me feel better. Even if it's meaningless, just the action of typing, writing, whatever it is to get thoughts out of my head... it's a form of therapy for me.

Day #2.

2011-03-03T09:35:00.003-07:00

So I definitely took a little vacation from blogging. One thing led to another and I was just busy.

What can be found in my purse?

Well, it depends on what purse I'm using. One of my purses is a bit like a Mary Poppins bag and it can hold pretty much anything. Then I have a smaller one that just holds my wallet and pencil bag. But I always have a notebook, just in case. There's chapstick, lip gloss, and usually a snack. Especially now. A bag of Life cereal, a Chex bar, and Alvin & The Chipmunks fruit snacks.

Day #1

2011-02-25T11:43:00.003-07:00

So I decided to wait a day to start the challenge, because I wanted time to think about what I was going to do. And plus last night we rented Case 39, and it didn't get over until 10:30. So here I go!

What are my hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days?
Well...
hopes - I hope that Justin and I are well on our way (financially) to our own family. Close to being in our own home (again, financially). Maybe a baby on the way. BUUUUUT There is no rush.
dreams - To travel around the country, get some personal time together before the previously mentioned family starts.
plans - Justin should be almost graduated. Close. We're planning on living with my sister and saving money. So .... planning to save money =)

That was easy.

I will never say never!

2011-02-24T10:21:00.004-07:00

Because alas... I've caught the Bieber fever.
I took my nieces to the movie last night, which I have to admit, I wanted to see it. Madi fell asleep, but Ciera was STOKED. When we left, she was beside herself with loooooove. She's convinced that she's either going to marry Justin Bieber or Jaden Smith. =)

I was reading my cousin's blog today, and she's doing a blog challenge, which I thought was a great idea. It will give me something to write about every day, and allow me to think about things outside of my normal process. Although that process is a little backwards. Each day you write about an assigned topic. Unlike school, these are fun topics.

Day 1 - What are some of your hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days?
Day 2 - What can be found in your purse?
Day 3 - What is something that makes you feel better?
Day 4 - What is the reason that you believe that you're alive?
Day 5 - What have you learned in the past month?
Day 6 - A funny (but true) story.
Day 7 - Have you ever thought about giving up on life? When and why?
Day 8 - A picture of you and your friends.
Day 9 - Something that you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 10 - Top 10 pet peeves
Day 11 - Your favorite book
Day 12 - Someone you didn't want to let go, but drifted
Day 13 - A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
Day 14 - Put your ipod on shuffle, and list the top 10 songs that pop up
Day 15 - A travel story
Day 16 - Someone you'd want to switch lives with for one day
Day 17 - A hobby
Day 18 - Someone/something you could definitely live without
Day 19 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 20 - A favorite recipe
Day 21 - A book that changed your view on something
Day 22 - What is something that makes you different from others?
Day 23 - A child that you love
Day 24 - The best thing that you have going for you right now
Day 25 - Something that you bought recently
Day 26 - Something you have to forgive someone else for
Day 27 - A favorite quote
Day 28 - What did you do today
Day 29 - Your dream house
Day 30 - 5 things about you that not many people know

I'm excited to do this. It's always nice to think about the things and the people that have made me who I am, and about the things that I want to do in the future.

I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas!

2011-02-22T09:48:00.004-07:00

I don't know if any of you ever listen to Brian Regan, but he has a joke about spelling banana, and adding too many na's to it... it makes me laugh.

Anyway. I feel a lot has happened in the last few weeks. Grandpa is doing awesome. He was back on the treadmil within 2 weeks of surgery, and he looks great! He showed me the scar on his chest... man alive it's huge. A little scary.

For Valentine's Day, Justin and I went to my parents cabin. We left Friday night, and came back home on Monday. We watched a lot of movies, read, Justin did homework, ate out, and one night Justin made meatloaf! It was a lot of fun. I think even Auggie had fun. I love my dog =)

Saturday afternoon, we had some friends come over and we started planning for our Ghost Towning adventure. I'm really excited. We got a lot planned out, got food figured out, and now it's just up to the people who want to come. Justin is REALLY excited. He's never really been. I have, but the problem is that we went to so many different places that they all kind of blurred together. Either way, I'll remember them now because I'll have my camera!

Grandma's birthday party was Saturday night. Our family got together, including Connie (who is serving a mission with her husband in Bolivia as temple president) and then uncle Steven from Kansas. It was kind of fun to see them all together and hear them laughing and what not. Then, once dinner was over, my grandma sat in a chair right in the front of everyone, and we all asked questions. It was a lot of fun.

We've done a few more meals since I last posted. There was a yucky gumbo, meatloaf (it was a little crumbly, but good), delicious and hard to stuff manicotti, and... I know there was more... I just can't remember. So I'll post again when I get home.

And just a little side note. The heater in the room at the school I work at... yeah, it's broken. I'm fuh-fuh-fuh-fuhreeeeezing.

And the meals continue

2011-01-26T22:14:00.003-07:00

So we had a few days off of the meals because we fasted for grandpa, we had the Peterson family birthday dinner, and we don't cook on the weekends =)

But here are some of the meals that we've done thus far, and my personal ratings on each (since I don't know how to do stars, I'll do asterisks. 1-Bad 5-Amazing)

Pepperoni Loaf * * *

Apple Baked French Toast* * * * *

BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes* * * *

Baked Ziti* * * * *

White Bean Chili* * * * *

The pepperoni loaf, like I said, it was a-spicey! I liked it, but when we make it next time, we'll try some different spices. Maybe that will help. And maybe not pepperoni... we'll try canadian bacon.

Apple Baked French Toast-- Oh my goodness! I love breakfast for dinner, and this was almost like a dessert it was so good. Instead of dipping the bread like normal french toast, you soak it in eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt overnight! You don't cook the apples either, so they're not gross and squishy. I loved this one.

BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes - These were good, I definitely liked them, but I wanted more toppings. Instead of using sour cream we use Greek plain yogurt... it's a change that's for sure.

Baked Ziti. Aside from the fact that I forgot the meat in the microwave, then had to pour everything back out and mix the meat in.... it was really good. It was originally supposed to be layered and pretty........ oh well.

White Bean Chili- I looooooved this one. It was SO good. I normally don't dig stuff like that... but this one was fantastic! I didn't add ALL of the ingredients... like zucchini.... but it was awesome still. I also left the onions in HUGE chunks so I could pick them out later. (I'm a picky eater.)

The rest of the week we have Sliced BBQ Pork Roast, Baked Tacos, Smokey BBQ Sandwiches. I'm exciiiited!

Grandpa is doing good!

2011-01-21T10:10:00.004-07:00

So my grandpa left the ICU yesterday at about 4:00 pm, and he's awake, talking, and doing good! Thank you all for your prayers, and happy thoughts.

As a family, we fasted from 4:00 Tuesday and were supposed to go until he either got out, or 4:00 Wednesday. Whichever you felt you should do. I was trying for the 4:00, so a full day, I lasted until about 1:30 (which his surgery was over by then) because I went on a tour of the new fire station across the street from the school...and there were cookies... and I totally forgot. I snatched one up, shoved it down my throat, and then it hit me. I WAS FASTING! So I quickly told Heavenly Father that it was an accident, and I wouldn't ever do that again. Lesson learned.

All joking aside, I'm extremely grateful for the gospel, and the power of prayer, blessings, and fasting. I'm not saying that fasting healed him, but it probably had a hand in how the big man upstairs pushed the situation. I'm grateful for my family as well. I'm just extremely grateful this week! =)

25 years old. THAT'S A QUARTER OF A CENTURY!

2011-01-18T17:23:00.007-07:00

So, I'm 25. My grandpa let me know that I'm officially a quarter of a century old.

But first, New Years pictures!--

This is a true story. -10 on the drive home!

So we went to my parents house and had donuts and hot chocolate. It was delicious! My mom got me some maple bars which are my favorite. We all just kind of hung out and talked, like we usually do. It was a lot of fun.

This was all done on Monday. My birthday wasn't actually until that Friday, but schedules are hard to work around. On Friday I went to work, and got gifts from most of the ladies that I work with, which was extremely thoughtful of them. I also got a gift from the little boy that I work with. I went into his room, and he came up to me and said, "Go back out! It's a surprise!" and he pushed me out the door. =) He later came into my room with a card and a gift card to Barnes and Noble. It was really nice. Justin had given me gifts throughout the day, which was very cute. I woke up to a card that had a $20 gift card to Taco Bell (7 Layer burritos get me every time), and then when I went to leave for work, there was a nice water bottle waiting on top of my car. I left work about 30 minutes early, and got home and watched some TV. When Justin got home, he gave me my last presents! He got me a brown bed spread, and some drawers to put on my shelves. I was very excited! After I got those opened, Justin and I went to DSW and I bought some shoes! OH HOW I LOVE SHOES! I got these...

Which I'm really happy about. After we went shoe shopping, we went to dinner at La Frontera. I am really starting to like that place. We went there with Mikell and Trent on New Years, and I ate my whole plate =). After dinner, we went and saw Black Swan (which is CRAAAAZY) and then came home and watched a little ghost adventures. It was a good birthday!

Saturday Justin and I went to lunch with my parents, and found out that my grandpa was in the hospital. He passed out after he ate dinner Friday night. Just tipped over at the table. But they took him to the hospital (because there were no warning signs, they said to take him in) and they ran some tests, and come to find out he has an artery that's clogged, but it's too close to the heart for them to put a stint in... so they're doing open heart surgery on Wednesday. Our family is doing a fast for him, and I can't lie. I hope it works. My grandpa has been an institute teacher for something like 15 years now, and he's amazing! I've had a lot of friends that have come with me, or just been in his class out of chance, and they all say he's just like a prophet =) He has an eloquent way of speaking, and the way that he moves his hands... he's just really awesome. I'l update as soon as I hear more about that.

And so the healthiness begins.

2011-01-11T10:48:00.003-07:00

Last night was the opening ceremony for our e-mealz plan. I was actually tutoring at the time, so Justin made the dinner. Come to find out, the meal we had originally planned for Monday needed to be prepped the night before. So, we did our Tuesday dinner on Monday, no big deal. The dinner consisted of a salad, we were supposed to have oranges, but didn't, and the main course was a pizza roll. We bought a Pillsbury pizza crust that came in the scary can that you twist open, and we had turkey peperoni's, mozzarella cheese, and then some spices. Like I said, I didn't make it, so I can't remember the specifics. But you spread egg whites on the dough, then add everything, then roll it up, and spread egg whites on the top as well. It was a little spicy, but it was delicious!

Meal #1 - Success.

Tonight we're going to have Wednesday's dinner because, alas, we didn't have time to prep last night for Monday's original dinner. The dinner consists of apple french toast of some sort. It isn't the normal kind because you cut the bread into little squares, and cover it with cinnamon and sugar, and then you let that sit overnight, and then bake it in the oven. Something of that sort. I'll update about that when I actually get to that point.

The Dating Divas are GENIUS!

2011-01-04T10:43:00.003-07:00

There are so many useful things on their website. Not just about dates, but about being a wife, and making life easier. For yourself, which consequently makes it easier for your loved ones. The post that they had today was about e-mealz.com which is the greatest idea ever. Justin and I once sat down, planned some meals, and what we should eat that week... and it lasted that long too. A week. It was nice having the list and everything already planned... but alas. My time is precious, and I have yet to plan again. So... needless to say, I've already signed up for the e-mealz, and I can hardly wait to use it!

Really, if you want great ideas on pretty much anything, www.thedatingdivas.com are right there!

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

2010-12-27T22:43:00.004-07:00

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!

2010-12-10T11:13:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-12-02T16:28:00.003-07:00

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-

2010-11-22T14:10:00.005-07:00

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

2010-11-10T14:34:00.004-07:00

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...

2010-11-04T22:55:00.008-06:00

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

2010-10-20T21:44:00.008-06:00

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.

2010-10-06T18:55:00.004-06:00

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.

2010-09-14T17:51:00.004-06:00

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!

2010-08-19T22:22:00.003-06:00

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

2010-08-09T22:26:00.003-06:00

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.

2010-06-28T13:08:00.002-06:00

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

2010-06-08T22:46:00.003-06:00

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

2010-06-06T22:07:00.005-06:00

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

2010-06-03T21:36:00.011-06:00

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.

Time and money and money and time

2010-04-13T22:39:00.004-06:00

Man alive, we're trying to pick out a new vehicle, and I think Justin is sold on a Jeep after our weekend in Moab.

See?

I'm pretty sure he loved it.

And he wants to go again.

BUT In our own vehicle.

A real update

2010-01-25T19:46:00.004-07:00

Well, it's been hard to get on the computer, sit down, and actually get this done. But I'm doing it. Oh I'm doing it. So I think I need to go back all the way to Thanksgiving... We started out at my family's house. So... meal #1. Naturally there was turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn etc. Then about an hour or two later, we went to Justin's family's house. Meal #2 was the same. Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn etc. We then went on to have Thanksgiving dessert at their house as well. I can't remember if I had any or not, because I was in a state of total fullness. Anyway, it was a really good holiday. Our first 'major' holiday.
Once December hit though, the real fun started. We were studying for finals, getting homework done, birthday parties, and attending family parties. One wednesday we had the "Ham Dinner" or whatever it's called at Eric Smith's house. Friends, Ham, and white elephant gifts. Then, the Friday before Justin's birthday, his friends met us and we ate at Lanikai Grill. It was quite tastey. Then we had the Jex family party the following Saturday afternoon, and then the Greenwall family party that evening. It really wasn't that bad. Lots of presents, and yummy food. The next day, we went to Justin's family's house to have his birthday dinner. More food, more presents. Monday, which was Justin's birthday, night we went to dinner with Justin's parents to Ruby River. Naturally, more food. By that time, finals were done, and we were relaxing as much as possible. For Christmas Eve, we went to my parents house. We had our traditional steak dinner with artichoke, and for those who want them, king crab legs. After dinner, we had our book contest, in which Lori took 1st, Christy took 2nd, and I took 3rd. We're awesome. Then we had the nativity, and we all got presents from my mom and dad. Nighttime came, and we all went home. Justin and I wanted our own Christmas, so we had a tree with presents under it and everything. That morning we got up at about 8, opened presents, and then went to his parents. We had a big breakfast, and got even more presents. Then we went home to recover, and then went to his grandma and grandpa Larson's for some lunch. There we got some more presents! I swear, we were taken care of this year. After the lunch, we went to my parent's for our last gift exchange with my brothers and sisters. After that, we were done. Totally full to the brim from eating ALL THE TIME, and exhausted from running around everywhere. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what that feels like.
Then New Years rolled around, and we started it off at my brother Bret's house. We ate pizza benders and salad. Yummmmmmm. Our original plans were to continue the night with the Best's, but we were full, and we were tired. Unfortunately we backed out, and just finished the night at Bret's.
We had a nice little break from things to do and special occasions. But then my birthday came around, and we went to my parents, then to dinner, and then to his parents within that week. Again, more presents. It's been an awesome year, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Not because I got so many awesome things, but because I really felt loved and accepted into my new family. I really appreciate everything that they've done for me, and continue to do for me. They are a wonderful example of what I want to be.

Ohhh the holidays

2009-12-07T20:57:00.002-07:00

There seems to be no time in December. Between finals, work, family parties and gatherings.... it just takes up all of our time. But nonetheless, we have fun, we laugh, and we love. We enjoy life.

99 Things

2009-11-11T21:39:00.004-07:00

The object is to copy and paste the list of "99 things" to your blog and bold the things that you have done! You should all do it and post a picture at the end to go along with one of the tasks that you have achieved. It's quick, it's easy and brings back some fun memories!

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you're not ill
Built a snow fort
Fed a llama
Gone skinny dipping
Run a marathon
Ridden in a Gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo's David in person
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful Geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported by an ambulance (life flight)
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Been out if the country
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Received flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
Gone skydiving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
Seen the changing of the guards in London
Broken a bone
Been a passenger on a motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Have been published
Visited the Redwoods
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Years Eve
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Had the chickenpox
Saved someone's life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Got a tattoo
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Ocean
Been involved in a law suit
Used a pay phone
Been stung by a bee

Fun, relaxing weekend

2009-11-02T13:38:00.001-07:00

HALLOWEEN

Halloween was spent at home with the sniffles. We both are getting over a cold, Justin more than I, but we're feeling MUCH better. Saturday Justin went to his parents, without me seeing how I was under the weather, and when he got home our marathon started. We watched Ghost Hunters for hours. We had a little intermission when we ran to my parents house. Justin sat in the "library" while I went trick-or-treating with the kids and some family members. Fun times.

After the intermission, we continued our marathon until roughly midnight. We got in bed, talked a little about scary Halloween things, and haunted things. Then we were down for the count. Primary the next morning was a little out of control. It was insane! Kids were off the walls, talking NON-STOP! They got a good talking to in sharing time, a little bit of a guilt trip that was felt by few.

Anywho. Got home from church... napped a little, and then about 20 minutes before we had to go to Justin's parents for dinner, he decided to do a little haircut. It started out like this....

And proceeded to be this....

And ended with this.

Needless to say, he's cooled off a lot, and now weighs less.

Small update.

2009-10-29T17:50:00.002-06:00

The Honeymoon.

24th of July,

We got a new computer,

Lava Hot Springs,

and Conference.

And the fun doesn't end there.

A new day

2009-10-29T17:41:00.001-06:00

I figured it's time to start updating as a family. Since we are one. Still VERY crazy to think we're married, and it's all real.

Livin' the dream. =)