Temple Square

Chirstmas time isn't complete without a walk around Temple Square. We went with our friends, Alex and Chelsie. We drank hot chocolate in front of the temple while talking with the Sister Missionaries. After seeing all of the wonderful lights, we went to Costa Vida (it's not Cafe Rio but, it'll do..) and then went hot tubbing! I love hot tubbing in the snow. Chels and I were dared to do snow angels in our bathing suits and naturally, we couldn't say no. :)

Hope you had a Merry Christmas

from Mister's laptop..

My new and incredibly fast computer has decided to stop working on me! That means.. no pictures. No editing. No nothing. I'm stressed about it and I would just like it fixed, now please.

I am mostly stressed about the poor bride waiting for her wedding pictures.. :(

So, if I am missing next week.. this is why.
Have a wonderful Christmas week and a great time celebrating with friends and family!

The Random Song

I love this time of year and the magic of Christmas. I am trying not to be overwhelmed but, I could use more hours in the day. Luckily I am leaving work 4 hours early tomorrow to do some much needed Christmas shopping and package sending! (yes, I am worried that they wont make it to England and Korea on time.. Yes, I am a procrastinator..)

I look forward to the fun things planned for the rest of December. Last night we went to a Voice Male concert with 5 couples, 10 of our closest neighbors. :) Our friends. We are so blessed to have found a whole neighborhood of some pretty wonderful people. I love our home and I love where we live.

I have been missing Sister Richmond something fierce lately. I can't believe I haven't seen her in 14 months. I was reading my happy list from the week she left and about our one tearless hug goodbye. She told me not to cry so, I didn't (against all odds). She comes home in about 4 months.. four. I can't believe it. I'm beyond excited and for some reason, just a bit nervous. However.. Mostly, thrilled!

Speaking of missing people.. I miss my friends. I sometimes long for the days of doing nothing together. Hiking in the mountains, going out for pizza after working out to a silly work out video, having Office parties, sitting around talking.. This is for you, my group. My loves. You know who you are. Come to me now and let's have fun. (after Christmas of course because, this is a busy time for all, you know)

I've been thinking a lot about the new year that is knocking on our door.
2011, I am excited for you to be here.
I am ready to take on new and challenging goals. I am ready to grow and become better. I hope you will bring with you some wonderul life changes and I know there will be hard times but, I promise to grow stronger.

If you've read this far, bless your heart. Random thoughts are sometimes needed and today, they were.

Happy Wednesday to you all. :)

I am in love with a boy...

Yesterday, Mister surprised me at work and brought me my ipod that I left in his car. He brought it to me so that I could listen to Harry Potter on my drive home from work. (My new favorite thing to do.) I'm almost done with The Prisoner of Askaban.

When I got home, he was making dinner and asked me to follow him upstairs. I walked into our bedroom to find brand new bedding! It is beautiful and so very comfortable!

I am so happy to have him as my best friend for the rest of my life. When the world is against you, it's so wonderful to have the unwavering support of your best friend. Plus, we have fun. Our life isn't perfect but, we love each other very much and we have great times and many good laughs. :)

(a full post of our new holiday pictures will be coming soon.)

a winter weekend..

(photo by)

The weekend is here and I am thrilled! My "to-do" list is long with Christmas preparations but, I am looking forward to an Ugly Sweater Party, Jared's extended family party, and spending quality time together with my love. :)

Jared and I didn't have any luck finding our ugly sweaters at the thrift shop last night but, we did find some great white elephant gifts! :) Now to find us some ugly sweaters..

welcome welcome

I am so happy and excited that today is December 1st. While driving today, I listened to my favorite Christmas songs and loved it. Mister put up the Christmas lights and tree yesterday. Now all we have to do is put the ornaments on the tree and the halls will all be decked! :) Jared overheard me say that I would like a poinsettia to put on our table and I came home to four. Yes, four poinsettias! Needless to say, our home is looking very Christmas-y.. and I love it.

Happy December. :)

our Thanksgiving

..it was pretty wonderful.. :)

We're lucky enough that our parents live only a couple blocks away from each other and we're able to spend time with both families. It makes for a day full of eating but, who would complain about that? :)

Thanksgiving highlights: my first time making homemade stuffing, everyone at the same dinner table, holding baby Jace, doing the dishes with Melissa, building a fire with Kaden, olives, playing games and cracking up, planning Oregon, saying thanksgiving prayers.

It's been a fantastic weekend so far and I look forward to setting up Christmas decorations when Mr. gets home from work. I can't believe this time of year has arrived!

James Taylor in the moonlight

Life can be overwhelmingly busy. Life can be tough.
But, days like this, oh they make everything so worth it.


We celebrated little B's first birthday and gathered with family and new friends. We ate the most adorable cupcakes and sang happy birthday. We laughed and laughed and enjoyed each other's company.




After the party, we ate a small town outdoor diner, under Christmas lights, while listening to a grammy-award nominee play us Beatles, Billy Joel, and James Taylor on the piano. His sweet wife joined my family for dinner. I couldn't help look around and feel like I was in a perfect scene, something straight out of the ultimate "feel-good" movie. I wished I could record the laughter and the stories. "This is what heaven will be like," I thought. These are the moments that make life oh so sweet.

P&P: my favorite twins!

I really shouldn't say "my favorite twins"..

Dear Dad & Uncle Kent, YOU are my favorite twins.

Wait..

Aunt Maurine and Aunt Darlene, YOU are my favorite twins..

Oh well, seriously.. Look how cute P & P are! THEY are my favorite twins! ;)

P&P are the long awaited twin girls of our dear friends, Cami and Travis.

Jared and I went twice to visit the brand new babies in the hospital. On our second visit, I was lucky enough to hold little P2, although I'm sure the nurse wasn't fond of the idea.

This is little P1 in the incubator.

Days later, Jared and I went to the Buhler's home for a visit and snuggled both babies for 3 hours. We switched back and forth while eating dinner and watching Toy Story 3. :)

Cami, a little note to you. You are doing so amazing with your new job of being a mommy of 3. (she has a two year old as well, sweet little O.) Keep going, because all of this hard work will pay off in the most wonderful way, someday. I love your little family. I wish that I could quit my job and spend all day helping you tend to your little ones. But, please let me know if there is any way that I can help.

I look up to you in so many ways and I can't wait until I have my twins, too. ;) (here's to hoping!)

Halloween tradition

One last post on Halloween. :) This is the 3rd year of this tradition and it is one of my favorites! It involves:

-the Buhlers

-Red Robin

-the best haunted house ever, The Haunted Deseret.

p.s. this was exactly one week before Travis and Cami had their twin baby girls!

Our new nephew

Yes, I adore him already. xoxo, baby Jace.

Why yes, I am trying to catch up..

One Sunday after church, I had a friend come up to me and tell me that his wife had a great idea! Her idea was for me to throw a neighborhood Halloween Party. Others joined in and encouraged the thought, and if you know me.. you know I like to throw a party! It was too hard to resist.

So, I brain stormed, made lists, cooked, and sewed my Halloween costume with my dear aunt Dee Dee. I have been dreaming up my mummy costume for quite some time and despite a few little problems during the creation, I was very happy with the outcome. (Thanks again, auntie!)

I love Halloween.

(More Halloween posts coming..)

We Are Women

I am so excited that this photo was chosen to be published in a book called, We Are Women. It is definitely an exciting "check" off of my life list and I am buying my copy right now!

"We Are Women" is a collection of essays and photographs concentrating on the divine attributes of women. All proceeds from the book will go to the Campaign to End Fistula.

If you would like to purchase a copy, please click here.

Oh, what a wonderful day

Yesterday was wonderful. Everything turned out so well and I can't believe everything came together like it did... and it all happened in three weeks. The Lord's hand was truly in this. All of this.

..and my goodness, did I cry grateful tears? Embarrassingly enough, yes.

I will miss working with Becky and Jill on this great project. But now, back to life. Back to cooking and being a better wife. Back to editing. Back to doing my hair. ;)

More posts to come.

facebook says that the 5K is tomorrow

Under my events section on Facebook, it says that Pound the Pavement for Parenthood is tomorrow! It's hard to believe, as sometimes the road to this 5K has been so long and yet, we've only had a month of planning. What others stamped as impossible, has been done. Perhaps it might seem amateur to some, perhaps some don't understand why, but I am so proud of it.

It has been an honor to be involved and to see the Lord's hand in every step of the way. I tell you, he cares about each and every one of us and even in the small aspects of our lives.

..and my goodness, have I seen him work through people I am associated with and people who I am not. Even perfect strangers to me.

This journey has left me often emotional. Nearly every time I log on to Facebook, in fact. I am so touched when someone writes me a message offering to help, or when they post the event on their status. Yes, that one gets me every time and my eyes fill with grateful tears.

I can't thank you enough.

.. for supporting my good friends, Allen and Jill.
.. for supporting me.

..and for showing me the Lord's graciousness work through you.

I hope to see you there. It will be a day of goodness and fun. I can't wait!

carving pumpkins

We gathered with our friends and neighbors to carve pumpkins a couple weeks before Halloween. We might have done it too early because, by the time Halloween came around.. our pumpkins were looking kind of sad. I love our little tradition! Click here to see last year.

I think Allen's pumpkin looks like a Powerpuff Girl. Remember them? :)

Have you heard?

This giveaway is for a great cause. Please enter and spread the word.

If you win, we can do any kind of shoot you'd like! Portraits of yourself, you and your friends, you and your significant other, or your family! If you're getting married, this will take $100 off of your wedding package.

The winner will be announced November 10th!

Thank you! Thank you!

The last weekend of October

(picture from a Halloween photoshoot last weekend)

Last night, I hosted a Halloween party with a handful (or two) of our neighbors. It was an incredibly fun night with Dr. Seuss characters, Mario & Princess Peach, and even a little airplane pilot. Tonight, Mr. and I are going to another party. I have so many Halloween festivities to post but, November is on it's way!! Is it bad to do a Halloween update in November?

... Oh well! Have a great Halloween!
(ah, I love this time of year.)

Sunday agenda

-go to church

-visit my favorite little twin girls in the NICU

-take brownies to their mommy & daddy

-make my Halloween costume with my auntie

-read scriptures

:) Sounds lovely.

Happy Sunday, my friends.