Oh Canada!!!

The great white north was cold and windy...just like I remember it. The wind was blowing at 80 miles an hour...ask JIM, it was crazy! But we had a great Christmas and enjoyed playing games and hanging out with my family.

Here are my adorable niece and nephew that I got to play with. They are too cute for words.
Here is my new hair do, thanks to my talented sister Tami. I needed something new cause I was hating my hair.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying time off to relax. It is the best to be with family! Happy New Year to all!

Let it Snow , let it snow, let it snow

That is Jim speaking...we got our first big dump of snow and he loves it. He is a skier for one, but he also has a 4-wheeler to shovel snow with and he loves it. He was sad to wake up Sunday and not need to shovel more snow. Simple pleasures for him. For me....we went to California last weekend and I missed the sunny warm weather, where you can still hang out outside. It does help this year that we have a garage, I think it got down to 0 degrees last night. That is COLD! But not as cold as Canada. I talked to my mom and she said it is -30 with a wind chill of -40. Who can live like that????Honestly! Here is the snow and Jim playing with his toy!

Thankgiving fun with the family

My sister Angela and her family came for a visit before Thanksgiving. Of course when my parents knew my sister was coming they decided to come too. Then my mom and dad stayed for a crazy day of Black Friday Shopping. The madness started at 4am for us. My mom is an animal like that!

Game time fun! The Foosball table got lots of use, as you can see.

We made some crafts. Here is Jacob and Jessica with their turkeys.

Here are the kids beating up Jim....they were having so much fun dog piling.

Here we are with our Oreo turkeys! Yummy! Lucas even had fun making his.

Grandpa and the kids. We had a great time together and I'm glad they all came to visit.

Cali wedding

I attended the Sacramento wedding of one of my best friends from college. Congrats Kellie and Chris!
Here was Kellie and Chris walking down the isle. The wedding and reception were beautiful. I was so glad I was there to be apart of their big day!

Kellie and I have been friends for over 10 years. We met in college and loved playing pool. I'm so happy for her!

As always my darling husband, who is always up for a trip.

Frustration

We all have them in life....bad days that make us feel frustrated. Mine is today! I'd take a picture but I can not find my camera anywhere. If I were to take a picture it would be of the holes that were put in my bedroom bathroom and guest room in the basement. I found a leak in my basement bedroom. Of course I found it a few days before my family is coming to visit....I think that's a law of the universe. Apparently there are no leaking pipes....the actual floor of my shower is leaking. Not sure how this happens...but it does! So I will be having my house riped apart and fixed while my family is here. Worse things could happen....but I hope they don't!
Someday when I'm perfect things like this will not even make me flinch! I'm not sure how many "somedays" there will have to be in my life to get me to this point.
On a happier note....my family is coming to visit!!!!! Hooray! I better go search for my camera so I can capture my cute niece and nephews for my next post!

Night of Murder and Intrigue

We went to a murder mystery game lastnight. It was fun and there were some great costumes! Jim went as Dr. Death and I was A Femme Fatale, Mata Hari. So here we are in our costumes. I also made eye ball cupcakes...why do they always look better in the pictures?

Our New House

I have been promising pictures of the house and finally got around to it. Our yard, sadly, is still dirt and will be for longer than I would like.

This is the view from the front door. The living room and dining room.

This is the view from the porch door in the dining room looking into the kitchen, livingroom and the front room.

This is our bedroom! ;)

This is our TV room in the basement. Where every football game on TV is recorded...seriously...pick a team! JK


I love our house...and it's fun to be a grownup and be able to hang things on the walls and decorate. It was worth all the building troubles. Now that it is getting colder here I am LOVING the garage. It takes some of the sting out of winter. I didn't show the 3 other bedrooms...they are ready to occupy (come visit) but nothing exciting!

Tagged

I got tagged from Jim's sister Holly....here it goes!
Answer the questions with one word (or a little more) and then tag three people.
1. Where is your cellphone? close by
2. Your significant other? so fun
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? inspirational
5. Your Father? great man
6. Your favorite thing? time with Jim
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream goal? forever family
10. The room you’re in? kitchen
11. Your hobby? exercise/reading
12. Your fear? losing a family member
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? California..haha
14. What you’re not? inflexible
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wishlist item? XM radio
17. Where you grew up? Calgary, Canada
18. Last thing you did? clean
19. What are you wearing? sweatpants & t-shirt
20. Favorite gadget? i-pod
21. Your pets? no thank you
22. Your computer? needs repair
23. Your mood? chill
24. Missing someone? nieces and nephews
25. Your Car? love it!
26. Something you’re not wearing? jewelry
27. Favorite store? Ann Taylor Loft
28. Like someone? JIM
29. Favorite color? French blue, pink, brown
30. When was the last time you laughed? last night
31.When was the last time you cried? last week

I tag Becky, Lynnley, Audi

Europe

Blogging has taken a back seat to moving in and traveling....so I really can't feel bad about that. I still need to post pictures of the house but I was holding out for a yard that may not happen this year. Is it really so much to ask for?

Jim I I got back a few days ago from a trip with some of his family to Europe. We went with his parents, his sister and her husband and his other brother. We flew into Munich, Germany and stayed there for a few days. I didn't know what to expect but it was really green with pretty countryside. ex
This was our visit to a Nazi prison camp. It was depressing to be there and crazy to think that horrible things like that can happen.

Next we drove to Switzerland and visited a couple of castles. The drive there was incredible because there were waterfalls for hours of the drive. Jim's brother Rob took a billion photos and I don't have them yet but it was breathtaking. We also rode up a gondola to the top of the alps. It was freezing to everyone but Jim. He made us walk around outside and explore caves. I managed to put snow down his back without repercussions...that's amazing. His hair did freeze while we hiked to the top of the mountain. It was the cloudiest day but they did blow away for a few minutes and we looked out at the blue sky with clouds below us.

We had to wait to walk to one castle because the cows with bells around their necks were coming through town. Don't ask me....but lederhosen (spelling???) are great. I tried to buy Jim some.



Jim LOVES driving in Italy because all the rules are just suggestions and it is madness there in the streets. We did get to stop for places because we were in a car. We drove through Liechtenstein, which is it's own country. Then we stopped in Milan for a few hours to go into the Duomo (Cathedral). It was amazing and I actually ran into someone I knew there. Crazy!



We also stopped at Pisa after Milan on our way to Florence.

Florence

I was so sad in Florence cause I didn't buy a purse at the market...it's not right!
After Florence we went to Rome...we stopped in Portofino and Sienna on our way to Rome.


I always love traveling and Italy is an amazing place to visit with all the history and ruins. So many beautiful sites and I feel very blessed to be able to go.

LIMBO

Building a new house....fabulous or overrated!
Don't get me wrong, I am super excited and grateful to have one...but the process isn't as much fun. Has anyone heard of a deadline....ours has past a few times already and the work they were supposed to have done today, not so done! So in our show of good faith to people telling us it would be done over and over again...we rented our apartment. Which means Saturday we became homeless. Thankfully all of Jim's family is in Logan. And yes, that means we are staying at Jim's parents. The in-laws! They are great and it's not that big a deal to be staying there. But seriously, I am running out of clothes in my suitcase meant for only a few days. All my stuff is in my basement, in a not so organized pile. It started out more organized but I gave up as friends were so kindly helping move all our belongings to a dirty, unfinished basement. So here I sit...in my husbands office writing this, cause I have no computer service, no home, no TV....just waiting!

Back to School

So glad I got to have a night out on the town with "The Girls". Pat, Wendy,Janice, and Mindy took me under their wings when I taught in Utah last year. They saved me!We had a great time at dinner and a play. It's always an adventure when "The Girls" get together. I will miss teaching with them this year...but it will also be a nice break for me.

California knows how to party

In this case party = friends, food, and relaxing. Which was fabulous! I stayed most of the week with Julie Jones. She moved into the most darling 2 bedroom. It's decorated so cute and it was so fun to spend time with Julie. She is the closest thing to family I had in California for the 9 years I lived there. I had a list of people to see and restaurants to eat at. Oh, how I love California!

I seriously had the best time seeing all the friends I miss. I had lunch and dinner dates all week and I loved it! I need the Alabama girls to send me the picture we took at lunch still.
Here are the baby momas from Marshall!

Here is me trying to juggle all three!

The "click" from Marshall. It took the restaurant closing down for us to leave, we had such a good time. It's been a while since I laughed so hard I cried...but it felt good.

I also got fashion tips from Cooper! Girl's got style! Beach time, inappropriate movies, and another favorite restaurant! Can't bet it!

The shoe envy!

Cori's Wedding

Jim and I went to Seattle for Cori and Rob's wedding. Seattle is a cool city. I especially loved Pikes Place, which is a huge farmers market. I would go there all the time to get fresh fish...and I'm so sure Jim would go there all the time to get me fresh flowers.(hint, hint) We walked around down town and went on the Space Needle that over looks Seattle. We loved how lush it is there and had a great time at the wedding and reception. Cori's parents' new house is AMAZING! I want to stay there next time we go.

Summer Reading

My favorite book/movie of all time is Gone With the Wind. So I decided to read the sequel, Scarlett. The first part was a bit depressing cause she is trying to win back Rhett and is very lonely. I kept reading....waiting, hoping that Rhett softens up and admits he loves her. The whole time I am reading this 850 page book I just want to skip to the "happy ever after" part. Cause honestly, it would NOT be okay if they didn't end up together. So I think the last 10 pages was all I needed to read. JK No, it was a good read...I just wanted it to be the way I wanted it...and it took a long time to be what I wanted. Apparently it took Scarlett 840 pages to learn what she needed to learn and be ready for love. So, to all of us that it has taken a little longer for Prince Charming to find....hold out. It's so worth it and don't feel bad that it takes some longer than others. It took me 32 years.

Wild Hogs

Friday night fun! We could have been in a movie or a biker gang. Jim loves his motorcycles in the summer. He sold his fast race bike when we got married, thank goodness. A bunch of his friends were throwing their wives on the back and hitting the road for Friday night date night. One of the girls had full leathers. I'm not there yet....but I did wear a helmet (Jim didn't). There were 7 bikes, so we really were a gang, I'm sure we looked very intimidating!!! We rode out to Preston (Home of Napoleon Dynamite) and found a little diner to eat at. The weather was perfect and it was a great ride. Of course my mom shook her head and told me I didn't learn my lesson( I was in an accident years ago and still have leg problems). Trust me death and serious maiming is always in the back of my mind. Jim knows he has to drive safe when I'm on the bike. But when the call of the wild comes....you have to throw caution to the wind and hit the open road with wind blowing through your hair. That's how we roll in Logan! Who knows, cow tipping could be next! JK That was only in High School for kids here.

My new life - Logan

People are always asking me how Logan is.....Jim and I always smile cause it's been a bit of an adjustment for me. And this is why......

because people have goats as pets on leashes in their yard. I've had to drive behind tractors to work, and had traffic jams because of turkeys crossing the road. It's a little different than living in HB. We are in the process of building a house which is very exciting...if you ignore the fact that I have NO say in anything about the house. Jim promises I will next time....good thing I trust his taste.... but he still might hear about a few decisions. Right now we live in a 3 bedroom townhouse. It's nice....but right across the street is a sheep and cow farm. So the "fresh air" as Jim likes to call it....isn't that lovely!

Week of Coreys/Coris

Reunited and it feels so good!

I was so glad I had the chance to have lunch with two of my favorite old roomates. I went to lunch with Corey Cooper and Katie on Thursday. They were getting ready to run the big Top Of the Mountain race. From Logan to Park City...it's a little crazy for me but they are hardcore. During our dining experience we were seated next to Ashley Tinsdale, from High School Musical. I thought Cooper had fallin in love with me cause she was starring at me...but behind her sunglasses she was actually scoping out the celebrity! Thank goodness...sorry Cooper, I'm married! haha It was so fun to have lunch with some HB girls!

Then the next day I got to celebrate Cori Gamblin's, soon to be Colson, birthday! Lunch with Cori and Rob was equally as fun. They even brought me Sprinkles cupcakes from California. Delicious! I can't wait till I see Cori next month dressed all in white! Congrats!
So..to all my other friends that read this.......please come visit! I will come to Salt Lake to see you! I miss you all!

Hawaii

For "Future Mother's day"(no babies yet) Jim gave me a trip to Hawaii. So a few days after school got out we flew to the big island of Hawaii. We went scuba diving and had 12 foot Manta Rays glide above our heads. Really cool and a little frightening. One of our favorite things was flying in a helicopter over some waterfalls and an active volcano. There was smoke and you could see lava flowing through sky lights. It was amazing! We hiked and enjoyed relaxing. We went to Oahu for a few days as well and went to PCC, which is always fun. Our favorite food was macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. Delicious!

We loved the time away to unwind. Thank you to my wonderful husband! It was fabulous!

Here I Go!

So I am trying to figure this blogging thing out....seriously! I promised myself I would get on board with blogging like all my cute friends...but I have to wait till I had time. Now I am out of school with all the time in the world. Love it!
Just don't expect too much at first...I'm learning! I am doing this to hopefully keep in better touch with all my friends that I miss.