Carrie and Bri

It's a...

2011-12-15T14:13:00.005-07:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry this is a picture of a picture, but I didn't want to go scan it. You can see there is nothing between those little legs. She was kicking and had the hiccups during the ultrasound, but I can't feel them yet. I have had slight sensations I think are baby, but nothing for sure yet. I am 19 weeks tomorrow so hopefully soon I will feel her. My midwife said my placenta is across the front of my tummy so that may buffer her movements for a bit. We are very excited! Now we have to get serious about names and getting her nursery put together. :)

Thoughts on becoming Mom

2011-12-05T17:09:00.004-07:00

The template on my blog stopped working so I tried to fix it, and ended up with this lovely blue scene. It’s not my favorite, but I’ve done enough damage for one day to fix it. Lately I have been thinking about all the changes that are coming our way with a little one joining the two of us. I am very much a futuristic thinker. I want to plan and be prepared for change. I think I exhaust Brian with my ramblings. There is just so much I worry about. For instance:

Finances: Bri and I really struggled financially when we were first married. We lived on Mac n Cheese and Top Ramen for a good long time, but we wanted to make it on our own. We didn't want help from our parents. We had made the choice to get married young with no money and we wanted to be responsible for our choice. It was a good learning experience and I am thankful for it. Now that we have been done with school for awhile and both have great jobs, we have been financially very comfortable. We aren’t rich by any means, but we are taken care of and only eat Top Ramen now if we want to. J When baby comes I won’t be working as much. I still am going to work to keep my license active and get out for some “me time”, but it will be an adjustment. Brian makes plenty to support us, but I just worry. Babies are expensive everyone tells us. The time just goes by so fast and it won’t be just diapers we need to pay for but soon dance lessons, sports teams, musical lessons, weddings, missions, college… I know, I’m thinking too far ahead. Moving on.

Adjusting from 2 to 3: I believe that is a very personal decision when a couple decides to have kids. I don’t care if you pop one out right after getting married or wait 10 years. Brian and I made the decision to wait, then it took longer than expected to get pregnant, so we now have had 5 years just to ourselves. I am so grateful for our time together because it’s a time I know we will never get back once we become parents. We have become best friends and really depend on each other for everything. However, having had so much time alone, I worry about the adjustment to baby. We pick up and go all time to do things together. If we need groceries and it’s 10 at night we go, but I know all that will change when baby comes.

Being a good mom: When baby comes I’ll be close to 25. Is that really old enough to be a mom? I still feel like a kid myself some days. I just want my kids to be honest, kind, caring and have strong testimonies to rely on. I look at the world today and hear horror stories about kids in school and worry about raising mine right.

Anyways, this has turned into a lovely journal entry. I know I am worrying too much. I know we will be just fine. I know I have awesome moms around me to learn from and get help from if needed. I also know I have an awesome partner in crime to tackle this parenting thing with. Life is wonderful and we are really excited to expand our family. I’m excited for all the adventures that will surely come and hope we’re ready…

Moms...any advice?

Baby Story

2011-10-24T13:39:00.003-06:00

Well the news is out that we are expecting a little one is May. I am going to try to be a better blogger through this pregnancy since this is the only form of journal I keep...:/ Shame on me I know. Brian and I are feeling very blessed and excited about our little miracle baby. In May we had tried close to a year to get pregnant with no luck, so I made an appointment and went and saw an OB for infertility help. I was excited for the visit and had an open mind. The doctor came in and was with me no more than 3 minutes. He handed me a paper with a list of expensive tests he wanted us to do (semen analysis, ovary checks, I can't remember them all now...) and said he wouldn't move forward with anything until they were done. I left the office shocked and when I stepped outside I started bawling. Embarrassing I know, but I was so let down. Maybe it's the nurse in me, but I believe you take time with your patients and talk to them. You don't slap them a paper and walk out (not to mention charge 100 bucks for the visit). Ughhh. Anyways, when Brian got home from work I showed him the paper and told him what happened. We decided to pray about it and see where to go. We decided we would take until the end of the summer and keep trying on our own. Then at the end of the summer if nothing happened I would go back in, but see another doctor. I had the opportunity to take the summer off of working graves to see if getting my body on an normal schedule would help. End of summer came and no luck. I made another appointment for Sept 9th to go back for infertility help. On Sunday, Sept 4th I woke up and felt like I should take a pregnancy test so I did. It was the kind with the 2 lines and the 2nd line was really faint so I didn't think it was positive. The next day Brian went and bought the digital display kind so I took another test and this showed up...

We both stood there pretty shocked. I have taken so many of these dumb tests and to finally see a positive result was crazy. There are days where I still can't believe it.

Baby at about 6 weeks.

Almost 11 weeks.

So, now I am trying to make myself believe that I am going to be responsible for another human life in a few months. The thought both scares and excites me. Mostly I just feel so thankful for answered prayers. I know there are so many people who try like we did, but never end up being able to get pregnant, so we are so lucky. The time we spent waiting doesn't seem so awful now, but at the time it sure was a trial of my faith. I feel so blessed. Life is good. Adventures await us!

Happy Birthday to me and Moab

2011-08-16T14:58:00.003-06:00

Friday was my 24th birthday and it was a great day! We went on a trip with our ward buddies to Moab and had a blast. It was my first time there and I was so impressed by it.

We ate at Slickrock Cafe for my birthday dinner. They surprised me at the end with ice cream and the restaurant singing happy birthday to me. It was yummy food. :)

Saturday morning the boys woke up at 5 and went on a 10 mile bike ride. They all really enjoyed it and were exhausted by the time they got back. The girls and babies woke up at 7 and went on a hike to the North and South Windows. It was so incredible. I could not believe all there was to see.

This was my pose for Brian. ;)

Can't remember what this was called...but still awesome looking.

That night we went as a group up to Delicate Arch. It was a nice hike and we went at the perfect time in the evening so it wasn't warm at all.

And of course our camera died just as we made it to Delicate so this is a cell phone picture. It was so beautiful. It was a wonderful weekend and birthday. We are so blessed with awesome friends!

San Fran

2011-07-12T17:36:00.002-06:00

We took our vacation this year and went to San Francisco. It was so much fun!! It is such a beautiful place to visit. We will be going back one day. It was so nice to get away together for a week. This was our first vacation since our honeymoon where we went away and didn't visit family. NOT THAT WE DON'T LOVE FAMILY...we just loved it with the two of us (more). :)

I don't remember what beach this is. I love this picture. I sure love this boy too.

The Oakland Temple is beautiful. Can you see us??

B+C

Twin Peaks. The view up here was incredible. You could see the whole city and bay. Our pictures just don't do it justice.

Bri diving into our $8 Ghirardeli sundae that we were told was a must to try. It was pretty divine.

We took a bus tour of the city and it started to sprinkle so they were kind to hand out ponchos. It was great.

Oh that's right...John Wayne made out of Jelly Bellys. The Jelly Belly factory was awesome. They just came out with a new line of flavors... Skunk spray, centipede, pencil shavings, toothpaste, canned dog food, and baby wipes (which I sampled and gagged on) to name a few.

Alcatraz tour was cool and creepy. The tour is done very well.

Fisherman's Wharf dock. We spent lots of time there. Clam chowder was so yummy!!!

This obviously is not us, but we did a city tour in one of these and got lost. We ended up in downtown in this piece of plastic. I am so glad we weren't killed. We just laughed and laughed once I stopped freaking out.

BSN graduation

2011-07-12T17:18:00.002-06:00

I graduated with my BSN in April. It was a happy day!! My last semester of school was heaven sent. It was so relaxed and I didn't feel like I was drowning like the semester previous. I am so glad I decided to get my BSN. I'm excited to keep going, but am enjoying my break from school for now. I need to get more experience under my belt. I still am learning new things all the time. I sure love being a nurse. It has provided me with life experiences I will always cherish.

I knew I would start crying when I walked in and sure enough I did. I was happy and feeling blessed to have received an education and degree.

My boy is so photogenic. He meant to close his eyes I'm sure. ;) Bri's family is awesome. They have endured all my graduations. I love that they are so supportive.

Love my family too. Becoming a nurse with my mom has been one of the best experiences of my life. I always have a listening ear with her when nursing things get on my nerves. :)

Girlfriend vacation

2011-03-21T19:23:00.004-06:00

Last week was spring break and my girlfriends and I went on a vacation to St George. We all became friends from the ward and we have a monthly dinner group that we just started and decided we needed a girls getaway. It was so much fun! I am so lucky to have these wonderful ladies in my life. I am so grateful for them and for all the memories we have shared.

Jill and me in the front..

Natalie, Kera, and Katie (AKA Kate) in the back ready to hit the road!

When Katie told us we were staying at her aunt's vacation home, I had no idea we were staying in a mansion. The house was incredible. I kept saying, "Oh my gosh" when we got there. It was the perfect place for a vacation of relaxation. :)

On Friday we spent the day at the temple and the visitor's center. It was such a neat experience and one I will always remember. I was so glad we went.

Sorry this is sideways...we stopped by my old apartment building I used to live in while I went to Dixie. No one answered the door..I was bummed because I wanted to see the old place. :(

Bed head!! Nat had to leave us on Saturday to get back home so her dad flew down and picked her up. We just rolled out of bed.

It was a much needed and enjoyed vacation. It was full of laughter, crafting, self defense instruction (given by me), tricks, great cooking, late night talks, and more unmentionable things. I love my friends and the women they are. They strengthen me in so many ways.

I came home to a spotless house and a surprise from Brian. He got me a KitchenAid mixer and I am so excited to use it. I missed him and Millie. It is good to be home, but I am looking forward to our next girls vacation. :)

Cooking fun

2011-03-07T23:09:00.002-07:00

I have had the goal lately of working on being a better homemaker. I have been cooking lots and have really enjoyed it. Tonight Bri made chocolate chip cookies (the best), and I made homemade chili and my recent favorite discovery...whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffins. I found the recipe about two months ago and I have made them probably 5 times since. They are delicious and a great breakfast. Just pop them in the microwave for 15 secs and enjoy. You can also freeze them.

http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/04/whole-wheat-banana-chocolate-chip.html

I absolutely love The Sisters Cafe blog. They have so many easy and delicious recipes. For my dinner party group I made these http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/08/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

and this http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2010/09/brazilian-limeade.html

They are amazing. Try them out!!

Basement remodel

2011-01-14T01:00:00.002-07:00

It is hard to believe that our basement is finished (practically)!!! It has been quite the process but we are so thankful to be living down there now and really enjoy the extra space. We really appreciate our builder Ron. We were given a paint bid for $800. We thought that was high and decided to do it all ourselves. We were about an hour into it and we said it was worth the $800. However, Brian surprised me one night by texting our buddies to come paint while I was gone and I came home to so much of the work done! We have the best friends!! The before photos do not really show just how scary this basement was when we started...

Bathroom before (don't you love the toilet on the throne?)

Bathroom after. We still have a few things left to do in here like the tile mop boards, but that is about it.

3rd Bedroom before without a closet

3rd Bedroom after with a closet:) It is my craft room!

2nd Bedroom before..yeah

2nd Bedroom after. I painted it green to be all ready whenever a baby decides to join the crazy two of us....

Master Bedroom before

Master Bedroom after. I love our room. Brian doesn't have to climb over me to get out of bed now. My favorite features of the room are my big walk in closet and a light switch on my side of the bed so I can turn off the lights from bed.:) My brother Peter did the stripes for us..I love them and him.:)

Brian and I have been very blessed to have great jobs so that we could earn the money for this remodel. It is something we have prayed to be able to do for a long time and we have truly been blessed. We have worked hard for it and I am proud we did it together. I am grateful for answered prayers!

Update

2010-12-03T15:47:00.002-07:00

I updated the pictures of our nieces and now nephew on our side bar. I can't believe how big they all are now. All I can say is life is flying by! Pictures of our basement are coming.........

WE ARE ALIVE!!!

2010-11-19T02:08:00.003-07:00

I know, I know, I know. You do not have to say it. I am an AWFUL blogger. It almost been a year since my last post:( How about an update???? Well let's see....

Brian is now working for Dave's Complete Auto Service in Centerville and loves it. He really likes his boss and the people he works with...but who doesn't Brian like?? He has learned lots of new things...I just can't tell you because I barely understand when he explains car stuff to me. It is similar to when I tried to explain to him how CHF affects kidney function.....can you say deer in the headlights??

I am about to finish my second of 3 semesters in Weber's Bachelor of Nursing program. It has been quite the ride to say the least, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have learned so much and have so many ideas in my little head of what I can try in nursing. I have the month of December off where I plan to do nothing.....except work I guess. I graduate in April...wooohoooo!!! I will take some time off before pursuing my Masters degree much to my advisor's dismay. I just need a break lady!:)

Last year we ripped out our basement. It was cement and beams for a year until we saved enough to pay to have it done. All the plumbing, and electrical wiring has been replaced. A sump pump has been put in. The framing is all done and the insulation is in. This weekend the dry wallers will begin. It should all be done mid December. Merry Christmas to us!:)

That is about it. I will have Brian upload pictures of the basement in its progress. Until we meet again!

Love is in the air...

2010-02-15T02:47:00.004-07:00

It was a fabulous Valentine's day. I don't usually post mushy love posts about Brian, but tonight I want to because I love him so stinkin much. He really is my best friend and I can tell him anything. He makes me laugh and that is one of my greatest blessings in life. I can't believe we are coming up this year on 4 years of being married. The time has flown so fast. I'm so glad he's mine! Was that mushy enough???

This was part of my Valentine's present. I watched an infomercial one night for these while at work. I wanted one so badly, but they were 100 bucks and I didn't think it was worth that..almost though. We went to Costco last week and they had them for 40 so I got my Valentine present early. I LOVE IT!!! It is so amazing and convenient. I made my first fruit shake and it tasted just like a Jamba. I almost died. I have made Bri several oreo shakes..he is in heaven. It was worth every penny.:)

Bri got new pants and work shoes for V-day. Do you wish your behind looked this good in jeans? Yeah, me too. (I hope that wasn't too graphic for anyone.)

We go to our favorite restaurant every Valentines..Windy Sukiyaki. It is a sushi restaurant and we love it. Yummy!!!

We took the picture after we dived in...sorry, it was too tasty. We had spicy tuna, salmon and crab rolls.

These are the flowers Bri got me and a gift certificate for a pedicure at Walmart! You can not beat a pedicure from that place. Not only is it completely relaxing, but it's cheap! I have not had one in forever. I can not wait. He is so good to me.:)

Life..

2010-01-30T02:30:00.003-07:00

...is great.:) I haven't posted anything in awhile, naughty me. Life has been exciting as of late. I passed my state licensing test to become an official RN! I could not believe the way I felt when I saw my license. I was so happy. I couldn't stop dancing around and screaming...ask Brian.:) I was on cloud nine. It is just amazing that everything that I have worked for, paid off in that moment and it felt like a dream come true. Sounds sappy I know, but that's just how it happened.

I also started the BSN program at Weber this semester and love it! I have already learned so much and the program is so nice. I love the set up and convenience of it. It was an adjustment from my RN program because I have been so used to coming to class and taking tons of notes, then cramming that info into my brain and regurgitating it on a test. Now we don't take notes at all. Only one of my classes has tests. It is very much interactive and discussion based. I have such a broad range of nurses in my classes, some that have been nurses for 30 years. I learn so much from my classmates. I just love it. I am so glad I am getting this done now.

I also got a new job at the DATC as a CNA clinical instructor. I start next month as soon as my background check comes back. I was going to quit my job now completely because I did not like the graves spread out throughout the week. I told them I would finish out my schedule for January. Well, my two bosses were not happy about it and when my favorite patient found out, she and her family were so upset. My administer called me in and told me they didn't want to lose me and would work out whatever I wanted to do to keep me. So now, starting in February, I get to do every Sunday and Monday night (which I wanted) and days the rest of the time just on this patient. I am so happy. I love her and her family. I feel so blessed. She just got out of the hospital so I picked up some extra time on her this week. You just can't beat 11 hours of overtime;)

Also this week, I got a call from the OWTC wanting me to come interview to be a state CNA skills examiner. I will see how that goes. It would be fun to do once a week. I think I would be pretty good at calming the nerves of the shaking CNA students, although I don't know if I could fail someone...anyhoo...lots going on. It is wonderful and I am so excited for all the opportunities. It will be fun to try new things and see how I like them.

My mom finally booked our Mexican Riviera cruise for Mother's Day this last week!!! I can not be more excited for it. Yipee!! We are also figuring out Brian's trip to the Philippines for the Cebu temple dedication. It is something we don't want him to miss out on. A man in our ward served in the same mission about 30 years before Brian and he is going too. He invited us over for dinner so they could share stories. Brian had so much fun talking about it. I am so excited for him to go.

This is how I feel.:)

Not so fast....

2009-12-21T05:31:00.003-07:00

Well it seems my blissful school vacation will be ending Jan 4th....I start school again then. Ha ha even though I am really enjoying the time to relax for a few weeks, I am super excited that I was accepted into Weber's Bachelor of Nursing program. I am really surprised that I was because of how competitive the program has become. Of my class of 40, 3 of us got in. It is an awesome opportunity. I am doing the accelerated program because I want to finish soon, so it will be three more semesters. Spring 2011....you can't come soon enough.:)

Today I was also put in as the secretary for our Primary. I am really excited for that too. We will be released as the activity heads as soon as they find another willing couple.:) I will miss planning the parties, sort of. They were stressful to plan, but we have such awesome people in our ward to help when we ask. I am so thankful for answered prayers and feel very blessed.

Graduation

2009-12-15T12:59:00.004-07:00

Holy moly, we are done! It is hard to believe. Last Wednesday was my pinning ceremony from nursing school. It was nice, a bit long, but nice. I tried to hurry and leave afterwards because I didn't want to say good-bye to classmates. My emotions were pretty close to the surface because we have been through a lot together. I can't believe I am an RN...

My mom got to pin me. Definitely a precious memory for me and for her.

I wouldn't have made it through nursing school without my mom. I am so glad she was a semester ahead of me to help me along.

I am so grateful for awesome family.

Family again.

Friday was also a special day. Since Brian and my mom graduated in the summer, they got to walk with me! It was awesome and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Three graduates

I also wouldn't have made it through nursing school without this stud.

"When only the very best is good enough." Ha ha ha

So now what?? I don't know what to do with myself. Besides work, I have free time and it is weird. We had a sewing day at my mom's house, that was fun. I am working on a project for our six nieces.:) I will post pictures soon.

Lastly, the moment many have been waiting for, we are also ready to make Millie a big sister...and we aren't getting another dog.;)

We are praying for Brian to find a new job so we can get health insurance again, then we will work on that. Maybe you can throw in some prayers for us too...

Hot dog of a day!

2009-10-31T21:22:00.002-06:00

Cackle, cackle, screamy, screamy, happy, happy HALLOWEENY!!! I opened the door for trick-or-treaters tonight and found this!!!

Happy day! Bri got his diploma.

He is excited, can you tell?

I am proud of him. It is a little odd with him finishing up summer semester, but he will walk in December-with me.:)

We took Millie out in her hot dog costume. She got us some candy from some friends.:)

We went to a party tonight thrown by some ward friends. We forgot to take pictures there, but here we are before. Me-baby, Bri-Frank, Millie-Hot dog.:)

Happy Halloween

2009-10-28T23:25:00.003-06:00

Tonight we carved pumpkins with some friends. I am sad because Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I have had to work the last couple, and this year is no exception. So, I got off work tonight at 9, and when I got home found some friends, and some pumpkins ready to carve. It was fun. Rockband was enjoyed also. We didn't get to play long since we started so late, but here are the results. Thanks for coming peeps!

Bri's on the left, mine on the right

Middle-Danielle and Spencer's, top right-James'

Fun day:)

2009-10-24T20:02:00.002-06:00

Today was a good day. Even though my biological time clock is off from going back and forth with being up in the day, then doing precepting at nights and working nights, I had a fun day. Bri and I woke up at 6 and went to breakfast at Dee's with some of our ward friends. It was yummy, and I had quite possibly the best hot chocolate I have ever had there. Then later in the day my friend Jill and I decided to make some earrings. We went to Joann's, where a huge sale was going on and got our supplies. I got the tools I need, a box for my beads and cute beads. It had been so long since I have done something crafty. I can not wait to be done with school, because that is all I want to do. I want to sew, make more jewelery and Jill wants to go make pottery. Yeah, I can't wait. Working, school, and precepting has made my life a little hectic and I am pretty much running out of gas. December can not come quick enough. Speaking of precepting, I am loving it. I have been at Primary Children's, and I really enjoy it. I hope to work there when I am done with school. Kids are just way more fun than adults.:)

Jill and I

Jill is having a baby, if it is a girl, we will make her some cute bracelets.:)

I made some Christmas earrings and some dangley ones.

I know, I know, I know

2009-09-24T21:33:00.002-06:00

I am a horrible blogger. I know. It is about time for an update. It has been too long and too much has happened. Some quick highlights...Bri and I road tripped out to Texas in August. We stayed in Colorado on the way there and back with my Aunts Linda and Lynel. We had lots of fun there. We then proceeded on to Decatur, TX to see my Uncle Tad and the fam. We then cut across TX and stopped in Lubbock to see Brian's sister and her fam. We went through 7 states in 7 days. It was awesome and a much needed vacation. We had a lot of fun on the drive and the 30+ hours in the car were nothing.

As of late, school has started for me again and I am working full time. I love my job and the kids I get to take care of. I have learned much. Brian turned in all his paperwork for his Bachelors degree and now is waiting for it to post(Weber takes 1-2 months.. slow).

We recently ripped out our entire basement. We have it down to beams and cement. We are going to redo all the dry wall and electricity. We are putting in a sump pump and hopefully carpet when all is done. It looks really different. We are glad to have a friend in the ward who is going to do it all for us. We would rather pay a friend, then a company. Plus, his wife wants a nice new kitchen and with all the hard work at our place, he can probably earn it for her.:)

Lastly, our little Millie. She is wonderful. She makes me smile all the time. I love looking down and having her right there. She is getting so big, too fast. She is getting really good at learning to come. I can't imagine our lives without her now...yes I know that's weird. She is just too much fun.

Baby's room..not one coming yet, but when the room is done, we will work on that:)

Our room, next to baby's

Cute Millie

Hi Millie:)

She's here! :)

2009-07-21T16:58:00.002-06:00

We finally got our puppy! We finally decided to name her Millie. She was old enough to leave her mom over the weekend so we went and got her yesterday. She is so cute and makes me laugh. Everyone told us she wouldn't sleep for a week and would cry the whole time. She did cry on the drive home which was sad, but was just fine when we got home. I bought her a green squeeker toy and put it in her bed and she laid down right on it and went to sleep. She slept the whole night! I had to go to school all day so she got to play with Brian on his day off. He loves her and keeps holding her. I think she is going to be a great addition to the family.:)

Hi Millie

Sleeping on Bri

Saying hello

Ha how could you not look at that face and smile?

Puppy love....

2009-06-22T16:23:00.005-06:00

Brian and I have wanted a dog for some time now. We just haven't seriously looked into it. Well this past weekend our neighbors asked Brian if we would tend their dog for them while they went out of town. He told them yes and came home and told me. I was a little surprised and hesitant. They dropped Ringo off on Thursday and we have had so much fun with him! Oh my heck, I can't describe it. He just made me so happy and made me laugh. He always wanted to play and would follow us around and keep us company. When I got home in the mornings from work, he was waiting at the door for me. I didn't want to give him back. We brought him to play with both our families. Belly loved him. The really surprising one to me that loved him was my mom. We only had one dog growing up and we all hated him. We have never been dog people, but when we brought Ringo over to my mom's she loved that he ran around and didn't mind that he jumped up to sit with her on the furniture (she said I was mean for telling him to get down). She fed him some of her popsicle. Really it was quite shocking to me. She loved him and of course so did Sadie. She kept calling him "Reno" and wanted him to follow her everywhere. We set up his food and water and she kept bringing him to get a snack and drink. Seriously too much fun. Anyways...we loved Ringo so much we started looking online at buying a Wiener dog too. We found some in Layton and went to see them on Saturday. They were to die for and so tiny. I picked out a black girl that is so cute. Belly came with us and loved them too. They aren't ready to leave their mom for another month, so we just have to wait and get ready for her. We are pretty excited!

Ringo the bestest doggie ever!

Ringo trying out the dog run. We need to get rid of the ivy inside.

I think we should name her "Minnie"

Too cute.

Changes....

2009-06-12T21:01:00.003-06:00

It is time for an update. Brian just mowed the lawn, so I went out to see how it was going and looked at some of our flowers. They are so pretty, but I wish that tulips hung around longer. People keep telling me I need to hang our laundry out on our clothes line because that makes them smell so good. I might have to give that a whirl. We were going to rip them out, but I thought they would be good for a baby swing one day.

Anyone know what kind of flower this is?

That's my Bri and our big tree out front

Back yard

Back yard again. Brian is going to build a tree house in that tree one day for our kiddos (and himself I think). It is a perfect tree for one.
Does this look like it needs something....I think so too...

Other big news is Bri and I both got new jobs! I started working as a nurse at Ivy Lane Pediatrics this week and really love it. It is home health care for kids and lots of fun. I love being a nurse.:) Brian has been looking for a new job for a little while and has been praying hard to know what to do. He graduates with his Bachelors degree in August and wanted to find a job that would value his education and pay him for his efforts in earning a degree. He went to an interview at Midland American Auto Care in Roy and they called him the next day to come back in again and offered him the job. He went to the temple and feels really good about it so he starts in two weeks. He is going to be their lead technician/front end work guy (steering, suspension, alignments, brakes, etc.) and gets four bays just for him and a brand new alignment rack to use. He is really excited! He is sad to leave his friends at Midas, but is excited about the new experience and pay raise! I am excited for him too.

Happiness

2009-05-19T17:12:00.003-06:00

I am really enjoying this warm weather.:) When we bought our house last fall, there were no flowers and our bushes were bare. We didn't know what any of the bushes even were. A few weeks ago I walked into the back yard and was excited to see everything blooming. We have cute tulips and trees with great shade. My favorite discovery however was we have a lilac bush! Lilacs were my Grandma Billmire's favorite flower and color. My mom planted lilac bushes at our house growing up to remind her of her mom. My mom's lilacs are a light purple. Mine are dark, but they don't look really dark in the pictures. It just made me very happy. Our back yard is really cute and I am excited to be out there more this summer.

They smell wonderful too.

I am going to bring some to my grandma's grave on Sunday for Memorial Day.:)

There isn't much going on here besides work and school. Brian finished his 3 day class and now only has to survive his others until August (lucky duck:)). The counselor over Weber's nursing bachelors program came and talked to us yesterday about applying to the program. We have to apply by November, and if we get in, start in January. The only reason I am contemplating doing it right after finishing with my RN is because it is a hybrid program where you only go to class one week a month and the rest is online. That is exciting. I will apply and see what happens. If I get in, I get in. If I don't, I don't. I have to survive two more semesters first.:)

IV fun and more..

2009-05-14T18:06:00.004-06:00

Ha I have such a sad life. The excitement in my life was starting IVs today. I got to start over 10! Yahoo!!! Ha ha ha I don't care that I'm a geek.:) I went down to same day surgery and got to start most of the IVs for the day. I was put with an excellent nurse who is in charge of all the IV therapy for the hospital so she showed me many cool tricks. I feel much more confident, but want lots of more experiences. It is fun and nothing like the plastic arms we used in our lab. School is really enjoyable this semester. Brian decided since I was going in the summer so would he, since he only has one more semester until he has his Bachelors degree. He is taking a 3 credit class that is 3 days long. Today, tomorrow, and Saturday he is living at Weber State. Poor boy, I would go nuts. He keeps telling himself he is done in August. Life is good.:) The sun is out and a snow cone stand just went up around the corner. I couldn't be happier.:)

Check this out!

2009-05-11T15:53:00.004-06:00

Ok I have been crying for the past 30 minutes. My sides hurt from laughing so hard. I found this blog forever ago from a friend. I haven't looked at it in months and happened upon it today. It is called Cake Wrecks and it is seriously the funniest thing ever. We all need to treat ourselves to a good laugh every once in awhile. Go look at this blog, but make sure you have at least 30 minutes to go through it. Oh my goodness, I can't stop laughing thinking about some of the cakes. At least look until you see the horse, Twilight, and Easter cakes. You will die. The comments on them are what make them so funny. Enjoy! http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Ok I couldn't help myself. I am back putting some of the Easter pictures on. Oh I love to laugh.:)

Wicked New Nurse!

2009-05-04T15:08:00.005-06:00

I took my big licensing test on Saturday to officially get my LPN license. I was a little nervous, but I checked the results today and I passed!!! I am a nurse! Yahoo!!!! I started class again today and I am really excited for this semester. I think it is going to be much more enjoyable and less stressful than the one I just finished. I have my IV lab tomorrow and am excited to start practicing on a plastic arm! So fun.:) Speaking of fun, super fun.... I went to Wicked last Tuesday!!!!!! It was amazing!!! Thanks Angela so much for your vigilance in getting our tickets. You are wonderful.:) I had a great time. I wish I could go see it again!

The famous sign.

Ready for the show to begin......Grandma Jensen already saw Wicked in L.A. but said it was good enough to see twice. That's for sure!

Angela, Becky, me, Haley, and Carole (Dan was nice enough to take the picture:))

Woohoo!!!

2009-04-24T10:43:00.003-06:00

Well I made it. I graduated! I am half way there to being a RN.:) I am so glad to be finished and have survived the worst semester out of the 4 (so I hear...). I am not too excited to go in the summer, but I guess that means I finish faster. I get a week off of school and what am I going to do....work! Ha I picked up a shift everyday next week except Tuesday( because I'm going to Wicked!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait). I plan on reading lots over the next week and getting some yard work done. I am excited to start school again though because we jump right into IV therapy the first day and I am pretty excited for that. It was a great night and I am glad I survived.:)

That's me!

Brian is really excited for me...can you tell? Ha all the pictures of us are goofy, but I guess that's us.:)

Awesome family support! I am so glad they all came.:)

Siblings and meThese are my peeps from class. I love these girls.:)Awesome mom! She got to pin me. It was touching.:)These are what Brian and his family got me for graduation. Aren't' they pretty. This is why I need to do yard work next week and get ready to plant them.

Vacation Fun!

2009-04-14T15:38:00.003-06:00

Spotz texted me last Saturday and told me she and Gav had two extra seats to the Sunday morning session of Conference. They invited Bri and me to go and it was awesome. Elder Holland's talk was wonderful and it is always fun to be in the Conference Center. This past weekend we were able to go on a mini vacation to Las Vegas. It was much needed and enjoyed.:) My mom got an email a few months ago for $30 flights to Vegas and invited Bri and I to go with her. We said sure! You can't beat 30 bucks! It was so nice to be able to relax and play with the girls. We woke up on Friday morning and dyed Easter eggs. The girls were pros and produced some spectacular eggs. We later drove an hour to Logandale to the Clark County Fair! It was awesome. Bri and I took my mom and went on a ride very similar to the Tidal Wave at Lagoon. Just as it was our turn to get on next, a kid blew chunks all over and the workers gladly cleaned it with Windex and a hose. Ha ha ha we were laughing so hard. Then we got on (the back row which is the best) and this little girl on the other side looked like she was going to repeat the vomit episode. She keep blowing up her cheeks and she looked as white as a ghost. It was so sad. We are glad she didn't because it would have flown right on us. It went for the longest time. It was awesome! Saturday morning we woke up and went to the ward Easter egg hunt and breakfast. It was so cute. There were so many eggs...6500 I think. The kids just flew and the eggs were in baskets in no time. It was a great vacation.:) We came home Saturday night to be here for Easter morning. The Easter bunny brought me a fabulous cookbook and Brian a new tie. We ate dinner at Brian's family and then went to my mom's house. The Easter Bunny brought Sadie an Aurora dress up set and she wore it all night. Mary made another cute cake. It has been a fabulous past week. I am ready for another vacation.:)

Cool view from the top floor in the Conference Center

Everyone streaming out

Lucy getting in on the action

Dyeing eggs

Annie and Leah on a ride with their friends

Annie would not look up with that candy in her hand.:)

Lucy kept me warm in the Snugglie

Brian with the camera...

The PrincessYummy cake :) I got the nose :)

Time flies...

2009-04-07T17:03:00.002-06:00

You know I was thinking that time really does fly sometimes. I looked at the calendar and can not believe it is April. I think because life has been so busy with school and work that it still seems like last August sometimes. I can't believe it is time to graduate for Brian and I. He will finish up this summer and then we don't know what to do. I was looking at the pictures of our nieces on our side bar and the pictures were so old. They are getting so big and it's crazy. Especially the babies..Brooke and Lucy don't even look the same anymore ( I updated them). It's crazy to me. I guess we are at this crossroads and wonder where do we go from here? I think my brain is on overload with a test everyday for the next two weeks until graduation. I wish sometimes our lives were blueprinted and told us exactly what to do. That would make decisions easier.:) Anyhoo I guess I should go study for my peds test tomorrow.

Ok really quick...I have a resident that tells me a new joke every time I work. Here is her latest one...Where do you find a turtle with no legs? Right where you left him! Ha ha ha ha ha I think of her and smile. I hope she has a good one for me tomorrow.

One last thought...I went to check on one of the residents a few weeks ago. She has a beautiful piano in her room and always asks me to play for her. This last time she had a new book for me to try and asked me to play it for her. It looked hard and I told her I probably couldn't play it well. It was Jesus the Very Thought of Thee and Come Follow Me mixed together and it was so pretty. I managed through it and she was so happy. She told me I need to keep up on my playing and playing for her wasn't enough practice and that I need to start lessons again. I think I will take her advice. I miss playing.

Random thoughts I know.....I just don't want to study.:)

Birthday Boy

2009-04-04T23:14:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Brian! He is 25 today! He was sure spoiled this year. He got some awesome presents. He got some much needed yard and garden tools from his family. They will get lots of use and we won't have to borrow some anymore. They also gave him socks which he desperately needed.:) I got him a bunch of tools. He went through the Harbor Freight ad like a child going through the Christmas Toys R Us ad and circled all the tools he wanted. That made shopping easy.:) When my family asked what he wanted for his birthday he said tools, so that is what he got. A gift certificate to Harbor Freight and money for more tools and money from my mom for a Costco membership. He is a spoiled boy. When I asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner he said steak, so we went to Lonestar. It was yummy and they came and sang to him and gave him a ginormous sundae. While he went to the Priesthood session, we took the girls and went to Monsters and Aliens. I wasn't a big fan. Cars and Bolt are still my favorites. Mary made him adorable car cupcakes with the leftover fondant from Sadie's birthday cake. Most of you know Rachel owns a chocolate fountain business in Vegas so she brought her little fountain up and we did a chocolate fountain also. It was yummy! It was a busy and fun day. It was so nice to both have the day off and spend it together.

Opening presents

Huge sundae at Lonestar

Digging into the delicious fountain

Cute cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Bri!

Passed!

2009-04-02T14:50:00.004-06:00

I can breathe again! Yesterday I took the ATI test at school. The ATI is a national nursing predictor test we have to pass to be able to go on to the RN program at Weber. I am so not an anxious person...hello peeps you know me. However, there were so many of my friends freaking out about this test that it rubbed off and I had my first episode of test anxiety. It was nauseating. My friend Heather brought peppermint oil because she said it calms nausea. I covered my wrists with it and huffed away while waiting for the test to begin. It was 180 questions of torture, but I passed! Now two more semesters of fun fun school. I am almost half way there and can not believe I graduate in three weeks. I don't know what to do with myself...

I'm on a roll!

2009-03-24T21:30:00.002-06:00

Woohoo! Back to back postings! I just wanted to post this picture of this cake. Sadie just turned three and this is the cake my sister made for her party. Isn't it adorable? I thought it was so cute, and definitely something I could not make since I lack creative genes. It also tasted as good as it looked.:)

So we meet again...

2009-03-23T15:16:00.002-06:00

Oh I need to be a better blogger. Peter told me I needed an update, but I don't have anything too exciting. I started my OB rotation this past week and I was in the nursery for two days. It was heaven! I got there in the morning and there were around twenty babies and the nurses told me to hold anyone I wanted to. So, I spent 2 days holding babies. Big ones, little ones, dark ones, light ones, boys, girls....they were so different, but oh so cute. I did other things besides hold them I guess. I assessed them, did vitals, prepared beds, changed them, watched a circumcision. I was able to watch two babies be born, and probably will see more on my labor and delivery rotation. I cried during both of them. I turned to my friend in my class and she was too. It really is amazing how the whole thing happens. I came home slightly baby hungry, just slightly. I think Brian is really baby hungry. He told me he wants to have one as soon as possible. I guess we shall see....:) I do feel torn though, I really would love to work at Primary's, but a nursery nurse seems so fun too, and I could probably do that closer at McKay or Ogden Regional....I guess we shall see where the road leads. I have a few more months to decide. I am also trying to decide what to do next month when I graduate with my LPN. A girl I know does the hiring for a company that does in home pediatric care and she is trying to recruit me to come work for her company when I graduate next month. I don't know what to do! So many choices, I guess that is the beauty of being a nurse. Anywhoo that is my schooling update. Brian and I have been working on our yard. We knocked down our old, sick shed. I raked up the leaves and cleaned out the dog run. It is ready for a puppy now.:) I think Santa lost my Christmas list and might drop off my present late. Maybe a dog will cure the baby hunger Brian is suffering from. Ha ha ha. I am excited to start being outside and plant my garden and flowers. We have lots of bushes in the back that we need to figure out what they are and how to prune them. That's it. I have rambled far too long. I am actually rambling because I don't want to go study for my pharmacology test tomorrow, but I need to. So until we meet again, there is an update.:)

Update...

2009-03-09T16:08:00.002-06:00

I think I should post an update since I never post anymore. There is not really anything new going on in our lives. Same old, same old. Our front room is almost complete. We just need to paint our baseboards, but we moved our furniture back in. It is starting to look more and more like a house! I am getting very anxious to plant flowers and my first garden! I learned a really neat method on how to garden about a year ago in Relief Society, and I have been holding on to the paper work until we bought a house where I had room to plant. I am sad it snowed today though, because that puts a damper on Spring coming. What else...Brian is on Spring Break this week and he deserves a break (maybe the baseboards will get done;)). It seems with school there is not much time for anything else, and when there is, we just want to relax. Oh well, graduation is around the corner. I cut off all my hair last Saturday. On my way home from work I decided I wanted a change so I stopped and chopped it off. I will post pictures of it later. That is as exciting as my life gets. I am going to color it soon too. I also just finished my clinicals at Primary Children's and LOVED it. The time there flew by because I learned so much and had so much fun. I had my first opportunity to give a shot to a baby and I hope they are all as good as she was! It is nice to get reminders why I want to become a nurse. I can't wait to finish school and start working..hopefully there. Well that is about it. Now I can say my blog isn't being neglected.:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T16:25:00.004-07:00

Woohoo!! I have managed two blog postings in a month! I am so proud of myself.:) I have had a very fun and busy weekend. Friday was super busy. I had to work all day and train a new med tech. As soon as I got off at 4, I drove to Clearfield High to judge a debate tournament. I always love judging because I always get one good laugh from one of the debaters (not in front of them of course). I really miss debating sometimes. During some debates, I want to yell in a good point that is being missed, but I have to refrain. Oh the good old days. I finally got home at 9:30 and was so ready to jump in bed, but Brian surprised me and asked me to go dancing with him. We went to the Institute dance and had a blast. I showed Brian the moves from Hitch for the fast songs and told him he would be safe with those.:)

Off to the dance.

Brian wore his suspenders for me! I just have something for a guy in suspenders. He hasn't worn them in forever, but strapped them on for the dance.

For Valentine's Day we both had to work, but went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. We hadn't been there since last Valentine's Day. We went to Windy's Sukiyaki for sushi! Yummy!! It was delicious.

Deciding what to eat.

We got calamari (squid), a California roll (crab and avocado), a Vegas roll (spicy tuna and cream cheese....so good), and teriyaki beef. It was wonderful. After dinner Brian had to come home and get an assignment done by midnight. I gladly went to bed at 8:30...yep I am like a 2 year old and proud of it!

This is the plant Brian got me for Valentine's Day. It is a Lilly and none of the flowers were opened when he gave it to me. When we got home from work, the two were open and one is working hard to still open.

Going down...almost

2009-02-12T14:35:00.002-07:00

Ha what a day. I am an awful blogger as of late. I haven't had anything really exciting to post, but today I had a fun experience. I had my O.R. clinical at Lakeview Hospital. I got there and a really nice surg tech showed me where to change my scrubs and told me to make sure and put on a jacket because it was freezing in the operating rooms. I changed and was handed off to my nurse and she asked if this was my first time in the O.R.. I told her yes. She then asked if I ate a big breakfast....Just a PopTart. I hadn't thought to eat a big meal. She said, "Oh sometimes on your first time you might get sick if you haven't eaten." I replied,"Oh no, I'll be fine. I feel great." So we enter the room and I have to put on my mask and am thinking to myself..."How does anyone breathe with these things on?" Anyways...the surgery begins and the nurse put me right up next to the doctor. I thought this is so cool! It was plastic surgery on a face and I was watching the doctor cut the skin away from the patient's skull and I thought...This is so awesome!! Then I thought... geez did someone crank up the heat in here? I am really warm. So I took off the jacket. I then realize I can't breathe very well. I turn to my nurse and she sees me and grabs me into the hall. She brought me to the lounge and as soon as I hit the room...I barf everywhere! Yep it was great. The nurse was so sweet. She said,"Oh honey you are not the only one who has done this. I have been doing this for 30 years and when I saw you squirming I knew you weren't feeling well. Many of us did the same thing on our first day too." She sat me down and got me a drink and told me to rest. I felt fine...I was so embarrassed though. She sent me down to eat a big breakfast, which I did. I came back and was fine the rest of the day. I saw another plastic surgery, a gallbladder removal and hardware taken out of an ankle. It was really an awesome experience. The nurses there were fabulous. The doctors were too. When I came back they all asked how I was doing and joked with me that I wasn't the first. It was a fun day...minus the vomiting of course.:)

House news

2009-01-11T19:04:00.003-07:00

I know it has been forever since I have posted. We have completed much on the house and have been busy. We have started school again and work on the house when we can. Here are some pictures.Back room before

Back room after. My brother Peter gave me the idea for the squares. I had a lot of fun doing them.

Kitchen before.

Kitchen after (somewhat). We still need to do the back splash. We are going to do tile and do not want to do it ourselves so we want to hire someone. Anyone know a guy? It has been so nice to get back to cooking, but my favorite feature in the new kitchen....the dishwasher!! It is the first time we have had one since we have been married. It is my new best friend.:)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-19T15:22:00.003-07:00

School is out! I am so ready for a break. This week I finished up my finals and Brian did last week. We now have some time to work on the house and get settled in. Wednesday night was my mom's graduation. She is now a LPN!(once she takes her NCLEX). I am really proud of her and her accomplishments. It has been really fun to see her at school almost everyday this semester and I am going to miss seeing her next semester as she joins the RN bunch. A few students were awarded some special awards and my mom was one of them. She got the most outstanding student in clinicals. When I started the program one of my teachers asked the class who was Joy's daughter and then told me he hoped I lived up to my mom's reputation at clinicals. He told me she was one of his best clinical students because she took it so seriously and jumped in to do as many skills as she could. So, go Mom!!! You rock.

Yesterday I recruited some help to paint my kitchen. Leah was a big help. She painted two walls and was very excited to come help me. It is done. Now we need to put in our flooring and cabinets!
Last night we went to the Polar Express in Heber Valley. None of the boys wanted to attend so it was a girls night.:) We wore our pajamas. We were served cookies and hot cocoa by the elves and chefs. We all read the story together and sang carols. Then Mrs. Clause came aboard and then Santa did! We all got to tell him what we want for Christmas. I told him a puppy.;) I need my house to be finished before I can get a puppy or else no work will get done! It was really fun and the girls loved it. It is nice to finally celebrate and not worry about school.:)

WARNING- HUGE POST!

2008-12-01T23:32:00.005-07:00

What a week! I have so much to post. We enjoyed a lovely week off of school and had a hard time going back today! Here are some of the fun things we did over our break. One of my favorite days of the year...baking day! This is a long time tradition with the girls in my family. My sisters and I always bake with my mom the day before Thanksgiving. She tries to teach us her mad pie skills.:) These past years the grandbabies have joined the bunch. It is a fabulous girls night. This year was little Lucy's first baking experience. I held her to include her. I made pies before these pictures, I swear!
Grandbabies working hard and rolling out the pie dough.

On Thanksgiving we headed down to Orem to have dinner with the Jensen family. This is Brian and Dan. This is the only picture from the Jensen party I have that the people in it would look at the camera! (actually Brian is looking up...) It was great fun to see everyone and the meal was delicious. I believe I have a new second favorite pie...Susan's peach. Yummy.:)

After Orem we headed to Clearfield to my mom's house for a second meal. Also delicious. Then we all rocked out to Rockband. Here is footage of our skills!

Brian is awesome with the mic! You can't tell very well, but he hits like every note. Actually both Brians are excellent. Rachel on the other hand....I should have gotten footage of her too.:)Friday we went to the lights and had a good time. It was a nice way to start off the Christmas season. This is a picture Brian took. He really likes it.:)

Bri and I by the reflection pond.

Sunday little Lucy was blessed. They blessed her in my mom's ward so everyone could be there. It was a great day. My mom made her dress. It is adorable. I picked out the purple ribbon in it. She looked so cute.

Lastly tonight was our tradition of Forgotten Carols. We started this tradition years ago and my mom and I have not missed a year. We think this was our 12th year going. I love getting out my Forgotten Carols CD around Christmas. I have been looking forward to tonight for weeks! This is the only picture I took of us. My mom's face is perfect.:) It has been a great past couple of days. It was so nice to have a break. We have been working like crazy on the house between family outings. I forgot to mention that before the lights we made a trip to IKEA. Holy cow!! That is a fabulous store. I found out that kitchen cabinets there will be cheaper and tens times cuter than Lowes! Brian and I are going back this week to get them. We are super excited. He has been planning the kitchen with their online planning tool. He makes me laugh. Tonight he finished up our shower and it looks great. I am so glad he is a handy man!

Update

2008-11-23T12:46:00.002-07:00

This is end of week 1 demo. We got the walls painted in the front room and the carpet ripped up. Tomorrow we are sanding the hardwood and staining it.

House demo begins!

2008-11-20T12:40:00.005-07:00

We FINALLY closed on our house Monday! Hallelujea! We have already begun the demo and fixing. I have been working on the front front room which we will finish by next week and move all our stuff into it and work on the other rooms as we can. Last night Brian and Ben ripped out the kitchen and carpet in the family room. It looks so different already. We are going to put in new carpet and cabinets. We already had our first injury.....me of course. I came in to check on the boys and stepped on a nail. It went right through my shoe. It was by my three little toes and in deep, but I pulled it out and thought all was ok. It hurt, but wasn't anything I couldn't bare. I went home and put neosporin on it and a band aid and went to bed. I woke up this morning and could not walk I was in so much pain. It felt like it was broken, but how could that be..I stepped on a nail? I went to the doctor to be safe...I punctured my joint. No wonder it hurts. They put me on an antibiotic to prevent the joint from becoming infected because the nail probably wasn't clean then went through the dirty bottom of my shoe. I hope it gets better soon because it hurts and I can't walk very well. Here are some videos of the progress. Brian is going to document this whole transformation.

Santa baby...

2008-11-09T13:00:00.003-07:00

...put a present under the tree for ME! Ha ha I have heard that Christmas wish lists on blogs get to Santa like letters to the North Pole.;) Yesterday my brother Ben bought Rockband and we went to play with him. Brian and I have played it before and love it. It is a game where you play the drums, guitar and sing. You should hear Brian with the microphone! He is awesome. I want it!

Santa told me if I am good I can get a puppy. We have been wanting one for some time. I have been researching different breeds and after playing with a Beagle puppy at work, I fell in love with it. It was the cutest thing. They are supposed to be great with kids and good guard dogs. Our new place already has a dog run (whenever we get in to it!), so it is waiting for a puppy.:) I am too. I have been good all year long....I swear!

Seriously the cutest things ever. Annie is going to have to be drugged with Benadryl when she comes over so she doesn't have an allergic reaction and look like she just came out of a boxing match!

Meeting Lucy

2008-11-02T12:40:00.005-07:00

What a good weekend! Rachel decided to surprise us all and come up for Halloween. As I came out of McKay on Halloween at 10:30, she called and told me to come to my mom's house. Brian was already over there because my sister Mary had gotten into a car accident and he and Ben went to help. Charlie's mom is in the hospital and my mom was watching Sadie. They were at the intersection near my mom's house to go pick up Sadie and some teenager rear ended them full speed. The idiot was leaning out of his window and not watching where he was going. I got there just as the scene was clearing up and we all went to my mom's. I was so excited to see Lucy. Brian already had held her earlier. I snatched her up and held her until about two in the morning. Getting up for work Saturday morning was not the easiest. Ha ha ha. After work on Saturday we all went to dinner then met up with Rachel and the fam at Frosted Rock for ice cream. That is where we are in the pictures.:) After, they all came over to see our new house. They are excited for us with lots of fun suggestions on what to do. Rachel wants us to salvage our kitchen cabinets so she can have them. She obviously loves the puke green color of them. My mom is going to help me sew curtains for the front room for my Christmas present. Ben and Brian are chomping at the bit to get in there and start ripping everything out. We are really excited. The final inspection was done last week so everything should FINALLY conclude this week. We hope and pray!

Bri and Lucy girl. I think Brian is baby hungry. He snatched her from me just like he did with Brooke!
She is the best snuggler.:)

She is so sweet

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T00:50:00.002-06:00

Cackle cackle, screamy screamy, happy happy Halloweeny!! I am super bummed about Halloween this year. It is my favorite holiday and is on a Friday. That stinks because I have to work from 7 to 1:30 then go to clinicals at McKay from 3 to 10:30. Brian knew I was sad about missing it, so when I got home tonight from clinicals I found this...

...and two more pumpkins to carve. He he it was fun. I think mine is pretty cute. Brian always does crazy faces.Brian's on the left. Mine in the middle.:)

Glowing. Happy Halloween everyone!!
P.S. Our ward Trunk-or-Treat was a big success. So many people came. It was stressful to plan, but very fun. We loved seeing all our old nursery buddies dressed up in their costumes.:)

High School Musical 3!

2008-10-29T13:48:00.002-06:00

My friend Cynthia and I starred in the newly released High School Musical 3! Ha ha just teasing, if you blink, you will miss us.:) The whole movie was shot at East High and my sister Mary lives a block up from there. While my other sister Rachel was visiting here from Las Vegas, we were heading to Mary's place. As we were driving we saw that the graduation scene was being filmed at the football stadium. Rachel's daughter Leah (huge HSM fan) who is four, wanted to go see the stars so badly. So Rachel and I took her, and went up to the security guard and asked if we could get in. He told us the only way we could was if we signed up to be extras. Rachel was staying for about another week so we all went home and signed up and waited to hear. Sadly, we hadn't heard in a week and they went back home to Vegas. A few days later I got a call to come be an extra. I thought no, Leah was the purpose to go and she was gone. I called family members and they said I would be crazy not to go. Rachel said especially Leah would love it. So, I went and so did my friend Cynthia. It was so fun! We got called back a second day too. It was the easiest way to earn money.:) The first night we were there Brian brought up his little sister Kelli and cousin Emma (also huge fans). They got to see many of the stars including Sharpay, Troy and Gabriella. The director stopped and waved to them and said hi. It was great fun. Cynthia and I felt like 10 year olds again. So, last week we went to the midnight showing. I thought Cynthia was going to hyperventilate when she saw herself! The next morning I text Rachel and I told her our scene was in the movie, and she told Leah. When I called her later, Leah wanted to talk to me. The first thing she said was, "I can't believe you were on the big screen." Ha ha ha she thinks I'm a star. That is the story behind my 2 seconds of fame. Don't blink!

The rising stars
This is our HSM pose

Looks about the same right...

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-20T16:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary! Time flies when you are having fun! We celebrated on Saturday with another fun Halloween/Birthday party for Grandma Jensen. It was in Orem this year and it was a beautiful day. It was good to see everyone. We got to meet little Brooke who is so cute. Bri and I then took off and went on a date. We went to Body Worlds in Salt Lake. It is so cool! I highly recommend it. It took us three and a half hours to go through. We stopped on the way home and did some sealings at the Bountiful temple. It was so weird to think it was two years ago we were there. We made it home late because of how long Body Worlds took and grabbed an anniversary dinner at Wendy's! Ha ha ha, it was great fun. Then yesterday morning we went up to Logan to see little Brooke get blessed. It was fun to be able to hold and play with her. That was our weekend. I can't believe two years have gone by! It was a good anniversary.:) I love you Bri.;)

Wedding day
Only picture of Body Worlds we have. We weren't allowed to take pictures.
Two years later..
Brian holding Brooke.
Jake, Melanie, Brooke, and Kaylee

Horsies!

2008-10-16T11:33:00.003-06:00

Brian has got me again! He surprised me for our anniversary. I have been wanting to go horseback riding for a long time. A boy he works with told Brian he has horses and so Brian surprised me on Tuesday night with a ride! It was so fun. It was getting dark so we didn't ride for a long time. We rode two horses named Buck(yes name did scare me) and Four Socks. They were very nice horses. I didn't think to use the camera until it was almost dark. These are some quick pictures we took. Once again that boy ceases to amaze me. I don't deserve him. Thanks Bri!

Nice behind.;)
Four Socks and me.:)

She's here

2008-10-14T15:27:00.002-06:00

Little Lucy Elizabeth arrived yesterday morning. Lucy is my sister Rachel's baby for those who don't know. She came in at 7 pounds 9 ounces. Rachel and Brian finally decided on Lucy as the name. I think Annie sealed the deal when she started saying Lucy. When Leah and Annie came to meet their little sister, Annie kept saying, "Oh cute" and wanted to keep holding her. This picture makes me crack up! Then when Lucy started to get fussy and Rachel said she was hungry, Annie gladly offered her some of her crackers. Leah was more concerned about Rachel because Lucy had to be "cut" out of her. They make me laugh. They are not coming up until Thanksgiving, so I'm super sad.:( Thank goodness for the internet so they can email me pictures.:)

So cute!

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-06T14:15:00.001-06:00

Thursday was Kaylee's birthday and she turned 2! Yipee! Today is Kelli Belly's and she is 11! Happy happy birthday!!!

8, eight, ocho!

2008-10-01T14:58:00.004-06:00

I have been tagged twice so I better play.:)

8 T.V. Shows I love to watch: (When I get a chance to watch TV)

1. Judge Judy

2. Ace of Cakes (I don't watch this one much because no cable)

3. Intervention

4. American Idol

5. Americas Got Talent

6. Oprah

7. Everyone Loves Raymond

8. The King of Queens

8 things that happened yesterday:

1. Woke up and went to school

2. Passed my SubQ and IM injections.:)

3. Fought with my broken can opener to make dinner

4. Watched The Biggest Loser

5. Enjoyed a lovely foot rub from my Bri:)

6. Caught up on the news about the presidential candidates. Go Obama!

7. Read

8. Set my alarm to get up at 6 and go running...which I did:)

8 favorite places to eat

1. Wendy Sukiyaki (Sushi..I get to eat here like once a year)

2. Chili's

3. Wingers

4. Subway

5. Red Lobster

6. Burger Bar

7. Sandy's

8. Cutlers

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Finishing school

2. Meeting Brooke and Lucy

3. Moving into our house

4. Decorating our house

5. Forgotten Carols

6. Halloween

7. Brian getting home from work

8. New York graduation trip! (Yes, I know this is a ways off, but I have been wanting to go forever so I can't wait!)

8 things on my wish list:

1. Get back into shape

2. Be strong enough to run a marathon

3. To travel all of Europe

4. Get Brian back to the Philippines one day

5. Be able to get my Master's degree in Nursing

6. Own a home

7. Own a mini van...Brian can not wait for this. You should ask him about it.;)

8. Best for last...have lots of babies to put in the mini van.:)

8 people that I tag: (I'm trying to think who hasn't done this yet)

1. Spotz and Gav

2. Melanie

3. Lindsie

4. Kim

5. Casie

6. Ashley

7. Kate

8. Megan

Yum yum!!

2008-09-29T19:48:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago I went and canned salsa with my second mom, Paula (Amy's mom). When I was there, I told her I wanted to cook more, so she gave me some recipes to try. She told me about her broccoli lasagna that is to die for. It sounded yummy so tonight I made it. It is delicious!! I love it, and it is vegetarian which means..heart healthy! Brian loved it so much he had three servings and he hates broccoli! Here is the recipe ..you have to try it.

Paula Smith’s

Broccoli Lasagna

1 bunch broccoli (trimmed and chopped) or 20oz. bag frozen broccoli
1 Med onion chopped

2 TB. Water (omit if using frozen broccoli)
2 c. cottage cheese (16 oz)

2 eggs slightly beaten
1 jar (32oz) spaghetti sauce
6 cooked lasagna noodles (I used wheat ones)

3 c. (12 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese

Trim and chop broccoli, (4 cups) Combine broccoli, onion and water into 2 qt. glass dish, cover with plastic wrap

Microwave (high) 10-12 minutes, till tender-crisp, drain

Mix in cottage cheese and egg

Spoon 1 cup (1/4) of spaghetti sauce into 12x8 glass dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on the sauce. Spoon all of cottage cheese mixture onto noodles, spread evenly.Sprinkle with 2 c. mozzarella cheese, Pour 2 c. spaghetti sauce evenly over the cheese.
Layer remaining noodles over the sauce

Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce evenly over the noodles.
Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes, rotate pan, bake for 15 more min
Sprinkle with cheese return to oven until cheese melts

Let stand 5-10 min before cutting.

Seriously delicious.:)

Then for a FHE treat I made these amazingly simple lemon cookies. They could not be easier to make!

Paula Smith's

Lemon Cookies

1 Lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp lemon extract

Mix with mixer and scoop balls the size of Pampered Chef's smallest scooper. Drop in powdered sugar and coat entire ball. Put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for exactly 8 1/2 minutes. If using medium scooper, bake for just over 10 minutes.

So yummy!

She's here

2008-09-28T17:48:00.002-06:00

Baby Brooke made her appearance early Saturday morning. I thought I would add for those of you that don't know, Brooke belongs to Brian's sister Melanie. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces. We are so excited to meet her. They live in Everett WA, but they will be here in three weeks, so we will see her then.:)

Ouch

2008-09-26T15:55:00.002-06:00

Well, today I started running again. Ouch ouch. There is nothing like your dad dying from diabetes brought on by being overweight, and finding out from his autopsy that all the arteries in his heart were 75% clogged, to make you want to get healthy, and especially heart healthy. So, I realized that I needed to put my running shoes back on. This morning before school I ran my old route and it hurt. It is amazing how quickly you can get out of shape. The heart is the fastest muscle to go out of shape, BUT also the fastest you can get back in shape. So, I've decided something...I'm going to run a marathon. I don't know when, but I am. Nancy has been my biggest motivator. If she can do it in her fifties, then I should be able to at 21. I'm starting out small and shall see how long it takes. So thank you Nancy, you amaze me, and thank you dad. You are my life saver.:) Heart healthy here I come!

Stressed a little...

2008-09-15T21:05:00.003-06:00

I thought I would be like Mary and get back to blogging for some normalcy. I am sort of having a rough day. It's been three weeks since I have seen my dad. I have never gone this long without seeing him or at least talking to him. I keep thinking I need to call and check on him then realize I can't. Everyone says things should get better each day and it has. I feel better, but it also becomes more of a reality each day that passes that he is gone. My heart hurts a little and hopefully that will go away. I think I am just really stressed. School has been busy, but I love it. I have learned so much so far and it has been a good distraction. Tonight one of my best buddies gave me the book If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard, by Sheri Dew. I already started reading it and it is really good and an answer to many of my prayers. The back of the book says it all...."Our mortal experience is designed to test what we really care about, what we really believe, what we really want to become, and how we really feel about our Father and His Son." In the first of the book Sheri wrote about her brother dying that she was very close to. She was standing next to his casket and just had to ask herself, "Do you believe it, or don't you? Do you believe in eternal life? Do you believe you will see your brother again? Or don't you?" I guess that is what it comes down to. I am grateful that I do. I know it's real and I guess that's all that matters. I have been much better lately, but today I guess I am just a little sad. Writing about it makes me feel better though.:) I'm going to go read some more and go to bed. We started on injections last week and tomorrow should keep going. I'm pretty excited. I can't wait to be a nurse.:)

That would be my crazy family. It is one of the last pictures I have of my dad, and yes I know that was almost two years ago. I need to take more pictures.

So long, farewell

2008-08-24T22:42:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow it begins!!!! I can't believe I am starting nursing school. At orientation I was told by my teachers to tell my family goodbye because they own me now until next December. They were teasing....right? Ha ha ha. I need to go to bed, but I'm too excited!!:)

Here is my book collection. Somehow these need to fit in my tiny brain. I think I have a lot of headaches coming my way!

Life is great

2008-08-17T13:10:00.002-06:00

Well this has been a week of mixed emotions. Tuesday was a fabulous birthday due to my wonderful family and friends-especially Brian. He threw me a surprise birthday party. I was catching on to something earlier in the week ,but he is tricky tricky. I was completely surprised in the end and had such a great time. We went back to our house for cake and ice cream after and watched the Olympics. That was a party in itself with Mary around. She is a fanatic about gymnastics. It was a great day.:) The next morning I woke up and went to say good-bye to my BFF Amy. She left for the MTC that afternoon. It was rough, but I know she is going to be an amazing missionary and the people of Romania are in for a treat! I can't wait to get a letter from her and hear how the MTC has been so far. Then today started out nicely. We went to church and were asked to stay after. We were released from nursery.:( I started crying in the bishop's office. He said no one cries when they get released from nursery. Well I did!! We are going to miss it so much, but we are excited for our new calling. Stay tuned..I'll tell you next week.

The gang at Wingers. Gav, Spotz, and Cynthia weren't there yet.
There is my cake batter ice cream pie. That is my favorite ice cream.
Doesn't she look ready to be a missionary? I am so glad I am starting nursing school. I know I will be so busy that hopefully I won't have time to miss her too much. I hope these next 18 months fly by.:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!

2008-08-12T08:04:00.001-06:00

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE DEAR
HAPPY DAYS WILL COME TO YOU ALL YEAR
IF I HAD A WISH THEN IT WOULD BE
A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU FROM ME.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL GIRL!

LOVE, BRIAN

What a FABULOUS day!!!

2008-08-02T01:44:00.003-06:00

Well this has been a terrific day. I arrived home from work and got my letter from the financial aid office telling me that I was awarded the academic scholarship for school this semester!! Yipee!!! Then tonight my BFF Amy took me to the Martina McBride concert for my birthday present. We have been huge fans of hers since high school. Her mom came with us and we had the best time. It was incredible!! Martina is fabulous and her voice is amazing. It was at the Usana Amphitheater and I had never been there before. It was really cool with all the neat lighting and screens. It was one of the best presents I have ever received. We left the concert around 11:00 and planned to stop at WalMart to stand in line for Breaking Dawn that was released at 12:01. We were pulling into Centerville when Brian called me and told me he was standing in line at the Riverdale WalMart to get me the book. He is so good to me.:) So I helped Amy and Paula tackle their books and I am just now getting home. I have to get up for work at 5, so I decided it might be best to stay up. It was a wonderful day!!

Party animals. Amy won me a free t-shirt, but you can't see it.
There she be!
I am so excited! I read to chapter 2 on the drive home.

Christmas in July

2008-07-18T20:17:00.002-06:00

Tonight I got my first ballroom dance lesson! Brian had typed up a gift certificate for ballroom dance lessons for me as my Christmas present. Honestly, I didn't think they would happen, but Brian surprises me all the time. He found a place here in Ogden and tonight told me we were going. It was so fun! We learned the cha cha. We both have two left feet, but by the end of the class we had the hang of it. The boy is supposed to lead and Brian would get this excited look on his face when he was about to lead me into a turn or spin. When we first started his face was so red from being embarrassed at making mistakes, but there was another beginning couple that looked as goofy as us. He was smiling by the end and the instructor commented on that. Ha ha it was a fun night.:) Lessons are every Friday night, so I will keep you updated with more.

Soap Update!

2008-07-05T18:55:00.006-06:00

I decided I would write about the soap my mom made me. I love it! Her friend Nancy gave us the idea and my mom made us all a batch. It works great and Nancy made such a good posting about it that I copied it for you all to read (and make!). I was going to just have you navigate to her page, but this posting is quite a ways in now. I hope you don't mind Nancy! If you want a fabulous blog to check out for fun ideas, go look at Nancy's!

Science 101

I decided that I wanted to try a different approach to laundry. I read Natalie's blog about the whole laundry thing and it got me to thinking. So this is what I am trying. This is me going GREEN.I got this 'recipe' from Modern Cottage.

First some exciting money facts:

Cost to make your own: Around $2 per batch. This is about 5.7 cents per load (using 2 tablespoons for each load, you get about 35 loads). Arm & Hammer laundry detergent is about 12.4 cents per load. Tide detergent is 30 cents and more per load.

S.O.’s Home-Made Cheap Laundry Soap

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated (= about 2 cups)

1 c Borax

1 c Washing Soda

1/4 c OxyClean (not necessary, but I added it)

Mix it all together into a bumpy, granular mix. Don’t worry about stuff getting correctly dispersed, even if it doesn’t quite look like it does.

Use 1T for a light load

Use 2T for a large or dirty load (It’s true! Only 2 Tablespoons per load!) I start the water, add 'detergent', letting it dissolve a bit, then add the clothes. I found these 4 products at Harmon's in Ogden.

This is the Fels-Naptha grated.

All mixed up.

Laundry Rinse (instead of fabric softener which is so bad for you and the environment)I actually tried this last week and it really worked!1 gal white vinegar 25-30 drops essential oil - optional (I bought mine at Good Health in Harrisville. I wanted to buy Gardenia-but by mistake got Geranium. Which is rather minty smelling, and is a natural deodorizer. Straight vinegar works just fine though.) Use 1/4 c in the rinse cycle. I used my 'Downey Ball'. I promise your clothes won’t smell like vinegar. The vinegar clears the last bit of soap remaining on all your clothes and reduces static.I'll keep you posted. Though I do think that some of my family thinks that I am going rather NUTTY!

WHAT A WEEK!!

2008-07-01T21:23:00.004-06:00

Oh this has been a hectic past seven days! Starting last Tuesday and Thursday I was an extra in High School Musical 3. It was a crazy and fun experience. I felt like a ten year old again. My friend Cynthia and I went and had the time of our lives. I am in an audience scene then am also a college student walking by Troy and Gabriella...yes I saw all the stars!!! Brian brought Kelli and Emma down on Tuesday and they were able to see many of them also. They said hi to Sharpay and she stopped and smiled and waved to them. We filmed quite late and they were sad to leave. Troy is very nice in person. We sat by Troy and Gabriella at dinner and they rode around on a scooter, just fun people! It was the funnest way I have ever earned 200 dollars! Then on Saturday we took my dad out for Father's Day to a Chinese buffet. It was good at the time until two in the morning when I violently started to vomit all of it up! It was horrible, I threw up all night and day Sunday. I missed church and Brian went without me. My dad and sister called and said they had terrible diarrhea. By the time Brian got home from church and laid down for a nap, it got him too. All four of us got food poisoning! It was terrible. I was starting to feel better, but since Brian was sick we didn't get to go up to the family reunion on Sunday. We woke up on Monday(both feeling MUCH better) and headed up. We had tons of fun. We swam in Bear Lake and rode the jet skis. Grandma Jensen went out and rode one with Brian. That is the kind of grandma I want to be! We had a fun campfire and played games. The food was very yummy and today we had an adorable tea party while many of the boys went golfing. Angela is the amazing craft woman and came up with the cutest hats and fans for the little girls to make. They all brought dresses to wear and dressed up for some fun. It was so cute. It was a fabulous reunion and we just got home. We are tired and ready for bed.:)

Brian and Grandma on the ski!

Me driving Kelli and Emma on the jet ski. Brian pushed us out.:)
The cute tea set up.
Here are the girls with their cute hats and fans.

Annie girl!

2008-06-16T09:40:00.003-06:00

Annie turned two on Saturday! Happy Birthday! I forgot my camera, but I will try to get a picture from someone to post. Rachel made the cutest Elmo cupcakes. I need to get one and take a picture. She got lots of presents, but I think her favorite is her new bike from Uncle Peter.:)

Here are the cute cupcakes and the birthday girl!

Rachel is having....

2008-06-04T11:35:00.001-06:00

Another GIRL!!!! Yipee!! She is almost positive she will name her Lucy. We love nieces!!

Dancing Queens!

2008-05-31T22:04:00.002-06:00

This was the week of dances! I drove back to Vegas with Rachel on Wednesday. Friday was Leah's recital. She danced to Fabulous from High School Musical 2. She once again stole the stage. Then this morning I flew home to see Kelli Belly's recital. She danced to Just Around the Riverbend from Pocahontas and Put It Together from Cinderella 2. I loved the wands they had for the first song to look like water. Her second dance was hip hoppy and she was awesome! They both were so fun to watch.

If you are familiar with the song, she is holding her pink Prada tote and wearing her Tiffany headband.
Kelli.:) Her costume was very cute and matched her flowing wand to seem water like.

Happy Birthday/Memorial Day

2008-05-26T22:15:00.003-06:00

Saturday was Brian's dad's birthday and Sunday was mine. We took my dad to the zoo and had a BBQ for Brian's. I took pictures of them both, but I guess older birthday boys don't like their pictures being taken. Ha ha happy birthday dads! Yesterday we went with my mom and cleaned and put flowers on my Grandma Billmire and Aunt Gay's graves. Brian and I got there about 20 minutes before everyone else and I surprisingly got very emotional. I was so angry there were ants on my grandma's headstone and kept trying to wipe them off. It was the first time Brian saw their graves and I am glad he was with me. I have told him tons about them before, but when we got there I told him more of my memories and started crying. I don't know why I was so upset. I guess I just really miss them and wish they could be here, sometimes it doesn't seem fair. I don't mean to rant on my blog, but I feel better now I think. Memorial Day makes alot of people emotional...right? Today was much better and we had lots of fun. We tended Leah and Annie and later had a big BBQ at the Walkers. It was delicious and super fun.

Nursing school!

2008-05-21T12:36:00.003-06:00

I got into nursing school!!!! I was accepted into the DATC program. The first year is completed there and the second is at Weber. My mom just finished her first semester at the DATC and loved it. I am super excited. I still have not heard from all the schools, but when I do I will decide what I want to do. I still have a few more weeks to wait, but that's ok. I know I'm starting somewhere this fall!

Ogden Marathon-5K

2008-05-21T11:01:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday was our big race! It was a blast. I have the best hubby and friends. Amy was and is my motivation to start running again. We started training about a month ago and finished the 5K together. It took us around 38 minutes, so we want to improve our time. We have been running here and in Clearfield. Brian follows us on his bike to be our protector. He is wonderful. Spotz and Gaven drove all the way from Salt Lake and were there at 6:30 to see me finish. They are awesome and a great support. She just ran a half marathon. I want to be like her one day.:) Amy and I are now training for a 10K in June. We are excited. I have a video of us finishing, but it was taking forever to load up so I bagged it. I wished it would have worked so you can see and hear my cute Spotz. She was cheering very loudly. I am so glad they came.Amy and I the finishers!
Hi Brian

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-13T17:36:00.000-06:00

Today Leah is 4! I can't believe she is that big.

Bye bye hair

2008-05-13T17:05:00.002-06:00

I decided I wanted to cut off my hair for Locks of Love. So, today I did it! My friend Jammie is in hair school and did it. She did a fabulous job. I took off 10 inches in the pony tail and more in the cut. I love it. It will be nice and light for summer.:)

Before
After
Ha ha crazy face for Brian.

Mother's Day Bash

2008-05-13T16:57:00.002-06:00

Saturday was our annual Mother's Day getaway. It was great fun. We started off at the Desert Start playhouse and saw The Wizard of Odd. It was hilarious. I want to go back and see another play. Then we went to Gardner Village and had lunch/a baby shower for Brian's cousin Kate. We ended with shopping around Gardner Village. It was a fabulous day and just what I needed.:)

Here we are right outside the restaurant.

What a day!

2008-05-07T11:02:00.004-06:00

Monday was quite an exciting day. That morning my BBF Amy called and said she was on the way to take me paintballing. I was taken pretty much against my will, but for her I went. I have been a few times before and bruises and welts are always involved. It actually was really fun and only slightly painful. I planned a Cinco de Mayo party that night at our house, so we rushed home to get everything ready. I made a seven layer dip and she made chicken enchiladas. Yummy! We had a lot of fun. Brian is always the camera man and doesn't get in any of the pictures..I'll get him next time. Carrie and Carrie
Amy and Levi arm wrestling
Levi, Cynthia, and Andrew eating :)

Then yesterday was such a nice day outside that Brian and I had a picnic in our back yard with the left over food. It was so fun. Then I woke up today to gray skies again! Arrgg this weather is driving me nuts!

I have been tagged!

2008-04-26T09:30:00.003-06:00

I have never been tagged before. Thanks Jamie! This is a fun one.

A. Attached or Single? Ha ha attached, I wish at the hip.:)
B. Best Friends? Brian, Amy, Spotz, Carrie, Cynthia...
C. Cake or Pie? Banana cream pie! My sister and I get our own on Thanksgiving because it is our favorite.
D. Day of Choice? Saturday or Sunday..days to relax and see Brian.
E. Essential item? Woobie
F. Favorite color? Green
G. Greatest accomplishment? Being married in the temple and surviving college.:)
H. Hometown? Clearfield
I. Indulgences? Ha Otter Pops. Love them.
J. January or July? Definitely July. I love being outside.
K. Kids? Someday..maybe soon.
L. Life is incomplete without? Brian
M. Marriage date? October 19, 2006
N. Number of Siblings? 2 sisters, 2 brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges
P. Phobias or fears? Scream mask..don't ask. I have nightmares.
Q. Quotes? Be yourself, who else is there to be?
R. Reason to smile? School is finished next week!!!!
S. Season? Summer..picnics, swimming, volleyball, 4th of July!
T. Tag three friends? How about Kate, Cynthia, and Nancy and I'll add Brian.
U. Unknown Fact About Me? I can fold my tongue into a three leaf clover and can open a Starburst in my mouth in 5 seconds!
V. Very Favorite Store? Ross. I love bargains.
W. Worst Habit? Procrastination
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Never experienced an ultrasound. Don't care for X-rays because every time I had one I had a broken bone.:(
Y. Your Favorite Food? Avocados, Otter Pops, Mashed potatoes.
Z. Zodiac? Leo

New car and cut!

2008-04-23T20:07:00.005-06:00

I have been meaning to put up a picture of our new car. Here it is! It is a 1993 Subaru Impreza. We like it alot and the best part is it is paid off! I also decided recently Brian needed a haircut. He needed one weeks ago. Melanie cuts Jake's hair and she told me I could do Brian's. I was always scared to try. Then my ward had an enrichment activity where we learned how to cut men's hair. He has been doing the shag look for awhile and I really liked it. He had it grown out and Melanie cut it. I thought I didn't like it because I was enjoying the shag, but she was right. It needs to be short. He looks like a rag-a-muffin when it gets too long. So with Melanie as my inspiration and a short training/observation, I hacked into it! I borrowed his mom's buzzer this first time because I wasn't going to buy one if I made him look like a two year old did the job!

Brian just cleaned it with the car kit he got from his parents on his birthday.
Before
No this is not a dead rodent on the bathroom floor. It is the hair pile.
After. He is so cute. It looks better short. What do you think?

It's a girl

2008-04-22T15:54:00.002-06:00

Melanie found out today she is having another girl! Yeah I am excited. We love girls! I don't know if I will ever have a nephew, but I am ok with that. Girls are so much fun!!

Funny Annie girl

2008-04-21T21:34:00.002-06:00

Rachel called today with a story about Annie that made me laugh. I thought I would share it. She said Annie and Leah were downstairs and she was upstairs. Annie came upstairs to Rachel and showed her that she had poop all over her hand. Rachel thought oh no!! She went downstairs and Annie had taken off her diaper and while on the trek up the stairs dragged her hand along the wall. Ha ha ha ha. Poor Rachel. I couldn't stop laughing.

Milestone as a wife!

2008-04-08T21:10:00.003-06:00

Tonight had to be one of my most fulfilling nights as a wife. I got Brian to not only eat broccoli, but like it!!! I never thought the day would come. He just despises the delicious vegetable. Every time I cook it he complains that the house now smells like feet. Ha ha. Well my trick was.....making a scrumptious broccoli and cheese sauce that went over baked potatoes. He probably ate close to a cup of it. For our anniversary last year my mom got us the Mormon Pantry Cooking for Two cookbook. It is wonderful. In it is where I found my trick recipe tonight. I just never thought that I would hear him say that he like broccoli. I don't think I can get away with getting him to eat it any other way, but mixed in a cheese sauce. I had to take a picture for proof for all you non believers out there.:)

Look at that!

Birthdays:)

2008-04-07T20:35:00.003-06:00

Friday was Brian's birthday. He is 24 now! It was not the most exciting birthday for him because he ended up having to work until 3:30. We did had three great birthday dinners for him though. On Wednesday my mom took us to Chili's. On Thursday we went to Iggy's with his family and on his birthday we went to P.F. Changs. We went with my old room mate/best friend and her husband. They were dating while we were at Dixie so he seemed like a roommate too! He and Brian are good buddies now too. His birthday is the day after Brian's, so we did a double date birthday celebration. It was a lot of fun. We had three delicious meals:)

Opening presents. Notice the Christmas wrap, ha ha. It is all I had.
New pants from the back.;)

I needed to get his birthday post up so I got on the Internet and checked some blogs. I looked at my sister's page. I read her post about her baby that she placed for adoption. I can not believe that she is six today. Go look at Mary's page to see the complete story of my niece Taycee. It is an amazing story.

Fun filled Saturday!

2008-03-24T22:55:00.003-06:00

We had a fabulous Saturday. We started off in Orem for cleaning of Grandma Jensen's yard. Brian and I removed raspberry bushes with Jerry. It was fun. Alot was accomplished in a little amount of time. We had a delicious lunch and cake Grandma made. Then we drove to Layton for Sadie's birthday party. Her birthday was on Easter! It has really hit our family. Two years ago Easter was on Mary's birthday, this year it was on Sadie's, and in two years it is on Brian's. It is awesome. All the kids ran around and had a little egg hunt that they loved. Easter was great fun. The Easter Bunny brought me Enchanted!!! I love it. We spent the day with family. Kelli was sweet enough to share her peeps with me..my favorite Easter treat. It was a great holiday.

Doug and Grandma
Some of the group shivering while eating. It was a bit nippy. Notice in the background the lovely tilled garden beds. I also planted some of the seeds, but take no responsibility if nothing grows! :)
The birthday girl hunting her eggs.
This is hilarious. Peter bought this Sharpay wig for Leah because she loves High School Musical. She didn't wear it long, so we put it on Annie. I have not laughed that hard in months. We were all crying we couldn't stop laughing. Watch out Hollywood, here she comes!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!

2008-03-17T00:36:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Grandpa Hanni's 84th birthday! We went over to celebrate and had some delicious red velvet cake. It was so fun to visit with everyone!

Princesses on Ice

2008-03-16T13:14:00.004-06:00

Friday night was so fun! My sister Mary got us tickets to go see Disney on Ice months ago. We ended up having two extra tickets so her friend Jenni came along and so did Kelli Belly. It was such a fun girl's night. Sadie loves Kelli and wanted her to hold her lots. It was such a good show. It even had Mulan who is my favorite! She is the only true princess because she actually worked for what she wanted and didn't get it just because she is beautiful. Plus she kicked butt in a man's world! My camera died right as she came out. I was so sad.:( I only got one picture of her and it is not the best. Oh well, I still saw her!

This is us right after the show. We had so much fun!
Aladdin and Jasmine.
The funny seven dwarfs.
Ariel. The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie growing up.
Belle

Our trip to Las Vegas

2008-03-12T22:06:00.004-06:00

This is going to be a long post! We just got back from our trip. We had so much fun and are sad it is over. :( It was so nice to go on a vacation. We played and played with the girls. The girls both stood on stools next to me every morning so they could put my make-up on. Most of Brian's time was spent playing hide-and-seek with Leah. We were able to see the cool dam on Monday night. We were sad that we couldn't go on the tour because we had babies with us, but we still got to drive over it and get out to see it. On Tuesday we went to Leah's dance class. It was so cute. They were rehearsing for the big recital in May. Annie danced around and made us laugh. Tuesday night we went to the Blue Man group again. It was so awesome!!! We had killer seats. We got our tickets and wondered why they said poncho on them. Then we got into the theater and found out. We were on the fourth row!!! We had to wear ponchos to keep paint and other flying objects from hitting us. In the show they do a cool act with marshmallows. Before they start they throw some out into the audience and they threw one to me! It was great fun. We could not believe we were that close and it made it even better that our tickets were free! We were sad to leave today, but we are glad the drive is over and we are home. It has been a fantastic Spring Break so far!

This was my sleeping area...Leah's top bunk! It was so fun. I sleep with her every time I visit. Brian got a bed all to himself in the computer room.
Sleepy Annie. We were about to leave to go to the dam.
This is the start of the cool bridge to connect the road I mentioned being built around the dam.
The sun was in our eyes, but this is us at the dam.
Once again...the dam.
Brian and I at the dam.

Annie in her adorable tutu. She gets dresses up and goes with Leah to her dance class. She got special permission to join to two year old class early. She is so funny to watch dance.
Leah at dance class. Her blue leotard is so cute. Girls watching a movie in their chairs Grandma Joy got them for Christmas. They love them.
Brian with the Blue Man.

SPRING BREAK!!!

2008-03-07T20:54:00.002-07:00

Yeah it is finally spring break!! Brian and I are very excited for the much needed break. With me going to school every day and working nights, and him working everyday and going to school at night, we really only get to see each other on Sundays. So we are anticipating the get away. We are going to Las Vegas for a few days to see my sister. We are going to the Hoover Dam on Monday. None of us have been and Rachel said that it is a cool time to go. Right now you can drive over the dam, but apparently national security believes that this is a security threat so they are building a road around the dam. We will get to go over it, so I guess that will be neat. Then on Tuesday we got another free show to BLUE MAN GROUP!!! Rachel rocks. Brian and I get to go on a date night to dinner and the show. We are very excited. The 70 degrees there is calling my name. I am sick of this chilly weather. And last but not least, our trip would not be complete without a stop to In-N-Out Burger which we will be visiting on our way back from the dam. Vegas or bust!!!

Baby number two!

2008-02-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Melanie is pregnant and due in September! I am so excited!

Skiing adventure!

2008-02-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

What a fun night on the slopes. Brian had been dying to go skiing, so I promised him we would go. I had never been before and it sure was something else. We went night skiing at Wolf Mountain. All the photos of me crashed are real, not posed. Brian had plenty of time to whip out the camera as I laid and recuperated. We were there for about three hours and there were not many people which was nice. It took until my fourth trip down to make it without falling. It was really fun, but I am sore today and left with one battle wound.

Crashed and burned. Notice my skis in the backround. They flew off.
You can't really see this bruise, but I can sure feel it. In the crash above one of my skis flew up and smacked my knee. It hurts a little, but I am glad it is my only injury.:) Rachel predicted I would break a leg.
Once again crashed. This was the third trip down. I am upside down on the mountain, but my skis are still on!
Cute Brian. He just got down the expert hill. I gladly stayed at the bottom and watched.
I started to get it. It only took a few crashes.

My new plant

2008-02-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

For Valentine's Day I asked Brian to get me a plant instead of flowers that would just die. This is what he got. It is so cool and smells so good too. I love it.:) I have no idea what kind it is.

Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to today for weeks. Brian took me to Windy's Sukiyaki. It is a Japanese sushi restaurant. We sat in a private room and had a delicious meal.

Me sitting in the ground.
Scrumptious Philadelphia and California rolls.
Brian digging in.
All full. :)

Baby number three!

2008-02-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

Rachel is pregnant and due in October! I am so excited.:)

Hey I think I can do this!

2008-02-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

I hope I am doing this right. I think that it is about time that I created one of these. Now that we have internet and I could keep up on something like this, I will give it a whirl.:)