Joy in the Journey

And Now My Story Is Done.

2012-01-22T21:48:00.001-07:00

Four years ago I started writing this blog. At the time it was a great way for me to share, journal, and laugh about the things that had been going on in my life. I looked forward to blogging about the last family outing, the funny thing I saw on my way home from work, a silly thought, ect. However, now I find myself having absolutely no thoughts or desires to blog. I love reading others blogs and keeping up with old friends, leaving comments, ect. But I have lost all desire to write myself. So if there are any readers still left out there I bitter sweetly bid you farewell. I will leave you with my Mother’s classic bedtime story:

I’ll tell you a story of old Mother Morry and now my story’s begun’

I’ll tell you an other about her brother, and now my story is done.

December in a Nutshell

2012-01-22T21:21:00.001-07:00

I started off the Christmas season with my annual Cookie Exchange, but this year it featured Christmas Candy instead, and ugly Christmas sweaters. It was a wonderful night thanks to everyone’s yummy candy and fun Christmas spirit.

…there was going to be more but I don’t know how to move my pictures from their new location (Lightroom) into windows Live Writer. So, I guess you only get a piece of the nut.

One!

2011-11-18T17:41:00.001-07:00

Millie turned one last Friday, and it was extra special this year as she was one on 11-11-11, so fun!

She had a wonderful birthday, and was in good spirits the whole day. Dave and I had a blast with her. During the day we took her to the mall to see the puppies at the pet store. Millie absolutely adores dogs. She was very confused when we first went into the store, but once she realized there were dogs inside we couldn’t contain her. She could hardly contain herself as well. She would make loud urgent screaming noises, making people think that she was afraid of the animals, when in fact she was so happy she was squealing.

After seeing the puppies, we stopped for lunch and took Millie to play in the Kid Zone for a bit.

In the evening, we had a birthday party with family. Millie was confused by the whole thing, but she did seem to enjoy seeing everyone. She loved being sung to. She scarfed her cake, and with a lot of help she unwrapped her gifts.

My favorite part of the party preparations was pulling out my old cake decorating skills, and making Millie her 1st birthday cake. I made it to look like her much coveted “taggy blanket” (which you can see featured in the lower left photo). I had a great time making the cake, and the best part was it only took like 30 minutes.

This picture pretty much sums up how Millie felt about the whole day. YAY!

Thanks to everyone who came. We love you all, and are so happy that you are part of Millie’s life.

Millie’s First Halloween

2011-11-04T15:19:00.001-07:00

Last Halloween I longingly wondering how Halloween would be with a child, and look forward to the new traditions it would bring to our family. I was so right to look forward to it. Dave and I had a wonderful time with Millie this Halloween.

Before the big day arrived my sister came over and helped me design a strawberry costume for her, (she accidently got a hold of a blue maker he cousin Amelia was coloring with, crazy stuff happens when Lonica and I get crafting.)

We got to dress Millie up twice, once for the ward party and once on Halloween night. In my humble opinion, she looked absolutely adorable! We had a blast with her both nights! We also had a great time trick or treating with Amelia. Although it was Amelia’s first time trick or treating she caught on quick and had a great time showing Millie how it was done. While Millie was a little slower to catch on, she would more often than not stand motionlessly at each house chewing on a wrapped piece of candy, I have no doubts that next year she will be a fan.

Dave and I also had some Halloween fun without our little strawberry. We were lucky enough to attend two Halloween parties. At the first, we dressed up as a dork and pumpkin pi, and to the more formal themed party, we went as The Phantom of the Opera and Christine. We had a great time being our normal dorky selves at each party.

A Post Per Dave’s Request

2011-10-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Dave has very little, to no interaction with this blog, but last night when he found out that I had not posted this silly story about Millie (like I really ever post any stories, or post much at all for that matter) I felt guilted into sharing it, and not to mention, flaunt this darling picture of my baby girl.

Excerpt from Millie’s Journal:

After not napping, again, this morning we went to visit my old work. Everyone was so shocked to see how big you are and to see you trying to walk. You were getting pretty cranky when it was time to go home so I hurried and feed you and got you in the car so we could get home for your nap. When I set you in your car seat I gave you a Ritz cracker. I watched you through the car mirror sit there hopelessly holding it at the beginning of the drive, and the next time I looked in the mirror you were out like a light still holding your cracker. When we got home I set you in your car seat in the pantry and let you sleep. Forty-five minutes later, ugh, you woke up crying, but only for a short minute. When I peeked in the pantry to see if you had fallen back to sleep I found you eating your cracker. hehe.

Cousin Amelia

2011-10-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

Millie’s big cousin, Amelia, (my sister’s daughter) moved here in May from Ohio. We were all so thrilled to have them back in Mesa. Lonica and I get together at least once a week, and if we aren’t getting together, than one of us is watching both of the girls. It has been so wonderful to have my sister, and friend, near by again. Happiest of all, could perhaps be Amelia. She has become Millie’s number one fan, and with some time to figure things out, Millie has become quite fond of Amelia too. At only 15 months apart, Millie and Amelia remind me a lot of my sister and I. We too are 15 months apart, and getting to watch these two grow up around each other makes me feel like I’m taking a look into the past. Amelia is such a huge Millie fan that Lonica doesn’t dare tell Amelia of an up coming play date until it’s just about to happen for fear of having to hear “Millwee, Millwee. See Millwee.” OVER and OVER and OVER again. The best part about this little arrangement is, in March Millie will have an other new girl cousin that she will be 16 months older than and she then will be able to go bananas over her.

Splish Splash

2011-09-07T11:42:00.001-07:00

Last Friday Dave had the day off, and my friend Kayla had invited us and some other friends to go to Fountain Hills’ Splash Pad. Millie loves the water, and now that she can crawl and sit up I thought she would really like it. So the whole family piled in the car and made the trip out to Fountain Hills, and I was right, Millie loved it. She thought it was way better than the beach. She had a great time splashing in puddles, feeling the water on her hands and feet, and watching Elle chase the ducks.

She liked to fight the water, HEE-YAA!

Overdue Trip to Visit Shawna

2011-08-21T16:22:00.001-07:00

I have the most Amazing, beautiful, exciting, caring, fantastic friend named Shawna. We’ve been friends since the 9th grade. The only problem with our friendship is that she lives in LA. Last weekend this wasn’t such as a problem as Millie and I boarded a plane for LA.

It was so wonderful to see Shawna’s home, and she showed us a great time around LA. Millie had her first trip to beach. She’s not a big fan.

Shawna and I went for a beautiful (steep) run along the coast. Which was a good thing because we stuffed our faces that night. We went to a fantastic Thia food restaurant.

Afterwards we watched the sunset beside the famous “Hollywood” sign.

Then we stood in a 30 minute line for a cookie ice cream sandwich, and yes, it was worth the wait.

Sana Monica has a wonderful famer’s market we were able to visit. We found some great treats and then strolled the near by streets.

A trip to LA would not have been complete in my book without a visit to one of LA’s famous cupcake shops. We stopped in at Hotcakes, picked up a dozen mini cakes and then sampled them all that night while watching the finale of “The Next Foodnetwork Star".”

Mille was a wonderful travel companion, but by the end she was tuckered out.

If it had been up to her she would have just stayed home and played with Shawna’s Goldendoodle, “Sandy,” the two absolutely loved each other. Too bad they were such a bad match. We’ll have to go back when Millie is older.

Sandy likes to dance.

Never Too Late to Celebrate Dads

2011-08-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

Recently I was organizing some pictures on our computer when I came across pictures that were taken on Father’s Day. I had never seen them, and never posted them. Some of the pictures turned out sooo cute I have so post them despite Father’s Day being two months ago.

~~Millie~~, I made Dave his favorite breakfast; eggs benedict.

Millie wore “I love Dad” apparel all day long. Dave is such a wonderful Dad.

Grandpa came for dinner along with Uncle Scott. Grandpa likes being a Grandpa just a little bit.

Date Night: Arizona Science Center

2011-08-19T15:39:00.001-07:00

One of my very wise friends informed us that on the first Friday of every month the Arizona Science Center lets adults in free during the evening.

We were all over it. So at the beginning of the month Dave and I and some friends that didn’t mind acting like dorks around items geared towards children headed out for a night of great fun.

We started off the night with a great dinner at Applebee’s then caravanned to the science center. We had a blast. I recommend this as a great cheap date. The best part was I got to forget about being a mom for a little while and be a big kid instead.

A Patriotic Fourth

2011-07-10T20:04:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. On Saturday we drove just North of Pine to have a picnic with my family. The weather was so nice and cool. We even got a light rain, and my favorite-thunder in the mountains, I just love the way it sounds. We had a great time eating and visiting with the family. My brother Jason was in town from BYU, but unfortunately my other brother had to work and wasn’t able to join us. My niece Amelia was so happy that her cousin Millwee was there, if only Millie shared the same excitement.

On Monday we had a pool party and BBQ with some friends. It was a blast playing pool volleyball, cooking, eating, and hanging out with everyone. O and setting of fireworks.

This little stud is only 5 days younger than Millie

Caught red handed as she dumps soda on Dave

So cute!

Me spraining my wrist.

Millie Eats a Lime

2011-06-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

Need a good laugh? Click on the video below. Sorry it’s kind of long, but the best part is near the end…so keep watching.

We usually aren’t so mean…seriously we’re not.

I Love These Girls!

2011-05-30T20:25:00.001-07:00

Nothing beats getting together with great friends. My awesome friend Melissa came to visit from Chicago this week. It was so great to see her! It was also a little bitter sweet, to know that she had to go home and soon Kristi will move away.

Solids Anyone?

2011-05-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

Millie has taken to eating solids like a fly to heap of trash, she loves it, and we love watching (and taking pictures) of her trying to eat. It’s so fun.

For more about “Baby Led Weaning” check out this site.

Halleluiah-It has arrived

2011-05-25T17:23:00.001-07:00

Last Monday, 8 days ago, that’s 192 hours ago I broken heartily shipped my broken baby video monitor back to Summer Infants for a replacement.

Life hasn’t been the same since… Ok fine, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. The week really did go better than I had anticipated, but I must say I do love my infant video monitor. Why?

Let me tell you why.

It has to be my most favorite frivolous piece of baby equipment I own. I love that with the click of a button I can see how my baby is doing. Whether it’s to check to see if she has fallen asleep yet, or why she has woken, or my favorite; to watch her slumber peacefully it is very convenient. Probably the reason I love it the most is due to my own laziness. It means with a flick of a button I can assess my daughter’s situation rather than having to get up (especially when I’m in bed) to check on her. I love that. Second, it alerts my otherwise fully occupied husband that the baby needs to be tended to. Third, I can comfortably go out in my garden and work without wondering if she is inside crying. Did I mention that I love my video monitor. O how I have missed thee, welcome home.

Proud Mom

2011-05-03T11:29:00.001-07:00

Because I can’t help myself, I am now going to inundate you with pictures of my beautiful daughter. …And for those of you who don’t know, opening your mouth as wide as you can counts as a smile.

I can’t believe she will be 6 months next weeks!

Good Day Mate

2011-04-22T15:33:00.001-07:00

Meet Preston. He is my sarcastic, goofy, smart, dorky, pesky little brother, and in 4 months I’m going to miss him a ton. Why you ask? Because he will be serving a mission in Brisbane, Australia. How cool is that?! I’m so excited for him! He is going to make one awesome missionary.

Taggy Time

2011-04-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

For those of you who aren’t privileged enough to know my sister, Lonica, she has taught herself to be quite the seamstress. She makes beautiful things, from jean quilts, to stockings, to quite time books. Millie has been lucky enough to receive some of her homemade items, one being a “taggy blanket.” Lonica made one for her daughter Amelia, and she loved it, so Lonica felt that Millie needed one too. And she does, every baby needs a blanky.

As Millie is getting older, we pulled it out of the drawer and gave it to her the other day. And Lonica, she loved it. Here are some pictures of her enjoying her blanket for the first time. “Thanks so much Aunt Lonica!”

Creating Millie’s Room

2011-03-28T18:21:00.001-07:00

Before we could bring Millie home, her room needed a lot of TLC. The previous owner had their son living in it, so it was dark, and sported some lovely blue carpet. I was very excited so girlify it! I started during my first trimester, and finally “finished” a few weeks ago. (still have to stain the shelf above her changing table and add some more pictures above her crib, but for the sake of blogging, I am calling it done)

Before

Beginning renovation. I had so much junk stashed in this room!

Five months prego. I finally picked my paint colors and started painting.

Then it was time to get rid of this eye sore!

Way to go Dave! He tore up and installed the new carpet all by himself!…o sorry, Elle helped.

Next, it was time to hang the chair rail.

We got the furniture moved in and the crib set up at the end of October. I then planned to hang up pictures and do the other finishing touches when I left work, but Millie had other plans. Arriving two weeks early, I never got to said plans. Instead, she came home to a room full of unorganized baby gifts, and I spent the time after Christmas hanging pictures, putting away baby clothes, and finally finishing her room.

And I absolutely love it. I wanted to go for a classic children’s book theme, but it more just ended up being a collection of fabrics I picked up. However, the pictures above her bed feature The Velveteen Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, Raggy Ann and Andy, and Winnie the Pooh.

We got all this great furniture on Craigslist for $300! It was a steal!

I can’t wait until the swing in no longer a necessity, it takes up so much space! But luckily I got a great deal on it too, $30 at a garage sale!

My sister came to visit in July and helped me make this cute crib bedding. I love it, and couldn’t have done it without her! Thanks Lonica! We followed this great tutorial.

Millie should count herself lucky, because as fun as it was, I don’t see myself ever doing so much baby prep again…

Overhaul!

2011-03-27T11:40:00.001-07:00

I found this sweet chair while driving around Alta Mesa’s garage sale a couple of ~~weeks ago~~ (over a year ago!). The lady that owned it was sitting in it in her garage. I pulled over the car walk up to her and “Is the chair you are sitting in for sale.” Lucky for me it was.

So, I started this post in February, OF LAST YEAR! I told myself then I am going to redo this chair make it beautiful, and I’m not going to let it become a long drawn out project, I’m going to get it done fast! HA- What a joke! In my defense I found out I was pregnant shortly after. Also, it took a while to collect supplies, and then it got put off because I put priority on baby projects, and let’s be honest, the sewing got really intimidating.

It has sat in my master bedroom for a long time with everything finished but the top cushion, but I finally got the time and nerve to finish it, and now I love it! It is such a great place to sit and read, hold/feed Millie, talk on the phone, ect. It was such a great find and so fun to fix up.

Swimming Lessons!!!

2011-03-20T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone, Check it out! I will be teaching swimming lessons at my parent’s home this summer. Click on the flyer below, and then let me know if you are interested or have any questions. I would love to teach your kids!

In February

2011-03-15T13:59:00.001-07:00

During the month of February we…

Celebrated Dave’s 31st! Birthday. Wow, time fly's!

Had a wonderful Valentine’s Date together at home.

and welcomed our soon to be great aunt into the church. Ok, fine that happened March 1st, but we were so glad to see her baptized.

We hope you all had a great February and that your March is off to a good start. Millie and I are heading to Salt Lake today to play in some cooler weather more on that when we get back!

Blessed

2011-03-06T13:05:00.001-07:00

…it doesn’t get much better than that.

Three Months Old

2011-02-23T16:15:00.001-07:00

Look at me now! I am three months old and cuter than ever. I’m laugh and smiling a ton, and have slept through the night the last two nights! :)-Thank heavans!

I may not seem to happy about it, but I did like my Valentine’s Day treats, “Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.”

Thank You

2011-01-23T10:22:00.001-07:00

“Thank you for my Christmas present Grandma and Grandpa :)”

Love,

Millie

First Hike

2011-01-12T20:23:00.001-07:00

The Monday after Christmas I went hiking with two of my best friends. Poor Millie had to put up with our silliness and a crazy mom that took her out on a cold morning. But hey how many 7 week olds can say they have been to the top of Usery Mountain?! So sad my friends can’t be here all year long, I miss you guys! Thanks for the carrier Kayla it worked great! Next time you’ll have to come.

Millie’s Blessing

2010-12-31T13:48:00.001-07:00

We were so lucky that Millie was born at a time when family was to be in town. Not only did she get to meet lots of grandparents at Thanksgiving, but all of her uncles were in town to bless her at Christmas. Dave gave her a beautiful blessing last Sunday and Uncle Scott, Uncle Jason, and Grandpa were all able to be in the circle with her. Along with our home teacher Josh Abbott, our good friend Brad Summers, and Bishop Bailey. Lots of close friends turn out for the event too. Thanks so much for coming and supporting us. While picture taking was a little crazy, it was a beautiful day.

And Millie looked beautiful in the blessing dress that her grandma made for her. Thanks so much Mom!

A Changing Season

2010-12-30T23:16:00.001-07:00

As I sat alone in my kitchen cutting and wrapping homemade caramels. I thought back to years of wrapping caramels with my family and how my mom would always coax us into the job, (it was not liked near as much as eating them), and suddenly I felt very alone. My thoughts traveled to Christmases from when I was very young and the whole family would listen to carols as we decorated the Christmas tree, and I then realized how different it was this year, I decorated it all alone. Between feedings of a little one, I hung my decorations all alone. I did all my Christmas shopping alone or online. I thought, “Christmas used to be so different.” That’s when I realized that Christmas changes so much through our life time.

It goes from being all about Santa, gifts, goodies, and toys. To not believing any more and being too cool for your family. To being so happy it’s Christmas because you finally get a much needed break from school. Then it becomes a time when family that has moved away comes home to be together for a little while. When you have your own children you begin to relive your Christmases through them, and it becomes “fun” again, as you get to play the Santa roll. It will change again as grandparents are no longer hosting but being invited guests. The way you celebrate Christmas certainly changes with your age. The best part is it’s always spent with the ones you love. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did!

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It Wouldn’t Be Christmas Without Cookies

2010-12-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

After last year’s successful cookie exchange, we got together again this year. The cookies were even more spectacular and delicious than last years. We could hardly believe it, we really out did ourselves this year.

Along with all that sugar there were great laughs and fun had by all. Yum! I can’t wait for next year.

How Millie Came to Us

2010-11-27T14:09:00.001-07:00

in not so many details…for the sake of time, and how pass due this post is.

On Wednesday November 10th I went to work just like every other day. I worked my 7 hours felt fine and journeyed home a little sad knowing that Thursday would be my last day at a job I had come to love dearly. As I drove home I thought to myself that it felt as though Millie wasn’t up so high and possibly had dropped a little. I took a short nap when I got home (if I had know what was to come this would have been a much longer nap). I cooked dinner and then sat down and watched the CMAs. Once I got bored of that I decided to do a few things on my lengthy to do list. Like find a pediatrician.

By bed time I was starting to have a few cramps but nothing unusual from the rest of my pregnancy. After an hour of some restless sleep I was up looking for something to do until the pain stopped so I could sleep. So I decided to pack my hospital bag and a few things for Millie (good thing I did). I was feeling a little better and very tired so I went back to bed. Only to wake up every six minutes or so as the “cramps” got even worse.

Somewhere close to 2am I started noticing how frequent the cramps where, and said to Dave, “These are about 5 minutes apart…” He reminded my that they had to be 5 minutes apart for an hour before they warranted anything, and not believing that it could actually happen tonight I said, “right, ok” and took a couple Tylenol and tried to go to sleep. Shortly after, I gave up on sleep and decided to finish watching my birthing video. We never got to the chapter on pushing and I was curious how it was to be done, and felt now was as good of a time as any to find out. So little did I know I was learning about being in labor and what to do while I was actually in labor!

As the pain increased I was no longer able to focus on what my lamaze instructor was trying to tell me, and I decided whether this was labor of not I wanted to go to the hospital to have someone tell me. At 3am I called the doctor and after a short conversation she told me to go to the hospital.

Once at the hospital we left all our bags in the car, not believing that this was the real thing, and fully expecting to be sent home. However, when we got into triage and they told me I was 7! I knew we weren’t going anywhere. I couldn’t believe it! A 7! They rushed me into the delivery room so I could get my epidural before it was to late. While the epidural ended up slowing my labor down considerably I was very grateful to have it, especially when she was face up and had to be turned. We got to the hospital around 4 and they expected my to have her before 7, but it was 7:30 by the time I started pushing. Only a short 35 minutes later Millie was born at 8:04am. She was beautiful, healthy, and we could hardly believe our eyes. She was here! Two weeks early! We were so happy to have her and so blessed that everything went to well.

Thank you so much to everyone that has come to visit and has helped us out in the last two weeks. It’s been a great help. Thank you. :)

Our Veteran’s Day Surprise

2010-11-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

Millie Kate Thomson

Born Thursday, November 11, 2010 weighing 6.8 oz and 19.5 inches long. We are so happy for our beautiful healthy baby girl.

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Details of her arrival coming soon.

Halloween

2010-11-07T20:46:00.001-07:00

Some things about Halloween this year were still very traditional, but we also did some things a little different. There were still Halloween sugar cookies, and dressing Elle up in her hot dog costume, but we didn’t carve pumpkins for the first time since we’ve been married, and we didn’t hand out candy. Our friend’s little boy did a very good job of that. See, this year on Halloween we had more of a Thanksgiving feast. Thanks to our friends Beth and Brad we had a fabulous fall feast with some great friends. The best part was all I had to do was open up my house and enjoy the food.

Our good friends the Farmers joined us.

The kids were so lucky they got Mac and Cheese, yum.

And we got all this beautiful food, braised beef short ribs, butternut squash ravioli in a browned butter sage sauce, spinach salad with a warm bacon dressing, and dark pumpernickel bread with apple cider!

Thanks to these wonderful guys!

It was so fun, like something you see out of a magazine.

Here is our candyman. He did a great job keeping all the trick-or-treaters happy.

Chef Beth did an excellent job and deserves a big round of applause. (no we did not have any popsicle sticks, a minor detail that was over looked.)

And Elsie reminded us all of what Halloween is all about, CHOCOLATE!

Earlier in the month Dave and I also went to an adult Halloween party. It was a blast.

17 Days and Counting

2010-11-07T13:20:00.001-07:00

Day 17: Enjoying my Sunday at home… not sure what I’ll do yet, but that’s what’s great about it.

Day 18: Went to a movie and dinner with my hubby. We also went to Baby’s R Us and got the last few items that we needed. We are both getting very excited. It was a great night.

Day 19: Decorated for Thanksgiving. I love all things in fall colors.

Day 20: Thoroughly enjoyed myself while eating a caramel apple :)

Day 21: Made pancakes for breakfast (in the middle of the week!)

Day 22: Took a much needed nap.

Day 23: Watched Chuck with Dave.

Day 24: Celebrated Halloween with a wonderful fall feast with some great friends.

Baby Shower

2010-10-31T13:58:00.001-07:00

Last week I had two friends throw me fantastic baby showers. One that was attended by old friends and family and the other with ladies from my ward. Both were super fun and made me filled loved.

My two great high school friends, Kayla and Shawna, put together a great shower with an awesome pancake bar (of which I unfortunately have no pictures :( )

It was so fun to see some many ladies who were great examples of Mothers to me while I was growing up, there to support me.

My good friend Mindi, who I have been working with in Wolves, put together a fun shower last Thursday night. It was so fun to hang out with all my girlfriends.

25 Days Left!

2010-10-30T20:24:00.001-07:00

Day 25: Cleaned my house. It may not sound like a me moment, but it really needed to be done and now I feel so good walking around a clean house :).

Day 26: Went to The Orange Patch and found myself a super cute Halloween necklace. I also happened upon a bag marked 75% off, it will make a super dipper bag :)!

Day 27: Had a baby shower with all the wonderful girls in my ward. I love you all, thanks for making it so fun!

Day 28: Decorated Halloween cookies with friends.

Day 29: Baked the sugar cookies.

Day 30: Worked out and make sugar cookie dough. Eat way too much dough, but couldn’t help it, it’s sooo good!

Hamilton Senior Night

2010-10-24T15:28:00.001-07:00

Friday night was a long anticipated night for one of our Nero patients. I’ll call her Mary. Mary’s son plays for Hamilton High School’s football team, and on the night of their homecoming the senior football players are escorted out onto the field to meet their coaches by their parents. 5 years ago Mary had a brain tumor removed that left her in very disabled state. However, with lots of work she has made remarkable progress in the last year. She has begun speaking a little and walking very well. It was her goal to walk her son out on the field. So with the help of her sister, her son, and one of out therapy techs Mary was able to reach her goal, and walk with her son! It was so amazing, and wonderful for her and her family.

I am really going to miss my job. The patients are so inspiring! I’ve been so privileged to be part of their lives.

35-31 It’s Going SO Fast!

2010-10-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

Day 31: Finished my Halloween shirt. I saw it online for $25, it only cost me $6, plus it was fun to make. It says “I’m dressed up as my Mom.”

Day 32: Had a wonderful baby shower! Thank you Kayla and everyone else who came and helped.

Day 33: Finished painting the nursery :) Finally!

Day 34: Went to RS Meeting, doesn’t really count as a '”me moment”. I had to speak and it was a little stressful, but I had a good time.

Day 35: Enjoyed sleeping in before beginning a very busy day.

Counting Down 40-36

2010-10-19T20:05:00.001-07:00

Day 36: Went to the gym :) felt good, now I feel way too tired again. Time to go lie down and watch some “Chuck.”

Day 37: Went to work for way too long, came home too tired to even enjoy myself.

Day 38: Worked on a fun Halloween shirt I’m making for myself.

Day 39: Worked on the baby’s room and made some very yummy brownies.

Day 40: Went to brunch with a girlfriend. Check out this Coffee Shop, they have to cutest cupcakes and garden!

Days 43-41

2010-10-14T18:01:00.001-07:00

Day 41: Decorated for Halloween :)

Day 42: Got some exercise and a back rub, felt so good.

Day 43: Left work with a cold. Pampered myself with a very long nap, and enjoyed the idea that I was sick without having to take care of someone else at the same time.

Me Moments 46-44

2010-10-11T21:34:00.001-07:00

Day 44: Tried to work out. Let myself quite when it just wasn’t happening. Still working on not letting myself feel guilty about it.

Day 45: Visited some old friends in Surprise.

Day 46: Went to DQ and indulged myself on this month pumpkin pie Blizzard. I <3 seasonal treats!

Me Moments

2010-10-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

Day 47: Stayed home from work with Dave and worked on carpeting the baby’s room. It’s so close to being done, I can’t wait. Pictures to come.

Day 48: Made these awesome enchiladas. Burned my hands on the peppers, not so awesome. (note to self: buy kitchen gloves)

Day 49: Went to the library and checked out a book and some videos I have really been wanting.

50 Days and Counting

2010-10-05T17:57:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can’t believe it, only 50 days until my life will change forever. It seems like just last week I was looking at 100 days left, so now I know it will really go fast! I am very excited for her arrival and for the shrinking of my ever growing belly, but until then I’ve decided to make the most of these last 50 days.

I started working less hours this week and I am already seeing the benefits of that decision, but I want to do more to make these last days great. Every day I am going to do something that I really enjoy and may not get to do once my little girl is born. I’m calling it my “Me Moment.” Today, Day 50, it begins with me in comfy clothes snuggled up with a soft blanket listening to the rain and taking a nap. Hurray to the next 50 days!

Shade Clothing Close Out Sale

2010-10-05T17:47:00.001-07:00

Hey Girls! Check it out, Shade Clothing is going out of business. It’s sad but it means right now they have a ton of great deals!

Vail

2010-10-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

Over a week later, here is the rest of the story…

Wednesday:

Wednesday was a pretty sluggish day. Brent was sick and it was raining so we spent most of the day just hanging out at the resort. We played several rounds of our new favorite game Bohanza (just bought it on Amazon, can’t wait for it to get here. Thank for bringing it Brent and Andrea the trip wouldn’t have been the same without it.) And I made some peach cobbler with the peaches we bough at the farmers market on Sunday. yumm.

The best part of the day was that evening when Dave and I went out together. We took a short drive to a small ski resort town called Beaver Creek where we heard there was a year round outdoor ice skating rink. It was the most beautiful town tucked right in the valley of some ski slopes. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Dusty Boot and then headed for the ice rink.

At 8pm we were the first ones to ice skate all day. The ice was very slick and cracked beneath our skates, but I’m proud to say I didn’t fall once despite my awkward shape. Dave and I felt like we were in a movie as we skated around the rink. It was so wonderful. We couldn’t believe that just days before we had been experiencing 100+ weather.

Thursday:

Thankfully Brent was feeling much better the next day. So we all drove down to a town called Edwards and took a very scenic fall walk along the Colorado river. Beaver Creek was so beautiful that Dave and I took Brent and Andrea there so they could see it too.

After a great lunch and two beautiful walks we headed back to the resort for another wild game of Bohanza! On our arrival back we were greeted with a much needed room change (the lower floor in our building had been having drainage problem on week-YUCK) we were also given a complimentary dinner to any restaurant in Vail (sweet!) We swam and hung out the rest of the day it was relaxing and enjoyable.

Friday:

Friday morning we drove and hour to Glenwood where we took the tram up to the top of the mountain where we went on a cave tour. At first the cave was dry and only some what entertaining, but as we traveled deeper in we arrived at the live part of the cave and were able to see some very beautiful stalagmites and stalagtights. At the top of the mountain they also had an alpine coaster that Andrea and Dave we on. And not to forget there was a great view.

We completed our wonderful week with an amazing dinner at Larkspur courtesy of Marriott. They were featuring their Harvest menu and were putting on quite the show for the event. It was the most beautiful fancy food I’ve ever had. We had fun enjoying the food and pretending like we could afford to eat there.

Overall it was an amazing, cool, yummy, and relaxing trip. Just what Dave and I needed. Now back to real life and waiting for our little girl to arrive. Only 7 more weeks!

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Vail, CO- Days 3 & 4

2010-09-21T20:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Dave and I drove to the near by outlet malls where we found some good deals on clothes for Dave and found a cute little dress for our little one. The outlet mall was design around a river that flowed threw the town it was very pretty, making it a very enjoyable place to be.

Once we had shopped our hearts out we headed back to Vail where Dave’s brother, Brent ,and his wife, Andrea had just arrived. We welcomed them with a BBQ cooked right outside our door next to the stream flowing in front of our place it was fabulous.

Today we took it easy spending some more time in Vail Village, eating lunch at a garden cafe, and hiking and playing games outside our room. It’s been fun having Brent and Andrea here, and we are looking forward to the days to come.

Vail, CO- Oktoberfest

2010-09-19T16:58:00.004-07:00

Yesterday morning Dave and gladly left 108 temperature to arrive in Denver, CO where it was an amazing 60 degrees. We then rented a car hit a great little joint downtown for some awesome pancakes (pineapple upside-down, black and white, and sweet potato flavors- amazing). After our bellies were full, we head west on the I 70 to Vail.

It was the most beautiful drive threw the Rocky Mountains. The mountain sides were cover with pine trees and speckled with bright yellow aspens poking out between them. It was absolutely beautiful.

We checked into our room where we will be staying for the next week, looked out our window and thought, "this will be rough."

In the evening we headed into Lionshead Village where we wondered around and explored all the town had to show. And it was quite a show. The buildings looked as though they were transported directly from a old quite Europe

an town.

Today we did some more exploring of Lionshead and Vail Village where there was a farmers market and an Oktoberfest festival going on. Vail Village was just as impressive architecturally as Lionshead, but with a more German feel to it. We had a great time walking around all the tents and sampling unique foods like Peach Cider-yum.

Happy Birthday Amelia

2010-08-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Before Sconica returned to Ohio they wanted to celebrate Amelia’s first birthday with all the family. So, coordinating with her nickname “Peanut” we threw a very appropriate “Peanut” birthday party. Lonica did a great job putting it together. The decorations were so cute, and she let me help with the cakes.

We had so much fun frosting the cakes together. The best part was sneaking licks of frosting to Amelia, “yum” she would say. While at Knott’s Berry Farm, Lonica found some cute toppers for the cake that worked perfectly. We’re just not sure why she wanted them red ;).

Amelia had her own little cake, and was so excited to eat it that while here parents held her hands back during the candle lighting she head dived into. She couldn’t quite reach the cake and so ended up with just a little Hitler mustache of frosting. It was too cute.

After the candle had been blown out she wasted no time getting down to business. Now here’s a kid that can eat! We were all so entertained by watching her eat that it wasn’t until the cake was almost gone that we realized we had let her eat the whole thing! It was a miracle that she didn’t throw it all back up, especially after swimming for an hour.

Happy Birthday Amelia! We love you!

So Fun

2010-08-23T19:15:00.001-07:00

This site is so fun! Check it out.

*warning don’t click on the link unless you have at least a good hour to waste.

A Week in California

2010-08-18T21:27:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there were two wonderful parents, who must be getting pretty old and senile, because by their own freewill and choice they decided to take

their four crazy children, two counter parts, and one adorable grandchild (ok we can see why they want her) to California for a week.

Unfortunately this little piggy had to stay home and work and got watch the dogs :(.

So they rented a 15 passenger van and packed us in for the long haul to San Clemente, CA.

Where they had rented this beautiful house that was just a short walk from the beach.

We had a fabulous time.

Reading on the beach.

Relaxing on the beach.

Playing in the waves.

Looking cool in funny hats.

Building sandcastles.

Boogie boarding.

Skim boarding.

Eating rocks, sand, and seaweed (just to name a few.) And barring each other in the sand.

We also traveled to the Nixon library.

And we visited Knott’s Berry Farm. Where some of us road lots of fun scary rides.

And some of us sat by and watched and road lame log rides and train rides

and watched Snoopy on Ice. (o the joys of pregnancy).

But most of all we enjoyed being with each other. Whether we were playing games, enjoying the next meal, or taking a walk to the pier, it was just fun to be together.

So maybe those parents aren't so crazy after all.

Thanks Mom and Dad! It was a blast!… Can we go back next week?

Kristi’s Shower

2010-07-30T14:07:00.001-07:00

After years of trying to have children Kristi and Cory were finally chosen by an awesome couple to be the a parents of a baby boy!

Not long after Kristi’s good new, I found out I was expecting, and together we celebrated the end of many years of infertilitywith what else..pedicures! It was so fun. Kristi is so fabulous. So when it came time to throw a shower we had to make it a big celebration.

Can you believe it?! I didn’t get any pictures of baby Kase, but trust me he is a cutie-takes after his Mom ;). Congrats Kristi! You are an awesome mom already!

Operation Nursery Closet

2010-07-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

For the past 4 years our spare bedroom has been serving as my guest/craft/storage/I don’t know what to do with this throw it in there room. (Which I am sorely going to miss).

Every time I would throw something on to the pile in the closet I would think, “boy, this pile is really growing. When the day comes to clean through this it’s going to be painful.”

So a few weeks ago, I was anxious to do something with the want-to-be nursery. And I thought, “can’t paint yet-don’t know the sex, but I can pain the closet white.” Which meant I would have to clean the closet out! If I had known how long it was going to take I probably would have found something else to do that Saturday afternoon, but it is now done and I am so thrilled.

I wish I had taken a before shot of the closet, but here is a shot of everything that I had to get back into HALF of the closet. What a daunting task. I spent hours and hours (it took days!) going through old pictures, school work, letters, and all those other things that you don’t want to throw away, but know they are not paying for their space.

After a trip to Home Depot and Michael's for paint, a new shelf, and cool little wall unit. I managed to squeeze everything in. Now it’s no Real Simple make over, but it was cheap, and is now functional.

Cute little wall unit. Love it!

*Despite how long it took, there is something that thrills me about putting stuff in cute little bins and making it clean and organized. Totally wouldn’t mind getting paid to do it for strangers.

Now that I know it’s a girl I can’t wait to get started on the room. I love this fabric I found online- way to pricey though. I’m hoping to find something comparable at JoAnn’s that I can make my own stuff from.

…If only the room didn’t have dark blue carpet.

I was wrong, we were all wrong.

2010-06-27T16:19:00.002-07:00

Everyone has been telling me how I am going to have a boy, everyone except one confident patient and Dave. Even my maternal instincts have been telling me from the very beginning that it was going to be a boy.

She kindly proved us all wrong.

We are so excited for the arrival of our little girl! She will be so fun!

And for those of you that wanted a ‘bump’ picture, here is our little girl from the outside.

Body

2010-06-24T18:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Body,

It’s only been 18 weeks. You have 22 weeks to go. It’s not a race. Pace yourself please.

Sincerely,

Owner of a quickly depleting wardrobe

Deals to Meals

2010-06-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

Check out Deal to Meals blog and to see what they are all about, and the contest they are hosting.

The winner is announced in July, and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed until then!

Finding Out

2010-06-04T17:47:00.001-07:00

Unlike most women who hope to be pregnant, I don’t have to wait for my monthly visitor to not come before I go out an buy a home pregnancy test. On the contrary, I count down the pain staking 14 days from IUI until test results can be produced. In the infertility forum world we call this time 2ww (two week wait aka. the longest most nerve racking wait of your life).

I’ve had a lot of 2ww over the years and have gotten much better at handling them. In fact I would say this last 2ww was my best ever -most level headed, unemotional, and calm about the whole thing. Until day 12 when I started feeling like things weren’t going to go my way.

Resolved to waiting until I was very late before giving into testing, I woke up and tested first thing on day 14. I’m such a good waiter…

After taking the test I set it out of sight and tried to ignore it. Finally, I mustered a one eye peek at the thing, and then quickly looked away. Unsure of what I saw I allowed myself a quick glance which turned into a very long stare. I couldn’t believe it…there were two lines this time.

I know what to do when there is only one, you sit there and cry, and then go tell Dave, and let him hold you while you sit there and cry some more, but two lines…what do you do? I just sat there dumbfounded. Not truly believing it. Could it really be? A smile grew upon my face, as I tried to let myself believe that the day I had dreamed of so many times was really here.

I received this fortune during my 2ww and have held on to it ever since -just for fun.

Telling Dave

I had once thought of the perfect little “Dave” way of telling him, but always thought, “I’ll probably be too excited and end up jumping on the bed screaming it on the top of my lungs.” Call it a lack of believing or the early morning hour, but I managed to pull off my idea.

Sometimes I like to change Dave’s desktop background to a silly little drawing I do in paint, it’s dumb really, but I get a kick out of it. So, I took a picture of the positive test, set it as his background, changed his hibernation settings, emailed him to meet me at Cafe Rio for lunch, and left for work.

In Dave’s words, “I was not expecting to see that this morning.”

Telling Mom and Dad

As agreed our anniversary trip would not be ‘a go’ unless we got positive news. So with our good news we took off to Cali without telling anyone.

As we walked through tourist shop after tourist shop I couldn’t believe the lack of souvenirs with some type of Grandma Grandpa slogan on them. I wanted to find something that we could bring home and give to my Mom and Dad that would give them the hint that we we’re expecting, but I could find anything!

When time had just about run out, and I had given up on finding anything, I had the perfect idea –a photo in the sand.

We went to my parent’s for dinner the Sunday we returned home. After dinner, I oddly insisted that EVERYONE (Mom, Preston, Dad, and Grandpa (who luckily was in town) ). Sit down and look at our vacation pictures. Strategically placed at the end of slide show was this picture taken at Coronado Island.

It took everyone a minute, (while I nearly died in anticipation) but eventually Mom read it and got it, and then so did the others. It was excellent!

Class of 2010

2010-06-04T17:10:00.001-07:00

My little brother is all grown up and moving on the college, tear*…it’s about time! When I think about high school I think,"that was forever ago! What are you (Preston) still doing there?!)

So good job Preston, and welcome to the ‘real world.' We’re glad you are now old enough to decide where you eat your lunch.

We very classily attacked Preston with silly string at the end of the ceremony.

Summer Harvest

2010-06-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

I debated for several days at the beginning of March if I really wanted to plant a garden. I’m not the best at remembering to water and with work and taking care of the rest of the house, gardening usually becomes a neglected chore.

But I sucked it up and told myself my dirt was already and I committed myself to watering every day. And now I’m sure glad I did. Nothing tastes better than a home grown tomato.

Elle’s toy has become our scarecrow. Darn birds keep eating the squash buds.

This was our first cucumber, it didn’t taste so good, but their was a little one hiding behind it that turned out great.

I decided to give cantaloupe another chance this year. Last year didn’t go so well, and I now have my first melon growing. We’ll have to wait and see how it does.

Our peach tree also gave us lots of good peaches, but their aren’t any pictures here because I eat them ALL! :)

To Mothers

2010-05-09T16:17:00.001-07:00

HaPpY MoThEr’S DaY!

A Taste of Greece

2010-05-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

After several weekend of nothing but chores, errands, and yard work, I decided early on in the week that the coming weekend would be for play. Time to put away the mop forget about the dust bunnies and have some fun.

We went to Tempe’s Greek Food Festival at Tempe Town Lake and eat some great food.

Of course there were Gyros.

And some Greek dancing, which Dave classified as lame, and stated that if someone asked him to pretend like he could dance this is probably what he would come up with. I will admit it was a little less than impressive.

So after being so impressed with the dancing we had to go for some Loukoumades (delicious fried dough soaked in honey and topped with cinnamon and sugar) not so good for you, but sooo delicious.

We had a great time enjoying what will probably be our last cool weekend for a very long time. It was wonderful and I’m now trying not to think of how much make up work there will this coming weekend…

Blessings Will Come After a Trial of Faith

2010-04-10T16:05:00.002-07:00

Every day God tries to teach us little lessons. For the past two and a half years I have tried to be an exceptional listener and here is some of what I have learned.

Patience, patience, patience. It’s the Lord’s timing not mine.
Good health is something to be cherished.
God gives us small miracles in the mists of greater storms to help us continue on.
Hope and faith never fail.
Things are not always what they seem, don’t judge.
Being bitter and jealous gets you nowhere.
Never, ever ask “why?” it’s life, that’s why.
Complete trust and interdependence with your eternal companion makes everything easier.
The atonement brings power and peace to life.
When you say “Not my will, but Gods” you have to really mean it.
When you feel more alone than you have ever felt in your life God will embrace you.
Focusing on what you can control in life, rather than what you can’t, brings peace, a sense of purpose, and a renewed feeling to life.
God answers prayers!

Our little blueberry is growing right on schedule and is due to arrive November 24th. We got to hear its heart beat at 125 beats per minute today, it was amazing! We are so excited, so humbled, and feel so blessed!

San Diego

2010-03-24T19:32:00.001-07:00

For our fourth anniversary, (I know I will say this every year, but “Omg, it’s been four years!”) we spent the weekend in San Diego.

My Boss has to make frequent trips there and loves to go boating, so he recently boat a houseboat there and offered to let us stay there. Free place to stay! We were all over that.

So Thursday I came home for work all ready to hit the road, but to my surprise Dave had spent his whole day off cooking hiss famous lasagna for me. So of course we sat and eat. It was delicious. Then we hit the road.

We spent Friday at Sea World (since Dave had never been). We had a nice relaxing time enjoying all the animals. It was so great because there was hardly anyone there.

Dave loved the polar bears,especially their caves.

Shamu was great, and thankfully didn’t try to eat anyone.

But our favorite had to be the dolphins. Dave became good friends with one in particular, and he would follow Dave’s hand side to side in the water and when Dave would lift his hand the dolphin would splash us all.

One dolphin sat in the same spot forever and let me hold his tail.

After Sea World, we went out for dinner to a seafood restaurant that sits out over the water. We got there right at sunset, it was beautiful, and the food was great!

Saturday morning we went to a session at the San Diego Temple (which turned out to be in Spanish!) The beauty of the San Diego Temple is incomparable, it is absolutely gorgeous! Dave and I both agreed that the celestial room is more like what we imagined them to look like before ever going inside one. Beautiful!

The rest of Saturday we spent walking the shops at Sea Port Village, relaxing at Coronado Island, and watching a late movie. We had a wonderful time together, and I am so glad Dave is mine for eternity!

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Just Married

2010-03-16T21:21:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Dave and I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a good friend I used to work with at Kids Corner. He seriously is one of the greatest guys I know! There aren’t too many people out there with the character that Brad has. Orchidia (funny name) is a very lucky girl.

It was a beautiful wedding, and was fun to be a guest at a wedding that didn’t involve a “line.”

When We’re Bored

2010-02-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when Dave and I are bored we like to type the beginning phrase of a question into Google to see what the top suggested searches are. It’s totally nerdy, but always a guaranteed laugh.

Our favorite is, “why do..” bringing up “why do dogs eat poop” as a suggested search. If you click on the top link it gets even better. So, if you are bored and need a good laugh click here and enjoy.

Happy 30th

2010-02-10T19:47:00.001-07:00

I have been contemplating this upcoming birthday as if it were my own. Dave turned 30 this week and I can hardly believe it! Not because I can’t believe that he is 30, but because I can’t believe that I am married to someone that is 3o.

I mean 30 is like a whole ‘nuther category of life, stage of accomplishments, and wisdom, all of which I am not old enough to be associated with. Our age difference has never really made a difference, and of course still won’t, but with Dave entering into another decade it reminds me that when he was 15 and contemplating starting to drive and date I was 10 and not yet wearing a training bra.

….Anyways to celebrate the big day I made Dave a special birthday dinner.

I never set the table all pretty, so as you can imagine Dave was pretty surprised when he saw this.

I made one of his favorite dinners. Beef Pops courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. They are delicious, super easy, and allow me to use my parsley from my garden.

And of course there was cake. Dave loves this orange cake. He says it’s like biting into soft oranges.

He had great birthday and loved his dinner despite his recent sprained ankle.

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Look What I Did!

2010-01-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

I had my hair cut last week and decided to go get some headbands for my new cut. On Sunday I made this cute bow thing with some old fabric. It was so fun and easy! I can’t wait to get to the store for some new ribbon to make some more.

“It’s a Peach!”

2010-01-17T17:15:00.001-07:00

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know I posted about planting a peach tree around this same time last year, but this is what that tree looked like in May.

…The same as it did in January.

So yesterday we decided to give it another shot. This tree already has buds on it so we already feel a bit more optimistic.

Dave after digging beautiful isn’t it? We are so excited about this one!

Another Year Come and Gone

2010-01-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

As Dave and I walked Elle to the park on New Years Eve I shared my 25 year old wisdom with him. And this is what I believe…

I believe that has we age and accomplish all the large goals in life…graduate high school, go to college, get married, ect. and begin going to work every morning coming home, having dinner, and waking up to do it all over again life can become complacent.

Unlike the teenage years where parents were pushing us to learn this or that, and teachers where telling us to work and this or that. It is now totally and utterly up to us individually to make ourselves continue to learn, grow, reach, and stretch ourselves in new directions.

And with that thought I asked myself, “Self, what did you do in the last year? Did you learn, grow, reach, and stretch yourself in new directions?”

With last years motto being Natasha Bettingfield’s Unwritten I forced myself to erase my inhibitions and push myself I little more, and here is what I did.

I left my job as a swim teacher and Kids Corner aide and ventured into the field of medicine and physical therapy
I taught myself how to make homemade jam and can it (something I had always been afraid of)
Expanded my garden and planted corn
I became an aunt, on my side of the family (it took a lot of work on my part)
I taught myself human anatomy in 8 weeks!
I got my name on Gateway Community College’s Physical Therapy Assistant waiting list, I am currently number 84!

Overall I feel pretty good about 2009 and I am optimistic about 2010. So far I want to

Run a 10k or two
Get on an Occupational Therapy Assistant waiting list
Learn some massage therapy techniques
Get up early to read conference talks before work

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year is off to a terrific start!

25!

2010-01-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

I turned a quarter of a century in December, I can hardly believe it!

Dave treated me like a princess, and surprised me with a one hour massage at a neat little health and wellness center. And while I was getting pampered he finished the house chores! It was awesome.

Then he took me to dinner at The Bamboo Club in Scottsdale. I highly recommend it. Great Asian food, with a twist.

My actual birthday was on a Sunday so we had dinner at my parents, and Dave made his family’s traditional birthday dessert-Boston Cream Pie, yum.

My parents surprised me with this.

It is so beautiful! And now my Christmas decoration collection is complete!

And my mom wrote this sweet post all about me.

Yes I know It's Almost Christmas

2009-12-21T18:12:00.005-07:00

Christmas is almost here, so before it gets here I have to have to finish my Thanksgiving day post. For the third year my friend Brad and I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. And it sure was a good thing I did, because later that day (like most of you) I eat a ton. My favorite was the pumpkin cheesecake that I made the day before. It was my first cheesecake ever, and it proved to be quite the ordeal, but it was all worth it in the end.

The day after Thanksgiving my family went bowling and to the Mesa Temple lights. It was so fun to all be together, I'm so glad Jason was able to come home from BYU.

yummy

Strike! Go, Preston.

Never Too Late

2009-12-18T20:27:00.006-07:00

It's never too late to post pictures from November..right?

I had a wonderful time in Ohio visiting my sister and brother-in-law, and getting to see Amelia for the first time.

... Or October?

Elle made and excellent hot dog!

In my defence I left my memory card in Ohio, and only recently got it back.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T14:08:00.004-07:00

HaPpY ThAnKSgiVinG EveRyONe!

I am thankful for all of you. I am thankful for this wonderful season in which we pause, reflect, and put our grateful thoughts into action.

Absent

2009-11-22T21:02:00.004-07:00

10 Ways to know if you have been absent from regular life...

1. You have clothes in the dryer that you washed a week ago.

2. You open up your google reader to see that you friend (Kayla) has posted 25 times since you last logged on.

3. Your fridge is completely empty of anything that could be called food.

4. Your toilet bowls have rings inside them.

5. You have an ironing pile as tall as a small child.

6. You have 10 unheard messages on you answering machine

7. There is something that reeks in your pantry but you haven't had a chance to investigate it.

8. You call your husband by your boss' first name.

9. You can't remember the last time you cooked a meal that didn't come out of a box, or cooked anything for that matter.

And the #10 reason to know if you have been absent from regular life

10. Your husband is doing the grocery shopping!

Life has been just a little busy since Labor Day weekend, at which time I began taking an accelerated anatomy class online through Rio Salado. It ended on Halloween weekend with a whopper of a final, but I am proud to announce I pulled off an A!

Since the conclusion of my class I have been out of town every weekend. With a last minute trip to Las Vegas, and a wonderful visit to Ohio. And then just when I thought things were settling back into the old routine, I got sick, and regular life was put on hold again.

This weekend was my first weekend at home, since Labor Day, that I was able to be home and not worry about homework. It was amazing! My home is clean for the first time in 12 weeks, and there is food in our fridge (if only I could muster up the courage to tackle the ironing).

Thank you so much Dave for putting up with my crazy schedule and pitching in on all the house work! You are the best!

Coming soon... posts on Halloween, our trip to Vegas, and my visit to Ohio.

My Little Puppy is All Grown Up

2009-10-18T20:31:00.004-07:00

Tonight we celebrated Elle's first birthday ("Why?" you ask, maybe it's because we like to spoil her, or maybe it's because we have no life, or maybe it's because she is just so darn cute! It was also a good excuse to make some really cute cupcakes.)

I love making cupcakes! They turned out pretty great if I do say so myself.

Our next door neighboors absolutley adore Elle, (how could you not?!) and came over for the celebration and cupcakes. Riley really liked his cupcake.

Dieter (my brothers winner dog) spent all night getting ready for the party. Elle was so impressed, but luckily she didn't eat him.

Instead she went to town on the new toy she pick out at PetsMart last night.

We are so glad to have Elle fill our house with joy everyday since we brought her home. I can't believe how big she has become.

Toyota Commercial Isn't Dog Friendly

2009-10-09T22:01:00.002-07:00

While watching our prerecorded version of the Office, "Jim and Pam's Wedding" (which ended up being a bit disappointing) a Toyota commercial featuring a squeaking dog toy, similar to many of Elle's toys, came on and had Elle running in circles. We couldn't stop ourselves from playing the commercial again and again as she continued to run in circles looking for the toy.

How to Save $30

2009-09-06T20:44:00.005-07:00

The other day I was in Old Navy's dressing room trying on a jean skirt. I looked at the price tag, $30, I debated it and then tried it on. I was glad to discover that the skirt made my butt look 3 times larger than it already is, cus then I didn't have to decide weather or not to spend the $30. However, I still really wanted a new skirt.

The next morning I was hanging my new jeans in my closet when I decided that more than two pairs were overdue for a tossing out. And that's when I had a brilliant idea, and less than two hours later, and just in time for church, I saved myself $30, and my old jeans a trip to the garbage when I turned this:

into this:

It was so easy even I could do it. It was fun too. All you have to do is google "jeans into a jean skirt" and you will find tons of instructions.

Amelia Marie Rowley

2009-08-30T12:21:00.006-07:00

My sister Lonica had our families first grandchild yesturday at 5:30 Eastern time.

Date: 8/29/09 Weight: 8 pounds 15 ounces (just shy of 9 pounds!) Height: 21 inches

And already sucking her thumb, just like her Mom.

Meet Erin

2009-08-07T18:36:00.003-07:00

Erin and I met in 9th grade when were put on the same AYSO soccer team. We instantly became friends, and then tried out for Mountain View's team. After making the team, the two of us became inseparable.

We had great times together; at soccer practice, at games, and during long car/bus rides to and from games. With tons of inside jokes we never stopped laughing even when refs were dumb and coaches were dumber.

We decided to go to NAU together where we were roommates in McConnell Hall (yeah for 2:30am fire drills). It's been a long wonderful friendship. Filled with great times and not so great times. (I looked for some old photos of us, but it would require scanning to post any and I'm just not that committed.)

After hanging out a couple weeks ago and discussing future wedding plans for Erin her fiance (and bf of 5 yrs.) called to tell her that moving alone to Alaska sounded like a better plan for his future. My heart brakes for my Erin! I know she is strong and will persevere, but I wish I could make all the pain go away.

In attempt to do so Erin and I and our other favorite high school friends (Kayla, Shawna, and Joslyn) went out to lunch.

It was so great to all be together again. I love these girls!

Erin (in green) and Joslyn.

Kayla and her boy Wes.

Shawna was very proud that day, as it was her first day with health inssurance since graduating.

Hanging Out With Old Peps

2009-07-16T17:55:00.002-07:00

I have now been at my new job for over a month. For the first while, every week felt like a new job as a floated between different tasks and positions, but for the third week now I have been working as a Physical Therapy Tech (what I really wanted to do in the first place).

Our office specializes in Nero therapy so we see primarily stroke victims and spinal cord injuries (I can tell you some sad stories about them). Strokes most commonly occur in the elderly, which means I get to hang out with a lot of old people/ get hit on by old men all day.

I love to hear their stories about fighting in WWII, or living in Chicago with the Mafia, they say the funniest things! But one old timer in particular keeps me shaking my head. His name is Tom and he thinks that b/c he is old he can get away with saying just about anything. I was warned about him, but didn't find out for myself until after a couple of visits.

Last week he said to me, "You've got nice boobs...their cute. You've got cute boobs."....

I saw him on Monday and then on Tuesday he said to me "Your boobs have gotten bigger."

Seeing that my boobs were becoming a common topic of conversation I choose to wear a must looser shirt today.

And today Tom said, "You know, these exercises are going to be good for my sex life.." he's 82!

A Week Ago From Right Now

2009-06-25T20:26:00.004-07:00

We were welcoming Jason home. There were so many smiles!

Blogger is being dumb (yes, blogger, not me) so pictures will be added to this post later.

Operation Cafe Rio

2009-06-14T11:37:00.008-07:00

I absolutely love Cafe Rio, more specifically their pork barbacoa salad. Insearch of a way to more often satisfy my cravings for sweet pork I went to the internet in search for an authentic receipe. After much research, I found choose these reciepes as the best variations to try. Off to the grocerie store I went, and home again to begin Operation Cafe Rio.

First order of buisness, the pork.

Sweet Pork

3lbs pork roast (butt of shoulder)

3/4 cup coca cola

1T garlic minced (1 clove)

3/4 c Ketchup (I use El Pato and Ketchup b/c all the other receipes I read called for taco sauce)

1 c brown sugar

juice from 2 limes

1 C tomatilla sauce (this was the only receipe that called for this, and is probably the reason I chose this one)

Place the pok in a crock-pot. Tope with garlic and coca cola. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until you can shred it with a fork. Shred pork. Mix in the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Cover and simmer on low until ready to serve.

The pork turned out great. Other receipes say to cook it in water and then add the coca cola later, which would be interesting to try in the future.

Next the rice. I've decided that I like lime rice sooo much more than spanish rice. This rice was easy and turned out great!

Lime Rice

in a saucepan, saute:

2T butter

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

In a large pot, bring to a boil the following:

6 2/3 cups water

8tsp chicken buillion

1/2 bunch cilantro choppped

2tsp cumin

2 sm cans diced green chilies

1 T lime juice

1/2 tsp pepper

3 C rice (maybe a half a cup more, you have to play)

And of course you can't forget the tomatillo dressing

Tomatillo Dressing

2 Jalapenos

3 garlic cloves

2 tomatillos

1 handful cilantro

2 limes

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups mayonnaise

2 pkgs Hidden Valley Ranch salad and dressing mix

Blend all ingredients except mayonnaise in blender until smooth. Whisk in the mayo and chill until ready to serve. Yummy yummy!

I was so pleased after taking my first bite that we had to bust out the camera! It really tasted like the real thing. If you to have a love affair with Cafe Rio, like I do, you've got to try this!

In May

2009-06-07T22:35:00.009-07:00

During the month of May I...

Watched my tomatoe plants dry up and die from record heat.

Drempt about our cruise and wished I was still there.

Wished my mom a happy Mother's Day, (can't wait to see Wicked with you next month, Mom!)

Counted down the days until MPS released for summer break.

Picked peaches with my best friend and made yummy peach jam.

Obseved Memorial Day with a hike up Camalback (in the rain). Made strawberry jam.

Said goodbye to Kids Corner, and 60 of the greatest friends I've had for the last 3 years.

Thoroughly enjoyed my first week of summer vacation.

Found out my brother is returning from Columbia on June 18th (only 10 more days!)

Looked for a new job.

Found a new job at The Jackson Center as a physical therapy tech.

Hiked 14 1/2 miles through the Grand Canyon with my mom in one day! (Check out details here)

It was a great month, and so far, June is off to a great start. Tomorrow, I start my new job, wish me luck!

Day Four:Key West

2009-05-25T13:40:00.009-07:00

Our last port of call was Key West, Florida. The island used to be the wealthiest city in Florida, but today it is a huge tourist location. However, as you travel farther in from the coast you can still see tons of old homes with large porches and front yards covered in tropical gardens, they were so pretty!

We walked into a small indoor mall, and wondered upstairs where we found a very sweet lady feeding parrots. She told us about a free movie playing inside that she described as "scuba diving without getting wet," so we decided to go in and check it out. The film was played on three huge side by side screens. It featured all of Florida's beautiful wildlife and reefs. Dave and I were looking at each other and asking how is this free?! Then we figured it, near the end of the film it took a very different turn. Suddenly we were watching the a description of the 7 creative periods and being quoted Psalms. As we left the theater they were handed JW literature, and then it all made sense...kind of.

From there we continued our walk around Key West, this time in search of some key lime pie. A local told us about a lady that worked in a grocery store up the road and said she sold the best key lime pie on the island. So we headed up the road for a slice. We lucked out and got the last one on the shelf. It was the strongest creamiest key lime pie I've ever tasted. It had a great brown sugar crust, and was topped off with banana cream frosting. We met the baker and she was totally flattered to be called the best. She then recommend a great place to go get conch fritters, and after giving Dave an English lesson on how to properly pronounce conch (conk) we were on our way.

The place turned out to be a total shack. It looked like all its walls and roofing were built with depree left over from the last hurricane. It had so much charater, and was a great place to eat.Dave's conch fritters, which are basically hushpuppies.

Here we are at a the Blond Giraffe, a key lime pie factory, that every tour guide book will tell you has the best key lime pie, but our local friend knew better.

After walking around for so long we were getting hot, so we stopped at the dock, put our feet in the cool water, and enjoyed the view.

From start to finish, the whole trip was a blast! It was very relaxing and beautiful, and so much fun to get to spend so much time together.

Blurb Book

2009-05-17T21:35:00.003-07:00

After spending way to much time choosing background colors and then forgetting about it for a long time, I finally finished our album for 2007. If your bored, you can check out the first 15 pages here.

Day Three:CocoCay

2009-05-12T20:12:00.009-07:00

Tuesday was by far Dave and I's favorite day. Royal Caribbean owns a little island in the Bahamas called CocoCay it was very beautiful and a ton of fun. To me, the day was as if someone had a private party on the beach and invited us to come.
We found this comfy spot on the beach...With this view and didn't want to move all day, and the best part was we didn't have to.
The water was so crystal blue.

There were huge sand bars you could walk out into the ocean on and find conch shells.

We participated in the boys against girls relay that was a blast, but Dave had the most fun playing volleyball.

We also went for a late night climb on the ship's rock wall.

And just like every other night, the night was not complete without a stop by pizza the parlor for a late night snack.

Day Two: Nassau

2009-05-05T20:12:00.004-07:00

One of the greatest things about being on a cruise is going to bed in one place, and then with no effort of your own, waking up in a completely new and exciting place. Tuesday morning found us in Nassau, Bahamas. Aside from the pushy locals that want your business and money Nassau was really great.

We took a boat ride Past Paradise Island to Athol Island where we went snorkeling. Neither of us had ever been before, it was a great first experience.

Tuesday night was formal night on the ship.

And when we got back to our room we found an elephant in our bed!

Day One: Everglades

2009-05-04T12:44:00.005-07:00

Our journey to the Bahamas began last Sunday. After arriving in Miami with no trouble at all we rented a car and headed down to South Beach for dinner. We eat at a great Cuban restaurant, but that was hardly the highlight of the trip. Dave and I (mainly Dave) couldn't get enough of all the rare cars. We must have seen 6 Bentley's within two miles, along with several Corvettes, Mercedes, and every other rare expensive car you can think of.

After driving up and down the streets of South Beach we hit the beach for a late night walk. The wind was blowing and it was beautiful.

Monday morning we drove about 40 minutes outside of Miami to take and air boat tour of the Everglades. I had wanted to see them since I was a little girl, I'm not sure if they were worth all the hype I had given them, but it was pretty great to see.

By 3 o'clock we had boarded our ship and were ready to eat like crazy for the next 4 days and play even harder.

Cruisen'

2009-04-20T22:02:00.005-07:00

In 6 more days Dave and I will be here.... concentrating at work is getting really difficult.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T21:30:00.002-07:00

So I had the whole big blog post outlined in my head, but now I have no time for it I must get to bed soon if I am going to be up at 5:45. However, I still wanted to take a quick sec to say Happy Easter everyone. And if you have watched this check it out. Jesus is the Christ and He lives and loves each one of us just the way we are.

Swimming Lessons

2009-04-04T19:49:00.008-07:00

Hey everyone I'm going to be teaching private swim lessons this summer please let me know if you are interested.

SWIMMING LESSONS
Summer is almost here and it's time to start thinking about swimming lessons!

I will be offering 30 minute lessons twice a week between 8:30 and 12:30pm beginning June 1st.
You can choose MONDAY & WEDNESDAY, OR TUESDAY & THURSDAY lessons,
whatever works best for you!
Lessons are $20 a week, or $68 a month
Get 10% off your second child.

Lesson will begin June 1st and be held at 1922 E Lynwood (near Gilbert and McKellips).

I have been teaching children ages 6 months and up to swim for over 5 years. I have been trained by one of the country's top swim programs, and can help any child learn to be safer in the water.

Please let me know by April 11th if you are interested.
Contact me at:
Raquel.Thomson@gmail.com or 480-656-5752

Diva Dog

2009-03-28T21:59:00.008-07:00

Elle has been so much fun to have for the past 7 weeks. Dave and I love to play with her. Everything she does makes us either laugh, or oo and ahh over how cute she is. I have dubbed Elle as a superstar because she is totally spoiled, every kid on the street is a fan, and she has her own personal paparazzi aka Dave. Here are a few of his best shots..

When we first got her she was small, she could fit all for legs on my slipper. Now she eats my slippers.

She likes to play and in the yard, and after being attacked by the fence around the garden, has finally learned to leave the tomato plants alone.She loves to cuddle!

More cuddling.

I told you Dave stocks her, she can't even sleep in peace, but this is a pretty cute one.

And unlike most dogs she loves water and a good bath. When I water the garden she runs through the sprinkler, and while taking a shower she begs to come in. Here is a video of her first bath.

Celebrate

2009-03-22T10:29:00.006-07:00

To celebrate our anniversary we had a lovely dinner at home Wednesday night. I set a table that would havae made Sandra Lee proud, and Dave surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They smell so good! Dinner was also great! I made these great beef pops courtesy of Giada De Laurentis. (If you are looking for a good beef marinade this one is one to try!)

On Friday Dave had off work and so did I , yay for spring break, so we dropped Elle off at my parents and headed up to Flagstaff. It was so great to go back to where we first met. We visited all our favorite places, reminisced, and relaxed. It was a great way to celebrate three years of marriage.

Three Years!

2009-03-18T23:05:00.004-07:00

Three years ago today I made the best decision of my life. Thanks for three great years Dave, I can't wait for the all the ones to come!

The Specs

2009-03-17T15:37:00.003-07:00

Dave is always talking about the specs for his car so I thought I'd share the specs for my garden:

144 sq ft of corn; five rows, 60 1 inch sprouts

20sq ft raised bed; 2 fall planted spinach plants, 4 fall lettus plants, a few spare carrots, two cucumber sprouts (would have been more in not for the culprit in the background), two out of control parsley plants that I have no idea what to do with.

20 sq ft in the ground; 1 fall roma tomato plant (producing much fruit but have no idea how it tastes since one vegetarian dog is getting first dibs), 1 fall early girl tomato plant (very good), two new roma tomato plants, one sad pepper plant, a few basil sprouts, and 10 2 in summer squash sprouts.

Now as long as I can keep Elle out of the garden it looks like this summer will be very fruit full. If any one would like some parsley just let me know.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-15T08:30:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow will be the first official day of Spring Break and I can't wait! The weather is suppose to be beautiful next week and I am going to take advantage of it and all my free time. My main goal for the week is to relax and enjoy, but I also want to get a few unfinished projects done. This includes hanging pictures, putting pictures in frames that have been haning on my wall empty for the last six months, and completing some other craft projects. I have new projects that I would love to start, but I've told myself I need to finish the ones I started in September first. Also, I plan to do a little spring cleaning. After, reading my Real Simple magazine I have learned that my bathroom is in need of some real organizing. If you are bored at all in the next week chances are I will be doing absolutely nothing, so give me a call and we can hang out.

Happy Birthday Dave!

2009-02-22T10:25:00.007-07:00

February is all about Dave. His birthday is on the 8th and then I get to spoil him again on the 14th. This year for his birthday, I made him his favorite breakfast, eggs benedict. Then I made him close his eyes while I'll pulled out his gift.I knew he would be surprised to see the size of the box, and boy was he.And what was in it? A much needed new suit! Yeah! The day before Valentine's I found Dave's car at work and did this number to it :D He loved the pink writing all over it.Then on Valentine's morning I made him this special breakfast (I love making breakfast) along with a treasure hunt to find his gift.

It was two very sweet days! I have the greatest husband and I love to spoil him.

It's a Puppy!

2009-02-10T20:45:00.005-07:00

On Saturday, at 1:30pm, Dave and I became the proud parents of a beautiful mini dachshund. Meet the newest member of our family, ELLE!

She's been a little booger to potty train but we are loving her. If you'd like to come meet her feel free to stop by any time.

Found

2009-02-08T20:57:00.002-07:00

At approximately 9:25 on Saturday night Raquel discovered one missing bridal set lying in the bottom of a drawer amongst dust, hair, and various hairstyling items. The drawer is being held for questioning and charged with one account of kidnapping and 2 accounts of deceit (as I am absolutely sure I searched that drawer twice.)

Babysitting

2009-02-06T12:07:00.003-07:00

Today Dave and I got to watch little Carson Farmer while Garrett took his ACTs.

I think he likes to pretend to be a pirate.

We had a great time with him. He is too cute.

Peaches. For for me.

2009-01-18T15:36:00.003-07:00

When I was about two years old I remember, and yes I do remember, walking around our backyard in my diaper. There I would sit down in the cool mud, under the shade of a peach tree, and eat juicy rotten peaches from the ground. They were delicious! And while today I prefer the fresh one from the tree, still love peaches!

So with the end of winter upon us (can you believe, it already?!) Dave and I planted a peach tree in our backyard.

Dave was a great hole digger.

We both enjoyed tucking it in the making the well.

I'm lazy

2009-01-13T17:41:00.002-07:00

Because I'm lazy and never posted about Christmas I thought I'd let my mom do it for me.

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas. And having two weeks off wasn't so shabby either. I did a lot of sleeping in, hanging out with family, eating of sweets, and not excersizing. I ended up gaing 2 pounds, but it was totally worth it.