The Sweet Life

Bad Hair Day

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Jonny sent me this picture of Lexi from years ago when she was in serious need of a hair cut- made me laugh. :) Thought it could brighten your day too!

Blog Award!

2012-01-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Brenna over at Sitting, Waiting, and Wishing, who gave me my very first blog award!! :) Here is how this works:

What to do:
1- Thank the person who awarded you.
2- List 7 things people may not know about you.
3- Pass it on to 15 other bloggers and don't forget to notify them.

1. I played the flute and LOVED dance when I was younger

2. I am a horrible singer

3. I worked at KFC back in highschool (I know...horrific)

4. I have gone sky diving, scuba diving, cliff jumping and all sorts of adventurous things after I got married (was a wimp before that)

5. I got married eight months after graduating high school

6. I have twelve brothers and sisters ALL together. 3 from moms previous marriage, 6 from my dads, and us four girls came from my mom and dad together.

7. I am obsessed with taco bell and could it eat it almost daily. :)

AND I am passing this onto these people :) Some of my favorite blogs!

1. Jenn my bestie

2. Megan at Hoping for Baby B

3. Aubrey at Preggo Aubs

4. TTC Baby E

5. Diana at Bunless in the Oven

6. My Spoiled Eggs

7. Ashley Madison

8. Ledawn at Randum Fancy

9. Meg at Big Red Clifford

10. Tisha at M, T, MC, & K

11. My sister (Even though I know everything about you) Sara

12. Leigh at The Root Family

13. Lisa at The Grier's

14. Julie

15. Heather

16. Breanna & Mike

17. Tatum

18. Heather

19. Bailey

20. Mayra

If I forgot anyone- go ahead and do it anyway- it's always fun to learn new things :)

New Years Weekend

2012-01-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve we spent with good friends, playing lots of poker (no money involved unfortunately because my hubby kept winning), eating food, and lots of fireworks! :) I forgot my camera battery so didn't really get any pictures that night. Thank you Bailey for sending me a few. :) Monday though my sisters and I got to spend time with our older half brother and got to meet his wife and baby girl for the first time which was so fun! I was AWFUL and STILL haven't really set New Years Goals...so I think my goals will start January 3rd 2012- January 3rd 2013...wow that sounds weird right? Time is FLYING by right now and as you can see baby Luke is just getting cuter and cuter! LOVE that boy! Hope everyone had an amazing New Years! I think 2012 will be the best yet. :)

Last Christmas the Two of Us

2011-12-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

This makes me smile...A LOT! We did our normal arrangement of Christmas Eve with Jonny's Fam and Christmas Morning with my fam! Highlight of my day was being able to talk to my sister Kelly who is on our mission right now is Washington DC.

The Kids before Bed- the had a whole plan of how to "Catch Santa" that night- Most of Jonny's fam spent the night at his sisters Jenn's place all together.

This was our LAST Christmas together- and since I failed to get Jonny any surprises this year being sick and all- I woke up early- cleaned the house and made his peanut butter cookies (his fav)
After spending the morning with JUST the husband- which was fantastic- we went to my family's place where we all played with the newest addition to the family- isn't he just scrumptious?!!!
Sara found Jonny asleep within 5 minutes of holding Luke- he's a natural :)
The highlight of ALL of our day was getting to talk with Kelly for 45 minuites before eating our AMAZING tradition of homemade breakfast Croissants :)

We had an amazing day with family and CAN'T WAIT for next year when little Declan will be joining the family! :)

Takahashi Family Photo Shoot

2011-12-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun taking a mini photo shoot for my sister in laws family today. Despite not the best lighting and the muddy circumstances I think we caught a few really sweet moments. :)

Some Much Needed Bestie Time

2011-12-16T19:12:00.001-08:00

After getting my new position at work I have MISSED having my best friend next to me daily! Today for our work Christmas party we got to leave half day and enjoy lots of free food, games, golf, and all sorts of fun stuff. FINALLY getting some MUCH needed time with my bestie. :) And yes- we enjoyed a ride on the carousel. I have been neglecting this blog a bit since I have another blog I write everything out on- but I do have some fun things I will be posting in the next few days so stay tuned...:)

Welcome Baby Luke!!!!!

2011-11-29T08:37:00.001-08:00

I know. I look a little obsessed with this child. That's because I am. I have always been obsessed with my nieces and nephews but it's a whole different experience when it's your sister having a baby. Sara and Jake did so good for their first time- and this little guy is a STUD! I mean seriously check out that hair- I seriously can't wait to see what Jonny and mine looks like now- 6 months to go!!!!

He has our famous chin- my daddy's chin :) I think he totally looks like my sister!
Daddy trying to take care of baby after the shots- he honestly had the cutest little quiet cry

Mom after a hard day's labor- she really did so good!!! And is holding my growing belly- and I do mean growing.
Mommy and her little bear.
All the sister- we were ALL gawking over the baby- I'm sure the nurse was annoyed and trying to kick us out. haha!
And of course the first family photo- or one of them at least!
I finally got my turn to hold little Luke- he was SO wide awake and moving around a bunch! So active!
And the handsom little man himself!
The coolest twist of the evening- one of my good friends went into labor at the SAME time literally across the hall from Sara- I got to do double duty and go visit BOTH mammas before delivery and the babies of course after- I guessed they would deliver at 11:22. Bailey delivered at 11:22 and Sara at 11:24!!! I think it's my maternal instincts kicking in :) This one is Jonny holding Bailey and Chris's little one- he was totally freaked at first but I think he is gonna get the hang of it real soon.:) CONGRATS to both mammas last night! So excited for you both!

A lot to be grateful for

2011-11-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

This year I feel I have SO much to be grateful for. For those who have had to feel the pains of infertility- it's more than a feeling of childlessness, it feels like loss. This is the FIRST time I have EVER been pregnant, felt like I am adding to our little family, or felt truly complete. Life is hard. I have had my fair share of trials, like most of us have, but Heavenly Father has ALWAYS been there for me. I have always had GOOD family and friends, and a husband who loves me. After going through loosing our home a year ago, getting back into a house, EVEN though it's renting , makes me SO GRATEFUL. And oddly enough I am grateful for the trials I have had because I feel like I have so much more gratitude in my heart for what I do have now. I feel like I know what truly matters now more than ever.

I hope everyone is having an amazing Thanksgiving this year! Can't wait to spend mine with the people I love. My waistline might expand a bit this week- just sayin maternity pants are needed today with all that pie! :) I am not sure about you guys- but it sounds like I will be in line all night again waiting for Black Friday- here we are last year- waiting for Jonny's X Box at Target- it was FREEZING! I think I just like cuddeling in line with hot cocoa more than the good deals :) I am grateful for this guy here- he is not perfect, but he is mine. We have been through SO much together and have now been married almost 8 YEARS! YIKES! I am grateful for the gospel, my family and friends, good jobs, my cute puppy, and of course my little peanut growing inside me right now that will be here in 6 MONTHS!!! Couldn't be happier.

My New Place! :)

2011-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

I am so super excited for our new place- we get the keys in a week- we don't really officially leave our apartment till the first week of December so we can slowly move in. We looked at LOTS of places in Gilbert- some that were MASSIVE and brand new and even cheaper than this one- but we LOVE the idea of a one story home at this point! SO much easier with a baby! It's 2800 sq feet has an awesome pool in the back that goes 6 ft deep- and gated for the baby. :) My FAVORITE part of the house is the Master Bedroom- it's massive and has a huge bathroom and walk in closet (MAN I missed that! ) AND an awesome room off of the bedroom that can either be used for the baby or for a small workout room- I'm thinken the baby needs her own room. It has another master suite in the house- kind of a mother in law unit- perfect for when our moms stay to help out with our little one. It's four bedrooms plus that extra bedroom off the master- so perfect size for us. Hopefully I can put up some pictures of everything all decorated here soon. :) Our plan is to stay here a few years and then find a nice custom home (we hope) with exactly what we want in it. This is not a perfect home- but I am THRILLED to be out of the apartment. LOVED our little space- but a year is enough for me. :)

Hunger Games

2011-11-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Thought I would add a quick book review for those of you who like to read. :) I am not a HUGE reader but like a good book every now and then. Jonny and I decided to listen to a book on CD on one of our recent trips. I heard about The Hunger Games series from a few people, that it was a fun action sci fi type book and the movie is coming out next year! :) Jonny doesn't really read but loved the series SO much that has literally finished ALL three books without me. I am a little behind ALMOST done with the first book after taking a massive break from reading...pregnancy makes me tired- and reading makes that worse. :) But I am LOVING this book and will have it done in the next few days. The cast looks like it will be good for the upcoming movie. Check out the cast HERE. So if you are need of a good read- get started on this series because the first movie comes out March of 2012. Is anyone else getting excited for the midnight showing of Twilight? The fourth book was my fav!! Sure the acting is kinda lame- but I am still entertained, and that's okay with me.

Maternity Shoot

2011-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

This was a first for me so my poor sister had to deal with my lack of skill. :) But hey it takes practice and time to get any good right? It was fun to have such a beautiful model for my first shoot. Seriously though...she looks amazing right? She definitely has the glow going on and I hope to look as fabulous as her! She has 4 weeks to go till little Luke makes his appearance! Congratulations Baby Sister!!! Hopefully you don't hate me for posting these- You look fabulous!

ps. Please keep in mind these are NOT edited! She just looks this good naturally. :) Had so many good ones to choose from so these are just a few.

San Antonio Texas

2011-10-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

San Antonio Texas is where we spent out Halloween weekend pretty much. We were gone Wednesday through Sunday- I must say that it was MUCH more beautiful than I expected! I should have taken more pictures but have been a bit lazey as of late- this photo doesn't do the riverwalk justice! We stayed at the Hyaitt right on the river walk- walking distance to the convention center where Jonny's business convention was at.

I have to brag a bit about my husband so I hope you don't mind. :) He was finally recognized for getting to Pro 7- which I am so proud of all his hard work paying off! He also got to speak in front of about 2500 people on a "Men's Panel" where he got to answer questions of how he got where he is at. The last question he answered got me and a lot of other people in the audience to tears and he got a standing ovation! He did so good- public speaking is something I have NEVER been able to do- I literally can't comprehend it! All these guys did fantastic and the few days we were there we heard some AMAZING inspirational stories! :)

We were SO PROUD of our group! No kidding! We love getting to spend time with all our friends- we were especially proud of the many people who also our advancing in rank! I think that is probably the coolest part of multi level marketing- getting to see others achieve their goals as well!
The first night we were there was a nightmare- our freakin airconditioning went out so they gave us a HUGE suite to stay in as well- so we had a party with our downline...:) The room was packed!
Here is Jonny getting recognized for Pro 7!!! :)
Ad our only picture we took together was at this YUMMY Mexican restaurant on the River walk!

My Month off Work

2011-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I took about a month off work to be relaxed during this whole in vitro process. :) I can't believe it's over and I'm already back at work! The first two weeks were dealing with the treatments, constant Dr.'s appointments and bed rest at home which was fabulous! Jonny wouldn't let me do a thing so I literally just watched TV ALL DAY LONG. After that we went to Hawaii for a week...found out we were in deed pregnant, then took a trip to California for a family wedding, and ended the trip in Vegas with four fabulous days splurging in a resort. I didn't really get any pictures in Vegas but California I got to meet some of Jonny's extended family I had never met before!

Lovin on our niece....:)

The Italian side of the family I got to meet- LOVE this family :)

Jonny is going to be such a great dad- he decided to bribe the kids by paying them to eat their veggies...haha! It worked!

Then I bribed them to come dance with me :)

And the Bride and Groom- absolutely beautiful ceremony! Glad we were able to make it! :)

Shopping in Lahaina

2011-09-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

One of the days we all went down to Lahaina (my fav!)for shopping and good food! This is the side of Island we usually go to so it feels like home which I love! This shopping area is right against the ocean which is breathtaking! All the restaurants are literally right over the water- makes dining SO much more fun! The day was fun and we got some fun new stuff (although I must say shopping in Hawaii- food or otherwise is EXPENSIVE! No kidding a gallon of milk is like $6! Makes it hard to justify shopping.:)

Another Hawaii Post

2011-09-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Had to take pictures of the amazing resort! SO beautiful! Although I still think I like the last one I stayed at better- location was better and nicer room and WAY better beds! Still amazing grounds though

The boys being silly

Jon and I at the Life Vantage Evening Party they had

A few nights before that we went to a traditional Hawaii Luau with our group- Jonny's favorite part: the fire dancer. He was named number one in the world they said the past three years! CRAZY good!

And of course girls in coconuts (I think that was Jonny's fav...haha totally kidding)

Group participation on stage- half of the people up there are from Life Vantage!

Ignore how close I am to the shirtless man- didn't even realize...haha

Getting ready to eat the pic (the food was actually good unlike other ones I have been to- I still refused to eat the pig though)

Blue Water Rafting/ Dinner at Humuhumunkunukhapuaa

2011-09-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

We had dinner at this yummy place at the resort- could never figure out how the heck to pronounce it! But I loved the cool "huts on the water" atmosphere- and that picture of our desert was AMAZING!

Below: These are a few of the pics at the Blue Water rafting excursion I wasn't allowed to go on- but I decided to let Jonny go- They went on these fun boats that were super fast (WAY to bouncy for a pregnant lady!) They went snorkeling and saw an eels, lots of fish including Dori from Finding Nemo :) and an Octopus!!! When they were going back on the oats a bunch of dolphins were surrounding the boats doing all sorts of flips- SO sad I missed out on this! They say dolphins know when your pregnant and will follow you around to protect you!! One of the girls on board WAS pregnant- a little further along (probably not as panicked as I was) and I figure that's why the dolphins got so close! SO cool!! Jonny's camera ran out of space and these are the only pics he got. :(

This is a valconic formation...

One more post of pics- then I should be done- TRUST me trying to narrow down pictures of Hawaii is HARD. :)

Maui Revealed

2011-09-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

I posted these pictures in backward order- but am too lazy to fix them! :)We went to Costco finally and baught the "Maui Revealed" book...BEST BOOK EVER for trips to Hawaii. Our friends Heather and Sam told us about those years ago on our first trip (THANKS Heather!!!)Everyone says Road to Hana is too exhausting to do after doing it once (SO untrue!) You just have to know where to go and how to do the trip! :) We have been to Maui now four times and did Road to Hana on three of the trips- totally worth it every time because of this book! It tells you exactly where to go! So we took several of our life vantage friends- went on one of the fun hikes and then drove back 3 or 4 hours later- ate at Paia Fish Market on the way back (mmm SO GOOD!) So start at the bottom at # 1. and work your way up to see our fun adventure! :)

#12 Sorry about the bad quality of pics- because we had to swim- we could only bring an underwater camera( here was the last waterfall) with the boys about to jump!

#12. We climbed this last little waterfall to find our Oasis. No one was there but us- we stayed there for a few hours before hiking back- we had SO much fun! The whole area just felt like a big screen saver.

#11. All the ladies attempting to use the tube to cross this part- we moved VERY slowly!
#10. To get to the fourth waterfall (which we didn't get to last time we did this trip) you have to swim 100 feet in nasty smelling rotten guava water. There was a random Pink tube that Blue found and brought to the pregnant lady to use. :)
#9. Top of the second waterfall
# 8. The ladies. :)
#7. The random ladder in the middle of nowhere we have to climb to get to the next waterfall.
#6. This was the first waterfall (there were four total if you make it to the top) Here is Blue making the first jump!

#5. We got to hike through this amazing bamboo forest- literally covered the top so the sun could barley shine through-

#4. I didn't do much climbing and jumping- but Jonny sure did. Him and Colt were like Monkeys!

#3. This was our group that went with us that day- made the trip so fun! We were laughing pretty much the whole time. I had A LOT of help from everyone being that I was sorta on bed rest- haha!

#2. We had lots of little hurdles like jumping across boards, climbing ladders and rocks, swimming across waterfalls to get to our end destination. Made this trip SO FUN!

#1. This is the opening on the side of the road that we go into to find the trail- looks suspicious but is SO BEAUTIFUL inside- you literally step over the barbed wire and make your way back on the trail- so pretty!!!!! If you are on the Road to Hana- you literally go 6.6 miles to find this little opening (we would have never known with out the book) P.S These two are our good friends Bernalyn and Stephan- we had LOTS of people ask if he was Obama- for reals- SO funny!!!!! He really does look like him- but WAY better...just sayin! He is 60 years old and this guy was cliff jumping the whole time! LOVE these guys!

Relaxing at the Pool in Hawaii

2011-09-28T15:51:00.001-07:00

I of course took way too many pictures of our trip to Hawaii this past week- we did A LOT of relaxing at the pool since our resort pool was flippen amazing! They literally had a water elevator to take you to the slides- pretty awesome! Here are some pics of us relaxing at the pool- there are MANY more pics to come!

Amazing Sunsets Every Night!

Hanging Out with the Ladies!

They had a rope swing that everyone had tons of fun playing on

Here is Jonny's GUILTY face- he LOST his rind and had a huge group of our friends looking for it- I guess two other guys lost their wedding rings in their too on this trip- ridiculous!

Playing Volley ball with all our Life Vantage Friends!

The first battle wound in Hawaii

Every morning we had this amazing free breakfast buffet- Made it easy to get even MORE fat! :)

More pics to come!

My Best Friends Wedding

2011-09-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

I was so happy that I was able to attend my best friends wedding Saturday! I wish her a LONG life of happiness because she deserves it! She is such a beautiful bride right?? :) I only caught a few good pictures since Jonny wanted me off my feet most of the time- but here are a few- LOVE YOU JENN!!!

The Beautiful Bride the moment before the walk down the isle! :)

The Ceremony

Me & the bestie on the wedding day

"The Kiss" at the ceremony

This one's for Aunt Jenn. :)

Life Recently

2011-09-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes. Life has gone on despite the fact I eat, drink, sleep, and constantly think about fertility treatments. I have been still working a lot and trying to have fun on the weekends to keep my mind off things. A few weeks ago we drove out SUPER far to my sister in laws new BEAUTIFUL massive home and went to their little swim park their with the fam and had so much fun spending time with my adorable nieces and nephews- am in LOVE with this girl :)

Had a fun girls night out with my lady pals Raina and Tessa at Oreganos (SO glad I got to hang with you gals that night- so needed!) That pazookie was AMAZING!

Yesterday we went to Sunsplash with a group of about 100 other people in Jonny's company Life Vantage- so here are a few pics of the day! :)

Here are Jonny and Randy after riding the massive white slide- I was too chicken- and in pain. (dang ovaries)

Not gonna lie- This slide behind me was SO FUN! 4 of us rode that thing together like 3 times in a row- haha!

The Life Vantage Family that we could round up- I took the picture and a few of us are missing- but here are the one's we could round up.

Sara and Dorian

Kara and Randy

Oh and before Jonny and I got to Sunsplash we made a quick stop to Costa Vida for lunch and found these awesome Back to the Future Cars- who knew there were so many back to the future nerds!

The Sunset on the drive home from Sunsplash. I know it's not the greatest shot but I have seriously been LOVING this weather these past few days- :)

We ended the night with Freddy's hamburgers and shakes (OH MY GOSH THEY ARE TO DIE FOR) I had NO idea! And went to the movie Contagion for Jonny's sisters Birthday. Just a little recap of what we have been up to as of late. LESS than 2 Weeks till Hawaii people-getting excited!!! :)

So Much to Tell

2011-08-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

I had so many exciting things happen in the past week I have been excited to share.

#1 My hubby made Pro 7

For those of you who don’t know my husband is a professional multilevel marketer- and he’s dang good at it too.:) He ranked up this last trip which was a big deal for us and we have some amazing things happening right now to give us the financial freedom we need to travel and BOTH stay at home to raise a family.:) I am extremely proud of this boy for all the work he has put in- this is making life A LOT easier at this point. BECAUSE of this he was able to win a trip to Hawaii- thus bringing me to good news #2.

#2. We won an incentive trip to Hawaii I had NO idea we would get!
I am SO EXCITED to go back to Maui in a short 7 weeks time! September we will be staying at the Grand Wailea FOR FREE! I’m thrilled!:) http://www.grandwailea.com/ For real though check this place out! We have good friends going and will get to chill on the beach for a week- SUCH good news!!!!! Now to the best news of all…

#3. My husband had an AMAZING surprise this week that made me a happy wife!:)

FIRST of all- I got to my hotel right next to Disney Land and Jonny booked us with this amazing 800 ft suite that I wasn’t expecting. He wanted to make this particular trip special for me since it was partially a business trip. He had chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us in the room which just made my night.:) I didn’t think it could get any better- but it did.

The next day was the business convention. Jonny was being a little secretive and slipped out for an hour- kind of confused me but didn’t think much of it. We were sitting on the sidelines while in front of a massive group of about 2,000 people our friends started talking about our story on stage. I was confused…still…but listened.

They talked about how we have struggled to be able to have a family and that it was hard to come up with the funds needed for in vitro. (We were planning on doing in vitro in January- waiting for the $15,000 cash to be all saved up) Then she said “Brittany all I can say is you need to talk to Jonny right now.” Jonny came over to me - crying- handing me a present and a card. The present had two baby outfits, animal crackers, and a card that said he had PAID for in vitro and called my doctor (behind my back) to book us to do in vitro for September! So there it is- I was thinking about keeping this quiet- but 2,000 people now know anyways- haha! SO- it’s official I am doing the transfer September 16th- ONE week before Hawaii- Talk about amazing timing. Couldn’t be happier!:) My husband is the best in all the land. Just sayin- I feel lucky.:) Please pray for us- we have been married almost 8 YEARS- it's our turn now- so I really hope this works! I will be posting all the details on my other blog- if you don’t have an invite and want one please let me know.:)

Here are the friends who went on stage to tell our story: Thank you Eric and Trish!:)

This is right when Jonny gave me the gift:

The inside of the gift Jonny gave me:

Here is what the card said:

The next day they played a few minute video about us and our story in front of that massive group- a little embarrassing- but fun to be a part of such a big family who are all so supportive!

On another note- we went to the Orange County Fair with some friends for the first time!:) We rode this AMAZING scary ride that I wouldn't mind doing again one of these days!

Now onto a few Disney Land photos:

Jonny brought me yummy Starbucks to start the day off:

We did 2 days at Disney Land and California Adventures which felt like JUST the right amount of time to get in all the necessary rides. Now that I am back I am busy working on getting things back to normal - as normal as things can be- scheduling out everything for in vitro and planning for Hawaii!!!!!:) Can't complain- this past week was SO what I needed!

No Heat Curls- and Lexi

2011-07-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP3k1t0LjQc&feature=related

Okay- please ignore my awesome picture going on and only pay attention to the hair- I am trying out all these "NO HEAT" curl tutorials on youtube and pinterest lately- I will probably have to tweak this one a bit- it turned out to be the most humid day EVER in Arizona it felt like- so my hair is now in a ponytail- half way through the day- those who know me well know my hair doesn't stay down long anyways- Oh and PLEASE ignore the awesome roots going on and split ends- I am getting my hair done tonight thank goodness- and am thinken I am going for some bangs- not sure I can rock em or not- but SO need some change! Growing your hair out get's so boring!!!! But for reals- I let my hair air dry last night- spent five minuites following the tutorial and woke up with some beachy curls. Not bad in 5 min! PLUS when I scrunch my hair it feels all crunchy- where these tutorials keep your hair nice and soft.:) Try it out!

I am thinking about trying to rock some bangs like this.... this is brave for me :)

AND- Just because I think she's cute:

Lexi with my pet Panda on my bed (Thanks Jenn for my pillow pet!)
- You can't totally tell here- but I looked over and she was sleeping on the pillow with the blankets on her- like a human.

On the very center of my bed- she always finds the softest spots to sleep!:) Happy Monday!!

Because I'm a freak like that:

2011-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

I am probably one of the BIGGEST Harry Potter fans out there- it didn't start out this way though. When the first and second movies came out I was a non believer- I made fun of my little sisters for being so obsessed with a stupid kid movie. Kelly one night FORCED me to sit down and watch it luckily. She promised I would love it- and I did. Ever since then I have been at every midnight showing- usually dressed up and waiting in line for hours with all the crazed fans- and I love it! I don't know if my life will feel complete now that it's all over! My dream vacation that my husband will take me on one of these days: Harry Potter Land in Florida! How amazing would that be?! I am obsessed with this last movie- of course went to the midnight showing dressed up- but have now officially seen it TWICE! Can I just say that I think my husband is pretty amazing? He knows EXACTLY what to do when I am having a bad day. Yesterday I had a rough day- so my hubby asked if he could meet up with me by my work to take me out to lunch. Lunch turned into buying me lots of new fabulous clothes- and ending with going to the I MAX theater in 3D to see Harry Potter the second time. Did I mention he knows me OH SO WELL? It made it all better.:) And the IMAX was worth EVERY penny!!! Go see it there if you haven't! INCREDIBLE!!!! Ya know what else is incredible?? My bestie GOT ENGAGED last week!!!!!! Now onto planning Bachlorette party number 2- not sure how to make it as epic as the last one though.:)

A few of the things my hubby spoiled me with- these AWESOME knock off TOMS from Tilly's- some new clothes for our trip to Disney Land next week-and this new syionic strength band- have you heard of it?? It's a performance enhanced band with frequencies to equalize and optimize your body's natural energy field, with the result of enhancing your physical well-being and performance potential. It gives increased strength and stamina, heightened balance, improved flexibility and motion, diminished tension and stress (HECK YA!) and reduced motion sickness and jetlag. It promises A LOT for $25- haha! BUT I did this awesome test at the mall on balance and it totally worked- SOLD! (I'm such a guppy for a nice salesman) haha! I am trying to get in a good running routine- so hopefully this helps!

Happy Birthday America

2011-07-07T20:53:00.001-07:00

4th of July we went up to Prescott to hang out with Jonny's fam. His Uncle just bought this amazing home there with a beautiful wrap around porch (my dream!) My little balcony is just NOT cutting it for all the storm watching I like to do.:) Maybe I am a little obsessed with my nephews and nieces...who wouldn't though- aren't they cute??!!!!!!

Dust Storm Photos

2011-07-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know already- I am OBSESSED with monsoon season- since I was little I would go outside and watch the storms rather than bundle up inside. I remember one other storm like this- about ten years ago- but haven't seen anything like it since. Watching it from the third floor- even better. :) The last pictures I took you couldn't see anything. Within 5 minuites it was pitch black. Couldn't resist posting.:)

mmmm....food!!

2011-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

ALL I can think about is food right now- on hcg...again. I know. Crazy. What a girl will do to fit in her skinny jeans.:) I took these about a week ago (pre hcg of course.) You really should try these AMAZING Breads you can get at Costco! I made pizza's with them that night- the night after I dipped them in oil and garlic and cooked them on a frying pan- even tastier! They were crispy and delicious! So try em if you can! The spinach and cheese & Jalapeno white cheddar were my fav.:) SIGH...if only I could eat more than 500 calories today.

Wishing...

2011-06-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wishing today I was on a beach.:( This may not be the nicest beach- but I don't really care- it's too freakin HOT right now to be in Arizona! Thinking on my trip to Disney Land in a few weeks I might need a beach day. Sounds lovley right about now.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes! :)

2011-06-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Things have changed a bit over here which I am extremely grateful for! I was going a bit insane being at the same job doing the SAME thing for the past almost 7 years now! The big downside to this change is not being able to hang out with my BEST friend every single day 10 hours a day.:( The upside however- FINALLY doing something different everyday. I am moving to the nice ten story building for UOP- which has a nice cafeteria and gym AND I get a GINORMOUS cubicle! Who would think you could be happy for a cube? I'm thrilled.:) Best part. I got chosen to be a part of this awesome new project for UOP. I am on a new team (same manager- some of the others on my old team got brought over as well) and we are helping with a new program they are developing for all the counselors on the floor. That's all I can say- it's TOP secret. No not really- still exciting though. My new job title you ask? A TALENT SCOUT. What the heck kind of name is that anyway- sounds awful so they are working on a new title.

I have also been enjoying my new work schedule- this consists of 4 10 hour days and one half day a week. I usually take a half day Wednesday to break up the week a bit. I have LOVED being able to just hang out with my hubby all day though! So work is FINALLY going really good!:) School is chuggin along- getting prepared for my Praxis test right now, and still working on getting all my testing done for the fertility stuff. I'm moving in November-Lots of changes- but all for the good.:)

(A picture from Johny Rockettes on one of our half-day Wednesdays) Doubled up on movies and watched X-Men and Super 8- both AMAZING movies by the way! SO many good movies coming out right now- pretty much jumping for joy right now!)

Camping Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-04T11:45:00.001-07:00

We decided last minute to go camping for Memorial Day Weekend with our friends and fam- It was a blast minus the fact we all pretty much went home a day early because of the crazy wind. Andrea and Seth (Some of my best friends from highschool) happened to be camping in the same area Jonny's whole family was going- so we combined camp sites with their fam and loved it! It was SO nice to be away from the heat for a few days! Plus we had lots of fun activities to do- we went fishing on our little boat at the lake, ate food, rode quads, ate food, played horse shoes, ate food...oh ya and made s' mores by the fire...MORE food. Jonny went out and bought a generator- JUST so we could watch movies in our tent...ridiculous...I know. So we got to watch a scary movie on a t.v...in our tent. I think a generator MAY just make it possible to camp- for JUST the two of us our truck was filled to the TOP with stuff...Jonny brought his new bow and arrow he is so proud of- he claims he will be providing us dinner one of these days with it. Luckily no animals were harmed this trip! I convinced him to be careful because there were 4 tiny dogs roaming loose between all of us. Lexi LOVED being able to roam around in the wilderness (pure bliss) oh AND there were lots of tiny children running around- maybe next time he can provide a meal with his new toy when he doesn't run the risk of harming animals and children. haha! I must say though- being married for 7 years and I think we have finally got most of the camping gear we need to REALLY enjoy our next camping trip.:)

30 Day Photo Fun

2011-06-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

Think I want to try this.:) I know I am a bit late and have some catching up to do- but I do LOVE to take pictures so it's right up my alley. Join in if you like-

http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/2011/05/photo-fun-in-june-come-join-party.html

Love this lady and her cute blog- couldn't resist the challenge.:)

Phantom of the Opera

2011-05-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

The husband has been traveling CONSTANTLY with business so he decided to surprise me with a quick trip to Vegas with him two weeks ago. He told me I was just riding along for a business trip- but in all reality he booked us the best seats ever for Phantom of the Opera!!! I had no idea and have never been. It truly was SO GOOD!! Minus the drunken Chinese man behind us trying to sing the songs...had to shoosh him a few times. Gotta love Vegas! He gave me this cute ring box that had a ring from the M&M store- no diamonds dang it!:) After about ten minutes walking on the strip I had to change my shoes. I think my husband was sick of my complaining and went into a random store and bought me these sandals. Sorry about the bad picture quality- these were taken on my cell phone. Wasn't about to lug a massive camera around with me on the strip! We went to dinner the first night at the Hard Rock Cafe (DELISH!)

We stayed at the MGM Grand the first night and the Renaissance the second night- oddly enough we liked the small place WAY better. We had NO idea the Billboard Music Awards were AT the MGM the weekend we were there. It was seriously PACKED! We also hung out a lot at the Venetian (that was were our show was at)...so pretty!
For dinner after our show we went to the famous Tao Restaurant/Night club. Everyone kept referring us to this tastey asian bistro- so we went NOT knowing it was a crazy nightclub with ALMOST naked ladies all over the place as their "decor" haha. It was so packed we got out of dinner at 2 AM. It was as promised though- really yummy! So if you want dinner AND dancing- go there- that place was crazy!
The pool at the MGM was honestly like a big water park- FUN but packed!
Vegas is not my favorite place in the world but it's fun for a nice weekend out- good entertainment and food.:) We have Disney Land coming up end of next month which I am looking forward too.:) REALLY though I am dreaming of a nice chill vacation somewhere tropical...Hawaii maybe??

Up

2011-05-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Jonny and I watched the movie "Up" today. Makes me cry literally every time. I honestly LOVE this movie- partially because I'm obsessed with dogs, I also adore the adventure book, and can relate to Ellie in this movie about the inability to have children. Jonny and I are dorky and watch kids movies (even without having babies in the home) The husband and I decided it's time for our own adventure book. I love in this movie that it's just the two of them their whole lives and they found a way to be happy. YES it's a cartoon- but I think it's do-able. NO I am NOT giving up on having babies- just finding our peace is all. What would be in your adventure book??? What is YOUR "Paradise Falls?"

Chicken and Black Bean Green Enchilada Rice Bake

2011-05-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Okay peeps, time for another yummy recipe you have to try! This one was definitely a hit in my household! I got this from the amazing "Picky Palate" blog- SO easy and quick and delish! So give it a try! Start with these ingredients:

You want to mix the chicken, enchilada sauce, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper, and cumin...yummm -OH and I added a can of green chillies for some spice.:)
Looks like this tastiness:
JUST put the rice and some black beans added on top down first...as so:
THEN add the delicious mixture on top- followed by a layer of cheese...it seriously melts to perfection in the oven in 30 minutes tops!
I added sour cream and chalula on top- the husband was impressed.:) Then for SUCH healthy desert- easy peasy strawberry shortcake...mmmmm :)
REALLY though- check out this ladies blog- amazingness!!!! http://picky-palate.com/

Here is the exact recipe:

2 cups white long grain rice

2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast

One 15-ounce can mild green enchilada sauce

One 4-ounce can sliced black olives

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Ground Cumin

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Cook rice according to package directions.

3. Place chicken, enchilada sauce, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper and cumin into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Pour cooked rice into prepared baking dish and layer beans on top of rice. Pour chicken mixture over rice and top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is hot.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Salt Lake Temple

2011-04-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Had to take a shot of all the million brides I saw!!

Easter and conference = AMAZING flowers at the temple- the colors were gorgeous!

I loved this cute family taking pictures before being sealed for time and all eternity.

The blossoms were in full bloom and all over the place.:)

I was able to go through the live session at the Salt Lake Temple which was sooo cool! That temple is beautiful! I still think the inside of the Sand Diego temple is the most beautiful I have seen yet- Here are a few pics I took while I was there- I was there on a Saturday and saw about 14 brides walking around! CRAZY!!!! It was a beautiful day out and perfect time for some pics.:) These were just a few- I took a ton though of course!

Salt Lake City Trip

2011-04-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to attend out FIRST convention ever for Life Vantage which we were super stoked about! It was a looong drive but totally worth it! We stayed at the Marriott which was walking distance from the Salt Lake Temple- made it PERFECT for working on my goal of going to 3 new temples this year! (Two down- ONE to go!) It was fun to see how many people from our group came- each time it's getting a little bigger which is exciting!!! We met some AMAZING people and are so excited to get going with this! The next big trip is too Hawaii which we will be workin hard to earn.:) I was so sad though to be SO close to the MTC and NOT be able to see my baby sister! They have new rules- I couldn't even bring her goodies. :( I will be posting pics of the temple soon.:)

Mmmmm Can't Get Enough of This Lately!!!

2011-04-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

SUGAR & SALT!!!!!

Seriously though...It's time for a diet...I need some motivation these days! I mean do you see those fruit loops with marsh mellows BEST MIX EVER!!!! Just sayin- if you're feelin fat like me- head on over to the sugar cereals and you will be in carb heaven for a few days...:)

Zesty Crock Pot Chicken Fettuccine

2011-04-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

My sister got this amazing cookbook for her wedding and I have been trying out all these scrumptious (yet fattening) meals. This one was blog worthy- thought I would share! SO EASY, CHEAP, oh and YUMMY!!!! Check it out!!
All You need is:

4-6 Frozen chicken Breasts

1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup of Margarine or Butter (I chose Butter)

1 Package of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix- DRY (I didn't have this so I made my own from a recipe online)

1 Package of Cream Cheese

I can Cream of Chicken Soup

First you combine the chicken, butter, broth, and seasoning in the Crockpot and let it sit for about 3- 4 hours on the high heat setting...Looks like this- It was seriously so tasty just on it's own!

THEN: Chicken should shred into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for another half an hour. Add milk or heavy cream if the sauce is too thick. Serve over noodles or rice. Viola!!! Dinner for the fam.:) I threw it over linguine and it was divine!!!! It's super creamy and flavorful! Enjoy.:)

New Blog

2011-03-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

http://ovulationfail.blogspot.com/

The New Blog is up and Running-(sort of) it's ugly because I have no idea how to work this new "blog template" designs- so bare with me.:) Invites are out and should and in your email boxes.:) Hope every one is having a good Sunday!

P.S

2011-03-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

One more thing- so I was thinking on my long drive home from work today about starting a specific blog for the infertility stuff- with tips that I have learned (obviously haven't worked yet) and mainly to be able to be more specific on this journey. Now- it will be private, mainly because it may get too detailed...haha, and as well, I will forewarn it will probably be the place I vent. So, this way not everyone is forced to read my sob story. I believe I have most of your email addresses from last time- not sure who wants an invite though...so readers beware-but if you would like an invite let me know.:)

Not Gonna Do it!

2011-03-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Not gonna be negative! Yesterday I had a REALLY hard day- we got some news from my doctor that just sent me in a sprial- reminded me of that FIRST time I was told I was infertile. It's the last thing anyone would expect or ever want to hear. I felt broken last night and wrote a post for the blog- vented out details and painful feelings...and then deleted it. I don't have a choice right now but to remain positive amongst the trials- so I am choosing to rise above it and be grateful for what I DO have- be grateful for my body being healthy for the most part. Seeing everything that happened in Japan made me realize how much we truly have to be grateful for.:) Heather B (you know who you are:)- your post on your blog ALSO reminded me of how important is to remember those small things that bring so much joy! So I am grateful...for good friends, an AMAZING husband who puts up with my emotional breakdowns every other day right now, a good job, and having the gospel in my life. Thought it was an appropriate time to "revisit" my 26 things to do when I am 26 list- a reminder of what I need to work on- so here it is in all it's glory.:) This reminded me that I haven't touched this list in a while and need to get started!

1. Read the Book of Mormon - NO where near being done- this was a good reminder to work on this though...haha
2. Go to temple sessions at 3 different temples this year (1 Down -San Diego, 2 to go)
3. Teach Lexi a Trick- tried...and failed
4. Get Pregnant (NOT yet)
5. Start my Masters Degree- DONE!

6. Grow my Hair Out- working progress
7. Learn to Run 5 Miles straight- FAIL
8. Get Myself a Car!!!!!!!! Almost! Got the money this week and should have it in the next 2 weeks!
9. Get a hot bod!!!FAIL

10. Watch ALL of the Harry Potter’s before the New one comes out- have one more to watch I think
11. Read the Last Harry Potter Book- read half of it...haha
12. Bake Double Fudge Homemade Oreo Cookies for Jonny-DONE they were so YUMMY
13. Get our own Place (Any place withOUT other people will do)( CHECK!)
14. Bowl a Turkey (Three strikes in a row)-Yes but it was online bowling-SpongeBob Square pants bowling to be exact)
15. Learn How to Grill something (turn the grill on and off)- It really scares me- Nope
16. Find Jenn a New Husband- HOT MAN (working progress.:)
17. Shoot my New Gun-Not yet
18. Learn to play a song on the piano- any song will do since I have never played before (FAIL)
19. Take a dance class(Nope)
20. Work on starting Personal Progress (long story) Sorta started
21. Finish my 40 Hours volunteering at the children’s hospital Not quite there yet
22. Go to the Grand Canyon (NEVER been!)Not yet
23. Plan a Hike here in AZ- Nope (Anyone want to go?)
24. Make Strawberry Jam -Nope
25. Re read (or listen) to all the conference talks I figure I will wait toill conference to retry this one
26. Bust out my Flute! Haven't played that in YEARS!!! Not yet

See. Told ya-ways to go.:) It does tend to keep my mind on other things then babies though which helps.:) I made a poster at work to help me stay motivated there as well...our team decided to make vision posters and kind of add on there why we are working there

I added all sorts of things on there to motivate my lazy butt! There has been way too much good tv latley to think about doing anything when I get home! Don't judge. So I feel rejuvinated and am ready for a new beginning- let's get this list DONE!:)

Baby Hermana Allen

2011-03-20T21:36:00.001-07:00

We made shirts for Kelly and surprised her when we said goodbye.:)

Saying Goodbye to Bubba

I say "BABY" Hermana Allen because to me she is JUST a baby!!!! Now keep in mind when looking at these photos that it was freakin 4 in the morning when we woke up for this event and were up the night before hanging out as long as we could- no need for editing because it won't do any good with these pictures.:) We waited at the airport with her till the last possible second we could- it took FOREVER to let her go and was extremely emotional for all of us. Kelly will be the first missionary in the fam so it was a new experience for us. I am still foreign to how all of this works. I am posting her blog that I am apparently now in charge of- she started it and took off without giving me the login or password so I haven't had a chance to fix it up yet. Here it is for those of you who know Kelly and would like to follow along. I will be posting weekly letters from her and pictures. I feel so blessed to be able to her all of her cool experiences. Hope all of you are having a good start to the week! I know I am with this amazing weather.:) LOVE the stormy clouds today! http://hermanaallen.blogspot.com/

4 More Days

2011-03-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Only 4 more days till our clan of four becomes a clan of 3.:( She leaves Wednesday morning at 5 AM on her mission to Washington DC (Spanish Speaking) I will miss this girl. She is a beautiful and has a heart of gold! Today I took the day off of work to live it up with these gals for another day. Here are a few pics we took this morning! I must say she is one brave soul to move away from home for so long! She is honestly going to make the BEST missionary though! This Sunday is the open house for those who would like to go.:) You can call me or go to her face book for details. LOVE you Kell Bell!!!!

Family Fast

2011-03-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you SOOOOO much for all your loving support! I must say you guys helped A LOT! I am realizing more and more as much as I WANT to buy all new stuff for this future baby of mine- it's not really necessary. I really do want to get one of those video monitors though-if I am spending this much effort to have this baby including but not limited to:

-months and months of Drugs
-Artificial Insemination (which failed 3 times)
-Thousands of dollars spent
-holding a magic rock (that should supposedly get me pregnant)
-Standing on my head after sex- yep I did it
-Billions of pregnancy test
-being poked and prauded
-literally going to ultrasounds like every week for a while
-Lots of tears
-Lots of Prayers
-Giving myself shots in the butt (OUCH)
-WAY too many people looking at my "Who Ha" (whatever you would like to call it is fine:)
-Keeping a "fertility doll" from Africa under my pillow at night (You name it, I've tried it)
-And SO much more! If I am going to work THIS hard for this baby- I am going to make sure to do this thing the right way with the right stuff!

I am not looking forward to all the emotional stuff to come in trying this ALL over again, but am grateful for good friends and family to help me through all of this. We will be doing a family fast from Saturday (This weekend) 6 pm to Sunday for us to know what direction to head in getting a new addition to the family. As well that whatever we decide that it actually WORKS! It may be a few months away but we really want to be prepared this time and make sure we are going the direction that the lord wants us to go. Whoever would like to join in on this fast or even just pray for us is definitley welcome and appreciated!:) I love all of your advice though and will use ALL of it!

I kinda want one...

2011-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Heck! I wouldn't mind two...

So I am trying to think positive...because this year it's gotta happen! It has to happen...I'm getting old. So I need the truth behind all of this (No I am not pregnant yet) Just planning, preparing, and hoping and was silly enough to check out all the gadgets needed for this adventure. It seems like A LOT of stuff...and I'm concerned is all. So what's the truth!
Do I need a jogging, full size, AND a lightweight stroller for reals??!!!! And do I need the most expensive car seat? What about all these jumpers, swings, walkers, gyms, and play-sets? I am little lost at this stuff, and am probably jumping the gun...but I have some good stuff in store for the months to come and want to be prepared. You know the Movie/Book The Secret? Fake it till you make it is basically the concept...so I'm fakin it. Any advice on all these gadgets would be helpful.:)

Football and Birthday Shout-outs!

2011-02-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am extremely behind in my blogging right now and every time I think about starting a post I think...."hmmmm can't be bothered." Today I will be an overachiever and post something. I am loving the weather today! I am in my cozy little apartment (on the third floor) listening to the wind whistle. If you look outside it looks like it's Monsoon season again, which I will count down the days till it starts again!

A few weeks ago we had our "Online Super bowl." We had a bunch of teams play against each other for weeks and ended with one team from our coast (Team Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite) along with some team from another coast we won't mention- We are only a little sore they won! Since my manager was on Team Uncle Rico we were forced to really get involved. Not gonna lie- it was pretty fun! So here are some highlights!

How can you not love these signs! "Don't Bash the Stach!" Mine said "Marry me Uncle Rico"haha

Our coast decided to hire the Cardinals Mascot to help us out- he was hilarious and definitely helped with the crowd! Our side wore only black-while the other side wore all white.

Check out that Spirit!

Yes- I was a part of the last minute cheerleaders- we sucked pretty bad, but it was all in good fun!

This was us having a dance off with the other cheerleaders!

My boss Mike before the game

AND NOW...Birthday Shout out to my Bestie!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENN!!!!

Yes I stayed till about 11 the night before making this mess! I don't know what I would do without this girl!

PHOTO of the DAY!!!

Last but not least my husband watching super bowl! I love this picture for so many reason! FIRST- I walked in seeing him watch TV upside down- he has to use this contraption to help with his bad back. And secondly, in the background you can see how he homemade his own satellite out of a random hanger and wires he had laying around the house to watch the game. Ya, we roll like that. CLASSY!!!

More of Kelly

2011-02-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

So many to choose from- too many to edit, so these collages will have to do.:)

My Baby Sister

2011-02-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

One of my baby sisters is leaving on a mission in a few short weeks.:( She leaves for Washington DC (Spanish speaking) on May 16th!! This is too crazy for me! She asked if I would take a few pics to see if we could find a good plaque picture for the mish- so 200 pictures later we are all done.:) It was oodles of fun and I am soooo grateful that my camera is talented-because I still really don't know how to use it. Here are a few I edited- way too tired to get through the rest! Seriously though isn't she gorgeous! Check out that hair!! She was embarrassed through most of the photo shoot- so here are a few random ones I shot. Hope you are enjoying the super bowl. I know I'm not. Hence I am blogging while the mister is in the other room. Much more pleasurable.

I need a break.

2011-02-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

How can you be in your masters degree and NOT know how to form a full sentence?Seriously???????? I have been at this homework thing for hours now- and my learning team I am with sucks. This girl has got to be foreign and not know English very well because she just does NOT get it! I am seriously ready to pull my hair out! I had to go study for the Praxis Test from 8- 3 today, then on to finishing my learning teams portions of our assignment since they fail at life. Why do people have to make things so complicated? Okay, I'm done now. Happy Saturday.

My WB Frog

2011-01-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our big day but we aren't doing anything fancy. I have a stinken 3500 word paper due tomorrow, speaking of which I still have 800 words to get goin on tonight.:( Jonny decided to take me to this yummy restaurant we had never been to before called Chart House. If you haven't been there you should go. The steak I had there was divine! It's a pretty fun place in Scottsdale surrounded by water (a lake) so the environment is kinda fun too. I just had to post this picture of the menu. He called in advance to let them know it was our anniversary and to our surprise they made new menu's for us!haha! What I thought was cute though is that I took a quick picture of the menu's, and as we are leaving I see Jonny fold up one of the menu's and put it in out to go bag. He said we should keep it to scrap book. I'm like...uhhh I don't really scrap book anymore babe. In my mind I'm thinking "great another random piece of crap to put in a box." haha-I kept it of course because it was too funny to NOT keep- or to hurt my poor hubby's feelings. He really wanted me to keep it for scrap booking purposes. Gotta love him! He surprises me still to this day. I call him my little WB Frog! Have you guys seen that cartoon? Ya know the one where the frog sings and dances only in front of that one guy- but when he tries to show everyone else he stops?? K well, that's my husband. He is the goofiest (is that a word?) craziest, sweetest guy ever around me! He makes me laugh all day long when it's just the two of us! Seriously though no one else see's that side of him. Around everyone else he is "Mr. Business man." lol! So now I am sharing with you our little secret- he is a total dork..but he's my dork. Just sayin!

7 Years and Counting

2011-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

We made it! 7 years ago this upcoming Monday we took the big plunge together of marriage. We have gone through 7 years of adventurous trips, LOTS of moving, new opportunities, and trials that we could have never expected! I know all of Jonny's weaknesses and he definitely knows all of mine! With all of the hard times and the good he has become my best friend. One thing I can say is I am so grateful to have him in my life. Oh and I CAN'T WAIT to have children with this man! Love you babe...and here is to many many more years to come!

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-15T15:21:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken a week after New Years Eve with the Nephews! We promised them if they got A's in school that we would treat them with a night of fun at our place! We started by going to the park lighting off a rocket that went 1,000 feet in their air (pictures to come) There were tons of kids out there so excited to see the rocket blast off! The we let them pick their favorite candy, ice cream, soda, popcorn, and pizza! It was quit the night! We hung out in the jacuzzi, played games on our kinnect, and watched the movie "We're Back." I don't know if you guys remember that old Steven Spielberg movie about dinosaurs but it used to be one of my favs! You gotta love spoiling kids!! They get so excited over almost anything! I love it!

mmm divine! I added marshmallow, chocolate kisses, and candy canes with Cadburry's hot chocolate from England! yummmmm-oh and of course made with all Milk! Seriously AMAZING stuff!

New Years Eve this year was low key and spent with family and good friends. As you can see Jonny was pretty excited about the decision to legalize fireworks in Arizona (Seriously he was like a kid in a candy store when we went to buy them!) We had dinner and fireworks with the fam-then went home on that FREEZING night and had hot chocolate, cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie. I BARLEY made it to midnight but Jonny and I rang in the new years (just the two of us) on our little balcony. We saw bunches of fireworks from our third story balcony which was kind of exciting!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is a crazy cat that keeps following me around the complex each night. I let her in to have some milk one night because it was stormy outside (bad idea) and now she thinks she is at home. Jonny won't let me name her...or bring her in anymore-BUT what he doesn't know won't hurt him right?!haha!!!

This is usually what the living room looks like on Christmas at my household-the girls covered in presents! Ridiculous!

Sara and her new cute hubby Jake! They are adorable!

We got everyone in my family harkins cups and shirts so they can have free drinks and popcorn all year!:)

Christmas Eve we spent with Jonny's family. Here is Jonny setting up the new labtop all the kids went in to get their dad- he was super excited!

The kids in their cute new pajamas

Telling the Chrsitmas story- it always ends up in tears!haha

My mom and Kelly also joined Jonny's family for Christmas Eve-so funny how our moms are best friends! Seriously- they hang out ALL the time! I know these posts are a little late-but hey! I'm trying to keep up with my freakin masters degree so I do what I can! Tomorrow are my finals for my first class and I already have had an emotional breakdown- It really is WAY harder than I thought! I am just praying that I will make it through! I started doing my observation hours which I LOVE!!!! I help in an elementary school (Quartz Elementary) right down the street with a first grade class and they are stinken adorable! My question is- how come my six year olds in church I teach are so hard??!!!! There are only 9 of them!!!!!! Makes me nervous! I have triplete girls in my class that are a handful but are adorable! I am thinking it's the right calling for me though-good practice right?? Well- hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!!! New Years Pics to come!!

Here's to 2011!!!

2011-01-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

I found this picture on our old hard drive and was reminded of an extremely crazy New Years Eve in Vegas! This year was much more low key thank goodness. We hung out with family-did lots of fireworks and just hung out at home. Hope everyone is having an amazing FIRST day of the year!

Florida

2010-12-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

Last Time in Florida...

This Time:

The Delaney's

We happened to have been there on a day they were having this huge Nascaar event. Luckily we were there like 4 hours earlier then when it started so we missed all the crowds.

I loved all the old hotels, a lot of them have been in famous movies as well

This statue was HUGE!!!!! It was in honor of what happened with the Holocaust

Merry Christmas guys!!! Today has been a pretty fabulous day full of family and gift and food! My poor husband started throwing up last night and had a somewhat rough Chrristmas...:( Poor guy! I promised him some time to play his new video games today and decided since I have a 2 week break from school I should get up to date on my blogging! When we went on our cruise we also got to spend some time in Florida visiting all the sites so I thought I would post a few pics from that. Funny thing is that we found this old hard drive with TONS of old pictures we had lost from YEARS ago that had pictures from the last time we went to Florida...so I posted a few of both. The top few pics were from 2005 when we spent a week in Florida at a resort. We went to every theme park and beach you can think of and of course HAD to ride one of those air boats through the everglades to see all the crazy gators in their habbitat! This time around we went and visited the more posh parts of the area. We got to see some INSANE beautiful homes, nice cars, beautiful beaches, and hung out with some of our friends! These were just a few of the highlights!:)

Happy Birthday ...OH and some other things too.:)

2010-12-21T21:37:00.001-08:00

Our Work Holiday Party

Playing X BOX Kinnect

My HOT Bestie!

oh and my HOT husband blowing out the candles

Seth on the grill

Some of the fam

Kaya

Jenn Grooming Lexi till 4 in the morning...:)

Jonny's Birthday Morning

These were some of his gifts for being OLD

Here a few late pics from November 30th- the day my husband turned 30 (his golden birthday) I started by staying up thanksgiving night with him for black Friday to go get the x box and xbox kinnect-then he got to wake up to yummy cinnamon rolls, a last minute candy poster, and some appropriate gifts for being OLD (no offense to all of you older than 30) haha! I got him stylish depends for older men, some flash cards for memory, and an old man hat. He wasn't too happy about the depends...:) We had some of our friends, his family, and mine over to our apartment complex for food and swimming since the pool is heated...no one actually got into anything but the jacuzzi but that's okay.:) We also have a theater room so we played kinnect for a while and then hung out at our apartment. Jenn stayed over the night before till about 4 in the morning trying to help groom Lexi to get her ready for the party (thanks Jenn!!) I also added a few pics from our work holiday party! All I can say is that I am so grateful for my sweet husband! Even if he is old I still love him! Thanks for all you do babe.:) LOVE YOU!!!!!

Happy Holidays from the Tashjian's

2010-12-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

We last minuite on Sunday decided to dash together and take some family photos for the holidays. We had my brother in law's mom (who is not a photographer might I add) take a few shots-so they are in no means professional-but here they are in all their glory. It's not so easy to get everyone to look up at the same time...hahaha!

ThanksGiving Weekend

2010-12-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

My sisters and my cute little cousin at my family Thanksgiving

Tawnee and Kelly were bribed by my mom to do a dance at the family talent show and my older sister Dayna decided to dive in-I have the video but am too lazy to post it...although it was rather funny

This was the whole group and Jonny's okay I'm ready for part two of thanksgiving look...haha!!
Jonny's family thanksgiving was way smaller then normal but it was fun to have such an intimate little group-this was us all passing the paper turkey around and saying what we are grateful for.

Ali and the cutest little girl ever-Addrianna

Jonny and I waiting in line at Target in the freezing cold!!! Yes we were one of the crazies in line at midnight till 4 am!!

Andrea and I at Kaya's birthday party!!

The Boys

My adorable little Kaya-Just LOVE this girl!!!
Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!! It's always a busy but fun time of year. We did the usual 2 family thanksgiving which meant 2 dinners and we were twice as fat by the end of the day. Double the fatness is double the fun though right? We also did the whole staying outside in line in the FREEZING COLD at target for four hours on black Friday...seriously people were CRAZY!! Jonny just HAD to get the xbox Connect for his birthday though-I'm a good wife and said yes. Now I like it just as much as him though...hahaha! Then I added pics from My best friend Andrea's daughters birthday party-they really know how to party!! Lots of delicious food, a fire, fun people, and of course a bouncy house which us adults bounced in...haha! I am a little behind in posting because of school but thought I would get a start! Now I am off to study!!!:)

What A Day!

2010-11-29T17:05:00.002-08:00

I have so much to post on my blog-like fun cruise pictures and thanksgiving family fun, but am overwhelmed with a grateful heart right now. Today was an emotional rough day, but it's almost over-and I'm grateful. Grateful I made it after 700 people got layed off from University of Phoenix when it was totally unexpected, grateful that my little Lexi lived after throwing herself off our balcony on the third story floor apartment we just moved to, and grateful for my loving family and friends who are so amazing and supportive during rough times. Heavenly Father must love me because I have a good job, shelter over my head, and food to eat. It's funny how all these crazy things happen right after thanksgiving! Today I came into work assuming it would be a normal day, but I was wrong. They pulled in a big group of people (some of which were my close friends-one of which I drove to work with daily-) and told them they are no longer needed with the University. Just like that. I have never seen a big layoff but let me tell you it was awful. Lots of tears and anger and sadness. We are all a little terrified for what the future holds. Half way through the day I got a call from my husband who was crying and extemley upset saying he didn't know how to tell me this but Lexi was gone. She was dying because she jumped off our balcony-she was bleeding from her mouth and wasn't moving. Just a reminder that she is my baby. I of course freaked out and was on my way to meet Jonny at the vet when he said she was miraculously walking and doing just fine. She is a little freaked out and has thrown up a few times but is overall doing just fine which is CRAZY considering how far she fell and how tiny she is. So today I am just grateful that she is okay...and I have my job-so please pray that the lay offs are done!

And some more:

2010-11-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

We literally rolled out of bed and walked one flight up the stairs to chill for the day (our room was right below the pool which was fabulous!!!
The Pool Area

Chillaxen the day away!

Jonny playing the game Angry Birds-he literally can play that game on his I Pad for hours!

Sippen on some virgin margaritas baby!

Crazy Bailey and Chris-we had fun with you guys by the way...let's do this again real soon!!!:)

The Group

These were the water games that some of our group participated in! Having a big group of like 75 peoplemade it fun because at least one of us was involved somehow making it fun to cheer for!

Course we won! I mean look at these awesome guys!

Is this little guy not the cutest thing you have ever seen!!? His name is Ocean...so cute!

I started chatting with the lady next to me about the business we are in-ended up signing her and her friend up on board!haha! They just LOVED Jonny!!!hahaha! Makin his way with the ladies!

SOme of our new buddies!

This was the formal night on the cruise- thought it would be so appropriate to toast with ice cream cups...haha!

Thought Jonny's face was too funny in this one NOT to post! Since this was the formal night we went to a show afterwards to see all the dancers

One of the husbands in our group got called up on stage to dance-lol!

Little Ocean with the dancers- He really is the cutest thing ever!

Day 2 was a success! Hope you all are looking foreward to Thanksgiving this week! I know I am!!! My stomach is all stretched from the cruise and ready for some Turkey!

Cruise Part One

2010-11-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

Our View of Miami boarding onto the ship
Every cruise we have been on we like to spend the hour we "take off" in the Jacuzzi- It just feels so strange to be in the water and floating on the water at the same time! Plus it's a good way to start off a relaxing week in the Caribbean!

A lot of our trip consisted of room service and watching movies on the I Pad-not the biggest space but it's a view of the room!:)

We went with a group of about 75 people which made this trip one of the best trips we have ever been on! How can you NOT have one when you have good friends to hang with the whole time!

Jonny and I got this amazing drink package which included ALL the Virgin Daquaris I could dream of...got fat off those alone! DELISH!!!! This was us ladies on the munch and mingle the first night with Life Vantage

Jonny and I before dinnerPromised a friend I would take pics of the food...I forgot most nights but let me tell you, I ate WAY too much!!! FOOD EVERYWHERE!!!

Us and a few of our friends went dancing at one of the clubs -it was happening let me tell you!haha! Remember MOST of these people had unlimmited alcohol packages so you should see some of the dancing I saw...haha!

I am back!!! It's been a crazy few weeks!! First off, thank you for the kind comments, and for your information I am still in the running for americas next top model...hahaha! No really though, Chels may win, pretty exciting! Since I have been back I have been non stop moving into our new apartment! That is of course after running from the apartment to sit in line in the cold for the midnight showing of Harry Potter (Totally worth the wait!) I also start my masters degree...tomorrow so that's kinda big stuff too. I decided to jump online and attempt to blog, then I got overwhelmed realizing I have pictures on two sets of cameras (not all of them are uploaded) PLUS pictures that were from a disposable camera that I have to actually PRINT the photos! GASP!!!! Who prints photos these days anyways!!!haha!!! Ok so here I go....part one with the few pictures I have access too!

What Do You Think?

2010-11-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

I have been told by about 4 people now that I look like this Chelsea girl from the current season of Americas Next Top Model (Which I hadn't been watching because of the move) So I watched all the episodes in the past two weeks to find out who this girl is since apparently I walk and talk like her too...that worried me a little. haha! I had to make sure this girl wasn't a snob or something...she wasn't which was good. So now I am asking your opinion...AND would love to know who your favorite is this season since I am all up to date now! So-here she is! Now I am off to pack all wonderful summer clothing for Jamaica baby!! Hope you all have a fabulous week!:)

Organ Stop Pizza

2010-11-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

After San Diego for my birthday my bestie Jenn surprised me with the biggest present EVER to open up at work...my desk!!haha! She spent hours blowing up balloons to fill up the whole inside of my desk. SO creative and fun! I need some good ideas for her cube now so please feel free to share if you have any good ones. She made me the tastiest cake I have ever had! It was strawberry goodness in my tummy! Then Jonny's family decided to celebrate by going to Organ Stop Pizza. Have you ever been there? SO funny! This place was PACKED with OLD people! I couldn't help but take a picture of them dancing...SO excited by the HUGE organ that played non stop. If you haven't been there to see this exciting action...you should!! It was pretty fun actually. Jonny was nice enough to get me all the Harry Potter movies on BluRay (He knows me so well) and money for shopping, he even went shopping with me a few times! Good Man!! My Birthday was a ton of fun-now I need some ideas of what to do for Jonny's Birthday. After 7 years of birthdays I'm a little at a loss...any ideas???

BOO!

2010-11-02T21:01:00.001-07:00

A Bunch of Goofballs!:)

The whole fam after fishing

Our Neice as a bat girl!

This is the little watermelon I have been waking up to this last week (LOVE her!!!!)

Lexi as my Zombie Dog

The Dogs at the Trunk or Treat

(This is the family we are staying with the next week-Jonny's sister Ali and their fam!)

Halloween is really my favorite time of year. For whatever reason (maybe it's because of my birthday) but I really love all the scary stuff...plus I love the candy corn, black nail polish we get to wear and not look goth, and the little children all dressed up! Although I must say I saw some skanky costumes for teven the 9 and 10 year olds out there! Friday night we went to our ward trunk or treat with Jonny's Family-I couldn't convince Jonny to dress up so last minuite so I had him spray pain Lexi instead top be my little zombie dog! Then Saturday the whole fam went fishing and had a yummy pancake breakfast together! We handed out candy for a bit and joined the neighbors for some more's by the fire. Because I couldn't get enough of all the scary action we watched The Crazies- a really fun freaky movie!!! Nothing too too eventful, but it was fun!:) Hope all of you had a fun and spooky halloween!!:)

Zombi-ian it up!!

2010-10-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

For Halloween this year my bestie Jenn thought it would be funny to dress up as Zombies since we both have kind of the bubbly personalities. I have really never been anything evil so it was really fun scaring all the kids this year! Our work always does a pretty massive party with a big haunted house that the directors put on. It has been a CRAZY week this week so I didn't have much time to put my costume together. After living in a 400 square foot loft, we decided we needed our own space. While we wait for our apartment which is ready in flippin 3 weeks (we move in the day after our cruise) we moved in with Jonny's sister since the people we live with our crazy. Seriously, have you ever had bad roomates? These ones are probably worse...we thought we knew them but we were wrong. Anyways, looong story short we had to move in ONE day this week. So, here I am in one bedroom, attempting to organize and pack for my trip. It's been one crazy road for us but I am SOO excited to finally be back in our own place.

More halloween pics to come.:)

San Diego 2010

2010-10-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Jonny had a convention for the business this past weekend so we enjoyed taking a trip Thursday-Sunday to Sand Diego.:) Thursday all the boys went golfing and I decided to cross one of the iteams off my list and go to another temple session. I have seriously never done a session anywhere other then the Mesa Temple to it was an amazing experience. If you haven't seen the inside of the San Diego temple-you MUST! The windows alone were incredible! They have this amazing winding staircase that is just basically floating, an atrium at the top of the temple, and the most incredible celestial room. I would post pictures from online before it was dedicated but they really don't do it justice. We stayed at a really nice hotel off of Seaport villiage which was fun! There were tons of cute shops and they were doing some type of an event so there were all sorts of cute puppies!!! We got to hold parrots and even be a part of a magic trick (levetation to be exact) haha! It was actually pretty funny! We were way excited that our friends got to rank up in the company as well (WAY TO GO!!!!) Since it was my birthday we decided to all go out dancing as a group (which was seriously the coolest club EVER!) Soooo, needless to say we did not get much sleep! Too bad I didn't get any pictures of this place- It was three different floors of fun! The top floor was on the roof where there was a pool, fire pits, dancing, and all sorts of stuff! It was a fun trip- now we are focusing on moving AGAIN, and getting ready for the cruise in three weeks!!!

Apologies Are in Order

2010-10-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

(Kara with the adorable puppy!!)

I do apologize for the crazy ranting and raving on my last post. I have been a bit over emotional in the past few days due to the metformin (awesome medication that makes you crazy) I have been taking for the fertility stuff. It takes a few months for it to really get into your system so I figured I should start it sooner then later- makes me feel sick ALL THE TIME though! Seriously though- I was at church today and had a mini anxiety attack and almost collapsed...ridiculously embaressing. I sooo appreciated all the comments and kind words though. I really do love reading all of your blogs and hearing about all the wonderful updates in your lives.:) I think I just need to know my boundaries- knowing when to read other peoples blogs. I honestly usually don't have such a hard time with the "keeping up with the Jones's" issue-but when you are feeling really depressed, it's best to stay away from reading the oh so perfect blogs. The fertility stuff along with the stress of moving AGAIN I think kind of did me under. After writing that angry post my good friend Kara and I went shopping, to taco bell (my fav), and to Puppy Love- the cutest petstore where we pet the most adorable puppies ever. Really did make me feel better.:) Things are hopefully going to take a brighter turn- we have some fun trips to look forward to and I finally found the apartment we love and will be staying in for the next year. This will be a first for both of us, but we are excited for the no maintenance part and being back in are own little space. It's funny how much closer Jonny and I have become being forced to be in such a small space together. Thanks again for all your support.:)

A Little Reality in all this Madness

2010-10-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I try to remain upbeat on the blog but I really need to vent this out. I had a bit of an emotional breakdown. For the last year or so I have been happy. The only way I have been able to do that though is to not face my true feelings deep inside about the baby stuff. I guess the “lack of” baby stuff. My mom called me to put on the pressure again which she likes to do from time to time. She likes to remind me that ”SHE” is so baby hungry. Although, in my opinion... how dare she say she is baby hungry, right? That is just NOT fair! Then I have to remember that my sister is married now and could possibly get pregnant too. How do I not have anxiety and fear about that? I have always had this idea in my mind that my baby would be that first grandchild- you know the one that’s spoiled and everyone is the most excited about. I am feeling that slip away from me slowly and it hurts. It hurts so badly when things don’t go as expected in life.

How do you not feel jealous and bitter when you read that blog. You know the one I am talking about. The one that ALL they can talk about is how being a mother defines them and is the best thing ever-and how perfect their lives are. I don’t mind the whole posting every once in a while (and I know it’s their whole life) but the CONSTANT posting about their perfect lives makes me want to stop blogging all together. Life is NOT perfect! That’s not reality-not for anyone! Maybe I am being a bit selfish right now…and bitter, I know-but it’s HARD! Seriously, hearing about the imperfections is sometimes refreshing. I am probably just being a little over sensitive today, so I apologize for my blunt nature.

For the last year I felt normal. I didn’t feel the constant pressure and I liked it. I didn’t count what day I was on for my cycle or take 500 pregnancy tests in the year, and constantly wonder if my boobs were maybe looking a little bigger, or maybe I felt a little nauseous for the day. Today I remembered…I remembered all those feelings and pressure and was reminded that I am not getting any younger. Jonny and I are coming up on our seven year anniversary and STILL have no baby in our home.

My mom was reminding me about my sister and her trials she went through before she passed away. She was younger then me and dealing with much more then I could ever handle. Before she passed away she told my mom that she saw a little glimpse into the preexistence. That she could see herself raising her hand and choosing what trial she was going to have in this life. She said we were all in what looked like a classroom setting, while the “teacher” up front would say a trial and those who could handle it raised their hand. I can’t imagine myself choosing this trial, but I know that I must have it for a reason. I guess it’s time to jump back into reality and try again, but it really scares me. I am scared to start trying because it means I am jumping back into that emotional pool of failure. My patriarchal blessing promises me I will be a mother in Zion. So I am going to hold onto that faith and pray to not feel that pain on a constant basis. SO please please pray for our little family to grow. I really do appreciate all the support and love through all of this. Sorry for the venting session, and I hope it didn’t come across wrong. I am taking that first step forward. This time I hope it works. Sooo...I set up my first doctors appointment-for a month out, so I can really get prepared this time emotionally. Here we go with round...who knows what!

26 Things To Do in My 26th Year!

2010-10-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes, I know I am getting up there in age. It really did just sneak up on me somehow. I was thinking that as dreadful as getting old feels that I might as well make something good of it! Figure I can make every year important- make it count for something! Some people look at the New Year for resolutions- I tend to shy away from that because for some reason making goals with everyone else at the same time makes me fail. That and it's holiday season so I loose all focus on the big picture. So my birthday (October 24th to be exact) is coming up, and I went ahead and made a list of 26 things I will do in my 26th year! So here they are!!!

1. Read the Book of Mormon (Start to Finish)

2. Go to temple sessions at 3 different temples this year

3. Teach Lexi a Trick

4. Get Pregnant (let’s hope!!)

5. Start my Masters Degree

6. Grow my Hair Out

7. Learn to Run 5 Miles straight

8. Get Myself a Car!!!!!!!!

9. Get a hot bod!!!-my definition of a hot bod at least.:)

10. Watch ALL of the Harry Potter’s before the New one comes out

11. Read the Last Harry Potter Book

12. Bake Double Fudge Homemade Oreo Cookies for Jonny

13. Get our own Place (Any place withOUT other people will do)

14. Bowl a Turkey (Three strikes in a row)

15. Learn How to Grill something (turn the grill on and off)- It really scares me

16. Find Jenn a New Husband- HOT MAN (Yes Jenn this is on my to do list)

17. Shoot my New Gun

18. Learn to play a song on the piano- any song will do since I have never played before

19. Take a dance class

20. Work on starting Personal Progress (long story)

21. Finish my 40 Hours volunteering at the children’s hospital

22. Go to the Grand Canyon (NEVER been!)

23. Plan a Hike here in AZ

24. Make Strawberry Jam

25. Re read (or listen) to all the conference talks

26. Bust out my Flute! Haven't played that in YEARS!!!

IS there anything I am missing?? These are not in any order of importance by the way...I will try to keep you updated on my progress.:)

Happy Birthday Dad

2010-10-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last week my dad would have been turning 54. Us girls as we usually do (plus the two husbands in the family) went to the gravesite to visit dad. We tell all of the good memories (and sometimes the bad), and spend time together the way dad would have wanted it. They say this comes easier in time, but I'm not so sure about that. We have our good days and our bad, and the bad are really hard. I have missed him so much lately, wondering what it will be like to have kids that will never know their grandpa, or wishing I would have spent more quality time with him that last year. I think when something that big happends it doesn't seem real or soak in till after all the flowers, food, and comfort leaves. That's when reality sets in. I miss kissing his bald head, and seeing his happy face when I walked in the door, him calling me his princess rose, and his massive bear hugs. No man can ever replace your dad- that man who loves you no matter what! So word of advice- go talk to your dad. Spend quality time with him and really tell him you love him. You never know when the people you love the most will leave you. Miss you dad.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2010-10-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

I give up! I tried the private blog. Not working. I had 26 people that could actually view my blog- the rest for some reason can't get in even AFTER the invite. STOOOPID! So- all of you are now invited. :)

St Thomas Trip

2010-09-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

We took a trail off the beach that led us waaay high up on the mountain with some gorgeous views.:)
Kissed a random donkey while I was out

You can see how high we hiked from the water!

Our Scuba Diving Excursion!! So fun!

View from my Balcony

Full Kitchen, Two bathrooms, two bedroom, living room, and two balconies-NOT BAD!

This was taken after a fun day of snorkeling outside the resort! Just beautiful! We would run and jump pff that dock with all our gear! Good times!

The View from the living room window- cruise lines came in almost every day right next to our room!

We did LOTS of shopping this trip- finally getting Jonny the new wedding ring he has needed for a while now!

Capturing the whole idea of driving on the left side of the road- pretty scary!

We got bored- so Jonny took the camera to take some goofy pics. We had soooo much fun together on this trip! I am so grateful that we still have so much fun together after all this time! He really is my best friend.

More Ugly Pictures

Excuse the Ugliness on these pictures please. This is a whole day full of Ocean hair and absolutley NO makeup!

Mt took a car ferry to another smaller Island (St Johns) and got this awesome pic on the way back.

The Amazing Beach right in front of our hotel- AND my HOT husband!

Cool waterfall- You can kind of see in this picture my awesome HUGE bruise on my leg I got from scuba Diving- the tank fell on my leg-enough said.

My New Favorite Drink: Miami Vices(virgin strawberry Coladas...yummmm)

Oh how my heart aches for one of these right now.:)
Chillen at the famous Iggies

We hade some freakin AMAZING food! I could seriously post an entire thing on food alone- ere was just one of the fancy plates.:)

I have been a bit frustrated trying to figure out this blog latley! Number one: I am used to blogging at work- That privelage has recently been taken away which makes life difficult. I don't have a big desire to blog anymore...lame I know. Number two: My stupid new layout and want to make the pictures larger failed.:( I couldn't get the pictures to look right and it was taking WAY too long- which I wouldn't have minded doing if I was getting paid for it like before. So I decided to go back to my old way of blogging...much more simple, and I do enjoy simple. I suppose I should go ahead and post some of the pictures from my trip. It really was amazing.:) I truly am grateful for the traveling we have been able to do thus far. We have been extremley blessed to be able to go on such wonderful trips in the past 7 years *GASP* (yeah, we've been married almost that long!)So- because I am too lazy- here are some unedited pictures from the trip....Enjoy!!!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was perfect. Now that we don't have a house to tend to we have ALOT more free time on our hands! We have honestly enjoyed just spending time together these past few weeks. We get to cuddle up on our bed and watch movies (eat way to much popcorn)- because we don't really have any chores to keep up on anymore! Jonny and I had a really fun day of swimming and delicious BBQ for Labor Day-we and went shopping most of the day which was fun too. I know, I am a little obsessed with my neices and nephews. I seriously am in love with those kids though! They are seriously the cutest things ever!!! I can't even imagine how many pictures I will take once we have kids of our own! I feel so bad for not taking any pics of my hubby-oops! He is usually our photographer-thus not being in the pictures...haha! It was a really fun weekend though and I am actually looking forward to a little mini vacation this weekend too! We are going to Snowflake for the day to just chill on Saturday-then the week after that we will be on our big vaca in the Carribean! Can't wait!!!!!! I am in need of finding a really cute swimsuit! Where do I go??! I have searched everywhere and everyone is selling sweaters now...in FREAKIN Arizona! This is crazy to me! If any of you know of where to look PLEASE let me know! Thanks!

Random Ramblings

2010-09-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

Today was a good Sunday. Jonny was up all night last night sick.(poor fella) He hasn't been feeling well the past week and it has kept me up all night as well with all the sniffles and such. This morning as my alarm clock went off and I was debating whether to sleep in or not, I was nudged to go to church. I ignored it for about a half hour (because I really hate going to church alone) but I decided I would feel too bad if I didn't go- so I went. I was SO grateful I went today. The spirit was so strong at church today. There are certain lessons I just feel I am meant to hear and today was one of them. I loved listening to all the testimonies and amazing stories (couldn't help but cry listening to these two amazing stories on adoption) One from the recieving end and one on the giving end. Sometimes I feel like that may be the option Jonny and I have to go for. We just want to try ONE more thing before going to that level. It's hard to know sometimes what heavenly fathers plan for your family is. Our lesson today in Sunday School was about Job. It was about his trials in life and how he handled them and what they were for. For the last few weeks I have had a hard time not feeling empty and a little confused. Our house is gone, which is leaving me a little home sick, my very very best friend is going through a rough divorce (and I am going through all that emotional stuff with her), and I am still feeling that empty nest syndrom. Slowly but surely that emptiness comes back no matter what I do. Today I learned to be more like Job. To instead of asking why me, to ask what kind of person is heavenly father wanting me to be through all of this? Job had all the things in the world that he needed- and he didn't care. Job 1:21 he said: Naked came I out of my mothers whom, and naked shall I return thither: the lord gave, and the lord taken away, blessed be the name of the lord. I loved that scripture he shared today. We have nothing in this world to start with-and we take nothing with us- so in reality none of that matters. What matters is what we do with the time we have. It gave me a little peace today to remember how simple the gospel really is. We make choices everyday- if we make the good choices we can have that light of Christ, which is really what helps us to fight our daily battles with those feelings. I am just grateful to have the gospel in my life. I honestly can't imagine life without that hope and love.

On another note...:) I thought I would post a picture of my HOT husband! So proud of him loosing weight for the trip-definitley is more disciplined than me...haha!

On Saturday he took me to the shooting range to show off his new gun-a 40 I think? All I know is it had a big bang! He had been asking for it for a while and I finally let him get it.:) I must say though, he has been a little spoiled with all his electronics latley! He got a free I Pad from work (which I love!) and the new Droid phone so I can't seem to get him to stop playing with all his new toys!! GOODNESS! Do any of you go crazy with all these elctronics on?!!! Enjoy the pics (Please ignore the fact I am wearing my uniform from the hospital!) I went straight from my volunteer hours to the shooting range. Ya looks awesome I know...and the pics were taken with Jonny's phone. Oh well-enjoy.

5k

2010-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

I have officially signed up for my first run ever! A 5k to be exact, which I just learned is only a little over 3 miles. Sounds not to bad, right? WRONG. I have never been a runner- in fact my only experience with running was back in 5th grade really when I decided to sign up for track and field. I remember being at the very front for the race, being trampled over, and crying because my knee was bleeding...then I quit. lol. No seriously though I am an awful runner. I don't look peaceful like this girl in the picture does. I like more like the picture at the bottom-barley surviving arms flailing everywhere, and really LOUD heavy breathing. It sounded like such a good idea in my head, thinking I would feel SO good to get a good run in everyday. I know I have only given it a week, maybe a total of 4 runs, but GOSH I hate it!! So, since I only really have a few weeks to train for this, it should be interesting to see how I do. I have gone on a few practice runs already and can only last like 20 minuites. NOTE TO SELF: NEVER go running at 4 in the afternoon in Arizona...you literally might die. The run is on October 11th- a week and a half I will be gone in the Carribean NOT training. Any suggestions on how to do this right? Does anyone out there actually LIKE running? Some advice would be nice on this...:)

Going Private

2010-08-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Well guys I am officially going private. Please send me your email addresses if you are interested in continuing to read my blog. Unfortunatley my hubby didn't like me parading our whole life online for certain reasons...so I compromised. No matter if I know you or not just let me know!:) Please send them to me asap and I will try to get all the invites out this weekend.:)Thanks!!

AAAAAhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

I really need to scream right now. My whole body aches, I'm tired, don't eat anymore these days, and just plain TIRED! I needed a break, even a five minuite break. Anything to get away from this nightmare of constant boxing. 10 boxes of JUST scrapbooking stuff...I don't even want to tell you how many food boxes we have, how much spegghetti sauce I was unaware of. Really enough for a whole country to be fed delicious speghetti, which sounds SOOO delicious to me...except I can't eat! NO time, plus on a diet away from my delicious carbs that tend to make me not so grouchy. If I could just eat some comfort food I think I would feel OH so much better. Taco Bell cheesy beefy burrito maybe? I think not! I have to keep reminding myself it will all be worth it when I am layin on the beach in the carribean in 4 weeks from tomorrow. After three days of moving my house is turned completley upside down right now. I have no time for details...just a really needed moment of venting. Now back to work I go. Here is good bye to my little oasis...oh how I will miss swimming!!!

I'm Moving

2010-08-16T23:23:00.001-07:00

Yup I am. This week actually. It's pretty much been the day from hell trying to get everything situated...selling some things. Long story/no time! Let me know if you are interested! LOTS more pictures of things to come.:) This is our upstairs loft...we are selling the pool table, the light, the bar, the stools, pretty much everything.
p.s...still trying to figure out this new blog set up, so you have to actually click on the picture to see the barstools and such.

Question For Ya?

2010-08-14T10:21:00.001-07:00

I am trying to revamp my blog right now and was curious if any of you know how to change the blog to where you don't really have a background at all...just your pictures?? Does that make sense at all?? Probably not. Well, if any of you know what I am trying to put across here please let me know!:) I want it to look more like a website I guess...any ideas??? Oh as well...how do you change your fonts or add a signiture? Feeling a little but computer illiterate today...:)

It Finally Happened!

2010-08-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Sara is now married to the Jacob Elgreen! She was the most beautiful bride and we were blessed with only a few sprinkles of rain for an outside wedding in August! Now that this blessed event has occured I am grateful we can all get back to normal life again!! At least for another year or so till the other two sisters decide to get engaged. I am just praying they won't be close together! Here are some of the pics from that night I took...can't wait to see the ones the photographer took.:)

WARNING- this post may be a little x-rated.:)

2010-08-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am not even sure where to start on this post. My best friend Jenn and I were in charge of throwing Sara a bachlorette party. To be totally honest I had NO idea where to start since I never had this type of party when I got married. I wanted it to be fun but also knew it needed to be kept somewhat clean considering Sara will be going through the temple for the first time next week. Jenn and I had SO much fun planning this party (mostly at work on our lunch breaks) for the past few months. This party was meant for only Sara's closest friends- NO moms allowed.:) We made some "Penis" cookies along with various other random food for the girls to snack on. I also happened to have a friend at work who owned a stipper pole. This happened to fit quit nicley in the family room for the party. One of the girls swung on it and it kinda fell down-oops. That was pretty funny! We also made some fun non-alcoholic beverages to go in our "margarita glasses." We did some fun games and also got to hear some fun sex advice from all the girls. I would LOVE to post that video but it may be a little too much for the blog, along with a few other inappropriate games I won't post. The absolute BEST part of the party was when Clayton our somewhat "stripper" you could say showed up.:) Don't worry- he was pretty much fully clothed the entire time and was doing only PG-13 dance moves! He was freakin HILARIOUS though and definitley made the party worth while! CLayton- thank you for the awesome dance moves you brought to the party!! Most of all thank you to Jenn!! I couldn't have done this party without you! Now only one more week till the big day!!!!!!

Sara's Bridal Shower/ New Home

2010-07-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby sister is getting married! It has been a crazy time for all of us as you all know how busy and stressful wedding time can be, but we only have 2 and a half weeks left to go! This last Saturday we spent the day at the bridal shower, then a little wedding planning, then taking all her gifts back to her new home...and then we went to the best movie of all time at the I MAX!! Inception is my new favorite movie! You seriously don't even notice it's 3 hours long because it's so dang good! TOTALLY worth seeing at the IMAX! Now to explain the pictures in these AWESOME dresses! One of my moms friends has been wanting to contribute to Sara's wedding. So she kindly brough over some iteams that we could possibly use...two of which were these dresses. Yep. She really thought we would use them. We got a laugh out of them and took some pictures. The other girls in the photos are the foster children that live with my mom and my aunt. Megan has been living at my moms house for almost 7 years and is legally blind in her left eye. She is pretty much family now! The other two are also practically cousins since they have lived with my Aunt forever! Funny story too...Sara's new home she bought, happened to be almost IDENTICAL to my first home!! I will have to dig to find a picture of it. Too funny! Anywho...enjoy the pics!:)

Part 2 of Canvas Project

2010-07-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

For Sara's Bridal Shower and wedding I was in charge of making some more of those canvas's in her wedding colors (Teal and Red) Here is the finished project along with how the front table turned out for her bridal shower.:)