And Again, Long Over Due

So much has been happening in our lives lately! Well, kind of. We have been busy... but not doing anything "blog worthy". I do need to give a little shout out to one of my BFF's MELISSA SMITH!! It was her birthday in January and I was such a terrible friend and didn't show some love!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!! I MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY!! PLEASE COME HOME AND VISIT ME!

If you didn't know, She is in school in Colorado on scholarship for golf. She use to get embarrassed when we would tell people that, but I think she has learned to embrace it.

She also use to clean our house every Thursday or Friday and I loved it. Not only is she amazing at cleaning, but she would rock out to church music via TV and when I would come home from school I would always be welcomed with a nice surprise. She would also dance around with me and sing to the Summer Set, or Ke$ha, or something annoying. My favorite was when I would open one of my notebooks and inside there would be a little love note from her. I could go on and on and embarrass her all day, but I do want her to remain my friend, and I want to finish this post some time this year! I LOVE YOU!

Second, in February my parents came to visit! It was so much fun! They stayed with us and we mostly just hung out. We went to a Spring Training game and it was really fun! I did find a spider on my nacho's, but I was a big girl and ate around it. It was just a tiny baby, but still it was there. We went shopping, looked at rings, more shopping, and eating! Just the things we are best at, like not taking pictures. Soooooooo no pictures from that... Moving right along!

Spring break came and we went to MEXICO! It was magical, and safe, and warm, and everything you could possibly want in life!!! At the last second our friends Cj and Savanna decided to trust us and come with! We took Chief and they brought their dog Scout, and they are best friends. Chief is still so sad that scout doesn't actually live with us!

Chief seriously LOVES to "go". It doesn't matter where, he just wants to "go"!

At our favorite place in Rocky Point! Chino's!

Chino and his wife Anna making our amazing quesadilla's

Carne, cheese, grilled onions, quac, salsa, and pico. Seriously, how could anything even compare?

The after math. My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures

They really are best friends, see? They even go to the bathroom at the same time!

Poor Scout always looked so hot!

Chief thought it was a good idea to roll around in the sand after getting out of the ocean. I disagree

But then he would curl up in a ball and not put his head in the sand. Ok Chief?

Our little family!

This dog is obsessed with the water!!

Dinner! and it was not good!

Before...

After! He ate almost all of it!

I just had to

This lady by far had the best thing to offer us on the beach!

Until she started pulling our hair!

Cj is so proud of his doggy

Chief was EXHAUSTED! He wouldn't even eat because he was so tired! Luckily we had an extra queen size bed in our room for him to sleep on

We LOVE Thrifty! Sadly, this is our only picture together

All tuckered out at the end of the trip! We were eating our lunch and they were sleeping under the table

All in all, what a great last few months. Melissa turned 21, parent's came to town, we went to mexico, Michelle and drew got engaged, Shelby and Nick got engaged!! OH YES! CONGRATS TO THEM!!! I'm so excited to both of these super cute couples!! Shelby and Nick are getting married in May, and Michelle and Drew in April 2012! Ah I love weddings!

2010

I've never been one for new years resolutions, and this year is no different. Don't get me wrong, it always crosses my mind... I need to loose 10 lbs, I need to be a better cook... the list goes on. So this post isn't about how much weight I'm going to loose in 2011, or how I'm going to cook every meal my tiny family eats, It's about how freaking AWESOME 2010 was! I was reading a friend's blog and she did this same thing and I loved it. So thank you, Amanda, I'll openly admit that I stalk/love your blog. (PS I have a really good trifle recipe too, but yours looks way better!)

January

My two best friends moved in with me for a few weeks while Rowland was out of town

February

I started to miss this kid. He left for two years!!!

March

We had the spring break of a life time from snow...

To sand

April

I got a new accessory and celebrated birthday's!

May

Finished my last semester at MCC, and Husband graduated with his Bachelors.

(Sadly I had a final on the day of his graduation and couldn't attend)

June

I got a job

July

Married the most handsome man in the world

August

Wore the best bathing suit from my best friends in the Bahamas

September

We added to the family

October

We went on a very cold trip to LA and Disneyland

November

We spent a little time in Mexico for Thanksgiving with amazing family

December

We went home for the Holiday's!!

2010, you were so freaking good to me. I guess in a way my "new years resolution" would be to make 2011 even better then 2010... but I think it's going to be tough!

Jim Dear

Yesterday was my brother-in-law's wedding! It was beautiful! This was my first wedding that I have been to in the temple besides my own and I loved it! I totally feel cheated now and I want a redo! Their's was long and in depth and amazing, ours was short and sweet and being the bride I don't remember any of it, as I'm sure is the case with everyone. I loved their's so much that I'm counting it as my own. Are you allowed to do that? Anyway, as I was sitting there listening I couldn't help but think about how amazing my husband is. He really is the best person I've ever met. For the rest of the day I was constantly hanging on him, giving him kisses and forcing him to hold my hand (not that he wouldn't want to, but even at the most ridiculous of times). To make things better, my dear sweet husband reminded me that we had been married for 5 months exactly! This really did make the day so different for me. I had been texting a friend about her relationship and giving her some advice from being in the same situation long ago. As I reflected back on that relationship it made me recognize more and more how wonderful MY husband is, and how happy I am that I never have to go through a break up again. On top of it being an extremely busy day yesterday, I thought a lot. I thought about my last break up, and how Jim was the guy to help me through it by setting the example of what I truly wanted in a husband. I thought a lot about my wedding day and the feelings I felt the night before, and on that day. I thought about how everyone talks about how big of an adjustment marriage is, but to me it was just natural and not weird. I thought about all those little things my husband does on a daily basis that I LOVE, or that drive me crazy.

• I love when Jim wakes up in the morning. I never hear his alarm, and he closes the door to our bathroom and closet while he's getting ready. I usually wake up in a panic because I haven't heard him get up and I think he's going to be late for work, but he's brushing his teeth by this time.
• I love that he never ask's me, or even thinks to ask me to clean up dog poop. He does it without complaining, and Chief leaves big poop's behind.
• I love when I call Jim on my way home from work and he answers the phone in the same annoying voice everyday and says "Hi Pumpkin". Most of the time I want to hang up and call him back until he talks to me in a normal voice. I just make some upset comment and he giggles and the conversation continues. I count of this everyday.
• I love that he always waits for me before he eats. I'm never hungry until 8 or 9 and he's starving by the time he get's home at like 6. He doesn't have to wait for me, but he does. Everyday.
• I love how he didn't complain at all when he spent 5 hours in the kitchen with my mom BAKING and I got my hair done. Clearly, he's a trooper.
• I love that he has done all the yard work at our new house from trimming the roses, to pulling grass out of the planter to cleaning the pool everyday. I usually sit on the rocks and ask him about his day, being of no help at all.
• I love that he takes the trash out and only has he once made some smart a$$ comment about how I never do.
• I love that every morning before he leaves for work he gives me a kiss on the cheek and whispers "I love you" in my ear.
• I love that he doesn't care that I'm overly obsessed with him. Every time he stands up to walk in another room you better believe I ask him where he's going, and he has yet to say "Calm the freak down women!" He always responds with "To the bathroom" or "to take out my contacts" or "To get a drink". And then I usually follow him.
• I love that when Chief chew's something up (and this happens daily), Jim is the one to discipline him, and 5 minutes later he's cuddling with him telling him how good of a dog he is.
• I love that we never fight. Don't get me wrong, we don't agree on everything, but Jim finds it a waste of time to get worked up over things. It's easier to stay calm and carry on, and this can drive me crazy, but I love it.
• I love how hard of a worker he is. and I love hearing him talk about his job and how he enjoys it, even if I don't understand anything about it. He loves it, in turn, I love it.
• I love that he let's me shop. I have a problem, I love shopping. He hates shopping, but I'm never afraid to tell him I've bought something, or I've found something that I just HAVE to have.
• I love he's reaction to me stressing out. Usually it's about something stupid, like not being about to figure out how to decorate our house. He always reminds me that we don't have to finish it right now, one step at a time.
• I love that when I lay in bed at night I usually just want to talk. He's such a good sport about it.
• I love that he knows no matter what time our church is, I'll probably be 30 minutes late. So an hour and a half before church starts he has to tell me to start getting ready. I never listen, and I'm always 30 minutes late. :) Sorry babe
• I love that he's an accountant.
• I love that he uses really big words that I don't understand.
• I love the way he talks. He's so confident in everything he says. He's amazing.
• I love that he likes to do boy things like camping (even if I hate it), watch basketball, snowboard, and fix things. On a regular basis he has to fix something that I've broken. Like the sink in our spare bathroom, or simply unclog the drains because I put all my hair down there.
• I love that he fold 95% of our laundry. I wash it, but never get around to folding it.
• Most of all, I love that he loves me. I question WHY he does all the time, but I love that he does. He's amazing, clearly. I'm the luckiest girl alive.

I love you, babe! XOXO

A Few Months Over Due

Ok Everyone, here it is. I'm finally here to update our blog. I've been putting this off since... well... October 29. So much has happened in our little lives! I've condensed 2 months of events into one GIANT post with lots of pictures. I hope you make it to the end. That's the good part, but don't skip ahead!

First, Shelby turned 21! Woo Hoo!!! And we went to the fair to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Shelbs!!

Then it was Halloween. We are crazy dog people, but luckily our friends Cj and Savanna are too! We had a little doggy date at there house, went to dinner and watched a movie.

Chief and Scout are actually best friends. As soon as Scout had his submarine outfit on Chief was convinced that he was a chew toy. When it came off they were nice and best friends. But clearly, they were the cutest things ever!!

Thanksgiving is also in November and we were so lucky to be invited to my aunt and uncle's beach house! It was AMAZING! I was lucky enough to have the day before Thanksgiving off so I said YES! TAKE ME TO THE BEACH! and that we did. I couldn't have asked for a better short vacation before the holiday season. It was so great to just spend time on the beach, takes naps, and learn all about Hollywood's addiction to plastic surgery. On thanksgiving we did have to drive home, but not before we ate an AMAZING meal! It was so good and I'd love to give a shout out to Uncle Bob for the AMAZING deep fried turkey, Paige for the guacamole, and also the amount of butter and brown sugar that went into the sweet potato's, Aubry for feeding all of us, Amanda for the cute pie, and Shelley for the Ugg's and Swimsuit, along with making up for our lack of radio on the beach. Need I say more?

Unfaltering for many reasons, reason #1, we just ate.

November was Fabulous for the most part! Chief got parvo and we don't know how, but he survived, and we don't know how. Just kidding, we do know how. We took him to the vet and after a few IV's and some drugs he was back to eating everything and digging in the back yard.

Two weeks after Chief was over his Parvo he was sick again and we didn't even know it. As I was getting ready for work I noticed all these bumps on him that looked like tumors. Naturally I freaked out and went to work. When Jim got home the bumps were way worse but he gave him a bath and they seemed to be going away. Around 10 pm chief threw up the weirdest throw up ever. Completely undigested (TMI?). Anyway we knew he was sick but had to keep packing. Later, around 12:30 he started to throw up again. This time was a different story. It smelled like he threw up poop right out of his mouth, and he did. In the middle of it all was nothing but a AAA battery. That's right, He survived parvo, and then tried to kill himself by eating a battery. Either he's really stupid, or he just hates us! (we know he loves us!)

In my last story I mentioned that we were packing. We got notice awhile ago that The Gingerbread house we were living in was being sold at auction on December 3 so we had until then to move out. We have been looking and looking at houses everywhere trying to find a DECENT one to rent. I said DECENT not perfect, just decent. Two Sunday's ago Jim's mom gave him a call saying there was a family in their ward who had a house for rent that was a little over our budget, but worth taking a look at. Jim had to work so I took Shelby with me to see the house. I had every intention of not falling in love with this house because It was in Mesa (no offence), and it was far from both freeways, and it was over our budget. As soon as I saw it I fell in love. I could see that the yard just needed a little loving with the lawn mower and rake. When we walked inside I knew I couldn't live without it. This house was WAY beyond decent. It was perfect times a million. I know now you are all wanting to see pictures, but I don't have them yet. We are still waiting for the yard to be loved a little more, and for all these rooms to unpack themselves! I do have a picture that our landlord took awhile ago when all the shrubs were managed and she had it decorated all cute.

Isn't it adorable?! Yes I love it. The people who own the house bought it and redid everything on the inside and added onto the back. They then bought another house and did the same thing and are renting this one now! The people who rented before us didn't care for yard work however, and I'm upset about it. But in the next little while we will get things back to looking as good as they do in this picture. I do have some pictures that I took the day we came to look at it. Sorry, I have none with furniture.

Family Room

Dining Room

Spare bath #1

Kitchen

Amazing

Bathroom #2
Master bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master bath

Looking out the master onto the patio

So far I'm OBSESSED with our house. It's perfect in every single way. I just can't wait for the yard to be done. The neighbors tree seems to think our pool is a great place for all of it's leaves. Wrong. Enjoy!!

Ps I did not take the time to reread this, because it is WAY to long. I apologize for any misspellings, and bad grammar.