Let's play a little game called TAG

I was tagged by Miss Orchid to play this little game where you list 10 things that make you happy. I guess I will participate :) These are things that have happened in the last few days, so they are the most fresh in my mind....but there are thousands of things that make me happy.

1. Having a clean home.
2. Visiting and chatting with good friends.
3. A really yummy meal (i.e. steak, cesar salad, and homemade french fries)
4. Getting suprises.
5. When Brian smells really good and wakes me up before he leaves every morning. (and he kisses me goodbye even though I have stinky morning breath)
6. Soaking in a hot bath while finishing a really good book.
7. Spending time with family.
8. Doing pilates and then feeling my stomach and convincing myself that it is a little firmer.
9. Having a hubby who adores me.
10. And last but certainly not least, the Christmas season makes me really happy and also being a member of Christ's church where I can come closer to my heavenly father every day. Okay. Now i'm done.

I think I will tag a few people:

Lindsay Rosas, Caden Durfee, and Brittany Olsen! (bc i love reading all your blogs)

Merry Christmas!

Something that made me smile

Dear Santa,
How are you? How are the elves this time of year? Is Mrs. Clause feeling well today? Is Rudoulph ready to light the way? Were you able to get the gifts for every one? I’ll bet you’ve been tired of all that work. Are you planning a vaction to Feegee? Christmas is my favorite time of year. I know what everybody would like for gifts this year. I think my Grandpa would like a new coat with leather. My Grandma would like an exsirsize machine. And I know my dad really wants for Christmas. He would like a new phone. My mom would like very warm blankets and a green sewing machine called a Brinnia. My brother Drake; would like a nother itoons card. My other brother Sleight a lego set. Now then there’s me. I would like that pony gum-ball machine I saw at K-mart. I hope you have a jolly Christmas.
Love,Timber

3 Things I love about this letter
1.the way he spells figi as Feegee, and the fact that he even thought that Santa would need a vacation
2.how thoughtful he is to list all the gifts his family wants before what he wants
3.asking for his mom to get a green sewing machine called a "brinnia", which i believe is really a bernina (this one made me think of my mom and her bernina sewing machine that she has used forever to make cute things for our home. And now she makes cute things for me in my new home and sends them in the mail. My mom is the best, and i think Timber loves his mom as much as i love mine)

*once again, this letter came from a huge stack of letters we are putting in the newspaper that all the elementary kids write.

40

more hours of work until Christmas vacation.



I can't wait!




Just found this picture from Christmas break 2003. :)

Oh, to be a little kid again

During the Christmas season we have the elementary school kids write letters to santa and then we print them in the paper.

Yesterday I was typing up a big stack of letters.

This was last one in the pile.

It made me smile.

Dear Santa,
I want some earring and some horses and I want a big berbie house and a pingk bien bag cher and a Raindeer horns and a mop and a dast pan.
From Abby

Hahaha. What little kid would ask for a mop and dust pan for Christmas???

Published!

My David Archuleta article is on the front page of the Rexburg Standard Journal today!

I have officially been published now.

Ha. I still get nervous when people read my writing.

I'm always afraid of what people will think. It was even nerve racking having Brian read through it before I gave it to the editor.

Im still not really sure what the editor though of it. When he came in this morning he thanked me for writing it and said it was quote "interesting".

That made me feel paranoid.

Interesting could be good, or it could mean he thought it was weird. He said it was different too. Maybe different is a good thing though? Maybe it's different because all of our news staff writers are men. So having a woman writing an article is different than how a man would write it. This could be a good thing though. Maybe all the women who read the newspaper will find my piece refreshing. Who knows. But he gave me no direction. I didn't know what he wanted.

I guess since they put it on the front page, they didn't hate it. I'm even hesitant to put the link on my blog so you can all read it. But I will. So here it is. Enjoy! http://www.uvsj.com/

So Good!

Wow!

Last night Brian and I had tickets to go see David Archuleta.

I was pretty excited....Brian, not so much.

I watched David since his first appearance on American Idol. I voted every week for him! Don't judge me. I just really like American Idol :)


I work for the newspaper as their book keeper. But when the editor recently found out I was going to the concert and learned that my degree was in communications, he asked if I would write an article on it. OKAY! Fine, twist my arm. They showed me how to use a nice camera and gave me the phone number of a man to get me a press pass. When we got to the concert I went to get my pass so I could go right up to the stage to get pictures. The man who gave me the pass also hooked us up with 4th row tickets! ( I only had bleacher seat tickets)

I had to sign a contract saying I wouldn't sell my professional pictures to the paparazzi.

Ha. That made me feel important.

We got to our seats and were sitting next to three girls who had payed a lot of money for all-access passes. They had spent 4 hours hanging with David before the show. Most the people around us had all access passes.

I was a little jealous.

The opening act was Benton Paul. He was really good. He sounded like a mix between Coldplay and Michael Buble. We were impressed!


Then after a half hour intermission it was finally time for David to come out on stage. I have never heard screaming that loud. And I'm pretty sure the 45 year old women in the audience were screaming louder than the 12 year old girls.

David Archuleta was amazing!

I loved every minute of it!

Even Brian ended up loving it. Shocking! ( i knew he would) He's still talking about it.
David's voice was flawless the entire night.

The first half of the concert was music from his first album, all the songs that play on the radio. Then the second half he did Christmas songs from his second album.

When he sang "crush" everybody went crazy. All the men around us started singing along. They tried to pretend they were there for their girlfriends and wives, but they knew all the words.

It was great.

It made me smile and laugh at how excited they were.

And not only did I get to see David up close (right at the stage taking pictures), but I will also be published in the paper this coming week! I will put a link on here to my article so you can all read it. It was such a fun night. I'm so glad we were able to go.

Impressed?

Today I came home from work after being gone all day.

I walked into my kitchen and saw this.

Brian had come home earlier and made home made noodles.

He had also boiled down the remainder of the turkey day Turkey for stock.

Hands down....Best turkey, noodle soup I've ever eaten.

Oh and did I mention it had carrots in it from our garden?

So good!

And after all that....Brian made home made carrot cake.
The most moist and delicious carrot cake I have ever had.
Wow. That was a great end to a Monday!

Oh, and did you see the cute table runner? My mommy made it for me. I love it! So festive! Thanks Mom :)

Turkey Day was Victorious!

This Thanksgiving was spent cooking yummy food, eating yummy food, watching the first half of season 1 of Hero's, black Friday shopping, relaxing, and just hanging out with friends. Typical, yet perfect. It was so fun to start our own family traditions. We are excited for many great Thanksgivings to come in the future!

Coupon class and Free Christmas Cards!

Last night I taught my first coupon class. It was a lot of fun! I have only been couponing since april, but it was exciting to be able to pass on my knowledge to some other girls in my ward. I loved sharing how I've saved a ton of money and built up my food storage. If anyone wants to learn or would like me teach a class to a group of people feel free to contact me.

Also, for those who are interested in FREE stuff, continue reading. I found a website where you can get 50 free christmas cards. You just go pick out the design you want, upload a picture, and use a special coupon code. You don't have to pay for the cards or the shipping. They are totally 100% free! How great it that?!?

Here's how to do it:

1.) Go to http://seehere.com and click on photo cards

2.) Choose your background

3.) Upload your picture

4.) Save it

5.) Check out and choose a quantity of 50

6.) Type in the code newbaby or freebies4mom-1109 (newbaby worked for me)

7.) Give them your billing address and complete the order.

(You don't even have to give them a cc #)

8.) Voila! In a week you will have 50 free christmas cards delivered to you doorstep! It doesn't get much better than this. AND, its so easy and fast. It took me 5 minutes!!!

Happy Holidays,

Don't be Jealous!

This morning I ordered tickets for a concert.

I kind of feel like a 12 year old girl again...

But I am so excited to go see David Archuleta on December 4th!!!

I feel giddy and I know my heart is gonna do a little pitter patter when he comes out on stage.

There is also a very good chance that I will scream like the little girls that are half my age.

Call me crazy but I can't wait!

(I'm pretty sure Brian is a little excited as well...even if he won't admit it :)

FYI

Went to the doctor today and got 10 viles of blood drawn, an ultrasound, and a Cat Scan.

It was a lot of fun.

I especially liked being poked by the needles, tasting metal in my mouth, and holding my breath while my entire body felt like it was all of a sudden 100 degrees hotter than it should be.

But the best part was when I found out that my lungs looked perfect. They are totally clear of blood clots! And my leg has blood flow all the way through with only a little residual clot left.

What does this mean???

I am healthy!

Next week I go back to find out the results from my blood work. Until then, we are very grateful for this exciting news!

What to Bee for Halloween?

4 black place mats for bumble bee wings... $2
1 package of black fuzzy pipe cleaners for antenna's...$1.20
1 XL bright yellow t-shirt... $3

Queen Bee & Worker Bee costumes...Priceless!

A Knight in Shining Armour

Today I did something really stupid. I left my keys at our apartment. Brian always picks me up for lunch and then takes me back to work. Today I forgot my keys on the counter. I even had the thought as I walked out the door to check my purse to make sure my keys were in there. But I didn't listen. 5:00 came and it was time for me to go home.....but I was stuck. So I called my Knight in Shining Armour and he came to my rescue! He didn't even hesitate. As soon as I told him what happened, he responded with, "I'll be there in just a moment sweetie". Wow. He could have sighed and acted annoyed with his silly wife, but he didn't.

You know another thing I love about my Knight? He hates to get out of bed in the morning. He hates leaving me and stepping onto the cold bathroom floor. But despite his misery, he always comes back into our room and kisses me good morning with a huge smile on his face. I love that.

One more thing that I love today.... my big, fluffy winter coat. It is so Warm and Cozy. It protects me from the bitter cold wind of Rexburg. I don't know what I would do without my warm coat and my knight in shining armour! I am one lucky girl!

I finally figured out how to make my own signature! Yay!

Is it Halloween Yet?

Well we might have carved pumpkins a little early this year, but we were just so excited!


The pumpkin on the left was Brian and I's. It was a scull(with a spider web and spider) ... we couldn't decide on just one idea. The pumpkin on the right is Stephen and Shanda's. It is wolves howling. They look pretty sweet don't they?!? We like em'.

eAsY aS cAkE

Shanda and I decided one day that we wanted to learn how to make fondant. So we looked up a recipe online and made it. The first attempt took longer than we expected, but it worked! We kept it pretty basic and white. Cake # 2 was just one day after the first. Our friend Michael was having his 22nd birthday and he LOVES car's, so we got a little more creative. Both Shanda and I have found a new love for decorating cakes!

Pictures from Labor Day Weekend

Brian and I drove up to Montana for Labor Day weekend to go camping with Rich and Jeana and Jeana's family. We spent a few days four wheeling, going on hikes, sitting around a fire, and eating yummy food. This place was way past the middle of nowhere! No cell phone reception, no other people.... just us and the wildlife. Brian also was able to go bow hunting for his first time. He loved being sneaky trying to find the elk. Unfortunately they didn't get one. Maybe next time.

Only in Rexburg...

Only in Rexburg... do people assume that everyone who lives in Rexburg is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Only in Rexburg... would someone call the local newspaper and tell them that their paper should be more christ-like.

Only in Rexburg... would a person refer to General Conference and tell you to take heed to the council given in General Conference.....when they are talking to you on the phone, have never met you, and have no idea if you are a member of the Church or not.

Only in Rexburg... would someone tell you they are praying for your company.

Only in Rexburg... would someone tell you to pray and to listen to the spirit.... when they don't even know you!

...Good thing I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints... But what if I wasn't??? Oh Rexburg.... you're one in a million :)

Saturday Getaway

We went to YELLOWSTONE with Stephen and Shanda and had so much fun! We were able to do a lot of stuff in ONE day.

We climbed down like 400 stairs to the base of a water fall. Brian and Steven moved much faster than Shanda and I :)

We saw beautiful scenery!

We had some random old man take pictures of us.

We smelled some nasty funk sulfur (see brian's facial expression)

We saw some crazy geiser's

~Drove through some of the most beautiful country~

We watched old faithful go off... quite EXCITING even though it was late.

And saw more geiser's!

We were also amazed at all the wildlife!