2008

My friend Darci wrote about things that happened in her family over the last year month by month. Maddy also had something similar on her blog. I was talking with Rick over dinner about this and didn't come up with that many things BUT I figured I would give it a try too. This is more a test of my memory than anything. (I actually started this on Dec 31st!)

January
I know it snowed a lot and it was really really cold beyond that...oh yeah, Rick was still on crutches.

February
Rick was hired at Third Dimension

March
I turned 32

April
Uh....This is when I started getting Rick to go look at headstones with me for my genealogy. I also started my blog this month.

May
My brother graduated after 12 years of college with a 4 year degree. =) My dad, stepmom, sister and brother in law all flew into town for the occasion. We had a great time in Logan. Rick and I also made it to the Smithfield Cemetery for some photos.
Rick and I had our first visit at the fertility clinic at the University of Utah. It was very informative and got us on our way.

June
Baby Katie was born on the same day my grandpa died. It will now always be an even more special day. I think this might also be about when I joined facebook and reconnected with the 2 greatest friends from high school, who I wasn't even that close with back then. Thanks for being my friends!
We also celebrated the 85th birthday of Rick's parents. (Their birthdays are the 29th an 30th) I was able to finally meet the last of Rick's 4 brothers.

July
It was nice a warm.... Rick and I went on our first hike and a good chance, our last hike together. I also became hooked on a radio/internet show Thursday afternoons from 1-4. It is hosted by my friend in England's neighbor 2 doors down. I have so much fun requesting songs and actually having them played not to mention getting my shout outs.

August
It was still nice and warm...
We began steps towards IVF...I had to be on birth control for 2 weeks prior to starting the shots. Rick painted some of our walls blue and it has made living here so much nicer. The color just brings so much happiness to my eyes.

September
Rick and I went to Seattle. It was awesome. (Please see my previous works for more information on this vacation.) It was so good that we decided to think about looking for a job there...
We started the shots for IVF during the first week of September and really felt like we were on our way. I had the transfer of embryos on Sept 30th.

October
The days are starting to get shorter
On Oct 12th I had a blood pregnancy test done and found out a few hours later that I was pregnant. On Oct 30th I had an ultrasound done and found out that I had miscarried.

November
This was such a difficult but happy month. On the 3rd I had my D&C and for those of you that don't know, it was done with no pain killers. No one was able to find a vein and I was fully dilated so the doctor wanted to just get things done. Rick was laid off the week before Thanksgiving. Rick also had his birthday on Thanksgiving. We spent the day at his sister's house and had a great time. I decorated my first cake with frosting tips. Spending time with family was a great blessing. I became much closer to my nieces because of the trials of this month.
We were also able to go to a BYU/Utah football game party and pie-night.

December
One of "my" dogs that lives at my mom's house had to be put down on Dec 6th. It was a difficult day.
Rick and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary and had a wonderful time at the nutcracker. Something we hope to make a bi-annual tradition.
We had an incredible Christmas. We knew that I was going to be unemployed on Dec 31st but still we had an incredible Christmas. (So yes Rick and I are BOTH unemployed as of Dec 31st)

Obviously the later half of the year, heck the last quarter, had the bulk of our activities/things that happened to us. I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2009!

Blog Slacker

I have been a blog slacker lately. It is mostly cause I haven't felt like taking the time to blog about anything. Well that and because I received Guitar Hero for Christmas. Rick had no idea the beast he was unleasing in giving it to me. I seriously played for at least 8 hours the day after Christmas.
Back in the real world, we had a wonderful Christmas.
On Tuesday before Christmas we went to Rick's younger brother's house. We hung out for a bit eating homemade caramel and chatting.
We spent Christmas Eve with Rick's sister and her family. Sharron has 4 girls, well 3 as one passed away in 2004. She has 11 grandkids and everyone was there on Christmas Eve. It was SO much fun.
Christmas morning Rick started a fire and cooked breakfast for us. Then we opened up our few gifts. After going to Seattle, Rick knew I needed a Rock Band/Guitar Hero game. He also gave me a bra. The Guitar Hero really is for both of us and Rick was given some tennis balls. We are ready for summer! For those of you who don't live in Draper, Utah...the snow started to fall around 8:00 that morning. It wasn't just a small snow storm either.
After we headed to his parents' house. We had much of the same family there from the previous 2 nights. It was great to have everyone together even if 3 other brothers and their families were missing.
Then last but not least we went to my mom's house. She lives in "The Inn" as I now call her house. She has all sorts of people sleeping there including her boyfriend, a friend from out of state and my cousin who is attending BYU. We opened up some presents there including some great things Maddy picked up in Mexico over the summer. I had forgotten she bought my brother and Rick soccer jerseys and I had no idea she bought all the girls silver necklaces. It was very kind of her...especially since she spent Christmas in Hawaii! We had dinner and then Rock Band came out!
Jimmy brought over Rock Band for us to play and again, we had a great time. Let me tell you that having 7 people singing Bon Jovi at the top of their lungs is just plain fun. Not to mention watching the 3 year old sing Eye of the Tiger and get 97%.
This Christmas may have been lean on the gifts, but it wasn't when it came to joy and family. We truly as so blessed to have family around and that we were able to spend time with them. We are so grateful for the many friends we have as well and for your love and prayers.

A quick job update...still nothing for Rick and I don't know if I will have a job as of this Thursday or not. Hopefully I will have more info tomorrow. But in the mean time, we appreciate your prayers and keep 'em coming!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Talon's Adoption Story

I realized the other day that I have a few friends who read my blog but are not on facebook. I have been talking on facebook the last few weeks about my friend Heather, her family and especially her baby Talon. Many of you may have read my stuff on facebook or have seen some of the stories on the news.
Let me give you some back ground...
Heather has been my brother's best friend since they were 12 (and I was 14). (Heather's mom was my aunt's Mia Maid and Laurel's teacher too.) She lived on the street next to us and dated at least one of my brother's best friends but never him. I have all sorts of crazy funny stories about her and she is a dear friend of mine. Apparently many many moons ago I told Heather that "If you are crying over a boy, he isn't worth having." Many many moons later I was crying and she reminded me of that. I haven't forgotten it either.
Heather and her husband have a wonderful 7 year old son but have been unable to have more children for one reason or another. (This is another way in which Heather and I have bonded.) She went through LDSFS and was not "picked" for adoption. They finally decided to go privately and were picked to be the parents of Talon. Talon was born on June 9th (6 days after my baby niece Katie was born.)

All of this is on Heather's blog as well...Talon was born to a mother who was a drug addict. He was in the hospital for several days after birth getting off the drugs that were in his system when he was born. During this time, the birth mother lost her other two child, she was deemed unfit to have them in her custody. She also happens to be part Native American and lives on the "res" in Minnesota. Talon is only 3/16 Indian and therefore technically does NOT fit the rules and regulation on keeping him with the tribe but for whatever reason, those in charge decided to fight the adoption.
Just over a week ago, Heather and her family had to had over baby Talon to the Indian authorities. This has been a horrible ordeal for everyone involved. I just wanted to let my friends know more about it. I know that you all are so supportive of me and pray for me...I ask at this time that you too pray for Heather and her family. They are also trying to raise money to appeal. There is information on her blog pertaining to this if you are able to do anything. If you do watch the news story of when they gave Talon up...be prepared to cry. It is heartbreaking!

This of course is the abridged version. On her blog is much more information, many of the interviews they have had and photos of this adorable baby.

Movie Tag - Ripped Off from Facebook

Put an X next to all the movies you have seen:

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(X ) Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 8

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
() Anger Management
( x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 15

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 17

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(X ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 23

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
() Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(X ) White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 28

(X ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(X ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x ) Along Came Polly
( X) Deep Impact
(X ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(X) KING KONG
Total so far: 39

() A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) Halloween
(x ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 44

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
() Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
() Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 45

() The Day After Tomorrow
(X ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
(X ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
( ) Gothika
(X ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 52

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x ) Bedazzled
(X ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 60

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(X ) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 66

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
() Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(X ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 76

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x ) Freaky Friday
(X ) Reign of Fire
( X) The Skulls
(X ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(X ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 91

( ) Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
(X ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 93

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 99

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( X) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 101

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 104

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
() Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x ) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X ) Waterworld
Total so far: 107

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(X ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 108

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x)Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 114

(x) The Matrix
(x ) The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
( )Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Final Total: 117

Who created this? There are so many horror movies on here?! What's up with that?

Santa

I was just checking out a friend's blog. She went to see Santa with her cute little boys and not only did they see Santa, they saw Santa Ray! Santa Ray is THE best Santa out there. I used to work with him while at CR England. Months before Christmas he would start whitening his beard. No stuck on things for him. It was the real deal.
This guy is so incredible...not only does he work a full time real job, he does the Santa job all December too. He had a party the night of our wedding and still took time to visit us and take photos with us.

Santa - Believing, or Not

I have to admit something, I don't think I ever believed in Santa Clause. Seriously. My mom never really did stuff to make him real. I remember there being gifts that had a different wrapping on them and of course the cookies were half eaten. If I did believe in him it was long before I really remember life. I remember my mom filling the stockings in front of me. I know that I was the one doing it by the time I was 14. I was the one eating the cookies and drinking the milk too. Even though I remember taking my youngest sister and helping her put them out. I don't know how my brother and sisters felt/though. I am going to have to ask them...hey Maddy...did you believe in Santa?

I mentioned this to my mom one day. She said that she never did anything because she didn't want to lie to us. (She thinks she is a hippy but she isn't a very good one.) Anyway, she said that if she were to do it over again she would make a big deal about Santa because it is a good learning experience for kids to learn and figure things out on their own that he isn't real.

Then there is the flip side. I have a friend who loves Christmas and Santa so much that I know at age 12 his son still 100% believed in Santa. He would get in fights with kids at school about it. I think my friend was going to tell him before he started Jr High but seriously....there has to be a stopping point.

As for the other Holiday people...nope never believe in them either. I knew my mom was the tooth fairy. I knew she hid our Easter Baskets behind the drapes and I was also doing that by the time I was 14.

I don't think of this as being sad though. Well maybe a little but it is the way it was and not much I can do about it know. I will tell you this, I sure as heck did NOT like sitting on Santa's lap! (I had to clear all my photos off my hard drive this week or I would post a photo.)

Darci's 5 Tag

5 Years Ago I Was:
1. Not looking forward to the end of the year...some not so happy family stuff was going to take place on January 3rd.
2. Working at CR England and little did I know, Rick would be hired in January...
3. Doing the internet dating thing...not sure who I was dating at the time. I think it was a "S" guy...Scott maybe, I think he really liked me but I ended up blowing him off on New Year's eve to go see Return of the King with my mom and sister and that really ticked him off...I dated his roommate first too! hahahaha
4. Had taken out my endowments that year in April (Rick and I were discussing this at dinner tonight
5. Hanging out with my sister Marissa

5 Things on my list of things to do today
1. Wash my hair -Check
2. Go grocery shopping -check check
3. Watch tv -check check
4. Go to a wedding reception -check
5. Watch some more tv - coming up next!

5 Snacks That I Enjoy (mmmm, food)
1. ritz crackers with squirt cheese (aka easy cheese)
2. wheat thins with cream cheese
3. popcorn with salt and butter
4. chips and salsa
5. cookies

5 Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire
1. Pay off my debt
2. travel
3. buy a house
4. invest, but not sure what since most things suck these days...
5. know that I could pay for IVF for as many times as it took!

5 Places That I Have Lived: (I actually have thought of doing a blog/personal history story where I go take photos of all my old houses. I just don't want the people to think I am a stalker)
1. West Jordan, Utah (This is where we lived when I was born-ed and I don't remember it)
2. Salt Lake City, Utah (Avenues AND Arlington Hills - by the cement U on the hill)
3. Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympus Cove)
4. Logan, Utah (It was SOOOOOOOOO cold)
5. Draper, Utah

5 Jobs That I Have Had:(notice the trend...)
1. Admin asst to the owner and GM of the Buzz during their inaugural season
2. Office manager at an employee leasing company (payroll company)
3. Office manager at a small construction company
4. Admin asst at CR England
5. Executive asst at The Windsor Group

5 Things I Want To Accomplish:
1. Get back to my weight loss weight...down about 45 from where I am today
2. Have children - ok just one would be nice
3. Finish electronic scrapbooking all my 6000+ photos and then put them on dvd in a slideshow format with music so people might actually enjoy looking at them
4. Paying off all our debt
5. Travel more with Rick

Feel free to enjoy this tag on your own blog

The Snow and The Cold

I just don't like the snow and the cold.

A Visit to the Dentist

Yesterday I went in for my semi-annual visit. I ended up having one small cavity under a filling. I was also having some pains on the other side of my mouth. I had a crown put in about 6 years ago...I broke it twice. The dentist got all mad at me. (The jerk) anyway, he didn't make it flush with the tooth next to it, causing it to break and also leaving a gap where enough food would get stuck that I could feed a small village with what was in there. Yeah I know it is gross.
When I got back to work the guys asked me how I was. I said, GREAT! I have clean teeth. I sure love to have clean teeth. I would go to the dentist every other month just to have them cleaned if I could.
My dentist suggested they fix the filling on the tooth next to the crown. I said sure. Today I went back for my double fillings. (I haven't had a cavity in 5 years.) I was prepared for the worst when it came to the needles. I did not feel a thing! The girl did an incredible job.
As for the fillings, they didn't hurt at all either. But let me tell you, I had so much novocane in my mouth I was numb up to my eyes and even both ears. I think I had more numbing going on in my mouth than I did during my d&c. SERIOUSLY! I didn't feel a thing. It was one of the best experiences I have had at a dentist, other than being told that all looks good. (I don't have the world's best teeth, thank you my British ancestors, so I have been visiting the dentist many times over the many moons.)
If you ever need a dentist refer, let me know~ I can get you hooked up the right way!

Happy Anniversary ~ 2 Years!

Today, December 14th, is Rick's and my anniversary. We have been married for 2 great years. To celebrate, last night we went to Ballet West's Nutcracker. Prior, we went to PF Chang's for dinner. It was wonderful.
For those of you not in Utah, it snowed yesterday. It was a beautiful way to cover all the ugly ground. It was mighty cold too. We decided to walk from PF Chang's to Capital theater as it is only 2.5 blocks away. The north wind was blowing and it was snowing on our way there but it had cleared up for our walk back. During our walk, we walked past the Peery Hotel, where we spent our first night as a married couple.
The ballet was incredible. I can't even begin to describe the costumes. They were the best part in my opinion. They made my eyes so happy. The dancing was incredible too. The "cavalier" to the Sugar Plum Fairy (see photo below) who both also danced in the Grand Pas de Deux was here for that show and only 3 more. He is some dancer who has danced with the Slovakian and Hungarian Ballets along with some other big name international ones. He really was by far the best dancer.
I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our anniversary.

My Favorite Martian

I am so lucky to be living with this...

I Fell Off the Wagon ~ Or Maybe I Have Actually Been Busy

I haven't been as good lately as I used to be at posting. Or maybe I am actually better because I am not posting like 3-5-10 times a day!

We have had a lot of things going on here over the last two months and over the last week or two I have gotten to the point where I have just felt like watching tv at night rather than anything else. I still read some of my friends blogs, but admittedly not all of them anymore. I guess one could call this depression where I lose interest in the things I like to do. Probably. But don't worry, it is nothing that I am going to wallow in or really even discuss publically. Yes that was a ramble...

ANYWAY~ I have a few fun photos to post and shareOn this past Sunday we celebrated our next to the youngest great nephew's birthday. Tucker turned 2 and he had all sort of Choo Choos I crack myself up!

(His baby brother is the youngest who turned 2 months old the day before). It was a fun Sunday afternoon hanging out with Rick's young brother's family. One of which is our youngest Nell niece who will be 17 in January. She reminds us of Violet in The Incredibles. She wears her hair the same and she even talks like she. She looked up a little too late to realize I was taking her photo.

Thanksgiving Tennis - A Few Days Late

Rick and I have a tradition of playing tennis on Thanksgiving morning. Well at least trying to have this tradition. It worked in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 Rick was laid up with double knee surgery. In 2008 it rained that morning. It wasn't raining when we wanted to play but you can't get the tennis nuts (aka balls) wet or it permanently ruins them. This year we had to wait until Saturday to play. The first photo is the view from where we play tennis. One can see the entire valley and in this photo all the lovely clouds. (I love that I know how to do panorama photos now!)
We had and AWESOME time though. I had not been physically well enough to play since August. Let me tell you, watching Autumn come and go with no tennis was SO hard on both of us. Last Saturday was nice and cold but we braved it and it was worth it. (Notice that Rick's nose is almost as red as his hat it was so cold.) We were then able to go again during the week, in December. I asked Rick if he had played outside in December ever before and the answer was no...he always played in a bubble. Again it was cold but it felt so good getting out there, hitting the ball and just having a good time laughing with Rick.

Baby Sitting The Littles

Wednesday of this week I was able to babysit the only niece and nephew Rick and I have on my side of the family. Their regular baby sitter and her daughter were sick so my sister in law asked if I could help out. I am fortunate enough that I was able to leave work and help her out. We had a great time playing all afternoon. Baby Katie is such a good baby. She was actually turning 6 months that day. She can be left on her blanket and she will entertain herself for quite some time. It was great while we ate dinner. She just laid there giggling, blowing raspberries, looking at the Christmas tree and clapping her feet together, which I must say she is a pro!
Jimmy was so good. He sat and watched Rudolph and Cars with me. He was even good when I told him to look at the ornaments with his eyes, not his hands. (he is almost 4 so you can understand the urgent need to touch everything.)
For all the fun that we had, in the end it was nice when Grandma picked them up and took them home. We were once again able to have our quiet house, which I guess I have just grown way too accustomed to these days. (I always forget that if I video tape sideways, the movie comes out sideways...I just need to remember to pull out the real video camera)

Christmas Ornament - Our First Christmas

I forgot to post on Saturday.
This has been a really good exercise for me. Today's ornament I had first thought we purchased at Disneyland but as soon as I started typing I remembered, this is from my aunt!
This is our only ornament that says "Our First Christmas" It doesn't have the year but that is all good. It does have a little hole on the bottom so we put a light inside of it and it illuminates from the inside.
I am happy we have a First Christmas Together ornament.

Christmas Ornaments

A few weeks ago I came across a blog where someone was writing about their Christmas ornaments. I thought that would be a fun thing to blog about so for the next few weeks, leading up to Christmas, I am going to blog about my ornaments.
Rick and I were married on December 14th 2006. We headed to Disneyland the next day. We came back a few days before Christmas. We had a wonderful time there and were able to buy LOTS of ornaments. Today I am going to post photos of the first two I decided to buy.
I was unable to find any that had the date on them or said First Christmas so the above one had to do when it came to "First Christmas."

They did however, have an ornament that was all weddingy. I could have put in a photo from our wedding but decided on us at Disneyland. Techinically it was outside California Adventure but we all get the point. My ornaments all mean something to me but these being from our first Christmas being married mean something extra to me.

Happy Birthday Rick ~ Happy Thanksgiving

As most of you know, Rick's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. I made a chocolate pudding pie from scratch...which for those of you that don't know it means I mixed sugar and starch and egg yolks to make my own pudding then added melted chocolate. It was incredible. I am not a rich chocolate fan and that is what this was. But those who are, told me it was incredible. I also made a cake. A turkey cake.
Notice the arm trying to hold back the wild hoard from blowing out the candles themselves? This was actually only the second thing I have ever decorated using icing tips and all that. I am very proud of how it turned out.
We went to Rick's sister's for dinner and had a great time. We had our 3 nieces, their husbands and their wild bunch of boys and one princess, each and every one we love! I was able to spend some time with the 2 year old and practice putting on lip gloss. When then went by Rick's parents house and hung out with them for a bit. Actually it is more like sitting and chatting with them. 85 year olds don't really hang out.
My aunt and cousin drove in from Kansas and we will probably see her along with my cousin who is going to BYU tonight.
Rick and I hope that everyone had a fun and happy Thanksgiving!

Draper Temple

Last night the lights were on on the Draper Temple. There has only been one other night we are aware of that they have been on. I was so excited I told Rick I needed to drive up there and take some photos. These are untouched up.
As for the Open House and Dedication:

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, January 15 to Saturday, March 14, 2009 (excluding Sundays)
Tickets are available starting December 1st

RESERVATION CENTER:
801-240-7932 (Salt Lake area)
1-800-537-6181 (Toll free)
http://www.lds.org/reservations/


DEDICATION
Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22, 2009 (in 12 sessions)

TEMPLE OPENS
Monday, March 23, 2009

A Funny Thanksgiving Story ~ Well I Think It Is

Many many many moons ago I had a boyfriend I thought I was in love with. (I probably was at the time.) A few days before Thanksgiving he broke up with me. We had been dating for almost a year and he told me that he needed space and time to be with his buddies and space to study for finals. I thought, what a jerk but he broke my heart. He decided to go up to Idaho Falls, where he grew up, to spend Thanksgiving with his friends up there.
One night while there they were at a bar and he ended up "hooking up" with some girl. I know she hung out with him and his friends over the weekend. When he came back, we did get back together, with some conditions but still we were "together" and that is what mattered to me at the time. BUT I needed to know more about this girl. I learned that he had kissed her on her doorstep. I was pissed! I also learned that he kept her phone number in his wallet.
One evening I was at his place and he was in the other room or something, I grabbed his wallet, pulled out the number and took care of it. (This is the funny part.) There was no way I was going to let some IF hussy get to my boyfriend.
I don't think he ever noticed. He never mentioned it to me if he did.

Why do I tell you this story? I was in the kitchen thinking about Thanksgiving and what I have done on Thanksgiving in the past. This Thanksgiving happened to pop into my head and I thought I would just share that story with you all. Basically I am very protective and can be sneaky sneaky if needed.
I am contemplating writing down other Thanksgiving stories but not sure that I feel like taking the time. I have things to do, places to go, people to see...ok not really...sometimes I really do get tired of the computer.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Looking for Employment

Many of you who read my blog already know this but many don't; Rick was laid off last week. I have decided to help him with networking as much as I can that they is what I am doing on here. If you have a good head hunter or know of any jobs out there related to Human Resources, or Operations Management. (I can always send you Rick's resume if you would like.) Any thoughts or connections you might have would be greatly appreciated and we do pray that all of you continue to have employment in your homes.

Do You Bleed Red?

Last Saturday was the big Utah/BYU game. We were invited to a party are our friend Darci's. We didn't know anyone besides Darci and her husband and we had an awesome time! I haven't uploaded the photos I took yet so I just stole these from Darci's blog. Besides, I am not in the ones I took!
We had people rooting for both sides and it was so much fun. I just can't get over what a great time it was.
THANK YOU DARCI and FAMILY!!!