~Alive~

Yes, believe it or not… we are still alive and well! I know, I stopped blogging in the middle of the month… but it has just been hectic! We have been tested and tried the past few weeks, but hopefully all the stress will be over later this week! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by awesome family! We had dinner at Justin’s grandparents house with his Great- Grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Sister and her family, and Aunt and her family. Jill, Mark, and Kameron were able to bring their little new addition… and she is adorable! We really hope she will be a permanent part of the family as soon as possible!
We decided on trying Wal-Mart madness Thanksgiving night… didn’t get what we wanted, but had fun with Brit shopping for the kids. Luckily I got home, and got the same deal on amazon that we were looking for!
I have been working on decorating… I just haven’t gotten it all done yet. I guess the Holly Jolly spirit really hasn’t hit me quite yet. It took me 4 days to get the ambition to get the tree decorated… but it finally got done. I attempted (and succeeded) to decorate it by myself while Justin was at work, but this will be the last year that I decorate the tree by myself!
After 4 years of using Justin’s parent’s old tree…. it cratered so we had to buy a new one this year. We had enough height for a 9 ft tree, so that’s what we wanted.  We should have known it was going to be a pain the day we bought it… Justin just knew it would fit in the car! (For those of you who have been to Costco recently, it’s the 9 ft tree that they have… and the box is HUGE!) We bought the tree, and took it to the car (mind you, I tried to talk Justin into taking the truck). After attempting to fit it in the trunk… and it not working… we resorted to the back seat. Justin was on one side of the car, trying to force the box into the back seat, and I was in the inside, trying to push the seat cushions down so that the box would fit. It probably took about 15 minutes of pushing, and a lot of praying that it finally fit. I’m sure we were a sight to behold though… (thankfully no one was in there car secretly taping us, so we didn’t’ end up on AFV… yet).
Anyways, it is decorated and I didn’t fall of the stool, and I also didn’t push the tree down like I thought I was going to. Tomorrow hopefully the outside lights will be put up…. If my Grinch of a Husband will put them up for me (just kidding, he’s a pretty good sport!) Until we get the rest of the Christmas stuff up… a picture of the tree will have to suffice : )

Night!

Day 13

I'm grateful for fasting and prayer, and for the answers it brings when faced with tough decisions!

Day 12

Sisters--- seriously, I don't know what I would do without my sisters (and brother of course). Today was a fun day making sadie shirts for Nat, with Natalie and Annie--- Rachel, it would have been fun with you here too! ;) I'm grateful for my sisters, and the fun girl times we have together!

Day 11

Tonight I'm grateful for date nights! Justin took me to Puss in Boots in RS tonight... low and behold... Our friends Annie and Dan were there to watch the same movie! Here's to date nights, and suprises!

Day 10

Tonight, I'm grateful for Charlie's Angles, Grey's Anatomy, and Bones. Giving me something to look forward to for the night :) I'm also grateful for the fact that my kitchen is clean, laundry finally done, and clothes ironed :) What a great day!

Day 9

Ok, so call me lazy, addicted, or whatever you want, but tonight, I'm thankful for the internet. I know I spend alot of time on the internet, especially when Justin isn't home, but it keeps me sane! I'm thankful that I'm able to keep in contact with friends and family over the net. I'm thankful for craft blogs, Online shows (since my DVR can't handle everthing on Thursday night), facebook, and our blog :)

Day 8

Tonight, I'm extremely grateful for Justin and my jobs. We are both so lucky to have good jobs. Even though I would love to be a stay at home mom, I am grateful for my job, and for the sanity it gives me. I seriously think I would die staying home every day at this point in my life!

Day 7

I am thankful for my nice warm house. We have had so many problems the past few years, keeping our house warm, thanks to the dumb furnace guys, that it is really nice this year to have a nice warm house! We may not have the biggest, cleanest, most elegant house on the block, but I'm so grateful to have a house of our own! We've been able to make it nicer the past few years by painting, adding on the porch, adding shelves to closets, pouring concrete.. etc, and its really becoming OUR HOME.

Day 6

I am grateful for general, and stake conference. I was able to attend stake conference today and  listen to the messages that were taught. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to listen to our leaders who have the inspiration to lead and guide us. I am greatful for the talks that they prepared, and how I swear, every time I hear a talk, it was made just for me.

I'm also grateful for my Silhouette..... I'm getting Christmas presents done :)

Day 5

Today, I'm grateful for good memories. Seeing all of my old friends today, has brought back some really great memories! Thanks guys! And congrats to Annie and Dan! You guys are such a cute couple! We are so happy for the both of you!

Day 4

I am thankful for good family and friends. I seriously have no idea what I'd do without them! Justin and I have so many wonderful examples in our lives! With Annie and Dan's wedding tomorrow, its been really fun to catch up with old friends! Not only that, but because of my dad's birthday last week, I was able to see my whole family at once! Justin and I feel so blessed to live so close to our wonderful families, and we are also blessed to have such great friends!

Day Three

I attended a Women's Conference tonight. It was about empowering yourself, no matter what your trials in life are. I feel like I have trials in my life, but I also know that I have a very blessed life. I am thankful for a healthy body, and for the feeling of self worth that I own. I am grateful for who I am, and who I am shaping myself to become.

Day 2

I am thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for a modern day prophet to lead and guide us. I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon, the prophet Joseph Smith, and for the pioneers who traveled so far to build this beautiful temple. I am thankful for the temple, and for the opportunity I have to be sealed with my husband forever.


I am a especially grateful for a Father in Heaven, who hears every one of my prayers. I am grateful for the comfort and guidance that he sends me every single day, and for the unconditional love that he has for me.

A Month of Thanks

Ok, its high time that I write out some of the things that I am thankful for.

Day One:

I am thankful for this man. He is the best. Just tonight, we sat on the couch watching a show together, and he totally laughed, so hard he snorted, and it totally made my night. He builds me things, cleans, does laundry, irons…  And the best part about him, he has the biggest heart. He makes me smile when I have my rough days, and he is always there for me. He is pretty much the best ever. I love you Justin!

Not so Lady Luck!

Las Vegas! Oh my heck, I had the absolute BEST trip the past few days! I’m still utterly exhausted, and should go to bed, but I want to get this post up before its old news! Dr. Clifford paid for our office to go to the Las Vegas ADA Dental Convention this past week! Sunday we headed down early in the morning, to catch our noonish flight.

We arrived in Las Vegas, to be met by a VERY NICE Presidential Limo to take us to the hotel. Not only did we get a superb ride, but the driver greeted us each with roses ( now I know what it feels like to be on the Bachelor!), and champagne (which I didn’t partake of, don’t worry!).

Since we got there so early, we were able to hit the strip. We were staying at Mandalay Bay (Beautiful!) and didn’t go to far.

We were freaked out about this bar. If you picked anything up for more than 30 seconds,  you were charged for it…. needless to say, we stayed FAR away!

We made it to the M&M and Coca Cola Factory before we headed back to make it to…….. House of Blues for Dinner, and then The Lion King! It was amazing! We really wanted to go to it when it was in SLC, but by the time we tried to get tickets, they were about $300 a piece, so we decided not to go. So…. I got to see it for the first time in Las Vegas instead! We did a little shopping later that night, Bought some Toms, and some Balance Bracelets for Justin and I. They seem to be working, keepin me more alert, and balanced!

My Toms *don’t mind my dry, dry legs!*

Monday, was filled with classes. The opener featured Terry Fader, who was so stinkin funny! And then Condoleezza  Rice spoke. She was very good as well.

Ya, don’t let me kid you… I wasn’t that close.

I was this close, and that’s with my camera zoomed in as far as it would go…. I was pretty close to this bald head I think though… lol

My first one was a very small class. They had different reps come in and talk to us about their products in a round table. We got a ton of samples, and a ton of information about our equipment and products! One rep even sent us home with a huge bag filled with full sized Oil of Olay products, and another, a gift card to Starbucks. It was awesome!

After a yummy Mexican lunch, we headed to our 2nd class of the day. This one was called Women, Weight, and Wellness. I really didn’t like the speaker too much, but it did get me motivated to hit the gym, and watch what what I eat a little more!

That night we headed to Treasure Island to watch Mystere. Oh my heck, I’ve never been to a “show” and this one was amazing! And everyone is so buff! We walked down the strip, and hit a few of the insides of the casino/hotels on the way home.

According to Amanda… Our Hygienist from Las Vegas, these flowers are hand blown, and costs $500 bucks a piece!

Tuesday morning, we went swimming. Mandalay Bay has an amazing outdoor “beach” complete with sand, a wave pool, and a lazy river. Then we got ready, and walked the floor. They have the BEST samples. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time on the floor, but got a few cool samples : ). My class that day was called Leading the way to Infection Control excellence. It was such a good class for me to take. I am such a germ freak in the first place! I learned that in a lot of aspects, hand sanitizer is better that soap and water. So… to everyone that thinks I’m crazy…. I’m not : ) lol.

That night we went to an expensive dinner at Lupo. It is Wolfgang Pucks Italian Restaurant. It was delish. We told them that it was Jamie’s 10 year anniversary working for Dr. Clifford, so they brought us the BEST cheesecake I have ever had!

After Dinner I gambled a little. First time EVER. I didn’t do well at all (hence the title of this blog) but it was fun. I put in my money, and it all the sudden went from $20.00 to Zero, and printed me out my ticket…. for some reason, it gave me an extra five cents, so I guess I won in that aspect, but lost everything very quickly!

Wednesday I got up, went to my last class on Pedo. It was awesome, the Dr. that taught the class was so full of energy, I could see why he worked in a Pedo. office.

We had to say goodbye to Las Vegas, hopped into a White Presidential Limo this time, and then caught our plane home. I think I’d like to go back, with Justin this time. He hates crowds, but I think he would like the different shows and food!

Goodbye Las Vegas, Hello hunting. That’s what we are doing tomorrow…. thank heavens I just found my hunter safety card!And we also have family Pictures tomorrow night : ) Yea!

Its Time….

Brand new fuzzy socks have been waiting for such an occasion!

The furnace has been running a ton! Thank heavens we opted to get it fixed in the spring instead of the fall!

Hot chocolate has been heated, and now fills our bellies.

People, I think winter has arrived!

Notice the porch…. Finished yesterday…. as much as we can right now (we had to order a few more things, we were short on a few pieces, and Home Depot lost our post covers!)  I will post a good picture of it, when there is no snow on it, and the posts and boards are totally finished.

Oh, and I got to go to Young Women’s last night, for the first time in YEARS! We did some cake decorating, and it was way fun! The girls did a great job!

So behind!

Since I haven’t made time for blogging lately… I think its time I start to catch up.

Justin and I went with Jim and Celeste to St. George. Let me tell you, it was a total BLAST, and a real needed getaway. Justin had been working non stop the 2 weeks before we went, so we both really needed this trip. After the drive up there (yes the speed limit was 80 part way!)…

…We went to the beautiful St. George temple. It is so gorgeous! We were wondering how we were going to find the temple, but it is so white and brilliant, it is really hard to miss! And it was just down the road from our Hotel, which was awesome! No getting lost for us in St. George! After our session, we walked around the temple grounds, and got a few pictures.

Notice the window open… We thought it was a little weird. I’ve never seen a temple window open!

The next morning we got up and went to the Green Springs golf course to play 18 holes. I am an awful golfer, if you don’t believe me, ask my father in law : ). Even though the course was pretty hard, we had a great time!

You had to hit the ball over this canyon… Ya, I didn’t even try, but everyone else made it!

Not only was the natural surroundings beautiful, but the houses that surrounded the course were awesome too!

After golfing, the boys let us do a little shopping at TaiPan and Kohls. Then it was time for us to head to Tuacahn, for the play Grease. Tuacahn is an outdoor Amphitheater, and the stuff they could do was amazing! When we got there, some lady gave us tickets for the dinner, we were a little late showing up, but they let us eat anyways. Maybe that was a bad thing though… since I got sick from it right before the play! Don’t worry, I got better fast so I could watch! They would actually race the cars right behind the stage where we could see. They would go from one side, to the other, around rocks. They had 3 cars on stage at once, and they were the real old time cars, not some funny electric fake!

Sandy and Danny

Since we have been home, we have been working on the front porch. This is as far as it is right now… but after tonight, I’m hoping its pretty much done. I guess we will see!

P.S. Listen to “Love Story” on my playlist (#16 I think). Its awesome!

Labor Day

Justin worked… the end. Seriously! He worked grave yards the whole weekend, which means he slept all day! I was able to stay at home, which was a blessing. I actually have a clean house, and a few projects off the list. I did make Justin get up early one day to take me to the Rendezvous for a Navaho Taco and homemade rootbeer! YUM!

Projects I made…

Now October needs to come so we can:

1. Decorate for Halloween

2. Get some family pictures done!

Sunday Drive

So... after being on my Brothers computer yesterday, I realized that you can't see my cute fonts unless you have them installed on your computer. And since I have a TON of fonts installed, it looks really cute to me, but not to you, so download more fonts!

School is now officially in session, and that means sports are too. I haven't got to see Rachel play yet, she has been in Vegas with the volleyball team, but I have been able to see Natalie Run. She is AMAZING!

I wasn’t sure why they had to put (NO GOLFING)under a sign that said, no hitting of golf balls allowed? LOL

We went for a drive up in the mountains yesterday, it must have been POURING before we got up there because it was so wet! We saw some some antelope, and some hail. :) Yes I know hail isn't a cool thing to see up in the mountains in August, but it was really pretty! We are so lucky to live so close to our mountains!

Us, however my hair isn’t the purple pinkish color its showing..