All you need is LOVE

Conversations with a two year old

2011-10-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Me: Lila.
Lila: MOMMY!!!!
Me: I love you.
Lila: I yove me oo. (Transalation: I love me too. Thanks kid.)

Me: Lila, what does a cow say?
Lila: MOOOOO
Me: What does a horse say?
Lila: NEIGH-MOO
Me: What does daddy say?
Lila: MOO-ARGH!!!!!

and finally a sweet one. We had just put up some new pictures in the living room and one picture was of Lila's grandpa (Andrew's dad who passed away when he was little).

Me: Lila, who is this? (pointing to Grandpa)
Lila: Anpa.
Andrew: where is Grandpa, Lila?
Lila: Anpa at home.
Pause with some tears.
Me: Yes, Lila. Grandpa is home.
Lila: Yeah. Anpa at HOME!!!!!

Dear Weekend...

2011-09-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've looked forward to you all week. This week has sure given me a run for the money (and my sanity). I'm glad you are full of lots of new and some routine things.
Do you think I can check off all the things on my HAVE TO list

laundry
cleaning

and check of all the things on my LOVE TO list

Journey Auction
Canning with Mom :)
QUALITY time with Lila and Andrew

and still give me time to enjoy some quiet moments too?

Hogle Zoo

2011-09-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

We were invited to go to the Zoo with our friends, The Howards and the rest of their family (We love them too!). Lila LOVED the zoo. She was not interested in seeing it with me though, and spent the majority of her time with Mikey or Drew.

Family Visit Part 2... Hill AFB Museum

2011-09-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Lila LOVES Airplanes so we thought it would be fun to visit this museum one day. Lila wasn't totally as in to the airplanes as we thought she would be. Apparently unless an airplane is in the air...it's not really her thing, who knew?

Family visit part 1... The prank

2011-09-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

My family (Grandma, Aunt, and cousins) came to visit in July! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be with family and create memories.

My Grandma and Aunt told us kids a few stories of "pranking" that occurred when my Aunt was young. They lived in a great little community that was very close. Close enough that when different people would go on vacation or leave for a time, they would leave their houses unlocked and the neighbors would water the plants etc. Bless their hearts...the neighbors would water the plants or take care of pets and then leave a little reminder that they were there: Beer bottles scattered around the house like a party had occurred, short sheeting every bed, and a mirade of other wonderful reminders that the neighbors loved you.

Well, my parents went out of town while the family was here and we thought it only appropriate to show them we loved and missed them. :) So along with short sheeting the beds and re-arranging almost every picture in the house we got to work on this little project...taking ALL the marshmellows out of the Lucky Charms. I don't know if it's the Irish in my dad or the LOVE for sugar that makes Lucky Charms his favorite cereal ever...so we did him a favor and now he can add as many marshmellows as his little heart desires.

So...you're welcome Mom and Dad!

A thankful slacker...

2011-09-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a slacker, I know, I get it.

It's not that I don't have time to blog or anything in which to blog, it's really that I don't want to sound lame. Our life isn't super excited with crazy twists and turns, but today I'm thankful it's not too crazy.

I'm thankful for my perfect little house across the street from the cemetery with tomato plants and watermelons growing in the garden, even if all of this is in Utah (and even if I've seen two too many snakes in the garden too).

I'm thankful for my 45 minute commute to work where I can listen to whatever music I want and sing as loud as I want. I'm thankful that, like clockwork, I have daily chats with a good friend on the ride home that last almost the entire trip. I'm thankful I can turn on the heat if I want to in the summer, and no complains.

I'm thankful for those people that watch Lila during the week. I'm thankful for the Grandma's and Granny's and Grandpa's and Pappy's and Lindsay's that love her just like I do. I'm thankful that Lila loves them too...just like I do.

I'm thankful for Wednesday nights at eight where I chat with my girlfriends...and sometimes even cry. I'm thankful that we are investing in each other's lives.

I'm thankful for memories with friends that are far away, but never forgotten. i'm thankful that I still look back on good times with these old friends and smile. I'm thankful that my heart still aches for their sorrows and still rejoices with their triumphs. I will get better about connecting...

I'm thankful for days like today where I can reflect and not regret.

Two things I've learned from....

2011-05-24T13:15:00.001-07:00

Cars.

Lightning McQueen is a cheater. That's right...a cheater. Think about it. If Mr. The King and "Thunder" (because he comes after lightning) had stuck out their tongues, than the Piston Cup wouldn't have been a three way tie. I call that CHEATING.

Also, if Lightning had buckled up his seat belt or car belt while he was riding in Mack. He wouldn't have fallen out the back and ended up in Radiator Springs to begin with!

So, moral of the story....I have seen Cars WAY too many times.

One of THOSE days...

2011-05-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's been one of THOSE days when everything goes wrong.

I miss Andrew. I miss Lila.

Maybe it's the dreary weather that has me totally bummed.

I look forward to days I can finally be a mom. I say that not because I think moms that work outside the home aren't real moms, but because I think I only half-ass being a mom right now. Lila goes to some pretty great homes during the week that are filled with LOVE. She learns a lot from these grandmas and she LOVES them all so VERY much. I don't get to feed her breakfast and lunch everyday and take her to the park and watch her run. I don't get to put her down for afternoon naps and cuddle with her when she wakes up.

I understand this is selfish of me. God has shown me several times that Lila is not only a blessing to Andrew and me, but also to our families and especially to those that watch her every week. So I will continue to work (honestly, I hope and PRAY it's not forever) and sometimes I'll be sad and sometimes I'll be selfish...but i'm thankful Lila is loved and is changing lives in a way I never expected a crazy, curly haired, stinky feet, sometimes dirty, bubble loving, happy, talkative two year old could.

Nola Baby

2011-05-13T17:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Aunt Hannah for the best shirt ever!

Lila and her Daddy.

2011-05-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Lila's 2nd Birthday.

2011-05-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

Lila's birthday was basically a two day celebration at our house this year. We celebrated with LOTS of family and friends on Sunday, and on Monday we had a three person party...perfection.

My little movie star!

2011-05-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

She's my little movie star...buggers and all!

Sometimes...

2011-04-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I get tired of living in Utah because my neighbors won't talk to me, and somehow I feel moving would give me perfect neighbors that don't hate because I don't attend their church on Sunday.

Sometimes, I wake up Lila in the morning just so we can play for 30 minutes before I go to work. I usually tell Andrew she woke up on her own.

Sometimes, I drive fast and listen to metal music. Not very often...but you get the idea.

Sometimes, I cut my hair because I get bored....I usually don't regret what I've done.

Sometimes, I drink wine on my backporch and talk to God.

Sometimes, I don't do laundry for weeks. I usually regret what i've done.

Sometimes, I look through old pictures and smile. I have really great friends.

Sometimes, I envy others because they have things I want...like babies, big houses, cute shoes, and nice couches.

Sometimes, I listen to my little girl snore and love that she usually sleeps next to me.

Sometimes, that little girl takes up too much room on a king bed...and I'm able to sneak her to her own room.

Sometimes, I like that Andrew works swings shifts because a quiet home is nice. Usually, I don't like it and miss my husband five days a week.

Sometimes, I don't stand up for myself when I should.

Sometimes, I think about law school and wish I had gone. I'm so proud of my friends who did go.

Sometimes, I think about law school and smile that I didn't go. I'm still very proud of my friends who went.

Sometimes, I hate cooking. My poor family has learned to get by those days.

Sometimes, I love cooking and try out new things. I'm usually happiest these days. I feel accomplished.

Sometimes, I read books about creating life stories and I actually start to change things.

Sometimes, I drink coffee and give some to Lila. She likes it, okay! Don't judge.

Sometimes, I realize how nice it is to have Lila's grandparents so close.

Sometimes, I think about home schooling.

----Kind of an abrupt end...oh well. My blog.

My talented friend!

2011-02-14T13:44:00.001-08:00

Hey all! My lovely friend Yvonne has this great cooking blog!

www.triedandtasty.com/2011/02/share-the-love-spread-the-link-giveaway/

Check out her blog and try some recipes. Some are super simple and they all taste great.

Where did those curls come from?

2011-02-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

No one really knows...but Lila has some CRAZY hair.

Wedding.

2011-02-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Mikey got married on New Years Eve. We were glad to be apart of her special day. :)

Best of Friends?

2011-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

You decide.

Year in Review.

2011-01-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

Although I didn't blog much, 2010 was a very eventful year.

January brought Lila's surgery for her cleft palate. I can't explain the fear and anxiety that came along with this event, but believe me it was rough. For four weeks post-surgery Lila wore arm restraints and looked like a little robot.

February was my two year mark at my job. I know this isn't incredibly eventful to many other people, but it's something I remember.

March brought learning how to use a sippy cup and getting rid of pricey cleft bottles.

April was the month of our beautiful little girl's birthday. We loved celebrating our sweet girl with so many loved ones. Lila learned to walk this month also.

Early May brought us a challenge Andrew lost his job (on his birthday.) It was difficult trying to figure our next steps. We realized that becoming a military family was our path and have been working towards this goal ever since. Our 2nd anniversary was enjoyed with a nice dinner and Date Night.

In June, my grandma visited for two weeks. We absolutely loved having her with us in Utah and can't wait for her next visit. Andrew got a job mid-June also...such a blessing. We also held a dinner for a friend and his family. Our friend had been battling cancer for several months and we wanted to show the family that we loved them. The dinner was truly a blessing for those who organized it as we saw just how much we can be blessed if we allow it.

Our friend passed away in July. We are so glad that death is not the end.

We traveled to Wyoming and Nebraska in July, as well, to visit Andrew's grandmother. Do you know they sell alcohol in the grocery stores in Nebraska!? Love it.

Lila and I went to Hawaii in August for a family reunion, of sorts. Two weeks with my Uncle, Aunt, Cousins, and Grandma (again!). We had such a fabulous time and loved our visit. One day, we'll go back with Andrew.

September was the beginning of football season. I'm training Lila young to love my Utes.

October brought Halloween. Lila was a kitty this year....cutest kitty ever!

November, we celebrated Thanksgiving. This year, my sister and I cooked the entire meal from scratch. It was sure tiring, but SO worth-it. I don't think I ever want to go back to eating green bean casserole with canned soup again. I shopped until I dropped the next day with a friend.

December was a busy busy month. Our family friend was getting married at the end of the month, so bridal showers and bachelorette parties and planning filled our weeks. We celebrated the Love Christmas on Christmas eve and had some Grove's Deli for lunch. If you've never been....GO! We had Christmas morning at my sisters, followed by Christmas lunch at Andrew's parents. We weren't done yet! The Sunday after Christmas, we went to my parents house for fried turkey dinner.

New Years Eve, we celebrated my birthday and my best friend's wedding. What a great day to be with such great people.

We hope 2011 brings great lessons, happy memories, and welcome change.

The fit.

2010-11-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

Honestly, I can't remember why she was so upset...but it wasn't over anything important. Poor Lila...LOL!

Halloween.

2010-11-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Lila-Kitty. :)

Texas.

2010-11-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Texas to visit Andrew's grandparents and celebrate birthday's and a 50th anniversary.

For Andrew's grandpa's birthday, we went to the Nimitz Museum in Fredricksburg, Texas. Seriously, this little town was AWESOME! The museum was all about the pacific battles in WW2. In school, we didn't learn much about the pacific theater of the war...so it really was fascinating learning about all the other battles.

Lila was able to spend a lot of time with her uncle, Matt. She warmed up to him pretty quickly! Lila "rode" the four-wheeler in Pipe Creek...and was pretty mad when we tried to take her away from it. It looks like a pink one may be in her future in a few years. She also tried to drive her uncle's truck and a porsche.

Pretty great trip! We love Texas and every time it's harder to leave...but we are so blessed when we are able to visit and can't wait to go back.

Beautiful Lila.

2010-11-05T10:47:00.001-07:00

I love her...enough said.

Utah love.

2010-09-03T14:12:00.001-07:00

I don't like living in Utah, it's not a big secret. However, I do LOVE The University of Utah Utes!

Lila getting prepped for last night's game!

Lila's first Ute game last year.

Dear Lila,

2010-08-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Lila,

You should know that your mommy loves you very much. I miss every moment I have to work and you get to play with Grandma (s) and Granny. I'm sure you keep them busy and entertained, and hopefully you are sharing with them lots of Love.

You have started speaking so many more words and communicating in a brand new way. I miss your pointing finger, but I know your words are part of your all-important learning development. I love when you say "please" and "thank-you". Your daddy wants you to say "sir" and "ma'am" too, but I think it's okay to keep him waiting. Speaking of your daddy...he loves you too. He loves so much that you can run and play with him. He loves spending mornings with you, and secretly I think he's glad that I'm not there sometimes for those special "daddy" moments with you.

Lila, we love that you give kisses...lots of them. Please don't kiss strangers at the grocery store, boys at church, or the dog. Especially the dog.

I know that you have a love/hate relationship with shoes. You love to play with them and wear them occasionally, but you don't seem to think they are necessary. I know how you feel, but you can't take your shoes off when we are out. One day I am going to leave your shoes at Home Depot or Costco and you will be very sad when you want something to throw at the stinky dog. So please, let's keep those shoes on your feet.

Thank you for being a baby that will eat anything...literally. I love that you love vegetables, fruit, and every other thing we put in front of you. However, you don't need to eat nails, paper, kitty food, grass, or your stuffed animals. Mommy won't starve you.

Thank you for giggling and laughing, even when I don't see what there is to laugh at. You have Joy in your heart and I don't want you to ever lose that.

I think it's funny when you play with the remote, but only when daddy is watching TV. It's funny to see him search for the hidden remove when you've muted his favorite show or changed the channel to rugby. I don't think it's very funny when you steal the remote on my time, last night you changed the TV to the playboy channel. I'll tell you why that was not okay when you are older.

You are a strong-willed, determined, happy, energetic, loving little girl. I don't know what my life would be without you. I will always love you, even when you tip over the completely full bowl of dog water on the clean floor or when you hide your graham cracker crumbs in the toy box. Mommy will always love you.

HAWAII!!!

2010-08-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Lila and I took a trip to Hawaii with my family. Unfortunately, Andrew wasn't able to join us on the trip because of work, and he was missed everyday.

I wish I could describe my family simply, but there is no way. I love them so much. My sister and I didn't really get to know them until about nine years ago, and hopefully we'll continue to make up for all that lost time.

My Unce Jim and Aunt Teri are so wonderful. My Uncle is a giver and a planner...he really made this trip happen for us and really made sure we all had a good time. My Aunt has funny and caring. She always joined us at the pool for a chat and a warm smile!

I'm so glad Hunter was able to come to Hawaii. He had an amazing time. If you see him anytime soon, I'm sure he'd love to share about turtles, the pool, sleepovers, parasailing, or sailing. I don't think this little boy ever stopped smiling.

J was really great to have around too. Especially for Patrick and Hunter...those three were nearly inseperable.
This is Rhiannon, or as Lila calls her "annon". She is my only girl cousin. I love her so much. Rhiannon will never say a bad thing about anyone and always has an encouraging word to say. I'm so blessed by her.

And Colleen...well, she basically is the best sister. We really had a great time on this trip (and hardly fought, can you believe it?) Colleen knows how to make a fun situation out of anything and really was great to travel with. My sister definitely deserved the vacation too.

Mikey came along with us and was part of the family for a week. She did a great job of going with the flow of the craziness of 12 people. :)

Mathew (standing below) is my oldest cousin. I loved talking with him on this trip and just having an all around good time. I wish Mathew lived closer, or we lived closer to him...he's such a great friend.

Patrick (sitting below) is my youngest and most adventurous cousin. It was awesome to spend this time with him. He jumped off a few waterfalls and was such a little daredevil! He was SO good to Hunter and took Hunter along everywhere. He's a really great kid.

My Grandma was also along this trip. I love spending time with her and just laughing. I love her stories, especially about my Grandpa.

Memories with my family are some of my most cherished. I hate that we live so far away from each other and visits only happen once a year. There is nothing like being with them...and knowing they love me completely. I think leaving them after this trip was harder than I expected. I want so much for Lila to know them and love them like I do. I want Andrew to get to know them too...he'd fit right in.

So, I took lots of pictures (maybe too much) but I wanted to keep a picture record of our trip. I wanted to make sure that I captured the laughs, travels, and smiles. I'm so glad we'll have a new set of stories and inside jokes to share. I'm truly blessed to love and be loved by these people.

Maui Ocean Center

2010-08-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

The entire group went to the Maui Ocean Center. It was really cool, and Lila's first aquarium experience. She LOVED the fish!

After the aquarium, we took a journey to Iao Needle State Park. The clouds fall low in this area which looks very awesome. My Uncle Jim got a little "Lila time" on our walk through the park too!

Straight hair and the winery.

2010-08-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just two memories in this post that are short and sweet from Hawaii.

Lila, by no means, has straight hair. She is a curly headed monster and I love it. It is fun, however, to straighten her hair...just to see how she would look. As you can tell, she is much cuter with the curls. :)

My Uncle, Aunt, Grandma, two Cousins and I went to this little winery for a few hours. It was so quaint and pretty. We tasted a few good wines, and brought several back to the condos to share. Obviously, this was not a Lila trip.

Road to Hana-Hawaii

2010-08-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

One of our last days in Hawaii, I took the Road to Hana with my Cousins, Aunt and Uncle, Hunter and Grandma. It was such a fun and scenic drive. We took a long a cd narrating specific stops along to drive. Since we are the coolest family, we named our narrator "Janice"...and allowed her to lead us to Hana.

We stopped just about everywhere, but found this small waterfall on the way back. Patrick jumped off a few other (and much higher) waterfalls on the drive, but this one Hunter did! Mathew waited in the water for him after he jumped, of course, by request of an overly anxious Aunt and Great-Aunt.

July 24th

2010-08-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

July 24th is an extra little Utah holiday! I love it, really I do! We enjoyed some fun with Lila in the frontyard pool, dinner with Colleen, and fireworks at Grandpa and Grandma's! So, thanks Mormon's for giving me an extra July holiday with fireworks and all!

July 4th in Wyoming.

2010-08-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

For July 4th, we went to visit Andrew's Grandma in Wyoming. She's very special to us...so special that Lila shares a name with her. :) I didn't get any pictures with Lila and her Great-Grandma, but no doubt that there are plenty around!

Lila discovered this new trick on the way home. I love her!

Memorial Day BBQ

2010-08-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day, we had a BBQ with lots of friends and family. Here are just a few photos from our fun afternoon.

Strange Child.

2010-08-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad tell lots of stories of me (Nola) and my climbing phase. Apparently, I was a bit of a wild child and could climb ANYTHING! Well, I think Lila is turning into a "little me". She's beginning to climb whatever she can touch and shove herself into wherever she might fit.

Lila's birthday

2010-08-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Lila's birthday was in April....months ago, I know. But I wanted to share a few pictures of this memorable day (More so for me than her, obviously).

Lila LOVES to eat, but she likes to scope things out first and make sure she's not wasting her time.

Here is just a quick shot of some of Lila's guests. We really are lucky and LOVED to know all of them! Thanks for helping make Lila's first year great and supporting her crazy mom along the way.

Thursday.

2010-07-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

While I'm at work, Lila is with her Granny Franny (AKA Mrs. Roush).

She sure is loved and spoiled! Love that sprinkled face!

Life.

2010-06-11T13:54:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to blog for a long time, but I just can't find the time lately.

So many things have happened that I haven't been able to blog about yet. Lila celebrated her first birthday. She had a big party with about 25-30 people there. She just loved having so many kids around. We took lots of pictures, maybe they'll appear on the blog soon.

We had our 2nd anniversary. It's been a great year, and I can honestly say that. We've had some pretty stressful times lately, but we're making it and are being blessed. We're lucky to share our anniversary with a dear couple. They are a few years ahead of us, but are a great example of joy and love. They sent us a card for our anniversary, and it couldn't have come on a better day.

Andrew's sister came to town for the summer/fall. It's been great seeing her so often. I'm hoping to really form a good sister bond while she's here. I need to prioritze this...really, I do.

We haven't been doing friday dinners for awhile. It seems like after Andrew lost his job and we could no longer afford to feed our friends nearly every week...no one picked it up. I'm not going to lie, this has been really hard on me. I feel like we've had a few friends that we can rely on to encourage us (because we really need it lately), but the others kind of just forgot about us. I'm blessed to have two girlfriends to enjoy coffee with (even if it's homemade coffee) on Tuesdays...they have helped me through some rough weeks.

My grandma has been in town for two weeks. I miss my family. I miss my cousins and my aunt and uncle. They really are some fantastic people, and I wish we all lived closer together. But we'll be together in August-I look forward to Hawaii family reunion every day.

And yesterday, we were kind of shaken by some news. I kind of just wish life would leave our family alone for a little bit. Maybe give my heart a year to recuperate.

Anyway...sorry, I haven't blogged. I'll try and catch up soon.

Cancer sucks, let's do something about it.

2010-06-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

I think everyone can think of at least one person they know who has been affected by cancer. This past year, I've seen two families go through the reality of cancer...and honestly it sucks.

Saturday June 19th at 6 pm, we as a community are going to reach out to one of these families. Dustin and Mandy Hutt are two very awesome people and in the short time I've spent getting to know them I can tell you these things: 1. Dustin makes some awesome guacamole 2. They are strong and are fighter cancer. June 19th, there will be a spaghetti dinner at Mountain View Baptist Church to encourage and support this family. Tickets will be $15.00 a piece. There will be a silent auction/raffle as well. All funds raised will go to Dustin and Mandy to help ease the stress cancer has brought into their life.

To read more about this family, please visit their website. http://www.mandyhutt.blogspot.com

~Also, if you can't make it to the dinner- There is a garage sale that will benefit them as well. Saturday, June 5th at Elevation Kaysville (on the frontage road near Ponds Park). This garage sale basically goes all day too!

May update.

2010-05-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Lindsay took some pictures of Andrew, Lila, and me at the park yesterday. Lindsay is a budding new photog that is getting some camera time in with us.

Our life has been quite hectic lately and going through some changes. Andrew is on the jobsearch for something that will help sustain us until we join the Navy. That's right!!! THE NAVY! Crazy, I know. We've been feeling the push to go back into the military (Andrew was in the army for 4 years-our entire dating time.) for some time, however making the step to go back
in was something we were dragging our feet on and making several different excuses.

Well, here we go. This is something that we are ready and excited for and can't wait to see what happens during the next few months. Stay tuned!

My Love

2010-04-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm thinking a lot about Andrew. My husband is pretty great, to put it bluntly.

He has a bond with Lila that is beyond anything I could have imagined. They are kindred.

He is a provider, friend, and often times what keeps me going during the day. He pushes me to be stronger in my faith and to ALWAYS dig deeper. He encourages me to be my best. He is a sounding board for my crazy ideas and rants. He lets me be myself as flawed as I am.

Yup, he's a pretty good guy.

What makes us happy!

2010-04-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Lila and I are going here in August for a family reunion.

and here in October for a birthday and anniversary celebration.

Crazy update.

2010-04-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

After my prayer and husbandly advice, I gave up my Thursday night house church and my “commitment” to make Friday night dinner in order to make life a little less crazy.
House church was hard to give up. It has become one of the only times during the week that I can sit with a friend and have someone that understands the struggles of being a working mom. It was nice to be a part of a little community. But honestly, God has perfect timing and made it very clear that I needed to take Thursday for Lila and Andrew.
My Friday night dinner commitment was also very hard to step back from. Every Friday for a very long time, our group of friends has come together to eat a home-cooked meal and enjoy each other. This dinner is VERY special to me and I haven’t given up going to it. I have given up cooking as frequently as I do. It became so stressful to run home after work and get the house and food ready for the guests…it was time to take a break. So, I’ve taken a month long break from cooking the meal and will try to let others take on a few Fridays.
I thought this was supposed to make life less crazy, but I haven’t felt the impact yet. I still feel like I’m constantly on the go and barely get a chance to enjoy the small things. The next few months are busy busy busy, and I’m just hoping that somewhere along the way I’ll find time to relax.

Crazy!

2010-04-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know that I over-schedule myself. I think I can do more than I really can. Without Lila, I did a pretty good job at being busy every night. I could go from one place to the next and not worry about someone needing to eat, nap, be changed, or play. I literally have something every night right now, and very little time to just relax.

Two weeks ago, Andrew made me take a week off from everything. We didn't go to our weekly house churches, or make friday dinner, or anything! It was a fabulous week, because after work I picked up Lila and went home.

After Lila's party yesterday, Andrew and I were talking about how crazy the previous week had been and how exhausted we were (this is mainly due to my efforts to do as much as I could last week and be everything to everyone). Well, it's time that I made myself a little less crazy. I have decided to cut a few things from my schedule. I'm going to spend more time at home. I'm going to make more dinners for my family, and less fend-for-yourself nights. I'm going to have an awesome garden because that is what I want to do. I'm going to take Lila on walks. I'm going to make friends with my neighbors (they don't know this yet.) I'm going to focus more on where God wants me and not on where I think others want me to be.

So, it's time to be a little less crazy and a little less stressed.

Lila's photo shoot

2010-04-16T06:37:00.001-07:00

Lila had her official one-year photo session. Can I tell you how talented the photographer is?! She was so good with Lila and knew exactly how to get her attention. We really liked her- http://www.amandabphoto.com/ .

A few notes on the photo's. The sign is from Andrew's grandmother's house. Nanny passed away last October, and we were given her sign. It hangs on our wall inside our house...and hopefully one day it will be back in Texas.

Lila LOVES Elmo. I think she even says his name. This morning it sounded like she Emo. Andrew thinks she's just rambling, but I think she she said Elmo. He's just jealous because she calls him Nana.

We took the pictures by the fence at my in-laws. They have an awesome yard that just keeps getting better! (With ALOT of hard hard hard work from the in-laws!)

Enjoy!

Preview

2010-04-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

More to come soon, but I wanted to share this adorable picture.

Reflection and picture time.

2010-04-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

I took a few pictures of Lila for her birthday invites. I can't believe that my Lila girl is almost one. I don't remember what life was like without Lila. She has brought so much joy into mine and Andrew's life.

Lila was born via C-section due to issues she was having with contractions. She didn't really want to leave me either, which made the 20 hours of labor "fun". When the doctor told us that I would need to have a C-section, I was instantly freaked. Andrew prayed over Lila and I to calm me down a bit, followed by our wonderful moms who prayed over us again. As the doctors wheeled me past all our family, I couldn't help but think how blessed this baby was going to be.

Hearing Lila's little cry for the first time was one of the most wonderful sounds I've ever heard. My tears turned to laughter as Andrew yelled across the room to find out how big she was...you see, Love babies are usually not small babies! Luckily, Lila was just over 8 pounds, and I can deal with that. Andrew can tell the story about how I teased the doctors for liking Jerry Sloan and the Jazz.

Back in our room, we were blessed with Andrew's parents, my parents, Colleen and Hunter, Mrs. Roush, Mikey and Dani. I was so glad that Lila was able to meet all of these wonderful people. I'm sure she will understand one day how each of these people will impact and influence her life, just as they have Andrew and my life.

Easter time

2010-04-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to Gramma Heaney (aka Mimi) for the dress. Lila looked pretty dang cute in it!

We spent Easter as a family this year (and ditched out on church! OH MY!). It was a wonderful time to enjoy each other and the blessings we have been given. Grandpa and Grandma, Auntie Colleen, Graig and Hunter all came over for an awesome dinner. Special thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for the ham and wine! And Auntie Colleen for her macaroni salad...my personal fav. We really are lucky to have family so close.

Idaho Trip

2010-04-02T07:00:00.001-07:00

I want to post out by saying that we are BLESSED beyond measure with WONDERFUL friends. I have had many of the same friends for over 10 years. Many things have changed since the days of high school, but we are all still friends. Some of us are married, some with kids, some live in Idaho or Arizona or wherever life has taken them, but we still maintain a place in each other's lives. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have this life-long friends who know my heart well.

A month or so ago, we decided to go visit Daniel, Tory, and their boys. I met Daniel and Tory in high school (along with the rest of our friends). They moved to Idaho a few years ago, and we have been lucky enough to see them at least once a year.

This last visit was an awesome trip because we had four kids to play together. Brittni (also a friend from the high school days) and her little boy came to play! Daniel and Tory's two boys and Brittni's son are all roughly the same age. It was SO fun to see the boys interact and be boys. They even included Lila too. (She's allowed to marry any of those three boys...end of story)

Here are a few pictures I stole from Brittni from our trip.

Growing up...

2010-04-01T10:20:00.001-07:00

"The Look"

2010-03-30T08:39:00.001-07:00

If you know my family, you know many of us have “the look”, more specifically, the “John Burns look”. Well, Lila is learning to master the look. We went to Grandma’s on Saturday to visit with a special friend, and apparently Lila was not digging our friend playing with her toys/grandma/mom/ANYTHING!

Mom moment...

2010-03-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, Lila's friend Cooper celebrated his second birthday! Cooper is such a great little boy who is so polite and is very nice to Lila. Seriously, we love this kid.

Anyway, his party was at an awesome little park with lots of things to play on for bigger kids. Lila was really only interested in the wood chips, until we saw the slide! The first time, Lila and I went down together and she liked that enough but wasn't overly enthused with that. Andrew suggested we let her do it on her own...so I held her little bum and let her go down. As you know, that is not on "her own". So, we tried again but this time with no assistance from mommy. I held my breath as she zoomed down the little slide, while she loved every minute of it.

Do these mom moments ever get easier?

Who I admire...

2010-03-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of amazing women in my life. Women who teach me how to be good mothers, wives, and individuals. Becoming a mom was overwhelming to me, and finding out Lila had a cleft palate was even more traumatizing.

The day we found out that I was pregnant was definitely shocking. We had been married only a few months and were enjoying our life in our little Avenues apartment with our dog. We sat on our couch (actually it was a futon) and cried. We started going for nightly walks that day and talked about all the things that scared us about becoming parents. About a week later, I began to bleed. I can't tell you the pain my heart felt thinking about losing my little baby. I had the wisdom of two nurses who received late night phone calls, and the prayers of my mother-in-law.

As my pregnancy progressed, I was bombarded with advise to do this and don't do that. One woman gave me this piece of advice that I hold dear to everyday "Don't listen to anyone. You know YOUR baby more than anyone else."

In the hospital with Lila, I really struggled to nurse. (due to Lila's cleft which was unknown at this point) I had horrible awful bitch nurses that were so rude and unhelpful. I cried wanting someone that was compassionate and knew that I was struggling. A few days after leaving the hospital, I went to the home of a good friend (and pseudo-mom). This wonderful woman told me that I was not the problem, which was like an enormous burden lifted from my shoulders. She let me know that co-sleeping was okay and lent me a few books to allow me to realize that I DO know my baby more than anyone, and I know what is best for her.

The past few days, I've been thinking a lot about these wonderful ladies who encourage me to grow. Thank you to the mom who gives me encouragement when I'm down about not being able to stay at home...thank you for being in the same place with me. Thank you to the mom who has such a great Elmo loving boy! Thank you to the mom of almost four, who wants to use cloth diapers...you are so tough. Thank you to the mom who homeschools...I want to be like you...with smart little children who are social and fun. Thank you to the mom who is in treatments...kick Marla's ass. Thank you to the mom's of all the new babies...you guys are doing great and have beautiful little ones. Thank you to the mom who recently sent her baby home...I rejoice and mourn with you.

Thank you to my mom, and my mother-in-law, and my best friend's mom. Thank you for watching Lila every week and loving it. She (and I) love you very much and are SO grateful for a willing heart and an open home.

Sippy cup woes...

2010-03-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Lila has always had to use a special bottle and nipple due to her cleft palate. Now that it's repaired, I want to switch her over to a sippy cup but I'm not sure how to make the transition. Do I replace the bottle cold turkey? Or do I ease her into the sippy? DECISIONS DECISIONS!!

Lila's surgery

2010-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Lila had to wear arm restraints for 4 weeks. She was such a good little baby and never complained about the restraints.

Only a few hours after surgery, she wanted to play again!

Pre-surgery. She looked awfully cute in her gown.

Lila was born with a cleft soft palate. At nine months of age, she was able to have her cleft repaired. We had a fabulous team of doctors that worked on Lila. Thankfully, her surgery lasted only a few hours and we had to stay only one night in the hospital.

Our little girl is strong little fighter and was so tough throughout the surgery and recovery process.

Family Photo 2009

2010-02-10T14:56:00.001-08:00

Hunter's Birthday

2010-01-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a poor blogger, but I wanted to wish my favorite (and only official) nephew a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hunter is an amazing little boy. He loves his cousin and wants her to be involved in everything he does. Hunter loves to play video games, read books, play soccer, and be just like Graig.

Hunter wouldn't be the awesome boy he is without his mom....so AWESOME JOB sister.

(Sorry, no pictures. I'll post some later.)

Nanny

2009-10-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

Andrew’s Grandmother “Nanny” passed away last Friday. We will miss her so much. We were so blessed to spend a few days with her in early September. We are so glad that our Lila Kay got to meet Nanny. She was a beautiful person and the epitome of Texas Love.
We will miss her very much.

Date Night

2009-10-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the camera did not join us on our date night, so I have no pictures.
Andrew and I had a WONDERFUL date last night. He planned the whole night and I just enjoyed the ride.
We dropped Lila Kay off with Auntie Colleen. I can't imagine the trouble those two are going to get into in years to come.
Then we headed off for Sushi in Layton. If you haven't been to Osaka Sushi, GO, it's never crowded and it's always good. It was nice to sit and talk with my husband for a bit, sure we talked about Lila, but it was nice to just be alone with him for a bit.
After sushi, we headed to the movie theater to watch Couples Retreat. It was pretty funny and a movie I'd watch again.
We concluded our date night with a trip to Friday Family Dinner. We just couldn't completely ditch our awesome friends.
We definitely needed a date night. It was nice to just walk with my husband and hold his hand for awhile. I think we have just been overwhelmed with life lately, that we've kind of neglected each other. It was nice to just enjoy each other's company and keep the flame going.

Lila at the store!

2009-09-30T15:01:00.001-07:00

Lila and I have Sunday’s to ourselves. Rarely we are able to stay home and have a mommy/baby day. Most Sundays are filled with chaos of getting the little one ready for church (where we normally walk out during the sermon to stand outside and listen, Lila loves the music at Elevation, but hates sitting for Trinity’s sermons.) I love Sunday lunches with the friends, and then retreating back home for laundry and cleaning. ANYWAY…this Sunday was a mommy/Lila Sunday. We slept in and went for a walk with Ms. Lindsay. We went out to lunch with Joe and Lindsay, and headed to Target. Can I say how much I LOVE Target?! About 5 minutes into our Target trip, Lila started to get fussy in the car seat…apparently she was done! I Unfortunately, I didn’t have my cart seat protector with me, but put Lila in the seat anyway. I had a keen eye on her to avoid her licking the handle! She looked so cute in the seat.
What a happy little girl!!!

Absent Blogger

2009-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy lately. Lila is now 5 1/2 months and is a rolling machine. Andrew and I are both busy working and getting our house ready to sell. That's right! SELL!! We are going to follow our dreams and move to Texas sometime next year.

My goal is to blog at least once a week. So be prepared for blogging!!!

Lila's surgery

2009-08-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Isn't she cute in her hospital gown?!
Lila had ear tubes put in on Tuesday. She did great and she is so alert now, she can hear everything!

Boppy love!

2009-05-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

When Lila came home we noticed she HATED sleeping anywhere but our arms. We could lay her down in her playard for a few moments and then she would freak out. Several nights, she ended up sleeping in her car seat or in our arms...because that is where she and we could actually get some much needed rest. (After learning that our little girl has a cleft palate, we learned she couldn't breathe well on her back...hence the reason why she would freak out...more on this later.)
Today, I saw the boppy pillow given to us at one of the baby showers and realized Lila would fit perfectly in the donut- hole center. She wouldn't be on her back and I hoped that this would be a solution to our sleeping problems. Praise God! The boppy pillow works!!! Lila is fast asleep as I type and is loving it...as are her parents. I'll put up a picture of our new favorite thing soon, but we LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the boppy!!!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

2009-05-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Today is Andrew's birthday! So, I thought I would do the cheesy blog thing and write a few things about my Love.
1. He's completely surprised me since Lila was born. He's always talking about her, always wants to hold her, and doesn't mind changing her stinky diapers.
2. He's incredibly strong and wise. I see him continually seek out personal time with God, in order for him to lead our small family. He's been the rock I need when life's little crazy times arise.
3. And finally, he's the best dang husband I have ;)
Happy Birthday, Andrew!! I love you and I hope today is all you deserve and more!

My two favs.

2009-04-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

The other morning, I woke up to see this...melts my heart.

One week!

2009-04-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Lila is one week today. We've enjoyed one week of kissing her adorable cheeks, playing with her tiny feet...and a week full of diapers!

Lila let us know that she had a messy diaper, and after Andrew and I stopped laughing at the loud noise that can come out of such a little girl. Andrew asked if we could rock, paper, scissors. Loser changes the stinky diaper. Sadly to say, I lost.

One week of diapers...many more to go.

Lila Catherine-Kay Love

2009-04-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lila entered our world Saturday, April 18th at 12:17 pm. She weighed 8 lbs 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. She is the sweetest baby who loves to cuddle with Mommy and listen to Daddy's voice.

Catchup #3: TEXAS

2009-02-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

I want to start this post of by saying that I belong in Texas. Everytime I leave, I feel like I am leaving my home...it's a strange feeling to have because I've never lived in Texas, but I'm blessed by my visits every time.
We went down to visit Andrew's uncle, aunt, and other family members. Andrew's family lives in the most fabulous town. I loved the peace and quiet, and the LOVE that exists there. Andrew spent a day alone with his uncle learning some trade-secrets, while I shopped and ate out with Andrew's aunt and grandmother.
Andrew received two gifts to remind him of Texas and his family....very touching but I'll let Andrew tell those stories if he wants to.
We spent four wonderful days relaxing in the country, eating the most AMAZING food, and enjoying great company.

Catchup #2: Jake

2009-02-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

We have a dog, and I think she's perfect. However, Chenille is getting old and isn't able to play with Andrew for long or very hard. Andrew really wanted a dog he could play with and take on runs, so he started looking for his perfect match.
We found Jake on KSL for "free" and Andrew wanted him instantly. It was so adorable to see my husband get so excited to bring Jake home. Jake former owners suck big time and failed to produce a shot record which they swore up and down they had. So, Jake's first expense was his shots. Thank you Grandma for our Christmas money because you helped make sure Jake was current. Jake had an infection that is former owners failed to treat, so taking care of that was his second expense. His third, fourth, and fifth expense was getting him fixed. Poor Jake just took longer to heal up than most dogs. He was such a trooper and didn't fuss too much about being stuck in his kennel for 2 long weeks.
The night we noticed Jake's infection after his surgery, we improvised an E-collar. He's the only Jazz fan that lives in our house. :)
Here is a picture of our good dog now. He keeps us on our toes and is definitely a handfull...but we love him all the same.

Catch up post #1:Buying a house

2009-02-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of October, Andrew and I started discussing buying a house. We figured the best time to buy for us would be when our lease was up in May. So, we started talking about what we liked and didn't like, where we wanted to be, our budget, etc. We made the "mistake" of mentioning this to my sister, who immediately contacted her real estate lady and told her we were looking. Well, 3 days later we looking at a house and instantly knew we needed to buy it. We started the process on Halloween and closed less than a month later.
We have been continually blessed by people during this completely new adventure. Our former landlords let us out of our lease-penalty free. Some very lovely ladies cleaned my entire house for me to keep me and baby Lila away from the chemicals. My parents and sister helped me clean out our apartment in a few short hours. Andrew's parents and Steve took two or three nights and moved ALL of our stuff into the house and helped us unpack it all. And finally, Mikey and Dani helped me decorate the place to make it a little more festive, just in time for Christmas.
Check out the before pictures of the house....we're taking on a project a month and things are starting to come together. Andrew has already painted our bedroom (which was no easy task thanks to the painted over wallpaper that existed before!)
This is the dining room. We love our shutters!
Our living room, with my mom in almost EVERY picture.

Half of our kitchen, which is MUCH larger than our kitchen at the apartment. I love it!!!
Our stairs. I love having two levels...and a railing...and there's my mom again. DANG.
Our room with it's "awesome" carpet. The walls are now a rich brown and I absolutely love it.
Colleen, my sister, showing off the hallway to the master bedroom and the office.

There is a laundry room, master bathroom, baby's room, and office that are also part of the downstairs.

So, yeah! to finding a house that fits us perfectly and for moving in with SO much help. I'll make sure to post pictures as rooms are redone (i.e. Lila's room!!!).

Late but NEVER forgotten

2009-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

My dear beautiful friend Katie had a birthday on Friday! She's just growing up SO fast (okay, I'm 10 days older than her....but whatever.)

I wanted to give a little shout-out to Mrs. Schmeltzer. We haven't lived in the same state since we were sophomores in high school, yet we have been able to keep in touch quite well over the years. This lady cracks me up nearly every time I talk to her. Her optimism is admirable and her perserverance is amazing.

Katie, if you ever read this, you are the best! I love you very much! I hope you had a wonderful date with Nate, and that your birthday month continues to rock!!!!

---And I totally stole this photo from her facebook, because I like to showcase my gorgeous friends!!!

I've been tagged (and I've been accused of not blogging much lately)

2008-12-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

8 Things

8 Of my Favorite Books
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Glory Field
Blue Like Jazz
Calvin and Hobbes comics (they count as books to me!!)
The Giving Tree
Through Painted Deserts
and the list goes on and on....

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1) Drove in the snow.
2) Got a Christmas gift at work.
3) Worked from home...woo woo.
4) Was incredibly spoiled by the help of my wonderful in-laws and good friends in moving.
5) Got a present from the Bairs.
6) Talked to little Lila
7) listened to Christmas music
8) hated pneumonia

8 Things To Look Forward To-
1)feeling better
2)making cookies with Hunter on Saturday
3)Brother in law visit next week (and meeting his fiance!!)
4)Christmas eve dinner at the big sisters
5)New Years Eve/my birthday
6)Lila's birth
7)visit Texas again
8)growing my garden!

8 Things On My Wish List-
1)tea kettle
2)no more pneumonia
3)getting all these boxes unpacked
4)a bloody-mary
5)Traveling to Canada, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ireland.
6)Healthy Lila
7) new carpet in the house
8) a truck for Andrew

8 Things I Love About Winter-
1) Christmas
2)New Years
3)my birthday
4) home alone with Colleen
5) watching Hunter open his gifts
6) peach puff pancakes
7) Christmas music "They're singing OUR anthems"- My pastor said this a few sundays ago...just really stuck with me.
8) Family time

I tag:
Tory and Taylor

Nola's Doctor rant.

2008-12-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Doctor rant
So, let's start off by saying that I HATE going to the doctor's office with a fiery passion. Just about 2 years ago, a tumor was discovered on my pituitary gland. For months, I took several different medications and visited too many doctors to count. After practically living in doctors offices during this time, I detest going to them. Last week, I had to visit the doctor because I had lost my voice and I had a pretty nasty cough. The dork did some throat culture, said I had three different bacteria growing in my throat, and gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. I didn't get anything for the cough, so after three days of not sleeping or eating much, I called the dork doctor back and asked if there was anything I could take for the cough. Because he's such a "busy dork", the dumb receptionist said she'd have him get back to me. Hours later, I call back and dumb receptionist tells me that the dork is about to look at my file and he'll call me back. Does he?! No, dumb receptionist calls back and tells me that he'll call in a prescription for the cough and that I can go pick it up. I'm paranoid about taking anything that my hurt little Lila Love, so I ask her if it's safe for the pregnancy. The nasty dumb receptionist tells me to go pick it up and call my OB. So, I go down to the pharmacy and low and behold there is no prescription. So, the lovely pharmacy calls the dork and the dork had decided not to call in the prescription because he wanted me to check with my OB and then get back to him. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO KNOW!!!!! Nasty dumb receptionist told me to go pick up prescription and than call....and how the heck am I supposed to ask my OB what prescription it is when I never got to talk to the dork and find out what it actually is!!!!! The lovely pharmacy tells me the name of the prescription and I start all over again.Well, at this point I'm mighty pissed off. I call my Trusty OB and I explain to him the situation. He tells me that the dork is in fact a dork and that he was giving me shit (my interpretation of what he said) for my cough. He prescribes me something that is safe for the baby and that will work for my cough. And, it did....and then my magic medicine was gone. I'm still coughing, not eating, not sleeping, and not enjoying this whole sick thing. Poor little Lila Love must not like her mom very much right now. So I resolved to go to a new doctor that was not a dork and hopefully get some answers as to why I was still sick. My new doctor was nice and his brother is actually the most wonderful dentist in the ENTIRE world (WOO WOO DR. Adrian!!!) New guy does the normal hear this, look there, and tells me that I'm wheezy (YEAH...I KNOW!) and that he wants me to have a chest x-ray. He sends me down right then and I get the xray done right then....no waiting. Then new guy sits down with me and goes over the xray. He says I have pneumonia and that he's going to give me some things that are baby safe. I didn't have to ask him....he just came right out and answered my next question...that was a big plus for me. So new guy 1 vs dork -10 million. So there you go....my doctor rant. I hate dork doctor and I will never step foot in his office again. Neither will ANY of my family. ALL of us have transferred our records to new guy.

It's been WAY too long!

2008-11-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

WHEW! Andrew and I have been super busy. We have a baby on the way, we're closing on a house, and the holidays are coming fast! It feels like a whirl-wind few months, but they've been fantastic.
We'll do better about the blogging very soon. Many pictures of the move and baby goodness will be appearing as well.
We hope all of you are well and are enjoying the fall! Unless you live in Utah, we hope you LOVE the winter snow...Texas boy Andrew LOVES LOVES LOVES it!

Uintah weekend

2008-08-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

We ventured away from the city for a weekend in the mountains with the Burns'. It was a fabulous time away from the city sounds and lights. Andrew spent a morning fishing with his father in law. Andrew will tell you the best part was seeing Mr.Burns reel in an abandon line complete with a live fish! I spent the morning walking with my mom and Chenille. Chenille is a completely different dog around water, the Lab in her finally comes out!

We've planned a few more trips up to the Uintahs before the month is up. It's such a beautiful place, we can't stay away for too long.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

2008-07-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite pool club friend and former coworker turned 19 today. Taylor is one of my favorite and most respected friends. Currently, Taylor is in Ghana (http://tayloringhana.blogspot.com/) working in an ophanage. He truly has a heart to serve others.

My favorite Taylor memories include:

1. Running away from a "ghost" in the pump room at the pool. He screamed like a girl, pushed someone out the way, and booked it up the stairs.

2. His little photoshoot in the parking lot by Starbucks in Bountiful.

3. And finally, talking about the tabloids. That boy knows his trashy sleeze.

Love you, Tay. Happy birthday!!! I can't wait until you come home.

Arizona in July

2008-07-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we traveled down to Tempe, Arizona. Apparently, Arizona turns into hell in the summer because 114 degrees is NOT normal. However, we wouldn't have missed traveling down there for the world. Our dear friend, Matthew married his gorgeous lady Amber on Saturday. The ceremony was perfect and the reception was too much fun.

Lindsay, Laura, and me at Amber's bachelorette party.

Matt's groomsmen were basically all from Utah, except for one. Here's Trevail (Matt's bestman), Josh, Brian, and Steven.

The wedding cake was super pretty and super tasty. I took a lot of pictures of the cake basically because it was super photogenic. :)

There is really no words to describe the joy when I saw these little dolls. A few years ago, Matt and I traveled to Belarus with a group from our church. Marty, our youth pastor, noticed that he was quite the minority in Belarus. There was NO ONE darker than me there. Marty began his search to find someone that was similar to his own skin coloring. Well, low and behold, in a little gas station near Mogilev, Belarus stood the man doll. That doll came home with us, earned the name Chiquita and apparently makes wedding appearances. Sitting next to Chiquita is his wife that was picked up on a subsequent Belarussian trip. Needless to say, I was in tears when I saw these dolls....and later watched middle-aged woman dance tribal dance with these dolls. CRAZY CRAZY!

Finally, here is the bride and I. Amber is truly such a blessing in my life. I have loved getting to know her over the last few months and I'm so glad that she's such a big part of Matt's life.

Settling in.

2008-06-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

We have been back in Salt Lake City for close to two weeks and our apartment is near completion of being unpacked. Both of us working full time has put a snag on getting organized. Pictures will come soon of our wonderful little place.
We live in the avenues, which if you are unfamilar with Salt Lake is located not too far from the capitol building and the LDS temple square. We have a great view of both locations from the end of our street.
The avenues is filled with such a broad range of people. Going to the local grocery store is an experience in itself. Yesterday, we saw some awesome eco-friendly 70+ year olds, some hippie's that were stuck in the 1970's, VERY wealthy women with perfect hair, crazy teenagers, and a dog. It was quite a time...and the rice was on sale. :)
We look forward to sharing some great avenues adventures once we finally get our life a bit more organized.
This weekend, hopefully, will bring some fun stories. Nola is running a 5k in Sugarhouse with her sister and friend. Also, we are going to one of our favorite summer lakes, Pineview, for some good fun with a great group of friends.
More to come soon. :)

Ten Thousand Villages

2008-05-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

My family is in town for the wedding. As we were eating dinner and talking, my aunt brought out a gift she had for Andrew and me. She explained that it was from Ten Thousand villages (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php). She gave me a quick synopsis of what the company was all about and I was instantly intriqued.
I suggest you go to the website and check out the awesome mission statement of the company, as well as the great products. I think Ten Thousand Villages has become my new gift giving website.

The beginning of blogs and a new chapter.

2008-05-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

We are getting married in 11 days!!! How exciting! It's been quite an adventuresome two and half years, and we are super excited to be starting our new chapter. We started this blog to keep family and friends in tune with our lives (and to keep Nola a little more entertained at work.) We hope you enjoy our post as much as we'll enjoy posting them.
Love,
Andrew and Nola