Here we come!

OK... despite the fact that Troy is still getting over a nasty cold, and I am busy fighting getting one, we are still planning to get on a plane in the morning and come to the warm weather! :) Troy may spend most of the weekend in bed, but I will be ready to play! Hopefully! Haha!

Just need to get out of the office and go home and do laundry and pack! Haha! Darren (Troy's brother-in-law who works with me) told me a cute story today though that just brightened my day! He ran home at lunch to hang with Tina and Avery, and when he went to leave to come back to work, Avery had decided that today should be 'bring your daughter to work' day because she remembered that Jen is at Dad's office. So cute! I will miss seeing her this weekend!

Anyway, we are very much looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Let's make Christmas last all year!

What a fun Christmas we had! There won't be many photos at this point because my camera completely and totally died on Christmas morning... sorry boys! But, hopefully Sheri will email me a few!

The weekend before Christmas we had a big dinner and party with the whole family, including the crew that came down from Idaho. What fun to watch all eight kids open gifts and play with each one, or try on their new clothes. It was great! Troy and I gave them a bunch of games for the whole family to play, and they all seemed very excited about them all - which made both Troy and I very happy! Tanya gave Troy a gift certificate for a quilt of any color or pattern.... which he is very excited about! Tanya makes great quilts! And of course, when you are trying to get 8 kids and 2 adults out of the house, things get left behind. Tanya felt very bad, that the gift she was most excited to give (for me) got left behind in Idaho, but they will be back in a couple weeks and she promised to bring it then. I thought it was very sweet of her to get me something... and I look forward to seeing what it is. In the meantime, I will just have to make sure Troy picks good colors for the quilt! Haha!

Christmas Eve brought the second evening of festivities at Hickman House. After Troy and I braved the blizzard to go pick up Grandpa Hansen, we all had a big dinner.... yummy turkey and ham. And of course lots of pie. It was all delicious! After dinner we all listened as Colleen read the Christmas Story from the Bible. Then Troy read the family letter to Santa from 5 years before, along with the 5 year predictions that everyone had made. It was very fun and entertaining to hear what everyone thought they'd be doing right now. Troy's said, still stuck in Utah but planning to leave in a year or two.... which is just about the same thing that we both have been saying for about a year and a half. Haha! So for the next 5 years, Troy predicted he would have a job that he enjoys... which would also make me very very happy! And I predicted that I would be married (preferably to Troy). We all got a very good laugh out of that! Haha! So aside from Troy and I being married, we both thought we'd either be expecting or just recently had baby number 2. We'll see in 5 years how accurate we were. :)

After everyone left on Christmas Eve, Troy and I went up the graveyard to visit Troy's Dad and leave him some poinsettias. Luckily, Troy found the right headstone on the first try... a bit of a challenge in 6 inches of snow. :) After that, Colleen, Troy and I changed into our PJs and put on a Christmas movie and finished wrapping gifts for everyone. Aleusha and Maika were there to help of course, and as soon as we got out the presents for them and the other dogs, their interest was peaked. Maika wouldn't leave the tree for the rest of the night and laid there guarding her gifts. It was hilarious!

Christmas morning brought a little more snow and a beautiful sunrise. We bundled up in our PJs and coats, and headed over to Tina and Darren's so that we could watch Avery open all her gifts, and have breakfast. Avery got a big girl bed and everything to do with babies... a doll with a car seat, a doll with a crib, a stroller, and another baby doll too! And of course Arty and Chubbs (their two dogs) got bones and toys from Troy, me, and all 3 dogs. :)

After a yummy breakfast we headed back to Hickman House for more presents! We opened our stockings and all the gifts from each other. Tina and Darren gave Troy and I gift certificates for dinner and movies tickets... we are very excited about that! We bought them a fun game and a book for Avery— the Eric Carlyse(sp?) Head to Toe book— which she loved and we immediately read a few times acting out all the moves the animals make. So fun!

Colleen spoiled both Troy and I, along with everyone else, of course. She did a great job on my stocking, filling it with white chocolate and soft comfy socks. She also bought me a very cute shirt and some adorable black pants for when troy and I go out to the theater. Troy got lots of jeans, which he desperately needed since all of his have way too many holes. We bought Colleen a new electric can opener, a CD she'd been wanting, and a fun new game. She loved everything and we were very happy to hear we had done so well in our selections.

Troy spoiled me too! He got me the cutest new golf shoes that I can't wait to try out! He also got me the cutest sweater... soft and comfy, orange, with a hood! All my favorite things! And of course, a gorgeous brown velvet and silk scarf that I just absolutely love!

Troy's favorite gift of all was the donation that I made in his name to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - and that was also my favorite gift to give. :) He also got a new electric razor, the new Chris Botti CD, and a movie. Oh, and I almost forgot - Santa brought us Opera tickets for the rest of the season. :)

The early afternoon brought naps and a freezing cold walk at the park so that the girls could play in the snow. I think it was about 15 degrees outside that afternoon! Haha! Troy and I both are already looking forward to a much warmer Christmas in California next year!

Later that afternoon, everyone came back over, including Tommy, Sheri and TJ. We then opened all the rest of the gifts... they gave everyone AAA memberships, which we were all very excited about. And they also got me a gift certificate for Barnes and Noble, which I am very excited to go spend! :) We bought them some fun games... Cranium and Yahtzee. Yahtzee is Sheri's favorite and they were missing several of the pieces from their old set so she was very excited to have a new one.

After that we had dinner and tried out the new game we had bought for Colleen..... I can't recall the name of it at the moment, but it was very entertaining!

And just a couple more photos....
Troy and the three girls on Christmas morning... Maika guarding the presents under the tree.... while dreaming of chew toys and dog bones! :)
Maika hording all the gifts....
Aleusha lounging on the couch...

Presents, presents, presents...

The first stop on Christmas morning... breakfast and presents with Tina, Darren, Avery, Chubbs and Arty...Avery got all things "baby" this Christmas.... and she was very excited to play with each one as she opened all the goodies... Troy playing with Avery's new monkee...
Chubbs chillin' in the Elmo chair with his new bone...
Arty hiding on the other side of the table with his new bone, so that Chubbs doesn't steal it...

White Christmas Morning

Doesn't the fresh snow look gorgeous in the light of the sunrise? (This is the view from Colleen's front porch, by the way)
Maika loving the fresh snow...Aleusha coming up the snow covered stairs...

Preview of the Jingle Bell Tree....

Yesterday I was busy taking down my Christmas Tree and putting all the new ornaments away. For years I have been working on collecting ornaments for a "Jingle Bell" tree and finally I think we have enough to do one next year... hopefully! I just need to find a few more cute ornaments and as long as its not a very big tree, we should be set! :)

So while I was putting the ornaments away yesterday, I was just cracking up at the ones that Troy and I found a couple weeks ago.... here's a little preview. And, yes, they are all made using jingle bells..... so funny!

The giraffe... isn't he cute?? The frog king...
Two little fish.... And last, but not least, my favorite.... the turtle.
Just wait until you see the penguin, the seagull, the dragonfly, the elfs, Santa Claus and the snowman!

I believe in Santa Claus...

Paulette emailed me this today... and someone emailed it to her. So, I am passing it on to all of you because I thought it was such a great story... May we all be Santa's helpers this season!!

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her, on the way my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted, "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through the doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.

That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.

The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said
that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have Grandma's Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS
that care...

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

The snow has officially arrived! It started snowing last night and apparently will only be stopping for short times from now until the day after Christmas... haha! Hopefully Mandy, Jason and Luke packed their snow gear! :)

Just came across a fun picture of Troy and I from the Symphony Season Opening Gala, back in September...
I know everyone else gets a little bored with all our "arts" stuff but we are very much enjoying it! This past weekend we had one of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company Shows (RWDC is the Dance Company who's Board I am a member of) and we also had the annual Holiday Party. We had a wonderful time at both events. In between there, we squeezed in my company Christmas party... which was a very fun time, as always. It was extra fun to have Tina and Darren at both parties with us too! And it was especially lucky for me since I am heading up some of the planning for the Annual RWDC Fundraiser, and having Darren at the Holiday Party made it easy to rope him into volunteering to help out! Yeah!

Also found a silly picture from one of the Symphony's summer concerts at Deer Valley... Time for Three were the guest artists and we had a big after-party at Red Rock in Park City. Here we all are posing by Tonya's car because she had been driving around all weekend with a base strapped to the back of her car.
We are at the far left, in case you have trouble seeing us. There are some other silly photos from that night that involved Troy dancing and singing "sisters" but I don't think he wants me posting those... hahaha

Are you ready?

Yeah! I have carpet! I LOVED walking around barefoot last night on the stairs enjoying the feel of the new carpet! :) And since Troy was so helpful yesterday with cleaning, when I got home I was able to dust everything down and put the shelves, etc back in order. I was so happy to see it all looking like home again!

So here are the stairs between the main level and upstairs, with all the shelves. :)

And here are the stairs coming up from the basement to the main level. And this gives you glimpse of the new basement tile floor...

And here we have the newly completed basement! I still have to paint, obviously, but I think it has turned out really nice! Yeah!

The carpet is in!

Yeah! Just got an update from Troy and the carpet is all in! Can't wait to get home tonight and see it!

And he is such a sweet boy.... he had to skip out on work to help me today since the carpet guys were coming and I had some last minute meetings that I couldn't miss. And since the carpet guys left a huge mess of staples and scraps, he is still there cleaning it all up for me! What an angel!

I have a business dinner after work, but will be very excited to go home and see my new carpet afterward! :) I am sure it looks fabulous with my new tile!

Happy Birthday Tammara Lynn!

Happy Birthday Tam!! It was soooo great to see you and the whole family on Thanksgiving! I hope we get to see you more at New Year's too!

Miss you! Love you!

Almost done!

The basement is almost done! Yeah!!
Rick, Bonnie and Cal finished all the tile on Saturday and the carpet is going in on the stairs today! (Thank you, again, Troy for hanging out there this morning to wait for the carpet guys! And for wetting the grout down again!)

Now I just need to paint all the rooms and CLEAN! It's amazing how dusty everything gets!

Here are a couple more in-progress shots of the tile.....

Deck the halls....

OK... since most of the people who read this aren't in Utah, I am posting photos of some of my Christmas decor so that everyone can see.... :) Silly, I know.... but I am finally getting in the holiday mood now that my halls are decked and the tree is up!

Troy and I had a very nice evening Monday with tree decorating and dinner... It was a perfect night! :) It was entertaining to see all the Toy ornaments again as well... I haven't used this set of ornaments in many many years. Turns out it is mostly trains, sleds and rocking horses... but there are a few cute planes, bikes, and jack in the boxes. And of course a few teddy bears too!

Just a few random shots of the decorations around the shelves, etc.

Troy worked very hard to help me get the lights up and working correctly.... my house looks far more festive than most of my neighbors, but thats ok. :)

A couple of my favorite ornaments from the "toy" tree.

Hahaa.....

Shelly...... I completely forgot to post the photo of us being soooooo bored in the OC without you at Thanksgiving.....
So does anyone else watch October Road? Anyway, I love it and heard the greatest line on this weeks show..... Every relationship has its share of gift wrapped wolves.
Its totally out of context for the rest of you, but for me its a great reminder that every relationship has hurdles and bumps... just need to keep your eye on the big picture and not get caught up in the little things. :)

Snowy holiday weekend....

This past weekend was filled with lots of snow and some fun holiday events.... so much fun!! But, we spent a lot of time inside... much to the disappointment of the dogs. Each time we went outside, even if just for a few minutes, they were so excited to be playing in the snow. They are truly snow dogs! Troy hates shoveling snow off the driveways and walks (as most of us do) but the dogs think its a great excuse to be outside... They run around playing tag, burying their heads in the snow, digging holes, and leaping through the snow like dolphins in the ocean. It's adorable to watch!
Anyway, when we got them in the house for a break, Leush (Aleusha) decided that she wanted to snuggle. So, here we are on the couch. Then it sortof turned into a theme.... Maika moved over a little closer as you can see below...
And then there was Avery..... She is still very much in her "I only want Auntie Jen" mood and she wasn't too keen on having to share me with the dogs, but she figured out if she climbed up over my feet and walked on top of me she could come snuggle with us too. She wouldn't lay down though, because she was afraid that I was going to try to get her to sleep, so she sat on my shoulder. Haha!
So aside from snuggling with the dogs and Avery, we picked out a Christmas Tree, did a little shopping, watched some movies, went to the ward Christmas party and just goofed off.

Sunday evening was the Hansen Family Christmas Party and we all had a lovely time! The party was at Uncle Jerry and Aunt Coleen's house. They have a beautiful home and it was all decked out for the holidays... and I mean ALL DECKED OUT! She has so many adorable Santa Clauses, I was just in Heaven! It was great! Anyway... everyone was very nice and even though I have met most of the family before, it was nice to meet them all again. We ended up at the table with Tina, Darren, Tommy, Sheri, and then cousin Sheri and her husband Lloyd. We had a great chat and very much enjoyed ourselves.

And the fun continues...

Ok.... the tile is off the landings too and once we get all the grout residue off the baseboards, we will be ready for carpet! yeah! No more slivers in my feet!
Got some fresh snow this weekend too..... hum... that was pre-Christmas lights. I'll have to post pictures of the lights too. Haha!

Happy Birthday Carly!

OK... I am a little early again, but you gotta do what you can with what you got. :)

So happy birthday to my awesome sister-in-law Carly! You are a wonderful addition to our family! You are a great wife and a wonderful mother and I look up to you in so many ways.

Love you!

oh the mess..... :(

So for those that haven't had the privlege of talking to me in the last couple days... I have been dealing with a VERY messy house due to the remodel. Oh boy! I feel so bad for Mom and Dad having to live with construction for so long! Mine has only been a month, and will be done soon but.... ick! the dust! So here are a few photos to give you an idea of what's been going on...
Rick has made great progress in the bedroom downstairs.... as you can see above, there is now a closet with actual doors and they are even framed in, rather than glued to the wall. Haha!

And we have a photo showing what all my stairs look like now... going for that freshly built look with just the subflooring. Haha! The carpet will hopefully be in soon, but first we have to get all the grout residue off the walls and baseboards, and it looks like we may have to rip out the whole landing and replace the sub-floor there. The tile was falling off the stairs but was super-glued to the landing. It's crazy!


Oh and Colleen has a new doctor that we are all liking a lot better! Same prognosis of course, but he's been better about giving more information and offering some treatment options. So we are all feeling very relieved about that!

This weekend is the big family Christmas party... Colleen always tells me how much the in-laws hate the party, but I think it will all be fine! :) If not, I'll just play in a corner with Avery the whole time! Haha! Apparently she has been asking Troy and Tina all week where I am and when I am coming over. So cute! Makes me feel so loved!

Oh and another P.S. for the Christmas wish list..... a laptop/brief case! :) A cute one! We have a few around the office but they just aren't cute! If I am going to carry my PC around, I want to look good doing it! Haha!

very cool....

If you are buying me (or anyone) anything at Banana - I would love it if you participated in this program! :) What a great idea!That may be a little hard to read so here's the scoop - from December 6-12th if you bring in a gently used sweater to Banana, they will donate it to goodwill and give you 30% off a new sweater. Benefits all around!

And a little P.S. for my Christmas wish list....
• treadmill or olyptical (sp?) machine for my house
• knee high socks for when I wear boots. I prefer black and brown but any color works really.

Wish Lists for Christmas.... :)

Jennifer’s Christmas Wish List ~

Ø New digital camera – one with no delay and the option to take speed shots – (Here’s one I like…. Canon Powershot S5IS)

Ø Clothes! Isn’t that always on the list? :) Haha!

- Business/casual stuff for the office, preferably stuff that doesn’t have to be dry-cleaned.

- Dressier stuff for when we go to the theater or symphony… I have nothing dressy in brown. L

- Brown Boots!!!

- Brown leather gloves… I can’t find my old ones anywhere

Ø Books (a gift card for Barnes & Noble or Borders works too)

- Here are some authors that I like and/or would like to try - Mary Kay Andrews, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Griffin, or Sophie Kinsella

Ø Perfume –

- Body by Victoria

- Issey Miyake

Ø Jewelry – dressy looking items for the theater and/or symphony

Ø New Golf Clubs

Ø New Golf Shoes

If you are shopping for items that can be for both Troy and I – here are a couple ideas that may help –

Ø Foreman Grill (with removable grill plates and spill tray)

Ø CDs –

- Josh Groban

- Chris Botti (or Anything else that’s Jazz)

- Michael Buble (SP?)

- Diana Krall

Ø Movies –

- Transporter (we already have 2)

- Blade 1 and/or 2 (we already have 3)

- Wild Hogs

- Transformers

- Troy really loves old movies so anything in that era would be good too (Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, black and white classics, etc.)

Ø Gift Card for a home store (Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, etc.)

Ø Emergency Kit Supplies - Mobile phone chargers (Duracell or Energizer make them)

Ø Games and/or Puzzles are always good too!

Troy said he wants some new Jeans and an electric razor… anyone have any good suggestions for razors? I know nothing about them. Thanks!

Christmas time is here!

OK... its finally starting to feel like the holidays! We had a couple days of snow, and now everything is covered in white! It looks so beautiful.... as long as you are dressed warm! :) Haha! The dogs were just in heaven with all the snow... its so fun to watch them play! And on Saturday night Avery kept pulling me over to the window to show me the snow and the Christmas lights... so cute!

I am slowly getting all the Christmas decorations out and we even braved the snow storms to do a little Christmas shopping this weekend. Speaking of which... Mandy and Jason - I need a wish list! :)

Unfortunately the snow kept several people away from the Self-Defense class on Saturday but all those that came had a wonderful time! They all broke boards and a couple of them are even thinking of signing up for classes. So fun!

This coming weekend we have our first Holiday party of the year... the Hansen Family Christmas Party (Colleen's family)... and Troy and I are supposed to bring an appetizer.... any suggestions and/or recipes are welcome!!

And we have three more parties the weekend after.... It will be a little crazy but that's part of what makes the holidays so fun! :)


Oh... I almost forgot.... Avery has finally started saying "jen" and I couldn't be happier! She has been in a big "Auntie Jen" mode lately and always wants me over anyone else.... I must admit, I find it very very sweet! :) Each day she is talking more and more and it is sooo fun to hear! Troy and I were reading with her on Thursday and Saturday, and the book had an Ogre in it, so we were all making monster noises. She was so proud of her monster noises that she took the book and ran downstairs to show her Mom and Dad.

It is so fun for me to watch her grow and learn each day! It makes me sad that I don't get more time with Elliott, Trevor, Madde, Luke and Hunter though! Or Ava and Ameya! Or Kenyan, Nate and Collin! I look forward to seeing everyone again soon!!

Happy Birthday Mandy!

Ok... its a couple days early, but since I don't have Internet at home, I figured I'd better get a jump on this before the weekend! :)

So.... Happy Birthday to my favorite little sister, Mandy! You are a great friend and a great sister.... I hope you have the best birthday yet!

We love you!

And guess what I am doing this weekend??? Hosting my first "Exercise Circle" activity! We are having a TaeKwonDo/Self-Defense class and everyone will get to break boards! Craig... I will attempt to get you a video, but with my camera acting up - its not likely. Here's a few photos from the past...

Christmas Tree...

While in Cali last week, we stopped over at Fashion Island after having dinner with my Mom and Dad, for a quick photo op at the Largest Christmas Tree in the US, or something like that... Haha!

Here we are...

I am thankful for...

Ok... so I am a few days behind on posting anything about Thanksgiving but that's ok... :)

So here are a few things that I am thankful for....

I am thankful for my family - they are always a great support system for me and I consider them all friends as well. I sincerely enjoy time with my family, and I love every member of my famly dearly! I am also glad that Troy has had the opportunity to get to know everyone - he always tells me how much he enjoys spending time with my family, and that makes me very very happy to hear.

I am thankful for Troy's family - they have accepted me as part of the famly and have opened their hearts and homes to me without question. I love every minute that I get to spend with them, and I love each and every one of them dearly!

I am thankful for my friends... I have some of the most wonderful friends and I often wonder how I got so lucky!

I think most of all this year, I am thankful for Troy - he not only makes my life complete, but is the other half to my soul. He amazes me each day with how supportive he is of all that I want to do, am doing, and dream of someday doing. He is always so willing to help when I need it, whether I ask for help or not. He is there for me to lean on, and let's me do the same for him. He always reminds me that we are a team, and helps me remember that I don't have to do it all myself. He understands my weaknesses and tries to help me make them into strengths, but is always there to catch me when I fall or stumble. He loves and appreciates my strengths, and all that I am able to accomplish with them (and while he may tease me about them at times, he is also the first to brag about me, or about the things that I have done or am working on). He is truly my best friend. He can always make me laugh, and is constantly making me smile. I love Troy with all my heart and I look forward to spending my life and eternity with him!

Last, but certainly not least - I am especially thankful for the plan of salvation and the atonement.... I am thankful to Heavanly Father for all the gifts that he has bestowed upon me in this life and I look forward to returning to be with him one day.

P.S. We got into a discussion with Troy's family the other night about where Troy and I should get married... none of them really liked the Nauvoo idea, but Colleen liked the Portland idea a lot. And a few seemed to like the New Zealand idea a little too. They also liked the idea of renting a beach house and having the wedding at the NB Temple... so.... who knows where we will actually end up! Oh... and little Sara (4 yrs old) thought we should get married at the SLC temple, because thats where her Mom got married. But then she changed her vote to the Desert Star Theater when she heard us talking about going to a play there last week. Haha!

No fun at all...

Just a quick note for shelly..... we are having no fun at all here without you! The bowling was no fun. Sunday dinner was no fun. Michelle's surprise party was no fun. Our lunch with my old friends was no fun.... well, actually I think Troy had fun, but not me! Our afternoon in San Diego was no fun. Our morning walk with Luke.. no fun! And last but not least dinner and the Christmas tree with mom and dad... no fun!

Wish you were here so we could start having some fun!!!

XOXO

I need sleep...

Wow... sometimes i wonder why no matter when you plan a vacation, it always seems to be at the worst time. Haha! Oh well! Despite the fact that I desperately need sleep.... I AM VERY VERY EXCITED FOR OUR VISIT TO THE OC!!

And I am especially excited for the hugs and kisses that Elliott promised me on the phone yesterday!

We are planning a visit with Michelle and Rob, Adam, Nathan and hopefully we will get to stop by to see Tam, Jas and the kids too!

See you all tomorrow!! :)

My new FAVORITE thing...

Seriously..... I am amazed right now! This morning I pulled out an ivory colored blazer that I haven't worn in a long time so that I could wear it to the ballet tonight. I didn't notice until I was already at work that it had a rather large stain on the pocket and sleeve. I had obviously spilled something on it last time I wore it and didn't notice (probably coke... haha!).

Anyway... I rushed over to Wal-Mart at lunch and grabbed some Oxi-clean spray away Instant stain remover..... and low and behold.... worked like a charm! The stain is completely gone and I could not be happier!! That stuff rocks!!! :)

Just saying hi...

Ok... so i have to start off by saying that every time i go to Shelly's blog, i laugh when i see the link for "Grandma Streiff"..... just cracks me up! i know that Mom is technically Grandma Streiff to the kids, but i can't help but imagine our Grandma Streiff (Inell - in case that was confusing) trying to set up a blog. :)

Anyway... we have lots of fun things going on this weekend... i will try to get some photos. We are going to the Ballet tonight. It's The Three Musketeers and i am very excited! Tomorrow night we are going to the Symphony to hear The Rite of Spring and attend the fun After-Party that Vivace (one of the arts groups that we belong to) is hosting. Saturday we will be on the search for inexpensive travel size shampoo bottles to put into the Christmas packages for the Havasupai Project. Wish us luck with getting 1000 bottles for $700. :) And then Sunday, after church, we will be making an appearance at the Jewish Art and Food Festival. As many of you know, i sit on the Board for one of our local Dance Companies. Well, the company is performing at the Festival on Sunday, and the Board Members were all asked to make an appearance... we are looking forward to it Should be lots of fun!

I have also started my Christmas shopping! Yeah! Of course i am at a loss on whether or not i have Craig & Carly this year, or Mandy & Jason... so if anyone knows - please tell me. :) Also, Janice— will we be seeing you and your little ones in the OC at either Thanksgiving or New Year's??? (Yes, Troy and i are coming for New Year's too! You will all be sooo sick of us! Haha!)

Happy Birthday Brad!

Happy birthday to my favorite little brother!! :)
I hope you have a wonderful day of celebrating!! Love you!

Busy weekend...

Hello all! What a fun and crazy weekend we had! Colleen (Troy's Mom, in case anyone didn't know her first name) has decided that she needs a new car - and I think that all the rest of us agree that it is definitely time for that. So Troy and I have spent lots of hours this last week and weekend looking at cars and getting all the pricing worked out, etc. It actually made for a fun Saturday... we took her a car to test drive and then took her Sunday to see a few of the other cars we had picked out. I think we have it narrowed down to 3 different blue cars.
Dad's new car is next.... we hope to work on that when we are in the OC the week of Thanksgiving.

In addition to the car shopping we started on our Christmas shopping... well Troy did and he is very excited that for the first (and probably the only) time, he is waaay ahead of me on the planning ahead. Haha! And yes, "waaay ahead" means he has bought one Christmas present and I have not purchased any yet. By the way.... anyone know who's names I have this year????

We just got our plane tickets for Thanksgiving.... we arrive the morning of the 17th (the Saturday before thanksgiving) and leave on Friday the 23rd (the day after Thanksgiving). Troy's family is all doing Thanksgiving together, and while we will be in CA on that day, we thought it best to try to get back to see the out-of-towners during the weekend. But we are very excited for our week long visit!! It will nice to be a little less rushed, and I hope that we will get to see a few of my friends this trip too (yes, Tam and Jas, I do mean you!)

Anyway... so Uncle Rick got the cabinets put in last week... don't they look great?? :) Yeah! I am excited to see the basement looking MUCH BETTER! And now there is even a stove down there... but, yes, the walls still need to be painted, the sink put in, etc.

Little Firefighter!

OK... I look a little silly, but I LOVE this photo of me with my little buddy, Elliott! Doesn't he just look adorable?!? Thanks for sending the photo, Mom!