Happy Birthday Janice!!

Hope you have a great BDay with lots of fun celebrating! Have a great day! Love you!

Tag, You're IT!

1. What is your occupation right now? "Ruler of the Universe" Haha!
2. What color are your socks right now? Socks? I try to avoid wearing socks unless there is snow on the ground… :) No socks today!
3. What are you listening to right now? Christmas Music… Vanessa Williams singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing, to be precise.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Parmesan Goldfish Crackers
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes.. I think so. I assume its kind of like riding a bike – you never forget how?
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Troy
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes!
8. How old are you today? 1 day older than I was yesterday
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? There are sports on TV?
10. What is your favorite drink? Coke, preferably from Mexico! It’s yummy! But I have recently switched to Diet Coke… Don’t like it as much but oh well!
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? For several years now…. It’s fun to pick out different colors! :) At the moment its sort of a burgundy color. What should I do next?
12. Favorite food? Type of Food – Italian Food item – Grilled Cheese Sandwich
13. What is the last movie you watched? Kung Fu Panda! It was GREAT!
14. Favorite day of the year? February 4th – the day I met Troy… totally cheesy, but true!
15. How do you vent anger? Go to Tae Kwon Do and spar?? Talk about it to whoever will listen – usually Troy.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Holly Hobbi Easy Bake Oven? Strawberry Shortcake Doll? I have no idea… haha!
17. What is your favorite season? Fall
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Yes – or post on their blogs! :)
20. Who is the most likely to respond? No clue
21. Who is least likely to respond? No Clue
22. Living arrangements? Townhome
23. When was the last time you cried? Just a minute ago… a goldfish crumb went down the wrong pipe… coughed so much I was practically balling my eyes out.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Carpet. And shoes shelves and shoe boxes! And a hamper.
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? I am not sure who is reading my blog these days… if Tammy is, than it would be her. We met when we were 8 years old.
26. What did you do last night? Made dinner, watched a little TV, gave some advice to a friend running a food drive, and looked at some old photo albums.
27. What are you most afraid of? Loosing someone I love
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese! Preferably with Avocado and Bacon too!
29. Favorite dog breed? That’s tough…. I love both Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies of course, but I also have a total weak spot for Bull Dogs.
30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday… I love sleeping in!!
31. How many states have you lived in? 2
32. Diamonds or pearls? BOTH!
33. What is your favorite flower? Calla Lilly… lately I am really loving them in orange or burgundy

You know the drill… I am tagging everyone who reads this! :) Haha!

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday to NITA!!

And Happy Birthday to STEVE!!


So many November BDays... so little time....

Happy Birthday Michelle!!

Hope you have a wonderful day my friend! :) Thanks for being such a great friend all these years!! I love that we are still so close! :)

And Troy says Happy BDay too!

Reminiscing...

Wow… never thought I would care about rain sensing wipers and a back up camera, but they just happened to be on the car that was in the color I wanted so… we have them! Have been using them lots in the last 2 days, and boy are they awesome features! :) Love them!

Anyway… I was reminiscing last night about the adventures we have had in the Volvo and I thought of one story that most of you have probably not heard… Troy tells it better than I do but here goes anyway…

Just a couple months after Troy and I met and had started dating (in April of 2006), I was going camping in Virgin, Utah with a bunch of friends for the weekend. Troy really doesn’t like camping and wasn’t planning to come… but I begged and pleaded and said it wouldn’t be nearly as fun for me if he wasn’t there. He was still hesitant but said he would think about it. It wouldn’t be easy for him - he had the girls that weekend, his car wasn’t running very well, he had no sleeping bag, wasn’t sure he could get off work, etc. I said I would pack an extra sleeping bag and extra food just in case, and I left the keys to my car so that he could drive it down if he decided to come. I even printed out the directions to our super secret camp site and headed off…. With the hope that he would come join us the next day.

We sent texts back and forth while Erica, Ethan and I were driving down there, and the next day when the whole group headed off to Sardine Canyon (There is very limited cell service at the campsite). We talked a few times and it was sounding like he wasn’t going to make it. I was very sad and when we got back to the campsite that afternoon I was totally bummed as he and I had gotten cut off on the phone when I went into a dead zone.

Our friend Buck was talking with me when I got back to the campsite and was helping me carry stuff back to the tent. He was rambling (or so I thought) trying to distract me from how sad I was, and mentioned something about hippopotamuses… I didn’t blink and eye and started telling the story Shelly had told me about the Rhino’s in Africa hanging out in the shade of the tents. I bend down to put my things in the tent and than stand back up. Then I paused because I realized that I had seen a large pair of shoes sitting on my sleeping bag, and they were obviously not mine… I lift up the tent door to see Troy in the tent. I screamed and literally dove into the tent to hug and kiss him. I was so very excited! And he said that my reaction made the torture of camping well worth it! :) Haha!

Little did I know that Hippopotamus was the “code word” Buck was using to tell Troy we were on our way to the tent…. And I hadn’t even noticed my car sitting off in the trees just a little ways down… Haha!! It was the BEST surprise! :) I couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the day… Possibly the rest of the trip! (Thank you Colleen for encouraging him to come! And for watching the dogs!)

And here is Troy with his "super" side kick Buck.... the silly things we do while camping.... Haha! P.S.
Yikes... someone told me today that Christmas is 6 weeks away.... I had better get busy with my shopping!!

" I am holding Henry :) "

I was so surprised and excited yesterday when Troy sent me a text that said, "I am holding Henry :)" Henry and Tanya came to Salt Lake yesterday for a very quick visit... we were all so happy to meet little Henry and to have the chance to hold him for a little bit. He's such a little cutie! And with the longest little fingers... which apparently Troy and I both commented on... and several of the nurses as well. Haha! Can't wait until we all get to spend some more time with him over Thanksgiving weekend!

Good-bye Volvo...

Troy and I both were both very sad as we said good-bye to the Volvo last night..... Despite the many repairs, I really did LOVE that car! And over the 8 1/2 years that I had it... it had kept me safe and sound on many a snowy day. We will miss it very much..... I actually teared up at one point... silly I know... but 8 1/2 years is a long time....
We are very excited to welcome the newest member of our family though...Come visit... we'll go for a ride. :)

OK.... I THINK this is the winner....

but things may still change.... haha! The color is called Truffle Mica and it looks a little grey in some light but has a nice brown tint to it, especially in the sun. :) The interior is a light tan color with brown wood. Very pretty. I think it will serve us well. :)

Our new dream car...

Wow... what an adventure the test drive of this car was!! We have a very good friend who works for Porsche and may be able to get us a Cayenne for less than a Toyota or a Lexus... haha! How would that be?!?! Haha! I think the Lexus is still probably what we will end up with, but the Cayenne sure would be fun! And the Macadamia color is just my dream.... it is so gorgeous! (the picture above does NOT do it justice! It's a gorgeous dark metallic brown.)

Bryan took us on one wild test drive!! We tested out the stability on some hair pin turns at very high speeds, we tested out the brakes from a rather high speed to a stop, all in about 10 feet... AMAZING! We tested out the traction with a little off-roading and went over some wild bumps..... so much fun! And we were both car sick at the end! Haha! But we felt VERY GOOD about the safety of that car!

Maybe someday.....

Happy Birthday Bradley Boy!

Hope you have a wonderful day, little brother! :) Love you!

How about a Nissan?

I looked at the Toyotas but the Forerunner (sp?) is a little too large and missing some of the features I really want, and the Rav4 is closer to the size I want, but missing several of the features. Which led us to Nissan... Here is one of the cars in the running.... the Nissan Murano. Depending on availability, pricing, etc.... but I really like these. Unfortunately Troy isn't really a fan, but I am working on that part. :) I can even get a double panel sunroof.... but that may be too pricey... but I LOVE them!

Then there is a Buick Enclave... more expensive but a very nice car. Troy hates these too... haha! But look at that gorgeous color! :)
Another car we are considering is the Acura MDX - but I am really not happy with the color choices they have so that is holding me up a bit. But its a great car with lots of the features I like but still quite affordable so... we'll see.... Thoughts??

The question of the day...

Do I pay $5000 to repair my car (needs a new transmission... ouch!) or trade it in and get something newer??? I think the poor thing is only worth 6 or 7k so it seems a little silly to put 5 more into it but, car payments are just so icky.....

Maybe Santa will leave a new car under my Christmas tree....


P.S. Just to lighten my mood....


(Thanks Paulette! I needed that... )

We have a new nephew...

Isn't he adorable?? And look at those already chubby cheeks? So cute!

He was born last night (November 4th) and as I understand it, his name is still being determined (well, the order of the names... hahaa) so I will leave that part out for now. We can't wait to meet him!

Today I woke up to this....

Winter has arrived with a vengeance. Troy even wore a coat today... and we all know how rare that is! Haha! As for me... I am enjoying the boot weather and using it as an excuse to get out the Christmas music early! :)
Rumor has it that it will be sunny again by tomorrow... hahaa.... love that Utah weather....

Congratulations to Barrack Obama - the next President of the United States of America. Whether you are a fan of Obama or not, I think its important for each of us to take a moment and think about this historic day... Yesterday, for the first time in the history of our nation we have elected an African American man as our next President. I am proud of our nation for overcoming the prejudices of our past. This truly is the land of opportunity! ok... enough with the politics.... hahaa....

P.S. Thank you, Elliott, for the wonderful Halloween card! I LOVED it!

Did you vote today?

I am soooo very ready for all this election business to be over… really…. I’d love to turn on the TV and just see normal news!! But….. I am still reminded today of what a privilege it is to live in a free country where we get to vote for our elected officials and make our voices heard. So if you haven’t done so yet… be sure to get out to the polls before they close!! Exercise your right to vote! Make your voice heard! I did… and it felt really good! :)