byu bowl game

dad asked paul if he would be interested in going to the byu las vegas bowl game with him. of course! i was a bit jealous i have to admit. a few days later dad asked me if i was really needed at work. i said that natasha was there if i wasn't going to be there. i asked why and he said he got two extra tickets to the bowl game. i thought i was in heaven! yes, yes, yes i was going to go! kelsie, dad, paul and i drove to st george, met with scott and jill for dinner at texas road house. it was really good. the steaks were so tender and juicy. plus you get a little can of peanuts to hold youover. i love the salad at outback (with the tangy tomato dressing), and love the steaks at texas roadhouse. paul would disagree! he loves the steaks at outback. anywho...we stayed the night at the condo in st george and then headed out early in the morning to the bowl game. on the way there, we stopped at walmart to get some treats and kelsie and i got some window paint. dad could have died.i painted go cougars on the back window. we were honked at a few times by fellow cougar fans. dad was so embarrassed. i would do it again in a heart beat. traffic wasn't badat all. we had a little time to eat at the cheesecake factory. delicious. i remember getting the blt salad, thinking it was a salad. it wasn't. i got a head of lettuce cut in half with the toppings and dressing on top. it wasn't the best. we got to the stadium and i could feel the excitement there. i couldn't believe i was able to go! dad and kelsie sat in the section ahead of us. paul and i were at the top in the nose bleeds. it didn't matter, as long as i had some hot chocolate and my camera i was happy. i will say that behind us there were a couple fans who were quite obnoxious. i mean the kind when they yell it just rings and rings in your ear. awful! during half time, dad called and said that their row was still empty. they were sitting right behind the band. so paul and i gratefully accepted. it was so fun. i was darn cold, but so fun. it was a really tense game. ucla was ahead with a couple minutes to go then byu scored. then of course ucla got really close and went for a field goal. but they missed. byu had won!!! the crowd ran onto the field, i was jumping and screaming, wanting to cry. wonderful game! by the way, during the half time show, they did a patriotic dance with the flag. military members are holding the flag. also,right before the game there was a flyby! whooooooeee. it about knockedme over. the planes were so low and so loud. i love this country...go cougars!!!

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christmas 2007

merry christmas! i was thinking as i was putting the pictures together that i don't look good at all on christmas morning...hmmm...what about the movies, books and my sisters who look really good on christmas morning? not me! maybe this next year... this year, paul and i got up around 7:30, i put the monkey bread (raised the night before) into the oven, and let the smell run throughout the house. katie, ransom and conrad came over for monkey bread and orange juice. it was so good! lots of butter, cinnamon and sugar. i would like it to be a tradition. it is so easy to make, not a lot of dishes and really good. perfect start to enjoy a day filled with family and great food. i love christmas. i love knowing that magical feeling i love so much i can spread to my kids.

traditions we have so far...monkey bread, waking up in our own home, having an orange in our stockings, reading the christmas story from the bible in front of our tree, spending time with family, and snuggling!!!

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disneyland!

paul and i went to disneyland our first year of marriage, then our 3rd year we went for thanksgiving with the rest of the family. this year we went with dad's side (almost the whole side). the larson family came up from arizona, the nelson family from utah, the s&j birrell family from utah, grandma and grandpa and us. the true "gamers" went. we drove down on tuesday, got there wednesday, went to disneyland wednesday, thursday, and friday. hit the beach on saturday and headed home. it was so nice to be with my aunts, uncles and cousins. we tried to stay at the park all day and night. we succeeded until friday night. we were all beat. i think december is the best time to go (usually the first week or two). i love family time. i love watching people interact and truly enjoy themselves. i have been blessed with a really good family. we all get along, we are patient for grandpa and mom's picture taking, and we chit chat in lines. i think there were 25ish of us there. everyone had a partner for rides. i love splash mountain. uncle scott, each time he goes down, does a different pose for the camera. we all wanted to try. later in the evening, the lines aren't long and you can usually stay on the ride. we must have gone on splash at least a dozen times each doing new moves. paul kissed his "guns", i picked my nose, angie screamed (and then on one of the rides down, made fun of paul and kissed her "guns" too). my favorite pose so far was when scott seemed to dive into the camera. really funny. the lights and decorations around christmas time at the park are the best. it is my favorite time to go. each night it snows soap suds on main street and plays white christmas. it is such a magical place. we love going with scott and jill because they know all the best places to go. this time we discovered the mission tortilla factory, a "how to draw" class where we learned how to draw a disney character and my favorite...(not sure what it is called) the singing and acting room. a group of us went into little caves, and we had the opportunity to watch a clip. we then spoke or said the lines and they were dubbed in. i laughed so hard i cried. i can't wait to try it again. the only problem is disneyland is very expensive. paul and i shared meals almost the whole time (that helped) and brought granola bars and fruit to snack on. the funniest thing is that the nemo ride was fairly new. dennis had a game plan...we had early bird tickets and we were going to let all the early birds go to the nemo ride and waste two hours until the park opened. we went on so many rides because everyone was at nemo. we thought...lets go to nemo fifteen minutes before the park opens to get a good spot in line. it didn't work. we got there and the line was still almost 2 hours long. i figure i will go on nemo in 10 years when the hype has died down. i can't wait until next december when we go again! i love disneyland!!! by the way, katie and ransom couldn't go because katie gave birth to conrad 3 weeks before...it was hard to leave her at home, but we knew she would be fine. i almost forgot the best part. as we were driving to our hotel when we first got to california, we drove by a cheesecake factory!!! cheesecake factory!!! we were all so excited. when we got to the hotel room, i called and asked what the wait was. we rushed over there. it was actually opening night for them. i knew the week was going to be a good one!

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gardner village

i had never been to gardner village, and i had heard so much about it. plus, the signs by the freeway make it look so enticing. paul surprised me and took me there. i loved spending time with paul, in the snow, with the feeling of christmas all around us. gardner village was so cute. there were little elves all over the benches, walkways and stores. we also went to archibalds and had some fried green tomatoes (which are really good). we both got lunch there and realized we shouldn't have waisted our time with lunch. we should have gotten dessert! we saw a friend of mine there (amy) and talked with her a bit. we were there right after a snow storm, so as you walked down the walkways, snow would fall. i loved it. my favorite find was the fabric/quilting store...i wish i wanted to quilt! i can't wait to come back!

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picking the tree

one of my favorite traditions  is finding the perfect christmas tree (my family has done it for as long as i can remember). i want to find the tree no one would want. we try to go the day after thanksgiving to the tree farm. paul and i take turns each year picking it out. our first christmas tree as a couple was a disgusting tree we found at albertson's. we just stuck our ornaments on it and hoped they would stick. there really weren't branches to put them on. boy did i learn my lesson. don't get the really ugly ones! each year the tree farms seem to disappear. i hate that. i don't want to say i will never have a fake tree, but i never want a fake tree. i love the look and smell of a real tree. while we drive away from the tree farm, i always feel sad to the trees who aren't chosen yet for obvious reasons (the poor trees that are at least 15 feet high and oddly shaped). i can't wait to have my kids hunt for the perfect tree too!

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family picture

this thanksgiving, all of paul's siblings were able to get together. it was really fun to see everyone. chad, susie and the kids came out from colorado for a wedding, seba, karen and the kids came from idaho, ben and suzanne came up from cedar city. we met matt, jen, heidi and paul's mom at her house. of course we have our annual basketball game (the girls watch and the boys play, get hurt and play more). it was a great time to be with everyone. betty had an old neighbor come and take some pictures of us at the park. this is everyone... (top row...chad, jared, paul, matt, kraig, ben, jennifer...bottom row...karen, peter, suzanne, ellie, betty, jasmine, heidi, ashlee, adam, and suzie)

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westgate

while dad and i were at the christmas show in salt lake city, i walked by a booth. it was one of those "come to this hotel, listen to a presentation, and stay free for a night". so i signed us up. i thought "a free hotel night stay in park city and $50 in cash"! paul and i went up to the west gate hotel/condo, listened to a presentation, took a tour, sat back down and watched as they tried to sell us a time share. it was pretty funny. paul and i both gave each other pep talks with how we would tell them no. our 'agent' started talking money. we were upfront and told him that we wanted to put our money in another area very important to both of us. he went to his manager and came back. he offered us a share in the 'off season' at a great price... it was really funny to watch all these couples/families. some saying yes, others no. the room was incredible. a huge tub, shower, and tv. by the time we got checked in, the hotel restaurant was closed, the little mini mart was closed, and most the restaurants were closed in park city. we went to the gas station at the bottom of the hill and got dinner (snacks). it was a great night and fun to be with just paul. we should get away more often.

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growing pumpkins

our neighbor grows these huge pumpkins. he asked paul and i if we would like to have some of his seeds (richard has an entire family line for his pumpkins). we thought we would give it a try. richard does all this fancy stuff with the blooms, fertilization, creates tents to protect the pumpkins from the sun, and waters them a lot. paul and i planted, watered, expanded their wells as they grew, cut off the little pumpkins that were growing that could take growth away from the main pumpkin, and i loved them. it was fun to watch them grow. they grew so fast over night. it was incredible to watch. they were heavy and hard to move from the garden to the porch. good luck to all who try it!

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out of the garage

our friends matt and kayla invited us to their cabin up at midway. it was so fun. we watched movies, made dinner, made breakfast, enjoyed the view of heber/midway, had girl/guy talk, played catch phrase electronic, and laughed so hard i could have wet my pants (spagatini). as we were getting ready to leave, matt said that they have a tradition that you have to run out of the garage and jump over the sensor in a "cool" way. this is what paul and i came up with...cool huh? the faces are the best! i wonder if he made that up just so i would do it? hmmm...

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girls camp 2007

i love girls camp. i love camping, being outdoors, tin foil dinners, hiking, canoeing on a lake, and looking at the huge sky of stars. i know girls camp is often known of girls who are snotty and tired, dirty food, sleeping with bugs, never getting enough sleep! it is all true. but the nice thing is being with the girls and enjoying the fresh air. we go to camp shalom. when i was in young women's i thought shalom was hours away. it is only 1 hour and 45 minutes. not bad. i love watching the girls hang out with each other, going on the morning/night hikes and all the traditional pranks we play. my really good friend, angela, asked me to go with her. we were the 5th-its (like nephites). we made totem polls and had each leader and girl write their testimony down (had that bound in a book for them). one morning, angela woke all of us up (around 5:30am). told us to gather out scriptures and packs. we had to leave everything behind. (she wanted to let us feel what it was like for nephi and his brothers to leave suddenly without packing, just leaving) it was wonderful. the girls of course murmured, but when we got to the top of the ridge, we all sat and watched the sun rise. then we were able to read the testimonies and letters from our loved ones. it was such a tender moment. ang did a wonderful job. it is one of my favorite camp memories of all. she is a great camp director. i have a feeling she will be at camp for a lot of years. it always seems to rain at least one day when we are there. mom and i had just taken cold showers. when i say cold, i mean cold. (snow run off cold) i went to the pavilion to see what the girls were doing, and it started to rain. of course our camp site was at the opposite end. we all ran. i can't believe how much it rained in so little time. ahh...the memories. some of my favorite foods camping are scones, anything dutch oven, and cobbler. i can't wait until next year. 

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girl's night

lindsey was dating a boy named russ, and suddenly they had broken up. she really liked him, so this was really hard for her. dad pulled us girls aside and said that we should take lindsey to park city for a night away with just the girls. he got us a room at the marriott (the one next to the alpine slide). so sweet. we left on friday after work and got to the room. it was a nice, nice room. lindsey wasn't in the mood to do anything at all. the rest of us wanted to go out, walk around...so naturally...we all argued. katie was going to have ransom come up and pick her up, abby was her quiet self, kelsie was frustrated, lindsey was moody and i wanted to go home. you see, we girls are very passionate about the very same things and yet very different things. we can't spend a lot of time together because we all get passionate and then frustrated. anywho...we finally got things figured out, went to dinner, went on the alpine slide, walked around the outlets and then came home. i will say that it is so nice to be with my sisters. i love them and would do anything for them!

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our garden

Nothing makes us feel more empowered than when we work hard and plant our very own garden. It feels so good to dig in the dirt, and to watch out little baby plants growing. Even better to eat it! Paul and I really enjoy the fruits of our labors, and love how pretty it looks all newly planted with no weeds.
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#26

So far, today has been a great day. I woke up this morning to some knocking on my door, and when I opened to see who it was, my dad and mom were scurrying away leaving a couple adirondack chairs with balloons. Pebbles also surprised me with a little party and decorations. Paul took me to dinner to Brick Oven, then we got some ice cream. I am so lucky to be loved.
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#28

Happy Birthday Paul! My husband turned 28 today. Today started with waffles for breakfast, a full day of work, then dinner and a new shirt, and a movie. He really makes surprising him a challenge. I love being married to him. Thank you for attempting to let me surprise you this year.
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spring training in arizona

we went down to arizona to watch the baseball spring training games. paul wasn't able to come because of work. katie is a month or two along in her pregnancy and feeling really sick. we started on the looong drive down and i dreaded being cooped up in the car for 10-13 hours. when we got to phoenix, we got to see ransom's grandpa who is in the hospital, and we also saw his mom and dad. paul called while we were in the waiting room. he went over to dad and mom's to feed snuggle, the guinea pig, and snuggle was not moving. he died the day we left. mom was so sad. on the way to dennis and angie's home, we went down a road that was very wavy. katie was getting sick. we got to their home and linds went in and got some soda and crackers for her (no one but us knew at that point she was prego). of course kristen and angie knew right away she was pregnant. most of the week, katie laid on the couch waiting to throw up, and the rest of us played. i loved cooking there and giving angie some recipes, going out to lunch and going to the games. the best game was with the rockies. it ended up being cloudy and then it rained. linds, kels, mom, angie, and i wanted to stay in our seats and enjoy the game. the rest of the group went into the store out of the rain. much to our surprise...kevin and zach were under the pavilion...out of the rain. it was a great trip. katie towards the middle of the trip started to feel a little better and could keep the medicine down with out throwing it up. i missed paul madly! on the last night, dennis took the kids outside to their pool. the pool water was very cold...he bet each of them $10 to jump in. zach, alex, tyler, and ryan did. sydney wanted to so bad, but it was too cold for her. it was a great trip and so fun to be with family...

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Valentines Day

I am incredible lucky to be married to Paul. He's not really the romantic-type, but when he does something sweet, he is really sweet. I got home from work, and I was met with balloons, a note and chocolate. He got us enough chocolate to last a lifetime!
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house flood

sometimes when it rains, it pours doesn't it? i woke up this morning early to get to work. the house was freezing and i was still half asleep. i walked down the hall, and my feet were suddenly cold and wet! i turned on the lights and didn't believe what i was seeing. the carpet was wet, the bathroom floor was wet. i yelled for paul to come and see (hoping it wasn't true). he came and said a nice choice of words, got on his shoes and went out to turn off the water. our pipes had frozen and burst. the basement (coal cellar) had 3-6 inches of water and the floor level had at least an inch in the kitchen. i called work and said wouldn't be able to make it, got on work clothes, and good shoes and started taking out carpet, and checking around the other rooms to see where the water had made it. we got the carpet out in no time and then worked on the kitchen and bathroom floors. it was a disgusting mess. water and carpet don't mesh well and they certainly don't smell fresh. linds came over to survey the damage and help. i looked at my frog bowl and saw that one of my little frogs (penelope) had died...i lost it. i cried and paul told me to take her out back to bury her. linds and i went out with a shovel, chipped at the frozen ground and buried penelope. sad day at the ward home...

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car show

paul, dad, uncle brent and grandpa joe decided to take a boys night out. they went up to sandy and looked at the car show. i am not sure where grandpa gets his tickets for events, but i really gets hooked up! paul was in heaven. he saw his ferrari, was tempted to steal it. dad saw the jeep he wanted, and for me, paul took some pictures. (thank you!) paul gets really agitated when he just stands around. i guess grandpa was a little slow, so paul kept moving. i can just imagine paul walking forward, looking at a car, hoping the others were catching up, grunting because they were still where he had left them...i am laughing right now just thinking about it. paul brought home so many brochures on cars, detailing of cars, cars, cars, cars. i am so glad he gets along and has a blast with dad. they are so funny together. i know one day, paul will get ferrari. 

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