Our Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve & Christmas Day! We were able to spend the holiday with both of our families, and we are so grateful that we are able to do so! We missed our siblings and nephews & nieces who live out of town, but we were able to talk to all of them, so we were happy about that!! Here are a couple of pictures from the day!


-One of Nate & I's traditions that we started the first year we were married was to do dollar store stocking stuffers! Every year we go to the dollar store, pick out the most outrageous things we can find, and giggle our heads off as we open them up - either on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning! We have a great time! Notice Nate's awesome orange work gloves and my purple "diamond" bling!
-Nate's mom surprised Nate & his brothers (and his sister in Texas) with these awesome shirts (they say "Mom Loves ME Best")!
- Every year Joe & Ollie take Sam to the dollar store to let him pick out presents for everyone! He puts a lot of thought into the gifts and they are often very funny! This year, I got a plastic bug pack (because it has a picture of a snake on the packaging), Nate got a toy donkey (Sam didn't say why - I'll say it's because Nate is stubborn), Tom got a toy pool table (because the real one in the basement just isn't up to par), and Carl & Lynnette each got a Cross. Sam was very excited to give them to Nate's parents because now they have something to put on their night stands... he is a little too young to know why we don't use crosses in our religion, but his reasoning for the gift was very sweet!
- Another tradition that we do with Nate's family is "Christmas Crackers". They found these gems when they lived in England. We open them up with Christmas "Breakfast" and wear these hats for as long as we can stand them!
- For Christmas this year Santa brought Nate & I some clothes, I got a new fuzzy pink robe (which I LOVE) and slippers and Nate got some Hickory Farms snacks and some racquetball gear!
- We headed out to my parents house to spend the afternoon (until we got too nervous to stay any later because of the storm), but had a great time hanging out and playing games! Blake brought his new puppy for us to meet, and she is adorable!


Here are Rascal, Ellie & Stout on Christmas Day! What can I say, the pets in our family are pretty cute too!!


This adorable ornament was made by our nephew Scout and now hangs on the bulletin board in our room! Thanks Scoutie!

So there is our Christmas in a nutshell! We are so grateful for this time of year and that we get to celebrate the true meaning of life and the Gospel. We are grateful for the safety that we have been blessed with, for the time that we were able to spend with our families, and for the time that we were able to spend with one another - we know that there are many people in this world who aren't as fortunate and we truly are grateful for all that we have.

Christmas Mad Libs

Nate & I were out shopping the other day and picked up some Christmas Theme Mad Libs! They are quite entertaining & I thought I'd share a few with you!

"Selecting A Tree"

No Christmas season can be really gigantic unless you have a stinky tree in your Harry Potter Closet. If you live in a city, you will see many vacant blankets filled with hundreds of reindeer for sale. If you live in the country, you can get your own couch right out of the forest. Go out with a picture frame and an Adam Brody, and when you see a rusty tree you like, dig it up and plant it in a caroler. Then you can use it for 1724 years. To make sure your tree is fresh, shake the branches and see if socks fall off onto the fridge. And make sure the tree is very orange. Nothing looks worse than a mauve tree. Just follow these directions and you can have a perfect beautiful Rascal in your front room for weeks. Remember, poems and Mad Libs are made by fools like Nate, but only Clarissa can make a tree.

"What to get People for Christmas"

One of the rancid things about Christmas is being able to pick out slippery presents to give your kids and relatives. But it's a problem because you don't want to give someone a mountain when they really wanted Flem. Here are some slimy gift ideas. I bet your mother would like a new electric goat she could use to swing her vegetables or clean the nose in the water closet. If your father likes to cough, he could use a new set of balls (totally not on purpose - but funny). Or alabaster all wool socks while he is skiing. If you want to get Clarissa a present, she needs sports leggings designed by Jennifer Garner. And Bob needs some clocks to keep his elbow warm. But no matter what you give, remember it is the hot poker behind the gift that counts.

Well, there you have a couple samples of things that will be making us giggle over this wonderful weekend!! Have a Merry Christmas everyone!!

Braving the Storm

It has been a very snowy weekend! One of Nate's managers, who isn't from around here, asked him on Friday why so many people go out when it snows... we thought it was kind of a silly question! Growing up here I never realized that people don't go out in the snow... we always just bundled up and drove slow... the only snow day I remember was on a Valentine's Day in High School (I'm sure there were a few more that I don't remember), but living where we live - when it snows it snows and life still goes on!! The joys of winter!!

More Reasons why we LOVE December!!!

One of our traditions on Christmas Morning (while we still live close to family), is to eat breakfast (or brunch) at Nate's parents house! Nate's mom makes "Gooey Rolls" that look quite similar to the above picture, and we have eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, juice, milk, egg nog - a lot of food and a lot of full bellies!!


Something about December screams good food! Hot soup, hot drinks, yummy treats!! Happy tastebuds all around!


This one is kind of a given, but it's really important to us! We love all of the family time that we get during the Holidays! We are so grateful for our families!!


We love getting cards and greetings from our loved ones and hearing what everyone is up to!

Merry Christmas to All!

Proving My Love

Dearest BFF Brittany,
As per our conversation earlier today, I do love you, but it turns out we don't have many pictures of just us... Sorry about the quality and silliness of this picture. I just wanted to publicly post that I do love you too and that I am indeed grateful for your friendship!! I'm sorry I couldn't find the picture of us in High School with our silk shirts... it would have been funny!
Love,
BFF Clar

Friday Flair... It's Back, Baby!

My Friday Flair feature took a little hiatus (wow, that's a big word for me), but now it's back! This week's flair doesn't really follow a certain theme...

Wait... It does...

It makes me happy!

Enjoy!


Does anyone else remember the morning after the first time they ate a lot of asparagus? I sure do!

This is one of the first Flair's that Nate sent me... Thoughtful isn't he?

This flair is in honor of the lovely Spiced Orange scent that is filling my nostrils at the moment!

Confession? I have a total Celebrity Crush on Adam Brody... yes... the kid from that show about the kids in Orange County (which I happen to like as well)... Don't know what it is, but I'd take him over Edward Cullen any day!

no clever title... just read on...

I'm pretty sure that this is the longest I've gone without blogging for months... well... since I took finals in the Spring anyway!

It has been a very crazy, stressful, sick, tired couple of weeks - but now it's over and I can focus on the true fun of December!! A break from school, relaxing and Christmas! I'm very much looking forward to the next three weeks! My goal is to empty my to-do list before Christmas so that I can spend the last week of my break chilling and gearing up for next Semester (brrr - I can already feel the cold wind as I imagine walking across campus in January.... brrr...)

What's on that list? Well - getting ready for Christmas (gifts, cards, treats, plans), updating my recipe book, watching a lot of LOST to gear up for the new season, spending some quality time with my man, getting started on Grocery Smarts - if anyone is willing to help me - I'll take it, and getting a little more organized in general! Not too big of a list - just enough to keep me from getting bored, I think!

Anyhow - that's it! Nothing too exciting has been going on around here!! What have ya'll been up to?

Some Reasons Why I LOVE December!!

One of my favorite things about December is wrapping gifts... I don't know why, but I get such a thrill out of surrounding myself with a pile of gifts and wrapping paper!!

I love, LOVE, love seeing the different Christmas Decorations that people have put up in their homes. People have such different tastes and it is exciting for me to get to know people a little better through their decorations!

This one's a given! December is the BEST movie season of all because you get to watch the classics! The Elf, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Christmas Story... the list could go on and on...

Yumm... hot chocolate! Enough said!

These are just a few! Stay tuned throughout the month for more! (As if you have nothing better to do!)

If I Were a Child...

I'd ask for these Little People Toy Sets from Santa.

Done, Finito, Fin, NO MORE!

I just finished a Final Project that I have spent over 20 hours on in the last few days. It has been my part time job on top of school, work, being a wife, sleep... But alas, now it is done! Tomorrow afternoon I will hand it in and let it rest in the hands of my teacher... Anyway, I just needed to take a moment to feel accomplished! Now, I'm going to bed! Good night!

We are Thankful For...

This is our Thankful list that we ran through November. This list is mostly trivial things but they are things that we recognize that we have and that others may not. Other, more important things that we are grateful for include the freedoms that we have, our good health, the Gospel, our wonderful friends, the opportunity that we have to get an education, our wonderful families... really, this list could go on and on. We are extremely grateful for all of our many, many blessings and we know that we have been blessed beyond what we can imagine.

November 1st: Time together
November 2nd: Lazy Sunday mornings
November 3rd: His - Cheese, Hers - fall leaves, nephews & cameras!
November 4th: The right to vote!
November 5th: Technology! Computers, Internet... the works!
November 6th: Work and school days that end at 3:00 (ish)
November 7th: The relief that weekends bring!
November 8th: Cheese fries & chocolate cake from Iron Gate Grill!
November 9th: Books and the ability to read!
November 10th: Rainy days!
November 11th: All those who have sacrificed so much to serve our Country.
November 12th: Our fuzzy kitty Rascal - and Netflix!
November 13th: Blue skies through the rain! We're not trapped!
November 14th: Fun card games and great times with Clar's parents!
November 15th: Guitar Hero, Laptops and our friends, the D's!
November 16th: Primary Programs and nephews who tell their mom that we made funny faces at them while they were sitting on the stand!
November 17th: 9:30 bed time (snuggling us time)
November 18th: Each other - because we can proof read each others papers before turning them in! (And many more reasons but this is the one that stands out tonight)
November 19th: The nice light feeling that our heads feel after getting our hair cut together! Weird kind of date?!?
November 20th: The laughs from The Office... salad anyone?
November 21st: Intense movies, tasty dinner & awesome friends!
November 22nd: The fact that it is 12:30 a.m. and we are finally going to bed... it has been a freakishly long and busy day.
November 23rd: His - her. Hers - him. Why? Because we love each other!
November 24th: the Dyson! Yes... we are grateful for a vacuum... our floors are so clean!
November 25th: We are grateful for school... We are grateful for school... We are grateful for school...
November 26th: Family (ies)! They love, they support, they drive from Colorado, they help clean... they are family and we love them!
November 27th: Food! Yup! Lots and lots of yummy food!
November 28th: Afternoon naps after working from 4-1 and slumber parties with nephews and niece...
November 29th: His: that our niece FINALLY warmed up to him. Hers: time with family!
November 30th: We are finally caught up on homework!

How Much Love Can One Heart Hold?

The answer is simple...

Take a look at these kids...

Go on, I'll give you a moment... take a look... breathe in their adorableness... feel your heart grow a few sizes...


A heart can hold about 13 nephews and nieces worth of love(plus the ones who haven't made an appearance yet). Don't believe me? Wait until you get your own!

I've been thinking a lot about life these last few weeks - the joys, the curve balls you get thrown, the expectations that don't come, the surprises that do...

These kids, my "kids" - they are the surprises in my life. They are the joys that I didn't see coming. Growing up I always imagined that I would:
- grow up (yet to happen)
- get married (happily done)
- and have kids of my own...

I NEVER imagined that the children who would divide my heart into pieces of love (13 of them) would not be my own...

That being said, I have got to say that I am so, SO, so grateful that Heavenly Father KNOWS our plans and that He KNOWS how to give us joys in the midst of trials.

These kids, my "kids", they are my joys! They bring me hope, laughter, love, happiness, peace and pure bliss. I can't imagine my life without a single one of them - they are so special to me...

I feel so blessed to be able to be "Auntie Clar," "Aunt Clarissa," "Clar," and "hee, hee - she's afraid of snakes... let's scare her."

To my nephews and nieces - current and future - thank you for letting me love you and be your auntie! I hope that we will always be close and that you will always know how much I love you!

P.S. If you ever want to run away - you're always welcome at our house! We have lots of blankets, movies and candy... your Uncle Nate has a sweet tooth!

Our Thanksgiving

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone... this year has flown by so quickly! We had a terrific day yesterday! We were able to sleep in and relax for a while in the morning, then we headed out to my parents house for the day! Jess & Phuc came home for the week and Blake drove down for a couple of days as well! We ate well, had great conversation, played some cards and had a lot of fun with the kids! We headed home early to see Nate's family for a bit before heading to bed early because Nate had to work at 4 this morning! It was a great day and we have so much to be grateful for!

Odds and Ends!

First: Twilight - the Movie! We went! We saw. We thoroughly enjoyed. We want to go again. Really! We felt that the movie was very well done! I do agree with my sister who said it was "full of moments" and "intense," but that is what I liked about it! I was disappointed when it ended because I wanted more. So, go! See! Let me know if you liked it or not... because I'm curious!

Second: Hair. Here is a picture. I'm still getting used to it. I don't hate it but I don't love the style yet... I'm still learning how to do it and I may have to have a few adjustments done on it, but this is what it is for now! I am happy to say, however, that I don't regret cutting it at all, so I'm glad about that!


Third: We have the best friends ever! We had a great time last night at dinner with the Wilks & the Duts, and just wanted to tell them thanks and that they are the best!

That's it for now! I'm off for a little shopping, back for a little studying (maybe), and then it's nephews, chocolate rolls, laundry and maybe my sister's family from out of town for the evening! See ya later!

Friday Flair on Saturday

For some reason I'm feeling deep today. I don't know why, I'm exhausted! Anyway, this is my Friday Flair on Saturday! I found all of these pieces of flair very wisdom...ous... yes... wisdimous is a word... because I said so...

Snip, Snip, Snip

Hmmm... looking at that title this post could go one of two ways... well, seeing as how Nate & I apparently don't have to worry about one of the ways it could go, it will go the other way...

I cut my hair (don't freak out mom, sisters, any of you who have short hair and want long hair) - it's only hair - it will grow back! I have been thinking about it for the last few months because it is just so long and it takes so long to do, and today, as I was sitting at work, I made my decision! I didn't tell anyone (except for Nate) because I know I would be talked out of it - and I've got to say that I absolutely made the right decision!

When the nice lady at the hair salon chopped off my ponytail I felt extremely liberated and free - funny how cutting my hair lowered my stress level...

Anyway, I'll take a picture of it tomorrow after I've showered and styled it to see what you all think!

Tickets!!

I realize I am totally nerdy for posting about this, but yes, we've got our tickets! We will be attending the 4:00 showing on Friday afternoon and I can't wait! This week can't go by fast enough!

Taa Daa!

Okay, I finished up the things I was doing and had time to set up a photo shoot with the bags that I did! This started out as a "I just want to see if I'll like them" project - well, I loved them so much that I needed a couple more, my sister-in-law in Texas needed some, my mom needed some and the project took off! Lynnette and I made 10 of these bags in the span of about 9 hours - no wonder my back hurts! Anyway, I tried them out at the grocery store last night and loved them! I am also so proud to be doing my small part to set a trend in saving the environment!


P.S. If you want to check out the mission and the pattern associated with these bags - check out www.morsbags.com!
P.P.S. Yes mom, these are the bags I was raving about, and yes mom, a couple of these are for you...

Wonderful Weekends

Wow, oh wow what a busy weekend it has been! Not a bad weekend, just a busy weekend! Starting BEFORE we got off work on Friday and still going strong tonight... I can't wait to climb into bed tonight - except for the fact that tomorrow it will be Monday morning... hmmph... I won't think about that right now!

Hee Hee! I love this picture! Yes - these are my parents - and yes - this was quite a few years ago! Anyway, Friday after work we went and had some dinner with them & headed out to their house for some card games and laughs (which, by the way, I won - card games that is)! It's been a while since we've done that, so it was a great time!



Saturday was full of laundry (which I have yet to put away), sewing re-usable grocery bags - yes - you heard me right! I'm going green and getting crafty doing it! I'll post pictures of them on here as soon as I can - but they are adorable and I'm stoked about them! What else? We went to dinner with the Duts and then hung out at their place! Brynners & I did some picture sharing and our hubbys played some Guitar Hero!



(Not last night, but Brynn had a picture of us on her blog, so I wanted to reciprocate.) As always, we had a fabulous time!

This morning we woke up and went to our Nephew's very first Primary Program!



This is the nephew, but this is not what he wore to church! Anyway, it was fabulous and he did a great job! He also tattled on me because I was making funny faces at him while he was sitting on the stand! I love Primary Programs - my favorite parts are the songs - sweet voices, funny faces and all around greatness surround them! We attended the rest of church with family (it was nice to be done by noon - I can't wait for the new year and a new Church schedule)!

The afternoon as been spent finishing up the bags that I mentioned above and will post on as soon as I get pictures of them! I've got a few more things to do before I can call it a night, so I'm gunna wrap this up so I can get stuff done & snuggle with Nate before I doze off! Lata!

Friday Flair

This weeks flair is dedicated to the best show of all time! There is nothing that I have found that FRIENDS doesn't apply to. If you ever hear a discussion between Nate & I and don't understand something that we say, you can guarantee that we have quoted one of the many FRIENDS lines that we love! If you find yourself needing a laugh - check out an episode on line or at 6:00 on channel 14!

Rainy Days

I got to school a few minutes early this morning so that I could take a picture of the Wellsvilles and the clouds that have graced us with their presence for the last 3 days! (By the way, the top of Old Main Hill is a great place to take pictures of the valley - FYI) I'm the girl that is fascinated by clouds (nothing scientific, I just love to watch the sun poke through them or to see how they alter sunsets) and Nate is the guy that loves the rain! We have loved the weather the last few days - but I'll admit that I was so happy to see the blue sky today and the stars tonight!

Dinner of Champs!

You know when you go out to dinner and are always way too full for dessert? Well, Nate & I found the perfect remedy for that - because we have found the perfect dessert! Iron Gate Grill has the Iron Gate Tower! What is the Iron Gate Tower? It is a chocolate cake - more like a chocolate tower - to die for! It is rich and creamy and we find ourselves craving it every once in a while! So, here is what we do: we order appetizers and dessert! Our favorite Iron Gate Grill mix includes the tangy, saucy sticky bites (dipped in ranch), the cheese fries (also dipped in ranch) and the tower (not dipped in ranch - it is perfect on it's own)! So, if you are ever in the mood for a light, unhealthy meal with the best dessert in town, head on over to Iron Gate - oh - and give us a call on your way over!

Question of the Week!

Have you ever been to any concerts, plays or musicals?


-My absolute favorite musical is Les Miserables. It is beautiful and touching, and I have been fortunate to see it twice - once in Salt Lake with my family, and once in London, yes... I said London, with Nate and his family! It was an awesome experience and is something that I could and would watch over and over!
-I also had the opportunity to go to Phantom of the Opera with my family! I was in Middle School, so I don't remember much of the experience. I do remember being enthralled at all the bright costumes and disappointed when the Chandelier fell! Nate, the lucky duck, got to see it in San Fransisco on a Band Trip in High School!
- We had a Sisters Weekend in Vegas a few years back and went and saw Lord of the Dance! It was so good! I was amazed by the precision of the dancers and was enthralled the whole time!
-I went through a Country Music phase... okay... I went through a Garth Brooks/Reba McIntire phase... Jen & Cody got us tickets to go and see Garth & Trisha Yearwood (before they were an outed couple), and it was so much fun! That Garth really knows how to please a crowd!
-After my Country phase had passed and I had grown up a little bit, I was introduced to Sarah Brightman! I then introduced her to Nate, and we both fell in love with the powerful music that she produces! For our 6th Anniversary we got tickets to go see her on tour in Salt Lake! The concert was amazing! We were left with goosebumps and the need to hear more! If you ever get the chance to see Sarah B., (I can abbreviate her last name because if she knew who I was, we'd be best friends), DO IT! If your husband won't go with you, CALL ME! I definitely will!
- Cinderella Opera - I went to this a few years back with my mom and sister - gotta say, I'm not one who can sit through an entire opera and be entertained! It was a fun night out, but I'd have rather been doing something else!
- Earlier this year we went to "The Jackson" with some friends to visit some friends and while we were there we went and saw the Bar J Wranglers! I was a little tired so it took me some time to get into it, but once I woke up a little it was a great time! They are very entertaining!
-For my 18th birthday, Nate got me tickets to see the live show of Saturday's Warrior! It was so thoughtful of him! We made a night out of it! As much as I enjoyed it, there is nothing like watching the familiar characters on the DVD (that he got me for my birthday a few years back)!
-My Senior year of High School took me to Southern California with the Chauntaires to perform at Disneyland! While we were there we went to Showboat. I don't remember much of the experience, but I do remember being very impressed with the man who sang the song "Old Man River" and the deepness (is that a word?) of his voice. I also remember sharing chocolate covered strawberries with my friend Jen and freezing because I didn't have a jacket - or a boyfriend - with me to keep me warm!
-Voice Male - you can't be a true Cache Valleyien if you haven't been to a Voice Male concert. Ask anyone who has lived here for more than 5 years, they'll tell you its true!
-Being a major in the Deaf Ed Department, the Multicultural Messiah is a must! I posted about this when we attended last March, but I'll remind you again - next Spring, around Easter time, perk up your ears and listen for this to be announced on the radio - and GO TO IT! Why? Because it is beautiful and touching and I guarantee that it will give you a Spiritual boost!
-When I took Creative Arts up at USU we had a great time going to musicals and concerts at the Eccles Theater! Some of the shows that we saw included "Pirates of Penzance," "Ragtime" (which I LOVED), "New Orleans Jazz Band," "A Midsummer's Night Dream," and a few more that don't quite stand out in my mind! They were fun to attend as well!
So, now you know what musicians have been graced with my presence, who have you graced with yours?

Friday Flair

Those of you who are on Facebook may have already been introduced to Flair! For those of you who are not, prepare for some fun stuff! From now on, every Friday, I'll feature a couple pieces of my favorite flair! Stuff that has been sent to me from Nate, stuff that has been sent from friends, and some that I have found for myself! So, enjoy the first of many Flair to come!

I am an 80's child through and through! I have many fond memories of watching and playing "Jem and the Holograms"

This one was from Nate! It's hilarious to us because one day we were driving down the road and he looked out the window at a couple walking two dogs, and he said, "They have dogs." That's it, no more, no less. We laugh about it all the time!

How can you not love this? "The Elf" is my second favorite Christmas Show of all time! (My first - "Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas"). Love it, love it, love it!