New York, New York ...

Ready or not ...

Here ...

We ...

Come ...

See ya'll lata!

... Pioneer Day * 2010 * ...

Our festivities included:

Going to the parade with these two cuties (and their parents, of course):



Having burgers & smoothies with these peeps (and their parents, of course):



And attending the fireworks show at Willow Park:




We had a wonderful day with family and friends! We are grateful for our pioneer ancestry - for their faith, their courage and their examples of living life and finding joy in the little things!

Cleaning Distractions!!

Nate's awesome cousins were kind enough to agree to be our cat/house sitters while we are on our big trip to THIS city ...


(www.greenwichmeantime.com)

... in preparation for their arrival and our trip, I have spent the last two days ***CLEANING*** Not just quick cleaning, but getting down and dirty with the soap scum, the carpet cleaner and the dusty corners ... I'm not one of those people who HATES cleaning - I actually like the instant gratification that comes from doing a quick run through, but when my "Spring Cleaning" instinct kicks in, I need a little something to keep me moving ...

While I've been working up a sweat, my speakers have been doing a little work of their own with this:


and this ...


... and I'm loving listening to this in the background (although I find myself stopping for a bit to watch the awesomeness and truly getting distracted) ...


... being able to find the joy in otherwise miserable tasks is what life is all about ... and ... having instant access to so many wonderful tunes - that totally rocks my world!!

That's all, folks!

BBQ with the BFF's

Nate & I are fortunate to have really good friends in the Wilkies & the Duts! It has been a busy summer and we haven't been able to see them as much as we like, but we were able to get together with them last week to have a BBQ! We had a great time catching up, laughing at their kiddos and just hanging out!




Thanks friends!! We had a great time! Love ya'll!

*** J U L Y ***

It has been a busy month for us! Nate's parents came home to stay with Nate's brother's family while their baby girl was born. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them and spending so much time with our sweet nephews and nieces!









We are taking the next week or so to re-coup, then we're headed off to the Big Apple to visit Nate's parents!!

Summer Favs

I've found some awesome new favorites this Summer and thought I'd share the love...

Flip Flop Feet Repair - my mom got me some of this for my birthday this year and my feet officially can't live without it!! I don't know where she got it, but when I googled it to find a picture, I found it at www.sassygirlgifts.com. You should try it, because you'll love it!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes - just because they are delish! (We coat ours in olive oil and pepper, then wrap them in tin foil & let them cook)


Yes. You are seeing correct. A healthy cereal that curbs my chocolate craving has finally been created! Seriously! I snack on these things, milkless, like they are ... something super tasty! If you're trying to eat healthy & looking for a chocolate snack, this is the way to go!


Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce? Tried it, loved it, will never have a fridge without it!


I broke down. I've been wanting one of these babies since I saw the infomercial on T.V! Earlier this week I bought some smoothie fixins and when my blender went kaput, this was the option we chose! I used it for the first time today and LOVED it!


Do you have any summer favs?

Sweet Sadie Jane

Nate & I got another new niece this week! Little Sadie Jane makes # 15 for us!! She was born on Tuesday and she is absolutely beautiful! Don't believe me, see for yourself!






We have had a wonderful time snuggling Sadie and watching her big brothers meet her and love her!!

We've said it before and we'll say it again, being an Auntie (and Uncle) is one of the best things in the world!!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Nate & our sweet niece Eva (who LOVES her uncle Nate)!

Last Friday Nate joined me in over 30's club! We celebrated by working (darn jobs) then a dinner at Thai Kamin with his family (minus Joe & Tom, both of whom we missed)! The day before we made our traditional trip down to Layton to eat at Training Table, do a little shopping, go to the movies and pick up his parents from the airport!


He may not be happy about this photo being posted, but seeing as how he's asleep, there's not much he can do about it!!

It is impossible for me to express how much I love my sweet, silly, loving husband! He makes me laugh every day, he holds me when I'm sad and he loves me unconditionally (which is a big chore)! I am so grateful for him and feel so blessed to have him as my husband and my best friend! I love you, baby! You have my whole pie and the cow, as always, lies in the hay :)

... hangin' with the Thompson's ...

My sister Jen & her boys came to visit a week or so ago! We had SO much fun with them while they were here!


Mom, Jen & I - grillin' up some grub!


Ok, I look completely awful in this picture, but the boys took an hour one evening to tie me to the chair and hold me at gun point! Luckily Nate & Jen were there to remind them they had to be humane and let me have some water!!


Just a picture of me & Surfer!


The boys brought their soft air guns out - we had a great time playing with them! At one point, Surf got all decked out and ran around my moms yard and let us shoot him - it was good times!


Picture a bit blurry? It's the smoke from the fire pit we were sitting by! We always have fun hanging out by the fire pit in my parents back yard!


We also spent quite a bit of time playing "Payday!"

The boys got some rafts while they were here so they had to try them out! We spent quite a few hours at Merlin Olsen Park!!







We also spent a wonderful afternoon at Hyrum Dam!






The week went by way too fast even though they extended their trip by a day! We loved having some one on one time with the boys and with Jen even though it has taken us several days to catch up on our sleep :)

Up next!?!?!
The love of my life turned 30 yesterday! Pictures to come soon!