Brrrr....

It's really cold. I'm not ready for Winter. As much as I love hot chocolate and wassail, I'm not ready for them to become mandatory.

On the plus side, it does look really pretty (and when it comes to thinking of positives for cold, that really does make a difference)...

Distracted

I have less than 48 hours to type an 8 page paper! 4 of the 8 pages are drafted - not perfectly, but at least my ideas are out of my head and typed up, but for some reason I can't bring myself to do the final four... I don't know if it is just lack of interest or super excitement for our trip to Colorado this weekend... either way, it is making it really hard for me to work so that I can have a school free weekend...

If someone has some extra focus, I'd appreciate it if you'd send it my way!

Oh, and since we'll be gone, have a Happy Halloween! We'll be spending the day celebrating our nephew's baptism and hangin' out with some seriously cute kids!!

Halloween Sugar Cookie Extravaganza

A tradition that we have with Nate's family every year around Halloween is to decorate Sugar Cookies! We always make way too many, eat way too much, and have a lot of fun in the process!

We did it a little early this year because Nate & I will be gone over Halloween, but the kiddos brought their costumes for pics and we we had as great a time as always!!

Our Favorites of Fall TV

Well, it's back! I've given it a month or so to settle in and see what shows we "can't live without" - here are our top four (because I know you've been dying to know):

Dollhouse


We are pretty big Joss Whedon fans at our house! We have several of his series on DVD and this one is right up there with the rest of them! If you haven't seen this, we'd highly recommend it!

The Office


This season started out a little slow for us but the last few episodes have drawn us back in! The Wedding Episode - a favorite of mine! And the Mafia episode last week was hilarious!! This show will always be a top 5!

Glee


Our love for this show is almost borderline obsession! I HAD to download the soundtrack (sung by the original cast) and can't get enough of it! I tend to love anything that revolves around music and this show is no exception!

Vampire Diaries


Those of you who know us well will know that we like our Vamps! We are fans of Buffy, Angel, Twilight and have recently added this show to our list!

So there it is! These are the shows that we save room on our TIVO for and that are keeping us entertained this fall!! Anyone got any others they'd recommend?

Fabulous Fall

I had a photo shoot yesterday and I was able to sneak in some of the fall leaves! It is absolutely GORGEOUS right now!

*Oh, and as a side note, did you know that Spring Hollow Campground has a waterfall? How come I have never known this?*

Random Friday Thoughts

- Today is Fall Break! I work for 3 hours, then, I'll have 3.5 precious hours all to myself!! I'm very happy about it!
- Ellen Degeneres makes me happy! I turned it on this morning to get a little cleaning done, and she just makes me giggle!
- Over Halloween, we are heading to CO to hang out with my sisters and to see my nephew get baptized, and I can't wait!
- It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! I LOVE seeing pink everywhere - because I love the color and because I fully support the cause! I even bought a pink umbrella!!
- We got to hang out with our good friends the Wilkies last night and it was a fabulous time! How I love them and their sweet kiddos!
- Our niece turned two this week and we are getting together with Nate's whole family tomorrow to celebrate!! It will be a great time!
- I have a photo shoot tomorrow and I can't wait to get Val in front of the camera! I'll be sure to put them on my photo blog because what I've got envisioned is awesome!

That's it! Those are just a few of the things that have been running through my mind this morning! Now it's off to do a quick cleaning & head to work for my really short day!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Our Special Date

Today Nate & I got to spend a better part of the day with this dude -


We grabbed some grub at Carls Jr., topped off our already full bellies with some yummy popcorn and giggled endlessly at this adorable movie -


Did a little grocery shopping (I know, not an ideal date but Sam wasn't ready to go home), washed the car (because for some reason that has become a tradition whenever we go on a "date" with Sam), and then met up with this dude -


(and his mom, of course) at Tummy Yummies for some frozen yogurt!

It was a fabulous "date" and we are grateful that we got to spend some quality one on one time with our favorite Sam! We love you buddy!

... the judgment free zone ...

we've done it! we've secured ourselves a spot! we can work out without anyone passing judgment (right?) and we are going to whip ourselves into shape! we made a little bet that whoever loses the most weight (okay, it's not as simple as that, but it really is that simple) by the end of this year gets an award in the amount of cash! i'm totally going to win and buy myself a new wardrobe *(but don't tell nate - he thinks he's going to win)* it's been a fun little competition thus far, but now i'm excited to take it to the max and really make some improvements! wish me luck! (and if nate asks for it, tell him i got to you first)!

Time's A Ticken'

Wow! Am I really a Senior in College? Weird as it seems, when I was younger, I NEVER thought I would see this day! I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and while it feels good, I know that life is going to get more stressful with the next few semesters ... I've still got a bit left to go, but the fact that I'm on the last half of the path just hit me today ... I've got a check list of things that I need to accomplish before I can graduate and the more I check off, the more realistic it becomes! I am so grateful that I have been able to go to school and I am grateful for the ways in which it is changed my life and me as a person. I have learned so much and I have grown so much since I took my first class 4 years ago. Anyway, there's really no moral to this post - just that it is coming down to the wire and I am shocked, excited, grateful and happy for the experiences that I have had!

... nothing spectacular ...

has happened over the last couple of weeks, and it has been amazing! Given the crazy start to the school year and fall we had, we have loved having nothing to do! We have had dinner with both of our families, we have snuggled our new niece, we have spent time with our friends, we have caught up and maintained our housework and I am feeling like I finally have a handle on school! At least once each Friday I get asked "what are you doing this weekend" and my favorite response of all time is "you know, we don't have anything planned!" Responses like those ensure that we have time for each other and that we usually get to play with our friends, and those are the weekends we live for!! Viva la boring weekends!!

Rough Week

It's been a rough week at our house! Headaches, little sleep, random sickness, lots of homework, getting locked out (that was my fault, I'll be honest), very little time together - I'm looking forward to a weekend where no one needs me! If you try to call me and I don't answer, it's not because I don't love you, it's because I'm spending time with my husband and re-couping! I'll get back to you on Monday!

The Organ.

I'm young. I get in the orange station wagon. I fight with brother and sisters all the way to their house. I walk in the house. I give them a hug. I head straight for the Organ. I don't know how to play it. I just love pushing the buttons and hearing the sounds. My favorite: the flute. It is amazing.

Fast forward 20 years. I get the call. They can no longer use it. Do I want it? My heart cries with joy. I get the organ. I will learn how to play it. I will have it forever.

Fast forward 1 year. We have a home for sell. We have moved but our home is staged. It is winter. A pipe bursts. My organ gets wet. My organ gets ruined. My heart cries again, but this time, there is no joy.


This is my organ. My organ that was passed down to me from my grandmother and grandfather. My organ that they entrusted me with. My organ that, although I never learned how to play, I loved. I loved it unconditionally. I loved that it was old. I loved that it was bulky. I loved that my grandparents loved me.

These pictures are all I have left of the organ. The physical attachment is gone. But when I look at these pictures, I am reminded of the car rides, the hugs, the hours spent pushing the buttons and looking at the colorful books, and the love. I'm glad that love isn't something that you have to hold on to - I'm glad that it sits in your heart, where you can feel it, even though the organ gets ruined.

Today I'm Feeling Old...

You might be asking yourself why...

Almost 12 years ago this little guy was born!


Last night I talked to him, and his voice ... yes ... I can say it ... his voice is getting deeper ... he is changing from my sweet little nephew who used to cuddle and play Toy Story into a middle schooling teenager with a cell phone and a girlfriend! I love him to pieces and I am so proud of him ... but he makes me feel old!


Since he was born, I have become an aunt 14 times! That means 14 delicious, squishy, beautiful, adorable, babies! 14 squishy little bums! 14 sweet pairs of eyes to gaze into... oh how I love each of those babies and their squishy baby bums and their beautiful eyes!! Each year they grow older, which means that I am growing older as well...

I'm grateful that I have these 14 squishy kids and pre-teens in my life to help me find the joy in the little things and to remind me that it's okay to let out my inner child sometimes ... if I could just find a way to stop them from growing ...

Yummy, Tasty Dinner

Real quick, I just have to share this awesome dinner recipe with you! I can't take credit for it though, the real credit goes to Marci P, who put it in our ward cookbook years ago (although I may have altered it a bit to suit us better)!

Crock Pot Honey Orange Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 cup orange juice, prepared
1 cup honey
1 lemon, sliced

Cover the chicken with the orange juice & honey and cook until the chicken is done!! We had it with mashed potatoes and vegetables and even though I'm stuffed I keep going back for little snitches!

Enjoy!

Happiness

Today I am happy because:

- we woke up early enough to have a bagel for breakfast
- we get to hang out with some good friends tonight
- yesterday I switched to Diet Dr. Pepper and I survived
- my trek up Old Main is getting faster and easier every day
- I'm drinking Raspberry Ice Crystal Lite - and I love it
- I just had a wonderful conversation with my sister, who I miss and love
- I got to hear about the life of a preschooler from my cute niece
- I got to "chat" with my other niece, who was pretending to be a dog and barked the whole conversation
- a concept that I have been struggling with in my Family Crisis & Interventions Class became clear to me today, just in time for my test on Friday
- it is only 10:20 and I've got a long list of things to be happy about!

So far, it is a great day!