Pinspiration

 Just a little while ago I found out that my cousin Dauny is getting married. She is such a self-less person and I couldn't be happier for her! She does so much for everyone in the family, she even flew from Cali for our wedding and stayed til 1:00 in the morning helping clean up. She's a gem! I wanted something different and fun for her, and then I remembered this idea I pinned awhile back (I plan on doing it for Nick and I one of these days). It's a Date Night Jar ~There are three options; pricey and needs planning, less expensive and spontaneous, and lastly stay at home. I thought this would be a perfect shower gift. So I ran to Michael's and got everything I needed (except a jar, which ended up being a pain to find the right size). I also added several more dates than the original jar. There are less of the expensive ones and much more of the stay at home ones. I also did a bunch of blank ones so they can add some of their favorite activities that I may have missed and they can get rid of any that don't tickle their fancy. I have to admit I really like how it turned out. I'm giving it to her tonight at her shower along with some movies, phase ten and some popcorn bowls. I really hope she like it and that her and her sweetheart can enjoy it. Nick was going through it last night, I think he wants one too. So I'll probably end up making one for us soon.

P.S. Sunday is our 2 year anniversary! Can you believe it?! I am extremely excited. It's going to be low key. I think we're going to spread it out through the weekend as some of the things we wanted to do we can't as it's conference (like going to the temple and dinner downtown). I think spreading it out will be more enjoyable not to mention not as tiring on me as doing everything day of. In fact we have nothing planned on our actual anniversary except for watching conference. I can't wait!

When it Rains...

Man, this week has been a really rough one for me. I am feeling quite overwhelmed. Back in January the doctors figured out some of my issues, which is a blessing. They found somethings we need to take care of in order to start our family. As well as needing to go to another doctor for something I was clueless of. I'm on some new meds that I have to take for 6 months and they are really affecting me. I'm so sick all the time and just can't shake it. Not to mention I cry at the drop of a hat (which is the worst at work, I hate crying). This week I went to the new doctor and after waiting for 3 hours I had some more tests ran. They found some things that are concerning and want to do some more in depth tests. I have to wait til the end of April for those which is kind of making me anxious. However, I am really thankful that I'm starting to get some answers and not just the usual "we don't know what is wrong." I'm glad things are getting taken care of.
On some happier notes, we've had some good things happen. Nick finally got a new car after going months without one (he was hit right before Christmas, so thankful it was just the car that got hurt and not him). He got a red 2004 MINI so we are now a 2 MINI family. Nick is just so happy about it, it makes me happy! We also both got callings last night. Nick was put in as a Priest adviser and I was put in as an adviser to the Mia Maids. Nick is a little nervous as this is his first calling. I'm excited to be in the young womens again but a little anxious. Will they like me? It takes a little while for me to find a groove and be comfortable. I also am a little nervous about who I'll be serving with, I have a slightly different teaching style and I don't want to rock the boat or create waves (I'm not crazy or anything, I just tend to encourage discussion and I share a lot of stories and personal experiences -cuz I'm so old and have tons). But I am excited to get to see some of my girls again even though they are Laurels. I really like this ward. It is much easier to be involved and enjoy it. Tonight we are going to a cake auction where I will be taking cupcakes that look like a tv dinner (chicken legs, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and pudding). I'm hoping they are a hit (I'll post pics later, if I can, I've been having issues with that).
I truly am grateful for the changes that are happening in my life. Even though it is rough now, not only will it get better but it will be better for us. We are blessed. I'm also so grateful we have each other to lean on and support one another. I know I couldn't handle some of these things without Nick. Gosh I love him!

My boys

More Changes

With it being a new year I had wanted to blog at least once a month as I am really terrible at it. But as you can see it is the middle of February and this is the first chance I have gotten to it. My problem is the only time I get a chance to be on a computer is at work, and work has been crazy busy. Life has been crazy busy.
Back in October or November (not sure which, it's all a blur) I discovered mold in our apartment. It was in our front closet, on all but one window sill, in the main bathroom and I later found it all over a wall int the master bedroom. The maintenance came and "took care" of it twice. On the third time I had had it and we decided to get out. It was the biggest headache. I felt like I was going in circles and that no one (in the various departments and at the complex) cared or thought it was a big deal. I even had a woman at the health department tell me that if they enforced mold problems they would have to shut down trees and forests. It took all I had not to scream, "I don't live in a tree!!!" Finally after my great-uncle (who is a lawyer) told the apartment higher ups that we were planning a law suit we were allowed out of our lease. We found out the second week of January that we had til the end of the month to be out. It was such a scramble. Especially as I was  very sick and could barely get out of bed for almost two weeks. Nick was sweet and tried his hardest to take care of me and get things packed. We had to find something and quick! We were able to find a place that was available and would let us move in quick. As it was a rush job we really didn't get a chance to really check it out. Which I'm regretting. The place is in pretty bad shape and needs a lot of work (which wouldn't be so bad if we owned it and could fix it up). The people before us pretty much trashed it and as we needed to be moved we had to take it as is. I will admit I cried a bit on moving day, I was so beyond stressed and disappointed (finding a dead chicken and all the aftermath of the previous owners having chickens nearly sent me over the edge). But I'm trying to find positive things about it. With this place we will be saving some money on the rent so that means we will be able to get out of debt faster. We are much closer to our families, not that we were super far away before but having them around the corner can be nice. I love being able to take Rupert and walk over to my parents were he enjoys a play date with Abby (we call her Rupert's girlfriend as he loves her) and Bella. I love not having to go up and down two flights of stairs to get in and out of our place. Not to mention just having to open the back door, put Rupert on his cord (we have to keep him on a stake so he doesn't slip out under the fence, the stinker) and let him go. I am also excited about the ward we are in. It was just newly formed the week we moved in so everyone is new-ish. There are people from the ward I went to primary as well as people from the ward we were in when just months ago, including some of my girls I taught in young womens. I do have to admit it is nice to know people, we don't feel so foreign.
I'm working on embracing this new path we are on. But I won't lie, I'm struggling. So if I complain, forgive me, it's a work in progress. I hope to be able to make the place our own and to have friends and family over now that we have a place that is a little more conducive to it.

Lots to Share

It's been super crazy around here! We are moved into our apartment. Unpacked, however, is a totally different story. It's a lot of work, especially since we have a lot in boxes but not much furniture. Thankfully there have been some wonderful people who have given us various pieces. We now have things to sit on, sore things and eat at. Thank you to Kathy, Scott & Manda, and Wes & Trisha! And a special thank you to our families who have not only given us physical things but their time and energy as well! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives! We like being on our own doing our own thing. Living in an apartment is more of an adjustment than I was expecting, but I'll get used to things.
A major adjustment that I wasn't expecting quite so soon was Nick surprised me with a sweet little dog the day we moved in. I quickly named him Rupert. Poor thing has been sick since that day with kennel cough (a doggie cold) which has been trying for me. He coughs all night and scares children and neighbors when he coughs. But the biggest trial with him has been that we thought he was house broken but he isn't. To prevent any accidents I need to take him outside every hour in a half to two hours. And sometimes even then he still has accidents. It's rather difficult to get much done with having to go out every 2 hours and spend 15-20 minutes each time. It's like I have a newborn (not saying I know exactly how it is to have a child) only his surprises I find randomly throughout the house and behind boxes and under things. We are working on it so hopefully he'll get it.

My snuggly Rupert

Our biggest struggle right now is finances (like everyone else). And we have been feeling the strain especially hard this week as my health has taken a bad turn. I've been extremely sick. To the point of not being able to get out of bed. I went to the Dr. on tuesday where they debated admitting me to the hospital. Instead I was sent to get several emergency tests done. It made for a long and exhausting day. Nick stayed up late into the night to keep an eye on me incase I needed to be taken in. I found that if I didn't move I could bear it and we made it through the night. The next night Nick got to experience one of my "episodes" for the first time. However it was not a full blown one, I was able to stay in control enough to not wail. I have not felt this horribly in a long time. It seems that all of the different things I've been dealing with health wise have come together and hit me all at once. I'm so grateful Nick was able to give me a blessing so I've been able to go to work (as there is no way I can miss it right now). Now is the trial of my faith. The tests I took earlier this week came back that everything is normal. I am going in for a major test next week, so we shall see what that shows. It's back to more doctors and more tests. I guess my main struggle is that we are spending so much money trying to find out what is wrong with everything coming back normal. I feel like we are wasting precious money we barely have. I just need to have faith that things will work out.  It is, after all, through the Lord that all things are possible.

Movin' Out!

After almost a year and a half of marriage Nick and I are finally able to move into our own place! It is such a blessing. I know that if it weren't for the hand of the Lord we would not be able to do this. While at the moment I am extremely overwhelmed with packing and getting everything ready, I am really excited to have a place to call our own. We both feel like we've been stuck in limbo. Both of us have said that we'll finally get to see what married life is like and really start our life together. We found an apartment about ten minutes from both our parents. The search for an apartment I liked was quite disappointing. I went to several places and was let down, it was gross and filled with cigarette smoke, or we made too much $, or it was way over priced. I kept going back to one of the first places we (I drug my sweet SIL Kate everywhere with me) saw. When I took Nick to see it, the moment I walked in I felt, This is where we are suppose to be. And as soon as Nick heard the y offered fiber optic internet he felt the same way. He was totally giddy about it actually. We filled out an application that day. After what seemed like forever we were told we were accepted and chose a move in date. And that day is tomorrow! We have so much stuff but barely any furniture. So we've been trying to find things. Nick's step-grandma gave us several items as his grandpa just passed so she is moving in with her daughter. So in addition to getting packed I've also been trying to spruce up some of the things we got and make them a bit more us. My first project was a total fail. But I'm loving how the dinning room set is turning out. I promise pix to come! Now we just need to find us a couch and I think we'll be set for now. I am so excited to finally get to do all the wifey things and set up our own household with all that entails. We will be in just in time to celebrate our birthdays, I can't wait, I get to do so much more now! I'm also excited to decorate! And of course this also means adding to our family, but don't get too excited, we're getting a dog before we try for a baby. We need some time to be us first. We are both so excited and so very blessed at this opportunity. We are also so grateful to my parents for letting us live with them. It has been quite the experience for everyone. I'm so glad I have the parents I do and that they have been so gracious to us!

I'm thinkin a Corgi

Or maybe a Bulldog

Moving our Blog

Some time soon we will be moving our blog to wordpress. With all the issues I have with blogger Nick decided that we should try something a little different. So I am hoping that I will be able to see everyone's blogs and everything and not have such issues posting. We shall see. So I will be asking for invites to everyone's blog (as just about everybody is private) once again. And I'll be sending you the new one as well as soon as I get it how I like it.

Employed Again!

Things have been really tough as of late with us being unemployed for quite some time, not to mention all the time of unsteady employment. Nick has been the customer service field far too long which made him quite jaded. After the last cs job ended I told him no more. I didn't care how long we had to go unemployed, he was not to go back into that field. So he has been putting in application after application in the computer field where his heart truly lies. And after many applications and countless prayers (not to mentions tears) he got a couple of calls back. He had phone interviews with two companies then both had him in for interviews. The first was with an engineering firm doing animatronics. The second (where the interview lasted 6 hours) was with the church doing software development in the family search department. Both are amazing opportunities. But we could only do one. So after much thought, prayer and lists we went with the church. He starts next Tuesday. We are both over the moon. Now we can finally catch up on all of our bills and take the steps to get a place of our own. This has been the greatest blessing! I am so grateful that Nick has this opportunity and that he can finally get into the industry he's been longing to get into.

One Year!!!

Ok so I realize it's a year, a month, 3 weeks and 2 days (ish) but I didn't have a chance to post during the anniversary weekend. I truly cannot believe it's been a year already but at the same time it feels like we have been together since the dawn of time. We had a marvlous anniversary. Nick planned the entire thing and can I just say he did the most fantastic job! Though we were a little down and nervous about the plans because he lost his job the week before and we knew we shouldn't spend the money. But as most of it was already paid for we decied to continue anyway and not think about all that for the weekend. We started the morning off doing a sealing session. It was beautiful! I loved kneeling across the alter with my sweetheart and sharing our special day with those who have gone before. I think this was my favorite thing we did. We've decided to make it an anniversary tradition. I was so curious where he was taking me for the evening as he said he got the idea for something I had said when we were first married. Needless to say my interest was piqued! Especially as we are driving all around downtown. I thought for sure he was looking for Armstrong Mansion where we had my bridals. After driving around for a bit we turned into the Anniversary Inn. I thought for sure he was either messing with me or just stopping to figure out directions as we had passed it several times plus for some reason he had me convinced that was not where we were going. It was and I was thrilled! We had spent our honeymoon there and we both really enjoyed it, I especially love their breakfasts (ask Nick, I crave it often). We checked in but I didn't get to see the room yet as it was a surprise. Then Nick whisked me away to dinner at Olive Garden. We had so much fun going all out; getting appetizers, several drinks, and even dessert (that's the great thing about gift cards, all you have to worry about is the tip). The food was divine and the staff was incredible! After stuffing ourselves to the point of ridiculousness we headed back to our room. I opened the door to a pirate ship covered in rose petals! It was the sweetest thing! However we've decided that we will never again stay in the pirate ship room as it was rather creepy. The wood kept creaking, and at one point it sounded like someone had opened the door and was moving around the room. It made for a restless night to be sure. Poor Nick woke up so sick. I just glad he was feeling better by the evening for my final surprise; improv at the Off Broadway Theater. Where he won us tickets by getting on stage and doing one of the skits with them. It was a riot! Needless to say it was the most wonderful weekend. I am so grateful that I married Nick. He is the love of my life, my companion, best friend, confidant. He is my everything. I am so blessed!

Away

It's been a long time since I last posted. Not that there hasn't been anything to say, it's just that I have been going through some struggles and didn't want to just blog my complaints. Of course there is not a whole lot going on in our lives to blog about. With it being just the two of us living in my parents house and not being able to really go anywhere or do much of anything, we are the definition of boring. I've been having a very difficult time with my health and with that my self confidence. We have missed several things both with family and friends because of this and I am sorry if this has upset or offended anyone. I hope that you can forgive me and bear with me during this time. I truly am grateful for everyone in my life and am so grateful that I have Nick who is my rock. Thank you all!

Brought to You By the Letter "P"

Last night was such a blast! It was a night full of fun and laughter. First we went to Wheeler Farm where I attempted to take Manda & Scott's pictures. They crack me up! I couldn't stop laughing. Especially when Scott would lick Manda at random intervals. And as I wasn't the subject of the pictures everything went smoothly. Then we headed over to the Clayson's for pizza and some crazy pumpkin carving. There was even a bit of blood...Scott sliced his finger. I think my favorite one was Manda's...Batman rocks! All in all it was a pleasantly perfect evening! Thank you to our wonderful friends for having Nick and I over! We loved it (as usual)!

Our Pumpkins!

Nick's (The Andork)

Mine (Lace Face)

Manda's (Batmanda!)

Scott's (Super Scott)

Medical Mystery

So as you know I am a bit of a medical mystery. I am always sick and the doctors are always saying, "There is something wrong with you but I'm not sure what it is." This has gone on for years with not much hope about finding whats going on with me in sight. This past year I seem to be doing worse and it's been a real struggle. I've seen at least 8 doctors, been to the ER, and had countless tests run. Everything keeps saying that all is normal. I admit it has brought me down and has caused frustration at times. But I have been lucky in that I have found two new doctors who are determined to get to the bottom of things. They listen to me and not just to my test results. It's quite refreshing. The latest in all this is that they do not believe I am a celiac, whew! That means not more gluten-free diet which has made me extremely happy. Last week I went to a new doc who is fantastic. After talking with me and looking at all the tests I've had and their results he believes I have endometriosis. And that it has spread to my colon and possibly other organs as well. I will be going in for more tests to find out for sure here in a few weeks. I admit even though I've always known it was a major possibility I would have it (it is very predominate in my family), it is a little scary. The treatments for it can leave you sterile but if you go without treatment and it gets worse you can become infertile. My grandma, mom and aunts have all had it and have been able to have children but the things that concerns me is that I am older than they where when they were having kids. Plus the fact that it is moving to other areas of my body. It has always been my dream to be a mom, I even got reprimanded in school for putting being a mom as my career choice. I know some would say that I'm jumping the gun a bit as I haven't been officially diagnosed however I can't help but be a little shaken up. I am just so grateful I have such a wonderful and supporting sweetheart. Nick has been such a rock and amazing with my poor health. I am so blessed!
*Here is a link that explains endometriosis better than I could...
http://www.endometriosis.org/endometriosis.html

Gluten free...the way to be?

This past year has been really trying, especially with my health. I've been from doctor to doctor. And earlier this month I spent a good 6 hours in the er. But to no avail, every test has come back as inconclusive or normal. So I've had two doctors suggest I try doing a gluten free diet for a couple of months and see if it helps at all. I started it this week. And I tell you it's the hardest thing I've had to do. I always eat wheat products. When I am hungry I turn to breads (especially toast) and pastas to fill me up. It was so hard yesterday when I went shopping to find food I can eat. I nearly cried. The gluten free products are so expensive; over $5 for a tiny box of pancake mix, nearly $6 for 4 muffins, $5 for a tiny loaf of bread. I have no idea how we are going to afford this. I have to admit, I am rather discouraged and it's not even been a week. I am hoping the CT scan I'm going in for next week will finally shed some light as to what is going on with me.

Celebrate!



This past week was both Nick and my birthdays (we are 4 yrs and 4 days apart). So we decided to celebrate. We took the weekend off and spent Friday night to Monday morning at a "hotel" in Taylorsville. It was actually an apartment complex that lent out some units on a per night basis. I think Nick liked it better than I did (the place that is). I didn't like the staff that helped us the first few times and the place was SO noisy. But it was wonderful to just get away and have our own space. The first night we got KFC for dinner, watched a little TV and played scrabble and clue (Nick won both). Saturday we went to Golden Corral and ate some yummy breakfast and spent the day relaxing watching "Chuck" until Nick whisked me off to the Olive Garden for a delightful diner. We rounded off the evening seeing "Inception" which we both enjoyed. Sunday was our total lazy day. We stayed snuggled in watching "Chuck" most of the day, only stopping to take a quick dip in the hot tub (it was full of leaves and bugs so it was rather quick). Unfortunately I started feeling really sick in the early afternoon and was still so when I woke on Monday so we spent our time at the doctors instead of going bowling. But all in all it was quite nice. We really needed the recharge!



From Nick



Better shot of Nick's flowers to me



From my Dad



My sweetheart @ Olive Garden




Enjoying Ihop



Motor On!



Meg with one of the classics




Me :)

Last month was MINI takes the states (it's a huge road trip for all MINI owners to gather together and have a blast) in Denver. While I was not able to go on the adventure (sigh...someday!) I did go to the big party they had here and drug poor Meghan with me. It was crazy! Tons of MINIs and people from all over. They celebrated all that is Utah by passing out green jello and "Utah Beer" which was a bottle of water. And I had to get the t-shirt of course! It has a picture of a MINI in a cube of green Jello on the Salt Flats with seagulls flying around. They had lots of MINIs on display including some classics. But the pièce de résistance was the unveiling of the new MINI Countryman. I wasn't sure if I would like a 4 door MINI but boy was I wrong! It is super cute! It has 4 doors, 4wheel drive, and lots of room. I've decided it should be our new family car (no this isn't an announcement). Nick's been fighting me on it, he thinks MINIs should only have 2 doors and no more. We shall see what he says when I take him to do a test drive after January when it is available to the public. Needless to say it was great! I'm glad I went (and that Meghan was able to join me) and I will one day do the full shebang!



Signed by the man himself



Nick's dream car-the John Cooper Works 







The Countryman *sigh*



Roomy interior





Sittin inside!

Fancy Dress Par-tea!

So Manda saw this cute tea party a friend of hers did and showed it to me. We decided we needed to have one too. So we did and it was simply smashing! Our only requirement was that everyone had to dress up. And boy did everyone come through on that one. Even the little ones! It was a lot of fun to plan. Even though getting our outfits where a little on the stressful side...Let me share...Manda and I decided to go check out a vintage store I'd heard about downtown (Decades, so fun!). Well while we were sitting at a light a lady bumped the back of my car. You could hear it and feel it move a tiny bit. So we both turn around and look at the lady behind us and she points to the side of the road so we pull over. Well before I can get out she keeps going. We decided to give chase. I'm so glad Manda was there because I had no idea what to do. Manda took action and called the police and told them what happened. The dispatcher said he was sending an officer. While this was going on the lady pulled into a parking lot and I followed. She got out and came over to us demanding to know why we were following her. We told her she hit us and she started freaking out saying she'd done no such thing that she had told us it was close. As I was sitting in my car starting to get upset an officer came to our rescue. Luckily there was no damage. We were told that we did the right thing. Both officers were great. It was not a fun experience. Manda and I where booth really shaky for quite some time afterwards. But we did find cute hats and a dress for me...The tea party was lovely! Everyone had a grand time. And I think we will be doing it again next year. *Thanks mom for letting us use your china!

Mindy, Steph, Kiel, Kate, Me, Manda (and Scott behind the camera)

Kate & Claire who loved the strawberries (and sharing them as well)

Manda &Scott

Kelsi, Kiel, Steph

Gavin & Mindy

Kate & Claire

Me!

Manda

Claire & Me...I just love her!

Proper young ladies: Steph, Manda, Me, Kate, Mindy

Being not so proper :)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

We had such a rad time at Em's 80's themed girls night! Everyone dressed up, we played "Dream Phone" and "Mall Madness," ate pizza and ring pops, and just had a rockin time! It was nice to just hang with the girls and giggle like we use to. I loved everyones outfits and hair! My hair did not cooperate in the slightest, you'd think that'd work for the 80's but sadly no it was just a flat, stringy mess. Sigh, I had wanted to crimp it but didn't have time. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next 80's party I go to :)



Em & Kaylee (who matched Manda)



Amy (who was so funny about looking preggo)

Shell with the best hair!

I learned an important lesson with this outfit...try it before you by it even if it says it's your size

Manda rockin the side pony!

What a Day! *sorry it's a long one

The ever beautiful Manda with all our yumminess!

Yesterday was quite an eventful day. It started out with a super fun play date with Manda. We went to Elizabeth's Bakery & Tea Shop. It's one of my favorite places to go. I was so sad when I went to go there a few months ago with Amy and we found that it was closed until further notice. But much to my delight it has reopened. It is so quaint and cute! The hardest part is deciding on what to get. The menu has been cut back a bit (which makes me sad because there is no longer the yummy Irish bacon sandwich) but it does make it a tiny bit easier to choose something. Manda and I decided to get several things and split them.

Cute tea pot cookie!

The bacon & cheese puff (yummy!), a cheese scone (delish!), chocolate crunch (love the chocolate on top). We each got ourselves a cup of hot chocolate a.k.a. drinking chocolate (yes I know it's the middle of Summer but it is Divine! I get it every time I go) and the cutest tea pot cookies. Once we finished our delights we headed next door to the London Market (another favorite place to go). So much fun! We checked out all the fun goodies imported to the US from the UK. One day I want to try some of the food. I don't think I'll be brave enough to try the canned haggis though. We geeked out over the Harry Potter stuff and picked out some candy. I can't go in without getting some British chocolate (talk about heaven!). We also decided to try some soda mostly because they had random saying on them. I wasn't crazy about mine, Manda wasn't either. I had a great time with Manda! It was nice to have some girl time and visit!

It's not for girls cuz it's not very good

Later in the day I headed up to girls camp for visitor's day. I was excited but not looking forward to the drive. Before I left I started to wonder if I should really go up. But I decided to go anyway. On the way there I had several times where I thought I should turn around and go back home. I was so worried I might have an issue with my car. But as I had promised the girls I'd come and visit plus I had made them all a little something I just couldn't go back. So I said several little prayers as I drove. I got there without any problems. It was great. I got to see all the girls and spend some time playing and hanging out with them. I played spaz which I had totally forgot about. I also got to chat with Meghan my new sis. We had dinner and a nice devotional. It brought back a lot of memories from when I was in young women's. I loved how strong the spirit was. Once the devotional was over we split up to do ward testimony bearing. One of my girls had broken her pelvis a few weeks ago and it was bothering her so I offered to take her back to camp so she wouldn't have to walk.

Poor tire...it was worse than it looks here

As we drove back to camp we rounded a corner and went over a rock then BANG! there was this loud pop. It startled everyone around us. The first ward came running to see what it was. And there was my car with a completely dead tire. It was amazing to see how quickly and efficiently the men came to my rescue. They had the tire changed in no time. Once the spare was on we headed up to camp again. We had our testimony meeting where of course I cried. It was so wonderful to see and feel the sweetness of the Lord through the testimonies born. I left far later than I had intended as I was waiting for the bishop to conclude, he wanted to follow me home to make sure everything went okay. So I packed up the two girls I was taking home and headed out into the darkness. I was freaking out the whole way out of the winding, dirt covered, and pothole filled canyon. Saying prayers in my head and squealing the whole way. Each step (i.e. once we where out of the small canyon, through Parley's, onto 201, etc.) I said a little "thank you" to our Father in Heaven. I made it home around 11:30 or so. Can I just say...what a day!

My hero! Wish I could remember his name so he's Bro. Hero from the 1st ward

My Puppies, My Boys

All the boys together

It's been a really hard few months. Not only am I adjusting to married life but I have lost two so very dear family members. Toby our yellow lab and Trey my dachshund.
I remember when we got Toby. I was in 5th grade and Ben and I where walking home from school. As we neared the bottom of the hill we saw our parents waiting at the park with a puppy. I nearly drug Ben the rest of the way I was so excited. Toby always had that sweet puppy like love. He loved playing and water (well til he got older then he wasn't quite a fan of water so much). He'd get a drink straight from the spout in the tub-til his body wouldn't allow it anymore. He was all about the family, and adored my dad. One year up camping we took canoes with us. My parents went out on one and Toby was so upset they left him behind he started swimming out to them. He wasn't satisfied til he was in the canoe with them. Such a sweet and wonderful dog. He always knew how to cheer me up; weither it was covering me in kisses or chasing his tail. Silly dog broke it twice catching it.

Tobby Dog...wish I had a pic of him a bit younger on here to show his freckles

Trey was only suppose to be at our house for a few months but became a permanent member of the family when he experienced separation anxiety leaving us. Ben and I where able to talk my mom into taking him back by pulling a very dirty trick...we asked her what would Jesus do? Would he let Trey go to the pound? And so he became mine. His very favorite thing in the whole world were blankets. Many a night I would find that he had taken over my bed and stole all my blankets. He loved to burrow, it didn't matter what it was, as long as it was some sort of snugly material. If it was in his reach he would take it. I don't know how many times Trey would try and take over Ben's robe while he was wearing it. When he was younger I had a pair of slippers that were pigs. Trey loved attacking them any time they where on my feet. I finally had to just give them to him. It was hilarious to see him flinging around this pig that was not much smaller than him. My sweet littel baby who drove everyone crazy with his nerotic tendencies.

Trey snuggled up in my hammock up camping-stole my blankets

It's been hard to say goodbye to them. I keep thinking I see them or hear them. I get up to see what they need and they are not there. They will forever be in our hearts and will be missed greatly. I just take comfort in knowing that they are happy and can do all the things they once loved but that their bodies no longer allowed. I'm sure Toby was thrilled to see Rascal again. I told Alex that they are up in heaven playing with Jesus. I like that image. When I die can I have that job? Playing with all the puppies?

Trey buggin Toby as usual