Christmas Day Fun!

Dan and I had an amazing Christmas. It was so great to have a day off work, to relax, and spend time with family. We both have great families who make everything so much fun! We spent the morning at home to ourselves, then headed down to Payson to visit with both mine, and Dan's family. Dan is the best husband, and I am so grateful for him and all he does for me...our second Christmas was even better than our first, which I didn't think was possible! I am also grateful for Christ and his sacrifice for me. He gave his life for me, and I am so grateful that I know I can repent of my sins and be forgiven. Yuki also had a fun day with her new friend Ava! Ava is about half Yuki's size, but she was sure fiesty! Later that night, Dan and I went to see Valkarie with his family...it was okay. We hope you all had a fun, safe day also!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas break??? What is that?

So...Usually the only complaints I have with the snow is that I hate driving in it! This year, however, I have a much bigger bone to pick with mother nature! Dan is finally done with the semester, and was looking forward to a little relaxation before he has to go back in January...but because we now manage a self storage facility we are in charge of plowing the grounds! When it snows like it has been, Dan is literally outside plowing for at least six hours....the facility is huge...pour guy...luckily the tractor he uses has a heater inside so he doesn't freeze. Yuki, on the other hand, LOVES the snow...we have to bribe her with treats just to get her to come back inside!

Bump, set, spike!

...OR if you are on my team you just do whatever you can to get the ball over the net! Ha ha jk, I play on a volleyball team with Dan's mom's work. It is so much fun because even though our team is not the best, we all know how to have fun and make each other laugh. On our team anything goes...no body part is out of the question when it comes to returning the ball! It's fun to have Dan be the one watching me play something this time (instead of me watching him play basketball, softball, tennis, etc)! Even though I am not the best player, I am glad it gives me an excuse to get some much needed exercise, and practice for co-ed volleyball!

High School Tag

1. Did you date someone from your high school? I married someone from my high school...but did not date him during high school.
2. What kind of car did you drive? An '87 Mazda 323...I wonder what happened to it?
4. Were you a party animal? Not really?
5. Were you considered a flirt? I dont think so?
6. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Choir, Soph and Jr year!
7. Were you a nerd? Ha ha I was in the sense that I like to read and I was a Sterling Scholar...so pretty much yes!
8. Were you on any varsity teams? Nope, but I wish I would've played on the tennis team!
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled? Nope...I did get detention a few times for sluffing...
10.Can you still sing the fight song? "It's the eye of the Tiger..." wait that's not right, it it?
11. Who were your favorite teachers? I liked my English teacher Mrs Bridges!
12. Where did you sit for lunch? Ha ha, mostly at Smith's eating bagel sandwiches, or in mine or Tacy's car.
13. What is your school's full name? Payson High School
14. What is your school's mascot and colors? Lion, and our colors were green, white, and silver I think.
15. Did you go to homecoming and with who? Senior year I went with Aaron Dunn...random
16. If you could go back and do it over again would you? It was a lot of fun, but I gotta agree with everyone else who loves their life just the way it is now!!!
17. What do you remember most about graduation? Thinking I could not wait to move out lol!
18. Where did you go for "Senior Skip Day?" I honestly do not remember...prob just hung at Tacy's house?
19. Were you in any clubs? Spanish Club President Baby! Also on Yearbook my sr year!
20. Have you gained some weight since then? Do I really need to answer this question??? :)
21. Who was your prom date? I cannot remember his name at the moment...it was one of One's strange friends...
22. Are you planning on going to your 10-year reunion? Probably
23. Did you have a job in high school? The first one was at a daycare, and the second was at Shopko as well (Jaci I worked in women's apparel too lol, but I did not like it very much).

Awesome Weekend!

We have had a very fun weekend! Saturday I decided it was time to chop my hair, and also colored it in the process. I was nervous because I have never had it short before but I love it! I am also excited because I found someone I trust to cut and color my hair! Dan got a nice cut too! I went to the new salon in Spanish Fork called "Prestige." I recommend it to everyone. We also finally found a Christmas tree and got that up and decorated... Later that night we got together with some friends for a game night... Friends, pizza, "Apples to Apples," and "Catch Phrase", what can get any better??? Thanks Courtney and Tyson for hosting! We finished up our great weekend by going down to Spanish Fork for the blessing of Casey's baby Ace. Ace looked so stinkin' cute in his little white vest.

The players....of course girls kicked butt when it came to "Catch Phrase"

Otanjyoubi, Omedito Gozaimasu

In other words...Happy Birthday Daniel! He is now 24! Yesterday we celebrated by taking the day off of work, which led to a long afternoon nap, then a yummy dinner at Asuka, and a movie with his incredible surround sound! He was spoiled a little bit this year...he got a really nice surround sound system, a couple shirts, and a laptop (also part of Christmas). I decided to make cupcakes this year...can you guess what they are supposed to be? Lol I brought one in to Dan and he thought it was a softball...it's supposed to be a tennis ball. I sure love him!

Setting up the surround sound!

Tennis ball or soft ball?

Going out to dinner...not quite sure what I was doing with my hand?

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

*Warning* NO Pictures

Our Thanksgiving was spent with my side of the family this year. Dinner was delicious, and I just know my green bean casserole was a hit (right Misty :) . I loved the chocolate mousse pie...I wish I had some now, actually. Afterwards we played games (I am all about games!) and took family pictures. It was fun to visit with everyone that we don't see very much!

Dan and I had been planning on getting us a laptop this year on BF cause they were so cheap everywhere, but because we missed the memo on camping out for two days at Best Buy (GEEZ people get a life!!!), so we didn't have any hope of getting one there. We decided to stake out Office Depot, and even left our house at 11:10 pm...we figured we would have more than enough time because they didn't even open until 6 am. BUT we were wrong! Actually, we got stuck in an accident, and were sitting, car completely turned off, for forty minutes!!! So by the time we had gotten to Office Depot the line was already too long. My clever husband, however, found a sweet laptop sale online that started at 6 am as well, so we went home, slept for a few hours then woke up right before six and made sure we got the laptop we wanted! Online shopping is the way to go! I also got Dan's birthday shopping and part of Christmas out of the way! The hard part for me is waiting to give them to him!

Jessie

My sister Jessie came over last Saturday to play. We went and saw Lakeview Terrace, then went to dinner at IHOP (she had never been, I couldn't believe it)! Then we came over to my house and played with Yuki and took some pictures because we don't see each other very much.

I try to keep the mood light and fun, most of the time, when she is around. But the truth is I worry so much about her, how she is really doing, if I am being there for her like I should, etc. Jessie is 17, and is kind of in a hard spot in life right now, everyone she has gotten to trust and love has abandoned her. She has a lot of issues, and most of the are not her fault. I don't think she is making her situation better by making some of the choices she does, but the underlying reasons/causes are not her fault! I just wish that I could make everything right...she is a beautiful young girl who has so much potential, but she doesn't see that. Do you ever wanna hurt someone, not for what they have done to you, but for what they have done to someone you care about? That is how I feel right now. Sorry, I don't mean to be so negative in this post, it is just something that I am constantly thinking about.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb. What a stupid lamb, and what a sick, masochristic lion."

TWILIGHT!!!

I would not say I am a crazy FANATIC; however, I am a big fan...and last night ended up getting a last minute ticket to go see the midnight premiere from Daniel's mom. The coolest part of it was that others in our group had been there since 5 O'clock (DIEHARD FANS) and we showed up in at 10 and met up with them, and they seated us 15 mins later! We got perfect seats, right above the balcony. I LOVED the show. Before I had seen the movie, I HATED Edward, but I soon fell in love with him again! Most of the characters were similar to how I had pictured them, with the exception of Jacob...he was just so much hotter in my mind. I love how they introduced Jasper "the one that always looks like he is in pain" ha ha. I thought the movie followed the book pretty well, but unless you have read the book you will probablly just find the movie boring and full of bad actors.

Me, Bridgette, Whit

R.I.P

Dan has started basketball. He plays Tuesday nights in Payson. His team's name is R.I.P . . . rest in peace. He plays with his bro in law, and coworkers of his bro in law. They are a fun team to watch. Dan is by far the best player on the team even though he is the shortest (biased). They were behind by about 25 points last night but they came back to tie the game, but ended up losing by two points! It was intense...especially when you throw Dan's highly competative, noisy, and slightly obnoxious wife in the picture! I couldn't get any good pictures of the action because of my crappy camera (Christmas cannot come fast enough!) but I did get one of Dan shooting and making his foul shots.

He shoots he scores!

Yuki (aka Super Dog)

Our puppy has learned a new trick, which is sure cute, but may not end up being a good thing...she hops the gate we put up to keep her out of the carpeted areas of the house (not 100% potty trained yet). I put her upstairs earlier because some customers came in the office; after they were gone I went upstairs to check on her and could not find her! Finally, she came trotting down the hall way and just stared at me like "that's right nothing can stop me now". Dan and I decided to catch her in action so we were on the other side of the gate bribing her with treats!

First attempt she almost did not make it!

Almost there...

After a few times, she decided she was done and just chilled for a minute.

Looks like we need a different gate!

Tagged: Yet another chance to brag about my boo :)

#1 Where did you meet your husband?
It's hard to recall when I first "met" him because we had seen each other here and there a lot before we actually started talking (not hard to do in the enourmous town of Payson). Officially we met boating with friends, but still never exchanged phone numbers or made future plans to see each other (even though I always thought he was pretty attractive). Finally, I moved out and my roommate was dating his roommate, and as fate would have it we both went to a "2007 Miss America Pageant" party we had with some friends, and he asked me on another date!

#2 How long did you date before you were married?

4-5 months...we started dating January 19th (which does not seem like long at all, but when you are spending almost everyday with each other you get to know each other pretty quickly!), we got engaged on may 4th, and were married July 28th!

#3 How long have you been married?One year, two months and two days!

#4 What does he do that suprises you?

He will just start washing the dishes or cleaning the house randomly, he will rub my feet without me asking...among other things :) he will offer to take over the office on a stressfull day even though he has been at school or working outside all day.

#5 What is your favorite feature of his?

I love his bright blue eyes, and I love his big strong manly hands. I love his thick hair. I love his smile...I just love it all. I especially love this look he gets where he knows he is hott stuff (like when he hits a homerun, or I tell him he looks hott, or any other time he knows he is the shiz, but is trying to act like his doesn't).

#6 What is your favorite quality?

There are so many to list! He is so caring and patient and loving and respectful and handsome. I love that he is so selfless and generous! He will give me all the right compliments at the right time, and even though I shrug them off to him it really does make me feel good!

#7 Does he have any nicknames for you?

Most of the time he calls me hunny bunny, or sweetie

#8 What is his favorite food?

He loves meat, especially steak! He loves crazy Japanese seaweed roll things that smell nasty...he loves almost everything, which is a good thing considering my cooking skills on a scale of one to ten are about a three!

#9 What is his favorite sport?

He loves almost all sports and is very good at all of them too! I would say his favorites are football, tennis, softball, and basketball...just depends on the season!

#10 When and where did you first kiss?

Our first kiss...if you wanna call it a kiss :) (jk Dan) was at his apartment. We were watching "Along Came Polly" and cuddling. He got a little nervous (I can imagine the self talk that must have been going on in his head). Finally he leaned over and started to kiss me; it was in truth a bit awkward; he claims I kept pulling my head farther away from his, I am not quite sure what happened, but lets just say we are experts now!

#11 What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

We love to play tennis, and be outside together whether it is swimming, 4 wheeling, rollerblading, we really we just love to spend time together! I love laying on our couch and watching a movie...maybe getting some warm cinnamin rolls involved as well.

#12 Do you have any kids?Not yet...we have a puppy who seems to be just as much of a handful as a kid!

#13 Does he have any hidden talents?

He has many! He has a funny wit about him that always seems to come out at just the right moment and make me laugh!

#14 How old is he?

23 and I cannot wait for his 24th!

#15 Who said "I love you" first?

He did...I was not far behind him though!

#16 Whats his favorite music?

Metallica, Nickleback, 80's, Staind, rock music like that... He does not care for most of the music I like...as much as I try to convert him...it just ain't happening.

#17 What do you admire most about him?

I admire his attitude about life, and his faithfullness to the gospel. I think a mission would have done me a world of good because it seems that all of the qualities I love about him came from or were at least bettered on his mission, and he even admits that too. I admire his patience and compassion towards others.

#18 What is his favorite past time?

I would say spending time with me :) but when that isn't possible he likes to unwind by playing video games, the guitar, and tennis.

#19 Will he read this?

I hope so. I love you Bunny!

#20 Who do you tag?
Mandy, Cathy, Misty (even though you did one similar) and any one else who wants to brag about their wonderful husbands!

The good ol' days

Dan and I were looking at pictures of our high school days; it sure brought back some good memories...Dan was quite the looker. That afro was such such a pain to brush, but it sure kept me warm in the winter! Enjoy :)

Me back in '94

My good ol' disco days...boy those were a hoot

Donald Trump would be jealous of this sexy comb over!

Gone Fishin'

Fishing looks easy, right? You tie your line, you cast out and reel in (hopefully with a fish on your line)...but what happens when you fish for nine hours and all you catch are ten lb sticks and moss? Insanity!

Last weekend Dan and I went to Salmon, ID with his family to see his cousin Brianna get baptised and also enjoy some steelhead fishing. We got to Salmon on Thursday, and checked into our Bed and Breakfast which was so homey and beautiful. All of the rooms were just amazing! Every morning we had some yummy eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and either waffles, french toast, or biscuits and gravy. Friday morning we wake up early and ate then head out to a place called Lemhi Hole, it was so freaking cold! I had never fished for steelheads, and got told they can weigh 20-30 lbs, so I was braced for a fight, but never got the chance! Dan's mom, Sue got the first catch of the day... a small trout.

Dan jumped on the bed after a seven hour drive!

Bridgette and Jake (Dan's siblings) also caught some ugly sucker fish.. I guess that you are not supposed to release those back into the water because they eat all the steelheads' eggs, so to put the fish out of it's misery she had to smash it's head into a rock, I felt bad for the little guy! So we fished for about five hours that day and pretty much got skunked. Saturday morning we decided to head up to canyon to some other holes, we spent nine hours rotating between about five different places, and still no steelheads! Dan caught a couple trout and I also caught a small one! All in all we had a lot of fun being with family and goofing around. Dan was sure patient with me durirng all my snags and line breakers! I managed to get my line all tangled around a tree next to me not once, but twice! Bridgette managed to do the same and even fall into the river...that was pretty funny. Saturday night we finished the vacation with dinner at a nice restaurant in town called "The Shady Nook". Delicious, but expensive, Dan's 12 oz steak was $22!

What a hott fisherman if I do say so myself!

The ugly sucker fish

Sue, Lorin, Jake, and Whit fishing at Lemhi hole

I was fighting with a big one there!

Along with fishing we spent the nights playing games and telling funny family stories. Dan even got to enjoy some golfing! We took Yuki with us, and she did so well! She was so good to just sit on my lap and relaxe in the long car rides! She got to play with all the cousins and she got to go on a hike with them to to hot springs. I think she misses all the attention now that we are home!

I've been tagged!

8 Favorite TV Shows
*24
*Smallville
*Prison Break
*GSN
*Biggest Loser
*King of Queens
*Everybody Loves Raymond
*Law and Order CI

8 Favorite Restaraunts
*The Olive Garden
*Outback
*Bajio
*Brickoven
*Barry's
*Village Inn-only for the pies!
*Zupas
*Los Hermanos

8 Things I Did Yesterday
*Fished for nine straight hours
*Caught one small trout
*Played with Yuki
*Ate at a nice, but overly expensive "Shady Nook"
*Cuddled my husband
*Played hand and foot till the wee hours of the night
*took a bunch of pictures
*Sat in the car for a very long time

8 Things I Love About Fall
*The weather is not to hott or cold
*Wearing sweaters
*Halloween costumes
*Thanksgiving
*Driving up the canyon
*bonfires
*my birthday!
*being with Dan

8 Things I Look Forward To
*Dan's birthday!
*Christmas
*owning a home
*having a car that was made in this decade :)
*Yuki being potty trained
*Yuki not eating/chewing on everything she sees
*Dan finishing school
*Being with Dan off work every night!

8 Things On My Wish List
*That Dan was already finished with school!
*More time to just travel and play
*To win some kind of tennis torny
*Kids...some day
*loosing some weight and shaping up
*a nice camera
*???
*???

I Tag:
Anyone who has not already done this!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My 21st birthday was yesterday! It was a great day! Dan picked out some winning presents this year. I got a sewing machine, a diamond heart necklace with diamond studs, and a gift certificate to the mall. I tried to take a picture of the necklace, but you can't see it very well in the pictures below....but I am sure going to be wearing it around a lot.

Thanks to everyone who came over to celebrate with me! Dan and I had planned on taking the whole night to celebrate with a movie and dinner, but Yuki got her puppy shots as well that day, and ended up being sick, so we decided to skip the movie. We went to Chili's for dinner then went to Joannes so i could pick out some fabric to practice sewing with...I have decided to start small and make a blanket for Yuki. Below are some pictures of the fun day!

My necklace

Yuki is probably so sick of pictures!

AJ and Aaron helping me open my gifts!

Our new puppy!

We now have an adorable puppy! She was certainly unexpected, but is such a sweet, adorable addition to our family! We decided to name her Yuki, which means brave/courage in Japanese. She is so well behaved, and she loves to cuddle and play with her tennis ball and stuffed hipo! She already knows how to play fetch...no lie, you through the tennis ball and she brings it right back! Our favorite game is playing keep-away in our long hall way. She has so much energy!

Her potty training is coming along...last night we let her sleep in our room on her doggy bed and woke up to three different piles of doggy poop...she spent the rest of the night in our bathroom! She does not use her training mat at all, but we have been taken her out every hour and she is getting good at recognizing that "outside" means "go potty". Today we went to Petsmart and picked out some fun toys and bones for her, it was so fun. This whole thing has surprised me because I am not a huge animal fan, but she is the perfect dog for us!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Weekend with Kelee

My sister Kelee came over this weekend to play with me. We had so much fun! Friday night we scrapbooked for a while...Kelee made a cute page, but I could not make up my mind about anything! Saturday we watched conference, and afterwards got bored so we decided to dress up and take some goofy pictures. She let me do curl her hair, then I taught her how to do it, and she curled mine! She did a great job, I was quite surprised! Saturday night we went to "Ladies Night" at Dessert Book with Chelsey, a friend from my ward. We waited in line to get a free prize, I got a cute decoration that said "Home Sweet Home." I also bought the new Hilary Weekes cd, and haven't listened to it very much yet, but so far I like it. We continued our Ladies night at Chelsey's house with some yummy Alfredo and Skipbo.

Come Sunday it was time for some more great conference. I think my favorite talks this year were L Tom Perry's talk, Silvia Allred's talk, and the talk on us not having a perfect knowledge of the commandments/gospel, but that we know enough to follow it!

Kelee helped me bake banana bread, and we had a delicious dinner (roast, homemade mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and garlic bread). We ended the weekend by going to Payson for my cousin, Ty's birthday party, and Dan's parents house for his brother's 15th b-day. Double the cake and ice-cream! Yum! I had a lot of fun with Kelee, she is getting so old that it freaks me out to here how she was asked to homecoming, how she likes different boys, etc! It does not help that she is already about three inches taller than I am...but she is so beautifull, and I am glad she is doing so well! Dan also enjoyed himself...he got to play his Xbox 360 all weekend with out me bugging him about it :) We love company!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Recap of our first year together. . .

Dan and I have been married now for one year, 2 months, and four days. Needless to say, I have never been happier! Daniel is an amazing husband, and my best friend. He has all of the qualities I always dreamed about as a little girl, and he makes me truly happy! We have had a great first year, so I am going to share some of our adventures with you all!

We spent a week in Hawaii for our honeymoon! It was my first time on an airplane. We had fun swimming in the ocean (well, except for the time I almost died...and had to steal a board from some little kid to survive...and Dan lost his wedding ring, of one day, trying to rescue me, yeah, ask me about that one later!) We got to visit Pearl Harbor. We got to spend the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center; we went to the Waikiki zoo and so (so) much more!

We enjoy being outdoors and staying active...well at least until recently. Daniel is naturally athletic and good at any kind of sport, it is so frustrating for me! We love tennis, and I owe all of my skills to him. Not that I am the next Sharipova, but had you seen me the first couple months I started playing you would understand the level of improvement I am talking about. (Think of Mandy trying to roll her "R's"...yeah it was that bad. :)

Hogel Zoo seemed to be a hot pick this summer! We went twice and were able to spend some fun afternoons with family, and friends. My favorite animals there were the giraffes, I got to witness two of them kissing!

We were able to spend a few days in Vegas for a business conference. Not the most exciting city in the world (being Mormon, underage, oh, and poor) but we managed to ride a few roller coasters, and eat at a really good BBQ joint!

I'm hoping to figure out how to post pictures of these adventure on this thing for you all to enjoy...we shall see.

I am still figuring out this whole blog thing. . . it's kind of annoying that I know this is going to turn into as much of an addiction as Facebook, but what else have I got to do while trying to pass the time during work? So, the goal I will try to reach will be at least one post per week!

I have decided that I am going to make a scrapbook of Dan's mission. It will certainly be quite the challenge for me (considering I lack that certain characteristic most women have called creativity) but I am excited for the challange! If anyone would like to get together sometime and scapbook with me, because I know you all do :), just call or stop by!

Blogging...at least for now

Everyone and their dog has been asking me to get a blog, and for some odd reason, maybe because I have too much time on my hands, I have conceded, at least for now. I kept telling myself that even if I were to get a blog I would have nothing to write about, we don't have any cute kids to brag about, and our lives are not really that exciting. But every now and then something exciting does happen and I think to myself "Hey, I could blog about that!" Dan and I don't get around to visiting family/friends as much as we (maybe) should, so for those of you who are wondering what/how we are doing, here you go!