First Christmas

Hey guess what?! We are back from a great Christmas in Idaho (for 5 days, not the original 2), prolonged by the stomach flu.

And Guess what?? I didn't take a single picture to document! I was too busy just being there...and throwing up. (You're welcome for the mental image)

So here is a re-cap...in words.

Tremonton, Stockings, Presents, Two little boys and Santa Clause, Candy, Air Mattress, Gooding, Christmas Dinner, Family, Cherry Pie, Taboo, Muddy Buddies, Running laps in the Gooding School gym to work off Muddy Buddies (and pies, and candy, and chocolate, and ice cream...) Basketball, Apple Pie, Shooting 22's, Bowling, Cafe Rio, Cjane, Dairy Queen Blizzards, The Ultimate Gift - Christmas Movie, Throw Up, Rupert, Church, Sick, Presents, Lisa and Brandon's family, Word on the Street, 13, Mom's Christmas Goodies, Richard and Caitlin, Family, Prolonged Rupert Visit due to Illness, Naps with James, Long Drive back to Utah, Winter Storm, Good Times!!!


All in all, minus the sickness, it was a great holiday! It was our first Christmas together and we had lots of fun together and with family! I can't wait until next year! (Actually, yeah I can, I need a LONG HOT SUMMER!!!)

Oh and just FYI...Cafe Rio Salads do not taste good the second time around (if you know what I mean). We are SO done with that place for at least a month.

Forget Oprah, OUR Favorite things of 2009!!!

The year is coming to an end and let me tell you, what a wild ride it has been! James and I met, dated, got married, went to Hawaii, moved to a new little apartment, had a fun summer of Reunions, Family, Oregon Coast, Camping, Portland, Seattle Wedding, and finished it off with an awesome trip to Europe for two weeks. Not bad considering we had our first date Thanksgiving weekend of last year! Now, we are not bragging by any means, because this year shocked the both of us as well and I doubt we will have another year quite like this ever again.

Here is just a small recap of some of our favorite things, favorite obsessions, and favorite food of 2009...There is definitely a food theme happening here!

Okay, this is an obsession that has been going on for well over a year. And it is still going strong when you look into our pathetic display of food storage and there is 10 boxes stacked high. It is a beautiful sight. It will probably only last about 3 weeks though, tops.

This cozy little site goes back to our dating days and well into our marriage. Maybe that is all you need to know...

This obsession came this last summer. These are a great little treat, until you start having 3 or 4 or them at a time. We are trying to wean ourselves off of them now.

This was probably always an obsession, but it came full blasted when we had so many gift cards from our wedding to use up. We done used them all up and have been really good at not going back, so far.

Okay, yup, I told you there was a definite food theme here...this was always an obsession but it seemed to have gotten worse when we moved to our new apartment about 100 yards away from a Cafe Rio.

But who in the world can resist this naughty little jewel???

I borrowed the 1st season of 24 from my parents and for about one week, we were Jack Bauer freaks! We still need to borrow the other seasons, but I am scared as to what that will do to our social life.

We were both blessed to have AWESOME in-laws and families on both sides so we tend to go back home and visit Idaho...alot. But who can blame us?

Costco has provided us with some of the best date nights or lazy Saturday afternoon activities. One word: SAMPLES!!!

Being married to a Christmas Lighting dude, this has become a new found favorite of mine. I love seeing the lights and combinations of lights James puts on houses. He is very talented and the houses are always beautiful!!

This goes back to our dating days and just recently is making a comeback in our house. I LOVE to beat James at his own card game 13! Let me repeat. I LOVE to BEAT JAMES at his OWN CARD GAME!!!! :)

Let's not forget our very adventurous honeymoon in the beautiful land of Hawaii!!! We love that darn beach!!!

Breakfast at Dukes was definitely right up there...

And a few pics from our favorite place we stayed in Europe...ROME!!!

And that is our favorites list so far! How was 2009 for you??

Temple Square: Year 2

The other night for Family Home Evening on a Wednesday (sometimes Monday just doesn't work for us) we treked out to Temple Square to see the Christmas Lights.

And it was very pretty, but it was also freakishly cold.

Now you know James is in the Christmas Lighting Biz, and we couldn't stop gawking about how immaculate the lights look. EVERY branch of the trees are covered in lights. It was pretty spectacular!

I love the history and awesome beauty of the Salt Lake Temple. It is very majestic.

The rest of the night was fun, we stopped at Mimi's Cafe for my favorite hot chocolate and then to make the night more manly, a stop at the Home Depot.

Happy Christmasing!

New Pics Posted!

Check out my Photography blog here to see some new pics I posted of my brother's family. And have a great freezing winter day!!

Here is a just a sneak peak of their cute family DOWN ON THE FARM...

WOW

This weekend I got the disturbed privilege of seeing just exactly what my husband does during these winter months of self employment.

He with the help of my dad put up Christmas lights on my parent's house. It was the first time the outside of our house had seen anything beyond a few lights wrapped around our light poles in our driveway. My mom was very excited!

I got to hold the ladder for James and hand him lightbulbs and important things like that. Then he got up on the roof and I was impressed...

Until I saw him with his body hanging halfway off the roof...Then I got kind of nervous.

Oh and we didn't get a picture of it, but I helped clip on the lights as well. My dad hoisted us both up in the bucket of the loader to the very top and we put lights on that way on the front of our house. It got tricky because our house has a big hill in the front. It was one of the scariest moments of our lives.

Not too shabby though...

Look at him, he looks so happy to be risking death! I don't think I was smiling when I took the picture.

But the house looks great! I wish I had remembered to get a picture of it all lit up!