2011 Christmas Tree Cutting Extravaganza

This year, as with every other year, we had a great time searching for the perfect Christmas tree. This has been such a fun tradition (my parents would take us out as kids growing up, and Brad and I continue the tradition with my parents still---Kass couldn't make it this year, which was too bad). This year we kind of kicked the tradition off a few weeks early by going up to Soldier Hollow at 6:00am to pick up our wrist bands for tree permits. Becuase the actual permits are not given out until 8:00am we hit up The Hub in Heber for breakfast. I'm hoping this will be a new kick-start to the tradition for the upcoming years as well :)

We loaded up the truck and headed up Daniel's Summit this year to start our annual tree cutting extravaganza. It was Charlie's first year of joining us in the adventure and he had a BLAST. We let him run off his leash and I was so impressed at how well he did at coming when called and sticking around by us. What a good dog! He had a hair cut just the week before and so we bought him a little coat (I know, I know...) to wear for the occasion. His poor little toes were covered in hardcore iceballs by the time we were done....I have seen dog snowboots at Sportsman's Warehouse before, and like you are probably doing right now I giggled and made fun, but after this trip I can totally see why people buy them for their dogs. Santa may be bringing Charlie a pair this year because he LOVES the snow but could barely stand after we got back to the truck due to the iceballs.

After searching for a couple hrs for the perfect trees to take home, we hauled them back up to the truck where we continued our tradition of building a fire, roasting hot dogs, and drinking hot cider. It was a ton of fun, and luckily we didn't have any huge mishaps like we did the last year we went (although, that trip was one of the very most memorable so far and we still love to talk and laugh (now that we can) about it!)

Abominable Snow Dog:

Charlie was constantly trying to get in the front of the line:

Checking to see if it's the right/legal tree to cut...turns out it might not've been, but they took it home (hehe)

Mommy, daughter:

I think this speaks for itself:

Mom & Dad

"What's next?!"

Family photo opp:
Poor Charile wore himself out and decided to nestle in the snow as we cut down our tree

Charlie & I have matching coats:

Hauling out their tree:

Roasting dogs & drinkin cider after the tree hunt:

And of course it was a NO BRAINER that I just HAD to decorate our tree in cupcakes this year! I made some really cute, realistic cupcake ornaments (from cupcake liners, small foam balls & spackle frosting). I was so excited to finally be able to put them on the tree.

a

c

ke

2011 Holiday Card

Well...I lasted a whole, hmm....4 days maybe....before I broke down to share our holiday card this year. Yup, I'm THAT excited. Brad's sister Amy was kind enough to take the super cute photo for us (and she didn't even call us freaks....to our face anyway ;) I love including Charlie on our photos, with such a cute face, how could we resist!?

I decided to go with a 4x8 size this year which I think is a lot of fun. The chevron pattern is one of my favorites so of course I had to incorporate that into the design & I have been on a yellow/gray combo kick lately so of course that was in order for this as well. Of the 3 holiday cards we've done since being married I think this one is my favorite.

We're super excited for the holidays and will be making our annual tree-cutting trip this Saturday which is always a guaranteed blast. It is such a fun tradition. I have decided to decorate my tree in cupcakes this year, and have been working on that....pics to come!

Happily Ever After: 3 years

Boy how time flies! Seems like not long ago we were driving to Manti on our way to get hitched with butterfly stomachs. Yesterday we celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary, and since we were also married on our 5 year "dating" anniversary it made for 8 years worth of celebrating!

We have been wanting a smoker for quiet some time now and decided that's what we wanted to do for each other for our anniversary gift instead of going on a trip for the weekend as we initially had talked about. (Besides, a smoker lasts longer anyway :) We've had a lot of fun with it and have put it to LOTS of use in the short week or two that we've had it. We have done brisket, ribs, chicken (a couple of times), pizza, and today I made some s'more cupcakes on it. Yum!

So we decided to stick around town this year which was fun. We both took the day off of work and it was nice to kind of kick back and just spend all day together. We started the day off with a trip to Kneaders for an all-you-can-eat french toast breakfast. If you haven't had their french toast, you are missing out, it's amazing! We then went "out on the town" (I just like to say that..) and hit up Sportsman's and the mall and just bummed around for the most part. We followed that up with a nap (while we're not 80 yrs old, this was rather enjoyable), a trip to the theater to see Moneyball (great movie), and then dinner at Costa Vida followed by snugglin on the couch while watching our favorite Monday evening TV shows. To some, it sounds like a run-of-the-mill type of day, but I think Brad and I both could agree that it was awesome. I really love that we, for the most part, are perfectly content just doing little things and enjoying each other's company. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant to be just as memorable or enjoyable. Simple is good, life is good.

For those of you who are wondering if we still even have faces anymore...it's been a LOOOONG time since I've posted photos of Brad and I, so proof that we do is below.And of course, what's a post...or celebration for that matter, without pics of Charlie? He was very excited about our anniversary too as you can see.

Preserving the Summer

I may have just found another domestic hobby that I enjoy...canning. Seems like I have been going crazy the past few weeks canning any and everything (watch out Charlie! You might be next!)

This year was the first for Brad and I to have a garden--benefit of renting your in law's home while they are away--and while I absolutely HATED the prep work to plant--both Brad and I have really enjoyed watching our little plants grow, produce, and feed our bellies!

Our intent for the garden was to be able to can salsa, but our tomatoes have seemed to have had a tough time ripening enough at once to do so, so we have been enjoying fresh salsa throughout the summer and it has been delicious! We planted the tomatoes, onions (next year will be better now that I know to break up the onions in the pkg you buy and plant them individually rather than in the clump you buy them in, haha! They each seriously got to be about the size of radishes, but were good none-the-less), green peppers, jalapenos, habenero peppers (while plant shopping I recognized the name from the Food Network Channel and bought 3 plants...turns out one thing I DIDN'T remember was that they are way high up there on the "hot" scale for peppers...good thing we like spicy stuff and I only bought 3 vs 6 jalapeno plants we planted), zucchini, yellow squash, lemon cucumbers (that we only saw a few of has Lucy really seems to enjoy them and frequently treated herself to them before we could pick them) and some poor bean plants that never made it through the cold beginning.

After finding a canner at Walmart for $19 (best $19 I've spent in a long time), I decided to start preserving some of our summer goods! Here is what I have put up so far:

• Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (done earlier this summer with my mom--totally yummy)
• Jalapenos (pickled)
• Peaches
• Pears
• Rhubarb-Orange Jam
• Peach Freezer Jam
• Apricot Freezer Jam
• Applesauce (to come in the next few weeks)
  

I guess I have been rather ambitious this year, and hopefully this doesn't come back to bite me next year by making me look bad if I don't produce the same results! Nothing like a healthy competition with yourself eh? Overall I have really enjoyed preserving food and am looking forward to expanding our garden next year for even more opportunities!

Recent Happenings

Well, it's obvious I've been a terrible blogger lately. So here is a "catch-up" post of what we've been up to.

July

• After over a year of dreaming and talking about it, we bought ourselves a 4 wheeler. We have had a lot of fun on it so far, and enjoy going out and spending time on it together. And when I say "together" I mean, all 3 of us--including Charlie. He loves the 4 wheeler like you wouldn't believe. As soon as that thing starts up, Charlie is barking and crying in excitement. He may be a little obsessed. He LOVES to run while we ride it, and we were impressed at how well he did, we thought for sure he'd be all over off the trail and running off but we quickly found that once he got so far ahead of us to where we couldn't see him any more, he'd be stopped in the middle of the trail looking back and waiting til he could see us again. I think we were both amazed, and it really is cute to see him looking back every so often to see if we are still coming, with his big ol' tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and the happiest look you'd ever see on a dog's face
  
• My parents also have a 4 wheeler, so we took a trip up to Fairview one weekend to camp and ride ATV trails. SO MUCH FUN. The weather was absolutely perfect, the scenery was beautiful and we rode over 70 miles on various trails that weekend. Luckily, for Chuck, we rigged up what is known to us as "Charlie's Hillbilly Box". It's a wooden "basket" of sorts for Charlie to ride in on long trail rides (while he loves running next to or a head of the wheeler, there is no way that big pooch could've survived running over 70 miles that weekend). He loves riding in the box, luckily and surprisingly, and it works out perfect for longer trips! (see photos below of this glorious invention).
• We went to Arizona. Brad's brother, Steve, moved down to Glendale for dental school and so we traveled down with him to haul a U-haul trailer with our truck. Let me just tell you, the Phoenix/Glendale area is no where I would want to be for longer than 5 minutes. Talk about melting! (I really hope that Steve is surviving). It was such an intense heat! Of course, Charlie came along for the 13 hr drive and seriously slept in the backseat THE ENTIRE ride. Amazing! I thought for sure we'd have a stir-crazy 60lb dog on our hands, so I was happy about that! (I have some hilarious photos of Charlie's sleeping positions on the trip, but they aren't on my comp right now. I'll put them up sometime). Traveling home we took a different route, through Tuba City, AZ into Monument Valley and finally into Blanding to spend the night with my Aunt Kim and her family. (We were so thankful they were so willing to house us for the night on such short notice! Cutting our journey home into 2 days sure made it more tolerable.
• Brad celebrated his 25th birthday the day after we returned from Arizona. We spent the day with a trip to Cabelas, went to the theater, and cooked up some awesome steaks (I am not a steak person, but I will say, these ones were delicious!) with garlic mashed potatoes, a caesar salad and finished it all up with some brownie cheesecake. Happy birthday to one the best guy's I know!
  

August (thus far):

• Charlie survived to see his first birthday! What an accomplishment! If you know anything about Charlie, you know he's had one heck of a life. From being on his death bed as a tiny tiny puppy, to constant battles with stomach issues, and most recently a fall out of the 4 Runner--while MOVING-- followed by a dive into the creek while for a ride up Provo Canyon. Talk about an intense year! He has grown up A LOT over the past year though, and is turning into a really great dog. We love his guts. I don't think I have ever laughed as much as I do now---he is the ultimate goof with a ginormous personality.
• I made one of the hardest decisions I have had to yet. I interviewed for, and was offered, a graphic design job for a publishing company in Springville. But, after much back-and-forth with myself, and a few tears I decided to turn the offer down. After weighing all pros and cons I just felt that this was not the right opportunity at the right time for me, even as difficult as it was because opportunities for junior designers are rare and I had been on the look out for such an opportunity for probably 6 months. But, as I said, I just didn't feel it was going to be the best fit for me right now---for numerous reasons---and so I am hopeful there is something else around the corner for me in terms of designing. I have been doing a lot of stuff, freelance, in the past month or two and have been really enjoying that. So we'll see where it leads!

Here are some photos of the "hillbilly box" on our Fairview camping trip.

It's Great To Be A Cheapskate!

Ever seen the TLC series "Extreme Couponing"? Those people are INSANE. They have found ways to save up to 99% on their grocery bills---that are usually over $500. I don't remember if it was just after, or just before, seeing this show for the first time that I decided I wanted to try and find ways to save on my groceries. I grocery shop once a week, and over the past 6 months I was seeing a steady $10-$20 increase on my grocery bill---and I pretty much buy the exact same things every week. It really was getting ridiculous. So I decided to give couponing a try...and let me tell you I think I have found an addiction---only this one is beneficial and SAVES money.

Here are a few of our latest steals:

20 tubes Crest toothpaste (reg size) Retail : $40 / We paid : $ 8
30 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta Retail : $60 / We paid : Not a penny, FREE!
10 boxes of General Mills Cereal Retail : $30 (roughly) / We paid : $7.50
10 boxes of Betty Crocker Cake mix Retail : $ 20 / We paid : $10
5 boxes of Cascase Dish Detergent Retail : $20 / We paid $12.50
10- 18oz bottles of Dial Body Wash Retail : $30 / We paid $10
4 bottles Purex laundry soap Retail : $16 / We paid : $4
2 Lysol Toilet bowl cleaners Retail: $6 / We paid : $1.50
2 Lysol Kitchen Disinfecting Sprays Retail: $6 / We paid $1.50
2 Lysol Bathroom Cleaners Retail : $6 / We Paid $1.50

Total Retail Costs: $234
We Paid : $56.50

Call me an old lady, but I get so excited to run home from work every Tuesday and start searching through the grocery ads! I have had people ask me what we are going to do with all of that stuff, and my answer is always "food/hygiene storage". These are essentials that we use on a daily basis, (okay--except for maybe the cake mixes--but then again....) and it's nice to know that if money ever got super tight we would still be able to go about our daily lives as far as (some) food and hygiene is concerned. (Looking to build up the food end of our stock).

Another thing that people bring up is the fact that I "end up spending more money than if I were to just buy one item". And yes, initially I do pay "more" because I buy more than one item---but when I can buy 3 for what I would normally pay for the price of 1, why not buy multiples?! In the long run this saves us a lot of money because it's stuff we use on a daily basis---in a couple weeks or so I'd be guaranteed to be buying the product again. I could spend $3.00 upfront every two or three weeks, or $10 upfront and not have to buy that item for 7-8 months.

So, needless to say, I can't wait to add to our stock pile!

Camping: Vernon

Okay....is this not one of the happiest faces you've ever seen? Who knew a dog could be so expressive! This pooch is so happy because he was on his very first camping trip!

This weekend we had plans to go to Moab with my parents but through a series of unfortunate car problem events on both their end and ours, it didn't end up playing out. So, having bought all of our food, the day off work Friday, a new tent, and a compulsion to escape what we know as "everyday life", Brad and I decided to load up the 4Runner for an overnight trip to Vernon Reservoir.

Charlie had never been camping before...and well....if you know Charlie at all, you could imagine what type of images were playing through my head as I envisioned this overnight trip with him. In a tent. Surprisingly he was a really really good dog! He loved every minute of it including the car ride there and back because he could stick his head out the window full speed. Never once did he cry during the night and just hung out with us around camp and the campfire, relaxing.

We set up camp, built a fire (Charlie LOVES sticks...so this part was interesting as he kept stealing them out of the fire pit while Brad was trying to start the fire), roasted hot dogs and just enjoyed each other's company. While it was no Moab it was a nice little get away for us and we all really enjoyed it! Pics from our trip:

Charlie has to be involved in EVERYTHING. Including the driving, and he can often be found taking over the center console in the front seat of any car we are driving.


Doing what he loves best on car rides...if we let him I'm pretty sure he'd hang out the window by his back toes.
"Family photo", the best one we got this trip:

"Helping" with the fire:


Our campsite and new tent

Bountiful Baskets

I don't know how long it's been that our brother & sister in law have tried to get us to sign up for Bountiful Baskets...but after finally giving in and trying it I would say it was too long! I'll admit, I have gotten pretty excited and had a lot of fun trying to find ways to use the goodies from our basket. One of our latest experiences was using the diakon we were given (it's like a white radish, from Japan) ---we ended up putting it in a stir-fry and I took a liking to eating it raw.


Another trial I've faced was finding a way to use the 6-8 sweet potatoes we were given, and the only reason this was tricky is because Brad does not like them--and I wasn't about to down all of those on my own. So against my taste buds better judgment I found a recipe and gave it a try. And that recipe was for muffins. A Sweet Potato-Banana muffin. (Maybe not news to some people, but I didn't know such things existed). And they. are. AWESOME. And the best part is, Brad even likes them! Yahoo, mission accomplished! You can check out the recipe here, (which is from a website dedicated solely to North Carolina Sweet Potatoes) if you're interested in trying them yourself. I substituted cinnamon for the Allspice.

I am excited to see what this week's basket brings. I'm always up for a challenge. Bring it on!

(And thanks to Dave and Jana, and a few others, for insisting we give this all a shot!)

A Quarter of a Century

It's true. It was my 25th birthday last week. And I have lived to tell about it.

I had a great day, with my side of the family coming over the night before to celebrate. For the occasion I made these oh-so-Erica-esque cupcakes to share. (Brad family is doing a combined bday party for Tom and myself this weekend, and I'm excited to get to see all of them then).


The morning of my birthday I woke up to Brad making me a yummy French Toast & bacon breakfast. We followed that up with a trip to the Peppermint Place--which happened to be having a way-to-good sale on their candy and chocolates. I was literally a kid in a candy store!
Afterward, Brad had to go to school for a few hrs so I worked on a graduation announcement and when he returned we headed out for a night on the town--which included going to the theater to see The Lincoln Lawyer (good movie--and I'm not just sayin that cause Matthew Mc-hottie-hey is in it), dinner at Goodwood & then a trip back home to grab Charlie and head to the duck park to hang out for the rest of the evening.

While I'm not expert in life, there a few things I have learned in the quarter of a century of my little-world:

• Never be afraid to follow your dreams--no matter what that means (I know I've said that before).
• The older you get the more you appreciate your parents and everything they have done for you. I could never ask for a better friend than my mom, or a better role model than my dad. It's too bad it takes as long as it does to realize that--and some never do.
• After parting ways--in a sense--after highschool graduation, you will always miss your true friends--even when surrounded by others you love. Sometimes I find myself tearing up as I take strolls down memory lane, missing those two silly sisters who I was once totally and completely inseparable with until the craziness of "adult life" reared it's ugly head--whatever THAT is.
  
• When in an argument with someone you love, sometimes you just have to laugh it off and try to forget who is wrong or right. This usually, and often, happens when Brad realizes that I have said something really stupid in my attempt to make a point when I'm angry. Which of course makes me want to be even more angry, but it's pretty much impossible to take the topic seriously after that.
  
• Family--and those few amazing friends---are absolutely irreplaceable and often taken for granted.
  
• True love is someone who still agrees to sleep in the same bed as you even when you do crazy things in your sleep---and REAL true love is someone who will laugh with you about it at 3AM after waking you up to tell you what you did or said. EVEN ON A WEEKNIGHT.
  
• Money isn't everything. Who woulda thought!? ;)
  

Lounging : Charlie Style

Okay, so we've heard and read that Airedales are a really goofy breed of dog. But no one ever told us we'd get so many laughs out of ours! Who would've thought that poor sick little puppy would turn out to be such a silly little guy! ("little" is used loosely).

Charlie is almost 8 months now & weighs 50lbs. He loves going for rides in the car while hanging his head out the window---he'd hang from his back toes if we'd let him. Another favorite for charlie is sleeping skew-whampus on his back. He does it every chance he gets & has ever since we brought him home as little puppy. It's pretty funny and we always get a kick out of his goofiness.

His routine usually goes a little something like this: While in the living room he lays next to the wall, and gets just close enough that he can roll over. At this time the following happens:
(And this isn't just a "minute or two" position. He lays like this for quite a while, often sleeping. And sorry for so many photos--I couldn't choose between them, they all made me giggle)


A slight variation of the above:

After putting Charlie in his kennel at night & returning a while later, or after waking up in the middle of the night we often find this:
(he also "sleep barks" and snores at night...he's a hoot!)

Bon Jovi 2011

I can't even tell you how excited I was when I heard Bon Jovi was coming back to Salt Lake City! I had gone to their last concert (which was about 6 years ago, mind you) when they came to Utah with the Goo Goo Dolls---which just so happened to have been the BEST CONCERT EVER.

We bought our tickets the weekend they went on sale, back in September & the concert finally rolled around last night! While the opening act was nothing like the Goo Goo Dolls (it was Brian Starr--although I had heard rumors it was going to be Dashboard Confessional, and had secretly hoped for them over the Starr kid) it was still a really great concert.

My cousin Kyle, and his wife Dani, were suppose to come up from Blanding to go to the concert with my mom and I, but Dani ended up having to work the evening before and so they couldn't make it. (Missed you guys!) So we rounded up my sister Kassidie, and my mom's friend Jenny and made our way to Salt Lake City.

The concert was AMAZING. Seriously. After 27 years of making music and doing live performances, Bon Jovi has the stage presence down to a T! Even though I made jokes that Jon was going to throw out a hip with some of his moves (it was harmless joking--I, like most women, have a not-so-secret crush on him) I was impressed with his energy. Never once did he sit on a the typical stool during a "ballad", and I am pretty sure I was wore out from just watching him before he even began to wear out himself.

Their stage set was really cool, with screens that moved while the lights were off making everything almost look like things do in 3D movies. Their set list was great as well, although my one suggestion would be for them to play more of their older stuff than their more recent--I'm pretty sure almost everyone was there for the "oldies" because as soon as the intro started to songs like Bad Medicine, Living on a Prayer, and Runaway you could feel the hype of the crowd come alive more-so than during more recent music of theirs. THAT is my only complaint...and it's not really even a complaint. While I thought our seats would be better than they actually were it was still a lot of fun, and I would definitely pay to see them play again!

And those of you wondering about the "people watching" part of the concert, I will admit I was mildly disappointed. While there was one kid who I was sure was going to throw his arms completely out of socket, and a 16 year old girl two rows in front of us who looked like she was training for a marathon by running in place (apparently her form of "dancing") and was constantly playing with her hair, there weren't as many people "lost in time" as you might've though. (Either that, or I am simply becoming conditioned to those who are lost in a time-warp. Sad day.) The mullet scene was surprisingly bleak unlike you might anticipate. Whether this is a good thing, or a bad thing, I am going to make the assumption that people have made the move from the 80's into at least the 90's. Don't be too let down though..there were a few 50 year old women in ruffled mini skirts and spiked stiletto boots roaming around the arena. (And no, luckily my mother was not one of them ;0) hehe!) Some things just never change....

From Rags to Riches

Everyone blogs about their kids....first day's of school, new words they're learning, cute videos of them trying new foods, playing, etc. In our house our "kid" happens to walk on 4 legs, bark, & is covered in fur. While he has some similarities to human kids--he loves attention, loves to play outside and in the dirt, and enjoys making messes as he eats and drinks---he sure has became a big part of our family. (And besides, give me a break...it's been at least one or two posts since I did one that was entirely about Charlie).

Charlie went for his first fur-cut today, and as you can see it made a dramatic difference. He went from homeless & slobbish to stylish and refined, all within a matter of hours (of course we're talking looks/outward appearance only here). When we went to pick him up he was sitting in a kennel by the register and Brad actually had to ask, after initial shock "Is that OUR dog?" Yup...didn't even recognize him.

I was really worried for the groomer, as Charlie is a puppy (and an Airedale puppy at that) and he loves to nibble and can be kind of crazy. To our surprise, when we went to pick him up the girl told us that we must have a "broken" Airedale (of course this panicked us a little...broken almost always means "bad") because compared to all the other Airedales she has groomed--some of whom had actually brought her to tears in the process--he was one of the most well behaved she's seen, and she continued ranting and raving about how great he was. So, as you can imagine, we were immensely relieved.

Sadly, after bringing him home we found that he can now catch food in his mouth when thrown to him....he's never been able to do that until now and we always just thought he was kind of...uh... "special" because he would turn his head & back away at the last second leaving the food to hit him in the face. Turns out the poor thing couldn't see! And who would've known there were such large dark eyes hiding under all that unruly fur. Gotta love him.


P.S Don't you love his head tilt in the "after" photo? He is famous for this and does it constantly as you talk to him, especially when he picks up on words he knows the meanings of.

Valentines 2011

We really enjoyed Valentine's Day this year and because it landed on a Monday we got to celebrate all weekend!

We kicked off the celebration Saturday night---anticipating huge crowds everywhere on Monday--- with a nice dinner at Rodizio's. It is to Tucanos as Costa Vida is to Cafe Rio. (While it was yummy, we think we still prefer Tucano's salad bar & lower prices over Rodizio's). After dinner we walked to the nearby theater and saw True Grit. This is a great movie and if you haven't seen it it would definitely be worth your time! The movie was followed up by ice cream and cookies at Smart Cookie. It was fun to spend the whole evening "out on the town".

Sunday was spent with church, a trip to Santaquin and just enjoying each other's company. Oh...and for Brad, like most days, a little bit of homework.

Monday came and we had plans to stay in (note, the anticipation of huge crowds again). We made homemade pizza together, in the shape of a heart of course--picture above, pre-cheese stage. Dinner was followed by a trip to Coldstone (only my most favorite place in the world--I guess Brad DOES love me), the we hopped into our "comfy clothes" and settled together on the couch to watch our favorite Monday television shows, namely Cake Boss & Pawn Stars.

Overall we had a great Valentine extravaganza that lasted all weekend long---too bad Valentines Day doesn't happen on a Monday EVERY year.

Hard Lessons

While I've been through this once before, it's not any easier. A couple of years ago we lost our first dog, Buddy, after a good 13 or 14 years in the family. It was hard and I was overcome with guilt and sadness. Today, we lost Hank, our second dog after 15 years in the family. It's a painful reminder of how attached you can become to an animal & how the saying "man's best friend" is nothing short of the truth.

While I've always been a big dog fan it's times like these that bring you to the realization of just how great they really are. They love you no matter what. Dogs don't care that you yelled at them 3 minutes ago, that they were left outside to live their lives come rain or snow, or that you hadn't been out to see them in days--maybe even weeks. All that mattered to them was that you were there to see them then, at that moment, and it made them so incredibly excited that they couldn't care less about anything else you did or didn't do.

And I think thats where the guilt sets in for me through all of this--when I think of the attention they didn't get because they were outside, out of sight-out of mind type of thing. How they never got to be squeezed and loved on like a pet you might have inside your house, who you see & spend time with everyday, who you tell is a "good dog" or laugh at them as they exhibit their individual personality. Instead, Hank and Buddy sat outside merely waiting for someone to step outside and call their name to say "hello" or for a quick pat on the head as you may happen to walk by.

This guilt has hit me really hard, it did the first time when Buddy passed away & again today for Hank. So as a way to sort of honor Hank and Buddy(as silly as it may sound) I have made a promise to myself that throughout my life I will not get a dog for who I intend to live outside-- out of sight, out of mind, and on the end of a leash. A dog deserves more than that, and while Hank and Buddy knew no different it makes me cry to think of all the things I didn't do with them that I should have. They deserved so much more than they were given & yet they loved us unconditionally. How often can I say that even about myself?

Rest in peace doggies, we love you & thanks for loving us just the way we were. You're special to me and you'll be missed!

New Chapter

I guess you could say that last week my graduation became official when I received this lil' piece of paper in the mail. While it's an associate degree--that took me 5-6 years to obtain (mostly due to the fact that I worked a full time job the entire time I was in school, and a couple of degree changes--more to come on that little tid bit)--I felt some sense of accomplishment to finally hold this paper in my hands. I learned a lot in the time it took to get this, not only academically, but also a lot about myself.

As mentioned, I had a few degree changes throughout the time I was in school, that went something similar to this : nursing, psychology, nursing (this time making it clear up to the point that I could apply for the nursing program) and then BAM!, I switched over to Art & Visual Communication w/an emphasis in graphic design. Talk about a major change...between psychology & nursing I could use credits I had already taken, but this switch from healthcare to art left me almost at square one as far as credits go, and while it was something I really wanted to do I was often left frustrated by the fact that so much time, money, and credit hours had been wasted, as what I HAD been doing no longer could count towards what I was NOW wanting to do.

But as I said...I learned a lot about myself in this process.

1. Never settle for anything less than what makes you happy.
I always, always, wanted to be a nurse. From the time I was probably in middle school I was sure that was what I wanted to do in life. I loved health classes and learning about the body, and was for sure that would become my academic endeavors once I graduated highschool. Eventually, as I began filling out paperwork for my application into the nursing program, I realized that this really WASN'T what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure why, I just knew it wasn't going to be something I would enjoy like I had always thought I would--so I dipped my feet into different areas of life and found something that really struck a chord with me---designing.

2. Just because your dreams, and what you perceive to be your strong skills, do not seem to coincide, don't give up. You may just surprise yourself.
Um...art was never my strong point. Seriously, I absolutely hated art classes in highschool (although I had a few decent projects manifest themselves). I was never confident in my artist abilities and dreaded having to share them/present them to others. It was not my thing. I am not a great drawer either, in fact....I would dare say that I have little to no drawing ability in these hands and fingers of mine. Thats why my switch to an art major surprised even myself. I have always felt I had some creativity, but being able to reproduce the ideas I had was never a strong point...until I actually tried. My projects in my college classes came to me, for the most part, a lot easier than I thought they would, and I began to surprise even myself. I had ability that I never knew I had. I'm still not an "artist" in terms of drawing and painting, but I can do it well enough to explore ideas and creativity, and then jump on the computer to fine tune them and make them look less of a 2nd grader level. Who knew?!

3. Dreams can change, and when they do, change your path and chase them! Even though it may not ideal at the time, you will be a lot happier in the end
This kind of coincides with #1. Changing my degree from healthcare to art, at the point in time that I did, was NOT ideal. In fact, it was probably one of the worst things I could have done as far as time & money was concerned. But as far as happiness goes, it was the best thing I have done. I have now found something that I enjoy doing. I have found my passion & a way to express myself that I feel I never would have found had I continued on the path to a nursing degree.

So, here's to another chapter in my life! I am excited to see what it has in store and what I can make of it!

Goodbye 2010

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone, and while it's cliche, it is so incredibly true this year. 2010 had been good to us and I was a little sad to see it go! We were able to venture to Moab 2-3 times thru the spring and summer, spend time backpacking in the Uintahs, paid of our car, brought a new puppy and pal into our lives, were blessed with good health, I graduated from UVU, and we were able to spend lots of time with our families. (I'm sure there are many other things I could add to this list). With that being said, I am very excited to see what 2011 has to offer and hope that it could only get better!

Christmas Eve was spent with a trip to Providence to visit the Dixon clan. We loaded up the Dixon Family Fun Bus (dogs included--we are also babysitting Matt's dog Bobo while he has been in Brazil for his wedding). We really had a good time up there with the family and spent our time chatting, watching old family home videos (I always love that!) and chowing down on good ol' comfort food.

Christmas Day we headed down to Santaquin for my mom's yearly tradition of Christmas brunch. Yummy as always! We spent time, again, catching up with family and visiting the grandparents.

New Year's Eve followed with my parents over for games at the house and of course, food! (Really....aside from the TRUE meanings--isn't "food" what the holidays are about?) New Year's Day we were able to spend time with family at the Dixon family Christmas party, followed by the Hill family party later that evening.

The past few weeks have been super busy, but a lot of fun. What a blessing it is to have your life filled with such great people to call family!

Here are some pics from our last two weeks, wrapping up 2010.

Charlie's reaction when we told him Santa was coming that evening:

Me & Charlie on our way to Providence....this picture brought to reality the fact that Chuck and I sport the same hair color.

Charlie's new favorite way to sit while ridding in the car.
Pondering life's meaning while gazing out the window..
Charlie got to help Brad work on the truck


The traditional family photo in front of the Christmas tree.... ours this year was uh....interesting. Fearing Charlie would tip the tree over in attempts to retrieve ornaments off of it, I opted to only put lights on it this year...and not very well at that! While it took Charlie by surprise that we had brought a tree inside the house, he quickly took a new liking to plucking all of the pine needles from the lower half of the tree, scattering them across the floor and munching on them. Taking the tree down this year could not come fast enough, and that sucker was gone by Christmas evening at 6pm!!