Super Sonic Sunday

I have no idea why I titled this post that way, other than the fact that it is Sunday (or it was when I started this post). But anyway...I have some New Year's Resolutions for the year, most of which revolve around being more spiritual and more grateful. I won't bore you with posting them all, but I will say two of them. The first one we are doing as a couple- A Gratitude Jar. Basically you write down your blessings throughout the year and then read them on New Years Eve so you have a year worth of blessings recorded. The second resolution is taking a picture a day for a year. I have heard about this idea before and it may sound trendy or whatever, but I really like the idea and I am loving doing it already. It helps me remember to document our day to day life. These are pictures that won't win any prizes or contests, but they will be full of memories. I hope to put them all in an album when I find one I like.

Anyway, do any of yal'll like to cook? Jon and I LOVE food and LOVE to cook. I think I may start posting yummy things we make because they are too good not to share. Would anyone be interested? Be honest. I love when my friends post recipes- (Mary, I am thinking of you).

Ok so here are some pictures from the Year. 1 a day....almost.

1-1-13 The date on this picture is wrong, I guess the time was off on my camera. This was taken right after midnight on New Years. Joshua swears he made it until 12 but he was asleep as soon as the clock struck 12- I ran in to kiss him goodnight and he was out. He is so cute.

1-3-13 One of Jon's Stocking Stuffers from Santa

1-4-13 So I may have forgotten to take pictures a few days... but this is Callie in the morning. She isn't a morning person either, like me. We take forever to get going.

1-5-13 Xander the Salamander


1-7-13 A sign we made for 5 Guys.

1-8-13 Callie eating Frosty Paws (dog ice cream)

1-9-13 I came into the bedroom one night and Jon was brushing his teeth like this. Apparently he was stretching his quads.

1-10-13 I got a letter from my nephew complete with a code to solve. He is the cutest. This letter made my day.

1-11-13 I found this lotion on sale, it is my favorite of all time. I bought the body wash too. Lemon Vanilla. MMMMMM.

1-12-13 Keep your children safe from this Easter Bunny! Creepy hat from Ikea. And me looking miniature in the chair.

1-13-13 Jon talking to his family on a Sunday, I thought he was sitting oddly.

1-14-13 The bathroom so far- still needs a painted vanity, baseboards, a new cabinent and a finished floor. Oh, and a shower curtain but we can't find any big enough.

1-15-13 Callie propped up on the chair next to me, I thought she looked hilarious.

1-16-13 This is for Melani. This is a definite BEFORE picture of our other bathroom. We haven't started remodeling yet but I am dying to fix this one. So ugly and nothing matches. Oh and the floor is a bit uneven. (We did replace the blinds which used to be pink and were sticky from tobacco).

1-17-13 SNOW! Yes we had snow and yes they cancelled most of the schools- Jon only had a two hour delay. And yes this is about as thick as it was. Most of the schools were delayed before it even snowed.

1-18-13 Yahtzee for date night. And yes I won both games. :)

1-19-13 Callie and her Croc

1-20-13 Jon showing off at Frisbee Golf.

And if anyone is crazy enough to still be reading this, Sunday after church we had our friend over and played Yahtzee, ate delicious chicken pot pie, and played Frisbee Golf in our church clothes. It was almost 70 out and a really nice way to walk around and enjoy the Sabbath. (If you have never played Frisbee Golf you should! It was my first time and even though I am terrible it was fun. And it is basically just tossing Frisbees around, very relaxing and low key.)

Christmas Time Happenings

Can you believe Christmas has come and gone already?

It is hard to believe Christmas is already over. This year it came way too fast. This month has been so busy for work and then we tried to squeeze in little activities to help us celebrate. I tried to keep things simple but it still felt like the season was too hurried and commercialized for my liking. Next year I want to focus everything we do on the Savior, so that we can really feel that spirit more.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I was on crisis call for work and could not go out of town until after Christmas (I also had to work a couple day after Christmas) ]My parents came to spend Christmas with us and they also brought their friend from India to our home. He only stayed 1 night. We spent a good mix of our time working and relaxing. Dad and Jon (and me) put insulation in our attic. Not very exciting but it needed to be done. Dad and Jon also got the master bathroom ready to be painted and painted it. It looks amazing, I can't wait to get everything else finished on it. ( I had taken down most of the wallpaper and pulled up the linoleum floor already-demolition is my specialty).

We went out and got Mexican food for Christmas Eve, I think that might be a new tradition. Christmas Day Jon made breakfast- French Toast and Pig Candy (bacon with brown sugar, baked in the oven). Mom and I made Christmas Dinner- ham, funeral potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberries, rolls, and pomegranate salad. We spent a lot of time playing cards including Rook, Golden 10, Dominoes, Yahtzee, and Play 9. And of course my mom brought tons of candies and sweets to spoil us.

Over the weekend we went to Georgia to see my brother and his family. It was a nice relaxing weekend. We didn't have to do much of anything except playing with the kiddos. Unfortunately I was sick most of the time but I still had a great time. I am spending most of today in bed hoping I can get all better by new years! 

The Christmas Eve Gathering- Dad, Mom, Veera, Jon, Janet, and Callie- it was weird having no children around for Christmas

Looking good, and the ties even match what they are wearing!

Veera and I playing with Callie-

FOOD!

Playing Spot It

Clarissa with Bacon the Guinea Pig

Sick Auntie getting love from her girls

This was going to be our Christmas card photo but we never sent it....ooops!

I can't figure out how to rotate but this is our bathroom in progress, the color is much more vibrant in real life-it is a light aqua color. The floor and cabinet will be stained darker

Re-Cap

Sorry if some of these pictures are a repeat, I know some of you are not on facebook.We are getting ready for Christmas here at our house! We decorated inside and out and even have a Christmas chain like I did when I was a kid. The weather here was in the 70's for a few weeks which made me so happy. It is starting to get cold here now but I am hoping for another warm Christmas like last year. :) 

Jon, halfway through No-Shave November

Jack, Jeff, Jackie, Cindy, Nicole, and Natalie
Cindy is my aunt (my dad's sister) Jeff is her son, my cousin. And Natalie is known as mini-me or mini-Janet. She is the bestest.

At the botanical gardens in a bamboo forest

Look at Callie helping!

Cheesy but had to do it!

Ta-Da! I love it! Too bad we can't have a tree skirt or presents underneath...some dog would eat them!

The final product. I didn't mind the beard but I also did not mind at all when it went bye-bye. 

Did you know iTunes has a section of downloads for 69 cents? Or 69 cent as they say in NC... no need to make that plural. But for real, they do. I discovered that last night and bought some really great oldies. Check it out. And tell them I sent you. Ok just kidding about that last part.

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

I'm working from home most of the day today so I am taking a break to update the ol' blog. I wanted to post some things I am grateful for, even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, I always want to remain grateful. I have had a difficult time counting my blessings lately. As much as I love North Carolina and my husband and my job and my ward and having family closer....I have had a difficult time adjusting. I miss my friends a lot and it has been hard to not have my girlfriends around. Luckily Jon lets me goofy and girly as much as I want. And he is my best friend so that is really all I need.

This year I am grateful for so many things. Let me summarize a few of them in pictures:

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My Savior and my friend, who rescues me daily.

My family, on both sides. I love having great in-laws because we feel twice the love!

My friends. Gosh I miss them.

Our puppy Callie.

Our wonderful home that we love and are working hard to fix it up.

My husband, my best friend, and the eternal promise we have made to each other. He is so patient with me. He gets water for me at night and reads to me when I am too tired to read. I am also grateful for temples.

My Savior (yet again). I had to include this because I LOVE this painting and want to buy if for our nursery someday.

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, I am so grateful for my amazing job that I love, my coworkers, and the families I work with. I am also grateful that Jon has a steady good job. He is such a hard worker and takes on all the extra work he can, all while fixing things around the house and helping me cook, clean, and do laundry.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents house with my parents, my aunt and uncle, and some cousins. I will post pictures soon!

It is difficult to put a post like this into words. I am writing it more for my own benefit than for others to read. The way I get things out is by writing. So here I go.

Fifteen years ago yesterday is the anniversary of my brother's death. It is something that a lot of people don't know about because I don't talk about it much. I don't mind talking about it at all, in fact sometimes I want to talk about it more, but I find it makes people uncomfortable. Nathan was the middle child, the youngest of the 3 boys. Nathan loved to swim, run, play guitar, hunt, and take things apart/build things. Ever since I can remember, Nathan was tinkering with electronics. He even made a doorbell for his bedroom once. Nathan also restrung the guitar he had so that Valerie could play it left handed and even taught her how to play. Nathan loved music, especially bands like Oasis and Nirvana. He and my brothers used to jam in the garage, with Brian on the drums and Cameron singing. Nathan also loved remote control airplanes and rockets and would build his own. Nathan was so passionate about everything. Even his lessons for Family Home Evening were exciting- he would do crazy fire drills where we had to escape and he would place a blanket indicating where the fire was. He would also teach us how to use a fire extinguisher and teach spiritual lessons using jeopardy games he made up. He was so excited about life.

Nathan like to tease me (it runs in the family). He was pretty relentless and I spent a lot of time crying because of things he and my other brothers did and said. I still think this is a big reason why I am so sensitive today. However Nathan also was the brother who spent the most time with Valerie and I. He would play "tornado" with us and taught us how to shoot guns. Everyone loved Nathan. He worked at the local IGA and once carried my friend out the car when his mom jokingly said she needed help with her groceries. He was popular and was nice to everyone. He played the saxophone in the high school band. He also did cross country, wrestling, swimming, 4-H, and scouts. He had a pet ball python that always got loose in our house. Nathan had a raspy voice, like mine but more so. I love listening to old tapes of him reading- he loved the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephite books.

Even though I have lived longer without my brother than with him, I miss him so very much. Time does help heal the pain but it never takes it away. Sometimes it just hurts like crazy and nobody except the Savior will ever know exactly how I feel. I remember the day like it was yesterday. The hardest part comes because nobody in my life presently (other than family) knew Nathan. Most of my roommates and good friends don't really know about him. I love going back to Indiana and reminiscing on old times, because that is where I grew up and where Nathan lived his whole life.

I am so grateful for this trial, it has made me value my family tremendously. I am a stronger person because of what I have gone through. I have learned forgiveness, patience, gratitude, and love. I try to never take anything for granted.

Here are some oldies but goodies!

 Nathan had to wear an eye patch to correct a slight lazy eye. I love it!

 St. Louis Temple Open House, long before we moved to Missouri.

 Last picture taken of Nathan-sitting on my dad's lap. :)

 Look how cute we are! I found that little dress I am wearing in our attic last week.

 Our backyard view...CORN!

 photo booth

 I love this picture of us. Val and I look like twinners.

 Dog Pile!

If I Had A Nickle

If I had a nickle for every time I have been asked when we are going to have children, I would be a wealthy woman. I really don't mind at all, but I do think that is a pretty personal question to ask someone and I generally never ask it. When I was single people always asked who I was dating and when I might FINALLY get married. A lot of times people said it like I was purposefully putting off marriage or said "you are just too picky." It was frustrating at times, but I never let people's comments get to me. And literally since the day we got married, I feel like everyone asks us when we are going to start having children.

Of course we want children- a lot of them and are planning for the future constantly. But we are also living in the moment, enjoying each day as it comes. And right now that brings me to fall. (sorry for my brief but polite rant :) )

It is beautiful outside!! I never grew up thinking much about fall but since we got married in the fall it has a special place in my heart now. I am trying not to let the looming cold weather get me down, because it is glorious outside now. The leaves are perfect and I love everything fall now like never before: apples, pumpkin, cider, crunchy leaves. I am really embracing fall this year and loving it.

Look at the beautiful colors! This is from our honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains

 Last fall in the Smoky Mountains on our honeymoon-cutie pie

This year-our hike to up the gorge-beautiful leaves!

What is your favorite season? I'd have to say mine is summer, I love HOT swimming weather!

Memory Lane

A few weeks ago Jon, my mom, and I went to Kentucky to see my mom's side of the family and celebrate my grandparents birthday. My grandpa turned 82 and my grandma turned 67. I know, big age difference but they were married later in life so it isn't that weird. The fact that my grandma is only 10 years older than my mom is the weird part-but its her stepmom don't worry, my grandma didn't give birth at age 10. Sheesh, I am way off topic.

Anyway, while in Kentucky, I decided Jon and I could slide on up to Indiana to see my place of birth and see Jon's brother's family. We ended up doing a lot of driving in a few days but it was worth it. I didn't get to see any of my friends from Indiana because we didn't have much time. I was very sad about that. And now for the best part, pictures: (ps, I feel like Jon and I have spent half of our marriage/engagement driving in a car).

 The wonderful town of Oxford-population: small, landscape: flat. I lived here ages 6-12.

 The house my family built in Oxford. I remember this used to be one big corn field.

 Nathan's tree, I was cleaning the plaque.

 Mandi, this is for you: classic foot shot.

 Truman and Nathan, I couldn't find balloons or flowers to take, but I did deliver some rocks.

 My old elementary school-it isn't used anymore. My name used to hang in the gym from my championship basketball team. It was a proud moment back in 6th grade....

 The branch building I attended most of my life. I was SO sad we couldn't go to church there on Sunday.

 Make-Up attack! Reagan's face is priceless.

 We had just watched The Lorax and Lauren was imitating him flying. Loved that movie!

 Lauren, Brooke, Jon, Me, Reagan, and Abi. :)

My grandparents sharing their birthday as usual. My grandpa is starting to show his age a lot and said, "this might be the last time I see you." It broke my heart a little. He is in great health physically, he is just losing his senses a bit mentally. He is still doing great though!

And we are just a day away from our year anniversary!! (well considering today is basically over)
I cannot believe it has been a year!