Christmas Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Ours was really nice. I had the 23rd and 24th off, so I had time to finish up little odd and end shopping and prep. Christmas Eve is James' brother Roberts Birthday. So we go out to Mom and Dad's to celebrate that. This year The birthday dinner at the request of Rob was at the Chinese buffet in Brigham City that is currently a great hit with our family. :) This place is so good and it has many,many surprises...like James Mr. anti (your not cooking that while I'm in the house) fish, going up and getting SUSHI not once but TWICE! This hasn't been his first time either. I just don't get it I really don't. After dinner we went back to the house for presents and cake. We had a hit and miss and then a another hit when all three siblings gave Rob gift cards. The first one was Nikki she gave him an Applebees gift card so we hurried and gave him our Chili's one only to find that Lisa had a Chili's one for him too. :p Cake was a rich, creamy, death by chocolate tuxedo cake. Ah... so good! After that Nate had brought his Despicable me DVD that he got at the white elephant. So we put that in and well all watched and made Christmas Breakfast for the next day. Then it was the kids turn to open their Christmas Pajamas. After that they didn't stay to much longer because the excitement of Christmas was setting in. James and I didn't stay for to much longer either. We still had presents we needed to wrap. On the way home though we decided to stop by Willard Bay. Every year they do a light display called Fantasy at the Bay. They have a horse drawn wagon, Santa (but of course being Christmas Eve he was gone), Food and tons of beautiful lights to drive through. We caught the very end of the night. It was so much fun and really added magic to the Christmas season. Here is a few of our favorites...

They are adding a new section to expand the lights so we were able to go through twice. It was fun, and there weren't a lot of cars there so we were able to go slow, and take everything in. After the lights we went home to start the wrapping. It didn't take us as long as we thought which was nice.

Christmas Morning was a lot of fun I woke up around 8 and couldn't get back to sleep. So after the usual routine of taking the dogs out, I woke up James so he could see the big surprise I had waiting for him. :D I was SO excited to see his reaction... I forgot to take into account the sleepiness factor. :p His big Christmas Surprise is that I took his road bike to his best friend Alan who fixed the tire and adding his own little extras. James has been talking about getting his bike fixed for awhile now, but we've just never had the money. Alan was able to fix the bike plus extras for more than half of what the guys at the store I went to did. THANK YOU ALAN!!!!!! it looks like a brand new bike...so pretty. :) Anyway so I was so excited watching him to see his reaction and this is what I get...But again I didn't take into consideration the fact that it was 8 in the morning....which is pretty early for James...I guess. Well we had a great Christmas. The dogs got new treats and a couple new toys along with their "Christmas meal" (a can of wet dog food). The cat just got his "Christmas meal" and then went outside. I got James the next season of the Simpson's and How I Met Your Mother, Avatar The Last Air Bender...both the movie and the series. The Call of Duty game that he really wanted. (if you got it don't forget to turn on the filter or else you get the F bomb dropped a few times in the first 10 min of playing) As well as a few other little things. James got me the Cabellas hunting game ( so fun), despicable me, a set of 3 pearl earrings, and a few other things. After the presents I made the Christmas breakfast we had put together at moms. As well as french toast eggs and sausage. Then James rode his bike over to Nikki's house. By the time I got there everyone was there and in full Christmas swing. We watched as the kids opened their presents from the aunts and uncles and grandparent and then we did our exchange. James got a couple to awesome shirts from Nikki. one is a plaid button up (which I will be stealing sometimes) and the other is a blue t-shirt with the monopoly guy on it with his hands out and it says Broke?. Hee hee LOVE IT! So did James, and the two really go together. I got the movie Eclipse and a dance game for the Wii from Dad A. Again two things I wanted so I was really happy....but the best thing about my present is what was tied to it. My grandma Perkins loved music boxes, globes...pretty much anything that played music. I have gained the same love and have a small collection myself. Well earlier this month when James and I went out to Mom and Dad's. I found a small silver carousel with small horses on it, and it played We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I knew she was going to list it on Ebay and I thought I didn't convince her to sell it to me early. So for the next 2 weeks I watched her Ebay listing like a hawk. but never saw it. It was tied to my present. :) I am so excited about this cute little carousel. our Whole Christmas was so much fun. We played games both board or video, we had an awesome Christmas dinner of smoked turkey and all the fixin's. It was nice and a really great Christmas. :)Merry Christmas Everyone!!! And a Happy New Year!!!!

Closure of Another School

James got a call from Sensei Debbie this week. They decided to close the school.He is so upset. I feel so bad. This school was really a great school and he was having so much fun. He also had some wonderful opportunities in this school. He had his own class on Saturdays that he taught he was learning a lot of new and fun things and making friends. Well the search for a new school begins. Goodbye Dragon and The Phoenix...we will miss you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!! :)

Holiday Fun!

Well I am a little back logged because of that week I lost due to a horrible cold. But that's what updates and catching up is for right? :)

Dec 11- Two great things happened this day. Our nephew Nate decided to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was baptised this day with friends and family there to support him. Nate is such a sweet, light hearted little guy. It was neat to be able to support him in this big step. Congratulations again Nate! :) Later that night after the baptism my family came out for a little gathering. Once a month my sisters and I try to get together and have lunch, well with December being as crazy as it is. I thought it would be fun to do a family thing in loo of the sisters lunch. So we had our house packed with family for a short time. then after a quick run at Taco Bell for dinner we all headed downtown to the Christmas Village to enjoy some Christmas lights. It was so nice to see my family and spend that time with them. They all really seemed to enjoy Christmas Village and have a great time. :) my throat was feeling a little soar that day and then Sunday James said he couldn't even wake me up to go to church. I was sick Sunday till...well I still am but I started feeling a little better Friday. So Friday I tried my hand at getting some of my Christmas shopping done. I got a lot of it done before I just lost my energy and had James take me home. Saturday I was able to finish all my shopping which was nice, but I overdid it a little. :p Sunday Dec 19 was our Family Christmas party at our house. The house looked awesome thanks to my wonderful hubby. He was even able to clean up one of the basement rooms so we could have a make shift rumpus room for the kids to go play in. Complete with dart board, Foosball table TV, DVD, and video games. The kids loved it. I cooked a turkey again this year. I was really worried cause when I was seasoning it I thought I accidentally put to much of one seasoning...but it turned out really good. After dinner we did our White Elephant exchange. James was the first one and right off the bat he unwrapped a body pillow and a bag of truffles...this present was going to be the envy of all. :p The way we do white elephant is all the normal rules apply. If someone gets something another person wants it can be taken away. the only difference is we get "real" gift not white elephant gifts....if that makes sense. Everyone had a great time and it was a nice party. :) Monday (Dec 20) I tried out a gingerbread recipe my sister gave me. My first time doing gingerbread cookies....they turned out AWESOME! So yummy! If you want some come on up for a visit. :)

Sorry

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't done an update, I got sick last Sunday and have been bed bound all week. I'm feeling better now and I will be able to get you an update as soon as I can...hopefully Monday. Again sorry all is well with us.

Birthdays

Dec 18- This is my brother Jason's birthday. Jason is a fun father of 4. He loves sports and spending time with his family. Jason has a happy smile that you cant help return.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Dec 20- My nephew Tanner turns 10 this day...see how excited he is. :p Tanner is such a sweet boy. He is a little shy but when you get past that you make a great friend who'll be your friend for life. :) he loves spending time with his family and friends. He loves sports, mostly football and played on a team this year with his brother Jeremy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Dec 24- My brother in law Bob has the allusive Holiday birthday. :) Bob loves the outdoors and always loves trying new things. He loves spending time with the family...especially Abby and the boys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Update

Well the holidays are upon us and we've been busy, busy, busy already. We had a great Thanksgiving with James' family. I love them so much. I will admit though I did miss Mom and Dad. It's weird not to be going to Monticello for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Well Because of the "blizzard" warning (that James and I stocked up for thinking we were going to be stuck in the house for 2 days) Both the College and the Printing Division closed early so James and I had a little longer holiday. The college closed Wed because of the storm and the printing division closed Tues. James had to go in on Wed. Thanksgiving dinner was at Uncle Kim and Uncle Gordy's. We took our wii over as well as a few games to keep the kids occupied and the adults played Cataan after dinner. We had a great time. Thanks Kim and Gordy for hosting Thanksgiving this year it was great! The rest of the week and weekend was nice and relaxing. I kinda tried the black Friday sales but since my alarm clock was set for 4:30 PM instead of AM I didn't get to enjoy the craziness like everyone else...oh well one of these years I WILL try black Friday. :) I did go out for a little bit after I woke up and still found some awesome deals. The first week of December was chaos and got me a tad confused for awhile. I was surprised when I realized on Sat that it was only the 4th. :p Dec 1st was our Relief Society Christmas party. We've been working on this for awhile so I guess that's why it felt like the middle of December rather than the beginning. I was in charge of desserts and some decorations. Our theme was based off the book 100 dresses. It's the story of this little girl who wears the same tattered blue dress everyday and how she is teased and bullied because of it and she tells them that she has 100 dresses. We decided to raise 100 dresses for a local branch for the death as well as other needy women and girls. we decorated with the dresses we got. We hung them up on the walls and had little paper dresses around a vase filled poinsettias. It was a huge success and everyone loved the french pastries that we made. :p Thanks again to Mom and Lisa for all your help! When we counted the dressed right before dinner we had 129 but the number was more than that because ladies kept showing up with more and more dresses that night and Sunday as well. Because I am on 2 activities committees in my ward after this party was done I moved right on to the next...the Ward Christmas party. This party is this Thursday and again I am in charge of decorations and the ornaments to be given out to all the family's....which leaves us making them. I have one lady doing 150 and I have another 150. So that's pretty much what I am going to be doing this week. :p Then maybe I can turn my focus on family preparations. :D We are all decorated inside and out. The tree is up (pictures to come) stockings hung as well as lights and we even have a present under the tree. Now all we need is snow :) Merry Christmas everyone and many more to come.

Day of Gratitude # 30

Well today is my last day of gratitude for November. I have been so grateful for the chance to do this. It has given me a chance to see just how blessed we are.

Day of Gratitude # 29

I am thankful for the wonderful ladies in my ward at church. I am so very blessed and humbled to be able to serve with such excellent ladies. They help me want to be a better person and they truly love and care about James and I.

Day of Gratitude # 28

I know I've said this but I am extremely Thankful for my wonderful husband and all the things he does for our small family. I am thankful for his love, kindness, and humor. Love you Honey! :)

Day of Gratitude # 27

I am Thankful for our two dogs and the love and comfort they bring.

Day of Gratitude # 26

I am Thankful for the wonderful Christmas Spirit that can be felt this time of year.

Day of Gratitude # 25

I am Thankful for Thanksgiving Day and the chance we have to remember all the wonderful blessing we have in our lives and to be extra grateful for them.

Day of Gratitude # 24

I am thankful for Snow days :) and the chance I have to get an extra day off for the holidays to be able to clean my house and get ready for the holiday weekend.

Day of Gratitude # 23

I am thankful for humor. I without it life would be pretty dull.

Weekend

This past week was a busy one for us. Thursday I had some ladies from the Relief Society coming over to help me make french pastries for our R.S.Christmas party coming up. I have helped Mom Armstrong make these quite a few times but this was the first time I have done it on my own. Luckily my Sister in law Lisa came up to help out. With 6 ladies in the kitchen we all fell in a Pattern. Lisa and Marilyn frosting cakes Alice and Sister Walker coating them in sprinkles and putting them in the cupcake papers, Maria and I would frost the tops. We were able to get 90+ pastries done in 2 hours WAHOOOO! :) They looked really good. I have never been able to do those that fast. Friday was just an easy going day. James wasn't feeling very well so we just stayed home and took it easy. Saturday we had a big day. James had his morning class to teach and I had a chance to go to Gardner Village and meet my sisters Kari and Nancy for lunch. It's so good to see them. We had a lot of fun and got to catch up and plan for a family dinner next month. After that our friend Al came up to have dinner with us and visit. I haven't seen him since maybe since I left work at the printing division 4 years ago. So it was really good to see him again. After our dinner with Al we headed over to Nikki's house to pick up our niece Abby for......HARRY POTTER!!! Her and I both have been talking about this movie for a long, long time it only seems right to go opening weekend. :) We got to the theatre good 30 to 40 min before it started and they had potter trivia. Abby got every one right and the people sitting behind us were getting a real kick out of listening to her. We also got to witness something kinda fun. While we were there there was a security guy standing by the door and a guy from the theater came out and asked if there was a...I think her name was Amanda. Anyway asked if there was a certain person, the girl looked kinda scared as she walked down but seemed in good spirits. Then her boyfriend came out of "hiding" and asked her to marry him. It was so cute and neat that we had a chance to witness that. The movie was SO good. I think they did a good job at stopping it in a good place that prepares you for the next but doesn't leave you hanging to bad. There was one scene that I REALLY think they should have left out...but other than that LOVED IT!! :D I actually think I am going to try and figure out a way to go see it again. :) Sunday was laid back as well. After church there was no dinner because of Thanksgiving. So James and I had a nice sit down dinner... then we went up to mom and dad's to work on homework. Great weekend..lots of fun. :)

Day of Gratitude # 22

I am thankful for our living prophet who leads and guides us today and is the mouth piece for the Lord. Just like the prophets of old. I am thankful that we have the chance to read and listen to the prophet message every month and every 6 months for general conference.

Day of Graitude # 21

I am Thankful for my professor Bro. Gough. He has opened my eyes and insight to art like I have never thought of before. I have gained an increase of knowledge and respect in not only art, but the truthfulness of the gospel and the beliefs and culture of other churches and why they believe what they do. I believe that because of Bro Gough I am becoming not only a better person but a better disciple of Christ.

Day of Gratitude # 20

I am Thankful for simple but Precious moments that we get to enjoy and hold on to. I know that I have only experienced a few in my life and that there are more to come. Especially when James and I will be blessed with children. But those moments when the whole world seems to slow down just so you can enjoy that moment. Like sitting on the couch with my hubby watching the snow fall with a warm crackling fire in the background. Again the quote from the Scottish poet comes to mind and once again I am truly thankful for my "June Roses" in the Decembers of my life.

Day of Gratitude #19

I know that I have already said I was thankful for the amazing family I married into but I wanted to thank them again. Mom and Lisa really helped save my sanity this week with the french pastry's and making them at my house with the Relief Society Ladies last night. Nikki is so sweet and kind with the phone call I got last night from her. I feel completely and utterly loved with them. I don't even think of them as in laws they are just family. I also wanted to say I am thankful for the wonderful Relief Society ladies who also took time out to come over and help me make over 90 french pastry's last night for our Relief Society Christmas party in 2 weeks.

Day of Gratitude #18

I am thankful for the holiday season that we have coming up. It always brings families closer together and everyone seems a little kinder and gentler around the holiday season. There's a general sense of well being and happiness and it's a time when people reach out to each other and forget themselves. I am thankful for this.

Day of Gratitude # 17

I am thankful for the chance I have to go back to school and get my degree. I have been eanting to go back from awhile now and we decided to take the plung. Jame snad I are doing great. James is on his 2nd semester and I am still on my first. We are thankful for this wonderful opportunity to learn and grow and to better our lives.

Day of Gratitude #16

I am Thankful for technology and it's continuing advancements. Especially in the medical field. There are so many wonderful people who I love dearly that wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for this technology. I am also assured of this because the future looks pretty dang bright. :)

By Popular Demand

Well when I mentioned the bad bruise on my ankle. I received some requests to post pictures of them...so for those who asked here you go. :) For those who may get queasy at stuff like this i apologize. :) These pictures are a good week after it happened so the bruises have already healed quite a bit...just so you know.Outside of ankleInside of Ankle Arm

Day of Gratitude # 15

I am Thankful for the rain and snow. I know it can be annoying and cold but I really am thankful for the moisture so that we can refill our aquifers in order for us to have water to use as well to help keep everything green and beautiful.

Day of Gratitude #14

I am thankful for the chance I had to experience the joys of being pregnant...even if it was for a short while. I am thankful to that little baby that we had a chance to be excited for and to plan for. It brought us so much joy and it really got us thinking about parenting. It also brought James and I that much closer together. Through everything...including the miscarriage and D&C. Yes it was and sometimes still is hard. But I am thankful to that precious little soul that we get to look forward to meeting someday and making our family complete. We love you little bean and are excited to know we have you in our lives.

Day of Gratitude # 13

I am thankful for all the talents I have and for the many more I hope to acquire. I think I take my talents for granted sometimes or I compare them to others talents and feel they aren't as good. But I am very grateful for my talents and love sharing them.

Day of Gratitude # 12

I am thankful for Music. I am not musical talented other than whistling but I am still grateful for it. :) Music moves people and effects them so deeply. I love being able to put on some good relaxing music and feel the calming effect it has on me.

November Birthday's

November 6 I know this Birthday has already passed and I am sorry Brie for taking so long to post. This is our Niece Brieanna. she celebrated her birthday last Saturday. Brie is the mother of 2 cute little girls. She loves to play with her daughters and spend time with them but she also likes to get out with friends and family to have fun as well. She is very energetic and outgoing and can makes friends with anyone. SO here's to you Brie...I hope you had a good day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 15 My sister Denese gets to celebrate her birthday this month as well. Denese is getting ready fro her oldest daughters wedding and I think she has a lot of mixed emotions about it. Denese is such a wonderful mother. She has helped teach me a lot about parenting and I hope she knows how thankful I am for that. Denese had the chance to recently complete her Associates and is now a certified radiologist. She gets to take pictures of peoples bones. :p She loves to travel when she can and she loves spending time with her family. Here's to you on your birthday Denese...take a break and relax. :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 21 First off...to all my siblings and to my parents..LOOK EVERYONE YOU CAN SEE PRESTONS TEETH!. Hee Hee Just kidding Preston. My brothers birthday is this month...I had to give him a hard time. He is currently living in the Philippines with his fiance Mina (so jealous, I miss the Philippines.) Preston Loves to have fun and be with family. He puts up a tough guy act, but deep inside he's nottin but a big softy...sorry Preston...but it's true. Preston loves to travel and explore new areas, he was a truck driver for awhile so he could do just that. Enjoy the Sun Shine and warm weather Preston and have a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 23 This is Justin. Justin is my sister in laws husband...so I think that would make him my brother in law...? This is Justin :) he is a devoted Father, Loving Husband, American Soldier and James' "Family Guy" watching buddy. :p He loves to spend time with his family, have fun and joke around. Justin is definitely a work hard play hard type of guy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 25 I know you cant see his face very well but this pictures displays his personality so perfectly. This is my Dad... Vern M Earl. :) As you can see my Dad is a Total prankster and goof. He loves teasing and joking around. He loves to laugh and make people laugh. He is a fisherman through and through doesn't matter the weather he'll go. He loves to be with his family and have fun. Him and my Mom are currently serving an LDS Mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador at the Temple. He is loving it there and learning a lot. With the help of a security guard he is also learning Spanish and doing very well from what my Mom says. So here's to you...you goofy guy. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 28 This fun little guy gets to celebrate his birthday this month as well. This is our nephew Nate. Nate loves sports so far he has tried his hand at Soccer, Baseball, Basketball and Tae Kwon Do. He is a sweet little boy with a heart of gold. He makes friends so easily. I really admire his courage. We had the chance to go with them to Frightmare at Lagoon this fall. ( Lagoon is an amusement park here in Utah) I had the chance to take him and his brother Gavin around and was amazed to see that almost in every line he would just start talking and by the time he was next in line he would have 1 or 2 friends all laughing and joking and getting each other excited. He's going to make such a good little missionary some day. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

November 29- This is my friend Dawn, she's going to kill me for doing this and posting this picture but sorry Dawn. :) Dawn my best friend at the Business College (well besides James but you know what I mean. :p) She loves to do crafty things, bake and have fun with friends. She is one of the sweetest kindest people I know...which she would disagree with. :) i am so glad that we became as good of friends as we are.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Day of Gratitude # 11

I am so very thankful to all the men and women have have served our country and who are currently serving. I know that we wouldn't be able to enjoy the freedoms that we have if it wasn't for the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces. I cant express enough gratitude for what you have done for The United States and it's people.

Day of Gratitiude # 10

Today I am thankful for bright sunny days. The literal ones and the figurative ones. I have a saying in my scriptures by James Barrie a Scottish poet that says "God gave us memories, that we might have June roses in the December of our lives" I love my June roses and I am very Thankful for them.

Dat of Gratitude # 9

I am thankful for everyday miracles and for blessings that the Lord gives to us. I know that the Lord knows our hearts better than we do as well as our needs. I am thankful for that and for those blessings and miracles he gives us to show us his love for us. I forget that every blessing he gives is to show us his love for us. I always just accept them as another things I need. But I need to remember that they are more than that.

Day of Gratitude # 8

I am thankful for all my friends (including my family) through out my life. I can remember every one of them and they all hold a special place in my heart. My friends have helped make me the person I am today and I don't have enough words to express my gratitude and love for them...so if your my friend (which if your reading this means yes. :p) know that you are loved!

Day of Gratitiude # 7

I am so very thankful to have the gospel in my life. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father and I don't know what I would do without them in my life. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church of Christ restored to the earth in this day in age. I know that we have a living prophet on the earth to guide and direct us in this world of sin and confusion. I know that my Savior lives and that he loves each and everyone of us. I know and can testify of all these things to be true.

Day of Gratitude # 6

I know this may sound silly but I am so thankful for animals especially my animals. I am a huge animal person and have always had a soft spot for them. I love being able to work with them and just being around them.

Day of Gratitude # 5

Today I would like to express my gratitude for my family. Both my Mother and Father Earl and my siblings as well as my Mother and Father Armstrong and my siblings. I am so very blessed with such a large family.

Day of Gratitude # 4

I am thankful for my body! I know this sounds like an unusual thing to be thankful for, but with my recent foot injury I have gained a deeper gratitude for my ability to use my limbs. I always take them for granted. But as soon as something happens (like a sprained ankle) and I see just how much I need them and how my whole daily routine has changed because of it. It makes me once again appreciate my body and being healthy and how wonderful it is not to be limited.

30 days of Gratitiude

I have a lot of friends and family on Facebook doing the 30 days of gratitude and I thought it was a great idea. But because I don't get on Facebook half as much as my blog I am going to post them here. I know I missed one so I want to post 2. One for yesterday and one for today.

So for November 1 I am grateful for a loving and caring husband who is my world and who I love very much. He is such a blessing in my life and I don't know what I would do without him. He is such a wonderful husband and human being all around. There is no doubt in my mind that he is also going to be a wonderful father when that time comes.

November 2- I am thankful for a wonderful job and the best boss ever. I believe I was lead to the LDS Business College for many reasons and I know that because of all the trials that James and I have been facing this year any other job would have kicked me to the curb. But my boss understands that life happens.

November 3- I am thankful for the beauty of the earth. Especially this time of year when the leaves are changing colors and the air is crisp and cool. LOVE IT!

Weekend Fun

First off I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, we sure did. :D Ok so here's what we did.

Friday Oct 29- One of the other wards in our building was having their trunk or treat and because I had a doctors appointment we missed the one we were going to go to in South Ogden but Gavin really wanted to go so we decided to take him to the other wards trunk or treat. He had so much fun, winning prizes at the carnival and seeing all the fun costumes. The trunk or treat was a lot of fun too. After that we decided since we missed the pooch parade that South Ogden was doing with their trunk or treat to take the dogs trick or treating at Petco. Turns out that we were a day early for that so we just go them treats. Next was the Spirit store that has a small spook alley in the back. On our way into the store a guy dressed like Jack Sparrow was going in behind us. He called out to Gavin (who was dressed like Dracula) and said "Hey Dracula say trick or treat." Gavin laughed as he said trick or treat. The guy handed him a dollar. James and I couldn't believe it. It was a Sacajawea dollar so I don't think Gavin really knew what he had. We went in and Gavin and James took off to the spook alley. It took me awhile to get there but when I did it was a funny sight. Gavin was loving it. He kept running to all the different spooky looking statues and mirrors and pushing the buttons to start them up again and again. After a while my foot was really hurting so we took Gavin home and headed to dinner. When we finally got home it was so nice to put my foot up.

Saturday Oct 30- We had 3 parties today but I was in a lot of pain from my foot and multiple bruises from the fall and the crutches. So we canceled them all and went out to James parents house. Nikki and the kids were there already back from trick or treating. We had a chance to eat dinner then Nate and Gavin wanted to go back out. So James and I got in the car and followed the two boys and Nikki while they went from house to house. Occasionally getting to cold they would pile into the car to get warm as we drove to another part of the subdivision. It was a lot of fun watching them go from house to house. after awhile they started to get tired so we went back to mom and dad's. Shortly after we came back Nikki and the kids went home. James was working on some homework and I had brought some supplies to try my hand at caramelized apples with mom's help I think I did an ok job but overall I think I am going to leave the caramelized apple making to the pros. :p unless I get ambitious again.

Sunday Oct 31- Every year the Sunday before Halloween we have family dinner at our house and do a Halloween party. Since Halloween was on Sunday this year our party was on Halloween day. It was a lot of fun, everyone dressed up and we gave out prizes, had dinner and played some rock band.It was a really fun night. :) But I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

Catching up

Catching up...hmmm.... it seems like I have been doing a lot of this lately. :p well October was a very busy month for us and it seems like it always is so beware this probably will be a long post.
We'll start with a couple weekends ago.
Saturday October 23- I have been wanting to get together with my sister for awhile now. So I had sent an e-mail out awhile ago and today was the day. So I headed down to the Corner Bakery by Rice Eccles Stadium to meet up with everyone. My sister Kari was already waiting and as soon as Nancy and Shelly met us we went in to have lunch. :) It was a lot of fun, it had been awhile since I have been with my sisters one on one like that so it was good to talk and catch up with things. Unfortunately we were missing 4 and we missed mot being able to see them. Denese had just come up 2 weeks ago for Addi's wedding and couldn't make that drive again. Jill had Super Saturday and since she was in charge of it she felt like she couldn't skip out. Heather had relatives in visiting from South Carolina (I think) and our soon to be sister in law Mina lives in the Philippines. Again we missed you all and we were talking about making it a monthly thing so we'll try and catch you next time. :0)
After the lunch I headed home to start to get things ready. We had a Halloween party that night with some family and friends. It seemed to be a success. We played games that I think were more enjoyable for the kids than the adults, dinner, dessert and prizes. :) Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. But everyone dressed up and had a good time. After people filtered out till it was just our friends Karen and James and their little girl Danielle we decided to pull out Rockband and played till about 1:00AM. Ahhh Good Times! :D
Wed October 27- This was our wards Trunk or Treat. I showed up at the church around 4:30 to find 2 pirates busily making scones. :) I found the other members of the activities committee and we set to work setting up tables and decorating. We had people outside getting their trunks decorated and ready and we were inside making sure all the tables had everything they needed for the food and that the games were all set up and ready to go. The Young Women were in charge of the games and started to show up to help set those up. then it was time to get tables set up for the people who were going to be bringing Chili for the cook off. We had A LOT more than last year and had to keep finding places to put all the Chili. Karen brought her little girl and when they showed up I decided to stop fussing over everything and go do some trunk or treating with them. We had a few awesome trunks this year and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. The Chili was extremely good and the Danielle really enjoyed the games. I did feel kinda bad for making Karen and Danielle wait around for me while I helped clean up. After everything was done and it was time to go home Karen came over to hang out...which was really fun...till I "decided" it would be fun to fall down the stairs. I was showing Danielle this little parachute Donald we have and how he floats down. Well I couldn't get the right effect just standing so I had to get height. I went upstairs and let it go so she could see how it floats down. hen I went down stairs to go get it my right foot went under me while my left foot came out from underneath me and the next thing I knew I was half way down the stair s with a searing pain and Karen asking if I was ok. It hurt SO bad. Karen helped me down to the coach cause I felt like I was going to pass out and we got a hold of James. He left work early (only about an hour but still early) and came home. Karen didn't want to leave me because I was really shook up which I am extremely grateful for. James got home and after thanking Karen numerous times her and Danielle headed home while James put some stuff on my foot and wrapped it in towels then put ice on. He said it should be better by the next day.
Thursday Oct 28- It wasn't better. I called in to work and told my boss what happened and after making arrangements for my student employee to come in to cover and letting my teachers know it was off to the doctors office. James had to go to class and then work so my father in law was able to take me. After waiting, talking to a nurse then the doctor, then waiting some more, x-ray, waiting we finally found out I severely sprained my ankle. The doctor wrapped it in an ace wrap and I got crutches. *blah* So I am getting around...very, very slowly and I am in pain but it's ok. at least I didn't break it. :D

Catching up

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This post is going to be very long and have quite a few pictures read at your own risk. :p

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Well October is always a busy month for us so its easy to fall behind. :) (pun intended)

Thursday October 7- We had the chance to celebrate our 4th year being married. James got Thursday and Friday off and I took Friday off as well. James beat me home since his class's ended before I got off work. When I got home he was already there and surprised me with flowers. He's such a sweetie. We had an idea of what we wanted to do but had nothing finalized and with our re-finance pending we didn't know what kind of money we could spend either. So after a bit of planning we decided to go miniature golfing and play a bit at fat cats. It was a lot of fun. We had a coupon for the miniature golfing (Only $5 SCORE!). It was a lot of fun, it was dark with black lights and fun drawings all over or pirates and fish. After fat cats we headed out to dinner, then off to do some Halloween shopping before we went home to watch James' anniversary gift Iron Man 2. Over all it was a really great night, some people have said it sounded boring. But when you work days and your husband works night and the only real time you get to see each other is on Saturday and Sunday. It was nice just being together. (Fun Fact about all our anniversary's including our wedding day....out of all 4 years of being married only we only had 1 anniversary where we got to celebrate our anniversary without rain...year 2)

Friday October 8- I really love crafty things and one of those crafty things is decorating cakes, now I am complete 100% amateur but I have fun with it. My friend Karen asked me to make her daughter a cake for her party on Saturday. So with the cakes pre-baked and waiting for me in the freezer I got to work Friday morning while James did homework. I started to get really frustrated with the cake when Karen called and asked if I wanted to take a break and go shopping with her...YES PLEASE! So she came and picked me up and took me out to lunch at rumbi's (she's so sweet) then off to do some shopping before heading back home to tackle the cake again. I needed to get it done that night and get it to her because I had a full day on Sat and wouldn't be able to get it to her. Well we finally got it done and around 9PM took it over to her house. When we got there however the cake and frosting had shifted slightly causing some of the icing to fall. When I placed it on her counter and watched as Karen tried to fix it (which she did and did an awesome job too) I had had it. I felt tears burning my eyes. but Karen reassured me that it was fine. over all it turned out cute.Pictures never do it justice.

Saturday October 9- Today my nephew Addison got married to Tessa Kivett. The festivities started at 8:30 with a breakfast at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we got to know a little more about Addi and Tessa as well as get to hear some pretty funny stories. It was nice seeing family again. When Addi got home from his mission I think he only had a week home before school started and he needed to get up to Idaho to get settled. So it was really good to see him again. After the breakfast we had some time to kill...a perfect opportunity to catch up with my niece Lexi. :) Then off to the temple to watch them be sealed. they are so cute together I've never seen Addi that happy. After the sealing we got to wait for them to take all the pictures and everything and I realized....I forgot my camera. :( So I tried to take a few pictures with my phone. After picture time and talking with more family the group slowly dispersed Addi and Tessa family went with them to watch the rest of the picture taking and slowly the rest of us went our ways till the reception. I waited for James at temple square then we went and parked the car where the reception was going to be (more on that later) and went to kill time...5 hours to be exact. :p So we decided to head over to red robin for lunch and then find a walmart to buy a bag for our wedding gift to them. then...we got lost. :p But what native Utahan can get completely lost in Utah? Well...at least in the Wasatch valley. Pretty soon we found ourselves in Sugar house right next to James brothers house. So we stopped in to say hi. After finding nothing else possible to do we went to the reception early to see if we could help in any way. By the time we got there the place was pretty much decorated and done, the cake was even there set up and looking beautiful. The view was amazing and we were so excited to see the sunset over the valley....so have you guessed yet where the reception was? Well maybe this picture would say....

KABLAMMO

Where else would an avid Utah Utes fan have their reception except for Rice-Eccles Stadium. :) It was beautiful too. Oh and if you look closely you can see the happy couple taking pictures on the field. The whole Peterson family is avid fans (and I mean avid) of the Utes. Season ticket holders every year, they attend EVERY home game and the bleed Ute red. :) So to get a chance to go out on the field like this and have free rein...I bet they were in heaven. The whole reception was beautiful though. They had a short line, cut the cake, threw the bouquet and got sent off by all their gifts blowing bubbles. Then the got in Addi's completely decorated fully messy Just Married truck to leave for the honeymoon. For a final send off Addi peeled out right in front of us with tires smoking and black marks on the ground. Only to turn around (everyone thought it was funny that he went the wrong way) and come back, park in a parking spot. This was odd. Both him and Tessa jumped out of the truck and climbed into Nancy's (Addi's mom) BMW top down and all to race off again. :) A wonderful and sly trick to avoid the cliche "just married" car and thus teach the mastermind behind the car decorating (his brother Alec) a lesson. :)

This was us the spectators. :) Can you see us?Sunday October 10- Our last and final event for this big weekend was Elijah's baby blessing. My niece Erika had her second son blessed this day by his father Craig. ti was such a beautiful sacrament meeting everything. The blessing was followed by testimony meeting and both Jill (Erika's mom), Byron (Erika's dad), and Craig had a chance to bear their testimonies. It was also a beautiful day for it as well. After we had a chance to go to Erika's house and visit with family again and to see cute little Elijah in his blessing suit. Overall it was a great weekend to spend with family and to share in their joy at each of these celebrations.