The Bowen Family

FLoRiDa 2011

2011-09-12T13:38:00.000-06:00

Back at the first of July we took a vacation to FLORIDA with Matt's family! We left super early one morning to catch our plane...

Seven people + 1 week vacation = lots of luggage

We had something planned for everyday we were there and didn't waste a min. On the forth of July we took a little boat over to a island and spent the day on the beach. Being pregnant in the heat took a lot out of me, so I did my best to set up camp and stay in the shade...

We snorkeled, swam, relaxed, and enjoyed the day!

That night we had dinner on the beach and watched FIREWORKS! How awesome is that?

We spent a day a Sea World...

...had fun trying on lots of hats and taking silly pictures while shopping at Downtown Disney...

...and I did my best to avoid any Alligators & Crocodiles. I may not be afraid of bugs, spiders, snakes, and frogs...but I have a fear of these unfriendly creatures

Matt's Ideal spot

Swimming at the hotel pool

A Rainy Day at the Epcot Center

...and a another rainy day on the beach! But it was so much fun to play in the rain and watch the beach clear out of people. Despite the rain, the boys did some surfing, the girls played in the waves, and we all enjoyed the salty, cold, ocean water.

Packing up to go back home

These are our sad faces because we are back at the airport and getting ready to go back home after a fun vacation. Thanks FLORIDA for the great memories!

I Need Your Help!

2011-09-08T10:03:00.000-06:00

I need some help....I would like to invite some friends that are living in the Layton area to a baby shower. The problem is that I don't know how to get a hold of you for your address. As most of you know, I don't do facebook {I know, I know} so I can't just message everyone individually.

WILL YOU PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS IF YOU LIVE IN THE LAYTON AREA AND LOVE ME! I really would love to see my friends!

My email address is marci{dot}bowen{at}gmail{dot}com

Thanks for you help!

Baby Bowen Update

2011-07-18T12:04:00.000-06:00

Don't we look like excited expecting parents? Well, we are! This picture was taken the night we found out the gender of our baby.....

It's a GIRL!

Matt said he knew it was a girl all along and he already knows what bike he wants to buy her! It's so fun to watch him get excited about this new adventure in our lives.

When I first announced that we were expecting I really didn't have much to say about it because I have been so sick! Now, things have calmed down a little and my excitement can show through lots more! Instead of throwing up 5 to 6 times a day, I maybe only throw up once a day now! I am just grateful that my baby girl is healthy and that I am feeling better.

I almost think the hardest thing right now is talking about names! I know, lame. We have narrowed the list down to a few, but still don't know for sure (but we have time). I can feel her moving ALL THE TIME and I love it! My belly is defenintly starting to grow and show...I've hit the halfway mark, but November 29th still seems so far away!

I am grateful that this baby girl has decided it's FINALLY time to join our family!

16 Weeks Down....

2011-06-14T20:02:00.000-06:00

We are expecting our first baby and couldn't be more excited!...but it's still a long time til we can meet our baby in November.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-03-17T14:40:00.001-06:00

When Matt came home from work he was greeted with this note on the door. It tells him to follow the string to a surprise....

The house was like spider web! I don't know if you can see the string going every direction in this picture, but it was crazy! It took about 25 min to follow the string around the house and wind it up!

Matt is such a good sport to play along with my silly ideas....

These are the "cute little packages tied up with string" that he found at the end!

Inside the packages was a butterfinger bar, a new shirt, and TICKETS to go to BILL COSBY at Tuachan in St. George!

Matt Surprised me with a SNUGGIE! I love being able to cuddle up in a blankie and still use my hands!

Matt brought home take-out from Pei Wei for diner so we laid a blanket on the floor and ate dinner while we watched a chick flick! I love my hubby so much! He is always thinking of me and for that, he is the best!

Pictures of our New Place in Farmington

2011-03-17T11:41:00.000-06:00

This is our new place {well I guess it's not so new now}....but this is for all of you friends that keep asking for a tour. We love our place and our ward! It almost exactly in the middle for Matt and I to go to work so we really can't complain! This is just the front room, kitchen, and hallway for now...ENJOY!

Marci Learned to SnOwBoArD!

2011-03-17T10:19:00.000-06:00

Matt thought that it was about time for me to learn to snowboard....so a couple of weekends ago we headed up the mountain to Brighton for some night boarding! I was actually kinda nervous because Matt is like amazing and I knew that it was going to take A LOT of patience on his part.

This is my nervous / excited face...

I spent the some time like this....

...and a little time like this...

...but by the end of the night I had improved quite a bit. I give all the credit to the board that we rented. It was a banana tech board which is supposed to make it a whole lot easier to learn on cause you don't catch your edges as much. The snow was just dumping by the end of the night so with all of the powder it did make it harder to make it down the hill not on my bum...

oh well, better luck next time!

Thanks Matt for being such an awesome teacher!

Fall Bike Ride

2011-03-06T15:09:00.001-07:00

I love the colorful leaves in the fall! We took full advantage of enjoying the canyons and the fall leaves by going on a bike ride with Justin {Matt's little brother...

We made it to the top and stopped to enjoy the view!

Uintas Camping Trip

2011-03-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

In July {of last year} we went camping in the Uintas with our friends Amy & David. We had so much fun exploring, hiking, and sitting around the fire at night. Amy was such a trooper, she was about 6 months pregnant and didn't sleep very good on the ground....

We are both so grateful we have such good boy scouts as husbands.... they took care of us by chopping the fire wood, starting the fire, and keeping us safe!

No camping trip is complete without pictures of S'mores in your mouth.....

Thanks for camping with us Amy and David! We wish you were still here so we could go again this summer!

Matt & his Mountain Bike

2011-03-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Matt did a mtn. bike race at Snowbird last spring... the night before we went to Fazoli's so Matt could load up on carbs.

Getting ready for the race:

"On your mark, get set, GO!"

Matt took second place! {or as he says, "I was the first looser"}

He lost by only by 31 seconds! Darn it!

It's turned into a tradition that I always make Matt a homemade metal for winning the race {he always wins first in my heart!}

...then Matt got a NEW Mtn. Bike...

He raced at the Canyons later in the summer....

...and took 1st Place! He's says it's because of his NEW bike.

We had family come up to watch and give lots of support.....

I seriously love watching my guy race and WIN! It's fun to be on the sideline and get to yell "Go Faster"...that's usually about the time that Matt looks over and tells me that he is going as fast as he can! Ha ha...I love you babe, you're awesome!

Bee's Baseball Game

2011-03-02T09:01:00.001-07:00

Last Summer one thing that we did for date night was go to a Bee's game! We ate dinner, had treats, and enjoyed the night out together....It was a perfect summer night!

Father's Day 2010

2011-03-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is my Dad.... for Father's day we spent an afternoon at the park having a picnic and play catch. It was so much fun!

The banner says "Have a 'tie'-riffic Father's Day!"

We all wore ties and took some silly pictures.

This is my Father in-law.... we surprised him with a new Grill!

I am so grateful to have two wonderful Father's in my life!

I love you Dad!

{June Birthdays}

2011-02-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Between Matt's family and my family we have 5 birthdays in June so it's definently the month to party!

Marci's 24th B-day:

We went to Pei wei for dinner - my favorite! Matt gave me some new hiking capris and tickets to the Jack Johnson concert!

Matt's 25th B-day:

Matt was super tired after work on his b-day so he took a nap in the car in the parking lot of Red Lopster....ahh how cute! We enjoyed a scrumptious seafood dinner together and ended the night with a movie.Since it is now February of the next year I don't remember what I gave him, but I'm sure it was amazing!

Happy Birthday to US!

Goodbye St. George!

2011-02-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

The last weekend of May {2010} we moved from St. George to Layton at my mom's house. We had the BEST moving crew come and help us...our family! Matt's dad, brother, sister, and my dad came to help!

{Yes, we had to get the biggest UHAUL we could just to fit all of our crap}

Goodbye to our cute duplex house!

-My dad was our official truck driver-

Thanks so much for coming to help us family...we couldn't have done it without you!

Graduation Trip - Disneyland 2010

2011-02-23T14:10:00.001-07:00

We decided to treat ourselves with a trip to California for Graduating College with our Bachelors! We went with our friends Parker & Marcie and had a blast!

WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD.....

If any of you know Matt very well then you will know that these next 2 pictures are very significant....Matt does not do rollercosters - but he did ride "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad" with me...and he LIKED it!

This is seriously what my hair looked like after this ride, Ha Ha!

Matt was such a good sport to take pictures with the characters and me! {he even waited in line with me to see the princesses!}

"Candy!" exclaimed Matt.

We had a blast trying on all of the hats....

Next up, Sea World:

This is Matt's lame attempt to stand like a flamingo....

We were planning on spending a day at the beach, but it was so windy that we only stayed for a few hours. Matt went skimboarding and I chased the waves {but they got me wet!}

...back to Disneyland...

I'm so grateful that we could go and play in California! We seriously had a blast! Disneyland was fun as a kid, but it was a whole new experience with my sweetheart! Just because you get "big" doesn't mean that you can't have fun anymore, right?

Brian Regan @ Tuachan

2011-02-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

As a family we went to see Brian Regan back in May because my momma surprised us all with tickets!

Before we headed over to the show, we decided to snap a family picture... It's rare that we are all together at the same time in the same place.

We had so much fun laughing and spending time together...you can never go wrong with Brian Regan!

THANKS MOMMA!

2nd Anniversary

2011-02-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

For our 2nd Anniversary {which was about 9 months ago} we were busy packing and getting ready to move, but we did make time to celebrate.... The traditional 2nd Anniversary gift is something cotton. We have never said that we were going to give gifts around the tradition ideas, we both happen to get things for each other that had to do with cotton.

I gave Matt a pair of Sanuks {they are not shoes - they're sandals!} and some cotton candy!

Matt gave me two new orange cotton towels!

Matt took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden for a delicious dinner, we went on a drive together, and spend the rest of the night packing....romantic eh?

I Love You Matty!

FYI

2011-02-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

I just want everyone to know that I was not fishing for compliments or flattery in my last post, I was just venting a little and letting everyone know why my blog is so behind - BUT I really appreciate all the love and encouragement from everyone! So, as requested, I am blogging. It might not be current, but at least I'm blogging....

Lame Excuses....

2011-02-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have not update this blog since October...Pathetic, I know. I'm now going to attempt to make a few excuses as to why this is the case.

1. I'm too busy doing nothing.
2. I forgot how to blog.
3. I used to not have internet access at home.
4. Nothing has happened that is worth blogging about.
5. Nobody even reads this thing anyway.

The truth is that I feel stupid blogging about me and Matt time after time. We don't have a cute puppy to blog about and we don't have any kids to blog about. It's just me and Matt: a boring married couple. Sometimes I wonder if anybody really does read what's on here....

Anyway, maybe I'll get around to putting something interesting on here soon.

Murder Mystery Dinner Party

2010-10-26T13:26:00.000-06:00

Murder Mystery Dinner Parties are so much fun! If you've never done one of these, you are missing out! Here's the breakdown of how it all works: there are 8 people invited and each person is assigned a character. You are given the plot and different bits of information that you are supposed to reveal throughout the night in order to find out who the murder is! This is all done over a few hours of fun and dinner. It really makes the game when everyone get's into their characters and participates. We had an awesome group - see for yourself in the pictures! Our party was a 70's / hippies theme.

Natalie & Adam

Melissa & Brian

{The bra is a whole other story - it was a part of her character}

Jason {the murderer} & Michelle

Marci & Matt

{I was a Voodoo Hippie and Matt was a CD Producer}

We're in!

2010-10-26T12:41:00.000-06:00

We are all moved in! Our family room area and kitchen are all put together now {pictures to come soon} but as for the rest of the place...well, we have a little ways to go. We are doing wonderful, keeping busy with work and organizing the house, and love the fall weather!

Moving Day - 2

2010-09-29T13:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday, October 2nd

That's right.... we're moving {for the second time in the last 4 months}. For those of you who didn't know, we moved from St. George at the end of May into my mom's basement in Layton until we could find a place to live. Well, we've found a place in Farmington! All of our things have been in a storage unit for the last 4 months so I'm super excited to get them out put our house together and decorate!

March...April....May...

2010-09-28T14:48:00.001-06:00

I'm sure this "catch-up" post is more for me than for you, but I feel like I can't just pick up as of now due to some circumstances. March....April..... the months just slipped away as we finished up final projects and exams before the end of our LAST semester at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah. That's right, you heard me...... WE GRADUATED!

Matt Graduated with his Bachelors of Business Admin with an finance emphasis.
I Graduated with my Bachelors of Integrated Studies with an emphasis in Communication and Graphic Design.

More to come soon.......

Shamrock Saloon

2010-03-19T11:52:00.006-06:00

I decided to use St. Patrick's Day as an excuse for a simple, cute, date night. I locked Matt in the office to do homework while I got everything set up. When I told him it was time to come out, he found this.... with a note. The note let him to the Shamrock Saloon which was at the end of the rainbow with a pot of gold (rollos). For Dinner the Saloon was serving Shamrock Breakfast along with shots of OJ. After eating, Matt went back to doing homework.... but later it was time for a snack. Chocolate cupcakes -with a grasshopper cookie in the bottom - and something cold to wash it down (cream soda).

Well I'm not sure if I make the most beautiful Barmaid, but I had a lot a fun doing it! I really got into character by talking with an Irish accent and being boisterously flirtatious while I attended to my one and only customer, Matt. In fact - When we were about done with our cupcakes I announced "The Pub is closed, boys!...except for you...."
(Idea found on http://loveactually-blog.blogspot.com)

Matt was such a good sport and totally played along with me for the night! I know my date nights are silly, but they sure do keep the fun and romance alive in our relationship!

Grizzlies Hockey Game

2010-03-19T11:46:00.001-06:00

We went to the Utah Grizzlies Hockey Game with Matt's siblings and Grandma & Grandpa Platt last weekend! This was only my second game, but it was so much fun (minus the stinky smell that the hockey players put off). It was such a close game, but the Grizzlies ended up loosing in overtime. Grandma had this amazing big bag that she kept pulling treats out of.... Gotta love treats! Thanks for a fun night!

Wedding Luncheon

2010-03-18T09:00:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to share how the Wedding Luncheon decor turned out..... My favorite thing was the fishing net on the stage curtain! Thanks to my Aunt Shannon who was prepared with everything and lots of good help, I thought everything turned out perfect!

I give total credit to my Grandma for the decorating the serving tables....They had a "Kids" table with kid food like corn dogs and PB&J sandwiches - the decor on this serving table fit perfect!

These sand castles are made with brown sugar -

how cleaver is that!?!

My Uncle Merrile was over the food, and not just any kind of food, GOURMET FOOD. They served lasagna, salad, rolls and this tray of olives, cheese, and stuff. It was so Yummy!

I don't even have a picture of the Bride and Groom - But they both are so happy and in love {and Kristy was a beautiful Bride!}

Packing Up

2010-03-09T09:28:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time I was switching out decorations for month. During this process Matt decided.... well I'm not sure what he decided to do, but I do know that he doesn't fit in a 18 gal. tub very well. The end.

WonderLand

2010-03-08T11:20:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to see this.....

....and it was in 3D so we wore these....

.... and we LOVED the movie!

"HOOKED" Bridal Shower

2010-03-04T18:24:00.002-07:00

Thanks to everyone for all of your ideas and suggestion for a bridal shower.... I decided to go with a fish theme. Fish, you ask? Yes, fish. I know it seems crazy, but I wanted to do something unique and new. This bridal shower was for my soon to be cousin-in-law ~Kristy. We had the shower at my Mom's house, my Grandma made all of the yummy food, and I was in charge of decorations and games!

Yes - those are real goldfish on the dinner table

We played memory with photos of the couple

This was the favor that everyone got to take home at the end

I LOVE to plan parties and use some of my graphic design skills! In fact, my Aunt has asked me to help her with the wedding luncheon and we're using this same theme!

Oreo Cookies

2010-03-03T18:14:00.001-07:00

Oreo Cookies

MIX:

1 package Devils Food Cake mix
2/3 C. shortening
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Roll into 1/2 - 3/4 in. balls
BAKE @ 350 for 8-10 min.
Frost and put 2 together

FROSTING:

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 C. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

YUMMY!

"LOVE" weekend

2010-02-15T11:07:00.004-07:00

For our Valentine weekend we spent a romantic evening out to dinner at Cafe Rio - along with the rest of the people in St. George. After dinner I had this great idea to have a 'SLEEP OVER' in the living room! We blew up the air mattress, gathered blankies and our pillows and cuddled up to watch the 3rd season of The Office. I surprised Matt by making peach Italian sodas and munching on popcorn....

We really did sleep in the living room and had a yummy breakfast Valentine's morning - Fruit Parfaits and muffins.

My Matty is such a sweetheart! He brought me flowers last week because I was having a bad day and he just wanted to see me smile. Flowers always make me smile. While we were out and about Saturday he also bought a cute Valentine balloon.... it's amazing what a little ribbon and love can do. I put them together and came up with this -

I {heart} my husband so much! He spoils me and treats me like princess! He always know how to make me laugh and brighten my day. Our 'SLEEP OVER' may have been corny, but it really was so much fun to do something out of the normal and spend so much time focusing on our love for each other.

I am so lucky in love!

Parker's 12th Birthday

2010-02-15T10:46:00.004-07:00

My baby brother turned 12 on Feb. 5th - he is so stinking cute and funny! I took him out of school to go to lunch and he decided that we needed to wonder around Petco too.

I thought this was so hilarious! Dogs are welcome.... and they sometimes get thirsty.

Parker isn't one to show much excitement - he is way to cool for showing emotions - but I think he really liked all of his gifts from my mom!

Parker decided that now he is 12 it was time to "suit up" (as Barney from 'How I Meet your Mother' would say)

What a Stud muffin!

Movie Night

2010-02-15T10:33:00.004-07:00

This is what happens when me and my Momma have a girls night AND watch a movie.....

...like Mother like daughter!

NEED IDEAS...

2010-02-09T19:15:00.002-07:00

Okay everyone... I need your help! I'm throwing a bridal shower and I'm looking for a cute-fun-unique idea/theme.

The brides favorite color is purple. Any ideas? Pictures or examples?

Come on ladies...I NEED your ideas!

Winter Hiking

2010-01-19T13:35:00.006-07:00

It doesn't matter how many times we go to Zion's National Park it never gets old. With each season comes new scenery.... I love the beauty of the nature.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
-Greg Anderson

Hiking with Matt is always an adventure. He is always so patient with me and I love him so much! We hiked through snow, mud, and with the deer... but best of all we spent the day together hand in hand while making memories.

Sticker Date

2010-01-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Matt had a date with the second love of his life..... his snowboard. He got a bunch of stickers for Christmas and decided that it was time to personalize his board.

Ice Skating at the Oval

2010-01-16T12:00:00.004-07:00

We spend a night on the ice with friends and family....

Jenn - Annalise - Justin

Ariana - Jamison - Marcie - Parker - Marci - Matt

New Years Day Snowboarding

2010-01-15T15:28:00.002-07:00

If any of you know Matt even a little bit, then you will understand how ecstatic he was to go snowboarding on his day off. Matt, my Mom, Aubrey, Parker, Justin, and a cousin all bundled up for night riding and spent a little quality time on the Mountain.

Sledding

2010-01-15T14:55:00.006-07:00

One Saturday morning Parker took us sledding..... we went down the hill with and without sleds. Aubrey was trying to get on her sled but ended up taking off down the hill without it! Parker is a pro at sledding - he would go off jumps and totally knew how to maneuver his body and the sled so he made it look so easy! We had so much fun playing in the snow.....

I LOVE SLEDDING!

Sending out the New Year

2010-01-13T12:06:00.006-07:00

I can't believe that 2009 is over and we're 13 days already into the new year! Life has been so crazy busy for us that we didn't even put up our Christmas decorations! No tree, no lights, no nothing.

So what has made life so crazy busy?

We survived another semester - one more to go!
Christmas Shopping with the crowds
I threw a Twilight Birthday party for my lil' sister

Sending out the new year came with lots of fun family activities......

Gingerbread House Decorating Contest -

BOYS vs. GIRLS

GIRLS TOTALLY WON!

More picture of activities to come soon!

THRILLER at Tuachan

2009-11-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

On Halloween night we went to see THRILLER at Tuachan. Before the show and during intermission they have dead people walking around scaring people out... and that's exactly what happened to me. This guy took my beanie and whispered in my ear using a creepy doll voice..."I want to be your best friend forever and ever!" Thank goodness I didn't have any nightmares from that! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the way the dances utilized the Halloween theme!

Halloween Bash '09

2009-11-04T14:55:00.005-07:00

Matt & Marci - Beetlejuice & Green M&M

Chad & Tawni - Football Fans

Brett & Carlie - Tourists

Eric & Laura - Punk Rockers

Ryan - Ace Ventura

Greg & Kristin-Carl (from Aqua Team Hunger Force)& Pebbles

I always enjoy October, look forward to our annual Halloween Party, and designing the invitations!

I {heart} Halloween!

Fall Break '09

2009-11-01T22:04:00.005-07:00

During our Fall Break my cousin Melissa and her hubby Brian came play in St. George! Melissa, Melissa's sister - Natalie, and I spent our time shopping, hunting for deals at garage sales, and being crafty.

Melissa - concentrating on her "O"

Natalie - hating the sandpaper

Our Final Projects!

While we were being crafty the boys went mountain biking - 18 miles in one day!

Out to dinner at Red Robbins - YUM!

October Doings

2009-11-01T21:40:00.005-07:00

I know, I know....it's been about a month and a half since I've updated. Here's what we have been up to:

went to Oktoberfest - had a blast
went to Matt's cousins' wedding - frosted their car
decorated for Halloween
homework
survived mid-terms
took advantage of Fall break - no school / little work
back to school
more homework
found costumes
planned a Halloween party
hosted a Halloween party
went to THRILLER at Tuachan
decorated for Fall
decided we're excited for snow

That's pretty much it in a bullet list.....

2009-10-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

4th Fun Summer Activity

2009-09-14T12:50:00.001-06:00

Brushfire Pottery

We had the 3 youngest siblings down for a week of fun again this year... Aubrey, Parker, and Justin!

This is seriously the funnest activity! Pick out your piece of pottery - paint it - and ta-da you have a fancy work of art! I didn't get "after" pictures...but you can see them working on their projects!

Justin painted a " BIG bowl for cereal"

Parker painted a "Penguin Bank"

Aubrey painted a black & turquoise zebra dish

It was the week before everyone went back to school so I decided to put together some back-to-school goodies! Aub and Justin are in Jr. High so they got stuff for their lockers. Parker is in 6th grade and got a new lunch box and stuff for his desk.

Justin's

Parker's

Aubrey's

Zions National Park - Hiking the Narrows

We had fun....Thanks for coming to visit us!

Boutique - OPEN HOUSE

2009-09-10T23:22:00.004-06:00

I just thought I would let you know -

There is a Boutique open house at my Mom's house this Saturtday.

Everyone is welcome!

click on image to view larger

3rd Fun Summer Activity

2009-09-08T14:30:00.010-06:00

YeLLoWsToNe NaTioNaL PaRK

This summer we went to on a family vacation with my Dad, Lori, Wade, McKay and Parker. We love Yellowstone and had so much fun telling everyone about it!

Take a look at my favorite geyser at Midway - The Prismatic Geyser.

Yes, I like it because it has orange.

Old Faithful Geyser

Old Faithful Inn

Dad says, "Look there's a moose out there in the river!" - no dad that was just a tree stump.

swimming in firehole river

-underwater shots-

Note to self - if a Buffalo starts walking towards you, GET BACK IN THE CAR!

This buffalo was so close the the road so we pulled over to get a better look.... I think the buffalo decided that he wanted a better look at us because he came right up to the road (while everyone ran to get back in their cars) It was so exciting!

JaCkSoN HoLE - GRaNd TeToN NaTioNaL PaRK

Biggest Mushroom EVER!

This is Wade cruising on his skateboard

We rode this tram up 4,139 vertical feet in 9 min to catch a 360 degree view of Jackson Hole, the Snake river, Grand Teton National Park, and the infamous Grand Tetons!

Jenny Lake Lookout

One night Matt, Wade, and I went on an adventure in the rain and found....

...this cabin! This spot is a favorite for photographers because the Grand Tetons are in the background (it's just to foggy to see them in this picture).

This is probably my favorite lookout - over the Snake river. Again, the Tetons are in the background. I promise.

Thanks Dad for a fun Trip!

2nd Fun Summer Activity

2009-09-04T08:06:00.004-06:00

Toquerville Falls - Again!

My mom drove me back to St. George after our camping trip and decided to stayed with us for 5 days.... We didn't waist a min having fun!

Left to right: My mom, my cousin Natalie, Me, and Matt

i {heart} frogs!

1st Fun Summer Activity

2009-09-04T08:00:00.003-06:00

To start off my summer fun I got to go camping near Jackson Hole, WY with my mom and youngest siblings {My mom's friend Cindy and her kids came as well}.

Our reason for the trip - River Rafting down the Snake river!

We had so much fun trying to figure out how to set up the tent, chillin' around the campfire, and eating good food!

{Pictures from river rafting coming soon}

I'M NOT DEAD YET

2009-08-27T13:24:00.003-06:00

I'm sure that most of you have just figured that I have officially fallen off the face of the earth. It's been a whole month since I have updated our blog! I was going to summer school and classes ended on July 23rd- Time to play! From July 24th to Aug 23rd we were either out of town vacationing, or had family in town visiting. We saw lots of beautiful outdoor scenes like this one....
School started on Aug 24th.
I'm taking 19 credits.
My house is a mess.
I'm tired.
I'm stressed.
..and we're only 4 days into the semester!

I promise I'll play catch up one of these days and tell you all about our fun month of summer!
Stay tuned....

{Shoe Party}

2009-07-31T12:57:00.003-06:00

Even if you don't live close or aren't able to make it, you can still take a look at the online catalog and order!...just go to www.bellasoles.com and click on the catalog menu button.

Everyone is welcome so bring your friends!

Mountain Bike 4 Sale

2009-07-29T23:12:00.003-06:00

Click on image to enlarge

Toquerville Falls

2009-07-26T20:17:00.001-06:00

This is one of the many amazing places to spend the day outdoors in the St. George area. We spent the day with Matt's family exploring, swimming, cliff jumping, and enjoy these beautiful natural waterfalls!

Skimboarding

2009-07-15T15:37:00.006-06:00

On Saturday we went to the river and Matt got to use his NEW SKIMBOARD!

I don't know if I really understand the point of this sport, but Matt seems to love it. For those of you who don't know what skimboarding is...let me try to explain.

Skimboarding 101:

1. find an area in the water that is shallow or there is a sandbar

2. throw the board

3. run after the board

4. jump on the board and ride

{BEWARE - you may fall}

It was fun to watch Matt fall and pull off some tricks, but skimbaording is definitely NOT for me. I can't seem to get both feet on the skimboard at the same time...I'll leave Matt to do the riding and I'll take the pictures!

{Independence Day}

2009-07-10T13:14:00.000-06:00

Check out our 4th of July activities....you fill in the blanks

Pine Valley Camping

2009-07-07T08:49:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday we were able to run away to cooler weather and go camping!

One of my favorite things about camping is sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows.... Matt put his marshmallows on brownies! I made a 'smore - but I think that the graham crackers had gone bad. They were stinky and tasted awful {hence my funny face in the picture}.

We had fun hiking, exploring, and reading while relaxing!

This was a much needed weekend get away....and I'm grateful for such a beautiful world we have to enjoy!

Matt's Best Friends' Wedding

2009-07-07T08:14:00.004-06:00

Meet Parker & Marcie - aka "our tall friends"

{Parker - 6'6" ish}

{Marcie - 6'}

Matt and his best friend, from his childhood, decided that life would be easier if they married girls with the same name..... okay not really but that's how things have worked out!

Matt grew up going on every family and extended family vacation with Parker's family and they have to adopt him as one of their own. To my amazement, I am now a part of the family too! The Tarrant family is crazy and know how to have a lot a fun!

Parker's dad, Parker, and Matt

....and I thought Matt was tall....

Yay for friends getting married!

NOT Me Monday

2009-07-06T23:58:00.000-06:00

Here's what I have NOT done in the last month....

I did NOT not go the gym for 2 weeks

I did NOT have my family come stay with us and enjoyed the time like I was on vacation too

I did NOT almost cry when I found out that my mom really did paint my orange room

I did NOT enjoy chocolate cake donuts and Slurpee's while visiting up north.

I did NOT wait to clean the bathroom for almost 2 months

I did NOT forget to make dinner one night because I was busy reading my book

I did NOT procrastinate doing a test until 9 o'clock pm that was due at midnight

I did NOT keep Matt up til 1:30 in the morning just because I wanted to be silly with him

What have you NOT done lately?

{Matt's 24th Birthday}

2009-06-19T14:24:00.003-06:00

Matt can finally rent a car without all of the extra fees.....

That's about the only thing he was looking forward for his 24th Birthday.

Since my family was visiting, I decided to put them to work and help me lead Matt on a treasure hunt after work! We ended the treasure hunt by meeting for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant - Pancho & Lefty's. I made Matt wear this lovely Birthday hat the whole night....

We had ice cream cake and I had to use one whole package of candles! What am I going to do next year?

I love you Matty! Hope you had a Happy Birthday!

Family Fun Climbing

2009-06-18T15:39:00.001-06:00

Aubrey, Parker, and my Momma ran away to come visit us this past weekend. Matt taught them to rock climb.....

Thanks for visiting us!

NOT Me Monday

2009-06-08T20:36:00.001-06:00

My cousin started something called Not Me Mondays. This consists of confessing to all the things you did NOT do in the previous week. I found it quite entertaining, amusing, and it made me feel a little bit better knowing that I wasn't alone in making silly day to day compromises. Here it goes....

I did NOT eat out at Olive Garden and blow my diet by eating the left overs the next day.

I did NOT buy myself a book on my birthday.

I did NOT get the giggles Saturday night, that lasted for an hour, because of a silly question Matt asked.

I did NOT make my hubby late for one o'clock church because I got caught up watching some movie on TV.

I did NOT drop one of my summer classes after the first day of class because a bunch of seniors failed and were there to re-take it so that they could graduate.

I did NOT eat ice cream and cake for my birthday three nights in a row.

What have you NOT done lately?

Freezing Narrows Hike

2009-06-08T12:12:00.004-06:00

Saturday we went on an adventure with our neighbors, Ryan and Erin, to Zion's National Park to hike the Narrows. The water was especially cold and the temperature was in the mid 70's and windy.... my legs were numb and I was freezing! We didn't hike very far, but we had a good time together and it was beautiful there!

23rd Birthday!

2009-06-04T23:42:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday...to me!

The older you get, the less fun birthday celebrations are. It's just not the same when you away from family and old friends. Birthday's start to feel like any other day...but this year Matt really made my "normal day" extra fun!

He started by making me a birthday breakfast.... an Orange Julius and German pancakes with boysenberry syrup!

My new Mountain Bike!

Matt introduced me to Mtn. biking not too long after we first met.... and I'm so excited to finally have a bike I can call my OWN.

We went to the gym to work out with our personal trainer

...and yes, I wore this bow as a headband

....and yes, I did get some weird looks

To my surprise Matt had had another present for me when we got home.... a picture frame that opens and had has secret department for my jewelry! I love it and have wanted this for a while now!

My Dad and Lori gave me some $$$...I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.

Matt's family knows I love to be crafty..... a gift card to Michaels!

My Grandma and Grandpa Walker gave me a new shirt {wink wink}

Matt got me birthday cake ice cream and we went to our friends, Kristin and Greg's, new house to share! They had a cake with candles for me..... make a wish!

Left to Right: Jenn - Adam - Greg - Kristin - Matt - Birthday Girl

Thanks to everyone for the phones calls, texts, cards, and gifts that helped make my Birthday feel REAL!

Random Weekend Pictures

2009-06-03T21:54:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we went on a bike ride and I got really brave and rode down some of the really steep hills.....

...and saw a desert turtle!

...and a really big grub bug....

(yup that's a normal sized key next to it)

...this is the first praymantis I've seen in St. George. Umm...for thoes of you that don't know, I have a secret obsession with bugs and and such things.

We went to Dollar Tree and purchased a few water toys to take to the pool!

...and we had to test out our waterproof camera...

I warned you in the title that this post was random.... please visit again soon!

Red Cliffs Hike

2009-05-28T12:45:00.004-06:00

On Memorial Day we went with my cousin Natalie and her hubby Adam and hiked up the river at Red Cliffs State Park. The River is drying up fast and is really murky.....

There were tadpoles all over in the small pools of water and I found a frog! I wanted to take him home but Matt said no.... he always ruins my plans for taking home friendly critters.

Thank goodness for fun hikes that keep us cool in sunny St. George!

New Shoes

2009-05-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

After realizing that Matt has had his athletic shoes since the 11th grade and I've had mine since I graduated High School, we decided it was about time we invest in some new ones! Saturday night we forked out the money (tennis shoes are not cheap) and both got a new pair. {Mine have ORANGE on them!}

Sunday morning I told Matt that I wasn't going to go to church unless we could wear our new shoes...

{Don't worry..... Matt didn't let me leave the house with them on....and yes - we did go to church}

{1st Anniversary}

2009-05-17T22:08:00.005-06:00

This weekend we celebrated our first Anniversary!

Everyone says that the first year is the hardest.....so I guess it's all down hill from here!

On Friday I delivered a box of personalized fortune cookies to Matt's work along with a note saying, "be sure to come home tonight for a Finger Lickin' good time."

I surprised Matt by decorating the front room with luau decor in order to bring a little Hawaii to St. George. ( We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon) We had finger food for dinner, pina coladas for drinks, and fondue for dessert.

Saturday morning Matt made breakfast and we ate in bed! We went on a short bike ride (because it's getting so stinkin' hot here) and went and got a couples message! That night we grilled steak for dinner, went to see Angels & Demons, and finished the night off with ice cream!

Sunday was our actual anniversary day. I gave Matt a candy bar bouquet, because he LOVES treats! After church we celebrated by doing the same thing we did our wedding night - had pizza for dinner and watched School of Rock.

"Its a wonderful thing when someone you love believes in you"

- Author Unknown

I found this quote the other day and can't stop thinking about it. The year has seemed to go fast, overall, and we've had a lot of good times together....but I never knew that being married would included having the CONSTANT SUPPORT in WHATEVER you do, and you know that the support and LOVE is TRULY SINCERE. With Matt's support, I can do ANYTHING! School, straight A's, make it through long days, crafts, mountain biking, exercising...ANYTHING! I love my hubby so much and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life. He is my everything!

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-15T09:29:00.007-06:00

This is my cute momma.... she happen to be sick on Thursday {cough cough} and had to skip teaching school. We went and got a pedicure, I got my hair done, went to lunch, and bought flowers for the yard as her mother's day present!

Our weekend was packed with plans....

Thursday night we went to dinner with my Dad and Lori

...and this is what I made for Lori!

A magnetic board to match her kitchen!

Friday night we went to dinner with Matt's parents and failed to get a picture with them.....but we did get a picture of our really cool dinner! We had Chinese food and ordered pineapple chicken. It was served in a pineapple sliced right down the middle! It looked so beautiful!

...and this is what I made for Jeanie (Matt's mom).

Saturday Matt went on a bike ride while I made strawberry jam with my mom! ~YUMMY~ Later that night we had a pizza party with all of our siblings and watched Madagascar 2!

We had so much fun seeing our families and spending time with our mom's. Mom's are special and we are sure grateful that we are blessed to have the best!

The Past 30 Days in a Nutshell

2009-05-14T08:59:00.001-06:00

I have been terrible about blogging this last month...but here's what we've been up to (the short version)

-we moved into the library (not really)

-worked our butts off for school

-finished another semester!

-moved out of the library

-both got really fantastic grades (I got all A's - Matt got 3 A's and a B)

-spring cleaning/organizing

-made Mother's day gifts

-went up north for Mother's day weekend

Some Random thoughts....

-One of my best friends moved a few weeds ago...I miss you Emily! Before they moved I got to have a few play dates with her cute little boy, Krew. He calls me (sound it out) mofish. It sounds a lot like blow fish, but it's cute and I like it!

-Matt bent his hammer trying to bust some heavy duty PVC piping

By the way.... I found a quarter time job! For those of you wondering what a quarter time job is, it's like only 10 hours a week, so I can't call it a part time job-but it's something and I'll take it and I'm grateful for it!

That's the latest with us....more to come soon!

What's getting us through the semester?

2009-04-17T15:13:00.005-06:00

Ice Cream & Mtn Dew

We have one week of school left and then finals! We've practically moved into the library and computer labs... even our date nights consist of homework. The ice cream is keeping us happy and the Dew is keeping us awake!

{dying Easter EGGS}

2009-04-17T14:43:00.001-06:00

Easter Service Project

2009-04-17T13:39:00.005-06:00

For my communication class we were required to participate in a service project. We decided to make Easter treats and deliver them to a retirement / assisted living home. We decorated 72 cupcakes! My family happen to be in town so they joined in on the fun!

Some were a little apprehensive at first...but by the end we all had a good time and the elderly loved it! Thanks family for all your help and serving with me!

Cholla Challenge - Bike Race

2009-04-16T11:30:00.002-06:00

On April 4, Matt and Adam participated in a Mountain Biking Race - The Cholla Challenge. Matt has been wanted to do this for a few years now, and was finally able to. The trail was a 7 1/2 mile loop. My cousin Natalie and I went to support the hubby's and even made them award metals the day before.....

I think both the boys were a little embarrassed because their wives were going camera crazy... but they both put up with it and smiled anyway!

After the race -

they weren't as willing to smile. They were dead tired!

We held our own awards session and

gave them the metals we had made.

Matt and Adam were in the Beginner Men ages 19-29 group.

Matt took 2nd Place in his division

Adam took 4th place

Matt was a little frustrated with himself because the guy that took 1st beat him by only 6 seconds!

The sponsor of the race did have 'real' prizes for 1st - 4th place. Matt got a windbreaker/rain jacket for riding and Adam got socks and a drink mix - but as you can see from the pictures, he wasn't to happy about the pink ribbon.

It was so much fun being able to go and support Matt and cheer him on!

I am very proud of him!

Mod Podge Easter Eggs

2009-04-10T08:24:00.005-06:00

My Mom and I decided to be crafty yesterday..... here's what you do in case you want to try it!

Supplies Needed:

Plastic eggs
scrapbook paper (1/4 of a 12 x 12 sheet)
Mod Podge Glue
Paint brush

Mod podged the eggs closed so they don't pop open while working with them, then cut the scrapbook paper into little square pieces and mod-podged them to the eggs. This is really easy, it just a little time consuming.

We found cute baskets at a home decore store in St. George to put the eggs in, but I also think they look darling in a large glass bowl with some moss in it.

I think they turn out really cute once they dry and they very inexpensive to make! I already had everything I needed except the Mod Podge Glue!

Happy Mod-Podging!

Sleepy Boy

2009-04-01T14:35:00.003-06:00

We have church at 1 o'clock so Sunday naps aren't a regular part of our day anymore, but last Sunday we we're both worn out from primary and needed a nap. We laid down around 5:30 and I only slept for about an 45 min..... Well Mr. Matt slept for 2 hours! That is so not like him! He kept answering the phone in his sleep like he was at work....

It took forever to wake him up... and while still half asleep Matt says,

"I know why.....I so tired. I took Benadryl"

Well that explains a lot, but it was still hilarious!

Celebrating a Birthday with Ryan

2009-03-31T14:21:00.002-06:00

This is Ryan.

March 27th was his 23rd birthday.

We celebrated by going to the Pizza Factory.

We gave Ryan the coolest gifts ever!

A Spiderman kite and place mat.

Matt & Marci

Ryan & Erin

I was so impressed with Ryan's wife - she made this cake! It's a white cake with strawberry filling and she made fondant to go on the outside of the cake! AMAZING!

Hope you had a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ryan!

2009 Spring Break in MOAB

2009-03-26T09:06:00.000-06:00

WARNING: This Post has LOTS of pictures

Look at Matt....doesn't he look extremely happy? Well...that's because he's in MOAB!

Over spring break Matt took me to play in Moab with him! We camped for 4 nights and played for 4 days! The weather was in the high 70's and perfect!

Mountain Biking

Matt went on a few rides while I chilled at camp. Matt's all time favorite thing to do is play on the slickrock! (Slickrock: rock that is not slick, but actually grips to the bikes tires very well. I think it should be called "stickyrock") His goal is to do a new ride every year he goes - this year the new ride was the Amasa Back trail. I went on the Bar M trail. It was the perfect trail for me! I did the whole trail and even rode up all the big hills! It was so much fun!

One Night we found a MUSICAL PARK to play in... It was so crazy cool! While we were there we noticed that the majority of the people playing the the musical park were adults! Check it out:

OFF-ROADING

We did 2 off-roading trails; The Gemini Bridges and a really long one called the Schaefer trail which included switchbacks up the canyon wall.

(This is Matt's Napoleon Dynamite Face while he's drinking water)

Look out over the Colorado River

Arches National Park

The Double Arch

This is where the Wall Arch used to be. It was so funny to listen to the people walking by who didn't know that this arch fell last summer. One guy told his family, "...it just disintegrated." Others would stop and look but couldn't find the arch so they just walked off.

Landscape Arch

The hike up to see Delicate Arch was interesting because you have not idea were the arch is or how far you have to go until all of the sudden you turn the corner and it's right there!

The Purple House

This picture is specifically for my sister-in-law, Annalise, because her favorite color is purple! The picture kind of makes it look blue, but it is for sure purple in real life!

Other Pictures

Matt was a sweetheart and bought me toilet seat covers for the trip. I'm short, in case you didn't know, and I couldn't squat over the outhouse toilet. These saved my life!

One night we got back to our campsite after dark so Matt just decided that he was going to flaunt around in his long johns!

The last night we slept in the back of the truck because it was so dang windy! Little did we know that we would drive home in a snowstorm the next day!

We Love Moab!

Pay it Forward...

2009-03-24T11:59:00.002-06:00

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something, handmade or homemade, from me! However there are some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done sometime within a year from now.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be
5-I have to know you so that I can customize the gift!

The catch is if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2009-03-13T14:10:00.004-06:00

This only took me 45 min to make and clean up the mess!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken (10.5 oz)
1 can green chilies (7 oz)
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2-3 cups shredded cheese
2 cups instant rice
2 cups water
2 large spoon fulls of sour cream (optional)
4-5 flour tortillas (regular size)

Directions:

Cook chicken and shred. Cook instant rice – boil 2 cups water, add 2 cups of rice, remove from heat and let stand for 5 min. In a large bowl combine chicken, rice, green chilies, and sour cream.

In a greased 8x8 pan place the tortilla on the bottom and cover with the chicken and rice mixture. Top this with cheese and continue to layer the whole pan. The pan will be full to the very tip top! Finish by covering with the last tortilla and some cheese.

Everything is already cooked so you can heat it in the oven @ 350 degrees for 20 min or put it in the fridge for later. Serve with shredded lettuce, olives, salsa, chopped tomatoes…. Etc.

Weekend Knot

2009-03-10T15:23:00.003-06:00

Saturday we went on bike ride with my cousin Natalie and her husband Adam. The trail was definitely too hard for me....so I ended up walking with my bike along side most of the time. It was still nice to just be outside and enjoy a little sunshine.

Later that night we watch "A Beautiful Mind" and made a yummy Orange Julius drink!

As the night went on, my body was getting more sore every minute because of the ride. I woke up the next morning with the biggest knot in my back! Matt has been taking care of me by being my personal masseuse and rubbing my back every night. He is wonderful!

Popcorn Popping

2009-03-09T15:12:00.002-06:00

It's starting to look like spring in St. George! When I saw this tree all I wanted to do was sing
"Popcorn Popping on
the Apricot Tree."
....the bad news is that this tree didn't "smell so sweet"

CrAzY Long Hair

2009-03-08T21:01:00.004-06:00

Matt decided that his hair was getting too long because it took too much time to do it in the mornings. His hair is just curly enough that it does what it wants to do....

The Before:

The After:

Matt is a little sad now because he can't shake his hair like he used to when he got out of the shower and he complains that he's cold without his long hair too. The good news is, my hubby is looking good...and as far as his hair goes, it will grow back.

Double Date Twice + More

2009-03-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

Friday night we went with some friends to Brushfire Pottery. For those who don't know, you get to pick out your own piece of pottery and paint it however you want! It only took us a half an hour to pick a piece of pottery...but we had fun conversing about different ideas!

Jeremy & Shari both pick plates to paint...

Matt picked a little bowl...

I picked a plate....

We hardly even got started before we had to leave on Friday night, but we continued our double date night to Saturday! Saturday night we actually started painting "stuff" on our pottery instead of just colors. It was fun to see everyone's creative sides come out!

Shari & Jer are making "Mom" and "Dad" plates

Matt is making a salsa bowl for dipping chips in

I am making a plate for when we BBQ

...Well Saturday night came and went just as fast as Friday night! Matt was the only one who had finished his piece of pottery. Check it out - he even drew the chilies on by hand!

I guess the rest of us are going to have to go back again to finish. I'll post some pictures of our pottery after it gets fired in the kiln! The colors will be a lot brighter and shinier too!

Taken With a Grain of Sugar

2009-02-25T20:58:00.008-07:00

Ok Matt's turn to blog...

Over Valentines weekend this year Marci and I went down to Las Vegas with her Dad and Lori for a nice weekend getaway. On Saturday we shopped our feet off at the outlet stores and then went in to town that night for dinner and people watching for entertainment. We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory in Caesar's Palace for some good food and even better dessert.

Since it was getting later at night by the

time we got in to actually eat, we decided to just share meals. When I say 'share meals' I use that loosly for Ken's case because he's not a real 'food-sharing guy' and likes to eat what's on his plate and no one else's but was willing to make a compromise with Lori tonight so they could share their fish n' chips. Since no dinner is complete without a good lemonade, Ken ordered a sugar-rimmed strawberry lemonade. It only took one "oh that's good" before I gave in to my drink weakness and ordered a strawberry lemonade for myself. I don't really know how many of those lemonades the two of us downed that night but I think we gave them a run for their money on the free refills. Until...

...we were just finishing our meals and licking the sugar from the rim our glasses when our server Jeff asked us for our dessert order and if we wanted another refill on our lemonades. As he was taking our glasses Ken razzed him saying "Now don't mix up our cups!" When Server Jeff returned with dessert and lemonades, we dug in and started to down our lemonades when I noticed I hadn't gotten my glass dipped in sugar again. I thought "Ken has sugar, why don't I? My last drink had sugar left, his didn't. Hey, I wonder if...oh, ohhh" I realized this just as Ken was licking the rest of the sugar from the rim. I inquired with a smirk "Ken did your glass get redipped in sugar? Mine didn't. I still had sugar on my glass before the refills." His face went blank. "Are you kidding me?" We all looked at each other and started to laugh. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!

When Jeff The Server came back, we informed him in between laughs of his mix up. "I swear I thought they were right! Well there goes my tip!" he joked. We all had a good laugh about it...except Ken who took it with a grain of salt, or I guess, a grain of sugar. I guess no better way to get closer to your family than to share a drink with them.

Server Jeff really isn't drinking my drink

Making Pizza-Date Night

2009-02-22T21:09:00.002-07:00

Kristin and Greg came over to have date night with us...the plan was to make homemade pizza for dinner, but the boys decided to play "handyman" instead.

Kristin and I took charge and 'decorated' the pizza. Doesn't it look yummy? We even made breadsticks too!

After Dinner, we went and play the wii at Kris and Greg's house. Check out Matt and Greg during their Mario Kart race... pretty intense.

We always have fun playing with Greg and Kristin and there is never a dull moment!

Day of Love

2009-02-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Valentine's morning Matt and I exchanged gifts.... This year we made a deal that we could only spend $5. I don't know about Matt, but I certainly had a ton a fun finding and making things for under $5.

For Matt:

Homemade rice bag ($1.50)
Stickers from snowboarding shop (free)
Otter pops (15 cents each)
Gobstoppers ($1.00)
Sweater Vest ($3.00)
Little card (already had)

Okay so technically I spend over the five dollars, but it's okay becuase guess what? Matt did too!

Matt bought the sweetest card for me and this sign that says

"you and Love came into my life at the very same moment"

I have such a cute hubby and I'm so grateful for him and for all the good times we have together!

iLove for Valentines

2009-02-13T13:41:00.002-07:00

This year I had fun brainstorming and creating valentines to send to our siblings. I decided to make a candy iPod..... come to find out, my idea wasn't original-Different variations have been done before but I still like to take a little credit.

I took sweetheart candy boxes and wrapped them with construction paper and with a little help from photoshop I created the wheel and screen on the front of the ipod. Chocolate kisses made the head phones and I simply attached them to some string for the cord. Ta-Da...You have yourself a iLove!

Grandpa's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2009-02-12T11:27:00.001-07:00

Here's the recipe as requested...

Grandpa's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cup oats
1 cup raisins

The secret to this recipe is in the OATS. The brand is Coaches Oats and you can buy it at Costco. They actually have the recipe on the back of the back...and my grandpa made some minor changes.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream all sugars and butter together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together baking soda/powder, flour, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Combine flour bowl with sugar bowl slowly. Hand stir in oats and raisins.
Bake for 12 -14 min

**I haven't tried making this recipe with any other brand of oats. If you do, let me know how they turn out!

Happy eating!

My Grandpa made the best oatmeal raisin cookies the other week...so I got the recipe for myself. As you see in the picture, I was baking 'normal' size cookies....Matt wanted BIG cookies! (The little ones taste better)

Thanks Grandpa for sharing your secret recipe!

Homemade Bread

2009-02-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

We were given a breadmaking for our wedding and I decided to finally get it out! By request, I made just a white loaf of bread for Matt. There is a delay timer on the machine, so we woke up on Saturday morning to the smell of fresh bread baking! I'm excited to try some yummy recipes....if you have any, I'd love it if you'd share!

Update on Life

2009-02-02T13:58:00.002-07:00

I know that it's been forever scince I've updated the blog..... but I'm finally caught up for now.

Just a little update on our lives -

Matt and I started another semester of school and are already over our heads with homework. Matt recently found out that Dixie State is going to offer a finance emphasis for the business program starting this fall. He is going to change from accounting and do that instead because he thinks that accounting is just to boring for him. Luckly the change won't lengthen the time he has left in school.

I also found that Dixie offers a new Bachelors degree. Integrated Studies. For those of you who don't know, I like to change my mind often. I have changed my major from Math -> Communications -> Computer Information Tech -> and now to this Integrated Studies. I am emphasizing in Human Communication and Visual Tech (Graphic Designing). I have about half of the credits I need for each area already! It's perfect for me and it's exciting to know that I can get my bachelors sooner than expected.

Life threw us a curve ball and I was laid off at the first of January. I'm looking for a job, but haven't had any luck so far. We feel blessed for Matt's recent promotion at work and for the income he provides. I'm so grateful that I have a husband that works so hard to provide and takes school seriously. For now, I'm keeping busy sewing, cleaning, organizing, reading, and doing homework. I don't care to be home alone all the time because it's too quite so I watch movies too! Although this is not easy for us, it's a trial that we are growing from. Matt and I are learning to depend on one anther more and learning to recognize our blessings better. My heart goes out to all of thoes that have lost there jobs. I guess we'll see what the Lord has in store for us next....

Pirate Island Pizza

2009-01-26T13:42:00.001-07:00

For a FHE activity we went to a new resturant in St. George with our friends Kristin & Greg. It's called "Pirate Island Pizza". tt has a fun atmosphere and an arcade to help you waste your money! We played games while we waited to be seated....

Shooting guns

Air hockey

...and after over an hour of waiting we were finally seated and ordered the kraken (24" pizza) It was HUGE!

Thanks Kris & Greg for calling us to go out for a fun night! We always love to play with you guys!

Girly Time

2009-01-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I gave my little sister the gift of time. I told her that for one day it was going to be just me and her! We started the day off with a face mask.... AHH! oh don't worry it's just Aubrey!

Aubs likes to sleep in and take her sweet time in the shower....so we really didn't start our girl time until the afternoon. We spent the afternoon talking, dreaming, and giggling! For dinner we got Cafe Rio to go and watched 27 Dresses.

My mom relaxed on the coach and had a visitor come by (her hubby) while we were painting nails.

I did Aub's hair and make-up like she was going out on the town for the night (and as if she was a lot older too)

Wade was jealous and wanted to have his make-up done too!

I love having a sister! She growing up fast and is beautiful!

Love you Aubrey!