♪♫What are you doin' New Years, New Years Eve??♪♫

So What are you doin New Years Eve?? Love that song by Mr Barry Manilow who is so easy to hate just ask my hubby, but I can't think of New years without think of him and Night Ranger who I remember playing at Dick Clark's Rockin Eve when I was younger.
I am so happy to be bidding adieu to 2009 Hasta la byebye!!
I am also happy because I get to spend the New Year with these besties:
Doing this:


and this
Playing these:
and eating this:
Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you have a great 2010!!!!

13 years of high and lows

Marriage is hard, to suggest otherwise is a disservice to anyone who is considering it or who is in it, but it is so worth it, today I celebrate 13 years of marriage with my sweetheart and best friend, and I can honestly say I love him more everyday, it was however fitting that on our anniversary eve we were fighting like cats and dogs last night! All is well and resolved (i.e. I got my way, because I am usually right!) and today we ARE reminded of how much we love each other and how far we have come. So in honor, I thought I would post 13 of our highs and lows to remind how much work we have accomplished and to remind him (not that he ever reads my blog) how much I love him. Happy Anniversary honey!

Bad news first
1. The Day we got home from our honeymoon, he was let go from his job, and I lost mine 3 months after that.
2. The first 1-5 years of our marriage John had to constantly remind me that if we fought he would not leave me or divorce me, this was not an easy lesson for me to learn.
3. For 8 long months we forgot to love each other.
4. CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS!
5. They day we lost our little girl, this was also one of our highs.
6. Our two different time schedules.
7. John realizing that I am probably the most stubborn person he will ever meet and HE married me.
8. The day I had to watch John betrayed by a couple of his closest work friends. (he forgives, me not so much!)
9. Um yeah, the economy sucks and construction really sucks this is ongoing.
10. Getting used to both of our families has been a real struggle and is ongoing but we love them both.
11. Finding out John's Dad had leukemia
12. Finding out John's Dad's leukemia had returned,
13. And losing him 2 short months later.
Now the HIGHS!
1. Finding out after knowing each other for most of our lives that we loved each other and getting married 2 1/2 months after our first date!
2. Discovering I was pregnant shortly after our honeymoon, after being told I would never have kids. (don't do the math!)
3. Brody, Catie and Porter enough said.
4. Our first home, however much I hate it, its ours and we have made it ours quirks and all.
5. The realization that history does not have to repeat itself.
6. Falling in love over and over again.
7. The day he turned to me and said "You married me fat why wouldn't I love you the same way you loved me?" .....Plus do you think I would ever want to start over with someone else?? after all the work I have put in, if you left me I would get a dog and call it good!! (lolololol this still makes me laugh!)
8. Surviving the worst twenty four hours of my life and having him there beside me at the end of it.
9. The day we realized that all of our kids are smarter than us!!
10. The day we were sealed for time and ALL eternity.
11. and the day we realized the significance of that sealing and knowing exactly what our little girl looked like without ever seeing her. Our Olivia is waiting for us.
12. The day John started his own business on his own.
13. could be tomorrow..........

Loved you forever, always have always will!

Why we do what we do...

Is it worth it, all the searching for the gift especially when they ask Santa for something different than you and Santa had already discussed? All the wrapping, and the hiding and the stressing and counting, does so and so have more than so and so.. Well when I see some of these faces on that lovely morning I say YES! YES! YES! it's worth it!

The look of the perfect hat!
Cool shoes for keeping tootsies warm!

What prompted this response? Speed Racer sheets! (The best part is I forgot about them and shoved them in at the last moment and 6 bucks at ross!)

The big gift that we "expected a huge response and they just sat there in awe...
Can you guess what it is??

Love it!
Awesome!


Just so you know Santa you can find these at the Clark Planetarium in case you go to twenty stores again??

Couldn't you just kiss that face??

This is...I am too cool to be this excited but I can't help it because after all I am still a kid!!!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that the faces you got to see were just as wonderful!! Happy New Year!!

WARNING!! Sappy, self indulgent post coming up...

I sat down at the computer for the first time in a while, i have been FBing from my phone a lot lately and I just haven't had time. So tonight as I looked over some lovely blogs that I frequent, I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude for the blessings I have. I am usually the queen of negativity and I sometimes dwell on it for way too long, who am I kidding a lot of the time! But as I sit here listening to the kiddos playing together instead of going to bed, my hubby looking oh so proud of himself for the gifts he bought me himself. (he is a really good shopper!) Gazing at my Christmas tree that I love and my blanket from when I was a little girl wrapped around me. Even though I don't feel great, I feel grateful, for a grandpa who is spending his first Christmas in heaven in a while, and the love that he left behind to my three little children, he was not perfect, he had flaws but he did do something AMAZING!! He was and is a wonderful grandpa to my kids and I miss him, I miss him for them.
This time of year can be so sad for so many people but I need to remember my blessings, need to remember how many things I have been blessed enough to love and care for. I love my family, I adore my children, I have the best friends and my best friend I love more everyday and I cannot imagine my life without him five days after Christmas we will Celebrate 13 years together!! I have a sick twisted ritual that I check off my list every year we are happy together its something only a child of divorce would understand, but the thing is, I cannot imagine being happier with my hubby. We have our challenges and trials but we are solid and I really didn't know if that was possible for love to be like this.
I wish all of you peace and happiness during this season, I wish you hope, wish you small celebrations of tiny happenings and comfort in your own skin. I wish you love. Merry Christmas Everyone! And when your tired and you can't sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings...(White Christmas)

Have you seen this?

I have not been feeling the spirit of the season much, but the other night my mom called me and said what was that guy in?? She made me turn the channel, (on a side note I am that girl I can usually tell you exactly what that guy or girl was in movie, tv show etc, tons of useless info knockin around my brain, hence the phone call) So I turned the channel to kbyu and this concert was on and I proceeded to watch this song and was a blubbering baby by the end, and I was oozing with Christmas Spirit when I was done. Enjoy!! Merry Christmas

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

10 Random thoughts from inside my brain...

Just thought I would share these things that have been banging around my brain lately, and I do mean banging my head is killing me right now.
1. Dear Syracuse residents PLEASE learn how to drive in a round about its not that hard
2. I worry sometimes that when I get old some of the thoughts that I sometimes think, I will actually do! (i.e. telling the people up the street that if they are going to pay money to have people put up there christmas lights don't ruin it by putting clashing lights on their handrail) I know it shouldn't bug me but it does. '
3. Why do I always feel better when I have pretty toes?
4. Does everyone jump into their jammies as fast as they can or is it just me?
5. shhh...I kinda of have a little crush on kid rock (I know ick!! but I'm just saying..)
6. I hide people on facebook when they cuss, even though I have been know to cuss myself! What a hypocrite!
7. I really love the smell of butter cooking on the stove.
8. My hubby is the best guy, really don't deserve him!!
9. I have really good friends, even when I go into my shell and ignore them, they are still my friends. That's love!!
10. Even though I have been sOOOOOO struggling with my testimony I realized that I do have one and that it is really strong and I need to work on my accepting his plan and stop trying to force my plan. It doesn't work!
Happy hot chocolate days to you all!!

Love Again..

So this weekend we got to go to a wonderful Wedding of John's sister. It was such a beautiful event. John's oldest sister Melanie, is seriously one of the most gracious, sweet people you will ever meet, and tragically the year John and I were married Mel's husband was hit by a car and later died from his injuries. She has six wonderful kids and she has been so amazing throughout the whole ordeal, magically she has found love again and he is a WONDERFUL!!! guy. I am so excited for them and Mel so deserves it. It was such a sweet event and of course I cried! Thanks Mel for the beautiful evening and for letting us share some of your joy!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope you enjoy this video! One of my favorite songs!! Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday!!!

Not the reaction we were going for!

So back in September we surprised Porter with tickets to a Brad Paisley concert. Anyone who knows us, this was big we didn't tell him it was a huge surprise, HE LOVES Brad he is always walking around with my ipod on singing his songs and its funny because he likes the obscure songs. But I was so excited so off we went, we stopped at five guys burgers on the way and then he fell asleep going down there but it was okay, it was going to be a late night. So we get and wake him up, and of course I am way more excited than I should be and his reaction (keep in mind we had to wake him up) wasn't exactly what we were going for. But never fear he did warm up and then continued to be in awe the rest of the night. So Funny though, make sure you don't miss his burp along the way AWESOME! Love this kid!!

Thriller How to (funny!)

Please disregard this, it is a really long story why I am putting this on here but it is pretty funny especially for my favorite holiday HALLOWEEN!! Enjoy if you would like

I'm BAAAACK!!

Hey everyone! It has been such a long time since I have blogged and I truly to apologize because I do miss my little journal! Well I am done with all my bookwork for skill and I start my clinicals bright and early in the morning (really early 6 AM!!) But I am so excited!! I am sure after my first couple of "changes" I won't be as excited but I am letting the feeling flow right now! DoIH! bad choice of words! Things are pretty good here just school, work, school work. I have lots of pics to post so I will do just a few to try to catch up.
First we took the kids up to Cache Valley over Labor Day to see the headstone that was put in place, it is really beautiful, plus I caught the little guy talking to Grandpa and telling him all about 1st grade. Seriously tore my heart out!!
We also went up the canyon for a drive and I caught some beautiful pics but just one I had to share. was this....loove it!!

Okay that's all I can handle right now. Happy Fall Y'all!!!

Where am I??

Are you wondering?? So am I!! I have so many things to blog I hope to do a whole lot of catching up this weekend but don't count on it, the list is long... we have had too much of homework, errands, birthdays, outings, work, getting ready for mom to be in school, family visiting crazy, crazy, crazy and it feels like overnight! Did I mention I have a twelve year old now??? ugh! more to come soon I promise!! Toodles!!

My favorite jewelry maker is worth a look at...

So Kelly my friend with the coolest blog, in addition to being a kick it in the bootie photog, also makes amazing jewelry! I have a lovely personalized bracelet she made for me with my kids pics it is seriously my favorite piece of jewelry I own, but don't tell my hubby I do love my wedding ring. Anyway, I added the button to her etsy shop on the side over there on the right. Check it out even if you can't afford anything right now, (like me) it is still fun to dream, if I could by them these lovelies would be at the top of my list! They are worth buying an new outfit to match, just to be able to wear them! LOVE IT!! HAppy day to all!!

OHH WOAHH I gotta gooo!

That's right I am going back to school!!! I am so excited!! I am going to get my CNA and from there I will go on to get my blood sucker certification! I am really excited it just feels like progress and that is great! Wish me luck it has been 13 years since I have been in school!! Thanks for the interest by the way!! Please understand if my posts slow down even more! p.s. do you like the rydell high homage pic!??

Do anyone else feel stuck???

Things are hard right now, and I really think its not just me, I have talked to so many people who are really just struggling right now. I hate feeling that way, I hate feeling like I am not making any progress toward anything...SOOOO I have done something about I can't say yet but stand by the big announcement will be coming in the next couple of days....Do I have you intrigued?? Probably not but it was worth a try! Happy End of Summer!

A Jedi might I be...yes.

So back on the fourth of July we went to the Layton Park (best fireworks ever!! LLLAYTTTON LAAYYTONN!) Anyway who can resist the light up swords?? Not I says me, so it was time to battle we had such a fun day with Cliff, and Chase and Mike and Jim, we missed Paul! and families I was feeling a little frisky so I decided to battle with my new sword and I was pretty good if I do say so myself. The best part was when some of my students saw me and the looks on their faces CLASSIC!!
May the force be with you!
A great defensive move!
Going in for the kill, Was there ever a better face! Ugh!
Did I mention I also scared my own children and all my nieces and nephews by jumping in the pool with them fully clothed, They got over their initial shock and started splashing me pretty soon after that!

Field Trip!

So for another Field Trip we went to the Arts Festival which was way fun, plus we road the train there (makes if funner) Here are some pics of the trip

Waiting for the Train...
Making art stuff
Admiring their creations
Face Painting Power Ranger

This took WAAYY too longThe top on was supposed to be the Transformer sign not a scary teddy bear
The following is what happens when you get bored on a train on the way home..


Practicing to be in a cover band of KISS
Happy Summer Everyone!