Anthony and Jessica

Summer is...

2010-07-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

FLIP FLOPS

SWIMMING

GRABBING TOES

FOOTBALL

DISCOVERING

ROLLING OVER

SNUGGLING

LEMONADE

HOMEMADE CHINEESE FOOD

SMILES

FAMILY

Postcard

2010-07-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

I wish instead of using Facebook, this generation used postcards.

These postcards would be sent to various friends with a hand written note and a stamp.

Instead of saying "it's time to change you profile picture", people would say "it's time to change your postcard picture."

All postcards would be collected in a Steve Madden shoe box under the bed.

Over time, the shoe box would be forgotten about because this generation would grow to old for the "postcard scene"

In 4o years the shoebox would be dusted off and opened.

The postcards would bring happiness.

If postcards ruled the world, this would be ours. At least for a short time.

Independence Day is Over

2010-07-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

So here are some pictures

Liam, you are so patriotic.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Laughing

2010-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Liam has started laughing A LOT! There are three distinct things that make him laugh every time.

1. Thigh pinching with sound effects. (shown in video)

2 Thigh pinching without sound effects.

3. Bouncing on our knee while we sing a little tune.

Liam

2010-05-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

Something happens to a couple when a baby comes into their life. Suddenly everything revolves around the child; conversations, pictures, schedules, etc. Even things that have nothing to do with baby, now include baby. Take shopping for example; instead of just going, you have to coordinate your trip with baby's happiest time of day, feeding schedule, and nap schedule. Then, hopefully the stores you visit have shopping carts that the car seat fits into. When this fails you use the stroller. In either case there's not a whole lot of extra room. When any of these elements falls short it can be a disasterous trip.

Another thing that universally becomes all about babies are blogs. My blog will be no exception. So from here on out I hope you are prepared for baby Liam! Here are some pictures to catch up. Liam is now 10 weeks.

2 and 3 weeks:

4 weeks:

5 and 6 weeks:

Our Baby Story

2010-04-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Due to medical reasons I was scheduled for an induction on Friday March 5th. I have known that I would be induced my whole pregnancy and was always a little bummed that I would never get the experience of going into labor on my own. However, even though I wanted to go into labor naturally, I had no intention of birthing naturally. I had always planned on an epidural.

The week of my induction had finally arrived. I was nesting away by mopping and cleaning the baseboards. I had put the important things off; like setting up the nursery and packing the hospital bag. Afterall, I had until Friday. (Fact about me: For much anticipated events, I put preparation off until last minute so I think about it less; the more I think about it, the more anxious I get.)

Tuesday night we were getting ready for bed and I was looking forward to a day at the salon for a new haircut. I was crawling into bed and reminding my husband that we only had three days left as a childless couple. As I was just about to drift off to sleep I had to get up to use the bathroom, of course.

While on the toilet, my water broke. It scared me. I let out a gasp and Anthony said, "What's wrong?!"

"I think I felt my water break." I explain rather calmly. I definitely heard a pop, and I definitely felt the baby drop.

Anthony and I just stared at each other for the next couple of minutes thinking, "This is scary. Let's just go back to bed and pretend it never happened." Finally Anthony broke the silence..."Are you sure it was your water breaking?"

Climing back into bed, "I'm pretty sure, but I'm not having contractions. I guess we will find out in the morning."

Silence... This is when I thought about the fact that I had not prepared for going into labor naturally. There was no way that this could be happening!

I tried my hardest to fall back asleep.

Minutes later...

"Yeah it was my water. You pack the bag, I'm taking a shower."

Half-way through my shower the contractions started. I finished the shower, cut my toenails, put on some lotion, and spent 10 minutes trying to decide what in the world you wear to the birth of your baby.

Anthony had finished packing the bag and was now loading the car. I was cleaning the kitchen. I wanted everything to be perfect when we returned home. At this point the contractions were getting intense, and I finally realized that this was the real deal. I was in labor and the sooner we got to the hospital, the sooner I'd get an epidural. I was planning on a long night and day before I was able to hold my baby boy, so I made sure to have books and crossword puzzles to keep me occupied. We finally took off in the car around 1:30 am. I threaten Anthony with his life if he hit a bump or pothole.

We got to the hospital, checked in, etc. By 2:30 am I had dialated to 4cm. The nurse explained that the anesthesiologist was on his way and that there should be no problem getting an epidural even though my last Lovenox shot was given at 8:30 pm. The Anesthesiologist finally showed up around 4:00am. I was ecstatic. He took one look at my file and abrubtly said, "You can't have an epidural."

"WHAT???!!!"

"We have to wait at least 12 hours from you last shot of Lovenox. I can't give you an epidural until 8:00 am."

Drama ensues and around 4:30 am; I'm 6cm. Forty-five minutes later I'm at 8cm and they're setting the room up for delivery. I couldn't believe this was all happening! Around 6:00 am my body started pushing and I couldn't help it. Luckily, my doctor walked in. She had me pushing before she even took her coat or sunglasses off. Twenty-five minutes later, this beautiful blue being was crying on my stomach. Anthony had scissors shoved into his hand and cut the cord. I was so glad that it was over. Anthony did the fun stuff like putting a diaper on Liam and watching Liam get weighed and measured. I did my thing which included delivering the placenta and having stiches put in my who-ha.

Next my doctor picked up the yucky stuff in the plastic bag. It ripped and everything
went all over the floor. Awesome.

Liam was wrapped and put into my arms. His eyes were wide open and his lips were permanently pursed into a little cheerio as he tried to make sense of what was going on in his world. It was 7 am. At this point no one except me, Anthony, and the hospital staff knew that Liam had arrived and was nestled in my arms. It was so surreal and we wanted it to stay this way for a little while. Just our little perfect family. We let a couple hours pass and decided to let our family know. It took a while to convince my mother that her grandson was already here. From beginning to end labor and delivery was a little over six hours.

Those first few hours it seemed as though Liam was growing and changing right before my eyes! I kept saying every couple minutes that it was impossible for him to look any cuter, but alas. This growth trend continues. At 6 weeks he fit comfortably into 3 month clothes. And now, at 8 weeks, I will occasionally wake him up from a nap and be completely blown away by how totally different he looks!

I love being a mom. I could never have imagined that I would have such a perfect child. Anthony was made to be a father. From the very first second of Liam's life I have witnessed a special father-son bond. I love my boys!

Liam Grant Rodebush
Born March 3, 2010 6:37 am

8 pounds 5 ounces 21 inches

Jessica's 24th Birthday!

2010-04-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Jessica's Birthday; my favorite day of the year. I don't know what I was doing the day she was born, but I wonder if some part of me wasn't blissfully aware of her on Thursday, April 17, 1986. I was 4 years and 278 days old.

It's the little things that make her so beautiful. Today started out with some good laughs as she and I went through some old school work of hers. In the first grade she wrote a very short story entitled, "G SUP" or properly spelled, "Dress Up." She's just as ingeniously creative today.

This year she's passed the gift of life on to another generation, and somehow, though I can't put my finger on it, that makes this birthday inexplicably special. Watching her feed Liam at 3am this morning was nothing short of miraculous.

The ability to love life is something that Jessica can do as well or better than anyone I've ever known. It's my greatest privilege to feel and to marvel at her love everyday.

I love you Jessica. Congratulations Birthday Girl!

-Anthony

Picture 1: I snapped this shot of Jessica as she first spotted a waterfall that we hiked to last fall.

Picture 2: Jessica standing beneath the waterfall.

She loves life and it makes me love it too!

.x.

Big News!

2010-01-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

I am with child.

I drink lots of orange juice.I rarely cook. Unusal I know. I can still do a pretty good impression of Lorraine.So can my husband.He makes me laugh so much. More than any one on the planet. This get's difficult during pregnancy, because when you constantly add uncontrollable laughter to an already shortness of breath and no stomach muscles, it can get a little scary.

simple things.

2009-10-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

Life has changed. We are not in college anymore so we can't do whatever we want. This forces us to grow up... a little bit. We live in Ogden. We like it in Ogden. We have an amazing apartment in Ogden, which I promise you costs less than what you ever have payed for rent in your life.

We like it that way.

We share our front yard with homeless friends and train cars. We get to infuse the smell of whatever we cook on a given night into our closet full of clothes for the next three days, and we don't have to buy stuff to fill up space. Perhaps the best part of living in our tiny dwell-nest is that we we can do a super deep clean splurge in 10 minutes or less. Satisfying.

Anthony just started his new job as Director of Imaging Services and Outpatient Development at Ogden Regional Medical Center. I work at my lavish position for the Mountain Star Network doing physician referrals.

I'm hot and cold at this blog thing. Perhaps I will get in the blogging zone, perhaps I will leave you hanging again. I just pray I change my background before Easter rolls around.

Big things are happening in our life that we are looking forward to. Until then we are enjoying the simple things: Laughing, exploring, and hot wings.

Paris, London, Liverpool, Malaga.

2009-06-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Anthony and I had two weeks of down time so we decided to do this:

for a more enjoyable viewing experience, enlgare the video and turn up the volume.

My Birthday

2009-04-20T21:24:00.001-07:00

I had such a wonderful birthday. Not only did I have so many warm wishes from friends and family, but I got to spend the whole day with the person I love more than anything in the world. It doesn't really matter that 2 days before my birthday I woke up to this......or that all night before my birthday I had the flu and was throwing up...or that all day on my birthday I couldn't really stand up without fainting ( you know how it goes) so I spent all day cooped up in my apartment. But it was soooo the best birthday I have ever had. Know why??Yes that is right. Anthony made my birthday so special. He took such good care of sick me. And he did it all while looking FIIIIINNNEE! Hands off ladies he is mine.

Not only does being sick on your b-day get your hot husband to do whatever you want, but it gets you these...One last amazing thing about being sick on your birthday...you get to celebrate it again the next day! or whenever you feel better!

MS WALK 2009

2009-04-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

After four months I finally have something worthwhile to blog about.

This year Anthony and I did the MS Walk with my cousins; whose mother has MS. We walked as Team CPK (her initials). This was our 2nd time walking in this event and we hope to make a tradition of it. We were also part of Team Tamara, walking in remembrance of our good friend David's mother who died of MS over a decade ago. In addition to these two teams, we walked for the many other friends and family we have who suffer from this disease. We want you to know that you are in our hearts always.

TEAM CPK

TEAM TAMARA

For all the pictures from today click: teamcpk2009.blogspot.com

Congratulations!

2008-12-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Friday we were able to go to Jeff's graduation party! He and Lisanne are such great people and friends. We were so happy to support Jeff in this wonderful accomplishment!

Love you guys!

Our Heater is Broken.

2008-12-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

This is how we keep warm.

Both Washers in our Apt. Complex are Broken.

2008-12-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

So we have been doing our laundry here....

...Well I have been doing laundry here. Anthony comes and eats doughnuts....

...I cannot believe how much I love this boy.

Gingerbread Time!

2008-12-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Every year the Grant's have a tradition the day after Thanksgiving to make gingerbread houses. For many of these years growing up the Kern girls have joined us. Even when I am away from home every other year for thanksgiving I still always find a way to do a gingerbread house. This year (being away from C-Town) was especially fun because the Kern girls invited me to do houses with them. This was a very fun day: The girls doing their thing with the gingerbread houses and the boys hitting the links. So thank you Sara for once again opening your home to me and Anthony! We love you guys!

Utah V. BYU

2008-12-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our wonderful cousin Sara and her Husband Jay we were able to go to the BYU/Utah game last minute! This was such a great opportunity and we had a blast. Of course when you get tickets from a coach of the Utah team you wear red. So this is why myself, a BYU student, is wearing a red hat with a Y on it. Of course Anthony fully supports his soon to be Alma matter with is U hat. It was an excellent game to watch and the Utes played great!
When people find out the I go to BYU and Anthony goes to the U, they always ask one question.

"How do you make it work?"

My Answer:

"We compromise."

100 Things About Me

2008-11-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

A long time ago my good friend Alisa did this tag on her blog about 100 things about her. I loved it and wanted to do it to. But I didn't have the dedication to do it right away, so I put it on my to do list. Now half a year later I have finally gotten around to it. This was really challenging but enjoyable. I hope that everyone would try to come up with 100 (or at least 25) things about

themselves and put it on their blog!

100 things you might not know about me:

1. I love being tall, and I love wearing tall shoes, therefore I am grateful that Anthony is taller than me even in my highest heels.
2. I think I was blessed with nice looking hands.
3. Anything (pictures, video ect.) put to inspiring music makes me cry.
4. I love family and love being around them.
5. Secret professional aspiration I have always wanted to pursue: a photographer, author, artist, beauty stylist, chef.
6. Secret athletic aspirations I have always wanted to pursue: Gymnast, Ballerina, Cheerleader (the good kind that go to nationals), Swimmer, Cyclist, Triathalon-ist ( pretty much anything you can think of actually).
7. Secret musical aspirations I have always wanted to pursue: guitar/singer/songwriter, Opera singer, Piano, Oh and don’t forget American Idol.
8. I like to highlight things. So I don’t even go there in my textbooks, or it would be one solid block of color.
9. I can palm a men’s basketball.
10. I am co-president and founder of Club-blade, a rollerblading club for cool people. This is how Anthony and I met.
11. Music makes me feel cool: When I workout, when I drive, when I walk.
12. I love Anthony’s deodorant and the way it smells on him, so yes I sniff his armpits.
13. I love manual cars.
14. I have taken over 155 tests in the BYU testing center and still have five months left.
15. There is nothing better than a sharp knife in the kitchen.
16. I tend to not like people the first time I meet them (but after that I usually love them!).
17. I wish that I knew as much about politics as Anthony.
18. When we have our first child, I hope that it is a boy.
19. I love surprises (good ones).
20. My current struggle: Get my masters degree in speech pathology after I graduate vs. start a family.
21. I set a school high jump record in high school.
22. I tore my ACL and MCL in a soccer game during my sophomore year in high school.
23. I get really excited in late spring when I start to get a flip flop tan line.
24. My favorite color is brown.
25. I think farts are really funny. Every time I hear one (from whomever) I can’t help but laugh and laugh and laugh, until I smell it, then of course the fun and games are over.
26. I like to get cheesy emails, my favorites: emails that talk about how blessed we are, emails that are long story jokes, and emails that have funny pictures.
27. I love the food network, and dream about having my own show.
28. I can’t wait until I have the property to plant a fabulous garden.
29. I love to color; it is one of the most relaxing things in the world.
30. I think that I am in heaven when Anthony gives me a foot massage.
31. I wish that I could have the body that I had in high school.
32. My life is emotion. Good and bad.
33. I was the Student Body President of my high school.
34. I wish the weekend was four days long.
35. My favorite holiday is 4th of July.
36. I still get butterflies when I hear Anthony pull into the garage (ok so its not a garage, but our apartment is right by our parking lot and I hear him pull in)
37. I get road rage.
38. I have never been a big accessory person (purses, necklaces, earrings, sunglasses) but I have always wanted to be. It’s just really hard for me to spend money on them, but I am starting to get a good little collection.
39. I HATE studying for tests, but I think it is fun to take them and kind of look forward to it.
40. Someday I want to travel the world with Anthony
41. I like reality TV (the more fake the better!)
42. I miss the old Martha Stewart and her show.
43. I have always been a morning person, until I married Anthony. I still try, but it is hard because we are complete opposites in that sense.
44. Recently I have learned to live life in the present, not always waiting for the future to happen.
45. It will be a miracle if I come up with 100 of these things.
46. I hate it when the plastic things come off the ends of shoelaces.
47. I don’t like wearing make-up.
48. I hate long nails.
49. I can’t wait until we have enough money to buy a Mac computer.
50. My favorite number is 12.
51. I like to mow the lawn and plan on doing it in the future. (Anthony doesn’t know this yet)
52. If my knees would allow, I would love to become a marathoner and do 5 or 6 a year.
53. I find it absolutely delightful that my whole family is on Facebook.
54. I get teary eyed during certain country music videos and old church endorsed commercials (“Family: isn’t it about…time?”)
55. I have serious considerations to go to culinary/pastry school or become a cycling instructor.
56. I look forward to the day that we will have a big comfy couch (a 3 seater) so that Anthony and I could snuggle while we watch movies.
57. Speaking of movies, I think Anthony and I are addicted to the art of picking out and watching movies Redbox and Blockbuster style.
58. I love to laugh.
59. I’m not a very touchy-feely person when I am around people. I love hugging my family and my husband, but with friends and such I feel awkward, consequently it is that awkwardness that causes me to hug them because I don’t know what to do.
60. I think awkward should be spelled differently, like this: aqward.
61. That is probably because I have never been good at spelling. Some words I still have trouble with to this day: whether (this is more of a grammar problem), weird, thought, collage, calendar, grateful, counselor, schedule, chocolate, piece, and tongue.

62. I hate talking on the phone unless it is with my mom.
63. My ideal vacation scene would be spend two months in China and two months in Africa with Anthony, exploring as much as we can, using unlimited funds for travel, souvenirs and food. (Add souvenirs to the list of words I can’t spell, thank goodness for spell-check!)
64.Warm sunlight is the best medicine for feeling down. My future home will have many windows to let the sunlight in!
65. I believe knowledge is one of the best things that we as humans can possess.
66. Being a primary teacher has truly added to my testimony.
67. I hope to be an influence in the world, even if it is just in my own home.
68. I am thankful for the influence that Anthony has had in my life, he has developed and cultivated in me a love and tolerance for other religions, cultures, and people.
69. If I could be any other race I would choose to be Latin American of some sort preferably Brazilian.
70. I doodle and re-trace my notes when I talk on the phone.
71. My favorite celebrity is Bobby Flay. I love his culinary style and hope to one day go to Mesa Grill in Las Vegas!
72. I love the smells and colors in Fall, the holidays in Winter, the feeling of anticipation in the Spring, and the warmth in the Summer.
73. Each season brings a new palate of food, I love this cycle, and enjoying each item in its season.
74. If I had to choose between a family of all girls (max 4!) or a family of all boys, I would choose all boys.
75. I look forward to the joys, blessings and trials of motherhood.
76. If I start my day with a workout, it goes 10 times better.
77. I loved being in high school.
78. I don’t touch things it public bathrooms unless I have a barrier of paper towel between my hand and the object. Thanks mom!
79. I like to make people laugh.
80. Sometimes you just need a cheesy Lifetime movie.
81. I want to learn French.
82. I do my best work when I have procrastinated and am crunched for time.
83. I believe selfless service and unlimited outward expression of love is the key to a happy marriage.
84. I was a dancer when I was younger and sometimes wish I would have stuck with it. I think I would enjoy the extreme demand of ballet.
85. I absolutely HATE putting away folded laundry.
86. I go though phases where I don’t care what people think of me, I wish I could live my whole life like this. (to a healthy degree of course)
87. I like random holidays that people make up. At work we used to have one on the calendar for every day of the week and would really celebrate them.
88. I feel that I have a very deep and unique relationship with my dad.
89. I hope to one day live in Idaho. I love Idaho!
90. I wish I could be a better friend.
91. It is weird to imagine life when Anthony and I will graduate in the spring. All we have known for the last three years is being in school and part time jobs.
92. If someone sneezes in the car, a window must be rolled down immediately. I have a fear a sneeze clouds.

93. I hope newspapers never become obsolete.
94. I had a near perfect childhood with wonderful parents and a wonderful home life. I can only hope to come close to creating this life for my children.
95. I painted for a school district for four summers (buildings and stuff). I still have cravings to paint things, and I am always analyzing peoples paint jobs to see how well they were able to edge.
96. I wish Lauren Hill would come back and do her thing.
97. If I could be an author of any book I would choose a cookbook
98. Anthony is the greatest thing in my life
99. I loved our wedding day, some days I wish I could go back and do it all over again!
100. I am truly thankful that Anthony will be mine forever.

Little Updates; Big Deals

2008-11-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is my official post about little meaningless things but somehow create a big deal in my world. Perhaps a few of you can relate.

1. Little Thing: Spiders.

Lately we have been finding a few more of these friends around our apartment than we would like. A couple months back for about two weeks in a row, I killed a spider every morning. I actually got used to it and got to the point where I didn't scream, and I didn't think that the spider would jump up and bite me before I got to it, and I didn't think that it would attack me through my shoe. (OK fess up ladies, I know some of you have had these thoughts before doing the unspeakable) I even was able to get used to the crunch that it made, though it still made me gag. That was before this little guy came along, and two other family members in the following days.

Why it is a Big Deal:

DO YOU SEE THIS! Just be thankful you don't have this guy crawling around in your house. If you haven't noticed, it is red. If you put this guy on a quarter, his legs would extend past the edges.

2. Little Thing: Caramel Apples

Fall is my favorite month for food. I love the warmth and spice of the dishes. One of my favorite things to make and eat are caramel apples.

Why it is a Big Deal:

When you have an apple pie caramel apple recipe that is super easy and tastes amazing, caramel apples turn into big deals.

For those who care:
Crush up vanilla wafers, add some cinnamon and white sugar, roll onto your favorite caramel dipped apple and drizzle with white chocolate. So easy but it tastes just like apple pie!

3. Little Thing: Twilight

I am reading Twilight for the first time. It took me about 50 pages before I was completely hooked. I never thought this could happen to me.

Why it is a Big Deal:

Some already know this, but for those of you who don't, I severely made fun of and let readers of this series know how much I hated everything about it, even though I knew nothing. So for me reading this book and admitting my addiction is a REALLY BIG DEAL. Who knows, next it may be Harry Potter. I do not know what changed that made me want to read it, maybe it is perhaps the movie that came out, and the feeling that I have to read it in order to see the movie. All I know is that I saw the paper back at Costco for $6 and I thought I would give it a shot. It's easy mindless entertainment and who isn't a fan of that right? My only regret about not reading it earlier is that the book I bought was honoring the movie so it shows all the characters on the cover. This disables my ability to create my own characters because I am forced to use the characters from the movie, and anyone who enjoys reading knows that the best part is how you paint it in your mind!

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-10-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

November 1, 2008

Last month in one of my classes, we were asked the question: " Who has the most influence in you life?" In years past my habitual answer to this question would have been my dad. He has always had the outspoken and loving nature to warrant this title.So in thinking about this question, by default, the first answer that popped into my head was just that; my dad. However a competing opinion took over my thoughts; mom. Unlike my dad, my mom was rarely outspoken but she was equally loving. She never had time to be outspoken because it was all she could do to be a perfect example to her children (cheesy but true). I grew up being a daddy's girl, but more and more I find myself subconsciously becoming a carbon copy of my mom. She has instilled and cultivated tradition, culture, love, service, talent and creativity in my life. She prepared me to be a wife and mother without ever letting me in on the secret. Of course it isn't possible to get a lifetime of "Priscilla" skills in 18 years, so to this day, my mother is my number one lifeline second to Anthony. There has never been a time when I haven't heard the joy in her voice when she hears me on the other end of the phone. She is elated to continue to share her life knowledge with me whenever I need it, like when I called her from the grocery store early this morning to ask her opinion about the best kind of beans to put into the infamous Halloween chili.

Mom, I love you so much and I am so thankful for the immeasurable love that you have for me and Anthony. This past week he has regularly reminded me to do something for "mom." He loves you more than you think a son-in-law could, but thankfully you make that really easy for him. You are my number one blogging fan, and my biggest cheerleader.

This is the part where I would typically post a picture of my mom to remind everyone of her astounding beauty, but I know that she wouldn't appreciate that.

Happy Birthday Mom. Perhaps you might enjoy a nice movie in the theater by yourself ?(hehe)

work halloween party!

2008-10-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

I just got back from an efy work party. Go to this blog to see pictures:

http://efyhalloweenparty08.blogspot.com/

FALL

2008-10-28T20:05:00.001-07:00

I think fall is my favorite time of year; Especially now when the mornings are brisk, the afternoons are warm and the night is just cool enough to snuggle a little closer to Anthony. I love the smells, the colors and most of all, the seasonal desserts! (I am waiting for pumpkin cookies to come out of the oven right now!) Anthony and I are also enjoying all of the football. We spend our Saturday's scheduling and flipping channels between BYU, Utah, USC and BSU. We also love Halloween. We usually don't have set plans for halloween, but there are two things that we always make sure to do. The first is that I make a big pot of chili with cornbread. This is a tradition that my mom always did (and still does) and now it is one of my favorite parts of October 31st! The second thing we always like to do is carve pumpkins! This year we celebrated a little early and carved our pumpkins a couple weeks ago with our favorite family the Hollands!

Jessica's Pumpkin

Anthony's Pumpkin

Oh, and I'm blonde now if you didn't notice.

Late Summer Catch-up

2008-10-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

It is already fall and Utah's weather went from 80 degrees to 45 degrees in two days. Classic. With this cooler weather brings some of may favorite fall activities. But before I get into these I need to catch up on the last of our summer memories!

So you don't get confused here is a titled list of the pictures you are about to view.

1. Visit family in Idaho
2. Make an apron
3. Run a marathon
4. Go camping

1. The first of the of our last summer memories was visiting my family up in Idaho in late August. One of my favorite parts of visiting my family is seeing my nieces and nephews!

We spent the whole weekend playing in the sun and catching up on some board game time!

2. I made an apron with some very diligent help from my talented friend Rachel Q. Many may think that this is normal, not for me. I consider myself talented when it comes to "crafts," but let me tell you, sewing was never my thing. I always somehow managed to break the sewing machine. But thankfully, this time, I actually pulled it off!

3. The Top of Utah Marathon was such a great experience! My goal was to run the whole thing without stopping and I did! Below are some of the more fabulous moments.

Here I am putting my number on before the race. My hands were shaking because I was so nervous! I'm surprised I didn't stab myself with those little gold safety pins.

My good friend Suzie ran the marathon with me! We decided back in April that we were going to run a marathon and then we picked one and trained all summer. Looking back on the summer, I have great memories of going on long Saturday runs, and getting up before dawn so I could get a run in before work. And when I wasn't running I was reading about running!

Here I am getting on the bus that took all of the runners up the canyon. The bus ride was 45 minutes long! It was scary seeing what I was going to run(and how long it was) before I actually ran it.
Anthony was at mile 13, which was such a surprise because spectators were not allowed on the course until mile 14. Of course Anthony never follows rules like that. Somehow he got past the security early in the morning. There were even a few runners they didn't let up the canyon when they were late. I guess my husband knows whats up.

This is Anthony's proof that he ran the race with me, (at least 1/4 mile of it). He snapped this picture while running. He was so cute, he would snap some pictures and then run ahead of me, turn around and snap some more, and then run ahead etc. etc.
Isn't the canyon beautiful. It made the run so much easier!

This is my surprised look when I saw Anthony at mile 18! I wasn't expecting him until the finish line.

The one above was just coming up on mile 25. I was had really been struggling for the previous 5 miles but when I crested the last hill all of a sudden I see a whole group with Anthony! His mom and dad and the Holland family! I had no idea they were going to be there and I was really overcome with emotion to see that they all came out to support me. It gave me the boost of energy that I needed and the last mile was one of my best splits!

FINALLY! I am about to cross the finish line. It was a great feeling. And then I stopped. That is when everything started to REALLY hurt, worse than when I was running!

Anthony was so sweet throughout the whole race, he was so supportive. As you can see I got a little teary eyed about it.

This is the absolutely beautiful Holland family who came to support me! Alisa even made a quick little blog about all of the pictures she took:

http://yourungirl.blogspot.com/

And one last thing. If you are planning on running a marathon anytime soon...be prepared for blisters like this one!

4. The last of our summer memories was a perfect camping trip! We went with (who else) the Holland's! We had good food and stayed up all night talking around the fire!

Here is our amazing tent for your viewing pleasure.

Ultra Marathon Man

2008-09-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2006, Anthony and I were living in New York and he was working 13 hour days Monday through Saturday. It was six months into our marriage and to keep myself from missing him so much, I got a fun little waitress job. I was making good money yet still only working barely over part-time. That left a lot of extra time to miss my husband, so I took up reading. I remember going to the second hand thrift store and loading up on books at a dollar each. When that got old (after like a week) I started going to Barnes and Nobel and reading books in the store. I came across this book called Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. By Dean Karnazes. It looked interesting so I decided this one was worth buying (thank goodness for paperback!)

After reading the first chapter I was hooked. This guys was amazing! One night he decided he needed to turn his life around, so he ran all night and never looked back. I would definately recomend this book to anyone. Even those who have vowed never to take a running step in their life, I promise this book will inspire you in most aspects of your life.

I'm sure you are all familiar with the "I can do it too" Phenomenon, with it's peak season being the Olympic Games. Let me give you an example. You are watching Dara Torres or Michale Phelps do thier thing and these little thoughts keep creeping into your mind: "If they can do it I should be able to do it," "She is 41 years old, he is just a normal guy." And then you start devising a plan of how you will be competing in the next Olympics, starting with #1. learn how to swim. I know we have all been there. For me, the I can do it too phenomenon is more than just that, it's a disease. One that I have to battle daily! So about 10 pages into this book I laced up my running shoes and decided to start training for a marathon. Yet another thing to keep me from missing my perfect husband during the day.

The first run of my traing went well I ran for about 20 minutes. Being only a casual runner up until this point, I thought that was pretty good. Then I started getting to part in the book where it talks about Dean's experince, including numerous Ultra Marathons.

Ultra Marathon: Any running event lasting longer the then a marathon which is 26.2 miles. The most typical distances being 50 miles and 100 miles.

Oh but Dean didn't stop there. He also competed in many multi-day events, some lasting two or three days. (In other words he would run non-stop for 72 hours). Suddenly my 20 minutes didn't seem like something to feel "pretty good" about. So I tried to go longer. I made it to about 35 minutes and started feeling the burn. I continued to push myself for the next couple weeks. I was running for 45 minutes pretty easlily, but was scared to get close to an hour. I mean an hour of running!!! who does that?? Before you know it I had finished the book, started to forget about it and our lives moved on...to New Jersey. And I missed Long Island!Mainly because we had this nice little trail that looped around our apartment complex that was about three quarters of a mile. This made running easy. In New Jersey, we had nothing of the sort. So I moved my runnng inside to a treadmill. (I would like to see you try to run on the streets of Hackensack...YIKES!) This ultimately got too boring and somehow made me forget about my goal of running a marathon. life continued for the next two years. So that is my story of how I almost started training for a Marathon.

Until May 2008. I entered a commitment with my good friend Susie to run a marathon in Logan. We signed up, started training and in 22 hours I will be running my first marathon. I rememeber thinking that my first six mile run at the beginning of the summer was soooo long! but I kept picking away at the milage and following the training program that I had chosen. I adjusted my diet and other small things that allowed me to run better and longer, and before I knew it I had finished my last long training run of the summer which was 19 miles. I can't believe how far I have come! I am a little nervouse because during the last 5 minutes of that long run I had shooting pain in my foot. For the last three weeks I have been contemplating running the marathon. My foot is uncomfortable to walk on and very painful to run on. The more agitated it gets the more it hurts! Is this really happening to me??? I get so close and this is what I get?? What amI going to do??? So I leave it up to the docotor.

jessica:"so doc, if I run this marathon will it cause long term damage to my foot??"

doc: "it shouldn't cause long term damage as long is you let it fully recover after your marathon, but I will tell you this. It will hurt like hell." ( ok I don't want to sully the name of the good BYU doctors so he didn't really say H-E-double hockey sticks, I added that for dramatic effect)

As soon as I heard no long term damge I was good to go. But negative thoughts kept nagging at me. "Will I really have the mental strength to run through the pain??" This is where my good friend Dean comes back into my life. Yesterday I decided to give him another chance. I caught up with him on his blog, discovering his endevor of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. (which was completed at the end of '06) Reading about him and his new accpomlishments has renewed my inspiration. Even though this new foot problem has switched my focus of the race tomorrow from running it under 4.5 hours to just finishing, I am still excited. If Dean can run 50 marathons in 50 days then I can run one marathon with a little foot pain. I will finish the race tomorrow, even if I have to hobble accross.

Thanks Dean!

For more information about Dean's Endurance 50 gohere:http://enduranceis.typepad.com/

For every reace he blogs about his experience. His Idaho post is really awsome! It is near the bottom of the page.

Here is Deans site if you just want to know a little more: http://www.ultramarathonman.com/flash/

Wish me luck!

Rodebush Boys' Fishing Trip

2008-09-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Anthony's brother Greg came in from New Jersey a couple of weeks ago. The boys took this chance to spend some quality time together on a fishing trip in Colorado. The morning they left they lined up for their mug shots.

Once they hiked down the 2000 ft vertical Black Canyon, everyone set up their tents....except Anthony. This wasn't because he was unprepared. Those of you who know him well won't be surprised to hear that Anthony built his own shelter. As you can see, his shelter is made from a supple bed of reeds, a wind thwarting wall of rocks and an intricate covering of woven foliage. Other tent dwellers must have been jealous.
The hike down to the Gunnison River was entirely underestimated. This picture was taken at the trail head after a six hour hike virtually strait up! (Can you believe that they are all still so good looking after all that hiking?!)They were so tired and sore! Even though they had a blast, they were so happy and relieved that it was over. They immediately headed to the local steakhouse to pig-out. Look at Anthony's shoulders, can you tell that he was wearing a 50 lb. pack?
It was great to have Greg in town. We don't get to see him enough. Next time we look forward to seeing both Greg and his beautiful wife Kristen!

California!

2008-08-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last week Anthony and I went on vacation to California. Anthony and I were in desperate need of relaxation and SUN after a long summer of work and school. We went with Anthony's family and had a blast. Of course we are now greatly considering the beaches of California for Anthony's Fellowship once he graduates. How can one resist that as an option??

These pictures are some of our favorite moments.

This was just outside Vegas on the road trip down.

This is our brother-in-law Paul with his son Owen!!

Owen learned quickly that the sand didn't taste good.

Big G workin' it out on the beach. What a bombshell!

Anthony is catching a wave. It was so hard for both of us NOT to be in the water because it was so perfect. And we definitely preferred body surfing over boogie boarding.

I know the power of the cobra may overtake you. Don't look directly in to it's ruby eyes.

One night we were able to ride bikes along the boardwalk.
All of the girls at USC in front of the Trojan statue.

On our way to the USC football practice, Owen shows his support with his SC hat.

I decided to hit the weight room with the players, we were comparing biceps. I fell into the above average range.

Uncle Pete after practice.

The whole family hanging out before Pete has to go back and to his coach stuff.

The last night of our vacation. Please take a moment to go back to the top of this post and compare the darkness of our skin from the beginning of the trip.

catching up.

2008-05-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

Time has been flying by the last 2 1/2 months. I haven't touched the blog since April and I thought it was time to catch everyone up on what has been happening in our lives! Anthony started his internship in May. He is working full time in Ogden and going to school full time in SLC. I work full time here in Provo. So in order to save gas money and Anthony's sanity, we spend the week apart and see each other on the weekends. It has been hard, but thankfully we have both been busy enough that the weeks seem to fly by. Below are some pictures from a couple fun things that we have done.

We went to the Timpanogas caves.

We have hiked Squaw Peak

I've been horseback riding with friends.

I Love Anthony!

2008-04-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

My birthday was on Thursday. I was a little stressed out with finals and was planning on spending the evening at the library. Little did I know that Anthony had some tricks up his sleeve. To start the day, I got in my car only to find a birthday card and and some fun presents. Later that day, Anthony convinced me that we had to celebrate my birthday that night so I came home. He said we had reservations for a little Italian place just up the street. So we got ready and we walked to this restaurant that I have never been to. When we got there, the host said, "You must be Anthony!" I was like what?? How does he know you? He then lead us away from the crowded area of the restaurant into a curtained side room which we had all to ourselves. I immediately picked out our table because there was a rose on it. I was so surprised! I had no Idea that Anthony was there earlier in the day making arrangements with the cute old lady from Italy who owned the place. Anthony said that she was so excited about doing something romantic for someone. They even put special Italian music on just for us! The atmosphere was so romantic and the food was so amazing! So thank you Anthony for a perfect birthday. I love you.

Good Weather!

2008-04-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

The last couple Sundays there has been pretty good weather so Anthony and I decided to get out and play!

We went on a walk in the mountains, of course, Anthony had to climb a rock.

Where's Anthony?

These were some fun swings that went around in a merry-go-round style.

TAG

2008-04-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. Painter for Vallivue School District
2. Server at Ruby Tuesdays
3. Janitor (Holla all my toilet cleaning posse)
4. Shipping and receiving coordinator for EFY

FOUR MOVIES I WOULD (OR HAVE) WATCHED OVER AND OVER:
1. Tommy Boy
2. PS I Love You
3. Matilda
4. Rain Man

FOUR PLACES I'VE LIVED:
1. Caldwell, ID
2. Provo, UT
3. Long Island, NY
4. Hackensack, NJ

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME REGULARLY:
1. Anthony
2. Family
3. Work
4. Myself (I email myself assignments and stuff to print)

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Salmon
2. J-dogs hotdogs
3. Prime Rib
4. Really good fruit

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. Beach
2. Hiking
3. In Idaho with my family
4. One place I know I should be but I'm not....studying for finals!

FOUR THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2008:
1. 4th of July
2. Finals to be over!
3. Rollerblading
4. New summer movies to come out

FOUR FRIENDS I WANT TO TAG:
Alisa
Sara H.
Emily O.
Kat

Eggs Benedict a new car and...what's the deal Boozer?

2008-04-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Apart from enjoying the individual sessions of conference during the weekend, we had some fun experiences. Let's start with Friday afternoon. First we bought a new car...wait...what...huh? oh ya, I'm still getting accustom to the fact that it's actually ours. After the "Snowcat" had repeated breakdowns, (for those of you not familiar with the "Snowcat," it is our 1991 Chevy Lumina, aka: Old Grandma Car, [not to mention she's missing the drivers side door handle {if you are wondering, I did have to crawl across from the passenger side} she's also leaking oil and is 17 years old]) we decided it was time to let go. This brings us to our new, Kia Rio. He's a cute little thing, short and fast just like our friends south of the border. Also its manual transmission. Now, for those of you who know me, can attest to my high level of anxiety that I feel when faced with a new situation, especially when it is something that could put my life, and/or the life of others in danger, but the most anxiety comes from something that could make me look stupid ( i.e. stalling in the middle of a busy intersection). So when Anthony fell in love with this car I new we where in a pickle. You see, this car we were about to purchase would essentially be the car that I drive, and oh ya, I DON'T DRIVE STICK SHIFT! After a couple weeks of seeking out different options of cars I new that this was the best deal by far. Everything about it was screaming, "this is the car , this is the car!" But there was a part of me that couldn't get past the memory of the night not too long ago when Anthony attempted to teach me how to drive his manual transmission. All I can remember from that fateful night was Anthony making me cross 9th east in Provo, a mile long line of cars behind me, and never ceasing headlights. Not to mention Anthony's consecutive...GO!....GO!......GO! To my dismay, I made it home safely that night only to fall into a heap of emotion, swearing of manual transmission for the rest of my life. So whats the deal? Here I am not two months later agreeing to this car that I have no idea how to drive? I still don't know what made me say "OK, lets do it!" But as Anthony and I signed our life away, we made an agreement that he would be patient in teaching me and I would have confidence about learning, and that was that. To my surprise, I am doing way better than I thought! It shifts very easily (unlike Anthony's), and aside from some lingering anxiety (only on hills now), I LOVE driving it! It is so fun. Now comes the part where we show off in the form of picture. So please enjoy our good fortune below.

Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to brag some more....

On conference mornings it's a good time for me to make Anthony a special breakfast. Anthony loves eggs, from his head down to his legs, more than anyone. So I am always coming up with new ways to to incorporate eggs into breakfast. So to make sunday morning conference eggstra special, I decided to try my hand at Eggs Benedict.

OH NO YOU DI'NT GURL!

Oh yes I did, that is a perfectly poached egg and homemade hollandaise sauce, and it is sinfully delicious. I was skeptical at first, I have never even tasted hollandaise sauce, let alone made it, but it turned out lovely.

and here's some more....

Friday night our friends Lucas and Becca Kjar had free tickets to the Jazz game and invited us to go with them! They played the San Antonio spurs, I kept careful watch for Eva Longoria (Tony Parkers wife) I'm convinced that If i would of had Binoculars, I could have spotted her, but with out them, no dice. The game was intense. The Kjar's pointed out something interesting to us the Boozer does. Between free throws (not his) he has to be the one to get the ball and hand it to the ref. If he doesn't get the ball, and someone else hands it to the ref, he has to go take it back, feel it and squeeze it , and then give it back, then they can continue with the free throws. It is really weird. I guess it is like a suspicious thing that he has to do.

That was our weekend, exciting I know. I'd like to close with one quick pat on the back because I think this is the longest post I have written to date.

Last thing, on a more serious note. I was so thankful for the opportunity to watch conference. I was able to recieve confirmation that President Monson is a true prophet of God. I enjoyed the feeling that came with watching all of the talks presented so much, that I was kind of depressed on Sunday night when it was all over. Thankfully I got over it on Monday and am now left with only the feeling of spiritual uplift.

MBA Basketball Game

2008-03-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, Anthony played in the U's annual MBA 1st year vs. 2nd year basketball game. Anthony was on the first years team and they won! He played very well (for being a wrestler)

Easter Weekend

2008-03-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Looks like everyone beat me to the punch with their Easter posts. We didn't do anything really traditional, but we had a blast nonetheless because my parents came to town! It was a typical Grant weekend which consisted of eating out and watching movies. One of the highlights was going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Thanks mom and dad for a great weekend!

Sad Day

2008-03-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

So on Monday of this week I went on my typical run, but later that night, my ankle and down into to bottom of my foot started to hurt really bad. I thought It would get better in the morning but it only got worse. It is really weird because it just randomly decided to hurt, I didn't twist it or anything. There is no bruising and not pain when I touch it, but the second I put pressure on it it hurts so bad. After some research I have decided it to be a minor stress fracture. I have been trying to keep off it and doing my best not to look like I am hobbling from class to class. It is starting to get a little better. I am sad to say that I will not be participating in the Rex Lee run. This has been a cause of ever so slight depression for me, but soon enough I will get to run again. I will keep you posted about my next race!

2008-03-07T12:02:00.001-08:00

Next Saturday I will be running a 10k in the Rex Lee Run! I am so excited, and it has given me new motivation to workout everyday. My goal is to run it under an hour, which is nothing notable, but for me and the not so good shape I am in, it will be a good goal. Not to hard and not to easy. So if you are in uptown Provo on the 16th and you see someone with abs of steel and amazing legs come around the corner like so.... ...get out of the way, I will have no mercy.

Congratulations Anthony!

2008-03-07T11:40:00.001-08:00

To preface the good news, in case you didn't know, Anthony is currently working on his MBA and Masters of Health Administration at University of Utah and will be done in 2009. Since September he has been trying to line up an internship for the summer and was getting really frustrated because it is extremely hard to find hospitals in Utah the even offer internships for health administration. He was forced to look out side of the state and even outside of the country ( We were really close to going to Taiwan!) This bummed me out because I really love my job and I didn't want to quit. So finally, last month Anthony was offered an internship at a hospital in Ogden. This hospital, like the others, didn't offer internships, but they created a special one just for Anthony! I am so proud of him! Not only are we one step closer to reaching our goal, but I get to keep my job! After this semester ends, we will move to Salt Lake. He will be commuting everyday to Ogden, I will be commuting every day to Provo. A little crazy, but I guess you do what you gotta do.

March Workout Playlist

2008-03-02T14:01:00.000-08:00

The only motivating thing to get me to work out is music. If I have a good playlist I can work out for hours. So this weekend I decided to make a brand spanking new playlist so that I will workout more. I tried it out on Saturday at the gym and it was awsome!

New Hair

2008-03-02T13:31:00.001-08:00

On Friday I decided to get highlights and bangs. Anthony was a little concerned at first when I showed up with this new hairstyle, ( I did it without telling anyone) but he has come around and he likes it now(or so he says).

Sara Bareilles

2008-02-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Sara Bareilles concert. It was very fun especially since we were able to go with Jared and Alisa Holland! We started the night off by going to dinner and Sushi Ya. After dinner we stood in line outside in the cold, until they finally let us in to Velour. With standing room only, the concert started, and was amazing. Sara is an excellent performer. After the concert we went to Krispy Kreme and chunked out.

Our new nephew Owen

2008-02-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is our new nephew by way of Anthonys sister Adrienne. His name is Owen Gehrig Lawrence. He is a perfect little bundle of joy and he has the biggest hands!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY MY SWEET ANGEL

2008-02-14T15:03:00.001-08:00

Jess,

Happy Valentine's Day. You truly are my angel. You motivate me to be better each day. You are so patient with my shortcomings and so supportive of my sometimes helplessly blind ambition. You would follow me to the ends of the world so long as we could be together. The love that you show me day after day continues to melt my heart the same way it did years ago. You make me smile. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you and I would do anything to make you laugh. .X.

Foxy, Will you be my Valentine?

Anthony

We've shared a million memories. This year will bring a million more.
I love you forever.

What am I looking forward to the most in February?

2008-01-31T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well obviously Valentines Day is the highlight of February, but there is something else that I am really looking forward to! SARA BAREILLES CONCERT! Anthony got us tickets for our anniversary. I'm so excited. We will be going with Jared and Alisa which will make it all the better. Thanks babe.

2008-01-31T19:48:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, one of the presents that I got for Anthony was this little kit where you can blow balloon type things out of this gel and then stick them together. A couple weeks ago Anthony pulled it out and created this little gem. He kept it long enough for me to snap his picture before he lit it on fire.

Our Weekend in Idaho

2008-01-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

My sister had her baby this weekend, Zachary Kenneth Green. This makes her third child and our 5th nephew/niece! Isn't he perfect!Anthony was so sweet with him. An interesting side of Anthony that many don't know is that he is very good with kids! Our nephew Taylor LOVES him. Even after I try to bribe him with cookies...he doesn't come to me, he goes to Anthony.

I've Been Tagged!

2008-01-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

1. What's your husbands name? Anthony Braun
2. How long have you been married? 2 years
3. How old is he? 26
4. Who eats more? He does for sure! We never get to have left over’s because if there is food in sight he has to finish it!
5. Who said "I love you" first? I can’t remember, but I did tell him when we were first dating that I was going to marry him one day and he thought I was crazy.
6. Who's taller? He is. I love that I can wear the highest heels and still be shorter that him.
7. Who sings better? I do, but Anthony should give him self more credit, I think he is good.
8. Who's smarter? Anthony by far. I always come home to tell him what I learned in school….and he already knows it!
9. Who has the worst temper? I do! Anthony is so sweet in the way he deals with me.
10. Who does the laundry? ME!
11. Who does the dishes? Both of us.
12. Who pays the bills? Right now we are both in school, but his is harder that mine(MBA/MHA Hello!) so I am working. But I love my job!
13. Who mows the lawn? We don’t have one.
14. Who cooks dinner? I do, I love cooking!
15. Who drives when we're together? I always want him to drive, but sometimes I do.
17. Who has more friends? Anthony does, at least his are the friends we hang out with more because most of mine are in Idaho. But of course all of his friends are now my friends too!
18. Who has more siblings? He has two brothers and three sisters and I have one sister and one brother.
19. Who wears the pants in the family? I’m not sure, we both have our moments.

I tag Alisa

Our Anniversary

2008-01-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

On December 27th we celebrated our 2nd anniversary! As most two year marriage veterans can attest it has gone by so fast, but at the same time it is hard to remember what life was like when we weren't together. Anthony planned a fun but simple (I prefer simple) day for us. He took me to Cafe Rio for lunch and Red Lobster for dinner (my two favorites). He also reserved a room for us at a fun little hotel in Centerville. My favorite part about the night was going to temple square and looking at the lights. The only unfortunate part was that the coldest night of the year had to fall on our anniversary! We became numb withing seconds and could only last about 20 minutes before we were forced back to our hotel's hot tub.Even though it was cold I loved it so much because this is where we go married two years prior. Lets compare what two years of marriage does.

A little older a little chubbier, but "a lot more" in love. Never would I have thought two years ago that I could be anymore in love with the man that I was marrying. I can wait to see what another two years will bring.

Thank you Alisa!

2008-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Anthony and I were able to hang out with some of our favorite people! Jared and Alisa Holland. Whenever we get together, it is for no less than 12 hours at a time and Anthony and I usually end up paying for it with an hour long drive back to Provo (from Farmington) at 2 in the morning. Most of these 12 hours is spend doing nothing in particular, but never have we had so much fun doing just that. Yesterday though, I was lucky enough to have Alisa be my blogging/photo shop/creative mentor. She helped me make my header and background via virtual scrapbooking. I didn't even know that this world existed! I love scrapbooking but I did not know the possibilities that digital scrapbooking provides. Everything you can do in real life, you can do on the computer! So thank you Alisa for your time, convenient software, and html skills to help me pimp my blog. You are a dear friend.

My Perfect Husband

2008-01-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of my perfect husband.
He is so photogenic! However, he is not a fan of having his picture taken so most of the time I have to be sneaky. I love the picture of him with his dad. Don't they look so much alike??!! I am so lucky to have him as my husband, everyday is an adventure and a new story to tell. He is perfect for me in every way. I love you Anthony.

Sledding in Colorado

2008-01-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas In Colorado

2008-01-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we headed to Colorado with Anthony's family. We spent the week in Anthony's Grandparents old house. The scenery was breathtaking. The boys had fun building fires, throwing hatchets and using the bow and arrow while the girls enjoyed crocheting hats and visiting some of the fun shops up the road in the quaint town of Delta. Almost every building had an amazing mural printed on it. Our favorite experience was when we winded our way up some beautiful Colorado mountains to go tubing. The snow was up to our knees and the wind stung our faces as we tried to find the perfect path to sled down. We finally found it and it was worth it! We had a blast.

Inaugural post

2007-12-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

I guess you are not a very cool person these days unless you have a blog. So in our effort to keep up with the Jones' we are jumping on the bandwagon. Lately, our life has been a whirlwind of decisions and responsibilities which keeps us very busy. We are already enjoying the Christmas season and look forward to a nice long break from school to celebrate with family and friends. This past year has fluttered by as we try once again to prepare ourselves to date everything with '08! What is even more surprising is our anniversary of two years that is fast approaching on December 27! Well I look forward to many more happy blogging days.