Tis the Season

Here's our Christmas card! I didn't end up making it in time to physically print and send them out... maybe next year when we have a cute baby to show off. For now, this is our e-Christmas card. Happy Holidays! We're spending ours in sunny Miami, Florida.

Sissy's Bridal Shower

my sister-in-law Ashli Jane (see her blog here) and I threw my sister her bridal shower on saturday. we held the shower at my parents' house, so naturally my Mom helped us with everything. we're so glad she did, because it was a hit! 

we had fun celebrating Ashley's upcoming nuptials. she is marrying her high school sweetheart Blaze (yes, that's his real name). we somehow always knew they'd be together even after they broke up during high school. my whole family always teased her about him because we could see they were meant to be. they remained close friends and when he got home from his mission in Hawaii, they started dating again. right before her birthday in September, he asked that fateful question. they've set the date for January 6th. 

we can't wait and are so excited for them. Congratulations Ashley and Blaze! (Ashley just started a blog too; see it here). they're also some of my favorite subjects for pictures, so expect to see more of the cute couple.

Ashley got some great gifts...bad to admit I'm jealous? she wasn't nearly as embarrassed as we expected her to be when she opened her sexier presents- I didn't even get a full blush out of her with my gift!

I didn't really take the time to document the event because I was busy socializing/hosting. we did play a fun game where I asked Ashley questions that Blaze had already answered on video and saw how they matched up. Ashley did very well; some of their answers were the same, word for word! go Sissy...and a special thanks to Blaze for editing the video for me.

Mesa Temple lights

I love to see the Temple

my wonderful Mother planned a family trip to the Mesa Temple lights. since it's been cold out and we went pretty early, there were hardly any people there. it made for such an amazing experience, without the usual crowds. we were able to take pictures (I took a lot) and take our time soaking in the beautiful light display. my Mom even brought hot chocolate and doughnuts. it was delicious. of course, I eat anything I can these days...it's awesome.

as for our Christmas plans, we are going to Miami to spend my favorite holiday with Tom's parents! I, for one, am so excited! I'll probably be dying from the heat while we're there (I've gotten used to this unseasonably cool AZ weather), but I still can't wait. I have so many friends and parents-in-law who I can't wait to see.

here are my favorite pictures from our Temple trip:

Ashley and Blaze kindly posed for me...a lot!

love me some Mesa Temple! seriously, there is so much that this Temple means to me. not only is this the Temple I went into for the first time, and was married here, but it is also where my parents were married.

Grateful

Things I'm grateful for this year:

a loving husband

being near my family

expecting our first baby!!!!

the internet (we went a couple weeks without it in our new apartment- i almost died)

our new apartment/furniture

good doctors who answer my questions

pinterest...don't laugh

my new camera (early Christmas present)

much, much more

Thanksgiving this year was incredible. I ran in the Inaugural Gilbert Turkey Trot (5k) with my family. Then we feasted at my parent's house. It was such fun gathering with my family and taking pictures of almost everyone.

First, here is a picture of me, showing off my baby bump.

 Dallin and Krew waiting for the runners to arrive. 

 Sadie was the star of Thanksgiving. We also took a picture of her hiding with all the bears!

Baby's First Concert

Does it count as our baby's first concert if he was only listening through my belly?

...I could feel him rockin' out in there the whole night, so I think he heard something he liked. Tom and I went to his favorite band and our first concert together. We saw Foo Fighters! They really did put on a great concert, and it was in a huge arena (U.S. Airways Arena), so we bought the cheap seats so I could sit comfortably the whole time.

The concert was great and we had a blast, even though we didn't find a Foo Fighter's onesie to buy as a souvenir. 

Here's a picture of us at the Diamonback's game. We got tickets and went a while back. Gotta support the D-Backs, even though we don't like that they go by "D-Backs"...sounds like something else.

This next one is a shout-out to my sister Ashley and her new Fiancée Blaze. They got engaged over a month ago, but I never put it (or this cute picture) on here. CONGRATULATIONS Ashley and Blaze! I can't wait for the big day January 6, 2012. Love you Sissy! 

As for the all-important holiday Halloween. Tom and I went trick-or-treating with my brother Tyler, his wife Ashli and their children. Really, they were just taking Krew since baby Sadie was still in the stroller (not to mention unable to eat candy). Either way, we had so much fun with that little cowboy. He always said thank-you to everyone who gave him candy. Tom even scored some candy from nice people on the way...I was way embarrassed. Krew even let me take him up to a couple houses, but he wouldn't brave our neighbor's 'haunted house' front porch.

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Big news everybody:  If you haven't already heard, we are expecting our first baby! 

Also, it's a.... BOY! 

Here's his ultrasound. Look at him flex that muscle for us already!

I really wanted to have a boy first, mostly because I have an older brother and I guess I just like the way that works out. As my pregnancy wore on, I became more and more convinced that it was going to be a girl, probably as a mechanism to prevent myself from feeling disappointed from what I 'wanted.' Not that I don't want a girl; I just imagined having a boy first. Now that we know that news, I am so thrilled! I can't wait to have our baby boy, even though it's going to be crazy to be a mother. I know Tom is thrilled too. We are so excited for this next stage in our lives... He is due February 29th of next year- leap year! (My Mom keeps calling our un-named baby leapfrog because he's due on leap year. It cracks me up, especially because chances are, he won't be born on leap year.)

Recently, we have been living at my parent's house since we moved from Idaho in August. It has been so much fun hanging out with my family again, meeting our cute niece Sadie, and enjoying the brutal heat (August was somethin' terrible). 

In other big news, Thomas got a job! He works at a local online advertising company, Yodle. He works there with my brother and so far, he has been enjoying it. He gets to work with really nice people and he seems to be liking it, which is important to me. Now that we know we are staying in Arizona for a little while, we are looking for a place to live and I am looking for a job, even if it's just temporary. 

I'm glad we're staying in Arizona, even though I wanted Tom to find a job somewhere we've never lived before. I guess I like moving and feeling that 'fresh-start, new adventure' sort of feeling that comes with it. (Side note: when I went to BYU-Idaho, I had never even been to Idaho, and that was thrilling to me.) But, we'll be here with my side of the family and all the support that comes with it. Now that we're having our first baby, we're going to need that familial support. 

Our Last Great Day at BYU-Idaho

Better late than never to post pictures...

Thomas and I both graduated!!! On July 22, 2011, we both graduated with Bachelors Degrees in Communication from Brigham Young University- Idaho. To make our big day even better, our parents came to commemorate the day with us. We had so much fun showing Juanita and Tom Sr. the town where we met and fell in love (my parents have been there many times, thanks to the closer proximity).

Anyway, here are the pictures to show that we really did wear big black robes and walk all legit on the stage and everything. It was seriously a great day at BYU-Idaho. My parents were there too, but these are the pictures from our camera and all the ones with them are on their own camera.

The best part of graduation was that Tom and I graduated together. We walked in together, sat by each other, walked the stage next to each other and in the same department! It was so incredible to be able to graduate with my favorite person.

That weekend, we all went to Yellowstone National Park. It was so much fun visiting that beautiful place again, even though we only stayed for a couple hours. Our amazing friend Erika Peterson got us passes to the park for free because she worked there. Thanks Erika!!!

The next day, we had to say goodbye to Tom's parents as they flew back to Miami. That's when the real work began. We had to pack up our apartment and drive to Arizona. We had our Ford Escape, our friend Jeremy's truck (with about half the bed for our use) and part of my Dad's jeep. We were able to fit all our belongings into these three vehicles and had three drivers to make the 15-hour journey, which we completed in one day.

Guess Who Turns 26 Today?

My love! Thomas turned 26 whole years old today. Happy Birthday to the sweetest, most loving husband ever! In honor of his special day, I am going to give him a big shout-out.

What I love about Thomas:

I love his kind heart
I love that he loves to pester me
I love that he loves it when I'm grumpy, tired or flustered
I love that he's always willing to help out
I love that he's my absolute dream-boat
I love that he is able to talk to anyone
I love that he is able to talk to customer service peeps who end up giving us free stuff (by flirting? maybe)
I love that he has become such a wonderful husband to me

I love that deciding to marry him has been the best decision I've ever made

Happy Birthday, my love!

Now, on to some fun stuff about Tom, all relating to 26, of course:

It takes Tom roughly 26 seconds to fall asleep on the couch, 26 seconds to shave his stubble (or lack thereof) and 26 seconds to make me laugh (okay, maybe less)

He could eat 26 cookies in one sitting and could probably eat my chicken enchiladas for 26 days straight (thank goodness)

He listens to 26 Foo Fighter's songs in a row when on road trips...he then listens to me sing to 26 of my songs (mercifully)

He drives 26 mph solely in Rexburg

He has loved his parents for 26 years, and they have loved him back

Lucky for me, he deserves 26 kisses today!

Happy Father's Day!

I want to give a shout-out to my Dad and Father-in-law, for a late Father's Day post.

My Dad has always been there for me,
always cared for me,
always taught me,
and always loved me.

I love you more than words can express Dad! Happy be-lated Father's Day.

Also, my new Dad, my Father-in-law Thomas (the first). He has been such an amazing Father-in-law and has been so supportive and sweet to me ever since I first met him. In fact, before Tom (Jr.) and I were even engaged, Tom sent a picture of me to his parents and his Dad said 'he's going to marry her.'

Thank you both for all the love and support you've given, and continue to give, Tom and I. We love you both very much!

Last Semester

Right now, Thomas and I are in our very last semesters of school. We will both graduate July 22, 2011! I, for one, cannot wait! However, we're not quite sure what we're doing after said graduation...decision time. Anybody know of any good jobs?

Anyway, Tom has been making fun of me because I haven't blogged in a long, long time. Oddly, any time I do actually blog, he gets all sad that I'm not paying attention to him or cuddling him. Make up your mind, boy. Haha. So, here it is- a shiny, fresh new blog post.

Let's start with the bad news.

Our little dog Titan passed away Tuesday, May 31st. He lived at my parent's house, even though he is technically mine and Tom's dog. He was out jogging with my Dad and tried to sprint (disobediently) across the street towards another jogger when he was hit by a car. My parents took him to an emergency vet where they discovered he had really bad internal injuries. They had to put him to sleep. Fortunately, my Mom and Ashley were there to hold him while they did it. It's been a sad week, but I know he was very happy when he was alive. I will miss my cute, sweet, fuzzy little dog Titan.

On now to a happier subject. Tom and I are doing well and we are both so excited to graduate! Tom is busier than ever; he is taking a full course load, working 20+ hours a week, and playing on a basketball team. I, on the other hand, am just in school with a full course load. I am taking almost all cluster (two mini-minors instead of one minor) classes. The only class I'm taking this semester that is even in my major isn't required for my graduation at all. It's a photography/photoshop class called digital imaging. This class is by far my favorite class this semester, purely because it's something I'm interested in and have never really done before. I'm learning a lot about photography and editing images in photoshop. We also went on a field trip to Bannack, Montana, which is an old ghost town. The trip was fun, and I got some good pictures. Here are some pictures from my class; there pictures from my trip, around Rexburg and portraits of my sweet sister Ashley and my beautiful Mother. Enjoy!