Christmas Stuff

I haven't really had anything to blog about lately so I haven't updated in awhile.  Here it is December 23rd and I hadn't even but up a Christmas background or put on my Christmas music.  Anyway I decided I would take a picture of my cute little living room.  Since our tree is so small it turned out nice to put it on the coffee table.

This is a cookie recipe I decided to try this year.  They were kind of a lot of work but I thought they turned out cute.  They were pretty good too.

And this is a scarf that I saw and decided that I could probably crochet it.  I found a pattern and I have now made four of them for gifts. 
It has been kind of a weird Christmas season with my Mom gone but I have loved having my brother's family here.  I told my nephew Marshal that I would sleep at his house for Christmas.  So he has been counting down.  He told me yesterday that there was two more days until I sleep over and three more days until Christmas.  I love that me sleeping over is exciting enough for him to count down.

My Cousin Won!

My cousin won and will be getting free lasik eye surgery.  Congratulations Ryan!!  And if there were any of you that voted for him from reading my blog I say thank you and I am sure he does too.

Please Help My Cousin

My cousin posted this on our family website and in hopes of helping him out I decided to post it on here so that maybe some of you would vote for him too!!  I watched the video and it is the cutest thing ever.  It is his daughter Sophie narrating and his other daughter Emma that drew the pictures.

Greetings Family!
So I know that most of you (if not all) have been informed about the Hoopes Vision Lasik Contest that we're a finalist in. The support that has been shown our family has been overwhelming. I know a lot of you have posted about it in facebook, on blogs, and even emailed your friends. I'm just writing to say thank you! We appreciate it so much! I have been blessed with such a loving and supportive family.

If you haven't heard.... Last month Rachel entered me in a contest for free lasik from Hoopes Vision. There were over 100 entries and we found out today that I am 1 of 6 FINALISTs!! Whoot Whoot! The winner gets free lasik valued at $5,000.00 so we really want to win. So anyways, it would be great if you could go vote for us.

Here's the details.

    * Go to http://www.hoopesvision.com/contest/finalists.html (our video is in the Humorous Category and it shows a crayon picture of me in my blue striped pajamas... Emma drew it:)

    * To Vote you go to the blue and white banner at the top of the page that says, "Vote for your Favorite Finalist"

    * You have to vote for one video in each category (I just picked random videos in the other two categories, they don't compete against us so it doesn't matter)
    * Our video is under the humorous category and it's called My Dad's Eyes!
    * You can vote once a day (That would be awesome if you could do this, but even one or two votes would be great!)
    * Contest closes November 28th at midnight

Rachel's brother also started a   blog - http://goodreadsforgooddeeds.blogspot.com/ . He started this blog to help encourage people come get a   "good read" and then do a "good deed" (by voting for my video).

Again, thank you everyone for voting! (remember you can vote everyday!)

Thanks,

Ryan

Fun Halloween pictures!

I don't dress up for Halloween very often, but this year I was invited to a party and I found a creative idea online so I decided to make it.

I'm a box of tissue.  That Rubix cube is my friend Libby.

The party was at my friend Laura's house and she had some fun minute to win it games prepared.  We had a good time.  Here are some of the other people at the party.

Kacee was a bunch of grapes and Kyle was a hell's angel

I don't know the first guy very well but the "Slim Jim" is my friend Jason.  He is so funny!  (He has been featured on this blog before)  It just seemed like a perfect costume for him.

Then of course I couldn't leave out pictures of some of my cute nieces and nephews.

You can hardly see Bret, he was a ninja.  Marshal was a soccer player and Danny a skeleton.

I guess my Brother and his wife went to a party Friday and Saturday so they dressed Ellie up in two different costumes.  She looks adorable in both.

She is kind of pulling a funny face but this was the best picture of her sleeping beauty dress.

A Beautiful Day in Zion

My Brother Lyle and his wife Andrea decided to take their kids to Zion while they had a couple days off for UEA.  They invited me to come along since they went on my day off.  It was a perfect day for hiking.

We hiked to the upper Emerald Pools.  It was really cool up there but it felt nice after the hike.

When I was in sixth grade we went there for a field trip.  Back then they used to let you swim in the pool but they won't let you do that anymore.  I doubt I would want to now.  That water is COLD!  After that  hike we ate lunch at the lodge. 

Marshal

Then we decided to hike Weeping Rock.  This was the boys playing while we took a short break for the baby to be fed.

Marshal, Bret and Danny

I love Weeping Rock!  It is a really short hike and so beautiful.  It is amazing to me that it drips down water all the time.  As it turns out it was actually raining too. 
Then we decided to go watch the 3-D movie at the IMAX.  It was about prehistoric water creatures.  It was a fun one to see in 3-D. 
We left that morning around 9 am.  When they were dropping me off about 6 pm Marshal (my five year old nephew) said, "But you haven't been to our house today."  I said, " But I have been with you all day."  He said, "Yeah, but not at our house."  I am glad the little guy likes me because I am enjoying having them around.

Crazy September

September was such a busy month!  Mostly good stuff, thank goodness.
-Found out I have a good judgment when picking a horse to bet on at the horse races.  I won 4 out of 6.  (Friendly betting with my friends. A dollar a race.)  I walked away with 11 more dollars than I came with! (Iron County Fair)

This is one of my winning picks!

 -Went to Time Out for Women with my sister and her friend K-Lee in Logan.  We had a great time and it was a great way to refresh! And got to see Ellie on the way home.

-Found out the salon I have been working at for the last three and a half years was going out of business.  Had two and a half weeks notice.  I had actually been expecting it.
-Found a brand new salon that would be opening right when we needed it too.  The new owner hired all of us from the old salon so we are all still working together! (pictures to come, it is really cute!)

-Skyfest was practically in my front yard!  I loved it!

 -Went to the Demolition Derby in Orderville, always a good time!

 -My brother and his family moving here.  So I got to meet my newest niece.  She's a red head and so very precious!

-Attended a fundraiser in my home town for my Uncle who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Makes me grateful for the small town I come from when you see everyone banned together like that!
-My Mom and Step-dad left on their mission to Nauvoo.  I am very excited for them but know I am going to miss them a lot.

You don't have to wait for the mail anymore. My Mom picture texted this to me. :)

-Nephew that just moved here's 5th birthday.

-On the very last day of September I packed up my stuff from the old salon into my car.  I was unemployed for the next four days.  The new place didn't open until October 5th.  It was kind of weird to not have a place to go work even if I wanted to.  Thank goodness it was only four days.
My four days of unemployment consisted of sleeping in, lunch with a friend, cutting hair in my bathroom, breakfast with a friend, going to Tuachan (which was rained out), driving to Provo and back in a day to see my Mom and Neal before they left the MTC, catching up on some TV shows, attending a piano concert, and then telling the boy that took me to the piano concert we would only ever be friends. Oops, think I made him mad!
Yep, it has been a busy month and a half.  I didn't even include the bridal shower and wedding of a former roommate/good friend.  Hopefully life will slow down a little.

Two Mini Trips

I've been meaning to post pictures from these two little trips I went on.  The first one was over to the Bryce Canyon area on August 8th.  My friend Jenny was there for a family reunion.  She lives in Phoenix and I hadn't seen her for over a year.  She has since had a baby that I got to meet for the first time.  It was so good to see her and we had a great visit.  The family reunion was with Jenny's husband's family and they were all really nice to me.  The scenery over there was spectacular that day.  It was a little rainy which cooled it off and brought out the beautiful rainbow.

Then my Mom and I went up to Salt Lake on August 26th for my niece's first birthday.  Time goes by so fast.  I can't believe she is a year old. We got up there late Thursday evening.  Friday we mostly did shopping. My friend Natalie came down that night for dinner.  Then Saturday we met my cousin Carson and his family at the Zoo.  After the Zoo we went back to my brother's house for pizza and birthday cupcakes.  It was a fun weekend.

This is the little tutu my Mom gave her.

This is one of the outfits I bought her.

This was after she had eaten some cupcake!

Isn't she adorable?

Called to Serve.....

My Mom and Step Dad are going on a mission.  They got their call to Nauvoo Illinois.  They will be gone for 18 months and they report to the MTC on Sept 20th.  I don't think I realize yet how much I am going to miss them.  I know I rely on them a lot more than I think I do but it will probably be good for all of us.  I am really excited for them!
My brother Lyle is moving down from Alaska to stay in their house for a while so that will soften the blow.  Ironically I will pick some of Lyle's family up at the airport the day after my Mom leaves.  I am very excited about my nephews and newest niece being here!!! 

Lake Powell 2010!!!!

My cousins invited me to Lake Powell again this summer.  I had so much fun last year that I rescheduled a client and had a swimming suit priority shipped to me so I could go!  Swimming, boating, tubing, sleeping and sunburning are a few of the things that happened that day.  Here are some pictures of the fun:

Lone Rock

I swam up into that little canyon

That is Owen, Marv and Nick.  Their antics always make me laugh!

 This is Nick.  After I took this picture I told him I was going to show it to all my single friends.  The only problem is girls.......he's young!  Sorry!

 I love this picture of the two little girls sleeping.  If only I could sleep wherever!

This is Marv and Nick DIVING into the water.  They are crazy.

This is how we all felt after a long day of fun!
And now my skin is peeling like crazy from all the sun.  I would take a picture but believe me, you don't want to see it!

 

I Have a New Niece!!

After such a drought of girls being born into my family we have had two in a little less than a year.  The newest one was just born on Tuesday.  My brother and his wife chose not to find out if it was a boy or a girl before she was born.  They already have three boys so it was pretty exciting to get a girl.  The bad news, she lives in Alaska (a short 2168.31 miles including ferry).  So when I will get to see her in person is up for debate.  Her name is Shelayne.  My brother warned us it would be a different name that we would have to get used to but he wouldn't tell us until she was born.  I was actually expecting something a lot more off the wall than Shelyane. Here are some pictures of the sweet thing.

 About four days before she was born my brother had called and left a message on my phone that said "Hey we have good news!"  I of course thought the baby had been born and couldn't believe I had missed his call.  When I called back he told me he had hit a grand slam at his softball game.  I told him he was a jerk.  So the day he called when she really was born this is how the conversation went:
My brother:  "Guess what I am holding?"
Me:  "A new baby?!"
My brother: "A hamburger actually."
Me:  "You are such a jerk!"
My brother: "Okay, a baby really and she is pretty cute."
Me: "It is a girl really?"  (after eight years with only boys born I am a skeptic)

This one is of her and her big brother Marshal.  He has been the youngest for the last four years and I think it will be an adjustment for him.  When they brought her home he asked when she was going to go back.  They told him they were going to keep her forever.  His reply, "Hmmm, how about until December?"

24th of July

My brother Jeff and his little family came down from Salt Lake for the 24th.  The night before, his family, my sister's family, me and my Mom and step dad met up at my step dad's cabin on Cedar Mountain and had dinner.

I love this picture of Hoggie and Ellie!

Me and my sister's five year old stayed the night at the cabin with my Mom and step dad.  The rest of the headed to Orderville.  We went the next morning.  In Orderville there was a parade.........

These pictures are all part of my Hoyt cousin's float.  The theme was making memories and theirs was about clowning around together.  That is my brother Jeff that is "The tame one"  They won for best costumes.  Their float was pretty cute.  Even the little ones were dressed as clowns.

Isn't she adorable!

Later we went to the park for lunch and then again for dinner.  The rest of the time is was just hanging out with the fam.  We had a good time.  It was good to see this one.........

Of course.  I miss her now that she lives up north.  But that is better than Alaska where the other two brothers live.

Tuachan

This summer I have been lucky enough to attend both of the plays at Tuachan in St. George.  My friend Libby's sister works there and gives us free tickets! (Thanks Jessie)  I'll be honest, I hate the heat and I am kind of a complainer.  Tuachan calls itself "Broadway in the Desert"  but I like to refer to it as Broadway in Hell.  I told Libby I would try not to get to ornery.  I did buy me a squirt bottle with a fan which helped a lot. 
We first went to Tarzan.  Tuachan is the only regional theater where you can see this play which is pretty cool.  I thought it was pretty good. Libby wished we were closer so we might go back when we can get better tickets. 
Then a couple weeks later we went to Cats.  I wasn't real excited to see this one because I have heard stuff about it.  We decided that we might as well see one of the most famous Broadway shows since it was right here and who can beat free right?  I didn't dislike it near as much as I thought I would.  I actually didn't dislike it at all.  It is not the best play I have ever seen (That is still Les Miserables on Broadway in New York) but it was good.  The music is excellent and the lady who sang "Memory" is a Grammy nominee and a Tony award winner.  At intermission we were able to go get a picture with the old cat "Old Deuteronomy".  We had just been talking about how the actors survive in the heat wearing those costumes and if perhaps they strapped ice packs to themselves.  Well I was sitting next to him and his side felt cool.  So I asked him.  He said "As a matter of fact I do."  Well I am thinking I might try it next time I go to Tuachan. :)