i can see the whole city from my bedroom window.

we're in! we're in!

Can you believe it?

I unpacked the last box on Saturday night & G and I settled into our new home this weekend. It's even almost completely decorated & I am head over heels in love with our new home.

There are still a few things to finish up, but for the most part, it's back to our normal lives. I can't wait to cook dinner, relax in the evenings, take the dogs for walks again, see my friends again, sleep in on the weekends and hang out on Saturday like we used to. Ahhhhh, life is sweet.

I have to give a huge thank you to both of our families for all the help & support they gave us. Thank you Geir & Margaret (who did everything & made this whole thing possible), Ty & Jennie (who helped us move, came up many nights to work & offered a ton of support), Erik & Heidi (who did the same & even moved us TWICE), my Mom & Dad (who let us stay with them for almost 3 months, when we promised 2 weeks tops & helped pack and move all our stuff), Ry & Christy (for helping us move), and Andy, Jon & Scott (who helped us move & let us stay with them-we had so much fun!)

We are so lucky to have such supportive families, we wouldn't be anywhere without them.

Now, come visit us, all of you!
and stay tuned for the before & after pictures....

moving/remodeling/doing it at the same time

Was not made for someone like me.

Someone who hates clutter, dust, messes of any kind, obsesses over the cleanliness of her house & the placement of everything in it's correct spot, is as impatient as the day is long, wants everything done immediately, but cannot even nail up a picture for fear her G will just do it over again (and he will; he uses the level for even the tiniest of pictures).

Moving was made for the laid back folk. When it comes to my home & it's tidiness, laid back, I am not. As a bonus, all this stress has turned me into a little ball of anxiety (one which G would like to kick over the fence, I am sure).

I unpacked my kitchen last night & seriously almost cried when I took out my cake stand, my mixer, my cocoamotion. I could have kissed those crisp, beautiful cookbooks. Oh, how I've missed them.

I also threw away 2 garbage bags full of crap. Not garbage, but actual stuff. Stuff that just sits there and doesn't get used & makes me want to kill myself. Yup, I didn't think twice, just threw it all away. It was fabulous.

Last night, after we assembled our cabinets, I finally started unpacking our kitchen. It was a big moment. And later, G cleared out all of the trash in our breezeway (well he moved it to another area in the yard, so i couldn't see it anymore-fine by me).

We are getting there, people! And once we finish, mark my words, we are never moving/remodeling again. We will live here forever! I don't care if I have to tuck my future babies into dresser drawers.

my mo.

My tiny Morgan Ana turned 4 on "danuary fif" so I am a little late in posting this, but I have been without a computer for the past couple days, so hopefully everyone can forgive!

This little lady is so close to my heart. My first niece, my McDonalds buddy, my "yittol" sister (as she likes to pretend), and every one's favorite tiny baby princess. I couldn't love her more.

I remember the day she was born, when I went to see her at the hospital; she was the tiniest little baby I'd ever seen. I used to beg her parents to let me babysit & take every opportunity I could to see my little Mo. I like to think we had a special bond, right from the start.

Now she is 4; complete with full sentences, writing her name, a backpack & a lunch box, a first crush at school & that little bit of sass we can't help but love. She is growing up way too fast.

Mo & I have shared so many fun times & special moments and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to be so close to her. The one-on-one time I've had with her is a gift her Mom & Dad have given me; one that I will always cherish.

Happy Birthday my special girl!
I love you so much.

this year i hope to...

-call more often (sorry to my friends for my recent absence in the world, i should be back soon)
-answer my phone more often
-pray more often
-study more often
-exercise more often
-slow down
-use spell check less (darn thing has ruined me!)
-send more thank you cards
-and thoughtful, random emails
-wear my retainer
-keep my nails tidy
-downsize my stuff
-focus less on the stuff
-take more walks with the pups
-cook more
-hold date night weekly
-not be afraid of my new ward
-embrace my age
-strengthen family relationships
-make more of my job
-focus on the good
-avoid gossip
-keep my negative thoughts silent more often (poor g has to hear them all)
-make more of an effort to be a good friend
-do the laundry
-crate train my dogs, once & for all
-babysit nieces more often
-try a new cake recipe
-celebrate more often
-write more often
-read more often
-teach g to sort & open his mail
-recognize g's efforts more often
-make better use of my down time
-get to level hard on drums in rock band
-take weekend getaways more often
-create more traditions
-start writing in my gratitude journal again
-wear more color
-see friends more often
-call my grandparents more often
-host a party
-cultivate my passions
-strengthen my testimony

how about you?

j bub goes nuts.

earlier this evening,
mr. j bubba olsen
snuck into his uncle jon's room and ate between
15 and 20 bite sized snickers bars.

as we all know, chocolate is not good for pups
so i have been monitoring him closely waiting for the vomiting to begin.

surprisingly, j bub doesn't seem to be feeling the least bit queasy...
instead of a losing his dinner, he seems to have lost his mind.

he is currently sprinting laps around the house as fast as his little legs will take him
with his new gingerbread man in tow

i just turned around to see that the gingerbread man has been shredded alive
(sorry jennie & m)
his guts strewn all over the house.
{may he rip}
earlier, i am pretty sure j bub tried to do a back flip.

i looked up the symptoms of chocolate consumption in canines and sure enough it said:
hyperactivity & restlessness.


now, i apologize, but this will have to be the end of "j bub goes nuts",
i'm off to go rescue his next victim (the slinky dog)

hey, at least he's not dead!

best year ever.

Dear 2008,

You have been a great year.

One of my favorites so far. I will always remember the wonderful times you gave me.

I will always remember...

-My first helicopter ride

-The funny, exhausting, frustrating & great times we have had while fixing up the Avenues house.

-My Grandpa's funeral. Especially when we closed the casket & the veterans service at his grave site. When they handed my Grandma the flag.

-Saying goodbye to him. The dinner we had a few months earlier, when we shared our favorite memories & the night at the hospital.

-The best New Years Eve of my life & watching G do the Men in Black dance for the first time.

A priceless moment!

-Afternoon naps with my love in Hawaii.

-Turning 21 in San Francisco.

-And specifically, getting pizza w/my brothers at midnight on my birthday. Not sure why, but I'll never forget that night.

-Many many days at the park with my little family of 4.

-Getting ready for Heidi & Erik's wedding with the girls. Riding to the wedding in the limo & getting to walk down the isle with G.

-Saying goodbye to our boat (and a lifetime of Lake Powell memories) on our

last trip to the lake with "Big Margy".

- When G made the decision to switch career paths. Watching him go through all the interviews to get his job with Goldman.

-Seeing wicked for the first time.
-The night in Newport when Meg, Jon, Scott, Greg & I sat on the beach & watched the sun set. Dancing on the beach & lifeguard tower with Megan.

-The day my new niece was born & when I held her for the first time.

-Hanging out at the restaurant in Newport & singing & listening to music late into the night.

-Our 2 year anniversary & walking the Temple grounds late at night with G.

-Walking through our first house for the last time before we moved out. (I miss it so much)

-Working on my 3 tiered chocolate fudge cake & surprising G with it on his Birthday.

-The night of the presidential debates, spent at home with just the 2 of us.
-My first sharing time lesson & everything I learned from that great calling.

Goodbye 2008,

thanks for the memories!

happy day of birth to the blog.

my blog is one year old today.

(woop woop)

although i am pretty sure nobody besides the husband reads it anymore
(and not even him sometimes; its okay, it's boring, i understand :))
i am still glad i have one.
i am glad i have a record of my happy (and sometimes sad) moments.

and frankly, i can't believe i stuck to anything for a whole year!
go me.

merry merry christmas.

Our Christmas this year was lovely.

Turned out to be one of my favorite Christmas' ever, which was a wonderful surprise considering I was thinking it might turn out to be the worst. Here are some of the faces we saw along the way (at least the ones we remembered to snap pictures of)...

grandma & kate.

makayla marie.the moffitt family on xmas eve.

heidi & erik.

and margaret & geir.

********************************************************************************
but, i do have to admit that the best part of christmas this year was spending time with my lover
(even though he had to work the day before & after christmas).
he is sort of my favorite person ever.

please ignore our extreme bed head hair & smooshy faces.
it was early.

now, i'm off for a few more hours of rock band in my pj's & sledding with the fam.
hope your christmas was magical & merry, too.

just so tiny.

i am not kidding when i tell you that i would fall over dead with joy

if i ever stumbled upon one of these little creations.

these little tiny's are "left to fend for themselves" in the streets of london.

i am completely obsessed with them.

please, if you ever travel to london, find one for me.

i will love you forever & worship you, too.

visit the littles here.