Friday, January 14, 2011

~New Year~

Thank goodness that 2011 is finally here. For me, 2010 wasn't the greatest year. It gave me heartache and stress. I am so glad to leave it behind and venture into this new year. A few highlights of last year that were worthy of remembrance include~

1. Salt Water Tank
I received a salt water tank for my 28th birthday. I was able to set it up and get it running in 2010. It's crazy to look at these pictures and see how much it has changed since this was taken. It truly takes patience to have one of these (or lots of money). You get these tiny pieces of coral and feel like they never grow but now my tank is gorgeous and has large corals. 

2. Fabulous trip to Wendover with two fabulous friends
Trihn, Becky and I ventured out to Wendover for some Boyz 2 Men. Who could resist the $10 ticket price? And a night in Wendover with some amazing friends. Although I am not a gambler at all, I had a great time. The buffet is a dangerous place to go....ate way too much. Anyone up for a quick fun bus trip???

3. Growing our first garden
This was exciting to see grow in front of our eyes. I am so glad I took pictures because it truly is amazing how fast plants grow. Steve planted 20 tomato plants, 6 green pepper plants, 3 cucumber plants, 2 basil plants, 1 zucchini and 1 green onion plant. We made fresh salsa by the quarts each week. Lots of spaghetti sauce, I made huge batches at the end and froze them. I tried my hand at canning salsa and it didn't turn out. It made me quite sad to waste all those tomatoes. I chopped and froze lots of green peppers. I made lots of homemade tomato basil soups. I keep asking for a deep chest freezer or something to that sorts. I really enjoy making things and freezing them for winter use, especially if we have enough to enjoy at that time and freeze!

4. Krew
My best friend Shirley delivered her sweet souled baby boy, Krew! He added so much joy to my life in a time that wasn't so joyful. His smile is a heartbreaker. Shirley was my main  confidant during this time. I will be forever grateful for the advice and simply just listening to me bear my soul to her. Thank you Shirles!

5. John Mayer with my favorite friends
Steve and I joined Shirley and Brandon for a little John Mayer, I really love all his music. My cousin Janna joined us for the concert that night. It was a great night, we had curbside drop-off and pick-up. Great music, great friends!

6. Pony Express Trail
Steve and I took an adventure with a group of friends on the Pony Express Trail. Let me tell you....it isn't the most exciting trail but it gives you perspective of what these brave men and horses had to endure to deliver mail. It was a long 5 days of travel to South Lake Tahoe on the trail but it was fun and exciting to see old buildings from that time.

7. Losing 10 pounds
Yep, I did it! And so far it's staying off. Now if I can get the last 10-15 pounds off I would be in a whole lot healthier and fitter body. My friends Shirley and her sister Amber put on a weight loss competition that went through the holidays. We all contributed money and could lose weight any way we liked. Who ever lost the most won the cash....well I didn't win but I did with myself on losing 10 pounds. It's amazing how much better I feel, the jeans I fit into, and shirts look good on me! 

8. Disneyland
I took a trip to Disneyland with my parents, brother and niece in December. It was a nice vacation to end the year with. Riley is so sweet and it really makes me want a child. We had a connection out there and ever since then. I don't have my own child but with her I feel this connection and love that I haven't ever felt. Even with my other niece and nephew it's not like this. It was fun to go and Disneyland is so different when a kid is there. I can't wait to go again.

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I arranged to have photos of my family done on January 2, 2011. When I say family, I am talking about Steve's siblings and his parents and Madre (Mom's mom). Steve comes from a large family. There are seven kids total with 5 of them being married. As soon as I heard that Brian and Christina were coming into town with Matthew after Christmas, I was emailing my favorite photographer to see if she could take some pictures. It's not the greatest time of year to do photos but we never know when Brian and Christina would be in SLC again and with Madre getting older you never know how long we get to enjoy her presence. With some grumbling from one of the siblings, we still did manage to get the pictures taken. They turned out beautiful! We were all freezing our tushes off but it was worth it. 






















God, my husband is hot! And those eyes still kill me! 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

29


I can't believe how time flies!!! When we are children our parents tell us to slow down that life will fly by and we don't believe because it's SOOOO slow as a kid. I truly feel like I was just in high school a little while back and that I barely graduated from college. Instead its almost 11 years since high school and almost 4 years since I graduated. 
This years birthday isn't as fun as I would like because I have been sick for a whole week! WTF??? I don't get sick often but when I do I definitely get sick. Actually the last time I can remember I was really sick was over the Christmas break during nursing school. Big hooray to not getting sick that often!!! Hopefully this crap will leave and I can at least enjoy the rest of my holiday with family and friends!
This year I am going to enjoy sipping on tea, eating Wild Mushroom Pizza and watching a movie with my main man Steve but not too close! No getting sick for him! 
Happy Birthday to me and these two hotties that share it with me!


Sunday, December 12, 2010

Riley's 6th Birthday Party!

My family celebrated Riley's 6th birthday on Saturday. It was a small party with just the family. How much more attention can this girl get??? Disneyland then a birthday party....lots!!! Riley was very excited to get her party started with opening of gifts.

 Riley started with the biggest gift from Gigi (great-grandma). It was packed with a beautiful sweater that Riley quickly tossed aside (what 6 year old wants clothes) and moved on to the bag full of pencils, books and coin bank. 



 Riley & Gigi
 She quickly moved on to our gift to her. While we were in Disneyland, I bought her the Tangled Book. Had I known they were going to have a party I would have kept it til her party. She definitely liked the Tinkerbell Art set. We colored lots of pictures later on. 
  
 Riley loves her Uncle Steve...she remembered his name before mine. And she always asks where he is if he isn't with me!

My brother gave her a movie and Connect 4 for her birthday. We played Connect 4 after all the gifts were done. My mom helped her play since she didn't know how. We both won a few games. 


 Melanie's gift was next and it was definitely pretty cool. Riley is going to need an arts & crafts room soon! She was very excited about the Pottery Wheel....can't wait to get a homemade pot!

 Brett, Melanie & Riley....may be the future wife of my bro!
 Grandma & Papa gave Riley more books and learning items. She told Grandma "I like toys for my birthday!". Riley is definitely not a learner. She is incredibly smart but really resists reading or trying to learn. She didn't get the Matthews side in her because we loved to read and learn.


 Grandma & Riley
 Papa & Riley
 
 Favorite Aunt Jessie & Riley!!!


 Her dolls she got in Disneyland...Jessie, Sally and Jack.
 One two three blow out those candles!


Happy Birthday to my favorite niece...Riley!!!