Our First Christmas!

We had a great first Christmas together! It was a little hectic trying to sort out the family stuff, but as soon as Christmas Day rolled around, everything worked out great! Even though we felt like our day was like the movie, "Four Christmases." We were back and forth with each other's families all day but it was well worth it! We had a blast!

Now I know you're dying to know what we got for Christmas, so I will show you some of the goods in pictures :) We were so spoiled!!

My parent's gave us this cute Kitchenaid as our main gift! I have always wanted a Kitchenaid, so it was nice of them do get that for us. I know what you're thinking....She didn't get the pink one?? Of course I wanted it, and would've loved it, but then I thought it would be better to go with something that would match our kitchen. (See picture below)

These were not a Christmas present, but these canisters sit on our counter and go with our dishes that I absolutely love. Now you can see why I chose the color that I did.

I have always wanted to learn how to sew, so Josh's parents gave me two months worth of sewing lessons! His mom picked out this cute sewing box for me and filled it with all the sewing basics. (It's probably the cutest sewing box EVER) I am well on my way to becoming a domestic goddess!

Josh's parents gave us our own decks of one of our favorite games, Hand n Foot! I had never played this game until Josh and I started dating, and I absolutely love it!

My parents gave us this game. Self-explanatory. The weapons are hilarious! Bacon grill, rabid bat, World's Best Boss mug, Dundee award, etc.!

Josh and I had a lot of fun exchanging gifts with each other! He didn't know any of his gifts, so it was fun to surprise him. I got him an Indianapolis Colts vintage t-shirt, SNL Best of Will Ferrell-both of them, this awesome game he really wanted called Rate Your Mate(probably the funniest couples game ever!) and I cracked and got him Madden 10 for his Xbox.... I know, I know. Bad idea. He got me some clothes and some jewelry! I love my husband.

It's kind of weird to think that this is technically the 3rd Christmas that Josh has been in my life. Two years ago at this time, we were kinda hanging out/kinda dating and he invited me to his friends' Christmas party. I was SO excited because I liked him a lot, but knew he had also been kinda dating another girl(he never hears the end of it about that...haha) so I was hoping that him inviting me to the party was a sign that he really liked me. Almost. After that party, his friends were always telling him to date me, but it took him another year before he started listening to them. :) I'm so glad he did.

Last Christmas, we had just barely started hanging out again. I had gone through a horrible breakup in August, and I was pretty fragile all during the Fall. I was terrified of even liking someone again, so I was really nervous when Josh was calling me to hang out-especially with how things were with him before. But I put my guard up high and decided to give it ago. We went out a few days before Christmas and then again right as the new year started. From then on we were pretty much dating and the rest is history! I love that Christmastime reminds me of those fun and key moments of our relationship. I look forward to spending many more Christmases with my cute honey!

Christmas Festivities!

I have been a slacker with my blog these past few weeks! But we have had a lot of fun enjoying the holidays and spending lots of time together! Right before Christmas, we were able to go to several fun parties and events.

First of all, we had my work Christmas party. It was a black tie event, so it was fun to get all dressed up. The party was at the Hidden Valley Country Club in Draper and everything turned out perfect. I am on the Party Planning Committee at work, so it was fun to see everything come together! It was a lot of work, but well worth it. We had a delicious dinner, followed by a Casino Night where we got to play Craps, Blackjack or Roulette. Our remaining chips at the end determined what our prize would be. There were some amazing gifts worth hundreds of dollars, but we just ended up with a giftcard to Nordstrom-which is fine by me! It's about time I got me some new jeans! :)

Here we are at the party. I LOVED my dress! I actually borrowed it from my friend's little sister. Thanks, Amy!

We also had our annual high school friends Christmas Party. Lisa and Abe were nice enough to host it, and they did a great job! We ate lots of yummy food and played some fun Christmas games. It was so fun to get together with everyone because we don't see each other enough. We also celebrated Konni's birthday, which happened to be the same day as the party.

I sure love these girls!

Some of us posing on the stairs

The next day, we had a Christmas party with Josh's friends. We had a white elephant gift exchange and played Loaded Questions: Adult Version, so that made for a hilarious evening! They also made it an ugly sweater party this year, and lucky for me, my mom is a first grade teacher, so I had quite the selection of sweaters to choose from. :) Plus she was able to supply me with that lovely turtleneck and necklace. I love you mom!

My family doesn't have a lot of Christmas traditions, but the ones that we do have, I LOVE! The Monday before Christmas we had our annual Spaghetti Factory dinner with the Walker family. The Walker's are in my parent's ward and we have been friends with them for years. We figured out that this year was our 14th year doing this tradition and we hope it continues for at least 14 more years! I have so much love for the Walker family and we go back a long time! It was so fun to have Josh be a part of this tradition now. He loves the Walker's as well!

Here we are at Trolley Square waiting for our names to be called. There was a Santa display with no Santa in it, so we decided to take over his sleigh! Ava wanted to be in the picture with us. She is the funniest 2 year old around!

Looking at all these pictures makes me realize that one of my favorite things about the Christmas season is that there seem to be more opportunities to spend time with the ones you love the most. I am grateful to have such amazing people in my life.

we have an addiction....

to this show:


So far in our marriage, cable has not been in our budget. (please let it be someday soon!) We have rabbit ears so we can at least get the local channels, but there usually isn't a whole lot to watch on those 5 or 6 stations. Because of this, we have been watching tv on DVD. We may not have cable, but we've got a sweet 46" HD tv that we've got to put to good use! :)

We first started with all the seasons of The Office, and even used some of our Target gift cards from the wedding to purchase season 5. Plus Josh hadn't seen all of the episodes, so it was fun to introduce him to some of my favorites. The Office never gets old to me!

Anyway, after finishing all 5 seasons of The Office, Josh suggested that we start watching Prison Break. He had seen the first two seasons a while ago, and wanted to get into it again. Plus between his immediate and extended family, we have access to all the seasons. I didn't know much about the show, but had heard it was good. We started watching in early November with our friends James and Tiare, and to be honest, my initial expectations were not very high.

After only a few episodes, I. Was. Hooked.

I cannot get enough of the show. Plus we got Tiare and James hooked on it with us, which makes it even more fun to watch. It is full of suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat episode after episode. I know we are a little behind in this venture, seeing as Prison Break has been around since 2005, but better late than never, right? We have finished the first two seasons and will hopefully be starting season 3 in the VERY near future. I think tv on DVD is one of the best ideas ever- especially when we don't have DVR. It's so fun to have something so good to watch on these cold winter nights when you just want to stay home all warm and cozy.

So, if you're looking for something amazingly good to watch, start watching Prison Break!! I promise you will love it! Plus it doesn't hurt that this beautiful man is the main character. (You might recognize him from 2 Mariah Carey music videos. haha!)

I love you, Michael Scofield.

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

So I have a Cinderella costume that is pretty dang awesome! A few weeks ago, one of my best friends asked if I would come as Cinderella for her daughter's 3rd birthday party. I was more than excited to do this! I've always wanted to work in Disneyland as one of the princesses-specifically Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, so this gave me an idea of what that would be like.

I cannot even begin to tell you how fun and adorable this experience was. I was greeted at the door by about 8 little girls, dressed as princesses. I don't think I have ever had anyone be so excited to see me! I was immediately showered with hugs and they all seemed so happy that "Cinderella" came to hang out with them.

They were SO cute! We took some pictures and then had lunch. All during the meal, they were asking me all these questions like,

"Did you come here in your carriage?"

"Do your mice still live with you?"

"Are you friends with Snow White or Belle?"

"What is Prince Charming doing today?"

"Do you ever see your fairy godmother?"

Those are only a few of the questions, but you get the idea. They had Disney Princess napkins for the little lunch and they kept pointing to Cinderella and saying, "Look! That's you!!" It was absolutely adorable. Some of the girls at the party were around 8 years old or so, and they were a little skeptical if I was the real Cinderella or not. One little girl asked me if I was the REAL Cinderella and so I asked her if I looked like the real Cinderella and she said, yes, so then I assured her that I was the REAL Cinderella.

I had an absolute blast playing Cinderella for an afternoon! I'm glad it was a hit with the birthday girl and her cousins. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the battery back in my camera after I had specifically charged it for this event, so I didn't get any pictures on my camera with the cute little girls. :( BUT-I did make Josh take a picture of me when I got home from the party. Too bad my headband thing is kinda screwy, but you get the idea. Josh got quite a kick out of me while I was Cinderella-fying myself.

If any of you need Cinderella to make an appearance at your next party, you know who to call! :)

I think I've got the black lung, pop!!

Sunday morning before church, Josh and I were standing by the fridge and right after he finished telling me that he felt like he was coming down with something, he sneezed in my face! I freaked out, grabbed the sanitizer and asked him why he sneezed in my face. He said he didn't want to sneeze in the fridge....

Ever since Monday, I have not stopped coughing. And let me tell you, a bad cough has got to be one of the best ab workouts out there! Where is bikini season when I need it! :) Anyway, I am just grateful that I am the one that got hit hard with whatever sickness this is because Josh is taking the LSAT TOMORROW! Josh has been a little bit under the weather, but he has been well enough to focus and study a lot.

I am so proud of him. The LSAT is not easy by any means, but 3 times a week he has gone to an LSAT study course and studied several other hours besides that. Hopefully all of his studying will pay off! I know it will! I am so grateful for my hard working honey!

I also want to say how grateful I am for my parents and my in laws. Monday night when I was feeling like crap and Josh was in class, my parents gave us some cough medicine and a bottle of deluxe orange juice- which was delicious! Also, my cute mother-in-law brought us some cough drops, juice and a humidifier. I am so grateful for a wonderful family that is always there for us. It's interesting how many little things you take for granted by living at home- like always having cough drops and cough syrup in the cupborad or having access to a humidifier. We are blessed to have such wonderful families.

And lastly, I would like to give a shout out to Coca Cola Classic! Besides all the coughing, I have also had an upset stomach this whole week and Coke has been the only thing that has sounded good and tasted good to me. Thank you, Coke!

Christmas with Archie

As most of you know, I am a HUGE David Archuleta fan. I absolutely adore that kid. Last week he performed 2 Christmas concerts in Salt Lake City and being the fanatic that I am, I went to both. :) My parents are also big David fans, so when I told them about the concert, they offered to take me and Josh to it. (I love my parents! Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!) So I went one night with Josh and my parents and one night with my friend Steph who is also a David fanatic. And let me tell you, David Archuleta does NOT disappoint! Yes he is a little shy and awkward when he is talking in between songs, but that is part of his charm. Here is a pic from the show.

Some of you may wonder why I love this kid so much, so here are some reasons: I love that after winning $100,000 on Star Search when he was 12, he gave $10,000 in tithing. I love that he's not afraid to basically bear his testimony in his "thank you's" on his Christmas album. I love that at his Christmas concert, he was not afraid to express his love and thanks to his Savior. I love that he is a good role model and I LOVE that he can sing like there's no tomorrow. I hope David can have a long and successful career. He certainly has the talent for it!

One of the highlights of the show was that his mom came out and sang with him. On his Christmas album, he sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as a duet, so during that song, he welcomed his mom to the stage. After hearing her sing, I definitely know where David's talent comes from. She has a beautiful voice and it was so fun watching them sing with each other. You can tell he loves his mom a lot. He's adorable.

My favorite moment of the concert was when he sang "Prayer of the Children." I first fell in love with that song in high school after hearing a group of guys sing it at the Veteran's Day concert. David sang it so heartfelt and perfectly and lucky for you, you can hear it too! Enjoy!

Warning: You will get chills and/or cry!

Dear Edward,

I can't wait for our date on Friday night! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I love you.

Love,

Allison


New Moon on Friday!!!

I can't freakin wait!! I just re-read the book since it has been two years since I first read it and I am SO ready for this movie! From the previews, it looks like it will be much better than the first! (I am hoping) They have a bigger budget and a new director, so I can't wait to see how this movie is portrayed! I wanted to go to the midnight premier, but realized I probably wouldn't be a very good employee at work on Friday with only 3 hours of sleep. I will do my best to patiently wait an extra 20 hours to see it. :) Team Edward all the way!!

thank you's...

Well, I FINALLY mailed out the thank you notes from the wedding! What a relief! I'm a little embarrassed that it took me 3 months because I was very good at getting all the thank you notes from my showers done within a week or two after each shower.

We actually had all of them written the day we got back from our honeymoon because I had this brilliant idea that as we opened each wedding gift, we would quickly write the thank you note before moving on to the next gift.(I'm a genius, I know!) So, it was very efficient to get them done that way, but it took me WAY too long to get them all addressed. Hopefully everyone will get their thank you note, and if we missed anyone, I am VERY sorry!

Josh and I are so grateful for all the support we have received as we have started our lives together. Thank you everyone for being so generous and amazing to us! We are very blessed!

Thank You!!

life.

Life is precious.

I have been thinking about that a lot lately.

Yesterday I attended the funeral for the father of one of my good friends. He passed away last week after a violent battle with H1N1/pneumonia. Ever since I found out that he was so sick, my thoughts and prayers have not left my cute friend and her cute family. My heart has been hurting for their family.

The funeral was a wonderful tribute to her amazing father and painted a beautiful picture of the kind of man he was, and still is. We are so lucky to have the Gospel in our lives and I know this family has been able to feel some comfort during this difficult time because of their knowledge of eternal families. They know he is waiting for them to join him someday and that he is taking care of his grandchildren that have not yet come to this earth. They will see him again.

In the wake of this tragedy, it has made me reflect on the things that I need to work on in my life. We never know when our time on earth will come to an end, so we need to be our best self and treasure every moment. One of my favorite primary songs has been coming to my mind a lot lately:

"My life is a gift. My life has a plan. My life has a purpose; in heaven it began. My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth and seek for God's light to direct me from birth.

I will follow God's plan for me. Holding fast to his word and his love. I will work, and I will pray, I will always walk in his way. Then I will happy on earth and in my home above."

We don't always like Heavenly Father's plan for us, or for those we love, but he knows what's best for us and He will guide us and direct us if we let Him. I love the words to this song. I do want to follow God's plan for me. I hope I can always walk in his way. I know that truly is the only way to be happy.

I will pray a little more. Have a little more faith. Read my scriptures more. Give a little more service. Smile more often. Be a little nicer. Have a better attitude. Tell my family and friends I love them more often. Have a little more patience. Have a little more compassion. I will live life to its fullest. I will not take things for granted. I will count my blessings.

I know if I do these things, then I really will be happy on this earth and in my home above.

A wedding, a birthday and an anniversary

November 6th was a special day!

First of all, my cute friend Katy got married to Brad Miles. They are one of those couples that just seems absolutely perfect for each other. I am so so SO happy for them and I am so grateful to call Katy my friend. Katy is such an awesome girl and is always fun to be around. And she is always there for you. She cried with me when I got dumped a year and a half ago and I cried with her when she and Brad broke up and went through a little rough patch. I hope Katy and Brad have an eternity of happiness together!!

Me, the beautiful bride, Heather and Chochie

Me and Heather. I love this girl and don't see her enough.

Chochie and me. Love her. It's her birthday tomorrow!

Second of all, November 6th was my little Elle's 5th birthday! (You better believe I am blogging about my dog's birthday!) You see Elle is a special little dog. Not only is she the cutest ball of fur that's ever lived, but she has lived a much longer life than we would have ever expected. When Elle was about 3 months old, she was no longer able to keep any food down. You could see it in her little face that she did not feel well most of the time. After several trips to various vets, she was diagnosed with acid reflux combined with a rare esophageal problem. Her esophagus is slightly bent, making it difficult for food to go down. The vets thought that as she began growing to her full size that her esophagus would continue to bend and eventually close off and that she would not survive. Our family was devastated. Since Elle is the product of my grandparent's dog, Maggie, we had become attached to her the day she was born. The vet did give the option of surgery to correct her esophagus, but as you can imagine, that was not going to be cheap. But we were all so in love with our new puppy that my parents decided it was worth a shot. Elle went in for surgery, and the vets discovered that her little esophagus was not as bent as they thought and that surgery was not necessary! She is our little miracle dog. And although she still has a difficult time with eating once in a while, we are grateful she belongs to our family because we don't know if other families would be as patient with her health issues. We sure love our pomeranian!

This is a little video of Elle playing with her baby brother from a different litter of puppies(same mom and dad though) Her little brother looks EXACTLY like Elle did when we got her. Adorable!

Oh and a quick funny story. The morning we were told Elle wasn't going to survive her medical issues, I was very upset and cried A LOT! That night I was supposed to go on a date, but knew that I wouldn't be much fun and would probably end up crying on the date, so I called up my date to cancel and explain my situation. When I called, he did not answer, so I decided to leave a message on his voicemail. I couldn't make it through the voicemail without crying as I explained the situation with my new puppy. He called back and acted sympathetic. Acted being the key word....because a few years later, I found out that he thought my message was a hoax and just a lame way to get out of a date and he had played my voicemail for ALL of his friends!! Funny, huh? Just one more example of why you should give people the benefit of the doubt!

And lastly, November 6th was the 3 month anniversary of the best day of my life!!

I can't believe we have been married for 3 months already!! Time flies by so quickly! It is almost difficult to remember life before Josh and I am so grateful that he is ALL MINE for eternity! He brings so much joy into my life and I love him more than anything. He always makes me laugh and I always look forward to spending time with him. He supports me in everything I do and I know that he is always there for me. I love you, Joshua!!

Halloween 2009

Get ready for picture OVERLOAD! We had quite the Halloween this year! We were able to go to 3 different parties and had a blast at all of them. Here is our Halloween in pictures...

My high school friends had a Halloween party on the 23rd. I love these girls and it was so fun to get together because we don't get to do that as often as we like. Thank you Abe and Lisa for hosting us at your beautiful new home!

Katherine and Konni had VERY creative costumes! Where's Waldo and his girlfriend.

Josh and I came up with our costumes about one hour before the party started.

(In case you can't tell, Josh is Zorro and I am a witch-I say I am Elphaba:)


On the 30th, we went to a party that my cute friend Heather threw! She went all out and hosted such a great party. I freaking love her!

Here is me as Dorothy and Josh as Zorro again... My Dorothy costume is from 5th grade. If I weighed one more pound, it would definitely not fit me!

At Heather's party, we got to spend lots of time with these two...Dani and Nic. They are so much fun and we had a blast with them. I wish I had taken more pictures of everyone. I need to be better at that!

On Halloween afternoon, my mom dropped by with this little black kitty. Isn't Ava adorable? And boy does she look like her daddy! By the way, her costume was MY costume when I was her age. My grandma made it for me and it is still in excellent condition. I hope someday to have a daughter that can also wear it!

My mom also brought this little pumpkin by. I must say, we have the cutest little dog in the world. But don't look at me too closely. This is was before I had showered and after I had been cleaning ALL day!

On Halloween night, Josh's friends threw a party. Josh was going to be Zorro again, but as we walked out the door to leave to the party, he had a brilliant idea and decided he should be the Wicked Witch of the West. And yes, that is the costume I wore the weekend before. haha. If you look closely, Josh even has some boobs!

Josh's face in this picture KILLS ME! Oh how I love him!

Here are the boys doing the donut game. They are so funny. And Josh in a dress is the funniest thing ever!

Thank you, James and Katie for throwing such a fun party! Again, I should have taken more pictures. Everyone's costumes were SUPERB!! Hopefully next year Josh and I will plan our costumes a little sooner!

The King of Pop

On Thursday night I went to this movie....



With one of my favorite girls, Karen! aka Choch

Josh had is LSAT class, so Choch and I went on a little date to dinner and the Michael Jackson movie. If you have the opportunity to see it, DO IT!!! I am just in complete awe of his talent. Even at the age of 50, he could still do his signature moves just as well as he did them when he was in his 20's.

Yes I know Michael Jackson was very odd and a part of me does think he was a big weirdo creep, but since his death, and especially after seeing this movie, his talent and dedication to his work outshines his weirdness. And how can you not love all of his songs?? Which by the way, he wrote most of them. I swear when it comes to music, there is nothing he could not do. One thing I really loved about the movie is that it showed different sides of MJ that we haven't really seen before. You see him joking around and being goofy with his band and crew and you could really see the love he had for the world, environment and people in general. I think MJ really did have good intentions in almost everything he did.

I honestly think that part of Michael Jackson's weirdness stems from many things. Obvious reasons being his abusive father, becoming a superstar at such a young age and never having a normal childhood. But I think that the biggest contributor of his oddness is the fact that he was so unbelievably talented at singing, dancing, songwriting, performing, etc. He truly is in a league of his own, and because of that, he really had no one that he could really relate to or anyone that could understand what it was like to have that kind of success. Can you imagine what that must of been like to not be able to really relate to anyone? VERY sad if you ask me.

My brother Mark has always been a HUGE MJ fan, so from an early age, I was exposed to a whole lot of MJ! Sometimes my mom would make us change the channel when his crotch grabbing became excessive, but I have always had a great love for his music and a great admiration and respect for his talent. I will forever and always be an MJ fan and will make sure my kids know and love his music! I love you, MJ!!

Two is better than one

It's crazy how since we've been married, we feel like we see each other WAY less than we did when we were dating or engaged. Have any of you experienced that?

Since I started working 40 hours a week, and since he decided to take the LSAT, our time together has decreased significantly! I don't think I have made the big blog announcement but yes, Joshua is taking the LSAT on December 5th! It is something he has always been interested in doing and with the economy being the way it is, he decided that in order to be more successful in the future, law school was the right fit for him. When he decided to go ahead with the LSAT, I asked if he wanted to watch "Legally Blonde" to give him some inspiration, but he shot that down!

I fully support him in this new endeavor. And if any of you know Josh well, you know that he is VERY good at arguing and winning! :) He has done really well on his practice tests and has continued to improve each week. I am one proud wife!

This is one of my favorite pictures from our bridals. His face is so adorable.

I feel like I love Josh more and more everyday. Marriage is a big adjustment, but I am grateful to be going through this big adjustment with Josh. He is so patient with me and he works so hard in all that he does so that we can have a successful future. Our busy lives make our time together that much more precious. Sometimes I find myself missing him like crazy while I'm at work. Especially on days when I know I will only see him briefly in passing as I get home at 5:30 and he leaves for his LSAT study course from 6 until 9. I don't know if he knows how excited I get to see him.

We always have so much fun together-whether it's popping popcorn and watching some episodes of "The Office" together, or going on dates, or teasing each other about the weird people we used to date :) or snuggling in bed, it's always a good time. We are also learning how to adjust to living with each other. Josh is ALL man and I am ALL girl, so you can imagine that life can get a little interesting for us. I am learning that Sunday afternoons are spent watching MANY football games(I've actually been learning a lot about the NFL) and he is learning that I HAVE to get my sleep or else I can't function very well and most of all, he has had to learn that I cry a LOT. Most of the time, it's for no reason but I have always been that way and wish I didn't have such powerful waterworks!

I am so grateful to have Joshua for eternity. I love him more than anything and can't imagine life without him. A few weeks ago, my alarm went off and when I woke up, I realized we had been holding hands in our sleep. Life is good.

This is a picture from our wedding day that my brother took. I don't know why, but I LOVE this picture. I think it just captures our personalities very well.

I love my hot honey.

Defying Gravity

If you haven't ever heard that song, you should probably listen to it! Amazing! And the belting at the end of the song is incredible!

In case you didn't know, that is the name of a song from Wicked!! Yes, I am back and Wicked was everything I hoped it would be and more! My mom and I had such a great time in Colorado. It was a super short trip-only 48 hours long, but well worth it. We got to do a little shopping, and believe me, the shopping there is WAY better than the shopping here! We also got to spend some quality time with my uncle(my mom's brother) Richard and my aunt Tammy. They are a ball of fun and they treat you like royalty when you stay with them!

Tuesday night was the big night! We had a DELICIOUS steak dinner in downtown Denver and then we were off to enjoy some Wicked! My mom said I was like a little kid on Christmas. But I think she was almost as excited as I was. We had no idea where our seats were since my aunt had ordered them for us, and she tried to trick us and tell us they weren't as good as she hoped they would be. So as we're walking in the theatre, we kept walking down closer and closer to the stage and it turns out that we were on the 4th row in the middle section and my aunt turned to us and said, "Okay I lied."!! I almost started crying! Being up that close puts a whole new spin on going to the theatre. You can see their facial expressions and so many more details and you almost feel like you're part of the show. But Wicked is amazing from any seat!

Anyway, my mom LOVED the show! I think as much as I did! Especially because she ended up watching a lot of Wizard of Oz with me when I was young. I am so happy she liked it! It was fun to spend time with her, even though I missed being away from Joshua. Unfortunately I did not take a single picture on the short trip! We wanted to take one outside the theatre, but it was about 35-40 degrees and raining/snowing so we hurried inside and forgot to take one inside. I'm bummed but I guess that means we'll just have to see Wicked again! :)

In 48 hours....

I will be enjoying this....



And this.....



That's right folks. On Tuesday, I am seeing Wicked with my mama in Denver! I am so excited for her to see it. She was nice enough to give Josh her ticket back in April when it came here. Words cannot even begin to describe my excitement. I think I could quite possibly be one of the biggest Wicked fanatics out there. And let me explain why:

When I was a little girl, I was never really into a lot of cartoons or shows directed towards young children(with the exception of Mr. Roger's and Today's Special of course.) At an early age, my mom exposed me to such classics as "Pollyanna," "The Parent Trap,"(Hayley Mills version) and my all time favorite, "The Wizard of Oz." I was absolutely obsessed with all things Wizard of Oz. I was completely fascinated by the movie. I couldn't get enough of it. I still can't. Anytime I see anything Wizard of Oz, I must stop and look at it. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the release of the movie, so lucky for me, Wizard of Oz merchandise is everywhere. That is pretty much heaven for me. When I have told friends that The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie, a lot of them said they were afraid of that movie when they were little because of the witch and the flying monkeys. I never classified that movie as being scary at all, but I can definitely understand why it could be scary for children. Anyway, just to give you an idea of my obsession...

This is on my 4th birthday. I would not put my Dorothy doll down. I still have her.

Here I am with some more of my Wizard of Oz goods. My dress my aunt made me, my Toto dog and basket, and of course, my Dorothy doll.

And here I am again. Judging by my awesome bangs, this was probably sometime during or after kindergarten. I think my aunt made me 2 Dorothy dresses and I wore them as often as my mom would let me. And if you look closely, you can notice my red shoes. If I couldn't wear my Dorothy dress, I had to at least be able to wear my red shoes.


They were one of they things I was most obsessed with . Still am. There is a lady on eBay who custom makes some amazing replicas in your size and I fully intend on purchasing some someday! :)

Anyway, I am super stoked to be able to see Wicked again. I can't get enough of it! When I first heard about Wicked 5 or 6 years ago, I didn't have any high expectations of it because how on earth could anyone even attempt to create a "prequel" to such a classic. Lucky for me, they couldn't have done a better job tying Wicked into The Wizard of Oz without ruining anything! And the music in both is just amazing. Seriously, there is nothing I love more than great music! If you ever get the opportunity to see Wicked, DO IT!! You will NOT regret it! Also, I highly recommend that all of you whip out the old classic and watch The Wizard of Oz in the near future! After all, one of the best songs of all time is in it! :)

p.s. There is a rumor that in The Wizard of Oz you can see a man hang himself in the background. Let me assure you that this rumor is FALSE! I have seen that movie literally hundreds of times, and it does not happen! I have watched that supposed scene several times and did not see any man hang himself.

funny story

About a week or so ago, Josh and I babysat Ava at our apartment for a few hours. When Ava first got there, Josh was watching a DVD for his LSAT course, so my original plan of watching a Disney Princess movie with her had to be put on hold. Since there's not much to entertain a 2 year-old with in our little apartment, I resorted to showing her pictures from the wedding on our computer. Ava LOVES to look at pictures, so this was working out well.

After going through the wedding pictures, I started showing her pictures of our honeymoon. As you know, we went on our honeymoon to Hawaii, so the majority of our pictures were taken on the beach in our swimsuits. When I got to pictures of Josh at the beach, she started saying, "Josh naked, Josh naked!" I started laughing, but didn't think much of it because whenever Ava sees a man mowing his lawn or running without a shirt on, she always says, "Man naked, he's naked."

When we were through looking through the pictures, Josh was still occupying the TV, so I decided to paint her fingernails. As I am painting her nails, she says, "I wanna see naked Josh, I wanna see naked Josh!" I could not stop laughing! Which was probably a bad thing because then that just egged her on to keep saying it! I guess her little crush on Josh has escalated to a whole new level! :)

I just hope when she sees Josh at church on Sundays she won't yell out, "I wanna see naked Josh!"

Kids really do say the darndest things!

Interesting....

If any of you have looked through this month's Ensign, you probably saw the articles about blogging. Josh actually pointed the articles out to me. I found it very interesting that the church encourages positive blogging. It can be a great missionary tool and I had never really thought of it that way. Very cool!

Anyway, I really liked the article and thought I would share my favorite parts with you. There was a section called, "Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy." I thought it had some good advice and some good reminders for bloggers. Here it is:

Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy
Do you want to start a blog? You can keep in touch with friends and family or share the gospel by blogging. (Remember that you are speaking only for yourself and not the Church.)
“Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy,” Ensign, Oct. 2009, 27

Blog Safety
Avoid Specifics
Chelsea Belton, who blogs to keep in touch with family and friends, never posts personal information online. She avoids mentioning addresses, birth dates, anniversaries, and other details that would make it easy to locate her family. Some bloggers also use partial or fictional names or general phrases like “my son” or “our friend” when referring to individuals in blog posts.

Moderate Comments
David Habben, who maintains both personal and business blogs, says that reviewing comments is an important part of safe blogging. While an author’s original post may be harmless, comments from readers may be less innocent. Some entities also use blog commenting to advertise or disseminate unwanted information. David uses a security feature that informs him by e-mail when someone wants to make a comment. He can then review each comment and delete those that are inappropriate or unwanted before they appear online.

Selectively Post Pictures
“Once I posted [a photo of] a birthday party invitation I had made [for my son],” says Rachel Davis, creator of a group blog for LDS women. “I used photo editing software to blur out the location of the party because I just didn’t want [to take a] chance. It was a small thing to do, but it made me feel safe.” Be aware of information you may be giving inadvertently in the photos you display on your blog. Wisely screening photos will allow you to share ideas while protecting yourself and your family.

Blog Courtesy
Think before You Post
Search engines are the “conscience” of the Internet. They can call up almost any Web site from any period of time. So assume that what you post on your blog is permanent. The pictures of your children doing silly things as little kids may be funny or cute right now, but imagine those same pictures appearing when your children are 12 or 45. Carefully consider the pictures you post and the things you write.

Be Positive
“I have been surprised when … ward members or even old friends from high school read my blog,” says Kacy Faulconer, who writes personal and group blogs. Blogs should not be a “forum to complain or criticize people behind their backs,” she says. Instead, keep your comments positive. You never know who may be reading.

Respect Others’ Work
Sue Anderson, who began a blog because she loved reading her daughter-in-law’s, says it’s important to respect other bloggers’ work. Instead of copying and pasting something from a blog you like, “send friends a link to the blog itself.” She also recommends that “if you want to use something on your blog from someone else’s, [including photos], ask them first.” This protects others’ work and keeps you honest.


I thought that this was all great advice. Especially since it came from a church magazine. It gave me some things to think about-especially when Josh and I decide to start a family. I will probably decide to make my blog private someday.

The part that really stuck out to me was the "Be Positive" section. I love that it emphasized that blogs shouldn't be a "forum to complain or criticize people behind their backs." This hit home to me because I have been a victim of that. I had someone make a blog post criticizing me and some of my interests. My name was not mentioned specifically, but it was obvious that the post was about me. Thankfully, that particular blog is now private, but I am still aware of unfavorable things being said that are directed toward me. It is very hurtful and offensive that this has happened, but I'm not going to let it bring me down. I'm bigger and better than that.

Because of that incident, it has made me want to make my blog a positive one. I hope I never hurt or offend anyone because of what I post on my blog. I do understand that a blog is a place to share your feelings, ask for advice and even vent-BUT, if the venting turns into hurting someone's feelings directly, even if you do not care for that person, I think that is extremely inappropriate. Anyway, that is just my opinion! Here's to better blogging!!! :)


To read the full article, click here
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=931e52605a4e3210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Babies.

No, I am NOT pregnant!

But...a lot of people around me have been or are currently pregnant!!

This one's for you, Nat!!

My good friend Tiare had her darling baby boy, Caleb, on September 14th! He is so cute and I think he's gonna look like his mama! I sure love little Caleb! And lucky for us, Tiare, James and baby Caleb live below us in our apartment complex. We love spending time with them and love our new Thursday night "Office" parties! Here are some pictures of baby Caleb.

(p.s. Who thinks Tiare needs a blog?? I sure do! )

He has long fingers!

Me and the babe!

Yawn.


I think he's smiling at his mama in this one!

So cute!

Another cute baby is the new elephant at the zoo!! A few weeks ago, I was able to go to the zoo with Tyson and Ava and see the baby make its grand debut! She is the cutest little thing and I think it is so neat we are able to see such amazing animals up close. There are also baby tigers, a baby giraffe, baby snow leopard and a baby crocodile at the zoo right now. I love baby animals! Well, maybe not baby crocodiles. :) Here is the cute baby elephant. Her name is Zuri.

Scratching up against her mama

So tiny next to mom.

Loves.

I have come to the conclusion that Josh is secretly baby hungry. He won't admit it, but I think he is more than he knows it! :) He likes to joke that we won't have kids for 10 years.(don't worry, I WON'T let this happen!) I know when the time is right, he will be the cutest dad. He loves our friends' babies!

Here he is with cute little Jaxon.

See. Baby hungry.

This is the baby I miss everyday! My cute little Ellie belly. My Elle Woods. Oh how I love her. Look at that face. Adorable. Not seeing her everyday has been the hardest thing for me about moving out of my parent's house. She's a princess.

And last but not least, my other favorite baby girl! Miss Ava Anne. I have not yet made the blog announcement that she is going to be a big sister! That's right, Baby Girl Bringhurst(#2) will join our family the beginning of February! I can't wait! I've never seen Josh around a baby girl, so that will make it even more fun! :) Don't worry Ava, we'll give you some cousins to play with in a few years!