THANKSGIVING!!

This year we decided to HOST Thanksgiving! Yup, host!! We figured since the move to Arizona and the giant leap of buying a house it would be fun to have Thanksgiving dinner in our new state of Arizona. Then I got a job... I was the new person on board at my job, and figured that I probably would have to work on the holidays, so I told Christina that this year, Thanksgiving would be at our house!! I ended up not working, but it was fun to host our very FIRST Thanksgiving!!

Dad smoked the turkey, Eric learned how easy it is to make deviled eggs, Christina turned into a lifesaver in the kitchen, throwing herself into all sorts of things, my aunt Bini brought a delicious pecan pie, and her man, John, brought some prized winning tamales!! Alisha brought over a blueberry pie, that I was sad I missed, Noel and Nate went for a drink run and picked up a scratch lotto card for everyone, that was SUPER fun!! Andy and Tommy figured out all the place settings and decided that it was AMAZING weather outside, so we moved the tables out on the patio. Everyone helped and I think it turned out FANTASTIC!! Thanks everyone for pitching in and all your hard work!! Here's a picture of our spread!


Then came dessert!! Pumpkin pie, Brown sugar cake, Pecan pie, Razzleberry pie and Blueberry pie. We had it made!! Yummy, Yummy.


I just want to end with a little note to let everyone know how grateful we are for every one of you!! Andy and I have been sincerely blessed by everyone in our lives, especially our amazing Father in Heaven, who loves us and blesses us daily! We would not have anything if it weren't for His hand in our lives! We are truly grateful!

Thank you!!

TRIP TO AUSTRALIA!! (WEEK 1)

Andy and I spent the first 2 weeks of November in Australia. On our way there we were able to have a layover in Utah and see our beautiful niece blessed. It all was really great!!

DAY 1, 1 NOV 2009 - Beautiful Hadlie's blessing!! She is such a sweet and beautiful child, I am so glad we were able to stop by before our adventure to be part of this special day in her life. CONGRATS HADLIE!!



DAY 2, 2 NOV 2009 - We spent the morning in Utah waiting for our flight, so I was able to go see Carol, and Andy went to see some old buddies at work. Our journey to Australia was finally underway that evening. HOORAY!!


DAY 3, 4 NOV 2009 - Australia is a day behind ours so somewhere over the Pacific we lost a day. Not to worry, we will make it up on the way home!!
When we arrived in Sydney, we checked into our hotel, and went to explore the city. We found a yummy pizza place for lunch and then took a Sydney Harbour Cruise. We learned A TON about Sydney, as well as the water around Sydney; i.e. You should only go swimming in a designated swimming area with a shark net, as well as you should not swim at dusk or dawn, when it is raining or just after rain, and the number one rule of swimming is... Make sure someone else is further out than you... or the sharks will eat you!! :) It was really interesting! That night a few of us grabbed some dinner at Tony Roma's and then headed to bed after an exhausting 36 hours.


DAY 4, 5 NOV 2009 - On the second day in Sydney we decided that we wanted to hike UP AND OVER the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is also known as the bridge over troubled water. It was raining a little so as we went in for briefing of the bridge climb, we were instructed that we could not have anything on under the special suits they give us, except our unders, and we had to MAKE SURE we did not have ANYTHING else. It was seeming a little intense. We put on our special jumpsuits, and the rain pants. After that they started loading us up with equipment... our harness with the cable attachment, (so we can't fall off the bridge,) a raincoat and fleece jacket (in their separate pouches,) glasses holders, gloves and hats that attached to our jumpsuits, a handkerchief that specially attaches to your wrist, and a walkie-talkie so you can communicate with your guide. After we were geared up we were ready to go!! It was REALLY fun!! I am so glad we were able to do it!

Later that day, we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. It was really amazing to learn all about how the plans for the Opera House came about, and all the struggles and difficulties the engineers had to overcome to make the plans a reality.


DAY 5, 6 NOV 2009 - We travelled to Cairns, (pronounced Cans.) After arriving in Cairns, we checked into our hotel and it started to RAIN, and I mean mad crazy RAIN!! We came to the decision that going out in the rain probably was not the greatest idea, so we ate in the Casino, and then got some rest for our early morning ahead of us.


DAY 6, 7 NOV 2009 - Out to sea!! The next day, we scheduled a tour out on the great barrier reef. If you were certified to SCUBA dive, then you could take 3 dives, and if you were not, then you could snorkel while the divers were out. We got up early and walked to the boat, once on the boat we had a 1 1/2 hour boat ride to the Great Barrier Reef. Because it had been so rainy and windy, the boat ride was a little torturous, but we survived it. :)

The captain decided that because of the weather, he wanted to take us to a place called "The Fish Bowl." It was beautiful!! There were so many fish, and so many different types of coral and anemones. I had been out snorkeling for quite a while, and decided to head back to the boat. All of a sudden I looked up, and there was a shark coming at me!! I was the ONLY one in our group, and possibly on the entire boat that did NOT want to see a shark and I SAW IT!! In our snorkel briefing they showed us signs that we could use if we saw something cool, so I looked around to tell SOMEONE... ANYONE that there was a shark, but no one was looking. I decided that was it, I just needed to get back on the boat. It was pretty exciting!! After lunch we went to another reef called "The Canyons." I had fell asleep on the boat, so I completely missed that one. Andy told me it was cool, but not as good as the fish bowl.

After we got back to land, we were able to clean up then go out for dinner. Since we were all exhausted, we decided that we would find something less expensive and close by. The decision finally came down to Rattle & Hum, a bar/pub/pizza place, that ended up being pretty good, it also ended up being our go to place for a quick bite.



DAY 7, 8 NOV 2009 - On the 8th, a taxi picked us up and drove us to the entrance of the Sky Rail. It was an enclosed ski lift type thing that would take you up and over the mountain into the little mountain village of Kuranda. It was really fun. Along the way it had a few nature trails that you could get off the lift and walk around in the forested mountains. When you were finished exploring you would get back on the lift and continue your journey on.

When we got to Kuranda, we went decided that we would go to a place called Koala Encounters. It was like a small zoo, but they also had kangaroos and wallabees you could pet and feed, and koala bears you could hold and take pictures with (for a small fee.) It was really neat to see the crocadiles, kangaroos and koala bears.

After the Koala Bear Encounters we went off looking through the shops and then looking for a place to eat. The food prices up in Kuranda were not nearly as much as down in Cairns, so I was looking for something yummy and cheap!! We found a burger place and decided to grab lunch there. I got a veggie burger and it was one of the best meals I had on the trip, not to mention, one of the cheapest. YUMMY.

For the ride home we bought tickets for the Scenic Railroad that would take you all the way back into Cairns. It was a beautiful ride!! We saw a couple waterfalls, beautiful valley vistas, steep drop offs, and even a few stray hikers.On our walk home, Chuck, Jolynn, Mary, Andy and I wanted to try some Indian Cuisine, but the Indian resturaunt that we first went to was closed. So we were going to go to a different one, but then we walked by an Asian place that looked better. We decided it was close to our hotel, so we would go and then meet up in an hour. Jolynn ended up just staying at the hotel and taking it easy, but the other four of us went to the Banana Leaf. It ended up being REALLY good.

PROJECT #5- LAUNDRY ROOM FOLDING TABLE

Since we moved in, I have wanted to get/make/have a folding table with some cabinets for my laundry room. Our laundry room came with only that shelf that you can see in the pictures for storage, and I like my clutter hidden. Eventually I would like to get upper cabinets as well, but this is definitely a start.
My dad decided he would help us by buying the cabinets for our birthdays and then Christina, my cousin, told me that she would teach me how to tile a counter top. I thought tile would be the best option for the surface as granite is not in our budget and tile counter tops are beautiful! Thanks Dad!

After we had purchased the cabinets, I had gone to Lowe's to look at the tile. While I was there, I fell in love with this medallion. Christina helped me find tile to match it and when we got it home it went beautifully with the tile on the floor as well as the wood of the cabinets. Christina helped me all day, and then I was able to finish adhering and placing the tile later. I even learned how to use the tile saw!! I grouted the counter the day after, and it still has yet to be sealed. I learned a lot!! Thanks Christina!!

THANKS DAD AND CHRISTINA FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!
IT TURNED OUT GREAT!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!

This year for our birthday, (for those of you who don't know, Andy and I have the same birthday,) we decided that we would take a trip out East and visit some friends in New York and visit my brother in New Jersey. We flew out Wednesday, late, then early Thursday morning we borrowed Brice's car and drove up to the city. Our friends were so gracious to let us stay at their place in the city for the night and then we drove back to Eric's on Friday. We had a super fun time just being in the city and especially seeing our friends! I also always enjoy catching up with Eric and Brice, and just chillin with them!

In NYC, we decided to park near our old apartment and actually found a good parking spot near Central Park on 88th St. Then we decided we would take off and get some lunch at Dean's. Deans Pizza is amazing!! YUMMY!! After lunch at Deans, Andy and I separated, then he called me and told me that he got a hold of the family that I used to nanny for would love to see us, but we had to leave RIGHT then.


Those kids are SOOO big, and adorable!! We had a great time playing and talking to all of them. Andy went out on the balcony and took a pic of the city!! The view is amazing from their apartment After seeing Cecile and the kids, we ran off to meet up with our friends!! Tyson and Amanda ordered Chinese for dinner and we had A TON of fun!! Thanks Tyson and Amanda for hanging out with us and letting us stay. We found out that they are expecting another baby, (congrats!!) and Owen, (the 2 year old) was SUPER cute the whole time!! In the morning we walked Amanda and Owen to the subway on their way to work and then headed off to Times Square.

After returning back to Eric's house we had a great weekend with fabulous food, wonderful company and a lot of Rock Band!! Andy loved the Rock Band drums so much that Eric decided to get Andy a set of his own for his birthday. He also shipped me a microphone to go with it.

Eric's room mate, Brice, has a birthday on October 3rd, so we went out and celebrated his birthday at McCormick and Schmick's then celebrated ours at Flemings. The food was fabulous at both, and we all had a really great time. Thanks Eric for everything!!


When we arrived in Phoenix our friends, Tommy and Alisha, came to the airport to pick us up and gave us a movie on BluRay, then when we got home, we found that they had also cleaned our house and decorated it for our birthday, and had a cake ready for us!! It was SO awesome!! Thanks guys, you are amazing!!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING OUR BIRTHDAYS AMAZING!!

THE HIKE!!

A few weeks ago I asked Andy if we could go to Tucson to visit my cousins Christina and Noel, and pick some pomegranates from their tree. We gave her a call and she said we were more than welcome to come visit but they were leaving at 6:00 am to go on a 7 mile hike and she would love for us to come along. I was a little worried but knew Andy would be up for the challenge, so I agreed and off we went.



It started off great, other than we had a little problem getting to the trail head, but the sun had not come over the mountain yet, so it was nice and cool. Andy stepped on some rocks and found out quickly that they were not stable as he took a little tumble. His poor leg!! He wouldn't let me wash it and waste our precious water, so I rubbed hand sanitizer on it instead. On with the hike!




Along the way it the sun came up and it started to get hot! We also had a little glitch as we lost the trail and ended up wandering on some cow trails. Then, to make things better, we were attacked by flies!! Around mile 6ish Andy and Noel almost stepped on a desert tortoise. I didn't know that Arizona had any tortoises in the wild, it was really cool to see. It turned out really fun, and I am so glad we went!


I forgot my sunscreen, so at the end, I was definitely crispy, and at every spot of shade, I cannot tell you how much I just wanted to sit down and never move again. But we ended up all making it through. We ended up heading back to Christina's to shower and going out for a celebratory lunch at the Olive Garden!! Thanks guys for an exciting weekend!!

THANKS CHRISTINA AND NOEL FOR EVERYTHING!!

IT'S BEEN FUN...

Andy and I decided that we would take one last trip to Disneyland before our season passports expired. He felt that since it is going to be our last trip there in a while he would spoil me and surprised me with 2 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. We left early Friday morning and drove to Anaheim. When we arrived Andy thought that it would be fun to walk around Downtown Disney, considering we couldn't check into our hotel yet. (I was led to believe we were staying in a Quality Inn down the street.) Andy told me that he had not ever stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, so he wanted to go check it out. The grounds were beautiful and they had so many fun things to do. When we left the Downtown Disney parking lot, Andy turned the wrong way and then turned into the Disneyland Hotel parking lot. I kept telling him that was for the hotel only, and then he said, "SURPRISE!" It was super sweet. When we checked in they gave us a room in the Wonder Tower on the 14th floor. In front of the Wonder Tower there were these beautiful waterfalls and elaborate pathways throughout. It was really fun!!
The rooms were great too! Everything was Disney, and it was super fun!! I took a couple pictures of us from the balcony, even though it was a "Standard View Room" it was a great view of the parking lot and California adventure. (Check out the hair clip I made for our Disney Vacay.)One of our goals for that trip was to go early and find a good seat for the fireworks. We headed over to the park on Friday night and started looking for a good spot. Most of the good spots with seats had already been taken, but one woman told us we could have her seat. We really tried not to take her seat, but she insisted. What a nice lady!! We even told her if she was uncomfortable (it was not the most comfortable seat,) we would save her a seat for when the fireworks started, and she declined. There was still some traffic that walked through the first half right in front of us, but we definitely had a MUCH, MUCH better view this time!!

After the fireworks, we were hoping to run over to the other nighttime show at Disneyland, Fantasmic. We had never seen it before, and had no idea what to expect. It turned out really fun, with light shows on walls of water, princesses floating by on boats, Peter Pan and Hook dueling it out on the Riverboat Columbia, all the Disney characters riding by on a ferryboat, and even Mickey Mouse himself battling an angry witch turned dragon. It turned out to be REALLY fun!!We ended up having a really great time!! I sure do love Disneyland, and I will totally miss my season pass.

TA TA FOR NOW!! (WE'LL BE BACK)

WE LOVE TO COOK!

Recently, I don't know if I have been super bored, or I just want to try something new, but I have been wanting to cook. If you know me, you know sometimes it turns into a disaster... but I am trying!! :)


One day I was really craving bagels, so instead of running down to Einsteins, I figured I could whip some up. They actually turned out pretty good, just a little salty. I did find another recipe that I thought I could try sometime that I think will be a little tastier. We'll see...


A few days later Andy decided that he wanted to make corn dogs for dinner. I found a recipe that I had been wanting to try for a while now, and after we figured out that we needed to check the temperature of the oil, they turned out great!!


That same day Alisha called me from their drive home from New Mexico and told me that her daddy gave her 2 bags of peaches, and she would like to make jam. I had made peach jam before, but it was really fun to do it again! Tommy and Alisha came over one day, and we made 4 batches... we now have PLENTY of jam!! Thanks Alisha.


The next week, when I was at enrichment, a friend told me that there was a KILLER sale on raspberries. I talked Andy into letting me go and buy some, and was able to also make some killer jam out of those!! Yummy!!

Check me out being domestic!! ;)