Anna & Ryan

Organization Finally!

2012-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Over the past two+ years I have kept all of our paid bills, important paperwork and whatever else into one of those plastic three drawer stacker things that turned into a huge mess! I had to take action and do something about it! It was driving me nuts.

I ended up shredding SO much paper and recycling it all afterwards.

I didn't take a picture of it before, but this picture below is just some of what I have to shred still. I couldn't believe how thinking keeping things means you are organized....it just means you worry too much and its not necessary!

This is 3 huge drawer fulls of stuff into ONE!!!!! I was so impressed, and Ryan was too.

I found the 2-drawer Steel filing cabinet at Walmart for like $35.

Totally worth all the work and time shredding stuff!

I feel so much more organized!

2012-01-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

Things I've made the past couple weeks!

My Three Trees! I purchased these tree wood cut outs at the Wood Connection here in Murray. Sanded, painted and cut the paper out and modged podged it on! I think they turned out cute for the Christmas holiday!

This is a magnetic board I made up as well for a friend at work for Christmas. You can also find the actual magnetic board and vinyl wording at the Wood Connection ! I love that place. I just found some odds and end scrapbook paper from home and tore the edges and glued them on with modge podge! Found some cute ribbon to hang it up with. Simple and easy!

She loved it.

I found this recipe on Glutenfreely.com and made it for Christmas Eve morning for Ryan and I. It was delicious and made a ton for the two of us. We had enough to last us the following week. I used blueberry filling. Delicious!

Our Family Christmas Party we had to make a $5.00 homemade gift for two of our nephews. With the help of my mother we came up with these little car caddy's for Jared and Logan. They took about an hour or two to finish them both. I loved how they turned out and hope they have fun playing with them! I did Logan's in Blue lettering and blue "CARS" material inside.

These are the chocolate covered peppermint crushed oreos I found off of Pinterest! I made them for some neighbor/friend gifts this year! Super easy and cute.

Ryan really liked them a lot.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

Ryan I and had a great Christmas together! We had a lot of fun with our families and all the festivities that occurred.

Christmas Eve we made a short visit to Ryan's parents house to say hello and afterwards we headed over to my parents home to play our annual Bingo game. We had Dallas' girlfriend Lacie over this year, so that was a lot of fun to get to know our soon to be sister in-law (hopefully). We enjoyed a delicious ham dinner mom and dad made for us!

Christmas morning we woke up early and gave each other our presents! Ryan bought me an awesome pair of grey boots from DSW! He did a great job picking them out. I've found they look super cute with skinny jeans or leggings!

Ryan's main present I gave him was his new cell phone, the Galaxy SII that he got in November! I got him some more accessories for it and he was super excited. I also got him a few hooded shirts from Pac Sun and a pretty sweet JAZZ hat.

The few other main gifts we gave to each other was a new Dyson vacuum that we desperately needed,The Mentalist Season 1 &2, the Big Bang Theory season 4 and the Hunger Games Series.

We have started reading these books together every night a couple chapters and have seriously enjoyed them so much. We are so excited for the movie to come out the next couple months! Oh, we also got a membership to Planet Fitness to get into shape again! Seriously only $10.00 a month! Totally worth it.

After we finished our little Christmas with ourselves we got ready and headed over to my parents house. We HAD to be there by 9am so mom wouldn't be late to choir practice before church! This is our early morning photo mom wanted to take!

We opened presents and definitely got more than we needed or deserved. Mom always says she isn't doing much, but always goes way beyond like normal! She made us an adorable Owl decoration that we have hanging on our front door and we absolutely love it.

This was probably my favorite gift from my parents.

All of us kids gave mom and dad a carpet cleaner. We hope they have enjoyed it....not that their carpets are nasty or anything, but I'm sure after as many years they have lived there I'm sure they could use a carpet cleaning! haha

We had a great time opening presents and eating the quiche' that dad makes every year.

We headed to church with them to hear mom sing and enjoy the spirit there. It was really nice and relaxing to listen and sing Christmas music about Christ and be with the family. I stepped on a raisin that was on the gymnasium floor and it kinda made me mad, because it made my hills all sticky, but we got to sit behind some family friends and see a little baby girl smile at us that made me not so angry afterall. haha lil' Katie is so adorable! Church finished and I was able to say hello to one of my best friends that I haven't seen in sometime.

We went over to Ryan's parents home afterwards and had Christmas with them! It was so good to see his family and grandparents. Christmas breakfast is always a tradition at their home every year as well so we get double the breakfast on Christmas day, but this year for lunch! haha it is always fun and very good.

I was so excited to give our presents to his family and hope they loved them! We brought our table ping pong game that I gave Ryan this year and we played it with all of his family for hours! We had a tournament and Ryan won! We finished out visiting with his family and grandparents and decided we had had a day full of fun. We are so fortunate to both have such a great families.

Once we got home we watched the movie 17 Miracles (you can watch the trailer if you haven't seen it). This movie was the best movie I think I have ever watched. It was so nice to watch it on Christmas day with Ryan. I was in tears by the end of it and we both realized how blessed we are to have so much. We sat and talked about the sacrafices so many of them made for their families, friends, neighbors and ones they loved so much while on their journey to Zion just so they could experience something greater. They were so commited to one another and the gospel. They knew and trusted the Lord would provide for them. They saw miracles continuosly from their faith and hope. It just made me realize the things we take for granted every day and the commitment I want to gain towards my husband, family and the gospel. I seriously loved this movie and think after crying for a good 2 or so hours I think I will purchuse it and watch it time and time again.

Christmas was so great this year. Ryan and I are so grateful for all we've been given and hope to this coming year reconize the blessing we recieve more often. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

Crinkle Cookies thanks to Pinterest!

2011-12-11T18:55:00.001-08:00

I made these tonight for the ladies I visit and teach! I am so grateful for Pinterest!

Here is the link for the recipe.

                            http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_crinkles/

           (I added some Cinnamon to the powder sugar and they smell delicious)
               I just wish I could eat them. I need to make a gluten free version!

2011-12-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures 2011

These are a couple of our pictures we had taken with our family this past November.

My cousin April took these pictures and I think they turned out very nice.

Delamare Photography

Happy 24 to me!

2011-11-20T20:58:00.001-08:00

Seriously, today was great. It was my birthday, but what birthday isn't fun?!?!

I'm now 24, married to my wonderful best friend and have no kids like normal 24 yr old's. It's great, and so therefore I can still act like a kid. This year I had requested for a Barbie doll birthday cake!

Dad and mom put the cake together for me.... and I absolutely LOVED it. I about had a freak attack when I saw it. ;)

They use to make these cakes for Amanda and I when were little. I always thought they were the greatest thing ever. I guess it always helps to have a dad that did this kind of stuff his entire life.

I have to say, my parents have skills!

Mom made the owl card for me in the pic.! I love owls, if you care to know.

My favorite color is green and this is a neon green dress, our awesome camera makes it look yellow though. If you can tell Barbie has brown hair, like mine. Mom had to dye it with her paints to make it resemble my color...oh it also had sparkles in it and she braided it. It made me laugh. haha

Ryan and I....I love him!

Dinner we ate! It was delicious, thanks to the chefs! Spinach poppy seed salad, honey and BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes with green been casserole!

This is my cake again, and the decor that is always here every year. I'm sure it will continue to appear every year until forever.

Oh, yes I forgot to mention....the cake was gluten free marble cake! One of my favorites.

All the nieces and nephews loved it too when they all came over. We finished the birthday day off by hanging out with the family and playing apples to apples.

It was a great day thanks to my great husband and family!

2011-11-13T13:26:00.001-08:00

Flowers Ryan gave me for our anniversary! I thought they were so cute!

111111

2011-11-12T09:19:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my love! 2 yrs. :)

Our Date Night!

2011-11-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Homemade GF pizza's!

AND........

The most important part LSU vs. Alabama

So fun!!!! I love my husband. It was his idea! ;)

Breakfast Burrito Extravaganza!

2011-10-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend Ryan and I put together two batches of these awesome make - ahead freezer breakfast burritos!!!!!! Let me just tell you how easy, yummy and convenient they are to have around for some fast, early morning breakfast food! You'll want to make some I'm sure, so we'll post our recipe and pictures. What an awesome idea!

Ingredients
24 eggs, beaten
2 t seasoned salt ( I go without most the time )
1 1/2 lb bulk sausage cooked or meat of choice (if cooking sausage, cook with 1/4 cup water)
1 1/3 cup chunky salsa
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
18-20 flour tortillas

Directions
-Scramble eggs in large skillet until done and season with salt and pepper.
-Combine meat, cheese and salsa in large bowl with eggs.
-Warm tortillas in microwave, 20-30 seconds until warm and flexible
-Place 2/3 cup egg mixture into tortillas, roll burrito-style
-Wrap burritos with enough clear wrap to cover completely
-Place in Ziploc freezer bags and keep frozen.

We made a double batch! One had diced ham, the other hot sausage!

Hope you try them out!

Rice Chex Treats

2011-10-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

I made these for our neighbors who are moving out. :(

They turned out delicious and cute I think. I love cooking. I found the idea from Pinterest!

-Rice Chex Treats-

1 bag of mini marsh mellows

1 stick of butter

6 cups of Chex rice cereal

Melting chocolate of choice

Food Coloring

(I added some crystal sprinkles on top of the chocolate)

In large pan melt stick of butter on low/medium heat. Add bag of mellows to butter...once melted completely add Chex cereal. Stir until mixed well!

Spread into 9x13' baking dish and let cool.

Cut into squares and decorate with melted chocolate!

Awesome Quote

2011-10-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

I love this!

What a Surprise!

2011-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

I walked in the house tonight and found these on the kitchen table! Aren't they pretty???...

My neighbor gave them to me because she wasn't digging the "sender" who gave them to her! ha ha I felt bad. She dropped them off on our doormat earlier today for Ryan to come home to and try and play it off like they were from him. They made my day!

Our Temporary Home!

2011-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

At least for the next year this is our temporary home!

WELCOME TO OUR HOME!.....Well part of it.

There is so much about this apartment that I love! I never thought I would love an apartment so much, but coming from that POS in Herriman we have been so spoiled! We have a dishwasher, a disposal, air conditioning, a lot of electrical outlets, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Oh, it also has washer and dryer hookups! We just love it. The location is also another plus for us! I cannot tell you enough how spoiled and blessed we feel to have this place that we feel safe in! We have loved living here and enjoying the new area. My other favorite thing is that we live right across from Sams Club which has the best gasoline prices in town! haha AWESOME!

Halloween Subway Art

2011-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I totally love this simple Halloween Subway Art I found on http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/ All I had to do was print it off and frame it! I think it is so adorable. You can find free ones to print off for every season everywhere on the Internet!

I'm totally aware I could make them myself, but it's easier when someone else takes the time to do it for you!

Conference Crock Pot Chili

2011-10-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

This Chili recipe I put together today after Conference. I'm getting so excited for soups and the fall season! It was kinda a combination of 3 family/friend recipes I had, but there were certain things I wanted and didn't want in it, so I put my own recipe together! I put it all in the crock pot and we took off to Big Cottonwood Canyon for a Sunday drive to see the colors of the leaves!!!!!!! We got home a couple hours later and it smelled so delicious when we walked in the door! I couldn't resist it any longer and Ryan and I absolutely loved it. It is totally simple, and I hope you try it out the next time you crave chili!

1 lb of (browned) ground Beef

1 Can of diced Tomatoes

1 Can of Red Kidney Beans drained

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix

1/2 packet of McCormick Taco seasoning mix

1 clove of Garlic

1/2 a diced Onion

1/2 a diced Green Bell pepper

1 1/2 C of water

Directions: Put it all together on high in crock pot and enjoy 2-3 hrs later.

Optional Items: Sour Cream, and shredded cheese!

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep time: 15 min max!
-Gluten Free-

YUMMY!

A novel w/pictures!

2011-09-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Let me update you on our life lately...

We got new furniture for a sweet deal during the Ashley Furniture 4th of July sale! They were on back order for about 6 wks but we finally got them about a month ago and we love them!

They are so comfortable and look nice too! Something our first couch didn't provide! Ryan and I sold our old couch and coffee table on KSL in 3 days and now we love that website....it's awesome! Ryan got all his school text book this semester for $55 bucks!

Two weekends ago while Ryan was inbetween summer and fall semesters we took a mini vacation to LA, California. We flew in on Friday and went to Six Flags Magic Mtn! We rode some awesome rollar coasters and about died of standing in lines for hours and the heat beating down on us all day. It was still very fun! One of the best parts of this day was El Toritio Mexican restaurant that night! Seriously, BEST Mexican food we have ever had!!!!!!

Saturday we went to Hurrican Harbor water park, and had so much fun in the water and on the slides!

Sunday we drove our rental car to Fresno, CA to visit some people from Ryan's mission. We got to see and visit with many of our good friends.

I made Ryan buy me some fresh Fresno peaches because we couldn't find any famous Hmong Berries anywhere! We drove back to LA that night and Monday we went to Manhatten Beach and flew home that night.

It was so much fun to get away for a bit!

What else.....

The following weekend after our vacation we went to Lagoon with Ryans family. We had our pictures taken, I think they turned out cute!

This weekend we went to the Herriman Farmers Market that across the street from our home! We bought some awesome Tomatoes, an Anaheim Pepper, Yellow Squash, and some delcious Peaches!

I made some salsa before taking a picutre of all the tomatoes. After today we had 1 tomato left for the picture....The salsa turned out awesome though! We had it for our pre game college football snacks.

Go Oregon Ducks....!!!

I love Farmer Markets and I think they should be on every corner!

Oh, I just remembered something else new! We bought a new car for Ryan, and sold our old one Ryan was given after his mission. It's a 2006 Mazda Speed6. It's pretty fast and scares the crap out of me...here is what it looks like!

I think the last and final thing thats going on is we are moving this week. Ryan and I are SO excited to get a new place! We are so desperate for a more functional and safe home to live in! We will be so much closer to work and school. We got a sweet deal from this apartment complex! It 2bd 2 bath with 1100sq ft. The luxuries included are more than one outlet in the kitchen, a dishwasher and air conditioning! I know those things sound silly to have, but we have been without for the past year. We are excited and can't wait to get away from the situation we are currently in. This is going to be a good move for us! We figure it's been another year...time to move again.

Goodbye to our second home.....

We will miss our 1940's pink bathroom!

Oh, my very last blip on this post!

I am seriously in love with this blog........check it out!

http://prettylifeanonymous.blogspot.com/

So fun.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

2011-07-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well we got back from Lava Hot Springs and had a lot of fun! We had a good time seeing our family and spending some time together. The hot spring are always my favorite, but this year Ryan, dad and I went golfing. We really had a great time. It was definitely just great to get away for the weekend.

Fourth of July we went to Stadium of Fire! Brad Paisley was great as always, David Archuleta was super boring and the fireworks were the best they have ever been!

We got out of the show at 1030pm and we didn't get home until 1am. The traffic was so HORRIBLE and I about got us in a fight with some Tongans! (Yeah don't laugh at me, cuz I know you are!) We'll just end the story there and say we will not be going back to the Stadium of Fire . (Ryan says, "Unless we get a motorcycle.")haha

2011-06-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ryan had his 23rd birthday last month!!! To celebrate we had family over for dinner/cake and ice cream. He was pretty spoiled and got some great things from friends and family. A Boston Celtics "Rhondo" bball jersey, the jump manual (which increases your vertical jump), some new running shoes and socks! He is all set to play some ball! Anyway, Memorial Day weekend we spent together shopping, eating out, playing some mini golf, go-cart racing and hanging out at the arcade. We ended up giving our tickets we won to some random kids. We didn't win anything super cool, but had a blast. The crazy part of that day was some lady in the parking lot there at Boondocks took a big turf on her way into her grandsons bday party. She ended up slammed her cheek pretty bad on the concrete. I was so lucky to be there when it happened and ended up helping her get taken care of. It kinda scared me just a bit. What else...Ryan started the Summer semester once again and is taking 3 classes. He seems to love his classes so far and is very greatful for his awesome math teacher that can actually teach! As for me, I am battling the obsession I have with candy. We are working out a lot lately and I am so greatful for my husband that is such a motivation. I just can't seem to give up on those sweets. Any ideas? Oh, we also put an offer on a townhome in s.j. but ended up after fasting and praying a ton both realized it wasn't the right decision to go through with, so we ended up backing out of it. We have a family reunion coming up soon in Lava and it should be pretty exciting! First camping trip of the summer..hopefully we'll get a bit of a tan! Anyway, we are still thinking of a winter cruise vacation...any suggestions for destinations?

New Hair

2011-04-02T13:39:00.001-07:00

I cut my hair even shorter! Kinda crazy, I know. Kristine finally made it back to Utah all the way from Boston just so we could do each others hair! LOVE HER!!!!! well I think she is great. Oh, and look at my cute OPI Katy Perry line "Shatter" nail polish. Love it. I also got a pedicure on Friday before my haircut and love the springy Pink I decided on.

I just realized I uploaded these photos backwards. Oh well!

Crafts

2011-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

My latest projects I've made.

Making cards is my favorite thing to do lately. I'm working on my collection.

This is the curtain I made for our back door to replace the 50 yr. old one that is now in the garbage! The material is really brown with a purple floral design.

I saw this plant idea on someones blog and wanted to make something for the top of our bookshelf in the living room. I thought this was perfect, and decided to make it! I bought all my supplies at Tai Pan Trading. I think it turned out very well. Less than $10.00

Ryan playing NBA 2K11 online with Miguel while I made these!

Blogging.....

2011-02-25T17:22:00.001-08:00

I think I have decided I don't love blogging as much as I thought I did. I don't think I update it enough and so therefore no one reads my blog. Kinda boring.

Discounts for those who look

2011-02-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Check out my business blog for discounts on hair services!
www.captivatingimage.blogspot.com

Our "Deer" friendly yard animals!

2011-01-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

We have many more yard animals that wonder around our new yard in Herriman....I'll post some more pics. I think they are all my friends and talk to them while I'm out taking pictures of them. They love us.

2010-12-31T10:17:00.001-08:00

MeRrY ChRiStMaS aNd HaPpY nEw YeAr!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Moved In

2010-11-02T16:25:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I have officially moved into our new place! We are very excited for this change. It's been crazy the past week, but thankfully We both took time off of work to get everything done and looking good. Our family was a big help and we are grateful for our siblings who took the time out of their super busy and exciting lives to help us out!

Our anniversary is this coming week on Veterans Day! I can say time has flown by for sure, but it's been wonderful! We are taking some time off work and going on Vacation!

BUSINESS BLOGSPOT

2010-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT MY BLOGSPOT FOR MY BUSINESS!

http://www.captivatingimage.blogspot.com

Timpanogos

2010-09-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today Ryan, myself and another couple decided to hike to the Timpanogos Caves. Once we arrived, there was an hour and a half wait to start the hike. We ended up going over to the river across the street and conducting our first boating races down the river with sticks. Ryan won most of them against our friend and I ended up winning one as well! We had a lot of fun playing in the water for that hour and a half.

We finally were able to start hiking up the side of the mountain. I think we were a bit unprepared for this hike. It was a tid bit cold and we could have used some trail mix or something to give us some more energy. I really didn't know what this hike was all about. I don't remember going when I was younger, but it definitely was up hill all the way and more strenuous than I ever imagined. Working out and doing 200 lbs leg presses the past two days wasn't the greatest idea in the book before this hike. I was dying in other words. My legs were not moving very well up the trail and I never thought I would have a problem doing this hike. We finally arrived after our 1.5 mile hike and I felt so accomplished! We made it.

We had to wait awhile to start our tour in the caves, but we ended up getting in 10 minutes early! The caves were amazing. I have never seen anything like them. There was a lot to learn about the formations and the water in the cave. It's amazing how everything is dependent on something else or it will no longer continue to live. I never knew caves are dependent on water to keep them creating the Stagtites and Stagmites. It was just crazy to see everything in there. It was so cold too. That's another thing we forgot. I was so happy that our friends are prepared for us as well! They had the jackets and Gatorade! We were very grateful for them.

Ryan and I had so much fun once we were done! I'm not sure what was worse...hiking up hill or walking down hill.

What's Up....

2010-08-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well for all who want to know, Ryan and I are alive and doing well! We are super busy and having fun. Ryan just started back to school and we are trying to figure out where we are going to live once our lease is up this October!!!!!! We are excited to get out of this apartment. We have so many options and places to consider we just are trying to figure out which one is the best option for us right now. Time will tell for sure! We can't wait to have a bug-free apartment and a washer and dryer!

How exciting!

2010-07-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Ryan and I get the wonderful opportunity of babysitting my sisters child for the weekend! Cheddar Dog is it name. He's not what I would call cute, but thats okay. He needs some more love cuz his momma has left him. I might have to pretend to like him for a few days and take him on a walk!

DISCUSTING =

2010-07-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

BUGS IN OUR APARTMENT. NOT MUCH MORE TO SAY ABOUT IT. IT'S GROSS AND RYAN AND I ARE NOT STAYING IN THESE APARTMENTS MUCH LONGER.

Family Reunion

2010-06-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Ryan and I went to our family reunion in Idaho, at Lava Hot Springs! We headed there late Friday night and Amanda and mom were so kind to set up our tent for us. Ryan got off late from work that day and we were afraid to show up too late and not be able to set anything up. This was our first camping trip together since we've been married and we didn't even get to set our own tent up. We had a lot of fun visiting with our family this weekend.

Ryan and I woke up early Saturday morning and headed to the hot pools to relax and lay out in the sun! That same morning Ryan and I took a stroll around the Sunken Gardens there just up from Lava. The flowers were beautiful and I felt like I was in the Secret Garden. We ended up going over to the other pool with all the other family and kids and played some beach water ball! We had to make sure Ryan was soaked in Sun screen because he is really sensitive right now with his medication he is on. I felt bad, but we drenched him like four times that day. We had fun going off the slides and soaking up some of the sun. (well at least I did) We won some fun prises from the family auction and enjoyed all the good food and family!

Rock Climbing

2010-04-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I went rock climbing two weeks ago in American Fork Canyon. If any of you know where Hell's Cave is, we were right next to it. Neither of us had been before, so this was a new experience for us both. We were scared! A friend of ours is really into climbing and was dying to take us out so we decided to go and we loved it!

I was very surprised and managed to walk away with only a dozen scrapes and bruises on my legs. Ryan of course had none. We absolutely loved learning how to climb and we are seriously thinking it's going to be our new hobby.

Something Else New....

2010-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

I cut my hair and it's cute and SHORT! ;)

Every Moment is a Memory. Dont Let it Pass By.

2010-02-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Well the past few months have been crazy fun! Ryan and I enjoyed our first Valentines Day on Saturday this year. Ryan brought some beautiful flowers home for me that afternoon. We beat the rush for dinner and went to our new favorite restaurant, Macaroni Grill and enjoyed our delicious meals. We then went shopping a bit until our movie started that night. We went and saw Valentines Day. I enjoyed it surprisingly and Ryan seemed to think differently. He didn't enjoy keeping up with every ones love lives on Valentines Day. I thought it was cute and really had a fun time with Ryan that day.

Ryan has been very busy keeping up with loads of homework for school and working as hard as he does everyday at work. We stay up many nights studying homework and quizzing him for his tests. He is doing really well and trying to enjoy it as much as he can. His potential goal right now for a career is Physical Therapy.

As for myself, I am always trying to find things to do while I'm at the credit union everyday. We are pretty slow right now, so I'm always trying to entertain myself. I tend to find myself reading useless information from magazines, scrambling my brain with word search puzzles, thinking of many other things I could be doing at home and visiting websites I've visited multiple times just to see if there is something new to look at. If you ever want to feel the feeling of true boredom get a job at a credit union/bank. Today I have found myself typing away and writing a novel about our life. How exciting! The salon business is picking up and I'm enjoying working there a lot.

Some exciting news: 1)We finally got new neighbors in our apartment building above us and next door. 2) Our Rocky Mtn Power bill went down! 3) Ryan and I both got raises at work. 4) I got someone to do my business taxes finally. Amanda is very happy with that info. 5) The Bachelor is on tonight! 6) The sun is shining brighter every day!

Not so exciting news: 1) No more Elle Wiener dog next door. Her protective teeth smile/growl when she was scared of us will be missed. 2) Ryan has been sick for a week now, and I miss his cheerful attitude.

Fresno: Jan. 22-25 2010

2010-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I returned from Fresno, California late last night. We took off very early on Friday morning stopped in Vegas for some lunch and shopping and arrived in Fresno around 6pm that night. A very long, but fun 12 hour drive! We called Tony and Jen up that night and went to the Dog House Grill. Ryan had to have the all famous Tri-tip sandwich! We met up at the church house after dinner and Ryan was able to play ball with a bunch of guys that he hadn't seen for awhile. He had a lot of fun and I enjoyed watching them make fools of themselves! We were so tired that night after driving and were grateful for all the wonderful people that allowed us to stay in their homes.

Saturday, a friend of Ryan's was getting married in the Fresno temple which was our main reason we went. We were able to be apart of the sealing that morning. It was very special for us to return to the temple together. The best part was reflecting back on the day Ryan and I were sealed.

Cody and Kristen had In-N-Out and Jamba Juice for the luncheon. We were able to visit with many amazing families and people that day. I could tell Ryan really enjoyed being there to catch up with everyone. That night we went to the reception and danced the night away! That was the best part. Ryan was a groom's men and got a sweet new teal blue shirt and silver tie. We went to dinner with a bunch of friends late that night and were so excited to get some rest from the crazy, fun long day we had.

Sunday we went to two different wards that Ryan served in. Once again I met a lot of new people that loved Ryan while he served in the wards. Everyone was so excited to see his face. It made me happy to witness this excitement and love they had for him.

That afternoon we visited a friend of Ryan's that worked at the Fresno Fire station. Right as we arrived to visit, the alarm sounded and they had to take off to a fire call. We just wondered around the station until they got back. Justin took us on a tour of the place and we had a lot of fun doing so. We got back to the Holden's home and of course watched the Saint vs. Vikings fball game. Ryan is all about the New Orleans Saints and was so excited for them to win and go to the Super bowl this year. We played a few games and the Wii with Whitney and Matt all night. Ryan and Matt got into a baseball game against each other and seriously played for about two hours. I was about to scream. The funniest part was Matt was standing in front of me playing and farted right in my face. oh boy, I couldn't stop laughing. Ryan won the baseball game, and I was pretty excited for him!

The next morning we woke up and had waffles for breakfast and packed our things up for our long trip back home. We left around 8:30AM Fresno time and got home around 930-10 Utah time. Ryan and I had a lot of fun together. We spent a lot of the time laughing together and enjoying each others company!

New Additions To The North Family!

2010-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

#17 Macie Jane Born: 01/07/2010

#16 Reagan Elizabeth Born: 01/04/2010

Aren't our two new neices so cute?!?!?!?!?

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so much fun! First off, Ryan was so excited Christmas Eve we didn't fall asleep until after 3AM Christmas morning. We got up Christmas day at 6:45AM and opened presents! It's been so much fun spending the holidays together. We had a lot of family to visit so we rushed to get ready to have Christmas with both of our families. We ate a lot of food, played games, ate some more, and took a few naps! We had a great time seeing everyone. Ryan and I have been so blessed these past two months and are very greatful for the true meaning of Christmas. We were grateful to be able to spend it with those we love. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas weekend. Happy New Year!

Our Wedding Day....November 11,2009

2009-12-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Engagements & Bridals

2009-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Wedding!

2009-11-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

The wedding went so well! The temple sealing at the Salt Lake Temple was beautiful. It was such a blessing to be with all of our family, but most importantly with each other! The weather was beautiful. Ryan and I couldn't have asked for a better day! We are so grateful for all of our family and especially friends that helped us out with all of our kinks. We couldn't have done it without all the help and support! We are doing well and enjoying living together! Ryan and I love our apartment in West Jordan and very grateful for all the blessing we have recieved these past few weeks together. Thank you again to everyone who helped make this a day to remember forever!

P.S. I'll get some pictures up soon!!!!!!!!!!!

Just A Sneak Peek!

2009-10-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Some Of My Favorite People!!!

EVERYONE Mark Your Calanders.....Nov. 11,2009!

2009-10-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

WOW, Life has changed. FAST! Last time I posted Ryan was coming home from Cali...3 months later, Ry and I are engaged and I'm working in a new salon!!!!! I've been very busy to say the least. Trying to keep up with having Ryan home, planning for the wedding, working both jobs and trying to find time for everything else I've realized is hard and well worth it.

Ryan and I have had a lot of great memories since he's been home. We've been able to go back to Fresno already, spend lots of time with our families here at home and just enjoy each others company everyday. After the first few weeks of Ryan being home we both knew that we were supposed to be together.....So we went and bought rings. The week I was kicked out of the salon he finally proposed September 2,2009. This was the best thing that had happened to me that week. I found out I would no longer be working at the same salon I've been at for a year and a half. I am now working at a studio salon in Draper and really enjoying the independence of this new opportunity! I have been very blessed these past few months and things are going well.

24 Hours

2009-06-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

I'm kinda freaking out. It doesn't feel real. A dream more like it. A good one indeed, but the ending is coming fast. So much to do. A need to impress. A want to feel loved again. Excitement. Nervousness. A want to yell so everyone can know. A sense of peace, and comfort more like. A moment of realizing reality is better than my dream the past two years.

The Man In The Glass

2009-06-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

When you get what you want, in your struggle for self

And the world makes you king for a day

Just walk to the mirror-take a look at yourself

And see what that guy has to say.

It isn't your father, or mother, or wife

Who's judgement upon you must pass,

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the guy you meet in the glass.

You may be Jack Horner, and chisel a plum

And say "I'm a wonderful guy!"

But the guy in the glass says "You're only a bum

If you can't look me in the eye."

He's the felow to please, never mind all the rest

Cause he's with you right through to the end,

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back, as you pass;

But your only reward will be heartaches and tears

If you've cheated the "man in the glass."

Hope!

2009-06-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Amanda a few weeks ago decided to make ribbons for all the people she works with to show her support and love of a young girl working with her. Her name is Lena (24) and she has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer. Her going through the process of Kemo, Amanda wanted to make these purple ribbons which stand for the type of cancer she has. Once everyone at work saw these ribbons they ALL wanted one. Not only did they want one, but we decided to add the red to show support for our CEO of Granite Credit Union who has Squamous Cell Carcinoma cancer. He is not doing well at all.

As you can see we worked all night after searching three stores to find enough ribbon to make enough for every single employee of the credit union. Totalling 115 ribbons together. Amanda and I had a lot of fun putting these together and thought we were crazy to think we could do all of these in one night,but we did....and went to the gym afterwards because we had too much energy to go to bed at midnight. We laughed and enjoyed each others company while we made each one of these. I realized how grateful I was to be in good health and to do this simple

act of support for these two people working with us. My prayers are with them and I am so happy to feel like I am showing my support by wearing this adorable ribbon everyday at work!

Jack Everett North

2009-06-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Lovely Parents!

Manda & Michael

Cute Baby Jack! (Suprisingly he didn't cry in my arms)

Rachel & Dallas

Me, Momma, & Amanda

A few Sundays ago my family and of coarse Rachel, (Dallas' girlfriend) were able to go to new baby Jack's blessing. Making him the 15th grandchild!!!! David my brother gave him a wonderful blessing that day. It was fun to gather as family and friends to celebrate this adorable handsome new little baby into the world.

One Goal Down Plenty More to Go!

2009-06-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

GRADUATION 2009! Associates of Applied Science in Cosmetology and Barbering!

I am so proud of myself for accomplishing this goal of mine. A year ago I graduated with my diploma and finished my 2000 hours of work to be qualified for licensing to do hair. I set out to obtain the highest degree from SLCC and once finished and started cutting and doing hair, I wasn't going to settle with just a diploma. I wanted it all. So in other words I've been working two jobs the past year while finishing school. It has been a very long term goal which took a lot of time and effort in completing. I am done and very happy! I've LOVED doing hair and am so glad I chose to do this. I plan to start in the fall going to school to get my Bachelors in business. One day hoping to own my own day spa and salon!

Capital Reef

2009-06-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Parker posing with his favorite aunt!

CampFire

Marshall, Brooke,Parker, & Me

Our trail marker

Our very large rock climbing experience!

Marsh Man, Quinn, Amy and Parker

The full view!

Early Pioneers names carved on the rock

Old school house

OH! Pretty deer.

Myself & Amanda

Fire!

Skull of the deer

Miss Brooke and Nanna

Amy & Tyler

Parker,Tyler, & Marsh Man

Dad & Amy
Planting our targets!

Myself, Mom, Dad, Amanda, my other sister Amy, her husband Tyler and their four kids; Quinn, Marshall, Parker and Brooke all took a sweet vacation to Capital Reef about three weeks ago. While we were there we found a great place to go shooting and had a lot of fun! I shot a 22 Magnum, 17HMR, and a 22 Pistol. On our adventure we found a skull of a dead deer which was pretty nasty, and lots of wood for our fire that we had later that night. We went hiking, saw some sweet Petrogliphs from a long time ago and ran into a real live female deer. She was a beauty! We climbed some steep rock and thought I was going to die,but didn't. Visited some history cites in the park. It was so beautiful outside we jumped in the pool and had a party! We enjoyed each others company while sitting aroud the campfire every night roasting marshmellows and having smores! I love my family and was so happy to have been able to spend this time with them. Little Parker became my best friend and made sure we took pictures so here they all are!

It's Over! For Now.....

2009-05-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

I finished school yesterday and graduate on Friday from SLCC! It has been a very LONG process to get to this point, but I am very excited and proud of myself for accomplishing one of my goals! The plan for now, is to take a break off of school for the summer semester and catch up on the fun things in life. Don't worry I still am doing more school, but for now it's over!

Addiction

2009-04-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

One of my close friends is very familiar with eating well and exercising. I on the other hand am good with the exercising part, but LOVE candy and sugar in general! I wanted to make it a goal to get myself off of it and allow my body to become acquainted without it. So, I gave myself that challenge and asked help from Robby to do it with me and coach me through this process. He agreed and we have made it a goal/competition to see who can go the longest without sugar, HFCG, and any other sugar substitutes. We're able to eat natural sugars, which mean...basically fruit! The first week we started, I really did well and was very proud of myself for making it through the first long week without it. In the yoga class I'm taking right now my instructor Tiffany always uses the saying, "Acknowledge the Thought or Feeling and Let it Go!" I really have relied on this quote not only is yoga and Pilate's, but in any situation I come across that I find myself struggling in. I know that if I acknowledge the thoughts the come to my mind EVERYDAY of having candy, I can be strong and let them go. I know I can get over this addiction I have!

'April Showers Bring May Flowers"

2009-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

"April Showers Brings May Flowers," which means the Bee's will be coming out for another season! In terms of Bee's I mean...The Salt Lake Bee's!!!!!!!!!! It's once again spring time! I LOVE it, as well as baseball! This season I was pretty excited, but kind of not looking forward to it as much because I had heard "B-Wood" (Brandon Wood #8) would be moving on to the Angels. A few days ago the news was on, and I about had a heart attack!!!! Brandon was practicing not only on the field but in uniform! Sadly to say, he has "buzzed" all of his long beautiful hair off! Still looking good, I'm glad to say I'm not having to find a replacement of my favorite player this season! I am very excited to spend a lot of time looking out and gazing at the field! The environment of baseball is a beautiful picture. Observation is the best word I can use to describe a lot of my time spent there. People are enjoyable, as well as weiner Wednesdays now called Dollar Dog Day, Thirsty Thursday's and my all time favorite... ice cream in a baseball cap! One day I am going to catch a ball, I know it!!!! Brandon will toss his ball over the dug out to me, and winks as I catch the ball in my hands! It will be a wonderful, life long dream now fulfilled...well one day!

You'll Laugh @ This!

2009-03-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Some advice for anyone who wants to laugh....watch the T.V. series The Big Bang Theory! I absolutly love it and find myself laughing I'd say 90% of the time! Monday's 8PM or go buy season 1, it's worth it! Howard is one of my favorites!

My Vow to Myself!

2009-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

I am very excited!!!! My brother in-law Tyler, bestest friend Ryan and I will be running the Provo 5K and Tyler is running the 10K on July 4th! I am really looking forward to this. Tonight Tyler and I started talking about running and Amanda my sister said I would never be able to run a marathon....so to this day, I am making a written vow to myself that I will in the near future train for a marathon! I'm going to prove everyone wrong!

Skin

2009-02-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Tuesday I had a lovely docters appointment @ the dermatologist. Sadly to say they've diagnosed me with Psoriasis, which is basically where my skin cells grow too fast in certain areas. Weird I know, but no worries...it's not contagious!

Important Enough!

2009-01-25T22:21:00.001-08:00

I tried telling myself this wasn't important enough to post, BUT I had to. I wanted to say how grateful I am for everything I have right now in my life. Watching and living in these days of this great recession and downfall of the economy, I daily sit back and realize I've been blessed with so much and couldn't ask for more. I have a great family who love me, a warm house to live in, wonderful friends, two totally awesome jobs, an education...continuing education, food to eat, and in general a stable environment I'm very privileged to have, where many don't. It just makes me think what I can do to help someone else.

Record Broken...

2009-01-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's been approximately 3 years since I've been sick....Yesterday morning I woke up and it hit me a good one. Pretty mad, I went to work and went on with my normal day. Work, school, running, yoga etc.. I have the day off from work today and decided to take it easy, which isn't normal for me. I've kinda just bummed around all day on medicine and I know its hard to believe, BUT I put a movie on and watched it...Two Weeks Notice. I really enjoyed it, and have come to realize you need some moments of laziness in your life! Once I'm done and over with this crappy cold/or weather inversion crap,I'm going straight back to running, working out, doing my yoga and drinking my Orange Juice!!!!! I promise it works miracles!

Saturday!

2009-01-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday's are one of my favorite days, and today was an AMAZING Saturday! I had the day off from the credit union...Granite Credit Union that is, were I work as a teller so my family and I could go to the Draper temple open house this morning! It was my first time attending an open house, so I had no idea what to expect. It was like a little adventure....but much better. We drove to the church building we were assigned to meet at and watch the video production they had about temples and the great importance they are to us as Latter Day Saints. We loaded the bus and headed to the temple. Entering the temple, always is great and exciting. We started walking through the halls of the house of the Lord and taking in every little detail I could take in. I was AMAZED at the detail and beautiful artwork that are within the house. It was absolutly beautiful. An experience I one day in the future hope to experience, as well as I hope everyone else has the opportunity to do the same. I was very greatful for this opportunity to experience such peace within the temple with the ones I love the most...my family!

The Beginning!

2009-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! This is going to be SO much fun....It's one of my New Years resolutions to learn how to use my blogspot! I want for myself to keep a better journal, so I figure this is the best way for me to accomplish my goal! One of my dearest friends Natalie said...."It's fun, just write down exciting things that happen in life not necessarily for anyone, but for yourself." So here goes...The Beginning!