My Birthday!

Well, I had one of the best birthdays ever! There were a few points which I will make to show that it really couldn't have been any better.

First, I took the day off from work so I got to sleep in just a smidgen. I didn't have to worry about what I was teaching, or which child was doing what. I simply got to get up and slowly get ready for the day.

Next, I cleaned and organized most of my guest room. Over the last few weeks somehow it became a junk room and it was a cleansing experience putting most things back in order.

Well, I really cleaned it out so the massage therapist could put her table in that room. My sister-in-law was so kind as to arrange for one as my birthday present. I just have to say that I felt wonderful after that and could have been completely happy with my day at that point, but the great thing is that there was more!

In the late afternoon I curled up on my couch with a good book and some light piano music in the background and read for a couple of hours! Jeff gave me "Catching Fire" on Sunday with the rest of his families presents so I had it out and ready to go. I read as the sun went down and until Jeff got home.

When he walked in he asked me where my phone was at in the house. I picked it up to show him it was in my lap and just then I got a text saying for me to check the (ugly, and I wish it would go away) pig, which is a cookie jar that sits on our front porch. I went to open the door and got a wonderful surprise when I saw our good friends Heather and Kayli. They brought me some cookies and a card. I felt so special that they would drive all the way up to Orem to make me feel special. We talked for a while and had some good laughs.

When they left Jeff and I went out on our date for the evening. He took me to my favorite place to eat, Jason't Deli. I just love the fresh deli sandwich and creamy broccoli cheese soup. After dinner we went to the movies and saw New Moon. It was a fun movie and we both enjoyed the story.

It was pretty late when we came out of the movie so we just went home. I walked into the kitchen and on the table was an amazing apple pie from Kneader's and some cute birthday balloons. Thanks goes out to Zack and Delta for bringing them for Jeff. We ate some pie and I opened my presents and cards. Jeff got me a beautiful necklace, that I picked out.

Overall, I just felt special and loved. I want to thank everyone for all the phone calls, e-mails, and messages that let me know how much I am loved. It felt good to know that people cared about making my birthday special. I love you all too!

Another Pair

I am so excited to write that I have added another pair of shoes to my collection. Now these shoes were not picked on a whim in a store as I walked by. These were chosen with great care and research.

I had decided a few months ago that I needed some new running shoes. My old ones were getting ratty and uncomfortable so I didn't like going to the gym as much (unfortunately that is not the only reason I don't like going to the gym, but that would be a whole different post). I went online to find the best way to pick a good running shoe for me. Well, most of the sites I visited said I should just go to a running shoe store and ask a sales person to let me try on a whole bunch.

Well, after a long time and a lot of shoe comparison I found a style that I liked and it felt good. The bad news was that the sticker price was a lot more then I was willing to pay for a pair of running shoes (maybe if I actually ran I might have thought more about it).

Here is the good news. I am smart. I figured I would just take the brand and style names of the shoe I wanted and see if I could get a better deal online. Well, low and behold, I did. I found the same shoes (in a different color) for over half of the price of the shoes in the store and at a price I could swallow. I even got free shipping with a promotional code!

Now I have cute, comfortable, and affordable running shoes that make it a little bit easier to get back to the gym.

Halloween

Well, I meant to post right after Halloween, but I had Parent/Teacher conferences this week. That usually takes more time then I think it will, but I am glad they are over and I get today off!

On Halloween Jeff and I kept it simple. After the Haunted House incident I was not in the mood for anything scary. We decided to stay home to make and decorate sugar cookies. They weren't fancy and the "black" frosting was more of a swamp green, but we had fun anyway.

After they were made we decided to share them with our friends, Tammy and Cameron. We were going to just drop the cookies off and say a quick hello, but they invited us in to play Phase 10. It was a rousing game (I lost terribly) and we talked the night away. We had a lovely night full of treats and friends. Just they way I like it

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A celebration to remember!

The trip we have all been waiting for finally happend! Jeff wisked me away on a secret anniversery weekend to celebrate our first year of marrige together. He has had his sneeky face on for quite a while and , as you might imagine, I was ready to find out what we were going to be doing.

We left at about 4pm on Friday and started driving south. This eliminated a few places and narrowed it down to about two options. We talked and laughed about what we had been doing a year ago while Jeff kept a tight lid on where we were going.

Finally, I was getting pretty hungry, so I asked if we were going to be eating soon or should I have some more snacks. He said it wouldn't be much longer which made me think. We started driving though Ceder City and was almost though the town when Jeff pulled off on the last exit. In my head I was thinking, "Hum, I have never been to Ceder City this will be new." I was excited and ready to begin the trip, and I was starving. Jeff had found an old Ma and Pop type steak house where all the locals were coming in and the workers asked where we were from. It was such a friendly place and the food was GOOD.

After dinner we were off to the place we would be staying. Jeff turned back the way we had come and then before I knew it we were back on the freeway. "What!?" "I never said we were staying in Ceder City," Jeff smirks to me. This is when I shout my guess, "We are going to Saint George! We are going to Tuacahnn!" Jeff told me that I was right and that we would be seeing one of my favorite plays, Aida.

Saturday was a bit of an adventure. First, I had told Jeff to find something that he wanted to do on the trip, so he chose to see a "boy movie". Well, it took us driving around for quite a while to finally find the movie theater, but we did find an AMAZING Mongolian BBQ by accident. That was some good food!

On Saturday night we drove out to Tuacahnn to eat at the buffet before the show started. We even had a little time to take pictures before going into the theater. Jeff was so wonderful to get tickets that were third row center! If you haven't been to Tuacahnn, the back of the stage is the mountain and it looks beautiful. As the show begins the backdrop is parcially covered, but as the song changes moods and the "war" begins the front pieces melt away and the people come out of the mountain and horses charge on stage! It was so crazy to see all of the special effects (fireworks, a camel, chickens, sheep, etc.). My favorite was the waterfall that slowly filled another pool and then created another waterfall. This happend about three times and each time it go closer and closer to the stage. I thought it would just run off somewhere off stage, but soon it actually created a river ON STAGE! It looked amazing and I think my jaw dropped.

The next morning it was time to check out and go home. Sunday was our actual anniversery so we thought it would be a good idea to stop by the Saint George Temple on our way out of town to remind us of the special promises we made only a year ago.

On the drive home there was more laughing about the events of last year (how I had to get up so much earlier then Jeff did!) and our favorite memories. We stopped in a park to each lunch, but then finished off the drive home.

It was a wonderful weekend, but the best part was remembering how great the whole year has been. I look forward to an eternity of time with my love.

CrAzY!

Wow, has it really been that long since I last blogged. Oops! Well, I have had my hands full for a little while with my job and all the new changes that have happend in the school district this year. Well, I just wanted to give all my MILLIONS of readers a heads up for a great new post that is comming this weekend. It happens to be a special weekend.

Getting a Green Thumb?

Well, I have caught a bug. The green thumb bug that it is. I went home last week and saw so many beautiful gardens and landscapes which got me VERY excited about trying to get my own yard looking, well, like a yard and not just a brown waste land (ok, so I am being a little dramatic). Jeff and I have talked about getting a watering system and other plans of planting a garden, but we haven't really done anything about it (except for trying to controll the weeds).

Well, this week I have started, on my new found energy, to try and work in my yard. I even went to the Home Depot by myself and bought some Round Up and some new (cute) gloves. I still don't have any idea what I am doing, but I figure with asking a lot of questions and some trial and error, Jeff and I just might be able to figure it out!

Letting Go.

So I got my hair cut on Monday. I asked that only about 3 1/2 inches be cut and then put in some light layers. Well, my 3 1/2 in. is the same as some people's 6 inches. I was fine with the cut dispite the shock at how much was taken off. I have always hung on to my long hair as sort of a security blanket in my life and I think I needed someone to just cut it without letting me know. I feel good about letting go of the long locks and I think the cut looks really great and my hair feels really healthy! Please support me in the letting go process.

It is a little hard to see the hair style, but you get the idea.