Steven and Dani

Wrapping Up January ..

2012-02-03T06:19:00.001-08:00

I needed to post about a few fun things that happened in January before it's too late.

FIRST (and very exciting!) -- On Jaunary 8th we became an aunt and uncle again! Meet sweet Bailee. At 5 LBS 5 Ounces and 17 inches long, she is TINY. We love her so much already, I think she's quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Next, On January 29 we celebrated our adorable niece Cami's Birthday. Cami had a 'Hollywood' birthday party complete with a red carpet, paparazzi and an awards ceremony. My sister in law Robyn always plans the cutest parties for her kiddo's. Everyone came in 'best dress' and Hollywood attire. It was adorable! Happy Birthday Cam!

San Francisco & 49ER's Game

2012-01-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago while doing some Christmas shopping, I ran into our cute friends the Hugel's at Target. After chatting for a few minutes I was getting ready to leave and in a not very serious tone Scott reminded me we'd all be attending the 49ER's play off game in January together, and asked that I let Steven know :) . Later that night Crystal and I were on the phone for a traditional end of day chat and I mentioned to Steve what Scott said at Target, and laughed. Little did I know -- That SAME evening we'd be purchasing game tickets, and a few weeks later flights and a hotel. Long story short -- I'd do it again in a heartbeat! We had SO much fun .. perfect game, perfect weekend (and I'm not even a football fan!).

We took a cable car ride to the Wharf on Friday night to meet Steve's brother and his little family for dinner (soo good to see them!). Crystal and I weren't brave enough to stand outside, but Scott and Steve did - love this picture!

Game day breakfast.

Steve & I waiting to get in .

We LOVE vacationing with these two .. We've already done Disneyland, Mexico, Vegas & San Fran together & planning a 2013 trip to the Florida Keys - love them!

Christmas 2011 & a New Year ..

2012-01-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We were able to spend SO much time with both of our families over the Holiday weekend, and feel so blessed. We had our traditional Christmas Eve morning breakfast with my parents & sister, Steve did all the cooking - as usual. After breakfast we opened presents with my family, and spent Christmas Eve at Rick & Lori's for a steak, chicken & shrimp fondue dinner.

We went to Lori & Nate's bright and early Christmas morning to watch the kids open presents and have breakfast. They were SO spoiled, and it was a blast to watch them tear through everything. We love them so much!

After presents with the kids we spent the afternoon with the Bertelsens at my Grandpa's house and the evening with my parents for a Chinese take out Christmas dinner. We hope every one's Christmas was as perfect as ours. As much as I love the Holidays, I am so happy they are over ... they get too busy - & I feel like I start to forget the 'reason of the season'. It'll be nice to get back to a regular schedule!

I can't believe it's 2012! I am not big on setting resolutions, as I always seem to give up on them half way through the year .. although I think listing them out helps me remember what I thought I was going to do .. so here goes!

-Taking better care of my body -- I need to exercise more! A few friends and myself started jogging 3 or 4x's a week over a month ago, we've done pretty good -- but I need to do better.

- Spend more time with my family, as I get older .. and life gets harder, I am always reminded how important family is. I am SO lucky to be close to my family and need to be better about soaking up all the time I can get.

-SAVING, not spending. I am a shopper. Enough said. I need to be better! Included in trying to save more is cooking at home. We eat out too often and end up wasting groceries - I am limiting us to once a week! Wish me luck, as I despise to cook!

2011 has been a year of lessons - I think I've certainly learned alot more about myself, and what's important to me. I've learned about friendship, good & bad. Who I can trust, and who I cannot. I've been let down, and picked back up -- & most importantly, who's still sticking by my side through out it all. I am so thankful for my awesome husband, family and some seriously great friends -- without them, I'd be no where. Here's to 2012!

Happy New Year!

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Anniversary & more ..

2011-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Halloween weekend. Three of our friends threw parties on two different evenings -- I felt like we never actually got out of costume. We hadn't dressed up in YEARS -- it was a blast. Steve was a very hot naked and hairy man, I dressed up as a Pink Lady from Grease. I have a few more photo's posted on facebook of the weekend festivities .. But I needed this one documented here, Haha!

Although I didn't snap any photos - Thanksgiving was also wonderful. We had a pre - Thanksgiving dinner with friends on Wednesday night, celebrated the actual holiday on Thursday with the Bertelsens and met up with the Andreasens that evening for pie. & as tradition follows -- we spent the evening and into the wee morning hours with the Hugels for some BLACK FRIDAY shopping. We found everything we needed and more!

On December 14th Steve & I celebrated our 5 Year Anniversary. WOW. Time flies. Since it was in the middle of the week we didn't get to do our traditional Park City over nighter .. although we did celebrate with dinner, dessert & some shopping. The picture below is of us on our wedding day .. leaving the reception center. Our friends and family are surrounding us on the lawn and front porch with sparklers -- I love this picture. Nothing professional, snapped from my aunts camera - but I can remember exactly how I felt. The BEST part is that my feelings have at least tripled for Steve since that day. I am a lucky girl!

We have been SO busy the last few weeks -- I didn't even get my tree up until last weekend. We decided to set up Christmas down stairs this year -- it just feels cozier (and I didn't have to take apart my living room upstairs!). I have Christmas off this year, I can't wait to spend the entire Holiday weekend with my family.

I have to admit - I have totally lost the urge to blog, AT ALL. But .. since this is my journal in a sense, and I love that I can store all my memories in one place - I am going to continue to update once a month or so .. I still LOVE reading about all my friends and seeing fun new pictures.

Merry Christmas everyone!

the floors are in!

2011-10-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

I know this is old news for my face book friends, seeing that I've plastered my wall in wood floor photos. I am just that dang excited about them -- & felt like it was still totally blog worthy too!

I'm thinking wool / jute blend rugs -- I am seriously in love with them, and often find myself sitting on my couch staring at how pretty they turned out - exactly what I imagined.

HUGE thanks to Steve & my dad, again!

the holidays are coming ... & wood floors too!

2011-10-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we joined our friends for dinner & a yearly 'almost Halloween' tradition ... a Haunted House. I love Halloween .. it kicks off the holiday season, & reminds me that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. I love the decorations, carving pumpkins, fall colors & smells -- ALL of it. & seriously, who doesn't love a good scare? We went to the Anguish Asylum - it's brand new this year & seriously, don't waste your time. It was super short .. lots of empty rooms, and although I did jump ONCE -- not scary. It was great to see our friends though .. I don't think we've been out with them in over a year! We did Malawi's Pizza for dinner -- fabulous! I love these girls!

A few weeks ago Bryn & I decorated pumpkins for the front porch. It may or may not have even been October yet. We couldn't wait. See? I told you I get anxious for the Holiday season.

This is the current state of my kitchen -- it's crammed full of all my living room furniture while the living room is torn up, covered in hard wood flooring boxes. We're waiting for it to aclimate to our house & installing next week. I seriously can't wait .. I am going crazy! .. along with the new flooring, my dad is building and installing a faux fireplace. Isn't he the best?

It's my party ...

2011-09-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

I turned 24 on Saturday. I feel old. I wanted to be frozen at 21, it didn't happen ... so here's to hoping for this year :) . Aside from feeling super old, I might have had the best birthday weekend to date. Serious. We started celebrating Friday night with friends (totally not planned -- I was surprised! thanks to all who made my night awesome!), headed to breakfast bright & early with my family, shopped all afternoon, dinner with ALL the Bertelsen's -- & then we all attended Mary Poppins on Broadway at the Capitol Theatre in SLC. WOW -- I was exhausted. But seriously, again --- thanks to my sweet friends & family for making my weekend perfect. I needed it!

This is classic ... I was trying to squeeze Kenny, Brady, myself & Steven into the photo. As you can see .. Ken Dog didn't make the cut on the left hand side. Brady made some smart comment (what else is new?) & that face. I was laughing my butt off & Steven has NO clue what's going on! Love this!

Me & my sista -- Friday night Birthday celebration :).

Steven gifted me with some awesome new gym shoes -- (I've been eyeing them for months!), as well as cash. I of course did my share of clothes shopping AND, best of all -- purchased this sweet little table for my living room. I'm in heaven. It's super old, super chippy & is going to be perfect resting on top of my pretty new hardwood floors (coming next month!). As it turns out .. I'd been looking on KSL for something to re-finish, a friend posted on FB she was getting rid of this little beauty & I had to scoop it up! (Thanks Cher for delivering!).

Mr. Marfa TX

2011-09-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Uncle Roger passed away Wednesday, August 17 after a long battle with congestive heart failure. I was able to travel to Marfa, TX with my parents & sister for the memorial service a couple weeks ago. I am so thankful I was able to be there. The service was beautiful & it was some much needed time with my family. We will always love & remember Mr. Marfa, TX.

Washington DC: Part 2 - From My Cell Phone

2011-08-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Memorial

Some very tired feet ..

First photo of the trip to DC .. Driving in from Philly.

Washington DC: Part 1

2011-08-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

We ended our trip by spending a few days in Washington DC. Steve & I hadn't ever been before .. & looking back, we would certainly go again. Although I am always thankful to live in America & thinking of those who fight for our freedom; Washington DC gives you a totally new appreciation for our country -- & you have that patriotic feeling ALL day while wandering around seeing the sites. This was certainly one of the most amazing places I have ever seen -- If any of you ever have the opportunity to visit, please do! I promise you won't regret it. My pictures are in no particular order of what we did each day .. I'm just going to give it all to you! We were able to visit the Law Enforcement Memorial. This was beautiful & peaceful, and a perfect place to hold the names of those who protect us.

The corner of each entrance is protected by a large lion statue. Under each a quote is carved into the granite -- this was my favorite part.

Thursday night we visited National Harbor for dinner & some shopping. A friend of mine moved to Virginia right after High School and still lives there with her husband. We ended up being only about 20 minutes away from her, & they met us for dinner. It was so great to catch up with her, I miss her! & of course, only AFTER dinner did I realize we didn't get a picture together .. Thanks Kam for showing us around! :)

I still have no words to describe Arlington Cemetery -- I'll let the pictures do that for you.

Kennedy's Graves & the eternal flame.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - We were able to watch the changing of the guards here, I took video that I'll try & get up in another post at some point. If you visit, you MUST see this ..

& finally ... a few of the monuments!

I wasn't planning on posting in two separate posts -- although I realized several pictures of the monuments & Smithsonian are from my phone, and I don't have the cord here at work. So I promise to do Part 2 soon with a few more photo's. We were able to visit the Natural History Museum, Air & Space and American History at the Smithsonian. Seriously .. you'd need days to make it through everything they have to offer -- it's so cool! We also visited the Holocaust Museum. This too is a must see when in DC. It's so sad, but also gives you a greater appreciation for what they went through. -- I'll try and post again tomorrow with the rest, but we've got a pretty busy weekend, so just to be safe -- check back next week. Happy Friday!

Philadelphia

2011-08-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

I love Philadelphia. I am certain I could live there, & probably be content forever. It's a beautiful city -- & the surrounding areas (suburbs) are even better. Full of green! I am going to warn you in advance .. During our trip I took at least 200 photo's. Don't worry --I won't share them ALL here, although I will be posting a FB album soon with everything. I posted a few, yes - just a few of my favorite photo's from Philly here.

Elfreth's Alley -- the oldest neighborhood in the country that people still actually live in. This was my FAVORITE place to see. There is even a house for sale - I don't even want to guess how much it costs!

The home of Besty Ross -- This is from the side, I LOVED the old flag hanging from the side ..

The Liberty Bell

Ok, my second favorite place in Philly is Reading Terminal Market. This place is amazing .. I went at least twice a day to take in more awesome-ness. It's a full city block in size (HUGE), indoors -- & everything fresh grocery you can imagine. Baked goods, meats, produce, candies etc .. It's also full of little shops with all kinds of fun stuff, bakery's, delis & ANY type of food you want .. Chinese, Italian, Mexican .. & of course, Philly Steaks! I took a few photo's so you could get the idea .. We NEED something like this here. I already miss it!

City Hall

Entrance of our Hotel at Night -- I couldn't take a picture of the entire building, as it's one of the largest skyscrapers in the city, but this gives you an idea :) .

Old Church -- these are everywhere in & outside the city. Amazing!

Philly was amazing -- I already miss it, & Steve and I both want to go back. If anyone is looking for a fun trip with historical fun, city fun & gorgeous site seeing - GO! On a side note -- seeing I was there for a work conference the first few days I should mention that my training was amazing. I met so many awesome people, we had so much fun & brought back such great material for work.

July

2011-08-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

July was a crazy busy month for us! - & we did so many fun things between work & the normal every day stuff. Steve's brother & his family came out for the first almost two weeks of July. They spent the 4th with us (see the 4th of July post a few below). My dad was sweet enough to take all the boys riding one morning & he snapped this dang cute little photo of Steve & Cooper in their riding gear.

My mom, Bryn & I headed to Park City for the day a few weekends ago for a day of shopping. We had lunch at the amazing Blue Iguana -- a favorite, and must eat when in PC. I love spending time with these two -- they are truly my best friends! We are headed to St. George next weekend to see Grease together -- I can't wait!

Fiesta Days .... ahhhh Fiesta Days. I love them. Love the carnival. Love the cotton candy. Love the Texas Twisters & most of all LOVE the rodeo. I have to say .. this year was a little bit of a disappointment, I have seen better shows ... Although with our group of friends, I don't think anything can be not fun, we still had an awesome time!

My sister in laws, myself & my mother in law took all the kiddos to Payson Pool & had a blast. I love these guys, I wish we'd have been able to squeeze in more pool time this summer, 3 times just wasn't enough -- & I think fall is coming soon!

We celebrated Steven's 27th Birthday on July 21st. We had a BBQ at my parents house with our families .. thanks to my dad for the most DELICIOUS steaks :) . Steve opted out of my normal store bought birthday cake (I am no cook!) and asked that I make something. I tried something new .. Coconut Banana Upside Down Cake. It turned out awesome -- I posted the recipe on facebook, but if anyone needs it - leave me a comment with your email & I will send it over!

Happy Birthday Love!

fenced in & up coming posting ..

2011-08-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

The fence went up the second week of July -- FINALLY! This makes me so happy to finally be able to say this -- & to actually USE our back yard, in private :) . I also can't believe how great it makes the front of the house look, very finished. As it should - this was our last outside project (for now at least, we all know me!).

I am promising you a post a day this week ... just to get things caught up! Tomorrow I'll be posting about a few extras in July, ex: Steven's 27th & family fun. Thursday will be ALL about Philly, followed on Friday -- Our DC trip (which was amazing by the way!). Stay tuned folks!

My Red Front Door Home

2011-08-01T10:40:00.001-07:00

Hello All -- I wanted to share my new blog with you :) . It's ALL about my never ending projects around my house. We have just completed a few BIG projects, and have a few more in the next couple of months .. :) . Facebook is the killer of a good blog, and I find that lately it's been much easier to post pictures of our daily activities there, rather than typing a blog post about each of them. I also know that not everyone wants to read about how I spend most weekends .. working on fun stuff for my house. Sooo .. I've created a blog that will be just that. I will continue to update our personal blog from time to time, but if you want to stay updated on crafts, decorating and other things around Our Red Door Home, here's the link!

http://myredfrontdoorhome.blogspot.com/

Our 4th & Hank's 3rd

2011-07-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up! I have a list in my planner of everything I still need to blog about - and as soon as life is less busy in August, I promise to get everything up! Master bathroom, our fence (yes, it's up -- and wonderful!), Steven's Birthday & some more summer fun. For now .. Happy 4th of July a few weeks late .. We had a perfect 4th. My family & Steven's family came over for a BBQ and a firework show. We had so much fun, and are so lucky to have spent the day with them.

All four! Together at once! THE cutest little kids around. We have so much fun with them. I think the best part about nieces and nephews is that we can spoil & have fun with them - but we still don't need our own kids! I think *hint,hint* my sister in laws should keep having them ... Speaking of -- we're celebrating our 5 year Anniversary in a few months, and I am certain the most asked question this year is 'When are you going to have kids?'. SO -- any of you 5 year-ers out there without kiddo's -- (wait, are there any?), Please comment. I know kids are wonderful, and I am certain I have NO clue how full they make life ... but for now, we love just us. Love doing what we want, when we want .. picking up for a weekend at a moment's notice, quiet and SLEEP! Someday .... We'll be ready! Until then .. I sure wish all the questions would stop .........

WAIT - I do have a kid ;) -- Hank celebrated his 3rd Birthday on July 3rd . He was spoiled with a left over spaghetti breakfast (his fav), a new squeaky squirrel, bones and treats. We love this little guy - he's the best!

Life is good, Happy Friday!

Marysvale

2011-07-08T09:15:00.001-07:00

We spent the last weekend of June in Marysvale, UT.It was perfect weather, perfect riding and much relaxing. The photo below is my favorite of the entire trip -- the sun was perfect, and check out that view behind us!

We seriously spent 3 entire days on the 4-wheelers and motorcycles -- it was so much fun, and made me remember how much I miss riding all the time :( . We need to do it more often!

The morning before we left we rode the 4-wheelers to Bullion Falls. You have to hike in, but it's so worth it! It's gorgeous, and with all the water we have this year everything was moving so fast. You can actually hike down to the base of the falls, I am a big chicken and didn't dare .. it's super steep - but Steve climbed right down under them!

We had such a perfect weekend, hoping to go back one more time this year.

Happy Friday :) .

on hold

2011-06-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

The next 8 weeks are going to be SUPER busy for us. The blog is going on hold. I promise it's not forever .. & if I do have a few free minutes I will post so we don't have to play too much catch up at the end .. But I wanted to let everyone know what we'll be up to - & how excited we are for the next few weeks! Next week we are headed to beautiful Marysvale with my family. Four entire days of relaxing, riding, dutch oven cooking & MORE riding.

& then .. the week after we return home, this cute little nephew of mine and his parents are coming to stay for almost two weeks. They will be here to celebrate the 4th of July with us .. and we are happy! - We rarely get to do Holidays with the ENTIRE Andreasen side. We already have a BBQ & fireworks planned for that evening :) .

& a few weeks after they leave .. I am headed to this amazing city for a work convention. I seriously feel dang lucky to be able to do this .. & am really looking forward to it! Philly. I'll be spending 5 days here .. & the best part ..

.. My sweet hubby is flying out on my 5th day to spend another 4 days here. Washington DC.

We can hardly wait! -- It's a first to the big city for both of us, and we are going to try and cram as much sight seeing as possible!

SO .. hopefully this will help explain my absence of posts & comments on all of my favorite blogs. I promise to return with photo's and stories of EACH of the above in August (or sooner) - as well as a few other things .. .ex. our fence (1st week of July!), master bath room being finished .. and another house project we've been working on.

See you all in a few weeks!

the freakin' weeken' ..

2011-06-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome weekend. My BFF from Arizona was in town for her little bro's graduation .. We did a Pizza Factory girls night .. followed by a little Sweet Tooth Fairy goodness. SO happy I got to spend time with Erica before she went home - (I will make it out 1 more time this year Er!), and of course all my other BFF's were there too, plus a few of their little ones! -- The following photo pictures us perfectly - I love it!

My mom's birthday was May 30 - she wanted a bench refinished for her birthday / mother's day. I painted this weekend, and finished antiquing last night.

I found some adorable outdoor throw pillows at Pier 1, they added the perfect amount of color.

Happy Birthday Mom -- we love you!

We also FINALLY got an entire weekend of nice, warm weather .. We did a little BBQ-ing, marshmellow roasting & enjoying the sunshine. Steve of course, spent the entire weekend (at least all the daylight hours!) on his dirt bike. Happy Wednesday!

a promised photo & a spoiled brat

2011-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

This isn't the best picture .. but I promised a photo of my flower bed as soon as it started blooming / sprouting. It's looking so great .. I can't wait until those mums are blooming too! I hope with all this crazy Utah weather they will last!

My husband is spoiled. If you remember .. a few weeks ago we bought Steve a motorcycle. It is used & we got a steal of deal .. so I felt good about it.

Apparently ... it wasn't 'the one'.

I didn't know there could be a 'one' when it came to motorcycles. I was wrong

The bike pictured below is the ONE.

It wasn't used - & it wasn't cheap ... I didn't 'feel good' about it for a solid 48 hours ... :) ...

... then I kind of realized the sweet guy pictured above doesn't ask for too much. (.. and he FINALLY agreed to let me get some birds I have been eyeing at the pet store for weeks!)

And looking at his face while sitting on 'the one' is priceless. If he's happy, I am happy.

So I gave in. Brat.

weekend visit

2011-05-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Sherri came to visit from North Carolina for her niece Alex's wedding. I don't think I've introduced Sherri on my blog before .. so quick background. My mom & Sherri have been best friends since childhood. She is included in most of my childhood memories. At age 5, she gave me my very first dog, Nikita - a German shepherd - for Christmas. She brought him to my front door, a tiny puppy -- with a bright red bow tied around his neck. I think I almost passed out from excitement. Little did I know this tiny pup would grow to be a 95 LB 'puppy' & remain my best 'dog friend' until I was 17 years old. I can honestly credit my love for all animals to Sherri, & of course my dad. She lived with us for awhile .. and has always been a big sister to me. We've always been close - & shared a special bond. I spent all weekend with Sherri and my mom ... breakfasts, dinners, chatting, shopping & the wedding. The photo above is in a fun photo booth at the wedding -- Sherri, myself & Jamie (Sherri's niece, who is also a childhood friend -- so fun to see her too! It'd been years!). Such a fun weekend with A LOT of girl time - which is always great for me!

back in October ..

2011-05-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

So back in October I finally decided I needed to do something with my craft / storage room in the basement. So then ... back in October, I started to. I bought a few plastic totes, hung a few wreaths -- you get the idea. Then I didn't do anything else.

Anything other than stack A LOT more crap in there. Seriously -- I couldn't even see the floor.

So now .. It being May. I thought maybe I should tackle this little project. & 2 and a half short hours later ..

It's done!

(I needed to get a floor shot, so for those of you who witnessed this room not having a floor would believe it has one now!)

the silent treatment & another mb project

2011-05-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

I think we have the best dog. Ever.

& if he's not the best, he is the most adorable.

& if he isn't the most adorable, he's got PERSONALITY. Serious.

This is Hank, giving us the 'silent treatment'.

Before the silent treatment Hank wasn't getting enough attention. And as he often does, he finds something that WILL get our attention. Example: stealing a DVD from the shelf downstairs, bolting out the doggy door while I proceed to chase him around the yard. Nice.

After he's been yelled at - and told what a bad dog he is ..

He does this. Faces the opposite direction of where I am, and only gives a twitch of his ear when I call his name. If you've been in my house, you know Hank is staring at a couch & a wall. Nothing else. See, personality.

Another mb (master bath) project. Remember how long it's taken me to figure out how I want to finish up this room? Forever. So finally, after two different wall hangings - and two different stores returning them after I decided they didn't 'go' --- I decided to make my own. I found some cheap canvas' on sale at Hobby Lobby (currently my favorite store), craft paint & a dang cute stencil. Walah! It's official -- 1 more little mb project, and I'll be finished.

Free Willy

2011-04-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

I don't get to blog about work a lot.

Often what I do is very routine .. animal problems, 'I locked my keys in my car ..', or my neighbors are being too loud etc .. The rest of the time what I do is too personal, sad, scary or depressing to post about - let alone ever want to repeat again. Sometimes we get something great - where everything works out exactly how it was supposed to .. perfect, although not normally the case. And SOMETIMES -- we get straight funny. I need to be better about posting the 'straight funny' stuff. After dispatching for a few years, everything -- good & bad is just another call. A few stand out, or never leave your head -- but most is forgotten.

BUT .. yesterday I spoke to Free Willy.

Seriously.

I took a routine citizen contact. Someone who wanted to speak to an officer. This someone wouldn't tell me what it was regarding .. just that he needed a phone call. When I asked for his name and date of birth at the end of our conversation, he -- without skipping beat -- stated 'Free Willy' & rattled off his birthday. I muted my phone, laughed - picked back up and asked 'Is your real name Free Willy, sir?'. He stated 'Yes, F-R-E-E Willy.' Now after some research, this obviously was not his real name :) .

Haha -- the best part may have been hearing my co - worker read his name over the air to the officer .... 'Contact Free Willy at 801- .... '.

I love my job!

Happy Easter & a few spring projects ..

2011-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

I had the entire weekend off (amazing, I know!). We spent Saturday with the Bertelsen's for an egg hunt & lunch, and Sunday with the Andreasen's for yet another egg hunt & dinner. It was perfect!

Have you ever seen three kiddo's this adorable in their Easter outfits? I haven't!

I bet you can guess what Steven's Easter basket was full of this year .. Motorcycle stuff :) - We bought this last week & after it's registered today, I am certain I won't be able to get him off it - he is so dang excited!

The last two weekends have been filled with Spring projects. Something about it warming up that makes me feel like I need to get everything inside & out looking great again after winter. The other best thing about it warming up again is walking at night with Hank & Steve. We like to walk the river trail near our house at least 3 X's a week - & with all this crazy snow, we've only been out twice this season, (photo below) But soon! I hope!

For outside spring projects .. We mulched & barked around the entire house. This took forever with all that tarp you have to lay down, but will be so worth having no more weeds! I did get most of my planting done in the front & back beds - although it's not looking like much yet, so I won't post photo's until it does.

& a few things inside .. I found an online tutorial for a spring center piece. It's seriously easy & so cheap. It cost me less than $10 dollars to make :) .

The inside is filled with moss & Styrofoam eggs. The eggs are wrapped in fabric & twine, I modge podged them on .. then painted modge podge over them - and let them dry.

Yes, I am STILL finishing my master bathroom. & seriously, I promise to put up pictures soon. I found this cute iron decor at Hobby Lobby for half off. I spray painted them red & white .. painted a wooden plaque & modge podged some paper on the front. Super easy!

Happy Monday!

let's re-cap the last few weeks ..

2011-04-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Ok, I never really went anyplace - I've seriously had zero desire to blog. I have been so busy / stressed / BUSY the last few weeks. I certainly have had too much on my plate, luckily things are slowing down for a week or so at least. - but I needed to blog the last few weeks before I forget. First .. Mike, Des & Cooper came out to visit for a week or so towards the end of March. It was good to see them again so soon (Des & Coop were here for a couple weeks in February). We hadn't seen Mike since our Disney trip in September, Steve was so happy to have a golfing / fishing / March madness basketball watching buddy for the week.

Hank was happy to have his blanket covering / chasing circles / dropping dinner for him buddy back. (Please ignore the fact that Hank desperately needed a haircut in this photo, it's since been taken care of!)

Some of you may have noticed the Vintage Avocado site has been removed. I am still doing furniture for fun .. & a few things on the side - just not advertising it anymore. It's part of that me having too much on my plate thing .. SO, please don't hesitate to ask if you have something that you'd like re-finished -- just not running the actual 'business' anymore. So speaking of 'furniture for fun' -- my mom found a dang cute MINT GREEN table, and wanted it re-finished to match her front sitting room. Here's the final photo - I so wish I'd have taken a before so you could all see the transformation. (Sorry for the bad quality, taken from my phone at about 1:00 AM - joy of graveyards.)

& last but not least, as hard as this is going to be to blog about .. I'm going to do my best! We found our sweet little Miss Penny a new home last weekend. A great family took her home .. they have two home schooled older children (13 & 15) that she gets to hang with ALL day long, and another small dog that's only 3 months older than her. We felt this was the best choice for Penny, seeing that she just wasn't getting the potty training attention she needed from us because we both work so much during the week. Penny was doing great as long as someone was home to let her out every couple hours, & with our job situations now -- we were not able to do this for her & she just WOULD NOT use the doggy door. I am seriously heart broken, and cry about it daily :( - as much as I know this was the right choice, it's been so hard for us! Hank seems pretty indifferent - & loves having all our attention again. It has been a huge weight off my shoulders - & I am feeling better about it as each day goes by, but I totally feel like I failed her. I took this photo a few days before she left .. sweet girl!

a plug .. The Gingerbread House

2011-03-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

See this adorable little chalk board? It was custom made -- just for me, by The Gingerbread House. I am going to hang it in my mud room & add a few knobs on the bottom for keys. I will post photo's as soon as it's hung up too :) .

The Gingerbread House specializes in baked goodies & fun gifts .. For all you lucky souls that received candied nuts from us for XMAS - they came straight from the kitchen of the Gingerbread House to you :) -- Check out the blog, & follow on face book.

Hope everyone's week is fantastic!

the handy men

2011-03-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I found a steal on an old window frame ... Although I wasn't looking for one, and didn't know what I'd do with it -- I picked it up. Now, meet my handy men. My dad (on the ladder) & Steven (under the ladder). I finally decided where I was going to put this old frame, and the handy men hung it last weekend. Big thanks to them .. it's adorable!

So here she hangs .. above my stairs in the living room - Perfect size to take up that huge wall!

(Also need to thank my sweet friend Amy for the wreath idea! I couldn't for the life of me decide what to stick on it .. she suggested the stick wreath & a little red spray paint. )

With all the projects we have planned this year, I am certain this is just a first of many adventures for the handy men .. so please, stay tuned. :) Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Phoenix

2011-03-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Flash back to before our Girls Getaway in Vegas .. I flew into Phoenix to stay with my friend Erica, mainly to see her ADORABLE new house -- and have a little girl time before our weekend. Erica and I have been friends since High School, & the best part about our friendship is no matter how many weeks or months we go without seeing each other -- we can always pick right up where we left it.

This is Erica's adorable Teagan. She is by far the sweetest little girl I've ever met. I adore her.

The weather was awesome, when my flight left SLC it was 50 degrees & I landed in Phoenix with 80 degree weather! -- I was only there for a day and a half, but we were able to get a little outlet shopping in, played with T in the sun & Erica made us two super delish dinners each night.

Thanks Er for letting me stay & your house is amazing! Love it!

* ..the girls getaway .. to Las Vegas! *

2011-03-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I flew to Phoenix to stay with my BFF Erica for a few days before our 1st Annual Girls Getaway. ( I have a few photo's from my stay .. I'll do them in another post though!) On Friday Erica and I packed up the car, & after a very eventful morning & 1 speeding ticket later (oops!), we finally made it to Vegas to meet up with Crystal & Amy. We had a blast. Honestly .. We laughed ALL weekend, did alot of shopping, dining & a little bit of site seeing. Of all my trips to Las Vegas, I can honestly say this was my favorite. I can't wait to plan something next year!

Crystal & I met Carlos, finally!

Don't mind I'm laughing my butt off while this photo was taken .. the BEST begging for money poster ever. Amy & I needed a photo, love him! PS - I did give him a hand full of an unknown amount of change.

Saturday night we saw Phantom. This was my 2nd time .. & a first for the other girls. Again, amazing. I cried, got the chills & it left me speechless. Again.

Between all 4 of our cameras I think we've got at least 100 photo's -- & I am certain that I left many out that should be shared, I will post an album for all you facebook friends with everything! -- These are just a few of the most memorable. & real quick .. just to be mushy, I want my friends to know how much I love & appreciate them. I can't think of 3 other girls that I'd rather spend the weekend with, anywhere! If I needed to sum up our entire trip in one picture .. It'd be in the following photo ..

Crazy. Smashed. together. in our hotel room - on the bed --- trying to get a good face shot & laughing so hard I think we all almost peed our pants.

♥ these girls!

monster jam

2011-02-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read correctly. Monster. Jam.

This is so not my thing, but we actually had fun!

Steve's uncle gave all the cousins tickets for Christmas, and we ALL attended this past weekend.

Ty & Belle - I think it was alot more enjoyable for the little ones, they had so much fun!

Although this probably isn't something we'd do again, at least we can say we have done it .. right? AND, I cannot forget to mention all the fun people watching too!

not to be missed ..

2011-02-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

I've done good this week! 3 blog posts since Sunday! :) -- I had a few photo's from the last two weeks on my computer that couldn't be missed - so here's to a very, very random photo post .....

The BEST way to watch a movie in Cooper's opinion. And yes, of course that's Sleeping Beauty. He only likes it because of the dragons, he told me so.

The McDonald play place .. I've always had issues with them, even as a kid .. a little too germy for me - BUT, the kids sure do love em' . Here's Coop 'cheese-ing' for the camera.

Hank, snuggled in bed this morning. We seriously have to drag this guy outta bed in the mornings .. (Notice him covering his eyes?) too cute. I ♥ him!

Miss P, hiding after her bath .. Haha!

On February 8 we celebrated our niece Belle's 5TH birthday. We love her so much!

happy {♥} day

2011-02-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day is one of my favorites .. Something about all that {love} in the air. Our VDAY was super low key this year .. just the way we like it! We did our celebrating over the weekend with a delish Happy Sumo dinner & a movie. - I thought in honor of the day, and it being on the 14th of every month .. I am going to list 14 things I ♥ about my very own Valentine.

1 - He does nothing halfway. That means I get ALL his love, ALL the time. Which is wonderful. That also means he can't only have HALF of the stuff you need for any given sporting event, he must have it ALL. This isn't always wonderful.

2 - Although on the outside he may seem 'tough', he has the best heart. Ever.

3 - He helps everyone he can. And the best part, he never complains about it .. even though I often do!

4 - He understands me. My list making, OCD house cleaning, obsessive need for alot of crap I don't need, my need & desire to always work and help provide for us and why we'll always have alot of pets ;) .

5 - He wants to be with me. There is nothing 'holding' us together. We are only here because we want to be ..

6 - He adores my family.

7 - He treats our dogs as if they were our children, and they are.

8 - He goes with the flow. Steve is always up for just about anything .. and does it with a smile.

9 - I can count on one hand how many times I've heard him raise his voice. This is over about 6 years people! I surpassed that mark a week after we'd met!

10 - He can always make me smile. Always!

11 - He's a shopper. It's normally quite a task to actually get him to the mall .. but once we're there -- WOW. He'll shop until I DROP! This works wonderfully for us .. since it's my favorite thing to do.

12 - He cooks for me. I cook once or twice a week .. Steve does the rest. Most of my 12 hour days I come home to dinner on the table, I don't think he has any idea how much I appreciate this.

13 - He offers the best advice.

14 - He is always honest. We do not have any secrets. Good & bad -- we know it all.

bideo games & books

2011-02-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Des & Cooper are here visiting .. we're having so much fun with them! Last week Coop and I got to hang out for a few while his mom went to the gym .. a few minutes before Steve got home Cooper wanted to call him and ask if they could play a 'bideo game' when he got home. Steve said yes .. Cooper got ready to play! He seriously waited like this for about 20 minutes until Steve got home .. love this kid!

I found an awesome blog, it's called Brown Paper Packages .. on this awesome blog, I found an awesome tutorial to make old decorative books. I went to DI and bought 4 old hardcover books, then went to Roberts and found some cool paper. You cut the paper big enough to cover the front & back of the books, then cut a smaller piece of another color for the 'binding'. -- The tutorial calls for double stick tape .. I just used modge podge that I already had to stick the paper to the cover. Then I used a 'Distress Ink' pad in a dark brown finish to antique the edges. You can find the original tutorial here.

I put the books on top of my new hutch in the basement along with a few other things .. I think I want to make another set to match my bedroom, they turned out perfect!

a little bit of everything ..

2011-02-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

On January 29 we celebrated my sweet niece Cami's birthday. She had a Harry Potter party .. I can't believe how big she's getting .. I met this little girl when she was just 3 years old! Scary! Happy Birthday Cam, we LOVE YOU!

Steve always calls on his way home from work .. Yesterday after I got off the phone with him I told Hank he was on his way. He immediately hopped on the couch and waited, looking out the window until he heard the garage door open. I LOVE this dog!

Remember my previous post .. ? -- Regarding no V-Day deco .. I went to Tai Pan last week and found a few cute things, including this feather heart for my island in the kitchen. Take note of the feather part .. Cheese is certain it's a bird. I can't leave it out when we aren't here .. He de-feathers it. (I know .. my cat's on the counter -- he's a little bit spoiled. Don't worry, I use clorox :) ..)

Miss P got a nasty cut on her back .. not sure how. I took her into the vet to have it looked at .. $100 + dollars in antibiotics LATER, Miss P wasn't feeling so hot. She is so small I cannot find blankets her size anywhere, so here she is .. covered with a dish towel. Poor girl! I am happy to report she's feeling 100 % again -- back to her super obnoxious puppy self.

I am so excited about this .. my cousin is cleaning out a few items at her house, getting ready to make an extra bedroom -- and LUCKY me, asked if I'd be interested in this super cute pie safe. Umm, HELLO. YES! :) Steve & my dad picked it up for me last night .. and here she stands.

Cute tin doors ..

special delivery & v-day wreath

2011-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

The picture below is of my favorite little person, ever. Serious. -- I received this cute framed photo in the mail last week .. and it made my day! Des & Cooper are coming to visit soon .. we are so excited to see them, but while we're waiting .. we get to see his cute little face everyday.

Thanks again Des - it's my favorite picture in my house!

I have ONE Valentines Day decoration. No good. So .. like everyone else in the blogging world I thought I'd make a few (also won one at bunco last week!). I spent TWO days working on this dang wreath .. thank goodness it turned out adorable! - My friend Amy did a perfect red heart shaped one for her front door .. it gave me inspiration to get started. Since my door is red .. I went with pink, red and white. I started with a heart .. and just wasn't feeling all the colors -- so I went back and bought a round - turned out perfect!

For those of you wondering .. you can seriously find a felt wreath tutorial ANYWHERE online. A few pointers .. I found mine here.

-Cut the felt into squares before cutting to circles
-I used a foam wreath and straight pins .. Didn't want to deal with the hot glue mess
-Find white foam, LOL. Mine is green, and it took alot of covering in the white section

Enjoy!

bathroom, birthdays, bunco and book club

2011-01-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Not on purpose .. But this entire post is all about 'B' things :). Fun!

FIRST - (are you sensing a bathroom theme the last few weeks? -- GOOD, because one of my top projects is to get ALL 3 bathrooms DONE - I think it's a little sad it's taken me so long to do so ...) My 1/2 bath. Found a cute rug (same as the basement bath), bright red towels and my favorite cousin Darci gave me the wall hanging .. I just added the red flowers today.

SECOND - On January 11 we celebrated Bree's 24th B-Day .. Crystal was my date :). Fun night .. ! I love these two!

THIRD - On January 18 we celebrated my cute little sister Bryn's BIG TWENTY ONE . We love you Bryn, and are soo lucky your part of our family .. !

FOURTH - My friends started a bunco night every month. I LOVE it .. Here's a photo of our group this last week .. minus a few regular players, add a few subs :).

And LAST - but not least .. A few months ago another friend started a book club for all us avid readers :). It's awesome .. feel free to check out our blog .. and even join if you'd like, we'd love to get a few more members!

http://ladiesnightbookclub-ut.blogspot.com

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

a little more golden

2011-01-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

We finally got the second wall in the basement painted -- Not the best picture, but it looks great in person!

first kind of project of 2011 ..

2011-01-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

I am always working on SOMETHING for our house .. seriously, it might be a bad thing.

SO -- my first 'kind of' project for 2011 is the downstairs bathroom.

I call this a 'kind of' project because all it really required was purchasing a rug, towels and those dang cute tin stars .. (found them at Ross for $14!) . BUT .. It feels good to have it semi decorated, seeing it's been pretty empty up to this point.

I have been, and am still getting my master bath room in order :) . I think I've been through at least 3 color themes .. Haha, but it's almost done - and I will post photo's soon!

2010 rewind {part two}

2011-01-06T09:31:00.001-08:00

In July we attended Stadium of Fire with the Hugel family. I hadn't been for years! -- And it was a first for Steve. We love this little family, and have so much fun with them.

The poppies bloomed -- looking gorgeous. Although I learned my lesson .. the blooms only last a few weeks - and then they just look like weeds. We tore them all out this fall :( .
We finally finished the living room .. Or so I thought. I am actually painting next week .. And will post photo's. Let me just say again -- We love our house!

We celebrated Steven's 26 birthday. What an old, old man ;) .

And last but not least .. attended our favorite rodeo with friends.

August was full of planning our trip to California .. and getting ready for Mike and Desiree to visit.

In September we headed to California and Las Vegas with the Andreasen family. Here's a cute photo of the kids at Seal Beach.

Seal Beach

We visited Disneyland -- and had so much fun watching the kids freak out!

Steve and I in Las Vegas.

After our Disneyland trip - Mike, Des and Cooper came back to visit for 10 days. We love spending time with them.

At the end of September we welcomed a new family member. Meet little Penny. She has been the biggest challenge .. but we do love her!

In October the flower beds were really blooming ..

We spent Halloween with the Andreasens ..

Penny hit the one month mark in her new home!

In November the leaves started to change .. this is my favorite time of year!

In December we celebrated our 4 year anniversary .. I love this guy!

Steve suprised me with an early Christmas present .. A new car!

The cute Andreasen kids on XMAS eve.

We had a wonderful Christmas!

2010 was amazing. I am sad it's over .. But very excited for what the new year brings! PS -- to start 2011, our blog is no longer private :) -- So make sure to update us on your blog reel!

2010 rewind {part one}

2011-01-04T06:40:00.001-08:00

I saw a '2010 Rewind' on another blog .. and thought it was an awesome idea to re-cap fun / bigger events that I've blogged about over 2010 .. So here we go!

In January I painted our basement 'golden seed' - Funny part about this is that it's January again, and I actually have everything taped and ready to go to paint another wall in the basement this color .. I just haven't found a few extra hours to do so yet!

In February we celebrated my niece Belle's 4th Birthday with Steve's family. I love this picture .. I love these kids! They are so important to us! :)
We did ALOT of outside stuff over the next couple months ..
In March we poured a second driveway / RV pad. This made our house look finished on the outside -- YAY to no more weeds and dirt.
I also finished decorating one of our spare bedrooms in the basement - It turned out so great, and I love it .. although lately I've been thinking about starting over with something different. We'll see!

April .. the finished project.

We planted our flower beds - Compared to how this looks and before it snowed a few months ago, I can't believe it!

I painted the pantry red - my favorite wall in the house!

We curbed around the entire house ..

In May Steve spent the majority of his free time at the softball fields, he played on a few teams this year.

Mike, Des and Cooper came to stay with us -- We had so much fun, and were so sad to see them leave. (Excited to see them again in a few weeks!)

Front flower bed in May, just 6 weeks after planting!

June - We hit the one year mark in our house, and still love it just as much as the day we moved in .. maybe even more.

We bought a new washer and dryer -- and painted the laundry room too.

I was able to spend a few days with my BFF Erica and her family in Phoenix, AZ .. this is where we spent the majority of the time :) .

{* .. stay tuned .. part two coming soon! *}

2011

2011-01-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We had an awesome evening celebrating with close friends.

We ate, we played games, we danced, we ate some more, watched the ball drop, kissed at midnight - and made awesome first 2011 memories.

It was exactly how I think we should start a new year .. so I think 2011 is going to be a good one!

I am boy-cotting goals this year .. Yep, that's right. Not making a single one.

2010 was wonderful, almost perfect. I am a little sad to see it leave ...

But I think 2011 will be even better!

Hope you all have a wonderful year!

(and now .... after 3.5 hours of sleep, I am at work for a 12 -- wish me luck!)

a very merry christmas

2010-12-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. I had to work Christmas Day .. but was lucky enough to have a four hour break so I could spend a little bit of time with my family. We celebrated our Christmas on the 24th - and were able to go over to both Steve and I's grandparents house during my break on Christmas Day. Steve and I got up early on the 24th and opened our gifts from each other .. The photo below is just before we opened our presents.

Every Christmas Eve morning my parents come over for breakfast. Steve will NOT let anyone else cook .. he makes a pretty amazing french toast, bacon, egg and sausage breakfast.

Getting everything ready for breakfast the night before ..

The table is set ..

After breakfast we headed over to my parents house to do presents with them. I SO appreciate them being so willing to change their entire Christmas around so Steve and I can be there :) . We, as usual were pretty spoiled .. Thanks mom and dad! -- We spent the afternoon there playing new Wii games, chatting and snacking. Later that afternoon we went to Rick and Lor's for our annual steak and shrimp Christmas Eve dinner -- DELISH! Steve and I both look forward to this EVERY year. After dinner we pigged out on caramel, cookies, fudge, fruit and fondue while watching old family movies. I have a photo of Lori's kitchen counter COVERED in goodies -- it's on my phone. So I will have to upload it once I am home tonight. To end the evening we went to Steve's sisters house to see the kids. Had a few more goodies .. and watched the kids open their Christmas Eve jammies.

This year was seriously almost perfect -- we love spending time with our family, and that's what its all about! I hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

the ugly sweater

2010-12-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend some of our friends had an Ugly Sweater party. Crystal and I headed to DI and Savers last week and found a few not so cute sweaters ... :) . We had so much fun! Amy did dinner, treats, a white elephant gift exchange and games.

Steve didn't even look super funny in his .. we thought it'd be great, seeing that zip up is a womens XXL :) . (And yes, that's a glimpse of Crystal in the bkground!)

Scott, Steve, Cody and Kyle

The girls :) -- Amy, me, Crystal and Morgan.

THANKS again to Cody and Amy for throwing an awesome little bash :) -- It's for sure a tradition from now on!

a few recent events ..

2010-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

-- Last night we went out with my parents and sister for our annual 'before Christmas dinner'. We pick some place super tasty every year .. have dinner and do some shopping. We changed things up a little this year .. and decided we'd help out some families in need instead of shopping - best choice! Afterwards we headed to Temple Square to see the lights -- which were as always, gorgeous. (from the car .. we couldn't find ANY parking .. WAY too many people. So we just drove around!) Thanks mom and dad for a fabulous evening! And sorry no pictures :) .

-- Steve surprised me this week with an early XMAS present. Seriously. We've been looking at cars since we sold mine the first of the year .. And decided we'd wait until January or February to purchase anything. I guess he had other plans .. and had been working on getting this for close to a month! -- He was bummed he couldn't wait until XMAS morning -- I am NOT! We picked up this beauty on Wednesday night .. and I am in love! No joke, I might have the best husband on the planet --- who else does this!?

-- Steve and I celebrated our four year anniversary on December 14. I cannot believe how quickly it's flying by us .. We are so lucky to have each other! We both had to work all week - and most of the weekend .. so we weren't able to do our traditional Park City trip. We did a quick dinner Tuesday night -- and are headed out tonight to do a little more celebrating. Steve brought home these gorgeous flowers .. Isn't he the best?

-- We are ready for Christmas! In fact I headed to Costco and Wal Mart today .. so hopefully I don't need to go out at ALL next week during the busy-ness. Also, very exciting .. I was scheduled to work all day XMAS day .. A few wonderful people volunteered to cover a few hours at work so all of us working get a 4 hour block off. So .. I'll be able to spend a few hours with my family!

this week ..

2010-12-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I have mentioned this before .. But I seriously have the worlds greatest family. It's a fact. One of my favorite Bertelsen side family traditions is the 'Santa party'. Every year my Grandpa Scott has a Santa 'surprise' the grand kids - he comes with Christmas songs, jingle bells and presents. This kicks off the month of December for us every year .. all the little kids get one present to open to get them super excited for Christmas Day. The best, and my favorite part of this entire day is that Grandpa still tells all us adult grand kids that 'Santa probably won't make it this year .. so don't be disappointed.' . He's been saying this as LONG as I can remember.

Hank thinks every grocery sack contains something for him. This may or may not be true .. he is kinda spoiled ;). This habit is rubbing off on Penny.

My mom started this cute village for me for Christmas last year .. and after an entire YEAR of waiting - I finally got to set it up!

Also -- as of tonight, I only have THREE more presents to purchase before XMAS. This is progress considering I hadn't started shopping until this morning -- Hope everyone has a good weekend!

it's beginning to look alot like christmas ...

2010-12-03T14:43:00.001-08:00

Although I don't have any photo's -- Steve and I had an awesome Thanksgiving. We spent the day with the Bertelsen side of the family this year at Rick and Lori's house .. good food, awesome company -- we left with enough food to feed us the rest of the weekend :).

The day after Thanksgiving Steve and I woke up SUPER early and headed to Target for a little black friday shopping. We did get everything on our list .. and we were out of the store in less than 30 minutes (this is thanks to my hubby's pre-planning, mapping and assignments .. ha ha). And then .. we put up Christmas :) . This is probably my favorite day of the year aside from Christmas Day. We actually bought a big tree this year (this is a first ...) I think I've made Steve drive me past our house at night at least 16 times to see the lights through the front window! I LOVE it .. Still looking for a cute tree skirt .. anyone know where I can find one that doesn't look too grandma-ish?

thankful

2010-11-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

Steve, my family, Hank, Penny and Cheese, my in-law family, my friends, stable jobs we both love and our home. This list could go on and on about all the little things .. but I think these are the most important!

Happy Thanksgiving

fall colors and a plug ..

2010-11-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

We planted two maple trees in our back yard this past Spring. They are both starts from my dad's tree - and his tree is from my grandpa's tree -- kind of cool! So .. I was out back with the dogs the other morning and noticed the leaves have turned bright yellow .. Yes, I actually have fall colors in my yard! And as of today .. they are leaf-less. They have all dropped all over the lawn .. kind of cute to see 20-ish leaves scattered around. Not sure how I'll feel when they are HUGE, and I have to spend hours raking them. But for now .. I love it!

And a quick plug .. several months ago I found a lady who will pre-cut these wooden blocks and the vinyl lettering for you. I ordered a Freedom, Halloween and Harvest set. I didn't get around to the Halloween one this year .. and never took photo's of the Freedom set. I painted and distressed the Harvest set a few weeks ago to put up for November .. Seriously, check her out! She's got awesome prices .. and nice to have the work done for you. You just paint, modge podge .. whatever .. them and stick on the vinyl.

Her blogspot is http://cortscuts.blogspot.com.

date night

2010-11-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Steve and I -- freezing our fannies off after the BYU game tonight. I do not love sports. Steve LOVES sports .. this means, I like sports :) . We seriously get little to no time 'off' together .. So I will take anything I can get!

one month

2010-11-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a week late in posting this .. But last week, Penny Lou had been home with us for one month! I cannot believe how quickly it's flown by! .. Quick update on her -- Potty training is coming along, still a few accidents here and there. She's so small she still has a hard time getting in and out the doggy door .. so we bought a puppy litter box and dog litter (who knew this stuff existed?). The first week she was totally freaked out .. but we're happy to report she's doing really well using it now. She's also been sleeping in bed with us for almost two weeks now! No accidents, holding it ALL night :) . Yes people, this means ALL 5 of us sleep in the bed (Hank, Penny, Cheese and I on one side -- and Steven has 2/3rd's of the bed to himself!). For those of my friends that I've discussed this with ... this is the reason my children won't ever sleep in my bed .. because where would the pets go? Hope everyone has a good weekend!

{happy halloween}

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Cami, Ty and Belle ... Or Jessie, Jessie and Slinky Dog. Seriously .. are they not some of the cutest kids you've ever seen?

Every year Steve's two sisters and their families pick a theme, and they ALL dress up. This year was Toy Story. Robyn's families costumes are all home made .. they did such a good job!

We got to see Dani's two cute boys, Nick and Jack. And they fit right in with the Andreasen's too -- Buzz and Woody! Thanks for bringing them over to see us Dan, made my night :).

We do a fun treat every year for the kids .. something not totally store bought :). I found this cute jar idea online .. They turned out perfect!

In hind sight .. I'm happy I snapped this very random photo now --- BECAUSE, some little brat stole my very cute Halloween tin bucket off the front porch. Steve had gone through TWO buckets full of candy .. and decided he'd put the last few pieces out, at close to 10:30 PM so he could stop answering the door .. went out around 11, it was gone.

Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween weekend! :)

fitting in, craft day & craft room

2010-10-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

I think she's fitting in quite well .. :) . She and Hank love each other a little bit more everyday!

I am lucky enough to have had the same group of close girl friends since middle school or before. Some since birth ;) - literally! I love these girls .. and cannot imagine my life without them. I get to see some more often than others .. and a few months back we started getting together weekly for lunch. This is seriously one of the highlights of my week, and I so look forward to it! This week we thought we'd try something new .. and do a craft while snacking. We made the super cute pumpkins pictured above!

And last but not least .. I've FINALLY started organizing my very un-organized craft / storage room. No more stacking my wreaths .. I'll post pictures when it's done .... like next year .....

mums

2010-10-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember my flower bed post from the first of spring? With the single stick looking mums? Here's what they look like today! The best part is .. they bloom twice a year, spring and fall -- and come back every year.

the wrong friend

2010-10-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

We were really hoping Penny and Hank would be best bud's -- and while they are working on it, I guess this'll have to do for now! Penny is doing so great .. And I am SO happy to say that she and Hank are becoming better friends everyday. He's actually pretty excited every morning to get her out of the bathroom to play .. and isn't minding her following him around so much anymore. Now if Penny would grow just a little so she could climb out the doggy door .. we'd be in heaven!

penny lou

2010-09-29T15:36:00.001-07:00

Meet Penny Lou. The newest little member of our family .. We already love her so much! She's a little ball of energy .. and adores Hank. Hank is ... adjusting. He's been great with her .. I just don't think he's decided to love her yet.

steves saturday . .

2010-09-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

I always ask him to take pictures, he never does. Today - he did! Steve spent ALL day on Maple Mountain setting up 'camp' for the hunt. They bury huge crates with their 'camp' inside for next week .. (don't ask me why, I have no idea ..). And just to make things more entertaining .. they ride mules. Fun day? Huh?

Also .. check out the Vintage Avacado site :) -- posted a sneak peek. The finished product will be posted For Sale on October 7, I'm pretty excited about it!

xtra's and the biz ..

2010-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

While my sister in law was here staying .. I took full advantage of having another trusted (girl) opinion in the house. I have been SEARCHING .. seriously, searching for pillows for my couches upstairs .. So off we went to Ikea. Found the perfect, most comfy, feather filled pillows ever .. I had been considering new couches in the near future, but these pillows add the perfect xtra - and I'm kind of re-thinking the new couch idea.

.. Also, not that I was looking .. (love Ikea ..) found some xtra's for our bedroom. New lamp, new matching pillow - and the red throw at the end. Kind of completes the bedroom I think .. Thanks to my sweet sister in law for all her help, heaven knows what things would look like if I had taken Steve.

AND - my furniture re-finishing blog .. It's time to share. Although I don't have anything new listed, I am selling a dresser I've had for a few years. I'll be posting new item's in the next couple weeks .. scary! But feel free to check it out .. and pass it along :). Thanks!

http://davintageavacado.blogspot.com/

We're Back!

2010-09-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

We're back! - We had so much fun on our vacation .. Things have been super busy the past month or so, but I promise to be back to blogging. I posted our trip photo's in a few different posts .. So make sure to scroll down!

Us, Downtown Disney - September 2010

a few cooper fav's ..

2010-09-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

To start their vacation .. Mike, Des and Cooper came to stay with us for ten days before Disneyland, and then returned back to Utah with us for another week or so. I have to first say .. They left yesterday, and we're lonely. Our house is too quiet .. and I seriously miss seeing little Cooper everyday. And second - We had so much FUN!

Cooper, looking mighty cool in his stroller at the County Fair.

One of many Provo Bakery runs .. Who doesn't love a good sugar cookie?

Mr. Sheriff himself .. OUT after a fun evening at the fair.

Best buddies - Hank's moped around since they left :( . - And of course, Steven's baseball helmet.

Very first time tasting and playing in rain puddles!

Las Vegas

2010-09-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

To start our Andreasen Family Vacation .. We drove to Las Vegas on Tuesday, and spent the night before driving the rest of the way to Disney on Wednesday. We had an awesome dinner at Diablo's (our favorite, must eat when in Vegas mexican joint) - and went out with Mike and Des to gamble, shop and eat some more! (Yes, I seriously gained weight on this trip -- we ate so much good food!)

Disneyland and California Adventure

2010-09-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

We spent two days in Disneyland .. and had a blast! Steve and I were able to do our own thing each day for a few hours, and also able to meet up with the family and do kid stuff, rides, shopping and dinners. We did Disney three years ago with some friends - which was super fun, but WOW - you haven't done Disneyland until you go with kids -- we had so much fun watching the kids go crazy! I could seriously spend two days alone in Downtown Disney .. I LOVE all those fun stores .. I drug Steven back three nights in a row just for all those tasty treats, dinner and shopping.

Des, Cami, Ty and Coop on the teacups.

While the 'big kids' did Indiana Jones - Steve and I took Cooper, Ty and Belle on a Jungle Safari ride (we did Indiana earlier in the day ..) Here's Coop, checking everything out.

Nate, Belle and Steve on the teacups.

Belle on the Jungle Safari.

Cami, Belle and I - shopping in Disneyland.

Me and Steven -- gearing up for Indiana Jones.

My birthday morning .. What a better way to spend my 23rd than in Disneyland !? -- The entire Andreasen family went out of their way to make it an awesome day .. (THANK YOU!). My sweet husband did whatever I wanted to do all day .. we did birthday breakfast, Disneyland, birthday lunch, Disneyland, awesome birthday dinner at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney -- and shopped! It was a very perfect day .. although I did miss my parents and sister, we're bringing them next time!

Tim and Patti, California Adventure

US - California Adventure

Steven and Coop on the merry go round.

Cami and Belle - after the Bear River Run.

Patti and Coop - swimming at the hotel.

Coop and I -- swimming at our hotel.

Seal Beach

2010-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm famous for taking WAY too many pictures .. As this post would be a perfect example of. But seriously .. Seal Beach was my favorite day of our entire trip. We ALL had fun, relaxed, good food - and shopping :). The weather was perfect, a little chilly in the morning - but heated right up for us. The kids had a blast playing in the waves and the sand .. Aside from our very sun-burned bodies at the end of the night, I'd say it was perfect!

Sweet Belle -- and a very friendly bird we met while browsing the shops.

The pier .. Ruby's Diner at the end, serves great burgers!

Steven and I - trying to get a tan, although our white little bodies got scorched!

Cami playing in the sand ..

Cooper

Ty and Belle - these two are best buddies, I think it's so cute!

All four kids - playing in the sand .. waiting for the waves.

My hot hubby .. There is a very funny story that goes along with how he obtained this boogie board (is that what it's called?) -- I don't think it's 'blog appropriate' - so next time you see me, ask!

US - enjoying the beach ..

Cami, Tim, Belle and Tim -- my FAVORITE picture of the day.

Me, Rob and Des - I am lucky to have such great sister in laws whom I love!

Des and I.

Belle

Cami and Coop .. watching Uncle Steve catch some waves.

Rob and I ..

Ty - Love this picture of this little guy!

Cami

Cooper, rollin' up the sleeves -- ready to play!

august update ..

2010-08-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

August has been BUSY! Hence my lack of weekly posting :) -- I'm not even going to promise to be better the next two months .. Sorry. So .. a quick what we've been up to ..

Steven's busy with work, enjoying the last few months of golf - and fall softball, of course!

I've also been busy with work, re-doing a bunch of old furniture (happy!), all the stuff in btw and a little bit more work. (Seriously, work might be all I do ..)

We are SO happy / excited / looking forward to September 1st .. We've both got some time off work, and we're headed to California with Steve's family. We'll be visiting Disneyland and Seal Beach .. we need the break!

Steve's brother Mike, his wife Des and their super cute little Cooper will be here today, in just a few hours to spend 10 days .. then California with us .. then a week or so back in Utah with us! We are soo looking forward to having them here with us!

And a picture ...

For those of you who happened to see my facebook status' - and whom I've told about this cute little table .. I drove 2 hours to pick it up, and 2 hours home .. SO worth it .. It was a funky light green color .. didn't really match anything -- so I painted it black and did a little distressing.

It looks perfect in our front room!

Speaking of re-doing old furniture .. After much suggestion from my family, friends and husband .. I am starting a little side gig for fun :). I'll be refinishing old furniture and selling it .. I am totally excited / nervous - I am hoping to do about two pieces a month, list them on KSL and also on a blog (created, but still working on the design .. will share the link when up and running) .. I do have something fun ready to list, but probably won't be doing so until mid- September, once life slows back down.

.. until I get a minute to blog again, I hope your all having a great week!

this thing ..

2010-08-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

So I have this thing for dressers ... Seriously. I spend hours on KSL looking at dressers that I don't have room or need for .. Not new dressers. I can honestly say I've never seen a dresser straight out of a furniture store that I've liked .. I want the old ones, the ones that need a little TLC. I am happy to say I've now got one in every bedroom .. :) . The first pictured below I just finished this week .. It's been in Steven's family FOREVER, and it needed some serious love ..

I found this one on KSL for $40 .. the lady who was selling it had a boutique that was going out of business .. she'd started re-finishing this one, I just had to add a few finishing touches ..

And my favorite - This one's in our room .. Another KSL find, $20 -- new coat of paint and hardware ..

Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my crazy .. Hope your all having a great week!

fiesta days rodeo

2010-07-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

My FAVORITE thing about Fiesta Days in Spanish Fork is the rodeo .. We've been getting tickets for the past 6 years .. it's a blast! .. Something about going with good friends, squishing on those little wooden bleachers, rodeo burgers and texas twisters :) . I can't get enough of the bull riding .. I think it scares the crap outta me, and that's why I love it .. So -- for your viewing pleasure .. a video below!

an old door ..

2010-07-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

As promised .. here is the finished product! I've been searching for a cool old door for a while now .. A family friend sent this home with my parents last weekend - and I went to work! After lots and lots of sanding .. a coat of paint, and some more sanding .. Here she is! - It's sitting at the end of my hall way upstairs for now .. Not sure if this is where it'll stay. HUGE thanks to Cheryl .. This door actually came from her house! (they have a super cool old house they've been re-doing ..).

26

2010-07-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Steven's 26th yesterday .. He's getting super stressed to turn 30 - so we of course get to tease him ALOT about how close he's getting :), Lucky us! Steve and I did dinner together .. then our families came over for cake, ice cream and presents. Sadly, my pictures of our family get together didn't turn out -- So all you get is his cute golf cake. I sure love this guy, even if he is getting old -- Happy Birthday Steven!

after one year ..

2010-07-16T14:44:00.001-07:00

.. I can finally say my living room is DONE. We've changed the set up of the couches, curtains (a few times) and wall decor around more times that I can even count. And we've finally got the look we've been going for. We decided we like the neutral look, and painting would have been too much .. I am very happy with how it all turned out together!

Stay tuned .. Working on the master bedroom and bathroom, and will post pictures in the next few weeks. I am so excited to officially say my main floor is almost complete! Have a safe and happy weekend all ...

2010-07-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

The poppies have bloomed ...

And we've finally found chairs for the front porch -- can't wait to find some cute summer-y pillows to throw on these!

stadium of fire 2010

2010-07-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Stadium of Fire with the Hugel family -- We did a big ol' BBQ before hand at our house, then headed over to the stadium. Carrie Underwood was performing this year, and she was awesome! - Great fire work show, and a super fun way to spend our 4th of July.
The whole crew ... Scott, Crystal, Libby, me and Steven.

Steven and I -- Squinting in the bright sun :).

Cute little Libb - and of course, her glow in the dark sticks.

this week ..

2010-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

.. my first poppy bloomed! -- I took this photo Monday night, and this morning at least 10 more have blooms .. only the yellow ones. We planted red, yellow, pink, blue and white .. So I'm hoping the other colors bloom within the next week or so - and I'll post another photo then!

the GRAND canyon state

2010-06-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

I spent the last week with Erica at her home in Arizona. Erica was here visiting her family, so she and Teagan were able to fly out with me - We left Tuesday afternoon when I got off work, and I flew home last night. We had so much fun shopping, laying out / playing in the pool, decorating rooms in her house - and just being together!

Getting on the plane in Utah, and sweet little T in her sunglasses.

We got up every morning and headed to the pool .. I loved the fact that at 8:30 AM it was already 95 degrees and we could work on our tans -- Didn't love the fact that by 10 AM it was over 110 degrees, and I felt like I couldn't move!

Little T sharing the tanning lotion .. and bedhead :).

Can you believe how gorgeous this is? This is a view of the pool area - less than a 2 minute walk from Erica's front door. It's all gated off - has a BBQ, picnic tables and chairs for laying out -- Also the fountain pictured above.

Me, Er and T at the pool -- Again, we just woke up .. ignore the no makeup, bedhead look.

We did ALOT of shopping -- Phoenix had some seriously great outlets - I found so much stuff for cheap! They have an upper scale outdoor mall, we went one night for dinner and a little window shopping -- T found the water / play area for kiddo's, she's such a cutie!

Did a little bit of sightseeing in downtown Phoenix ..

And my last day there - had to snap a photo of the palm tree lined streets - I love it!

(Alright Er, here's my post ... Now you need to post photo's of your front room and dining area!)

Thanks for letting me stay -- Sure do love you guys!

happy fathers day

2010-06-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day to all -- but mostly to my own dad. He's seriously the greatest person I know .. We love him so much, and appreciate all that he does for us! Hope you all have a great Fathers Day!

laundry room before and afters ..

2010-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

I figured since we'd be having a pretty new washer and dryer in the laundry room -- I ought to do something to bring the room up to par .. So here's the before ..

And the after ..

And this weeks day off project (because I always have one ..) -- I found this idea on a craft blog, and gave it a shot. I went and bought a few old windows at Star Mill in American Fork, some craft paint - and went to work. Mind you -- this is my first try, I bought three windows because I figured it'd take that many times before I had the colors right .. I think I'll keep this one and hang it outside for the month of July - but I want to do another with darker blues and reds to hang in my basement - What do you think?
Hope you all have a great weekend - Headed to Arizona with Erica next week, Will post many photo's when I return!

antique shopping and the 3000 series

2010-06-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom, Cheryl, Bryn (for a few) and I did a little antique shopping. I've stopped in shops here and there - but never spent several hours searching, at several different stores. It was a blast! We went looking for something to help finish my wall downstairs - and found it! I found the three boxes pictured below, and that cute little lantern. My idea is to fold up a quilt and stick it in the white box .. Then get a few old mason jars and put them in the Coke crate with flowers .. Hopefully this will look as good as I am picturing. Either way .. It totally helps finish up the wall .. Just need to hang my picture frames on the left side, and we're done! Thanks girls for a super fun girls day - and mom, for that awesome Trolley dinner afterwards.

And yes, We did it. FINALLY. Last fall our washer went out .. We debating buying an entire new set - but since we'd just put in the yard - we decided to just purchase a cheap new washer. Well ... recently our dryer has been taking TWO HOURS to dry anything .. We figured it was a sign, it's time for a new pair. We purchased the Maytag 3000 Series this week - it'll be delivered at our house this coming Tuesday -- Seriously, who would have thought I'd be so excited over a new washer and dryer?! Crazy.

great grandma bertelsens chair

2010-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to bring some color other than black and red into my house. When I painted the pantry bright red, my old rugs didn't go. I found some dang cute, brightly colored rugs at Pier 1 and purchased them. I have since been trying to match a few things in my kitchen with the rugs .. This chair belonged to my great grandma Bertelsen. It's been sitting in my storage for the past two years, and in my parents storage for years before that .. Today I re-finished it. I love little somethings that have a meaning in my house - and this turned out perfect!

it's been one year ..

2010-06-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

June marks the *one year* date of our house being finished. I can't believe on the 18th of this month we'll have lived here for an entire year! Seriously .. one of the best choices we've made together - I think we love our house more today than the very first day we moved it! It's crazy to think in February 2009 we had this ...

And today we have this ..

I can't believe how much we accomplished in ONE year, and also thinking of how much we still want to do! - I think that's the best part. It's kind of a never ending project :).

Year One:

-Sprinkling System, Sod

-Curbing

-Flowerbeds

-RV Pad

-Painted the basement family room and red pantry.

-Aside from one spare bedroom downstairs, my house is basically decorated! This was the BIGGEST project .. endless shopping trips to find just the right thing. Yes, there is still much that could be done - But I am very happy with how it's looking today!

flower bed catch up

2010-05-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been slacking on the blog posting :) - I was getting so good at once a week! - But I have a legitimate excuse. I have so many pictures on my phone .. and lost the cord. So - I ordered a new one on Monday, should be here tomorrow - and I will post! For now .. It's been almost 6 weeks since we planted our flower bed in front - WOW - time flies. I thought I'd post a few update photo's of how great it's looking! The first photo is of my poppy garden, still no blooms - but they are definitely sprouting.

And - an update photo of the super cute cabinet from last post :). Found a few cute things to help fill up the space .. I am thinking I'll hang a few bead board frames on the left side, and don't think I'll paint the wall - I will post photo's once it's really done!

I promise I have ALOT to post about .. Check back in the nxt few days for more :).

a steal ..

2010-05-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

This post should be titled 'thanks to my mom for making us turn around' :). My mom and I were running errands last Friday and just happened to pass The Porch in Springville. They were having a HUGE antique garage type sell in front of the store. My mom insisted that we turn around and look - and wah-lah, we found this awesome piece of furniture. So after not alot of convincing - I purchased it. Dated back in the early 1900's - and stamped 'RETURN TO OGDEN' on the bottom. These photo's do not do this justice .. it's seriously awesome. And even has red under-tones that match my basement. For now we've decided to put it in the basement, with the TV on it .. Now here's the dilemma .. It needs more. So .. all you decorators out there - What else? I am up for any suggestions. Should I paint the wall behind it? What type of cute deco's, crates, luggage etc .. can I put on the floor to help fill up the empty space on the sides?

The BEST part .. Storage! Finally not cramming all our boxes and DVD's inside.

cooper

2010-05-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of my favorite little people - He's the greatest! .. We already miss him, and wish they lived closer so we could spend a little more time with him. Thanks to Mike and Des for sharing him with us while they were here visiting.

- When asking if he wanted to talk to his grandpa on the phone 'No, I've had a busy day - I need to golf'.

-Cooper: 'Tiger Woods has a boo boo on his pee pee' ... Courtesy of Mike ;).

'I want to shoot, Where's Hank?'

Whispering to Steve .. 'Hey, I am hungry'. Steve says 'Ok, what do you want?' - Cooper: 'I don't know'. Steven asks if he wants a cookie .. Cooper yells 'YES!'.

I seriously think we might have the cutest nieces and nephews EVER!

happy mothers day and a good-bye

2010-05-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to all you awesome mom's out there :) - Mostly my own, pictured below. Just wanted to let her know how much we appreciate all she does for us, I am so lucky she's my mom - and one of my best friends! We love her so much!

And for good-bye's .. Mike, Des and Cooper left this morning :( - Headed back home to California. So we're sending them our 'drive safely' wishes! We'll miss them so much .. and I don't quite know how we'll handle the house being so quiet. I have so many fun pictures of their stay .. I promise to post this week. We can't wait to see them in Disneyland this September, it's just a few months away .. But feels like forever!

sports freak ..

2010-05-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

Steve is some what of a sports freak. When I say freak - I mean he plays ALL of them. He bowls, golfs, plays softball, fast pitch, tennis, ping pong (is that a sport?!), football .. etc. So - we know it's spring around our house when softball season starts. I did talk him down from FOUR softball teams (last year) to just two :). Kind of nice to not spend every evening at the ball fields. Seeing this is the first game I've attended this season (slacker wife) - I thought I'd snap a few photo's. Mike, Des and Cooper are here visiting and staying with us for a bit - So they attended last Friday nights game with us. We had a blast, even though they lost by one point!

Coop playing softball .. Can I note - This kid's 2.5 years old, and this bat and ball belong to Steve! Don't worry .. he had no problem swinging it around ;).

Mike and Coop.

Patti, Me, Coop and Des watching the game. It was FREEZING!

Des and I - How much I wish they lived closer, she's another sister to me!

And of course - my sweet Steven, pitching to Coop :).

Mike, Des and Coop are staying until this weekend - I will be so sad when they leave, so will Hank - as Coop has become his new 'buddy'. I have TONS of photo's and video to post of this cute little kid - but will wait until I can do it all at once, as I am sure there will be much more!

if your still reading ..

2010-05-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

... Let me know! - Due to a few recent events .. :), and for the protection of my family I am cutting my blog list a little bit shorter. If your still reading, PLEASE - leave a comment, text me - email me - Whatever. I know I've got several on the list that aren't even blogging anymore, or reading .. Just doing a little 'spring cleaning'. Thanks!

busy weekend

2010-04-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun, super busy weekend .. Along with painting the pantry we had the yard curbed. - It looks amazing! Makes such a difference. Word to the wise .. if you haven't yet done sod, do curbing FIRST! - As you can see, when you have to cut out sod to make a curvy curb design .. Kind of makes things look a little patchy :(. We're just planning to drop some seed in those bare spots, get a little more mulch to fill the beds back up - and call it good! Yard work .. ugggh.

We spent Friday afternoon and night in Salt Lake for the Jazz game. We decided it'd be fun to make it an overnighter trip since the game didn't start until 8:30 PM. We stayed at the Peery Hotel - It was very nice, very clean - and great service .. Although - have you ever seen the 'Shining' - It's totally an old school hotel - So I was a little freaked out ;). We had dinner at Macaroni Grill, saw the game (they won!) - and then went out on the town afterwards - It was a good night!

pantry painting

2010-04-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how happy it makes me that I'm posting these :D - I've wanted to paint the pantry red since the week I moved in - And we finally did it! It's perfect!

A Tribute to Dispatchers

2010-04-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

By Chief Thomas Wagoner

Loveland (Colo.) Police Department

Someone once asked me if I thought that answering telephones for a living was a profession. I said, "I thought it was a calling."And so is dispatching. I have found in my law enforcement career that dispatchers are the unsung heroes of public safety. They miss the excitement of riding in a speeding car with lights flashing and sirens wailing. They can only hear of the bright orange flames leaping from a burning building. They do not get to see the joy on the face of worried parents as they see their child begin breathing on its own, after it has been given CPR.Dispatchers sit in darkened rooms looking at computer screens and talking to voices from faces they never see. It's like reading a lot of books, but only half of each one.Dispatchers connect the anxious conversations of terrified victims, angry informants, suicidal citizens and grouchy officers. They are the calming influence of all of them-the quiet, competent voices in the night that provide the pillars for the bridges of sanity and safety. They are expected to gather information from highly agitated people who can't remember where they live, what their name is, or what they just saw. And then, they are to calmly provide all that information to the officers, firefighters, or paramedics without error the first time and every time.Dispatchers are expected to be able to do five things at once-and do them well. While questioning a frantic caller, they must type the information into a computer, tip off another dispatcher, put another caller on hold, and listen to an officer run a plate for a parking problem. To miss the plate numbers is to raise the officer's ire; to miss the caller's information may be to endanger the same officer's life. But, the officer will never understand that.Dispatchers have two constant companions, other dispatchers and stress. They depend on one, and try to ignore the other. they are chastened by upset callers, taken for granted by the public, and criticized by the officers. The rewards they get are inexpensive and infrequent, except for the satisfaction they feel at the end of a shift, having done what they were expected to do.Dispatchers come in all shapes and sizes, all races, both sexes, and all ages. They are blondes, and brunettes, and redheads. They are quiet and outgoing, single, or married, plain, beautiful, or handsome. No two are alike, yet they are all the same.They are people who were selected in a difficult hiring process to do an impossible job. They are as different as snowflakes, but they have one thing in common. They care about people and they enjoy being the lifeline of society-that steady voice in a storm-the one who knows how to handle every emergency and does it with style and grace; and, uncompromised competence.Dispatchers play many roles: therapist, doctor, lawyer, teacher, weatherman, guidance counselor, psychologist, priest, secretary, supervisor, politician, and reporter. And few people must jump through the emotional hoops on the trip through the joy of one caller's birthday party, to the fear of another caller's burglary in progress, to the anger of a neighbor blocked in their drive, and back to the birthday caller all in a two-minute time frame. The emotional rollercoaster rolls to a stop after an 8 or 10 hour shift, and they are expected to walk down to their car with steady feet and no queasiness in their stomach-because they are dispatchers. If they hold it in, they are too closed. If they talk about it, they are a whiner. If it bothers them, it adds more stress. If it doesn't, they question themselves, wondering why.

Dispatchers are expected to have:

the compassion of Mother Theresa

the wisdom of Solomon

the interviewing skills of Oprah Winfrey

the gentleness of Florence Nightingale

the patience of Job

the voice of Barbara Streisand

the knowledge of Einstein

the answers of Ann Landers

the humor of David Letterman

the investigative skills of Sgt. Joe Friday

the looks of Melanie Griffith or Don Johnson

the faith of Billy Graham

the energy of Charo and the endurance of the Energizer Bunny

Is it any wonder that many drop out during training? It is a unique and talented person who can do this job and do it well. And, it is fitting and proper that we take a few minutes or hours this week to honor you for the job that each of you do. That recognition is overdue and it is insufficient. But, it is sincere.I have tried to do your job, and I have failed. It takes a special person with unique skills. I admire you and I thank you for the thankless job you do. You are heroes, and I am proud to work with you.

It's dispatcher appreciation week .. I work with some amazing people!

blooming!

2010-04-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Less than a week later - we've got four or five plants blooming!

PS - This was taken with my new blackberry -My old blackberry had a crappy camera, and I never used it .. It's AMAZING having a decent camera on a phone, I never have to carry my camera around anymore! LOVE it!

planted

2010-04-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

Steve and I spent Friday afternoon - and most of Saturday morning getting our flowerbeds ready to go, and planted. (I seriously owe my hubby, He worked 9 hours on Friday - came home for 7 and helped me, then went back to work for another 6 that night .. He's a stud!)

Front flower bed, looking very sparse .. BUT - give it a few weeks, I will be posting more photo's - Much is underground, waiting to bloom - and I'm hoping the rest of my little plants will keep getting bigger too! According to my garden plan .. In 14 days we'll really see the difference.

This is a total experiment .. In one of my country living magazines I found an idea and picture for a poppy garden .. GORGEOUS .. So, along the entire west side of our house we're giving it a shot .. I so hope it works, and looks as great as the photo's I've seen. They should start sprouting in the next ten days .. And probably won't bloom until June.
We are curbing in two weeks around all the beds and tree's - And also hoping to have our fence finished up within the next month or so ... SO CLOSE!

And this weeks biggest loser update - Lost three pounds :). I am down six total .. Really kicking things up a notch, now that our warm weather is here to stay - Night time jogs are coming back! Anyone want to join me?!

easter, finished project, doggy door cat

2010-04-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Unfortunately I had to work .. But Steven was able to attend all the festivities in my place. The Andreasens had an awesome Easter lunch and egg hunt - so sad I missed Cami, Ty and Belle this year. Steve got a picture of the kids in their cute Easter outfits with their chocolate eggs. Luckily the Bertelsens did their Easter on Saturday, and we were both able to spend a few hours with them. We both have the best families .. And love any extra time we get with them, mostly all the fun holiday stuff!

The finished project .. Finally! After nearly two weeks of a big ol' construction truck, forms and buckets sitting in front of my house .. The concrete guys got everything moved out of the way .. And it looks great. I feel like it completes the front of the house (no dirt and weeds anymore). We can't wait to get our fencing finished up .. And really see the 'finished project'.

Fun story .. Our neighbors across the street have a very cute grey cat. They keep him outside ALLL winter long .. So of course he wants to come in our warm house through the doggy door, right? He's attempted .. And succeeds anytime he can get away with it. (If Hank notices, he comes un-glued .. and will chase him back out!) Cheese also doesn't like this little kitty invading his territory .. and fights him - DAILY. Like hunts him down .. flips him over .. (luckily Cheese doesn't have claws ..) and wrestles him - DAILY. So .. Below is a video of Cheese-It, watching this cute little kitty cross the street .. heading to our back yard .. to come inside. He's pissed :). Note he's pretty 'fluffed' up .. and the tail ... Oooh, the tail! PS - I apologize it's sideways, I can't get it to flip around!

I would also like to note the celebration of my 'spending hiatus' one MONTH marker on April 1. I was going to go until May .. but decided with trying to put in outside stuff, and trying to finish inside stuff this spring - It just isn't possible :). BUT - I am definitely going to take this challenge again .. Also, quick biggest loser - I was down 5 pounds, weighed in tonight and gained two back .. But still several weeks to go .. So stay tuned! Looking forward to all your Easter posts ..

today friday ..

2010-04-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

So instead of Flashback Friday - Your getting 'today' Friday :). Here's my cute kids .. TODAY! Cute stories with each photo ..

The pink lamb .. You know those machines as your walking out of a store, the claw machine? And it sucks your money up .. but your addicted, and have to get the toy? That explains the pink lamb .. and Steven - $8 dollars later ;).

This is Hank's spot on the couch, between the curtains where he can see outside. Lately this has been Cheese's spot - I guess he's decided he's in charge again.

Hank's lion ... NEVER put's it down.

almost there ..

2010-03-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

It's done! ..

I've told you all I'm a list maker .. So on my outside to-do list I had lawn and sprinkling system, we did that last fall. Then I had second driveway / RV pad, flowerbeds, trees, and a fence .. Guess what's left on that list? Fencing and tree's ..

We are so close!

Flashback Friday

2010-03-26T09:34:00.001-07:00

Flashback to September 2009 - Marysvale, UT Camping Trip.

My cute little family, minus Steven - he wasn't able to make the trip with us :( . Ignore we're all a little dirty and dusty, this was taken after a very LONG ride. This is our favorite place to camp and ride .. We do it every year!

For further updates .. Weighing in again tomorrow for the biggest loser. Last week I'd lost almost two pounds .. Not much, but hey - I didn't have to pay anything! And Sunday closes another week of my spending hiatus - I totally flaked this week. Yesterday I went shopping with Crystal and purchased a wreath and cute Easter tree for my house .. Not to justify it or anything, But I seriously have ZERO Easter decorations, and didn't have a 'springy' wreath either. So they kind of were needs ..... Don't you think?

Also, Guess what's happening outside? Right now, as we speak? Far West Concrete is pouring an RV pad :) - Yep, will post more pictures after it's all finished up this weekend! We are so excited, and can't believe the difference it makes outside .. Up next, finishing the fence!

Spending, Spare Bedroom, Loser ..

2010-03-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, an update .. We've been super busy the last few weeks with work, trying to get our yard ready to plant, fence and pour an RV pad, and of course .. a little decorating inside. We finally got one of the downstairs bedrooms decorated .. FINALLY! (Thanks to Crystal, who purchased this cute quilt about a year ago .. Then found something else she liked better.) - The pictures wash out all the color, you'll all have to come see in person! Also .. the bridle and tac hanging in the first photo belonged to my favorite grandpa Scott. His dad made them, my grandpa used them growing up .. And then passed them to me. I love having them!

** Spending Hiatus Update: - I've done awesome! Seriously. I didn't know I could do it .. But with this being the closing of my two week mark this weekend .. I thought I'd list all I'd purchased other than food :).

-A tent to send to Haiti
-Curtains for the downstairs bedroom (They were $14.99, If you haven't checked out the Country Living line at KMART, it's a must. I've now bought curtains, rugs and kitchen towels there .. And get compliments on ALL of them. Also go to http://www.countryliving.com/. It's my favorite magazine .. )

WOW - Can you believe it? .. It's seriously been alot easier than I thought it'd be, Kind of fun too!

**Biggest Loser Update: This has been tough. Had my first weigh in last Saturday, second is this weekend .. I have seriously been so busy I haven't had a chance to exercise this week, so we'll see how it goes Saturday.

Check back next week .. We're pouring an RV pad and planting our flower beds!

Hope everyone's having a great week!

busy

2010-03-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

This whole one day off a week thing lately .. So not good for my blog :). I promise some good posts are on their way! .. house stuff, yard stuff, spending hiatus, biggest loser ... BUT, I have a question to put out there. Anyone know how people post one picture on their blog, but it's a collage of a bunch of photo's? If you do .. Let me know! Thanks!

Oooh, Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happiness Is ..

2010-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

-A day off ..
-Any day with Steve .. Doing anything!
-Coming home to a super happy puppy everyday.
-Being with my families.
-Having a home that I love to come home to.
-Work .. Yes, a day off might make me a little happier - But I work with some super amazing ladies (and guys) that do awesome things everyday.
-Hank, in general :).
-Sunshine .. Being outside.
-Jeans, flip flops and a t-shirt.
-Never thought I'd say this, but lately .. baking.
-Spending time with my girlfriends - I don't think anythings as good as lunch with the girls :).

Now I want to know what makes you happy - I tag Emily, Crystal, Amy, Erica and Morgan.

a few cut backs ..

2010-02-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

I like to use my blog as a journal / scrapbook - Also someplace to keep track of my goals (our goals) and the progress made .. SO ..

With tomorrow being the beginning of a new month, March (can you believe it!?) - a few opportunities / challenges have been presented, and I'm totally taking them on. I thought I'd post the challenge and if ANY of you would like to join - Do it! You don't have to let anyone know .. Or you can. So .. #1 being a 'spending hiatus'. My cousin Julie posted this on her blog, and she got the 'challenge' from another friend. Check out this blog for the original challenge - http://simplelovely.blogspot.com. SO .. From March 1 - May 1, Yes - TWO entire months - I won't be spending money on anything that isn't needed .. I will obviously still be purchasing groceries etc .. Just no more eating out, shopping for clothes (seeing I've got a closet FULL), and more stuff to fill my house that we don't really NEED. I am soo excited to see how much money I can save .. Now, a few exceptions already in the works .. we are putting up a fence this month, pouring an RV pad and having an entertainment center built for the basement - Although not total NEEDS, it will need to be done at some point :). And for challenge #2. My friend at work does a 'Biggest Loser' competition with her neighborhood. They put $25 per person that joins in a pot, and whomever looses the most at the end wins the $$$. This starts March 6, and goes for 12 weeks! So .. If you know me, you know both of these are going to be REALLY tough for me .. Wish me luck!

ottoman heaven and a project ..

2010-02-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, there is an ottoman heaven. And we're in it .. After FOUR very long weeks (31 days to be exact) of waiting for our ottoman to ship and arrive - It's here! It looks great with the couch, and just one more something to help finish our family room (kind of sad I didn't order two, it's super comfy!).

Seriously, I am super embarrassed to even be posting this picture. BUT - I think it's going to give me the motivation I need. One of my New Years goals was to get this room cleaned up and organized. Mind you, this photo is just one very small corner of this super messy storage room! It's going to be alot of work .. But it's my project for this weekend .. So we'll see how it goes, and I'll post a follow up picture next week.

valentines day

2010-02-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Valentines Day this year. We headed over to the Riverwoods bright and early to do a little shopping, Happy Sumo for lunch and saw the movie 'Valentines Day'. We did things a little different this year, and instead of giving each other surprise gifts - We went together, and picked stuff out for each other.

I picked Steve a new cell phone .. (Seriously, I've been trying to convince him to upgrade from his 1999 Motorola Razor for MONTHS) He finally has, and loves it! :)

He picked out the cutest outfit for me, these shoes included. (Side note .. I never buy expensive heels, I am all about the $25 dollar kicks .. These are AMAZING.) I always wondered why after 35 minutes in the cheep's my feet were killing, Not anymore!

Here's Hank looking super cute for Valentine's Day!

After all our shopping, we headed over to some friends house (Thanks to April and John for being the best little get together hosts EVER!) - Had some awesome treats, and alot of laughs.

And last but not least .. We ran Valentine's to our nieces and nephews. In my family it was tradition between my cousins and I to 'door bell ditch' Valentines to each other. So .. I talked Steven into it this year! I waited across the street in the car, and Steve did all the running. SO much fun to watch the little ones answer the door, and be super confused about no one being there - And then finding their little goodies. We're making this a yearly tradition!

Hope everyone's day was great too!

ABC's

2010-02-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

Em tagged me, I promised to work on it this weekend .. While bored at work :) - Here goes!

A: Attached or Single: Attached
B: Best friend: Steven
C: Cake or Pie: Cake, white cake with whipped cream frosting!
D: Day: I agree w/Em - Any day off!
E: Essential Item: Cell phone, I feel lost and out of touch w/out it - Sad, I know.
F: Favorite Color: Red
G: Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms
H: Hometown: Springville / Mapleton
I: Indulgences: Jeans .. way too much money on jeans.
J: January or July: JULY - Hate the cold.
K: Kids: Undecided - I think someday.
L: Life is Incomplete without: Love
M: Marriage Date: December 14,2006
N: Number of Siblings: One sister, Bryn.
O: Oranges or Apples: Apples
P: Phobias or Fears: I have a sock phobia. I hate wearing them, I think they are gross - And totally look forward to the summer months when I can just wear flip flops!
Quote: 'In the end, it's not the years in your life that count - It's the life in your years' Abe Lincoln.
R: Reason to smile: I'm working now, But only have 3.5 hours left! :D
S: Season: Summer and Fall
T: Tag three people: Crystal, Morgan and Amy
U: Unknown fact about me: I am a list maker .. I make a to-do list weekly, aside from my large ones such as 'House To Do's' - they are super long, and I cross everything off as I get it done. Drives Steve CRAZY!
V: Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Not a lover of meat .. But it's good every once in awhile.
W: Worst Habit: I lose everything - My worst habit is never putting anything away.
X: X Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds, super cool!
Y: Your Favorite Food: Anything at La Casita ..
Z: Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Flashback Friday

2010-02-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

(Darci, Me, Bryn and Dani Brady)

This weeks Flashback - December 14,2006 - Our wedding. Me and my sweet bridesmaids - I

LOVE these girls :).

Hope everyone has a super awesome Valentine's Day with your sweeties :).

Steven and Dani

Wrapping Up January ..

San Francisco & 49ER's Game

Christmas 2011 & a New Year ..

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Anniversary & more ..

the floors are in!

the holidays are coming ... & wood floors too!

It's my party ...

Mr. Marfa TX

Washington DC: Part 2 - From My Cell Phone

Washington DC: Part 1

Philadelphia

July

fenced in & up coming posting ..

My Red Front Door Home

Our 4th & Hank's 3rd

Marysvale

on hold

the freakin' weeken' ..

a promised photo & a spoiled brat

weekend visit

back in October ..

the silent treatment & another mb project

Free Willy

Happy Easter & a few spring projects ..

let's re-cap the last few weeks ..

a plug .. The Gingerbread House

the handy men

Phoenix

* ..the girls getaway .. to Las Vegas! *

monster jam

not to be missed ..

happy {♥} day

bideo games & books

a little bit of everything ..

special delivery & v-day wreath

bathroom, birthdays, bunco and book club

a little more golden

first kind of project of 2011 ..

2010 rewind {part two}

2010 rewind {part one}

2011

a very merry christmas

the ugly sweater

a few recent events ..

this week ..

it's beginning to look alot like christmas ...

thankful

fall colors and a plug ..

date night

one month

{*happy halloween*}

fitting in, craft day & craft room

mums

the wrong friend

penny lou

steves saturday . .

xtra's and the biz ..

We're Back!

a few cooper fav's ..

Las Vegas

Disneyland and California Adventure

Seal Beach

august update ..

this thing ..

fiesta days rodeo

an old door ..

26

after one year ..

stadium of fire 2010

this week ..

the GRAND canyon state

happy fathers day

laundry room before and afters ..

antique shopping and the 3000 series

great grandma bertelsens chair

it's been *one* year ..

flower bed catch up

a steal ..

cooper

{happy halloween}

it's been one year ..