'Tis the Season to be Jolly! Fa la la la la.....

Our 2008 Christmas Newsletter

So I decided to actually do a Christmas letter this year and put it up on our blog. This is a first for me. Hopefully it's not too long or boring! We hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Christmas season! This has been a year of change for us and we’re looking forward to the calm, relaxing days of Christmas. We'll be spending a week and a half in Michigan with Stephen's family. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to spend some time with some of you, but if not, here’s a little recap of what we’ve been up to this year.

Last January Stephen left his job at Fidelity, and started working for Principal Financial, consulting as a financial advisor . In a nutshell, Stephen travels around the Utah and neighboring states to meet with participants who have 401k's with Principal and tells them to save for retirement and get out of debt. It's been an amazing change from Fidelity, where we only saw each other 3 days a week. We feel extremely blessed and are grateful to be working for such a great company. Stephen has loved being able to fly airplanes, now that he has his pilots license. Although this summer we decided to put flying on hold and try to save a little more money. He soon found a new exciting adventure of scuba diving and became certified this fall.

Emily also had a job change this year. She is still teaching Special Ed, but just moved districts and schools. She is in her 6th year of teaching kiddos with autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, Behavior Disorders etc....and really trying not to become like her kids, as hard as that is sometimes. She is loving the 5 minute commute to school each day, but nonetheless it's been a stressful and crazy first half of the year. Emily has also found time to do things she really enjoys amidst the business of school, namely trying out new recipes, digital scrapbooking, blogging, and decorating.

We plunged into being "homeowners" in 2008. We have really loved living in Pleasant Grove the past 10 months. Not to mention we're a few minutes away from my sister and her family, which we see often. Along with the new house comes countless projects. Putting in a backyard is one of the many that's kept us busy. We also are so thankful to have a fabulous ward and amazing neighbors.

As we reflect on the past year, we feel very blessed to be where we are. We’re grateful for our testimonies of the Savior and are so appreciative of the sacrifices He made that allow us to be together as families forever. May His finest blessings be with you this year and may we all remember Him and His atonement during this season and throughout the year. We love you!

Have you ever?

I know this is a bit long, but it was kind of fun to see all the random things that other's have done. There may be somethings you didn't know about me! The bolded items are things that I have accomplished. Enjoy!

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. seen in person the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch-hiked
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or a sunset
31. hit a home run (in the park)
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagra falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michaelangelo's david
41. sung karaoke
42. seen the old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. received a prestigious award
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistine chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. got flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. gone sky diving (does ifly count?)
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guards in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swam in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. learned to play an instrument

Where is winter?

Lately I seem to have forgetten what month it is. Not that I'm really that spacey, but it's just that it still does not feel like winter. I can't believe we're already a week into December and it is 45 degrees outside. Yesterday was nice too, so Stephen and I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and went on a hike up behind Cascade Mountain. It was great to get away from the business of all the holiday shopping and head up to the mountains. I honestly can say I've never been hiking in December before! Skiing yes, but hiking no. It sure was beautiful and believe it or not we weren't the only ones up there. We found a bunch of neat ponds that beavers had made and it was pretty neat to stumble upon. We also packed a lunch and had a picnic. It was great, but I'm really itching for some snow !!!

Just a little ice in the river!

Stephen trying to cross the river on some icy

logs. It was close he almost fell in!

Gratitude

I know it's a bit past Thanksgiving, but I've had a lot on my mind this weekend and wanted to share how grateful I am. At Thanksgiving this year, as always we go around the table and share things that we are thankful for before we eat our meal. I'm always amazed at how no matter how many people are there, we seem to barely skim the surface of the countless blessings we've been given. This year my parents gave each of us a gratitude Journal where we can record each day the blessings that we recognize. Here are just a few that top my list, I am so grateful I married a wonderful man in the Temple. He is an amazing friend who is so perfect for me. I love my family and am grateful for the close relationship we have with each other and the examples they are too me. I also am so thankful for my testimony of the gospel for the foundation that it is in my life.
This past Friday a good friend of mine and co-worker, received a phone call from her daughter who found her husband dead. She had only been home 2 hours earlier and talked with him then. What a difficult trial she's been given and is facing. Her whole world turned upside down in an instant. I can't even imagine going through this trial. Well needless to say, she has been on my mind a lot and I can't help but remind myself how precious each day is. So in this season of giving and thanks, I find myself very humbled and thankful for all the blessings in my life.

It's hard to imagine...

It's hard to imagine 80 degree weather in the middle of November, but not when you're in the Caribbean! Stephen and I just spent the last week soaking up some sun and almost forgot what time of year it was. We couldn't imagine that it was 30 degree here in Utah while we're enjoy the palm trees and sun. We had such a fun time with my family on our week long cruise. You get my mom and dad, all my brothers and sisters and their spouses away from the kids and the party begins. It was great! Cruises are definitely a fun way to travel! I must warn you though, this might be kind of a long post. Since I'm using this blog as my online journal. I've included a few pictures that I've got. (My camera died the first day) sad...but there were plenty of others to document our adventures. I just haven't gotten any of their copies yet.

We flew down to Florida on Saturday, and met up with my two brothers and their wives who are living in Texas, and New Jersey. By the time we got our luggage to the hotel room it was late and we were hungry. Well the only restaurant with in walking distance was Taco Bell. The next day was Sunday and since we didn't have to get on the boat until that afternoon, we found a ward close by. It was great we saw alligators roaming the canals close by the church. I also ran into a good friend from my Orem ward who had just moved down there with her husband who's getting his PHD. (It's amazing how small the world is within the church.) It was great to see her and chat. As we boarded the boat that afternoon, the festivities were ready and waiting. I think one of the things we got the most out of this trip, beside all the beautiful places we saw, was all the good food we ate! Yumm. I would say that we all gained a few extra pounds. We decided though, that since we don't drink, we EAT!

That next morning we woke up in paradise. We spent the first day at Princess Cays, Bahamas. It was a small island, and we had to load up into the "tenders" or the life boats to make it to the island. That day we mostly played in the water, went snorkeling and soaked up the sun.

Tuesday was another day on the boat. It was so fun a bunch of us went to a ball room dance class, we watched a magician, played in the hot tub, played miniature golf and most importantly slept in and relaxed.

The next day we were off in St. Maarteen. This was also a tiny island where part of the island is French and the other part is Dutch. A few of us decided to rent Mopeds for the day. This was quite the adventure. We had a blast riding around, getting lost, and trying to find our way in a place that doesn't believe in using stop lights. It's a good thing Stephen was driving. We ended up finding some ruins from a Hurricane that hit about 10 years ago. It was weird to see a swimming pool filled up with sand and building knocked down to their foundations. We also found a beautiful beach, but we're kind of nervous because we heard most beaches on this island were nude. As we got closer to the water, I don't think I have been so relieved to see that everyone was wearing a swimsuit. With that we jumped into the bluest water I've ever seen and snorkeled. I did however see my first jelly fish, which really scared me. I was done being in the water after that.

Then on Thursday we landed on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas. We did an excursion that day and rented a catamaran(Sailboat) and sailed over to another island. Where we again put on the snorkeling gear and snorkeled some more! (I don't think I could every get tired of this!) We saw some beautiful coral, sponges, fish, some more jellyfish and even a sting ray. On our way back to the boat, we did some shopping!

Our last day at port was on Friday and we spent the day at Grand Turk. Here Stephen and a few of my brother who recently got certified for Scuba Diving, went out and did a couple of dives. There was a 7,000 ft drop-off a couple hundred yards off shore. They went and explored about 70 feet down under. They had a great time exploring the world down below. While they were off scuba diving the girls went shopping and relaxed on the beach. This island had just been hit by a hurricane in the middle of October. They had just planted 100 palm trees the day before we arrived. We also found some amazing conch shells. They were the biggest seashells (at least 2-3lbs a piece) I'd ever seen! There were loads of them scattered all over the beach. We spent half the morning finding seashells and more we found the more we wanted to take home. On our search my brother Matt found a coconut still in it's husk. It was pretty funny to see him try to break it and crack it open.

On Saturday we spent another day on the boat heading back to Florida. There was always so much to do on the ship. My favorite was we were able to go on a tour through the galley (kitchen). It was amazing to see how and where they prep to feed 4,000 people 3 (or more in our case) meals a day. I loved going and getting breakfast and then bringing it down to our stateroom and eating it on our balcony.

It was so hard to go back to work on Monday and face reality after such a fun and relaxing trip. It was great to spend some time with my brothers who I hadn't seen in over 6 months.

Cami & Rodney

I can't believe it's already November, last month went by way too fast. We had a great weekend. Although it was Halloween, we didn't get into much of the festivities. We had Stephen's family staying with us. They were here for a quick trip this weekend because his cousin Cami got married on Saturday. Stephen's sister Meghan came out on Wednesday and his parents arrived on Friday. We had such a blast hanging out. We spent many hours staying up late laughing. I'm lucky to say I've got great in-laws. We had a fun time and even spent a little while up at our cabin. Although it was a quick trip. We seemed to have happened upon a huge owl that it living right close to our cabin. It was so amazing and big. We wished they didn't have to go so soon. On Saturday, we spent the day with all the wedding festivities. It was a great day and I always love going to a live sealing and it was neat to do one in the Salt Lake Temple. We are so excited for them!

October Update

I've been pretty busy lately I'm sorry for the lack of blogging. It's crazy. Stephen's been traveling the past couple of weeks for work and I've kept pretty busy with school and my Reading Recovery Class. (I'm getting my reading recovery endorsement to help teach reading to struggling students. The classes are pretty intense and very time consuming.) It makes for a long day to work eight hours and then rush off to class for another 3 hours.

Once again, Stephen and I put on our parenting hats, while my sister & her husband went to New York for the weekend. Stephen thinks the only thing scarier than an angry 9-year old is an angry 5-year old. He was a good sport and helped the girls with homework while I went to a wedding shower and then as I left early for work, he stayed behind and helped them get off to school. It was fun though, on Friday we took Sabrina, my six year old niece to get some fish for her empty fish tank. She was pretty excited and we had a fun night all playing Monopoly!

We've also found out this last week that Stephen's car is on it's last leg and needs about $1800 in repairs to fix it. We've concluded that we'd rather put that money into a new car. So we've been in the market and looking. It's such a hard job and spent about 5 hours on Saturday looking. I was very tired and overwhelmed after that. Stephen on the other hand thought it was great! He was like a little kid eager to test drive all the different cars.

This Sunday was our Primary Program. The kids did great! I'm the primary choirister for our ward we've been working hard the past few months putting it all together. We have a very young ward with a lot of young kids especially in the 3-5 year old age. As crazy as all the practices were, they did amazing today. It was truely insprired. I have really enjoyed this calling and love working with the primary children. They have the sweetest testimony!

Take A Look

Don't let your eyes deceive you! This may just still look like a bunch of dirt, but if you notice there are little blue and pink flags all over our yard. This month we were able to put sprinklers in our backyard! YEA!!! We were so excited to finally get this summer project finished. We debated quite a bit weather or not we should save some money and do it ourselves. But when it came down to it we decided to pay someone to do this for us. I was amazed. I went to work one morning and when I came home our entire back yard was completely done. It was definitely worth the little extra $$$. We put them in just in time too! They ended up turning our water off the very next day. We can't wait until spring when we can put in some grass and have a real back yard.

Scuba Steve

I'm not much for Adam Sandler movies but I couldn't resist with this title! As of Saturday, Stephen is officially certified in Scuba Diving! YEA! He and my brother's in law are gearing up and getting ready for a cruise our family is taking in November. They did their final dives last weekend in Wendover, NV. Don't ask me why they had to go to Wendover...there's definitely not much out there, but I guess there's a place to do some open water dives. They thought it would be great to get certified and then be able to make a couple dives in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean. I on the other hand decided not to get certified...at this point in time. Let's just say I went scuba diving a few years ago with a guy and it wasn't the best experience. To sum up the traumatic experience in a few short sentences, I got really freaked out and it was very low visibility. I got claustrophobic and panicked. Anyways, I'm getting very excited for our cruise. It will be a great break from school. We're going with just the adults in our family and it will be such a fun week! The count down is on....only a month away!

It's never too late!

We decided that summer isn't quite over yet. We still wanted to play so we ended up going camping this weekend with some friends. It was a really quick weekend trip. We loaded up the car and headed up American Fork Canyon on Friday. We didn't think we'd have a hard time finding a camping spot, but I didn't take into account that hunting season has begun. I didn't realize it started so early. There we tons of people dressed in camo and bright orange. So, we drove around for quite a while until we found a place. It was great and right next to the river, but we ended up setting up camp in the dark. (This is becoming a common occurrence of Stephen and I) We had so much fun sitting around the campfire and cooking delicious tinfoil dinners. However, it did get pretty cold that night. I would guess it got down to 35 or 40 degrees or so. But I was toasty warm in my sleeping bag next to Stephen. The next morning I had probably the best breakfast you could make on a camping trip. Our friends Justin and Carissa brought up a griddle that we stuck over the fire and we attempted to make bacon, eggs and pancakes. Yummmm! They also had brought up some guns and we were going to go shooting. But with it being the hunting season you have to have a permit. So I guess we'll do it another time. We're hoping to maybe go one more time before it get too cold!

A Day on the Boat

We were able to finally spend a day on my parents boat. It's taken almost the entire summer to get it on the lake and it's been a couple of summers since we've used the boat. This was a well over due get-a-way. We went up to Deer Creek where surprisingly for a holiday weekend it wasn't very busy at all. I enjoyed it and was amazed that I remembered how to get up on skis. (It's been a couple of years) All the grandkids had a great time going on boat rides and playing on the water and in the sand. One thing we all agreed on is that we need to do this a little more often. However, I am sure stiff today. I don't think my body is used to being drug behind a boat. I hurt in places I didn't think I had muscles! It's all worth it though. Anywho...here's some pictures from the fun day.

I'm so proud of Stephen. He made it up only after a few trys!

Here's proof that I actually got up after 2 years!

A Week with the Holden's

As you can tell with my lack of blogging, I'm back at the grind with school. Things are going good there, but I must warn you this might be a long post. I apologize in advance. I've already been spoiled by taking some days off to play. Stephen's little sister Erin is starting as a freshman at BYU. So his family decided to bring her out here and make a little vacation out of it. It was so good to see them. Stephen's been out a few times to Michigan, but I haven't seen his family since last Thanksgiving. We were able to have them stay with us in our house and we played hard. I have a few pictures of our adventures, but my camera all of the sudden decided not to work. We spent one day up in Park City where we walked the streets and shops and then saw an awesome ski jumping show up at the Olympic Park. It was really incredible to see how they train in the summer time. They had about 4 different jumps and did some amazing tricks and flips, then landed into a swimming pool. Some of the athletes were as young as 13 years old.

After that we went and spent some time up at my parents cabin. It was nice for everyone to at least have their own bed for a few nights. We played lots of games, rode the 4-wheelers and even caught frogs and salamanders at a nearby pond. I always love spending time up there. Here's the murky pond where we were catching frogs and salamanders.
One of the many salamanders we caught.

As soon as Stephen found out that his family was coming he's wanted to take them flying. Tuesday morning we got up early and went to the Provo airport. He ended up taking 2 short flights, since the airplane only had 4 seats. He took the girls up and we flew up Provo Canyon and around Timpanogos. Then he took his dad and brother up they went up to Heber. He even let his dad fly around for a while. They all really loved to go flying...you never know with it being such a little plane. It can be kind of scary.
Then we spent an afternoon up American Fork Canyon. We packed a picnic and hiked up to Timpanogos Caves. I'd forgotten how steep the hike was and even with the elevation difference from Michigan, Stephen's dad hiked us into the ground. (I guess that's what happens when your a marathon runner.) The cave's were beautiful and it had been about 10 years since I'd hiked up to them.
Then I sadly had to go back to work, but they ended up moving Erin into her apartment and spending the day at BYU. After work, I was able to go and see the new place and meet her roommates. It really made me think about when I headed off to school as a Freshman. How fun those days were!
It was so great to have Stephen's family out here for a week. We had a great time entertaining them and showing them the area. It was sad to see them leave and get back to our everyday lives.

And so it begins...

Needless to say this past week has been crazy, sad and exciting all at the same time, as my summer ends and school begins. I'm always so sad to see the relaxing days of summer go. The kids start tomorrow (YIKES!) and my school will be buzzing with excited little children. Its way too early to start school and my body is revolting...it's not used to getting up so early. Long gone are the days where I can wake up to the sun rising over the mountains and into my bedroom window, read in bed, clean my house and head to the gym and not even think about taking a shower until lunchtime. Although it has been nice to be at my new school. I love how close it is to my house. I can run home for lunch and don't have to spend an arm and a leg for gas. It's also been interesting being the "new one" at school. It's a very weird feeling going from knowing the in's and out's of how everything works and all the teachers, to not knowing a thing. I know it will all come, so wish me luck this week!Other good news is that... Stephen's back home after about a week and half of traveling. Right after the funeral he flew straight from Michigan to Las Vegas where he had some meetings for work. I was like a little kid and so anxious for him to return late Thursday night. He did however play a very mean trick by calling me up and telling me he had missed his flight and he'll try to catch the next one in the morning. I believed every word and about hit the roof when he sneaked in the front door and up the stairs with out me even hearing him.

Myrtle Jean Wilke

Feb 1, 1922 - Aug 6, 2008
I wanted to take a quick minute and write. Earlier this week Stephen's Grandma Wilkie passed away. It's been kind of lonely here the past few days. Stephen is out in Michigan right now visiting his family with the viewing tonight and the funeral tomorrow and how I wish I could be with them. This was the only picture that we have of her, that I could find. We took it the first time I met them, the Christmas before we got married in 2006. They've been in a rest home the past little while. And even though I was only able to met them just a handful of times since we got married, I've cherished every moment thinking this might be the last. I was so excited to inherit grandparents when Stephen and I got married. My Grandma Dent was the only grandparent I really knew growing up and she died when I was 10 years old. Although I never new Grandma Wilkie in her prime, I heard many wonderful stories. Stephen grew up in the same city and was very close to his grandparents. They would always taking him hiking and he grew to love the outdoors and his grandma's hobby of bird watching. To this day I'm always so amazed at how he can pick out and name almost every bird we see. She also loved to garden and had such beautiful flower gardens around her house. What a wonderful lady she was and how grateful I am that I got to know her for this short time.

Hats off to Mother's

It has been quite the busy week this week. I must say I am tired. My sister Camille and her husband have been in Europe this past week and a half visiting Scottland, England and France. Between me, my mom and my sister Allison we've been watching their 3 kids, Nathan (7), Austin (5) and Megan (1 1/2) while they are gone. I'm so glad they are able to go on this once in a lifetime experience! I can't wait to hear all their stories. I spent a couple of days up at their house then brought them down to my house for a couple days before sending them off to Allison's. We kept plenty busy going swimming, riding bikes, playing at the park, and getting ice cream at Macey's. I've come to realize that my house is....a) not toddler proof b) has no toys for little kids c)has no baby supplies (high chair, bibs, sippycups etc). We made do and were just fine. But in the midst of all of this, we found out that Stephen's grandma died and in less than 24 hrs he hopped on a plane to Michigan for the next 5 days. Which left the last day and a half with just me and the kiddos. I wish I could be there with him, but I start school on Monday. I've done a lot of baby sitting with my many nieces and nephews over the years but this was quite and adventure going from no kids to 3 overnight! So I would have to say, hats off to all you mothers!

These are a few of our Favorite Things

Since I can't think of anything to write about this week, I saw this on somebody else's blog and thought that I'd share a few of our family's favorite things. Enjoy!
Stephen's Favorites:
Color: Red
Movie: The last one he's seen
Food: ChineseDessert: Cheesecake
Season: Spring, Summer & Fall
T.V. Show: The Office
Place to visit: Home in Michigan or Iguazu Falls
Book:Too many to choose
Hobbie: Flying
Scripture: D&C 46:13-14
Holiday: Christmas
Thing to Do: Play piano, computer & read

Emily's Favorites:
Color: Green
Movie: I am a sucker for any chick flick...you name it and I've probably seen it!
Food: Chinese (it's all delicious)
Dessert: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Season: Spring - I love all of the beautiful flowers
T.V. Show: The Office
Place to visit: Paris & Hawaii
Book: I have lots, but "A Little Princess & "Diary of a Worm" (both children's books)
Hobbie: Digital Scrapbooking/Blogging & Teaching
Scripture: Helaman 5:12
Holiday: Christmas
Thing to Do: Spend time with my family

What a Mess!!!

This past week has been kind of crazy around our house and we're slowly getting it put back together. Stephen's been quite adventurous in trying to figure out how to rewire some electrical outlets and cables so we could hook up our new t.v. I would have to admit I didn't think he could really do it and was nervous when he started punching 3 or 4 holes into the wall. (Thank goodness the holes were in our pantry where if he messed up, it wouldn't matter too much.) But with a few trips to Lowe's and few hours later, I was pretty impressed at his skills. While I was helping him run some wire, I felt some drops of water on my shoulder. At first, I was quite puzzled and couldn't figure out what it was. Then we realized it was coming from our ceiling and we had some sort of leak! Being new home owners we started to panic a little. We couldn't figure out what or where it was from other than being directly underneath our water heater. We rushed to get a bucket and turned off the water main, since it was too late to call someone. An hour later, about 3 feet further into the room it started leaking again. At this point it was almost midnight and we were really tired and nervous as to what would happen during the night. The leaks were getting closer and closer to our piano. We were grateful to wake up to no more leaking in the morning and had someone come look at it. They ended up ripping a hole in our ceiling and ruining the wall that I had just painted a few weeks ago. I'm just glad our house is still under warranty from the builder this first year. Here's a few pictures of just how crazy it's been!

My 10 Year Reunion

I can't believe I'm old enough to say this, but I went to my 10 year High School Reunion this weekend. It was such a weird feeling. I did get to see some good friends that I hadn't in a very long time. But in some ways I felt like I was stepping back into high school.....I can't believe how fast time has flown. What have I done the last 10 years? This was a common question that was asked during the entire evening. My life...well, I've gone to school at USU for 5 of those years, gotten my degree in Special Ed, taught school for the other 5 years. During that time I've traveled, spent many summers doing EFY, met many amazing people, gotten married to a wonderful guy, bought a house, ummm yep. I think that about covers it. Somehow it doesn't sound all that exciting. But, I've sure enjoyed the journey. We'll see what the next ten years brings!

Swimming Pool to Cement

One of our big projects this summer is to put in a backyard. Although we don't have a very big one...this is still a big job and we are learning lots along the way. Thanks to the knowledge and skills of my dad, we were able to extend our patio and pour some cement this past week. We've learned so much about how it all works and spent many hours digging, raking tons of rocks, screeding, and putting in the forms all to get ready for the cement. A few days prior to pouring we needed to water the ground to keep it moist. Well one day Stephen surprised me and got off work early. He decided to take me to lunch and a movie. As we were sitting in the middle of the movie, I realized I had forgotten to turn the water off in the backyard. We quickly rushed home afterwards and found a swimming pool had literally formed. We had about 4 inches of standing water. We couldn't believe our eyes and quickly tried to dig some ditches out each side to drain it. We had a good laugh and we're glad that we weren't pouring for a couple of days so it could dry out a little. I would have to admit I was really excited to finally get some cement in. (Ten years ago I think it was pretty weird to get excited over something like that. It's interesting how our priorities change) My Dad and Brother-in-Law Mike came down and helped us. It was a hot morning and we...well the guys worked really hard. We are continuing to water it and it's looking great...So long to our one time swimming pool and onto the next project of sprinklers! Here's a few pictures. Enjoy!

We're working quickly before the cement drys!

Here's Stephen getting the cement from the mixer!

YEA! We did it!

Dad's Car

After showing Stephen the changes I made on our blog and the last post, he wanted me to add a few pictures. We went up to my parents house the night before the 4th July so I wouldn't have to wake up any eariler than needed form my race. We ended up helping them get the old car ready for the race we washed it and polished it inside and out. Then my dad taught Stephen how to drive it. It's kind of tricky because it has a double clutch. (I figured I'd stay with my automatic car) But Stephen was up for an adventure. My dad shocked us all when he got the 1931 Model A car about 3 or 4 years ago. But he really enjoys taking his grandkids for rides in it around the neighborhood and hearing the sound of the old fashioned horn.

Here's Stephen in the driver's seat...watch out!

Happy 4th of July!

I just wanted to post a few pictures from our highlights from the holiday weekend. We were able to go up to my parents and celebrate with them. About 2 weeks ago I convinced my sister Camille to run a 5k with me. So we got up bright and early that morning to run the Kaysville 5k. It was so great! I'm so proud of her for doing it. It was her first one and she did awesome! I always enjoy running a good short 5k each summer. It gives me something to look forward to. However, I was pretty tired the rest of the day. I must be getting old. We did make it to the Kaysville parade where my dad drove his Model A car with the grand kids. (This is becoming a fun tradition each year) Stephen rode with them this year and helped hand out candy. They had a blast and it was great to watch for them. Then we did the usual 4th of July BBQ and homemade ice cream at my sister Melinda's house. The night wouldn't have been complete with out a fireworks show. At Melinda's house we not only saw one but 3 different shows from around the valley. The 4th of July is always fun...especially since 2 years ago that day was the first time Stephen met my family and he held my hand for the first time. It's kind-of our unofficial "anniversary"! What great memories!

Weekend at the Cabin

We did a family get-a-way up at my parents cabin this weekend. As always we love spending time together as a family. Since my brother Ryan and his wife Karen and their family are moving to New Jersey this week, it was our last little hurrah before they hop on the plane. It's always so relaxing and beautiful up there. The snow has finally melted, all the spring flowers are in bloom and the deer are plentiful. We always have a great time riding 4 wheelers. watching movies, eating yummy treats, staying up late laughing (especially after all the little kids have gone to bed.) On Saturday, we pulled the canoe out and took it onto a spring run-off pond. It was so much fun. I especially like taking the little kids for a ride in the canoe. We saw lots of salamanders in the pond...if only we had a net to catch them. We even made it the entire afternoon without tiping the boat! What great memories! I'll miss Ryan and Karen and their adorible 4 kids so much, but I know that have a great adventure ahead of them.

Strawberries, Strawberries, Strawberries

We've only lived in Pleasant Grove for four months and already were able to celebrate our first of many "Strawberry Days" earlier this month. It was quite the small town festival. My sister Camille and her family came down and spent the weekend. We woke up early and went to the morning parade where we saw my darling niece who was on a float for Little Miss Lindon. It's always fun to know someone in a parade. We cheered loud for her! Then we went swimming in our pool to cool off on the hot Saturday. Afterwards we headed over to the Strawberry Days Rodeo. I am always amazed at why people think that riding an animal that will buck you off and almost kill you is a sport and that it's fun. I'm not quite sure but it sure is entertaining. My favorite would have to be the mutton bustin - where 1-3 year olds ride these lambs and hang on for dear life. It's actually quite hilarious to watch.

Stephen and I are enjoying some famous Strawberries and Cream. We couldn't get enough of these at Strawberry Days.

Here's my cute niece Jenna(the one on the right in pink) on the Little Miss Lindon Float. Which my sister and the other mom's spent HOURS making.

Christmas in June?!?

I just have to share my new favorite addition to our home. We are so excited to get a baby grand piano! Stephen and I have been fighting to take turns playing it ever since it arrived. ;o) The first night we had it we spent about 3 hours just taking turns playing it and singing together. It was so much fun. I've been saving for a very long time for this and now that we're in a more permanent place we went looking. I now have learned the rule 'don't look unless your intending to really buy'! We found a piano store that is going out of business and just couldn't pass it up. I would have to admit I'm quite rusty and have lost a lot. I'm excited that I'll be able to practice and polish my piano playing skills.

Road Trip

Stephen and I decided to take a last minute road trip down to Arches National Park this weekend. We couldn't wait to go camping this summer. So we through together our things and hopped in the car. We got there late that night and tried to find a campsite in the dark. After looking at about 7 campsites we finally found a place to pitch our tent. Then the next morning we got up early and headed into the park. We did a few hikes that day, but I would have to say that my favorite part was the hike to Delicate Arch. It is so massive as it sits on the edge of a cliff. We then hit the road again and headed back home. It was a great little get-a-way especially for being spontaneous and the weather was wonderful. I love the beautiful red rocks down in Southern Utah!

It's Officially Summer

You know what that means... SUMMER VACATION IS HERE! Yea! For a teacher that's the best thing anyone could say. I am sooooo ready for summer! This school year has been a long one and if you couldn't tell already, I'm very excited. I'm so ready for the warm weather and relaxing days ahead. (especially now that our pool is open!) This summer is going to be full of lots of fun things...Camping, playing at the cabin, hiking, having Uncle Don & Aunt Deana visit from Ohio in July, having Mom & Dad Holden staying with us in August putting in our back yard, painting our house...the list could go on, and on. As excited as I am that summer is finally here. It was also a sad day. I had to say goodbye to a lot of good friends & co-workers at Brookside today. I can't believe I've been at that school for 5 years. That's a long time in one place. I have really grown to love the little town of Springville and my school. So many memories. It's going to be hard starting over at a new school. I'm also going to miss my "kids" as hard as it's been. They have a soft spot in my heart. I snapped a few pictures today...here's a few I thought I'd share!

Girls Get-A-Way

A few weeks ago the Dent girls decided to take a little get-a-way. It was very much needed for all of us. We decided to get a hotel up in Salt Lake City and spent three days pampering ourselves. Each day was filled with shopping, going to the spa and eating delicious food. We had the best time laughing and playing with each other. The first night we decided to go all out and had 3 1/2 hour dinner at The Melting Pot. I had never been there before and it was truly heaven. It's a great fondue restaurant down town Salt Lake where you eat your entire meal dipped in fondue.That was just the beginning of this relaxing get-a-way. We spent the next 3 days shopping at the South Town Mall and Tai Pan Trading, getting facials and massages at Sanctuary Day Spa, pedicures, hot tubbing, laughing and staying up late talking. We literally lived at the mall and became regulars at a few stores where the employees remembered us. (It's pretty hard not to miss 7 women laughing and helping each other in the dressing rooms) It was so fun to help each other pick out clothes and try on the same things. One night we lost track of time and got locked into the mall. It was pretty funny. We had to go out the loading docks and cross a bunch of gravel and grass to get to our cars. I now know the meaning of 'Shop 'til You Drop' We also enjoyed some yummy food at the Cheesecake Factory and Paradise Bakery! What more could a bunch of girls want. I don't think I've had so much pampering in my entire life! What fun! I loved spending time with my mom and sisters. I'm so grateful for such wonderful sisters and the friendship we all have with each other. What a great memory that I'll treasure!

i fly

We had a great holiday weekend. We went up to my parents house and spent time with my brother Matt and his wife Annie and their 2 adorable kids while they're here visiting from Texas. On Friday night, we went to "Fat Cats" up in Odgen. We played a bunch of arcade games with the little kids and rode in the hover bumper cars. But I would have to say the most exciting part of the night was when we had the chance to do iFly - Utah. With much peer pressure, Matt and Annie, my sister Camille and her husband Mike and Stephen and I all decided to take the "jump." I had never done anything like this before. It is one of 14 facilities in the world with a wind tunnel that simulates skydiving and feeling completely weightless. I was very scared and nervous at first, but then ended up loving every minute of it. It was incredible! I didn't think I'd ever say this but after this experience, I could probably go skydiving someday!

Happy Happy Birthday Stephen!

Well, Stephen finally hit the big 28 today! It was cold and rainy, but that didn't stop us from celebrating. Birthdays aren't a big deal to Stephen, but I love them no matter who's birthday it is. It's a great reason party! We had my brother Matt, Annie and their two kids who are visiting from Texas over for dinner and some delicious ice cream cake. Then we went to see the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie. We had a great time!
Happy Birthday Stephen!

Belated Mother's Day Surprise

I just have to say I have the sweetest husband in the world! Stephen ended up making a quick last minute trip out to Michigan to see his Grandma and was gone over mother's day. He was able to be home with his mom, which is a good thing. But I did miss him and was sad that I couldn't go. Well, he put this little movie together and surprised me with it yesterday. It was so sweet. I just had to share. It was 2 years ago this month we started dating! Wow time sure does fly! I love you sweetheart!

New Job and a Reason to Celebrate

I've been weighing a big decision as of late... here's the scoop! I've been interviewing up in Alpine School District for teaching jobs. Since we moved farther north the 30 minute commute to school each morning and afternoon is long and getting expensive with gas prices lately. This has been a long and drawn out process the past 3 months. I was supposed to have a decision made by April 15th but without making this a long and boring story. Let's just say, I am horrible at making decisions and Alpine district was being very difficult. But in the end on Thursday, I decided to accept the new job in Alpine District. YEA!!! I'll be working at an elementary school about 4 miles from my house in American Fork. I'll be doing pull out resource, so it will be a little different than what I'm doing now, but a lot less work, prep time and stress. They won't give me all of my years of teaching and I've come to accept this is just apart of being in the education field. Stephen however has a much different opinion about this. He tells me that when he becomes president of the United States he will put teachers salaries at the top of his agenda!:) One down side is I have to pack up my classroom...again. The 4th time in 5 years. I'm also very sad to leave so many good friends teachers, students and parents. I have really loved working in Springville. Another down side is I'm leaving behind 119 sick days...that I've earned the past 5 years. Well, make that 118 days. After all that stress in making a decision, I decided to call in sick and take Friday off. So my mom came down and we spent the day together. We went to a good friend Sasha's graduation at BYU then went to lunch with my sister Allison. Later that evening Stephen and I went up to Salt Lake to see Ryan and Karen's new little baby girl Laurie! She's so adorable. But most of all I just had a relaxing day! It was great!

Where is Spring?

This coming week we're heading into May, but still Spring seems like it will never come! Just last Thursday we had more snowy weather! Is it still March? I want it to warm up...and stay warm! Despite the colder weather, Stephen, I and our friend Jarom went hiking up Rock Canyon on Saturday. I was so excited to finally spend some time in the outdoors, even though I had to wear my jacket most of the time. There was no green grass or leaves on any of the trees and we even ran into some mountain snow. It felt so good to be up in the mountains. I wish I had pictures to share, but my camera is currently in another location. :) We had some beautiful views though! We passed a lot of rock climbers and even went exploring in some small caves. I love the Utah mountains! Especially because you can hop into your car and be there in about 10 minutes! We've now decided this is a good Saturday tradition. Anyone up for going next week?

Being Tagged

Well Amy, I did not forget about you... It's just taken me a while to respond to this.
What were you doing 10 years ago? I was a senior at dear old Davis High and recovering from knee surgery about this time of year
5 things on my to-do list today
1. go to the gym
2. get oil changed in car
3. clean bathrooms
4. go to the bank
5. do ESL homework -yuk!
5 snacks I enjoy
1. chips and homemade salsa
2. homemade fruit smoothies
3. chocolate milk
4. Reese peanut butter cup ice cream :)
5. veggies and spinach dip
3 bad habits
1. I fall asleep anytime I sit down to watch movie or t.v. no mater the time of day or where I'm sitting. (huh Kasey-even a hard kitchen chair can put me to sleep)
2. Stephen says I worry way too much about the little things.
3. I love to clean... it's kind of sad. Watch out if I'm in a cleaning mode
If I won a million dollars, I would...
First I would, pay off student loans, car etc. I would donate some to a good cause (cancer research or something) After that I would be a loving wife and buy Stephen an airplane so we could travel and see the world!
5 places I have lived
1. Pleasant Grove, UT
2. Orem, UT
3. Provo, UT
4. Logan, UT
5. Fruit Heights, UT
5 jobs that I have had
1. Special Ed teacher @ Brookside Elementary
2. Private reading & math tutor
3. EFY Coordinator, Building Counselor & Counselor
4. Part-time K-1 teacher @ Cache Valley Learning Center
5. Deseret Book
5 things you don't know about me
1. I'm an organization freak! One time when Stephen was out of town, I organized his clothes in the closet and drawers. He just laughs at me!
2. I make lists for everything! I even write things on my list that I've already done just so I can cross them off. I makes me feel sooo good.
3. As of late, Stephen and I have become addicted to The Office. The first time I saw it I thought it was really stupid. I have now repented of that fact.
4. The only bone I've broken was my collar bone when I was 9 years old.
5. If I could live in my pajamas all day long, I would!

Free Car Wash?

We had a busy Saturday this weekend, but managed to find time to laugh. I had gotten a free car wash from work a few weeks ago, but with all the crazy weather we hadn't used it. Our car was looking pretty sad and dirty. So we decided to use the 'deluxe car wash' because we were heading down to Springville for a wedding. After a long day we head into the automatic car wash. The water starts to spray, which shortly after we realized that the seal around the windows on Stephen's car was not quite what it used to be. We quickly scrounged to find some rags and napkins. As we were laughing and talking we noticed that the car wash had stopped. Since we couldn't see out our car because of the soap...we figured that this 'deluxe' wash was just giving it time to soak. While trying not to get dripped on by the soap, we're wondering why it was soaking for so long. We concluded that it was a top of the line 'deluxe' car wash. We'd never seen one that stopped and let it soak. After a while, when the soap had finally cleared the winshield, we saw that the bars had stopped right in front of us and all the lights had turned off. We realized something was not right, however we didn't dare get out for we're afraid the water would start up again. So continuing to let it 'soak' we had to back out of the car wash and go around the block to find another car wash where we could at least spray the soap off. Stephen was a little annoyed, but I couldn't stop laughing. What an ending to a crazy day!

Our New House!

We did it! We were able to close on our new house on my birthday last week! Quite the birthday present. Can you believe it? We are now officially home owners and I guess I'm supposed to feel more grown up. But it's still all sinking in. We're so excited to be here. We moved a little farther north to the thriving metropolis of Pleasant Grove. It was sad to leave some of our friends from our old ward. It's been great to unpack in our new place. We would both have to say it's quite the change from our first tiny old apartment. We love having a garage, a dishwasher, a heater that works and doesn't wake you up when it turns on, having a little yard of our own and lots of extra space. Here are a few pictures we snapped before moving everything in. I'll have to put more on once we get all unpacked and somewhat decorated.

Stephen checking out the front door!

I've loved cooking in my new kitchen! Especially now that I have a fridge!

Here's the view from the out side! We've loved having a 2 car garage!