The Marshall's

OHH, how I HATE to blog!!

2011-11-17T10:28:00.006-07:00

I know I'm probably the only one who really dislikes blogging. LOVE the concept, but I hate finding the time to write down all the events in my life, or the lack of events in my life?! Either way.. Not a fan. Maybe if I was more creative and witty with my words, I would enjoy it more. However, I know there will be a time that I was grateful I did this.. so here's to more blogging :/

I think I'll start tomorrow :)

What a lovely sound...

2011-02-16T18:29:00.003-07:00

The heart beating of our little one has definitely been the most exciting part yet. We went in last Tuesday, and at first I felt like I had been hit by a Mack Truck.... my stomach was TURNING with nerves!

Jody was sitting to the bed next to me, and our ultrasound tech was a woman of little words. She inserted the "probe", (ohhh the probe, that I have had ONE to many times already), and doesn't say a word. Jody's holding my hand and focused straight on the ultrasound screen, making weird (confused) facial experssions! Making me more nervous of course. He started asking her questions of what she was seeing and what's that, what's that!! FINALLY, she said she saw everything that she needed to see, heart beat looked great, at 110 bpm- still early but great, and gave us a picture! Luckily, we met with our doctor afterwards, and he reassured us that all looked GREAT and to stop being nervous! (YEAH, RIGHT!!)

Today, we had our 7 week ultrasound and things went MUCH better this appt! We had a different ultrasound tech who was AWESOME, heart beat was at 168 bpm, and all is well! We met with our doctor again, and he told us we can come back one more time in 2 weeks for our final hoo-rah, and then we can start seeing our OB! I had a bittersweet moment when he told us we were done with him... He has been soooo AWESOME to both Jody and I and we can't thank him enough for helping us through this whole journey! BUT.... we are excited to be doing so well, and to finally have a baby on the way, and that I get to go into the real world and see a normal OB! :)

We can't express how excited we truly are. The WHOLE process has been SUCH a blessing and it's amazing looking back in hind sight, and seeing the Lord's hand in every move. He definitely has a plan thats much powerful then ours!! THANK YOU so much for all your sweet thoughts, comments, and support! It has meant the world to us both!!

It's POSITIVE!!!!

2011-02-15T18:57:00.003-07:00

I can't even begin to express my feelings of excitement and gratitude. When you have been waiting, waiting, waiting, ..............and waiting- and have seen doctor after doctor, you never think such great news will come your way! Finally, IT DID and we couldn't be more excited, anxious, and obsessed with the whole idea of becoming parents in a short 8 months!

The excitement started a few days before Tuesday, Jan 25. J was in Orlando for a work event that weekend before, and the days we're dragging on! When your waiting for the biggest news of your life- day after day, and he had to be go on this event that was booked several months before all of this, it just added to everything! Luckily, I managed and entertained myself with peeing on sticks after sticks-waiting for that positive line to show up :)

It was Friday, January 21st. I had tossed and turned all night, waiting for that good morning pee to hopefully get the best results I could.. It was 5:30 AM and I had to go.... I took the test, waited a minute or so- nothing... I turned on the brighter light, to get a better look! I SWORE I could see this FAINT, beyond faint line, in the positive spot... I thought for sure I was seeing things or completely crazy, and was so bummed J wasn't home to verify what I was seeing. I tried to stop looking at it through out the day, but I would find myself going upstairs in my bathroom, JUST to see if I could really see something. That night- I had a hair appt with a girl in the ward. She came over and while I was doing her hair, I said I have the biggest favor to ask ya- I took a pregnancy test, blah, blah, blah, and I need you to verify if you KIND OF see something. I brought it down to the kitchen where I was doing her hair, and she said.... no! I said no wait- come in here in the bathroom where the light is brighter- NOT taking no for an answer! She walked in, and said- I KIND OF see something! YAY!!!!- I wasn't crazy.. She saw it too-but barely!!! She said I don't know if that is something to get "too" excited about- just cause it really was sooo beyond faint! I didn't tell J that night. I didn't want to get him excited for something that we could BARELY see.

That night I didn't have any more tests left. I wasn't going to just stop taking them and wait until Tuesday for my blood test- but that wait would have been the impossible!! Soo- I went and bought 2- 3 packs of First Response and 1- 2 pack of Digital Clearblue! Anyone who struggles with infertility- wouldn't think that was overboard :)... It's Saturday morning, I take another First Response- and guess what?! The line got just a LITTLE darker/brighter! I didn't want to tell J but the excitement of possibly being positive was taking over and I sent him a pic text message. Plus about 6 friends and asked if they could see a difference in the 2 tests- THEY COULD!!! J was a little confused, couldn't really see much, and didn't want me to get excited and have a disaster on Tuesday if my hopes we're getting high about all these tests and FAINT lines I was getting!

Saturday couldn't have taken any longer to fly by.. I knew I needed to wait for Sunday morning to get the best of the best urine to get a good accurate reading.. FINALLY it was 1:30 AM Sunday morning- I took another test and there was a definite line.. I sent another pic text message to my awesome friend, and she said yes, I see that one FOR SURE! I couldn't believe it still, I just couldn't! A few hours later- its 5:30 AM and I take another- another 2 definite lines showed up AGAIN and I knew good news would be coming our way!

I had heard ClearBlue Digital tests read at a higher HCG level, so I decided to take that at 6:30 Sunday morning, and it said PREGNANT!! Note- this is 3 tests, in a 5 hour time frame.. I'll admit I'm crazy at this point :).... I FINALLY "somewhat" believed that one.. I went to church, and everyone was asking how things were going and when we would find out, and I couldn't hold it in!! I told EVERYONE who asked, that I had taken a test and got the official pregnant words to show up! EVERYONE knew but J at this point.. I wanted to tell him sooooo bad, but knew he deserved to be told in person (after 4 years of trying and gone through what we have gone through) I KNEW he deserved a little surprise and I wanted to see his face light up!

He called me right before he boarded on his flight, and told me he had bought me a surprise.. A really GOOD surprise! He kept saying how he knew I was going to love it and he was proud that he was able to get a good deal on one.. I had to bite my tongue literally 4 times, to not spill the beans about how MY surprise was going to TRUMP anything he had bought! FINALLY- I heard his truck pull up, my stomach is turning with excitement!! He walks in and gives me an iPad- which I LOVED- but as we all know, my mind was not on how cool this ipad is!!! He then turns the corner, and see's my "WELCOME HOME DADDY!" sign, right my 8, that's right- 8 positive pregnancy tests! He lost it- he couldn't believe it, he said there's no way and I was saying there's no way, and was still in soo much shock even after every test kept saying yes, yes and YES!!

Tuesday we went in for blood work, and again it was a positive! They like to see your hormone level around 50-100, and we were at 133! They said that is an awesome, awesome number. We then went back in on Friday, hoping our number had at least doubled, and it more then doubled with a number of 366! We are officially pregnant and couldn't be more thankful to our Heavenly Father who has let this happen! We are now going to enjoy a full 9 months of pregnancy- whether my head is in the toilet all day long, my heart burns is so bad I am in tears, or if I gain a million pounds- we are going to enjoy EVERY minute!!! :) Next exciting news- is the heartbeat on February 8th at 9:15!! We can't wait... :)

My family in Boston

2010-08-05T09:08:00.002-06:00

We LOVED having my family out this past week.. From Salem to Plymouth, and from Deep Sea Fishing to Fenway Park, I think we saw all that the Boston area has to offer! We are SOO grateful for the visit my family made out to see us and miss them already!! Thanks for the fun time and we can't WAIT to see you all again :)

New Toy

2010-07-02T18:04:00.005-06:00

We are now new owners to a 17 ft. Galaxy Bowrider!! We are sooooo stoked! We can't wait to spend the 3 day weekend (and many more to come) out on the ocean soaking up some sun, touring abandoned islands, and catching some big fish!! Let the summer fun begin :)

We Love Her!!

2010-06-26T10:04:00.015-06:00

Jody's Mama came to Boston.. and what a BRAVE soul she was! BRAVE because she had only flown a time or two before this, and never, EVER solo.. BRAVE because she was dropped off at the airport 3 hours before her flight departed and didn't dare move or go anywhere from the gate due to her possibly getting lost. BRAVE because her cell phone was stuck on speaker phone AND blinking low battery while she was still in Vegas.. note: she still had NY, then Boston to go! and BRAVE- because when we went in to pick her up, she was smiling ear to ear with a gentlemen pushing her in a wheel chair so proud she did it all on her very own!

We did all sorts of fun things, from downtown Boston, having beach days, to the Harley Davidson Festival in New Hampshire.. We really LOVED having her here for two weeks and hope she enjoyed her birthday trip to Boston!! my camera deleted more the HALF of our pictures but here is a few :(

Harley Davidson Festival-

Headed Downtown- she enjoyed the ferry ride and feeding the animals I think the MOST! Not hard to please ;)

catching up...

2010-04-25T13:20:00.017-06:00

First of all- I had a wonderful 24th Birthday!! YAY- I LOVE Birthdays :).. This year all I wanted was a wonderful weekend get-a-way and Jody planned a perfect trip to- Martha's Vineyard! We had such a BLAST!!!

Our little Bed and Breakfast room...

The Gingerbread Village - I fell IN LOVE with these cute houses and couldn't believe that people actually live in them..

My FAVORITE little home.. I just think this is the cutest place ever :)

It was an awesome birthday and I thank everyone who made it so special!!!

I have to also talk about how AWESOME the weather has been here! I think spring is my new favorite season! Everything is blooming and Boston is SOO green! It's weird to see grass and trees along the free way instead of decorative rocks and cactus's! We LOVE the desert and miss it dearly but we are enjoying the beautiful scenery all around here.. Here are some of my favorite pictures!

This peninsula is Hull, MA (Our hometown) and another picture of our home on the island!

Nantasket Beach and a pic of Hull's firehouse.. I LOVE it...I don't know why!

Jody has an eye for great pictures! I just love these ones :)

Since it has been so gorgeous outside, we decided to cruise down to Providence, Rhode Island and enjoy a beautiful day outside, touring Newport and seeing the cliff's, and the huge mansion's there! We had such a fun day...

Also, we are doing great with our infertility process. I've been a lab rat for the past 2 weeks and have had quite the number of tests but so far, so good! They haven't found anything serious that would be causing any problems so we are grateful there. Jody mentioned to me last week, that he finds all of these tests and the process so interesting and it makes it more fun then if we could just get pregnant the natural way- to bad I couldn't agree with him, as I'm the one getting poked and violated each week, while he sits there and holds my hand... haha, but all joking aside; I am grateful to have his love and support! And I'm grateful that we have been able to not focus on the negativity of the trial we are going through but have been lucky enough to enjoy life with just the two of us and take advantage of our free time while we have it!

Sorry for the long post, but we are really enjoying so many things right now and grateful for the experience this has all been!!!

The Happiest Place on Earth :)

2010-03-15T14:09:00.008-06:00

We had so much fun this last week... Taking Jody's family to Disneyland was a wonderful vacation for all of us! It was the first time for Jason's family- and those kids absolutely LOVED it!! It's so fun to see them get so excited for all the characters, rides, treats, parades, and everything else that happens at Disneyland! Laureen (Jody's mama) had a rough start on the haunted house.. but after the famous "Soaring over California" ride, she enjoyed the whole trip much more! Needless to say, it was a much needed and fun time for everyone :)

Where to start...

2010-02-18T15:55:00.005-07:00

All I can say is wow.. my poor blog! It has been neglected for SOO long! I don't even know where to start!!!! So I'm not even going to try to catch up..

Life right now is FULL!! First of all, I just want to tell my husband how truly awesome he is! Being out here with just the two of us has been incredible! Of course we miss EVERYONE back home and are super anxious to get back but we have learned SOO many things already and it has definitely been the right move!

We haven't been up to anything exciting as far as crazy adventures or awesome outside activities because the weather- well basically SUCKS! It's our only goal to get out of here before another "New England Winter!!" Ha- it's MISERABLE!!

Luckily, we have some great TV shows to keep us entertained...

One Tree Hill is starting to BUG me but Lexi got me addicted forever ago so I have to continue it..

and the great American Idol...

We love Andrew and Didi so far so hopefully they will keep doing great!!

Our other excitement is Primary! We both were called as Primary Teacher's and we are quite the team, let me tell you! Ha- Jody teaches the quick lesson's while I do all the fun activities and entertain them as much as you can with 8 - 7 year olds! After our first week, Jody wanted to go back and ask the Bishop for a resubmission on the calling, (he was kidding!) and we are LOVING it and trying to get SOMETHING across to those poor kids every week!! They all have the cutest personalities and are a great class!!

We are also going to Disneyland in March with Jody's family! We are pretty dang excited... This is probably the first time Jody's immediate family will all be together for a fun adventure- Mom, Jason and his family and us.. We are really excited to see them all and know it will be an entertaining time :) I'm sad we won't get to see any of mine but hopefully we can get down there soon!!

Anyways- Sorry for a boring post with no pictures but yes we are alive and doing great and I promise to make it more exciting next time!!

"Thankful"

2009-11-20T10:14:00.005-07:00

I saw this on my sister-in-law's blog and it couldn't have been at a better time! This last week I have felt so lonely not knowing anybody and wanted to feel sorry for myself!! But that is over with.. I have to much to be thankful for and have been SO blessed in so many ways that I need to cheer up and relfect on all the greatness I truly have in my life!

1. My Husband!!!! I love him for so many reasons and often wonder how I got so lucky to have him in my life... He has been so supportive of my needs since we have been out here with going to chick flicks, shopping, and craft stores with me since my girl friends are numbered right now!! He is my best friend and truly is the joy of my life!!

2. The Savior - I'm so grateful for the relationship I have with my Savior and to know he is always there for me!

3. The Gospel - I love that no matter where you live, the gospel remains the same and always makes it feel like home!!

4. Family - I have amazing parents, siblings, neices & nephews, and in-laws, whom I love dearly!

5. Massachusetts - This state is my saving grace.. Where infertility is covered by insurance! It brings so much peace to my heart knowing that we won't have to pay thousands of dollars to have children!!

6. Friends - I am so grateful for all my GREAT friends! Even though half of them are in Utah or Nevada, I love that I can call or visit with them and we pick up right where we left off!!

7. My Cute House - I love my little beach house and it has been so fun living somewhere so different!

8. My Husband's Job - He absolutely LOVES what he does and works SOO hard to provide a wonderful life for us and our future family!!

9. The Weather - Suprisingly I am LOVING the weather so far! I really can't wait until summer so we can take advantage of the beach time but the fall has been absolutely beautiful!!

10. My Dog - We love our little Lucy and wish she could come live with us!

11. My Health - I'm glad I have always been healthy and can enjoy all the great things life has to offer!

12. Airplanes - I absolutely am scared to death of airplanes but I am grateful that we can fly home in 5 hours to see our families!!

13. Holidays - I LOVE celebrating Holidays!! They bring so much joy with great company, AMAZING food, and fun memories!

Of course the list doesn't stop here but I am SUPER grateful for these ones!! ;)

We have a lot to learn...

2009-11-19T16:32:00.015-07:00

Drinking Fountain....

Bostonians: Bubbler

Round About...

Bostonians: Rotary (I figured this out the hard way by getting some directions once!)

TV Remote...

Bostonians: Clicker

We say "VERY"...

Bostonians say: WICKED...
(Everything is "WICKED" cool, awesome, scary, funny, etc... I don't get it!!)

Shopping Carts....

Bostonians: Carriage's

And the "ONE" thing I will never understand is the obsession of:

There are 90 in Boston and 50 of them are in a 5 mile radius of Downtown Crossing. You only have to travel 2.5 miles in either direction to find the furthest franchise.. crazy right?!?

Like I said... We have A LOT to learn!! :)

"Wicked" Fun in Boston... :)

2009-11-08T17:41:00.007-07:00

It was SOO nice to have my parents come visit us this past weekend! Since we moved out here... we have been looking forward to this visit to keep us from getting homesick! We have done pretty well but there are the occasional nights where we just miss family!!! They were only here for a full day so we hit Boston up as "real tourists" on the and enjoyed seeing all the sites and learning all the great history that took place here! It was a great time and we we're thankful to have some visitors :)

Me, Dad and Mom waiting to catch the Ferry

Fenway Park.. Home of the Red SoxMom and Dad downtownMom and Dad at Nantasket Beach

Saturday after they left... we met up with our friends and enjoyed a wonderful day at the Christmas Festival in the World Trade Center! We had such a great time walking around the city and eating some great food!

At Wagamama's with the Brough's

Me and Little Miss AspenJody with Lily and Aspen.. fun kids :)

Jody and Jayden having a leaf war

Needless to say, it was a GREAT weekend with my parents and the Brough's!! And we can't wait to go home where it's warm for the Holidays!!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!

2009-11-02T08:29:00.007-07:00

I LOVE this Birthday Boy!!!

One year older and still the same "BIG KID" I fell in love with!!!

October 30th was Jody's Birthday and we had a simple but great celebration!! He had to work so I surprised him with his favorite dessert:

from Cheesecake Factory!! Talk about commitment.. those cakes are the devil and anything but calorie friendly... but we are still enjoying it :)!! We also had a great dinner and watched Couple's Retreat!! We both decided we want to vacation to Eden's Resort after that movie... It is paradise.... absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

We ALSO have family here on the east coast!! It is such a great feeling to have my parents visiting and Nathan and Shellie living so close by! Shell had her sweet baby Charlotte Eliane (not Elaine!) Tingey on October 16th and she is so beautiful and precious!! Charlotte is doing absolutely wonderful and Shellie and Nathan make it look so easy to be new parents! We all spent the weekend in Jersey and then they will be coming our way Thursday night... We had a great time and can't wait to see them in a couple more days! (sorry my pictures are so fuzzy!!)

Baby Charlotte holding Jody's finger.. so precious!

My dad and Jody visiting

Me, Charlotte and Nathan
Shellie and Nathan
She was OUT!

A Man's Best Friend

2009-10-20T11:27:00.007-06:00

It's a sad day at the Marshall house today!! We received a phone call from Jody's mom late last night, that Jody's had lost his best friend...

His Dog Frank :(

Jody has had this dog for 4 years! He bought him back when we were dating in 2005, and had him shipped to Las Vegas from Ohio! We still remember the day; picking him up from the airport and seeing his sad face with a big red bow! He has been Jody's best friend since... going camping together, taking him to the motocross track when no buddies could go, or sneaking him in the house to sleep by the bed cause I was so against giving Frank another chance of spending the night in the house and hoping for no accidents!!! ;)

Need less to say, Frank was an awesome dog and he had a mind of his own! He did only what he wanted to do and there was no stopping him! There we're multiple occasion's he would walk down to my parents house just to say hello or hit the town to see what was going on! He always knew when Jody was gone because he would wine for HOURS and would get SOO excited to see him when he would return! This is the last time Jody saw him and he is one sad man that he isn't here with him now to make Massachusetts feel more like home!

We are back in action!!

2009-10-16T16:04:00.009-06:00

Oh it feels SOO good to be in a place where it feels like "Home" again! I thought the company condo was going to be the end of me but it's definitely been worth the wait!!

~First off, We are LOVING our new home! The views are gorgeous and it's so peaceful and quiet out on our little island! Jody and I will wake up in the mornings and just roll over to watch the waves or boats pass on by! We love it!! The neighbors have all been great and our friends from Utah also live a couple doors down so it's nice to have them close by! We are slowly getting everything put in it's place and making it look nice! Here's a few pics of the inside and the views before the movers arrived!

Our little Island.. We love it :)

Front Room...

The beautiful water and sunset from our front room.. (and balcony)

Jody and I going for a walk on the ocean bottom since the tide was low! Normally we can't walk out here!

And Jody posing for the camera from our front view!

So ....this is our new home in Mass! Once I get more decorations and new furniture in, I will post more pictures of the inside!

~We have also been doing fun things each weekend to keep us from getting homesick!! :) We started by touring downtown Boston with Chinatown, Newbury Street, and Faneuil Hall again! They are all awesome things to check out and we are trying to take advantage of seeing and doing everything while we are so close!! I suck at carrying my camera so I miss out on some GREAT pictures but here's a few!

Jody downtown

Some guy flying a kite in the middle of the city from a wheel chair.. There's a few characters here :)

Newbury Street.. Great Shopping!

Me at Public Garden Park

~We also flew to San Diego to enjoy some warm sun a few weekends back! Jody had an event there so we made a trip out of it and had a great time! Gotta love San Diego!!!!!

La Jolla Beach

And the temple from our Hotel... My favorite one :)

And our favorite thing right now is to take drives to nearby fairs and festivals that are all going on this time of year! Just to drive around New England in the fall is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We stayed at a hotel in Dover, New Hampshire to attend the with friends; then attended another one this last week down in Carver, Massachusetts for the Cranberry FestNone of them have compared to the good ol' Clark County Fair but they have been a great time!! ;)

(I didn't take these picture's but this is EXACTLY what it looks like here right now! Absolutely Beautiful!)

~The only down side right now....is the weather!!! That's all anybody talks about is the winters here and how the bad months are November to around February! Well.... it's only October and it is absolutely freezing! I thought we would transition okay being in Utah for a couple years but here, it's SO different! It literally chills you to the bone; You feel so damp, cold and the wind really adds that cherry on top! ;) The other morning we woke up to our bed literally shaking from the high winds... it's crazy!!! Anyways... sorry for the long post but I've been without the internet for a while so I'm trying to make up for lost time! :) AND...We miss our families like crazy and can't wait for the Holidays!!!!

...My Love...

2009-09-26T09:53:00.009-06:00

I have noticed everyone's cute posts about expressing there love for there wonderful husband and can't help to express mine!

Jody is really the coolest husband in the world!! :) I know we all think that about our husbands and we should, but I love this man for so many reasons...

First of all, he is so sexy!! I have always been attracted to Jody ever since I was a little girl in recreation and he was my leader!! (Ha, we laugh about it now...and to bad he didn't find my braces and bad perm as beautiful as I saw him! :)

I LOVE his personality! He is so much fun and there is NOBODY like him... I LOVE it!! You never know what to expect each day, with his sporadic ideas and creativity but he really keeps it all exciting!! He says the most funniest and HONEST things that kill me and make me laugh so hard!!!
He can make me SOO mad in a matter of seconds!! (He purposely TRIES to get my goat, I swear!)... BUT he can also COMFORT me in a matter of seconds as well! I can be so upset about something and he always has the right thing to say, or do to make me feel at ease! He has always been so CALM about every tough situation and tries to look at the point of view of everyone! He is ANYTHING but selfish.. and is always thinking of everyone first and mostly for my best interest!
He is SUCH a hard worker!! He has so much ambition, drive and passion for what he does and works so hard so we can live a great life!
He is such a softy!! It might surprise you but as tough and manly as he is... he is so caring and thoughtful! He will do anything or give anything to the ones he loves... and kids melt him away!! He is so great with all of them and I know he is going to be such an AMAZING Father one day!!!

More importantly, He truly amazes me everyday with his unconditional love, and his willingness to forgive so easily! He has so much heart and cares for so many people and always makes sure I know how much love he has for me!! There's never a time when work, hobbies, or just life comes in front of what's important... Family and the Gospel! He has such a strong testimony and honors his priesthood ever day! He is my life and I'm thankful that after 3 great years, I still can't wait for him to come home from work, or come home from a business trip to just to hear about his day and be next to! He is truly my Best Friend and I couldn't be more grateful to have such an AMAZING partner by my side for all eternity, and for the love and relationship that we have!

No More Breakdowns

2009-09-15T15:40:00.005-06:00

As I was driving home today from running around some errands, I started to really think how grateful I am for such a great life!! I feel so blessed in so many ways and I'm truly humbled to be here in Mass with my wonderful husband....

Things started out a little rough... Our second day here (Tuesday), I dropped Jody off at work, drove home and.... CRIED!! It wasn't just a quick cry either... I'm talking about some SAD TEARS!!! I think it had finally hit me that I wasn't just a drive away from family, friends and our play time together was over!! It was so nice having him over his own schedule and getting to play everyday! As the day went on...I tried to keep myself busy unpacking and wanted to remain strong for Jody so he could get in his groove and feel comfortable at work and not have to deal with his dramatic wife!!! ;) I really did okay and kept busy, but when he hopped in the car after work and started talking about the day... consider it done... I LOST it!! Him being the wonderful husband he is, let me put in a good cry that night, and really has tried to make sure I've been okay since!

Needless to say... we have come along way! :) We are really enjoying ourselves and since the breakdown... we have had a great BBQ with friends and were able to meet some neat people...had a great experience at church with friendly ward members, and are getting excited about getting in our new home and start seeing all the sites!

Our adventure so far in Mass....

2009-09-11T10:44:00.012-06:00

We are finally here in Boston! We are loving it!! We are enjoying all the changes but sometimes we feel we aren't even in the US with how different it is here! Everything your used to... Smith's, Albertson's, RC Willey's, Maverick Gas Stations (Ha.. Jody misses these) aren't here! People think we are so weird for asking where these things are, and we are thinking how crazy they all are!!! The hardest thing for me is dealing with NO....

WALMARTS...

I know WALMART can drive of us all crazy- The long lines, going in for one thing and coming out with $300 worth of goods but have you ever thought to yourself what you would do or where you would go without them? Well we are still trying to figure this out...We thought for sure walmarts were taking over the world and there had to be one here but there not! The only one here is in Plymouth and that is pretty far south from Boston!

Instead we go to... Super Stop & Shop! They don't compare to Walmarts and Jody is sad to not have an electronic section to go to while I do the grocery shopping but we are having fun with all the new changes!

Right now, we are staying in Milton in the company condo! It's a beautiful complex... It used to be a big mansion on this 23 acre estate, but then was purchased and converted into condo's and has beautiful landscaping all round!! There are always cute squirrels running all around and wild turkey's so we feel like we are out in the country!

Our Condo

Another bummer we had is our house!!! We were SO excited on Monday to go drive by our house and see how beautiful it really was! We drove by and about died! It was SO GHETTO! I think the guy took pictures right after he built it in 2007 and it definitely didn't look like that! It was hammered! Luckily, we will be getting our deposit back so we aren't out there! But the exciting news is we found a new place and we couldn't be more excited!!!

Spinnaker Island
The Bridge to our Island

The location and views are perfect!!!

Nantasket Beach... It's a really nice and popular beach and we live 2 miles away :)

And the cool part is we can drive or... take this 20 minute ferry ride to downtown Boston to go enjoy the city life!!!

So everything has worked out so perfect for us once again!! We were really down about our house at first, but are SO grateful in a way that it didn't work out!! I will take some pictures of the inside when we move in Oct. 3rd and I get my bright coastal decor all up and looking nice!!! We couldn't be more excited about being here and moving to Spinnaker!!

The time has finally come...

2009-09-01T09:14:00.005-06:00

We are on our way.... Jody and I fly out on Sunday at 9:45 am!! We are so excited!!! We will be staying in a company condo in Milton, MA until our house is available and the movers arrive on Oct. 1st!! I can't believe it's finally here and how perfectly everything is working out!! I will try to get pictures uploaded of everything as soon as possible so you can all see the beautiful state of Mass! Hope everyone keeps doing great and hopefully it won't be to long until we are back visiting great friends and our wonderful family! :)

My new hobby...

2009-08-27T15:35:00.005-06:00

I seriously don't know what has happened to me but this has become my new hobby!!

I LOVE IT!!! I really used to hate working out!! A late night walk with my hubby and our dogs was really the most of it!! It was getting bad...We started 3 weeks ago, and last week we were on vacation and I missed doing it!! That never happens... I don't know if maybe it's because I'm not working and feel like I need to get up in the mornings and do something but I am really loving it! I'm only 3 weeks in, so maybe I shouldn't speak to soon, haha ....but it really feels so good to be on a program!! I just had to express my excitement about P90 and let everyone know how excited I am to finally have found a workout I really enjoy!!!!

Gotta Love Him...

2009-08-25T13:28:00.004-06:00

Last night, I woke up to my husband singing along to this....

GOLDEN AGE of COUNTRY!!

He was LOVING it! I had fallen asleep on the couch while he was finishing up some work and woke up to him completely enjoying himself as he jammed to some good 50's and 60's tunes! At first I laid there thinking okay.... he can't know all of these songs, and this commercial has to end sooner then later but.... NO! It was an hour long and he kept singing them loud and clear to me with a big smile on his face! He's a sucker for the famous Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and many more apparently and even more exciting... he recorded the infomercial so we can call later today to order!! Gotta love it :)

Our Mass House!!!

2009-08-21T17:50:00.008-06:00

Finally!!! We were struggling so hard on finding a place out there for a little while now! We wanted to rent for a while to see how things go but either it was in the downtown city, which neither of us would have loved, or the house was built in the early 1900's and just gross so we were getting frustrated! It's amazing how much easier/cheaper the west coast makes life, but now we couldn't be happier or more excited about getting out there!

We are moving to a smaller town called Hanson! It is a neat place and only 30 minutes away from Boston on the Commuter Train!! It's located on Monponsett Pond (which is really the same thing as a lake, they just call them ponds!) and so beautiful in the spring/summer! Jody loves the property and the location of this house and I am excited because it was built in 2007 so it's not a gross rental... very modern and clean!!! Here are some pictures the agent sent over!!! It's all becoming very real and exciting now! :)

Our House

Part of the Kitchen... I'm not sure about this green yet!

The Dining Room... (Look at the View through the windows... I LOVE it!)

Upstairs Family room and BalconyMaster Bedroom w/ Balcony

So this is it! I'm excited to get in there and start decorating and making it a beautiful home! I'm just praying I can get over my Strep Throat so I can get some more packing done! Gotta love moving right?!?

Our Weekly Activity ...

2009-08-13T10:23:00.004-06:00

Since I quit my job, Jody and I have been playing all month! We are soaking it up because when we move, things will be busy again!!

Our latest weekly activity together is floating down the Provo River! We LOVE it!! It is so GORGEOUS and the mountains are absolutely beautiful!! That is one thing I am going to MISS!! Here is a picture of the River...

Provo River

Tubing Down.... It looks pretty relaxing and easy.. but it is INTENSE!! At least it was for me! I'm 0-2 right now with 2 battle wounds from each rafting experience!! With a bruised knee, a scraped face, and falling in the 55 degrees water... I am hoping next time that the river has already seen the best of me and I will be able to conquer the journey without any problems!

I wasn't able to get any picture of us floating down because obviously I couldn't take my camera in the river, but anyone who is up here, go do it!! It really is so much fun!!! :)

Insurance in Mass :)

2009-08-10T12:41:00.006-06:00

Jody and I have struggled for a couple years now with conceiving and trying to grow a family! It has been TOUGH!! Some days I am perfectly okay with waiting and knowing it's all up to the Lord and his timing... and other days I find myself breaking down and feeling sorry for myself and frustrated with this trial! Mostly, the hardest thing has been not knowing what the problem is! Jody has been tested and the results are great; and they aren't finding any problems with me! The only thing they are assuming is my body doesn't ovulate regularly so it might take us more like 3 to 5 years vs. 6 months to a year doing everything the old fashion way!! Well, its been a good 2 and nothing yet but we keep our hopes high and try our best to improve our daily lives!

This spring/summer we were able to do a couple of Fertility Treatments which we were so grateful for! Obviously, both rounds of artificial insemination didn't work ...but that's okay! We took a break in July to save up again and we were going to do another round in August... UNTIL We found out in Massachusetts (one of the few states) where health insurance covers almost all Fertility Treatments! IN VITRO, EGG RETRIEVAL, ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION, and many others! Are you serious?!? YAY!! Anyone who knows how expensive any treatment is, knows how exciting this really is! We aren't in any hurry to begin any serious treatments but we couldn't be happier about all of this, and also with the wonderful transition Boston is starting to become for us! It is all working out so perfectly and we couldn't be more excited!

Woke Up to Reality....

2009-08-03T13:25:00.002-06:00

Since we have made the decision to move to Boston, I have been SOO excited!! We have been looking at places to live, excited for all the opportunities to come, and to take another stepping stone in our lives! BUT....

Last week it HIT ME!!! I dreamt of us being in a new home, in a crazy city, where I had no friends or family close by to do anything with, lost on the roads, and the weather was COLD!!! It might have been a dream to reality but hopefully it's just nerves kicking in and we will adjust well!! We had family up last week and more coming this week which has just been so nice to be with! They boys played an insane amount of golf, the girls did some serious shopping to help my mom buy some home decor, and it was just nice to have them all up here to do all the fun things together! Luckily my wonderful sister and her husband are in Jersey which will just be a train ride away if I need some family comfort!! Anyways... I'm nervous now if you can't tell, but hopefully once we get there, it will all be OK!!

Utah to The Great East Coast!!!! :)

2009-07-17T19:32:00.007-06:00

We are finally MOVING!! :)

Utah.... to Boston, Massachusettes

Jody recentley quit his day job and has loved doing free lance work for Real Estate Guru's! He has met some pretty amazing people in the Real Estate business and the opportunities seem endless! We had the chance to fly out to Boston, MA a couple weeks ago by Dave Lindahl (Real Estate Guru) who is as excited as Jody to work and grow together in the business, and that's exactly where we are headed! We have been doing some serious praying and weighing out every option but it is exactly the next step for us! Never in a million years did we think we would be headed to the east coast, but we have learned from being in Utah that no matter where we are, we have each other to count on and how grateful we are for one another to share all of these fun life experiences together! We will be moving in August and couldn't be more excited about everything and to get life started in Mass! :)

Boston, MA

2009-06-28T12:49:00.006-06:00

Boston, Massachusettes

Jody and I have been having a great summer so far! We had the opportunity to fly out to Boston for the past week and check it out here!! It is AMAZING!! The east coast is definitely a whole different experience! We landed Wednesday and have been having so much fun! Thursday, we went to downtown Boston and walked the Freedom Trail and visited Faneuil Hall! They say more people go there then Disneyland so it was fun to see what that was all about! They had great entertainment, shops, and lots of history! Friday, Jody had to work so Missi and I went to the beach with her kids!! I LOVE the beach and her kids so that has probably been the best part so far! Saturday, we went to some great outlet shops that have all the great stores and went to seewhich was a GREAT movie!!! You definitely need to see it if you haven't already!

Jody in our rental... He loved it :)

Me in downton Boston

Faneuil Hall

The beautiful beach...It looks cold but its not at all

It has been a fun trip and have enjoyed seeing Boston!!

Anniversary ....

2009-06-17T10:26:00.007-06:00

June 17, 2006 I married not only the love of my life but my best friend!!!I can't begin to describe in words how grateful I am for such a wonderful husband in my life!! Jody is such an amazing man with so many great qualities and I'm thankful everyday to share these 3 wonderful years of marriage with him!! It seems like yesterday, we were getting married and so in love.... but it's amazing how that love grows through all the joys and trials of our short time together!

To celebrate for our big day...we flew out to Viva Las Vegas!!! I know everyone's thinking why Vegas... but Jody has an event Thursday, Friday, and Saturday here so we decided to just fly in a few days early and enjoy Vegas as a real tourist and we did just that! We normally are on our big vacation for the year by now, but with Jody's crazy work schedule this month, it's being postponed until August! Tuesday Morning, Jason and Krystal were here visiting so they picked us up from the airport and we all had lunch! It was so great to see them! They dropped us off at The GREEN VALLEY RANCH and it is beautiful! We got ready for the night and took a taxi to the strip to hit the town! We did lots of shopping, ate some great sushi, and enjoyed seeing all the casino's!

Jason, Krystal, Amy, and Jody

The Green Valley Ranch Casino

Jody and I at the Bellagio GardensThe Famous Bellagio Water ShowRA SUSHI... So Yummy!!!Jody and I had a bet if he was real... He wasn't but it was so amazing!Jody with Whoopi...Obviously she wasn't eitherH\We had a lot of fun :)This is where we relaxed all Wednesday MorningIt really was a great way to celebrate our anniversary day and I want Jody to know how much I truly love him and how grateful I am to spend the rest of my life and eternity with him!!

Update....

2009-06-02T21:49:00.008-06:00

Life has been so crazy lately.... I feel like we are living life in fast forward right now and trying to keep on top of it all but I guess that's how life goes sometimes!!

Jody was in NY last weekend doing a business trip that was CRAZY!! He quit his job last week and I still can't believe it!! He came up here for a One Year Internship, and ended up being the COO (Chief of Operations) of the company, and has learned more then he could ever imagine!! It has been such great educating experience for him but he has finally decided to go out on his own completely! I'm trying to be SO supportive of him while he conquers everything he has worked so hard for! I know he is going to do GREAT ... and I'm excited for all the opportunities that have come with his transition, and not so excited for a few but there's always a disadvantage to a great oppertunity!

The traveling is going to be the hardest part about the whole change!! We were planning all his events out for this month and every Thurs, Fri and Sat he is somewhere different! NY, LA, Boston, and Vancouver just in the month of June! I know it's only a couple days of the week and when he's home, he's home but it's not very fun to spend a couple nights alone!! When he flew in late Sunday night after his crazy NY trip, I tried waiting up but fell asleep and woke up to this beautiful note expressing his love and gratitude for me and these pretty roses he picked from our front yard!
Seriously, that was probably the last thing he wanted to do after a crazy trip, a long flight, and a drive home at 2 in the morning but for someone who doesn't get roses but only once a year...LOVED it! Thanks Babe for always reminding me in some way, why I have the best husband in the world and for loving me so much!!!

Ethan's Blessing...

2009-05-17T16:52:00.008-06:00

We had a great weekend with my family! Ethan's baby blessing was this Sunday, so my family all came up for that! Shellie and Nathan also flew out from Jersey and it was SOO good to see them! We hadn't seen them since August... so it was time! It was a quick trip but we enjoyed every minute with them all...

Ethan James

Luncheon

Nate, Jody, and JeffAunt Shellie, Madison, and Becca

Becca and Abbie playing candyland :)

We Made It....

2009-05-06T12:08:00.002-06:00

Supercross was a crazy adventure this year...but we made it! We thought we had everything planned out, but of course things never seem to go that way!

Saturday, Jody flew in from LA to Las Vegas at 6:30 to barely make the event! We we're really excited that everything had worked out in our favor so we could make it this year! Jody's flight was a little late getting in so we weren't able to get to Sam Boyd til 7:30ish. We hadn't missed much but we hurried to park and purchase tickets!!

SOLD OUT BABY!! Really?!? Every year there are millions of scalpers trying to sell there tickets for cheap and we have always had luck in doing so! After walking around for a good 10 minutes trying to find tickets... we found an older black man who was selling the last ticket anywhere to be found!! He wanted $100 for a $25 ticket! Absolutely ridiculous!!!... But of course we paid it! I went through security, as nervous as could be ....went by the smoker gate (which was not where I wanted to go) to slip Jody the same ticket... There's definitely one thing I can't do and that's being sneaky or doing anything shady thing!! My face says it all and I look guilty before I even make the sin... I finally handed it over to him and went over by security to wait.... He went through security the second time with the same ticket...and of course it didn't read and started beeping!!!! He hauled in and caught up to where I was... asked me if anyone was chasing him but luckily he got in safe so we finished the night watching a great Supercross race!! Lesson learned... but had a great time!! SuperCross 2009

Blog Slacking...

2009-04-29T13:51:00.005-06:00

I have NO excuse for my blog slacking!! I guess other prioriteis have takin' place but we are really doing GREAT! First of all, the weather is GORGEOUS and we are soaking it all up!! I love spring/summer time!! Everything seems prettier and people seem so much nicer... I don't know why but I LOVE it! :)

Jody started in the Orem Community Softball League where he plays every Monday night so he is loving that.. and I love going with the dogs and watching him!

We are also counting down the days for SUPERCROSS this year!

We are hoping to make it because last year, we missed it and it was a rough day for Jody! Ha.. He was so sad but I was able to get the weekend off and we are hoping he can too!

What a Beautiful Spring Day....

2009-04-16T09:26:00.006-06:00

I woke up this morning....and here's my yard!

What a Beautiful Spring Day....

Honestly, is it December or April?!? We really only get 2 seasons here.... Winter or Summer! Take your pick, because that's literally ALL you get!! :)

ALSO...

I know it's THURSDAY but this week is really dragging on! Jody and I had such a great weekend together and being at home made it absolutely perfect! We got back late Sunday and Jody flew out to Phoenix early Monday for work! He REALLY didn't want to go... Usually his business trips last for a day or two, but this one goes clear until Saturday!! Can I really make it until then?!? Ha... I've been making new dinner recipes, cleaning my house spotless (and even a little shopping!!!).... and it's just not going by! We are both counting down the days and it really is almost over but I will be so READY to see him!!!

LUCKILY!!!!! I have some great friends up here, who knew Jody was going out of town and they had a great night planned!! We went to Karaoke Night at Applebee's and had a great girls night crashing at my place! It was fun to hang out with them and catch up on all there doing!! Thanks Crystal and Lisa for the fun night!

HOME...

2009-04-13T19:34:00.008-06:00

We finally made it down to Logandale!!!!! YAY!!! We have been trying to get home for a couple months now and it seems to never work out everytime we would get a free weekend!! Luckily, we made it down for the Fair which we were really excited about! We really look forward to it every year so we can see lots of family and great friends who we haven't seen in forever! We went Friday and Saturday and had a great time eating YUMMY Fair Food, and watching the great entertainment they always have!

Saturday, we had a Family Brunch for EASTER with all my brothers!! It was so nice to visit with everyone! Ella was the center of attention and she was loving it!!!! She has so much personality and is so stinkin cute! (Even Jody, who gets terrified of little babies...couldn't resist!!) He asked Ashley if he could hold her, and loved playing with her! It was really cute becasue normally....Jody would NEVER ask and he gets so scared with little ones but he did GREAT with her!

Grant and Ella

ALSO....Jody was in HEAVEN with the GREAT Nevada Weather!! He was so excited to get down there and ride for a couple hours! He was definitley due for a good ride and I'm glad he was able to go enjoy it...

The Month of April...

2009-03-23T18:26:00.016-06:00

We are so excited for the month of APRIL!! We are making a huge decision that we have been contemplating for a while, and it will be great to see where it leads us!
It's my BIRTHDAY on the 5th! YAY!!! That's not really the excitement of the month but you gotta love birthdays!
What is so exciting is....that for my birthday, we decided to take our next step in the Fertility Process!!! We both can't wait!! It's so expensive to do anything! Just to talk to our doctor for 30 mins is 175$! BUT...he gave us a great deal on artificial insemination so we thought that would be a great place to put our money for a birthday gift this year! We are trying SO SO HARD to not get our hopes up but just can't help that maybe great things could happen by the end of next month! We have prayed long and hard about procedure's and what we should do from here and we feel strongly that giving artificial insemination a shot, would be a great place to continue!
So.... lots of mixed emotions right now for Jody and I, but we know if we keep trying to do what's right, the Lord will hopefully bless us!!

The only place in this crazy world....

2009-03-11T22:08:00.003-06:00

Jody and I have put off going to the temple for WAY to long! We have no kids, nights and weekends are mostly free, and we have one that's maybe 5 minutes away, so there is definitely NO EXCUSE!! It seems like everytime we plan, somehow we never make it, but everytime we go, it is such a GREAT, GREAT experience!! We have had so much to be thankful for and we're glad we have been able to make it monthly like we should! It brings so much joy into our lives and how comforting it is to know there's one place in this crazy world we can go and reflect on everything that's important!

A Great Weekend....

2009-03-09T23:54:00.006-06:00

Jody and I have been SOO busy lately! Life has been crazy, crazy, but we are so thankful for all the new changes! Jody is doing great at work! He just designed a real estate coaching package for today's market and it's AWESOME!!! They are selling like crazy! I can't believe the things he puts together and how he makes it all work! Amazing!!! I wish him luck in Chicago this week and wish I could go with him but I'm stuck with work this week too!

We are also busy working on our latest rental property! I'm loving all the remodeling we are doing!! It was okay when we bought it, but since we are going to live in it for a little while, we are trying to make it as "HOMIE" as we possibly can! We have been spending all nights after work painting, ordering furniture, and finishing the batheroom but we are really enjoying it!

And last, it was so good to see Alyssa this weekend! Nothing is better then seeing old friends and picking up right where you left off! We had such a good time and appreciated her and Chelsey TONS for the help down at our new place!

Thanks for the visit Alyssa and can't wait til you move here in August!

Finally a Nephew :)

2009-03-01T17:38:00.004-07:00

Ethan James Bowler was born on Feburary 23rd!! We are so excited to have a little boy in the family!! We spent all weekend at Nate and Lezlee's hanging out with my nieces and helping out where we could! My parents also came up and it was all a great time!!

Grandma holding Ethan James Bowler

While the other girls were at school, Becca was posing for the camera! She's such a fun girl!

Jody and I had a busy weekend besides being with the new baby! I posted ALL my furniture on KSL and it sold in minutes!! (Not a good sign... I probably should have sold them for more but oh well!!) We sold our TV, our Sectional, our 2 black leather couches, dining table, desk, and seriously everything else!! Jody and I are moving next month and we are going from a 3 story house to a lot smaller place!! We are really excited to get down there and fix it up to have another rental property but it will be an adjustment for a while!!! :)

Our New Truck

2009-02-11T10:43:00.009-07:00

Jody and I have been looking for a good 4 wheel drive for a while now! We have decided we need one due to the snow and for Jody to go racing as much as he wants! We found a GREAT deal on a Black Lariat F-150 in Hurricane, UT!! It has all the little extra's that Jody wanted so he was excited! We drove down together today to pick it up and I really didn't want to do that whole drive back and forth in one day thing, but Jody told me he would buy me In-N-Out so I was sold! It was really so much fun taking the day off from work and going on a little road trip!!!! The things I do for In-N-Out....it's seriously SAD!!
And the weather was gorgeous!!

He was SO excited...

Seriously??

2009-02-03T11:04:00.005-07:00

So....Anyone who knows us, knows we have been wanting a baby for a good year now! We have been so patient and are fully aware that it takes alot of couples some time to concieve at first! We went to see our Specialist and he is absolutely wonderful!! He always assures us that we are two great healthy people who will eventually conieve, but it does take time at first for some couples! Luckily, we both know that there is a plan and a family waiting to come down to join us but its all within the Lord's timing! That makes everything ok! ....Jody and I are loving our time with just the two of us, going on great vacations, loving our jobs, and trying to strengthen our weaknesses so we can be the best parents we possible can for our future family!

In the meantime, the Doctor gave ME some requirements that I need to meet to help make things hopefully more successful and me more healthy!! He told me he has had great success rates on doing all of these steps! Seriously???...........Ha, while Jody gets to continue being a daily "Pepsi/Red Bull/Monsters/RockStars/No Fear" drinker, (which he's cut back a TON, just for this reason....SOO grateful for that!!) living life as normal, I am busy on my 10 step plan! He's been great to go to the gym in the morning's with me but when we eat dinner, and he orders Pepsi....that's when I get jealous! That's okay though!! They are all great things that I need to put in my life anyways, so I'm excited to get in the best shape possible!!! Here we go!

Amy's Daily Steps......
1. Drink a gallon of water a day, 1/2 by noon, and the other 1/2 by 6:00 pm! (Is this possible?)

2. Exercise a minimun of 3 days a week!

3. Take a MILLION vitamins! B vitamins, Pernantals, Multi-Vitamins, all the above!

4. Eat healthy foods, spinach, salads, WATER!!, fruits, and veggies!

5. Take Fertility Pills 5 days a month!

6. Dont Stress! Minimum of 30 mins baby talk per week....(Really? Don't Strees? Let's be honest!)

7. Certain Tricks..... (You all know what I mean!)

8. Ovalarian Tube Surgery Test....(Painful!)

9. Take a bath weekly and a massage montly to relieve stress!! (I'm ok with this!!)

10. Find out my Ovulating Days with Ovulation Sticks....
(Ovulation Test and Pregnancy tests, have officially became a Montly Bill!)

So...... When I first got this list, My Doctor and I were in a fight, (not really!!) but I've decided to be positive and be thankful that there are simple things I can do to help the long journey be more succesful!! I'm excited if anything else to just be healthy and get in shape! Can't be that bad of a plan right? ....BUT, just wanted to remind everyone who can have kids easily, to be FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!!!

YaY...a BBQ!!

2009-01-26T18:38:00.004-07:00

Gotta love BBQ nights!! We finally put together our BBQ that we recieved from Jody's family at Christmas!! We Love It!!! Jody made a great Sunday dinner for us... with yummy steaks, potatoes and baked beans! Thanks Leavitt Family for the great present!!

He was glad to finish putting this together...

Lately, the winter has been so great up here! All the snow had pretty much melted by Saturday afternoon and it hadn't been that cold! Yesterday, reality hit us....we had SO much snow! Here's a picture of our backyard while we were out BBQ'ing! Our poor dogs hate the winters here but here is Frank in the snow!!!

Church Ball...

2009-01-23T22:22:00.008-07:00

The lastest excitment in our lives is Jody joining the church ball team!! YAY...!! He's loving it!!! Each ward in the stake has a team and they play every Friday night!! Today was his first game and he did great!! It really is fun being a spectator at these events...Ha, men from all different ages getting fired up in church ball, (gotta love it!)!! Here are a few pictures of the Cherry Hill 5th Ward team!! We are going to miss the great times in our ward!!! It truly has been a great one...

Final Score....We Won!! 29-25

Lately...

2009-01-23T22:21:00.003-07:00

So...I have been lacking on the blog posts! We have been so busy with the little things in life I seem to never get the free time to catch up!

Jody and I have been doing great! Last weekend, all of Jody's buddies (Ben Flynn, Taylor Anderson, Jared Hickman, and Tyler Waite) came up and stayed with us for the weekend and went snowboarding in Park City...Jody had never been before, and of course they took him to the Black Diamond Slope, (the most intense slope on the mountain)! Luckily, he used great judgement and did most of the video taping on the side why the boys (who had the experience) did their crazy tricks!! We had a good time at dinner and enjoyed the company...So thanks everyone for the great time!!

(I will try to get the video downloaded of the great adventure!!)

2009....

2009-01-07T10:14:00.010-07:00

We are so excited for the New Year!!!! It feels so good to start out fresh again, especially after the crazy holidays!! We have set some really great New Year Resolution's so we are hoping this year we can accomplish them all! So Far, So Good, Ha...for the 7 days we are already in!!

Jody's been having this theory forever that 2009 is going to be our year to have great things happen. I really hope he's right!! We are ready for some great changes. He is launching his own business with MWI, the second week of January down in Pheonix, AZ. He has been working so hard on it and I wish him the best of luck and I am so proud of him with sticking it out and getting it ready to start the new year out right! I'm buying my second piece of real estate (with the help of my wonderful husband) down in Spanish Fork, UT! It's an older home that needs some attention but we got a great deal. Luckily we are pro movers...since we love to move about every 6 months (not really!!) but it will be nice to have a project for a while! We are starting to really love Utah (which I never thought would happen!) and we love our ward, so we will be sad to move but excited to get out of the city and live in Spanish! And last but definitly not least, we are hoping to be pregnant sometime this year! We feel ready and will be excited to expand our family when it does eventually come! So, we are excited for all the changes, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and wish everyone a the best in 2009!!

Finally Some Snow...

2008-12-08T18:35:00.003-07:00

We had snow!!!! I don't know why I'm so excited about it, but I was! There wasn't to much but I thought the mountains looked so beautiful as always so I had to snap a picture on my way to work!!

Festival of Trees....

2008-12-05T12:33:00.004-07:00

Jody and I went to the Festival of Tree's last night for our first time ever! They had so much going on there, with dancing, gift shops, gingerbread houses, christmas snack's, decorated trees and wreaths! It was so much fun but made me realize, that my decorating skills for my tree, need some serious work! They had about 250 amazingly decorated tree's for sale that range from anywhere between $600.00-$2000.00! It's crazy! Each year, people come in to buy them, and all the money goes to charity! It was amazing how many were sold! Anyways...we had a good time, and if any of you ever get the chance to go, it really is cool!
This Gingerbread House, was amazing!

This was Jody's favorite tree! It was decorated in CAT Equipment! Even though he LOVES his job now, he misses construction and playing in the dirt!!!
Golf Club Tree
Shoe Tree

Jody's Latest Catch...

2008-12-03T15:31:00.006-07:00

Here is a picture of Jody and his latest Tiger Trout! He was so excited that he caught this! Lately, he has been loving to go out fishing!! When he's not traveling with work, or out working on his toys, he wants to go out and fish! This is one of the biggest trout he's caught yet! His great adventures keep our life exciting! Luckily, I've found some great Trout Recipes, to let my husband know how proud I am of his great catch, because I think we will be eating it for a while! :)

Christmas Tag...

2008-12-01T00:33:00.005-07:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift Bags...I'm horrible at wrapping!

2. Real tree or Artificial? We had a real tree our first Christmas and decided to go Artificial....I do buy pine tree candles though so I don't miss out on the great smell!

3. When do you put up the tree? Monday nights for FHE, after Thanksgiving!!!

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the day after New Years! I try to keep up the decorations up as long as I can!!!!

5. Do you like eggnog? Love it!!! I crave it during the year sometimes!! Total Fan of Eggnog!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Our Go-Ped!! Lara, Anna, and I would mob that all summer long!! Haha, mostly Lara and I...Anna got stuck riding on roller-blades or biking! :(

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Parents by far...They never give any idea's...they always say "Anything you get us will be great!!! Drives me crazy!! :)

8. Easiest person to buy for? Laureen...hands down! That women LOVES anything!!!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? NO! That's one decoration I have got to buy this year! I have a cute village but no nativity scene...that's a must!!!!

10. Best Christmas gift you ever received? Jody always does really good for Christmas! Luckily I have a husband with great taste so I haven't had to do the whole pretend thing...."I LOVE IT!" Haha..Our first Christmas's though, was probably one of the best! We spoiled each other big time and got all the things we wanted!! He's always good to through in something sentimental too which are usually the best gifts!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't remember getting anything that was to awful so I guess I've been pretty lucky!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie (s)? Christmas Story...classic!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually, 2 weeks before! I'm a procrastinator!!!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not yet...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Candy Canes and those Popcorn Bins, with the cheddar, Carmel, and regular popcorn!! I love those!

16. Lights on the tree? Flashing White Lights...and Lots of them!

17. Favorite Christmas song? The Christmas Shoes! Every time, I hear that song, It always reminds me of what Christmas is all about...such a great song!!!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel...makes it hard to pack everything without Jody peaking but it's not Christmas without spending it with Family!!!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Rudolph, Dasher, Prancer, Comet, Donor, Vixen ...Lara got me this far....

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present Christmas Eve...and all the others Christmas Morning!!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Everywhere is PACKED for Christmas Shopping!!!

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham, Pomegranate Salad, Potatoes...and all the other goodies!!

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? It's been really hard making a list this year...Usually I have a ton of things but I'm hoping for a REALLY nice camera!!!!

Thanks Lara for the Tag!

Tag: Jerrica, Jessica, and Alyssa

Thanksgiving Holiday...

2008-11-30T10:21:00.009-07:00

Thanksgiving this year was really great!! Being in the valley this weekend, made it one of the best one's yet!

We drove down late Wednesday night...(traffic was crazy) but as we drove into the Valley, we realized how much we missed the smell of desert rain and wet sage! I know it sounds crazy but there is nothing better then the smell of the Valley after a good rain!!! We took advantage of the good riding weather, and spent the whole weekend on Rhino's! Mike and Danielle joined us for a night ride on Saturday that was a lot of fun!

Our Thanksgiving Day was really good! Everyone chipped in this year to help cook...the boy's were in charge of shelling pomegranate's (which I think should be a new tradition) and all of us girls helped my Mom with everything else! Each year, we have to say things we are grateful for at the table and this year it made me realize how blessed I really am... to be in such a great family, who supports and cares for all of us, to be married to a wonderful husband, who works so hard to provide for the 2 of us and who honors his priesthood and strives to be better everyday, having the gospel in our lives and being sealed as a family, and just being able to enjoy the small things in our daily lives!

Friday, my Dad took advantage of the great sales at Best Buy and bought a really nice 40" LCD TV for $800 dollars! He already has enough TVs but for some reason he NEVER can pass up a good "TV" deal lately! Jody and I spent the day in Vegas as well... We did some good shopping at Time Square and spent some time with great friends we hadn't seen in a long time!
Here are some pictures from our weekend...I forgot our camera this time, but we were able to take a few!

Hope every one's Thanksgiving was as good as ours was!!!!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner with some of us....

My Dad's great buy....

So, every time I go home, my Dad asks me to buzz his hair! My Mom keeps talking him out of it because she thinks he has great hair! He thought long and hard about doing it all day and finally decided to go for it! My mom walked in at this point and about FREAKED!!! It was good for her and he actually looks okay with a buzz!

Jody and I on the Rhino....

He actually let me drive surprisingly

Jody on the Rhino...He LOVES his dirt bike but is actually starting to consider for the first time, that maybe we need one since the Dirt Bike is only fun for him, and this is great for the 2 of us! We'll see if I can fully convert him over...

Our Family Weekend!!!!

2008-08-19T22:31:00.005-06:00

This weekend was crazy but so much fun! Sorry we didn't get to see anyone besides family! We hate missing everyone!! Jeff reported this last Sunday so the whole family came down to be together! We went to the lake, played lots of rock band, took family pictures, and had such a good time! It went way to fast and now we are back to reality! Jody leaves for Chicago on Friday and then down to Florida til next Friday! It's gonna be the longest business trip he's had yet so hopefully I will survive! After this trip though...he's traveling is pretty much over so it will be so nice to live a normal life again! Anyways...here are some pictures of our good times!

Jody and Jeff on the boat

All of the girls playing rock band while Grant sang...we rocked it!

One of my most favorite girls! Everyone on the boat @ Lake Mead

Abbie and Becca...they love the lake!
Grandpa and Becca
Jody and I at the Lake....He was tired of pictures! Jeff and I....It's so good to have him home!! :)

Quick Road Trip!

2008-07-21T16:28:00.003-06:00

This weekend we went to the valley! It was so nice to go home! Jody had been in San Diego all week for business again and we decided we wanted to take a little road trip together and go home to see family and Brent and Ashley's new baby girl Ella! She is really a pretty baby! It was good to say hi and visit for the day!! We are all counting down the days til Jeff comes home! 8 DAYS!!!! Im so excited!!!!!!!!!

Fourth of July Weekend!!!!!

2008-07-06T19:04:00.006-06:00

Happy Fourth!!!! Hope everyone had a great one!!! Our weekend really turned out perfect! Jody surprised me Thursday night when I got home and said we have a condo room in Park City waiting for us!!! It was such a good time!!! We stayed at the Sky Lodge, which was amazing! The room had more features then we could even figure out! They had live bands, little boutique shops, great food, and lots of neat attractions! We went to the Olympic Park and did the extreme zip line and drove bob sleds!! We watched the fireworks on the the golf course and then headed home to go see Jody's family who came up to see us! It had been forever since we had seen Jason and the kids and it was alot of fun!

Jody in our Hotel Kitchen
Our Bedroom
The Batheroom
Me and Jody eating lunch Friday morning while watching the Parade
On the Bob Sleds
These are the Olympic Ski Jump Landings at Olympic Park...They were HUGE!Jody with Jason's kids at the Orem Park...We had a good time!