Top 10 for 2009

These are a few highlights of our year, in no particular order. It's been a great year, and we're anxious to see what 2010 brings. We hope everyone has a great New Year!

1. We bought our first home.
2. Blake graduated from BYU.
3. We got to move to Washington and be close to family.
4. Blake got a new, great job.
5. Sheena was called into the Primary Presidency-yikes.
6. We made wonderful friends while living in Enumclaw, and Bothell.
7. We were blessed with the birth of a new nephew-now we have 2 nieces, and nephews.
8. We went on several camping trips this past summer.
9. Sheena learned how to can this summer.
10. Our families are happy and healthy.

Bringing in the Season

Blake and I were talking about how this year it didn't seem like Christmas. We think it comes from a combination of things, such as getting all of our Christmas shopping done before December came, we are already home for the holidays so we don't have the hustle and bustle of flying to our destination to be with family, and the major fact that I don't have a job makes me have all sorts of time to get things ready for the big day. I must admit I missed the craziness of the holiday this year. To help bring in the Christmas season we decided to make a drive over to Leavenworth, WA to see all the Christmas lights and have dinner. It was a lot of fun to get out of town for the day. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Came Early

Today was such a wonderful day! I had a feeling I was going to have a little luck today when I found a huge ladybug in our living room. And boy was I right. At around 2:30pm I was told by my podiatrist that my foot has healed perfectly, and so perfectly that you couldn't even tell on the xrays that I had ever had a stress fracture. He went on to tell me that I should be careful with all the running I like to do given the specialness of my feet and the pressure points I have on the bottoms of my feet, and that as I get older I will be more prone to injuries and the heeling process will be even longer if I keep treating my feet the way I do. But the best news of all is when I asked if I had to keep wearing Clementine (I thought I should name her given the fact that we've become such good friends)and he said "No!" I was so excited that I almost jumped out of my chair to hug him. It was such great news. I know the walker boot doesn't seem like that big of deal to wear, but for me it was a real struggle to be limited in areas of my life. It caused some tears to flow, and then they would flow even harder when I would come to my senses and realize that I had nothing to cry about given that the boot WAS only temporary, and that things could be a lot worse. Clementine and I had a good run together, but I think for now we must part ways, and I'm okay with that.

Tis the Season...

Tis the season for crafts! These are just a few things I've been up to this week for Christmas gifts. Who doesn't love the chocolate chip cookie in a jar?! I thought it was simple, and a fun gift to make. The tutu is pretty scary looking in this picture, but I think it will look really cute on my 1 year old niece. The crayon rolls are my favorite. They can be a little time consuming, but the end result is great for little kids.

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope everyone had as great of a Thanksgiving Day as we did. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and this year it was extra special to have my grandma with us. The morning started out with Blake playing football with our ward and then it's a family tradition to have dinner at my parent's house. Once dinner's over it's time to scout out our Black Friday events. This year it seemed like the stores were opening earlier than in years past, so it was a little trickier. Blake and I got up at 4:15am to get dressed and make some hot chocolate for the road. First stop Fred Meyer where they had board games buy one, get one free. Can you believe that! Then off to Target to pick up a couple DVD's that were another great buy, but they were sold out. Luckily my mom was able to pick them up for us. Then off to Joann Fabric where it was crazy! Who knew there would be so many crazed fabric women. The cutting table was on number 21 when we got our number, which was 87. We picked up a few things and then skipped the fabric until later this weekend. I didn't have that kind of patience. Then off to Home Depot where we were hoping to get some $.99 poinsettias-they were sold out. We did get a ladder and some Christmas lights that were on sale. Then back home. We did all this by 8:15am. Talk about the early bird getting the worm! After breakfast Blake and I were thinking of heading back to bed. Instead we got the idea to start hanging the Christmas lights outside, finish painting the downstairs bathroom, hang my mountain bike from the ceiling in the garage, plant some tulip bulbs, clean the garage, do some laundry, and go through our closets to make a trip to the Goodwill. Finally by 6:00pm it was time to come in, shower for the day, and put on our sweat pants. After dinner we couldn't believe that it was only 6:30pm. We had accomplished so much, and it was still so early. We talked about putting in a movie, but as 7:30 rolled around I was doing some serious head bobbing on the couch so I decided to head to bed. I know it's early, but I was so exhausted! Here are some pictures from hanging the Christmas lights. Blake was so excited to get a ladder and do some handy work. He's been doing a lot of working on cars, and fixing things lately. He's getting so good, and it's fun to see how much joy he gets from getting his hands a little dirty.

Team Edward!

We saw New Moon last night. It was so GOOD!!! Okay, I know that I have said from day one that I would not become a Twilight junkie, but I think I'm starting to eat my own words. I'm not a big one on being a crazed fan about anything, but I'm even starting to contemplate reading the Twilight series. Blake and I saw Twilight in Provo when it came to the dollar theatre, and I instantly fell in love with Edward. I even secretly wished Blake was a vampire after that movie (okay so I didn't really but it was a thought). Last night was opening night for New Moon and I went to buy the movie tickets early since we figured it would be sold out. We arrived to the theatre 45 minutes before the movie was to start and there was a line of about 300 people waiting to get in the same showing. I don't know what time they got there, but they definitely wanted there pick of seats. The funniest thing we noticed while waiting in line was...1. Blake and I were the oldest couple in line (most of the couples were in high school or possibly even junior high)and 2. We forgot to buy our Team Edward or Team Jacob t-shirts. We didn't know there was such a competition going on, but we are routing for Team Edward. New Moon was a must see and we can't wait for the next in the Twilight series to come out next year.

What I've Been Up To

We've been in our house now for about one month. We're unpacked and I've started to get a little antsy with nothing to do. What better thing to do with my time, but to start painting. Boy what a job that is!! I really didn't think it was going to be that hard, until I ran into non-straight lines when I wanted them REALLY straight. I have this pet peeve when it comes to painted walls. I like it to look like a professional did the painting. Three days later I finally finished the kitchen and dining room. I didn't take a before picture, but the new and improved walls look so much better. I had such a good time that I'm going to paint in the living room and bathroom next. Then I'm going to head to the upstairs and see what kind of trouble I can get into.




The wall isn't streaky like this picture shows

Trick Or Treat

It's been forever since I've posted and thought I should catch up starting with Halloween. Blake and I didn't know what to expect as far trick or treaters since we had just moved into our house. We were hoping to have a ton of kids, so many that we would have to make an emergency trip to the store for more candy. Blake even dressed up so he could show his Elvis costume off the the kids. When the doorbell rang it was music to our ears....which we only heard once in the entire night. When we opened the door there were so many kids. I think all the kids in our neighborhood came in a huge herd, and then they were off to the next housing development. It was fun, even if it was for only 10 seconds. Oh, I almost forgot the best part of Halloween night. We had our pumpkins stolen. We had 4 carved pumpkins, 2 large uncarved pumpkins and 4 small pumpkins outside. In the morning all that was left were our 4 small pumpkins, and the tops of the 4 pumpkins that we had carved. All the others were gone!! I was kind of mad and surprised that people actually came down our driveway and stole our uncarved pumpkins. Can you believe that??! Blake thought it was kind of funny since he used to do the same thing to people when he was younger. I guess next year any pumpkin that isn't carved will be put in the garage until the next morning.


It's always fun to carve pumpkins with Blake because he's so creative. I bet you can pick out the one I did with the symmetrical face-boring


For the ward Halloween party I went as Betty Rubble again and Blake was a couch potato


These are some fun treats I made to take to the ward Halloween party

New Footwear!

Here is the picture by popular demand of my new contraptions. Have a good laugh!

I asked for it...

This past month the top of my foot has been really sore and fairly swollen. I've iced it and nothing happens. I've stretched it and nothing happens. Being the bad patient I am I thought that I would just let it do its thing and that it will eventually heal on its own. As my left foot is supposed to be healing the heel on my other foot starting hurting. It really gets me as I walk up and down our stairs, but like the other I thought it would heal on its own as well. I've been running still and that doesn't seem to bother it to much, so how bad could it be?!! As it turns out we have a podiatrist that's in our ward, so I thought maybe I would just go see him and see what he has to say. I should have known it would be bad when they just happened to have a new patient opening today when I just called them yesterday to schedule. I knew I should have waited until the middle of November when there next available appointment was. After 4 sets of xrays they were able to tell me about all the special and unique things that my feet hold, and oh by the way I have a fracture on my second toe on the left foot. WHAT!!! It was supposed to be healing on its own, but instead I got to go home with a lovely walker boot that will become my best friend for the next 4 weeks until my next appointment with the DR. Did I mention that I also have to wear an air cast on the other foot. Apparently because of the pain in the left foot my right foot has been making up the slack and my Achilles tendon it tighter than heck. After hearing the prognosis the DR asked if I had any questions, and of course I did. His response to my questions were...No exercise for at least 4 weeks (the stationary bike is the only lower extremity exercise I can do, and that happens to be my least favorite), and I need to be wearing the boot and aircast all hours when I'm awake-no exceptions. Can you believe this!! Not only will I look absolutely funny with all my new contraptions, but then no exercise. The positive side of this is that I can promote Breg products because I can get the walker boot and aircast from my darling husband. Also it's better to have this lovely new friends on my leg and feet when it's colder outside. It would be much worse to have them in the summer.

So this brings me to my next question. What's everyones opinion on leggings? I've been toying with the idea of getting a pair, but have wondered if maybe I'm to old to wear them-meaning that they look a lot cuter on younger people. I already know that they will not be worn under skirts to make up for wearing a shorter skirt, and I definitely will be wearing sweaters or shirts that are longer to cover up my backside. I just thought they may be convenient with my new walker boot. What do you think?

Remembering the Past

Now that life has settled down a bit since the move I've been taking the opportunity to look into some genealogy on my grandmothers side(my mom's mom). My grandma is this amazing person who put together a book about 15 years ago that has her entire families side of genealogy information typed out. I was going through some our boxes and came across it and decided to start reading it this week. It has so much great information in it, and it's so interesting to read. I've been learning so much, and I can't believe how much work this must have taken. Since I've been reading this book, I've been thinking a lot about my life and where it has taken me. For me I like to think back to right before I met Blake and sift through all those memories first, then I think back further to college life, high school and previous to that. Being in a new area it's easy for me to think about all the places that I've lived. Montana,for me to go to college, Spokane, WA for my job after college, Utah for Blake to finish college, Portland, OR for Blake's summer job, Enumclaw, WA for our little blirp before moving to our home in Bothell, WA. We've moved a lot and had so many wonderful memories in all the places we've lived. When I think back to when I met Blake I think about Spokane, WA the most. Spokane was where I decided to join the LDS Church. Spokane was where I was in my first and only singles ward. I remember sitting next to my great friend Jessica and hearing her sing what became then my favorite hymn "Be Still My Soul." To this day whenever I hear that song it not only brings tears to my eyes because of how beautiful it is, but it also takes me back to when I first heard it. I made so many wonderful friends and memories in the Havana Ward, and I had one of the best bishops- Bishop Black. Now that Blake and I are in Bothell we're so excited to start making memories here. We've already managed to meet some great people in our new ward, found a great jogging route, and discovered a really neat shopping area nearby. It's kind of like a University Village for those of you that have been there, but instead of all the clothing stores this town center has one of a kind shops and restaurants. We're loving our new house and the area, and can't wait for what the future will hold here.

Uplifting

Blake's parents gave us this awesome CD for a housewarming gift. I LOVE IT! It's called Nearer- A New Collection of Favorite Hymns. You've got to get it, because I know you'll love it too.

Here's a spiritual message for the day!

Home At Last

We're officially in our new home. The moving extravaganza began on Thursday when we closed on our house. Blake and I decided that when we went to pick up the keys we'd load up our cars and take over what would fit in them-not much, but it was still fun. Then the big moving started on Friday. Blake and some faithful helpers from church helped load up the Budget truck and off we went to Bothell to unload our belongings. After this weekend of packing, unpacking, organizing, hanging pictures and curtains I can say that we are about settled. It's funny to look around our house and see how bare it is. Blake and I can yell from the downstairs to the upstairs and it almost echos. I was thinking though as I vacuumed that the less furniture we have the less I have to clean. I'm liking that idea until we gradually start to add to our furniture collection. It feels good to be here and to have our new home. It's weird to think that we don't have a landlord to report problems to. Every time we make a mark on the wall I'm always thinking that it's something that we'll have to touch up before we move out- but move out in the renting sense. My dinosaur computer can't upload pictures from an SD card so I will add pictures of the inside of our home later. Thanks again for everyone that helped with our move to make it go so smoothly. We really appreciate it!

Out with the Old..In with the New

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to Yakima to spend time with Blake's parents, Mikell, Brandt, and Heidi and her kids. It was so nice to see them! It's been almost 5 months since we saw the Heidi and her kids, and Mikell since they still live in Utah, and it was sad to say goodbye again. Heidi's kids are so funny, and are such a joy to be around. William, the second to the youngest wasn't talking when we moved to Washington, so we made sure every second we could to quiz him of our names so he'll remember us. Hopefully it sticks. Blake and I were called by other aunts and uncles names a few times, which always makes us laugh. We know they remember us, but they have to pretend that they don't, so that they don't show favorites with us-right?!

This week is our big move. We did our walk through last week and that went really well. We're getting excited as the days get closer, but I'm getting a little sad as well. Blake thinks it funny how I'm always so reluctant to move somewhere new, and then after being there for a few months I never want to leave. I've become that way in Enumclaw. I love being here. We've made some great friends in the ward. I love hiking Mt. Peak which is practically in the backyard. I have found the perfect jogging route finally. It's nice to be with my parents when Blake goes out of town for work for a few days. Most of all I've really gotten used to not having a job, but I think that streak is over. When we move since there won't be as much excitement that comes with living with 2 other people I think boredom will set in. Oh the good old days.....they will be missed. On the positive side Blake and I will be living by ourselves again and that alone will be wonderful! Also it will be a little slice of heaven to have all of our belongings out of a storage unit. I joke and say that the lady that runs the storage unit must think that we're storing illegal drugs in our unit because I think I'm there almost every other day.

The pictures I've added make me laugh. I told Halle and Cole to smile at the camera and all I got were some scary faces. They are so them though!






Check out how big our driveway is. It's so nice and they did put in some grass, it just wasn't in when this picture was taken.

Latest Reads

Okay, so don't judge too harshly but I've been reading Tori Spelling's books. She has written two entitled Stori Telling, and Mommywood. Last summer when Blake and I lived in Portland we had our cable with Comcast. Well Comcast has prerecorded sitcoms that you can watch anytime of the day, kind of like Tivo. Needless to say Tori and Dean "Home Sweet Hollywood" was one of those shows. It's a reality show about Tori Spelling, her husband- Dean, and there kids. I started to watch the show and now I'm hooked. This last season ended around July and she was promoting her latest book Mommywood. So for my birthday my parents bought me the book. I really enjoyed it! Of course once that book was done I had to buy her first book-Stori Telling. It's not as good as Mommywood as of yet, but I'm still totally into it. It's amazing the things you don't realize about celebrities, such as the fact that some people really hate the fame and just want to be considered "normal." Judge away if you must, but I'm still holding true to being a fan and can't wait until the next season starts.

Fall Is In the Air

This is my favorite time of year, Fall. I love the cool, crisp mornings, the luke warm sunshine during the day, all the beautiful leaves that are changing colors. This time of year makes me miss Montana and Utah a lot. In Washington we have more pine trees than leafy trees so we don't get a lot of leaves that change colors and fall to the ground. How great is the sound of crunching leaves under your feet?! Fall also means that Halloween is just around the corner, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. Fall also means it's time to have the pumpkin spice candles burning, decorating with pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn, curling up with your sweetheart to stay warm, drinking spiced cider, staying in on the weekend and reading a good book, eating hearty comfort food, and going for leisurely walks. What more could a girl want?!

Getting Closer!

Today my parents, Blake, and I went out to our new house to check the progress. The outside has been painted (and we love the color that was selected for us), the cabinets up in the kitchen and bathrooms, the flooring is down-minus the carpet, and some of the kitchen appliances are in. It was so exciting to see that the selections we made look great!! I'm not really good about visualizing things so I was a little nervous about our flooring selections, and our back splash selection in the kitchen. Blake was confident in our selection, so I took a leap of faith and trusted that he knew best, and I'm glad I did. Our house is starting to look like OUR house with all our added personal touches and I love it. We're anxious to see what it looks like once the landscaping is done and the driveway poured which should be in a few weeks, and then.......In about 30 days we should be moving in if the schedule keeps on time. I was asking Blake what the one thing he was most excited about living in our new house was and he said that he's looking forward to finishing the fence and landscaping in the backyard (the backyard is fenced on 2 of the 3 sides because it's a corner lot and the backyard we have to landscape ourselves). I told Blake that I can't wait to plant a garden next summer. We have the perfect spot in our little backyard that I've already designated for it.




The house is a light blue with a dark brown accent color. The front door color is my favorite part because the color is actually called Bon Nuit, which means "Goodnight" in French.

Canning Extravaganza

A few weeks ago I was at one of the local farmers markets and they were selling tomatoes, peaches, and pears by the box, and right then and there I decided that this year I would jump on the canning bandwagon. After purchasing a one box of each I realized that I didn't have any of the other supplies to can, so I headed to the store and away I went with canning jars, lids, pectin, a canning pot for water bath canning, and a lot of sugar. Then reality hit....I was so excited about canning, that I didn't even think of the fact that I have no idea how to can. We had always helped my mom when we were kids, and it seemed fun, but then again I was about 10 and most things seem fun at that age. Thank goodness for "Google"! I googled everything I could ever possibly need to know about canning, and away I went. It was a ton of fun, but a TON OF WORK! After about one week of canning peaches, pears, blackberry jam (we picked the blackberries since they grow like weeds in Washington), salsa, stewed tomatoes, and marinara sauce I was all canned out. I still have some jars so I think I'll give applesauce a whirl soon, but I think that will be the end of the canning extravaganza until next year. In the pictures below you will probably wonder why there's a picture of Sierra, my parents dog. Well it's because that's how she would look at me for hours on end while I was canning. She is the worlds most dedicated begger I have ever seen. By the second day I figured she was getting tired from standing for so long that I brought her bed into the dining room so she could at least take a break and relax while watching to see if anything fell from my hands. She's a funny dog.




There's about 8 jars missing from this picture to make up all our canned goods so far.

Things that make you go huh?!

Since we've been back in the beautiful town of Enumclaw (that's where my parents live) I've made some interesting observations. Did you know that when corn is growing the pom pom part of the husk is kind of a fushia color? Why is that, since when we buy corn after it's been harvested the pom pom part is a brownish-yellowish-green color. What is it with cows and there eating habits...1. Is the grass that much better underneath the barbed wire fence, or do they just live by the philosphy the grass is always greener on the other side? 2. When cows are lying down why do they continue to munch on the grass around them? Take a break from eating! I know totally random huh? It is, but each morning whether I'm going for a hike or jogging around the back roads of Enumclaw (by the way there are a ton of dairy farms in the "Claw") I'm surrounded by fields and crops, and each morning I happen to notice something more interesting than the last day. Stay tuned for more crazy observations from Enumclaw!

Camping and more Camping!

Blake really wanted to take advantage of camping this summer, well I think we've accomplished that. Our camping season kicked off with camping at Ocean Shores with Brent and Ashley Thompson. We met them up there as they were making there way from Utah to Yakima, WA to have another wedding reception and visit family. It was a great time. The weather was a little cool, but we made the most of it. Blake rekindled his love with flying kites, and building sand castles. It was fun to see Blake and Brent (they grew up together in Yakima) playing together as if they were 12 again.

Next stop, San Juan Islands, Lopez Island to be exact. One of my girlfriends from high school, who we ran into at church, her parents own about 30 acres on Lopez Island. It was so beautiful. It's right on the ocean, but the camping area is far enough back that you feel like you're also in the deep woods. We got to do a little kayaking, fly fishing, dirt bike riding, and playing football and volleyball. I think there was about 6 couples and there kids that all went. Blake and I were the only ones without any kids. It was a great couple of weekends!

Great Reads

I think I may be the worlds worst reader. Meaning that I just don't make time to get a good book and finish it within a reasonable amount of time. Blake laughs at the fact that it can seriously take me 6 months to finish a book. I just don't make time to read, and the time I do make is right before bed and then I seem to just get sleepy. This summer since I'm not working I've made it a goal to read one book a month. Last was the first month and I read "The Shack" by WM. Paul Young. My grandpa recommended it to me, and now I'm recommending it to you. This month I'm reading "Always Looking Up; The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" by Michael J. Fox. I'm almost half way done, and it is REALLY good. I didn't know very much about what he's gone through since he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and all the remarkable things he's doing for people with this disease. I haven't read his first book "Lucky Man" but I'm guessing it's just as good. Happy Reading!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Monday was my "28th" birthday! Most years I'm really excited for my birthday and if I had it my way it would more like a week long celebration, rather than just for one day. This year it was a little different for me. Things have been so busy, and I think all of my extra time has been focused on getting ready to move into our house in the fall. I've been extra good about budgeting, and I'm not a huge fan of that word (BUDGET). I don't even like to say it out loud. But since we've moved back to Washington, I've been really careful about how and what we spend our money on. So this year I came up with the idea of no gifts for my birthday. Blake was not happy about that and fought me until the end. So instead of gifts he decided to take the day off from work and spend the day with me doing whatever I wanted. The morning started off by being woken up to Blake giving me his homemade birthday card. Priceless sums up the card! He drew zoo animals on the front with colored pencils and then on the inside he wrote a message on one side and then on the other side were pictures of guys and girls that were cut out of a Kohl's newspaper add, and they were wishing me a Happy Birthday in little conversation bubbles. First stop of the day was a pedicure, which I did allow him to get for me. Who can resist a pedicure! Then off to the Woodland Park Zoo, which was a blast. Then after seeing all of the animals and our picnic lunch at the zoo we headed to the theatre to see "Julie and Julia." I would highly recommend that movie to everyone. It was really cute and it inspired me to want to take cooking lessons. Then back home for poor mans spaghetti. You're probably wondering what the heck that is; I know my parents were when we told them. It's just spaghetti noodles with marinara sauce and then we put some shredded cheddar cheese on top. I don't know how we came up with the name, but it's easy, and it tastes super good. It was a great day all around. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect birthday. Thank you to everyone that called, sent a text, and emailed me to wish me a happy birthday.

Moving Right Along

Well our house is looking more and more like a house every time we go out to Bothell. Blake and I made a trip over on Saturday and learned what colors they had selected for the exterior paint. The trim is a cream color, the front door will be a chocolate color, the main portion of the house will be a lighter brown color, and then the accent color will be a blueish-grey. The colors of course were named something more extravagant than brown, cream, blueish-grey, and light brown. The name of the color of the door is actually Bon Nuit, which actually means goodnight in French. I thought that was a perfect name for our front door. Blake just agrees and laughs.







So a funny/ironic thing happened this past week. Blake and were talking about how we hadn't received a calling in church yet, and we just thought it was because we'd only be in Enumclaw for another 6 weeks or so. Boy did I open my mouth too soon. Not only did they ask us to be the ward missionaries, but they gave me an additional calling in Relief Society. They asked if I was willing to be the choruster. I wanted to cry when they asked me. I know that we are supposed to be grateful for the callings we receive because they are given to us at just the right time, for a good reason. Let's just say this calling wasn't God inspired at all- the girl that normally does it is now playing the piano because the girl that was playing the piano went back to college. For those of you that don't know, I'm not musically blessed at all!! I can't sing very well, I don't play any instrument-that includes playing the piano, I don't know how to read music, I don't even know all the hymns in the hymn book, and I definitely didn't know how to conduct when they asked me. Needless to say I told them I would give it a try and I spent 2 hours practicing with the online tool on lds.org. Oh my gosh, there is so much to learn about conducting music! Blake just laughs at me and tells me that I will do fine, and that no one will even notice if I mess up. I'll keep you posted on how this Sunday goes. Hopefully the older women don't eat me alive.

Exciting Find

If you're looking for a really cute dress, that's perfect in length, for any occasion check out shabbyapple.com They're based in Salt Lake City. I found a couple dresses that I liked and ordered them online and two days later they were at my door. The quality of the dresses was great, the sizes that they suggest are perfect, and they're really cute on!

Also one other side note, for all of you that are familiar with how slow my hair grows...I can finally put it in a pony tail with no bobby pins. Blake says the pony tail part looks like my parents dog tail because it's so short, but it's a pony tail. Yeah!

Big News!

Okay so no we aren't pregnant- sorry to get your hopes up. The news is that we bought a house! We haven't really told many people outside our immediate family, but we've decided to let the secret out. It's in Bothell and it's in the process of being built. The estimated time for us to close on it is the middle of October. We're really excited, but I'm really nervous. Blake's just really excited. You know how guys are, they don't sweat the small stuff- if only I was like that sometimes. My biggest worry is that we can't lock in our interest rate for our loan until September so I'm just a little worried it may skyrocket between now and then. It is going to be a roller coaster ride until we move in, but we're excited. Below is a picture of our lot. It's not looking too much like a house as of yet. The other picture is of what our house will look like once it's all done, but with maybe a different color. The colors are preselected, but they haven't chosen our house color yet.





Other than buying a house, Blake and I have been super busy on the weekends. My family and I have been getting Blake cultured with all of the exciting things in Seattle and Enumclaw. For instance last weekend was the King County Fair which is in Enumclaw. It used to be really fun with animals, rides, food, games, entertainment....but now it's just mainly 4H animals. Blake, my mom, and I decided to check it out anyways, and boy was it lame. This past weekend we decided to step our entertainment up a notch so we went to a Mariners game. That was really fun! My dad was given some tickets for all his hard work in Utah on his last project. Little did the guy know that my dad doesn't really like baseball, so who better to give them to but to Blake and I. Blake was in heaven! The first thing we had to do was get him a hotdog-he said it was for the experience. The Mariners lost, but we will still remain faithful fans.





After the game we met my parents for dinner down at Pike Place Market and then we walked up to 4th avenue for the annual Seafair Torchlight Parade. For those of you that don't know what Seafair is, it's starts the last weekend of July and goes through the first weekend of August. The first weekend of August are the hydroplane races and the Blue Angels Flight Show. It's a pretty big thing in Seattle and fun to check out all the festivities.

Family in Town

For a week before the 4th of July my brother and his family were able to come visit from Colorado. It was so much fun to see them and hang out for a week before they went on there way to California and then back to Colorado. Our nephew, Hunter, and niece, Payton are getting so big. It's funny to hear the things that Hunter has to say, and see the funny facial expressions Payton makes. Here are some pictures from the vacation here.


My brother, Justin with Payton


My sister-in-law, Kim, Hunter, Payton, and Justin


Isn't this picture precious?!

"It's the Little Things That Count"

I've been tagged by my friend Jess. The game goes as follows: List Six Unimportant Things That Make You Happy.

1. Going for a jog or a hike first thing in the morning before the sun comes up, and the only sounds around you are the birds chirping and the cows walking around in there pasture.

2. Seeing Blake kneel and pray before he goes to bed.

3. The sound of Sierra (my parents dog) snoring in Blake's and my bedroom at night.

4. Seeing Blake come home from work and getting a kiss and a hug hello.

5. Having FHE with Blake, my parents, and my sister (they call it family game night)

6. Sitting on my parents back porch and reading a book or magazine.

Let Freedom Ring

This year for the 4th of July weekend Blake and I made our way out to Yakima and the Tri-Cities area. For the 4th we went to Tri-Cities where there was a Gibbons family reunion. It was so fun to see all of Blake's aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and there spouses and kids. We spent the day eating, visiting, swimming, playing games, and then we headed down to the river to watch the fireworks. It was really cool watching the fireworks go off from a barge in the Columbia River. The weather was perfect, and the company was great as well. Then that night we traveled back to Yakima with Blake's parents. On Sunday we were able to go to church with Blake's mom and dad, and then spend the afternoon with them before driving back to Enumclaw. It's so nice to be close to family again, and to be able to travel to see them on short weekends. Oh, I almost forgot, on the way to the river to watch the fireworks we made a little pit stop to pick some cherries from the Gibbon's family




We're laughing so hard because Carolyn thought I looked like Aunt Jemima by the way I was holding my cherry bowl on my hip.