a whole lotta good stuff...

This past month or so has been quite eventful. I had a lot of pictures to upload so I just put each event in it's own collage.

Let's start back in mid October after I came back from working in Orlando. I came home to find some of our bedroom furniture in our living room. I loved how Ryan arranged it down there, but then I thought, "hmmm...if this armoire and mirror are down here...what is upstairs?" I walked on up and found that Ryan had gotten this beautiful bedroom set for me. Such a great surprise! He's so good at surprises. I love how it looks. Now, I just need some curtains, a lamp for my night stand, and other little decorations. Thank you babe!

For Halloween our company puts on a Halloween costume contest. My boss told us that he was dressing up as Charlie Brown, and then the rest of us Managers decided that we'd dress up like the characters as well and hopefully win the prize for the best group costume. Originally we were just going to dress up as the gang, but then about a week before we had found these paper mache heads people had used. So, that was it! We spent the next days until the contest working on our heads. Layer after layer of paper mache, Ryan stepping in to paint mine and Violeta's head (he did an amazing job!), and getting the outfits right.

It paid off! We got third place and $100. I think we should have at least gotten 2nd place but it was still fun! :)

Top L-R: Linus (Kaj), Marcy (me), Pig Pen (Austin), Charlie Brown (TJ)
Bottom: Lucy (Violeta)

Best thing that happened in November...this whole year for that matter...the birth of my sweet nephew Liam Tobias Summerhays on November 16th. He is the son of my little sister Caitilin and her hubby Kurt. Proud older brothers are Gavin (8) and Ryan (6).

He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs. 6oz. 21", and absolutely PERFECT! I mean just look at him!! Oh he melts my heart and I haven't even met him yet. Can't wait until they come at the end of December for his blessing and for Gavin's baptism. He'll be welcoming a cousin that will be only 5 weeks younger than him. Shane and Sharon are also having their third, but this time it's a girl.

I'm so thankful for sweet miracles like this!

Tuesday morning we got up early and headed for Wyoming for Thanksgiving. A storm was coming that evening so we figured we'd head out a day earlier. We hit snow 3 different times, each time followed by clear skies, roads, and hardly any snow. It was weird. We had fun driving with Max. He slept a lot!

I love where Ryan's parents live, Powell. It's such a cute little town. We drove around and found our favorite houses there. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the side of the house on the bottom right corner. It was huge, and just gorgeous!


Took some pictures around his parents property. Lots of beautiful land!


Oh boy! This was eventful. The last night we were there we went to dinner at a place that serves "Rocky Mountain Oysters". If you don't know what those are google it. I was scared to try it, not for the taste but just the thought of knowing what they were made me nervous. I braved it and tried them. Not too bad, I guess. Tastes like ranch dressing. haha!

Pictures after dinner. I'm sad I didn't get the camera out for our actual Thanksgiving dinner the evening before. Ryan's Grandpa, and Aunt and Uncle came by to join us. It was great seeing everyone. I sure love these guys!!

It's been a great month, and a great Thanksgiving.

Too much snow??

Is there such a thing? I used to not think so...the more the better for me, just not so much that it cuts the power in our house, or that I can't drive on the road.

Well, we're supposed to be heading out of town for Turkey day and seeing as we're supposed to have close to Blizzard conditions tomorrow through out Wednesday morning (when we're supposed to be leaving)...oh man I'm just crossing my fingers we can make it. Too much snow at this time isn't a good thing; when you can't travel to be with your loved ones.

*Crossing my fingers everything will work out*

giveaway!!

I want to win this...badly!

Make sure you enter too! But if you do and you win...I won't be very happy. Ha ha, just kidding I'll be thrilled! I just may need to come to your house everyday to use it, that's all. :)

Snow Fall

When I see snow falling outside the window, I get giddy. As one of my co-workers put it today, “I love how your eyes light up”, when it comes to snow. I can’t get enough of the beautiful cotton-looking-fluffy-white-stuff falling outside. The sight of it brings a HUGE smile on my face, and as my co-worker said, my eyes light up.

I tried to figure out in my head why I get so excited by it. Then it hit me, a memory that made my smile grow a few more inches.

The day of the first snow fall that beautiful fall morning back in 1986. We had just moved to Utah from Hawaii that June. We waited anxiously those next few months for the day when it would snow. We’d never really seen snow fall. I mean we had taken trips every 3 years to the mainland, and had seen snow before…the kind where it had pretty much melted everywhere except for some in the mountains. We’d try to have snowball fights with it, but it was too hard…too icy. We’d tried to pack it up and put it in the cooler, but to no avail. It melted.

I believe we were woken up by a neighbor that school day morning, telling us it has snowed and was still snowing, or maybe it was our parents waking us up telling us about the snow. Either way we literally SPRUNG out of our beds and ran outside. Yes, we were still in our PJ’s, yes, we were barefoot, and no…we didn’t mind one bit! In fact I don’t even remember feeling cold. I think the shear excitement of the beauty that was all around us got our adrenaline going, and kept us warm. I’m sure the neighbors were thinking we were crazy running around barefoot, and not properly dressed, in the snow. What a site we were!

Pretty soon mom and dad had the video camera going taping all of us doing cartwheels on the front lawn, running and sliding into the snow, throwing snowballs at each other, and catching snow-flakes serendipitously in our mouths. All the things we had only dreamed of ever doing. The only person who wasn’t excited was my older sister Megan. She stood on the porch free from the flakes, dressed in her winter attire, dreading being cold. She wanted to be back in the sunshine, back in Hawaii. The rest of us…we were as JOYOUS as could be.

I’ll never forget that “First snow fall” for us. It was pure magic!

So yes, I still get giddy at the first snow fall(s) of the season. It’ll never get old to me.

It’s beautiful; magical!

I'm thankful...

...today to be PMS-ing. I know, I know that sounds totally wrong; to be grateful you feel like you're about to cry at any given moment, or feel like you want to scream at people, or feel like you just want to punch someone in the face. But when all you really want to do is sit and eat chocolate ice-cream with the works on it while watching "The Holiday" all by yourself. Yeah that about sums it up.

My body and my hormones have been crazy for the past...oh...3 years. I got some meds to try and regulate things and I think they're working. My body is back on track, it feels.

And I'm happy to be back on track...as sucky as it can be at times.

I'm sure I'll change my mind about how grateful I am here in a few days or so. But in the mean time, I'll take this feeling of gratitude and run with it...all the way to the store to buy my chocolate ice-cream with the works...yumm.

HAPPY FRIDAY!