~** MeRrY ChRiStMaS **~

What a beautiful Christmas Day! Thank you Santa for all of my goodies.

Even more so, I am thankful for our Savior, in so many ways.

*~winter~*

Call me crazy, but I am really loving all of the fun things winter brings! There are so many lovely things to see and it amazes me how different the weather and nature are here.

I am sure by now that some are tired of the nature close-ups, but not me! So here are a few from an adventure to a place called Perry, Utah.

{i am not sure what this plant is, but thought it was beautiful with the frost hanging on it}

{reminds me of the story, the last leaf by o. henry}

{I thought this one was fun because all i did was tip my head and camera up to the treetops and focused on a branch further away...}

We were invited by some friends, {thanks treto family}, to take some family photos and then go to lunch. We went to a restaurant that we have been told about by many.

One person in particular was so excited and shocked we had never gone, so this photo is for her! {see liz, we did go! yummy!}

**** snow ****

Well, we have had our fair share of the beautiful fluffy stuff in the past few days.

Here are some pics from around the yard!

This is a prickly bush in the front yard. Great for holding onto the snow and making a pretty picture, but alas, will be gone in the Spring...




The snow is so deep! It is half way up my shin!



Well, our birdies will have an interesting time getting out the seeds in this feeder! Love how it made a snowball on the top. Most of this snow is from the storm that started last night and lasted through much of today.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!!

A friend once said they wished for more time, but the reply from another friend was that if we had more time, we would fill it up too...so true.

Much has taken place in the last month...ReAlLy?! A month since I posted...whoa!

~~~~~~~~~~

This year for Time Out For Women, Teesha and I met in St. George...we, of course, had a blast! I had purchased a ticket for the Salt Lake City one too and my cousin was going to join me, but she was unable to at the last minute. I went anyway! I know...bRaVe!! But it was truly a unique experience. I was able to pick up a few things I had not heard before. Not to mention, I made a new friend that weekend and started about 30 rows back from the stage and then ended up in the third row! So neat! I was sitting in Chieko Okazaki's original seat, until Sheri Dew came up and told her to move to the front row....what a neat experience!

*************

We had a fun Halloween with my sister and her kiddos. We went to the Treehouse Museum for the Enchanted Woods. {A non-scary Halloween activity that takes them from one story to the next}. We took a Pikachu and a Max with us...The next day we had a visit from a very cute butterfly who decided to color on the back patio and play...


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

We were able to go to California for a quick trip to do a maternity session of a beautiful lady, inspiring photos of a future missionary, and see a few friends for a mexican feast. We had other plans, but they were changed...in Primm of all places. Oh well...

+++++++++

Thanksgiving was at our place this year! Gailon was able to make a marvelous feast! I think he went a bit overboard...but it was oh so tasty! We were blessed to have family around us to share in the giving of thanks.


^^^^^^^^^

We have been amazingly blessed with photo jobs in the last little bit. Since Gailon was laid off in October, we have had no free weekends and sometimes evenings during the week. A major blessing! He puts in at least two to three applications everyday, so we are hoping someone finds his qualifications and charm to their liking! Otherwise it is on to plan B....

##########

We are in the throes of adoption and fostering. We completed classwork, and more paperwork than I could ever imagine! We are hopeful that all will work out on this adventure! We are looking into a couple of agencies as well as private adoption, the time has come...our house is too quiet!

___________

And now to end this long, boring post that has funny little symbols running through it...

St. George Adventures

What a fun filled weekend!
We were able to go down to visit with our buddies Mike and Teesha in St.George. This was a great place to be for the warm weather, the great condo, half way drive for us both, and for Time Out For Women!
This was our third one together and we always have such a blast! Next year we are going to go to the Las Vegas one and told the guys that they could stay home.
The guys played with the kiddos so Teesha and I could go to the Friday and Saturday events!
{thanks for being the nannies so we could hang out! you two are AwEsOmE!!}

We were so lucky to be able to see one of our favorite performers, Hillary Weeks! Teesha had no idea that she would be there, don'tcha just love surprises!

The weekend was not long enough, but any chance to hang out with them and see those cute bebe's is always a treat.

i {heart} fall...

there is beauty all around...
















...so I took a moment this morning to observe the beauty around us and thank Heavenly Father for all that He has provided us with...









...and I found a few examples right in my own backyard.

Amazing.

what happened to my snow?!

The weather is certainly changing!

I had Parent-Teacher conferences this week and noticed that the evenings are getting cooler.

There have been a few storms come our way and give us a bit of snow, but it is mostly gone from the tops of the mountains. Everyone laughs and tells me to just be patient...shoveling snow is not all it is cracked up to be. Well...we will see...

Other than that, we have been busy with the house and photography. It amazes me how busy we already are! Every weekend until the end of November is booked with family shoots, as well as several days during the week! It is great to get out and see the many beautiful spots around here, not to mention being able to do something we love.

We will be in Provo tomorrow doing a family shoot, Herriman next Saturday for a family shoot, several here in Ogden, and then down to California for a maternity shoot and three family shoots! Whew...busy!!

Not to mention a little adventure down to Saint George on the 6th of November and Salt Lake on the 13th.... I am as giddy as a wee little school girl!!

Here We Are...{mostly}

Well, Teesha, in her kind and loving way reminded me that I have not posted pictures of the house.

We are still waiting for the contractor bids for the remodeling projects we want to do....can't wait!

{We will be re-doing the basement laundry room, the media room, carpet in the basement, the downstairs bathroom, the flooring and counters in the kitchen, flooring in the dinning room, cabinets in the upstairs bathroom, and a bit outside in the yard...whew! that's alot of remodeling!}

The main appeal to this house was the view of the valley and mountains. We knew we would be doing alot of work, but for the price we paid for this "little four bedroom, two bathroom, two car garage, starter house"...well...we couldn't pass it up.

When the first house, that I loved so much for all of its charm and location fell through, this was a good second option.

So for now...here they are....the front of the new TuCkEr HeAdQuArTeRs!


the kitchen in all of its splendor...{soon to have new floors and granite counters}


our lovely upstairs living room {our salesman at RC Willey, Rick, LoVeS seeing us!! soon to have a new fireplace and mantel}

the dinning room with an amazing view of the valley. since we no longer have the ocean view, we HAD to have a valley view! so beautiful....watching the colors change, wow! can't wait for the snow!

of course, every good 1950's era utah home has their food storage room. it is so neato! and of course the deep freeze to accompany it!


the downstairs bathroom {soon to be reconfigured, painted, and sparkly new!}

the media room with gailon's welcome home gift of a tiny 58inch plasma and surround sound...makes watching all of the movies an incredible experience... {soon to be rewired, paneling removed and replaced with new drywall etc, lighted with can lights, and all around spiffied up.} to the right of this picture is gailon's work area/office, as well as the computer stations for the network.}


All in all, a work in progress...but we are certainly glad we embarked on this journey! Come on over, there is plenty of room!!

R.S. Broadcast....don'tcha just love it!?

There are times in ones life when you begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, you are becoming more grown up...tonight... was one of those nights. As I watched the Relief Society Broadcast tonight, I realized that I am at a point in my life where I can relate to some of the stories and scriptures being shared. ScArY!!

hmmmm....

i wonder....

Ogden Balloon Festival in Eden

{this one was fun because it looks
like someone took a bite out of it!}

What a neat festival...get up at 4:30am, travel carefully so as not to disturb the wildlife and cause them to enter in our pathway, wait, and then watch some amazing people do what they do best...blow up some balloons!


It was exciting to watch the crews set up and fill the hot air balloons. I have never been so close! You could actually feel the heat from the blowers as the balloons were prepared. Which was very nice due to the fact that it was a bit chilly. All in all, we were able to see some amazing balloons. It would have been fun to go in one, but we didn't sign-up in time.

Hopefully the rain will hold off a bit tonight and they will be able to do the night glow! That sounds just incredible!


It was so fun watching
and capturing all of this!

**i love you papa**

Hard to believe it has been four years....

Another Shelf Reliance Giveaway!

One of these days when my food storage and pantry are all organized, this is one thing that will be in place!

Horses, Chickens, and Pigs, Oh My!

The Weber County Fair was this past week and in the spirit of being involved in all things community, we both entered the photography competition.

Gailon entered in the advanced amateur/semi-professional division, {because you have to make more than half of your annual income in photography to be entered into the professional, and that is not the case here, yet…} and I entered the amateur division.

Gailon submitted two portraits and one commercial/industrial. I entered a commercial/ industrial, macro, and nature. We were having so much fun with selecting our pictures and getting them ready, the thought of ribbons and such was not even there.

Well, we decided to attend the Fair on Thursday, because my mom was still in town, and had a blast! We walked around all of the little booths, went to the trade show, and watched the rodeo. All of this during one of the windiest, dustiest, freakiest looking sky kinda nights. There was so much dust in the sky, that the sun was clouded over, to the point that you could look almost at it directly! CrAzY!
{just as a side note about the pics, they are straight out of the camera...no tweaking of any kind.}

By the time we got ready to leave, my eyes were red, watering, and in pain. One presenter thought that I was really tired, nope just the wind and dust!

One thing that we have been having fun with is taking in the whole experience of being here. So far we have attended the Fourth of July festivities, Rodeo for the 24th, the 24th of July Parade, the W.C. Fair, been to Smith and Edwards {a catch all store for everything from penny candy to guns, to military surplus and their motto is “We got it if you can find it”}, been on rides around the canyon, swam at Pineview “Beach”, and so much more!!

Oh yeah! The Fair results! Well, I was very shocked to see the results for me, not so much for Gailon. In his division he won First Place for Commercial / Industrial, First Place and Second Place for Portraiture!!! YAHOO GAILON! Way to go!

As I already said, I was shocked with my results:! In my division I won First Place for Commercial/Industrial, First Place for Macro, and Second Place for Nature.

So neat to see that when we walked into the exhibit hall!

The other thing that was really neat was that we were both recommended to go to the State Fair! This is the first time that I have entered ANY kind of competition of this kind, and I feel so honored to have been recognized. I guess this means I ain’t so bad after all! {Plus, now I get a new camera, that was part of the deal! Cannon 5D Mark II here I come!!} Check out Gailon's blog for more pics of our adventures!

We are having fun here in Ogden! We have found some new hang-outs, adventures, and traditions!

This one's for you Jen!

Posted by sara

Motorcyle Adventures!!!

I must say, one of the major advantages of living where we do is the access to amazing countryside! After weeding for a bit and doing some yard work, we decided to do some exploring on our bikes.

One of the trails that was recommended is Trappers Loop. BeAuTiFuL! {no pictures though! couldn't find a place to hold it...no bags on the bike....yet!}

Fun stuff! Hopefully I will find all of my cables and chargers soon so I can update with pictures!

Free on Friday with Provident Living

I receive this newsletter and love the products. I have been saving my pennies for the shelving system for my food storage. But an even better way to get things going is through their free giveaways! Check it out! This week is a 72 hour kit for two! And of course, the one thing that is important....toilet paper...it's included!! ;)

*home*

Wholly macaroni and cheese!
Busy does not even begin to describe how things have been!!! I must say, this move had many more "adventures" than any that we have had before. Luckily for us, this will be the last one for quite some time!

Now comes the fun stuff: contractors, drapery consultants, more contractors, consultation with sprinkler experts, and the list goes on. We are working on finding the cables and such so that I can download pictures from our move and of our projects around the house. So far I have pulled weeds and we ripped out a very angry rose bush, it had thorns all the way to the buds....no fun! We have painted almost every room in the house, had the carpet cleaned, scrubbed almost every square inch of the place, found enough dog hair to rebuild a small dog army {yUcK!}, built shelves in the garage, and unpacked many treasures.

Our ward has been very welcoming and friendly and our neighbors are very sweet as well. Next door there is a sweet little family and their little boy chats with me as I am watering the lawn, sooo cute!

All in all, we are enjoying it here. I totally miss so much about Pedro...{t}... but love being so close to the hiking trails, canyon, and some really beautiful places.

Well, best get back to unpacking....hopefully I can find everything and a place for it too!

JuNe 12.... already?!?!

Wow! I can't hardly believe that the end of the school year is here! As one of my cute kiddos said, "It seems like we just started last week!"

We had such a great time this year...field trips, adventures, drama, all rolled into one neat, little package. I took so many pictures this year, but can't really post them because of privacy issues with the kiddos, you know! :)

Now onto other adventures!

We will be closing on our house on Monday! Can I get a YaHoO!!?
We will then begin the painting and cleaning efforts before we come back to gather up a few loose ends. The movers are scheduled and the gear is ready..well, mostly. I still need to get some boxes and pack up a few items that are in the house...but other than that, we are ready to begin this new adventure! {well, mostly...i am a little nervous! so much change is such a small time frame...we will be fine...change is a good thing...right?...yup! you betcha!!!}

Today we had our end of the year luncheon and I was honored for my "...dedication and service to the school..." BIG surprise when I was handed this award. I am not much for large showings of praise, a little thank you in private will do me just fine! Needless to say I turned a million shades of red and got a bit teary-eyed. I am truly going to miss this group of teachers! They are awesome!! I love the tumbler with the pictures and notes from some of my faves!!!

Wasatch!

I was just offered a position at my first choice school, Wasatch Elementary! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!! I found out as I was checking my email while the kiddos were finishing their multiplication tests...the room was quiet, with the exception of pencils scratching paper..I read the email...and I, yes I did, started to laugh out loud and whoop and holler! My students were a bit shocked and not sure what was going on. Naturally, I didn't say much, just that a good thing happened. They don't know that I am leaving at the end of the year.

At any rate, the excitement of the journey continues!!!!

Holey Moley!!

With so much going on, where do I begin?!?

We went to Utah for my Spring Break, just to take a look around for housing and finalize some paperwork for my job. We contacted our good friend, and now Realtor, Ed Treto, to show us a few places. Nine houses later and we had not really found what made us go "There it is! That's the one!"

Saturday morning we were preparing to head down to Salt Lake for a photo shoot, and my Uncle G suggested we check out a particular house he had had his eye on. We drove by it Friday night, made an appointment to see it with the realtors, and fell in love with it! Needless to say, we are buying a house in Ogden! So ExCiTiNg!!! It is a "starter home" of four bedrooms, technically five but one room needs the closet finished, and two bathrooms. It has a nice sized backyard with plenty of room to build a garage/studio and have a great garden. We couldn't be more excited.....and a bit scared. So many changes!

{{...officially so...}}

Well, it is official... I was offered a contract with Ogden School District and we are moving to Utah this summer... Now I know there are those who will be so happy that we are leaving the San Pedro area and those who will weep.

It will be a grand adventure...

< Faith and Hope>

Conference was great! We were able to start it off with our annual get together with friends from the San Pedro Ward past and present...{thanks nocella's for hosting!}
One of the main messages that I kept hearing was that of faith and hope. Powerful messages to hear at this time. I should give a bit of background...


I received an email on Monday regarding an opportunity that would be taking place on Thursday. I made arrangements to make it down to the San Diego area by setting up a sub and finding my carpool buddy, since Gailon would need to be at work.

Thursday morning came and Teesha met me at the house, and off we went on our adventure. There was one glitch...I had a touch of food poisoning and had already been "sick" twice that morning, but I had made a commitment and needed to be on my way. So off we went!

We began our journey and made the first stop...at the Redlands Temple!

Of course we were going to totally document this whole trip!
RoAd TrIpPiNg!!

But we didn't....

At least we got the beginning!


So, our adventure continued on to the San Diego area, business concluded, two more visits with my friend "John" {get it...}, and back home to sleep until 3am. At that point I decided there was no way I could make it to work and called in for a sub, {actually i got on the website and ordered one...}.

Next time, our road trippin will be more trippin than road! Thanks again Teesha for being my carpool partner and helping me out with the venture!

Can't wait to hear how it all turned out!!!

{thanks}

"There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back."

Elizabeth David


Thanks Teesha for putting my heart back! I don't know how much longer I could have gone on in life without a massage...holey moley! You, my dear friend, are truly aMaZiNg~ and so was your lovely surprise!

~Yawn~

What a crazy week! Let's break it down:

Monday, well it was a Monday!

Tuesday was busy with work related drama, oh so fun!

Wednesday we had a photography seminar with one of our favorites photographers! She is amazing in all that she has accomplished and with her work. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, albeit a late one.

SO, since we didn't get home until almost midnight, I took Thursday off, thinking I could get in a little R&R, finish a few projects and such, but we had to rush off to a photo shoot in San Diego! CrAzY~ We had a blast working with the Director of Marketing, Art Director, and Sales Manager for the San Diego Area on another book cover! The first one was a hit, so we have been asked back!

Today Gailon is at an engagement photo shoot for a sweet young lady. We will also be doing her wedding this summer.

Saturday we have a family photo shoot for a client who has been waiting for a bad haircut to grow out :{ . Hopefully it is looking more like he wants...

And Sunday, we have a photo shoot for an up and coming model.

I don't know when anything else is going to get done!

Lovin' it!

Facebook friends!

I have learned much this night! I have often wondered about the folks from my mission, where they landed, what they were up to, and so on. Tonight I thought that I would do a hunt for one in particular. I bravely emailed the person, hoping it would be the right person...and it was!!! Wow, the miracle of modern communication! LoVe It!!!

You guessed it!

The infamous A-Z Tag!!

Stephanie said I had to so here it is...

A--Attached or Single: Attached. 6 years in April!

B--Best Friend: Do I have to pick just one?

C--Cake or Pie: Ummm...depends on who is making it

D--Day of Choice: Saturday

E--Essential Item: Root Beer Lip gloss from Clinique

F--Favorite Color: Blue

G--Greatest Accomplishment: 3 college degrees, mission, marriage to Gailon, and a few of my friends would even say teaching for eight years!

H--Hometown: Long Beach, California

I--Indulgences: A soaking bubble bath or a motorcycle ride along the coast, or...

J--January or July: January

K--Kids: none...yet ;)

L--Life is incomplete without: So many things!

M--Marriage Date: April 12

N--Number of Siblings: 2 brothers and one sister

O--Oranges or Apples: Apples, I eat one everyday!

P--Phobias or fears: There are a few, none I am willing to divulge!

Q--Quotes: "Be still and know that I am"

R--Reason to Smile: Gailon, flowers, rain, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...

S--Season: Winter is my first choice

T--Tag 5 Friends: Any five who wish to play along

U--Unknown fact about you: I sang professionally, I even have a professional recording made in a recording studio.

V--Very favorite store: Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, Crate and Barrel, was I only supposed to pick one?

W--Worst habit: slouching

X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: Ultra sound ;)

Y--Your favorite food: Mexican

Z--Zodiac: Aquarius

Endure

If there is one message that has been coming up in many different situations, it is that of the concept of enduring. Be it endure to the end, endure this trial, endure the next five minutes. Endure.

I like to think of myself as a rather patient kind of person. One who can handle a lot. But right now, I am beginning to wonder, how much more can I handle? What next?

This past year has been one of many emotions, from elation to down right yuck. I have truly found out who my friends are and those who were along for a ride of their choosing.
Thanks especially to Teesha, you are amazing! I admire your ability to pull up your boot straps and get it done. You are a rock to which I tether myself to keep me balanced. I mean, everyone needs a friend who tells it like it is, right? One who doesn't mince words, no matter what! I am lucky to have you for a best friend. Always, not just for the moment. AlWaYs!

I am also lucky that I have an amazing mom. She has been through a bit lately, and she still keeps on ticking. Not to mention, she puts up with me! ThAnKs!

And of course, I am lucky to have Gailon. What we have gone through in our almost six years of marriage, wow! And here we are...not in the most ideal of living situations (sorry mom, it is true! moving in with your mom at my age! HoLeY MoLeY! But we are truly lucky to have you during this period of indecision!!) but we are together! And with our newest news, well, we will save that one for later. I am just so lucky.

I guess that is what it is all about, enduring that is. To find the things that you can hold onto and move forward. Continue to progress.

Endure.

And the winner is...

Uh, I don't know! We were not home to watch much of the Oscars because we were playing with a cute little guy, (thanks Z!) You can see some of the fun that we were having here.
Crazy weather too! I thought that it was going to be cold, due to the few sprinkles and clouds, but no! It was warm and kinda humid at Trumps, luckily it was not windy!!

I must say, I love being able to have so much fun with Gailon! (thanks andrew for being a fellow sherpa!!) LoVe YoU GaIlOn!!!!

Gailon was able to teach a photography class for Enrichment last Thursday. (I guess they found a way to get me to go!!) Anyway, he started a photography club on Flickr for anyone interested in photography that has some link back to the San Pedro Ward. So join the San Pedro Ward Photography Club and start posting some of your work! Just for fun, nothing serious goin' on here!!

Valentine's Day and all that jazz...

This year we decided to go low key with the festivities. Gailon sent me a beautiful flower arrangement to school on Friday. The office staff loves it when he does this, I hear all of the stories of how their spouse has NEVER sent them anything, or that the only time he did, they were wilted and died the next day.

SO LUCKY AM I!!!! I love this fantabulous man that I was lucky to have been set up with (thanks yenta becky!) We truly have had a great journey so far and look forward to the coming adventures!!

We started our valentines day by going to breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants, Johnny Reb's, and I ordered a yummy green tomato and bacon omelet while Gailon ordered his traditional steak and eggs. We ran around here and there, got our hairs chopped, literally, chatting, and just enjoying the day with each other. We were up pretty late the night before playing games with the Nocella's
( thanks guys!! ), so we went home and watched a movie and fell asleep.

Well, this morning, Gailon woke up not feeling well and I had a cRaZy headache! Since I was released last week from being the Gospel Doctrine teacher, I was okee dokee to stay home too. So we made breakfast and took it easy today. We are both feeling a bit better, thanks to some needed rest and a yummy goat cheese and pepper pizza from Whole Foods, (one of my favorite stores!!)

Off to sleep, again!!

Would you like a side of wind with that order?

Wow! Who ordered all the wind and rain? Don't get me wrong, I know that we need the moisture, and thank goodness much of this crazy weather has been on non-school days, but HoLeY MoLeY!!

We had one of those handy dandy canopies in the driveway to protect Gailon's motorcycle from the elements, HAD is the operative word here. The wind was just too much for it and it needed to be removed. The wind in the trees in the yard was so strong, I kept looking for the funnel cloud. Thankfully there was nothing to be seen, just the roar of the wind to be heard.

I remember when I was in fourth grade there was a tornado that went down our street, carrying with it a trash can from a few blocks away. As it passed by my classroom window, it pulled the windows open and threw the blinds all over the place. Wild!

Well, it made for an interesting day off, to be sure.

Surprise!

My darling sweetheart decided to surprise me with tickets to Phantom! Apparently he had this all planned and tickets purchased in October. I recall him pulling aside a few friends and chatting with them, a conversation I was shooed from, as you can imagine.

What fun! This is the third time that I have seen it, my first at the Pantages Theater. I love this theater with all of the art deco touches!

We took my mom with us, of course, and had a great time! It was nice to take a break from all of the real life drama and immerse ourselves in the joy of the theater!

So much to say and so little time...

Wow, let me see, what has been going on lately: jobbing (is that even a word?), planning a bathroom makeover for a very dear sisterfriend, (i know that is not a word, but it fits!), finding out that there are WAY too many people who remember me from school and my mission that have found me on facebook (but i must admit, it is so fun to chit chat and see the old and new photos!), finding out that I am really getting old (i found three gray hairs! oh me oh my!!), and not much else!

Oh, one more thing! Watching the Inauguration with a classroom of eight and nine year olds was truly an experience. We basically watched, well I should say that I watched because they were too busy with the word find and coloring to pay much attention to, just the swearing in. Very interesting to note the reaction of those kiddos that were paying attention, one of awe and interest. Like I told them, if I agree with who is President or not makes no difference, he is who he is and only time will tell what is next. I do not share my political or religious beliefs with my students, and won't here either, suffice it to say that it was an interesting day!

Ain't that sweet...

After scouts, Gailon usually makes a run for the border with the guys and buys them their "fourth" meal.
Gailon, the saucy guy that he is, noticed this little wonder in his bag. When he got home, he casually told me that he had a little something in his jacket pocket for me and I pulled out the little sauce packet.

He asked me if I would marry him...... I am still thinking about it.....well, umm, hmmm, lemme see here.... YoU bEtChA!!

I feel so lucky to be married to my best friend! So lucky to be able to weather the many storms of life with him and come out on the other end laughing!

Love you!

Here We Go Again!

Such a cRaZy Christmas break!

We decided to go to Utah to visit with friends and family and left on the Friday after Christmas. What a beautiful drive! I love being able to leave at the crack of dawn, sleep in a moving “bed”, and crowd around gas pumps with grouchy drivers! No, really, I do! One of my favorite things to do is stop at the outlets at Primm, especially the Williams-Sonoma outlet. We got a few last minute gifts from there and we were on our way again.

We arrived in Sandy to visit with the Adam family first. Then came the Anderson’s. We had a blast going sledding...at 9p.m!! Gailon got some amazing shots of us acting as though our ages were closer to our shoe sizes! LoVe It!!!


{I love the train station in Ogden and snapped this as I was getting into the car after a family photo shoot. Just a little bit of my Papa included in the adventure this year. He's a major train buff! Well, anything that has to do with travel. Love ya!}

Then on to Ogden, where we were blessed to attend a private concert at the Treehouse Children’s Museum. My aunt and uncle were able to secure the tenor from the Utah Symphony, George Dyer, to give a private concert to a few of their closest friends and family. AmAzIng, to put it mildly! His voice and style of entertaining an audience made for an amazing event. Not only that, but Gailon was the photographer for the event! LoVe It!!! I'll have to have him share some of those pictures, or check them out at www.gailon.com

Next big event was New year’s Eve. We were able to spend it with my cousin and her family. We had so much fun playing Sequence. They have a tournament and they are serious about this game! We were a bit intimidated at first because we were new to the game, but we held our own and came in fifth place out of ten couples.

We decided to return on Saturday, much later than we normally would have done before. Lucky for us we were able to spend much of it driving through snow, salt, sand, and who knows what else. Made for an ExCiTiNg adventure, to put it mildly!


[sorry it is so blurry, i couldn't stop shaking! you would be too if you were in beaver, utah at the crack of dawn with the wind chill somewhere around 20 degrees! this is the running board of the car, caked in muddy ice and salt. YuMmY!]


Now it is back to the grindstone, continuing our adventures in photography and life!

Happy New year!