Living and Loving Life

Island Park and Yellowstone 2011

2011-11-15T20:40:00.001-08:00

In October Matt and I went up to Island Park, Idaho with his brother and wife, and a bunch of friends. It was a blast. We also got to go to Yellowstone for the first time as well. We carpooled up with our bests and so we all got to drive around Yellowstone together. Good times.

One of the many many many hot pots at Yellowstone. The water was so blue.

We couldn't not see Old Faithful!

Of course you have to photograph The Continental Divide.

Just Matt and I. It was pretty chilly, and a little windy.

Matt and Jenn by a hot pot.

And us again.

A hot pot, in the middle of the lake.

Beautiful waterfall.

Thankful November.

2011-11-15T20:23:00.001-08:00

I am so addicted to Pinterest lately that I have not blogged in forever! I figure since it's November and Thanksgiving is next week I should make a post of the things I'm thankful for. This list could go on forever.

My husband (he's seriously the best, sorry to all the other ladies out there, but really, he is the best.)
My family (I'm so glad my family is my family, I'm so lucky)
My bed, a roof over my head, warm blankets and sweaters. Rain, sunshine, color, mountains and rivers, lakes and oceans. Technology, love, butterfly feelings, and just butterflies. Cupcakes and chocolate, tamales and pizza.
My friends. I am so fortunate to have some of the greatest friends a girl can ask for. Some I've known longer than others, but all of them are so special to me.
Bo, my dog. He's just a big sweetie. I love it when he sneaks into our room and falls asleep on the floor at the foot of our bed.
My job. Jade is such a cute girl and she teaches me so much, especially patience!
I'm really thankful for my Heavenly Father, and for my Savior. I have been blessed so much in my life, and I'm also thankful that I recognize all my blessings. It makes them that much sweeter. Everything I'm thankful for above is a part of my life because of my Heavenly Father. I'm thankful for church, and for the opportunity I have to work in the Temple with my husband. I'm thankful that my dad was able to be sober long enough for us to be sealed as a family just a few days before I was sealed to my wonderful husband for time and all eternity. I'm thankful for a healthy, functioning body. I'm thankful for the things I know. I'm thankful for fun things to look forward to that make the days fly by fast. I'm thankful for snow, for flowers, and for the good hearted people of the world. I hope everyone can remember to count their blessings and know that there is always something to be thankful for no matter your path, your life, and your trials.

Witches Night Out

2011-10-16T11:38:00.001-07:00

This last Friday and Saturday was Gardner Village's 10th Annual Witches Night Out. My Aunt Barbara always comes out this week so we can all go together. We had so much fun wandering around all the shops. The sales were great, and the costumes were awesome.

Halloween Crafts

2011-10-07T16:31:00.001-07:00

Today I took Jade, my little nanny girl to my friend Lyndsay's house to have a playdate with her cute daughter Rylee and to do crafts. First we put paint on the girls hands and made spiders out of their hand prints, then we put paint on the bottoms of their feet and made ghosts out of the foot prints. So cute. We also made bows for their hair. We also made these cute paper flowers for Halloween. I stopped at the dollar store on the way home for the ribbon, vase and rocks to complete flowers. So fun! Thanks for a great day Lynds!!

September 11 Memorial

2011-09-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

Matt and I went to a memorial that was set up to honor the lives lost on September 11 and in the subsequent war. It was beautiful, and humbling, and also of course sad and a little overwhelming. They had flags raised for each victim and a story of the life of each attached to the flag pole. Across the street was the firefighter and Utah soldier memorial.

My birthday weekend.

2011-08-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic birthday weekend this year thanks to my awesome husband, and my amazing sister in law. They planned a surprise dinner for me up Big Cottonwood Canyon complete with tin foil dinners and s'mores. What awesome people I have in my life! And a HUGE thanks to all my awesome friends and family that made it up for the surprise. You are all amazing!!

When Matt and I arrived!

They got me good!


Can you see the surprise on my face?

Sitting by the river with friends and Alaina's cute boy Cohen.

Sitting around chilling out and waiting for the fire to die down so we could cook dinner.

Thanks again everyone that came out to help me ring in my 25th year. And a big shout out to my husband for being the most amazing man that I've ever known. :)

Mr. & Mrs. Owoseni August 13, 2011

2011-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Brian and Kelly are finally married! Matt and I were fortunate enough to be involved in the union of two of our good friends a few weeks ago. We are so happy for you! Everything turned out beautifully!

Signing the certificate

The gals enjoying dinner

Matt walking me down the aisle

Walking up the aisle after the "knot" was tied, literally!

The bride and I

My one true love and I on the dance floor

Waiting for the festivities to begin.

Maid of Honor, Best Man, Groom and Bride

All the gals

The handsome man I married 3 years ago

Thank you Brian and Kelly for letting us be a part of your big, beautiful day! Love you guys!

Creepy crawly

2011-08-17T21:51:00.001-07:00

Every night for the last few weeks we have found and killed at least one spider in our room or in the hall. We've begun documenting. So far we've gotten a "peanut spider" and a wolf spider or two or three. Ick!

Salt Lake Bees

2011-08-17T21:48:00.001-07:00

Our bests Matt and Jenn invited us out to the Bees game tonight and it was awesome. Even though we left early, I think they actually won too! There were some obnoxious girls sitting behind us and everyone in our section wanted to slap them. Even with the obnoxio's it was a wonderful night.

The zoo

2011-08-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

I took Jade to the zoo today, we had a blast. She's the cutest! She was absolutely amazed at the monkeys climbing all over.

Zoo trip.

2011-06-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

I love my job. My days lately have consisted of hanging out with my awesome sister in law and niece, swimming in the backyard, going to the park or the zoo. This last Friday my friend Lynds came up to go to the zoo with us. While I didn't get any pics of myself or the kids, I did get some great ones of the animals.

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Elma, WA just 2 1/2 hours from Forks.

2011-06-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

Got to sleep in a bit this morning since we didn't have as long of a drive today. It's not even two o'clock yet and we are already checked into our room for tonight. We are going to drive to Forks today, and hit up La Push. Then come back and have dinner. Tomorrow we will spend the day in Forks. This hotel room cost us $70.00. It's pretty nice, and I think darn near brand new.

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Day two. Vancouver.

2011-06-04T15:40:00.001-07:00

We traveled today from Pendleton to Vancouver, saw some beautiful scenery and waterfalls. Our room tonight is in the Days Inn and Suites at the Vancouver Mall. It has a king sized bed, so we will sleep extra good! We paid $63.96 for this room.

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Dinner in Pendleton

2011-06-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

Matt and I wandered about a bit this afternoon and really had fun. Then we found a restaurant we wanted to try. It was called Virgils at Cimmyotti's. It was absolutely divine!

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Our first hotel room.

2011-06-03T15:45:00.001-07:00

The Rugged Country Lodge. A bed and breakfast in Pendleton, OR. The room is nice, but there isn't a pool or hot tub. No biggie though, we can go explore this cute little town. We made good time today, only stopped twice, once for breakfast, once for lunch, and made it here by 3:30. I'll take more pictures later.

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Fieldtrip to Heber with Hollie and the kids.

2011-05-28T12:43:00.001-07:00

Hollie and I took our nanny kids, and my niece up to the Heber Valley Railroad to see Thomas the Tank Engine. Though I didn't get any photos of us on the train, I got some photos of the best parts of the trip.

1. A vanity plate with what sounds like an STD written on it.

2. The kids napping!

3. Dairy Keen, Home of the Train, and the worlds best Bacon cheeseburger. :)

4. Hollie lovin' the burger.

5. Aleksandra finally falling asleep after screaming for thirty minutes.

All in all it was a great day and we all had a blast. Especially those of us that weren't sleeping when we went to Dairy Keen.

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Shooting.

2011-05-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

Our very good friend Matt V. Invited us to come with him to the west side.of Utah Lake to go shooting today. My Matt invited his brother Mike, and Mike invited some of his friends who had a four wheeler and it became a party. We brought my husbands Glock, and his shotgun. Matt V brought his Baby Eagle 9 mm. Mike and his friends brought ammo for the Glock and shotgun and some clay pigeons to shoot. It was a fun time, and I fired all three of the guns and enjoyed myself immensely.

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I am so blessed...

2011-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Since this is my journal, I am going to blog about something really amazing that has happened to me this last week. Some people may think I shouldn't blog about it, and some may thing I'm bragging but I can promise you I am not. I just want to always remember how I've felt this last week. Last Thursday, I received a surprise phone call from the Jordan River Temple. My bishop had sent in paper work for me to work in the temple unbeknown-st to me. I was elated when I got the call because my patriarchal blessing talks about working in the temple and so I was just thrilled. I had my interview tonight, Thursday May 26, 2011. I will start training for ordinance work on Wednesday, July 6, and will be working in the temple Thursday evenings from 4 PM until roughly 10 PM. Supposedly the bishop also sent in paper work for Matt, so we will see how that goes, and maybe he'll get a call soon too. This is just something I've been thing about for a long time, and then I got the call randomly from the temple, when I was least expecting it. I'm going to stop now, so people don't feel as if I'm rubbing this in their faces because that is not my intention at all.

New picture

2011-05-23T22:26:00.001-07:00

I bought a really neat picture of the timpanogos temple for our bedroom. My sister in law showed it to me and I just had to have it because its where Matt and I were married. I really love how its funky and still beautiful.

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I got crafty...

2011-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jenn was getting rid of some frames, and so I took them off her hands. One was a poster frame and one was just a good sized plain black frame. I had seen a couple of ideas on different craft blogs I follow and decided to try my hand at being crafty.

First, I bought some wooden letters that spell out my last name at Hobby Lobby, they ended up being .69 cents each. Then I brought them home and sanded down the rough edges.

I then lined them up on card board box, on my back deck and sprayed them black with spray paint. It took about 4 coats.

My dad had the spray paint on hand already which was convenient. This paint was matte, the last coat I did was gloss because the the partical board was really absorbing the matte paint. You'll probably want to prime it somehow before you actually paint.

I found this fabric which is actually upholstery fabric that I loved. I found just a scrap of it on clearance at, Hobby Lobby (which is my new favorite store). If I do another craft like this one, I'd probably stick with paper or a thinner fabric that way its a little easier to work with.

I also found a scrap of muslin at Hobby Lobby that I used to finish the project.

I started out, by tracing the letters on the opposite side of my fabric, then I cut it out just inside the lines so that it would be smaller than the actual wood letter.

After I'd cut all the letters out.

Then I covered the entire letter with a good amount of Mod Podge. I just love Mod Podge.

I placed the fabric down on top of the coat of Mod Podge, then I covered the entire thing with more Mod Podge. I layed it on really thick because the fabric was so thick, and it ended up taking two coats.

This is the project after it finished drying, I had to arrange it to fit in the frame.

I glued the DE and the ROSA letters together kind of off kilter with hot glue.

Then I cut strips of muslin to glue to the back of each letter so I could tie it onto the frame. I made sure that all the ties were the correct length so they'd all hang taught and the letters would be straight.

This is the finished project, not bad for my first craft done by myself without the supervision of someone who knows better than me what to do.

Carl Bloch, Norman Rockwell and others.

2011-04-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

A while ago Matt and I had the opportunity to go with the young men and young women down to BYU's art museum to see the Carl Bloch exhibit. While I didn't get any photos of Carl Bloch, I did get some propaganda pictures from the World War exhibit and some pictures from another cool exhibit.

80,000 LBS of used books. They will all be donated at the end of the exhibit.

These are photos of a bible that a homeless woman marked up. Only she understands her code.

Alphabet letters, covering an entire room.

This is my favorite.

Norman Rockwell

Even Dr. Suess got involved.

I think this says it all.

Also Norman Rockwell.

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Hitting the gym

2011-04-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been hitting the gym up whenever we can and I love it! We both feel great and its fun to work out together! Watch out ya'll, we're going to be looking seriously hott soon!

An interesting discussion

2011-04-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Matt and I were at our friends home the other night when we began to have a very good conversation about THE church. For those who aren't members of THE church, I'm referring to MY church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I KNOW I know, you are all thinking "oh great, another religious rant" but it is my blog, and its not really a rant, just more of what I've discovered lately.

BTW, does anyone else' ENTER key NOT bring your cursor down to the next line? Its really annoying me. Ok. Moving on.

I don't recall how we got on the subject of religion and THE Church. It was probably me, because ever since I ran across the facebook page that was full of haters I've been thinking about THE Church a lot. We started discussing why anti-Mormons might have so many misconceptions of (for lack of a better word) Mormonism. Then we began to discuss the new Broadway show, 'The Book of Mormon' from the creators of South Park (both of whom are return missionaries btw). It personally doesn't bother me, and the statement that THE Church put out about the whole thing was very tasteful. In fact, I might want to see it someday, who knows. We began to discuss people (members of THE Church) getting all worked up about it, and spouting off and being offended. I don't personally see anything to get worked up about, in fact, my friend mentioned that THE Church should probably post 2 real missionaries out front of the show handing out copies of The Book of Mormon, people would probably read it! My friends husband said something really interesting that I had never really thought about before. I find, in Utah especially (sorry Utah friends), that members will FIND things to be offended over. And you hear a lot of complaints from new members, or non-native members, even some native inactive members that they feel judged and shunned because of things they do, or used to do, or haven't quite let go of yet. Anyways, back to what my friends husband said, he said "people in Utah tend to be more concerned with the LETTER of the law, and not the SPIRIT of the law. Its kind of like, its not the gift that matters, its the thought that counts... right? There is no sense in competing with Sister Smith down the block, or Brother Jones across the street. When you do this, pride begins to enter into the equation and then you have to start all over. When you are comparing yourself with someone you think is perfect, or if you try to better yourself by judging someone else, in person or in your head, you become more focused on the letter of the law, and not the spirit of the law. Anyways, I'm not preaching, just writing these things down for my own use.

My heart hurts a little... edited.

2011-04-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm so grateful for a Prophet. And Apostles. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've been contemplating a lot lately what I believe. It frustrates me so much when other people, who are not members of my church want to judge me for being a member of the LDS Church. I don't care what others believe. I don't care if you think Joseph Smith was a crook. I don't care if you think he "made up" the Book of Mormon (which is impossible by the way). I don't care if you think its silly that I believe that one day my husband will be a king like unto God and I will be his queen. I don't care if you think we all hate homosexuals (which we don't). I know what I believe, and I know that what I believe is the truth. So what if you think it sounds crazy. I'm grateful for the knowledge I have that families are Eternal when they are sealed together in God's Holy Temple. That as much as I miss my cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and someday my mom and dad, husband and sisters I will see them again, and I will get to see them every day for Eternity. During this last conference Russell M. Nelson spoke on death. He said, "We live to die, and we die to live, again." How sad for people who think that there is nothing but darkness when we die. How utterly depressing. How sad for people who's churches teach messages of hate. My church teaches us to love and tolerate each other. How sad for people who feel it necessary to verbally attack someones beliefs with foul language and names. Picketing soldiers funerals, insulting their families, standing outside of religious meeting houses screaming profanities at people and their families while they try and worship the way they want, if that is truly "Christian" then I want no part of it. But I know it isn't. That is not how God wants his children to treat each other. I'm sorry to get preachy on here for those of you who read through all this, but this is my journal too, and its so much easier to type this all then write it on paper. I'm just grateful for a testimony. And no matter how dark the world around me gets, I'll always have my testimony of the Light of Christ's Gospel.

A place away from home.

2011-03-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Matt's brother Mike, and his wife Hollie left for a beautiful cruise last Saturday and they let us stay in their place while they were gone. It was greatly appreciated and we had tons of fun. It was nice to be on our own again, even if it just was for a couple of days. Thanks Mike and Hollie for being awesome!

Birthday and besties

2011-03-27T11:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we headed to our besties, Matt and Jenn's home for Jenn's birthday celebration! We had an excellent time eating pizza, watching movies, playing games, and toasting Jenn's 26 glorious years on the planet. Thanks for inviting us over guys, you rock!

Indoor Rock Climbing.

2011-03-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mary and Maddy invited Matt and I to come with their prom group climbing. What a fun experience! Can't believe I've never really done it before. Needless to say, Matt and I are addicted and will probably start going as much as we can.

Venting.

2011-03-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have two things to vent about today, and I'm sure none of you really care to hear it, but I need to vent somewhere.

1. My sister Hayley is getting married! ... In 2 years or more. She wants everyone to be so happy and thrilled for her, which I was, but I'm trying to not get carried away since she does still have over two years before the wedding. She went dress shopping Monday with her two friends and came over after to show pictures. My mom didn't love the dresses in the photos and Hayley got upset because of it. I didn't love them either because they weren't very good photos. But NO ONE ever said anything to her about being fat or not being able to wear a specific style of dress. She kept bringing it up, and putting words in our mouths. If our opinions were so important to her, shouldn't she have invited us to go shopping with her? Yeah, well, now according to her facebook the only ones that "matter" were there, and they're the only ones invited to go when she finds one to buy. Whatever. She's just a brat. I don't want to be included in anything and I don't want to help with anything at this point.

2. The girl who's son I used to nanny has decided against her own better judgment (according to her) to move to Georgia. With out telling her baby daddy, with out a prospective job, with out an education and by informing the people who pay me, and were paying for her schooling, housing and food here in Utah via text message yesterday. She's leaving tomorrow. Anyways, everyone involved in that situation is a little hurt, but I guess when you spoil someone and make them take any responsibility, that's what happens.

Well, there are my vents for the day.

Free lunch

2011-03-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Friday morning my parents and I went to La Caille (The Quail) for The American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days luncheon. It was really nice. I met lots of nice people and got to have free lunch. Unfortunately Matt had to work, but we ate plenty of yummy food for him ;-).

We had chicken, and shrimp, salad and roasted potatoes and green beans, and finally for desert, a mini chocolate cake, mini creme brulee, and mini fruit tart. Delicious. I didn't get any photos though because I was sitting at a table with lots of people I didn't know, and didn't want to seem strange.

Mom and Dad

Place setting at my table. See the pretty flowers.

St. George

2011-03-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Matt and I went to St. George with his brother and his wife. We went down for a friends first time through the temple, it was so fun and exciting. We left Friday night and arrived early Saturday morning. Hollie has an aunt and uncle who live down there and we were able to stay with them. Got some zzz's and then headed to the temple. What a beautiful day it was, it was warm, sunny and just an all around perfect day to head to "heaven on Earth". Afterward we went to lunch with our friend and the rest of her friends and family who had made the trip. Then came the really fun part, her uncle loaded up one of his four wheelers and we went to a good place to ride it. Even though we only spent about a half hour or so riding (because it was getting dark) it was still lots of fun. We left a few hours later but not before we stopped for Neilsens Frozen Custard. MMMM. We didn't get home until about 4 in the morning Sunday (because we lost an hour) but it was a great trip and we can't wait to do it again and hopefully be able to stay longer than just 1 day.

Five Years

2011-03-06T11:54:00.001-08:00

Friday March 4 was my good friend Deanna's birthday. It also reminded me that it was our anniversary, the anniversary of when Matt and I began dating. 5 years ago Friday we were at a birthday party for a dear friend, and we began dating later that same evening. Matt and I have never celebrated our "dating" anniversary. Not even before we were married. The only anniversary we've celebrated is our wedding anniversary. Our original plans Friday night were to hit up gymnastics with our besties, but they had some serious and very important family stuff to attend to so Matt and I were left to make plans on our own. I decided to take him to Tucci's Cucina Italiana at the Trolley Square Mall. Delicious! Matt was a little nervous until our appetizer came out, then he got excited. Our appetizer is the only food I got a picture of, and even then, we'd already eaten it, but oh well. Matt ordered the Bistecca Gorgonzola for dinner (12 oz. NY strip served covered in Gorgonzola, with creamy penne and fresh veggies) and I ordered the Salmone (grilled salmon served atop pesto, with roasted red potatoes and fresh veggies, and I mean FRESH veggies). Of course we had to order Pellegrino, and of course desert! It was a baked custard topped with fresh raspberry sauce, caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream. To DIE for. It was like a mix between Flan and Creme Brulee. Mmm. And remarkably for a three course meal, a bottle of Pellegrino and an $11 tip, it didn't break the bank. This is the next place Matt and I take the in-laws.

Vongole al Forno (clams baked in a garlic butter sauce, served with pancetta)

Matt enjoying his Pellegrino

Me enjoying the company of my awesome husband.


We love this stuff.

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Saturday Madness.

2011-02-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday was such a good day! It started with a great work out at the gym. Then Matt and I went to get our estimate to fix the whole that is in the car door thanks to someone losing a screw driver on the freeway. My agent first told me it would just be a $100 dollar deductible and wouldn't infect our insurance because its a 'comprehensive' claim, not a collision claim. Then when I called and actually filed the claim, the person on the phone said it was a $500 deductible, and we were bummed, but still worth it if it keeps the car door from rusting out, and then yesterday when we got our estimate we found out it is indeed a $100 deductible! Score! Then we hit up Precision Mountainwear and got Matt and myself nice coats, Matt needed one because he was going snow boarding that night. Then we hit up REI to see if they'd have snow pants for Matt, and they did. Now that we had all Matt's snow gear we grabbed some lunch at a new place by our house called Culver's. It was D-E-L-ICIOUS. They do fried chicken, burgers, and custard. MMMM. After that, since it was still early we decided to take the Mustang to CarMax to see if they'd by it and they did! We got $1500 for it, which was about what I expected. We apparently would have gotten more, but the car had been in an accident in 2001 that we didn't know about, and had frame damage, but oh well, I'm not complaining. Then it was off to meet our besties so the boys could go snow board and Jenn and I could get in some retail therapy. We hit up, Old Navy, Tai Pan and Ikea. All three stores I love. We headed back to Matt and Jenn's and watched The Prince of Persia which I love, Jake Gyllenhall is smokin' hot. :D Fun night had by all.

Day Thirty

2011-02-25T15:04:00.000-08:00

Day 30:

Another photograph of myself and 3 good things that happened in the past.


Hayley and I had a glitter fight. :D

1. I married my very best friend and now he's stuck with me FOREVER! *Laughs maniacally

2. I finally realized that I'm worth the effort of eating right and exercising.

3. Matt found an excellent job where he has Sundays off for the first time in 2 years.

Day Twenty Nine.

2011-02-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

Day 29:

Something I could never get tired of doing.

My first thought was this....

Sleeping

or this...


Snuggling with my one and only.

But alas, I could get tired of just lying around all the time. So, what I'd really love to do all the time would be THIS....

Horseback riding. Anywhere would be fine, but on the beach would be perfect!

Day Twenty Eight

2011-02-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

Day 28:

My favorite movie.

Love this movie. Always have, always will. Its just classic. :D

Day Twenty Seven

2011-02-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

Day 27:

A photo of me from last year, and a photo of me this year, and how have I changed?

Now my hair is brownish. As far as the photos go, I've gained weight in the recent one, though I've since lost weight since it was taken. I've also started wearing eye glasses permanently, I'm wearing contacts in the top one.

Day Twenty Six

2011-02-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Day 26:

A photo of somewhere I've been to.

Matt and I in San Francisco last summer.

Day Twenty Five.

2011-02-20T16:33:00.001-08:00

Day 25:

Whats in my purse?

Snacks, wallet, check book, planner, notepad, lotion, lipgloss, coupon organizer, pens, and a bag of necessary womanly things.

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Day Twenty Four

2011-02-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

Day 24:

A photo of something that means a lot to me.

Something that means a lot to me is my religion. My religion that teaches me love, compassion, service, and that families are forever. Marriage is forever. Love is unconditional. It is possible to be truly happy. No matter what you've done, you can be forgiven. The only one who can judge me is the one being to live on the Earth who was PERFECT, not anyone else.

Day Twenty Three

2011-02-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Day 23:

15 Facts about Me.

1. I have the World's Best Husband.
2. I'm a nanny (again)
3. I'm from California, and I miss it like crazy.
4. If I could have pizza for every meal, I would.
5. I love taking naps. I could nap all day. But then I wouldn't accomplish much.
6. My blogger won't return the cursor to the top of the next line when I push the enter key. It puts it back to the beginning of the line I just typed and it is annoying me.
7. Matt and I are hoping to be back out on our own by June.
8. Matt and I are going to NY sometime this summer because we haven't been back in almost 2 years.
9. If I could make a house out of Diet Coke and cheese, I'd do it. In a heartbeat.
10. I'm very opinionated, and sometimes, what some would call a B*$#@. But that's ok, I'm proud of it.
11. I'm just now putting together an album of our wedding photos. Our friends bought us a nice engraved album from Things Remembered for a wedding gift, and I'm just now filling it.
12. ULTA is my new favorite store, I'm pretty much obsessed with hair, skin and face care.
13. I go to the gym at least 4 times a week and work out for at least an hour.
14. I'll be at my healthy goal weight when I've lost 45 more pounds.
15. There is this chick at the gym that's super in shape and has really nice tone. She's my idol, even though I don't talk to her.

Day Twenty Two.

2011-02-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Day 22:

A letter to someone who has hurt me recently.

Dear friend who must remain unnamed,

          I heard some things that you told someone about me and a few of our other friends. Its not WHAT you said that hurt me, its the fact that you said them at all. I'm not going to confront you about this because it would cause more drama than I'd like to handle right now, and I'm hoping that you grow up really soon. I forgive you.

                                                                                           Your friend,
                                                                                                         Barbara

P.S. Having a thin, rockin' body is not the only way to land a husband. Usually a great personality helps too.

Day Twenty-one.

2011-02-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Day 21:

A photo of something that makes me happy.

Yes, I know, I use a lot of my wedding photos. But I love them, they make me happy. I don't care that this was over two years ago, it feels like yesterday to me. And the part that makes me happy about this photo is not the fact that Matt and I look HOTT! It's the background. Matt and I were married in the Temple and we were married for Eternity, not just until death. The Temple to me makes me happy because it signifies our eternal commitment to each other.

Day Twenty.

2011-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Day 20:

The meaning behind our blog name.

The meaning behind our blog name, Living and Loving Life is pretty self explanatory. Matt and I have a great life together and I couldn't ask for a better companion to share my life with. We are LIVING our life together and LOVING our life together.

Day Nineteen.

2011-02-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Day 19:

Another picture of myself.

Whoopee. Another picture of myself.

I took Matt to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point before we got married, to have a picnic and hang out. This is in the kiddie section. Its Noah's Ark.

Day Eighteen.

2011-02-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

Day 18:

Something I crave a lot.

What can I say? I LOVE Mexican food. Its absolutely my weakness. Mmm.

Day Seventeen.

2011-02-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Day 17:

A photo of my family and myself.

My immediate family. Minus my father in law. I've yet to receive a copy of the photo-shopped version of the photo with his head in it.

Day Sixteen.

2011-02-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Day 16:

My celebrity crush.

Hugh Dancy. Burberry model turned actor turned husband to Claire Danes. Enough said.

Day Fifteen.

2011-02-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Day 15:

Something I don't leave the house without.

I really try to never leave the house with out my cell phone. And not because I'm a person who is addicted to it and has to have it so I can txt and whatever but because I'm always afraid the day I leave my phone home, is the day I get into a car accident or run out of gas or my car breaks down, or I get locked out of it. So, I always try and have it with me. **True Story** When Matt and I were living in the basement of my grandparents old home, we left to go pick up a pizza. Matt drove. I grabbed my jacket and nothing else. No keys, no cell phone and we left the lights and tv on. Matt doesn't keep his house key with his car keys and so he didn't have his house key either and we were locked out. We couldn't call anyone, we didn't have our phones, so we couldn't call my parents to see if they still had an extra key... we ended up having to break out the window by the front door, and climbing in, then we had to pay almost two hundred to have it replaced. Annoying, so that's why I try and have it with me.

My keys. For the same reason I always have my phone. :)

Day Fourteen

2011-02-10T10:07:00.001-08:00

Day 14:

A television show I'm currently addicted to.

Pretty much ANY crime show. Law & order (all of em), CSI, Rizzoli and Isles, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Cops. You name it. I also love House, and My Strange Addiction, Hoarders and Say Yes to the Dress.

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Day Thirteen

2011-02-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

Day 13:

My favorite musician and why?

Those of you who know me well know that I love music. It is virtually impossible for me to pick one favorite. I love classic rock, punk, pop, R&B, hip hop, country, rock, etc. Some of my favorite artists are, David Bowie, James Morrison (not Jim), John Legend, Brand New, and the list just continues on. I love great lyrics, and I can handle silly lyrics if the beat is good.

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Day Twelve.

2011-02-08T21:21:00.000-08:00

Day 12:

A photo of the town I live in....

Here it is, West Jordan, UT. When I first moved to Utah, we lived in South Salt Lake, but when I was 14 we moved to West Jordan. I really love West Jordan. Its a nice place, and a clean place.

Day Eleven

2011-02-07T12:02:00.001-08:00

Day 11:

What's in my makeup bag?

I have just about everything in my makeup bag. A full array of makeup brushes. Concealer, foundation, eye shadows, eyeliner, brow liner, mascara, blush, lumination powder, bronzer, primers, tweezers, etc. I love putting makeup on. It's fun, and it accentuates my eyes which I love. I don't need it to feel pretty, but I like to look nice and show Matt that I still want to put forth the effort for him.

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My husband rocks...

2011-02-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Just within the last few months my dad, my mom and my husband have all lost jobs. For a while it was really disheartening because I felt like we were all taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Matt's official last day of work was January 29th. Comcast laid him and approximately 350 other people off. Only to hire a bunch of "new" people on to do collections, rather than just switch everyone who worked there already over. Luckily for us, Matt is awesome. A good friend of ours informed us her employer was looking for a new employee to replace one that had gotten a promotion. Matt applied, interviewed twice and finally got offered the job. I'm so proud of him for applying himself, and not waiting until we were on unemployment to start looking for more work. Matt will start his new job on Valentines Day and we will celebrate this new chapter and Valentines Day with a nice dinner. Love you Matt!

Day Ten.

2011-02-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Day 10:

A photo of my favorite place to eat.

Couldn't find an actual photo of the restaurant, but this is their marquee. This is hands down the all time best Mexican food in the world, and this restaurant is also the reason that Mexican food will ALWAYS be my most favorite type of food always. MMMMmmmm.

Day nine.

2011-02-05T23:08:00.001-08:00

Day 9:

A photo of the last thing you bought.

This is a super cute rain coat I bought for my niece for her birthday. It has cupcakes on it which she loves. And the best part is it was on sale! I love the Park City outlets!

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Day Eight.

2011-02-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Day 8:

A song to match my mood today.

This is how I've felt for a few weeks now. I've been working out and eating better and I just feel better about myself. :D

Day Seven.

2011-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Day 7:

My dream wedding.

I loved my wedding day. I loved my wedding. I would change a few things though, and most of them have to do with having more money (which in light of the fact that I have myself an ETERNAL companion, money doesn't really matter.) But here it goes anyways.

1. I would've found the money to have the reception at a real reception hall.

2. I would've had a garter toss.

3. I would've had a sit down dinner (I did have one in NY, but I would've liked on here, on my wedding day.)

4. I wouldn't have left so early, and I would've stayed in my dress for the "departure" photos.

Other than that my day was perfect. Oh, one more, I wouldn't have burned myself that morning. But really, other than that I had a great day. A free ceremony in the most beautiful location ever. Surrounded by family. It doesn't get much better than that.

Day Six.

2011-02-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Day 6:

A photo of an animal I'd like to keep as a pet.

The photo above is a photo of a "buck skin" horse. This or a "paint" would be my ideal horse. I've wanted to own horses for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I had a friend who had horses and I was there everyday riding horses. I joined 4A for horses with her, and even did some shows. It was so much fun, and great therapy really. I will own horses someday, and hopefully they can be as beautiful as the one pictured above.

Day five.

2011-02-01T21:22:00.001-08:00

A photo of myself from high-school.

This may be difficult.

This photo was taken my junior year at our annual family trip to Lagoon. I'm just to the right of my dad.

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Day Four.

2011-01-31T13:47:00.000-08:00

Day 4.

My favorite photograph of my best friend.

This was the day we took our engagement photos and I just love it. Matt had the photographer and I cracking up. And you know, he still cracks me up to this day! Love this man, he's my best friend and I'm really glad he chose me.

Day Three.

2011-01-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

Day 3:

My idea of a perfect first date.

My idea of a perfect first date would be doing something, whether it be dinner, or a walk on the beach, or anything where you'd have time to talk. I love finding out new things about people, having deep religious discussions, discussions about life and differing opinions. I love laughing, talking about movies, music and work. Matt and I had and still do have some great discussions. I'm always interested to hear someone's opinions, thoughts, stories and jokes. I think that would make for the perfect first date. Also it can help you decide whether or not you'd want a second date.

Day Two

2011-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Day 2:

A photo of something I ate today.

Not very creative I know, but this is the type of food you have for breakfast when you're headed out to the gym first thing in the morning. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge.

2011-01-28T23:05:00.000-08:00

30 Day Blog Challenge
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself from high school.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past

DAY 1:

Today I worked, which was fun, my little nanny girl is super cute. Then I came home and uploaded a ton of music into my iTunes. Then Matt and I went out with some friends to the Huntsman Center to watch U of U gymnastics, and headed to Chili's for dinner after. All in all, a pretty great day.

I like living at home...

2011-01-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

My dad woke me up this morning to feed me some oatmeal he'd made. Awesome! I didn't have to do any work but lift the spoon to my mouth. Sweetness, and now I'll have some good energy today, and won't be near as snacky. Thanks dad!

Where does all the time go...

2011-01-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

April of 2006

For those of you who were able to read the original post, I've completely deleted it and started over. A friend of mine had posted on her blog about how time flies, and she can't believe it had already been so long since she met her husband, and since they'd married. And I began to think about the same thing. It was 5 1/2 years ago that I met Matt. We knew each other and were friends for 5 months before we began officially dating. Most of you know that the last words from my mom before I got on the plane to NY for the first time were words warning me not to meet any NY boys and date them because she didn't want me moving away permanently. Boy, if she'd only known that reverse psychology worked, she probably would have said, Whatever you do, don't make a million dollars! I still can't fathom that we've been married for 2 1/2 years. (I do think my mom is pretty pleased with her son-in-law anyways). And I owe my mom a lot. Because if it weren't for her, pushing me to get out of Utah and go explore, I would never have met Matt, the love of my life. Thanks mom :)

December of 2010

We love Utah Gymnastics

2011-01-07T18:29:00.001-08:00

It has been tradition in our family to get free tickets to U of U home gymnastics meets for years. And a few years ago we got Matt and Jenn to start coming too. It's a way fun free date night and we really love it. Thanks for coming with us Matt and Jenn!

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How we rang in the New Year.

2011-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

With good friends, good food, sparkling juice, games, Criminal Minds marathon, and lets not forget BSB and NKOTB! (I felt 13 all over again and I loved it!) Thanks Matt and Jenn for providing us a place to celebrate as well as your awesome selves to celebrate with, thanks Brian and Kelly for delicious deviled eggs and snacks, and for your company. It was a blast!

Friends for life.

2010-12-30T22:53:00.000-08:00

Matt and I are so blessed to have great friends. This is a shout out to our besties who are more like family than friends. Thanks Matt and Jenn Van Duren for being the most awesome friends anyone could ever have the fortune of knowing.

Temple Square Christmas 2010

On our wedding day. TIDBIT: We also have a photo of the four of us at Matt and Jenn's reception and we're in the same order, Jenn's just wearing the dress ;)

Temple Square Christmas 2008

Temple Square Christmas '09

Millcreek Canyon BBQ Fall '09

Matt's Birthday October '09

They brought Matt a cake!

Also October '09. Yeah, we carve pumpkins together.

Also October '09. We also PARTAY at the cornmaze.

Also Temple Square '09. I told you we go every year together!

Once again guys, thanks from the very bottom of our hearts, we couldn't ask for better besties!

The Year 2010

2010-12-30T01:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers of our blog,

As this year comes to a close, I think back about 2010 and wonder... WHERE DID THE YEAR GO!? And as I think harder I realize all that 2010 has offered our tiny family. We are both another year older, and hopefully another year wiser, and that is something to be thankful for. We were able to take a wonderful family vacation to California where Matt has his first taste of our family's favorite Mexican Restaurant, Arroyo's. And I was able to take Matt to San Francisco for his first time. We also took him to a SF Giants game and then, his first year being a fan they won the WORLD SERIES for the first time in 50 plus years. My family in California also met Matt for the first time, and as I new they would, they love him, probably more than they love me... I got a new job, and have made new friends. Matt has been doing AWESOME in his classes at school. He's a straight A student and I couldn't be any happier for him. We have moved in with my parents, and are getting our finances in check. We've learned that though it is hard to have to depend on family for a roof, we are truly blessed to have this option. We are also immensely more excited to get back out and on our own again... all in due time. Matt will be losing his job with Comcast in February, but I see this as a blessing because the job really drug him down, now he has a chance to find a job better suited for him at this time. Matt and I are happy with the year behind us, and look forward to the year ahead. We have high hopes and aspirations for the coming year, and we hope to find all of you happy and healthy as well during 2011. I want to thank my loving family, and friends, near and far for making 2010 as fabulous as ever, and let you all know that I am SO excited for 2011 and hope to make even more memories with you all. Thanks again.

Love, The De Rosa's.

Christmas Street and the Temple again...

2010-12-30T01:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday, after Christmas my cousin Emily and her family wanted to go to Temple Square and see the lights, go to Christmas street and to Bible street. So we did!

This photo of my dog has nothing to do with the blog, but I put it on here anyways because he's cute, and he left that bow on his collar for weeks!

One of the houses on Christmas Street. The whole street gets lit up, and then they have a tree in the circle and stuff. Its awesome!

Can anyone tell what the lights above say? I'll tell you, because its a crappy photo. What do you want taking pictures at night in a moving vehicle? It says UTES! Ha ha! Go Utes!

The tree in the circle and carrolers singing to the cars driving by.

The whole street is truly LIT UP!

My 2010 Christmas photo of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple.

The reason for the season.

The lights at the Conference Center.

Temple Square and Friends.

2010-12-30T01:18:00.000-08:00

As per tradition Matt and I headed to Temple Square with friends this month and as always, had a blast! But, my camera died, and was dead all the time we were there, so I had to borrow photos from friends. Thank you Lyndsay and Jennifer. :)

Matt and I with lights!

The photo below is the one we used on our New Years card since I didn't do Christmas cards this year.

All your typical photos from the Temple. Aren't we just CUTE!

The whole group at the JSM building.

Matt and I again, and the whole group again, Chasey is REALLY good at holding the camera, and magically getting EVERYONE in the photo. Kudos Chasey.

Trying to take a photo good enough for a card...

2010-12-30T01:09:00.000-08:00

Matt and I tried to take a cute photo for our Christmas card this year, but it didn't work out, most of our photos turned out like this...

And so, this is why no one received a Christmas card from this De Rosa family this Christmas.

The End.

Nannying Again...

2010-12-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

I quit my job in August at the airport for a nanny position here in Salt Lake. My awesome sister-in-law got me the job, and I'm extremely thankful! Below are photos of the kids, and little trips we've taken.

J and B hanging out in the toy room.

Little Miss J. So cute!

Hollie's nanny kid and nephew at Wheeler Farm.

Aleksandra and cousin checking out the horses.

Payson Onion Days.

2010-12-30T00:57:00.000-08:00

This last summer/fall, we also had the opportunity to go down with my brother and sister-in law to Payson and do Onion Days. It was a blast.

Here is our group waiting for the parade to begin.

Some people "slept" at the park overnight, but my SIL's parents were gracious enough to provide us with a warm bed and a roof.

This little cutie depicted both above and below is my cute niece Aleksandra. She was in love with the people throwing candy from the floats! And she wasn't a huge fan of the camera, so I had to sneak some pictures of her. Below she has a mouth full of candy!

Thank you Mike and Hollie for having us down with you! It was such fun and I hope we can do it again next year!

When the twins get tired...

2010-12-30T00:50:00.000-08:00

The twins helped us move into my parents basement this last summer, and boy, we worked 'em hard. So, here's a bit of what goes on when they get tired...

We had a ton of stickers from our Guitar Hero game, and the twins stuck them everywhere like tattoos. Then they went to Wal-Mart with Matt like that, and I'm surprised I haven't seen a photo of this on "people of walmart.com"

I sure do love them.

Hiking this Summer

2010-12-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

This summer Matt and I went hiking with my little sister and her boyfriend. We hiked up to Donut Falls and actually made it to the falls this time. We also ruined two perfectly good pairs of shoes while doing so... but oh well. Here are some of the photos. I also keep hearing that eventually they are going to close the trail to Donut Falls, but I don't know if that's true or not.

Maddy and Dillon hiking up, carrying lunch and water bottles.

Matt hiking up, and wondering why I'm taking his picture

Another of Maddy and Dillon

Matt and I at the river.

A butterfly. Or moth. Whichever you see.

The actual falls. I hiked up alone first, then I made Matt come up.

The view from the ledge in front of the falls.

We had a blast, this is one of my favorite hikes, and I hope to be able to do it again next summer.

Tangled

2010-12-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

What a cute cute movie. We went with some of my cousins and my parents to see Tangled. LOVED it! It was so fun. It was just really well done, and had some great music. I highly recommend it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to write a quick post about the things Matt and I are thankful for this year.

*Barbara's List
My husband
My Mom
My Dad
My sisters
My in laws (MIL, FIL, SIL's, BIL)
A nice warm bed
Big comfy comforters
Boots
Gloves
Big poofy coat
My job
Being able to live at home cheaply
Costco
Turkey
Gospel
My car
Yams
Potatoes!
Cheese
Just food in general!
Little children who teach me so much
HEAT!
Love
cuddling
A good book

... and so many more.

*Matt's List
My Wife
My Family Both immediate and extended
My Friends
Music
Top Gear
Muscle Cars
Italia
Food, All kinds...Im not that picky
The Holidays
Being open minded
Laughter
The Aliens that built the pyramids (Jenielle Bailey)
PS3
Call of Duty Franchise
The entertainment industry
Glock
Mossberg
The History Channel
Employment
The Renaissance
Art
Michelangelo
da Vinci
The Soldiers in the armed forces
The Atonement
As well as all those things i neglected to mention.

I need some advice...

2010-11-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

I bought this dress in the dark green, and I'm so excited to get it. I'll most likely be wearing it with black opaque tights, and I was thinking that I may need a nice pair of ankle boots to complete the look... what do you all think? Obviously, they would also be black so as to blend with the tights and elongate my leg, rather than to cut it off...

I just want to talk about a few things I'm greatful for.

2010-11-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

I had a rough weekend this last weekend, and I've had a bit of a rough week. It's really nobody's fault but my own for the most part, and I know that. I also know that sometimes I lose my temper to quickly, and I need to remember to be "slow to anger". I sometimes also get too easily offended. One more thing I need to work on... of the many. And all too often I stress and over analyze the silliest things. But one thing that helps me through all these negative behaviors is that my Heavenly Father blessed me with an incredible gift. A very forgiving personality. This is something that I am most thankful for everyday. I'm able to quickly forgive those who may offend me, and I'm able to forgive myself for having the awful attributes above. It helps me to see things from others point of views, and helps me to work on bettering myself. What are some of the gifts you've been blessed with?

Don't bring me down...

2010-11-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

This is a post about how I NEVER stand up for myself. This is a post about how much I dislike liars. This is a post about how awesome my husband is. This is a post about how you should never let anyone bring you down. This is a post about how you should never let anyone make you feel guilty about things you have no control over. This is a post about how you should never let anyone make you feel small, unimportant, unglamorous, or stupid. This is a post about how you may not know how to face another day, but you do it anyways to prove everyone who never thought you could do it wrong. This is a post about not giving up, or throwing in the towel. Its a post about living your life, doing what makes you happy, and to hell with everyone who has a problem with that. This is a post about how you should never go behind someones back because you may think the worst of them. This is a post about doing what you can so that when the day comes, and you are called to answer for the life you've led, you can hold your head high, and with complete honesty, say, "I did my best, and didn't let anyone bring me down".

The State Fair

2010-09-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

This will be a boring post for most of you because I have no pictures. But boy oh boy did we have a blast! Matt and I went with my family to the State fair yesterday and it was so awesome! We got there and we immediately got slushes because it was HOT, then we saw the cows, goats, pigs and sheep. We also saw Al the Giant Alligator from Florida. He was pretty big, but not much bigger than the Alligator at Hogle Zoo. Good thing it was only $1 to see him. Then we got our large sodas to tide us over. We wandered around and looked at all the crafts and award winning food. Saw some awesome booths with some awesome things for sale. Then we listened to the band for a bit, which was way fun. We of course had to get some food, there were onion rings and cajun catfish, there were frog legs and crawfish, there were funnel cakes, elephant ears and chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. Matt and I kept changing our minds about what we wanted, first we wanted deep fried PB&J, then it was an elephant ear, then it was nachos, then it was alligator, fried pickles or a bloomin' onion. But once we heard about the chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick, we knew what we wanted. As we were headed down to the booth with the said cheesecake, we saw a booth that had Kahlua pig, and roasted turkey thighs, and those looked DELISH! But after making our way to our cheesecake, and then eating it, we were WAY too full to eat anything else. We also got to take a really cute picture with the seals they had at the fair, and they were so cute! A good time was had by all who were present and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Its been awhile...

2010-08-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I've really sat down and blogged. I mean, actually blogged about what is going on in our lives these days. So... just to forewarn you, this will be long, and probably a bit boring, but there must be someone out there who cares... right?

As most of you know, and I've probably mentioned before, Matt and I moved in with my parents at the end of June, and boy, as much of a blessing as it is, it is certainly hard. My dad, who was sober for 2 1/2 years recently fell off that wagon right around the time we moved in and it has been a struggle ever since. I know falling off is part of his program, it always happens at least once, but the hardest part is convincing him to get back on. Its really difficult to be supportive of someone who is drunk all the time, and doesn't really think he's done anything wrong. What is most sad about this to me is that, there aren't a whole lot of people outside of the family that know, and its really hard for my mom because she's felt like she's had to pretend everything is still perfect while her whole world crashes at her feet. Its so hard to watch her have to deal with this all over again. Then there are the comments from certain people about how happy we all must be now that we're all sealed in the temple and "Craig's not drinking anymore" and they just really have no idea. I feel like we took 1 step forward, moving in with my parents to save money, but two steps back having to live with a drunk. Don't get me wrong, I love him, I do. I know that this has been especially hard on Matt who is not only very independent, but really looked up to my father. Anyways, moving along...

Matt is still in school, and on to taking some super fun classes. He recently had a field trip to the EA Video Game place to see what was all involved in making a game and LOVED it, working for a gaming company is I think, where he really wants to be when he's finished with school. Though he takes classes on his "weekend" so he doesn't really have a day off, he is really enjoying school and thank goodness, because otherwise he'd never get it done.

I just recently started a new job being a nanny again... I KNOW, I said I would never do it again after my last experience, but here I am eating my words. Its for a really great family, the little girl, Jade is 7 months, and super adorable and the most easy baby to take care of. She hardly ever really cries, I think she's cried for me twice in the last 2 weeks and both were because she got startled. The other little boy that I watch is Boston, and he can be a handful, because he's a bit older, but he's a doll. I make double what I made at the airport and so that should be able to help us get our own place again soon. I'm really thinking about taking a trip out to NY soon so Matt can see his family, and we also want to go up to Seattle to see my Grandpa. So, hopefully we'll be able to do that now that I have a more flexible job and am making more money. Anyways, this is all I can muster for now, hopefully the next post will find us a bit happier...

Simple Pleasures

2010-08-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish this was my parents basement. I don't like sharing a washer and dryer with 5 other people. It makes it too hard to wash my clothes when I need to. Starting my new job tomorrow and I don't really have anything to wear. YES.

Love.

2010-08-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

"Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, and neighbors! Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue."
—Gordon B. Hinckley

2 fantastic years!

2010-08-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its already been two years! It feels like just a few months ago we were in Vegas celebrating our first year. This second year has just flown by so fast! I am so blessed to have Matt in my life, and I'm so happy he chose me to be his wifey and eternal companion! Seriously, just thinking about it gives me this super happy and excited feeling. He's my best friend, and the absolute best husband, I couldn't have asked for a better one. He's so sweet, and selfless, talented, smart and hardworking. His faith in the Gospel and The Lord, Jesus Christ is so strong and he teaches me new things daily and is always helping me to be a better me, and without even knowing it! I just can't get over how awesome he is and how loving he is! Well, today was just one of the million great days we'll have together and I'm stoked! HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY MATT! I love you!

Oh how I love California!

2010-06-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

This month we headed out to California for the annual Reese Family Reunion! We had an absolute blast! I didn't take many pictures, but I did get some. We ate at our family's all time favorite mexican restaurant Arroyo's as soon as we got into town and met lots of our family there. (We won't be able to eat any mexican in Utah for at least another couple months) Arroyo's is the best! The next day was Sunday, and was the annual reunion and it was a great turnout! Matt got to meet the rest of my family, but it will probably take a few more before he really remembers all the names! While hanging out with the family at the reunion we took some of the kids over to the "stream" with some hotdogs and chicken bones to hunt for some crawdads! SO FUN! I haven't done that for so long, and Matt never had so it was a good experience! Monday consisted of Matt Hayley and I finding our way around Stockton to do some shopping, swimming at my cousin Brett's house, then meeting up with a ton of family at, of course, ARROYO'S! Tuesday morning we left early for San Francisco, we stopped in Oakland on the way because we were going to do a session at the Oakland Temple early Wednesday morning, so we were looking for a hotel, but since none of us new Oakland well enough to know what areas were good, we just decided to do that another time and we headed on in to San Fran. First stop, a lookout that looked onto the Bay bridge, then it was on to Fisherman's Wharf where we enjoyed fresh shrimp, crab, oysters, calamari and of course clam chowder in the infamous sour dough bread bowl. If you love sourdough, and you haven't been to San Fran and had it there, you've never had sourdough. It was so delicious! Then we hopped on a boat that took us on an hour long ride around the bay. We went out to the Golden Gate bridge and came back around Alcatraz all the while listening to an audio tour that taught ME things I had no idea about. It was way fun, but super windy and cold. Glad we all bought our touristy sweaters! After the Wharf we headed to find our hotel we would stay in that night, then it was off to Haight Street! Matt really wanted to see Amoeba Records and he finally got his wish! You really need at least 4 or 5 hours to devote to the store, its huge and has so much music. We wandered up and down the street, checked out all the totally awesome shops and had a blast! Then we drove down the ocean. It was so breathtaking, and also, because the sun was starting to set, super chilly! The water was freezing! After the beach we met up with my cousin and her man and went to dinner on the Wharf. We ate at Allioto's, once again, delicious! Then it was up to Coit Tower and down to Lombard Street! Then we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. We got to sleep in a bit, then we headed to AT&T Park to watch the Giants beat the Orioles. Matt came out of that park a Giants fan through and through. =)

Then it was time to head back into Stockton to eat dinner at Arroyo's again. Can you tell we really love that place?? Thursday and Friday we filled with visiting more family and friends, eating some delicious BBQ, shooting pool, and finding black widows. We left Friday afternoon, stopped and stayed in Reno to visit with my Aunt Barbara, ate at Red Lobster (gosh, we ate a lot of seafood) and Saturday spent the day driving home. All the while I'm trying to devise a way to move back home to California! It was such a blast, and now Matt's wants to move there too! HAH!

My Husband.

2010-05-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

Occasionally, ok well, like once a day I get this overwhelming feeling of warmth and excitement and love for my husband. Its really hard to explain. But I'm so happy he chose me to be his Eternal Companion! He just never ceases to amaze me, he's always always always thinking of me, and always places me first. Even when I feel like I don't particularly deserve it, he's always kind and loving. He has never ever raised his voice at me, he never yells period. He's such an example to me. He has never once called me a mean or rude name, even in joking, and even when I maybe deserve it. I feel like I have so much to learn from him, and so much work to do to get on the same level as him. When we fight, which all couples do, its not your average fight. It usually just ends up being a "disagreement" and we always just talk through it calmly, and if anyone loses their temper... its usually me :( Then I just have to take a step back and gain control of myself again. He is always willing to listen and try to understand my point of view and opinions and I want to learn to do that more for him. Unfortunately I am just a little too opinionated for my own good. :-s Now that I've shared more than I originally wanted to, or more than you cared to read, I'm just going to end this by saying that I love my husband so much, he is absolutely the perfect man for me.

Home Sweet Home, here we come!

2010-05-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Only 18 DAYS until I get to go home to California and Matt gets to meet the rest of my insane family! I'm so so so excited! I haven't been home in 4 years, and so many of my little cousins are so grown up! AAAH! I just can't even tell you how good it will be to see all my family again! And I get to take Matt on his very first trip to San Francisco! He can't wait to hit up Amoeba Records, and I can't wait to see the ocean and eat me some clam chowder on the Wharf!!! YAY!

Mothers Day

2010-05-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say a little something about how awesome my mother is. Though she doesn't read my blog, yet, you all do and I think you should know how awesome she is.

She is my original BEST FRIEND. She never judges me, and always listens to me. She isn't afraid to tell me if she disagrees with something I've done, or may do, and I take her opinion very seriously because lets face, she really has "been there, done that". When Matt and I have a question about something, our first thought is, "lets ask Kay". I appreciate so much the sacrifice she made to stay home with us kids until we were in school full time, the things she went with out because there wasn't the money. She made sure we never went with out anything that we needed. She is so smart and she still teaches me so much. I remember my first day on the job as a nanny in NY, I called her crying, and I said "I don't know how you did it, all 4 of us home at the same time!" I only had 2 kids with me and it was so hard! She worked so hard as a mom, keeping us clean, fed, keeping the house clean, doing the laundry, and making sure our homework was done. I have such a greater appreciation for her and really for moms everywhere. She is such a comfort to me, and I know if I have any problem at all, I can call her and she'll go out of her way to help me, and to comfort me. I'm so blessed and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for sending me to her. I LOVE YOU MOM!

Oh wonderful doctor visits.

2010-04-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't been feeling good for a while now. Like probably the last 3 or 4 months. I've just been having issues with stomach cramps and other such digestive things that we won't go into detail about because well, its gross. I went to the doctor (gastroenterologist) about a month and a half ago and she prescribed me a pill I have to take 30 minutes before eating 3 times a day or as needed for stomach cramping, and she also told me to take a fiber supplement. So, I've done that for a month and a half, and it hasn't really helped me at all, so when I saw her today and told her all this, she told me she has to schedule an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Awesome. So, next Wednesday I have to do the "Prep" and then Thursday Matt has to drive me to the hospital, where I'll be sedated and allow someone to look at my intestines. Doesn't this just sound thrilling!? Anyways, I'm just a little nervous about it, sedation makes me nauseous but I'd rather be sedated than not for this kind of "procedure" and mostly I'm a little nervous about what they will find. My grandmother on my moms side past away from colon cancer, and my grandfather also had it, though it was caught in time. Lets just say, pray for me, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Days!

2010-04-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I've felt so happy and blessed these last couple weeks. I've just been so calm and had this feeling of contentment. Its so nice to have that feeling because I've been so stressed lately. Nothing really in particular, I'm just a worrier. I worry all the time about all kinds of things, some of which I have no control over, and lately I haven't been worrying so much. Its really nice! I'm sure alot of it has to do with the fact that I can FINALLY go back to church. I had been working on Sundays for the last while and I finally got Sundays off. YAY! Its amazing how NOT being able to attend church can affect your life. You never realize how much you needed it until you don't have it!! Anyways, life is just GOOD. I can't explain it any other way. Matt is thoroughly enjoying his school, and I'm thoroughly enjoying my Phlebotomy class and I'm really looking forward to finding a job in that field. Anyways, now I'm done rambling. But I feel its important to write down times when you're happy, not just when bad things happen like I have a tendency to do. Then later I'll be able to look back when I'm having a particularly rough time and remember it will pass.

Phlebotomy

2010-04-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm halfway through my phlebotomy course and I'm loving it! I need lots of practice, but I think I'm doing pretty well. I'm taking Matt in later this week to practice on-- he's so brave, I just love him! Here's to hoping I get a better job once this is all over with!

Enchilada Pie

2010-04-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

I'm really bored, and so I thought I'd share a recipe with my friends who read this blog. The recipe is Enchilada Pie and its a family favorite!

Ingredients:

12 Corn Tortillas

1 lrg. can of Enchilada Sauce (red)

1 lb. of ground beef

1 can of refried beans

1 sm. can of green chilies (optional, we use mild chilies)

1 pkg. pre-shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican blend)

1 can sliced black olives (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin browning the beef once browned, add the green chilies. Empty the enchilada sauce into a wide mouthed bowl so you can dip the tortillas in. Coat four of the tortillas with enchilada sauce and place them in the bottom of a square baking dish, then break 4 more tortillas in half, coat them and place them standing up along the inside edge of the pan overlapping two to a side. Spread the refried beans along the bottom. Spread the gound beef over the beans. Cover with half the cheese. Coat 4 more tortillas and place those on the top of the cheese. Spread the last of the cheese on top, cover with any remaining enchilada sauce and pour the sliced olives on top. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until heated through, and the cheese is melted.

This is so easy, you can just serve it with a salad and have a complete meal. It also reheats really well if you have leftovers for lunches.

Lets get FIT!

2010-03-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

Matt has been bugging me about getting a motorcycle since before we got married so, I decided to make a deal with him. Both of us have gained a ridiculous amount of weight since being married and I'm not a fan, so in order to give him the motivation to work out, and eat better with me I told him that if he got down to a healthy weight, like when I met him I would get him a bike (motorcycle). It will be used of course and not super expensive, but he's ok with that. This has really motivated him to be more active and think of healthier things to eat and control portion sizes with me. I don't know what I will get for reaching my goal weight, maybe just the peace of mind that I'm healthier, or maybe a shopping spree since hopefully none of the clothes I own now will fit! If any of my friends on here have any good work out tips, or healthy recipes, let me know! You can comment on the blog or shoot me an email at behowel@gmail.com.

Hanging out with Matt

2010-03-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

We are currently hanging out at The Art Institute of Salt Lake City in the Video editing lab so Matt can finish his final project for his Audio class. I sit at the computer next to him and screw around and probably annoy the heck out of other students while blogging, facebooking and pogo-ing. Pogo is a free online game site that I like to play on when I'm bored. It does feel a little strange to just sit in here and blog even though I'm not a student... oh well.

Apartment Hunting

2010-03-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Our lease isn't up until the end of June, but let me just tell you... Matt and I are so so so ready to move out of this place. I'm sure I've mentioned the annoying parking situation. If not, to keep it short, there is basically no covered parking and if you want it, you pay extra for it. Also, we are paying almost $800 a month after all is said and done for a tiny 724 sq. foot apartment with one bedroom and NO STORAGE. Not a fan. Then, there is the fact that an apartment in the building next to ours was robbed about a month or so ago. Now we know why the doors have double deadbolts.

So, last week I spent Tuesday looking at places, and Matt came out with me on Wednesday to look at more. I really did think that it was going to take longer than just 2 days to find a place, but I did narrow our search a lot when I decided we NEEDED to be further south. By Wednesday night, we had pretty much picked where we want to live. We've narrowed it to 3 possible choices. We're looking for 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Those choices are...

1. Santa Fe Apartments in Fort Union

These are my favorite and may be most likely where we end up. They have a great floor plan, lots of counter space and side by side WD hookups! YAY! They're also most likely going to be about the same as we pay now, and we'll get much more space and in a much better neighborhood. Things I love about this place beside what's mentioned above... our walk in closet doors are mirrors! It would be so nice to see my whole self in the mirror again! They have an extra vanity in our room so that I can wash my face and brush my teeth while Matt is in the bathroom!

2. Legends at River Oaks in West Jordan

These are Matt's favorite, and they're really close to Matt's work and it really is a beautiful complex but they're a little more pricey, and they don't have the best counter space, also, to get my side by side hookups for my W/D we'd have to do the 2 bed 2 bath, and we don't need 2 bathrooms. So, we'll see. They have a great desk built in in the dining area for a computer, nice big rooms, and a great layout.

3. Royal Ridge Apartments in West Jordan

These apartments are just kind of a back up if for some reason the other 2 don't work out. Its a nice, clean little community, they have really interesting floor plans. A few awesome things about this place, they have a window in the dining area, side by side W/D hookups, separate vanity from the toilet and shower, walk in closet, fireplace, and plenty of storage. They also would give me a discount for working for the Department of Homeland Security.

So, this is our predicament. Where to live. We'll probably end up at the place that has the best deal when we're ready to move. I wish we were moving now!!!!

Our Story

2010-02-27T15:09:00.001-08:00

I stole this idea from my friend Lyndsay because I think it's a great idea to write it down, and this is basically my journal. SO, you don't have to read it, its mostly for us, but feel free if you want.

Barb's Version (the one that's most heard... lol)

In July of 2005 there was a knock on my parents front door, and I opened it to see Nicole Hancock. She was my sisters best friends' big sister and she told me that she had nannied for a family in NY and they were looking for a new nanny so she recommended me. ( I did not really know this girl at the time, so why she suggested me I have no idea but BOY am I glad she did!) I have to admit, I kind of just nodded and gave a generic "OK, sure I'll think about it" (yeah right). I didn't really think about it again until a few days later when I told my mom, and she looked me in the eyes and called me crazy.

"You're almost 18 and you have no idea what you want to do with life, and you have the chance to go to NY and live there for free! HELLLOOOOO!"

Needless to say I interviewed with the family and by August 13, 2005 I was there, a new transplant on Long Island and I was scared to death because I didn't know anyone and I was responsible for 3 children, 2 of which were under the age of 3.

**I must insert here that my mother told me before I left, NOT to date any NY boys. She didn't want me marrying one and then moving away from her permanently.

Anyway, the first person I met from the Singles Ward was Deanna because she was my bosses' sisters' nanny. She took me to church the first couple weeks until I figured out how to get there. Before I had left for Long Island Nicole took me to breakfast and she told me a bunch of names of people that I should hang out with and that I would have fun with, one of which was Mike De Rosa. So, I started meeting people at church and recognizing names and letting them know I knew Nicole. By the time I got there, there was no Mike. But there were lots of other fun people including this weird boy who slicked his hair back like he was in the mafia, and wore these big loud shoes and carried around a back pack so he could show people his artwork. I admit, I did think he was a little strange the first time I met him and for those of you who can't tell who I'm talking about, well he's Matt De Rosa. He was loud, and I thought... a little rude. I mean who comes to activity night and changes the music that we were all enjoying? Matt, that's who. One night we all went to Coldstone Creamery and got ice cream and we were all kind of separated at different tables but we were all having fun, and I barely spoke to Matt the whole time. When we were all leaving for the night, we were all hugging each other and saying good bye and I walked up to Mario who was standing next to Matt and gave him a hug, and then when I turned to walk away, Matt says, "I don't get a hug?" So I gave him a hug too, and it was a pretty good hug... just ask him. I hadn't realized yet, that I was attracted to Matt. But he got my number that same night, and called me a couple nights later and I had no idea who it was. I asked... "Who is this?" the response... "Who do you think this is?" Then I knew. I invited him to come to the movies with us, I was with Lyndsay when he called, we were in the driveway of her bosses place. He declined, no reason given. I thought, ok. Still hadn't hit me yet that I liked him. A week or so later I wanted to go to Applebee's after an activity like we normally did, but everyone else declined so Matt and I ended up there alone, and we had a great conversation. It wasn't really awkward at all, and Matt was so nice! We kept hanging out with the branch, talking on Myspace, and IMing each other. We gradually just started hanging out more, and we hung out a lot with Bryant and Deanna. We would take turns paying for movie rentals and then we'd watch them at Bryant's tiny apartment. Matt and I would cuddle, and he'd hold my hand, and I'd really started to like him. But I was confused because he didn't ever make a move past holding my hand. One night I was fed up, my face was right there and I know he could tell I wanted him to kiss me but he didn't, so I kissed him, on the cheek. It was really difficult for me to gain the courage to do that and you know what he says to me? "I think you're a good kid." I was livid! He was just leading me on! He was a cuddle slut! Ugh. I didn't speak to him on the way home. He IMed me when he got home and we talked some more. He explained to me that he felt that our friendship was too important to move further. So I said to myself, start liking someone else. Find someone else to crush on. I did invite him to go to breakfast with me the next day and he agreed. Then he suggested we go to the beach (in March) and we were only there for about ten minutes before we were both frozen. (I found out later he was planning on asking me out on the beach but it was too cold to talk). He said he wasn't ready to go home yet so we went to a movie at F'dale Multiplex and I can't remember what movie we saw for the life of me, but after we were done, I took him home to get ready for Deanna's birthday party that night. I headed to Deanna's to help her get ready. We all went to Sports Plus to bowl and toward the end of the bowling Matt got really quiet and kind of stopped talking to everyone. I stole his red hat, and put it on, then I asked him what was wrong and he said nothing. I asked him if he wanted to take a walk and talk later and he said yes. Later that night because it was so cold outside, we sat inside his car. That's when he asked me out. He said, "I was wondering if it was ok with you if I took you out sometime?" I WAS ELATED!!! From then on we were pretty much inseparable except for you know, sleeping and stuff. It wasn't until 3 months later I heard him refer to me as his girlfriend. When I asked him about it he said to me "Well, its not like we're dating other people". So we began dating March 4, 2006 and by June I was his girlfriend. By July I had a different job with a family that I couldn't stand. Matt came home with me for Christmas, and a few days after we got back to NY I had quit my job. It was time for my time in NY as a nanny to end. Matt's family was gracious enough to allow me to stay with them for a week, before I flew home. I wasn't 100% sure that Matt would move out there like we had discussed. The plan was for him to move out in June. We hadn't talked at all about marriage, just about Matt moving out and going to school and living with his brother. We talked on the phone every night, we'd text all day long, and finally in April he'd had it with his job. His boss said some rude things to him and he was ready to quit. Then his dad surprised him with a plane ticket to move. My friend Melinda and I flew out to NY to pick Matt up. By April 18 Matt was in Utah living with his brother. By June we had met Mike's girlfriend Hollie and they were engaged before the end of the year, and were getting married in Jan. 2008. When I told Hollie we still hadn't talked about marriage, she lectured me and told me to get a move on. So I drove Matt up Big Cottonwood Canyon to the boardwalk and I was SOOOOO nervous, how was I supposed to bring up marriage? I didn't even know if Matt wanted to get married at all! But, he already knew what I wanted to talk about, and it turned out he'd been thinking about it a lot. He wanted to marry me but felt like he needed to get more financially stable and more schooling under his belt so we just agreed that we wanted to get married eventually but dropped it until the DAY of Mike and Hollie's wedding when Bob my awesome father-in-law asked me what Matt and I wanted. Then it hit me, we were scared and making up excuses. The next day, on our way to his house after church, in his grandfather's Buick, he asked me to marry him. Then he told his parents our plans, got their blessing, and then he wouldn't let me tell ANYONE until he asked my father for permission. I did tell one person though, I just couldn't hold it in! I was so thrilled! The weeks after that flew by, he asked for permission, got the blessing from my parents and we picked rings. We were engaged for 8 months and were married August 2, 2008. Here we are, happy as can be and so proud of our journey together. We have great memories and I still get the same butterflies in my stomach that I'd get when he'd hold my hand during our movie nights! I love this man and I'm so happy he picked me.

That was long, and although you may feel some of what I've written is irrelevant, its all important to us! and to me.

Matt's Version AKA The Short Version

Once upon a time...I got back from my mission, that's right 2 years in the jungle known as Italy, i was hanging out at plainview when i heard some obnoxious music coming from one of the rooms. As i walk into the room that it was coming from i noticed that all the nannies in the branch were playing some awful country music while they were carving pumpkins for Halloween. Being the considerate DJ that I am I decided to render my services and enlighten these small town nannies with some good quality music "East Coast style". Out of all the nannies in the room Barb was the only one to look over at me giving me the look of death, which she said was only her squinting, right. Obviously this intrigued me since i had that much impact that she felt it was necessary to shoot me the ten-thousand year old stare. We didn't really hang out all that much in the beginning, most of the nannies would sit in the foyer lamenting about how terrible New York is. I decided to avoid the negativity and ignored the opinions of the non natives. Moving right a long to the good stuff, Barb and I hung out a few times before we actually exchanged numbers at coldstone. It was a pretty good hug FYI. The thought of the dirty look always lingered in my mind. We hung out with a couple of our good friends that were also living out in NY, Bryant and Deanna. They were there throughout the start of our friendship. One night on the way home from their house i was dropping off Barb and I'm sure she had already mention the fact that i called her a "good kid" in her story so I'm going clear that up for the record. First off it was never meant to be taken in a bad way. Second it was clear that i was interested and liked her but you know how women can be at times. Third, we always hung out exclusively. Mixed signals? I think not. She got mad and wouldn't talk to me but i wouldn't let her stay mad at me so i called her that night for a chat. We continued hanging out becoming GF and BF. She got some terrible job with a cracked out ritzy family in west islip with some ridiculous house built on the water. They pretty much worked her like a slave and not the good kind like mammy from gone with the wind so i told her that she didn't deserve that and need to get out of that house. She went home and was all concerned that she wasn't going to see me again. I told her a few times that i would be going out that way but she didn't put much stock in that so i had to prove her wrong 3 months later when i moved out to SL,UT. I lived at the Gateway with Mike and Frankie working at wellsfargo. Mike was the first one of the De Rosa Clan to get married and shortly after that i spoke with my parents and then asked Barbs father, keeping it old school, for his daughters hand in marriage. Shortly after that we took the plunge in the mt timpanogos temple. 2 Cars and 3 apartments later we are still married happier than ever always keeping it as fresh as day one of the marriage. And we lived happily ever after Boom!!!

Confessions

2010-02-23T17:37:00.001-08:00

I have nothing else to blog about, so I nabbed this off a friends blog... here goes!

10 Confessions

*I'm addicted to Wii Resort on the Wii. It's a fun game, and it keeps me really active!

*I'm also addicted to Criminal Minds thanks to a good friend of mine who recommended it.

*I absolutely love to cuddle with my husband and watch movies. I would do that all day every day if I could.

*My sandwich of choice is PB&J, or PB&H, juvenile I know, but they're so good!

*I think I might be suffering from early onset Alzheimer's... I forget what I'm talking about mid-sentence all the time.

*I talk to myself a lot, especially while shopping or cleaning the house alone. (maybe that's dimensia?)

*My husband is my all time, most favorite, awesomest person I know and I love him so much.

*I love love love to watch horror movies, zombie movies are my fave. I think I'm becoming a softy though because they are starting to scare me, but guess what? I watch them anyways. =)

*Shoes and purses are my absolute favorite accessories to shop for. If I could get back all the money I've spent on those two things in my life, I'd almost be a millionaire. Well, thousandaire... lol

*I love to hang out with my family, and I've always thought my parents were super cool, even in highschool and middle school. I have never thought they were dorks.

Valentines Day 2010!!

2010-02-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

This year for Valentines Day Matt and I decided to not get each other anything and just enjoy the day together. I had planned to go to dinner and see a movie Saturday night, but instead, we decided to save some money. We ended up going to Archibald's at Gardner Village (where we ate after he officially proposed to me, and where we had our wedding luncheon =)) and had steak and shrimp with white chocolate bread pudding! It was delicious, and it was so fun because there were a ton of high school kids there celebrating for the annual "Sweethearts" dance. It was fun to see them all dressed up and having so much fun. After we finished dinner, we headed home to watch a movie and snuggle! We watched The Chaos Theory which isn't really a Valentines movie, but was really good just the same.

Today Matt and I had to work, and I had a long but good day there. I walked in to my house and there was this beautiful flower arrangement with stargazer lillies and orchids sitting on the counter and I just wanted to cry! What a perfectly unexpected way to end an (almost) perfect day! I love my husband, he is the best!