Our Halls Are Decked

Finally, our whole house is all decked out for Christmas.

As you can probably guess, I don't really tend to go overboard when it comes to Christmas.

Ok, maybe just a little bit....I can't help it.

Our tree is up and considering we've packed two trees worth of ornaments on to one tree, it turned out great. A little on the packed side, but that's just the way I like it.

Our mantle and just a couple of my nativities. I love nativities, and I have several more in our dinning room. I think I picked up my love for them from my Mom.

We even got the outside of the house all dolled up too.

Christmas lights are just the best.

Winner Winner...Turkey Dinner

Allow me to introduce you to my new all time favorite Thanksgiving tradition....

The Mayflower Power

Tournament of Champions!

*******

Sarah and Riley are the masterminds of this tournament. They provided all sorts of cardboard, straws, dixie cups, and such. With those supplies, the kids and adults all made a boat to race.

After all the preliminary rounds of racing, this one race would determine the championship. No pressure, or anything.

This year, Sarah is the Mayflower Power Tournament of Champions Winner!

Seriously, this was the funniest activity. I love how into this my entire family was....all for the sake of bragging rights. Sarah's got the bragging rights this year, but she better watch out. I think we'll all give her a run for her money next year.

Idaho Or Bust!

We've got a 13 hour drive ahead of us.

Sucky.

We're taking the company car = free gas.

Awesome.

I did make us lots of cookies to munch on in the car.

Awesome.

Most of the drive will be through the night.

Sucky.

Downloaded a bunch of new tunes to keep us entertained.

Awesome.

Mark has an air card for his laptop, so we get internet service as long as he has cell phone service. That will come in extremely handy for the long drive.

Awesome.

We will be able to see lots of family this weekend.

Super awesome.

There will be lots of food consumed. Probably by me.

Awesome.

Watching BYU kick Utah's butt...hopefully.

Awesome.

*******
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Looked Out The Window

And what did I see....

No, there's no popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

But, you do see a finished back fence. Finally. This has been a long time coming. We just have to finish off the side gates and we will have a fully fenced backyard. Thank Heavens. Being the owner of two dogs is about to get so much easier.

I think it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

You Can Call Me Crazy

Why do I think I'm crazy?

I was up until 3:30 AM last night.

Why was I up that late?

Good question.

Because I was out with a bunch of other crazy people watching this...Crazy, I know.

But...it was tons of fun hanging out and visiting with friends.

And New Moon was so much better than Twilight.

Fetch

So, now that the season for pumpkins is just about over, I wasn't sure what to do with our extra pumpkins from the garden. I could be super resourceful and cook them for pie filling. But...let's be real...that's not going to happen. Instead, we did a little bit of this on Saturday...

We used a couple of the pumpkins to play fetch with Recon, and he loved it. It was quite entertaining for us too. Obviously, we are pretty easily amused.

My Dad Is Younger Than Me?

So, my parents called me tonight. That alone doesn't sound all that interesting, but it was very unexpected since I talked to them last night. Well, it turns out that my dad was wanting to do a little bit of bragging. They bought the new wii fit this weekend and he used it today for the first time.

His wii fit age was 38. Mine was 42.

He really enjoyed telling me that.

I think he got a defective balance board or something. What does that darn thing know anyways?

At least I can kick his butt at Mario Kart.

Which, as far as I'm concerned, is way more important.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Working in retail the last 6-7 years has really thrown off my holiday schedule. You have to start getting ready for each holiday so early. The weekend right after Halloween are always my favorite days to work. Why? Well, those are the days that we decorate for Christmas at the store. That's right...decorating for Christmas...and I love it.

I love how pretty and sparkly the tree turned out. One of my favorite things, though, are these guys.

I think I really want the Christmas tree dude...he's just so cute.

If you live near Eugene, you should stop by the Luxe at the Oakway Center for our Open House and you can see all this cuteness too. Plus there's going to be yummy food and 15% off everything in the store!

Gotta Get Rid Of All That Candy Somehow

Our friends, the Walkers, hosted a Halloween party last weekend. In our ward they are practically famous for having their house totally decked out in Halloween decorations. Inside and out. This year they did not disappoint. Their house was awesome...hanging out with friends was a ton of fun...the costumes were hilarious...and the food was amazing.

Tonight is our ward's Trunk or Treat. Unfortunately I won't be going (I don't think that the entire ward would like to catch the flu from me) but I will be sending Mark....we gotta get rid of all this candy somehow.

I really don't need to eat any more Tootsie Rolls.

Who Lives In A Pineapple Under The Sea?

So, Mark and I have finally gotten our turn at getting sick. Yesterday we were kind of guessing that both of us had fevers. We weren't completely sure because we didn't own a thermometer. So, last night Mark went out for a quick trip to the store to buy one. Apparently we weren't the only ones in need of a thermometer. This was the only one that they had left.

Cool, right? Well, the best part is...when it's done taking your temperature it doesn't beep. That would just be boring. It actually plays the theme song to the show.
Yup. It's that awesome.

Tasty

I love cinnamon rolls and I had always been pretty content to make the good old Rhodes variety. Pretty fancy, I know. Making them from scratch just never seemed to be worth it. Until now. I got this recipe from a friend, and they were so tasty and super easy to make.

I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to Rhodes ever again.

To make these delicious cinnamon rolls, here's all you need...
1 box yellow cake mix
2 pkgs(4 1/2 tsp) yeast
5 cups of flour
2 1/2 cups of warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add water and mix well. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Raise until it doubles(about 1 hour). Punch it down and let it raise again for about 45 minutes. Divide the dough into thirds. Roll out 1/3 at a time to a 10x15 rectangle. Spread the dough with butter then sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar. Roll one of the 15 inch sides in and pinch the edges and cut into 2 inch lengths. Place pieces in a greased pan. Let them raise for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool. Spread with cream cheese frosting. Attempt to not eat them all in one sitting. Enjoy!

Watch Out Tiger Woods...

Guess who went to the driving range for the first time ever this weekend? The only golfing I've ever done up to this point was of the miniature variety.

Wow...it's a whole new thing to be at a golf course where there aren't any windmills and I didn't even get to choose my ball color. After hitting 120 golf balls, I must admit that I'm not so great when it comes to hitting the ball. I had some good hits and more than plenty that were less than stellar. I definitely wasn't destined to be a superstar golf pro. For sure.

And yes, it's two days later, and it's embarrassing to admit that I am still sore! I am in shock that swinging that golf club could do this to me. It didn't seem like that much of a workout at the time.
I am officially old.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

When you live in a small town, where do all the cool kids hang out on a Friday night? Well, if they aren't at Dairy Queen, they are at the high school football game.

That's where we were last night. Two of the boys in Mark's class at church are on the varsity team. Once we found out that they both were going to be starting, we knew we had to go.

It was fun to go and cheer for them...numbers 57 and 63....and I kind of started to lose my voice with all the yelling. I tend to get really into the games that I watch.

They played their best and worked hard 'til the end. Even though we lost the game, we had a lot of fun.

There's just nothing like a Friday night football game.

Changing Things Up

Yesterday was one of those Sunday's where Mark and I both got really long naps. Needless to say, last night we had lots of energy and we weren't sure what we wanted to do. So, kind of on a whim, we decided to rearrange our living room. The way we had it situated was never the perfect set up. I really didn't want to have our couch in front of our windows. So, this seemed like the only way to go.

Since our couch was so big, we had to have everything at an angle....so there was a lot of wasted space and it did make the room feel smaller than it was.

Now, the couch is in front of the window. I have to admit it's not so bad. Our living room feels so much bigger now. The only downside to this set up is this...

The couch is just too far away from the tv to play xbox.

42 Is the New 29

Way back when I got locked out of my house, I had to go to the neighbors to call a locksmith. While I was there, I noticed that they had wii fit. Mark and I have thought about getting it, but we weren't sure if it was worth it. So, I asked him what they thought of it. They liked it and had fun using it. He offered to let us borrow it before we bought it to see if it was something we would really use. I thanked him and I headed out to wait for the locksmith. I really had forgot about his offer until last week when he flagged me down as I was driving by his house. He stopped me to ask if we would still like to borrow it....why the heck not.

I got it all set up and it did my body test to get my wii fit age. Apparently I am a 42 year old woman. Awesome. That's just what I wanted to hear. Needless to say, I have used it every day since.

.....

I must prove to the wii that I'm really 29.

Fall

I've heard other people say this, but I just wasn't feeling ready for it. Yet. Now, I am totally ready.

Fall is here!

So, I wasn't feeling ready for fall when I actually had to turn my heater on last night when my house was 65 degrees. The cool weather, continuous rain and cloudiness for the last two days didn't really get me feeling like fall either.

This is what got me in the mood for fall....

Sipping my first (of many) mugs of hot chocolate.
I'm officially ready for fall.
Now...I just need to get all my fall and Halloween stuff out of the attic and put up all over my house. It's going to be a busy day.

To Reheat Or Not To Reheat?

Most days when I work, I try to bring my own lunch. It's way cheaper, sometimes healthier, and frankly I would rather spend the money elsewhere. Anyways, a girl that I work with is always curious to see what I bring. Yesterday, it was leftover Hawaiian pizza. She didn't really say much about it until I ate it. Cold. She thought it was gross and weird. I thought it was quite tasty.

Do you like cold pizza, or is it just me?

One Year Older....

And hopefully wiser too!

Sunday was the big day....I turned 29.

My last birthday in my 20's.

Seriously, I feel too young to be almost 30!

Mark and I had a very fun, low key weekend...

and it was perfect.

It's Quite A Shame

That someone who doesn't like veggies can have such good luck growing them. We cut off 13 pumpkins and a few peppers this weekend....and there is plenty more where that came from.

I can't wait to have our front porch covered in pumpkins!

Home Of The Free And Brave

You're a Grand Old Flag
by George M. Cohan

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Free and Brave. That describes in so few words, the many thoughts that are going through my head right now. I'm grateful for the many brave men and women in this country who by choice or by circumstance have sacrificed all that they have; even their lives. May we always remember and honor them. Not just today, but always.

I Got My Butt Kicked At The State Fair

It was that time of the year again. Time to head to the State Fair.

That dark sky sure had us worried when we first got there, but luckily it cleared out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

We rode a lot of rides. And by we I mean everyone else went on a lot of rides. I went on this one with Mark and Orion when we first got there.

Now I know it might not look like the craziest ride you've ever seen, but it totally kicked my butt. I should have known it wouldn't go well...fast rides and I just don't work well together.
So, I hung out with the kids while all the other crazy adults went back for more torture. Or fun. However you want to describe it.

We didn't go on the ferris wheel...it would have taken forever...but it just seemed like such a classic fair thing to get a picture of.

We saw lots of animals. It's funny how exciting it is to see the farm animals. For some reason the fair makes them way more cool. Except for the Llamas. Llamas are always cool.

It was great fun and I can't wait for the next one. I think I'll need the next year to gather up enough courage to go on another ride. Or not. We'll see.

Rise And Shout...

The Cougars are out!

There's no better way to start the football season than with an amazing win!

Especially when you get to watch BYU win with Steven, Alicia, and their kiddos. They make for some great company.

I think it's a sign of good things to come this season.

At least that's what I'm counting on.

GO COUGS!

I Think They Should Visit More Often

Last weekend a bunch of my family came out and stayed with us for a long weekend. This was the first time some of them had come to Oregon, so we made some big ol' exciting plans.

First we decided to go to Alsea Falls...have a picnic...hike...and just play. As soon as we got there is started raining. Welcome to Oregon. So we hung out in the car and played some card games hoping the rain would pass over quickly. It didn't.

So, we braved the rain and went and saw one of the waterfalls. What's a little more water when you're going to see a waterfall anyways?

Every night after dinner we would all go on a walk....with all the good eating that was going on it was kind of necessary.

Most of the time Mark roller bladed.

Or maybe I should say that most of the time Mark got pulled along on his roller blades.

We also made a trip out to the coast. We went and toured the Heceta Head Lighthouse. It was pretty cool to be inside a building that had been built way back in 1894.

It started out as a pretty nice day. Not perfect beach weather but not too bad either. Then the fog and clouds rolled in. By the time we drove to another beach to play and have our picnic, the weather had changed. Just a little. It was so foggy and cloudy that you couldn't even see the water.

So, we embraced the fog and played in the sand and in the freezing cold water anyways.

We also played lots of games. Between several card games and Mario Kart our nights were packed.

Recon liked to join in the fun too. Oddly enough Mom won that night. I think Recon helped her cheat. In fact, I'm sure of it.

See why I think they should come more often? Life is just so fun when I get to hang out with all of them....crazy weather and all.

Now that they are all back in Idaho, our house is really quiet. It's kind of strange. I sure miss having them here....though I'm sure they are pretty happy to be back in their own beds. You can only camp out on the floor and on air mattresses for so long.

I Can Watch TV.....

And be productive at the same time!

I made these pillows for our couch while watching the Food Network last night. There's nothing like sewing to a little Iron Chef. Now I just need to finish off some curtains. I wonder if there's anything good on tonight?

Boat Races and Vikings

Saturday was the perfect day for a family trip to Alsea Falls. We ate a yummy picnic lunch and had boat races.....well stick races would be a more accurate description.

There was a lot of climbing done by kids of all ages and lots of rocks thrown into the water. Why is it that kids and adults can spend forever just throwing rocks into water? There's just something fun about it.

After we were done playing in the water we went to

The Scandinavian Festival.

It's the most exciting thing that happens 'round these parts.

There's tons of good food.....

And Vikings.

What more could you want?

Going To The Coast

After spending the day at the coast with some of my family I thought to myself....

Why don't we come here more often?

The beach is only an hour away and yet it had been over a year(or maybe even two) since I've been. Seriously...that's just wrong. I can't let that happen again. It was about time I made a trip over there....and it was the most beautiful day too.
We had the best pizza at Gallucci's and went to Haystack Rock.

Most of us had to put our feet in the water. It was freezing which is totally normal for Oregon. Grandpa guarded our flips.

I love it here. I think I would like to stay. Or at least visit much more frequently.


We're going back in two weeks and I can't wait.

A Hiking We Will Go

This morning was the perfect morning for a hike with some friends.

We left home early...around 7:00am.(Getting up by 6:15 was kind of painful) We wanted to get out while it was early and still cool...and before the day got too busy. Even though I had to get up awfully early on my day off, it was worth it. What a beautiful area.

Even this log was happy to see us there.

We hiked over 4 miles on various trails...which was good because I went to Sweet Life with some friends last night right after work and I needed to work of the honkin' slice of chocolate cake I ate for dinner.

I think I just might have to bring my family here when they visit in a couple of weeks. This was the perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

United Breaks Guitars

When Mark and I were stuck at the D.C. airport we tried to work with United's customer service people to get some help. They weren't exactly helpful and it was really frustrating. Then I saw this video and felt a little better....like somebody else understood. At least United didn't break my $3500 guitar....they just delayed us several hours. I think we got off easy.

Tunes

Mark and I finally broke down and bought our first iPod. Technically it's for both of us, but one of us (I won't name names) has been hogging it lately and his poor wife has practically forgotten what it looks like. I think it's blue, yup, definitely blue.

Here's a few songs that you just might find us listening to on any given day....

1. Los Angeles Is Burning....Bad Religion

2. Closer To Love....Mat Kearney(his new cd is great!)

3. The Man Who Can't Be Moved....The Script

4. Crack The Shutters....Snow Patrol

5. Maple Tree....Angel Taylor

6. Rock & Roll....Eric Hutchinson

7. Stolen....Dashboard Confessional

8. Leaving Town....Dexter Freebish

9. Move Along....All American Rejects

10. Wonderful World....James Morrison

11. Won't Go Home Without You....Maroon 5

12. Don't Wanna....I-Nine

13. Fidelity....Regina Spektor

14. Her Diamonds....Rob Thomas

15. Car Crash....Matt Nathanson

So, I'm thinking I want to find some new music to mix in with what we already listen to. You know...to spice things up a bit.

Any suggestions?

*Oh...and for the record....I knew when we bought the iPod that Mark would be the one using it most of the time. I just like to give him a hard time because it was his idea for it to be for both of us....anything to justify buying it, right?

Backtracking Just A Bit

So, I have to go back and post just a few more pictures from our trip to NY. You know....for posterity and all that. So, here's what else we did....

It was a great trip. There are only two things I would have loved to do different....to have stayed longer and to have had Sarah and Riley with us. One of these days we're all going to have to go somewhere super cool together!