Happy Birthday Ross the Boss!

Today is Roscoe's 1st birthday! It is crazy to think that a year ago, we didn't have him yet--now I can't picture life without him. Anyone who knows us--knows that Roscoe is one VERY loved pup, so of course we celebrated his birthday! Yesterday Steve had the day off work so we celebrated by taking Roscoe to Feeders Supply and getting him a couple new toys and some treats, then after his outing to Feeders he enjoyed a trip to Freeman Lake, where he LOVES running around finding BIG sticks and then jumping in the lake for a swim--yes, even with it being 30 degrees outside, he still loves the water! We also had fun playing around in the leaves with him. Then we wrapped up his presents (I know some of you are laughing really hard right now--but Roscoe & Steve are all I have to spoil so I take full advantage!!) and had the joy of watching him go to town unwrapping them and seeing his surprises. The great thing was that I wrapped up a couple of new toys and a treat and then I just wrapped up some of his old toys and an old water bottle which he enjoyed unwrapping just as much as the new stuff! Love it! We had fun! Roscoe has been such a wonderful addition to our family. We love him so much and are so grateful he's ours! LOVE YOU BOSS--HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

SUPERDOG

We had a fun Halloween---it kicked off with a costume party on Friday night. Steve and I went as the scarecrow and the wicked witch. I have to brag on my husband for a minute. We had some ideas for how to make him a scarecrow costume but he was the one that actually put it all together---he even made his own hat! His costume turned out so good and I was very impressed with his creativity. On Halloween morning, we went to Bernheim Forrest with some friends of ours and their dog to walk around and enjoy the Fall colors. Roscoe seemed to find all the mud puddles and enjoyed a good romp in each one...he also liked attempting to get Chica to play, against her wishes! Halloween night we stayed in and passed out candy to all the trick-or-treaters (this is my favorite part of Halloween) I loved seeing all the creative costumes and cute little kids. We also feasted on pumpkin burgers, spiced apples, hot cider and pumpkin cheesecake. It was a wonderful Halloween!!

Fall Piano Recital!

Kyla, Marcella and me!

Marcella & me

Reading the story of Peer Gynt in my witch hat!

This was a pumpkin cake that I made all out of cupcakes and then decorated with Reese's- -so fun to make!!

Our yummy treats: pumpkin bars, fruits & veggies and pumpkin cake!

Yesterday we had our Fall Piano Recital for the girls I teach piano to. The whole recital was Halloween themed. Kyla & Marcella learned Halloween songs to perform and I even tackled a tricky Edvard Grieg song called "In the Hall of the Mountain King" that is one of his famous eerie songs. The girls did great performing their pieces. They worked so hard to learn them and I was so proud of them! Before I played my song, I told them the story behind the song I was playing, which was all about a mischeivious rascal named Peer Gynt. He got into all sorts of trouble and ended up being chased by the Troll King and the many trolls that lived in his palace because Peer refused to marry the king's daugher---the Troll Princess. In the music you can hear the footsteps of Peer as he runs through the castle trying to escape the Troll King. It was fun to tell them the story and help them pick out the parts in the song, so they could truly appreciate the music. To make it more "halloween-y" I put on my witch hat for the storytelling. After recital ended we had some yummy Halloween treats--It was a great recital. Keep up the great practicing girls--you are awesome musicians!

Welcome Fall!!

Steve and I have been hearing about this place called Huber Farms ever since we moved here to Kentucky. So last Saturday Steve, Roscoe and I decided to make the trip to Indiana and go check it out. It is a family owned place where they have orchards, a winery, a family restaurant, pumpkin patch, a corn maze and lots more! It was a beautiful Fall day and we had fun taking a tractor ride, picking our own apples in the orchards, walking with Roscoe around the lake, eating delicious food and getting ourselves some homemade black raspberry jam! It was a lot of fun and a perfect place to welcome in Fall!!

Conference Weekend!

I feel I have to write tonight and say what a wonderful Conference weekend it has been. Steve and I always look forward to these times of the year where we get the opportunity to listen to the messages that the leaders of our Church have to share with us. I also love that we have the luxury of watching Conference in our own home. It always helps make our home feel more peaceful as the talks and songs are played and heard throughout the house.
As we watched the sessions of Conference, I felt that there was an overall underlying theme of HOPE and of gaining personal strength to help you through the storms of life. I especially loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk. He spoke about trying. He said that we need to try to love God more. He encouraged us to "try and keep on trying until that which seemed difficult becomes possible and that which seems only possible becomes a habit and a real part of you." He told us to not get discouraged if we stumble at times because regardless of our current state there is hope. I felt so uplifted while listening to his words, as well as the words of the other general authorities and our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I mentioned to Steve that I wish you could capture how you feel when you are watching Conference and bottle it up to pour out a little during times when you need it most. Life becomes more simple and clear as I listen to the messages of hope during Conference. I feel like I can handle anything that comes my way. I wish I could find a way to hold onto those feelings. I am so grateful for a loving prophet who is inspired to know what we each personally need to hear to be motivated and most importantly to feel loved. I am truly uplifted today and motivated to be a better person. To keep trying. Even when it's not easy. I hope that I can do the things that will help bring me closer to my Savior and fully appreciate his sacrifice for me.

Football Saturday!!!

Steve's yummy burgers--don't they look simply delish??!!

Steve and Roscoe having male bonding time watching football

I'm really gonna miss this kitchen when we leave--it's one of my favorite places in the house!

I have to blog for a minute about our fun weekend! Yesterday morning I had to leave early to go to a meeting in New Albany for a few hours. When I got home, to my surprise Steve had already taken Roscoe to the park for a run and some playtime and been to the grocery store to get all the things we needed to have a BBQ! I was so happy and surprised! I thought it was so cute that he would think to do that. So we had the funnest day watching football and grilling! Steve made the yummiest burgers ever...I'm drooling right now just thinking about them. We topped the night off by having loaded sundaes and celebrating victoriously about the wins of our favorite teams....BYU and USC!!!! Go Cougs and Trojans!! I'm convinced that SC won because of the tiki torch Steve lit in our backyard in honor of the 4th quarter torch lighting ceremony they do at the Collisium! I think that's ultimately what pulled them through! :) At the end of it all--I cleaned up the kitchen and realized again that there are few things in life that make me as thrilled as having a squeaky clean, shining kitchen!! It really does make me happy! That's the update on our weekend....we also spent a fun Friday night celebrating Morgan's birthday with her at Funtopia! Now, it's time to start a new week--hope it's a good one for everyone!

Steve-O's Birthday Bash!

OOhhhh...what's next??......

Roscoe was a great help to Steve with opening presents!

Who me?? I didn't do anything.....

Me & Ross The Boss

Roscoe tuckered out after helping open presents...notice he fell asleep with paper in his mouth!!

This past weekend we celebrated Steve's birthday! I planned a surprise trip to Sandusky, Ohio for us to go to Cedar Point. Cedar Point is about 6 hours away from us and is basically like a Six Flags....on steroids....it has some of the fastest, highest, most intense rollar coasters in the country. We spent all day Friday there, running around like little kids riding all the best coasters. The cool thing was, since we went on a Friday, the lines really weren't that long for the rides..it was great! The first ride we went on, Millenium Force, was crazy! It was about 350 feet up, and then straight down going 93 miles per hour. Of course, Steve wanted to sit in the first row, and of course..being his birthday and all, I couldn't deny him. How much do I love this man???!!!! So we did it--and it was awesome!! We were both freaked out but loved it and ended up riding it again later on in the day. Another of the best rides we went on was Top Thrill Dragster. This ride was not for the weak of heart. You started at a dead stop and then zoomed to 120 miles per hour in about 4 seconds....it shot you straight up 420 feet high and then dropped you down (still going 120 mph) at a 80 degree angle. It was so crazy fast--the whole ride was only 17 seconds long! The first time we went on it, I was close to tears, I was so scared, but it ended up being one of my favorite rides and I was begging to go on it again at the end of the day! It definitely fulfills your need for speed! We had the funnest day! If any of you guys are looking for an intense time, or want to test yourself and conquer your fears check out www.cedarpoint.com If you click on a rollar coaster you can watch a POV (point-of-view video) and see just how fast and high they are! It was so much fun!!

We spent Saturday hanging out by Lake Erie and taking in the sights. We saw Marblehead Lighthouse and took lazy naps by the lake. Then we started our drive back home, stopping for Steve's birthday dinner in Cincinnati at the Precinct. I had made reservations there to surprise him! It was one of the most amazing restaurants we have ever been too. It is an old police station house that has been made into one of the classiest, most delicious steakhouses ever! The food was spectacular! We thouroughly enjoyed ourselves!

After dinner we headed home and Steve's birthday was made complete when the Dodgers, BYU and the Trojans all won their games!! He was one happy man!

Steve is usually the one spoiling me, so it was so fun to plan this and surprise him! Happy Birthday sweetheart! I love life with you!

Meet Me In St. Louis!

This last weekend we had the chance to make a trip to St. Louis where Steve's sister and her family live. Our nephew Spencer turned 8 on Saturday and got baptized that same day so we were honored to be able to be a part of it. Then on Sunday, our neice Katherine was blessed. It was fun to be able to be with family and play with our neices and nephew. On Friday night when we got there we went to the Cardinals game---Puhols hit a walk off home run in the 9th--so it was pretty exciting! After the game we headed to Ted Drew's for some yummy custard! The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging out, talking, playing games and eating good food! (what we do best!) It was a great time! Thanks for having us Jones'!

Time Flies!

So, I know it's been forever and a day, since I've posted anything on here...don't even know if anyone is reading it at this point. Sorry guys! I can't believe the summer is almost over--it has been HOT HOT HOT here and I find myself getting that shiver of excitement for Fall and all the holiday festivities to come! We have just been busy with daily routine stuff and the time has gotten away from me. Seminary started back up on August 5th so I'm back to my early morning routine of getting up, teaching seminary at 6:30, preparing the next day's lesson, taking Roscoe out for a morning jaunt, then getting ready for the day. Lately, I've been meeting Steve for lunch everyday, so that has been really fun! Things are going pretty good. Just busy, busy--like everyone else. This weekend we are going to St. Louis to visit Steve's sister and her family. Our nephew is getting baptized on Saturday and our neice is getting blessed this Sunday. Should be a fun weekend. I'm sure we'll come back pooped--which everyone knows equals=a LOT of fun had! So hopefully after this weekend I will have some exciting pictures to post. Till then.......

Roscoe's New Girlfriend Molly

The past couple weeks Roscoe has been having "doggy playdates" at the park with another lab/poodle mix dog named Molly. They love to play together and have fun and always come home tired out from all the excitement and running around they do. This last time we took them to the park, they found a HUGE puddle and both being labs..they jumped right in and were in heaven splashing all around. It was really cute to see! They are usually both always running around or exploring but we did catch them cuddling up a couple times too! :) Roscoe will be so sad when Molly has to move this month. We'll miss you Molly and Michelle!

Good Music + Great Husband=Good Time

Last Friday Steve surprised me yet again by getting tickets for us to go see John Legend in Indiana. I am a big fan of his and love his crooning love songs with his cool jazz vibe thrown in--plus he can really tear it up on the keys! It's rare to see such an amazing piano player. The concert was outdoors and was so much fun. I love being outside at night in the summer! It was a great time and I am feeling very spoiled right now by my adorable husband! He never ceases to amaze me! Love you Steve!

Stompin Around the Big Apple!

Street show--They actually grabbed Steve as a volunteer and he was in this show..he was part of a line of people that these guys ran and jumped over!! Crazy!

This structure was on top of the World Trade Center when it was crashed into and has been preserved in the state it was found that day.

This was a tree near Trinity Church that was found on 9/11 and used to make this structure

Our hotel in Manhatten--THE HUDSON

Our room at the Hudson

Brunch at Sarabeth's Kitchen on the upper west side of Manhatten

Eating Grimaldi's pizza at Fulton Park under the Brooklyn Bridge

We saw some beautiful sights...........

....and some not so beautiful sights

On the steps of The Plaza Hotel...growing up watching Home Alone--this was a magical place for me to see!

Central Park--this place was stunningly beautiful--I loved it! What a cool park!

Cool statue by where they do "Shakespeare in the Park"

Belvedere Castle and Turtle Pond in Central Park--there were tons of turtles swimming around!

Musuem of Natural History

Columbus Circle-this was the main junction by our hotel

On the observation deck of the Empire State Building--our real life Sleepless in Seattle!

Our scared faces hanging off the top of the Empire State Building--it was SOOO high!

View of NYC from the Empire State Building

Ess-a Bagel----one word: YUM!

This is where they stayed in the movie "Serendipity"

New York Library

"Bookworm Christy" in the huge New York Library-I love to read and fell in love with this place!

Eating mango and blood orange gelato on the ferry ride to Statten Island

Statue of Liberty

Skyline view from the ferry

We had the yummiest coconut cake at Magnolia Bakery

The "Friends" Apartment in Greenwich Village

Ground Zero-The World Trade Center Site

The most gigantic yummiest sundaes at Serendipity

Been wanting to go here forever--love this place!!

Relaxing on the SkyView Terrace on the top of our hotel

View of the city from the SkyView Terrace

Waiting for the subway--what an experience!

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Arch in Washington Square

Playing in the fountain at Washington Square--there is nothing more free feeling than frolicking in water!

Going to dinner at Vice Versa

Hanging out in Times Square

Steve in his "happy place"

Galinda was played by Ali Mauzey, a girl Steve performed with in middle school

Wicked Stage at Gershwin Theatre on Broadway--this was a dream!! So good!!

Getting ready to see Wicked!!

No..we're definitely not Yankees fans but we had to see the new stadium

The Hershey Store

I have a wonderful husband. I know this and many of you do too. He is a true romancer! This past week he surprised me with a trip to New York for our 7th wedding anniversary! I was so excited--I had never been to the Big Apple before and have always wanted to go. First of all, I have to back up a bit--Steve handed me a list last week with a bunch of movies on it...some were I Am Legend, Maid in Manhatten, An Affair to Remember, Serendipity, and lots of others. We picked out some that we wanted to watch and watched them all last week--the week leading up to our anniversary. Last Thursday, Steve left me a note when he went to work asking me to figure out what all the movies had in common. I put it together after awhile that all the movies on the list were filmed in parts of New York. When I called to ask him if this was the right answer..he told me to pack my bags and get ready to go--to New York that is!!

We flew out Thursday night and spent a wonderful 3 days exploring all around New York! I loved it!!!! Such a fun city! Thanks to Steve for finding great deals on everything we were able to get to do a lot of fun things while we were there! The pictures tell most of our trip but a few of my favorite highlights were: sundaes at Serendipity, the Plaza, walking all through Central Park, Greenwich Village, seeing WICKED on Broadway!!!!, Times Square, the New York library, our delish dinner at Vice Versa, exploring the Farmer's Market on Lexington Ave., having sore, tired feet at the end of everyday but then getting excited to get up the next day and walk hundreds of miles again!, getting a manicure and getting all dressed up for the show, breakfast at Sarabeth's, and most of all spending all day, everyday with Steve. I am so lucky to have him. He always goes the extra mile to make me feel so special and do the things that he knows will bring a smile to my face! I love you so much honey. Happy 7 years! Here's to another 70!!!!

Celebrity Sighting!

While we were at the Louisville Airport getting ready to fly to New York I had my first Kentucky celebrity sighting. I saw Ed from "The Bachelorette." He walked by me and we made eye contact for a second, then he went to a bar next to our gate while he was waiting for his plane to Chicago. I hurried and called my friend to tell her who I just saw. As I was on the phone with Rachel, I saw another girl calling her friend, after she recognized him too. We started talking and laughing about how crazy it was that he was here in Louisville of all places. We sat where we could see him in the bar. The other girl really wanted a picture with him. So Steve, being the great husband he is....went into the bar and actually talked to Ed and asked if we could get a picture with him. Ed was really nice, shook Steve's hand and and introduced himself. He said he was just finishing up his drink, and then he'd come right out. Unfortunately we had to board our plane early, so we had to leave before he came out, but it was funny to see him. I wanted to ask him how the Finale ends.

He makes us laugh!

So we've decided that Roscoe is the funniest dog ever! This past week he has been making us laugh so hard! He has so much energy and is always up for playing. His latest thing is picking up random objects around in his mouth and bringing them to us to play with him. The other night, I had asked Steve to bring a clean towel from upstairs for me to put in Roscoe's crate. When I came downstairs a few minutes later and asked Steve where the towel was, he pointed to the floor by Roscoe's crate and said, " I put it there." We looked and....no towel...no Roscoe either! A few minutes later we look out on the back porch and Roscoe is standing there in the rain with the whole towel in his mouth, waggin his tail and begging us to come play with him. We about died laughing. Another funny thing he did, was one night Steve snapped his fingers for Roscoe to bring him a toy to play with and Roscoe ran to get one. He was gone for a few minutes. When we looked up he was coming into the house with a wood 2X4 in his mouth to play with! He had found some leftoever wood we had from the fence and brought it in to play with. Hilarious. Then yesterday Steve was swatting flies with the flyswatter and set it down for a second...the next thing we know, we look and Roscoe has the flyswatter in his mouth all ready for us to chase him! He is so funny and we find ourselves constantly laughing at all the cute things he does. We love this dog!

Family Reunion at Reid Ranch

What a trip! We just got home from our trip "to the west". We packed in so much fun I don't even know where to start! Our trip began by going to a family reunion for the Horne side at Reid Ranch in Heber Utah. This was our first reunion that we had been able to attend since we have been married. The last one Steve went to was 9 years ago! So it had been awhile since we had seen everyone. It was so great to re-connect with all the cousins and aunts and uncles! The ranch where we stayed was awesome. There was horseback riding, archery, volleyball, soccer, frisbee-golf, swimming, canoeing and you could do any of these things, pretty much whenever you wanted and as much as you wanted. Also, they cooked all of our meals for us! This was quite a treat! We just showed up and a delicious meal was all ready for us! We enjoyed being able to spend so much time with everyone!

The reunion ended the afternoon of July 4th and that night we went to a park in Orem to watch the fireworks with everyone! It was fun!

On Sunday, Steve and I went to Salt Lake and were able to see our good friends Willie & Rachel who just moved to Utah from Cali. We love hanging out with them, so we were excited to be able to see them in Utah while we were there. We had so much fun driving up to Park City and just hanging out and laughing like we always do when we're with them! We love you guys!

Monday morning we drove to St. George to see my Grandma who just moved there from San Francisco. It was so great to be able to see her (we hadn't seen her in a couple years) We ate lunch with her and spent a fun afternoon singing songs with her in her apartment. We hope we can see you again soon Grandma! Love you lots!

Thanks to Steve's parents we drove to Las Vegas Monday night to visit some more friends! (Steve's parents were able to drive us there on their way home to Cali). First stop in Vegas: Spuhler's! We were happy to be able to celebrate Bryan's birthday and enjoyed going to Claimjumper for dinner with them! The next day, we had fun hanging out, and swimming at the pool, and also eating the most delicious lunch of Brazilian food prepared by Katya and her mom! I know Steve loved practicing his Portugese too!

Monday night we were able to spend time with our other good friend Brian. We love our "Slade time" and always seem to spend a lot of time laughing together when we all hang out. It's great! We had so much fun going to In 'N Out (YUM!) and staying up playing cards and talking till 3 am and playing with Cosmo the kitty! We love ya Brian! Come visit us soon!

Well...that's pretty much our trip, in a nut-shell, a big nut-shell!! We had a great time being with family and friends. It's always comforting to go to the west coast, because that's home for us! We loved being able to spend time with people that mean a lot to us! Our time is always too short and there are always so many more people that we want to see and don't get a chance to---so hopefully we will be able to see the ones we missed next time! For now, it's back to Kentucky life! We are happy to be back in our home and to see Roscoe again. Thanks so much to everyone that helped make this such a fun trip! We will remember it for many years to follow!

Ross the Boss Goes for a Swim

Yesterday Steve, Roscoe and I packed a picnic and headed to the lake. It was a beautiful day-- very hot and perfect for a cool dip. Roscoe loved the ride to the lake...he was in doggie heaven with his head out the window and in the breeze the whole time. It was Roscoe's first time going swimming and he jumped right in! He didn't so much love the rocky shore or the waves that kept bumping up against the rocks but he loved being in the water. Here's a few snapshots I got of him enjoying his first swim!

Hangin at Girl's Camp!

This week is Girl's Camp and even though I'm not in Young Women's anymore, I've still been able to go up and spend time during the day with the girls at camp. It has been so much fun and I love getting to hang out with Diane & Cindy too! (my past counselors) This year camp is in Glendale and it is beautiful! Lots of trees and a lake with a trail to walk around. The theme for camp this year is "Survivor 2009" and every ward has a tribe name and cheer. Our ward is the Fede Tribe (Fede is "faith" in Italian) Yesterday when I went up to camp, I took Roscoe with me and man did he have a blast! He loved seeing all the girls and getting pampered with all the attention they gave him. Tonight Steve and I are going up to watch their skits and also for dinner. I love our Young Women! Can't wait to see you today girlies!!

We finished!!!!

Last Saturday Steve and I finished the fence in our backyard that we've spent MANY hours working on!!!! It was so exciting to see something that we had made ourselves and to be proud of it!! Roscoe likes it too--now he can go outside more since I don't have to watch him when he's out there! We are loving our backyard and feel like we can use it even more now with the fence up!! YAY!!!!! Thanks for all your hard work honey--we make a good team!!

Ridiculously Cute!!

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures of our not-so-little puppy Roscoe! This week I got a few good ones and wanted to share. Steve and I also had fun one day playing dress-up with him. He is now almost 7 months old. We love having this lil guy around!!

Hi Ho Hi Ho..It's off to work we go!!

Ever since we moved into our home in August 2007, Steve and I have been wanting to put up a fence in our backyard. Getting Roscoe made that idea a little more of a necessity--so we decided to take it on ourselves!!! Neither Steve or I has ever put up a fence before so we are learning together. We have learned that it is a LOT of work, takes a lot of time and precision...but the good thing is that it has become our project and since we have spent so many hours working on it together it has given us a chance to spend that much more time with each other! I am lucky to have a husband who is smart and hardworking and was willing to take this on. Last Saturday we completely one side of the fence!! We were so excited to see the fruits of our labors. Just 2 more sides to go!!! We can do it baby!!

Time to Sleep in!!

Today we had our last day of seminary for the school year. We survived!!! And what's even better is we had a fun time too! Don't I have the cutest seminary kids ever! They are great! (They were all decked out with spray paint in this picture because they had a school party last night where the seniors all spray painted the juniors and then they have to go to school with their spray paint on the next day.) I am so grateful for the Spirit they brought to class every morning, and their participation and dedication to seminary. Have a great summer guys....sleep in lots!!!

Johnson's come to Kentucky!

This past weekend Steve's cousin Derek, his wife Hilary and their 3 kids came to visit us! It was so great to see them and we packed our days full of fun!! On Friday we rented a boat and played on Taylorsville Lake all day waterskiing and tubing, Saturday we went to the Louisville Slugger Bat Musuem and also to the races at Churchill Downs , then Sunday we went to Church and after Church we went to the park and enjoyed a beautiful day! We also had a lot of fun after the lil guys went to bed every night playing Nertz with Derek and Hil and staying up late talking! We love you guys! Come back again!

Pure Fun-P Party!!!!

This past Friday night we had a Triple P Slumber Party (Personal Progress Party) at my house with the Young Women. Back when I was YW President I had set a goal with the girls to reach with their Personal Progress. The reward was a P Party where everything would start with the letter "P." Well the girls reached their goal so we had the party and boy did we have fun! The girls came in their PJ's, they all brought their favorite P snack--like pretzels, pickles, peanut butter cups, popcorn, etc, I made ice cream pies for dessert...we watched P movies-- like Penelope, and I even got a parrot pinata for them to bust open. We also had fun doing pedicures and painting our nails. I miss getting to work with the Young Women and it was so fun to have them all over. I love you girls!!! Keep up your good work on Personal Progress!

I Dared and I Conquered....

I had to post about this because it actually worked and I wanted to share!! After everyone went home from the slumber party for the Young Women that I had at my house, I was cleaning up and found bright purple nail polish on my brown leather couch. I was really distraught and didn't know how it would ever come off. I know that leather is really tricky to treat and I didn't want to make the damage worse...but I couldn't see having purple polish on it forever!! So I called one of my genius friends, (a big thank you Adrianne--since this was actually your idea) and she reccomended that I swab a little nail polish remover on the spot on the couch with the polish on it. Sounds simple. Right. But I was scared to do that because I have always heard that nail polish remover ruins anything it touches. Anyway, after two days of staring at the purple on my couch I decided to go for it. I used some nail polish remover on a Q-tip and lightly went over the area, and then wiped it off with water...and voila!!!! No more pretty purple on my couch!! I was so happy! I love learning about things that work as solutions! I am also very lucky to have smart friends!

Springtime Flowers!

Ever since I planted bulbs last Fall, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Spring tulips! Well they are finally here and I just love them! It is so fun to plant things and then watch them grow and flourish. I really am discovering my "inner-gardener" since being here in Kentucky. I love it!! Happy Spring!

Homesick for the Hoffs!

This last weekend our good friends Andy & Melissa moved! We have had so many good times with these guys and will miss them so much! We love you guys and wish you all the best in the next year! Thanks for being such wonderful friends! It's not the same without you here in Kentucky with us!

It's Bunny Cake Time Again!

Happy Easter! Hope you all had a wonderful one. We celebrated the 7th year of making the Bunny Cake. I just love making this cake every Easter...not only is it a yummy cake but it's so fun to make the lil bunny face come alive! Steve and I always have a fun time decorating it...this year Roscoe helped too! We managed to get the whole cake made without Roscoe eating it! We spent a wonderful Easter with friends dying Easter eggs and having a delicious Easter dinner. I am so grateful for the chance we have to celebrate Easter and the knowledge we have of Christ's Atonement for each of us. May we remember to use this great gift in our lives.

Georgia On My Mind....

Steve and I made a trip to Georgia last week. Steve had to go to a dental seminar there so I went along for fun. We had a great time exploring Atlanta, Augusta and Savannah! We went to the Riverwalk of Augusta and saw all the beautiful trees and flowers in bloom and ate dinner at Boll Weevil...(they had the yummiest desserts ever!) We spent an afternoon playing in Savannah, and going to the beach on Tybee Island...we saw the coolest lighthouse! And we ate at a Brazilian restaurant in Atlanta where Steve got to practice his Portuguese! We ended our trip my meeting our friends Andy and Melissa in Nashville for dinner on our way home and some yummy gelato! It was a great trip! Steve and I always have fun when we get to spend time together!

I love you a million Grandma

Last night my Grandma Carpenter passed away. I have so many emotions running through me right now that I feel I need to write to get them out. As many of you know, my family moved from the house where we all grew up about 2 years ago and moved down to Scripps Ranch to live with my Grandma and help take care of her. This experience was so good for my family. It was hard to leave friends that they had known in Escondido for so long, but they soon made friends in Scripps Ranch and really loved the area. It provided many opportunities to them that they wouldn't have had otherwise. While they were living there, Scott, Julie and Mark all made the decision to serve missions and worked to get themselves spiritually and financially ready. My grandma was such a strong influence in their lives, I believe. She is such a wonderful women who led her family with a quiet strength that I hope to emulate in my own family one day. I am having a hard time right now, because I am going to miss her so much, but I am so happy that she will be reunited with my grandpa who she has been missing dearly since he passed away in 1997. My grandma made such an impact on me of someone who holds strong to her beliefs and lives the kind of life that she can be proud of everyday. I will miss her birthday cards every year with the stick of gum, her hugs and kisses on my cheek, her yummy New Year's Day drink, and her telling me that she "loves me a million." I love you Grandma. Your life will remain an example to me for many years to come.

I'm a Lucky Girl!

I know I'm lucky to have found Steve but some days he just reminds me all over again. Yesterday he came home from work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me "just because." I used to dream about being married to someone like him when I was a little girl and how good life would be. I love that I am getting to live my own dream. Thank you honey for all you do to support me. Life is good with you by my side. I love you so much!

Early Bird!

As many of you know, I was released as Young Women's President (I led a youth group at our church for girl's ages 12-18) It was hard to leave the Young Women's program as I have worked with the girls for over a year and a half and have had many fun times with them and grown to love them so much!
I was recently asked to be the new Seminary teacher!! (I teach Bible & Book of Mormon study to kids in our church at 6:30 AM!!) AHH!!! At first I was a little shocked and definitely felt underqualified but this morning I taught my first lesson and it was actually a lot of fun! We are learning the New Testament this year and I am learning things right along with the kids! I love the guys and girls that I teach. They are awesome! I am getting excited to have this calling and look forward to having fun and learning lots! (and trying to get enough sleep!) Wish me luck!

Roscoe time

Roscoe and I are pretty much buddies all during the day while Steve is at work. We love to play together, run in the backyard and especially cuddle. Steve and I are loving having this little guy as part of our family, (as if you couldn't tell from all our pictures!)

I Left My Heart in San Diego!

This last week we made a quick trip out to California to spend time with my brother Mark before he leaves for his mission to Pittsburg on March 4th. We also got to see a few friends. (Sorry to those of you, we weren't able to see--our trips are always too short!!) It was so much fun...and I also got to spend my birthday out there with my family! Steve surprised me with a trip to Disneyland on my b-day. My brothers Danny and Mark came too--we had so much fun!!! We also had tons of other great times...Petersens Donuts, Happy Yogurt, dinner at BJ's, Solana Beach, dinner with the fam at Soup Plantation, birthday pinata and Mom's yummy tostadas, Confessions of a Shopaholic and lunch by the lake with mom, IMAX, bonfire at La Jolla and laying underneath the stars, and many late nights of playing games, laughing and talking.

Beefcake Roscoe!!

While we were away in California we boarded Roscoe at the vet's and boy did he have a good time eating...they must have fed him till he didn't want to eat anymore...we came home to our little Roscoe--not so little anymore. We're pretty sure he ate one of the cats he was boarded with!

Roscoe's 1st Bath!

So Steve and I braved it yesterday and gave Roscoe his first bath! We were both a little apprehensive as to what his reaction would be--he is a VERY playful, energetic puppy and we were preparing to be soaked! When we put him in the bath..he just sat there calmly and let us shampoo and rinse him without any struggle. Maybe he's gonna be a waterdog after all! I couldn't resist getting snapping some pictures..he was too cute all sopping wet! We love this little guy!

Be My Valentine!

We had such a fun Valentine's Day this year. We started off the morning with pink heart pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, bacon and smoothies. YUM! Then we all jumped in the car and went to the park for Roscoe to run around--it was so much fun just playing and walking down the trails by the lake. Roscoe was running around and having a blast but as you can see from the pictures...he was pretty tuckered out on the car ride home! After the park we came home and Steve had prepared a spa day for me. He had a big bubble bath going with all kinds of fun scrubs for me to use. It was so relaxing--what a hubby I have to spoil me like that! He had little surprises for me all day and made it so fun. We had a wonderful day and enjoyed being together. I am continually reminded of just how lucky I am to have found Steve. He surpasses all the dreams I had of a husband and I am so grateful for the life we have together and how we are constantly there for each other, making it easier to get through the tough parts of life. I love you Valentine! Thanks for being mine!

Jack Frost Hits Kentucky!

So, as many of you have probably seen on the news, last Monday night Kentucky got hit pretty hard with an ice storm! We had freezing rain falling constantly for about 24 hours! As a result Tuesday night we lost power and Wednesday morning our water went off as well. We had an interesting couple of days relying on our emergency supplies and seeing our whole town basically shut down. The temperatures stayed in the low teens and with no power or heat..this can get pretty chilly. Luckily, we had our gas fireplace so we were able to stay warm! Trees all around had so much thick ice on them, that they were spliting and breaking. We had some neighbors that had trees crash through the windows of their house and break them. Yesterday (Friday) we finally had our power and water restored and we celebrated by taking nice hot showers!!! We hope that the ice will melt quickly and that we won't have to go through something like this anytime soon again! On the fun side of things, we took advantage of the time Steve had work off and played games with friends, did puzzles by candlelight, talked and played with Roscoe.

We are in love.....

Beware of Roscoe Snowbeard!

Yellow snow anyone?....

Wait...I think I saw a gecko do this. I almost got my eye!

Today Steve and I had so much fun playing with Roscoe in the snow and taking him for his first walk. He is such a good little guy and is having fun with us too! We all took a group nap together today and Roscoe snored the loudest!

Introducing...Our Newest Addition...ROSCOE!!

Today, Steve and I fulfilled one of our dreams and got ourselves the cutest lil' chocolate lab puppy in the world! We have both been wanting a dog for so long and were just waiting for the right time....well he's finally here and we just love him to pieces. Little Roscoe loves to cuddle and we are loving every minute! We are so excited to have this lil' guy!

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Melissa! Hope you have an extra special one and that all your birthday wishes come true !! Love ya!

2009...Here we come!!

Hope you all had a Happy New Year's!!! We celebrated ours with lotsa food, football, friends and fun! Here's hoping 2009's a great one!

A Very Merry Christmas!

We enjoyed such a happy Christmas season this year! Steve and I had fun decorating our house, going to Christmas parties , being with friends and Steve and I had our very first Christmas morning in our own house this year!! (we were in this house last year, but traveled to St. Louis for Christmas day) Steve's parents came to visit from CA and spend Christmas with us! We had a great time going caroling, shopping and lunch in Glendale, watching Christmas movies, doing puzzles, having Christmas Eve dinner, opening presents on Christmas morning, going to Nashville to see the Rockettes show, and of course eating all the yummy food that was always around! Hope you all had a great Christmas too!

Let it Snow!!!

Last night at about 8 pm we started getting some freezing rain. The roads were all iced over and you could hear the ping ping of the crunchy rain falling down and freezing before it hit the ground. Then this morning when we woke up there was snow everywhere!! I love that...it's so magical. When you go to bed, it's not there and then you wake up and there is a winter wonderland all around you! Must be Christmastime. Snow and magic are in the air!!

All Decked Out for Christmas Baking!

My Mom made me this cute Christmas apron! I just love it!! The best part is that you can wear both sides of it and there are big pockets in it! And she had all the pockets stuffed with surprises like a Christmas cookie cookbook and hot chocolate with candy canes! It meant so much to me that she made it for me! My Mom is the Queen of Christmas magic! Love you Mom!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! For anyone who knows me even a little bit, this is not breaking news! Every year I can hardly wait to kick off the Christmas season and now that we are in December and I can listen to Christmas music "legitimately" I am loving it!! After returning home from Indiana last week Steve and I decked out our house for Christmas! We added a few more lights and decorations inside because-- yes we are just crazy about Christmas! Let the season begin!! Wishing you all a happy Christmas season full of joy!