I've got to get back into this....

Since you all already know how crazy things have been I'm not going to go on and on about it. Let's just get straight into the catch up posts.

We had my family over to watch the Utes/BYU game and for CRABFEST!! My dad works up in Alaska and once in awhile he'll bring down 50 or so pounds of alaskan king crab. Seriously, to die for. These crab legs are as big as steaks.

This is the actual meat. Not the outside shell. They were just huge. And oh, so, yummy.

My baking adventures over the holidays.

The frosting didn't turn out as smooth as I would have liked it. But it sure tasted yummy.

Oh, how I loved these little cuppies. I saw these carrot cupcakes over on SmittenKitchen, one of my favorite foodie blogs, and I just had to give them a whirl. They were so tasty, and SO CUTE. I loved the piped frosting.

Darin decorating our TOY tree. It still needs a lot but overall it's a pretty cute tree.

The finished product.

Diesel waiting for Santa to bring him presents.

More catchup posts to come tomorrow! I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Years Eve! Be careful out there and have fun!

It's December? Oh...I had no idea.

I'm alive. Over the last few weeks there have been times when it honestly didn't feel like it, but I'm here, and I'm typing so that means I must be alive....right? Because this definitely isn't my idea of Heaven if I'm dead.

I've been gone awhile. Things are finally starting to settle down, the 13 loans I was working on are starting to close. It's great.

I honestly cannot believe it's only a week till Christmas. I wish I could have enjoyed the month a little more but that's ok. We've been so busy buying presents for everyone. We also adopted a little boy named Austin through the sub for santa program and need to get his presents delivered to him this weekend.

Last weekend we had Omniture Christmas Party. The food was delish, the dancing was just alright (Darin wasn't having it for too long) and watching them give away there prizes was fun too. I only wish it would have been to me. Here's some pictures from the event. I hope everyone is enjoying the season and hopefully I'll be showing up around here a little more later.

Bustin a few moves.

Peace on Earth people.

Am I the Only One?

So I suffered a mild anxiety attack last night in bed. I was laying there around 11:00 , I had just finished reading the third book in Twilight, Eclipse. You know the one where Bella kisses Jacob outside the tent and pictures their 2 black haired children running around in La Push? And then says goodbye to him because she's accepted Edwards proposal and doesn't want to hurt him anymore? Ya, you know which one I'm talking about. I know it's a little sick that I'm already through the 3rd book for the second time. It's an addiction, and I'm slightly ashamed to admit it. So anyway, I was laying there feeling really sad for Jacob, because, in all honesty I like him almost as much as I like Edward. And I was feeling my heart rate accelerate (not because of all the steamy kissing scenes in the books) but because my mind started to drift to work.

Work that is so busy right now it makes me want to cry even thinking about it. That's how the mortgage industry goes. One minute you're sitting on your butt wondering how you can manage to look at one more blog because you've been surfing them for the majority of your work day, to the next minute where you have 8 files sitting on top of your desk, all needing your undivided attention, 700 christmas cards sitting in boxes at your feet needing to be sorted out to the loan officers, and around 300 that you have to personally address yourself for the bosses.

I also got to thinking about how I need to drive my Grandma to Southern Utah to visit with her 92 year old mother in the nursing home, which normally I wouldn't mind, but there's just so much needing to be done this time of the year.

I also had a dentist appointment this morning that I was dreading. I never knew a cleaning could be so painful. I really need to start flossing more regularly.....

So as you can see my mind was running a hundred miles a minute, and even though I was trying to do my yoga breathing excercises it still wasn't calming me down. So I laid there for a solid 20 minutes listening to my heart beat in my ears, feeling myself get sweaty, and gaining a massive headache from clenching my teeth too hard. I wish I could say I was able to drift into a dreamless sleep, but no, I dreamt of Twilight for the second night in a row. Man, I have issues. I need to finish reading these so I can move on to something more productive in my life, and so my husband doesn't divorce me for lack of attention.

Thanksgiving was great. I didn't take a single picture except for the amazing cake I made, and since I can't find my camera I won't even be able to show you those. But it was a hit, I promise. We ate 12:00 dinner at my Aunts house and 2:00 dinner at Darin's aunts house. I swear it should be outlawed to eat more than one Thanksgiving dinner within a 4 hour period.....But the time we got to spend with our families was great. Thinking about it reminds me a lot of Four Christmases (if you haven't seen it yet, you should, it's funny) but that's how our families are. Our families are so different, and it's so wonderful to have a nice mix. Hopefully things will cool down for me here soon so I can spend a little time on my blog. Otherwise I might be ringing in the new year with my Thanksgiving background still attached.

My Review

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write my Twilight review. It's just that I've been reading the book.....again. It's true, see the movie, read the book. It's even better the second time around. Now you can put the characters faces to it as you read. It doesn't get much better than that. I liked the movie more than I thought I would. It was quite different from the book but also very much the same. Some of the things I didn't even realize were different until I started reading the book again. I loved Bella. I didn't think I was going to like Kristen Stewart much for the part, but she did awesome. And honestly, do I really need to even say anything about Edward? He's amazing right? Just wait till you read the book again, it's even better. I think Darin is getting a little jealous. I love you honey. Jacob was so stinkin cute. He was so perfect for the part. It will be interesting to see how they transform into wolves the second movie. I can't wait. Jasper is just creepy. That's all there is to it. I know he's a "newborn" and all so I'll cut him some slack, but man, he's really weird. Alice is so cute! She was perfect. I didn't love Rosalie. I didn't think she was pretty enough, which is weird because she's gorgeous in real life. See....

She just didn't transform into that pretty of a vampire. I dunno, maybe it's just me. Emmett was perfect. I loved how all Bella and Edward did was kiss in the movie and there was seriously more "sexual tension" than a full blown love scene in all the other movies out there. Thank you Stephanie Meyer for some modesty. It's refreshing. Darin went to the movie with me and my mom and sister. He didn't hate it but didn't love it. He said he probably would like it better if he had read the books but considering he probably hasn't read a book since 5th grade, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I was a little depressed coming out of the movie knowing that I'd have to wait for movie #2. That's why I started reading the books again, and I suggest you do too!

Grateful Sunday #6

I know I recently expressed my gratitude about family and this is sort of similar but I've been able to spend a lot of time with my Mommy lately and I'm so grateful for it. My Mom moved to Las Vegas after I graduated from high school. That was over 4 years ago. And really, it's been hard. I think a girl needs to be near her mom. She's talking about moving home soon. I can't wait for the days when I can go over to her house on a lazy Saturday, or go shopping with her, or visit her house when Darin is out of town and I'm too scared to stay home by myself. My mom is very eclectic, to say the least, and sometimes it can be tiring, trying to keep up with her and all. But really, I love that so much about her. She has a way with people. It's very east getting along with someone like her. I'm grateful that she's taught me never to judge people. She's been through a lot in her life, and she's so strong. I hope I can be as strong as she is when I grow up :) I love you, Mom. Please hurry home soon. We're all waiting for you.

Have you seen Twilight yet?

Wow, I can't believe this is my 100th post on my blog!

This year has really flown by. I can NOT believe that Christmas is just a little more than a month away. So much has happened this year. Great things and not so great things.

My grandpa would have turned 72 today.

We'll be celebrating my cousin Vann's 2nd birthday tonight. It's nice having something to celebrate on a day that could have been just sad. Especially when cute little Van looks so much like my Grandpa. I hope my Grandma is doing ok today. I worry about her. My Aunt Linda has been so sweet to stay here all the way from Lousinia for these past couple months to help my Grandma cope and get things situated. She'll be leaving soon though, and I hope my Grandma will do ok by herself. It makes me so sad just thinking about it. It really is the circle of life though. You live, you die. And it's wonderful, it really is. Life is such a blessing and also such a short time here on this Earth, I hope I can always live it to it's fullest.

Have you seen Twilight yet? I'm going to it tomorrow afternoon, and I must admit, I'm a little nervous. Movies are never as good as books, I hope it's not too disappointing. I mean, I'm sure it will be great, just not as great as the books. If you've seen it, let me know what you thought.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Next week is a short week full of yummy food and family. Can't hardly wait!

I wasn't kidding.

This is me, my sister Elisha, and some girl we met at the Carrie Underwood concert. Kiddin. Carrie was gorgeous but it's actually really weird because she looks so different in real life. I probably might not even recognize her if I saw her on the street. She's SO TINY. Um, she was nice, but you can tell it's getting close to the end of her tour, she's probably sick of taking pictures with all these people she doesn't know. We also met some of the members of Little Big Town, and their spouses. Seriously, some of the nicest people I've met. Just genuine. We met this guy, Philip Sweet. He was so super nice and his wife and little girl were so cute.

Jimi Westbrook is hot.

This girl is married to Jimi Westbrook.

This girl was so cute and had the sweetest voice.

They put on a pretty good concert.

Here's a million pictures of Carrie. We sat front row on the side in the penalty box. It was really incredible. I got really emotional when she sang So Small. I would sing that to my Grandpa when he was in the hospital. People wondered why the heck I was crying during this fun concert.

They blew confetti out at the end.

Thanks Mom and Scottie for such a fun night!

I hate trying to think of titles for my blog posts.

I got to see my little sister last week. Man, has she grown. I mean she's a 1 year old now. Almost walking, loud, playful, full of smiles 1 year old. When my dad walked through the door with her I took her and she looked at me, and I looked at her, and she put her little hand on my cheek, and grabbed my nose. And she loved me. And I loved her. It's a little strange having a sister that's 21 years younger than you, especially when you only see them once a year. But it really was amazing the kind of bond we had when we spent just an hour together. I loved her hazel eyes just like mine, and her big ears just like my grampy. Dad's going to be keeping her up here for a few months and it will be nice getting to spend a little time with her.

I'm going to the Carrie Underwood concert tonight with my mom and sister. 10th row seats, backstage meet and greet, it's so nice havin someone in the biz. I might be posting a picture of me and Carrie up here tomorrow :)

Grateful Sunday #5

“Some of you have money problems. I know that. There is never enough money in your homes. I know that. You are struggling to get along. What is the cure? The only thing I know of is payment of tithing. Now, that doesn’t mean that you will have a Cadillac and a mansion. But it was God who made the promise that He would open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings upon those who walked honestly with Him in the payment of their tithes and offerings, and He has the capacity to keep His promise. It is my testimony that He does keep that promise”. --Gordon B. Hinckley Oahu, Hawaii, regional conference, 18 Feb. 1996

I am so thankful for the blessings that my Father in Heaven has poured out upon me for paying a full tithe. I know without a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't. In fact, looking back on my life and some of the trials I've gone through, have been when I wasn't paying a full tithe. Everything we have is from our Heavenly Father and 10% is not much to show him our repayment and gratefulness for those things. I'm especially grateful at this time as we've moved into our beautiful new home. I pray that as Darin and I continue to pay a full tithe that our Father in Heaven will make our home a place where we can constantly feel of the spirit, and that all those who enter it will feel the spirit as well. If ever you're thinking that you may not have the money to pay your 10%, please think again, think of the sacrifices that our brother Jesus Christ made for us and the blessings you've received when paying a full tithe.

$1.99 GAS!

Wow, I honestly never thought I'd see the day when gas prices were in the one dollar range again. I think I may have shed a tear when I saw that this morning. They've gone down 2 dollars in the past few months. That's amazing. When I started driving in 2002 I think gas was around $1.30 or something like that. Wouldn't it be great if they got that low again?

In other car related news, I have officially lost it. Darin and I were coming home from his parents the other night (I was driving) I pulled into the garage, got out of the car, walked up to the door, all before realizing I hadn't even shut the car off. It was still running!!! I mean I know I really have some "duh" moments every once in awhile but that's really hitting an all time low.

Blogging Deal of the Month

A Note

Sweet Sadie

I just met you on Saturday and I think you're SO beautiful. You have such pretty features that a lot of babies don't usually have when they're just born. I love all your hair, not only is it long, but it's really thick too. I loved running my fingers through it. And oh, your cheeks, I could kiss those soft sweet cheeks all day long.

Now, I'm not your real Aunt, but I definitely wouldn't mind if you called me Aunt Jessie. I've known your mommy for quite a few years now and she's my best friend. We don't get to see each other as much as we used to because you live a few hours away but we've been through a lot together and I cherish our friendship. She's going to be a really great mommy to you and she loves you a lot. I'm glad I got to spend a few hours with you and hope I get to see you a lot. I'm excited to see you grow and learn and I'm sure you'll be just as beautiful and strong as your Mommy. I can't wait to see you again!

Love, Aunt Jessie

Grateful Sunday #4

I really do have so much to be grateful for, it's hard choosing just one thing each week. But I definitely couldn't go this week without saying how grateful I am for my family. We spent a lot of time with our family this weekend and it was so refreshing. Friday we went to dinner with my mom and sisters, Saturday we visited Heidi's new baby (who by the way is DARLING) and we went to my Aunt's surprise 40th birthday party and it honestly was more fun than I've had in awhile. They did it at this barn and had a live family country band come and do line dancing, we ate good BBQ from Famous Dave's and honestly it was just a really great time. Sunday we hung out with Darin's family and created some funny new memories. (Dachshund anyone?)You start to grow up and really realize how much you love and cherish your family and close friends and the time you spend with them. I'm thankful for each individual relationship I share.

Can't help but love....

I really can't help but love the first snowfall of the year. It's clean, fresh, beautiful. Granted, I hate it when it's dirty and freezing and I have to drive in it....but at least I don't have to scrape my car windows anymore. Complete heaven.

As I was watching President Barack Obama give his acceptance speech last night I had a lot of mixed emotions. I think it's really really incredible that we just voted in our first black president. What pride he must feel to have that great honor. At one point blacks couldn't vote, or do a lot of things for that matter, and now he'll be leading our country. Amazing.

Even though he didn't win my vote I still found his acceptance speech very inspiring. Just to know that millions of people around the world were watching him, and hoping for a better tomorrow felt so patriotic.

I was telling Darin how I always think it's a little sad when a new President gets elected because it's kind of like the old one is just forgotten about. No public goodbyes or thank you's to President Bush. I wonder if he's sad.....or maybe he's relieved. That's got to be a huge weight lifted off your shoulders.

I also want to say congratulations to my best friend, Heidi. She gave birth Monday morning to a beautiful baby girl, Sadie Mae.

I can't wait to go meet her! I can't believe Heidi is a Mommy now but her and Jason are going to be great parents and Sadie is lucky to have them :)

Sorry my blog is in a shambles still. Haven't had time to create a new background yet. Happy Wednesday to everyone!

Grateful Sunday #3 and a tired Halloween

This Sunday I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say how grateful I am for all the family and friends that showed up to help us move this week. With the help of 6 guys and 2 huge trucks we were able to move all of our stuff in just a few hours! We even had the help of darins' parents next door neighbor John, not with moving stuff, but with taking my 6 year old niece into their home and letting her carve pumpkins with their family so she wouldn't get in the way and boy did she have a blast. Corey and Janeen may not have moved much stuff but just being there to support us and provide comfort with their sweet baby boy was enough. Thanks to everyone that dropped all they had to do to come lend a helping hand!

This last week has really proved to push my physical strength, that's for sure. Man, I was just EXHAUSTED the entire weekend. We were up until after midnight setting up a few things on Wednesday. Thursday, Darin stayed at work to help set up for their Halloween thing until 11:00! So we didn't get to bed until really late that night either, by the time Halloween rolled around it was all I could do to put a costume on and scarf down loads of candy.

Darin's company, Omniture, does the most AMAZING things for Halloween. Each department comes up with their own theme and spends weeks planning and setting up for it. I'm not just talking a few little decorations, they seriously go ALL OUT. Darin's department did BYU against UTAH theme. They built a real field. They actually brought in sod and laid it and spray painted it to look like a football field. The executive department did Wizard of Oz theme, and the CEO hired midgets to come and play the munckins. (the same midgets were hired last year to play his dwarfs for their snow white and the seven dwarfs theme) It really is amazing. Here are a few pics from the Halloween weekend.

My cute little cousin Vann, kept saying "chocolate treat" instead of trick or treat. He thought that's what everyone was saying. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I hope everyone has a FUN and SAFE halloween!

I must say I felt a little silly driving to work today dressed as a flight attendant. But that's the beauty of Halloween. You're allowed to feel silly! It's wonderful.

Yay, we're homeowners again!

We closed this morning! It's so great knowing that beautiful home is finally ours after months of waiting. We get the keys tomorrow, and I CAN'T WAIT to start moving stuff in! I'll definitly post pictures as we get in and start decorating. I'll probably need help with some stuff. It's so different decorating a house compared to a condo. Our condo was kind of a more edgy look but I want this house to be more cozy and warm. It's hard for me to even be sitting here typing this post because I'm so excited. I also just started a new business venture that I'm REALLY excited about. If any of you want details leave your email address in the comments and I'll contact you about it. Happy Tuesday!

Grateful Sunday #2

Today I want to talk about how grateful I am for music, especially hymns and EFY music. The choir sang in sacrament today and it was really beautiful. There's nothing like feeling the spirit through beautiful music. I have practically all of the EFY cd's and will sometimes pop one in while driving to work. By the time I get to work I'm crying because I feel the spirit so strong. Although I'm not too musically talented I'm very grateful that music can touch me in a way nothing else can!

As promised.....

I got the pictures of my house to share. It's tough getting pictures of rooms without furniture and stuff in them, so use your imagination. I'm sure I'll be posting tons as we get in and start decorating.

I was going to post pictures of the 2 spare bedrooms but they're just bedrooms. Nothing really to see.