UFC + Puppies + Family + Good Food = Perfect Weekend!

What a fun weekend we had! We got to spend time with everyone in our family at some point throughout the weekend and we also got plenty of husband and wife time. Friday night we went over to Ephraim to see the newest member of our family... 

Isn't he the cutest! I think I mentioned that Dane's dog had puppies last week. Well we have always wanted a purebred chocolate lab so we decided to go see them and decide if we were going to take one. Needless to say we didn't even have to think about it. They have to stay with their mom for another four or five weeks but next month Hemi will have a playmate! We are trying to decide what to name him, but as of right now we are thinking Tank. After visiting the puppy, we came home and had dinner and watched movies until we fell asleep.

Saturday we waited all day to be able to finally watch the fights. We ordered them like Thursday on paper view. We were planning to just watch them alone but at the last minute we ended up having a few people come over. Mike and Amy wanted to watch them and my dad decided to come over for a bit too. We were just getting ready to eat when Fred and Jen showed up! What a nice surprise! I had a roast in the crock pot all day and we used it to make french dip sandwiches. They were delicious! We also made sticky fingers, a few different dips, and cookies. We watched all the pre-lim fights, but when it got to the main fights it stopped recording! We couldn't get it to work, so we ended up playing "soda pong" with Mike, Amy, Fred, Jen and the kids. It was so much fun! 

On Sunday morning, I decided to go to church with my mom in Ephraim. It was a great way to spend my Sunday morning. Ken let us use his extra cable box to watch the fights so Sunday afternoon we finally got to see them and boy were they worth the wait! Everyone I wanted to win won except for two fights! We love UFC and we are hoping to be able to go watch UFC 146 in Vegas in May. Who's coming with????

I made this chicken enchilada soup last week and Kenzie fell in love! So I had to make it again last night for dinner. I have been trying to make new things and I love when I find something that he loves! 

So that pretty much sums up our weekend. It was nice to stay home for once and relax. Now on to another busy work week!

Blah.. February

I keep going to blog, but I don't really have anything too exciting to talk about lately! Life has just been normal. February is boring! I had my parent seminar for work last week and it was a success! Each time it gets better and better and makes me remember why I love my job so much. I feel lucky to live in such a small place but to be able to know people from so many different states and countries. 

We have been working on our house. We have redone the counter tops and last weekend we tiled the kitchen. It looks lots better than the old mexican carpet in the kitchen! One project at a time.. That's what I keep telling myself. I will be so happy when this place is how I want it. As we finish projects, it just makes me realize that I really do love my home. I just love getting off work and being able to go HOME and have a bubble bath, make some dinner, snuggle on the couch. Last month we looked at a smaller, cheaper house to rent and it made us realize that we love the space and location of our house. So that's why we started the remodel. I'm thinking the next project should be getting the hot tub fired up!

A couple weeks ago Kenz sold his old blaster on KSL. He had to sell his '79 Powerwagon when we got his Cummins and now he had to sell his four wheeler to help pay for all the new stuff inside the truck (I have NO idea what all got fixed, but it must have been a lot for 2 Grand!) It is sad to see all his toys disappear, but as we thought about it we realized that it will be better to invest in new stuff anyway. The Blaster probably would have broken down in the next couple years anyway.. So when we can afford it we will get something new and it will be better. It is still sad to see it go though, because we have had some great times riding that thing all over Sanpete County. 

My Hemi Girl is doing good as ever. Last night Kenzie had his dinner plate in his hand and Hemi jumped up and knocked the food all over him! Haha chili everywhere. She ran and hid then when she finally came back out she went to jump up on my lap and slipped and knocked over his Dr. Pepper! HAHA twice in one night. Kenzie couldn't even get mad because we instantly started cracking up. She is such a good dog. Our friend Dane's lab just threw two chocolates so we may become "those people" with two dogs. I want a big dog to protect me since I am home alone every night. We will see. 

Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened. I will leave you with a few random pictures from my phone from the last couple weeks.....

One Life to Live

Hold on tight, cuz it's about to get deep! 

I received the most profound advice a couple weeks ago and I just had to share it and talk about the effect it had on me. After I miscarried, I went through a little rut. I was questioning everything; what I wanted to do with my life, who I wanted to be, and what the next move was for me. I was so confused because I have always been pretty sure about who I am and what I want, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do with this situation I had been dealt. Did it mean that I was supposed to be relieved that I knew I could get pregnant and try again right away? Was it a sign that I just wasn't ready for this chapter in my life yet? I felt like maybe there was something I was supposed to do instead. So I started exploring my options and thinking about some dreams I have always had that I wouldn't be able to do if I had a baby. Most of them were pretty drastic, but I was in a place where I was actually considering doing some of them. I hadn't really talked to anyone about this except Kenzie, but one day it finally all came out to my lovely co-worker Erin. She was being so sweet and once I started talking to her about it, the words just kept coming. I respect Erin for a lot of things she has done. She has lived on the east coast and she even lived in Italy for a while. She travels a lot for our job and she is good at what she does. She is culturally educated and that makes me respect her opinion a lot. When I told her how I was feeling, she told me two things that may be some of the best advice I have ever received. 

A: You can be an extraordinary person, even if you live in the same small town your whole life. 

This struck me hard because I think I have always had the attitude that if I don't go achieve these big dreams  I have of helping sick children in Africa or traveling through Europe that I won't be living up to my full potential. And that is just not true. 

B: You can't live your life always wondering if you are missing out on something somewhere else. Otherwise we would all go crazy. I have done this a lot. I always wonder if I am where I am supposed to be and doing what I am supposed to do. But I have never had the attitude that I can CHOOSE where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be doing. I worry that I am not living up to my potential.. But experiences aren't what make up my potential. It's traits and characteristics and the way I live my life. 

So after this profound talk with Erin, I was left to make a decision. Where do I go from here? I didn't have to think very long to realize that my location or my job weren't holding me back from anything. I needed to make some changes with myself to be a more extraordinary person. So that is just what I am doing. I am doing a makeover, inside and out. I have spend the last few weeks contemplating what I think makes a great person and one thing at a time, I am striving to become just that. Spiritually, educationally, physically, emotionally... the whole enchilada. I am thankful for such a caring co worker who helped me see that I am happy with my life. 

One Life to Live.

I am trying to live every day with the attitude that I need to be happy with myself and the way I live my life. I need to stop basing everything I do off of what people will say or think about me. The people who know and love me matter the most. Everyone's values are different. We all believe what we believe and I am going to strive to always live by what I believe.

I Got My Disney On!

Picture overload to the MAX! Ha, what do you expect though? My mom and Ken took me and the boys to  Disneyland last week and it was a blast! My mom and all of her sisters planned to take their kids, so it was us and a bunch of our cousins, uncles, and aunts. We left last Thursday morning and went to Vegas, where we stayed at the Excalibur. It was so much fun! The little kidlets didn't know what to make of the craziness of Vegas, but we had a good time walking on the strip, shopping, eating and going to Fremont Street. On Friday we woke up, headed to California, and went straight for the beach! It was gorgeous and we got to watch the sunset over the ocean. On Saturday morning, we started our 3 day stay at Disneyland. I love that place. We went on every single ride we wanted to, some even two or three times, watched some good shows, did some MORE shopping, and spent some good quality family time. The weather was SO nice. It was in the lower eighties for most of our trip. January is the time to go to Disneyland. The weather is perfect and it's not extremely busy. On Monday we did a half a day in Disneyland then made one more trip to the beach. It was too cold to get in the water, but we got some more good pictures and said our goodbyes to sunny California. We then went back to Vegas, where we stayed at the Fitzgerald on Fremont Street. We ate a delicious breakfast at the Circus Circus buffet on Tuesday morning then made our way home. By the end of the trip I was very homesick and missed my man and my puppy A LOT. So it was bittersweet for the vacation to end. A week away was exactly what I needed right now. I feel refreshed and ready to get back to normal life. I am very thankful for my mom and Ken for taking us on a get away and for putting up with us. Me and my brothers cause a riot whenever we are all together. That was probably the most annoying car ride Ken has ever been on. But he was a trooper and let us be our annoying selves. Now it's back to the grind. It is nice to have a short work week then on to another great weekend with Kenz and our awesome friends. Life is good!