it's finished!

we are all moved in! (well mostly) thanks to lots of help from family and friends, we were able to get all of our belongings out of our storage unit and my parents basement, and into our new house. we are so thankful to everyone for their help!

we can't believe how smooth the whole process has gone. (besides being idiots by locking ourselves out and having to call a locksmith to come and drill a hole through out doorknob- other than that...)

the hole

framing

sheetrock


the finished product
master bedroom
kitchen
loft
2nd & 3rd bedrooms and laundry
home sweet home

we still have a lot of work to do. i.e. unpacking, organizing, painting, decorating, shelving, etc. but for now we are thrilled to own a real grown-up house.

merry christmas

we had a great christmas! last week my family spent a night in lehi near thanksgiving point. we broke the temple square tradition and drove through the lights at thanksgiving point instead. (so not worth it ~ just my opinion) my sister, abbie, brought us awesome christmas pajama's from equador. of course we had to prance around the hotel lobby in our new jammies.... wouldn't be christmas without it.

christmas morning was typical but great. santa was very generous and left us lots of toys.

on the 26th, brandon and i headed out to vernal to see his family. it has been almost a year since we've been out there so it was a well needed trip. it was good to have his whole family together.

while in vernal my sister millie gave birth to her second daughter. baby aayla had a rough start but is doing well. my mom, abbie, and i were finally able to hold her yesterday. i'm excited and blessed to have another niece.

i can't believe yet another year has come and gone. 2010 has a lot in store and we couldn't be more excited to welcome it in.

~merry christmas and happy new year~

the hole

i have no idea where the month of november went. seriously, it was halloween and the next thing i know it's the week before christmas. i love this time of year and of course it always seems to fly by.

the past month has been full of huge decisions for brandon and myself. namely, finding a place to live. well, here is the result of our decision.

yes, this hole in the ground is the beginning of our new home. i can't tell you how excited we were to see this hole being dug.

this is halloween, this is halloween...

oh, how i LOvE halloween!
halloween started on friday with lots of costumes and craziness at school. the 4th grade teachers dressed up like rock stars this year. i must say it was a hit... even though most kids thought we were hannah montana and lilly from hannah montana. that night my family celebrated my dad's birthday with costumes, homemade chili, pie, and a monopoly money auction. even ginny dressed up for the occation. (this picture's all about the attractive woman in the background)

halloween night brandon and i went trick-or-treating with my nieces. i'm sure we were a sight to see... 5 adults and 2 children. it's been years since i've been trick-or-treating. now this is what halloween is all about! it was so much fun and brought back a flood of memories! ellery was definately the star of the night with her green fire truck. jacob did an amazing job creating her costume. it was even equipt with flashing lights and a "built-in" siren. well, the siren was actually just my neice meggie... at each door she would sing "eee-oo-eee-oo".

bitter sweet

moving on...

we handed over the keys to our condo today. yesterday we had the final walk through. i found myself full of emotions and even tearing up as we walked through the empty rooms of our home. it's funny how attached to a house you can get. we've put so much heart, sweat, and soul into making it our home. so many memories and the simple comfort of walking through the door and being home.

i can't help but reminisce about the past 3-plus years. i moved in as a single, 1st year school teacher. buying a condo was nowhere in my plans... it literally fell into my lap. i am so grateful it did. the projects started from day one. the first days were spent painting and ripping out old flooring and replacing with new. the work never finished.

brandon and i soon met. we dated and spent every moment at the condo. he helped with new ventures and it soon became his home too. even while moving out, brandon and i talked about the "projects" we never got around to completing.

saying goodbye to our first home was harder than i thought it would be. it had become a part of me.

{i'm a titch-bit sentimental.. can you tell???}

when everything was cleared out, brandon and i layed on our bedroom floor and remembered. i'm excited to find a new place to call home. (we're currently calling my parent's basement home... we are so very grateful for it!)

sold

that is right, my friends... sold.

13 Things...

I read this in the Reader's Digest and enjoyed it thoroughly. I chuckled as I read and connected to so many of these. For those who are teachers, maybe you can relate too.

Thirteen Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You

"If we teach small children, don't tell us that our jobs are "so cute" and that you wish you could glue and color all day long."

"I'm not a marriage counselor. At parent-teacher conferences, let's stick to Dakota's progress, not how your husband won't help you around the house."

"Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others."

"Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year"

"Kids dish on your secrets all the time - money, religion, politics, even Dad's vasectomy."

"Just because your child says he did his homework doesn’t mean it’s true. You must check. Every night."

"Supportive, involved parents are crucial. But some are “helicopter parents”--they hover too much."

"Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better."

"We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser everyday. Plus, we're watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying."

"There are days when I just want to quit, but then that one smile from that one kid, changes it all."