In case you couldn't tell

I'm home, sick, from school/work today. I've been on the couch with my quilt and kitties all day, which gives me a chance to do a little more blogging than usual... Hope it's not obnoxious.

I realized that I've been posting a lot about random stuff lately, which is probably not what people care about that much. So if you're a relative who just wants to know what we're doing and have a few pictures to gander at, this is the post for you. For now anyway.

I think I might start another blog soon that can be a place for all my random stuff, and keep this one strictly us-related. Does that sound like a good idea? Or do you like it mixed up a bit? Let me know, and that's what I'll do.

Here's a few pictures from today:

The kitties are best at keeping me company. I used to be under this big mess of snuggles, but got up to take a picture because it was so cute. They were like this for about 2 hours... Calvin came back for more when I sat back down. What a good boy...

These always make me feel better... They are yummy, and cheaper than frozen blueberries. I took a picture of a piece of it in my hand, but it looked kind of gross, so here's the bag I emptied...

We recently acquired this adorable bookshelf from Pier 1, thanks to an unnamed generous donation. Justin picked it out himself, and I am really proud of him. He has great taste, especially when it comes to wood products. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and stability. I put all my cookbooks on it so it is easily accessible from the kitchen without taking up counter space. It also makes the transition from living room to kitchen a little less abrupt by covering up the back of the couch. I want to crochet a doily for the top, and also one for the top of my dresser.
Those will probably take me about 15 years to complete. :)

Notice the v-shaped shelf, held up by criss-cross side bars. It's so cute, and perfect for holding bigger books. It also makes everything easier to see and grab quickly. Awesome. Our little house is coming together, finally!

Good News!

Two really great things happened this weekend, and I can't decide which is better...

1) We moved! We finally closed on the townhouse that I have pictures of in a previous post. It's so exciting to finally have some more space, and it's definately a step up from our previous place. We also bought a washer and dryer, which is definately the best invention ever. They have pretty much been in use since the second we hooked them up. Our clothes are so clean! It's amazing. We had to buy afridge as well. It has crushed ice. I think I just peed myself with excitement.

2) I passed statistics! It was really close, but I passed, and now I never have to take math again! You can see why it was a difficult choice between the two exciting things. For the record- our kids are definately not going to be lucky in the right-brained department. Justin and I are both hideously terrible at math and all related fields. I think I'll encourage them to go into photography or something...

Our new address is:

1876 East 160 South
Spanish Fork, UT 84660

Send us a letter, or come visit!

Motorcycle Trip

Earlier this summer we went on a motorcycle ride with some friends of ours, Brian and Chrissie. It was a bit gritley, but very fun! We will miss them since they left us to go to law school in San Diego...

Here's a few pictures from the day:

The four of us

They found some free drinks.... Kind of intense and "top gun"-esque I think.

The vest wasn't mine. Brian's dad made me wear it...

Brian's Parents, and Chrissie and I (with Justin in the background) eating lunch.

*CAUTION* Very long post ahead...

So, I've been having a few space issues on my laptop, and haven't been able to dowload pictures for a while, so here's an update of the last few months!


Justin and I drove with some friends (Jamie and Lindsay Vallen) to New Mexico for Leah Hurst's wedding. It was a very short trip, but we were lucky enough to get to see my parents, and many family friends, and celebrate with Leah and the Hursts. The wedding was beautiful, and the warm weather was a welcome escape from the unusually chilly spring we had here!

As always, I have to include a picture of our kitties. I'm not sure how they got into this heap, but I'm sure that little Calvin is getting smushed by big Hobbes...

For a few months, Mom and I had been tossing around the idea of surprising Tommy for his graduation by flying me home. We finally decided to do it, and were able to keep it a secret from everyone. On Thursday, mom came and picked me up from the airport, and as we drove up our street, she called Tommy and asked him to bring everyone outside. The look on their faces was definately one I won't forget! It was such a fun surprise, and I had a nice weekend with the fam... Also, my parents got their first dog last october-ish. Rosie is a sweet dog, and always loves to play and lick your toes. gross.

Justin turned 25 in June. We had a few friends over for cake, which was fun! He's getting old...
The next day, we left for a little weekend trip to California.

We went to Redondo Beach the first day, and then went here, to Huntington Beach the other two days. We stayed in Long Beach, and got a great deal on a hotel, thanks to Rick! The beaches were nice, and everything was really fun, but in my opinion, there's no better place in the world than the Outer Banks in North Carolina!
While we were there, we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Justin convinced Kim and I to go with him on the bungee/skydiving apparatus they have set up there. We took a video, and as soon as I figure out a place to host videos, I'll get it and a few other videos up here!

We went to CA with our good friends Mike and Kim Keay. I thought this picture was pretty funny, A) because of Mike's face, and B) because of his ridiculous tan lines. According to Kim, those have since dissipated a bit, because he burned pretty badly that day.

Of course, Justin had to be buried in the sand, which meant that we had to do some silly sand formation around him. If you can't tell, which you probably can, he's some type of mermaid with a scandalous bikini, and an archaic loin cloth.

Last Thursday, my sister Maggie came out to visit us for the week! We've had a blast with her out here! On the fourth of July, we went to Provo's Stadium of Fire, where we saw Miley Cyrus and the Blue Man Group. It was an amazing show! My favorite part was when some people parachuted into the stadium. It was very cool to see! The fireworks were amazing, and we are very grateful to Tommy for managing to get us the tickets!

While Mag was here, we went to Seven Peaks water park here in Provo. It was a lot of fun, even though the day was a bit cloudy. We went with our friends Jamie and Lindsay.

Justin's goin to hate me for posting this, but I'm so proud, I couldn't help it! Justin has gotten a job with Utah County Sheriff's office as a Judicial Police Officer. This monday, he began the police academy. They are pushing him very hard and teaching him a lot, and he loves every minute of it! I'm really proud of him, because it's not often that the county pays to put someone through the training, but he made such a good impression on them, that they were willing to put him through for free, and pay him while he's there! We are so lucky and blessed!

It's definitely official!

We went ice-blocking with Maggie at rock Canyon park. It was lots of fun, and Tommy successfully caught a few flies on that tongue...

Sorry that this is so long, but we wanted to get everyone updated on what we've been up to! hopefully we'll be able to get our computer problems worked out and post more frequently! We hope everyone is doing well, and that we will hear from you all soon!

Catching up...

Here are a few pictures from Justin's graduation:

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper picture of
Justin if his tongue wasn't hanging out...

He was doing his best to look studious...
Needless to say, I was really excited. It's kind of hard to see, but we were so lucky to have Justin's Dad and my family here, and his Aunt Dawn and Uncle Bill were kind enough to come and support him as well. We felt loved!
Last one of graduation- he doesn't like this one so much, but I think it's cute- I think he was nervous...

Here's a few other random ones to catch us up!
Here are our kitties, Calvin (the grey) and Hobbes (the orange). They are, of course, named after our favorite Bill Watterson cartoon characters, and they assume their respecitve roles perfectly. Hobbes is quiet, smart, and observant, and Calvin is crazy, reckless, and playful. They are both sweet, and we love having them around. And yes, Calvin only has one eye...
This is my father-in-law, Rick (on the right). He went with some friends down to Daytona Beach, FL, for Bike Week. When he was out here for Justin's graduation, he left his pictures on my computer, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to show the world how cool he really is! I'll probably post more soon, but here's one for now. I think Justin is following in his footsteps with the motorcycle thing, which makes for a lot of fun for the two of them!