Cluff Family

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:28:00.004-06:00

Dennis is the best Daddy to our sweet Lucinda. We are so lucky to have him. I created this word cloud with all of the words that describe him. We love you Daddy!

The Grand Canyon State

2011-03-01T20:31:00.008-07:00

When Tootz said she was going to see Russell and Jodee over President's Day, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to get out of the cold and go see them. I was nervous about taking LC on a plane, but knew I could do it with my Mom's help. I also really wanted Jodee and Russell to meet LC. And for her to meet her cousins, Calvin and Wesley. On our flight to Arizona I was really nervous. She was a bit fussy, but my mom just took her and patted her back. She looked like this in no time.

This is my LC on her first flight.

We had the most amazing time!! LC got to lay on grass for the first time. I think she didn't know quite what to make of it.

We got to play in the park. This is the boys playing...

And this was LC in the park...

I guess the stroller on the way to the park was just too soothing

As for the rest of the trip. Calvin and Wesley affectionately named LC, Yacinda Cousin. Calvin especially loved his Yacinda Cousin. He kept saying...I hug you, I Kiss you. He unfortunately had a little cold so he couldn't. The next time we see them I will let him kiss her all he wants. He was also very concerned whenever LC would cry. He would inform me...Baby crying, Baby crying! Aunt Jodee took us to the ribbon store and made LC the cutest little shoes. Russell taught us all about the Paleo way of eating. All and all it was a wonderful trip. On the way home we had a majorly delayed flight and LC was a trooper. She fell right to sleep on the flight and this time I was a little more relaxed. We miss Jodee, Russell, Calvin, and Wesley already. But I told them we are going to have to visit every winter. It was so nice to see and feel the warm sun. It was just nice enough to convince me I can make it through the rest of the winter.

JT Squared

2011-03-01T20:16:00.002-07:00

So we have some new/old friends. I just want to give a public shout out and say Thank you JT Squared for being awesome. It is so fun to have people in your life who know what you have been through, where you have been, how you made your way back, and how awesome life can be. I know there is a reason we reconnected with these people. Thanks JT Squared....YOU ROCK!

Rolly Polly LC

2011-03-01T20:08:00.002-07:00

She did it! LC rolled oer for the first time on February 6th, 2011. It was super bowl Sunday and Grandma Tootz and I were watching her and she just rolled over! She has done it quite a few times since the fist time. She always does it when I least expect it and often cannot get the whole thing on video. She is also really close to rolling from her back to her tummy. She can roll on her side, but won't go the rest of the way. Here are a few of her rolling videos. I love this girl.

The demise of the bookstore

2011-01-24T11:27:00.003-07:00

I went to a bookstore this morning and it actually made me a little sad. I love bookstores. In fact, I used to work at one. There is something magical about the smell of a bookstore and aisles and aisles of books. I have been reading a lot lately about how bookstores are on the verge on bankruptcy. With the digital age we live in, books are becoming obsolete. I don't own a digital bookreader and perhaps I don't know the joy of one. But to me there is something about cracking open a new book. Or re-reading an old favorite. I know books take up a lot of space, but to me they are wonderful. I hope that bookstores don't go away completely...but I guess only time will tell.

Christmas and New Years

2011-01-22T21:09:00.008-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday. Marlene got to come stay with us for a few weeks and Lisa, Bryan, and little Roo were here. It doesn't get better than that. Well, except for if Jodee, Russell, Calvin and Wesley were there.

Here are some pics of the fun things that happened.

Lucinda's first Christmas dress

Marlene got the Ipod she wanted

The family all hung out for New Years. Ask Lisa what she keeps in her freezer...:D

Lucinda got her ears pierced

And Lucinda got to meet her big sister

Growing up smiling

2011-01-22T20:44:00.003-07:00

Lucinda is almost 3 months old now. She smiled for the first time on December 23rd, 2010. I think she was just really excited that Aunt Lisa came for a visit from California. How could you not love this smile??

Some Firsts

2010-12-03T11:52:00.008-07:00

We brought Lucinda home on Monday November 1, 2010. And we were welcomed home to this beautiful flower arrangement from the girls at work. Gosh, how I miss them! But wouldn't trade my new job for the world.

After bringing Lucinda home and getting settled she got her first bath! She was not a fan. Frankly I cannot blame her. Because of the umbilical cord you have to sponge bathe and I think she was just cold. Poor girl. But she is liking her baths now. However, still HATES being lotioned and massaged. Go figure!

Lucinda had some higher than normal biliruben levels. Unfortunately her levels continued to rise rather than fall so she got to spend a few days in the tanning bed. Although it was sad for Mom (I only had one huge breakdown, thanks Hayley for the nap) Lucinda didn't seem to mind it at all. She was warm and got to sleep, sleep, sleep. They aren't in this pic, but she kept moving so shortly after this pic she got herself some stylish felt goggles to protect her eyes.

We tried Lucinda in her swing to see if she liked it. She likes it sometimes and hates it other times. But this first time she REALLY liked watching the butterflies fly around.

Last, I went to check on Dennis one night to see if he was ready for bed. Obviously they both were. Goodness, I love these two!

Lucinda Alwine Cluff

2010-12-01T10:38:00.020-07:00

The day of Dennis' party, I knew something was up. I hadn't been feeling quite right but was just glad that I made it to the party without having this baby. But I had a good feeling that she was going to come the next day. So Saturday morning rolls around and I woke up having contractions. They were about 20 minutes apart so Tootz and I decided to go about our normal Saturday activities. We went to Costco, Target and Great Harvest and by the end of it they were about 12 minutes apart. I decided to go lay down and try to get some rest. Little did I know you cannot sleep when you are having painful contractions. I told Dennis they were getting closer and I don't think he quite believed me. He decided to go get some fishing in since he knew he wouldn't be going for awhile. I told him I would text him if they got closer. So a few hours later....they were closer. I told him to hurry home, we needed to go to the hospital. He was home in 15 min and although we still weren't sure this was the "real" thing, we decided to go get it checked and see. We arrived at the hospital around 3:30. And sure enough I was a 6 and this was definitely the "real" thing. This was my nurse, she was awesome and got me hooked up with an epidural right away.

I had the shakes from the medication so they got me warm blankets, which didn't really help but it sure did feel nice.

This was Lil' Lucinda's heartbeat. She was a champ and maintained a good beat the whole time.

Dennis was the perfect labor partner. While watching the World Series he took care of my every need.

I had a little drop in blood pressure due to the Epidural so they lowered me down and gave me some Epinephrine to perk me up.

This is Dr. Jacob getting ready. He was awesome! And the other nurse who was dressed up for Halloween. Not many babies get their nurses with wigs and butterfly wings.

10 short minutes....THERE SHE IS!! She was born at 6:03 pm on October 30, 2010. We were commenting how that was the perfect date 10/30/10.

She weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. Just a tiny little Cluff!

It had been raining all day and was overcast and miserable. After she was born Dr. Jacob said..."Look outside, she brought the sun." I like to think of her as my little ray of sunshine.

Here is the whole team. You can't see the baby because she is skin on skin. Loved that part!

Lucinda was a little cold so she had to spend some time in the heat bed. Dad stayed with her the whole time.

This is when Mom saw me first time post bath and heat bed and after they got her all settled in her room.

And our first picture as a family

I was small and needed to fill out my skin

And super tired from all the excitement...

I am officisl, name tag and everything

Here are some of my visitors

Slideshow generated with Smilebox

After a fun few days, they sent us home sweet home

Then the fun/real life began.

Dennis turns the big 4 0

2010-12-01T10:23:00.007-07:00

Wow! What a crazy few months it has been. I REALLY need to get better at this blogging thing. Well, the biggest and most exciting thing that has happened is our Lil' Cluff finally arrived. But we will get to her in the next post. We had a surprise party on Friday October 29th for Dennis' 40th Birthday. We had a lot of family and friends come and it was so wonderful. Hayley helped me so much putting it together. We had pictures all around the house of Dennis all throughout the years. We also had a ton of black decor and balloons (which Hayley blew up and tied all herself...goooo Hayley!)

Dennis was surprised, but he suspected something was up. He knew I have wanted for years to throw him a surprise party.

These are some of the friends and family that came.

There were lots of food, gifts, and cake!

It was a really fun party and I hope Dennis enjoyed it as much as we did.

What a wonderful musical summer and harvest

2010-08-22T20:41:00.006-06:00

It has truly been a wonderful summer. In the month of July we got to go see two amazing concerts at Red Butte Gardens. This is my new favorite concert venue. You can bring your own food and drink, which is huge! People brought full on picnics. So we did the same. We were able to eat the foods we love and drink the drinks we want at a fraction of the cost. First we saw Barenaked Ladies.

They were a lot of fun, although the opening act Kris Allen sucked. I am a fan of the idea of not having an opening act.

The following night we had the opportunity to see Lyle Lovett and his Large Band.

We saw Lyle Lovett last year at an acoustic show with John Hiatt. That is where we discovered that we really love Lyle Lovett. He has a great sense of humor and is fantastic on stage. When we saw he was playing at Red Butte we knew we had to go. It was even better than we had hoped. There was no opening band, just them. The music was great and I cannot wait to see him again.

My garden has also been a success this year. I have tried a few things I haven't tried in the past and have been pretty successful. I just discovered a pumpkin on the vine this morning! I planted brussell sprouts, green peppers, green beans, cucumbers, jalepenos, zuchinni, tomatoes, arugula, summer squash, and pumpkin. This was my harvest just today.

It has been a hot summer, probably more so because of my built in space heater. I am ready for Fall. All of my favorite things happen in the fall...changing leaves, pumpkins, Halloween, cooler weather, and this Fall will be extra special because we will get to meet our Lil' Cluff.

It's a....GIRL!

2010-08-22T20:18:00.003-06:00

We are so excited, we found out at the beginning of July that we are having a girl! Dennis was hoping that it was a boy, but I think that is because his daughters are teens. He was needing a little testosterone. But now that he knows it's a girl, he is excited. He cannot wait to teach her to fish and take her to BYU football games. She is going to be a total Daddy's girl, I just know it. We were also very happy to see that she is growing just fine. She seems to be perfectly healthy. I am now at 28 weeks and officially into my 3rd trimester. In just a few short months she will be here. I cannot believe it! But we cannot wait to meet our Lil' Cluff.

Marlene is 14!

2010-06-22T20:44:00.002-06:00

Marlene is here to visit for six weeks. She arrived the night before her 14th birthday. We had planned for the family to come over and have a BBQ and celebrate her birthday. We all had a great time. She got lots of art supplies, a Twilight bag, gift cards, and contacts. What more could a girl ask for?? Now we just get to enjoy the next six weeks. I think it will be a busy summer. Only one more week until we find out what we are having!!

Exciting News!

2010-06-11T22:12:00.006-06:00

First, I want to start off and say that I am soooo happy I was finally able to figure out how to get the auto music to stop playing on that slideshow. I love Green Day as much as the next guy, but man it was annoying! So, I apologize for that. Second, I am attempting AGAIN to start contributing to my blog regularly. If for no one else, I need to do this for myself. It is a journal or sorts and there are many things that happen that I want to remember. And now for the excuse....the last 6 months of my life have been all consuming. Which leads me to our exciting news...

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!

Yes, can you believe it?!? Dennis and I are very excited. Our new arrival is due November 12, 2010. We will find out July 1st if it is a boy or a girl. I have a gut feeling, so we will see if Mother does always know best.

The first trimester was rough. I was very nauseous and vomited regularly. I have now started gaining weight, which is good. The other rough part is the utter exhaustion that you feel 24 hours a day. I would come home at lunch and eat really quickly just so I could take a 10 min nap. Then there were the headaches. Those would have been bearable if I was allowed to take something other than this sugar pill some people call Tylenol. But all of the bad stuff aside, I am feeling better every day. And I would not trade it for the world. Because the result is so worth it.

Now for the fun stuff. Although we have not had our 20 week ultrasound yet, we do have some pictures of our little one. I am really excited for the new one because it is the first ultrasound where our baby will look more like a baby.

Here is Lil' Cluff at 5 days. You may notice that there are two. Well, I don't actually know which one is "the one". So take your pick. Does it amaze anyone else that a human being starts from this?!

Here is Lil' Cluff at Week 6. This was the first time we heard the heartbeat on ultrasound which in the pregnancy world is a huge deal. Once you hear heartbeat on ultrasound it lowers your chance of miscarriage to less than 5%.

And last, this is Lil' Cluff at 8 + 5 which is code for 8 Weeks + 5 Days. This was a well being check due to a little issue. But all was well.

Well, that is it for now! I really am going to try harder.

What are you thankful for??

2009-11-26T22:06:00.007-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving we had a smaller group and we went around and had everyone say what they were thankful for. This is what everyone had to say.

We had a wonderful time. Thank you Tasha and family for making this Thanksgiving special.

Sinus Surgery

2009-11-01T19:52:00.005-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I have crappy sinuses. I get sinus infections at least every 2 months, often more than that. I had sinus surgery 10 years ago and went for a very long time without a sinus infection. But the last 5 years have been horrible. They have come back with a vengeance. I finally got to the point where I felt like I could not take another antibiotic. I met with an ENT, Dr. Riddle and he did a CT and said the infection was bad so they put me on a very strong antibiotic. After 4 weeks they did another CT and he said the infection was much worse. They wanted to get me scheduled for a sinus surgery right away. So I immediately had to stop taking Ibuprofen and Aspirin and could only take Tylenol. Tylenol is great for headaches and as far as I am concerned sucks for everything else. After a few additional weeks of pain (since I still had the infection) it was time for the surgery. So October 20, 2009 I had my final sinus surgery. I asked Dr. Riddle why I had to have it a second time. He said that some doctors open it up just enough. He is aggressive and said that most likely I will not have to have another one. So this is what they did.

I had an endoscopic procedure where they opened up the following sinuses:

Frontal sinuses (in the forehead)

Maxillary sinuses (behind the cheek bones)

Ethmoid sinuses (between the eyes)

Sphenoid sinuses (behind the eyes)

They also cleaned out some of the infection.

My nurse who got me all ready was awesome. She thought Dennis was pretty amusing. They gave me a ton of medication and an IV. The doctor was behind so we had to wait for quite some time. This is how I looked before the procedure.

The gown was really cool! There is a hookup in it where they can pump warm or cool air right into your gown...awesome. I remember the anesthesiologist giving me half a dose of some "calming medicine" (that is what he called it). Dennis was waiting for me to be weird but I was fine. Once they took me back for the surgery he gave me the other half and the rest was history. I don't remember anything after that except waking up. This is what I looked like AFTER the procedure. I was not even aware Dennis took this.

They want you to eat something so they can give you pain meds. So what do they give me....crackers! I don't know if you have ever slept with your mouth open but your mouth gets dry, very very dry. I nearly choked on the crackers. So I asked Dennis for pudding and he was very kind and fed it to me. Oh! And they gave me Diet Coke...yum. The doctor said the surgery went well although a little longer than expected. He said it was very good we did the surgery since the infection was pretty severe.

The next few days recovering were pretty miserable. Mostly because I could not breathe through my nose and my mouth was so dry that I could not eat solid food. I lived on soup and milkshakes. But honestly, who doesn't like a chocolate milkshake for breakfast?!

A week and half post surgery I am feeling much better. I am doing 4 sinus rinses a day. I have 2 nasal sprays, an antibiotic and am only taking Ibuprofen for pain. And in a week...I can blow my nose gently! Keep in mind I haven't blown my nose in almost 2 weeks. It is killing me! But I am grateful I was able to have the surgery, that I have an amazing husband who took care of me during recovery, a mom who got me milkshakes and anything else I needed, and a ward member who brought me amazing potato soup. I look forward to amazing, clear, infection free sinuses!

Fall is here

2009-09-29T22:09:00.009-06:00

It's here. The time of year I look forward to most. The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, school is in session, and pretty soon the leaves will start to fall. Although Autumn is my favorite time of year I do not love the snow that follows. Not only is it beautiful outside, but my favorite holidays are coming up...Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Dennis Birthday. This time of year I torture Dennis and make him go with me for a drive up the canyon. We typically do the Alpine Loop, since we have an annual pass. This year seems to be especially colorful perhaps because of all the moisture we got in the spring. Here are a few pics from our drive.

Getting back on track

2009-09-20T12:52:00.002-06:00

After some time off I am getting back on track. I am going to do my best to make blogging my Sunday activity. Your life gets so busy it is hard to remember to write it down. But writing it down is so important. So this is me getting back on track. I will go back and blog about some of the fun things we have done this summer. But what are we up to now. Well, a lot actually!

Dennis is back at school and it still Assistant Scoutmaster extraordinaire! He is also still fishing his heart out but not nearly as much. BYU football is now in full swing. So I am officially a football widow.

I have a lot of things going on as well. I have been wanting to develop some of my own hobbies. I decided to finally take the Belly Dancing class I have always wanted to take. A friend of mine is the instructor so that made it a little easier to take the leap. And she is a wonderful teacher, I adore her. I also am going to be taking piano lessons. I always regretted not keeping up with it when I was younger. Those will not be starting for a few weeks. I hope I can remember some of the stuff that I learned. Last I have been wanting to learn how to knit. Another friend, Leah, had offered to teach me. Finally we were able to get together and she got me started. Although I am only knitting a scarf and I have much to learn...It was awesome! I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful and talented people who are willing to share their talents with me. I can see myself continuing to build up a lot of these hobbies. My next one if photography. I do not want to become an expert photographer, but learning the basics would be awesome.

And finally...it is Fall! My favorite season. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving. I love seeing the leaves changing and falling from the trees. Tonight I will go for my first drive of the season on the Alpine Loop. The weather is getting cooler and I cannot wait for the next few months.

Hopefully you will be reading another blog very soon about our fun filled summer. 'Till then.

The Best Dam Bike Ride 2009

2009-07-26T21:54:00.007-06:00

Every year my family participates in the MS Bike Tour. A close family friend suffers from MS and we have seen the devastating effects it can have on an individual. Last year Dennis rode 100 miles and I was the team photographer. When the registration began early in the year I said that I would do the ride. Honestly, I thought I would be able to get out of it somehow. So as the time got closer I started to get a little more worried. Then the rain came. As many of you know it rained pretty much from April until July. We had virtually no time to train for the ride. I thought maybe they wouldn't make me ride because I hadn't raised my money. But no, they raised it for me. So, I had to do it and was terrified. Dennis had some medical problems (if you want to know what they are, ask my dad, he is willing to tell anyone including reporters for KSL) so he said he would ride with me. This made me feel so much better because I knew I could do it with him pushing me along. So the morning came and we got up early and off we went. My mom, Kathleen, and Bryan were doing 100 miles. Lisa and my Dad did 75 miles. And Me, Dennis, and Hayley did 40 miles. It was surprisingly really awesome! Dennis was a great support system and definitely comic relief. This was our second stop.

We finished strong and were able to get pictures of Hayley finishing the ride.

The volunteer was kind enough to get a picture of the three of us.

Everyone finished and it was a great day. We will all be doing it again next year. Yes, you heard me...I will do it again next year. But next year I am doing 75 miles.

4th of July 2009

2009-07-26T20:59:00.012-06:00

As long as I can remember my dad and neighbors would save spots on the parade route for the Freedom Festival Parade in Provo. Well, as we have gotten older the dad's have stopped saving spots and the awesome Carter sons have taken over. This year we were not sure if we would be able to find a spot. The Carter's were kind enough to save us a spot. They even stayed overnight in the rain. Dennis was the amazing husband he is and went to the parade route around 6 am to ensure our blankets did not get moved. My parents were in Arizona so we celebrated the 4th with Me, Dennis, Marlene, Lisa, Bryan, and Melissa. Dennis was critiquing the beauty queens and this is what Lisa thought about that These were a few of our favorite parts of the parade Later in the afternoon we had a BBQ just the 5 of us. It was not as exciting as we hoped. I think we were all a little tired. Later in the afternoon we went to Rob and Chanel's BBQ. It is always good to see some friends that we usually only see at this BBQ. And of course Roger was there. Roger is Dennis' BFF and of course they had to talk about fishing. Tyler had given us free tickets to the Stadium of Fire. I was going to go but opted out so Marlene could take her friend Moray. Moray is her closest friend whenever she comes. So lucky Dennis got to go see The Jonas Brothers. I went with Lisa and Bryan to their friends house and we walked down to the stadium and watched the fireworks from the outside. That is what I really wanted to see so it was awesome! We had a fun and busy holiday. And I am sure we will do it all over again next year. Bryan left early the next morning and we never did get to do his firework. Lisa and Bryan had a firework budget and this was the big ticket at $1.00. So we videoed it and were shocked by how big it was. I guess $1.00 goes further than we thought.

What a weekend!

2009-07-20T13:28:00.022-06:00

So I am told by my better half that I do not blog enough so here goes.

A few weeks ago I heard a ad for the 5th annual Targhee Americana Fest at Grand Targhee Resort on the only radio station I listen to KRCL 90.9. The lineup included some of my favorite artists. I wanted to go, but the tickets were $130 a piece. We have already spent a buzzut load of $ on tics to shows this year. We both have a thing for live music. So I am driving up the canyon to go fishing and they were giving away a pair of tickets and I was lucky caller # 5! WOO-HOO!

So Thursday rolls around and I am packing the truck, and getting things together when I get called in to work. I was @ work until 1:00Am, and then got called back in at 2:30. Needless to say I was running around like a chicken with his head cut off Friday morning.
After a grueling 6 hour drive me and Marlene saw off in the distance something we both had never seen. The west side of the Tetons.

We both thought it looked alot like Expedition Everest at Dinsney World.

When we got up to the entrance to the resort we were told that it cost $25 a piece for camping. After some complaining by me (I am getting old!), we made our way to the parking lot for the camping area. It was seriously several football fields away. We lugged all the gear up to the area to find all the flat spots had been taken. So I decided to find a spot that at least had morning shade. We found a fairly clear spot for the tent, and set it up. Here is a shot of the morning sun just to the right of our tent.

Just as we were finished getting our stuff all laid out we could here the first band begin to play.We found a spot next to the sound booth and laid a blanket out. Here is the view from there.
The bands were just amazing! Grace Potter and the Nocturnals tore it up. Jackie Greene took it to a whole new level, but that was just the start. The last band was Gov't Mule, who I really had wanted to see. The only song I wanted to hear was Thorazine Shuffle. As the first chords were played it was it!. I was in loving it. they ripped thru the first set like they were on fire. The energy level was sky high. They came back for the second set even more smokin. After probably the second best drum solo I have ever experienced (Grateful Dead 1992 Vegas was the best), They played a reprise of the Shuffle. What a show! But they were not done yet. Warren brought out Grace Potter and they did Gorgeous Woman. Incredibile. Then during the encore he brought out Jackie Greene and they did a dueling guitars that blew my mind. Here is a picture, sorry for the blurr but all I had for the weekend was my crappy Blackberry to take pictures with. Left the digital camera on the desk at home.

I went back to the tent and tried to get some sleep. That was not gonna happen. The guy in the tent right next to us was sawing some seriuos timber. I got out of the tent at 7:00 and watched the sunrise over the mountains. Forgot my phone in the tent that morning so no good pictures.

We made eggs and bacon in the packing lot because there was no way I was going to haul the three burner Camp Chef stove and grill to the tent! I forgot to pack a spatula. Ever tried to flip eggs without one on a grill? It does not work to well. After breakfast we headed out to go either fishing or to Yellowstone. After realizing it would have taken at least 2 hours just to get to the Park entrance, we decided on fishing. We stopped at a small fly shop, Worldcast Anglers, in Victor Idaho. The guy there was really helpfull with pointing us in the right direction for a quick trip. We headed to Bitch Creek. As we were hiking down to the river a couple was leaving and was kind enough to tell me what the hatch was. For those of you who do not know, Many different insects live most of thier lives in water during their larval and pupa stages. When the temperature is right they hatch out of the water and fly away. This is when the fish are seen jumping out of the water. They are eating the insects as they are emerging and floating on the surface. Anyways enough Entomology, When we got to the creek the first good cast I made was taken by a 20-22 inch Cuttthroat Trout. He took off down stream into the strong current and got off. I hooked into a couple more, but the temperature was rising into the 90's. I had fun but Marlene not so much. She said she likes the Provo River better because it has less bugs, and more little snakes slithering around. Here is a picture of her in my Adult Large size waders

When we got back to the concert we found out that the music started at noon. I had missed James McMurtry. He was one of the bands I really wanted to see. Bummer. Sonny Landrette was real good. The Wallflowers were up next. Marlene was looking forward to this, as it was the only band of the weekend she had heard of. They have a song titled 3 Marlenes that she loves. They played a solid set and she kept saying to me between songs that they were not going to play it. I kept telling her that they would. I suggested we go up front to get a closer view and get that good speaker gut vibration. Just as we got to the front They played her song. She was thrilled. After putting her to bed I headed back for Jonny Lang. As I was abuot to go in the Wallflowers came out of thier tour bus and were talking with fans. I went up and thanked them for playing Marlene's song. They all shook my hand and asked what my name was. Way cool dudes! Jonny was simply amazing. He sings with so much emotion. Truly moving.

We got up early Sunday and took down camp. The drive was long, and she had woke up with a head cold. She was flying back to Colorado Springs. I hate goodbye's, and I really hate crying in public, but I could not help it. I was very upset to see her go. Anyone with kids and has had to see them leave knows that feeling. It sucks!! I am glad I got to spend this amazing weekend with her, and I am glad I have such a wonderfull wife who supports me 100%. Sorry you could not have been there babe. I really missed you.

There ya go babe. How's that for a blog?

Balloon Fest

2009-07-19T17:10:00.011-06:00

I lived in the Provo/Orem metro area for most of my childhood. And I remember watching the balloons from our house, but I do not think we ever went to Balloon Fest. So this year my sister in law had mentioned that my nephew wanted to go. So I asked Karen if her and Constance would like to join us. Then my nephew couldn't come so we went anyway! I woke up at 5:30 am on July 3rd and got all showered and ready to go. Can I tell you how early that is? I haven't gotten up that early since I worked and commuted to SLC. So I went and picked up the girls and we walked over to Balloon Fest. Karen lives in the best location for Freedom Festival activites. You can park at her house and walk to a lot of the places. It's great. So Balloon Fest is where they fill up balloons, which is acutally very cool. They launch them, have contests, land, it's pretty cool!

When we first arrived they were already starting to fill up the balloons.

Filling the balloons up were probably my favorite part.

I don't know who this lady was but she was fully made up at 6 am and had a professional photographer.

So I had my professional photographer take my picture.

I took this picture for Lisa. This dog is actually quite big. He was really sweet.

This was my favorite balloon. Of course because it has the fall leaves.

I am so glad Karen and Constance came with me. I think Constance really liked the balloons.

These were two of my favorite pictures. I love my mountains.

Nice Recovery

2009-07-19T17:04:00.005-06:00

How does a husband recover from the following:

No communication in over 6 hours, no cell phone service, unknown location, fishing and possibly dead in the river.

Answer: Beautiful wildflowers that he picked himself on the river. How can you be angry after that???

Father's Day 2009 and Marlene's 13th Birthday

2009-07-19T16:53:00.007-06:00

June 19th was Marlene's 13th Birthday...She is official...teenager. However we did not get to see her until Saturday. She has grown up so much since we last saw her which was only January! So on Sunday we celebrated Father's Day and Marlene's birthday. Uncle Chad, Aunt Karen, and Cousin Constance came and we were so happy! She got to open a gift from Hayley and Chad. Our gift was clothes and anyone who knows a teenager knows you cannot just buy them. She had to go pick them out. Chad got her the coolest rocket.

This is Chad wishing that he had bought two. One for her and one for himself.

We got a picture of everyone on their way out. Note that the bike in the picture is not Marlene's. She is a little too big for that. It is actually Constance's Utah bike that Dennis put together for her.

All and all it was a great day with the family!

May 24, 2009 "6 Years Together"

2009-07-15T21:35:00.004-06:00

I could not post on my actual anniversary since we were in Florida and I did not have internet access or access to any of my photos. But on May 24th we celebrated our 6th anniversary. Dennis is the most amazing person. I don't know what I would do without him. I am so lucky to have found that little diamond in the rough. We have come a long way, but each year we get better and stronger.

SIX REASONS I LOVE DENNIS

1- He is an amazing Father and now Grandfather
2- He has an amazing amount of patience
3- He is passionate about the things he loves
4- He is a very hard worker
5- He gives the best hugs
6- He loves me like no one ever has before

I look forward to many more years with you!

Florida 2009

2009-07-13T14:56:00.026-06:00

This year for our anniversary we decided to take a trip back to Florida. We haven't been back since we moved and we really wanted to go to the Orlando temple. Not to mention we miss our friends. So we bought tickets at a great price and off we go! We left very early on a Thursday. When we arrived we spent most of the day just visiting with friends and relaxing. Our friend Marianna was so kind and let us stay with her. She lives in Claremont which is outside Orlando, but still close enough. This is Marianna and she can still make me laugh.

Our first stop was Disney World. Florida had been under water for the week and a half before we got there. So I was a little concerned that our trip was going to be a rainy mess. First we went to Epcot to try to do the rides we really love.

I had to go on my favorite ride..Living with the Land. It isn't exciting but it is all about the plants.

It was great while we were at Epcot, but as we were leaving it started to sprinkle.

Next we went to Magic Kingdom. And the rain started. It was very crowded when we first got there but as the rain continued, the people started to leave. During one downpour we decided to get something to eat. Dennis had his favorite Disney food...Turkey Leg.

But the rain didn't get us down.

After approximately 4 hours of totally wet feet. Thank goodness we had our Tevas. We had enough and decided to go home. But not before we rode on the carousel and Buzz Lightyear.

The next day we did Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. While waiting to get in the studios we encountered the Storm Troopers. They stand on the top of the entrance and mock the tourists.

We had to go on Tower of Terror. Dennis has a love/hate relationship with that ride.

They have an awesome Toy Story ride. It is especially fun if you enjoy competing with your spouse.

Our last stop was Animal Kingdom.

We did Dennis' favorite rides...Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.

Last we did the Safari. Everyone always says you have to do it first thing in the morning or you will not see a single animal. We went at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We literally walked on the ride and we saw nearly every animal on the safari. These are a few of my favorites.

Our 6th anniversary was on Sunday May 24th. I am so happy that I married Dennis and could not see my life without him. I will post about why I love Dennis on another post. Sunday we had a BBQ with friends. It was really good to see them.

There was an issue with the cheesecake, but that didn't stop Dennis.

On our last full day we went to Tarpon Springs and the beach. Tarpon Springs is a Greek Village on Florida's west coast. It is the sponge capitol of the world. It was HOT, but we had a blast.

Dennis had to get a picture of this family. The parents obviously were very concerned for the safety of their child. Notice the posted sign.

The morning before our flight left, we made a quick trip to the temple. It was beautiful and all we had hoped for.

After a whirlwhind of a trip we headed home. But we had a great time. And last a few of our favorite photos.

A New Grandbaby!

2009-07-12T21:54:00.008-06:00

Yesterday we hiked to Timpanogos Cave. I will post pics about that hike soon. On our way down the mountain we got word from Dennis' ex-wife, Amber, that Tasha was in labor. Wow! We were anxious with anticipation. A few short hours later at 2:23 pm on July 11, 2009 Rylen Laith was born. Then it hit us...we are grandparents. Dennis is a bit older than me, but still young to be a grandpa. But it is what it is and we are embracing it. We decided to wait to head down there until Sunday. So Sunday we got up early and drove to Cedar. And the wait was well worth it...he is a gorgeous baby. And Tasha looks fantastic for just having had a baby!

Here is the handsome guy

Tasha is a natural mother. She is already smitten by this little boy.

Dennis is a very proud Grandpa. Everyone has decided that his nose has carried on to the next generation.

I had to get a picture with the baby and Tasha. I adore this girl.

And here are three generations of the Cluff family.

We are so happy to have Rylen as a new member of the family. And I can tell you there will definitely be more pictures to come.

My 30th Birthday

2009-07-05T16:09:00.007-06:00

Okay, so I know that my birthday was over a month ago. As my beautiful sister Lisa pointed out...I suck at blogging. This is true. I am so busy all of the time it is really hard to make the time to blog. And I, unlike some others do not have help from my husband. He is an admin but NEVER blogs. So it is left up to me. So back to my birthday. It was a beautiful, wonderful day. Unfortunately it was a Sunday. I hate having my birthday on a Sunday. I am not sure why, it is just a bummer. But I bet that is how some people feel when their birthday is on a holiday. I am not sure, that is just a guess. Anyway, so I was awoken early to open gifts. I think because one gift in particular was something I could wear to church. So I opened my gifts and I got some wonderful things from the 'Rents and Hayley. Lots of cute clothes and such. But the highlight of the morning was my gift from Dennis. Let me back up and say that I had been eyeing a dress from Macy's for months. It was beautiful, but I couldn't just buy it for no reason. So I just admired it when we went there. I even tried it on once. This dress is so "me". I nicknamed her Michelle after Michelle Phillips from the Mama's and the Papa's.

It reminded me of that era. And anyone who knows me knows that I was born about 20 years too late. I would like to consider myself a modern day hippie who has a job.

Okay, so back to the gift from Dennis. I opened the box and there is was....Michelle. I nearly cried and told Dennis how much I loved her. He also got me jewelry to go with it. And he picked it all out on his own. What a guy! Here is a pic we took a few weeks later.

Later on we had dinner with the family. The good thing about having a birthday on a Sunday is that the whole family comes for dinner. My mom and I had been debating for days on which cake to have for my birthday. She offered to make one of my favorites that is a rarity around here. It is a chocolate praline cake. It is not the most beautiful, but it is seriously SO delicious. So overall, it was a great 30th. I look forward to a whole new decade.

**The necklace Dennis got to go with my dress is in the above picture. I love it!

Billy Bob

2009-06-14T20:19:00.005-06:00

Do you own a piece of clothing that is irreplaceable and perfect? Not perfect as in the best condition or the most stylish. Just...perfect. I have a shirt whom Lisa and I have named Billy Bob. This shirt is literally 35+ years old. My Dad got it in the 70's when Donny and Marie played at Billy Bob's Texas. It is a large bar/music venue in Dallas/Fort Worth. He was working at the studios and some annoymous person gave it to him. I say that because he cannot remember who it was. At that point it was given to my mom. About 12 or so years ago I found it in my mom's closet. It had not been worn in quite some time. At least I don't remember her wearing it. So she said I could have it. It is not the most stylish and I am not a huge Texas person but I love it! It is the softest cotton I have ever felt. You know when you wear something a lot and it just gets better with age. It also makes me wonder. When you buy something now, after a certain number of washes and such it starts to fall apart. This shirt is almost as old as my husband (not that you are old honey) and is still is darn good condition! How can that be? There were a number of years in my late 20's when I could not wear this shirt. It did not fit. So Lisa was kind enough to care for Billy Bob for me. One glorious thing about losing weight was being able to wear this shirt again. You may think I am insane. But I know you are sitting there thinking of an item of clothing you feel the same way about. So, here's to Billy Bob. Hopefully we will have 35 more years together.

Tasha's Wedding Reception / Dave Matthews Band in Las Vegas

2009-06-12T17:28:00.013-06:00

We started out the weekend of May 7th by heading down to Vegas. Dennis had tickets for us to see Dave Matthews Band at the MGM.

So we left work early and headed down. It was a beautiful drive. We drove with the sunroof down and it was perfect! We had time to check in and then head to the concert. The concert was wonderful and I am pretty sure we got a contact high. There were a "few" people smoking marijuana at the concert.

The next morning we went to the Bellagio to watch the water show and look at the gardens. Anyone who knows me knows I love gardening and flowers. So this was a lot of fun. Here are a few pics from the gardens.

And one from the water show.

Dennis loves this picture because it looks like I am standing in front of a fake backdrop.

After the water show we headed north to New Castle for Natasha's (Dennis' daughter) wedding reception. We drove through the back way through the canyon and it was nice. It is not a highly traveled road so there was little traffic and it was a nice drive. We arrived in New Castle with plenty of time before the reception. We were very happy to see that Dennis' brother, Chad and his wife Sara came down. It was quite a drive and I know Tasha loved having them there.

Dennis' sister Lindsey also came to support Tasha.

This is us partying it up in New Castle. If you don't know where New Castle is...don't feel bad. I didn't either until I married Dennis.

We wish the best for Tasha and Chance. And are now awaiting the upcoming arrival of mine and Dennis' first grandson.

How Many Licks?

2009-05-30T09:51:00.004-06:00

I apoloize that it has been so long since my last blog post. We have had a lot going on...weddings, travel, birthdays, anniversaries. There has been a lot that I am going to post about in the upcoming week, so keep checking back. I am going to start with something amazing that I was able to accomplish lately.

It was a Friday at work and my co-worker Lexie was kind enough to give me a tootsie pop. I love them oh so very much. So I was enjoying my pop and I got the urge to bite to get to the yummy tootsie center. And then it hit me....I have never sucked on a lollipop until I got to the center without biting it. So I decided today was the day. So I sucked and sucked and sucked. I never realized how hard it would be! It took tons of willpower and an hour and finally this was the result.

*I apologize for the picture quality, it was taken from my boss' phone*

I conquered the task. It was fun to see I could actually do something I have never done before. I recommend everyone try this once in their lives.

Thank you for reading our blog and keep checking back for all of the fun things we did in May!

Happy Birthday Tootz!

2009-04-29T20:55:00.003-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday. She is an amazing woman whom I am lucky to have as a mother. In honor of her birthday I am going to list 10 wonderful things about my mom.

1. She works harder than just about anyone. She cooks, cleans, goes to the gym, temple, indexing, I could go on and on.

2. She is extremely patient. I guess that is why she is a 3rd grade teacher.

3. She is super smart! She is especially amazing at math.

4. She is a die hard biker. She loves to bike and typically puts 2,000 miles on her bike each season.

5. She never complains! Seriously I never hear her complain about anything.

6. She is the CEO and General Manager of Hotel Hortin. She will take in family and friends whether they need to stay for a week or a year.

7. She has a stronger testimony than anyone I know.

8. She always puts others needs first, no matter what the situation.

9. She loves chocolate

10. She is the best Grandma, Mom, Friend that anyone could ever ask for.

This is one of my favorite pictures with my mom. This was at a bike ride we did together last year called the Little Red Riding Hood. It was my first distance ride. She did the shorter route so that she could ride with me. She was my encouragement. The weather was terrible and it was freezing. But I did it and only because she was there. Had she not been there I would have quit. But that is just the way she is. She won't let you quit, especially if it concerns biking. I love you mom!

If you hide from the missionaries did you purchase a first class ticket to Hell?

2009-04-24T19:38:00.006-06:00

We moved to Florida in 2006 for work and a change of scenery. We both worked in the hospitality industry and Orlando seemed a logical place. When you move far away from family and friends you find out quickly that you really are alone. Dennis went to the grocery store one day and ran into the LDS missionaries. He was excited because it was something familiar and began talking to them. After giving them our address he gathered his things and left. Now, if a "less active" member gives the missionaries their address...what do you suppose they will do??? They come over! At the time neither Dennis or I were interested in hearing their message. So after that when they came over, we would literally hide in the closet or a back bedroom. How pathetic is that?!? It wasn't like they could see through the door, or that we were obligated to answer the door and let them in. Looking back I think it was because we knew they were there to tell us something we needed to hear. And for the record after getting to know the missionaries they informed us that they know when you are hiding from them. Maybe it was the lights being on or the TV. We were not the first and certainly will not be the last. Months went by and at least once a week we would come home to a note on the door or a pass-along card from the missionaries. A short time after that something happened and we decided we were ready to at least hear what they had to say. So we invited them over and took the discussions, just like a new member would. We set up appointments and the missionaries started coming over once a week. We usually had them over for dinner and then we would have a lesson. They invited us to church so we went. Well, technically we went for sacrament meeting then made an excuse that we had to leave. The ward was awesome and after a few weeks of going we decided to stay for other classes. It was an amazing experience. Our ward was incredible at making you feel welcome. I even attended activites which were my biggest fear. Dennis starting visiting people with the missionaries, which was a great experience and testimony builder. During those six months we built relationships with some amazing people. Even though we were only active for a few months before we moved we encountered a ward split. This was a huge challenge. We had relationships with our ward members and now we were being asked to move to a different ward. Although that ward was amazing I always feel a stronger bond with those whom we met in the Metrowest Ward. Recently, I was talking to my family about finding our missionaries. They made a huge impact on our life and I just wanted to thank them for everything they did for us. So naturally, I turned to Facebook. And through a few searches I was able to find Elder Bonnett. And from looking through his friends I was able to find Elder Unga. I sent them messages and they are both home and doing so well. They live locally and we are planning on getting together soon. Hopefully Elder Unga will not mind me stealing this picture from his Facebook. I just wanted to show you our missionaries. This picture was taken in the community where we lived called Metrowest. So from Left to Right is: Elder Olson (New York), Elder Hamilton (Arizona), Elder Unga (Utah), Elder Bonnett (Utah)

Going to the dentist=fun

2009-04-09T18:06:00.007-06:00

I cannot say that I love sitting in the dentist chair. With my mouth wide open, unable to swallow, a child screaming in the other room because they are trying to take an X-ray. But, at the same time...I don't hate it. The acutal process is not the best. But my hygenist is really nice, they always schedule you with the same one. My dentist is awesome. And they give you a free toothbrush! But truthfully that is one thing I cannot thank my parents for enough. I always went to the dentist...always! Every six months for my entire life. Not to mention the braces, not fun but I am so glad I have straight teeth. And it all pays off in the end. I have had only a few cavities in my life and no additional dental work. And today...no cavities!! So Mom and Dad my teeth and I thank you.

While we are on the subject of teeth. It is often recommended that you chew sugar free gum. There is a gum on the market today that is a fraud! You think when you purchase it that it will be a raspberry delight and will leave you with a "Just Brushed Clean Feeling". The first time I tried this gum was in church. Dennis was kind enough to offer it to my mother and me. So we put it into our mouths and at first it isn't bad. But it goes south very quickly. And you cannot say loudly in the middle of sacrament meeting...this crap tastes like Robitussin! We experimented on Bryan and he claims it tasted like "raspberry".

So here is your warning. The general consensus is that this particular gum tastes like cough medicine. You don't believe me?...try it for yourself.

Goal Jeans, Fat Pants, Before & After

2009-03-15T20:59:00.008-06:00

I am really sorry you have to hear more about my weight loss. But I have included some much anticipated pictures. I was getting dressed today and decided to try on a pair of jeans I bought a few months ago. They didn't quite fit but the next size up fit too perfectly and I was hoping to lose more so I bought the smaller size. It felt so amazing when I slipped them on and they fit! Here is a pic of the goal jeans. I have officially dropped four sizes.

So I decided today was the day to show my humiliating fat pants pictures and before and afters.

Here are the pants that I wore when I first moved back to Utah

This is the most humiliting part. The first picture was taken days before we moved back to Utah. It was the end of January 2008.

And here is Dennis and me today March 15, 2009

I think Dennis has lost a few pounds too, eh??

Arlo Guthrie

2009-03-09T20:50:00.008-06:00

One of my all time favorite artists is Arlo Guthrie. I have seen him a number of times in concert and I am never let down. He is amazing! Just for a little background Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Woody was a folk singer and composer. Some of you may know his song...This Land is Your Land. Arlo Guthrie carried on the tradition of great folk music. Some of you may have heard of the song Alice's Restaurant. It is a talking blues song that lasts 18 minutes and if you have not heard it you must! Alice's Restaurant was also made into a movie in 1969. His daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie is another great folk singer. It must run in the family. We have seen her play a few different times and never leave without a smile. Now, why pray tell am I telling you this?? I get to see Arlo Guthrie at Kingsbury Hall on March 29, 2009! Not only do I get to see a great folk artist in a wonderful venue, but he will be playing music from his new album. I browsed You Tube for an Arlo Guthrie clip so you can hear a taste of his music. I did find one of Alice's Restaurant but it is really long. So if you do want to hear it you can find it on You Tube. I picked The City of New Orleans. Arlo did not write this song, but it a good one and one he is very famous for performing.

*apology, you will have to pause the music at the bottom in order to hear the video*

I'm Alive....and well

2009-03-06T16:41:00.005-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love music. I love all music, there is a song I love in just about every genre. I recently purchased the new Kenny Chesney CD and finally received it in the mail yesterday. I put the CD in my CD player at work first thing this morning. The music started playing and the first song really struck me. And ironically, it featured another artist I love, Dave Matthews, but never pictured singing with Kenny Chesney. We all go through things that alter our lives, but we get through them. I know you have heard this a million times, but Dennis is an absolutely amazing person. He has gone through a lot of things in his life and I know he didn't use to feel this way. But he always tells me that things could be a lot worse. This is so true! There is beauty to be found all around us. Whether it be the hills in San Francisco, the beaches in Florida, the lights in New York City, or the Mountains in Utah. There are people around us that love us unconditionally. We are alive and free to do as we please (within the law of course.) There is so much in life to be thankful for. I am going to stop adding up the pain and start living.

"So damn easy to say that life's so hard. Everbody's got their share of battle scars. As for me I'd like to thank my lucky stars. That I'm alive and well."

*apology, you will have to pause the music at the bottom in order to hear the video*

Bowling with Tasha

2009-02-22T19:29:00.007-07:00

We went to Cedar City a few weeks ago for our monthly visit with Tasha. It is always so great to see her. Yet, we find ourselves running into the same problem. What do you do in Cedar City? In the summertime there are festivals every weekend and various other fun things. But in the winter there is nothing. So we decided to go bowling. I have always loved bowling but have not been in years and cannot begin to tell you how horrible I am. We had a greasy hamburger and then bought two games. We had a lot of fun. Dennis was so upset the first game because he was not "warmed up". I have proof as to who won the first game.

Honestly, it does not matter what we do. Getting to spend time with Tasha is the best part.

The Beauty that is Turbo Kickbox

2009-02-11T20:53:00.004-07:00

As some of you know I have started working out at the gym. I was very hesitant to start. I was perfectly happy sitting home watching tv. Then I realized that even though I lost all of this weight I did not look the way I wanted to. And the only way to fix that was to exercise. I can only hope to look and be as strong in the core as my mom and Lisa. So I thought about how I was going to do it and did not like the thought of getting up at 5 am and walking on the treadmill. So I remembered my sister saying...try the classes. She said she was a "class girl". She liked working out in that setting. I thought I was so not a "class girl". And dreaded the thought of working out after work. Isn't that the perfect time to go home and veg out? Well, a girlfriend from work and I decided one day...Let's do it! So we got the schedules and planned to go. When it came time to go I tried to get out of it and she told me I had to go. So I went and although I am sure I looked like a fool, so did 50% of the class! So the next day I was so sore I thought I would die, but we went back. And here we are weeks into it and loving every minute of it. Even when my girlfriend cannot make it, I still go. And let me just say that working out after work is perfect! You are dragging after work and you force yourself to the gym. After the workout you feel amazing and it gives you about 2 hours of energy to finish out the evening and accomplish all you set out to. Then you crash hard and sleep like a baby. So, back to the title...the beauty that is turbo kickbox. This class was recommended by none other than Ms. Schader. It is so hard, fast, intense...amazing! I love this class! It challenges me every single time. There are always new people so you are never the "new kid" after the first time. The instructors really drive you. It makes me feel so great! The other class I enjoy is Power Pump. This is primarily weight and strength training. I feel so strong after that class. And let me tell you before I started I had no bicep....none. Now I have a teeny tiny muscle growing. Why did I not start working out years ago??? And for the record I am now a "class girl".

A Dad and his Daughters

2009-01-25T16:17:00.005-07:00

We have had the opportunity lately to see both of Dennis' daughters. This is a challenge since Marlene lives in Colorado and Tasha lives in Cedar City. Marlene was in town for a funeral and although we only saw her for less than 24 hours it was great! We also made it down to Cedar City to see Tasha, after a few months of not being able to make our monthly trip to Southern Utah. Dennis loves nothing more than seeing his girls!

Marlene got to go to church with us. She loved to see all our her friends from when she was here for the summer.

And Tasha stayed with us at our hotel and watched the Jazz game with Dennis. Finally a girl who will watch sporting events with him!

I Did It! Lifetime Membership

2009-01-14T21:52:00.007-07:00

I know I have blogged recently about reaching my goal weight and the 50 pound mark. But today I have made yet another step in my weight loss journey. Tonight I received my Lifetime Membership status and am at a 53.2 pound total weight loss. This is a HUGE milestone with the Weight Watchers program. With lifetime status you no longer have to pay a membership fee..woohoo! You only have to weigh in once a month...this would be cool, but I am still going to go every week. The class is only 30 min and I really benefit from it and checking in at the scale. The best part of achieving this status means I have reached my goal weight and maintained it for 6 weeks. This alone is a challenge. But, I was smart enough to reach my goal weight the week after Thanksgiving. Thus giving me the opportunity to maintain through the holidays! This was a huge challenge, but I did it!

Now, I just have to maintain it for life, but I know I can do it. I said before that the best part was reaching my goal and maintaining it. But that is not true. I would not be where I am today without the love and support of my mom, my sisters Lisa and Hayley, Dennis, and Peggy (my other weight watchers buddy who says I am her inspiration). My Mom and Lisa weren't able to make it to Weight Watchers tonight because of school commitments. P.S. they are both lifetime members. At the end of the class they gave me my award. They held up a beautiful bouqet of roses and said that even though my mom couldn't be there that she wanted me to know that she was proud of me and was there in spirit. My mom has been my rock. She has gone with me to Weight Watchers every week for 1 year. When I didn't want to do it anymore (which was pretty much every time I gained) she would not let me quit. Whenever I had a bad week, I would call Lisa for my pep-talk. She would always tell me how far I had come and that I was going to do better the next week. Hayley always cheered me on and was always there when I needed someone to commiserate with. And Dennis always told me that he loved me no matter what. But that I looked way hotter now! Thanks babe! I love you so much and couldn't have done it without you.

We always did "net weight" at Weight Watchers. We took "the teams" gains and losses and added it together. If we came out with any weight loss we looked at it as we all lost! This wasn't a "legal" weight watchers way, but it sure made us feel better those weeks we didn't quite lose what we wanted to.

Weight loss has been a huge challenge but worth every minute. Not only do I look better, but I feel amazing! Some have asked for before and after pictures. Those are to come. Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. I could not have done it without you.

New Years and an Apostolic Blessing

2009-01-11T18:51:00.011-07:00

I really need to get back on the ball. I am only now getting to posting about New Years. For New Years Eve we celebrated with Mom, Dad, Dennis, Myself, Lisa, and Bryan. The grandkids were here to but they went to bed about 7 pm so they don't count. We decided to play Phase 10. This game has a special place in our heart. We played it just about every night when we went to Cancun in June of 2006. After Cancun Lisa affectionately called it "Skip Lisa." So it was really fun to play it together as a family again.

While we were playing cards we put on the cable oldies music channel. The challenge was to try to guess either the artist or the song name. Let's just say that Lisa was a fierce competitor, but I won that game. Mom was the all out winner of Phase 10 though. Good job Mom! I asked Lisa to take a picture with me and this is the hairstyle she decided to go with.

At 11:50 we woke my dad up and poured the sparkling cider. You have to toast the new year with something bubbly. Since we don't drink champagne, Apple Cider was the next logical choice.

It was so nice to ring in the new year with some of the people I love most.

The Sunday after New Years was fast Sunday. I hadn't been feeling well and went in to church feeling tired and overall less than thrilled to be there. I sat down and looked on the stand. Sitting there was none other than Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

His daughter lives in our ward and he and his wife were babysitting for the weekend. What an honor to have an apostle in our presence and the spirit was definitely felt there. I think it was one of the most spiritual fast and testimony meetings I have ever been to. After everyone had a chance to bear their testimony he got up and spoke to us. It was amazing! He concluded with an apostolic blessing for us for the new year. It really was the best way to start the new year. I could not have asked for more. So here's to a great 2009!

Don't Speak

2009-01-08T08:39:00.003-07:00

You may wonder why I am blogging at 8:40 am on a Thursday. Especially since I should be at work and don't have internet access at work. Well, the reason is a wonderful little thing called Laryngitis. Yup, I cannot speak. I went to work this morning at 7 since I am the only one there for the first hour. Luckily I only had 13 calls. Whew! Once the other receptionist got there they decided to send me home. I am headed to the doctor in a few minutes. Typically Laryngitis is a viral infection, but because I have been sick it may be due to a bacterial infection. I guess we will find out. But for future reference it sucks to have Laryngitis when your job is to answer phones.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T20:47:00.016-07:00

We were very blessed this Christmas. We spent the entire day with family and it has been wonderful. We opened presents first, had brunch with Tyler, Christi and Cameron.

Then I had the best Christmas nap ever! When I woke up we had dinner with Hans, Tasha, and the kids. Now we are just winding down and getting ready to crash.

For Christmas my big gift was a beautiful new camera! It is a Canon EOS Rebel XS. Now that may mean nothing to you. I know it did to me. But Dennis did the research and from what I can tell I love it! There is so much this camera can do, I don't even know where to begin. But I am hoping to find a local photography class and see what I can learn. I am also going to read the entire owner's manual, which is something I have never done. Even with my limited knowledge, it takes beautiful pictures. I am going to love this camera. Thank you Dennis!!

Dennis' big gift was a recliner. He has wanted one for years! This was finally the year. Although he found the acutal gift anti-climactic.

I gave him a fake recliner. But if you know Dennis well, you know for an item like that he has to pick it out himself. He has a very picky butt! So, now he gets to go get one. I wished I could have had one there, but I would rather him get one he loves.

Dennis also got a few Nightmare Before Christmas items. It isn't Christmas without a few Nightmare items. It is our favorite movie after all.

We got my mom a cashmere sweater for Christmas. We hope that she likes it.

And for Dad we got Weight Training for Cyclists. They do the MS ride every year and hopefully this will help them prepare even better.

Hayley's favorite gift was her gift from Bryan. A Southwest giftcard! Thank you to Hayley for wrapping every single solitary gift! What a gal! I despise wrapping more than anything. Well, except for moving. We are so grateful for her.

The one thing we missed this Christmas was the few people missing. Russell, Jodee, Lisa and Bryan. But they were with family and I am sure they had a wonderful Christmas. But we sure did miss them!

Dennis took a few pictures with my camera. This one was a test shot and I just loved it.

He even snow plowed a bit...

And it's a little blurry because it was a timed shot and we didn't know how to focus it yet. But here is a pic of the gang.

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!!

'Twas the night before Christmas...

2008-12-24T20:38:00.007-07:00

Wow! How time flies! We have not posted in a while and are hoping to get back in the swing of things. We have had a wonderful holiday season. Dennis is still fishing periodically. Yes, you heard me right...fly fishing in the Provo river in December. I have just been busy working and with the occasional winter cold. Marlene is not with us this Christmas. But she will be coming for a few days at the beginning of the year. Natasha is spending the holiday with her mother's family in New Castle. We are planning on heading to Cedar City the day after Christmas to see her. I will post again tomorrow but wanted to post a few pics from Christmas Eve.

For as long as I can remember we have always had a family dinner with my Dad's family at my Grandma's. They are getting older and decided not have it this year. So we are starting our own traditions with the immediate family. We had Hans and Tasha's family over. We had soup that Dennis made in bread bowls. Yum! Here is a picture of the whole family.

Then we read the Christmas story in the scriptures. We usually do that Christmas morning but are mixing it up this year. Last, we made cookies and the kids frosted them.

Now it is the last minute scramble of wrapping presents (THANKS HAYLEY!!)and Dennis is making his delicious breakfast casserole for the morning.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Putting up the Christmas Lights

2008-12-08T18:41:00.005-07:00

Who knew that putting up Christmas lights would be so much work!?! We decided that around 2 pm on Saturday that we would do the lights on the house and the tree. So we pulled out the lights and they are the old school C7's. There were a lot of lights burned out and fuses fried. So we decided to go to the store and try to get replacements. It used to be easy to find bulbs. Dennis wanted to go to Shopko and I wanted to go to Target. So off we went. Target had the bulbs but the were 4 for $1.00....what a ripoff! So we decided to try Home Depot..no luck. Then tried Lowe's..less selection than Home Depot. And I also decided it is the White Trash home improvement store. Finally we went to our last resort...Wal-Mart. They did not have the replacement bulbs. But they did have lights for $6.99 per strand. That is cheaper than replacing the old bulbs. So we bought those. We finally make it back to the house and it was already getting dark. We used all of the boxes we purchased and still needed a few more. So we had to go back to Wal-Mart on a Saturday! We got what we needed and decided to stop for sustinence. So we went to Mimi's Cafe. We are sitting there waiting for a table and who walks in but Lisa and Bryan. So we decided to make it a double date. We had dinner with them and it was a lot of fun. So after dinner it was back to the lights. Dennis finished putting them up and managed to not fall off the roof. This is Dennis towards the end. You can't really see his face, but lets just say he isn't smiling. Well, technically he is, but it is totally fake.

After everything we decided to go to Shopko to get timers for the lights since it is the closest. And what do we find....replacement bulbs for the original lights we had. This is great but we would have still had to find fuses. So I think buying new lights was the right choice in the end. But next time I should probably listen to Dennis. Sometimes he is right. And here is the final result....

TADA!!!

Thanks Dennis for your hard work!

I did it!!!

2008-12-03T21:41:00.003-07:00

I have been trying for a few weeks to reach my 50 pound weight loss. So I weighed myself this morning and I was pretty sure that I would get my 50 pound weight loss. I was excited. But I try not to get my hopes up because you never know until you get on the scale. So I went to Weight Watchers tonight and walked up to the scale and told Tracey (my counselor)..."Let's do this." I was not in the best of moods. When I stepped on the scale I almost died! Not only did I get to my 50 pound weight loss...I exceeded my goal! As I was standing on the scale my sister Lisa walked in...she came to weigh in herself. It was a big celebration with lots of hugs. It has been a long journey but well worth it. I would like to lose an additional 10-15 pounds. But I have come so far and am proud of my accomplishment. Weight loss to date is 51.8 pounds.

Lights at Temple Square

2008-12-03T21:37:00.005-07:00

We went the Friday after Thanksgiving with my family to see the lights at Temple Square. They were amazing as always. The funny part was going from the Spaghetti factory to Temple Square. We got our transportation messed up and ended up with 6 people in my Mom's car...squishy!

But again, the lights were amazing. If you are in Utah...check them out!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T21:17:00.005-07:00

We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving. My dad's whole side of the family came over for Thanksgiving dinner/lunch. My mom made an amazing turkey, potatoes, and loads and loads of pies. Janny made sweet potatoes...yum. Tasha made homemade stuffing...yum. Mer brought her famous relish tray. There is something about a relish tray that I love, probably the no chopping part. You can have broccoli, cauliflower, 3 different kinds of olives, sweet and dill pickles, and my favorite pepperoncini peppers. I swear I had a dozen of them. Grandma brought her super delicious Clam Dip. And Grandpa made his homemade toffee...yum! Tammy made fruit salad and Karla made pasta salad. Lets just say we had a lot of food and a lot of people. I think we had 37. Needless to say the meal was wonderful. After dinner/lunch we had a baby shower for my sister in law Jodee. They were leaving first thing Saturday morning so this was the only time we could all get together. It was so fun to see her opening all of her presents. She has waited so long to be a mother and she will be a great one! Those are going to the luckiest twins in the world. Congrats Russell and Jodee! After the shower we had pie. Lots and lots of pie. The rest of the night we relaxed. I did some cleaning. I mopped the floor...it was very dirty with all of that foot traffic. I have so much to be thankful for and it was the perfect day. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

RIP Wendy Hortin

2008-11-24T20:38:00.005-07:00

Today we had to put our dog Wendy down. She passed away at 4:50 PM. She was not Dennis' and my dog. She was the dog I had my whole life. Well, since I was about 14. She was an amazing dog and was always there when I needed her. She was 17 and has struggled over the last few years. The last few weeks her health had really declined. It was time to say goodbye. That being said, it was not easy. I have never had to do that before and do not look forward to the day I have to do it again. It was over so fast and it was so peaceful. I cannot wait until the day I can see my Wendy again. Lisa made this video in 2006 and this is the way I want to remember Wendy. 'Till we meet again.

Fishun!!!

2008-11-13T08:55:00.009-07:00

I caught the fishing bug this summer and I am totally addicted! I try to go every chance I get. I have the best wife in the world. She lets me go almost as much as I want. I usually go up Provo Canyon just past the Sundance turnoff. Heres a picture of the fall colors there.

The brown trout are in full spawn and you can see them in their spawning beds which are called Redds. I had never been fly fishing until this year. I am really just a hack. Here is a couple of pics of the last couple noteworthy fish.

This was the first one I caught subsurface. Up until that I had just been using dry flies floating on the surface. The fly is a egg-sucking leech. He was 18".

This one was 17" and I caught him with Rianbow Warrior nymph that my fishun buddie( and second best friend, behind my wife) Roger tied himself. Here is a link to his website. http://rogerhop.com/

He just started a new job and this is first foray into webpage building.

Anywhoo, if you want to find me when the sun is still up I will be down in the river fishun!!!

Dennis' Birthday

2008-11-07T22:38:00.010-07:00

Last Sunday was Dennis' 38th birthday. We had a fun day celebrating. We really wish my parents could have been there. But they did call from DC and they all sang Happy Birthday to Dennis. We went to church in the afternoon. Dennis had to teach Sunday School and although he says he was horrible I am sure he was wonderful. I unfortunately could not be there because it was my week to teach in Primary. We came home and Hayley was cooking away. She made Ham, Funeral potatoes, and rolls. Hans, Tasha, Ashley, Tanner, and Macy came to celebrate with us. They brought a wonderful salad and Dennis even commented how it was just how he liked it. Karen and Constance came over and we were so glad they did! They will be going back to Korea soon and we will miss them! Lisa and Bryan also came to celebrate. Lisa made an amazing cake for Dennis. Which you will see later on in the post.

He opened a few gifts. He got some great shirts!

Karen and Constance got Dennis Glenn Beck's new book. He was so excited!

If you know us well you know that we are huge Nightmare Before Christmas fans. So in honor of that Lisa made this cake. And I will have you know she made this with no coaching just with Dennis in mind.

I tried to take a picture of Dennis blowing out the candles but the picture I got was not appropriate for the blog so this is the staged photo.

And what is a blog post without a few pictures of Dennis and I.

Thank you Hayley, Lisa, Bryan, Karen, Constance, Hans, Tasha, Ashley, Tanner and Macy for helping us celebrated Dennis' birth.

Love you babe!

The New Job

2008-11-07T22:28:00.003-07:00

A few posts ago I mentioned that I was leaving my job. I have a new job at Mountainland Supply Co. in Orem, UT. Mountainland is the largest plumbing wholesaler in the state of Utah. It is a great job and I am loving it so far. I am a receptionist and the stress level is nothing like my old job. They appreciate me and I love working with my new co-workers. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. My hours are fantastic. I get to come home and have lunch with my husband most days...what is better than that ?!? So this is my new chapter in life.

Happy Birthday Dennis!

2008-11-02T07:59:00.003-07:00

Today is Dennis' birthday. He is 38 today and just as handsome as the day I met him, actually more handsome. The family is coming over for dinner and Lisa made an awesome cake. I will post pictures at a later date. We are excited to see everyone but someone is missing. My Mom and Dad. They are in Washington D.C. and we really wish they could be here. So in honor of Dennis I am going to list 10 things he loves and 10 things I love about him.

He loves (In no particular order) ...

Fishing
Nascar
BYU
Skiing
Camping
Working with the scouts
The Lord
His kids
Fixing things
and Me...I hope :)

Things I love about him (again in no particular order) ...

That he loves Nascar and is not afraid to admit it
That he knows the answer to every question and if he doesn't he will make something up
Since going back to church he has taken it on full force
He is a very hard worker
He is honest and is not afraid to tell you what he thinks
He is an amazing cook
He loves to cuddle
He is happy with the simple things is life
He puts up with the cats, pretends to hate them, but actually loves them
He is the most amazing husband any there is no one else like him

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-29T21:31:00.006-06:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I am not sure why. I don't do exotic costumes, I don't eat much candy, I don't have children to take trick or treating, etc. But for some reason I love it! A few years ago when we were living in Salt Lake City we went to a friend's house to carve pumpkins. It was so fun! Dennis and I are not artistic and we do not do the fancy pumpkins that you see around. But we have started doing it every year. And as far as I am concerned that is 30 more minutes I get to spend with the love of my life. Here are some pictures from Pumpkin Carving 2008.

I got one of Dennis while he was mid-carve.

Then I made him turn and smile.

And here we are on the porch with our pumpkins. Dennis carved hearts into the white one...at my request.

My Last Day

2008-10-29T21:27:00.004-06:00

Monday was my last day at the Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown. I was able to have lunch with my favorite people at the hotel. We went to Thaifoon and it was fantastic. I am going to miss them so much. But they are not far away and I am sure we will be getting together again soon. I will miss you TJ, Deep, Kirsten, Kim, Kristen, and Jackie.

Cameron's 2nd Birthday!

2008-10-27T14:48:00.007-06:00

Cameron is my nephew. He is the son of Tyler and Christi. He is absolutely adorable. His birthday is actually October 11th, but we celebrated it on Saturday the 25th. Christi's family all flew in from Texas to be here. It was so fun to see all of them. They had the party at Little Gym. Cameron goes to Little Gym regularly. That is where he learned his amazing sommersault. So Christi decided that is where they would have his birthday party. The kids loved it! They got to jump, play, do tricks, etc. Here is a picture of the kids on this blow up track. They got to jump on it and even have races from one end to the other.

They blew bubbles and the kids got to pop them. This picture does not show the bubbles very well.

Last the adults got to help do the parachute. I am sure you all remember this from your elementary school days.

We tried to get a picture with the Birthday boy but he was having too much fun. This was the best we could do.

And what is a party without a picture of Dennis and I.

The Electric Car

2008-10-27T14:35:00.005-06:00

On Friday evening my mom and I were in bed watching TV. My adorable sister, Lisa, came running upstairs. She wanted to take us for a ride in the electric car. A guy from our ward was over and he said we could take it for a spin. So Bryan, Lisa, Tootz, and myself piled in and went for a ride. Eric warned us that it tops out at about 25 mph. So we drove it around the block. We purposely went down a hill to see how fast we could go. Downhill we reached a whopping 27 miles per hour. Up the hill we only got to 17 miles per hour. I have to say that it was actually a fun time! Below are two pictures. One of all of us in front of the car. Please pretend like I am wearing something much more stylish than a Grateful Dead shirt and green pants. I was already in my PJs. oops! The second picture is a picture of my sister Lisa. She is showing you how small the car actually is. It was small!

Movin' On

2008-10-27T11:35:00.003-06:00

As some of you may know. I have decided to leave my job in Downtown Salt Lake City at the Radisson. I have made so many good friends here. But there comes a point in your life where you need to decide what is most important. That is my family and my sanity. I have been commuting 3 hours a day 5 days a week and it sucks! I don't know how people do it for years and years. My last day is today. On Friday I went with Kim and Deep to have a going away lunch of sorts. We went to Red Rock and had a great time. Here is a picture of us. I will miss these guys, but I told them they are not rid of me. I will be keeping in touch.

Sundance

2008-10-10T16:38:00.001-06:00

First I wanted to let everyone know that if you have not noticed Dennis has earned his right to have admin privileges to our blog. I know I look forward to seeing what he has to say. In other news a few weeks ago we went to Sundance to ride the ski lift. Let me just say that this is the most amazing thing! The leaves were fantastic. But my favorite part was that I had my husband's undivided attention for over an hour! They say that it is 45 minutes, but with all of the stops it makes I would definitely say it is more than an hour. We even saw a few family and friends along the way. I highly recommend this for anyone who needs an extra hour alone with their husband / wife. And again...the leaves were amazing. Here are a few pictures from our adventures.

This was taken through Dennis' legs. That is Dennis' knee on the left.

And this is us on the lift. Dennis has perfected his self photography skills. I thought he did a darn good job.

'Till next fall!

Tagged Dennis

2008-10-07T15:11:00.001-06:00

3 names you go by: Dennis, D, wahdee

3 Things you are wearing right now: Sunglasses(always), flashlight, multitool.

3 Restaurants I love: Mi Ranchito, Tucanos, Rancheritos

3 Favorite things to do: Spending time with Amanda, fishing, Driving

3 Things I want badly: just enough money, new motorcycle, Amanda to realize I do love her I just am not all mushy.

3 things I did yesterday: Worked, school, watched the Red Sox beat the crap out of the Angels

3 Goals: Good job, be a better father, have a strong marriage

3 Fears: Anything happening to my family, this presidential election, and spiders

3 things I plan on doing today: Working, Fishun, Buy a supporter

3 Things I plan on doing tomorrow: working, school, sleep

3 Favorite Holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas

3 Favorite Beverages: Water, low carb Monster, Amber O’Douls

3 Friends to Tag: I don’t have any!!

Tagged!

2008-10-02T10:19:00.001-06:00

3 names you go by: Babe, Amanda, Man
3 Things you are wearing right now: White sweater, brown shoes, tan dress pants
3 Restaurants I love: Mi Ranchito, Red Lobster, and Brick Oven
3 Favorite things to do: Spending time with Dennis, Being with my mom, Driving in the mountains
3 Things I want badly: Money, children, not to have to commute!
3 things I did yesterday: Worked, Weight Watchers, shopping
3 Goals: Good job, be a mother, have a strong marriage
3 Fears: Anything happening to my family, this presidential election, and spiders
3 things I plan on doing today: Working, sleeping, television
3 Things I plan on doing tomorrow: working, enjoying my friday, maybe a date
3 Favorite Holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas
3 Favorite Beverages: Water, Diet Coke, Hot cocoa
3 Friends to Tag: Emilee Cluff, Melesa, Tiana

Loving Fall

2008-09-25T16:09:00.002-06:00

I am particularly obsessed with Fall this year. It has always been my favorite season. I love the crisp air, Halloween, sweaters, jeans, and most of all...the leaves! They are amazing. When I moved to Florida the leaves didn't change. When I moved home all I could think was I couldn't wait for fall to see the leaves. They have definitely not disappointed me. The best spot we have found so far is above Sundance. They are breathtaking. Below are a few pictures of me with the leaves. These pictures do not do it justice. A lot of the amazing leaves are in spots where you cannot stop and can't really get a picture. But check them out. Sorry I am in all of the pictures. But lets just say Dennis isn't a picture man.

This picture is blurry, but Dennis took it and I love it!

Here are two Dennis took that are amazing, and these aren't even the bright colored leaves.

Why?

2008-09-17T16:19:00.002-06:00

The other night Dennis' sister Karen asked me what it was that first attracted me to Dennis. My answer was...I don't know. I know that sounds bad. But I think that all of the things that attracted me in the beginning have changed. They have evolved into something completely different. So this post is mostly for myself. So here are some of the reasons why I love Dennis Cluff.

Dennis...

Has the most beautiful eyes

Is one the handsomest men I know

Is a wonderful father

Would do anything for a friend

Loves, appreciates, and does his best to preserve the earth

Is such an example to me spiritually

Is an amazing cook

Is so smart

Is a great teacher

Puts up with all of my idiosyncrasies

Is a great listener

Thinks of others way before he thinks of himself

Will go to bed every night at 9 pm just because I can't fall asleep without him

Gives endlessly

I am sure there are more, but this will do for now. I love you babe!

India Fest

2008-09-16T12:15:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday I went with Karen and Constance to India Fest at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork. We had to go early so we didn't get to see the dancing or singing. We did hear chanting. But we still had a great time. We got to see the temple, llamas, the koi pond, brahma bulls, etc. Mostly it was just nice to spend some time with Karen and Constance before they go back to Korea. There was a henna tattoo artist there. Karen and I had never had one before so we figured why not! We both got lotus flower tattoos.

This is my tattoo before I chipped off the henna.

This is my tattoo after.

Thanks Karen for a fun time!

Dennis and Roger Went Fishing

2008-09-12T16:00:00.001-06:00

Dennis and his friend Roger have a new hobby. They like to Fly Fish! They go every day after work, except for Monday and Wednesday when Dennis has school. They also usually go on Saturday morning. They had been asking me for awhile to come along and take pictures. So after a few attempts I finally made it up the canyon. I actually had fun watching them. They like to crack jokes while they fish. It was also absolutely beautiful. You know that crisp canyon air when summer is ending and fall is beginning? It was one of those evenings. Here are some pictures of our evening fishing experience.

I love these mountains!

I told him he had to smile! This is what I got out of him.

This is what he looked like the rest of the time.

And here is Roger...

And this is what he caught...

This was a few nights later but...Dennis got his fish too!

There you have it

2008-09-10T10:58:00.000-06:00

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T10:35:00.001-06:00

Well I had an uneventful Labor Day weekend. Saturday was BYU's first game and they won! Go Cougs! I actually don't care about sports, but the hubby is in a much better mood when they win. Sunday we had a sleepover with my niece and nephew. They are so cute. I was my nephew's favorite because I spent the evening showing him bugs. He is obsessed with bugs! Monday was rainy and cold. We moved Lisa and Bryan into their apartment Monday morning (in the rain...so fun!). It is so good to have Lisa and Bryan back! We missed them. Monday night we had a BBQ at the house with the Hortin family. It was great to see everyone! Sorry no pics, there wasn't really anything to photograph. But I hope a great time was had by all!

Lucinda Williams?

2008-08-29T09:46:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of her? Have you heard her music? She is absolutely amazing! My husband introduced me to her. Here are a few reasons why I adore Lucinda Williams.

-She is the most amazing songwriter
-She sounds just as good live (or maybe better) as she does on CD
-She can blend Rock, Folk, Country, and Americana like no other
-She has the most terrific and wonderful voice
-She can rock the guitar
-Her songs tell a story
-There is not another artist who sounds like her, she is one of a kind
-She has won 3 grammys and has been nominated 10 times

If you have not heard her music...check her out! She was not one of my favorites at first but as I listened to her music more often and listened to the lyrics closely she has become one of my favorites. You can check out a few of her songs on my playlist.

Cedar City and School

2008-08-28T10:05:00.001-06:00

We went down to Cedar City last weekend and had a great time. We got there a bit late and Tasha was babysitting. So we waited for her to get done and went to dinner. This was at about 10:30 pm, but we were just so happy to see her it didn't matter. By the way, me of all people did not feel like taking pictures. So I stole these off my sister in law Emilee's blog. Sorry Emilee!

You gotta have a picture of just Me and Emilee!

We went to bed late and got up early and went to breakfast. Then we were off to St. George. On the way down to St. George we got pulled over by the wonderful Utah Highway Patrol. I am sure he thought he was busting a bunch of drug dealers. See, we moved here from Florida. The car we bought in Florida after my accident has shall we say "dark tint" on the windows. There is no laws about tint in Florida, probably because it is hot and bloody sunny all of the time. So when we moved here we decided we would wait until our registration expired to re-register the car...totally illegal but we like to live on the edge. We have been driving for months in Provo and Salt Lake and never had a problem. So the "kind" officer asked us all sorts of questions and told us how much tint we could legally have and pointed out how dark our was...hello! like we didn't notice. So he proceeded to tell us it is an instant $1,000 fine, etc. I know he was just doing his job, but it was still frustrating. Anyway, we decided that when we got home we would scrape the tint off the front windows, behind the driver it can be as dark as you want. on the way home from Cedar every time we saw a cop Dennis would scream..."Roll 'em down!" We wanted to avoid a confrontation at all costs.

Alright! Back to the trip. We went to St. George and went shopping for the day. I forgot how painful it is to shop. We were buying Tasha some school clothes, but she had a budget so she was uber picky. But I can't really blame her. By the end of the day, Dennis wanted to hang himself in the bathroom. He hates shopping more than anything in life, so he was a great sport dealing with it all day. While in St. George we stopped at In N Out. I haven't had an In N Out burger in years so it was great! I also ran into some great friends there...go figure! They were coming back from Lake Powell...so jealous.

You can see how happy Dennis is after a full day of shopping with one more store to go!

So we came home and had a great Sunday! Now for the school part. Everyone has been posting about their kids first day of school. Well, yesterday was my baby's first day of school. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture since he left for school before I got home from work. Dennis is starting an HVAC apprenticeship program at MATC. He is so excited. He came home last night with the biggest smile. Of course he is the smartest person in his class...OF COURSE! He wore his new shirt we bought in St. George and looked so cute! Honey, I am so proud of you!

Update

2008-08-21T14:05:00.001-06:00

Well, the two people that read my blog have asked for an update so here it is. We are both doing well and pretty much the same! Dennis is still very involved with the scouts. He is really looking forward to BYU football season. September was supposed to be "My Month". Dennis informed me that September was my month since he has been so busy this summer with the scouts. Then he found out there are some BYU football games in September. So "My Month" turned into my month during the week and football on the weekends. Gotta love him!

I am doing well. Staying busy at work. As some of you know I am in the process of losing weight. I am not doing some crazy diet. I am doing Weight Watchers. Their theory is to count points. it is pretty basic. The food that is junk and bad for you is high points. The healthy stuff is low points. So basically you are just eating healthy. It is amazing what just eating the right foods will do for you! Anyway, last night at my weigh in I was pleasantly surprised. I have officially lost 35 pounds! I still have a ways to go, but at least I am on my way.

A few weekends ago Dennis and I had our first date in months. We went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. Then we did something we have not done in a long time. We drove up to Squaw Peak. No, not to make out. Just to watch the sunset and look into the valley. We have been in Florida for a few years so enjoying the beauty of the mountains was much needed. It was a beautiful night. A little chilly and it had been raining earlier in the evening. For you Utah folk, if you have not been to Squaw Peak lately...Go! it is so beautiful and it is a quick drive. I sometimes forget the places we have in our own backyard.

Here I am sitting on a rock...obviously.

And Dennis...again under protest. He hates pictures.

This is us taking our own picture. We do not have the self portrait ability that Emilee does.

A view of the sunset.

And a look into the valley...

We are headed to Cedar city for the weekend. I will post all about it when we return. Hope you are all well.

August 1-3, 2008

2008-08-08T15:19:00.001-06:00

Dennis, Myself, Emilee, and Marlene went to Karen's cabin this past weekend. Thank you Karen for letting us enjoy your cabin! We had such a great time! We arrived late on Friday night. Us girls got cozied up on the couch to talk. Dennis being the hardworker he is got started right away fixing the plumbing. We stayed up very late talking and just enjoying each others company. Saturday was filled with 4-wheelings, fishing, campfire, cleaning, eating, etc. Sunday morning we woke up early. The crew went for an early morning fish, but unfortuantely did not catch anything. After that, we had breakfast, cleaned up and headed back to the city. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

When we were driving up we came across some sheep. This picture was too beautiful not to take.

View from the reservoir at sunset

Dennis fishing Saturday evening

Marlene didn't care for the fishing part. But she did enjoy spending time with her Dad and her aunt.

Right before our 4 wheeler ride. Boy! Did we get dirty!

In 1988 they discovered a fossil of a Wooly Mammoth. This is the information center we went to on our 4-Wheeler ride.

This is the three of us around the campfire. Dennis loves taking pictures!

Dennis bought the cheap marshmallows and then left them in the truck. By the time we got to the they were all stuck together. Getting them out of the package they looked like this on the stick.

Emilee and I saw two shooting stars. We are convinced this means our wish is "guaranteed" This is us after we got our guarantee. My eyes are wide because the flash was so bright and I could hardly keep my eyes open.

And Finally...the view from the cabin.

Sorry for the long post! Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Tagged

2008-07-30T15:59:00.000-06:00

A. Attached or single: Happily attached
B. Best friend: Brittani, Nadine, Emilee
C. Cake or Pie: Pie
D. Day of the week: Saturday
E. Essential items: My jewelry. I cannot go anywhere without my wedding ring and my grandmothers ring. Also, water. I try to carry water with me at all times.
F. Favorite color: Green
G. Gummy bears or worms: gummy bears
H. Hometown: Orem, UT
I. Indulgence: Cheesecake
J. January or July: July
K. Kids: Two step daughters...Natasha and Marlene. I hope to have one of my own in the near future. :)
L. Life isn’t complete without: Family and friends
M. Marriage date: May 24, 2003
N. Number of brothers & sisters: 3 brothers, 3 sister in laws, 2 sisters, 1 brother in law.
O. Oranges or apples: Oranges
P. Phobias or fears: Spiders, I am totally and completely freaked out by spiders.
Q. Quote: "You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far."
R. Reasons to smile: My husband and my cats
S. Superman or Wonderwoman: Wonderwoman.."Even her accessories have super powers!"
T. Tag 5 People: Emilee, Hola, Melesa, Natalie, Jeanna
U. Unknown fact about me: I depise peas, they seriously make me gag. I like to claim that I am allergic.
V. Vegetable: Green Beans and Squash
W. Worst habbit: Biting my nails
X. X-ray or ultrasound: ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food: There are so many, I just love food!
Z. Zodiac sign: Taurus

Flowers...what a surprise!

2008-07-29T15:13:00.001-06:00

I came in to work this morning to the most beautiful bouquet of flowers! One of my clients had sent them to me. She is about the sweetest person I have ever met. Here is a picture of the flowers. It is so nice to get flowers just because.

July 26-27, 2008

2008-07-29T15:08:00.000-06:00

On Saturday our ward had a ward breakfast at the Higginson Park in the Berkshires. It is a beautiful grassy park and the food was pretty darn good! We woke up a little late, but still made it.

Saturday night we drove up to Roy for Aunt Marion's Swim Party. Aunt Marion is my Grandma Hortin's sister. She has an annual swim party and we always went growing up. I don't think we missed a year. We used to have it at a pool in Ogden, but since it has grown they moved it to the Roy Aquatic Center. I haven't been able to go the last few years since we have been out of state. But this time we were here. It was a lot of fun to see that side of the family that we do not see very often. I unfortunately forgot my camera. I realized it at about Downtown Salt Lake City and was so upset. So you will have to imagine the picture in your mind. Marlene I think had the most fun. The water was freezing but of course she said it wasn't. It was just fun hanging out with family.

On Sunday, Dennis made his famous spinach, parmesan, and steak pinwheels. He has tried a few different kinds of steak and he finally found one that works great! He wanted me to take a picture as these are the prettiest ones he has ever made.

Dennis' sister, niece, and grandfather were able to come over Sunday for dinner. It was nice to see them and hopefully we will have a few more of these before Karen goes back to Korea.

July 24, 2008

2008-07-29T15:02:00.001-06:00

We had a nice and quiet July 24th. The guys went golfing in the morning. They try to golf every chance they get.

Here is my dad, I am sure Dennis made him stop and get this photo. It drives Dennis crazy that I bring the camera for everything. And even if I don't go, I make him take the camera. Gotta love blogging!

Here is Dennis taking a shot. He said to check out his form.

Tyler (my brother) and Jon (Tyler's Friend) went also.

Later in the evening Dennis got a call from our good friend Jeremy. He was in town from San Francisco. We haven't seen him for a few years as we have been living in Florida. I really wanted to go, but had to work early the next morning. So Dennis went alone. He did not take a lot of pictures, but here is one of Jeremy. I was sad I didn't make it as the whole crew was there. I miss them!

Julie's mom's house is located just above the capitol. Usually when there are get togethers her mom is kind enough to be our hostess. Here is the view from her deck. It is one of the most amazing views I have ever seen of Salt Lake City.

Cedar City July 18-19, 2008

2008-07-23T16:32:00.000-06:00

We had a beautiful weekend in Cedar City spending time with Dennis' sister, Emilee and his daughter, Tasha. We drove down on Friday. We stopped in Beaver for a potty break and I made Dennis get a picture on the big rocking chair. He wants to state for the record that this picture was taken under protest.

When we arrived we picked up Emilee and Tasha for dinner and then we were going to a comedy show called Off the Cuff. Very popular there in Cedar City on Friday nights. We had dinner at a place called Ninja. It is a Teppanyaki restaurant. We had so much fun. This is a picture of our chef. He was great.

I had never been to this type of restaurant so I ordered shrimp. Mostly because shrimp has the least amount of points on Weight Watchers. Then Emilee points out that because I ordered shrimp that we were going to have to catch it in our mouths. So I sat there praying that was not the case. I was wrong. He did toss it into our mouths but...I caught it! In fact we all did, well except for Dennis. But he caught it on round 2. We had a lot of fun. There were two other guys sitting at our table and they were kind enough to take our picture together.

After dinner we went to a local improv comedy show at Grinders. The troupe is called Off the Cuff and it was a lot of fun. Dennis got to try the best cherry limeades in the state. According to Tasha. :) Here we are in front of Grinders.

We stayed the night at Emilee's apartment. She was absolutely the best hostess. We brought our own air mattress and to our dismay it had a hole in it. Well we found that out at about 2 am. I ended up on the couch and Dennis woke up like this.

We picked up Tasha and went to breakfast. She doesn't like breakfast food so she picked Denny's. Since they serve regular food at all hours. Dennis ate a massive amount of hashbrowns.

After that we took her to New Castle to pick up her birthday package. We mailed it to New Castle thinking that was where she would be for the summer. Here she is with all of her gifts.

She got lots of tops, nail polish, lipgloss, jewelry, and her favorite...money!

We took some pictures outside of Emilee's apartment. I am squinting because it was very sunny!

Dennis hates to take pictures without his sunglasses on, but we made him do one.

We ended the day by going to a movie with Tasha's whole family. Well they were going anyway and so were we so we just went together. We saw the Dark Knight and it was excellent. We said our goodbyes, packed our things and headed home. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend. Thanks Emilee for your hospitality. Thank you Tasha for letting us take you all over Cedar City. And thanks Amber for letting us steal her for a few days. Even though she was grounded.

2008-07-17T14:34:00.000-06:00

See this beautiful girl? This is Dennis' oldest daughter Natasha. After a lot of planning we are headed to Cedar City this weekend to see her. We are very excited to spend the weekend with her. It has been too long. While we are in Cedar City we also get the opportunity to stay with and see Dennis' sister Emilee. We are very excited for that too. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

July 4th, 2008

2008-07-10T13:39:00.000-06:00

I am only now getting the chance to blog about July 4th, 2008. We had a terrific 4th of July. We started the morning by getting up very early and going to the Grand Parade in Provo City. We were planning on going to the end of the parade route and praying we found somewhere to sit. Instead, I got an early morning call from my wonderful neighbor, Mary Carter. She told me that her sons, Dave and Brian had stayed overnight on University Avenue and we were welcome to share their spot. We were so excited. Once we arrived I could not believe my eyes. Not only did they get a spot at the beginning of the parade route, but it was shady! It was the most comfortable 4th of July parade I have ever been to. It was a bit overcast that day and that added to the comfort.

Here we are before the parade started:

Of course Emilee and I had to take a picture of ourselves:

There was a lady across the way dressed in her best patriotic outfit:

And my favorite part of the day was being there with the best husband in the world:

After the parade we went home and relaxed and napped. Later in the afternoon Dennis and I headed to a 4th of July BBQ with some of our very best friends. It was so great to see everyone.

Dennis got to talk rock climbing and fishing with Roger:

Rob was the BBQ man. We had to beg him to hold still long enough to snap this photo:

And we got to see Val. Val is one of Dennis' oldest and dearest friends. We lost contact over the years, but recently got back in touch. It was so great to see his smiling face:

Immediately following the BBQ, we headed to the Stadium of Fire. Hayley and Marlene loved Miley. Emilee, Dennis, and I loved the Blue Man Group. And I think we all equally enjoyed the fireworks. It was so wonderful to spend this day with my family. I would not have had it any other way. Below is a slideshow with pics from the Stadium of Fire and Some of our favorite parts of the parade. I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday.

Stadium of Fire and Parade Highlights

2008-07-10T13:36:00.001-06:00

UVUphoria

2008-07-01T15:40:00.000-06:00

We went last night to celebrate UVSC becoming UVU. My dad got free tickets to the concert so we went! We had a great time...well most of us did. Marlene told us she was bored and she hated country. So she left early. But overall we had a great time! We did run into an old friend, Rita. Dennis and I worked with her at the Hilton. It was great to see her. Below are pics of all of us.

Me and My Dad

Marlene and Dennis

Dan, Karen, and Constance... Welcome back from Korea...We missed you!

MS Bike Tour!

2008-07-01T15:20:00.001-06:00

This weekend was the MS Bike Tour. We had a wonderful time! We started off the weekend by having lunch at Cafe Sabor. They had terrific mexican food! Then my Mom, Kathleen, and I went to do initiatory at the Logan Temple. It was absolutely wonderful! My first time at the Logan Temple. Saturday was riding day. Everyone finished and felt really good after the ride. I was the team photographer. What fun! After the ride, they provided a dinner and a pool party. It was great. Sunday we went back home to Orem. Everyone was a little sore, but it was all for a good cause. Together we will find a cure for MS.

We have missed Tasha so much!

2008-07-01T12:12:00.001-06:00

We found her! We finally reconnected with Dennis' oldest daughter Natasha...Tasha for short. She has grown into such a beautiful young lady. She is turning 17 on July 12th! I cannot believe Dennis has a daughter who is almost 18. We are so happy to be in contact again, and hope for many more years together. Here is a slide show of some of my favorite pics of Tasha. We love you Tasha!

Marlene's 12th Birthday!

2008-06-26T11:48:00.001-06:00

Marlene has had a rough week! Her mom came from Colorado and took her last week for her actual birthday. Apparently, she took her swimming and didn't apply sunscreen. Needless to say our little fair skinned red head came back with a severe sunburn. That is why she is wearing an extra large shirt! We have been applying mass amounts of aloe and giving ibuprofen every four hours. Even though she wasn't feeling well, we decided to celebrate her birthday on Monday night. She got so many presents! Her three favorites were:

1) A bass guitar from Dad and Amanda

2) Horseback Riding lessons from Tyler and Christi

3) Zookeeper for the day! My parents and Hayley got her this gift. It is so cool. She gets to go to Hogle Zoo and follow around a zookeeper for a day. She gets to prepare feed, clean cages, etc. She is so excited!

My dad made omelets for dinner. And we had Ice Cream Pie from Baskin Robbins. Yum! We are so lucky to have Marlene for the whole summer. She is already feeling a bit better from her sunburn. And will defintely insist on sunscreen the next time. We love you Marlene! Happy 12th Birthday!

Look-alike Meter

2008-06-24T12:01:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Well, the verdict is in. I apparently look more like my mom. Although both of my parents are absolutely stunning, I guess my German heritage is a bit stronger. Love you Tootz & Dad!

Sunday June 22, 2008

2008-06-23T14:02:00.001-06:00

Sunday we went to Aunt Mary Sue's and Uncle Howard's for dessert. It was so much fun! Marlene wasn't there, because she was with her mom. And Dad and Dennis were at priesthood meeting. What a bummer! The whole family was there. Mary Sue and Howard have a beautiful yard, including a Koi Pond. Tanner had so much fun "fishing" in the Koi Pond. He didn't know there was no hook on the line, and we don't need to tell him. It showed us how much he wants to go fishing. Hopefully Grandpa will be able to take him soon. Macey had fun picking all of the flowers. And Cameron was just happy to taste everyone's desserts and sodas. He also followed Tanner around like an annoying little cousin. How cute! Hopefully we will be able to do it again soon. We missed Lisa and Bryan, but I know they were there in spirit.

Orem Summerfest

2008-06-17T13:34:00.001-06:00

This last Saturday we went to the Orem Summerfest Parade. We rode our bikes, which worked out perfectly because then we didn't have to worry about parking. Here is a little slide show of the parade. We were in a great spot! We got lots of candy and various other parade items. It was actually a lot of fun and I am not really a parade person. After the parade, Dennis took Marlene on his motorcycle to the Orem City Park to watch the fireworks. They said they were wonderful!

I Have Been Tagged!

2008-06-17T11:58:00.000-06:00

Everything and Anything about my amazing husband Dennis!!

A - ATV of Choice? Well, we have a four wheeler which he loves, but I would say a dirtbike...does that count?
B - Born? November 2, 1970
C - Cookies or Candy? I would say candy...especially if it is Swedish Fish
D - Date of Choice? Anything as long as we have some alone time.
E - Essential Item? His blackberry...he loves that darn thing!
F - Favorite Foods? He loves Chinese, Thai food, Sushi...he tries to stay away with anything tomato, it does not agree with him.
G - Gas or Diesel? Gas
H - Hobbies? Golf, Riding his motorcycle, camping, skiing, rock climbing
I - Favorite Ice Cream? I know he loves Pistachio milkshakes
J - Current Job? HVAC Intern
K - Kids? Yes, two of them. He hopes to have one more. :) He is a great dad!
L - Last Vacation? I think it was to Utah over Thanksgiving. We are in desperate need of a vacation.
M - Morning Person or Night Person? Definitely a night person, he is grumpy in the mornings.
N - Number of Siblings? 5
O - OCD or Sloppy? sloppy, he loves to leave wet towels on the bed.
P - Pet Peeves? Guests at amusement parks who leave their brains at the gate
Q - Quiet or Loud? Loud. He is slightly deaf from all of the concerts he has been to and talks really loud. He also likes the TV loud.
R - Restaurants? Any steakhouse, Sushi Restaurants
S - Sports? He watches them all! Basketball, Hockey, Baseball, NASCAR, Football, Golf, Etc.
T - Tightwad or Spender? He is defintely not a spender, but I wouldn't call him a tightwad either. He just hates spending money on himself. It is like pulling teeth to get him to buy something he needs or wants.
U - Unknown Fact? He loves his cats!
V - Vegetables? He eats all of them. Now fruit, that's another story
W - Worst Habit? He is a procrastinator...oh and the wet towel on the bed thing.
X - Extra curricular Activities? Golfing, Going with the scouts various places, being with his family, Riding his motorcycle
Y - Y is there no Y?
Z - Zodiac Sign? Scorpio

I am tagging...Anna, Jeanna, and Lisa Schader!

Father's Day

2008-06-16T11:55:00.000-06:00

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday so I am posting today. We had a wonderful day yesterday. I am terrible and unfortunately I did not take any pictures. But it was wondeful just the same. Marlene made her dad waffles for breakfast. It was her first time and she did a great job! Then Dennis had to go to a church meeting. I was a little upset they did this on Father's Day, but Dennis is a faithful church member and said that it was okay, not to be upset. We had a wonderful day at church. The primary sang a few songs for the Dads. Marlene got up there and sang her heart out. This was her last week in Primary, so what a way to send her off to Young Womens. After church we opened presents with Dennis and my Dad. Dennis got a bathrobe and a driver he has wanted forever! Now he can golf like the pros. We got my dad golf club covers which he badly needed. Then we had dinner with the family as well as Tyler, Christi, and Cameron. It was wonderful. We ended the day with a trip to Grandma and Grandpas. We had banana splits and had a great time talking. What a wonderful day! I am going to end this post with 10 reasons why I love Dennis and why he is the greatest dad.

10. He loves myself and his daughters with all his heart.

9. He is not afraid to tell us he loves us.

8. He is a great example to us and a worthy priesthood holder.

7. He helps out around the house whenever he is needed. Not to mention he can fix anything!

6. He is a wonderful cook!

5. He loves to tell stories about when he was a kid and tries to warn Marlene when something was not so smart.

4. He gives the best hugs.

3. He is always the peacemaker.

2. He always makes things better when everything is going wrong.

1. He is the most patient and loving person I know. He is patient with his daughter which is so important. And he is even patient with me, which I know is a challenge.

I love you Dennis! Happy Father's Day!

Sealing May 24, 2008

2008-06-09T14:49:00.001-06:00

We received the pictures from our photographer, Jessie Alexis Photography. They turned out so great! I didn't know which ones to choose so I posted them all. I hope you enjoy!

Little Red Riding Hood

2008-06-09T11:17:00.001-06:00

We did it! We completed the Little Red Riding Hood. My mom decided last minute to do the 36 miles with me and boy am I glad she did. It was so great to have her motivating me, especially when I wanted to quit. The weather was cold and windy. That made it that much harder to ride. But we finished by 1:00 pm, which was my goal. There is a picture of the bike computer. That shows how many miles we rode. It was a total of 36.79 miles. I am so glad it is over, but it was a great experience! We are already planning on doing it again next year!

Sealing Pics

2008-06-05T10:17:00.000-06:00

Our wonderful photographer Jessie Alexis posted some pictures from the sealing on her site. You can check them out if you would like. I will still post all of them as soon as I recieve them. Jessie did a fantastic job and I recommend her to anyone!

http://www.jessiealexisphotography.com/

Little Red Riding Hood

2008-06-02T12:36:00.000-06:00

This Saturday my mom and I will be doing the "Little Red Riding Hood"

Here is a little blurb from their site:

The Bonneville Cycling Club invites you to participate in its fully supported, non-competitive, Women only century.
Spend the day riding through beautiful Cache Valley in Northern Utah. This year we will also have the popular 36, 46, 64 an 80 mile route options for those riders that feel they can't quite ride the full 104 miles. This ride is one of only two women only metrics in the U.S. The route is a loop through the Valley on rural & country (paved) roads. The terrain is mostly flat, with some rolling hills (that means there are NO big climbs).
Last year the Little Red Riding Hood raised over $17,000 which was donated to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and earmarked for breast cancer research. Honoring this tradition, this year's Little Red will again be raising money for Huntsman Cancer Institute and their breast cancer research efforts.

I will only be riding the 36 miles and my mom is going for the gold and doing the full 104 miles. Wish us luck! And hopefully there will be some pictures for me to post.

Privacy

2008-05-29T09:37:00.002-06:00

Good Morning All!

I will be setting my blog to private first thing Monday morning. There are some lurkers that I would prefer not read my blog. So if you would like to view it just send me your email address and I will add you!

Thank you!

Sealing May 24, 2008

2008-05-27T14:08:00.001-06:00

Above are a few pictures taken by my sister in laws Lindsey and Emilee. I will still post other pictures when I get them from the photographer.

Endowment on May 22, 2008

2008-05-27T13:17:00.001-06:00

Above are a few pictures we took after the session. We were sealed that weekend on May 24, 2008. As soon as I get pictures from the photographer, I will post a slideshow. Enjoy!

It's Finally Here!

2008-05-21T11:58:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the first big day for us this week. Tomorrow we are taking out our endowments at the Provo Temple.

We are very excited and nervous. All of our family and friends will be there and we could not ask for more.

Then Saturday is our other big day. We are being sealed for time and all eternity at the Manti Utah Temple.

We have a great photographer that is gracious enough to drive all the way to Manti to take our pictures. Check out her work at http://www.jessiealexisphotography.com/ or http://jasonlovesjessie.blogspot.com/ We are so excited for this big step in our lives. Our step daughter, Marlene, will be there which we are so happy about. Thank you again for all of your love and support on this long journey. There will be plenty of pictures of our big day! So stay tuned.

My 29th Birthday!

2008-05-19T10:16:00.000-06:00

I woke up Saturday Morning to this...

Hayley and Lisa had stayed up late and decorated the living room and kitchen with tons of balloons and crate paper in my favorite colors. It was so sweet of them and I was very surprised.

The also made me a banner with "Happy Birthday" in German. Well, really that is not how you say it, but it is how Lisa and I like to say it.

Last, Dennis and my Dad made a wonderful breakfast for me. Waffles...yum!

Marlene arrived for my birthday and it was the greatest present ever. There will be plenty of pictures of her to come. Thanks everyone for making my birthday the best ever.

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T11:56:00.000-06:00

I am only now getting the opportunity to blog about Mother's Day. I hope you all had a wonderful day with your families. We got to spend Mother's Day with my mom. It was so wonderful. She does so much for our family it was fun to get to focus on her. My dad made dinner and Lisa made the rolls. Hans, Tasha, and the kids came over. They are always so much fun. Lisa, Hayley, Myself, and Dennis were also there. We got my mom a much needed knife sharpener. She was so excited!

In the early afternoon Dennis and I also got the opportunity to go and see his mother. She passed away in 2001. I never got to meet her, but have heard so much about her its like we were old friends. Dennis and I shared some tears and he told me some wonderful stories. It was nice to get to spend a little quiet time remembering Nancy. I never noticed the scripture on her headstone. It is Enos 1:27..."And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen." It brought tears to our eyes. So please, hug your mom today.

Only a Few More Weeks

2008-05-09T12:41:00.000-06:00

Well, it is only two weeks away now. On Saturday May 24, 2008 Dennis and I will be sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple. We are so excited! This has been a long road for us. On Tuesday we met with the stake president and were issued our temple recommends. It was a great day. We sent out the invitations yesterday. Hayley was kind enough to help me make them and address them. We filled up the room! There are so many people who want to share our special day. Next Saturday Marlene arrives. It is also my 29th birthday. Even though she won't be sealed to us. She will be there for the pictures which is very special. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a reality. We couldn't have done it without you.