Me & Miss Sassy Pants

Opposites

2012-01-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

Do opposites really attract? Okay forget the science behind all that with magnets and such, not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about people. I agree that yes, initially we are attracted to people that are, in many ways, opposite from us. Makes sense. This other person is comes from a different place, they are interested in different things and can introduce us to new worlds we had never explored before. But can that attraction (meaning the relationship be it friends, spouse, etc.) really last? What happens when you both certainly support each other in your differences, those variances that you just can't share (his love for the sport of curling, your incessant desire to attend poetry readings), begin to add up and soon your penciling each other in for date night and when it comes you can't think of a single thing to do? Then what? This is why I think that opposites may attract, but they don't stay together for very long. There has to be enough common ground that you and this person you like so much can actually figure out what to DO when you spend time together. There is nothing wrong with trying new things and expanding your horizons but if you just can't bring yourself to play Risk even once every three months or so when he plays on a weekly basis with his buddies (and once or twice on his own)...there might be an issue. Just sayin.

Okay this is what happens when I'm sick and can't sleep. I go on crazy, goofy rants like this one.

Too cute

2012-01-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

This one was just too cute not to share...

Mom, it's Belle!

2012-01-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday at Harmon's they had breakfast with Belle so Miss Sassy Pants and I went over. She had lots of fun, and I had a yummy breakfast! (I cannot get this kid to eat more than about 5 bites of anything and if its not Mac N Cheese, Peanut Butter, waffles, or crackers she won't touch it. Argh!)

She had lots of fun and loved seeing Belle. When we left it wasn't nearly as dramatic as when she met Belle at her friend Clara's birthday party last year....

She was so upset that Belle had to leave. She cried for about 30 minutes! Then she kept going to the window saying "Belle, come back!" It was so funny!

It Snowed!

2012-01-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Santa made a pit stop

2012-01-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

Sasha showing off her dance moves on Christmas Eve at my moms. This girl is SO ready for dance class!

And of course Tuffer had to get in on the action...though he needed the help of Just Dance 3 for the Wii for his moves. :)

Super cute hat & I totally love that I, yes I, took this picture.

I know I say it all the time, but I just love this girl. She is absolutely hilarious and never ceases to amaze me at how smart and creative she can be.

Yes, the Lakin girls were very good this year (ha, ha) and Santa and his elves definitely made a pitstop at our house.

Thanks to everyone who made this a good Christmas for us this year. It was really hard not having Sassy all day on Christmas. But I did get to have her Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. That was awesome. This has been the first year she has really grasped the concept of Santa Claus and presents and such. Every day she would ask if I had more presents for her, or if we were wrapping something for someone else she would ask if it was for her. When I told her who it was for her she would say "Oh yeah, for my Mandi (meaning Aunt Mandi, my sister) she will like it" It was so cute! She was never upset that all the presents weren't for her and was happy to take things to other people. She's got such a big heart. She's nuts, but I love her!

She's Three!

2012-01-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm going to say it. I'm going to say that annoying thing that every Mother says. "How on earth did my baby get so big so fast?!"
This little thing is seriously the light of my life. She has more attitude than that little body can handle and I love it! She turned 3 on December 1st and was lucky enough to have 2 joint parties with her cousin Violette (her bday is only 6 days before Sasha's), of which I have pretty much no pictures. :( Bad Mom! Though I plan to get better since Santa was VERY nice and brought me a sweet new DSLR camera. Guess I was finally good enough this year to get one. ;)
But enough about me, this post is about the birthday girl! She loves to dance (signing her up for classes ASAP!), loves anything girly or princessy, loves Minnie Mouse, her friends and cousins, and her favorite book is Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM (we read it every night without fail), her favorite song is A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes, or Cinderella's song as she calls it, has to look for and say goodnight to the moon every night and sleeps with no less than her 2 Minnie Mouse dolls, a Mickey Mouse doll and her two "babies" (Aurora and Ariel dolls, courtesy of Aunt Mandi).
She started preschool this fall at Discovery Academy and I swear her vocabulary doubles every single day. She talks to me all the way home from school and I love it! As soon as we get the whole peeing-in-a-toilet-instead-of-a-diaper thing down she can move from the Toddler class to the Preschool class, which she is definitely smart enough for. But darn it if even the cutest princess big girl panties will not entice her to just pee on a stinkin' toilet! Oh well...all in good time right? Hey, wasn't it just me complaining about her growing up so fast? Ha ha.

Sasha- you are my bestie, my Mini-Me, my gal pal, my Little Miss Sassy Pants. I love you so much!

Hello- ello-ello- ello...

2012-01-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there? Anyone still actually check this thing for a periodic update? Sorry. Life has been...well, it's been busy.
A visual update for you....

This is one of my favorites....

A very good friend of mine was kind enough to spend a day with Sasha and I taking pictures. I think they turned out pretty darn cute!

You might notice that the name of the blog has changed, and that there's someone missing from these pictures. Many of you may already know, but for those that don't, Josh and I have separated and are getting divorced. It's unfortunate, but it's best for all of us.

I am still living in our house in Farmington until it sells (hopefully soon!) and Josh is with his parents for now. Once I am able to leave the house in Farmington I plan to move in with my brother Ryan and his awesome family for a while until I figure out my next move. Sasha spends half her time with me and half with Josh. It's been an adjustment but she is the most easy-going kid I have ever met so I know she will adapt.

I hope to get back to updating this thing regularly and from here on out it will be updates of the fabulous Miss Sassy Pants and myself, living life the best and most fabulous way we know how!

2011-10-18T15:42:00.000-06:00

Lots of changes

2011-09-07T23:29:00.000-06:00

Um, can someone please tell me where the crap the month of August went??? It's like I blinked and it was over! I can't believe summer is gone. I really just don't know where the time went.

Lots of new things happening in the Lakin household, but I won't write about them all at once. :) My birthday party was FREAKING. AWESOME. Pics of that to come very soon. I'm pretty excited about being 30...I think its going to be a great year for me. Definitely one I won't ever forget.

First day of preschool

2011-09-07T23:25:00.000-06:00

My baby girl started preschool last week. HOLY CRAP! But I am so excited for her. So far she is loving it and her teacher, Miss Ashley, is such a sweet girl and is so great with all the kids. I love how excited Sasha gets about new things, and preschool is no exception!

Some random stuff

2011-07-17T19:13:00.000-06:00

Here's just some random things that I don't think I've posted before now . . .
Sorry if there are any repeats
Chris and Sasha hanging out in St. George

We redecorated Sasha's room a little and she's upgraded to a toddler bed . . . not sure if I did it too soon, but oh well. :)

Getting ready for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt around the circle. We love doing this every year with our neighbors, it is such a fun tradition!

Then Sunday we went up to Snowbird for Easter and some family ski time. It was a lot of fun and Sasha loves to ski! Her daddy couldn't be prouder!

This has not been my week . . .

2011-07-17T18:57:00.000-06:00

It all started on Monday when Josh and I were on our way home from work. We had just picked up Sasha from the sitter and were headed home when I got pulled over for speeding on Legacy Highway. I am still so mad at myself! The last ticket I got was almost a year ago and after that fiasco I swore to myself that I would be more cautious when driving- and I have been. However I wasn't focused on the road like I should have been and was going too fast and got busted. Okay fine, so I have a ticket. Big deal right? Well it is when the cop comes back to your car and tells you that your license has been denied! I had some issues with that ticket last year and my license ended up being suspended. I got the ticket taken care of, but didn't realize that I had to go to the DMV to have my license reinstated. So it had been denied! Fortunately Josh was in the car with me and was able to drive home . . . . otherwise who knows what could have happened to me. So I went first thing Tuesday morning, paid the fine and got my license squared away.

Work has been crazy busy so the week absolutely flew by. Plus I had Keltsey's shower to work on so I was stressed about that as well. My awesome, beautiful, wonderful sister agreed to help me out Friday night and Saturday with the shower. So I was on my way to get her on Friday after work and accidentally hit a guy on a motorcycle. Ah! Fortunately we were at a stop, no one was hurt and there was just minor damage to his bike and even less to the Jeep. But still! I was so shaken up! Josh just got his motorcycle license so of course we've been more aware of bikers and biker safety at our house . . . until I haul off and run into one! Mandi was able to get a ride to meet me, calm me down, take me to get some food and help me finish the shopping for the shower. Oh and thanks to my friend Shaun who was so conveniently at his computer to help me look up the number to my insurance agent!

It sucks when you get into situations like this, but it does give you the opportunity to recognize the great people that you have in your life to help you out no matter where you are, what happens or what you need. I'm a very lucky person to have such wonderful friends and family to help me out at a moments notice. Oh, I also need to give a shout out to Clint who rescued Mandi and I as we were frantically getting everything ready for the shower and realized we needed a few things (like a shower gift!) and didn't have time to go to the store. Josh was also a huge help in getting the yard looking super pretty for the party.

Keltsey's Shower

2011-07-17T18:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I threw a shower for my cute cousin Keltsey. I love this girl to death! She is so happy and full of life and always so much fun to be around. Her fiance Bryan is super cute and such a nice guy. I was very honored and happy to throw this party for her.

Nancy, Keltsey and Bryan. (Kelts was wearing the cutest Bride to be shirt!)

These little fruit tarts turned out amazing and were so simple!

We played a fun game, making wedding dresses out of toilet paper. . . these girls got pretty creative!

The two moms did pretty good . . .

and the moms (Kelt's and Bryan's) for the best dress. It was pretty fun playing dress up with my cousins . . . I don't think we've done that in ages girls!

ShaDee, Kylee and Sasha

Kathy, Alyssa, DeEtte and JoDee

It was a really fun shower for a really fun couple! I couldn't have pulled it off without my sister Mandi. She was seriously a life saver (as always)!

Still alive and kickin'!

2011-07-10T09:25:00.000-06:00

Hello blogland! We're still here, I promise. What's been happening since my last post . . . hmmmm. . . . well a lot I guess but not all necessarily note worthy.

We'll start with the biggest accomplishment. Josh is FINALLY a CPA!!! The paperwork just showed up.All tests are done and he is registered. It's all done!!! It's so refreshing to have that burden off his shoulders. He keeps talking about letting me throw him a party but he won't commit to a date (dorkfish!) which is probably okay because I have plenty to keep me busy this summer.

Oh wait! Summer is half over! NOOOOOOO!!! There's still so much I want to do!!! Crap!

Next weekend I am throwing a bridal shower for my cousin Keltsey. I am so excited for this! Well, I am excited for every party I throw, but I think I have some really cool ideas for this one and I'm hoping to step it up a notch. I usually throw the showers for my dads side of the family so they are subjected to all my schemes and ideas. Hopefully they like them? Well no one has taken my title as official shower-thrower for the family so I guess that's a good sign. :)

After that my next party will probably be the biggest party of my life. The best bash I have ever thrown. No detail will be overlooked. No expense spared. This will be the Best. Party. Ever. Who is this grand bash for, you ask?

ME!!!! :D

I turn 30 next month and I am EXCITED FOR IT!!!! 30 doesn't scare me for some reason. I'm excited for my 30's. 29 has been a rocky year but as I get closer to 30 things just keep getting better. So why the heck shouldn't I celebrate with a huge party? Okay, some might think I'm strange and wonder why I'm throwing myself a big party. Well I'm the party planner, right? And I think birthday's are a big deal. Everyone should feel special on their birthday. It's the day you were born. The day you came into this world and changed it forever so celebrate it for heaven's sake!

Okay enough about me, now on to the star of this blog. Sasha is so much fun! She jabbers constantly, loves to dance and watch Tangled. Her favorite song is "I Have a Dream" One of these days I will catch it on video but every time I pull it out she won't dance. So lame! But I'm sure she'll warm up to the spotlight soon enough. She's a lot like me when I was a kid- dancing in front of the mirror, always wanting to look pretty, loves to play outside in the sun. We're definitely signing her up for some dance classes here soon and I think she's going to love it.

So there's the update for now . . . . :)

Vacay Part 2

2011-06-08T23:15:00.000-06:00

Since I'm a dorkfish and forgot to take my camera to Disney one of the days, this post will be missing some pictures.

Sasha. Loves. Disneyland. Her favorite ride? The teacups. (Look to the bottom left of the picture to see the look of pure joy on her face).

I discovered why it's worth it to shell out $36 per person for breakfast or lunch to meet the princesses. You get to see more of them, your kid gets more time with them, and MOM doesn't have to stand in line for 90 minutes waiting for them. Although, I really can't blame anyone but myself. I really, really wanted her to meet the princesses!

There is a reason you don't leave my husband in charge of the camera. It makes you almost willing to pay for the shots the Disney employee takes for you. Or want to pay a professional to follow you around and take pictures so that, oh I don't know, maybe Mom can be in a shot or two and it won't be obvious that Dad doesn't know that camera's have zoom features now. Love you Josh, but you suck with a camera.
Sadly we didn't get to see the World of Color show. I was so bummed!!! Our first day at Disney the girls were too exhausted to stick around for two more hours since we had gotten to the park when it opened. The second day at Disney we didn't get over to California Adventure in time and had no idea you either had to be there before the park closed or had to have a Fast Pass. This would have been good to know. The final night at Disney we got over to the park with plenty of time to spare, did some fun rides, picked out a spot and took the girls on King Triton's carousel to kill some time

We got about three minutes into the show then it stops. Nothing. No water, no lights, no sound. Then a voice stating that they were experiencing technical difficulties and would not be able to continue with the show. WTF??? Are you kidding me? No trip to Disneyland is complete without a wonderful, magical show full of all the lights, sounds and amazing pyrotechnics produced by the Disney staff! I can't leave and not see SOMETHING!

Needless to say I was completely bummed and the long, slow walk out of the park was not a fun one. Definitely not the feeling I like to have when leaving the happiest place on earth. This feeling was only made worse by the fact that I kept getting cut off (I was pushing the stroller) and separated from the rest of our group. Hey guess what people, people with strollers are people too and we want to get the heck out of the park just like you do! I know you see that open space in front of me as prime real estate for moving two feet ahead of the rest of the pack but do you realize why I leave that little bit of space in front of me? Well in my attempts to be polite I have left that space open to avoid ramming into your ankles when the crowd in front of us stops or changes direction. After the 5th time I was cut off I was through being nice. You want to cut in front of me then stop suddenly with no warning? Fine by me, just wipe that crusty off your face when I slam into your ankles and cause your flip flops to fall off.

See what I mean? One is NOT supposed to leave Disneyland feeling this way!

Sasha and her cousin had a great time. Since both are currently the only child I think the realities of a constant companion for a week began to ware on them just a bit. But Sasha was still sad when Mcartny got out of the car at the airport to fly home with her mom instead of riding in the car with us. Or maybe it was just the thought of being stuck in the car for the next 5 hours with her boring parents. Who knows.

Oh yeah, she would not take the Minnie Mouse ears off the entire time we were at Disney. Can't get her to put them on any other time, but she freaked if we tried to take them off at the park. Too funny.

Vacay part 1

2011-05-16T14:07:00.000-06:00

Finally a vacation that was just long enough! You know how you take a 4 day weekend and you get back to work on Monday and wish the weekend could have been just one day longer? Or when you go out of town for 5 days or so and wish you could stay just one or two more? Well I can honestly say that this 10 day trip was just long enough. By the time we left our hotel in Cali for Vegas we were ready to be home. And arriving home on a Saturday instead of a Sunday is a fabulous idea because it gives you that extra day to unpack, do laundry and settle into being back home before you have to go back to work (or to the dentist to get a permanent crown put in, in my case).

Our trip to California was great! Not without its bumps and meltdowns (I think we all had at least one each) but overall it was great!

Thursday night we stopped in Vegas. Friday morning we got breakfast then went to the Lieds Discovery Children's Museum. I highly recommend this and here is why- it's a fun little museum (similar to the Discovery Gateway museum here in SLC) and Sasha played hard for about 2 1/2 hours. Within 5 minutes of getting in the car she was dead asleep and stayed that way for over half the drive to Cali. It made that leg of the trip very peaceful. So if you have kids and you're stopping in Vegas for whatever reason, go spend a couple of hours there to tire them out before you get on the road again. It was less than $10 per person to get in and I thought it was well worth it. Here's a few pics . . . .

A 'scary' cave . . .

Flying a plane with daddy . . .

Playing with Papa and power tools. . .

Check out the hunk I found playing with the blocks . . .

Ah the bubbles! She loved the bubble stations! They even had this cool platform you could stand on and make a bubble that you were inside! It was so cool!!!

Inside the wind machine

Holding on to Papa's hat while he was in the wind machine . . .

We planned on staying at the Marriott Vacation Club in Newport Beach and we did . . . for one night anyway. We got the week from one of Josh's wonderful and generous clients, who has given us weeks at her condos before, but never this particular one. When she booked the week for us she neglected to put our names as the guests checking in to use the week. Apparently at this resort they have had far too many owners sell their week online to multiple parties and they get 2, sometimes 3 families showing up for the same unit. So they didn't want to let us check in until we got confirmation from the owner that it was okay. Well unfortunately this client of Josh's is a very busy woman and travels out of the country a lot and we weren't able to get a hold of her. :( So rather than pay the rate to stay the week at that hotel (about $350 per night . . . eek! A bit out of our price range) we ended up spending the first Saturday of our trip trying to find a suitable hotel for our party of 7 close to the beach and/or Disney. Fortunately we did! (Thank goodness for those Hilton Honors points!) And from then on out the trip was pretty smooth.

We spend Sunday at the Newport Farmer's Market then headed to the beach down in Laguna. B.E.A.utiful!

Part two coming soon . . .

Day 29

2011-05-12T08:02:00.000-06:00

A picture that can always make you smile

Pretty much any picture of Sasha learning something new . . . . or just any picture of Sasha period. But I love watching her grow and learn new things. It's totally awesome.

Day 28

2011-05-12T07:58:00.000-06:00

Day 28- A picture of something you're afraid of.

Basically snakes, spiders, anything creepy and crawly!

Day 27

2011-05-12T07:56:00.000-06:00

Day 27- A picture of yourself and a family member
Hmmmm . . . .. so many to choose from . . .. .

I think this is one of my most recent favorites. . . .

Day 26

2011-05-12T07:44:00.000-06:00

Day 26- A picture of something that means a lot to you

{For some reason I can't find a pic of Joni on my computer. :( }

My family means so much to me. I couldn't make it through a day without any of them!

Happy Thoughts

2011-04-18T08:07:00.000-06:00

Just a few things that have made me smile lately . . .

I love bedding. I usually want to change my bedding every 6 months or so. Maybe it's the change of the seasons, or maybe I just can't commit. But with so many gorgeous colors and designs out there how can a girl choose just ONE?

This little diddy is just too bright not to love! Though I don't know what I would do with all those little drawers, I still want one!

This would be so much fun to transform into a little jewelry box for Sasha. Heaven knows I have enough crap to give it a new makeover every week!

I am loving the color yellow lately!!! And I love scarves so this is the perfect combination for me.

Day 25

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Day 25- A picture of your day.

Well this technically should have been last Wednesday but I can barely remember yesterday, let alone last Wednesday! So I'll show you a picture of my day today.

Getting on one of these-

To fly here-

Then pick up one of these

Even though I'd rather be driving one of these-

Yup today starts a loooooong week for work in California. I can't complain I'd rather be working in California than, say, the Dakota's or anywhere tornado's are happening. But I'll miss my two favorite people. :(

Day 24

2011-04-12T18:05:00.000-06:00

Day 24- A picture of something you wish you could change.

This is a picture of one of the chairs at my breakfast table, and I REALLY want to change them. Okay so I know that I have the power to change these . . . I even have the fabric picked out. But the skills to do it myself? Maybe. The guts to even try doing it myself? Not yet.

This is the fabric I want to put on them, laminated so that spills and drips (which rarely happen with my two year old. ha!) can just wipe right off but my chairs still look gorgeous. I also want to paint the chairs, table and buffet piece (which you can sort of see in the background of this pic) white.

I just love how bright and colorful this fabric is!

Kangaroo Zoo

2011-04-11T21:01:00.000-06:00

We had some fun with Aunt Mandi last week at Kangaroo Zoo. A really great place to take your kids if they have lots of energy to burn off! This may even be the site for Sasha's next birthday, since we can't ever do anything outside.

Climbing to the top of the slide, all by herself. Daddy would be so proud.

Love her in this one.

She does not look 2 in this picture! She looks more like 5 to me. STOP GROWING SO FAST!

That face just explains it all. Pure joy. I love this kid!

Day 23

2011-04-11T20:56:00.000-06:00

Day 23- A picture of your favorite book

This is my absolute, all-time, most favorite book ever. I have been in love with this book since I was a kid, probably 3rd or 4th grade when I read it for the first time. I just love little Matilda and how clever she is. I think I related to her in a few ways. I'm waiting until Sasha gets a little bit older to read it to her but I hope she likes it just as much as I did.
No, I didn't like the movie.

Day 22

2011-04-11T20:50:00.000-06:00

Day 22- A picture of something you wish you were better at.

I really wish I could play the piano. I can plunk out a few, easy tunes, but someday I would really love to be able to play. Like, anything I felt like. I wish I could have stuck with lessons when I was younger but it just didn't work out. Taking up lessons is on my list of things to do, most definitely.

Day 21

2011-04-11T20:46:00.000-06:00

Day 21- A picture of something you wish you could forget

Hammer pants.
Comfy? Yes.
Fashionable? Not on any level.
Did I want some? Not telling.

Day 20

2011-04-11T20:40:00.000-06:00

Day 20- A picture of somewhere you would love to travel

You already know that NYC is at the top of my travel list, but next in line is Paris . . . Texas. Ha ha! Just kidding! Paris France actually. It's such a beautiful and romantic city. I would love to spend days just wandering the streets to see what kind of adventures they bring me.

Day 19

2011-04-11T20:36:00.000-06:00

Day 19- A picture and a letter

Okay this doesn't really say who the letter should be written to so I'm going to write it to my daughter. (No comments on the butt shot, okay?!)

Dear Sasha,
When I came to this challenge in my 30 Days of Me blog posts I knew immediately which picture I wanted to use and who I wanted to write to. This is a picture of you on my back, climbing up a slide at Kangaroo Zoo. That was a fun night! But this isn't just a picture of a fun time you had with your mom, I think its kind of symbolic actually.
You have so much potential for your life. Right now you are only 2 years old and the possibilities for you are endless! And as much joy as there will be in your life (I will do my best to provide you with as much of it as I can) life is also an uphill climb, kind of like this slide. Sometimes you're going uphill and its hard. You might slip and fall or stumble a little bit, but you will always get back up. You keep moving up until you reach your goal and you enjoy the thrill that it brings you as you slide along to your next challenge. But you are never alone. Just like in this picture I will always be there, climbing, slipping, stumbling and getting back up right there with you. Sometimes I will walk beside you or watch from behind, and other times you may need me to carry you on my back. I will be there to share any pains or heartaches you encounter and I will always be there to share in the joy of your triumphs. I love you so much and I am excited to be a part of the awesome adventure that is your life.
Love, Mom

Day 18

2011-04-06T22:14:00.000-06:00

Day 18- A picture of your biggest insecurity

I think I'm a likable person. Most of the time I'm pretty sure of myself. But sometimes I hang back or don't speak up because I think people think I'm obnixious. Okay maybe not Rosie O'Donnell obnoxious, probably not even Snookie obnoxious, but one of those people that, when they walk into the room, people give each other that "look" like, "Oh great SHE'S here". I don't want to be obnoxious, but for some reason I have this little voice in my head that will sometimes say "Nobody really cares what you have to say." or "they don't really want you here, they just invited you because they feel bad for you." So . . . not really sure how I get over that but I do have a handful of people in my life that I know love me and like to hang out with me, so I'm okay.

Day 17

2011-04-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

Day 17- A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Okay so this picture isn't really descriptive but it's the current FB profile pic for the Oakridge Community Girl's Club group page. About a year ago my friend Kirsten and I were talking about how we need to get the women in our area together more. We know each other but we don't really "know" each other that well. So we formed the OCGC. We get together once a month at different people's houses and do different things. Sometimes we just eat the snacks everyone brings and talks, we go out to dinner or see movies, just whatever sounds like fun. There are some really great women in our area and I feel so blessed to have had the chance to get to know them better. I definitely feel closer to more of them than I was before. I hope that the other women in the group like it as much as I do. They keep showing up, so I guess that means yes? :) It's so nice to live close to so many women that I know I can count on anytime. If I need something, a friend, a babysitter or just someone to talk to I know I can call on any of these women and they will be there for me. I hope they know that I would do the same for them in a second!

So here's my suggestion to you . . . if you feel like you don't know the people you live near very well or are looking for something like this in your life- create it! Chances are there are other people near you that would benefit from something like this just as much as you would, and maybe they need it more than you do. So don't just sit around wishing for someone to start a group like this, just do it. Pick a date, time and location. Print up a little flier and take them around to everyone's door or mailbox and wait to see who shows up. Then once you have a group gathered have a sign up sheet for hosting duties and let everyone pick a month. Understand that not everyone will be able to attend every month and that's okay. No one should take it personally if they have a smaller group at their house. Our lives are busy and sometimes we just can't do it all, but it's nice to know that if you missed this month, there is always the next. Also get everyone's email address, cell # and find out who is on Facebook. Those are the main ways I communicate with our group. We have the FB group that they can join and I create invites and send out messages from there. I also send emails for those that don't FB. And I send out texts usually the day before or day of an activity to remind people. It doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming. Like I said, a lot of times we end up just hanging out, eating yummy food and getting to know each other. Keep it simple and the fun will come.

This month we're having a project night at my house. Everyone brings whatever projects they are currently working on, or want to start and it's a kid-free couple of hours to get some stuff done. If you don't have a project, come anyway! Talk, relax and keep the rest of us company. I plan to finally finish scrapping our Hawaii pictures and maybe do Sasha's birthday pics. We'll see.

Day 16

2011-04-04T21:49:00.000-06:00

Day 16- A picture of someone who inspires you.

Holy cow I could go on for days and days with at least 5 pictures for every single one of these posts! Okay so here is just one of the people that inspire me.

My friend Melissa. She has more creativity in her pinky finger than I have in the entire left side of my body. And she's smart, too. It's just not fair! Anytime I have a design or craft idea I have to email Melissa first to see if I'm crazy or if my plan to complete the project sounds right or not. I seriously would not get any projects done if not for Melissa, and I don't do them without running them past her first!

Day 15

2011-04-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

Day 15- A picture of something you want to do before you die

Another veeeeerrrrrrrrryyyyyyy long list, but right up on top is to visit here:

Stay here:

In a room overlooking:

There's a huge list following everything I would do in NYC after staying a night in The Plaza Hotel in a room overlooking Central Park, but that is on the very, very top. Sigh. Someday. :)

Day 14

2011-04-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

Day 14- A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

This one was tough to narrow down. There are a lot of people in my life I couldn't live without but I'm trying to use different people for each of these posts. I don't like repeats.

My SIL Pam. Without her I would have crappy hair. Seriously. I know there are other good stylists out there, but this lady can work magic with scissors. She can also be the voice of reason when I'm not sure how to handle a problem or need to just let something go. She's an awesome mom and way fun to go on trips with! She has an awesome sense of style and that woman can shop an estate sale like no other! Pam- you rock!

Day 13

2011-04-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

Day 13- A picture of your favorite band or artist.

Not only does he make great music, I just like to look at him. . .

My newest favorite song of his.

Day 12

2011-03-31T22:58:00.000-06:00

Day 12- A picture of something you love. Okay, well this list could go on and on and on but I'll pick what I love right now, today, this minute. Putting a picture of my family is too easy. Yes, I love them, but I love lots of things. Especially

I. Love. Music. It can change my mood or enhance it. It can tell someone something that I can't quite put into words myself. It can make a quiet boring night at home one heck of a party. I love that Sasha likes music. It's almost always on when we're in the car and every now and then I peek back to see her bobbing her head or moving her shoulders to the beat. I love that! I wish that I could play an instrument (one day I will take up piano lessons again) or write music, but that is a talent that I just don't have. So I'll just support those that have those talents and enjoy them.

Day 11

2011-03-31T22:42:00.000-06:00

Day 11- A picture of something you hate.

Bullies. I hate bullies. Bullies of any kind. I hate it when people are mean to others, especially with no good reason. And that means bullies at school, at work, corporations that push people around or treat them unfairly, and countries/governments that treat their citizens or other countries like garbage. There is just no reason for it.

Day 10

2011-03-29T19:00:00.000-06:00

Day 10- A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

Okay so I generally don't get all that wild and crazy, but if I were the person I would be with is most likely Chris. We don't get too wild, but we do get pretty goofy together and have lots of fun when we hang out. We talk, laugh, listen to music . . . he even goes to chick flicks with me. He even went to see Princess Diaries 2 with me on my birthday one year. How many little brothers will do that? This kid is sweet. So maybe what we do isn't messed up or crazy, but I know who I would want to be with if I was going to.

Day 9

2011-03-29T18:55:00.000-06:00

Day 9- A picture of the person that has gotten you through the most.

Heaven only knows where I would be without my sister. Next to Josh she is my best friend. I can call her for anything. She is amazing and creative and such a wonderful person. Life without her would not be fun. Period.

Day 8

2011-03-29T18:52:00.000-06:00

Day 8- A picture that makes you laugh

This one makes me laugh . . . it's probably one of the first real 'poser' pictures I took of Sasha. She's such a ham!

Day 7

2011-03-29T18:46:00.000-06:00

Day 7- a picture of your most treasured item

Okay so I know that I could live without this, but I'd really rather not. I LOVE this mixer. One day I'll have all the cool bits and parts and attachments . . . and maybe even the other matching appliances. But for now this will do. Just whipped up a chocolate cake from scratch thanks to this little beauty. Can't wait til it comes out of the oven!

Day 6

2011-03-27T20:19:00.000-06:00

Day 6- A picture of a person you would like to trade places with for a day.

I love Anne Hathaway! She is so pretty and a great actress. It would be cool to trade places with her for a day while she is shooting a movie. It would be awesome to see how a movie is made and see all the behind the scenes stuff that we don't get to see in the theater.

Day 5

2011-03-27T20:16:00.000-06:00

Day 5- A picture of your favorite memory

This was Josh and I last April on the White Rim. It's my favorite memory because that is pretty much the last time that Josh and I had a lot of uninterrupted, quality time together. All of the trips we have taken together are my favorite memories but this one is the most recent. Sad that it was a year ago! But now that Josh is done with the CPA and as soon as tax season is over we will be able to get back to normal.
The White Rim trip was tons of fun and we were with some really fun people. I'm sad that we won't be able to go this year, but maybe next. I'm not much of a camper, but it was still a lot of fun. We had really good food and there was no stress or pressure (except for driving the trucks through some of those steep and narrow passes!). Thanks to the Quayle's for arranging such an awesome trip.

Day 4

2011-03-27T20:08:00.000-06:00

Day 4- A picture of your night.

Wednesday night I went to the Bountiful Temple to do sealings with some of our ward members. I have never done proxy sealings before so it was a pretty neat experience. Since Josh couldn't come I was able to stand in for some daughters that were being sealed to their parents. I love how no matter how long it's been since you've been to the temple you are always welcomed in and there are plenty of people to help. I don't get to the temple to do work nearly often enough and I admit I had butterflies in my stomach leading up to going in. I'd never done sealings before and it has been a really, really long time since I've gone in to do any kind of work. So I was sure that I would make a fool of myself or do something stupid. But when I walked in the doors I felt totally calm. I had the help I needed and no one cared that I hadn't been in a long time. They were just glad that I was there that night. And I think God felt the same.
So that was my night.

Day 3

2011-03-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

Day 3- A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

I love, love, love the Gilmore Girls! Lauren Graham is gorgeous and this show is so good. It's not on TV anymore but I do have all the seasons, which means I get to watch them whenever I want. But like Lay's, I can never watch just one! So I end up staying up super late watching two or three. :) But I really like the relationship that the mom and daughter have. I hope Sasha and I (and any other daughters I have) can be that close.

Day 2

2011-03-27T19:51:00.000-06:00

Post a picture of yourself with the person you have been closest to the longest.

So this was hard to decide, but the person I've been able to tell anything for the longest has to be my BFF Amberly. She's an amazing, smart, wonderful person who has always been there for me, no matter what. She is an amazing mother and just an awesome example of a great and virtuous woman. I want to be like her when I grow up. :)

Had to take a picture of a picture for this, and hopefully she won't kill me for putting this up, but it's the only one I could find. :)

Love you Ambz!

Dancin Fool!

2011-03-21T22:19:00.000-06:00

I seriously cannot wait to get this kid into dance lessons. We've been having impromptu dance parties the last few nights at our house. Here's a little taste of what happens after dark at the Lakin house . . .
This was Sunday night . . .

And this was Monday night . . .

Sasha loves to paint, but only with watercolors ;) This is the third water color book she's gotten in the last month.

30 Days of Lindsay- Day One

2011-03-21T11:01:00.000-06:00

So I've seen some people doing this 30 Day photo challenge on Facebook and thought I would do it on my blog. So here is day one.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
1) I'm currently 29 years old
2) I love Audrey Hepburn movies
3) I am a wife and mother
4) I still have issues with acne. ugh.
5) I work as an Account Executive for Fiserv (a banking technology company) and have the best job a mom could ever ask for
6) I have a B.A. in Communications/Public Relations from Weber State University
7) I love to watch football and basketball
8) I love country music, but listen to all kinds
9) I love to go to live sporting events, concerts and theater
10) I love to plan and throw parties

So there you go, ten facts about me.

Holy updates Batman!

2011-03-20T21:00:00.000-06:00

Okay so it looks like I can finally post pictures again. Wahoo!! So here we go, an update of the last few months. The highlights, anyway. :)

Went to see the lights on Temple Square at Christmas time, of course.

Sasha got ski's for Christmas. Josh is sooooo excited. We'll be heading up to the mountain soon.

Sasha telling Santa that she wants skis for Chrismtas. :)

Snuggling with Grandpa Don on our visit to Littlefield.

Putting up the Christmas decorations.

My mom got married in November to Rich Reid. She's back living in Bountiful.

Most of the family. They flew in Ryan and Scott and Rich's daughter Jocelyn, but couldn't bring everybody.
:(

The Lakin Family. The last family picture we had with everyone was about 5 years ago. We have some additions and growth since then. :)

Below are Sasha's 2 year pictures. We went to Trolley Square and had our friend and photographer Chris Madsen do the pics. These are just a few.

Sasha's birthday dress. We had a Minnie Mouse birthday party with the family.

The boys in town for the wedding. It was great to hang with my brothers!

Grandma Lilly took us to Disney on Ice. Here we are waiting for the train.

I made my first turkey!!! I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for Josh's parents, my dad and Joni and Mandi. It turned out pretty darn good!

Our family pictures that we had taken in October by our good friend Melissa G.

Riding the train downtown. Sasha loves to ride the train!

Sasha learns a new word just about every day. Her little vocabulary is growing . . . for better or worse (thanks to her mother).
She absolutely loves to dance! Today we had a little dance party after dinner. A great way to burn off the calories, I'd say. She loves to wear frilly dresses and skirts and show her daddy how pretty she is.

We are STILL waiting on Josh's last test result. :( Apparently the NASB, like most government entities, are slow as molasses and anytime they try to make "improvements" it ends up causing problems and delays. So hopefully this next week we will have an answer. I'm ready to start celebrating as soon as we have the score.

I get to design the pinewood derby car for our Relief Society. I'm kind of excited, but feeling a lot of pressure for some reason! The RS car won the derby last year, so I definitely have to make it as fast as it is pretty.

Hopefully all these pictures will load and I won't have so many problems loading them in the future. :)

2011-03-20T20:28:00.001-06:00

Hey, it looks like I can post pictures again. Yay!!!

Okay, seriously?

2011-02-18T23:08:00.002-07:00

It's happening again . . . is everyone pregnant but me?!?! Argh!

Just another boring update

2011-02-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi friends . . . so I know that my blog has been super boring lately wtih no pictures, but I'm still trying to figure out how to clean out my picasa web albums. I've used up all the storage there and no matter how many I delete it still says my storage is full and won't let me upload pics. So annoying! If anyone has any tips for me on this I will gladly take them!

Sasha is doing great! She's definitely two! She learns at least two new words per day, makes the best animal sounds (my favorite is froggy and birdy), and is getting better at learning her colors. She's about 34 inches tall and weighs barely 24 lbs. She's tiny! When she's naked she looks like a little Ethiopian child. But the doc says she is doing good. She's had some viral bronchialitis (sp?) so that hasn't been fun. Last Sunday we took her up to Primary's cause the coughing and wheezing just wasn't going away. They did some breathing treatments on her and she's been doing a lot better. She's been using an inhaler and that has really helped a lot. Went to the doc for follow up today and he said all the gunk is just about gone out of her lungs. So it's not full on asthma, but she will likely be prone to these kinds of infections. That parts a bummer, but at least now we know. I've said it before and I'll say it again- I love being so close to Primary Children's and the wonderful hospital it is. Though I really don't like spending a lot of time there. :)

We're still waiting for the results on Josh's final CPA exam. It will probably be a couple more weeks until we know for sure that he passed. He felt pretty good about it, but with these exams you just never know. So we sit and we wait. He's fully immersed in tax season already, things have been pretty busy! Even with the delays on filing, thanks to our ever quick moving and efficient Congress (:o they are very busy at their office. Which is good, cause that means job security. We don't yet know if he will stay where he is after tax season but we'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Not much has changed with me . . . I still really like my job. There are some changes coming with it but I think they will all be for the best. I love that my job is really flexible and allows me to be with my family and take good care of them when they really need me. I did really well on my sales last year and it felt good to finally achieve the goal that was set for me. Of course, compared to the quota I had at my last job the one I have now seemed like a cake walk! I did have to work hard to achieve it and I will have to again to reach it this year, but that's good.

I have to admit I'm kind of freaking out over this whole preschool thing. Okay, maybe freaking out isn't the right phrase, but it does kind of have me stressed. I know that we'll figure something out and we just have to make sure it's a good fit for Sasha. She's a smart girl. She loves to sing and dance too. I can't wait to get her into some dance classes!

We've been working on the basement. We had some water leak in last summer and ended up having to tear out some of the wall and carpet. So that set us on the path of taking out the ceiling tiles and pushing up the ceiling, putting in new lighting and repainting the whole room. We're just waiting on the new carpet to be installed and then we can start arranging the furniture and stuff in there. It should be a cool place to hang out once it's all done. I'll even get my own little craft corner. Yay!

Wow What a Christmas!

2010-12-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Lakin's were definitely spoiled this year! Sasha now has more toys than a two year old knows what to do with, but I guess that happens when your birthday and Christmas are in the same month. I needed a major wardrobe refresh, and boy did I get one! And Josh and I have been hanging out watching a lot of The Big Bang Theory and laughing our guts out. If you have never seen this show I highly recommend it, it's hilarious!

We are finally in the homestretch for Josh's exams . . . he plans to take the 4th and final test in mid January. I'd start a countdown but I don't want to jinx it. This last test is the tax and law section and a lot of it is what he does on a daily basis, so he should be good. The practice exams have been going well so far. He's a smarty pants and I have no doubt he will pass this with flying colors and NO RETAKES! Then he'll be free! Free to hang out with me and Sasha, to work out, ski, play, relax and finally go back to being a normal guy. We can't wait!

It will be nice to have an easy work week and get some good family play time in. Maybe Sasha will get a chance to try out those ski's that santa brought her. :)

Catching up

2010-12-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Okay wow . . . I guess there has been a lot that has gone on since my last post. I cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey. I was nervous, but it turned out pretty great I think! I can see why people get nervous about cooking the turkey because if it doesn't turn out then it kind of defeats the whole purpose of Thanksgiving day, know what I mean? But I had no reason to worry. My lovely assistant Mandi was an awesome helper and we made a kick a$$ thanksgiving dinner, if I do say so myself!

Josh PASSED the audit exam!!!! We are hoping that he only has one test left to take in January. And if he passes that one then he is free and clear and officially a CPA! Wahoo!!! We are still awaiting the results of his Financial exam, but hope to have those back sometime this month. He has worked so hard for the past year to get these exams done and out of the way. He will be so glad to get back to having a life.

Work is going great. I am really grateful for my job. I have kicked butt this year and met my quota (yay me!) and I really like the team I am on. I still miss some of my FIS friends, but thanks to email and FB we keep in touch.

I am very grateful for my in-laws. Not only is Sasha lucky enough to spend three days a week with her Grandma Lilly, she is totally spoiled rotten. Lilly took us to Disney on Ice and though I was worried Sasha wouldn't sit through it all, she actually loved it! We had fun riding Trax then a yummy lunch at Little America with Grandpa Howard. Sasha loves it when her Grandpa plays the banjo. She will listen and dance for an hour while Howard plays and sings to her. I think he loves it just as much as she does!

I can't believe almost another year has gone by! Christmas is right around the corner and is going to be here before I know it. I have lots of work to do, that's for sure.

Continuing the tradition . . .

2010-10-26T09:07:00.000-06:00

This last Saturday we had a much needed family day. We started off the day with our family pictures (those to come soon). Typically Josh would come have had to come back home and continue studying. Instead he decided that we all needed a family day and I couldn't have agreed more! We took a drive up to Deer Valley so Josh could get his season passes for the year. On a whim he decided that I was getting a pass this year too! I'm not much of a skier, I usually go about once a year, but if it means spending time with Josh then I'll take it!
They opened a new St. Regis hotel up at Deer Valley. In order to get up to the rooms you have take this thing called a Funicular up the hillside. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so we decided to ride it up and down a few times. Sasha loved it and it was pretty fun.

We went to lunch at Hapa Grill (very good!) and as we were driving there we happened past a KinderSport, and what do you think they had sitting outside the shop? Ski's for kids! I kid you not, you would have thought that Josh was just handed the keys to a free Ferari he was so happy. We barely made it through lunch and he was out the door with Sasha to get her fitted for some ski's. They had some her size and we found some boots, too. Josh is so excited to be able to teach her to ski this year. He started learning when he was about three or four and he has been dying to get Sasha started since the day we found out I was pregnant! So I'll give you three guesses as to what the Lakin's will be up to this winter . . . if it ever snows, that is. :)

Just for fun . . .

2010-10-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

I decided to snap a picture before we left for church today, even though we're getting family pictures done next weekend, I just wanted to give it a shot. And I actually got a decent one, yay!

2010-10-09T00:38:00.001-06:00

I love my crazy life. Just thought you all should know. :)

Crash

2010-09-26T19:40:00.000-06:00

This is a warning to you all . . . I want you to back up your computers NOW! However you choose to do it doesn't matter, just do it! My laptop crashed about a week ago and I have lost every picture I have taken since January. I am so sad! Many of them are on my blog and some on FB, but there are many that are not. The worst part about it is that I love to look back through them periodically and see how much our lives have changed and we have grown. So do it now- go back up all your pictures, music, files, everything!!!
Though I'm sure my loss is nothing compared to the families that lost their homes to the fires in Herriman. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have everything you own completely destroyed. My heart goes out to those people, and anyone else who loses things to fire.

So life . . . life is good. Yes, Josh is still studying like a mad man. Is he studying too hard? Is he over analyzing? Maybe. But he is doing what he feels he has to do to prepare. So we're stickin by him!

Sasha is great! It seems like she learns a new word every day. Her current list is: shoes, more (her favorite) cheese, sorry, uh-oh, mommy, maw (Grandma), Da (dad), oh pretty, see, juice, where, kitty, and the list goes on. She no longer walks anywhere, she pretty much runs wherever she goes. She is getting way too big, way too fast. We thought for a minute there that we were going to have to get a toddler bed, but apparently falling out of the crib and landing flat on her back once was enough to cure her of wanting to crawl out. Whew. Cause I was not ready for the step to the toddler bed. Not even close.

I've already started planning her birthday party. I'm so excited!!! It's going to be a lot of fun. I'll be taking lots of pictures (and backing them up immediately!).

My work is good. I like my job and the people that I work with. The best thing has been not having to travel nearly as much as I used to. I don't mind doing some travel but I always miss my family like crazy. But I've been doing really well this year and though I still feel a little behind the curve, I'm catching up pretty quick.

So that is our update for now . . . :)

Labor Day

2010-09-08T16:23:00.000-06:00

I suppose we did exactly what you are supposed to do on Labor Day- NOT Labor . . . right? Every year we head up to Park City with Josh's parents and go to the Park City Showcase of Homes. It's a fun tradition and always a relaxing weekend. This time we mixed it up a bit . . . I went to Swiss Days Saturday morning and Pam and Mcartny joined us for part of the weekend. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to do it again next year.
My little cheeseball . . . and her daddy.

Seriously, she's a total cheeseball!

With her cute cousin

At the Park Silly Market, getting her leg painted . . . (Dad's not the best photographer. Could have gotten a better shot of the cute flowers on her leg)

All dressed up for a night on the town . . .

Got her this cute hat at Swiss Days. She wore it for about half an hour, which is 20 minutes longer than she wears anything else on her head. :)

Super Saturday

2010-09-03T13:45:00.000-06:00

So I am the lucky girl in charge of my ward's Super Saturday next month. EEK! Anyway, here are some pics of the projects we are going to be doing . . . I'm pretty excited about them.
Washer Necklaces

Christmas Countdown

Picture Plate

CTR Blocks

Cake Stand

Iron Rod

There are a few more fun things we are going to do like some handmade cards, a caramel apple class and some really cute Witch blocks, as well as a YW Values block and some cute magnets that either say "Princess: Daughter of a Heavenly King" or "Modest is Hottest"

If anyone wants to join us or order some kits just let me know!

Cherry Hill

2010-08-30T07:38:00.003-06:00

Saturday night was family date night at Cherry Hill. We took Sasha mini-golfing for her first official time. Let's just say it's a good thing kids under 4 are free cause I don't know if you can really count what she did as golfing. But she sure had a good time!

She usually loves to ride little rides like this but for some reason this little carousel scared her, as did the rocket ship. It was really strange . . .

This little horse she loved . . . why? Because it didn't work and wouldn't move, but she had a ball sitting on it!

It was a fun little date night and very much needed . . .

An update on Josh . . . the poor guy! He is studying very hard for exam #3. We still don't know if he passed #2 but should get those results soon. He is scheduled to take #3 the first week in October. We'll keep you posted!

Summer fun

2010-08-26T16:12:00.002-06:00

Just a few random pics from the last week or so . . .
Chasing Koby the dog at Madi's house . . .
Playin in the pool with Madi and Mason
Getting ready for the day . . . got to start it out with a little music!

Being a good girl in the cart at Target (completely rare occasion!)

Eating popsicles on the porch with mom.

This summer has gone by way too fast!!!

So nice . . .

2010-08-26T15:47:00.003-06:00

Any bets on how long my den/scrapbook room will stay this neat and organized?

When we put in the new floors everything got packed up and shoved into the dining room. Once the floors were done we re-sorted the boxes and piles to their respective spaces but haven't taken the time to really "Put things away." Well, given that my internet was not working and I had to wait at home most of the day for the Comcast guy to come I got bored. So this is what I did . . .

This is how it started:

And how it ended:

I feel so much better now!

The Lost and Found Vacation

2010-08-19T10:21:00.013-06:00

Why are vacations almost never long enough? Darn work, makes you come back to reality much sooner than you want to!!!

Overall the trip was wonderful and very much needed! Poor Josh is still studying his heart out so we see him like twice a week and at bedtime. No bueno! So Hawaii came at a good time and was very relaxing! But not without a few bumps in the road . . .

We left on a Saturday morning. At the airport our initial flight to Portland was cancelled due to a mechanical problem with the plane (eek!) so we ended up getting moved to the direct flight from SLC to Honolulu. Oh darn. :S Delta was also nice enough to give us some vouchers for food at the airport since we would now have to wait a couple of extra hours. So of course we hit the Cinnabon! (Is it smart to eat well and exercise for two months before going on vacation only to sit down and have a 5,000 calorie cinnamon roll on your first day? Hmmm, maybe not but it was GOOD!)

We spent the first four days on Maui in Wailea. Mandi and Colin came in on Sunday so we didn't meet up with them until Monday. So Sunday was a very relaxing day for us. Our hotel was great and even had a pool just for the kids with slides and things to climb and play on. Sasha loved it!!!

Tuesday we did the Road to Hana with Colin and Mandi. It was a beautiful drive but don't do it without the dramamine. I'm serious! I have been car sick one other time in my life and I'm somewhat proud of that fact, but this trip marked #2

We went through the Lava Tube that is on some guys property. It's a really cool cave-like structure that was formed naturally by the lava. Of course we took a few pictures . . The walls of the cave looked like there was melted chocolate running down them. Mmmmm . . . chocolate . . . .

Despite the look on her face in this picture, Sasha did have fun walking through the dark and playing with the flashlights.

The landowner had also created a maze next to the tube. It was kind of fun finding our way through . . . we only hit a few dead ends. :)

Josh and Sasha looking Oh So Cool in their sunglasses

For some reason when I squat to take a picture of Sasha she thinks she needs to squat too. It's kind of funny. But I love this face!

CHEESE!

Chocolate cake makeup, courtesy of Aunty Sparkle (aka Mandi)

Sasha in her cute little Hawaiin dress. I couldn't get her to turn around and look at me. Oh well.

This was Tuesday morning . . . we stopped at McD's to get breakfast before we hit the Road to Hana. I think she's digging for gold . . . that or she didn't like the smell of Josh's sausage breakfast. (Not sure why this is underlined, or in a different color.)

Some nice scenery on the Road to Hana

This was a 'hale' near the Seven Sacred Pools we stopped at.

Oh baby girl . . .

On Wednesday we hopped over to Kauai to finish out the week. That was a small adventure in itself. On Monday Mandi and I did a little shopping and I had her hold my credit cards and ID since I didn't have any pockets or a purse. Well I remembered to get the credit cards out, but didn't grab my ID! So when we were getting ready to leave at 4 am Wednesday morning I started to panic because I couldn't find my license! I didn't there was any way I was going to make it on the plane! Mandi didn't have cell service in Hawaii and Colin's phone was turned off. So I made a frantic phone call to Rachel back in Utah who, fortunately, at least remembered the name of the hotel Mandi and Colin were at. I felt horrible waking them up at 5:45 am on their vacation, but thankfully Mandi did have my license! The only problem here was that they were about 30 minutes away and our flight was boarding in ten minutes! We explained our dilemma to the girl who checked us in and she told me that I could get through security without my ID but with some additional screening. Huh? I've been traveling a lot for 6 years and NEVER seen anyone get through without ID. I figure it was because we were only changing islands, but they did let me through (Thanks to my photo debit card from America First and my trusty Costco card!). So I ended up having Mandi Fedex my license to me because I knew there was no way the would let me fly back to the mainland with no ID. So it all worked out.

At Duke's for my birthday dinner. We had one of the best desserts ever! It is definitely on my top 5 favorite desserts . . . it was creme brulee in half a hollowed out pineapple with pineapple chunks in it . . . I should have taken a picture, it was so cool looking and it tasted so yummy! I'm not normally a huge creme brulee fan, but this one was delish!

Sunglasses are always good for a few minutes of entertainment . . .

This picture almost looks like we're at that revolving restaurant in Seattle and everything is moving except for me. But really we were sitting still. I just look cuter in this one than the second one that Josh took of me. :)

"Give me that camera! Stop taking a gazillion pictures of me mom!!!"

A gorgeous light house near Lihue on Kauai. I'm thinking of having this one blown up to hang on the wall in my office. We were too late in the afternoon to actually go down to the lighthouse, but we still got a pretty good view.
Playing in a cave near Hanalei Bay
On the beach at Hanalei Bay . . .

The first day Sasha was not a big fan of the waves, but by the time we hit the beach in Kauai she loved them!!! Good thing she has a big, strong daddy to keep her safe in the water.

Still at Hanalei . . .

Or I could blow this one up for my office . . . too many pretty pictures to choose from!

Somewhere over the rainbow . . .

A friendly little toad in the hall on the way to our hotel room . . . maybe it's Prince Naveen waiting for Tiana ?

There were these two elephant statues we would pass coming and going from our hotel room and every single time we walked past them Sasha had to give them both a hug, then she would wave bye bye to them. It was hilarious!

Friday I went off to do a little shopping while Josh and Sasha took a nap. At the airport on Wednesday I had given Josh my credit cards to put in his wallet so that I didn't lose them as they were just randomly floating around my bag or my pockets. When I got out of the car on Friday to go shopping I couldn't find my credit cards . . . anywhere! But rather than panic I just violated a few Visa and Amex regulations and used my hubby's cards. :) I got a little bit of hassle, but was still able to buy everything I wanted. . . well okay not EVERYTHING. I had to limit myself a little. ;) Fortunately we found the cards in Josh's jacket pocket on Saturday morning as we were getting packed.

Mmmm, dessert at Mariachi's! This dessert makes the top ten for sure! It was apple burrito with ice cream and whip cream. Kind of a clever twist on Apple pie, I loved it! And you can see that Sasha did, too!

Spoons? We don't need no stinking spoons!

Going for a ride on the elephant . . .

Taking a break from swimming on our last day. She had to have been starving because otherwise you can't get her out of the water without a fight!

Saturday afternoon, as we were leaving the hotel we realized that I didn't get Josh's sunglasses out of the rental care before we returned it on Friday. That is the only item that remains lost from this vacation. :(

On the interterminal bus on Honolulu. Seriously everytime a shuttle or bus passed us she got upset and wanted to get on it! I think next year we'll just buy a couple of UTA passes and take a ride to the Bubble . . . .

Oh, the fun's not over yet! Sasha did great on all the plane rides. I couldn't have asked for a better kid for all that travel! However when we got off the plane in SLC Josh was in such a rush to get off the plane that he left his PSP behind. Fortunately a very nice man saw it and caught up to us in the jetway. Whew! Then when we got down to baggage claim I reached in my pocket for my phone . . . not there. Not in the diaper or treat bag . . . not anywhere! I realized it must have fallen out of my pocket on the plane ( I was carrying a 20 lb. sack of flour in the form of a sleeping child so no wonder I didn't notice). So I waited for Josh to get our bags then figured I would go to baggage services and see if they could call the gate and get my phone to me. I'd already made it through security once without a vital piece of information, I didn't want to press my luck again and try to get through without a boarding pass. As Josh was getting our bags a guy I recognized from the plane walked up to him, holding my phone!!! He said he had to turn back after getting halfway to baggage claim and get something he left on the plane and saw my phone on the seat. Fortunately he remembered who was sitting there and saw us getting our bags. Otherwise who knows what we would have done!!!

So now you know why I am calling this the "Lost and Found" vacation!

Family Memories

2010-07-27T16:57:00.003-06:00

That was the theme for the 24th of July for us this year. It's all about the kids and the family memories.

I had to work Friday so Josh took Sasha with his Sister Pam and her daughter Mcartny and his parents to the carnival in Bountiful. I met up with them later for the parade then we hit the fireworks. I think Sasha had a lot of fun at the carnival but since I wasn't there then there is no photographic proof. :) But I did get a few at the parade and the fireworks. It was a pretty good show that Bountiful put on this year, I must say. At least I can say that now after accepting that once you see a fireworks show in DisneyWorld there is simply no other fireworks display that can even come close to matching that. Once you accept that, you are able to once again be impressed by other fireworks shows.

At the parade, waiting for the fun to begin . . .

Still waiting . . .

And now waiting for the fireworks . . . .
Hanging out with Big Dog!

Sowell Family Reunion

2010-07-20T11:00:00.005-06:00

Over the 4th of July weekend we had a Sowell Family Reunion at my grandparent's cabin in Island Park. It was great to see everyone and spend some good, quality family time together. Some fun pics from the weekend . . .

Anthony and Grandma Ruby (this was Anthony's last weekend as a free man for two years. He left on his mission to England on the 9th!)
Sasha and Uncle Chris. Good ol' Uncle Chris!
Todd and Liz by the campfire

Grandma and Grandpa by the fire. Grandpa's lovin' on that S'more!

Dad, Joni and Chris . . . through a haze of smoke. ;)

Sasha after a much-needed bath in her cute new jammies from Grandma Joni!

Watching the fireworks with dad. That was her expression pretty much the whole time! Hilarious! I thought she might get scared, but she was fascinated by the fireworks. A girl after my own heart. We love things that sparkle!

Getting ready for the fireworks.

A small group of us drove to West Yellowstone for a few hours of shopping. This is the bear we saw right off the side of the road on our 120 mile journey back to the cabin. For those of you in the know, West Yellowstone is really only about 3o minutes from Island Park, but when your cousin distracts you with a street race (Touareg vs. Suburban- who do you think won?) you kind of forget that ever-important left turn that takes you back to Island Park instead of to Montana. But if we hadn't missed the turn we never would have seen the bear!

I took Sasha for a ride on the 4-wheeler. She insisted on wearing the helmet! I love that it is twice her size. But safety first!

It's been a while since I rode a wheeler, so my dad sort of had to teach me how to put the thing in reverse. After that we were good to go!

Apparently Sasha likes to golf. Not sure where she got it from since neither Josh or I are big golfers, but she had fun playing with the clubs and even hit the balls a few times. It's especially funny because no one showed her what to do with them, she just started swinging the club at the ball. Perhaps it was that weekend spent with Uncle Rich . . . Such a sweet little thing . . .

Other than that I can't say that July has been too eventful. Work is going really well. I'm already at 55% of my quota which is awesome, I think! I really love it there. I love the people I work with and my boss is great.

Josh took exam 2 of 4 yesterday for the CPA. We won't know for 6 weeks if he passed or not, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. He takes exam #3 next month. If all goes well and he passes the rest of them on the first try then he should be done by the end of the year. If not then most likely by next June, depending on how many he has to retake. Throwing tax season in there doesn't help things go any quicker, but we're just taking it one test at a time.

Sasha is turning in to quite the jabber mouth. Not that we're surprised by this given who her mother is. :) Her list of words include: shoe, cheese, juice, Ma, Da, kitty, fish, more (pronounced mo-ah) and oh pretty.

Ever her mother's daughter, she loves shoes! We got her a new pair this week and when Josh pulled them out of the box she got all excited, starting clapping and saying "Shoe! Shoe!" and once we got them on it was "Oh pretty!" I just love it!

Where did June go?

2010-07-01T16:05:00.005-06:00

I can't believe it's already July. This is nuts! But we are doing our best to enjoy every minute. Well, I'm not sure I can say the same for Josh . . . he pretty much hates studying and if I were him, I would be miserable too. But I guess that's why I'm not an accountant! :)

A couple of weeks ago my company had a summer party at Hogle Zoo. This was Sasha's second trip to the zoo and she loved it!
She loved riding the train! She didn't want to sit on my lap, she had to sit by herself. She's such a big girl.

On the carousel. She did not want to get off! She would have ridden for hours if she could!
I've trained her well to be ready for the camera. That's her CHEESE face.

One of my oldest friends Rich also works for my company so his family got to come to zoo day too! Which was good because otherwise I would have been a total loner that day! (Rich, Emma and Melissa)

I love how Sasha is almost too long for this stroller, yet the straps still hang on her because she's so skinny.

She also could have sat and watch the elephants for hours. I'm not sure what it was about them, but she was absolutely fascinated! She screamed when I pulled her away from the fence.

This is a video I took of us on the carousel. Not too bad for one handed photography when I couldn't even see what the camera was pointing at! Sasha's laugh is so contagious, I just love it!

The Remarkable Soul of a Woman

2010-06-15T22:11:00.003-06:00

"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter and mold it into something of beauty. You might say, "I'm not the creative type. . ." If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are a spirit daughter of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirit is fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? . . .But to what end were you created? You were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. Your birthright- and the purpose of your great voyage on this earth - is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways you find this is by creating things. . . . You may think you don't have talents, but that is a false assupmption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before. . .
What you create doesn't have to be perfect. Don't let fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you - whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I really loved this talk by Elder Uchtdorf. It really spoke to my heart and the way I feel sometimes. Some people think things like crafts or scrapbooking are hokey, podunk or lame. But they are not. I find so much joy in completing a scrapbook page to add to my book. I love looking back at those pages I have created, seeing the work I have done, as well as remembering the good times and memories that those pictures are made of. When I take a class at Heartland with Whitney, not only am I making something beautiful for my home or office, but I am strengthening a friendship with a wonderful, caring and beautiful woman. I also get to meet other wonderful, creative women that are kind enough to share their time and talents with me. I can't think of a better way to spend my time. Scraptacular days are so much fun, for the same reason. I get to create some beautiful things and spend time with some really great women. `

"As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you"

Moments like this . . .

2010-06-15T20:03:00.002-06:00

. . . are rare but ever so precious.

Today was one of those mornings that Sasha decided she would wake up at 4 AM. Emphasis on the AM! So she played in our room while I was zonked out. Josh turned on her favorite movie (Princess and the Frog) about 6:30 or so and this is what she looked like by 6:45.

Love it.

Love her.

Is it really June?

2010-06-06T21:26:00.004-06:00

Holy cow this year is going by fast! The older I get the faster the years seem to go. Probably because I spend most of my time working. :P

We have been having some fun around here . . . I'm about halfway done with the nightstands I'm working on. That is taking longer than I expected. Not because I am doing something really cool to them or using some new method of painting or decorating, but because I am a slacker. And because I have an 18 month old that doesn't want to just sit and watch mommy spray paint. I tried to explain to her how it can be fun to get high off toxic fumes, but she just wasn't listening. I worked on them a bit tonight but of course, I ran out of primer. What. Ever.

So on to the fun stuff. Yesterday my nephew Jared was baptized. It was really cool to be there and watch him have that experience. It was especially cool to hear my brother-in-law talk and bear his testimony. Josh and his brother are a lot alike and bearing their testimonies is not something you hear them do often (cause, you know, big tough guys like them can't show their emotions too often, it would hurt their image). But when they do bear them, they are pretty awesome and pretty powerful.

The next part of my day was very fun also. My sister Mandi and two of her friends have birthdays in June. Colin and I co-hosted the party at my house to let Mandi have a bit of a break this year. If you know Mandi you know that she is a lot like me and sometimes we have a hard time delegating. So Colin had the idea of taking the party off her hands so that she could enjoy the day and not be so stressed. We BBQ'd burgers. One guest was shocked to see me, a girl, at the grill. I had to explain that in this house, I AM the grill master- thank you, daddy for passing along those skills. :) Everyone brought lots of yummy food and we just chilled outside, talked and ate. It was a lot of fun!

A few pics . . . in totally random order

The yummy cakes. This picture does not do justice to Rachel's completely awesome poke cake (the white one). It was so freakin yummy! My chocolate cake looked pretty and tasted . . . well, like chocolate cake. Not gross, but not fantastic either.

The three stooges . . . Mandi, Ryan and Kelly (just noticed that Sasha is in the background trying to open one of the birthday presents. No, my kid is not spoiled, not one little bit)

The birthday kids, Mandi (29), Kelly (30) and Yunuen (29)

Rachel, Mandi's friend Angie and I went in on an iPod for Mandi. Below is the box it was wrapped in. You can imagine the process to get from this . . .

. . . to this . . . .

Awesome wrapping job Rachel!!!

There goes Sasha to play in the dirt.
According to my nephew Oliver, it is not a birthday party unless you have a pinata. And this is what happens when you give a three year old a Louisville Slugger. Carrie Underwood's got nothin' on Ethan!

Whitty and Scuba-Steve- always the life of the party!

Mandi and Ryan

From left- Deanna, Truly, Mandi and Chrissy

After all that, I still had energy, can you believe it? Josh and I met up with the Gwynn's for dinner and a movie. It was perfect to top off such a busy day on a date with my husband!

And then this morning we discovered we had mold in the basement. No bueno.

My latest project

2010-05-24T10:53:00.004-06:00

Something must be in the air again . . . I've been getting crafty! A couple of weeks ago I had the urge to stop by the DI on my way home from visiting a client in Logan. I've been looking for a cupboard or small shelf of some kind to put in the living room for Sasha's toys. Anything I found at a store I just wasn't crazy about. And if I'm going to spend $50 or $60 on something, I had better be crazy about it! So I browsed the DI and found this:

It's a microwave shelf. At least that is what the sticker said. I didn't care, it was $10, still in one piece and in pretty good condition.

I removed the doors and the swivel top, sanded, primed, painted, sprayed on a second coat too thick so I had to re-sand, re=prime and re-paint. Then I found some cute paper at Heartland to mod podge on top. I also cut out two 10" lady bugs on my cricut for the doors. Here's the finished product. I absolutely love it! I was completely giddy when I finally had it all put together. And anytime someone comes over I HAVE to show it to them. I know, I'm goofy.

Total cost (since I had to buy some additional primer and paint) was under $40. Could have done it for under $30 if I hadn't messed up. But I guess that's the price of art, right?

My next project is a couple of nightstands that I found on that same trip to the DI. They're going to go in my bedroom as soon as I find the energy to get them all fixed up. Heaven only knows when that will be!

(Pardon the poor quality pics . . . I had to take them with my cell since my brother has my camera).

So Thankful Sunday

2010-05-16T21:16:00.002-06:00

Today was probably one of the best Sunday's I've had in a while. They always go by way too fast, but this one was really good. It wasn't a particularly special day for any reason, but it has been a good one. We actually made it to church before the sacrament was passed, which is pretty much a miracle. Sasha was relatively calm and I actually got to listen to most of the talks. It was also Sasha's first day in nursery. I can't believe my little girl is already (almost) 18 months old! She did really well for her first day, too. She was a little overwhelmed at first just because there were lots of people in the room when we got there with all the parents dropping off their kiddos and a couple of them crying (kids, not parents). But I put her down and gave her some play-doh, then snuck out when she wasn't looking. We checked back a little later and she didn't seem to be missing us one bit! At the end of Sunday School I told Josh that my arms felt weird because they weren't snaking all over the place for the last hour trying to keep Sasha contained. And RS was awesome! We had a great lesson talking about prophets and I actually got to hear the entire lesson! It was fantastic!

After church we came home and Sasha went right down for a nice 3 hour nap without a single whine or whimper. Josh and I cuddled in the hammock for about half an hour until the home teachers came. After that Chris, Mandi, Colin and Deanna came over for dinner. I must say that I am becoming a master of the grill and could possibly even give my dad a run for his money when it comes to grilling steaks. (My dad grills THE BEST steaks ever! Eat your heart out Flemings and Ruth's Chris!) We had BBQ spare ribs, corn bread, pasta salad and green beans. It was yummy! Then we had S'Mores for dessert, cooked over the fire pit. We talked, played a game and had a pretty good time. At least I did. :)

At one point in the evening, as I was watching Sasha run around my backyard I had a sense of deja vu. I have pictured just such a scene many times before, before Sasha was born I pictured having kids run around the yard, eating under the trees, relaxing and being completely at peace. I am so thankful to have stopped to notice and recognize that life is turning out just as I had hoped. Maybe a few small details are different, but I really couldn't ask for a better life. I am truly blessed and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for it.

I left my heart in San Francisco

2010-05-02T19:43:00.003-06:00

I LOVE this city! I would love to live there one day . . . if not live there, then visit very frequently! I had to work all of Tuesday and a big party of Wednesday but we still had some time to play. Of course Josh and Sasha played while I was working but I don't think I could pay that man a million dollars to take a camera with him. Oh well. Some of MY shots of our adventures . . .
Playing around in the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park

Playing at the fountain at Ghiradelli Square. Got to love the chocolate!

Lunch at a restaurant at Union Square

And my favorite stop on the trip . . .

Way too short of a trip. Can't wait to go back again!

White Rim

2010-05-02T19:09:00.003-06:00

Well, it's nice to be back after almost two straight weeks of traveling! These are just a few of the 346 pictures and videos I took on the White Rim trail. This was such a fun trip! I am not much of a camper, but once a year for four days, I can handle it. :) We had some really yummy food (cafe rio pork burritos two nights in a row. You would think that wouldn't be good, but they were both different enough that both nights were yum! And the dutch oven Chicken Pot Pie . . . Oh my goodness!) and had a great time with everyone there. Our friends Cam and Mandee put the trip together every year. Josh went last year and I saw that he had such a good time that I decided I would go this year as well. I'm so glad that I did. Even though I have never really gone mountain biking I had a great time and even did almost 30 miles over four days. I'm still a novice for sure, but I had a lot of fun. Mountain biking is definitely something I want to do more of and I really hope to go on this trip next year.
This was the view from the front of our tent on our last night camping . . .

A few of the die hard bikers coming up Murphy's . . . I think the hardest hill on the whole trail. Yeah . . . I drove the truck, not my bike up this sucker. Actually, I can't even say that I drove the truck the entire way cause it's a pretty scary hill and I made J'me drive his truck up the first part, which I'm not sure was even the scariest part. But I would have felt horrible if anything bad had happened while driving someone else's car. This picture doesn't show the scary part, but if you have been there, then you know!
I don't think this picture needs much explanation . . .

Cam and Mandee goofing off and making everyone laugh . . . as usual!

One of the first stops along the trail, don't remember the spot. But it was gorgeous. A little cold, but beautiful! And I think Josh looks cuter in his bike gear than I do. :P Although I did get a couple of compliments on my shorts. :)

The morning of the third day we played around a bit in some slot canyons. Sadly, the funniest part of this adventure was not captured on film. :( What was the funniest part you ask? Probably the part where I took off my socks and shoes to wade through a small puddle in the rocks before climbing down the last part of the canyon and instead of sliding my feet slowly down to the bottom of the puddle I decided it would be more fun to just slide my butt down to the bottom and get soaked up to my chest, at the same time sending a rush of water down the small canyon to everyone waiting at the bottom. Yeah, not my best moment, but at least it was something to laugh about! Oh, and then there's the part where Josh almost ripped my shirt off trying to pull me out of the freezing cold water. Good times . . . good times.

This is just a short video of me repelling (!) over a boulder onto Cam's (aka, the shuttle) shoulders. If you know me well at all, you know that I am a fraidy cat and don't like heights. But I've decided to become a little more adventurous in my old age so I wanted to try it. I knew I wasn't going to get hurt, I just had to take a moment to trust myself enough to do it. And I did!

All in all it was a really great trip. Wait, did I say that already? Well, it is worth saying again because I had the best time! I was worried that everyone would think I was wimpy or lazy if I didn't bike a bunch, but everyone was very cool and I felt good just even being there. Maybe next year I will be able to bike more and not walk up so many hills. But it was fun driving the Simpson's truck, too. I like to 4-wheel! Plus it made it so everyone else could ride more, which was a-okay by me. The real champ was Mandee . . . 8 months pregnant and camping for 4 days, plus driving a huge truck WITH a trailer behind it, which may sound easy but believe me . . . .IT'S NOT! Not on the White Rim anyway. Riding your bike was the easy part!

Being the Uber planner that I am, Cam is convinced that in two years I'll be planning the whole thing, instead of him. I'm not so sure about that, but we'll see. If it means I get invited back every year, then I'd be okay with that!

Yeah, not so much . . .

2010-04-21T08:25:00.003-06:00

Thank you to those of you that actually think I am talented enough to paint, or even stencil something like this. I wish! They are vinyl decals that I bought at Target. $14.99 for the entire set. They have some really cute ones, you should check them out. :)

One year, 4 months, two weeks and 5 days later . . .

2010-04-20T12:59:00.003-06:00

Sasha's room is finished!

First Hair Cut

2010-04-19T09:11:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Sasha got her very first haircut! It only took us 16 months to have enough hair to cut, but that's okay. We're lucky to have Pam in our family. She is a most wonderful SIL and hairdresser! I think since Sasha knows her it made her more comfortable when Pam came at her head with scissors and a comb. She did so great! She sat pretty still and let Pam work her magic. It was just a little trim, but it had to be done. I can't wait until she has more hair that I can play with!

Before . . .

During . . .

After . . .

She really was a natural in the chair. I think she'll take after her mommy and LOVE to get her hair done.

I have to give props to my BFF Amberly . . . without her, my hair could not look this fabulous!

Post Tax Season Weekend

2010-04-19T08:50:00.003-06:00

It's official, I have my husband back!!! For some reason this tax season has been very hard on all of us, much harder than past years. Probably because Josh started working 12+ hour days in the beginning of February. Those don't usually start until the end of February. But the tax fairy came early, I guess. But it's good because it means that the firm is doing well, despite the crappy economy.

Every year when TS (tax season or tough sh**, take your pick because it my book it stands for both) is over we like to get away for the weekend. This year we decided to head to Park City. We were hoping (okay, Josh was) to take Sasha skiing but we have Deer Valley passes and they decided to close last week instead of this week! Pooper Scoopers! But we still had fun. We got up there Friday night and Sasha and I went swimming while Josh slept and let his brain unravel some more.

This girl is silly. She kept making funny faces everytime I got the camera ready to take a picture of her. :P
Saturday morning we went to my favorite place for breakfast in PC- The Eating Establishment. If you have never been there, you must go! The Not So Special House Specialty is my favorite. But each time its a toss up- bacon or sausage? I love my pork products and this is a place that happens to do both very well. So it's always hard. Oh, and their fresh squeezed OJ is the best!

Some good things about PC this time of year- the weather was absolutely perfect! The sun was shining and it was warm, but there was still some snow on the ground. Also, all of the outdoor shops up there are getting rid of all their winter gear so you can find some great deals! We got Sasha a new Spyder coat for $50 (normally $95) and some Obermeyer snow pants for $28 (Normally $89). This girl is set for next winter!

PCMR was still open for the weekend so we had to go and play in the snow just a little bit, even if we couldn't ski.

(Yes, that is me wearing flip flops at a ski resort. My defense? It was 73 degrees!)

My cousin Dane got married on Saturday and their reception was in Heber City- another reason to stay the weekend! After the reception we went to Main Street Pizza and Noodle- another PC favorite, though we haven't been there in years. Oh, the other REALLY GREAT thing about PC this time of year? Since most of the resorts are closed, there were NO CROWDS! Easy to park on Main Street, get right into restaurants without waiting, it was awesome! Normally Main Street is packed on the weekends in the winter and summer, but this was perfect!

If you are ever in PC on a Sunday I highly recommend bruch at Cisero's. It's on Main Street as well. For $20 you get an all you can eat brunch buffet with some really yummy food! I think this has replaced Little America for our favorite Sunday brunch, since LA only does brunch on special occasions now. :( But Cisero's is SO YUM! I haven't eaten there other than breakfast, but I'm sure the rest of their food is just as good.

So nice to have my husband back! Next up . . . . MOAB!!!

Belated Easter

2010-04-15T12:52:00.004-06:00

Okay so I know the bunny came a couple weeks ago, but he made an appearance last weekend in our neighborhood. A repeat performance for most kids, I'm sure.
On the real Easter weekend we had Josh's family over for breakfast (at 11 am. Is it still breakfast at that point?) then had a little egg hunt in the backyard with the three youngest grandkids. I was not on picture duty like I usually am so I only got a couple. At this hunt Sasha didn't quite grasp the concept of the egg hunt . . .

. . . once the neighborhood hunt started it took a couple of houses, but I think she picked up the idea. Then she got greedy. There were about 50 eggs (or treat bags) in each yard and she didn't understand why she could only have one! She insisted on picking up as many as her tiny hands could hold and putting them all in her bag. Mommy had to do a discreet unload in each yard so that all the kids would have enough. I'm just glad to say that I wasn't the only parent that had to take this approach!

These are all the kids that participated in the egg hunt. About 25 or so years ago a couple of little girls in the circle came up with the idea and they have been doing it ever since. The original kids are now bringing their grandkids. This year there were about 50 kids! We all pitch in and meet for breakfast, and take a picture of all the kids. (Sasha is in the very back, held by one of her favorite babysitters, Vanessa) Then they split the kids into two age groups and send them in opposite directions around the circle. This way we avoid the bigger kids trampling over the little kids to get to the candy. Each house that participates ties a balloon to the mailbox and puts out treats in the front yard for all the kids. It's a really fun tradition and just one more reason I love my neighborhood!

This girl loves her Grandma Lilly! She cried when Josh or I tried to take her from Grandma to go do the egg hunt! And you know how most kids cry when their mothers leave for work? My kid blows kisses and waves me out the door, then cries when I get home from work! On the days she is with Lilly she has so much fun and she just loves her Grandma. She literally climbs up and claws at Lilly just to get away from me. It is nice to know that she is so well taken care of. That has certainly made it easier being at work.

Dancing Queen

2010-04-13T11:56:00.002-06:00

This is only a small piece of the dancing Sasha did last night. Unfortunately I couldn't get to my phone fast enough for the really good dancing, but this is still pretty funny, I think.

I think we have a dancer on our hands!

Savory Bacony Goodness!

2010-04-05T19:39:00.002-06:00

Since its storming tonight I decided it would be the perfect time to try out this Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe that my friend Nola gave me. Its from Cooks Illustrated Soups and Stews. One word- YUM!

8 slices bacon, chopped
3 pounds (about 6 medium) russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme (you can use 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups) plus some extra for garnish( I used a mix of mild and medium cheddar)
1 cup sour cream, plus extra for garnish)
Ground black pepper
3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. (I did everything in my stock pot since I don't have a dutch oven). While bacon is cooking, use vegetable peeler to remove potato peels in wide strips; reserve peels. Cut peeled potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Add reerved potato skins to bacon fat in pot and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potato skins to plate with bacon.

2. Add onion to fat remaining in pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth and cream, stir in thyme and potatoes, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.

3. Discard thyme (if you used fresh) and transfer 2 cups cooked potatoes to a bowl (this is optional, if you want your soup to be a little chunky). Puree remaining soup in batches until smooth. Return to pot and warm over medium-high heat. Off heat, stir in cheese until melted, then whisk in sour cream. Return reserved potatoes to pot (if you removed any) and season with pepper. Ladle soup into bowls garnishing with bacon, fried potato skins, scallions, cheese and sour cream.

The more bacon the better, in my opinion! This soup really is yummy. I hope you enjoy it!
FYI- it took me about an hour from start to finish, but I'm a slow cook, especially when trying a recipe for the first time.

More Spring Love

2010-04-05T15:54:00.000-06:00

I only wish I had taken these pictures this past weekend, but I'm glad I took them two weeks ago! Hate the crap weather we have been having, but every year I get more numb to the teasing that our lovely Utah weather gives us. :)
Sasha's Grandma Lilly bought her the cutest dress a few weeks ago, so it became her Easter dress for this year. Sadly we had to add the jacket cause it was still pretty cold.

Couldn't get the darn snack cup out of her hands! But I do love this face. Her personality gets more evident every day!

My little fashionista!

One quick one without the jacket!

Easter was not real eventful. The neighborhood breakfast and egg hunt got moved to next weekend so we get to extend the festivities! Hopefully it will be sunnier and I can get some cute pictures of her then. She got to hunt for eggs with the Lakin cousins in the backyard, but she still doesn't really get it. But its okay, holidays just get better from here!
With the holiday and Josh's family coming over on Saturday I didn't listen to as much conference as I would have liked. I did catch part of the last session and listened to the first session today while at work. A lot of the messages felt like they were for me and me only. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way during conference, but this time it just seemed like all the talks I have listened to so far were tailored for my family and my family only. It was kind of crazy! I haven't experienced that to such a high degree before so it was pretty cool.
I'm such a lucky person. Blessed, actually. Yes, I am blessed. I have a wonderful husband who works extremely hard for us and we play just as hard, which I love. My daughter is the most beautiful girl in the world. I can't quite imagine what it will be like to have more kids that I love this much (no, not announcing anything!) but I can't wait for it. I spent a few years being angry at the world and just can't believe I wasted that time. Well, no more! There is just too much to be joyful about in this world.

Make-A-Wish

2010-03-23T13:21:00.000-06:00

Saturday night was the Make-A-Wish 25th Anniversary Gala. It was so much fun! This was my first time participating in a major event with MAW and I can't wait for the next one. Usually the gala is more casual but this year, since it is the 25th anniversary, they decided to step things up a notch and go black-tie. Which means Mama got to buy a new dress! I found the most perfect LBD at White House Black Market and I can't wait to wear it again!
But enough about me. We don't have the total amount raised yet but I can tell you that in the last ten minutes they raised over $50,000! In ten minutes! That is huge! There was also a silent and live auction with more than 200 items donated. Some of the live auction items included a week on a house boat in Powell for 8 people, a vacation in Cabo, a Vegas getaway, a full racer training out at Miller Sports Park, and a trip for 8 on a private jet to anywhere in the west! Oh, and lets not forget the diamond tennis bracelet.
As part of the gala our chapter celebrated it's 2,500th wish. The wish was for an 11 year old little girl named Callie. Her wish will make you cry! She loves to design. Her wish was to go on Extreme Makeover Home Edition-not to meet the celebrities or the cast, but to design a room for someone receiving a new home from the show. Her wish was to serve someone else. How cool is that?! If you want to see it, the episode will air on May 2nd. That show already makes me cry, and having met this little girl, it will make me cry even harder!
It gets better . . . Paul DiMeo actually came to the gala with Callie! It was a surprise to just about everyone but a few of the MAW staff. He and Callie helped with the live auction and let me tell you, this guy is as genuine, funny and nice as he seems on the show. It was so cool to have him there. I seriously envy his job. Not only does he get to use all his creative energy every single day, but he gets to make dreams into reality for so many people. That is part of why I started volunteering at Make-A-Wish. The kids that get to make a wish aren't expecting it, they aren't demanding it, but it is a gift that we get to give them. And most of the time their wishes are so simple! But seeing it bring some light and joy into the lives of the kids and their families is so rewarding.

I love my life.

I love springtime!

2010-03-22T14:24:00.003-06:00

I am loving this warm, sunny weather! And so is Sasha. This girl is definitely going to be hard to contain on rainy days. As soon as she is finished with breakfast she is begging Lilly to take her outside. She doesn't even want to change out of her PJs! These are a few pics we took yesterday afternoon while Josh was doing yard work.

Definitely not afraid to get her hands dirty!

The next Mia Hamm?

A girl about town

2010-03-18T11:19:00.003-06:00

Last night we went to the Jazz game with Josh's parents to watch Whitney and Sierra dance with a huge group of former Jazz dancers for throw-back night. It was so fun to watch them!

Sasha looked so cute all dolled up- a total girl about town and complete fashion plate! Everywhere we went she got looks and smiles out of people. A group of about 5 or 6 older men were coming out of the steakhouse at Little America and even they all stopped to notice how cute she looked! Okay, I know I'm totally going on and on about how cute my kid is, but I just can't help it! I admit it, I love it when she gets attention and so does she. She is my own personal barbie doll that I love to dress up, take out, and show off!

Waiting for trax

At the game she only wanted to sit with her daddy or her Grandma. Yesterday was "I don't like mommy day." Maybe that's cause I made her get all dressed up. :) But she was back to loving mommy this morning so all is well.
And then she fell asleep, even with all the cheering, screaming and clapping she slept for about 40 minutes. Ahhh to be a kid!
Walking back to LA for a hot chocolate. (That's a Trax schedule she is carrying. It was so cute, she had it open and would look at it, then look up and around town, then back at her schedule. It totally looked like she was trying to figure out where to go next!)

Little Cutie

2010-03-17T09:44:00.001-06:00

This girl is just too cute for words. Grandma DeEtte bought the dress at Christensen's and I LOVE it! This girl is going to put me in the poor house!

Apple Updates

2010-03-12T11:40:00.001-07:00

My apple business has a new name and a new blog address- go check it out!

www.appleloveapples.blogspot.com

Vrrooomm!

2010-03-09T15:54:00.003-07:00

Josh is getting a motorcycle.

I'll just let that sink in for a minute.

I'm actually happy for him. He's wanted one ever since I can remember. The first time he thought about buying one, he bought me a wedding ring instead. The second time he seriously considered buying one he got Sasha instead. So it's about time, I think. Happy 10th Anniversary? Our brother-in-law Aaron is helping him find a good starter bike and will help him to make sure it stays in good shape. And of course, he is going to take the safety classes before taking it out of the circle or putting me on the back of it, but I think it's going to be fun. Who knows, maybe we can have a Top Gun moment. ;P

Happy Day

2010-02-26T15:33:00.003-07:00

I was infected with happiness after visiting Mrs. Princess Pookie's blog. So here is my complete Happy List. Things that make me happy, make me smile, and fill me with joy no matter where I am, what I am doing or what is going on in my life!

1. Sasha's smile and laugh. It's just so infectious!
2. Hugs from Josh. All that lifting and running makes for good hugging!
3. Dessert. Lately I've been craving cake batter cookies. MUST make some this weekend.
4. Music. Lately I've been hooked on musicals of all sorts and they just make me smile
5. A good book. I love getting lost in another life when I'm reading a good book
6. Audrey Hepburn movies. She was just so beautiful and elegant. Just filled up the Netflix queue with Audrey Hepburn!
7. Shopping. I love to buy new things. Even the smallest of purchases can make my day. Even better when it's on sale!
8. I'm now addicted to craft blogs! There are so many of them out there! I discover 5 new ones every day. I love that people are so willing to share their creativity.
9. Projects. I love projects. Sewing, scrapping, painting, anything! I just love being creative and getting stuff done.
10. Photography. Okay, you've seen the pictures I take and you know I'm not talking about my own. But I love to look at beautiful pictures, especially when they are of my friends and family. There are so many people out there that take wonderful pictures and just have a knack for capturing a person's essence.
11. Parties. I love to plan, organize, and attend parties of any kind! There is just something so satisfying about bringing a group of people together to have a good time. I love being the one to make that happen.
12. Family. As crazy as they all are, they still make me happy.

Super Saturday

2010-02-22T21:31:00.002-07:00

Hello my blogging friends. I am in charge of planning our ward's Super Saturday this year. We're not doing it until September but I want to get a jump on planning. I'm not really feeling the inspiration just yet. I have a couple of ideas, but want to look for things that are new and fresh. If any of you have any ideas, resources, tips, anything I will love you forever if you leave a comment for me!

Maxxed out!

2010-02-22T16:05:00.003-07:00

Well apparently I have reached my limit for blog photos. :( I'm working on getting all my pictures copied onto discs so I should be back to loading pics soon.
Poor Sasha has her first ear infection. :( I think we caught it pretty early so there haven't been sleepless nights just yet. She wasn't feeling well yesterday so we stayed home from church. She was warm but her temperature never broke 100. This morning I had her all ready to go to daycare and she seemed ok and her temp was okay, but once we got there she was at 100.5. Her molars are coming in and so I would have just thought that was all, but she also has a pretty congested cough. So, off to the doctors we went. She's on antibiotics and should be back to feeling good soon, I hope. :)

Josh is still studying and working his life away. Poor guy. He re-takes the first exam this Saturday and he's pretty sure he will pass this time. Then he'll take a break until tax season is over then it's back to the books. He's been working until 10 or 11 every night for the last couple weeks. This season has hit them pretty hard, but it's good. It's good to have business pouring in your door in this economy so we definitely are not complaining.

I on the other hand have got to find some time to start exercising! We're going to Moab for a mountain biking trip with a big group of people in April. We bike a total of 100 miles in 3 days. There are cars that carry all the food and camping gear, but I don't want to be the girl that rides in the car the entire time! But I have got to find time to hit the gym and start biking, then when the weather warms up go on a few mountain bike rides. I've never been mountain biking so this could be interesting! I'm really excited for the trip though. Josh went last year and had a great time, so I'm excited.

Work has been good, I really like my new job. The people are all pretty nice and it's much less stress than I used to have, which is good. My clients are small, but that's okay by me.

Other than her recent sickness Sasha is great! She is cruising at full speed these days. She still has fun with Grandma Lilly three days a week, then daycare two days a week. She has so much fun playing with the kids there, it's so good for her. She comes home and is just exhausted after playing so hard all day! She has learned that a cow says Moo and a doggie says Arf Arf! It's pretty cute. She is the center of attention in Relief Society on Sundays and she wouldn't have it any other way. It's a good thing she's a cute baby, otherwise everyone would be thoroughly annoyed with me. At least, most people have told me she's a welcome distraction. I'm always afraid that one day they're going to ask me not to come back until Sasha's in nursery, but so far so good. There are other kids in there from time to time, but I always feel like mine is the loudest and the only one bugging people. She likes to use Tina and Mandee as jungle gym's and climbs all over them and they are sweet enough to put up with her. Thank goodness.

Since my other pics aren't showing up

2010-02-11T15:51:00.001-07:00

Photos from our Deer Valley getaway.

Make-A-Wish

2010-02-11T10:15:00.004-07:00

Hello my loyal followers! I posted a few months back that I have become a Wish Magician for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Utah. Well, this year marks the 25th anniversary of granting wishes in Utah! Every year Make-A-Wish has a Gala which is the main fundraising event of the year. This year, since it's the 25th anniversary, we are stepping things up a notch with a black-tie event at the Grand America! I am so excited for this! It's my first gala and it is going to be a really nice event.
A few of you have already made some donations, for which we are very grateful, but we are always looking for more. At the Gala there is a silent and live auction and we need a variety of items for both of these. If you have any products or services that you provide, or even if you would like to purchase some items to donate please let me know. You can also contribute by attending the gala. If you're looking for an excuse to get all dressed up for a nice evening and a great cause tickets are available for purchase by calling 801.262.9474 or by emailing events@utah.wish.org. Tickets are $150 per person or $1,500 for a table of 10.

For more information on the Gala please visit http://www.utah.wish.org/. Or you can call/write me with any questions!

Impromptu Getaway

2010-02-08T11:22:00.001-07:00

Josh has some great perks with his job. :) We got to go spend the night at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley last night. It was last minute and we could only stay one night (pesky jobs!) but it was still fun!

Avenue Q

2010-02-06T09:06:00.003-07:00

I LOVED this show! It was absolutely hilarious, the music is great . . . I just loved the whole thing. However, don't let the cute fuzzy puppets and Gary Coleman fool you. This show is dirty. This show is raunchy. This show is crass. But this is also the funniest show you will ever see in your life, if you can handle the dirt, raunch and crassness of it.
Funny thing about Utahns . . . even when they are warned that this show is all of the above (and possibly more) they still purchase a ticket, come to the show, then get absolutely disgusted and irate, leave, then have the audacity to complain about it. People- there were disclaimers on the door as you walked into the theater. What did you expect? That the people putting on the show just wanted to see how few people they could get to show up? C'mon. Put on your big girl panties and either deal with it or just don't come.
And another thing that bugs me . . . my sister-in-law kindly informed me that my next statement proves that I'm getting old. It bothers me when people don't dress up to go to the theater anymore. It seems like nobody gets dressed up for anything anymore. When I was little and went to shows with my mom it was cool because we got to get all dressed up for it. And everyone else was dressed up, too. It just made the whole thing seem that much more special and exciting. But now when you go you see people in ripped jeans and hoodies. Not even nice hoodies, ones with holes and stains in them. Where's your sense of respect people? But hey, people don't dress up for weddings or funerals anymore either, so why should they get dressed up for the theater?

2010-01-22T12:22:00.001-07:00

Don't worry . . .

2010-01-19T10:02:00.005-07:00

I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon to become a professional cake decorator. Please don't let this end up on Cakewrecks.com! And my skills with frosting are in no way proportionate to how much I love my friend Rachel. (It's supposed to look like a scrapbook page. Skittle brads, frosting rubons, etc.)

Mandi and her cute "friend" Colin
A little backstory for this next picture. Josh and Mandi have a long-standing tradition of giving each other hilarious gifts for Christmas. It all started with the Sponge-Bob slippers that Mandi gave Josh. The next year Josh retaliated with a huge poster of the rapper 50 Cent with Napoleon Dynamite's head on his body. It only deteriorated from there. In December Mandi and Colin came over to watch Christmas Vacation with us. During the part where Clark Griswold is stuck in the attic watching old home movies Mandi commented how nice Josh would look wearing a teal turban. Josh laughed and said, "Mandi, if you can find me one of those, I will wear it all day on Christmas." Silly boy, challenging Mandi to find the tackiest, most outrageous gift on the planet. It took her all of three minutes to locate one online the next day. So Josh had to wear the turban to the party. Not his sexiest look. :)

Me, Mandi, Colleen and Rachel

Little Russian Lady

2010-01-19T09:54:00.002-07:00

Last night we went to Mikado (for the third time this month!) for dinner with my mom and Chris. Trying to keep a one year old happy and entertained at a restaurant can prove to be a creative feat at times! Just one of the ways my mom came up with to make Sasha smile . . .

She just reminds me of a little old Italian or Russian lady. She is just so goofy. Sure glad I had the camera!

Somebody call Team USA

2010-01-19T09:49:00.003-07:00

Job Update

2010-01-07T13:17:00.002-07:00

I have an office! That's right, an actual OFFICE with four walls and, get this- a door! A door that locks! I feel so grown up and professional now!
Okay, I'm through being a nerd. But really, my new job is great so far. I started on Monday the 4th. It's been pretty slow this week, but next week is chock full of training so I'm looking forward to that. Everyone in the office has been very nice and helpful. The only sad part is not having anyone to eat lunch with. :( I got so used to going to lunch with Vickie, Kevin and Brian everyday that it's a little lonely from noon to 1 now. But I'll be fine. I'm really excited to dive in and really get to work. It's kind of nice to have a change, afterall I worked for the same company for 11 years.
In other news, Josh unfortunately did not pass his first exam for the CPA. He retakes it in a couple of weeks and we're keeping our fingers crossed. He wasn't feeling too bad about himself though. Apparently only 10% of people who take the CPA pass all the exams with one try. Hopefully he will have it all done by July.
Sasha is almost walking! The most she has taken is 7 steps, she usually does 3 or 4 then drops to her knees and crawls. She is getting so close! I think that going back to day care two days a week will help push her along. She started out really slow on crawling but it seemed like in a couple weeks at Ilona's she really took off. So hopefully we will see her cruising around in no time! Lilly still watches her 3 days a week. As long as my MIL is around I will always be number 2 in Sasha's eyes. This morning I was holding her before I left for work and Lilly came in the door. Sasha got so excited. Then started to cry when Lilly walked into the kitchen and she couldn't see her anymore. Even though I was right there holding her! It's just nice to know that she is always with people that love her.