Here goes...

*WARNING* Put on your seatbelts, it's gonna be a wild ride!

Here goes what may end up being a very sad attempt to update you on our goings on the past several months. Sometimes I feel like I get soooo far behind that I can't post recent events until I've properly noted past ones...sigh...life is so difficult that way, it never seems to slow down for ONE second! So let's take a shot at this...

~JULY~
Ronnie and I moved into our very first house, it was kind of a stressful process (hopefully it gets easier each time...mom?) Anyway, we looked at several houses and finally came to an agreement (kindof) on the one we wanted. Ronnie was pretty set on the one we ended up getting, but I was a little concerned about the pet odors - no kidding it smelled like cat pee and I wanted to throw up everytime we went inside, but we were able to work some new carpet into the contract and now It's better than new! Ronnie actually got permission to go inside the house before it was ours so that he could rip the carpet out and seal the floors before closing...here is a picture of us getting the floor ready for carpet...it looked pretty disgusting, huh?


Here we are on closing day - I was really freaking out, not just pretending!

Since then we have beautiful new carpet (more house pics to come on a later post) and have been working on the next phase...PAINT! We started painting 2 months ago and still can't say its done! However, like a good husband, Ronnie is in the living room right now putting on another coat - gotta love him!

I really hope he stays focused this time...

And doesn't get distracted again...


July is also when little Gwenie was born! This year they came to our house for the celebration. With everything so hectic, I wasn't able to make the cake that I wanted, so I made (with the help of my mom and the girls) some ice cream cone cupcakes...I think Gwenie liked them, what do you think?


I was glad that everyone was able to come down to my house for it! It worked out really well...

Happy Birthday Princess!


~August~
Happy Birthday to me! I had an awesome birthday this year, although every year Ronnie and I say that we're gonna starting taking each other's birthdays off from work so that we have the whole day together, we never end up doing it...so, it was short, but sweet! Ronnie sent me roses at work and bought me my first sets of Fiesta dishes (this may be the start of an addiction)...I just love all of the fun colors, I'm already planning my next Fiesta purchase! Ronnie also took me out for sushi - one of my absolute FAVORITES-yum!



After dinner I got a surprise from some of my bestest friends ever! Ashley, Janell, & Stacy came over to Ronnie's parent's house to drop me off a "sweet" surprise...so thoughful! Love you guys!



~September~
Happy 2nd Anniversary Baby! This year Ronnie and I said that we were going to do something WAY fun for our anniversary, but as things go we ended up spending our WHOLE summer...literally...working on a tile job for some friends (we could only work on it at nights and it was a very large job and Ronnie was pretty much doing all of the work himself, although I did hand him tiles and was by his side EVERY night for months!) Anyway, we had to do a makeshift anniversary trip which ended up being really fun. We went to...

Isn't it beautiful?

We had a lucky day, we ended up running into someone VERY famous...and if I remember right, I don't think that anyone has ever actually photographed him before, but we talked him into one picture...check out this SEXY beast...(and yes, I'm talking about the one on the left!)



Check me out...and I'm not afraid to admit it...that wasn't the only bear I was caught kissing that day!



We ended the day with a really fun dinner show that started with a covered wagon ride through the mountains, it was pretty authentic (indian attack and everything!)


These were our trusty horses, Chic and Clay, I couldn't believe how HUGE they were!

Here we were after the show was over, it was so fun getting away together!

We love Jackson! It ended up being JUST what we needed - a really low-key getaway!

PS...gotta LOVE these antler arches, they are really amazing! It's crazy to get up close to them and see how they've inter-twined them-true talent!

~October~
Happy Birthday Ronnie! So, I'm the worst wifey ever! I didn't really take many pictures of Ronnie's 25th! All I got was this random picture of him shooting his birthday balloons with his new competition BB gun (I know, don't ask me - that's what he wanted!) Is this an "anything is better than nothing" moment or did I just totally blow it? I can't believe I didn't take more pics! Anyway, here it is!


Halloween this year at Mela was way fun! Our dept decided to go with Dr. Seuss as the theme and we focused on The Grinch, Horton and Cat in the Hat. I'm sure I don't have to tell you who won (sorry I get a little cocky, but we totally rocked this year!) I decided to be a Who from Whoville from the Grinch, it turned out way fun! I especially liked it when I had some special visitors...Tennessa brought the kids down from Rexburg, they were adorable!
Here's the whole group...

Here's a closer look at some of the Who's...including The Grinch and CindyLou Who herself!



Aren't these guys awesome!?!

And here are my little cuties! I'm lucky to have the best nieces and nephews-they are sooo adorable!


Now, I'm setting a New Year's resolution for 2009 - to blog during the months of November AND December! I know, I know...it sounds impossible, but I really really think I can do it! I hope that I didn't just put everyone to sleep with the last 6 months of my life!

Holy Cow - I'm alive!...I think!

Wow it has been such a crazy couple of months...I have so many stories to tell, but will never have enough time! So, just a super quick update, Ronnie and I moved into our new house the first of July...here it is the middle of August and we haven't even unpacked everything yet (I know - sad!) Soon after we moved in, Ronnie started working on a tile job in a friend's house, so we pretty much come home from work around 5 o'clock and are out working on tile at 6 o'clock. We have even pulled a couple of all-nighters! This past week I've been in Orlando, FL for Melaleuca's annual convention - it was a ton of work and some really late nights (maybe a total of 12 hours of sleep the whole week), but I just got home this afternoon and I'm so glad that we made it through another year! Our internet connection hasn't been working at our new house and although we were still paying for the service, we didn't even have time to have someone come out and fix it for us, but when I got back this afternoon Ronnie had figured out a way to Jimmy-rig something to make it work...I don't care what he did, I'm just glad I can connect! My friend Kayla tagged me on one of her posts, so I thought that would be the perfect way to get back into the swing of things...here goes!

What is your current obsession? Since I haven't had a lot of time to actually do anything extra lately, my obession would have to be just talking about all of the things that I need to get done...I have tons of to-do and honey-do lists all ready for when life slows down a bit.
What do you hate (or dislike) the most that everyone else seems to love? Kraft macaroni and cheese...are you kidding me - you can't shove this stuff down my throat! Ask my mom, I am probably the least picky eater of all my brothers and sisters, and I am willing to try anything, but this is the one thing I REFUSE to eat!
What's for dinner? Ronnie went and bought us a Pizza from Little Caesars...Pepperoni + Jalapeno = delish!
What would you eat for your last meal? Probably a nice steak dinner - that can't go wrong!
What was the last thing you bought? I splurged a little on some new clothes for myself...it's been a while since I've done that, so if felt good!
What are you listening to right now? Peace and quiet...it's the first time I heard this in a while and it sounds nice!
What do you think of the person who tagged you? Kayla is one of my best friends! When I moved from Arizona to Idaho, she is one of the first people that I met, and althought she is a couple of years younger than me, we pretty much did everything together during high school! She is truly the nicest, most genuine person I have ever known...she has helped me through some rough patches and I hope that she knows how much I look up to her and admire her Christlike example. Love you Kay!
If you could have a house fully paid for and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? I've realized after moving so much that it's not necessarily where you live, but who you're surrounded by that really matters. As long as I am close to Ronnie and preferalbly both of our families, I will be perfectly happy.
If you could go anywhere for the next hour, where would it be? Maybe to go and see my cute little nieces...I don't get so see them enough!
What is one of your hobbies? I like to do crafts for my house...they are so much more fun than buying everything - they add that perfect personal touch.
What are three things that annoy you most? 1) Bad breath - you know when people get right up in your face and start talking and they have the worst breath? Yeah, that makes my want to barf! 2) When I see people that don't buckle their kids in the car and they are standing up and walking around, I just think it's irresponsible.
3) Laziness.
What is your favorite color? Pink...I'll always be a girly-girl!
What is your favorite item of clothing in your wardrobe? My new jeans...I don't buy jeans that often because they are so spendy, but I totally spurged and don't even feel bad about it!
What is your favorite fruit? Grapefruit with salt on it - I used to pick them fresh from our grapefruit tree in Arizona and eat them for breakfast.
What inspires you? Everyone around me, I try to find things each day to inspire me to be a better person...church music definietly inspires me, if I'm having a hard day, I can play church music immediately feel uplifted!
Who was the last person you kissed? My Hottie! I got lots of kissed from him today when I got home!
What are you currently reading? Nothing really, I need to find a good book or series...any suggestions? I would like Ronnie and I to read The Work and the Glory together...I read them in high school, but would love to read them again!
What delighted you the most today? Being back in Idaho and feeling the dry air instead of the humid Florida air...although my skin in super moistuized! I was also so happy to see Ronnie's face - I can't help it, I miss him so much when we're apart!
I tag...
Mom, Janell, Stacy, Ashley, Whitney and Rachelle!

We've been on the HUNT!

For our very FIRST house...!

This one's too BIG...


This one's too small...


BUT...this one's JUST RIGHT!

It's official! We're moving into our new house on June 29th! We've been looking at houses for several months now and we FINALLY made a decision! It is definitely one of the MOST stressful things that I have done, but we are almost there!

Blessing 21

My New Table!




I seriously LOVE my new table! I got it at a yard sale (by far the best find this yard saling "season"...which is only like 4 months in Idaho). It is an 8 person table, and get this...it came with 10 chairs and 2 bar stools! The guys selling it told me that he paid $1000 for the table, $80 for each of the chairs and $100 for both of the bar stools...I got the whole package for $350...Woohoo!



I have been wanting a new table for a while now (the one we've been using is a hand me down from my Grandma Owen...it was good while it lasted, but I was ready for something nice!) I love finding good deals!

Finally some nice weather!

In Idaho it is definitely a long time coming every year, but we are finally seeing some good weather! Ronnie finally talked me into going to the driving range with him on the Saturday before Mother's Day...it was fun, but I need a TON of practice! Hopefully I can get good enough that we can actally play a whole game without me driving him crazy! Here are a couple of pictures...

Blessing Marathon...

OK, here we go with my blessing marathon...I hate making excuses for not blogging, but seriously...life has been crazy! So, to make up for it, I'm gonna have to say that my blessing # 16 is...

BLOGGING!...Yeah!

Blogging is the greatest creation...(you know besides the earth, water, Diet Coke & Ronnie)...I have really enjoyed staying connected and caught up with all of my friends and family. It is also a way to help me document everything that is going on in our lives...I am horrible about remembering dates that things happened, and since I am really bad about keeping a journal...blogging is the closest thing that I have - and I LOVE it!

Blessing # 17 - This...

This just arrived in the mail today...YIPPEE! I have had my little Escort for about 6 years now and earlier this year after reading Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" (a must read for anyone trying to get out of debt...which should be everyone!)

I decided to kick it into full gear...we've never had a lot of debt, but since the beginning of the year we've been able to pay off over $4000 worth of credit card and car debt which leaves us with only the Subaru payment...this is a HUGE blessing to Ronnie and I! I am so thankful for all of the advice we get, whether it is from friends, family, co-workers or the pages of a book - we are so lucky to have these resources to remind us of what is really important!

Blessing # 18 - My missionary


I can call Brendan "My Missionary" can't I? I just love my baby brother and I'm so proud of him and I'm glad that he is doing so well on his mission in Brazil. It's so fun to talk to him on Christmas & Mother's Day...none of us ever want to hang up! This is my 3rd (and last) brother to serve a mission and it's so crazy to me how much they mature over the 2 years...I know it sounds so cliche, but they really do come back as men! The other day I happened to be sitting in front of the computer when he emailed me, so of coarse I emailed back right away and we got to have a short little conversation...it wasn't much, but it made my heart happy that I got to have my own little private chat with him. I am so proud of him and I hope he knows how much he is a blessing in my life.

Blessing #19 - My BIG BRO Logan
On my brother's and sister's birthdays I like to let them know how much I love them! Logan's birthday was on Tuesday last week and Ronnie and I went up to Rexburg for a little party...it is always nice to have a good excuse to go up there (I think we need more of them because we don't get up there as often as we should) I got to play with the nieces and visit. Anyway, Logan and I are only 15 months apart and were partners in crime! Just look how sweet and innocent we were...Awwwwwww... Mom, stop rolling your eyes!

My mom tells stories of how perfect Logan was until I came along, apparently I was into everything and Logan learned from my evil ways! Logan is one of the smartest people that I know, lucky for me, he was pretty much my math tutor from 5th grade on...Me + Math = huh? not even joking! Logan has always been such a great example to me and I hope that he knows how much I look up to him and respect him (even when the teachers were disappointed that I wasn't as smart as him). Not to mention he has the sweetest wife and the most adorable little girls!

Thanks for the lift brother!


and FINALLY...Blessing #20...BARGAINS!
I'm admitting it for the first time, but I think that I am becoming the crazy coupon lady! Thanks to my sister-in-law, Tennessa who taught me all of her tricks, I have been using coupons to get tons of stuff for practially free! I always thought that coupons were a waste of time and effort, but let me tell you that it is soooo addicting once you get the hang of it, not only that, it helps me get stocked up on things that I need or use on a regular basis. So here are some things that I got on my last little shopping trip - any guesses on what it probably costed me (there is a pack of gum missing too...Ronnie took it!)?


All this for only...$2.66! The first time I ever used coupons I got 8 boxes of cereal (the good kind like Cinnamon Toast Crunch etc), 5 12 packs of Pepsi products, 2 bottles of Palmolive dish detergent, & 3 tubes of toothpaste all for only about $18.00! I know I know...I addicted!

Blessing # 15-Gatherings

Whether it is with family or friends, I have always enjoyed gathering together with the people that I love...I think that sometimes we take for granted the people in out lives and only realize it when they aren't close by. I get so excited every time my family comes into town, I feel lucky that they live so close now and that they can drive here to visit in just a couple of hours! I also love being able to spend the weekend in Soda, especially when the whole family is there...the craziness is the fun part!

Here are my two favorite sisters! (and the spoiled dog)


I also really enjoy hanging out with all of my friends in the ward...we have such a fun group! Last month I "hosted" a Murder Mystery Dinner Party...Wild West themed...it took tons of planning, but it ended up being sooooo fun! The food was delicious (Cafe Rio's Pulled Pork Barbacoa Salad)---YUMMY---and everyone really got into their charaters...even the boys...I was TOTALLY impressed! I assigned the parts to everyone before I really read into them at all, so there were a several real life husband & wife's that played "couples" in the game, but everyone else was just assigned the part of a single character. So it was funny because I actually assigned Ashley the part of the murder and her husband, Nick the part of the charcter who got murdered...oopsy, I guess they had to work that one out on their own! :) Here is a fun picure of the group...don't we look awesome?!?


Whose this sexy cowboy?