Fun Times with Daniel

Since we've moved to CA, Daniel has made a few trips out here to visit us, our relatives, and just have fun. The first night Daniel got in, Jimmy and him decided to go long boarding in some of the parking structures on campus. They left at midnight and when they came back at 2am, they said I HAD TO try it tomorrow (they neglected to tell me the part about the cops who told them not to do that anymore…).

So the next night we went with our longboards in hand. I was a little nervous since the parking structures were 6 stories high but it was like riding a snowboard. You could cruise all the way to the bottom and then ride the elevator up. No exertion necessary! I was loving it! (until the boys told me not to ride the elevators because that was how the cops caught them the previous night).

Here is a video of Jimmy and I cruising while Daniel is videoing. It's scarier than it looks!

We also went to a hockey game (Jimmy's first live game) and Jordan (our bro in law) treated us to box seats and the yummy fajita dinner! There were some great fights!

I love how Daniel and Jimmy get along so well. My 2 best buds!

Here is one last video of Jimmy and I cruising on the longboards (the poor boys had to wait for me the whole time since I am the slowest and most cautious. We sure love these boards though!) Did I mention that we got these $300 longboards because my sweet husband Jimmy installed a kitchen and all the cabinets for a friend who owns a board company? Yeah--my hubby is a stud!

Weddings/Utah Trip

I realized that I didn't put pictures up of my companion Karina's wedding, so I thought I'd do it the same time as my companion Jade's.

Here is a picture of Karina and Kelvin in front of the DR temple. They both have identical twins (that would have been funny if their twins would have gotten married to each other! What would their kids have looked like?) I met Karina because I was her trainer in the mission. Jimmy met Karina's mom, Anela, because she was in the ward Jimmy was serving in and would cook for Jimmy. We love this family like our own!

This picture was taken less than a week after Jimmy and I got married. We were on our honeymoon. What a cute couple!

I went to Utah last week and had a blast!

Here's me and Daniel at Park City

My friend Emily (Gammell) and I

Jade and Casey's Wedding! She was my companion in the DR and her first day in the U.S. was at my wedding. She got 'nabbed' real quick! Such a babe!

When people would walk by the bridal room they'd do a double take at Jade. She looked like a model!

Finally a picture of my dark hair! Jade getting ready for her wedding.

It was such an honor for me to be able to have my two favorite companions use my wedding dress on their special day. I really didn’t want to buy one, but my mom said it was a must—and now I know why. It is a true miracle that it fit each one of us perfectly—and that we all looked so pretty in it! Such a special memory for me!

Top 10

Wow has it really been two weeks since I last posted? Goodness! Well here are the top 10 things we've been up to:

10. Jimmy had 3 huge tests last week and got an A on each one of them! Sigh of relief! Including Organic Chemistry! yuck.
9. We found another couple in the ward that has major dominican domino skills and stayed up till 2am Friday and Saturday last weekend playing with them!
8. Katie is going to Utah this weekend for her dominican companion Jade's wedding who's coincidentally getting married to a guy from Simi Valley, CA! What are the odds?
7. We babysat our friend's kitten for a weekend and realized that we aren't going to have kids for a few years...
6. Katie dyed her hair dark brown and looks like a hottie with her bright blue eyes.
5. Jimmy's brother who is a CPA filed our taxes for us and looks like he worked it pretty good ;0). Now we're planning a fun vacation for this year. We're thinking a cruise--any thoughts?
4. After getting cable we've become addicted to Law & Order, Friday Night Lights, Lost, The Office, 24, oh--and gangland.
3. We hooked up our new 47" TV (thanks John and Karen) with surround sound. (ooooohhhh, aweeeeeeeeeee)
2. Jimmy has been booked almost every night of the week doing stuff for the dental club, Beta Alpha Psi (accounting club/frat), the missionaries, late night classes, etc. I love my time with him.
1. We've been married 10 months on Thursday! Hooray for love!

Mom's Situation

As most of you know my mom was recently diagnosed with cancer and is about to begin the process of chemo and radiation therapy. I know that most of the people who read my blog are family members so I thought you’d like to know that I set up a blog just for her so that she doesn’t have to rehash over and over again what’s going on. We’ve really appreciated your prayers and thoughtfulness. It would be much more of a grieving time for us if my mom wasn’t such a happy person. She may be little, but she’s so strong. You can post words of encouragement on the blog or find out ways to help if you’re interested. Thanks again for everything. Keep praying. Her blog address is: www.RubbingRock.blogspot.com

Our 2nd Honeymoon

What a break! For the 3 day weekend Jimmy and I went to Lake Tahoe (thank you grandma and grandpa) for a 2nd honeymoon. We went equipped with our snowboards and our gear, enough food for a week, about 40 hours worth of movies, and no stress. It was so nice! Our buddy Dave gave us some free ski passes to Squaw Valley and we had a blast.

This was a cute little gingerbread house we saw as we drove to Tahoe City.

Here's us after we went snowboarding. It was Jimmy's 2nd time and he did so good!

Rubbing Rock Beach. It was a little chilly but we had a great time skipping rocks and finding some good luck rocks for this next year.

Here's Jimmy skipping some rocks. I think his record for the day was 16 skips!

Here's us at squaw. As usual, I'm all bundled up (I'm even wearing a beanie under my helmet), and Jimmy is sweating of heat (he isn't even wearing a beanie). It was beautiful weather--55 degrees! It made the snow a little slushy but it was a blast!

Christmas in Connecticut

So we met this random Peruvian young couple on the train on our way to NY. Since both of us speak spanish and they didn't know the city that well, we decided to hang out with them all day.

Mariella and Hector
Here is a bridge in Central Park

This is us right after we gave our family's Christmas Jar away to a guy from Africa. We look really cold here.

Jimmy's new favorite place in New York: ESPN Zone. It's like a video arcade for men!

Us in NYC

Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink

The HUGE Christmas Tree

Jimmy and Dad having a snoring contest

Jimmy making our gingerbread house (it lasted all the way through Christmas!)

Looks like it's time for some bubbley! (He's sporting his new PJs he got for Christmas)

The unshowered Jimmy and showered Katie ;0) Check out his new wakeboard behind us...

Daniel had a little too much (Tyler in the background watching a new DVD)

Our Visit to Palmyra

We spent the week of Christmas in Connecticut and New York and had a blast! One of my surprise presents (Thanks to my g and g Edwards) was a trip to Palmyra New York to see the LDS church sites. It was Jimmy's first time. Unfortunately, when we got there, it was -4 degrees and windy! But we made the best of it and the missionaries giving the tours were SO EXCITED to see us because no one had stopped by for weeks to get a tour.

We started with the Whitmer farm and then went to the visitors center to watch the Joseph Smith movie. We walked around Hill Cumorah (which is a lot smaller than Jimmy thought) and then went to the Smith farm house. It was amazing to see all the different places where Joseph hid the plates. It was so incredible that so many people could fit in that tiny house and that they didn't freeze in the winter.

Because of the cold and the snow, the Sacred Grove wasn't plowed so we didn't get to walk through it.

After that we went to the Grandin printing shop where true miracles happened! Did you know that just months before the Book of Mormon was done being translated that the Erie Canal was finished so that Grandin could get the top of the line printer (big enough for a printing job like the Book of Mormon). What a testimony builder!

We hung out with my grandparents for 2 days and then went back to CT to be with our family. It was so fun to just lounge around and play with our presents and feel the spirit of Christmas.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!