Just a few Thoughts...

I am grateful for life-changing books like this one.

Go read it. Right now.

I love this man. He's so good to me.


Modern-day medicine is such a blessing. Something that would have a killed a girl like me 100 years ago is now diagnosed and taken care of within a few hours. Miraculous!

This is Amanda Grimmer. She makes the most incredible Shepherd's Pie I have ever experienced. I ate it for every meal until it was gone, because nothing we had sounded as good. Even Andrew, who isn't usually a fan of Shepherd's Pie loved this stuff. Thanks for bringing it by.
(I will grovel at your feet for the recipe later.)

I received the Planet Earth series for Christmas. We were introduced to it by our Avenius friends, and it was love at first sight. These DVDs are amazing! They kept me occupied for neary a week.

This is my (usually) angel sister. She came up from Provo to spend four days with me just as Andrew had to go back to school. She cooked and cleaned and waited on me the entire time.
(To think I've been trying to get her to do this our entire lives!)
We also talked and talked (the way only sisters can), got me hooked on "The Office" (a show I had never really seen before), watched movies, and laughed a whole heck of a lot.

These amazing little inventions I could never have lived without for the first few weeks of this year. The amount of water I was supposed to be drinking plus the fact that I had to be laying down 24/7 would not have mixed otherwise.

Flowers...cards in the mail...phone calls from loved ones...they can sure make a girl feel special.

My First Car Crash

I had a perfectly clean driving record. No tickets and no car accidents. That is until the snow decided to melt in the sun yesterday and then freeze again last night leaving the roads completely covered by one large sheet of ice. It was an awful drive to church and back. But luckily, I can take comfort in the fact that the accident was not my fault...

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I had just successfully avoided an accident (I had started to slide toward an Astro Van) with my excellent snow driving maneuvers and was able to successfully stop in a left turn lane. My prayer of gratitude that I didn't hit the van had hardly left my lips before I felt my car get hit from behind. Apparently, a student in our ward couldn't stop his truck on the ice and hit an SUV...which in turn hit me. Everyone was fine and Lexus (my car's name...and no, it is not a Lexus) received only minimal damage. I'm sOooO happy it wasn't my fault! Sorry about the car, Lane. The kid's insurance should cover any repairs.

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After church, I was really scared to drive home...and for good reason. Driving down that steep hill past the temple, I was pumping the breaks constantly so that I was only going at a crawl and wouldn't slip. Unfortunately, when the three cars in front of me breaked in order to turn, I still couldn't stop and tried to move to adjust to the next lane to avoid another accident. Instead of changing lanes, however, Lexus went into a complete 360 degree turn, and there was nothing in the world I could do about it. After getting stuck in the shoulder, a guy helped me out and I s-l-o-w-l-y slipped and slid my way home. There was a meeting that I was supposed to be to at the church in an hour. Needless to say...I sat that one out.

And wouldn't you know it...these are the shoes I chose to wear to church today. The cop even commented, "Those are the wrong shoes to be wearing in the snow, girl." My toes were already well aware, thanks. I never dreamt I'd spend so long tromping through the elements.

My Best Friend

So I've been thinking about Andrew since we celebrated our two years together last week. I love him a lot. Let me share just a few reasons why...

1. He's so smart and hardworking. I am so proud of his ability to build big, beautiful homes. He's good at what he does.

2. He likes to cuddle.

3. He helps me out and supports me in everything I do. He takes care of what I can't.

4. Andrew loves to eat air-popped popcorn for dinner as much as I do.

5. I honestly can't think of a soul who doesn't like Andrew. He is just a cool, friendly, funny guy who carries himself well. I have always been proud to introduce him as my husband. I am constantly at awe at his ability to instantly become best friends with anyone (regardless if they're age 2 or 102) within a few minutes.

6. He constantly serenades me with random, silly songs...about how much he loves me, how happy he is to see me, how a hawk is flying in the sky, or how he sees beef cooking on the stove...

7. Andrew is unable to calmly enter or exit a room in the house that I am in. His entrances always seem to be accompanied by a karate kick, a little leprechaun dance, a ballerina leap, or a dramatized seductive stare in my direction. His exits tend to consist of a booty shake, a bunny hop, or a sudden operatic outburst. Why? Who knows. That is just Andrew...but I love him for it!

8. Andrew never complains about or criticizes me.

9. I was a fairly independent, self sufficient chick at one time. However, in the last two years, I have all but lost any ability to open my own doors, squish bugs, or lift anything over ten pounds. That's his department now.

10. He has dimples, smiley eyes, and a really cute bum.

Arizona Christmas Vacation

We left our several feet of fresh white snow to fly to a land of sixty degree Christmas weather, but we were happy for the chance to visit family and relax for almost two weeks.

Christmas Eve Tradition: Andrew's parents, Andrew's brother Ryan, and our niece Riley about ready to unwrap their new Christmas pajamas.

My favorite shot of the trip! Andrew captured perfectly the feeling of the morning: everyone in their colorful, new pj's and general happy chaos. The mountain of present under the tree have been significantly diminshed by this point, believe it or not. (Look at Riley trying on her new bike helmet!)

Gabe (Andrew's sis) and John (our brother-in-law) open gifts Christmas morning.

Next, we drove from Maricopa to Gilbert to spend share some Christmas Day with my Mom and Becca, and then to Mesa to see Dad and the girls. Here is Becca's cute self on Christmas Day. (I wonder where she got that cool black vest?)

Here Andrew plays with my little sisters (Aria and Aurora) at Dad's place.

While we were in Arizona, Andrew and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary with the Ashmores at our favorite restaurant in the entire world...Texas Roadhouse! I LOVE the unlimited rolls and cinnamon butter. I know I ate way more then can be good for my health.

As you can see, our niece Riley agrees with me about the rolls and butter...

After dinner, we escaped to a nice hotel in Scottsdale. It was fun to stay somewhere new!