5th Anniversary

Saturday, the 27th, Sean and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. We started the day in Bakersfield with Sean's aunt and uncle. Then we drove back to San Luis where we dropped off our car to get the windows tinted (the car looks AWESOME!). After that we went to our favorite deli and got sandwiches from High Street Deli. We then ran some errands, relaxed some, and went to see Benjamin Buttons (which I like the more and more I think about it). 

It was playing at the big Fremont Theater (beautiful theater!!!!). 

Finally, we went to my favorite Italian restaurant, Bunoa Tavloa (again - AWESOME) and had dinner outside, sitting under heat lamps. It was beautiful and very romantic. Great way to celebrate 5 years together! 

Family Photos

While in California Sean's mom, Kim, and his step-sister, Jamie, made us all holiday shirts. We all posed in front of the Christmas tree and then got into teams and made gingerbread houses (those pictures will come later!). We had a wonderful holiday with the fam and are throughly enjoying the warm, sunny California weather. Isn't it so sad how quickly the hoidays are over? 

Sean's family: Patrick, Taylor, Sammy Dog, Milan, Jamie, Me, Sean, Kim, Dan, & Tani

Sean, Sammy (Sean's family dog) & me

Special Congrats!!!

I'm writing this post to congratulate one of my longest friends, Emily Koch, on her engagement to her boyfriend of a year, Ryan Elmore. I've only met Ryan once, but I knew right away that I like him and that he's a great guy. Their plans are to wed late summer and I couldn't be happier for the two of them. Here are some pictures of Emily and me (and other friends as well) starting from the beginning of our friendship (6th grade!!!!). LOVE YOU EMMY!!!!

Middle school picture!! (Kendra, Brittany, Kristin, Tiffany, me and Emily)

Jen, me and Emily in high school

Em and me on our 2nd (out of 3!) trip to Florida

me, Em, and Ryan

Christmas Lights / Blizzard #1

One of the amazing houses at Balboa Island

One of my favorite things of the holiday is driving around and looking at the lights. I must admit that Rexburg does a great job with decorating Main Street. The lights are beautiful and the tree by UVI is probably my favorite part. It's decorated with red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and orange (maybe?) lights. It's so pretty. Anyways I know that loving Christmas lights is nothing unique or creative on my part but who has time to be unique or creative during the holidays. Not me.

The Tree on Main St. (Looks WAY cooler in person)

Main St. decorations

Anywhoo...

Yesterday was our first real blizzard of the season. It was a crazy one too. It was also really bad timing too since most college kids were driving home that day. If you know me, then you know I dislike snow and I especially hate driving in it. Actually it freaks me out. But I must tell you, I stayed pretty calm yesterday. Why? We just put on our new AMAZING snow tires Friday. They are absolutely awesome. I almost want to say that if it snows next weekend while we're driving down to California that I won't freak. But I know that's probably a lie. How about I just say I won't freak out as bad. That's better.

Blizzard!!! Can you see Taco Time across the street? Me either! 

Look at those crazy huge snow flakes!

Thanksgiving '08

This year for Thanksgiving my parents and oldest brother, Brian, flew to Rexburg from Ohio. They made the journey last year as well. They got here on Wednesday and just left a few hours ago. While they were here we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, the dog show, ate awesome turkey (as well as other sides that were tasty), saw Twilight and James Bond, watched the last Sopranos episode (so sad it's over), went to Jackson Hole, WY, shopped at the mall in IF, had lunch with Trent, Alisa and Lucy, took naps, ate more turkey, decorated our Christmas tree, and just enjoyed being together.

Mom, me and Dad in Jackson

Mom, buffalo, and me

Brian and me with Bigfoot in Jackson

Alisa, Mom, Lucy, and me eating Chinese food

my Christmas tree!!!

I was so glad my parents came here for Thanksgiving. The only way it would have been more perfect is if some other of my sibling and their families could have come too and if Sean's family were here.  I felt it was a very successful Thanksgiving though and now we have Christmas to look forward to! 

A Message To Our Friends

Well, Rachel has graciously allowed me to guestblog this week, and I figured that I had better not miss an opportunity to create my first post ever for our family blog.  Actually to be fair, Rachel has asked me numerous times if there was anything I would like to add, and if so, that it would be most welcome.  She does such a fantastic job that I've never really felt that I could add much to her already stellar posts, that is, until now.  I think it's important that our friends know who we are and to what causes we choose to commit ourselves.  That's why I'm writing today.

Things have been rather hectic as of late; both within our small family and the nation as well.  There have been political upsets and social upheaval - things that will change our lives forever and have far-reaching implications.  The recent election has garnered much skepticism from our part of the world, and people are doubtful that the country is headed in the right direction.  It is with that in mind that we would like to talk about one issue in particular: Gay Marriage.

Rachel an I choose to support our gay brothers and sisters in their efforts to gain equal status as citizens of the United States.

It was never a conscious decision on our part to support gay couples in their march towards equality; it just always seemed the right side to be on.  We have chosen to love.  We have chosen not to tolerate, but to embrace.  We have chosen to take from our hearts the hate and spite that so roundly encompasses this issue, and to follow our consciences.  It was, therefore, with dismay that we watched the controversial Proposition 8 pass by a slim margin in California, and the negative feelings and reactions it evoked from both sides.

The people spoke, and the outcome was not what we had hoped for, but it was wonderful to see everyone voting, and exercising their right to be heard - to stand and be counted.  We will encourage everyone to continue to do so, and continue to respect the opinions and convictions of everyone involved.  In the end, we had to ask ourselves if we could simply watch as our friends had something so valuable taken away.

We cannot.  We refuse to do so.

This post is not meant to be inflammatory; its intent is not to encourage hate and distrust.  This is simply to let people know who we are and where we choose to stand in this world.  We implore that tolerance and kindness be the mantra for both sides.

We have chosen love and we have chosen hope.  We would invite others to follow.

Dance reunion

Once upon a time (almost eight years ago) I joined a dance team at BYU-Idaho called Collaborative Dance Theater (CDT). It was probably the best thing I did at college (besides getting my degree, marrying Sean and becoming a certified teacher). It's were I met all of my college friends and made soooo many memories. There are a lot of us that were on CDT that are still in the area so we had a little mini-reunion/dance class. It was so wonderful to see these girls and dance with them again. I realized I'm super out of shape, but I also realized how much I missed dancing. We're thinking this will become a monthly thing. I sure hope so!!!!

The group before class - Monica, Wendy, Arianne, Joy, Sarah, me, Kate,  & Whitney

Sarah and Monica

me and Whitney

Joy and Arianne

Sarah, baby Lila, Monica, and Kate