Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2011!

Special thanks to Jen H. for designing our adorable cards this year (she should start a business!). And thanks to PJ for being our handy photographer this year. He's getting so good at the timer and running into place for the picture.

We had lots of fun taking pictures.

As always I hope that you may feel the true spirit of Christmas - even with all the madness. Here is a little something to help with that ~enjoy.

Help

Okay people I've started to go to the gym.

I need some good suggestions for my workout playlist.

country music just doesn't seem to get me pumped up to work out - weird I know.

I'm not a big hip hop/ RB fan, but I'm open to try whatever.

So tell me what's inspires you to get going?

Utah Part 1

In August we made our traditional journey our West.

(West is still Best after all)

The first week we spent with the Jeppson's at the cabin in Idaho. I was having trouble uploading (or is it downloading - I never know) the pictures from that trip. So I'll begin with the 2nd half of the trip with my family.

We actually stayed for a few days in a fun hotel in SLC and saw the sites.

It was such a fun week. Love my parents.

Two of my favorite guys.

Grandpa T. & Samuel

Hogle Zoo

Albion Basin in Alta

Breathtaking Views

Oh mountains how I miss you. . .makes my heart hurt.

Love this picture of Samuel with Grandma and Grandpa

Camping up Payson Canyon

I'll always be a daddy's girl.

"Rhode Island Home, You Mean"

When we first moved here if we were out running errands and I'd say to Samuel "ok, lets go home" he'd always correct me and say "You mean Rhode Island home mommy." It was funny. . .but kinda sad. It was confusing and hard for Samuel at first, but I think he's adjusted well. Anyway here are some pictures of our Rhode Island home. I added "before and after" pictures for some of the rooms, others I didn't have any "before" pics. It's hard to find the line between making a rental your own, but not overdoing it - after all it's only temporary. We painted the family and dinning rooms, Samuel's playroom, and our bedroom upstairs. They needed painting and our landlord paid for the paint. By the time we were done painting and CLEANING (a story for another time) we couldn't bring ourselves to spend anymore time on this place.

I mean there are beaches to visit in Rhode Island people.

Family Room: Before

After

More Before

More After

Dinning Room: Before

After

Kitchen: Before

We didn't do much here, mostly just personal touches. The floors in the house are in seriously sad shape, the kitchen floor is terrible. We found an outdoor rug at Sam's Club for CHEAP so we put it down in the kitchen. It's perfect because when it gets dirty we just pull it up, take it outside and spray it down.

Kitchen After

Before

After

Samuel's Room. We decided not to paint in here. I did repaint his dresser and the knobs, we found the bookshelves on the side of the road, so I painted them and then just added things I've collected over the years. I still need to paint the nightstand, but overall I like the way it turned out.

Playroom. We painted this room, I love this blue, it is the same color we painted Samuel's room in Cleveland. The floor in this room was pretty rough as well. We go these rubber matting at Sam's Club and I love the way it turned out.

Basement. We didn't do anything down here, well except CLEAN.

So there is our Rhode Island house my friends. The pictures are recent, you may have noticed the fall decor :) It took us awhile to get things put together. Luckily we had fun visitors in October and nothing gets you motivated to get things done like visitors coming. Right?

A few thoughts on potty training

• Clorox Wipes are a mom's best friend
• Samuel looks awfully cute in his little undies
• As I packed the diapers away I sadly realized I no longer have a baby

This is just going way too fast.

Farewell To Cleveland

Where to start? I have to say I really tried to love Cleveland the way I loved St. Louis. (And the way I already LOVE, LOVE Rhode Island.)

I really tried.

But it's hard to love such a gloomy - ghetto city. Remember this little video. . .sadly not far from the truth, especially the part about the sun only shinning 3 times a year!

Okay with that being said, I do have to admit whenever I think of Cleveland or hear the name I do have a feeling of fondness come to mind. It may sound crazy but it's true. It's all about the people my friends. I made such dear, lifelong friends there. Our first year in Cleveland I worked at Nordstrom and loved the peeps I was so lucky to work with. Then when I quit work I started forming wonderful friendships with girls from church. Each girlfriend truly had a unique quality that I loved. I wish I could take a piece from each and become the perfect girl. I actually try, everyday, to emulate those qualities I so admired.

I try to BE:

Poised and Ladylike. Organized. Self disciplined.

Adventurous. Charitable. Spiritual. Patient. Talented.

Friendly to All. Confident. Fun. Not so Gossipy (it's a word).

Each of these characteristics, and more, represent a quality that different friends had. I will always remember these sweet ladies.

This is what will make Cleveland a fond memory for me.

Oh and this other tiny little event that happened while we lived there.

My baby Samuel was born.

Farewell Cleveland and thank you for the happy memories.

Girlfriends

I was so blessed in Cleveland to have many dear, dear friends. I'm not sure what I did to deserve this. . .but I won't ask why, I just know I'm a lucky girl.

I had the opportunity to serve in RS with these pretty ladies. After we were released from our callings we really missed our presidency meetings (well mostly we missed the late night chats). So we started having our own "presidency meetings" a couple times a month just so we could still see each other. I love these gals!

When I was making the forever long drive to RI from OH I had time to reflect on the whirlwind of the last couple of days. You know at the end of packing up your house there is all this miscellaneous, sorry but, crap laying all over?! Hate that stuff. Then there is all the cleaning, organizing, etc. These 2 gals came over and stayed until the bitter end! Cleaning out gross kitchen closets, packing boxes, sweeping, buying take out for dinner, the list goes on and on. Anyway ,as I was driving I was thinking what wonderful, loyal friends. Pete and I were/are so incredibly thankful for their (and their busy husbands)help.

Forever grateful.

I hope one day I can return the favor or at least pay it forward.

on one of our girls night out

Me. Dominica. Jen

Abrahms & Guerreros

One of the greatest blessings we received while living in Cleveland was finding our house/apt our second year there. The place we lived our first year was a bit of a nightmare and the landlord was terrible. (however we had great neighbors - love the Neibaurs). I found out about our 2nd place from a gal in the ward who said they loved their landlord. That was music to my ears! Then she took me on a tour of the apartment - I immediately fell in love with it.

So we moved there a couple weeks after Samuel was born.

I truly have never loved living somewhere SO much. Even as I write this post I'm tearing up! Is it silly to love a rental so much?! When we were packing and cleaning all the rooms on our last day,I was in tears then too. There were just so many happy memories in that little place. We had the most wonderful, dear upstairs neighbors who became such good friends. We loved (and will forever) love Dubert, Anne, and Jacob. I've mentioned in previous posts how amazing our landlord, Simon, was as well. Trust me, he is one of a kind. He and his family were SO good to us.

They will also be life long friends.

As it turned out both us and the family upstairs were moving out this spring, so Simon had a BBQ for us all. See what landlord does that?!

Sweet Anne and Jacob

Samuel LOVED, LOVED Simon's sons.

They were amazing with Samuel whenever they came with their dad to do work around the house. Pete & I hope Samuel turns out to be as polite and kind as these boys are.

Playing Ball

Abrahms Family. Guerrero Family. Jeppson Family

Graduation & The Sites

~Residency Graduation~

Yes it did actually happen. . .

Pete completed residency. . .there actually is an end.

I'm not going to lie that was a HARD 4 yrs.

There are a lot of happy memories in there as well,

but I'm glad that part of our lives has passed on.

Hang ON my friends whose hubbys are still in residency - one day this will be you!

Pete did an amazing job keeping balance in his life and for that I'm very grateful.

He accomplished so much during the past four years and I am so proud of him.

Pete is a goal setter and he accomplished ALL that he wanted to for residency - including getting accepted to one of the countries best fellowship programs. I don't brag too often about Pete but I really am so grateful for his hours and hours and hours of hard work. He is so disciplined when it comes to work and it is something I truly admire.

Love you so much PJ.

Here is Pete with his class of residents.

Yep only guy, he handled that well too :)

Receiving his certificate

Pete's parents came out for his graduation and somehow we didn't get any pictures of them! Oh yes, my camera was broken. Pete's dad took the ones we have. I'm sad we didn't get a picture of them with Pete.

Pete still had a couple weeks left of residency (isn't that cruel?!) so I took Grandma & Grandpa J. site seeing.

Fairport Harbor Many of the early saints from our church landed here to settle in Kirtland. There is a beautiful beach here as well. We went down to look at it and next thing I know Samuel has stripped down to his diaper. He and Grampsy Boy were both playing in the water. You've got to love a grandpa who is always up for a fun time!

A trip through Amish country.

The Johnson Farm

We had such a great time with Pete's parents. They were not only able to be there for Pete's graduation, but for Samuel's birthday as well. It was so fun to be able to have them and show them around! We are eternally grateful for all their love and support.