pinky C

i wanna be your friday night

2012-02-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than getting to Friday?

There just seems to be something so refreshing about getting to the end of the work week and having this small sense of freedom for the next two days.

Friday night seems to be the highlight of it all.

Well tomorrow it is finally Friday again and I can't wait.

Cameron and I have been really trying to have a date night and done pretty well.

- Last week we went to The Pie and the U of U gymnastics meet.
- Tomorrow night we are off for a special couples massage (yep, 2 hours of a massage, soaking tub, and foot scrub - sounds like heaven right?). It's part of our Valentines from last year and combining this year - I'm pretty excited.
- Next week we have a bowling night planned with my family.

I guess I am having the "end is in sight" feeling and want to soak up every minute I get alone with Cameron - for I know those minutes are numbered.

It's like dating all over again - I just really like the guy and he's taken my Friday nights up a notch (and they were pretty good before).

Needless to say - I'm pretty excited for my Friday night tomorrow.

Nursery Projects

2012-01-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

I had every intention of blogging about the wonderful weekend we had (including a date night on Friday) and not let my blog get sucked into constant baby babble - but I took one picture on our date on Friday and quickly realized that I probably won't post another picture of me on my blog for a while - this pregnancy is not doing me any favors...

So, needless to say, you are getting more baby updates (sorry).

This weekend kind of marks the end in some ways - we have most everything bought that we need to bring Baby Clark home. Now just comes the putting everything together, a few projects, and actually getting the room to actually look like a nursery.

Saturday started out with inheriting 2 dressers from my mom's childhood. Her sister and her each had one of these growing up and my aunt was now getting rid of them - I was the lucky one who just happened to need a dresser and lucked out with two.

They have vintage charm for my vintage-meets-modern nursery and with a fresh coat of white paint, possibly some new pulls, and a little bit of trickery, they are going to look like one solid piece of furniture and perfect for a lamp, decor, and changing pad on top and storage of all things little and baby.

Can't you see the potential? (and the messy state of the room - it's a work in progress clearly - but don't you love that bird print that was donated oh-so-generously from my sister? I love a good cast-off)

Today I moved on to working on the crib sheets and car seat cover. We are going neutral (obviously) and found that it was going to be far better (both style-wise and financially) to make our own things. I bought 4 different gray pattern fabrics to make different sheets, and the most adorable colorful lining for the car seat cover. Now all I need is some more energy to finish all the bending over (which is surprisingly exhausting), cutting, and pinning and a trip to my mom's house to get it all sewn.

Our living room has now been transformed into the craft room...

(sorry for the crappy pictures - my actually camera is broken... boo)

Things are definitely underway, but as I am a little nervous for the actual arrival of this babe, the crib going up and the room getting pulled together is probably a ways down the road. I can't having it feeling too real too soon. I'm still working on wrapping my head around the fact that we are even having a baby.

it was love

2012-01-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

... at first sight.

I found this lovely diaper bag and I can't get it out of my head - although the price tag does seem to keep bringing me back to reality. Does it really have to cost that much?

It's a beauty though, right?

0-5 for 48 Hours

2012-01-22T20:39:00.002-07:00

It all started Friday night...

We picked up the Jensen kids (yes, all 5 of them) and headed to our little abode. The kids were so excited and the girls were thrilled that we happened to all be wearing essentially the same outfit. Cute, right?

Our weekend consisted of drawing (lots of drawing - Andrew probably spent hours drawing and loved having his own person tutor in Cameron)

The kids discovered the fun of Twister and played and played and played...

We also introduced them to checkers. It was a bit of a bittersweet thing to teach them - it kept them entertained but we were constantly refereeing and trying to help them understand the rules and strategies.

Of course there was lots of movie/TV watching - and this was all just by Friday night - are you exhausted yet? We were.

The next morning after breakfast and clean-up - our cleanup turned into parachute with the blanket among whatever else we could do to entertain them for the morning.

With torrential rain outside, we were basically stuck inside. Since I happen to be well versed in the sneaky ways of moms, we took the group to McDonald's - it's amazing what endless diet coke and a play-place will do for the psyche. We wasted a good two hours there - which was heaven.

The rest of Saturday was spent with some quiet-time (in which some of the girls took naps), more twister, drawing, checkers, etc.

We killed some energy with tag while I made dinner - which proved to be a perfect time killer too, those kids have so much energy.

After dinner was making cookies, eating ice cream, and one more movie.

Sunday morning was probably the biggest reality check to what is in store. We had everyone up, fed, bathed, hair blown dry, dressed, and to church one time - at 9:00. Crazy right? It's probably easy to do once - but I don't know how any parents with kids get to 9:00 church on time. Cheers to you!

After feeding the kids, watching some more TV and packing up we returned these little darlings to their parents.

It was a fabulous weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute with these cute kids. They were so well behaved and I loved the little special moments I had with each one of them (including Morgan getting to feel the baby kick - second only after Cameron felt it for the first time right before - very exciting).

But when it was 3:00 and we came back home to a very quiet house I was ok that my days as a mom are still a few months away.

Because right now, this is how I can recuperate...

Thanks for letting us take your kids Trent and Amy - and for letting us return them.

The Belly

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to finally take my first "belly" picture.

My belly is starting to look somewhat like a baby-belly (instead of just me getting chubbier - which I definitely am) so I thought I would share:

23 weeks

I still can't believe there is actually a baby in there - but I know the reality of that will come all too quickly so I'll enjoy my manageably small baby belly, overall comfort, and try to soak up these last few "normal" weeks of my life.

THE Beard

2012-01-18T20:03:00.002-07:00

This is Cameron and how he looks about 99% of the time since I've even known him:

Now, if you haven't seen Cam for the last couple of months this next picture may shock you, but this is how Cameron now looks (disclaimer - Cam beard is a bit fluffed out here so it doesn't always look this crazy):

Quite a difference, right? Cameron got this great/crazy/fun idea to grow out his beard until Ragnar. This is where I tell you that Ragnar is still 3 months away - can you imagine what it is going to look like at that point?

Let me give you an idea:

I'm pretty sure this is a good indication of what my husband may look like - it's a good thing I find him adorable no matter what.

Our only agreement about this is that he shaves it to his more "normal" length before the baby comes. I think it is a fair agreement, right? He didn't argue with it and I think he will actually be ready to shave it far before Ragnar - but I think he'll stick it out...

What To Do...

2012-01-16T21:57:00.001-07:00

During one of the times I got to see my sisters this weekend (I was lucky enough to see them all twice), I started hitting them up for baby advice. What to get, what not to get, what specifics I might like, etc.

We got on the topic of strollers - one thing I have been back and forth on quite a bit. I got lots of great information as well as a few suggestions. One being this:

The Phil and Ted's Explorer

Which I just happen to love - car seat adapter for clip in, a kit for a second child, jogging capabilities - basically all the bells and whistles.

And a price tag like this: $$$

The hard thing is not only is the stroller expensive - we have to buy a car seat, the adapter, and then the double kit all on top of the price of the stroller. So that price tag is more like this: $$$$

Now I have stroller envy - my other cheaper option:

has a price tags like $ and has little to now bells or whistles and just fits the car seat until the next to nothing option comes in (a $15 umbrella stroller) when the car seat isn't needed.

Not nearly as appealing, right? Which is reality.

So now I am embattled to make a big decision - make a (large) investment upfront and get a nice, multi-purpose stroller or make due with "a 1/3 of the price tag" option?

Suggestions? Advice? Direction?

I'll take any of it...

This is What Happens...

2012-01-14T15:20:00.001-07:00

... when Saturday rolls around and it's time to make some space for Baby.

Last Saturday I told Cameron that I just wanted to do a little spring cleaning and just clean out the Baby's closet. It started there, but as most cleaning out goes - it spread. It spread to every other closet in our house and then to our dresser, and then I got burned out.

But... do you see how much we cleaned out? Ya, it's a lot (indicating we have too much stuff). I would say it was a success.

The down side - our house was a whole lot messier than when we started. I hate that. To make matters worse, we happened to watch hoarders the next day before everything was cleaned up: bad idea.

When you get done watching hoarders and it is Sunday night at 10:00 (indicating it was past my bed time) and your house is a gigantic mess it's likely that if you are pregnant you then have a minor meltdown. I did.

I spent the next 45 minutes cleaning anything and everything:

- dishes were done

- the kitchen got cleaned

- clothes were bagged up (over 4 giant garbage bags full)

- the bathroom was cleaned

- laundry was started

And things started to get a little bit better.

Now, after tomorrow when my family has had a chance to rummage through our stuff, it's off to the DI and out of my life - such a good feeling.

The Lucky One

2012-01-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days.

Yep. I can't really pinpoint why, but I am pretty sure I can blame it on being pregnant. I've heard about pregnancy emotions, but man - once the tears turn on there is no turning them off. I've probably cried for a good 2 hours in the last 24 hours (and that is taking into account that I slept for 8 of those hours).

side note: I am going to make a little injection here that I think crying has honestly been one of the first and only side effects of pregnancy I have experienced. I don't know why I am been so lucky, but I have been shocked at the ease of this pregnancy. I should probably knock on wood, thank my lucky stars, or whatever else I can think of to keep this luck going. I honestly have felt so blessed and can only hope it continues.

But back to my day...

Despite the pit of despair I randomly found myself in I kind of realized that I am pretty lucky. Amid a barrage of emails and texts to Cam and complaining that I wish I could have just called in sick, that things were different, or that I could just get a grip - he responded with encouraging/understanding words and when I told him I just wish I could see him, he sent me this:

A way to see him (and yes, his beard is really getting that long - I love my mountain man).

Not only does he do sweet things like that that catch me off guard and make me smile, he just gets me. He knows how to love me, when to console me, when to tell me to let things go, when to just go with my crazy emotions, and what to say to make me feel validated and understood but also help me see the more rational side of things.

I basically think he is pretty great.

As I had this great revelation of the great husband I have - there was a very different conversation going on at work. It was much to the effect of how marriage is "death" and how "free" you are not being married - even some of the married people agreed - meaning they must face such sad things in their marriage. I listened in and just wanted to scream at how wrong they all are. I know marriage isn't perfect and it for sure has it's ups and downs, but I have never been happier than I have been being married. It made me so sad to hear that people can feel that way about their spouse - what an awful way to go through life.

This conversation just further cemented what I already knew - I hit the jackpot. I found Cameron who is perfect for me. I felt even more lucky that despite my bad day I got to turn to my best friend/love of my life and find such comfort there.

So regardless of my "one of those" days - I have found some comfort in coming home, curling up on the couch and being perfectly content that I have a great husband, an overly easy pregnancy, and I know that everything is going to be alright.

I ended up being the lucky one today.

little love bug

2012-01-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I hit the half way mark - which is cause for a celebration. We celebrated with a yummy meal at Texas Roadhouse with the rest of the St. George goers (we ventured to St. George for New Year's - such a low key, relaxing weekend and not a single picture to show for it).

Being half way there means we had our ultrasound - last Tuesday we got to see our little love bug. It was so amazing to see that there is actually something growing in there.

We got to see all of Baby Clark's tiny parts - including tiny hands, a button nose, and itty-bitty toes.

I was in awe that all of those little parts are growing and developing just as they should - what a divine process.

I started to feel the baby a couple weeks ago which only makes the reality sink in a bit more. With every new week, little movement, growing inch (both mine and the baby's), and changing clothes - I am getting this much closer to meeting this sweet little baby.

After some convincing on my part, Cameron decided to go along with me and have a surprise baby! I know everyone has their own opinions about it, but I have never wanted to find out and think there is something so exciting about the birth day when you get to find out. So love it or hate it, Baby Clark will remain a surprise until the big day.

So stay tuned... (come on - I know it intrigues you.)

Merry Friday

2011-12-09T19:12:00.001-07:00

I think I have stumbled upon the perfect Friday.

I came home from work to find a clean house (dishes done, laundry started, bed made, house straightened, Christmas lights ablaze, clutter cleared, etc) and an adorable husband who did it all.

I made dinner (Magic Dip Sandwich - thanks to Jamie our lives will never be the same because of this) which was oh so delicious and hit the spot.

To cap the night off I curled up on the couch, with the Christmas tree gleaming and the fire glowing, to watch the first (of many) installment of "Muppet's Christmas Carol" (hands down the best Christmas show) while cuddled into the arms of my love.

Sounds pretty perfect, right?

I kinda thought so...

Gratitude: A New Kitchen

2011-11-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

Drum roll please.....

Our kitchen is finally done!!!

(well almost, we still need to do our back splash, but my "home projects motivation" has escaped me and I need a break)

But to show you just how far we have come, let me illustrate with pictures.

We started with this:

I am terrible at taking before pictures so don't mind the poor quality - it was just a random picture I have of my kitchen from a long time ago

Got the cabinets painted to get to here (which was a HUGE undertaking in and of itself - nearly killed me):

Then capped it off with new hardware, a new sink and faucet, and new countertops - quite the dramatic change, wouldn't you say?

We love it. We also love that Cam and I did all of this ourselves (but must mention the much needed help and tools from Trent along the way - seriously, what would we do without him?). It's so nice to see the fruit of our labor and be in love with the outcome. It's everything I dreamed it would be and more. It brightens our whole house and makes our tiny kitchen feel just a bit bigger.

I must admit that the crown jewel of the whole project is the sink, just look at this beauty:

I have wanted a farm house/apron sink for so long and we made that happen - it ended up working out perfectly and again with a little help, from Cameron's super nice friend who happens to be a plumber, we got running water on Saturday and I don't think I could have been any happier.

It's been a lot of work and a long road to get here, but I would say it was worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears (trust me, there were some of those).

Now I can just dream of getting our white subway tile back splash in and hope that I find the motivation to do that (come to think of it - anyone know how to tile that we can just pay you to do it? that may be the better option...).

Thanks for letting me share, after being without a working kitchen (aka no sink/running water/dishwasher) I am so grateful for our kitchen.

Gratitude: Kisses

2011-11-21T21:33:00.001-07:00

Being sick (yes, I know, I am mentioning this again, but it really has made me grateful for a lot of things) for a week now and trying my hardest not to spread it around, I have come to be grateful for kisses.

Good morning kisses.

Good-bye kisses.

Hello kisses.

I missed you kisses.

Just because kisses.

Everything will be OK kisses.

I love you kisses.

Good night kisses.

I didn't realize that I took for granted just how nice it is to have that someone who can make everything right in the world with a simple kiss.

I can't wait for this stinkin' cold to clear up so I can kiss that boy of mine and he can make everything right in my world again.

Gratitude: Catch-Up

2011-11-19T13:12:00.001-07:00

I think I need to catch up on quite a few things I am grateful for:

Weekends. I live for the weekends. I love all the time I get to spend with Cam and the fact that we get to be as lazy or productive as we would like. If it's not the weekend, I'm spending my time looking forward to the weekend. Basically I just love the weekends.

Family. I know this probably deserves a whole post on it's own, but I have a pretty amazing family. I went to lunch with my sisters, grandma and mom yesterday and lucky for me this is about a biweekly occurrence. I love the time I get to spend with them and how great it is that we seek each other out as our preferred company.

Health. While I have already mentioned how grateful I am for my health while I have been pregnant (and even more gratefully it has continued), I have had a killer cold this past week that I thought may kill me. From sleepless nights to a stuffed up head, it has made me so grateful that a cold is the extent of my health woes.

Home Projects. I think today I am more grateful that our home projects are complete, but I am grateful for the challenge and gratification that comes with them. Trust me, I have a post coming on this, but I think I am too exhausted to document it right now, but it brings me to my next thing...

Trent. I'm sure I could highlight all of my siblings, but with a large scale kitchen remodel in full swing, Trent came to our rescue more than once. Not only did he spare some of his very valuable time, he lent us tool after tool to finish our project. I'm also grateful that he was so willing to help through all of it, I am again so lucky to have such a great family.

Seasons. I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place with such beautiful changes of the seasons. I love the mild fall we have had and that snow is coming. Nothing says "the holidays" like snow.

The Gospel. What a blessing to have the knowledge of the true gospel and the prospective it provides. With a little one on the way, I am even more grateful for the blessing of our temple marriage and the promise of forever.

This list could go on, but I'll just try to stay on top of it for the next few days. Thank goodness we have such a wonderful time of year that helps us remember all that we have.

Gratitude: Baby Makes Three

2011-11-07T12:03:00.002-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT: We are having a baby!

(exciting and scary all at the same time, right?)

Now that that is out there I can expound upon the many things I feel grateful for in this regard.

First and foremost: the miracle of life. The whole process of having a baby just amazes me the more I read and learn about it. Even more amazing, the Heavenly Father who created us and shared with us this sacred blessing of being able to create life. I am in awe at the divine nature of growing a baby and hope to only grow closer to my Heavenly Father through this process.

Second: a healthy body that allows me to bear children. My heart just aches for those that struggle with this, I pray for them in their trials and am humbled by the blessing it is that this is happening for me. I have felt surprisingly great through the first trimester and I am extremely grateful for that. There was maybe only 2 days in the last 12 weeks that I thought I just might die, but I will count those two as a blessed reminder of how great every other day was.

Third: Cameron and the companion that he is. My heart just swells with the love I have for him and the happiness of getting to start our family with him. Our kids are going to be so blessed with a kind and wonderful dad. They will have a great example of many of the great attributes I hope they learn from their dad. I know my love for him will only grow throughout this process, but even up to this point, I never knew how deeply I could love him.

Last (although there is an abundant list of things I am grateful for): the excitement and joy that surrounds this little baby. Cameron and I are thrilled to say the least and it has meant so much to us to share the news and to receive the support and excitement from those we love.

I'm still waiting for it to really set in that I am in fact growing a baby, but I am so grateful to be going through this experience and looking forward to a sweet baby joining our family.

Gratitude: Us

2011-11-03T21:40:00.002-06:00

Today I am grateful for "us."

It seemed like I waited for a long time to find my Mr. Right. Living in Utah and passing the age of 20 basically made me feel like an old maid. Marriage seemed like a righteous desire and something that should have just happened shortly after high school - yet it seemed to elude me. I remember excessively wising I was married and looking for my Mr. around every corner. Funny thing was, I wasn't even quite sure what exactly marriage would have in store for me, if I were to ever find it. It's something I wanted so badly, but hearing about the "ups and the downs," just how hard it can be, that it's "not all it's cracked up to be" - I wondered what was it that made marriage so enticing and seem like the answer to all my problems.

Now I know.

It is the "us" instead of "me."

In all my days of yearning to be a Mrs. I realize now that I never even scratched the surface of knowing what makes marriage so great. Even now I am still learning about the depth of marriage and the blessing it is. I think those extra years (if you want to see them as "extra") of being alone, with those lonely times when I felt as if my heart might just break were just preparing me to truly appreciate just what it is to not be alone.

Having my world change from "me" & "I" to "us" & "we" completed me in a way I never imagined. I feel like my whole focus has shifted away from myself and the wants and needs of another become even more important than my own (just one of the many divine lessons to be learned in marriage). My heart no longer wants to break, but swell with love in having found the one to make me part of an "us."

Even the little things of confirming plans and saying "yes, we will be there," fills me with a delight that I can't describe. Everything seems just a little more manageable with an "us" instead of a "me." I think this is where the adage "my other half" comes from, finding your other half makes you complete by making you an "us."

And the cherry on top? The powerful blessing (a gratitude for another day) of the promise of forever getting to be an "us" with the love of my life.

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-02T12:21:00.000-06:00

I've decided to make my come back to blogging by jumping on the bandwagon with grattitude posts.

What better way to make sure I look for the blessing in my life (and keep me blogging) than this wonderful month of November.

I always like the change of October to November, once Halloween is over it seems like the "true holidays" start, the weather changes for good, homes become cozier, and family functions begin to multiply exponentially.

I'm so excited for the coming weeks and hope to make sure I take the time to look at all my many blessings (they are abundant and it's often overwhelming with how much I have been blessed by a Father in Heaven who loves me).

Welcome November and here's to having an attitude of gratitude and counting our blessings.

Layton Half Marathon

2011-10-09T19:26:00.003-06:00

Cameron, along with his dad and two sisters, decided a few months ago to run the Layton Half Marathon. With Cameron training for the Las Vegas Ragnar with my family, it seemed like good timing to train for the half as well.

Cam suffered a few set backs with a pulled muscle as well as some knee and shoe problems, but he pushed through and the race came and he was excited - although he didn't quite think he was as ready as he would like to have been.

Since we live in Utah and the weather decides to do what it wants, Cam went from training in the heat of the day (high 80's) for weeks to running on race day in cold temps (low 40's). We made sure he had what he needed to stay warm and hoped that it wouldn't hinder him too much, which I don't think it did.

I was SO excited to see Cam cross the finish line, I love the finish line of races and I knew how much Cam had put into this and was anxious to see him and cheer him on to the finish. The Clark's all came out to show their support for the whole gang as we waited in the cold.

With the race delayed and Cam being unsure of what pace he would be able to keep, I hoped for the best for him and arrived early - which was a good thing. He kept his pace and finished right about when I thought he would. I was so proud of him and he was happy with his time - I'd say it was pretty good for his first half. He finished in 1:46:32 and 6th in his age group.

We waited for the rest of the runners who were all very happy to see the finish line - we were so proud of all them who pushed through everything to finish.

I know most runners are hitting their breaking point as they near the finish and I loved getting to help cheer them on - sometimes it's enough to bring you to tears to watch some of the runners.

Next up for Cam is Ragnar which we are both looking forward to - I think Cam has the racing bug and is already looking for more races to run. I love seeing him get excited and train and me getting to be a part of the build up and excitement of the race. It's awesome to see him work towards such a hard goal and do so well.

WAY TO GO CAM!
I'm so proud of you.

Lovely Ladies

2011-10-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

(I'm hoping the Les Mis song is running through your head right now... if not, just move on)

A couple weeks ago (most of) the Jensen girls headed down to St. George for a fun filled Girls Weekend. We made a full blown event of it and some of us got to go for five (yes 5) fun filled days. After reading my last post about Cameron's birthday trip, I feel like I can just write "ditto" and post new pictures. Sadly (and wonderfully all at the same time) our St. George trips don't change all that much: eating, pool, shopping (I feel like we could take a cue from Jersey Shore and just start calling it EPS).

I think we visited more that 7 restaurants - yep.

We also spent plenty to time outside by the pool - although we all seem to have taken a precautionary effort to avoid the sun so we spend plenty of time enjoying the shade by the pool.

We did try something new in the shopping department this trip - the Tuacahn Market. It's a (small) market with crafts and such. We didn't find much, but we are a bit spoiled by the fabulous markets we find on other vacations (Aloha Swap Meet, Orange County Farmers Market, Santee Alley, etc).

These lovely ladies were fabulous company (not to mention little Miles that joined us - do you know sweet a 3 week old baby is? He was a fabulous addition to the trip).

We did fill in the other gaps of time with the BYU vs. Utah game (pretty awesome right?), lots of reading (with over 20 magazines I think we had plenty of material), Words with Friends, girl talk, pillow talk (Amy and I opted to share a room since we both like to sleep with someone in the bed with us - it was good to catch up with my old roommate), and even some waxing - we know how to have a good time, right?

It was all fantastic. I'm so lucky to have such amazing sisters (and sister-in-laws) that are all my best friends.

Memory Lane... (kind of)

2011-10-02T20:11:00.001-06:00

Since I have decided that blogging is no longer the most important thing in my life (gasp!) a lot happens that goes undocumented.

For Cameron's birthday (yes, back in August) we decided to skip town and head to SG for a lovely weekend - which it was.

Our time was filled with lots of eating, sleeping, eating, shopping, eating, time by the pool, eating, and more lounging - did I mention we ate a lot? It wouldn't be a SG trip if it didn't go just like this.

We did whatever struck our fancy at any given moment. Does a vacation get any better than that?

The birthday boy got his birthday meal at Texas Roadhouse (is it possible to leave that place without eating a million rolls?) and we ventured to Brick Oven the night before (which Cam even called to make sure they had mizithra cheese for me because they sometimes run out - love him).

Our weekend was so unproductive that I only took out the (actual) camera once - and instead of documenting something nice I did for Cameron for his birthday (since that is what we were in fact celebrating) I documented just how nice my husband is to paint my toe nails, just because. He's pretty great, have I mentioned that?

It was a perfect long weekend and one that tuckered me right out (all that sitting around and eating can be exhausting) - Cam loves to document my napping on drives home - it kinda happens every time.

It was as close as a vacation can get to perfection.

Baby Boy Neider

2011-09-08T19:29:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago (to the day) Baby Boy Neider decided to to make his entrance into the world.

And let me tell you - he is a cutie.

I was able to take a long lunch and make the trek to the Riverton Hospital (who knew there was even civilization out there) - it was well worth it. I got to spend an hour with this precious new babe as well as my parents and Jamie and Mike (who were both greatly missed this summer so the time together was so nice).

As I have mentioned before (and will probably forever continue to mention) I just love my mom. I was able to just sit and chat with her as she took the time to ask about me and what was going on in my life.

I must have done something good in the pre-existance to get the mom I did.

Meeting Baby Boy Neider (who's real name is Miles, by the way) was the highlight of my week. It was one of those tender mercies in life that I get to take a break from work and get a peak at this little miracle and enjoy one my greatest blessings - my family. They don't come much better - I'm a lucky girl.

Congrats Mike and Jamie and thanks for letting me share in this special time.

Girl's Night

2011-09-04T22:01:00.000-06:00

Only in the Jensen Family would a "Girl's Night Out" consist of a football game by choice.

Brooke happened to score some (great) tickets to the Utah's Season Opener and she chose me as her date. I couldn't have been more thrilled.

We Jensen (Clark) girls love our Utes so this was quite the score.

There is something magical about the first game of the season - the bright lights of a night game, warm weather, the energy of the start of a new season, the anticipation of getting your first glimpse of the team - it just makes me giddy.

The night even ended on a good note with a win - always a good way to start the season.

I love that college football is here. I'm hoping that Utah can hold their own in this initial season in the Pac 12 - regardless I'm excited to be along for the ride.

Go Utes.

Ready. Set. Shop.

2011-08-31T19:49:00.002-06:00

It happened.

Marshalls has come to Utah and happens to be just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house

(and also conveniently opened up by a new Home Goods and Ross).

Of course this had to be taken advantage of and fast (they did open all of 6 days ago).

Brooke and my cute mom came up and after dinner together at my house we headed up for our inaugural visit. I was so excited - and it didn't disappoint.

First up: Marshalls.

Next: Home Goods (isn't my mom so adorable? I love her)

My sisters and mom are always such good shopping companions. The night was filled with good conversation, many opinions, and finding the fun in everything.

(let it be known that Teri Jensen loves sparkles - this pumpkin screams Teri)

We all had our successes and ended the night with a treat at Yogurt Stop. Yummy.

I wish I could have shopping trips like this every night - but I would choose to have ALL my sisters there. We missed all of you (Amy, Heidi, Jamie, Candice, and Jenny) - but I dare say there may just be a next time.

Home Project #1

2011-08-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I got the itch to do something to our house.

With multiple ideas floating around my head thanks to pinterest, I settled in on a board and batten idea.

I followed directions (for the most part) from here, I used MDF board as it was easier to find and already primed and was only a little bit more expensive.

So I started at The Home Depot (my favorite store these days). I grabbed my mdf boards, nails, liquid nails, caulk, caulk gun, paint, etc - ok, let's be honest, I wasn't organized to get this all at once. When does a home project not require 10 trips to the store?

I started by figuring out the spacing, measuring, marking, taping, and then nailing.

Once the vertical boards were up we framed the top with a larger vertical board and topped that with a picture ledge (at this point Cameron's dad was nice to help us cut the boards - we are such moochers when it comes to home projects).

Once everything was liquid nailed and then nailed to the wall we started prepping for painting which included caulking all the edges - it was my first time caulking and it went surprisingly well.

Then came the fun part - painting! I always love the way paint adds the finishing touches to projects.

The final product:

It is still a work in progress of exactly what to put on the picture ledge but I have a few ideas I'm working on.

I'm kind of in love with it...

(sorry for the poor pictures - apparently I only take pictures with my phone)

Summer Catch Up

2011-08-23T19:30:00.000-06:00

Are you ready for this?

Grab a treat and a drink, get comfortable, and get ready to experience our Summer all at once.

Girl's Night

About forever and a day ago Lynlee was in town and we went to the Bountiful temple. It was one of those nice summer nights when you walk out of the temple and just have the beauty right there.

Clark Swimming Nights

There were many of these - but luckily some got documented. We had a few family reunions, a farewell party (Clark's had the sweetest Spanish exchange student this summer - it was sad to see him go), and just some casual nights. Almost all of them end with s'mores around the firepit - delish!

We also celebrated the many summer holidays with sparklers - who wouldn't like sparklers by the fire followed by s'mores.

Perfect.

Lava Hot Springs

The Clark's planned a summer family party up to Lava - it was really fun. We stayed at an interesting B&B (which had a terrific view), played games, BBQ'd, and hot tub'd in the warm hot tub.

We (by we I mean some of us) enjoyed floating the river, walking through town and enjoying ice cream, and of course the pool (to which there isn't much documentation).

To refuel we went to a little pizza parlour in town - I think we doubled the occupants. I love little quaint places like this in these small towns.

We camped the second night (our first time camping together). I'm not much of a camper and we stayed at the KOA which as toilets, showers, laundry, and wifi - that's my kind of camping. We went to the hot pools that night (not documented) which is always the highlight of trips to Lava.

Swim Club

What is a summer without lazy Saturday's at the Evergreen Swim Club? I have spent countless hours here and I always love when the family gathers early Saturday morning and we have the pool to ourselves - this was also the first weekend Jamie was back in town - best. thing. ever.

I think this was the first time Annie ever said more than 2 words to me. She is so chatty and fun these days - Cameron and I could have played with her for hours in the pool. She loved "getting" Cameron and dunking him. Have I ever mentioned how adorable Cameron is with kids in the water? He may be the only reason we get invited to pool activities.

Girl's Night

I hosted a dinner at my house to help celebrate and get in more sister time during our reunion with Jamie. They humored me with letting me show off grilled pizza's - which I love. We laughed as always (have I ever mentioned how much I love my mom? we're pretty close and I love it), we chatted, shopped my closet, and headed out to shop for real (we may or may not have all let out an audible scream when we pulled in to Station Park and saw that a Marshall's is coming, I love my sisters).

It was a long summer without us all being together - I don't know what I would do without these girls. They are more than just my sisters, they are my best friends. Come on - doesn't it look like fun to be a part of this group?

(I'm not going to lie, it's the greatest)

That's most of the summer's main events (or at least what was documented).

Stay tuned for:

St. George

Home projects (our wall and cabinets)

and hopefully more consistent blogging

What The?

2011-08-18T16:22:00.000-06:00

How is it possible that I have let a complete month come and go without a single post?

It's a tragedy if you ask me.

I have so much to catch you all up on and it all feels a little overwhelming.

While I was away we were busy with:

swimming nights with s'mores at Clark's (quickly becoming one of my favorite summer activities)
Saturday's at the Swim Club (will always be a favorite)
a trip to Lava
sister time (loving being all in the same state again)
surviving 922 mosquito bites
2 weeks of no school for Cam
Ikea runs with new purchases
lots of movie nights (we are all about movies these days)
a date night with Trent and Amy
home projects (that at the moment are about to kill me)

I will get around to posting about our summer adventures - but you will just have to wait a few more days.

Is anyone else baffled that we are more than half way through August? Where does time go?!?

Day Five - Happy Anniversary! (and post #500!)

2011-07-17T18:03:00.000-06:00

A little delayed - but I'm finally getting around to the last day of our New York Trip.

Saturday (June 4th) was our one year anniversary and the whole point of our trip. We planned it to be a wonderful day and it didn't disappoint. It was pretty much perfect.

The day started off with my favorite New York (or anywhere) activity - a street fair. Honestly, these things are the best and this one was no exception. It was on the 6th Ave and went from 42nd Street all the way to 56th street. Yep - 14 blocks of greatness. We made sure to eat well with a bacon wrapped hot dog, chicken kabob, and a gyro accompanied with lemon lime lemonade and water.

After we had thoroughly gone through ever booth (I think I made Cameron walk the whole length 3 times to make sure we didn't miss anything) we made our way to the subway. We got off at 96th street and decided to spend most of our day exploring Central Park. We both fell in love with Central Park and decided it was the perfect way to spend this beautiful day.

We started out at the Jackie Onassis Lake - we walked around and enjoyed the breathtaking views of the city. It was another one of those magical moments of just enjoying each other, being in this beautiful place and the perfect weather.

We continued to walk through the park seeing the sights - including the Strawberry Fields and the old Tavern on the Green. We walked all the way down to 59th street through the park - it was 37 blocks of park and we loved it.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a little rejuvenation (which is much needed on these packed days).

The evening was the best to come.

We had reservations, tickets to Wicked, and our last night ahead of us.

Cam got all decked out for the evening - he's so handsome. We headed out and had dinner at Azallias. The patio seating was enticing - although the view behind us makes it seem a little lame - but that is NY for you - busy streets everywhere. It was delicious and a fun way to celebrate. Next up was Wicked - I was SO excited for Cameron to see this and luckily he loved it just as much as I wanted him to. There is just something amazing about those Broadway plays.

After the play we enjoyed Times Square one more time, stopped at Cold Stone (again) and walked home for the last time. It was the perfect anniversary and the perfect ending to our trip.

The next morning we got up bright and early to take the subway and air train to the airport and wait to go home. I guess all good things must come to an end.

Celebrating our anniversary in New York was amazing - I feel so blessed to have married Cameron. He is my best friend in every sense. I could go on and on about the millions of reasons I love him - from his kindness to his love for me. As cliche as it is, he truly is my better half and makes my life complete. I never know what true happiness was until he came into my life.

Cameron, I love you the most. Thanks for our first and best year of marriage and here's to millions more.

(PS - this is my 500th post on my blog - is that crazy or what? I feel like that alone warranted it's own post, but it seems fitting that such an awesome post got to be #500.)

Distance is No Obstacle

2011-07-11T21:36:00.003-06:00

You know you have a good thing going for you when you can have a design inspiration come, send a picture to your go-to design guru sister at 9:00 at night, and have a response within minutes.

Even with her currently living too many miles away, I get to have advice like she is sitting in my living room.
Nashville, what?

I've also got a good thing going that this sister happens to "just get it."
Love her.

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-05T20:27:00.000-06:00

This 4th of July was a good one.

We spent they day by the pool - even while it rained for about 75% of the time we were there. Cameron continued to be the water toy for every child and I made sure to take my camera but realized with the first cute picture I took I failed to put the memory card back in it. Lame. So just imagine really cute pictures of us by the pool.

That evening Trent and Amy had us up for the Annual Jensen 4th of July party - as always the night started off with delicious food - and lots of it!

We moved the party to the back yard for the fun to begin - but of course we had to document our matching outfits - we must be related:

I always enjoy any time I get to spend with my mom - I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful mom and how I have been able to develop such a close, strong relationship with her. Truly one of my closest and dearest friends.

The Johnson Clan decided to join in the fun this year and it was so fun to have them - I don't have many memories without this big guy in them, so it's always fun to get to be around him.

And of course no night would be complete without this guy - love him.

These girls are always wanting to make funny faces instead of cute one's for pictures - I couldn't stop laughing at Paige's (or is that Morgan?) face - too funny.

I did sneak in one cute picture with this girl.

When the party moved to the front yard it was time for parachutes - the highlight for the kids (and us really mature adults). Cam once again jumped in the fun and lit tons and tons of these things (all with a less than awesome lighter).

Watching the kids line up and wait for their turn was SO cute. They were all so excited - but the sadness on their faces when theirs didn't explode quite right or the wind took it into the trees was heartbreaking. Even I had to celebrate when I got my own parachute to chase and got it. I'm such a dork.

Our family is quite a presence so the audience is always a sight. But nothing makes me happier than to all be gathered together. Honestly - my family is pretty awesome.

The firework show was great - the finale even included the new aerial fireworks. They were AMAZING. I felt like my childhood had been cheated that we never had those cool fireworks.

Somewhere in the middle of all this fun we slipped in root beer floats and lime sherbet/sprite floats - classic American right?

All around the night was just so fun. Food, family, fireworks, and fun. It is one of my favorite holidays and it's nights like this that make it so.

My Best Friend's Wedding

2011-07-03T14:31:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Ashlee's wedding - it was an amazingly beautiful day.

It was {mostly} documented with pictures...

We headed to the temple...

Wearing our designated colors, ties, and jewelry...

Walked to the temple in the beautiful morning weather...

Attending the beautiful sealing in the Salt Lake temple - this was a first live sealing for me and it was so special to get to be there for Ashlee and share in this special day.

Luckily I love Ashlee enough to brave the extreme heat in a black dress and melt my face off while waiting for her (as you can tell, I was more than happy to do so - but I am only posting this picture as proof of the extreme heat).

Cheered as the bride and groom walked out - as happy as can be - and quickly stole my chance at a hug.

Spent awesome time with my own eternal companion waiting around for pictures...

and waiting...

... and waiting - but taking refuge in any shade we could find.

We then went to the wedding dinner and were among her closest friends and family in this intimate dinner - it was lovely.

The day was absolutely wonderful. Ashlee is a dear friend to me and it was such a neat experience to be a part of all this with her - from the temple the night before and throughout the whole wedding day. Our friendship has been on that ebbs and flows a bit - but there is a bond that we share that I feel is what true friendship are made of. I was filled with emotion all day with how happy I was for her and Brock and the wonderful journey they are about to begin.

There are more pictures to come - Ashlee had her camera that I seized at the wedding dinner and filled with awesome random pictures of me and other nonsensical things (only to find out later that the camera she was using was in fact Brock's dad's - awesome. I hope he has a sense of humor).

Ashlee and Brock- I am so happy and excited for you! Thanks for letting Cam and I be a part of your special day.

Beauty All Around

2011-06-30T12:47:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have one of those weeks when you are just stuck in a rut?

I do.

This week has been one of them – no apparent reason, nothing concrete to blame it on, and as some would say – it’s all just mental. I think I have just gone mental. I read into every little thing, I clean and clean the house to get out my frustrations (yes, this is where I have gone mental), I worry, I over-plan and over-analyze, constantly seek for reassurance and approval, and probably become a sub-par wife through it all.

Pretty awesome huh?

But then right in the middle of it all – my Heavenly Father reaches out to show his love for me.

Driving home last night, we saw the most spectacular sunset – I’m kind of a sucker for sunrises and sunsets. This morning as I was looking at the pictures I took (in a moving car, getting frustrated when I didn’t get it just the right spot, using my phone camera and probably being a gem through the whole thing) that the phrase came to me:

there is beauty all around

This phrase held a comical meaning in our house growing up because it was always said during the middle of a fight, but today it held a different meaning to me. Life is not always perfect, nor does it always go as planned – and even in the day to day it is often nothing spectacular – but life as it is, is something beautiful and meant to be enjoyed. My life is filled to the brim with beauty all around me – it comes in the shape of a wonderful husband (who shows one of the greatest examples of unconditional love among many other things), an amazing family (who are my best friends and my rock), a home that I share and create, the gospel that grounds me and directs me, and most importantly a Heavenly Father that is keenly aware of me and blesses me beyond belief.

I often feel that I am so undeserving of the blessings that are placed around me (although I probably take them for granted on too many occasions) but I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and blesses me with what I need and what he knows I need to grow. The divinity of our lives just astounds me if I just take the time to recognize it.

So for today – I’m soaking in the beauty all around and making the effort to appreciate the Lord’s hand in every aspect of my life (good and bad – knowing I need them both).

Love Him

2011-06-28T11:05:00.000-06:00

I just had to steal this from Amy - does this not make you just love him more?

Count 'em - 6 kids all hitching a ride and playing with this guy.

Cam is any little kid's best friend - especially in the water.

Throwing, swimming, chasing, games, tickling, you name it - he does it all.

I guess it was all those years teaching swimming lessons.

Our someday babies are so lucky that they will have the fun loving, tender hearted, teddy bear for their dad.

Day Four: Downtown to Uptown

2011-06-19T20:29:00.053-06:00

We're back to the trip... sorry for the sidetrack.

We slept in...again. and headed out for the day.

First up, breakfast at a local bakery before jumping on the subway downtown.

We got off at the World Trade Center and checked out the glorified construction site, the new Freedom building as well as the preview of the finished site. We then walked (in the wrong direction) but stumbled upon a fireman's rally that was just forming. We are talking hundreds of firemen pouring in carrying signs. It was kind of fun to get caught up in all of it.

Once we got headed back in the right direction we were off to Wall Street.

We visited the typical sights of the street- the New York Stock Exchange, the trinity church, federal hall, the works. The street was bustling with business men and tourists - so people watching was prime.

We continued to head South and visit the bull and then on our way to Battery Park we stumbled upon a street market (if any of you know me, I love a good street market). We took a gander and then headed on to the park - it's a neat park along the water, views of Lady Liberty, and the city behind you - it was refreshing to walk around as well as take a break.

Then being the high class tourists we are, took the free Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty as opposed to actually pay to go see it. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water, get amazing views of the city, and see the lady herself. It's always so fun to see the iconic statue.

For lunch we decided to hit up the famous Shake Shack (you may or may not have heard of this, but if you have seen Something Borrowed they frequent the eatery for lunch). It's a pretty happening place. We showed up at 3:30 and even then there was a line over 75 people long - but we waited! It went pretty fast and we were glad that we did. The food was delish (although I did not like the shake - uck), the park setting was charming, and the notoriety of it all is always fun.

We continued our journey uptown - all the way uptown and braved the streets of Harlem. It is quite an experience to walk the streets and feel like the only two white people (and tourists) in any direction for blocks!

We luckily made it out alive and headed down the Upper West Side (personally one of my favorite area's of New York). We stopped by Columbia (we had to for memory sake and in remembrance of our fabulous travel agent Jake), we stopped by Tom's and thought of the Seinfeld gang, and on to Riverside Park - one of the most charming parks, right along the Hudson River and lined with quiet residential streets. After walking blocks and blocks through the park we found a McDonald's for a frozen strawberry lemonade (I highly recommend them if you haven't already had one)

We took the subway a few stops south to make one more stop at Magnolia's to grab some treats and enjoy that area of New York again. We stopped by the temple, sat on the bench of the median (a prime location for city views) and listened to a band playing just outside Avery Fisher Hall. It was one of those magical moments of the trip - I loved it.

We decided to continue to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk the rest of the way home (another 25 blocks) - it was a good decision. Traveling on foot allows you to see and feel so much of the city. We loved it - but our feet not so much. Getting back to the room at night to get cleaned up and ready for bed was one of the most rewarding parts of the day. We slept like rocks.

My dear Maga was also worried that we need to make sure to take advantage of New York cheesecake while in New York - and Cameron did just that. He devoured the Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake with chocolate cookie crust from Magnolia's (twice).

Maga - we thought of you both times!

I keep wanting to say at the end of each post that this was one of my favorite days - but they all were. I did really enjoy everything that we got to see by foot this day - it was a lot.

Face Lift

2011-06-15T21:25:00.000-06:00

(small break from our NY trip)

My blog got a little face lift - thanks to my incredibly awesome husband.

Don't you love my new blog header?

I've been trying to think of a name for my blog for ever and just never could think of anything I loved. But when I had to create a new user name for pinterest (my new obsession) it just kind of hit me. pinkyC

Why? you might ask. Well years ago I acquired the nickname "Pinky" from my family, not that I get called it a lot, but it's around. So I coupled that with my last initial C and to me it just kind of clicked.

So there you have it.

Are you in love with the header?

Day Three: Mid-Town

2011-06-14T18:44:00.000-06:00

Thursday was yet another day our morning did not go quite as planned - we wanted to hit up the today show, but after a little sleeping in and then realizing that there was a concert on the plaza - we delayed our morning just a bit.

We got on our way and headed to Rockefeller Center.

We wandered around Studio 1A (I was a little sad we missed Matt, Meredeth, and Al), grabbed some breakfast at Au-Bon-Pain, and headed up to Top of the Rock (comparable to the top of the Empire State Building but way better). It was super windy, but so beautiful and great views of the city (top to bottom).

After our time up top, we wandered around the plaza, shopped 5th avenue (the actually affordable places like H&M and then dreamed through places like Tiffany's), walked up through the Plaza, FAO Schwartz, and the Mac Store.

Once our 5th Ave experience was complete, we jumped on the Subway for some more shopping on 34th street. Before hitting the stores, we refueled at Waldy's (a delicious unique pizza joint with delicious pizza and pasta). We hit the shopping circuit again by introducing Cameron to the world's largest store - Macy's. Just exploring that place is tiring! We stopped at H&M again, as well as seeing some of the sights in the area (Madison Square Garden, Empire State Building, and such).

As if we hadn't seen and walked enough we decided to walk pack to our hotel opposed to a subway - we got back to the hotel with aching feet, our nap was well needed.

Ready for our evening out we headed to Grand Central Station - that place just amazes me. One of my favorite things about this trip was seeing Cam experience all of these places for the first time - this was a good one too.

We saw some of the rest of the sights (the Chrysler Building and surrounding areas) and then ventured up Park Ave to use my favorite bathroom's in all of New York - in case you are wondering they are in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. They are just amazing.

As if we weren't shopped out earlier, we headed back to the 34th street area and hit up Daffy's - a store I thought I could for sure have success in, but my shopping savvy husband beat me by walking out with a bag full of merchandise and I came out empty handed (story of my life on this trip).

We then headed back to Times Square - our favorite night spot. Cameron grabbed some dinner at Ray's pizza and I substituted my dinner with Cold Stone - I love when I can justify ice cream for dinner.

Given all the walking we had done all day, my feet were ready to fall off so we headed back to the hotel to rest for the night. Luckily we didn't miss the NBA Finals game - that would have been a tragedy.

Day Two: The Sights

2011-06-13T20:35:00.001-06:00

We didn't quite get the start to the day we were hoping for - given the prior travel day and the 2 hour time difference, we just slept right on in until 10:00 (if you know me, this is rare on a vacation).

We got ready, headed out the door, stopped at the near by McDonald's for breakfast (classy, I know) and hoped on the NQR line - luckily for us this line stops at some great places. We decided to just get off at every stop on our way down south.

First up: the Flat Iron Building - it is really such a neat building and has such a great surrounding area - with parks, shops, and cafes. We walked around for a bit before heading to our next stop:

Union Square.

This one was a fun surprise for us - there was a little farmers market, tons of shopping (Shoe Mania, Filene's Basement, and many other stores I didn't trust myself to venture into). The amazing view of Union Park (the one on the far right) is taken from the 3rd floor of Filene's - pretty amazing, huh?

After Union Square we decided to walk down Broadway through Greenwich - I wish we would have explored a little more but I was a little anxious to get to Canal Street - you know, great deals were just waiting to be had!

We spent a few hours (in the melt your face off heat) wondering the streets and perusing the stores of Canal Street - we made our staple purchases of t-shirts, sunglasses, and a bag.

With our mission complete there we hopped on the subway over to Brooklyn.

We walked to the famous Grimaldi's pizza and waited (at 3:00 in the afternoon) to be seated. It was hotter than Hades Kitchen - but we eventually got seated - picnic table style with your partner across the way and strangers on either side. Quite the experience, but delicious New York Pizza.

After lunch we walked down to the pier to get some ice cream and enjoy the fabulous view's of Manhattan. We then ventured across the famous Brooklyn Bridge - this was one of my favorite things that we did. We took our time and enjoyed the view, the people watching, the smoldering temperatures, and just being in New York.

We made it to the other side and decided to sit in the shade among the city buildings - people watching was at it's prime with a large group of "street performers" standing around waiting for people to pay them. They provided entertainment for a good 45 min and yet did no performing - just fought and yelled. Gotta love NY.

At this point in the day we were ready for a little bit of a breather - so after a stop in at the hotel for a rest, we were back on the streets. We once again headed to Times Square to enjoy the night life (Mormon style). The life of that place at night is just amazing - I could just sit there for hours every night. We decided to get our shopping in this night and hit up all the big stores. It's just amazing the lengths these stores go to - 4 sprawling levels of Forever 21 - yes please!

We capped off the night with a sub-par dinner at Dallas BBQ - but I did get in this delicious DC (that stuff kept me going throughout the trip - not surprisingly, I know).

We hit the hay half asleep we were so tired from our days adventures and worn out from the heat (sweating and walking all day doesn't fair so well on the skin and certain areas... if you know what I mean).

Day One: Arrival

2011-06-12T20:29:00.001-06:00

Tuesday we headed out of SLC in the morning destined for NYC and our great adventure.

We landed in NY at 3:00 and after 40 min on the tarmac and waiting for buses to come get us - we collected our baggage and were picked up by our town car to take us to our hotel.

After we got checked and and settled a bit before heading out - we walked up 9th Ave and stopped at the West Way Diner for dinner.

We then jumped on the Subway for Cam to get his first taste of NYC - the subway and then one of my favorite area's of NYC: Columbus Circle. Once there we checked out the Time Warner Center, ventured into Central park a bit, and decided to keep walking up to see the Lincoln Center, the NY Temple, and grab some treats and the fabulous Magnolia Bakery.

(don't mind the heinous state of my appearance at this point of the day - it was humid, I'm chubby, and it was a travel day - I didn't have much working in my favor)

After getting our delicious treats for the evening we decided to spend some time exploring Central Park - we saw the Mall, Sheep Meadow, Bethesda Fountain, Loeb Boathouse, etc.

We spend the majority of our time by the water near the fountain and boat house - we devoured our treats, enjoyed the perfect time of day, watched the turtles, and soaked up the moments of our first day in NYC.

We capped off the night by walked through more of the park to catch a subway to Times Square - I was SOOO excited for Cam to see this for the first time, especially at night.

It didn't disappoint.

It was magical, alive, busy, big, crazy, and everything inbetween.

We luckily stayed within walking distance from Times Square and headed back to call it a night.

Home Again

2011-06-05T19:20:00.001-06:00

We hit the Big Apple with a vengeance-

walked our feet off, saw it all (at least a lot of it all), ate our way around town, mastered the subway, celebrated our anniversary in style, shopped until we dropped, made some memories,

and had the trip of a lifetime.

I will post all about it soon - it's one of my favorite ways to document a trip.

But first and foremost I just wanted to show the proof that I got out-shopped by my husband

(let me tell you, that boy can shop with the best of them):

vacations are fabulous,

but there is something so comforting in returning to my own home
it's good to be back

M.I.A.

2011-05-20T09:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, I've been missing.

I got sucked into my own little world of loveliness and kind of avoided the whole digital world.

Life has been filled with:

sunny days and picnics (remember back when when the sun actually decided to come out?),

road trips and girl time,

quiet nights in,

nights in the kitchen,

and

countless hours talking to my love.

I'm just in love.

Happy Friday.

A Good Day

2011-05-06T10:49:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a good day. Just one of those days that it's good to be alive and enjoy the little things.

I took advantage of the beautiful weather and read a book by the water on my lunch. It was quiet and relaxing coupled with the perfect tempature with the sun on my skin and a calm gentle breeze.

While cleaning out the Jeep (which clearly doesn't happen very often) I found a wedding card with money! How lucky is that? Cam and I decided we are going to spend that money on something extra special in New York.

The evening was spent in the best way possible: with my family (the evening did have one large downside in the fact that Cam had school - I hate going to things without him).
Trent and Amy hosted an awesome Cinco de Mayo party - good food, good friends, good times.

(the second downside to the evening was a tearful good-bye with Jamie as she is leaving for the next 4 months. I know it isn't forever but I can't think of the last time I went 4 weeks without seeing my sisters - tear)

To top off my awesome day - I had a cheap fill up at the pump.

(I hope you can sense the sarcasm)

I will be grateful though that gas prices haven't gone up for the past month.

Life continues to be good and enjoying the small things is what it is all about.

Emptiness

2011-05-03T19:04:00.000-06:00

Some mornings I wake up to this...

I hate Cam's early mornings.

Birthday Bash

2011-05-02T20:41:00.001-06:00

It was that time of year again - the time of year to celebrate!

It's no surprise that I love my birthday, this year was no exception but I was told that I am married now that I should be mature enough not to need a week long celebration. I took some of this council to heart, but still felt the need to celebrate.

Also as no surprise, I have an awesome husband. Friday at work, Cam surprised me and picked me up to go to lunch (we work about 45 minutes apart so this is no small feat when it happens). I walked out and there he was, waiting for me. I was one happy girl. We headed to my favorite lunch spot, Zupa's, where he surprised me yet again by telling me he had arranged for me to have the rest of the day off. He had tickets to a movie and everything - perfect way to end my work week and start my birthday weekend.

Have I mentioned I love him?

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key - which is new for this birthday girl - but it was perfect.

We ordered pizza, watched the royal wedding, shopped for house things, and basically got to spend every second together. There were also kind gestures sprinkled in all weekend from secret notes on my computer, breakfast in bed, fountain Diet Cokes, and trips to the store for me.

The weekend was topped off with a party at my parents house. We usually only gather on the 3rd Sunday of the month, but my mom was nice enough to throw me a little party.

I even got the very ice cream cake I have wanted - mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate cake - that Cameron sure knows how to pull some strings for me.

As I've said about a million times, my family are truly my best friends. I can't think of anyone I would rather spend my day with. They all showered me with love with kind words and just showing up. The kids were also rather excited it was my birthday and wished me a happy birthday about every 5 minutes - I love them.

The house was abuzz all afternoon with the sounds of the family and I loved it. There is nothing quite like a Jensen gathering.

I guess I really am maturing that this low key birthdays was one of my favorites. It also helps that I have a loving husband that seeks to make every detail perfect - being married is the best way to spend a birthday.

Thanks to all who celebrated with me, wished me Happy Birthday, sent me cards, etc. I'm so lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

Here's to life at age 25!

Quarter of a Century

2011-05-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

I'm 25.

Yep, it's official - I have lived for a quarter of a century, kinda crazy right?

I feel like this is a bit of a big deal and quite a milestone. Nothing too serious but I guess I feel the need to jot down some thoughts I've had about turning 25 (maybe some day my posterity will care what I was up to when I was 25).

This was my the first birthday that I didn't totally look forward to - I am officially getting "old." I know 25 is not that old, but I'm no longer in my early 20's and 30 is coming up. I'm not really afraid to get old but I have just always had the idea that I would be young forever - and the reality is starting to settle in. This morning I plucked out 6 gray hairs - yes, all out full grown gray hair. So yes, the "old-ness" is starting to set in.

Regardless of starting to feel old, I feel like I am in an amazing place in life. I have accomplished so much in the last 25 years and am happy to say I wouldn't change too much. I had an amazing childhood, enjoyed my teenage years (the good, the bad and the ugly), experienced and graduated from college, bought my first home (which I love), met, fell in love, and married the man of my dreams (who far exceeds anything I could have even dreamed about), and am now currently living my mini version of "happily ever after" - meaning the bliss that is being a newlywed.

I've been told many times that happiness is enjoying the journey and today I have had an overwhelming sense of that. For the first time in my life I am completely content with where I am in life. I'm sure a lot of that comes with maturity and growing up (which means I may just be at the apex where I'm not wishing I was older and not quite wishing I was younger). I know I have so much ahead of me and so much more to go on this journey, but for now I'm happy just to be where I am.

I got to spend today with my favorite people - my family. I couldn't ask anyone better. I have been beyond blessed with the friendship and relationship I have with my parents, siblings, in-laws, and even my nieces and nephews. They have made me who I am and are a part of me in so many ways. I was grateful for them taking time to come and share today with me - their company is truly the greatest gift.

So even as time keeps marching on and I know there is no way to stop or slow the inevitable effects of aging, I'm grateful for the maturity to be able to start enjoying the journey.

I had an amazing birthday today - it was perfect in every way. It was my first birthday being married (one of our last "firsts") and as with many things with marriage, it brings a whole new dimension. Waking up with my best friend and getting to enjoy the day with him is the best way to spend my special day.

I think I am going to like being 25 - 24 was a big year for me, but I think it's just going to keep getting better.

B-Town Date Night

2011-04-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Cam's parents came to Bountiful for a little date night - I always love when people come our way.

We headed the Bountiful Temple and had a wonderful evening there - I always wonder why it can be so hard to get there sometimes when it is always worth it in the end.

We were met with the beauty of God's earth when we walked out to one of the most beautiful sunsets.

It was one of those magical moments for me.

Of course we had to head to dinner after and we ended up at Chili's

(I think Cam and I have forgotten how to go anywhere else - we eat there ALL. THE. TIME.)

Lee and Lynette were wonderful company and it was a splendid evening.

(Can I just mention how nice it is that Lee has a goal of going to the temple once a month and is nice enough to invite us which helps us on our goal as well? Luckily I married into a good family that they can help keep me on the straight and narrow.)

Clarkin' it Up

2011-04-23T22:03:00.000-06:00

Today we celebrated Easter with the Clark's. Everyone was in town and it was the perfect day to celebrate.

The day started with lunch and an egg hunt (not so exciting this year since we are the only one's sans kids).

But the big event planned for the day was Chuck E. Cheese (yes, that incredibly awesome arcade we all know and love from our childhood).

You see, for Christmas Lynette had given us all $20 gift cards that we could all go use together. I carefully put this gift in the book she gave us for Christmas so I would know right where it was. But what do you think happened? Yep, I went to get it and it was gone. Cam and I basically turned the house upside down looking for it for two days (which actually was the jump start to our intensive spring cleaning - seriously, our house is a disaster right now) all to no avail. I felt awful. Who just loses a gift like that? Apparently me.

Either way, we still went and we were still furnished with far too many tokens.

Little did I know that I actually married the master at earning tickets. You know those boys you always envied because they had about a million tickets coming out of one game and piling up on the floor? Well that is my husband. He knows all the tricks and loves the satisfaction of getting all those tickets.

Me on the other hand, I like more the skee-ball games. I play for fun and if I get a few tickets great. But I did love being "the one's" at the ticket machine with the major cash-in of tickets (I guess it was just fulfilling a childhood fantasy).

My all time favorite at C E. C activity is for sure the sketch machine. I could sit there the whole time and take picture after picture. We limited it to 3 today as it is widely popular - but I love it every time.

Isn't my husband handsome? I just love him.

We finished out the day with some backyard volleyball (which got highly competitive amongst the group - and wasn't without a few people getting hit in the head) and a trip to the mall for some food court grub (options are a must with a large group).

Sadly I don't have any picture to document the day (aside from our fancy sketch's from Chuck himself). I guess you will just have to take my word for how fun it was.

I’m A Sufferer

2011-04-21T10:06:00.001-06:00

I currently suffer from a condition called: Road Rage

Common manifestations of road rage are:

• Generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and close tailgating.

• Cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately preventing someone from merging.

• Chasing other motorists

• Flashing lights excessively.

• Yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at roadside establishments.

• Driving at high speeds in the median of a highway to terrify drivers in both lanes.

• Rude gestures (such as "the finger").

• Shouting verbal abuses or threats.

• Intentionally causing a collision between vehicles.

• Hitting other vehicles.

• Assaulting other motorists, their passengers, cyclists or pedestrians

• Exiting the car to attempt to start confrontations, including striking other vehicles with an object.

• Threatening to use or using a firearm or other deadly weapon.

• Throwing projectiles from a moving vehicle with the intent of damaging other vehicles.

While I have yet to reach the level of aggression of the last 5 or 6 bullets – I can’t deny I haven’t had the desire to do any one of those…

I think my condition continues to worsen by the vast amount of idiots that are on our roads today. They seem to conjugate where ever I am driving and have a sole purpose of agitating this condition.

Maybe this is a cry for help… but more than likely just a plea for all the idiots to just stay home.

Ugh

2011-04-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

My blog and I are in a fight.

In fact, I kinda hate my blog right now.

I don't know how to make it do what I want.

I'm tired of blogging about the things I blog about.

I always wish I was wittier, had better pictures, or more to say

I just want to always have a post done and updated without the work.

I think this is why I've never been good at keeping a journal.

I'm in a rut that I just look at everyone's blog at hate them because they are better than mine.

I used to love my blog - how it looked, what I had to say, the comments, everything.

Those were the good old days...

I'm sure we will kiss and make up soon.

What Happens in Vegas...

2011-04-18T21:49:00.000-06:00

... is a much needed girl weekend.

Ashlee and I decided to make a point to go and visit Stacie and her new home in Vegas. It just so happens that Vegas is warm, just a drive away, and contains some pretty awesome people.

Ash and I headed down Friday and arrived around 5:00 (after a long, but informative 6 hour drive). Our hosts welcomed us with open arms and were so nice to have us.

We headed out to dinner at Olive Garden and enjoyed some of the best OG food we've ever had. Delish! The dinner was filled with catching up, getting to know each other better, and some confessions...

We capped off the night with girl talk on the couch for hours. Nothing better on a girls trip, right?

Stacie continued to be an excellent hostess and treated us to crepes for breakfast. I opted for the simple butter and sugar, but Stacie on the other hand knows how to dress a crepe: strawberries, ice cream, cool whip, and some syrup. Can't you just see the enjoyment?

Next up: the pool.

Which wouldn't be complete without a trip to the gas station for some DC and Coke.

The majority of the day was spent like this: soaking up the sun.

And who couldn't help but love the pure joy of new love? This girl was smitten every time she got to talk to her boy (let's be honest, missing the boys at home is the one downside to a girls trip).

With sunburned skin and the heat setting in we spent the afternoon recouping from our exerting afternoon. We parked ourselves on the couch and settled in to watch the worst movie (probably the worst I have ever seen) "According to Greta" - not Hilary Duff's finest performance (not that we were even expecting much to begin with).

Once Matt got home from work we headed out for dinner. We went to some Mexican restaurant and enjoyed the sweeping view's of Vegas (if the frame was a little more to the left you could see the whole strip behind us). Stacie got a Spanish lesson from our waiter and Matt was informed where to find the women on a hot day (which in case you were wondering is at the pool at the Venetian).

The evening again was ended with hours of chit-chat on the couch. Matt was such a good sport to have us around and even joined us for meals and our chats.

We decided to get on our way Sunday morning - we had boys to get home to. The drive seemed to be one of the longest I have ever experienced (which I guess is what happens when you are excited to get home to someone).

The whole weekend was so fun and I am so lucky to have such good friends.

Happiness Is...

2011-04-13T07:55:00.001-06:00

...$1.00 44oz drinks back at Maverick.

Summer must be coming...

GC in the SG

2011-04-10T19:08:00.000-06:00

I always love when General Conference rolls around - it is always uplifting and a perfect time to reflect on the things that are really important and what I need to work on.

Another great benefit of this weekend is the opportunity to be with family and have a fabulous destination.

We headed down to SG to take advantage of the 80 degree weather, lack of Sunday obligations, family time, and everything in between. The weather was beyond beautiful and we tried to soak up as much sun as possible. Being one of the first warm weekends down there - you could always find us in one place: the pool.

Family time down there is the best with everyone together and having this awesome activity to enjoy together. Does it get any better? No.

There is more to be done by the pool than soaking up sun: enjoying a book or magazine or catching a nap.

It's all more enjoyable by the pool, isn't it?

No need to wonder where Andrew is picking up his cue's from. I think with 900 magazines to choose from, we all looked like this for a good portion of the weekend.

The best part about these weekends is really the time we get to spend with my family. It doesn't happen much that there are a lot of us down there due to scheduling conflicts and such, but this weekend we made out pretty well with 5 out of the 7 kids (and families) showing up.

I also rather enjoy this girl's company. She has taken a liking to being Cam and I's third wheel and it has just turned into one of those relationships that we all just click. I like it.

Of course the cause for the weekend was conference.

Our Sunday was filled with time together during the morning session (in which I got to read to these three little munchkins book after book after book) and then meal time before people headed out. My mom was so nice to be the hostess and feed us all a delicious Sunday meal - don't they always seem to be the best when made by Mom?

We left just before the afternoon session started and I was already trying to figure out when we could be down there again. I don't like to go too long between trips - paradise can't be forsaken forever.

Today I'm...

2011-04-08T09:53:00.001-06:00

Loving:

debuting my spring bag.

the blossoms on the tree.

this album.

it's Friday - enough said!

my "pop of color" watch from my mom - from Rome.

Not loving so much:

having a sick stomach all morning.

the forcasted weather for the move in Rock Springs tomorrow.

this white stuff that is on the ground.

that I didn't do my hair. I always think it will be easier not to - but an hour into the day I regret my decision.

What are you loving today?

Small and Simple Things

2011-04-07T11:20:00.000-06:00

I love my husband.

Magically (and sometimes surprisingly) I came out the winner in the dating game. I hit the jackpot. I could go on and on about the millions of reasons why I love him, but I love that he is always doing the small and simple things to show me he loves me too.

He sorts and folds the laundry (just last night he folded 5 baskets of laundry -which is kind of embarrassing that we even had that much). I HATE folding laundry so this alone is a huge act of kindness.

I always get a kiss goodbye and well wishes for my day in the wee hours of the morning when he leaves work...

And am greeted with a bear hug and a kiss when I walk in the door at night.

He notices when the dishes need to be unloaded, trash needs to be taken out, or the laundry started.

He gets home from work before me and spends those 15 minutes straightening up the house

- is there anything better than coming home to a clean house?

He opens my doors, knows my favorite treats, has an email waiting for me when I get into work, a good morning text when I'm supposed to wake up, endlessly rubs my back, puts my comfort above his own, etc.

But some of my favorite things is when I wake up - or like this morning get back from the gym - and have something like this waiting for me:

I think after writing this - the way to my heart is through a clean house.

I don't know if that is good or bad?

Sometimes...

2011-04-05T18:25:00.000-06:00

our fruit bowl looks like this:

I always like to have fresh fruit around - it's easier to make a healthy decision if it is just staring me in the face.

I realize that Sour Patch Watermelon's don't really fit in the "healthy" category, but they are a staple for any road trip and since we got back from St. George I have them. They ended up here - I think it is perfect because technically watermelon is a fruit. Where else could I have filed them away - this was clearly the only logical choice.

Side Note: SP Watermelon's are truly my favorite treat. I could eat bags of these at a time and still want more. Luckily I have some self respect and don't.

A First and A Last

2011-04-03T18:52:00.000-06:00

The other night we had a wonderful night with Cam's family. With the Ogden Temple closing, family names to be done, and always a need for a reason to get together - Lee arranged a night out for all of us.

I had never been to the Ogden temple - so it was my first and now my last - it was beautiful and wonderful.

We missed having all of the Clark's there, but it was so nice to get to spend the evening this way.

The night was topped off with a delicious dinner at Goodwood. Seriously that place is the best: potato skins, pulled pork, diet coke - need I say more?

I feel so lucky to have married into such a great family.

Lucky Me

2011-03-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't you all love have an in-house creative, talented, artistic powerhouse? It just so happens that I do.

I mentioned something to Cam the other night that I wanted my own unique design for my food blog - and not just stolen clip art. Little did I know just what I was saying and who I was saying it to, when just a day later I had these:

Created, drawn, refined - the works - all from scratch and all by my Love.

I have TONS more to share of his creativity and skill - but I am in love with these for today. I'll share him more and more over time... if your lucky.

Handprint on my Heart

2011-03-26T08:42:00.000-06:00

Do you know when you find those friends that are just gems? You go through the good, the bad, and the ugly with them and you still manage to end up on the side of friends instead of enemies. I am more than lucky to have a few of these amazing friends in my life.

One such friend is my dear friend Shannon - we have weathered some storms together. Luckily, we have always been able to land on our feet and still be friends - and good friends.

Shannon came into my life at just the perfect moment - as I like to say it was fate. I was new in a singles ward, didn't know a soul, dreading the whole prospect of a new ward and not wanting to really get involved, and attending my first FHE just to give it a try. Then it happened, up walked Shannon to introduce herself and immediately it made me feel better about this new experience. We randomly decided to drive to the next location together and the rest was history. We spent the whole evening talking and getting to know each other and she - being the amazingly kind person she is - eased me into this ward and a whole year of amazing experiences.

I'll love her forever and cherish the bond we created during that time.

I was lucky enough to have her over the other night to teach me the true Italian way of making Pasta Carbonara (found here). The night was a huge success - loved the cooking, loved the food, loved the company - we even capped the night off with a little Jane Austen. (who doesn't love some of that every now and then?)

I always love the time I get to spend with Shannon. She is a dear friend and one of those people who changed my life forever - in the best way possible.

I was even lucky enough to get to see her again last night for some Bollywood -

my introduction to that alone could be the capstone of our friendship.

Nifty Thrifty

2011-03-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

For the same price that ONE of us could go to a movie ($9.50 - after the lame-o $1.00 "convenience fee") we were able to treat ourselves to an awesome movie night in.

We started out with movie rentals - a new release and a classic for $3.00 thanks to our new membership and "rent 1 get 1 Mondays" at Top Hat Video.

Next up: treats. No movie is complete without the works: popcorn, something sweet/sour, and some chocolate = $4.50

Since we are self proclaimed Diet Coke addicts it's no secret that these had to be included = $1.98

Grand Total = $ 9.48 (plus whatever tax I can't think of at the moment)

Pretty good huh?

I also think we upgraded our value by getting to enjoy the movie in our pj's, wrapped up in a blanket, cuddling on the chaise section of our couch.

So I'll enjoy our thrifty night and take that $9.50 we didn't spend to get the other half of us into the movie (not to mention what we would have spent getting equal amounts of treats) and get a whole second date night.

PS: Yes, we did in fact watch "Death Becomes Her." This was a 90's classic of my childhood and I just had to walk down memory lane. It didn't disappoint as much as I had expected after 10 years, surprisingly.

My Safe Haven

2011-03-20T21:02:00.001-06:00

Do you ever walk into your home and take the time to realize how it makes you feel?

I do.

My house is my own little corner of the world and has become my home.

It hasn't always felt that way - at first just the house I fell in love with, the house I hoped would be mine, and the house that consumed my thoughts to decorate and fill.

Then it happened - over a year and a half of memories, life changes, and hours of inhabitance it became home.

It's the one place that fills that need inside to belong.

I always loved the feeling at my parents house - especially during my nomadic years of being a college student. The feeling of comfort that it was the place I had known my whole life as a safe haven and where I belonged.

Now I have a place like that of my own.

It's filled with everything that makes me, me:

- The Boy who makes me feel I have found everything I could have ever wanted in life

- the feeling of peace and belonging

- comfort in knowing I get to unwind, create, enjoy, relax, stress, cry, celebrate and everything else in my own way

- ownership of the things I did to get here as well as the things I get to do to make it "mine" (and now ours)

all within these four walls.

I wouldn't change a thing about my cozy, little safe haven.

Night on the Town

2011-03-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

We got an invitation from Adrian and Josh to join them for a little night out. Adrian had won tickets to the Odyssey Dance Theater's performance so we thought we would make a night of it.

I always love going to performances/events like this where I feel like I get to be cultural and swanky - dressing up, heading down town, dining at unique eateries, etc.

Este Pizza was the dinner local of choice - we had heard good things about it and had a happenings coupon so decided to give it a try. It was pretty good - it was NY style pizza and although it was tasty, I would never have paid full price for it and would have just gone to Sbarro's (but what kind of swanky atmosphere does that provide?).

Next was up to Kingsbury Hall. I LOVED going to this venue. The U holds a special place in my heart - not just for my Utes but I have to say there is something about that being my alma mater. We walked the campus and past all the building in President's Circle that housed 90% of all my classes. It's so cheesy - but it just made me happy.

The first half of the performance was awesome - fun, one song dances that were creative and entertaining. But after intermission it took a turn for the worst. They performed an act from an actual dance and it was just kind of lost on me. I guess I'll never be one to love the ballet or dance that tells a story - still fun for a free night though.

We had a lovely time and it was nice to get out and socialize- we are such recluses that this doesn't happen very often. So thanks for the invite and enjoyable evening guys!

Do You Ever…

2011-03-16T12:12:00.002-06:00

… wake up and being a girl just hits you in the face?

The realization starts with that sneaking suspicion that you are just a little more emotional than needs be – like you are on the verge of tears when your husband crawls out of bed just as you crawl over to cuddle with him.

It snowballs from there as you go through the motions of getting ready and every single girl thing you have to do becomes a chore and an annoyance – hair, shaving, getting dressed, make-up, jewelry, accessories, etc.

You get to work (mostly put together) early for your meeting and that emotional bubble starts to rise higher in your throat and you know the next thing that questions you in any way could just push you over the edge.

Work starts and the work load builds, emotions and frustrations run high, you snap at some co-workers, more and more is asked of you and then it hits:

That wave of emotions you’ve been fighting back all morning.

Luckily you make it to the bathroom to quietly cry in your stall and just let it all out.

As tragically pathetic as you feel – you realize that a cry is maybe exactly what the doctor ordered. Even if there is nothing actually wrong.

So you pull yourself together, walk out of the bathroom tear streaked and puffy-eyed and decide to face the day.

You indulge in a little chocolate – and on the wrapper it just happens to tell you: “Feel good about today”

So although you are a girl and have just had a pathetic little melt down, you pick yourself up and trudge through the rest of the day and decide to feel good about it.

For Sale

2011-03-14T21:16:00.000-06:00

We are trying to sell our surround sound system. It's posted on KSL if anyone it interested...

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=14710566&cat=503

Start of Something Good

2011-03-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start a new blog dedicated to one of my favorite things: food.

I am trying to be a good wife by making dinner as well as trying my hand at other baking efforts but I am often limited by my own cooking abilities. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to try a new recipe every week. I've been doing pretty well but my problem is once I try a recipe I tend to forget about it. So I've decided I'll document my efforts on a blog - here (http://foodbyjill.blogspot.com). This way I can make notes of what I did and did not like, what I would do differently, and have a central log of all things I have tried.

The blog is mostly for my purposes, but I'll post recipes and pictures and feedback if anyone is interested in trying any of the same things.

I hope you enjoy. Bon appetit!

How We Roll

2011-03-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

When we redefined our second bedroom and created our reading/drawing room, I didn't quite realize what we were in for. We LOVE the room and spend much of our time there, but how we spend our time is what makes me laugh.

In one corner of the room you have Cam - while it looks like he is just surfing the Internet, he is actually creating and drawing. He is so creative and has recently had an influx of resources to be more digitally creative and he loves it - I can't tear him away from it.

While in the other corner you have me - blogging, surfing, reading (articles online or on special nights a book), facebooking, etc.

We are together but both happy with our own vices, keep to ourselves but love the ability to randomly ask questions, throw out ideas, or be each other's sounding board all without moving.

It's perfect.

So on any given night, you might find us here- sitting in silence, creating things in our own ways and loving it.

It's just how we roll.

My Dirty Little Secret's

2011-03-10T18:32:00.003-07:00

Ok, so they aren't dirty secrets, but there have been some requests for recipes from my last post. For some reason I like to protect the gem recipes I find, but that seems a bit selfish (maybe because you will realize how easy the things I make are and not be so impressed) so here they are.

Tortellini Carbonara

Ingredients:

1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

8 bacon strips - cooked and crumbled (I chop mine because I like the smaller pieces. I usually just cook a whole package of bacon and add the desired amount and save the rest for other meals)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (I have used dried parsley and use maybe a tablespoon or about 1/4 cup or less fresh parsley - depending on your personal tastes)

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (this you can totally change based on taste, I like it more cheesy and put abut 3/4 cup to a cup - I think it makes it a thicker, richer sauce as well)

Directions:

COOK the tortellini according to the package directions.

COMBINE the bacon, cream, parsley and cheese in a saucepan; cook over medium heat until heated through.

DRAIN the tortellini; toss with the cream sauce

SERVE immediately.

Serves 4 (be we find it's more like 2 1/2 since we eat so much of it - you can easily double the tortellini to the 20 oz package and not really double the sauce and it seems to go just as well)

Elephant Ears or Palmier's

Ingredients:

1 package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

THAW pastry sheets at room temperature 30 min (mine take a bit longer to become workable) Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix egg and water. Mix the 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon.

UNFOLD 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Brush with egg mixture. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. sugar mixture and a fair helping of plain sugar. Starting at short sides, fold (or roll) pastry toward center, leaving 1/4" space in center. Brush the top of the folds with egg mixture and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar mixture and more sugar. Fold one side over the other, making 4-layer rectangle. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.

CUT each rectangle into 12 (3/4") slices. - IMPORTANT - this is crucial to these turning out (in my opinion), get a plate of sugar and flatten each slice (pushing one side and then the other) into the sugar - this helps them cook more evenly, look nicer, and adds even more sugar that cooks to a nice crunch on the outside

PLACE cut-side down 2" apart on baking sheet. ~~Brush tops with egg mixture~~ (I nixed this part due to the sugar coating).

BAKE 12 min. or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack (do this immediately while the sugar is still soft/melted otherwise they will stick to the baking sheet).

Makes 24 pastries.

I couldn't help but add my own little ways of doing things on these recipes (notated by the italics). I feel like my adventures in the kitchen go so much better when I read the string of comments after most recipes. But take these and make them your own as you wish - that is the joy of cooking/baking.

So there you have it folks. These are both pretty easy recipes and both scrumptious. I hope you make them and love them as much as we do here!

Dinner Guests and Treasure Chests

2011-03-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a night I got to exercise some of my New Year's resolutions and test out some new recipes. I had dinner guests coming over and wanted to treat them to something special.

The main course was a tried and tested favorite: Bacon Carbonara Tortellini (delish and oh so easy)

To add something new, I tested out Garlic Knots to go along with the pasta dish - no picture, but I think they turned out pretty well

Dessert was to be my crowning moment - at least for myself. Ever heard of "elephant ears" or palmiers? Well they have long been one of my favorite pastries and they are a treat whenever I find them. So when I stumbled upon a recipe to make them, I thought it was the perfect opportunity. I tested some out last night, but perfected them this evening. Even I was impressed with how they turned out - I can be a tough critic on my efforts.

Little did I know that I was not the only one to be doing the "treating" this evening. Heidi showed up bearing the greatest gift of all time - I think I can honestly say that.

She presented to Cam and I a beautiful and well done scrapbook of our engagement thru honeymoon. It is stunning and amazing. She put so much time and effort into it and it is such a treasure. Just look at the size of that thing! This is only a sampling of the many adorable pages.

Isn't it to die for? I just want to carry it around with me and show everyone. We will treasure this forever and can't wait to look through it again and again.

I always love nights I get to spend with any of my sisters and mom. They are all my best friends and I am so grateful for each one of them.

Can we please have a dinner party every week? I'll host and do the cooking - you can all just show up.

High Heels in a Snow Storm

2011-03-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to branch out from normal fashion rules and brave bare legs.

I guess it serves me right since just hours into the day the storm hit.

I will be grateful that the farthest I had to walk was from the office to my car, but I had visions of slipping and falling the whole way.

I'm not going to curse the storm because I actually enjoyed the cozy night in (once I got home) and the beautiful blanket of white that covered the world in the morning. The morning after a big storm with the sun shining, the tree branches perfectly lined with snow, and everything perfectly white is so beautiful

- needless to say I'm dressed more appropriately today.

Soakin' Up the Sun

2011-03-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned I love the sun? Well my love has been rejuvenated when I got to bask in it's warm rays, feel the heat on my skin, and get a little color.

Ok, maybe a lot of color - red color that is. But can you blame me? After not seeing the sun for several month's and being stuck in the cold - how can you not take advantage of every moment? Believe me I did.

Cam and I headed to St. George this weekend to join my parents and Jenny & Co. for a little weekend getaway. It was just what the doctor ordered and a perfect weekend (hopefully more pictures to come - I tend to get sucked into the relaxation down there and never pull out my camera - I'm going to have to wait for someone to share).

So with 65 degree weather (a little cold but when you are acclimated to 30's it basically feels like heaven) + blue skies + sun shining + poolside jams + great company + multiple hours of pleasure = a little bit of a sun burn.

As unhealthy as it is, I am soaking in every bit of the tight, hot, red skin. Reminds me that summer is not so far away and there are many more days of flirting with the sun.

A Bookworms Palace

2011-03-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than a building filled with books? I think not.

Lately Cam and I have fallen in love with visiting the library. We are even lucky enough that we have two that are equidistant from our house – and sometimes even visit them both in one night.

I love everything about the library - the quiet reverence, endless stories of love or suspense, vast amounts of information, free movies, judging books by their cover and stumbling upon a great read, leaving with a stack of carefully picked items just waiting to be read/watched.

There is something indescribable about reading a book – the way it can capture your imagination and guide you through a story while you create images and characters and voices in your head. I love the escape it provides as you venture into the world of such people as Mr. Darcy, Sir Percy Blakeney (aka The Scarlet Pimpernel), Jane Eyre, Anne Shirley, and other fabulous people we can only wish existed in real life.

"There is such seduction in a library of good books that I cannot resist the temptation to luxuriate in reading." – John Quincy Adams

(as you might have guessed the "graphic novels" aka comic books are Cam's favorite from the library. I love that he has found something to read while I read - that boy loves his superhero's)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

2011-03-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

After having the older half of the Jensen Hoard over a few months ago, we had promised "the girls" that we would have them over - and that blessed event happened this past weekend. Cam and I loved every minute of it - they are just adorable.

The fun began Friday after work - when I pulled into the drive way I could see their little faces anxiously waiting me and could hear them scream when I got out of the car. Their eagerness was so sweet and I was so happy I could take them home with me.

We filled the evening with as much fun as two kid-less people can.

We worked on being domestic and made some bread, the girls helped on every step of the process and loved getting their chance to pour things in, watch it mix and raise, and slowly turn into bread. We also whipped up some cookies and they were just as helpful in that process.

After all that baking there were some dishes to be done, little did I know I had brought home some hired help as well. Paige wanted to do all of the dishes and did a fantastic job. She plowed through all the dishes and wanted to find more to clean. Love her for that.

At some point in the night we hit our low spot and had a little accident with Morgan (it was at this point in the evening that I knew my fate had been sealed that I should never have children not really). She was down and out for a bit, but looked ever so adorable curled up on the couch and sneaking some cuddle time with Cameron (check here for the awful truth of the matter).

The girls went to bed without a peep and slept well enough into the morning to let us all get our coveted Saturday morning sleep in (I'm hoping our kids come trained to sleep through the night). Breakfast was filled with homemade bread and cereal - and Morgan looking strangely like Einstein...

The sleepover wasn't quite complete with out some games of twister (which is quite entertaining to watch these midget's try to reach everything they are supposed to), Morgan's photo session, jetted baths, Wii, and anything else that held their attention for 3 minutes.

Being the good girls they are, we decided to treat them to some "Old McDonald's" (as they call) it and stop by the dollar store to get them a little prize. They both decided on a painting set and were so excited to get home to paint! We got everything all ready and they were so content working on their masterpieces.

It was during this little adventure that the carbon monoxide alarm went off - like this time - so we opened the doors in case it was real and decided we better put some clothes on these girls. After we ceased to be able to disable the alarm, we got them ready to head home so we didn't further endanger our little guests (although later we determined all it needed was a new battery).

Usually after having someones kids it is nice to be able to take them back. While it was nice to take them home, I probably could have kept them forever. They are at the sweetest age and ask questions in the cutest voiced and giggle the most delightful giggles. I just love them...

Happy March!

2011-03-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

As I was typing in the title of this blog, it pre-filled it for me - I must have had the same sentiments last year.

I don't know what it is but I just love when March rolls around. It's not that the weather even changes all that much, but it seems to be the glimmer of hope that winter might actually be coming to an end.

I love all the seasons, but winter I love the least and I feel it has overstayed it's welcome this year. I'm ready for skirts without tights, bare feet, the warm sun on my face, green grass and full trees, days at the pool. I want to feel that there is life around me with bugs and birds and foliage - not the dead gray of everything now.

I don't want to wish away time in my life, especially not right now, but I am more than happy to welcome March this morning.

A Little Catch Up...

2011-02-23T20:23:00.001-07:00

The nice thing about not blogging so often is that I usually have a lot of material when I do decide to update. So here it goes...

The other Sunday we invited Jenny and her BF over for dinner, after some last minute changes, it ended up being her and a girlfriend for some good grub, Glee Karaoke, and Just Dance 2. It was super fun and we had a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself - I pulled out all the stops to impress).

Next up, Valentine's - and boy was it something. Have I mentioned I have a great husband? I got spoiled and then spoiled some more. It was perfect all around (don't you love how creative he is? all my gifts specially wrapped in pink tissue paper, cute sayings, and hidden for me to find.)

Ugliest picture, I know. But the other day I went to get my eyebrows waxed. The girl asked if I wanted to get my chin waxed as well. I said no, but then realized that there have been a couple long hairs that I said "sure." I guess I forgot the way my skin reacts to a first time wax experience. It was not pretty! Break-out central for days. Never again...

In more exciting news, this past weekend we stayed up at the Clark's. Tanner was home alone and so we were the night time company. It was a nice little getaway, although we were really just a few miles from home, it was nice not to be surrounded by the reminders of everything I haven't done around the house. We enjoyed being around different things and ventured to Tai Pan to snag an awesome new blanket basket, some new decor for my bookshelf in progress and (not pictures) scored on their white serving ware being 25% off their already affordable prices - dinner party anyone?

I've also been trying to stay on top of my weight loss/exercise goals. While I have cheated horribly the last two weekends and acted like I have never seen food - I have managed to find some tactics that give me the urge to work out a little more.

For example: my zumba class I love (fantastic), giving myself three times to work out a day (trust me it never happens more than once a day, but if I miss one time slot, I have two more chances to keep on top of it), and my favorite one - abandoning getting ready, at all. It's so much easier to go work out when I already look dumpy. If I do my hair, why would I want to go work out after I just did all that work? Case in point - I look like I just woke up 95% of the time:

This past President's Day was far and away the best one ever (not that I have ever even paid attention to what I have done on this holiday). I slept in, headed to Cam's work for a wellness visit (shots and a check up not the highlight of my day - but seeing my hubby was fantastic). Next up was a lunch and shopping date with my MIL Lynette. We dined at Sego Lily Cafe (a first for me/us) and loved it's charm and delicious food then headed to Ikea - where I got some more things to finish up some projects at my house. My favorite one? Our new art pieces above the bed ($.59 scrapbook paper at 40% off makes perfect art):

We finished off the afternoon with a Jensen pool party. The whole clan showed up at the South Davis Rec Center for some water fun. It was so fun that everyone decided to show up. And of course it wouldn't be a family get together without some food, so we ventured to Firehouse Pizzeria and partook of the goodness. I'm sure we were quite the site, but there is nothing like being with the whole clan.

In other updates, I have several more house projects in the works that I just can't seem to ever get done or even know what to do with them. I'm trying to perfect the art of staging a bookcase as well as fill the vast amounts of space above my cupboards. So any advice/suggestions/ideas send them my way.

I think that about covers it.

So there’s this boy…

2011-02-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

… and he’s amazing.

He is all sorts of wonderful.

Has patience like no one I know.

Loves me as no one ever has.

Makes me happier than I ever thought possible.

Lights up my day with the smallest of gestures.

Greets me with a hug and a kiss after work.

Comforts me just the way I need.

Gives new meaning to my eternity.

Spoils me with love and kindness.

Makes me laugh for days.

Loves me for me.

And he is all mine.

Bright Lights, Big City

2011-02-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

Flights - check

Hotel - check

Countdown - check

Best Travel Advisor (and brother) - check

Excitement beyond compare - check

A Glimpse of Summer

2011-02-04T12:42:00.001-07:00

During the dreary months of winter, there is little need for a cute toes, but that is not the case this week.

Wednesday night I met up with my dear friend Shannon (after too long a separation) to pamper ourselves and our boot laden feet.

We caught up, we made plans, and we enjoyed the pleasurable sensation of a good pedicure (as well as good company).

I’m always a fan of nicely painted toe nails but usually lack any desire to maintain them much in the winter, so this was a treat.

Now Summer if you can just hurry up and get here, I miss you.

PS - We've been married for 8 months today, Where does the time go?

- and we weren't even engaged this time last year. Crazy.

On the Up and Up

2011-02-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

Isn’t it amazing how time just keeps marching on and life just moves forward? I can’t believe how fast time goes and how much life changes, without really realizing it in the day to day.

Life is still great.
My Resolutions are still in progress.
I’ve found a new love – Zumba. Who knew working out could be so much fun? I also found the most amazing Zumba instructor, thanks to my dear friend Eva. I think I have a bit of a girl crush on her… not gonna lie. Hopefully I can make it to many more of her classes.
Reading is my passion for the moment. I have read the fabulous Jane Eyre (and am anxiously awaiting the March 11th premiere of the movie), indulged in the first two Harry Potter’s and hope get to read them all (I don’t know why I haven’t read them until now), and revisited my favorite girl Anne (with an “e” of course) – is there any possible way not to love Anne’s imagination of way of speaking? I wish I spoke as she did and saw the world as she did. Up on my list are many more “classics” they have scarily been on my reading lists in the past, but hope to become more well versed with them.
I’ve done surprisingly well with the working out aspect of my weight loss goal. I’ve been working out on average 5 times a week, and have even got so lucky to get a 6th one in (this is big for me).
The eating part? Not going so well, I try so hard and do pretty good throughout the day, but come dinner time and the dreadful munchies around 9:00, most of my will power is gone out of me and it’s a fight. Ugh.
This arctic weather that has decided to hunker down on us today – not a fan. In fact it makes me want to call in sick, crawl in bed with 5 blankets, and escape in a book and pretend that it isn’t negative-bazillion degrees outside (which, by the way, makes going to the gym at 6:00 that much more painful!).
Drama-free-zone – this has become my life, which I love! Since becoming married, it seems like drama has taken a vacation. Sure moments arise, but in general I don’t face much of it anymore. I don’t know if it is the decreasing interaction with family or really anyone outside the two of us, but it’s kind of nice. I love our families dearly, but not knowing ALL the details of life is kind of nice.
With that being said – I do miss the gossip mill. Guilty.
Having Cameron being in a Home Design and Structure class has me filled with all sorts of dreams. Couple that with the incessant HGTV we watch and I could fill my hours an days scouring the Internet for the home update/design/floor plan of the moment. It’s probably a good thing we are “stuck” in our house for another year and a half, I would have moved 10 times already this year (if I could buy every house I liked).
Work is not on the up and up. Thank heavens I’m not a man who has to think of working for the rest of my life. Ugh! Some days I want to get pregnant just so I don’t have to come to work anymore.
On the flip side, kids are not in our immediate future. I’m rather opposed to the little things right now. But before you all stress too much, it will happen someday and I’m sure I love them so much that we have 10. But that “someday” is not today…
What’s new? Nothing. I always hated responding to people asking me what’s new with “nothing.” But I rather enjoy my “nothing new” life. I love that my evenings are filled with my favorite nothingness – doing nothing with Cam.
I love Cameron.

I didn’t realize this post was going to basically be word vomit, but there you go.

Sick Day... or Weeks

2011-01-25T19:25:00.001-07:00

Remember how I got sick in California?

Well, it wasn't even 2 weeks later when cold #2 hit.

A bit unfair if you ask me.

To add insult to injury, Cam has now come down with this dreaded cold.

We've been a house full of germs, tissues (or rolls of toilet paper), NyQuil, Sudafed, humidifiers, steam showers, and anything else to relieve the symptoms.

I'm almost at the end of week two of cold #2, so hopefully I'll be out of the woods soon.

Cam probably still has about a week and a half of the cold.

Boo.

L - is for...

2011-01-23T18:34:00.008-07:00

I'm kinda in love with life these days.

It's nothing really noteworthy or even all that exciting, but life it good.

Our First Christmas

2011-01-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas season - start to finish. Being our first Christmas together (or even knowing each other) it was full of firsts on all accounts. It was so fun to decorate the house together, start new traditions, spend time with both sides of the family and best of all: wake up and spend Christmas morning together.

This was my first Christmas not sleeping at my parents and that was a bit strange for me. Everything I knew as "Christmas Morning" changed, but for the good.

Like always, sleep was hard to come by because I was so excited. Our presents were all wrapped and under the tree for basically all of December, but it was still fun to think of walking out and getting to open them (although for some reason, when we walked out there weren't magically more presents, weird).

We weren't very fun with our presents this year because we both picked out our own. So the surprise and anticipation for that was lacking, but still fun because we got exactly what you wanted.

Can't you tell how excited Cam is?

I was thrilled to get my gift as well. It is something I have wanted for a long time and it was so excited to get it.

That was about the extent of our Christmas morning together. We had a few other DVD's and Black Friday bargains we had wrapped under the tree. I also did a surprise stocking for Cam, which was so fun because he wasn't expecting it.

Like I said, the rest of our Christmas was wonderful. From Disneyland to coming home and spending just about everyday with both families, it was just how Christmas should be.

We got to enjoy everything from food to bowling to getting to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I am so blessed to have two amazing families to spend my time with. I am so grateful for the relationships I have with my own family as well as my in-laws and I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my holidays than with those I love.

Most of all, I love Cameron. Sharing the holidays with the love of my life far exceeded any expectation I could have set. I love that I have many more memories to make with this boy and maybe some day they will include a slew of little one's. But for now, I'm loving getting him all to myself.

Progress Report: Week One

2011-01-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I'm a little impressed with what I have accomplished this week with my New Year's Resolutions.

Food:

I not only tried one new recipe this week, but about 7 of them. Our menu was filled with tortellini carbonara, stuffed bell peppers with asiago asparagus, turkey kabobs (which a delish marinade) and garlic broccoli, spinach artichoke pizza (complete with feta, chicken and bacon), and peanut sesame noodles with chicken.
Created a meal plan, shopped for the ingredients, and stuck with it. It's kind of nice to have what you need on hand.
Counted my calories every day and done pretty good...

Weight Loss:

Joined the "Biggest Loser" and "Mile Challenge" at work
Worked out 5 times
Accomplished my mile goal for the week
As mentioned, counted my calories every day

Other: the other things on my list are not so much a "constant" effort, but still in the works

Blogging more - I know I can still do better, but I'm trying (this is #4 for the year)
More involved with the ward - today was my first day teaching in Primary. I teach the 4 year olds and unfortunately it didn't go to well today... good thing I have a year to improve. I also attended our Primary Activity yesterday and met more people in our ward than I have in the last 6 months.
Visit grandparents - we dined with Cam's grandparents yesterday (who we have talked about visiting since getting married). It was nice to get to know them better and hear all about their lives.

That is about it for this week, but again it is only week one and there is plenty more where this all came from. I'm thoroughly enjoying getting into a routine, trying new things, and finding out things I never knew about my self.

I think 2011 is going to be a good year.

The Merriest Place on Earth

2011-01-06T21:56:00.001-07:00

I think it is no secret that I love to travel, I also love Christmas, and I happen to LOVE Disneyland. So could there be anything better to roll these things all into one - not to mention to enjoy it all with Cam who I love as well? It was simply magical.

We headed out Monday after work and got to Vegas. We drove the strip since Cam has never experienced Las Vegas, and to behold it at night is something as well. After we cruised the Boulevard, we headed over to Jake and Candice's. They were SO nice to let us crash there for the night. It was fun to see them and get to visit for a while before bed.

We were off early the next morning (surprisingly I didn't sleep much due to my excitement). We made it to LA around 12:00 and had the whole day ahead of us!

We started our venture on Santee Alley, and any of you have experienced that know that Cam deserved Husband of the Year award for going with me. There were deals to be had and I walked away with a few new pair of boots - which I love.

Next we were off to Hollywood. This being Cam's first time in SoCal, I loved hitting all the famed places and experiencing it with him. We walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visited the Kodak and Grauman's Chinese Theater, passed the Roosevelt Hotel, Egyptian Theater, and so on. I just love being places that you see on TV and get to say "Hey, I've been there!"

One of my favorite things about traveling in December is the way most major cities decorate to the nine's for Christmas. There were decorations galore at every turn. I loved it!

One place we had to hit while in the Hollywood Zip Code, was our favorite tattoo shop in which the likes of Kat Von D own. I was too chicken to walk in with Cam, since I was pretty sure I would stick out like a sore thumb and neither one of us had any interest in actually getting a tattoo. So we marveled from outside.

We finished off our day in LA with a drive through Beverly Hills (gawking at all the fabulous houses), driving Rodeo Drive (which was festively decorated), and drove out to Santa Monica (my favorite SoCal location). We walked the pier, but due to the freezing temperatures, we opted to walk the Third Street Promenade and grabbed some New York style pizza. It was the perfect end to the first day!

Day two was by far my favorite day - Cam's re-initiation to Disneyland! He hadn't been since he was 4 and therefore has very little memory of it. I was radiating excitement with the very thought of getting to go with him! We were up and waiting for our shuttle by 7:30 in order to get out tickets and get there for the opening.

Walking in was one of the most magical moments of the whole trip. That is always my favorite part of a DL trip, walking in to Main Street the first time. And add the Christmas décor – it truly was a magical moment.

We hit Splash Mountain first, which is my favorite ride – and now Cam’s. We made our way around the part (which we mostly to ourselves that morning) and got on all the rides on our list. It’s a Small World is always one of my favorites, thanks to my mom, and it is just incredible all decked out for Christmas, honestly there was so much to take in.

We made our way to all the normal spots in the park and I was LOVING sharing it with this guy. He was patient with my enthusiasm for just about everything and was loving the magic almost as much as I was – which is more than I could ask for! Also enjoyed: the Holiday Parade, a trip back to the hotel for a little nap, incredible Holiday Fireworks (set to Christmas music – amazing and REAL snow falling for the finale), and just about everything else DL has to offer.

The next Day was our California Adventure day. This part is not quite up to par with DL, but it is still fun and filled with fun rides. We ran with the masses (much like the running of the bulls) to be one of the first on Toy Story Mania (after we had picked up our World of Color fast passes), fell on the Tower of Terror, soared over California, took a ride through Monstropolis, and took in the Hollywood sights. We also couldn’t resist our nap for the day (as I could feel the onset of something terrible) and a venture to DL to catch some of our favorite rides.

Once back at California Adventure we joined the ranks in waiting for the perfect spot to watch the much talked about World of Color. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I was seriously in awe at the sight I was beholding. Disney never ceases to amaze me!

After all of our playing for the day we were pooped! I was SO tired and dreading a serious cold that was lurking and disturbing my vacation. We headed back to bed to try and catch up on some sleep so we were ready for the next day.

Some of our favorite things at Disneyland were learning all about the history and evolution of Disneyland. It is just so fascinating and they have tons of displays all about it, we loved it! The Innoventions was another favorite filled with technology of the future and exciting new gadgets. We even got a glimpse of what we might look like in 40 years. Anyone thing Cam resembles anyone?

The pictures on rides were another favorite. Some we posed for, others were awesome just to catch us in the action. They all made me laugh – but I am too cheap to fork out money for them.

Our final day at DL was when the rains came. It was stormy and cold and I was nearing my death bed, but that was not going to stop us! We hit up Fantasy Land upon opening and got in 10 rides in the first 45 min. It was perfect! We got in the rest of our favorite rides and made sure we hit up all of the things we wanted to eat one more time (yes, we successfully ate our way around the park and loved it – hand dipped corn dogs? DIVINE!).

By mid afternoon we were done – soaked, sick, cold, and ready to call it a day. We hunkered down in our hotel room, ordered pizza, and just relaxed. It was a perfect end to our Disneyland packed days.

See what I mean about Disneyland knowing how to celebrate? Talk about Christmas!

Saturday was our final day in California, and while I had high hopes to show Cam the rest of my beloved SoCal, the weather had other plans for us. It rained our my favorite Orange County Market, made Newport beach too cold and rainy to even want to walk the boardwalk much, and kept us searching for indoor activities. We did manage to take the Balboa Ferry to Balboa Island and get my much desired Balboa Bar (heaven in your mouth), ate at scrumptious BJ’s, and visited the Newport Temple.

I once again was spent for the day and we headed back to our hotel for the evening. Way to go out with a bang, right?

We made it home after our long drive on Sunday and I was ready to be home after such a long days drive!

The trip was absolutely wonderful! Despite the weather and sickness, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I loved every second I got to be with Cam and his endearing patience with me through my excitement to my sickness. He is just amazing.

Yep, this is how I spent the second half of the trip, awesome.

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

It’s the sign of the times when everyone’s goals and resolutions start popping up on their blogs and this year I am joining the ranks. I have never been one to set New Year Resolution (and if I have, I’ve never had any intention of keeping them much past the month of January) but this year is different...

I decided to make a slew of New Year Resolutions. I know, it might not be the most effective way to make and keep goals, but I figure I might as well aim high and at least improve through my efforts.

Our New Year celebration included a “House Hunters” marathon and Cam falling asleep on the couch around 10:30 – I know very exciting. This left me some time to quietly think how I wanted to spend my next year. I grabbed a pen and paper and just went to town on the different things I want to work on this year. I wrote about 4 notebook pages of all the things I wanted to work on - two solid pages of goals (including action steps). Instead of feeling overwhelmed with these, I felt empowered and excited to strive to be a better person.

I know that I won’t accomplish all of my goals as perfectly as I would like but I know that being aware of the things I want to work on will help me.

The list includes the likes of losing weight (and if we are being honest, I probably need this one the most), increasing spirituality, finishing up home projects, organizing, budgeting, trying a new recipe every week, blog/journal more regularly, be a better wife, etc.

It’s quite the list to tackle, but I have room to grow in all of those areas so any improvement is welcome.

Side note: my California post is coming (I PROMISE)

My BFF's

2011-01-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

I was determined to get my MEGA California post done tonight, but alas, it is just so much work that you are going to have to wait another day.

But while I was working on it I ran across some pictures from another California trip that for some reason holds a special place in my heart. It was with two of my best friends and I don't think I have laughed so much in my entire life as I did in that week.

I think this picture sums it up.

This is why my mom and sisters are my best friend. Crawling in bed together at the end of a vacation day and laughing our heads off is not an uncommon affair. Who knows why and you know once it starts it doesn't end.

(I think I have an exact copy of this picture with these two in a bed in Hawaii - once again laughing hysterically but having to keep quiet for fear of disturbing the other family members, which only made us laugh harder.)

Good Times!

365 Days

2010-12-29T09:58:00.003-07:00

One year ago today I had a blind date set up. Coming out of a relationship and just not wanting to put myself out there again, a date was the last thing I wanted to do. I called my mom in St. George to complain about how much I didn’t want to go on a date and I was just done with it all. I complained for what seemed like hours and dreaded the date the whole day.

I waited anxiously as the time for him to arrive drew closer. The weather was bad so I was hoping he would maybe call and cancel - but he came anyways. I was sitting on the couch when the door bell rang. I went downstairs, took a deep breath, and still remember opening the door to see Cameron on my front step. The date had begun and there was no going back.

The bad weather did ruin some of our plans that we decided to stay in and I made him dinner (gourmet chicken quesadillas). Conversation came easily and I answered question after question about me. We decided to brave the storm and go ice skating. By this point of the night I was thoroughly enjoying myself and thinking this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. We skated for a long time talking about our families, our childhood, and everything else in between. It turned out to be the perfect activity to be able to talk and get to know each other.

Heading back to my house I didn’t quite want him to go yet but wondered if a movie was kind of a lame way to end a first date. Either way, he stayed and endured watching “The Notebook” with me. I’m not sure how that movie got picked, but it must have been a first date for him to agree. We sat at a safe distance on the couch – although the whole time I was thinking “watching a movie is so much more fun cuddling” or “I’m so surprised this date went so well” as I looked over at this boy who had blown all my expectations for the night.

The movie ended and it was time for him to go. I walked him downstairs, hugged him goodbye, shut the door and wondered what would come of all this.
I liked him.
I’ve never had a first date like that where it was so comfortable and easy to just be me. It was the start of a slippery slope and I was already falling.

The next day I called my mom, who I’m sure was expecting the worst given my attitude about the date, but all I could report was how adorable he was. I was smitten. Yes, after one date he had already started to capture my heart with his genuine interest, kindness toward me as well as anyone else we encountered that night, his attention to detail to what I said and really listening, and just the warm charm that exuded from him.

Now here I am, one year later from that fateful day and I can now call that adorable boy my husband. Crazy to think it was only a year ago. I have fallen more in love with him every day since and I am so glad that I decided to go on that date despite my preconceived notions.

2010 Recap

2010-12-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a year! This was a big one for me and one I have probably been waiting for for a long time.

I started the year out with a very new love interest. This love interest quickly turned into my soon-to-be fiancé 3 weeks later, officially my fiancé 3 weeks after that, and my husband and eternal companion 3 1/2 months later - sealed on June 4 at the Draper Temple. Since June, we have been LOVING married life and all that comes with it (the good and the bad – we like it all).

I am still working at Deseret First Credit Union as a loan processor and underwriter. I am going on 5 years there so not much has changed by way of work. I spend the rest of my time trying to cook or bake new things, plan as many trips as possible, and just loving anything I get to do with Cam.

Cameron is working at Futura Industries as a Design Graphic Engineer. He is attending Weber State and working towards his Design Graphic Engineering Technology degree. School and work take up most of his time, but when he can he loves to golf, hang out with me, and has perfected being the ideal husband.

We are currently living in North Salt Lake in the condo I bought last year, it is our little corner of the world and we have loved making it “ours.”

We have loved squeezing in as many weekend get-a-ways as possible, and I am quickly introducing the love of traveling to Cameron. We are hoping to get as much in as possible before we start thinking of babies.

Life has been good to us and we are extremely blessed.

Remember Me?

2010-12-22T15:39:00.001-07:00

I know, I have been a bit out of the picture in the whole blogging world, but I’m still alive.

Life it great and continues to move forward – and I’m loving it.

We’ve been busy and not so busy, either way I’ve found it hard to muster up the enthusiasm to update the world wide web on our life. I want to have the glamorous, witty blog updates – but just don’t want to put in the work to achieve it. Plus, I’m not so glamorous these days with the post-wedding weight I’m carrying around. Trust me, losing it, it at the TOP of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Also as I have mentioned before, I’ve never wanted to come across as one of those people who just wants to brag about their life. So to walk this fine line, I have just found it easier to error on the side caution and keep mum. So, I’m not promising anything moving forward, sometimes I might brag, sometimes I won’t say a thing, sometimes I’ll blog, sometimes I won’t. I’ll just keep you guessing…

With the long hiatus, I do have a lot to catch up on. So hopefully there are more posts in the works with more pictures and details than I'm sure any of you care about. But I'm a terrible journal keeper, so my blog will have to suffice and you will all have to suffer through it.

PS - Merry Christmas!

Go. Fight. Block. Win

2010-11-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

After 59 min and 56 seconds of anxiety, nervousness, excitement, heartbreak, big plays, big loses, a mighty comeback and a slim chance of pulling out the win, the Grand-Daddy of all plays happened:

Two Words: BLOCKED KICK!

I don't know why the blue and white just makes my blood boil but beating them feels so good.

Donuts or Doughnuts?

2010-11-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I found myself at Clark's for a bit of a bake day. We decided to to try things we have never made before. This included some new kinds of cookies, but most of all: donuts. None of us had made donuts before and were excited to try. We made raised as well as cake. The raised one's went about 100 times better than the cake one's - we couldn't get the frying of the cake one's down quite right. I think we were all pretty impressed with how they turned out in the end.

On a similar note, Cam came home yesterday from helping his dad with a treat in tow. One of my oh-so-very-although unusual-favorite treat: unfrosted sugar cookies (and his mom's none the less). I LOVE Lynette's sugar cookies. I was even more impressed when Cam told me she only made them just for me so Cam could bring them home for me. I have to brag just a little bit, but I have an amazing mother-in-law.

Clearly I have too many treats around me (especially because I only had these three cookies left... I don't think I'll admit how many came home on the plate). I guess this is just a good way to try and practice my self control.

I'm Just Me

2010-11-17T11:03:00.005-07:00

With the influx of blogs, facebook, twitter, People, the Internet, etc. we are constantly inundated with details, facts, photos, etc. of people’s lives. Some we know, some we don’t know, some we want to know, other’s we just like to gawk at, but no matter who they are, I find myself comparing myself. Whether it be comments of jealously “I wish I was that girl.” “I hope my kids are cute like that.” “Could I pull that off?” and so on, and if we are being honest I sometimes have such comments as “Is she really doing that?” “I hope I don’t look like that.” “Wow” or “Really?” accompanied by a roll of my eyes. Yes people, I judge. But who doesn’t?

During my hiatus from blogging and Facebook, I found it incredibly refreshing to not constantly be looking for ways to impress others with funny witty posts or status updates, pictures of the great things I am doing, and constantly worrying about what people think of me. As much as I judge others, I’m sure I am in the line of fire as well. I’m ok with that, but it is something I don’t want to overrule me and become the reason I do things.

As I look, watch, see other’s who seem to have it all together I realize that they are either:
     a) really good and putting up a front
     b) spend all of their time trying to appear that way
     c) are probably just as insecure about things and just trying to be who people want them to be.
I’m sure I’m guilty of one of these, but I also think it helps me to realize that I’m probably being jealous of a charade. Not to discount anyone being cute, wonderful, or fabulous, but life isn’t perfect for anyone and I think it helps to realize that as I sit and judge.

Self-esteem is always something I have struggled with. Growing up pudgy and knowing it was always a challenge, especially entering middle school and high school when it seems your soul acceptance into society is having a boy like you, and I had none of that. I took it hard when every boy-choice dance came up and I was never, not once asked (I always had really clever ways to answer if that ever did happen though). It was hard having cute friends with boys that like them and they themselves were the girls that “had it all together.” Even going into college I thought things would be different. Boys in college are mature and see more than looks, right? Not really. Boys weren’t the only things that I felt validated you. Wearing the cutest clothes or having the “it” things were also your ticket to being accepted.

Luckily I feel I have come a long ways from those thoughts. It’s not like it happened over night and it’s not that those feelings don’t come creeping in (especially on the bad hair, fat, nothing fits right days). But it’s a process that started several years back that helped me to overcome my own view of myself that was holding me back. It probably came with losing weight, and while that didn’t define me, I realized that no matter what size I was, I am still the same person, and being the me I want to be is what really matters. I discovered that being happy with myself was way more gratifying that seeking approval from others.

Now, as I look at blogs, facebook, etc and think “why can’t I just be like that?” I’ll think to myself that I’m happy with being me. I have always enjoyed having a blog to not only document my life, but also a forum for the true and honest realities of life (good and bad). I don’t want to skew the appearance of my life so that other’s will approve or want to be me. While it is always nice to be in that position, I just want to worry about being me and not what everyone perceives of me.

I’m just Jill. I’m not perfect, I have a mountain of things to improve on, I don't always say the right/nicest/PR thing, I’m not always cute or stylish, my weight fluctuates, I don’t do fun things all the time, and that’s all ok with me. I have a wonderful loving husband, a house I love, and would be happy being sealed up in my house for the rest of my life with Cam. Pretty exciting huh? I don’t need the world to love me, I just need to love me.

So you are just getting me, in all my unabashed glory – maybe some day’s I’ll surprise you by being cute and fun and skinnier again and having it all together, but if or when those days come, that will just be me.

So now that I have put this out there, you are all free to call me on it if I start to portray a charade.

Little Visitors

2010-11-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last night we made a spur of the moment visit at Trent and Amy's - we left with three little people in tow. We took the three older kids for a special sleepover at our house.

It was a bit late when we got them, so we got home, made a big bed, and watched some Justice League episodes, and called it a night early. These kids are so well behaved and went right to sleep without a single peep - honestly, we didn't hear a noise from them.

The morning was filled with a gourmet breakfast, some TV, drawing, sword fights, a movie, the playground - and this all within an hour. They are very well behaved kids, but love to be doing something different every 2 minutes.

I think anyone who has any time with Oakley has a few of these pictures. This girl loves her funny faces.

Oakley took it one step further - she had the camera for most of the morning and I found these gems when she was done with it. My favorite is when she would take a picture of her self, turn the camera around to look at it, and say "ohhh, how cute." I think she is well on her way to a positive self-esteem.

I basically love these little people. I am always so impressed with how well behaved they are and how much I love being around them. After seeing them basically every day for 3 years, I always enjoy our reunions and getting to spend time with them again.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning…

2010-11-09T09:50:00.002-07:00

…Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

This morning I made it a point to get up and spend some time with Cam. With his early work schedule, I usually barely even stir when he leaves (which is either 5:25 or 6:25) but I thought with the time change on my side and us getting to bed early, 6:00 didn’t seem too bad. It ended up being the perfect start to get my day off on the right foot. It has my mind in a positive place that I can’t help but to notice my blessings today.

To start it off, I have the most amazing husband. I honestly can’t describe the patience and kindness Cameron possesses. It is an example to me every day and I am grateful that most of the time that patience is with me. From the very beginning with stressful wedding planning, the endless details, the hormonal rollercoaster I boarded with my birth control fiasco, up to the current day with talking things over with me (which he is so good about), helping me deal with transitions, etc. I could go on and on, but some of the things he is most patient with are the most sacred and private.

I’m also incredibly blessed to have a house. As I got ready this morning, I was so grateful to have a place for all my things, have my routine throughout my house (including a fridge stocked with Diet Coke, the Today show on, and my favorite room of my house – my master bathroom – I think I learned this routine from my mom). It is so nice to have my corner of the world, which I love and have made my own (and now Cameron’s).

The news has been inundated with stories of the Elizabeth Smart trial and the heart-wrenching home invasion trial in Connecticut. Part of the jury was on the Today show from the Conn Trial and I’ll admit I shed a few tears. Partly for the horrible, tragic nature of the case but even more so of their human spirit and the goodness of these strangers to the victims. I can’t imagine the horrible things these people lived through and I have so much respect for the courage of Elizabeth Smart and Dr. Petit. I feel grateful for several things due to these stories: my own safety and good fortune, the human spirit that people are good and rally around each other, as well as our Justice System and our founding fathers that paved the way for justice.

I drove to work, arrived in safety (amidst the snow) and felt gratitude for transportation, a job, changes in the seasons, and the pending holiday season (I may or may not have snuck a listen to FM 100 on my way to work…)

And now, as I get through the work day, I get to look forward to curling up by the fire place and having a movie date with my Love.

So yes, I think Everything’s going my way.

Oh, What A Day

2010-11-06T21:13:00.000-06:00

Today started out as a great (albeit early) day, had it's ups and downs, and finished out strong.

We were up and ready for College Game Day at the U by 5:15 AM. Excitement has been racing through me this whole week for this big day. I'm talking about the #5 team vs the #3 team, that's something to be excited for. The morning was awesome filled with school/team spirit, funny signs, good laughs, mass amounts of people, and good fun. I'm so proud to be a Utah Alumni and a true Ute Fan.

As sad and devastating as the game was, we didn't deserve to win with the way we played. It was just sad. Nonetheless, I still love my Utes. I'll forever be a Utah fan through the ups and downs, the good and the bad - A Utah Man am I!

So the day started out great and exciting, had it's low point, but went straight uphill from there!

We got to attend the wonderful baptism of James. It was so sweet to see him so happy and excited about this special day. This was the first of my nieces and nephews to get baptized and it was just such a neat experience to be a part of. I just have a soft spot in my heart for James anyways- he is the smart, caring, kind, spiritual, little boy that anyone can't help but love - and it just made for a wonderful evening. I'm so proud of the little guy.

Our night took a surprising (yet exciting) turn as we stopped to get drinks on our way home. The cashier (one who we see quite frequently) asked why we were so dressed up. We explained that we were just coming home from our nephews baptism. His interest seemed to peak as he asked for which church and then proceeded to explain that he has been very interest in the church and was wondering if we could help him get in contact with some missionaries. It was a moment I have never quite experienced before and I can see how missionaries fall in love with their work. The moment felt even more tender just coming off the wonderful experience with James.

Our friend gave us his name and number and even the best time to call him. We walked out to the car, a little surprised, but so excited about the opportunity that presented itself. We called the local missionaries, passed on the contact information, and I am still beaming about how good it feels to possibly share the Gospel. I constantly take for granted the amazing blessing of the Gospel in my own life, that I am grateful for the reminder of the wonderful Gospel and my testimony.

So, from our early start, a roller-coaster of a day for a Ute fan, family time, and two amazing spiritual experiences, I am so glad I had a jump start on the day.

Wedding Morning

2010-11-02T20:09:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share some more wedding pictures... seeing as we are coming up on the 5 month mark. I have an amazingly talented sister who caught some great moments that day...

The perfect remedy when the morning wasn't off to a perfect start. But I can't imagine a better way to start my wedding day than my favorite people around me and a Diet Coke.

Ok, this may really be the best remedy - talking to the love of my life knowing today is the day we have been waiting for. Don't I look so in love?

Brooke's friend was SO NICE and came and did our hair that morning.

Candice was even nicer and woke up early, after a sleepless night, to wax my arms.

Could these boys be any cuter?

Love this boy.

I loved having everyone around in the morning - and I love my sisters!

Hair - check. Make-up - check.

My make-up artist.

So amused over something, I'm sure.

Grandpa loves his grandkids.

Some finishing touches.

We had the most delicious breakfast that morning.

I was SO happy when Cam showed up. He just seemed to calm my nerves and make everything right.

Annie Girl

A captive audience - who knows what we were so enthralled with.

Annie loves her Josh.

Family gift, and so ready to get the show on the road!

Sadly I think this might be how most of our conversation look.

Could we be any happier? I think not. I LOVE HIM!!!