Give Thanks

 

This year we had Thanksgiving with the Olsen side at our house in SLC. 

The food was delicious and the company was even better!  After din din, the girls did a little crafty craft while the boys watched footy ball.  It was another great holiday with the fam.

We are so thankful for our families and all they are to us and all they do for us.  We love them so much and don't express our gratefulness enough!

Not the greatest pics, but you get the idea....

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

{...I love decorating the house this time of year...}

Fall Fun

 

 We went to Ephraim to celebrate Joyce's birthday this weekend. The Olsen's took us on a 4-Wheeler ride up Ephraim Canyon and along Skyline Drive.  It was such a beautiful ride with all the fall colors...our camera sucks and the pictures don't do nature it's justice!  The ride was also VERY dusty!!  Joyce and I looked like a couple of coal miners once we got home--We were totally covered in gray dust!  When I took my hat off I had a solid brown line across my forehead!!  I have never wanted a shower and a q-tip so much!!

As we were packing up our stuff and getting ready to head back home I was going through the closet where some of my wedding stuff was stored.  I told McKell I would let her borrow my slip and veil for her big day.  As I was getting it together for her I couldn't resist trying my dress on.  I know I am weird, but I do this every year...bad idea because this time was different...IT DIDN'T FIT!!  I don't even have a good excuse like being pregnant either...I could blame it on the yummy peach cobbler I ate right before hand but that's probably not it either.  I had Matt come in to zip me up and at a certain point he didn't dare zip it up anymore fearing that it might rip!   He said he could probably get it if he had someone else helping him and if I sucked in the whole time!!  LOL We had a good laugh at how the past 4 years are really starting to show on me.  I guess it's time to go on a diet so I can fit in it by our anniversary!  Matt consoled me and told me he still thinks I'm a fox but I am determined to get back into it soon so I am posting it on here to hold me to it.  As I was getting out of my wedding dress Matt found my letterman jacket in the closet and it fit him like a glove!  Then he made fun of me for even having a lettermans...haha!  I even joined in with him.  Why did I think that was cool?? 

We decided to take the scenic route back to Salt Lake so we drove the Nebo Loop and got to see more beautiful fall leaves.  I LOVE this time of year and it goes by WAY to fast! 

It was a quick trip but we had a lot of fun with Steve and Joyce, as always.

Christmas 2009

We spent Christmas with the Olsen's this year and usual, it didn't disappoint!  

Love spending holidays with Family!!

 

  

  

 

Mexican Riviera Cruise Pics

MEXICAN RIVIERA 2009 PICS

CABO SAN LUCAS:

MAZATLAN:








PUERTO VALLARTA:








THE CREW:








WE {HEART} MEXICO

THANK YOU OLSENS FOR SUCH A FUN VACATION!!

Home Sweet Home

We're Home!!

This past week we were on a Mexican Riviera Cruise with the Olsen Fam! We had so much fun!!! We went on Royal Caribbean's "Mariner of the Seas" out of Long Beach and had a fabulous time!! We visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta MEXICO!

In CABO SAN LUCAS we at lunch on the beach and then took a glass bottom boat taxi over to Land's End and Lover's Beach. We also snorkeled at Pelican's Rock while we were over there but that only lasted for about 5 minutes maximum. The water was cold -- waves were drowning me -- the snorkel gear sucked -- and the fish weren't near as cool as they are in Hawaii -- and neither was the coral -- so I gave up fast...and suprisingly so did Matt. He is usually a little fish in the H2O but conditions were far from ideal. We saw tons of little black crabs on the beach the we loved watching the Pelicans kamacazi dive bomb into the water to catch some lunch. After we dried out from our snorkel disaster we found a lovely spot on Lover's Beach to bask in the sun. It was great! On our way back to the ship I met a cute little Mexican chico and I shared my runts with him...he loved me.

In MAZATLAN we went up into the Sierra Madre Mountain Range for a zip line/tequila factory tour. We went with Joyce and Kelsey and we all had a blast! My first landing was a little rough (ok, I couldn't stop so I came barreling in screaming and flailing and the sweet Mexican working that one had to catch me so I wouldn't pile drive the rest of the group) but after that I was a pro! After we got all hot and sweaty swinging through the "Mexican Jungle" we went to see how Tequila was made. It was interesting but we all wanted to get back to Mazatlan. On the bus ride home they took us through town and showed us a few of the highlights, ie: Valentinos, Senor Frogs, Light House and the Beach. We shopped a little and got Colton the Aztec Calendar he requested and some delicous tacos with chips and very hot salsa before boarding the ship for the night. Colton served his mission in Cabo and Mazatlan so he gave us some helpful tips before we left. We want to go back with him on a less luxurious vacation and see more of Mexico someday.

In PUERTO VALLARTA we took a taxi downtown and walked around checking things out. Then we headed to the beach in old town PV where we decided to parasail!! We both loved it, even though I was a little nervous and had a hard time not thinking, "what if this rope breaks?" while I was flying but overall it was awesome. Puerto Vallarta was our favorite and it seemed to be the place where you got the most bang for your buck. We would like to go back here again someday for a weekend get-away or something. Matt says Mexico is the way to vacation so I better start forgetting about Hawaii. After parasailing we layed on the beach on got very nice sun burns and then went to get lunch on the beach, which by the way was muy delicioso! (I so want to learn espanol...has anyone tried Rosetta Stone?) At the end of the day we were exhausted from walking all over and spending most of the day in the sun so we got a taxi and headed back to the ship.

On THE MARINER OF THE SEAS every night we would eat in the dining room where our sweet waiter Rodel from the Phillipines would serve us till we were stuffed full of yummy food. Then we'd usually hit up the shows (comedians, singers and dancers, game shows, karaoke, magicians, etc) then we'd usually unwind by watching TV or taking a dip in the hot tubs. During our days at sea we'd relax and read and eat all the soft serve frozen yogurt that we wanted. It went by so fast but we had such a good time and thank Steve and Joyce for a great Christmas Present!!

My camera battery is charging so I will post a few pics later, but if you are dying to see some now, check out my facebook page!!

Phoenix, Father's Day and Part Time!

We just spent the last four days in Phoenix visiting Matt's sister Shelly who has been in the hospital down there for almost 2 months now. She has had heart surgery, 2 brain surgery's and hip surgery...We are hoping that will be all the surgery's she will need to kill this infection that got in her body so she can start physical therapy and get back on her feet again. I think she is a little sick of hospital food!!! I can't blame her.
Steve and Joyce have been down there with her since the first surgery so Matt, Kels and Me flew down for a long Father's Day weekend with them. We all had a great time together. We gave Steve the new Rambo movie and when he opened it, he looked like a giddy little kid...I think he liked it! When Matt was about six years old one of the first Rambo movies came out and Steve was babysitting Matt that day while Joyce was gone. Anyway, I guess Steve couldn't wait to go see it till Joyce came home so he took little Matthew to the R rated movie with him!! Matt still remembers seeing Rambo shoot and arrow through a bad guys head and pinning him to the tree!! Even though this is a fond memory of a father-son date I hope Matt doesn't take our kids to R rated movies when I am gone on flights!
Which brings me to my next point...starting July1st, I am officially a part time flight attendant. I will still work about 10 days of the month flying and I am hoping to get a second job closer to home to save me from the commute to SLC and to save us from going broke from these crazy gas prices! As a part timer...I will only have to fly about 5 days a month when we have kids so I can keep my job and still be a full time mom and not let the daddy do anything crazy with them!! (JK Steve) Anyway, I am pretty excited to be part time if ya can't tell! I absolutely love my job and probably will never quit, but it will be nice to be home a little more often.
Anyway, there is a little glimpse of our life as of lately...sorry no pics!

Grandma Lucille

Our Grandma Lucille (Matt's dads mother) passed away on June 3, 2008. She was just short of 93 years old.
I feel so lucky that I got to know and love her. We went to her funeral services last weekend and they were beautiful. All the people who gave tributes to her life did a great job at portraying what an amazing woman she was and what a good life she lived. We will miss her but we are happy that she is in a better place and with her sweet husband Spencer.

Phoenix

We will be heading to Arizona tomorrow to be with Matt's family. They are all down there with Shelly while she is in the hospital. She seems to be recovering nicely from her emergency open heart surgery...Matt's parents have been keeping us updated by phone and they let us know as tubes are unhooked and machines are turned off. We hope that all keeps going well on her long road to recovery with her but we will keep praying. It is so crazy how fast un-predictible events in life strike us all in different ways. We are so lucky that Shelly is still here with us. Never take your loved ones for granted because you never know what tomorrow will bring! We will be with her until Monday morning and we will miss the blogging world while we are away!

Lately...

I haven't been on the blog for a while so I thought I'd catch you up with what we've been doing lately...Here is the short version.

-Matt finally got a snowmobile...it's all he ever wanted and more!
-I got a pedicure...We decided I like to spend a little money everyday on the little things...groceries, getting my hair done, a new shirt or shoes, house decorations and pedicures...while Matt goes through famines of not spending any money to feasts of spending it all at once on the Big Screen TV's, Cars and Snowmobiles. The funny thing is, he is the one calling me "high maintenance!"
-We drove to Richfield for the State Basketball Tournament. McKell and her team took 3rd. It was really fun to watch her, she sooooo aggressive, she makes us proud. Matt calls her Rodman, cause she is a rebounding fool. She is only 5'3" and she out rebounds the big girls at post.
-We found out my dad's uncle's wife passed away...sad, but a blessing. She had lived through several strokes that incapacitated her, so I am sure she is in a better place.
-In the down time of the tournament I got to hang out with Lindsey and Swayzee Mason, so much fun...as usual. Matt got to take his sled out for the first ride with my dad...They loved it.
-Manti boys were in the championship game so we were at the gym all day to watch Matt's alma mater play too....They took 1st!
-Jeslie and I had a little wrestling match...I WON!!! Then my dad and I had a little leg wrestling match...I LOST :( ...figures
-After the games ended, we drove to Ephraim with Steve and Joyce to spend Saturday night.
-On Sunday we chilled out all day long and watched a little of the Oscars that night while gorging on popcorn ( A Joyce Olsen original Sunday night snack!).
-We also went down to the Ephraim assisted living home to pay a visit to both of Matt's grandmas who are living there...that's always a good time....
-Lucille (Matt's paternal grandma) and I kissed on the lips! Weird, but funny story! haha...I wasn't expecting it! As we say goodbyes I usually give her a hug, but this time she pulled a fast one on me! That's ok, I kiss my grandmas too...it was just random...so I laughed!
-We also found out that Matt will be saying a prayer at that same grandmas funeral...is that weird to already have the program planned and obituary written?
-We went out to the Olsen's cabin up at Accord Lakes to spend Monday night and snowmobile some more. As we were driving up there My dad called and he had the girls over for FHE so they decided to load up his sled and come too.
-Jeslie informed us that she made the decision to live with my dad and Trudy next year...cue the heavenly choir! HALLELUJA!
-We all had a good time together in the cozy cabin and ate yummy steaks.
-There was SO much snow in the mountains that the cabin was almost snowed in, so we spent all of today digging it out and cleaning off the deck to is wouldn't collapse.
-Now we are back in Ephraim...all four of us are so sore from shoveling all the snow...so I decided to blog!
-We were going to drive home tonight but Matt's dad bribed us to stay by offering to take us to the movie Fools Gold tonight...if we have enough energy that is :) So we are here in E-town still.
This little trip keeps getting longer and longer...we both love to come home and see our families so much that we can't bring ourselves to leave! Needless to say, I have had to wash our underwear two times now since we have stayed so many extra days! It's all been worth it though! We have had so much fun, but the saddest thing is that I forgot the camera...so there are not fun pics to share...oh well, we'll keep the memories.
Anyway, that is our lives as of lately....We will be heading back home tomorrow morning. Matt has two interviews this week. One with Heritage Financial and the other with Fidelity Investments...I will keep you posted on how that goes for him!

Christmas Recap

It was so fun to see our families on Christmas. We went up to Trudy's A-Frame cabin for the Camp Family Christmas party. It was so fun to see everyone and play games, exchange gifts, go sledding, and remember what Christmas is all about...Christ & Family.


This is all the Camp Kids putting on a Nativity Skit for us all!





We spent Christmas day with the Olsens this year. It was a little different for me cause I was the youngest person there! However; we did all still get up by 7 am!! It was funny because Steve and Joyce didn't expect us to get up that early so as I was making crepes in the kitchen they were frantically and sneekily stuffing the stockings in the living room:)



Olsen Family Pic





It was so fun to spend time with our family and friends over the holiday season and to bring in 2008. It was an extra special treat for Matt to get to spend some time with his best friend Brad Dyreng who is in the National Guard and currently serving in Iraq but got to come home form two weeks over the holidays on leave.