Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

It seemed like we would never actually be at the point where we are leaving. We made and re-made lists (they are currently all over the house, in suitcases, on the counter ... you get the point), renewed our passports, made all kinds of arrangements for Ellie ... the fish ... in case of an emergency, packed and rearranged, and most exciting of all confirmed all our plans.

And now, after 4 months of waiting ...

We're off!

Bon Voyage ... see you in 9 days!

Tagged!

THE RULES:
Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag—other people.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up: Cell phone, desk, couch, space heater

Favorite football team: Cougars!!

What are you wearing now? Jeans, black t-shirt, boots, red poofy vest ... and really cute earrings!

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Jemima J. It's a total beach read (funny it was snowing this morning ...) and People Magazine.

Do you nap a lot? Nope... I can't even think of the last time.

Who was the last person you hugged? Jeff :) He gives great hugs!

What’s your current obsession/addiction? Zumba ... love it! Traveling, Dancing with the Stars (but only if TiVo'd), and work

What was the last thing you said aloud? See ya!

What Web sites do you always visit when you go online? People, FoxNews, Yahoo mail, friends' blogs

What was the last thing you bought? mmm ... shirts and a dress.

What are you listening to right now? Silence ... after a busy day that is golden.

What is something you wish you could do more? Go to the gym, sleep, travel, spend more quality time with Jeff

What gives you hope? That I'm a member of the Church ... and sunshine!

What is your favorite weather, and why? I love it when it is really sunny, with a nice breeze ... probably in the 70s to low 80s. I love soaking up the sunshine without getting too hot!

What time do you usually get up? 6:45 ish...

What is your most challenging goal right now? Mmmm ... that's a tough one.

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Mmm ... I have to pick just one place? Probably one in Utah, a down-town condo in Chicago, a cabin in Jackson Hole ... and a home in Europe ...

Favorite vacation spot? Europe, Chicago, Jackson Hole ... anywhere with Jeff

What is your favorite children’s book? Wow ... I don't remember tons of titles off the top of my head, but I love You are Special - it's a cute one. I love to read - always have and always will.

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: ICE CREAM! It's such a weakness :)

Have you ever met anyone famous? I think I have ... but I was too young to remember. I have met a few of the twelve apostles. But I prefer to think of them as really special as opposed to famous. It seems more dignified.

If you could have any job in the world , what would it be? Mmm ... I don't know. I like what I do now. Maybe an aesthetician some day ... mom ... a florist ... that's a tough one because it changes.

What was the last thing you ate? Dried apples.

If you had $500 in your hand right now.... what would you do with it? Save it.

If you didn't have a job or go to school what would you do with your time? Read, work-out, take Ellie on walks, and spend a lot of time at the spa.

What is your favorite place to go out to eat and what do you order? Mmmm ... Cafe Rio, the Outback, Chilis ... In n Out.

What is your very first memory? I really don't know ...

Would you go back to school if you had the money? I think it is more a matter of time right now. And yes, I think I would ... but for aesthetics ... I think it would be fun to work at a spa.

My Question: What are you most looking forward to this weekend? For me, it's getting organized so we can leave town. Normally, though it's just spending time together and not having my alarm go off :)

I tag ... Carolyn, Stepper and Megan

It's official ...

One week from THIS moment we will be on an airplane to Ireland!!

One Amazing Girl!

Jeff again. I received some negative feedback on my first post so I decided to start from scratch again. So here is my first post take II!Four years ago I met the most amazing person in the world. Now four years later I've been blessed by having that person in my life and lucky to have her as my wife. And today she turns 27!!!! So help me celebrate Ari and wish her a happy birthday! She always posts things about me being "amazing" but she's the one that's AMAZING!
She is the most thoughtful person and will do anything to bring a smile to some one's face. I've never seen anyone so dedicated to something...take for example zumba...her new obsession. She doesn't know this but I will watch her and holy cow! She's also a future tennis star and has come along way from when we first started playing. So now that spring is in the air we can get her ready for Wimbledon...watch out Serena! She is a very funny person...probably thanks to me...but she can always get me laughing. There are so many more things that make Ari who she is! To this day I'm not sure why or how I got so lucky but I am definitely not complaining. So happy birthday Ari and I look forward to many many more! I Love you Ari!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This year we are VERY into celebrating the Irish with St. Patrick's Day ... because in 2 SHORT WEEKS we will be in Ireland!!! We are so excited! Here are a few of pictures of the land o' the green!




Can you see why we are excited?! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Swing Dancin'

My friend Stepper and I had mentioned to our men that we had a hankering to go dancing ... and boy they picked up on the hint and ran with it! They planned a night out for the two couples and it was SO much fun. We went West Coast Swing Dancing ... in full 40s regalia.

But before I get ahead of myself ... let me go back to the beginning. Stepper offered to fix my hair in true 40s style. Since I can only get it in a pony-tail by myself, I was more than happy to let her fix it. So while we got ready the guys (and their little one) disappeared. When we were ready we heard a doorbell ring (I'll confess ... my heart skipped a beat)... they were there to pick us UP! Just like in the dating days, they were standing there looking mighty pleased to be going out with us ... and they brought these:



We melted ... just melted! And wouldn't you? They were all dressed up too, and complimented us profusely. We dropped the little man off and were officially out for the evening. First we were treated to dinner ... and then on to dancing!

Don't we look authentic?



The evening was full of fun big-band music, old people who were really good dancers, and lots of laughing as we gave it our best shot (the we excludes Stepper who is actually a very talented ballroom dancer and showed us all up with her moves!). We had so much fun! Thanks for making the night such a fun one for us!!

Happy Birthday ... to Jeff!

On March 5, 1980 the world changed for the better when Jeff was born. And today is the special day we get to celebrate! My adorable husband is officially 29! I wish I could scan pictures so you could see what an adorable baby he was. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I guess cute never changes ... here he is now:



Here are some fun facts about Jeff ...

*He was born in New Mexico
*Jeff smiled for the first time at 2 days old. I don't know if that is normal or not, but I think it speaks to his amazing sense of humor :)!
*He's SUCH an over-achiever ... he graduated from Pre-school AND College! (We have pictures to prove both)
*Jeff has the "Terry tongue" ... so when he is concentrating really hard he'll be biting his tongue between his teeth and it will be peeking out of his mouth
*The Cubs and Jazz are his favorite teams. You can imagine what World Series time is like around our house ...
*Jeff got is Eagle Scout award and the ripe ol' age of 14
*He was the tennis team "captain" (I put that in quotes because it really isn't called captain, but you get the idea)
*Jeff has ALWAYS been a good citizen ... this was proved for real when he got the "Citizenship Award" in elementary school (I also have a copy of this, just in case you need proof)

Didn't I get lucky?! I sure think so. Jeff is just an amazing person and anyone who has had the opportunity to get to know him will agree.

Happy Birthday, babe ... I love you!