All The Beautiful Things

Meet Baby!

2012-01-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

Baby girl has arrived!!!!! Everything went perfectly, far better than we could have hoped for!

Savanna Michelle Olson arrived on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 9:44 am.

I woke up around 4 am on Friday with contractions, and around 6:30 they became consistently 7-8 minutes apart. They were uncomfortable but completely bearable. I took it easy throughout the day, trying to take a nap (although that was a joke since the contractions were MUCH worse when I was laying down... but I was so tired, so I would fall asleep and every 8 minutes I would sit up and wait for the contraction to stop, since I couldn't bear to lay down through it.) I also watched 17 Miracles to pass the time, the movie about the handcart companies. SO GOOD! I highly recommend it if you want a good spiritual pick me up that will undoubtedly make you cry! Anyway, around 3:30 the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart but not more intense than they had been. So Ben and I hung out and played games on our phone together. After dinner we headed over to hang out with Ben's sister and our friends. The contractions were getting stronger but I still wasn't ready to go in. After all, I see labor every day at work and was quite aware how long first time labors usually last. So, I opted to play Scattegories in between contractions instead of hang out at the hospital! At 10:30 pm I called my work (aka L&D) and warned them we were coming in. Then I called one of my favorite nurses that I work with, and being the SWEETHEART that she is, she met me at the hospital to be my nurse (even though she works day shift with me, she was so kind to come and be with me through this!)

I got admitted, IV started and checked. I was contracting every minute and a half and dilated to a 4.5, completely effaced and baby was very low. YAY! Around 1:30 am when I was a 6 I got the epidural. The contractions never really got too unbearable, although they were intense. I wanted to wait as long as I could to get it, but by this time I really just wanted to sleep! So I got the epidural and it was INCREDIBLE! Ben slept and I tried, and then at 8:45 I was ready. I pushed for an hour, although it didn't feel nearly that long. It was a beautiful labor and my sweet husband's face when Savanna came out was amazing. He has been completely wrapped up by his daughter and it is the most beautiful thing to watch. We are so so so blessed, and love her so much more than we ever knew we could! We are thanking our Heavenly Father constantly for this beautiful little package!

Just before pushing began

It was Dr. Hartman's birthday as well :)

A perfectly happy family.... even Max loves Savanna!

It is official

2012-01-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official... we are building a new home, finally! We picked out the lot and the builder back in October and then got distracted by different lots and different builders and different floorplans... you get the idea. You know us, INCREDIBLY indecisive, both of us. So it wasn't until December that we began negotiations, but the offer was accepted and we had our builders meeting in the second week of December. After that we picked out our colors, which actually was rather fun, and not stressful as we had anticipated. Likely due to the fact that we basically copied the outside of one of the model homes... yeah, we're not much for risk. However, we did pick our kitchen colors from a small palate and have never actually seen the counters large scale... so you can only imagine how many times Ben has questioned our decision :) However, I love it and I think it will look wonderful. Plus the designer agrees so if it all turns out hideous I can really just blame her and won't have to feel too bad, right? On Friday we signed the construction loan so now it is official - they are set to begin digging this week! Oh, I can't tell you how thrilled we are! My in-laws have been SO SO SO kind to let us live here but we are excited to have visions of living on our own again in the future! If all goes well (and we know it usually has some bumps along the way) they should finish around the end of April, so here's hoping!

As for news from the baby front... there isn't much to report. The doctor estimates an eight pound girl if I go to my due date, which is starting to look like reality. I have been crossing my fingers for at least a few days early, but I shouldn't be so picky. She'll come when she's good and ready, I'm sure. I have eleven days til due date, and so far am not dilated or effaced. I picked up some raspberry leaf tea from the health store today... even if it doesn't help bring on labor (although that would be great if it did!) it's supposed to make the contractions more effective and thus shorten labor, so I guess it can't hurt. Besides that I think it tastes good with a bit of honey and helps me get all my water allotment in!

Hopefully soon a beautiful baby girl's face is smiling out at you from this blog... until then!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

This one is my favorite :)

Ben and I had our family pictures taken yesterday before the baby comes. I think they turned out pretty cute~ Enjoy!

Still here... :)

2011-10-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

This blog needs an update, although I will forewarn that it has no pictures! This would be due in part to the fact that my computer is sitting under a sheet in the basement of my wonderful in-laws' house ... which is also where you will find our bed and our clothes and our dog... oh yes, and us. That's right, we have become basement dwellers once more. After trying unsuccessfully to sell our house we decided to find the perfect renters, which we seem to have done. So far at least we are very pleased with the cute couple that has moved into our baby, that darling house in Ogden where we have lived for the last three and a half years. While Ben and I are searching for the next perfect house to move into his parents have been kind enough to allow us to stay with them. When we found out I was pregnant it moved up the intensity of the plans to move. You just kinda know when the timing is right, and so we are in the market! We are looking for something in the Davis County area, and house hunting is so not my favorite thing anymore... it sounded fun, like four months ago. Not so much anymore! However, all is going well and hopefully soon I will be able to give some good news from the homefront!
Baby Girl is growing beautifully, we love her so much! I can't believe how fast time is flying by, and I'm sure with the holidays coming up it will just continue to soar on by! I am 25 weeks now, and two people yesterday said something along the lines of "You must be about due, huh?" My sweet smile was followed by an inward growl which they of course couldn't hear! So yes, in case you haven't believed me before now, this belly is getting big! I have zero complaints though, because it means our sweet baby is growing and nothing is better than that! And despite my size I am feeling absolutely incredible. I have been blessed so far with the most wonderful pregnancy and little discomfort so I am definitely one grateful girl!
Lately I am loving this sweet fall weather, which brings the welcoming in of hot chocolate season and snuggling up to my sweet husband while it storms outside... one of my very favorite things. Now that baseball and football are on the tv pretty much ALWAYS, I have discovered a new favorite... laying on Ben's lap falling asleep as he plays with my hair while watching sports. Max joins in and usually ends up curled around my head or my feet or even occassionally he will plop down quite literally right on top of my face. Cute boy can't get close enough and he is quite the snuggler!
We are doing well, sorry for no pictures! Hopefully I will do better next time, but you all know me too well to place any bets on that!

Our story

2011-08-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

So I can hardly believe that I am already 19 weeks pregnant. It's going by so insanely fast! Here I am at 18 weeks, although this belly is poking out so fast I probably already need a new, updated pic :)

I woke up early this morning when Ben went to play basketball, and I was laying in bed feeling completely overwhelmed with gratitude. So many of you have been so happy and thrilled for us and I want to tell you all thank you. You have no idea how grateful and touched we are to be so blessed by your sweet words and emotions!

So here's our story, for the record. Last March marked our two year mark of trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully. That time included a year where we hoped we wouldn't have to use medication, despite the doctor's warnings. When we obviously needed help after a year we began a rough year on fertility meds and tests. It was on to Clomid, which failed to cause ovulation. After that it was on to a different, more brutal pill. Three times a day everyday and sick for a few months. It was, quite honestly, awful and I was no peach while I was on it. Ben was a sweetheart for putting up with me. After about 4 months on that came the day I have previously written about, when my doctor informed me I was over his head and needed more help. All this time on these meds ovulation never occurred.

Although these were a hard few months, they were also full of blessings. Never did Ben and I really feel despair over this. We always just felt that it must not be the right time and were able to feel confident in the Lord that it would work out eventually. Don't get me wrong, I definitely had my moments. But Ben was right there to reassure me and to remind me that everything would be okay. This time also provided some awesome quality time for us as husband and wife, for which I am forever grateful. I have been blessed with one stellar man and I count my blessings everyday that we have forever together.

To continue, after the doctor gave me that little tidbit of information we began to plan our next move. Meanwhile I continued on my pills, just in case, and eventually combined the Clomid with the current pill. Still nothing. I had, however, gotten over most of the sickness caused by the pill, although there were still some sweet side effects to deal with. Nothing major but definitely annoying.

In February I discovered a big bump and it was off to the doctor again... It took a few visits but they eventually decided it was a hernia. Surgery was scheduled for March 30, and Ben and I decided to call it quits on the fertility meds before the surgery. After a lot of talk we decided to plan for artificial insemination in the summer, which would give my incision time to heal before hopefully getting pregnant. Just before the surgery, while sitting in Young Women General Conference with my darling beehives, I realized that it was time for me to go back to school. It was quite the clear prompting, and I got busy signing up for classes, figuring out our payment plans, meeting with counselors and adjusting my work schedule, since I had one month before summer semester started. So busy was I with planning school, and so excited to be going back, that Ben and I decided to postpone the artificial insemination. I was excited to be moving on with school and the end was in sight for my teaching degree. Pregnancy was put on the backburner and, you guessed it.... that apparently was all it needed!!

In the middle of May I began cramping and when it didn't stop, I began thinking I should take a test. Not that I thought anything of it, mind you, but I figured I would. On May 31st I was driving home from class and still cramping, nothing major just out of the ordinary. I decided to stop by the dollar store and pick up a few tests. Ironically, as I was driving, I had a funny (in retrospect) thought. Class had been really good that day and I was really getting into the learning groove again. I thought "It's good that I'm not pregnant because I'm so excited to be finishing school right now." Ha ha ha. I'm positive the Lord has a sense of humor and was chuckling at that one.

That night I took the test. Ben had no idea I was going to take one because really, there was no reason to tell him. I wasn't pregnant, right, so this was just routine, something I did every few months. Well, when the two lines appeared, I started shaking and breathing really fast and praying really fast (it went something like... "thank you thank you thank you thank you..."). I went and told Ben and he didn't believe me til I showed him the test.... And the rest is as you know it!

I have felt incredible, and been blessed to skip the pregnancy sickness. This little girl

(Did I mention that? IT'S A GIRL :))

is growing like a weed and measures long and lean. She is kicking out of control and made it quite difficult for the doctor to get a good heartbeat at my 3d ultrasound on Wednesday. Every time they tried she would start kicking and mess it up. LOVE HER! The placenta implanted on the front of the uterus so it's cushioning the movements, which is why I haven't felt any of it yet. I'm okay with that, since I am sure it will come soon enough. We are already madly in love with her and are so excited that she is coming to join our little family. One thing I do know for certain is that this life is one hundred percent in the Lord's timing. And we're so thankful that now is our time for this little angel!

And then there were three

2011-06-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, that means I am pregnant! We are so very happy and feeling so incredibly blessed right now by our Heavenly Father. We couldn't be more thrilled! Baby O is set to make an appearance around January 21, 2012. As of today I am ten weeks, three days, although by the look of my tummy you'd think it was WAY more than that!

I checked this picture dozens of times to make sure it's real. Yep, it is!

Right after we found out and I stopped crying!

Don't mind Ben's goofy smile, I'm pretty sure he was in shock!

Max is still undecided, although he enjoys jumping on my belly, which is always a feel good moment.

10 weeks 3 days. See what I mean? A small bump appeared around a week and a half ago but I chalked it up to my imagination. However, there seems to be no denying it now. Apparently, baby is growing like a weed and there's nowhere for it to go but out!

Yes, we are alive

2011-06-01T20:46:00.001-07:00

and well! I have SO many pictures that I've been wanting to blog. First there was our Easter camping trip which was cold but wonderful. Then there was our backpacking trip a few weeks ago which was AMAZING as usual. And then there was the U2 concert which was suh-weet. And I have great pictures of them all to prove they really happened and yes, we were there! However, it is all I can do to squeeze in the time to provide even this tiny update. On May 2 I started school, and I am LOVING it. It was rather unexpected, but when the prompting came I followed, and I'm glad I did. I'm taking eighteen credits, which is insanely cramped in a summer semester, and I am still working full time. So we're still here, I usually have some sort of anthology on American literature or some advanced nutrition book in my face but Ben's getting used to the look! So sorry for the no pics, but the semester ends August 5... maybe I can squeeze some on then :)

St. George on St. Patty's

2011-04-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Meagan, you were right! ... I DO have pictures from a trip to St. George that have not yet been blogged about. So here goes! (Thanks for the reminder).

A few weeks back Ben and I and a few couples from our ward drove down to spend St. Patty's day weekend away from work and relaxing in the sun... too bad it was only sunny one day, but we were still not at work so it was ok! We stayed in a beautiful house that someone's parents kindly lent us, spent a day in Vegas, another day shopping in St. George, and another watching my nephew play in his softball tournament. It was nice and relaxing with too little sleep and too much food (as usual).

Jeff and Jori - my sister and her husband. It was a fabulous coincidence that the baseball tourney was that same weekend. So we drove to Mesquite and ate at the seafood buffet with them and then went swimming. Completely wonderful evening

Don't mind that some of these pics are sideways, I forgot to turn them before I uploaded them and, you got it, I'm too lazy to redo. We went shooting one breezy afternoon... Here's my baby shooting to his hearts content.

Seriously the .22 pistol was INSANELY fun. I asked Ben to get me one for our anniversary or my birthday or something... I want one, he can figure out an excusable time to buy it!

At Brayden's game... it was so cold.

Isn't he darling?! I think I embarrassed him. I forget he's 13 now... oops

soaking up the sun... sideways style

Soaking in the shade while his wife soaked in the sun.

Vegas baby :) Breezy here as well.

Love my sweet Hubby, it was an awesome trip. Wish it was time to go again!

surgery

2011-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

So I'm having surgery.Tomorrow. On an inguinal hernia. And unfortunately this is the only thing in my life right now to blog about :) How sad. According to my doctor it's a rather painful recovery, which I am not looking forward to. HOWEVER, on the upside this does mean that I don't have to work over conference weekend, which we always look forward to at our house... the best two weekends of the year :) So today I'm rushing to get everything done before I veg out on pain meds for a few days. I'll let you know how it goes!

20 minutes you say?

2011-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

20 minutes for this workout? All I can say is Thank you, Kara, for introducing me. And also thank you Ebay for selling it to me for six dollars and eight cents. I really appreciate it. I can definitely handle 20 minutes. And it's not too shabby that I'm out of breath and sore the next day from these 20 minutes. Well worth my time I'd say.

Meet Max

2011-02-11T18:05:00.001-08:00

Say hello and a hearty welcome to the newest addition to the O fam. Max is our darling new baby, and yes he's a puppy! He's a Shih Poo (Which I feel like an idiot saying, obviously. Say it aloud and you'll feel embarrassed too.) He's a mix between a Shih Tzu and Poodle, which apparently is a very popular mix but I'd never heard of it before.

Anyway, he was a spur of the moment idea... I was talking to my sister who had just gotten a puppy and I decided that sounded fun, so I got on KSL, and it just so happened that about 30 seconds before I did, little Max and his brothers were posted. I had to have him, he's so cute, and doesn't shed, so for the next two days I begged Ben INCESSANTLY to let me get him. I even got Ben's sister on my side, who followed my instructions perfectly (which were, of course, to call Ben a few times a day and beg him to let me get Max, and then to send him texts as well.) Looks like it worked, and Ben is wrapped around Max's little paw... as am I. He's darling, he potty trained in about a week, and he doesn't even yap like most small dogs. So here are some pictures... tell me you could resist this 3 pound puffball. Pretty sure you couldn't.

This is his favorite spot...usually on our feet taking a nap, but he'll settle for squished in between them as well

DARLING!

Christmas and babies

2010-12-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's time to blog because I'm so sick of seeing my Halloween post! I'm sitting in my little house and just LOVING the lights of the Christmas tree and planning out the remainder of my Christmas shopping. I'm almost done, which is extremely unusual for me since I NEVER know what to get Ben and always go to the mall and walk around about a bagazillion times hoping for some inspiration... but this year inspiration struck early and I can't wait to see his face on Christmas morning :)

There truly is something magical about this holiday... there's such a warm aura of family and love and joy and most of all an increased awareness of our Savior. He is so aware of us and gives us so many reasons to be happy!

On a rather personal note, Ben and I have recently hit a new roadblock on our journey to have children. For just under 2 years we've been trying to conceive, although we knew from the start that it would be difficult. After failed attempts on different fertility pills my doctor looked at me a few weeks ago and said "You're over my head now, you're complicated." The entire time we'd been trying there'd been a lot of peace and a complete reassurance that we had no need to worry. However, those words coming from my doctor stopped me in my tracks. I was at work (since I work at L&D I'm able to just pull my doctor aside when I have questions. So we were standing in the hall when he told me the news) and so I hurried into a supply room and called Ben, which is when I started bawling and freaking out. Of course Ben was perfect and comforted me and remained strong even though the news was just as bad for him. A few days later as I was trying to make my appointments with the specialists down at the U we realized how quickly the expenses would add up as we began this new step in the journey. Of course then the anxiety over whether or not we'll be able to have children of our own combined with the stress of the huge financial burden that this presented.

Ben and I talked a lot and yearned for direction and guidance from the Lord. He has given us immense peace through this entire experience and we still feel certain that He is watching over us. We have decided to put the medical procedures at the U on hold for a short while and feel very peaceful about this decision. I love my sweet husband so much and he's been amazing through everything. He is so faithful and calm and rarely gets his feathers ruffled. Because of him and because of our wonderful Savior and our faith in His plan we're able to be grateful for our time together, just the two of us! We hope for children soon but are peaceful and happy in the fact that all is in our loving Heavenly Father's hands, and ultimately everything will work out as it should!

Halloween weekend part one

2010-11-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween is over at last! Once September ends I pull out my few Halloween decorations and the random costume parts and get really happy at what this all means... fall, snow, hot chocolate, and the nearness of the two most wonderful holidays of the year (Thanksgiving and Christmas... NOT Halloween, although it's a fun one!) I enjoy planning Halloween - the costumes, the activities, inviting family and friends, but when it ends I am definitely ready to move on to bigger and better. With that said, I'm sure Christmas decor will be up at our house in no time! (and don't be a hater... I know Thanksgiving comes first. But what's Thanksgiving without a little Christmas cheer?!)

On Friday we went to Frightmares with a few friends. Pics of that will be coming soon. For now, here is what our Saturday consisted of:

Ben and I greeted our guests in this manner (Ben's sister and her cute little family, and my brother with his. Small and cozy, yet enough to make a tight fit in our small and cozy little home!)

And yes, I did get another new hairdo, and if I say so myself I do love it. Real bangs for the first time in my life, it's so exciting! Although it wasn't looking its best under my witches hat.

We had a yummy dinner and then were off to trick or treat, although the kids were only able to make it through about 5 houses. It was a very cold night! Then we were off to Hogwarts! This is Ben's sister and I accompanied by Dumbledore. A tiny witch was meant to be in the picture but her darling head got cut off!

us witches, enjoying ourselves immensely

Hagrid asked the little boys (dressed as bats) if they had escaped from the Forbidden Forest

Luna Lovegood was not thrilled by Ben's costume, it was too scary for her taste.

Moaning Myrtle, complete with her toilet.

The Sorting Hat

Hope you had so much fun as well!!

2010-09-22T16:27:00.001-07:00

LEMON CHICKEN

This, obviously, is not a cooking blog... although I read those like the news. However, I LOVE to cook. I love the smells as they mingle and I love to watch as it all comes together beautifully. That said, I'm a pretty simple cook, and more often than not the meals around my house are quick and last minute. However, as this tantalizing smell is filling my house I decided I must share this recipe with you. Why? Because it's my absolute favorite meal ever and you all must try it. It's very simple and incredibly delicious, at least we think so! So trust me on this, try it out.

Lemon Chicken

chicken breast halves

dried oregano

pepper

seasoned salt

2 TBS butter

1/4 cup water

3 TBS lemon juice

2 minced garlic cloves (opt.)

1 tsp or 1 cube chicken bouillon granules

Brown chicken in melted butter and sprinkle generously with spices. Once browned, remove from pan. Add to pan water, lemon juice, bouillon and garlic. Bring to boil. Combine chicken and liquid and cook. Crock Pot or Electric Skillet:3-4 hours. Oven: 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

I always double everything but the chicken and make extra juice as a gravy for potatoes as a side... mashed, baked, whatever, the juice is great on them all!

He is so sweet...

2010-09-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Really, I have no idea how I got to be so blessed. I try to be a good person but

Ben really is so much more than I deserve, pretty much always.

Sorry for the sappiness but it's true!

On Monday I was feeling pretty down and out. Work wasn't the worst

day ever but it was a bit rough. Then my fertility pills make me sick

and I had just upped my dosage on Sunday.

Ben got woken up at 6 am to our neighbors pounding on the door

because they'd been fighting all night and thought Ben could fix their

problems, so it's not like his day was off to a great start either. Then an hour

before his work day is over he has to run down to Salt Lake for a sign permit

so his day gets extended and he gets caught in traffic. But still what does he do?

He makes an extra stop to pick up donuts and roses just cause he loves me

and I've had a rough day.

Really, I'm telling you I don't deserve that guy. But man how I love him.

Three years and I am such a slacker!

2010-08-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I really am such a horrible blogging slacker! And I hate when the blogs I stalk aren't updated regularly but it is what it is, sorry! Mostly it's that I'm so not computer savvy and have no idea what to hook up where to get the pics from my phone to the computer so I just wait til Ben does it for me. I know. I'm lame. And I watch him and see that it's insanely easy but I just don't bother to ask him what exactly goes where exactly. So it's on my to do list. We'll see how that goes.

So, on July 18 we celebrated our 3 year anniversary! Wow, who knew that life would fly by so incredibly fast? We first went to Hogle Zoo. We haven't been there in years and it was so fun! We saw little Baby Elephant Zuri and she is darling! She knew just how to play the crowd, what with running around with a bucket on her head and playing in the water like a two year old child. Really, it was the most adorable thing! Then we saw the bird show which was also impressive. After the zoo we checked in at a hotel and went swimming before going to the gateway and then the Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square. After that we went to Liberty Park and just walked around. When we were dating we would always meet up at either Trolley Square or Liberty Park, so it was fun to go back there on a date!

They don't even move. That's got to be somewhat boring, wouldn't you say?

Not Zuri or her mother, but a rather cute elephant in itself.

Ben is such a sweetheart and we've had so much fun together. I'm so lucky to be with him. He blesses my life in ways I never imagined and I'm so glad to be a forever family!

In other news, our July was filled with lots of summer fun... here are just a few pics!

This is Tyrel and Meagan's little Mahala bug. We went to their house in Orem and went swimming a few times. She's got a little lobster she floats around in and Tyrel and Ben act like five year olds with Tyrel's water toys. It's always fun to go there and relax!

Ben's sister and her family from Idaho have been down a lot this summer and Ben absolutely adores the new little baby! He always steals him from me and never gives him back!

All we have to do is pull out our Iphones and the kids totally love us! What an awesome trick!

And lastly, over the 24th we went up to Kamas to the demolition derby. We love those! I had to work til 3 so Ben and his friend went up early and went swimming, and I got there in time for dinner at the friend's grandpa's. As always it was amazingly fun! There is just something about the summer sun, dirt in the air, Ben sitting next to me on a bleacher and cars crashing into other cars that just warms my heart! We loved it!

Vegas Baby!

2010-05-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

At frighteningly close to 25 years of age I finally took my first trip to Las Vegas! Ben and I went with some friends and stayed in St. George, where we went 4-wheeling and ate too much, then ventured on down to Vegas for a day. It was so much fun... who knew? It never sounded like much fun, but being there with my sweet hubby in absolutely PERFECT weather with good friends made it seriously the most relaxing, fun trip ever! Plus as a bonus I splurged on a freaking adorable purse...

Chubby 7 month old Daxton, our friends' baby. He's a doll! Love the face he's making!

Fantastic 4-wheeling trails...

The lobby inside the Bellagio... it smelled amazing, everything was made of flowers

Isn't he cute?

Tantalizing reads

2010-01-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

I am a girl with many love affairs. ...of course number one is my husband. ...then there are Sunday afternoons, perfect rainstorms and flip flops in the summer, just to name a few. And right there at the top of the list are delectable books. You know the kind I mean... the ones that you can't quite put down, even though there are a million more important things that you need to be doing at that exact moment. These are the ones I have a "love affair" with. When I read a good book it's like something fills up inside me and I melt away with the words, leaving behind any unimportant, stressful or mundane thing that would usually tempt my time. These are the books that I finally put down at night because I absolutely MUST go to bed... but after twenty minutes of thinking about it I have to sneak out to the couch so I don't wake Ben, just to catch a few more pages. Lately I have found a few of these treasures. Be careful not to mistake me. I'm not talking classics like The Catcher in the Rye or Lord of the Flies, literature whose purpose undoubtedly is to start your mind wheels turning in an effort to make you a more intellectual and aware person. No, these books are simply to sit back, relax and enjoy yourself for a moment. So if you're like me and absolutely can't pass up a good book, try one of these out. I hope they're as delightful for you as they were for me!

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins. Definitely an easy read, but the plot is amazing! It's the future of North America, where children's names are drawn annually and the winners are forced to participate in the Hunger Games. The sole objective of the games is to be the last one alive. This one actually does get those little thinking wheels turning... and if you have teenage siblings they're going to love it too.

Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games. The third one is due out next summer and I'm anxiously waiting!

Perhaps you've recently seen the previews for the movie The Lightning Thief? Well here's the origins, the first in a five book series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Also easy, humorous, and a really fun story. It's Greek mythology in present day as the mortal children of the gods are on a quest to save the world. Narrator for the story? None other than the son of Poseidon, Lord of the Sea.

Book 2 is The Sea of Monsters; 3 is The Titan's Curse followed by 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth. And my favorite? Book 5: The Last Olympian. Definitely loved this whole series.

Of course all those fun fictional works have to be grounded with a historical fiction intermission from one of my favorite authors of all time. Gerald N. Lund's newest book The Undaunted is wonderful. Not quite as good as The Kingdom and the Crown or The Work and the Glory, but still really good, and I learned a ton about a set of pioneers that I knew nothing about! It tells about the story of the Hole in the Rock pioneers and their amazing journey to the San Juan.

College Graduate!

2010-01-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

May I present to you my sweet husband who is, as of December 11, 2009, a graduate of Weber State University! I'm so proud of him and we're so excited he is done! Plans for his MBA are in the near future, but we'll enjoy the break while it's here! Just before graduation, his boss came to him about an opening doing something a little different in the company. We were so excited; when a similar position had been open a few months earlier we'd considered him applying for it, but just didn't feel that it was time since he was still working part time while in school. The timing this time around couldn't have been more perfect and we feel certain that the Lord is watching over and blessing us. It's a new and exciting opportunity for him and he's doing great. He now sells signs for businesses, yes that's right... signs, billboards, you got it. It's a job full of opportunity and hard work and although we were a little nervous we are excited that the door was open for him. And now, a view of Ben the graduate:

Congrats, Babe!

Then of course I haven't posted ANY of our Holiday happenings around here, but they were busy, and they were the most MAGICAL and WONDERFUL time of year! This year our families ate their Thanksgiving feasts about three hours apart, so we were able to eat turkey dinner in Layton with much of my in-laws and then we made the drive down to Cedar Hills where we arrived in time to eat pie at my parents' house. It worked out perfectly and was so much fun. Christmas time is our favorite... the decorations were up well before Thanksgiving even arrived, and the Christmas music and cinnamon scents filled the house, making it deliciously magical. We spent Christmas Eve making candy and treats with my family... my twelve year old nephew Brayden even donned an apron and made the divinity with my mom! We got back by ten and then it was sweet dreams for me, since I had to work on Christmas morning. I worked from 5 til 11, and consoled myself with the thought that Ben would stay in bed til at least 830 and then he'd only have to spend a few waking hours alone on Christmas! But bright and early, 530 am to be exact, our DARLING nieces called and wished him Christmas cheer! Luckily work was slow enough that I got to receive my Christmas call as well. After that, Ben decided to go watch his nieces and nephew in Farmington open their presents and have a big breakfast with them. Once I got home we opened gifts and spent the rest of the day with family. Of course it was wonderful and full of goodness and cheer. We were so sad when it was all over! But of course there was the New Year celebrations with family and now we have a whole year to work on all of our resolutions! I will say I have actually made some, which is really a new experience for me! Let's hope I'm not a statistic that gives up by February 1st!

Ben's cooking fiasco

2009-11-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

My sweet husband saw a picture on a blog I was looking at of some cookies and said "oooh those look good, let's make them!"

I reply "I've got to go to a meeting; if you go to the store and grab what we need I'll make them when I get back." He agrees.

I return from the meeting 40 minutes overdue, feeling bad. I open the door, and am assaulted by the delicious smell...

...of something burning and lots and lots of melting wax... as if there are twenty burning candles in the house...

He looks at me and says, with the most darling and slightly frantic face, "I've made so many mistakes!"

I enter the house as he asks "Isn't parchment paper the same as wax paper?"

"No, they're different," I reply.

"Oh, I figured they were the same." Hence the smell of twenty candles as the wax paper melts in the oven.

"What can I do to help?" I say. He suggests that I load the dishwasher. I begin, and a moment later he calls out.

"I just sprayed canola oil in my face!" He's very stressed at this point, but taking it all in stride. Neither of us can stop laughing.

I continue with the dishes as he begins to frost the cookies. He turns around after just a moment, with frosting spilling down his face.

He smiles pathetically and says "I need to go take a shower."

He was perfectly clean before he began baking.

Before he headed off to the bathroom to clean up, we each took a cookie. In spite of it all, they tasted amazing!

What a wonderful man. I laughed so hard. Thanks Babe!

Uplifting thought for you!!

2009-11-11T20:05:00.000-08:00

In our young women class on Sunday the teacher read this poem and I thought it was so sweet. Definitely some good reminders, I hope you like it as much as I did!

Beauty Tips

By Audrey Hepburn

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be

restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;

never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,

you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have

two hands, one for helping yourself, and the other

for helping others.

Welcome to Hogwarts!!

2009-11-01T20:34:00.001-08:00

First things first, Halloween is over and it's officially time to be ringing in the Christmas cheer! Decorations for the blessed season will be going up at our house withing the next two weeks so it's starting out here!

Secondly, I chopped my hair... in August, but the camera broke on our backpacking trip, so here is the hairdo debut!

And last the best of all the game, we experienced a most splendid Halloween celebration that I must share with all of you! Any Harry Potter fans here? If so, you may be rightly envious. The evening started when Tyrel and his fam and another couple drove to our house for some delicious dinner.Then we loaded up in the cars (leaving the darling trick-or-treaters to ring at an empty house. Sorry children!) and headed off to Hogwarts! One of the OB's at my work turns his property into the most magical experience, complete with Dumbledore, doe-shaped Patronus', and the Three Broomsticks! It's like Christmas morning for Harry's devoted fans, and kindest gesture of all? It's completely free!

The girls and Ben, entering Platform 9 and 3/4.

Enjoying a pumpkin juice at the Three Broomsticks

Luna Lovegood, Rita Skeeter, Prof. Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and Fleur Delacour posing with us. They were fabulous. Luna showed me how to get the nargles out of my head!

The sorting hat... Sadly I was put in Hufflepuff, which I'm sorry to say could be the worst one!

It's alright though because Mahala, dressed as a darling cow, joined me there!

Dobby. He was handing out golden snitches to all of Harry's admirers :)

Basically, if you are near O-town next Halloween, it's well worth the drive!

Try this bad boy out

2009-09-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Once a month Ben and Kelli go on their grocery shopping excursion. All is going well, they are happy and laughing and the cart is filling up with food. Ben gets his junk food while Kelli has to remind him that they also need to purchase "real" food. Nothing wrong there. Then the inevitable happens: the laundry aisle. Somehow, this most obnoxious and expensive purchase usually sours the mood. Kelli is a cheap-o and wants the cheapest detergent, while Ben is very, very particular about smells. So after a few minutes of debate, they continue on their way with their ten dollars of laundry detergent. However, one day Kelli made a most remarkable find: homemade laundry detergent!! (As blogged by her delightsome cousin Amy). So they gave it a try, and it was a huge hit. Now the whole family is making their own, and saving big bucks while they do so. Try it, they promise you'll love it!

You will need:

1 Bar of Fels Naptha
1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Laundry Soda
1/2 Cup of Borax

All of these can be found in the laundry aisle, however Walmart doesn't carry the Fels Naptha or Laundry Soda. I purchased mine instead at Macey's grocery store. They should total altogether about $7.

Instructions:

Grate the Fels Naptha and add to a saucepan with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and melts. Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full of very hot tap water. Add the melted soap/water mixture, the laundry soda and the Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. It will look like Egg Drop Soup when it's ready- don't worry, this is normal!!

Stir before using. Use 1/2 cup for top loading machines, or 1/4 cup for front loading. One bucket makes about 200-400 loads, depending on the washing machine.

The price on this bad boy equals about $2 per 5 gallons. Not too shabby, eh?!

Fairview camping

2009-08-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Over the 24th of July we went camping to Fairview with my family. I know it was a month ago, but hey... we don't have internet quite yet. However, it should finally be hooked up within the next week-ish, plus our tv, which means one thing to me: English. We for some reason have just three channels, all Spanish speaking. Ben rather enjoys watching them, because he understands it all, but I get maybe a fourth of what they're saying, so see ya later. ...Okay off that tangent. We went camping and it was way fun. We went canoeing and float tubing and fishing (which I don't enjoy but I make great company!) So here are some pics. EnJOy!!

Anyone who knows my mom will appreciate this picture. She might not, seeing as how now it's online, but she's hilarious.

Ethan and Mahala. Stinking cute.

Ben and I preparing to go float tubing. I LOVE this!!

One of many pictures of Maddox pretending to sleep on the rocks.

Ben and the girls. Avie is trying to make a peace sign... couldn't quite get that pinky finger to stay down though!

Us and my sister's adorable kids

"You know you're in love when...

2009-08-11T16:52:00.001-07:00

...you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss

Ben and I celebrated our second anniversary on July 18th. Crazy!!!! I can't believe how fast time has flown by! We celebrated by taking a 3 day weekend and driving up to Idaho for our niece's birthday party at the pool on the 17th. It was darn cute! Then we came home and played hard all day. We saw Harry Potter, of course, and yes I did love it, even though there are many haters out there. Then we shopped til we dropped and went out to eat. All in all a fabulous and leisurely day with my hubby.
Seriously though, I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown. Here are a few memories that still seem like yesterday...

The first date: Ben asked me to meet him in Salt Lake to go to a Demolition Derby in Coalville. I said yes and then bailed on him (brat, I know!) However, my sisters told me I was a jerk and told me I had to call him back and make the date. Good thing I listened to them!
The first "I love you": Sitting on the awfully hideous gold couch in the basement that I rented with Taryn and Christie, Ben and I were watching a movie... We had been been dating about 3 1/2 months. I didn't hear what he said so I said "huh?" and he had to say it again. Of course leave it up to me to not hear those three most magical words!
The first kiss: Worst kiss EVER!! Ha ha. It was awful. Third date, he walked me to my door. I figured he wasn't going to do it, since he practically waited til the credits were rolling in the movie to hold my hand! I don't think he even knew if he was going to do it or not til the last second. Something about it, not sure what... but we both agreed it was our worst kiss ever, no contest.
The first Christmas: (After we were married) We were so broke! We'd been married 5 months and I had just barely found a job. We had a borrowed Christmas tree from my parents and I took ten dollars to the dollar store to buy decorations. When we woke up Christmas morning we opened the gifts we'd gotten each other and then wanted to make a special Christmas breakfast before going to his sister's house. However, upon inspection we discovered that we had no bread, no milk, and no eggs. So we drove to his parents to make some breakfast there. Mom told us to wait and just eat the big turkey meal his sister was preparing, so we drove down there. She wasn't home and the food wasn't started. By this time we were pretty hungry, but no stores are open on Christmas. So what did we do? That's right... we drove to the only open gas station and bought a hot dog!! In retrospect it makes for a great memory!

Life is beautiful, especially with this wonderful husband by my side! There's craziness and chaos and an abundance of happiness! I'm thankful everyday to be his wife!

In other news, we have spent the last few weeks camping with both sides of our family. Fabulous, of course! Pictures will be coming soon :)

Look at these faces!!

2009-06-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is my brother Tyrel's wife Meagan and their two and a half month old girl Mahala. The three of them came up for a visit on Sunday and we had so much fun! I can't get enough of that beautiful baby girl. She's got a darling little pug nose, even more darling because no one knows who it came from. She's got a shock of dark hair and the most adorable smile!

Beautiful baby Mahala!!

On Friday and Saturday Ben and I babysat a friends' little girl. She's a year and a half old and honestly one of the prettiest kids I have ever seen. I didn't get a very good picture of her but even in these crappy phone pics you can see she's beautiful! She was so cuddly, and so so good! I figure if our children are half as well behaved as her then maybe I could handle being a mom!

Absolutely darling, aren't they?

Because you asked...

2009-05-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

...I will answer!

Some of you have asked questions about school, work, where we want to move, etc, so I thought I'd give it to you!! (Plus I can't think of anything more exciting to tell you about :) )

So Ben and I are both up at Weber State. He is graduating in December in Business Marketing. I am SO excited for him to be done!! He is working really hard and I am super proud of him. I still have two years left, but when I am done I'll be a high school English teacher. That will be a sweet day!!

Ben works at a company selling service for signs, and his dad works at the same company selling the actual signs themselves. I work as a tech in the hospital in Labor and Delivery/Mother-Baby, since they are the same floor. It's pretty sweet. I spend my time handing instruments in c-sections and bathing brand new babies. Ben has a desk job and I run my behind off, so he is sometimes confused as to why I am exhausted when I get home!

Also, we put our house up for sale but have since decided we may just wait til Ben graduates before we move. We were going to move a little bit south to Layton/Syracuse area, but we'll see. I absolutely love my house. It's tiny with a massive yard and it's basically adorable, so I am well content to stay for another year!

That's the up-date! Hopefully we take a sweet trip somewhere soon or else something else more exciting comes for me to enlighten you with. Until then...! :)

Hmmm....

2009-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

School's out. sigh. so much time on my hands now. Don't worry, I still work full time. But at the hospital that translates into three twelve hour shifts a week... and four wonderful days off. Last week, the first week with no school, I was fairly productive. I cleaned the house, ran the errands, and somehow passed the time without feeling like I was completely wasteful of it. However, this week, I've got a book. and it's a good book. So yesterday, I read... for eight hours. How my body didn't wildly protest to that, I don't know. But it was rather enjoyable. Now what to do with the rest of the summer?!

note: I am not always THAT lazy. Just occasionally, such as when I find a really good book. Or when I feel like watching A&E's five hour "Pride and Prejudice." I do know how to exercise, so try not to judge me too harshly!

The Grand Gulch

2009-05-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Unreliable internet as well as a busy few weeks has kept me from posting. However, don't let the lack of post fool you into thinking we have been sitting on our rears staring into space! We finished finals up at Weber State last week, it feels fabulous! We are also trying to sell our house, and trying not to get our hopes up too high, lest there be no buyer. But just maybe! I mean, it's darling, who wouldn't want it?! And last yet certainly not least... We returned last week from our much anticipated backpacking trip to the Grand Gulch! Yes that's right, peeps... it was amazing! We joined with Ben's boss and a co-worker, Ben's sister and brother-in-law, and a few other kind people, and embarked on this wonderful adventure. We hiked through some beautiful scenery as well as Anasazi Ruins that are between 800 and 2000 years old. It was an incredibly awe-inspiring journey and we were so glad to see the legacy of those people.
Enjoy a few of our pics...

The beginning... we had no idea what we were in for...

Ben's sister and brother-in-law

These were amazing. We think the one on the left was of a pregnant person... there is a person inside the bigger person. And don't worry, the one on the right was the male...

Marking the start and finish points

36 miles later... We did it!! I was astonished!

This may be too gushy for you, brace yourself

2009-03-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

Just a little love for the man who

* cleans the whole house every Saturday that I work, and even moves the furniture and vacuums under it!

* Calls me Kelloggs even though I hate it, and he laughs everytime :)

* made dinner every night last week, and it was always delicious

* works so hard for our little family, every single day

* makes me laugh until I cry, and then a little bit more

*appreciates everything I do, even when it's not very much!

* makes my lunch and irons my clothes so that I can get to bed early for work... even though it's my own fault for procrastinating

*Reminds me that life shouldn't be taken too seriously

* lets me call him over and over just to talk, even though he hates talking on the phone

* gives the best and most comfortable hugs in the world... they always make me feel better even when I didn't know I needed to

* treats me like a queen

My family came to visit today, and unfortunately I had to work until 5:30. Ben, being the most wonderful man that he is, made sure the house was spotless, cooked the potatoes and rolls, baked brownies, and marinated and then barbecued the chicken, all while I was at work. I got home just as my family pulled in, and Ben had everything ready for us. He even changed the scentsy so that the house smelled delicious! He is my favorite person and my absolute best friend. Thanks Baby!

Temple Open House

2009-03-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ben and I drove down to Draper to go with my family to the Draper Temple Open House. It was such a fun time and the temple was beautiful, of course! While going through my eleven year old nephew and my eight year old niece and nephew walked with me and wanted to learn about everything. It was a sweet thing to be able to share that experience with them. As we left they were so excited to go back someday. Isn't that how we all should be!

My nephew and I afterward

My Benny and I

(The pictures are from my cell phone so they aren't very good or very clear. Sorry!)

Fabulous. Who thought of this?

2009-02-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

Ben's parents bought a Wii a few weeks ago, and let me just tell ya... way fun! Instead of the usual after dinner routine (Which consists of everyone getting on their laptops while I find a book to read, because (sigh) I am the only one who doesn't own a laptop :)), we get up and play! I much prefer this to the silence of the laptop-lovers.

The two biggest losers had to do dishes! Ah, father and son, aren't they the cutest? They didn't even complain!

A rousing game of tennis, ha ha

They call me the Windmill, perhaps you can see why?
I swept the night with my fantastic high score, might I add!
(Which Ben blew away the next time we played, but for a night, I was Queen!)

Road Trip!!

2009-01-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

Preface: I took a number of pictures that would have illustrated this post better, but we have lost our cord and I can only upload them at Ben's work. Sorry!

On Wednesday, Ben and I took a little road trip. We skipped school, I left work early, and we got in Ben's company car and drove for five hours. Our destination: Riverton, Wyoming. Ben has to drive around and look at business signs for his work. Every Monday we drive around Layton, Kaysville, Roy or Logan and check to see who needs their sign fixed. Every three or so months we go to Wyoming to check up on them there. It's not very eventful, but I always love it! Ben drives (He very rarely takes me up on my offer to switch. Maybe I scare him!) and I read a book. There's a Little America Hotel right smack in the middle of nothing, and they have great ice cream. Once we get to Lander, Wy (a small town near Riverton where we also look at the signs), we always stop and get some hometown cooking. We look at their one street of business signs, then drive down to Riverton. They actually have two main streets so there are a few more signs to take pictures of. After that, we headed to the hotel, prepared to go swimming. Of course, once we arrived we saw that the pool was closed (They always are at hotels, at least the ones we go to!) So we lounged around and got bored. Ben took pity on me, and we braved the cold weather to make a late night run to Walmart. There we stocked up on Sobe's and dried fruit. Ben was adorable, and scored the aisles until he found the exact brand of dried mangoes that I was craving. Thanks, Benny! Back at the hotel, we ate our fruit and lay in bed watching tv. A perfect evening :) The next day we drove home and got to spend the rest of the afternoon together. Ah, for cuter! In a nutshell, the lives of a young married couple with no children may not be all that exciting, but we sure like it!

We have arrived!!

2009-01-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well friends, we have finally arrived! Welcome us officially to the world of blogging, because we are here!! I have very much enjoyed blog-stalking all of you, and was content to let my own blog go un-started. However, I have come to the conclusion that if we are to be remembered by our peeps, most of whom don't live near, then we had better get blogging! When repeatedly asked why we had no blog, my answer has always been this - the excitement factor would be nill. And while the excitement factor hasn't really gone up much, hopefully the little enjoyments of our life will be enough to keep you remembering about us! So here we are, living it up in Ogden, and we are so glad you're reading!