Happy Holidays!

Well, Christmas is over and the New Year is on its way. We hope everyone had a nice holiday and is ready for the new year to come!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. A lot of family, food, fun, and friends. Savanna couldn't wait this year for Santa and her presents. She wanted a baby and roller skates; so, Santa obliged. She got a new baby which she named Joy, along with all the accessories (diaper bag, diapers, bottle, blanket, burp cloth, etc.). She was so excited to be a mommy, too! She also got her roller skates (which we couldn't get off of her) along with some books, puzzles, and outfits. Thanks to Grandma Lorna, Grandpa & Grandma Simons, Travis & Paola, and the Stephens clan, she got cars, barbie's, stuffed animals, a scarf, and a lot of other fun things. She had a wonderful day.

Curtis got an Omelet maker, gloves, pants, movies, and a gift certificate. He was very enthused with everything he received.

I got a new set of knives, silverware, tools, and a brand spanking new camera (it is soooo nice).

All in all we had a great day. Best of all, we got to spend a lot of time with Family. My favorite part of the holiday is giving people gifts. I love to make people happy, and I think our family accomplished that this year.

As 2008 draws to a close, we hope that all of you will look back at this year and cherish all the adventures and experiences you've had. We also hope that 2009 will bring you much happiness and new adventures. And, I don't think I'll be alone in this, thank goodness it is an entire year until next Christmas.

I've been Tagged!!

So, my beautiful sister Susan tagged me to divulge eight facts/quirks/or interesting facts about myself then tag eight others.

1. I am a very "plan oriented" kind of gal. I need to know what is going on, at all times. This was not a difficulty in my life until I married Curtis. He is a fly-by-the-seat of your pants kind of guy, so I never know ANYTHING that is going on. It drives me CRAZY! But, it is good to just go with the flow sometimes and let her rip...unfortunately, I struggle with being spontaneous unless I planned to do it!

2. I have severe anxiety . I have been a victim of panic attacks for years...crowds, stress, trips, getting lost, etc. It is not fun. I am constantly in a state of panic. Someone told me once how laid back and easy going I was...I had to chuckle. Apparently, I hide it well...most of the time.

3. I am a germa-phobe: yeah, I know everyone is shocked. I carry two bottles of Lysol in my purse; I spray the handle of the cart at grocery stores prior to touching it, I also spray the ordering phones at Training Table, One Man Band, etc. I also carry germX. This is for after I've gone to a public anything, watched what I touched, and then washed my hands. I just have to go that extra step to disinfect as well. When I'm out in public it is very challenging for me; everything I have to do has to be done with my hands and there is no way around it....AAGH!

4. I have a slight case of obsessive/compulsive disorder. This is great fun. My life is rather comical sometimes; all my lightswitches in the house have to be down when the lights are off, my steering wheel in whichever vehicle I'm driving has to be exactly straight prior to exiting the vehicle, my bed has to be made just so, I have to put my clothes on in a certain order, in my purse everything has a place and I just about lose it when they are out of place (Curtis), I have a difficult time with asymmetry....I'd rather have everything be symmetrical (its less of a headache). Okay, there are a million more but I don't want anyone thinking I'm crazy...so I'll stop there.

5. I love to joke with people. Most people think I'm a very serious person, but I love to joke around and have fun. My mom's favorite thing that I do is sing "King of the Forest" like the lion on Wizard of Oz. She laughs forever...I only do it once in a while though. I love the sound of laughter and it makes me happy, so I love to try and make people happy.

6. I love to watch old movies, especially musicals. Anything from 1950 or earlier is AWESOME! I also love foreign movies. I don't know why, they just appeal to me.

7. I love to be outdoors. Anything I can do outside is fun for me. I love to camp, fish, hike, hunt, boat, ride wheelers, or just take a walk. I can't get enough of it; plus, I like the summer when it's 90 degrees or more....can't get enough of that awesome heat! Something about camping or hanging out outdoors is just soothing; it's like you are a million miles away yet really you're only an hour or so from home. Curtis is perfect for me in that aspect since he's an outdoors-a-holic. Our little Savanna is following our footsteps; she loves it as well.

8. I am a perfectionist and sometimes end up demanding it from other people as well (oops!). I have mixed feelings about being a perfectionist...sometimes it makes me better for it and sometimes it hinders me from moving on. Anything I do, I like it to be done right. I will work and work until it works out the way I want it or think it should be. This drives Curtis nuts sometimes, but he loves me anyway (I'm positive, haven't asked, but I'm sure he does.)

Okay, so I'm not sure if these were quirks/interesting facts/or what, but that is what you get. I tag Heather, Alicia, Mandi, Amber, Lindsay, Diana, Jessica, and Stephanie.

Finally!

Curtis and I are very excited about the fact that we are expecting a baby in June. We've just had our second ultrasound and the baby is doing very well. It has been a long time coming and we can't wait until he/she gets here. From the looks of the baby on the ultrasound, it is well on its way to becoming a Karate Champion. He/she did not stop kicking and punching the entire time!

Savanna knows we are going to have a baby, but doesn't say much about it yet. I would imagine that as my tummy gets bigger she'll be a little more interested. All she really says is that she wants a brother. Curtis is leaning toward a boy, also. I will be happy with either one. I just pray for a healthy, happy bundle of joy.

Vanny's Dentist Trip

Okay, I just realized that I never posted anything about Savanna's first Dentist visit...She did so good. She got the "Good Patient Award" which meant a certificate and free dinner at Del Taco, a Barbie toothbrush, Spongebob toothpaste, and lots more fun stuff. The only way I got her to go is to tell her that her teethe would "be totally sparkalicious". She was in...she loves things to be sparkalicious. The Dentist said she had no cavities and that her teethe were very well placed and healthy...thank goodness.

A few mishaps along the way...the tech was telling Savanna what each tool was and using their "fun" names. So, she got to the suction tube and told Savanna it was called "Mr. Thirsty"...Vanny, being the outspoken little thing she is, looked at the tech and with a look of "Duh" on her face said "It's a vacuum." I couldn't help but laugh...the tech didn't know what to say or do after that...it was pretty comical.

Days gone by!!!

I am awful at keeping my blog up....so sorry! Anyway, Summer is coming to a close; here are some of the highlights for us this year: we boated a lot, looked for a lot of dear, worked on a lot of cars, went fishing almost every Sunday, had a few family "Hotel" camp outs (ha ha), made a couple of trips to Vegas or Mesquite, had several family barbecues, many HOT camping trips, and in general had a lot of fun. We got to see Brian before he left, my brother Matt, and all sorts of fun things.

I'm sad now that it is almost over...can't wait for next year! We spend most of the fall and a lot of the winter hunting (by we I mean Curtis :)). I like to stay inside where it's warm and cozy...unless, Curtis can talk me in to having some major cold, yet fun, outdoor excursions.

We're looking forward to Halloween (Savanna will be a Princess) with trick-or-treating, apple cider, and home made donuts (Yummo!).

I will definitely be glad to spend some time at home, now that the warm weather is almost gone....we are not here very much in the summer....but man, who wants to face ice cold weather, snow, and all that stuff!!!! Guess I'll have to get through it by thinking up stuff to do next summer! :)

Excellent Perspective

I found this today, goofing around on the web. I think it is one of the best things I've read:

WHAT IS LIFE?
Life is an Adventure ... Dare it
Life is a Beauty ... Praise it
Life is a Challenge ... Meet it
Life is a Duty ... Perform it
Life is a Love ... Enjoy it
Life is a Tragedy ... Face it
Life is a Struggle ... Fight it
Life is a Promise ... Fulfill it
Life is a Game ... Play it
Life is a Gift ... Accept it
Life is a Journey ... Complete it
Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it
Life is a Goal ... Achieve it
Life is an Opportunity ... Take it
Life is a Puzzle ... Solve it
Life is a Song ... Sing it
Life is a Sorrow ... Overcome it
Life is a Spirit ... Realize it
~Anonymous~

Family Reunion (long time coming!)

So, my brother Matt came into town this week; unfortunately, he was here to work, so we only saw a little of him. I haven't seen him in Five years. Our family had quite the reunion. Matt is currently living in Florida, but travels a lot so he's all over the place. It was fun to see him again.

He got to meet Savanna for the first time; I'm not quite sure what either one of them thought of the other. Savanna seemed pretty comfortable, except when it came to giving him "luvs"; but, as we all know, she's pretty stingy with those anyway. She did give him "knuckles" though.

We had to big family dinners; it was nice to get to sit down with him and find out what he's up to, where he's been, and he's always good for a lot of stories.

I'm glad we had the chance to see him; it was nice. We haven't been the closest of siblings in the last few years, but this visit made it seem like that will be changing. I have posted some pictures of him and my family. Enjoy!

Summer Fun!

Memories!

We have had quite a few eventful weekends as a family. We have been fishing almost every weekend, camping in Mona & up Strawberry, and boating whenever we can. We have had so much fun!
A few weekends ago, we were fishing at Utah Lake by one of the pump houses; I was waiting for Curtis to get my pole ready (he still has to help me, lam, I know) and I got bored so I cast Savanna's child sized Disney Princess pole in the water and, low and behold, caught a fish! Alright! It was awesome; it was even a Walleye. Yeah, about a 24 lber (minus 23 lbs). I was so excited....Savanna was too. Her response was "Curtis, mom caught a big fish!" Isn't it nice that they get so excited over the SMALLEST things....and I do mean the smallest things. Every other weekend, I've gotten skunked, but Curtis caught some nice ones up Strawberry. They were pretty tastey!
Savanna finally learned to not be afraid of water! I am so glad and she is so excited; she has a tweety bird floaty and loves it! Our friends were "camping" at Daniels Summit Lodge, while we were camped up Strawberry. We went down and swam and Savanna decided she was on her own; she kept telling me "Look Mom, I can swim by myself." She was so cute!
It is so fun when they get things figured out and how proud they are! She is getting sooooo big; too big for her britches. The other day someone asked how old she was and she replied "I just turned ten!" Alrighty then....what a character.

New Way of Thinking

Okay, so yesterday we watched a movie called "The Bucket List"; I have to admit that it wasn't my favorite show in the world (it hit a little too close to home for me), but some good did come out of it.

Morgan Freeman asked Jack Nicholson if he had found joy in his life. Then, he asked him if his life had brought joy to anyone else's life....it got me thinking. It is so easy to get bogged down with the everyday stresses of work, home, family, bills, etc. But, it would all be a little easier if we could find the joy in our lives.

Just simple things: sitting outside in the cool breeze, watching your kids play without a care in the world, watching a movie that makes you laugh till you pee, talking to a good friend on the phone, getting an email from someone you haven't talked to in a while...things like that.

When I leave this world, I want to go knowing that I actually enjoyed the time I spent here. I want to enjoy my experiences (good & bad) because they both bring something new into my life. And, I want people to be joyful around me. I want everyone to remember something about me that made them smile or made their day a little easier.

I know this is kind of a weird post (especially from me) but I haven't been able to stop thinking about this.

Find the JOY!!!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

New Addition!

So, most of you are going to think I'm nuts, but we got a new addition to our family! I got a Mini Schnauzer named Couper! He is so cute and we all just adore him. Harley seems to be doing okay with him and Savanna is having a hay day! He is just a little guy, but is almost 10 weeks old...here are some pics:

Check out my Slide Show!

Pics

Savanna enjoying the outdoors with Harley.


Savanna & cousin Conner at Target...

Time Flies!!!

So, apparently I'm not the best at keeping our blog updated! Sorry folks. Our family is doing great; we have been trying to enjoy the few warm days we've had this summer and taking advantage of the semi-warm water at Utah Lake. For those of you who don't know, we have become quite the "boaters" since buying our Bayliner last year. Yes, even I get in the water and rock out on the knee board. Yep, thats right, I can 360 on the knee board ( I know, I'm awesome). Curtis has become quite the professional on the wakeboard, too. Savanna is having a ball when she's on the boat...and loves to play on shore.

Savanna also loves playing at home in the water and wearing her swim suit as the ensemble of the day. She's also been riding her 4-wheeler and is becoming quite proficient. She even took a few hills on her own while we were camping a couple weeks ago. What a gal!

We've also spent a lot of time on our yard, trying to make it look its best this year...yeah, yard work isn't my forte`...but, at least I try, right. My plants and shrubs have made it so far and have even bloomed...I planted them over a month ago and have managed to keep them alive! That must be a record for me.

Vegas Pics

Here are some of the pics from our trip to the drag races; some of the cars are in the middle of a race and some of them are burning out (hence the picture of pure smoke). Everyone should see this at least once in their lives; the top fuel (nitro) are going anywhere from 300 mph to 335 mph and the horsepower of these machines cannot be measured....wow! That is some major power...wish it was me!!!

There is also video of my favorite driver (and yours) John force burning out. He goes almost all the way down the quarter-mile on his burnout...what a crowd pleaser. The other video is part of the light show we watched on Freemont St!

Curtis' Birthday

We were in Vegas during Curtis' 26th birthday. He was so excited...kept telling everyone we passed on the street that it was his birthday. One lady didn't think he was cool, but he kept on her and eventually got a "happy birthday"from her. Nothing like persistence, huh? He is such a character; keeps me hopping, that's for sure.

He is pretty busy these days...always helping someone do something. Usually, working on cars. He can't help himself; restoring cars is in his blood. He helped our friend build a race car, and is currently working on a car for one of our friends kids to drive. Yeah!

Long time, no post!

So, Lindsey informed me that I haven't updated my blog for a while....so here we go! Things have been a little crazy around here lately. Curtis and I just got back from our second trip to Vegas....yep, 2 visits within a month. We went down a couple of weeks ago for the NHRA drag races with my brother Travis and his wife Paola. This time, we went down with our friends Tony & Melissa to the Supercross Championship. Both trips were so fun! We love those kinds of things.

While we were gone, Savanna got to stay with my sister Susan and her kids, my mom, and this last time, with Jarold & Nancy. She got to play with all of her cousins and now, that is all she wants to do. She wants to play with Wesley, Janey, Bridger, Alyssa, Shelby, etc. She wants all of them here all of the time. She had a really good time with everyone and really enjoys being with her family that she doesn't see a whole lot.

She is getting so big; ever since she turned 3 she has just changed so much. For one, she thinks she's going on 20...YIKES! But mostly, she's just growing up and getting to be such a little personality. She is so friendly to everyone and loves to talk to people. She is so smart, too. I just can't keep up with her sometimes!

Vanny's Birthday

Well, like I said...Savanna just turned 3. I can't believe it...it goes so fast. She is definitely growing up...in fact I almost had to check and make sure she wasn't turning 15. She thinks she's the boss most of the time, so we constantly have a power struggle....but I usually win in the end (most of the time.) She got lots of fun stuff for her birthday....mom & dad got her a new 4-wheeler (I think I was more excited than anyone.)

From the Lloyd party she got a dairy farm, lots of horses, trucks, books, and movies. She also got a new blanket (which she loves....can't have too many.) She usually uses like 6 or 7 at a time.

From the Simons, she got some new outfits (particularly a new "Princess Dress" that she wears almost everyday), some more horses, coloring books, a play dough factory, and some more books.

She has been in heaven since she got all this new stuff. She is such a mixture of Princess/Tom boy...we have such fun with her. She can be dressed in her favorite dress playing with her dolls, and then she's got her trucks & tractors out. It is pretty fun to watch her these days.

Life!!

We've kept ourselves pretty busy lately. Savanna had a birthday on Feb. 17th...she got lots of fun stuff. I'll have to post pictures of her parties...we had two. One for my family and 1 for the Simons clan...our house is just too itty bitty to have two families together. But, now we have the basement carpeted (thanks Troy)...it is nice. I'm excited to get everything put where it goes...but not so excited about having more to clean.

Curtis and Savanna both got that flu that's been going around...she had it first and then her dad got it. What a nightmare! But, they are both feeling better, so that's good. I just keep praying that I don't get it.

Curtis has been working on a roll cage for his Blazer, so that will be nice once we get if finished. I've just been working and trying to keep my house from looking like a tornado hit! Between working 30 hours a week (yes, I know, that's not much for most people) a sick family, finishing floors, and life in general....I'm pretty much exhausted most of the time. But, that's what we love to do, right....chaos, chaos, and more chaos. If its not busy and chaotic a majority of the time, I start to got nuts. I love having 15 things to do at once!

The house

We just recently started working on our house; we put new floors in upstairs and painted every wall we could (thank goodness thats done). I also refinished the cabinets in our bathroom and kitchen. We should be getting carpet fairly soon for our basement (we finished that last year) and then we'll be done for a while. It was quite the job, but well worth it. Curtis and his friend Josh installed our floors and they are beautiful! Thanks Josh for your help!

Christmas

We had a really good Christmas this year; we all got really good stuff. Curtis got a new gun stock (that he shows to everyone who comes over) and some new clothes and movies. Savanna got a V-smile from Santa and a tractor from Grandma Lorna; she also got a baby from mom and dad that just sits in her room...not quite to that stage yet. I got a nice pair of Ariat boots and a new coat, and my mom bought me a new mixer! My favorite gift of all was the new digital camera Curtis bought me...it is so nice, I totally love it!

Family Info

We have been married for 5 1/2 years and have one little girl; Savanna Kay. She is the light of our lives and keeps us hopping. Curtis works for US Synthetic and I work part-time for CCO Financial; I work from home and keep Savanna home with me; yeah, a little chaotic but well worth it. We live in Santaquin and have for the last 4 1/2 years (But I grew up here, so I've lived here for 26.) We also have Harley, our family dog. She's a good addition to our family; she's only 10 months old, but very well behaved for her age. Savanna just loves her and calls her "My Harley."

Savanna is quite the little girl; she is always busy and constantly exploring. She loves to do anything with her dad (i.e. ride wheelers, look for deer, work on cars, etc). She's quite the daddy's girl. She also loves to play with her trucks and tractors and loves horses. She will be 3 on Feb. 17th (I can't believe it). It has gone by so fast; she is such a smart little thing...she blows my mind with what she knows.

As a family we love to go camping, ride 4-wheelers, hunt, pretty much anything out doors. We have been working on our house recently (what a pain) but it is almost done and has been a good family project. Now we just need some carpet for the basement and we'll be done...pretty much.