Heath and Kev

Ladd Almost 18 months

2011-07-20T07:34:00.001-07:00

Ladd 14 months

2011-04-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

Ladd 7 Months

2010-09-20T16:35:00.001-07:00

Everybody says this...so I guess I will too - time FLIES by after you have a baby. I can't believe my little Ladd is already 7 months old. Here are some details I am obsessed with lately:

- he touches my face while he is eating his bottle

- he sucks on his ring finger and middle finger and unknowingly signs "I love you" to his mommy (bad habit I know - but I just can't tell him no...it's so cute)

- he talks to me through his binky

- the grunting noises he makes when he's trying to get where he wants

- the happy noises he makes in the morning before I go in to get him

- he splashes in the tub vigorously with hands and feet all going at the same time (how he does this physically....no idea).

- he stops what he's doing and listens intently when he hears daddy coming home through the back door

- he starts crying when he takes a bite of food and realizes it's not fruit

- he growls at me

He's changing so fast - every day is something different and I'm lovin' it.

Parched little Ladd

2010-09-10T11:22:00.001-07:00

Now that I'm not training for a big race Ladd and I are able to go running together. We are both thoroughly parched when we get home and go through this routine every time. (don't mind my sweaty scary face lol).

Who needs a cell phone anyway?

2010-09-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

It's seriously rediculous how we depend on a tiny electronic device for so much during the day and it might be safe to say that, for some, an amputated limb would be a better alternative then being without a cell phone.

These are some of the thoughts that flashed through my mind as I was looking through the bushes on my driveway trying to find the stupid cell phone I so carelessly left on the top of my car...before driving away. I have been without a cell phone for almost a week and it has been horrible! I'm ashamed to say that I truly have missed my tiny electronic extension of my right hand.

So if anybody has tried to call/text with no response I apologize - my cell phone has been out of commission for awhile. I have a new one now but the only problem is all of my saved numbers were lost with my cell. So if you get a chance text me your number with your name so I can put it back in my cell phone.

Cell phones......(sigh) who needs those dumb things anyway?

Hobble Creek Half 2010

2010-08-24T08:35:00.001-07:00

Right after Ladd was born - a good friend of mine called and mentioned that she was signing up for a half marathon and encouraged me to sign up with her. I hesitated - took a quick glance downwards at my post-pregnant body and quickly agreed to sign up. Though the race was months away - I had a lot of work to do to get in shape. You really don't realize how much pregnancy changes your body until you try to do the things you used to do before you got pregnant. I couldn't believe how hard it was to start running again. Extra weight to carry and stiff lazy muscles are a bad combination for physical activity.

Training was hard and stressful at times trying to get out and run the right amount and the right distance. Kev and I had to juggle our schedules around a lot so I could go and there were nights that I would run at 10:30 at night (note: late night running really is great speed training - it's quite an adrennaline rush when you feel like you're running away from all of those guys in the bushes that are waiting to rape you).

All the work paid off on Saturday - the race was so much fun! The course was beautiful and there is such a high when you're surrounded by runners. I finished in 1 hour 48 minutes and Kev and Ladd were there to cheer me accross the finish line.

So thanks to Steph for the motivation to commit, and thanks to my awesome husband for all of your support and help over the past couple of months I sure love ya bud :).

A Rollin' Pro

2010-08-09T07:34:00.001-07:00

Ladd was turning from tummy to back at 4 months, but for some reason when he started to turn from back to tummy he gave up turning over from tummy to back...(hope you followed all of that). The past couple of months have been a struggle to get him to start turning onto his back from his tummy again - but yesterday I think we made a breakthrough.

Thank you Mikael

2010-08-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

When Kevin and I got married his Grandpa was nice enough to offer us his home to live in. Being broke newlyweds we gladly accepted - another major plus about this house was that it is where Kevin kept his horses so this would allow us to live close to the horses which was awesome. When we moved in, the house hadn't been lived in for 10 years - we did some major cleaning and settled in. What a lot of people don't know was that this living arrangement was only supposed to be for 6 months or so until we found a house in the excellent housing market; however, every time we thought about moving...it just didn't seem right so we have lived here for 3 1/2 years now.

Though the house and the land is awesome - the home was very outdated and old which was fine for Kev and I as we both worked and were so busy really the only time we spent at home was to sleep. But when we found out that little Ladd was on the way we knew some major changes needed to be made. When I found out I was pregnant I immedately wanted to move. The thought of bringing a new baby into the house with its dirty carpet and old smell and dust everywhere made me panic.

Luckily right at the time when we were making our decision, one of my best friends Mikael came to visit and she walked into the house and I was expecting the typical "how do you live here? This is gross! You can't bring a baby here!" comments but instead she talked about how awesome the house was and how fun it would be to fix it up and how I would be crazy for moving. By the time she left I was in love with the house that I had come to detest. Kevin came home that night and I told him "let's get to work, we're stayin."

For months we worked to pack up all of grandpa's stuff and prep the house for paint and carpet. I have never seen a human being work as hard as Kevin did. I could not have done it without him. He worked tirelessly to finish before the baby came. It was like he had two full time jobs. He'd come home from one at 5 and work at the other one till 11.

We weren't prepared for Ladd to come a couple of weeks early and having the baby around has made it hard to do the final touches on rooms such as curtains and pictures and we weren't able to even start on the kitchen but in a matter of months we totally transformed the house and made it suitable for a baby to come home to. I LOVE my cozy little house - I love being here with the horses and having an awesome yard. And seriously - we would have moved had it not been for that perfectly timed visit by my friend Mikael - so THANK YOU Mikael - for convincing me that this house was great. Here are some before and after pictures just for you :). Enjoy.

Boxing up all of Grandpa's stuff

Baby's room before
Baby's room after

Master bedroom before

Master bedroom after (yes I know the TV is ghetto)

Bathroom before (yes there is no shower)

Bathroom after

Lovely orange carpet

Family room before

Family room after

Newport Beach 2010

2010-07-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Once again the Crowley clan made the trek west to Newport Beach. As you can imagine this year's trip was a little different for me due to the adorable bald little boy I had as my traveling buddy. Though we were ready for adventure, the 12 hour car ride seemed a little much for the baby as well as my second baby the breast pump :). So we flew down on Monday and had an awesome week with the fam. (by the way you should have seen the commotion I caused trying to get my hospital grade breast pump through security...really funny....but kind of not)

We hit the beach, visited the OC fair, hit the beach, went to a movie, hit the beach, played in the pool and hot tub at the hotel and did I mention we hit the beach? I LOVE the beach - I'm sorry but there is seriously something spiritual about sitting in the sand watching the waves. It's always a little melencholy when I leave because I know that I have to get through another year before I can come back.

Ladd did awesome - towards the end the -no schedule run around like crazy all day- thing seemed to get on his nerves and there were a few meltdowns. And to top it all off my flight home was delayed 3 hours while they fixed a mechanical problem on the plane (note to Delta Airlines - please do not announce to all passengers that there is a mechanical problem on the plane before we fly - wait until after we have all landed safely at our destination to tell us that there was a slight problem that was fixed but who cares cause now we're home....thank you). That three hours I probably did 30 laps around the whole terminal and noticed that there wasn't one baby Ladd's age anywhere and I thought to myself "maybe all of these people know something I don't know....maybe don't take a 6 month old on a huge trip" oops :). But now we're home and happy and loved our little adventure together. Thanks to my awesome family for a great trip.

Hanging in his bumbo on the beach

All the cousins squished in the backseat in carseats

The OC Fair

Gotta love girls camp

2010-07-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

This was the young women presidency's girls camp skit - and yes I know this has been done before - but nobody has attempted it in the great outdoors - hilarious! P.S. try and guess which pair of legs are mine...they are so long and all over the place!

Thanks ladies - we were awesome! I love my young women peeps!

Playin with the Computer

2010-07-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new computer at our house and it's just like Christmas! I discovered it has a fun little camera feature so Ladd and I were playing with it today - Sunday afternoons...aren't they great :)

My Little Ladd

2010-06-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

We have already established that I am really good at blogging - and now another confession: I am even better at taking pictures of my baby. Scary I know - I'm sorry these pictures are shamefully overdue but this is my baby at 4 months old - I can't believe he is already 5 1/2 months. What is the point of taking pictures when they are already way outdated by the time you post them?? (um..don't answer that :) ). A note about the pictures - the boots and hat in the pictures are actually Kevin's.

Finally

2010-06-04T12:58:00.001-07:00

I know it's not a very good one - but here is a picture of my graduation day.

I am really good at blogging

2010-06-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

I am here to announce that yes I am alive and yes my baby is alive as well. Though it has been four months since my last post, to me it seems like I wrote it yesterday. Time goes by so slow those last few months of pregnancy and then the second the baby is born time flies by. A busy life with a new baby paired with no internet in the Nelson household has made it hard to post regularly but we are all doing great.

Ladd came home on oxygen exactly two weeks after he was born. We had to deal with noisy monitors and tangled oxygen tubes for another two weeks before Ladd could breathe comfortably on his own. We had a little trouble with nursing...well actually a lot of trouble. He was a great little nurser in the NICU but alas....when we brought him home he wanted nothing to do with it. I was afraid to fight that battle with him as he was already so tiny and I was informed that it was imparitive that he gain weight those first few weeks home that I gave up on the nursing fight and have been pumping breast milk and bottle feeding him exclusively. At first it was horrible because I was pumping eight times a day - but now it has gotten better and I have found my pumping groove lol.

Now our little baby weighs around 12 pounds. He is smiling, laughing, turning over, and has won the hearts of his mom and dad (especially his dad). I am loving being with him all day and getting to know him and discover his little personality day by day. He was born with his dad's disposition which makes him a very easy going easy baby which scares me because having a good baby first will make the next baby way hard!

I also graduated from UVU with a bachelors in communications at the end of April - I am SO happy that I was able to finish my degree before having a family. I loved school and even though I'm not out in the work force using my degree I still feel a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in finishing and getting my degree.

Anyway the Nelson fam is doing great. We are so grateful for our sweet little boy who blesses our lives daily. Who knows...maybe I'll post again before his first birthday :).

Baby Update

2010-02-09T11:46:00.001-08:00

I can't believe a week has already gone by since I had Ladd - it all really seems like a dream.

Ladd is still in the NICU. He is doing great - they took his IV out, he isn't on CPAP anymore, he isnt jaundicy (is that a word?) anymore, and we have just started to try and breastfeed. Learning to breastfeed will be the longest process of our little boy's journey home. He has to be able to feed completely from mommy and breathe on his own as he is still on oxygen (he usually does fine untill he gets mad and cries and then he decels) before they'll discharge him.

We are starting out slow and are doing two feedings a day right now and as he progresses I'll room in the hospital so I can be there for every feeding.

Kev and I are obsessed with our little guy and the time we get to spend with him every day is really sweet. It kills us both when we have to leave our baby there in the hospital every night, but I'm so grateful for the excellent care he is receiving and all of the progress he is making. Thanks again to everybody for your support and I'll keep you updated!

Ladd Stacey Nelson

2010-02-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

So - I know that everybody who follows this blog already knew that I was pregnant....I never really formally announced it on the blog for some unknown reason of the cosmos but for those who didn't know...surprise! I was pregnant and now surprise again because he's finally here!!

Ladd Stacey Nelson was born on Monday, February 1 at 5:21 pm. Weighing in at 4lbs 15oz he was just a little guy - which makes sense because he came to us three weeks early. I had to be induced early because little Ladd wasn't growing progressively and at 36 weeks dropped below the 10th percentile for babies at his gestational age. Rather than wait it out the doctors thought it was safer to take him early and get him growing and healthy outside of my tummy.

When he was first born they noticed he had a little trouble breathing so they sent him to the NICU (newborn intensive care unit) for a few tests. After a couple of hours of monitoring, the team at the NICU decided it was best to admit little Ladd because he wasn't able to breathe confidently on his own. That first night Ladd's biggest fan and support team was his daddy - Kev stayed by his side till the wee hours of the night and kept me updated as I was recovering.

Kev and I checked out of the hospital yesterday and unfortunately had to leave our baby there at the NICU. He's on a little bit of breathing help and is improving daily. When he can breathe on his own, they'll work with he and I and help him learn how to nurse. Once he is able to do that he can come home. We don't have a set date when he can come home but we are so grateful that he is here and healthy (and handsome!).

We appreciate all of the support we have received from so many friends and family members. I apologize that I probably have been a horrible friend to most of you by not returning calls and texts but just know that I love and appreciate you for your kind messages and thoughts and I will for sure keep you updated on what is going on.

2009 Tribute

2010-01-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

I would like to begin this new year with a tribute to my backpack - the old red JanSport backpack that I purchased my freshman year of highschool.

To my backpack:

You have been there with me through it all

through 8 long years of education

you sat with me in every class, listened to every lecture

you were always behind me during those intense moments when I had to stay after class to talk to the teacher

you spent hours with me in the library and quietly supported me as I studied

you always carried the burdens that were placed upon my back

you were a pillow to sleep on when studying became too much

you were a shoulder to cry on when stress was high and morale was low

you always understood my strange anal obsession with school, you never complained about all the trips we took to school or all the time I spent there

To sum it all up - you always "had my back" and for that I am thankful because I now am a proud college graduate thanks to you and your help - couldn't have done it without ya.

It truly has been a long hard run - but I made it!

Happy Anniversary #3

2009-11-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe another year has gone by already! I know it sounds cheesy and so "typical" to write this but the three years that I have been married to Kevin have been the absolute best years of my life. I don't remember what my life was like without him and I kind of hate to think about it.

I found this picture and I think it's way funny. It was right when Kev and I first started dating and we were at his cabin with some friends and you can feel the awkwardness of dating just by lookin at the picture (ps I love that we have separate blankets too).

Needless to say, we've come a long ways since this picture. I always tell Kevin that since I married him he has "shown me the world" he has taken so much time to show me things and let me experience things I never have before. Since marrying him I have done the following:

- 100+ hours of horse rides all over Utah (I could honestly write a book about all of the places we have been - the rides were all amazing)

- My first trip to Lake Powell

- My first trip to Zions

- My first four wheeler ride

- My first snow mobile ride

- Camping at least 4 times a summer (coming from a non-camper family)

- Hiked Mt Loafer, the back of box elder, observation point, wheeler's needle (I think that's what it's called) in Arizona, and all over the west desert

- Shot a shotgun and rifel for the first time

- Through all of our adventures I have seen bull elk, bull moose, big horned sheep, tons of deer, cyotes, mountain goats, antelope, bald eagles,

- Hunters safety (and my first time hunting as a spectator)

- helped me find my first deer shed :)

It has been an awesome three years - Kev I love you a lot thank you for being the best bud any wife could ask for :). Here's to another great year.

You know you care about school too much when......

2009-11-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

You burst into tears while trying to talk to a teacher after getting a horrible grade on a group project and explain to her why you hate group work and how you worked hard on the project and should have gotten a better grade. Honestly - how lame can I get? I don't know why doing well in school is as important to me as it is....it's something I think I picked up from my dad. When we were in high school he would tell us we should ask the teacher for more work when we didn't have enough to do....weird right? Well after my embarrassing scene with my teacher I walked away from that room feeling my hair get a little more curly like my dads and I realized that I am totally his padawon (like in Star Wars) haha. Seriously - who cries to their teacher over a paper??

Oh well - only six more weeks to go and then I'm outta there!

Deer Hunt 2009

2009-10-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

So once again I scratched my head as I sent my husband off on the deer hunt. A hunt so notorious for injury and death that hunters are required to wear bright orange so they're not......shot by another human being. This year was even more painful as I had sat through hunters safety and I knew what kind of rif raf are out there. Little snot-nosed 12 year old kids that don't know how to read and think the word"firearm" is pronounced "fireman" (true story "never horseplay with a fireman") and whose dad's cheat and give them the answers on the test so they'll pass!! (true story!).

But despite the perilous conditions, my Kev got out there and got his deer. He worked hard to get it. Up at 4 am - hiking and riding hard - and home by 4 pm. When he walked through the front door...he looked like the walking dead! He was SO tired.

Deer are very smart creatures. This deer Kev shot was an old timer who had elluded hunters for years. But he wasn't smart enough to elude Kevin haha; however, the deer had a trick up his sleeve, for when Kevin shot him he walked a few feet and threw himself off the side of a small cliff and proceded to roll 100 + yards down the side of the mountain. This caused one side of his antler to break (the left side). Rude! He did it just to spite the great hunter who shot him :). Also, from the pictures you can see that part of his antler broke off on the right side...just from livin life. But despite the unfortunate breakage - he still looks great.

Congrats Kev for workin hard and getting a sweet buck (and not dying)

My Last First Day

2009-08-27T08:21:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here waiting for my first class to start. The first class I will have on this my last, first day of school. Believe it or not - it is kind of a bitter sweet moment for me. I really do enjoy school. I enjoy learning and experiencing new things daily. I feel like I'm constantly progressing and I'm aware of what is going on in the world around me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at UVU. I have met awesome friends here, have had great teachers, and have learned a lot.

But even with all of these rosy feelings floating around my head....I'll tell you what I WON'T miss about school.....

- parking

- buying overpriced "new editions" of books

- always feeling like you have a burden on your shoulders because of all the homework you have to do

- group projects (I hate these the most)

So thanks to UVU for an awesome four years - and here's to one last semester.

Summer Update

2009-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yes....I stink at blogging. The truth is I don't have the internet at my house and so when I'm not in school....I don't really have a chance to use it. So the good news is that I'm updating my blog - the bad news is that I don't have 1/2 of the pictures that I want to post so bear with me :).

Like every summer - this one is flying by. I can't believe it's already August and school will be starting soon. I used to dread the summer ending but this year I'm actually getting really excited for fall. I'm ready to start wearing hoodies and long sleeved shirts. I'm ready for the football season to start, I'm excited to see the leaves start changing and to feel that cool crisp in the air. Halloween and Thanksgiving...I'm excited for it!

So a quick summer update. Summer started for me with a party at the Kelly Clarkson concert :). Call me "middle school" but I love Kelly. I took my little sister Mariah with me and we had a blast. I felt like I was 16 again. I took a sweet video in honor of my bestest friend Carly who was in Arizona and couldn't come with us (cause...it's our little secret but she likes Kelly too haha). We missed you Car!

Kev and I then took a quick trip down to Lake Powell with our friends Russ and Steph. It was SO fun. It was my first real Lake Powell experience and I loved every minute of it. Again - I am a HORRIBLE camera person and didn't take any pictures. That will probably need to change some day when I have kids but for now...sorry you'll have to picture the fun-ness in your minds haha.

Then just recently, instead of heading south to Newport beach this year, my family headed east to Colorado. My uncle has a cabin at Estes Park and we went to visit Julianne and Matt up there. It was a lot of fun and it was great to be with my family. I dearly missed being at the beach and I can't believe I have to wait another year to go back but....the trip was still way fun.

Kev has been busy with scout trips and youth conferences, work and horses. Hunting season starts soon and he's really excited for that. I still haven't decided if I will use my newly earned hunting license this year. I didn't draw any good tags so...I might forego this year and leave the hunting to the boys :).

My Daily Routine

2009-05-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have formally introduced my "baby" on this blog. Last year Kevin's friend James' horse had a baby and we got to go see it the day after he was born. Since then we watched him get bigger and cuter and I absolutely loved him! James told Kevin that he probably couldn't devote the time to training the little guy and offered to give him to us. We jumped on the opportunity and he came to live with us last fall.

I love this little horse - I know it's seriously so nerdy but we honestly have a little relationship Dunny and me :). Since the day we got him I visit him in his little pen all the time and because of this we have developed a little routine. As I went out to visit him every day -he would come over to the pen and let me pet his head, and then he immediately would turn around and back his rump up to me. When it first happened I thought it was extremely rude! But I realized that he was wanting me to scratch his back - so I started doing it and thus began our daily routine.

I tried to get the full effect of this senseless (and embarassing) ritual we go through every morning when I go out to feed him....enjoy :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Many of you may think that non-stop rain would ruin a three day camping trip; however, if you're in the rain with the Townsend family......the trip is still awesome!

Last weekend packed up our trucks and headed to Strawberry Reservoir and amazingly enough found an awesome campsite - not soon after camp was set up the rain started....and continued through Saturday and Sunday and then cleared up to be a beautiful day on Monday...the day that we left....gofigure!

It was a weekend full of good food, great company, fishing, laughing, and relaxation - just what I needed.

This was our campsite - it was on the top of a hill looking over the reservoir and the canyon. I didn't get a picture of our little Marmot tent but it was a trooper! It kept all of the rain out and kept Kev and I dry and warm. Thanks little Marmot!

Me and Kev around the campfire. Luckily the rain let up every night to let us have a campfire and roast yummy smores. There's just something about sitting around a campfire - I could do it all day I love it.

Kevin made a new best friend while we were there - this is little Kodi and he loves Kev. He followed Kevin around the whole time helping him "chop" wood for the fire, setting up the tent, and helping him to set up targets for shooting. So cute! Kevin loves this gun - it's a 22-250 and we got to shoot it a little while we were up there.

So thank you Shalynn and Spencer for a great weekend - we loved it!

Kevin's Trip to the Grand Gulch

2009-05-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well finals are over, the semester from "you know where" is over, so I finally have time to document the trip Kevin went on one month ago! Better late than never right?

Kev was able to go on a three day pack trip to the Grand Gulch (southern utah by Blanding). He rode his trusty steed Sancho who he broke and trained himself (and did an awesome job, Sanch is a really good horse). He rode through a canyon full of Indian ruins and artifacts that were left behind. Kevin loved the trip - and our little Sanchie did really well he walked many miles in pretty technical terrain. Kevin took as many pictures as he could and the pictures are awesome!

Kev and Sanch packed and ready to go

Indian writing (above) Indian arrowheads and pieces of pottery (below)

My FAVORITE picture so cool

In about 1000000 years that tiny arch behind Kevin will be huge :)

Grinding stone

Indian houses - the doors are tiny!

Wicked

2009-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ok loved it, wish I could go again, and obsessed with Guh-linda the good witch. What an AMAZING show! I honestly tried to go with really low expectations because I had heard so much good about it that I didn't want to be disappointed if I went expecting an out of this world experience - but it totally was!

During intermission - everybody was looking up into the stands and pointing their fingers and taking pictures of something. I was under the balcony so I couldn't see what was going on up there. I asked the girl next to me and she said "I bet there are some flying monkeys up there getting ready for the second act" so I thought nothing of it. After the show as we were walking out of the theater.... There was President Monson walking out of the theater and getting into the car with his wife!!! So much for flying monkeys :) President Uchdorf was with him too but I didn't see him. It was really weird to see him and realize that a prophet of God is among us right here in Utah - it was way cool.

Thanks to my sister-in-law Shannon for standing in line for hours in the cold to get the tickets, and thanks to my mother in law Jeanne for a fun night on the town with the girls. I love you both!

Provo City Half Marathon....In the Snow

2009-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

One beautiful bright sunny warm spring day in March driving in my car on the way to work I saw a banner advertising the Provo City Half Marathon that was to be on April 4th. "It's too late to start training for a half marathon in three weeks!" I said to myself, but then the word "relay" caught my eye. A half of a half sounded a lot better. So I asked Joanna if she'd want to do it with me and we signed ourselves up.

Thanks to the wonderful Utah spring weather, I looked out my window on the morning of the race day to wind and snow and cold!

I met Jo at the starting line - she was nice enough to take the first half of the race while I drove to the halfway point and waited in my nice warm jeep :) As runners started to pass, I got out of my car to look down the road to see if I could spot Joanna. As I returned to my car I realized I had locked myself out of my nice warm car! Luckily - Amanda was there to save the day, I used her phone and called Kev just before Joanna passed the "baton" on to me.

The race was way fun - Joanna and Amanda met me along different points of the race and cheered me on. Thanks so much Joanna for running the race with me we kicked serious butt :) and thanks to Amanda for being our personal life saver, photographer, and cheerleader.

Running through the snow

Racing to the finish line

Jo and I after the race

Going Back in Time

2009-03-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

School has been so absolutely crazy this semester that I haven't really had time to address the several (small) trips Kev and I have taken over the past few months.

Kevin's friend Russ and his girlfriend Steph took us to her cabin one weekend and it was extremely relaxing and fun. There really is nothing like sitting by a warm fire in a warm cabin with snow outside and lots of yummy food to keep you busy (a nice flat screen TV is also nice :) ). This was my first experience snowmobiling and I'll tell you right now.......it didn't go that great. The first chance I had to fly solo I coasted straight down the hill and into a young sapling. Snowmobiling is a lot harder than it looks!! But we had a great time.

A few weeks later, Kevin's friend Chris took us up to his cabin for another snowmobiling adventure. This trip was also a delightful treat :). The snowmobiling experience was a little better (because I let Kevin drive the whole time). Chris took us on a long ride to the top of the mountain where we got an incredible view. I could have stayed up there all day.

Finally - I was able to go to Colorado and see my cousin Maria perform in an opera called The Elixer of Love. She was the leading lady and did an awesome job. It actually brought tears to my eyes (no really it did) she sang so beautifully and it was so fun to hang out with her and my aunt for the weekend.

So thank you to Chris and Russ (even though I know you'll never EVER read this blog), Steph you rock and good luck on your half marathon, and Maria...let's be honest I wish I was you.

Proud Aunt of Two :)

2009-03-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'd like to officially announce the arrival of Lucy Nicole Libutti. She was born yesterday at 2:15 pm and weighed 7lb 1oz and was 19 inches long. She's absolutely beautiful and has an incredibly sweet little spirit. I'm so excited to get to know her and dress her in pink cowgirl gear :). So congrats Julianne and Matt!

Runnin in Circles....No More

2009-03-05T08:32:00.001-08:00

Oh how I missed the sun! How I missed long days, t-shirts, and flip flops, but most of all I missed the fresh air and unbeatable feeling of being able to run outside.

Since october I have been running at the Lehi Legacy Center, which don't get me wrong is a great place, but they have a mini track which means you have to run eight times around in order to run a mile. At first when I started running there I thought it was fun - it was new and different and I liked it. But honestly, I have run around that track at least a million times and I am way past the point of being too dizzy to think straight!

Yesterday I was excited to wake up to light outside my window - it was early enough that I could still go running so I threw on my running clothes and stepped outside into the warm cool spring air. It was absolutely wonderful being able to actually GO SOMEWHERE and run.

So welcome back Spring, I'm happy to see you and so is my poor dizzy head :)

Pass it on

2009-02-17T16:40:00.001-08:00

This ad was submitted as an ad for the 2009 superbowl and rejected at the last minute. You can log on to helpairthead.org and send a request to NBC to air the ad now. Watch, there's not a lot of explanation it speaks for itself.

Proud Graduate

2009-02-05T15:28:00.001-08:00

I would just like to formally announce that I am a proud graduate of Utah's Hunter Education program. I have spent the past three weeks learning about animals, guns, bulletts, field dressing, and shooting. I had to pass a written test and a shooting test (which I passed with flying colors) and now I am ready for the great wide wilderness!

I'm actually really excited about this because Kev will be able to take me out with him and show me all the beautiful country and cool animals he gets to see. Now...when it comes to actually pulling the trigger don't ask me, I still don't know what to do about that part :). P.S. I really do own one of these cool patches!

Bourne or Bond?

2009-01-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I watched the new James Bond movie on Friday and then watched the Bourne Ultimatum on Saturday. I'll have to admit, after watching the ACTION PACKED Bond movie where your heart never stops racing the whole movie Bourne seemed a little slow to me....can you believe it? But after watching those two movies I have a question. Bourne or Bond? If the two were to come up against eachother who would win? I am completely undecided because I honestly have no idea.

Kev the Photographer

2009-01-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we woke up to a mysterious, frost covered, foggy (or smoggy whichever you choose) morning. To me, it was just another reason to settle down in my flannel PJs with a nice big mug of hot coa-coa, but Kev saw it as an opportunity to take some pictures.

This is one of Kevins many hidden talents. He spent an hour out in the yard and came back with around 100 pictures he had taken. They were all really cool. He picked out some of his favorites. What do you think?

Taking Christmas Down

2009-01-13T08:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas time always goes by too fast for me. This Christmas was especially meaningful to me and I'm not sure why. I wonder if as you get older things get more meaning and gain more value.

Kevin and I also did Christmas a little differently this year. We usually spend Christmas Eve in Provo with our families, go home that night, then get up bright and early and go to Provo again and spend the whole day with our families. It is awesome that our families are so close and we get to spend time with them during the holidays - but this past fall was so crazy and everything was go go go so Kev and I decided to take it a little slower and spend more time with just us. We spent Christmas Eve night together, and woke up Christmas morning and spent the whole morning together before going to visit our families. It was so nice and so wonderful to relax and spend time with my adorable hubby :).

But....come December 26, it's back to work and back to life. Kev and I took the Christmas tree down the day after new years (which was a little fast for me, it was kind of like ripping a band aid off really fast after you've had it on for a month...it hurt! I LOVE the Christmas tree) and all of our decorations are gone. Maybe it's just me but I go through a little post Christmas depression as the season "high" is over and it's back to normal life. The new semester just started for me and it's going to be a doozey! (is that even a word?) But I'm excited to get it overwith! So farewell to Christmas and my dear Christmas tree, and hello to 2009 hopefully a year of plenty of horserides, college graduation, camping trips, 5Ks, improved cooking skills, yardwork, new carpet, and hard work.

Mission Call!

2008-12-19T07:37:00.001-08:00

My little brother Mckay got his mission call last night and he's going to the Kobe, Japan mission!!!Congrats Mckay, I love ya and I'm so proud of you! You're going to make for one TALL missionary :) (He is 6'4)

Fly My Pretties Fly!

2008-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Kev and I looked out our back window only to discover that our back lawn was completely black! After further investigation, we realized it was covered with small birds Kevin's brother Bryce as rightly deemed "little blacks". I don't know if it was mating season, migration, or holiday excitement that got these birds going but they were flying around like this for an hour! It was really cool and kinda freaky to watch. Kevin and I had to duck for cover and run out to the car when we had to leave for church....because the little blacks were dropping little bombs :).

Happy Anniversary to Us

2008-11-18T09:26:00.001-08:00

It has already been two whole years since Kev and I got hitched...and I know that really isn't a long time but it really has flown by! I honestly don't remember what my life was like before Kevin. It's kind of like my life really started when I met him...anyway, this fall has been a busy hectic one. Me and school, Kev and work - even though we live together we really don't get to see eachother (if that makes any sense). So we decided we needed a break and headed for sunny St George for the weekend.

Kev has a former missionary companion friend who lives down there and he seriously gave us the hook up and let us stay in one of his dad's hotels and it was way nice! The bed was pretty much the nicest bed I have ever slept on and a tub was included in the bedroom, which helped to make us feel more at home since we had to leave our little green tub back home :) .

On Saturday Kev took me to Zions. I had never been there before...for some strange reason....and I have always wanted to go. We went on a hike called Observation point - it's 8 miles round trip and it takes you to the very top of the canyon where you can look down on everything. It was absolutely beautiful. The nice thing about this hike was it wasn't like the end of the hike was the best part. The whole way up was way cool - with cool rock formations and slot canyons everywhere!

(I know I'm the only one featured in all of the pictures, but there weren't a ton of people around to take them so Kev was the photographer. )

One day was definitely not enough at Zions and one weekend was definitely not enough to spend with Kev but it was very fun, and I'm looking forward to another year with my Kev..thanks for the trip! It was just what I needed.

Halloween Update

2008-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone, and I'm a little late in posting my pictures. Work was way fun as all the girls sported their sexy fake eye lashes....Truthfully, you can only see Joanna's haha hers pretty much rocked.

That night we were all out creative and went as Mr and Mrs. Kevin Nelson - my favorite thing to be haha - (we are not much of Halloween dress up-ers). But we did have a night of pumpkin carving! I'm cheap.... so..... I only bought one pumpkin and we each took a side and carved a face.

Which Witch is Witch

2008-10-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a very funny holiday. One night a year everybody dresses up like something weird and go from house to house where complete strangers give them candy. As a kid this holiday was always a blast, but as I've gotten older it seems like the fun has kind of been sucked out of it. I didn't really have any fun Halloween traditions....until now!

Last Saturday I went with Shalynn and Kristy to the "witches night out" at Gardner Village in South Jordan. It was CRAZY! Everybody there was dressed up like a witch. We went from shop to shop looking at all of the great stuff and checkin out all of our fellow witch friends. It sounds kinda weird but it seriously was so dang fun.

While there I purchased a delectible carmeled apple. Because there were three of us, I had it cut into six pieces so we could share it. While we were standing there eating our apple, another witch came up to me and planted her feet right in front of me and said "ooooo a carmeled apple! I love carmeled apples!" (now we all know our mothers have taught us that at this point you proceed to walk away after making that comment so the stranger does not feel obligated to share a piece of her treat.....) NOT THE CASE in this story! The lady seriously just stood there and stared at my apple...so I said "uh....do you want a piece?" and she was like "Yes! I love things like this because you can take food from complete strangers!" And she took a piece of my apple and skipped away. That little witch!

Thanks to Shalynn and Kristy for an awesome night and thanks to mother Jeanne for helping me out with my sweet witch costume. I can't wait till next year!

Wha?

2008-10-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

So....I just sent my husband into the mountains on the first day of the deer hunt....for those of you who are unfamilliar with this hunt - it consists of 70,000 + hunters (most who are inexperienced and drunk) running around in the mountains trying to shoot anything that moves. To further make this point, hunters are required to wear BRIGHT ORANGE so they are not mistaken for a deer and accidentally shot.......is there something fundamentally wrong with that? To make matters worse, he's riding a horse - a moving four legged animal that could easily be mistaken as a deer by a drunk guy in orange.

My dear husband's life is entirely at the mercy of people like this kid:

......CRAP!

What Kevin's been up to

2008-10-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

I'm always talking about me on this blog and never mention what Kevin is doing - even though he is building awesome buildings all day every day! He recently just finished building the new Cannon Center at BYU. (The Cannon Center is the cafeteria where all the freshman eat! But you can eat there too cause it's really good and super cool inside!)

Here are some pics:

Pretty cool huh? Kev is kickin butt at Big-D :) Congrats Babe!

Aunt "Hahr"

2008-10-07T09:54:00.001-07:00

I never thought this would happen...but it finally has! Little Jackson is finally recognizing me and knows who I am.....BY NAME! I am officially "aunt hahr" (the "th" in my name is hard for little kids to say for some reason). I can walk into the room now and I'm greeted with a smile and a "aunt hahr!" I love it!

Health Fairs and Running Shoes

2008-09-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

After tons of preparation and work, the mid-level provider fair finally came! I went up with my best friends (who also happen to be my bosses :) ) and spent the day up in Salt Lake promoting our office. I was so happy that Carly came all the way from Arizona to be with us! It would not have been the same without her.

Why did we do this? Well lucky for me, I was able to count the preparation and participation of this health fair for internship credit at school. So in other words, I'm going to work and getting credit for school while I'm there. It's really nice!

After the health fair we headed to the running store. Jo and Carly will be running in the St George marathon next weekend and new running shoes were on their "to do" list. I have been needing new shoes for awhile but can't bring myself to buy them...as they're kinda pricey. I've completely "run out" the shoes Kev bought me last year. So we went in the store needing shoes, and after an hour of running on the treadmill, trying new shoes on, and talking to the annoying sales guy - we emerged having all purchased the same shoes!

So pretty much, Thursday rocked. Salt Lake was a blast and I'm so excited to try out my new running shoes. Thanks Jo and Car!

One Year and Counting

2008-09-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the air has gotten colder, the leaves are changing, school is in session, and I'm a WRECK! I am at the beginning of my most crazy semester yet and I'm only three weeks into it! But never fear, there is great news at the end of this seemingly dark tunnel.....I had a little "progress" meeting with my counselor last week and she told me that I am all set to graduate a year from this December - so December 2009 is my graduation date and I really don't have that many classes left! I can't believe it, my degree is so close I can almost taste it! So fellow bloggers, never fear - but I probably won't be posting again till Christmas cause I'm going to put my head down and plow through this crazy semester. So have a great Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas!

Newport - My Home Away from Home

2008-08-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well - it finally came, and it quickly passed but last week the Crowley family went on their annual trip to Newport Beach, Cali. It is my favorite place and it is the only time during the whole year that I feel truly relaxed and happy. Now that Kevin comes with me - I am even MORE happy than before. We had so much fun together playin in the waves and hangin on the beach.

While there, I was GLUED to Breaking Dawn. I read it, finished it, absolutely LOVED it! It totally redeemed itself after the crappy third book. I wish I could get into Stephanie Meyers head and figure out what the heck goes on in there because writing a story that good isn't humanly possible...(gasp!) she's probably a vampire! I knew it.....

We also got to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and it was incredible! Despite the suffocating heat and humdity, we saw really cool animals including 4 baby elephants, seven baby lions, and three baby giraffes! And I decided the zoo is probably one of my favorite places - I don't know why I just love it there!

The rest of the time we just hung on the beach and played in the waves. We body surfed till we couldn't move and took walks down the beach, and slept and relaxed - it was amazing! Truthfully it was so good cause I was with my Kev - everything is more fun when he's around and I still can't believe he's mine :)

Driving home from the beach is always depressing. For me, it marks the end of summer and the beginning of a long school year and a long winter. But thanks to the Crowley family for yet again - another great Newport adventure!

Yay for Girls Camp!

2008-07-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by! I can't believe it's almost August. Truthfully it kind of makes me sick to my stomach to think that school, the cold, and the snow are on their way back!

A little over a month ago I received another calling in my ward: assistant camp director! I couldn't believe they would ask me to go as I'm practically a young woman myself. I think there should be a rule that if you still can remember what you ate at your own girls camp you shouldn't be eligible to go haha. In all honesty I was really excited for the call. For some reason I have been itching to be in with the young woman. I want to be their friend and give them hope that life gets so much better after high school cause let's face it, high school is hard!

The camp director and the other assistants were all so so cool! I was glad that I had the opportunity to get to know some of the other women in the ward as I feel like sometimes I'm kind of an outcast with no kids and I'm always at school so I'm not the most social person. We also happen to live on the other side of a RAGING FREEWAY: Lehi Main Street, and no one dares to cross it to come visit me haha j/k.

Anyway - we went up to girls camp last Tuesday and it was so fun! I had fun with every single one of those girls and I feel like I left camp having 18 new friends. I'm grateful for te opportunity that I had to go and be a part of that - there truly is a spirit up at girls camp that can't be felt anywhere else.

Where are Americans?

2008-07-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ok - I have tried to hold back my politcal views and frustrations during this whole 2008 presidential election, but I seriously can't take it anymore! I do not understand how America can be so......stupid! What is going on? Is Obama seriously the favorite? Are we seriously supporting a man who is going to meet with terrorist leaders and never try to decrease our dependency on foreign energy? That's a great "change" for America - we will be dodging bombs every day while paying $7+ a gallon for gas. Even Mccain is scaring me with what he says - I don't understand how Americans could have forgotten how lucky we are to live in this country, and how we should elect leaders who will protect us and lead our country.

Anyway - I'm a little fired up right now, but I have provided a nice little video about our brother of "change" Mr Obama - take a look and pass it on to everybody you know.

Our New Arrival

2008-06-10T09:43:00.001-07:00

Meet the newest member of our family :) Kevin works with a guy who owned him previously but couldn't do anything with him because he's too busy - so he asked Kevin if he wanted a project and Kevin gladly accepted.

He's a four year old quarter horse and we are so excited to start working with him and make him into a great horse (when I say we I mean Kevin, I just watch haha). He looks a little anorexic right now so we're trying to fatten him up and get him in shape!

I admit I get a little nervous watching Kevin break him - it's not that I don't trust Kevin because he's so good with horses, I just don't trust the young crazy horse he's working with.

He doesn't have a name yet so any suggestions are welcome -

Congrats Mckay!

2008-06-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

As much as I try not to believe it, me and my family are growing up. I can't believe it! It seriously seems like just yesterday that we were all young and looking for Easter Eggs together in the yard, or running down the stairs to see what Santa brought us - call me a sentimental fool but those memories are still very dear to me.

Well - reality hit me like a brick wall on Thursday when my not-so-little, little brother Mckay graduated from high school. I'm so proud of him! I can't believe he's graduated and facing college this summer, a mission next year, and marriage after!!! I cried all through his graduation and couldn't believe that he is so grown up. He'll be starting school at BYU this summer - isn't he handsome?

(Sigh) growing up - can anybody make it stop????

Gone Against the Wind

2008-05-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

I love to run. Especially at this time of the year because let's face it, the weather is downright pleasant! I love it in the morning when the sun is just coming up over the mountains and everything is green and beautiful - there's nothin better than that.

But there is one funny thing about Lehi that drives me nuts! And that's the wind. It is always windy in Lehi - those of you who live there can attest to this. It doesn't matter if it's a hard wind or a light breeze...but the fact of the matter is that I always wonder why I spend so much time on my hair every morning when I walk out the door and it is abruptly ruined for the rest of the day.

How do running and the wind come together? Well I'm not kidding, the wind in Lehi has a mind of its own and it seriously turns against me when I run. I'll be running in one direction - against the wind - working doubly hard because the wind is blowing against me, and when I finally turn the corner I kid you not - the wind changes directions when I do and continues to blow directly at me! You would think that when I turned the corner it would keep blowing against me going the same way but it doesn't - it changes direction and continues to make me work doubly hard. My favorite part is when I turn the corner and go in a direction where the wind should finally be behind me and actually help me out for awhile but no.......the wind at this point completely stops and I am left to run on my own.

Now you may laugh and shake your head at this but I'm really not kidding! I have had more than a year's worth of experience running around Lehi and it is always the same story. The wind has a mind of its own - and it's completely against me! If anybody has any suggestions on how to tame this beast let me know :) Cause I'm out of ideas.

Horse Shoein' Fool

2008-05-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do with Kevin is to watch him shoe horses.

Kevin started shoeing horses right before we started dating. Every now and then, we would go to his grandpa's house (which is now where we live) and I would hold the horse while he would work on it and shoe it. It was fun watching him and learning from him - (plus I got to check him out all while he was workin and he never even knew :) ).

From two years ago till now, Kevin has improved so much and is pretty much a pro at what he does. He went from putting shoes only on his own horses, to having several regular clients who use him routinely. Just last week, he did three horses with one more to do this week. Out of all of the horses Kevin has done, not one has ever thrown a shoe - and that is GOOD!

It is hard work, and can be dangerous sometimes - cause you're working under a horse with it's huge hooves just inches from your face. There is so much to learn and see about horses hooves and the shoeing process that I always learn something new each time I go with him.

Kevin has worked hard and has really become an excellent farrier - I'm so proud of him.

Park n' Ride Pals

2008-05-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

So there I was, standing next to my car at the American Fork Park n' Ride. I have a baby in a stroller, a car seat sitting on the hood of my car, my car is running and.........the doors are locked. How did I get here?

Julianne needed to go to Salt Lake to do an up-do on a bride. I had the day off of work and school so I offered to babysit my little nephew. Julianne was running late and asked me to meet her at the park n' ride so she didn't have to fight her way through Lehi Main Street to my house.

As she pulled up to into the parking lot, I got out of my car and "unlocked" all of the doors because I knew she would need to load the car seat in my car. I closed the door and walked over to help her unload everything. As I returned to my car - I realized I had pushed "lock" instead of "unlock". Julianne was so late she couldn't drive me to my house to get the spare, and she had to leave. Now this may sound like a mean thing to do - but she had an anxious bride waiting for her and we all know how you don't want to make a bride angry on her wedding day!!! Little Jackson and I were on our own.

I called Kev and he was 40 minutes away - in desperation I called my dad (cause dad always knows what to do right?) and he called the highway patrol and they said they were on their way. So we just hung out in the parking lot for awhile. I felt like such an idiot standing there next to a running car with a baby in my arms - with the whole world driving by watching me on the freeway.

Finally a policeman came and unlocked my door - he had a cool long tool that he stuck in the window and pushed the un-lock button on my car. Finally we were free to go - I tried to disassemble the stroller and I couldn't figure out how to do it! I pushed every single button on that silly thing and it wouldn't budge - so I just picked up the whole stroller and shoved it into the back of my jeep.

I was relieved when we finally pulled up to my house - and soon Jackson and I were playing and the exciting events of the morning were forgotten.

*Disclaimer - after talking with a few people, I have come to find out that the police will not do this for anybody - a child has to be involved in the dilemma. So pretty much the police won't save you for your own stupidity if you're by yourself, but they will save your child from your own stupidity :)*

Lake Powell

2008-04-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Major confession: I have never been to Lake Powell before.....that is I had never been to Lake Powell before last week. My family is a total beach family. With us, we either go to the beach or don't go on vacation. We've never had a boat and we're not huge campers which pretty much makes Lake Powell-ing impossible.

Kevin's family is a whole different story. Most of the childhood memories Kevin has are at Lake Powell. His family took several trips to Lake Powell every summer, they had several boats, and I'm pretty sure they had a houseboat for awhile too.

A couple of weeks ago, my sweet father in law told me he wanted to take me to Lake Powell and show me everything since I had never been before. We decided to go last week - even though we knew the water wouldn't be swimable they said it would be fun to simply go sightseeing. So last Wednesday Kevin, his dad, his younger brother Bryce, and I packed up and headed South.

Though I had heard so many stories about Lake Powell, I didn't know what to expect, and I have to say I was more than pleasantly suprised! It is such a beautiful place! Though the water was cold, the sun was hot and the weather was perfect. I didn't know that Lake Powell was a bunch of canyons - I just thought it was a big lake! We went to rainbow bridge - which was amazing, and drove down many of the tiny little canyons.

At night we camped on the beach and ate like kings! Kevin's dad really knows how to camp in style :). Kev and I got in the water one day because the sun was really hot and the water was so cold you could hardly breathe while you were in it.

When it was time to leave - I felt like we needed more time to explore and see everything. Hopefully we will be able to go back soon and I try another thing I've never done before in my life: wakeboarding!

The Libutti Family

2008-04-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

This is my sister and her cute little family - she just sent me this picture and I had to post it!!!

Operation Birthday Present

2008-04-22T07:46:00.001-07:00

Last Friday was my mom's birthday. She threatened us and told us if we made any attempt to get her a present - we would be punished severely. So, my sister and I tried to come up with something that she wouldn't object to when she opened it. We decided to make a "proclamation on the family" type thing. We wrote down all of the wonderful little lessons mom has taught us throughout our lives - and promised that we would live them and teach them to our children. We completed the proclamation by putting it in a nice frame with a picture of all the kids together next to it.

When my mom opened the present, she started crying and we knew we were in the clear :) Operation birthday present complete.

Danger: Worst Movie Ever

2008-04-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Poor Kevin has had to live with an emotional wreck for the past week. The reason: I watched the worst movie ever! The Way We Were. It is the most emotionally disturbing movie I've ever seen. I've tried to think about why it effected me so much - and it all boils down to Kevin.

In the movie, Robert Redfords and Barbara Striesand love eachother so much, but they're very different. She is a political activist...almost to an obnoxious extent, and he is a navy veteran - nice guy, and a lot more easy going than she is. So pretty much the movie shows them falling in love, and creating a beautiful life together. They get married, she gets pregnant, and then, their differences come between them, they can't take it, he cheats on her, she tells him not to leave her until after she has the baby, she has it, and he LEAVES!!!! That's seriously the movie.

So why does this horrible story boil down to Kevin? Because I love him more than any person in the whole world, and if I ever lost him, I honestly would die! So for some reason, even though I know it would never happen in a million years, I made that strange reasoning in my head and it totally put me on an emotional rollercoaster all last week. So take it from me - don't watch this movie. I understand that I may have raised curiosity with this post, so I've provided the trailer below, watch it and move on.

Mini Matthew

2008-04-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

Ok, seriously look at this picture and tell me that he is not the cutest little boy alive!!! This is my little nephew Jackson. He's 16 months old and is already a ladies man! It's too bad that I couldn't put a video of him on here because, as cute as his looks are, his personality is even cuter. He is the sweetest little guy and he has a good sense of humor. I'm not kidding, I honestly laugh at his jokes (he can't talk but he really tells jokes haha ) I could play with this kid for hours and never get bored.

For those of you who know Matthew - my sisters husband - Jackson looks EXACTLY like him it's crazy! Anyway, I know that some of you have been asking to see pictures of this perfect little guy, so here he is!

Throwin out the Flats

2008-04-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

If I had a dollar for every time somebody asked "how tall are you?" or said "you're tall" (thanks so much for pointing out the obvious) I would honestly be in about $2,000 dollars. I was 5'10 all through middle school and, to my dismay, grew another inch in high school. I've probably been called every name in the book: tree, giraffe, big foot you name it. I won't lie, it was really hard.

Because of my constant awareness of my height all of my life, flat shoes have been a must. It's hard for me to add any additional height to my already tall body, because the tall comments probably double for every additional inch added. But here's a little confession of mine.....I have always wanted to wear heels. I sit at school studying and I see a girl walk by in cute heels that make that "clop clop" sound on the floor and I sigh and say to myself "that's so cute - I'll never be able to wear heels like that."

Well - my trusty old black "church shoe" flats were ready to head "down the road" as Kevin would say. They were falling apart, old, and sorry to say....stinky! So I went out on the hunt for new black flats - and I couldn't find any!! I went to every store I could think of. I even went to Forever Young shoes, and they told me they don't carry my size (9 1/2)!!! How can a shoe store carry every size of shoe but mine? I don't get it.

In desperation, I went to famous footwear - it's a little more pricey but the big spring colored "sale" signs gave me hope. As I walked up and down the isles, there were no cute black flats to be found. Just as I was heading for the door I saw them.....black Steve Madden dress shoes with a small heel. I was hooked. I slowly walked over to them and looked at them like they were a piece of art. I carefully took them off the shelf and tried them on. They were a perfect fit, it was a total Cinderella moment I swear! I walked around the store in them a little to see how they felt and.......I heard it.......... the glamorous "clop clop" I had always wished I could make. It was now coming from my feet! That did it for me - I bought them.

I'm not worried about the tall comments - I know I'll get them, but at least I sound like a cute girl when I walk :)

Ice Cream Casualties

2008-04-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my favorite food in the whole world is ice cream. I could seriously eat ice cream all day every day and never get sick of it. I used to eat so much that a Dr finally told me that if I didn't limit my ice cream intake.....I would quickly develop type 2 diabetes (no joke).

So I had to cut back on my favorite food - I honestly went through withdrawls. In order to keep myself healthy and type 2 free, I made a personal rule for myself that I could not eat ice cream (or any sweets for that matter) during the week - but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are free days. So naturally, every weekend Kevin and I visit Baskin Robins and get a double scoop of their finest.

Last night as we were buying our delicious cones, one of the workers had a cast on her wrist. As we were buying the ice cream Kevin asked "how did you hurt your wrist?" and the girl answered (no joke) "I've scooped too much ice cream"!!!!! how funny is that? At that moment I wished I was that girl, and could honestly say that I hurt my wrist by scooping the most delicious treat in the world.....ice cream!

P.S. I also wish I was this lady, I love ice cream that much

Back in the Saddle

2008-04-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

The semester is coming to an end, and finals are drawing near. Stress level is through the roof, and you wish it was three weeks from now and everything was over. What do you do? Go on a horse ride!!!!

Saturday I decided that I could not bear to look at a textbook, or write one more paper. So we dropped everything and went on a horse ride. Life has gotten so busy that I haven't been able to go on as many horse rides as I would like (which would mean I would go every weekend).

I can't explain what it is about riding horses that I love. I LOVE the horse I ride - Salina - she has more heart than any horse I have ever ridden. She is always the smallest horse in the pack, but is always the first one to the top of the hill. She works so hard for you, and she's fast!

Riding horses always relaxes me. You get out of the house, into the fresh air and sunshine, and you see beautiful country. I'm so grateful to Kev because he has shown me so many cool places/things that I would never have been able to see had he not shown them to me.

We rode out by Utah lake, and I enjoyed every second of it. When we got back to the truck, I wanted to cry because the ride was way too short, and I didn't want to return to real life and finals. But thank you to Kevin and Salina for a great/relaxing Saturday.

Christmas in March

2008-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

At Christmas time, it's hard to try to save money and buy presents for all five of your younger siblings at the same time. This past year, Kevin and I came up with the ingenious plan of taking them all to his cabin to watch a movie.

On Christmas morning, when the kids opened the card that said what we were going to do with them, I'll admit that I think they were disappointed. They read the card, said thanks, and then continued to rip open anything that was wrapped and material (...kids!). But this past weekend, I think they were happy that there was one present given that they didn't open. Kev and I took my brothers and sister, as well as our little niece Allison to his cabin up at Sundance.

We started a nice warm fire in the big fireplace, and watched a movie that I have never seen before, but it was one of Kevin's favorites growing up: Dennis the Menace. That movie is so cute! and I loved thinking about young Kev watching that movie over and over with his brothers. It was so funny too because there are tons of little sayings that Kevin says all the time that came from that movie! (Like "poor little lamb").

We ate popcorn and hostess cupcakes and laughed all night. I'm glad that we gave them that present because we were actually able to spend time with them instead of giving them something that they would just rip open and forget about after Christmas.

The kids had alot fun, and so did we.

Famous Friends

2008-03-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

I totally have famous friends :). Last night I went to the BYU Luau and my awesome friends Nia and Sili danced in it. They were so good!!!! It was so fun to watch them - they were the cutest ones out there.

I really was born in the wrong culture - I could have watched that dancing all night long. The music was beautiful, and I just felt relaxed and happy the whole night. I also couldn't help but wonder "why can't I move my hips like that?".

So Nia and Sili - I love you both! You guys did great! I really wish I was you. P.S. that girl in the poster is totally Nia!

My Easter Debut

2008-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I hope everybody had a fantastic Easter. Mine was great because I got to wear my brand new dress from costco, (which I thought was funny because, like a little girl I totally bought a new Easter dress :) ) and it was sunny, warm, beautiful, and you could taste Spring in the air!

Right as I was called to be the primary chorister, they asked me if I would have the primary sing an Easter song in sacrament meeting. I was nervous because I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm still learning about kids and how they learn music. I wanted to have a few months at it first to get my feet on the ground and get a good feel for how to help the kids learn the songs. This was too soon!! I could see the horrible scene of 100 kids standing up on the stand in front of the whole ward in their Sunday best, with completely blank stares at their crazy chorister as she attempts to lead them in a song that she failed in teaching them. I would proceed to sing a solo to the whole ward, and then everybody would sit down. I knew I'd be fired for sure!

I only had two weeks to get a song ready, so we went right to work. After the first week of singing with the kids - I really felt good about it. Junior primary is tough because it seems like they don't understand or learn as fast as the senior primary does. I hope it's not my teaching and just the age group. But by the end of singing time last week, I felt like we were ready.

So Easter Sunday came, my heart was a cage full of butterflies all through the beginning of the meeting as I wasn't sure where to stand, or where to put the kids, but somehow as they called the primary up....everything came together. I stood up there and led the kids, and they sounded great! It really was rewarding to have those kids smiling at me, and singing the words to a song about the Savior that I had taught them.

Mothers day is coming up now and they've asked me to have the kids sing a song for that. So I need to start teaching them a new song. Any suggestions of a favorite Mother's Day song?

Students Warned about Pornography

2008-03-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Students, faculty, and members of the community were warned by the chairman of the Lighted Candle Society that pornography is deceitful and addictive.

A large group was assembled in the Varsity Theatre at Brigham Young University Thursday, and listened to John Harmer, former Lieutenant Governor of California, speak on the dangers of pornography and the Society’s mission to fight it.

He was invited to speak at BYU by the Students Opposing Pornography Club. Thomas Stanley is the president of the on-campus club.

“We invited John to help us better protect families, children, and husbands from pornography,” he said.

The audience was quiet. Some students were taking a few notes, and nodding in agreement as Harmer spoke.

“Pornography is a work of deceitfulness,” Harmer said. “It deceives every person it takes.”

Harmer presented several goals in the Lighted Candle Society’s mission to stop the distribution of pornography. Some of these goals are to present scientific evidence that pornography is addictive, and to distribute educational material to the public.

“By providing this information we are confident that the spread of this plague will be overcome” Harmer said.

Julianne Libutti, a young mother and resident of Provo, came to listen to Harmer. She heard about the event by word of mouth.

“I believe pornography is the number one problem in our community, and there’s nothing out there to educate me,” Libutti said, “so I’ll come to anything there is.”

The society tries not only to raise awareness of the pornography problem in the United States, but to offer a plan and a solution in overcoming any addiction, Harmer said.

“We will help you identify resources to help defeat the challenges of pornography in your life,” he said.

Several stories were shared by Harmer about the experiences he’s had with pornography addicts, and the unhappy endings that resulted from their addictions.

Ann Crowley, a Home and Family Science major at BYU, was surprised at many of the stories Harmer told.

“We can’t suppose that just because somebody behaves normally they don’t have a problem,” Crowley said.

Self righteousness is the common downfall of pornography addicts, Harmer said. Many fall into the trap of believing they are above the evil of pornography and it won’t hurt them if they pursue and look at it, he said.

“Self righteousness is arrogance……that leads you to this tragedy,” he said.

All who believe pornography won’t hurt them will discover that pornography will ruin their family and their lives. No matter how righteous they are, Harmer said.

“You will never be able to feel the joy of marriage if you are involved with pornography,” Libutti said.

The Varsity Theatre was slow to empty after the presentation. Many students lingered to speak to Harmer and ask him questions.

“I wanted to be reminded of the dangers I face because I have sons,” Crowley said.
“It made me feel a grater determination to never let my kids take the first step.”

Downer Day

2008-03-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

Ok - so I don't mean to get all negative around here, but you know when you just have those days when you can't get anything to go right? Today is that day.

When you were a kid, growing up was always the desired thing "when I'm older then I'll......" was the common phrase. Now there are times when I just wish I could be a kid again, where the only thing you really have to worry about is what T-shirt to wear with your faded blue jeans.

I think I always wanted to be grown up so much, I didn't enjoy being younger and care-free, I regret it.

But there's good news, Sheryl Crowe has a SWEET new song out that I'm obsessed with :) So if all else fails, listen to the happy-go-lucky sweet summer tunes of Sheryl.

Do We Have to Eat?

2008-03-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Lately, my LEAST favorite thing to do is go to the grocery store. Everything is SO expensive and I can't believe how much money I spend on just two people. I don't think I'm the smartest shopper (truthfully, I wish I could have a pocket-sized Kellie Knapp with me all of the time to instruct me on the best buys and the greatest deals) but I really do try to only get what we need, and not get anything unnecessary. Even when I'm trying my hardest I'm still spending $70-$100 every time I go!!!

So as an alternative to spending so much money so often, I made the ingenious plan to try and stretch one weeks worth of groceries for two weeks. Great idea right? Well, by the end of the two week stretch (sometimes three) Kevin and I are looking a little thin, and our fridge is looking quite bare. So in other words I'm pretty much starving my poor husband for the sake of saving a few bucks......something is wrong with that.

This was the converstation last night with Kev - it had been a little over two weeks since my last grocery store visit:

Kevin: What do you want to do for family night?
Heather: I don't know?
Kevin: Well, we could go grocery shopping.
Heather: Yeah, that's a good idea I haven't been for awhile.
Kevin: Yeah cause I don't really have anything to take for lunch tomorrow,(thinks for a second) or to make for breakfast, (thinks for another second) or to have for dinner.

I felt so bad! So after making a huge list of needed items, it was off to Albertons for the Nelson family. We spent about an hour in the store, and had a very heavy cart. I have a preferred savings card, and was careful to only get the "Albertson's" brand items that were on sale "10 for 10" (I seriously don't know if that even saves you money....Kellie??).

But I couldn't help but notice that milk is almost 4 dollars a gallon now! Everything is getting so expensive, we're going to have to find a different way to get calcium......maybe we could even buy a cow and keep it with our horses. That would definitely save us money in the end!

Finally, we made it to checkout and had the grand total of .... a lot haha. No joke, the receipt printer jammed twice as it was trying to print out our HUGE, LONG receipt. I was laughing so hard. Finally, after trying to piece the many pieces of our 20 foot receipt together, the store clerk just handed Kevin a huge pile of receipts. It was hilarious. Kev and I laughed the whole way as we heaved our shopping cart out to our car.

Eating is totally overrated.

Eleven Hours of Get Your Groove On

2008-03-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Every year, BYU hosts the national ballroom dance championship at the Marriot Center - and every year we are there. My mom Julianne and I LOVE it and we go every year.

The competition goes for four days, and we always go on Saturday because that's when all of the finals are held - so we get to watch all of the good people, not the bad ones :) - We usually go Saturday afternoon, but this year we decided to go earlier on Saturday because we love it and thought it would be fun to spend the day there.

We thought wrong

We went at 10:30 AM and I seriously did not move from my seat until 9:30 PM - it was crazy! I really did enjoy watching the dancing, I love the music and I think Latin dancing is so cool, but by 9:30 I sat there and thought "I can't watch one more dance or I really think I'll puke"!

Kevin was such a good sport and came and watched with me at night, and he's so cute - I told him that I might be ready to go and he said "I've got your back" hahaha - he was so nice to come and watch it with me.

So instead of staying till midnight like we usually do, we left at 9:30 and plopped exhausted into bed. Who thought sitting around watching people dance would take so much out of you?

Best Movie Ever

2008-03-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Last night Kev and I went to see August Rush - and I'll admit it was the second time I've seen it but I seriously LOVE it!!! I know that if any of the girls that work with me read this they'll laugh cause I try and make everybody I know go see it.

I think that the reason I love it so much is because I love music so much. And the whole story is about a little boy who is driven by music. As he walks down the streets of new york all of the sounds he hears (like car horns, bouncing of a basket ball etc) come together in his mind and make music - so the whole movie is just full of beautiful music and I'm on the edge of my seat the whole time listening to it!

It also makes me feel guilty because I used to play the piano a lot and was really invovled in music. But now, life has gotten so busy that I don't have the time for it anymore.

The dad - is an Irish singer and he has the best voice! I want to know who he is and how I can get more of his music because he is DANG good. The mom plays the cello and after watching this I seriously want to start taking lessons cause it's such a cool instrument!

So to everybody who is reading this (and yes work girls I'm still talking to you) go see it! You won't regret it.

My New Calling

2008-03-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

For the past year I have been a teacher in the primary. I taught the sunbeams all last year with Kevin and it seriously was really fun. I was scared at first because I felt like I didn't know the first thing about teaching three year olds, and truthfully I was scared of them!! But I got some of the cutest kids and I was so sad when I had to say goodbye to them at the end of the year.

At the beginning of the year, they changed me to teach the eight year olds, which I thought would be a nice change because they are older and more mature right? WRONG! I found it very hard to find any little hint of love for them while I was teaching them. Awful huh? They were so rude, they didn't listen to me or respect me, and I felt like I was talking to the wall the whole 50 minutes of class. So, naturally when I got a call from the bishop that he wanted to meet with me I was excited and a little relieved to think that I was going to get a new calling.

Kev came with me and we went to the church. In my mind I was thinking about all of the things I could be called to. Young Womens, Relief Society, Activities Committee..... any of those jobs would be fine with me. Let me tell you that I was not prepared for what I was about to be called to.
..........................................................................................the primary chorister!

Shocking I know. When the bishop told me the calling I thought in my mind "I'm a little girl myself! I don't know how to lead the little kids!" I honestly was shocked and didn't know what to think. I never thought I would ever be called to do that and now that I am called, I don't know where to start!

To be completely honest, the week before I was called I was actually sitting in singing time watching our chorister (who was VERY good by the way, but they had to release her because she's going to have a baby soon) and I thought to myself "she's so good but I would NEVER want to do that!" That one thought right there sealed my doom.

Luckily, I have sugardoodle.net to help me! There is honestly a whole web page dedicated to primary teachers, and there's a whole section on that website for "the primary chorister" haha - so that is my lifeline. I'm not the most creative person in the world and when you're teaching kids you have to be creative or else they will get bored and you lose control of the whole group.

So - I'm a little nervous about this new calling. amd if you have any ideas, let me know cause I'm open to anything!

Yaz Brings Health Risks to Users

2008-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Recent reports released by the Federal Drug Administration reveal the popular birth control Yaz carries side effects that may be harmful to your health.

Possible side effects you face while taking Yaz include break-through bleeding, and high potassium levels in the user if anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Ibuprofin and Alieve) are taken while using the pill, the study says.

The cause of these harmful side effects: drospirenone, the type of progestin used in the pill that is unique to Yaz.

Lindsay Hoffman, a Physicians Assistant at Utah Valley Obstetrics and Gynecology, has done significant research on oral contraceptive pills, and no longer prescribes Yaz to her patients.

“Drospirenone is a relatively new type of progestin, and it’s a risk prescribing a pill that contains it when we know so little about it,” she said.

In order for Yaz users to avoid high potassium levels, blood tests should be drawn every few months to have their levels reviewed by a physician. If potassium levels are too high, the user should change birth controls to avoid serious health problems, Hoffman said.

“Most women who take Yaz don’t know about taking these blood tests because the instructions to take the tests are given in a small package insert with the birth control, and nobody ever reads it,” Hoffman said.

Unfortunately, she said there isn't a test that can help with break-through bleeding in Yaz users.

Carly Mortensen, a nurse who works at Utah Valley OBGYN, regularly deals with patients who are currently taking Yaz.

“Break-through bleeding is the number one problem I see, and it’s not light bleeding it’s always heavy bleeding,” she said.

Yaz was originally marketed to pre-menopausal women. The major claim of Yaz was that it was the one pill that cured all the regular symptoms of your period: cramping, bloating, pre menstrual syndrome (PMS), nausea, headaches, acne, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), even weight loss, Hoffman said.

She said as a result of this advertising, many women jumped at the chance to get on a pill that would help them lose weight, get rid of their acne, and skip the mood swings during “that time of the month,” but most are unaware of all the health risks Yaz imposes.

Hoffman and Mortensen are trying to change Yaz users to different birth control pills. Hoffman sees prescribing Yaz as a risk to her career as a PA. She said she cares about her patients and wants to give them a birth control pill that does not carry substantial health risks.

“Yaz is a high risk medication, and because there’s so little known about it, what else could it be causing that we don’t know of quite yet?” Mortensen said.

However, Mortensen said some women have been happy with Yaz. These women described Yaz as a great birth control pill that worked well with their body.

“Some love it and do great on it, and if they are insistent to stay on Yaz I won’t change them” Hoffman said.

(Word count: 497)

I May Be Here, But My Heart is in Newport

2008-02-26T11:24:00.001-08:00

I honestly don't know who's dirty trick it was to have me be born and raised in cold, dry, ocean-less Utah because I was truly born with salt water in my veins and belong on a beach.

My dad grew up in California where he and his family would live at the beach during the summer. As little kids, my brothers and sister and me, would listen to the amazing stories my dad told about the huge ocean, the mountain waves that never stopped rolling into shore, the hot sand that you could make castles out of, the sand crabs that you could pick up in the handfuls, and the breathtaking sunsets. The beach for us was equivalent to what Neverland was for other kids. We could not believe that such a wonderful place existed.

I will never forget the first time I saw the beach. I was eight years old and was frustrated and tired from a long hot car ride. But when I stepped out of that car and saw the beautiful beach in front of me - everything else was forgotten. I ran to the shore and jumped in the freezing cold water with my clothes on. I didn't want to take the time to go inside to our small beach house and change, so I played, fully clothed, in the waves all day long. At the end of the day I sat on the beach content, warm, and happy, and watched the beautiful sunset that I had only been able to imagine before.

Lucky for me, every year come the second week of August, my family and I head to the beach. We always go to Newport Beach, CA and stay for a week in the small Travelodge hotel. We spend the entire week on the beach. We don't waste any time going to tourist attractions or theme parks, we just stick to the good stuff. It seriously is the best week of my year without fail - but the one week is always too short.

I don't know what it is about the beach that I love so much. I love the fresh air, the smell of the ocean, body surfing, the warm sand, the cool ocean breeze, being there with my family....everything! And sadly, even when I'm not there I am because I'm always thinking about it.

So here I am sitting in the UVSC library, looking out the window at the grey, miserable snowy landscape before me, shivering because it's freezing, and wishing that I wasn't here - but 12 hours away in my true home, Newport Beach California.

Meeting the Nelson Family

2008-02-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

Last week, Kev and I made the hasty decision to head south to Mesa, Arizona where his Grandma and Granpa Nelson live. I have never met Grandma and Grandpa Nelson because they are so un-well health wise that they are unable to travel. Along with his Grandparents, there are several aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Nelson side that I have not been able to meet.

I was happy and excited for the chance to go. Not only to meet these people and finally put faces to names, but to get away from all of this snow!!!

We left on Friday afternoon, Kevin's younger brother Bryce came with us (and for any/all you single ladies out there. Bryce is seriously a catch :) ). It was a 10 hour trip which kind of sucked but I was introduced to some pretty incredible 80s tunes on the way down. (It's funny that Kevin and I grew up with two COMPLETELY different music eras haha).

We got there late Friday night and so I wasn't able to meet Grandma and Grandpa until Saturday morning. They are two of the nicest people I have ever met. We really spent most of the time sitting with them in their front room and talking to them and asking them questions in their little front room. It honestly made me a little scared to get old. These two know no other world than their house. They can't move without their walkers, and they're constantly being given medication and shots to keep them alive. I know I have a long way to go till I get to that point but seriously, somebody just shoot me before then!

Despite their age, they were still very sweet and cute with eachother, and it was actually kind of romantic. They told us tons of stories of their lives together and their kids and it was incredible to think that they have lived and experienced so much.

We also went on a little hike called Weaver's Needle . It's a two mile hike up a rocky canyon. Pretty easy right? WRONG! I was hiking with fast and faster!!! Kevin and Bryce are serious hikers, they don't kid around and enjoy the scenery they seriously jog up the hill. It was all I could do to keep up and maintain a "tough" demenor and act like I wasn't dying. When we finally got to the top it was beautiful. Because it's winter, everything is green and lush and beautiful and there were some low clouds that filled the valley and made it look like Hawaii. Those low clouds however, covered weavers needle. The picture shown here is the first time I actually got to see it! The hike was still fun anyway.

The entire weekend was really fun. I met all of Kevin's aunts and uncles and they are all just cool nice people. By Sunday night, I felt like we were leaving too soon. I wanted to spend more time with these people and get to know them. But I'm happy we made it down there.

My Humble Abode

2008-02-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

A week before Kevin and I got married, we did not have a place to live after we came home from our honeymoon; naturally, I was a little nervous and stressed out about the situation. I did NOT want to come home and live with parents while we tried to find a place of our own.

The Sunday before we were married, Kevin got a phone call from his grandpa Newman who currently lives in Salt Lake City with his new wife Maxine.

Kevin’s grandma passed away 11 years ago and left his grandpa in his house in Lehi with 13 acres all to himself. Common to what usually happens, after grandma died, grandpa’s health went downhill fast; however, he was able to meet and marry another cute little lady and he has been healthy ever since. But Maxine was not too hot with the idea of living in Lehi. So grandpa moved to her house in Salt Lake City.

What’s the point? When grandpa moved he left a small house and 13 acres of horse property behind. Since his grandpa moved, Kevin has taken care of that place. He has three horses that he has kept and cared for there. Not only has he taken care of his horses, but he has continued to mow the lawn, fix anything that was broken, fix fences etc. He pretty much kept the place going even though he wasn’t living there. Kevin’s grandpa is so grateful for him and all that he has been doing.

So when he called us, he naturally offered us his house!!! We couldn’t believe it. That night Kevin was so excited. He told me he wanted to take me there and show me around so we could make the decision. I wasn’t fully prepared for what I was going to find there.
As we walked in the house smelled old and dusty, the floor is old lenolium that is
a nice puke-yellow color. The small hallway we entered was cluttered with old tools and dusty boots.

As we entered the kitchen all of the appliances matched the lovely lenolium and looked like they hadn’t been cleaned since the last person used them……10 years ago. You could not see an empty spot on the kitchen counter. His grandpa’s stuff was piled everywhere. Clothes, notebooks, flashlights, horse medicines, anything you could think of. In fact, after the distraction of the kitchen counter, I noticed that the entire house was crammed with….stuff……that’s the only word to describe it. There are things that aren’t useful and that are embarrassing to have kept for so long.

As we progressed to the family room, the carpet carries several shades of orange, yellow, brown, and black. I’m not sure what color it was to start with. But 30 years of living in it certainly took their toll on it. Aqua drapes hang down and touch the floor, covering a large window that overlooks the backyard. An old TV sits at the front of the room and it hasn’t worked for years.

Further still into the bathroom, which contains every shade of green you can imagine. The countertops, the wallpaper, the tile, the tub, the toilet, all green. Notice I didn’t mention shower…..because there isn’t one. One bathroom, no shower.

There are two bedrooms. The one we sleep in has fluffy bright blue carpet with blue wallpaper. The second bedroom has been surrendered to holding all of his grandpa’s stuff. I seriously will never save anything as long as I live. You can accumulate a TON over 91 years!
The house has one furnace, no central AC and no swamp cooler.

You may think it was a tough call for me to make to move here; however, the pluses of this place greatly outweigh the minuses. Sure it was tough at first to have no internet, shower, TV, AC, and space to put my own stuff, but Kevin loves it here, we have horses right with us, and live on 13 acres. There is also a small upright piano in the front room that allows me to practice and play the piano whenever I want. But I love it here, I hope we never have to leave (but of course in never leaving we may need to remodel a few things around here, starting with the carpet!)

I Miss My Dog

2008-02-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

The other day I was running outside and when I was about a mile away from home, I looked down and a tiny little Australian Shepherd puppy was running next to me She was so cute! So I turned around and started to run back towards where I thought she had come from and she ran right along side me. After awhile I turned back hoping she would keep running in the other direction towards her home but she didn't. She turned around and stayed right with me. I reached busy Main Street in Lehi and I bet people thought I was crazy for bringing a puppy out on that busy road. She kept running in and out of the street and I kept risking my life to run out in the street and save her.

We finally got home and I knelt down on the ground and she just laid right in my lap. It was really sweet. So I loaded her up in my car and took her back to her house. When I opened my car door to let her jump out of the car, she just stood there and looked at me like she didn't want to get out. So I reached in to get her and she jumped into the front seat, so I went to the front seat to get her and she jumped into the back seat! This went on for a few minutes and I was finally able to wrestle her out of the car. THEN (yes there's more) I started driving away and she started running right next to my car. So I pushed the gas to go faster and she started sprinting next to my car to stay with me! I couldn't believe it, I finally turned around and drove back to her house (she followed me faithfully) and drove away again. This time she didn't follow me.

Why do I tell this story? Because about four years ago I got a puppy from the pound, he was seriously my best friend all through my senior year because I didn't have any friends haha. We went running together, we went to the park all of the time, he slept on my bed even though he's HUGE, and he seriously is the best dog in the world. Well come November 17, 2006 I had to make a decision: Kevin or Rugby. Naturally I chose Kevin but it was a hard decision!! j/k :) But because we're living in his grandpa's house we can't bring Rugby to live with us and at first I thought I'd be ok, but it's hard for me. I seriously miss him and I don't know what it is about dogs but I love them. Especially mine because he seriously is a one-of-a-kind dog....like lassie on steroids. He is loyal, obedient, and so so sweet.

So now I'm at a HUGE crossroads because Mckay, my little brother, just got a new dog and my mom doesn't want three dogs at her house (she already has one). What do I do? I can't sell my best friend! So I'm pretty much at a loss, I can't bring him to my house but he can't stay at my moms. What should I do!!! Hopefully my mom will give me some time to make grandpa some yummy cookies and butter him up to ask the loaded question. I'm scared!

Too Good to be True

2008-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

Kev and I didn't get a wedding video because we both didn't like the idea of two cameras in our face all day :) but Julianne is awesome and put this whole video together for me - it was the best Christmas present ever and I'm SO happy I have one!!!

Tribute to President Hinckley

2008-01-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

Why do I feel like a dear friend of mine has just died? I've been blessed to not have many deaths of friends or family in my life, but I feel the same now as I did the day my grandma died. When I first found out my stomach dropped and my heart sank and I felt numb - like it couldn't really be happening and I needed to wake up from a bad dream.

I don't remember any other prophets besides President Hinckley. I was so young when Presidents Benson and Hunter were around and they were both so sick that they were never able to speak at conference; as a result, President Hinckley has been my prophet. Growing up he was always there, he always seemed to have a quote for me that fit exactly what I needed in my life at the time. And when I was going through the darkest time in my life, I read his book "Way to Be" and felt like he had written that book just for me. He did SO much! Listening to the news and the stories they're telling, I can't believe that this man was 97 years old! He built so many temples, the conference center, and is basically remodeling all of downtown Salt Lake City. He traveled all over the world and reached out to members of the church all over the world. How could one man do so much?

Kevin and I were talking about him last night, and Kevin pointed out that all he did his whole life was serve. He was so young when he was called to serve with the twelve apostles and from that time on he spent his whole life serving others. My mom made the comment that she believes that President Hinckley probably was able to see and converse with Joseph Smith after he died. They speak of his willingness to take time with people to answer their questions and be a friend to them.

In looking at the life of president Hinckley, I am going to try to be like him, to serve and love without question and to work...hard as he did.

I already miss President Hinckley, but I'm so grateful for the church as - even though our prophet has passed away, there is another one who we know is a good man who will continue to lead our church.

School + Work + Husband = Crazy

2008-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's funny how "adult-hood" is such a glamerous idea for young kids and teenagers. I can still remember looking at my older cousins and my sisters friends and wishing that I could be older like them - that when you get older all of your troubles go away and everything is perfect and happy. WRONG! I am happy and everything is great but I can't remember ever feeling so bogged down and so crazy before. The craziness can be summed up in three words: school, work, and husband.

I'm going to UVSC and I've changed my major to Communications with an emphasis in PR. Why the change? As I sat in my legal/criminal justice classes learning about rape, murder, and sexual assaults on children, I realized that I couldn't stomach this profession. I was tired of learning about filth and I felt like it was honestly wearing me down emotionally. I was also having nightmares almost every night...seriously! Kevin would have to shake me to wake me up and I was getting tired of it (and frankly so was he haha). So I made the decision to change and I'm really happy about it. Though it's only my first semester I feel like this major fits me a lot better; however, with the new major came better teachers who have challenging classes and a much more intense work load. I'm grateful for the challenge because I know that I'm making every penny I paid on tuition count. But school is hard because no matter where I am, school is always on my mind, and if I'm not working on homework, I feel like I should be.

I have a great job and I absolutely love it! It's cool to have your best friends at work with you, and sometimes I feel like I'm not even working because it's so much fun to work with these great girls!
But when I'm not at school, I'm at work, and the time I spend at work weighs on my homework load making school a little more stressful. But I couldn't live without working, if I was just going to school I know I would go crazy. Plus I don't think I could leave cause then I wouldn't have any friends anymore cause the girls I work with are my only friends...LOL but it's really true.

My husband is my favorite part of my life. If I had my way I would spend every waking moment with him - no matter what we do he makes everything fun working, sleeping, eating, doing homework - he is truly my best friend and I feel bad a lot because with everything else going on, I feel like I'm not the wife I should be for him. I don't make him nice home made meals like my mom thinks I should, I'm not the best house cleaner in the middle of the semester and sometimes I'm so stressed that I cry hahaha but he is so sweet and patient and I'm so grateful for the good guy that he is and how he's my lifesaver in every situation. So I really put stress on myself for not being the wife that I should to him because he is the sweetest man alive and would never tell me that I suck at being a homemaker haha.

So, that's my life in three words, school work and husband. But life is really great, I'm lucky to have the opportunities and experiences that I'm having right now. And the three words that I'd like to say to my life: bring it on!

One Sucked-in Muggle

2008-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ok so I just spent four hours glued to this silly book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the good news: I finished it, and loved the ending. The bad news: I completely wasted precious time at school that I should have used studying for a quiz that I failed in my media writing class, as well as attending institute. In other words, my good friend Harry Potter has not only jeopardized my grade in a class, but he has also put my eternal salvation on the line!

In all seriousness, can I just say that J.K. Rowling is simply amazing. I honestly can not comprehend the kind of imaginational..(not a word) power it would take to write such an amazing story. She was able to write seven books all of them long with complicated plots and characters, and somehow manage to tie everything perfectly together at the end of the seventh book. In all honesty the one thing (p.s. before you read further, stop reading if you haven't read the books and would like to) I would have changed was how Harry and Ginny name all of their children after every dead character in the book, I think it would have been a lot more sentimental if they would have just named one of their kids after a dead person...but that's just me.

Anyway, I think it's pretty sad that the only homework I'm doing now after I wasted the day reading the book, is writing about the book! Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed myself today finishing this book and I would recommend it to any/all readers!

In Memory of 2007

2008-01-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

As I have zero Internet at my house and have therefore been unable to update you all on the events of 2007, I will do so now :). I finished all of my generals at UVSC in the spring semester and was then able to focus solely on my major, which at the time was Paralegal Studies/Criminal Justice. Due to the outrageous summer tuition at UVSC I decided to skip the college summer scene and just spend it with Kevin. It was an awesome summer. We went on several camping trips, horse rides, and one vacation which was Newport Beach CA. Which was actually the longest period of time that I ever had to be away from Kevin who had to work for a couple of days, then flew out and met us. The separation was only 3 days but it seriously was hard haha but it was so fun once he got there. We spent most of the time on the beach together. After California it was all downhill from there as Summer Ended and school began again. Hunting season began and I admit I was scared haha - I had heard horror stories of hunting and how you never see your husband for those four months; however, I am happy to report that it wasn't bad at all, though Kev hunted hard and as a result Kevin got a "big ol' buck"! It was very exciting, and he actually did the entire European mount himself which was way cool and doesn't it look good? It was cool to see Kev work so hard and see that all of his efforts paid off! Kev also took me down to the San Rafel Swell, which is about an hour and a half South of Price. It was beautiful there and we finally got a camera so we were able to take some pictures there as well. Then Halloween, and next our one year anniversary. Kev took us to Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole Wyoming and we spent the weekend there together, it was so fun! Thanksgiving and Christmas followed, we cut down our first Christmas tree together and it looked great! We just took it down and it was honestly so hard for me to see it go! It was an awesome Christmas with Kev, he got me cut cowgirl boots ( which exact replica is displayed below :) ) And we brought in the new year up at his cabin. So - that's about it for 2007, it was a great year and I'm excited to see what 2008 brings.

Livin In Heaven

2008-01-08T10:30:00.001-08:00

So here I am, caving into peer pressure and starting a blog. I'll admit that I never wanted to start a blog due to the fact that I am not artistically talented in the least bit; however, the 5% grade raise for creating a blog in one of my school classes was enough incentive to get me going :) (hello Mrs. Fellow!). A little explanation behind the name of this blog - sometimes people try to say Heather and Kevin together and they end up saying "Heaven" instead. I actually think this title is fitting for my life as I believe that I have married the most "heavenly" man alive and am so happy to be living life with him. We are living in Lehi in his grandpa's house (no grandpa doesn't live with us) on 13 1/2 acres of nothin but horse property. We are keeping our three horses there and wish we'll never have to leave as it's such a perfect set up for us. Kevin is currently working at Big-D as a project engineer and is working on the new Cannon Center at BYU and a warehouse at Kennicot Copper. He loves his job and he is doing really well! I am attending school at UVSC as well as working at an OBGYN office in Provo. So we're working, going to school, but always take time to get on a horse ride :)