The Clifts

Who-da-ho?.... no... Idaho!

2012-01-23T23:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, we made it to Idaho for school! We had a good time on the drive up and could not have asked for any better weather. Of course there were ups and downs to the whole trip, one of the biggest ones being that our 26 foot long moving truck's tire split. Thankfully it was noticed when we stopped for gas just outside of Donner's Pass and so we did not have to deal with it on the side of the road. What a blessing that was. The second thing that didn't go as planned was that when we arrived up here (late at night) that our key was not where the rental company said it would be... yeah that made nobody happy. Thankfully we were able to get in, I wont mention how, but we got in :). The next day was spent unloading the moving truck... boy you never know how much stuff you actually have till you have to go through it all and pack it/unload it. We found out the hard way that with just us two, we already have way too much stuff, but we love all our stuff.

Here is my sister Carolyn in the driver seat of our moving truck that had just been unloaded.

It took a few days of some serious box unpacking to get the necessities out, but we did it thanks to the wonderful help of my dad, mom and two sisters. I don't think we could have gotten settled-in in such good timing had it not been for the help of family. Thanks guys!

Our dogs watching us unload the truck... I was wishing they had hands at this point :)

We like our new house. It has it's goods and bads, just like all things do, but overall I think we fit it pretty well. The property is on a half acre, with a large backyard. We love it because our dogs can go outside and play and have lots to do out there. They love it probably more then we do.

Our backyard... and the first snow that we saw here.

I have to say that coming up here I was very nervous about how our dogs would react to the cold and the snow. I figured Olivia would love it, and she does love it so much. I didn't know quite how our two smaller dogs would like it though, turns out my gut instincts were right. Belle loves the snow. She loves to get her ball or Kong and play fetch in the snow. She is definitely an independent girl and will do anything to go outside or stay there, even if she is cold and shaking because of being wet. My gut instinct on Indie was spot on. He hates the water... and the snow. He will only go outside to do his business and then go right back on to the deck to go back inside.

Olivia's first time in snow.

Belle blending in ;)

Indie's first time in snow... yes in my arms because he 100% refused to get down.

Overall we are enjoying the new adventure that we find ourselves on. We are happy to be experiencing new things that are helping us grow and learn. Speaking of learning, school... well let's just get 'er done!!!

Hoping for a great 2012 with lots of new things and firsts!!

Time flies...

2011-12-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

I think this past month has gone by way to fast. So much has happened that it seems crazy the changes that are coming our way. We found out some great news that is making us both so happy! Jon was accepted to BYU-I and will be starting in January! We are so excited to be able to move to a new place and meet new people. It will be a different way of living life, but we are ready for it! I think my biggest adjustment will be the snow... I am a total Southern California girl who loves the sunshine and the beach... not snow and ice. I will just have top trade in my swimsuit for a snow suit! We are excited to be able to get school going again. We both have been waiting to go back to school, and now is the time. There is so much to do and so little time to do it in! I guess I should get off the blogging world and go and do more packing! Woohoo for new chapters in life! And the best part of it is that I get to have new adventures with my husband/best friend!

November...

2011-11-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the month that I have grown to love more through the years. As a child I remember November being the month where we made turkeys by tracing our hands and then coloring them to have pretty feathers. I remember that in school I was on a track system (B track to be exact) and that this was the month that we had been waiting for. We had been in school since August and now it was our track's turn to go on a longer break. So we had off from around Thanksgiving time to about January. It was so much fun. I remember doing so much stuff like playing with my sisters dress up; playing house and store with my sisters; pretending that I was the teacher in our cool backyard play house with a big chalk board. I remember one time one of my parent's asked us to clean up the back yard, part of that was raking all the extra grass up. We did it, and I remember pretending that the back yard was the top of an old man's head and that he was loosing all his hair so I had to clean it up for him (Gulliver's travels kind of thing where he was a giant and I was one of the super small people). Oh the imagination I developed as a child... reality has definitely taking it's place. I will always love going back in memories and thinking about how I viewed the world through my eyes as a child.

I love November because the season changes and you can feel the change from warm Summer weather to the chilled crisp air that comes with Fall. It is the month of thanks giving. I have so much to be grateful for this year. I am most grateful for the blessings that God has given us. As we have had an interesting year so far with so many new experiences, we have come to rely on the Lord and His timing. Things happen when it is the right time, not because of our desire to have them happen right when we wan them to. I am so grateful for my husband and his hard working self to provide for our family. He is my rock and an amazing person. I am thankful for my dogs. They are so loyal and happy to see you when you come in from a day of work. They are definitely part of my support system too.

I love the change in colors as I look around at the hills of the area where we are at. I love the reds and golden colors that are coming. One thing I am looking forward to is the rainy season. Not the rain itself (because that drives me bonkers) but the smell after the rain and the clean freshness to the air is amazing! I wish I could capture it some how and have it with me, but then again it might not mean as much to me if I could have it at my finger tips to enjoy so much.

I am grateful for this month so that I can make a conscious effort to count my blessings. I have so many and am truly blessed.

Here a little and there a little

2011-10-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Color that is!! I found this new blog about color and how it can impact the life of not only your home, but your clothes, accessories, parties... you name it, color can impact it!! Love it!! I just painted our bedroom a beautiful color and am so happy with it!! I didn't realize how much having white walls affected my likeness for my own room!! Now all I want to do is be in my room because of the wonderful warmth that the newly painted colored walls give to it!! I also think that this poster would look amazing in it!! How inspirational!!

Check out where I found this lovely piece of art work click here!

Getting C

2011-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

So I know this is very late, but this is our tip to get Carolyn from school in like... July. It was during the summer I know. It was my first time going to Idaho and I think it was a cool experience. Road trips are always fun... especially in the heat. I can tell you that I will not be living in Nevada!! Yuck! I think over all we had a good time. I Loved seeing the St George Temple. I hadn't been there for a long time. The Rexburg Temple is super nice too! Over all we were successfull at our mission of picking up C. Love you C!!

August 2011

2011-09-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

August just started... or so it seemed. It flew by way too fast! Here are some photos from August of this year to sum it up shortly.

It was my birthday!! Woohoo!! I had a very nice day full of kind wishes and happiness!

We have gotten to spend time as sisters reunited... we love shoes!

The funny thing is that we took my brother to SLO for a day of fun and we (my sisters and I that is) ended up at Ross there trying on shoes while the boys went off and did manly bonding things :)

Me showing off my dirty arms and face from good ol' fashion hard work!

I have done lots of out door things and look tan... for a person who stays inside 90% of the day. ;) I pulled super big weeds from our yard!!! So proud of myself for doing that!!! I also had my family over to help move our pool from under the tree to out in the sunshine so that we could have it be a little warmer!!

We love our pool and the ability to swim whenever we want to.

I think the biggest thing that happened in the month of August is adopting the newest member of our family. Her name is Olivia and she is nothing but love!

~Miss Olivia~

They think that she is part Vizla and part pitbull. We just love her to death and are so happy to have her be a member of our family! Belle and Indie are adjusting to having a new member of the family nicely and they think they themselves are big dogs anyways... so they are doing well!

As for Jon and I we are working hard at our jobs and living life to the fullest!!

August zoomed right past us and hopefully I will be able to keep up with September!

Love and hope all is well!

Pucker-up Lemon Sugar Cookies

2011-07-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

My cousin has a blog that she just started. She also happens to have great culinary skills (lucky for her husband!) She has a recipe of the week and I made it tonight. I just have to say that it was amazing! You should try making them! They are so simple and the results are over the top! Here is her blog and the link to the recipe: YummY to myTummY cookies!

Enjoy!

July 4th 2011

2011-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

I know this is like a week late, but it is ok with me. My sister had a brilliant idea to have a 4th of July BBQ at our place this year! We mainly agreed because of two reasons: we had gone to the beach the day before and noticed that it was packed with people (can't blame them, it was a gorgeous day!) and the second reason is because of this:

We got our own pool!!! I am so excited about this! I can swim whenever I want to now! This has been my childhood dream since.... well forever. I love to swim and will enjoy our pool so much!

We had a lovely time with family here.

And we ate super good food!

We had a fantastic day! Thanks for the idea Leann!

We love you!!!

We were also able to attend a breakfast that the Stake puts on every year. It was nice to see so many people there and to honor those who have served and are serving our country. We love being Americans!

~Dance to Your Hearts Content~

2011-06-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

I went a a photo shoot yesterday. I wasn't the one in the photos or the photographer. Our good friend Jeremy Wirth (click to view his facebook page) took the photos and my sister was the beautiful model! Here are some sample photos of the fun time we had!

You have to sign in to facebook to see them since I don't have credit to them.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

I really had a lot of fun! He is a great photographer and she is a great model!

You should ask him to take pictures of you!

Catching up

2011-06-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some things we have been up to of late

There seems to be some sort of dog attractions to our house because I have saved 5 different dogs that have come and hung out around the front yard. This most recent pair was a daddy/daughter pair. They were the sweetest pitbulls! I know that the breed has a bad reputation, but these two were just adorable.

We have been relaxing at the beach!

Taking in the sun that we so dearly love!

My dad celebrated his 52nd birthday! We got him a 1,000 piece puzzle from Spain!

We have been able to enjoy going to the temple!

This is a hotel in Avila that we wish we could stay at!

We love to walk or bike this trail! It has some pretty views as you can tell from some of the following pics

This tree on the trail was growing sideways!

This tree was growing through the rocks!

This is just one little stream that was on the trail.

Oh and this tree had a skirt to make it look pretty!

We are also working a lot and making the best of life as it is! We hope to do so much more now that it is officially summer time!

A lovely thought came to mind today...

2011-05-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

I saw it on my sister-in-law's blog and it says, "We might not have it all together, but together we have it all." Today it has new meaning to me and it made me feel better about the situation I find myself in. So I say thank you Kathy for having that posted because today it was my inspirational thought that kept me going through the day.

Prayer

2011-05-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

I know that the prayers of many can help people through tough times. If you would keep this family in your hearts and prayers to help lift their burdens and make them light, that would mean everything to them.

I think this picture speaks for itself

I don't even know this family personally, but if I was in this same experience, I would want the support, love and prayers of any who would be willing to do so. I was touched by this family's ability to gather together and hold tight to their faith as they go through this. May we all strive to live our lives so that we will live with no regrets and be a happy people.

Loves.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

This is what comes to my mind when I celebrate Easter. Click here to find out the true meaning of Easter. It is a beautiful message. I know that my Savior atoned for my sins and that I can repent and come to him to over come those things which I do wrong. I am so happy to know that I can live with my husband and family forever because of Jesus' sacrifice and mercy. It warms my hear to know that I will be able to kneel at his feet and thank him for all that he has done. For now, my simple prayer of thanks is what I give today so that I might express my feelings to him that gave his life for me. I hope your Easter was a great one!

It's gettin' hot hot hot!

2011-03-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am so going to brag right now!!! It is so nice here! It was 80 degrees here today!! I am so loving the warm weather! I love the sun. I love the warmness it brings. I love that I get so warm in my car that I can roll down my windows and feel the breeze. I love the fact that my dogs get to play outside and get their energy out.

I love love love that warm weather!!

This song totally describes what I want to do: Surfin' Safari (click to hear it!) I love the Beach Boys and I blame my dad. I love that my dad taught me all about the songs that he grew up listening to. I find that I catch myself singing along to them when I hear them and people look at me like, "Aren't you a little young to know that song?" I know growing up, it was "just what dad did" when listening to music, but I find myself loving some of the same tunes ;)

Thank you dad for establishing that love of the oldies for me!

Avila Hike

2011-03-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have been going on hikes when the weather is good! On this particular one we walked the Bob Jones' trail up in Avila, CA. It is a really beautiful place to go hiking and biking! We have done both and loved both.

One particular part of the trail passes by a really cool tree that grew sideways and an apple orchard that looks really neat. This particular orchard had a lot of apples that hadn't been picked for some reason or another. I thought they looked beautiful, with the color they were and the way the branches were bare. There was such a contrast of color that just made the whole field light up and look so "fallish" for around here. There are not too many trees that turn color and loose there leaves here, so this was the closest of those colors, in a large amount, that I could get to satisfy my eye's desire.

On this particular visit we walked all the way out to the end of the pier. We went down the steps to the loading dock for smaller boats and were able to see the ocean water just right under our feet. The view looking back at the coast from the end of the pier is really a sight to see. The coast was so green when we went and the water was so blue. We loved every minute of it.

After our picnic lunch on the pier we walked over to the shopping area where we were able to get ice cream for both us and our dogs!! This was the first time they had ever had ice cream and they ate every bit of it they could get their mouths on! The art around the shopping area is very colorful and full of life! (as you can see by some of the photos)

We are aching for that nice weather to return to us so that we can go on more hikes just like this!! Come on Spring!!

C~A~K~E

2011-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I love to make new things. I also really like chocolate. So one day as I was blog reading I came across Kara's cooking blog and found the recipe here. I just had to make it because not only was it chocolate, but it had a chocolate cream cheese frosting! It was super yummy! It was also super rich. Make sure to have your choice of beverage on hand to wash it down with. My personal choice was milk and it was way good!

I had fun lovin' some chocolate cake!

My hair

2011-03-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

I know I am really playing catch up here. I had decided that I needed a change of some sort a little over a month ago. I wanted something that would make me feel good inside but have personal meaning at the same time. I thought about it for a few days and decided that since I have the blessing of being able to grown such long beautiful hair that I would donate it. I had always wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love, but never had the 10 inches that they require. As you can tell by the pictures my hair was quite long... 13 inches long to be exact. Cindy, the stylist, cut 12 inches of it off and I got to send it off to make some little boy or girl very happy!

I felt so proud of myself for doing this because it took me five years (with some hair trims here and there) to grow my hair out that long. I was proud of myself also because going from such long hair to such short hair is an extremely weird feeling of.... well lightheadedness(if that is even a word). I even put it all out on the line when I told Cindy that I wanted bangs to go with the cut! I haven't had bangs since I was in elementary school!

I also felt like I was a trend setter because just a couple days after I cut my hair so did Jennifer Aniston! Woohoo! She totally copied me, but I look better with short hair!

For those who have the adventure in them!

2011-01-30T16:17:00.000-08:00

Jon and I wanted to go on a hike and spend some time out doors. It was a cool morning so we decided around 10am that we would take our dogs to the dog park to get some wiggles out. So, we get the dogs ready to go and we head to the dog park. It was cold, cloudy and gloomy but that didn't stop us from wanting to have fun! Near by the dog park there was a sign that said, "Hiking Trail". We decided that we wanted to see where it lead to, so we took the trail. It ended up being super short and not even a ten minute walk up a short little hill. We got to the end, which was the entrance road to the whole park, and said to each other, "That is it!? That's LAME!" So, I suggested that we try going to hike Point Sal trail.

First off, we didn't even know where it exactly was...I just knew the round about area where to locate it. After only one wrong turn we found it! Woohoo! We were so excited! Our dogs even seemed like they were excited to be out in the fresh air. The sun was just starting to peek through and it was now around 11am. We climbed out of the car and found the entrance to the trail, just as we were walking through we asked a small family if they hiked the area often, they did, and so they let us know to take the "Sissy Trail" since we were first timers. We were for sure sticking to that advice! We didn't want to strain ourselves too much since we are not in the best hiking shape.

Our hike was going along really well until we noticed that the sun was completely out and we still had sweat shirts on... off the with those layers. We enjoyed the wide trail and the wildlife around us. There were the green rolling hills; cows grazing near by; birds chirping and singing along the way; lots and lots of horse poop; and a wonderful ocean breeze that was able to help us stay cool as we warmed up hiking the steepness of the trail.

As we got further and further in to the hike we would pause to take a moment and reflect on if we had the energy to get back from the point we were currantly at. We concluded that we should continue since we had gone that far and that we didn't want to leave disappointing ourselves. We wanted to see the ocean view that everyone talks about at the end of this hike!

Well, we got to the end! It took us about an hour and a half to hike 2.8 miles of the 5 mile trail and boy was the view worth it!!! We sat down at the top of one of the hills that over looked the ocean and marvelled at how beautiful the sight was. Here are some of the views we saw out there!

Looking south while hiking the trail...almost to the end...we can see our goal!

We reached our goal! Looking north!

Looking south

The small beach is actually the end of the trail... but that was another 2 miles or so

The point we were there... ha ha ha... Point Sal

Gorgeous!

Come one! Come all!

2011-01-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

If you ever come to visit us, I will probably mention taking you to this amazing local inn.
It is called the Madonna Inn.
It is an amazing place to go and look at decorating that is extremely beyond anything normal.
To say that it is over the top is just hitting the tip of the ice.
To say that "there are no girls aloud in the boys bathroom" would be a lie.
To say that you would have a "beyond great" stay here would be 100% true.
Come and visit us! We'll take you there to see this "little house on the side of the road".

My little sister...

2011-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

She is all grown up now. She's a big girl out at college and transitioning well to living out on her own. I am so proud of Carolyn because she is the first in my immidiate family to go to a 4 year university. She is studying English and probably would love to teach it some day too.

I remember growing up together that we always said that we would live close to each other because we couldn't stand to live far apart. I would have to say that we still feel that way. With her living in Idaho and me living in California it is hard to physcially meet up and hang out. We are so grateful for Skype, Facebook, emailing, texting, and cell phones. I think both of us use at least one of those means to talk to each other on a daily basis.

When we were growing up, all three of us girls shared a room. Some might think that that is a bad idea, and I would have to agree because at times it was hard. Over all, I would have to say that I wouldn't change a thing about sharing a room with my younger sisters. We have a bond that cannnot be broken by anything or anyone. I believer that the bond that we have comes from living in and sharing the same space for so many years. My sisters are not only blood related to me but they are tied to me by friendship. We might have our times where we are mad at each other, but there is never a fight that has lasted for more than a day with us. We can't be mad at each other for long at all.

This year will be a year wher our relationship will grow on different levels than we have known before. We will not only grow because we are apart, but because there is a new chapter in Carolyn's life that will affect us as well. I hope that she is having tons of fun! I hope that she is learning a lot about herself! I most of all hope that she is finding in life what she needs to better herself as a person... and sister!

Love you Carolyn! Miss you bunches!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010 was given a

two thumbs up by all of us!!

I, Michelle, worked in my Hawaiin Christmas themed office helping many people with their smiles!

Jon worked hard at his job as well (sorry no picture of it).

We spent time with family and had a blast decorating cookies!

We decorated the tree!!

We even started a new tradition of finding the pickle on the tree to open the first gift on Christmas morning!

We all enjoyed seeing each other light up as we each opened gifts!

The gifts and wonderful memories that we created this Christmas Season were just the sprinkles on the cake. The real reason we had a two-thumbs-up-Christmas is because we were celebrating Him and the life that He shared with the world.

I am so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I found this plaque at my Grandma's house and it made me reflect on my testimony of the Savior.

I hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas and

that you find the new year bringing you happiness and joy.

2010-12-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

Free digital collage generated with Smilebox

This is late, but it's done

2010-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful and amazing! Jon and I got to go up and see everyone on his side of the family. I didn't get my camera out a lot, but I am gathering pictures from those who did take them. So there will be pictures next time.

I am feeling the need to heed our own blog title and count our blessings as a couple:

We are thankful for those who make us happy and enrich our lives with goodness and love. We are thankful for our parents who have raised us with love; for them always teaching us to do what is right, even if it means working harder; for the trust that we have in them that what they taught us really does mean something later on in life. We are grateful for laughter and fun times of building memories with one another.

We are grateful for this time of year to reflect on those things which our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. Jon and I have had the opportunity to teach the kids in our primary that are ages 8-10 and we are thankful for them. They have taught us so much and we all learned new things about the Old testament this year. I think we all share a special bond between teacher and student ,that can only grow and flourish while teaching nine kids between the ages of 8-10 all the year. We feel so blessed to be able to teach these children the Gospel and how it applies in our lives. How we can learn from "old men with beards that wrote this big book a long time ago". Not to just learn the stories that are found in the bible, but to learn about the meanings behind them as well. I think one of our favorite ways of teaching the kids was when they got to get dressed up as the characters and act out the story. They felt involved and not just instructed (plus it doesn't hurt for them to be each others entertainment ;) ).

One of our kids acting out a Bible story

We hope your Season of Counting blessings is a great one and filled with joy and happiness!

Michelle and Jon

The funny wishes of Christmas

2010-11-27T21:29:00.001-08:00

These had to go up here

2010-11-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

Since I'm laying here in bed with just a laptop and my dogs, I decided that entertaining myself was more important than sleeping/resting. They say that sharing is caring, so here I go, I'll share what is cracking me up right now as I try to get better.

Hope these made you chuckle like they did for me!!

Happy Thanksgiving month!!

This made me laugh...

2010-11-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

Seeing that I am sick and they say laughter is the best medicine then I should be getting better quite fast... I hope.

Well, September flew by...

2010-10-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

And I don't remember half of it since it went by so fast. I do remember the fact that we had very very hot weather here...in the 100s.... so yeah. That was not comfortable at all! My camera is out of order right now... or else I would be posting pictures...maybe for Christmas I could get a camera...maybe. Well, that's a very quick up date for now. I'm going to hit the pillow and be off to dream land for now!

Blessings!

2010-08-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been very blessed of late. I don't know if it's just the fact that I am noticing the blessings more, or if they have been there the whole time and I'm just waking up to them. I just am seeing the blessings of family in my life.

A friend and I were talking about the importance of family in a person's life. How having a family that is there for you and sticks together through thick and thin is one of the greatest things that someone can have in there life. I've noticed these blessings in my life. I am so grateful for parents and my husband's parents who have set examples for us. We are blessed.

Us kids and C's graduation

Dad's Birthday!

Mom going hiking!

All of us in the Clift family!

Birthday Celebration!

2010-08-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, on my birthday I had to work...I know lovely way to spend a day of celebrating me coming in to the world! Anyways, I had a lovely and wonderful surprise when my mom and sisters decided to surprise me with flowers at work! I was totally surprised and loved having the flowers to show off to every one!

I came home after work and found my house decorated with birthday balloons and dinner! We ate yummy mexican food for dinner (always one of my favorite things to eat!)

23 years old!!

Here is the way yummy dessert that my mom made for me!! Oh my goodness! It is so a keeper and loved it!!

We took pictures and played games!!

We all had a good time!! I got presents and a wonderful day!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Here comes another year of living life to the fullest!!

Summer Begins!!!

2010-07-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the things we have done together as a family this summer! It's only beginning!

Mom went on the Girl's Camp Hike this year! Woohoo for her! She never even got sore!

Leann (aka Dweeb) was in her school's drama club so she got to sing in a "pretty pretty princess gown"

This was a dinner theater night with the theme of country western.

Dweeb also got to sing (in the same dinner theater) a song from the play Oklahoma here she is after her awesome performance!

Dont mind Lizzie...she was in the middle of laughing :)

Next big thing of the summer is Jon getting the old engine out of the Blazer and putting in the new one! He worked so hard and so many long hours that this actually should get a post of it's own...but I am not doing a post on something I know almost nothing about...cars...but I'm learning.

My dad had his birthday at the start of summer too! He turned 51!! I don't feel like I should have a dad in his fifties...but he is.

And here is his cake!!

and cookies that we also had for celebrating too!

So, that's the update so far.

Loving summer of 2010!!

Just dropping in...

2010-05-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in a while. It seems like I was just living in the beginning of April and now it's going to be the end of May. I don't know where the time has gone. We are doing good though and living life day in and day out. I am falling more in love with the love of my life, Jon,

and these puppies are the sweetest things ever!

Indie

Belle

Seeing that life gets so extremely busy around here, it is so nice to know that I can come home

to those that love me most. A husband who will love me unconditionally

and little puppies who just want to love me because they love me.

I couldn't ask for anything better!

I love our little family!

YOU MUST SEE!!

2010-04-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! We are so excited to announce that our photo session is up on Gena's blog!!!

Here is the link to it... PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT (there is a contest going on, so leave a comment!):

http://genasusan.com/blog/?p=433

I love looking at Gena's pictures that she takes! She is a master with the camera and is so awesome! I cannot think of enough words to explain how awesome she is!

Here's the story of how I found out we had won!

A while ago I was on her sight and there was a contest to enter for a free session. I entered not thinking anything of it, just wanted to spread the news about a wonderful photographer, and I won! I was literally in shock when I found out that I had won! Picture this: Jon taking a nap and me sitting in bed on a Sunday afternoon. I was wondering through the internet and decided to go check Gena's blog to see who had won the contest. I see MY name and say out loud, "Oh my gosh!" and Jon replies in a very out-of-it voice, "What?". The only words that kept coming out of my mouth are, "Oh my gosh!!!! Oh my gosh!!!" Jon is now sitting up and wondering if I am hurt or need a doctor or something. Jon says, "What is the matter?" and I replay, "Look!! I actually won something! I really won something!" Jon looks at the screen says, "Woohoo!", then turns back over to go to finish his nap! I of coarse cannot go to sleep, seeing that I had actually won something in my life! I started bouncing on the bed and was so excited!!

To this day I am excited about having the wonderful work of Gena in our home!

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we have!

And feel free to go look around at her website too http://www.genasusan.com/index2.php#/home/

Making progress as a green thumb!

2010-03-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Remember when we got all that rain here on the Central Coast? Where the rain fell weeds grew. It was pretty at first because of the flowers that were coming up, but then it over grew and got out of hand. Our puppies were bouncing over the weeds through some parts of the yard as opposed to walking or running through the yard.

Today the back yard got a make over (as least a little part of it). I was excited to get down and dirty and show those weeds who was boss of the yard. Here are a few photos of the project.

The yard after the rain

In between stages

All the big weeds GONE!

Close up of the dirt that is the only thing left

Here are a few shots of the little ones modeling the backyard ;)

(little Indie modeling as a boy)

(little Bella striking the pose)

Here they really are now in all their cuteness!

True California people!

2010-03-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE THE BEACH!!!!!!!

I can't say that enough, so we decided that it would be an awesome thing to take our new Blazer out on to the beach.... even in the cold and cloudy weather!

So we went here

to get the goods that was needed.

We built our little fort with the Blazer...

Got comfortable by the fire

and cooked an amazing dinner

on this warm little spot.

(the white spots on the pic are rain drops!)

We love the beach rain or shine.

We love building fires like this one

We love our Indie, the sand, and we love the BEACH!

Oceano Beach, CA

Church Songs

2010-03-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Right now I am listening to the LDS radio online (found at this website:http://radio.lds.org/eng/) and they are talking about the history of some of the Church songs we sing. It is so beautiful and it makes me have a new appreciation for the songs that we sing every week in Church. How would Sacrament meeting be Sacrament meeting without songs to worship? How would the Spirit be able to speak to our hearts if there was no music to move our souls? How would we be able to reflect on ourselves when hearing inspired words written for us in these latter days?

There is nothing more calming than listening to the Church Hymns. They are a blessing to me as I hear the music and words. I would have to say that the hymn "I Believe In Christ" is one of my favorites. "Have I Done Any Good In The World Today?" is one of the top ones in my book too. I have to say that the Primary songs are beginning to have new meaning to me, as we sing them every week, being an adult and having a different perspective in life now. They really do teach the little children the basics of the Gospel and to have faith in Christ.

Ok, so that's it. My mind is clear and I can enjoy the rest of my Sunday with people I love! Hope you have a good one too!

Yay for Foood!!

2010-03-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but when I get home from work, the last thing that I want to do is to think of some thing to put together for dinner because I was to busy during my "spare" time to put together a list of items to make a dinner, or just didn't get to go to the store. I found these websites that are fabulous ideas for entering what ever you might have in your kitchen/pantry and making a meal out of it all. Oh my goodness am I way excited! Here are the sites:

http://www.recipematcher.com/

http://www.supercook.com/

I am so going to be putting these on my favorites for my every use of the internet! They are going to be an excellent tool for me since I am not the best at coming up with things to eat, or grabbing things from nowhere and making something absolutely delicious.

I wanted to try it out, so I entered the keywords: chicken, spinach, and pepper jack cheese and it came up with this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-Stuffed-Chicken-Breast/Detail.aspx

I want to make it a goal to post something that I find from these websites so that people can also benefit from them. I think it will help me stick to what I know works and also it can help make a small recipe cook diary for me. Happy Cooking!

march...

2010-03-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

i just have to say that i can't believe you are here already. you better take your time passing by because i need a moment to breathe. man time flies!

Happy Birthday to Jon!

2010-02-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life, Jon!! Thank you for choosing me to share this

wonderful,

crazy,

loving

and amazing journey we are on!

I love you! Happy Birthday!

Warm Weather is here!

2010-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

I love the warm weather! I could just soak it all in and have the best day being outside at this beach! Since I am just on a lunch break though, I have to make do with spending time in the backyard enjoying the warmth of the wonderful sunshine! Here are a few photos of today's beautiful afternoon!

The puppies enjoying the sun chasing each other around and playing tag!

Taking time to rest in the nice weather

And the picture that I am most proud of for this afternoon is...

These flowers just jumped out at me and everything in the picture could not have turned out any better than this!

Oh happy days! The sun is coming!

Ah...ah...ah...Choo!

2010-02-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need to be grateful for all the rain that has been coming for a like the past month... but my allergies are going to go nuts with all the wonderful things that are going to grow from all this rain. Any ideas out there besides taking allergy pills to help? PS, If you could pray for me to stay healthy that would be great seeing that I am currently living with a husband who doesn't feel well and a roommate who has pneumonia! Lots of Vitamins for me!

Just wanted to get it out there...

2010-02-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

So, we have had a great year so far... I know it's only February, but still we take it one day at a time and each day has been a good one. Our little puppy isn't really that little any more. He is 8 pounds and is the best little barker in the world. I love to take him on walks and just be outside. It lets me get out and think, clear the head, take a few moments to myself.

While I am on here blogging(this is the only time I get to write thoughts down) I just want to say how grateful I am to all of my family because they are great supports to me and Jon. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ too. I don't think I have ever really known how much of an influence it has had on my life. I look back at challenges that I have had and think how much I have been blessed to have prayer in my life and knowing that I can talk with Heavenly Father at any time. He is there for me and I love that feeling.

Happy New year

2010-01-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

I was looking back at how fast 2009 went by and noticed that so many new things have happened to us that we have grown from and become even better people.

Here is a list of some of the things that we did in 2009 to help make us better people and help others around us:
  *Work for both of us and school for Jon(Jon's at RadioShack and Michelle at Dr Chun the Orthodontist)
  *Callings in Church(Michelle in CTR5 and Jon in Sunday School Presidency)
  *Celebrating our 1st Anniversary being married (I always heard that the first year is the worst one... that was so not true! We looked back at it and thought... is that all? Maybe it's because we are loving it!)
  * We went ahead and added to our family by one and now have a six month old Maltipoo puppy named Indie. (Michelle had never had a dog before in her life and is so happy that she is experiencing puppyhood as a grown adult! It's training for kids some day!)
  *We got a roommate to share the house/rent with. We are very grateful for her and the spirit that she brings. She is so giving and nice!

Our year was a busy one... consisting mostly of working hard to live life to the fullest! Hope everyone has a great year and that we all can grow a little more to better ourselves!

~HAPPY 2010~

Had a holly jolly Christmas!

2009-12-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009 will be remembered because of having time to spend with family!

I love each one of these people! I feel so blessed to have them in my life and to love each one of them for who they are!

For matching PJs at Christmas breakfast! (thanks Mama Peggy for the breakfast roll recipe!)

For the men in my life who are so strong and manly and tough!... and they eat a lot, but hey they are dudes!

And last but certainly not least! For Indie being the newest member of the family and the happiness that he brings to all of us!

May everyone have a great new year and may we always remember our Savior throughout it!

Love

Jon, Michelle, and Indie

2009-12-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful video! A very cute one too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXXwtFWpAI8 Please watch this as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Hope every one has a blessed Christmas! Love, Jon and Michelle

So, today was interesting

2009-11-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

I took Indie to get his first hair cut... the poor little guy couldn't see from having such long hair over his eyes! I am proud to say that it only took two whole hours! Lol, I know that sounds like a lot, but really for this being his first time at the lady's house and his first time getting a trim with me, it went well. He definitely does not like the bath! He would so NOT be the dog to jump in the water after you to try and save you! I love the look that he got! It's called the "teddy bear" look and he looks way cute!

I am such a proud mama!

Training Indie

2009-10-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am such a proud mama! Lol, I know i shouldn't brag or anything, but I do feel proud of myself! I am learning so so much with Indie and he is learning a lot too!

I've been reading this "Puppies for Dummies" book that a good friend let me borrow and it says that the first things that a puppy needs to learn is his name.... so that's what progress we've been trying to make. Indie is now 11 weeks old and officially knows his name! I am so proud of him and I for working together to get the name thing down. Be it, when he is out in the back and he gets his little sniff on, there is no getting his attention and he just goes sniffin and sniffin and wont listen to anything. But that's probably something he'll grow out of.

The second most important thing that the book says that he needs to know is potty and where it is ok to go potty.Well, for the first week that we had him it was going great! Until the tropical storm came and made everything wet and trust me... he's not the type that likes to be messy. So, that being said he wouldn't go! That was frustrating... he would go inside though! Ahh!!! So, after the strom passed and everything dried up he ventured out to the yard and is almost back to his normal schedule.

Today was my first scare with him (mainly why I'm blogging, so I can look back and laugh at how worried and over reactive I was at this point in time with the first puppy in my life). I wish that the book for dummies had answers on how to take care of a puppy that has a certain list of symptoms, but it doesn't, so the following is my first "Ahh!! what the heck do I do!?"

It was in the 90's today, and yes we had a storm come through like two days ago! and I know when I am hot I don't like to be outside, I just WANT TO BE COLD. Anyways, I couldn't be home today because I had an all day training meeting for my job, it was all the way up in SLO and that meant that I couldn't be home to play, take Indie out, etc. Well, I was thinking about the poor little fellow all day when I was up there because it was so darn hot! I was thinking, "This is his first heat wave! And I'm not there to make sure he's drinking enough water and eating plenty and going potty." Needless to say I was a worried mama. I got home and he was excited as usual to see me, and then he just plopped down and didn't want to do anything. I mean nothing! He didn't want his favorite toy in the whole world; didn't want to eat or drink; and one time as he went to go and scratch his ear, the poor little one fell over out of exhaustion. I knew it was too late to take him to the Vet and so I called my dad, he just said that I shouldn't worry and that he'll be fine. Thanks dad, but that's not quiet what I was looking for. I knew he would be fine, I just needed to know how to help him!

I walked over to my neighbor across the street(who let me use her book) and took Indie with me. I was telling them all the signs and symptoms... and they just laughed and said oh boy! They just said that this was normal for a dog and that he was just really super warm and needed some where cool and to be cool. Now, they also have a young poodle and so both our dogs played and chased each other around till the were both so tired and we were laughing so hard. They were so helpful and I will forever remember tonight because of how worried I was and how overly motherly, I guess you would call it, I was.

New Addition!

2009-10-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Introducing Indiana "Indie" Jones

Indie is the newsest member of our family! He is the cutest little dog and has such a great personality!

Indie loves to lick when he is happy!

We love the way that he is so social and loves to greet us with such happiness and pure love

when we get home from work and school.

Here he is meeting Aunt Carolyn and loving every minute of it.

We got Indie on October 7, 2009 from a home breeder in Lompoc, CA.

Every morning Indie loves to wake us up around 5 AM

and loves to play with his favorite frog to get all his morning wiggles out.

Indie is such a smart puppy!

At this age in his life, he's just suppose to be learning how to potty

train and learning his name, which both ar ecoming along.

As a bonus, he knows how to play fetch already,

he even has a tiny ball that fits his little mouth!!

We are so excited to have Indie and to be learning so many new things about raising a puppy!

(very good birth control too ;) )

2009-10-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Before General Conference was broadcast over so many different venues, we as a family, when I was little, would always go down to the Stake Center in our area to watch General Conference. I remember coloring packets that had to do with the Prophets and speakers and as I got older I remember taking notes and learning more about the Gospel and applying it in our every day lives.

Today, as I got up, I don't think have ever been so happy to get up early and watch General Conference. I don't think I realized how much of a blessing it is. I can honestly say that my cup is so full now that I feel like I don't know if I can wait for next General Conference. It seems so far away.

In our every day lives, the need for guidance and direction is what drives us to our knees and with humble hearts, pray to our Father in Heaven for answers. Today, the talks that were given filled those questions, answers and concerns that have been going through my head.

I have a new look on life. There are renewed spirits to keep moving forward and progressing. There is a new light that is in my life that was not there before. This is why I loved Conference today. Some how and some way, the Gospel applies to each one of us and if we are searching and praying for those ways we will be blessed to find them if we but humble our selves.

I cannot wait for Sunday's Sessions! Please watch them and be Spiritually feed.

The temple

2009-08-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

I got to go to the LA Temple today for the first time! It was so marvelous to be there! I could not have pictured being any where else to feel the calmness and love that is in the temple.

My parents were married in the LA temple and so they were able to show me around and I got to see where everything is in there. It is so huge! I love the temple and the blessings that we receive from it. There is such a strong feeling when you are in there that is indescribable.

I got to surprise my grandma in the temple! See, they work at the temple for one week out of the year and this happened to be their week to be there. I got to see her and share special time with her in the temple. What a marvelous thing it is, to know that we are with our family's forever when we are sealed in the House of the Lord for time and all eternity! How thankful I am for a family that is active in the Church and parent's who have taught me the blessings of being close to the Savior.

Adventures on Ambien and other happenings

2009-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, since my mom and my sister both take ambien, and I too have that darn genetic sleeping disorder that plagues my family, I decided to request a perscription from my doctor...

Also like my mom and my sister, I too do weird, funny and sometimes stupid stuff on ambien.

one night I bbq'd while on ambien, like around 11 o clock at night! I love bbq, and apparently I loved it even more on ambien. I started cooking stake shishkabobs earlier in the evening, hours after I was done, and after I had taken ambien, I decided to cook my chicken shishkabobs, I don't remember one bit of it! When I woke up, I noticed that the chicken shishkabob skewer was completely gone, I had eaten it all. I asked Michelle about it and apparently she told me I was so impressed with my own cooking that I tried really hard to have her eat some as well. I also told her "it was the most divine chicken I ever had" I don't really use words like 'divine' in every day vocab... also Michelle reports I was walking around like a drunk person! but regadless, ambien + bbq = fun! (I think I'm lucky I didn't burn the house down)!

One year!!

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

Last year on 08-08-08 I married the love of my life! It is our one year anniversary today! I love him even more today than a year ago and will love him even more for years to come! Thank you for being my everything and I love you Jon!

Exciting news!

2009-05-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, looks at the pictures from the bottom one up (I'm jsut figuring out that it pupts it backwards). We finished painting our walls! For those who don' t know yet, we moved into a house shortly after we got married, it's not ours, but we are helping fix it up! We have spent...oh the past nine months (totalling the months we have been married) trying to paint the walls of our living room! Well, being newly weds has been a blast and working together has been a lot of fun! We've both now become experts on how to peel paint; fill thousands of holes in the walls; texture walls; put primer on to cover the ugly paint colors!; and finally paint the walls! It has been a long process and as I look back on it, a great learning experience for me. Here are some pictures that I took as the process first began and all the way to the ending of it! Now the task is to clean up the mess that the whole process has made!!! Wish me luck cleaning!

This was fun! I love Jane Austen

2009-05-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz here!

Recent movies!

2009-05-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have spent the past two Friday nights at the movie theater watching two very good movies!

We watched the new X-Men movie and loved it! plus...who could go wrong with watching Hugh!? Just last night we went to see the new Star Trek movie! Oh my goodness! I can't believe that I really enjoyed it! Here's why I say that:

We walk into the theater and the lights are low and there are some people there chatting away at how excited they are. I am a total people watcher, so I start to notice that there are way to many guys in there that look like they are the type of nerdy guys from high school that wear the pants that are WAY TOO short and they love to study their Chemistry book.

Seeing that I was going to be in the theater with so many nerdy looking fellows (that does not include my husband!) , I was not thinking to highly of the movie...honestly when you think about it, nerds are not the "normal" of the world (that's why they get picked on right?).

I set my judgements aside of the people around me when the lights went down and the movie started...wow! It was great! You will have to see it!

Now of course, nobody can replace The original actors, but the movie is very good!

Blogs

2009-03-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is that reading other people's blogs makes time fly way to fast! Today happens to be a day off for me. Now usually on days off I like to be productive and clean the house (some may know that we are trying to paint the inside of our house and it is takinga while) but today just didn't hit me as a day for cleaning, I wasn't sure what I wanted to fill my day with. So, I went online...three hours later I came out from it and decided that I really should be getting all walls ready for painting, packing stuff up and rearranging the house so that we can paint. So, here I go! Off to go start, I'll turn on some music, find some boxes to put stuff in, and up dated everyone about how reading other people's blogs online has helped me want to fill my day off with the wonderful task of painting a house! Good luck with your day! I hope all goes well!

Just looking around at different blogs and found this!

2009-02-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." Mignon McLaughlin

1. Return to the beginning

2. Keep your mate at the top of the list

3. Be each other's best friend

4. Focus on the positive

5. Appreciate the differences

6. Have a sense of humor

7. Enjoy sexual intimacy - both of you

8. Talk to each other

9. Be your mates' favorite cheerleader

10. set your boundaries

11. Raise your kids together

12. Manage your money in harmony

13. Nourish the spiritual side of your marriage

14. Hold on though the hard times

From the book "Married For Better. Not Worse"

by Gary and Joy Lundberg