Early Christmas!

Oh my goodness! I had such a fun weekend!!

Saturday Kenneth and I went snowboarding at Solitude. We had free tickets, and I wanted to take advantage of a good powder day in case I fell a ton! It was tons of fun, and I'm starting to get the hang of it, but it was SOO freezing! The cold drove me away and we only ended up staying a few hours. Afterwards, we bought all of our stocking goodies for my family (instead of kids buying gifts for each other, we draw names for stockings). I was so excited about my purchases! That evening Kenneth and I got in a rousing game of "Old Maid", "Matches" and "Crazy 8's." Let me tell you..it was intense! Seriously! We also had fun playing "Farckle" - classic! It was absolutely hilarious and we could not stop laughing!!

Sunday morning, Kenneth and I celebrated our Christmas. I was so anxious all night that I woke up like 15 times! Hello! Am I 5?? Apparently so! I even made him get up before our alarm went off so we could open our presents! Kenneth suprised me and fixed my bike (whoo hoo!) and got me a couple of movies, including one of my favorites, "Remember the Titans." I got him The DaVinci Code book, which he absolutely loves, and some Photo Books. It was such a great little Christmas!! Afterwards we had church, and then that evening we went to Kenneth's parent's house for our Christmas with them.

I was very excited to get this adorable sweater

and these equally adorable shoes:
Kenneth got an amazing drill bit set that he was practically drooling over, a shirt, hair clippers and lots of other goodies. His brother Steven bought us a filing cabinet which we desperately needed. I am SO excited to go home and ORGANIZE!! Whoo hoo! No more papers scattered throughout the house! YES!

Anyway, it was pretty much an awesome weekend and I had so much fun! I can't wait for work to end tomorrow so I can get ready for my extended vacation in CA!

Where Have I Been?

Wow! I feel like I have been non-existant lately! This last weekend was a blast! Friday I took the day off work, and Kenneth and I went snowboarding with my brother Michael, and his wife Kim, as well as our friends Jose and Analee. It was a lot of fun...once I got over the 1st run. I always HATE the first run down the mountain. I don't really know HOW to snowboard, so I fall a lot, and I take Kenneth's suggestions to be cruel and mean...I spend a lot of time sitting in the snow complaining like a baby...but once I get down the first run, I am MUCH better! I was sad though because there was very little snow in the mountains! Too bad for us...the very next day there was a huge snow storm!

Friday evening, Kenneth and I took Michael and Kim to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra Christmas Concert!! It was marvelous!! I loved it! I am such a sucker for beautiful music! I was very happy that we were able to go.

Saturday we had a little Primary activity at church. I helped the little kids make these felt Nativity Scenes that go on their fridges, and we sang Christmas songs while playing the bells. It was great! I spent the morning frantically trying to finish wrapping all of the children's Christmas gifts from the Primary...a CD of all the songs we learned this year for our program, the songs we will be learning next year, as well as a few Christmas ones of course. I was lucky to get them done in time!

Sunday we had church and afterwards we picked up Kenneth's grandma and headed down to Highland to celebrate Kenneth's sister, Rachelle and her 1 year old, Matty's birthdays!! I cannot believe how big little Matty is already! I can't believe a year has already passed! Crazy!

Well, since then, Kenneth has been working hard on his finals. He has already completed 3 and has just 1 more tomorrow! Whoo hoo!! Also, Kenneth passed the F.E. exam!! It is the Fundamentals of Engineering exam that students MUST pass before they can graduate. I knew he would pass, but apparently he was very nervous about it! GO KENNY!

Well that's about it! I cannot wait for next Tuesday when Kenneth, Alisha and I will be driving out to CA for Christmas! I am definitely looking forward to my 2 week break! YES!

STOKED!

I am STOKED!

It is Thursday, almost 5pm and...

1 - it's my sister's Birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALISHA!

2 -My second week as a PM has turned out well, despite the issues on a few orders

3 - I'm leaving work with only 2 emails in my entire work inbox!! ONLY 2!!

4 - I am going to my CEO's house today for an open house to see the awesome ways he has used
3-form in his house

5- I GET A THREE DAY WEEKEND!

6 - I'm going SNOWBOARDING tomorrow during the day

7 - I get to go to the MOTAB concert tomorrow evening!

8 - Going to Primary Christmas party Saturday morning

9 - Dinner at Noyce's on Sunday for Rachelle and Matty's birthdays!

WHOO HOO!

Thanksgiving

That's it! I've given up on trying to find time to put pictures on about Moab...so I am at least going to tell about our wonderful Thanksgiving!

This year we stayed here in UT and had Thanksgiving dinner at Kenneth's parent's house. Crazy because we met there 3 years before! Insane! It is crazy to think of how different we are after that time! Anyway, Thanksgiving morning I got a call from my brother Tytus who was trying to track me down (neither of us had our cell phones on us) to tell me that my brother Nathan had a new baby! Nathan and Karen were not due until the end of December, so their little bundle came about a month early. Don't worry though, little Issac Samuil Adams is perfectly healthy though! At a month early he weighed in at 8lb 3 oz and was 19.5 in.!! My sis-in-law Karen I'm sure was VERY happy that he didn't stay in for an extra month! What great news to have a Thanksgiving baby! (Though I feel sad that Karen had to endure hospital food on Thanksgiving...lame!)

Anyway, Kenneth's parents had a pretty small Thanksgiving day party compared to most years. Rachelle & Dustin went to Oregon to visit his sister, Chantale was in NY with her boyfriend, and Steph is on her mission. Grandma, Craig & Julie and their 3 kids were in attendance as well as UT parents, Steven, Kenneth and myself. The food was FANTASTIC (rolls, moist turkey, stuffing, salads, lots of veggies, etc...yum yum!) and the company was excellent. That evening, UT Mom's brother Roger came over with his wife and kids (they live in Montana) and we enjoyed a scrumptious array of pies! It was fabulous and I feel like I have gained 10 lbs!

Friday morning we headed down to Moab for the weekend...story and pictures to follow!

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!

Okay...I lied...I didn't get around to posting about Thanksgiving or Moab yet...it isn't my fault though!

At work they moved me up to be a Project Manager again. I filled in for one who was out of town for a week in the past, and now I will be covering for someone else until just around Christmas. The work keeps me SUPER busy, and I haven't looked at anyone's blogs in FOREVER! Blast! How is everyone doing out there?? I hope to sneak in some real blog updating tomorrow...keep your fingers crossed!

Thanksgiving & Moab

...soon to come...and YES I will have pictures for once!

A 90's Kid

I found this...and I love it!

You're a 90's kid if:
-You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air"
-You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey from "Blossom" and that "How Rude!" comes from Stephanie from "Full House"
-You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
-You remember reading "Goosebumps"
-You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off"
-You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.
-You danced to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, Females: had a new motto, Males: got a whole lot gay-er. (so tell me what you want, what you really really want.)
-HELLO....HOT WHEELS!!!!!
-You remember the craze, then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books.
-You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not...
-Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? was both a game and a TV game show.
-You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green Ranger were meant to be together.
-You remember when super nintendos became popular.
-You remember watching home alone 1, 2 , and 3........and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"
-"I've fallen and I can't get up"
-You remember boom boxes vs. cd players
-You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool
-You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell"
-You played and/or collected "Pogs"
-You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere
-You watched the original Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtles
-NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS WERE THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS
-Yikes pencils and erasers were the stuff!
-All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand
-You made paper scrunchies to see who you'd end up marrying
-You remember when the new Beanie Babies were always sold out.
-You used to wear those stick on earrings, not only on your ears, but at the corners of your eyes.
-You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
-You know the Macarena by heart.
-"Talk to the hand" ... enough said
-You thought Brain would finally take over the world
-You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"
-You remember when everyone went slinky crazy.
-You remember when razor scooters were cool.

When we were younger:
-Before the MySpace frenzy...
-Before the Internet & text messaging...
-Before Sidekicks & iPods...
-Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX......
-Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.
-When light up sneakers were cool.
-When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
-When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.
-When we recorded stuff on VCRs & paid $3.50 for a movie.
-When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off our walkmans.
-When the Chicago Bulls were the best team ever.
-Tag.Get Over Here!!!! means something to you.
-Hide-n-Go Seek at dusk
-Red Light, Green Light
-Heads Up 7 Up
-Playing Kickball & Dodgeball until your porch light came on.
-Hopskotch.
-Tree Houses
-Hula Hoops
-Captain Planet
-Running through the sprinklers
-That "Little Mermaid"
-Crying when Mufasa died in the Lion King.
-Happy Meals where you chose a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car.
-Getting the privilege to sit in the front seat of the car.
-Drinking Sqeeze It "Squeeze The Fun Out Of It"

Or what about:
-Hey Arnold
-Rugrats
-The Secret World of Alex Mac
-Rocco's Modern Life
-Are You Afraid of the Dark?
-Doug
-Magic School Bus.
-Aladdin
-Pinky and the Brain
-Sailor Moon
-Blossom
-Beavis & Butt-Head
-Wishbone
-Bill Nye the Science Guy
-MR RODGERS!!!!
-Where everyone wanted to be in love after watching The Wonder Years
-Under the Umbrella Tree
-PEE-WEE!!!
-The Big Comfy Couch
-Kool-Aid was the drink of choice
-Class field trips
-When Christmas was the most exciting time of year.
-When $5 seemed like a million, & another dollar a miracle.
-When you begged to go to McDonalds for dinner everyday.
-When Toys R Us overuled the mall.

Go back to the time when:
-Decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'.
-Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in 'Monopoly.'
-Being old referred to anyone over 20.
-A chance to skate as a couple at the local roller rink was like winning the lottery.
-When Ninja Turtles ruled the world.
-When Aladdin was new, before the trilogy was complete.
Before we realized all this would eventually disappear
Who would have thought you'd miss the 90's so much!!!!!

Tagged in Abundance!

I've been tagged in abundance lately! First a quick update on the weekend...

Friday: watched "Monty Python: The Holy Grail" for the first time ever...I actually thought it was funny! Fancy that!

Saturday: yard work (we now have SIXTEEN bags full of leaves in front of our house), Christmas shopping (almost done!!), rock climbing, temple

Sunday: Church, ward choir, worked on 2009 schedules for Primary, stake choir, Thanksgiving dinner at Noyce's house (Most of the siblings are gone for the real deal, so we had one early this year...does that mean that Thanksgiving is over and I can start decorating for Christmas??)

And now...to the tag...thanks Heather!

8 shows I love to watch:
1- ER
2- Bones
3- House
4- Fringe
5- The Brady Bunch
7- The Simpsons
8- Seinfeld

8 favorite restaurants:
1- Olive Garden
2- Blue Iguana
3- The Melting Pot (the one time I've been...)
4- Cafe Rio
5- In-N-Out
6-Pluto's (Davis, CA)
7- Pacos (Woodland, CA)
8- ??

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1- Had a panic attack thinking I would have to teach a lesson AND sharing time last minute!
2- Going to church and finding out that I did NOT have to teach...either lessons!
3- Attended ward choir and practiced "With Wandering Awe"
4- Completed schedule outlines for 2009 Primary
5- Went to a stake choir practice - singing "Infant Lowly, Infant Holy"
6- Baked pumpkin pies (I guess Kenneth actually did that...)
7- Had Thanksgiving dinner (see note above)
8- Dreamed of Christmas photos in snow!

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1- CHRISTMAS! (And all it encompasses)
2- Kenneth graduating
3- Kenneth getting a full time job
4- Having babies
5- Paying off our house
6- Paying of student loans
7- Having our new TV work - hurry and switch to digital already!
8- SNOW!

8 Things on my wish list:
1- Babies!
2- More traveling
3- Dancing lessons with Kenny
4- Getting my wedding rings fused
5- No mortgage payment
6- Less war and more peace
7- Safety for my future family
8- For there to be more understanding the respect between individuals

That's it! I tag...whoever wants to do this...

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

You know what? Sometimes it is great to be busy, but every once in awhile I love having NOTHING to do! This weekend is going to be glorious for that exact reason...Kenneth and I have NO plans this evening, and NOTHING on the calendar for tomorrow...it is GLORIOUS!

Excellent Weekend!

I love the weekends...this last one was great! Nice and relaxing!

Friday we got together with our friends, Danny & Heather and ate some pizza, watched the Office and then played Apples to Apples. It was so fun!

On Saturday we spent most of the morning raking leaves! Our tree dropped almost all of its leaves on Thursday and it took HOURS for me to rake them all up! I did that while Kenneth did some weed-wacking...whoo hoo! Now we don't look QUITE so ghetto!

On Sunday we had church, and I taught a lesson on modesty to the Primary kids. That afternoon we just spent time reading, and I just finished a GREAT book! If anyone needs a recommendation, I recommend "Red River" - it is a story about various African American families in Colfax, LA 10 years after the abolition of slavery. It is an amazing story of a community coming together to bring about change.

That evening we went over to Danny & Heather's again (I love that they moved so close!) to play a round of Settlers of Cataan. This game comes very highly recommended! It is a blast to play!

Another great weekend is gone...and I'm waiting for the next one...

Time to Relax!

So, I am so happy the weekend is here once again! Tonight Kenneth and I are hanging out with our friends, Danny & Heather! They just moved into a new place in Draper, and we are excited to go see their new place! We always love hanging out and having the chance to just relax and talk with friends! Kenneth and I don't do that often enough and are trying to be better! This is also wonderful because Kenneth is stressed out from school (which is more the norm rather than the unusual) and he always looks forward to the weekends where we have SOME time to just breathe for a second rather than going, going, going with work and school. So, Kenny...this weekend is for you!

California Weekend!!

So this weekend, we went down to CALIFORNIA to hang out with family!! It is always so fun to

see everyone especially all those adorable nieces and nephews of mine!!! My nephew, Tytus Andrew turns 3 tomorrow, so we went to Chuck E. Cheese's to celebrate! Here are some fun photos!

My brother, Nathan and his wife Karen (she is 7 1/2 months pregnant with their 4th!)

Their oldest daughter, Belen - she is 5 and ADORABLE!

Belen was sad because I tried to eat some birthday cake instead of playing games with her! It was so funny. And she picks up on all of your expressions...I would say, "Wow Belen! That game was AWESOME!" - and she would say, "Yeah! That's AWESOME!!" She is too cute!

Daniel, the 2nd child. He is SOO funny!!

And little Victoria! She is so spunky!

Alright, next up is Tytus and Sharon's family!

Here is Tytus Andrew - the BIRTHDAY BOY!! He is turning 3 tomorrow!! He is SO darling with his curly hair and cute dimples! I adore him!

More pictures of him later...

Here is Tytus (dad) with 2nd son, Elijah...last time I saw Elijah his hair had no curl! I'm glad to see he has some now! He is so funny!

And lastly, little Thomas!! Little Tommy, as I call him. This is the first time I have seen him since he was born back in August! He is so adorable and laughs SO much!

Can't forget the grandparents there! Here is my mom and Ron

and Papa and Jayne

And here are pictures of the birthday boy with his presents!! He is so cute because he knows exactly how and when to pose for the camera! He would do SO well in show biz!

It was a great weekend, and I can't wait to go back out for Christmas!! Only 50 more days until I'm out there again! This time it will be with Kenneth...so it will be EVEN better!

Dinner Group Madness

Every month, Kenneth and I get together with some friends to catch up and have dinner together. This month we had it at our friends, Danny & Heather's house. The October dinner is always especially interesting...we always do a weird dinner for that night. The past 2 years have been dinners where we eat a spaghetti dinner with odd utensils, plates and cups. For instance, your "plate" for the evening may be a muffin tin, and your cup may be an 8 cup pyrex cup! This year, Heather decided to do something different...we put tableclothes on the floor and threw the spaghetti DIRECTLY ON THE FLOOR and went at it! Haha! It was so great! Afterwards we carved pumpkins too!

Unfortunately I don't have the pictures now (typical) but I'll have to post some of my two cute little nephews who came to our dinner! It was so much fun! Mark, Debbie, Kendall and Melissa...we missed you guys!

Fastest Post Challenge!

So, my ffriend Rachel did this and put me as the fastest one to post on her own! I couldn't let her down!

1. Any nickname? ... Amers, Amsters, Ams, Amy-girl

2. Mother's name? .... Edythe (Edy) Shirlene

3. Favorite drink? .... Water

4. There was no 4 listed...

5. Body Piercing? .... 1 hole in each ear

6. How much do you love your job? .... It's fine...I'm more excited to be a stay at home mom

7. Birthplace? .... Merced, CA

8. Favorite vacation spot .... Bear Lake

9. Ever been to Africa ? .... No, but I would LOVE to go sometime!

10. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? .... Probably

11. Ever been on TV? .... Not that I can think of

12. Ever steal any traffic signs? .... No! I'd be too afraid to even try!

13. Ever been in a car accident? .... Yup - 2 of them

14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? .... 4 door - I can't stand 2-door cars!

15. Can you drive a standard car? Yup!

16. Favorite pie? Um...I like banana and pumpkin

17. Favorite number? .... 24

18. Favorite movie? .... oh that's a tough one! A couple would be The Bourne series, and Where the Heart Is

19. Favorite holiday? .... Christmas!!

20. Favorite dessert? .... um...I'm not really into dessert right now...I'm not sure! Maybe cheesecake

21. Favorite food? .... homemade chips and salsa

22. Favorite day of the week? .... Toss up between Saturdays and Sundays

23. Favorite brand of body soap? .... Ivory Soap

24. Favorite toothpaste? .... Crest Scope + Whitening

25. Favorite smell? .... fresh baked bread

26. How do you relax? .... Watch movies or just talk with friends and family

27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? ... 32 with 4 or 5 kids, staying home watching over my family!

28. Furthest place you will send this message to? .... My blog readers

29. Who will post this the fastest? .... um...I don't think anyone will! Maybe Debbie or Heather

I'm Sick :-(

I hate being sick...it is the worst feeling ever! I was feeling horrible at work yesterday and ended up going home at 2. I was having the WORST sharp, intense abdominal pains ever! Let me just tell you, it is hard to get sleep when you wake up every time the pain comes! Arg! Today I am feeling a little bit better, but I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow...I don't want to find out that my appendix burst or something while I am in California over the weekend!

Busy Weekend

So, this weekend was not at all relaxing as a weekend should be! I think I woke up earlier on both Saturday AND Sunday than I ever do on the weekdays...lame.

On Saturday, Kenneth had to take the FE exam - the Fundamentals of Engineering standardized test. He has to pass the test in order to graduate, and hopefully once will be enough! His exam was from 7:15 a.m. to about 5:30 p.m. So, after dropping him off, I went down to Highland, went to the temple and then spent the day chatting with Kenneth's mom. It was nice being able to just sit and chat with someone for hours on end about things going on. Good times.

After I picked up Kenneth from his exam, we went to Park City with Michael, Kim, Analee and Jose. We went and had some delicious pizza, and then watched the Warren Miller film. I didn't like the film as much as I did last year, but maybe it had to do with the fact that I was cranky because I was so tired...Warren Miller films are awesome though because you pay $17 for the movie and you get a free lift ticket to Canyons (which is worth like $75). So, now Kenneth and I will both get to go snowboarding this winter, AND Kenneth found an extra pass on the way out, so he now has TWO free passes! Whoo hoo!

Well, Sunday morning came around WAY too early...especially when you don't get in until after midnight. I had to wake up early because I had not planned my lesson for Primary yet. I ended up doing the "Wheel of Primary" where we play a game to review the principles we learned that month (in this case service). It ended up going VERY well. After church we made some rice crispy treats (YUMMY), took a nap (YEA!), made some bread, and then headed to Michael and Kim's for dinner and ice cream to celebrate Kim's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Well, that was our weekend...it was fun, but I am super tired now...and back at work...ugh! Oh man...counting down to the next weekend...

Life...

You know what? Life can be hard sometimes, but life is DANG GOOD!

3 Day Weekend!

Last Friday I took the day off of work to enjoy a little break. We slept in a little bit, and then packed up our climbing gear! Kenneth has been wanting to climb Mt. Olympus all summer, and we had to fit it in before the snow comes! We hiked up to the base, which took about an hour, and then set up for climbing. The climb was 1,400 feet and was GORGEOUS (pictures to come). The climb up was fun, but getting down was TORTURE! It took absolutely forever! We were hoping to be down the mountain by about 4, and we didn't get back to our car until 8! Insane! I felt REALLY bad because we had a dinner appt with some friends at 5, and we were obviously a bit late...sorry guys! Once we did get down to Provo though, we spent some time with our friends Danny & Heather. We had a WONDERFUL dinner, and then we watched "The Skeleton Key" - which is a VERY odd movie...

On Saturday we headed up to Logan for the funeral of Mama Marva. The funeral went really nicely, and it was great seeing the family again. All of us grandkids sang as part of the funeral, and the eulogy and talk were wonderful. I'm really glad we were able to go.

Sunday came around, and we went to church where I gave the Sharing Time lesson on service. It was really fun, and the few kids we had (only 4 this week) were really engaged. After church we made some delicious apple crisp and took it over to Kenneth's grandma's place and we visited with her during the evening. I always love visiting her, and we have some of the best talks! Can't wait to visit her again!

Well...that was it! Did anyone else do anything fun?

High School Tag

Thanks Blair for the fun tag about high school life!! I attended Woodland High School...in Woodland, CA. Go WOLVES!

1) Did you date someone from your school - nope! I was pretty much a loser and never dated

2) What kind of car did you drive - my aunt and uncle were moving up to Idaho so they gave me their own volvo!! It was...um...I think initially red...but it was all dull and the the paint was peeling and rusting off...I LOVED THAT CAR!! Thanks Duques!

3) Did you pass your driver's license test the first time? - NO! I was so distraught!! The first time I attempted, I thought I was at a 4 way stop instead of a 2 way, and the tester said that the car coming from the left had to brake as I went through the intersection...ARG! I passed the 2nd time though.

4) Were you a party animal? - HAHA! Yeah...if anyone knows me even remotely you'll know the answer to that...never attended a single party

5) Were you considered a flirt? - Nope...probably part of the reason why I never dated...then again there wasn't ever anyone I WANTED to date there!

6) Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? - None of the above

7) Were you a nerd? - THE BIGGEST EVER! It will never change

8) Were you on any varsity teams? - No, but I always wanted to play volleyball and basketball...but I was too scared to try out.

9) Did you ever get expended or expelled? - No

10) Can you still sing your fight song? - No way! I think I finally learned it by my senior year, but forgot it probably a week after graduation

11) Who were your favorite teachers? - Ms. Ayers! She was my Honors Algebra 2/Pre Cal teacher...she was AMAZING! "Amy! Emily! All you ever do is talk, talk, talk!!" Haha! She was the best!

12) Where did you sit at lunch? - At Emily's kitchen table...we walked to her house everyday for lunch

13) What is your school's full name? - Woodland Senior High School

14) School mascot and colors - Woodland WOLVES, orange and white.

15) Did you go to homecoming and who with? - Did not attend

16) If you could go back and do it again, would you? - ABSOLUTELY NOT! That's why I graduated a year early...to get away from it all! I hate the high school mentality.

17) What do you remember most about graduation? - It was windy and I was afraid my stupid cap would fall off, and that Michael forever hated me because since I graduated early, I took his 5th place standing in our class, and I got a medal and he didn't...seriously...Emily's sister dated him and 4 years later he was still talking about it!

18) Where did you go on Senior Skip Day - I went to Six Flags with Emily, Brigette, Alex, Claire and Amy M.

19) Were you in any clubs? - Yeah...all the nerdy ones; Destination Imagination, Knowledge Bowl, Anti-Tobacco Youth Coalition (madame president), and I can't remember the others.

20) Have you gained weight since then? - Nope...I'm exactly the same

21) Who was your prom date? - My friend since kindergarder, Daniel Foster

22) Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? - I don't know...since I graduated early, I didn't know too many people in my graduating class...maybe if Emily goes...

23) Did you have a job while in high school? - YUP! During the summers I was a lifeguard, and my senior year, I went to school for 1/2 the day and then worked at Gemini Bio Products...such good times!

I tag...Megz, Heather, Debbie, Melissa, and Aubrey!

Mama Marva's Obituary

Mama Marva's obituary came out in the Logan paper today:

Woodward, Marva Painter

1934-2008

PROVIDENCE, Utah - Marva Painter Woodward, 74, passed away on Oct. 12, 2008, in her Providence, Utah home after a valiant battle with cancer. She was born in Logan, Utah, on May 20, 1934, the daughter of Mark Henry Painter and Irene Patterson. She attended Logan schools and met her husband, Kendell G. Woodward, when they were students at Utah State University. They were married in the Logan LDS Temple on Sept. 15, 1953. Marva was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as Ward Relief Society President, Stake Relief Society President, Young Women President, Primary President, and early-morning seminary teacher. Four years ago, after living with her family in Woodland, Calif., for 36 years, she and her husband, Ken, fulfilled their dream of coming back home to Cache Valley. Survivors include her husband, Ken Woodward; children, Jayne W. Adams of Woodland, Calif., Rodney K. Woodward, of Barcelona, Spain, Linda W. Burgess of Berthoud, Colo., Sharon W. Duque of Rexburg, Idaho, Susan M. Woodward of Portland, Ore., and Michael W. Woodward of Woodland, Calif.; and brothers and sisters, William H. Painter, Daphne Sharp, Robert Glade Painter, Reed B. Painter, Keith Painter, Neil Painter, Merle H. Painter and Susan Kendrick. Also surviving are her grandchildren: Ann Marie Calderon, Carlos W. Calderon, Julie I. Calderon, Anthony R. Calderon, Michael R. Adams, Nathan D. Adams, Alisha M. Adams, Tytus A. Adams, Amy M. Noyce, Michael K. Woodward, Marc J. Woodward, Christine Woodward, Michelle Woodward, Joshua R. Burgess, Brittany L. Burgess, Sarah E. Burgess, Katelyn N. Burgess, Kathryn E. Duque, Jennifer L. Duque, Annelise W. Duque, Joseph L. W. Duque, Sean Campbell-Genoves, Jacob Vignoli and Marcus R. Woodward; as well as seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two brothers and a granddaughter. Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Fox Ridge LDS Chapel, 155 N. 100 East, Providence, with Bishop Steve Misener conducting. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center Street, Logan, and at the church from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences and thoughts may be extended to the family online at http://www.allenmortuaries.net/. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund. Special thanks go to Denise Ames, Stephanie Atkinson, Janine Smith and all of the nurses and volunteers at IHC Hospice.

Papa Ken

I've had some requests for Papa Ken's address to send cards. If you feel so inclined, the address is below:

Ken Woodward
183 Buckingham Drive
Providence, UT 84332-9667

The funeral will be held on Saturday in Logan, UT.

Updates...

Well, Kenneth and I became unofficial "parents" for the weekend. My Aunt Mary Margaret had her surgery this past Thursday (and is doing very well thus far) and will be in the hospital until today or tomorrow. Since she was in the hospital, and since her husband was ALSO at the hospital with her, Kenneth and I went and watched my SEVEN cousins for the weekend! We got there Friday evening (after attending a fun little Halloween party where we hung out with friends Frank & Melissa, and Ben & Jenalynn) and stayed until 5 p.m. on Sunday. The weekend wasn't too crazy...although there are 7 total, the older ones (Jasmine, Eva, Amelia and Kent) could take care of themselves, so really Kenneth and I were just having to handle the 3 little girls, Abby (9), Ada (6) and Hannah (4). Oh my goodness!! Those little girls jumped on Kenneth NON-STOP! Poor guy! Luckily he still had a lot of fun...but then again, Kenneth is just a little kid himself sometimes! Haha! It was great seeing him interact with them. Too bad I was reduced to the evil one who made them do their chores and homework, shower, put them to bed, etc...oh well...they are too young to stay mad for very long! It was fun being with them and stepping into that "mother" role for awhile...though I don't ever want to be a real mother with that many so fast!!

In other news...I found out Sunday morning that my grandma, Mama Marva passed away. She has been battling cancer for many years. About 6 months ago, they actually gave her only a week or two to live, but she held on for much longer than that (Papa...sorry I didn't call you guys on Sunday...it was really hectic with the kids). I know that she was tired...physically and emotionally, and I know she is in a better place, surrounded by loved ones who have preceeded her. I feel sad for her husband, Papa Ken...I know his heart is breaking. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation though. I am grateful to know that families are an eternal unit of Heavenly Father's plan, and that we can all be together again if we are faithful. That knowledge gives me such peace. I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for Mama Marva and for all that I learned from her. I loved all the dinners we had together while living in Woodland, and that she took me in and loved me as any grand-daughter when Pa and Jayne got married. I love her. She was and is one incredible woman! I can't wait to see her again someday!

Free Handbags!

Hey! I found this awesome website that is giving away free purses!! They are giving one away on the hour for the next 24 hours! You can see the website here:

http://www.handbagplanet.com/

Check it out!!

General Conference

General Conference was AMAZING! I felt the Spirit testifying of truth with each and every talk. I heard and felt exactly what I needed to get through the trials of life my family and I are enduring at this time. It seemed like every talk was focusing back to the basics of faith, hope, charity, and the Atonement of Christ. All the leaders acknowledged that there are and will be hard times, but that no matter how far we stumble and fall, the way has been prepared for us to GET BACK UP and to receive exaltation through the Atonement of Christ. They spoke about how we must not let despair get to us. The Lord has promised that will have have joy 100x greater than any sorrow we have ever experience. I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers, and I KNOW that his promises are sure. I know that if we are able to endure the trials of our lives with an eternal perspective, then no matter how hard things are, we will be blessed. The Lord has SUCH joy in store for us, if we can just endure the trials of life. I am so grateful for this knowledge, and am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayers Needed

Last weekend, my Aunt Mary-Margaret went to the hospital after coughing up blood only to find out that her left lung had collapsed. After additional testing they determined that a benign tumor is blocking blood flow to the left lung and is having effects not only on her lung, but also her heart. They are waiting on additional test results to see if there are any other abnormal growths in her chest cavity. The results will be coming in on Thursday.

As a result of the collapsed lung, the top lobe of the left lung has to be removed. They will not know if the lower portion needs to be removed until the surgery is performed. If the lower portion can be spared, then it can actually grow and fill the entire cavity, thus allowing her to maintain her normal lifestyle. If the entire lung does have to be removed then her activity level will be reduced dramatically. They are doing additional testing on her right lung on Thursday to see how strong it is and to see if it would be able to provide enough oxygen for the body on its own.

Her surgery date will be determined on Friday after the results are examined and discussed. It will probably be sometime early next week. She and her husband have 7 children to care for, and would appreciate all of your prayers and fasting in their behalf. Please, whatever your faith, please include their family in your prayers. Pray for the doctors that they will perform the surgery well. Pray for Mary-Margaret, that she will be able to recover quickly, and pray that she will be able to keep at least part of her left lung. I know that God hears and answers our prayers, and I have faith that a miracle can occur for my family if it be God's will. Thank you so much for all your faith and prayers in advance.

Good Times

So, can I just say...I LOVE the weekends! This weekend was great! We just hung out on Friday at home, and on Saturday morning, Kenneth did some yard work, while I cleaned inside. Then, that afternoon we got together with out dinner group for lunch. I always love our dinner groups and look forward to them! It is so fun to get together with friends and to get updated on things going on in our lives, and to see how much the babies have grown since the month before! Love it! Afterwards Kenneth and I went rockclimbing...he did 1 climb - an 11d, and I attempted a 10d or something...Kenneth completed his, and I only made it half way up mine, but we were both SOO sore afterwards!

Saturday evening I attended the General Relief Society Broadcast. It was amazing! I learned a lot of things, and it really gave me an extra desire to try to be better. Here are so highlights from the different talks:

Sister Julie B Beck

We need to understand the mission of Relief Society, which is to organize, teach and inspire Heavenly Father's daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life. She then gave 3 things we need to focus on:

1. Increase in faith and personal righteousness
2. Strength our families and home
3. Serve the Lord and his children

Sister Silvia H Allred

Sister Allred spoke about the importance of temple and how we need to return often to continue to learn, and to prepare to go if we have not been able to yet.

Sister Barbara Thompson

Sister Thompson spoke about how we need to be devoted to Relief Society, and how if we are, then we will be able to do extraordinary things.

President Uchtdorf

President Uchtdorf spoke about how women often undervalue their abilities, and how we need to focus on our accomplishments rather than how we should have been better. He said that we need be happy, have peace and joy in spite of burdens we are asked to bear. He said that in order to achieve God's happiness we can work on the following 2 things:

1. Creating something beautiful - doesn't mean being able to paint, sing, or play the piano. Rather, we need to create things of beauty, something that was not there before - a home that is organized and where love can be felt, a garden, creating laughter, generating smiles, etc. He also told us to not let critics paralyze you EVEN IF IT COMES FROM WITHIN. I know I have major issues with that, and is something I am trying to work on.

2. Being compassionate - he stated the following quotes which I LOVED:

"Work will cure your grief - serve others!" - President Hinckley
"Those who bring the light of sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves."
"Often small acts of service are enough to uplift and stregthen another." - President Monson

He also noted that the Savior did not care to have others notice him, and did not compete with others - another thing I need to work on...

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. I am so happy that I went and that I was able to feel the Spirit as God's chosen people spoke, and I cannot wait for General Conference this upcoming weekend!

Lastly, Sunday we had church (excellent!) and that evening our friends Danny & Heather came over for dinner, chatting, and games. It was so much fun! Good times!

So...I guess I'm a PM now...at least for a few days

So, I showed up at work yesterday, and found out that I would be covering for a project manager while he was out of the office...now, please be advised that I am NOT a project manager! So, I was kind of thrown in to cover through Friday. My-oh-my! My boss, DeeJay said that this would give me the chance to see if I would like to become a PM...and if not, I have permission to slap him up-side the head! Hilarious! Thank goodness it wasn't bad yesterday, and today seems to be going well...though I am SO busy! The time certainly does fly as a PM!

Weekend Fun!

So, this past weekend was SUCH a fun one! On Friday we went to a concert at the Conference Center where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra played. It was great! They did a lot of classic American songs. It was a ton of fun!

On Saturday, I went to the church to put on an activity for our Primary kids (4-11 year olds). We practice our Primary Program and then made "I Am A Child of God" picture frames and then ate popsicles. Afterwards, I went to a baptism for one of our Primary kids, Jake. It has been a long time since I've been to a baptism. It was so sweet! He is such a cute kid! I'm so glad that I was able to go. Afterwards, I went to the temple while Kenneth did some homework, and then later that night we went to a Real soccer game! It was so fun to watch them play! We didn't win though...1-0. Too bad.

Sunday was the day of the Primary Program...I was SO nervous that kids wouldn't show up (we have a REALLY small ward) but much to my suprise, and in answer to prayers, almost ALL of our kids showed up!! It went really well! The kids did great at their speaking parts, you could hear them sing (which you definitely couldn't when we practiced the day before) and the Spirit was definitely present! I am so happy that things went well!!

Anyway, that was pretty much our weekend!

Beautiful Jewelry!

Hi Everyone! My friend Mariah has started making her own beautiful custom jewelry and I wanted to let everyone know about it! All of it is handmade and it is GORGEOUS! Here is a picture of one of my favorites:

If you would like to see more of her BEAUTIFUL creations, click on the two links I have for "Mariah's Creations" under my favorite websites list. Enjoy!!

Wedding Pictures

These are for you Ashley! Here are some photos from Kenneth's cousin's wedding we went to last weekend. It was gorgeous! Aubrey...I hope you don't mind that I stole your pictures for my blog! :)

The Bardsley Family (Kenneth's aunt, uncle and cousins)

The beautiful bride!
The beautiful colors of the wedding

The awesome tent the reception took place in. I love the orbs!

Family Fun!!

So, Tuesday evening we were able to meet up with my Grandma Adams & Aunt Yvonne who came into town from California. We met up at my Aunt Mary-Margaret's house in Highland, UT. It was SOO fun! I've been bad, and haven't visited my cousins in awhile either, so it was great being able to catch up with everyone! I love my family!

My Grandma...she is the greatest! Every time I see her she has one of her pretty scarfs around her neck, and we were all remembering all of her great stories! She seriously has met all kinds of fascinating people! And she always has such great advice, like how you'll scare away boys if you have any debt, and how if you put your arm out of the window on a school bus, it might get cut off by a car passing by! So great! Love it! It was so great to see her!

My Aunt Yvonne is so cool! She and my Uncle Erik have done all kinds of fun, crazy things! They went skydiving a little bit ago, so I of COURSE had to tell her of our Hawaii skydiving adventure! She was so thrilled to have another crazy couple in the family! She told us we HAD to try scuba diving, so we've definitely added that to our list!

Lastly, Aunt Mary-Margaret...it is always so interesting visiting her! She is great! She has 7 kids though and they are certainly full of energy! I was really close with that family growing up. In fact, my sister and I lived with Aunt Mary-Margaret the summer my uncle died and helped take care of the 5 kids. She later remarried a wonderful guy named Dave, and they had 2 kids together. It was SO fun to catch up with the older cousins as Kenneth kept the little girls entertained by playing boggle, Chutes & Ladders, tag, jumped on the trampoline, played "horsie", etc. It was a great little mini reunion! Gotta love it!

Weekend Excitement

Hello everyone! Another weekend has passed...and I'm counting down to the next one! This last Friday we finally took my sister Alisha out rockclimbing! It was her first time and she did a great job! I'm going to have to post some pictures tomorrow! Afterwards she came over to our place where we all pigged out on kettle corn and watched "Red Eye." It was tons of fun!

On Saturday we were part of wedding madness all day long! Kenneth's cousin, Brett got married to his beautiful girl, Ashley. They were sealed in the Salt Lake City temple, and we were able to go to the sealing along with Kenneth's mom, dad, and lots of cousins, aunts and uncles! It was beautiful! We took part in some fun photos afterwards and caught up with some of Kenneth's other cousins. After the sealing, we headed to Draper for the luncheon which was muy good! Then, Kenneth and I picked up his brother, Steven and headed to American Fork Canyon for some quick rockclimbing. Not going to lie...I didn't have the most fun there. I can't stand the rock in that canyon because it is so sharp! Yes...I am a wuss and don't like my hands getting completely scraped up...only a little bit. Anyway, after the rockclimbing we headed to the reception for Brett & Ashley (also in Draper). The food was SOO good and they had crepes which were amazing! It was fun to see so much family and to be able to catch up!

On Sunday we attended Regional Conference where several leaders of the church spoke about how we need to strength our families. President Monson focused his talk on the following scripture:

D&C 88:119 - Organize yourself; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house; even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.

What a great scripture to reflect upon with our physical temples - our bodies. Even more, what a great theme to have for our families and for our homes. I loved hearing the words of the prophet and other leaders of the church, and look forward with even more anticipation for General Conference which is in just about 3 weeks!

It's FRIDAY!

It's Friday!!! It's Friday!! I wait for this day all week!

Today Stinks!

Have you ever had one of those days that you just wanted to END! Welcome to my current day! Work is insane! We are going to break our record for most calls taken in a day. We're almost of 700 calls, and that's with over an hour and a half left! The calls NEVER slow down enough to catch your breath, and I am getting SO annoyed with all the customers who call in wanting pricing for a "3-form resin panel" - HELLO! Do you think we only sale 1 product?? Try hundreds! And with the different combinations - up that to millons of possible products! Arg! And then when I tell them they need to get more information they say, "Oh, well I thought you would give that to me..." - okay then! I think you should buy our MOST expensive product so that I can get a raise! Excellent! Oh my goodness! Plus, my arm is cramping because it has been typing NON-STOP today! I have been trying to be more positive with my life, and especially work, but today just blew it for me...I'm so tired, and I'm so annoyed...I'll go back to my normal self tomorrow. Only 1 hour 36 minutes and 29 seconds to go...28...27....26.

I LOVE Weekends!

Hi! So, can I just say...I LOVE the weekends! I love being able to accomplish so much and most of all, I love the large, uninterrupted time I get to spend with Kenneth! On Friday we did a session in the temple, came home, put in a movie and fell asleep.

On Saturday we woke up and Kenneth started re-doing some of the pipes for our sprinkler system (we have really low water pressure) while I did some much needed cleaning indoors. Afterwards Kenneth was done adding the new pipes, we both worked to fill in the trenches with dirt. Once we had our fill of that, we headed up Little Cottonwood to do some rockclimbing! We went to a new area, Lisa Falls, which was all slab climbing...I didn't think I would like slab climbing at first, but I ended up loving it! It was so much fun (after the first climb which consisted of abnormal moves and wasps in the cracks)! After climbing for awhile we headed to a Bee's baseball game. It was tons of fun because they were playing against the Sacramento River Cats! My home team! So fun! The Bees were being KILLED by the 7th inning when we headed home. The score was 7-2. Go Sacramento!

Sunday came along and we forgot to set our alarm and woke up at 9:05! Insane! Church starts at 9 for us, so needless to say we were a bit late...whoops! Anyway, church was amazing! It was Fast and Testimony meeting (where people fast for 2 meals, and during the church meeting people can get up and bear their testimonies). I went up and spoke about how much the Atonement means to me. I'm so grateful for my Savior and I am so thankful that he is my perfect example...in EVERY aspect of my life! After the main meeting, I worked with the Primary children (ages 4-11) on our Primary program which is in 2 weeks!! The children will be singing songs they have been learning all year and they also have speaking parts. They are doing really well considering our Primary is super small! I'm proud of them!

After we got home from church, we made black beans (YUMMY!), meatballs, and bread. Sundays are always our baking days...I LOVE IT! I also took a nap (why? I'm not sure since I slept like 10 hours the night before!). That was about it! Lots of fun, lots of chatting with Kenneth and having fun doing whatever it is that we do! What did everyone else do?

Anybody? Anybody?

Hey! Is anyone here interested in buying a love sac?? (Or do you know anyone who would be ineterested?) We're wanting to get rid of ours because it doesn't really fit in our house. It is a 6 ft. blue love sac that is very new. We also have extra stuffing available. It is in VERY good shape, and we haven't owned it very long at all. Let me know if anyone is interested and we'll discuss cost. Thanks! (Picture to come shortly).

Part of the Club!

That's right everyone! I am officially a part of the CHACO club!! Kenneth has been watching ebay and various stores for a good deal on a pair of chacos for me, and finally...after more than a year of watching...he snatched a victory!! They ended up being LESS than 1/2 of normal priced chacos! Whoo hoo! I've only worn them once when we went rock-climbing, and they felt pretty good. Still have to get used to them though...my toe feels so contricted! Kenneth tells me I'll get used to it...Anway, here they are!

One major complaint about the chacos...I feel like I have fat feet in them! Oh well...I guess I'll sacrifice it for supportive & breathable shoes while hiking...

Oodles of Fun!

So, last Friday, we were able to attend an outdoor concert of Kenneth's Snow college friends, Frank and Melissa. It was held in their backyard and was TONS of fun! She plays the cello, and he plays the guitar. They also had other musians playing - additional cello players, bass player, drummer and trumpet. They played some really fun jazz music! It was awesome! We've only seen Melissa once since we got married at another concert she was a part of, and Frank - haven't seen him since our reception! At the time of our reception, Melissa was pregnant with their little girl, Lydian, who is now 19 months old!

We decided that we should really hang out more often, especially since they live so close (about 10 minutes away), so we planned a little rock-climbing date for family night. We just headed up to Big Cottonwood Canyon, and it was SOO fun! We had a great time climbing and just chatting. It was hilarious to see their little girl too! As soon as we got there, she plopped on the dirt and started smiring herself with it! She was so fun to watch and seriously is one of the cutest girls I've ever seen! Kenneth didn't even realize how much fun kids could be! Good times!

Hawaii Part IV - the last one!

Alright! I am so excited because after this I will be updated on the Hawaii posts! Then I can get back to real life! Here we go!

Monday, August 11th

On Monday we went snorkeling at Haunama Bay. It was a little frustrating getting there, because the parking lot was full, so we had to drive around for awhile looking for a spot, and ended up parking about a mile away from the Bay and hiking up to it. I wouldn't have been that bad, but it was really hot, my sunburn hurt, and Kenneth was getting blisters from his flip-flops. THEN, once we got there, we found out that they only accept cash for the snorkeling gear and lockers...and we didn't have enough! SO, we had to hike another mile or so down to the local grocery store, and buy something to get cash back. As we were walking back up the hill once more, we were totally annoyed, and when a cab guy came by and offered us a ride up for $5 we took it! Seems kind of ridiculous when you're in the car for less than a minute, but we were fried! Once we got there though we relaxed and had a great time. The fish were AMAZING!

Whoops! Kind of cut this one off...

A sea turtle! I've seen one every time time I've gone! 3 for 3!
A HUGE school of fish!

After we were done snorkeling we drove to a blow hole that is just around the corner and got some great pictures. The waves were AWESOME there because they were huge and would crash right on the rock. There is absolutely no beach here.

When we got home, my sis-in-law Kim told me that when she was in Hawaii, and girl was taking pictures at this location, down closer to the edge (where Kenneth WANTED to go, but I wouldn't let him) when she was swept into the ocean and she ended up drowning! How sad! Kim was snorkeling in the bay, which is just around the corner, and the beach patrol pulled the girl into the Bay and Kim saw her. How sad! This is why I make the level-headed decisions that we don't do things like that!

Tuesday, August 12th

Our last day in Hawaii! As weird as this is, I think we were ready to go home. The vacation was amazing but we were tired, and burned, and ready to sleep in our own bed! On our last day we packed up, and check out of our hotel by about 10 a.m.

After we packed up, we headed towards the North Shore to do a session on the Laie Temple. It was great! It is kind of our tradition to always do a session at the temple whenever we vacation in a place close to one. I think it's a good tradition!

After we were done at the temple, we slowly drove back towards the airport (our flight didn't leave until 9:45 p.m. Hawaii time). We stopped at some of the local beaches along the way.

So, I think I was really tired by this point, but I LOVE how green the mountains are so I had to put it in!

After driving by the beaches we were beat and couldn't figure out what else to do, so we ended up seeing Mama Mia (I know it's lame to watch a movie when you're in Hawaii...oh well). Then we headed to the airport. Our flight left at 9:45 pm Hawaii time, and we got into the Salt Lake airport at 7:30 am Utah time. It was insane! It was NOT comfortable trying to sleep on the plane! I'm sure it was hilarious seeing the two of us laying all over each other trying to get comfortable! Hilarious! Anyway, that's our trip! THE END!