Oakley: The Retriever

He loves him some football

Oakley is the quirkiest dog I have ever seen.

He can be the craziest dog or the sweetest most mellow dog on the planet.

He sleeps upside down and twisted

Has since he was a little puppy 

There is very few things that we have found that he doesn't like to eat. 

He will do Anything for food

Despite the fact that he is 60 {plus} pounds he thinks he is a tiny dog.

He will come and sit on either of our laps like he belongs there. 

He isn't afraid of thunderstorms or fireworks doesn't even pay attention to them at all

{Maybe because he was born on the 4th of July}

He adores laundry baskets

Awww...
He was so fluffy and little

If there is ever an empty basket he can get to... its play time

Now he's too big and can only sit in them

When it is time for bed he won't go upstairs unless I'm going upstairs

I'll say bedtime and he will search for a bone 

Then he will wait at the bottom step until he's sure I'm coming

He does like any dog have his naughty moments... some are very memorable

First day of Spring Semester
The dog... Literally... ate Jeff's homework
and binder, syllubuses, and any other papers he could get to
Lesson learned keep things off of the counters and tables when he is home alone

I don't understand why...
He thinks he is a paper shredder 

Apparently, I didn't completely learn that lesson. 
I was dying some chocolate with food coloring and had to go to class
Jeff would be home from work maybe 5-10 minutes after I left 
Just enough time for some mischief
Oakley got a hold of the neon food coloring
Mostly the blue one, but some green and purple mixed in

In less than 10 minutes
Oakley managed to die himself and our entire kitchen like a neon rainbow
(P.S he didn't eat the wall, that was from the previous owners and we just haven't fixed it yet)
Needless to say we have finally learned our lesson
We haven't had any major naughty moments for months
He is even now allowed free range of the house while we are at work
{Before he was kept in the kitchen by a gate}

He is the most stubborn dog on the planet
If we are somewhere and he doesn't want to go he will sit down and refused to move

Leash fully extended
This was his first time at the vet

  He quickly learned that the vet comes yielding treats
And it was his favorite place

Until... they placed a cone around his neck
and took his manhood 
He did however figure out exactly how to get the cone off within a day or two
He loves to sit on the back of our couches, like a cat
He is the biggest blanket hog and bed hog on the planet.

If there is a blanket, pillow, or anything that is soft on the ground or couch
He will be on it 

We came across these pictures and this accurately depicts how we sleep every night

Same as anyone who has a dog with them

Even with the lack of sleep each night

We love having a dog

I want another one, but Jeff says no. Boo. 

MOST OF ALL

He loves people more than anything.

At times I think he believes he is a person

Whenever we have company he just gets so excited and he thinks they have come to play with him.

His favorite person is my mom.

I promise he is not being mean
My mom said something that made him think he was going to get to go somewhere
Meaning he would get to go in the carIf you say "Where's Grandma?"
he will run to the door and sit there whining and waiting for her to come.

He knows my mom comes yielding treats

He also knows that whatever trick {or mixture of tricks} she won't be able to resist

He is super smart and learns extremely quickly

Especially if being motivated by food

He can sit, stay, lay down, bow, play dead, shake (both paws), roll over, jump and give high fives

Will you come and play with me?

"A dog is  the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself."

- Josh Billings

Love Always,

Ode to Our Mothers

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” 

-Abraham Lincoln

I can honestly say I have the best mom in the world. 

She has pushed me and encouraged me through every step of my life. 

She has been my rock and the person I always turn to. 

She raised me by herself and worked so hard to make sure that I had every opportunity available to me. For this (and so much more) I owe her everything.

I know how hard it was for her to be a single mom and that she had to make many sacrifices along the way. 

Even with working full time she never missed a single activity, dance performance, or any important moment. 

She always made sure I had a ride to dance after school or to whatever activity I was involved in.

As I grew up she was there to support and help me get through the tough patches, as I learned to find my own way in this world.

I can't say how much I appreciate it all. 

Thank you.

Whenever we are together we end up laughing (over stupid things) to the point that we can't even look at each other and our sides are killing from laughing. 

We can walk around Target for two hours, for absolutely no reason other than just to hang out.

My mom is beautiful, sweet, loving, and the most wonderful person on earth!

Everyone always assumes that she is my sister and are shocked that she is my mom. 

(I hope that means that I will age as well as she has) 

I love you mom, you are with out a doubt my best friend. 

Thank you for all that you do for me (and now us!)

Along with a wedding your family grows and this year I gained a mother in-law. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother in-law. The first thing I ever learned about her was that Jeff and his mom share a birthday. Jeff and his mom share such a special bond and he is definitely a mamma's boy (not in a bad way). Jeff was raised to be so kind, caring, and loving towards everyone and he definitely got that from his mom. She is always willing to help everyone around her. I have loved getting to know her this past year and look forward to getting to know her more. I love being part of their family.

Most of all I am so thankful to Linda for bring Jeff into this world and raising him to be such a wonderful husband and some day he will be a great dad. 

We are so blessed with two wonderful mothers to look up to and get wisdom and support from. Thank you for always being there for us. We love you both so much! 

Happy Mother's Day!

Love Always,

Ice Cubes, Tickle Fights, and Brown Toppers

Many summer days when I was a kid consisted of waking up early to go walk the dogs with my grandpa. He would drive to come pick me up any morning I wanted to go and we would stop at Dick's bakery and get a treat then head up to Muller Park Canyon. We would walk all the dogs and go up through the mountain trails and play along the river. My grandpa walked in the canyon a couple times of day. He loved nature and the peace up there. Not to mention it was the highlight of all the dogs' day. Some of my favorite memories took place in that canyon. 

It was 4 years ago today that my grandpa Jack passed away unexpectedly. He played a huge part in my life and was always there for me. I saw him almost every day growing up. Since my mom worked during the day he would pick me up from school. If I was sick at school, or just pretending to be, he was the one to come get me. He would always have a big smile on his face and would say I think you need some medicine. His medicine was the best a brown topper from Arctic Circle. If you don't know what a brown topper is then you are missing out. Basically, its an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate (or there are also other flavors and colors.)  

Every birthday party or family party when I was a kid we always got into a tickle and ice cube fight. It was always started by someone different but it was also a battle between the cousins and grandpa. Our family would go to Chuck-a-Rama a lot when we were younger, its a good restaurant when you have a lot of rowdy children. He used to start with dessert every time then he'd get a main dish and then dessert. Life is short, start with dessert.  

Awe the Eiffel Tower hair as I call it... 90s hair gotta love it

My grandpa was the most generous person I have ever met. If someone needed help he was there. If you needed some money he would have given you his last dollar. He wasn't a materialistic person and his most treasure possession was his family. I miss him so much and it breaks my heart that he is gone. I wish he would have been there when I got married, but at least Jeff got to meet him. I wish he would have got to met my children so they could have experienced some of the memories I had as a kid. Jeff and I are planning on naming our son after him when that time comes. It is the only name that I have always kept since I was a kid, Jackson.  I know that he watches over me and that I will get to see him again someday. Today I am going to go get a brown topper in his memory and maybe go eat at Chuck-a-Rama for him. 

Love Always,

The Date that Changed Our Lives

Sometimes its hard to fathom that one moment our entire lives can change in an instant. Well our lives changed forever on February 19, 2011. We had plans to celebrate Valentine's Day a little late since we both had to work on the actual holiday. Jeff still made it special by decorating our entryway with candles, chocolates, and flowers for me when I came home.

The day of our date Jeff shows up early and I was still getting ready. Jeff says he forgot something in his car and would be back. I found out after he had taken my keys and moved things for the date into my truck. I was completely clueless, because when he came back he had a bright pink bag for me. When he finally let me open it I found a bottle of the perfume I wear, which I had been completely out of. When we left we went to Color Me Mine, which is something we started going to a couple months prior. (Its been a fun activity that we do together and make things that are personalized for when we have a house and it allows lots of time to just talk and spend time together) Anyways, Jeff and I have been doing the same pieces since we started, he finally finished his Christmas cookie plate. I, however, needed one more session to finish my Italian Pasta bowl.

After we finished Jeff told me that the date was about all the things we love to do together and then I got another present. It was this really cute gray "hoodie" Ute purse. Then he took me to this restaurant called Red Ginger Bistro, which is a little sushi restaurant on State Street in Salt Lake. (Since then it has become our favorite sushi restaurant. It is delicious). We had never been there, but we love sushi and trying new places.

Next stop we went to Jordan Commons to watch Just Go With It. Jeff and I have always enjoyed going to see different movies, its a past time that we have always shared since we first met. Then after the movie I got another present, but wasn't allowed to open it until he said; so it sat on my lap tormenting me. (I am not exactly a patient person.)I was told we were going to pick up Danielle and Stephen. They are our best friends and love spending time with them. (Now they are planning their own wedding in June and we are so excited for them.) When we pulled into Stephen's parent's driveway I was allowed to open the present. It was a picture frame collage of pictures of us dating throughout the years. Its even in a picture frame that I had told Jeff months and months ago that I would want in our house; proof he was really listening. It is now on the dresser in our bedroom.

We walked into their house (which struck me as a little weird at first) and when I walked in there was a trail of candles and rose pedals leading into the music room which had more rose pedals and candles everywhere. Our song was playing in the background and there were pictures of us everywhere. That's when Jeff had me sit down and he told me how much he loved me and then he asked if I would be his wife. Obviously I said yes.

Danielle, Stephen, and Ashley were hiding in the other room and were the ones to take the pictures for us. They had made an amazing dinner that night. Right after he proposed the blizzard hit and we got snowed in for the rest of the night.

All in all it was an amazing night that changed my life forever. The following six months felt like an eternity. I couldn't wait to be married and begin our lives together. Married life is the best and I couldn't be happier.

Love Always,

Valentine's Day Wreath

Commercials on tv are flooded with romantic movies and grocery stores are filled with flowers and heart-shaped chocolates. It’s obvious that love is the air and that means Valentine's day is near. I love this time of year, because it’s an extra excuse to have a romantic date and what girl doesn't love to get flowers. Plus with each passing holiday I have an additional reason to change the decorations in our house.

With each passing holiday and/or season I love to first decorate our front door. After all, that is the first thing people see and is a great way to invite people into your home. Plus, since I live in a townhome community every house looks very similar and it is my way of adding a personal touch.

So this wreath is very easy to make and probably took a grand total of 10 minutes and cost about $10-15 at hobby lobby. The key to any DIY craft project is buy supplies when they go on sale. I bought all the flowers and twigs at 50 percent off and the paint was 30% off.

HOW TO:

1. I cut each of flower's stem so that it still would stick out a little ways when put into the wreath.
2. I put all the flowers in place and moved them around until I thought that it looked perfectly.
3. I cut all the feathers in pieces and the leaves off the (now) cut off stems.
4. I hot glued each flower in place before adding any of the feathers or leaves. (You could also use wire, but I already had hot glue at my house). Then when I knew they were secured and the glue was dry
5. I glued the leaves in place and then played around with the placement of the feathers and glued them in place.
6. Because this does hang outside I made sure after everything was dry that if I tugged on them that they didn't move.
7. I did buy 2 extra letters so that I could test how they would look with different colors of paint. I just used the cheap little bottles of acrylic paint. I am an indecisive person and needed to see it to decide. This is just what I do and it depends on your personality. Once I decided I painted the letters and got a nail file to smooth the edges. Let them completely dry.
8. The tricky part is getting the wood letters to stick on the twigs of the wreath. There is probably an easier way than what I did but I marked the points on the letters where they were touching the most. I placed all the letters on how I wanted and then glued them in place. I did this mainly, because I wanted them to overlap in different spots.
9. Then your ready to hang!

Love Always,

Minute-To-Win-It Christmas Party

When most people think of their favorite part of Christmas is spending time with friends and family. This is no different than for me. I love all the traditions and parties and stories that come from Christmas. This year was new for us as it was our first Christmas married Christmas together. We wanted to find a good balance between each of our families' traditions and being able to start ones of our own. One idea that I had thrown around for months was throwing a "Edminster Cousin Party" and if it was a success making it a yearly tradition. As kids get older it makes it harder for cousins to get together as often as when they are little, so I thought this would be a good way that Jeff and his cousins could get together and I could get to know everyone better as well. I love to throw parties and this was the first actual party I got to throw in our home.

Theme this year was Minute-To-Win-IT with a Candy cane twist.

We started out eating, which due to my bad planning and our oven heating element going out (which we later figured out) was late getting started. We had a delicious salad, ham, cheesy potatoes, fruit, artichoke dip, and rolls (that didn't turn out very well due to the oven issue). It was fun to be able to visit and eat, poor Oakley wanted so bad to be part of the group, but being a puppy he is still learning to be calm. (Still a work in progress).

After everyone ate we started the games.

First game was Bite Me.

Basically, you have various sized gift bags and you move them onto a podium/table. Tricky part is you can't use your hands and only your feet can be touching the ground.

Maggie and Ike (her soon-to-be hubby) went first. They kept pushing each other's bags off the table and by the end of the minute we didn't know who's bag was whos. I recommend either getting different colored bags or tie a ribbon on one set if you decide to play this game.

Ike is extremely tall and had the hardest time getting to the smallest bag. He did it though!

Bobby and Larrissa were by far the most competitive couple for this game.

They spent majority of the time blocking each other from getting to their bags. I wish we would have had more room in our house and could have had an obstacle course to go through or something. Just a funny thought.

Kevin and David are our examples of what-NOT-to do. Here is Kevin with his hand on the floor.

The next game is rightfully named Reindeer Nosedive.

We made it a little easier and you had the string in your mouth. Maggie and Ike went first again. Maggie didn't want to put very much on her nose. We found out the key is the more gel you put on the nose and on the actual pom the better chase it sticks. Bobby is a great example (see picture below).

A little hesitant at first

Yupp... that's petroleum jelly on his nose. A whole lot of it.

But it worked.

The funniest part of the night was when Bobby went to get it off of his nose. He headed into the bathroom and you hear him yell "its waterproof!!"

Next round kept us all on the edge with the Christmas Cliffhanger.

Pretty simple concept, but harder than it looks to do. You have 10 cards and you have to get them to hang on the edge of the table. Jeff and his siblings all failed at this one, while his cousins were all pretty successful.

One down... 9 to go

A lot harder than it looks. I promise!

My dear husband got so close... but not quite there

Jason was a pro. He got it on his first card. Proving that it is possible.

 

The trick is to keep it going straight. If it goes sideways your outta luck.

The second to last game we played was Stack Attack.

You have one hand (can't use both) to stack all 36 cups and bring them down. It sounds impossible but I promise it is. Lizzy was the first to go and she did it perfectly. We were all in awe by her talent.



Allison went after Lizzy and had a really hard time because all the cups were smashed together.

Bobby had a very meticulous method but just ran out of time at the last second.

Kevin wanted to cheat and use both hands.

Jason finishing up his stack just in time

Larrisa was by far the most fun to watch stack the cups. Bobby (her husband) kept yelling that if she didn't finish in time a bunch of kittens or puppies would die. Then her cups started falling and it was all down hill from there.

I guess it was just a little too much to handle with all those puppies dying.
The final game of the night was  Extreme Christmas Nutstacker

To make it a little easier we just put it on the table. Mostly this was the guys trying to complete this task. There is a little trick, which I won't share in case you are planning on playing at your Christmas Party next year.

Ike was so focused on completely this level

These two were very analytical on this task

We had a first and second place price and it was based on who finished the most games in a minute. The winners were Lizzy and Jason. First place was a Million dollar (candy bar that I found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond) and a $10 Target gift card. Second place was supposed to be with a 100 Grand candy bar (couldn't find one in time) and a $5 Target gift card.

We finished the night with an exciting white elephant game and lots of laughing. It was such a fun night and I can't wait till next year. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Love Always,