Labor Day Shenanigans

Can I just say I have a love/hate relationship with long weekends. Of course I love having an extra day off, to play and sleep in, and do whatever I please. But it makes it that much harder to get back to real life after-wards. This Labor Day was a hoot. Dan had spent Friday and Saturday away from home playing with friends and family, so Monday was a relief to finally have him home to spend all day with me! We woke up early and headed down to the Onion Days Grand Parade. My sister Kelee was on one of the floats; she was dressed as a scarecrow and got to hand out fliers...lucky her :) We walked around the park, and I bought a $16 necklace that seriously is worth $1. I don't know what I was thinking. I also got a cute bracelet, and got a free scarf (that I will probably never wear because I can never pull off the whole scarf look, but still, it was free!) We spent the afternoon with Dan's family which consisted of eating yummy food, and having our annual Labor Day volleyball tournament. I made banana cream and french silk pies.

Dan, Brent, and Lorin got their monster trucks out for one last bash before winter. They took them off some sweet jumps up in west mtn, but both Brent and Dan ended up wrecking hard, so the fun was over pretty quickly.

And now, some pictures of the fun:

Kelee AKA scare crow

Dan-the-handy-man tuning up the ol truck

Banana Cream

My fluting skills have improved greatly, if I do say so myself.

French Silk

Yuki did a lot of this

and this...Ava is her best friend ha ha

Christmas

Christmas came early at our house... for a few reasons.

1. Because the gifts we wanted (bikes) are not very useful in the winter time, and

2. because it is the end of the 2010 biking season so the bikes we wanted were at a really, really good price, and

3. because when I see something I want, I have a really, really hard time waiting to buy it. It can be a bit of a problem, but not this time. :)

Dan and I crossed our hearts, hoped to die, and stick a needle through our eye, to each other that this would in fact be our entire Christmas to each other.

So, yes, we now have bikes! 2010 Specialized hardrocks to be exact. I don't wanna go into detail on the specs, since most of you don't know or care anyways, but they are top of the line for entry level mountain bikers/recreational riders....which fits me to a T. It has been so much fun. The first day we got them we biked 12 miles around West Mtn/Orem. My butt was killing me the next day, but I have gotten used to it now. We also have a class Tues/Thurs at UVU at the same time, so we have been biking to school and back. It takes us about the same time as driving because we don't have to deal with traffic and parking issues.

We bought a rear basket for Yuki to be able to ride in. I took her for a short ride around our facility to get her used to the idea. When I first put her in it and strapped her down she was shaking and so scared. I felt kinda bad and wondered if it was even going to work out, but I think towards the end of the ride she was used to it. We haven't taken her on any of our longer rides because of the extra weight and such though. We plan on biking down the sundance or provo canyon bike trail this weekend, and I can't wait. I found a hobby I can see myself really getting in to! I haven't gotten a pic of Dan on his bike yet, but here are some of Yuki and me on her first ride :)

Livin' La Vida

Here is what has been happening in our lives lately:


*Spent a few days out of the lake boating which included wake-boarding, and tubing...which I had not done since high school.

*Went to a funeral for one of my uncles, Eli Soria. He died of colon cancer. It was the saddest thing I had ever been to because he died of such a tragic thing, but also because he left behind a family of four girls, and his wife. I hate to say his death was a good thing, it wasn't. But the funeral service was amazing. The spirit was so strong, and it really gave me the extra "push" I have needed for a while now. It was a great reminder for me that death is not the end. There have been three deaths on that side of the family since May. Talk about life being short.

*Working... so we can pay for school and school supplies...which makes me so mad at the moment at how ridiculously expensive it all is!

*Speaking of School...it stars on Wednesday. Dan and I are both going part time and working full time. I am exciting for my classes because they are all pertinent to my major now--no more crummy generals! I registered early and (according to ratemyprofessor) I have great teachers, so I am looking forward to the semester and being one step closer to my degree!

*Visited and ate dinner with my mom and brothers and sisters. She always make yummy Peruvian meals that for some reason I can never make right. We went on a bike ride around the neighborhood after lunch. I want a bike so bad...I think that will be what Dan and I get for Christmas this year!

*Visiting with my sister Kelee once a week--doing fun things like bowling, swimming, playing tennis, and of course eating yummy food.

*Playing softball on a Provo co-ed team with friends. Er... I should say I could be playing if the weather would ever cooperate.

*Zumba and weight lifting with my friend Kristi. I am training for the 2011 WBBC (woman's body building competition) JK. I just want some tone and definition :)

*And more Working...just so we can pay the bills, have some fun, and save a little extra money toward the dream house I am designing in my mind.

*Life is good. We are so blessed. The end.

A whole new world

A few days ago my eyes were opened to the wonderful world of "pioneer woman". I am already hooked, and insanely jealous. If you haven't checked out her blog you should. She is very talented, and entertaining. Not to mention, her food looks delicious! Before I knew it, two hours had gone by and I was still printing off recipes I thought looked yummy. A few nights ago after work (while Dan was at work) I was bored, so I made this raspberry cream pie. It was so easy, and it hit the spot!

Shebang

Life has gotten a lot busier, and soon to be even busier. Here is why: Dan just got another job at Novell working the swing shift (2-11pm). It sucks. I miss him already, and it's only his fourth day. So I sit at work in the office all by my lonesome, busy as bee because I lost my right hand man. Furthermore: School starts on the 25 and I am taking night classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday after work. Okay, I know this is what grown ups do, but I hate working...at least at Watchman. I can't wait for the day when Dan finishes school and makes millions so I don't have to work (a girl can dream, right?)

Well last weekend we decided to make a spur of the moment trip down to St George for one last "shebang" before our lives suck. It was so worth it! Friday night we got settled into our hotel then decided to go to a movie. We saw "Dinner for Schmucks" I have mixed feelings about the show. It was crude...I mean pretty bad. But at the same time I thought it was hilarious. I am a horrible person, right.

Saturday morning we hiked/explored Snow Canyon. It was neat and all, but oh so hott. I would have liked to stay longer, but we just couldn't hack the heat. The rest of the day we spent a lot of time in the pool! Dan was the entertainment of all the little kids because he kept doing different dives in to the pool (back flips, cannon balls, front flips, etc.) They all thought he was pretty neat stuff lol. Later that night we went to dinner at Red Lobster, and I had the best piece of chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Also, we had a gift certificate to the Tuahcan so we went and saw Cats. I hadn't heard anything about it before hand, but the costumes had always sort of freaked me out. I didn't know what to expect, but I really, really enjoyed it! The cast was very talented! Even Dan had a good time :)

Sunday morning, despite the nagging urge to stay, we ate one last complimentary hot breakfast, and headed home....I sure could get used to vacationing every weekend, but real life has officially started up again.


SNOW CANYON:

I played around with the shadows on some of these cause I thought the orange coloring looked really cool!

Pioneer names

Inside one of the caves

Peek-a-boo

I'm there, look closely

TUACAHN:

3 Down

July 28th, 2007 was the start of our little family...three years later we are still going strong. Dan's mom said that is "baby years", but to me it feels like we have been together forever because it's hard for me to remember my life without Dan in it. To celebrate the big 3 we took Mon-Wed off work. We had planned on spending Monday at 7Peaks, but because Jessie had her baby, I spent most of the day over there...and then it rained. Tuesday we headed to Park City and spent the night. We slept at the Best Western, and got free tickets to the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster. We also went and saw Inception...all the hype is definitely worth it. It was so good, and really thought provoking! Kinda funny story-- I am really paranoid about getting good seats at movies; seriously we always show up at least 30 minutes early because I am convinced that's what everyone else will do, and that we will end up sitting on the front row. Honestly, most the time we are early for no reason. Such was the case this time. We were the only ones in the theater for about 15 minutes..hence the crazy pictures below :). Later that night, we ate at Ruby Tuesday. It was INSANELY Delicious. It's my new favorite place. Hmm...just thinking about the lobster makes me salivate. Even my burps tasted good all night long :)

Wednesday we spent the day out of the lake fishing. Later that night we ate at Tucanoes (we were able to really splurge on dinner because we had a $100 visa gift card). Once again yummy, yummy. I definitely over ate...but it's so easy to do when you are constantly brought pieces of tender, juicy meat.

We didn't go far, but it was so nice to have a break from work, and life in general! I love Daniel so very much, and can't wait to spend more of life's adventures together.

I don't know anybody who can pull a better fishy face :)

silly willy

Cheeser

After dinner at Ruby Tuesday

After dinner at Tucanoes. I know it's just another one of us sitting, but I love them all!

I'm an Aunt!

My younger sister Jessie had her baby yesterday morning!!!

I know most of you don't know her, so won't have much interest in this post, but I want to remember this day lol!

So...details... He was five days early, but still weighed over 8 lbs!! She named him William Scott, and he is adorable!!! My aunt Beci is a mid wife in Texas, and came out to deliver the baby. Beci estimated that if he would have been on time he would have weighed about 10 lbs--lucky for her he came early! I don't remember how long is was...( I know, I know, I'm horrible, but I have never had a baby of my own, so I don't pay attention to those details lol.) ...but I do know he is long! He barely fit into a preemie outfit. I can't get enough of him...which is perfect because I get my baby fix, but don't have to deal with the crying all night :) She decided to have a natural birth (how she did it I will never know lol). She had it in a birthing pool. Beci said she did great, and was only in labor for a total of five hours (I guess first time deliveries average about 12 hours...yikes.) She only pushed for about 20 minutes before little William decided to come out. I am so proud of her! The only minor complication was that she hemorrhaged, so she will be taking it easy these next few weeks. After talking to Jessie and Beci about her labor and delivery I realized there is a lot about the whole process I knew nothing about... What is really important in the end is that my sister has a heathly, adorable baby boy, and she is doing well too!

I love babies yawning, it's so cute!

Jessie and her baby boy

William in the preemie outfit I was talking about, you can tell from the sleeves it was small on him.

He slept the entire afternoon that I was there...Jessie said as soon as I left he got fussy...guess he just loves me :)

Chubby cheeks

Lots of dark hair

I sewed this blanket for him by hand because my sewing machine was broken.

Proud aunty :)

Fishing at Scofield

Friday night we closed shop early to head down to Scofield with Dan's family, Grandma and Grandpa Jensen, and two cousins Josh and Quinton. On our way down we got a call from Grandpa saying he needed more rainbow powerbait, so we stopped at Wal-Mart--they were cleaned out! We stopped at big five--they were also cleaned out. We stopped at Cal Ranch, and luckily they had a few cans left! By the time we got to camp everybody except Grandma was already out of the lake so we didn't get to fish Friday night. We helped prepare dinner, which was delicious! We had hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, corn on the cob, watermelon, chips and dip... and much more. After dinner we chatted, ate smore's, and played cards. Bed time came and of course there were a bunch of drunks yelling and being obnoxious all night. It wasn't the best night's sleep...

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning and spent about five hours out on the lake. I was catching fish left and right for about the first two hours. It was very exciting! But after that I caught nothing. That's pretty much how it went for all of us. Around noon we decided to switch from bate to spinners and were able to catch a few more. There were also a bunch of fish that would follow the spinner in all the way to the boat but not get hooked. I tried getting them with the net just for fun, but they were too fast. We let all of them go because I am not a huge trout fan, and it's just a lot easier that way. Grandpa Jensen has a big boat, and Dan, Brent, and his dad recently bought a small fishing boat so everybody was able to be out on a boat fishing! Dan, Brent, Bridgette and I had the small boat all to ourselves Saturday! Being in a boat instead of on shore is much more fun!

Lots of waiting patiently, and lots of catches to make it all worth the wait!

I am looking forward to more fishing excursions this summer!

Stewart Falls

Tonight Dan, Brent, Bridgette, and I hiked to Stewart Falls. I had never been, so I didn't know what to expect. It's up in Sundance, so you take the ski lifts up to the very top then follow a trail that leads you to the waterfalls. It was a leisurely and beautiful trail! At times I thought I was going to need a machete to chop through the foliage! Some places were so thick and overgrown that you couldn't see the trail. We saw lots of wild life--plenty of chip monks, squirrels, and a deer. We also witnessed two squirrels flirting or playing...they may have even been mating for all I know. It was pretty funny. Once they realized they had an audience they got all bashful and hid in the bushes.

Once we got to the waterfall we had a pretty scary moment. Some little kid decided to climb up this steep ledge above the water fall and just kept going and going. He was just free climbing up the mountain, and couldn't have been more than 8 years old. He was the stupidest kid I have ever seen! He wouldn't listen to any of us yelling for him to come back down. He got so high that he disapeared from sight for what seemed like forever. We climbed up the other side of the waterfall to try and see him. We also were yelling across the waterfall trying to see if he was okay. Some other people who were also there sent a young man up after him to help him get down. Finally he reappeared, but he started climbing down the mountain through the middle of the waterfall, we kept yelling for him to stop and go down another way because it was slippery and very mossy. He was just bawling, and I probably would have felt bad for him if he hadn't been such an idiot in the first place. He was able to get down safely, but it was a miracle. He was hiking with his grandpa and I thought that poor old man was going to die of a heart attack. My heart was racing the entire time for that stupid kid that I almost had a heart attack. I thought about recording the entire thing but seriously thought he was going to die, and I didn't want footage of that! It was a pretty effective form of birth control for me :) I officially never want a little boy lol! I guess I am so upset because he was literally so close to dying. Sheeeeesh...okay I am over it.

The gang

Dan and Brent putting their water bottles in the water fall to get them cold

Peace

The Cheever's

The Jensen's

Fun Filled 4th of July Weekend

I always look forward to the 4th for two main reasons:

1-watching fireworks is something Dan and I really enjoy! We have been lucky enough to go to the stadium of fire for the past three years, but weren't able to score free tickets this year :( Instead we decided to haul our guest-bed twin mattress out the front window and on to the roof (It wasn't technically our roof, but the roof of one of the storage sheds just outside our windows...I was so afraid it was going to break and we would fall through to our death, but it was actually pretty sturdy) to watch the Pleasant Grove Fireworks. It ended up being quite a show because we were able to see most of the fireworks going on in North Utah County...including Lindon, Lehi, Pleasant Grove, and Thanksgiving Point. We couldn't see the Stadium fireworks, or any others south of Orem because of big buildings in our way. Nevertheless, PG put on a great show. It lasted for at least 40 minutes. I keep thinking, "Here's the grand finale...no, this is definitely the grand finale...it's gotta be the finale..." but it just kept going and going! Yuki was even mesmerized by them.

2- All the yummy food and BBQ's! This year was the exception to a BBQ, but certainly not to good food. I made pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some yummy summer squash/zuchinni. It was delicious, and looked really good too, but we ate it before I thought about taking a picture.

Another big event this 4th of July weekend:

Cheyenne's baptism!!! She looked so pretty, and very happy on her special day. I got asked to lead the music. Grandma Jensen and Bridgette gave some great talks that were very simplified for Cheyenne, but I felt like they were just perfect for me to hear too! We took some family pictures, and pictures of Chey outside the church, but I don't have any copies yet...

After-wards the family went to eat lunch at Dalton's in Payson. It was yummy as always! We spent the afternoon hanging around and visiting. Later that day Dan, Brent, Jake, Lorin and I went to a spot Dan had found to "bash" their remote control trucks...I know, I know...my husband is a 12 year old boy again :) Ha ha, actually these monster trucks are the real deal. They are gas powered, really fast, and really fun to watch them wreck. I recorded a lot of footage of them "bashing" it up--you can check it out on facebook if you like. Luckily, Dan's truck escaped undamaged, even though he rolled down 30 foot cliffs all day.