Laides in red

Boy am I gonna miss these girls over Christmas.....

And even more, Claire is leaving while I am going to be out of town! That thought is bringing tears to my eyes..... :(

O Christmas Tree

Last weekend Kelli and I put our tree up! Its fun having a roommate that helps you do stuff, and is your best friend too :)
After getting our Christmas decor up, we went to the Eccles Center and checked out some of the trees there, it was pretty neat. Then, we grabbed some Greek food (Which actually took a REALLY long time to get), and we headed to the Ogden Christmas Parade with Kelli's mom and Justin. They even had fireworks at the end, impressive. Then we walked through the village on our way to see August Rush, great movie, I highly recommend it.

Check it all out below.
(P.S. When I have pictures, I tend to write less, as you will see in most of my recent posts)

The tree all done up

A few ornaments in detail

I really like this one, I am still working on my photography skills though

Hanging out on Washington Blvd. watching the parade

The typical Justin face. I guess he doesn't like to smile, even with his mommy

Sportin the headband, he he he

Bonfire

Last weekend Chad had a little get together at his house, and it's always a good time at the Chadaroo's. Kelli and her friend Erin came a little later in the evening, and I got to watch Chad's dad take a straight shot of Whiskey, sick.
Charles was also in town, and a few of Chad's friends that he has known since high school stopped by for a while too. We ended up playing Cranuim Wow, the game I got Chad for Christmas to make his place just that much better.
Here's a re-cap from the night....

Man, we are a good lookin group. :)

Just the girls

A little up close but still a good pic.

Things are good in the kitchen when you are hangin out with your best friend.

Chad manning the fire outside.

Chad having a beer with one of his cousins that came. He had some family in town for Thanksgiving so we got to meet them, it was a good time, and his little baby cousin was so cute! I didn't get any pictures of him though.

Charles cheesin it up for me.

Thanksgiving

For the second year in a row I have had the pleasure of going with Kelli and her family on Thanksgiving. If she is reading this, she knows the meaning of what I just said, and hopefully she is chuckling. Their family has a tradition of going to a family friend's house named Sandy. She is a little, different, but I do admit the food was good. And it is always fun times hanging out with Kelli's family, especially her mom and Justin.

I am sure Justin was saying something silly to make us laugh.

Providing our own entertainment for the evening.

Kris pinching Justin's cheeks to try and get him to laugh, because as you can see below, he's not one for making good faces at the camera.

Aussie style

Alright, I am finally getting back into the picture blogging world.
Thank goodness for internet at home :)

A couplw Fridays ago Kelli, Claire and I went to the Outback for a deliceious dinner.
Here's a couple pictures to check out.....

Claire being her awesome self and posing with the bread loaf.

I guess we were just too good that night make funny faces at the camera.

The Golden Compass

Don't go see this movie....unless you want to support an Atheist.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Festive Information

I had a great time with Kelli and her family for Thanksgiving, pictures will be coming soon.
I also was able to find some people who make gluten-free desserts, so I got to have my fill of Pumpkin Cheesecake yesterday, and it was de-lics-ous.

I also found out a pretty cool piece of trivial information from my mom yesterday, quite fitting for the holiday.

My uncle Dane, who lives in Virginia, was asked by a friend if he was related to any of the Gay family (that is their last name) that lives in a city near by. Unaware that there were others in the area with the last name of Gay, my uncle decided to do a little research.

Turns out, our family is related to Pocahontas.
Yeah, after marrying Englishman John Rolfe, years later they ended up having a grandaugther who married a Dr. William Gay, who is one of our ancestors.

Kinda cool to find out on Thanksgiving.

As of today, I will officially have internet at my house for the first time in three years. I will be getting some pictures posted, soon.

Hope your holiday was great!

Update-no pictures

I have been spending the last week hanging out with my twin cousins while their mom has been out of town. It has been pretty fun, especially last night when I helped them and their friends get ready for their Halloween Dance. Oh to be 14 again....ha ha. Wiley dressed up as an 80's girl, with a side pony and leg warmers, it was awesome. Karly and her friends were all tree huggers, except with really stylish hair, with the help of yours truly.
It is really kind of nice that the girls are a little older now, and it's not like I have to really babysit them. I remember when I first moved back to Utah, when they were seven, that was a little chaotic. But I am glad that I have family here that I feel closer to.

On another note, I got some of the results back from the tests on my stomach. Looks like I will be changin up my diet pretty heavily, but that probably is a good thing.
I still have a few more tests to do, so please continue to pray for that and wisdom from my doctor.

I am happy to say that I already have my ticket to fly to Seattle for Christmas, and I will get to stay a whole week this time! I had previously asked my dad for an espresso machine, but I may be trading that in for a bread maker :) Not quite as cool, but definitely something that I need more than I want.

And Kelli is doing a dinner theater table with me again this year, it is going to be a blast. Plus, I am really excited that I have my own China that we will get to use, and it is really pretty!

Halloween is coming up, and no, I am not dressing up. I will be spending some much needed time with some of my girls though, I can't wait!

Happy weekend to you all.

Chop-chop

I am about 2 inches away from being able to donate my hair. Wow.

I haven't had hair this long since my senior year of high school....that was 8 years ago.

Lets take a look back at the progress....

This is December 2005

May of 2006

And, August of 2007.
My hair has come a long way, he he.

99 Balloons

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
May the name of the Lord be praised."

Job 1:21

http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/570/99-Balloons

Savior

This is very cool, check it out.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

Snow Penalty

Lauren (Jose's niece) and I at the U of U vs. Utah State game.

We only stayed at the game for about a half hour, due to the downpour of snow that was getting dumped on us.
And we wore garbage bags because they ran out of U of U logoed ponchos.

But I still like watching football :)

Because....

I miss you

II Timothy 4:7,8
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Revelation 21:3-5
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new! "

Quarter of a century

I got to celebrate my birthday at home for the first time in seven years! Crazy.
My parents were both very good to me, I got great presents, and I spent time with some old friends that I haven't seen, as well as my best friend Kel. I was so happy that she got to come up to Seattle and spend time there with me for Amy's wedding. She was such a great helper.

My brother and me with our mom. We are kind of pulling silly faces, really were just looking away from the camera. This was at Black Angus, I haven't been there for years and they have fabulous steak and bread.

We always look good together :)

This is Ana, I have known her since high school. My brother actually dated her for some time, but she is married now, to someone I introduced her to! Weird. This is my only matchmaking experience, glad to know it worked out well!

This was on my actual birthday, which I spent with my Dad, Karen, and my two brothers in Seattle. We went to lunch on the waterfront and did a little shopping of course. I am attempting to show off my birthday presents, a cute little Coach clutch from Karen and a peridot\diamond ring from my dad.

I can't believe Michael actually caught my dad smiling, he never smiles in pictures.....he must really love me :)

The weekend after I got home, Kelli and Chad took me out for dinner, kind of as a late birthday celebration. They know my love for Italian food, so we went to Biaggi's at the Gateway. I had the most tasty seafood pasta dish ever!

Thanks for everyone who made my 25th birthday so great!

My enemies are the Enemy

Psalm 69

1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother's sons;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD,
out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
29 I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me.
30 I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.

The wedding

And lastly, pictures of the wedding! I don't have any of the actualy ceremony just yet, my brother was put in charge of my camera, but he didn't take any pictures. Here are a few to share though.

Amy in her dress. This was about a five minute ordeal just to get it on!

A hug from her mom, so precious.

Pose'n it up.

At the reception, the maid of honor toast.

Watching a video of John and Amy

Their cake, buttercream is oh so delicious.

Hopefully I can get some copies of the ceremoney from their photographer to post later. But you get the idea now!

Part two-wedding day preparation

We're just hours away from the big moment, getting ourselves all dolled up and ready.
Here are a few previews.

Amy's pretty mom getting all curled up.

Au-naturel. But still so cute!

Pre make-up, but at least the hair is done. And Kel was so good at taking pictures of all of us.

Amy's pretty princess hair!

Amy's friend Kim who was also a bridesmaid. I loved the way her hair turned out.

And finally getting the make-up done.

Seattle Bride

So here they finally are, pictures from Amy's wedding!
Thursday night was the rehersal dinner, it was held at one of my favorite Italian Restaurants, Mama Stortini's. Here are some of the details....

Just a view of the serving table before we ate.

Amy and her mom, cute!

This is Chad, John's step-brother. Amy and John rode in a horse and carriage from the wedding ceremony to the reception center, so Chad was given a bucket and shovel as their official pooper scooper! His other nickname, thanks to Kelli, is Washington ass. You can ask her about that one if you want.

The bride to be and maid of honor :)

Amy's dad cheesing it up for me with their family, including the cute little flower girl, she was SO good in the wedding!

And of course, the best piece of Tiramisu ever.