New Orleans

At the beginning of the month I went with Bryan to Cisco's Partner Summit in New Orleans. Initially we weren't so excited about the location--we would rather have gone just about anywhere else. But we decided to make the most of it since it's probably not a place we'll visit again.

During the first two days, Bryan was in conference sessions so I shopped Magazine Street and walked the French Quarter. There were lots of great little shops and I really enjoyed myself. The day we got in it was stifling hot but the rest of the time we were there it was absolutely perfect weather, so being outside walking all day was a treat!

The highlight of the trip was that Bryan's company was named Cisco's Small Business Partner of the Year for the western region. We were both pretty excited about that.

We also managed to eat at Emeril's New Orlean's restaurant, and it was absolutely fabulous!

About the pictures:

~The pictures along the top are inside the Catholic church pictured behind the Paul Revere statue. It was an absolutely gorgeous building and I LOVED the stained glass!
~The middle picture is of Bryan and I taking a carriage ride back to our hotel one night
~The cemetary is a random one I happened to come across while walking through a neighborhood!
~The crazy dragon head is actually in front of someone's front door. The guy out front was a reporter taping when we went by.
~Benjamin Franklin statue
~Mardi Gras tree in the airport

Finally, Another Quilt Finished!

I have been working on lots of quilts lately, and I have quite a few in progress, but I was glad to finally get one finished because it's been a while! I made this one for one of Bryan's and my friends who is scheduled to deliver a baby girl tomorrow. I loved this fabric from the first time I saw it and I didn't want to chop the prints up too small so I just did a really simple design. I love how it came out though, and the best part is that the back is done in really, really soft flannel. Also this is the first quilt where all of my mitred corners looked really good. If you don't quilt or sew that probably means nothing to you, but for me it's been the hardest part of quilting to get right. I think the old adage that practice makes perfect is true, and it's nice to see that each one is getting better!

February Fun

Even though Bryan and I aren't big on Valentine's Day in terms of a romantic celebration, we do make it a big deal for the kids. Earlier in the month Ryan and his friend Noelle spent an afternoon decorating heart cookies. I don't know if it's the difference between boys and girls or between being 3 1/2 and almost 5, but it was interesting to see how different their cookies were. Noelle's were really cute and Ryan's just had all sorts of stuff slopped together. Regardless of how they looked, they tasted great!

On Valentine's morning the kids had fun with their new treasures. They both got new PJ's, bubbles, a cool light up ball and some candy. Annie got a new fancy dress (she is all about fancy dresses) and Ryan got a new game for his Leapster which has provided hours of entertainment, as seen in the last picture of the kids together.

January in Review

I can't believe that January has already come and gone! I had to go through my pictures and my calendar to see where the month went! Mostly it was comprised of getting back into a normal routine after the holidays.

I have decided that this year I really want to focus on simplifying our lives as much as possible. To that end I spent a lot of time in January cleaning out our garage, closets and cabinets in an effort to get rid of stuff we don't need. I'm one who cleans up and cleans out frequently, and I'm still always amazed at how much stuff I found that we don't really need. It has gotten me to start really questioning my purchases as well because I realize all those things had to come from somewhere!

One event worth noting is that Ryan officially started Primary in January. I was called as a primary worked at the end of December so it's fun to be in there together (I don't actually teach his class, but we are both in junior primary and I sit behind him during Sharing time).

I guess that's it! This month I'll work on getting my camera out a little more often and doing some things that are a little more exciting!

2011 Goals

I've always been a goal-oriented person, but that past couple of years I've been so caught up in the day-to-day craziness of life that I haven't done a lot of goal setting. All that changes now, however, and I'm getting back on track. I feel like when other people know about your goals you are automatically more inclined to work toward them, so here are the things I am working toward this year:

· Go to the temple once a month
· Date night once a month
· Go to the gym three times a week
· Walk Jackson twice a week
· Make a quilt to donate
· Take two quilting classes
· Run Pat’s Run in April
· Follow household budget and add a specified amount to savings
· Read the scriptures or something church-related every day

What are your goals for the new year?

2010 in Review

I'm not one for doing Christmas letters, but I have been thinking a lot about the past year--it was a good one! We took some fun family trips, got Ryan potty trained (YAY!), Annie outgrew her milk and egg allergies and clawed her way back onto the growth chart and into the normal range, Ryan started preschool and Bryan had an extremely successful year business-wise, even with the economy on the skids.

As for me, I started doing two things I never though I could--running and quilting. As much as I have tried, I cannot love running, but I can now run 5 miles without any problem. For me that is HUGE. Running has always been my personal holy grail, and mentally it's been a really good thing.

Quilting kind of came out of nowhere. In February I decided to make a little patchwork blanket for a cousin who was having a baby. I got the top done then had no idea how to finish it. My friend Rachel (a.k.a. quilter extraordinaire) helped me get it tied and bound and gave me a few words of encouragement--"you can totally do this." I believed her, went out and bought a book of quilt patterns for beginners, and therein began something beautiful. I have never before had a real hobby, but I really, really love quilting. For a former career woman who sometimes feels like my daily accomplishments are less than significant, being able to make something beautiful is very affirming.

Here are a few of the fun things I've made this year:

Christmastime at Disneyland

I've been to Disneyland a LOT of times in my life, but never at Christmas time. I'd heard that the lights and decorations were amazing, and since the kids really like lights, we decided a quick trip was in order.

We invited Bryan's parents to come with us, and were so glad we did! The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa there, and it was nice having 4 adults and only 2 kids (Bryan and I even got to ride the Matterhorn --what a treat!). The weather was amazing, especially considering it was December. It was actually so warm that I had to buy a t-shirt because I was dying in my lightweight sweater!

Everyone had a ball and even though it was a really quick trip--drive on Friday, Disneyland on Saturday and home on Sunday--we're really glad we went!

Zoo Lights Times Two!

Every year at Christmastime we go to Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo. The lights are really phenomenal and the kids love it (I love it, too). This year we went to the preview for donors while my parents were here, then the next week we went again when Keate and Melissa and their crew were down for Thanksgiving.

Annie Turns 2!

Birthday morning on her new pony

Opening presents at home that night

Checking out the tigers across from where we had her party

Feeding a giraffe

Opening presents with a little help from Dad

As a Mom I am constantly amazed at the personalities that my kids exhibit. Annie is and has pretty much always been an animal lover. If we're out shopping and she sees a bird, she runs toward it. If she sees a dog, she wants to pet it. Because of her love for animals we decided it would be fun to have her party this year at the zoo. The area where we were set up was directly across from the tigers. During the party he must've seen something because he started roaring like crazy. It was kind of creepy, but also really cool. We were also right along the backside of the giraffe exhibit and right next to the area where you can go and feed the giraffes. Annie and Ryan both went up to feed them and while Annie absolutely loved it, the whole thing freaked Ryan out and he decided he'd rather not be a part of it.

All in all it was a great day. I know Annie won't remember this party as time goes on, but it sure was fun to watch her thoroughly enjoy her day!

Happy Halloween!

This year when we asked Ryan what he wanted to be for Halloween, he responded, "I want to be Buzz Lightyear and Dad's going to be Woody." Well OK then! With that in mind, we decided Annie would make a darling little Jessie and if I had time I'd come up with something to resemble Bo Peep. Here's the finished product--what do you think?