The Taylor's

Kitchen Remodel 4

2011-11-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to finally finish the kitchen! The new design, tile, backsplash, and counters look wonderful! It is amazing how much larger the kitchen looks now that it is finished.

Kitchen Remodel 3

2011-11-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

James and I tried to do a lot of the work but we did need some help with most of it. Lynn taught us how to lay backerboard, lay tile, and grout.

Kitchen Remodel 2

2011-11-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

It all began as a work in progress... By the way look at the bottom row 2nd picture... you see that amazing item??!! Yes!!! I have a dishwasher finally!

Kitchen Remodel

2011-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

One of the least favorite things about our house when we bought it was the kitchen design. It was very poorly designed with little room for a table. James' good friend is a skilled woodsman and offered to help us remodel our kitchen. We tried to use as much of the kitchen that was already in place to save some money.

Rent

2011-10-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Back to the me summer....

I absolutely love the movie Rent. My dream was to go to New York City to watch the Broadway but I knew there was no way I would get James to go with me. I was ecstatic to learn that it would be playing in Salt Lake. So I recruited my friend Jamie to go with me. I didn't get any pictures (in fact I stole this from Jamie) but I had an amazing time! It was a wonderful show!

Cake Decorating Class

2011-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Remember that "Me summer" post? Well I am finally getting around to posting some of the things that I did off my list. One of them was to attend a cake decorating class.

So here is my attempt at learning a new hobby. We started out really basic on cookies so it looks pretty cheesy at first.

So here's the progression through my class....

Steelhead Fishing

2011-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

A little late on this post but I found these pictures buried in my iPhoto. For James' birthday this year I gave him a trip to go steelhead fishing in northern Idaho. His dad and cousin also tagged along on the trip. He had an amazing time and keeps talking about it. He plans on doing it again next year.

Archery Elk Hunt

2011-10-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

For the last 5 years that James and I have been together he has gone archery elk hunting. Each time coming home with big stories and no elk. This year I was expecting the same results but was pleasantly surprised. He was so proud of himself and his prize!

We butchered the whole elk by ourselves with the help of his dad. We even hand ground the meat! It was a two day process that I hope to not have to do in a LONG time!

Grandpa Fowles

2011-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a really, really, really tough week for me. My grandpa, Gary Earl Fowles, passed away. He was such an amazing man. He was stronger than any person I know. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over 30 years ago. He was a lineman for Raft River Electric and kept falling off the poles. He struggled over and over with this disease. At one point he was wheelchair bound and willed himself to walk again. This is only a small glimpse into his personal fortitude.

One of my absolute favorite stories about my grandpa involves me, of course! When I was around 3 years old, I was throwing up everything I ate one day. My mom had to work and my dad asked if my grandparents would watch me. I was throwing up everything that they gave me and they were getting concerned. My grandma was reading me Goldilocks and the Three bears. My grandpa said, "Casie, I know what will make you feel better. Porridge." So he went up to the kitchen and made me a bowl of cream of wheat (with a special ingredient-- that I still add today) I was in heaven with my porridge and kept it down. My dad came to pick me up and took me home. Later on that night my dad calls my grandparents and asks them, "What in the HELL is porridge?" To this day cream of wheat is porridge and it always makes me think of him.

As he was laying in bed and we were saying our goodbyes, it was so difficult to see my hero slowly fading. He had a stroke two days before he passed that left him with left sided weakness and almost complete aphasia (inability to talk). I came up next to him and told him that I loved him so much. I told him that when he gets to heaven to teach my kids about porridge. I told him I was so excited for them to meet him.

My grandpa was tired and his fight was long. He was my hero and I will miss him always. There is peace in my heart knowing that he is actually walking upright without pain. I love you grandpa!

Little Red Riding Hood 2011

2011-09-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

This year I recruited Erin and Malorie to ride Little Red Riding Hood with me. Check out here and here for my past two rides and an explanation of what little red is. It was both of their first long rides so we only did the 50 mile. There are plans in the works to complete the 100 mile next year. It is so much easier to ride with these two than alone and I really loved riding with them.

Again I make this huge disclaimer.... I know I don't look good in spandex... I DON'T CARE

One of the fundraisers that was there involved glitter tattoos....
So, of course, all three of us had to get one! The tan lines from these looked wicked!
Thanks mom for meeting us at our rest stops and taking our picture! You were an awesome semi-support car!

A Me Summer

2011-06-01T09:17:00.001-07:00

So I decided that I needed to spend some time on me this summer. I have let my hobbies, interests, body, and life go in the name of school and work. So I have set a goal to do things this summer that I have always wanted to do. Some things may not get done to money restraints but I sure hope so. So I'll see at the end of the coming months how much I got done.

1. Attend a quilting class and finish the quilt
2. Attend a cake decorating class
3. See the play "Rent"
4. Ride my bike in The Little Red Riding Hood Ride
5 . Go camping
6. Go skydiving

Here are the financial barriers that will limit me in my fun times. This summer we need to:
1. Re shingle my roof
2. Crack repair and seal our asphalt
3. Replace siding that is ruined
4. Remodel the kitchen

So we'll see what really happens... I'll keep you posted!

Skiing

2011-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went skiing this year and it was an adventure for both of us. James had only skied a couple times before this and it was when he was in high school. I hadn't skied since I was 14. I was eager to try it again and convinced him to join me. People said it was like riding a bike -- you never forget-- and guess what?! They were right! Granted my skills were not nearly like it used to be, but I felt comfortable at least.

You'll have to forgive my pose. I am not actually posing! The boots did not fit me the greatest and kept my legs constantly bent. By the end of the night my thighs were on FIRE!!

Birthday Boy

2011-04-29T09:47:00.001-07:00

James celebrated his 26th birthday this March and all he wanted was a big party. So what did we did we do? I threw a party! We held it in our garage (thank goodness) so there was less mess to clean up!

As you can tell... he had a good time!

Suturing Pig's Feet

2011-04-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

To begin our adventure of suturing in school, instead of some poor unlucky soul, we used pig feet! The only problem that does not come across in the picture is that the pig feet were rotten and STUNK! I am not kidding they STUNK! So much so, that on the drive home I could still smell them in my nose and I was nauseous the rest of the day.

This is definitely a skill that I need to practice more. I was clumsy with the tools and needle. So have no fear if you have a cut I will come find you to let me practice! :)

You couldn't see my nice vertical mattress stitch in the last picture so we had to get an up close and personal one!

Care Bear

2011-04-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

My grandma has a care bear suit from when she owned the video store and one day we located it in her closet! Well of course somebody had to try it on! Luckily you can't see my head!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-04-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

I am wayy late on this posting but I figured better late than never. My aunt came and visited us from California so we decided to take a family trip to the pumpkin patch. We loaded up and headed to Oakley.

The girls posing.

Sophia did not want to have her picture taken!
Kaleb and Sydney bringing back the haul!

The baby had to be hauled with the pumpkins!

The adults posing for the kids!
Becky, Mal, and Sydney playing bowling with pumpkins.

Coconut

2011-04-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

I got some fresh coconut in my bountiful basket one week and I needed to do something with it. So I found a recipe for coconut cupcakes and Mal and I set off on an adventure. I first had to watch numerous youtube videos on how to correctly open a coconut. Then Mal wanted to try the coconut water and was thoroughly disgusted. She did not like the taste nor the texture of it!

She had the grating job after I got all the shell off. She didn't tell me this until after that when she got sick of it she would just throw big chunks in. Needless to say eating the cupcakes had a risk of breaking a tooth!

I thought I would attach the recipe for the cupcakes because they are DELICIOUS!! Mal almost ate all of them in one night. The flavor is so wonderful there is no need for frosting. Plus you don't have to do all the work and just go buy a bag of coconut. :)

efore starting: Butter and flour a medium-sized muffin pan. Pre-heat oven at 390 °F (200 °C).

Ingredients:

2 cups of coconut, grated
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of butter, creamed
2 eggs
1 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of lemon peels (optional)
A pinch of salt

Preparation:

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Put aside.
Mix sugar and butter and whip until it turns a light color. Add eggs one by one, waiting until the previous one is thoroughly mixed before adding the next. Add flour and coconut and keep beating until they are well mixed.
Pour two spoonfuls of the batter in each muffin cup (you can use an icing tip for better presentation)
Bake until they turn golden brown on top. Serve at room temperature.

Valentine's Day Cookies

2011-04-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Malie and I decorated cookies for valentine's day. I actually was going to do them with James for a date but he said it was a stupid idea; so Malie and I had fun instead. Afterwards we then pawned them off on some poor souls to eat them! :)

I sure do love this girl! She makes life so much fun!
Some of the amazing designs that were produced!

Selling my sled

2011-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hey we are selling my 2008 ski doo summit X 163" track snowmobile if ya'all know of anyone looking. Click here for a link to the info... Thanks!

Snowmobiling

2011-02-23T09:18:00.001-08:00

We went snowmobiling on president's day after the snow storm and it was so good to get away. We only went up to Pomerelle but had some pretty good snow. My dad, Malorie, Kaleb, James, and I loaded up and headed to the mountain.

Mali is getting to be a more aggressive rider. She was so excited that she got some air! She wants to go "fast" now! :)

Pssshhhh Luke I am your father!
We found this little jump and dorked around on it.

High Rollers

2011-02-01T20:25:00.001-08:00

When we moved into our house James' dad gave his old washer and dryer. We were so thankful that we did not have to add another expense to our always growing house budget. Scott has owned the washer and dryer for at least 20 years. Well.... they finally started to give out on us. In order to have clean clothes I would have to run two cycles on one load and the dryer took an average time of two hours per load. I should have gotten a picture of them together but only got the washer. Out with the old....

In with the new...!!!! I researched long and hard before deciding on what brand/style/features to get. We finally decided on getting these (click on it for a link). I am sooooo soooo excited. They claim that you can wash a load in 18 minutes and dry in 15. So far we have only washed one load and I am already impressed. What normally would have taken me two and half loads didn't even come close to filling my new one!

James' Gets Braces

2011-01-25T15:41:00.001-08:00

We are halfway through James' jaw issues and I am excited there is a light at the end of the tunnel. They anticipate 2 years in braces with a retainer after they are finished.

When we sat down with the consultation lady she teased him about getting pink and green bands for his braces. So he choose pink and green of course!

Whale Watching

2010-12-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

We went on a whale watching tour and well it was a whale of a good time. I can say that I would only do it once but it was cool. It wasn't the season for them to jump in the air so we really only caught these small glimpses.

Random

2010-12-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it got started but every animal we saw James had to have a picture by it. So here are some random ones we got.

Eagle

2010-12-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

A fisherman threw a fish out in the water and told us to have our camera ready. I was so happy to have dad's sequence camera because I got to catch all the frames of the bald eagle catching the fish. It was an awesome sight to see.

Halibut Fishing

2010-12-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

We went deep sea fishing in Icy Straight Point and finally a 3rd time was a charm. WE FINALLY CAUGHT SOME FISH!! Halibut are bottom feeders so both their eyes are on top of their bodies. They are ugly looking fish but they are delicious. We sent home around 3o pounds of fish.

Lumberjack Show

2010-12-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

We went to a lumberjack show on one of our stops and it was fun to watch them compete in their different events.

Alaska

2010-12-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

Alaska

2010-12-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

I just did a collage to show all the beautiful scenery. It was so breathtaking to see all the wildlife, mountains, lakes, and ocean.

Avocado Dressed Shrimp

2010-10-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

I tried a new recipe tonight and it turned out delicious! I was a little apprehensive about it but the tastes and textures blended so well. So here is my attempt at Avocado-Dressed Shrimp a la Mexicana.

12 oz (about 2 1/2 cups) medium cooked shrimp -- peeled and devined

1 medium sweet onion -- cut into 1/4" pieces

1 large ripe tomato -- cut into 1/4 " pieces

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1 medium avocado

1/3 cup cilantro -- loosely packed and think bottom stems cut off

1. In medium bowl, combine shrimp, onion, and tomato. Set aside.

2. Pour lime juice, cilantro, and avocado into food processor. Process until smooth. (I used my pampered chef chopper)

3. Mix dressing with shrimp mixture.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

(Best if eaten within two hours of being made)

Good luck it tastes wonderful!

Not forgotten

2010-10-11T12:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,

I have not forgotten you. You see dear blog I have been extremely busy recently. Going to school full-time and working full-time has limited my time I can spend with you dear friend. I have also decided that when it rains it pours in our household. Recently, our garage door opener went out, our water heater blew up, found out that all the wiring/exhaust/duct work for heater wrong, and dealing with our flooded bathroom has consumed most of my time. So dear blog please forgive me as I hit my head against a cement wall. See you soon in a more dazed state!

--Casie

Wild Cow Ride

2010-08-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

James volunteered to take part in the Wild Cow Ride during the fair. For those of you that don't know what a wild cow ride is, let me explain. You have a group of three people and one wild cow. A saddle is placed in the middle of the arena. The cow has a rope that is the lifeline of the boys. Basically, the goal is to get the cow to stop, saddle the cow, and one of the teammates has to ride the cow between two cones. It actually is ALOT harder than it sounds. He he We all got a good laugh at James. The first night he ripped a huge hole in the crotch of his pants! (He was working pretty hard!)

Grandpa and Grandma Fowles came to the rodeo on Saturday night. I had to get a picture of grandpa riding his scooter around the fair.

These are the videos from the two nights of adventures. You'll have to forgive my camera skills because I got to excited about what was going on and my camera wandered.

Blah

2010-08-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting to post but just felt it was one of those days that has to be documented. I have been at work for the last 16 hours and I am exhausted. I have never fought so hard for what I believed was right and struggled with the hurdles. There were many times that I had to step into "my office" (the bathroom) and take a breather. In the end the reward was worth it. I got to witness a family's goodbye and heaven's hello. What a special occasion to be allowed to be apart of. People open their hearts and I hope that I give them the support and encouragement that they need.

I used to pray every day before work for the first two years that I would not kill anyone. I now pray to be the nurse that touches someone's heart. Today I hope I did that.

Sneak Peak of our AK adventure

2010-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

One Year Later

2010-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Wow; time flies! I can't believe a year has already passed! It was the hottest day of the year and I can still remember the sweltering heat! It has been a great year and I am looking forward to many years to come!

We celebrated our one year anniversary on a cruise to Alaska. Pictures to come!

First day of fishing

2010-06-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

James has been itching to go fishing. I got off early work one day and we decided to go. James had just gotten off work as well (as you can see he is filthy). We didn't stay very long and we didn't get any fish but James was excited to get the season underway!

I didn't have my fishing license so Stormy and I played around the docks.
Our little black baby is turning gray, just like her dad!

Here comes trouble

2010-06-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Megan (my old roomie from Salt Lake, best friend, partner in many crimes, and bridesmaid) moved to Boise this month!!!! YAY!!!! Shortly after I moved to Idaho she moved to Atlanta and I was pretty much sad. Then one bright and glorious day she called to tell me she was moving to Idaho! Yee Haw!!

I went up to Boise to help her unpack and of course have some girl time! It was a short visit but there will be many more to come!

We're back in business

2010-06-12T15:50:00.001-07:00

We're back in the chicken business! We found out that Valley Wide still sold chicks this late in the season and we were very excited. Well more like it was hard to see all that money go to waste so we bought some more. This time we are starting out with five and hoping that at least three will live. These ones are starting out a lot smaller than our first batch so this will be another interesting endeavor.

I was holding her in my hand to give you a reference of how small they are.

Girls Night

2010-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Boise to watch an amazing concert with my mom, my aunt, and a few of our co-workers. It was the bands Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin, The Shinedown, and Sick Puppies. It was a really good concert and one of the most pyrotechno shows I've seen. They had fire and fireworks going most of the time.

These screens on the top of the picture moved all over the stage. They were pretty cool to watch.

Little Red Riding Hood

2010-06-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Little Red Riding Bicycle ride is put on by The Bonneville Cycling Club. It is a fully supported, non-competitive, Women only cycling event. With 18, 35, 57, 80 and 100 mile distances, there is a ride for everyone. This year I rode 80 miles and it went so much smoother than last year. The weather was gorgeous and it was a great day for riding. It makes the ride so much nicer when the weather cooperates.

Average speed: 15.4 MPH

Highest speed: 37.4 MPH

Here I am dressed and ready for the starting line.

This is a picture of only a few of the women in the race. It has a cap of 3000 women and this years registration was full within 29 days!
I had to take a picture of the decent weather because I didn't think it was going to last.
Here I am at half-way!! Wahooo!!! I was so excited to be at this point.
I had a leak in one of my tubes and the nice support staff gave me a free tube and changed it for me! It is so nice to be pampered on this ride. I felt like Lance Armstrong with my own personal support staff.
I met up with some of my old co-workers from LDS ICU and it was so good to have a riding companion. We rode the rest of the ride together until they had to split off and finish the 100 mile loop! It was so nice to see a familiar face and to catch up with old friends.
This is me about 2 miles from the finish line and I was ecstatic! Wahooo! I'm so proud of myself!

McCasie's no good farm

2010-06-04T13:35:00.001-07:00

So here's the finished chicken coop! I'll get to the part where I am a no good rotten chicken farmer but I was quite proud of us because I think the coop looks amazing!

So we started out with four chickens. We raised them from cute little chicks to big chickens. We felt they were safe to run around with Stormy in our yard. They did great for about a week and then we come home to find one dead chicken. We were down to three. Stormy got in trouble and we hoped that would end the chicken eating phase. The next day we came home an empty house and no chickens. We had to search hard one was stuck in the corner with her head through the chain link, one was hidden under a tree, and the other one was a mystery. We search and searched finally found her behind our a/c unit hidden by leaves. We decided at that point it was time to fence them back in. We we went about bought more chicken wire (which by the way isn't cheap) and corned off a piece of yard for them. That was working wonderfully for us. We went away and on a weekend trip and my dad looked after our animals for us. We came home to a intact animal family and we were happy. We went to bed that night after tucking in our little family and thanked the Lord for our many blessings. Well the next morning I put feed out for them and then came back in to do chores. Mid-afternoon I realized I hadn't seen the chickens all morning and that is really unlike them. So I headed out to check on them. As I got closer to the coop I saw feathers EVERYWHERE and there was blood all down the side of the coop. I knew it couldn't be good. I lifted up the lid and found a completely beheaded chicken and the two others missing. James later found them in our neighbors trees completely tore up. Chick season is officially over and we can't get anymore this year. So the chicken coop will go in the garage until next year where we can again waste hundreds of dollars on animals that will be dead before they can produce any eggs.

Thanks Dad

2010-05-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

My dad gave these to me for Mother's Day! Thanks! They are beautiful and make me smile!

I love you!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T09:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!! What a gorgeous day to celebrate the wonderful women in our life!

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

I found some tributes to the special mom's in our lives from back in the day!

I love you Mom! You have been a rock in my life! I can't count how many times you have dropped everything to do something for me. You light up my life!

Flower Love

2010-05-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

James surprised me at work the other day by having these delivered to me! Inside the bag were delicious cookies!! I love James so much! He treats me so well and words can't express my gratitude.

Flagstone Patio

2010-04-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

When we moved into our house there was a flagstone patio already in place. It was overtaken by grass and you could barely see the rocks. I wish I would have taken a before picture to show you my hard work. So I tore up (yes, I did it all by myself) all the rocks, dug up the grass, leveled the ground, and laid down a weed/grass barrier. I then had the lovely task of laying back down all the rocks in some order and filling it in with sand.

I put them down like this and then realized that I needed to work on one area and not the long strip so I had to tear it back up and start over. It was a LONG project!
This is the finished project, I think it looks pretty spiffy myself. Now, if we can only keep Stormy from digging in it!

Girls Night

2010-04-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

I went on a girls night to Boise with two of my co-workers. We went out to eat at an awesome sushi restaurant, watched a Steelheads hockey game, played out on the town, and crashed in a luxurious room at the Grove Hotel.

Amy got Ring of Fire, a kind of sushi roll, and it literally came with fire. This is the waitress lighting her roll on fire!

It didn't burn very long but it was a fun little adventure.
I love me some sushi!
This is at the hockey game and we had amazing seats. We were in the front row next to the plexiglass and on the corner by the net. It was a fun game to watch but only one good fight!

Night of Fun

2010-04-21T15:22:00.001-07:00

We went to Bret and Janae's for a night of fun. Somehow it always seems that we end up playing on toys and somebody trying to go bigger and better. Riding the souped up 50 is a blast!

Here is when the boys start trying to out-do each other!

Funny Farm

2010-04-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yep! It's official we now own a funny farm! We have "adopted" four chickens to raise for eggs this year. We figured we could use the eggs and the free fertilizer isn't a bad option either. I found a slight scratch that MAJOR problem. Stormy wants to eat our newest addition. Today I let them roam around our garden for the first time and the smallest one squeezed through the fence holes and into the yard with Stormy. I had a come-apart. I'm screaming at Stormy to let the chicken go as she's trying to eat her. I'm trying to jump the fence to save the chicken and luckily the chicken some how got out and squeezed back through the hole. I'm sure my neighbors are wondering what the heck went on. I'm still scolding Stormy and trying to figure out how this is going to work.

We got two Rhode Island Reds (they are the larger ones) and two Ameraucanas. The Reds lay brown eggs and the ameraucanas lay blue and green eggs.

Here is Stormy eyeing the chickens. In about five minutes I have a come-apart.

Easter

2010-04-09T13:11:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome Easter this year. We celebrated by going to my aunt's house and having dinner with our extended family. It is always wonderful to see everyone in Malta. However, I didn't get any pictures while we were out there.

I did want to showcase the beautiful flowers that Erin gave me for Easter.

Malorie and I decided to have a girls day and had a blast. We went to the Upper Crust to eat for lunch and then we bought speciality cheeses and Root beer milk. We then headed to my house to dye Easter eggs.

Mali worked extra hard on this polka dot egg. She spent most of the time on this one egg. It looked great afterward though!
Some of the finished eggs
Mali posing will our finished eggs. She proudly is displaying her polka dot one up front!

Graduate School

2010-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

So it's official.... I cried reading these words:

"Dear Casie,

Congratulations! You have been recommended to the Graduate School for admission to the Idaho State University of Nursing Master of Science Nurse Practitioner program."

I can't believe I am going back to school, again!!! I will be taking one class this summer semester and then come fall I'll be back full-time. We aren't sure how this is going to affect me working full-time so we may have to live on student loans for a few years. I'll most likely be driving to and from Pocatello everyday. This is going to be a huge change for us but one that we are both excited for!!!

James' 25th Birthday

2010-03-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

James turned a quarter of century this year! He celebrated his birthday by going snowmobiling in Preston with some friends. I made a banner to hang on the door when he walked in. I finally figured out how to use my Cricut and I love it!!

He is shaking his surprise ball to figure out what is inside them.
Lots of unwrapping to do!
Ok so here is the puzzle put together. James struggled with the meaning of the puzzle so I basically had to spell it out for him.

1-yellow- Us

2-blue- boat

3-red-July

4-green- Alaska

1+2+3+4= We're going on cruise to Alaska in July!!!!!!!

He was so excited once he figured it out! This is one of his dream trips and I'm so happy that I finally get to do a trip for him.

Austin and his girlfriend came to dinner with us.
Of course, don't forget dear old mom and dad!
After dinner we went out with some friends!

Surprise Balls

2010-03-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

There is a blog that I follow that I absolutely love some of the projects she makes. Recently, this one has caught my eye. They are called surprise balls. This Blog demonstrates how to make surprise balls.

This is actually going to be James' birthday present! Don't worry it won't give it away! (Plus he never reads the blog) These pieces are actually foam pieces that I drew on and then cut them into a puzzle. Once James opens his gift I will post a picture of the different puzzles and you can see the wonderful surprise in store for him! I can't wait to see his face!

I didn't start will a circle item in the middles so my ball it isn't a true circle. If you read the blog she gives you better pictures and instructions on how to make them.
I made three different balls mixing up the pieces in the different balls so he will have to guess until the end. I then put them into a chinese to-go container instead of a cheesy gift bag.

Wood Floor

2010-02-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the first things we have wanted to do since we have moved in was to put wood floor in the living room. However, planning ahead I didn't want real wood floors because I could guarantee they would be scratched. So we opted to go with laminate wood flooring. We researched it quite a bit and ended up getting the flooring from Costco! Plus to top it off it was on sale for a month and we ended up saving around $200! So I got a little picture happy I warn you!

We did the hallway between the kitchen and the living room as well.

We found out after we pulled up the carpet that part of the subfloor was ruined from mildew. So to lengthen our day we tore out the rotten wood and replaced it with a new subfloor. We also sealed our door up so we wouldnt' have this problem in the future.

This is the replaced subfloor.
How many people does it take to lay a laminate floor?

We also found out that the trim was lowered from the previous setting and we had to repaint around the trim.
This is the hallway almost done! This small hallway took more time to lay and cut that the huge living room.
Finalized product! Wallaaa!

I have to give a BIG HUGE thank you to everyone that helped! We couldn't have done it without all your help! We heart you!

Lunch Date with Mali

2010-02-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

I watched Ellie and Brax while Trisha went and got her hair cut. It was right during lunch time so I decided that we would walk over and have lunch with Malorie. First, they had to doggie pile a couple of times. These two make me laugh and smile!

Headed to the lunchroom. Ellie really didn't enjoy all the kids so we ate our food in a hurry!

Cassia County Beet Growers

2010-02-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

We went to the Cassia County Sugar beet grower's association meeting last night. I used to go the the meetings every year when I was doing 4-H; however, I haven't been since my last year. This year we went for two reasons... 1- James needs to network 2- Mali won an award

They usually have quite the raffle and this year we walked away with the goods James is displaying. He claimed he could be a Holly salesman after this. He was going to walk around carrying his coffee, selling sugar and Holly seeds.

Mali forgot to turn in her record book so she wasn't eligible for the other awards but she did win the best presentation award. Every year the 4-H kids go on a tour and give a presentation on their beets. This year everyone was blown away by Mal's presentation. She gave a hands-on demonstration of leaf area index. From what I have heard she did an amazing job and really knew her stuff. They asked her to give a short explanation of leaf area index. She had no idea she was going to win so you can tell she looks a little embarrassed. She did an awesome job though!!
Each winner gets a check (whooo) and their picture in the newspaper!
We are soooo proud of you Malorie!! You did an amazing job this year on your sugar beets!

Snowmobiling

2010-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

We went up to Rock Creek and took Erin's friend snowmobiling. It was a gorgeous day and we had an awesome time. I love this picture of my dad standing in his bag to pull his snowpants on!
It's much warmer to get ready in the trailer than standing in the snow. So we all crammed into the trailer to get ready. Ok, we didn't cram but it felt like it.
Just a few of the snowmobiles lined up while we were taking a break.
This is pretty much the only decent picture of me and of course there has to be the camera string in the viewfinder.
This is my short homage to the all the times we got stuck. Todd buried the sled nicely here.
However, I did a better job climbing a dinky hill. I couldn't ride worth a crap that day and I thought about just throwing a fit and going back to the trailer.
Again, Todd... stuck! :) (In a creek)

My next homage goes to the attempts at jumping. Erin was so PROUD of herself! She had to make sure we seen the air underneath the track. The more she jumped the braver she got... until she landed really hard and hit the handle bars! We couldn't stop laughing... it was hilarious!
It's no surprise that James' gets air.

Pine Trip

2010-02-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

We headed to Pine on our annual trip for a much needed quick weekend away. Austin didn't go with us this year and James' was missing his best friend! However, the weather was amazing! It was so bright that even I got hot!
I was sure James' was going to land this jump a little hairy, but he held on!
Of course, we have to pose for a picture!
The snow was great! I wish we had this much snow at home!
James and Cody (one of James' best friends) chilling watching the others climb.

It is also customary that we go out after a long day of riding! It always turns into a good time!
I warn you.... here comes the stank eye!

James is all smiles...

Nook

2010-01-31T15:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited!!!! For Christmas, James gave me a nook; however, it has been back ordered until four days ago. It was WELL worth the wait! A Nook is the latest e-reader from Barnes and Noble. I can't believe how real the screen looks like a real page. So far I've already read two books and am loving it. Click here for information on the nook!

Thank you so much sweetheart! My nerdy brain is loving it!

Transforming the transformer room

2010-01-30T12:09:00.001-08:00

So there is a "story" behind the transformer room. When we bought the house this room was painted blue with transformer border. Well we found out that they didn't glue the border up... they stapled it to the wall. I took a picture of a few of the staples to give you an idea of the size. I ended up taking a total of 45 staples out of the walls along with leaving around 5 in the walls.
This is the "before" color. The color is a little different in the pictures because of the lighting but you get the jist of it.

This is the same wall as above with the primer on it. It took two heavy coats of primer to actually even cover the paint.
This is the final product after the painting was finished. The second picture is actually a better picture of the color but I needed more pictures!
The color is called, wheat sheaf, and it turned out great! The blue carpet was a bugger to match paint to. It is so nice to have a room that I'm not embarassed about any more!

Big Cupcake

2010-01-29T12:15:00.001-08:00

So I will admit that I saw the big cupcake ad on TV and wanted one. While we were in WI there was an, "As Seen on TV," store and we bought the cupcake mould! I've had quite a few people ask how it works so I figured pictures work better! This is the three piece mold, this has the extra piece in it to make a place for fillings.

This is the cakes after removing the cover. I usually cut the bottom of the top to make it even.
I then fill it with whatever filling you want. This is vanilla pudding but I've used fruits, ice cream, and cream cheese frosting.
This is the two pieces stacked on top of each other.
Not my best frosting job... it works best if the frosting is thicker.

domestic goddess

2010-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of myself!! I wanted a red kitchen but the lighting would not allow it. So I improvised instead! I reupholstered this bench/cubby with the red fabric and then made the curtains out of the same material. I was quite proud of myself because I didn't really measure anything just eye balled it all. I think it turned out quite well for guessing!

Christmas at the Cabin 09

2010-01-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

In order to get to the cabin we have to snowmobile in. So we loaded up our sleds, a total of six, and headed up the mountain.

Of course, we weren't going to leave Stormy home! So this is how she rode into the cabin. She didn't like it and kept wiggling around, but we made it without an incident.
At first she didn't know what to do with all the snow but by the end she loved playing in the huge drifts.
This is how we hauled all our stuff into the cabin. We have two dogsleds that have always been put to good use. It usually takes about three trips and everything is hauled in.
There wasn't much snow but James can always find a jump to go off.

Mali kept saying, "I'm a big kid now!" She was proud that she finally got to ride a "big" snowmobile. Mali loved riding with James when he would jump the sled.

Christmas at the Cabin 09

2010-01-01T13:13:00.001-08:00

This year we spent Christmas at the cabin. We headed up on Christmas eve and left on the 27th of December. It was a great way to relax and enjoy Christmas. There wasn't any distractions to take away from the special magic of Christmas. We read the story of Christ from the bible on Christmas eve and finally went to sleep around 2 AM. My mom had to work on Christmas day so we opened "Santa's" gifts before she left. I wasn't fully awake so there isn't any pictures.

This is our awesome Christmas tree. Dad, James, and Mali headed out and found us the perfect tree! It was hung from the banister by a broken extension cord.
This is Christmas eve getting into the cabin.
Lorna Kay didn't make it very long and she was passed out!
Mali and Jacob playing guitar hero.

We had to shovel to get into the door!

Russ, Tanna, and Jade stopped by our house on their way to Oregon for Christmas. It was great to see them because since we both moved to different states we haven't seen them since our wedding. We loved Jade's writing on our gift!

Russ loves Harley Davidson shirts, therefore we figured he would love one from the Twin Cities!
We got Jade and Tanna Christmas books to read along the long drive. However, as with all the gifts under our tree Stormy left her teeth marks in the them.
I love this picture of Jade... her hair is hilarious!

Declo Fireworks

2009-12-18T15:17:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things about living in a small town is the closeness of the community! Last night, the city of Declo threw a Christmas community party of Chili, cinnamon rolls, and hot chocolate topped off with fireworks! There was quite a turn out and it was great to see the Christmas spirit.

This is a really crappy picture but it is the only one I could get of my super volunteer firefighter husband getting the fireworks ready. Sad thing is that you can't even see him, just another guy. James is loving being a firefighter and got his first real fire call out last night. I'm so proud of him! I love you baby!

Sierra Grace

2009-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

This is Sierra, James cousin, and she was absolutely a hoot! She had the funniest faces and loved jabbering all day long. She did a great impression of the stank eye. We loved playing with her!

Night out in WI

2009-12-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

We went to the casino one night and didn't do well. In fact almost every single one of us lost money. Hence, we are holding up our loser "L" signs! After, we went to the thirsty whale and had a great time playing pool.

In the picture I look stupid I just won a game of pool by complete luck!

Wisconsin Trip 12/9-12/17

2009-12-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

We went to Wisconsin for the holiday season to visit James' family. We had a wonderful time seeing his family. Most of his aunts/uncles/grandparents live in WI so we got to see almost everyone. We went to the mall of america one day but spent the rest just lounging with family.

This is his cousin Felicia and Sierra. We spent most of the time at Sierra's house so we got to spend quite a bit of time with her.

I just love my husband!!!!
This James with his cousin Felicia and Jake.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

I was so excited this year to put Christmas lights on our house! I had to drag James away from work to get it done but they turned out awesome! He has turned into a workaholic even more than before! ( I think it's cause he likes spending time with my dad.)

They look better when it is pitch black but I was too cold to go out later. This cold front has made my toes and hands very frigid recently!

Christmas Tree Up

2009-12-05T16:28:00.000-08:00

We put up our Christmas tree the other day! I was so excited to finally put up a tree in our own home. James overestimated the height of our ceiling and we had to cut about 2 feet off. Last year we got a very full tree so this year is the exact opposite. It was interesting decorating it because last year we used three strands of lights and this year only required one. It also only required about 1/4 of the ornaments too! Overall, it is a great looking tree!

Family Pictures

2009-12-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

We got family pictures done today for Christmas cards! I know it seems a little cheesy since we just got married but I love pictures and I love sending out Christmas cards so I figured, why not? Most of the pictures I am doing the stank eye again so we were limited with our choices. I really wish my eye wouldn't tweak out!!!

My tree

2009-11-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

See previous post as to the story of the day but this tree has a funny story! Half way through cutting my parent's tree the chain saw died. So we were forced to cut the tree with a hand saw. Erin was sawing away and told me to apply some pressure to the tree. So I just leaned up against it not realizing how fast Erin was sawing. The next thing you know the tree is falling and I am falling with it. Mali and Erin couldn't stop laughing at me!

Christmas Tree Choppin

2009-11-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

Erin, Malorie, and I went black Friday shopping this morning at 4 AM. After we had enough of crazy shoppers and long lines we headed to Rock Creek to cut three Christmas trees for our houses. We were so proud of ourselves because the "boys" didn't think we could do it by ourselves. We had such a great day! I had so much fun hanging with my sisters and enjoy that we are so close.

My three favorite boys

2009-11-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

I found this picture and had to post it! I don't know how the gun ended up at the wedding but it explains these three very well. If James is out on the town it is pretty much guaranteed that these two will be with him. Austin on the left is the one who set us up on the blind date. My mom told Austin when we got married, "For better or worse, this is all your fault!" He didn't know whether to laugh or run away! I love my three favorite boys!

Stormy

2009-11-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Stormy has developed quite the attitude recently! She has finally learned how to use the doggy door and it has been such a blessing! However, we have found a negative side to it. When I am sleeping after working the night shift she gets mischievous. She thinks that I should be playing with her instead of sleeping. Each day it is a new adventure to see what she has drug through the doggy door. I have found wash clothes, socks, shirts, gloves, scarves, and my favorite under britches! We love having her in our life! She brings adventure!

Early Thanksgiving

2009-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year since my grandparent's are headed to Arizona. Our extended family is growing with all the new marriages and we had my cousin and his wife staying at our house. James had to go to work before we ate so I took him a drink. Rachel was in awe of the tractor. She kept saying, "That thing is huge!" She was afraid to ride in it but I made her climb up and take a ride. I took pictures for her so she could prove she actually rode in it. She said that she never believed she was a city girl until then! :)

James is happy harvest is over! Now he is just waiting for the snow!

Mal Basketball

2009-11-14T21:47:00.001-08:00

I have officially declared my family super family of the Jr. High basketball team. We have traveled to almost every away game and cheer them on. This week we headed to Glens Ferry to watch them play. I have put a few pictures on here from a couple different games. Mal is turning into quite the basketball player and it is really fun to watch her.

I've got the stank eye going on!

Yes, she made this shot!
I love the jumping shots! She gets higher than that too!

1 AM Denny's

2009-11-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

We went to the Declo state playoffs in Pocatello last Saturday. It was a great game that went into double overtime! The boys played great and it was an exciting game to watch. Needless to say, we were starving after the game. So we hit up Denny's at 1 AM! Nothing tastes as good at that early in the morning!

2009-11-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here is another tutu that I will be brining with me this weekend. You'll have to forgive my model but I seem to be lacking in the under 12 months department in girls... It is a newborn-12 month size. The size is 16 inches waist. For newborns the size works perfect for going over diapers. It is purple and yellow tulle.

I know you wondering why in the heck would you get a newborn a tutu, BUT they turn out to be amazing pictures. Click HERE for a cute picture example.

Declo craft fair

2009-11-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

I will be showing some of the pieces I've made at a craft show this weekend! It will be at the Creek Side Salon in Declo! Friday, November 6th from 5:30-8:30 PM and Saturday, November 7th 9:00-11:00 AM. There will be tons of crafts, candles, beaded watches, and kettle korn!

Here is one of the dresses that I made. I used the left over tulle from my costume and created a tutu dress! t is a size 4T (waist 21 inches) tutu dress. It is made with 4 colors of tulle that makes a total of 12 yards in this one dress! It is wrapped in satin ribbon with a halter style ribbon. Your little girl will love the fullness of this tutu!

I'll be posting more pictures this week of the others things that I am bringing with me!

Day in Twin

2009-11-01T20:56:00.001-08:00

Today we had to run some errands in Twin Falls and because it was day light savings time we got up there a little early. Thank goodness it was a gorgeous day! It was a crisp fall morning and it started off by looking at some crazy acts. If you look very closely there is a parachute about 3/4 the way down the picture. We watched about 8 base jumpers jump off the bridge. The canyon has a cool greenbelt and lookout spots. James kept saying, "I don't understand why they are jumping off a perfectly good bridge." I just smiled cause I'm going to get him to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

We had some guy take our picture for us! Thank goodness for camera phones!
I love my face in this one! Jeez it's a classic!

Trunk-or-Treat

2009-10-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

This year the trunk-or-treat was on Friday, the 30th because state football is on the 31st. We invited Ellie to come with us. Mal got her costume idea from Ellie and I got my costume idea from Mal. So we were the three witches with the one fairy dog!

Stormy hated wearing her antenna's so they did not last long. I was surprised that the costume stayed on but she didn't bother it at all.

Malie and I were pretty frozen after. I should have taken a heavier sweater. Good thing it only lasted 30 minutes.
Ellie was too cold to walk around to the different cars so she helped me pass out candy. She did surprising well with Stormy that close to her. Stormy was the hit of the night. Everybody that stopped by the car had to pet her and make a comment about her costume. It was cold but fun night!!

Welcome to harvest

2009-10-28T01:12:00.001-07:00

James and my dad are in full swing of harvest. My dad does not think it is a real harvest until they are digging when no one else is. Well today I think qualifies! You'll have to excuse the poor quality and hue of the picture it is with my cell phone camera. This is my dad and James counting rows for the beater. It was cold and blistery and I was happy to say that I work inside today. I love the two men in my life.

TV antenna?

2009-10-21T06:48:00.001-07:00

Anyone need TV service?

Evolution of hair

2009-10-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I was looking at my pictures I couldn't help but laugh at the many hair styles I have had. My parent's always say they wish they would have kept a picture log of all my different hair styles. I thought I would showcase some of my lovely ability to not keep my hair the same way. Here's some random facts about my hair:

1. It hadsn't been longer than my shoulders since I was a toddler

2. It has been every color of the rainbow except green

3. I have had extensions in numerous times- one time they glued it in with nail glue

4. My hair is a different color for my engagement, bridal, and wedding pictures

4. My very first dye job was with hydrogen perioxide. Bad idea!

5. At one point my hair was falling out because of all the dye

6. By far my favorite hair do of all time was the 'fo hawk

It's the little things

2009-10-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

I never thought that a clothes line would make me so happy! But it seems the little things brighten my day. It seems a little cheesy but lately it's hard to see the positive and the clothes line made me smile. Here's to less electricity!

James+work=dirty

2009-10-08T10:38:00.001-07:00

James came home from work last night looking like this!!! His shirt is supposed to be light gray and his face is definitely not supposed to look like this! He is absolutely loving working on the farm (I think he rolls around in the dirt just to prove a point!) Mr. Kent told him, "I can't send you home like that! Your wife is going to kill me!" :)

Wedding pictures up!!!

2009-10-03T10:28:00.001-07:00

Click on this link:

http://oakstreamphotography.instaproofs.com/enterEvent.php?id=130007

password: taylor

Please let everyone know to PLEASE read the VERY FRONT of the site where you
sign in at with e-mail address & password! You can NOT order from that
site. It is for VIEWING purposed only. You must email or call my photographer to order pictures.

Apple Crisp

2009-10-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

I needed to use the apples that have taken over my side fence, so I decided to make an apple crisp! Needless to say it is delicious!!!! Gida was a life saver and let me use her apple peeler and corer and it made the work go so much faster.

Anyway here is the tasty recipe if you want to try it.

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats (I used quick)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 cups butter (Don't worry you will need it all)

2 quarts peeled, cored, and sliced apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

3. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.

4. Take half of mixture and pat into the bottom of 9x13 baking pan.

5. Cover crumb mixture with apple slices, then sprinkle apple slices with remaining mixture.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender.

*Kid approved! Mali loved it! She says lots of ice cream is required!

Frozen Corn

2009-09-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

It is corn season!!!! My grandma needed her corn done so my mom and I did it for her. I wish I would have a gotten a picture of all the corn before it was cut! I just thought I'd given an ode to my food saver cause it rocks!!!

Mom has got determination in her face to not cut off her finger.

Wedding

2009-09-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

I warn you... there is a TON of pictures. But I just couldn't resist putting them all on. If you want to hear the photographers comments about the pictures check out www.oakstreamphotography.com/blog

Look at my wonderful e-bay buy! I loved these shoes!

Thanks to Monica who did my hair in tight pincurls and my makeup! She did an amazing job!

Here is the bucket I made for Jade. It turned out sooo cute!

What is a fun weddding without a game of horse shoes?

This picture is actually "stolen." We had just walked down the aisle and she snapped this!

Here is a picture of my favorite man; my grandpa fowles.

This is our first dance.

My dad+Lonny= two little boys at heart

Where's the rest of the money? My mom says we both look like dorks.

My favorite girls!

I absolutely love these pictures. Very shortly the whole wedding session will be coming to me on a disc. If you want to order any pictures from my photographer I'll let you know the link as soon as I get it!

New house

2009-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

We're finally in our new house together! James had to be in Salt Lake for about two weeks while I was in Idaho. We absolutely love our new house but not the duties of owning a home. We have had two massive clogged drains which required snaking and cutting pipes, the fridge exploded and ruined our floor and two dry walls downstairs, the connector pipe on the toilet came off and in 30 seconds we had two inches of water on the floor, and the previous landlord left us a cat! Obviously this is the front of the house. One of the major selling points for us is that it is completely fenced in.
This is the drive way leading to our garage. (Plenty of room for the sled and Harley)

Back of the house. Notice how we were white trash for awhile with our fridge on the porch. This fridge had the devil running through it's pipes.

This is facing towards the highway. It came with a garden already put in place! It is delicious. We have corn, LOTS of tomatoes, and pumpkins.

We also have a nice rose bush patch along our garage.

James's first day

2009-09-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

Today was James' first day working for my dad on the farm! He was so excited to finally get started. He has been extremely nervous though because he has never harvested sugar beets before! I went and saw him today as he was topping beets and he was wound up tight trying to make sure he did it right. He kept doubting himself and double checking but he did great! (Of what I saw, can't guarantee about the rest of the day.) We are so excited to be back home and I am so excited to be able to smell harvest. No words can describe the sweet smell of harvest. I am looking forward to having him learn so much from my dad!

Ham hock and beans

2009-09-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

No words can express my appreciation for my family tonight. I am sitting at work eating home made soup that my mom brought into work for me! They have been a massive help to us these last couple of weeks and we couldn't have made it without them. We are still without a fridge and my parent's have let us raid their fridge for every meal for the last week! Thank you to all who have helped move, pack, unpack, feed, and wash clothes for us!!!! We are truly grateful!

Sneak Peak

2009-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak of the pictures done by our photographer.

Honeymoon

2009-08-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

So I am finally getting around to posting about our honeymoon. I apologize it is kinda of long because of all the pictures. Just a side note I am always wondering how people do the photo montage on the blog? If anyone knows I would love the help.

We had a wonderful time in Fiji! It was perfect weather most of the days we were there. It stayed in the 80's and wasn't very humid. It made for lazy days in the sun and fun times in the Pacific Ocean. We did quite a few adventures while we were in Fiji. One of the most memorable would be a two tank shark dive! At one time we counted 20 sharks circling around us being fed (and no we weren't in a cage.) Th

e biggest shark is locally famous and they call her "Big Mama." She was about 30 feet long!! We saw quite a variety of fish and some really cool reefs.

We watched a show one of night of traditional Fijian dance and song. It was pretty cool.

We went parasailing and had a great time. James was pretty nervous at first but he really enjoyed it.

We went deep sea fishing, again! You think we would learn after the last time... but nope! This boat was much smaller and it was rocked by the waves a ton! Towards the end the swells were coming up over the sides and the front of the boat. By the time we were done I was a little green. It was a repeat of Hawaii for the fish too! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! Next time I'm saving us money and not going.

James made the joke, "Oh look we caught a sucker!"

This is the bure we stayed in on the second island. It was fun to have our own little condo while we vacationed.

This is the view from our home away from home.
This is just looking left of the hammock. The water was gorgeous.

The sunsets were amazing!

We took a helicopter to jump between our two resorts which were on different islands. Speaking of islands do you know that there are 330 islands that make up Fiji?

This is a picture of the shadow of our helicopter in the ocean.

Fijians have a local drink that is deeply rooted in their culture. It is called Kava and it is a root that they crush up and mix with water. It looks like dirty water when you see and I can attest that it tastes like dirt too! James (below) is taking a bowl of Kava from a local.

Every night the resort/hotel had a fire lighting ceremony and they would like torches all over the resort. It was pretty cool to watch them run around lightening the torches.

Nursing

2009-08-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

I stole this from my coworkers blog and I couldn't stop crying as she hit it right on the head....

The next time you are in the hospital, and your nurse seems preoccupied, irresponsible, inefficient, or unorganized, try to remember that she probably didn't eat any lunch that day. She probably is working a day shift after staying up working night shifts all weekend when everyone else was out playing and sleeping. That she may have only slept 10 hours in the last three days, that she probably had nightmares all night the night before about making a big mistake. That she's probably already been yelled at by doctors, hit in the face by crazy patients, cleaned up the kind of messes that you can't even dream up in your worst nightmares, and has most likely picked up several diseases, shortened her life span by several years because of long anti-circadian rhythm shifts, and ruined her back from lifting too many people.

Do I love my job? Yes. Every day is a new adventure, and it stretches me to new limits constantly. But be kind to your nurses. Chances are, they are sacrificing a lot in order to be there when you need them. And anyone who is willing to forgive us for how human we often times are, are those who make it all worth it.

Parasailing

2009-08-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a short sneak peek of one of the adventures on our honeymoon. James is parasailing and the beginning gets off to a rough start but he loved it!

We're finally hitched!!!

2009-07-31T07:16:00.001-07:00

Yep; it's official! We finally tied the knot!! It was such a wonderful day! Thank you to everyone that helped and for everyone that came and supported us. If we didn't see you or were busy running around I am sorry. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I'll post some of the professional photography as soon as I get it!

Oh yah and Fiji was AMAZING!!!!

Final Fling before the Ring

2009-07-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

For my bachelorette party I wanted to do something completely unique! So I found it. We went on a moonlight madness bike ride. It was a 22 mile bike ride on Antelope Island that was so much fun. Erin dressed me all up in fishnets, pantyloons, and a pink veil! I made my shirt especially for this trip. The front says, "Final Fling." The back of it said, "Before the ring." We had such a good time. It was a perfect night for bike riding and I really enjoyed being with these girls! You really can't tell but we covered our bikes in glow sticks too!

Last week of craziness

2009-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I start my six days on work and wedding planning will come to a screeching halt! I have to work the week of the wedding so I imagine that the day before the wedding will be utter chaos! I am open to any advice for this week and for the special day coming up. I hope to see all of you there!