My husband is ridiculous

Peter has had this last week off of school and my family is coming in town for New Years so I gave him a list of things I needed his help with. Now, keep in mind he requested a list so he could be helpful. So I gave him a large list which included tasks like:

- Clean both cars
- Organize laundry closet

- Clean both bathrooms

- Clean paint off fireplace

- Organize pantry

My sweet and perfect husband did all those jobs, but he couldn't just stop there. Without me even asking, he also......

- Repainted the paint mistakes on our ceilings

- Cleaned the kitchen

- Vacuumed the house

- Dusted and cleaned large bookcase (covered in drywall dust)

- Did all the laundry

- Went grocery shopping (for entire weeks worth of groceries for family visit)

- Went to Costco for more food

- Put together TV stand

- Helped me stain the daybed

- Put the sheets on all three beds in the house

....And got me so many darling and great Christmas presents all in one week. This guy is ridiculously amazing! And I love him. Don't be jealous ladies.

Wishin you....

a MERRY CHRISTMAS. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday tomorrow. We wish we could share it with everyone.

I've been tagged by the Christmas Tag

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate. I’m not a huge fan of hot drinks in general, but on occasion a few sips of hot chocolate can hit the spot.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Wrap, but he always seems to use different wrapping than the other presents under the tree.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

White! Love the look!

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

No, my husband already kisses me whenever I want!

5. When do you put up your decorations?

First weekend in December. This is the first year I’ve had an official tree and grown up decorations. Thanks to the donations of décor by Peter’s mother.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Homemade cinnamon rolls. My Dad makes them every Christmas Eve so we have a fun treat on Christmas morning.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

Going on trips with my family for Christmas where we didn’t do any presents, we just went snowboarding all week and that was our present.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Uh..... always known he's amazing.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Only if my Mom or grandparents got us pajamas and they wanted us to wear them that night.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

White lights, different colored balls, and pretty ribbon. I’m sure my tree decorating and décor will evolve over the years.

11. What is another favorite Christmas tradition memory?

I love, love making sugar cookies with the family.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yes, and I’ve got moves even! I like to go to the center of the rink and make up some spin move or something fancy like that. It usually never really is very fancy, but it’s always fun. Then I brag the rest of the night to whoever I’m with about how good I am.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

When I was a kid my parents got my sister and I matching pink and purple ten speeds. Those were the coolest things ever!

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Being with those I love. I get so much joy out of just hanging out with my family and seeing the faces of my nieces as they open their presents. Plus, the Holidays seem to put a better perspective on my life as I am reminded on the true meaning of Christmas.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

I’m a fan of my Mom’s Chex mix.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Probably the food! Yikes, that’s not good. I also love Christmas Eve as we gather together to read Luke 2 and other stories. Our family always attempts to sing Christmas songs together and none of us are very good at singing and so it usually turns out to be a giggling session.

17. What tops your tree?

A pretty star!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving! I love to see the reactions on people’s faces as they open your gift. Plus I’m not very good at receiving gifts or compliments. I usually get all awkward and stuff.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Probably Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

20. Candy Canes?

Only if they are watermelon or bubble gum or “something good” flavored.

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized?

Yes, ma’am, but I still love it.

6 Months ago....

Peter and I were getting hitched! I can't believe it's been six months already. And I have to say I couldn't be happier about my decision to marry him. Peter has turned out to be even more loving and considerate and funny and charming than he was then. He makes me happier every day and there seems to be such an incredible sense of peace and meaning added to my life.

I love you Peter. I get all giddy-school-girl inside just thinking about getting to spend forever together. Party on!

Clever Peter

Peter and I are trying to re-stain a daybed we purchased and have had a hard time. It's been tricky trying to get them to dry correctly on our porch out in the freezing cold and occasional rainfall. So the other night Peter got tricky himself and cam up with this contraption to dry our bed posts. It's a spring for the bed against the wall, with the posts hanging from wire hangers. We then put our fans on each side and now these things dry amazingly. Hopefully only one more coat! Love that my husband is clever (because I'm usually not so much).

Sweats and Five Guys

Last night Peter and I went to celebrate him being doing with his finals and went to Five Guys. And in our sweats! It was so great. I love, love, love their fries. And I love, love, love my sweat pants. Life is good.

SHOUT OUT

I'd like to give a little shout out to our two favorite twin girls, Kim and Katie. It was there big 17th Birthday yesterday. These two girls are so funny and so smart and so talented. We just love being able to attend their high school sports and theater events and see them grow. Did I mention they are fun? It's so fun hanging out with them. It's not uncommon for them to break out in a duet together and the next second start hitting each other. I love it! Kim gets a little emotional about certain movies and Katie likes to tease her by repeating lines or singing songs from the movie until Kim is in tears. It's hilarious. Kim is really smart and super athletic. I love her sensitivity to others and her desire to do good. I admire how honest and open she is. Katie seems to be talented at anything she tries and it makes me jealous. She has this great sense of who she is and doesn't seem to care if people don't like it. It's amazing.

I could go on and on about these two. We love you Kate and Kim, we hope you had a great Birthday!

I just got these adorable pictures from my Sister and I am in love. These are my two nieces Halie and Lucy. Are they not the cutest things? I just love these girls so much! I miss them all the time and get so excited every time I know I get to play with them. Love you girls! Thanks for being so cute and fun!

Hot Friday night date at Costco

Am I the only one that loves these? Friday night, you pick up the essentials you need for the home with your significant other and then grab a delightful piece of pizza or a hot dog; always accompanied by a berry smoothie of course. Peter and I have had a few of these lately and I love them. This Friday night we even splurged and got a printer!

Saturday morning was another fun family activity. We scrapped all the existing caulking out of our bathroom in order to re-grout some areas and re-caulk everything. Fun for the whole family! Saturdays always seem to be filled with running errands and trying to get a million things done. Well this particular Saturday I was literally RUNNING errands, I was running from store to store in order to get everything done I needed to. Well as I was running out of Target I obviously did not see the patch of ice (out of no where, because it's not that cold here yet) and fell flat! One second I was running, the next I was flat on my belly with a few fun bruises on my knees and elbows. It was definitely more embarrassing then painful, oh man.

Speaking of embarrassing, at our ward Christmas party this year there was karaoke. Oh yes. Any my cute little husband always the one to try and make people laugh and support the program all at the same time, made us sing a duet. And me, not wanting to be the party pooper totally went along with it. It was embarrassing, the music wasn't loud enough and it turned out we really only knew the words to the chorus, etc. I'm sure you've experienced the same or watch some one do it. My entire life my mother has prompted all of us children multiple times a day and in every situation, "Be fun! Be fun!" and so I couldn't not "Be Fun!". Well at least I tried to be.

Today I am feeling very thankful to be healthy and happy. I wish you all the same.

I feel like singing "I'm so thankful.....", clapping my hands, and swaying back and forth like my African friends in the Humanitarian Center movie. All you T2 girls know what I'm talking about. Love it!

Merry TubbaChristmas to you!

Last night my good friend, Jeanette and I went to the Tuba-Christmas concert at Kennedy Hall. There were almost 300 Tuba players playing at the concert; ranging between 84 and 11 years of age. They played fun Christmas carols and the crowd sang along. It was really fun to go out and do something different. After the concert we went and got Ethiopian food. I've never had it before but I loved it. We had crazy good lamb, lentils, slit peas, and crazy crepe-like bread, all with deliciously amazing spices and sauces. Thanks for a fun night out Jeanette!

Could life get any better?

This weekend was so great! Peter and I picked up our very own Christmas tree and brought it home to decorate on Saturday. We aren't very "tree picking savvy" which caused some frustration at the store, but we ended up picking a great one. We spent the afternoon decorating it and working on projects around the house. I have to say, I really felt like we are our own little family. Some of you are probably thinking, "Well duh, you are one!", but it really felt like it on Saturday. Oh and to make the day even better we watched lots of great college football and ate Five Guys (Five Guys being the East Coast version of In-N-Out). On Sunday evening we cuddled up next to the fire, with a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies, and watched the Christmas Devotional. As we were there together I couldn't help but think of how grateful I am to have so many wonderful things and so much peace in my life. Oh, and I've decided that Christmastime is kind of a romantic time of year! I've never really noticed before, but I'm loving it and intend to take full advantage of it.

Move over Papa Johns

Last night Peter and I made the most amazing homemade pizza ever. I've never really made it before so I was unsure of how it would turn out, but it was so good! I can't even tell you how good it was. Ahh! We used Rhodes pre-made bread dough and then topped it with sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms and olives. Man, I never realized Peter and I were so talented in the kitchen. Take a look at our masterpiece. You want some don't you?!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a dandy ol' time over Thanksgiving weekend this year. Wednesday, after skipping for joy out of work, we went to see Twighlight. I have not seen a movie in so long! I was reminded how silly and dramatic the whole concept of the books are. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the movie and Edward's eyes. Plus, I think I want Bella's hair.

I started my Thursday morning off with the charity run, Trot for Hunger in D.C. It was an absolutely beautiful morning as we ran along the Potomac River passing the National Monuments; plus it raised money for the hungry in the area. I want to make this a tradition while we live in D.C., but it's hard to make it a real fun tradition when none of my family or friends join me. Sad. Peter, joined some boys from church and played some football, duh. Then we headed over to Peter's parents house for the rest of the day. His Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Emily came to town to celebrate. As I sat at the Thanksgiving table I was reminded of how truly grateful I am for this new family I've inherited. I'm so grateful to have additional people in my life to support me, to have fun with, and to learn from. This was Peter and I's first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. I know it's cheesy, but I loved it! I love that we get to spend holidays together. I love that he is my husband, seriously, I love it!

This weekend involved lots of game playing and watching sports. If you have not yet played games with the Bell family you are missing out. They are rowdy and loud ....... and so fun. I think I ate more and slept more this last weekend than I have for the last two weeks combined. It was fabulous!

Saturday was good too

We both woke up early Saturday morning for a full day. Peter headed off to a church meeting while I went downtown for the Walk for the Homeless 2008. This event raises a lot of money for various organizations working to support the homeless. I met my good friend Jeanette down there for a beautiful walk around the monuments in D.C. We even enjoyed watching many do the electric slide to stay warm while we were waiting for the event to start. I love getting involved in things like this and enjoying the city.


Saturday night (after a million errands and Stake Conference) we gathered with friends and family to watch the BYU vs. UofU football game. Although the end result left me a little disappointed, it was still a great night. It was our friend Cory's Birthday the day before and so we ended our night with a little celebration. Peter and I couldn't decided which kind of cake to make so we made a chocolate cake with 1/3 regular, 1/3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and 1/3 Junior Mint. It was good!


And I hate to brag again, but check out how much I bought gas for on Saturday! Holla!

Microwave + 12 Dancing Princesses= Best Day EVER

The title of this post may sound dramatic, but I assure it is not. Peter and I purchased a microwave for our place back in May. We had to wait until July for it to come and be installed. On that dreadful day it was revealed to us that the door would not open due to the wall next to the microwave. I was so frustrated, all I wanted to do was have the home perfect for Peter for when he came home. Well we searched for weeks to try and find a different microwave that would fit in the space and still open. But there were none! It really was amazing how there was not one small enough or that opened to the other side or that would open up and still meet building codes. So we finally decided to have someone come in and work on the wall in our kitchen so that we could fit our microwave. Well it took months for him to commit, more months for him to call us back and even more months for him to come and finish it. (Okay, maybe I exaggerated there a little bit.) Well it was finally finished on Thursday and he really did a great job. So Friday, Home Depot came and installed our microwave! It's been months of heating things up in pans and yearning for a microwave of our own. Yahoo for the microwave! Now Peter and I can live the leisurely life we have always dreamed of.
And as if this day could get any better, it did. We went to see the Briar Woods High School rendition of The 12 Dancing Princesses. Yes, my husband attended a play titled, "The 12 Dancing Princesses"! Katie, Peter's little sister was in the show and so of course we wanted to see it. She was the Queen of all the Princesses, oh yeah! She really is so talented and it was so fun to see her on stage all dressed up performing.
Oh yea, then we got some Cold Stone to top it all off. I'm telling you, I'm living THE LIFE.

Colorado

This past weekend Peter and I took a fun trip out to Colorado. Why go across country for the weekend you ask....well, to see this little boy!
And the BYU Cougars of course!

Peter's brother Tommy, his wife Shayna and their two darling boys live out there. So when we heard that BYU was playing at the Air Force Academy we thought it would be a perfect weekend to see both. On Friday we went to the Air Force Academy to hear Peter's father speak and to see the campus. It was absolutely beautiful and freezing. We even got to see the mess hall where they feed all 4,000 students at one time in about a thirty minute time frame. It was really impressive.



That night we headed back to Denver to spend sometime with the family. They have a gorgeous new home. We don't really get to spend a lot of time with them and so it was really nice to be able to do so.
Then Saturday we headed back to the Air Force Academy to watch the big game. Peter's brother Jeff plays and so of course it was most fun to see him. We were proud fans yelling his name whenever he came near our side of the field.
Here are some signs Peter was fond of.They actually are kind of cool.

Oh, and Mom, this picture is for you. You like my double coverage of the ears?
Thank you Tommy and Shayna for hosting us this weekend. We absolutely loved being able to spend time with you and play with the boys. We can't wait to see you all again soon!

College of William and Mary Weekend

This past weekend Peter and I took his darling sister Kim down to Williamsburg to visit the College of William and Mary (WM). You see Peter's sister Kim is an amazing athlete and WM is interested in recruiting her for basketball. They invited her down to watch a practice, tour the campus, and meet with the coach. Well luckily Peter's parents weren't able to take her and so Peter and I happily volunteered.

Williamsburg is absolutely gorgeous with the colonial buildings and the outrageous fall colors. The campus was full of beautiful brick buildings and was very charming. I'll have to admit I felt kind of cool walking around with Kim as she is being recruited, and she's tall and gorgeous.
They gave us free tickets to the WM football game that night and so of course we took them up on it. But first, we went to the famous Peking Chinese Buffet that everyone seems to rave about. And as if we hadn't eaten badly enough, Kim and I had to get cotton candy at the game.
The next morning we attended church at their old ward, walked through Colonial Williamsburg, and then headed to Peking once more. Oh yes we did! Now it seemed like a great idea at the time to visit this most amazing buffet within 12 hours of our previous visit (it's that good!), but I certainly was feeling the pain and disgust the whole rest of the day.

We had a great time chatting together and sleeping in our sleeping bags. Peter and I are so grateful to have family close by and to be able to really be a part of their lives. Thanks for being such a great athlete Kim so we could go on this fun trip. And thanks for being fun and down to earth too.

P.S. I almost forgot one of the great highlights from the weekend, we got gas for this much.... Unbelievable!

Halloween

This past Halloween my friend from work, Misty, invited Peter and I over to celebrate. She lives in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of D.C. which is known for the great Trick or Treating. Every year her street gets closed down for everyone to go Trick or Treating. It was so fun to sit on her porch with friends and observe all the children and their darling costumes coming by for candy. We had a counter and we had over 1410 kids come. That is not a joke! At one point we had two baskets of candy going and we were using both hands each in order to dish it fast enough.
Then once the kids stopped coming around, the neighbor brought out his stereo system and blared "Thriller". All the adults gathered in the middle of the street for a mini dance party. It was so fun! I hope we get invited to Misty's every year for Halloween.
Misty and Cory (the Hosts)Don't worry, that is not Cory's real hair.

Palm Springs Weekend

Two weekends ago I flew out to San Diego to attend a memorial services for my Uncle Lynn. Some of you may remember me posting about his death back in March. Anyway, my Grandma decided to have his memorial service at his home in Palm Springs and to bury his ashes there. As my Uncle Lynn was very dear to me (as well as my G'ma is) I just had to go, plus a weekend in Palm Springs is hard to pass up.

On Friday we did some shopping and preparing for the service the next day. And my G'parents treated us to a more than delicious dinner at Morton's Steakhouse. Of course we ate lots of junk food, played games and read celebrity magazines. Silly, I know, but we love it and so did my Uncle Lynn. That night as I was in bed on the couch I could here my sister and G'ma giggling in the other room and then my G'ma calls for me to come and play games with her. It was 3 o'clock in the morning, my time and I had been up even later the night before, but she didn't care. She kept insisting that I come play games with them. When I arrived I saw my sister and G'ma with forks in hand and a huge plate of fudge in front of them, giggling like little girls. We played Rummikub until we were all too tired to function. Rummikub is a family favorite!

The next day my siblings and I headed to the Saturday's market. I have so many fond childhood memories of going to this market with my Uncle Lynn and shopping away. See shopping for good deals and buying jewelry were some of my Uncle's favorite things to do. So in memory of him we lived it up!

The memorial service later that day was very special for all of us. We each spoke about what we loved about him and what we can't wait to do with him again. I was reminded of what a truly amazing man he is and all he has done to touch the lives of so many. We buried his ashes under his favorite grapefruit tree in his backyard.

I truly believe that he is happy now. That he is able to be reunited with loved ones who have passed before him. I also believe I will one day get to play rummikub with him again and laugh as he tries to cheat his way to victory. I believe that the relationships we make in this life pass beyond death and that families will be reunited and will be together forever.


Really this whole weekend was an amazing time to celebrate the life of a man we love dearly, but also a celebration of the family relationships we have now.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage - free family trees, genealogy and face recognition">

For some reason this isn't as funny as I thought it would be except for the fact that Fred Savage is on it. And to be honest I think I look most like him than anyone else on this. Love it!

Birthday Celebration

On Tuesday we celebrated my birthday and what a day it was. Peter surprised me with flowers and a card when I woke up. Then took me to Einsteins for my favorite bagel, Everything Bagel, of course. Then after work he took me to Chevy's. Another one of my favorite eateries. Now I know many of you may not agree with me liking Chevy's and are probably saying, "I can think of a lot better places to eat than Chevy's". But you must know, they have the best chips and salsa ever made. And for those of you that know me well, know that I'm kind of obsessed with chips and salsa. Plus they have these amazing flautas that you dip in a sweet jalapeno jelly. Oh Yeah! (Thought about you Cassie as I stuffed my face.)

That night we went to Peter's sister Kim's volleyball game and came out with a victory. After the game we went to Peter's families house for some cake and celebration. Peter made a Funfetti cake all by himself and it was so good! So basically I just ate all day. It was a great birthday, thanks for all the calls and best wishes. I have to say that one of the best gift I got on my birthday was this in my email in box. These are the Jensen kids, whom I adore and miss so much. Aren't they the cutest things you have ever seen? (Besides your own children of course.)

You know you're good when....

while eating the dinner you prepared, your husband says, "This is Tucanos good." Oh yes he did say that.... and I couldn't be prouder of myself!

I'm kind of cool

A few years ago I did an internship with LDS Family Services Headquarters. While I was there they had me work on several documents to better education unwed mothers and parents of unwed mothers. I truly enjoyed my time there and learned so much. Well the other day I was searching for something on the LDS Family Services website and I saw a link that caught my eye and sure enough it was a link to a document I had created while I was there. I knew that they had distributed this to the other agencies throughout the world, but I didn't know it was posted online. And that years later it's still posted! So, I guess that kind of makes me cool.

The document I am talking about can be found at: http://www.providentliving.org/ses/birthmother/wecanhelp/0,12266,2181-1,00.html

Then look on the right side of the page, under "Featured Items" click on "Birth Parent Fact Sheet (English & Spanish)"

Busch Gardens

This past weekend Peter and I took a fun little trip down to Williamsburg, VA. It's only about 2 1/2 hours from where we live and it's absolutely beautiful. It was such a peaceful drive as we drove through the deep forests with the leaves changing colors. The main reason for going was to go to Busch Gardens. Peter was able to get free tickets for us, since he's in the Air Force. Yeah, they are honoring America's heroes by giving them and their dependants free tickets once a year. On Peter's admissions ticket it said Hero:Peter Bell. It's great and kind of funny at the same time. I mean he's always been my hero, but..... OH CHEESE BALL.

Anyway we had the funnest day walking around and riding the rides. I have not been to an amusement park in so long. Check out this one, it's called Griffon. It takes you to the very top and then stops and holds you there for about 8 seconds. SCARY! Speaking of scary they had the park all decked out for the Halloween season. They had people dressed up in creepy outfits walking around and jumping out of bushes and stuff. This guy was super creepy. He would stand there and just stare at everyone and then after a while start walking towards someone. Other people were dressed up as bushes or scarecrows and just blended into the background and then all of a sudden jump out as someone who wasn't paying attention. It was so funny watching people get scared.

I was so impressed with this park. They have great food, shopping, musical acts, etc. We tookj a break from walking around and saw the musical and dance act, Monster Stomp. We stayed the night in Williamsburg that night and then attended church and Peter's favorite Chinese restaurant before heading home. It was so great to just be able to do something fun with each other. It beats the usual Saturday chores and studying!