Happy Birthday!

So if you've watched Frosty the Snowman, then you will understand how that is holiday-appropriate. Except, I've never really liked Frosty, so I am annoyed by my own title.

I wanted to share some pictures from our first married Christmas. We did family double duty and it wasn't too bad. We saw everyone and spent some quality time on both sides (Chase's family got a bit extra :)). All the pictures are from Christmas Eve because that's when Chase took all the photos.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Chase's parents' to have pizza and open gifts. This is their tradition and was different from my family's, but still really nice.

Here are Chase's niece and nephew. They made out like bandits.

 Here's Chase's twin doing his surprised, excited face.

And here's another brother, Brad, looking like he enjoys his picture being taken more than anything in the entire world.

And another brother, Brian, pointing out Chase's awesome camera.










And then here is everyone else.

And Chase giving his handsome aloof face.

On Christmas morning, we had a small breakfast with my parents, opened our gifts, visited my sister and her family and went to see Django Unchained until we met up with my parents again for some lunch/dinner at the Grand America.

After eating too much, we went to visit Chase's grandma and finished the night with a viewing of Hook. All in all, it was a merry Christmas for all involved!

Wood for Christmas

I made some wood letters for my parents, Josh, Jess, and Chase's parents for Christmas, so I thought I'd share my crafty flair.

 I did the parents' letters the same way and my brother and sisters. I figured I wouldn't think too hard once I'd gotten started. I'm still happy the way they all turned out. And the present review from everyone was positive too!

When is this paper due?

I wanted to update that I will possibly be teaching a Composition course for Salt Lake Community College this coming semester. I'm actually pretty excited and can't wait to tell those students what's what!

I also hope to get some dissertation ideas out of it as well.

Annual Christmas Tradition

 Last Christmas...I saw the lights!

 For date night a few weeks ago, we went to see the lights on Temple Square. It's finally time to see those pictures.

This is a showcase for Chase's amazing photography. The scenery was pretty amazing on its own, but Chase definitely knows how to take a great picture.

And this is the face I sometimes give when Chase keeps taking my picture. He's just so sweet, but I don't always love close-ups.

Casual Vacancy...no Harry Potter here...

I had to take a break after finishing the book before writing the review. I thought it might help me soak up the book and see it from another point of view, however, my opinion has not changed. I was highly disappointed with the book. I don't mind adult themes, I am in fact an adult, however, putting over-the-top and incredibly unlikeable characters throughout the book, no plot to speak of, and meaningless dialogue riddled with the f-word is not a way to be more adult.

I guess I was most disappointed because I know J.K. Rowling is a great author. I loved the Harry Potter series, not only for the story, but also for her writing style. So I don't know what happened with this book, but she lost something after Deathly Hallows was published and when she published this little ditty.

If you don't believe me, feel free to read the book, however, I for one am either looking forward to her retiring or to returning to her Young Adult roots.

Mexican Sunday Dinner

I realize that the Mexican Enchilada Lasagna I made for dinner tonight is not authentic Mexican, still, we quite enjoyed it! I would suggest trying it out. I decided that I will shred the chicken next time though, just a thought.

http://www.mogwaisoup.com/2009/08/enchilada-lasagna.html

Pinterest, you give me such great recipes!

There and Back Again

We are quite excited for the Hobbit, Part 1 of many, to come out. We have our tickets for opening day all bought, that is why we could not pass up a chance to get a picture with Gandalf.

Chase was in awe, I just tried to play it cool.

Date Night Chic

Here is my first official outfit post. I've talked about my love of clothes and shopping and now I can share an outfit finally. Last night, Chase and I went to Temple Square to see the lights and have dinner downtown. So it was date night and I needed to look good for Mr. Smith. He took these pictures, by the way, with his new iPhone 5, so the quality is all on him.

Without the coat: Sweater: J. Crew Factory, Polka Dot Skirt: Forever 21, Tights: courtesy of my 10th grade self, Boots: DSW.

 
With coat: Coat: Express.

So I thought it was a pretty great outfit, and we did in fact take these pictures outside of a restroom at City Creek.

Also, my bangs are in the grow-out stage and they look like "Boy Band" hair or an anime character, either way, I'm ready for them to be longer.

We will have another post to follow with incredible pictures he took of the lights and surrounding area with his fancy camera.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

So I am on a roll and decided to finish up my last (of three!) blog posts today with a few pictures of Chase's and mine first Christmas tree. I love decorating for Christmas and this year is especially fun for us. I also want to brag about the homemade tree skirt, which I did get the idea from Pinterest (and made so much better, woo!).

That is Queen Amidala hanging there too. She approves of the tree skirt.

Happy Holidays!

Grumpy Cat, why you so angry?

If you haven't seen anything else with Grumpy Cat, just close this and go Google image search him. I think this cat may be one of my favorites. I've also found that a lot of people look like him, like my dad and a little girl in my Nursery calling. His reach is everywhere.

Also, Chase showed me this set of pictures and information today. There is a wondrous and magical place in Japan. An island that is home to cats upon cats. When you look over the pictures, imagine the wonderful life you could lead, living there...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/50-amazing-photos-from-cat-heaven-island-in-japan

And we weren't even at an Ugly Sweater Party.

My mom had an idea on Thanksgiving with all the girls in the family...

Bear in mind, these sweaters all belong to my mom. At least she has a good sense of humor.

California...California, here we coooommmmmeeee!

Extra points for knowing what that song is from. Ryan Atwood, you were always my favorite!

We got in to L.A. fairly early in the morning and went straight over to the Santa Monica pier. Chase nor I have been and wanted to at least check it out. We then went to Jack in the Box for breakfast. This was not the last time either, Chase has a special love for Jack in the Box.

Then it was on to the Getty Museum. Another place we had never been. It was an amazing museum, had some of the fancy well-known artists that I love to see in the flesh instead of a book. I love Vincent Van Gogh and his painting Irises was at the Getty. Chase loved the Rembrandts and liked some of the photography exhibit but he is always more critical of photography.

Next we went to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame, and Dolby Theatre. This ended up being one of the best parts of the day. We took a tour of the Dolby Theatre, which is the theatre where the Academy Awards are held. We were the only ones on the tour and got to get geeky with the tour guide about movies. Chase also loved seeing Return of the King on the columns of Best Picture winners.

After the tour, we went to the Grove, had lunch at the big Farmer's Market, then headed to Anaheim and our hotel. On a side note, I love California, but if you live there and have to drive in the traffic everyday, well you are better person than me.

Once in Anaheim, we walked through Downtown Disney and then had some dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. 'Cause life is like a box of chocolates, you'll never know what you're gonna get.

The next day of our epic trip was Disneyland day and it was just as magical as one would think. We spent over 14 hours at the two parks. We walked through Cars Land and rode on the new Radiator Springs Racers ride. Chase is not as appreciative of Disneyland as I am, so it was my goal to make sure he had as much fun as possible...and I will reveal more of that outcome later.

This is Grumpy Cat face...but the real feelings are below.

So I have to include the following picture to show we went to space! Actually, this is to make Chase feel special and tell everyone that he not only won at the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters game, but also the Toy Story Midway Mania shooting game. My husband is #1!

The next day, we drove to Six Flags and didn't take any pictures, because it was raining hard and we just wanted to ride fast rollercoasters, so that was okay. It was fun and had some great thrill rides, however, in the end, Chase even admitted that Disneyland is a better amusement park! That score for my side beat all others!

After Six Flags, we came back for the concert. It was held at the Honda Center in Anaheim and we ended up being one of the youngest couples there. But it was so great! Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are masters of their instruments and were so amazing live. I would recommend Rush for anyone who wants to just hear amazing musicians and not care if they are 12-year old boys with long hair they swish out of their face all the time. Amazing concert!

Then it was back to LAX and home...after one more stop at Jack in the Box. Oh, Jack, why can't you have a joint in UT?!

Great trip, husband, and Disneyland!