Doe a Deer a Female Deer- No really Deer!

So everyone has been telling us to watch out for these deer on the roads at night…..we thought oh cool there are deer by our house, of course we can see all the signs that say drive slow dummy, there are deer! Well we haven’t seen any deer near our house except one dead one down the street. That is until today – Ryan and I were returning from a walk this afternoon and I looked up on the mountain and saw deer – tons of them! When we got home I got out my camera and of course some lettuce, hey if I am going to stare and will at least pay…lol!

Anyways here are some pictures, if I could have scaled the fence in our backyard I would have gotten closer but zoom worked pretty well too. See how many you can find when they start looking more like the mountain and less like deer!

Our Trip to Arizona

We returned back to Utah after spending 2 weeks in warm, sunshine-drenched, lovely Arizona on January 2nd. We had a fantastic trip filled with family, friends, quad riding, and lots of fun activities.

Ryan enjoyed eating out with the boys at Losbetos (yes I likely spelled that incorrectly). He also went quading (ATV riding) with his dad and little brother several times, although he wanted to go more but the rain didn’t allow him to enjoy the terrain as much as he would have liked. Ryan also got to see lots of friends and hang-out/catch-up. Of course Ryan also enjoyed watching football, sleeping in, playing video games, not having to study, and most importantly not having to study!

Julia enjoyed shopping with her sister-in-law, Courtney, and mother-in-law, Claire, together we brought new meaning to “shop till you drop.” Julia also got to enjoy painting at Create It (in Mesa with Emily) and at As You Wish (in Mesa) with Courtney – Ryan now has his own candy bowl spouting a cautionary warning for any who might dare take his candy and we have a new picture frame. Julia also enjoyed seeing friends, getting together with old co-workers (thank you for the good laughs and fun lunch), seeing friends with their kiddos (yeah kiddos), and eating some great food! Of course Julia also enjoyed not freezing her butt off, not having to clean the house, and time off from teaching – breaks are AWESOME!

Together we got to spend time with Ryan’s family, going to movies, seeing the kids enjoy Christmas morning (and Santa), cooking, shopping, and relaxing. We also got to see friends we have missed dearly, and we even got to know a few new additions to our friends’ families (yeah – Kristal, baby David, etc). We also visited Julia’s mom, her boyfriend, and the puppies, welcome Bob, you are too cute (FYI Bob is an adorable 2 pound Pomeranian puppy that looks like a teddy bear) don’t worry Buddy we still love you too (Buddy is an English Springer Spaniel that joined the family last year).

We were very excited to hear about all of the developments back home, new babies, marriages, new jobs, new homes, etc. Most importantly we were happy to be there sharing time and the spirit of the season with our friends and family, we might not be there all the time but we cherish the time we get!

We hope that those whom we didn’t get to see know we missed them (and still do) and that we hope we get to see you next time we are down. For our new friends and old here in Utah we hope to see you soon. To all we hope you had terrific holiday seasons and that they were filled with joy, the spirit, and good people.

Gospel Miss-teachings

So the other day I was at Wal-Mart picking up a few craft and food items for my primary class’s Christmas party. Like a lost puppy with no clue where to go or what to do I was pacing up and down an aisle looking for a cheap craft that 9 year olds would dig but not destroy someone’s home making. Enter two 19-year old-ish girls, both are let’s say a little girlish. One girl was looking for a craft to make with her nieces and nephews, she was looking at various crafts and finally came to the conclusion that she would like to get something with a star shape. The other girl asked why she wanted a star shape to which the girl replied, because the star led the wise men to Jesus so it would be a cool craft to talk about Christmas. The other girl starts in saying, there was no star, the little drummer boy led the wise men to Jesus. The two girls actually got into a fight, yelling at each other about who was right. The girl who wanted the star asked why the other thought a drummer led the wise men, to which she replied, that is what they taught us in church and stormed off, yelling back, that she would be waiting in the car for her to get a craft that taught kids the wrong stories.

Now I was standing in the aisle the entire time, trying not to laugh out-loud or just intervene. So after the one girl stormed off, I looked at the girl left in the aisle and said “the star led the wise men to Jesus, it appeared in the night sky for the first time to mark his birth, while the drummer boy is just a nice Christmas carol.”

While the story is funny, here’s the kicker for me. So Saturday arrives and I am having fun with my little primary class, two of the kids brought 5 year old siblings, when posed with the question, “who or what led the wise men to Jesus” both 5 year olds screamed the North Star before the 9 year olds even “understood” the question.

Perhaps innocence has the ability to teach us that the gospel, including its hymns are true, while other songs and stories, are just that, nice songs and stories meant to entertain. If we could see things like a little child perhaps we might see the Angels on high watching over us, the North star pointing our way, wise men teaching us and ushering us through life – giving us spiritual gold, and Christ welcoming us as we welcome him.

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we drove up to Idaho to visit Ryan’s aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma. The weather was perfect for driving with mild temperatures, no snow, and no rain (a miracle this time of year)! Ryan’s uncle Elray and aunt Laura held dinner at their home. Elray and Laura’s home is situated in a canyon up a little ways on a mountain. The front of their home overlooks a valley of picturesque rolling hills and farmland. The back of the home looks at untouched nature going up their mountain. They have a cute 120 lbs dog named Kia that is ½ wolf and would lick anyone in sight to death, of course unless you are a deer, then start running.

Ryan’s aunt Reeann and uncle Mike own a local grocery store where Mike spends a lot of time as a butcher. Needless to say when Mike cooked the ham and turkey it turned out fantastic! Ryan’s aunt Laura is also a terrific cook, she made wonderful homemade pies, yams, green beans, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy (now I dislike gravy but hers was awesome)! Laura’s daughter Monique (I hope I spelled it correctly) made some yummy cheesecake. It was also Laura’s birthday so we celebrated with a cake and of course singing Happy Birthday!

We were thrilled that Ryan’s uncle Albert and his two boys Nicolas and Alex were able to come and we missed Ryan’s aunt Roxena (Albert’s wife) who recently passed on. Albert and his boys are doing remarkably well, it is a testimony to each of us that the spirit can comfort and the Lord allows loved ones to stay close.

I was happy to be able to meet Ryan’s cousin Jackie, her husband, and their 5 kiddos (okay 5 and a half – come on little one). I also got to meet Monique’s husband Kip (I think – I hope), he seemed like a lot of fun. Ryan’s cousin Cameron and his girlfriend were also there, he is a prankster I can tell, which means we will get along just fine.

Of course we also got to see Ryan’s grandma – yeah!! I love Ryan’s grandma because she reminds me of my grandmother whom I lost in May. She is so independent, has a great sense of humor, and just exudes relaxation and love.

We missed not being able to see the rest of our family this Thanksgiving but we were thankful to have some family close and to get to know them a little bit better. It always amazes me that families can be so welcoming and warm, even when they do not get to see each other very often. I do hope that while we are here in Utah that we get to know the family in Idaho better. Don’t worry AZ family, we still love you too!

In other news we put up our Christmas tree the day before Thanksgiving, it was a blast! Ryan and I got out all the boxes, well really Ryan got out the boxes and I watched. Then we put up the tree and went into a decorating frenzy! Granted our townhome is kind of small so we had to move some things around to make room for it, we also are storing some of our drinks underneath because we have nowhere else to put them (yeah water and juice). We like having the decorations up in the house though, it really makes the house feel like we are celebrating the season, even though we will be celebrating elsewhere.

We are so thankful for our friends, family, opportunities, the gospel, our calling, and the many blessings we have received. Everyday is a blessing, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first!

We hope to see or talk with each of you soon, whether it be tomorrow or in a few weeks!

Tagged by Lori

My friend Lori tagged me and asked to share 7 strange or weird facts about myself…so here goes.

1. Sometimes when I cook I like to sing Christmas songs – even in July.
2. I like watching cheesy chic flicks when I walk on the treadmill.
3. I can’t stand drinking plain milk – it makes me gag.
4. I am allergic to fake strawberry products, if they get on my skin I get a rash and if I eat too much of it I get sick.
5. My favorite outfit consists of fuzzy socks, pajama pants, and a snuggly cotton shirt (it does not match – don’t worry I don’t leave the house in this).
6. I can watch Discovery Health (like births, surgery, etc) and eat at the same time.
7. I dislike frozen carrots, peas, and green beans but I like them fresh.

Remember to Vote

Hi all-

Please remember to cast your vote for a president, no matter who you vote for it is important to let your choice be known. Four years is not how long a president impacts your life, many changes that presidents make can effect you, your family, and your life for decades or longer. So vote for what you want!

Heat Wave

After our snow melted we had a little “heat wave” it was between 70 and 80 every day for a week (YEAH!). Today (Wednesday) it is supposed to be 53 degrees....chilly. But there is hope, supposedly we will return to the high 60s and 70s later this week and next week. So why do we care so much about the weather; because when it is nice out we can do fun outdoor stuff!

This past Saturday we decided to take the quad (ATV) out to Farmington Canyon, this time we wanted to try and make it all the way up to the peaks. First we went up to what is called the “Towers” because there are weather towers on the peak of one of the mountains. Since the side with the towers gets the most sun it was a fairly warm ride up and there was little snow left for us to plow through on the road. On our way up we did see a ton of deer hunters…and some deer…although they were not alive. We also met some rangers, who were nice enough to tell us all about the riding areas in Utah. Did you know Utah has over 30,000 miles of ATV trails? Amazing.

Well we got up to the top of the mountain, had a snack and took in the beautiful views of the mountain ranges behind the canyon as well as the lakes on the Salt Lake Valley side. While we were on-top we also saw some kids with shovels playing in the snow….half way down a vey steep mountain side. How the kids managed to get down there we have no idea but we guessed there was a sled and a large amount of adrenaline or stupidity involved, either way they were having a blast – who cares if you have to hike a few miles out of the way to get back up or down right?

Once we were done on top we headed back down to a fork in the road and decided we wanted to head up the other side of the canyon to another mountain peak. Well the other side of the canyon is in the shade most of the time so it was still covered in snow. While the ride up was very pretty as we weaved in and out of pine trees, views of the mountains, and snow covered everything there were a few times when we found it difficult to stay on the trail, so about half way up, when we realized there was even more snow, we decided to turn around and head back down (plus we were freezing cold and Julia’s shoes and socks were wet).

We took a few pictures while we were up in the canyon, feel free to check them out below.

Snow, the mountains, and pictures

We had a big storm over conference weekend that caused it to rain all day on Saturday….and snow in the mountains! The first time we saw snow on the mountain peaks was on Ryan’s b-day (9/22) but we only saw a vey little bit and only on the highest peaks. On Saturday almost all of the high peaks in the area were covered with snow (very pretty). Of course most of it melted by late Tuesday afternoon because the temperatures returned to the low to mid- 60s but it was still a pretty sight to see for a few days (…and we are more than sure the snow will return soon…probably for too long).

Because Ryan passed his test on Friday he had Monday off from school (hooray!). With this precious time we decided to take the quad up to Farmington Canyon and take a ride up the side of the mountain. At the base of the mountain it was about 63 degrees (5,000 ft) as we rode up the mountain though it got considerably cooler…like 35/40 degrees (9,000 ft). We could see some of the snow melting off of one of the peaks and we saw plenty of little puddles as we made our way up the canyon. It was a beautiful ride (pics below). We started off at the base on a paved road that transitioned into a narrow gravel road that hugged the side of the mountain all the way to the top. We got a bit cold when we reached 9000 ft so we decided to forgo the additional 500 ft ascent to the peak but it was still a wonderful ride.