Valentine's Day...and a Getaway to Vegas!

Here are some pictures of Valentine's and President's Day weekend. We celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday and then headed to Vegas on Saturday.


My favorite treat (well one of many) is chocolate covered strawberries. Kelly sent me this lovely arrangement for Valentine's Day. We will just say that it didn't stay around too long! It was so yummy!

We went to Connor's class party on Friday. Here he is with his teacher, Ms. Ptak.

Daddy and Kate making a project.

Connor and his first Valentine box! I remember that was my favorite part of Valentine's Day when I was young. Taking a shoe box and decorating it. How fun!

Katelyn enjoying a cookie. I should have taken a picture of what she looked like afterwards! Just a little mess!

We have made the trek to Las Vegas a dozen times. We never have taken the time to stop and actually look over the Hoover Dam. This time, since we needed a bathroom break, we decided to let the kids look out and see what it was all about. Connor was a little nervous about looking over the edge. He did not want Katelyn to go near it at all! He did remind us that in Transformers, Megatron turns into a jet and flies over the dam. He thought it was pretty cool that we were in the same spot that the transformers were in.

They are in the process of building a bridge so you will no longer be able to drive over the dam. Which will actually save lots of time. Anyway, I thought I would take some pictures of how the building is coming along. I cringe every time we see this. I can't imagine being the guy that has to work on this part!

Kelly's parents and two sisters met us in Vegas to see his brother Jim. We all had a fun time. Lots of kids and lots of noise, but nevertheless, a fun time! Here we are at the park enjoying some time together. It was very cold in Las Vegas. I was ready to head South for some warmth!

The kids came up with some game of jumping off the stairs. They were having a pretty good time! And I kept my fingers crossed that nobody got hurt!

Daddy and Little Miss Red!

One last picture of Katelyn. She is sporting one of her new, very cute bows from my good friend Bridgette!

So, that was our exciting weekend. It is always fun to getaway for a few days! Even if we don't go too far, we always seem to enjoy it. Thanks to Kelly's fam for meeting us halfway for some fun times!

A New Favorite...

Yesterday I found this great new store! It is called "Real Deals." It is a home decor store and I LOVE IT! There are several locations in Utah, so some of you might have already found this little gem. Also, if you are familiar with "Tai Pan Trading" in Sandy, Utah, this store is a lot like that. Anyway, I am passing this on to my friends here. If you like decorating your home (which I know most of you readers do,) you too will love this place! They have furniture, lamps, mirrors, clocks, wall hangings, shelves, easels, etc. Visit http://realdeals.net/ to find out
where to go!

These are some of my treasures I found! It is a good thing I took Kelly to keep my spending at a minimum!

Our Purpose

Excuse me for a minute while I get a little mushy. I don't usually post things like this but since this is sort of my journal, I thought I would do something a little more personal.

Many of you know that my heart will always belong to Utah. That is where I was born and raised. That is where our families are. I love Utah.

Moving here wasn't the easiest thing I have ever done. In fact, it was probably the hardest. Connor was just barely 1 and I just found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure I was ready to move away and have a life in Arizona. It took some time but after a couple of years (and a lot of tears,) I really bagan to feel comfortable here. Kelly loves his job and he is really good at it. We have wonderful friends, who most, are like us and away from family too. Knowing them has made being away a whole lot easier!

Anyway, a few months ago, Kelly had the opportunity to apply for two agencies in Salt Lake. I got so excited because after 4 years, maybe we could move back home! Well, have you ever had a time in your life where what you want isn't necessarily what is supposed to be? After a chain of events, Kelly and I both know that our time for now is to be spent here. We both had the same feeling a couple of years ago when again, we struggled to know if we should move or not. For some reason we are supposed to be here, and we know by staying, we are doing the right thing.

I will never give up on the idea that we might be able to once again live in Utah. However, I do know that it could be on someone Else's timeline and that is okay with me.

We will continue to look forward to our long summer breaks in Salt Lake and our family visits throughout the year! We will also continue to enjoy our life here and be grateful for the opportunities that await us!

We love you all!

Beautiful Baby Contest

So I was watching the Kelly and Regis show and saw that it was their "Beautiful Baby" contest again. I thought, "what the heck! I will send in a picture of Kate just for fun." I have never done anything like this before and I know that there are thousands of people who also had this same idea. So, who knows what the outcome will be. I am not expecting my picture to be the winner, but to me, she is the most beautiful baby ever!

Customer Service

These days it seems like places are lacking in the customer service area. I hate when you enter a store, restaurant, doctor's office, etc. and the people who are supposed to welcome us make us feel worse for entering their establishment. I can think of 3 places right off the top of my head that make me feel this way. If you ask them for help with something, often times they make you feel like you have asked them to cut off their right arm!

However, I must say that there are also 3 places that I frequently go that have exceptional service!

1. Chick-Fil-A. They have to have the best service known to man! When you walk in, you find yourself in a nice clean friendly environment. The cashiers are waiting for you. You never have to stand in front and wait for someone to help you. My personal favorite thing is that when you ask them for something (more sauce, a straw, extra cup, or whatever) they always say "my pleasure." I just love going there. Also, if you send them an email thanking them for their services, you get a coupon for a free chicken sandwich! I know from experience!!
2. In-n-Out Burger. Again, friendly service and clean surroundings. You never feel like you are bothering them by placing an order. It doesn't hurt that their food is yummy either! There is one particular place with a goofy clown that doesn't always make you feel as good!
3. Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry. So, Carson has had us at the dentist 5 times in the last 6 months! Lets just say, he had to have some work done. Anyway, the receptionist here has to be the nicest girl around. She always greets you with "how are you today?" She talks in the nicest tone. It isn't phony, I really think she is just a super nice person! There is a certain receptionist at another doctor's office I visit that isn't so kind (Cheryl and Bridgette you know who I mean!)

I guess the moral of the story is that I really appreciate the people who actually take time to make their customers feel happy when they enter their door. I worked in customer service for a long time and sometimes it is hard to always have a happy face or voice, but it really does make a difference for the person you are providing a service for. And I decided that I am going to do my best to thank the people who show exceptional service!

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

I always looked forward to the day when I would get to see the excitement on my children's faces when Daddy would come home from work. Since Kelly works the swing shift and we are all snug in our beds when he comes home, I don't get to have this experience.

Last week Kelly had SWAT training during the day, so he got to be one of those dads that comes home at dinner time. I told the kids that he would be home any minute. This is them patiently waiting for his arrival!