Mosmania

The Zac Brown Band says how I feel today best...

2012-01-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

Gonna put the the world away for a minute
Pretend I don't live in it

----

Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise

Teeny baby?

2012-01-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

:( Where did my BABY go?!

AH!

to my daddy...

2012-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

I know it isn't Father's Day, or my dad's birthday or anything like that...

But I've just been thinking about my dad lately and how awesome he is, so I decided to dedicate a post to him. My thoughts are scattered but I hope this flows ok;) I've never been one with words. I just say what's in my heart.....So here goes!

One of my favorite memories about my dad from when I was a kid was when I was about 11 or 12 (I think) and there was a daddy-daughter activity at our church that we were going to. I was pretty excited because with all the kids in my family, one on one time with my dad was rare. On our way to the activity I think we got lost or couldn't find it or something. My dad decided we should go out to eat instead. We went to Olive Garden. Just me and dad. I remember feeling like a spoiled princess. We didn't go out to eat much so this was truly a special event. I remember going home and bragging to my mom about how dad and I went out to eat. JUST US! Maybe that's one of the reasons Olive Garden has always been a favorite restaurant of mine.

How cool is that? So much better than any daddy-daughter activity at church!

My dad is such an awesome guy. I don't know how else to say it. He is always so loving and kind-hearted. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He might look a bit intimidating (and he is sometimes) but I think people don't give him enough credit. He's one of the sweetest men I know. I know he would bend over backwards to help anyone and I know he has many times.

I've always loved my dad's voice. His singing voice, when he talks..everything. He has a deep, low, comforting voice that makes me feel at home every time I hear it.

I remember when we were younger, and even through High School, after we all went upstairs to bed

Dad would go to the piano and start plucking out a tune and singing. I remember I'd sneak into the hallway upstairs and just rest my head against the wall or lay down and listen. I think sometimes I even fell asleep in the hallway but would wake up once he stopped, afraid of getting in trouble for not being in bed. I'm sure if I would have just gone downstairs and laid on the couch and told Dad I wanted to listen, he wouldn't have objected. He would also play the guitar sometimes and even now when he pulls out his guitar and starts singing I can't help but sit and just listen.

My dad is also the smartest guy I know. I think he knows the answer to every question I've ever asked.

I always look to him for wisdom and guidance, and I know I will until I'm old.

He's a hard worker and does all he can for his family. We all appreciate that about him. He's always let mom stay home with us and he's worked hard to provide...and done a great job I might add!

My dad is way silly too. He can get weird and do weird, unexpected things that make us just laugh and laugh. He makes us all laugh and I know we love when dad joins a conversation. We all stop and listen because whatever dad feels important to add...is either HILARIOUS or very insightful and important.

My dad loves my mom too. That is one of the best things to know. I love the little ways he shows it too. I can see it in the way he looks at her when she is being silly, or in the way he talks about her, or in the way he teases her. She's a lucky woman and he's a lucky man. They are great together and I love that they gave us such a security in knowing that they are so in love.

I've always known dad loved me. Even if he didn't flat out say it or anything,

I just always knew and do know now.

I could go on and on about my dad. I love him dearly and I don't tell him enough. It's always been hard for me to spit it out face to face to him. I mean, I tell him I love him but I don't know if he knows just how much he means to me. I hope he does.

So to my daddy, I love you and I miss you, I pray for you daily and I hope all your dreams come true. I want only the best for you and I know you want the same for me. Thanks for making my life great and giving me a great example and someone to look up to always.

With my little sister, Carly.

Sorry, dad, I just had to put this in there. Dad's get tired on Christmas.

Did I mention Dad is an AMAZING dancer?!

Love my family!

Brielle at 10 months

2012-01-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

I realized that I didn't even tell y'all what I put in the salsa I made yesterday

(Yes, I'm still hung up on how freakin delicious it was!!)

So I don't have to type it all out,

I got it from a YouTube channel I watch called HeyKayli

I don't know if you've ever heard of the Shaytards but Kayli is ShayCarl's sister-in-law.

She's cute and does lots of fun stuff on her channel.

Anyway, you can just search HeyKayli

and the video is called Best. Salsa. Ever.

Just subscribe to her channel if you are an avid YouTube watcher like me.

There are a lot of hair tips and crafty things.

It is just fun.

Anyway....

Brielle is 10 months old today so I decided to write a little update on her so far :)

One of the things I love VERY most about Brielle is how curious she is.

She is always into everything and trying to figure things out.

I know I've said it before about her but she seriously doesn't miss anything!

It is so funny to watch her try and figure out where every sound she hears came from.

I am told a lot that she is so alert and aware of her surroundoings.

Anyway, another thing I LOVE about Brielle's little personality is that she is so social.

She is shy at first when someone new picks her up or talks to her.

She'll stare at them for a while,

but doesn't usually cry.

Once she gets used to them she will talk and talk and smile and laugh.

Whenever we go to the grocery store, or anywhere out in public, once she spots someone she'll start rambling away and kicking her little feet and getting SO excited. It's hilarious.

When I put her in the cart she'll wave to everyone.

She gets really excited around other kids and spins around on her bum in circles and kicks her feet.

She is just a social butterfly.

She gives kisses now...but only at select moments.

She mostly will only give them to John.

Lucky dog.

She loves playing with her daddy,

but when it's time for eating or bed

she basically only wants mama.

She is quite the little mommy's girl.

I love it:)

She has discovered how to scream which isn't the most entertaining thing for me..

I am hoping that dies out soon.

She takes two great naps in the morning and in the afternoon/early evening.

She goes to bed between 9-9:30

She still doesn't sleep all night (wakes up twice usually) but we are working on it.

She is still nursing but will take a bottle occasionally.

(Go me! My goal was to nurse for a year! Only two more months to go!)

She eats what we eat (with some exceptions) and doesn't like baby food too much anymore.

She loves to read books and she has started to dance when music is on.

She tries to sing with the church congregation and we get some good laughs out of that.

Anyway, in a nutshell I basically have the cutest, coolest baby;)

I love who she is becoming and the fun she brings to our lives.

I am glad she's mine and I am grateful everyday that she's healthy and happy.

That's all I could really ask for and I'm so glad I get the privilege of being her mother.

SALSA!!!

2012-01-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

I made salsa...

Now I keep thinking of the Seinfeld episode when George and Jerry talk about how people like to say SALSA

Anyway....

I haven't ever made salsa before.
It's just not something I've ever thought about making..

Or felt the need to make..

BUT....

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be making this lots and lots now!

It's sad that I don't have a decent camera anymore so these are blurred and not the best...

Anyway I was proud of myself for doing something different and that it turned out great!

Now I just need to STOP eating it!!

Camera baby!

2012-01-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Brielle LOVES the camera these days!

Here's the proof :)

haha I love her!

I live for little moments...like that.

2012-01-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I was doing the laundry and Brielle was helping me put the clothes in the dryer...

I wasn't paying much attention but then I looked down and she was staring at her binky

in her hand and looking back and forth from the binky to the dryer

and then it was like her little mind decided the binky needed to be dried too...

She put it right on top of the clothes pile and smiled sooo big.

She was so proud of herself.

I loved this little silly moment yesterday so I had to document it.

ramblings of my human mind

2012-01-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up thinking...

Why can't life just be easy sometimes?

Why can't we have a better financial situation, have nice furniture, have more food;)

Why can't we drive two nice cars, have a flat screen T.V., have nicer clothes, more toys for Brielle?!

etc, etc...

Ahhh...all those thoughts in the span of two seconds this morning.

I started comparing our lives to the lives of our friends and family...

I started wishing I could do some of the things they could do

and have some of the things they have.

But then I walked out to my living room and found my precious baby and my precious husband.

They were just playing around and laughing and having a good ol' time.

And then I was embarrassed with myself.

I am so human sometimes...and such an emotional wreck lately.

But my family....

That's what is important in life.

I have to remember that.

Although, some days, those things I mentioned would be so nice and make things a lot easier,

I really do have everything I need.

I could have it a LOT worse...

I would NEVER trade my husband or daughter for anyone else's...

So why do I wish sometimes my life was more like theirs?

Today my goal is to be grateful...

For EVERY little tiny thing I have.

Of course, for the obvious things....family, friends, apartment, car....

But also for the little things...

A warm blanket, socks, oatmeal, mac & cheese, water, dirty dishes,

laundry, smiles, laughter....

So anyway....I guess my point is...

If you are feeling like I do sometimes...

Really take another two seconds to stop thinking those negative things and realize what you have.

It's not easy to turn your thinking sometimes but it is so much better to think positively.

I need to do it more and ignore my stupid negative mind....

I love my life.

I really do.

And who knows...someday when we are old and grey...

maybe we'll have two cars and a flat screen T.V. and a nice house...

But by that time...

we'll probably only want to be with each other and our children:)

And all that stuff won't matter

And I'll look back at myself now and laugh and think that I was so selfish.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is....

BE GRATEFUL!!!!!!

Just be grateful.

It's so much nicer and easier.

Stephy Malloo!!!!

2012-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

This last Friday I had the chance to go to Provo and visit my darling friend, Stephanie.

She just had a beautiful baby boy, Jayden, and I just HAD to see him while he was still tiny.

(Well he wasn't that tiny....9 lbs 2 oz)

Poor Stephy had to push for 2 hours! After 24 hrs of labor-or something close to that.

Sheesh...no wonder they call it labor!!!!

It was so great to see her and her baby.

I love Stephy.

I met her when I moved to TX when I was 12.

I still remember the first time I saw her...

She had a smile that lit up her whole face and long curly hair.

I just remember vividly thinking..."I want to be her friend."

Well, we've been friends since and I'm so glad because she has made my life so wonderful.

We have gone through a lot of dramatic teenage years together.

There are a lot of funny, silly, and sad things I've shared with Stephy.

I remember the first time I got a straightener and we decided to straighten her hair. HAHA! That took us 2 hours! (Thankfully we got better at straightening our hair...and got better flat irons!)

I remember when we liked boys that didn't like us back and we would cry and cry.

I remember sitting in her van (yes, she had a van and it was awesome!) and singing at the top of our lungs!

I remember when we found out she was on a different track at BYU-Idaho and we cried.

I remember when we lived together at BYU-Idaho and had a BLAST!

I remember when we went to Europe together!!! Ahhh so fun and I'm so glad we went together

*Sigh*

I could go on and on about us...(I may be sounding a little silly I know)

But I just love her and her friendship has always meant so much to me.

I don't tell her enough, and I don't want to miss any chance anymore to tell people how much I love them.

So, Stephanie Dawn, I love you!!!!

I am so happy for her and her family.

And, I'm excited that she has a baby now and we can swap mom stories.

Here is the picture overload of just a handful of our adventures together. Most are Europe ,but eh :)

And they aren't in any specific order.

Venice!

Just got to Rome! AHHH SO excited :)

The Vatican

Overlooking Germany. So pretty!!!

Tower of London tour guide:)

Ah red eyes!

WICKED IN LONDON!

Woot woot!!

AW, I love her.

I'm Married!!!

She's married!!!

We are mommies!!!

Words to remember...

2012-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will

—to your surprise—

miss them profoundly."

- President Monson

a little update:

2012-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

So....

Another semester is starting for John tomorrow.

He only has class Tues and Thurs this semester, which is both a good thing and a bad thing

A good thing because then he is here a little more than usual

A bad thing because then he doesn't get as much work

He is a bit nervous. All the classes for his major are really kicking in so it's going to be a little more work than usual. I'm excited for him though. He is happy to do something he is interested in AND good at.

(He's good at everything, and I'm not just saying that because I'm his wife)

Brielle has been a pill these past few weeks sleeping wise.

She's never been a good sleeper but she was getting better and I was getting very hopeful.

Every time she turns a month older I tell myself

"This is the month she'll finally get it!"

....

I'm still waiting.

But I am trying to be positive and faithful that my sleep will come.

I'm probably going to go as far as buy ear plugs and sleep with them in.

haha

I have been not feeling the best lately.

First it was strep...

Then it went away

Then it was back again

Then yesterday it was a BAD stomach ache all morning

and then today it's definite sleep deprivation + recovering from stomach ache sickness.

Ugh.

I hope this house starts feeling better soon...

AND sleeping better so that I can feel whole again and start getting things done around here

But for now...I'm going to relax, stay in my sweats all day, play with Brielle and SLEEP when she does.

Back to the newborn days when I slept every time she slept...

Who am I kidding?

Those days still haven't ended for me.

Have a super Monday and be thankful for the sleep you get cause I'm missing mine terribly!!!

She is worth it all though. I love her!

My little helper...

2012-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Time to do the laundry!

P.S. don't mind my ANCIENT dryer....it was free :)

Such a curious little one I have.

She doesn't miss a beat!

She hears everything, and SEES everything!

I am pretty sure it means she's gonna be a genius.

Just sayin.

Christmas and 9 months!

2011-12-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas has come and gone.

We had so much fun this year with Brielle.

We were so grateful to all those that gave us gifts this year and helped our family out.

We are so extremely blessed.

Brielle got some blocks and loved them! I'd say that was her favorite present.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with all the presents we kept handing her. Haha funny baby.

Here are some more of the babes on her first Christmas morning!

Speaking of the babes...

She is 9 months old now!!!

WOW.

Where does time go?

I love this age so much.
It is so fun to see Brielle learning and growing and just exploring her world.

I love watching her little brain work.

Yes, it gets tiring, and yes she gets into EVERYTHING....

but how long does this little time last?

I'll blink and she'll be 5.

Then 10.

Then 20!

Ah! I want to enjoy every day with her and every little phase of life.

I hope I can remind myself to enjoy it, even on the hard days.

Her 9 month appointment was a couple days ago and she did so well with her shots.

John came with us (which was a first, because he is usually at school or working)

I was glad he was there cause I get really nervous about her shots and my tummy gets all anxious and I feel like throwing up, so I was glad he was there for support. I know I'm silly! She appreciated him being there too because after her shots she held on tightly to him and he calmed her right down. What a good daddy:)

Anyway, here are the stats:

She weighs: 16 lbs 5 oz (15th %)

Height: 26 1/2 inches (25th %)

She is just a teeny girl still. She is so adorable.
She is starting to get so frustrated with things she can't do.
I can't help but laugh at her sometimes cause she is so dramatic.
Just like her mommy, I guess.

SuperMom. My Idol.

2011-12-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

So....

I have the coolest, bestest, most wonderful mom ever!

I'll expound...

This last week our house turned into the sick ward

It all started Tuesday when John texted me saying he was coming home from work early

I picked him up and he had a temperature of 103.4.

YIKES!

So we got him in some comfy clothes, gave him some tylenol, and lots to drink

and waited for the fever to die down....

Wednesday morning, I had a physical because I had been feeling really dizzy

and thought it would be good to get checked out...

Turns out I'm super healthy which is GREAT!

I was starting to kind of feel a sore throat though but I thought it was just a little cold...

Meanwhile, John is still sick at home. Missing another day of work:(

Thursday...John is still sick.

He had gotten up to take his last final and while brushing his teeth started vomiting.

Yummy, right?

So, trying to be a good wife I went in the bathroom to make sure he was ok...

But, I couldn't stay long cause I get sick seeing sickness....ugh...

No more talking about THAT!

So John went to take his final...

Poor guy...he had a hard time concentrating on his test cause he was concentrating harder on not getting sick all over everything:(

That night I start feeling really bad. I checked my temperature and mine was at 102. Ugh...

I made it through the night...barely...

Friday morning....I am basically positive I have strep throat. GROSS!

So I make an appointment for the doctor and in the meantime call my wonderful mommy...

I tell her what I think is going on.

(Why is it when you are sick you can't just go have your mom hold you like when you were little?)

Anyway my mom tells me not to worry and to get some meds.

I was worried about Brielle getting it and then my mom proceeded to tell me that kids don't really get strep throat until they are at least a year...but to make sure I keep an eye on her cause it could manifest itself as an ear infection instead.

Later at the doctor...

He tells me I have the most severe case of strep throat he's seen in a while.

YUCK.

So, then he tells me not to worry about Brielle cause she most likely won't get strep since she isn't that old, but to watch out cause she may get an ear infection.

Haha.

So...

That's why I say I have the coolest, awesomest, most wonderful mom!

She is a pro at this mothering business.

I call her with ANY question I ever have about mothering, or wifeing..;)

She always knows the right answer and I trust her more than anyone.

I hope I'm gonna be as awesome as her by the time I've been a mom for 30 years:)

Thanks, Mom!

You rock my socks!

Love you.

Oh Christmas tree!

2011-12-09T09:19:00.001-08:00

Last night we had a lot of fun!

We decided to start a tradition where each year we do some kind of art work thing that displays how

the kids are growing...(as we have more)

like with hand prints or what not...

So I have seen this before and then

I was reminded of it again when I looked at pintrest.

It's a hand print Christmas tree.

We decided to do John's hand prints at the bottom,

Then mine,

Then Brielles...

Well Brielle's didn't turn out quite the way I had pictured it.

She went a little crazy on the canvas...

At first I was my little uptight self and got a little sad because it didn't turn out

AT ALL like I had planned...

But I'm so in love with it now because it just shows her funny personality.

It's seriously perfect and I looked at it today and just laughed.

Here it is..

In all it's glory.

(Sorry the lighting is bad)

Kids seriously make everything SO MUCH more fun.

Even if they only are 8 months old :)

Conforming??

2011-12-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

So...I did it....

I joined Pinterest.

Why?

Well, first of all I was just curious as to what the crap this thing was that EVERYONE

and their mom is talking about.

I'm not gonna lie..I spent some time on there last night and I don't really understand it all.

It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me yet, but I think I'm doing it right and it is fun.

I like seeing all the stuff on there.

Anyway, I'll have to sit down with someone that knows what's going on so they can show me the ropes.

Another thing I did that I swore NEVER to do...

(My sister will HATE me for this and I hope she doesn't read my blog cause I'm not telling her)

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans.

YIKES!

I've always kind of had a weird thing against them.

I think they are rather silly actually but I found some online

(Thank you for the tip, Jennie)

for way cheap and I thought...what the heck?

It's worth a shot right?

I mean, not to sound like a brat, but I have skinny legs...

I could probably pull those off...

And I don't feel like I look good in ANYTHING else lately..

SO maybe this is my answer..?

Anyway....

I will try them for ONE day and if I hate them....

They are going away forever and I'll have to find something else to boost my self-esteem.

*Sigh*

The life of a woman.

We have such decisions to make.

None of them are easy.

It's Monday, Monday, Monday....

2011-12-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

Wouldn't it be nice, sometimes, if your only worries were tyring to figure how to roll back over onto your back?

Brielle is trying pretty hard to crawl but she can't get up on her legs very well yet.

I'm not that anxious to get her crawling though.

I like that I don't have to chase her around everywhere!

Some new things Brielle has been doing lately....

-She says "dada" all day long. It's her favorite sound to make. I love hearing her little voice.

-She feeds herself! As most of you probably saw my video on facebook ;)

-She is starting to notice tiny things on the floor and putting them in her mouth. I need to keep my vacuuming up!

-She is starting to take a bottle better.. She'll only really drink like 2 oz. but sometimes she refuses nursing so I don't know. I think she may be getting confused. It'd be nice if she decided what she wanted;)

-For the past week she has basically boycotted baby food and only wants what I eat.

-She noticed snow for the first time and did nothing but stare at it. Funny little peanut.

Anyway we are all decorated for Christmas and are excited to have our first Christmas together with our little darling girl. It's going to be a small Christmas but I have to keep telling myself that Brielle won't remember she only got one present for her first Christmas right?...

Ok, she's getting two...I exaggerate ;)

Anyway I love this time of year. I am glad I have my wonderful family and I know this year, especially, we will be able to focus on what is really important on Christmas.

Have a great day!

Web MD

2011-12-01T13:04:00.001-08:00

SO, I'm pretty sure I'm becoming paranoid....

I used to be really easy going when it came to getting sick and what not...

but now every time something feels weird in my body I start to freak out!

I look online on Web MD at the symptoms I'm having (dizzy, constant headache, back pains...etc...)

and according to how I feel today

I have a brain tumor

and my kidneys are shutting down.

YIKES!

Sometimes the internet is just wonderful but right now I am thinking not so much.

This is why I could never be a doctor.

Also why I should NEVER watch House.

(Although I haven't watched the last two seasons)

Anyway...I'm sure I'm fine but I do need to get checked out or something cause I've been just feeling weird.

I hope there isn't anything wrong and maybe it's just from a lack of sleep.

8 months of crappy sleep could VERY well have something to do with it.

I need a vacation where I can sleep in for as long as I want.

I never knew I could love my sleep so much...

Who am I kidding?

I knew that would be the hardest thing, for me, about having a baby.

She is getting better lately but I'm still not functioning very well.

I feel like a zombie most days.

GAH! I need to stop complaining about it and be thankful for the sleep that I do get...

That's my brilliant mother's advice to me.

Anyway....

I'm going to raid DI today. Not that I can get anything but I sometimes just like to check it out...

Also it's nice to get out of a house you are in for most of your life.

I need a good, cheap, hobby.

8 months already?

2011-11-29T08:35:00.001-08:00

I know this is a poem for a two year old but I love it and I think it applies to any age...

Hold him a little longer

Rock him a little more

Read him another story

(You've only told him four.)

Let him sleep on your shoulder

Rejoice in his happy smile

He is only two and a half

For such a little while

These 8 months have gone by so slow to me at times (at 3 in the morning when I'm half awake)

but in reality

when I think back on it, they have flown by.

I feel like it was yesterday when my water broke and I went to the hospital

to have Brielle.

I will be forever grateful that I had such a lovely, beautiful, healthy baby.

I love her and I'm glad she's mine :)

Love you, Brielley Rae!

Happy 8 months!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T11:42:00.001-08:00

Well Everyone!

The turkey turned out DELICIOUS!

We called the professional, Jeannette Humphries, and she told us all the secrets to a yummy turkey!

We brined it with all sorts of yumminess.

Then we stuffed veggies and oranges inside whilst it was cooking.

Oh my yummy!

I love turkey and Thanksgiving.

This is a pic of it being carved. I didn't get one when it was just all done sadly.

Dan carved the turkey and did a wonderful job:)

Anyway, dinner was so wonderful and delicous!

Here are just a few pics of our great Thanksgiving!

YUM!!!!!

Family Pics!

2011-11-23T08:53:00.001-08:00

Jennie took our family pics and I LOVE THEM!

I mean I always look at pics of myself and wish I had a different outfit on...

but the pictures are great! Here are some of my faves!

A little email from John...:)

2011-11-22T10:57:00.001-08:00

( Like I've said before I get funny emails from John. Some of you may as well but I wanted to share this funny story for you bloggers who aren't privileged enough to receive such emails)

The Joys of the NBA lockout

For the most part the NBA lock-out drives me absolutely nuts (and when I say "for the most part", I'm actually referring to every part of the NBA lock-out). No professional basketball doesn't only mean more NASCAR on ESPN, but it means another era of rebuilding for the NBA. Another ear of healing between the NBA and it's fans. Stupid lock-out.

If I had to choose one positive thing that can come out of the NBA lock-out it would be the fact that they show way more NBA Hardwood Classics on NBATV, which means that I get to watch all of the great games from the past on my lunch break at work. I have noticed that this new volume of old NBA games emerging from the vault of NBA history brings out a certain type of lying personality in a lot of different people. I sit there all by myself in the break room and watching these precious gems from the past while casual fans and non-fans alike breeze in and out filling up their water bottles and buying snacks from the vending machine. Inevitably they will stop and watch for a minute or two, clearly confused, until they see footer at the bottom of the screen: "1993 NBA Playoffs. Rockets vs Clippers. Game 5." at which point, they usually say something like, "Ahh, those were the good old days of the NBA."

Now, for the first couple of days when they would make these comments I would just nod and chuckle and make some comment about how I loved the golden age of the NBA until I started realizing that EVERYONE was making some comment or anything. Surely not EVERYONE has knowledge of the NBA from back then! So, I started to investigate. I started to ask follow-up questions to their comments. While watching a particularly exciting game a few days ago (1991 NBA Playoffs. Bulls vs Pistons) a girl walked in and the routine began. After looking confusedly at the screen she finally noticed that the game was from 1991. "Oh! This is old school!" she exclaimed in her best "I'm trying my best to be like a guy." voice "I love these old NBA games!"

"Yeah, they're pretty sweet! 1991 was an awesome year." I say, matching her feigned enthusiasm. "Jordan in his prime! Tons of good players! It was awesome!"

I don't know what I said exactly that pulled her into my trap, but her next comment, to me, was golden.

"Yeah! The Bulls were good! The Lakers had Kobe and Shaq! . . . Reggie Miller. . ." she trailed off as she realized that the folder in her brain entitled "NBA Players I should know" only had three, maybe four names and none of them were categorized by year. Ooops. She left the room in a hurry. (For those of you who may need a little help (Aimee :) ) Shaq's rookie year was 1992 and Kobe Bryant didn't enter the league until 1998. Oh, I almost forgot about Reggie Miller (which, actually isn't that hard), who wasn't really relevant to the NBA until later in the 90's).

The next encounter, which was one of my all-time favorites, came the next day when I was sitting down to watch the Pacers take on the Knicks back in like,1994 (I think). I got in there first and settled down to my normal seat and flipped on the TV when my co-worker from customer service, Jason, came in to take his lunch break at the same time. The game started and about 6 minutes went by when Jason (who is one of those guys who is always trying to suck up to anybody that he can - think Andy when he first gets transferred to Scranton branch) piped up.

"I love these old NBA games so much more than the more current ones." he said with a huge smile on his face.

"Yeah? Why is that?" I asked.

I'm pretty sure that I actually heard him crap his pants!

"Uh...OK, that's a lie. I don't watch enough NBA games to really know the difference." He ACTUALLY SAID THAT! I'm going to just start calling him the Nard-dog to see if he picks up the reference.

While these encounters are interesting and gave me a pretty good chuckle, the best one actually happened today. I was watching The Reign Man take on Sir Charles in a duel of western conference powerhouses (1993) when a Conservice employee named Ryan Reeder entered the break room to fill up his water bottle before heading home. He filled up his water bottle and then started watching the game. Now, the chances of Ryan Reeder doing something socially awkward to the point where it becomes hilarious are about the same as the chances of a rock moving toward the earth when you drop it. This is going to be good.

He watches for a few minutes and then turns to me and says, "1993. I was under the impression that they were in some kind of a lock-out."

With this comment he had me stumped. Was he making two unrelated, random comments, or does he actually think that we are currently in the year 1993? I didn't know what to say, so I said, "What?"

"1993." he said, pointing at the screen. "I thought there was some sort of lock-out."

I eyed him suspiciously (for those of you who watch 30 Rock, do you remember the episode where Jack plays against Kenneth in poker and Jack just can't read Kenneth? I'm Jack. Ryan is Kenneth. I decide to answer both questions.

"Yes, they are CURRENTLY locked out. And yes, this game is from 1993."

He smiles and then leaves.

You thought the story was over. Ten minutes later. TEN MINUTES LATER. He pokes his head back into the room and, as if he hadn't been gone for TEN MINUTES, says,

"But, the Bulls ended up winning in the finals in 1993."

"Uh...Yes, yes they did. The Bulls did win the NBA Championship in 1993." I respond.

Ryan Reeder smiled and then left. WHAT?!

(Check out Ryan Reeder on youtube to get a better idea of what this guy is like. Search "Ryan Reeder Speed Reading.")

Children of the Promise

2011-11-21T21:37:00.001-08:00

This is the book series I've been reading for a while and I LOVE IT!!!!

If you haven't read it....READ IT!

It's about an LDS family during World War II and they have 6 kids and several get sent off to the war

and it's basically just about how they get through their trials and what not.

Anyway I love it and I am going to miss the characters when I finish this last one

"As Long As I Have You"

So Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am a little excited/nervous because

my sister and I are in charge of the TURKEY!

I hope it turns out yummy.

I have a lot of faith in Rachel to make it good so I shouldn't worry.

We also get to go to John's grandma's 90th b-day party on Saturday.

Can you imagine? 90 years?

I want to live to be 100.

I don't know why really, I just always have.

Hope everyone has a GREAT Thanksgiving!

I have a lot to be Thankful for and I'm glad we can celebrate our holiday with good friends and family:)

My pretty little red-head

2011-11-13T16:11:00.001-08:00

So it's been a while but things have been busy and we don't have internet.

Quick update:

Brielle was a cute bumblebee for Halloween and John was....

The Joker.

Dun Dun Dun!

I'm surprised Brielle wasn't just FREAKING out at John.

She just stared at John and tried to figure it out.

Let's see....what else has been happening...?

Oh! Brielle finally slept through the night!

I feel so great today. Well better than I have felt.

She went to bed at 10 and then woke up at 1 and then slept til 9.

It was a super great night, and I gave her lots of kisses when she woke up today.

Here is the adorable peanut.

Speaking of the adorable peanut...here are a few updates on her...

-She has discovered the "dada" sound. She has been saying "baba" and "mama" for a while

-She has started diving for her toys...perhaps crawling will follow? ;)

-She LOVES her daddy. That's nothing new

-She notices when we leave her alone in a room. She hates it.

-She LOVES other babies and kids when they are over.

-Started clapping! So fun!

-Likes to feel faces. It's kind of weird. haha

-SHe will just observe people she doesn't know. It makes me laugh

Anyway we are excited for Thanksgiving! I love this time of year.

My sister is coming for Thanksgiving and that makes me happy.

Anyway Happy sunday!

p.s. I wrote a post about mother's a few down and it was a draft for a long time but I finally published it so go ahead and scroll down if you'd like to read.

Fall:)

2011-10-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Fall is here.

I love fall but I HATE winter.

I used to LOVE the cold weather and snow but living in Rexburg and Logan has made me hate snow.

I'm just done with it.

But, I will still have to live with it for a little longer.

Anyway, like I was saying I LOVE fall.

I love driving by and looking at all the pretty colors and everything.

They have some fun things in Logan for the fall. We went on the pumpkin walk with my mother-in-law. It was fun. It's basically just people that make scenes with pumpkins. We didn't get the greatest pics but here are a few...

We had to bundle Brielle up BIG time :)

She HATES her coat but it's adorable on her!

Brielle is 7 months old now which blows my mind. She is just a doll and getting REALLY fun and crazy.

Doesn't she look like that one muppet? haha She makes me laugh

Granny bought Brielle a Batman shirt and I LOVE it on her. So cute!!

Granny also got Brielle a high chair for FREE! Awesome! Thanks, Carol!

Love her!

Anyway Life is good. Happy Sunday!

Brielley Rae...She rules the family now

2011-10-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

Everything goes in her mouth:)

Cute blue eyed beauty. Thanks for those gorgeous eyes, daddy!

She LOVES to play with diapers. (I never let her, those are precious!)

Every time Brielle sees her daddy she kicks her feet and gives him the BIGGEST smile. It's my favorite thing, and I think John's too;)

Cute Uncle Dan

That's my update for you today :)

We love our baby!!!

Mom's :)

2011-09-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had a good experience not too long ago that made me think of motherhood... One night Brielle wouldn't sleep and was just sad so She cried for a while when I laid her down so I went and picked her up

and she just sat on my lap and snuggled.

I sang her some songs and the whole time I was singing she sat very still.

It's not normal for Brielle to sit still so this was a very special little snuggle time and I wasn't about to ruin it.

Each time I would start singing she would look up at me with those cute tired baby eyes

and give me a little smile and then caress my face :)

I have discovered that THAT is one of the best things in the world. Just some quality one on one time with your baby, and to finally get the feeling that they love you back.

So I'd like to say a little thank you to my mom (even though she doesn't read my blog).

I finally know a little of how she feels for me and I feel blessed to be loved by someone so much.

She brings warmth and light to the darkest of rooms.

She has this absolute LOVE for people and I've always admired that about her.

I wouldn't be the mother I am without her example.

I always wish that EVERYONE could know my mom because those who don't know her are REALLY missing out. She is just ravishing and delightful!

She's the best lady ever!

I love you, mom

and I miss you every day.

I also wanted to add a little bit for my Mother-in-law.

Wow! What a wonderfully, beautiful, woman!

I love her!

She has taught me so much and she doesn't even realize it.

I owe a lot to her for giving me such an amazing husband.

I am so happy I have a good relationship with her:)

She has had experiences in her life that I don't think I'll ever have to go through.

I don't think I could.

She is so strong, whether she thinks she is or not.

I love you, Carol!

So even though this is a random post and it's not like it's mothers day or anything but I just wanted to give a little shout out.
When I have a rough day being a mom I love this part of Jeffrey R. Holland's talk
"Because she is a Mother"

In speaking of mothers generally, I especially wish to praise and encourage young mothers. The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife—or both—may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband’s breadwinning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent. The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs—Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard. The car, if there is one, runs on smooth tires and an empty tank. But with night feedings and night teethings, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island

Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Husbands—especially husbands—as well as Church leaders and friends in every direction, be helpful and sensitive and wise. Remember, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”⁶

Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever. And if, for whatever reason, you are making this courageous effort alone, without your husband at your side, then our prayers will be all the greater for you, and our determination to lend a helping hand even more resolute.

I know it's a bit long but I love it.

To all the mother's I know...

I love you.

Joker visits and Doctor's appointments

2011-09-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Can you guess who this is dressed as the Joker?!

If you guessed John, then you'd be right. What a crazy head he is sometimes!!!

He was asked to march around in the Homecoming Parade for USU with the business school last Saturday.

He had a ton of fun and loved beating up Batman, who also made an appearance:)

His costume is freakishly legit and makes me kind of weirded out when he puts it on.

This is our Ode to Heath Ledger I guess;)

Anyway, we are here watching the Kunz girls for a few days and so far I have had some way funny conversations with my 3 yr. old niece, Lily. :)

I need to write them down so I can tell her mom when she gets back from her little trip to Vegas;)

Brielle had her 6 month check up today. She is a little sad because of her shots she had to get but non-the-less a very good trooper. I didn't even cry this time!

She weighs 14 lbs 8 oz (25%)

24 1/2 inches long (10%)

Still pretty little, I think:)

I love her. She is a doll.

I stole these pics from Jennie's albums (Don't be mad, Jennie! I know you haven't worked your magic on them yet but I still LOVE them). She was a little younger here. It's crazy how much her face has changed already

Love her!!!

Pick up Lines

2011-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes John has WAY funny experiences during his day at school or work.

I usually end up with some sort of funny email towards the middle of the day

that usually makes me laugh until I cry.

John is a very good writer. I keep telling him he needs to do something with his writing.

I love the way he tells stories..

So I thought I'd share one of his recent experiences.

This is the email I received :)

I was walking past Old Main on my way to the College of Engineering Building today for my statistics recitation e note: this(sid is the statistics class that is taught by the guy from Asia who is understood by nobody in the class. "Hey Chung Ping, uh now that we have the averages and the graph is drawn and everything, could you possibly review with us how we can find the standard deviation?" "Yes...yes..." "Uh...ok, so...what are the steps again, for review?" "Yes...yes. Use histogram." "But...ok." Did I mention that he can't understand any of us either? The class is slowly dwindling and I am sure that students will start to only show up on quiz dates. Back to the main story.) when I looked up ahead of me, I saw a girl with longer, dark brown hair walking along the sidewalk carrying what looked like a 1 1/2 year old girl and had what definitely was a 3-year-old girl walking with her. They were walking on the south side of Old Main toward the Family Life Building, where Lily (3) and Audrey (1 1/2) attend developmental school.

Now, hopefully you are all thinking, "Oh! That has to be Jennie taking Lily and Audrey to school! How fortuitous! What a happy little family reunion on this fine fall morning!" It's funny, because that's exactly what I was thinking, too. I started to walk a little bit faster so that I could catch up. Is that really them? It has to be. I recognized Jennie's goofy toes-out walk immediately, and the 3-year-old even had glasses! "Jennie!" I called out when I was about 15 feet behind the happy group. She looked over her shoulder to see who was yelling (probably because we are the only two people on the sidewalk) and I immediately notice two things: 1) it's definitely not Jennie, and 2) the 1 1/2-year-old girl (who I thought was Audrey) is actually a little dude with longer hair.

Eff.

I slow down and kind of chuckle, thinking this whole thing is really quite funny. "Sorry, I thought you were my sister." I say with a twinkle in my eye. It was at about that time when I realized that the twinkle in my eye was not reflected in hers. Awkward. "Don't say anything else! Just keep walking. She looks angry!" screamed the filter police in my brain as the words "Uh...yeah. Sorry, my sister has two little kids (in retrospect, that actually ended up being the smartest thing I did all day. Imagine if I would have said, "Sorry, my sister has two little girls that look just like your...son and daughter...") and they go to the school up here." I clearly thought that this follow-up comment had saved the day. Day far from saved. The woman just kind of stared back at me with this horrible look on her face. Then something happened that no stats (or psychology for that matter) major would have ever predicted. The woman looked at me and (seriously) said, "I look like your sister, huh? Do you know how many guys have used that one on me up here?" What?! I managed to say something like, "Uhhh, blerk Jennie sister..." and then I turned left and she went right, respectively, I mean, awkwardly.

I have since contemplated that encounter and the only thing that I can take out of it is the following: Is "Hey baby, you look like my sister." a legitimate pick-up line now?!?!?!?!? Is that what the world has come to, single people? C'mon now.

WARNING: Those of you who are from Utah. I still love you.

2011-09-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

So today I woke up and my mission was to pack, pack, pack.

Things I chose to do instead of packing...

1. Read my book while Brielle was taking her first nap of the day. It's the first one of the Children of the Promise series. Really Good! Way better than packing;)

2. Give Brielle a MUCH needed bath. Okay, so maybe that was a necessity, but still NO PACKING!

3.Call my beloved mother. (Note: We usually talk on the phone for AT LEAST an hour)

4.Straighten my hair! What?! Yes, I actually did my hair today!!!

5. Take about 30 mins on my make-up.

6. Try on every shirt I own before I decided on one I wanted to wear.

7. Take a nap with Brielle while she took her second nap of the day. *Sigh* So nice to relax and cuddle with my cute gushy baby. They are only tiny for so long right?

8. Watch a few episodes of 30 Rock. Ok, so what? I still have time to pack right? (At this point it's about 3:30 and I'm going over to my sis-in-law's for family dinner at 5:30)

8. Paint my nails. They have been neglected for so long. It was time. I feel justified.

9. Surf around on facebook and look at every friend's page I have while Brielle took her third and final nap of the day. You have to keep up with people right?

10. Talking on the phone with my sister back and forth about how people from Utah (no offense) spell "Sale" like "Sell" on the cars they are trying to sell. And discussing how they say "AcrossT" instead of "Across" and how this woman I used to work with actually spelled the word "across" in one of her emails as "A Crossed".

COME ON PEOPLE?! The word does NOT have a "D" or a "T" at the end. It is NOT two words it is one and just because you say the word "Sale" like "Sell" doesn't mean you can write "For Sel" on your car and actually misspell "Sell". Wow. Can I please be an English teacher here?

*Deep Sigh*

So in a nutshell, my mission has failed for the day. I have not packed a single item in my house, but I feel good about life today. It'll get done and everything will work out :)

Happy Friday!!!

Brielle...plus packing...plus cleaning...equals one tired mom!

2011-09-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Happenings around the Mosman household:

We took a walk with Brielle while our car was getting fixed and her stroller was left in the trunk. So....She's in the daddy pack ;)

-Haha I LOVE John's face in this picture-

Brielley wore a cute dress on Sunday :)

And...Baby tried carrots! She LOVED them. Haha!!!

Such a silly girlie.

(I love how her eyes are kind of crossed in this picture)

And...Someone thinks she is the Queen of the couch and rocking chair. Haha!

She loves to sit up (with a little help)

It makes me laugh how she just lounges around.

We just signed our contracts for our new apartment!

I cleaned the bathroom really well today...

BUT I still have to scrub the tub.

GR.

Anyone want to come over tomorrow so I can take a nap? I'm exhausted!!!

John's dad is in town this weekend so we will be visiting with him.

FUN!

I believe that is all for now.

Have a happy weekend!

Etsy Shop for Shaye Lee

2011-09-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone

My sister-in-law has a niece that was born with Amniotic band syndrome

and they have an Etsy shop open for her to help with medical bills for the surgery she needs.

Go ahead and take a look.

There are some very cute things on there!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Shayebabe?ref=si_shop

I am watching Music and Lyrics

I LOVE this movie:)

I decided to take the morning off of packing and watch a movie and just relax.

I probably do that too much!

Oh well!!

Oh and also everyone....

Please pray for rain for Texas!

There are a lot of fires going on right now because it is sooo dry.

Texas really really really needs rain!!!!

Today is going to be a good day. I can feel it.

I don't have a picture for this post. Brielley is asleep and I don't really feel like downloading one;)

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Sleeping baby?

2011-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well today is a day where I NEED to be productive.

We are moving to a new apartment next Thursday and I have only packed the dvd's.

GR. I hate packing, but I LOVE unpacking.

I think it's fun to re-organize.

I think I should be a professional organizer. There is such a thing. I know sometimes you can't tell by the way my house is, but I LOVE to organize.

Anyway...

So we are moving and I haven't started much.

Other news in the Mosman's world...

John has started school up again and is really liking it. I think he'll have an enjoyable semester. He is taking quite a few classes that I think he likes:)

Brielle has learned how to go to sleep in her crib. She hardly cries most of the time. We do have some instances where she cries a lot longer, but so far so good.I am braving it out and letting her cry. I'm still waiting for a night that she doesn't wake up though. When is it going to come?! I thought once they put themselves to sleep they are supposed to sleep through the night. Well, I'm doing everything "they" say and she is still waking up at least twice a night.

Maybe one day it'll come? I really could use a 7 hr. stretch of solid sleep.

*Sigh*

That's just wishful thinking I feel like at this point.

Maybe my baby is destined to not sleep through the night.

Anyway, I've gotten all the advice, book suggestions, websites to look at. Guess what?I think I can honestly say at this point, I've tried them all and if you don't believe me, come try it yourself;)

So....I will hope for the best and be patient. She will eventually sleep through the night and probably once that time comes around I'll have another one on the way! ;)

Funny story really quick....

(Those who are in our ward and read my blog... probably saw this happen)

At church on Sunday Brielle sneezed and about three inches of snot was hanging from her nose.

Haha! I didn't realize it at first because I was busy wiping the spit off my face from her, but then John tapped me and I looked at her face and there is was, a string of snot! Well we sit towards the front so I'm pretty sure everyone saw it behind us.

Haha. Gross.

I think that's about all the updates here. Nothing is really going on with me. My life is John and Brielle. I don't do much else:) They are my dream come true and I love them both so much.

I'm Cold?

2011-09-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

It's only the beginning of September and I'm already cold?

What is wrong with me?

My house is freezing this morning!

I'm excited today because I finally fit all my pre-pregnancy clothes! Even my jeans!

I feel so happy!

I'm also ready to GET out of my house.

We only have one car and since school started, John has been taking it to school and then work.

I could take it but that would be more gas and kind of pointless.

So, needless to say I've been stuck in my house, ALL WEEK!

It gets tiring. I am tired of cleaning and laundry, so I'm boycotting it today and NOT doing it :)

Brielle seems to be in high spirits today which makes me VERY happy.

Lately she's been so miserable with teething and what not.

I'm happy it's Friday.

Thank Goodness!

Have a super day:)

My day so far...

2011-09-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

5AM: Up with Brielle. She was screaming and crying and all uncomfortable. I tried and tried to get her to go to sleep but with no avail. So, I put in a movie and just waited for the baby to fall asleep....

6AM: Brielle finally falls back to sleep. I go lay down in my bed hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before she wakes back up and decides she wants to cry and scream again.

6:30AM: John gets up for class. I hear him getting ready and leaving and can't really get back into a good sleep for a little while.

8AM: Baby wakes up again. Fussing and mad. I feed her. Whilst feeding her I am dozing off dreaming about a Porshe and how Brielle wants to drive it and that is the reason she is screaming. Weird.

10AM: Brielle wakes up for good. She seems to be in a good mood so I get up, go downstairs and make myself some breakfast. I put Brielle on the ground with some toys and take my first bite of cereal:) Ah, life is good....but wait...for some reason Brielle is getting fussy again. I pick her up, and low and behold she has a poopy diaper! Time to change it.

11AM: I have Brielle cleaned, changed and ready for the day. (Though I am still in my pj's, at least one of us is ready right?) I play with her for a little while and then realize I'm VERY uncomfortable and hope that she is ready to eat soon. She starts getting fussy so I figure it's definitely time for her to eat again...

11:30AM: Baby is uninterested in eating. All she is doing is gnawing on me which is NOT comfortable so I decide to let her try again in a little while....

11:45AM: Brielle is very, very upset. I try feeding her some more and she refuses. As she is kicking and screaming she poops again! This time it comes OUT of her diaper, onto me and all over her cute new outfit I put her in. I clean her up and myself and hope I have SOME clothes clean in my mess of a house.

12:00PM: We are now clean and changed. I figure now that she has taken care of business she is probably hungry, right? If she doesn't eat this time I'm going to have to pump because I'm VERY VERY uncomfortable. I try and feed her. She fights and fights, I know she is hungry so I just keep waiting for her to give it up. I think, maybe she will want a bottle? (Note to self: quite wasting formula and making bottles. The child HATES them and you are only making her more mad) I go to pump but my pump needs to be washed so I start washing it and turn the water on TOO hot and practically burn off my hands...I decide to wait and hope she eats soon.

12:15PM: Brielle finally settles down and starts chowing down. THANK GOODNESS! She eats a lot and seems very satisfied. I'm thinking it's about time for her nap. She is acting tired, so I go lay her in her bed and hope for the best. She screams for a while and so I go and get her and think, maybe she isn't ready for a nap yet. I come downstairs, lay her in her swing. She growls, and kicks and talks for a while.

12:30PM: Baby is FINALLY calm and asleep. Now I am writing this post and trying to decide if I should do the fifty million things I have to do today around the house, or lay down and take a much needed nap. I think I'll take the nap.

*Sigh*

The JOYS of motherhood :) Who says it isn't a full time job?!

But, she is SOOO worth it!

Love you baby girl.

Dear Ol' Alice...

2011-08-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

Alice Mosman. 1992-2011

Alice Mosman, prominent vehicle for three generations of the Mosman family, experienced traveler of the Pacific Northwest, and, more recently, college car to Jennie Kunz and John Mosman passed away late Monday morning due to a transfer of her title. She was only 19 years old.

Alice was never a flashy car. Nor did she ever pretend to be. On occasion she would show strength beyond her years and beyond her model, but through all of that she never feigned to be something that she was not. Trying to be something that she wasn't was never what she was all about. Alice's number one concern and focus was always about what she was.

She was a fiercely faithful protector of children, grandchildren, pets, friends, roommates, and acquaintances. She was a safe set of wheels on the cold, slippery roads of north Idaho and Utah. She was the vessel that carried the people that she loved to countless activities, family outings, ward activities, dates, and to the lake. Her 162,000 miles did not only say 'durability', they screamed 'love'. Love for the family who drove her for all those many years.

Alice's all-wheel drive not only gripped the snow-covered highways which she traversed with ease, but it gripped the hearts of all who drove her. As she began to age and her heating systems began to decline in functionality, she didn't cease to warm the lives of those with whom she came into contact. Even though her radio/CD player stopped working in the latter part of her life, the music of her humming engine continued to comfort her loving owners.

Alice was a loyal car above all else.

"I remember one time when I was at Brigham Young University-Idaho, Alice didn't start one afternoon when my roommate went out to warm her up before class started," reminisced John Mosman, last Mosman owner of the Subaru. "He came back in from the cold and told me that Alice wasn't starting up and he had been trying to get her going for at least ten minutes. I remember grabbing the keys and walking out to the secluded parking spot where Alice sat. I turned the key and she started right up. She was an exceptionally loyal car."

Although Alice's life came to a tragic end on a cool Monday morning when her title was transferred, we will always remember those mornings when, at first, she wouldn't start, then, with what seemed like a soft chuckle, she would hum to life again. We will remember the smile on her face as she glided along the streets of Moscow, Boise, Rexburg, Yellowstone, and Logan.

We will never forget Alice; because hers is a Legacy worth remembering.

2011-08-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is my question:

Why won't anything save when I change it on this blog?

Grrr.

Annoyed.

The end.

TEXAS!

2011-08-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a long and fun trip to Texas. My sister and I drove....THE WHOLE WAY! We cried when we saw the "Welcome to Texas" sign. *sigh* so lovely.

It was fun. We can talk for hours and hours so the time did pass quickly...sometimes.

Brielle was a great little traveler. I felt bad that she had to be in the car for SOOO long but she was so patient.

We stopped in Albuquerque for the night and Brielle just sprawled out on the bed and didn't move.

It was cute but made me sad for her. Poor thing.

Cute little peanut. Anyway...I loved being home and seeing my family.

I always hate leaving because my baby sisters cry and it's hard to leave them

BUT I missed my JOHN like CRAZY!!!

It's good to be home:)

Now we are just hanging out and trying to get life together before John goes back to school on Monday!

He's going to be SOOO busy. I'm thankful for such and awesome husband that works hard for our family.

LOVE HIM!!!

:) Isn't he cute?

Brielle:)

2011-07-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Isn't she the cutest thing you ever saw?

Brielle has started to do so many things now! She is rolling over (tummy to back), and talking A LOT (more like screaming/yelling at us), and finding new and interesting toys.

As I type this she is lying on the floor rolling a water bottle around.

I love to see her learn new things and get excited about them.

One of her new favorite things to do is take her paci out of her mouth.

Then she gets mad because she wants it back IN her mouth but can't figure out how to do it.

She laughs a lot now too. Mostly at weird moments when I'm not even trying to make her laugh.

She always gives me the biggest smile and it makes every day worth while. (didn't even mean to make that ryhme)...

I LOVE HER!!!

Happy 4th of July!!

2011-07-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

I love being an American. I've always had great pride in my country and I LOVE the fourth of July! We saw fireworks last night. Brielle watched them for a while and then fell asleep:) I think she liked them though. Who couldn't?! I remember when I was little I would get scared cause they were loud...but now..the louder the BETTER!!!

We are going to have a family bbq on Monday and I'm excited about that. John and I bought some brauts (is that how you spell it)

that we are excited about! We love greesy, nasty, unhealthy food! We will be letting off some fireworks and I'll try and take some pics and post them. Happy fourth everyone. We truely are blessed to be in such a great place.

God Bless America!!!

So SLeepY!

2011-06-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Brielle was really tired after a morning of some good swimming

PReTTy in PiNk

2011-06-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

These are my two beautiful nieces and my beautiful baby

NaTaLiE is 10 months

AshLyNN is 8 months

BrIeLLe is 2 months

COUSINS!!

Feels good to be back:)

2011-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

So I am visiting my fam in TEXAS for my little sister, Carly's baptism. Little sweetheart.

We are SO ProUd of her!!

She is keeping warm in a pillow case. SILLY Girl

LoTs of swimming in this family:D

This baby is LOVING all the attention

LaTeLy..

2011-05-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

So many things have been going on and I obviously haven't written on this in a while.

Aunt Jennie took Brielle's pics when she was about 3 weeks old....

HeRe are a FeW of My FaVoRiTeS!

Thanks Jennie! Love you :D

We blessed her on May 15th. Thanks to all the family and friends that came out to support us.

We LOvE YoU!!!

Funny face. I'm sad I didn't get any better pics of her in her dress.
MaYbE I'll just DrEsS her in it again and re-create the moment.

We have been adjusting to little Brielle. She is starting to smile and it's SOOO fun. I love her too much. I am just so blessed to have such a wonderful family:D

Until next time...Stay classy, San Diego.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

HaPpY EASTER!

Today we brought Brielle to church for the first time. She was so good and I loved going back! I've felt so inactive this past couple weeks. It was also good to see everyone there. We had a great Easter program with lots of good songs and talks. At one point Brielle was getting a little squirmy and then this girl started singing "I feel my Savior's love" and immediately Brielle stopped her squirming and listened. I don't know why but it made me start to cry because I really believe babies can feel that spirit.

We are SO lucky to have that sweet baby in our home. I've felt the spirit in such a different way with her in our lives. Having children is such a great blessing that the Lord has given us and I'm so thankful that I can :D

I love Easter! I love spring. I love my little family and all the fun we've had so far!!

So hope you're Easter is wonderful and is filled with JOY today.

Happy Day! :D

She's here!!!

2011-04-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Brielle Rae Mosman was born on March 26th at 5:01 AM. She weighed 5lbs 3 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. She has been perfect since the second she was born! We love her so much. At her two week appt. she had already gained weight which is GREAT! She was 6lbs 4oz. We are so glad she's healthy. I'll keep posting pics when I can get to the internet. Thanks to everyone who helped out with dinners and stuff. We love you!

THE FINAL STRETCH!!

2011-03-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm so close I can't hardly stand it. I'm so ready to be done being pregnant and I'm SOOO ready to see her!!

I haven't taken any recent pregnant pics. Maybe I'll put some up like tomorrow or something. I'm feeling pretty good, just anxious and a little uncomfortable. I think John is ready for it to be over too.

John's brother Dan got back from his mission on Wednesday so we went to the airport to get him. John was really excited to see his brother again! They've been catching up on their video games and spending lots of quality time together :D

OuR AwEsOmE SiGnS!!

Gotta love these guys :D

We also went to our bishop's cabin not too long ago in Bear Lake. John got some good sledding in. I had fun watching him, unfortunately could not participate in the sledding adventure. Next winter maybe!

John and his friend Issac looking hard core with their sleds

We've been having a fun time in the snow...but it's gotta stop now ;) I'm glad John could get one good day of play out of it.

Maybe next time I update I'll have a little one! Almost two weeks!!!! We are excited and can't wait to meet her. We'll keep you posted.

4 weeks and still goin strong!

2011-03-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

4 more weeks!

We have only 4 more weeks to go until little baby gets here! We're getting ready and excited to add her to our family. I am feeling pretty good. John has been nice and helpful which is wonderful!

We met up with John's cousin Sean and his wife Summer and their little guy Oliver in Salt Lake and ate lunch with them yesterday. We then decided why not just go to Provo? So we spent the night in Provo and it was really fun. I got to see my sister and a few friends and John got to see some old mission friends. It was a good little trip. We had tons of fun!

6 MORE WEEKS!!!!

2011-02-20T17:54:00.000-08:00

So pretty much I have 6 more weeks with this big belly and then I'll have my little angel! I'm so excited. Yesterday Jennie (my sis-in-law) and Carol (my mother-in-law) threw me an awesome baby shower. It was really fun! I got to see lots of John's family which is always fun, AND my sister! She is my favorite and it had been too long since we saw each other. So it turned out really great and we had lots of fun and I got lots of cute stuff! Also my faces in these pics are a little weird so just ignore ;)

Got a little bath for the baby:D

Cute swim suit!! Gotta bring her to Texas for some fun pool action!!

I love this blanket! I need to learn to be more crafty.

We are so lucky and excited. Thanks everyone for supporting us and making this step in our lives important to you as well :D

We're BACK!!!

2011-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been FOREVER since we've updated this thing. First of all, we're pregnant! I know....it's been THAT long. I am due April 3rd. Only 7 more weeks. We are pretty pumped. We moved into a new place in August so we have a LOT more room. It was perfect timing too because we needed the extra space.

John's going to school and studying Psychology. He is interested in sports psychology so we will see where that leads. Just as long as he doesn't analyze everything I do, I think we'll be ok. He's a great student and gets really good grades. I'm glad he's the one that will be providing for the fam;)

We went to Texas for Christmas to spend it with my family. It was a LOT of fun. My three older brothers all had babies this last year so we had fun playing with all the little munchkins! My family and friends also threw me a surprise baby shower! It was awesome to see old friends and get lots of cute stuff for Baby Girl.

These are my "EFY Allen Girls" We haven't all been together in a LONG time:D

Little Ashlynn, Lincoln, and Natalie. The New Humphries additions. What little angels!!

My babies! Sisters, Elise and Carly. They are so BIG!

Christmas Morning. SO FUN!

Just hanging out on the couch:D Oh, and the couch was in the garage. Long story...

I think that's about all that's going on. We are excited to have our new little addition and start our family. I'll try my best to keep up to date now :D

P.S.

2010-05-23T18:18:00.001-07:00

Aimee will be working on updating pictures and layout for this blog...stay tuned.

WOW! Ok....

2010-05-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

It has been about three months since we have updated out blog! A lot has happened in three months! Ok, not THAT much has happened, but there are things that need to be reported. :) Let's talk about the most important thing first:

Two or so weeks ago Aimee and I took the long road trip down to Texas! :) It was a lot of fun being with her family and seeing how everyone is growing up (especially the little girls...and Dave) Aimee's little brother, Jake, got his mission call to the Provo, UT mission and had his farewell while we were there. It was good to hear him speak and bare testimony before heading off to the MTC. He is very excited to get out in the field and start working. He'll be a great missionary because he connects very well with people and doesn't try to be anyone but himself. GO JAKE! So, even though Jake's farewell was the highlight of the visit we did have a lot of fun doing other things such as hot tubbing and playing A LOT of Beatles Rock Band (I love that game!) We love Aimee's family and are trying to get down there once more this summer with our good friends, the Willmores'.

The Willmores': A couple of blogs ago (probably too many to bring up...oh well) on Sean and Summer's blog, Sean mentioned that when you are married you have to start "dating other married couples..." I originally thought that this was just a funny thing to say but now that I am married I have come to realize that it is totally true! For the past couple of months Aimee and I have been "dating" Chalyse and Ryan Willmore. HAHAHAHA! We met them in our ward and have since kicked it off with them very well. So, things are going well and we love doing activities with the Willmores' (both of whom are very good at basketball :) Wednesday night basketball has been one of the many activities that we enjoy with them. I think we enjoy it more when Chalyse scores 90% of the points on some dude who didn't want to guard her because she is a girl. Way funny.) Sometimes you make friends that you know will be lifetime friends (such is the case with the Mosmans and the Stellmons, my mom pointed out) and I think that we will be very good friends with Ryan and Chalyse for a very long time. They're great! We love 'em! :)

I don't even know what we have and haven't told you all... Aimee is working at Conservice and she LOVES it. She loves it so much that she has impressed some of the high rollers in the company and has been promoted twice in three months! GO AIMEE! She is currently the Assistant Team Lead (basically she is the Assistant to the Regional Manager ;)) and she really is liking her new duties. She stays very busy at work, which makes the day go by much faster than normally. She is awesome!

HAIL THE UTAH AGGIES! I was officially accepted to Utah State University last week and am VERY excited to try out the Sports Psychology program here at USU. I have heard that USU has a very good program for it so that is where I will start (with a minor in business) and we'll just have to see how I like things. I am hoping to only have two (three, tops) years left in school. It's fun and exciting to officially be an Aggie! Somehow I always knew that I would end up here. :)

Dan update: Dan is doing awesome in NY. He loves his mission and LOVES all the experience that he is getting. The mission truly has changed him and has made him a better person, more confident person. I have been actually writing him letters once a week to try and buffer his mail bag. Missionaries always love that. We're excited for his progress.

We are doing great and loving life! Summer is coming and we are so ready for all the outdoor activities that summer time will bring! Love you guys!

...Life...

2010-02-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

For some reason it's still fun to keep a blog even though no one really looks at it and I hardly update it. Perhaps if I had a computer I'd update it more. Anyway, wow it's been a while. What's new with us? Well, I finally got a REAL job. The gym job was a JOKE! They never called me and....yeah....long story. So, anyways, now I'm working with a utility billing company called Conservice. I basically just process bills all day into the computer....so like a data entry type job. It definitely has its ups and downs. Maybe once I actually get better at it I'll like it more. I've definietly made my fair share of mistakes so far. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself but I get very bothered when I can't do something right.

John's still doing caterings. It's going well. I can't wait until he starts something else though. I just get sick of his late nights and being home alone at night...

Other than that, things are about the same. I'm tired of the cold weather. Maybe someday I'll see the sun again. But, what can you expect when living somewhere like Utah?

Today John and I went to watch Lily at her school. She's so funny. She got scared of a balloon and wanted to go home after that. Luckily for her it was time to leave so she didn't have to see the balloon anymore. Love that little tyke. Can't wait for their next one!

As they say in the great state of Texas: MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL

2009-12-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone's holidays were just as awesome as mine were. Christmas Eve we had an interesting night though. After all of our festivities we were just hanging out at my mother-in-law, Carol's house and getting ready for Santa to come when suddenly the carbon monoxide (sp?) alarm went off. We sat wondering what to do for a while and then decided we should probably call 911 like it tells you to. So the police and fire department showed up and the reading of the air in the house was 22 parts per million (honestly no idea what that means) but it wasn't too good. So we went over to Jennie and Kaleb's for a while and then went back when the gas people showed up. They fixed everthing and we were ok, but a little scary for a bit there. It did give us a lot of respect for those guys though. They were so nice and didn't even seem upset that they had to come over at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. ;)

Christmas day was awesome. We all got to talk to John's brother Dan, who is on a mission in New York. He's doing great. John and I got some awesome gifts and we are just lovin' life! How could you not when you are married to such an adorable man who just treats you like a queen?

Well, that's about all I have. We'll leave it to John to add anything if he wants.
Loves! Merry Christmas, hope Santa left some goodies for everyone!!! ;)

2009-12-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well...well...well...I think this is like only the second update I've written so here we go;) John and I have to speak in church tomorrow. Our topic is on "Building an Eternal Family". Fun, huh? We were supposed to speak last week but our ward missionaries wanted to so we had to wait a week, which in some ways was nice because we had our talks prepared a week in advance, but honestly I haven't thought much of it at all this week.

My sister-in-law, Jennie, let me burrow a book called A Thousand Splendid Suns. Let's just say that's all I did this week. It is SUCH a good book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for something good to read.

John's work is picking up. I hardly see him. It's NOT fun, but life goes on and some things have to happen. I still haven't started work, which has been hard. I am going to call them on Monday and if they still don't say I'm going to be starting anytime soon, I'll have to start up the job search again.

John's friend, Jackson, rented The Beatles Rockband so we've been playing that A LOT this week. LOTS of fun. Love that game.

I'm excited for Christmas. I am going to miss my family in TX but it's such a bitter sweet thing. It'll be great though, because I LOVE THE MOSMAN'S a lot.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

We had our first good snow of the holiday season, the Yankees are world champs, college basketball is underway and my beautiful wife found employment! I think most of you can agree that life could not be any better (aaaand most of you will probably disagree with me about the Yankees comment but you'll just have to suck on it until next October! Ha Ha Ha! I love you guys)

Now that Christmas is just around the corner my work has been steadily picking up speed and I find myself working A LOT more. This last Thursday through Saturday I worked more than I didn't work and now my body is subtly telling me that that was NOT such a good idea. Apparently I am not as young as I used to be. I should stay pretty busy until mid-January when I will probably have to look for a job with steady hours and less stress involved in day-to-day activities (thanks for the stress, Justin).
Aimee and I had our first showing as heads of the activities committee in our ward today with a linger-longer potato bar. Thanks to my catering expertise and a catering warehouse full of supplies, it was a giant success. Even the "ward clown" stopped telling lame jokes long enough to have a chili-covered potato. Next item on the list is the ward Christmas party (I am thinking about just having it catered out of the restaurant).
Living in Logan has been very fun for us because of the stark contrast there is between Logan and Rexburg. Logan is fun because the university and the community are so intertwined that you cannot help but be an Aggies fan. I am anxiously waiting the next time I will be able to attend an Aggie basketball game in the Spectrum. I am hoping that my work will allow me to watch at least a couple of games this season. GO AGGIES!
Aimee begins work on Monday at the new fitness center here in Logan. She was interviewed and immediately granted employment as the front desk lady (don't call her that, though, she says it makes her sound old). I am hoping to get a free family pass out of the job or something like that so I can get myself back into shape. I've noticed that due to my current lack of athletic ability I have had to rely almost 100% on the ball fake...weird. The quick pull-up jumper is no longer part of my game. I feel so useless.
There you go, Summer. Enjoy.

Ok... This is ridiculous...

2009-10-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. Apparently it is really easy to lose track of time and NEVER update your blog. Sorry guys! Aimee and I are married now and have been living in Logan, UT for almost two months! We have been job hunting, working, applying for Utah residency (almost impossible), making our little place more like a home and less like an old apartment, and having a lot of fun in the process. Married life is great and Aimee and I are adjusting well so far.
I am currently working the catering dept. for Hamilton's Steak and Seafood and to be honest, things are a little slow right now. We are hopeful that November and December will be busy and then I will probably have to start looking for a different job with more steady hours. However, we are managing very well and trying not to go out to eat too much :) Aimee is doing everything she can to find work and we are following up and a couple of leads from friends, so hopefully Aimee will have work soon :) I love that girl!
Ok, seriously though....it's almost Halloween and that is the most important holiday of the year. Some of you may or may not remember my Joker costume from last year? Anyway, I have had a couple of opportunities to wear it this year at parades and other things like that. It has been real fun. However, my friend, Jackson, and I have decided to go in a different direction this year with our costumes. We have decided that we are going to be the Muppet Hecklers! You know, those two old guys who are always making fun of everyone and then bellowing with laughter? Yeah, we're going to be those guys. I am excited; I just hope that we can pull our costumes together. Until next time, Mosmans out.

The Final Countdown!

2009-09-04T00:26:00.001-07:00

Three days until I get to see Aimee again and like...6 days until we're married! I got some new things for the apartment to make it look like a home for when Aimee gets to Logan. I am excited for her to see the place and I really hope that she likes it. It is a nice start, but hopefully we will be looking to expand into something a little more comfortable soon. :) I'll try and get some pictures up of the apartment after it's all decorated with a woman's touch. Stay tuned! :)

One More Week

2009-08-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, so far it has been a really long haul for the two of us (hey! No snickering! :)) An entire month apart is a long time for engaged people. On more week until I Aimee and I will get to see each other again! Two more weeks until we're married! :D

Aimee has spent the last couple of weeks in a daze trying to get everything done for the wedding and now everything (including the bridal shower) is done! It has been a huge load off her shoulders and I am very proud of all the hard work she has put in to make our wedding day a very special day for the both of us. I have spent most of my time working. I found an apartment for us a couple of weeks ago and have been kind of running in and out of there getting our stuff moved in. I finally got the bed moved in yesterday so the place is in living condition now. I will probably move in for good on the first of September. We're just waiting for the big day now! Thank you all for your support!

-John and Aimee

New Look!

2009-08-22T03:12:00.001-07:00

Well, we have updated our blog layout! YES! I need someone to tell me how I can make the picture at the top bigger. I want to have a big title picture and all that stuff but I do not know how to do it. Help!
The wedding is exactly three weeks away and Aimee and I are both very excited to be starting our life off together. Announcements were sent out a couple of days ago and many of you have told me that you got them! I think they look amazing. Aimee did an awesome job wording everything perfectly and getting them out on time! Good work, honey! :) I'm not going to update this thing again until someone tells me how to fix the layout... :)

Moving Right Along...

2009-08-16T09:28:00.001-07:00

We are now down to 26 days left until Aimee is a Mosman! :D The announcements are almost out (some, I believe, are actually in the mail as we speak), the dress is bought and paid for, the brides maids dresses (which I am told are stunning! Rachel, Stephy, Kayleigh, and Laurel...enjoy! :D) are also bought and paid for, everything is proceeding exactly as I have foreseen *mad cackling*. Oh! And we have an apartment! That is way exciting! It's over on 253 West 100 North #4 for those of you who are in Cache Valley and want to stop by. We won't start moving in until Monday but you can always go check it out. It's actually a pretty cool little place. It's an old house that was built in the early 1900's and then was renovated and converted into four nice, little apartments. It's exactly what Aimee and I need to start ourselves off as a poor, married, college student couple. I'm very excited for Aimee to see it and even more excited to have a place to call home with her.
So, everything is starting to work out for our wedding in September. We are both getting anxious to see each other again in about 20 days and sometimes the days just can't go by fast enough.
My job at Hamilton's Catering continues to be profitable so far this month. We have been kept pretty busy with events almost everyday these past two weeks with long days on Fridays and especially Saturdays. Life is good.

We'll Get Better At This, I Promise

2009-08-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Aimee and I have begun our month long journey of not being together. So far it is absolutely horrible! :) It is hard not having her around to talk to. I just don't feel like myself, but we are both VERY excited about upcoming events! :) Aimee is currently in Texas finishing up details for her brother, Dave's wedding (there is an open house in Allen, TX for Dave and his new wife!) before she can finish up details on her own wedding (i.e announcements...yeah, those are coming, don't you worry!) She got her dress this last weekend in Provo and I hear that it is gorgeous but nothing compared to the girl in it (when her mom saw her in the dress, she cried...both times. :)) I am still in Logan working and finding an apartment for us. The hunt for a place to live started off very frustrating but I am hoping to have something for us by early next week. Cross your fingers and pray for us, please. Other than the hardship of not being together, we are both doing very well and looking forward to seeing many of you in Texas or Idaho for the wedding or one of the receptions. I really will try to make a better effort to keep you all posted. Don't lose interest! :D We're still here! Love ya'll.
-John and Aimee

It's Been A While

2009-07-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll! :) I thought we would be updating this more frequently but that simply has not been the case. School and work are keeping me pretty busy and the combination of Aimee not having a computer and the fact that she is constantly on the phone with Momma Humphries keeps her on her toes as well. :) Everything is moving along smoothly. We are down to 64 days or something like that! Coming right up on the two month mark and we are both very excited (I think Aimee is more excited to get out of Rexburg than anything ;)...ok, maybe not ANYTHING.) We are both doing well and, like I said, are just taking care of details now (the important stuff such as the temple date and all that jazz have been out of the way for a while.) We're just taking care of reception details now. We hope to see many of you, if not all of you at one of the receptions (Moscow, ID and Allen, TX) Take care.

More and More Wedding Stuff...

2009-06-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weekends have been filled with lots of REALLY fun wedding stuff for the two of us. This weekend we are heading back to Idaho Falls to do some more wedding stuff and have some more fun! We have been really enjoying the engaged process and we are very engaged while being engaged! BA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Anyways...
We would also like to announce that we are officially registered at TARGET under John and Aimee's Wedding if any of you would like to check out some of the stuff that we scanned! :) There was some pretty darn sweet stuff there. I think this weekend we will be registering at Bed Bath and Beyond...so stay tuned for more details about THAT! :) We are both doing really well. I am still going to school and working on the grounds crew here at BYU-I and Aimee is just going to school. I would say that she loves classes but then I would be a huge liar. We are getting more and more excited as the wedding plans start coming together and we get closer and closer to September. We love you guys! Take care.

Just Updating You.

2009-06-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Wedding plans are moving right along. We have narrowed the engagement pictures down to two and may just end up printing them both off and then sending them out in the invitations in alternating fashion. We'll see. Maybe we'll post them both up in a separate album on facebook and, since this world is so viewer interactive, let you all choose which one you want in the invitations! It'll be like a mini American Idol. I'm getting myself excited just thinking about it. Anyways, this is just short little update letting you all know that things are moving a long smoothly! :)
Also, we apologize to Sean and Summer because we won't be able to make it to the cousin lunch/dinner today (Saturday June, 6). Hopefully next time we will be able to come. Let us know in advance (Summer, as you pointed out, we're going to blame Jennie for that one.) Take care, ya'll!

Engagements!

2009-05-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Aimee and I are back down in Logan for the long weekend and we took advantage of our free time on Memorial Day to take our engagement pictures! We'll post some of them up on our blog but until then you can see them on either one of our facebook pages! :D I hope you like them because we love them! (I also need to put a plug in here for my awesome sister, Jennie, who took the pictures for us! Thanks Jennie! They look great! For more of Jennie's work, you can look on her facebook page for some AWESOME pictures of Lily! :))
Everything is moving along smoothly toward our wedding in September. We hope to see many of you at the wedding in Dallas or at one of the receptions! We are also pleading for addresses! :) Get us your address and we'll get you an invitation.
We hope that you all are enjoying life as much as we are. Love you!
-John and Aimee

Intermission

2009-05-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

Aimee did an excellent job of telling the story of our dating! :) It was fun. Before I go ahead and let everyone know how I proposed, I have a few updates for wedding stuff.
It seems like during the last few days we have really started to get things rolling. We're working on setting a date to take our engagement photos and as far as I know we are almost done with out invitation lists. So, now would be a good time to get me or my lovely fiancee your address! We want to have some things done and out of the way by the end of this month. As for the reception in MOSCOW, we are looking at doing something on the 18th of September. Whether it will be an actual reception or just an open house is yet to be determined. However, we will probably be doing a full-blown reception. Again, get my your addresses so you can get a nice little invite from the two of us.
I feel bad that this post is somewhat lame compared to the other ones. I promise that our lives are interesting. I just choose to skip a lot of details when it's 2 AM. :) Keep reading for more updates! Aimee and I are doing great! We are both healthy and VERY happy! Aimee really is the joy of my life. I love her to death and I am so honored when I think that her and I will be sealed together for time and all eternity. I am so very blessed. Keep us in your prayers and keep giving us your support! We love you all (probably ;)).

Falling in love....

2009-04-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well...I guess it's my turn;) Although, I don't think I'll do as well of a job writing "our story" as John did, I will try my best. Also, I'll probably go on and on with detail so I apologize in advance. I don't know how else to tell stories!

So, after John had asked if I wanted to start a relationship with him, and I agreed (of course, who wouldn't?) we were at FHE the next day and things were going really well, but we still hadn't held hands or anything. So when FHE was over we started watching 24 (one of my very most favorite shows!) and just started playing "flirty hands" and stuff and then we went to a movie and held hands, and I can't remember being SOOO excited about anything in my life!!! That was a Monday (Feb 2 to be exact)..then on Tuesday we saw each other every second our scheduales would allow and he walked me home and kissed me on the forehead and I just about fell over out of excitement!! Then, when he walked me home on Wednesday he kissed me! WOW!!! I walked inside and just about fainted I was so happy. I had later found out that John had tripped on some ice on his walk home cause he was trying to do a kart wheel or something (correct me if I'm wrong, Jonathan). One of my roommates, Stephanie, got the following text message from John after she had congradualated him through text for kissing me...."It was real! I was starting to think it was the best dream I have ever had. I'm floating right now. I skipped home and slipped in a snow bank!" Yes, I know, I'm crazy for saving said text but really....how sweet is that!? So, in a nut shell we were both ridiculously happy. And so that was the beginning of our dating. Let's see, what comes next? Valentines Day was a fun one. I went over to John's that morning and he made me an omelette. It was DELICIOUS! He also danced with me in the kitchen and gave me one single pink rose :) So precious. Then I had to leave so he could get ready for his basketball game and when I walked in the door to my apartment, on my table was a vase of three roses and some cut out hearts and a box of chocolates and a card that John had made. It was really sweet and unexpected. So if that wasn't cute enough so far, there's more! I went to John's game and at half time he came up and gave me another rose and a kiss:) So then after the game we made pizza and cake and everything was so delicious and I really felt so extremely happy and honored to be with someone so special and amazing.

Well time went on and the more I was with John the more I realized how strong my feelings were for him. One day we were in the kitchen and he had mouthed to my roommate Steph that he loved me. I started wondering if he was serious, seeing as it had only been about two weeks into our relationship. I proceeded to ask him and he told me he could see himself being in love with me and that he was falling in love with me. I told him I could defninitely see myself falling in love with him, but we didn't actually say "I love you", although I think we were both feeling the same.

So one night... I was sitting in my room talking with my friends and roommates and telling them how much I liked John when one of my friends asked if I loved him. I answered quicker than I expected and said YES right away. I then sat there and thought for a minute about what I had just said. Finally I convinced myself that I needed to tell John that I loved him. Even if he wasn't quite there. So he came over and we went for a walk to the Hart Building on campus. It was a Sunday night so the doors were locked and we stood there for a minute deciding what to do. We just decided to sit down right in front of the doors on the doormat and talk. I then proceeded to tell John the story and how I felt about him and I told him I loved him. He looked at me with the most sincere look and those GORGEOUS blue eyes and told me he loved me too. I have never felt someone's love for me so strongly as I did when he told me that! Amazing. Absolutely amazing. That spot on campus is BY FAR one of my favorite spots:)

Now that THAT was out things just kept getting better and better, what with dancing in the middle of campus, sweet goodnight kisses, lots of silliness, serious religious discussions, and a lot of other things..how could it not get better right? I can't remember when we started talking about marriage exactly but I do remember thinking that it just always felt SO right. I'm just rambling on and on so I'm gonna go. I'll let John tell his side of the engagement story, since that comes next and mostly cause I love hearing him tell it, but I'm sure I'll add little things here and there! Sorry for the details, but I just LOVE the details! ;)

Beautiful Beginning

2009-04-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

The both of us are new at this, but we wanted to make sure that everyone had a place to go to look at updates on wedding plans and our life plans as well. I guess it is appropriate to start off by telling the story of how this whole thing got started.
First of all, Aimee and I (for the time being) are both sophomores at Brigham Young University-Idaho. The both of us are on what is called the "Winter/Spring" track here at school. While "off-track last summer/fall I was in Logan, Ut. working while she was having a blast in Europe on a religious tour with the university. When January rolled around and it was time to start school again both of us came back to school with the mind-set that we were not going to start dating anyone. Both of us had had it with relationships and we were both very interested in staying single. We were DEAD WRONG!
The first week of school started and one night I decided to go and meet some of the members of my new ward (having been in the ward my previous semesters, I knew where all the housing was for my ward). As fate would have it I knocked on Aimee's door and was soon introducing myself to the beautiful girl who would be the love of my life and my eternal companion. The moment I saw her I knew my plan for staying single was in jeopardy.
We liked each other right off the bat but refused to do anything about it for a couple of weeks. We were put in the same Family Home Evening group and began to hang out with each other everyday. It did not take long for the group get-togethers to turn into a perfect time for Aimee and I to manipulate the situation so that we could always be together. Sitting next to each other during dinners, games, and in the car was a must!
The first date I took Aimee on was a formal J.S. Bach cello concert. We spent the entire concert in whispered conversation and laughter. I really do not remember anything about that concert other than how gorgeous I thought she was and how easy it was for my to talk to her and be myself. It was a perfect first date. :)
The next day I was leaving for Boise to be my little brother's escort through the temple. I went over to Aimee's place before I left to hang out and say good bye. At this point I had been unable -for some time now- to get Aimee out of my mind. It seemed that I was constantly thinking about her. We spent the entire weekend (minus the time I was in the temple) texting, facebook messaging, and finding any way we could to communicate. I have to add that I had been thinking about starting a relationship with Aimee for a little while now and I thought that being in the temple would be a perfect opportunity for some guidance. I got my answer very clearly.
I went home that Sunday and anxiously awaited the end of the Super Bowl so that I could go see her and talk to her. I got back to Rexburg and went immediately over to her place to talk with her. As the time for me to go got closer, I told Aimee to put her coat on because I needed to discuss something with her. I took her outside and told her that I really liked her and that I felt something special between the two of us. I asked her if she would be interested in starting a relationship with me. "Yes. Definitely." was her answer. :) It was the perfect beginning and we have been absolutely inseparable since that point.
I hope you enjoyed the first half of the story. It's late and it just so happens to be my bed time so I will leave the story of our courtship and engagement for Aimee to write. I hope you stay tuned for more blogs and exciting updates from us! :)