Heaven Just Took One of Our Angels

Ryan and I were driving back from Idaho Falls when i got a text from Kaid that made my heart sink and stomach turn. My Daddy's mom past away around 9:30 Friday night, Ry and i rushed to the ICU as fast as we could, she was still warm when i kissed her, i just wanted her to wake up so bad. My dad offered a beautiful family prayer that was so comforting and really helped lighten the heavy mood. Grandama (or Grawma as most of my family says,) was an incredible woman and the other side is going to be so lucky to have such a happy soul join them. My grandma has been sick for quite a while, stuck in bed, and in so much pain and i know she is happier where she is now it is just hard to lose someone so special so fast. I have so many memories from when i was younger, Marcus and i used to play on the big rocks in her yard while she would make us yummy lunches, sing us silly songs, make our self sick on cherries, and expand our creativity with our "notebooks" (we had spiral notebooks that we drew pictures and wrote stories in). She was always doing little service projects too, an amazing example of selfless love for her fellow men even if she didn't know them. She was a fantastic cook, teacher, friend, mother, grandma... I just pray that i will take her example and be more like her,she will always hold a special place in my life and in my heart.
I know she's in a better place now and i am so grateful to know that this isn't goodbye, just a short time of absence. I love the gospel and the comfort it gives at times like this, although it won't take away all of the sadness and tears, it does give some relief. We love you Grawma!!!

Christmas 2008

We had an amazing Christmas surrounded by family, delicious food, and lots a beautiful snow!! Christmas Eve we had a progressive dinner starting at my parents house for appetizers, then to Wood's for salad and fruit, then to Judy's for drinks, and ending at my grandparents for the main course and yummy desserts and our Danish traditions. Ry surprised me with a new camera that i absolutely LOVE and got tons of use out of Christmas eve and day!!! He gave it to me the day before Christmas Eve and said "you need this present before tomorrow" he was right, i used it a ton!

We finally got a microwave!!! I can't believe we survived that long without one, we have used it almost every day since we got it.

Lizzy loving her Santa outfit.

Poo loved playing in all of the wrapping paper!

Maddie loved all of the love and attention.

Grandpa reading the nativity story..

The nativity actors, they were so cute!

Ry playing with the kids magnetic games, i think he liked it more than they did:-)

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Our first Christmas morning together was so fun, Ry set the alarm for WAY too early, but we had a great morning full of lots of great surprises.

The fam surrounding the ottoman talking to Marky, of course my mom recording Marcus' phone call, (yep camera on the phone the entire time). It was sooo fun to hear his cute little voice and to hear he hasn't lost his sense of humor. He is doing so well out there and he is being such a great missionary.

Opening presents at Ry's house...

We needed a new season now that we've finished King of Queens.

Phone call number two, we got to talk to him four times, the last call was the hardest, we could tell he did not want to hang up.

SOOO much snow!!! We LOVED it!

Except the digging out part, my car is horrible in the snow, we had to dig out at least five times.

CaTcH up PrE CHrIsTMAs!!!

LOOK WHO'S '50'!!!!

We had a fifties theme party for my daddy's fiftieth birthday!! Poodle skirts, old 70 records, burgers fries, music...the whole shabang--HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!



WORK CHRISTMAS PARY: THE CLASSIC UGLY SWEATER PARTY
-at pasta vinos-
Our ugly thrift sweaters, mine was rainbow hearts with a huge snoopy and Ry's came out from the depths of my Dad's closet. The best part of my outfit was my bright purple leggings

Char and Clay, leather dragon and green machine.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN...

SANTA CLAUS!!! My parents' friend, Mike, has come to visit me since my first Christmas, it's such a fun tradition, and i am so glad he hasn't missed a year.

BIRTHDAY PICTURES REVIVED!!!!

After a while of fiddling with my camera i figured out how to revive my long lost pics, i was ecstatic!! So here they are!

My garland creation

Birthday dinner with my honey.

Festival of the trees... that is supposed to be the polar express, some people don't know how to take pictures the way i like:-)

This is naughty Missy at the top of the tree...

After a while of fiddling with my camera i figured out how to revive my long lost pics, i was ecstatic!! So here they are!

Another year older...

I went to put my few birthday pictures that we took last night, and they have completely disappeared, i am SO SO sad. I had a pretty good birthday, i can't tell if it's just because i am getting older, or because i am married, but birthdays are supposed to be HUGE and special, and i kind of felt like the world didn't stop turning for me this year, it was kind of depressing. I had an amazing time at Hairspray with my Mom and sis the night before. Ry did surprise me on monday with a tuxedo cake, dove dark chocolate, and a very nice card, and a week of birthday surprises ahead. Things like dishes for a week, mani and pedi, etc. Yesterday Ry was so sweet, he made french toast for breakfast (he doesn't cook, ever, so this is a big deal,) he only burned a few before he got the hang of it:-). After breakfast Ry left for work and i watched Christmas movies and blogged for a while, it was nice and relaxing. After i got bored with that i went shopping, of course didn't find anything, but i got the rest of the lights for our Christmas tree and some gorgeous garland to put above our entertainment stand. (I did have pictures of all of this, but my camera erased them all). My mom picked me up for lunch at Winger's and Ry met us there, it was delicious as always, and guess what my mom got me (besides Hairspray tickets)?!?! The Willow Tree nativity, I absolutely love it, i already have it set up in our bay window and it makes me so happy everytime i look at it. I finished stringing lights on our tree and decorated the garland, it looks beautiful, i was pretty proud of myself i felt like such a little home maker. I went to the festival of trees with my fam before Ry got home from work, so many amazing trees and a magical atmosphere. I went home and met Ry after the festival of trees and then went to Ry's basketball game. After the game we grabbed some sonic drinks and domino's, and went home to put our ornaments on our tree. We watched Home Alone 2: Lost in NY and had a great rest of the night. Thanks to all my great friends who helped make my birthday great with all the calls, cards, and messages!!

HAIRSPRAY!!!

My mom surprised me with tickets to Hairspray for my birthday, My mom, Ween and I had a blast, they did a pretty good job casting. My favorite character was definitely Penny, she was HILARIOUS the entire show and i wish she would have talked more. All of the black people in the cast were fantastic dancers and had great voices. Tracy and Amber had really nasally voices (bleh), and no one can ever play Velma Von Tussle as good as Michelle Pfeiffer (obviously), and i was slightly disappointed that they didn't sing "The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs", but other than that it was a great show.

Link, Penny, Seaweed, Tracy (and her tiny piggy eyes, literally)

Before the Show...

Intermission

The Lights Parade!!

My dad does a float for his work every year and they are always so pretty, this year he did a one that was a lot smaller than usual because of lack of time and he never seems to get the recognition he deserves (well, at least we think so)... and guess what!?!?

He won BEST USE OF LIGHTS!!

Our cute fam...