My Sister

I have the best sister! She is 8 years older than I am and we have been close all my life. I had a great conversation with her this afternoon and it warms my heart to know that she is mine and always will be! From her dressing me up in her baby doll clothes, to baking Christmas treats together we always have a great time together. She is an amazing teacher, mom, counselor and friend. And I love her so much! The first picture is the day she broke a crowbar...yeah she is tough!
This last year I was able to go to camp with her and she was my salvation! From plenty of tears to laughing our guts off at night we had a wonderful time! For a brief moment in time it was like we were back in the home we grew up in talking in our beds with the lights out. She is such a beautiful person and I am blessed to have her in my life. Yes, I am also blessed to have the boys in the pics above as rockstar brothers, while spunky, cheeky boys as youth they are all wildly handsome men now. (Yes, the sweet little redhead is my twin.)

My Queen

Every once in awhile you just have to stop and realize how fortunate you are. I have found in my life that no matter how many stresses and concerns pound on me at work or in my calling there is always one constant: Amy! Amy is my rock, my sanity, and my queen! I can't imagine my life without her and certainly don't want to! I hope that all of you, my friends and loved ones, are as lucky as I am. I love you sweetheart! Thank you for making my life complete!

Happy Valentines

This Valentines we decided to forgo gifts and flowers and run away together. No one knew where we were, no phone calls, no contact! It was wonderful. We went to Logan...yes you think, Logan...what the? But Logan is my new favorite place, in fact I'd move there in a heartbeat! No smog, they have a beautiful temple, great places to eat, lovely houses, plenty of high schools and Aggie Ice Cream. Yes the BYU Creamery still reigns supreme, but Aggie ice cream could take a good second. With our extended weekend we were able to stay three nights in Logan and my brother Eric and his cute fam took care of Ginger. They are so good with her and he has such sweet kids.
Valentines was a beautiful day we went to an early dinner at Hamilton's with a lovely dinner of Garlic Rubbed Steak and Salmon Florentine. Thanks to Mom and Dad Seely we received a cute card and a great gift card! It made for a wonderful dinner and we felt so spoiled. That afternoon we went to see the sites of Logan and the surrounding cities. We went to Gossner Cheese factory and picked up Smoked cheese and cheese curd and then to the Pepperidge Farms Factory in Richmond to get crackers and treats (yes, we did see the goldfish). All for a great carpet picnic to watch the BYU game that evening. We had such a fun time. I fall more in love with Chad every day! He is so amazing and puts up with so much from me! I'm so thankful for him and for the blessing he is in my life. Thank you for the wonderful Valentines day sweetheart!

Off the Wagon

Our family has been doing a family fitness challenge the last month and a half. This challenge includes points for certain things. So you get 10 points for no treats, 5 points for one treat and 0 points for multiple treats...also known as falling off the wagon. Well I fell off the wagon, and it drug me behind it for the evening, miles and miles of butter laden roads. Don't get me wrong I still worked out, packed for our weekend getaway, finished cleaning bathrooms etc. But I also made rolls, raspberry surprise cupcakes, lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies...no it wasn't a binge night (I'm sure you're not convinced) after a few bites of each I am totally sugared out and completely satisfied! And I think I found the best Chocolate Chip Cookie I have ever had. It reminds me of Mrs. Fields. And yes, don't think your eyes are deceiving you. It's at least three times the size of one cookie. I'll post recipes when we get back next week.

Teeth stink!!

This is what my cheek feels like...yeah maybe not that cute. I have an infection on a tooth that was crowned over a year ago. Root Canal anyone?? I hate teeth! I know my mom would say be grateful for what I have and I am most of the time, just not this weekend. So Friday I called the Dentist tole him what the problem was and he called in a prescription for me, I thought I was a little ahead of the game getting the script early and would be fine. Which I was until Saturday night. We went to a Hot dog Roast at a friends and it had been a while since my last dose of Ibuprofen. So I tried Lortab...I think I have had it before, it helped for a while, went home, felt worse, took more in the middle of the night, still didn't work... massive pain... took more before I went to church (it does say you can take it every 4 hours (since I think I totally sound like a druggie)), halfway through Sacrament meeting I am beyond nauseous and trying not to throw up. My sweet husband takes me home leaves me on the couch and runs off to more meetings, yes, he's amazing! So I worship the porcelain throne the rest of the night and finally the effects of Lortab leave my system. How can people love this stuff?? It's now Monday night after a very long day I think the Penicillin is starting to work. I know for sure that prayer works! I also know that I have the best husband in the world who is willing to hold back my hair (if needed and thankfully it wasn't) and rub my back when I cry!

"I'm a Fan!"

To quote a good friend…beyond white dresses with blue satin sashes and brown paper packages tied up with string, I have a few things that I am a Fan of, stuff that is on my temporary list of things I love (a least this month :)).

Smoked Paprika – I have used this in so many things and it is by far one of my favorite spices right now. From Red Beans and Rice to Racclette we have found many great uses for this fab spice! New Red Pot – This was a Christmas gift that I bought and told Chad that he gave it to me. : ) I love this pot, and love knowing that I didn't have to pay $400 like it’s Le Creuset cousin. Kitchen Aid - I use my Kitchen Aid for almost everything. I got a Cuisinart this Christmas and I am still having a hard time sharing the love with both of them. My favorite Organizing Shoe Rack – nope not used for shoes, I have one in my bathroom behind the door with everything you would need to get ready for the day. I love it, nothing left on the counter and it’s all stashed in mesh pockets. I have another one in our hall closet that holds gloves, scarves, umbrellas and even some gardening tools. It’s a must have from Wal-mart or even Ross under $20.

My energizer bunny

So this week has been long! Super long, super sad, super hormonal...yes I know my life is good, but Satan really has worked hard on me this week. My sweet husband brought these home to me tonight. I love his so much, he is such a wonderful man that puts up with so much and like the energizer bunny keeps on going.