Teacher's Quorum President

Don't let the picture fool you, this kid is going to be a great example to the Teacher's Quorum.  Luke was called to be the president of his Teacher's Quorum.  His first counselor is Cory Partridge and Micah Cajilig is the second counselor.  Owen Bullogh is the secretary.  I am so excited for Luke to have this opportunity to serve.  He is such a great kid and I know that he will be an amazing leader and friend to those in his quorum.

MLK Day Off

Today was Martin Luther King day so the kids had the day off from school.  This was such a blessing because the weather was a little crazy.  We had a big snowstorm that actually caused a power outage.  We were without power for about 4 hours.  It was getting pretty cold and the electronics were dying off one by one.  Just when I was getting nervous the electricity came back on.  We spent the day relaxing and enjoying the heater and television with a new level of appreciation.  We decided to brave the elements and went to dinner at Pizza Studio.  I love these days that I get to spend relaxing surrounded by my favorite people.

The friendship continues...

Even though Kai moved away a few years ago, we still try to get the boys together on a regular basis.  Today Kai came over and spent the whole day with Nash and Gray.  They have such a cute friendship and they always pick up right where they left off.  I love their friendship and I know that they cannot wait until the next time they all get together.

17 Amazing Years

Seventeen years ago I made the best decision ever when I married Joey in the Mount Timpanogos Temple.  It is so crazy to think about how in love I felt that day because that love has grown so so much over the years.  He is truly my best friend and the perfect companion for me.  We decided to celebrate by cashing in my boss's Flemings gift card.  The food was so good but the company was even better.  We then went to Draper to the Last Dessert Shoppe.  We shared German Chocolate cake hidden in the middle of a chocolate ball.  So good!  We then went to stay the night at the Homestead.  We were so grateful that Mindi would stay with the kids so we could enjoy the whole night together.  I am so grateful for all the memories and amazing moments I get to enjoy each year with Joey by my side.  It doesn't get much better than that.  So blessed that he is mine forever!

Last full day in Cali

We both slept a lot better with the windows shut and after getting ready we went to enjoy another free breakfast!  On our way out we grabbed hot chocolate and then drove to a place where we could walk to the sand.  Harlee wanted to write her name in the sand and it was so funny to watch her try to finish before the tide came in.  After we spent a little time enjoying the beautiful scenery we made our way to Irvine Spectrum to spend the day.  Our first stop was the dry bar to get our hair done.  It was a little pricey but it was so fun to enjoy something new with Har by my side.  Her hair turned out beautifully while mine was a little too Shirley Temple for my liking.   We went shopping a little before heading to Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  Harlee was brave enough to try cheesecake for the first time but she did not love it as much as I do.  After lunch we went to buy movie tickets for the 4:30pm movie and then went to do a little more shopping.  We rode the ferris wheel and then went to Alex and Ani to buy matching bracelets as a memento of our dream trip.  Then we made our way to Dave and Busters to play some games.  Harlee hit the ticket jackpot and got 500 tickets.  She ended up with over 900 tickets and spent them on a stuffed Pac Man to bring back for Tag.  After some fun playing games we went to see "A Dog's Way Home".  It was such a sweet movie and Har and I both may have teared up a bit.  After the movie we went to Target to get some more face masks.  Har and I each got a cute sweatshirt also.  We finished our time at Irvine Spectrum getting dinner at Corner Bakery.  I would have never thought we could spend the whole day there but we honestly had the best time.  We made our way back to the hotel.  We packed up and then had a little more time for face masks.  Such a great day that I will never forget.  We woke  up and enjoyed the free yummy breakfast one last time before taking off for the airport.  I am so sad that the trip is coming to an end and I for sure think that we need to do more girl's trips!  Love you Har!!

Living the Dream in Cali Day Two

We woke up a little apprehensive of the hotel we were staying in.  When we arrived last night it seemed slightly creepy and it was so loud.  We could hear everything and I even heard someone snoring.  We got ready and went to get breakfast.  After the yummy breakfast of waffles and potatoes and then glimpsing the beautiful view of the beach our opinion of the hotel started to change.  We stopped back in our room to get our phones and Har realized that our windows had been opened all night!  No wonder it was loud!  We shut the windows and decided to walk to the beach.  I could not believe how close it was.  We just crossed the street and we were there enjoying the amazing view.  We watched the surfers for a bit before walking back to our hotel.  We drove to a grocery store to get a few snacks and then we went to see Nannie.  On the way we stopped and got In and Out so we could have lunch with her.  It was so nice to see her and visit but Harlee could have left a little sooner than we did.  She didn't want any pictures but we snuck in a few. After a couple of hours we went did a little shopping before heading to Taco Surf to meet Tara and Susie. We got there a little early so we went for a walk on the pier.  I forget how much I love the beach.  It was so fun to be there with Harlee. Taco Surf was just as good as I remembered it.  It was so fun to catch up with Tara and Susie was in love with Har.  After dinner we walked to Cold Stone to get some ice cream before saying good bye to Tara and Susie.  We then drove back to our hotel for some face masks and a Hallmark movie.  Perfect end to another amazing day.  I cannot say enough about how fun Harlee is!  She is my favorite girl and I feel so lucky to have this time with her.

Day one of the Best Girl's Trip

And we are off... Joey had to get the kids off to school so he took us to the airport about 2 hours before our flight.  We were so fine with that!  Nothing better than starting the best trip a little early especially on Harlee's 12th birthday.  We checked in, went through security, and then we went to grab some breakfast.  Harlee chose McDonalds.  After a little breakfast, we bought some magazines and treats before settling in to wait for our flight.  We had to wait for some mechanical issues to be addressed but then we were off.  Harlee was kind enough to share her headphones since my playlist would not work.  She was even smart enough to switch ears so we did not have to sit so close together.  So funny!  We landed and went to get our rental car.  It was so nice and so much bigger than we expected.  We drove straight to Disneyland.  We were so excited.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we could not wait to get the fun started.  We went to Space Mountain first.  The line was 90 minutes long but ended up only taking about 45 minutes.  It was just as fun as we remembered.  We then went to get some lunch before heading over to Pirates.  It was pretty crowded for a random Wednesday in January but we passed the time in line chatting and watching funny shows on Har's phone.  We went on Splash Mountain and got soaked since we were the front two seats.  Then we went on Winnie the Pooh before indulging in a little funnel cake and fries.  We then we on Thunder Mountain, Buzz, Autotopia, Pirates again, before ending our day on Indiana Jones.  On our way out we bought a few treats to take back to the family and then went to In and Out to grab a late dinner.  We then made our way to our hotel in Laguna Beach.  We were exhausted and could not wait to spend another day together in Cali tomorrow...

Early Birthday Celebration

Since Harlee and I will be leaving on Wednesday morning, and Joey has meetings on Tuesday evening, we decided to celebrate Harlee's birthday a couple days early.  I cannot believe that she is almost 12!  What a gift she is to our family.  She got a new skirt, a new dance outfit and her big present which was a phone.  She was so excited!  Welcome to the phone club Har.  I hope you have an amazing year and I cannot wait to celebrate in a few days in Cali!  Girls Trip!!

3rd Hour

With the change made in the October General Conference to move to a 2 hour block, we have been encouraged to spend some additional time each Sunday (or another day if necessary) studying as a family.  Since I try to handle the scripture study and family prayer during the week I told Joey that he would need to take the lead on this.  He taught an amazing lesson!  He has such a strong testimony and knowledge of the Gospel.  I am so lucky to learn from him and for my kids to have such an amazing example to look up to.  I think we all are going to learn so much from our Priesthood leader.

Welcome to YW's

I knew this day would come but I did not think that it would come so quickly.  Our little girl is growing up.  Today was her first Sunday in Young Women's.  She is so excited.  The church recently changed things up a bit so from now on you are moved up to YM or YW in January of the year that you turn 12.  This did not effect Har too much since her birthday is the 9th but she did get to go one Sunday earlier.  I am so excited for her.  I loved my time in YW and loved my leaders so much.  I just know that she is going to have an amazing experience strengthening her testimony over the next 6 years.

Last Day of the Break

Joey had to go back to work but the kids have one more day to enjoy the break.  Harlee and I decided to go and get pedicures to prepare for our upcoming trip to Cali.  After our relaxing pedicures I took everyone except Luke to Funtopia.  We met a few friends there and the kids had s great time.  I am so not ready to get back to reality.  This has been the funnest break.