The "True" Holiday

There are few celebrations that my husband Micah really gets into, but Thanksgiving is at the top of the list. In his opinion it is the only "True" holiday. The holiday is as it was originally intended with family and food and being thankful for the blessings in our lives. I know he loves food, but he also likes the idea of only spending money on food and not on gifts etc. I get excited for Thanksgiving not just because of the holiday itself, but also because the day after I can legitimately decorate for Christmas. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with the Stubbs family up at our cabin. Our little family, my mom, brother, and a few younger cousins spent the night before having fun and getting ready for the feast. Well some of us were getting ready for the feast.

The boys staked their early claim in the living room playing Xbox. I doubt they really knew what else was going on that night. Nothing but the game factored into their thoughts for the next several hours.

Thankfully the kids were well occupied upstairs playing and watching the movie "Up." While they were upstairs I was able to get my pies done in record time. I was also able to get lots of cute shots as I peeked in on them. Often too quiet is not good. This time the quiet was helpful.

Although being together is the reason for the holiday, I really am glad for a local that has several rooms with many varied and different things for each group to do. Life just seems to go smoother when all are happy in their respective spheres.

The next day was another story. There was just a short time in the morning until all the rest of the family arrived.Some, such as my unkle Dan, his family and my grandma Bonnie came up a little early to help with the prep.

Here my cousin Dustin and I are completing what later became known as the "Mountain O' Tatoes."

Of all of us there my mom was probably the most grateful for the food. It has now been over two years and three Thanksgivings since she received her cancer diagnosis. She is on a very strict diet, which apparently has been helping, and so cannot normally eat hardly anything we had there for dinner. Thankfully for all of us she is allowed one day a year to splurge and she has been choosing Thanksgiving. She was able to eat turkey, pie, and all the fixins. I am so very grateful to still have her with me and all of us.

I must agree with Micah, Thanksgiving is a great holiday!

A Family Christmas Tree Adventure

On Saturday we went out into the great wide wilderness of Vernon, Utah to cut down our own Christmas Tree. It was quite the adventure driving all around and looking here and there for the perfect tree. We finally found a trail that lead up a near hill where we could see a larger grouping of trees. Kestlie, as always, was the first one to book up the hill in search of our tree.
Keaton is a lot like his older sister, but thankfully he was being helped by his awsome dad. Once our tree was spotted. Kestlie took over the caretaking like a great sister.

Of course our tree was farther away than what we were expecting. Corban was there, but he is our laid back kid. He was usually several steps behind looking at the rocks etc. Though it was a little cold and we had a to hike a little, the tree was totally worth the work.

Dad exercised his manly abilities and cut down the tree. He was so quick at cutting the tree down that I barely had time to take a single picture as the tree landed on the ground.We had so much fun we might try it again next year. Although we all enjoyed ourselves, I was probably the most excited. I love these kinds of family memory making experineces.

A Little About Us

Micah and I met while we were both working at the Orem branch of Mt. America Credit Union. I started working at the credit union in June of 1999 after returning home from an LDS mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Micah served a mission in Catania, Italy returning home in 1997 and started working at the credit union in July of 1999. We became really good friends and after I stopped working there the following January, we started dating, although our actual first date is still under debate. After a long courtship of 8 months, a proposal in Venice, and an engagement of 6 weeks, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 29th, 2000.

The first 3 years of our marriage were spent in a basement apartment in Micah's mom's new house, which he built. Kestlie Victoria, after my mom, joined the family on February 21st, 2003. That same year we built our current home in Lehi. Corban Micah came along on September 14th, 2005 and Keaton Al, after two of his great grandfathers, arrived March 6th, 2008.

Our family loves to play games inside and out, go camping, swim, read, and be with extended family and friends. We love our neighbors and may never leave this home because of the amazing people we live by. The Lord has blessed us in many ways. The path is long with many cracks, but we try to see and smell the roses along the way.

I am excited to start this new blog, finally! I am also exited to be able to share events of the present, future and often of the past with friends and family who visit.