Happy 5 Year Anniversary To Us!

Yesterday Dustin and I celebrated our 5 year Wedding Anniversary! I honestly cannot believe that it has been 5 years. Yesterday when we were reminiscing, Dustin said "5 years ago today you were crying". It's a little bit of an inside joke, but the night before we got married, we got in an argument. I can't even remember what it was about. Two weeks prior to our wedding, my Grandma who I love and adore died so between that and planning for the wedding, I was exhausted (I have the bloodshot eyes in my wedding pictures to prove it). Anyway, Dustin just left in the middle of our arguement pretty much because he knew he couldn't win and that I was nuts at that point in time. Anyway, when he arrived at the temple (where we got married) I was in tears. I think it freaked him out at first because there was a small part of him asking himself if I was calling off the wedding. Really just one of the ladies was stern with me and in my fragile emotional state I started crying so Dustin and I always get a laugh out of that. Here are just a couple pics from that beautiful day (my Grandma's birthday) when we got married.

So Happy and In Love!

Apparently, I am quite amused by my new husband...

Priceless

Dustin was out of town most of last week for work, so I really just wanted to stay at home so my lovely husband took me out to Sushi (my favorite). We have a tradition of always watching our wedding video on our anniversary so we came home made up some chocolate fondue and watched our wedding video. Even though we watch it every year, it is always so much fun and it always makes me laugh. I still get a kick out of the same parts every year. After that, Dustin surprised me with a slideshow that he put together of our pictures and what we've done over the last 5 years, it was perfect! And then this morning, I made my adorable husband breakfast in bed...

Eggs Benedict, Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream (from Dinner Club), a glass of OJ and the morning paper!

I am so lucky to be married to Dustin and I love him so much. In honor of our 5 years of marriage, here are just 5 of the many reasons I love my husband.
His Intelligence - My husband is honestly one of the smartest people I know. His mind truly is a steel trap. Supposedly it's the women who always remember everything in the marriage; not ours. He has amazing business sense, he knows more sports trivia and has so many stats and names of players in his head that I can't even begin to keep up. He is so passionate about knowledge and learning and he is able to retain so much and use so much of what he knows. I am in awe of him more and more every day.
We have Fun - Dustin and I spend a lot of time just doing our own thing or hanging out with Quique and we always have so much fun. He is just so much fun to be around. He makes me laugh and no matter what we are doing I enjoy doing it with him. And at the same time we both have started and want to continue to travel the world, we love food, and of course, we love football. Everything that I do is always better and more fun when I do it with Dustin.
He Challenges Me - Yes this has caused some short term stress for me, but he has been so good for me. Since before we were married, he has always made me want to be a better person. Whether it's learning about new things or treating others better, he has always been an inspiration to me and I always want to be better not just for myself, but for him too.
His Body - I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea here, but he really does have an awesome body. He has beautiful biceps, great pecs, a cute butt and the best legs you have ever seen on a guy. Mens legs have been a turn off in the past, but not with Dustin, he has great legs!
His Love for Me - Dustin fell in love with me long before I realized I was in love with him. He fought for me and he loved me so much more than I have ever been loved by a man. We have had our difficulties over the past few years, but our love has only grown stronger. It is so amazing to be loved by someone as wonderful as him.

So here's to you my love!

Dinner Club - Italian Style

A few months back a few of us girls that live in the same neighborhood wanted to start a monthly girls night out. I love food and it's always fun to get together with the girls and meet some new people, so I suggested a Dinner Club. When I told my mom and dad about it, I found out that they had actually been a part of one and they loved it. They also gave me some great ideas in how to organize it and I found all sorts of ideas for themes online. We've been doing it for about 8 months and it has been so much fun! I think that we all look forward to it every month and the food is always so good!

Last nights theme was Italian. We had Lasagna, Olive Garden Salad, Homemade Meatballs, Baked Tortellini, Fresh Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream and to top it off, Tiramisu! In fact, talking about it right now really makes me want
to go eat it all again! I made the Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream. After I heard that we were having Lasagna, Tortellini and Meatballs, I decided to lighten it up a little. Dustin and I went to Italy last year and we took a cooking class while we were in Panzano (Tuscany). We learned how to make fresh pasta, tiramisu and pesto... it was awesome! Unfortunately due to my time restrictions this week, I had to make something with limited time. Here is my recipe for the Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream. This would work great as a dessert, side dish or even for a brunch or breakfast.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Cannoli Cream
Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis (Everyday Italian)

1/3 C Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese 1/2 Dry Pint Fresh Raspberries (2 ½ C)
2 T plus 1/3 C Whipping Cream 1 T Sugar
3 T Powdered Sugar 1 T Fresh Lemon Juice
Pinch Ground Cinnamon 2 Kiwis, peeled cut into ½ in pieces12 oz. Fresh Strawberries, hulled, quartered (2 ½ C) 3 T Almonds, sliced and toasted

Stir the ricotta and 2 T of cream in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/3 C of cream, powdered sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until semi-firm peaks form. Fold the ricotta into the whipped cream. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to stiffen a yield a creamier filling (very important, I didn't let it sit long enough). (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate).

Toss the strawberries, raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. Let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add the kiwi.

Spoon the fruit mixture into 4 dessert bowls. Dollop the ricotta cream atop the fruit. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve. Can serve in serving or water glasses.

Yield: 4 servings

My Quique Girl

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to talk about my sweet angel Quique (pronounced key-kay). I could probably talk about her all day, but I will try my very hardest to not bore you with ALL of the details. Dustin and I decided that once he was done getting his MBA, we wanted to get a dog. He was leaning toward a Jack Russell Terrier, but I wanted a more child friendly dog like a Lab. We looked and looked and looked some more. We thought about all different types of dogs. Once we got back from Italy (our celebratory trip for Dustin getting his MBA) it was time for a dog. Dustin did a lot of the searching and he saw this cute little lab online and there was one female left (I was insistent on a female) so he went to see her since I had another appointment that night. Can we say love at first sight? I told Dustin if he liked her to get her so he immediately put down a deposit and we picked her up two days later. She was almost 7 weeks when we got her so she was so small. She was so shy, almost scared of us, but she loved to roll on her back and have her tummy rubbed. (Little did we know that she would spend most of her time on her back – she’s incredibly submissive to other dogs). She cried all the way home (which was about 30 minutes) and it made me so sad. When we got home, we took some pictures of her:

Isn't she so tiny?

Sleeping Arrangements
We decided on the name Quique. We wanted something different. Dustin served his LDS mission in Chile and spent many months in a town called Iquique which holds some of his fondest memories, it was perfect! Her first night was a tough one. We wanted to crate train her to help with the potty training. The first night we had the crate out in the living room and we put her in just before we went to bed. Within minutes of climbing into bed, the whining started. I looked at Dustin.
Me: “Can we please bring the crate in here?”
Dustin: “Let’s wait 30 minutes and if she’s still crying we’ll bring the crate in here.”
3 Minutes Later…
Dustin: “Okay, this is too hard, just bring her in here”.
I spent the next few nights sleeping on the floor next to the crate with my fingers through the crate touching Quique as we slept. Lucky for me, Dustin went out of town for about a week. When the cat is gone the mice will play… so Quique spent those nights sleeping on the bed with me. Dustin came home for a few days before he had to leave on another trip so those days were again spent on the floor with Quique in her crate. When he was gone again, she was back on the bed. By the time he got back, she was used to the bed. I begged Dustin to please let her sleep with me until he came to bed and then he could put her back in her crate. Of course, he couldn’t so she’s been sleeping with us ever since!

Leaving Quique
We picked Quique up on a Saturday and we spent the whole day together. The next morning, I was teaching a class in church. Dustin had to leave early that morning for a meeting. When I showed up at church, my eyes were virtually swollen shut and my face was wet. Dustin asked me what was wrong and I told him the dog and then continued to cry. He thought something had happened to the dog. My response while crying was “I didn’t want to leave her, she can’t be home all by herself”. Dustin laughed and laughed. I didn’t find it funny. The next few days, I drove myself to work, crying. Each morning I had to call my mom and have her help to calm me down. I can’t even imagine what it will be like with a baby. I spent the next 3-4 months coming home every day at lunch to let Quique out of her crate.

Big Brother
A couple of months after having Quique, I was on our usual evening walk. There was somebody behind me that was yelling “Charlie”. I didn’t know a Charlie so I kept walking. Then I heard the same person yelling “Connie” over and over again. I finally turned around because there didn’t seem to be anybody else around. The couple and their dogs caught up to me and said “Oh we thought that you were Connie and that your dog was Charlie”. We continued to talk and they were asking me how old Quique was and where we got her. The couple suddenly turned towards each other and then said to me “I think that her brother lives just up the street from here. The puppy is the same age, looks identical to Quique and they got him at the same place”. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of a beautiful friendship! When I finally made it to Connie’s house, it was like Quique and Charlie remembered each other. You may say that’s impossible, but I won’t believe you. There is something special about the two of them when they’re together. They act the same, they play so well, they truly act like brother and sister. Connie and I are always comparing stories and they always seem to be doing the same things and have the same mannerisms. Connie and Jon have become dear friends to us. We usually make sure the puppies see each other at least once a week or they go through withdrawl and Quique has stayed with them when we are out of town. And yes, Quique and Charlie sleep on the bed with them too. In fact, Connie and Jon got Charlie before we got Quique and Jon had his eyes set on Quique. Luckily, Connie wanted Charlie so thanks to Connie, Quique became a part of our life.

Charlie and Quique - the only time that she has had a collar other than red. (about 1 yr old)
Charlie and Quique - they have spent a lot of time running around sharing a stick or a toy.

Life with Quique
Quique is a riot! I think that her favorite things in order are 1)Dogs 2)Treats 3)Water(lake, sprinklers or hose) 4)Charlie 5)Dustin. I have so many stories to tell about her and her personality but I have gone on long enough. Not being able to conceive a baby in the last year and a half has been a struggle in our lives, but Quique has filled a void that we didn’t know we had. She has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. Dustin may be her favorite (it must be a male/female thing) but she knows who her mama is. There is nothing better than having her snuggle with me in the mornings. She has pure love and complete loyalty. I love to come home and have Quique run to me wagging her butt (she wags more than her tail) and give me tons and tons of kisses. She is so submissive to other dogs, but can defend herself if she needs to and she loves everybody. I have also seen a different side of Dustin. He is so cute with her and loves her so much. Remember how I mentioned he wasn't quite wanting a lab, he has made it perfectly clear that we will only have labs from now on. We could not have asked for a better dog and we are so glad to have her as part of our family.

New Moon

So I just read book # 2 in the Stephanie Meyers series - "New Moon". WOW! I was a little disappointed when prior to reading this book, I had heard that Edward was only in half of this book. Actually, I think that it was less than half, but because of what happens in the book, there was a need to develop another character. I don't know if I loved this book more than the first one except for one chunk of it that was my absolute favorite part, but I am sure that it has set up the next two books beautifully. I cannot wait to dive into Eclipse, however, since this is the last one until her new book comes out next Fall, I have decided to wait a couple of weeks so that I can feel the anticipation of it and have the opportunity to read it all in one or two sittings.

My friend April wrote in her blog about Harry vs. Edward. (Harry from Harry Potter and Edward from the Twilight series). As I said before, I have never read Harry Potter, I have only seen one or two of the movies, but to me there is no way that there can be any comparison. I am probably the epitome of a "hopeless romantic". When I was younger, I would dream and fantasize about my future prince charming(aka husband)and how it would be this utterly romantic way in which we met and we would have the fairy tale marriage and this fairy tale life. I have had some learning and growing experiences since then and realize that a true fairly tale wasn't exactly how I had previously envisioned it. I love my husband dearly and I would not wish for anything in our lives to be different. I am truly blessed to have someone love me as much as he does and I feel the same towards him.

So back to Edward. Let me start off by saying that I have a bit of a crush on Edward (don't worry, I've already informed Dustin). And yes, I know that Edward is a fictional character and a vampire, but the love he has for Bella is so beautiful to read about and it is so easy to identify with. He is this tough, butt-kicking vampire and yet with Bella he is soft and sweet and sensitive. He will protect her in any way that he can whether that is fighting somebody for her or sacrificing his life. Meyers is a beautiful writer. When I read these books, especially the scenes between Bella and Edward, I feel like I am there. In fact there are even times when I can almost feel what the characters are feeling. I know that may sound really strange, but I truly do. To me, anyone who reads this book can't help but see the beauty of this love, isn't that what we are looking for? Somebody to love us? Not just love us but that true, everlasting, passionate, can't live without, sacrificial kind of love? Edward may not be your cup of tea but he has many of the characteristics that anybody looking for love would want. If you have been lucky enough to find that kind of love, aren't you happy when you see somebody else experience it? There is truly nothing better than that.

I would say that many of my favorite fictional books are romance novels (love Nicholas Sparks). My favorite Disney movie is "Cinderella" and 3 of my favorite movies are "Pretty Woman", "Sleepless in Seattle" and "City of Angels". So does that give you some perspective? To me there is nothing more beautiful than a touching love story. Again, this is coming from a hopeless romantic who cries at any touching moment. So I guess to sum it up, if you are all about romance, you will absolutely love this series (at least what I have read thus far). However, if love stories aren't really your thing, you will probably be much more satisfied with Harry Potter. I am so grateful for these beautiful books and for the opportunity to escape into another world and be touched in ways only a special book can do justice.

Surrounded by Love

Today has been a tough day. I have not been feeling well the past few days. There were some additional things going on today that just made it a rough day and extremely emotional for me. But as hard as today has been, (I know that this is going to sound weird) but it has also been a truly wonderful today. My husband and my mom have always been so wonderful in making me feel better, but today it went beyond them. Since I decided to rest today and not go into work, I called Quique's (my dog) brother's mom to see if he wanted to come over today since I was going to be home. (I will definitely post in the next week or so what all of that meant since I am sure that I completely confused you for those not familiar with the story. But there is a beautiful story of how my sweet puppy "reconnected" with her brother (litter mate) Charlie). Anyway, the two of them have not left my side the entire day. In fact right now, Charlie is chewing on a bone to the left of my chair and Quique (key-kay) is under my desk with her chin resting on my feet. I was watching a television show earlier (season finale of "Dead Zone" which is an awesome show if you've never seen it) and I was bawling at the end of the episode. I would say that that was because my emotions are very surface level right now, but it probably still would have been the case if I wasn't emotional. I 'm just a sap. Quique was laying on the floor by my bed, and when she saw me virtually convulsing from crying, she jumped up on the bed and laid right on my chest. If you are not a dog lover or if you have never experienced anything like this, dogs really are in tune with what we are feeling. Quique sensed it first thing this morning. It's like Charlie and Quique have been my guardian angels all day, following me wherever I go and giving me loves and kisses.

On top of that, my dear friend April checked in on my to see how I was feeling (knowing that I hadn't been feeling well the past couple of days). When I told her how I was feeling and what was going on, she showed up an hour or two later with one of the most thoughtful presents and a beautiful card. Saying that I was touched, doesn't even begin to describe the feelings I have regarding what she did. It is really hard for me to feel sorry for myself on days like this when I realize that I am surrounded by so many people who love and care for me so deeply... even dogs! It is so much easier to go through trials when you have people willing to endure them with you. I can't imagine those people in this world who have to go through difficult times alone. I realized today just how blessed I am. Whether it is a sensitive and supportive husband, a mom who says all of the right things, a few caring and ever so thoughtful friends or even the 2 best yellow labs ever, I am truly blessed.

A Perfect Match

It has been far too long since I have posted. It actually takes a lot of effort to post on a continual basis. We have had a lot of things going on so I am already a week behind. Last Thursday, September 13th, Dustin's sister Lindsay Lu (as I call her) got married. You could not have asked for a more perfect day. Lindsay and Tim are soul mates, just perfect for each other and they make each other so happy! Right before Lindsay's wedding ceremony it was like she was 10 years old waiting to open her presents on Christmas, she was giggling and everything. It was so wonderful to see her so happy! Tim is a wonderful man with a great family. I am so glad to see two people who love each other so much find each other. Here are a few pictures from the day:

The new Mr. and Mrs. (They kept grinning like that the entire day).

The Tate Clan after the Wedding Ceremony

Bo - My other sweet nephew that I am sure to brag about soon.. In fact we were at the wedding luncheon and I was sitting next to my sister in law, Savanna (Bo's Mom). Bo was on the other side of Savanna. Apparently Bo (16 months) was unable to get his mother's attention and before I knew it, I heard... Jamie! I looked over at Bo who was looking at me and pointing to the basket of rolls on the table. At first I didn't think that he had said my name, maybe I wanted to hear it, but Savanna confirmed it for me. I guess is takes food to say my name. I'll have to remember that.

Bryson and me

The Tate Family at the Reception

At the wedding luncheon, my mother in law had written a poem for Lindsay and Tim that she read. I thought that it was so beautiful so I would like to share it. For those of you who don't know, a few years before Dustin and I were married (although we were friends at the time) Lindsay was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia had to go through a bone marrow transplant. Luckily her sister Brooke was a perfect match and was willing to do this painful procedure to save her sister's life.

A Perfect Match
By Christine Tate

A Perfect Match
A Flower is about to bloom

Seven years ago we prayed for a match.
We needed bone marrow,
The very essence of life.
We needed the perfect elements
To give life to a young woman

Only three choices, such little hope.
Then the miracle happened.
A sister's love, a family's prayer.
A match, a perfect match.

It was only 2 tablespoons,
How will it find its way?
Will it work?
Please hurry, a flower is about to bloom!

Long hospital days, so many friends,
No hair, only hope.
Slowly the blood counts are rising,
A life is now beginning.
A flower is about to bloom!

But now another match is needed
Not just any match.
Someone with all the perfect elements
To enrich this flower.
Someone so righteous,
Someone so kind, so funny,
Someone with ocean blue eyes.

A perfect match!
A beautiful flower is beginning to bloom!

If you ever saw Tim and Lindsay together, you would know that they are the perfect match! I am so blessed to have such wonderful in laws to call my family.

Twilight

I always seem to be slightly behind the curve when it comes to new fashions or new anything for that matter. When my friend stopped pegging her pants, I thought she was crazy. When capris came out, I said that I would never be caught dead wearing those. Eventually I stopped pegging my pants I am not sure where my current wardrobe would be without capris. The same goes for books. I never read the Harry Potter books. I am sure I will eventually, but I haven’t as of yet. However I kept hearing about a book called “Twilight” that was the first of a 3 soon to be 4 book series. It seemed to be the new thing and finally a girl from my work talked me into reading it so I decided to give it a go. I am also not one of those people who can read a 500 page book in a day (or even a couple of days for that matter). I think I’m just a slow reader. But after a little bit of reading on Friday night and little bit on Saturday night, I could not put the book down on Sunday and voila, I finished it! I am not going to give away any big parts of the book, just some concepts so if you don’t want to know anything and you just want to read the book then stop reading the rest of this entry. If you are curious or if you have read the book and want to hear my "high level" thoughts, here I go.

Twilight was written by an LDS (Mormon) author, Stephanie Meyers. The book is pretty much about a girl (human) who falls in love with a vampire. I was never into the Ann Rice novels, but with all of the hype, I thought that I would give this book a chance. As I started the book and began reading, I thought that this was kind of a dark book for somebody with the author’s background. But as I continued to read, there were so many concepts that intrigued me. Her style of writing is captivating. The pictures that she draws with her writing make you feel that you are right there in the midst of everything. The passion between Bella (the girl) and Edward (the vampire) is electrifying. I had to put the book down a couple of times because I was a little flushed and yet there is an innocence to it all. There is also intensity that grips you to the point that you are unable to put the book down and to the point that you can’t turn the pages fast enough. All of this was centered on temptation, unconditional and sacrificial love, family, trust and the concept of forever. I would love to read it again because I am sure that there was so much that I missed. But without giving away too much for those of you who haven’t read it, this book took me on an emotional roller coaster, but in a good way.

I am fairly easy to please when it comes to a romance novel, so maybe others wouldn’t feel as strongly about the book as I do, but I loved every aspect that this novel had to offer and I would recommend it to anyone. Although I am not sure how much interest the male species would have in this type of book… But as for a woman, even if you are completely against the LDS religion, you will not find anything “Mormon” about it. However if you are LDS, you will be able to read into the concepts that I listed above. If you want to share any of your experiences with reading this book, please feel free to comment. I would love to hear anything that anybody has to share. I am giving the book to April today, but if anyone would like to borrow it after her, just let me know!

Some Good Things About Funerals

This past week, we attended the funeral of Robert L. Rice. For those who don't immediately recognize his name, if you watched any of the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening or Closing Ceremonies, or if you have ever seen the University of Utah play football, you have likely seen his name, as the stadium is named Rice Eccles Stadium. The stadium bears his name because it was rebuilt in 1972 after he generously donated an unprecedented $1 million to the University of Utah athletic department. As a 'Utah Man', this was something that always made me so proud to have known him.

Because of this donation, those who come to the stadium will remember his generosity. But his legacy is much greater than the name on that building.

Funerals aren't always fun to go to. Sometimes, they are so personal, that, unless you're a family member, you can feel out of place. But this was a great funeral. It was encouraging because it made you want to be a better person for two reasons: There were close to 1,000 people at the funeral, so you could see just how many lives he touched. And, as mentioned at one point during the service, it was very likely that everybody there felt that they had a 'special' friendship with Bob Rice. That's how we felt, and that's because that's how he made everybody feel.

Another reason why it was motivating was to learn more about this great man. He had a true 'rags to riches' story, growing up a farm boy, not going to college, opening a small gym, and becoming very successful financially. But, in the words of his family, he also had a 'spiritual' rags to riches story. Kind of crazy to think - seeing that the First Presidency of the LDS church was at his service - that he did not go to church growing up and he didn't serve a mission. Yet, after meeting his wife, they became very involved with their church, and he went on to serve as a bishop, a stake president, and a temple sealer. And just like the financial legacy, his spiritual legacy was marked with generosity - spending countless hours serving and caring for others.

This is the kind of legacy that we all want to leave behind after our work is done. We want to live the kind of life that inspires others, and we want to leave this life, having made the world a better place. That always sounds like such a grandiose and impossible task. But it's not. We must just remember that we just need to make our world - the world in which we live in - a better place. At the very least, that means raising a wonderful family and adding something to the community in which we live. He will always have an extra special place in the hearts of both Jamie and I becuase he married us in the temple and sealed us for time and all eternity. What an honor it is for us to have such an extraordinary man play such an important role in our lives.

(Link to recent Tribune article about Bob Rice: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6767095)

My Sweet Nephews

On Tuesday, I had the ever so wonderful responsibility to tend my sweet nephews Tate and Bryson. No, my nephew's name is not Tate Tate, he is Dustin's sister's child therefore he has a different last name. For some reason whenever I tell people that my nephew's name is Tate, the instant response is Tate Tate? Anyway, I love being able to spend a few hours with my nephews. When Tate was a baby and Dustin was in school, I used to tend him for a few hours every Monday and Wednesday. I am sure that Tate doesn't remember that year and a half or whatever it was, but I will never ever forget that special time I had to spend with him. But I do think that deep inside Tate knows something because I think we have a special bond because of that time that we spent together.

Dustin absolutely adores Tate. He just can't get enough of him and Tate just loves Dustin. When Dustin got home from work, we were downstairs playing Leggos and Tate heard the front door close. "Is that Dustin? I wanna go see Dustin". I could tell that Dustin was on the phone so I had to distract him for a few minutes. For the rest of the evening Tate and Dustin were inseparable. Tate wanted to watch “Buzz” so Dustin put on "Toy Story" and then Dustin went downstairs and brought up a whole pile of books to read to Tate and proceeded to read every single one. I love to see Dustin in that light. I know that he is going to make such a great dad one day (hopefully soon).

Bryson on the other hand is almost the polar opposite of Tate. Bryson is round and laughing all of the time. Tate is bone skinny and is quite shy (until he warms up to a situation/place) then he gets into rare form whether it’s a screaming match with Dustin or running around like he’s on a sugar high. For some reason Bryson didn't want to have much to do with Dustin so Bryson and I were hooked at the hip. I know that it's probably not very mature of me to admit this, but when I was trying to make dinner for Tate, I had Dustin take Bryson. As I place Bryson in Dustin’s lap, he immediately started crying and then continued to cry and cry so I just took him with me in the kitchen. I know if I'm a mom that's not what I should do, but since I'm an aunt, I think that I should at least be able to break some rules. Anyway, I scooped up Bryson and there was something magical to have a little 11 month old boy reach for you with tears streaming down his red face and then the minute you pick him up the tears and the crying instantly stop. Maybe I am just well in need of some self-esteem or self-confidence but it made me feel extra special for a few minutes.

I love my nephews and I would do anything any the world for them! It has been so much fun to see Tate grow up over the past 2 1/2 years. Once a child starts talking and developing a personality, it is so much fun to be in the passenger’s seat along for the ride. I love being an aunt. I am so grateful to Brooke for all of the time that she has given me with my sweet nephews. Even when I become a mom, there will always be something special about being an aunt. I always had wonderful unique relationships with each of my aunt's and I hope my nieces and nephews feel the same way about me. I will only have one demand and that is that they have to call me Aunt Jamie.

The other day Brooke (Tate's mom) told me that they were going through the letters of the alphabet and Brooke said "J. J is for Jamie". Tate's response was "she's cute." Are my nephews going to give me an ego or what?

The Good

I know that there seems to be more focus on the bad this week, but it really was a wonderful week, despite the few obstacles that we encountered this week (oh yeah, our dryer broke too). But we really had some happy times throughout the week. On Saturday evening, we were able to enjoy the deck that was just finished in our back yard. It is amazing what this deck has done for the backyard. I am sad that the warm days are almost behind us and that we only have another month or so to enjoy our backyard. Dustin and I had so much going on this summer, so we decided to hire somebody else to do the deck. Juan and his team at JB Maintenance did an excellent job and they were such a pleasure to work with. It turned out even better than we were expecting! So we'll give them a plug and if you live in the Salt Lake City area and you want a new deck, we definitely recommend them. They also did some sprinklers for us and did a great job with that as well. So here is our new deck that we love so much.



On Saturday we had some friends and their kids over. It was such a nice evening with great food and great friends. The kids climbed the trees and picked peaches. They also played with Quique and gave her all sorts of attention which she loved. What a wonderful way to enjoy our house and our yard and a great way to end the week. There is nothing better than good friends to remind you of all of the fabulous things life has to offer!

The Ugly

As the saga continues, Dustin and I had a nice relaxing day on Friday, we took Quique (key-kay the dog) to the park and caught up on sleep. The next morning Dustin went for a long bike ride up Emigration Canyon and I went with Quique and her brother Charlie and Charlie's mom on a hike up to Dog Lake. Since Connie picked me up for the hike and Dustin took the Durango, I had not noticed what had happened the night before. As Connie was pulling up to my house after a nice 2 1/2 hour hike with the puppies (although my rear end is still feeling the repurcussions of that hike) I noticed that the side of my car looked dented. I quickly got out of the car and looked at my car only to find a nightmare.


At first I thought that maybe somebody had backed up into my car, yet I didn't see any paint from another car. Plus there were dents all along the side of the car. As we looked closer, Connie noticed the print from the tred of the bottom of a shoe on three of the dents. I thought that I lived in a fairly nice area, but apparently not as friendly as I thought. It looks like some punk kids kicked in dents all along the side of my car in the middle of the night, right outside of my house. How could somebody do something like that? The first thing that popped into my head was who hates me this much? I have since tried to convince myself that this was nothing personal, but I still am in utter shock how anybody can find joy in pounding somebody's car. Because of the holiday weekend, we are not taking the car in until tomorrow and I am not looking forward to the dollar amount associated with this damage.



But after the anger and frustration wore off, what can you do? Life will go on and you have to look for the good to get through the not so fun parts. Things could have been worse, right? My whole care could have been smashed in with windows and lights included. At least I didn't get the dents from a car accident. Whatever happens, it helps me to look at the good and that bring me to one of the many great things that happened this week.

The Bad, The Ugly and The Good

Well, I started a blog thinking that I would have nothing to write about. Apparently, after this last week, I have plenty to write about. I just wish that some of these events would not have happened. I guess sometimes you get what you ask for, just not the way you wanted it. As the cliche goes, "the good, the bad and the ugly" is the best way to sum up this week. Since I am a bit of an optimist, I am going to end with "the good" and begin my journey of this week with "The Bad".

Dustin and I both graduated from the University of Utah and in the midst of trying to keep up with Dustin and the in laws, I have become a huge fan of University of Utah football. I love my in laws dearly, but as anyone close to me knows, if you don't know anything about football, you are going to be an outsider in a lot of conversations. While trying to learn and soak in as much as I could about football, I actually began to love football and I am so glad that it has become such a big part of my life and it is something that Dustin and I enjoy together. As many of you know, Dustin's brother plays for the U Football team. Since it is his senior year, and since Dustin and I are in "DINC" status we have decided to hit all of the games, home and away (except for one). Thursday we made the trip to Oregon to watch the U play Oregon State in Corvallis.

The beginning of the trip was definitely an adventure. I made a trade with one of my neighbors and she hooked us up with two buddy passes for the airlines. Dustin and I clearly were not thinking straight and we decided to use those for our trip to Oregon. One word of caution, if you have to get somewhere by a certain time, I would recommend NOT trying the stand by status especially if (bless his heart) you have a stressed out and slightly impatient husband. Anyway, by the time we were checking in, the flight that had originally "looked good" was actually full. Dustin was pacing (as he tends to do in stressful situations) and calling other airlines trying to get on another flight or another airline. Everything except for one flight was booked. We were flying into Portland and then we had to drive 1 1/2 hours to Corvallis. The flight (we would have to pay a lot of money for) would get us in at 4:30 and then we would have to drive to be to the game which started at 7pm. 10 minutes before the flight took off, they were able to get us into the last two seats, however we had a layover in Boise and it wasn't looking good for the second leg, but we were willing to take our chances. Of course by the time we got to Boise, we got kicked off the plane because there was not enough room for us on the flight to Portland. Our next option was to fly to Reno and then Portland. Long story short, we weren't having much luck so we bought tickets from Boise to Portland.

Dustin's parents graciously waited for us and we drove together to Corvallis. It really started out as a great game and we were sure it was going to be a good one. The two positions that were very critical this season were our running back and quarterback positions. If all went well, with these two players, everything was going to be just great! Then halfway into the first quarter, our starting running back broke his tibia - out for the season. What are the chances of that? After that injury that certainly hurt us (and poor Asiata) we still remained strong. Then as we are approaching halftime, the score was tied 7-7, and our starting Quarterback, went down with a separated shoulder. He'll be out for at least 4-5 weeks. Long story short, the second half was a completely different game and we lost 24-7. My heart just broke for the team. After the game, you could just see the sadness and disappointment in their eyes. It's one thing when you lose a game. It's another thing when after the first game you have 3 teammates out for the year and your quarterback out for half of it.

It was a long drive back to Corvallis (at 1 in the morning). And knowing that we were getting up at 5:30am and trying to do the standby thing again, certainly didn't help matters. When we checked into the airport the next morning, the flight was oversold by 3. We were exhausted, but at least we didn't need to be anywhere by a certain time. At the very last second after the doors had closed, they had one seat left. Dustin rushed me up to the desk and onto the airplane, I didn't want to leave him behind. But being the gentleman that he is, he explained to me that he spends a lot of time in airports and that he would be just fine, not to mention the fact that he was a lot more aggressive than me and he would have a lot easier time getting on a flight than me. He was probably right about that. As I was walking down the ramp just devastated I was leaving Dustin behind, I stepped on the plane and then I heard, "I made it, I made it!" I turn around as Dustin sprints down the ramp to airplane. I was ecstatic! I didn't have to worry about him spending the day in the airport and we were able to just get home to our sweet puppy and relax. It may have been a rough 24 hours, but it was all worth it.