Hot Pots

 I am not a huge fan of winter because it's cold and it is a lot harder to find things to do. In the summer you can hike, go camping, swimming, hike some more, have fires....the possibilities are endless. Even though it isnt summer yet Blaine came up with the brilliant idea to go to the Hot Pots in Diamond Fork Canyon. We got to hike, relax in a hot tub (sort of) and hang out with Bretty and Ann. It was the best day ever! The weather was not bad at all (I'm probably a little overdressed in the pic, but better safe than sorry right?) The hike to the Hot Pots was probably a couple miles...snow boots made the hike a little more difficult but definitely nothing to complain about!

 We got to the Hot Pots and we saw a bunch a naked people sitting in them....just kidding....but I wouldnt be surprised at all. We got there and hopped right in! The water was so warm! It was crazy because it really felt like a little hot tub...a little more dirty and smelled a little like eggs, which was ok! :) Blaine was the first to get in. He completely put his whole body and head under the water (and his hair smelled like eggs the next day even after he showered! Haha!) Once we were done in the Hot Pots we started hiking back. Good thing we brought a flashlight because it was literally pitch black if we looked straight a head of us without the light.

 It did get a little creepy hiking when it was that dark. I think at one point each of us thought we saw a big, scary bear or mountain lion when really it was just a tree stump! This was such a fun night and Blaine and I couldnt be happier to have such good friends to share the experience with. Another thing we are grateful for? The Lord taking care of us the entire time. Brett brought up a good point once we were back to the car....we dont realize how the Lord blesses and takes care of us without us even realizing it.

I'm Official

I wish I had a picture to post of how relieved I am right now....I took the National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer exam today and PASSED! I was so nervous. I have been studying since September (although it probably shouldnt really take this long, but having school made it a little more difficult to get it done) The whole time I was taking the test my heart was pounding. If I wouldnt have passed, I knew I would be able to retake it; however, when you put so much time and effort in to something you want it to pay off....the first time around. I tried to prepare myself just in case I didnt pass. The test was pretty intense, but all the studying served me well! So now I am a personal trainer...yay! I have one client:) Obviously it will take some time to build up my clientele. Ha! I know I will love being a trainer! I also got certified to teach spin classes....I'm a little more nervous about this but hopefully I will get over it. I teach my first class tomorrow....yikes... so we will see how it goes. Having these two certifications done is like having huge weights off my shoulder. Phhheeewww!

Longest Post Ever (hit read more:)

Blaine and I have almost been together for six years now. It seems like a long time to me, but I know in the overall picture it's only a small portion of time that we will be toghether. I dont really know why, but lately I have been reminising a lot about Blaine and I and how far we have come from when we first met. I decided to blog about our little love timeline.

Surprise!

 It started with Greg and I brainstorming ideas of what we could do for my mom for her 50th birthday...we both decided a surprise party at Nicky and Zak's house would be the best. I dont think my mom has ever been given a surprise party in her whole life, so we thought it would be perfect! For every holiday and every birthday my mom is the one that is working her butt off to make sure it is PERFECT. She tries so hard to make everyone happy, which in turn makes her happy. I dont know a more generous person than my beautiful mom. She gives and gives, and never expects anything in return! What a wonderful woman she is!

 I talked to the family and everyone was on board with throwing her a surprise party. I am so blessed to have the family I do. Everyone was so willing to help and do what they could to make the day special for my mom (even Cael Buddy signed grandmas card for her). We planned everything throughout the week, then finally the day came. After church Greg had to "stop by Nick and Zak's to drop Zak's glasses off to him" then the next thing we knew, she was walking in the door and everyone was yelling "SURPRISE!!" The look on her face was priceless. It was a happy, yet confused look. She couldnt believe what we had pulled off!

With a bright idea from Nicky and Brooke's expertise we decided to all go in on a table that my mom had been wanting from Black Goose. When she saw the table she screamed and started pulling off the wrapping (table cloth) as fast as she could! She looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. I dont think I have ever seen her be more excited to get a gift! It was so fun watching her excitement. She was so blown away by what her family had done for her....which doesnt even come close to what she really deserves. This birthday will definitely be one that all of us remember. Thanks to the help of all my family for making this one of the best birthday's for my mom!

 

Family Christmas Party

What a fun time of year! The holidays are great because we get to spend so much time with our family. My family is the absolute BEST family out there (and I am not biased at all). I am the only girl out of two brothers and three stepbrothers. Luckily for me, all of them are married so I now have sisters which is so much fun! On top of that, most of them have kids which makes things even more fun. Can I tell you that being an aunt is probably the best thing in the world? I can go crazy with them, get them all wound up, run around the house and then....send them home with their mom and dad :) I'm sure they appreciate that!

 The Christmas party that my mom put together was so much fun! We had delicious food (like always if my mom is in the kitchen) and of course there was WAY too much food (like always if my mom is in the kithcen)! After we ate we played lots of games that were very entertaining. We laughed a lot and had a blast! One of my favorite games that we played was pictionary. We had to pick a Christmas song and try to draw something that would get people to guess what Christmas song it was. I am a terrible artist...actually I wouldnt even say artist. That word would give me way too much credit, but at least someone was able to guess what my song was!

'Tis the Season

...to make gingerbread houses! I think every year since Blaine and I were dating we have made gingerbread houses. It's always so much fun, but my house never seems to stay up. Last year mine ended up being a tiny shack because that was the only way I could get it to stay up. This year was different though....maybe it was because Brett and Annika were there cheering me on! Everyone's house looked great! I loved how in to decorating Brett got too....very impressive!

 As you can see, Blaine was very serious while making his house! We wanted to get a picture of all four of us with our houses but no one was available to take the picture, so we decided to try to set my camera up on the timer mode and get one! It took us a couple tries.

Take One

Take Two

And....finally got one that worked!

Another year comes and goes (almost)

So,I feel like the older I get, the faster the time goes by, which is unfortunate because the older I get, the more valuable I realize life really is. I can't believe 2011 is almost over! This year has been great so far and filled with a lot of adventures. Here are some things that I learned throughout 2011....

1. My plans are not always the same as the Lord's plans, but it all works out in the end for the best.
2. Just because you really want a new red Jetta, doesn't mean you should get one.
3. I am a very big REAL fan and didn't even know it until my brother Kevin became their Athletic Trainer
4. I am capable of running a half marathon, even if I do throw up afterwards.
5. House hunting is not fun.
6. I am still completely twitterpaited about Blaine.
7. You can get a 4.0 at the University of Utah without reading your textbooks that you spent a couple hundred dollars on.
8. The most important thing to do is to stop thinking you can do everything on your own; God is there to help
9. Blaine is never going to make the bed the same way that I do....and thats ok.
10. The Sommerville's are our best friends
11. You can get to the point that you eat so much brown rice and chicken that you want to throw up just thinking about it. Why cant this happen with Oreos?

I am sure there are a LOT more things that I learned during 2011, but this is what I came up with for now. Here is to 2011!