I just can't live without....

Well, I could live without a treadmill, but I can't live without exercise of some form. Usually running is how I get my exercise in, but with Utah winters, getting dark outside before 5pm, and me having to be home from 9am to 6pm everyday, it was getting so difficult to get out and run. I was dying. No joke, it is like I could feel myself falling out of shape. If I don't exercise for like 2 weeks, I get antsy real bad. Don't get me wrong I am not some exercise maniac, nor do I even do it to lose weight. I do it because I feel so good afterwards and I don't feel so bad when I decide to snack on cookie dough :). So we finally got ourselves a treadmill, a used one. I knew I would use it because I already had the habit of running. What else is nice that you can watch tv and run at the same time. I mean if you are already watching TV why not throw a jog in while you're at it. Anyways, I love having it!

Crafting

So I have become a naptime crafter. During the day when things are slow, I turn on my sewing machine and find something cute to make. Usually it is something baby related, something that Jet would use or wear. My favorite thing lately is making baby booties. They are easy to make and turn out pretty cute. I made some slippers for Jet out of the same pattern and they work well around the house. I found this microsuede upholstery fabric I like to use because it is fairly non-slip and durable. Just some pics of my latest projects. Let me know if you want any of these made for you, I actually enjoy making them.

Christmas in Oregon

Thursday December 22^nd, Jet and I picked up James from his work in downtown SLC. To save on parking we parked in the lot next to his work and took the bus to the airport. The flight to Oregon was smooth, but stopping in Reno made the trip longer. James had the experience of changing a diaper in the world’s smallest bathroom aboard the plane. We arrived in Portland and were greeted by James’ parents who took us to his brother Nate’s house to stay the night. We picked up some groceries at Safeway the next morning and James got Amanda one of her favorites gourmet hot chocolate from Starbucks. We pack up and left to go to the cabin in Gates.

We stayed 3 nights at the cabin and had a great time and every member of James’ immediate family was there: Virgil, Annette, Nathan, Maile, Grant, Gavin, Gage, Greyson, Hannah, Allan, Jonathan, Timothy, James, Amanda, Jet, Martin, David, and Whitney. 18 of us in all. We had so much fun together watching movies, making gingerbread houses, a Christmas program, having a billiard tournament, and eating lots of good food. We also put on a special Christmas program with carols, testimony and a skit for the children. On Christmas day, James’ mom Annette made fantastic belgium waffles and later that day we took Christmas dinner made by Maile and Whitney to the church where Grandpa Don Hurst is a pastor. We took a four generation picture of Grandma Ruth Hurst, Virgil, James and Jet. After dinner we sat in the chapel and sang Christmas Carols. James favored us with a few Polish Christmas Carols. He thought we wouldn’t know if he couldn’t remember the words, but he got caught and it was a pretty good laugh.

After the cabin we went and visited James’ boyhood friend Tyler in Salem. We spend the rest of the day visiting and watching movies with David and Whitney and stayed the night there. Since we had a car (thank you Annette and Virgil), we decided to visit Amanda’s grandparents on the coast in Waldport. They were so gracious to let us come on short notice and we had a great time catching up and visiting.

We made our way back from the coast on Thursday and had lunch in Monmouth at J’s dinner on 99W with Hannah, Annette, Martin, David and Whitney and a special needs client Nathan. After lunch we made a stop at the Independence airpark where James immediately fell in love with the idea of a fly-in community. He would like to live there someday to be able to taxi an airplane from his house to the runway. We then went to Goodwill with Annette, Martin, and Tyler even showed up. We found some books, a toy phone for Jet, and some Vans shoes for Jet. That evening James played basketball in Monmouth with his brothers David and Martin. We stayed that night with David and Whitney.

As our trip was coming to a close we made our way back up to Hubbard to visit more with Nate and Maile. They invited us to go to OMSI with them and it was a blast. Jet loved the toddler room and enjoyed playing in the water pools, and with the balls. After OMSI we caught up with my brother Ted and went out to eat at Old Chicago for pizza. We went back to Hubbard to celebrate our nephew Gavin’s 9^th birthday. Jet had such a fun time playing with his cousins and they enjoyed him too. Our last day of the trip was spent getting ready to leave. James drove down 99E and took a trip down memory lane passing Gervais High School, friends’ houses, Brooks Elementary and Lakeside Drive to pick up his mom in Dallas. They came and picked Jet and I up in Hubbard and we left just in time to catch our flight to Utah to celebrate the New Year.

It was a whirlwind vacation! It was so wonderful to see everyone and we are grateful for the hospitality and love shown to us by our family. Here’s to an even better 2012! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmastime!

One more week before we head out to Oregon, and we are all very excited. It is starting to feel more like Christmas and I am loving it. I love Christmastime and the magic that is in the air. Having a kid makes it extra special because you get to experience everything for the first time again. Jet loves the Christmas lights and whenever I light the tree up, he does these cute little ooohs and ahhs. I also love that we get to reflect on the Savior, his birth and life for us. There is a lyric to a Christmas Carol that describes the Savior's birth as "when Love came down to the earth". I love that imagery and it is exactly what it was, God's love through the gift of his son, the Savior came for us. It is easy to get caught up in the sales and commercialism of the holiday, but we can all find ways to remember the Savior. Even as we give gifts, we can remember that the ultimate gift was given to us that night in Bethlehem. Have a great Christmas everyone!

Fun Times in SLC

Yesterday we spent most of the day in Salt Lake doing fun things with Martin who is in town. We went to the BYU vs Utah Basketball game, went out to lunch, went to DI, and saw the lights on Temple Square. It was so much fun and Jet loved it too. He got so excited for the lights. I was impressed at how good he was for the basketball game too. He had a great time and would see everyone clapping and join in, even if it was for the other team. We also visited Rice-Eccles Stadium, which I found out last summer, is actually part of my family heritage. The name Rice is my great-grandfather's brother, Robert Rice, who was a major donor to the university. We got some good pictures and caught one of Jet, grinding a rail in his stroller.

My First Car....

That I have owned! Yes! It is paid for as of this past Monday. In July, the Odyssey van that had over 240,000 miles on it went kaput. My parents had generously let us use it for the past 4 years. I LOVED that van and I still would like to have one some day, the older version that is more like a wagon than a van. If I could design a car it would be pretty close to the 1996 Honda Odyssey. Being faithful Honda drivers we couldn't buy anything other than another Honda, and we got ourselves a 2004 CRV. It is nothing fancy, but we own it and that makes it even more fun to drive :)

Thankful

There is so much to be grateful for, and a lot of it we don't even realize. From my own experience traveling to different countries that are impoverished, we really don't know how good we have it. There are so many that would love to have a sliver of all that we enjoy. It is so important not to lose sight of the simple things that we take for granted like running water, electricity, food, and freedom. I am thankful for my loving husband and my son Jet that brings joy to everyone that sees him. I love taking him out and people smile my way and I know they are smiling because of him. He is so funny too, it is amazing the things he does on his own that leave me wondering, 'where did he get that from?". I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has given him to me to take care of.