one lucky girl

just have to say how lucky i am to have steve as my husband. he not only makes me laugh, protects me, loves me unconditionally, and makes me want to be a better person, but he does really sweet things for me that make me love him even more each day.
when we bought our house, we knew it needed some fixing up, and we liked that. but i don't think we realized how much time, money, and effort the fixing up would take. initally we bit off a huge chunk of remodeling and since then, it has taken a backseat to other things. i love what we have done to our house so far, but one thing we haven't even touched is our master bedroom. and let's face it, we spend a huge chunk of our time in there because 1.we are newlyweds, and 2.we are homebodies who like to watch tv in bed.
i admit i have complained/whined here and there about how i wish we could paint our room. it just seemed like such a daunting task with all the furniture already in there and there never seems to be a big enough chunk of time to get the whole room done in a day.
well, my cute little husband planned a little painting party behind my back. the other night while i was at work (a graveyard shift), steve had his brother and our nephew come up to the house and help him paint the room. they were up until 2am painting and steve had to be at work at 7am. i got home from a long night at work to a beautifully, newly painted bedroom. it makes the room 100 times better. and now we can actually hang pictures that have been waiting until the paint job was done.
i just can't say enough how much i love this man. he makes my world brighter and happier than i ever thought it could be and i am so grateful i am lucky enough to be with someone who works so hard to make me happy. i only hope i make him feel the same way.

the golden state

last weekend, steve and i went to california for a much needed visit. we hadn't been back since getting married almost a year ago.
our friends were having their big wedding celebration and thankfully, we were able to time to the trip so we could go witness the celebration. i had never been to a greek wedding before, but my was it an experience. an experience that included an open bar with ouzo, which led to the mother of the groom dancing on top of one of the tables.
we had a great time at the wedding and are so happy for our friends!
we are also mucho happy to have had a few days in california. the sunshine and warm weather was just what we needed in the midst of a cold, and what seems like an almost snowless winter :( we got to see a lot of family and friends who we haven't seen in awhile, and i was able to be reunited with my flip flops for 4 glorious days! i really miss the beach sometimes. but then again, i love the 4 seasons...you can see the dilemma.
it was a truly fabulous trip and it makes me so anxious to go back again...maybe for good?

ps. i know i am awful at including pictures with these posts. add to the list below, goal #17, to take more pictures and be a better blogger!

happy 2010

man, i'm so pumped for this new year. not that 2009 was bad. i married the love of my life and it has been the best time of my life. i just love new years. the feeling of starting new and making resolutions. good times.
i have't had much time to think about what my resolutions will be, but here are some of the old classics mixed in with some new ones.
1.lose weight. eat better. become healthier. gotta love this one.
2. be more organized.
3.become a better wife.
4. travel
5.enjoy the outdoors.
6.decide where we want to live and make plans to get there.
7.complete our puzzle we just started.
8.finagle my work schedule so i can go to church more. be a better member of my church.
9. keep in touch with people more.
10.be more thoughtful of others and their needs.
11. become more financially stable.
12.get to the temple more often.
13.learn to cook/bake more. and actually do it.
14.exercise marley more.
15. expand my hobbies.
16.get pregnant???

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

better late than never

so i meant to do this a few days ago, but ran out of time. steve was working christmas eve and christmas. i somehow scored both days off, but christmas just isn't the same with me and marley and no steve. so maybe next year will be our actual first christmas TOGETHER. but with our jobs...who knows?
last night we went to steve's brothers house for a nice dinner and gift exchange. of course, i didn't take one stinking photo the entire time and have nothing to show for christmas.
so i give you these videos. i really love christmas and all it stands for. but i feel like i just didn't have it together this year. so i am ready to put this one behind me and have bigger hopes for being more on top of things next year. on the brighter side, being behind on the commercialism of the holiday did give me more time to pay attention to what christmas really means though.

and now, i give you our holiday sentiments. from our home to yours. enjoy!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/b3aZwZVMybTnHl4z5DXq

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/pGknKOJZPD7yihJmlzqT

california love

i just booked 2 tickets to california for the beginning of january. one of steve's best friends that he grew up with is gettin' hitched so we are going to go down and take part in the festivities. i am so excited to be back in california. we haven't been since our wedding. simply too long i tell you.
don't get me wrong. i do love the winter and the snow and the cold, but this trip is coming at a perfect time. we can both take a break from work, the cold, our everyday "stuff" that keeps us busy, and just relax in the warmth. go for a walk on the beach. smell the ocean air. and eat some gooood eats that we don't have here in utah. we're going to have a blast!
now if we can just find some tickets to the lake show while we are there...