Grand Canyon, Goosenecks, and Monument Valley

We have had a fun few weekends.  This weekend I headed down to the Goosenecks and Monument Valley with some friends.  This is my favorite picture from Monument Valley.  You have to enter the Navajo Nation to really see the beauty.  Even though its the off season the entry fee was pricey!  $5 per person rather than per car.  I was surprised by that, but enjoyed the views anyways.

 These are probably the most pictured monuments in the area.  They are (left to right) the Left Mitten, Right Mitten, and Merrick Buttes.  They are gorgeous.

 This is a quick glimpse of the Goosenecks Park.  The formation is created by the San Juan River.  I want to go back with Chris to hike down to the river... they say its possible.  

 Two weekends ago we went down to Flagstaff, Arizona.  Our official motivation was my birthday, but we could resist visiting the Grand Canyon while we were there.  We used our timeshare to stay at a Wyndham Resort.  The suite was "deluxe" and very spacious.  Its hard to see how truly GIGANTIC this tub is.  I had Chris lay in the tub to show that it could easily fit two Chris' with extra room.  The funniest part of our trip was trying to enjoy a relaxing bath in it.  The hot water ran out before the jets were even covered.  We went old school and heated water on the stove top.

 I got a few great shots of Chris at the Grand Canyon.   I wanted to share this one with you because it makes me laugh whenever I see it.  He's a keeper for sure :)

 Us enjoying the sights.

It was a really fun  weekend away even though we missed City like crazy.  If anyone hasn't picked up on it yet, City truly is my first born ;) Call me crazy, but I'm a proud parent when it comes to our puppy.  Thankfully, we don't dress him up!

My birthday is starting out great!

Don't I just look fabulous reading from my brand new Kindle?  Alright, if you can't tell this picture is NOT me.  I wouldn't mind her toned arms though :)  Chris decided to surprise me with a birthday gift a few days early!  I always feel really guilty when I ask for things (especially expensive things), so I usually avoid talking about things that I want.  Chris was a sweetheart and listened to our conversations and got my opinion without me even knowing it.  I have never enjoyed a birthday present as much as I have enjoyed this beautiful contraption.  The funny this is I haven't even started reading with it yet :)  


I would like to discuss my emotional roller coaster when it comes to reading novels.  I love to read and I invest a lot of time and emotions in plots and characters.  When a book or series ends, I am LOST!  I don't know what to do with myself.  I honestly become socially withdrawn and don't want to risk getting hurt from a different book :) Cheesy isn't it?  I can't wait to start reading a new book on my Kindle.  Maybe I'll name it in honor of Chris... any suggestions?  Hairy or Hottie could work... or possibly "The Butler" in honor of the Merkets.


Chris, thank you again for the amazing birthday present.  You always prove that I am the luckiest woman alive.  My life would suck without you :) I can hardly wait for the Grand Canyon this weekend.  

Random Tidbits

 For some reason I wanted to share with the blogging world what I do with my spare time.  My phone is wonderful and I love all the "douchey" things that are available to me.  Here is an example of one time waster I enjoyed just the other evening.  These frames are generic, but when applied to pictures of my family I can't stop laughing!

Chris acts silly on so many different occasions that I figured someone might actually mistake him for a "Bandit Monkey."

 This picture now adorns my facebook profile because I find it to be HILARIOUS. City's personality is so adorable I'm sure he would actually wear glasses to make us laugh.

This image is from facebook.  I took this picture while packing in Houston because Chris was wrapping fragile items while laying on the floor.  After posting it on facebook, a LOT of individuals commented on it.  I still laugh because he actually has boxers on underneath the table... everyone who commented on facebook doubted that fact. :)

Christmas and such...

Christmas break was a lot of fun for both of us this year.  We were able to open our home to family.  It truly meant so much that they would drive all the way to Blanding and see our home.  We stayed up all night playing games and slept until past noon.  It was a lot of fun!  I hope each Christmas live up to 2010!

At the Edge of the Cedars museum, visiting an Anasazi Kiva.  It was pretty cool inside!

 Liz, Cathy, and Dan who spent Christmas with us in Blanding!

 My mom spent Christmas with us as well.  It was so great to have her spend Christmas in Blanding with us.

 My mom went ALL OUT on her gingerbread house.  

 Liz's two small home, my "toilet-papered" home, and my mom's designer home.

 We were also able to spend a few days in Logan with Larry and Roxy. The 7 of us snuggled up in their apartment.  I felt bad for turning their routine upside down, but I enjoyed the game playing too much :) 

 Liz blowing up her air mattress.  I almost lost it from giggling too much.  

 When we got back to Blanding, we came home to way too much snow!  Our driveway was blocked in by 3 feet of ice blocks :( We spent an hour of our New Year's Eve shoveling out.  We also took down Christmas in a non-traditional way.  We parked our tree in front of the back door so that we could simply push it out the door.  It worked pretty well.  Our Christmas tree is now enjoying the sun in our back yard.  I don't know when we will truly get rid of it.

 Chris announced that he had a treat for me when I got home from work one day.  He led me to the counter and pointed to this beauty.  Apparently the extremely old pool was home to this phone for years.  When Chris and his boss were cleaning out the office, Chris picked this up from the garbage can... apparently his boss has a little more home decor sense.  We plugged it in and, thank the lord above, its too loud from the static.

 City has taken to digging through our sofa cushions while we step out of the room.  I laugh a little too long before I step in and discipline him.  I love our puppy so much!

Favorite Christmas Tradition

My favorite Christmas tradition involved reading of course!  My mother started reading to me when I was VERY young.  I owe a lot to her for my current love of literature.  One of the most memorable books I can recall from the Christmas season was Trouble with Trolls.  Even though it doesn't sound very Christmassy it makes me think of home and cuddling with my mom.  I love her so much!  If you are looking for a book to add to your collection you can take my word that everyone will love this one!

Christmas Time!

It's almost Christmas and we are so excited to share our first Christmas in Blanding with the Merkets!  They will be here before we know it.  In preparation for their arrival we have hung the lights, decorated the tree, and unpacked some necessities like pictures!  

Chris was kind enough to brave the weather November 28th to get these bad boys up!

My entry way table displaying both of our wonderful families! 

 Some hand-me-down decorations my mother willingly parted with.  Our first Christmas in our home would not have been as wonderful without her help.

A slightly blurry picture of our adorable home.  We wanted to keep it simple for our first year and we are both a fans of the gold/white Christmas lights.  Chris hung the lights while it was snowing and they turned out wonderfully.  There is even a star above our door.  It's the perfect touch to finish the job. 

 Our Christmas tree that we picked up in Moab.  We weren't sure if we would be able to buy one in Blanding.  I'm glad we were able to pick it up so early in the season because we've enjoyed Christmas for a while now already!

 My FAVORITE wreath in the world.  I actually bought this for my mother while I was in Logan and couldn't part with it.  We have taken this bad boy to Idaho Falls, Salt Lake, Houston, and Blanding.  It has survived the many boxes and now adorns our door.

 This is the beautiful decorating my advisory did at school.  We only had 25 minutes to pull this masterpiece off.  Even if we didn't win the Spirit Stang, I believe we did an amazing job!  Half the work was to get everyone involved.  The Christmas tree on the blue paper is the product of one difficult to motivate 8th grader.  I don't think I have made an impression on him at all... but I did get him to cut out a Christmas tree and fringe a fleece blanket this holiday season.  I find that to be a success!

We hope you and yours our doing well this Christmas season!  If we get to see you over the break, our holidays will be even better!

Thanksgiving in Salt Lake

We were able to drive up to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving.  I'm VERY thankful that we were able to see my mom and Larry and Roxy.  We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving feast (that I somehow did not get any pictures of). We were also able to go to a USU men's basketball game.  Overall it was a fun mini-vacation!

My mom is also redecorating her bathroom.  My favorite aspect of the re-do is her luxurious shower...

... and her tall cabinets.  She chose an amazing granite to finish it off as well.  Her bathroom is beautiful.

City got fixed over the break as well.  He had to wear this silly cone for 2 weeks.  He became one stinky dog.