More today than yesterday...

You know that Stevie Wonder song that goes, "I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow, I love you more today than yesterday, but only half as much as tomorrow..."? Well, that explains just how I feel.

I can't believe it has already been three years since Joseph and I were married. I guess it's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun. Our marriage has been full of adventures so far... graduating together in April 06, Joseph going to grad school, me working full time and starting photography, moving to Phoenix for a summer, and now preparing to move to Phoenix for much longer than that. We've grown stronger in the gospel and a lot closer to each other since our marriage. I couldn't have picked a better person to spend eternity with.

We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at the Chef's Table in Provo. It is such a beautiful restaurant with incredible food and live piano music in the background. If you ever get a chance to go, we highly recommend it.

Life with Joseph is so wonderful. He is my best friend. He makes me happy, he makes me feel better when I'm sad, he makes me laugh, he makes me feel safe, and he makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. I love him more every day. I am so excited to see what the future brings. The best is yet to come!

Christmas Fun

We had a great time with our family in Portland. We all gathered together for an incredible Christmas Eve dinner cooked by Dad, and Christmas morning gift exchange and breakfast.

Emilee's big brothers made a princess crown for her. It fit perfectly, and she looked happy in it!

The boys couldn't leave mom without a crown too, so for Christmas they made her a replica of Princess Pea's crown (from The Tale of Desperaux).

Just the two of us enjoying Christmas with the family.

The newest addition to the family in his little Christmas PJ's, he made it just in time to celebrate with us, born just the week before Christmas.

And how could we post about Oregon without a picture of Carolyn? She looked so cute as she tried to figure out what the gigantic coloring book was all about. (It was about as tall as she was but you can only see the corner in this picture.)

Among other things, Joseph gave me the gift of peace of mind. It's a spider vacuum. I no longer have to worry about squishing those nasty things myself. This little gadget sucks them up and then electrocutes them on this grid which kills them. Then, I just have to dump out the contents. Works for me!

One of the gifts I gave Joseph was the running shirt that ended up lost at the St. George marathon. Every runner deserves to have the T-shirt to prove they ran their race. It's like a badge of honor or something. Anyway, after a lot of searching and help from some family I found a way to order one.
It was a wonderful Christmas for everyone!

Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Fortunately we made it to Portland before the storm got bad. We got in Friday night and it snowed all that night and the whole day Saturday. This made for some fun skiing for the nephews over at the park. I wish I had brought my snow boots so my feet wouldn't be so cold playing in the snow. Burr. It's still lots of fun though!

Sorry for the shaky camera, I'm a little new at doing videos, and I wasn't sure what to do when the boys skied so far apart they didn't both fit in the frame anymore. Oh well, I'm sure it will get better. Plus, it was stinking cold outside! But I say, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! I'm hoping for a white Christmas after all! Unfortunately there's lots of freezing rain in the forecast over the next few days, so I'm hoping the snow won't all disappear. It started raining last night after we all went to bed, and this morning everything outside was covered in ice. You could knock on the snow on the ground like knocking on a door, the cars were frozen shut, it was nuts!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Words by Clement ClarkE Moore, condensed for our reader's convenience.
Illustration by the Provo Candy Windows on Center Street.


...The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap...











...When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash...












...He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack...







...He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!..









...He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"














We grabbed some hot chocolate to keep us warm while we strolled along Center Street. The displays were huge and incredibly detailed. The artists start working on them sometime in the summer. Everything is made from candy. We were in awe as we walked down the street. We will miss Provo's candy windows next Christmas. Hopefully Arizona has something similar to offer.

Real Life

We're excited to say that we're beginning the transition from student life to real life. A couple of weeks ago Joseph accepted an offer to work for Honeywell. We'll be moving to Arizona after graduation to start our grown up life! We're excited to be going back near family and some friends we made over the summer. Now we are dealing with crazy things like actually having to buy our own furniture, and with respect to housing... to buy or not to buy, that is the question. It is definitely nice to have a post graduation game plan though.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our Wreath

Christmas is my very favorite time of year. I love the music, the smells, the lights, the beautiful packages nestled under Christmas trees and I've even learned to love the snow. Unfortunately, I have still yet to have a "white Christmas" but I have had many white Christmas seasons. Maybe it's because I grew up without snow, but there's something magical about it to me. It's so soft and quiet when it falls, and it turns the world we know into a white world that we only see for just a little while. Anyway, the snow has kind of held off this year, so I was so excited when I saw the first Christmas snow yesterday. (This is the tree just outside of our front door.)

Fresh Snow

Also, we've finally finished decking our halls for the holidays. Our home is complete with a Nativity, a real Christmas wreath (so it still smells like Christmas even though we don't have a tree) which we hung our ornaments on, a pot of beautiful red poinsettias, and a gingerbread house that makes our home smell delicious all day long!

Our Poinsettia

My New Nativity

Our Full Wreath

Our Gingerbread House