Fun times :)

So I didn't write for a long time, mainly due to a post I'll do next. I chose to write on another site, at onetwocheck.weebly.com , for a while, but for now I've decided to switch back. Surprise!...

Since I last wrote:

we celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas

we took two trips up to Franklin

Sam turned 24

the semester ended (Hallelujuah!)

and I got my Associate's degree. Woo hoo!

I'm sure lots of other things happened too, but I'll just stick with these.

Halloween was fun-we dressed up as Popeye and Olive Oyl (his woman) for a ward party, and just watched a movie the day before. We got invited to other things but I had a deadline for an online class so most of the day was spent doing homework.

Franklin

was fun, as it always is. When we went up right before Sam's birthday, he went for a horseback ride with his brother Jotham

and dad, and I just hung around the house and played with Mosey. (That's Sam's dog-she's old, and a real sweetheart.)

I can't really remember what else we did...we went to church, played games, and

visited James and Jenna, but everything else is a blur. Still, it was enjoyable. :) Oh! They took me to a dairy farm! Fun stuff.

Sam's birthday was actually a pretty normal day for the most part, he having to work and go to school. But at night we celebrated with my family at an Indian restaurant Sam and I have taken a liking to here in Provo, called India Palace or something. I always forget the name. I gave him one thing that's a secret, and two seasons of the Cosby show on DVD since he loves it.

Thanksgiving we spent with the Hatches this year, with all in attendance except Sam's sister Jessiann and her family (who live in California). G

ood eatin, good company, good times. I felt sick the whole weekend but I didn't tell anyone cause I didn't want them to know. We also went and chopped down our very own Christmas tree, which was way cool! It snowed a lot and was freezing so I didn't actually go up and choose it, but I went up part way (where all the kids and women waited) and just read a book and played with the kids till Sam came back. It was pretty fun having our very own little Christmas tree to decorate, let me tell ya.

The semester ended with grades...well, I passed all except one class. But the one that was most important, my horrid Statistics class, I got a B in! A B!!! So that was my last class I needed to take at BYU-Idaho, and I have my Associate's now. :D SO HAPPY!!!!!

I have a lot of different thoughts about school, but basically for now I've decided...I need to lay off a bit. I hate school, I hate studying and tests and TEXTBOOKS! And learning shouldn't be that way-an agony. So hopefully with this new decision, I'll be able to learn more and actually have it last longer, with not having to worry about a deadline coming up. It makes me feel relieved even thinking about it: school started again today, and I'll only be ta

king one class this semester (a cooking class). It felt like a breath of fresh air!

Christmas time! Christmas was really great. My brother Dan and his wife Britany came and spent two weeks in Provo from...I don't remember what day, until the 17th. We really enjoyed their company-we, along with the rest of the family except Nate and his clan, played games, went to a Carl Bloch exhibit, ate out, played on the wii and generally enjoyed one another's company. We had a fun quadruple date the last night they were here, and they were nice enough to move it up in the evening so Sam could join in (he had to work that night).

The boys had a field goal-kicking contest, and I took pictures. We talked lots, ate lots and laughed lots. I'm so glad they could come-I really love my family.

The next week, Sam and I just had fun not worrying much about anything. We watched movies, went Christmas shopping, tried to go sledding, etc. Nate's group arrived on the 23rd, and we spent good time with them. I'm so surprised how different my nephews Jared and Zachary are! Zach (who will be 3 in April) is now talking like crazy, and Jare

d is crawling. Nate just finished up with a job he hates, so I was so happy to get to see them on the brink of a new adventure: he's about to start at a Police Academy in Denver.

Christmas Eve we had the traditional reading of the Christmas story and singing hymns throughout, and then eggnog and pjs. Christmas morning we all opened presents, and I shared some news. :) Ike, Sarah and co arrived around...eleven? I can't remember, and we enjoyed their company too with games, playing in the snow and a trip to the stake center to play in the gym. Woo hoo!

After two more days of fun with the Christensens, we headed up to Idaho to spend time with the Hatches. We saw a little boy out front playing in the snow when we drove up, and couldn't figure out who it was. Surprise! It was Jeremiah, one of our nephews from California! Jessiann and co surprised us all with a visit-we thought they were going to stay in California for the holidays, so it was wonderful to see them. It was really neat to have everyone there, and get to enjoy one another.

While there, we played games, ate good food, played with the many grandkids, and celebrated our anniversary. Sam and I were treated to dinner by all the other adults (the grandkids babysat each other) and then we went to the temple for a session, all together. That was really something special-Darren, Loalee, all their children and all their spouses in the celestial room together. Sam and I are truly blessed to have families with the same standards and beliefs we have.

Sam got really sick Thursday night, so we didn't enjoy New Year's Eve as much as perhaps we would have otherwise. But we had a yummy dinner, watched a fun movie, and just talked with Sam's parents (at that point, all others had departed). His sickness delayed our return home until Sunday afternoon, but we are once again home in our little apartment in Provo now, safe and sound.

I think that's a pretty good update of events. Sorry if it's dull-I don't have room to put all my thoughts about all these things, too! Next time. :)