Jaymie & Mark Minarik

Our Life Lately. According to my Phone.

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in forever. So instead of a hundred little posts. I figured I do one giant one. Here is what we have been up to.

Lunching with friends... (Did I just say Lunching?... Wow)

Working out... I started a new program... Its kicking my trash, and I really could go for a snickers right about now. Cant wait till bikini season.

My sister in law had her third baby... Meet the sweet Miss Harper.

Look at all that hair!!!

Personally.. I think this picture is amazing.

If you cant tell.. that Elk is wearing a Bra.

We've been snuggling... alot.

Posing for awkward Family Photos with friends.

Taking Naps.

Having EPIC moments with our car. 111111!!!!

Ruby had the best christmas ever.. She could smell those treats in her stocking from a mile away.

My dad got her tons of toys (he adores her..) I thought it was cute how she lined them all up by her bed when we got home. She has OCD just like her parents ; )

I've been laying around admiring my christmas tree.. We lost all our ornaments and had to start over from scratch!

Wrapping Miss Ruby.

Supporting our team. (Go Cards!)

Look.. there are birds on my tree. For those of you who know me well... you know thats a big step.

Love this little guy!

Maama and Pappa P's house is always the prettiest at christmas!

Taking naps by the heater...

Going to the Forgotten Carols (this was the ONLY picture I had of that night. Isn't mark handsome in his new shirt and wool pants?!? Love him)

O and... taking more naps.

Miss Hillcrest 2011-2012

2012-01-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ok. Get ready for a picture overload. I cant believe I haven't posted pictures of Miss Hillcrest yet! I loved directing this pageant with my mom. I cant believe it was.. 5 years ago when I was Miss Hillcrest. 5 Can you believe it? Anyways, moving on...

I love going to practice with them and seeing the huge change in their confidence from beginning to end. I adore my job, and I am grateful every day that I am in a position to encourage young girls to change their lives, serve their community, and to help them understand and reach their full potential. I am so appreciative of all those who helped me become who I am... and I love that the tables have turned! Our theme was "Ignite the Knight" we had fireworks on stage.. the opening number was adorable.. Our contestants were so talented, we had an exchange student from New Zealand Compete, we all got along, even at our 7 a.m. practices.. I loved everything about this year! My mom is truly amazing.. I am so glad I get to learn from a woman with vision like hers! Enjoy the pictures : ) O and p.s. isn't my mom looking amazing?!?! Green smoothies all the way!

xoxo

Merry Christmas

2012-01-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was amazing! We had our own Pentelute Christmas the sunday before, then we headed up to spokane to the Minariks for a week. I was afraid I would miss my family too much to enjoy the holiday... but there were no tears shed! I was so so spoiled, and had a wonderful time with the Minariks! I love the christmas season.. the lights, the music, the parties.. (we went to tons of fun parties) and most of all.. having the chance to reflect on the Savior, his part in my life, and the new year and all the goals I have for myself! I hope you all had a merry merry Christmas!

So You Think You Can Dance

2012-01-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

A while back we went to So You Think You Can Dance in SLC.. it was amazing.... I had the chills several times. Im so glad we got to go! Here are a few pics.

11.11.11 Black Tie Event and Grand America Brunch.

2011-11-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Ive been looking forward to 11.11.11 for YEARS of my life. I was born on the 11th... 11 is my lucky number. My sisters and I do a dance and sing a song every day when the clock says 11:11... So needless to say I was SO looking forward to this weekend. My sisters and I went down to SLC and went shopping (got some awesome stuff, Including Marks new outfit for the night.. Blue button up and Black sweater, doesn't he look HANDSOME!?!) then Pinnacle had an 11.11.11 party that night.. It was really fun. Then Saturday we had our black tie event at the Capitol Theater. My dress was lent to me from Trina at Labelle Boutique in Rigby... everyone kept saying "Your dress is so beautiful! O my gosh where did you get it?!?" Which is great although, I'd much rather have someone say YOU look so great.. but whatev ;) That night we went to Ruth's Chris for dessert yumm!!! Then the BEST part was the next morning.... We went to Grand America for Brunch... Its our once a year tradition... I was in heaven! Here are some pics from this weekend!

I hope you all made an EPIC wish on 11.11.11 at 11:11.

xoxo

Halloween- Barbie and Ken

2011-11-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Halloween has always been one of my FAVORITE Holidays. Here is a major PICTURE OVERLOAD from the past month. Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch,Haunted Mill, Trick or Treating, and Halloween Parties. Mark and I were Barbie and Ken... and some of our friends were Warren Jeffs and his polygamist wives.. it was hilarious!

Pypers Baptism

2011-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

My Mini Me Pyper Faith Sponenburgh was baptized last Saturday. Her Grandma made her baptism dress out of Tristas old wedding dress. It was beautiful! She was so happy and smiley all day. I was so proud of her!

10.11.11

2011-10-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Its my birthday...

And today is one of those epic days where the stars align, and 11:11 is happening ALL DAY LONG. (I have loved this about every 11th day of every month this year... Im going to be so sad when its 2012!) I am so grateful for the fact that my Heavenly Father has given me 23 wonderful years on this earth. I am one of the most blessed people I can think of, with my amazing family, loving husband, and all the blessings and opportunities I have been given. I was thinking about it late last night, all the things I have accomplished, people I've met, experiences I've had, lessons I've learned.... I have lived a fabulous life. Im excited to see what the next 23 years will bring!

Bear Lake 2011

2011-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Every year my family vacations at our condo in Bear Lake. It is my FAVORITE vacation, as in, I would almost rather go there than somewhere like... Hawaii.... almost. This year was a blast.. My mom put together a really cute Pirate Treasure hunt, and we had our annual Video Scavenger Hunt, there was lots of sun, boating and family time! Here's a picture overload!

( I feel as if I should explain this picture... I was reading and the chair tipped over, I was emberassed, so I just layed there for a bit.. long enough for my sweet sister to take a picture. I guess I'd rather be top heavy than bottom heavy ;) )

Shining Moment... Sort Of.

2011-08-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today my Dad reminded me of one of my rather "shining" moments of life. It was 1996, and I was being interviewed by my bishop before I got baptized. My entire family was there, and as they recall, it was quite the experience..

Bishop: "Spell me your first name sweetheart so I can make sure to fill these papers out right.."

Me: "J A Y M I E"

Bishop: "middle name?"

Me: "M A R I...."

Entire family: (yelling much to loud for a bishops office) "NO! NO no no... she doesn't have a middle name.."

Me: "O yeah... "

Bishop: "Ok.. last name?"

Me: "P E N T E L U T E"

Bishop: "Great! Ok jaym, what have you been doing to prepare yourself to be baptized?"

(expecting the usual answer of, reading my scriptures, learning about the Holy Ghost, praying... ect"

Me: (long thoughtful pause) "Weeellllll... we bought got a NEEEEW dresssss, its really pretty and white, and I got some new shooooes, and we're gonna have a family paaaarty...Im so excited'

Family: (drops heads in shame)

(in my defense, my entire family calls me jaymie marie, and still does to this day.. and... i am who i am.. i LOVE dresses and pretty things and parties.. i just cant help it!)

But something else that I LOVE with all my heart is this gospel. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Lately I am especially grateful for Temples, Temple Marriage, and my marriage. Read my FAVORITE talk on marriage HERE.

Happy Sunday!

A Little Update...

2011-08-23T01:25:00.000-07:00

Ive been missin this guy lately!!!

This summer we were in hotels instead of apartments, its great to have someone clean your bathroom and make your bed everyday, but a girl can only handle being homeless for so long! So 2 weeks ago I decided I'd had ENOUGH! I told Mark he needed to drive me home "tomorrow! or Im going to DIE!" so.. He drove me 16 + hours the next day, and then flew back out to New Mexico. Love him. On our way home we stopped at his sister Mishawn's, to visit her cute boys and see their new house! It was beautiful, and Im so glad we got to hang out for a bit! I've been staying with my mom and sister, spending lots of time on PINTEREST, playing with Ruby, and getting organized before school and work starts again. Im so happy here in Idaho ( can you believe Im saying that!?! ) Mark is coming home tomorrow then we are off to bear lake.. then the real world starts again...

It Does Not Do To Dwell On Dreams And Forget To Live

2011-08-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

I love Harry Potter. For as long as I can remember my sisters and I have gone to the midnight premiers of the movies, and midnight releasing of the books. Harry has and always will be a big part of the Pentelute Family! The last movie came out in July, and I NEVER miss a chance for a PARTYYY!! Mark and I are living in a Hotel in NM, but I ran to Hobby Lobby and tried to whip up something fun! Here are some pics!

Just call her Mrs. Ollivander!

Our cute decorations. (not bad for a hotel eh?)

Have you ever had butterbeer?!?! O my gosh, it is the best thing Ive ever had. Email me for the Recipe.. it will change your life! (and probably your waist line!)

I was so so delighted that Misty was able to go to the premier with me!

Pipe Cleaner glasses, we love being goofs!

Being at the theater was a HOOT! There were people up front acting out scenes from the movie, It was a blast!

As silly as it sounds, Harry Potter has taught me MUCH about life, and even though the movies are over, I will keep the spirt alive!!!

So... We Got a Puppy

2011-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Miss. Ruby Roo. She is the newest member of the Minarik Family. Yes, I feel a little bad about replacing (Rizzo) BUT Rizzo was, to put it nicely.. not the best behaved dog. Ruby is perfect. She is potty trained, she doesn't bark, she doesn't bite.. I love her with all my heart. She is a sweetie. I'll post more pictures later.

How does that face not make you smile..

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

After my trip to the Mayo Clinic I got to go home for a week.. I loved seeing my family! I dont know what I would do without them!

My dad and I decided to scare everyone while they were "star gazing" look at ripkens face! they were terrified.

Ladies Who Lunch

2011-07-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING Colorado! Love the weather, the hotel, the fact that we have a free membership to Bally Fitness, my sweet Ruby Roo, and most of all these ladies!

Elise, Kayla, Me, Abby, Steph, and Nicole

Check it out.. My first Guest Post!

2011-06-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello friends : ) Today I am so excited to be guest posting over at the adorable blog {Trulie-Scrumptious} Go over and check it out!

After 10 Days at the Hospital...

2011-06-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovlies! After 10 days down here at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, I FINALLY get to go home tomorrow! Im so excited! A-lot went on while I was there, but I'm still deciding if I want to blog about it or not, or if people even would want to read the details... so maybe more on that later... As for right now, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the love support and prayers that were sent my way. I was so overwhelmed with the texts, messages, emails, phone calls, ect. that I received. It feels so good to know you are loved! As for now I am just celebrating life (and the fact that I can still sorta see out of my stubborn/broken eyes...) here are some pictures from a photo shoot that the Mr. and I did for a friend a while ago that I never got the chance to post! (don't look too close at those roots.. MAN I should have got them done before I did this shoot!)

I'm trying to decide which ones, if any, to print out and put on our wall. What are your favorites?

Tender Mercy!

2011-06-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've really been missing my family out here in AZ this summer... It happens to me every year, I get in this rut. Mark is out knocking all day, I feel useless and alone, and get a little depressed.... Just as I thought I would die of loneliness and "pentelute depravation", the Lord sent me a sweet tender mercy! On saturday I heard Mark leave for his morning meeting, and then a few minutes later, the door opened and he came back in... maybe he left his ipad or something... I kept my eyes closed, trying to fall back asleep, (it was only 8:30, I had a few more hours of sleeping in to do!) When I heard, "WAKE UP! Lets go swimming!" It was my sister Trista... I couldn't believe it! She had flown in all the way from Idaho just to see me. It was seriously one of the best weekends of my life, we rented a cabana at the pool, layed out, drank Pina Colada's all day, ate chips and salsa, went SHOPPING.. and spent WAY too much money. and just spent quality girl time together. I am SO GRATEFUL that she came to visit me.. It was just what I needed!

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

2011-05-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

I love holidays. You guys... You dont even understand how deep my passion/love/excitement/ goes for holidays. Its my moms fault.. growing up, she gave me presents on St. Patricks day, Presidents day ect. if there is any reason to celebrate in the Pentelute house, you can bet there is gonna be a party! Holidays have ALWAYS been a big deal and a time to spend quality time with my family. So I was pretty excited for Easter this year. Even though, we weren't at home, where the easter bunny hides your basket, and leaves trails of jelly beans everywhere he goes to help you find your basket, and sometimes it takes 3 + hours to find... We were in a hotel... with no family... and no way to make a good Easter dinner. So Mark, being the nice guy he is, took me out to an amazing restaurant the night before. Then on easter day I set up an adorable (if i do say so myself) Egg Hunt for him. Here are some pictures!

We went with our good friends the Allisons.. Im so grateful they are out here with us!

p.s. why does my shirt look like a maternity shirt...

FOUND ONE!

It was a great Easter... I love the chance we get to reflect on Christ and how important he is in our lives. Hope you had a good one!

Tarantulas, Scorpions, and Tombstone.

2011-05-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll! (I really think Im going to start saying ya'll.. it just sounds... good...) anyways. I have alot of blogging to catch up on! But first, I figured I would catch Ya'll up on what we've been up to since school got out, since I know ya'll are DYIN' to know!!! We are in ARIZONA this summer working for Pinnacle. We spent the first few weeks in Sierra Vista, just 15-20 minutes away from the border. Needless to say, they had great mexican food there. ;) Now we are in Tucson (thats pronounced toosawn, not Tuxson, you would be amazed at how many people say it wrong... ) Our hotel is so nice, its a great place to hang out all day at the pool! And its really nice that Marks grandparents live about a 1/2 hour away from us, we've been able to visit them a couple times. Im really liking it here in the sun, getting tan, swimming, but its definitely not a place I could live my entire life... Its too darn hot! Ok now that you are all updated.....

We went and visited what we were told was one of the only attractions that southern arizona has to offer. The city of TOMBSTONE, AZ. You know, as in the movie TOMBSTONE. It was actually really fun! It felt like a old western version of Vegas. There was cute western stores, shoot outs with Doc Holiday every 1/2 hour, old time photos, good food, and alot of dust... Hold on to your hats and look at my cute pictures!

Love her!!

Horseys!

Shoot out!

They had a NASTY reptile exhibit.. I had the willy's the entire time I was in there!

(this is an Afghanistan Scorpion... the most DEADLY one out there.. SICK!!)

Of course.. Mark and I did the Old Time Photo's... but, I dont have a picture on my computer. It was fun!

I thought those peppers were prettty..

And of course.. who doesn't have a stash of these next to the town burger joint....

I LOVE dream catchers. My grandpa gave me one when I was little.. and I totally believed it worked.

Can you see josh in the window? hehe.

Mr. and Mrs. ROUND UP.

Mothers

2011-05-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers day to my sweet Mother, Mother-in-Law, Sisters, Sister-in-Law, and all the other women in my life who are great examples of motherhood. I love you all.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

2011-04-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this show? If you havent.. my heart hurts for you. You are missing out on a GREAT part of life! This show has kept Mark and I up for HOURS each night... It is my all time favorite show. Seriously, it will change your life. It will make you laugh, cry, and leave you wanting more. Its got cute boys... (like TIM RIGGINS, o ladies, words cant even express..... even my husband knows and accepts that I have a crush on him) but aside from Tim, Matt, and Luke... its got Football, Cheerleaders, exciting plot lines, Love, Drama, Southern Accents... its got it all. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tami Taylor, (the coaches wife) and think that the relationship she has with coach is one of the best on TV. I cant believe that its taken me this long to find this show. The first season left me with goosebumps after every episode. It has topped all others, and has found a place in my heart as my FAVORITE SHOW OF ALL TIME, a big statement, considering how much I love my shows. Watch it... then dont forget to thank me.

I apologize, I brag in this post....Madisons DYW

2011-04-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Distinguished Young Women.... that just rolls of the tongue doesn't it..

This year was so much fun! My sister Misty directed Madisons DYW (formerly known as Jr. Miss) again this year. I got to make up the fitness routine (the state director said it was one of the best she has ever seen!) and the Poise routine.. and just helped with production.. backstage.. ect. I LOVE the girl that won. She is so kind and such a happy person. She will be great to work with! Get ready for a picture overload!

This picture gets to stay medium.. because I was wearing my size 2 dress from way back when I competed in Miss Idaho.... I looked pretty good in it when I was standing straight and sucking in.. but in this picture I thought it might be cool to stick my butt/hip area out as far as I could so it could be documented in peoples pictures for eternity... Now that I think about it, I shouldn't even of put this picture up.. Or said anything about my hips.. cause your all now looking at it... stop looking at it!

Cut off at the hips.. much better!

Overexposed picture... Cute! (the stage lights were on...)

We had ALOT of fun! I got to be backstage with all the girls.. It was a blast!

(o and im wearing my size 26 jbrands from miss idaho in this picture... look.. they are done up and everything! check me out!! no Im not bragging.. Im just glad to see all this working out we've been doing paid off!... even if it was just for one night..)

OO they match.. how cute..

I have been coaching NON Stop lately! Im proud to say all three of my girls won Interview at Bonneville County's Jr. Miss this year, (including the girl that Won the title) and I had an interview winner @ Rigbys DYW too!! I love being involved with these kinds of things.. thanks for having me help Misty!

For your Viewing Enjoyment...

2011-03-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Baby Camden's Blessing was a couple weeks ago. For your viewing enjoyment.. here are a few pictures of my sisters cute family and the ADORABLE baby!

HOW do you not love that face!!!

I've always wanted to have a baby in 2011...guess what?!

2011-01-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to have a baby in 2011. Im obsessed with the number 11. Every day at 11:11 I do a dance and sing a song and make a wish. I was born on the 11th.. Ive always wanted a baby on 11-11-11. (this november 11th) I can remember being a freshman in high school and thinking... I'll be 22 in 2011, thats totally old enough to have a baby right? right!

well... Guess what?!?!

Thats not going to happen for me. My younger self overestimated the maturity level of my now older self.. and well.. here we are. BUT ITS OKAY!!! My sister Misty had the new years baby, on 1-1-11 (what an AWESOME birthday huh?!?). She got all sorts of awesome free stuff for being the first baby of the new year at Mt. View Hospital. She did it all natural. Let me say this one more time... look at me... pay attention.. ALL NATURAL! yes. she is a Rockstar. (my words not hers ;) ) I love her so much and I love him too! here he is!

Camden Dee Kesler

Here is to wishing 2011 will be amazing... Its the year of the 11... it will be!

An Elf Room. A Cute Baby. And the most Amazing Christmas Ever.

2011-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas was amazing this year... Mark and I stayed here in Idaho with my family... we had so much fun.. here are some pictures!

Santa came!!!

Some cute christmas tree brownies I made... super SUPER yummy.

This is easily the BEST picture I have ever taken.. look at that kids face! Its like he is screaming ITS ALL MINE!!!!!!

I love Mark.. he made my christmas so great.

He made my christmas.. He is at such a cute age..

Every year since I've known them I've got my brother in laws chips and cheese... they love it! (of course thats not all we get them.. we aren't that cheap!)

Pappa P loves his DEW!

Mark was such a spoiled/lucky boy!!

Every year my mom does an "elf room" (you know.. from the movie when buddy decorates the mall.. see how cute it is?!? the kids love sleeping there)

I love my family. My mommy and daddy and mark spoiled me rotten, I loved being with my sisters... we all are so lucky to have each-other. We had such a good holiday season. Hope you did too!

(im working on my photog skills.. the above picture took me.. well.. way too long to figure out how to do! have any tips!?!)

Minarik Family Photos

2010-12-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

We went to Spokane for Thanksgiving this year.. It was tons of fun to be with the Minariks, and dinner was DELICIOUS! We also had the chance to take some family pics while we were there.. It was a BLIZZARD, but they turned out great!

Miss Hillcrest 2010

2010-11-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we had Miss Hillcrest 2010

My mom and I were the directors, for the past few months we have had practices monday nights and early thursday mornings ( Im so sad I wont get to drive from rexburg at 6 in the AM anymore ;) It was such a fun thing to do with my sister and my mom.... and the girls are adorable. It has been so fun to get to know them! Its alot of hard work, we are in charge of EVERYTHING! Decorations, choreography, script, the theme, the colors, the luncheon, the practices, mock interviews, getting judges, and about a million other things that you wouldn't think of! But all that hard work was totally worth it! here are some pictures of the stage, the girls, the cute things we made for the judges to have, the decorations at the luncheon, the freebees the girls get, (the winner alone got 2,400 $$$... every girl got 100 for participating, first runner up got over 700 $$$... Miss Hillcrest scholarships are the best!) Christina and Ali ( dont know who they are? click HERE) were SO KIND to come and perform for us.. mark was ecstatic that they were there.. he had to get his picture with them! and last but not least my cute 80 year old grandpa drove up to see the pageant.. and took my mamma and I out to breakfast afterwards. It was a 'perfect day' hehe ; ) It was so fun to have this experience, and reflect back on when I was Miss Hillcrest in 200.... well the year isn't important ;)

Check us out- BLACK TIE EVENT!

2010-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we had a 'black tie' event for our Pinnacle end of the year party. I haven't had that much fun in a LONG time! We went down on friday and while the boys were at meetings we had some girl time.. shopping and eating at PF Changs. Then saturday there was a 5k in the morning, and a wives lunch, and more shopping (of course) Then we went to MAC and got our makeup done (hence my GIANT fake eyelashes in all of these pictures) Then we went to the "Pinnacle Awards" at Thanksgiving Point. They wanted us to feel like we were at the Emmys, red carpet, good food.. It was really fun.

Nicole, Jaymie, and Catie back together again!!

It was so great to bust out the pageant attire again!

We had a little too much fun on the cat walk!!

Marks "Entourage" picture.. Isn't he good looking in his suit!?! He got the 'best suit of the night' award from the boys

The ladies with 'the man in charge'

We went to Grand America Hotel for their Breakfast Buffett the next morning.. and can I just say.. that is the most amazing meal I have ever had.. Even though its really expensive, I would pay $80 bucks, okay even like... $200 to do it again any time.

I LOVE Cate.. It was soo good to see her. Even if it was only for a day and a half. (hey lady.. MOVE TO IDAHO!)

I really loved getting all dressed up with mark- It was the prom we never got to have! ; )

It was so fun to be with all our friends, Nicole, Abby, Catie, Kelsi, Misty, Trista, Cami... Im so blessed with such good friends.

(o and.. im starting to feel self conscious of my blogging... my comments have been low in numbers lately.. leave me some love so i know someone out there is reading this and im not just writing to myself!; )

Do-It-Yourself Wreath...

2010-11-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas!!! I get kinda bored at work sometimes, so I decided to break out the crafts..

Start with one of those Styrofoam circles you get at Porters. Wrap it with ribbon. Then you get some of that awesome Geo Mesh stuff (good for just about anything), gather it in about 12'' sections and pin it around the circle about 2 or three inches apart.. then pin on the leaves and glittery stuff and 'Joy To The World' you have a pretty fabulous christmas decoration!

Mark say's black isn't 'christmas' enough- but I think its pretty.

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.. I cant wait for all the festivities!!!

p.s. I know we haven't even had thanksgiving yet... I like to think of it as a prequel to christmas..

Im in LOVE... with my New Couch

2010-11-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

dA while ago we got a new couch... I feel like Ive posted pictures of it a MILLION times.. but I haven't blogged about it... so.. here she is! (also.. Trista helped me make those cute blue pillows... I love them! )

Spokane

2010-10-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mark got to sell for a few weeks in Spokane.. It was so fun to be able to be that close to his family. We had a ton of fun while we were there!

I got my new camera : )

This is bear.. the worlds biggest dog!

Me and my little sister-in-law : )

Bob, Mark, and Mikey gave a fabulous family home evening lesson!

One of my favorite things about going to visit the Minariks is when they take me to Coeur d'alene!

Where they have the BEST desserts!

Im sad that these were the only pictures we took while we were there... We had so much fun with them.. Its always nice to have a 'home away from home'

(-15 Pounds) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEE!!

2010-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

I turned 22 on October 11th... So about 9 weeks ago I decided that I wanted to give myself a birthday present.... I wasn't feeling too great about the way I looked.. So I worked my BUTT off.. (literally) so that on my birthday I could look at my scale and weigh XXX. ( I had about 17 lbs to loose...) I did zumba.. and ran.. and watched what I ate.. and on the day of my birthday I stepped on that scale.. and was 2 lbs away from my goal! Didn't quite make it but STILL! I was pumped.

It was such a fun week ( because of COURSE you cant have a birthday.. you have to have a birthWEEK!) Thanks to my fam. for making my day so special.. and for going around the table thanksgiving style and saying what you loved and were grateful for about me! ;)

We had a family dinner the night before at my sisters house...

They made me cheesecake.. ( my request every year) loved it.

I woke up to 22 balloons in my living room with the happy birthday banners and everything.. I was so proud of Mark!

He made me a handmade card.... this super cute nike shoe with a nike gift card inside ( to congratulate me for meeting my goal!! )

My birthday cupcake... (ignore the toilet in the background)

I love birthdays.. but Im sort of sad that the next one is an entire year away!!

The Boys of Fall

2010-10-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

Mackay was the quarterback for his football team this year.. he pretty much is the bomb.com! Im so gratefull to live in Rexburg so I can be here for moments like these! I took my camera to their last game....

Mackays friend josh... ( i love this picture, look at him running past all those kids that dove for his flags! )

Go eathan go!

Look at that kid.. Future NFL Pro for sure!

This just MELTS my heart!

Look at that arm!

Boys and Nail Polish...

2010-10-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Mark and I got to babysit Brett and Misty's little ones.. It was so fun!

We played charades (this was ripkens impersonation of a football player)

Feelin a little sick after aunt jaymie let him eat whatever he wanted...

All night long he followed me around with pink and black polish in his hand begging "Jimmy... paint my nails!!"

How can you reist that face!?!? So Pretty!

Uncle Mark read ripken about 17 girly girly books. I loved hearing him say words like "Pinkalicious pirouette"

We spray painted the boys hair for Spirit day @ school.

Even sassy got in on the action...

Uncle Mark loves taking them on rides.

Look at that face!!

It was Rip's birthday and as SOON as he saw they were buzz light pj's he started stripping his old ones off..

He loved them.

Needless to say... I love the little ones in my life... (Especially Ripken.. but shhh! dont tell!)

Photo's from my phone...

2010-10-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Man.. I LOVE Fall! But fall also means everyone is SUPER busy.. and that includes us over at the Minarik house. This is a post about.. nothing. I just felt like posting cause I haven't in a while.. These are some of the pictures from my phone that I considered 'blog worthy'

Marky Mark and I went on a little date to the Riot Zone ( I love that place)

He is such a cute mini golfer...

I ALMOST won.. but.. I didn't. And as the saying goes, "If you Aint First- Your last.."

I love Halloween- This is the tree at my sisters house (yes. we have hallloween trees) isn't it cute?!? I wish I had a better picture. I love how pumped my entire family gets for hollidays.

And these are three of the cutest kids you can find. Doesn't Ripken look handsome with is piggy tails?

Nikon D5000 SLR

2010-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

I got a new toy today... : ) SO excited to start using it.. I just have to learn how to use all the cool features first. A purchase like this makes me feel like such a big girl!!

O and by the way.. I love my husband so much. But, more on that later...

Bear Lake 2010

2010-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

This past week we went on our annual trip to Bear Lake. It was so much fun. I honestly have the best family. I love how close we are. I can always count on them to make me laugh, to give great advice, and to make my life better. I love that my family are my best friends.. I wouldn't want it any other way!

We had activities every night.. with "Hot Seat" questions, and Balderdash, and Minute to Win It... Here are some pictures from the week!!!

1st Raspberry Shakes of the year!

Mark made me go golfing with him and my dad..

We love playing at the park!

Dont you love the hat?!?!

Mark's 360.

Brett and I tried SO HARD to figure out how to get two people up on a surf board! once we figured it out it was easy... I hope I didn't squish him too bad!

Mini Golf!

Rock Climbing!

Minute to Win It Challenges.

Gramps even came down for a day!

I adore my nieces and nephews. They are so sweet!

my beautiful sisters... what would I do without them!?

I love him!

Thanks for such a great trip... Life is Great!!

XOXOXO

America's Birthday

2010-07-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th here in Little Rock @ a BBQ with friends... it was very American. Here are some pics of dinner and watching the fireworks.

Sloane and Tinsley LOVE Mark.. its adorable. They always say "Where's mark?" and Marks favorite quote comes from Tinsley... "Mark has big muscles too..."

I made this fruit pizza in the shape of a flag... AND homemade oreos.. which were gone in about three minutes. they were deliciousooo if i do say so myself.

Like I said in my last post.. I LOVE Nicole and Cate... We had alot of fun with the camera on my laptop. (We took about 80 pictures..)

It was a fun holiday.. Thanks girls for makin me not miss my family too much!! xoxo

I live in Arkansas?

2010-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

(Read this with a southern accent... please.. it makes it so much better) Yes.. Yes, I do live in Arkansas. Thankfully only for 5 weeks!! Why in the world would ANYONE want to live here!??!?! Its horrible here- super super hot and humid (BLESS my husband for knockin' doors in this heat all day.. I can hardly handle laying at the pool for more than 2 hours!) there are bugs.. I dont even wanna talk about the nasty nasty cockroaches and flying thingamugigz and nasty ness.. and snakes.. and All sorts of creepy noises @ night. The first night I was here I told mark I felt like I was living in Jurassic Park! (is that how you spell that?) Anyways- Im missin' Idaho more and more every day. I love it there. : )

BUT since Im trying to have a positive outlook on life, here are some things I love about livin' here..

I LOVE the accents. Anyone who knows me well knows I love me some southern accents. : ) (i think every time i go out and listen to people talk i start to get a little drawl in my voice... i cant help but copy it)

I LOVE that I get to sleep in, go to the gym every day, lay at the pool and chill. (cant wait to see how much weight i've lost)

I LOVE my friends Nicole and Catie... They are so great, and they let me hang out with them all day every day. ( Im serious... from 9-9 every day... so nice)

I LOVE how well my husband is doin'... -im very proud of him-

I LOVE pinnacle...

and I LOVE the new book Im readin'.. its called "Selected Writings of M. Cathrine Thomas. WOW. that book is a must read. I wont lie, I skipped the first "scripture" part and went right for the "lesson application" part in the back.. but it is a life changing book. Every one should read it.. especially parents.. its a good one.

Anyways.. hello from Arkansas.. we miss you but Im warning... ya'll dont come visit us... you'll regret ever settin' foot in this state! Wait till august.. we'll come see you! : )

P.S. one more thing I LOVED... when I got to our apartment from the airport there was Double Stuffed Oreo's, Limes and Pink Flowers sitting on our table. Mark bought me FLOWERS.. (first time he has ever bought a girl flowers) i was impressed. thanks babe. love you tons. (pictures to come next time.. my camera is dead)

Camping in STYLE! and Mark's Birthday!

2010-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have alot to post about!!
- Mark is in Arkansas now.. Im joining him soon. He is doing so great. Got one his first day.. two his second.. and is keeping up the good work this week. But I am missing him SO MUCH. I love you Mark. I miss you.. thanks for working so hard to support me and my shoe buying issues ;)

-It was his Birthday on the 6th. He is 26 now.. wow... we are getting old ;) I wasn't able to be with him on his actual birthday but my good friend Nicole was.. and she made him a cake. Thanks Nicole. Your such a good friend. Before he left we had a dinner party for him in spokane with his fam. when we were up there, and another one in rexburg with my family. My mom got him a safe ( i cant figure out why he wanted one but he was like a little boy getting a bike or something.. he was so excited it was really cute.) He also got a nike gift card from my sister (he got basketball shorts and a huge t-shirt with it.. who would of guessed that) and another gift card from my other sister that he bought some books with. I got him a "charging station" (you know the ones you put your cell phone, ipod, wallet, ect on to keep you organized?) and some sweet shoes for him to knock in this summer. He loved it.

-For dessert we had ice cream on ice cream cones (because he wont eat it if its in a bowl..) And while we were in spokane Nana and Jolene taught me how to make his favorite cheesecake! (because he doesn't like the one I make... So I had to learn Nana's recepie. Thanks for teaching me.. I wish we took more pictures!)
-Next, My parents bought this:

Yes, a trailor. I thought Pentelute's dont camp? Apparently we are changing tradition. I was laughing pretty hard in this picture because of the cougar. Have you seen talladega nights- the ballad of ricky bobby? If you have you know what Im talking about. Funny stuff- "Well, hey there, Ricky. How'd it go?" Ricky: "Well, I was mauled by a cougar, learned nothing about driving and my Crystal Gayle shirt was ruined. But other than that, it went fine."
-Its really nice inside.. Bathroom.. kitchen.. living/eating space.. bunk beds... pull out beds.. a bedroom.. I actually sort of like it.

Kitchen.

TV that swivels in from the bedroom to the living/eating room.

Bunk beds.. love them.

The kids LOVED it.

O and other good news.. there's gonna be another baby in our family!! yaay! (NO NOT ME!) My sister Misty is having her fourth baby and she is SUPER sick... (poor lady) so my amazing mother has moved in with her and is taking care of her.. and I get to spend a little more time with her kids. Love you misty.. get feeling better soon. xoxo

A Little More- Family Time

2010-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to SPOKANE for memorial day to hang out with Marks parents and Brother and Sister and Nana of course.

And we went to some AWESOME stores. My new favorite shoppe is called "Finders Keepers". If your ever in spokane go visit one of their 2 stores. (My sweet mother-in-law bought me that amazing green feather in my hair (in the picture above) there.) One of their stores is 'Vintage' with beautiful jewelry and HILARIOUS clothes. We had alot of fun.

Ugly sweater party

We went shopping.. and ate lots of food (I've recently been Dr. Ordered to eat no gluten or milk.. so it was a challenge to keep me full.. but Jolene was so nice and always made me my own little part of the meal) We went to Letters to Juliet (LOVED it!!) And saw Leap Year( another favorite!) We had so much fun-- Im sad the weekend is over! We love visiting and cant wait till next time!!

I wish I was Rich.. Dont you!?

2010-05-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

I really love beautiful things. Im all about 'Things that Make Life Beautiful" So while I have some extra time at work, I browse the internet.. looking at vintage fabrics, houses, decor, jewelry, dresses, wedding decor, ect. anything to get me to be inspired. (Lets face it.. here in brown/grey idaho we need some beautiful things to look at!!) Today I was really feeling the need to decorate my house- I love decorating and hope that someday I can have a FABULOUS house full of pretty things. I saw these pictures and thought I HAVE to share these on my blog. (dont fall in love with any of them.. they are all around one billion dollars) But do Enjoy!!! (Pictures from Ballarddesigns.com, Horchow.com, and Restorationhardware.com)

I would LOVE that mirrored table in my home. The blue couch is fun too :)

I love this style. It reminds me of my moms house...

Isn't that lamp really really cool?

Love the chairs.. very Paris

Pretty pretty dining room.

I would love two girls just so we could have a room like this. And how about that dress picture in the center.

I love this table.

Obviously a little over the top.. but I thought I'd throw it in here cause its dreamy :)

I would love my dining room to look like this. Love the table.. and the Giant Lights.

I have enough trouble getting out of the bathroom in under an hour.. if mine looked like this I'd prob. stay all day.

I think Im going to make regular posts of the "Things that make life Beautiful" so I can have them all in one place to look back on when I want to re-decorate!

Lagoon/Gramps 80th Birthday! Part One.

2010-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was SO much fun. We went to Lagoon for Maycee & Pypers Dance Competition, and the next day was my grandpas 80th Birthday. It was so great to see all the fam. :)

This picture is classic... Me and Misty being our usual selves.. and our parents are trying to ignore us. Love it.

I had my first Kiss on this teeter-totter a LOOONNG time ago.. So Mark insisted that we take a picture of my 'last'. Cute :)

I had to snap a couple pictures of the cute babies that were there :)

Mark and Mackay are buddies :) They are cute together.

I do NOT like this picture.. But I had to get one in of mark :)

The pictures from LAGOON are on my sisters camera... Part 2 Coming soon.

Are you LOVING this weather?!?! What did you do this weekend?

Mothers Day

2010-05-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

We Love Our Moms : )

and... I love this from Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.

We love Jolene! We wished we lived closer so we could be around her more... But I sure do love visiting! She always goes the extra mile to make our visits special. Im really REALLY grateful I NEVER have any stories to share when people bring up their "annoying mother in laws". Mine is fabulous :)

I love my mom. In my opinion we should have 'mothers week'- and even then wouldn't be enough for me to show how much I love my mom. Im so glad Heavenly Father let me be one of the three lucky ladies that got to be raised by this woman..... Happy mothers day. Thanks for being you-- The best mom in the world!!!

A Little More- Happiness.

2010-05-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't been the 'happiest' person to be around lately... So I decided to make a happy list- of things that make me happy. Here goes..

I am LOVING anything vintage right now. Love Love Love. Cant Get enough.

Vintage looking jewelry.. (This was made by Miss Ruby Sue on Etsy. Look her up she is FABULOUS)

Vintage Swim Suits.

These cute vintage looking shoes.

Vintage Wallpaper. (I want to redo every pillow and wall in my house..) How could you not be happy with all the pretty colors and prints in your life?!?

Of course I LOVE this store.. Its one of my favorites..

I watch this show EVERY MORNING while I get ready to go to work. Its on ABC Family from 8-9. Starts my day off right! Love Boy Meets World.

I eat at least two a day. I think I might have an addiction... Ok I know I do. I crave these little things every second of the day. I know my teeth will one day fall out.. but I try to brush them 5 times a day! ;)

And of course all the SHOWS I watch during work to entertain me..

But--- We all know that this is NOT what a happy life is made of. Looking and experiencing these things make me happy for a little bit.. But what really makes a person happy is the stuff life is made of. The Gospel, Family, Time, Decisions, Goals, Hard Work, Experiences, Love... and Luckily for me I have alot of that going on too!

What makes you happy?!

P.S. Thanks for all the comments lately.. I LOVE comments!!

xoxo

Wedding & One Year Anniversary!

2010-04-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

This week was so fun- We went to Salt Lake for my friends wedding, and we decided to stay a few extra days to celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary!

I love taking pictures- I would LOVE to learn photography... This was taken with a Cheap Digital camera :) But I still think its beautiful (Yaay for photo editing programs)

I love him! It was SO SPEICAL to attend a Temple Sealing right around our Anniversary. It took me back to our own wedding and reminded me of how great Mark, the Gospel and our Life Together is.

The Temple grounds were BEAUTIFUL!! I love the warm weather!

Heather and Colby- Heather looked SO beautiful. She made me wish I had gotten married this year-- when the big flower headbands were in style!

I liked this picture of us- Classic S&S (Sweats and Sunglasses)

I love these girls. Wish we could stay in college forever!

We went to Hamiltons for our anniversary dinner..(So Yummy) Our friends Micall and Tj let us stay the night with them.. Thanks for the fun times guys!

Mark and I stayed at 'The Little America", went shopping, ate good food and just hung out. It was an awesome vacation. I also got my hair done that day... I hate the day I get my hair done.. cause that means someone else styled it for me.. and Im not a fan.. I think I look like a drowned rat... But I love the color.. Thanks Wricky!!

I LOVE Mark. Im so glad I get to be married to my best friend. Marriage is hard- But heaven knows I couldn't have made it through this past year without him. He always knows how to make me laugh-- no matter how upset I am. Thanks for being you babe- and for never making me feel anything but loved and appreciated. I love you. This year was great- Im looking forward to many many years to come!!! And as Christina Aguilera says- "It Keeps Gettin Better!" ;)

To sell or Not to sell.. O my pretty things.

2010-04-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ive been mentioning "bow club" that we do every Monday with my sisters and friends.. here's some of the things that I've made! *note all these pictures were taken with my phone.. crappy images.

People keep asking me to sell them... BUT... 1. I wouldn't know what to charge and 2. Im afraid it would loose the fun. I love them though. Aren't they pretty!!!! :)

The HUNGER GAMES

2010-04-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

Have you read it?

WOW. Best book I've read in a LONG time. Finished it in 4 and 1/2 hours.. Cant WAIT to go get book number 2. I totally reccomend it. (a lot of death in it though.. not for little kids)

New Addition To The Minarik Family

2010-03-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Meet our new little buddy :) My Sisters and I were out to lunch yesterday and saw on the 'Cal Ranch Store' sign that they had baby chicks in for easter! Now- every easter while we lived at home the Easter Bunny would give us baby chicks/ducks/or bunnies. [To see my last bunny.. click here] So naturally we wanted to go inside and look. The boys (Ripken and Bostin) were so cute with the baby chicks.. BUT I was more interested in the bunnies... The rest were all albino.. and SCARY looking ( they have bright red devil eyes!!) I picked this one up and she spoke to me.. "Mommy.. Take me home!" and you cant say no to that... So Misty bought her for me.. :) She is currently living in mistys house cause my apartment doesn't allow pets.

She doesn't have a name yet.. Any suggestions?

A Little More Thrifty! 181 Day Challenge.

2010-03-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have ALOT OF THINGS! I have 53 Pairs of Shoes. 31 Pairs of Jeans. (Thats Wayyy To much) A ridiculous amount of shirts & tanks & cardigans and sweaters. (Especially after working at Walla Walla Clothing Company) I have slight addiction to buying things. I've been very blessed with the parents I have. They never made me get a job. They never made me buy my own things.. and I've never gone without. (Thanks mom and dad!) BUT.. As great and glamorous as that sounds (let me tell u.. it WAS glamorous) in a small way It was VERY BAD

This isnt even HALF the clothes I have.. That is all that would fit to hang. I cant even bring myself to take a picture of all my clothes.. Its out of control.

Not for lack of trying by my parents... I dont know the First thing about the 'B' word. (Budget) the 'b' word is a bad word in my house... Mark and I finally got to a point that we realized I was out of control. So we sat down yesterday with our friend who happens to help people do the 'B' word. We figured one out and Im actually pretty excited about it... So almost as if the heavens aligned and today I ran across this blog. She is doing this challenge:

Now.. I CAN NOT do that. Go an ENTIRE YEAR? Im not so sure.. So I decided to re-vamp it.

From April 1st - October 1st

Im going to go 6 months without buying ANYTHING NEW for my closet or my home. (only handcrafted or secondhand)

Im going to have to get creative and make new things.. and reuse what I have..

We just moved and I think I use the excuse "Im just starting out.. I need to buy new stuff for my house!.. We dont have one of those yet.. Im sure everyone has one of those! O my new home will be complete once I have one of those.." Well my excuses are DONE! Im not much of a 'secondhand shopper' BUT I do love making new things. My sisters and some friends get together once a week and re-purpouse clothes. We make cute broaches out of ribbon and old fabric.. we make headbands and make average shirts look like they came from JCREW! (Pictures to come) Its really fun.. and I have a feeling that Im going to have to MAKE alot of things to fulfill my deep desire to have new clothes. As we saw.. I have WAY TOO MUCH! This is going to be a CHALLENGE. But Im up for it. Hopefully it will help me save some cash!!

Anybody else up for the challenge?

Disney On Ice

2010-03-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my sister Misty took me and my mom and all my nieces and nephews to Disney on Ice. Unfortunately we had to stop at CHUCKY MC. NASTY CHEESE on our way there. ( I hate that place. Im a bit of a germaphobe and WOW my OCD gets way out of control when Im there. Its gross! But the kids loved it.) You can tell in this picture that Im struggling ;)

Us At Sir. Chucky Mc. Nasty Cheese' house.

Disney on Ice was fun. 2nd Row Seats! We saw Cars and..

Minnie Mickey and Donald

Little Mermaid

The Lion King

Us @ intermission.. I am In serious need of a new camera.. My pictures are bad! Anyone know where I can get one?!?

And last but not least there was Tinkerbell and all her fairy friends.

It really was 'Magical'
My favorite part was the kid's reactions. They were so cute and you could tell they really loved going. It was super fun. Thanks misty!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day

2010-03-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks day.. We love Green Swedish Pancakes and Green Milk!!

Hope you all had a 'lucky' day.

Madison Jr. Miss

2010-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday was madison's Jr. Miss Program. My sister misty is the Director.. So naturally our entire family is involved. It was so fun. I am the 'host mom' aka I get to coach the winner to help her DOMINATE at state Jr. Miss Idaho. Im so excited.. Its going to be really fun! Here are some pictures.

Me Misty Michelle and Nicole at the Luncheon

I love getting to work with my sister at things like this. So fun- we laugh alot!

All the girls before the show!

Cute decorations.

The Lovely Winners. 4th Runner up. 2nd Runner up. Winner. 1st Runner up 3rd Runner up.

A Little More Like Home

2010-03-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY got pictures of our new apartment in Rexburg. I love it. Its much roomier than our house in Walla Walla.

My Nephew Mack helpin Mark hang my curtains :)

Living Room..

Kitchen (Isn't our new table cute?)

Notice the Scentsy plug in below.. Love it. Everyone get some from my beautiful friend Joanna Bennett. (yes that was totally a shout out) ha.

Our Room. We eventually will repaint the giant gold mirror.. and hang it. But for now it leans... O and my mom and dad gave us two pretty dressers. Thanks guys your the best :)

Our pretty Pottery Barn bed. (Cali. King.. Its GINORMUS) love it. And my pretty bed spread i fell in LOVE with from West Elm. ( :

I really love the picture in the picture above. My parents gave it to me when I was in high school. Its called "Singing Butler" by Jack Vettriano. It depicts a man and women dancing on a storm-swept beach. The people around them have umbrellas and are being tossed around by the storm.. but the couple just keeps on dancing- not paying attention to life's storm because they have each other- and thats all they need.

I've always loved that picture, and it was my goal to find someone i could 'dance through life's storm' with one day.

Im glad I did.

Little more LOVE

2010-03-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

I love my husband... :) Were back in Idaho now! Our apartment is looking so adorable and we are really happy. Pictures of our new place coming soon!

These pictures made me smile

Happy LOVE day!

2010-02-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

Its our first Valentines day being married and we have to spend it apart : ( So I decided to take this lame picture and put it on the blog for him.

P.S. Thanks for Mr. Bear he is sitting in my lap right now.. love him.

Happy love day everyone!

More- "Love Letters"

2010-02-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

So.. when I decided to change the theme of my blog I considered two themes.. obviously 'A Little More' in which we would post about how we are doing more in our lives to learn laugh grow and be. The other topic was "LOVE" in which I wanted to post about everything i LOVED in life.. Because for those of you who know me, Im a pretty passionate person! I try a new good food and i LOVE it... a new movie.. LOVE IT... a have about a billion 'most favorite' things.. everything is fabulous and there is alot of things i LOVE ( i think thats why mark loves me so much.. I have ALOT of love :) SOO.. In light of that I've decided to make these 'LOVE LETTERS' to things Im LOVING at the moment.. Here is my first one!

-Dear NEW APARTMENT,
            I love you so much! Thank you for being warm.. and having hot water that lasts for a long time.. and
           for being big enough for me to actually move around in. Your so much cuter than our walla walla shoe
           box.
-Dear Pinnacle Security ,
            thanks for giving me such an awesome job! I love this building and all the nice people that work here.
            Love love love it.
-Dear FAMILY,
              Im home! I love you. Enough said
-Dear Rizzo,
            Thanks for being the best dog I've ever had. I've enjoyed our short time together very very much!
            Thanks for making me laugh, and keeping my feet warm, and making me feel so so loved. (its my last
            day with her today) :(
-Dear Natalie Barker,
             Thank you for being my friend! and for driving from 6:30 p.m all through the night to 7:15 a.m. to get
             me safe and sound to my home. Your the best and i LOVE you girly.
-Dear Mark,
             thank you for driving 8 hours JUST to deliver my jewlery box and clothes. Im LOVING you alot r
             right now :)

What are you loving right now? Email me your 'love letter' to jaymie11@gmail.com

A Little More "excited"

2010-02-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

Were coming HOME tomorrow!! Right now I sit in our tiny house in Walla Walla Wa, surrounded by boxes. I will miss this cute little town- with its cute down town shops and the great weather and the pretty grape fields here in wine country.

But I wont miss it too much! Bring on the eight hour drive! I cant wait for the snow covered town of rexburg! Im thinking of our cute new apartment that my mom has been cleaning for me for the past 4 hours. Im excited to be by my favorite people in the world, be back where I belong, to be surrounded by that special spirit that BYU-I has to offer. I cant wait..

Hello Idaho.

A Little More "Clean"

2010-01-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

If your puppy looks like this.. (look at her tummy) Then one of these is needed.
We took her on one of her first real 'walks' right after it rained.. she got mudd all over.
Needless to say.. she dosen't like baths..

Good news 1- My Mom Dad Sister Misty Nephew Ripken, Mother in Law Father in Law and Brother in Law all came to visit this weekend! It was so great to have them here! I sang in church and I loved having the support I love my family.. Old and new!

2- WE ARE MOVING HOME!!!!!!! Yep. More details to come! Two more weeks!

A Little More 'GREATNESS'

2010-01-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

While reading "The Possible Dream" By Mary Ellen Smoot I had some thoughts.. I'll share.. :)

Have you ever asked 'WHY ME?' I do all the time. Why did I have to be the one to deal with the grumpy coworker? Why do I have to be the one she calls and complains to all the time? Why do I have to do the cleaning? Why was I called to that calling? Why is this SO HARD? Why am I asked to deal with this.. I CANT DO IT!
Look at the story of Enoch. He was alot like us, he was given a challenge and at first, doubted his abilities to do what was asked of him.... How many times have you been asked to do something and think you are underqualified, dont have the time/energy, and are not the right person for the job?
"[Enoch] heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off" (Moses 6:27).
We live in a world much like Enochs. We are surrounded by worldy cares, we interact every day with people that would have us not believe, and that would have us feel that we are in this worldy journey alone.. with no one to count on but ourselves. I know that is not true.. but there sure are times when I forget, and I feel like I am inadequte to do the things Im supposed to. ...
Even Enoch himself had a moment of asking "Why me" "And when Enoch had heard [the Lord's] words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake . . . : Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant" (Moses 6:31–32).
At first, Enoch could only think of his weaknesses. He was slow of speech, unpopular, and "but a lad" (Moses 6:31). I think of my weaknesses first all the time.. But the Lord saw greatness in him. I know that the Lord see's greatness in us as well.
I love what Pres. Hinckley said- "I believe that I am a child of God, endowed with a divine birthright. I believe that there is something of divinity within me and within each of you. I believe that we have a godly inheritance and that it is our responsibility, our obligation, and our opportunity to cultivate and nurture the very best of these qualities within us."
Like you and me, Enoch was a little overwhelmed from the challenge before him.. but with the help of the Lord, he did it.. he faced his challenge and he became GREAT.. So how do we BECOME GREAT in our challenges?
Well.. Mary Ellen suggests that we DO ask 'Why Me?' - Ask it, not with doubt, but with 'all the faith you can muster' We must ask the Lord what he wants us to do.. and what it is that YOU uniquely have to offer the situation. In this upcoming year, when in doubt, ask yourself.. "What can I contribute?" "Why was I chosen to be the mother of these children?" "What can I do to strengthen the sisters in my ward?" ect. We each have purpose. The time for procrastination was yesterday, BEGIN! Do the best you can, and know that you aren't asked to do anything you cant handle.

WHY ME? Why do I have to work with a person with such an AWFULL attitude? Because they NEED you.. because YOU NEED THEM. The Lord knows what you need.. how you handle and react to challenges will help you grow and develop as a person.
Life is hard. I loved what Mary said- "But do you suppose the call that came to Enoch could be for each of us who knows the gospel of Jesus Christ and yet still waste time complaining? Are we going to allow Satan to win? We can't afford to settle back in our easy chairs and say, "What can I do? I'm just one person."
Instead we all MUST say- "I am one person. And ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me'" (Philippians 4:13).
What are your "WHY ME?'S" In life? Your Children, Your Job, Your Calling, Your Neighbor, Your 'needy friend', Your Spouse, Your Car, Your house, Your Illness?
Find them.. realize what they are and ACTIVELY WORK ON THEM. I testify to what President Hinckley said when he stated that we have a Godly ineritance. It IS our responsibility, obligation and OPPORTUNITY to CULTIVATE and NURTURE those qualities within us. I know God knows what those qualities are, and gives us those 'why me' challenges in life to help bring those divine qualities out. Let him do it.. do as the spirit directs, be still, listen to modern and ancient prophets. Ask in faith, and you will receive guidance in how to not only get through those 'why me' situations, but to become GREAT in the process.

A LITTLE MORE

2010-01-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 Everyone! Im SUCH a new years junkie! I love January 1st... I love fresh starts and change and setting goals and having something as great as a new year to motivate us all to be better... Mark and I have been hard at work cleaning our house.. ( I dont believe in spring cleaning.. I do new years cleaning) Its amazing to see how much junk we have accumulated in the past nine months! Anyways.. I was excited for this new year.. Cleaning.. Making resolutions and setting new goals.. Here are some of my resolutions:

2010 Resolutions:

Read the BOM with Mark

Get Fit!

Stick to a budget ( that one is gonna be TOUGH!!)

Run a 1/2 marathon

Get/stay organized

Show those that I love how much I love and appreicate them by putting forth more effort to stay in touch and serve them.

Its my first "year" being a wife.. I had NO idea how much of a responsibility it was to have a family.. even if it only consists of me mark and rizzo. Its my goal to this year set habits that will guide me and my family through the rest of our life. Goals of being a little more organized, a little more spiritual, a little more kind, a little more friendly, a little more giving.. you get the picture..

So in light of that Im changing the theme of my blog..

-A LITTLE MORE- From the Minariks. I want to make weekly (or whenever i get around to it;) posts about how we are trying to be "A Little More..." Not so much for the readers.. (although I just KNOW all of you check my blog every day to get a peek:) ) More for me.. to track my progress...and to keep myself on the path of always striving to be A Little Better. A Little More like my Heavenly Father, A Little More like Christ.... Because isn't that the point of life? To try and better yourslef every day? Be better even if the kids are driving you nuts? Be better even if your exhausted from work? Even if you dont feel good? Even if you would rather sit on the couch and watch Gilmore Girl marathons? Its my goal.. And Im stickin to it! Thanks for reading.. Let me know what you think about

-A LITTLE MORE-

Like My New Hat?

2010-01-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

I got this at work.. I love it :) Here is me and my best friend Natalie. We work together..

Mark and I got to go home for like.. Five seconds for my nephews Baptism. We got to play on bretts new toy :) Im proud of you mackay!!

Kryssa me and Nat at Mens night at work.

Me and Natty at TWILIGHT. Yes.. we have the same hat.

Had a few people email me when my comments weren't working and they said they wanted more pictures of life in Wally world.. hope that did it for ya.. ha

CHRISTMAS

2010-01-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

This was Mark and I's first Christmas together, it was FABULOUS. Im sooo lucky to have him! This year we went to Mark's parents house in Spokane. They were so nice! Its great to have family that you love to spend the Holidays with. Here are a few pictures of the last month!

Rizzo in her Rodoulph outfit my mommy got her :) Our 'new and improved' Christmas Tree
Every year at my house the Elves leave christmas pj's on our beds.. but at Marks house Marks grandma makes PJ's and gives them to everyone to open on Christmas eve.. Its really fun to have new traditions.. here are our PJ's

Rizzo LOVED her chew toy... thanks mom

I made Mark a Cardinals Blanket.. He liked it

McCall and I made Cookies for Santa :)

Marks mom makes everyone stockings.. she made me one.. can you guess what one it is? Cute eh?

(it was the crown one.. for all of you who couldn't figure it out) We got Rizz some diapers to wear while she was there. Because.. as hard as we try.. she PEES everywhere when new people walk into the room.. she gets WAY to excited about life. They were life savers.. dosen't she look funny?

We had such a great Christmas- I hope you all did too! Posts about New Years coming soon :)

'LOVE LETTERS'

2010-01-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

Some things Im LOVING right now.

Dear JCrew,
your clothes are beautiful. I love getting your pretty packages in the mail after I shop online!
Dear Anthropologie,
thanks for all the inspiration for outfits.. love love love.
Dear Naomi @ Rockstar Diaries,
I LOVE you.. You inspire me so much. I think your beautiful and I love how you express
your faith so freely and what an awesome person you are. Im loving your blog.. and envying
your life! ;)
Dear Mom,
Your the best mom I've ever had ;). Seriously though... Couldn't even begin to express how
much i LOOOVE you.
Dear Rizzo,
I love you so so much.. but please top peeing out of excitement.. drives me nuts!
Dear ROSITAS in Walla Walla,
I love my weekly visits to you. Everyone in walla walla should have a special place in their
hearts for you! (and your chips and salsa are to die for.. when I had a cold and could NOT
breath.. you cured me, cleaned my sinus' right out. thanks for that)
Dear New Years,
thanks for coming so soon. Im always more motivated to be better when you come
around. I promise 2010 is going to be fabulous!

Make Your Heart Warm- A Challenge.

2009-12-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

So much to be thankful for-
Lately I have not been feeling so Hot.. My eyes hurt.. I cant feel my toes.. My hands and toes are turning blue ( I always did enjoy SMURFS when I was little ;) ) Im missing my family.. and Rizzo still isn't potty trained.. Im tired and want to move home. I complan and whine SO MUCH.. (my poor hubby) I went home this last weekend and realized I AM SO BLESSED. I love my family.. I love how my sisters are always there for me.. my brother in laws always making me laugh (especially on long family shopping trips to sams club) my neices and nephews and how loved they make me feel. My daddy for always making everything okay, and my mommy for helping me find the joy in life. And my sweet husband for listening to me complain, hugging me when I cry, and helping me feel happy and healthy :) Every year for christmas we do a "secret santa" for another family.. this year we are doing it for a family that is especially in need.. I am so grateful for that example my family has made for me. The example of giving back. I remember one year while I was still in High School I drove to Pocatello with a friend to deliver our gifts to our 'secret santa family'. We were dressed as santa and an elf.. we knocked on the door.. the dad answered. "Hi! Were santa's helpers.. weve come to bring you Christmas!" We entered into the house, a TINY one bedroom box, with no carpet, no furniture, cement floor, with a tiny space heater in the corner, and a red rug. The wife was holding her tiny newborn baby in her arms as she sat crossleg on the floor. She looked up, saw us with the gifts in our arms and started BALWING. She cried the entire time we carried in gifts. She couldn't even say thank you as the couple hugged us and cried. I will never forget that feeling as I left that house. The spirit was there.. Just recalling the story makes my heart happy.. I challenge us all to do something that will make your "heart happy" this Christmas Season. Merry Christmas Everyone! I love you all! xoxoxo

Happy Thanksgiving and O Christmas Tree!

2009-11-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

O I have SOO much to be thankful for this thanksgiving! My family is amazing.. they went way out of their way to make my thanksgiving a great day. As we all know.. Ive been struggling living in Washington... and I was REALLY sad I didn't get to see my family on thanksgiving.. SO.. being the giving people they are my family (Mom Dad Misty Brett Trista Brad Mackay Pyper Macyee Bostin and Ripken) all DROVE to Boise, rented out two hotel suits, and met Mark and I there. We played the Wii, swam, shopped ate good food and hung out for two GREAT DAYS! I am SO thankful for my family, for how close we are and what a great example they set for me!

Im also grateful for MARK and the fact that he is so understanding of me and my NEED to be by my fam :) Here is a picture of him and I at thanksgiving dinner..

My FABULOUS family!!! Me daddy and trista.. BLUE eyes :)

SISTERS.. SISTERS... at the cheesecake factory

Mark and I watched ELF and put up our Christmas Tree.. He was such a good helper!

Before...

AFTER!!! (Not bad for Wall Mart eh?)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Miss Hillcrest 2009

2009-11-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

My mom is in charge of my high school pageant Miss Hillcrest ( the first pageant I ever did :) ) I got to go home for it... The theme was "FABULOUS" (my favorite word) and she did a phenomenal job.. so I HAD to post some pictures.. It was a great couple of days.. I got to see everyone (almost everyone), My best friend Mckenzie and her husband were judges. ( great judges i might add), and i got to go shopping with my mom :) I loved going home.. It was all mark could do to FORCE me to come back to walla walla. These were the Tables at the Luncheon.. notice the giant pink diamonds..
This was only ONE side of the stage.. the other side had lipstick.. a giant shoe.. and a cute moped.. I dont have a picture :(

These were given to the Judges.. my mom made the bowl and the invite.. CUTE huh?

No. these weren't our outfits.. my moms stage was FABULOUS. She had these giant tutu's hanging from the celing with twinkle lights and lots of pink.. it was fabulous. I love going to things at my High School.. Especially Miss Hillcrest.. It reminds me of the good old days.. It seems like not that long ago that I was up on that stage ;)

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2009-11-08T18:16:00.001-08:00

So, I had people ask me to post pictures of some of the projects I want to do. So here ya go!
-The Advent Calendar
-These Super Cute Carmel Apples
-These BE Blocks
- and lots lots more.. post a comment if you wanna do any of them... we can race ;)

Also.. check out the sites I have added to my sidebar under " my favorite blogs"... they are FULL of fun projects!!

Becoming CRAFTY

2009-11-07T15:34:00.001-08:00

I dont know why Im blogging right now.. I have a talk to give in church tomorrow.. and Mark and I got called to teach the 16 year old sunday school class, so we have a lesson to prepare.. Plus its my day off, so I should be cleaning and doing laundry and being productive! BUT all I've done today is BLOG STALK. Yes I creeped on all of you whom I love so much but I did something new today, I found TONS of amazingly creative women's blogs all of whom I do not know. I found hundreds of PROJECTS that I have my little heart SET on doing. Im so excited... I keep complaining about how bored I am here in Walla Walla and how much I want to go home.. well I decided that Im going to keep myself busy by being CRAFTY. Im going to start my first project next week.. get excited.. Im sure I will blog about them all....

On a different note- I just want to say how much i LOVE Mark. I got sick this week with a kidney infection (BOO!) And I feel like crap.. He is so sweet.. he rubs my back at night till I fall asleep.. He is being very patient with me.. and he even surprises me at work with lunch with cute little notes on top of the to go boxes! I love him and think he is the greatest. We are excited about having a calling together :)

On another note- we had GAME NIGHT with our friends last night and played Family Fued the DVD game, and The Price is Right DVD Game, and Balderdash, and Battle of the Sexes, I recomend them all! (except battle of the sexes.. it takes to long) It was super fun. (Did I mention I won three out of the Four games?)

Christmas is coming... Im starting to get SO EXCITED. I already have a little tiny string of christmas lights up inside my house.. My first project is going to be to make an Advent Calendar. It is SO CUTE. Well.. The girls is.. who knows how mine will turn out. Have a fabulous weekend!

B0O0O0O00OOOO- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-11-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone had a spoooktacular day :0. Every year my family has a halloween party with my dads yummy homemade chilli and a pumpkin carving contest (ive never won..) anyways.. I was missing my family this year SO Mark and I and our friends Cam and Nat had a little halloween party. We painted pumpkins (carving was too hard..). These are our pumpkins.. can you guess which two are mine? Cams is Kimbo Slice, then Mine is a crying Tim Burton character, then the third one is Mine too (isn't she cute!?!) Then the Fourth is Nats ( hers was my favorite) then Nats again then Marks. (It says louisville... he is obsessed.)We also went BOWLING. Where I DOMMINATED. I bowled a 160 (pretty impressive for me) but all that really matters is i WON. Mark and I went bowling for our first date.. I won then too.. :)
Me and my pumpkin.

Nat and I went to Wall Mart to get paint and ended up realizing we were so LAME cause we didn't have costumes so we bought Five dollar Kitty costumes complete with Ears, Tails and Bowties. We are puuurrrrty.

I'm a Mouse.. Duh! (name that movie)

Mark and I bowling.. Like my headband, or is it to hippie?

All in all.. it was a good holiday.. Not the same as the past with my family's parties or the howl or some big bash to go to.. BUT it was still a goodone.

Now that Halloween is over.. Lets talk about CHRISTMAS! My radio in the car is set to Christmas already. Im so exicted...Im OBSESSED with the HOLIDAY SEASON!

6 Months ツ

2009-10-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

So here is a quick update ( and PICTURES!!) of whats been going on with us lately.

For Family Home Evening Mark and I made this cute plates that my good friend Joanna got me for one of my bridal showers. You use special plates and special pens and can draw whatever you want on them. At my house on birthdays and mothers day and graduation day ect. you get to use a big red plate that says "YOU ARE SPECIAL" on it. I love using the you are special plate. SO for my plate i made a you are special plate we can use till i find us a real one. And marks plate is to use on game days.. of course.. It was fun ツ We took Rizzo to the dog park today after church and she loved it.. we also took this pic. (did i mention that a bench and self timer took this picture? pretty talented if you ask me) Its the front runner picture for our future christmas card.
We were in Bed Bath and Beyond and saw that they had snuggies for DOGS! So we had to get her one.. isn't she cute?!

Mark made me put this picture up I hate it..

AND Mark and I have been Married for 6 Months!!! We went to Bonefish in Tri-Cities.. It was fun. I love mark. Its been the hardest and BEST six months of my life. I love being married.. and Im SO lucky to be married to my best friend.
xoxo

Church Music

2009-10-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Go to Deseretbook.com, Find the Another Testament CD and download track 2 "A Moment Just For Me." and track 6 "Sweet Hour Of Prayer" Its my bestest friend Mckenzie Turley singing.. and she is AMAZING. It will lift your spirit.. Im so lucky to have had such a talented voice teacher ;) xoxoxoxo

Click HERE

my thoughts today-

2009-10-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

-I LOVE FALL-
October is my favorite month out of the entire year! (besides December)

I love the clothes, the smell outside, the ORANGE everywhere (it is my favorite color), hot chocolate, warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks, boots, the smell of CHRISTMAS, christmas music (yes.. ive alreay busted mine out) and also, October is my BIRTHMONTH :) I had a GREAT birthday this year.. thanks so much Jolene and Bob for making it so much fun! They made me sweedish pancakes in the morning just like I always have, and they made me cheesecake with my mommys recipie just like I always have.. I got great presents and had a fun time at their house. We had a good dinner ( just like always.. jolene makes really good food!) she made the best chocolate cupcakes.. i'll have to post the recepie soon. Im really grateful that they are so close to us so we can go see them on the weekends! (thanks for my UGG slippers mark.. they are fabulous... im wearing them right now!) (i'll post a pic later)On a nother note- I miss my family.. I do, like insanely bad. I dont think there is one day that goes by that I dont get really grumpy and yell/cry/ or whine " I wanna GO HOME!" (poor Mark)
On my birthday I talked to my sister misty and when I hung up the phone my eyes teared up.. so I closed them to keep it under controll ;) but then my Daddy and mommy called me and while I was talking to them the tears just kept coming.... I want more than anything to GO HOME.
Mark is great to me.. and he trys SO HARD to make me like it here.. he is great :) But lets face it.. my family is BOMB.. I could be living in a mansion in Hawaii and I would still miss them. (Although.. Hawaii would help...) Here are some of the things I miss about my family-
- My mom always doing something for me or for someone else.. she keeps busy and is always helping other people.
-My dad waking me up in the mornings with a leg rub..
- My mom and I arguing with my dad about the Temperature in the house.
-Staying up late and watching western movies and seinfeld with my parents
-Sunday dinner with just me my mom and dad
-Going to dinner and edwards with just me my mom and dad..
-Dad and me ditching out on mom after church to avoid staying an extra hour to be social ;)
- Our sunday get togethers with great food and football watching.
- Daddy daughter dates (especially when dad pays for the food.. which is always)
-Mistys dance class/Jr. Miss with Misty/ all our bonding activities.
-Working out with misty
-Telling trista " mommy im hungry" and having her make me a delicious snack in TWO seconds.
-Back rubs with trista
-Having trista and misty on the same street just seconds away to talk to and hang out with
-Google Ball nights
-Brads inappropriate comments ;)
-Brad always makin me laugh so hard i think i might pee my pants...
-Cold stone runs with brads credit card :- )
-Brett and how he always has a good attitude, he always inspires me to be happier!-Brett always wanting brownies with the cool "edge" pan
-Going to pinnacle to visit brett in his office and just hangin out
-Bostin and his lisp and funny comments.
-Maycee and how she remembers EVERYTHING, and how thoughtful she is
-Pyper and her crazy attitude and pretty hair
-Mackay's tender heart- and his love of playing sports with mark
-Ripken and how FREAKIN ADORABLE he is
I could go on.. but I'll stop.. I miss it all.. I miss my family and how much fun we always have and how close we all are. I love you guys SO MUCH. I cant wait to come home!!!!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

OUR NEW HOME!

2009-10-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our HOME in Walla Walla.. The outside is straight up GHETTO but the inside is sort of cute! (thanks for the help mom)

(yes.. I already have halloween decorations.. my porch has lots of hanging pumpkins on it!)

Here is a picture of our couches when my parents were nice enough to donate them to us, BEFORE....

and here is the AFTER picture... Amazing what a couch cover, a puppy, and some CUTE pillows can do huh? (pier one is my favorite!... its where the cute orange curtians are from too..)

Last but not least, here is the last PROJECT that my sister and I worked on while I still lived with her.. It started like this, BEFORE:

And here is the AFTER! Its a magnetic board.. Im pretty proud of my crafting abilities!! :)

BLONDES REALLY DO HAVE MORE FUN!

2009-09-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I know I know.. Im a terrible poster these days.. Ive been CRAZY busy with work! But.. here's a quick catch up..

-MY MOMMY CAME TO VISIT.

- HOLY COW! I cant even begin to say how much I appreciated her coming! She brought me canned food, she froze a bunch of meals for mark and I to be able to just grab out of the freezer and eat. ( since I started working I do NOT feel like cooking.. wait, Ive never felt like cooking.. anyways...) She also cleaned my house, hung my mirror clock pictures and shelves, bougt me TONS of adorable stuff from target and bbb to make my house here, feel and LOOK like HOME. Its beautiful.. orange and red and animal print.. just what Ive always wanted! Ha.. (pictures to come soon) She also payed for me to get my hair done.. which brings me to my next update.

- MY HAIR IS LONG AND BLONDE AGAIN!

- YES! I finally feel like my old self again! Im sorry, but BLONDES REALLY DO HAVE MORE FUN. I dont care who you are (except for maybe megan fox) blonde is better. I get WAY more attention as a blonde.. haha. I might sound shallow but its TRUE! I love being blonde and LONG again! here is a couple pictures of me and rizzo... (not the greatest pics, taken by me, in the dark.. but they work.) Im so happy to be me again. THANKS MOM!!!!

- Its my birthday soon.. and Im so excited. i LOVE birthdays! ... Thats not really relevant to this post, but I thought I'd throw it in there.

- We took rizz to the dog park.. and have some other pics that we need to post but my camera DIED today while we were at the dog park and its sunday and I cant go buy batteries.. so as soon as I get to the store, I'll post some more pics.. but for now, here is another web cam photo of the family to prove that WE ARE ALIVE!!! :)

BEAR LAKE 09

2009-09-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Bear Lake '09 was a BLAST! I love my family so much. And Im really gratefull for our tradition of going to our condo every year. I have only missed one summer in 21 years! I LOVE MY FAMILY! me and misty on the boat
mark playing mini golf at the best mini golf place ever!
we were each in charge of a game night mine was jeopardy.. i did random facts about every member of our family, it was fun to look back on all the funny/stupid/crazy stuff we've done. (I stole the idea from the very creative Cami Kesler :) thanks cami! ) We did lots of other fun activities too.. it was the best week.

we got to go to pickleville playhouse and watch one of my best friends star in annie get your gun! we go to pickleville every year.. it was fun!

When I got the "itenerary" for the week I was delighted to see that friday was SPEEDO day. Unfortunetly the two Marks were boring and didn't participate.. but Brett and Brad sure did. Thanks for the show boys!

Of course the men had to play golf.. even if it was FREEZING and raining.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

Thanks for the amazing week you guys.. I miss you all

xoxo