Welcoming 2010

To welcome in the New Year we went to see Avatar in 3D and to a hockey game in Portland with Mikey's family.
Here's some pics:

Our countdown wasn't actually in Oregon or Washington...we were in limbo on the I-205 bridge over the Columbia River.  Now that is a first.

Our First Christmas

We were so busy this Christmas Season and were blessed to busy doing fun things.  It would take me way too long to tell you every little detail about our Christmas season but here are some of the highlights.

Our Stake Nativity - People from church brought in their Nativities from all over the world.  It was a beautiful scene with hundreds of Nativities and hundreds of visitors.

My Family - Lucky for us, we got to spend a week with them.  We went to movies, ate a lot of my mom's home cooking, went shooting, and enjoyed our time together.  We also took a tour of the cabins my mom has been restoring.  They've come a long way.  I can't wait to see them when they are all finished.

  

Friends - We got a chance to visit with my friends while we were home.  Nikki threw an awesome brunch, giving us a chance to get together.  We also had some friends stop by.  Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of everyone but here's the some that I managed to get.

More Friends! - We also got a day in Provo where we got to see more of our good friends.  We spent some time with Holly and Eric and then met up with others at dinner which was really fun.  I also got to hang out with my old roommates Allison and Kari.  It was so good to get together because it has been a long time since we all lived together.  I have so many funny memories from when I lived with those two.

 

 

 

 

 

PS While we were at dinner in Provo I walked by some people who looked really familiar.  My first reaction was to stop and say hi with a smile.  I even stopped at the table where they were eating.  That's when I realized it was Ashleigh and Ryan from this season's So You Think You Can Dance.  Once I figured that out I remembered that even though I'm familiar with their faces...they weren't so familiare with mine.  Embarrassed I just walked away...haha!  I considered going back to their table to explain my behavior and telling them that I voted for them, but I thought that would be a little much.  I'm just hoping they are used to obnoxious star-crazed fans like myself.

Thanksgiving 2009

This year we were with Mikey's family for Thanksgiving. Mikey decided to get a little adventurous by deep frying a turkey. We were a little nervous that he would burn the house down with some massive turkey explosion so James had the fire extinguisher near by. Gratefully, no explosion occurred and the turkey turned out great. It was really moist and done in under an hour. It may end up becoming a family tradition for us.  

SYTYCD

Have you ever tried to say SYTYCD super fast.  Its not that easy.  
That reminds me, Mikey and I went to the So You Think You Can Dance concert when it came to Portland.

 Mike actually got me the tickets for a wedding present so the event was highly anticipated. I had so much fun! I have always loved dance and going to ballets or any dance event. I was a little worried that my dance recitals days were over since I married a guys who prefers sports events over things like that. This concert proved me wrong. We both had a good time and loved that performances. It probably helped that we watch the show every week.  Here's from photos from the concert.

This is us before the concert at the Rose Garden.

The Romeo and Juliet Ballet - one of my favorites.

Mike took this photo using binoculars to get it closer up - clever.

This is when Jeanine and Phillip were threatening to do the dreaded Russian dance...which they did end up doing later into the night.  They were hilarious.

This was my favorite dance of last season. It was a quirky jazz routine.

We had such a great time and I totally suggest checking it out next season.

One Day the Wind Blew Really Hard....

...which caused a tree to fall onto Mikey's car. 

Our poor Pontiac...

Some bad news and some good news

Here's for the latest PA school update:

Well first the bad...
I didn't get accepted to OHSU. I was pretty heartbroken. I tried to prepare myself for it since I knew how competitive the school is, but it still hurt a little. Lucky for me, my mom was on the phone with me when I got the letter and opened it. She was so supportive and so was Mike. All is well.

Now for the good news...
I got invited to interview with Idaho State University. My interview is in December in Meridian. I'm obviously really looking forward to it and am tickled that it is for the school in my home state. If all goes well I may get that chance to live close to family again.

Here's a Real Treat