Iowa 2009

My sister Corey and I were able to take a fun filled trip to Iowa this past week to visit our sister Sara and her family. The entire trip was amazing, and the weather was spot on! It was so much fun to visit with everyone and to take in the many sites that the Midwest had to offer. The only thing missing was Jer, our little ones, and the rest of my fam. It's pretty apparent to me more and more that I have the greatest family in the entire world. I love you all, and surly do miss those of you that couldn't make it. Just so none of you feel left out, here is a recap of Iowa 2009.


A visit to the local muffin shop. The muffins were even better then we anticipated!


Sara and I at the muffin shop.



Maddie loved to make faces for the camera.



Little Isaac


These are the sassy aprons we made. Pretty good for beginners!


Sara and Maddie


I caught these two love birds sharing a moment, so I just had to capture it.


Best gas station ever! The fountain drinks were as refreshing as it gets! And have you ever heard of a gas station that lets you spin your own milkshake?? Just one of the many options at this place. Needless to say we made more then a few stops to the QT during our visit.


All the girls.


Me and Peep.


One last Kodak moment before we had to leave.

In conclusion, Iowa was an all around amazing place!! I never thought the Midwest could have so much to offer. Let's just say Iowa probably hasn't seen the last of me. Thanks again for all of the fun girls!!

Puppy Vogue

We had to get our little guy some puppy clothes so he could strut around in style! These were the smallest we could find, and as you can see he still has room to grow into them...hopefully he won't grow too fast though. The only thing I need now is a puppy purse, and a bike with a basket so I can take him around town with me. Doesn't he look precious!!


This outfit says "Champ" on the back....so fitting!


Don't you love the hood!


This one says "Macho". Gotta love it!

Pee Wee...

Here is some live footage of little Pee Wee at play. Warning...if you watch this video it will melt your heart!



He might be acting like a lion in this video, but trust me when I say he is the sweetest little lamb!!

Look what we have!!

We've done something pretty crazy, something that I swore I would never do....we got a puppy!! Jeremy has wanted one for a while, but I've always found excuses not to own one. More then anything, I just plain didn't want one! So why the change of heart you ask?? Well, it all started after we rented Marley and Me. That has to be the world's worst dog. Up until the very end, watching that movie reaffirmed the fact that I never wanted to own a dog. But then the end came, tears began to flow, and I realized wow, dogs really are a man's best friend! After that Jeremy and I casually started looking online to see what kind of puppies were out there (not ever really expecting to get one) and we came across an add for this little guy. We called the lady and asked if we could come have a look at him, she said of course, and ten minutes later we were off to Metairie. Once we got there we took one look and just had to have him! He was the tiniest thing I had ever seen, and the best part was he was so quiet...he didn't even make a single peep the whole time we were checking him out. We brought him home Friday night. That's when reality struck me like a bad t.v. show. No one could have prepared me for what would happen next. We settled the little guy in (or so we thought) and left him to head to bed. That is when the noises began. It started out as a few whimpering cries, and gradually got louder and more frequent. After HOURS of the most annoying howling and puppy barking that I have ever heard in my life, I was ready to personally call up Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) for a stat intervention!! I saw an episode once that he did called Chihuahua's from hell, and they really were, but Cesar whipped those pups into shape quicker then ice cream melts from a cone! The bottom line was that I was having some major regrets about our recent purchase. Terrible thoughts were crossing my mind like "is this little runt really going to live for 10-15 years??" Please NO!! I could already feel the gray hairs growing on me like weeds! But, then something magical happened. I woke up the next morning and our little canine friend was wagging his tail and looking right at me with his big bug eyes. It was so very cute! I came to the conclusion right then and there that even though he cries at night (which I'm told will stop soon), and although he looks a bit like a rat, he truly is the sweetest little pup any non-dog lover could ask for! Believe it or not he's really growing on me. Oh, and P.S...at 5 weeks old he's already potty trained!! I have to say that my biggest fear about becoming a dog owner was that our house would constantly smell like wet dog, doodie, and pee, and that the floors and furniture would forever be covered in dog hair. Well the great thing about this puppy is that since his coat is so thin he doesn't shed, so I promise you, not going to happen!! Buckle up, this is going to be one crazy ride!





Here are some fun facts about our new pup:
Full Name: Pee Wee Hansen (a.k.a peanut, half pint)
Color: Chocolate brown with tan markings
Sex: Male
Weight: Not sure, but right now it's only ounces. When he's fully grown he'll only be 3-4 pounds max.
Likes: Sleeping, playing with his squeaky toys, cuddling, chasing his big brother Homer.
Dislikes: Bedtime, being left alone, Homie riding on his back.

We are so very lucky to have this new bundle of joy in our lives. Oh, and don't worry mom, I promise you will have "real" grandkids from us in due time. Don't want you to worry that pets are all you're going to get....we're done in that department!

Thank You!

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of the phone calls, text messages, cards, packages, and emails that were sent to me on my birthday! I have the greatest family and friends in the world! Most importantly, thanks to Jeremy for making sure I had the best birthday ever!


My birthday cake, care of Jeremy....best hubby ever!! It was so delicious!!

Isn't the above picture crystal clear?? That's because it was taken by this little beauty....thanks Jer, you're the best!!


We had a delicious dinner at the New Orleans inspired, globally desired Wow Cafe and Wingery. This joint was jumpin'! Ok, not really, but it was pretty tasty! I have to say that it was a birthday miracle this morning when my Pharmacology class got canceled, but the yummiest miracle of all came when our server forgot to 86 the fries (we ordered a fruit cup and veggies) and she still brought them out anyway free of charge!! It's double time tomorrow for me on the treadmill! All-in-all it was an amazing birthday!

B Spears comes to the Big Easy

Last night Britney Spears kicked off her Circus tour in New Orleans. Unfortunately I was not physically present at this historical event, but, I was definitely there in spirit. Brit has had many ups and downs throughout the last few years of her career, however, through it all I have remained a fan. Sure she's skanky, she walks around in public places bear foot (ewww...gross!!), she shaves her head just because, and lets not forget how she kicked the crap out a paparazzi SUV with nothing but an umbrella, but hey, the fact remains that this deeply disturbed girl from the bayou does have talent...most of the time anyway. The fact is, that loving Brit means loving all of her, and if that's a crime, then someone call the feds because I'm guilty!! You go girl!!

Here is a sneak peak of what fans can expect to see on the Circus tour.



P.S. I heard the concert was the worst! B decided to lip sing, and she appeared to be quite nervous the entire time....oh well, better luck next time Brit.

If you thought you knew me...think again!!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you.

1. I knew I wanted to marry Jeremy very quickly after we met. We were engaged three months after we'd started dating, and it felt like he'd never ask!!
2. One of my worst fears is giving talks or speaking in public. I am painfully shy around people I've just met and it takes me a very long time to be myself. I still get shy around Jeremy's family (I think it's because we don't get to see them very often) and we've been married almost four years.
3. I will not under any circumstances put syrup on my pancakes. The only way I can eat them is with jelly or peanut butter. However, I love syrup on waffles and french toast...it's a mystery!
4. Moving to Louisiana has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to adjust to. I am very close with my family, and it's been extremely hard to be so far away from them. Although I don't see myself ever really loving it here, I'm finally starting to realize that I need to embrace the differences here and try however I can to make it a positive experience. I'm also realizing that maybe moving here has been a blessing in disguise. Being able to see Jeremy every night is a blessing in and of itself, and it has brought us closer together (in my opinion anyway), plus I don't think I ever would have had the opportunity to go back to school for a nursing degree if we were still living in Utah. For those reasons I am so grateful that we are here.
5. I am a complete girly girl, and I spend way to much time getting ready and being concerned with how I look...I'm sure Jeremy would agree!
6. I shed like a dog! Seriously, my hair falls out in big clumps on a daily basis. It's actually pretty amazing that I even have any hair left.
7. I had a pet turtle growing up named Gavin Skeet that I got while on a vacation in California. He was so little and cute that I just had to have him! When we went to the airport to fly home security told me that I couldn't take him on the plane, but I decided to sneak him on anyway...that's when I knew I was a true rebel! When I started dating Jeremy and found out that he had a turtle I knew right then and there that we were M.F.E.O.
8. I prefer cold weather any day over heat. I think this is because I have an albino like skin tone that causes me to burn even when I stand too close to the oven.
9. Becoming a mother is my number one dream and goal. In fact, I secretly hope and pray that Jeremy and I will someday have twins...one boy and one girl, just like Brad and Angie.
10. I am a very emotional and sensitive person, and although I hate to admit it, I often cry while watching reality T.V. The fact, and the painful truth is that I watch way to much reality T.V., but back to being emotional and sensitive, for whatever reason I just have a lot of emotions that run pretty deep.
11. If I could drink diet pepsi and diet pepsi twist (whatever happened to that by-the-way??) day and night and night and day I would, but the truth is I'm off soda, so I guess that's not going to happen.
12. Carbs in many forms are my one true love (J/K it's you Jer), and even though I love me some meat (especially a good steak), I could not ever give up the sugars. Guess Atkins is out of the question for me.
13. Along those same lines, growing up I hated eating any type of red meat, but now that I'm older I love it...in moderation of course.
14. All this talk about food makes me remember how I was overweight all through my late childhood and adolescent years. I didn't start to thin out until after I graduated high school.
15. I get embarrassed very easily...I'm sure my dad could share a few stories.
16. I'm not very domestic. I don't cook as much as a wife should, I hate doing dishes (refer to Jeremy's blog with the dishes calendar), I don't sew (but I do want to learn this trait someday), and Jeremy does his own laundry...I'm a keeper!!
17. If I could go anywhere in the world it would be Ireland...Far and Away my friends, rent it!! Second choice would be Australia so that I could visit Bindi Irwin (the late crocodile hunter's daughter) at the Australian Zoo.
18. I don't particularly enjoy animals (minus Homer of course), but my dream is to someday swim with dolphins and have them push me through water with their nose.
19. Listening to Jeremy laugh when he thinks something is really funny always puts a smile on my face...even if what he's laughing at really isn't that funny.
20. Growing up I always wanted to be a news anchor woman...not sure this would have worked out too well since I have a phobia of public speaking.
21. One of my greatest fears is losing Jeremy. Everyday that he goes to work I worry of the possibility that something could happen and he may not come back. Morbid I know, but I'm sharing my thoughts here people!
22. I have a very hard time remembering names, but for some reason I can always remember people's birthdays...unexplainable really. Oh, and this might be two-in-one, but I think I have a slight case of adult ADD. I can tune people out in a matter of seconds and they don't even know it...it blows when I get caught though.
23. I love shoes, and the fact of the matter is that I own way to many!!
24. I have a mild case of insomnia. Not sure when exactly this started, but I have big problems sleeping at night! I usually stay up really late to tire myself out, but even then I almost always lay in bed for at least an hour (on a good night) before falling asleep.
25. I think that my mom is the greatest example of a wife and mother, and although I am not even close to being as amazing as she is, I hope that one day I can be the kind of mother and wife to my children and husband that she has been to our family.

I know it's a stretch, but I tag Jeremy (please please), Corey, Allie, B & E (another stretch), and anyone else who wants to give this a shot...it's fun, I promise!!