Instant Replay!

Ok, so for the record, we have not fallen off the face of the earth. We are still very alive and well! So, we obviously have a lot to catch up on, so I am going to do an "instant replay" of the past few months! These are in no particular order, just whatever order they were on the camera! Here we go, I'll make it quick!

So, Halloween morning I woke up and made pancakes. I flipped over the first pancake and this is what I found...

Now, maybe I'm on crack, but does it not look like Count Dracula???!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

and MERRY CHRISTMAS!... This was Jer's handy work at pumpkin carving this year.

Jer's little brother and his friends had a Masquerade Ball. It was fun to get all dressed up. Yes, I wore my wedding dress, and it was way too tight to wear for very long! But atleast I got two uses out of it!

And ofcourse, who can forget our CUTE little niece that was born in July?!! She is now 5 months and she absolutely ADORES her uncle! He just walks into her view and she smiles so big! He can make her smile more than I can which makes him happy I'm sure!! He is really cute with her though. He always says he doesn't want a girl cuz he knows he will be wrapped around her little finger!!

We did a couple of camping trips this summer. This picture is of us after a 2+ hour ride on the four wheelers. Can we say DIRTY?

So, before our ride, we told Koda we were going to go on a ride and he ran out the camper door. We came out a few minutes later to find him sitting on the four wheeler just waiting for us. So we hooked a crate up and he came too.

He looks like a shaggy monster in this picture. The one thing that I learned this camping trip was.... shave your shaggy dog before you go camping or you will be cutting burrs out of his fur the whole time. I had to completely chop off his ears and big chunks of fur on his legs. It was awful!

My birthday! The big 25!!!

My wonderful, amazing, most awesome husband gave me what I have wanted for YEARS! I finally got an electric guitar! I LOVE IT! And ofcourse, since I have gotten it, I have had absolutely no time to play it or learn any thing cool. Thats my New Year's Resolution!

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary this summer. We didn't really have time to do any thing on for it but we went to Park City a couple weekends later on a whim so we decided it was a late celebration. No matter how we spent it, we are just glad we are together for another year and for all eternity!

Looks like another camping trip.... this is what happens when you mix rain/snow with dirt and four wheeling...

Look a deer!

We even went shooting. This is me not wanting to shoot.... But I did and don't care if I do it again. If I do, I want earplugs.

We went mini golfing a couple of times as well, Jer and I both got a "hole in 1" this particular time. I'm not sure what angle this picture was taken at so I wasn't sure if I should bother rotating it or not.... Its a strange picture any way...

Well, that's our recap. We have done some remodeling but I'll save that for another post...it might be after Christmas. "Mele Kalikimaka" everyone! I'll be sending my warm tropical wishes across the ocean to you all here in the cold bitter weather!!!

What Matters Most

"What matters most in my life right now?" I have asked myself that question a lot since Tuesday morning. We, (as in those in my office at work) had quite an interesting start to the work week. We learned that a coworker, who some of us were closer to than others, had unexpectedly...passed away. I was not one of the people who knew him very well but had a few laughs and conversations with him. I have come to realize that no matter how well you know someone, the decisions and events in their life can affect you personally. His passing has made me think about what I have in my life that maybe he didn't. Well, maybe he did but didn't know it. What do I have in my life that I look past every day? Probably a lot. I wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. Is it too late for a new years resolution??? Cuz mine is to recognize, everyday, something or someone that makes my life GREAT! I thought of 5 things, just off the top of my head, that make my life great! Not necessarily in this order either except the first one of course!!
1. My husband. He is the greatest. The other morning I was running late, he was sound asleep in bed and I went to put my deoderant on and the top of it got stuck in my lid! I tried to get it out so I didnt have to wake him up but I couldn't get it. So I quietly walked over to the bed and gently said "Jer....my deorderant is broken. Will you fix it??" Instead of rolling his eyes and complaining (like I probably would have done) he opened his eyes, looked at me, then the deoderant and just laughed. And of course one try and he got it. So I went back to the bathroom and a few minutes later was attacked by some huge mosquito bug!! It came out of nowhere! So I once again went to Jer, not so gently this time, and asked him to kill it for me. Without complaining, but with some laughter, he got up and killed it while I hid in the bathroom. There are lots of other reasons he is great but it's the little things that he does for me like these that really matter to me!! I love you honey!!!
2. My Furry Friend! There is nothing better than a fuzzy little furball greeting you everyday! Any bad day can be erased by a slobbery kiss or a nice cozy cuddle with Koda!!
3. My Family. It is so great to be able to be with a group of people who love you no matter what! (even when you are camping and playing QUELF at 1:00 in the morning and doing a hula dance humming a hawaiian song!!) My best memories are with mine and Jer's family. I love being able to turn to our parents for ANYTHING! They are always so willing to give what ever we need. Whether it's advice or a good laugh. It's always a good feeling when we can be of help to our family too. Especially our Brothers and Sister (and sister in laws).
4. Living close to my brother & sister in law. I know his is kinda a break off from the last one but I love having my brother and his family so close. I can literally run to their house. And I can't run very far! We have had some GOOD times! Their home is our second home. We especially love being close to our HILARIOUS nephew, Dawson. That kid cannot fail at making you smile! And cute little baby Emmy. She doesn't know us very well yet, but she will get used to us. Hopefully she will be cool like me and her mom. Then we can all pick on the boys!!
5. Church/Temple. This is a given. I would not have joy in my life without the gospel! I don't know how people live without it! I am not a strong person and I coudn't rely on myself to get through this life! There is no way. Jer and I have been good to go at least once a month to the temple but I missed last month because something came up at work and I couldn't get off. I have definitely felt the difference from not going just that one time. It's influence is AMAZING! I am so glad I can share it with my husband and family.

There really are so many other things that make me glad to be alive, in the place that I am and with the people I am with. I feel so sorry for those who can't see everything they have. These experiences are saddening but it is a reminder to never take anything you have for granted and enjoy everyday you have!

The Vegas!!

I love little vacations but at the same time I hate them. I LOVE them for obvious reasons...its a break from everyday life, they are never dull (when you travel with my husband) and I could go on and on. I HATE them because it means that I have to return home to the hum-drum of everyday life way too soon. Little vacations are way too short! We went to Vegas last Tuesday and I am having the HARDEST time adjusting back to working (cuz that's all I do). Yes, working is my hum-drum life. Maybe because it was about 100 degrees in Vegas and it's only 70 degrees here...Anyway, life is life and we are back. So here is our vacation in a nutshell...

Tuesday 2:00 pm:

I am leaving work excited to get on the road earlier than expected. We are all packed and ready to go. We head over to my brothers house and all pile in their van and we are off!!! So we decide to hit Burger King for a quick dinner...

3:30 pm:

About to Burger King and my wonderful, wonderful husband realizes he has left all of our spending cash....AT HOME!!!!!

4:00 pm:

We are once again leaving our home.... this time on the road for good!!!

We got to Vegas later that night and checked in to our hotel room at Excalibur. Tired from the anticipation and being in the car. Not to mention being misled by Chris' GPS (aka Carmen). She wanted to take us on a tour of the back-end-dark-alley part of Vegas. That was fun!!

Wednesday

We woke up early so we could go get in line for our All Day Buffet! Chris and Jeremy were in HEAVEN! Holy cow! They got their money's worth for all of us! So we ate breakfast and headed out to the pool.

Dawson love his little green "boat" well, until he found the waterslide...

Later that night, we just hung out. We walked the strip a little bit. We went down to M&M world and Coca Cola.

Me, Jer and Missy decided to continue walking the strip for a little bit longer. We went down to the Bellagio and watched the fountain show and then went back. I was quite exhausted from the heat and walking but thoroughly enjoyed the day!

THURSDAY

We all pitched in and rented a Cabana by the pool! It was so nice and a perfect day to do so. That day it broke 100 degrees. So it worked out wonderfully. We spent a good portion of the day at the pool soaking in the sun we have been missing out on here in Utah!

Jer and I left the pool early because we had a HOT date that night. Jer bought me tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian!!! I was so excited for this night I could hardly stand it! So, we got ready and headed down to the Venetian. I have always wanted to go to Italy and me and Jer always joke that the venetian is as close as I'll probably ever get. Hopefully one day it won't be a joke anymore... So we decided to do a gondola ride. (Again, it's probably nothing like the real thing but probably as close as I'll get). It was fun though. This is us and our Gondola guy...or is a considered a captain? I dunno. He sang for us and he did have a very wonderful Italian voice...Ooh La La!! (His family moved from Italy to..... TOOELE! Who in their right mind would do that???!!!!

After our ROMANTIC sale down the hotel canal :) we grabbed some dinner at a pizza place and headed to the show.

They wouldn't let us take any pictures inside the theater. I was pretty bummed cuz it was AMAZING! So this is us with the Venetian in the background. I absolutely LOVED the play. It was just what I was hoping for. I have always loved the Phantom of the Opera ever since I was little so to see it like this was AWESOME! Thank you Honey!!!! After Phantom we walked around a bit at the other hotels around there and then headed back to the hotel after another funfilled day!

FRIDAY

So we went to the pool this morning for one last refreshing swim. We all went to the MGM to see the lions and then Dawson went down for a nap so me, Jer and Missy decided to go explore the surrounding hotels. We wanted to go in the Luxor and ride on the inclinator (I don't know how to spell that) but basically the elevator. So we walk in and some other people came in and we pushed the 28th floor. So we get up there and walked around for a minute trying to sneak a peak in one of the rooms. We decide to go down to another floor we get to the elevator, walk in and push the button for the 22nd floor....nothing happens. Then we notice that we need a room key to work the elevator.

This is us outside the elevator waiting for someone with a room key to come a long. Finally someone did and we casually walked in the elevator after them and they used their key and we made it down! It was kind of funny. I wasn't about to go down 28 flights of stairs!

We went to Planet Hollywood for dinner that night. It was good. Sarah's date was a little stiff and lifeless though... yep, Johnathan Taylor Thomas joined us for dinner. I'm not really sure why they would have him in Planet Hollywood...So there was this "magician" that was trying to entertain people as they waited for our food. He came over to our table and he tried to be all friendly with Dawson but he just hid his face. I know exactly what he was thinking....STRANGER DANGER!! So this was Sarah's message to him...luckily our dinner came and he left before he could torture us any more!

After dinner we watched the water show at the Bellagio again and headed back to the hotel.

SATURDAY

We headed home kind of against our will. I didn't want to go but I really missed my puppy and I wanted to see him so at least I had something to look forward to when I got there. We stopped at In-n-Out burger in St. George on our way home. I think we ended up heading the opposite direction about 3 times before we finally found it (thanks chris!).

It was a fun trip and now I just have to wait 7 months until our next vacation... Aloha Hawaii!!! (yes I am already counting down!)

Busy Busy Busy

It seems we have been so busy since the beginning of this month that I can't even believe April has pretty much come and gone. So here is a quick update since we have had no time to blog. March 31st Jer's brother Jordan came home from his mission. He served in Philadelphia. He says he loved it so we will just take his word for it! (: He was a great missionary but we are glad to have him home to hang out with again! Here he is with his very PROUD parents!

Being at the airport for a missionary brought back so many memories of the last time I was at the airport for a missionary. That was when Jeremy came home. Being there again reminded me how excited I was and all the aniticipation of seeing him at the top of the stairs. Of course that was the best day ever and the longest day at the same time. Jer got home around noon and was supposed to be released around 4 that evening. Well I thought 4 hours was going to be a long time to wait to hug him but he actually didn't get released until about 8 that night due to some confusion....very long day but a whole other story...

Jeremy's brother and his wife, Jake and Julie, were planning on coming in from Alaska to be here when Jordan got home but they were stuck there for another week or so because of the volcano eruptions. So, they were able to come down for Easter instead which was really fun. We actually don't have any pictures of when they were here but we did have fun. Their dog, Nora and Koda really got along after Koda decided she wasn't as big as she seemed. He wasn't quite sure if he was afraid of her or not for a day or so at first. But he loosened up and had lots of fun teasing her and then running for his life when she chased him.

Easter was fun to be with the whole family. Once again, we forgot our camera but we were busy with all the family and Jordan's friends for his homecoming that we probably wouldn't have used it anyway.

Jer and I had a good Easter. I got some summer clothes and shoes and Jer got a movie and some tools! Man that Easter Bunny sure loves us!!

More recently....

These are some flowers that my husband suprised me with the other day just to make me smile, which of course they did! And they are my favorite because they stay alive so much longer than any other flowers so I can actually enjoy them for longer than a week... Unless.... you have a little puppy named Koda who wanted to see if they tasted as good as they smell....Jer and I left to go do some shopping last weekend and we came home to this....

Flowers don't last long with dogs get to them. Thankfully, he only demolished a couple instead of the whole thing. Apparently they don't taste as good as they smell. The funnier thing is that I stuck Koda in the corner and told him "Bad dog!" and he sat there with his head hung the whole time we cleaned up the mess. He didn't even move!! He doesn't like to be a bad dog. Of course I couldn't be mad at him for long. He is just too cute!!

How Grateful I Am!

I have been thinking a lot the past couple of days of how blessed I am for the life I have and for the people in it. Jeremy and I have made it a goal again this year to go to the temple at least once a month if not more. So far, we are 100%! Actually a little bit more because there was a month or two we went more than once. It's actually gotten to the point where people at work know I'm going to the Temple when I am dressed up. I'm glad that people know I love to go to the Temple. My mother in law sent a powerpoint to me and I enjoyed it a lot. (I can not figure out a way to put it on here because it is a powerpoint but if you want me to email it to you I can. Just send me your email address in a comment or something and I'll be more than happy to. It's worth watching. )

It basically talks about how the world is becoming more and more chaotic and dark. The pictures of the temples on it are absolutely stunning and the message is powerful. Our temples will be and are now a refuge from the outside world. They are a safe haven and a place to go to forget about all the darkness and evil around us. I have definately noticed a huge difference in my life, my marriage and my happiness as I have made it a point to attend the temple. Not that my life was not happy before because it was, but regularly attending the temple has some how made a wonderful life and marriage....amazing.

I know that dark and terrible things are happening in the world today and how grateful am I to be able to have somewhere to go for complete protection from that awful dirty world. The temple has been my source of happiness in this time when Satan has taken hold of so many people. He is so very real and is trying so hard to tear families apart. But I know that going to the temple is the one place he will not be. And everytime I go, I feel that a little bit of it comes home with me which makes it so much easier to live the gospel and stay away from the temptations of everyday life.

I am so very grateful for the wonderful husband that I have. He is my rock that I lean on for everything. How wonderful it is to know that I can be with him for ETERNITY! (Which isn't even long enough if you ask me!) Going to the temple with him is my most favorite thing to do. There is nothing better in the world and I am so glad that he has the strong desire to go to the temple as well.

And there is nothing better than being married to a man who has and honors his priesthood. It has been a huge blessing in our life together. I can not imagine my life without that wonderful blessing and power.

And of course, we are so grateful for our families. I love living so close to both mine and Jeremy's families. We are able to do so much with both of them and I love doing that. Their love, support and advice are priceless to us. We love them and are grateful to be sealed to them FOREVER!

What Kind of Dog are You??

Yes, I am blogging about my dog. I don't have any kids to take up my time or attention when my husband isn't home, so something has to! Anyway, we took Koda to get a haircut since the weather is starting to warm up. (Or was until today) With him being a mix, I always find it interesting that he looks like a totally different dog when he gets groomed. Koda is a Shih-poo (shihtzu-poodle). He looks like a shihtzu, with slightly curly hair, when his hair is long. And I love his long hair because he is just a big ball of fur! But it is such a pain to take care of when you have to fight him to brush all his snarls out everyday.

So this is Koda before his haircut. I have come to the conclusion that he has the body build of the shihtzu but the height of the poodle. He is a lot taller than all his shihtzu friends.

This is koda after his haircut. Does he look like the same dog to you? Not to me! This is when the poodle in him comes out. (He almost looks like a schnauzer in this picture.) It must be hiding somewhere under all that fur! The first time we got him groomed I was completely shocked because he looks so different. (Plus Petsmart was the one to groom him the first time and they basically skinned the poor thing! We have since found a much better groomer!)

I wish I could post his fur on the computer becuase it is soooooooo SOFT! He is like a little cuddly teddy bear you don't want to let go! I guess in a way I have 2 dogs in 1!

5 Year Check Up

So, most people go the the dentist every 6 months right?!! Unless you have a TRAUMATIC experience like myself and become downright TERRIFIED of going! Well, I think that the last time I went to the dentist was the year that Jeremy left on his mission....2004. Yeah, that's right. Let me tell you why it has taken me 5 years to go back....
So I arrive at the dentist and I am greeted by a cute little oriental lady. I hadn't been to this dentist since I had my own insurance and they had also switched locations, so they had me fill out all of the paperwork all over, ya know the kind that ask if you have any allergies or health conditions that are IMPORTANT to know. So, it is the end of the day so this little lady was anxious to close up shop and go home. She handed me the papers, I sat down, then she said, "Just fill out no on everything." I thought..."shouldn't I answer it accurately so you know if I have any serious problems???" which I don't, luckily so I marked no on everything and she took me back. Oh how I wish I had never gone to the dentist that day!!!! I don't know how many of you have had your teeth "sand blasted" instead of polished with the little machine they normally use. I know they have a different name for it other than "sand blasting" but that is basically what it is. This cute little lady wasn't so cute anymore!! She got that thing in her hand and she went WILD!! She was sand blasting my tounge, my face, the air! It was out of control. She would occasionally hit my teeth and then I would hear "oh...uh oh..." and then more blasting.... Now, this little blaster doesnt feel good at all when it is blasting something other than TEETH! I felt like I had walked through a sand storm hurricane. My face hurt so bad because she had totally missed my mouth. I did not return to that dentist after that. I was a bit shaken up as you can imagine. So, my lovely husband made me a dentist appointment a month ago for today. I have been dreading it because I hadn't been for so long. Well, I am glad to say that after 5 years of keeping my distance, I only have 2 very small cavities that the hygienist said would fill back up if I would floss everyday. So, if I am good, I won't even have to have them filled! You can even ask Jeremy, he had an appointment before me and I made him stay with me cause I was so nervous. He so willingly told the hygienist my story and she promised me that she would never use it on me because she hates using them as much as I hated it. So here's to hoping that bad days at the dentist are over.

My Valentine

So it has been quite some time since we posted anything on our blog. It seems that January and February are very uneventful months in the Atkinson household. But since I did take pictures on Valentine's day, I figured I could put them on here just so I had a reason to post a new blog...

So, we did go and see The Confessions of a Shopaholic with Chris, Sarah, Dawson and Missy. Very funny movie. We went out to dinner the night before because we figured that everyone else would go out on Valentine's day so we just decided to beat the crowds. We went to Wingers...Mmm Sticky fingers... anyway, we all got together again for dinner. Heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphey's. You really had to use your imagination to see the heart shape...but it tasted great anyway. We all sat at the table for a candle light dinner. The funniest thing was when Jer lit the candles, dawson started saying "Birthday? Birthday?" Then Chris turned off the light to "set the mood" and dawson started singing Happy Birthday and then he was trying to blow out the candles. It was pretty funny.

After dinner we made some cupcakes which were delicious!! And played some games.

This is me and my Valentine!! He is the best Valentine a girl could ask for! Not just on Valentine's Day but everyday! He is the biggest SWEETHEART and the GREATEST husband and my BEST FRIEND! And I wouldn't trade having him in my life for anything in the world! I Love You Honey!!!