Happy Bday, Josh!

Happy Birthday to Josh!

I tried serenading him at 5:45 in the am, but apparently my voice isn't warmed up that early. Or, I think I fell asleep halfway through, nonetheless, Happy Birthday!

I am so thankful to have Josh in my life. I love him so much! He always makes me laugh, even on those FEW occasions I am mad at him..... He is such a good example to me always, he honors his priesthood and his temple covenants. He always reminds me of what's important (boating) and what isn't (worrying). I am so glad I get to spend eternity with him! (insert "Ah" here)

P.S. If at all possible, try not to marry anyone who has a birthday a few days before Christmas, and have Christmas a few days before your anniversary.....and you thought your December was crazy! :)

Some Updates

So, I got some grief on Saturday about not being a very good poster.... So, here are some updates:

Josh turns the big 28 tomorrow. He is so old. :) He wants a $400 Subaru for his birthday, but he isn't getting one.

Josh defended his thesis two weeks ago. He did a really great job. Now, it's off to the Thesis editor for some revisions.

Two weeks from yesterday, Josh and I will be on a cruise to the Bahamas! Happy First Anniversary on Dec. 30th to us!

My sister Keli is coming home! I am so excited to have her back!

I have been tinkering with the sewing machine, and finished one quilt and one other quilt top. harder than I thought, but enjoyable. I have also been doing some more knitting, and am currently working on some slippers. They are so cute!

Little Ava got sealed to Adam and Summer on Saturday. It was such a wonderful experience for us to take part in. Thanks again Wilson's for inviting us!!

We are hoping for a job offer this week or next for Josh. It is almost a done deal, other than waiting on a few school things to get finished up. I can't believe we are here. It seems like we have been waiting for the end for so long, that now it is almost unreal. I am excited to see what the next few months hold for us!

Girl's Trip Chicago 2009 (minus a few girls)

Since I don't have to keep it a secret any longer.....here are our pictures from our Chicago trip. Jill got a wild hair, and decided we needed to fly to Chicago and surprise our sister Keli for Christmas, so we did! AND, we (along with many other of you) kept it a secret the whole time.

Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of the look on her face when we showed up at the restaurant, but the cost of the plane tickets were totally worth it! That look was completely priceless!
Driving into Chicago Saturday morning. This is such a cool city. This was before Jill almost ran a red light and almost hit some Pedestrians.

Beside to see Keli and her family, this is the whole reason we came to Chicago. This was the restaurant we ate at with my mom 2 years ago when we came to see Wicked. There may have been only three of us this time, but mom was with us, because we sat at the EXACT same table, and after 2 years, had the EXACT same waiter! It brought tears to our eyes.

Michigan Avenue at night, and Christmas time. It was fabulous!

Me, in front of the Chicago River. It was so cold! (Notice the nice scarf. It was Keli's Christmas present to me, but I forgot mine. I just broke it in for her. :) )

The 3 girls. We had to get at least one picture of the 3 of us together. Thanks to Keli's white coat, we were never separated.

Jill and I with the kids. They were so excited to see us, but I think Jill and I were more excited to see them. They have grown up SOOOO much!

Us again. This was just before leaving so our eyes aren't red and puffy yet. It is so fun to go, but the worst part is that we have to leave! I miss The Clayton's SO much! Sean was so sweet to be with us with our little plan, and even went a little further, and planned us a night in the city. We stayed in a beautiful hotel, and Sean made sure we were taken care of. We even crashed HIS birthday dinner, so, thanks again, Sean, you are the best!

No girl's trip will ever be complete without our sister Kelli. I say sister, cause she might as well be! She is just as much family as we are, and there is never a time I can remember being without her. We missed her so much, but know that this will not be the last of our trips. Kelli, you were definitely with us in spirit, and we talked about you all the time. Good things, of course. :)

This was the first trip without my mom. It was hard. We talked about her so much, and reminisced about all the good times we had. We are so lucky to have been blessed with her, even if it was for the short time we had her. It was so great to be together and see how much each one of us is like her in different ways. We know she was watching out for us, and smiling that we were spending time all together. That was the one thing she loved more than anything else, spending time with her family. She taught us well.

We had a wonderful time, and I can't wait for the next one! Love you guys SO much. Thanks again for being my sisters.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving. I hope you all did as well.

Since I am a little short on time, I will bring you bullets!

• Made a turkey AND a turkey breast, and didn't poison anyone, well, that I know of anyway
• Saw Christmas Carol. Eli wasn't the only one who was scared.
• Shopped and shopped and shopped. Up at 3:45am!
• Put up my Christmas tree. LOVE IT
• Christmas shopping, and Josh's birthday shopping, DONE
• Got through one more Holiday without my mom. This year we decided it is time to start some new traditions.
• Josh got peed on. No, not by me!
• Played with lots of babies!

This time of year is always so crazy, but I love it. Not only is it the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, but also time for Josh and I to celebrate. A year ago Thanksgiving week, I went to the temple. I can't believe it has been a whole year! Josh asked me the other day if I even remembered the days of wearing normal underwear. I said, "Yes, every single day". :)