SS Hathaway

Pregnancy

2012-02-11T14:21:00.001-08:00

I finally posted my pregnancy week by week photos!

Looking back, the time has FLOWN!

So I better get going on my projects because I have LOTS to do before I am ready for our baby girl! Really, if you could see my list of projects, you would understand why I don't know where to begin. But I'm feelin' good and ready to hit the craft room! 12 weeks to go!

Those were the days...

2012-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

We were cracking up today remembering the time we found our way to the port city for Koh Mook, Thailand.

Once we got to the dock, we found out that the only boat for the day had left early that morning and it was now 4pm. So we found a tour guide who was taking some businessmen on a chartered boat over to a specific resort on the island. We must have looked really desperate because the next thing we knew she was on the phone with her office trying to find 2 spaces on this private boat. Not only did we end up on their boat, we didn't pay a penny, AND the businessmen saw we were lovers and started giving us presents.

Presents like peanuts. Literally. They were so excited to tell us "Happy for honeymoon" and offered us their peanut bags as congratulations.

And then we arrived in heaven. I love being married to Scott who understands my yearning for travel, and even feeds it!

If that wasn't PEACE ON EARTH, I don't know what is.

What a great day to be alive.

Wild child? or Mild child?

2012-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

You guys.

Lets be honest...

We were all pretty sure Scott and I would make a WILD child.

Well, she barely ever moves.

We're not super worried, but I should be feeling her kick and move much more than I am.

I drink cold water,

Scott pokes her,

I eat a candy bar and try to feel her move...

Nothing.

So much for a wild child, we got a mild child!

Until...

It happened.

One night just before bed,

Scott blasted some Selena!

You know, the Latina singer whose music really has a beat.

Well our baby girl got dancing to that!

New Years Winners

2012-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

It's still January, right?

We all surprised ourselves by staying up until midnight, partying hard!

You will probably not believe this. But it is true. Out of about 25 people in the Kinnect Just Dance competition,

Dad came in first, me second and mom third.

I mean really? What are the chances? We had no clue what we were doing. It was pretty embarrassing to sweep it, especially since none of us had ever played Kinnect, only Wii one time in our lives (Earlier that week with Heather's fam). It was even more awkward since I was wearing my gold top which I changed into at the last second, trying to take a fashion risk for the holidays.

Anyway, Happpy New Year to all :)

Hopefully one day our kissing picture will be as good as my parents :) They've got it DOWN!

Maybe I will post my New Years Resolutions soon too!

Seattle Bites Culinary Tour

2012-01-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Our stay in Sammamish was complete with mints on our pillows :)

Thanks mom :)

To celebrate our anniversary, we headed downtown for the Seattle Bites culinary tour of Pike Place Market. It was really cool to spend some time getting to know the market where we always go, but know little history about. Plus, we got to try about 12 "bites" (rather hearty) from food vendors that we wouldn't otherwise have tried.

First stop, Taste restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum. This very natural/organic eatery was one of our favorites. Very fresh, real, flavorful dishes. We had freshly baked flatbread with creme fresh, capers, cilantro, red onions and smoked salmon. You better believe we took seconds when they came around offering!

Next stop, Crepe de France.

We had banana nutella crepes, which were, incredible. (They were great, don't get me wrong, but Budapest's Langos definitely win on fatty pastry smothered in chocolate....) I could definitely handle a full size of this crepe!

If you've been to Seattle and seen the tiles, then this photo will look familiar. I loved the tour because even though it was about food, we heard cool stories about the vendors, and things like the love story that made these tiles special. Apparently the guy (math teacher at University of Washington) bought all these tiles ($25/tile at the time) and simply put a prime number on each tile, symbolizing how his love for this woman is only divisible by itself. How cute :)

Our ginger tour guide was awesome! She was energetic and engaging and she knew all the answers! And, I'm pretty sure we got special treatment since Scott's a ginger too! (Do you think Baby Hathaway will be an orange? Im kinda thinking yes since Heather and Bryan were both strawberry blonde, and let's be honest, Scott's hair color is probably dominant!)

ANYWAY, this "I love New York Deli" had pretty great sandwiches :) It came with a delightful pickle spear, and CELERY soda! So good paired with the authentic pastrami. Definitely one of my favorite bites.

I think both of our ultimate favorite was the clam chowder! It is just off post road if you want to go there, just on the edge of the "Sanitary building" with all the dairy products.

This chowder has won Maine's "New England Chowder Cook Off" 3 years in a row. Pike Place Chowder is now not invited to compete, but the owner is now a judge. Here's what the store front looks like so you'll recognize it when you see it. This is a don't miss it. Really, pin it, write it in your planner, save it in your Google account- you've gotta do something to remind yourself to eat here.

And even Seattle's Best had something for us. The hot chocolate was perfect on a cold January day. Pike Place Market promotes the entrepreneur, and does not host chain companies. They don't want a commercial market. But, there are 2 exceptions: Starbucks, and Seattle's Best Coffee. And the only reason they have space at the market is because these were their first sites. The market didn't kick them out for succeeding. It was cool to hear how Seattle's Best went from Stewart Brothers Coffee to SBC to Seattle's Best Coffee! So cool how every business has their story and really neat to learn of everything they went through.

Such a great day :)

Here we have a glazed salmon bite. Phenomenal salmon, prepared in a great fashion. YUM. If only they handed this stuff out on long flights!

Chicken Tikka Marsala! Spicy and good! This is one of those where it just looks like cafeteria bins of food, and you opt for a sandwich instead of stopping at this stand. Well skip this stand no more! The Tikka Marsala was off the hook! Get ready for a spicy experience- very flavorful and loved every bite, but you'll need some milk!

And the gum wall. Who doesn't love the gum wall? The comedy theater just beside the wall began having a gum problem, and prohibiting the young teens from bringing gum into the theater. Well without a garbage to dispose of the forbidden gum, the kids began just sticking it to the brick. They scraped it off once, but since learning that the Seattle gum wall is in the top 3 for "World's least hygenic tour attractions" they've left it up, hoping to win first!

Wearing that coat and jumping around they was I was, I doubt anyone in our tour group even suspected I was 5 months prego.

Oh, and the sausauge. Prepared by a legit German man who trained in Taiwan? Yeah, not sure... Anyway, I didn't like it, Scott loved it. Lucky guy got to eat mine.

And our last stop, DADS OFFICE! Luckily there was a birthday and they'd ordered in red velvet cupcakes (Scott's fav) and moist carrot cake cupcakes (My fav) so we got to party with them. I still love going to visit my dad almost as much as I did as a 6 year old when I followed the copy lady around and begged to make a copy of my handprint and shred papers for her.

We had such a great day, really glad we did the tour. We're not really tour people, but this one worked out great and we have no regrets. Next time, we're definitely getting clam chowder and we're anxious to try Beecher's macaroni and cheese. Anybody heard of it or had it before? The line was about 40 minutes long which is always a sign of good food!

Snowshoe FAIL.

2012-01-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

A few weekends back we tried to go snowshoeing.

Got on all our gear.

Rented snowshoes.

Arranged our day for a trip to the high Uintas....

And you know what?

No snow.

Like Zilch.

So, a peppermint fudge shake from Dairy Keen made the drive worthwhile.

What is with the lack of snow? At least Scott doesn't have to scrape the car in the mornings. That gets reallllly cold and really old really fast.

I've gotten some great things in the mail recently:

1. More newborn diapers than I can handle.

2. A clear case for the macbook pro. It is awesome and I'm way less worried when it ends up on a counter top of crumbs or something... It looks nice and works great!

3. A cute pink hat from SueAnn. So cute of her to send things she finds for our baby!

4. Fabric swatches from online vendors for the baby bedding. I am almost ready to commit to fabric and get things going.

5. Mint M&Ms from a friend who knew Scott loves those. Mailed from Washington. 2 bags of mint m&ms. Was that nice or what?

So even if snowshoeing adventures are a fail, it seems every day at the mailbox is a thrill :)

What a Weekend...

2012-01-16T07:15:00.001-08:00

I usually do not share anything too specific about my medical condition/history, but since I ended up in the labor and delivery unit this weekend, and since I feel so blessed and relieved, I thought I'd share a bit of my weekend. Please don't read on if you get grossed out, or don't want to know the details.

The past two weeks, my pain scale has been about a 5/10. Hurting and painful, but not unbearable by any means. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday where we went over things, and I got an antibiotic to combat a yeast infection. (This was the second intervention in about 2 weeks). I took the med Wednesday afternoon, and beginning Thursday, the pain was getting worse and worse. I kept telling myself that I'd just taken the pill and I needed to give it some time to work. As the hours passed, it hurt to walk, sit, stand, bend over, get in the car... anything. By the time I called the doctor at 4pm Friday, they were closed and I was in a world of regret. Scott was so good never complaining about staying in on Friday night (or Saturday or Sunday) and always very attentive to me, but we were both frustrated that it was now the weekend and there was no chance to talk with the doctor.

I slept maybe 1.5 hours total Friday night. Every position hurt. By this time, I knew it was something much more fierce than a yeast infection. Maybe the antibiotic I took Wednesday killed both the bad and good bacterias? I didn't have any answers and no topical cream or warm bath relieved me. I called an OBGYN in my ward to see if I should go to the Instacare, and she said that because I am 24 weeks along, both the Instacare and the ER would send me to the labor and delivery unit at AF hospital. Since I had no discharge and wanted to skip a very large hospital bill, I decided to tough it out and be at my doctor's office Monday morning.

Well Saturday night was worse. I slept maybe half an hour before waking up in hysterics, it just hurt so bad. Scott was so so good to me, but it was a long night. Pain was now at a 12/10. About 2 am we called the on call MD who happened to be my doctor who had seen me Tuesday. He was super calm (and tired!) and told us to apply some hydrocortizone cream and then make an appointment to see him next week. I'm thinking- "I don't want pain relief, I need resolution. I am dying. and none of this next week business... I'll beat you to the office Monday morning!" Dr. Watabe confirmed that the only place who will admit me is labor and delivery, and since I have no discharge/bleeding, I should apply the cream and be tough until Monday. So anyway Scott went out and got me the cream and attended to my wailings all night long. Then at 5am it was time for him to get ready for his church meetings. Off he went, tired boy.

While he was gone at meetings and church, I started bleeding. Pregnant women at 24 weeks should not bleed. I was scared and hurting and it was just really a nightmare. At this point I was like, "I've lasted all weekend, I can wait until tomorrow so I don't have to go to the hospital." But then after talking with the OB in my ward (love her!) I was convinced that since we don't know where the blood is coming from the risk of staying home and waiting until Monday is too high. Whatever the hospital bill ends up being, it is worth having no regrets.

Ugh this story is getting really long, I'm going to wrap it up. Warning: This is the gross part: We get admitted to the hospital (Scott wanted a hospital tour before the baby's birthday, and boy did he get one!) and go through all the paperwork and such. A young nurse checks things out, has no idea what's going on, and brings in a second opinion, Carol who is a saint. She was clearly the head nurse and she knew what she was talking about and she knew what she was looking at. Turns out I had a Bartholin cyst that had gotten infected and become an abscess. So basically a grape-sized, infected sore along my vaginal canal. I was so relieved to finally have an answer and to know that the baby was unaffected and growing healthily! The cyst had ruptured (prob around 3-4am) and was now draining blood and puss. OUCH. That is all I have to say. We cleaned things out and Carol gave me Percocet and an oral antibiotic. I am feeling much better now that I am on pain meds and now that the pressure of the cyst is draining.

It only takes one little thing going wrong to realize ALL the things that are going right with this pregnancy. It is such a miracle that everything in the body can work together to create such a perfect little person. I am so grateful to have insurance and to be able to get the help I needed. Scott was a champ and did things he surely never imagined he would do. I am off work sick today, taking it easy and laying down... hopefully the medications will work and I'll be healthy and happy again soon!

Sammamish Christmas

2012-01-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

We spent our time in Seattle doing a few things at home, like:
Organizing the laundry room (Go Scott!)

And going out for lunch- TERIYAKI! I love Niko's so much! I've built it up a lot in my mind over the last 3 years since I've eaten there, and do you believe it was even BETTER than I anticipated? Yeah, REALLY tasty!
Along with the Jamba it was a DREAM meal. With plenty for leftovers! One thing I love about Sammamish/Redmond (Besides the teriyaki of course) is the wide selection of cheeses.

I swear you can only buy about 5 types of cheese within a 40 mile radius of my house. Oh Utah... You should have seen Scott checking out all the varieties!

Whats a trip to Lake Sammamish without a walk around the lake? Everyone kept trying to get me to walk faster and longer... they were all really eager that day.

And, me at 22 weeks. My parents seriously have a million dollar view. It is really a treat to wake up, eat meals, play games, and do everything we do at the lake.

Merry Christmas from Sammamish!

Thanks for the fun visit!

The Kimball Christmas

2012-01-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

The night before we flew to Spokane, my grandparents had an available night at their time share in SLC. So we packed our bags and Christmas gifts for each other, and headed north! First stop: Olive Garden. We loved using the gift card Scott won from being the BUNKO CHAMP a few weeks prior! Way to go babe! Next Stop: The Kimball. It worked out so well to stay downtown and have a fun getaway before our family vacation. The Kimball is literally right across the street from the conference center/temple. See? We got our Christmas all set up, then ventured into the cold to see some lights and walk temple square. We brought our little wooden tree (On the table in front of the white bag) to put all our gifts beneath. I think this was the last day I could button my coat. It's not possible anymore :(
Scott's big present was a rice cooker! He loved it. Turns out it can do a lot more than cook rice! My recipe book holder has already proven to be a gem, and I got some great chick flicks and even a bumbo for the baby. I am one lucky girl! The wreckage. It was a little obnoxious to bring in like 3 loads of wrapped gifts to the fifth floor at 9pm, and then carry them all out again at 5:30am... but it was worth it! Happy Christmas!

MInute to Win It Christmas Style

2012-01-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

We all know minute to win it, right? Well this Christmas version was kind of the best ever:

Christmas Tree stacking:

Carol blowing (Each bottle gave a different note):

Jingle Bells (Shake 'em all out of your box!):

The Nut Stacker:

And Rudolph Nose:

Thanks for putting this all together Heather! Super fun!

The Walnut Game

2012-01-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

The night began with chocolate eclairs. YUM.

Have I told you about the walnut game before?

My mom's dad, Grampy, started this tradition before I was born. He (and now my parents) spent hours upon hours cracking walnuts open right on the seam, and then removing the nut to insert a note, coin, bill, or sometimes he just left a worm inside! So then all the walnuts are laid out in an egg carton and we choose our nut. Then with hammer and goggles you crack it open to find your prize!

It's really fun to crack them open. Once they are glued shut, you really can't tell they'd ever been touched!
A $20 bill was the bigest bill. Tanner was thrilled :) So fun to have the Bastians join us via videochat- holding their hammers and all!
Thanks mom and dad for coordinating and providing for another fun walnut game! Good times!

Christmas Nativity

2012-01-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Here we go- Christmas Nativity 2011:

Mary, Joseph, and of course dad as the donkey. I'm not sure how a fight didn't break out between Sienna and Shannon over who got to be Mary... All I know is that I said I just wanted to be whatever Shannon wanted to be!
Scott pretty much loved his wise man costume. WOOT for BeeGee's nightgown!The nativity goes a lot quicker when there are kids involved. It was refreshingly nice :)And for dinner- Shepherd's meal! Eating soup on the ground wasn't super comfortable for a pregnant girl, but the artichoke dip totally made it worth it! Lots of fun traditions!

Thanks for letting us join you Whitehead family!

Coeur d'Alene

2012-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

We drove about a half an hour to Coeur d'Alene where the eagles were soaring! Such a beautiful lake and beautiful town!
Sometimes we stopped right along the road to get out and check out a group of eagles flying or eating right beside the highway.
The Eagle lovers of Idaho all gathered and set up trailers with stuffed eagles, statistics and telescopes for our viewing pleasure!
Our timing couldn't have been better!

And who doesn't love an outing? Thanks Heather for having our sourdough sandwiches all ready when we got home!

Sleigh Race

2012-01-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our Spokane Christmas was the:

SLEIGH RACE!

A fun alternative to gingerbread houses, we took as long as we wanted building candy sleighs to then race down the stairs. We had impartial judges for the "most attractive sleigh" and let the fastest sleigh prove itself!

Let the building begin! I think everyone used a large chocolate bar for the base and candy canes for runners.

This is how Shannon and Bryan's turned out:

Most beautiful sleigh went to mom and Sienna! Notice the headlights at the front of the sleigh... it was awesome!Scott took great pride in his sleigh, and it went pretty darn fast!

Dad and Annie were awesome. So cute!

Tanner did not have a teammate and he held his own! Watch out Pinewood Derby!

Let the racing begin!

Rick tried to cheat by putting a solid metal wrench in with his chocolate bar... So sneaky. Luckily, his sly efforts did not pay off and Rick came in second...

...Second only to me! Whoop whoop!

Good times had by all!

Hearts Christmas Party

2012-01-03T21:37:00.000-08:00

Bottom line: I'm super behind. Get ready for a week of Christmas posts :)

First in the line up: My work party! Meet my co-workers:

Ashley (nurse) and Husband:

Katie (admin) and boy:

Misty (Hospice office staff) and husband:

Kelly (Home Health office) and husband:

Raquel (Home Health office) and Shawn:

Christa (Home Health Admin) and Thad:

Wendy (Physical Therapist) and husband:

Christina and Melanie- Billers:

Lots of people came and we had a beautiful party at Noahs in South Jordan! Too bad we didn't win a centerpiece!

There was a live band and delicious food. Cheesy potatoes, veggie trays, shrimp, punch, a variety of meats... it was classy!

And it turns out like 4 people there said they had no idea I was pregnant! But there was no denying it once they saw me in this dress!

There are more pictures, but they are on the other computer. And let's be honest, I've had too many excuses preventing me from posting this about 3 weeks ago... so, I'm gonna go ahead and just publish like it is. Hopefully you got the flavor!

Reindeer :)

2011-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Turns out the Thanksgiving Point Ice Cream Parlour is pretty fantastic. I have dreams about the brownie sundae. When Scott goes with work friends I get reallllly jealous and then it's all I can think of. I need to get over that. ANYWAY, my first (and only) time there ,we went in conjuction with a drive around the Christmas lights! We got a free pass from One on One so we thought we better use it! It's basically a big field with moving Santas and lit arches. Kind of cool to do if you have a free pass :) But the reindeer were really fun! I learned all sorts of fun facts and stared at them as long as I could until my fingers froze off. Raindeers "bellow" as opposed to moo-ing or squaking.

They can weigh up to 300 lbs. Read: They can kill you.

Both males and females grow antlers, which sets them apart from other deer.

And after the reindeer- Brownie Sundae :)

MoTab Christmas Concert

2011-12-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

We spent Sunday in SLC. We were literally gone all day (longer than a work day) and were tuckered out by the time we got home! My mom scored us some tickets to the Christmas concert in the conference center featuring Jane Seymour and some "famous" singer who wasn't really my style. Jane stole the show. I can only imagine what a show with David Archuleta (last year's vocalist) and Jane Seymour as the narrator would be like!

Well after we parked Bryan just said "Come to the corner, you can't miss me." And I think he was right! I have the two most handsome boys around! Scott was thrilled to finally see the death masks at the museum on temple square. He has been dreaming of this day for over 2 years. Seriously. Since before we were married he has been talking about the death masks. I wonder what he will fixate on now that we've checked this one off the list!

The rest of the day we spent at church in Centerville and at the after party for our cousin Daniel. He is leaving for a mission in Guadalajara Mexico next week! I'm sad I didn't get my camera out at that event! After the party, we transferred our grandparents from the house to the car to the assisted living, which is quite the ordeal. Many bear hugs later we got Grandpa safely to him room. Phew! Had some friends over for personal apple pies once we got home, and called it a night!

Gender Reveal Party

2011-12-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

I never posted about our gender reveal party! And since we had our official 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and it is still a girl, now seems like a good time for the post!

This was the night of the gender check. Both my doctor and ultrasound machine is WAY better than the one they had at Utah Valley. Just Sayin...

When people arrived at the party, they chose a flag according to which gender they were guessing. That's how we divided into teams for the games. Good fun!

Everything was pink and blue. We got mostly funny, but a few really great name ideas too!

Not too elaborate, but some good food to keep us going.

And promptly at 7:30, we opened this box to reveal...

The pink balloon!

So fun to have friends over. Especially on a week night :)

Thanks for coming to celebrate everyone! And for being so excited with us!

Characteristics we already know about our baby girl:

Very polite: crossed legs through most of the ultrasound

Daddy's girl: Scott claims she was waving at him much of the ultrasound

Flare for the dramatic: She covered her face with her hands- she's saving her facial features for her grand debut.

Healthy: Has no club foot, spina bifida, cleft lip, heart defects... none of it!

The official due date is still May 3, but she is measuring to be due about a week early at April 27! Wahoo!

She wants to come out and play for sure!!!

Holiday Photography Tips

2011-12-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Here is the holiday photography tips blog I did as a guest post the other week. Enjoy!

1. Get Prepared

We are already into December, so now is the time to get a fresh memory card and fully charged battery into your camera. Keep an extra battery (or at least your charger) in your purse so you are never without it! Trust me, It is the worst feeling ever to be at your party and see that red flashing battery after your first photo!

2. Go Macro

Most handheld digital cameras come with a macro mode, and those with an SLR have it for sure! I love shooting with my Canon 50mm lens to capture the details of fun event: ornaments on the tree, table decorations, sweets in a bowl, nativity scene on the mantle, mistletoe in the doorway... sometimes it’s these tightly cropped images that are the "golden photos" of the night!

3. Get Candid

That being said, there is nothing wrong with pictures that are posed. In fact, I encourage it for Christmas card, or more formal photos. But, you can create a variety of images for your next Shutterfly book by taking candid shots at a family or social gathering. Have your camera out and ready when people are engaged in conversation, opening a gift, singing carols, or goofing around with that crazy uncle!

4. Try a new angle

Get your hands dirty! Down on the floor, up on a ladder, do the splits if you have to! Everyone has seen a photo of a Christmas tree before. What makes yours pop? Take a new angle.

Now, for those of you learning to use your SLR to it's maximum potential (like me!):

5. Watch Your Aperture

I quite often shoot in Aperture Priority mode ("Av" on your SLR) on a day like Christmas! I'm generally too busy preparing the hors dourves or wrapping a last minute gift to shoot in manual (to control every aspect of my photo).

So, for example, when taking shots of a champagne flute, I’ll select a large aperture (a small number like f/2.8) to throw the background out of focus. But for a shot taken from the end of the table of everyone sitting down to eat, I’ll choose a small aperture (like f/8 to f/11) to give me a larger depth of field and keep everyone in focus. This gets easy with just a bit of practice, promise!

Thanks for having me Amy, and feel free to come on over and see what I'm up to!

Cousin Gingerbread Party

2011-12-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we got together with some cousins to build gingerbread houses!

The structure of my house had some trouble in the beginning, but I got it standing before the night was through.

Matt and Jessica are so cute! I've always loved Matt, and Jess is such a great fit for him!

Melissa and Tyler- well, not as "Cute" but lots of personality :) Thanks for hosting you two, Killer party!

Allison, me and Melissa. I love my girl cousins! We missed Sarah and Rebecca!

Do we look alike?

Awkward Things About Pregnancy

2011-12-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Here is an awkward post inspired by Betsy.

These are a few things that have happened lately:

1. Having a ~50 year old lady at work that you don't really know or like pat your belly.

2. Throwing up in a plastic bag at the produce section of the grocery store.

3. Putting on "belly butter" daily.

4. Leaving a church meeting early because your clothes are seriously too tight.

5. Gaining 10 lbs in 13 weeks.

6. Weighing less at 20 weeks pregnant than you did a year prior when you weren't pregnant.

7. Someone looking you up and down, then asking "Do you have indegestion?" To which you respond, "No. I am growing a person."

Festival of Trees

2011-12-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

I've regretted not going to the Festival of Trees for the past 3 years!

I almost didn't make it again this year, but we pulled through, and it was totally worth it! The Festival of Trees has been going on for 41 years as a fundraiser for Primary Children's Hospital in SLC. It is so impressive to see all the trees/quilts/wreaths made and donated for this cause. Individuals, families and businesses can contribute and then the trees are auctioned off for... lots and lots of money. Many of the trees are dedicated to children who have either passed away or are currently battling a terminal disease. Their stories are written on the back of the plaques. I only read 2, both of them had my crying so I had to stop reading them. They were too sad. I think I was especially sensitive to the sad stories about these babies and young kids since I am growing one of my own!

Here is a world/travel themed tree:

My dad's firm Stoel Rives has a branch in Salt Lake who decorated this tree:

Each tree had such variety and was totally different from the next!

Stoel Rives' was a sock monkey tree!

Here is a White House gingerbread house! So impressive!

Lots of Disney themed trees and things. Here is a cute one from Tangled:

Mom- this quilt screamed your name!

We took this photo for our friend Margene- it had sand dollars and beachy things all through it!

And you want to know the coolest part? As we were standing in line for tickets, this man came up and told us that 2 from his party couldn't make it- And then he gave us his extra tickets! Talk about spreading some Christmas cheer! Loved that!

Guest Post

2011-12-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

Today I am guest posting over at my good friend Amy's blog, Naptime Crafters. So head on over and check out what I have to say about holiday photography tips!

But for today, here is my version of the "Pee Pee Teepee." These are becoming more and more popular as protection for moms and dads against their little boys!

I used the most boy-ish looking material I had on hand for the outside, and a soft fleece for the inside!

I started by cutting out my fabric to the template of a bowl from our kitchen. Just use anything you can find with ~6" diameter. Then, cut the circle in half to form a half circle :)

Sew around the curve, right sides together, of course!

Then, iron out the curve.

Finally, sew a single line connecting the two sides to form a teepee shape. I did a second zig zag stitch just to secure it, but you don't have to.

DIY Camera Bay

2011-12-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

I really love my new camera purse! For a total of $25 (instead of $90 + shipping for the similar Jo Totes bag) I came up with a camera bag I love! Shopping for the purse was the hardest part. I wanted something with a base to it, a flat part on the bottom. It needed a zipper closure on top. Not too big, not too small! And, I am glad I ended up with a classic black exterior! Oh, and it had to have handles that were the perfect length. It's the worst when you can't get it over your shoulder comfortably.

Because it's black on the outside, I wanted to make it a party on the inside! So I got 1/2 yard of this fun upholstery fabric on sale for $5/yard at Joanns. Love it!

I really didn't follow any method in making this, I just took it one step at a time and it was done in about 3 hours. As with any project, it would go much faster if I made another, now that I know what I'm doing. I used a 1 inch foam for the base, and 1/2 inch foam for the sides and dividers. Measure, cut and fit the foam before sewing the fabric case.

Once you have your foam pieces cut and you've put in your camera body and lenses to make sure it all fits, then cut your fabric!

I sewed the two long sides right sides together first and then put in the foam- the case was about an inch bigger than the foam at this point. We have to leave fabric to connect the foam pieces!

Then I pinned the fabric right next to the foam. Next step, sew it up! I probably could have been more exact with this, but it turned out great, so no complaints :)

Once the sides were done, I just folded in the extra fabric at the ends and top-stitched them closed. Sewing is much less time consuming when you're not flipping things inside out and ironing and measuring all the time. (I do all those things normally, just not with this project!)

Then I tried velcro-ing (sp?) the 1/2 in sides to the 1 in base, but the velcro wouldn't stay attached to the fabric without velcro adhesive... I just had a lot of trouble with it. So I ended up taking that off and just did a basting stitch to connect the pieces together. It went very quickly, looks nice, and I think it will hold much better than velcro in the long run.

So this is the inside once the sides and dividers were attached.

And everything fits inside quite nicely :) There is a lot of space on the right side, I am considering adding a vertical divider, or I will just put miscellaneous things in that section.

I've read on photography forums that this is the best position to store your camera body- lens up! Any thoughts?

And there's the beauty:

Very excited not to lug my huge camera bag around when I'm downtown or when doing a mini session. (not a great pic of me, but it kind of shows the size of the bag.)

23rd Birthday

2011-12-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

My 23rd birthday was pretty much killer! Scott and I both worked a half day, and then got ourselves to Tucano's as fast as possible! It was better than I remembered :) The meat, the ensalada caprese, the pineapple! SO good!

After a quick knife demo at Williams Sonoma, we went to my glass blowing class at this shop in Lehi. They blow glass and do stained glass pieces for seemingly every temple in the world. It was pretty cool. I felt like the apprentice to my favorite artist, Dale Chihuly.

He's showing me what I'm about to do.

And now here I am! Gloves, large tweezers and ready to stretch that glass!

Thanks so much Scott for arranging this cool opportunity and making it happen! You're AWESOME!

And then, my Birthday Fondue Extravaganza!

Plenty of food and plenty of friends!

I wish I'd gotten a picture with everyone!

I was so happy that so many friends made such an effort to be there! It was great to reconnect and catch up!

As far as presents go... stay tuned for my BIG present that is a Birthday/Christmas combo!

Hathaway Christmas

2011-12-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Since we'll be in Washington for the real Christmas, we celebrated Christmas Hathaway style the weekend after Thanksgiving! Decorations go up! And stockings are open! Santa was very good to us. Specialized Sees candy and Bath and Body Works soap!

A trip to Sundance was in order!

We saw some cool glass blowing and kept our eyes out for Robert Redford.

No luck.

And later, presents!

Scott really loved his gifts. Months ago, he mentioned these glasses that would make him feel like a king with every sip. So I logged it away, and had them wrapped under the tree for our pseudo Christmas. Well Saturday morning Scott ran to grab some things at the store, and he came back with 2 boxes of the exact glasses that were under the tree!

Luckily SueAnn liked them too, so the other set didn't go to waste! And no returns for me!

John got us each an awesome Colombia titanium waterproof shell! We were not expecting them at all and really love them! I don't think I've rocked my gangsta pose since college. Wow.

And we finally got around to eating dinner at 10:45! Well, we sort of had a mix up with the meat which delayed our eating time. Everybody had a good laugh and we ended up eating our traditional prime rib before the day was done.

Scott was very eager.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Getting Going...

2011-11-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

Check it out:

I just finished this dress which I found on makeit-loveit.com. LOVE that website!

This dress was for my cute niece Autumn in Ohio! I can't wait to see pictures of her in it!!!

This was much easier to make than the dress I made for our cruise last summer. That was a nightmare.

Lesson learned: Don't follow a pattern, follow your heart (While employing good technique, of course) :)

The velcro back is maybe my favorite feature.

Scott's favorite thing to do lately is give the baby girl zerberts to get her riled up, and then try to feel her kick. Not much luck just yet.

BTW, I got two cavities. Not one in 22 years, and now two! I blame it on a combination of pregnancy and Utah water. Oh, and the grooves in my teeth. Anyway, I got them filled yesterday. I was terrified, but it was actually quite an easy experience. I still love the dentist. And I definitely still love sewing!

Stay tuned for birthday party pictures!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious! SueAnn and I woke up and just reveled in the idea that we weren't cooking anything. We brought a green salad, but other than that, Wendy and the fam made the meal. And it was delicious :)

SueAnn had a few fun songs and reader's theater type activities for us to do after the meal. Gotta love those- so funny!

Later, Tiffany was so sweet to give me a pedicure while I ate the most delicious peach pie. This pie is the best around!

My belly has really grown this week. This is only 5 days after the last photo I posted. Crazy, right? I hope it's not peach pie, and is really the baby... I'm really trying to be good!

Since we'll be with the Tanner fam for Christmas, we did Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and then Christmas on Saturday! We love Aebliskever- glad the Hathaway's love it too!

Maybe the biggest news of the weekend: Scott FINISHED the entertainment stand! He's been working really hard on this and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out! Our TV is eye level from the couch now, and the space is much more organized and stylish! Good job Scott!

We found ourselves at Sundance where the Californians were a little out of their element...

Scott deemed John well overdue for a haircut. John's hair has grown in thick and curly since cancer. So they went at it for a good hour and I think it turned out great and his mustache is much more "in control."

We were out of the house ~5:30 am and hit some good Black Friday sales. John got some tools he was excited about and we got a crib mattress! This is our 10am break for breakfast at Guru's in Provo. If you like biscuits and gravy, go for the Cowboy Benny- Scott's fav!

Thanks John and SueAnn for driving out- we had a great time with you!

Lighting Riverwoods

2011-11-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

Riverwoods made a big deal about their lights this year. It was really fun to go see all the ice carvings, lights (of course) and eat a free cookie :) We even got to stop in and see 2 cousins who work at Riverwoods! So fun!

We were glad for an excuse to share a pizza at Malawis too!

But the best part was deifinitely hearing Jon Schmidt in concert! He even played Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer upside down, backwards and with his toes. I hope I get tickets to his Christmas concert in SLC for my birthday.. (hint hint!) Jon Schmidt is really awesome!

16 weeks

2011-11-20T17:23:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally got around to taking some prego photos. The bump looks smaller than it feels...

BIG thanks to Scott for coming with me to find this field and take a few pics.

!!!THE NEWS!!!

2011-11-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night, I had a very vivid dream. I will spare you the details, but the bottom line is that it was a BOY! With very red hair. He looked exactly like Scott, but in baby form. He even had enough hair to use Paul Mitchell shaping cream and do the side spike just like Scott :)

Then on Wednesday at work, I picked up a starburst from a co-workers desk. It was the fun size- the kind with 2 starbursts inside. Well when I got back to my desk and finished my current project, I treated myself to the starburst. And guess what? I opened it up and what did I find? 2 PINKS! I was sure it was an omen.

Which of these omens was right?

Trust the Starburst!

Sometimes they tell you it's a girl and then a month later it is suddenly a boy- so I asked the ultrasound tech how sure she was.... She said she was 99.99% sure it is a girl! The baby was moving around a bunch (Due to my OJ drinking fest that afternoon) and all 3 of us were very confident it's a girl!

Let's just say I am going to get REALLY good at sewing ruffles and working with lace :) I am pleased as punch!

That being said, my mom had some really sound advice she gave me over the phone before the appointment. She reminded me that this baby is not a doll for me to dress up and decorate, but a special gift from Heavenly Father who is being given to Scott and me to teach, inspire, encourage and love. I sure get excited about the fun projects in my future, but more than anything, I feel so blessed to be given such an incredible gift and responsibility. Wow.

The last fun tidbit from the ultrasound: When the ultrasound machine first went on my belly, our baby girl was moving her left arm up and down. Scott was so proud "The baby is waving at me!" Scott is very excited for her to come out and play :) He makes sure that I eat healthy and don't make my showers too hot- "we can't have her coming out as scrambled eggs!"

We don't know what to do about names... any ideas?

Boy or Girl?

2011-11-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

You guys,

The time is upon us!

We are finding out on Wednesday night!!!

It is ALL I can think about.

Literally.

I really need to start taking more consistent belly pics.

Up until about last week, all the photos looked the same...

But now that I've sorted through all my loosest fitting shirts

and gotten fabric to make some belly bands,

I'm thinking it's time to take/post a photo.

Anyway, go ahead and cast your vote,

because assuming all goes well on the ultrasound,

we'll know the gender in just 2 days!

Pumpkin Farm

2011-11-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

"Steak on legs" as Scott calls it :)

Our family photo with Vaughn. So precious. Scott (obviously) wasn't super comfortable with the idea of posing with Vaughn as if he were our own, but I thought is was a great idea :)

See that green pumpkin in Dane's hands? We bought it, cut it in half, and each of us made a pumpkin pie from scratch! It was delish. Very dense and a definite difference from the store bought pumpkin puree. I don't know that it's worth the hassle to cut, bake, scrape, blend every time, but definitely a fun novelty!
Thanks Dane and Korine for cluing us in to the Payson Days Harvest Festival. Fun fall activity!

Greed, Gratitude and Giving

2011-11-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have this awesome friend named Marcie. She is a really talented writer. Her blog posts are consistently thought provoking, reality exposing, and they inspire me to change. I'm afraid to tell you too much about yesterday's post "Isn't That The Point" because she does such a great job writing it herself. Here is an excerpt from yesterdays post that got me excited about the upcoming holidays:

One of the reasons I love the holiday season is because it is a synopsis of the human process. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas come with the respective reminders of greed, gratitude, and giving. In three short months we learn valuable lessons in getting all you can, being happy with what you got, and gifting to those who don't got what you got.

You won't regret visiting her blog here so you too can have a few laughs, and feel motivated to start giving today, instead of waiting for Christmas Eve. Happy November!!!

Mom and Dad Come to Town

2011-11-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

My parents came over a few weeks ago. They were here for Scott's birthday dinner which was a real treat! It was so fun to tell them about the baby in person too!

Costco's best steak, pretty much cooked to perfection. Way to go Scott!

And clearly, my dad is now training his third son-in-law how to relax after a good meal. Thanks for coming mom and dad!

More about Halloween soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!

2011-10-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

My mom has a LOT of great qualities that I will just touch on today. Mom, I hope you have a wonderful day and feel showered with love today!

My mom has a LOT of great qualities that I will just touch on today. Mom, I hope you have a wonderful day and feel showered with love today!

I think it is safe to say that when I am thrilled, my mom is thrilled! And when I am devastated, she is maybe twice as devastated. She really yearns for my happiness and will do anything she can to make my life richer.

One thing my mom and I really have in common is that we give and receive love in the same ways. That has worked out really nicely for me, since I have a primo example of how to show people that I love them! She showed our family how anticipate ways we can serve others, before they even know they want to be served! She goes out of her way to give useful gifts no matter the occasion. She is the epitome of a visiting teacher in that she really wants the well being of the sisters, instead of just getting in the door to see them each month.

It sometimes BAFFLES me how my mom remembers every detail about every friend or teacher I’ve ever told her about. She has a memory like a rat trap and she uses it to devise creative ways that she could help us or even sometimes ways that we can help our friends or those in need. She will sometimes ask me about people I haven’t been in touch with for years, and she sincerely wants the best for them.

My mom and I confide in each other. It’s nice when we “get” how each other think and can help each other come up with ways to present various proposals or break bad news, or whatever the situation may be.

My sister Heather wrote earlier today about how my mom takes care of my Dad so well, enabling him to serve so many. For as long as I can remember, she has sacrificed time with him so that he can comfort, counsel and help others. This definitely isn’t easy, but she continually supports him in both his work and church responsibilities.

She is always helping people who are generally in the same position as herself, but I think it is pretty unique that she really befriends those who are in a different phase of life than she is, or have different lifestyles or interests. She has a knack for helping the elderly and can always find things to chat about even when I think it’s impossible. She has recently taken up helping a new mother of triplets on a weekly basis. When my mom gets in a new situation, she gets to work and she works until the job is done.

Something that has taken on more value to me since being married is her ability to do “first things first.” That phrase drove me CRAZY while living at home, but her mentality and diligence to do her priorities first has really stuck with me. Who knew that finishing all my homework and doing flashcards before watching I Love Lucy would make an impression!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Birthday Boy!

2011-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Scott really couldn't wait to open his presents another moment. So he opened them first thing in the morning! Why not, right? After all, they had been taunting him on the kitchen table for a few days preceding his actual birthday. And by special request, we had eggs benedict for breakfast. Hopefully they turned out just like SueAnn's, as per his request. (How did I do Sue?) We actually had my 8 week ultrasound on Scott's very birthday! What better than to see our little tadpole and hear her/his heart beat?!? That made for a fun mid-day date, and made this present especially funny! If you've never seen "Life As We Know It" then you probably should. We crack up the whole time. And what could Scott love more than a cupcake tour of Utah County? Only a bottle of Stewarts root beer to go with it! The pink lemonade cupcake at Sweet Tooth Fairy was definitely the best. Turns out Dipidee's cupcakes are overrated, just FYI. You can ask us if you want the details, because we have them :)
And just for kicks, here is a pic from Scott and John getting our new mattress (atop the Vibe, really?) which was Scott's (and my) big present.

So fun to have John in town for a few days. He is always a good time. We had a nice small dinner party at Macaroni Grill and came home for games.

Happy Birthday Scott- hope it's a great year :)

Ramblings

2011-10-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

So to answer some questions and explain myself...

I fell off the blogging bandwagon primarily because I've been going to bed between 6-7pm every day. It's pretty lame, but I am really so exhausted it is weird. I'm starting to get some energy back though, so hopefully I'll be around a bit more :)

I have been sick, but things could definitely be worse. I will hit the 13 week mark tomorrow, so I think I'll be less and less sick with each day (fingers crossed)! I kind of expected to throw up a little bit, but for some reason thought I'd be fine the rest of the time... nope- nauseous all the time, throwing up intermittently throughout the day. It sometimes feels like I will never be well again.

We are brainstorming ways to transform our second bedroom from the office/library/sewing room/craft room/storage closet/guest bedroom into a nursery. I don't know where everything will go, but we will find a place!

I feel like I have made name lists my entire life in preparation for this time, but it turns out we have no idea what to name our child. Turns out it is pretty overwhelming to actually choose. Good thing we have half a year (long time...) to talk it over, but I'm hoping we get an idea love and agree on! One of the travel blogs I follow just named their boy "Atlas." Good idea? Bad idea? Anything can be a name these days!

Okay, well, I'm going to bed now, but I've uploaded a bunch of pictures, so soon you can see what Scott looked like on his 28th birthday. I know you are on the edge of your seats :)

Fall Festivities

2011-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

This year has been a lot more festive around our house. It's nice because last year, I would wait until after every holiday and then buy/make decorations that were super cheap from the previous holiday. So this year it was really great to just take this wreath out of the closet and not even touch the budget, instead of sit with the hot glue gun for a few hours debating where the berries should go. You know how it goes :)

Anyway, it's just nice that it feels like Autumn! We are enjoying it while it lasts!

Some friends in the ward has us over to carve pumpkins with them. I was so embarrassed when we showed up on the doorstep, and Scott had is saw and drill in hand. They didn't know Scott super well before that night, so I was afraid it would be quite a shock, but they took it well, and Scott carved a cool pumpkin, very quickly :)

The finished products, Scott's on the left and mine on the right. Thank you Pinterest for the good idea. Turns out the chevron pattern looks really great on pumpkins.

Today's highlight: Asking my landlord about painting the nursery and hearing her response "I'll be the first one there to help you! What color?!?!"

Today's lowlight: Throwing up in the produce section of the grocery store. I have quite the collection of stories these days...

Eyebrows

2011-10-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

Here is what you need to do:

1. Make an appointment with Alana at Nordstrom at University Mall. ( I think Nordstrom employees nationwide all get the same "Anastasia" training...)

2. Save up $30. Buy less groceries, consolidate errands to save gas money- do whatever it takes.

3. Come to your appointment ready for your life to be changed.

I never imagined that my eyebrows could look like this. I thought mine were just weird, thick, dark, and never capable of being "really nice" eyebrows. I've had an eyebrow complex for as long as I can remember. It has always been a pain in my side and source of frustration and insecurity. Well, Alana changed my mind and taught me how to keep them up on my own.

I would recommend investing in your face- it's kind of a big deal :)

Exciting News!!!

2011-10-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Our greatest adventure is on the way :)

Due May 3

We are THRILLED

to say the least!

Journal excerpt from the week we saw 2 lines:

I took the test several days before they recommend, but was so amazed to get a positive result even though I took it early! I am very aware of how much many women long for that second line, and I was immediately overcome with gratitude and THRILL and relief that my test came out positive! Scott has been kind of quiet today, I don’t think this whole baby thing has really hit him yet… he’s been referring to our child as the “alleged baby” and asking to talk with the “myth buster” (read: doctor) to confirm things and answer some questions. I got my blood drawn yesterday before we head on our BIG TRIP tomorrow! On my follow up visit to the lab, I had to fill 12 vials of blood and I was very brave!!! I got a prescription for an anti-nausea pill that I hopefully won’t need, but may be glad to have. For now, we’re just thrilled to become parents and begin this grand adventure!

Zagreb to Budapest

2011-10-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, since today is Sunday, and it has been FULL of missionary moments and experiences, I thought I'd share our experience with Marina on the train between Zagreb, Croatia and Budapest, Hungary.

We had a few hours before our train left Zagreb, so we chilled out at the park for a picnic lunch, and I found H and M, a real thrill :)

I also found fresh popcorn on the street, which may have even been more of a thrill :)

Then we boarded the train for our 6 hour ride, and ended up sharing our cabin with Marina, a 30 something year old girl headed to Hungary to see her boyfriend after 2 weeks apart. The six hours flew by because we never stopped chatting and sharing with each other.

Marina knows without a doubt that God lives and that He helps us in our lives, but it has been a few years since she has really felt the "fire" and had a spiritual experience, or even really yearned to have one.

It was SO COOL to hear Scott testify to her that Heavenly Father lives, and that He loves her. He is waiting to hear from her and give her the comfort and direction she so desperately needs in her life. I was actually really surprised how easy it was in this setting to share with her how I approach big life decisions and how I know whether I am living the life I want to live, or the life Heavenly Father has planned for me. I told her that after I pray, I wait and listen, sometimes for weeks or months at a time... but I know I can confidently move forward as long as my plan makes sense in my head, and feels right in my heart. Scott bore a powerful testimony that God will not let us go too far down a path that is wrong, and that His greatest desire is for us to be happy in this life and in the eternities.

Marina is such a good, good person, with such sincere desire to do good and know truth. What a special experience to be put in a time and place where we could share with her the truths we have and how those gospel truths really work in our daily lives.

One of my favorite things Marina asked was "What? You're married? What made you want to do that?" She has been with her boyfriend for several years, and wishes he would propose and marry her, but marriage is such a formality in their culture, and they just haven't gotten around to it.

I told her that I wanted to marry Scott because I wanted to be with him forever, and that marriage was the next logical step in our relationship. But Scott's answer was infinitely better when he explained that marriage is a commitment not just between us, but including Heavenly Father that makes our relationship eternal, and that helps sanctify and strengthen us because of the sealing power and covenants we make when we are married in the temple. Wow. Scott is such a good example to me of being bold in action and in conversation. I am the luckiest girl in the world to not only travel the world with him, but live every day by his side.

We wish Marina the best, and hopefully we'll stay in touch!

Did you think I fell off the face of the earth?

2011-10-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Because I kind of did.

We got home and it was LAUNDRY time.

Then we had a healthy stream of guests which was lovely and kept us very busy.

Scott had a birthday, which is always a good time...

and basically, I've sort of been too overwhelmed with my hundreds/thousands of images from our trip, that don't even know where to begin. (Good thing Costco ran a great deal on a TERAbite external hard drive!)

We never EVER regret it when we travel.

This trip was no exception: we were on the move from one adventure to the next and loved every second of it.

I LOVE exploring new parts of the world and learning to appreciate the differences and commonalities in all people, cultures, and lands. I know Heavenly Father loves us because He created this BEAUTIFUL earth for us to explore and enjoy!

Plitvice, Croatia (this image has NOT been enhanced. can you believe it?)

Our day on Mljet (island near Dubrovnik in the south of Croatia) was possibly our favorite spot. It was so relaxed and just calm everywhere. We went out to an old monastery on its own island and took a swim before renting the moto to see a bit more of the island.

Scott already loved Budapest and he was sure a handy tour guide for me! We only had 2 days there, but it was a highlight for sure! Both the Buda and Pest sides of the city are rich with history, staircases, and good food :)

Rovinj is part of the Istrian peninsula that really blew us away! Scott went scuba diving there and LOVED it, and this snapshot was taken during a break from our bike ride! This passerby saw us talking and was like "oh my gosh, give me your camera and act natural, you look soooo cute!"

We have some pretty funny stories so maybe I will post a few a day for a while in efforts to share about our trip, but not bore you... thoughts?

Home

2011-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

We are home. I am uploading photos as I type. But here's a sneak peak:

Here we are at the train station in Varenna, Lake Como. It was absolutely lovely :)

And a preview of Croatia! This is right near our lunch restaurant in Dubrovnik. Ah! Miss it already!

Our travels home took just over 21 hours total. HUGE thanks to James and Kylie who picked us up from the airport at 11:30 and didn't get home until 1am. Once home, neither of us could sleep, so we were wandering around the house until about 3:30 am... Im so SO glad I left the house clean, that was very nice to come home to!

We are scrounging the kitchen for food. It's Sunday and we cleared things out before we left.

I think we'll be taking a few naps today and hope to get ourselves together for work tomorrow.

Everything in our luggage made it home in one piece, which is kind of a miracle considering that our new Costco luggage kind of failed us.

Okay, I'm going to crop some photos now and try to get myself put together for church. Much love!

from rovinj

2011-09-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

Dont have long todaz, but wećre in Rovinj (Istria) which is lovely! Scott went Scuba diving this morning and mostlz remembered all his skills since BYU- this was his first open water dive and he loved it! I loved laying out at the hotel pool and reading. We are staying at a nice place close to town that has, like i said, 2 great pools! I found a little German kid to play with me for over an hour- he wore water wings and jumped in to me in the deep end and i pulled him around and taught him a few english words- the CUTEST! We have a nice afternoon planned and then will drive 3 hours to Zagreb tomorrow to return the car and then catch a train to Budapest. life is good and we cant believe were nearing the end of our trip! much love!

From Plitviče

2011-09-11T11:05:00.001-07:00

We have done so much since I last posted! We have gotten internet far less than i expected to... it seems much less accessible than Asia, surprisingly. Since Dubrovnik, we have spent 2 nights with a Bubushka in Montenegro (sounds fancy, but is not) and we did go to Bosnia for 1 night. Scott was an all star driver in the stickshift on those windy mountain roads. It was truly CRAZY roads! ah! I get nervous just thinking about it! We found a great restaurant in Montenegro and had some good lamb, trout and always great breads and soups. We went rafting on the Tara River which is gorgeous- those pictures will make you cry it looks so perfect! The river was verz low and slow but once we got used to the idea that this is about beauty instead of thrill it was great. We had some fun cliff jumps and met other travelers who were fun to compare stories with. Through a series of miracles (communication barrier), we got our bubushka to do our laundry for us which was great! Andreas and Petra from Slovenia were our good friends there- we stayed in the same Sobe and ate dinner with them both nights and went rafting together, fun times! Mostar, Bosnia is full of culture and history! I cant believe it has only been less than 10 years since that nation was so war torn and taken advantage of. I have more to saz about the war later, but the photo museum was very moving. I got a few pieces of jewelrz in MOstar which i am excited about- our onlz souvenir so far. We stayed in a nice place in Bosnia which was a nice chance to reallz relax and regroup halfway through our trip. Its about this time its easy to burn out, but we are staying strong!

After MOstar we headed to Split for the day. Many say split is their favorite, but it wasnt mine. I think i was reallz hot and tired, and just kind of over another walled city. TOday in Zadar was much better with going to the local branch (we found it) eating a picnic lunch at teh bay, and then going for a swim in the adriatic! sooooo nice! Oh, we left our towels at an accomodation a while back, oops. And also, the wheels of our luggage kind of broke. did i tell zou that already? Anyway, we arrived here in Pliviče tonight and will go to the national park full of waterfalls tomorrow. We are filling up our memory cards with video and photos and loving every minute!

After plitviče we will head up to Istria and spend a few nights in Rovinj! Weve been looking forward to this all along! Then we will go to Yagreb to return our car and train to Budapest where our airbnb homestay ladz will meet us at the train station. Scott has been to budapest before and is excited to show me around town :) Much love and stay in touch! We have scotts phone and can sometimes connect to wifi to read things, but not long enough (and too small) to type. Okay gotta do some research online before we head to dinner! love!

Dubrovnik!

2011-09-07T00:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the fake out post :) oops! We are back in Dubrovnik now, it is more than amazing! WE just spent 2 nights out on the island of Mljet in the most amazing waterfront apartment. Nicola was so sweet to us and even offered to make us dinner for much less $ than all the yachters were paying for the seaside restaurants. wait until you see the pictures! All the big fancy private yachts have done nothing to quench Scott's thirst for becoming a skipper :) Quite the opposite! We rented a scooter and took it 1.5 hours each way to a sandy beach on the other side of the island. We also went to Odysseus' cave which was the total highlight for Scott! I was scared of the sharks. The moto scooter was a thrill as always and we cant get enough water it is soooo hot! Good thing we're here in Sept! The grilled fish here is to die for. Our other day on the island was spent at the national park taking mini boats between islands. Once we got to the monestary island Santa Maria we took a dip in the Adriatic! It is perfectly clear, with fish and lots going on underwater. Our car is about ready to pick up at the port. We will go to Montenegro today, and we are reconsidering Bosnia. We met the retired US defense council man for Bosnia. He retired just last year from advising US on Bosnian affairs. We've found lots of new friends/aquaintences here that have been really fun! Scott is as resourceful as James Bond when we travel, he always has good ideas and gets us out of pickles consistently. We just found his book in our Dubrovnik hotel that slipped under the bed- he is thrilled! Well, life is great in Croatia, its no wonder this country is considered the most beautiful in all of Europe!

Mom, be sure you call Beeg and give her the scoop! Family, thank you all for your emails, it is so fun to check email and see whats happenin on the home front. Noelle, special thanks for the H and M addresses for Croatia- maybe i'll come home with all the forward fall fashions :) ahaha. Okay, much love and stay in touch!

Italia and Dubrovnik

2011-09-04T02:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom-SueAnn,

Sorrz for the tzpos, time is short and keyboard is awkward. We are safe and LOVING our trip! Just arrived in Dubrovnik and it is HOT and a dream come true. We are stazing with a nice man named

Parting Thoughts:

2011-08-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Scott has had WAY to much fun writing “Scott Whittle Hathaway’s Last Will and Testament.” We’re doing some pretty fun things on our trip and thought it was a good excuse to get it done!

We’ve been eating pretty random meals trying to use up all the fresh food we have in the fridge. Eggs, green onion, red pepper… I think we’ll have omelets for dinner tonight :)

Turns out converting movies to play on the iphone takes a pretty long time. Good thing we started early. I'm excited to finally watch Never Say Never on the loooong plane ride!

Scott's birthday is 2 days after we get home, so I've been trying to do some shopping, wrapping and decorating so I don't get too overwhelmed when we get home. Plus, my parents are coming that week, so I'd love to leave the house spic n' span so they think I'm a really good homemaker...

Have you ever heard of geographic tongue? Well, I have it. They say it's genetic, but none of my family has it. Anyway, it's flaring up right now and I don't know why. Mint flavored things seem to calm it down a bit, but I hope it goes away soon!

Paris is notorious for losing baggage. So I am packing a few outfits in my carry on, just in case. The change of clothes in my carry on sure came in handy on my flight to New Zealand where the man sitting next to me spilt his entire cup of alcohol down my back and down my pants... at the beginning of the flight. Wow, not my best flight ever.

HAKA face

2011-08-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty good time at a Luau last weekend. Scott participated in the Haka with some other 1 on 1 guys, and boy did he look scary! All the guys in their black shirts and attitude! Scott would have been better at the dance if he could have stopped laughing! It really was funny though.

Tanner family: Does Scott win the Maori warrior face contest?

I let Scott whisper my face paint idea to the clown lady, and this is what I ended up looking like. Good one Scott :)

The kalua chicken was WAY better than the kalua pork- since when is that the case?!?

Just about a week!!!!!

2011-08-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven’t blogged in a while.

I’ve been pretty busy.

Planning and all.

We have just over a week until we board the big plane :)

We are first headed to Milan, Italy to spend some time at
Lake Como

We also have a reservation to see
The Last Supper
painting by Leonardo Da Vinci

Then we fly to Dubrovinik, Croatia!
We’ll go out to some islands for the first 2 days,
Then rent a car and head to
Montenegro
and
Bosnia :)

We are SUPER excited.
And a little worried about the language barrier.

We’ll just drive our way up the coast
Staying in places we love,
Moving on to new towns when we see fit.

And the last few days
We’ll spend in Budapest
Soaking in the baths
And livin’ it up Hungarian style!

Scott is the best travel partner a girl could ask for.
All my wildest dreams are coming true :)

Stay tuned for our best aides in travel planning. It was meant to go in this post, but it’s getting kind of long….

Happy Monday!

Ryder Lake

2011-08-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well,

I lived :)

And I actually liked it!

most of the time

We sort of left the house a disaster in our flurry to pack.

You see, we were out to see The Help the night before we left for the Uintas.

Totally worth the rushed packing- The Help was awesome!!!

Anyway... We hit the trail and hiked about 3 miles Friday after work.

We discovered on the way out the door that the backpack I intended to use was missing a hip clip, so I switched to my lovely, yet large pack which worked out quite nicely!

These first few photos were taken on a real camera. BUT, that first night our battery died!!! I had charged it all day, but this was an off-brand battery I had gotten online. I guess I learned my lesson and will always pack a few extra from now on. Luckily Scott's phone saved the day and captured some memories from the rest of the trip!

We heated up our fruit pies on a rock so the sugar on the outside was kind of caramelized... delish!

And our first night's camp- we had it goooood. There was dry firewood galore!

The "trail" was really treacherous at times. We found our inner gymnast and managed to cross rivers without falling in!

After about 9 miles with a 2,000 ft elevation gain, we found ourselves in this beautiful meadow:

the trick to backpacking is just to keep on walking!!!

And then we came upon Ryder Lake! We agreed that our camp spot here is the most beautiful place either of us had ever camped. With our tent fly off, we had a 300 degree view of lake and mountains. With only about 2 other people at the entire lake. It was really, really incredible.

We reached the lake about 3-4 pm and had the afternoon to swim, lay in the sun, play some cards, and you know... camp :)

We took a little stroll around the lake without our packs- delightful! Those packs get REALLY heavy when you carry them so far.

Just as we got hunkered into our sleeping bags for the night, we heard the rain start coming. Scott was a hero and went out to tighten our fly and get our packs in super safe/dry spots. He built up a rock wall to protect us too!

Well, we stayed dry through the night, but it did rain almost all night long. That means the trail was exceptionally muddy and wet on our hike back to the car.

Gorgeous, right?

So with mud squishing between our toes, we trekked it back. I tried not to complain, but backpacking is kind of hard on your back, and your feet it turns out.

We came upon these crossings about every 5 minutes for hours on end. Those logs were slippery!!!

Scott's new water filtration system worked like a gem. So few pumps= such clean, fresh, cold water!

That's A-1 peak in the Duschene side of the High Uintas.

These last 3 pics are from what Scott refers to as

"The Valley of the Great Bog."

It was impossible to cross without getting your feet sucked into the mud. You should have seen us running and screaming our way through this section... wow, that was some good laughs!

Ooh, yeah, he was not happy at that point!

Overall, we had a great trip and we're glad we went! Totally beats laundry and dishes... :)

Working hard feels good.

It is so easy to feel Heavenly Father's love for us when we are out in His beautiful creations.

Oh Geez.

2011-08-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Heaven Help Me.

We are going on a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip this weekend.

Starting tonight.

I think it's around 20-25 miles.

I'm not a boy scout.

If you've ever been backpacking/hiking with Scott then you know for real,

and if you even know Scott I'm sure you can imagine...

He kind of goes crazy when he gets backpacking.

He hikes SUPER fast.

And only ever takes water/snack breaks when I need them.

He LOVES being in nature

And usually we end up having some kind of deep/meaningful conversation, or mid-twenties crisis :)

He does not like carrying ANY extra weight.

So our food rations are extremely small.

Don't worry, I already packed extra just in case...

He recently got a new water filter that is "AMAZING" from REI

and, turns out he got a fishing pole on a "great sale" yesterday.

Wow.

Please pray for me.

I'll report back Monday.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Remember Cactus Jack? Well we found our way back to his stomping grounds for Ed's 50th birthday party at the barn!There was a cotton candy machine, ice cream machine and cheeseburgers for everyone!

We mostly chatted with family, but it was definitely fun to have my dad take us around to meet people from his childhood. So in honor of his birthday TODAY, let me introduce you to some people from his childhood:

This woman on the left is my dad's second grade teacher, Coleen Shelby. She looks like a teacher, right? She taught my dad and all the brothers how to write. Handwriting, that is. And because of this, their letters are all the very same. It's kind of trippy. She says my dad was a great 2nd grader :)

Next up, Martin Calderwood! This is the boy my dad sat next to in the clarinet section of the band. He claims that dad was the track star, and he was better at the clarinet. I don't believe him... I think my dad was the star of both!

And now, Cindy Wettstein, the lady who reconnected my mom and dad after several years apart. She lived down the street from dad growing up, and was then mom's mission companion in Spain. A few phone number exchanges and my parents were dating again!

And, last but definitely not least, Bill Wagner! He went on a backpacking trip with just my dad, and together they earned the nature merit badge. He's the kind of guy who's not just "someone who helped with scouting," but truly a legacy for so many, and a life long friend for my dad. You could tell that he is a hard worker, and always has been.

My dad is really the best!

He listens to me when I'm happy or sad.

He celebrates my victories.

He works very hard to give me opportunities and advantages.

He gives me perspective when I feel like the world is ending.

He slides down waterfalls in Samoa with me.

He does what he asks others to do.

He encourages me to be intentional about my life.

He taught me the difference between needs and wants.

My dad always keeps his word.

Always.
Happy Birthday Dad!

I Still Love Lucy!

2011-08-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

You guys,

I'm so sad I haven't gotten to posting this until so late in the day.

Because TODAY is Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday!

And who doesn't love Lucy?!?!?!

I Love Lucy debuted on October 15, 1951. To me, this show defines success.

There are really no words that can be used to describe the talent of Lucille Ball. I'm pretty sure she has changed the world.

There literally is no one person on the planet that can say they have never seen nor heard of "I Love Lucy."

You can head over to the Google homepage to see a funny clip today :)

When I watch an episode of I Love Lucy, I can almost always conjure up a memory of where I was and what I was doing when I watched it for the first time. For most shows, that was in bed with my mom laughing and laughing the night away.

If I was ever feeling overwhelmed or sad or just any kind of bad, a half an hour with Lucy always turned my frown upside down.

I mean, I really love Lucy!

And I always will :)

Snowbird Love

2011-08-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

What perfect timing to have my cousin get sealed to our family the week of Snowbird! It was such a special time for our family at the temple with this new baby! We were just sad Grandpa couldn't be there with us :(

I didn't have my camera with me at the temple! So sad!

But then, so happy, we went to our favorite place: Snowbird!

Joe Man taught us how to plank. Is this the new thing? Is it a fad? I don't really get it, but we got good at it :)

I guess our walk to the overlook just wasn't crazy enough, so we took a shortcut on the way back.

So SO great to have dad in town. I am sad to report the results of our Pedro game. Scott and I were ahead 47 to 15, then dad started bidding and Bry was the perfect support. We fell fast. I hate setting.

We got to go up later in the week for some more good food, cousin love, and hot tubbing in the mountains. Oh, and I had a toenail painting intervention from my artistic cousin Katie. Thank heavens, those toes were getting pretty desperate!

Provo Canyon with the Scotts!

2011-08-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

If you think we do crazy things, then meet

Josh, Katrina, and Ryker Scott!

The boy wasn’t 6 weeks old when they strapped him in and took him for a ride down the canyon. These are our kind of friends!

I did a photo shoot for them a few weeks back, and haven't posted any of them! Here's one of my favorites:

What a precious boy with an adventurous future!!!

Snowbird 2011

2011-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Another great year at Snowbird is happening

NOW!

I used to fly to Utah every summer to play King Aardvark and swim with my cousins.

Luckily, we were able to spend the weekend with the fam,

And we’re headed up again tonight!

Here is our annual after-church photo shoot:

Look at all those lovely ladies! Love em!

Boys waiting for their turn. Probably wishing we could go home and eat...

The whole crew!

The 5 brothers. Do they look alike or what?

And all 8 kids! It's been a long while since they've all been together.

Love my ladies! Sarah (middle right) just got her mission call to Michigan!

Oh Scott... chumming it up with his boys.

Now that's what I call a good day :)

24th of July

2011-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Good news!

I finally uploaded pics from my camera.

So let the blog posts rollllll.

We've had some good times lately in Vess and Angie's backyard. We plant plants, we play croquet, we eat hamburgers, the boys golf... you know, backyard things.

The boys put together a BBQ the other night. It took a really long time. But it looks like they are still friends in the end :)

Vess, Scott, Dane, James

Just sad that Robert wasn't there with them :(

On the 24th of July we all brought over our lawn chairs and hung out in the perfect weather :)

Vaughn was the star of the show, as always. He's so cute!

Scott is very pleased- his stats are at 8/9 for times he's held a baby without the baby ever crying.

Joey thinks she is Angie's baby. She gets really jealous whenever there are kids around, as you can see in the picture- she is very protective. Angie is having a girl in December!

And to really make it the 24th of July, we shot off some fireworks in the street.

James and Kylie and William and Cammie:

Proud Vess :)

and that's a wrap!

It won't be long until my next post- there are several lined up in my drafts box!

Me + the Boys

2011-07-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking about this great night we had a few weeks ago and never shared.

Me and my boys:

From right to left: Bryan (Best brother ever), Scott (Besthusband ever) me, Phil (Best brother-in-law ever) and Phil's buddy (best new friend ever)!

When Phil and his friend came into town for a competition, we somehow managed to connect all our schedules and meet for a night at Cafe Rio!

And this was a while ago too, but a fun night with the Drapers, Dellenbachs and Baggetts.

~Family and friends~

It's always better when we're together :)

Sick Days

2011-07-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Can you remember what it feels like to be sooo hot you're burning up, but have 10 blankets on because goosebumps are covering your body and you're so cold you can't get warm? Well that's how I'm feeling now. I'm on day 2, and hoping there is no day 3.

I got so bored yesterday that when I woke up this morning, I convinced myself that I was on the up and up. So I got in the shower and put clothes on (way farther than i ever got yesterday) and went to work. I didn't even last 30 minutes. The nurses said I was irresponsible for coming and risking passing my sickness to the patients. By the time I got home my pants had sweat spots all through them and the back, front and armpits of my shirt were basically drenched.

Luckily the days go by pretty fast. I sleep through the night with the help of meds, and then take 4-6 hour naps in the morning and afternoons. And I eat a BUNCH of Popsicle in between. Like 10-12 probably. They cool me down and make my throat feel better. Scott has been so nice to come home for lunch. I may not have anything to blog about for a while, since I haven't left my house for a while... so keep your blogging up everyone- I like to read them between naps :)

Randoms.

2011-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last night after dinner, I thought to myself, “If I could do anything I wanted tonight, what would I do?” And my answer was “Get a goooood book, a bowl of watermelon frozen yogurt, and enjoy them both in a bubble bath.” And so I did. And I have zero regrets.

I think I have arrived. I’ve always wondered if I would ever be the sort to go to the grocery store and spend most of my time in the produce section. Well it happened. I realized at the check out that Scott and I are probably eating enough greens! Here’s what was in my cart: Lettuce, cilantro, limes, celery, green onion, green bell pepper, spinach, avocado, mushrooms, bananas, milk, eggs and tortillas :)

Much of my family is together this weekend, and I feel like I am missing out. Darn it.

The final Harry Potter movie did not disappoint! As others have said, I agree that a piece of my childhood has now ended with the conclusion of these movies. I am happy that I still remember my own images of each character from before the movies were released. I've had many fun times dressing up as various characters and attending both book and movie midnight releases!

I think I need a hair cut. It's just at that weird phase, you know?

That's all for today :)

Camping with the Ricks

2011-07-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

I love these fun summer nights. The days feel so much longer when you can actually go on an adventure after work and have enough light to make it worth it.

Chris and Rachel took us to a new place up Provo Canyon. Who knew this is in our backyard?

We had fun chatting about their honeymoon-ish trip to SE asia and hearing all the good stories!

We ate tin foil dinners and Scott whipped up the best thing of the night: Peach Cobbler.

Can you say delicious?

Smores don't hold a candle to this stuff!

So much fun with old friends and new friends too! You sure know how to pick em Chris and Rachel, those other couples were so fun!

I only wish we could have slept under the stars with the rest of them,

but alas, we had our bike race the next morning.

Here's to summer nights and summer lovin'!

Tour De Donut 2011

2011-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! Saturday morning found us biking 21 miles and eating lots of donuts!

Thanks to friends for lending us bikes and helmets, we got to do one practice ride on Thursday night, and then race on Saturday! We definitely felt the burn, but I am happy to say that I never got tooo tired or felt like I was going to die. I guess my mornings with Jillian Michaels have paid off :) My Hairspray soundtrack got me through the rough patches!

So the tour de donut is three 7 mile loops. Between each loop you eat as many donuts as you can. Each donut takes a minute off your time. Scott was a champ, fast racer and fast donut eater- he ate a total of 7!!! I ate 2 total, one between each lap. I wanted to participate, but definitely wanted the calories I burnt not to go to waste! Here are some more 1on1 ers :)

Rachel and Christa:

Sterling and Nate:

And now a bunch of the crew:

Who doesn't love a good morning bike ride?

And my reward for finishing my first bike race: HALF BAKED :)

Hummas

2011-07-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

This stuff is gooooood.

I love it when Scott approves buying the "extras" at Costco. (Now if I can just get him to go for artichokes!!!) Well anyway, Sunday after church I was so excited! I just could NOT wait to eat so I toasted some pita bread into pita chips with a little olive oil and garlic. I thought I'd done pretty well for myself :)

Until I saw Scott's meal!!! That boy just has a way with food. He seriously manages to concoct gourmet meals with whatever we have in the house! He shared 2 bites of this masterpiece with me because he felt bad for me. That 2 bites was just enough to make me SUPER jealous!

tomato, lettuce, feta cheese, grilled chicken, red onion... who knows what else!

I hope I've learned my lesson and let Scott cook for me in the future, even if it will take a bit longer.

And, we took the plunge and got this bad boy that same day at Costco. After some math in the isle, this turned out to be the best deal for us. It is much better than the Western Family olive oil we've been using until now.

We are trying to get in touch with our Mediterranean roots!

Detox?

2011-07-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Do you have a good detox you have done or heard about? I've never done one, but I think I'm ready. I know I should be drinking more water, so why not add some herbs to it and see if it works? Ideas?

DIY camera bag

2011-07-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Because it's black on the outside, I wanted to make it a party on the inside! So I got 1/2 yard of this fun upholstery fabric on sale for $5/yard at Joanns. Love it!

Once you have your foam pieces cut and you've put in your camera body and lenses to make sure it all fits, then cut your fabric!

I sewed the two long sides right sides together first and then put in the foam- the case was about an inch bigger than the foam at this point. We have to leave fabric to connect the foam pieces!

Then I pinned the fabric right next to the foam. Next step, sew it up! I probably could have been more exact with this, but it turned out great, so no complaints :)

So this is the inside once the sides and dividers were attached.

And everything fits inside quite nicely :) There is a lot of space on the right side, I am considering adding a vertical divider, or I will just put miscellaneous things in that section.

I've read on photography forums that this is the best position to store your camera body- lens up! Any thoughts?

And there's the beauty:

Very excited not to lug my huge camera bag around when I'm downtown or when doing a mini session. (not a great pic of me, but it kind of shows the size of the bag.)

EXCITING!!!

2011-07-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

We actually did it. We actually bought our tickets :)

See if you can guess where we're headed in September:

1. It requires 4 planes to get there from SLC.

2. This place encourages rock climbing, kayaking, snorkeling, mountain biking, and white water rafting!

3. We were inspired to go here by National Geographic's Adventure magazine "Best Trip" highlight.

4. James Bond spent a lot of time in this region.

5. This destination is famous for their truffles. Not the chocolate kind. The mushroom kind.

6. (The giveaway clue:) This country's nick name is "The Land of the Thousand Islands."

...

yep that's right...

we're going to:

CROATIA

We'll have a few days in Italy and Hungary on the beginning and end of the trip, and side trips to Bosnia (random, we know) and Montenegro. If you or anyone you know has been to this region, let me know! Planning is in full force!

We'll be off the grid September 1-17. Loooove that!

If you guessed it in those clues, leave a comment and tell me which number gave it away for you!

Glenwood Springs, CO x 3

2011-07-06T19:38:00.001-07:00

I guess our Glenwood Springs trip is sort of tradition :)

I'm kind of confused because we usually don't like going back to the same place when there is always more world to discover. But, those hot springs in Glenwood just keep calling us back. We found some new things to do this trip, but I think we both secretly love going there where we know what to expect and know we will love it! Back to the Silver Spruce Motel! They serve our favorite biscuits and gravy in the morning. They also have the best Belgian waffles!

We know our bed at home is really bad when the motel bed feels like a dream and we don't wake up with a back ache!

In the morning, we head to the Spa of the Rockies at about 7:30 am to stake out our chairs and get set up for the day. We bought a cooler for this trip, so legit, we know. We had cold water and non-melted gushers all day long!

And we finally made it to the hot springs at night. Floating on our backs and watching the stars was a dream. I couldn't recommend it more highly!

We took a walk through the park, to break up the day at the hot springs

And checked out the whitewater park where people go to practice their fancy tricks. That guy on the paddle board took a beer out with him, drank it, and then crushed the can and put it in his pocket. He thought he was hott stuff!

We almost ate at Juicy Lucy Steakhouse, but after 40 minutes of waiting to be seated, some people inside came out saying that it had been an hour since they ordered their food, and they still hadn't eaten! So, we decided to save some time and money and have pizza and salad instead!

And the highlight for me was:

Biking!

The trails were just so gorgeous and it felt so good to get out and get moving! I wish I had the patience to upload a video that would show you how fast I pedaled up the hills. Scott was shocked! Let's be honest, I surprised myself too, but I just loved feelin the burn!

Glenwood Springs has treated us well for the third consecutive year. Can't wait until we go back again!

Aspen, Colorado

2011-07-05T12:36:00.001-07:00

We found our way to Aspen, Colorado over the 4th of July weekend!

I think our interest for Aspen first peaked from the Top Chef Food and Wine Classic which was held in Aspen just 2 weeks ago! What a beautiful, beautiful place!

Our morning couldn't have started out better than with a walk through the Saturday market! Their kettle corn was unbeatable :) Being the popcorn fanatic that I am, that kettle corn was a total highlight for me!

After wandering through town for a bit, we decided to splurge and take the 20 minute gondola ride to the top of Aspen mountain. Gooooood decision.

There was a brass quintet doing a concert up top, which was a perfect place for us to eat our chicken salad croissant sandwiches, and fruit roll ups!

We took the ridge trail hike around the bend for some beautiful views. Luckily it was more of a walk than a hike because we were at such high altitude! Scott felt a bit sick all day because of it :( We loved sitting in the Adirondack (sp?) chairs and having a hoola hoop contest! We made it even more challenging by doing it on that log! It was a nice hot day, and just super nice to be out on the mountain.

We learned about the Ashcroft Ghost town on the Amateur Traveler podcast we subscribe to. It was kind of far out of the way, and we probably wouldn't recommend it... but hey, we got some great ghost pictures of Scott:

And another winner too:

(I have a feeling this one will come in handy in the future...)

And, we learn why the town is called Aspen:

And to end the day, we visited the supposed "most photographed site in north America." I don't know if that is true or not, but regardless, it was a very beautiful and peaceful place.

Introducing: Maroon Bells!

Scott took a little nap, and I polished off a few Sudoku puzzles!

We feel very blessed to be able to take our weekend adventures and enjoy the beauty of this earth.

What a great day to be alive!

When I am sad I...

2011-06-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Drink a Jamba!

Take a bath

Eat Dove chocolate

Talk with my family

Beg for a foot rub

Clean the house

Think about buying flowers, but usually get there, and decide to save the money instead.

Write a list of things I am grateful for

And of course, get a snuggle from this guy :)

What do YOU do on hard days?

Goodmorning VIETNAM!

2011-06-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been a week since we had Trang (pronounced Chung) and Son over to cook a Vietnamese meal with us. They are both from the Hanoi area of Vietnam. These two work with Scott, and they were so willing and nice to come over and show us the ways of truly authentic Pho and Vietnamese spring rolls! We LOVED both those dishes and Vietnam, and our re-creation last week did not disappoint! I mean, how could it with the meat cooking for hours on end, and using a literal beef bone to flavor the broth!

Here they are, getting to work in the kitchen. Trang prepared things for about 4 hours before coming over, and we spent another 3 once they got here cooking every ingredient to perfection. We cut and grilled onions to make shallots. There was nothing store bought in this meal!

Trang is a certified chef. Why she is getting a masters in accounting at BYU, I don't know. She should be a cooking instructor!!! :)

We have already been to the Asian market to get ourselves our own rice paper!

She taught us every step to create the most tasty and beautiful spring roll! It's all in the folding!

We could NOT wait to try them, so we shared a roll mid preparations!

YUM. YUM. YUM. We love Vietnamese food because it is so fresh and natural! You just feel GOOD eating it! See that plate of brussel sprouts in the back? That's not for everyone to share, we had a plate each!

And this Chrysanthemum herbal tea is the perfect pair to the meal. It has this natural sweetness from the flower, but no added sugar. We put mint in it to get it even more flavor. And don't worry, we had our picture from Ha Long Bay, Vietnam out to set the mood!

Now for the Pho! This is a much more time intensive dish. I didn't take pics of everything, but each ingredient is prepared individually, then placed into the wide-mouth bowl. The beef bone broth is then poured over it at the last second.

MMMMMmmm! What I would give for that bowl of Pho tonight!

We had such a great time, thanks Trang and Son for showing us the ways :)

Next, it's our turn to show you a traditional American meal!

Black Tie Dinner

2011-06-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Scott’s CEO, Nick Greer was nominated for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. So, we got all gussied up and headed downtown for the event of the century!

The event was spectacular. The conference room in the Salt Palace had calla lilies everywhere we turned. Everyone was dressed to the nines- such a formal event!

We started with whole wheat rolls and a side salad with your dressing of choice. Next was bacon wrapped filet mignon, delicious mashed potatoes, and a white fish wrapped in cabbage, with julienned carrots to add a splash of color! For dessert, rich chocolate with raspberries a la carte.

Each of the CEOs/Companies that were nominated had a 3-5 minute film telling about their corporation and kind of touring the office. It was so so so cool to see all the amazing ideas and cultures of these companies throughout Utah.

The most memorable part for me was realizing what a blessing and an opportunity it is to be an American. I didn’t expect to have a patriotic experience there, but I really did! All of these entrepreneurs (read: risk takers, opportunity seekers, need fillers, job providers, money makers!) are able to do what they do because they live and work in an environment that supports new start-ups.

Us girls all had a fun time dressing up! More on my dress drama later...

One of the nominees has an American company that starts businesses in Ethiopia. The CEO said “Ethiopia needs businesses, not charities.” It’s kind of an obvious solution, but really, thousands of donors give to help clothe and feed the people, which is a great thing to do, but really we could be helping by empowering the people and creating an economy that lends a greater quality of life.

It was fun to connect with all the “One on Oners” and celebrate Nick in his accomplishments!

p.s HUGE thank you to my friend Megan for helping me out with my hair. I LOVED it and she did it so fast and so perfectly!!!

Camping

2011-06-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

I feel like I always post about camping. The pictures all probably look the same, and the stories are often the same too. Set up the tent, roasted mallows, spent time in nature.... But as routine as it is, it is still GREAT. And registering at REI for our wedding is still in my top 5 best decisions. ever.

The extra space in the Kia is really great. It totally makes a difference!

This trip, we discovered the glories of hot Crystal Light. As opposed to hot chocolate. We went to get the hot coco out of our food box in the morning, and it was gone! So we tried this and I would argue that it's even better!

Mmmm! Nothin' like a good fire and a 2 man tent!

I realize that life will not always allow us to decide to go camping at 6pm and be up in the mountains just a few hours later for a great weekend away. But for now, it is soooo fun!

Self-Guided Rafting Trip

2011-06-20T05:54:00.001-07:00

Saturday found Scott and Vess on the adventure of their lives. They're both fairly experienced rafters, and I think they felt pretty excited and confident about running a portion of the upper Provo river. We rented from Outdoors Unlimited in Provo and drove about 1.5 up past Kamas to begin the adventure.

Vess had a lot of trouble getting his wet suit on. I was very sad Angie wasn't there to deal with that :) The boys got that raft pumped up, and loaded in some rope and water for emergencies!

This is the portion of the river trip I saw. The put in:

(The videos are very funny!)

Do you think I felt confident after seeing that? Not so much...

But, I went on my way to the first check point. I listened to a lot of my audio book and enjoyed the river and the sun!

According to our calculations, the boys should have arrived at our first checkpoint in 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Well, I didn't worry at the hour mark. I told myself there were probably fallen trees and they had to get out and walk around. I came up with more excuses at the 1:20 mark, 1:40 mark, but at 2 hours with an estimate of 1/2 an hour, I worried. BAD. I left them this note on the bridge, and went to search.

The next 20 minutes were scary for me. The portion of the river between the put in and the first check point was unaccessible by foot/vehicle, so I felt helpless. I drove back and forth between the 2 points, blowing my whistle and desperately praying for their bright blue raft to round the bend. And just before I headed for the ranger station:

They came :)

Before I knew it, the came bumping along to the first check point. They were glad to have made it, as was I!!! I think overall they had a great time, and really loved the adrenaline and thrill they got from the ride.

Good thing they had wetsuits because that glacier run off was CHILLY!

HIP HIP HOORAY for their safe return and fun memory!

HIP

HOORAY

Just another day in the hills

2011-06-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

Well, we headed for the hills out past Eagle Mountain. Shooting activity #2 of this year.
I do not love guns. I do not like guns.
But, I must say it was a pretty fun thing to do on a Thursday night :)
Here is a Russian rifle. I think that was Scott's fav. Thad has over 10 guns- Scott LOVED learning about them and trying them all out.
I like handguns better than shotguns. For sure. I was nervous at first, but you should have seen me shooting them one after the other in each hand!

And the best picture for last, me and my (favorite) co-worker Christa!

She's pretty much a pro!

Lazy Sundays

2011-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Every good Sunday includes either:

a nature walk in the canyon before church,

Or reading scriptures up in the mountains after our early dinner.

Life is good in Utah.

When it is sunny :)

Cactus Jack!

2011-06-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

The highlight and lowlight of the weekend happened to be the same thing. It all began as fun and games: We hopped the fence and met 14 different horses.

We gave them each a good pat and Scott fed them greener grass from across the fence.

Scott is part cowboy you know… He really is a natural around horses. Except for that one time 2 summers ago when a horse head butted him and Scott left with a bloody nose...

Anyway, we had a grand old time, eating French dip with cousins and exploring this huge barn (on the outside, house on the inside).

We were wandering around the barn when Scott found and approached a man who was sure to have an ax and some wood we could chop. Scott buddied up to Cactus Jack, a true mountain man. Scott held their handshake for an extra moment, looking into his eyes wondering if this “Cactus Jack” thing was a joke. When their handshake finally broke, Cactus asked “What? You’ve never heard of me?” Apparently he thinks he’s pretty famous.

“I know every trail from here through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana...” When we asked him if he’d take us for a ride later in the summer, he asked “Well ita’ll depends on whatcha wanna do- a coupla days, a coupla months?” Turns out Cactus Jack is in the mountains for 7 months of the year, living off the land and loving his life. We all stood around listening to stories for a while before we took our wood and were on our way.

Let “Woodchopping Contest 2011 Tanner Style” begin! Some logs were harder than others. Some contestants were stronger than others.

But is wasn’t until the last log when it happened.

Yep, we broke Cactus Jack’s most prized possession. His ax.

And that is a MAN ax if I’ve ever seen one. It wouldn’t be sooo bad if it weren’t this man’s livelihood. His ability to chop wood allows him to stay warm through the night. “Don’t got a vehicle, don’t do money…” This man is not going to the Home Depot to get a new handle. Scott and Tyler went back to break the bad news, and assured him that we will get it fixed up and bring it back to him. We will be back this weekend.

One project to the next!

2011-06-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

I pretty much always have a project going...

Paint chip bookmarks inspired by Pinterest :) I sort of want to read just so I can get another look at the bookmark!

Here's what I've been reading:

Finished Outliers (Loved it!)

Almost done listening to If I Stay (loving it)

And trying to get into The Wednesday Wars. The lady at the library REALLY wants me to read it... I'm kind of afraid to return it without a raving review.

And last of all, a cheesy but true placeholder Subway art:

Compliments of the girls at Eighteen 25. If you've never been to their blog, you really should go.

I've been busy with a few other sewing projects lately, so if I take pictures of them I will definitely post. Pinterest is an awesome ways to catalog my favorite projects I've already done and have yet to do!

Las Vegas

2011-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas was everything we hoped for and more! I tried this new layout and I can't seem to get the pictures in order- so it's not chronological, but just a sampling from our trip:

Praise the heavens, Scott got new board shorts! His old shorts will be burnt at our next campfire. That's how bad they were.

Our first stop was the outlet mall.

Ravella. Our hotel was about 30 min. from the strip. Far enough to relax, close enough to hit the shows!

Once there, I realized it was our first hotel since our honeymoon! We have stayed in motels, but they don't compare :)

Out on the town... hi Vess!

Vess and Angie at the Venitian

The taco competition next to our hotel made for a delicious lunch!

We went to the Hoover Dam! A pretty fun outing :)

Just out for our morning walk. So relaxing!

James and Kylie got a DELICOUS fried oreo dessert which they shared with us. YUM.

The Ravella has lots of gardens- rumor is that it is the old Ritz Carlton!

Vess and Angie are sooo romantic with the famous frozen hot chocolate from Serindipity. I would highly recommend that restaurant on the strip!

Mystere pretty much blew us away. So graceful, and SO strong!

We had a big waterfall and beach at the hotel too! Perfect place to lay out!

Op- there is Hoover dam again!

And Vess, photobombing again.

James and Scott were good drivers. Never crashed. Not even once!

the lobster at the Treasure Island buffet was delish! (Not the best buffet ever...)

There were chandeliers like this about every 10 feet in the hotel. How de-LIGHT-ful!

The whole crew at Serendipity!

Kylie was in the market for some new glasses, do you think these work?

Scott at the hotel beach. We could definitely go back!!!

I don't know if I told you...

2011-05-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

but I sold "Golda" this week!

This is one of those things where it is

happy

and

sad

all at the same time.

We already know I am kind of a nostalgic person,

but even I didn't know that nostalgia applied to cars.

I mean, really?

Golda has been in our family forever. I always felt it kind of a privilege to drive her.

Even on the hot hot hot days without AC.

Golda was my car and I thought of Heather, Bryan and Noelle every time I drove.

(Well, may not every time, but almost!)

I vividly remember going on a hunt for Golda on/near Heather's 16th birthday. The car was hidden down the street at a neighbors house. I remember being 8 years old and sitting in the backseat as Heather tried to get the stick shift up the steep hill to our house. We did a lot of backward rolling, what a time! Since then, all 4 kids have learned to drive a manual car, and we loved every minute. I think each of us left our mark on the car- whether from the trailer hitch in front of us on a rainy day (me) or backing into a garbage can on the street (sibling remains nameless).

Well friends, I have good news for you. The car went to a grateful guy. He is tall and skinny, and he has wild, orange hair. I tried to tell him the car meant a lot to me, and that he was lucky to get it. But I didn't want to freak him out, or get emotional, so I didn't. And that is why I am writing it here :)

Golda has been great to the Tanner family. Though we all have cars more comfortable than a '95 now, I think we will all remember our days with Golda fondly!

Thoughts

2011-05-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Not much going on lately, but because I haven't blogged much at all lately, here is what we're up to:

Still watering the garden. Tomatoes are doing great, basil not so much- I moved it to a sunnier spot!

We are the proud owners of a 3 TERAbite hard drive :) :) :) Yeah. Do you know how many GB that is? Over 3,000. Considering that I have fried literally every hard drive I have ever used, Scott put in place some new rules for me this time around. I hope I follow them and let this drive LIVE!

Primary teacher training tonight was great! I really believe kids can learn the language of the scriptures.

I got my license plates all attached to the Kia (which we are loving!) while Scott made us a fantastic curry for dinner. Yum!

Bermuda shorts are on sale at Old Navy for $11. I now own 2 pair of shorts :) My blue ones I wore (read: ruined) in Asia, and now a nice neutral pair. Bring on the summer!

So happy Elizabeth Smarts abductor got life in prison. I've followed this story closely, very intriguing.

It is late, I am tired. I think I will paint my toenails tomorrow. Gotta get packed for the big trip to Vegas!

Simply Orange

2011-05-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

"Simply Orange Juice is the best juice money can buy."

We have a hospice nurse who brings us leftover juice from their team meetings. He has come in 2 weeks in a row now, touting the great qualities of Simply and encouraging us to have a glass before he takes it up to the fridge.

Not from concentrate.

Delicious.

Gives you a full dose of Vitamin C.

Delicious.

Contains Calcium phosphate and calcium lactate*

Delicious.

It even has 2 grams of protein.

Delicious.

Various sizes to quench your thirst:

13.5oz, 59oz and even 89oz.

Delicious.

*Ingredients not found in normal OJ.

If you have never had Simply then you must stop blog hopping and grab your keys immediately to go get some. If you have had it before, and you know what I'm talking about, and you are already craving it by now :) Delicious.

Viva

2011-05-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

So my computer's hard drive has been full for over a year. I have deleted everything I can bear to delete. So, I've been using an external hard drive, but guess what? It fried last weekend. I soooo hope i can get back our wedding pictures, Asia pictures, and all the pics from our first year married. Wow, I am really hoping.

Long story short: no space = no pictures = no blogging. BUT, the big news from today does not require pics from my camera. Only pics from the internet:

The Ravella Hotel

And tickets to this show:

Have been purchased for next weekend.

Hathaways, Drapers, and Pearsons will spend

Memorial Day

Las Vegas Style.

Woot!