Weekend Time!

I guess I am starting a couple minutes early, but it has been so quiet at work, I thought I would sneak in a quick little blog. Tonight we are headed to Cory and Christina's for a surprise birthday get together for Cory. We're looking forward to seeing them again and it hasn't been months like we usually go in between seeing each other.

Tomorrow, I think Mat and I are going to be running some errands most of the day when he gets off work. We are hoping to have a nice quiet night in since we have been running so much lately. We have a couple movies we might watch or maybe play a video game. We are going to try to register at Macy's this weekend, so that should be fun. I just hope the experience is better than when we went to Dillard's and we didn't even get to hold the scanning gun. Some lady just followed us around the whole time and it was so awkward. We're not going to even use that registry because we have picked out other things we would rather have at Bed, Bath and Beyond and hopefully Macy's. I am just excited to register for everything Martha Stewart. Don't tell Mat though!

Our weekends always seem to be packed with fun and excitement, so I'm looking forward to this one just like all the others! Better get myself packed up for the night. Bye for now!

Short Post Tonight

I think I'll make this short since I am freezing! Mat and I have created a list of movies we want to see. Most of them are from the past year with a few from the couple years before. We didn't even get started on years before that! We watched all those movie previews the other night and now are in movie mode. I think we'll go to the store tomorrow to get some for the week.

One project I am trying to start is working on recipe cards. I have never done this before, but have always wanted to have a place to keep my recipes that I use over and over again. I have some on my computer, but then I end up printing a copy every time I want to make that particular recipe. So I started with a template last night and made one recipe card. Now hopefully I can just add a couple here and there until I get a good collection going. I think starting is always the hardest part. Once i can get several done, I think it will probably go pretty fast.

I think I'm off to read my neverending book!

We're Home!

Well, we are home from our little road trip. We had a great weekend and now it is back to reality. We headed out on Saturday afternoon to Blackfoot and arrived at Sally and Reed's house (Mat's relatives) just minutes after Jeff (his cousin) showed up from Salt Lake. We had a great time just catching up for a little while around their fire and then headed out to some delicious Mexican food. Then we swung by Mat's great grandma's old house, but we couldn't see much since it was dark outside. It was such fun hearing all about Mat's family and just funny stories.

Sunday morning we had some delicious caramel rolls and then just had a lazy morning around their house. We had some wonderful breakfast for our lunch and just continued to talk throughout the afternoon. Before we knew it, it was 5:00! So we got our things together to head out to Idaho Falls, the second stop on our journey.

We got to Idaho Falls and checked in to our room and turned around and headed to Olive Garden. We had a gift card from Christmas that we were just waiting to use! So we ate way too much and then headed back to the hotel. The rest of our evening was spent watching movie previews! Some may think this is silly, but Mat and I could spend hours watching movie previews and hotels are the perfect place to do it! So we have a great list of potential renters for the next few months!

This morning I had meetings all morning and then we had lunch with the commissioners before we headed back home. We've spent the rest of our evening curled up on the couch!

I tried to take pictures because I really want to start including more in my blog. So here is my half hearted attempt. We didn't even take family pictures we were so busy talking! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

You can't tell, but there are a few hundred elk in this picture. We also saw an antelope, a big group of deer and maybe another few elk (could have been more deer). I didn't get pictures of any of those!

These don't look so big, but these icicles were HUGE!

Fat kitties sometimes get places they are not supposed to be. You wouldn't think he could jump on top of a six foot bookcase!

Just a pretty picture on the way to Blackfoot. Too bad we were going about 75 miles and hour and it is kind of blurry!

Road Trip!

Mat and I are heading out for a road trip tomorrow to Blackfoot and Idaho Falls! Not the most scenic of places, but we're looking forward to it. I guess I shouldn't say that since this will be my first trip. I have been to Blackfoot, just not Idaho Falls. AND I have been to Pocatello, which isn't too far from there and isn't the prettiest. Our first stop in Blackfoot is to see a few of Mat's relatives, which will be fun!

Sunday we'll head over to Idaho Falls and stay the night in the hotel our conference is scheduled for in September. Monday morning I'll meet with the hotel staff and go through plans for the conference. I also plan to meet with another conference hotel and then with the county commissioners for lunch. Then we'll head home. So that is our weekend!

We kick it off tonight with dinner at our favorite pizza place, Cassanova's! We'll meet my parents there and just enjoy a nice little evening together. And I guess I should say I am really kicking off the weekend at lunch today with my friend Alana. It's our monthly lunch get together and we always have a great time. We just need to figure out where we are going.

So I might be gone for a few days, but then I'll be back to report on our road trip! It's snowing here pretty good today. I think it will be gone by this afternoon though or at least by tomorrow. They say it is supposed to warm up, so we'll see about that. Have a great weekend!

Movie Review

We watched The Heartbreak Kid last night. There were some funny parts. It wasn't my favorite Ben Stiller movie, but it wasn't too bad. Mat and I both agreed before we started the movie that we thought it wasn't going to be that great. I think that is probably why we enjoyed it more than we thought we would. I guess I would give it a 7 out of 10. It is always hard for me to judge a movie. Especially because some people may love this movie and others may hate it. One thing I will say is that Ben Stiller's wife totally reminded us of Cameron Diaz - she even kind of sounded like her.

We also made a recipe out of one of my new cookbooks. It was a turkey chili and I thought it was pretty good, but next time I would not include BBQ sauce. It was pretty strong and I thought took away from the rest of the chili.

Tonight Mat is going to Bogus Basin with Justis (our oldest niece) for some sledding/tubing. He is going to her elementary school and then rides a bus with other kids and their family for a night in the snow. I think he is going to have a great time! I'm excited to hear all about it. The downfall is that he probably won't be home until 10 or so, which means we don't really get to spend any time together today. I have a meeting after work at 6 and so I will be busy doing that anyway. Then tomorrow is Friday!

Random Thoughts for the Day

I could really go for three day weekends every week! Since I didn't work yesterday, I'm already through Tuesday and it feels so nice. Although, I probably couldn't get everything done in 4 days every week with my job. But it seems like a fun treat this week for sure!

Tonight Mat is doing the dishes since I made dinner. Technically, we made dinner together last night and we had leftovers tonight, BUT I did make green beans and I had to prepare them and all that. So here I am, just blogging it up. We are going to watch one of our favorite shows tonight, Big Brother. It is just silly, but we look forward to it. All three episodes a week. That might be about all we have time for. We'll probably do a little reading before bed. I just want to get through my book.

I'm reading a Dean Koontz book, By the Light of the Moon, and it isn't my favorite. I usually really enjoy his books, but this one I can't get into. Plus, I have so many books waiting for me on the bookshelf that seem fun. But I keep hoping that it will get better and I keep pushing through.

Oh, I should probably do some knitting tonight also. Mat is patiently waiting for his hat. I keep thinking any day I will be done, but this thing is taking me forever! I swear I spent more time on the kitty bed and it was like a giant hat. The hat I am knitting is actually a double knit hat, so it is basically knitted on both sides. It is turning out really nice and I know he'll like it, I just would like him to be able to wear it this winter!

Time for a tangelo. Whatever that is. I guess part tangerine, part orange? We got it yesterday and thought we should try it. Have a good night!

3 Day Weeekends are the Best!

So it is Sunday night, BUT I don't have to work tomorrow! Hooray for President's Day!

We have just been having the best weekend. It all started with Mat's birthday on Friday. We had a delicious dinner with his mom and Nick at Corona Village - our favorite little Mexican place. Then we came home and he opened his gifts! He liked everything I got him. I went pretty pratical, but I knew he was getting some fun stuff from other family. He got a couple pair of pajama pants, some warm up/workout pants, some workout shorts, a new wallet, a new CD. That's it! But he liked everything, so it was a success. Then we watched Lost and Reno 911.

Saturday morning I got to live in Mat's shoes! I woke up at 4:30 as he was getting up to work so I could watch two of his nieces for a few hours. I just don't know how he gets up so early. I did it, but I only had to do that once AND I got to stay in my pjs! The girls watched Shrek and laid in bed, but then they were ready to do something, so Brianne and I played Monopoly and Maykayla played with some computer program that I know nothing about. But it looked like fun! Then Johnny came to pick them up and I finished cleaning our house. Mat came home around 1 and we had some lunch together. And then it was time for a nap! We took the longest nap - I think about 3 hours! But man, I was tired.

That night, Cory and Christina came over for Board games. It was so good to see them - it is the first time to see Christina since they told us she was pregnant and she is just the cutest thing. They find out this week what they'll be having and then will have lots of fun decisions to make. We played Pictionary (Mat and I totally won) and then Scene It Squabble (Christina and I won that). They headed home and Mat and I played some video games and then turned in.

Today we got up and going at a decent time, so we got to clean my work and then head to pick up a birthday present for Brianne right before her birthday party. I know, totally last minute! We even wrapped it in the parking lot. With no scissors. I am totally the master wrapper. It didn't look that good, but kids don't really care! Then we met Mat's family at Primo's pizza buffet for some pizza and presents! All four of his nieces were there and it is so fun to see them all. We ended up staying for a couple hours and then we left to finish our day. We got our groceries for the week and now are home and ready to relax.

I don't know what we are going to do tomorrow, but I'm sure we'll think of something fun. Even if it is just doing nothing around the house all day! I could go for a day of nothing. Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend. More soon!

Happy Valentines Day!

Good Morning and Happy Valentines Day! So far it is turning out to be a nice day, with the exception of me sitting on the phone for 28 minutes so far on hold so I can return a computer at work. BOO! You would think they could work on their customer service a little. :)

How is everyone else's Valentines Day? Mat and I have plans to go to yoga and then we'll come home and make little pizzas together for our romantic dinner. Then we are going to have a nice bottle of wine and watch a little tv. I can't wait!

Then tomorrow is Mat's 25th birthday! I am excited for his birthday. We are going to go out with his mom and Nick tomorrow to celebrate and then he'll open presents. I'm looking forward to that!

I am off the phone - 43 minutes and they couldn't help me because my IT person wasn't here in the office. Just one more reason I can think of to boot him out of our office, but that will never happen.

Hope everyone has a great day. XOXOXOXO

It is finally over!

I am so relieved to be finished with that silly conference! It actually went really smooth and there were no major problems at all. Everyone loved listening to Newt and that went off without a hitch also. I am just so happy to wrap everything up. That is what I'll be doing this week at work and then I'll start on my next conference. I actually have several that I am going to start this week. But they are all smaller and don't require as much time and patience as the one I just went through.

Our weekend was a good one and we had a great time celebrating our birthdays with my family. Saturday night we had a trio of birthday celebrations - Eric, me and Mat all celebrated our birthdays. It was so much fun. We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and had delicious dinner and even more delicious cheesecake! I had a vanilla bean cheesecake that was so yummy. Then we headed back to my parents house for presents and to play my new game! Scene It Squabble was all about boys against girls. It was tons of fun, but the boys totally came back from behind and beat the girls. :( So we'll have to beat them next time!

Mat's birthday is Friday, so I am trying to get everything ready for his birthday. I think we're heading out to dinner with his family on Friday night and then doing another birthday celebration with his family on Sunday. It really is just a month of birthdays!!

We are about to try out Mat's new Playstation game - Guitar Hero 3! Here's hoping I can beat him!

Birthday Recap!

So my birthday was way too short, but lots of fun. I already talked about the beginning of my birthday, so here is the end. We ordered lunch in to work from Smoky Mountain Pizza and I had a delcious sandwich. Then I spent the rest of work trying to get ready for my conference. I left about 5:30 and went home to meet my parents and Mat. Before dinner, I opened up some cards I got in the mail - one from Joy, one from Ali, one from Swain and one from Mat. All fun and very thoughtful.

We went to Corona Village and had delicious mexican food. I was stuffed. BUT we managed to eat fried ice cream and sopapillas without any problems! Then we came back to our house and I got to open some presents! First from my parents, I got a fun sweatshirt jacket that is super cozy, a sweater and a long sleeve shirt. I also got two CDs I have been wishing for! Then my parents headed home and it was time for me to open my gifts from Mat.

He is so funny. He had all these nicely wrapped presents and then when I got past the paper, I discovered he used all these boxes from our recycling bin - a cereal box, some box that some other kind of breakfast item came in, it was funny! He got me two more CDs I have been wishing for AND a new board game AND a yoga mat and strap I have been wishing for. The Y has mats you can use, but I really doubt they clean them and I know my feet are not the cleanest after a day at work. :) So now I have my own beautiful mat that I can use and I will look like a professional yogi. I think that is what it is called, I'm still in the beginner class!

After presents, we decided to have a beer and watch the season premiere of Lost. Then it was pretty much time to turn in. It was a great birthday and it isn't even over! We're celebrating with my parents and sister and Eric next weekend and then with Mat's parents the following weekend. I love stretching it out as long as possible!

Now I'm off to load the van for work. I've got lots to bring to the hotel for my conference. I doubt I'll write much this week, I usually can't think much by the time I get home every night. Have a great week!

Birthday Festivities Have Begun!

It is only 9:31 am and I have already had a wonderful birthday! It started when I got a happy birthday hug and kiss from Mat this morning at 4:45! Then I got up and saw that Mat had hung some fun birthday signs around the house. What a fun surprise! Then my boss texted me Happy Birthday! Then my sister called to wish me a happy birthday. Then Mat's sister called to wish me a Happy Birthday. Then I got to work and saw I had a lovely tray of fruit and mini muffins made by Sharon in my office. YUM! And I forgot my breakfast at home, so it was perfect. And I got a card from my office mates. Very cute. Then I got a lovely ecard from my parents. Whoosh. All that in just a couple hours!

I'm off to do work! Can't wait for the work part to be over. I'm excited to open presents from Mat. They have been taunting me all week and I can't wait to find out what is inside...