andy & kat

it's a boy!

2012-01-13T19:29:00.002-07:00

Yep! You better believe it, we're having a baby boy!!! We found out today and couldn't be more excited!! Now if we can just agree on a name...at least we have a few months on that one :)

June 11th, 2012 will be a good day :)

2011-12-03T08:46:00.001-07:00

Every two months is a good track record for blogging right?? :) I definitely have been slacking off on the blog lately, but for good reason. We are having a baby! We are so excited! It is still kind of unreal, but it is a lot of fun. Our due date is June 11th, 2012. Crazy!!

grilled chicken tenderloins

2011-10-02T19:32:00.002-06:00

Happy Conference Weekend everyone! I hope you all enjoyed conference as much as I did. It seems like every 6 months when Conference rolls around the talks are just for me and they give me a huge spiritual boost. It was a great weekend.

Being home all weekend also means lots of delicious food! I tried a new recipe and it turned out REALLY good! You can find the recipe here, I highly recommend it. It is always nice when new recipes work out. I also made homemade jam for the first time this weekend! I used my Mom's fabulous peach/raspberry jam recipe and made like 18 qts. We have enough jam to last us like 10 yrs. :) It sure was fun to make it, I'm so excited to have it on some toast!!

crockpot pineapple teriyaki chicken

2011-09-21T19:25:00.002-06:00

It has been so long since I've actually planned a meal (and cooked it!) that I thought it was definitely blog-worthy. I have decided the crockpot is going to become my new best friend...I just usually don't feel like cooking once I get home from work or from the gym!

This was a really good recipe, but then again I am a huge fan of anything teriyaki so I might be a little biased. I think I might try adding some green peppers towards the end or something like that to give it a little more crunch.I got the recipe on pinterest (thank you) but it really came from this blog post. There are some other great crockpot recipes on this website that I will definitely be trying! Do you have any other good websites for crockpot recipes or just quick recipes?

http://pinterest.com/pin/186281097/

go utes!

2011-09-18T13:57:00.000-06:00

Congrats to the Utah Football team for a great win over BYU yesterday! The volleyball team wasn't as successful. They lost to Stanford (ranked #2) and Cal (ranked #1), but I was so proud of them for putting up a good fight. They've got a tough conference this year. They may not win the Pac 12 but they will get a ton better. It will be fun to watch them this year. It is definitely a good weekend to be a Utah fan!

just for laughs

2011-08-13T12:09:00.000-06:00

I've mentioned before that I love the website Pinterest, but lately I've found some gems on there that need to be shared...enjoy :)

Source: None via Kathryn on Pinterest

Source: black-and-white.tumblr.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Source: quickmeme.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

And last but definitely not least...

Source: thegreyestghost.wordpress.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

go go go joseph!

2011-08-07T20:17:00.000-06:00

My Mom had some extra tickets to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat yesterday at Hale Center Theatre and so I got to tag along with her and he Young Women. I had forgotten how much I love plays! Andy is not a huge fan (big surprise there) so I was more than happy to go with my Mom. I also got to hang out with my sister Ashley and my niece Natalie. It was very well done, and I had a great time.

Andy and I got some free vouchers for our wedding to Hale Center Theater that we still haven't used. Thats right. 4 1/2 years later and they are still in the envelope...haha. Good thing there's no expiration date. Maybe for my next birthday I'll con Andy into going to a play! :) Thanks for the tickets Mom, I loved it!!

pinterest challenge

2011-08-04T22:17:00.003-06:00

If you haven't played around with the website pinterest,you are missing out! I am slightly obsessed with it...like I spend hours upon hours each week looking at everyone's great ideas and beautiful pictures. You have to have an invite from someone who is on the website already to start your own profile, so if you would like an invite just let me know!

There are four great bloggers that posted a pinterest challenge a few weeks ago andchallenged people to choose one of the ideas they had "pinned" and actually complete the project. These bloggers are Sherry, Katie, Emily and Lana and their blogs are amazing! They have so many great ideas. I decided to jump in on their pinterest challenge and actually do one of the crafts I've seen on pinterest. I found an idea for the necklace holder here and a tutorial for the earring holder on this blog. It was so much fun to make these, and totally easy! Here are how mine turned out:

Pretty basic I know, but its a start! I wonder what my next project will be...

blog catch up time!

2011-08-04T21:59:00.001-06:00

yep, its that time again...time for my monthly post. i am going to work on this! maybe next month :) Here we go...

I had the great opportunity to coach the Mt. Olympus 16-2 volleyball team last year. It was so fun! My girls were great, they worked so hard. I hope they learned anything, it was a little rough coaching for the first time on my own, but i sure had fun! Here are some pics of most of them at our final team party. I miss these girls!

Keep reading the posts below to see what else the haynie household has been up to...

the world of a CPA

2011-08-04T21:59:00.000-06:00

yes, you better believe it. Andy passed his last CPA exam section in April! He didn't find out until july, which was a brutal wait let me tell ya! I am so proud of him, he worked so hard to get through those 4 sections. its like only 20% of people that pass all 4 sections on their first try...way to be sweetie! I didn't get any pictures of Andy, but I'm sure you can envision his excitement if you try really hard :).

Ninee's funeral

2011-08-04T21:58:00.001-06:00

Andy's Grandma Phyllis Todd passed away on July 12, 2011. She was an incredible woman. I only knew her for a few short years, but I am so grateful that I was able to know her and to see the influence that she has had on Andy and his family. The funeral was beautiful, and it was great that so many of the extended family members were able to be there to support the family.

I think this is the first time since our wedding that I've gotten a picture of Andy and his brother and sister together. What a good looking crew!

Phyllis Wallin Todd 1920 ~ 2011

2011-07-14T08:14:00.001-06:00

Andy's Grandma Todd passed away this week. She was an amazing woman that lived a beautiful life full of service. I'm so glad I was able to get to know her for a few years before she passed. We love you Ninee!!

Phyllis Wallin Todd 1920 ~ 2011 Phyllis Wallin Todd passed away peacefully Tuesday July 12, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born December 20, 1920 in Ogden, Utah to Charles and Olive Kime Wallin. She was raised by her devoted, widowed mother in Murray Utah, graduating from Murray High. She had many friends and was crowned queen of the county fair. She attended B.Y.U. where our beautiful mother was chosen as a member of the homecoming royalty. As a student, she met her eternal companion, Burton M. Todd. They were married August 29, 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple. They settled in Salt Lake City where Burton practiced Dentistry.

They raised a large and loving family. They worked hard to serve their church and community. Phyllis was a devoted mother and loving grandmother. Delicious Sunday dinners, cookies, rolls and cakes were her specialties. She was a beautiful seamstress, sewing dresses and costumes for all of her children and grandchildren. She served faithfully in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a Relief Society President, Young Women's President, and member of the Young Women General Board. She loved working with Young Women. She also enjoyed serving for 10 years as a hostess at the LDS Church Office Building. Together, she and Burton served as missionaries in the Chinese Branch of the Salt Lake Liberty Stake, and as temple workers in the Salt Lake Temple.

She was a devoted civic worker, involved in both the City and State Dental Auxiliary where she served as President. She also enjoyed serving on the Women's Legislative Council and the Salt Lake City Council of Women. She was elected to their Hall of Fame. She was a founding member of the Festival of Trees, a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, and Chairman of the Board for The Utah Youth Village. All who knew her loved her. She made friends where every she went.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Dr. Burton M. Todd, parents Charles and Olive Kime, and infant brother, Charles E Wallin. She is survived by her children; Charlene Blake (John), Douglas M. Todd (Janet Hopkins), Cynthia Badger (Briant), Janice Haynie, and Bryan B. Todd (Ruth Jones). She is loved by 28 grandchildren, and 63 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by Burton's siblings, Alice Braithwaite, Ira and Pat Todd, Norma Mabey and Byran Todd.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at the Parleys 3rd Ward Building, 2615 Stringham Ave. Viewing that day at 11:30. Friends and Family may call Friday, July 15, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Mortuary, 2350 E. 1300 S. We love you Mom!

talk about a project!

2011-06-04T21:08:00.000-06:00

I really love our yard, and I am loving it even more as I learn how to take care of it! There is one area of our yard that probably won't be tackled this year...and that is the lovely hill of weeds in our backyard.

I'm not even sure where to begin. Our plan eventually is to fence the whole backyard and do some terraced gardening where that hill is, but that takes a little more moolah than we are willing to spend right now. My plan for now is to at least cut down all of the weeds so it doesn't look like the jungle back there! I got through half of the weeds before I needed a break. I'm planning on hitting the rest of it next weekend. Trimmed down weeds will have to do for this year!

I also planted our first plants today! A little sad, but it was only one tomato plant and two strawberry plants. We'll see how we do!

hello june :)

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love Spring flowers? This is what I wished my flower gardens looked like...not quite but hopefully eventually! The Jordan River Temple has such beautiful flowers.

I figured since my last post was on May 1st it was only fitting that I would at least post on June 1 too. Life for Andy and I has been great, but nothing too exciting has happened. I did attend my niece Natalie Goodrich's play a few weeks ago which was awesome. They did a phenomenal job! It was the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, but it was set in Japan. :) It was a fun twist. Natalie played Antonio. Check out her awesome make up job! My sister Stacey was in charge of the costumes along with some other parents. They were great!!

Andy also turned the big 2-7 this past month. We celebrated by going to dinner and a movie. It is so nice that he doesn't have to study right now so we can go on a weeknight! :) It felt weird to be able to do that! I was looking for a mini cake for him on my lunch break and I broke down laughing when I saw this cake:

Anyone who reads the blog CakeWrecks will understand why I loved this so much. Props to the bakery worker that attempted to create this lovely moose on the cake...I definitely could not do a better job, but I'm sure there are other people who can. :) Happy Birthday Senior Andrew!! You are such a fabulous guy, I sure am lucky to be married to the man of my dreams!!

We went shooting again a few weeks ago on one of the rare sunny days we have had the past few weeks! We were out west of Utah Lake and it was GORGEOUS! It is really fun to go shooting together, especially because Andy has so much fun. :)

Now that it has stopped snowing every day at our house we are trying to reclaim our yard. We bought a lawn mower this past week and spent a ton of time on our lawn. We've got some dead spots in the grass and the flower beds were completely overgrown. I know these pictures aren't great, but it looks WAY better than it did before!

This was the massive bush that was in front of our house. We're not really sure what it was, but it was definitely annoying! It is now gone and we have to decide what to plant instead. Any ideas? :)

This massive freaking root was connecting a network of weeds in our front law. It was literally like a foot and a half long!

Look at this guy, what a stud! We had to overseed our lawn in hopes that it would grow in a little better!

This home ownership stuff is hard work, but man it is so much fun! We just bought a beautiful mirror at Tai Pan Trading on the summer sidewalk sale (loved this sale!) and hung it above our mantel. It is so fun to decorate our house and make it more our own. I'm definitely still learning how to decorate so we pretty much play it safe but it is fun to figure out what we both like!

{ hello may! }

2011-05-01T21:58:00.000-06:00

Is it weird to anyone else that today is May 1st? It seems like April disappeared before my eyes...but I am looking forward to an end to the snow (cross our fingers) and some warmer weather!!

After all of the Royal Wedding festivities this past week I thought I'd post a few of my favorite pics. No, I did not watch the wedding live but it was so fun to read the recap and see the pictures. Kate Middleton's dress was absolutely beautiful!! I am impressed with both Kate and William and I look forward to watching them over the years.

My grandparents were also in town this weekend for some family festivities. It was great to see them!! Andy was a champ and went to my nephew Kaden's baptism on his own since I had a tournament. We also went to my sister Erica's opera Saturday night. (Side note...Erica did a beautiful job, but the story line wasn't my favorite :) It wasn't Andy's favorite either...go figure!)

I also had a crazy whim this weekend and dyed my hair dark dark brown. It is fun! My cute sisters Ashley and Brittany did a great job dying it for me when I was over at my parents' house on Friday night. It is pretty dark now, but it should lighten up to exactly the color I want in a few weeks. It is nice to have a change!!

shootin'

2011-04-23T20:34:00.000-06:00

Recently Andy has had a fascination with guns and shooting...it must be all that xbox he plays. We've bought a pistol and a rifle in the past few months and he finally got me out shooting with him today! It was actually really fun. We went down on the west side of Utah Lake. There are a TON of people that go down to shoot there, it is a great spot. Party on!

i'm in love...

2011-04-18T20:26:00.000-06:00

No...we don't have a dog. I wish a million times that we did. I mean, come on, look at these adorable puppies! With Andy and I both working all day it probably won't work yet but we can't wait! These are two of my favorites, chocolate lab and german shorthair pointer. Andy is a big fan of bulldogs, boston terrier, and jack russell terriers. We'll see who wins out!

hilarious video...

2011-03-19T12:01:00.000-06:00

I saw this on another blog and I just had to post it. It is so funny!!! Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T11:12:00.000-06:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I thought I would share this link to the blog Cake Wrecks. I hope you have a great day with some luck of the Irish!

new car!

2011-02-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Andy told everyone this was his Valentine's Day present to me, which is partly true...okay, so he didn't actually buy it for me. I went and bought it with my brother-in-law (thanks Rich!!) after my Subaru died because Andy was working crazy hours the past few weeks, but he was great to let me buy it! I love it. It is AWD and is just a great car for me.

In the words of my sister Liz, "RIP little Subaru!!" My 1995 Subaru Legacy got me through college and was great in the snow. It was an amazing car the last few years and I will definitely miss the Hulk! If you have any ideas on a name for my new car throw them my way...I am stumped so far!

a new twist on New Years Resolutions

2011-01-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

I read this post on one of my favorite blogs, Simple Mom, and it has inspired me to re-define my New Years Resolutions and decide what is really important to me.

It doesn't always have to be the goal I make every year of "lose 10 lbs" (even though every year I definitely need that goal) but whatever matters most to me I need to make sure that there is something I can do each day to to achieve that goal.

I highly recommend this post to anyone who is itching to set some goals!

[the marathon post of all marathon posts]

2010-12-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been a blogging slacker…no excuses from me. I have just been a slacker! We have been keeping busy over the last few months!! Here is the skinny on what we have been up to lately. Beware, this is a long post!

1. Grandma Tew’s Birthday Party
It was my Grandma Tew’s birthday party, and it was so fun! I love all of my grandparents and Andy’s grandparents. We are so grateful for the amazing things they have accomplished and the incredible things they have taught us by their example. Happy birthday to Grandma Tew a few months ago!

2. Budd Family Trip Extravaganza
My sister Liz and her family are currently living in Detroit, Michigan. They are doing fabulous there, with her husband Jake working at The Ford Medical Group. He has been very successful so far and works extremely hard at everything he does. We are so proud of you guys! They came out to Utah for a month this summer, and boy did we party it up. It was a family event almost every night! Here are some pictures from the movie night we had at my parent’s house.

Daniel was not excited about the movie night!

We also had the MOST fun with a girls night while the Budd family was in town. It was just the girls, and it was amazing!! We went to the Cannon’s family cabin (thanks Cannons!) and spent the night. It was so great. We did nail painting, waxing, movies, hair curling, and singing. Thanks to my Sistas and my Momma for such a fun night!

Best pictures ever, right?

3. Wedding #1: Jaci and Reilly become Jaci & Reilly Inman!

One of my best friends, Jaci Mabey, married a great guy named Reilly. They are so cute! It was a beautiful wedding, luncheon, and reception. Congrats Jaci and Reilly!

4. Wedding #2: Kim and Brandon become Kim and Brandon Johnson!

Another one of my best friends, Kim Anderson, married another great guy named Brandon. They also had such a beautiful wedding, luncheon, and reception. I am so lucky to have such great friends!!

5. Wedding #3: Chelsey and Nick become Chelsey and Nick Booth!

Yep, you guessed it. I had another really great friend get married this summer! ‘Tis the season I guess. I loved their reception. It was outside and it was beautiful! Chelsey and I played volleyball together at the U. Congrats you guys!

6. Wedding #4: Sarah and Ryan become Sarah and Ryan Collette!

Another one of my volleyball best friends got married this summer. They are so great! These two are also now expecting, and yes, they are having twin boys!! So cute! I can’t wait, they are going to be such great parents.

7. Wedding #5: Connie and Nick become Connie and Nick Rothacher!

Connie is another one of my best friends from volleyball. They had such a beautiful ceremony outside, and the reception was so fun!

8. Wedding #6: Marianne and Eddie become Marianne and Eddie Prignano!

Andy’s cousin Marianne Gold married Eddie Prignano this summer. They are such a great couple!! The theme of their wedding was very classy and old-fashioned. I loved Marianne’s dress; she looked absolutely gorgeous, as always!

9. Andy and I bought house…yes that’s right, a house!! It is so crazy! We are now official residents of Draper, Utah. It is so much fun. It still feels like a dream most mornings when we wake up. We had our new couches delivered on the day we moved in. We were supposed to have a new fridge and washer and dryer delivered that day, but the washer was on back order…so we don’t have the fridge, washer, or dryer until January 4th! Thank you to my sister Jamie and brother-in-law Rich for letting us borrow their mini fridge so that we can at least have a few things for the next few weeks. Life is always an adventure! Thank you to my Mom and Dad for letting us borrow their extra Christmas tree and decorations so we could set up a tree. We moved the week before Christmas so it was all a little crazy. We love our house, and we can’t wait to keep making it our own!! I will post more pictures as we get more rooms unpacked! Here are a few for now.

10. Andy and I celebrated our 4 yr anniversary! We didn’t get any pictures taken on the night of our anniversary, but we had a pretty low key celebration because we had just moved a few days before. We’re going to celebrate in a few weeks and stay at a great hotel in Park City. I’ll post pictures when we go, as long as Andy lets me take any! Thanks Andy, for the most amazing four years ever. I love that I get to celebrate a million more anniversaries with you. There is no one else I would rather have with me on this crazy rollercoaster we call life. I love you!!

So that is a quick (haha) update on what we have done the past few months. Those are just a few of the highlights. I think one of my New Year’s resolutions next week will be to stay more on top of our blog so that I can keep better track of our lives that way!!

P.S. Andy just found out last week that he passed his 3rd CPA Exam section! In his words, he is “.75 a CPA.” Just one more test to go, congrats sweetheart!!

detroit!

2010-08-08T19:23:00.001-06:00

Last month Andy and my brother-in-law Rich were so sweet and surprised my sister Jamie and I with plane tickets to Detroit, MI to see my sister Liz and her family for the weekend. It was SOOO much stinkin fun! I was exhausted the whole time because we did so many fun things. We went to my nephew Charlie's school and had a picnic on Friday. We also went to the Detroit River Festival and took a ferry ride on the Detroit River.

On Saturday we went over to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. It was such a neat place! They have so many cool exhibits, from Edisons laboratory to the Law office where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. There was a Motor Muster going on that weekend so there were hundreds of vintage cars in amazing condition. On Saturday night Liz, Jamie, and I went to the Detroit Museum of Art in downtown Detroit. It was really fun to have some girl time! We walked around to all of the exhibits we could see in a few hours and watched a dance performance.

Sunday night Jamie and I flew back home, but we were able to go to Stake Conference with the Budds before we left. Their Stake Center is right next to the Detroit Temple, which is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much to Andy for the plan ticket and to the Budd family for being such fabulous hosts. It was a trip that I will never forget!!

cruisin'

2010-07-14T19:48:00.001-06:00

As a fun graduation trip Andy and I decided to go on a cruise! It was a lot of fun. We went to took off from Long Beach, CA and stopped in Catalina Island, CA and Ensenada, Mexico. We went with our friends Vince, Paige, Amy, Spencer, Mike, and Chelsey. We were glad to have great friends to hang out with on the ship!

Andy and I stayed with Susan and Jack Earl in St. George on the way down and back. We drove through Snow Canyon for the first time. It is beautiful! Thanks Susan for letting us take your car!

Catalina Island is GORGEOUS. We will definitely be going back to visit someday! Ensenada was...Ensenada. It was nice to be on the beach, but it wasn't the greatest part of Mexico. We still had fun lounging, playing sand volleyball, and enjoying some real Mexican food. All in all it was a great trip!

We also stopped at the Fiesta Fun Family Fun Center on our way back to SLC and hit up some mad go-kart racing!

c jane enjoy it: Are We Not All Hoarders?

2010-05-19T20:25:00.000-06:00

I just read this post on one of my favorite blogs and I really liked the point that the author made. I may be doing a pretty good job at not hoarding physical things, but I am terrible at hoarding other things like my own insecurities or mistakes I've made. I have made a new commitment to declutter my mind and get rid of the negative things that I hold on to!! If you'd like to read the post please click on the link below:

c jane enjoy it: Are We Not All Hoarders?

master haynie

2010-05-09T11:01:00.000-06:00

May 7, 2010...the day that Andy received his Masters of Accounting degree! Graduation was so much fun. All of our parents were there to celebrate with us. I am so proud of Andy, he worked so hard to make it through this past year. He says now that it was not that bad, but there were more than a few times last semester that I can pretty much bet he would have been singing a different tune!

We had a lot of friends that graduated this semester and we were lucky enough to get pictures with a few of them. Congratulations to all of our friends that finished yesterday. We love you all and we wish you the best of luck with everything that is ahead!!

fun times

2010-05-09T10:55:00.000-06:00

I received some flowers for my birthday from my sweetheart, Andy, and also Joe and Denise Haynie. They were so pretty, thanks to you both! I can't believe I'm 23. I know most of you are going to say that is not even old, but it is still wierd! Life just keeps plugging along...whether we live it or not!

A few days after my birthday I received my next present...SNOW! It was so crazy! Okay, so this was probably not a great present because I was totally ready for warm weather, but it was still fun to see everything covered in white again. It kept snowing on and off again for about three weeks. I just love Utah weather!

land of the king size bed

2010-05-09T10:51:00.000-06:00

Last month we got a new mattress because Andy was having a really hard time sleeping, and since we were already buying a new mattress we decided to go BIG and get a king-size bed! Let me just tell you, it is absolutely fabulous. We love it! As you can see from the picture it barely fits in our bedroom, but it is worth it!

happy happy birthday mommy dear!

2010-03-28T20:05:00.001-06:00

We had a family birthday party for my Mom last week and it was great. Thanks to Stacey and Clark for hosting the party at their Church. We talked and ate and ate some more, thats about the same as all of our family parties! :) The necklace we gave her is pictured below, and it is beautiful. Thank you Jess for organizing the gift!

man she is adorable

2010-03-28T19:59:00.000-06:00

We were at Joe and Denise's house for dinner last week, and Emma came out in this...garbage bag overalls. She is so hilarious and smart and fun. We love her so much!

happy birthday ms. janice!

2010-03-28T19:56:00.000-06:00

This is very late, but happy belated birthday to my sweet mother-in-law Janice! She is such an amazing person, and we are very grateful for everything she does for us!

my girls...minus a few :)

2010-03-28T19:52:00.000-06:00

My friends and I got together a few weeks ago for Melissa's birthday and it was so fun. We were missing a few of us, but it was great to see these girls. I love that we have been able to stay close even though we don't see each other as often as we should!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

2010-03-28T19:46:00.000-06:00

My sister Ashley was in the play Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and she was fabulous! She was the sister "Dorcas." She fractured her foot during the play, but she still made it through all of the dances and scenes. Way to go Ash!

i am my mother's daughter.

2010-01-24T22:43:00.003-07:00

Anyone who knows my Mom will understand this post. I love you Mom! :)

yay for the inversion.

2010-01-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is what we are breathing people. Love it.

oh paigey.

2010-01-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Amy's parents were fostering a set of three puppies for six weeks and so we decided to go up and see them. They were so stinking cute! Paige was a little obsessed with them, it was awesome. It made me so excited for when we can have a dog, but we'll just have to wait a little longer!

a day at the yurt!

2010-01-10T20:08:00.002-07:00

This last weekend we went to a yurt up by Lily Lake in Wyoming with a group of our friends. It was great! We cross-country skied into the yurt and then stayed in this big tent in double bunk beds. It was amazing to be in the middle of nowhere where it was quiet in the forest. It was my first time skiing ever, and I think the final fall count for me was 19! Everyone was really patient with me and it was definitely better on the second day!

happy new year!

2010-01-10T20:03:00.002-07:00

This year my family got together for New Years Eve at my sister Jamie's house. It was so much fun. The Budd Family was in town still and it was great to see them!! Thanks Jamie and Rich for such a fantastic night!!

vball girlies.

2010-01-10T19:57:00.002-07:00

I've stayed close friends with a lot of the girls that I played volleyball with growing up. We try to get together at least once a year for dinner to catch up how everyone is doing. This year we met up at P.F. Changs, so delicious!!! This year only Audrey, Dani, Blakely and I were able to get together, but it was amazing to see them. I love these girls!

girls night out!

2009-12-27T14:03:00.002-07:00

Last night my sisters, Mom, and I had a girls night out, and it was so much fun!! We were ALL there, which is rare now days since my sister Liz lives in Michigan. We talked and ate, and did hand softening treatments, face masks, hair styling, and finger/toenail painting. It was so great! I love my sisters so much, it was wonderful to spend time with them!

Can I just say, wow...stunning!

merry christmas!

2009-12-27T13:46:00.004-07:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I love the lights and the parties and seeing all of our friends and family. Here is our tiny Christmas tree at our house. It was perfect, because it is the only thing that will really fit! We love our cinder-block palace! This is a picture of the Christmas tree at my parent's house. Like I mentioned in a previous post, they bought a home in South Jordan so this was the last Christmas as the house where I grew up. There was always one tree upstairs and one tree downstairs, and we would always open our presents by the tree downstairs. We had some great memories at this house!

Here is Emily showing off her pretty new dress from Grandma and Grandpa! She LOVES dresses!

HT and Kaden were pretty excited for their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa! They loved them!

I hope you all had a great Christmas!!

ugly sweaters and crazy gifts.

2009-12-27T12:53:00.003-07:00

Some of Andy's friends got together for an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. It was so great!! We all met up at a very classy place, Chuck-O-Rama, had dinner, and then went over to our friend Matt's parents' house for a night filled with chimes (yes, you heard me right, chimes) and a white elephant gift exchange. It haven't laughed that hard in a long time!!

Congratulations to Addy (shown in the picture below) and Sam (not in the picture below) who got engaged the night before. We are so excited for you guys! Here is our leader, Paul, helping us keep the right rhythm on our songs. There is a movie below of one of our songs. We were pretty terrible, but it was so fun.

Here we are after dinner at Chuck-O-Rama with our whole group. The kid in the sweater-vest on the right side of the picture and the girl standing next to me on the left side are the two people that won the ugly sweater contest. They looked pretty great!

Showing off all of the fabulous white elephant gifts that were given. Some were more appropriate than others...but that is what you get when you put Andy's friends together!

We are attempting to play Silent Night in the video above. It is a little dark, but it is hilarious!

new lovell residence.

2009-12-27T12:49:00.002-07:00

My parents just bought a new home in South Jordan, and I am so excited for them! These are just a few pictures of the house but it is absolutely beautiful. They won't be moving out to this house for a few months. I am just so excited for them to have such a great place!

christmas lights on temple square.

2009-12-27T12:45:00.002-07:00

This is one of my favorite things about the Christmas season. The lights on Temple Square are so beautiful and I have so many great memories of walking around in the freezing cold looking at the lights! Unfortunately these pictures were taken from my car, as I have not yet been able to go...but Andy has promised to take me before they turn them off for the season!

happy 18th to ash and brit!

2009-12-27T12:35:00.002-07:00

My youngest sisters Ashley and Brittany turned 18 this December, I can't believe how old they are! We decided to throw them a surprise dinner at this delicious chinese restaurant in Bountiful called Joy Luck. I threw it together kind of last minute, but amazingly enough a lot of us were actually able to come! They were TOTALLY surprised and it was so much fun!!

I love them both so much!! It has been so fun seeing them grow up and become such beautiful ladies!

thanksgiving at the lovell casa.

2009-12-27T12:23:00.003-07:00

This year Andy and I had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house. It was so fun! We were missing the Budd family and the Humphries family, but everyone else was there! Here is a picture of the some of the chaos that is my family. I love it so much!! My parents just bought a new home, so this was our last Thanksgiving at the house where my parents have lived for over 30 years. It was so fun! Here are some of my gorgeous nieces, they love dressing up like princesses and they are so stinking cute!

My sister Megan just had a little girl named Erin Adelaide. She is almost three months old and she is a sweetheart! Here she is with my sister Stacey and her youngest daughter Emily.

My sister Ashley hurt her ankle really badly during one of the practices for her school play, and she was on crutches for a few weeks. Here she is playing it up a little bit with an ace bandage on her head as well. The kids thought it was pretty funny!

happy thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T16:32:00.003-07:00

If you've never checked out the website Cake Wrecks, you really need to visit. That is where I pulled this beauty of a Thanksgiving cake picture. I think it is fabulous!!

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. There are so many things that I have to be thankful for this year...we are really blessed in our lives. What a blessing it is to have the Gospel in our lives! To know that Andy and I will be sealed together forever, and that we will be with all of our family forever. I am truly grateful for that among many, many, many other things!

new moon.

2009-11-22T13:25:00.004-07:00

I know everyone is probably sick of hearing about this movie, but I have to write about it. I went and saw it with some of my family yesterday and I LOVED it! This is a little embarrassing, but I am super obsessed with the Twilight series. The books are phenomenal, Stephenie Meyer is amazing. I love the story line and the characters.

I have to admit, New Moon was my least favorite book out of the four because Edward disappears! (I am definitely an Edward fan, sorry to all those Jacob fans out there) However, now that I know that he does come back and that he and Bella are just as madly in love when he returns as they were before he left I can enjoy New Moon much more. I thought the movie was done well. The acting and the special effects definitely improved since the movie Twilight, although I did love that movie as well.

Here is a picture of the whole gang that went and saw the movie yesterday. It was a blast! From left to right we have Veronica Willden, Jamie Moss, Jessica Cannon, Clara Cannon, Brittany Lovell, Brenda Lovell, Jane Haynie, and me. It was a great crowd in the theater with us. When Edward first appeared everyone started cheering and whistling, well mostly the girls were to be honest. Then, when Jacob first came on a guy in the front started cheering really loud as a joke! It was hilarious! We had a great time, thanks to Mom for buying us all lunch and making it such a fun day! I can't wait for the next movie to come out, I might have to read the books again before it is released!

hillary jane haynie.

2009-11-22T13:18:00.003-07:00

Our sister Janie celebrated her birthday on Friday, happy birthday Janie! You are such a sweetheart, always trying to think of ways to help others. You give us the yummiest treats, and are so willing to share what you have with others. We love you!

We went out to dinner on Tuhrsday night with Joe, Denise, and Emma Haynie to celebrate Janie's birthday. It was great! The videos' below are of cute little Emma singing Primary Happy Birthday songs to Janie. It was really dark in the restaurant so you can't see Emma's face, bummer! But they are so cute I had to post them anyway. Enjoy!

wow.

2009-11-15T20:19:00.005-07:00

Okay I have to post this picture of some of Andy's friends from a surprise birthday party we went to last night. Andy has a group of friends from high school that have stayed really close after graduating, and they are pretty hilarious. This picure only has a few of the boys. They decided for some odd reason that for this surprise party they all needed to dress up and wear...moustaches. Way random, but as you can see it was out of control funny!

gorgeous ladies.

2009-10-18T20:14:00.002-06:00

My parents were out of town the weekend my sisters Ashley and Brittany had their Homecoming dance, so I got to go help them get ready for the Dance!! They looked SO fabulous, I can't believe how old they are getting! They are big seniors this year, ruling the school. I love them both so much, and I am so proud of them!!

utah volleyball.

2009-10-18T20:09:00.002-06:00

It has been really wierd to go watch the volleyball games this season at the U. They are having a great season, I am so proud! They beat BYU this year, which is always good. :) It will be fun to see how far they go this year. Go Utes!!

What a stud. This is my nephew HT, or "Tizzle" as we now call him. He is so darn cute, and such a poser for pictures!!

hang gliding central.

2009-10-18T20:02:00.002-06:00

Joe and Denise Haynie moved down to Draper this summer to a great house that is the perfect size for them. The only downside is that they are further away than before! But they have promised to let us come use their hot tub and sauna...that will be SO nice this winter!! One night after Sunday dinner they took us up to a park by their house that is famous for hang gliders. There were hundreds of people there, it was so cool to watch! Emma was hilarious, as usual. As soon as I pulled my camera out she was posing left and right. "Take my picture NOW," and then, "take my picture again!" Here are some of the silliest. She is a doll!

paige & vince mccullam.

2009-10-18T19:59:00.003-06:00

One of my best friends, Paige, married Vince McCullam this summer. Their wedding was so fun, and Paige looked absolutely beautiful!! I am so happy for them. We're glad to have more of our friends married so they will hang out with us! :)

sister lori marie baird.

2009-10-18T19:55:00.002-06:00

Lori Baird, one of my best friends, left in August on her mission. She is serving in the Porto Alegre North Mission in Brazil. I am so proud of her, she is going to be a terrific missionary!! If anyone wants to write her let me know and I can give you her address.

wheeler farm.

2009-10-18T19:48:00.004-06:00

The Monday after Erica and Chris got married all of the Lovell cousins in Utah got together at Wheeler Farm. A lot of my cousins live in Utah now! Their kids are all so cute! My Mom had loads of games for the kids to play. Everything from a giant water balloon sling shot to feeding the ducks.

It was great to see everyone, especially the Budd Family. They were in town from Detroit for the wedding.

the wedding.

2009-10-18T19:20:00.004-06:00

On August 15, 2009 my sister Erica married Chris Humphries. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. It was such a great day! My whole family was there, the weather decided to cooperate when we went outside for pictures which was even better. They are so cute, Erica informed me last week that it was their "2 month" anniversary! Congrats to you guys for making it 2 months, we wish you many, many more happy months to come!!

Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize we were parked on the street for more than 2 hrs outside Temple Square. We had a ticket on our windshield after the luncheon. Such a bummer. Oh well, we learned our lesson and never again will we make that mistake!

Then there is this guy. What a stud. I am so lucky to be married to such a GQ man! My nephew Hyrum and my sisters Ashley and Brittany are in the next picture. They are fabulous. Hyrum is a little model, he is always posing for pictures. He is adorable!

This is just a glimpse into the amount of food that my Mom bought for the reception. This is all canteloupe. All of it. We had SO much food, it was a great party that night. We were exhausted at the end but I think it was a success!

John Vermaas

2009-09-22T13:11:00.003-06:00

This post is a tribute to one of our dear friends that passed away last week. John Vermaas lived in our court at the University Student Apartment for a few years. Andy served with him in the Bishopric for a few months and we talked with his family outside all the time. He was a dear friend, we learned so much from him about kindness and thinking of others. He had a huge impact on our lives, he will be missed. Our prayers are with his sweet family. Thank you, John, for being such a great friend. We love you!

Obituary from the Deseret News

John Berrey Vermaas 1974 ~ 2009 On September 11th, 2009 John Berrey Vermaas, enjoying a beautiful day with beloved childhood friends, died in a four-wheeler accident at Green Canyon near Rexburg, Idaho. He was 35.Born in Pocatello, Idaho on February 22, 1974 as the first child of William and Hanna Vermaas, John began life as a 10 lb 8 oz infant, and was - in so many ways - BIG in the lives of his family from that time. His generous smile, rich laughter, and humorous personality were a joy to his parents and grandparents, and throughout his life he played a guiding and influential role in the lives of his younger siblings Jenny Marie, Leonard Lance, Amanda June, and Billy Dean, who are blessed and honored to have had such a loving big brother. John was a pleasure to associate with. He had many wonderful friends in Salmon, where he graduated from high school in 1992. He loved them well, and their parents, often referring to their mothers collectively as his "other moms." Wherever he lived, worked, and attended church he endeared himself to people as he served and uplifted them. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at age 18. In 1993, John accepted a call as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California Los Angeles Mission where he continued to bless the lives of others in his efforts to share his fervent belief in Jesus Christ. It was in this capacity that he became associated with Erica Burgess Olson, who he later befriended and fell in love with. John and Erica were married on December 28th, 1995 in the Logan Temple. This marriage gave John the opportunity of being a father to three very special children. Robert Saxon was born in 1997, followed by Sara Ivie in 1999, and Kathrine Morgan in 2007. His fondness for his wife and children was evidenced by everything he did in life and the smile on his face every time he looked at them. John is survived by Erica Olson Vermaas (wife), Robert Saxon Vermaas (son), Sara Ivie Vermaas (daughter), Kathrine Morgan Vermaas (daughter), William and Hanna Vermaas (parents), Jenny Marie Vermaas (sister), Leonard Lance Vermaas (brother), Amanda June Evans (sister), Steven Rae Evans (brother-in-law), Billy Dean Vermaas (brother), Xandi Brooke Vermaas (sister-in-law), Dr. Victoria Burgess (mother-in-law), Eric Olson (father-in-law), Dr. Eden Olson-O'Donnell (sister-in-law), Seth Burgess-Olson (brother-in-law), Abraham Lester Burgess (brother-in-law), Zachary Olson-Burgess (brother-in-law), as well as three nieces and four nephews. He was preceded in death by grandparents William and Marie Vermaas, Wanda and Gerald Duncombe, Ivan L. Akers, and his uncles Michael and Robert Vermaas, and Wallace Eugene Akers. Services for John will be held on Thurs. afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the Salmon LDS Stake House on 400 Daisy Street in Salmon, Idaho. A graveside service will be held Friday morning at 10:00 at the Wardboro Cemetery in Montpelier, Idaho. A Memorial Service will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sat. at 10 a.m at the University First Stake house on Mario Capecchi Dr.

Summer Fun

2009-07-25T20:19:00.016-06:00

This summer has been so much fun, and I've taken tons of great pictures but they just haven't quite made it on the blog!! So this will be a smorgashborg of the fun times that we have had this summer!!!

First of all, most of you probably know but Andy and I are graduated!! Andy finished his Bachelor's Degree in Accounting in December and I finished mine in May. Andy was nice enough to walk with me in May. It was so fun to be able to do that together!! My brother-in-law Jake Budd also graduated with his double Master's Degree. Wow! I think he got an MBA and a Masters of Health Administration with a minor in Marketing...but don't quote me on that. Sorry Liz and Jake if that is wrong!! But he is one smart guy. All of my sisters have been so blessed to find such smart and amazing guys to marry. I'm pretty lucky in that department too! :)

My best friend Becky Levanger invited my family up to her Dad's house for a BBQ and to watch the Eaglewood Golf Course fireworks on July 3rd. I don't know if they were quite prepared for all of the kids that were there!! They were so great, Jim (Becky's Dad) cooked SO much meat on his gril and there was tons of other stuff. It was such a fun BBQ, thanks Levangers for the great night!

Andy shaved for the occasion...he definitely got some laughs. If any of you have seen the TV show My Name is Earl, you will understand his inspiration. I just kept laughing and shaking my head every time I saw him! I couldn't take him seriously. Lucky for me he shaved it after a few days.

We headed up to Idaho last week for a the Armstrong family reunion (my Mom's side of the family) at my Grandma and Grandpa Tew's farm. It was a blast, other than the allergic reaction a bunch of us had to the weeds when we were out riding their 4-wheelers around in the pasture and at the river bottoms!

Everyone camped out around my Grandparents' house in Leslie, Idaho. Andy and I decided it was time to buy our own tent, since normally we just borrow one from our parents. This is our awesome new tent! We love it, it is so fun to have. We are fully outfitted, we bought sleeping bags, an air mattress, and a tarp as well. Hopefully we will actually use our camping stuff again before the summer is over!!

After the reunion my family drove over to The "Triple L" Lovell Ranch by Swan Valley, Idaho. My Dad's side of the family was having their big reunion the next weekend and our family was in charge so we got to stay at the Ranch all week! It was so much fun.

Andy and I slept in a tent again, not something that he was too happy about, so we were glad we had a comfortable air mattress!

Apparently my sister Brittany didn't want to sleep on any of the couches. This is a picture of her sleeping on the overhang by the stairs. When I was younger I always remember someone sleeping there when we were at the Ranch so it was fun to see that the tradition was being carried on!

On Tuesday we jumped in the cars and headed to Yellowstone National Park. 5 1/2 hours later (thanks to blessed road construction!) we made it to Old Faithful! It was so fun being there with my family. I had never been to Yellowstone and I loved it! Here is a picture of me with Old Faithful going off. It was pretty impressive!! Quite a natural wonder.

There were so many amazing things to see. We were there for 3-4 hours and only caught a glimpse of the beautiful things that were there. I think that when we go back we will camp there for a day or two...driving there and back in one day was a little taxing! This was called the "Emerald Pool." The water has a gorgeous blue color and is totally clear. There were so many pools like that around, each with its own unique color and fascination. I took so many pictures! Too many to post on here without boring everyone! :)

Here is a picture with me and some of my girls. All of my sisters and their families were there except my sister Liz Budd and her family. They moved to Detroit, Michigan about a month ago where her husband is doing a fellowship with the Ford Medical Group. We definitely missed you guys Liz!!

One of my best friends, Kate Robison, got married on July 23. It was so fun to go to her ceremony and reception. I was definitely crying when she walked down the aisle with her Dad! She looked absolutely beautiful. Towards the end of the reception they had dancing and Kate asked all of the Utah Volleyball players that were there to come up and do our dance that we always did in the lockerroom before games. It was hilarious, but I don't know if anyone else really thought it was funny! It is kind of an inside thing...but I was glad we could do it for Kate!

I got to see so many great friends at her reception, it was great. I've had tons of other friends get married this summer, it has been so exciting! I haven't been able to make it to all of their receptions but I am so happy for all of them. Marriage is so much fun, it is exciting and challenging and sometimes can be rough, but the amazing days definitely outweight the rough ones. My sister Erica is getting married on August 15th in the Salt Lake Temple. Her fiancee is named Chris Humphries and he is a sweetheart! They are going to have an amazing life together.

I can't believe summer is more than half over. It has been so great to spend so much time with Andy. He's getting ready to start school again in a few weeks! He's excited to be able to start his Master's program and finish these final steps before he is done with school. This time next year he will just be studying for his CPA exam! This is such a fun time for both of us. As much as we look forward to the time where we have more than 580 square feet to live in and we don't worry about asbestos poisioning (we love you Student Housing!) we are realizing what an amazing time we are living right now. We love where we are, and we are definitely enjoying every minute!!

The Adjustment Period

2009-05-27T22:35:00.002-06:00

It has been really wierd for me the past few weeks not being in school and not playing volleyball 24/7...on top of that I started working full time which is definitely a change!!

I think I am slowly starting to get used to it. I am starting to really love my evenings! It is so great being able to come home from work and do whatever I want! I still have things to get done for my Church calling and different projects I have going on, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to read a textbook or make flashcards!!

Andy and I are adjusting to being married again now that we are seeing each other more (he is adjusting to actually having me around! :)) and it is so fun spending time with each other. Once we actually take some good pictures I'll post them on here, but for now just know that we love you guys!

What cuties!

2009-04-21T22:23:00.002-06:00

This is such a fun picture of Andy and his sister Emma...she just turned 4 last Sunday. She is CUTE!! His dad and step-mom adopted her from China and they definitely lucked out! She is such a doll, and she has so much energy! We love being able to see them all the time. Thanks Joe and Denise for everything you do for us, you are great!

Mission Pics

2009-04-16T23:37:00.000-06:00

I found these great pictures on Andy's computer from his mission in Ukraine. It's really cool for me to see the different places he lived and the people that he met. He's a pretty awesome guy...I'm lucky to have found him!

Anyway, things for us are just plugging along. Andy got accepted to the Masters of Accounting program here at the U so we are excited to be living in Salt Lake still!! He finished his internship with KPMG at the end of March and accepted an job with them for when he completes graduate school. He's been taking a well deserved break the past few weeks before starting a job for the summer, and he's enjoyed himself! He's definitely played his fair share of xbox, but I'm okay with it...he works so hard all the time!! And he's pretty good about not playing 24/7, which I really appreciate.

I am counting down the days until I finish the semester...only 19 more days to go until I take my last final!! I am headed to Riverside, California this weekend to play in the Collegiate Beach National tournament. It will be fun! Don't worry, the outfits aren't too scandalous. That was Andy's only requirement for me playing!! :) Graduation will be awesome since Andy and I will both be able to walk this year. It will be great for us to move on to another phase of life, we just have so much fun together! I'll be sure to post some pictures of graduation after the shin-dig!!

Andy's Mustache

2009-02-19T22:46:00.002-07:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in our poll about Andy's mustache! Although he did win the poll he decided to shave it anyway. He keeps telling me he can't wait until he is released from the Bishopric so he can grow his beard again! :) Whatever makes him happy is great with me! I'm sorry we are so sporadic in our posting, life is crazy for us as I'm sure it is for everyone. I'll post an update and pictures soon!

The End of an Era

2008-12-19T22:55:00.007-07:00

Well, I've finished my senior year playing volleyball at the University of Utah. It was a sad night when we lost to the University of Washington last week, but the more I look back on our season the more fun memories I remember. This was such an incredible year. Here are some of our accomplishments:

° Won the MWC Regular Season Championship outright
° Defeated #15 Colorado State

° Defeated BYU…twice :)
° Had 4 players on the MWC All-Conference Team: Barto, Emillie, Lori, and Me
° Lori Baird was named Co-MWC Player of the Year
° Won the prestigious Bankers Classic at the University of the Pacific
° Were seeded 12th going into the NCAA tournament
° Defeated Furman in the first round of the NCAA tournament
° Defeated Clemson at Clemson University in the second round of the NCAA tournament
° Made it to the Sweet 16 for the second time in Utah history
° Had 2 All-Americans- Lori Baird 3rd Team, Emillie Toone Honorable Mention

These are only some of the many accomplishments of our team, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten tons. There are awards that our coaches received as well, but I can’t remember them. :) But really, the things that I am most proud of from this season are the things that we accomplished that aren't measured by awards. The 14 other girls that I was able to play with this year are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. I learned so much about myself and about each of them…I’ll never forget this experience. Our coaches were amazing. Everyone came together to make this one of the most special times of my life. We overcame a lot of things over the years, but I know that we learned things that will help us a ton in our future.

My family was talking at dinner after the game vs. Washington, and my parents realized it has been 16 years since our family first got involved in volleyball. It all started with Megan trying out for a team in 1992. We have had so much fun over the years at volleyball tournaments and banquets. We have had the most amazing support from our parents over the years. They have supported us each both personally and financially through all of our volleyball adventures. I feel so blessed to have had the experiences I have had through volleyball because of my parents. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom and Dad!!!

It is a bittersweet feeling to be finished. It will be wonderful to have more time to spend with my family and my sweet husband, but I will miss all of the great times I’ve had over the last four years. These pictures are some of my favorites from the past year. I had the best support group ever from my family and my friends. Thank you to everyone that came to games or supported me in any way through this volleyball experience. You are the best!!!

Seattle, Washington

2008-12-11T18:02:00.005-07:00

We're here!! I'm sitting in Seattle, Washington right now enjoying the fun of being in the Sweet Sixteen. We beat Furman and Clemson last weekend in South Carolina and so we get to play for another weekend! It is such an amazing experience. It is only the second time in U of U history that the volleyball team has made it to the Sweet 16. We play University of Washington tomorrow night at 8:00, which is 9:00 in Utah. The game will be webcast on our website at http://www.utahutes.com/ if you want to watch it. I can't wait to play!!! I am so excited, I will have a lot of family here to watch me play. I have the greatest family ever. Wish us luck!!

NCAA's Baby!!!

2008-12-01T18:50:00.003-07:00

The NCAA Tournament is finally here! We made it in as No. 12 seed, which is awesome. It is the highest seed Utah has ever gotten. We are headed to Clemson, South Carolina on Wednesday where we will play Furman in the first round on Friday. It will be so fun! I'll post the results of this weekend and keep everyone updated!

Volleyball Trips

2008-11-16T19:12:00.001-07:00

November Musings

2008-11-16T18:28:00.012-07:00

I really need to start posting more often...too much happens in between my posts! This is going to be another marathon post, I'm sorry!

First, for our super exciting news. A lot of you have probably heard, but Andy has accepted an offer from KPMG to do an internship this Spring! He is really excited, and I am so proud of him! KPMG stands for "Klynveld, Peat, Marwick, and Goerdeler." No wonder they go by the initials! :) It is one of the "Big Four" Accounting firms. He'll be doing an audit internship, and it will be great training for the future. This is a picture of us going out to celebrate...where else would we go but Red Robin? Andy loves a good burger!

Life other than that fun news is pretty much the same. It is still crazy, but fun nonetheless. We have one more week of games in our Conference season. We play Wyoming this Thursday at 7:00 and Colorado State at 1:00 pm on Saturday. These are both going to be awesome games, so if you don't have anything else going on you should definitely come! Saturday will be our "Senior Day," which means it is my last time playing at home on Crimson Court. That is so wierd to me! It has been such a rollercoaster these last four years. I have learned so much about life and about myself. I have had some great times and some of the hardest times of my life, but I am so grateful for the amazing people in my life through it all. I have had some of the best teammates anyone could ever have. Each of the different teams I've been on has been different, but they have each been so unique. My teammates and my coaches have each changed my life in one way or another, and I am so grateful to have known them all. Some have pushed my buttons in ways I haven't liked, but they made me better for it!

I'm very lucky to have such an amazing family. They are so wonderful, I can't even describe how much I love them! I love being able to look up into the stands (after the game of course :)) and see the crazy cheering section that I have! My parents have been amazing to put me through volleyball my whole life. My Dad as my therapist and strategist, and my Mom as my greatest cheerleader. They are such amazing people, I couldn't have made it this far without them. And of course, my sweetheart Andy is the best husband in the world. A lot of people wondered whether I was going to finish my career playing volleyball after getting married...I know Beth was a little worried! But Andy is so supportive. He is always pushing me to be better and to be there f0r my teammates. He is so incredible! I definitely got lucky with that one. I also have the best friends in the world! They are amazing to come and support me, even when they have no idea whats going on! Even my fantastic ward members and Bishop come to the games. They are so sweet! The Lord truly has blessed me in my life with an amazing support system.

Wow, that was a tangent...okay I'm off my soap box. haha

Okay, here is the last issue of this post. It is extremely important...we need some serious input. I came home from a group project yesterday to this:

Andy had the fantastic idea to start growing a mustache! He thinks he is pretty much the funniest guy on earth for doing it. It was hilarious to see everyone's reactions today at Church...they weren't sure if he was serious about it or not, so they didn't really say anything to him. They all just came up to me and were like, "so...what do you think of Andy's mustache?" I would just start laughing everytime, and they would look almost relieved that he wasn't that serious about it.

There are only certain people in this world that can pull off mustaches...and I'm afraid Andy isn't one of them! That is my opinion anyway. We need some help, however. Andy is convinced that it is awesome, even though he knows he looks ridiculous. If you want to help us out with this disagreement, please vote in in the poll on the top right hand side of the screen. I could really use some help convincing him that he should not start going by the nickname "Pedro" and wearing the 'stache, as he calls it. Anyway, let us know what you think...especially if you think he should shave it! :)

Last of all, in the next post there are some fun pictures of the last few volleyball trips I have been on. There are pictures of us at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, our decorated lockerroom at BYU before the game in Provo, Air Force Academy, and the Willamette River in Oregon. The Cathedral at the Air Force Academy is is gorgeous, and so is the Willamette River. I highly recommend checking them out if you ever get the chance!

Fun Fall Memories

2008-10-13T15:39:00.010-06:00

I was going through my camera and found a bunch of fun pictures that I decided to post! It is fun to look back on the last few months and remember some fun times. This picture is of some of the girls on my volleyball team when we decided to go to church down in St. George during pre-season in August. Yes, those were our outfits because we didn't have anything else! It was so funny!

This is a picture of me and Jane Miner, our fabulous sports psychologist. She was so sweet and had us over to her home while we were in St. George. It is one of the coolest places ever! Everything about the house is circular. It was built so there weren't any edges or corners so that energy could flow through the house uninterrupted. Amazing!

Every year the seniors on the volleyball team are in charge of creating the board we have outside our gym. This is a picture of Lori and Em working on it. We did a good job if I do say so myself! :) It is fun to look at it everytime I walk down the hall. This season is going WAY too fast! I can't believe we're half way through October already.

Our team is obsessed with hot chocolate! This is a picture of some of us enjoying some...I think we were in Wyoming. I LOVE the girls on my team. Each one of them is so interesting and has such a different life story. Everyone brings something different to our team and that has made this season so much fun!

On one of our Saturday's off a few of us decided to go watch Lori's sister Natalie compete in her Special Olympics basketball game. She did such a great job! I've known Lori's family for a long time, and Natalie and I are great friends. I feel so lucky to know her! She is such a sweetheart.

Andy and I are on Fall Break this week, which means that we have the entire week off from class! It is so great. Andy has one more interview to do this week and then the waiting begins...we are excited to see what happens with this whole interview process! We would absolutely love to get an internship, so hopefully everything works out! My team is gearing up to play BYU in Provo this Friday. I can't wait! This is one of my favorite matches of the season. The fans down there are crazy, and BYU is a great team. That makes for a fun match! It is Friday at 7:00 pm, so if you are bored that night you should definitely come out in your red shirts and support the Utes! :)

Volleyball Season!

2008-09-11T21:48:00.002-06:00

So I've started my last volleyball season at the U, which explains why I haven't posted for a while! Between school, volleyball, work, accounting recruiting events, and everything else we have going on Andy and I are pretty busy! It is so fun though. Andy is graduating this semester with his Accounting degree (hooray!). All of the accounting firms start interviewing now for internships and jobs, so he is working so hard attending all of the meet-and-greet events as well as applying for interviews. We will have a good idea of what we'll be doing for the next few years after this month! It is exciting to get to this point. I will graduate in the spring with my Accounting degree and then we're both on to graduate school!

This weekend is my last official weekend of preseason of my senior year playing volleyball at the U. We are going to have some tough matches! We play Utah State Friday night at 7:00, St. Louis the next morning at 10:00 am, and then Purdue Saturday night at 7:00. 3 big matches...it doesn't get much better than this! I wanted to post this picture and say thanks to my awesome family! My parents ordered Utah volleyball t-shirts for everyone to wear to the games and we got together on Labor day to take a picture. I am so lucky to have such a supportive family! It is such a great feeling to have people there supporting me while I play. Especially my sweet hubby, Andy. He is so supportive of everything that I do with volleyball. The Lord definitely knew what He was doing when he up the two of us together! I thank my lucky stars every day. Love you babe!

Be Not Afraid

2008-07-31T19:16:00.003-06:00

This is one of my favorite paintings done by Greg Olsen of Christ. It is titled Be Not Afraid. I think it really portrays the love Christ has for each of us. I love how tenderly He reaches down to help the little girl out of the stream. It is a sweet glimpse into the heart of our Savior who loves us each unconditionally. Not to mention it is a beautiful picture! Greg Olsen is a wonderful artist.

Mamma Mia

2008-07-19T13:33:00.005-06:00

I went and saw the movie Mamma Mia last night with Janice and Jane Haynie and it was great! I would totally recommend it!! It was so fun to see actors like Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan playing a different character than they normally do. My Mom LOVES ABBA, so I will definitely have to make sure she sees it.

Christmas in May

2008-06-20T17:17:00.002-06:00

This is a little delayed, but this picture was taken up at the Heber Valley Camp about a month ago when we went camping there with my family. Yes, there was this much snow in May and we were camping...we are crazy! It was so much fun though. I made a snowman with my nephews David and Justin, which was too fun. They are good snowman-makers! I could tell they had worked on it. I love this picture because the trees look so green next to the white snow. We live in such a beautiful place!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2008-05-17T19:49:00.001-06:00

Twilight

2008-05-17T12:29:00.005-06:00

Okay, you can make fun of me if you want but I am secretly obsessed with the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. They are so fantastic, I just finished reading the first 3 books for the second time and they just get better every time I read them. Andy will probably kill me for posting this but I thought I would share this great poster with all of you. The movie comes out in December, but even more exciting the 4th book is released in August...I can't wait! My sisters and I will probably go to a release party somewhere just so we can have the book as soon as possible. :) I've also put the movie trailer at the bottom of our blog, much to Andy's dismay, so enjoy!

Grandma and Grandpa Tew

2008-04-26T08:08:00.002-06:00

What a handsome couple! This is a picture of my Grandma and Grandpa Tew when they got married!! It is courtesy of my sister Jessica's blog (thanks Jess!). I love finding old pictures like this...it is so fun to see my grandparents when they were our age! They are such amazing people, I am so grateful for the example they set for Andy and me!

I'm on the web... wow

2008-04-21T21:54:00.003-06:00

Welp, I decided to stop letting Kat do all the socializing... Thought I'd post an action shot of my bride. Beauty.

Brittany at Senior Ball

2008-04-20T21:38:00.002-06:00

How cute are these two! This is my younger sister Brittany at the Senior Ball for Woods Cross High. She looks adorable!

Burton McLain Todd

2008-04-20T20:26:00.004-06:00

Andy's Grandpa Todd passed away on Tuesday, April 15. He was an amazing man, and had a significant impact on both of our lives. He was one of the people who taught Andy to golf. Andy told me stories about how "Pa" would go golfing with his friends every Thursday, and then he would go again with Andy after he got out of school. The two of them would just "shoot the bull," as Andy would say, and talk about anything and everything. Andy said that whenever Pa had something profound to say, he would point his finger at you to make sure you were listening! He was such a sweet person with a powerful testimony and a wonderful character. He taught Andy so many things as he grew up, and was always such a sweetheart to me. We love him, and will miss him very much.

Here is his obituary as it appeared in the Deseret News:

Burton McLain Todd
Burton McLain Todd 7/20/1920~4/15/2008 Burton McLain Todd, age 87, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2008 of causes incident to age. Born July 20, 1920 in Roosevelt, Utah, to Douglas McLain Todd Jr. and Margaret Burton, he was the fourth of nine children. His life was spent encircled by the warmth and love of this great and large family. He attended school in Midvale, Utah, graduating from East High School in Denver, CO. He graduated from BYU in chemistry. There he met his sweetheart, Phyllis Wallin. They married on Aug. 29, 1941 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They are the proud parents of five children. After serving as an officer in the US Navy during World War II, Burton returned home to attend the University of California Dental School. He began his career as a dentist in Salt Lake City in 1951, and practiced for 45 years developing many loyal and life long friends. He served as the president of the Utah State Dental Association in 1966. Burton loved to golf and enjoyed sharing it with family and friends. He was the president of The Salt Lake Country Club in 1984. He was also an avid gardener. He loved to build and was a partner in developing several beautiful downtown buildings. Burton especially enjoyed spending time with his family at their summer home in Midway, Utah. Burton served faithfully in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints his entire life. He especially loved working with the young men. He and Phyllis served a mission in the Salt Lake Liberty Stake. He served in a bishopric, and was a temple worker for nine years. He leaves behind an appreciative and loving family including Phyllis Wallin Todd, his wife of 67 years, children: Charlene Blake (John), Douglas M. Todd III (Janet Hopkins), Cindy Badger (Briant), Janice Todd and Bryan Todd (Ruth Jones). They have 28 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren. He was loved and adored as their "Pa." He is also survived by siblings: Florence Britsch, Alice Braithwaite, Norma Mabey, Ira Todd and Byron Todd, and preceded in death by Beth Snow, Elaine Page and Robert Todd. Burton was a man of great integrity and love. He leaves behind a wonderful legacy that will be felt for many generations.

Changin' it up!

2008-04-20T17:58:00.003-06:00

So I got a little bored today, and decided to change our blog around! This template is courtesy of my friend Shelly Sommerfeldt. She has other great templates at http://shelsscraps.blogspot.com/. One day I will be as adventurous as Shelly and will try to figure out HTML coding, but for now I will use other people's darling creations!

Long Awaited Post!

2008-02-24T21:23:00.013-07:00

Here is a long awaited update to our blog! I have made a goal to take more pictures of our life so that I actually have something to post! Here are some random fun pictures from the last few months....

This is our super cute little Christmas tree! It is perfect size for our apartment...thanks to Mom for supplying our Christmas decorations for the year!!

This was at our nephews' baptisms. We are so proud of Nick and Jacob!! They looked so handsome together. It was a special day for them both. It was great to have our whole family together and to be with the Templetons and Goodriches. It was quite the party!

Our nephew Kaden has such big muscles!! Just ask him to flex and he'll show you how strong he is. He is such a fun little guy.

Andy and our neighbor Mikkel making their "man burgers." They are quite a pair! If you call Andy and he doesn't answer it is a good chance that these two are in the zone playing Tiger Woods golf on the Play Station 2.

Andy gave me these beautiful flowers for Valentine's Day. What a sweetheart! Well, it was actually the day after Valentine's because Andy didn't want to fight the lines at the flower shop! I definitely can't blame him. They are so fun to have either way!

This is the triple-decker chocolate cake I made for Andy's mom's birthday. It was so fun to make! I found a killer frosting and cake filling recipe if anyone wants it...it is definitely NOT fat-free, but it is really good!

2007-12-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of what life is like during Finals week! Everything else seems a little less important than studying. Andy was so burnt out by the end of the week, all he could to was collapse! We are so happy to be finished with another semester. We only have a few more semesters of undergraduate courses, and then we will be finished. It is exciting to be getting close to the end!

Aloha Friday

2007-12-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Oh Fridays are wonderful...I love knowing that I don't have to go to classes for two whole days! That does not mean that I won't be studying, but at least the tests and presentations are on hold for two days. It also means that Andy and I get to go out on a date! Dates right now are extremely glamorous, dinner out and then watching a movie on TV at home. :) The life of students right? But it is perfect, I couldn't ask for more!

The First...

2007-12-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

So this is officially the first post I have written on our blog! I have a lot more time on my hands now that volleyball season has ended for the year. It has been nice to actually study for finals and catch up on everything. I feels weird not to go to practice everyday! It will be nice to have a break, but I can't wait to start training again next spring! I can't believe it is my last Spring. The last two and a half years have flown by so fast...it will be fun to move on to other things once volleyball is over, but I will definitely miss it!!!