Halloween

Today was one of the most beautiful, warm Halloween's I can remember! It must have been close to 60 today and was a picturesqe fall day making the spirit of the day even more fun.
This is the last tree in our yard to change colors and I love it
We were lucky to have the Latunski's as our first trick or treaters of the night. I work with Troy and Rachel and they rock!
We were starting to worry that our little Eve wasn't going to make an appearance but she did, as one angry ladybug :)

Our attempt at a family picture, I love Norris's head!Ohh, mommy's little angel and devil :)
I didn't go all out this year to Ryan's delight but I love any excuse to decorate
Happy Halloween!

Saturday Recap

Wow, so yesterday had to be the longest Saturday we've ever had. A 20 hour day is a long day, which also makes for a long post (sorry)...oh and sorry for the blurry pictures, I guess it's time for a new camera.

So we woke up at 5am and drove to the Detroit temple for an 8am appointment with the youth to do baptisms. Ryan and I stayed after for the 10am session. I had a feeling it might be a tough one for me since it was the first time I'd been to the temple since my Grandma passed away and I was right. I've missed her so much lately and it must just be reality setting in but I think she was there with me. I kept thinking about the day I met my grandma and grandpa in Orem to pick out my temple dress. My Grandma helped me look through everything to find the right one and my Grandpa waited patiently then gave his smiling approval. I can still hear my Grandma touching the dress and saying "Ohhh Stephie, it's perfect." (Pause, gotta gain composure). Anyway, they were so happy to buy that special dress for me and it means so much to me. I remembered the night I went through the temple and looking at the row behind me and seeing my Grandma smile then getting a big hug from her after the session. I think the temple will be an even more special place now.

Okay, back to the day. After the temple we grabbed lunch at Ryan's favorite place, Chili's. Then we burned time at the biggest mall in Michigan in Auburn Hills. We walked the whole thing with the other million people and stopped in a giant outdoors store. It was really cool until I figured out that all of those cute little animals all over the store were REAL! I guess I'm not a fan of taxidermied animals, some of them were so young...


My new favorite store however is Neimen Marcus. This was the outlet version and we still couldn't afford anything but they had a furniture section to die for! I guess we've seen them in Vegas and on Rodeo Drive but it was fun to see labels like Prada and Dolce & Gabana.
After the mall we caught a movie. It was Ryan's choice and we saw Max Payne. Not good! Very slow and dark and pretty much destroyed any reverent spirit we had going for the day :)

So after the movie we explored downtown Detroit to burn time before the So You Think You Can Dance concert. It was kind of creepy, the streets of Detroit were empty, so empty we wondered if there was an evacuation or something. There were a lot of abandoned buildings but a few old ones with beautiful architecture further downtown.The bridge to Canada

A cute couple taking wedding pictures under the giant severed arm...still don't know what thats all about
Then we finally made it to the concert. It was in the hockey arena where the Red Wings play and our seats were great. We had 14th row which I thought meant 14th from the stage but they filled the floor of the arena with about 50 rows in front of the stage. I think our seats were better though because we didn't have to look over people. Anyway, it was fun to see all the dances again, especially for the 40 year old couch potato man next to us and the screeching 14 year old girls behind us :)


We finally got home at 1am and found a package from Ryan's family. They sent a copy of my Grandma's obituary and an angel to hang on our tree this year to remember her. It was SO thoughtful and certainly brought tears to my eyes once again. Thank you so much guys!!

Whew, what a day. I wouldn't want to be that busy every week but it's fun to break up the monotony of school and work. Plus to top it all off, Michigan State beat the University of Michigan for the 1st time in 7 years! Sounds like another BYU/Utah :)

Friends + Fall = Fun!

Is that the lamest title you've ever heard :) I had to throw it out there. So this is super late but a few weeks ago we went with some friends to the must hit fall Michigan attraction, Uncle John's Cider Mill. It was cool I guess but I had a better time just hanging out with our friends :) So to go along with the lame post title, here is the lame pumpkin patch picture. I will try to remember that pictures directly facing the sun are not the best idea :) I'm pretty sure Ryan is physically incapable of not squinting during a picture...
And the rivalry is on...3000 miles away!
Couldn't resist Ryan holding Porter
Some of our "Michigan family"

For all you hockey moms and joe six packs out there

So True

Excerpts from a Dog's diary:
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
1:30 PM - ooooooo. bath. bummer.
4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Excerpts from a Cat's diary
DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre
little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh
meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only
thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and
the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the
occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat
another house plant.

DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by
weaving around their feet while they were walking
almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the
stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these
vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit
on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the
headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I
am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their
hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a
good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to
plan.

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are.
For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture.
This time however it included a burning foamy chemical
called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a
liquid? My only consolation is the piece of thumb
still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their
accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the
event. However, I could hear the noise. More
importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to
MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and
how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are
flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely
released and seems more than happy to return. He is
obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has
got to be an informant, and speaks with them
regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due
to his current placement in the metal room his safety
is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of
time......

Blog Help

Hey all you creative gals out there, I need some help. Maybe I am doing something wrong but when I try to add our family name at the top of my "welcome picture" it shifts that picture all the way to the left no matter which words I use. Anybody else have this problem?
P.S. Who's excited for another political debate tonight? j/k, ok maybe I am a little excited...

Feelin' the Fever!

The UTAH football fever that is! It's 12:30 in the morning and we just finished watching the game, what a game it was! Definitely worth staying up late for. During the last quarter of the game when they were talking about the wind picking up just right for Utah, Ryan made the comment that "President Hinkley must be cheering extra hard for the utes tonight." I thought that was quite appropriate :) And then at the end when Johnson tied the game we cheered so loud that Norris (who had been sleeping upstairs) ran downstairs to see what the ruckus was all about. What a fun season this has been, we are counting the days until we are home to cheer on the Utes as they crush the Cougars!
Ryan has really gotten into the team spirit this year. He latest goal is to learn the Utah school song which he has been practicing daily. He even added the music as his ringtone :)
Oh and to top off a lovely evening we quite enjoyed the Vice Presidential debate. Can I just say, I Love Joe Biden! Ryan and I were the biggest Romney supporters but Obama was a close second so now our loyalty is for team Barak. (By the way, I know some people are sensistive about talking openly about political matters, and while I am no political expert by any means, I feel like we shouldn't be afraid to share our thoughts and opinions- no matter how liberal they may be :) Anyway, I thought the best part came after Palin (who is a fine lady) pointed out yet again that she is a mother and because of that can connect with the average American. I am so glad that Biden made the comment that even though he isn't a mother he still knows what it's like to be a single parent after his wife and child were killed in an accident and to wonder if his other kids would make it. Way to go Joe Biden! I grew up with a stay at home Dad and feel strongly that men should get just as much respect as women do for being parents. We're in this together right?
Whewww, okay I'm done with my ranting and soap-boxing. It's going to be an exciting next couple of months between football and politics, that's for sure :)

Fun Tag

Thanks Nicole for the cute but somewhat challenging tag!
*I am...a nurse
*I think...too hard about everything
*I know...my sweetie loves me
*I want...to be out of debt
*I have...the two best dogs in the world
*I miss...my family
*I fear...losing my parents
*I feel...tired
*I hear...the hum of the fish tank behind me
*I smell...a cinnamon wallflower
*I crave...a trip to Brazil
*I cry...during songs that remind me of death
*I search...for cheap airfare
*I wonder...when is the right time to start having kids
*I regret...trying to grow up too quickly (age 17-20)
*I wish...we had the property for my own personal zoo
*I love...Ryan
*I care...about those with challanges
*I always...pick at my face
*I worry...about too many little things
*I am not...a decisive person
*I remember...all the fun trips I've taken
*I believe...that I will be with my family forever
*I sing...to church CD's like I'm in the choir
*I don't always...put my clothes away
*I argue...more than I need to
*I write...pretty much only blog posts these days
*I lose...important mail
*I listen...to too many whiny patients
*I don't understand...the "entitlement factor"
*I can usually be found...blog stalking
*I need...to learn better self discipline habits
*I forget...to return phone calls
*I am happy...to be done with college!

Now I tag Leslie, Dad, Jessica, and Elisa