Faith, Family and Friends

Jason and I drove to Idaho in early July. It was a whirlwind trip jam-packed with movie nights with my nieces, play time with some loveable labs, bbq's, dad's homemade ice cream and my mom's home cooking. We loved visiting and miss all of them terribly. Here are some pictures of our visit.



This is my sister Shannon, her husband Cole and their just over 1 year old son Wyatt who has recently discovered sitting in the refrigerator while watching Elmo on tv.



My parents-my dad is holding Wyatt and my mom is with my sister Holly's girls; Raigan (9 in October) & Kamryn (5 in November).



Holly with her 2 girls (minus her husband Jason who was working that day)



My brother Logan & his wife Chelsea's lab-Kiedis. She loooooooooves to play fetch and didn't miss an opportunity to have us throw the ball.



Their second lab Wylie. He is just a lover and I'm pretty sure he gets a kick out of making you laugh at him.



My baby brother (who mind you is now the tallest of all of us)and his wife Chelsea.

I am realizing how important it is to have family surround you;whether it be your church family, relatives, friends, what-have-you. We are so lucky to have you-thank you for being a part of our lives.

Sum Sum Summertime

The heat of this summer has a tight grip on me. Although I do not prefer to be cold, being hot is not my cup of tea. We just got back from a quick trip to Idaho. Jason and I drove which isn't so bad (minus the Wyoming part-ugh).

It was great to see all my siblings and their kids, my parents and just be surrounded by people that love you so much.

My computer crashed a few weeks ago and as soon as I can post pictures of our trip-I'll do that.

Until then-I hope everyone is staying cool!

Heather

Ahh Spring

The weather is finally staying consistently warm without snow the next day-which I am in love with. Jason got out today and raked the yard and I was inside cleaning my little heart out.

I am SO looking forward to my brother and my sister-in-law coming to visit next week. We have big plans to go to the zoo, the New Belgium Brewery, bbq's and loads of laughs!

I will post pictures-I know this blog is no fun to look at without pictures. =) I am working away at school, the semester ends in 5 weeks-yahooooooo!

I start summer classes on June 1st and am taking them online so we can have some freedom to travel. The end to me completing my Associate's Degree is in sight and I can't believe it! I know to some it isn't a big deal, but for me, this has intimidated me for quite some time. I have goals to complete my Master's degree, which totally intimidates me!

Anyway, we're all doing well and loving every moment of this life we're given.

Spring cleaning

It's a chore that I hate doing but once it's done I feel like I can get through summer without enormous dust bunnies following me everywhere. Today, I am tackling our basement. I don't think it's had a thorough cleaning since we moved in nearly 6 yrs ago. My brother and my sister-in-law are coming to visit in April so that is motivation enough for me to get moving!

School is going well, I am preparing for mid-terms and writing papers and conjugating verbs in Spanish like no other. Some days I wonder why I keep going. Then, I stop and tell myself that I want to go and that keeps me motivated. I really admire people who can raise a family, work full time and fit in school-that is amazing!

I've had my first taste of warm weather this week-it reached nearly 60 degrees on Tuesday and I officially have Spring Fever. I feel myself wanting to plant flowers, mow the lawn, open the windows and spring clean.

Speaking of cleaning, I should get back to it.

Happy March, everyone!

Picture update

So, we thought we'd better take some pictures of our nieces & nephews out here before they were 10! This is Kaylen, age 7 months...swingin' & sippin'. Micah, age 2 1/2 is quite the hockey star!

Kaylen & Aunt Heather, she loves to laugh!

Micah being silly as usual...he cracks me up!

Charlie playing with his bone, I'm telling you if he had nothing else, life would still be good!

He's so proud with it, he prances all over the house...

There you have it! Life is good, no complaints! :)

From the underbelly of the books...she emerges!

Ok so that was a little dramatic, but it's so nice to be on a break! My spring break started a couple of days early due to the two feet of snow we got and they closed our school down. It's snowing again today, we need the moisture so it's great! I am doing all sorts of fun things like cleaning and organizing my craft room, sleeping in, watching movies with Jason (if you haven't seen Bolt yet, I highly recommend it-it's so cute!) I am going to get together with friends and have lunch, probably do some more sleeping in just because it's THAT wonderful and of course do some of the crafty projects I have put off since the semester has started. I will post pictures of the bracelet I am hoping to make once it is finished.

Jason & I went to have lunch with my dad's uncle yesterday. He is 91 and lives in Denver, I haven't seen him since I was about 10 but since we live so close, it's silly to not see him. We took him out to lunch and went back to his apartment and he shared all kinds of stories about my grandparents with me. It's nice to hear memories of your grandparents from their siblings point of view, the stories made me laugh and some brought tears to my eyes. He's a very sweet man with a heart of gold.

It really makes you think about the things that are truly important in this life and what is worth fighting over.

I hope everyone has been well-happy spring!

Grateful

I feel fortunate for the things I have and I wanted to jot down some things I'm grateful for.

1. I'm grateful to be alive
2. I'm grateful for a wonderful, loving and supportive husband
3. I'm grateful for an amazing family
4. I'm grateful for the gift of friendship, and the awesome friends in my life
5. I'm grateful to have a roof over my head
6. I'm grateful to be able to share the gift of laughter with the ones I love
7. I'm grateful for the gift of patience
8. I'm grateful that our animals wake us up in the middle of the night, it reminds us that someone is dependent on us
9. I'm grateful for the creative jeans that I have inherited
10. I'm grateful that we can give to those less fortunate
11. I'm grateful to live in this amazing country
12. I'm grateful for the obstacles that life throws at me
13. I'm grateful for the support and love I receive every day
14. I'm grateful that things don't work out the way they're supposed to

What are you grateful for?