Merry Christmas....

From our gingerbread house to yours....
We have been enjoying the holiday festivities. We were honored to be invited to Kim's 10th annual gingerbread house party. We had a few construction issues as our roof caved in several times. Nothing a few candy canes couldn't fix though. It is always fun to get together with old friends.

The other morning as we left our home we were greeted by a happy smiling face....
Our dearest neighbors had built this little guy right at our door step. What a happy surprise! Who can resist a face like that? Thanks Apfels!
We have enjoyed spending time with family and friends and partaking of the spirit of the season. We wish you and your families all the best this Christmas.

Buddy the elf, whats your favorite color?

Saturday night we headed to Temple square again to check out the Christmas lights. This time we went with Brian's family. It was much colder this time around as the snow was falling down. We had a great time. Everyone was hungry so we stopped into the Lion house pantry to partake of some delicious rolls. While we were sitting in the restaurant in walked Buddy the elf and his girl friend...whats her name? Jody I think. Brian and I thought it was hilarious! Who decides to dress up like buddy and walk around Temple square. So we had to get a picture with them. I am sure they were off to spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear. Good times! Bye BUDDY hope you find your dad!

Award winning Crazy Christmas Cherry Cobbler!

I have had a few requests for the recipe that won 1st place at the ward dinner. It is super easy (duh does Billie make anything that isn't?) and I am still in shock that it would win a prize! Credit does need to go to Craig and Kellie who gave it this great name. I am sure that helped the judges make the call. It is delicious though. Enjoy....

2 21oz cans of cherry pie filling
1 White or yellow cake mix
1 cube butter melted
Empty pie filling into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of the cherries. Pour melted butter evenly over the top. Spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 min. Or until golden brown on top. Tastes great with vanilla ice cream! * You could use any fruit pie filling you desire.

Tis the season for Crazy times!

This was a fun but BUSY weekend! I like how people think that it is best to plan their holiday activity at the beginning of the month so things won't be too crazy near Christmas. This sounds like a great plan except when everyone has the same plan! Friday night we had our ward Christmas dinner that we did not attend because my family had planned a trip to temple square to see the lights. I did however send my dessert that I had signed up to bring and it won 1st place!(Crazy Christmas Cherry Cobbler anyone?) We had a great time at Temple square. It was a little chilly but good times. Saturday we had tithing settlements in the afternoon, followed by my work party that evening. We ate at Tucanos and it was pretty tasty! It was Andrea and Adam's birthday celebration following that. We had a great time with the Taggarts as usual muchas laughing! Sunday we had our Sinterklaas celebration with my family. We celebrate the Dutch Christmas every year. We eat Dutch food, sing dutch songs and everyone gets a gift from Sinterklaas....if you have been good that is! It was another successful celebration. We had a great time! So now the rest of our month is pretty open! I guess we can just sit back and relax now! Happy holidays everyone! P.S the snow has begun to fall.....its beging to look a lot like Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Seattle

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We made a quick trip to Seattle. We left bright and early Thursday morning. We spent the Turkey day with Brian's parents. It was a good day full of delicious food and lots of rest and relaxation and then some good game playing! Friday we spent the day with Kelsey, Aaron and their giant of a baby Harmon. (He is the cutest giant I have ever seen.) Friday night we sipped some delicious pina coladas while relaxing in the hot tub. Saturday we went to the Seattle temple. That night the Evans family joined us for dinner and games! Good times had by all. Harmon had such a good time he "exploded" with happiness. The next morning it was off to the airport to come back home. It was a quick but fantastic trip. Thanks Bruce and Claudia for your love and hospitality. We look forward to the next trip! (unfortunately I took ZERO pictures of the trip. I promise it really happened though!)Here are some pictures that Kelsey sent me...Look how cute her Giant is! I like him.

2 years and counting

Happy Anniversary! Today we celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. It is hard to believe. There are still days that I think to myself how did I get here? I would just like everyone to know that I have the very best husband in all the land! I am very blessed and am looking forward to many,many,many more years! I love you Brian!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween this year. We thought long and hard about our costumes and after much polling we decided to be..... A tree and a tree hugger! We were excited to be attending one of our friend Kim's famous parties. She never lets us down. We enjoyed a delicious meal of Mold and Mildew, Monster eyes, Marrowed bones, blood and guts, steamed caterpillars and we topped it all off with molten primordial OOZE! We had a great time catching up with old friends. Then it was off to the OPL (Orem public library) where Kim works, to watch The movie The Others. It was pretty creepy in the dark locked up library, especially when the janitors came in and about scared my Birkenstocks off! Thanks for yet another fantastic party Kim. We had a great time.
This is the party planner EXTRAORDINAIRE! Not only does she plan great parties but she always has fantastic costumes for Halloween.

Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins

Last night we went to Todd and Julie's for dinner and pumpkin carving. Don't you worry that we made it a Pumpkin night! Julie made dinner in a pumpkin. It was very tasty and didn't even have the slightest taste of pumpkin. Then it was on to the carving. It was super fun and messy! What a fun tradition. We are thankful to live so close to family and have opportunities to spend time and make memories with them. Thanks Todd,Julie and kids!

Girls Weekend in St. George

This last weekend Tracy,Tiffany and I headed down to see Wendy for a Sisters weekend. We had a fabulous time! Friday night we went out for dinner, roasted marshmallows and yes had a camp out in Wendy's back yard. It was fun and wasn't even too cold, thanks to the ONE MILLION blankets we piled on top of us. Saturday was a day of laziness. We woke up slow and ate lots of breakfast at Wendy's short order kitchen. After we were all dressed and ready for the day we headed to Roberts, what would a sisters weekend be without crafts?! Then Wendy introduced us to a very bad store, called Krumpets! It was full of super cute home decorations. Bad, bad, bad! Saturday night we went to Tuacahn to see THRILLER. I love the Tuacahn theatre and always have a good time. While at thriller they had random zombies walking around kind of creepy but a good time overall. Sunday we were back in the car and headed home. Thanks for a fun weekend girls! I can't wait for the next trip.

Caramel Apples

Friday night Andrea and Jon invited us over for dinner and to make caramel apples. You don't have to ask me twice when it comes to caramel apples! We enjoyed a yummy dinner and had a fun time making the apples. Then we watched the 3 amigos. My poor husband about had a heart attack when he heard I had lived 26 years on this earth and had never seen that movie! I pointed out to him I probably didn't see it because it came out in 1986 I was 4! I did enjoy it though and will probably get a few more of the Taggart family jokes now!

QUIRKS!!!

So I have been tagged by Julie. You are supposed to Think of 6 quirks about yourself and then tag 6 others. It took me a while but here it goes...

1. I HATE HAIR!
Gross, gross gross! I am ok with hair that is still attached to the head but it is finding the stray hairs that make me sick. Where did it come from? Even if it is mine it makes me cringe.

2. I AM A WORRY WART!
Not many people know this about me. However those that are really close do. I tend to worry about just about everything. I also think of the worst possible out come. If Brian is late my mind just runs in circles thinking what could have happened. If I have a head ache I am always sure it is a tumor. I guess I just think if you assume the worst then the truth won't hurt as bad. "Oh its just a sinus infection not a tumor? I can deal with that" Probably not the best plan but that is how my mind works.

3. I LIKE FLOSSING OUT BIG CHUNKS OF FOOD
I think it just feels like I am being successful at the flossing. You should know I really only enjoy taking the sickness from between my own teeth. Sometimes I get a little sicked out at work.

4. I AM THANKFUL FOR A JOB WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO THINK OF WHAT TO WEAR.
Sure scrubs are not the most flattering or attractive but getting dressed in regular clothes can be quite the ordeal. Every Sunday I have to come home and put everything that I tried on, but did not decided to wear away.

5.I LIKE TO CLOG WHILE I BRUSH MY TEETH
I think I have A.D.D so that two minutes twice a day sometimes feels like an eternity. So I just stomp out a few steps in the kitchen at the same time. Weird I know!

6. I HAVE A LOUD LAUGH
I can't help it! Sometimes the laughter comes out and it is really loud! At least Brian and I can share this Quirk! We have had people comment that they cant wait to hear what our children will sound like when they laugh. Hey if its funny let it out!

I TAG~ Kelsey,Tracy,Wendy,Vanessa,Kellie and LeeAnn and anyone else that is feeling a little QUIRKY!

ROY G. BIV

Friday night Brian and I picked up Wendy who was visiting for the weekend and were headed to my Mom and Dad's house to make some delicious freezer jam. When we reached the point of the mountain we saw this awesome Rainbow. We could pretty much see the pot of Gold! Seeing the rainbow reminded me that a few sundays ago in my primary class one of the girls in my class was drawing a rainbow and asked me the color order. I feeling rather dumb said I don't remember. So I was telling this story to Brian and Wendy when Brian says Don't you know Roy G. Biv? I was like ummm no who the heck is Roy G. Biv? He then told me Roy G. Biv will help you remember the color order...Red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo and violet! Oh wow! Now that I know roy I feel much more confident in my rainbow color order! Thanks ROY and Brian!

MMM MIDGEES!!!

When I arrived at work today my BFFE (best friend forever..if forever were 2 words like chantiel once thought)Chantiel told me she brought me a surprise! I was super excited and even more excited when she pulled this "limited edition" bag of Vanilla flavored Midgees from her bag! I love the vanilla flavored tootsie Rolls and have been known to steal all of the "blue" ones from the variety bags. No more picking! I have a whole bag of heavenly vanilla midgess! Delicious! and who doesn't like to say Midgee? Thanks Channy! *Chantiel wanted me to make sure everyone knows that she thought forever was 2 words long ago when she was a small child.

Ryan Shupe

So suddenly we have become concert going people. Saturday we saw Ryan Shupe in concert. It was a good time! I realize that pictures of us kind of look the same just us in different clothes, So we didn't bother taking any of us at the concert. So for those of you who don't know of Ryan Shupe here is a video of one of his songs. If you watch until the end you can select some of his other songs to hear. The Corn dog song is a great one though! Enjoy!

ABC BB D

It is true! Thursday night Brian and I went to see BOYZ II MEN in concert! Wow what a blast! I will admit I am a fan. A couple in our ward called and offered us the tickets and I was so excited! and apparently I was not the only one. The park was packed! I think the "boyz" were pretty surprised at the response they got in Orem UT? They were so fun to watch in concert, everyone was on their feet singing along through the entire show . If you ever get the chance to see them DO IT! it was pretty great! Even the girl behind us in the tie dye shirt loved it!

Jack Johnson

So I am a slacker and I am just now getting to posting about the Jack Johnson concert I went to on the 18th. Tracy, Tiffany, Misty B and I all went to see Jack. We had a fun time! Jack was good very calm and laid back as your would probably expect. There was plenty of very intoxicated people around to keep us laughing. Especially our new found friend Cole! he was a little tipsy, but was very kind to offer me a drink. I declined and he then asked if I was a mormon...I said yes and he said are you a SUPER MORMON? I am not sure about that, but he sure did get a good laugh out of us. I am looking forward to Our next adventure of Dave Mathews, just waiting to hear when the new date will be! This picture is kind of dark but we are all there I promise!

For some must push and some must pull...

We survived our pioneer trek. We had a really good time. We left super early Monday morning and headed to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. After the long car ride we reached the visitors center, had a quick lunch and we were ready to go. We piled all of our things into the handcarts and we were off. It was about a 3 mile hike into camp. The trail was very sandy and difficult to walk in, not to mention pushing/pulling the handcarts in the hot summer sun. After arriving at camp we got everything set up and had some dinner. That night we had a blast sqaure dancing. I wasn't sure what was more work the actual treking or the dancing! Then it was off to bed for some much needed rest.

The next morning we were up at 6 am for breakfast and loading up to head out on the trail again. We we hiked to Martin's cove the spirit in the cove was amazing. This is where about a thousand freezing, starving, near death pioneers went to try and seek shelter from the winter elements. After visiting the cove we started back along the trail. We then crossed the sweet water river. After that we did a "women's pull" where the men had to stand off and watch as the women and children hiked up a steep, hill with the handcarts all alone. Then it was back to camp after a very long, hot spiritual day. We spent the afternoon cooling off in the river near camp.
We are so thankful for the chance we had to have this experience. I am so thankful for all those that sacrificed so much for the gospel and that I am able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. I pray that I will have just a portion of their Faith, courage, strength and endurance as I face my own challenges in this life.

American Idols LIVE!!!

So Monday we headed up to the E center to see the American Idol's live tour. This is the 3rd year Brian and I have attended. Yes we are die hards. The best part about the AI concerts is the wide array of people it brings out. Young- we saw a baby that had to have been like 2 months old, and the OLD- We saw a lady that had to have been 99! (she was sporting a sweet yellow outfit) The idols were really great! I think David Cook proved that he deserved to be the winner of AI! He was awesome. David Archuleta was good too he was just hard to hear over all the screaming 7 year olds! Over all I would say this year was the best AI concert out of the 3. Can't wait for next year!

TAG I'm IT!

A = ADVOCATE FOR: Flossing
B = BEST FEATURE:My eyes
C= COULDN'T DO WITHOUT:Brian
D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: Buy a home, have kids, travel
E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: Cell phone...I know I copied Tracy but I feel naked w/out it.
F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Reality TV
G= GOOD AT: making rolo creations! 101 things to do with a rolo coming soon!
H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: DRUGS! dare worked for me!
I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I would buy my dream home from the parade of homes!
J= Junkie for: ice cream
K = KINDRED SPIRIT: Probably Kelsey and my other sisters! =0)
L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: some people know but some don't...I am a nervous nelly!
M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: My wedding
N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: hold a squirmy iguana on my shoulder
O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: shopping
P= PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: Christ
Q = QUOTE: Don't give up what you want most for what you want now!
R = REASON TO SMILE: I have been blessed with so much! My cup runneth over!
S = SORRY ABOUT: not being able to do everything I would like to.
T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Julie, Jenna, Vanessa
U = UNINTERESTED IN: watching sports on TV
V = VERY SCARED OF: psycho drivers!
W = WORST HABIT: sleeping in
X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: so many places I would love to go...but we will start with NYC!
Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: 50's...poodle skirts, ice cream shakes doesn't get better than that!
Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Pieces

Demolition Derby

Saturday My family went to the West Jordan DEMOLITION DERBY!! We had a blast! You really can't beat watching old beat up cars smash into each other while surrounded by mullets, wranglers and bad teeth! A little WT I know but it was pretty awesome! Thanks Tracy for being the party planner.
Wendy had the best view of us all.....

Nice HUH? We asked her to take a picture of us..but she hurried and snapped that one first. That would explain why we are lauging so hard in this picture. Silly Wendy!

for some good action shots from the Derby check Tracy's blog she got some better pictures on her camera.

St. George

I know you are all taking a double take....yes Billie has a new post! Miracles do occur! I just thought I would share with you our trip to St. George. My family took a little trip down for the weekend. Thursday Tracy, Tiff, Nathan, Brian and I all packed into Tiffany and Nathan's car for the 4 hour drive.

Thursday night we saw Les Miserables at the Tuachan theatre. It was so much fun! The play was great. If you have never been to Tuachan it is an awesome out door theatre. Friday during the day we headed up to Dixie rock. Mom even made the hike up. That night we returned to Tuachan to see The Sound of Music. That was super fun except I wanted to sing along the whole time! I decided not to embarrass my family.

Saturday we went with some friends of Wendy and Sanne to Quail lake. We went boating it was super fun and saved us a little from the HOT HOT HOT sun! Then it was back in the car to come home. We were all very tired and hot and ready for a good rest. But is was a super fun weekend! Thanks Fam for making it so great! Love ya!

10 Things that make me HAPPY!

Tag...I am it! Thanks Julie, something for me to blog!

1. My Husband! awww cute huh? Its true though he is pretty much the best husband I have!

2. Thursdays! Most people enjoy Friday but for me, the 4 day work week girl, Thursdays are my Fridays!

3. Family and Friends: I have been blessed with such a great family with people who love me even if I am a little crazy! And friends that probably like me because they are just as CRAZY!

4. American Idol! Even if Jason didn't go home last night I still love the show.

5. Sun not snow! I am really tired of snow....Will summer ever come?

6. That my car is completely fixed! there has been some drama there so it nice to have it done with!

7.Kids that don't throw up while taking x rays!

8. No lines at walmart.. I have a hard time going there in the first place but the lines make it even worse!

9. Vacations! It has been a while since I have been on an exciting one but I think I remember them being fun!

10. Ice cream! So many delicious flavors so little time

Brian got a new job!

We are excited to announce that Brian has a new job! He was recently hired to work grounds at Temple square. We are looking forward to this change. We feel like there is a lot of opportunities to come with this new job. We are especially looking forward to the set 40 hour work week, no more crazy hours. Not to mention what an amazing place to work! Surrounded by such beauty all day long. If only Jose could join him, then it would be the dream job!

Middle to late 20's?!

So I feel bad for Kelsey and as an attempt to cure her boredom I have decided to post a new blog! My birthday is coming up a week from today. I will be turning the big 26. My husband has been so kind as to point out the fact that I will now be entering my LATE 20's! What? I swear just yesterday I was 12. where does the time go? Feel better Kelsey? You may have a baby eating you from the inside out...but you still have a few more months before you enter the late 20's! You are right behind me though!!!

this is all very new....

So the blogging world is new to me. I would like to thank my good friend Kelsey for keeping me up to date on the latest and greatest, in this high tech world. I look forward to learning how to do fun and exciting posts....now if something fun and exciting will just happen in my life so I can blog about it! Until then I will continue to use my lunch break to read about other people and their fun and exciting lives.