April 2012

Well, what more can I say about this month other than I turned 26 years old and had a fabulous French-themed birthday celebration.

This Eiffel Tower is the handiwork of Jason and Russell.  Impressive, eh?  I sure thought so.  We ate delicious crepes and fresh berry tart...

Jason made a ridiculously difficult French trivia game and nobody knew any of the answers.  It was awesome.  

Easter was also wonderful this year.  I made a little Easter garland to hang and we attended an Easter music celebration at the Stake Center and brought along a nonmember friend we have.  There couldn't have been a better way to celebrate.

March 2012

After a 6 month hiatus, I decided it's time to repent and make up for lost time.  March was truly a wonderful month.  Unfortunately, it was also the month that threw me off!  We had an early spring in Iowa this year and my family was able to visit during their spring break.  Mom, Dad, Chloe and Hayden all came to spend 4 1/2 wonderful days with Jason and I.  We took lots of pictures, all of which are stuck on Chloe's camera.  Hence the lack of postings.

We did lots while they were here though.  We visited the Amana colonies, where Dad greatly enjoyed the furniture and clock shop, and we enjoyed a nice German meal.  We visited Nauvoo and Carthage.  We flew kites and hung shelves.  We ate frozen yogurt and looked at dead animals in the museum.  We strolled around Menard's and concluded it was better than Home Depot, even Dad agreed.  All in all, it was fantastic and was so fun to finally have some visitors in Iowa!

February 2012

February was full of celebrations.  We had Valentine's Day with some dinner and homemade raspberry sorbet heart sandwhiches...

And we had Jason's 26th birthday.  We threw Jason a party this year and it was a great success.  At least we thought so.  The Wall Street theme went over better than I expected and it seemed like everyone had a good time.  We decked our house with Wall Street-y things such as the Wall Street bull on the door and a crepe paper stock chart on a wall...

Also green streamers and a collage wall of investing and business articles, ads, charts, and pictures from Jason's collection of magazines and newspapers...

The guests dressed up in business attire...

Or as the poor 99%...ha!

We've got great friends.  The apartment was jam packed and everyone was kind enough to roll with the small space and have a good time.  

We invented a stock game that everyone really enjoyed.  We picked about 15 companies that existed in 1986, the year of Jason's birth, and everyone got to "buy" shares of up to 3 of those stocks.  Throughout the evening Jason gave quarterly updates on the stocks as to how they did in the year of 1986.  When the 4th quarter was announced everyone calculated their earnings and we had a winner.  It was fun to see people's reactions and get into the game. Here's the list of companies, you can't see it that well (click to see larger) but a few of the companies were Microsoft, McDonald's, Exxon, Apple, and Nike.

Which do you think did the best?  I know I guessed wrong!

On Jason's real birthday he got to relax and have some fun playing Zelda with some snacks.

And what did I give him this year for his birthday you may ask?  

A calculator watch!  Now he can calculate stock prices/earnings anytime, anywhere.  Do I know Jason or what?!  Boom baby!

PS - Want to know the company? Put your guess in a comment below and I'll let you know!

December 2011/January 2012

Holidays!!  Jason and I were fortunate enough to be able to go to both Utah and Arizona over the break.  We spent all our time with family and friends and had an absolutely wonderful time.  We met our new niece, Adelle, and were able to hang out with Gabe, Avah, Noah and Ember.  Those kids are a blast.

Noah really liked the game where you throw pillows at each other and fall down.  Jason played with him doing that for quite a while.  Luckily, Jason was able to convince them to take a rest after a while.

And here's adorable Ember...

And the quilt I made for Adelle that I was finally able to give Avah.

After everyone had gotten over the flu bug in Centerville, we were able to head up there and be with Jason's family.  Christmas day was wonderful.  I think Christmas should always be on Sunday.  It just feels more special somehow.

While in Centerville we spent lots of time with Jason's family mostly at his parent's house, but were also able to go to Tom and Heidi's.  It was fun to see Lily in her own element.  We also enjoyed visiting Grandpa and Grandma Crandall as well as a going for a hike with Dex, Becky, Britt, and Ash.  I'm so glad the weather allowed for that!

After Utah, we flew to Arizona and were able to do lots of things with my family there.

An outing at the park was just about perfect in that Arizona winter weather.  Late afternoon, sunny, frisbees, snacks, and family.  Great combo.

Dad had two successful takeoffs and landings of his remote controlled airplane.  That is a pretty big deal actually.  He's a stud.

Cole and I played with the climbing bears Jason gave Jarom for Christmas.  He's pretty good competition!

Another must for when we are in Arizona, is going to In 'N Out.  We don't care what all our Utah family says, we think it is delicious!  So much so, we went twice.  

We were also fortunate enough to be able to go to the temple with mama and Jessica followed by a delicious lunch at the Landmark.  

We did many other things, including lots of playing with new toys (Zelda, ahem), watching People's Court, and exchanging homemade gifts.

We loved our trip, we love family, and we look forward to future visits.

November 2011

At the beginning of November Jason and I went to Arizona.  We took the camera.  We did not take a single picture and by the time I realized it we were on the way to the airport to go home.  Lame!  But, we had a wonderful time anyhow.  In Arizona, we FINALLY found the perfect gray blazer we've been looking for.  

Jason is happy about the purchase.

The other exciting thing in November was, of course, Thanksgiving!  We drove to Michigan to spend it with Adam, Kristin, and Braxton.  We extended our trip as long as possible because we were having such a nice time.  

Here's some shots of us at Michigan Lake beach.  Unfortunately there isn't one of all of us together, but at least there are pictures!

You walk through the tunnel to get to the beach.  The wind had blown sand all through the tunnel. I thought it was pretty neat looking.

While in Michigan we ate a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, talked, played games, watched movies, went out to eat, shopped, and....went to Craig's Cruisers!

Adam, Jason and I got to drive both the indoor and outdoor go-carts which were a blast.

Also, Braxton was fun to see.  He's talking a ton and Jason and I have fun quoting him.  "James (toy train) happy. Mommy, daddy happy.  Firetruck. School bus.  Wheel come off.  Uncle Tom, Uncle Jason computer." That's a typical monologue of Braxton.  Fun kid.

Lastly, the cooler weather has helped me venture into a new world of soup making.  I've never really  made soup before, but have tried a few kinds and found I really enjoy it.  They are pretty simple and make for great leftovers.  The trick is making a meal that satisfies Jason.  This one I made Jason was so impressed with he photographed it.  Menu: Greens with Roasted Balsamic Pears, Fabulous Fall Roots soup with Creme Fraiche, and French Bread.  

Jason was full :).

October 2011

October was wonderfully more fall than last month, and I gobbled it up as much as possible.  I truly think fall makes me a happier person, or more alive, or something else along those lines.  Despite the sweater weather, though not too cold, Jason and I used our ice cream maker for the first time.  This wonderful gift from our friends, Alexson Jepsen (yes, that is two people), was put to great use in October.  Here I am with the machine and recipe I used...Rocky Road Ice Cream.

 Here's the completed product.  A deliciously cocoa ice cream with marshmallows and toasted pecans folded in after.  Excuse my unpleasantly shiny face... I just had to show the ice cream.

Also this month, I ran a 15k, with my friend Tawnya again.  I was pretty happy overall with my time, and the weather turned out beautiful.  There weren't nearly as many runners as my last race, which was nice, and they fed us a ton of food!

Yes, now you can all go calculate my mile average.  Don't judge.

I couldn't help but take some pictures of the pretty colors.  Boy, do I love seasons.

Do you think this sign is funny?  Does it make you want to complete the phrase?

We sure thought it was great!

Dave's hot and juicy...french fries! Chicken nuggets!  Drive-thru attendant!  You get the idea...

September 2011

I don't think I can express my intense love of autumn.  It's our favorite season, and Iowa City has not failed to please us, especially after that summer!  The leaves have started changing and the air is cooler and it is just so wonderfully glorious.  I just can't get enough.  We've heard that once all the leaves change that they fall off really fast, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

On September 10th, I ran my second half marathon ever with my running buddy Tawnya, and her brother. Unfortunately, I was sick for this one too.  What luck, huh?  I still managed to run the thing and had a pretty darn good pace for most of it, until the last three miles where I practically died.  I was sick to my stomach the rest of the day, but I finished without walking!  I was bummed with being sick, but I'm still running; it hasn't ruined me for life.  Jas was a great support and took good care of me.  Unfortunately, I got him sick too and we were both pretty miserable for about a week.  But we're much better now!

Also, to celebrate Jason passing his test, we bought him a guitar!  Let's just say that he is in love, second to me, of course.  I have to remind myself of that sometimes, but it so fun to watch him play and sing.  He's learned some fun songs that we'll be singing together soon.

Last, but not least, my spice rack finally has a home on the wall!  I've had this thing, and been using it for a year or two now, but never had it hung.  With Jason's help, it is hung in our kitchen and I love it.