MAY i

The big day...

2011-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 20th was just another Saturday. Zack had appointments in the morning but made it home quite early. We had a lot to get done around the house so we hit it hard! We worked outside on the yard trimming bushes, pressure washing the house and windows and making them sparkle. Then we went to work on the inside. We finally finished the nursery, cleaned more windows, shampooed the carpets and did a little grocery shopping. We had decided to go on our last little date that night. We figured our little guy would make his appearance sooner than later, so we took our chance and enjoyed the evening together. After dinner and a movie we came home and just chatted till about 1:30. We crawled into bed and about 30 minutes later I felt something a little discomforting.... did my water just brake?!?! I didn't know for sure so I sat at the edge of the bed for a minute. As soon as I stood up I felt another gush. I cleaned myself up and then snuggled up to Zack and said, "I think my water just broke!" He turned over and said... well I honestly can't remember what he said but it was along the lines of, "REALLY!?!?" I didn't know for sure because I couldn't feel any sort of contractions. Was this for real? We stayed in bed and not long after that I felt another gush. Yup, this is totally for real! I called my mom and told her this was it. Head on down. Zack had the downstairs tore apart from cleaning the carpets. He couldn't sleep after that so he went downstairs to get things put back together. I wanted to take a nice long shower and wash my hair. I knew the clock was ticking, but I didn't want to get to the hospital too soon. I was planning on doing a natural birth and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in a hospital bed. After we finished our little projects we decided to lay in bed and see if we could get a little rest. At this point I was finally feeling some contractions. They were very irregular and tolerable, so I just tried to ignore them. At about 5 am we got in bed and Zack fell asleep. I got a little rest in between contractions which were becoming a little more regular and a little more painful. At about 6 they were about 6 minutes apart. So I woke up Zack, we got our stuff ready and loaded and headed to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were about 4 minutes apart and getting VERY uncomfortable. I had to stop a couple times walking in just so I could breathe through a contraction. Once we got in they took me right into a room and we got settled in. At this point Zack left to go get some batteries. We were a little unprepared. I got settled in, and in no time he returned. At this point things really took off. They checked me and I was dilated to a 6. My nurse, Stacey, was awesome. She was all for me doing a all natural birth. She went out of the room to call the doctor to let her know that I was in labor. When she came back in she told me my doctor wasn't on call this weekend, and that the doctor that was wanted me to have an I.V. I didn't really want one, because I was afraid they were going to drip pitocin in and I did not want any kind of drugs. But Stacey assured me it would just be fluids. For a couple of hours we just got through it one contraction at a time. I went from kneeling on the bed to standing next to the bed leaning over. I couldn't go too far because of the I.V. At one point a cute older nurse came in while I was standing next to the bed and gave both Zack and I a few pointers. She helped me to breathe right, and she helped Zack rub my back in just the right spot. Stacey told me I had to get back into bed because she needed to check me again. She didn't even tell me what I was dilated to... she just said I was going to start pushing soon. I pushed probably for about 30 minutes before the doctor came in. Once he got there I probably pushed for another 15-20. They were telling me how I was going to feel a lot of pressure and a burning sensation. The doctor asked me if I wanted a shot to numb me up a little so it wouldn't hurt so bad. UM.... HECK NO!!! So we pushed on. At 9:30 on the dot our little guy entered into this world. It was such a surreal moment! He weighed 8 lbs even and 21.5 inches long. We still didn't know what we were going t name him. Once everyone left us alone we weighed the 2 options we had and decided on Connor. About an hour after that they took me to my new room. I walked from my delivery room down the hall. As I was walking my mom was behind me in the hall. She was so shocked I was walking so soon.

Zack did such an amazing job. He would tease me all the time that he would just be waiting in the hall until he was born. But with only one nurse taking care of me he was pretty hands on. He told me he just focused on my face so he didn't see anything that he wasn't prepared for. He did great and was so amazing through the whole process.

I was sad that my mom didn't make it in time for his birth. I could feel her love and excitement whenever I talked to her on the phone. I know she wanted to be there just as much as I wanted her there. There is always next time.

My mom stayed with us for a week. We called her a work horse because she NEVER stopped. She was so amazing. And it was just a relief to have my mom with me and teach me the ropes of being a mommy. I have the best example to learn from. I just hope that I can be as amazing as she is!! My dad made it down on Friday and stayed for the weekend. He was just as helpful. And it was just so nice for us to be surrounded my family. I don't know what we would have done without their help and love.

Our little Connor is AMAZING!!!! We cannot imagine life without him. He has definitely flipped our world upside down, and we are loving every second of it.

Here a little... There a little

2010-02-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that I am a blog SLACKER... thanks Penn :O)

Not much has gone on. I think the biggest news is that I turned 25!! Yikes... a quarter of a century. I really do feel old... I am 25!!!! Halfway to 50 and I couldn't feel better. My birthday weekend started out with a letter from my niece Summer... this was my gift from her (and Landon and Sammy of course)

ISN'T SHE THE CUTEST THING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN!!!! I haven't seen her since Christmas and she has changed so much.

Also when I got home on Friday Zack had cleaned the WHOLE ENTIRE HOUSE. I mean he did ALL the cleaning. ALL THE CLEANING!! He is so sweet. He wanted my birthday to be relaxing. He is so sweet. Saturday morning we went to the temple, did a little shopping, and RELAXED the rest of the day. It was absolutely the most wonderful day ever.

The only other news that I have is that I am changing positions at work. I am going to be the receptionist. I am so excited for this move. It was something that I needed. I was looking for something different and I was lucky enough to be able to stay with the company. I am really excited for the move because now I will have some accounting responsibilities. Which I am totally exited about. I start my new position this Monday... :O)

Now, these next pictures are just cuz I like to have pics in my posts... so they are just here for your enjoyment :O)

My o-so-cute puppy... Boomer

THE BOYS!!! These boys are the greatest. I love them lots :O)
This picture was taken during the elk hunt.

R.I.P Mitch..... This was my brother-in-law's pet snake Mitch. I am glad that we got pictures of him... because just a few weeks ago he died. I never would have thought that I would hold a snake like this. But it was just fine.. he was a really nice snake. That is until I looked down with him and his mouth was WIDE open. I wanted to just throw him across the room. But I held my cool (surprisingly) and then he closed his mouth. He was just yawning. Silly snake!!!! I really thought I was going to be snake food.... lol

Zack and Mitch :O)

2010-01-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Since it is oficially 2010 I thought i would sum up the last 3 months of 2009 with a few pics. Starting with December and ending with October.

All I wanted for Christmas was a White Christmas... well I got it and I was so happy. It was freezing cold, but it just felt like Christmas.

Christmas breakfast... PULLAPARTS. My most favorite Christmas Tradition. It makes me smile just thinking about them.... yummy

This cute girl was so much fun!!! I loved being there for her first Christmas.

The whole Hallows Clan at Grandma and Grandpa Hallows'.

A few weeks before Christmas Landon and Sammy came down to visit. We took them to the Christmas display at the Belagio, along with Drew and Loke and their cute kiddos.

At the Belagio... loved having these two, plus summer, at our house! They are always so much fun to be with.

Us with the Phillips Fam

Us at the best Christmas Party EVER!!! Merry Christmas....

This is the first weekend in November. Landon and Sammy had Summer's baby blessing in Aurora. The whole family got together. I think it was the first time since our wedding we were ALL together. Good times.

All of the Grandkids... they are a cute little crew!

Happy Halloween! We had our first annual Family Christmas Party. We all dressed up, ate some good food, played some fun games and then later we went on a Denny's run with some of the cousins.

The whole fam, minus Rhett and Shauna's girls. We had lots of fun getting dressed up, or down in my dad's case, for our party.

Well, thats about it for the last part of 2009! It has been a great year for us. We hope that you all have a wonderful new year!!!

1/4 of a century

2009-09-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

To my wonderful hubby….

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Yes it is true today is my wonderful Hubby’s Birthday… he is officially one quarter of a century old! :O) Wow, where did time go… I swear yesterday we were just 18 and high school sweethearts! Even though he will never read this, I just want to tell him he is the bestest in the westest! He is so good to me, such a hard worker, and makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am pretty sure I tell him he is crazy at least 25 times a day…. Cuz he is cRaZy!! And I love him for that! I hope you have a wonderful Birthday babe… you deserve it!

Just one of those Days....

2009-09-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

Why is it that Satan works in such tricky ways?? I have had a lot on my mind lately, and so has Zack. So we decided that a trip to the temple was needed. We have many questions, and have spent many days praying for help. So what better help than to be close to our Heavenly Father? And then it happens…. I have a HORRIBLE day at work. Things happened that made me think and even speak not so nice words. And as I was thinking about the events that transpired at work, and my reactions to what had happened… it hit me! Of course it happens today! Satan is so tricky. It is the small things like this that make it hard to feel the spirit, and to be a good person! We are tested! So I sit here, taking deep breaths, trying not to let what happened at work affect me so emotionally that I cannot control the thoughts that were raging inside as my blood was boiling. And I am grateful that we are all human, and we all have these moments. And grateful that our Heavenly Father understands that we are only human! The blood has cooled, and the thoughts are a little more humane! Good thing work is almost over :O)

O and PS.... I'm an aunt to a BEAUTIFUL Summer Gracie :O) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Yesterday... Takes the Cake!

2009-08-23T15:57:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine at work had a baby shower yesterday, and her mom had asked me to make a cake for the shower. I was so excited, because I love to bake. And I am always looking for a reason to make something sweet :O) My good friend Loke graciously offered to help me make the cake. I was so excited because we always have so much fun together, and I am always grateful for another person's opinion. Well, Friday night we started our adventure (it was the first time either of us had attempted to use fondant and the first time either of us had tried to tackle a two tiered cake) Well, after 8 hours of hard work we were done....

This is the cake minus the cute umbrella on the top because it still wasn't dry

These are the super cute 3-D flowers that Loke made out of the fondant

We were both so excited because for first timers we thought we had done a pretty good job. We went to sleep very satisfied with ourselves!

Then at 8 am Saturday morning I got a phone call.... Loke?

Groggy and a little incoherent ( the phone call woke me up) I can hear the uneasiness in Loke's voice. "Tori you will never believe what happened! I woke up this morning and McKayla -her 4 year old daughter- snitched in the cake. I need you over here for damage control!"

I was still trying to wake up, and was a little unsure if I heard her correctly. We talked for a minute, and I was on my way back over to her house. We kept the cake there because I didn't want to try and transport the cake from her house to mine all by myself and at 2 in the morning. With my tool box (cake decorating supplies) and Kitchen Aid in hand I walked into the house. Loke answered the door with tears in her eyes, apologizing for what happened. I really didn't think it could be that bad!! Her daughter is the best behaved 4 year old I know!!! I was assuming she stuck her little fingers in the icing to take a little taste... totally fixable, right? So I went into the kitchen, reluctantly, afraid of what could have really happened. And this is what I saw..........

This is the picture after I had started "Operation Fix Baby Cake" I took off all of the fondant pieces and the green dot borders before I realized I should take a picture... eventually I would laugh about this, right? She had taken about 4 big chunks out of the cake just like this one, a few smaller ones, and added some extra fondant dots and flowers. We had also made some cupcakes to go on a cute cupcake stand. She had managed to touch every single one of those as well. How, I have no idea. She is always so eager to help whenever we get together to do little projects, and I have a feeling she thought she was just trying to help on this one as well.

Well after another 3 hours of adding another layer of frosting, and adding the decoration back on we ended up with this......

Not too bad, eh?!?! I can't tell you how happy I was that we were able to fix the cake. And how glad I am that Loke was able to help! We learned a few lessons tho...

1. Keep cakes (no matter how well behaved your children are) up up up and away! Those little fingers, and adoring eyes can't help but "snich" a little taste

2. Frosting can do, and cover, about anything!

3. After all is said and done, you will laugh about what happened :O)

ITS FRIDAY

2009-08-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

ITS FRIDAY!!!!!! WOW THIS HAS BEEN THE LONGEST WEEK EVER!

hope you all have a great weekend :O)

Baby Shower and Family Fun

2009-08-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Zack and I were able to go to Aurora.... ah Home Sweet Home!! We had a baby shower for my sis-in-law Sam and Baby Summer (hopefully she gets here soon! Can't wait to meet her:O) It was so nice to be home. And even better because I could feel the start of fall in the air. It was wonderful. Here are a few pics from Saturday. We were able to have almost our whole fam together. We were only missing Landon, who was driving back to Utah from D.C, and Alex, she was in SLC doing some soccer stuff. And it was so nice for us all to be together. We had a great time.

This is Sam and the nieces hands on her cute belly. We are all so excited to meet Summer (she is due to be here in about 3 weeks... we hope it is sooner)

The Girls with Sam again

Of course we ate... its just what we do. Nathan is pretty good at it too!

Like father... like son! Austin was going to town on the corn. He told Zack "The corn is the best part!" I think he ate 2 or 3 ears of corn without touching his burger.

Zack and Lindsay... They were twinners in PINK :O)

We played a mean game of kick ball. All the girls played without our shoes on.. and we paid for it. We all had huge red welts on our feet. It sure was fun tho!

The Boys playin a little kick ball. I think my favorite part about this is just the green grass... I could have just sat on the grass forever.

All the girls, - Alex~ Sammy, Lindsay, Me, Shauna, Tana, Mom, Kiara, Kaitlyn

All the Boys, - Landon~ Zack, Nathan, Rhett, Dad, Jackson, Austin

3's of You Tag!

2009-08-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

You've been tagged; so you are supposed to fill in the 3's of You.
At the end, choose 3 people to be tagged.
If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. Have fun!

Three names I go by:
1. Victoria
2. Tori
3. Sis

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Paralegal for KSSJ Attorneys
2. Turkey Plant... need I say more! YUCK!!
3. Cal Ranch.... wootwoot

Three places I have lived
1. Aurora, Ut
2. Cedar City, Ut
3. Las Vegas, NV

Three favorite Drinks:
1. H2O
2. Diet Mt. Dew
3. Hot Chocolate

Three TV shows that I watch:
We don't have cable... No TV for me, happily :O)

Three top places I have been:
1. Cancun
2. St. Thomas/St. Maarten/Bahamas
3. Aurora, Ut... LOVE that place

Three of my favorite restaurants:
1. Sushi Mon
2. Cafe Rio
3. Big Island Bouba... shave ice baby!!

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Having a few kiddos :O)
2. Going back to school to be an esthetician
3. Maybe some day moving back to Utah... doubt it will happen but I can wish, right?

Three people I tag:
1. Monica
2. Melanie
3. Chelo

O HOW I LOVE THEE....

2009-08-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed a good snow cone, or shave ice. But this last weekend I was able to have THE BEST SHAVE ICE EVER. I had been craving a shave ice for the last week or so. I asked everyone I knew if they knew of a good place to get a shave ice. Well, I remembered that while driving down Eastern I had seen a little shop that had shave ice. So we invited our friends Drew and Loke to come with us. Loke is from Hawaii and grew up having shave ice. And it was a good thing she came because she told me the best way to get my shave ice. At first, I will admit, I was a little sceptic. I was just used to some good ice with the wonderful flavored syrup. But I was turned on to a whole new treat... you ready for this? Shave ice (with tigers blood syrup- its my fave), vanilla ice cream in the middle with sweetened condensed milk drizzled on top. Who would have thought?? But let me just tell you... it was AMAZING! And it was GINORMOUS!!!!! It took both Zack and I to finish the treat off. Don't worry we didn't let any waste :O) I wish I had my camera so you could see how wonderfully delicious this sweet cold treat was. Don't worry, I will be going again. And I will take pics I promise!

This is just a pic I found that was similar to what I had... but the one I had was at least twice as big :O)

Hallows Family Reunion... Duck Creek, Ut

2009-07-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

WARNING... lots of pictures!

This last weekend Zack and I were able to go to Duck Creek and go to our Hallows Family Reunion. We had so much fun and just want to say THANK YOU thank you to my parents for all that they did for us. And for all the hard work they went through to prepare and make the reunion AWESOME!!!! We all had so much fun.

Zack and I left right after I got off work on Thursday. We arrived in Duck Creek @ 10ish and made it just in time to play a little Signs... The funnest camping game!

The next morning we got up, had some super yummy breakfast and got ready to go for a wheeler ride. My parents let us use their 4-wheeler. We went on some beautiful trails! The ride lasted a good 4+ hours. But it was so nice to just be in the outdoors. We don't get much of the outdoors (if any) in Vegas!

My Mom and I waiting at the 4-wheeler corral before the ride.

About an hour into the ride... stopping for a little snack :O)

My Dad, Mom and Zack

Us during the ride. We had so much fun!

Us after the ride.... it was a little dusty the whole time, but not bad at all...... UNTIL about the last 10 minutes. It was just crazy! We got so dusty. I could barely see through my sunglasses. We were big dust balls... it was hilarious!

The whole gang (minus Lori- taking the picture and my cousin Tanner and Bailey- they got pulled over by the "quad cops" for not having helmets on because they weren't 18 OOPS) We were all so dusty, we couldn't stop laughing at each other.

After the ride my mom had planned a fun Cowboy Chuck Wagon Dinner. We all wore bandannas. The bandannas were a hit with everyone! Especially my cute nieces and nephews....

My youngest nephew Jackson- Doesn't he make a cute little cowboy?!?!

Kaitlyn, Austin and Lindsay. They are all just too cute.

The Hallows brothers and their wives, and of course Grandma and Grandpa Hallows! It was so fun that they were able to make it up for the evening.

Grandma and Grandpa Hallows

We also had a little visit from a snake... The little kids were too funny. They stood right next to the snake so they could take a look.

After Dinner we had a Pinata. The kids LOVED IT of course! Great idea mom!!!

My brother Nathan getting the kids ready to take their turn bashing the cute little horse.

After dinner we had a HALLOWS vs HALLOWS kick ball game. It got pretty serious! I asked Zack if he wanted to play and he was like sure. I said "well its just going to be a fun game of kickball" and he said "yea right! Hallows' just don't do a "fun" game of anything. You are all so competitive" He was right! It turned out to be a very serious game of ball....

My Uncle Trent, Cousin Erica and Zack- Getting ready to play some outfield

I was the pitcher. It was a lot of fun, even though our team lost. It was so close, then we just let it go. We finally had to stop because the sun was going down. All we needed was a few lights and we could have gone all night long :O)

The next day we just relaxed and had a good time. My mom had some activities planned for the little kids. They did a little craft frame and then we all made some home made ice cream. It was so yummy!

My Dad and his ice cream... we each made out own ice cream.

After the ice cream the heavens decided to open up and it rained a little bit. It was so beautiful to just sit there and enjoy the rain. A bunch of us just sat under the canopy and waited for the rain to stop. It got a little chilly as well.

We hadn't eaten lunch yet... But that doesn't really matter when in the mountains. We sat under the canopy and ate all sorts of treats! I love camping :O)

After lunch my mom got out the marshmallow shooters.. they were a hit! Especially with my mom!! She was by far the fastest marshmallows shooter-.she was dubbed the semi-automatic!

We were all surprised how far and fast those little mallows would go.

The boys got into a very serious (once again the competitive Hallows) game of Washers...

No worries... the May/Hallows team beat the Hallows/Hallows team!!! WAHOOO

Our last night @ camp... my dad was just tuckered out! He fell asleep in the chair sitting by the fire. And for those of you who know my dad aren't surprised at all- he can fall asleep ANYWHERE :O)

The end of the night. We had so much fun.

THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!! YOU TWO ARE THE GREATEST! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

So Long... FAREWELL!!

2009-07-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I said my final goodbye's to my car..... HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!! I have had nothing but problems with it ever since it just decided to up and die on us as we were driving back into Vegas about 6 months ago. So we sold it (very happily) to Carmax! I AM FREE OF MY BURDEN!!!! If you can't tell I am so excited. We only have one car for the time being, but its no biggie... I work super close to home so Zack brings me to work and picks me up in the evening. So far so good (although it is only day 2 of this new arrangement) :O)

Just one word to the wise... DO NOT EVER EVER EVER EVER BUY A MITSUBISHI!!!! PLEASE! I PROMISE YOU WILL NEVER EVER REGRET IT!

Anyway, hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!

To the love of my life.....

2009-07-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

So 2 Sundays ago was our First Anniversary.... wow how time flies! We have had an amazing first year. I am so thankful for my amazing hubby, I love him so much! We had a great day together... we celebrated Saturday since the big day was on Sunday. I had a meeting in the morning and when I got back he told me to get ready and go get a peddi! I was so excited. I love to have my toes look cute! When I got back the house was spotless. And then I just couldn't wait to give him his gift... so we opened them a little early as well- we were both so excited we just couldn't wait! When I came downstairs he had got me the most beautiful flowers. And he is so good- he knows how much I dislike roses, so he looked and looked until he found something with no roses. (pics to come soon) So he opened his gift (new sunglasses ) And he said that because I gave him his big gift he would have to give me mine... So I opened up card #2 and inside was a sheet of paper. I opened it up and couldn't tell what it was. Then I saw it..... 2 tickets for the KINGS OF LEON!!!!!!!! I have wanted to see them in concert for so long. And I was so excited that he got the ticks for me. I had looked and looked to see if they were touring in Vegas and it wasn't on their listings. But they are coming and I can't wait!!!!! After that we went to SushiMon and had some amazing sushi then we went to the Movie. It was pretty much the best day ever!!! Mostly because I just got to spend the entire day with the perfect man.

I love you babe and can't wait for our eternity.... xoxoxoxox

"Come On"

2009-06-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

So when Zack and I first moved into our ward we got the calling of Nursery Leaders. It was a really fun calling. And we definitely learn to love the kids that we taught each Sunday. Well, about 3 weeks ago we were released from our calling. And this last Sunday the cutest thing happened....

As we were leaving the chapel and on our way to Sunday School we ran into one of the little boys that we had in Nursery. Zack reached down and rubbed his head and said hi to him. Jay, the little boy, looked up at Zack with his big eyes and just stared for a second. Then he grabbed Zack's hand, and started leading him to Nursery. It was the cutest thing ever. I just walked behind them and was thinking... I can't wait till our own little one is grabbing his and and leading him to nursery. (not for a while tho :O) And then the cutest thing happened when he was trying to leave the nursery room... Jay looked up at Zack and said, "Come On". It was so adorable. He wouldn't go into Nursery unless Zack went in with him. So Zack went in and then after a second he snuck out. It was just so cute :O)

Time for an update....

2009-06-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

So it has been brought to my attention (by a few good friends) that I have been a total blogging slacker! So I decided that I would update! Not much has been going on the last little while. We have just been going and doing and livin life to the fullest.

So, here is a little of what we have been up to...

A little while ago we went home to Aurora to help my grandparents do a little spring cleaning. It was so much fun. I honestly do not know how many of us were there, but I will say at least 30 of us?? And I have to say thanks to my cousin Mis because I stole these pics of her blog. Thanks Mis :O)

The boys worked outside and the girls stayed inside. This pic is of the boys cuttin down the trees. In this pic is my Grandpa, my brother Nathan and my wonderful Hubby on the ground. And yes, my Dad up in the tree.. always a kid at heart :O)

Yup, my dad is CrAzY!!!! He climbed up this tree to cut off the branches. And the wind was blowing SO HARD!! I walked out just to see what was going on and there was my dad, up in this big tree, swaying back and forth as the wind was blowin. Gotta love him!!!

I was in charge of cooking lunch. Well, the onions didn't agree with me. I don't think I have EVER cut onions that made me cry like they did this time. My eyes were watering so hard I had to go outside. From the looks of the tears that were streaming down my face you would have thought I had lost a loved one!

Me and my Grandma Ginny getting the clothes of the line... love ya Grandma :O)

The week after our trip home we went to Cedar City because my big Bro Lando graduated from SUU. It was s great weekend!!!

This is the Big Graduate :O)

Cute Sam (with baby Summer) Lando and Me and Zack

Memorial Day weekend we went our friends Drew and Loke and their kiddos Bela and Ty to their time share to swim in the pool! We had a FAB time!

Bela and Zack chillin by the pool

Ty, chillin on his floaty. He loved the water. In fact he started to get a little cold and his lips started to shiver, but he didn't want to get out of the water.

This last Sunday I was so excited to have a visit from one of my best friends, Penny. She looked absolutely beautiful with her cute baby belly. (She did threaten me that if she looked "bad" in this pic she would be upset with me) So I think she looks great in this pic!!! I hope you like it too Pen :O)

Anyway, that is a little of what has been happenin in our lives! Nothing great, or extravagant, just our wonderful lives. Just how we like it :O)

O Suga!!!!

2009-03-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

So I have really been slacking when it comes to blogging!! We have had a fun, busy, last few weeks. The last weekend in February we went to Cedar and stayed with Landon and Sam. We went boarding for the first and last time for the season :O( We are both super bummed that we haven't been able to go more. Especially me because I finally learned how to actually board, and not just plow down the hill :O)

The weekend after that my Parents and Landon and Sam came down for the weekend to visit. It was so much fun to have them here. I always love having family around. My parents are just so wonderful!! They always make everything so much fun. We had given my parents a gift certificate to the BEST sushi place for Christmas- so they came down to use it up. We ate SO much sushi... but boy was it delish!!!

Other than that it has just been work for us! I am still super busy and overloaded with my new position. It is a challenge, but I love a challenge. :O)

Other than that I have been busy baking. I have always loved to bake... and I have been trying a lot of new things. One thing that I have made a lot of (too much if you ask my hubby) are Oreo Truffles. They are so dang good, and so so so easy to make. They are so addicting... here are some pics of them

I have always wanted to be able to decorate cakes... my mom always would make me the cutest cake for my birthday. It was ALWAYS a double decker heart shaped cake with the most amazing lemon flavored icing!!! ( just talking about it makes me want some) My mom was so great at decorating. And I always thought it looked like so much fun. So I decided to try it out. This was my first double cake ever. It was a little lopsided, that's why the icing is how it is. But it was so YUMMY!!! I am planning on making my friend's daughter's birthday cake in a few weeks, so I will need to do a little more practicing!

And my all time favorite to bake is sugar cookies. This year I went to my friend Loke's house and made cookies with her and her adorable little girl McKayla (she is going to be the birthday girl) After a whole day of baking cookies and miniature cheesecakes, making Oreo truffles and then decorating the cookies we were all tuckered out. But it was so yummy, and so much fun.

One More Baby on the way :O)

2009-02-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

So there is one more person on my "babies" list... CLARISSA!! I can't believe I forgot to mention her (sorry Crissie) But she is also having a baby!! They are all having their little ones this fall :o) Wow, that's a lot of little babies!

Congrats Crissie! Hopefully we will be able to get together before you have your little one! Lets start planning our "girlfriend get-together"!!!!!

Birthday and Babies

2009-02-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

So Friday was the big 24 for me. Yikes, how time flies!!! And it was such an awesome day! I had to work of course and it was such a long day... But it was all worth it when I walked through the door. My wonderful hubby had cleaned the whole house, vacuumed the stairs and all! He is so sweet and thoughtful. This is the first birthday that we have actually been together since our senior year of high school. All the other years we have lived apart. When I got home he said I had to find my present. He knows me too well. I love that kind of stuff, the anticipation and excitement just kills me. He only gave me one hint, and the hint was that it was down stairs. And for those of you that have been to our home know there isn't much to downstairs. So I looked, and looked and looked and looked and looked! I couldn't find it. Zack gave me one more hint, that it was in the kitchen (the smallest room in the house) and I still couldn't find it. No worries, eventually I found it. He is so clever. He hid it on top of the cupboards behind some decorations... and it was an ipod. He is so good to me, and I was so excited to be able to spend the day with him. After that we went to dinner and then to dessert... Nielson Custard. It was awesome. I'm pretty sure I gained at least 5 pounds just from the custard. But it was totally worth it. After that we were going to go to a movie. We thought it started at 8:30 and when we arrived we realized it really started at 8:05. So we decided to bag the movie. We went and bought our own, came back to the house, started watching it and ended up falling asleep... a perfect day! Thanks to everyone who made my day so special! O and I have to just say that with a little bit of birthday $$ I got from my parents (thanks Mom and Dad) I bought some cake decorating tools and what not. I'm going to take a dabble at doing a little cake decorating. I have always wanted to, so I decided I would take a stab at it.. here I go!!!

As for the babies part of the title of this blog, I just need to congratulate a few people... A few weeks ago a good friend of mine, Miranda, had her baby girl Krymzen! She is such a doll and I am so excited for her. Also, I am going to be an aunt again!! Landon and Sammy are expecting in September. And I can't even begin to tell you all how happy and excited I am for them. I know they will be the most amazing parents EVER! And that baby is going to be a doll :o) And one last bit of baby news (no I am not announcing anything) Stacey, a girl I work with, just told me she is prego as well. All this baby news and talk makes me wonder if its time for me, and then reality checks in and says... NOPERS!!! When the time is right we will know. And that time is not now, we don't think at least :o)

Valentine's Tag

2009-02-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2009
Answer the questions about your sweetheart…

*What is your husband’s name? Zachary Gene May

*How long have you been married? Just a little over 7 months :o)

*How long did you date? Well, we dated from 2002-2008 but there were some “breaks” in there. We count it as 5 years :o)

*How old is he? 24

*Who eats more sweets? Definitely ME!! I love everything sweet. He likes them too, but he has this amazing self control- something I was not blessed with or ever took the time to learn. Gimmie gimmie gimmie :o) Although he is a total sucker for fresh home-baked straight from the oven brownies and chocolate chip cookies.

*Who said I love you first? I think I did… I had to let him know :o)

*Who is taller? Zack

*Who can sing best? Well, Zack can make up rhymes like nobody’s business!!!! He is a die-hard shower singer. And I usually stick close by so I can hear. It is hilarious some of the things he can come up with.

*Who is smarter? Hmmmmm…… I dunno. We are both equal in the smarts :O)

*Who does laundry? Both of us.

*Who pays bills? We both do. We got some great advice when we got married that it is a wise thing to do together. And I totally agree!

*Who sleeps on the right side? Me

*Who mows the lawn? Lawn, what is a lawn?? Is that the green stuff I see in people’s yards?

*Who cooks dinner? Mostly me, and I love to cook. I just hate deciding WHAT to cook!

*Who drives? He does. There is this magic thing that happens to me when I get into a car…. I get super sleepy :o) About ten minutes later I'm a gonner..... Its a curse!

*Who is first to admit they are wrong? He is so good to be the first one. I am just stubborn I guess.

*Who kissed who first? Well, I asked him to kiss me once (we weren’t quite dating yet but we both had a crush on each other) and he said no! But eventually he was the first to make the move

*Who asked who out first? He did… homecoming our senior year

*Who wears the pants? Him :o)

Love you Zack :o)

I tag EVERYONE!!

The rantings of a sick woman....... BEWARE

2009-01-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

Well its 4 in the am and I am wide awake. Trust me I would rather be sleeping, and I have tried to sleep since about 11 last night. But I have this Stupid canker and a horrible sinus infection that has kept me up for the past 3 nights. I am totally beside myself! I have such a wonderful husband who puts up with my in-the-night frantics! I'm constantly up and down. Drinking water, getting a throat lozenge, applying lip stuff, blowing my nose......... you get the point! And the worst part is that I totally drugged myself up before going to bed hoping it might help just a little. But no, Nyquil can't even keep me out! Seriously! Two hours later and I'm wide awake. We got a humidifier last night hoping it would help my sinus infection, and it actually has. But I still can't sleep because of the canker. I never knew anything to be such a nuisance! And I'm starting to go a little cRaZy!!!!!!

Just One of Those Days

2009-01-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a day where you thought... why did I even get up. Well my day was just like that! To start off I have had this HUGE canker on my lip for the past week. And even though I have been optimistic that it would eventually go away, I'm starting to think it is going to be a very ugly permanent fixture. I have never had a canker like this before. It is seriously the size of a pencil eraser. And it is in a horrible spot- right on the inside of my lip so whenever I open my mouth it pulls on it :O( Needless to say the last few nights have been uncomfortable. Then at work this morning I started to get a fever. I didn't have any flu symptoms and couldn't figure it out. So I got on webMD and looked up cankers, and yup, they can cause fevers!!! Who would have thunk it! So I battled a fever all day, and the stupid canker. But I thought since I wasn't really sick I would still go to the gym. I met Zack at the gym after work. Well I wasn't feeling great so I went to leave about 10 min before him. I got to the car and it wouldn't start. WHY!?!?!? So i just sat there waiting for him to come out. He came, we pulled the truck close to jump it and, well, when you start the truck it locks automatically- That's right we locked the keys in the truck WHILE it was running. So we thought no biggie. We'll jump the car, go back home, get the spare and unlock it. Well, the car WOULDN'T START!!!! Seriously? So we had to call a friend to go to our house, get the key and meet us at the gym. Good news, we unlocked the truck. Bad news, the car is still at the gym all broken down. And the other bad part is that we need both vehicles! So I don't really have a ride to work. Its a good thing we have great friends here in Vegas that are always willing to help us out. Its 8:13 and I'm calling it a night. If I sleep nothing else can go wrong, right?

Finally

2009-01-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

Well, since Christmas is long past I thought I would put up some pics. I'm really slacking :o) But here are just a few pics of our fun holiday season

My cousins Tristan, Travis and Brendon- they bunkered at our house on their way to Oregon to move my cousin Mistie home

Melissa, she was part of the movin crew as well. Thanks for staying :o)

Zack well, he was trying to get the mattress blown up. But was very distracted by the fighting on the TV

Zack and Zeb in their new jackets.... kinda weird and creeeeepy that they zip all the way up

No really its totally creepy that you can't see their face

Mom playin a little Guitar Hero... she did very well. And the rest of the fam loungin in the basement

Tana, Nathan and Zack... patiently waiting for their turn with the guitar

Aaahhh the fight that my very sick husband had to make it to.... don't worry we made it. Super sick and all. We did have fun though.

We couldn't seem to get a good picture :o( He was sick and really didn't want to take a pic at all. And I had a huge cold sore... go figure!

Lovin Life!!!

2009-01-08T20:09:00.001-08:00

I am just sittin here while my wonderful hubby is watching a football game... and all I can think is I'M LOVIN LIFE! Things are a little crazy for us, my new position at work, Zack just got a new job at work too (he is now a blade hand, and the grade forman) but things are great for us! We are so grateful for the jobs that we have. So many people are being laid off, and we are lucky enough to have good jobs. Mine job is fairly stable. However Zack's is a little iffy at times- being construction and all, but we don't have any worries.

O and it being January 8 and all I want to wish my big bro Rhett a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!

He is in North Carolina going to Duke to finish up his schooling. He, along with his family, have been gone since July and wont be back to Utah until this spring/summer. I sure do miss them all. Hope you have a good day bud!

Top 8 in 08

2009-01-05T12:15:00.001-08:00

Well, the new year has begun and I have yet to set any personal goals. I will, don't worry, its just been a crazy last month. Zack has been sick pretty much since the second week of December. He went from a cold to the flu and now back to a cold. And this last one has about done him in. He didn't leave our home for 3 days... poor guy! And on top of that I have been super busy!!! I am enjoying my new position at work. I am so busy that 5 o'clock comes and I swear it should only be 2ish!! I guess its good though.

New years was so much fun for us. My brother Landon and his cute wife Sam came to spend the holiday with us. We has so much fun with them and some other of our friends. We all just stayed at our house- played a little guitar hero, a few games and snacked the night away! It was so much fun having Landon and Sam stay with us. Now its our turn to go stay with them....woohoo :o)

Here is my Top 8 of 08 list..... such a great year

8. Being the "Hotel de Mayo's"... We love having visitors!!! You should all come stay sometime :o)
7. Became the the Nursery Leaders... we sure do love those little squirts!
6. Got hired on at an amazing law firm (close to home:o) great people:O)
5. Met some wonderful people in our ward... Our own little extended family here in Vegas.
4. Painted, and repainted our home!! We love it, o ya and got the couch we wanted to go with it.
3. Went on an amazing honeymoon to Cancun. I love the sun :o)
2. Moved home for 3 months before the wedding... I got to spend lots of quality time with my parents. LOVE YOU!!
1. Married the most wonderful man in the world... June 28, 2008! I am so happy that I have him in my life. Where would I be and what would I be doing without him? Love you Zack

Christmas Break

2008-12-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break. Zack and I sure did.

I had Christmas Eve off, and that morning I got to do a little catch up with one of my best friends, Mrs. Penny Owens! She was staying in Vegas so I met up with her and her hubby for breakfast. It was so much fun to see her. Love ya Pen!

Zack got off work at 10ish. We packed up and headed north. We made in to Salina for his families tradition of Christmas Eve dinner. It was delish!! We stayed there for a little bit, then headed to Aurora to drop off presents at my house and say hi.

Christmas morning was awesome. We had breadfast with his family and opened up presents.I got alot of socks... Zack is tired of me wearing his :o) Some workout clothes and some perfume that I have wanted since last Christmas!! His parents gave us money a little while ago for our Christmas.... we bought a deep freezer!!! It is such an awesome thing to have. Then we headed to the Hallows residence to open gifts with my fam. My parents went way overboard, like always. We got a card table( the small square ones that come with the folding chairs) And I was so thrilled. Whenever we have friends over for dinner and what not we never have enough chairs. They also gave us a picture of Jesus by Greg Olsen.... and the best part is that it is that on the back it says "To Zack and Victoria.... Greg Olsen" It was signed by him!! I was so excited. It is the most beautiful picture of Jesus, in a beautiful frame. We gots lots of other little things from my parents as well! O and I also got a SUPER CUTE purse from Landon and Sam! Thanks guys!!
Zack was super excited about his Christmas too. He got some shoes he has wanted for a while now, clothes, and other little things. He was so pumped about his shoes, he wanted to wear them all the time. He was way too cute.

The rest of the weekend we just relaxed. Until Saturday that is. Zack woke up and he had the flu!! He was so sick. We were planning on going back home to watch the UFC fight, but he was so sick. Then he got a call from a buddy and he had FREE TICKETS to the FIGHT!!! Zack mysteriously got better... a little bit. We headed to Vegas. We got about to Beaver before he had to get out. He was so dang sick! We made it to the fight just in time to see his favorite fighter get knocked out!!! We even RAN the entire way into the arena. He wanted to see the fight so bad. However he paid for it later. He had a horrible fever! But he was super happy he got to go to a fight.

Thats about it for our weekend. I will have to post pictures a little later.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T06:18:00.001-08:00

Zack and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We leave later today after Zack gets off work for good ol Utah!!! We are so excited to be able to spend the holidays with our families!We hope that you all will be safe this weekend and have a wonderfull Christmas!

Grateful

2008-12-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

Two days ago the attorney that I work for asked me to come into his office- I was hoping it could only be good, he seems to like me :o) Well my instincts were right! He asked me if I was interested in going full time, and learning more about the work that I'm already doing. Of course I said yes! The next day the office manager asked me to come into her office. She was sitting there with the main paralegal that works for the attorney. Not only were they offering me a full time job, but a great promotion!! The next day (yesterday) I started my training as a paralegal! I was so excited/scared/nervous/grateful for this opportunity. Most of the paralegals have gone to school and have done paralegal studies, but the firm that I work for is just going to train me on the job!!

After my first two days all I can say is- INFORMATION OVERLOAD!! I work with 4 different clients, and thousands of files! It is going to be such a challenge, but I'm up for it.

Other than that things at the May residence are pretty much normal! Just enjoying this holiday season, and looking forward to spending Christmas with our families. We don't head home until Christmas Eve. However I'm sure that a lot of you will be taking off sooner than that, so we would like to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

It was such a wonderful day yesterday... about 1 in the afternoon it started snowing. SNOWING! At first I thought it would just flurry and then stop, but then it really started to come down. It wasn't sticking to the ground. And I figured it would soon stop. About 6 hours later and 4 inches of snow it finally started to slow down. I think I was the only one who was so excited that I couldn't stop grinning! I blasted my Christmas music and drove home (so glad that drive a 4-wheel drive truck) to a winter wonderland

A Very Merry Christmas from the Men in my Family

2008-12-05T17:13:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Tag

2008-12-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for sure!! That is one thing that my mom loves, and always goes all out, and I take after her. I love to wrap presents and make them look super snazzy and cute. I love the presentation part of the presents. They look so fun and festive under the tree.
2. Real tree or Artificial? I would prefer a real, but I am allergic to them.... so fake it is :o(
3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving. Putting up all the decorations around the house is so much fun!
4. When do you take the tree down? Well, I think it's usually the weekend after Christmas... I can't really remember.
5. Do you like eggnog? Eeewwww YUCK!! NO WAY!!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? O goodness, I don't know. I loved all my dolls... I got a doll every year, and I loved them all. In fact I remember the first year I didn't get one, it was kinda shocking!! (I don't know why, I think I had graduated from high school)
7. Hardest person to buy for? Definitely my parents!! I always want it to be so good and special... they are hard to buy for.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Probably Zack, and any of my sister in laws. Girls are always pretty easy to buy for :o)
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I would love to have the Willow Tree nativity. However I must say that the Nativity at my parents was ALWAYS my thing to put up. Under the Nativity was Angel Hair, and no one else wanted to touch it. So I always did, it was my "thing"
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither... we are lame
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember a bad gift, "Santa" always did such an amazing job!! I did have a really bad Christmas one year though. It was the year that my brother Landon left on his mission. He left right before Thanksgiving, and so Christmas was especially hard. I was the only one home, and it just wasn't right!!! In fact my parents had to come wake me up.... that never happened, I was always the very first up. Needless to say it was a very Blue Christmas for me, and my parents.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, definitely!!!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as I can, however I have been a slacker this year!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nopers
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? PULLAPARTS!!!!! MMMMmmmmm they are so dang yummy. They are our traditional Christmas breakfast. We usually don't have them any other time of the year, so it is a very special occasion. They are the yummiest gooiest things EVER! For those of you who have had them before you know what I mean!!
16. Lights on the tree? Of course... and usually clear. All growing up we had a flocked tree with really pretty colored lights, but now its just clear for us!
17. Favorite Christmas song? ALL OF THEM!!!! I don't think there is one that I dislike. In fact from the day after Thanksgiving it's all I have listened to :O)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We travel, but I'm sure there will come a day when we will stay, but until that day its home sweet home in Utah for me!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen & Rudolph of course!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither this year- We have some really cute bead/garland that I bunched up and stuck on top... it sounds weird I know but it actually looks really cute!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Usually one on Christmas Eve (PJs) and the rest bright and early on Christmas morning.... I love that feeling of waking up having fun surprises. And I love the surprise part of it!! I hate knowing ANYTHING I am going to get.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the people, they seem to forget that we are celebrating our Savior's birth... Most people seem to be in such a rush, and so RUDE!!!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? This year it is lime green and red... traditional and a little funky. I bought some awesome ornaments from Costco.... they are so much fun.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? We usually have turkey, ham and all the fixins. We meet at Grandma and Grandpa Sorensons for lunch. It is great to get the whole family together. Even better cuz there is lots and lots of super yummy food.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I already have my Christmas. Our couch and table is good for us. It is such a wonderful gift to ourselves! It makes our home feel so much more like a home... exactly what I wanted for Christmas. The other thing I want and will get as well is to be with my family. I love being able to spend time with family... there is no better feeling in the whole entire world!
26. What do you like most about Christmas? EVERYTHING! The smells, decorations, food, treats, family, friends, music... the list goes on and on. I am very excited for our first Christmas together... This will be the 6th Christmas since we have started dating, and they keep getting better and better.
27. What are your traditions for Christmas? O goodness, where do I begin. With my mom's side of the family we do a lot... They usually do a family home evening with the entire family, and pick a family in the town that needs a little help during the holiday season. We also have a Sorenson Family Christmas Party, and it's a blast. We eat, of course, Santa stops by, we do white elephant gifts, and play some games. IT ROCKS! We also have a Christmas Eve party. Another tradition I'm going to miss this year is wrapping presents with my mom. We would get lost for hours wrapping presents. It has always been something I look forward to. There are many more, I just don't want this to be too long :o)
28. Favorite memory of Christmas? I think being a young girl and knowing that Santa had visited. All the kids would go into my parents room and get them up. Then dad would go into the living room and turn all the lights on and get everything ready. He would always come in the room and say "Sorry, Santa must have forgot you this year" Then we would say a family prayer and line up youngest to oldest and head out to the living room.... the anticipation would kill me!
29. What is your favorite Christmas activity? Napping.... aahhhhh the holidays!!
30. Name the people you want to TAG to join in the Christmas Memory Lane?! Mistie, Shauna, Marie, Chelo, Amanda, Trisha, Tatum, Penny, Clarissa, and anyone else that wants to join in. Do it, its lots of fun!

Christmas came early......

2008-12-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas came a little early at the May residence this year! And we are so excited to have it here. We finally got the couch we wanted, and it is just perfect. We also had our friend Jordan make us this beautiful table for out entryway. All of it is exactly what we have been looking and waiting for- and we finally have the home we have been dreaming of :o)

This is the table.... we love it!

This is our new couch, newly painted walls, and out Christmas decorations. We love being in this room now!

Another pic of the couch- It fits perfectly, and its pretty dang comfy!

This is just a cute pic of my hubby. Relaxing at my parents house.

I had decided one night after we went to the movie with some friends to start painting... It was a Tuesday night at about 7:30!!! Zack wasn't very excited!! I had promised that after we painted the kitchen in the middle of the week that I would never start a project during the week again. Well, a few days later I started to repaint the living room. It was pretty late, and all Zack wanted was to go to sleep... I came downstairs to this.... SLEEP!!!!!!! He is very subtle :o)

Our wonderful weekend

2008-12-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was so awesome for us. We were lucky enough to get to go home :o) We were there all weekend, and had a blast the entire time!! We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner (we both got so full that it was almost impossible to move afterwards...) Friday morning my mom and I got up at 3 to be in Richfield for the big sales. We had so much fun, and always do! Friday night we went to Ephriam with both our parents and went to the best Chinese restaurant ever, and saw 4 Christmas'. Saturday My dad brother and Zack went coyote hunting. Then we put up Christmas at my parents house and played Spankie.... and not spankie in a dirty way. It is an awesome card game!! We had lots of fun. Well, that pretty much sums up out weekend. It was so much fun going home, and it will be great going home again for Christmas. We just love our families so much, and LOVE spending time with them.

Zack and I with my parents at our Thanksgiving dinner... Yes it's at the church. We have so many family members that come that we had to go to the church, it is AWESOME!!

My cousins Melissa, Shauna, Amanda and me. We were "hiding" in the basement of the chuch trying to get out of cleanin up.... Mostly just hanging out. No one even noticed we were missing.

This is my silly mom and her silly twin cleaning up after dinner. They are so dang funny when they get together.... wait a second my whole family is hilarious when we all get together. LOVE THEM ALL

The boys before the big hunt. It was too early for Zack to pull faces... And well, the other two are just flat out CrAzY. You can see it in their eyes :o) lol

This is how our weekend ended. We were all "watching" Baby Mamma. I started getting things packed and when I came back in they were all lounged out.

Gobble Gobble

2008-11-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Zack and I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving weekend. Please be safe in all your travels and enjoy the time you get to spend with family and loved ones. We are all so blessed to have special people in our lives. We love you all!!

This and That...

2008-11-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a little blurp about whats going on in our life, and what has gone on. Well we went to see Twilight.... yes I said WE!!! Zack was such a good sport and came with me. Him and the other 2 husbands that got conned into coming. We had fun, and he seemed to semi enjoy it. I on the other hand had a few issues with the movie. I'm not going to go into it, because it was expected. Movies can never compare to the books!!! Although I will say some of the acting was a little over done (Jasper?? and Edwards face- it seemed like he had a dirty diaper under his nose the whole time, and Bella's weird ticks) Anyway we saw it and enjoyed it, and and can't wait for the next one.

I am getting so excited to go back home for the holidays. It has been a few months since I have seen my family, and it is very past due! I am so grateful for my family and can't wait to spend some time with them. I never imagined that at 23 years old I would be home sick... but I am. And the closer it gets to the holidays the harder it gets to be away from what I am used to. However I do have to say that Zack is so great and is so amazing when I have my moments.

Other than the holidays we have a few other things we are looking forward too!! The Monday after Thanksgiving we get our new couch.... yeeeehaaaaaa :o) We are so excited. We also are getting our entry table that we had Zack's really good friend Jordan make for us. He custom made the table, and from what I have seen so far it is going to be BEAUTIFUL. We are slowly getting out home finished with the little touches that really make it feel like HOME!

That's all from the super warm south.... Utah and the cold here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the time you get to spend with your family.

WE ARE FINISHED

2008-11-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the painting is finally finished. YIPEE SKIPEE!!!!! It has been 3 weeks worth of project after project, and we are officially done. We also got a couch...WoooHoooo :o) Well, we kinda have a couch- It's paid for but we don't get it until December. Merry Christmas to us!!!!! I would post pics of our newly repainted living room, but not yet :o)

Also, I have been getting so excited for Christmas the past few days. But I have very strict rules about actually celebrating Christmas--- NO CHRISTMAS UNTIL THANKSGIVING IS OVER--- I love the build up and the anticipation of the Christmas season, but it's just not right to get out the tree,the music, stockings, and all the super yummy Christmas treats until after the gobble-gobble is safely tucked away in my tummy!! One disclaimer-- It is totally acceptable to buy Christmas presents day 1 of the new year. Nothing like being prepared so the holiday season is stress free and enjoyable!!! I hope all of you are having a wonderful fall.

THE KITCHEN

2008-11-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

The top picture is the only pic I have of what it looked like before. Well, with the exception of the the cabinets that we started on. I am so excited with how it turned out. We still have a few things to do ( new light fixtures, lights under the cabinet and some day stainless steel appliances) Some day :o) I hope you all like it as much as we do!!

RED... and a sigh of relief!!

2008-11-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post before work to tell you all (well those of you that are interested) that the kitchen is complete!!! And honestly, I LOVE IT!!!!!! I think I freaked out a couple nights ago because it was the first coat.... and it was blotchy and patchy and not very appealing. But after 2 coats last night and getting the cabinet doors back on it looked AWESOME! It still isn't put back together- we are waiting for the paint to dry- but I will put some pics up :o)

And I also have to say THANK YOU to my wonderful hubby for working so hard to get this done with me. I couldn't have done any of this without him. He is just so wonderful!!! And for putting up with my freaking out and crying yesterday (that was before we started painting again and both realized it was going to look exactly how we wanted) And also a big thanks to my Mom- she helped calm me down quite a bit yesterday as well.... LOVE YA BOTH

O and one more person to thank.... that would be my dad. He is the one who taught me how to paint edges without taping!!!! Thanks Dad :o) LOVE YOU TOO

Red all the way!!!!

2008-11-04T23:16:00.001-08:00

Even though one of the most historic elections just took place, I am not talking about "red" as a political view. I am talking about my new kitchen. And as I looked around at my newly painted kitchen I said to myself "O TORI WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!?!?!?" We have spent since last Friday painting. We did our kitchen cabinets over the weekend, and I thought I might as well finish the project and paint the kitchen while it is all tore apart. And we had decided a while ago that we were going to paint it RED. Well, its a tiny little kitchen with horrible lighting, and the red makes it look (even though it is hard to imagine) smaller and darker! WHAT DID I DO? So I am calling it a night and hoping that one more coat tomorrow night will do the trick and I will magically be in love with my new mistake. Yikes is all I have to say. If I don't cry too many tears over this I may post pics on the blog.

Tag- Lucky 7s and Crazy 8s

2008-10-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

LUCKY 7'S
7 Things I Can Do...
1. Bake
2. Touch my nose with my tongue
3. Decorate
4. Merge (at work)
5. Still wear shorts and a t-shirt comfortably
6. Shop.... Christmas is just around the corner!!!
7. Clean

7 Things I Cannot Do...
1. Keep the closet clean and organized
2. I cannot stop loving Zack.....
3. BBQ chicken, I leave that one to Zack cuz he is a pro!!!
4. Run... I hate running
5. Wait to go home for the holidays
6. Play any kind of musical instrument
7. Keep track of my keys

7 Things That Attracted me to Zack
1. His crooked smile :o) I love that smile
2. He is so strong willed... I wish I had that kind of will power
3. He o-so-sexy back side ;o)
4. He is so cute with the kids in Nursery!!! I love it (o by the way we are the Nursery Leaders :o)
5. How he loves me
6. He can always make me laugh. ALWAYS
7. He is VERY patient

7 Things I say Most Often...
1. "Hey Babe"
2. "Good morning/afternoon, Law office"
3. "Hi Mom"
4. "Love you"
5. "Is it 5 already..... ugh"
6. "What do you want to eat"
7. "Lover!?!?!?"

7 Admirations
1. Zack
2. Mom
3. Dad
4. Cindee
5. Landon
6. Uncle Warren
7. Sam

7 Favorite Foods...
1. Sloppy Joes... I love them
2. Chicken Pot Pie
3. I love any really good fruit... you know when it is in season
4. Chocolate
5. Chocolate... lol
6. Zack's BBQ chicken
7. A really good pork roast with all the fixins'

CRAZY 8'S
8 TV Shows I Like To Watch...
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8...... We don't have cable

8 Things That Happened Yesterday...
1. I made a batch of sugar cookies
2. I found weevil in my brand new bag of flour.... don't worry I didn't use it
3. Watched 20 children in nursery.... and that was a slow day
4. Laughed so hard I couldn't sing the songs in singing time.... kids are so dang funny!!!!
5. Made 2 different kinds of icing for the cookies
6. Watched My Name is Earl on DVD
7. Decorated cookies :o)
8. Hmmmm..... Ate a cookie, or two

8 Favorite Places To Eat...
1. Sushi Mon
2. Cafe Rio
3. Bajios
4. Our house
5. Lefty's Pizza
6. In & Out Burger
7. Capriotti's
8. Claim Jumper

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To...
1. Painting the cabinets this weekend
2. Painting the living room, again
3. Getting a couch!
4. Becoming a mom (not any time soon though)
5. The Holidays in Utah
6. Spending the rest of eternity with Zack
7. Getting some sleep!!!
8. The holidays in general.... I love CHRISTMAS

8 Things On My Wish List...
1. Um, a new couch
2. A Mini Cooper, or a smart car!!!
3. Some new clothes
4. For 15 lbs to just disappear
5. Snow
6. Did I mention a new couch
7. To finish up decorating the house
8. A house that NEVER gets messy, and is always mysteriously clean :o)

8 People I Tag...
1. Mistie
2. Amanda
3. Shauna
4. Penny
5. Chels
6. Clarissa
7. Trish
8. Chelo

Sugar Cookies.... BOO

2008-10-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me at all- you know that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO MAKE & DECORATE SUGAR COOKIES!!! I made 2 batches of cookies and then the girls came over to decorate. While we were busy being creative the boys were playing (can you guess) guitar hero. :o) We had a lot of fun. These are a few of my favorites. The "ghost" turned out to just look like a monster off of Monster's Inc. He is silly looking, and missing an arm. O and they were super tasty!

These were just a few of them that I did.... there was about 75 cookies that we decorated. Our house looked like a bakery.... YUMMY

And they're off :o(

2008-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

This morning my cousin Mistie, her husband Ryan, their two absolutely adorable boys Daniel and Logan, and my Aunt Correen left to go back to Oregon. They got here yesterday and we got to spend the entire afternoon together. I was so happy to see them and have them stay with us. When they got here we took off to Famous Daves for a little BBQ dinner. After dinner we came back to the house and watched their 4 year old Daniel ROCK OUT on Guitar Hero. I couldn't believe how good he was, and how his little fingers could move. In fact I have never seen a small child so interested in music. The second he walked in the door he had his ipod on and singin away. It was so dang cute. Then he made his way upstairs to play on the drums! Zack has a new little buddy! And their little one Logan is the smiliest baby I have ever seen! It was such a fun night. I really enjoyed the girl time I got to spend with Mis and Correen- It was definatly needed. I am so grateful for my family and the love we all share. It was so good to see all of them. I hope that I get to see them all again soon. Love you guys and thanks for staying with us!

O and 1 more

2008-10-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

There is one more person that I forgot earlier today… and that is my sister Sam!!! Ok she is actually my sister-in-law but none the less, still my sister. I had such a great time with her and my brother last spring right before I moved back to Aurora. She is such a great person and I love having her around. Not only that but she makes my brother Landon so happy. I love them both tons. (o: I can’t wait for you to visit in December. I’m counting down the days…. 75 :o)

To the people in my life

2008-10-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have always been so blessed with such a great family. I am now blessed with an amazing husband! And lately I have realized that I have great friends that have come into my life unexpectedly. I have had a hard time not being around my family down here in Vegas, as well as the really good friends that I have made the last year or so. But lately that void has been filled with some great friends that we have met down here. I still miss my family, especially that the holidays are right around the corner. But Utah is really only a few hours away. I have been thinking about the people in my life that make it absolutely wonderful, and wanted to thank them.... Zack- I love you. my parents- I miss you every day. Miranda- I can't wait to see you again. Shawn and Steph- thanks for everything you do. Carolyn- I miss our breaks and great talks. LOVE YOU ALL

Tagged... Who I Am

2008-09-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's who I am ....

I am... just starting my eternal life with my best friend.
I Want.... to finish the basement… couch, paint, decorations, the whole works
I Have.... The most amazing husband ever.
I Wish..... that owning a home right now wasn’t so dang scary.
I Hate... spiders!!!!!!!!!!!
I Fear... That some day there will be some major earth shift and I wont be able to get to my family in Utah and I will be stuck in Vegas.
I Hear.... A beautiful song playing on my computer, the fan running, and people driving by.
I Search... for things I have that I can share with others.
I Always... get up and make Zack breakfast and get his lunch ready. He is such a hard worker it’s the least I can do.
I Usually... fall back to sleep after he is gone. :o)
I Am Not... used to 100 degree weather in September/October. I miss Utah in the fall.
I Dance... Whenever I get the chance. I love to dance!
I Sing... a little bit, but not as much as my hubby. He is a singing maniac
I Never... want to know what its like to lose a loved one. I want them around forever.
I Rarely... go a day without speaking to my best friend, my mom. (best friend besides Zack of course)
I Cry... In movies, church, thinking of the holidays not in Utah, at sad stories on TV. I cry way too much. But I can’t help it- its just who I am.
I am Not Always... on the ball… keeping up with life can be difficult.
I Lose... Nothing. Exercise or no exercise!! HOW FRUSTRATING
I'm Confused... With the economy, government, and how the “greatest nation” has got into such a mess!!! Anybody??
I Need... More hours in the day
I Should... Go change the laundry- it’s a never-ending process.
I Dream... wierd crazy dreams EVERY NIGHT!! And I remember every single one. I should write a book about all my crazy dreams. I'm sure you would all get a good laugh.

I tag Amanda, Mistie, Shauna, Crissie and Trish

Zack's Birthday and Birthday Party

2008-09-21T09:41:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was my wonderful Hubby's 24th Birthday. I was so excited to go ALL OUT!!! He is such an amazing husband and I love him so much. And I wanted him to have a birthday he would never forget. I left his presents out in the garage so right when he got home he would see them. I got him a tool box for his new work bench that he built in the garage.

This is the work bench he worked so hard on. And of course the tool box that he LOVES
This is what our house looked like on the inside. I got home about 30 min before him and I was on a dead run trying to get everything done. I was blowing up balloons so fast that when I was tying them I gouged the skin off my finger. I hung up banners everywhere and I printed up a bunch of little happy birthday's on the computer and put them EVERYWHERE... he got a kick out of it.
He wanted German Chocolate Cake for his birthday, but he wanted it for his birthday party on Saturday. So I decided to hurry and whip up some cupcakes so he could blow out his candle and make a wish.
This was the PaRtY!!! We had some friends of ours come over for a BBQ and some guitar hero - Shawn and his wife Stephanie on the left and Drew and Lokae on the right.

My baby ROKIN out. We had so much fun... in fact we almost passed off a whole level. Don't worry, we wont let the stardom go to our heads.... lol

Our friends Max and Faith.... she was loving the G.H.

Our friends Drew and Lokae's little girl McKayla... she was most of the entertainment :o)

I DECLARE

2008-09-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

The "I DECLARE" This is an eclair. Just one!!!! When we went shopping on Wednesday we ate at the Claim Jumper and this was dessert. There is ice cream on the bottom, then the eclair that is filled with Bavarian cream, hot fudge on top and surrounded with whip cream. And don't worry there are only a few calories :o) It fed all 4 of us, the boys even had seconds. Thanks Nathan and Tana it was a blast! This last week has been really fun for us.... Nathan and Tana came down for the Kids Expo and were here for almost a week. It was great to have them down here... I was really starting to miss my family and having them around was good for me. We ended up spending quite a but of time with them. We helped them set up on Saturday-Went to The Cheesecake Factory Monday- The Temple on Tuesday- We went bumming with them at Town Square (the best shopping place EVER) and them helped them load up on Thursday. We had a lot of fun with them- we wish we could see them more, and the kids too. But what little time we were able to be together was fun. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family. I miss them all SO SO SO SO SO much. Love you all

To Paint or Not to Paint

2008-09-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

So here is my dilemma- We just got through painting as you can see… However I think I want to paint a different color already!! Not the whole thing just maybe an accent wall, or two!! Zack is so not excited! In fact I am pretty sure that if I do decide to go through with this I will be on my own.

This is why I want to paint a new color already- The original plan was that we were going to do the walls very neutral because we were wanted a RED sectional. We didn’t want to have too much going on because a red sectional was going to be enough color for our fairly small living room. The other dominant color is black, which can be very heavy so we wanted to keep the walls neutral. Well, we cannot find a red sectional that will fit in our living room, and that is in our price range. We have looked high and low and we have found a few but there is always one thing wrong- the color, the price, the size….YIKES and the list goes on and on. So I decided that maybe we should get a sectional that is a neutral color and add the red in as an accent color. I don’t want a beige couch with beige walls- HOW BORING!!! So I thought I would add some color on the walls. I was thinking a really bold and fun color- but Zack isn’t having it. We are going to pain the kitchen red so I don’t want the living room to be red as well. I was thinking a dark grey/blue color but Zack said “No, please” So this is my dilemma….. Decorating with a man is hard to do.

The Paint Project!!!

2008-09-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

So Labor Day weekend Zack and I finally got our basement painted. He said his final goodbye to his bachelor pad as we painted over the "sunburst" walls. We were both so excited and ready for this change. We have big plans for the house and this is just phase #1. We only painted the basement- upstairs is phase #2 the kitchen walls and cupboards are phase #3 and getting it all furnished is phase #4. We are starting out with the cheapest projects- the paint. We had such a fun, and long, weekend painting but it has been so worth it. We finally have the beginnings of a home!!

The "sunburst" wall. It was fun to play "find the ......." the paint was so crazy it was like looking at the big fluffly clouds and making objects out of the shapes.

This was such a pain... we had to prime it and then paint it. It was quite the project.
Our first strokes of the color. This is what we called "the cave" it is a little doorway that leads to the garage.
ALL TUCKERED OUT!!! Zack did the hardest part of it all... the small bathroom. He was laying down trying to get around all the pipes and what not behind the toilet.

The finished project.... This was the very first thing we hung back up. Yay
The entry way to our house
The living room. As you can see there are still remnants of a bachelor pad, but it looks a million times better not having the crazy walls. We are looking very hard to find the perfect furniture to go in our new house... that in itself is a huge project.

This is our little bathroom.... the mirror is our favorite. Zack's really good friend Jordan made this mirror for us for our wedding gift. It is such a beautiful mirror. And it went perfect in this little bathroom.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

2008-08-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

So Zack and I LOVE to watch UFC and PRIDE fighting. In fact we occasionally try to have our own matches in our make-shift octagon.... aka the bed!! Its soft and bouncy and its better than the floor because we don't get carpet burns. Well last night Zack had me in a leg bar and I get enough leverage from the side of the bed and I flipped him off... Well mid air in the flip he smacked his head on the corner of the base of the bed. I was laughing and thought I was so great cuz I flipped him off. Well then I saw the look on his face...... PAIN!! I freaked out and moved his hand that was holding his head afraid we were going to have to make a emergency room run. Well needless to say he is a pretty tough guy with an extremely hard head. He only ended up with a goose-egg. I felt so bad that I couldn't help cry... I decided after last night NO MORE MONKEYS PLAYING UFC ON THE BED!!!!!

SweetPea Baby, Deliciously chic, funky & fabulous baby essentials!

2008-08-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

SweetPea Baby, Deliciously chic, funky & fabulous baby essentials!

Tatum just asked me if my brother and sister in law still had their baby jewelry line.... i thought this would be a good time to give a shout out to them and their new adorable baby line. They still do the jewelry but they have also added blankets (woobies) burp rags, binkie clips and onsies. If you want to check it out go to http://www.sweatpeababy.com If you go to the about section on their page you will see my niece Lindsay- she was the whole idea for "My Little Sweetpea" and my nephew Jackson. They are just so dang cute- I sure do miss them. Anyway I hope you all check them out. They have adorable jewelry for little princesses and new cute stuff for boys and girls too.

the search is OVER

2008-08-04T14:32:00.001-07:00

So I need to give a little update.... I GOT A JOB TODAY. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for this. Yesterday Zack and I fasted specifically for 2 things- for his mom to get better as she is in her 2nd week of radiation and is in Salt Lake during the weeks. She has radiation treatments EVERY DAY. And if that isn't hard enough she is also in rehab from her brain surgery (that has nothing to do with her cancer) and is still trying to relearn her motor skills. She is such a strong person and has the best outlook on her situation. I have never seen anyone smile and joke around when daily tasks such as writing, walking, talking and seeing (she has double vision from her surgery) as her. She is just simply AMAZING. We were also fasting that I would find a job soon. Well, I'm sure as you all know God did an amazing job and presented me with an amazing opportunity. I was hired today at a Law firm. It is only part time for now- 30 hours a week- but if I do well can become full time. It is just 10 min away from our home which in itself is a blessing. That way I don't have to drive an hour to work everyday like Zack saving us so much on gas $$. And another thing is that it is just Monday-Friday. I wanted to find a job where I could have weekends to spend with my wonderful Hubby!!!! I am just so grateful for everything that has happened and for the spirit I have felt today. I have just wanted to cry ever since I got back home. And I am very grateful for my mom's boss... she is a lot of the reason I got my job!! Anyhow I just wanted to let you all know that the search is over.

Wedding Day this&that

2008-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun things that happened the day of the wedding, and just some really cute pictures. We had so much fun taking pictures and doing different things. And our photographer was so good to do whatever we wanted. And thanks to my fun family we got some GREAT shots

For those of you who know Zack and I really well this is where it all started... in his 72!! The first time we ever "hung out" was in the 72. I was on a mission to find some cereal and he said he had the kind i wanted. So I went with him. We ended up riding around for HOURS that night. That was the summer before our senior year.

Zack's Family- Cheltz, Don, Stanley, Lacey, Tori & Zack, Zeb

My family- Sammy & Landon, Mom & Dad, the little guys Austin & Jackson, Tori & Zack, Rhett & Shauna, their girls Alex & Kiara, Nathan & Tana, their girls Kaitlyn & Lindsay

My Brothers- Landon Rhett and Nathan... And my hubby :o) Aren't they just so cute. We laughed a lot that day. It was all just so much fun. I know some girls say they wish they would have just skipped the whole reception but I would do it again!! It was amazing how many people were there to help and because of them we had the most amazing day.

They just wanted to prove how strong they are.... MEN!!!! And just so you know Nathan is 6'5" So i'm up in the air 7+ feet. They are just Crazy!!! But I love them

My oldest niece Alex caught the bouquet... she is only 15 so lets hope she's not the next to get married...

He is a very happy man right now!!!!!
He was nice enough to only get a little tiny bit on my nose... and then he was even sucked it off!!! What a good man :o)
We decided that we wanted to have fun with the little kids on the tramp!!! He bounced me SO HIGH!!! I was the flying bride. Our first dance
Zack and his mom dancing and me and my dad. I love this picture of Zack and his mom... I think that it is pricelessMe and my daddy... It was such an emotional moment for me. It was really only the second time I cried that whole day. My dad is such an amazing man and I am so lucky to have him. We danced to Butterfly Kisses... and my dad sang to me. I am his baby and his princess.... and I really felt like it that day. This is how my day ended.... holding on to my daddy and crying. Along with the rest of the day- I will never forget this moment. Love you Daddy

Our Reception

2008-07-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

We had the best buffet EVER at our reception, once again thanks to my mom!! And a friend of mine named Petrice.. she is a caterer and did an amazing job. Well we didn't really get to eat much but it looked amazing!!!!
Zack and I were in love with the little sandwiches. They were to die for!!!!!!!!! YUMMY

The Harpist.... It made the night have such an amazing feel.
Our "Thank You" table... instead of making individual thank yous to hand out we had a table of candy and little bags and the people got to make their own thank you baggie!! The kids LOVED it

This is my treuseau... my mom has been doing this since i was 12. In our family when we turn 12 our Grandpa Kendall makes us a cedar chest. And from then on we get things to put in it. And my mom did an amazing job. My dad was so excited for me to get married so he could get rid of all the stuff.....
Our Centerpiece

So here are some pics of the reception stuff. I felt so bad because I didn't really get to see everything that my mom and I spent so much time planning. So it was fun to see the pics of all our work. Planning was so much fun.... especially with my mom. For those of you who know her you would agree that she is a planner!!!

At the Temple

2008-07-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

So here are some pictures from our wedding day.... finally. We had so much fun that day. It was the most amazing day EVER!!!! Thanks to everyone who made it possible!! I loved getting my pictures back. It was like I got to relive the whole day over again. I loved it :o)

Sunday Best

2008-07-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

So the funniest thing happened yesterday..... Zack and I went to church, and it was as it usually is- sounds more like a jungle gym rather than a church meeting. We had just sat down for Sunday school when the counselor came in and asked if he could talk to us for a min. So we left with him and he took us into the bishops office and asked if we would like a calling- the Sunbeams 5As- which translates to 3 & 4 year olds but something we could handle because we would be teaching together!! We were super pumped, and a little nervous I started talking to a lady in Relief Society and she was asking where we lived. I told her and then she said " Are you sure your in this ward? I have relatives that live in that community and they go to a different ward!!" So after relief society I asked someone else and they said " Ya you should be going to the Paradise Ward" So off I headed to find my husband and tell him that the ward we have been going to for the past 3 weeks is actually the wrong ward. I found him, then we headed to the bishops office. When we got there the counselor that gave us the calling just 2 hours before came up to us and said, " So I hear you really aren't in this ward" How funny is that!!! It was the Stake Pres that told us which ward to go to! Anyway, so now we have to start all over again- being the new couple in the ward, getting to know people, getting a calling (which Zack really hopes that we get the same calling so we can do it together. Which I totally wouldn't mind either... He would make the most awesome teaching partner.) So just a funny little sunday story. We laughed about it all day yesterday :o)

Bridals

2008-07-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my bridal pictures. They were taken at the Gardens at Thanksgiving point. It is such a beautiful place. If you haven't ever been there I would advise you to go. We took pictures for 4 hours!! I'm still waiting on my photographer to get the wedding day pictures back. So all I have for now are the bridals... anyway I have a lot more of them on my facebook page. Enjoy and hopefully soon I will get some pictures on here of our wedding.... since it has almost been a month!!!!! CrAzY! but loving every second of it.

What a Weekend!!

2008-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Zack and I just had an AMAZING weekend... Thanks to my parents!!! My parents came down to visit us. We had so much fun with them and it was so good to see them! Here is how our weekend went-

FRIDAY- Zack worked, I cleaned and then my parents got here with a load of stuff from the wedding!!! We unloaded the car and then got ready to go to the temple!! The temple was absolutely beautiful. It was such a great experience, and so much fun because that was my parents first time in the Vegas Temple. Then we went back to their hotel ( The Flamingo) changed our clothes and went to get something to eat. It was way past out bedtime, so we were super tired.

SATURDAY- We met up with my parents at noonish and went to the Rio for lunch. They have the BIGGEST buffet I have EVER seen. It was pretty good, and lots of fun to be with my parents. After eating prime rib, shrimp, mexican food, chinease food and some really good fruit we decided to head back to my parents hotel and change into our suits and head to the pool. It was so much fun. We got in the pool, caught some sun and had some really good margeritas( virgin of course) and then spent some more time in the pool. I was trying not to get my hair wet cuz I didn't want to wash it, but I just couldn't resist trying to dunk my hubby!! And I was successful- a couple of times. Then we went to the outlets and then to in-n-out for some delicious burgers!!!

SUNDAY- We went to the pool early in the morning. It was a little overcast when we got there so when the sun came out we got in the pool. Zack wasn't going to get in but when I splashed him he had no choice. Well, he jumped in after me and (not realizing it was only 3.5 feet deep) he smacked his foot on the bottom. Needless to say he hurt his foot REALLY BAD. I am hoping that he just bruised it. But I have a feeling he fractured it or something. He hasn't been able to walk on it since. :o( So that cut our swimming short so we headed back home and we all went to church. After church we went to the best sushi place ever!! We gorged on sushi till we were about to pop!!! It was so nummy. Then after that my parents headed back to good ol Aurora.

It was so good to see my parents. I was really starting to miss them. They were so much fun all weekend too. Thanks mom and dad.
(Sorry no pics we all forgot our cameras!! I really need to get better at not forgeting.)

Let the search begin

2008-07-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to find a job here in good ol' Sin City. And unless you want to be a bar-tender, a stripper or cleaning hotel rooms- a decent job is hard to find. I will keep my head up though, as this is just day 1 of the search. So if any of you know of any good jobs in LV let me know.

O and just so you all know Zack and I are doing great. Our first week on our home has been amazing. We have been to church the last 2 weeks and it has been interesting. We are in a VERY young ward. And when I say young the average age is probably, o I don't know, 7!!!!!! Lol :o) It will be fun though. There are so many kids. We feel totally out of place- we would need 2 kids and another on the way to fit in!! We do like the ward and everyone has been so nice to us. Zack has a feeling he is going to get a scouts calling and I think he would do GREAT!!! We went to the Las Vegas Temple on Saturday and it was AMAZING!! We can't wait to go again. We have been having a fun time doing all of our "firsts" together. Our First-

*Night in our house

*Home-cooked meal

*Temple Visit

*Rearranging of the house

*Movie night

*Swim in our little Pool

*Lay in bed and talk about absolutely nothing till we fall asleep

*Visitors ( thanks to Cheltz and Penny & Aaron)

And all of our firsts so far have been amazing. We are so blessed and so grateful for all that we have and the very special people in our lives that support us.

This is our first home cooked meal in our new home- We both do equal amounts of cooking- we both love to cook. Zack is amazing at the BBQ. He always has everything grilled to perfection. Love ya Hon

The Big H

2008-07-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

We have been back from our Honeymoon for a week now, and I have been slacking. So I figured today would be a good day to post. Our wedding day was the most perfect day ever!!! I don't understand how any girl could be a bridezilla. There was not one thing that went wrong (well that we know of) I know that is because of our parents, We just want to say thanks to them. There is no way we could have had such a great day without them. (I will post pics of the wedding when I get them from the photographer)
We spent our first night in Richfield and it was such a great idea. We didn't have to drive for hours after our long day! Sunday morning we went back to my parent's house for brunch. We had pull-a-parts and leftovers from the wedding. We had all our family there to be with us. We also opened our gifts and that was a lot of fun too.
Then it was off too our new home for the night! We got up really early on Monday- off to Cancun. Zack did such a good job planning the honeymoon. It was AMAZING. It was really hot and humid there, but it was so much fun. We didn't get there till really late on Monday so we just looked around at our resort and went down to the beach. IT WAS AWESOME.

Our first night in CanCun

The next day we just stayed at our resort for the day and played in the pool and took advantage of the great sun! We went down to the beach and then went up to the pool after a while. We didn't really do anything that day. Later that night we took a taxi to a sister resort and had dinner and played a little "put put"

Our day at the beach

Hole in 4?

Our next day was our first big touring day. We went to Chichen Itza- is is one of th most importnat Mayan Ruin sites in Mexico. It is a huge area of ancient building that the ancient people built. The Larg "pyramid" looking structure was so amazing. Its name was Kukulcan's Pyramid or El Castillo meaning "the castle" El Castillo was actually a huge solar calendar. If you did the math, you would find that the 91 steps on each side, times 4 for each side and each season, plus 1 for the crowning platform adds up to 365 -- one step for each day of the solar year. During the equinoxes, the shadow pattern of the pyramid's steps seems to show a serpent climbing up the steps in March, and down the steps in September. Everything there was just really amazing. Its crazy to think ow long its been there and how accurate they were. Who needs computers!?!?! The only bad thing about this day was that it was SO HOT AND HUMID!!! We were both so miserable. It was 105 degrees and probably abone 90% humidity. We were both just wanting to die!

El Castillo

El Castillo - There were thunder clouds in the sky.... We wished it would have just rained a little

Some crazy looking building- we didn't really know what it was it just looked cool

Help HELP!!! The crazy serpant is going to eat my husband!! lol

It was time to go back-- we were drenched in sweat, hot, miserable, hungry and tired. Being a tourist is hard work :o)

The next day was a lot more fun. We took a boat to an island that it north of Cancun- Isla Mujeres "Island of the women" We had A TON OF FUN. The boat ride there was fun and so beautiful. We were so amazed at how beautiful the water is. It is the most beautiful blue color and you could see all the way down. When we got to the island we took another little boat tour that took us around the island. The funnest part was at the north end of the island the boat stopped and we got to jump out and play in the water. It was about 5 feet deep and crystal clear. It was amazing. After that we went to the "shopping district" or as we would say the GHETTO!!!! There were all the little tourist shops and just lots and shady people and things to buy. So Instead of spending money on crap we did something we wanted to do while on vacation- We took a ride on a Vespa- beep beep :o) It was so much fun. We just rode around for an hour. We had a blast. After that our day was pretty much over. We headed back to Cancun and had an amazing night at our resort.

Our first boat trip to Isla Mujeres. It was such a beautiful day

When we got off the dock there was this huge cage built in the ocean. These 2 guys had this 6' Nerf Shark that we got in the water with. It was awesome. We got to hod it and touch it-- and surprisingly it was really rough like sandpaper. It was awesome though! Don't worry it doesn't bite :o)

We made a stop where they have all the dolphins that you could swim with. We didn't swim with them because we had heard from his aunt that if you want to swim with dolphins we should go to Cozumel. So we skipped the dolphins and just relaxed in paradise.

When we got on the dock at the "shopping district" there was this ship docked. It is the Black Pearl!! Zack loves Pirates of the Carribean so we couldn't miss out on getting a picture with the BLACK PEARL!!

We LOVED riding around on our little vespa motorcycle. It was such a good way to end our day. We just rode around for an hour. There were a couple of times we got a little scared. We took this little road (and when i say little i mean little!! The roads there seem about half the width of a 2 lane road here!) out along the coast and it took us into a little town. It was a little scary we decided really fast that it was time to turn around and head back!! BeepBeep :o)

Our last day in Cancun we went snorkeling. And being the blonde that I can be sometimes I forgot to buy a water-camera so I didn't get any pics of what we saw :o( But we had an awesome time. We got on a catamaran and headed out to the ocean. We took a short little cruise and then stopped at the reef. We had such a blast. There were so many little fish surrounding us. At one point I got a little scared because they were surrounding me!! It was such a crazy feeling. After we snorkeled we just relaxed on the most beautiful beach!! The sand was so white and so fine. The water was two brillinat colors of blue and the air smelt of salt. We just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day. What a way to end a beautiful week in Cancun

On the Catamaran to go snorkeling

Just chillin- this beach was the best out of all that we went to.

I love this picture because it shows how great the water is.

While we were eating these two came up to us and asked if we were honeymooners. They put these HUGE sombraros on us and then sang us a love song-- Aawwhhh how sweet

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO END OUR HONEYMOON IN CANCUN!! THANKS BABE FOR THE MOST AWESOME HONEYMOON EVER!!! I LOVE YOU

Just a little bit of pain

2008-06-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll just wanted to let you know I went through with it, and I will say this- The ankles hurt more than ANYTHING else :o) Honeymoon here I come :o):o):o) Just 1 more full day.... and then I will be, Mrs May. Woohoo

Aww Gee

2008-06-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well I'm sitting here trying to upload some pictures and it is taking foreer so I thought I would write a little "suntin suntin"!! I have had the most amazing week. Zack and I went to the temple on Saturday and had the most amazing day. We had a little set back and I thought we were going to miss it. If you want to hear about it you will have to call me cuz I think my mom would kill me if I put it on my blog :o) But it turned out to be the MOST AMAZING DAY. And the rest of the weekend was just great. We spent a lot of time with Zack's family because I always get to be around my parents... and we had so much fun. And this week has been slow/fast. I know it sounds crazy but thats really how it feels. Tomorrow I am going to get waxed... woohoo!!!!! Girls I would recommend it in a heart beat. It is just a little painful but worth EVERY SECOND. Then we are just going to do a little bummin. One last girl trip :o) Whenever I say "the last" of something my mom's water works start. Bless her heart!! I know she is very happy for us, just sad to see me go. And then Friday is just a prep day. We don't really have much to do because my mom is so organized. Everything is in totes and ready to go. All we have to do is just take it to mu aunt and uncles on Friday, set the tables up friday evening, and then we are set. Zack and I are so excited. We have been waiting for so long and now its finally here. Thank you to everyone that has helped, and will help. We are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends and all their support. We love you all :o)

This&That

2008-06-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

Here I go, a little update on whats going on. The wedding plans are all done!!! Just a little organizing and we will be good to go. AND WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! Zack and I will get to see each other this weekend.... It will be a month since we have been together!!!! But with our crazy schedules and outrageous gas prices we really have had no choice. Two Saturdays ago my niece Kaitlyn Ginny was baptized!! We are so proud of her. And this last weekend my second brother Rhett graduated from med school. Now he is getting ready to send his oldest daughter Alex to Europe for 3 weeks to play soccer.... SHE IS AWESOME!!! And the day after she gets back they are off to North Carolina for a year for him to do his fellowship @ Duke University. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. I think he has been in school for 14 years now..... HOLY COW! Congrats Rhett.. Love ya. I have also started packing to send my stuff with Zack this weekend. I have given myself the bare necessities for the next two weeks. Because not only have I packed to go to my new home- but I also packed for Cancun!! Two weeks from right now we will be there, and we are so ready for an amazing honeymoon. And that is about it for now. However I do just have to say that I have the MOST AMAZING PARENTS EVER!! My mom is starting to get really emotional on me. Zack keeps teasing me that she isn't going to let us go on our wedding night- she wont want to say goodbye. But i know she will. She is so happy for us. And I have her and my wonderful daddy to thank for never giving up on me when they had every reason to. They are so amazing to me and to the rest of our family. I love them so much! So that's about it for now, just a little of this&that. :o)

2008-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our wedding is coming up so fast, and everything is coming together just perfectly. Yesterday I had my interview with the Stake President, and I officially have my temple recommend. I can't believe it. It seems like it has taken me forever to get to this point in my life, but I wouldn't trade one day of it for anything. At this time in my life I have an amazing fiance that is a priesthood holder, and who loves me so much. We are so excited to be able to be sealed to each other forever. He is so amazing and I am so lucky to be marrying my best friend. He has done so much for me and our relationship. In 15 days we will both be going through the temple so receive our endowments. And then in 22 days we will be sealed to each other. I can't wait to start my life with my best friend. Because I know it is totally going to ROCK!!!

My amazing Fiance

2008-05-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures on Zack's computer and wanted to put them up. This is from Zack's Steel Drum concert. It was so much fun. He is so talented. Just watching him play his drums makes me tired. It is so crazy because he can do 4 different things at once- and make it sound amazing!! I have such a talented fiance. Not only is he very musically talented, but he is an amazing cook!! I can't wait to be down here for good, I know he will take care of me.

This bottom picture is a picture of Zack's drum set. Right now he has it set up in our spare bedroom of the house. He calls it his office... I just love him.

Engagement Pics

2008-05-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of my very favorites. We are in front of the big waterfal in front of the Casablanca in Mesquite

This is such a fun picture... We had so much fun doing these ones. We were at this really pretty golf course

So we finally got our engagement pictures back... It has been quite the process. I thought I would post a few because I think they turned out so cute. We took the pictures in Mesquite... Originally we had planned on Maple Grove or somewhere up the canyon, but spring has taken a long time to get here, so we decided to go where we know the weather would be perfect! Our photographer is great. His name is Tom Garzand and he has been amazing to work with. It has been so hard to choose our favorites we had over 200 pictures to choose from. These are some of our favorites though.

Rain Rain Go AWAY

2008-05-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

So after I have been so upset about not getting my dress in on time, it didn't even matter!!! My bridals got cancelled because of the HORRIBLE weather that decided to drop in on Utah last night. The temperature dropped almost 30 degrees since yesterday and brought rain all day and even snow in the mountains!!! April showers brings May snow???? Lets hope it warms up a little in June. So I guess having my bridals cancelled was a good thing... this way I will have my dress for them. A blessing in disguise :o)

All because of China

2008-05-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, as the wedding is approaching and time is running out, I am starting to feel a little pressed for time. Especially with my dress. I thought I was doing so good when I got my dress, I figured I had plenty of time. Well, I had to special order my dress and I had it rushed so I could get it in 9 weeks. Perfect... or so I thought. I scheduled my bridals about a week and a half after the 9 week waiting period thinking that would give enought time jst in case the worst would happen. Well I called on my dress on the 9 week mark and they said it would be just another couple of days. Ok I could handle that. So I planned on making a special trip up north to get my dress the day they said it would be in. So I called, just to make sure. Well, needless to say my dress wasn't there. I started to freak out just hearing that giving my pictures were supposed to be in a week. Then they told me the really bad news... IT WOULDN'T BE HERE TILL THURSDAY!!!! Well my pictues are Wednesday. They said it was because of the earthquake in China! I was furious!! I told my mom she had to call back becuase I would just cry if I called. Well, they are giving me a loaner for the pictures, which I'm not very happy about because its not as long as the dress I had ordered. So anyway I just had to vent about that. Stupid CHinA!!!!!!!!!!!

Smile Pretty, but don't cry

2008-05-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

I had a great time this weekend with Zack! I went with his parents to Vegas to listen to him play in his final Steel Drum Concert for the school year. It is the Calypto Cayotee Steel Drum Band! And they are so awesome. It was so much fun watching and listening to the music. The music made me want to just get up and dance.... but I restrained myself from busting a move!! Zack did SO good. As soon as I get the video from him I will have to post it so you all can hear and watch how fun it is. Then on Saturday we took our engagement pictures. It was so much fun. We both had a great time!! Our photographer was perfect for our personalitites!! We took them in Mesquite with the fun palm trees and water and the beautiful green grass. It was just such a perfect day, which made it so hard to leave him that night!!! It is so hard to say goodbye, and not cry. So of course I did. I just couldn't help it-- especially when we don't even know when we will get to see each other again. It was such a good day, but then again every day we get to spend together is a great day!!!!!! In 47 days we will finally get to spend every day together, and not hundreds of miles apart.

One Crazy Night

2008-05-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

These are just some photos from my family get together last weekend. It was the first time in a VERY LONG TIME that we had everyone together. All 16 of us were crammed into our house and it was so much fun.

A surprise Naughty Nighty shower

2008-05-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago I got a call from Penny and she said she was going to be in town and so was Tatum. She wanted to know if we could all get together and have a drink or something. I was SO excited becuase it had been a long time since I had seen either of them. So as the day got closer I texted her to make sure we were still on, and she said of course!! Well the day came and I was home with chillin with my fam and Zack... Well Penny called and said to just call when I was almost there and she would run out. And not to mind all the cars her dad was doing some family photographs. Well I called and she asked if I would come in because her mom wanted to see my ring. So I headed in and wouldn't ya know it.......SURPRISE Thank you to everyone who came to my shower, and especially those who had to keep it a secret from me!!! I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends. Penny, I believe you were the mastermind behind all this!! Thank you so much. You went above and beyond. And thanks to everyone else who helped out. I can't tell you how excited I was. The shower was great, but seeing ALL my friends at once was so special for me. I will never forget it!! O and girls, Zack is super excited!! Good Job :o)
Lindsey and Tatum-- Tatum Zack likes yours the most!
Crissie and her little sister Katie
My fam-- Sammy, my Mom and Shauna

Cindee- My Mother in Law

Just the two of us

2008-04-23T13:50:00.001-07:00

Well, since I have been home I have been able to spend alot of time with my mom. And let me tell you, we have had a blast. She is such an amazing person and I look up to her TONZ! We spend most of our time talking "wedding" but it is always a blast. She has been so great to help me with the planning- well actually its more like me helping her do the planning. She has been preparing for this day for O... I would say about 23 years. ;o) She is so much fun to do these things with. She is going to kell me for putting her picture up on here-- sorry mom! This picture was actally taken at the first bridal show we went to. And since then we have had so much fun together. She is my best friend and the best example that I could ever ask for.

One Step Closer

2008-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well this past weekend I went down to Vegas to be with Zack..... and so did our parents! It was so awesome to be down there because it was such a special time for us, mostly him. Yesterday Zack was ordained an Elder. I am so proud of him and what he is doing. It was such a spiritual experience for both of us. So now we are one step closer to our big day. We are getting so excited!!!! It is killing us to be apart from each other. Just a little over 2 months now......WooHoo

2008-04-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well I just found all the stuff for my camera so I could get some pictures on here. This is from this last Christmas... It was such a good one. We were so excited to spend Christmas together. It was the first Christmas we had spent together since our senior year. We had a lot of fun going back and forth from family to family.

This is my Bro and his cute wife Sammy... She is from West Jordan. She is such the perfect addition to our family. She fits right in. Zack and I have had a lot of fun getting to know them both a little more. They are so much fun to be around. Although we wont get to see them much because they are leaving the first week of May to go to Dallas for the summer.

Let the countdown begin

2008-04-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

Well, we officially have less than 3 months!!! And we are getting so excited! I have officially moved some of my stuff into my soon-to-be new home. It was so much fun getting our guest room all set up. And even better we had some guests actually stay in it- Landon and Sammy! And now I am moved back to the good 'ol country until the big day. Its not too bad. I don't know what I'm going to do while I'm here, but I'll figure something out. I will probable just dabble in Mary Kay to keep me busy. The wedding plans are going great. I have the dress, the photographer, the music, the decorations and the groom of course!! He is just along for the ride I think :o) I'm just getting started on the invitations and reception food and other little things. O and the Honeymoon is planned and BOOKED!! Cancun here we come!!!

Just Getting Started

2008-01-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

Well I'm sure as you all know we are just in the first stretch of planning a wedding. We have officially picked a date- June 28- the colors and the place for the reception. That is about it. I'm going to my first bridal show this weekens hopefully to get some ideas and start doing a little more official planning. Zack has been really great to help to- we decided his way of helping is buying the bridal magizines. And let me tell you, IT HAS HELPED A TON! We are getting excited and can't wait. Just 5 months and 5 days.