James and Bri

A New Venture

2011-09-29T12:37:00.001-07:00

Those of you close to me know that I have been doing freelance graphic design for some time now. With my busy school and work schedules I haven't really been able to devote much time to it, but I have finally decided on a name. If you hate it, please be kind because I am pretty set on it.

Violet Bridge Creative

The name has personal sentimental meaning to me which I can go into later, but I need your help deciding on a logo. I have designed a few different ones, and I have it narrowed down to the following three:

#1#2
#3

Which one is your favorite?

Stay tuned for the launch of my new website in the next week or two!

Sister Roberts

2011-08-14T21:09:00.001-07:00

My little sister Danielle is officially a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She will serve for 18 months in Houston, Texas and she will be amazing.

I must say that although James and I are so excited and proud of her, we really, really miss her. We'll miss our bike rides, hikes and games of Canasta, but most of all we'll just miss her hilarious stories and beautiful spirit.

This experience will surely shape her in ways that no other experience could. She will meet some of the best friends she will ever have, those forever kind of friends that she wouldn't meet had she not chosen to serve. She will spread the gospel and testify of Christ. She will change lives.

I love you baby sister! I couldn't be more proud.

Goodbyes

2011-08-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

It seems like we've been saying a lot of goodbyes lately. Not fun.

Our good friends and former neighbors, Kevin & Rachael have moved on to a sweet job in Southern California. We're so happy for them and this new opportunity that they have, but we'll miss them!

My youngest sister, Danielle left on July 20th for the missionary training center before she goes to serve her mission for our church in Houston, Texas. More on that to come.

Our goodbye last week was to our friends Brad, Emily and their little girl Chloe. We are so used to seeing them a few times a week that our lives seem a little boring without them here.

They are our adventurous friends and have moved to India to do some research with a BYU group for at least 6 months. I'm so excited for them and the incredible experiences they will no doubt have, but I miss them already :'(

This face just melts me!

On our way home from saying goodbye we saw this amazing sunset with the flag. I thought it was a great goodbye to them. Brad, Emily & Chloe, America will not be the same without you!

NYC

2011-06-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Our top 10 favorite things about NYC in June (not in any particular order):

1. Getting a MUCH needed break with the hubbs
2. The most authentic Margherita Pizza and Buffalo Mozzarella we've ever had at San Matteo
3. Running barefoot in Central Park (according to James)
4. Salted Carmel yogurt from Pinkberry!
5. Grilled Corn on the Cob with Queso Blanco from a little whole in the wall Cuban place
6. Chelsea Market and the High Line
7. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge- just incredible
8. Sausage, Spetzle and Asparagus from Cafe D'Alsace

9. Oh and eating breakfast across the table from this face each morning...

10. Brushing up on my photography skills was fun for me. I don't know that James would agree though.

The one and only picture of James and I together on our entire trip!

We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our trip. Thanks Davian and Steve for making our visit so lovely. We can't wait to come back!

New York, New York!

2011-06-07T12:26:00.001-07:00

We're back from NYC and we had a great time. It was a much needed vacation. A full report on our trip to come.
What do you think of my first attempt at photography? More to come...

Easter Picture Overload

2011-04-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I got a little carried away with capturing yesterday's precious moments with my new camera (thanks Jordan, Ashley and John!). With such adorable subjects and the joyous holiday, I just couldn't resist!

Angela, Steve, Jordan, Ashley and Sari were sorely missed.
Kava running to find the eggs
Eva looking adorable as ever
Xavier the speedster
Mele super excited about her bunny egg
Afu, Issac, Anna & X
Violet posing for the camera.... what a sweetie!
The kids with their spoils! Can you believe all of those eggs were for just 9 kids?
James and I goofing around
Violet and Eva became best friends
Candis and her cute baby bump! Isn't she beautiful?
Davian and little Ezra
Danielle (our soon to be sister missionary in Houston, Texas!!!) and Kava
The excitement was just too much for Grandpa
Isn't Ezra just a gorgeous little guy?!
Oooh and update on our garden. These are our peas. They are even bigger now because this picture was about a week ago. It's so much fun to grow our first garden together.
It was so wonderful to be surrounded by people I love on such a special day. I hope your Easter was beautiful and edifying.

Changes

2011-03-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize it has been 6 full months since I've blogged. It's not that I haven't wanted to. It's not that I haven't had stuff to write about. I was even keeping a list of things I wanted to write about for a while. I'm just plain lazy. So sorry.

A little update on us- we are both very busy with school. I'm all set to graduate with my Bachelor's in Graphic Arts in October and James will probably graduate next April! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm back at work full-time which is rough, but I'm getting to do some graphic design work for Stevens-Henager, which is great for building up my portfolio. I'm really liking it. James got a job at Timpanogos Cyclery for the cycling season and he loves it. More biking posts to come...

One big change as of late is that I chopped off all of my hair! I was worried that James wouldn't like it, but he actually likes it better than my long hair! What do you think?

I cut off enough to donate my hair to locks of love, so that made chopping it all off a little easier. Thanks to my sister Celeste for doing such a great job cutting it! I love it.

We just planted the spring crops in our first garden! So far we have peas, lettuce, and spinach planted and we'll be planting a lot more in May. I'm so excited for fresh garden herbs and veggies! We'll see if we can keep our little plants alive. More to come on that...

Well, it's good to be back. Hopefully you'll be hearing from me much more in the near future!

Ezra Tauteoli Fiefia

2010-09-27T09:20:00.001-07:00

Meet my newest nephew, Ezra! He was born yesterday morning at 8:04 and is such a sweet little thing. I just love him to death already.

Can you believe Celeste just had a baby?! She is so beautiful. I hope I handle pregnancy and child labor like she does.

Congratulations Si'i and Celeste! You make beautiful children!!!

A Sunday Afternoon

2010-09-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

James hasn't played his guitar much since we got back from our summer adventure. Oh how I've missed it. I'm sure you can see why.
We just couldn't let that beautiful early fall weather go to waste.I hope your Sunday was as inspiring as ours.

James: The Triathlete

2010-09-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this back in April, so that shows how behind I am. I just couldn't let this event go undocumented.

James did his first Sprint Triathlon on April 24, 2010. I am so proud of him! He had so much fun doing it that Triathlons may very well become his addiction. I trained hard with James for about 5 months, but pulled a muscle in my lower back just 4 days before the event. I was so disappointed. The only good thing about not doing the triathlon was that I got to cheer my guy on. Number 298- In my opinion the hottest guy in the event
Getting into the water- it was freezing outside! I was complaining and I was fully clothed.
Nice stroke...

Transition area for the bike- if he had been more efficient a this he probably could have cut another 2 minutes off his overall time.
Finish Line! There was an amazing atmosphere at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, UT.
He was so pumped up at the finish line that I think he could have done the whole thing again without a problem. I was his water girl :)
James finished 5th out of 14 in his age group with a time of 1:25:37. He is amazing!

I can't wait until we get to do a triathlon together. Fingers crossed that the Summit Athletic Club Triathlon on October 16th pans out!

Our Wedding Video

2010-09-09T16:47:00.001-07:00

I have had some requests to see our wedding video, so here is the link, but it only shows middle part of the video. You can also see other videos done by our talented friends at KANDM Wedding Videography. They are the absolute best!!!

Happy Birthday Mary Berry

2010-09-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this on Friday, but I got side tracked.

I thought one of my best friends in the whole world deserved a post of her own for her birthday. I met Mary Elizabeth Wright Brearton in a fitness for life class my freshman year of college. It was the luckiest tardy I ever had because I ended up sitting next to the best girl in the class. We quickly became "best friends" even though some people said you can't be "best friends" with someone you haven't known that long.

Mary is one of the coolest, funniest, best girls I've ever known. She is talented in so many ways including writing letters, obsessive photography, being the life of any party, 80's music trivia, hiking, biking to work, she has mastered the art of "roughing it with style", making everyone feel special, dressing up in costumes, journal writing, and being an amazing friend.

The best thing about Mary is that no matter how long we are apart, when we finally get together again it is like no time has passed at all. Mary was the most consistent writer while I was on my mission and I'm pretty sure she got to know my companions better than I did! She has been like a sister to me for the past 7 years. We've seen each other through break ups, family troubles, birthdays, holidays, moves, missions, weddings and anniversaries. I can't wait to be there for the next 50 years! I love you Mare Bear!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Mary(I had to narrow it down from about 1,000):
Mary and I at my wedding. Her husband, Klint, was doing our wedding video (which was amazing...) so I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked, but I was so happy she was there.

Our sweet catalog photo shoot at the cabin in Cedar City, UTDressed up as Poison Ivy and Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The best costumes of our lives- The Spice Girls! Mary was one hot Ginger
Our Christmas card photo shoot after we got back from Kauai (matching sweaters included)
When we dressed up in grass skirts and leis and went to Kalapaki beach. We were pretending to speak in a different language for fear of people discovering that we actually lived there.
Pics for the Del Sol news letter. I'm pretty sure this was our best one! I'm not sure why we are always wearing matching shirts :)
Our first Sunday in Kauai together
Those "misty mountains" were a favorite topic of ours
Ridiculous poses on the sun station were a common occurrence at Del Sol, Kauai. This girl is flexible!

I love you my Beautiful Mary Darling! I hope you had a Happy Birthday.

Favorite moments in Edmonton

2010-09-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Riding my bike downtown Edmonton
Reading at McKinley Park by the river
Running on the path by the riverGrilling just about everything in sight including corn, pork, steak, chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.
Tahitian dancing, pilates, yoga and crochet with my new gal pals
Shopping at the West Edmonton Mall and seeing the Lemurs!

The Canadian Adventure Begins

2010-09-02T08:21:00.001-07:00

I am back! So I guess you could say that my extended vacation this summer included blogging. I have a LOT to write about since James and I had quite the adventure over the past few months. It will probably take me a couple of weeks to update everything and then I'll let you know what we're up to now.

It all started at the end of April when we left the warm and sunny land of Utah to go to Canada to sell security systems for Pinnacle Security. We had a beautiful drive up with just a little bit of rain. I had never driven through most of Idaho or Montana, and I couldn't believe how absolutely breathtaking it was. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, so I guess we'll just have to do that drive again!

We arrived at the Canadian border at about 10:30pm. Now to back track a little bit, James' manager told us we should take the non-direct route through Glacier National Park and Cardston, Alberta because of the long lines and the friendliness of the border patrol. Let me just say right now, that was our first mistake.

When we pulled up to talk to the man on duty there, he first chewed us out for not doing our research because immigration left at 6:00pm. Then he told us it was pointless for us to even try because we couldn't be traveling together due to the type of work visa we had. Needless to say, I was slightly distraught. He softened a bit by the end of our conversation though and let us through the border just for the night so we could get gas and find a motel. Apparently there was a storm coming in.

We were lucky enough to see the temple all lit up when we arrived in Cardston. It brought me so much peace and made me feel at home. We were not so lucky in our choice of motel rooms however. Since everything was closed except for the gas station, we had to take what we could get. Let's just say that I slept in my clothes with my hood over my head and socks on because the room was SO bad...

The pictures really don't do it justice!

We awoke the next morning to at least 2 feet of snow and no power. We were worried that if we didn't get back to the border patrol we would have problems with our visas, so we set out in the storm to drive the 15 km back.

Within just a few miles we were in a white out that was so bad we couldn't see 5 feet in front of our car. We tried to take it slow, but with so little visibility we missed a turn in the road and ended up in a snow drift on the side of the road. I was positive no one would ever find us and we would die out in the cold in Canada!

Then this big guy came to our rescue!
I was so grateful to see him! Unfortunately, in the process of pulling us out, he went off the road and got stuck in the snow. I didn't think that was possible! Since our visibility was still so low, we didn't dare to try to drive back on our own. Luckily, a good Samaritan who knew the road really well came by and led us back to town safely.

I was never so happy to see a seedy hotel room in my life! With no power, we loaded up on junk food from the gas station, since everything else was closed, and settled in for a long stay. We played games, read books, talked and slept. It was actually really nice to not have all of the distractions for a while. At about 11:00 that evening the power came back on.

This is a picture of the same road the next morning. Unfortunately, when we got back to the border, their computers were still down, so they told us we would have to go to the border east of where we were (the one we should have gone to in the first place). The told us the best way to get there, so we set off.

After about an hour on the road, we found that the road was blocked because a semi got stuck. I had never seen snow cause such destruction. Most of the wooden poles on the side of the road were shredded and fences were destroyed.

Finally after an extra 2 1/2 hours we arrived at the other border, where they promptly gave us our clearance to go through to Edmonton!

Our 14 hour drive turned into 24 hours on the road. When we arrived in Edmonton, I was ecstatic to see our apartment. Wasn't it beautiful?
The "test kitchen" where I cooked A LOT in the 6 weeks we were there...
Living room with a sweet flat screen TV and balcony (with a grill!)
The bathroom... ah the soaker tub!

We loved our apartment, and Edmonton turned out to be a really cool city. I'll write more on that later. We were so blessed to get to Edmonton safely. I know the Lord was watching over us as we traveled. The experience really strengthened my faith and reminded me that we are all in God's care.

Edmonton

2010-05-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

I will be posting pictures of Edmonton shortly! I am finally getting my groove back...

The Goodbye Chronicles- Part 3

2010-03-23T17:37:00.002-07:00

The last in the series! We have moved. It was a ridiculously fast move (less that 48 hours from the time we sold our contract to handing in the keys). I almost died!

We had a really great time in our first apartment. Allow me to take you on a tour...

The living room: I loved our "Enjoy the Journey" wall with all of the scenic pictures of places we've been. We snuggled on this couch a lot :)

The bookcase and "guest couch": That's James' great grandmother's wedding china on top of the bookcase. Love it. We will have many bookcases wherever we live.

The kitchen: So many delicious memories. This is where I got my cooking skills back.The bathroom: Not much to say about the bathroom other than it was so pretty and I love my shower curtain. The master bedroom: Oh, I loved our bedroom! Our first fight was at Bed Bath and Beyond over whether or not to get curtain rods. Needless to say I was slightly hormonal... I'm glad we got them though!

The Guest Bedroom transformed into an office: What you can't see are the bikes and tools on the other side of the room. I think this was James' favorite room.... other than the kitchen that is. A guy has got to have his space...All in all, we loved our first apartment. We feel lucky to have lived in a relatively nice place where we made great friends and lots of memories. Farewell our first abode. We'll miss you!

The Goodbye Chronicles- Part 2

2010-03-23T17:37:00.001-07:00

Oh Oscar. The green giant. As I got him ready to sell I found souvenirs from some of the places we'd been together and things we've done.

Camping stuff from the ward camp where James and I first kissed (in the front seat of Oscar I might add :) )
A movie ticket from when James and I were dating
Sand from trips to Cedar City with friends
Grease from the bikes being put into the back seat for rides up the canyon
The parking stub from the Grand America where we stayed on our wedding night
Our long boards from late nights of boarding down the canyon
Good times. You were a great oldie.

The Goodbye Chronicles- Part 1

2010-02-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

I am no fan of goodbyes. Never have been. I have been saying "goodbye" a lot lately. I don't know why it has all happened at once, but they must be chronicled! I apologize in advance for all of the sappiness that will likely ensue over the next few posts.

So I may be a nerd for blogging about a bike, but this was not just any bike.

This was the bike that I bought my hubby to replace the beloved bike he sold to buy my wedding ring (tear).
This bike was the first major purchase that we made as a couple.
This was the bike that James had been dreaming of for so long that when he first laid eyes on "his very own" I though his mouth would split he smiled so big.
This was the bike that rode James to victory in his first century. (the ULCER)

These are the reasons why it was so hard for me to part with this beauty.

Goodbye old friend. We had some good rides together. We hope your new owner loves you as much as we did!

Shoot 'Em Up... The Clay Pigeons That Is!

2010-02-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

You see that there? That is a REAL LIVE GUN. I have never held a real gun in my hands, much less shot a real gun. I even have a hard time holding a water gun. Although that may have something to do with the torturous memories of my brothers and their "super soakers" when we were kids.

That is why when my uncle (pictured below... and no, that is not his real hair, thank goodness) invited us to go shooting, I was slightly reluctant.

Turns out, I am a pretty good shot! I hit a few clay pigeons, and better yet I got the closest to the bulls eye on the target we were shooting at. James got a little carried away and started looking for other targets, but all in all we had a really good time!

Who knew that goin' out shootin' could be so much fun? Maybe my hick roots are finally surfacing. Let's just hope I don't start saying "Americin Fark" and teasing my hair to death!

Holiday Season in Review

2010-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

I felt our 2009 holiday season deserved a recap post. Since James and I were married December 2008, it seemed as though our wedding and honeymoon replaced Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That was something I was happy about and wouldn't have changed for anything, but by the time April came around, I was having withdrawls... holiday magic withdrawls.

To make a long story short, 2009 was one of the best holiday seasons EVER for several different reasons. Read on!

Since this was our first holiday season in our apartment we decided to go all out! This included holiday goodies and decorations of all kinds! Our little gobblers were pretty delicous! Thanks Kevin and Rach for the idea and skillful execution ideas :)

We got to add a new holiday to our season! Now climbing the list of my favorite holidays is our anniversary. James really out did himself this year.

As James and I discussed our favorite family traditions, we decided to start one of our very own... a 7 course meal with our good friends! You can see them here enjoying their sorbet palate cleansers. It was an enjoyable night of refinement and will be repeated.

Speaking of food, that is what Christmas mostly consisted of while at my in-laws home in Arizona. You see here the best homemade pizza I've ever had in my life! Pesto, sausage, onions and mounds of feta cheese adorned this flavorful crust and it was delicious to the last bite!

No, it was not a white Christmas (although we had to drive through a blizzard), but it definitely felt like Christmas. Celebrating with my new family was better than I could have ever hoped it could be, despite being hopelessly ill the entire time. My in-laws are such wonderful, generous and loving people. I love them so much.

I don't have any pics of of our New Years Eve bash, but I'll just say it was a blast. We shot off confettim, drank sparkling cider when the ball dropped and I got to kiss the hottest guy I know at midnight. The festivities continued until about 4:00am when we finally finished our last games of Bang and Ticket to Ride. Ah, what a good way to bring in the New Year! (More on our New Years Day activities later)

Precious

2010-01-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

To me, there is no better feeling in the world than rocking a baby to sleep. It really doesn't get any better than that.

I love these two girls...I just had to share the sweetness of this moment with you.

Love, true love...

2010-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

I am late, late, late, posting about a very important date! December 18th, 2009 marked one year from the day I married my best friend in the whole world. Some say the first year of marriage is the hardest. That may well be true, and if so I am one lucky girl!

James decided he wanted to be the one to plan out our first "real" anniversary, and I have to say, he did a fantastic job. He started off our magical evening by taking me to our favorite sushi joint, Tsunami. He even used chop sticks for me...

Oh, such fabulous food. It was perfection.

Then we went for a romantic stroll to see the lights on temple square. Unfortunately I was ill prepared for the weather, so James came to the rescue with a thermos of my favorite hot cocoa. *insert sigh here* Unfortunately something went wrong because after blowing on it for a few seconds, you know, just to make sure I didn't burn my mouth, I drank to find out it was already cold! We had a good laugh about it anyway.

The last surprise was most definitely the best... James took me to stay at the Grand America, the hotel we stayed at on our wedding night. It was so beautiful and relaxing, just what I needed.

We even got a little crazy and ordered room service at 1:30am.

Who wouldn't die to have this bathroom?! Ah... heaven.

The next morning I woke up to this...

I am not a morning person, but it was well worth getting out of that comfy bed to see this...

It was the most beautiful evening I could possibly imagine. Babe, I don't know how you're going to top this next year. Happy Anniversary sweetheart!

Beauties of the Season

2009-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread men, twinkling lights and stockings are all a great part of the holiday season, but what would Christmas be without some hideous sweaters? This year marked my second and James' first ugly sweater party! Boy has he been missing out. Unfortunately, I only came in second place!
I have NO idea why...

Well, yes, I managed to include a message with my entry (Make a home, not a litter. Spay or nuder your pets) and mine included flashing lights, but I'm afraid C-bass bested me this year. Noble victory my friend!

The entertainment wasn't bad either. Thanks to Bryce and Beth for an unforgettable evening!

On a quiet December evening...

2009-12-31T12:46:00.001-08:00

These two sweethearts... Went to this special place...

For the first time!

Thanks for letting us be a part of your moment. We love you Jordan and Ashley! Congratulations!!!

(P.S. Doesn't my hubby look so HOT with his new beard?!)

Beautiful Angelique

2009-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, there lived a beautiful young woman. Her name was Angela (also known as Ang, Angelique, Angie Bangie, Angie Mangie and Angel). Many a handsome Prince in the land was captured by her beauty and charm. But sadly, each time a Prince would ask her to take her home she would smile, shed a tear and send them on their way.

One day, as Angela sat at home in her parent's castle, a fairy whispered in her ear to take a journey to a land far, far away. So, our Princess packed up her little bag, climbed on her flying chariot and rode all the way to the land far, far away.

After Angela set up her house in a large hollow tree, she went to a church to find some friends. As she sat singing with the other Princesses, the most handsome Prince she had ever seen walked into the room. Angela instantly fell in love with Prince Steve.

So our Prince took Princess Angela home to the most beautiful house of all.

And they lived Happily Ever After...

Congratulations Steve and Angel! It was a beautiful day.

Other Pictures of the wedding (courtesy of Krystal Keller)

Adorable Mele and Afu dancing...
My Prince and I dancing close...

The best parents in the world. You can see where Angela gets her beauty and charm from!

Gorgeous Danielle and precious Violet.

Me contemplating how I can keep my skirt from blowing up Marilyn Monroe style...

The stunning Celestia and Kava. So cute!

Domestic Goddess

2009-11-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

I have always had the desire to be domestic. Unfortunately, because of my work and school schedules, I'm not always up to the challenge. However, over the past couple of months, I have managed to do a few fun things.

First, the most amazing cupcakes I think I've ever made. I'm not really a fan of fruit with chocolate, but when I saw a recipe for these chocolate cupcakes with raspberry white chocolate frosting, I just couldn't resist! They turned out pretty well, don't you think?

Most of you have probably seen those fruit boquettes. They are so beautiful and delicious to eat. Everytime I see one I think, "I could make that." So I attempted it for my dear friend Mary's birthday. I think it was a success!

I'm working on homemade Christmas gifts right now, so one Christmas is over, I will post about them... if I can wait that long!

My name is Brianna and I'm a sleep talker...

2009-10-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Most people who know me will tell you that I am a sleep talker. Most of us Roberts kids are. There are stories that will go down in history from mission companions, roommates and sisters that have witnessed my sleep piano playing, searching for spiders, giggling and saying the word "BOYS" in several different voices.

Until recently, I did not know that I can be quite sassy in my sleep. James says he adores this little tendency, but I don't know how long that will last.

The latest episode happened a couple of nights ago when James came to bed after I was already asleep. I was mumbling about something or other. He wasn't sure if I was sleep talking or not, so he said, "Honey, you aren't making any sense," to which I responded, "YOU'RE not making any sense!"

This is not a one-time thing. A few months ago when James asked me if I was sleep talking I got a little testy and said, "Are YOU sleep talking?!" Wow, I guess I'm not brilliant in my sleep.

I just hope I don't start breaking out the profanities!

Autumn Delights

2009-10-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

I love Autumn. It is possibly my favorite season. As soon as I feel that first sign of crispness in the air I can't help but pull out my sweaters, scarves and boots.

On the first full moon of fall, my sweetheart decided to take me on a hot (well actually it was freezing) date. We went up to Sundance Ski Resort with a few other couples and rode the ski lift over the stunning mountains. We brought a blanket and some delicious hot cocoa, which turned out to be our saving grace I might add, and spent some alone time on the lift.

I just can't get enough of my James. It doesn't matter how long we are around each other or what we are doing, but I will never have enough time with him. I'll never be able to hold him close enough or decide I've kissed him enough for now. My family can attest to this. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks honey for the great date!

Punkin Carvin'

2009-10-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Over the years, Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn't love dressing up like someone (or something) else for a day?! Pumpkin carving has been a part of the Roberts family Halloween celebrations for as long as I can remember, along with bubbly witches brew, trick-or-treating to the point that you need a pillowcase to carry all of your loot, and some kind of yummy soup or dinner in a pumpkin.

So, as the first official "Purinton Family Halloween" we decided to go out and get a couple of pumpkins to carve with our friends Kevin and Rachel. Here are the results...

James and I with our ghost in a haunted house pumpkin...

This is what it looked like lit up.

Crazy how the smell of pumpkins can bring back so many memories. Today James asked if we could carve another one because it was so relaxing! I think this will be a Purinton family tradition too.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

2009-10-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

So I have been absent from the blogging world for 6 months now (if I was ever in it...), but today is a special day that is definitely worth writing about. At about 2:00pm today, my hubby reached the ripe old age of 23! I must say, birthdays are much more fun when you have a spouse to celebrate with.

Today I just want to show my man how much he means to me. Sadly, it hasn't gone as planned. I wanted to wake up early and make him a delectable breakfast in bed (like he did for me yesterday). I slept through my alarm. I wanted to take him for his favorite ice cream at Coldstone. I swear the lunch hour shrunk. I wanted to treat him to a fancy dinner (in or out, I'm not picky)! He has a meeting at school tonight that he just can't miss.

So, tonight we will curl up on the couch together with some hot chocolate and our book and celebrate his Birthday the way we spend most of our evenings together these days. Not such a bad birthday afterall...

Happy Birthday James! I love you sweetheart. Maybe I'll get it right next year.

Havasupi

2009-06-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

James and I just got back from Havasupi in the Grand Canyon... boy was it a trip. For those of you who have never heard of Havasupi, google it. There are the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen (including the ones in Kauai) because the water is a gorgeous aqua color. It only takes a 10 mile hike into the Grand Canyon to see them! Piece of cake.

We had some crazy weather including a sudden rain storm that nearly turned Mary and Klint's tent into a pool, but all in all it was a pleasant trip. The others in our group were much more adventurous than us... some jumping from a 50 foot cliff into the water, but the hikes to the falls were enough of an adventure for us.

Thank heaven for the mule that carried my pack out of the canyon, because if it weren't for him, I might still be down there! Thanks to Mary and Klint for taking me on my first-ever backpacking trip!

The first of many...

2009-04-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided to become part of the blogging world! I love reading my sister and my friend's blogs so much that I just couldn't resist. Today I am going to see my darling sisters, Davian and Angela! I haven't seen them since Christmas, so I can't wait! One thing I'm going to try not to do is end each sentence with an exclamation point!