baby quilt

this quilt is for my co-worker, rachel. she is having a baby girl in july. congats, rachel!!this is my first ever charm quilt - it was fun to put together, i was surprised at how much i enjoyed randomly arranging them (if you know me at all, random is not really my thing)
this is the back - the fun thing about the charm quilt is to use all kinds of fabrics, on the front and back.
rachel, i can't wait for you to wrap her up in this! :)

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You

a trip to the mall

the other day we made a quick trip to fashion place. we don't know what the big deal is about this mall: not that cool.
and for good measure - a very cute picture of kate and her first exposure to a skateboard.
don't you LOVE her outfit??? she was ready for the country club and a round of golf!

fhe in af

love the anagrams.

song: screaming while swingingactivity: sliding

i love how they are both making the same expression - check out their mouths!

lesson: family history & genealogy

we drove to the af cemetery and found weston's grandma's gravecrazy hair, but proof that there is, in fact, some hair

treat: doritos and dr. pepper in the car
we even had dinner at home - we are on a roll.

saturday was a good day

i had lunch with my girlfriends saturday morning. we ate and chatted and ate some more. i love catching up with you girls!!! it makes my month :)weston had a big day on saturday - the end of an era, you might say (monica).
saturday was weston's last day at blindside company in orem. he has worked there since we got married and it has been a great job. it offered flexibility and opportunity and allowed him to make some very lasting friendships. we are both grateful to be a part of the blindside family.

with much effort come great rewards

for any of you counting, this makes #2

pomp and circumstance

so the day has finally come! weston's graduation came ... and went! in his words - "it's a little anti-climactic" my words - "yeah, like prom"

so this post has SO many pictures, sorry if it's overwhelming. gotta document!

my man on his way to get in line

stopping to pose and greet the family

kate, preparing for an afternoon of no toys
all the proud parents/grandparents (weston's 2 grandpas went to byu)
sitting on grandma's lap
the graduates
i know how horrible this picture is, please forgive me. this is weston walking across the stage
after the ceremonies, congregating and congratulating in gallery 303
more of the same
proud mama
proud papa
proud in-laws, or OUT-LAWS as my mom says :)
very proud grandpa
and grandma
maybe the proudest wife on the planet
graduating daddy
4 generations - can you tell?
another generation picture - love kate's face
lunch at pizza factory - as far away from provo/orem as we could get while staying in the county
kate slapping the table
cute grandpas

yay! yay! yay!

Kate's first camera

Kate has claimed my new Olympus Stylus Epic... maybe I'll put some film in and see what she comes back with.

kate: april 2009

happy birthday, johanna!

today is my sister's birthday. we are 11 years apart, so most of the sister i know and love comes from the last 10-15 years of really getting to know who she is. it seemed like she and i never lived under the same roof when i was growing up - i know that's not entirely true, but that's how it always felt.

i have been told that johanna was very excited to find out she had a little sister (me) but i am the lucky one to have the big sister (her). johanna has always been a great older sister and even better example.

when i was in 2nd grade, johanna invited me to come stay with her at byu - in her aparment! i was so excited! i remember sleeping in her room and thinking it was so cool that she lived on her own with these other girls. i went to school with her and got to sit through an actual college class. her friend, paige, was so nice to me (it was the first time i ever knew paige was a name - and i've liked it ever since) i remember staying up late and sneaking down the halls of some building on campus, taking posters off the walls to hang in their place. i remember running across the grass, trying to see if old brigham's statue would do the funky chicken :) i remember going to the movies on campus, eating pillow mints johanna bought for me, and watching innerspace. that was such a fun experience for me and i have always loved that my sister would want me to hang around like that.

i remember when she went on her mission, i was pretty sad and knew i would miss her. yes, i know she had been gone to college, but i did know that a mission was going to be different. that all quickly changed (me feeling sad) when she started writing letters to me, and she always included cartoons or stickers. i LOVED getting her letters.

i remember when johanna came home from her mission, within a few days she had helped me convince my mom to let me dye my hair and start shaving my legs - thanks sister :)

here we are on christmas morning, 1991 - 2 days before johanna was going to marry tom

the summer before my sophomore year of high school, johanna invited me to come stay with her for a few weeks at the end of summer. it was a welcome treat since i was dealing with girl drama (high school can be so much fun!) spencer was so much fun and so little and i loved being able to spend time with her and redecorate her kitchen (do you remember putting up the ivy paper, johanna?)

and, who could forget when johanna invited me to come live with her family for a few months in 2001. i spent 6 months total, in denver, split between travis' family and johanna's family. thank you for opening your home to me, allowing me to grow up a bit, spending time with me and helping me through so many things. i will always cherish the time i spent with you, tom, and spencer.

weston took this picture 3-4 years ago - i have always loved it :)

johanna, i'm so glad you are my sister and i'm so glad you helped pave my way! thank you for all the ways you've helped me and all the things you've taught me.

i hope you have a GREAT birthday!!!!