Going home with Jon

Going home to meet the parents....... I took this picture at the airport, acting like I was scared, even though I really wasn't. I was really excited to meet his family and spend a few days at his house. A litte disclaimer, neither one of us had more than three hours of sleep and these pictures definitely show it. Don't judge. After a little nap, we took his puppy on a walk. I love the Seattle area, it is so pretty. I love how green it is and that it wasn't so cold. Buck liked me from the beginning and followed me around the whole time I was there, he is a very sweet dog.

Then we headed downtown to look at a gingerbread house display. It was fun being in downtown with all the bustle, seeing the Space Needle, the Sound and the shopping district.

A little note about his family: Very, very nice. His mom was so very welcoming. She even made me gluten free cookies and no one other then my mom makes me those. It was very funny watching the dynamics of an all boy home (Jon is a twin and has two other brothers), being the youngest of three girls, it was just different.

They have a tradition of making fudge at Christmas time that is hand beaten for five minutes. Everyone took a turn becuase it gets very tiring and the spoon handle is hard to grip. The fudge turned out so good, very yummy. It was so nice to be around such a nice family, in their home around Christmas. It definitley made me miss mine, but I felt very welcome and was very happy to be there.

Taking posed pictures is not Jon's favorite thing to do. I love this picture, it took a few tries but it turned out very well. This is after church on Sunday and it was very fun going to is ward. His family is very well respected and loved. His mom has a calling in Primary so being in Relief Society was fun because all of the ladies raved about. He has obviously been raised very well.I just can't resist....... aren't we the cutest couple?!?!?!

Jon got us tickets to go see The Nutcracker, which I was very happy about! I went to see The Nutcracker multiple times as a little girl because I loved it so much and loved to watch the dancing. He got us the best seats, they were in a box up above where we could see the orchestra pit and the stage. We didn't realize how great the seats were until we got there.

After The Nutcracker, we met up with Ryan and Alisa for dinner. Dear Alisa is ready to pop! She was such a sport to come and meet us because I know she was so uncomfortable. Both of them have been the greatest support to me. I have sat on their couch so many times so frustrated with the boy that I was dating or dating in general. They have met all of the boys that I have dated and it was so nice for them to meet Jon, who I actually really like. We did a little shopping after and Ryan talked to Jon for a while we Alisa and I looked around, which was fun for me to watch. Jon did very well:)

And then I had to leave and I was VERY sad! I have to work on Christmas day, which is sad, but I had to go back to Utah. I hated leaving!! He will be here on Saturday and until then I will be busy with his Christmas present and working.

Advent Calendar

I made my neices and nephews an advent calendar to count down Christmas. It was a very fun project to do, the biggest I have done without my mom around. It sparked my interest in sewing, I really liked it. Each advent calendar had 25 hand made stockings that were filled with little gifts. You have to understand that my nieces and nephews are my favorite people on earth and it was so fun making it for them. It turned out pretty well because my sisters have called on a few occassions telling me how excited the kids were to open their stocking for the day.

It makes my heart swell.
The final project! I brought it to Florida with me and gave it to them at Thanksgiving as it started on December 1st.

The Christmas Season with Jon

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and of all the special Christmases that I have had, this season has been the best. Do I need to tell you why? Because I am in LOVE:) I said it, because it's true. It has been so great sharing it with someone that I care so much about. We have done alot of fun things together that I have shown below in pictures. We bought a Christmas tree the first week of December, which made my apartment feel very warm and Christmasy. We watched a few Chritmas movies, saw The Christmas Carol (both the play and the new movie), saw the lights on Temple Square, went to my Christmas party at work and then the finale was going to his house this past weekend, which will have it's own post.

Me= VERY VERY HAPPY!!

Happy Halloween

Thanks to Lisa, I found a costume and got dressed up for Halloween. We had so much fun getting ready and can you tell we really enjoyed the red lipstick? Love it!! I don't think I've ever had a costume without it. Posing on our doorstep with our jack-o-lanterns LIPS!

Jon and I in our costumes, I mean, Jon in his uniform:)

Friends from work: Liz and Jodi

Friends from Timp Gateway (where I use to live)

Fall Festivities

One Friday night, Jon and I went up the canyon and cooked tin foil dinners on a bonfire. The amazing dinner was followed by banana boats, one of my personal favorites. It was a lot of fun to be outside in the crisp air and to be warmed by the fire. Bonfires are so fun and any food made on them always hits the spot. Of course, Jon did a great job on the fire and cooked the dinners perfectly as the pictures show.

This was the BYU game that ought not to be remembered, the Cougars played horribly, but it was lots of fun to be with Alisa, Emily and Lisa.

Alisa was in town for her Utah baby shower, yes baby Harrison is on his way. She is due Dec. 23, and I'm so excited for her. It was so great to reminisce and spend time together.

Love you girl!

Then there was another Friday night of pumkin carving. Can you tell which one is mine and which is Jon's? Every cut on his pumpkin was perfect and as you can see his jack-o-lantern was amazing. It's the headless horsemen, if you didn't know, carved by not cutting through the pumpkin but shaving the skin off. With the candle inside it looked really awesome.
Then on Halloween I was spoiled by both my mom and Jon. Mom sent me the cute pumkin and flowers at work, which arrived during the Halloween party we had for the girls at work.

And then on Halloween, Jon showed up on my doorstep with my favorite flowers: tulips!

It made my whole day. Can I just say..... I'm smitten with this kid:) Couldn't be happier!

Men and women, they're different, I get it.

I told Jon about this funny song by Kellie Pickler called, "Things that never cross a man's mind." After I told him the title, the first thing out of his mouth was, "It must be a really long song."

I died laughing.

Men and women, their different it's true. I'm now 26 years old and just hitting the tip of the iceberg on that one. None the less, I love spending time with him. Today he humored me by letting me pull out the camera after church to click a few pics. I propped the camera up on his truck and this is what we got (after a little cropping). He says he doesn't like posed pics so I told him to give me an action shot, that's how I got the last one. It was fun.

Conference Weekend

I really looked forward to General Conference and being inspired by the words of the Prophets. It was very good weekend. I was most touched by the themes of listening/living by the Spirit, love and being consistent. I was inspired to live the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully and listen to the Spirit as I try to make decisions for my life. At times it is easy to forget that this life is the time to prepare to meet God and that all of our experiences can either help or hinder us in our journey. I loved Elder Renlund's remarks about how to continue the change of heart process and how we must continually evaluate where our heart is and what we need to do to live close to the whisperings of the Spirit. I hope you all were able to enjoy Conference too! My sweet friend Sheryl, from DC, and I were able to go to the second Sunday session together. How I love that girl and her vigor to live the gospel and figure out the Lord's will. We were there for Elder Holland's powerful testimony on the Book of Mormon. It was awesome!!

Saturday night, while the guys were at Priesthood, all the ladies went out to dinner. It was so fun to connect with these girls from our old ward.

Fall is in the Air

Last weekend Jon and I took a ride on the Alpine Loop, up through Provo Canyon. The colors were amazing, all shades of red, yellow and orange. The pictures don't really give it justice.

It was so fun to enjoy the crisp weather and the beautiful colors.

Happy Birthday Lisa!

For Lisa's Birthday, we celebrated with a dinner party. I scanned my sister Heidi's blog for ideas about how to do the spread but I realized that I will never be as creative as her. What we came up with was very elegant and it made Lisa feel special.

One day Heidi, one day:)The Birthday Girl

"All the Single Ladies"