good morning beautiful

The Man didn't have work today.  Usually he's up before me and already downstairs doing whatever it is he does in the wee morning hours before I roll out of bed.

Mornings, to me, are not pretty.

It's not that I'm ornery or grumpy, because I'm not.  You can talk to me and I'm not going to bite your head off.  I'll even most likely give you a smile.  But I'm slow.  I don't get things.  My brain doesn't work.  And often times West will find me back in bed after my long shower when I should be putting clothes on and blow drying my hair.

But this morning it was me who was getting up before him.  Slowly.  Agonizingly.  It doesn't matter what time I go to bed, or how much sleep I get, it's the same ol' I can't get this brain to function routine for me.  I usually stand in a glazed over daze in the shower for a really long time.

Since West was still in bed, that meant that I couldn't get back in it because the lights were off, and that would mean that I would be out cold in a matter of seconds.  Usually when I crawl back in bed the lights are on.  That keeps me coherent enough to get back up again.

I stepped out of the shower, got dressed in the clothes I had put in the bathroom the night before, and blow dried my hair.  By then the circus was stirring. 

I stepped out of our bathroom into the dark bedroom and made my way around the bed to go downstairs and make the circus eggs.  We had 1/4 of a gallon of milk.  Cereal wasn't going to happen today.

As I groped through the dark I hear, "I hear my beautiful woman."

Does he know just what to say first thing in the morning or what.  Instead of finding the door, I found him.  Then he whispers to me, "what are your lunch plans today? Oh yeah, you have lunch plans with me."  Like he's the luckiest man in the world to eat lunch with me.

I'm the luckiest woman in the world to be having lunch plans with him.

West's cousin (but I'm claiming him too!) Got married to a cute girl yesterday.

{I totally stole this off of his facebook.  Aren't they reeking of fun personality?}

I love their family.  They are down right the nicest people on this earth.  I don't usually do wedding cakes.  I prefer to do character cakes and birthday cakes.  I usually pass the wedding cakes on to my friend Aislinn, who is Amazing with a capital "A", and actually in business where I am not.  I just have a hobby.  But when this family of ours asked me to help with the wedding cake I wasn't going to tell them no.

Like I said, I'm no professional.  And it shows.  But what it lacks in pristine perfectness it makes up for in taste and flavor. 

I think I'll stick to "fun cakes".

Happy wedding to our cousins.  Their wedding lunch is today and I get to meet my man there to celebrate the union of a cute couple and the fact that we are a part of a great family.

parents and pastries. and camera ramblings.

Every year the elementary school does a "Parents and Pastries" morning. 

This means if you show up for school an hour early with a parent and a book you all get a donut.  And a coupon for bowling at Fat Cats.

Mostly I just like being with my circus.  Especially if it encourages reading.

It's time for me to renew my phone contract and upgrade my phone.  I'm struggling with which phone I should use.  I've had, and loved, a Blackberry for the past five years.  I am most definitely not a fan of touch screen.  I want buttons.  West is a supporter of the iPhone.  He has me hooked on some of the game apps.

I think what it's going to boil down to is which phone has the best camera in it.  Sad but true.  I'm tired of sub-par pictures because I use my phone all the time.

And while we're on the subject, ever since my water camera decided not to be waterproof anymore, it's been leaving white spots in my pictures.  Despite what a kind reader said to me about it being spirits in my pictures, I assure you, it's spots inside the lense.  I can see them.  So I need a new water camera too.  Because now that I've had the ability to take my camera into the water, I don't want to stop.

Also, I want a fancy camera.  But I don't know which one.  I just know that I'm obsessed with taking pictures of my family and life, and I'd like them to, you know, actually turn out good.

So that's my to do list.  Phone with a decent enough camera, a water proof camera, and a "fancy" camera.

Is it too early to have a Christmas list going?

celebrating a year of love and friendship

I think Google nailed it this year:

Valentine's Day is a day to reflect on how amazing my relationship with The Man is.  It's a day to celebrate how we have loved for the other 364 days of the year. 

Valentine's Day is not a day to make up for the other 364 days.  It's not about gifts for us, but for simply enjoying each other and recognizing what we have the whole year through.

Valentine's Day, at our house, is a family affair.  Every year we eat our dinner by candle light. This picture is from last year:

This picture is hilarious, it looks like we just lit the table on fire, but I guess that's what you get when you take pictures with your phone.

So in reflection of my relationship with West, here's a few highlights from the past year, on why I love him so much, and how I know he loves me.

Hands down, he makes me LAUGH.

Our favorite saying to tell each other is, "I will seduce you with my awkwardness."  We are clumsy at best and down right ridiculous at our worst and that's perfectly fine with us.

Our life truly is a giant adventure.  We support each other in interests that we share, but also in interests that we don't share.  We are there for each other.  He's my biggest fan.  And I am his. (Some of these pictures are blurry, I'm sorry, but I want to add them because we had such a great year together).

Jane Wayne Day

Seals in the cove in LaJolla, CA

Scuba Diving

I love the we can work on our house together.  The planning, the compromising, the work itself has been so much fun.  And it makes me feel like I belong in the house with him.

Bathroom remodel

When I was trying to get the job with Attorney General's Office he sent me this text.

He was there to be my photographer for my new running phase.

Dirty Dash

Halloween Half

And I've been there for his riding stints.

Sand Dunes

County Fair

I'm always saying it, but he's my best friend.  I do everything with him simply because I want to.

He eats cookie dough with me. 

He knows my favorite author, and even knows my birthday now :).

Whoville dinner

Our anniversary

West and I don't put a lot of pressure on Valentine's Day.  There are usually no gifts, no cards, no fancy dinners out.  And we're okay with that.  We smile because we know we love each other, and maybe we hug a little more (if that's even possible), and touch a little more (again, possible?) and perhaps we'll say "I love you" just one more time today...

We do have some exciting things happening today as a family.  Cas is having her 6th grade Valentine's dance.  She has to dance with 16 boys and has given me the okay to stop by to take a couple of pictures of it.

I might try to get a better picture of our candle light dinner tonight... one that doesn't look like we've just set the table on fire.

Oh, and I did break our general rule of no gifts and made West a blanket on my brand new sewing machine.  But I would have made him the blanket anyway, it was just convenient that Valentine's was right here, so I utilized the day to give it to him.

So we'll do one more post tonight after all the fun is to be had.  Because even though we don't put a lot of pressure on the day, doesn't mean that we're not doing fun things with it.

No Super Bowl, Chocolate Fondue, and Mr. Popper's Penguins

Happy 33 to me.
Today's February photo project was "10 am".  I was at church with my circus.  This picture was actually taken a little after noon when church was over, but really, I wasn't going to pull out my camera and snap a picture in the middle of a Sacrament Meeting.  So we took one after church in the Young Women's room, which also doubles as the Middle School's Seminary, hence the desks.
Thanks for snapping the pic Ballison.  Love me some Laurels.

The Young Women's President gave me two papers to fill out for the new Beehives coming in.  New Beginings is next week and they want to spotlight the cute new Beehives.  They were for my daughters.  Can you believe that we have not just one girl turning 12 this year, but two?  It's like I always say... once one hits a a milestone in life, the rest are not far behind.  We don't do anything small around here.  Not even if we wanted to...

After church we headed home only to be greeted by this when we rounded the corner:

My dad and step mom drove 45 minutes to surprise me with this when I got home from church.  Apparently my step mom was being sneaky sneaky with The Man and was messaging with him over facebook about when we'd be gone.  When we rounded the corner we all gasped.  Cool Mom!  That Stephanie Rd. sign? Going on my desk at work.

The Man bought me a sewing machine.  I've never owned a sewing machine before and am super excited.  Especially since I've recently drawn up my first quilt pattern with the encouragement and email guidance of my aunt.  Who is a pro.  Really.  She owns her own quilt shop.  And the circus made me paper flowers with Granny Suzann.

We're pushing forward with the remodel.  Tomorrow a sheetrocker is coming to mud and tape the second laundry room we've created out of a large closet upstairs and the kitchen ceilling.  We've picked out the tile and West even said that while he was working on his project (the laying of the said tile) that I needed a project and could paint the second laundry room and kitchen any color I want. 
You are all my witnesses.  Any color I want. 

I'm thinking I should have gotten that in writing...

In preperation for the nasty dusty sheetrock mess we've emptied the kitchen, even putting the fridge into the dining room, and hung plastic.

When our house is finished, we're inviting you all over for a Hallelujah party.  See that pink counter?  It's next on my hit list.  Nasty thing.
All I wanted for my birthday is no Superbowl, chocolate fondue, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Check, check, and check.

And now that I think about it, this would go good with our kitchen remodel, don't you think?

February Photo Project Day 3: Hands

This is where my hands end up every single night.  Or even any given time that we find ourselves in close proximity on the couch.  And let's face it, if The Man and I are in the same room, we're in close proximity.  Some say we're still in the honeymoon stage.  Frankly, I plan on being like this even when we've been married for 7 years... or 13 years... or 25... right on to 60 years.  He's my sweetheart.  I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

I took a picture of where The Man's hands usually end up, but being as this is a family blog that my circus actually looks at, I figured it was probably best to not post it.

Cali Turns 7

Cali.

Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Best Friend: Anistyn
Favorite thing to do in school: Learn
Favorite thing to do: Play with my sisters.
Favorite movie: Mr. Popper's Penguins
What's something you want to learn how to do this year? Read better.
I made a master list of birthday activities for the circus to choose from for their parties.  All ranging with in the same budget, but bigger, or more expensive activities involved less friends, or family only, while cheaper or smaller activities where able to involve more friends.
Cali chose to go to Airborne, a trampoline arena.  She was able to invite 2 friends.
And in true Circus style, we took a lot of pictures, a few videos, and created quite the chaos which ended up being the time of our lives.  We jumped off the floor, the walls, played dodge ball, jumped off cliffs, tried our best to make it across the rope ladder (West failed, I conquered!), and did a lot of flipping in the air.  Even me :).