Fa la la la la

Ah, the holidays. What used to be time off from school has turned into a very busy time of year. Jeremy, Ellia and I have been to numerous family parties and get-togethers with friends from the past (scroll down for a slideshow).

Some of Jeremy's friends from high school that moved away were back in town so we had breakfast at IHOP on Christmas Eve. We were sure happy to get together but unfortunately the employees did not seem happy for us. I didn't know if it was because we were there at 8:30 a.m. or because it was Christmas Eve, and I wasn't about to find out. Chelsea braved the server and asked to change her order, but when Jeremy and I discovered that we were shorted a plate of pancakes we just let it fly. Reminder to this group of friends, don't forget the plans we made to Cruise Divine in 2009!

Jeremy wasn't the only one to spend some quality meal time with past friends. I got together with two of my roommates from my first year at Snow College. It's been 5 or 6 years since I have seen one of them so it was a blast! We had fun talking about what we had been up to, gossiping about who we had run into since those days, and just laughing about things all over again.

Jeremy's family and mine both jumped on the bandwagon for the most popular gift of Christmas 2007 - Nintendo Wii. It was fun to hear the stories of how they each came about getting their hands on the coveted game system. Including a lucky drawing for the chance to buy a Wii that worked much like a lottery and had security like an airport, and also being 24th in line at a store with 18 Wii's very early in the morning and then chancing another store with luck- besides falling down trying to get out of the car and run to the line!

The Wii did provide hours of fun for both families. The day after playing I even woke up with sore arms. As if that wasn't pathetic enough it was from a Hannah Montana game (think dance dance revolution) which by the way I would recommend. The games brought my family together in a great way and now Jeremy and I have decided that we want one for ourselves in the future.

This weekend we are headed up to Logan (Wahoo!) for a basketball game and then a few nights in a Bear Lake cabin with even more friends - yes I know, we are popular ;). This will be a memorable time for Jeremy and I since it was at this same cabin that we met over five years ago.

I guess I could also mention something about some of the amazing gifts that were exchanged this year. I'm quite proud of Jeremy and I for several of the gifts we gave. For the Gillespie's Jeremy and I went through all the missionary letters his family had written him and organized them into two albums to resemble family journals. For my parents I went through hundreds of pictures of them and chose a ton of them together which I then scanned into the computer and made into a DVD with some of their favorite songs. It was a tear jerker! Finally, we had a picture of a family pet blown up and printed on a pillowcase for Jeremy's brother who is on a mission. This dog is more than a best friend and caused somewhat of a mental distraction for the Elder on the day he received it. Jeremy added a nice touch to the pillowcase - the words, "I'm still waiting for you," and when we got to talk to his brother on Christmas he mentioned that it was the greatest gift in the history of the world - I think that means we did a pretty good job.

I can't take all the credit though, as usual we were spoiled on the receiving end. We got a family vacation to Disney Land, a DVD recorder for a TV, some awesome mall gift cards, and a bundle of cash to play with, just to name a few. It was also fun for us to start Christmas traditions with Ellia (too bad she won't start remembering them for a few years) and to get ourselves some housewarming gifts, including a big wall mirror and some tree trimming shears for the palm tree that is overpowering our future front yard.

Ok, just one last thing. Buying the shears. There were two kinds, and its not like I know much about tree trimming let alone PALM tree trimming, so I had to ask for some assistance. Workers: "What will you be using them for?" Me: "A palm tree." Workers: Pause and funny look. "How do you want to trim it?" Me: "I don't know I have never owned a palm tree." Needless to say, I think California will bring us a lot of new experiences!

So much to say...

The last weekend in November Jeremy and I spent house/kid sitting for Jeremy's aunt here in Provo. It was quite a treat to stay in such a nice house (all set up for us) and enjoy watching the kids interact with Ellia.


Some memorable things that happened -

1. A wet bed at 1:00 a.m. (and it wasn't Ellia, Jeremy or I)
2. A white shirt custom ti-died with hot chocolate
3. A power outage
4. A major snowstorm
5. And some inscriptions added to an expensive wooden dining table



While the older kids went to school I stayed in the house with Ellia and the youngest boy. He is three and a half. At first when I would use my special nursing blanket while feeding Ellia he didn't pay attention, then he got curious. "Where's her head?" "Oh she lays on your stomach and eats." Even later if I just mentioned that I needed to feed her he would run to get the special blanket. When Ellia would take a long time to eat he would say, "can you take that off now?"

The other quotable moment was when I suggested that Jeremy and I call my mom for a food related question, the little boy stopped what he was doing, looked up at me and in a very surprised, almost confused voice said, "I didn't know you had a mom."

Now for the first few weeks of December

Jeremy and I have been contacting agents, and lenders in California via phone, and we were planning on taking a trip to Bakersfield (future home of the Gillespie's) mid-December. Well we starting seeing a lot of listings we were interested in so we moved our trip up...to the current week. Two days after deciding to change our trip, Jeremy Ellia and I packed up the car and headed to Bakersfield.

The drive was actually very easy and Ellia was a gem. Our first day out I saw the first two houses and didn't think I would be able to get excited about a house. Then we started seeing some better layouts and by the end of the day had about three that we were pretty interested in.

The next day it was much easier to dismiss houses, but we were excited to go see a house that we had both been particularly interested in from the listings even though there was only one picture. We walked in and knew it was our favorite. I was not even really interested in seeing any more, but wanted to help Jeremy become as sure as I was. The only thing we were both a little hesitant about was the fact that the backyard has a pool. We know nothing of owning a house- let alone a pool. But it was our favorite so we made an offer.

We returned to Utah after stopping at the National Finals Rodeo Cowboy Christmas Craft show in Vegas, and continued conducting our business over the phone and fax.



Yesterday, December 12, we learned that our final offer has been accepted!!! If everything goes well with the inspections we will be the new owners of a house with a pool! Now you all have an incentive to come stay with us! (and an invitation too)

A Present from Uncle Trav

A Dance by Jer, Stef and Lia (click here)

An email forward I decided to share since I spent the time to answer the questions

Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you...... Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Whatever I have that will fit the present

2. Real tree or Artificial? real, our favorite holiday tradition is hiking in the mountains to pick out and cut down our own tree. This year we added waiting in line for two hours on a freezing Midway morning to get our permit (usually my parents do it but they were going to New York)

3. When do you put up the tree? around the beginning of December. I don't really like decorating for Christmas because I really like all my house decorations and the way things are arranged. It's just kindof a pain and then you have to redo everything again in a month.

4. When do you take the tree down? when the needles start falling off and it becomes a real fire hazard (remember I hate changing decorations)

5. Do you like egg nog? y

6. Favorite gift received as a child? i remember getting really excited about a super nintendo, one year I also got a really cool barn with some Breyer horses

7. Do you have a nativity scene? y, willow wood

8. Hardest person to buy for? parents, it seems like they have everything

9. Easiest person to buy for? parents, they enjoy anything

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? email if i get around to it, it costs less

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? the flu

12. Favorite Christmas movie? tie between christmas vacation and elf

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? as soon as I know who I am buying for (early) I've been done for about two weeks

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? this saturday i'm going to, but its for a white elephant anyway

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? my moms cherry nut bread and brownie mound cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? go tell it on the mountain I used to play my dad's record and sing it really loud

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? both, family is close

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? y

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? light

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? one christmas eve, for little ones it's pj's, everyone else gets to choose

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? shopping with jeremy for the gifts he has to buy

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? my family had the tradition of getting an ornament from every place we visited on vacation, jeremy and i have continued this so decorating the tree brings back lot's of great memories from fun trips

24. Favorite Christmas dinner ? something with mashed potatoes and maybe even stovetop stuffing, also my mom's purple jello salad

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? to make the best decision on our home purchase

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? i can't believe I'm doing it so I really don't expect anyone else to and I'm ok with that!

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?

November

I guess I could say a little about this last month. Since we are only in Utah for a few more months we have decided to take advantage of all the family events we can. Most recently we went hiking in the Uintah's with my family and then Jeremy's parents to cut Christmas trees. That was after waiting in line for two hours on a dang cold morning. Ellia is such a trooper, she just goes where we go (obviously) and enjoys it. We got a backpack carrier and have had a blast taking her on some hikes lately. Jeremy wanted to hike the "Y" one last time before we left Provo so we did that a few weeks ago too.




In other exciting news we are starting our house hunt. Jeremy recently went through Bakersfield to check out the area, and we took a homebuying class to get somewhat clued in to all that jazz. It is such an exciting time for us, and for me it seems so close I am getting a little nervous we don't have time to get everything in order. Jeremy on the other hand still feels like it is a ways a way because he has to finish his thesis.

Cutting Our Tree

This is kindof boring to watch but it took me awhile to upload it so it's staying.

Since the warm days are ending we are putting away all the cute summer outfits but we still need to take pictures in some of them!

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

I am experimenting with these posts. Here is a music video I watched when I worked at Independence High. I laughed a lot. If you like it you would love the people I worked with!

October Fun

Ellia's New Toy

This was one of the first times Ellia could grab something and hold onto it with both hands. I loved the baby glow worm! When I was little I was jealous of my friend's GloWorm, now I have to live vicariously through Ellia.

Happy Halloween!

When I wanted to give our construction hats to DI Jeremy said I shouldn't because we'd use them one day - I took him up on it.

Our Return to Utah

Well its been awhile since I’ve sent an update and we do have some worthwhile news.

First though, a few stories about our last couple of weeks in Texas and our return to Utah. When we moved into our fun little trailer the housing lady told us we’d probably make friends with all the bunnies and prairie dogs. I asked her what other types of creatures were around and one she mentioned was coyote. She said we might hear them but they never really came around. Well one morning as Jeremy and I were walking the “hiking” trail surrounding campus I looked across the open space and jokingly said, “look there’s a coyote.” I just thought it was someones dog that had gotten loose. The more we looked though we discovered it was a coyote – and then saw two others. All of this about ¼ of a mile from our house….exciting? Not so much. After that we saw them more often and even closer to our trailer, try about 100 yards away! One even went trotting across the road right outside the clubhouse one day.

Lucky for me there were plenty of servicemen around to help with whatever I needed. (probably even to shoo away coyotes!) After the bed delivery people I got to meet two electricians that were just as fun. While they were installing a new ceiling fan we got to talking. Then as the electrician I like to refer to as Ernst went by the fridge he bent over to look at the ultrasound pictures of Ellia. They were the new 4d technology and he said, “wow it ulmost luks lok a real baby n ere.” When he turned his back his partner looked at me, made a winding motion with his hand around his ear and said, “well it is a real baby!” What a team! As they left they told me to “have a noss dae!” I saw them a few other times after Ellia was born when I was walking around campus and they stopped to have a look, but not without asking, “haus the poss?” Now I’m not quite sure if I heard that correctly or if poss could maybe mean posse as in family? If anyone knows please enlighten me.

People did say some pretty funny things to me…things I will never forget. One of my favorite was a worker at the hotel we stayed at during my last week in the area. Now in Utah it seems many of the hotel workers are Hispanic, not so in this area of Texas. Every worker was black. They were so nice and all of them wanted to see Ellia, ( I started getting used to just turning her outward whenever someone went by – more on that later!) As I walked by one lady she took one look at Ellia and said, “Boy she godda faaaat fayace!”


Ok, enough making fun of other people, I guess its time to make fun of myself. Funny thing about living in a trailer, you just never really feel like it’s totally secure. One day as I was doing my hair I heard a beep beep beeping outside, lost my balance a little and got worried the trailer was getting hauled away somewhere with me and all our stuff in it! (I had to look outside in the parking lot to be sure, thankfully it was just a garbage truck!)

One of the coolest gifts Jeremy got from Chevron during his Internship was one of those new tiny ipod shuffles that clip on. Well I was trying to think of some good songs to put on it while I was walking early one morning and I heard a song I liked but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I actually started thinking it was pretty rude of whoever was playing the song that early to have it on so loud, I mean if I could hear it all muffled from where I was it must be blaring at the source! Well, I leaned down to check on Ellia and see if it was bothering her in the stroller and realized I was the one blaring the song! The ipod was with me and had gotten turned on somehow without me realizing it. Nice to know I really did like the song! At least no one was around for me to get too embarrassed.

Not so with the next story. As Jeremy and I were waiting to board our plane from New Mexico to Utah we sat and watched as the previous passengers unloaded. One gentlemen sortof moseyed on over to us and I held Ellia up for him to see. As he was standing over me I looked down at Ellia and said, “can you say hello?” The gentleman said, “what?” and I looked up to see that he was talking to the woman sitting behind me. I stupidly explained, “oh I thought you were coming to see the baby so I asked her if she could say hello.” He didn’t say anything.

Being back in Utah was so nice. I never appreciated the mountains so much! Things calmed down and one morning when I woke up at my mom’s in Midway I looked outside. In one direction I saw a field with some cows and to the other I saw an old red barn on the hill. I couldn’t believe how beautiful and majestic they seemed to me. What an amazing place Utah is. I even saw a little cottontail rabbit just as I was starting to miss the little buggers.

In other news Jeremy and I decided to take the job with Chevron in Bakersfield, California. He will be working as an earth scientist, which is sort of another name for a geologist. We will most likely only be there for a few years before transferring to Houston. We turned down an amazing company (Exxon) which made us sick to our stomachs but decided we needed to start off a little closer to home to make the transition a little easier for everyone. We are excited to be going with Chevron, Jeremy starts February 4, 2007. By then he should have his thesis done and his Master's in Geology from BYU.