Christmas 2007

First off, we hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas.

The holiday weekend started off on Saturday with Courtney and I making ginger bread cookies in our new house. She was very excited to see our home, and even more happy to bake. We had fun decorating and cutting out holiday shapes, and then of course my favorite part was eating them.

Sunday night my dad sang a solo in their ward Christmas devotional and Matt and I were able to head out their way for the show. He sang "The most beautiful story ever told" on his guitar and it was so pretty. Everyone was very impressed. Cory and Alex were also able to make it over and so we had a gift exchange at my parents house with her before she left for the holidays. And lucky for me, they were able to bring the puppy who is getting so big!

We played Catch Phrase and ate a little dinner before giving our gifts and of course, the girls won.Matt and I gave her a bracelet and my parents got her a really cute wallet. Alex gave me an adorable sweater and headband, and my parents both got great gifts too.

The next morning Matt went to work and I took advantage of my day off by sleeping in until 11. Then we headed over to my parents to do all our Christmas traditions even though it was the Eve. We snacked all day and then ate a really good ham dinner. We all opened our gifts and then watched the Nativity Story, which was really great. My parents bought us a bread maker that I am really excited to use, and I got a really cute wallet from my mom also. They got Matt a really nice sweater that he looks very good in.

Following years of tradition, we all got new pajamas, and spent the rest of the night in them.

We got my mom a blue tooth for her phone, my dad a CD and a Guitar Center gift card, and we got Cory some nice T-Shirts. We all had a really great time. Even all the dogs.

Christmas morning Matt and I had a very relaxing time to ourselves. We got up, had a little breakfast and opened our gifts together. Matt was surprised to get an air compressor and tools, a sonicare toothbrush and an egg poacher. Matt got me a really nice computer (I can finally work on my designs!) and a porch swing! I am so excited to have both!

Later that afternoon we headed over to the Aprecios for the festivities and had a really great time. We were also excited to have it snowing outside which is always a fun thing to have on Christmas.

We got Ben a really nice blanket, a new XBOX game and some kitchen tools. We got Jan the new Guitar Hero and The Furminator brush for her dogs. I found Shauna a really nice sweater and it looked so pretty on her. I was happy that everything turned out so good.

Matts parents got us an LCD tv for our place. I have no idea where it is going to go (its huge!) but Im sure Matt will find a place for it. Here I am, in total shock as I open it.

Then there was a gift for all of us kids. Shauna and I got to open it together, and were super excited to find Rock Band inside. These are our "rock star" faces.Here is the Christmas aftermath. We also got some new clothes, books and a new bedding set. Without losing any time, Matt set up Rock Band and we got to work. Chris, Tiffany and Garrett joined us for dinner, and were a great addition to the Aprecio band.

We buy eachothers love :)

We may have gone a little overboard with gifts this year! They dwarf our 7 foot tree!

Project Runway

Matt and I are addicted to the Bravo TV show, Project Runway. We have been through 3 seasons now, and we cant get enough. We have even pulled in a few of our friends and family to the Wednesday night tradition. Last night we invited a bunch of people over to watch season 4 with us and eat some pizza. Shauna and Garrett came, Brett, Cory and Alex and Chris and Tiffany. They all showed up just in time for the show.

However, it wasn't on last night due to the holidays! But we didn't panic. Chris went out to his car and got "Guesstures" for us to all play.

We all had a lot of fun and played girls against guys. We won the first game, and the guys won the second.

Cory and Alex brought Dundee with them, and he was so good. Briz got a little upset and bullied him all night, but luckily Princess was interested in showing him some love. She was so not herself last night, and came out of hiding to get attention and see the visitors. It was so funny. I think that she is really liking the new house and her new freedom we call "outside".

2 birthdays & a wedding

Friday night Matt and I were able to attend the wedding of Emily Porter and Andrew Moulton. Congrats to them both! They are such a cute couple.It was a lot of fun for me because I grew up with Emily, and went to school with Andrew. So it was a big reunion for my family and I. Matt knew the Porters from the singles ward, and so he had a lot of old friends there too.
Sunday night we had a wonderful dinner at the Aprecio's for Ben and my birthday. It was so much fun, and I got a coloring book, pretty ear rings from Hawaii and a sweater. We got Ben some stuff for his XBox because he had foot surgery recently, and so he spends a lot of time playing games.
Monday I took the day off of work to get some things done around the house and finish my Christmas shopping. I painted, put up some pictures and cleaned things up a bit. It was a great day to be home and warm. It snowed all morning and it was very windy. I took a picture of the mountain that we have a view of from our bedroom window. In the picture, that is our house on the right, so we don't have that stupid pole in our way. Its so beautiful, and I am so thankful to have this house.

For Tim

***We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging for an important news bulletin***

Tim left a message on Holly's phone asking for the Subaru parts info we talked about last weekend- There is too much to give in a voicemail, so here it is!

http://www.speerschong.com/ron/sti/sidemarkers/ - This is the website that provides the templates and diy instructions for the JDM sidemarkers (PN 84401SA000).

I get all my genuine subaru parts from www.subaruparts.com, they have great pricing and as long as you know the part number you're looking for they're no muss no fuss to use.

www.iwsti.com has a whole subforum of diy threads, it's a great resource. You can also look on www.scoobymods.com.

http://www.turninconcepts.com/ is where I bought all of the bushings for the shifter, transmission, and rear differential. The installations are fairly straight forward and it's probably the biggest bang for the buck mod that I've done. Great company with great customer service.

http://www.racecompengineering.com/ is a great site for suspension needs/wants :). Very knowledgeable Subaru guys that are always willing to offer suggestions and help.

You can always call me too, although I'm sure I'm not the best resource :)

Let me know if I missed something in particular.

***Now, back to your regularly scheduled girly stuff***

This Weekend...

...Matt and I got to go see Laurel and Malcolm star in "The Pied Piper" at their school. They did such a great job! Laurel was a villager, and had a bunch of lines and Malcolm was a rat. He got to dance around and be silly the whole time. (it was the perfect part for him!) After the show we got to see Laurels class room and enjoy some big cookies. Then we headed over the the Dillon's house for the usual jump-all-over-Matt game and catch up on all the family news. We are sad to live so far away from the kids, but we will be happy to have them over anytime to test the durability of our new house :)

Saturday Courtney, her mom and I went bowling and did a little holiday shopping. Matt stayed home and installed a garage door opener that is so quiet the dog doesn't even know when we get home! Its really great and he did a great job.

Sunday we went to Church for the first time in our new ward. We didn't meet anyone because we only stayed for Sacrament meeting, but it seems like a great group of people.

We got home and Matt put on some football which equals a nap for me. I slept for close to 5 hours! It was so great. I really needed it especially to help fight off this cold.

Matt and I are loving the house and got to bake cookies in our oven for the first time. I did burn the first batch (I made the timer for 7 hours as apposed to the suggested 7 minutes) but the rest were really tasty! We also finally found some furniture that we both love, so we will have a place to sit soon!

A night with the Burtons

What is my problem? I get to go out to dinner with my absolute favorite Kathryn and I don't take any pictures!!? This illness I have been fighting must have melted something in my brain because I am not myself. On any regular night I would have taken shots of all of us at dinner, Kathryn and I with food in our mouths, standing in front of the house, talking next to the fire, and of course a picture of the guys standing in the driveway talking cars for two hours. I cant believe I have no photographic proof that I go to hang out with the Burtons!
Yes, its true. Kathryn Salmon-Burton surprised me yesterday with the news that they had come into town for the week and she wanted to see me! Matt and I met her and Tim at the Spaghetti Factory (so what if we already ate there this week) for dinner and then headed over to our house to hang out for a little bit. The guys went for a drive in the STI while Kat and I sat in my couch-less living room and girl talked. I got to hang out with Kathryn all summer, and I really miss her now that they have moved back to Hawaii. I am so happy for them to finally be together, (Tim was in Iraq for 15 months) but I do wish they lived closer.
However, blogs, emails and phone calls will get me through it!
Thank you Kathryn and Tim for the visit, the "Fertile God" Tiki, the calendar, the chocolates and the dinner that you slyly paid for.
Love you!

Snow

It started to snow on Saturday while I was out shopping with Courtney, and we had a fun time driving around in it. The picture above is Court making the sign for "Snow" during lunch at Kidd Valley.

Saturday night Matt and I took my parents, my brother and Alex out to dinner for my Moms birthday and for their help with the move. We ate at the Spaghetti Factory, and we had a great time. It took us a while to get home because Washingtonians freak out when there is anything other than concrete on the roads. When we did get home we played out in the snow with Brisbane and our neighbors Aussie, "Camo".

Sunday we slept in and then got some things done around the house. I was happy to be able to stay at home and rest since I have been fighting this awful cold for a week now. I will regret posting this next picture, but I thought that it was pretty funny. I fell asleep at about 4pm last night next to the fire with Princess. Look at us with our white socks...aww. :)We don't have furniture yet, so this is what I have to do for now. Not long after this picture was taken, she cuddled up next to me (which is very rare and exciting) and we slept for another hour or so. Princess is showing a lot of interest in going outdoors which is making Matt very happy. She does come in to eat and sleep, but we are hoping to get rid of the little box entirely.

Briz is LOVING the back yard and we will find her playing all by herself out there as long as she has a ball. Matt and I are still trying to get things unpacked and put away. We will also be trying to figure out furniture soon, but we can not agree on anything right now. He wants leather, I want fabric, and both of us are too stubborn to find a medium. But its still all very exciting!

We're in.

Yes, we have finished the move, but we have only begun to unpack. Its been a busy week, and the days have been full of things to do.

Tuesday afternoon I got really sick with a sore throat, ear and nasal pressure and body aches. I was supposed to go home and get the house packed up, but all I could do was cry! Seriously, I have not been that sick in a LONG time. After the Advil wore off (which did nothing) I took some Dayquil since it was the only medication we had not packed up yet. It worked well enough to allow me to pack a little and get some sleep before the moving day.
I called in sick to work on Wednesday morning, knowing that I would also take all day to finish packing everything up at the house. I was so sick, tired and sore but I managed to get it all together. Matt rented a UHaul, I rented my Dad and Cory, and together we managed to get all the furniture and boxes into our new house.

We are all very excited to be home owners, including Princess and Brisbane who are exploring and enjoying the new place, and we can not wait to be done with all this work! Matt got to break in the bath tub last night, and said that it was really comfy. I'm next!

Packing up, and getting out!

This weekend, on top of all the holiday festivities, was spent cleaning out the town home so that we are ready to move out tomorrow. We have to paint all the walls back to white (which is so boring!) and clean all the carpets. The only good thing about the blank walls is that I got a cute picture of Princess. Leave it up to me to be taking pictures when I should be helping Matt paint :)

We also got to drive up to the house yesterday and see how everything was coming along. I am so excited about the yard! Its so perfect for Brisbane! They also put up house numbers, which for some reason made it very official for me.

Thanksgiving Weekend

First off, we hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. We had a great weekend, and got all the turkey we could muster.

On Wednesday after work, Matt and I met Cory and Alex at Petco to buy them puppy supplies for an early Christmas present. Dundee is still such a good pup, and had a great time playing around with all the toys. He was all tuckered out by the end of the trip!

Thanksgiving morning we headed over to my parents to help prepare the feast. My mom had set up a beautiful dining room complete with place setting cards. The boys got to watch a little football too, which is a must on this holiday. My parents had no idea that Cory had a new puppy, so it was a huge surprise when they walked into the house with Dundee. My mom melted! She is the biggest Aussie fan on planet earth, not to mention its like having a new grand baby. Her "cooking all day" stress was gone in an instant. Her dogs Boomer and Bandi were also very interested in this new addition. The dinner was great, the pies were wonderful and the company (dogs and all) was perfect. We had a great time (and a small nap.)

After a few hours at the Bailey's, Matt and I headed out to Shilshole to meet up with his family for dinner at "Ray's".This was the second year that we have eaten at Rays, and it was good, but not impressive. So Jan decided that she would go ahead and make a thanksgiving feast on Sunday.

After our last Sunday at in the Issaquah 5th ward, we drove out to the Aprecio's and had a very fun night. Chris, Tiffany and Garrett joined us, and dinner was so good. The turkey was huge! Matt got to help with the turkey and the rest of the goods along with watching a little football with his dad.At dinner we got to open "poppers" and all of us got really fun (but cheesy) gifts. Then Shauna and Garrett made dessert, and everyone partook! It was so good.After dinner, we all got to try our skills at Guitar Hero, including Jan!

Then we all got into teams and played a few games of "Guesstures". Here is Matt during his turn. Can you tell what the word is that he is acting out?

If you have realized that there are no full body shots of me, thats because I have gained weight after eating 3 THANKSGIVING FEASTS in one weekend and I am embarrassed of my size. :)

Cory's new puppy!

Last night, Cory and I drove out to Gig Harbor to buy him a puppy! He and his girlfriend Alex have been wanting one for a while, and Cory heard of an Aussie litter that was available. 16 PUPPIES!!! They were all over the place! It was my heaven! Cory fell in love with the Blue/Red Merle male, and it didn't take him long to decide that they were meant for each other.This little guy was SO cuddly and calm. He just sat and watched the other puppies chew and play. He was the sweetest one for sure! After getting seriously lost in "Purdy" and "Allyn", we headed home to give this baby a bath. (He smelled like piddle) He wasn't too sure about the bath, but as long as Cory talked to him and held him, he sat there very patiently and waited for it to stop. He is so little he fit in the sink! Briz was very interested in what this little thing was, and I was surprised to see how good she was with him. We'll have a puppy for her to play with one day. Congrats to Cory and Alex and their new adorable puppy, "Dundee."

Catch Up

I thought I would write a little about the things going on right now since I am getting so many questions about it.

First off, about Matt's health. He saw a specialist a couple of weeks ago, but the Dr had not seen his CT Scans yet. So he just had the consultation to go off of, and supposedly he believes that Matt has Chrones Disease. Before they diagnose it as such, they are going to do a few more test including one where Matt gets to swallow a tiny camera that takes pictures of his innards. Cool. We are also waiting for the office to request and look at his ER records. Until then, Matt is just keeping it cool and trying to eat "safe" foods.

Second, the house. We are still waiting for the official "ok" but things are looking really good. We heard from the bank that everything is almost complete regarding the loan and our official closing date is the 26th of this month. Matt just signed the fence line paperwork, so they will be getting started on our yard. We are still busy selling all of our current furniture so that we can start off with new stuff in the house. We are very excited to move in and decorate and we love that we will be close to Chris and Tiffany (Matt's cousins) who just announced a pregnancy! We're going to an uncle/aunt! Congrats to them.

Other than that things are pretty normal. We are getting ready for the Holiday Season (I cant believe its here!) and love that we will have a home to decorate for Christmas. Briz and Tina are doing good, and even though Princess is really lonely without Armani, she is also doing fine. She actually comes to us for attention now...its weird. We are both working hard at our jobs and still manage to get some "together" time at the end of the day either playing XBOX or dinner out.

Dinner with friends

Saturday night we met up with Ben and Janet from Calgary. Matt knew Ben from his mission, and he and Janet headed down this way for some Seattle shopping. We drove into Seattle to the Melting Pot, and everything was so good. The dessert alone is worth going (and the price). Then we drove them up to Kerry Park for the beautiful view.

Dodge Ball

"Dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge." -Patches O'HulihanMatt is on a Dodge ball league with his friends Brett and Aaron. I finally got the chance to watch a game last night, and it was so fun. I couldn't get any good pictures because the lighting was horrible and everyone moved around so quickly.

Everyone was a really good sport, and I believe Matt's team won 4-11. Here he is all alone on the court. The rest of his team got pegged out, and he managed to catch the other teams balls for a win. Go Matty!Here is Matt and Brett stretching before the game. They are really serious about this sport!

Harrison + Whip = Real Excitement!

For those of you who don't know (there are probably very few of you) I am a little, ok a lot obsessed with Indiana Jones. There are only two words that describe my love for the series, and they are "drooling" and "aww". I learned both of these in grammar school.

So you can imagine my excitement for the 4th movie that is to be released on May 22nd 2008. I was reading through some "Indie News" today, and I found this gem of a picture.They just announced that Karen Allen will be a part of the new movie "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I LOVED her as Marian in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and I cant wait to see her again!! Its also great to see that Shia LaBoufe has also been casted. (Even though he looks like a homeless guy in the picture)

So, get out your khakis and brown suede hats, because the count down has begun!!!

Offer Accepted!

They finally accepted our offer on the house! We are so excited, and we got everything that we need included in the buy. A big thank you to Matt's parents who have been helping us along the way, and to Chris and Tiffany for all of their assistance.

The house is 3 bedrooms (a HUGE master) and 2.5 baths. The downstairs bathroom has the cutest sink! (I am easily pleased) The kitchen is very roomy, and all the appliances are stainless steel. They are also including a brand new washer and dryer and a fenced and landscaped back yard. The garage has more than enough space and Matt is very excited to build a shelving unit in there. There are wood floors in the dining room, kitchen and entry and the rest is carpeted with a REALLY nice shag. The fireplace is gas, and there is a lot of storage space. The house is right next to a wildlife preserve so we get to hear frogs instead of the road and watch blue herons! I'm excited to see what Princess will hunt out of the pond. Actually, not really.I love everything about it!