Christmas Traditions {5 Days of Christmas}

Since it was our first Christmas together, Jose and I had 5 days of Christmas! 

On our first day of Christmas, we went to Payson for dinner with the Belnap family. We watched "A Wish for Wings that Work" and let Sadie and Landon open the presents we got them. 

On our second of Christmas, we had a lovely Christmas dinner together, followed by opening our Christmas pajamas and watching The Santa Clause. 

On our third day of Christmas, we woke up and opened our presents to each other and our stockings from Santa. Even Sky had one. We had a great time opening up our gifts and just being together. We spent that day playing our new games and then went to see Star Wars for the second time. Overall it was a very fun day for us, but Christmas was not over yet! 

On our fourth day of Christmas, we went over to Jose's parents for the evening. We ate dinner and then I pulled out the sugar cookies to have the girls decorate. We decorated the cookies together and had such a good time doing it! I hope to make it a tradition for years to come! After decorating cookies, we waited until midnight to exchange gifts. Then Jose and I drove home in the first bit of what would be a lot of snow. 

On our last day of Christmas, we woke up early and drove through terrifying snow and ice-covered roads to get to my parents house. One we arrived we ate, and then opened our presents. My family had set up a secret santa gift exchange so we got to exchange our gifts then and watch Nephew S open all his presents. Since he is 1 1/2 he is actually pretty entertaining to watch. Then we opened a present from Garrett and Caisa to everyone... pink and blue balloons, announcing a baby! It was a great surprise (that wasn't very surprising because Caisa seemed tired and nauseous at Thanksgiving...) Then came our favorite part of the day, Skyping Elder Ben! He was happy to see us and meet Emalee. We talked about everything coming up this year and about how crazy the last year was for us. He also bore his testimony in Mandarin for us to hear and we recorded it too. 

It was such a wonderful first Christmas for us! I look forward to many more together! 

{Rehab} starts for Sky

Our sweet Sky finally started rehab this week! First, we went and met Tena and Annette at Alta Dog Rehab. They showed us exercises and stretches that we could do to help our girl get better faster. Then they helped her walk in the underwater treadmill to help build strength in her leg. She did so good!

Then a few days later we took Sky swimming to help her with strength and range of motion. She did amazing! Almost didn't need any help getting in or out of the water. After only 12 minutes though Sky was so tired! Annette was very proud of her and so was I! Sky is getting better!

Christmas Traditions {Festival of Trees}

One of my favorite thing we did this year was go to the Festival of Trees. We went on the last night when our nieces were performing on the main stage. So after watching them perform, Jose and I enjoyed the festival together. We had scones, and enjoyed walking among the beautiful trees. Our favorite was the Legend of Zelda tree, but we also enjoyed the Star Wars and the Harry Potter trees.

Christmas Traditions {Lights at Temple Square}

On Thursday, December 3, Jose and I went to see the lights on Temple Square with some of my family. It's something I had always dreamed of doing with the man who would be my husband. This year, I actually have a husband to go with! So we bundled up and walked around Temple Square. We saw the statue of Christ and listened to the nativity story on the lawn. As I looked at Mary and Joseph, I admired how supportive and understanding Joseph was to Mary. And then it hit me. My Jose is supportive and understanding too. My Jose is caring and kind. As I stood watching the nativity, I felt so much gratitude and love for my husband. I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to visit the temple grounds and reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.

Also, it's so much better with a husband to keep you warm. 

Hip {surgery} for Sky

Our sweet 6 month old Border Collie, Sky, injured herself while playing on November 10th. We immediately knew something was wrong and took her to the emergency vet. An x-ray revealed that Sky had dislocated her hip and would require surgery to put it back in place.

On the morning of the 11th, the surgeon reviewed the x-ray and told us that it was worse than just a dislocation, Sky had broken the head of her femur as well. Now rather than a hip placement surgery, she would receive a Femur Head Osteotomy (FHO) surgery. This is the surgical removal of the head and neck of the femur. In simpler terms, it is the removal of the “ball” part of the ball-and-socket that makes up the hip joint.

Once the femoral head and neck are removed, the surrounding muscles and developing scar tissue work to support the area, and act as a false joint. This means that now when the limb is moved, the forces are transferred to the pelvis rather than the leg itself.

We picked up Sky on the 12th from the vet. She was trying so hard to be her happy, active self but it was obvious she was in pain. The vet estimated it would take 6-8 weeks for her to be confident walking on it like normal. On our way home we stopped to pick up an e-collar (cone of shame) just in case and she was a champ walking three-legged into the store. As soon as we got home and she went potty she hobbled into her crate and fell asleep.

Now Sky is healing so well! We took her to visit the vet on Saturday and she said that Sky is doing great with her rehab and her incision looks awesome. Sky still needs to wear the cone of shame until she gets her sutures out. She tries to run and jump but we have to keep her calm and lying down as much as possible. Her activity is limited to four 5 minute walks a day, and she is all smiles when she does get her walk.

It's been a tough week trying to keep this girl contained and making sure she gets everything she needs to heal properly. Next week she will get her stitches out and hopefully then we can increase activity and stop using the cone of shame.

Sky learned to {Swim}

A couple of weeks ago we discovered Barley's Canine Rec Center in Salt Lake. It's a place that not only boards and has daycare for dogs, but also has a dog pool! So we signed Sky up for a swimming lesson. I couple weeks ago she had her first lesson and did awesome, but just to be sure, we did a second lesson this week. This time was so awesome! She was jumping in the pool and swimming around like a pro. The only struggle is that she gets distracted when other dogs are around so we are going to do some reserved swims before trying open swim again. Just for memories and your enjoyment, here are some pictures of our "Otter Collie".

Coming up the ramp

Jumping in for the ball

Swimming with Mike (the instructor)

Halloween {Weekend}

My family has never really been into Halloween. I always liked the idea of dressing up in costumes, and having parties. So this year, Jose and I decided to throw a Halloween movie night with friends. So on the 30th, we had friends over to watch "Wait Until Dark". No one had seen it but me, and so I did have some fun with one jump scare. I made some extra special treats, including drinks. One was a "Witch's Brew"- lime sherbet with Mountain Dew, and the other was "Vampire's Blood"- cherry 7UP with red food dye to make it more blood-like. It was a fun evening but I forgot to take pictures. 

Then on the 31st, Halloween, we went Trick-or-Treating with the Oliver kids (our nieces and nephew). Jose took Sky and I was stationed with the second youngest who, about halfway through, got too much of a headache to keep walking and she took the youngest's stroller. So then Snow White and I walked a long way collecting candy. The older kids were plowing on when sweet Snow looked at me and said, "I'm done" and refused to continue. So Jose and I walked her home while the other kids finished. It was a different experience for me, as I have never taken a child Trick-or-Treating, but I LOVED it! I had so much fun! 

On Monday the 1st, we celebrated Dia de los Muertos with the McBrides. We invited them over to watch the Book of Life and enjoy some popcorn and sherbet floats. The girls told us all about their Halloween with their cousins. It was another fun evening! 

We had so much fun this weekend! We loved spending time with our friends and family this Halloween weekend! 

Big Bang in {Las Vegas}

For Jose's birthday in July, I asked him what he wanted and he told me he wanted to see Big Bang (a K-pop group) in concert when they come in October. So we bought tickets and started planning. Last week, we were able to go to Las Vegas and see the concert! 

On Thursday, we headed down to Vegas. We checked into our room at Mandalay Bay when we arrived, and quickly realized there was no hot water in the room. After a call to guest services and a visit from the engineer, we switched from the 8th floor to the 17th floor and this time, got a view of the strip! It was gorgeous! 

After resting from our drive, we went out for a late dinner at a place Jose found called Maggiano's. It's an Italian scratch kitchen and it was so good! The bread was hot and fresh, the pasta was notably handmade and delicious, the chicken and ricotta meatballs were perfect, and the desserts were incredible as well! The experience could not have been better! 

The next day we went out and walked the strip. We grabbed lunch at Shake Shack, which has the best shakes ever. And we explored the M&M store and the Coca-Cola store. At the Coke store, we tried 16 flavors of Coke from around the world. 

Then it was time for the concert! It was a dream to see a Korean group live! Jose had a huge grin on his face and he sang every song. I'm  so glad I was able to work everything out so that he could see this concert. We had a great time in Las Vegas and we are so grateful to have been able to go!

My first {sleep} setback

Yesterday and last night sucked for me. I was so tired from the night before of crate training and having a whining puppy that I had not slept very well. I got an extra half hour but even that wasn't going to help me. By 6, I was exhausted and fading out of every conversation. I could feel the dead stare and my brain slowing everything down, but my eyes were staying open. I was so tired I kept thinking just 5 minutes would help, and then having Jose tell me I had to stay awake.

On our way home I was so tired my eyes kept shutting and Jose would bump me to keep me awake. I got home and went to the bedroom. I knelt down beside the bed and prayed for help staying awake. Though at the time I wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed and sleep. 

At 8 I curled up on the couch with a Dr. Pepper in hand and cried because I was so tired I couldn't think about anything but the headache creeping in and the hours I had left until I could sleep. 

One thing I had forgotten to ask the doctor was if I could go to sleep before the required time. Last night I got my answer. I was so tired that at 9:30 I crawled into bed and hoped that it would be for the night. No such luck. I woke up at 12:30 feeling refreshed and ready to do stuff, but I forced myself to lie there until I fell asleep. So I finally did, but I have to find a way to follow the schedule and not throw it off like that again.  

  

A Diagnosis {Finally}

I have always felt like my sleep habits were weird. Somehow they weren't right. I would not sleep at night, and instead sleep a lot during the day in a series of naps. During high school, this was each class period, followed by a nap after school.

Recently I have had a hard time falling asleep until 2, 3, or 4 in the morning. Then I would sleep until 12, 1, or 2, followed by a nap around 6 or 7. I've become so frustrated by it that a few months ago I went to the doctor requesting a sleep doctor. First we did a blood test and determined I was vitamin D and B12 deficient. So I started taking supplements and then got another blood test. With that, everything was normal, but my sleep habits had not changed. So I scheduled an appointment with a sleep doctor.

Yesterday, I took in my sleep journal, told the sleep doctor everything, and answered all his questions. Then I got the diagnosis.

Delayed Onset Sleep, or Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome 

"...is a neurological sleep disorder in which a person's sleep/wake cycle is delayed with respect to the external day/night cycle. The person is unable to fall asleep until the wee hours, typically somewhere between 2 am and 6am, and sleeps correspondingly longer in the daytime, often well into the afternoon."

Totally me.

So now begins the treatment process. We are going the natural route, trying to adjust my internal clock using habits and light to move the clock up. It's going to take at least 3 months to change the clock. If it works though I will be living a normal humans life schedule. That would be amazing. It would be the first time in my life that I feel like I can live like a normal person and not be tired all the time.

Go here if you want to know more.

A {new} chapter

This past week has been HARD. A week ago I said goodbye to my 1 1/2 year old puppy, Korah. She had passed away in Jose's arms within hours of me waking up and heading out on errands. It was completely unexpected. My only saving grace was that Jose held her as she left this world. It could have happened in so many different ways, but this way I didn't have to be there. I didn't have to see it. I can only thank Heavenly Father for that. I know that I would not have been able to handle it.

Since then I have grieved, and celebrated her life. I found several ways to honor her, and so many daily tasks that remind me of her. It's been really tough living in this apartment without a puppy though. I've had moments that I am totally fine, and others where I break down because there is no puppy to cuddle with and love until Jose comes home.

A few weeks ago Jose and I had talked about getting another dog. A border collie. We had emailed a few people and started looking at the finances for one. Once this happened, I thought it would be put on hold until at least November. But I have felt such an absence in my life that we hopped online a few days ago "just to look". We found the girl that would be our new puppy.

It's not that I am trying to replace Korah. I will always remember her. I just need my daily antidepressant cuddles from a puppy. And when you see this girl you will understand why I feel we couldn't wait for a different pup.

To Korah {With Love}

My Darling Korah,

I remember well the day I brought you home. I picked you up from the airport and cuddled you the whole way. You went under the couch twice that day, and Uncle Ben and I carefully pulled you out each time. The look on your face told me immediately that it was a game. You loved me instantly.

Once there was a time that you fell off the bed. I scooped you into my arms and for the rest of the day you stuck by me. You napped in my lap and cried when I left. I was there for you that day, and the day a year later when you tripped going up the stairs. You took a few steps before plopping down and sending up a huge cry to me. I picked you up and held you. Such a drama queen, but I loved it.

I got to take you on so many adventures with me. We went to an anime convention where you cosplayed. We went to lacrosse games. We went to Seattle, where you got to go to the top of the space needle and tour the Seahawks stadium. You went on a boat tour and a ferry ride. We went to Vancouver Canada where you got to see where Uncle Ben would be spending 2 years. We went to Arizona where you played with your Great-Grandma and we celebrated Christmas together. We went to Minnesota and on the way we saw Mt. Rushmore. I took you everywhere I could.

You were my constant companion. When I was feeling down, you cheered me up. When I was sick, you stayed with me to help me feel better. You could always tell when something was wrong. Once you brought me your toy and when I threw it, you brought it back, placed it in my hand and laid on it. You wanted me to have it. You wanted me to be happy.

When I met Jose, I brought him over to spend time with you. I wanted to see how you were with him, because you were particular about your people. It was wonderful to watch you bond with him and want to be with him.

You gave me some great memories. I will always remember giving you a bath, and holding you close after. How you would shake the water off once we were outside. How you would sit for me while I brushed you. I will always remember driving in the car with you. How excited you would get when I asked if you wanted to go for a ride. How you would stick your tongue out when the window was down. The little nose prints you always left behind. I will always remember your little face begging for food under the table. How you would stuff your chin between my legs and open your eyes wide. I will always remember the things you learned. You learned to dance. You learned to kiss. You learned to tell stories and sing. You learned to say “I love you”. I will always remember your sweet personality. How similar it was to mine. You always had to have the biggest stick. You hated being left alone. You wanted cuddles and hugs but on your terms. You never took crap from any other dogs. You took on a malamute in a race and won. You were determined to get what you wanted. You were determined to make me smile, and you always did.

I love you Korah. You were and always will be my first baby.

Love,
Mom

August {16th to 19th}

This week has been so much fun! I just had to blog about it!

Sunday, August 16th

Jose and I drove down to Payson to visit the Belnap and Spence families. We always have so much fun when we are with them and I just love playing with Landon. Sadie used to be interested in playing with me, but now she is a huge Jose fan and prefers him if he will give her the attention, which he does. I love our monthly visits to Payson and am so grateful to have them in our lives.

Monday, August 17th

For Family Home Evening, Jose and I joined his sister Janni, Jared, Arianna and Alia for the evening. It was so sweet to be welcomed into their home and have the girls give me a quick tour of their rooms (freshly cleaned just for me)! I loved watching sweet Arianna give us a lesson on prayer and had each of us share an experience about when prayer helped us in our lives. Then cute Alia gave us a great presentation on what to do with your body when we pray. It was such a special evening with them and I am so grateful for the sweet nieces I got just over a month ago.

Tuesday, August 18th

Jose and I invited soon-to-be-newlyweds Paul and Ziti over for a late dinner. We got to visit with them and be excited for their upcoming wedding with them. They will be married on Friday! Jose welcomed Ziti to the family and let them know that we would always be there for them.

Wednesday, August 19th

Jose's brother and sister-in-law invited us to Lagoon! I have wanted to go all summer and especially since Cannibal opened. So I was very excited to go and to spend the day with Herlan, Monica and all their cute kiddos. We started off on Rattlesnake Rapids and all got soaked! So we spent the rest of the day drying out in the sun and on rides. It was so cute to see Amrita (age 3) get scared on the swinging boat, and even cuter when Kajol (7) insisted on going on all the rides with me. And we went on every ride she was tall enough for together- even Wicked. I thought for sure she would come off that ride scared as all get out and not want to go on any other roller coasters. But she was a champ. I made sure to watch her face during the up and down and she looked terrified. But the second we pulled back in to the station, she was all smiles. That girl has no fear.

We went on so many fun rides and had such a good time with all the kids. But the one ride I insisted on riding with Jose on was Cannibal. I started to get nervous in the line and then when we got on my heart was racing. As we went up the elevator I kept looking at Jose and telling him I was scared. Then we pulled out of the elevator and sat at the top, looking out to the valley. I couldn't even appreciate the view I was so scared. Then the ride took off and from then on it was so fun! I loved every second of the ride! It's mostly the anticipation of it that is scary because after going once I could have easily gone again no problem.

It was such a fun day to spend with Herlan, Monica and their kids. I am so grateful they invited us along. I must say it is really fun to be called Tia Heather.

{Family}

I’ve been thinking a lot about family recently. It’s always been my understanding that in one way or another anyone sealed in the temple is sealed to our giant eternal family. So in my mind and to people close to me I have always said, “Family is what you make it.”

As a child I grew up with three brothers and no sisters. It was great at times to have brothers, and in other times, I just needed a sister. So I went outside my house to find some and was blessed with three sisters, Rilee, Dawniel, and Emily. These girls were my saving grace at times and other times, we fought like sisters do. While developing this sisterhood with them, I came to find a second mother in Ilene and another father in Joe. This family embraced me as a sister and daughter nearly 15 years ago.

 

All but one of them I should say. It took Camille a bit longer to accept me as a part of the family and it wasn’t until after she got married and, if I remember correctly, sometime while she was pregnant with her first child 4 years ago that she finally started to open up to me and my role in her sisters’ and parents’ lives.

I’m happy to say that now it is easy for her to call me her sister and an aunt to her babies. And I am so happy to call her kids my niece and nephew and to call her my sister. The day I got married I received invaluable advice from her that only a sister would give. She is an incredible wife and mother and I am so grateful to be able to call her a sister.

I have another couple of girls I like to call sister; Stephanie and Heather. Stephanie is actually really a cousin of mine. Last summer she came to live with us for a year and during that time I got to really know her. She also has no birth sisters. So when we got to play sisters for a year, we had a lot of fun with it; she even stole my clothes from time to time. I hope that she sees me as a sister figure as well and knows she can come to me anytime. Heather has been my best friend since the seventh grade. She knows me well enough she can basically read my mind and match my clothes no matter what. She has seen me through some bad times and we’ve enjoyed a lot of good times together.

Since I got married to Jose, my family has grown. I have gained new siblings in Jani, Jared, Monica, and Herlan. I have six new nieces and a new nephew. I have two more people to call my parents, Daysi and Antonio. I am so blessed to have joined such a close knit family and become a part of their lives.

 

I also realized that Jose has several other guys he calls brothers, and more of our close friends that are a part of our family too: Paul and his soon-to-be-wife Ziti, Paul and his girlfriend Ena, Miles, and the Guzman family. The Guzman boys, David and Diego, are brothers to Jose but I knew them long before he did. I lived next door to them for a few years when I was really little. So to me, David, Diego, Jenny and the whole Guzman family is my family as well.

Even with all this family I have adopted into my life, I have my “birth” family as well. I have three awesome brothers, Grant, Garrett, and Ben. I have a sister, Caisa, who has been a comfort and friend to me in time of need. I have a nephew. I have parents, Jeff and Wendy, who supported me throughout my life and led me to become the woman I am today.

I am incredibly blessed.

I would also like to point out that I have some amazing cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, even neighbors who I have called “Uncle” or “Grandpa” or “Mom” who have contributed to my life in some way. Whether trusting me to babysit, or taking me shooting, or teaching me something new, each have left a memory that I cherish. I hope in some way I have returned the favor and expressed my appreciation for you in my life.

Thank you all for being my family. 

 

 

 

Jose's {Birthday} Weekend

This week it was Jose’s birthday! On Wednesday we went out to dinner together at the Cheesecake Factory! Jose and I love this place! We got some great food, but my favorite thing was the crispy crab wontons with sweet chili sauce. Of course, we also got cheesecake. It was a nice evening just to ourselves, but the birthday celebrations were just beginning.

I kept bugging him about what he wanted for his Thursday night birthday dinner and he simply said, “Surprise me.” So I did. On Thursday I had our friends show up all at once to surprise Jose with a party! I made a bunch of food and we played games and just chatted. Jose wanted Death by Chocolate, so that was his ‘cake’. It was so yummy! Jose had a great time with all of our friends!

Then Friday morning (his actual birthday) I made him breakfast and woke him up just before his alarm. He loved having breakfast with me before he headed to work. That evening, we went to dinner at his parents’ where we ate carne asada, rice, potatoes, and watermelon! Jose got tres leches for his cake that night!

Happy birthday to my husband, my rock and my best friend. I love you Jose!

First {Home Cooked} Dinner

Jose and I brought fresh salmon home from Pike Place on the plane. So of course, I was excited to cook some up for him and make our first home cooked dinner together special.

 I prepared the fish with some olive oil and salt, broiled for 6 minutes, and then pulled it out to put on the brown sugar. While I was trying to get it out of an under stove oven, I managed to burn my wrist and hand on the coil. OUCH! Initially it hurt, but I ran it under some cool water for a second and then finished preparing dinner.

Jose and I enjoyed a dinner of garlic roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus, brown sugared salmon, and Martinelli’s. Even though I cooked for him before, I was actually so nervous about this dinner because 1) it was our first meal as husband and wife and 2) Jose is very particular about his seafood. He had told me that he doesn’t eat a lot because he hasn’t found some that he actually really enjoys, that doesn’t taste like the ocean. But he gave my salmon 7.5 out of 10! I call that a win considering I’ve cooked salmon once before that night.

By the time we finished eating Jose noticed the burns on my hand and asked me what happened. I told him and we consulted our nurse Ilene for some advice. She recommended a few things and after some consideration and more advice, we went to the urgent care. They cleaned it out really good, put some ointment on it and sent us home with instructions to watch for infection and range of motion problems because of where it is on my hand.

It’s healing now, but I think I will always have a scar from our first home cooked dinner as a married couple... not a bad thing to have a reminder of I think.

{Honeymoon} in Seattle

I have to say that Seattle, Washington is my favorite city in the world. Granted, I have only been there in July so I have never seen it rain and I’m not sure how I would feel about it when I have to get around in the rain. But regardless, when Jose and I were talking about our honeymoon, we each listed 4 places we would like to go for our honeymoon and then looked at them both to decide. Two matched up- Washington and Hawaii, with Washington being at the top of both lists. Jose served his mission in Spokane, but had never been to Seattle so he was excited to go.

The picture on the bottom right is Jose's face right as the wheels left the runway.

The last time Jose was on a plane was when he flew to Utah 15 years ago (he took a bus to his mission). He was so excited to fly he just kept grinning, reading safety handouts, and chatting about planes until it was time for takeoff. It was so fun to see his face as we took off!

The view from our hotel

Once we got to Seattle we checked in to our hotel, Inn at the Market. The view from the room was awesome looking out at the Public Market, and there was a deck on the roof that we could see the piers and the sound from. Jose took some amazing pictures from there, and a lot over the next few days of people on the street and some of the street art that was around Pike Place. He even captured my experience placing my gum on the gum wall in Post Aly perfectly.

Just before riding the Great Wheel

Not cute, but exactly how I felt about the wall.

 Too bad I HAD to put my gum there or I would regret not doing it.

I did it!

The street art was amazing!

We had so much fun exploring the market, the waterfront, and even made it over to the Space Needle (although we didn’t get to go up because they were sold out). We rode the Great Wheel over the water, and had so many laughs together. Jose was so sweet the whole time, making sure that we got to do everything that I wanted to do. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend, and I’m so in love with him.