How Do I Love Thee?

Just a little (yet vastly important) thought:





What great food for thought. :)

Smiles

This picture makes me happy. Patrick is so handsome, and I love his smile. Whenever I need a bright little "pick-me-up" I look at this picture.

I love you babe!

Alison's Work Christmas Party

It's hard to type with a kitty sleeping on my lap...oops, she woke up and is off to find a more accommodating pillow.

It's snowing again. This is a double-sided coin. I miss the beautiful white coat over everything and the clean air. I don't miss driving in it or being cold all the time. Still...it's winter, and it's cold. Therefore, there better be snow to make me feel like I'm freezing for a reason!

I thought I'd post some pictures of Patrick and me from my work Christmas party a couple weeks ago:

Apparently we blinked at the wrong time....both of us! :) I cut Patrick's hair. Doesn't he look fabulous?? Okay, hot is a better word.


Better picture. (other than my blasted double chin!)

It was a fun party. We held it at Sky Box at the Gateway, and everyone got a $50 card to play games in there arcade. That was a blast. We ate pizza and nachos and some awards were given out. I love the people I work with. I think that's why I still enjoy my job after 1 1/2 years. And Patrick gets along with all of them, so it's great.

Yummy hubby!

What a sweetheart...

I came home from work a little early tonight, and Patrick was in the middle of making a surprise for me...

He made some AWESOME chocolate chip cookies. I ate 2 (I want another one!) and they were delicious!

Isn't that sweet of him?!?!

Our Happy Family

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Another FABULOUS present

Patrick's mom and step-dad gave this to us for Christmas. We've been needing a little bit more storage and counter-space in our little kitchen. This is the perfect solution to both needs!

THANK YOU Jana!!!!! :)

Our Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas Day. Patrick brought me with him to the shop where he works so he could finish making his mom's present. He hand-made a trough bird feeder that will be mounted under her kitchen window so she can watch the birds come eat. Ever little fold, bend, twist, etc. was done by Patrick. He's so talented! It was fun to watch him weld and grind his creation.

...something about my man with a welding mask, working on hot metal....mmmm.....

This is the finished product. Jana might paint it, and she might leave it as raw metal. Either way, there are some cool details. And it only took Patrick a handful of hours to make.


Jana LOVES it. :)

This is Patrick's Grandma Claire, his mom, Jana, and his step-dad, Jerry.

Patrick's sister, Lissy and her husband, Dan.
Very cute picture.

This is what we had to drive home in. It was a long and not-so-fun ride home from Brigham City.

After we got home, we decided we should shovel the walks since it was still snowing pretty hard. It's easier to shovel less snow twice than a huge amount once. So, I grabbed our neighbor's shovel, Patrick grabbed ours, and we went to town. I shoveled the neighbor's walk and by their car to be nice, and in front of another neighbor's house. This picture was taken after we were "done."

As you can see, it kept snowing, and there was already a new layer of snow when we walked into the house. When we got up the next morning, you couldn't even tell that we had shoveled anywhere. Our neighbor, Shay was out shoveling the sidewalk, so Patrick got out there and shoveled our walkway again. (And he got all the snow off of my car...what a sweetheart!)

It snowed about 12 inches on Christmas day, on top of a previous 2 weeks of snowing every day. I was gone for most of the two weeks, thank goodness. My body was not meant to live in the snow. By far, this was the whitest Christmas I've ever experienced.

Merry Christmas!

We've been having a great week...

I got back from Denver on Sunday, and Patrick picked me up from the airport. He greeted me with a rose and a CD of love songs by the Rat Pack. He can be such a romantic sweetheart. When we got home, Patrick ran downstairs and started up our new dryer...a Christmas surprise for me. Yeah!!! I am so excited to have a dryer again!

The 22nd was our 1 year Anniversary. We went to a little dinner at Noodles & Co., saw RocknRolla, then came home to enjoy the evening together. It was nice to spend an evening focused on each other and our relationship.

Last night, the 23rd, I finished Christmas shopping, and when I got home, I was super antsy to give Patrick his presents. He had mentioned that he had one more gift for me, besides the dryer. So, I set up his presents on the dining room table, near the little blue Christmas tree I bought to take with me to Denver. He came into the room, and we exchanged gifts.

I got him a Simpsons 2009 calendar, the book 101 Nights of Romance (we need a little spice), a frame for a sweet picture he bought at Speed Week, a jar of pickled herring from Ikea, jam, juices, and soda from Ikea, and I have another gift of the vintage and vehicular nature that isn't quite finished. Also on the list to do as soon as possible is heated gloves so his hands don't freeze while he's riding his Triumph throughout the winter.

Patrick pulled out a 4GB memory card and handed it to me. Funny...my camera is dead... Then he pulled out a box that has a new camera!!!!!!!!! It's a really nice camera. Really, really, really nice. I am so excited to start taking pictures again. Sunday night we watched a movie, and Patrick had stuck the box with the camera with all of our DVDs and VHS. It blended in so well that I didn't even give it a thought. He wanted me to see it and ask about it, but I didn't even give it a look. Turns out, his sister and brother-in-law bought us the dryer for Christmas. They're going to Mexico for the Peace Corp, so they wanted to to do a bigger present to make up for the next couple of years that they won't be here.

What a great Christmas! I know we did presents way early, but we were both too excited to spoil each other. Tonight we're going to make dinner with a bag of Ikea meatballs I bought, and we'll probably rent a movie, read Luke 2, and enjoy a nice quiet Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, we're driving up to Brigham City to spend the day with Patrick's mom and step-dad, sister and brother-in-law, and maybe his step-dad's kids.

It's been snowing for 2 weeks here in Utah. It is most definitely a White Christmas. I love it. I really don't love the snow, but I love how it makes it feel like Christmas. Some years in Phoenix, we'd play outdoor racquetball on Christmas day and it was WARM. That can make it feel less like a wintery snowy holiday. :) So, I feel blessed to be spending the last handful of Christmases in Utah where it really feels different.

One thing we did during Christmas when I was a kid was tons and tons of service projects. We baked for neighbors, did 12 Days of Christmas for older single people at church, dropped off boxes of Christmas goodies, food, and presents to families that needed a little help, and just gave when and where we could. I am so grateful for parents that raised me that way.

This year, my mom and dad asked that instead of giving them a present, we do some sort of service and tell them about it. Yesterday when I was at Barnes & Noble, they were doing a book drive for the Sandy Boys & Girls Club. So, I bought a few books for them to donate. I think donating something like a book is a valuable gift. Reading is such an important part of life, so I was happy to participate in the book drive. Patrick thought it was pretty cool, too. :)

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy life's blessings, show gratitude, and bless the lives of others. :)

Sweetheart

Patrick,

I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. Denver is great, and I'm having fun with this new experience opening up the restaurant, but I miss being with you. I miss snuggling up next to you when we go to bed. Extra pillows could never replace your warm embrace. I think about you throughout the whole day, wondering what you are doing and hoping that you are happy with whatever you are working on. (dishes??) :D I'll see you soon, but not soon enough.

All of my love,

Alison

A Day in the Park

Here are some pictures that my sis-in-law took when we were visiting them the day after Thanksgiving:

Here is my dad with Braedi and Kendall. He is such a cute grandpa, especially when it comes to being a total sweetheart with his granddaughters.


Something about being in the Arizona sun again... That was a great nap!!
And thank you, Christy, for the candid shot. :)


We were playing Keep Away with a kick ball, which was fun. The kids loved it until their turn in the middle took too long. Then you had to kick it close enough that they could get it and get out of the middle.