Here Comes the Bride

Last weekend we went to Salt Lake for my niece Kelsi's wedding. What's that you say? I have a niece who is married? Why yes I do, and it makes me feel really old! It was a fun weekend and everything turned out really nice. 

We stayed at my brother's house in Springville, so I got lots of hugs from this cute guy. :)

My nephews waiting for the happy couple to come out of the temple.

The bride's little sister. She loved her "princess dress" and crown (which you will see in other pics further down).

Here they are coming out of the temple. She was (is) so beautiful!

Having fun at the reception in Utah Friday night.

Mother of the bride, my sister. :)

The sign I made for them. Kelsi loves this quote from the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

Saturday we drove to Twin Falls for the reception there. They had dancing near the end and Halli and Luke (cousins) danced with each other. SO CUTE! Note Halli's crown. :)

Love this girl to death! She was born on April Fool's Day when I was 7 years old and I remember I didn't believe my dad when he said my sister was having her baby. I was determined not to be fooled. :) I also remember riding in the car with my Aunt Bev and Aunt Shirley and they asked my how it felt to be an aunt, only my 7 year old mind thought they meant "ant,", like the bug. I was so confused but realized it after a minute and I really was excited! She has been my friend ever since and I am so happy for you Kelsi!

Christmas and New Year's

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Again, it was a short trip. We could only be gone the weekend. We got there late Christmas Eve and stayed at my mom's. We were the only ones there Christmas morning, so it was kind of quiet. We slept in. Chris had to drive to Twin that morning and deliver something to his sister so it was late by the time we opened presents. Probably the only year I was showered and dressed when we opened presents. Well I take that back. Two years ago when I had to work at the hospital on Christmas morning we didn't open presents till I got back. Anyway, here is picture of our cute tree. I loved my wrapping paper this year. I love putting a bow on every present. So fun!

We woke up to this on Christmas morning. I don't think I've ever seen the windows frosted like that in real life. It was definitely a white Christmas. Luckily most of it waited until we got there. It only snowed the last half an hour or so of our drive. Remember last year how it snowed the whole way from Spokane? That was awful!

 Some pics of opening presents. I made this sign for Chris' office. A WSU Cougar. :) He loved it.

My new coat that I ordered myself. I had been waiting since October to wear it!

My momma and I! Love her!

I think it was Friday night when we had our gift exchange with my siblings. The first time that only 3 of us were there though. :( But it was still lots of fun. We had a little talent show this year where some of the kids showed off some of their musical talents. And I played the piano at my mom's request. It was my New Year's resolution to practice more this year but I have not been doing it. Going to try harder!

We stayed in Roosevelt for New Year's and went to some friends' house. We played games and ate all night. This is the treat we brought. Yummy!

Chris' little sister who lives in Pennsylvania didn't come home until New Year's Day, so we weren't there the whole time she was home. We still wanted to see her though, so we went to Salt Lake the day before she flew and met her, Chris' mom and stepdad. It was such a fun day and I'm so glad we went. We went out to eat at Olive Garden and then walked around Temple Square. We also went to the City Creek mall for a little while. We still had some time, so we decided to go the Planetarium. We watched a movie about how space was formed and then played with all the cool displays at the museum. It was very cool.

Here is our Christmas card this year. We were lame and just sent out an electronic one, but at least we sent one. I thought it was cute. :)

For my records, here is a copy of what we sent with it:

We wanted to send a note and say that we are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family members in our lives. We love you all and hope that you had a great year. 

         As some of you know, Jill had surgery last year on December 5, 2013, and was still recovering at the beginning of the year. So this year started out a little rough for us, with an emergency room visit on January 3, but quickly improved. She was on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) until the end of March, but during this time she was able to gain weight and start to feel much better. We hope she will continue to do well and that there aren't any more surgeries in the near future.

         Chris graduated with his Masters Degree in Health Policy and Administration from Washington State University in May and in June was offered a job in Roosevelt, UT as a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) Supervisor. It was a big change for us, moving from Spokane to a town of about 6,000 people, but we have really grown to like it. Chris enjoys his job and says that the days fly by, and he always looks forward to the coming week. Jill is not currently working as a dietitian, but has stayed busy with her Etsy shop and Facebook page, PolkaDotPansies, making and selling crafts, and babysitting in the afternoons. We both also stay busy with our church callings. Chris is the Teacher's Quorum advisor and Jill is the Beehives advisor. We both really like working with the youth, and it has helped us get to know more people. 

         As another year closes, we are thankful for all of our many blessings and feel fortunate for all we have. With Jill's health improving we hope that the coming year will allow us to grow our family-and hope that the coming year will bring you joy and happiness as well. We are thankful for the birth of our Savior and this time of year to celebrate it. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!