Oh, the life of a dog!

Gus is such a happy dog. Check out the tongue action in this photo. We were just hanging out at my parents' house. He was laying on my mom's lap, just enjoying his life. Must be nice. =)

Winter Formal

In January, my brother went to winter formal. He looked so handsome! He was excited to go to this dance and did a good job picking out his tux. It's hard to believe he's 16 already, and so so tall. He's grown up so fast.

Finished.

Well, I just finished the Twilight saga...about 5 minutes ago! What can I say? I absolutely loved reading these books! I have never been a huge fan of reading, but these books have changed my perspective. They were a major stress reliever! Each book left me wanting more, and more, and more. I am happy with the ending, and feel it provided some closure. I'm happy to have a found a new "hobby." I decided to join a book club, so hopefully my new found love for reading will carry over into other novels. Thanks to all my friends who raved about the books--you were right!

It's Christmas, and it's all over...again!

Each year I look forward to Christmastime, and each year it comes and goes faster than I can blink. This year we moved fast in getting the decorations up. We were up and running the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I figured we needed to make up for last year--we didn't even get our tree decorated until December 23rd. Eek! This year we put lights up on the house, baked for our neighbors, and truly enjoyed the season. I had the presents purchased and wrapped by the first week of December. I swear I'm not trying to brag, I'm just proud of myself for being on top of things this year. It's such a busy time. You can also bet we listened to Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving. Jordan even convinced me to bundle up tight and walk through a local neighborhood looking at lights. Of course we took Gus! For Thanksgiving, we were home with my entire family. So for Christmas, we went to Ridgecrest, CA and spent almost a week with Jordan's family. It was fun to watch all the nieces and nephews open their gifts from Santa. The house was filled with wrapping paper and toys in a matter of minutes. We sure enjoyed visiting with everyone, and feel blessed to have enough time off from work to do so. We love Christmas around here! Can't wait until next year!

Gus nestled under the tree. =)

A fun centerpiece I created, using a gift from a student.

It started like this. Gus wanted to help.

Caramel brownies, gingersnaps, and chocolate chip cookies...yum!

And ended like this!

Orlando

We met Jonathan and Tiffany on our cruise in July. They sat with us at dinner starting the second night, and we pretty much hung out with them for the rest of the cruise. We had so many things in common and have kept in touch since then. In October, Jordan already had a scheduled business meeting in Orlando, Florida. It just so happens that Jonathan and Tiffany live there, so I went out for a weekend (crazy I know) and visited. Jordan and I stayed with them and enjoyed late night games, Orlando Studios Florida, and delicious food from Margaritaville and Maggiano's Little Italy. We missed Gus, but spent plenty of time with their dog Delilah. We had such a blast hanging out with them and hope they are able to come to California sometime soon. It's not very often you meet people on vacation--that you actually stay close with. =)

September and such.

Well summer was officially over by September. It was back to normal life for both of us. I started teaching again on August 25th, and Jordan's schedule got a little heavier. Getting back into the swing of things was an adjustment. Having the whole summer off really makes my job worth it. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and getting to know my students. Seeing them grow as children is truly rewarding! After about ten months of almost straight teaching, it's time for a break. Once the shock of it all wore off, we started back in on our new hobbies. Jordan's been working out like crazy--gaining tons of muscle mass (about 20 lbs). I went to the gym faithfully in the summer, but just got back into the routine after Thanksgiving. I also started reading the Twilight series, which most of you agree is great and has occupied most of my time and thoughts. I just finished Eclipse last night! I can't wait to start Breaking Dawn. I've never really enjoyed reading much, but I've found a new love. I look forward to continuing with this new hobby after I finish the series. Jordan listened to the audio version of the books on his iPod. Of course, he finished before me--and taunted me with how much better each book was. We've enjoyed adding these new hobbies to our lives.

Lake Arrowhead

At the end of July, Jordan and I traveled to Lake Arrowhead, CA, to visit with family and friends. His family rented a cabin there, and we attended a wedding of Hansen family friends. It was beautiful down there and we had a blast hanging out with the family! Jordan's birthday came a few days after the trip, so we celebrated his birthday a little early with the family.

Road Trips.

This summer, my mom and I took some road trips together. In June, we went to Beverly Hills. In July, we went to Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, Sunset Blvd, and UCLA. It was so much fun seeing these places together. They're places we've both wanted to see, that many people talk about.

Venice Beach


Santa Monica Pier


UCLA

Our Gus.

Gus is our wonderful dog! We've had him for 1 1/2 years now and we love him more everyday. We're those crazy dog lovers--but one is enough. He makes us laugh and we have so much fun with him. He really is the cutest dog in the entire world! He's usually very fluffy, but some of these pictures are right after his summer shave--he get's knots like crazy! He HATED that cut!

We're back!

So we've obviously been back from our trip for awhile. Just like you all know, life just gets busy and sometimes blogs just get behind. VERY behind. Anyway...we had a WONDERFUL trip! It started off very rainy and gray, due to a nearby hurricane. It never truly hit us, but in the beginning of the trip we were feeling like, "Why did we choose this cruise again?" After the first three days, we realized to have more fun, we needed to leave the port and truly explore the islands. We truly enjoyed ourselves after that. We sat with an amazing couple at dinner each night...Jonathan and Tiffany. Little did we know how much we had in common! We all hit it off and spent the rest of the cruise hanging out together. They're from Orlando, and we truly made some new lifelong friends. The plane ride home was horrible. Our flight got delayed on the runway for three hours--and yes we were on the plane the whole time. We missed our connecting flight home, and spent the night on the floor (it was very clean!) of the Denver airport. It was an interesting adventure. Here's pictures to show you the highlights from our trip. Enjoy!