The Laing Family

Krista's Wedding Cake

2011-07-25T10:36:00.004-05:00

I finally got the pictures of the wedding cake up. Here they are:

So here's the story on the wedding cake. Scott and I left Midland on a Tuesday night and drove all through the night to Utah. When we got there Wednesday afternoon we went to the store with my sister and her family and picked up some supplies for the cake. We came back and started baking the cake. I got one small cake and one large cake done. Before I took any of the cakes out I tested them with a toothpick to make sure they were done. The both came out clean so I pulled them from the oven. Well while the cakes were cooling I noticed the big cake wasn't cooked all the way. So I put it back in the oven hoping I could get it to cook the rest of the way. When I pulled it out again, I wasn't sure if it had worked and had already thought that I needed to make a new one anyways. Well when it came time to take the cake out the the pan part of it stuck and there was a big chunk of cake that cake off.

So my decision was made for me I was going to need to cook another one. Scott and I headed to Salt Lake that night to go visit his sisters so we weren't able to finish baking the cake that day. I got up early Thursday morning to start baking the cakes again. I put in my next batch of cakes in the oven and made sure each of the cakes were cooked all the way before I got them out. The cooked perfectly. Had them cooling, then cut off the tops to level them and flipped them over on the cooling rack to get them out of the pan. No problems at all.....until Scott tasted the part of the cake that I cut off. It tasted funky....then he smelled it and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it smelled just the way something would if a cat sprayed on it. It was disgusting!! Needless to say we through that batch away.

My sister just got back from the store and she had picked up more cake mixes so we used hers and cooked the next batch. No problems there. Yippy!! Then we headed to the store ourselves to pick up more cake mix to replace the ones we used of my sister's and for the rest of the cake. While we were out and about we ran a few more errands and picked us up some lunch. So by the time we got back to my sister's it was around 2:30pm.

I started on the last set of cakes so I could get them done and take them to Scott's sister's place so we could put the whole cake together there. This batch came out good as well. Thank goodness!! Finally we were able to head down to Salt Lake. At this time it was between 4:30 and 5pm. As we were driving we get this call from Scott's sister, Laura, saying that Scott's parents want all of us to come to dinner with them.

Now I have to tell you that the wedding is Friday morning and it is now Thursday at 5pm. I still have to get this wedding cake together and do the flowers for the wedding. So I'm on the edge of a break down. We decide to go ahead a go to dinner since we are going to need to eat anyways. We finish with dinner and head back to Laura's place. Laura and I stay there while her husband and Scott head to the hotel room Scott's parent's are staying in to give his little sister a blessing before her wedding.

While they were gone, Laura and I started to work on the cake. I go to make frosting and I have all the ingredients in a bowl ready to be mixed. I start Laura's hand mixer and I'm mixed for a couple minutes and then I get a whiff of a burning smell. I turn off the mixer and then out comes the smoke. I about died!! So I called Scott and told him he needed to pick me up a mixer and some tape. So while we waited on them, Laura and I started working on the flowers. We got all the flowers done by the time Scott and Laura's husband, Ryan got back. They dropped off the mixer and tape and then headed off to the church building that Krista was going to have her reception at. They were going to go set everything up. It is now around 10pm.

So I get working on the frosting now that we have a mixer again. Make what's called royal icing for the swirls that are on the cake and put that in a bag and show Laura how to make the swirls so I can make the icing to put the cake together.

I start putting the cake together and one of the big round cakes threatens to break apart. Luckily I was able to get everything "glued" together with icing. I got the cake put together and frosted by one in the morning. Then I started putting the swirls on and got that all done by 1:30-1:45am. Then Laura and I cleaned up and waiting for Scott and Ryan to get back from putting things up for the reception.

By the time Scott and I got back to my sister's house in Lehi it was 4:30 in the morning. We finally went to sleep at 4:45 and got up at 5:45 in order to get showered and ready for the wedding that was in Salt Lake.

Needless to say make the cake was definitely an adventure, but it did bring a lot of memories too. I know I'll never forget this experience. Plus it was all worth it seeing everyone's look especially the bride and groom when they walked into the reception and saw the final product.

Krista's Wedding

2011-07-11T16:43:00.002-05:00

Scott and I just back from Utah. We went for a couple of big events. One was his little sister's wedding. Scott was the wedding photographer and he did a great job! Here are a couple of pictures of the happy couple:

I took the reins a couple of times with the photo taking.

I took the two pictures below.

Congratulations to Krista and Brian!!

P.S. For those who want to see it, I will be posting a picture of the wedding cake I made them in a couple of days. It turned out beautifully even with everything going against it. More on that story later.

Best 3 Years!!

2011-06-28T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today is our 3rd Anniversary!! I can't believe it has been 3 years already! We have just begun on this journey together, but I sure have enjoyed these 3 years that we have had together and look forward to many more to come.

***Here comes the sappy love moment so if you don't care about that don't read on ;) ***

Things I have loved about my husband during these 3 years:

1. He honors the Priesthood power that he holds.

2. Always concerned for my happiness.

(Tries to make me laugh and smile when I feel down or didn't have a good day.)

3. Has a driving passion to learn and to succeed.

(Especially in Geology.)

4. Has the amazing talent to fix things that I never thought could be done.

5. Even though we don't have kids yet, I know he is going to be a good father.

(I see the way he interacts with his younger siblings and the way they love him. I just know it's going to be the same way when it comes to our kids.)

6. His dedication.

7. Always tries hard to keep our relationship at the top of the priority list.

8. He treats me like a queen and reminds me daily how beautiful I am to him.

9. Love that he is willing to cook and clean.

(Those usually come with his crazy made up songs, but it brings a smile to my face that he can be happy doing things no matter what.)

10. And most of all, I love how active he is everyday in making sure we make good memories so that we have experiences and opportunities that we need instead of letting them pass us by.

Overall, I feel like I have a great guy and I can't believe I found him. He's an amazing man and I look forward to many years to come with him. I can't wait until the time comes when we are able to start our family and then be able to make even more memories together.

Giveaway

2011-06-17T15:58:00.001-05:00

My boutique I started up about a year ago is having a giveaway now through June 24th. You can get the details HERE at 2 Moms Talk. For those who enter, Good Luck!

What Would You Take?

2011-05-25T10:07:00.004-05:00

There have been many times in my life as well as Scott's that we have been asked the question what would you take if you had to get out of your house quickly because of a fire. Never in my life did I think that I would really have to make that decision.....

Yesterday afternoon there was a grass fire that started up near the airport here in Midland. That's a pretty good distance to where we live. Midland has been so dry this year it has been unbelievable. I think the total of rainfall right now is only 2/10th of an inch. Now combine that with 50 mph wind gusts and that fire gets pretty big pretty quickly.

The fire headed our way to Midland and got pretty close to our house a couple of times. We were part of a neighborhood that was evacuated because the fire was so close. Scott and I were both at work when we found out about the fire and we knew we needed to head home quickly so we could gather up a few belongings and to try and get our dog. Luckily we got there at a good time that we were able to get to our house. The police had only blocked off the main roads and we were able to use neighborhood roads to get to our house.

When we got home we quickly got to work on gathering things. I went inside the house to get the dog and to start packing clothes, treasures, scriptures, etc. Scott was outside watering down the lawn and the house. Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, the sky was completely brown. The ashes were being blown everywhere. We were covered from head to foot with ash. (We will probably be cleaning it out of our eyes, ears, mouth, and nose for a week). In those few short minutes we had to decide what to take and what we could live without if we weren't able to return. While Scott and I were gathering a few last minute things we got a loud pounding on the door from a police officer letting us know to get out of the area as quickly as we can.

We loaded up our car with what few possessions we didn't want to lose and headed towards Scott's parents house. It was so hard to drive away from our first home that we have lived in for about 2 months now not knowing if we would be able to return to it again. We said a lot of prayers that night and we were able to turn it over to Lord knowing that His will would be done.

We were evacuated from our house for about 1-2 hours. It was the longest wait of my life....We watched the news the whole time hoping to find new information on the fire and to see what the outcome was for all the houses in the area that was evacuated. Luckily we finally got our answer that all evacuees would be let back in. We headed back to our house grateful for the outcome.

Here are a few pictures that I took on my phone once we got back home:

This is smoke from a fire that is near a town 45-60 minutes away.

I took this picture from our driveway.

This is ash in front of our front door. We also have ash
all over our lawn and some came into our house where

our windows weren't sealed very well.

Overall, there is one thing that I have learned from this experience....that we have a lot to do to prepare ourselves for disasters like this. Here are things that would have helped a lot:

1. 72 hour kits in a backpack with clothing, toiletries, etc. already to go.

2. All pictures on cds or an external hard drive so you can easily grab and go.

3. Items that you would take with you together in one place instead of spread around.

I definitely know that we will be preparing ourselves better for things to come. You never know when situations like this come your way and you need to be prepared because tomorrow may be too late. I hope this experience that we are sharing with each of you helps you to start thinking what you would need to prepare and that you all can learn from this experience. We are very grateful that everything turned out the way it did and everything was safe and we had a home to return to. Our Heavenly Father blessed us in many ways yesterday that we are very grateful for.

My questions I have for each of you is this:

1. What would you take?

2. Are you really prepared?

Spring Break

2011-03-21T15:38:00.006-05:00

Scott and I had a pretty busy spring break this year due to various reasons. Even though it was busy we still enjoyed it. We started off by taking a trip to San Antonio to see my best friend (besides my hubby of course) get married.

Here's the happy couple when they walked out

After the wedding Scott and I heading back to the hotel room so we could change out of our church clothes into something more comfortable. Then we headed downtown to the Riverwalk to have some lunch and to visit the Alamo.

Here we are outside our hotel room ready to head out.

Here we are waiting to be seated at the restaurant

on the Riverwalk.

After we ate, we started heading towards the Alamo. While we were walking there were various shops so we thought we would walk in and see what they had. We were mostly looking for a Christmas ornament since our tradition is to buy one everywhere we go to hang on our tree at Christmas time so we can remember the fun things we have done. When we walked in one of the stores we saw some funky hats. I thought it would be fun to try them on. Scott was reluctant at first, but as you can tell he got into it pretty quickly. ;)

Funky Hat #1

Funky Hat #2

Funky Hat #3

Funky Hat #4

And here we are at the Alamo.

We finished with the Alamo pretty quickly since we had been there before and we mostly wanted an ornament and a picture in front since the last time we were there we got a picture together on the side of the Alamo, but not in front. There was a nice lady who came up to us and asked us if she could take the picture for us since we were struggling taking it ourselves. I'm glad she did too because it turned out better than ours!

As we were heading back to the car, we went by the Riverwalk again and noticed that there was a parade going on. Every year they have a parade where they die the river green for St. Patty's day. If you look close in the pictures you can see the dye.

Then we came home to Midland on Sunday and had our final walk through of our house Monday night. The owners when they moved out didn't clean at all so we were pretty stressed out that we had even more to do with the house then we originally planned, but more on that later.

On Tuesday we officially became owners of this house

Once we got into the house and were really able to assess the situation we decided that before we moved anything in we better paint the main rooms that we would be in. So we have been painting our hearts out since Wednesday night. It is looking so much better. I will post before and after pics once we get everything done so you all can see.

In the meanwhile, I had this cake to do for my best friend's reception this past weekend. I thought it turned out pretty good.

Overall, we had a busy spring break, but it was very rewarding and it is amazing what you can get done when you put your minds to it. Hope everyone else had a fun and safe spring break as well.

Date #4- Lubbock Trip

2011-02-28T11:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Scott's birthday so we chose this Saturday to be our going out date. We started Saturday morning by driving up to Lubbock to do the 9am session in the temple. Afterwards we went out to eat at Applebee's and dropped by Sheridans and got some custard on the way home. It was such a nice day on Saturday being able to celebrate Scott's birthday and the fact that the seller's of the house we wanted accepted our offer.

Date #3- Bday, BBQ, Houses, and Games

2011-02-28T11:28:00.002-06:00

The weekend we had our 3rd date, we had a lot going on. We first started by going to a birthday party for our little buddy Mr. M. He turned 5 years old. After the birthday breakfast we went to the park to meet some of our geocaching buddies for a BBQ. For those who don't know what geocaching is, it is basically a grown up version of treasure hunting with a gps. After the BBQ, we met up with our realtor's partner to go look at houses. We had planned to look at 5 of them, but one we couldn't get into and the other ended up being under contract in the short time we set up the appointment and showed up. After we finished looking at houses Scott and I were able to end the day by playing some games at our friends house. It was a long Saturday, but overall it was very enjoyable.

Big Changes, Big Decisions

2011-02-28T10:49:00.002-06:00

For those who don't know, Scott and I have been living with my parents since July of last year so we could get completely debt free and get a good amount of savings. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be making a decision to buy this below:

Yeah you read that right. We are getting into a house!! We are so excited and the best part is we get to stay in the ward we are in now. The process of getting into a house has definitely been a crazy one. We have really been baptized by fire with this experience, but that's okay we are still excited. So right now we have closed on the deal of how much the house is going to be. Our next step is going to happen today when Scott meets up with the inspector this afternoon to go through the house. So if all continues to go well we should be moving into the house by the end of March. And I do have to say it felt so good driving by the house this weekend and seeing the "Sale Pending" sign up already. It's so cool seeing that and knowing that it says that because of us.

Date #2- Would You Rather...

2011-02-14T11:53:00.004-06:00

For our second date, Scott and I played our own version of "Would You Rather". I had made about 100 different scenarios and printed them off, then we would both choose one and then say: "Would you rather (fill in with first scenario) or (fill in with second scenario)?" It was a lot of fun!

Here are a few of the questions we had:

Would you rather change 1,000 poopy diapers or bungee jump off the Brooklyn Bridge?
Would you rather have octuplets or climb Mt. Everest?
Would you rather be deserted on an island or eat the same meal every day for the rest of your life?

Now to think about what to do for this week. Hmmm.....

Date #1- Midland is Home to Many

2011-02-11T10:44:00.004-06:00

Since we are starting to be more creative about our dates, I thought I would share what Scott planned for our date last Saturday. We normally have Friday nights as our date night, but Scott wanted to take me somewhere on Saturday for our date so we decided to wait a day. Scott and I have lived in Midland for quite awhile and we have never been inside the George W. Bush Childhood Home. So Scott planned our date to take a tour of the home. It was really neat. I wish we had our camera with us so we could show you pictures of some of the neat things inside, but for those in Midland you will have to go see for yourself. You can go here to find out admission prices and special events if you are interested. For those who want to go, but don't want to spend the money they are having a 5th Anniversary since the house was opened on April 10th. They will be having an ice cream social and all tours are free that day.

Well, tonight is #2 so I will let you know how that one goes soon. I'm excited for this idea that I found earlier this week. I think it will be fun for both of us. Until then.....

Project 52: Date Nights

2011-02-11T10:37:00.002-06:00

Scott and I are trying to be more creative on our date nights as well as being more frugal. I came across this site the other day that had to do with at home date nights. There were a lot of creative ideas on there that I thought was a good idea to do. So each week we will be doing something different for our date night that is more creative and less expensive. I'm really excited. I got my idea for this weeks date night from the website and I'm excited to try it tonight. So in case you need some ideas I will be blogging about our dates that we have each week and if you have any ideas for us we will take them. If you are interested at looking at the website go here for the Project 52: Date Nights information and go here for some ideas on free date nights you can do at home. And for those with kiddos there are some great ideas here so you don't have to find a babysitter. ;)

Weather

2011-02-02T10:04:00.002-06:00

Normally I'm not one to complain in public about the weather, but it is -9 degrees outside today. Yeah that's right -9 degrees!!!! Seriously, I live in West Texas it shouldn't be this cold. And the crazy part about it, is just Monday we had 75 degree weather. Go figure........

Christmas Hairbows

2010-12-22T10:48:00.003-06:00

For those who need a few more stocking stuffers I am selling my Christmas bows on my blog at Texas Belle Boutique. Go here to check them out. Right now it is buy 2 get the 3rd free. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-16T16:25:00.003-06:00

For Thanksgiving this year we were able to spend it at my parent's place. This year I wanted my mom to have a break with all the cooking so I took on the task of Thanksgiving dinner for my first time. Here are some pictures of the yummy food:

ManDee showing off the apple pie she

and her dad made.

Scott showing off the pumpkin pie that

ManDee & Dad Gifford made.

Our yummy turkey!!

Scott carving the turkey.

Our delicious meal!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. Hope you have a good Christmas this next Saturday!!

Gingerbread Houses 2010

2010-12-16T16:12:00.003-06:00

I know this is pretty late, but just thought I would post some pictures of our annual tradition of Gingerbread House Decorating. Enjoy!!

Scott's House

ManDee's House

Mom Gifford's House

Dad Gifford's House

This year we were able to have Scott's family over to join in on the decorating. Here are the pictures of their houses. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of Ashley's and the one Emery deocrated for her mom when they came over on Sunday. But here are the ones I have.

Dad Laing's House

Cedar's House

Emery's House

Sydney's House

Holiday Gift Sale

2010-11-18T08:58:00.001-06:00

Open House @ Grassland Clubhouse
5800 Crowley Blvd.
Tuesday November 30th
9:00am - 3:00pm
6:00pm - 9:00pm
*Oh My Word Vinyl & Decor
*Gold Canyon Candles
*Casa de Las Cruces
*Kristine's Kreations
*Pink Zebra
*Oh So Cute Jewelry
*Inspiried by Faith Creations
*Brown Bag Toffie Co.
*I Love My Stuff by CC
*KyleeAnn's Creations
*Handmade by Kathy
*Texas Belle Boutique
*It's sew you
*Tastefully Simple
*31 Gifts
*Keepers Cookbooks
Bring your friends and get a start on your Holiday shopping

Thought

2010-11-15T09:57:00.002-06:00

For those of my family and friends that don't know, I just got a new calling as one of the Relief Society teachers. Well, yesterday was my turn to teach. My topic was Lesson 19 out of the Gospel Principles book which was on Repentance. As I was preparing my lesson I couldn't help, but be struck by an important principle as I read various quotes. Numerous times it talked about not thinking of Repentance as a commandment, but instead to think of it as a privilege and a divine gift. I honestly can say that I have never thought of repentance in that light before. I always thought of repentance is something we need to do in order to be cleansed from our sins and enter into God's presence. But as I continued to read and ponder and prepare for my lesson I understood why it is a divine gift and a privilege. We had a Savior come into this world to prepare the way for each of us. He suffered so much pain that none of us can comprehend. But He did that so we could have this gift and privilege of repentance. I know I for one will be thinking of repentance in a new light from now on.

Our Trip!

2010-10-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Well, late last night Scott and I returned home from Utah. It was nice to be able to go back and see family. Hopefully it won't be so long this time to go back and see them again. While we were there we were able to do some cool things. Friday morning we got up early and went with Scott's sister Laura and, her now husband, Ryan. It was a neat experience being able to go through a session with them. Afterwards, Scott and I went out to lunch at Rodizio's Grill which is located at Trolley Square. If you haven't been there before definitely go try it at least once. It was yummy!! Then the rest of the day was preparing for Laura and Ryan's wedding which was the very next day. The picture below is of the happy couple on their special day!!!

Laura and Ryan walking out of the doors at the

Salt Lake City, UT Temple

After the wedding and picture taking, we headed to Murray for a wonderful luncheon thanks to Ryan's older sister Stephanie. It was delicious! Unfortunately we couldn't stay too long since we had to meet up with my family to take pictures. Below is our new family photo:

Gifford Family 2010

After taking family pictures, Scott and I had to hurry and change again and head to the reception in Salt Lake. Unfortunately we had to miss a majority of Cameron's, my sister's son's, birthday party. Laura's reception turned out beautifully and you could tell that both Laura and Ryan were really happy. On Sunday, Scott and I were able to go to my brother's ward to be part of his new son's baby blessing. It was a wonderful experience. After such a great day, great food, and great company, Scott and I decided to take some time to ourselves and take a drive in the canyons since we don't have that around here. We wanted to take advantage of it. We both wish we could take that fresh smell home with us. There's nothing like it. But we enjoyed it while it lasted. Here's a picture of a view we were able to see while we were driving:

View when driving through the canyon

on the Alpine Loop

Overall, it seems like our trip was too short, but we are glad for the experiences that we had while we were there. Thanks to all our family for putting up with us as we went back in forth between our two families. We are so glad we were able to see all of you. We can't wait until the next time. Love you all!

Texas Belle Boutique

2010-09-30T16:36:00.003-05:00

For those who don't follow my blog for my boutique, I just thought I would drop a quick note here to let you know that I will be in Utah October 7th-October 11th. If you want any of the products I offer on my blog let me know and I can bring them with me. That way it will save you on shipping costs. Let me know soon.

Monahans Sandhills

2010-08-30T10:27:00.002-05:00

Scott and I had a fun filled weekend this past weekend. We wish it was longer so we could have enjoyed even more of it, but we were glad to have the time that we did. On Saturday morning we met our good friends the Grubbs at the sandhills in Monahans. Here are some pictures of our trip:

The Laings

The Grubbs

Scott and I doing the "Korean" Pose.

Olivia and I at the bottom of the really steep hill.

It was slow going coming back up.

Me going down

Jared going down and Scott coming up.

Scott's turn.

Overall, we all had a lot of fun. Even though we were worn out pretty quick going up and down the one steep hill the guys chose we enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to the Grubbs for joining us for a fun filled morning!!

New Addition!

2010-08-17T08:21:00.003-05:00

Scott and I are an Aunt and Uncle once again. My brother and his wife have now added the third little one to his family. We are so excited to meet little Easton in October. Congratulations Shad and Brittany!!

Update

2010-08-13T16:13:00.002-05:00

Sorry that its been so long since we've written. Life has been crazy around here. A few fun things to update you all on. In July we had Scott's sister Krista down here in Texas for a couple of weeks. It was so much fun having her here and being able to go down to Big Bend with her and show her the beautiful part of Texas. ;)

We also had my sister and her family down her for a couple of weeks as well. It was fun being able to see them and their cute little one again. I definitely enjoyed the time I had bonding with their little one. He is such a cutie!! Can't wait to see him again in October.

Another fun update is that Scott's sister Laura is getting married! We can't wait to meet Ryan in person since Skype just isn't the same. But we are still glad to be able to talk to him and Laura face to face and see how happy they are together. They are a cute couple!!

Well, that's all the updates I can think of for now. Hope everyone is doing well. And if you haven't already done so.....go check out my Boutique at texasbelleboutique.blogspot.com. We are adding new products.

2 Years!

2010-06-28T11:23:00.003-05:00

Today Scott and I are celebrating our 2 year anniversary. It is crazy to think how fast time has flown. But I do have to say it has been a wonderful 2 years. I am excited to see what else is in store for the years to come. I am very grateful for the eternal companion I have. We still have many challenges ahead of us, but as long as we are together we can get through anything.

Thanks sweetheart for the wonderful memories we have made so far and I look forward to making many more in the years to come. Love you tons!

Memoral Day Weekend

2010-06-05T13:29:00.009-05:00

For Memorial Day, we went with some friends down to Big Bend National Park. We all had a blast. It was nice to get away and be able to enjoy nature. Here are some pictures of our trip:

DAY 1

Here is one of the many views you can see as you drive

up to the Chisos Basin.
Here's our campground.

DAY 2

On our drive down to Santa Elena Canyon,

we stopped at a dike and took a picture.

We went hiking in Santa Elena Canyon on our 2nd day.

The next few pictures are some of the views you will see.

If you look closely off to the left in the picture you

can see the Rio Grande River.

When we were inside the canyon you could look back

and see more of the river and where we had

just come from. It was a spectacular view.

Since we were so close to the river, we decided

to sit and rest for a few minutes and soak our feet

in the river. Let me tell you, it was heavenly!

Here is Scott and I right before our hike. As you

can see, we are pretty small compared to the

canyon behind us.

Later that night we took a drive to the Hot Springs.

Even though the water was warm everyone

enjoyed it and it was refreshing.

After awhile though we had to cool down by swimming

in the Rio Grande River. It was so relaxing and very

welcoming after such a hot day in the sun.

DAY 3

On our last day, we drove home by going through

Presidio. Before we got there we were able to stop

at this Ghost Town called Terlingua. The ruins

in the picture below were everywhere. It was amazing.

More of the ruins on the hillside. Some people have

added onto these ruins and it looks like they are

living there. Pretty crazy.

The cemetery in Terlingua

Here is one of the views as we were driving

through Big Bend State Park.

This is still in Big Bend State Park and you can

still see the Rio Grande River.

Here's a picture of the Rio Grande while

in the State Park.

Overall, it was such a fun trip and everyone enjoyed themselves. The company was good, the views were amazing, and the activities were a lot of fun. We look forward to the next time that we can go again. We hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend as well.

Mineral Wells

2010-05-10T10:33:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we took a trip with some friends over to Mineral Wells, TX. They had a grand opening for a fossil park there so we decided to go see what we could find. You can go to the link here to see pictures of some of the things that you can find. It was cool being able to go and find some things that Scott and I haven't found yet. We'll probably go back and look around some more some time soon. For now here are some pictures from our trip.

Here's M having fun on his laptop.

The ribbon cutting ceremony at the fossil park

Caleb and M looking for fossils

Scott looking for fossils

All the boys looking for fossils.

Missionary Experience

2010-05-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

So this morning when we said our prayers, we prayed that we would have missionary experiences today. We always enjoy the experiences and opportunities that come our way when we do so. The experience that we had this morning was definitely unexpected, but very interesting. I'll try to tell you about it.

We were dropping off some trash at the garbage bins at our apartments when a couple was walking up. The lady started telling me that their car had broken down and they needed to get downtown. Her husband needed to get to work and she needed to get to an appointment. Out of human nature I was kind of freaked out about the situation, but for some reason we decided to help them and we found out later why.

We got to where the husband needed to be and dropped him off. As we were driving away the wife made a comment that we seemed to be a nice couple and then proceeded to ask us if we went to church. Then she begins to tell us that they are looking for a church to go to since the one they've been to before they didn't really like.

So we started telling her what church we belonged to and then offered her and her husband a ride this Sunday to church. She agreed that they would come with us. So for the first time since Scott and I have been married we will be taking investigators to church with us. It's so cool!!

Even if nothing happens I think we at least planted a seed in their hearts. They both were very grateful this morning for our generosity and it will be interesting to see what ends up happening. I'll keep you posted.

Texas Belle Boutique

2010-05-03T11:54:00.002-05:00

So I've thought about doing my own online boutique for a long time and have finally gotten some supplies to get it started. I will be doing a variety of things so you'll have to check back regularly for updates. Please share the word to everyone. I will post pictures of products and their prices as soon as they are available. You can go here for my online boutique. Enjoy!

Weekend Adventure

2010-04-30T10:10:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we took Scott's mom on a trip for the weekend. After I got off of work on Friday, we headed up to Lubbock to go to the temple. We stayed up there for the night and then took a long day trip over to Kent then to Ft. Davis to Alpine to McCamey to Rankin and back to Midland. I think including Friday it was a total of 10 hours in the car. We were pretty tired when we got home, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Here's the hotel we stayed at in Lubbock. It was really

nice. I think we would stay there again if we needed to.

We went back to the temple the next morning to get

pictures and when we got out of our car we saw this

little friend in the tree.

Here's all three of us in front of the temple.

We of course had to take Scott's mom fossil hunting, so
here Scott is in Kent where we were looking for
fossils. I think we all came away with some good
ones even mom.

Here's Scott's mom looking around for fossils

We stopped by the fort in Ft. Davis to show Scott's

mom. We didn't go in since we were running short on

time.

Here's a cool building in Ft. Davis that we took a

picture of.

This is another building you will find in Ft. Davis.

If I remember right it is the bank.

Then we ate dinner at La Casita in Alpine.

It was a great weekend filled with lots of memories. We hope you enjoyed yourself Mom because we sure enjoyed sharing these experiences with you!

Poetry Contest

2010-04-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

Scott had the opportunity to enter a couple of his poems into a poetry contest at Midland College. Last night we had the opportunity to go to the awards ceremony. Scott got an honorable mention for his poem titled, "Enduring". This means that he received a certificate and that his poem will be published in one of the literary journals at school. Here are some pictures from the event:

Here are all the winners plus the judges and President of the College

Here are the top 4 winners of the contest plus the judges
and the President of the College.

Here is Scott receiving his certificate

Here is Scott and his certificate.

For those that are interested here is his poem that he wrote:

Enduring

Weary is this man
Who tries to keep his pace.
Trying Hard to stay the course.
Trying Hard to keep his face.

People passing left and right it seems.
Where will he find the strength to finish the race?
The man is spent. Will he ever reach his dreams?

The time, it seems, ticks by so slow.
Can he endure?
Can he continue to go?

Weary now. Wanting to stop.
He must press on.
He must rise to the top.

Praying hard to find his strength,
Focusing on each step
To finish the length.

A step at a time he plots his path,
Hoping to find the potential he hath.

Still moving forward,
He’s looking back now.
He’s come so far.
He’s not sure how.

Remember, Remember your prayer oh, man!
It’s not your strength.
It’s always been the Lord’s hand!

Turn to him
With your whole heart.
Your strength He’ll be
Forever, forever, for eternity.

Wheat Bread

2010-04-26T09:14:00.003-05:00

So last night I tried my hand at making wheat bread. My parents had gotten us a wheat grinder for Christmas and I hadn't had the opportunity to use it yet. So I decided to try it out last night and make some bread since I found a recipe that will make the bread from start to finish in one hour. I thought it turned out pretty good and plus it tasted delicious!! I'm excited to start making my own bread now. If anyone wants the recipe I will be happy to share!

Pack Meeting

2010-04-23T09:03:00.003-05:00

Last night Scott was in charge of the Pack Meeting so I decided to bring the camera along since I hadn't taken pictures of him in action since he's been called as the Cubmaster last year. His mom and I sat in the back with some friends and just enjoyed the evening. Here are some pictures of the meeting:

I couldn't resist taking pictures of these cute kiddos

This is Mr. M who is Scott's little buddy

Here is Miss L who is as pretty as can be.

If you watch her really carefully sometimes you might

get to see a smile cross her face.

Here's Scott at the beginning of the meeting

giving the announcements.

All three of these boys crossed over from Cub Scouts
to Boy Scouts last night.

Here's Tanner and his mom. Tanner was making faces
while she was talking so she held him like this.

The proud mom of Sean.

This was one of the activities at the beginning.

There were objects in each of these bags that started

with the letter on the outside. The boys had to feel the outside

of the bag and guess what was in it.

Here's the "ABC Crew"

It was a fun night for all last night and it was exciting to see everyone getting involved with the kids as they received their awards. We all did the rain applause, "round" of applause, and the watermelon applause. I think the best part of all was seeing the excitement on all the boys faces as well as the parents.

Excited

2010-04-19T11:40:00.001-05:00

Scott and I are so excited right now because his mom will be in town tonight!! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her and we are excited to make memories with her while she is here. We hope you enjoy it Mom!

Bouncer

2010-04-12T13:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we sat with some friends at church to help them with some kids that they bring. Let's just say it was one crazy day, and trust me that is saying it lightly. Not to bore you with all the details, but I ended up having to take the three year old out into the hall since he was misbehaving. He of course was kicking and screaming as I was taking him out. When we got into the hallway I sat down on a chair with him and held him there while he had his fit. I of course got kicked, punched, scratched, pinched, and bit. I am embarrassed to say that I have been beat up by a 3 year old. ;) I even have the bruises and marks to prove it. It was one crazy day. After church Scott's aunt came up to me and asked if I was now the bouncer at church since she saw me taking this screaming child out into the hall. I don't know if that picture is as funny to you as to me, but that is one crazy image.

But I will tell you what, I am ready for next week and what is to come. Bring it on little "Z"!! I'll be waiting for you!

Busy Weekend!!

2010-04-12T13:37:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, was pretty busy for Scott and I. It started off by going to a family in our ward's house to watch their kids so they could attend the temple. This of course consisted of the following activities:
- Movies
- Puzzles
- Reading Books
- Riding Bikes
- Playing outside
- YMCA- Kids Day
- Balloons
- McDonalds
- Playing At the Park
- Naptime
- Going on a walk

As you can tell, we did quite a bit of stuff when we were watching the kids, but after we got done we went with some friends to Staton's Old Sorehead Trade Days. Staton is this little town that shuts down when this happens and people come out and have booths that you can go to and buy things. It was really cool. And of course since it was really hot we got snow cones which hit the spot for every one of us. I remember going to something like this in Rapid City when I used to live there.

Then on Sunday we of course went to church which was crazy all by itself. I leave that story for the next post.

I think the only thing I regret from this past weekend is not being able to take pictures. We had gone to the Sand dunes in Monahans and got sand in our camera so it's not working at the moment. Hopefully we can get it to work soon though.

Big Bend

2010-04-01T13:17:00.010-05:00

This past weekend Scott and I were able to take a weekend trip down to Big Bend National Park. (That's right go ahead and be jealous!!) It was a lot of fun. It was nice being able to get out in the nice weather and enjoy nature. We were also able to see the spring flowers starting to bloom especially the blue bonnets. This was my first time actually seeing them and they are a site to behold. For those who are nearby Big Bend you have to go some time if you haven't already. Here are some pictures of our trip:

Scott and I at the entrance of the park

Blue Bonnets up close.

One of the views within the campground

Our campground

We saw this bird's nest in this cactus and

couldn't resist taking a picture.

It was awesome just walking around in the

morning and having deer walk around the campground

This is a distant picture of the entire campground.

This is called Chisos Basin

We thought this would be a cool picture.

We saw it as we were coming out of the Chisos Basin.

It was neat looking around and seeing the green trees

stand out. You could definitely tell where the water was.

This formation you see here starting at the bottom of the picture

is a dike. Scott was able to get up on it and take a picture.

Another beautiful view as we took a drive around the park

This formation in the background is called Mule Ears.

This was formed by two dikes.

This is a cool picture that Scott took.

Scott and I at the Rio Grande River.

The Rio Grande River

Here you can tell where the river is because of all the green trees

Scott touching the Rio Grande River

A picture I took while I was waiting for Scott to come

up from the Rio Grande River.

A picture Scott took of Santa Elena Canyon.

The next time we go we want to take the hike into the canyon.

I took this picture as we were heading back.

I thought it was cool with the moon.

Scott took this picture outside of the park when we were

heading to Alpine on Saturday night.

Scott found this in a road cut when he was gathering

rock samples for his collection. He tried to get it out,

but didn't have much luck. We took coordinates though

and will be back to try and get it.

We didn't have any protective glasses for Scott to use when

he tried to get the formation above out. We still had 3D glasses

from when we went to the movies so he used those. I told him

to turn his hat so I could get a picture. His sisters I'm sure

will get a kick out of this one.

We were in the middle of no where and we saw this building

that says Prada on it. Apparently it is an art collection

of all the Prada products from 2005. It was very random.

One side of the highway had these beautiful yellow flowers

The other side had pretty purple flowers

Day Trip

2010-03-16T16:18:00.006-05:00

The weather here this weekend was wonderful! Both Scott and I have had the itch to get out since the weather has been nice so we decided to take advantage of it this past Saturday. We first went to Kent, TX since we were told we could find some interesting fossils there. We did find some cools ones, but not as much as we were expecting. We think we may have been looking in the wrong spot so maybe we can get better directions and try it again. Then after awhile, we took the highway up to Ft. Davis and passed by the McDonald Observatory and ended up in Ft. Davis. It was beautiful scenery. If anyone nearby has not been down there you should go because it is definitely a site to behold. Once we got to Ft. Davis, we decided to keep on going to Alpine, TX. We got to see Sul Ross University there which is the university Scott is thinking about going to through Midland College for his Bachelor's degree and maybe his Masters. While we were there we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant that everyone in the gas station seemed to be unanimous that this restaurant was the place to eat at. It is called La Casita. It was delicious!! Again, if anyone is nearby you have to go visit these places and try this restaurant out. Anyways, here's a few pictures from our trip:

An abandoned school house in Kent, TX

Our little lizard friend that stood still as we took pictures

Some fossils Scott found

Me hunting for fossils

One of the pretty views on our way to Ft. Davis

Scott found this when he was getting rock samples

for his collection

Here's a baby peccary trying to run away

Scott collecting rocks to add to his collection

The view on the highway heading to Ft. Davis

This is Mitre Peak. It was formed by volcanic processes.

Pictures of Scott's Birthday

2010-03-16T16:13:00.002-05:00

I know it's taken me awhile to post these, but finally I have been able to so here you go:

Ally & Scott reading their next rounds clues

Jeff, Heather, and Chris

Brittany, Matt, & Ashley

Ashley, Olivia, & Jared

And our victim Caleb

Happy Birthday to Scott!!

2010-03-01T11:16:00.002-06:00

This weekend was Scott's 27th birthday. I wanted to do something special for him. So this whole month I have been thinking of ideas of what to do for him. I first thought about just having some friends over for dinner and games and then I thought I could do better than that. So I ended up planning a surprise party for him and invited couples that we have gotten to know and have become friends with. We ended up doing a western themed murder mystery which turned out to be a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Thank you to everyone who came and joined us Saturday night. You made it much more special!

To Scott I hope you had a memorable birthday that you will remember for years to come!

P.S. I will post pictures soon.

Choices

2010-02-23T15:46:00.004-06:00

So with the new bed that we are getting, we have to decide on a new mattress as well as bedding. I think we have decided on a mattress we are just trying to find a good bedding set. Here are a couple choices that I like. Which one do you guys like better?

Choice #1

Choice #2

New Bed!!

2010-02-23T11:02:00.001-06:00

So Scott and I decided to get a new bed. We got it ordered on Saturday so in a couple of weeks this bed is ours:

Temporary Home

2010-02-09T12:07:00.003-06:00

I've always been a big fan of Carrie Underwood, and I've been hearing one of her new songs lately that really strikes a chord everytime I hear it. It's called "Temporary Home". It has such a good message to it. If you haven't heard it before you can go here to listen to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SR3BlsmH4

Have You....

2010-02-04T14:27:00.002-06:00

Have any of you ever had the feeling of being incomplete? For some reason lately I have had this empty feeling and I'm not sure why. If any of you have had experience with this and would like to share it with me I would appreciate it. I'm not sure what is causing this feeling, but I need to find some way to get over this. Any ideas?

The Fun of Cars

2010-01-29T09:06:00.003-06:00

Some of you know this already, but I'm not the biggest fan of our car. Yes it is something that gets us from point A to point B, but it is not my favorite ride. Before Scott and I got married I had a Dodge Neon that I paid off and we were talking about getting a second car. Well, the week after I made my last payment I got in an accident going home for lunch and totalled the car. So right before our wedding we were constantly looking for a car. We actually didn't find the one we currently own until after we got married. We got if fairly cheap since the car dealer was wanting to get rid of it since it has hail damage. For those who haven't seen our car, it doesn't have just a few indents here and there, it actually has quite a bit of damage. We both call it our "golfball" car.

Since we've owned the car, we've had problems with it just like any other car. One of the problems we've had happened just the other day. I was heading home from work and just barely got out of my work's parking lot and got probably 100 feet and I hear a really loud noise and it felt like I was dragging something. So I quickly pull off to the side of the road and called Scott to see if he might know what it could be. Well, while I was on the phone with him, thankfully someone stopped and helped me. He told me that my exhaust pipe at the front of the car had dropped down which caused the loud noise and the dragging feeling. So he ran back to his truck and grabbed some wire to hold it up so I could get home for Scott to look at it. Oh and just before I forget to mention this I just might at that a police car passed by and just stared as it drove by and didn't even stop to assist in anyway. Got to love the law enforcement in this town!!

Once the car was ready for me to continue on my journey home, I still had Scott on the phone and was driving very slowly. Now the whole time I was driving it was still making the loud noise since the pipe was no longer connected so I asked him if he could hear it. He said no so I just stepped on the gas a little bit more so he could. Just so you all get the picture, this noise is like the sound of a loud motorcycle coming out of a little car. Of course once Scott hears it he starts laughing. So here I am trutting along in this stupid car, going 30 mph, with a pipe wired so it wouldn't fall and sounding like a motorcycle. To say the least I was embarrassed. Of course when I said that I was to Scott he laughs once again.

I actually can't blame him for laughing since the whole situation was actually quite hilarious, but I do have to say it was rather embarrassing. I swear I had so many people look at me while I was driving home then I've had in my whole life. All I have to say is in one word AWKWARD! Needless to say I eventually made it home and since Scott couldn't fix it himself we took it to a muffler shop in town and got a piece welded on so it will last longer this time. I hope it lasts for a long time because I don't know if my self-esteem can take another instance like this one.

Anyone else have funny car stories?

Ode to Cleaning Products

2010-01-19T10:49:00.004-06:00

So awhile back my mother-in-law introduced me to a new cleaning product. It is called Bar Keeper's Friend. For those who haven't used it, let's just say it works miracles. Here in Midland, TX we have hard water which seems to like to rust everything it touches. This product will clean up that rust and make things look new. When we first moved into our new apartment, in the sink there was a ring of brownish-orange grime. It kind of seemed like someone put a hot pan in the sink and made a burn mark. Well, I put this cleaning product on it with a little bit of water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. After taking a dish rag to it, I can officially say that the stain is no longer visible. This cleaner also works wonders on your stove top. Since we live in an apartment we have the old style stove with the burners sticking out and the guards underneath. Of course it is inevitable to get stuff on those guards. I happened to try the cleaner on them and it didn't disappoint me.

I know this probably seems like a weird post, but I can't help but share a good product with those I know. I hate having to get new things because of rust or something happens to them. This product has saved us a lot of money. And for those who are interested, you can find it in the cleaning products isle near the Comet. I hope you all enjoy this product as much as I do!!

Pathetic

2010-01-19T10:47:00.003-06:00

Does anyone else find it pathetic that as of last night I just barely put away the Christmas decorations? Geez time sure has flown by.

2010!!

2010-01-04T11:24:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is 2010 already! This past year has gone by so fast! We hope each one of you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. We definitely enjoyed our holidays this year. It was extra special having my sister, her husband, and their new baby here. It was nice having a baby around and it was hard to see them all go. We sure enjoyed the time we had with them even with how short it was. It is always a plus to have family around during the holidays.

We hope this new year brings much happiness to you all. And we look forward to the many memories that come with this new year.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-11-25T08:58:00.007-06:00

My family has had a tradition every year for as long as I can remember to make gingerbread houses for Thanksgiving. And our rule is we can't eat any of the candy until Christmas. Well, since my parents are in Utah for Thanksgiving since my sister is blessing her baby, we did our houses a little bit early this year. Here are some photos to enjoy:

Here's my crazy dad having some fun with ice cream cones.

Here Scott is hard at work.

Here are my parents working on their houses.

The finished products....

My dad's house

My mom's house

My house

Scott's house

Here we are with each of our houses:

My dad

My mom

Scott

Paint Rock

2009-11-25T08:44:00.006-06:00

Scott and I had the opportunity to go with his Archeology class to a little town called Paint Rock. It is about 20 miles outside of San Angelo. We had a lot of fun. We were able to meet some great people who live on this property that have Indian paintings. It was an amazing learning experience. Here are some photos of our trip:

Before I show these pictures I will give you the background story on these. We were sitting in the building that you first come to and the husband of the wife that owns the land was giving his speech on the Indian paintings. Then his wife comes in and says that their broom is standing straight up in the hallway by itself. They graciously let us in their house so we could see it ourselves and take pictures. This can happen during the equinox.

Here's an egg and a broom standing on the table without any help

Here is the owner of the property acting like a witch so it looks

like her broom is being held up by her powers.

Here is the broom standing up all by itself. If you look closely you
can see that the broom doesn't completely touch the ground.

The following pictures are examples of some of the Indian paintings we were able to see.

Christmas Poem

2009-11-18T09:17:00.007-06:00

I got an email from work the other day that had this poem in it. I thought I would share it with all of you because I think it is so true. I know it is only November, but it is getting close enough to Christmas that I thought this was a good one. I hope we all remember this season the true meaning of Christmas.

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

New Recipe!

2009-11-06T13:28:00.005-06:00

So every once in a while, I get an email from Eat Better America. I got one yesterday and it had a recipe for "Healthified" Chicken Tortilla Casserole. After looking it over, I thought it sounded really good so we tried it last night. Scott and I both liked it and it will definitely be added to the recipe book for the future. Here's the recipe just in case any of you want to try it:

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 15 min
makes:8 servings

1 can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free 45% less sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8 yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chiles, sour cream, milk, chili powder and cumin until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.
2. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

Also, I did change the recipe up a little bit. Instead of worrying about chopping up all the vegetables, I just bought a can of Rotel and used that. And depending on how hot you want the dish you can get either mild or hot. We just used mild this time. I thought it turned out well and it definitely cuts your prep time down. Another thing that will cut the prep time down is if you have canned chicken. Then all you have to do is drain the juice shred the chicken and mix it in. It makes it so much easier.

This dish last night was accompanied with spanish rice. It all tasted so good. If any of you want the recipe for the rice let me know. For those who try it I hope you like it as much as we did.

October Craziness!

2009-11-05T14:27:00.004-06:00

It is crazy to think that it is November already! So much has happened this passed month it is crazy. The beginning of October was General Conference of course which was wonderful as always. Then that following Monday my sister had her baby. He is so precious!! I can't wait to meet her little one. Then we had some sickness in my brother's family plus my little niece having to go into surgery twice. Then it was nice having my mom come back from Utah. Then before we knew it, it was Halloween. Halloween day Scott and I went over to my parents and decorated cookies. It was a lot of fun spending time with my parents doing things that we love. Then later that night we got to go to the ward Trunk-or-Treat. It was fun seeing all the costumes everyone had on. The only sad part about it all is that we got so busy we missed out with carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. I guess better planning next time right!?! But overall we still had a lot of fun!

Thank You!

2009-11-05T14:20:00.002-06:00

We just want to thank everyone that had my little niece in their prayers as she went through surgery this past weekend. Everything ending up going really well. The doctors at first were only planning on taking 10% of her kidney, but when they went in, they saw it was worse then they originally thought. They ended up taking 2/3 of her kidney out. But the doctors are glad that they made the decision to remove the kidney now rather than later. The best part of it all is that she was able to go home within 24 hours of the surgery. We are so proud of how brave she has been throughout all of this. We are all hoping this will be the last surgery she will have. Again thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

Your Prayers Are Needed!

2009-10-28T16:12:00.004-05:00

My niece, Brooklyn, has had problems with her kidneys since she was a baby. For five years now, she has had to go through various different surgeries. Well, she is about to go through one more. Her surgery is scheduled for this Friday. Earlier this month she was put in the hospital with a UTI and on top of that swine flu. With all the tests that she has had to endure this month the doctors found out that her right kidney is only 10% functional. So they have decided to take 1/2 of the kidney away. Please keep her and my brother Shad, his wife Brittany, and their little boy Chandler in your prayers. We are really hoping that this will be Brooklyn's last surgery. I will try to keep you all updated on her progress as best as I can. Below is a picture I got from Brittany on Facebook. I hope she doesn't mind. This was a picture taken of Brooklyn the last time she was in the hospital just a few short weeks ago.

A Big Surprise!!

2009-10-27T10:25:00.003-05:00

So we have some interesting news...on Sunday Scott was on the phone with his grandma who lives in Utah and while he was talking to her, someone else was trying to call him. He didn't recognize the number so he just kept talking and let it go to voicemail. Well, once he got off the phone, he listened to the message. I didn't hear the message at all, but all I could hear was him getting excited. Then he put it on speaker phone and replayed to message so I could hear it. We found out that we were lucky winners of a new grill and accessories!! Saturday night, Scott went to Home Depot to get some supplies to fix a few things at my dad's work and they asked him to fill out a survey to be entered into a drawing. Surprisingly enough we were the ones who won! So we are now proud owners of a grill, propane tank, lava rocks, and grilling utensils.

New Picture of Cameron

2009-10-20T11:28:00.003-05:00

My mom sent me this new picture of Cameron yesterday and I thought that I would share it with you all.

Introducing...

2009-10-06T08:21:00.005-05:00

I am so excited to be able to make this post and tell you all the good news about my sister and her husband having their baby yesterday. He is so precious!! I can't wait until Christmas time when I get to see him in person and hold their bundle of joy. For now, here are some pictures.

The cute foot prints on the birth certificate.

This is my brother holding his nephew and showing us his tiny feet.

My sister was showing my mom her hat she made for Cameron.

Cameron and Mommy.

Brittany holding her nephew Cameron.

Good News & Bad News

2009-10-02T12:00:00.004-05:00

Well, I will start with the bad news so then we can move on to better things. For those here in Midland you probably heard about the fatal accident on FM 1788. Here's a link about it:

http://www.kwes.com/global/category.asp?c=163304&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=121765&topVideoCatNoB=83259&topVideoCatNoC=83262&topVideoCatNoD=138849&topVideoCatNoE=124443&clipId=4177502&topVideoCatNo=121765&autoStart=true

Well, I found out yesterday afternoon that my coworker's father was in that accident. He was the one who got killed. It was sad to find out about this especially knowing that yesterday was her mom's birthday and the day before she was making plans with her dad about the celebrations. Now here is the even bigger kicker, my poor coworker has now had 3 deaths in her family this year. The first was when her aunt commited suicide. Second, her father-in-law passed away. And now her father. I hope she stays strong during these times and I feel sorry for her that she has to go through it. If you all could send a few prayers her way I am sure she would appreciate it. Her name is Jennifer.

Now for the good news...

This weekend my aunt on my dad's side will be getting rebaptized into the church. She fell away a long time ago and for some time didn't want anything to do with our church. My parents along with all of my dad's siblings are there in Florida to support her this weekend as she takes this step to be back in the fold. I am so very proud of her for making this decision. I hope she will continue to stay strong in the church and that her kids may look up to her as an example.

And my second good news, is I can't help but say how excited I am to be having another nephew soon. My sister is getting closer to having her baby boy and I can't wait to meet him Christmas time. And to my sister and brother-in-law hang in there and he will be here when he is supposed to. We love you both!

Update on the Update!?!

2009-10-02T11:58:00.002-05:00

So I know I said that I was going to blog about various things a little while ago and I was going to do it that night. Unfortunately our computer is not wanting to cooperate when it comes to uploading pictures. So just hang in there and I will get them up somehow. And hopefully quickly because there is so much I want to share.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-11T11:17:00.008-05:00

This year for Labor Day Scott and I were able to have a lot of fun. It was nice to be able to get out with some friends and family. Our weekend started out with going geocaching with our friends Caleb & Brittany Osborn. For us, we have always been interested in trying it out so it was our first time going. It was a lot of fun. We were able to go to a ghost town called Stiles for the first geocache. It was really neat to be able to see the old courthouse there still standing. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Caleb & his Son

Scott & Caleb with the first find of the day

This is a picture of the Stiles Courthouse

Then on Monday Scott and I were wanting to go fossil hunting, but since everyone cancelled on us at the last minute we decided that we needed to spend some time with his family. We were go to take the younger siblings out with us fossil hunting, but instead we decided to make our own kind of treasure hunting. So we took some of our fossils that we found, candy, and toys and buried them in the sand for each of the kids in a park near their house. They had a lot of fun trying to find where everything was. Here are some pictures of the kids.

All three of the kids together. The girls wanted
to be buried in the sand.

Cedar digging away.

Emery with one of her finds.

Sydney digging her heart out.

Even though everything didn't work out how we had planned, we still had a lot of fun. Thank you to the Osborn's for inviting us on Saturday it was a lot of fun! And thanks to the kids for lighting up our day by seeing the excitement on your faces! We look forward to many more weekends that we can enjoy time with friends and family. We hope that you all had a safe and wonderful weekend as well.

Camping in the Guadalupe Mountains

2009-09-08T19:47:00.009-05:00

In the beginning of August, we were able to take Scott's little brother Cedar camping in order to pass off a few Scouting requirements. The last time Scott and I were there was on our honeymoon so it was nice to come back and see the beauty that we were able to enjoy then. We were able to hike through McKittrick Canyon which is absolutely beautiful. Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy.

Scott & I at the Grotto.

One of the many beautiful views during the hike.

The crew at the beginning of the hike.

Our camp site.

What we woke up to. Beautiful isn't it?

Catching Up

2009-09-08T19:31:00.000-05:00

So I was looking through our pictures tonight and I've noticed that there is a lot I haven't blogged about that I have been meaning to. So here is the beginning of multiple blogs to catch us all up.

The beginning of August, my dad was out of town so we were able to have my mom over for Sunday dinner. We had lasagna and homemade french bread. Then for dessert, Scott made us his Korean specialty called Pot Bing Tsu. Here's a picture of the three of us enjoying Scott's creation and then a closeup of what it looked like.

Treasure Hunting?

2009-08-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

Scott has always had a fascination with collecting rocks and fossils. He has been dying to be able to go and look for fossils for a long time. He was researching the other day and was able to find a general area of where he could go look. So he convinced me to go with him last night to go searching. The pictures of the ones I found are from my phone so they aren't the best pictures, but here you go.

Petrified Shell (This was my very first find, I was pretty proud.)

I believe this is a small piece of an ammonite.

I found this and wasn't quite sure if it was something, but it kind of looks like a shell or something.

Here's an imprint of a shell.

Here's something I found that looks kind of like an arrowhead.

For just a couple of hours of looking, I don't think we did too bad. Scott got some pretty good things as well. He was pretty happy with all of his spoils. He seemed like a kid who was admiring his opened Christmas presents when we got home. It was pretty funny to see. If anyone else in the Midland area knows of a good place to go let us know, I'm sure Scott would love to try it out.

Wedding Cake

2009-08-14T08:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I am following in my mom's footsteps. I'm not quite as good as she is, but I'm sure someday I can only hope to be as good. But for now here is a picture of a wedding cake I made last night for my good friend Olivia who is getting married today!! I'm so happy for her I hope that today is definitely a memorable one for her. You can't see the details of the cake that well with this picture since it was taken on my phone, but the filigree is a light pink, the cake is frosted in white and then there's a silver ribbon on the bottom of each tier.

What do you think? Not to bad for an amateur right?

My First Project

2009-07-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

Here's my first project that I finished this morning.

Sewing Machine

2009-07-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Since Scott and I had gotten married, I've been wanting to get a sewing machine. Well, finally I got one just this week!! I'm so excited to be able to use it. I'll post a picture of my first project once I get it done.

Just One Year Ago Today...

2009-06-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

It is crazy to believe that just one year ago Scott and I were married. It has been an amazing year and we both look forward to the years to come. And to my wonderful husband, thank you for such an amazing year!! I can't wait for what is in store, especially with being able to have you by my side. I love you!!

Mesa Verde

2009-06-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

If you ever get the chance to visit Mesa Verde in Colorado do it. Both Scott and I had a lot of fun seeing the ruins. Here are a few pictures that I took on my phone.

Spruce Tree House

Balcony House

Cliff Palace

New Pictures

2009-06-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

So we just got back on Saturday from our trip to Utah. While we were there we were able to take some new pictures of us. We thought we would share them. Enjoy!!!

Promotion

2009-06-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I better share the good news. I got a promotion at work!!! I'm really excited for this new opportunity. I'm still not quite sure what this all will entail, but I think it will be good. My official title is Project Management Coordinator. Once I've done this for a little while I'll be able to tell you what I do. I think the best part of this new position is the opportunity to not be so rushed in the mornings. I'm excited to be able to have the chance to spend more time studying the gospel and to spend more time with Scott before we head out for the day. I will keep you all updated on everything as it goes along.

Graduation

2009-05-22T09:35:00.000-05:00

I know this is a little late, but I can't help but be excited that I am officially graduated!!! YEA! But what's really cool is that I came to the realization that within my family and Scott's, we will be having a total of 5 graduations this year!! The first one was May 2nd when my sister Lacey graduated from UVU with her Bachelor's degree. The second was May 9th which was my graduation. Third, was Scott's youngest sister Sydney who graduated from preschool on the 19th. Then, coming up we have two high school graduations to attend on Scott's side. First, is Ashley who graduates on May 30th from Midland High School and then on June 5th his sister Krista will graduate from Cottonwood High School. This is an exciting time in everyone's life!! Congratulations to all!!!

In Memory...

2009-04-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

We found out on Saturday that my Uncle Brad passed away. When my mom first told me, I couldn't believe what I had just heard. My uncle has gone through a lot of health problems and suffered a lot through the years. Even though he's had these hard times, he has always pulled through.

My sister & I used to live with our Aunt Leslie & Uncle Brad a couple of years ago. There was a time when we were there that he went into the hospital. We both were worried, but hoped for the best. We always enjoyed the time we had there in the Rosser home. There was always a lot of laughter, happiness, and lots of games. We always had fun on those Sunday nights when we would all gather together for games. Those were good times!!!

But after hearing the news of my uncle's passing, I couldn't help but feel happiness for him. I know now that he is where he needs to be and is no longer suffering. For my cousins out there who just lost their father, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Change of Plans

2009-04-20T07:51:00.001-05:00

Well, as of this weekend Scott and I have changed our plans about moving to Utah. We both were getting excited at the prospect of being around family that we haven't seen for awhile. It was disappointing to us just as it was to our family members that we had to tell of our change. It definitely was not an easy thing to do.

It is interesting throughout this whole experience to see that the Lord works in mysterious ways. During this whole time through thought, prayer, fasting, and attending the temple, we felt that we were making the right decision. We knew that during this time with the economy not doing so well that it would make it very hard, but if that's what the Lord wanted us to do we were willing to do it.

Well, on Thursday, we found out that the school district here in Midland is really lacking in teachers. Since they are, they have a program to get people with a Bachelor's degree certified. With this opportunity, we would be able to have the income so that Scott can cut back on hours at work and go to school full-time.

Scott compares our situation to the story of Abraham and Isaac. It seems that the Lord wanted to see what we were willing to sacrifice before He gave us another window. We hope that things will still work out alright and that someday we will be able to return to Utah once again. Until then, we will at least be doing a lot of visiting, but it still won't be the same.

Scout Ranch

2009-04-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the Scout Ranch!! It was a fun filled day. We were able to go to the old Hunsaker Ranch. It was a lot of fun being able to enjoy nature and each other. Here are a few pictures to share.

Longhorns we saw on the way.

We even got to pet some of them.

Hunsaker Ranch, if you look closely above the fireplace
you can see part of an "H" with a circle around it.

This is the Kawasaki vehicle we were in all day.

The part you are seeing usually is covered in water.

The white part is dried up algae.

This is a pretty cactus flower we saw on the way.

This is Scott and I in the water hole. As you can tell,

there isn't a lot of water in it like there should be.

Crazy Texas Storms!!

2009-04-17T12:03:00.001-05:00

So it seems that the crazy weather that the West was just having came our way. This storm didn’t bring us snow, but instead lots of lightning, rain, hail, tornados, and damaging winds. Luckily for us here in Midland, we just got lightning, rain, little bit of hail and some winds. For West Texas, when we get storms that produce lightning the city is always cautious since we have been in a drought for a long time. The lightning would produce fires that could spread fast and over large areas of land.

For last night the storm was one interesting one. Yesterday I was at home and decided to catch the news really quick not thinking anything would be that exciting. But when I saw the Severe Thunderstorm Warning and Tornado Watch, well let’s just say it got my attention pretty quick. Scott works from 12-9pm everyday, so I called him to let him know about this storm coming in. For those who don’t know, Scott works for the local natural gas company called Atmos Energy. With the storm coming in, and him working outside, let’s just say it isn’t the best situation.

Well, Scott made it safely home after 9 last night of course after taking a few videos of all the lightning that was surrounding us. It is amazing at the beauty of something that can be so destructive. We're just glad we didn’t have the tornadoes or the baseball size hail that other places had. And for those who were in the worst part of it we hope all is well.

We Caved In!!

2009-03-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

So we finally decided that we would join in on this blogging bliss. It's going to be one interesting experience, but we are excited about it. It will give us a chance to keep updated with friends, family, and loved ones and to also keep them in the loop of what we are doing right now. As for now, here's a quick update on what's been going on with the Laing clan.

These past couple of months, we both have been struggling to decide what we were going to do once school was done for the semester. After a lot of thought and waying our options we are excited to say that we are moving to Utah. We are excited for the opportunities and experiences that await us there. Of course, the best thing about it all is being back around mountains and more family. We will be sad to leave the family and friends we have here in good ol' Midland, but we're excited to see our other loved ones as well.

This past week was Spring Break and we both decided we wanted to have some fun before it was all over. Well, we hadn't gone camping in awhile so we decided we would be spontaneous and take a quick weekend trip. Now if any of you have been in West Texas and have seen the ground, the thought of sleeping on it isn't too appealing, but we did it anyway. Well, just to keep this short for the time being, let's just say it was one interesting camping trip. Once I get pictures downloaded off the camera more will follow. And boy do we have a story for you, so stay tuned!! ;)