Janelle's Gibberish

house update

2012-01-31T17:42:00.000-08:00

there were 7---- yes i said 7
offers on the house we made an offer on.
We should hear by the end of the week--- does not look promising!
So the hunt continues!

update on house hunt

2012-01-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

we put an offer in on the house in AF.

It is a foreclosure home but we hope to hear in the next week(ish) if our offer is accepted/rejected/countered...

wish us luck

house hunt

2012-01-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

I think the name of "house hunting" is a little funny....
the houses don't move, we don't track them, we don't follow them... it is however like a treasure hunt.... the intrigue of what am i going to see or find in the next house...
Saturday we (Chris, both kids, and myself) went with our realtor to look at houses. we saw one that was nice inside but super smelly-(think-- a kitty lived in that house, next to a stock yard), one i could not get out of fast enough and one i liked...sooooo
We have a contender!
The house was built in 1970. It reminds me of our house in Casper (a little). We are going to look at it again on Wed morning. We have a contractor friend in the ward who is coming with us to give us and idea of how much it would take/cost to update the bathrooms and kitchen.
The house is near the high school in AF. We would be able to hear the marching band practice ;-) and hear football games ;-). The high school is also where they shoot off fireworks on the 4th and 24th. We could sit on the front lawn and see the show ;-)
It has a small yard but big enough for small gathering!
here is MLS #1071652 -no photos yet ;-(

Fun site

2012-01-19T16:43:00.001-08:00

Apparently I had trouble blogging from my iPad....
here is the site
http://missionarymunchies.com/

I can't wait for Ais to go on a mission.... I LOVE sending stuff to people.

Sad News

2012-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Grandma Anderson died yesterday afternoon.
Funeral will be Tuesday.

Christmas in the air

2011-12-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year... for so many reasons.
1- school is out!
the break is nice. I am sitting at home with lots to do and think about... no papers to grade... no midnight texts from students that start..."ummm so Dr. Macintosh...." Music playing in every room of the house, the smells of baking, the joy of bringing gifts to family, neighbors and friends, the cards mounted in the front room... a new nephew....
2- i guess #1 sort of got carried away ;-)-- holiday baking
Monday for family home evening (all day event) Chris and I made caramels, kiss covered pretzels and shortbread cookies. 2 of those things I had never done before. the pretzels were so good, you melt a Hersey kiss on a waffle pretzel-done! (the trick is a LOW oven 170 for 4-6 min). I had never made shortbread cookies either. They were easy! I think I will make another batch (of each) for our 24th Bassett family extravaganza!
3- the smile of children
last night Chris and I took plates of cookies and goodies to friends and neighbors... we stopped at one house in the ward and a little girl (about 5 or years old) answered the door. She took the plate of cookies and yelled "mom...some one gave us cookies!" then slammed the door closed. It was so cute. Chris had a huge smile--- that makes Christmas real. They joy of a child.
4- family all getting together.
Because Chris and I are both associated with schools we both have a nice break. I have 2 weeks off and Chris has 3 weeks off. I get to spend time with the adorable man that I love. We get to have the freedom of time to spend with family. Last weekend we went to see the zoo lights with Chris' family that live in the area. Ais was with us that weekend and had a great time. Today we get to see my sister and my brother and their families. Then Saturday is the Christmas eve Bassett PARTY. We will spend the whole day just being together, decorating gingerbread houses (which I am also making for the first time this year), watching Christmas cartoons, playing games, and of course eating--- snacks and then traditional Christmas Nachos!
5- the birth of a child
I also have a new nephew. My sister and her husband are adopting a little boy- born last night and weighing in at 9 1/2 pounds! I can not wait to meet him.
All in all... it is a wonderful time of year!
May you feel the joy of the season and love in your heart.

temple lights

2011-12-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

As it so happens... we went to see the temple lights last night.
Karla & family, Tiff & family, and Jay & family went as well, separately.
Our family went with the youth in our ward (an annual activity).
We had dinner downtown and then road Trax up to the temple.
We had about 40 people (think herding cats)....
Here are a couple of photos.

update on Chris

2011-12-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Chris went to the doc this morning. his blood is sufficiently thinned...
He will stay on this does of the blood thinner for a week and retest.
He is getting a little stronger everyday, is able to sleep laying down and can take a deep breath without too much pain or coughing. so the clots are dissolving.
All in all-
things are on the mend and all is well.
thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

things to be thankful for

2011-11-26T18:54:00.001-08:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday was uneventful. We stayed home and had invited people from the ward (without family near) to join us. In the end- Chris and I had the day to ourselves.
it was quiet and not much happened.
Last night (Friday) we had a not so uneventful evening.
Chris had complained of a pain in his side. When we went to bed he complained of his left shoulder and arm. His side and chest hurt still.
We went to the ER. After a thorough workup it turns out Chris has blood clots in both his lungs.
the good news is--- he did not have a heart attack! ;-)
We do not know why he got the clots.
He was admitted to the hospital overnight for observation. He is home now. He started blood thinners and will be on blood thinners for the next 9 months, at least.
We go back to the doctor for a follow-up on Monday.

finally a family photo

2011-11-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

after two years of trying to calendar a photo shoot for our family- without me in a wedding dress.... we found a time and person!
We had the kids and a neighbor who does photography took our family photo... in the back yard and garden area!
here is her blog/website check it out!
http://amberdphotography.com/
and yes mom--- i remember a 5x7 ;-)

busy weekend

2011-10-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

this weekend seemed to fly by--- there were so many projects and things to get done that it was almost a little overwhelming.
Chris got the kids late on Friday night... Lach is working at the grocery store and had to work that evening.
Saturday morning we got up early(ish). Chris and I worked on digging post holes to repair a part of the fence that was taken down years ago by one of the neighbors (who has since moved).
We took a break at about 8 am and got ready for family photos. A woman in our ward came over and spent about an hour taking photos of each of us and in groups. We used the back yard and some old rusty trucks in the neighbors yard as backdrops... I am super excited to see how they turn out. I have been wanting to get a family photo for a couple of years.
Then it was back to digging post holes. Chris rented an auger and that help! There is no way we could have dug 3 foot deep holes in the river-bed like conditions of the backyard without the auger.
Then in the afternoon we packed grandma and she moved to the Beehive house, an assisted living center here in town. It is only about 5 minutes from the house. we moved her bed, dresser, nightstands and chair over and her clothing and a few things for here from her bedroom here at the house.
Thus ended out Saturday.... very pooped!
This morning Chris and I got up and visited grandma to see how her night went. It was good. She has run into a couple of people that she knows- who are also residents.
After church this evening I went over. I brought her a few more things and chatted with her for about an hour and a half. She is in good spirits.
She has her own room with a private bath that is on its own thermostat regulation. It is HOT in her room and she is snug as a bug!
And that was out weekend--- I almost wish I could have another weekend to recover before going back to work in the morning ;-)

a new month

2011-10-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Low and behold a new month is upon us...
2 weekends ago Ais and I made apple-butter....
for the first time!
I do not think I have ever tasted it (and really would rather not try it)
but I have heard of it and we have a tree in the back 40 that produced little apples.
So Ais and I went out back and picked apples, pruned the tree. We peeled and cored the apples and made apple-butter in the crock pot. It took a LONG time but the crock pot did most of the work.
Chris said it was tasty and grandma likes it on toast with a little butter and then apple-butter.
I like cooking and and feeling like I am using things well.
Ais took some photos.

updates

2011-09-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow---
Every time I turn around and month has passed and I have not posted anything.
part of me likes to think it is because nothing happens in my life-- that is not really true.
I am LOVING teaching. I can't believe I get to be with these great students and chat and have good and challenging discussing about ethics in medical care (often applying to their lives in general). Truly- what a blessing in my life.
I am in the process of a tiara for my tooth- YIKES--
this really reinforces good oral hygiene!
I was in quite a bit of pain for 4-5 days (AKA- REALLY grumpy)
I called the dentist and he got me in the next day...
They did x-rays and then sent me to a specialist for an emergency root canal!
My anxiety level was sky high--- I cried in the car as I was driving myself to the appointment.
2.5 hours and only a few million tears later- Voila- no more pain
I get the permanent crown next week.... then no more dentist for 6 months! ;-)
Chris' brother got married on the 9th... it was so good to see his family all together especially for such a happy reason.
It brought so many memories of my own beautiful wedding. I can't believe it has been two years. At times it feels like a million and at times it feels like only a few months. I love being married to this great and dear man. he is my friend, my confidant, my counselor, and my nemesis when I am grumpy and he bears it all with grace and a good nature.
Thank you my love!

New flooring

2011-08-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Due to a slight mold infestation problem--- (is there such a thing?)

We have new flooring in part of the basement! -overlook the mess and clutter

We have tile (Fransican Slate porcelain tile) in the main walk areas and carpet in the bedroom.

The bathroom has the same tile- it called Coastal Azul

The family room and Chris' office are still orange shag.

you can see that the new carpet is a little lower pile than the shag!

But I LOVE IT!

a little tiara

2011-07-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sooo sad,
i broke a tooth on Saturday... I went to the dentist today.
long story short- i need a crown.
I have never had one before... the dentist was really nice and I talked with him that I didn't have insurance but would in a few months and what could we do to to get me through until we I could come back insured.
He filled it and i will be 'careful' until September when I can go back and get it fix for real!

where has time gone

2011-06-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

What can I say--- sorry for being a slacker.
tons has happened in the past few weeks,
Chris and I started teaching our research design class. I must admit I really like it, more than I thought I would. We have 29 students but 4 have dropped so we have 25 students.
It has been a learning curve for us and the students. I find I really like lecture and chatting but grading is not as much fun- not a big surprise.
Last weekend Autumn gave me a wonderful graduation celebration!
The cake was a lemon/blueberry masterpiece. And she gave me the recipe. Truly heaven! I can't wait to make it.
When we were getting ready, I had gotten grandma dressed and went down stairs to finish getting me ready and came up to see how grandma was. She was in the bathroom getting her makeup on. I could hear her cursing the makeup because it wasn't spreading well. I went in to see if I could help and smelled a strong nail polish scent. I asked grandma if I could help and she said that she had just finished and how did she look. I looked at the bottle in her hand and sure enough---pink nail polish (not foundation). I asked if that was the makeup she had put on and she said yes. So I told her it nail polish and we laughed, no wonder it was so hard it put on she said. ;-)
I got the polish remover and cleaned up her face, Washed it with soap and the put on real makeup. she looked lovely for the party.
Monday I got a wonderful letter in the mail (FedEx) that offered me a full time teaching job at BYU. YEAH!!! I am employed. Paid with money and benefits. It seems almost too good to be true.
Chris is in Denver this week at a class for stats. He loves that stuff. I miss him but he will be home Friday. Meanwhile it is just us chickens.

2 new fun things

2011-05-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well----
I have a greenhouse--- wait for it-----
with a door!!
the greenhouse is complete (for this season).
and #2
my new Kindle came today!
I have already downloaded the complete works of Jane Austin- thank you Aunt Betty!
I love, love, love it!

Party at Tiff's

2011-05-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a fabulous party- hosted by Tiff~
Thank you TIFF!
we all come home with varying levels of pinkness, it was warm and beautiful all day. The food was wonderful and the pillow hat cake was my favorite!
Spencer's favorite??? Bubbles!
Here are some photos.

I wonder where Dean got that expression...

Graduation

2011-05-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my graduation.

It was so fun to finally get to this point! I am now Doctor Janelle. ;-) It was a wonderful day and so nice to have my family surround me in this celebration. Here are a few photos.

Aislinn gave me some beautiful flowers and Chris gave me a gorgeous necklace. Kristin my chair gave me a fun t-shirt.

Pillow hat!

2011-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have had one goal in mind for the past 6 years .....

I WANT A PILLOW HAT!
(otherwise known as a tam)
Well folks... I have ordered one and it is on its way ;-)
It will be black with a gold bullion tassel (shorter and squattier than regular).
I was nominated to speak at graduation....
I submitted a speech and was not selected.
I was however nominated and chosen to receive the
"Outstanding doctoral student award"
cool-huh!
There will be 2 students recognized I think.

welcome Dr. Macintosh

2011-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
What a whirl wind the last week has been. Last Monday I deafened my dissertation. It was the most nerve wracking event of my life.
I was so nervous and panicky. I had a really hard time sleeping on Saturday night. I cried spontaneously Saturday and Sunday. I slept about 2 hours on Sunday night (not consecutively) then got up Monday morning and got ready.
Chris had gotten the kids on Sunday night so they could come and watch.
I left early and went to a meeting, to keep my mind occupied on something other than the defense. there were so many people there to support me it was wonderful!
My presentation was a little more than 30 minutes, followed by 60 ish minutes of questions.
The first few moments were rough as I was so nervous I was stammering. Then I found the groove and it went smoothly.
After all the questions, everyone was asked to leave the room while my committee chatted and decided if I should pass. Once we left the room I got a little teary, stress reliefe I guess. Then my chair came out and asked everyone but me to enter and take a seat. Then she went into the room and asked me to follow a few seconds later.
I walked into the room and Kristin said

"Please join me in welcoming Dr. Janelle Bassett Macintosh."

I cried, not even the pretty cry. a real cry.
How great! it didn't seem real but it was....
Dr. Janelle....
Dr. Janelle.....
nope still doesn't seem real....
but I will take it.
Then came some great news!
NO rewrites!
Yep my committee thought what I had done was excellent. I didn't need to add anything or revise anything. (this is mostly unheard of)
Today I interviewed for a full-time faculty position at BYU College of Nursing.
Wow I am a grown up (again)
feels good.

when 18 months equals a year ;-)

2011-03-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

After a short 18 months I have been released from the nursery!
It with very mixed emotion that I am leaving those little darlings.
I really have loved being part of their lives.
Never you fear--- I have been called to serve as the 1st councilor in the our ward's new young woman's presidency.
Yep- that means camp!--YIKES
Today was our first day and I loved it!
I am looking forward to adult lessons in Sunday school and getting to know more people in our ward.

since it has been a month

2011-03-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

I thought I would do an update.
last week I met with a couple of committee members and have some more writing and editing to do on my dissertation. I am on a tight deadline but will get it done.
last night was the junior prom for Lach. There is a little different tradition I will explain.

Junior prom is a community supported rite of passage! The tradition is for ALL the junior to be assigned a partner, based on height, for the promenade (walk) that presents each student. Then ALL the junior perform a choreographed dance (twice- so each side of the gym can see their child). Then there is a parent dance where the junior dances with their parent. Then the community is excused and the REAL dance begins. This is where the kids get to dance with the person they invited. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Here are photos:

When prom is a spectator sport!

The juniors enter through the golden star and are announced (assigned partner) .

They walk around the gym in a very organized and artful pattern.

There is a wonderful dance... for the spectators pleasure!

Then there is a very sweet boy who asked me to share this dance!
(I danced the first half of the song)

Lach and his real date

Lach and Ais- sweet and having fun

My two super cute boys!

Busy weekend and Lach's B-day

2011-02-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

So Lach's birthday was in January. He opted for cookies instead of cake.
Enjoy the fire--- yep there are 16 candles on that bad boy.

This weekend Ais got a new haircut (and color).

She also made this turtle in her welding class..... cool Huh!

The New Year and The Old One Too

2011-01-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

This new year is starting off with a bang.
I got my dissertation back from my editor and am working on the edits! Apparently I do not know how to properly use a comma. ;-)
I have started my new adjunct position at the University to the south! ;-)
I really love it there. They have been so supportive and I feel like they want me to succeed.(which is very empowering)
Ais and Chris and I had a great time in DC (the Christmas of the Kindle). Lach opted to stay home.

Here are some photos of the events while we were there.

I am heading on Monday to Denver to help mom. That will be fun as well!
All-in-all a good end to the old and a great beginning to the new year.

Saturday and firetrucks

2010-12-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a great day for Utah fans....
A sad day for BYU...
I was up on campus working in my office on my dissertation (shocker, I know) anyway....
I was listening to my Ipod all of a sudden I was aware of a weird rhythm was in the background, I didn't remember it being in the song before... I took out my earphones and sure enough....
the fire alarms was going off in the building.
I have parked in the basement under the building and leisurely gathered up my papers and saved what I had been working on and shut down my computer.
I went down to the basement parking and water was flowing out of one of the pipes.
I drove out and parked near the side entrance to the building and waited for the firemen. They were there in less than 10 minutes of the alarm going off.
Water was pouring out of from the second story over the side door.
I could smell a funky smell- not really smoke and yucky.
The fireman I talked with said a pipe burst and that there was water in the electrical.
I called the Dean, that I work for and passed on the news.
It turns out a pipe froze and burst leaving the first floor with about 4 inches of water.
Guess I was done for the day...
So I drove home and got to hear the last couple of minutes of the football game....
TOTALLY worth the fire- that wasn't!

The world changed

2010-11-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Last night while watching the news we learned that a family in our ward was in a car accident. They were traveling to visit family for the holiday and the father and a daughter were killed. The mother and other siblings are hospitalized.
Chris is very good friends with the father of this family. He was also the singing time leader for the primary. I can see his infectious smile when I close my eyes and hear the children singing as they watch him.
I feel for this family, their loss. How do you go on, or where do you go from such a tragic and difficult time?
My heart breaks to see Chris hurting. I wish I could hold him tight enough to make it all go away and have Stu come back. I want to turn the clock back and make everything the way it was.
The world is hazing, in a fog, to me today. I can feel the bright sun on my skin but its warmth does not penetrate to my heart. It too seems lost somewhere.

Favorite Places....

2010-11-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite stores is FINALLY coming to Utah!!!!

On the news tonight they announced the opening set for Nov 2011... at the fashion place mall....
AHHHHH ( long sigh)
I so look forward to the grand opening and countless hours of wandering....
(poor Chris)

14 months

2010-11-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today is gingerbread day...
That means it is the 5th of any given month. We try and celebrate our being together with something special, like grilled gingerbread. Today we had a couples retreat at a local Japanese Bath House and Spa. It was heaven... I may be a little noodley tonight.

It was Chris' first massage and I am happy to report he has seen the light and even said he would do that again... even without me ;-)
All in all- a happy gingerbread day!

Thank you Johnny

2010-11-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last night Chris was watching a show on the Bismark...and the use of radar.
He asked if I had heard of the ship...
I said "of course... " and started to sing "we gotta sink to the Bismark to the bottom of the sea"!!
He had never heard of the ship, nor the song.
So thank you Johnny for all my knowledge of history!
:-)

too long

2010-10-30T22:12:00.001-07:00

It has been a while....
I thought I would say it all in photos....
enjoy

Frustrating day

2010-09-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a bad day!
But this story really begins the day before... or maybe even a few days before that.
As many of you are aware I am planning a trip. I am going to fat camp/ dissertation camp. I am leaving on Tues and anticipate being gone 2-4 weeks.
In preparation I decided I needed new tired for Steve... actually the guy said-
"I wouldn't let my wife run around town on tires that bad"... so
The day before yesterday I went to Costco and bought 4 new tires. There wasn't much of a line and so I thought- great, perfect, I can still run up to school and get my other things done.
One giant hot dog, 2 glasses of Coke and 4 hours later.
I am on my way. By now I do not have time to go to school and still take dinner to a family in our ward. So I buzz to the store and get dinner ready for the family and then go home.
The next morning I was leaving the house ready to tackle the ever present dissertation, when....
I was about 3 houses away from home when something didn't seem right
I pulled over to the side of the road and
you guessed it....
a flat tire
I had driven less than 4 miles since getting the new tires!
I limped along back to the Costco and they said "WOW, lets get that fixed"...
Hopeful, I sat down with my school work on the plastic picnic benches
A slice of cheese pizza, 2 glasses of Coke and 4 MORE hours later...
I am off to school.
At that point what I really wanted to do was sit down and cry....
oh well... today is another day-
and we have symphony tickets for tonight!

Happy day

2010-09-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day!
As you are well aware..... it is our FIRST ANNIVERSARY!
It was a great day.
My adorable hubby gave me a dozen hot pink roses and i-tunes gift cards! Now if i could just get him to learn the words to the songs so we could sing together in the car ;-)
I gave him a gift certificate to amazon.com... going with the traditional "paper" gift. Oh how he loves to buy books and read them! (mostly text books)
church was good. We had 6 in our class today. A very easy day!
We came home to the tantalizing smells of roast. Actually we could smell it as we stood outside the door on the driveway!
After feeling a little too full I said--- " now I am ready for cake"...
Yep we saved the topper from the wedding cake and each had a large slice after dinner....
It was fresh and wonderful!
The flowers that were on the cake even look pretty good- much to my amazement!
Over all it was a glorious way to celebrate our first year....
We toasted with my favorite pear fake champagne ...
Here's to more years of joy!

it's been a while

2010-09-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

Well I was reading my emails and thought I haven't blogged for a while....
Today, one year ago I married the man of my dreams and a friend I cherish more than anything.
How lucky I am to be able to see him everyday and I still get to kiss him whenever I want!!!

My office at the college of nursing is a shared office. There are four spots. I have been the only one in the office the first few weeks of being in the building. Now I share my office with a friend. Her name is Jacquee. She has been great. Then to my surprise I got a new office mate--- Chris! Yeah. Lucky for my boss he is on the other side of a partition in the office.

Today, after a fun morning with my siblings Chris and I spent the afternoon chatting and laughing. We had planned to go to the zoo but this wilting flower could not take the heat!
We had tacos for dinner and even had tomatoes from the garden.
Tomorrow we are having roast and......
WEDDING CAKE!

All is well. I am still in so in love with my wonderful husband!!!

meeting with my chair

2010-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

I met with my dissertation chair this afternoon....
It seems I have done a really great but very superficial start to my analysis.

What this means is....

good job....

keep going!

The plan is for me to keep analysing and writing and get the next draft to her on Sept 10th. We will meet again the 16th (ish) and see where I am. I am still on target to defend before the end of this semester... ( I was hoping Oct/Nov) most likely Nov/Dec. ALMOST THERE...

My new mantra-

Stay on target...

green house

2010-08-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

We have been working on the greenhouse and here is the update. We have one pepper getting ready for picking and we ate our first tomato this evening.....
WOW!
it was TINY, but tasty!

One more good thing...

2010-07-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was at the grocery store this morning on my way into my office and found a treat-of-all-treats

DO these look familiar???

Look again----

NO more waiting for March for yuumy Girl Scout cookies!!!

Happy Birthday to my love

2010-07-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Chris' birthday.
We were in the car for most of the day and got home about 7:30-8 pm.
Hence- not really a birthday celebration...
tonight---- I am making a Margarita Cake and we will celebrate...

We already have our birthday presents---
We got a Nikon D90--- hence all the great photos as of late
and...
we got a 18 volt power drill...
Needless to say we both are very happy with BOTH gifts.

Happy birthday my love!

a good time had by all

2010-07-19T09:22:00.001-07:00

Chris and I spent this past weekend at my Grandparents farm in Idaho....
It is a rural and wonderful spot where I, and my siblings and parents , spent a couple of weeks every summer while growing up.I wanted to get an early start as it is about 9 hours to my grandparents... from here. I wanted to leave about 6 (OUCH!!!) a.m.! But we really didn't get on the road until 6:30... pretty good for me ;-)We drove to the juniper tree rest area and got out and walked around, then switched drivers... I drove to Boise and we stopped and spent an hour and a half or so with Aunt Betty... she is doing well and gave us a lovely glass chip and dip plate with calla lilies etched on the back. I am planning on using it for the BBQ this weekend.

Then we were off to Indian Valley... I continued to drive as I knew the way and it was fun to point places out to Chris as we drove and he was free to look around... the Frontier Motel, Grandpa George's house etc.
Then we drove up the long dusty road and just as always... grandma met us at the bridge.
How wonderful to see her... with a little love in my eye I introduced the love of my life to my grandparents and the magical land that is the farm.We walked around that evening, after the long sit in the car it was nice to just move a little... here are some photos ( WARNING- Many of these photos do NOT have people in them)

We had dinner and chatted a ton.

(Even the cat got to say something)

Saturday we got up- me last of all- Chris went for a run and we had breakfast on the front lawn... we watched the humming birds and butterflies and chatted some more.

Chris and I made Chinese food for a late lunch-
that evening Chris and I went to the river... it was so beautiful.

Chris came back with about 20 mosquito bites per leg and I only have 2! ( :-0 poor Chris)

Sunday morning we went to church and headed home...
It was a wonderful trip.

4th celebration

2010-07-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

We were sooo very fortunate to have my family in town this past weekend to celebrate.
We celebrated Tiff's birthday (and the nation's as well)!
A good time was had by all.
We had burgers and dogs on the grill, all the sides. Karla made a fantastic strawberry cake with homemade ice cream and of course there were fireworks. It was a great time for me to play with the new toy (Chris and I are getting for our birthdays- we opened it early ;-)

Ais' room

2010-07-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Ais' room- so far!
I love it!!!
I think it looks so great. She has done a wonderful job of picking colors that are soft and feminine as well as some bold edgy accents that seem to be organic as well...
what ever it is--- it looks great!

Houston- we have tomatoes!

2010-06-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is our garden plot that the kids and I have been working on

I went out to water our little tomato plants that I have lovingly nursed and guarded all spring.
and lo and behold- we have 7 little tomatoes on the cherry tomato plant.
The other plant is blooming but I am afraid that the last transplant may have done him in...
alas-anyway (mom would be proud) the tomato blogs (AKA letters) can now commence from our home!

Stanley- our guardian

2010-06-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

While at Costco- (I was flying...)
Chris and I found a little bit of cuteness.
His name is Stanley- and Chris got him for me.He proudly stands tall, guarding our one and as yet only pepper~!

good food

2010-06-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was busy- as it always is when we have the kids...
there are just so many things I like to do with them and so little time.
So Friday for dinner we decided to have pizza.... on the grill.
Chris has a couple of pizza screens and we (Lach) fired up the grill and made the pizza dough (thanks Sassy!) and we each made our own pizza...
It was so yummy and easy....
there was a tiny learning curve for how hot to make the coals and the first pizza was done---maybe even a little over done but still really good.
We got that nice smoky goodness like from a brick oven and they cooked in about 5 minutes over a 4-5 second fire.
We will definitely be doing that again!

My first baby

2010-05-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have many babies.
This particular baby is small and green and blooms....
we have our first pepper! I planted yellow, red and orange bell peppers a month or so ago. ( you may recall the greenhouse blog).
All is going well. We have a wee pepper!
The tomatoes are blooming- but we did get about 2" of snow this morning but it will be 80 by Wed... so I hope they make it.

Slave labor

2010-05-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend has been really busy for our household.
Chris went and got the kids on Friday. It is so wonderful to have them want to come down and spend extra time with us.
Saturday morning we began the really big fruit basket upset....
Let me explain---no let me sum up ;-)
we moved Lach's bedroom upstairs where the dinning room was so he could have a room of his own (instead of sharing a bit of the family room-separated by a curtain). We moved the family room to extend to where Lach's room was and moved the furniture that was in the dinning room to the furnace room and placed some at the landing. We bought and assembled 2 new bookcases that will shortly be filled as well.
All this was done in a little over 3 hours--- that's right folks- teenagers make great slave labor! (when they want to)

Then Ais and I went to Then Ais and I went to Home Depot and got paint and supplies. We will paint her room next weekend and I am building a shelf for the laundry room. ( I think I need a teenager to get a job at Home Depot- for the discount)

A treat and a RUDE awakening

2010-05-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I was able to treat myself to a massage.
For a bridal shower gift I received a gift certificated to a massage spa in town. I was so excited. as this is one of my favorite treats. I Love a pedi or a full body massage! And now lo-and-behold.. 8 months have passed and I still had not used my gift. So Friday I carved out a little bit of 'me-time'. It was so lovely.
I walked into the spa (a Japanese bath themed establishment). The light was dim, soothing music played overhead... I could feel myself relax just standing there. I put on my spa slippers and waffle weave robe. I sat in the meditation room sipping lemon-cucumber water. Then Jason, my massage therapist, came. He led me to the treatment room. I lay on the table face down and he worked on my back, my neck, my shoulders he rubbed my hair and head- HEAVEN! he worked on my legs and feet. Then I turned over onto my back. He spent a ton more time on my shoulders and neck. he moved to my legs and feet again...warmth radiated from the table on which I was laying, hot towels were placed under my neck and on my feet..... AHHHHHHHH
Then....
Someone woke me up--with a very loud snore!
HEE HEE
I think it was me!
Oh well, the nap was great and I was totally relaxed.
I sat in the steam room for a few minutes after the massage....
Can i move into the spa???

Dissertation update

2010-05-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

I met with my Chair last week and we have decided that I will no longer be writing my dissertation in the 3 article format. I have decided to go back to the traditional format of multiple chapters.
There was a little concern from my committee that I had so much data that I would not be able to do a thorough enough analysis using the other format. Although this means a little more work up front for me and no publishable articles when I finish. I believe that I will be benefit by doing better work and a more complete analysis. (do you believe me yet???)
I am actually excited. I am still on track to defend sometime this fall (I am thinking October). In order for me to have my writing on track as well I have set up a time table for myself. I will be writing in the neighborhood of 5 chapters. Each will be about 40 pages long. I have just at 4 months to have this written and to my committee for their approval to defend in the middle of October. That means that I need to write and turn in one chapter ever 3 weeks for my chair to proof and make suggestions. I will be editing as I am writing the next chapter!
So---40 pages ever 3 weeks...I can do this!
Hey Spence writes more than this in an hour! ;-)
Wish me luck to a speedy defense and to the glories of the pillow hat!

don't want to do homework

2010-04-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I want to plant a garden...

WOW what a ton of work!

We do not have any area that would work for a garden plot. So I have commandeered some little but of dirt between the window wells in the back yard.

I put my babies in the ground about a week or so ago.

This week true to form we have freezing weather and snow and windy yuckiness.

So today- i chose to avoid homework and build my little green ones a pseudo green house/frost cover. I measured and ran to Home Depot.

I hammered and then went to put it up- only to discover that I had forgotten to allow for the window sill that juts out on one side...

More than slightly disgruntled I pulled out the side that was wrong- which left the whole structure unstable and it fell apart.

I went down stairs and informed Chris I was in need of sympathy.

I then went back to Home Depot for supports and more nails.

I had it all ready to go and had started hammering again when my darling sweetie came up to help....

only an hour (ish) later- Whaa Laa!

I hope those plants know how much work had gone into saving them-

They had better give at least one fruit! ;-)

Before

And .........with the new cover

Arizona

2010-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

As many of you are aware.... Chris and I went to Glendale in April for a nursing research conference. It was great fun and I was able to chat with many people and there was a great exchange of ideas etc.

While we were there we met up with one of Chris' friends from high school.

Here are some photos

This was the view from the balcony in our room

memorable

2010-04-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

At the conference this afternoon I ran into one of my teachers from Virgina!!!
I was so surprised and excited to see her.
She is a wonderful teacher.
I introduced myself and she said
"Oh I remember you"
I was so flattered---- How nice to think that I am memorable
then she said
" you went to Hawaii for spring break and got a really really bad sunburn"
Oh well----
At least I made in impression ;-)

1st morning of the conference

2010-04-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke to Chris gently saying
"sweetie- it's7:08, breakfast goes from 7 to 8. Are you getting up for breakfast?"
I reply
"breakfast???!"
I think
"have you ever met me?"
Knowing that the first speaker will be at 8 I slowly roll out of bed- groggy and fuzzy.
I get in the shower and begin to get ready. I was in a little bit of a rush to get ready at the end.
I run into the room from the bathroom and tell Chris
"let me get my shoes and I will be ready to go"
I grab my bag, find my shoes and unplug my phone.
I look and see
6:45---
I say
"ummm honey...... it is 6:45"
With a sheepish grin I hear him say
"ohhh yeah, I forgot to change my watch"
Well...
At least we made it to breakfast- (totally NOT worth it)
;-)

first sun burn of the season????

2010-03-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

It has been sooo lovely here the past few days.
On Wed I met some fellow students for lunch, it was almost 60 and a touch cloudy but mostly sunny and so we decided to sit outside on the porch and have lunch and enjoy the sun. I was the only one wearing sunglasses and so I sat facing the sun as we chatted and ate.
A little while later.... after a charming and delightful outing... I was sitting at my office and thought I was having a hot flash... it was sooooo warm.
I asked one of the other ladies if she thought it was too warm in the room and she said- it looks like you got a little sun, it must be that.
My Lilly pasty self thought- sure
The next morning Chris tells me WOW you've got a lobster thing going on.
I look in the mirror and feel the tightness of the skin on my forehead and sure enough full on burn... and of course my ultra-thick hair did nothing to save my scalp from the burn as well.
I informed Chris- don't worry, I will peel and be white again in no time.
Yesterday morning he leans over to kiss me good morning and says- WOW you really do peel, don't you.... is this a compliment? ;-)

6 months

2010-03-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

WOW- can you believe that Chris and I have been married for 6 months!

It has gone by fast....

I was talking with Grandma (Anderson) and we were laughing how in the 3 months that we were waiting to get married a week seemed like a month and time was slow and relentless.

Now poof 6 months have passed.

To celebrate this weekend we, Chris and the kids and myself, had fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner last night. Then we all 4 went bowling. We are not going to be representing anyone in a tournament- EVER! Still I had fun as did Chris, the kids not as much fun but they liked it "some". Then we came home from bowling and had grilled gingerbread.

This morning Chris and I were talking about the need for bowling to recognize and reward the efforts of bowlers (me) who get split after split and are not able to hit either pin standing--- there should be some sort of a reward in points for getting a split in the first place ;-)

oh well--

We will just have to go again. The good news is- it is black light bowling after 10 pm!

a new us

2010-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

It has happened (again)....

My skinny pants are not just a little tight, they are what my mom would call 'indecent'.

My fat pants are even a little less comfy than I would like... (sigh)

That being said...

Here is the newest acquisition to the M. household... Here is my super cute Mr.

I got on and was winded (aka- sucking air-bad) after 5 min. Now I do three 5 min sessions a day. I feel a little like jello legs after but hope to work upto at least moderately "in shape" in the not too distant future.

Too long

2010-02-25T22:52:00.000-08:00

It has been over a month since I blogged-
SORRY!
For Valentines Day my amazing and really cute and smart hubby gave me jewelry!
How could he go wrong--- I mean really!?
Anyway I got a really beautiful set of earrings and necklace made from silver and 'Roman glass'. What is Roman glass you ask...
well, let me tell you...
Roman class is a sea green, light blue colored class that is recovered from an archaeological dig in Israel. Beautiful and with a story... I love him more every day!

New photo

2010-01-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Chris was selected as the poster student for the College of Nursing PhD program.
They are doing a write up about him in the CON newsletter and in a profile being sent out to potential donors....

He is so cute!

So now the real question....

SAINTS or COLTS----

what a delema! I like both teams---

Dinner and the opera

2010-01-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

Hen and I are sharing season tickets to the Symphony and Opera.

Tonight was Carmen!- Because they had seen it fairly recently Hen and Dave let Chris and I have tickets to this show.

It was amazing. The music- wow- I was dancing in my seat. ( as was the lady in front of me). The costumes were superb.The talent was wonderful. Carmen was great, Micheala was amazing and Escamillo was marvelous.

It may have been a little long for Chris but being the adoring and wonderful man he is when I asked how he thought he said " I can appreciate all the work and the talent".

Before the show we went to Martine's!! ( this is the place we went the night he proposed). It is a Tapas restaurant and so we tried several things.

We had a salad with three kinds of wheat- pretty good

Butternut Squash and pear soup- DIVINE!!!!!

pheasant- so good

Moroccan braised beef- spices like cinnamon and cardamom with a little kick at the end

white asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

and ...

grilled gingerbread

all and all it was a perfect night with a perfect date.

I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Avatar

2010-01-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Friday night Chris and I went to the movies.

I LOVE going to the movies and had wanted to see Avatar.

(Chris and the kids saw it over the Christmas break).

Anyway---we went to see it in 3D on Friday...

long story -short

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!

I loved the story (a little heavy handed in save the planet) the graphics were amazing. I really cared about all the characters and even really hated the bad guy.

You should really go see it if you can

Big screen is better than at home for this one.

Almost a new bed

2010-01-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

Chris and I been sleeping on a bed that at one time belonged to his uncle.
This bed is NOT a new and super comfy bed but rather a big bed where every night you can hear a spring creek and pop while you pray that it is not flying into your thigh. hip or back. There have been no causalities thus far I am pleased to report.
Last night Chris and I were at Costco and bought a 3" memory foam topper for the bed.
2- things
It was a little like sleeping in a room that was freshly painted last night.
It is significantly warmer than just the mattress.
OK 3- things...
It is divine to sleep on. It is so comfy and soft and yet somehow supportive....
Over all....
I love it!

Fun Web site

2010-01-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

We went to a Christmas party this year where the hostess had made a word search with Christmas words and the names of our family members hidden within.
She just sent me the link....
enjoy...
this was a great way to spend some time.

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/search/

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

I have officially turned into a fuddy-duddy!
Last night we stayed up until midnight to watch the ball drop from time square.
I got to kiss my sweetie and we (the kids and Chris and I) had a glass of sparkling goodness and at about 12:10 I brushed my teeth and went to bed.
It was a wonderful night but somehow I remember midnight taking longer and staying up later.
We have started a New Years tradition however, Chris and Lach made super yummy crepes!
We will definitely be doing that again.
I made buttermilk syrup (aka warm cream cheese frosting- also fantastic on french toast btw). We all had so much fun.
We got a crepe pan for a wedding gift and yesterday Lach said " wow--- we got lots of great stuff at the wedding didn't we".
Yes, my boy, we did. Including each other for eternity.
May your Year be filled with love and may you be granted your hearts desires.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I got together with my siblings and their families.

We had a nice time eating Nachos and opening presents.

Since mom and dad were not able to be here in person they SYKPEd in.

Dad read The Night Before Christmas and we attempted to sing- not pretty! Then presents were opened by all.

Chris and I came home and opened presents together... our first Christmas.

Then this morning Chris went and got the kids.

They opened their gifts from us this morning.

All around a glorious day.

We are off to celebrate with Chris' family this afternoon then I am off to the hospital to work.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Back in the saddle

2009-12-24T02:36:00.000-08:00

The life of a student is such an interesting animal.
I have been getting up at a fairly decent hour-- say 9 ish.
Then I spend a little bit of time getting myself and the house ready.
I usually mosey up to my office to work for the rest of the day and evening.
I have been getting home anytime between 8 and 1am that last few days.
Well tonight I am working in the NBICU. A night shift... 7 pm to 7am.
It has been a little rough tonight. I am tired and have come to the conclusion that I do not really like this feeling.
Oh well.... I am on tonight and Friday night as well.
I might feel a little saddle sore by Sat morning then I will not be working in the hospital again for a while.

Dinner

2009-12-17T12:28:00.000-08:00

IN honor of San's birthday I am posting our Mustard Glaze recipe.
(we are having it for dinner tonight).

Mustard Glaze
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
5 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp molasses

Mix all together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes to reduce.

I use it as a marinade or as a glaze while cooking.
This will cover 1.5-2 pounds of meat. ( I like chicken or pork)

I have used it in the oven as a glaze or in the crock pot (3-4 hours on high, 6-8 hours on low)
I also like to make a second recipe of the glaze just before we eat to serve on the table.

Enjoy----
Happy Birthday San!!

Birthday wishes

2009-12-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

It is a busy time of year in the Macintosh house.

This was the last week of classes- finals begin on Monday.

Chris is busy writing papers, and prepping his students for their stats final!

It is also a time of celebration.

Dad and Hen- Happy birthday

Last Sunday was Chris' sister's birthday and yesterday was Grandma Anderson's b-day.

Tonight we celebrated grandma's birthday (Bassett style).

Grandma choose the meal and cake/pie.

Grandma wanted lasagna and pumpkin pie.

Ais made the lasagna (supervised by Chris- in the basement) while I was at the hospital teaching a class. It was fantastic. The pie was courtesy of Wal-mart and also tasty.

Here are some photos to enjoy. We got grandma a touch lamp for her nightstand.

Make a wish......

It is VERY important to have the correct pie to whipped cream ratio! Thanks Lach for making sure we got the right amount.

gingerbread

2009-12-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

As you are aware it is the 5th......

Gingerbread Day in our house!

As a special treat Chris (the morning person) makes breakfast on Saturdays. This morning I was awoken by Lachlan saying "come on get up.... Dad is making gingerbread waffles" I asked if they were waiting for me and Lach said " no... but i am sure dad will make is wait for you---so hurry up". Ahhhh the true love of a teenager! ;-)

Anyway so I make it upstairs with bedhead and lo and behold there was the table set with super yummy gingerbread waffles....

We will have to add this to the gingerbread celebrations every month.

sick day

2009-12-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

It has happened....

I got my SECOND cold of the season. Usually I only get one cold a year...

I think it is the nursery!

Whom ever the culprit...

I have spent today in my room. It has been mostly a haze of tissue and hot Tang..

A big thank you to the person who gave us the electric tea kettle for our wedding... it was given a run for its money and I didn't even have to get out of bed. That's real love!

I am feeling a little better and only want my head to explode every once in a while now instead of every moment.

I have been listening to Run (by Snow Patrol) it is my newest favorite song.

my wonderful hubby

2009-11-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

This morning I was in a bit of a rush....
As I am every morning I need to be somewhere before say---11 ;-)
I was heading to the clinic this morning and then had an interview for my dissertation research then was meeting my sisters for a little vampire (which turned out to be werewolf) loving then back to my office to work on my articles for my dissertation. Not a really busy day but full until the early evening.
I got out of the shower and was blow drying my hair when my sweet hubby comes into the bedroom with a toasted english muffin... for me! Then he said "what are you doing for lunch today"? I told him I wasn't doing lunch, my schedule didn't allow for that.
When I came upstairs he had a lunch all packed for me....
A baggie of carrots and snap peas...a baggies of grapes... a string cheese... a mini baggie of peanut M&Ms and a HOHO! All food that could be eaten in the car between appointments....
I hit the mother load with this guy...
How did I get to be so blessed?

double duty

2009-11-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today Chris and I spoke in church.
I should say we were the meeting... yep --
NO youth speaker to kill 30 seconds, there was a rest hymn.
Somehow I was able to fill all the time I had allotted myself and a little more. ;-)
Lucky Chris -he was the accordion speaker.
Then I also got to teach the lesson in nursery. I love those little 2 year olds. They are so fun and have sooooo much energy. I will need to alter my teaching style a little to be more engaging to them but I am loving it.
We had a great weekend with the kids and even had a bit of snow.

Our first flood

2009-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Last night I walked over to the clothes hamper to put my shirt in the dirty clothes.

I was bare foot- and the floor felt a little damp.

I asked Chris- who was wearing shoes if he thought the floor was wet.

As he walked over the carpet I could hear the squishing sound of water in carpet and padding. I was kneeling by that time and was eye level with the front loader washer---

It was filled with water with a little stream of water was running down the front...

Chris turned off the water. I went into the bathroom (on the other side of the wall from the washer and dryer) and the rugs were really wet.

I put the rugs in the dryer and laid towels down on the floor. We waited a bit and it seemed the water had stopped running.

Then we went to bed.

This morning Chris got up to check to see if more water had accumulated...

No more water but the carpet was still really wet. Chris pulled the carpet back and tossed out the padding and carpet. Thank heaven for the shag- it holds A LOT of water.

We now have a lovely view of the cement in front of the washer and dryer....

I am thinking....

a TILE party---

Hen?????

You will all be pleased to know that we have thus far survived out first flood.

Biggest TV in my life

2009-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yes folks...

We have inherited the biggest TV I have ever had in my life... (thanks Hen)

It literally fills the space.

Looking at the photo I had not realized before how college-esk our living space really is.

2 things

2009-10-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

First....

We had a great weekend carving pumpkins with the kids.

Unfortunately Ais' pumpkin met an early and somewhat tragic end.

Here are some photos...

Second....

Last week my records were read into my new ward where I was introduced as Chris' wife-Janelle (no need for a last name). You gotta love a small ward ;-)

So this week one of the bishopric members came up to us after sacrament meeting and asked if he could talk with both of us. Short story---I am the new nursery leader, for the senior nursery.

one month and counting

2009-10-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

One month and one day ago I got to marry my sweetie!
Last night in celebration we had sparkling pear stuff (to drink in our fancy glasses) with dinner and I made gingerbread.
For the gingerbread I made one loaf and then after we had swedged a little from dinner Chris grilled it (butter on each side and fried like grilled cheese). He then served me up a lovely slice with vanilla bean ice cream and all drizzled with caramel ice cream topping!!!
I am making out like a bandit with this most amazing man!
It was a nice anniversary.
I am so lucky to be married to the love of my life.

Fall

2009-09-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year has finally come!!!

I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE the fall.

I love the crispness of the air, the hint and promise of cold mornings and warm afternoons, cuddling in a warm blanket in a cold room before braving the morning to get up and ready. There seems to be a festive song in the breeze that calls to my soul.

I love carving pumpkins and the thought of candy and children in costume, over eating as we give thanks for our plenty, and then Christmas just around the corner.

This morning I woke to the delicious breathe of snow in the air.

It was raining at our house but over the mountains hung a mist of cold and white hope.

When the mist began to clear there was a distinct line where snow had fallen higher in the mountains... it will not be long now, until the valley is shrouded in white as well.

The only down side to this is the now hour communte that I have to my office and the clinic.

Remind me if I ever say this....

2009-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was a little ambitious and wanted to paint the bathroom.
We live in a what is lovingly called "the Pit". It is a wonderful basement apartment. It does have all that one would think a basement apt in a house build in the 50's would have...
tiny windows
orange SHAG carpet
dark wood panelling
terrible lighting
etc...
anyway,
I painted the bedroom (with help from the kids) and it was easy soooo...
naturally the bathroom needs some sprucing.
By the end of Friday night I had been painting non-stop for about 10 hours
IT IS NOT THAT BIG OF A BATHROOM- i promise.
I did not take into account all the little things to paint around and the time that would be sucked up in trying to paint around the fixtures-
Note to self (and Chris) ---
if I ever say I want to paint again--- remind me of the bathroom project!

10 glorious days later

2009-09-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

Chris and I have been married for 10 days!

It is so wonderful. I can't believe that I get to be with this most amazing man forever. Here are some photos from the temple and reception.

My husband is...

2009-09-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

A MORNING PERSON!!!!!
and I don't just mean he is chipper. OH NO--- he gets up on purpose at 5 EVERY morning.
I on the other hand like to begin the stirring process to wakfulness at about 9.
Take this morning he gets up and goes for his walk, had read his scriptures, ate breakfast and is working on the class that he is a TA for. I had to set the alarm so I would get up in time to get ready and rush out the door (grabbing a handful of peanut M&Ms for breakfast) to be to the clinic on time.
It is a mighty good thing that I am so in love with him.
He really is perfect for me (minus the morning thing)! I am so blessed and lucky to have such an amazing man in my life.
I will post photos from the wedding soon.

moving day

2009-08-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today I am packing up my stuff from the bedroom that I have been renting for the past few months and am moving into Karla's house until the wedding.... only 8 days to go!
It is amazing how stuff seems to grow. I swear I only had two suitcases worth of stuff when I got here and now I have two car loads of junk to move.
How is it possible that I have that much stuff?

single digits

2009-08-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

We are well into the single digits until the wedding....
WOW!
I can't wait to be Mrs. Chris Macintosh!
He is such a hottie!
He is so sweet and kind and good and did I mention he is a HOTTIE!

all signs point to...

2009-08-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me the cutest email today.

In it he states that all signs point to a good and happy marriage for Chris and I and then included the following:

I thought this was super cute and really a sweet thing.
I also laughed out loud.
Chris laughed as well and said- " I really like your friend".
Well with Bernie, what is not to like.

a princess

2009-08-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Tiffani came down and helped me while I had my Bridal Photos taken.
The dress is somewhat time consuming to get into and I definitely need help. the laced corset in the back is stunning and not for the faint of heart to lace and tighten!
Anyway...we drove to my photographers house and I got dressed. The we went to her neighbors house to use as the backdrop for outdoor photos. As we were in the yard the family came home. They have a little girl who is about 3. She said "look mom, there is a princess". I couldn't help but smile.
After shooting in the yard we drove a little way to a wheat field and took some more photos. The field is near a somewhat busy road. I got honks and whistles galore while we were taking more photos. I must admit that I had a fun time and felt really pretty during the whole photo shoot.
Thank you Chris for making me do bridals... I really liked it.
Bridal photos will not be posted (needless to say) until after the wedding.
I want the first time Chris sees me in the dress to be on Sept 5th.

2009-08-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

There is a little pyro in all of us... In some of us there is more than a little.

I fall into the latter category!

While Chris and the kids were gone I went to one of our local discount stores and bought a portable fire pit! Lach (who may one day be my rival for family pyro) was thrilled.

Saturday night I drove down the Grandma's house after teaching a class at the hospital to find that Lach had opened the box and put the fire pit together, not only was the fire pit up and on a safe part of the patio but there were chairs arranged in a little circle and a small stack of firewood! We roasted hot dogs for dinner. It was a glorious evening.

Monday night Ais and I went shopping for school cloths... when we got home to Grandma's house low and behold the pile of firewood had not only been replenished but substantially added upon. Now a small side table had joined the chairs and there was an ample supply of marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers!!! My family rocks!

Several gooey mouthfuls later I was in heaven.

My sweetie

2009-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Chris and the kids left yesterday for a week long trip to Oregon.

Chris has a sister that lives in the wine-country a little outside of Portland.

Chris and the kids drove from his house to Boise yesterday and then on to his sisters house today.

One of the great things about my sweetie is that he is super romantic.

On the way out of town he and the kids stopped by my house and took me to lunch before they said goodbye. (we also switched cars and Steve has AC and Rosie does not)

Well Chris walked up to the house with a huge bouquet of roses for me. He said "these should last until at least the middle of next week so you can think of me when ever you see them."

What a fantastic guy I have.

Lach has been texting me off and on during the whole trip to keep me up to date on where they are and also to act as scribe so Chris can tell me he loves me. I have such a great family.

Here is a photo of my sweetie just before they left.

Busy weekend

2009-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

This past weekend seemed like a non-stop list of things to do and people to see.

Friday night was Chris' 20 year high school reunion---That is right I wrote 20!!!

Man that makes me feel old!

It was nice to meet some of his old friends.

Saturday was the family day at the pool of one of the communities near the high school.

Sunday we met with his bishop and stake pres and my bishopric member and stake pres.

Then in the evening there was a more intimate gathering of the closest friends that Chris hung out with during his high school years.

It was wonderful to get to meet them and listen to them reminisce and talk about the good old days and the people they knew. It was fun for Chris to catch up with this really great group of friends.

Here is a photo of the gang now (with their significant others).

One of the best things I have seen in my life was a video that Chris and John and a couple of the girls made LATE one evening about dating fax paux. Wow, Chris was a hottie even at 17, with baggy cut off sweat pants and a t-shirt with duck tape holding a hole together on the front!

Ahhh the fashion sense of a teenage boy!

Now he is a little bit of a cloths horse- I will never complain as long duck tape remains absent from his clothing repertoire! ;-)

photos

2009-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

I got back late last night from my adventures in North Carolina...

The best part was seeing Chris waiting for me... I could have run to the car and just hugged and kisses him to death at that very minute.

While I was away he was a busy guy with classes. He aslo picked up the CD that has our engagment photos on them.

Here is one---as a teaser.

North Carolina

2009-07-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well I made it to NC safely last night.
It is really nice to be back east where it is green and humid and lovely.
I am at a class for this week and am really loving it so far.
There is soooo much for me to learn.
I am leaning about the type of analysis I hope to be using for my dissertation.
So far I have learned that I have have a lot to learn!
;-)
The hotel that I am staying in is really nice.
I am loving having someone come in and turn down the bed for me.
There is a lovely robe and a big tub.....
Maybe I can talk Chris into moving into this hotel???

ooops

2009-07-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

I forgot to attach the photos of the ring ;-)

Silly me.

Birthday

2009-07-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a wonderful birthday.
I got to sleep in a little and then I met Chris for lunch.
He is such a wonderful fiance! He gave me a beautiful pearl ring.
It is a flat pearl with a beautiful silver swirl. I love it. I wear it on my right had so the photo will be fuzzy as I am soooo right handed it was hard to take a photo. ;-)
Chris drove me down to AF.
We made dinner, the four of us. We had fried chicken and mashed potatoes, broccoli and watermelon. It was really good and we had such a fun time all four of us in the tiny kitchen cooking together.
We ate in the basement as it was over 100 yesterday and very warm. We watched a chick flick- of my choosing- and then went upstairs. I opened presents and had the most yummy cake that Chris had made from scratch that morning and Lach made the frosting and decorated.
One tiny piece of humor- there was such a bonfire of candles on the cake that the frosting actually began to melt on the cake! Now I know I am getting old, when the heat from the candles melts the cake :-).
Photos of the cake are on Chris' camera so I will need to post them later.
It was a glorious birthday. I feel so blessed to have so many family and friends love me.

Family Event

2009-07-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Chris and I were with the kids and we were going over our schedules for the upcoming week. Monday- look at engagement photos, Tuesday- cake tasting and a gown fitting for me...etc.
About 2 seconds after Tuesdays plans were said out loud Lach asks

"Cake tasting----is that a family event?"

Needless to say 4 of us showed up at the cake lady's house today and tried cake.

It was really good and we now have a cake for the reception.

busy weekend

2009-07-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

This past couple of days have been busy.

Friday Chris picked up the kids and has started the month that they will stay with him.

I met up with them for lunch of Friday then Ais and I went and she got a hair makeover.

She is such a beautiful girl and her hair is so pretty,

here are before and after shots.

Saturday was Chris' birthday. We BBQd steaks and zucchini and also did some corn on the cob on the grill.... it was super yummy. We had an ice cream cake later that evening. Yes he was able to light ALL those candles with only one match (and the help of a candle). I guess his wish will come true.

photo session

2009-07-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last night Chris and I met with our photog for our engagement photos.
We went to a park in the city and had a ton of fun.
Our photog is so easy to work with and does such a great job. I am really excited to see how they turn out. We are meeting with her next week to go over the photos and pick what we want her to touch up.
One really cool and unexpected thing was that while we were at the park there was a little family there that was having family home evening and were singing a primary song-in Portuguese!
We were taking photos close to where they were and we started talking. They are from Fortaleza Brazil and are friends with my mission President. They told me that his oldest son is living in Provo and is married with 2 children. (The son turned 12 when I was coming into the mission home and I got to see him ordained!) Boy do I feel my age.
Anyway it was wonderful to talk with them and I had a great day.

A sparkley of my very own

2009-07-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today I got my diamond ring.

It is the most beautiful ring on the planet... I am in love with it.
I am having trouble getting a good photo but here you go...
It is the most sparkely, beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I am sooo in love with Chris and so lucky that I get to marry him.

Temple open house

2009-06-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today Chris picked up the kids and came to Salt Lake. The four of us drove over to Karla's house. Karla and Dave and Chris and the kids and myself all went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. This is the temple where Chris and I will be married on Sept 5th. It was a great chance for us all to walk through the temple and for the kids to see the sealing room where we will be married.

It is a beautiful temple. The most beautiful part is that I will be sealed to Chris for eternity. I am soo excited to be married to this most amazing man.

After the open house we drove back to Karla's. She graciously took a photo of Chris and me with the kids.

So here we are.

Chris, Janelle, Lachlan (14) and Aislinn (13)

moving along

2009-06-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Wedding stuff is by far more interesting and fun than studying for tests, writing papers and working on school stuff- hence I have gotten a ton done this week to prepare for the wedding, and not much done but the minimum for school.
We have a venue for the reception, a photographer, someone who will do my flowers and today I bought a wedding dress.
It is sooooo amazing. I can't believe I got it.
Karla and I had lunch and then my afternoon freed up and we were going to kill a couple of hours doing some recon on dresses for the fun of it.... the third dress I tried on was the one!
I feel so pretty and elegant... (in the good way) ;-)
Things are coming together so nicely.
I am soooooo very happy. I can't believe I get to marry Chris. He makes me so happy.

photos

2009-06-05T23:02:00.001-07:00

flowers and ring

Best Day EVER!!!

2009-06-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today had been the best day of my life-thus far.
What makes today so wonderful you may ask
Chris asked me to marry him today!!!
I of course am please and honored to accept him.

He asked me if we could have a date tonight and so I got cute.
He showed up about 20 min early and had to wait while I finished getting cutified!
Bless his heart.
He brought me 2 dozen beautiful roses.
We went to an art gallery downtown and walked around and talked about the art and what we liked and didn't like and why. I think we spent between and hour and 1 1/2 hours just walking around and talking.
Then he took me to a wonderful little out of the way Tapas restaurant where we had great food and an intimate atmosphere. For desert we had grilled ginger cake and vanilla bean gelato! I was so full but kept eating and loved it all.
Then we went for a walk downtown and ended up at the SLC temple grounds. There was a cute elderly missionary who asked us why there was such a glow about us and that something special was on its way. We laughed with him. Then Chris said that he wanted to talk with me and could we sit for a bit. We sat near the water fountain and he got down on one knee. (there may have been tears in both our eyes- I am not sure as mine were a little blurry)
I said yes and kissed him.
He gave me a claddagh ring to wear until we choose a diamond.
We sat and talked and kissed a little then went to a concert in the park.
I don't even remember who was playing. All I could hear was his heart and see his face.
I am so in love with him! I am the most blessed girl on the planet!

Meet Chris

2009-06-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

I have been dating someone-
He is a really great guy and I like him a lot
He is divorced and has 2 really wonderful (teenage) kids. We all get along great and I have so much fun with them.
His name is Christopher (Chris). He is also a PhD student in nursing. His focus is on informatics (computer stuff). He is super smart and really cute. He is so easy to talk to. We have been friends for a couple of years and then just started dating a little while ago.
Here is a photo.

flowers

2009-05-28T23:20:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would share a photo of some of the beauty of spring.

flown the nest

2009-05-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

I was walking outside the front door the other day and realized that I had not seen our baby robins. I am hoping that they are grown and have flown away.
It was so much fun watching them grow and get feathers.
I am amazed at how fast they grew.
Spring is still blooming here. The lilacs are all gone now, but the roses have just started.
We will have flowers all summer.
How lucky can a girl get?