Are we cousins?

Although these were taken 10 years apart, they're still frighteningly similar.

Our poor children. 

I'll be checking our family history immediately.

RIP grandma

Rest in peace grandma. Even though we weren't very close, it's nice to know you're in a better place. The last few years of your life were a life that no one would wish for. We just wish we knew if you died in a purple outfit - since your famous quote on Christmas last year when you got a bunch of purple  clothes: "Well, I guess we know what I'm gonna die in!"

LaRue Boyce Green

"Our Mother"

07/18/1929 - 12/25/2012

Elizabeth LaRue Boyce Green left this earth to rejoin her Father in Heaven on Christmas morning, her earthly husband Leonard Zane Green, and her son Stanley Ross, her parents Ivor and Eva Boyce, her siblings Avard, Lauana, Jean, and Harold. She leaves behind her heartbroken children, Steven L. (Pat) Green, J. Boyce 

(Laurie) Green, Carla Jean (Wayne) Smith, Eva DeAnn (Doug) Swensen, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She loved her family most, her gardens and yard next and the ending of a good book. She never forgot her dear friends from “Butlerville” and Jordan High. She raised her children in a loving home with hot cooked meals, clean clothes, discipline, and a strong work ethic. We will miss her so much.

We wish to thank the staff at the Wentworth, Curo Hospice and especially Jennine Washington, her hospice nurse, for the kindness, and loving care she gave our mom.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East 10600 South in Sandy.  A visitation will be held on Friday evening from 6-8 pm and on Saturday from 11:30am to 12:30pm prior to the services. Online condolences welcomed at www.larkincares.com.

Christmas party with the kiddos

Once upon a time these kids were so little. Now they're SO BIG! 

I can't imagine my life without them. 

Celebrating in Style

Nick has a cool job - well internship that is pretty much turning into a job.

He even had TWO Christmas parties this year!

The best part? They were really NICE Christmas parties.

Dinner #1. Glen Wilde golf course in park city. Salmon and steaks, lots of alcohol, and yummy desserts. I even had to wear a cocktail dress - pretty sure I didn't even know what that was - thanks to a good friend for letting me borrow hers! Too bad you can't see how cute it is in the picture. 

Dinner #2. Spencer's Steakhouse downtown. Salmon and steaks. Amazing. 

I'm happy to have a husband that works for a company that treats their employees really well because I sometimes get to get in on the perks!

Safety First!

Nick is the pickiest eater EVER.

This makes food storage accumulation quite difficult... as if it's not difficult already.

Plus, we have NO ROOM to add more stuff to our already cozy, but perfect for us basement apartment. 

So, a big thanks to Groupon for this $39, perfect-sized 72 hour food kit for TWO people that doesn't expire for 25 more years. 

Bonus: It doesn't have any ingredients that would cause Nick to hurl - because I am 100% certain that in a life or death situation Nick would rather die than eat some cheesy cream of broccoli whatever...

Success.

That one time we were famous...

For about a week. 

Here's how it went down. A former ward-mate/neighbor works for the Deseret news. She called me and let me know I'd be expecting a call. The reporter called me, asked a few questions about waiting to get married until we were a little more financially stable, and that was that. 

My ward-mate/neighbor calls me up a few days later suggesting I send the reporter a picture of us or she'd find one on facebook - of me at the beach or something.

I complied. I figured it would be a story in the back corner of the family life section that no one would read.

A couple weeks later, I received texts and calls saying that Nick and I were on the FRONT PAGE of the Sunday paper - THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING!!!

So, now we're celebrities. 

I think the title is kind of funny and although the little blurb in the story about us is pretty accurate, Nick and I did not wait until we were rich to marry - we just waited until we could actually afford to live on our own without starving to death. We married when Nick was 25 and I was 24 - not old age by any standards outside of Utah. 

It's an interesting article though - worth a read!

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567435/Life-delayed-Couples-putting-off-marriage-due-to-economy-changing-views.html

And that's how we were famous for a week!   

San Diego

Two days after returning home from Mexico, we were right back on a plane to San Diego to take Nick's brother to his soccer tournament. 

It's kind of a tradition now. 

How did we end up with ANOTHER ford mustang? Remember?

The trip started off with a bang - Nick lost his driver's license somewhere between getting on the plane and getting off the plane, so guess who was the driver of this mustang? Moi. Personally, I would have preferred the other option - a minivan (so I could actually see out the windows!), but that was shot down quickly by the boys. 

La Jolla beach

A sign or something???

Rented beach cruisers - my life is now complete, I rode beach cruisers twice in one month! 

Go Hunter - the soccer star! These brothers love each other.

How on earth did I survive with these two guys for the weekend? 

Now that I have a cold and Nick still doesn't have his license, we're going to stay grounded for a while...

Mexico

After spending our honeymoon in Mexico, we made a pact with each other that we would go back as often as possible. Well, a killer deal for a 5 STAR resort on Living Social made that possible!

Unfortunately, the worst hurricane ever occurred in New York the week before we were supposed to leave. Flights were pushed back a couple days, but they still looked wide open for our departure date. Phew. THEN, New York experienced a horrific snow storm. Ugh, we were not going to make our flights (we are stand-by flyers).

After a few phone calls to the hotel, we were lucky enough to be able to change our reservations. 

We thought we were in the clear until realizing we still were not going to make our plane out of Salt Lake (we were too far down on the stand-by list).

So, we rented a car and drove to Las Vegas. 

Spent a couple hours in vegas, hopped on a plane down there and made it to New York. Phew. After an overnight flight and major sleep deprivation, we were finally headed to Mexico! 

It was SO worth the trouble because this is where we ended up...

All the drinks you can drink! Non-alcoholic of course - they think we're crazy when we say that!

Our room! What a treat! They cleaned it twice a day (turn down service at night). 

Double rain showers that made our home shower feel like a trickle of water and our own personal jacuzzi right outside! They filled it each night.

We even got BEACH CRUISERS to ride around the resort! If you know my love for beach cruisers, you know I was in heaven.

I like to take long walks on the beach...

There was also a wedding while we were there! 

 Food like you've never tasted before! I even had quail - it was great! We ate lots of waffles, crepes, chips and salsa, steak, delicious treats (those were my favorite of course), and fish!

 

Somehow when we got to the resort we mentioned it was a celebration of our anniversary (because there was no other real reason for the trip rather than fun) and they totally surprised us with a cake! 

 So sad to leave!

Nick and I have become what we call Mexico snobs - meaning there is no way we'll go anywhere else in Mexico. This place was PERFECT! The service was phenomenal (we made so many friends!), the food was delicious, the rooms were amazing, the beach was perfect, they had bikes, and even golf carts to take you anywhere you wanted! We will definitely be saving up to go again. Anyone want to join us?

Next up, San Diego for Thanksgiving...

Maybe one day we'll slow down, but for now, let's go on some more adventures! 

Comin' to Town

Oh my! I peed my pants!

http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2012/11/baracka-claus-is-coming-to-town.html

Halloween Haunts

We had a fun-filled Halloween complete with the ONLY thing I wanted that day - a Jack O Lantern pizza from Papa Murphys. 

I'm a pretty simple person. 

Nick's pumpkin. A lot of good that did...

My pumpkin is MUCH happier!

Note: that is NOT Nick's Halloween costume. 

He was a scrooge and didn't have one, so his sister found this one!

You should have seen all the cute little girls that were amazed at his FAIRY costume.

Girls, you should be AFRAID, not fascinated! 

Work photo - yeah we're THAT cool.

Check out the eyes on the little guy in front.

I'm terrified...

Unity

I can't sleep.  Or eat. Or believe what has happened.

Yes I can. 

It has been prophesied; we live in a time where wickedness abounds. It's not going to get better either. The prophets have warned us to teach our families and prepare every needful thing. Satan will lay hold upon the hearts of men. 

We chose to come to the earth at a time that we knew would be difficult. We knew that there would be a great war between good and evil. We were prepared and chose to fight a valiant fight. 

This election means a lot to us as a family (some days I wish I was ignorant - it really might be bliss). 

Not only the presidential election, but there are other things voted on that you might not be aware of:

- Gay marriage: In Maine and Maryland, voters approved ballot initiatives to begin allowing same-sex unions. And in Minnesota voters declined to back an initiative that would enshrine in the state’s constitution a definition of marriage permitting only a union between a man and woman. In Washington state, where voters also weighed an initiative to legalize gay marriage, the vote count was expected to stretch on for days.

- Marijuana: Voters in Colorado and Washington state approved measures that legalize the recreational use of marijuana. A similar measure failed in Oregon. 

Things are going to be a little different at the Dall household. We have been shaken. We need to refocus on the things that matter most. We plan to be more wise in our financial decisions, more emergency prepared, more self-sufficient, more prayerful and more unified. 

I believe this is a time we need to be more unified with each other. Serve our brothers and sisters as we have been asked to do always. Not pass judgement, pray for our leaders, pray in our families, and so much more. 

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God"

I am prepared to fight this daily battle. I pray for a clearer eternal perspective. I have chosen to fight on the Lord's side of the line, and that's where I'm staying.  

My plea

It's been a wild ride at the Dall household the past few months/weeks. With my husband spending his days as a political science major during this eventful season, we've had lots of politics in our lives lately. 

I have informed myself of the issues. I am aware of the plan of both candidates (well, I'm yet to hear Obama's plan. He doesn't seem to have one. Even his own supporters don't know his plan - they just know he'll give them 'free' stuff). I value hard work. I value working to help my family prosper. I value charity and giving of my time, money and talents freely - not being forced to give what others think is 'my fair share'. I value my choices. I value my country. 

I do not support Mitt Romney only because he shares my religion (for those of you haters that think that and have made it known to me). His plan is the plan I support. However, I believe it is a blessing to have someone seeking to lead our country who believes in a God and believes that same God will help him lead the country (that is how our country was founded!). I ultimately know that our Father in Heaven guides His children and if we are faithful, much good can come to pass.

I have been praying and fasting for this man I believe to be a man of God who is seeking the position of the president because he wants to do good for America. I believe that politics are not just politics. They are a mechanism to change and affect people's lives and well-being. I thank my husband for helping me understand this. 

Read James 5:16 - "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." If you feel the same way I do, I ask you to join me in much prayer and fasting for Romney. Not just because he's a mormon, but because you believe he will do the most good for our country. He needs our support and our prayers.

Thanks. 

EQ Party

Best Elders Quorum party ever!!!

And see that *womanly* hair of Nick's - He finally cut it! I'm pretty sure if straightened it would have been as long as mine. Thank goodness for scissors and someone that knows how to use them!

Baby Mia

We had a blast with this little one the other night.

It almost made us want a little one of our own. ALMOST. But not quite yet...

Fall time!

We had a wonderful girl's craft night! Thanks Pinterest for the ideas!

Click here for the wreath tutorial!

Couldn't have timed it better

Love running Saturday errands with my hubs and discovering 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' playing at the dollar theaters while driving. Then deciding to drop everything and go see it - we planned it perfectly and only missed the first 3 minutes of the movie. 

Best Saturday ever! 

I'm getting better at this spontaneous lifestyle stuff! 

BTW have you seen any of the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' movies? They're hilarious! 

Story of my life...

Help!

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem:

I am addicted to cookie dough.

I can't go a whole week without the stuff!

I'm not sure how I'm going to overcome this addiction, and to be honest, I'm not sure I want to!

But the first step is admittance.

We'll start there...

Fall Time Fun

Fall has barely begun and already we've been on a couple fun, easy hikes. We often enjoy walks/bike rides up millcreek canyon since we live so close. We also enjoyed Donut Falls up Big Cottonwood this weekend. We even walked in on a proposal near the waterfall! It was so romantic - Nick could have cared less. Oh well. 

If you haven't enjoyed our canyons yet, GET UP THERE NOW!!! The colored leaves are simply perfect. Don't wait one more minute...

Oh, and have I mentioned how much Nick loves baby animals? To me, feeding chipmunks seems like the perfect way to contract some disease, but Nick is fearless...