Happy Thankmas!

This year for Thanksgiving, we got to spend three days with Dustan's family in a celebration called Thankmas. We celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas together in the same weekend and we enjoy lots of food, family and fun. This weekend, Dustan also experienced his first Black Friday outing, where we got a nice new camera... So enjoy the pictures from our "Christmas" parties and just imagine you ate yummy Thanksgiving with us. We're so thankful for our sweet family and the traditions we have. We love you all! Happy Thankmas!

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween, we had a little get together with some family and I made a yummy cake and decorated it like a pumpkin:

We also had some friends over for Family Home Evening and carved pumpkins. Here's a shot of Dustan's (on the left) and my pumpkin (on the right).

After much deliberation about our costumes, we finally decided that Dustan would be Mario!

And I would be Princess Peach!

We had so much stinking fun at a ward party and playing Super Mario with some friends. We hope everyone else had as good of a Halloween as we did!

Slacker Blog.

So it's been a while since we've posted anything and we're sorry for being such slacker bloggers. But we're repenting. We've had a lot of adventures in the last few months, so we'll try to spare you all of the mushy details and catch you up, all at once. Take a deep breath - there are a ton of pictures... but we won't be offended if you don't watch all of them. Enjoy!

First off...
On April 11th we had our FIRST ANNIVERSARY! Our first year was absolutely wonderful and to celebrate, we spent a week on Miami Beach in Florida. We were blessed to get a screaming deal and enjoy a week of fun on the beach.

After that...
We decided to MOVE! We transferred to BYU-Idaho and we've been enjoying every minute of it.



At the end of the semester...
We packed all of our stuff into boxes and stored it in some friends' extra bedroom (Thanks guys!) And we spent a few weeks in Boise family reunionizing and floating the river and all over just having a good time... Alas, we were too busy playing and having a fun time to take pictures, and we have yet to figure out which family member actually did snap a few shots to help us record the event...

After that...
We spent a few weeks in Saint George! Logan came and stayed with us for a week and we took him on tons of adventures - just about everywhere you can go in St. George. We had a blast! Thanks for coming, Logan. (By the way, isn't he such a stud?!)

Since then, we've come back up to school and we're waiting to get into our new apartment. We're excited to be getting into our own place, but a BIG thanks goes out to those that have hosted us the last few weeks. We're both busy in school and looking forward to more adventures. And we'll try a little harder not to be blog slackers from here on out!

Weather we like it or not...

Upon waking this morning, it seemed like it was going to be a beautiful day. We walked out to the car and the sun was peaking over the mountains, the birds were singing, and while it was still chilly, it wasn't so cold that I had to wear a coat. Dustan drove to work, and we listened to Cake (a band) the whole way. I love driving to work with Dustan in the morning. I get to spend 20 minutes with him - just him and me. We sing along to the music (usually something he has introduced me to) and sometimes we even get crazy and start dancing. Morning has always been my favorite part of the day, but it's even better now that I have Dustan to spend it with!
By the time Dustan came to pick me up from work, the sky was looking ominous. Dustan commented on how this morning he had thought that today was going to be the nicest day of the year, and now it was getting windy and rainy. A little disappointed, we shrugged it off and continued on with our day. In our converstion, we determined that today was a good day. Dustan scored well on his Physiology test - 92% - Way to go! And work for me hadn't been stressful in the least. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at J-Dawgs and stopped by the international market just down the street. Then we headed home for an hour or so before Dustan had to go to class and I had to head back to work for Parent/Teacher Conferences.
When it was time to go, we looked out the window, and it had started snowing, and not just the kind of snow that gently floats to the ground and melts away as it touches down. The flakes were huge and wet, coming down in a blizzard-like manner. They stuck to the grass and we couldn't even see any green peeking out above the white. I froze. I do not like to drive in the snow. We got in the car and as we started driving it just got worse. I felt like I was looking into a blizzard and I was terrified of sliding through a stoplight or spinning out while turning the corner. Seeing my anxiety, Dustan offered to drive me to work and be late for class, and even though I didn't want him to miss class, I am grateful that he would be so sweet and willing to drive me to work for the second time today. Oh, and I didn't mind being stuck in the car with him for another twenty-minutes-both-ways, either.

Go Lions!

On February 6th, Jenessa's cheerleaders had their very first competition ever! All seven girls had never cheered before, so after much hard work and much improvement, they did an excellent job. Unfortunately they didn't place, but they didn't have any deductions, meaning they did what they could flawlessly. Way to go, girls!

A Message of Hope

I've been following a blog lately, one that is a good reminder of how much the Gospel means to me.  I'm grateful for the chance I have to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As I seek for continual improvement, I am amazed at the grace of God and at the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful that I can be forgiven and make myself better.  I'm grateful that I can let others change, too.  I'm grateful for the hope and warmth and light the Gospel brings.  Many of my feelings are echoed... if you get a chance, please visit.  It will brighten your day :)


hopefullymormon.blogspot.com

A Few Fun Things

We love to have adventures, and with the life we lead, adventures do not come in short supply!  In the last week here are some of the things we've done:

Trip to the Manti Temple to do a live session...

Two High School Basketball Games

Dustan and Jon went ice fishing...

And a

"Surprise" Birthday Party for Dustan -

Yes, he figured it out long before in actually went down...

Christmas!

We know pictures of Christmas were promised, but turns out we'll have to have those pictures emailed to us first... Instead, here are some pictures from the first annual Dustan and Jenessa Christmas Party!  We ate yummy food, had a gingerbread (graham cracker) house decorating contest - complete with fabulous prizes, and really enjoyed a good night full of good company. A big thanks to all who came. Here are a few shots from the evening...

Our Year in Snapshots...

Since we've taken so long to get our blog up and running, we'll spare you gobs of details on all of our previous adventures, and give you the highlights of our year in pictures!!!