DID YOU MISS US?

I know it has been a long time, and much has happened since I last posted. While I would love to share everything with you, I just don't have the time and quite frankly I don't think you want to look at a thousand pictures, so I am only going to share the BIG news with you! And by BIG, I mean HUGE!!!

But first, I will briefly tell you some of the things we have been up to. 

*We celebrated our 2 year anniversary in Park City at the Newpark Hotel and Outlet shopping!

*My most awesome father celebrated his 70th birthday!

*The Gardner girls went for a night out to Settebello for some yummy pizza and gelato!

*Weston went to Moab on a mountain bike trip with 16 other friends for a weekend!

*I celebrated my 28th birthday with my sweets in midway over Conference weekend!

*Telly officially dug holes for himself and Tahoe under our fence and escaped!(we found them, no worries)

All of this adds us to a lot of stuff, but it never prepared me for what you are about to read/see...

We moved! 

To Boise, Idaho!

Weston got a new job and it took us here. We are excited about this new opportunity and are ready for what Boise has to offer us. Much of the past 2 months have been dedicated to boxing/cleaning/storing and moving our things to our new home. It has been rough. Moving seriously is the pits! But we are here and can't wait for this adventure to start. 

And adventure it is...

TWINS!!!

Yes, it is true. We are preggers with twins! We are so happy and we can't believe that we are finally on our way to becoming parents. YAY! It has been such a struggle and we feel very blessed for this opportunity and are excited to meet our lil' miracles in October! 

So, as you can see, the blogging thing has been put aside for good reason. Hopefully soon I'll start feeling better and get our new place unboxed so I can share with you all the fun we are having living here in B-town. 

Until then...

THE CATCH UP!

You might have forgotten all about us...or you might not have. Either way, we are here and ready to share what we have been up to since November! NOVEMBER!!! Seriously? Has it really been that long? My apologies, truly. Nonetheless, welcome back to our blog and be prepared for sensory overload!


November-December:
Sweets and I trekked across the globe to the U.A.E. to visit our dear friends Richard and Catherine. Words cannot explain just how amazing they are for taking us all around and showing us the best time. Abu Dhabi and Dubai were incredible! We had an awesome time and completely fell in with the people, the smells, the bright colors, the yummy food, and all the adventures.
We saw and did: the grand mosque, ski Dubai, Palm island, desert safari, world market, shopping, a camel ride, Emirates Palace, Burg Kahlifa, National Day and much much more!

December:

A few days after our globe trot Sweets and I headed to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. We love going every year and seeing all the cowboys and cowgirls calf rope, steer wrestle, bareback, bull ride, and barrel race! We were lucky enough to sit on the front row again and it truly was awesome.  

December:

Sweets and I spent our Holiday season with our annual cheese and chocolate fondue party, Hire's and the lights at Temple Square, the Arnell Christmas party in the theme of "Santa Claus" the movie, and opening gifts with the puppies and visiting both families. It was very relaxing and quite enjoyable. Usually Christmas is hectic, but not this year. I loved the fact that it fell on a Sunday. It forced us to slow down and truly remember what the special day was all about!

December-January:

For New Years, Sweets and I headed up to Sun Valley with part of my family. We go there every year and it is always a good time! The snow wasn't that great this year, so we didn't go skiing or snowmobiling, but we did plenty of hiking, hot tubbing, dinners, games and shopping. Sun Valley is beautiful and we love spending time up there!

January:

A few days after the New Year we traveled to Maui Hawaii for some R&R! It was so fun to hang out with my whole family and no kids for a week. The weather couldn't have been better and it honestly was such a fun trip. We all hiked the Bamboo trail, went on early morning walks/jogs, boggie boarded with the abnormally huge waves, and watched lots of football games. Maui is so pretty and we are still laughing from all the funny things that happened...  

So, in a nutshell, this is what we have been up to for the past few months! We are so lucky to have been able to have these experiences and we look forward to more in 2012. Speaking of 2012, because of some new craziness that Sweets and I are embarking in, we are going to go private. We would love all of you to keep following us and are appreciative of those who have taken interest in our lives. Leave your email in the comment space below and we'll send you a link and keep ya posted on what's coming next!

OBSESSION #1

Don't you just love everything about fall? I sure do, and I am loving that the season has officially started! 

I love the weather. 

I love the layering of scarves.

I love sipping on hot chocolate morning, noon, and night.

I love boots. (stilettos and rider) 

I love cozying up in sweatshirts and sweatpants. 

I love snuggling by the fire.

I love going to and watching U football.

I love politics and watching debates.

I love Halloween. (decorations, pumpkins, candy, and costumes)

I love the changing leaves and the beauty of all the trees.

I love working out and running with the pups in slightly rain/snow weather.

I love soup. (butternut squash)

For me, Fall is the new beginnings that the 'new year' is to most other people. It represents the new me! I feel rejuvenated. Anew. Motivated. Independent. I feel like I am starting my life over with a colorful and fresh approach. But, with all these wonderful beginnings in Fall, my favorite thing still, is my love for Fall TV. 

I love and am addicted to: 

The Sing-Off.

The Biggest Loser.

Most Eligible Dallas.

House.

The Office.

The Rachel Zoe Project.

Modern Family.

Glee.

Up All Night.

One Tree Hill.

The Real Housewives.

It sounds like I have no life. This is not true! I do have a life and this is it in the Fall. I couldn't be happier with working out in the early mornings, heading to work, coming home and making my Sweets dinner, snuggling with my kiddies and watching that days TV treasures. Thank goodness for DVR though! It makes living that much more convenient... 

TWEE-TWEE

Our little Twee-Twee is just the cutest thing. 

He climbs on the couch all the time and when you tell him to get off, he lays down and makes himself more comfortable!

He wakes us up every morning around 6:45-7 with his whining. We think he has to go potty so we open the door, but instead he just lays back down!

He has to walk directly in front of you at all times and looks back to make sure you are following him, thus resulting in him slowing pace and you tripping over him!

He gets all satanic at night time and runs around the back yard at 100 mph hunkering down low, just to baja into Tahoe who is innocently standing there and they both go skipping across the lawn!

He snorts like there is no tomorrow! And I mean he snorts ALL THE TIME!!!!!!

He loves to put his whole face into the water bowl and pluck out the ice cubes one by one!

He squeezes underneath the garage door at a height of 5-6 inches as we pull into the driveway just to greet us faster!

He doesn't just lay down when it is bed time, rather he plops his weight down in a very dramatic and loud fall to the floor!

He snuggles with the best of them and loves to lay in your arms!

ROUND DOS!

I am back for some more of the game I like to call "catch up". This post is full of wonderful goodness. And as I type this, I am remembering other photos on my other computer...Shoot! Ok, so there will be another "catch up" but in the meantime, here goes nothin... 

UTAH 54, byU 10

I mean, do I even need to say anything? 

Yes, yes I do. What type of person would I be if I didn't? 

It was a total smackdown. 

A slaughter. 

An enjoyable embarrassment.

The UTES prevailed in the HOLY WAR once again!

Sweets and I invited some friends over to watch the "game". We ate touchdown chili, end zone desserts, halftime popcorn and 1st down chips and dips! It was really yummy and apparently I was too busy eating because I didn't take any pictures of the food of the decorations. (I tell ya, my mind is going!)  

My family and Sweets and our office, flew to Boise Idaho for an Announcement on a new project called 8th and Main in the heart of downtown. We made the announcement that Zion's Bank will now use this future building as their Idaho Headquarters. We have other tenants for this building but we are not yet releasing them. (Not that many of you care because I am pretty sure the 2 people that follow this blog live in Utah and not Idaho, however it is business and you know how it goes.) Anyway, Tommy Ahlquist, my pops, Christian, Michael Morris, Scott Anderson and the Boise Mayor all spoke a few words describing the project and the how excited everyone is to "fill the hole". We made the unveiling and the building looks fantastic!!!    

After the announcement was made, there was time for Q&A and some local news interviews. Afterwards, we went out to lunch with our Idaho office who is overseeing this project to Thaifoon. I got to meet everyone, officially, after talking on the phone with them everyday and then we all toured the other projects we have up there. It was fun to see the progress we are making on the other sites. We rented a 15 passenger van and crammed in there for the day. I can't complain though because we were lucky enough to fly private and I enjoyed not getting frisked before getting on the plane with my bottle of water!  

I did another craft. I know right? Amazing at my no-craft craft skills. 
I took a frame with matting,removed the glass, stuck some scrapbook paper behind it and glued on some mini gourds and pumpkins. VOILA! It isn't much, but I thought it was fun. I promise soon I'll post more on decorations. 

This handsome young man 

was honored at the 100th Anniversary Rotary Gala for the Service above Self award. It was such an incredible honor to receive. He was joined by 4 others some of which were President Thomas S. Monson and Jon Hunstman Sr. My father is an incredible business leader, a huge advocate for charity and service, and he is so community conscious. There is not a minute of conversation that goes by with out him trying to help others. He deserved this Service above Self award more than anybody in the whole world. I love him and I am very proud of all his good works.
The night was a great evening held at the Salt Palace. It was a black tie event so the pressure was on! 

Sweets and I have slacked in the mountain thing this year but we did managed to squeeze in some time for a little night hike up Dog Lake. This was Telly's first big hike/walk/run and he did awesome! He was so excited and was running all over the place. He just couldn't get enough of the smells from other dogs and the freedom of being off leash. He minded very well though. He came when he was supposed to and we never worried about him following other dogs back down the mountain. What a good boy he is. Tahoe, as usual was in Heaven and loving every minute of it!

SUNDAY DRIVES

Every Sunday after church, and of course after our naps, Sweets and I transition from the youthful vibrant newlywed couple we are, to an elderly slow sunday-driving couple! We pack up our car and drive aimlessly throughout the valley taking in the scenery and all the beauty that surrounds us. 

Last week, we took a drive up American Fork Canyon. I can't believe how green it still is up there! We moseyed up the canyon picking out a few spots along the way to take some nature walks with our pups and to let them run around in the mountains and rivers. 

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to take our drives when the leafs start changing. With the late season, I am sure the fall colors will be spectacular!

FINALLY...AT LAST!

Last week, Sweets and I took a drive up Corner Canyon for some dinner and dessert. Sadly, this summer has been so busy with work, vacations and family stuff that we haven't been able to enjoy the mountains as much as we would have liked. So, for FHE we decided we would take advantage of the beautiful weather and head up the canyon.

We saw a few animals on our drive up and then one hairy critter on our way home. The deer were beautiful, just minding their own business eating the weeds when we pulled up to them. We watched them for a few moments and I was amazed at how cautious and graceful they were. But the tarantula we saw was not beautiful...nor...graceful! It was ugly, and scary and I went into heart failure when Sweets backed up the car up to get a closer look at it. I mean seriously, what is the point of those awful crawling things?

Once we found our spot a ways up the canyon, we pulled over to a picnic area and set up shop. Since this was a last minute thing, we thought grilled cheese sandwiches would be a perfect meal with a side of fruit and peppered jerky. 

It is amazing how yummy things taste when you are in the mountains. I don't know what it is.

The pups loved running around the mountain side visiting all the bikers that past by. Telly has never really been up in wild before, he was too young and didn't have all of his shots, but for his first time he loved it! And he didn't get carsick!!! Lately, he has had a few problems keeping things in his stomach while driving...poor lil' guy. 

However great the night was to spend with my favorite people, the view of the Draper temple and the city on the way down topped it off! It was completely lit up and there was nothing around it to compete for beauty. We just had to stop and admire the breath-taking views. Hopefully soon Sweets and I will be back out in the woods...when the weather cools of course!

MY VERSION OF HEAVEN

I have spent the last few weeks in what I like to call, Heaven!
Sun Valley is my safe haven, my sanctuary where I can think, regain strength, and compose my life in the quiet altitudes of the mountains! My family goes there off and on through out the year but every August, we tend to just move up there. Literally. Although I couldn't stay as long as I wanted to or am used to, I did have a great time and look forward to another trip soon. 

The vacation started with a benefit concert from the Sun Valley Symphony Series with the 11 year old phenomenon Jackie Evancho! She is incredible and has such power. Her voice is pure, angelic and took our breaths away! If you don't know her music, please check her out. You will not be disappointed!
For the first 2 weeks of August they have other concerts almost every day. We loved walking over to the resort and sitting on the lawn and listening to the beautiful music at night.  

With so much time, we sure did lots of fun things throughout the weeks. Sweets drove up for a few days and we all headed over to Red Fish Lake. Andrew had his sailboat there and Matthew had his ski boat. Between the 2 boats, we had a blast cruising on the lake and watching all the kids fly off the tube together. The weather was great and the scenery was even better. We ate a little lunch at the grille and set up shop on the beach for the afternoon. It was definitely a good time!  

Tahoe stayed with me in Sun Valley and we went running, hiking and swimming every day. When Telly came up with Sweets we decided that we should take him swimming and see how it goes. It was Telly's first time in water and boy was he a kid in a candy store! He was nervous at first and followed Tahoe around but after that, he couldn't get enough of it and even started retrieving tennis balls and sticks!  

We had a BBQ with my Aunt and Uncle and their whole family at our house. It was so good to see my cousins and spend time with them. Dinner was fabulous and the stormy weather held out until after dark!

 After a hard day of exercising, heading to the pool, playing tennis, eating the most scrumptious meals, reading and knitting and doing puzzles, I have 2 awesome neices that would rub my feet! It felt great and the best part about it is they asked to do it!!!

I love Sun Valley and it is always a peaceful time for me! 

1ST OF THE SEASON

Sadly, last week was the first time Sweets and I have been out on the boat all year! It felt good to be soaking up the waves surfing and wake boarding in the warm water. Although we were a little rusty, we quickly relearned the ropes and had a blast!

Thanks Matthew for driving and thanks Susan for the company! 

TO HELL YOU RIDE

The name "To Hell You Ride" was the original name of Telluride. Back in the 1800's it was a mining town and was an attraction for criminals. This is where Butch Cassidy, the ex-mormon Utah boy, started all of his crimes! So interesting...but more on this at a later time. Here is the sensory overload of our trip!

Sweets and I took another Vacation to Telluride for "Pie and Beer" day weekend! We had so much fun last year that we just had to go back. We went with our friends John and Kara and it was a fabulous weekend. 

Sweets, Kara and John went mountain and downhill biking at Mountain Village. 

While they were doing that, I hiked the Village trail and a little of Prospect Trail. It was so beautiful and the weather was sunny and warm! We got a little more sun than we thought.

We also headed up to Alta Lakes which is a gorgeous lake filled with clear blue glacier water. We ate lunch and took in the scenery! WOWZA...it was pretty! And the water was freezing!

The town is so much fun with lots of things to do. We walked all around, did a little shopping, ate super duper food and had fun riding the gondola.  

We then 4-wheeled up to 1200' to the Ghost town of Tomboy! It was such a pretty and rugged drive to the top but well worth it. The views were incredible and the air was definitely thin. After every 5 steps we had to 'rest'...so funny! 

On the way home, Sweets and I headed over to Ouray. Apparently this town is known as the "Switzerland" of America. It is also known as the ice-climbing capital of America! It was such a neat town and we loved it. We stopped off at Box Canon Falls and that was awesome. It is a huge waterfall inside a mining cave which was created by the earth splitting in two and rock being pushed up from 2 million years ago!!!

Overall, it was the best weekend and such a fun trip with John and Kara! Telluride is such a beautiful place and Sweets and I are already planning a trip back!

IT IS ONLY A GAME, FOCKER!

This is what I told Sweets after he beat a tree trunk with his pitching wedge while mumbling profanities under his breath during his horrible round of golf!

The Story:
We had to head up to Morgan for some Church business last week and we decided we would make some good use out of the long drive. Yes, it is a long drive from where we reside! We packed the car with our golf clubs and hit up the course only playing 9 holes due to the lack of sunlight and our obligations to get home to our 2 boys. After the much proclaimed 'game of his life' a week prior at the Gardner Reunion scoring in the upper 80's, Sweets was quickly humbled on the 1st hole...and the 2nd hole...and the 3rd hole...and so on until the 8th hole! Now, I am not just talking about 1 or 2 duffs, but rather scores like 8 and 9 and then refusing to count strokes because the numbers went to high. A few lost balls or sunken balls in the pond later Sweets finally managed to pull it together at the end of the 8th and for the 9th hole. Better late than never I guess.
I on the other hand, had the most amazing golf game! I scored 3 pars (and they were legit) and the rest of my strokes were 1-2 over. I loved it. I felt horrible about Sweets, but I felt even better knowing that once again I BEAT him!
The valley was beautiful in Morgan and the rivers were flowing so high. They were over flowing into the streets in some areas.



It was a wonderful night of golf and scenery with my Sweets!
  

BONDURANT

Last week Sweets and I, along with my parents and our friends John and Kara, went to Wyoming for a few days! We spent a lot of the time working on putting the cabin back together after our flood in the winter. We fixed up the yard, hung all the paintings, organized everything into bins and designated spots and hand washed tons and tons of dishes.

The remaining time we spent having fun! We cruised into Jackson for dinner and shopping and found some great finds. (i love sales). Sweets went downhill biking in Wilson with John and Kara and had an awesome few runs. We also shot pot guts in our yard with the .22 rifle equipped with a deer scope.  

The cabin turned out great and we are so excited to head back up soon and enjoy the great outdoors! 

LIKE ALL OF YOU!

Everyone posts about the "stats" of their children, so I thought I would join in on all the fun and post the "stats" of our furry kids. 

I am the proud mother of 2 beautiful fluffy boys and all I want to do is run to my porch like Rafiki in The Lion King holding them up to the neighborhood and proclaim their awesomeness! So here it is on the scale... 

Tahoe:

(t-hoe, taj, dorkface, big guy, luffer, buddy)

4 years and 6 days

81.1 pounds

golden fur

Tahoe no longer has his double ear infection. Poor guy would scratch all day and night trying to get some sort of relief but to no avail. When I took him to get checked out last month they told me to wash his ears out every 3 days with a special soap, administer ear drops daily and give him pills morning and night. The cause of the ear infections were from his allergies (hmmm, he must get that from me)! We have followed this regiment religiously and I am happy to report that he is doing AWESOME now. The vet doctor cleared him yesterday and said he no longer needs the ear cleaning or drops. The pills, she suggested, keep them going because they will help control his allergies. 

Also, he has lost 4 pounds and he is doing better with his weight. He is no longer in the "concerned" weight category. 

He loves sleeping on Sweets side of the bed, or on our bed at night. 

He sleeps through the night.

He can sit, lay down, come and shake.

(we are still working on him rolling over)

He knows and will do 'get in the car', 'get the leash' and treats.

He has the most infectious personality and makes us laugh constantly! 

Telly:

(shi-thead, lil' guy, rascal, runny-aroundy-thingy, satan's child)

3 months and 5 days

25.8 pounds

blonde fur

Our sweet new addition is doing fabulous! After his vet doctor appointment, he has gained almost 5 pounds since last month and is growing up beautifully. He received his second round of shots and a little benadryl to help ease the pain. His check up went well and he has nothing cautious to report. 

He sleeps on my side of the bed. 

He does not sleep through the night waking about twice for whiz time and play time.

He sits and lays down on his own and not by command.

He rolls over unintentionally.

     He loves going on walks and holding Tahoe's leash in his mouth. 

He has fangs as sharp as blades and chews on everything, especially Tahoe!

He gets really really ornery when he is tired and you try to touch him. 

He is our lil' guy and we love him dearly. He is so much fun and adds a whole new flair in our home!