summer photo dump

This pretty much sums up our May and June.  WE LOVE SUMMER!!

Fall is here

Actually, I'm a little confused whether it is fall or winter... it's FREEZING outside! I mean really, It is only the beginning of October...

 Ready or not, the cold weather is upon us.  

There was ice on Todd's window the other morning and Oakley even got snow today, and not just a little bit.

But, instead of dwelling on the negative, there was happiness in the Niemann household today.  I went to the store to buy a few ingredients for this delicious Pumpkin Coffee Cake,

Recipe found here.  The only thing I did different was half the sugars and vanilla in the glaze. It made it not super sugary, still absolutely delicious and amazing. Can I just tell you how much I love fall flavors/desserts.  mmmm pumpkin, apple, cinnamon... 

and came home with an extra special goodness.

EGG NOG! I love me some egg nog.  Todd insisits that egg nog must be sipped, but I like to take large gulps and get the full flavor of happiness.

On a side note, want to be inspired this weekend?  

Watch THIS

I have been looking forward to this since last time! It's going to be a good weekend, I can tell already.

Love is in the air

Valentines Day is soon approaching and so is Todd and I's one year mark - that is, one year since the day we met.  There has only been a few days since that day that we haven't seen each other.  Also a wee bit strange that we have been married half of the time we've known each other... Crazy!  We decided with the two events that we will do two dates  I get to plan Valentines and Todd will plan the other  :)  Should be fun!

Here is my Love Day decoration for our little casita.  Thanks Miranda, Lisa and Lin for coming to make crafts with me!  It was a good time to chat and see you girls.

In case you can't tell, knees are getting better.  There is still quite a bit of swelling in my right knee though and my strength is gone, can't even walk up or down the stairs without crutches or the assistance of Todd.  But starting this week I am down to physical therapy only once a week!  

Well, that pretty much sums up my January and February, nothing too exciting... Just the same old usual stuff.

It's the holiday season

The end of 2011 in review - 

Christmas party with the Hardy Family!  I love our typically Christmas eve activities.  With Mom and Dad gone we had them the second sunday in December.  We had the typical Christmas eve dinner, played games and the grandkids acted out the Nativity.  I always love getting together.

Santa Santa, Ho Ho Ho!  

The Christmas ball, made by Jenny and Wade, fun for the younger grandkids.  Thanks to Shannon for hosting it at her house. 

Santa!

The Hales Christmas party - spent up in Oakley 

Love these girls!

I have been very blessed to have close friendships with these amazing girls(a couple are missing but I love them equally as much!).  I have known some since elementary school, some middle school and a few since high school.  I could name so many great memories shared with each one and I am so glad we still get together as often as possible.  This world is better because of them.

Last but not least, Christmas with the Niemann Family

Christmas Eve

 Christmas Morning.

I love that Christmas was on Sunday this year.  What more appropriate way is there to celebrate our Savior's birth?  I really enjoyed Christmas this year, I really love the Niemann's and am so grateful for their acceptance of me and the good care they took of us while we stayed with them.  A bit strange to be away from my family this year though, a first for me.  We did get to Skype with Mother and Daddy Boy for a bit though and that helped me not miss everyone so much. 

After Christmas we stayed up in Oakley for a few days before my knee surgery.  Monday Jason, Todd and I did a little shopping in Park City and went out to eat.  The day was beautiful, we only needed sweatshirts while we were out.  The weather has been a bit strange this year, it's still been pretty stinking cold but we have had very little snow.  Pretty sure it is a small tender mercy for me so I don't have to worry about slipping with two bad knees.  All together, we had a really nice time up there.  

Knee Surgery...

That pretty much sums up in one look how I feel about surgery.  

 If this is not the most pathetic site...

 This might be.

Yes, those are 2 ice machines. One attached to each leg. BEST invention ever. 

The good news is, both surgeries over!  

Only recovery to go... Dr. Cooley said everything went really well again.  Things are a little harder with two gimp knees.  I get very easily frustrated because of my lack of ability to do every day things.  The strength is coming in my left leg but I still don't have full function and it gets sore often.  I am grateful for all the help from our families.  Amos and Mark are fantastic.  We stayed with them the first week after surgery which was nice while Todd was at work to have people to talk to and fix us dinner, ring in the new year with, we owe them big time.  Janet and Jessica brought us dinner one night and call to make sure we are doing okay.  And Todd most of all who drives me to and from work, makes sure there is ice for my knee, does most of the cleaning, all of the grocery shopping, carries me up and down the stairs to our apartment when my legs feel sore.  I don't think he knew what he was getting into... He has been so patient with me and takes good care of me.  I will love him forever for it.

Brand New Day

The day is new as well as other things since I last updated.

New Shoes

I needed new casual shoes and these were at Ross for like 10 bucks.  I bought them.  They are cute.

New Haircut

Jender dear, these are for you.  The good part, when I pull up my bangs like so, you can't see the awful uneven layers. Hence, I rarely (and by rarely I mean never) wear my hair straight down with my bangs.  I've also come to the conclusion that I need to stop cutting my bangs.  I do NOT look good with them.  Why on earth do I deep cutting them??  Please tell me to stop.  In lieu of this, I might go short, and yes this time I mean short like I used to every year.  It is scary but possibly necessary to cut out these layers. I'm not 100% sure on that though because I will miss curling my hair like crazy.

New ipod dock

The loveliest part about Mom and Dad being gone is that they can't redeem their RC Willey gift cards.  Needless to say, with their permission of course, I bought myself a new ipod dock.  It is fantastic!

New Bookshelf

Not really new, or mine but I really really like it.  I have this new obsession with bookshelves and wanting one really bad for 2 reasons.  1. By books and DVD's crammed into my closet take up 2 shelves that I could put shoes in so my shoes all fit, 2. Bookshelves are neat.  So, with that said, I have been looking everywhere for one.  RC Willey's were way too spendy and they didn't have a great selection and I'm too picky to buy one online when I haven't seen it, and well i'm picky in general when it comes to things.  So I was siting upstairs a couple days ago and this lovely little thing that belongs to Benny and Erika was sitting right in our dining room the whole time.  It always looked weird there but there was no where else to put it.  Solution, I have a bookshelf for the time being!

(Note to mother, what on EARTH possessed you to rehang that pink shelf after you repainted my room. It is hideous, and no longer even matched the room.  I have no positive thoughts toward that thing, except that perhaps it works to hold my willow trees. )

New stuff

Today was the Utah Dental Association Convention at the Salt Palace.  Yay for not working and getting free things.  Sitting through the lecture wasn't the greatest, but new toothbrushes, toothpaste and other random things are always awesome, especially when they are free! 

How to Save a Life

Arup called me on Friday asking if I would come donate either Saturday or Sunday because an infant was going into surgery on Wednesday and he/she had the same blood type as me and they require 3 days to test the blood and apparently am an infant donor??  I told them I couldn't on Sunday but asked what time they were open on Saturday, the only time that worked with my insanely busy Saturday was 8:00 A.M.  I was a little nervous after my last blood donating incident but...

I was finally successful at donating blood again!  I was terrified to pass out again so I got up early to eat a huge breakfast because last time they thought I passed out because I hadn't eaten enough that day.  The guy who brings you back to make sure you are healthy enough to donate took my pulse and it was like 98, you can't donate if it's over 100, haha, I think I was a little nervous, but I didn't pass out!  

   I absolutely loved this movie!  It was so so cute.  I think i'm a sucker for cute animated movies.  The Disney fairy tales, the Disney/Pixars, and lots of the others, I pretty much love them all!

Today Benny make fajitas and I made orange cake. :)  I'm pretty sure it is my favorite cake of all time.  I think we devoured half of it in like 2 minutes.  

you should probably be jealous because it was delicious!  

It's A Beautiful Day!

Apex Snow Day!

So our Docs are pretty awesome and decided that we needed to have a Apex snow day.  We went up to Soldier Hollow.  Here are some of the pictures I took.

One of the assistants couldn't come last minute so I got to bring Michael!

This contraption that he's on pulls the tube right up the hill so you don't even have to walk up...

Staff and Families

It was pretty much AWESOME!

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, what could be better?