The Lights at Temple Square

This weekend we were able to spend some time with my sister and brother in-law since they were up for Thanksgiving. Sad to say my sister and myself don't both go to my mom's on the same year, but they still make time to come see us when it is not my mom's year to have them. 

We wanted to do something fun so we decided to go and see the lights at Temple Square on Friday night. Only part of my family could go, but it was still fun even though we missed the others. I always love going down to see the lights it just seems to bring the Christmas spirt out of me. Of course it was really crowded because it was the night that they turned on.

 We decided that instead of parking close to the Temple, since we really couldn't since there was also a Jazz game that night, we would park by the Frontrunner station and then take the Trax up to the lights.

 My nieces and nephew loved the fact that we were going to ride on a train. 

You have got to love the great picture of me. I just had to include it though so that you would know that I was actually there. 

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was a great one. We spend this year at my mom's house. Sad to say that this was the last Thanksgiving that we will have in our old family house. My mom will soon be moving into her new one. Happy Day. It was nice though to have one more Holiday spent in the only house that I have known my who life. 

Part of the family

More of the Family

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is one day where it is ok to eat and eat and eat. It is also a great time to be surrounded by family and just enjoy one another. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is my mother's orange rolls, carrots and bean casserole, and lots of potatoes and gravy. This year Justin again was able to keep the gravy by his side the whole entire dinner,without anyone noticing that we were one gravy bowl short. 

Dinner would not be complete without the olives on the fingers. 

So after the dinner is devoured the adults all help out to the the dishes cleaned up, but mainly we talk. 

And the kids just get to play around. Man I wish I was a kid again.

That was not all of the fun that we had for Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving night Justin's grandma Handcock rents out some lanes at Ben Lomand Lanes so that we can get our bowling on. Every year it is big competition between the Berube boys and girls. Sad to say this year I did not do so hot, while on the other end my mother in-law kicked some butt. Competition is the blood in this family. 

Then it is back to my mom's house for some games where my aunts, uncles, and cousins come over. Now this for me is Thanksgiving. We play the candy bar game and our own version of Bunko. This year there was some major competition, even some crying. That means that we played some great games. It isn't fun until someone cries.  We have been doing this for as long as I can remember. So for me I cannot have Thanksgiving without the games. 

It is so nice that we can attend both of our families Thanksgiving tradition and spend time with everyone.  

It all started four years ago today...

Well four years ago today was they day that Justin and I went on our first date. Let me back up and tell you the whole story of us going on our first date. 

It was the day before Thanksgiving in 2004 this is the day where all of the baked goods are made for Thanksgiving in my house. So we had rolls in the oven and pies getting made. I was just mixing my famous pumpkin pie when the phone rang and it was my work on the phone. Angela was calling to see if there was any way that I could come in for her because she had sick kids. So I said for sure. Not to long after I had arrived at work a kid from my Institute class came in. It was no other than Justin's brother Ryan and of course Justin was with him. Well I knew Ryan of course but I only knew of Justin because he is my sister's age. They came in to make a dispute on Ryan's visa and that was basically it. The day went on and got really busy right up to the moment that we closed. 

In between time a certain someone came back to the credit union and it just so happened that when this certain someone came back I was the next teller available, good for him. Here is how the transaction went...

 Justin: "Could you put these checks into my mom's account." 

Stephanie: "Sure, is there anything else that I can do for you?"

Justin:  "Could you pull up my account and take $40.00 out. Do you think that would be enough?" 

Stephanie: "Enough for what?"

Justin: "Enough to hopefully take you out this weekend?"

Stephanie: "It depends on what you are going to do with me?"

I of course said yes I would love to go out with you. He then proceeded to write his number down on a piece of paper and I did the same. His hand was shaking the whole time he was writing. 

Well Thanksgiving came and I was sick. So sick that I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner twice (not in a good way). So I was thinking that I would not be able to go out on Friday. Well Friday came and I was feeling ok. Justin called me two times that day once to tell me the time, the other to tell me that their plans had changed and that we were going to attend a close family friend's wedding reception with his parents. Great. What I fun first date. It turned out to be great. 

We went down to Salt Lake for the reception at this country club and of course everyone assumed that we were dating, awkward. After the reception we went to see the lights on temple square. 

I had told Justin that I was not able to even eat the pie that I had made because I was so sick. He took it upon himself to make sure that I had some pie. So we walked over to JB's, where everyone goes after seeing the lights to warm up, and he proceeded to order every piece of pie that was on the menu which ended up to be five pieces. It was really sweet of him. 

This was one of the best first dates that I have had. Since we went down to SLC we had plenty of time to talk. It was great getting to know him. Now this is not to say that everything went quick in our relationship but that story will be for another day. 

So I would like to say thank you to Angela for calling me in that day. Thanks to you I was able to get my first date with my husband. 

THE MOVIE

I just got back from seeing THE MOVIE. Come on all of you out there know what movie I am talking about without even mentioning the name. But I just cannot stop myself from saying what the movie is. TWILIGHT was a great, wonderful, stupendous movie that I would for sure see again. For that fact this a movie that will definitely be purchased to put with my wonderful collection of chick flicks. There is just something about this movie that makes me want more. I cannot wait until they release the next movie. This is one series that needs to have all of the books into movies. Once they start they just will not be able to stop.

My Idea of Relaxing After Work

Many of you will think that I am totally crazy and insane, to say the least, after getting done with reading this post (and some of you might already think that :)). Well as the title says today my idea of relaxing after work was cleaning the house. I know I must be crazy. But for some reason whenever I clean the house I get this overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I felt that since Justin would not be coming home until 10:30 or later I needed to something with my time, so why not clean.

Now everyone's idea of cleaning is probably different from person to person. Well my idea of cleaning is when I get down on my hands and knees to clean the floor, actually having to step inside of my bathtub in order to get it all the way clean, scouring down the shower (if anyone has any ideas of cleaning a stand alone shower, and a jetted tub without having to change to my bathing suit because I get soooo wet please let me know), getting out q-tips to clean the hard to get places (this is one part of my cleaning routine that Justin always has to laugh about. He knows I mean business when I get out the q-tips along with the cleaning supplies), emptying out the refrigerator, changing the sheets, putting up fresh towel, and having a whole load of dirty cleaning towels to throw into the washer. The last item especially makes me know that I have cleaned. Getting to fold a whole load of towels and rags is so rewarding for me. 

Having a clean house gives me a huge sense of relief knowing that everything is clean and presentable. Growing up my mom always taught me that a clean house is very important. I have taken that to heart and maybe to an extreme. Well to each their own right?

Now this is not to say that my house does not get dirty, because it does. That is when I know that cleaning day is just around the corner.  Until the next cleaning day....

Great Cricut Giveaway!!!!

Hey Everyone who like me is a Cricut junkie ... I found this blog site that is giving away a Christmas Cricut Cartridge. 

http://bloggingcricut.blogspot.com/2008/11/giveaway.html

Good luck everybody!

Now I know where I belong...

Do you ever wonder if you could have lived in another era? I really have. I love watching all of the old Nick at Night shows. None of this new Nick at Night that has all of the shows I grew up in like Home Improvement (ya, that is on Nick at Night). I mean the shows that are still in black and white. Why can't life go back to the I Love Lucy times, or Leave it to Beaver when the mom does cleaning in her pearls? I mean who would not want life to be that laid back and not rushed. I know for a fact that I would love it and guess what that is where I belong.

You Belong in 1954

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Happy Late Halloween

Halloween was a great time this year. Every year on the monday before Halloween my mom has a dinner called the ORANGE DINNER. Well if you don't get it from the name everything that we eat is orange. 

My mom makes this great dinner inside of a pumpkin, there are shredded carrots, and the most important part of the dinner is the surprise jello. 

Nowsurprise jello is, you guessed it orange, where my mom makes the jello and then she puts inside of it some vampire teeth, spider rings, or even some bugs. This is always the highlight of  the dinner to find out what was inside of the jello. 

We have been doing this dinner for as long as I can remember. So for me this is Halloween. So as the years have gone on it is fun to see the excitement in our nieces and nephews faces when they get to see each other in their costumes and enjoy some great food. 

This is also the night when the grandkids dress up in their costumes so we can see what they are going to be. It is crazy to see how the grandkids have grown up over the years. My oldest nieces are going to be turning 12 this next year. I cannot believe it. What is crazy is that I was twelve when they were born. So to me they are more like sisters than nieces.  I love all of our nieces an nephews and we love spending time with them. It is hard because lately Justin has not had the time to spend with family that he usually has. But he is working hard so that very soon we can start our own family.