Fun Times

This past week/weekend Todd had a big yearly conference here in Utah, this means all the guys from the field come into town for meetings. Its fun for me because I get to tag along as they go to dinners and play around. There is this one guy in particular that I love seeing, Stephane Salaun. He is the wonderful man that replaced Todd out in TN, and it just so happens that I have a small thing for him, it might be the French accent or maybe the beautiful face, but either way "humadee humm"!!

He and his lovely wife Gail were wanting to go skiing while they were here so Todd and I took them up to Park City for some winter wonderland. I was very excited because I only fell twice (unless I got tired and then I plummeted to the ground), and I successfully exited the chair lift without incident. This was the first trip that I actually had fun snowboarding.

Here are some pics...
Me holding my own...
Todd and I calling it a day...
Stephane and Gail (I'm a sucker for the gray!)...

It was a wonderful trip and we had a good time. If there is anyone else who would like to come out and try the mountain please call us and we will happily escort you, all you have to do is pay the way!!

Best Husband ever....

Todd and I's anniversary is February 26th which is just a few short weeks after Valentines Day. We usually combine the two holidays or do something small on both days. We have never been the couple that gets one another presents or spends tons of money on gifts for each other, we would rather get a four wheeler or new kitchen table. But this year my hubby out did himself. In the past I have told him not to get me flowers. I am weird and don't really enjoy getting flowers. So for our anniversary it has been tradition to go out together and get an exotic variety of flowers and be done with it until next year. Not this year!!!

On Valentines Day Todd came home from work with a beautiful arrangement of white orchids. Magical right?!! Well it gets better, for our anniversary I came home and found two dozen red roses on our counter. My Dad was in town and we all went to dinner and then came back to the house to show him the pad, and there in the kitchen were my beautiful roses. Todd had snuck home and arranged the flowers himself.

I love my Todd, he continuously surprises me!!!!

St. George

This past weekend we took an extended weekend vacation to St. George to help celebrate Todds younger brother Christian's eleventh birthday. We hadn't been down there since we moved back to Utah, so the trip was well overdue. We had a blast hanging out with the family and catching up with old friends.

We had Christians b-day party Saturday and Sunday night and then we went to church with them Sunday morning. We went to the temple Monday morning with Todd's grandma Cottle, Mark and Michelle, and then Monday afternoon we went on a hike before heading out.

If you have never had the chance to visit St. George you are definitely missing out. This is by far one of the prettiest places I have ever been. You can hike the red rock, drive out to the grand canyon, slide in the sand dunes, camp in the mountains, look for Indian hieroglyphics, search for dinosaur footprints, and hike into volcanoes. This place is honest to goodness my second favorite city to visit.


Here are some pics of the hike we went on before we took off.
The family minus Todd taking a break
Top left to right: Me, Amanda (12), Christian (11), Lauren (14)
Bottom left to right: Mark (Todd's dad), Hayden (10), Michelle (Todd's beautiful step mom)
Us girls getting ready to slide down the sand dune...
The boys hiking up the steep hill to Amanda.

Its fun to watch Hayden and Christian look at Todd. Sometime I forget that he has brothers and sisters this young. These kids treasure their time with Todd, and their faces when they see him light up, but Todd's lights up just as much when he is around them. Sweet Todd!!
This is Todd's Mandy. She is adorable and Todd has a special place in his heart for her. They cling to each other and have the best time when they are together.


It was an exhausting weekend but well worth it. We are planning to make it down there more often and we can not wait for the next trip.

Count your many blessings..

Well I haven't done this in a while and I feel the need to publicly express my appreciation. When life gets tough (which seems quite often sometimes) its easy for me to get frustrated and just throw my hands up. But I have learned that that really accomplishes nothing, so instead I am going to say thank you.

1. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for placing such a wonderful prophet in our day. President Hinckley was a wonderful man and I am thankful to have had the chance to hear him speak, and feel his power. Whether I was sitting at home reading a talk he gave or I was sitting a few rows from him in regional conference, his spirit was undeniable. He truly motivated me to change some things, brush up on some things, and become a better person. I loved him and am glad he is reunited with his sweet wife and our savior. The Earth has been a better place having had him on it.

2. I am sooo excited to be back in Young Womens!! I have loved teaching the youth sunday school class, but secretly had been praying to get back with the girls. There is something amazing about young women and there ability to light up any room. I can not wait to get back in there with them.

3. I love the snow!! I have never been much of an outdoorsy person but the snow has done something to change me. I love playing outside with Kaylee, I love shoveling the snow with Todd, and I love snowboarding!! But most of all I love that the snow hides our dirt of a yard. We haven't put in a yard yet because of the weather but the snow provides a semi-finished look. No knows that we haven't got a yard underneath it, and I do not have to wipe off Kaylee's paws every time she comes in!! Yay for snow!!!

4. Have you ever had a couch that just seems to welcome you every time you enter the room? Well if not you are missing out. Todd and I have very different tastes when it comes to decorating but we came together when we saw our couch. Todd loves leather and I love microfiber and luckily we found one that is half and half. This couch looks beautiful but is so much more than that, this couch is warm and inviting. When you aren't feeling well or are exhausted you see her and you go running. I love having a couch that is super comfy and seems to wrap around you when your day has been rough!

5. Most of all I am thankful for my husband. Todd is an amazing man and I am one lucky girl to have him. The way he cheers me up with a smile or a hug is a blessing. His sweet spirit and wonderful personality makes life seem so much more tolerable. There is no other person I would want to dance in the kitchen or cuddle feet with. I was so lucky to find him so early in my life and I am looking forward to learning more and spending my life with him. When we first met we were complete extreme opposites and now we have compromised and kinda molded into one mesh of a person. I can not wait to see where we are in another 3 years. I love you Tottle Cottle!!

Snowboarding and Skiing

This weekend was a fun one for Todd and I. Not only did we get to go snowboarding but my siblings made the trip out and came along. Jeff flew out here Friday and Maegan took a shuttle down. We were all super excited, but Todd and I were laughing on the inside because we knew it was going to be a rough couple of days. We ventured out to a resort in Ogden (where they held the Olympic runs) and had a blast. We took them up two days in a row and were pleasantly surprised when they picked it up so fast. The first day was ROUGH, we had to have two medical aids carry them down the mountain, but the second day was awesome. They both picked it up very quickly and we had a great time!!

Jeff has some awesome stories, he got lost for about 3 hours, flew down a black diamond run, at one point he had a bloody nose, and he lived to tell the tale. Maegan had a rough day snowboarding but once she picked up some skis and gave that a try she was a natural!!
The three of us getting ready to show the mountain who's the boss...
Jeff rockin' it...
Maegan learning to turn...
Me coaxing Maegan down the hill (there aren't any actions shots of me and I like to think its because I am just too quick and sly to be caught on camera!!)
Jeff showing off his battle wounds from when he was "one with nature"

It was an awesome trip and we can't wait for next season when they come out and strap up again!!

Oh the weather outside is...BEAUTIFUL

This has been one of the prettiest winters I have ever experienced. I have never seen so much snow in such a short amount of time. We have been lucky enough to get a ton of snow recently!! Christmas Eve is when it all began. I truly do not believe the snow from Christmas has had a chance to melt yet. It just keeps packin on and forming more and more piles of snow for Kaylee and I to play in. While Todd shovels the drive way and sidewalks Kaylee and I get to run, hide, throw and form snow balls together. Well mainly I do it all but Kaylee has fun running and trying to catch the snow balls being thrown at her. Todd has had fun too, he has taken me out on the four wheeler to practice driving and learning how to steer while on ice. That was really fun, Todd would do spins and tricks while I just sat on the back laughing. It has been a beautiful winter and I hope it never ends. (I'm sure I will be singing a different tune in a month or two) Here are a few pics of our latest storm. It came in last night and dumped around 7 inches on us and we are supposed to get 4 more today!!
As you can see the roads are in NO condition to drive. Sorry Mom!!

My new favorite hobby!!

Well I don't know if you all remember but a couple of months ago I had made my first quilt. It was for a sweet friend back in TN who was prego?!!? Well from that time forward I had been itching to start my next quilt. Well Christmas was approaching and I decided it would be nice to make some for family. So I began the process of picking fabric and deciding on a pattern. Well I finally finished them and I am excited to show you the end result. So here they are..

Refresher..Jen and Dan's baby blanket
This is my second. I made this for Todd's Dad and Step mom in St. George. It is a beautiful queen size quilt. Hope Mark and Michelle like it!!!
And this is my third, it is a throw I made for my Mom!! It's a fun blanket that will look great in her front room!!

Anyways this is my new favorite hobby and I cant wait for the next excuse to make another!!