Did you see it?

My goodness this was the best weekend EVER!! I hope everyone caught General Conference this past weekend. President Monson said it best when he said, "I don't think I have ever been so spiritually fulfilled from any other conference". This was an awesome conference and I feel so blessed to have experienced one session in person.

First, let me start off by saying that I truly believe that growing up outside of Utah has prepared me to live here now. I feel so blessed to live in such a wonderful community, and have so many blessings that I didn't have growing up, so readily available to me now. (If you know me at all you know that that is a pretty bold statement for me to make) I have had the pleasure of hearing two wonderful prophets speak in person, and we have had the chance to visit 5 different temples in the past 6 months.

A couple of months ago it was our Regional conference and our ward was invited to hear the talks in the conference center. I lied to Todd and told him it started an hour earlier than it did, so we could get better seats. We were four rows from the front and I got to witness the spirit of President Hinckley first hand. When President Hinckley walked into a room you could feel his personality and sweet spirit immediately. When he spoke you could feel his love for you and clearly see his "aura" as Todd would say. We got to hear from him as well as President Packer that day, and we truly felt like it could not get not get any better.

Well this Saturday Todd and I got to raise ours hands to the square and sustain President Monson from our home. It was a wonderful experience and something I will never forget. Then to top it all off, we got to go to the Sunday morning session. Again I tricked Todd into getting there early and we got great seats. We were first row and center on the balcony. We had a clear shot of the pulpit and eagerly awaited the session to begin. (we were in our seats 2 and a half hours before it started) When President Monson walked into the room I knew I was in the presence of a man who was not only worthy of being our prophet, but one who was willing to be to serve as our prophet. His spirit radiated and filled the room instantly, and you could see the glow that surrounded him. He is an amazing man and I could not only feel but I could see his love for our Savior as he sat there and listened to the Spoken Word. When he spoke I felt like I was witnessing something amazing, and something I will never forget. I am so glad that I had the chance to see him and the other apostles and speakers speak. Sunday morning was my favorite session this General Conference, with the exception of Elder Jeffrey R Hollands talk Sunday afternoon.

Guys I am so thankful that Todd and I moved back here to Utah. I have never been so spiritually fulfilled as well and spiritually challenged in my life. This was the best weekend of all time. I wish there were a hall big enough to fill everyone into, so that everyone could experience the experience Todd and I had this Sunday. President Monson is clearly and without a doubt in my mind the best man to fill the shoes of the prophet in these "perilous" times.

Aunt Jessica's Wonder Bread

We made our very own bread!!!

We are trying to eat from our food storage, but first we had to learn how to use it. After a couple of terrible 'food storage cookbook recipes' I decided to head straight to the expert...My Aunt Jessica. Since I was a kid I have loved her homemade bread and always wanted to make it. After 30 minutes on the phone and two loafs later, Todd and I did it.

Thanks Aunt Jessica for the family secret. Now I just need to learn Nana's Thanksgiving rolls!!

Pay Back!!!!

I finally have my chance, recently Brittany posted a not so great picture of me on purpose, and now I can get her back!!!! This is a picture of my wife in Canada kissing a pig! Thats right, a pig! The most embarrassing thing about this obviously is that this pig is of the female gender. I think she didn't see the bikini. Leaving the country has a tendency to alter her morals and standards.

Love you Hunny! Now we are even.

posted by Brit's hubby.

Easter Weekend

Hope everyone had an excellent Easter!! We certainly did here in Good Ole' Syracuse!!! We had the pleasure of having Maegan and Tyler (Tyler is Maegan's high school boyfriend, but non-boyfriend presently, but who is going on a mission in a few months) come up and spend the weekend with us!!! It was a fun weekend. We dyed eggs and hair, went to the temple, had an Easter dinner, and had fun hanging out. Here is the proof...

Maegan dying Tyler's hair. He wanted to go blue, but the mission wouldn't allow it, so he settled on dark brown!!!
Todd and Maegan dying their easter eggs. Notice the ears...
Todd and I in our ears..
Tyler and Maegan dying their eggs...
(I would make an excellent popperozzi member) This is Maegan and Tyler saying their final goodbyes. In two months Tyler is heading off for his mission in Denver, and this trip was their last chance to hang out before he leaves.

All and all it was a great weekend. We had fun and got to relax, who could ask for more.

The Snowboarding Chick

This is "THE BRIT" snowboarding, I am very proud of her.

Hubba Hubba

I was going through some old photos of Todd's and I ran across this one and it made me smile. I love my Todd and I am super grateful for cameras. If cameras were not around I would not have the ability to see this side of Todd. Black tank top and blue hair, who are you?? I love that even though Todd and I know everything about one another there are still moments when you get surprised.

**I feel 100% confident in posting this post because there are NO old photos of me within Todd's access. **

Paintings and a Red Purse

Well this blog is well overdue, but we have had so much going on lately that I just hadn't gotten around to it, but better late than never.

Our paintings that we bought on the cruise finally arrived and we are thrilled. When I first got married my Uncle Matt sat me down and gave me some friendly advice, he said "There are certain things you just dont do in a marriage. You do not hang wallpaper together, you do not string Christmas lights on a Christmas together, and you do not hang pictures together!" Well I understand all to well that last part now. Hanging these were quite a controversy and we had a heck of a time agreeing but now that we have them up we are excited. Our home is warmer and much more relaxing with these up. So here are the end results...hope you enjoy!!

These are in the piano room. (no we don't have a piano yet but it is going to look fabulous with these pictures accentuating it)
This is my favorite!!! I was drawn to this photo immediately because I thought the man looked like Todd, but once we got the picture home and in the sunlight we noticed the girl looks like me too. She has streaks of red in her hair and her skin coloring is close to mine. This painting was made for Todd and I.
This is in our family room, its a fun one and brights up the entire area!!!
This one is in our bedroom hanging above the bed. Its beautiful and perfect to wake up too every morning.

Pictures do not do this one justice. This is Todd's favorite and the one that he had to have. Its very magical and whimsical. There are sailboats, clowns, flowers, and women dancing, it gorgeous.

And my sweet Mom sent me a gorgeous red purse. I have been talking about buying a red purse for so long now and just hadnt found the right one or wanted to spend the money on it, but my Mom found one that is perfect. It is fun getting things in the mail and my Mom surprised me, I love it and take it everywhere. Thanks Mom!!!