Todd & Jessica

It's a BOY!!

2012-01-10T21:10:00.002-07:00

Todd and I were very excited and surprised to find out that we are having a boy! I can't believe we thought it was a girl. Shows you how much we know! He was so wiggly during the ultrasound today and we couldn't stop smiling as we saw him kick and wave his arms around. He wouldn't turn his head just right so instead of seeing his handsome profile he was looking at us head on! I love my little man so much already!

Manly proof!

Face shot

21 Weeks - Dallas Delay

2012-01-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

At 19 weeks I felt like not much had changed...and then week 20 hit! It was as if my belly grew overnight. Everything has been going really well. I still love carbs and sugar = waffles/pancakes/french toast and syrup. Sometimes I get heartburn, but not too bad (knock on wood). My feet blew up like ballons when we flew to CA and stayed like that for a few days, but keeping them elevated eliminated the problem, thank goodness. The most exciting new thing is feeling the baby kick!! It started at the end of week 18. It is such an amazing feeling that is indescribable. I love it!! Todd, my mom, sister, and grandma have felt it too! I really have had such an easy pregnancy and I feel suped blessed.

On another note, Todd and I missed our flight from Dallas to Champaign so I missed my gender ultrasound appointment. I was pretty bummed at first, but we turned our delay into a mini vacation in Dallas. Luckily the Labrum's have some great family friends 20 minutes from the airport so we had a comfortable place to stay. We went and saw Cowboy's Stadium and The Sixth Floor Museum which is about the JFK assassination. I had never been to Texas before and the weather was beautiful. I rescheduled my doctor appointment Tuesday at 9am! We can't wait! Boy or Girl??!!!

19 Weeks

2011-12-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

Almost half way people!!

Boy or Girl?

2011-12-30T21:46:00.001-07:00

In less than a week we will find out the gender of our baby!! Todd and I could not be more excited. Todd from the beginning has said girl, and the longer time has gone on the more I'm convinced too. I think we will all be surprised if its a boy! I don't care either way... I just can't wait to meet this little baby.

Now what's your guess? Boy or Girl?

16 Weeks

2011-12-04T21:31:00.002-07:00

15 Weeks

2011-11-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

Weeks 1-15 (well more like 4-15 because who knows before then anyways) :

I'm due May 20, 2012
Todd told me I was pregnant before I knew or had had any symptoms
Todd also thinks it's a Girl - I am starting to believe him
I have not had a feeling/dreamt about what the gender is
Twilight: Breaking Dawn has officially freaked me out of labor - No, I do not think I am having a vampire child
I have not been sick or experienced morning sickness - thank goodness, I feel blessed
I have been so sleepy that I did not paint my nails for 1 month (for those of you who know me well, I paint my nails weekly) It wasn't the time it takes to paint them that discouraged me, but the mere thought of having to wait for them to dry before I could lay down and nap.
I have hated raw meat, laughing cow cheese, and Culvers burgers - still do. Even writing about these makes me want to gag.
I LOVE breakfast food - waffles, french toast, pancakes, doughnuts - anything bad for you in the morning :)
Only 5 more weeks until we find out the gender
I am pregnant with one of my best friends/cousins - she is 2 weeks behind me and pregnant with twins!!

Just thought I would write down some thoughts to remember this amazing experience. I will post some pictures when I feel like I have a baby bump instead of a breakfast bump.

Turkey Day!!

2011-11-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

This year Thanksgiving was spent with the Labrum side of the family. We had a great time as always and love to be with family. I have really slacked on taking pictures and am now regretting it. Oh well...

Landon - one of my many cute nephews

Labrum Turkey Bowl

Our beautiful ginger bread house!

We had family pictures taken while we were visiting. Here is a sneak peek! Check back for more of those soon!

The Best Birthday Gift Ever!!

2011-11-10T12:19:00.002-07:00

I got what I wanted for my birthday this year!! Labrum baby due May 2012!!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-28T20:41:00.001-06:00

I can't believe I'm such a blog slacker!! I have so much to update....we are enjoying our new place and can't wait for the holidays! Here are some pictures from our pumpkin patch adventure. We pretty much live in farm land so it wasn't hard to find cheap pumpkins!

2 years of lovin' and a lot more to come...

2011-07-24T23:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, for our anniversary, Todd surprised me with tickets to Beauty and the Beast in Chicago! It was so amazing! I absolutely loved it! Belle and Gaston were fabulous. Later he took me to Wildfire, this really neat restaurant downtown. It was such a fun day!

Today is our 2 year anniversary!! I can't believe how fast it has gone and at the same time its like we have been together for as long as I can remember. It has been a wonderful 2 years. I am so excited for our new adventures and all the exciting things we have ahead of us! I love you Labrum!!!

California...

2011-07-08T22:31:00.001-06:00

After our fun stay in Cedar City, we headed down to Oceanside to stay with the fam. We had such an amazing stay and did tons of fun activities. We owe a huge thank you to Mom and Dad for showing us such a great time!

Ruby's on the Pier - Oceanside

Grandma next to a HUGE flower at the San Diego Fair

They were all so pretty!

Neon Trees

About to ride the ferris wheel...

I know this is blurry, but its the only one I have will all the bright lights!

Bike rides in La Jolla. Thanks for the early anniversary present Mom and Dad!

La Jolla

This garage was covered by vines...I thought this was pretty amazing/fancy. We saw some gorgeous houses on our bike ride by the beach.

After an super yummy meal of Indian food in the gas lamp district, we decided to indulge at The Ghiradelli Shop. Chocolate peanut butter sunday....yes please!!

We checked out the new and improved Mormon Battalion in Old Town. It was super neat. They have really cool themed rooms with a great message to watch in each of them. They even take your picture afterwards and let you pan for gold. If you haven't been, you should go! Pretty sure I have my eyes closed in this one - oh well...

Padre's Game

Dad and Mom

Me and Grandma

Can't wait till our next visit. I can't believe that next time we will be visiting all the way from Bloomington, Indiana!! Until next time....

Cedar City Cabin!

2011-06-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

Before we headed to CA, my family met us in Cedar City for a few nights. The first night we drove down to St. George to see The Little Mermaid at Tuacahn. I love that amphitheater...it is gorgeous! I thought Sebastian and Chef Louis were the best!

Chef Louis

Sebastian

Back in the cedar city mountains we went to the ice cave, but it was still too full of snow to go inside.

Navajo Lake

My cute husband

Aspen Mirror Lake

Checked out the natural springs. Everything was so pretty!

Lynn

Showing off their Indiana gear!

Thanks Mom and Dad! We had a blast!

Our First Trip to Bloomington

2011-06-20T20:40:00.000-06:00

Todd and I had the opportunity to visit Bloomington a couple of weeks ago and we loved it! Ron and Sherrie were able to come with us which was super helpful and fun. We were even able to nail down an apartment for the fall which was our main purpose in visiting. It feels much better to know where we will be living in the fall. We also got to visit the law school. The whole campus is gorgeous. I was amazed at how green the campus was. We can't wait for the fall!!

Our future apartment!

Paris & London

2011-06-13T01:09:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it has taken me this long to blog about Paris and London! This was one of my favorite vacations EVER! We were so blessed to have my mother and father-in-law take us to the oh-so-wonderful Europe. I don't know if I could say thank-you enough!! Here are some pictures of our trip...in no particular order! I have a ton!

Ron and Sherrie

Provins, France

Beautiful old town with cobblestone roads

Disneyland Paris

Versailles, France - Marie Antoinette's humble abode

She had a killer bedroom! No wonder they chopped her head off.

Out in her Alice in Wonderland looking gardens.

We struggled getting off the ground at the same time....

Gorgeous fountains...

The Louvre

Venus de Milo

The Louvre was HUGE

Todd, Jess, and Mona Lisa

Todd is picking the statue's nose...gross.

Notre Dame - the detail was incredible!

Gargoyles!

The hunchback's quarters

Arc de Triomphe

My favorite sight of the whole trip! Tower Eiffel!!!

It was so much bigger than I expected!

Headed to London!!

Buckingham Palace

Prince William and Kate Middleton were engaged about a week after we left. I would like to say our love influenced their decision :)

Piccadilly Circus

The Phantom of the Opera was AMAZING!!

Imitating the statue behind us and trying not to crack up....

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

No superman sightings....

All you need is love...

...and Hob Nobs

Headed back to Paris

Im sure you can tell from all these pictures that we had a fabulous time! I hope we can go see more of Europe someday! Paris and London were an amazing start!!

Zumba!!!

2011-05-18T22:00:00.002-06:00

I love Zumba! It is seriously my new favorite workout...and that says A LOT because I really don't like to work out. My first class was in St. Thomas in March, but I didn't know where to go in Provo. One of the girls I work with told me she was going to a Zumba class and I jumped at the opportunity! So glad I did. I love that after the hour is up, you don't feel like you have "worked out" because it is so fun. If you haven't checked it out, I would highly recommend it!! I am so sore!!

If you live in Provo check out Amy William's class at Studio 600 on Center St. She teaches Monday & Thursday @ 4:30pm and Tuesday & Wednesday at 8:00pm. Tomorrow is a FREE open house from 6:30pm - 8:00pm!!

Goodbye 2nd home, Hello 3rd

2011-05-16T23:30:00.001-06:00

I wanted to take some pictures to document our 2nd apartment together. I was really bad about doing this with our first...oh well. We started packing today. It is very bitter/sweet! Here are some pictures of the Utah apartment!

Those fresh flowers are from my client, Emily, as a going away gift...I'm going to miss her!!

I really have enjoyed it here!

Our very boring bedroom that I never got around to decorating...

Moving boxes!!!

The only pics I have of the 2nd bedroom are after packing...see our progress!

More to come....

I'm Just a Summer Girl....

2011-05-15T21:06:00.001-06:00

I love that it is FINALLY getting warm here in Provo! Seems like winter is way too long and summer goes by so fast. Today was a wonderful Sunday. We went to hear Alyssa's farewell talk and spent time with friends that we don't get to see very often! We can't wait to hear about her mission experiences in Russia. She really is amazing and we will miss her.

Stina, Allison, Alyssa, Kenzie, Joey, Me, and Todd

Todd made some really yummy ribs for dinner! He even butchered them beforehand...and I was thoroughly impressed. I thought it was sort of disgusting as a slab of meat, but it didn't seem to bother him one bit. They were delicious and I was just as excited to finally eat some watermelon. Its really starting to feel like summer!!

We are flying out to Chicago 2 weeks from today to go look for housing in Bloomington! I can't believe how fast it has come! We can't wait for all the fun things we are going to do in the next few months. We are truly blessed!

On another note...GO BULLS! They just creamed the Heat and Todd is so thrilled! I love the bulls, but I also love Dwyane Wade...he is so cute and I love his off the court style...don't you?

P.S. I love this song...and I love the Summer!!!

Cousins = Best Friends

2011-05-10T20:23:00.000-06:00

It makes me so sad to think that shortly we will be living so far away from our best friends! We are going to miss all these guys so much!!!

Love you JB, Nikki, Gerry, Karina, Greg, Kari, and Braden!!!!!!!!!

Jolee's Bridal Shower

2011-05-09T14:16:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Alyssa's planning and Jolee's wedding, some of the old roommates were able to get together and hang out! It was so nice to catch up with these beautiful ladies! I am so excited for Jolee and Mario... and I am so excited for Miss Alyss who is going on a mission to Russia! What a wonderwoman! Can't wait to go to her farewell in a week!

Maurer School of Law: Indiana University

2011-05-07T00:09:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know yet, Todd has been accepted to the Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, IN!! He received an amazing scholarship and I could not be more proud of him! Free law school just sounds so nice! I have been getting really sad about leaving all of our family, friends, coworkers, AND my wonderful clients!! I will miss them all so much. We will be leaving Provo :( in about 3 weeks to travel and visit our families before we begin our new adventure! I am looking forward to staying in Park City, Cedar City, San Diego, Chicago, and hopefully Mexico before we make our way to Bloomington. Can I just say that I love the name Bloomington...it makes the city sound so pretty. Thats our latest and greatest news! Congrats Todd!! You are such a smarty and such an awesome husband! I love you!!

I love these pictures...

2011-03-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

I miss the summer and I love the bean

Bulls vs Jazz

2011-02-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

Todd and I went to the Jazz vs Bulls game a few weeks ago and had a great time cheering on our team...the Bulls!! Todd was super excited to watch Derek Rose show off his bball skills and I was pretty disappointed to see Joakim Noah on the bench -- I just love his hair! We were at Jerry Sloan's last game after coaching the Jazz 23 yrs! He had a pretty impressive career. Bulls won 91-86...Go Bulls!!

Picking Up My Sista!!

2011-02-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

My cute sister Shelby-Lynn just moved up to Provo!! I was lucky enough to sneak away for a weekend to go pick her up. Thank you warm San Diego, for being so nice to me while I was there. Poor Todd had to stay at home and work....somebody's got to make the mula! Shel moved in with Todd and I for about 2 weeks until we found her a cute apartment close by. Mom then flew up to help her move in and find a good cosmetology school. She will probably start school mid-March and I am super excited for her (although I already told her I am liking my longer hair and do not intend to be her model...at least until she knows what she is doing) Love you Lynn!!

Oceanside Pier

Lynn, Me, JD

Everyone including G-ma minus Todd

I made my Mom wear her hair straight one day! So cute!

One of my new favorite places in Oceanside - Yellow Deli

In the warm sunshine!!

Off to Tu-tah!!

Hello VEGAS!

Provo here we come!

Christmas!!

2011-01-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Christmas this year was with the Labrum side of the family and we had a great time in Park City. It was nice to have all the siblings and their families together for the holidays. We left feeling way too spoiled and wishing we lived a little closer to everyone! Miss you guys already!

Our first real Christmas Tree!

Zach, Donovan, and Todd

Grandma and Grandpa Labrum

Everyone on Christmas Eve reenacting the nativity

Brit and I out snow shoeing (I liked this activity more than skiing!)

Wendy, Jess, Brit

Joe a.k.a. Man vs. Wild

The whole group!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

This year Thanksgiving was with the Anderson side of the family and they traveled to be with us in UT!! The Labrums offered their beautiful home in Park City to us for the holiday. They are so generous and I love them so much! We had such an amazing time and by the end of the trip I think my family wished they could stay permanently. It went by too fast and I miss them already! Can't wait until next time!

Todd tried to knock down these massive icicles and succeeded which almost resulted in his death. I am pleased to announce he was unharmed.

Sorry Blog - You have not been my priority...

2010-12-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last post: 4th of July. Pretty sad considering I have had time here and there to blog. Here is a quick update of things we have been up to.

Visited Chicago in July

Surprised my Mom for her birthday and drove down to CA!!

TODD GRADUATED!!!! I am so proud of him. He now has a degree in Economics! Both families were there to support!! Thanks for everyone who traveled to be there for the big day!

Lynn came to visit and we had a BLAST. I am still trying to convince her to move up here!!! DO IT LYNN!!

3 days before Todd took the LSAT he got a concussion and forgot almost everything. He did not know he had graduated from BYU or that he was about to take the LSAT. Lets just say this was a stressful time for us. He ended up taking the test and doing very well!! One more thing to be proud about. My husband is amazing!

Halloween!! I was a pirate and Todd was Pirate's Booty :) We also went on a Provo River Halloween Cruise with the cousins and had a lot of fun like always!

Sorry this is so long...Mom, I know you wish this was longer. I will be posting pictures from our trip to Paris/London, Thanksgiving with the family, and our Christmas Tree soon!

4th of July

2010-07-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

Todd and I had a great, relaxing 4th of July weekend. We watched fireworks on the 3rd - thank you Provo - and camped out downtown for the 4th of July parade with the cousins. Besides only sleeping about 5 hours because the streets were filled with excitement and cheer, the camp out was great. We topped off the night with a BBQ and yummy dessert. Check it out...

Trying out our new tent and sleeping bag in downtown provo

Jess, Nikki, and Karina

Boy Scouts

Support the troops

Go BYU

Missionaries....haha

BBQ time

Karina with her delicious and beautiful flag cake

Nikki also made delicious homemade ice cream that I didn't get a picture of

Happy Birthday America

Tan Babies

2010-07-05T17:22:00.000-06:00

I hope our children get Todd's wonderfully tan skin. Jealous? Me too.

Me and My Nanny Kids

2010-06-23T12:09:00.017-06:00

Lettuce Wraps

2010-06-09T19:40:00.002-06:00

Carol and my mother-in-law, Sherrie, gave me this yummy recipe. It was super quick and easy besides going to 4 different grocery stores to find broccoli slaw. But it was well worth the searching!

Lettuce Wraps: (makes enough for 6 people)

2 cups chicken - cubed (2 chicken breasts) or more if you're a serious carnivore like my sister
1 cup craisens (chopped)
1 cup cashews (chopped)
1 can water chesnuts (chopped)
2 bags broccoli slaw - found on refrigerated produce aisle
1 bottle general tsao sauce - found in asian food aisle - so yummy
Lettuce for wrapping - romaine leaves or iceburg
Chow mien noodles for topping - we didn't have any and it was still great

Cook chicken, toss in all remaining ingredients in pan. Use as much sauce as you want to coat everything.

Hope you enjoy it as much as us!

Lions, Tigers, and Cookies! Oh My!

2010-06-08T20:57:00.001-06:00

Today all the Labrum girls and their cute kids went to the zoo and then to Mrs. Fields Factory in Salt Lake. We started out the day with seeing jumping monkeys, baby elephants, and talking birds at the zoo and ended the day even better with fresh made cookies. Thank you Mrs. Fields. It was a great day. The only thing lacking was my children. Yes, I said MY children. I am the only girl with out cute kids. Hopefully not for long though :) - And no this does not mean I am pregnant.

The kids riding the train

Kenzy and I with our cute hair nets on

THE MAZE RUNNER

2010-05-28T23:30:00.002-06:00

Wow! Who would have thought that I could LOVE another book like I love The Hunger Games/Catching Fire? My little brother, Jake :) - I love you. This is a great book. If you like The Hunger Game series, you will like this too! I am anxiously awaiting the second book that is due October of this year. Until then I will be moping around wondering the outcome of my new favorite characters.

If you read it, let me know what you think!!

I'm a GLEEK

2010-05-11T19:48:00.001-06:00

Yes people, I'm a Gleek.

I love Rachel. Amazing voice.

I love Finn. His voice makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July.

I love Mr. Shue. Wish he could have been my choir teacher.

I love Kurt. Everyone should have a gay friend.

I love Mercedes. Huge voice and huge attitude.

I love Quinn. Cute prego girl with a cute name.

I love Puck. Great hair.

I love Sue. Meanest person I know that I still love.

I love Emma. Pretty, wholesome, crazy lady.

And I love Brittany. Taught me that dolphins are just gay sharks.

Can't wait for tonight's episode! If you aren't a gleek,
you should be!!

St. Thomas and the BVIs

2010-05-04T11:32:00.003-06:00

Todd and I were so blessed to go on an amazing vacation for spring break! Todd's whole family and our fun friends the Eyres and the Dials all came. It was a very big group of super fun people. Because all the islands are super close to one another, we were able to visit a few. We stayed on St. Thomas and visited St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke!! Here are some of the beautiful pictures of our trip!

The Hotel

All the girls in St. John

Van and I

Todd and I right before snorkeling

Ky and I

Dinner overlooking the beautiful island

On our way to the British Virgin Islands

Kenzy and I

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

These are natural grottoes where huge rocks and boulders, are stacked on top of each other to create natural pools so the water flows in from the beach. Its like a maze of walk ways and trails that wind through the shoreline and beach.

A bunch of us jumped off of a 25 ft boulder! And yes, I did it too!!

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

Prettiest beach I think we visited!!

Our boat that took us to the BVIs. Isn't Landon handsome?

The whole group

Kylee and Rodney! We miss you guys!

Last night there

Donovan, Zach, and Kenzy

My handsome man!

Kenzy looking so cute with her braids!

We had such a great time! Hope one day we can go back!!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-04-15T22:06:00.006-06:00

We made a green breakfast for dinner on St. Patrick's Day. It is a fun tradition in Todd's family to do so. We invited Kari and Braden over to enjoy the green goodness. We had extra green milk left over and I refused to cook with it because it would make everything look rotten and gross! Todd didn't mind because he thought drinking green milk was cool :)

The Hunger Games

2010-04-10T23:44:00.003-06:00

I finished this book only a few hours ago and can't stop thinking about how much I loved The Hunger Games. Actually, Todd is sitting next to me on the couch and has just started reading it. I am completely jealous and constantly looking over his shoulder to see what happens next. And did I mention that I already read it? No reason to be jealous. For those of you who like to read, I recommend it. When you read inside of the book jacket to see what the story is about you may think the it sounds a little morbid, and in a way you feel like why should I enjoy reading about this? But I did, and you will too. Let me know what you think. Can't wait to start the sequel, Catching Fire. Can't wait!!

Seriously??

2010-03-04T17:59:00.003-07:00

It feels like Christmas in March here. Lame. Bet you couldn't guess by this picture that it was 52 degrees and sunny at 10am this morning. Yep, thats what I thought.

Redemption

2010-03-02T21:32:00.003-07:00

This picture is here to redeem my cooking skills.

Banana Nut Bread Take 2:

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T15:42:00.007-07:00

Mom, this post is for you and your stalking needs.

Todd and I had a great Valentine's Day. We celebrated the holiday the night before by getting chinese take-out and watching a movie at home. Our plan was to cook together, but by the time we were both home from work, we had changed our minds. We decided to try this new place called Siagon Cafe in Provo and it was delicious. Speaking of the Chinese food, I have a funny story to tell you. Todd loves sweet and sour chicken, so he ordered that. I love kung pao chicken which is a little spicier so naturally thats what I ordered. If you love kung pao chicken or have eaten it before, then you would know that there are little red chillies in it that you DO NOT eat.

Here is what they look like:

On occasion, someone will be careless and not knowingly eat one of these bad boys. And then they will regret it. As I pushed a chili to the side of my plate Todd dares me to eat it. I told him, "Heck no! They are spicier than you think!!" He in return calls me a wimp and so I of course dare him to eat it. He, not wanting to be a "wimp", cuts it in half and starts chewing. I am at this point laughing and tell him he is going to be sorry. After about 20 seconds he is crying... well tears are streaming. He will now admit that those are spicy and just for flavor! Haha! Boys are so funny when they try to act tough.

We had a great night together. I am so lucky to be his wife. We are very happy and can't wait to spend many more Valentine's Days together.

Here are some picture that I never posted from our ski trip to Vail and a fun night out bowling with Kari and Braden!

Guest Author

2010-02-03T21:31:00.003-07:00

Jessica is asleep next to me on the couch. I've been watching Wednesday night basketball on ESPN and as I was checking our email, I saw something in our inbox about a comment on our blog. Which gave me the thought, why don't I make a guest appearance? After all, I put the Todd in Toddica, and people must want to hear my side of the story right? Right? Ehh, either way, you're going to hear it.

Life has been great. So great in fact, that Frosted Flakes has contacted us on being thei new cartoon characters. They're Grrrrrrrrrrreat! A couple of weeks ago, Jess and I ventured to Vail with the rest of the family to hit the slopes. Jess had never skied before so she was very nervous, but she ended up doing great. I even decided to take up skiing for the first time in ten years and loved it too. Our trip ended with a gondola ride up to the very top of the mountain (for those of you not impressed, Vail is way bigger than any resort here in Utah) and a nice run all the way down. Before this, Jess spent most of her time on the bunny hill, but after experiencing a full one hour run down the mountain, she is convinced that she is now a skier. Which I don't mind, cause she is pretty much the most attractive skier you'll ever see.

On monday, Jess and I went to the Jazz-Mavericks game. It was really fun. The Jazz dominated. I caught one of those balls they launched into the crowd. And Jessica had a great time rating the attractiveness of the players. Hey, whatever gets her to go to the games, I'm happy.

Hmmm, what else? Oh yeah, Jess and I each have new addictions of our own. Jessica is addicted to the Food Network. She loves the Paula Dean and that Southern couple who always say things like "hey y'all, toss a little pepper in the mix, okay y'all". Sadly, I can now name almost all of the chefs on the channel. This obsession of hers has turned her into a very impressive chef who wants nothing more than a fresh stable of ingredients. In fact, when we talk about hitting it big, instead of talking about how we'll be able to go on vacations and other fun stuff, she talks about how she'll be able to buy any ingredient she wants! What can I say? She dreams big. With all of her great cooking, though, it is very hard to work myself into St. Thomas shape. Bring on P90X!

I on the other hand am addicted to something much more healthy. Craigslist. Ever since I found a killer deal on this brand spankin new printer, I can be found browsing for other steals several times a day. I've even sold some of our stuff. Who would have thought that someone would really want to buy our old bath towels and a couple of unpaired socks? I'm just kidding, but I'm sure you could sell those things if you wanted. Craiglisters will by anything.

And now you've heard......the REST of the story.

Christmas in CA!!

2010-01-04T21:59:00.007-07:00

Christmas vacation was so nice! We were able to stay for almost 2 weeks and felt very refreshed after the break. We had a lot of fun and kept pretty busy. Here are some pictures of the things we did...

Todd in front of his old Mission Viejo house.

(We lived in the same city at the same time when we were babies and our families didn't know each other...small world!!)

We went to Hollywood to see the stars.

This one is for my mom!!

The Lee family! We love them!!

Im a star!!

So is Todd!!

She is my FAVORITE!

Jess, Todd, Karina, & Greg in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater

Here are some pictures from Knott's Berry Farm. We have a family tradition to go every Christmas Eve!

We won the gold in case you are wondering

Todd showing off his amazing basketball skills!!

Lynn and I on the swings. We are the ones with our arms out.

Before takeoff.

The whole family

Mom and Dad treated us to Disneyland for Christmas. It was SO crowded, but SO much fun!!

Jake is in a wheelchair. After all he does have a hip disease. We sorta milked our way to the front of the lines...don't judge.

Lynn with her pirate boyfriend!

Yo-ho yo-ho a pirates life for us.

The Haunted Mansion!

Splash Mountain!

A Bug's Life 3D....freaked me out!!

In front of Sleeping Beauty's castle all lit up for Christmas!

Can't wait to visit again!!

Thanksgiving in Chicago!!

2010-01-04T21:30:00.004-07:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post pictures from Thanksgiving. We had such a fun trip and can't wait to visit again!! Here are a few...

We went to Pinstripes to play Bocce Ball and I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be...

We went to a chicago indoor race track and raced high speed go-karts. So much fun!!

This was Thanksgiving morning at the boys' Turkey Bowl.

Im embarrassed of how I look but it was FREEZING so at the time I didn't care!!

Christmas Family Photo

Zach with the cute nieces and nephews!!

Another family photo...

Our Gingerbread House

2009-12-07T22:08:00.003-07:00

It has been so snowy here lately. Finally it is starting to feel like Christmas. And, to boost the Christmas spirit Todd and I made a gingerbread house. If you notice any sloppy parts, they're Todd's. After four hours of putting this house together and listening to my instructions on proper color coding, he just started slopping it on. At one point I just told him he could stop if he wanted. Anyways, we had a fun time putting it together! I love Christmas!!

You can tell the back is not as detailed... i.e. we got tired.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I know we are. Thanks for sending this kit to us Mom!

Jacob Black

2009-12-03T22:51:00.003-07:00

Confession: I am TEAM JACOB.

When I first read Twilight about 2 years ago I was not that impressed. Then I saw the movie and that definitely did not change how I felt. I thought it was a little cheesy and didn't love the line, "You better hold on tight little Spider Monkey". Well I waited until the last minute to read New Moon and told myself I would not watch the movie until I had finished the book, so I read it in 2 days...and loved it. I realized there were better things out there than vampires: werewolves. I liked Eclipse and am currently around page 400 of Breaking Dawn. So far I am still Team Jacob. My mom tells me my feelings for Jacob might change towards the end of the book so I am anxiously reading to find out. I have officially been sucked into the Twilight Saga. Typical, I know. I loved the movie New Moon. Todd liked it too. Can't wait until next summer to see Eclipse!!

I love Taylor Swift

2009-11-22T21:37:00.001-07:00

Chef - [shef]

2009-11-09T22:00:00.007-07:00

–noun

1. the chief cook, esp. in a restaurant or hotel (or Jessica's tiny kitchen), usually resposible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.

Before I got married, my love for cooking only consisted eating that of others. It wasn't until I had my own kitchen that I discovered my passion for cooking. Maybe it is due to the fact that I have so many nice, new kitchen appliances (thank you wedding). Maybe it is because my mom is a great cook. Maybe it is because I like the compliments from my husband. Maybe it is because I know he will eat my experiments. Maybe it is because I know he will lie to me. Whatever it is, it has changed me. I know you all saw my "banana nut bread" - if you could call it that, and now you want to steer clear of my cooking. I understand. I am a work in progress. I have to say I am getting better. My food no longer implodes and do not require a tall glass of water to accompany it. Who knows, one day I might start my own cooking blog that can help new wives like myself. Anyways, here is my latest attempt:

Asian Chicken Stir-Fry

It is so easy and quick, you must try it.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Stir-fry in a little oil in a nonstick skillet until cooked through; remove. Add sliced bell peppers and sliced carrots to skillet; stir-fry until crisp-tender. Stir in bottled stir-fry sauce and bring to a simmer. Return chicken to skillet; toss to heat. Serve over rice.

Halloween

2009-11-02T09:30:00.006-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Todd and I met last year carving pumpkins in our BYU Family Home Evening group. So naturally I encouraged us to carve some this Halloween!! We invited Kylee and Rodney over to carve them with us. They won the contest for difficultly and speed. Todd and I tried to keep ours simple :) Here are some pictures:

Rodney, Kylee, and Todd

Todd and I

Our pumpkin is on the right...

Here are some pictures of us in our Halloween costumes. We had fun going to a few parties and getting dressed up. I was so happy that Jana came to visit. We had a great time with her and Brad. I can't wait until she moves back in January!

Todd, Jess, Jana, and Brad

The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Big Bad Wolf

JB and I

Us again

The Real MAD Hatter

Braden, Kari, Jess, Todd

I love this one!

Cookies and a Hole-in-One

2009-10-19T22:39:00.013-06:00

For Family Home Evening tonight, Todd and I decorated sugar cookies with candy and cream cheese frosting. Here are some pictures. P.S. They tasted great!!

Can you tell which ones are Todd's and which ones are mine?

We also had such a great weekend. Friday night we went over to Braden and Kari's for chili and pumpkin pie. Then we went to Trafalga to play mini golf, arcade games, and eat dip & dots. During mini golf, Todd somehow managed to get a hole-in-one. We all would not have believed it if we had not seen it with our own eyes. Somehow he managed to hit his ball against the side which caused it to hit the other side making it ricochet off of a jagged rock into the hole. I call it luck, he calls it talent. Braden also had some amazing hole-in-one experiences while Kari and I, well we enjoyed the game :) We ended the night with some great rock band playing till 1:30am and we got 5 stars, yes all of us are good - of course I play on easy... Anyways, here are some pictures!

Braden focusing hard...

Kari on her back swing

Todd

Kari and I showing off our balls...

Todd and I with my "golf stick" as I like to call it.

Saturday night my cousins Steph and Anthony cooked a delicious meal and all the cousins came. She followed dinner up with amazing angel food cake topped with chocolate mousse and raspberries. We all ate and watched the Bears game...poor Bears. Wish I would have taken some pictures. I love Ben, he is so so so cute!!! I just love babies!

Sugar Mama

2009-10-15T09:55:00.003-06:00

I finally got a job...yay!!! I am super excited. I am working at Aspen Salon in Provo as a stylist. I am so happy to be doing hair again. I start tomorrow and will be there full time. I would love to see you in my chair!!

Aspen Salon - Provo

801.375.4247

http://aspensalonutah.com/

Aruba, Jamaica ooo I Wanna Take You

2009-10-13T13:04:00.012-06:00

I miss Aruba!!! The cold Utah weather has finally begun and I cannot say that I am pleased. I love warm summer nights and already miss them. The cold weather only has one bonus: I get to wear my boots all the time. Yes I know, Im obsessed.

Here are some pictures from our honeymoon in Aruba.

Things I've Become Way to Familiar With...

2009-10-08T12:44:00.002-06:00

Since I have been job-less.

(These are not my actual pictures, but yes this did happen to me)

Signs You're a Bad Cook

2009-10-06T22:01:00.004-06:00

This Picture. ENOUGH SAID.

After I graduated with a double major in making people beautiful I sat down with Todd and together we picked out some new recipes that we wanted to try. New dinners, cookies, and other desserts. I would have to say that overall I have done a pretty good job. Since then I have made red enchiladas, cheesy parmesan chicken, yummy pumpkin cookies, good teriyaki chicken, chocolate chip cookies from scratch, and great tortilla soup. I was on an amazing "cooking delicious things" streak, until today. Here is my first attempt at making Banana Nut Bread. If you didn't realize that this was a picture of banana nut bread...I understand; However, I will say that it surprisingly tasted good. It seems a little on the sweet side so my only guess is that I lost count of how many cups of sugar I added. Lessoned learned.

Vegas Baby - Date Night

2009-09-27T22:28:00.008-06:00

Before I talk about vegas I must give you a tennis update... The morning after we played I woke up feeling pretty good except for a really sharp pain in my knee causing a silly limp every time I took a step. Other than that I was impressed by my lack of soreness. As the day went on, things changed a bit. I became so sore it was pathetic. We decide to take Saturday off of our "every day tennis goal". Thanks for understanding Toddy. We will start back up tomorrow, and I can't wait. Bring on the pain!!

So when Todd and I got married we decided that we would choose one night a week for "date night". After the wedding, honeymoon, and second reception in Chicago, we came back to provo ready to do so. Todd had the first week, and it was my job to plan the next. I really wanted to do something fun and different. As I looked up "fun things to do in provo" online (advice: trying to search topics such as this one in a search engine never helps) I realized there were not many new or exciting ideas. At that time I happened to look on a friends Facebook and saw her status which mentioned a cheap one night trip to vegas and 2 tickets to a variety show. It happened to be a really good deal so I decided to take it. I called Todd and told him not to plan anything for the weekend, I had a great surprise date planned. I came home from school, told him to pack his bags and we would leave the next morning. The whole night he continued to ask, beg, plead to know where we were going. Somehow I convinced him we were staying in UT :) And this is good for me. If you know me, you know its hard for me to keep a straight face when I am tricking you. Well once Todd found out where we were going the next morning he became very excited. When we got to the hotel they decided to upgrade us to a suite, no charge. Then after the variety show the host offered 5 dollar tickets to the Mesmerized hypnotist show later that night. We went and I seriously don't remember laughing that hard since, well, never. It was SO funny. Todd has the most awesome, hilarious, uncontrollable, contagious laugh. I think the guy sitting next to us enjoyed Todd more than the show. Seriously.

Here is a picture of us in front of the theater.

Here is another picture in front of the waterfalls at one of the big hotels

(can't remember which one)

On our way home we stopped at the St. George Temple and visitor center.

It is beautiful and Todd had never been.

After the vegas trip, we decided to make a budget for our date night... haha woops. We always joke about how broke we are. The other night when we started this blog Todd had me in tears laughing at the funny titles he thought we should name it. Here were some of his ideas:

The Two Coupon Cutters
We Go Out And Celebrate (only if we have coupons) - referring to my graduation dinner at Wingers, because we had a coupon
Starving Students
We Pay Rent with Gift Cards

Anyways, there were much more and I am sad I cannot remember them all. We actually have it pretty good. Don't worry, we don't live on the streets... yet. I'm just kidding. We are typical poor college students and are loving every minute of it.

My next date idea, dollar theater :)

Tennis Wannabe

2009-09-25T23:24:00.010-06:00

So a while ago Todd mentioned that we should take up tennis seeing as we live right next door to the BYU tennis courts. Tonight we finally bought me my first piece of sports equipment, a pink tennis racket. I picked it out strictly because it was the cutest one at Target. I also suggested that we buy the 3 pink breast cancer tennis balls to match, but he insisted on the sensible, regular, yellow, boring, 12 pack. Once we got to the court, I realized why. I know I got more of a work out chasing after the balls I missed rather than ones I was trying to hit. Thank goodness for those 12 balls. When we arrived at the courts I was shocked to see how many people were already playing there on a Friday night. I was just praying that they wouldn't look over to see the embarrassment: me. After about 4 of my balls flying over one whole court reaching the furthest one, two of the guys nicely tossing them back realized they were in Todd's freshman ward. I kept saying are you sure you aren't embarrassed I'm your wife? He was so nice and continued to tell me I was doing well. He is a sweet liar. All in all we had a great time. We made a goal to try and play for an hour every night to try and get some fun exercise in. Hope I can keep learning from the master and eventually not just be a "tennis wannabe".

Two Months!

2009-09-25T00:25:00.004-06:00

Well, the time for a blog has finally come. We have now officially been married for two months! Woo! When do we get to retire?......I graduated! I keep telling Todd that I graduated with a double major in cosmetology. He laughs. For some reason, we thought that I was way behind, and that I wouldn't graduate until mid-October. But, it turns out I was on schedule and finished last friday. Long story short, I'm at home now looking for a job/blogging :)