S-M-I-T-H

THis weekend was the Smith Family reunion. It was really fun to spend time with the family.

Friday we both worked but we met up with them at the church for dinner and a family history game show.... Smithistory Squares. It started out with the siblings up there first and then they were replaced by one of their children. It was just like the game Hollywood squares with questions taken from our family history books that grandpa has written.


Then on Saturday we started out with humanitarian projects. We made quilts and folder games for kids. It was a lot of fun and I learned how to tie a quilt!

I had to leave for an hour or so for Crystal's baby shower. That was fun too. She ended up going into labor that same night and having the baby Sunday morning. I will post more about that later.

I came back to the reunion and everyone was playing games. We brought our tv and rock band which was a huge hit. There was a basketball tournament that was a lot of fun to watch.. i didnt play but BRett did.
Then we had dinner and the Talent Show. Its always so fun to see what the kids do for the talent show... Brett's act is his ukalailei. He doesnt knwo how to play anything but he pretends to know every song and this is his 3rd reunion doing that talent-- its still a big hit and everyone loves it. Its funny.

Sunday we went over to Wayne's house for dinner and a fireside which was really good.

So We had really fun time with family and we cant wait for the next one in 2011!

Farewell

Nathan went into the MTC Yesterday... We went the night before to take pictures since we couldn't all go say goodbye at the MTC. Only one car is allowed at the drop off plus Brett and I had to work.
We miss him already!
My sister in law Crystal is having a baby shower this weekend and I have wanted to try out making a diaper cake for a while and I think it turned out quite cute. I did it a bit different then most but i really liek it-- especially the pink cow on top.

Photo Shoot

This was Nathan's last week here before he leaves on his mission. Brett got to camp put with him on the 4th for a spot on the parade route, and they went bowing last night together, I know Brett is really going to miss him.

It is really sad for me to think he will be gone for 2 years. I love my little brother and I am going to miss him so much but I am so incredibly proud of him and what he is doing.

We had a farewell party for the family the other night and I was able to take a few pictures for his mission plaque. He is so handsome. I have to say that because he looks so much like Brett.

He will get set apart tonight and leave early tomorrow for the MTC.

I never posted a picture of my birthday present. I love it so much!


also-- my sister in law Nadia was finally able to pry this from my brothers fingers after years of hating it in her front room.... I told her a year ago that when she does we want it so she called 2 days ago and said 'come get it' so we ran right over. Its almost twice the size of ours long ways, a little shorted but a little deeper. Our fish are much happier in this one-- they were getting way too big for that other 39 gallon tank. There is a lot more room to swim around.

Things I did on my birthday weekend

- Went rafting down the FREEZING provo river and almost froze to death.. but had fun too
- Saw The Proposal for the second time
- Went to Tucanos to eat
- Went to an aquarium store that was awesome!
- Had a family dinner with a lot of family
- Went to Barnes & Noble-- wandered and bought a couple things.
- Saw Macy! She's back!
- Watched Harry Potter 1,2 and part of 3.... (Brett hasn't seen them)
- Got a new rug, pillows and a wall hanging from mom and Lyssa- so I set up my family room.
- Went to the 'new member' meeting at church and met some nice people.
- started planning my sisters bridal shower.
- Played games with family
- got a lot of calls and messages from family and friends-- thanks guys!

Daddy Day

Once again it was Father's Day yesterday. We went over to Brett's parents house for dinner. It was also Nate's farewell get together so we helped get ready for that. Then we went over to Papa's house. It was a good get together with all the family- even a few from California. I have such a great Father in law and a great Papa..

However I can't help but think about how different my life would be if I still had my dad. I miss him always. He was a great dad. Father's day is hard for me and my sisters but we were lucky to have him for so long.


I got my birthday present early!! Brett got me a picture to hang in our living room-- it is so beautiful! Thanks Honey! He couldnt surprise me with t because he wanted me to decide what to put in the personalized words in the top corner. Plus I dont like surprises... well- i cant stand knowing that there is a surprise and i dont know about it... i will pester brett until I get it out of him... but if he never tells me there is a surprise and just does it.. i love it. So I guess I just dont like secrets.

My birthday is on Saturday... Im not sure what we are doing.. Tucanos for dinner I think... Its crazy that I am turning 24.

My darling nieces and nephew

So its been a while since I have blogged. I have been busy and not really in the mood. Trevor and Elise and their girls were in town this past couple of weeks, unfortunately I didn't get to see them very much with the funeral and my family stuff. It was nice that they came to the viewing to support us and we got to have dinner with them and the girls at our house which was nice. The girls love the dogs and chased them all over the place.

We did get to see them again at Cameron's first birthday party.. Cameron was given a small cake all for himself and boy did he make a huge mess out of that!!! There was an inch of frosting on it which ended up on his face. It was cute to watch.
I have to say that Trevor's girls are such a joy to see. They get bigger and bigger all the time and its hard to not be able to see them more than 2, maybe 3 times a year. We are seriously thinking about another trip to St Louis toward the end of the summer.




On a different note.... Look at this... My dogs- in the same bed!! I thought it would never happen. I'm glad they are starting to like each other more. you can see Mimi is still leaning away from Lucy... She is such a scaredy cat. I gave them both baths last night and found that it is not any harder giving two dogs a bath then it is to give one dog a bath... I end up soaking either way. :) But I dont mind cause I have dogs that smell good. They put up with it cause they know they will get treats after its all done.

I got a call for Cheryl, my step mom yesterday and she told me that Grandpa Rasmussen (her father) had passed away. I really have not been super close with that family since my dad died. But I have gotten to see him at holidays and an occasional family dinner. I know he was a great man.
The viewing is on Thursday. and the funeral is on Friday. I'm going to the viewing and I think I will go the funeral as well to show my respects.. after all I did call him Grandpa. Plus I should be there for my step brother and sister who I have stayed close with.
I have a lot of grandparents.. 11 to be exact (well 9 now) that is counting step grandparents as well. It is neat that I have had them all around for my whole life so far. They will both be missed.

Broken Hearts

I have to dedicate this entry to my Nana, the most beautiful person I have ever known.
Yesterday morning, my sweet Nana passed way in her sleep. She had a degenerative disease called CBGD (Cordico-Basal Ganglionic Degeneration) which eventually caused the loss of her walking, moving, eating and this last month, her talking. She was in a lot of pain and wanted to go. It is a happy and very hard time for me. I was very close to her. My heart hurts to have to live here without her.


Frances Gee is not just my grandmother; she is also one of my best friends and has been my whole life. As a child, Nana was full of spunk. She was an adventurer and so full of energy in everything she did. Her children and the elder of the grandchildren all got to experience this side of Nana. The younger grandchildren didn’t get to have the same experiences with Nana that I got to have, but I know that they all see the same wonderful, strong woman that I did. Nana was a strong woman. She was loving to everyone and she was brave. She loved the gospel with all of her heart and served the Lord diligently. My dear husband had a very sweet relationship with Nana. I loved to watch it continually get stronger. Nana told me often how much she loved Brett and she sees what a blessing he has been to me.

I can think of no other person that I would rather have as my hero, my role model, my grandmother and my friend. She has taught me some of the most important lessons that I will learn on this earth. I am naturally an optimistic person and I know that it is because of my Nana. She always taught me that there is good in everything and in everybody. I know that having this insight has changed my life and I have been able to overlook or see the positive aspects of my life’s trials. It was hard for me to see her suffer and deteriorate like she did, but she was so strong and pushed through day after day with the hope that tomorrow would be better. We often would have the conversation often about how lucky she is and how great her life has been. It’s amazing to me how she tried to stay so positive. I never would have imagined that our relationship could grow any stronger but sure enough these past 3 years are ones I will remember always. She has become my hero in more ways then ever. To this woman, I love you Nana, with all of my heart, you have changed my life forever.

Fun Weekend

A few fun things have happened that I just have no had time to blog about.

This weekend, Brett and Lyssa and Kellen went to the Zoo. I LOVE the zoo.....
It was a lot of fun.
We saw the bird show which was really cool...



Our other favorites were the elephants ...


and Baby Acara, the orangatan. She was born a year or so ago and is just so cute! She was very playful this time, running all around and climbing and swinging. It was cute.



That night we went up teh canyon and had a fire and ate smores. It was fun.





Then last night, Me and Brett and Lyss and Kellen, My cousins Kristen and Grayson and Paige and a couple of Paige's friends went up the canyon again to make a much bigger funner fire.

There was gas involved... enough said. Here and a few pictures. It was just about the most fun, crazy, & hot thing I have ever done. It was a blast. Right as we were finishing up it started to rain.

I am trying to put a few videos up.. we will see if I can figure it out.

Remembering

On Memorial Day Weekend, I always go up to the cemetery to put flowers on my dad's grave. This year we went on Saturday rather than Monday. It was pretty packed and the feelings there were a bit overwhelming.
We saw my dads grave first, then payed tribute to a friend of mine that served in the military before dieing in a motorcycle accident a few years ago, then we made our way up to grandma Smith's grave. We cleaned them all off from the grass wind storm earlier.

I am very sad that Brett never got to know my dad. I know my dad would have had so much love for him. It will be coming up on 10 years this August. I really can't believe that time has gone by so fast, or that I have now lived so long without him. He taught me a lot and he is still missed everyday.



I am also sad that I never got to know Grandma Smith. I know she was a wonderful woman. When I married into the Smith family, I had a ton of people tell me how great that family is and how great Vic was. My Nana and Papa were a couple of the people who told me this. They were in the same stake or ward with them or a while before she died. I want to thank her for raising such a wonderful family. I love them all so much. Her and Grandpa did a great job.

New Job!

Thank you for all of your prayers on helping me find a new job. I was interviewed on Wednesday for a job that I was a little under qualified for.... not by much but I was nervous going into the interview with the company owner and his assistant. But the interview went amazing. I just kept telling myself to stay calm and personable and smile a lot-- just be myself. It worked. They were very nice and I came out of it knowing that I would be great for that job. They said they were going to call my references and get back to me. Last night I got a message from the girl that I will be replacing, so i called her back and she told me the owner wanted to offer me the job. She said they interview quite a few people and they thought that I was the best one for the position. It has decent pay and BENEFITS! That's the best part. The girl said the benefits were very good. Its a grown up job with benefits! So Cool!

So I start Tuesday. I don't know much about the company yet other then they make TV programs for waiting rooms in car dealerships and mechanic shops. They actually film the news parts of it there, edit it there and ship it to all over. The company is called AutoNet TV Media. . I will explain more about the job when I have a better idea. I am really excited. It has lifted a big worry off of me and Brett.

Hair Cut!

Lucy needed a major makeover and here she is... drum roll please.........

Pictures!!! Finally.

Our computer wasn't working for a while so I had no way of updating our blog with pictures. SO I have a bunch to share.

Here are some before pictures of the living area of our house before we started painting. I really don't think the pictures do it justice to how ugly it was. The top color is a pea green color and the bottom is a dark olive green color...







And here are the after pictures....







Here is own new couch that we got a killer deal on. It is so comfy... I have already taken a few naps on it.




Here is the house from the outside....





And lastly.... we have a new addition to our family. Lucy is a pure bred shitzu and her owners couldn't take care of her anymore. They found out their oldest daughter has a new allergy to the dog and a bunch of other things and they are planning to move and they don't want allergens forming there. It was a sad goodbye for their family especially for their 12 year old son who has had the dog since he was only 2. He threw a tantrum and kept yelling that his mother was ruining his life because of this. I cant even imagine how hard that would be.. Its like giving up a sibling. Once he calms down a bit he is going to come visit her before they move to Logan. Lucy is the same age as Mimi so she is very trained and mellow. They get along well and are doing better then I expected. They are still a bit hesitant with each other but there is no fighting at all which is great. I know they will be great friends. She will be a great addition to our little family... and we are so glad to have her. (She definitely needs a hair cut... pronto)








I lost my job this week... Its sad but I was for the best. I am now looking for a new job... wish me luck!

That's all for now... Thanks for being so patient waiting for me to put up pictures....

Getting Settled

This weekend we moved into our new place. We have everything there now with the exception on one small run to the storage unit. We have most of it unpacked except the spare bedroom which contains a ton of boxes of scrapbooking stuff which I am dreading sorting through and organizing it all over again.

The good thing is that we now have an attic to keep our junk boxes and stuff that we only use sporadically like luggage, skis and my snowboard and other stuff.. That way our spare bedroom isn't cluttered with crap everywhere.. and I have room to space out my scrapbook nook. We are also using it for our computer and the hideaway couch/bed for visitors.. (which will probably only be my sister and little brother if they want to sleep over for fun)

I am a bit nervous for Mimi.... it is her first day alone in a new house so hopefully she behaves herself. We are putting the doggie door in this week and that will make me less nervous. I think she is scared of the back yard... The neighbors have a dog too so he barks through the fence and also other strange noises... She got a hair cut on Saturday. I found a new groomer that i just love! It is called Scotty's K9 Design in Mapleton. She did a great job and even put bows in her hair that haven't fallen out. I can never do that.

I promise that today is the day that I will take pictures. It has just been crazy.

It's getting closer

Its been a long week getting ready for the move. We painted the entire house except one bedroom. It looks amazing!! It took us 3 days and a total of about 16 hours to do it all. Thank you the Dale, Nate, Tom and my mom for helping on the first day and for Dale for bringing us dinner while we worked the second day!

So- we have no furniture so I have been keeping my eye on the KSL Classifieds in case something came up. Yesterday, there was an add for a sectional couch for sale up in salt lake. It did not have a picture but it was described as the right color I was looking for and the right price range.... so I emailed her and asked her to send me a picture of it. She sent it to me and I couldn't believe that a couch that pretty was only $200. She told me it really had to be cleaned and that she just didn't have room for it in her new house.She also told me that she paid $2000 for it 2 years ago.

We borrowed my step dad's truck and drove up to look at it. It was so beautiful... It did have spills and dirt on it but nothing a Rug Doctor wont get out of microfiber material. We were debating while we were in her house on how it would fit because it is huge! And she said "would you take it off my hands for $150?" I was like-- are you kidding me?

We took it home, went to Maceys and rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned it. We could turn around and sell it for at least $600. It is gorgeous! But we wont because I love it!

I am still looking on the ads for a dining room table, area rug, short wide dresser and a couple of tall lamps... If I don't find them then we will probably go around to yard sales on Saturday. :)

We had a bit of trouble with Questar Gas... they came to turn on our gas and just unlocked it and is now saying that we need to hire someone else who knows what they are doing to come light the pilot lights for us... It was supposed to be on 2 days ago so the cleaning ladies could come clean the house before we move in....
The carpets are getting cleaned today and hopefully we will be able to start moving in tomorrow night.

My sister Alyssa is Graduating Nursing school with her LPN this weekend. It is also Snow College graduation which both Alyssa and Kellen are walking. Brett has to do set up at the Orem Costco for the Cultural Hall Roadshow on Friday night so I will be going down solo. Alyssa's ceremony is on Friday night so I will probably go to that and then head home.

We Found A New Place To Live!!

So we found a place to move!!! We are very excited to get into a new place. It is a townhouse in Provo right off of Geneva Road and about 500 north.... i think..
We will be signing the rent contract today and then the lights will be turned on today or tomorrow so we can PAINT!! The contract is for a year so we will be there at least for that long.... but I don't see us needing to move out until we have a baby which wont be for at least a year and a half so we might be there a while longer.

The paint in the whole house is hideous! The bottom of the walls downstairs are a really dark olive green... and the top is a light pea green color... going up the stairs it is yellow, our bedroom is a light orange and the spare bedroom is pepto bismol pink with Disney princesses everywhere! But we really liked the floor plan and it was a great price so we made a deal with the Realtor.... She would cut out deposit in half and we would paint. So we get to chose the colors and everything... We went to Lowe's and found the perfect colors. It is actually a blessing that we got to do it this way... it was going to be really tight coming up with the entire deposit. This way we save about 2 hundred dollars after we buy the paint and everything. Plus we have awesome families that will help so that will make it faster.

I WILL take before pictures just and post them just so you all can ask 'what were they thinking?' just like we did.

We will be painting throughout the week and into the weekend... so if anyone would like to come help us, that would be great.

We don't have any furniture!! Haha... We moved into my moms basement when we got married and it was furnished. The bed is ours but that's about it. Even the dressers are all my mothers.. so it will be an empty house for a while but gradually we will gather stuff. The first things we need are a dining room table and a couch for the living room.... It will just be nice to have our own place so i don't care if its empty.

The biggest pro is that they will let us have Mimi there... I cant even tell you how hard it was to find a place that they would let me keep my little girl. And I wasn't about to leave her behind. This place has a small fenced back yard... well not yard but it has a deck and a small garden area. Enough for a BBQ and for Mimi to do her business. There is a large common area behind our fenced patio also. I think Mimi will be happy there too.

A bit of a sad thing... We will be leaving our ward. Honestly, we probably went 5 or 6 times in the year and a half we were in that ward... But there are some great people there. I have made a few friends there that I will always look up to and remember, (especially Rachael)... The Bishop has been great with us especially recently as we are becoming active again. We will miss him as well. But we look forward to a new start in a new ward and to meeting new people.

Pictures to come....

Do April snow showers bring May flowers?

So.... today I woke up to THIS!!!!




What in the world? A foot of snow in the middle of April isn't really too fun for me. This morning I drove past a few neighbors houses with broken trees because the snow was so heavy.... and to think that a few days ago they were all starting to get blossoms on them :(
Gladly it has mostly melted.



For those of you who don't know, Brett was diagnosed with depression a couple of months ago. It has been a hard thing for him and for us but he is taking the right steps to help him be happier. He started on a medication which at first didn't work but then after the doctor doubled the dosage, he is finally starting to notice small changes. I am proud of him for the effort that he gives in trying to better himself.

He has a couple of business things that he has been doing on the side but none that give us any extra income at the moment unfortunately... so after talking about it last night, we decided that he would try to get a part time job so that we can move next month into a small house and rent it. Last night I was feeling very overwhelmed and stressed and I said a prayer. The first prayer I have said in a while. And afterwards, i felt relieved and then I fell asleep.
So this morning he started his search. Within an hour he had a few places that he was going to go and check out. The first one he went to was a company in Pleasant Grove called Cultural Hall. They print LDS pictures and frame them to sell in stores and at road shows.
They gave him tour of the place and offered him the job... so he starts tomorrow. He will be working in thier warehouse- helping them print and frame and package. It is such a blessing right now. I feel really good. Most of you have probably seen the artwork at Costco. We actually bought a picture from them for Dale and Debbie for Christmas last year. They are beautiful!




Other then that, there is nothing else going on in our lives. We are enjoying being back in church and I am enjoying not being too busy at work. Last week was our big shipping week so this week has simmered down quite a bit.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!

Brett and I went to Albertson's tonight to get stuff for our Easter basket. It has become a tradition that we go and make a basket for both of us to share. Its fun. We actually went to Walgreens first and they were cleaned out of Easter stuff.... Then we went to Macey's and it was worse there... there wasn't even 1 Easter basket left.
We thought Albertson's would be a little less crazy.. There wasn't a huge selection but enough to make our basket.




Brett has also had a tradition... well starting last year i think... that I get flowers for Easter.





Last week I bought Photoshop. I absolutely love it. I am still learning how to use it and I think it will take me a long time before I can do everything I want to with it but I'm having a lot of fun....

I hope everyone's Easter is good.
Oh... and Happy Birthday Elise!

Congrats Nate on your mission call!

Not much is going on with us lately. We are both working hard at work and school and are hoping to find a house to rent in the next month or so.

Brett's little brother Nate got his mission call today..... he is going.... drum roll please....




We went over to watch him open it. Trevor actually had guessed that he would go to Detroit so that's pretty amazing.. I am very proud of my little brother. He goes to the MTC on July 8th.





I went to the bridal fair with my mom and Alyssa as well as Kellen, his mom and his sister last weekend. It was actually pretty fun. After we found some animals and played with them a little. Then we went out to lunch.