LOVE this GUY!

I meant to make this post last month as I celebrated Colby's half birthday, but never got around to it. I've been feeling lately (and always) that I definitely married upwards. Colby is such a rock! He has had such a busy, busy semester....and yet he still finds time to be amazing. The poor guy has been working so hard, yet he never complains. between lesson planning and homework, and classes, and teaching, and his calling....and of course soccer.......he averages about 3-4 hours a night of sleep--if that. Some days I wish he would just mumble and grumble about SOMETHING so that I can be assured he is normal. To make matters worse, he has to deal with a pregnant wife who almost completely avoids cooking at all costs. It's all I can do to keep everything in my stomach (most of the time). It broke my heart when I came home the other day, opened my computer, and saw the latest google search: "how to cook rice in a rice cooker" The poor guy googled how to cook rice and then ate it plain with soy sauce. I can't help but feel that I am the lamest wife around. I'm hoping (for real) you all will slip me some amazingly delicious recipes to make it up to him in a few weeks. I am patiently waiting for his two years of "year-round" school to end, because he really deserves to go on a vacation of his own choosing and just be treated like a KING! I am so glad that he has already witnessed some of his hard work pay off and am so proud of him for accomplishing his dreams in being hired as a FULL TIME SEMINARY TEACHER! Wahoo! Good Job Colby! I don't know that I can say it was all just his hard work, as many of us know he has a natural talent for teaching. That is what first attracted me to him in our ward. He was the mission prep teacher and I was in awe with his enthusiasm for the gospel, and his talent for teaching. No doubt he will change many lives throughout his lifetime. I have already witnessed it in our own ward as he has fulfilled his calling as the ward missionary.

So Colby, thanks for being such an incredible husband. You will never admit that you are tired, but I see your head nodding off anytime you allow your body to be still for more than 30 seconds (which doesn't happen often in a day), and you may say you are not frustrated, but I can tell by your eyes how heavy the school load is on you. What baffles me, is how you still find time to scratch my back, do random housework, come to my first doctor's appointment, or stop in to the store to buy me some flowers. I just hope that before our hairs turn gray, I have found ways to be just as good of a spouse to you! I've got a lot to live up to.

And to mom and dad, thanks for raising such a great son!

Help Us Solve A Mystery!

So last night we spent a deal of time doing laundry at mom and dad's (Thank you so much!). We got home around 2 a.m. and sleepily climbed into bed. In the middle of the night I noticed my head felt a little off. I lifted my head and realized that instead of my pillow, I was laying on these three shoes!!! My thoughts were very confused. I looked around for my pillow (I sleep with 3) and noticed them on the floor! "What the....how in the world did these shoes get here?!" "Is Colby turning into a weird sleeper and collecting shoes in our bed?" "Maybe he put them here on purpose as a funny joke?" "Did I have a funny dream about something which somehow inspired me to sleep walk, find my shoes, and bring them back to sleep with me?" "Were we so tired when we got home that we didn't notice the intruders in our bed?" Even if we were THAT tired, there is no reason why my shoes would ever be hidden under the covers, and I really think I would have noticed going to sleep with them if they were. I keep wondering and I really wish I knew how they got there. Talk about weird.

What do YOU think?

Addicted.

Addicted: being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming
*an abnormally strong craving *
*The state of being addicted; devotion; inclination *

According to these definitions, we have a diagnosis. I'm addicted to cross-country skiing. I'm no good, but I love it! It's exercise and bliss combined into one package! Unlike running, I have something I'm looking forward to other than a drink of water at the end of my workout: The downhill. And the surroundings are perfect! Nothing like being in the mountains away from our chaotic and fast-paced world. My only wish is that I could start my mornings out everyday like this.

My whole life I've rarely looked forward to winter. By the time February comes around, I am almost ("almost") willing to fast for the cause of that little groundhog, that he most definitely will NOT see his shadow! I never once took summer school because I knew I would have never survived it. I knew this because starting in March once the spring air started developing, so did my truancy in class. It was way too hard to attend my classes when I knew I could do some homework/studying outside in the sun or under a tree and reap better benefits! I have always longed for Summer; I am an Arizona girl. I love the sun, and I love the water. But this week, I started loving the snow. And for the first time, I feel it's leaving us a little too early.

7 Numbers Changed Everything

Some people call it fate, I call it the "Spirit of The BANFF Mountain Film Festival". The ticket (above) has changed our life.
Kristina and I went to the BANFF Mountain Film Festival Thursday night, and though I would love to put in words the synergy that came from this festival, I cannot. But you can partake a little bit of the magic through this clip.



Words? I think not. Priceless.
Here is where many would say that our experience of the Festival was Fate.
I went to purchase two tickets for the festival but they sold out that morning a week and half before. Disappointed? Yes. Discouraged to create a way to get tickets before the showing? No. My motivation to get the tickets propelled me all the way to the very night of the showing, even to the last hour before the festival began. Knowing that we would get our tickets, I went to the line where many people were waiting up to 2 hours for the festival to begin, and that is were I began to create our ticket miracle, and in two minutes I had two tickets in my hand. Fate? I think not. The "Spirit of the BANFF Film Festival"? Yes and Yes!
Once we sat down in our seats I knew this would be a Festival that would be etched in our minds for years to come. The Festival started a few minutes after we sat down and once it started I had to pick my jaw up off the floor countless times; like you may have from the clip that you just watched above. The films had everything, I got to the point to where I could smell and feel as if I were in the experiences they were displaying.
Intermission came, and it was short enough to get us primed for the second half. Just before the second half stared they had prizes to give away: backpacks, bike equipment, sleeping bags that go below zero, gift cards, unbreakable water bottles, it was a smorgasbord gift give away. I wanted to win. Something. Anything! But until they announced over the microphone, "we have a Cory Mon CD, a water bottle, and a one year membership to the Quarry". My mind exploded! If anyone knew me, they would know that I would polar plunge and swim across Utah Lake right now in the middle of winter to win a free year membership to the Quarry. Kristina even turned to me and said "this would be your dream gift" I nodded with a big grin. Just then they pulled out the winning ticket, it seemed as if time slowed down, I was getting inpatient I wanted them to read off the numbers on the ticket! The first numbers were "2...3....0" the crowed gasped, (pretty much everyone's tickets started with those number), so we were all in the running at that point. They continued "....0....3...." "yes those are my numbers", they paused to increase the suspense"6......3" I won, I really won. Being caught off guard I almost didn't yell to claim my prize. I really won! At that moment God could have taken me from this life as long as there was rock climbing in Heaven and soccer.
This event is what some people would call fate, they say that I was not suppose to buy tickets on the first attempt, but that it was my "calling" to go on a journey to buy that wining ticket off of a guy standing in line. I don't call that fate, I call that the "Spirit Of The BANFF Mountain Film Festival" and that same spirit lives on in all of us today, and we have a choice to listen or not to listen. Let the "Spirit of BANFF" live on :)
A little F.Y.I., I do believe that the winning ticket that I bought off the guy in line said that if I win anything that he wanted the prize, and after the showing he never came to claim his prize. I will take that as a second witness that the "BANFF Spirit" chose me to to win that membership.

Here is another look at the winning ticket, check out those winning number on the right side. That is beauty in of it's self.

Crayon Party

This last Friday was Crayon Party Friday. And it's not how we had a Crayon party but where we had our crayon party, and where we had it would make any 3 year old Crayon connoisseur jealous.
We did some double date action with Kristina's Sister and husband, and that date action was at The Macaroni Grill.
We all know that at the Macaroni Grill they let you draw on the table with the few Crayons that they give you. Knowing that I planned ahead and brought Kristina's "96 Crayons box with built-in sharpener" so that we could create a Crayon master piece while eating elegant pasta and bread.
Once our names were called to sit down we immediately felt eyes watching as we walked to our table, and I could even hear heads turn in our direction to look at that Kristina's "96 Crayons box with built-in sharpener". Jealousy swept the restaurant, and whisperers began go throughout The Macaroni Grill; whisperers like "they are attempting what has never been attempted" and "he has a "96 Crayons Box With Built-In Sharpener". I thought to myself while walking past everyone, "that is right We are going to color every inch of that paper on our table". A task only dreamt of by many.
As soon as we sat down our waiters eyes was like a deer in head lights looking at our "96 Crayons box with built-in sharpener" , he immediately said, "that is the coolest thing that I have ever seen in the two years that I have worked here" followed by clapping (the clapping was in my mind). I let that clapping motivate me to begin my master piece. I did not stop to order my food, I let Kristina order for me. We made sure that every minute that was spent at the Macaroni Gill was spent creating our potential work of art, everyone at our table contributed to the Crayon collage. Half way through the sharpener in Kristina's "96 Crayons box with built-in sharpener"came in handy where I needed to sharpen a green crayon to create fine lines to look like grass on the Rio Tito soccer field. Thanks for being there for me built in Sharpener :)
I ate little, and colored much;I felt that every stroke of color from my Crayons was food for my soul to keep me coloring to the end. But the end came to soon, we had to leave the "Macaroni Grill Art Museum". I call it the "Macaroni Grill Art Museum" because many will come to see what they thought was the un-do-able, but we did do. And with every fiber of my being we Conquered the Macaroni Grill!
This will be night that will never be forgotten.
Here are some pictures of the master Piece. We all know that the artist(s) never show pictures of them, and if we did show our pictures of us it would be of us crying from how bountiful this Crayon master piece is. ...Enjoy.




Above, is one Side of the Master Piece. There are even planes and parachuters in this Collage.
Below is another side that shows the Beautiful Mountain ranges, and 4X4 vehicle the we made to get to the Mountains. If you look close enough you can see rock climbers on the mountains.


Below. The tree on the very right side is called "The tree of Life", equipped with a tree house. Then you can see a close up of the Rio Tinto Stadium where my Real Salt lake team plays.



Last but not least is a poem that Kristina Created for our waiter for "waiting" for us to put together our work of art.

We wanted to give thanks to:
-Sam our waiter for the motivational clapping, and for refiling our drinks without fail every time he saw that we downed another blackberry lemonade.

- All those that put their sweat and blood into our Master Piece
- The Spectators that thought this task was unobtainable.
- And Lastly to Kristina's "96 Crayons Box with Built-in Sharpener".
Here is one last tribute to you Crayon Box....Thanks for making our life bliss.

Dance Party the RIGHT way

We all know the classic "dance party". But what about a dance party with glow sticks? NO need to say more....that is what happened last Thursday night.

Words cannot explain this adventure...good thing that we have this video to explain the attractivness of our glow stick rave.

Pretty sure this will not be the last one... :0

Apple picking adventures

Apply picking, in October? Don't mind if we do:) Last Monday for FHE Me, Kristina, Matt, and Melv-dawgs and family (this is a 84 year farmer that I became friends with 7 years ago) drove out to Mapleton to an enormous apple orchard where we picked apples till they were coming out of our ears. We filled up Melvin's aka Melv-dawgs old pick up truck to the brim with apples after a few apple picking hours. But while picking we found our fair share of rotten, worm eaten applies...and with those rotten apples we had a rotten apple fight...the competition included who could throw the apples the furthest, who could hit a tree with a apple, and who could throw a apple across the orchard into a apple bag. Sweet times....... Speaking of sweet times, the next day we went over to Melv-dawgs house in Pleasant Grove where we made fresh pressed apple cider. This is one of the reasons that I love falls so much, I am addicted to Melvin's home made apple cider. I have been brewing the apple cider with Malvin for the last four years. Taste-a-licous to the taste buds:) here are a few pictures of the apple pick adventure

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And here is the glorious Home made apple cider
almost gone...that means I get to go over and make some more homemade cider.