Family Pictures in AZ

At the end of January, husband, Pay, and I took a trip to AZ to visit mi familia.  We found cheap tickets through Spirit Air.  They were pretty inexpensive from Houston, but found that they were ridiculously cheap from Dallas.

So we booked our flights from Dallas to Phoenix and then coming back we decided to fly from Phoenix to Houston {with a stop and plane change in Dallas}.

I know what you're thinking, "But you live in Houston.  Why did you fly out of Dallas?  And how?"

Well...like I said...they were cheap.  And we had husband's brother drive us up to Dallas.  We knew we could get him to take us because In-N-Out is in Dallas.  And if you knew one thing about husband's family it would probably be that all the men in his fam are OBSESSED with In-N-Out.  So husband's brother was more than happy to drive us the 3 hours up to Dallas so he could have In-N-Out.

I'm glad HE was happy about it because Pay certainly didn't enjoy it.  At this time she was only about 8 weeks old.  She was fine for the drive up, but the moment we got to In-N-Out it was just downhill from there.  She cried pretty much the whole time.  And we still had a bunch of time to kill until our flight so we did some shopping at Cheaper Than Dirt.  Brother-in-law then realized he had to get some work done {he's a real estate agent} so we had to find a Starbucks or a McDonald's or someplace that had Wi-Fi he could use.  It was pouring rain and as we're driving around trying to get a good Wi-Fi connection in the car Pay is SCREAMING!!!!  Once we found a place where brother-in-law could work I tried to feed baby girlfriend in the back seat of the car.  And let me tell ya...she did not like it.  She fought me the entire time!  Finally brother-in-law finished and we went to In-N-Out again where she was fussy the whole time.

At this point I'm a little terrified about the flight with her.  We'll be stuck on a plane where there will be many strangers who might not be so patient with a crying baby on-board.

So we get to the airport and go through security.  She's fussy the whole time.  So finally I get her blankie out and swaddle her and put her binkie in her mouth.  Within a minute she was passed-out cold in my arms.  And she stayed like that until we got to Phoenix.  No joke. She slept not only the whole time while we waited for our plane and waited to board, but also for the entire flight.

I then forgave her for being so rotten in Dallas :)

We had such a great time in AZ being with my family.

Pretty much all we did was eat good food and visit with family and friends.

And my brother, Brooks, took our pictures.

He's really a great photographer.  He's taken pictures of nature for quite a while now.  And recently he started taking more of people.  And let me tell ya...he's good!  I'm so happy with the pictures he took of us.

Owls, Squirrels, and Snakes...Oh My!

I am loving living in the "country" right now.  Now that spring is here the trees are so green and flowers are blooming all around.  Animals are also coming around a lot more.

Some of the animals we have around here are

Owls

Squirrels

Hawks

Blue Jays

Cardinals

Woodpeckers

SNAKES

Yes...SNAKES!  But by that I mean SNAKE.  Just one.  I walked right outside my front door and there it was, hanging out right in the middle of the walkway.  Good thing I was paying attention and saw it.  Most days I just walk right on my merry way and don't look down.  Then I would have stepped on it.  Then it probably would have bitten me.  Then I would have screamed.  Then I would have panicked.  That would not have been fun.  

But I didn't step on it.

And it wasn't THAT big.  It was about 1 1/2-2 feet long and about an inch in diameter.  Although, it was a little thicker in some areas since it had probably just eaten a couple of lizards.

My first instinct was to run inside and grab my camera because I HAD to get documentation of the little guy.

My neighbor was outside so I called him over to see if he knew what kind of snake it was.  It's a Texas Garter Snake and is mostly harmless...non-poisonous and will eat all the bugs and small rodents you want!  

Okay!  I'll keep it around!

But I wasn't too keen on it staying there in the middle of the walkway, so we slowly approached it and it gradually backed off and slithered away. 

Here are some of the pictures I've taken of the animals around here.  I'm still working on getting some pictures of the blue jays and cardinals.  They are such pretty birds!

Grandma Susie and Aunt Tanny come to visit

I live in Houston.  My mom lives in Mesa.

I knew I wanted my mom to be here when I had Payton, but it was kinda hard to plan when to have her come.  I didn't want her to come too early {I wanted her to have as much time with baby girlfriend}, and I didn't want her to come too late {I knew I would NEED her help right away}!

We just planned on her coming on December 6th, the day after Payton was due.

That happened to be PERFECT timing since baby girlfriend showed up on her due date  :) 

And I am so incredibly grateful that she was able to come because after having a c-section I sure did need the help!

She came for 10 days and for the last 4 days of her being here Tannis also joined us!

Payton loved having them here to spoil her with love and attention!

Here are some pictures of baby girlfriend with them and some that Tannis took of her...

We're homeowners again!

Last August {2011} Nick and I decided to make the move to Houston, Texas.  And on October 1st we were already official Texans.  Because the move happened so quickly we moved first into Nick's parents' house.  Well, his parents own a trailer park in southern Texas where old fogies like to spend their Winters, so they were spending their Winter down there.  We decided then to stay in their house for the Winter.  That was AWESOME so we could spend some time looking for a house and saving our moneys!

By the time April came, Nick's parents were back living in their home in Houston and Nick and I had still yet to find a house we liked.  And let me tell ya, we were taking this whole house buying thing seriously.  We wanted to find a house, move into it, and never move again...or at least not again for a very long time.  The problem was compromising on the many things that we both wanted in our future home.

Anyway, so Nick and I moved into one of his parents' rental homes the second week of April.  Two weeks later, Nick and I found a potential home for us. 

Pros

• Location: It's in an area with tons of trees, has a country feel, but is only a couple miles from the freeway and shopping
• 1/2 acre lot
• No deed restrictions and no HOA, meaning we can do WHATEVER we want with the land
• Big-ish kitchen
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Built in 1980
• Ugly flooring in entire house, each room has a different type of flooring than the room before
• Old and outdated kitchen cabinets
• House wreaks of smoke 'cause they were smokers
• Run-down, detached garage

In the end, we bought it.  But it did eventually get it.  Nick had to do A LOT of convincing on his part to get me to agree to it.  Eventually I agreed because since the house was so inexpensive we would be able to spend the money needed to renovate the entire house and make it OURS!

Despite the fact that there is a whole lot of work to be done on the house, I'm actually very excited about it all.  We are finally homeowners again!  Nick is particularly excited to begin all his new projects on the house.  I'm so grateful to have a husband who loves to do all the hard work!

The grass is greener on the other side...literally!

Husband and I have now been in Texas for a grand total of 119 days {4-ish months}
It's still crazy to me that we made this move...and that we did it so quickly.

And so far I'm still very happy with our decision to move here!

That doesn't mean though that I don't miss Arizona.  I'm really missing...

{My family...especially these munchkins!}

That face is seriously so cute!!!!

{Arizona Roads/Freeways}

Seriously people, the roads in Houston STINK!!!!  A lot of them are old with cracks.  They are almost ALWAYS congested with traffic.  None of them actually go North/South or East/West.  Many of them are beautiful with huge trees lining the medians, but they also have stop signs every block.  And one of the main freeways to go downtown is tolled so you have to take surface streets to avoid paying the toll.  Stupid.

{In-N-Out}

Especially this one!

However, there are some In-N-Out's in Dallas.  Husband and I actually took a daycation to Dallas JUST so that we could go to In-N-Out.  We had it 3 times while were were there...all in one day.  Actually when we first got there {just before 10 am, 'cause we left Houston at 6 am} the regional manager was there and heard our story, so that first meal was free!  Holla!

And I miss going to the grocery store, or going out to eat, or even just driving down the street and seeing people that I know.  It's kinda weird for me to live somewhere where I really don't know many people.

*****************************************

BUT...

There are a lot of things that I love about Houston, TX!

{People here say "Yes, ma'am!"} 
or "Thank you, ma'am!" or "Can I help you with that, ma'am?" Which makes me feel kinda old, but I also kinda love it.  It's that southern charm that really makes me love the people here.

{These bumper stickers...}
And yes.  I do actually see these bumper stickers on cars around here.

And my favorite...

{Green grass, trees, and something called RAIN}
Which I've only ever heard about until I moved here.

And now that I'm teaching more dance it's beginning to feel more like HOME.

Oh, and husband's work schedule is MUCH better now!
{No more working on Sundays!!!!!}

PS...Mason comes home from his mission on March 9th.  Husband and I are going to AZ then to see him!  I'm seriously so excited!!!

2012...You've got big shoes to fill!

I don't think there is any way that 2012 could possibly top 2011.

2011 was by far the best year of my life.  Here's why...

Met Nick

(technically that was in 2010, but it was at the end or 2010 so it counts!)

Dated Nick
Went to Vegas with Nick and met his parents

Got engaged to Nick

Married Nick in Mesa, AZ Temple

Went to Rocky Point for Honeymoon with Nick

Gained a whole new family
Ate at In-N-Out a lot

Sold a house

Moved to Texas

Bought our year-supply

Put together our 72-hour kits

Learned to bake good bread

Taught lots of dance to awesome students

Went to Disneyland

Became more informed and opinionated about politics and local, national, and world issues

And while I hesitate to write down any New Year's Resolutions, here are the things that husband and I have already been, and hope to continue, working on...

Decide on a home to buy

(city or country or somewhere in-between)

Become more self-reliant

Continue to add to our year supply

Garden

Stay in shape/get in better shape

(running together is actually one of our faves)

Pray often

Cook new things

Stay informed

Balance Balance Balance
Enjoy life
and
Love each other more and more each day!
(that one shouldn't be hard to do)

{WELCOME 2012!}

Our First Christmas

Well, I guess technically our first Christmas together was last Christmas.

Which was spent with my family.

At our cabin.

With 11 adults.

5 little-ones.

Cramped quarters.

Playing games with my family where my brothers were on their best behavior...NOT!

And it was freezing outside.

Oh, and did I mention that we had only been dating less than a month.

Oh, and that he comes from a MUCH smaller family.

We only stayed one night, but it still amazes me that even through it all he was such a great sport and still wanted to continue dating me.

He must have really liked me.

This Christmas was spent in Houston with husband's family.

My first Christmas away from "home."

Honestly, it was kinda hard 'cause I really missed my fam...especially my nieces and nephews.

But it was fun to be a part of new family traditions.

We spent the majority of Christmas Eve

baking

sitting around the fireplace

discussing politics

eating

arguing about politics

eating

being entertained by Brooke

(the one and only grandchild...she's 4)

eating

playing some games

laughing

being entertained some more by Brooke

arguing some more about who knows what

eating

laughing some more

and then finishing it off with a viewing of JOY TO THE WORLD!

Christmas morning we
went to church
(with Elder Scott...his daughter is in our ward)
opened presents
hung out by the fireplace
ate yummy Christmas lunch
hung out some more by the fireplace
drank yummy hot cocoa
discussed/argued lots of things
and did a lot of playing with Brooke and her new toys!

ALSO...
we skyped with my fam!!!
I love Skype.
I got to see all my nieces and nephews and talk to them.
Oh, and my parents and my brothers, sister, and sister-in-laws.
Elliot came up and with his sweet voice told us, "Merry Christmas!"
Landon did his famous stare, obviously in shock over seeing us after so long,
and finished it off with a cute "Merry Christmas" as well.
Emery showed us her ballet dance.
Ian sang "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer" and showed us his "hilarious" cowboy boots like Uncle Nick's.
Paige blew us some kisses and gave some really valiant attempts at saying our names.
And Jamison gave us the cutest little smiles.
We also did our sibling Christmas gift exchange.
The kiddos did the nativity...which was pretty much total chaos but totally cute!
Then mom came out with a huge bucket of presents for the kids to unwrap.
Again...total chaos.
All the while Nick and I are sitting in our quiet house watching this all on the internet.
I love modern technology!

And then a couple of hours later
Elder Mason Rhett Crandell called!!!
Can you believe that he comes home in 10ish weeks????????

{BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!}