Almost One Year later....

Okay, yes I know it has been a LOOOoooong time since I last posted anything.  After vacation, Brant and I were still getting settled into our house and debating on getting a dog.  I've never owned one before, just cats. Brant, on the other hand, has owned several, but most of which were small.

Feeling the way we do about adopting strays instead of buying an expensive purebred, we went to the Cache Humane Society and started looking.  We had previously seen and met a dog named Lizzy.  She is an English Pointer and still quite the puppy, despite her being nearly full-grown.  When we didn't see her in the kennels we asked if she had been adopted.  To our surprise she hadn't and was in a foster home because she was so depressed at the shelter.  Again, to our surprise, she was living with a family who lived in none other than Hyrum, and only 3 blocks away. WOW!  So, Brant called the family and asked to meet us by the local elementary school to pick her up (before calling we paid her adoption fees and finalized paperwork).

Here's Lizzy!

We were both shocked that she seemed to remember us! How neat is that?

Lizzy was loveable and energetic from the start.  She's so eager to please and happy that her tail NEVER stops wagging.  Sometimes she's so enthusiastic that her little butt wiggles with it.  Her favorite toy is anything that squeaks, but loves a good tugging rope just as much! She's loves belly rubs and a good scratching underneath her collar.

After we had Lizzy for about 2 months, I felt like she needed a companion while Brant and I were both at work.  I mean, it's no fun being alone for 8 hours, right? Right!  So, I decided to surf the Human Society's website to see what other dogs they had that were female, about a year old and had a similar temperament to Lizzy's.  After making several trips back to Logan to 'meet and greet' other dogs with Lizzy, Brant and I decided to take this sweet girl for a doggie date of sorts for a few hours and see how they interacted in more open area:

At the time, her name was Marie.  But we felt Elli fit her much better.

Elli is an English Shepherd

Elli was very shy at first but after 4 or 5 months she really began to blossom for us!  She showed us she has TON of energy, but is perfectly content to curl up beside you, or by your feet and keep you company. Her favorite toys are ropes and tough chew toys (she's an ambitious chewer!). She loves to have her ears scratched and loves to lick!

They're both pretty protective, but LOVE kids!  They like to meet new people as long as Brant and I are there to reassure them.  Both came from abusive home but have blossomed and love their lives in our home. We love them both!

Here's some more photos!

Disneyland!!!

It's a Small World After All....

Brant and I got to spend a week in Disneyland with his family in June and I had the best time of my life. I haven't been since I turned 16 in Disneyland 10 years ago. SO much had changed and brought back some memories. It was amazing! Most of the photos are out of order but wonderful just the same.

Here we have Peter Pan talking with my nieces and nephews. My youngest nephew got to high-five with Peter. Cool!

Here we have Snow White, Rapunzel and Aurora

Aurora, Cinderella and Rapunzel are my faves ^_^

LaWayne's coworkers kept insisting they needed a photo of her wearing mouse ears so she decided to wear my nieces Princess ears ^_^ I like this set a lot

Just outside the park, or rather between the parks.

Jessie and Woody! When Toy Story 2 came out, and I found out about Jessie and that her name was spelled the same way as mine, I had an instant attachment. I even have a Jessie doll ^_^

My niece modeling her new sunglasses (gift from me).

My nieces and nephews trading pins with a Disney Cast member.

They REALLY got into it ^_^

Breakfast at Ariel's Grotto!
My youngest niece was SO excited. She wore her Cinderella Dress so she could be in of the princesses. I was pretty excited too. I loved watching the princess movies growing up.

2 of my nieces being VERY silly. We were at an eatery at New Orleans Square.

Matterhorn Bob Sled Run!
This was closed when I came with my family 10 years ago. I was SO happy to find it was open this time. It closed a couple days after we arrived at the park but I did get to ride it once during our trip. I loved it but my youngest niece was scared of the Yetti inside the ride. She was the BEST sport throughout the trip because she agreed the ride the scary rides even though she didn't want to.

I HAD to get mouse ears this trip (I got the traditional ears 10 years ago) and they HAD to be pirate ears ^_^

My SIL husband being the goofball he is. Always ready to make us laugh ^_^

LaWayne celebrated her birthday during our trip so we insisted she at least wear this birthday had and get a photo ^_^

Brant and Morrisa

To our delight, Brant and I got to see a show with the Mad Hatter, Alice and Peter Pan. They were playing musical chairs with the children and, of course, being silly and absolutely 'mad' during the game. There was even a Rag Time piano player playing with them. It was just delightful.

Breakfast at the Plaza Inn. It's one of the restaurants that have Characters walking about, meeting guests. I was enthralled to see The Fairy Godmother walking about. I had to get a photo with her.

Addy had to talk to her, being Cinderella herself ^_^
It was adorable!

Eeyore!

Tigger! Two of a pair, wouldn't you say?

The Mad Hatter at Goofy's Kitchen. Another character restaurant. He is probably the BEST Mad Hatter I have ever met. He amazed Addy. I couldn't stop laughing.

The whole Fam Damily

Wearing our bug goggles to see It's Hard to be a Bug

Me and Morrisa about to get on Tower of Terror. I LOVED it.

This is our first day in the park. I couldn't decide what I wanted to see or do first

Sleeping Beauty's Castle (Formerly known as King Stephan's Castle)

We're buying a Townhouse!

Wow. I can't believe I haven't written anything since Thanksgiving! I am really bad at this.

Well, until recently, not much has been going on in our nick-of-the-woods. Brant and I have decided to buy a townhouse! We love the one we picked because:

1) It is brand new

2)It is energystar rated

3) Everything from the studs out is covered and taken care of by HOA

4) We have an end unit

5)It has a 2 car garage

6) 3 Bedrooms

7) A GORGEOUS kitchen

8) Walk-in closet

9) LOFT ^_^

10) 1500 sq ft (vs the 900 sq ft we have now, so room to grow)

I have put several pictures below so you can see what it looks like! I'll post pictures after we've moved in and settled in a bit.

We'll be moving at the end of April or early May. We're hoping for the end of April.

The Master Bedroom

The Exterior Front View

(There is a sliding back door as well, onto a cement pad that we'll have fenced in next year)

The Loft! How COOL is that?!

The Walk-in Closet

The Living Room

The Kitchen and Eating Area (I LOVE this kitchen!)

That bright light on the kitchen floor is light coming through the Sliding Door

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Brant's family. I'm still not accustomed to such large family gatherings, so it feels pretty chaotic to me. When Brant and I got married, I instantly became an Aunt. 3 boys and 3 girls. WOW. Being the oldest, and having only 1 sibling, and cousins similar in age, I'm not used to little kids. The youngest I ever babysat was probably 5 or 6 years old (old enough to be potty trained anyway). So when my youngest niece was potty-training and asked me to help her (all she said was "Jessie... poop!") I was instantly terrified!! I looked to LaWayne (my mother-in-law) and said "what do I do?!" She just laughed and took care of it.

Thanksgiving was so much fun. The kids were having a blast with Brant. They were all outside having a snowball fight and other snow-related activities. I talked with the rest of the fam, met the man one sis-in-law was dating (VERY nice guy, by the way) and I was spoiled by LaWayne. She is the dream mother-in-law. I know most women dread their mother-in-law, or having a mother-in-law, because of that awful stereotype going around. I couldn't be more blessed. It's also new getting used to having sisters. I grew up around mostly boys. Never had a girl cousin to play with. Granted I had my barbie dolls, but I also had ninja turtles, gargoyles, war trolls, and the like. I love them though. They're all so sweet to me.

Now, don't think I'm forgetting my side of the family! I called my family before we arrived at LaWayne's house and spoke with them for a bit. My brother dove down for Thanksgiving break, and I found out my Uncle and recently-arrived home RM cousin were also there! I loved the Thanksgivings when I had my uncle and cousins there. More food and more fun! Anyway, my mom was busy with all the food prep, dad kept asking her questions, my cousin was chatting away with my brother, while my uncle listened and chatted with them. I can't wait to drive down for Christmas. It'll be different in my parents' new place, but where there is love, there is a home. I honestly love their new place (besides the tenant living downstairs) because it's mostly all on one level. My brothers room and all the storage are downstairs.

Being married and on-my-own makes me think back more to the Christmas's when I was a kid, and all the magic that was there. Having nieces and nephews helps renew that magic. That and getting to be the ones sneaking presents around, keeping them guessing and snickering because they can never guess ^_^

I love family holidays. It's a perfect chance to get to know Brant' family, and Brant to get to know mine. I just love it!

My Etsy Shop

My Etsy shop has been doing well lately. My most popular items are my Teddy Bear beanie and Dino Beanie. I'm trying to add things for everyone in the family, but when it comes to men, it's hard to figure out what they will wear. Brant barely wears beanies, and I cannot find or figure out a pattern for a mans head that will lay flat as I expand the base of the beanie. It's hard to explain if you're not familiar with crochet. Anyway, I have figured out some super cute things for kids, and am working on things for adult women. I have all these ideas and not enough time to try them all out! Gah!

Here are several pictures of some popular items and new items:

First we have the Punkie Pom-Pom beanie! Full of spunk and attitude.

Mini Daisy Headbands, simple but sweet

My personal Favorite: The Queen Anne Lace Scarf

Popular Item: Teddy Bear Beanie

Other Popular Favorite: Dino Beanie

NEW ITEM: Honeycomb Newsgirl Hat

NEW ITEM: Honeycomb Beanie

Another personal fave: Flower Ear warmer

My shop is www.jessikireeve.etsy.com for anyone who would like to take a look.