2 Years!

December 12, 2010 We celebrated our second anniversary! We went out to dinner and got amazing massages. But we celebrated it on our cruise as well with the most incredibly rich chocolate mouse cake! I just adore my husband! I am so thankful to be sealed to him for Eternity in the Temple:)

Much Needed Vacation!

The week of Halloween we took a much needed vacation with our friends Sadie and Drew! We went on a cruise to the Western Caribbean! It was heavenly! I have never seen such clear blue water. It was so warm you could play in it for hours, and we did! The people had so little. It made us recognize and rejoyce in our abundance of blessings!

BYU Game

We love going to BYU football games! Especially when Grandma and Gramps share their incredible seats on the 8th row and 50 yard line! We got to sit next to my Mom and Dad and Jenny and Shilo were there with their little Jersey! We happened to go on a day that it was poring rain, but we are used to that!

August 30, 2010

After only 2 days trying to make the tiny trailer work as a classroom we decided to make the switch. For the third time I set up a classroom. This time the students helped move their chairs and desks. We moved all the way to the other end of the school, by the sixth grade classrooms. The room is sooooo much better! It has huge windows, tons of room, a projector, and a sound system plus it has room for computers, a telephone, and an intercom too! The only downfall is that we trek across the school all day long, back and forth to the second grade classrooms. It has really helped me keep in shape! Now I have room for the 18 students I have and room to grow.

August 24, 2010

Then the week before school started a second grade teaching position opened up and I applied and interviewed at the request of the principal. Two hours before Back to School Night I was hired. We scrambled to convert a small trailer next to the other second grade classrooms into a classroom. They started me out with only 15 students, but we were crammed in there! I couldn't even get between the desks to help students with their work.

August 10, 2010

I was hired to teach Music to 1-3 Grades at Westmore Elementary in Orem. I taught Music and Art last year in Provo, so even though I only had 2 weeks before school started I knew I could do it. My family came and helped me set up my music classroom and I was ready to go.

August 14, 2010

Our Nephew Desmond, celebrated his First Birthday in August. His mom, Tiffany, asked if I would make the cakes for the party. He loves Mickey Mouse Club House so I did my best! It was my first attempt to making a tiered, and rolled fondant cake! It took me a lot of time researching and worrying. In the end Desmond loved it so it was all worth it!

July 31, 2010

Ben's son Charlie celebrated his First Birthday! "C is for Charlie" was the darling theme. I was doing respite care with my best friend Mindy, so she came along to join in the fun:)

July 12, 2010

My life has been a little crazy since the end of July. In my attempt to catch up on my blogging I will show you why:) We rented out a restaurant called "Mollies" for my dad's surprise Birthday Party. This was a very BIG Birthday, so we had to make it special! I made some fun smore cupcakes for the occasion.

God Bless America: Land That I Love

The day ended with a BANG from fireworks and the most incredible homemade ice creams and sorbets!!! It was a wonderful and Heavenly Day from the end to the beginning!
Gage really enjoyed the fresh strawberries.
Chase and Ashton played in Uncle Ben's t-shirts so they wouldn't miss out on the fun.
We all joined in on the fun and the beautiful sun!
Millie had an inventive way of sharing someones unguarded homemade root beer.



The Slip-n-Slide at Ben and Kristy's house was adult sized!!
Shilo and Jenny with baby Jersey who was blessed yesterday.
The Provo Parade with the Andersen's, Peay's, and the Carlson's

Approximately the amount of Coke Jason drinks in a year:)

6:30 am Provo: Hot Air Balloon Festival

SUMMER IN UTAH

There are a whole lot of things that I had forgotten about summer time in Utah. Two summers in Alaska had left me only trying to remember the sun. But I have so enjoyed remembering Utah in the Summer time: the smell of lilacs and the flowering Russian olive tree, the way the cotton floats through the air and you cant help but inhale a few puffs, the sounds of crickets at night, going outside to get warmed up, bare feet, the feeling of a nice pink sunburn on your nose, the taste of cool fresh watermelon, and the incredible experience of a thunder and lightning storm! Here we are last Sunday by the Mount Timpanogos Temple (less than 2 minutes from our house) enjoying the sunset while surrounded by a beautiful thunder and lightning storm! I still giggle like a little girl when I watch one.

Annual Memorial Day BBQ

Memorial Day is celebrated differently by everyone. For the Andersen Family it means thinking of those who have served our country, our wonderful family heritage, and our youngest sister Abbey. Thoughts on this day lead us to gratitude and a renewed desire to be just a little better, and to sacrifice just a little more. But Memorial Day also means getting together with our loved ones we do have close, to enjoy one another, and a fabulous BBQ. Here is our sweet G&G Elder.

Ben and Kristy's edible son Charlie!
Auntie Jess and Katie and Tristan's oldest son Chase, enjoying homemade ice cream
Presley, Chase, Jessie, Ashton, Kennedy, and Quincy roasting mallows:)
The newest addition to our family is Jersey! She is Jenny and Shilo's little one. Can you believe her hair?

MEXICO

We took the most amazing cruise a couple of week ago!! You have to use the benefits you get from working for the cruise line industry:) It was so fun to spend the week with my favorite people. I cant decide what I enjoyed more, the food or the sun. We are so grateful that my parents came with us to enjoy this incredible experience. They were celebrating their Anniversary and we were celebrating a Happy 26th for my tan and handsome husband!!

I loved this beautiful little church in Cabo.

Our tour of Mazatlan was in this cute little vehicle driven by a man named Abel, we stopped at the overlook above to see the brave divers.

Darling Happy Parents!!

Colors of Puerto Vallarta

The look you get after a wave completely soaked me up to my hips! It was so warm and wonderful! I wore my swimming suit after that day.

Cold and windy day on the deck of the Sapphire Princess!

How do you know when your daddy is really happy? This is how I know:)

Its hard to say goodbye to a week filled with nothing but relaxation and fun. But its wonderful to take the tan lines, the memories, and the people you love back home with you:)