Review of 2011

Well... I have no excuse for it being a whole YEAR since I last blogged. Alot has changed in our lives over the last year and I figure a better update before it gets even more daunting to blog! So, we moved to Arizona from Utah at the end of March 2011. We worked so so hard on our house here and finally moved in in August 2011. We bought a house that had been flooded for over a year so when Ryan and I went in to gut the house, everything just crumbled to the ground with tons of nasty mold. We decided to add onto the house and make the kitchen lots bigger and make a pantry and laundry room/mud room. It has been so amazing to have these things. With the help of Ryan's family, and my own, we did every last thing by ourselves. Ryan is the hardest worker ever. His dad is the expert concrete man and poured our giant slab and helped Ryan frame up the house. His mom did all of the tile in our showers and laundry room. I did many many many loads to the dump and Kevin came and helped Ryan lay all of our wood floors. Do NOT ever ask me to texture a whole house and sand it down with a small foam sandpaper again. Worst job ever. I hate drywall stuff also. Ryan drove to Vegas and had his cousin Brock cut us some awesome granite counter tops and drove them back home. Well, it was easy getting the granite into the truck with the big machines, but getting the giant slab out for the island was not so. After 3 weeks of contemplating how to get it out and onto the island Ryan built, we finally figured out that my grandpa had a lift and 12 men would help lift and guide. It was comical and yet SO scary watching this all happen. I thought Ryan might kill somebody or the granite would. Some very choice words were said by many helping haha. Thanks to all my cousins and family for all helping. I can be sure they will NEVER want to do that again. It was worth it and looks so beautiful now. By the end of this whole fix up process, I hated this house because it felt like work being here and I did not want to live here. Every single piece of furniture, decorations, couches, and boxes were covered by super fine, white drywall dust. Ugh!! Don't even get me started on the grossest smelling pool on the entire planet that I had to clean. Ryan finally talked me into sleeping here and leaving my parents after a whole summer there. They are the best for letting us stay for so long! We had a blast!

Kitchen Before


Kitchen After
Hall Bath after (almost done)
Hall bath before

Cabinets going up
I love our ceiling in the kitchen with the beam




Holding up the heavy beam on the addition
Part of the slab on the addition

After enough of house work, I finally decided I needed to get a job to get away from it. I began working at Red Mountain Endodontics in the beginning of June 2011. I have been there ever since and get to work with such amazing girls.

End of April we headed up to Utah for Raegan and Joey's graduation from BYU. I sure missed driving past my house and neighborhood up there! It was so much fun with everyone up there. We got to have a baby shower for my best friend/cousin Jenny while we were up there too! It was perfect.

Our new ward here has been great! We felt welcomed immediately and have made lots of friends. It has been so fun living close to both of our families here. So many fun things going on and to go to. I missed it. Ryan was put into the young men's as a Teachers quorum adviser and I was called to teach the 6 year olds in Primary. Good times as always.

This summer we did our annual trip to Carlsbad and it was amazing as usual! We also headed up to the Nelson Cabins at the end of July. We had such a great summer! Weird for me working though... Something I had to get used to after not for so long haha.


In early June, Ryan's sister Lydia left on her mission to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is such an amazing missionary and we miss her tons. Crazy to think she already comes home in early December!! Time sure flies. Before Morgan and the girls started school in the fall we went camping for the weekend and it was so beautiful! I love love camping with my cousins and family. So much fun!

In October, Ryan turned 30!! Happy I still have 6 more years :) We had a fun birthday and went to Dave and Busters and played tons of games with our families. So so much fun! He is the best!
Soon Christmas was here and we got to have a super fun work party at Dr. Frost's with everyone. I won a TV in the gift exchange which is now sitting in our bedroom! So grateful to work with such great people. Christmas here was great as usual! Ryan always spoils me with so many amazing presents. I am the lamest shopper for him though so it is not very fair. My favorite gift were my new washer and dryer!! So great to not have to load up clothes to wash somewhere else!

We have had so many trials and experiences over the last year that have helped us to grow together so much. I have come to know that the Lord truly knows what is best for us even though we may not see it right now. I am so grateful for the lessons that I have learned.

Lets see how I keep up on blogging this year!! Hopefully more frequently so I do not have to write a book long blog each time!