Birthday Wishes

So, it's just the end of January and I've already forgotten to do one of my New Year's resolutions. Welp, better late than never!

This year I thought it'd be fun to write a little "shout out" to my family on their birthday, tell the reasons why they're special and such.

We'll start with the events of January 27th. My brother and sister-in-law had their baby! She was 3 weeks early (impatient little thing) and all went well! Kaitlyn Lexis Griffith was born at 4:09 pm (MST) weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. The only picture I've seen of this precious little girl is one from my stepmom that she sent from her phone. Needless to say, it's not the greatest picture, but I've fallen in love with her. So, shout out to her on her actual birth day! I already love her and think she's special, even if I don't get to meet her for possibly several more months. (Have I mentioned that I sometimes hate living on the other side of the country?) She is the first niece born on my side of the family, so that automatically earns some points for me. She just seems so sweet and I think Brian and Shelly will have a lot of fun with her. Hunter too.

Can't wait to meet you Kaitlyn! Your aunt and uncle love you!

Next up, my pops. My dad turned 53 yesterday and he doesn't look a day younger. (Just kidding Dad!) For any of you who know him, my dad is a pretty great guy. It's very rare to hear him complain or to hear that he's having a bad day. He's very optimistic, jokes all the time (although the jokes aren't always good) and even composes himself well when we laugh at him rather than with him. He's got a great sense of humor. My dad is very hard working, whether it's at his firm, helping out around the house or helping out one of his kids. He's always there when you need him. He's there even when you don't need him. He is such a great support. He loves knowing about everything that's going on in his kids' lives so that he can be there for it. He doesn't want to miss anything. His family and his children really do mean the world to him.


Dad, you give me many reasons to love you! Thank you for being such an amazing father! Happy 53rd birthday!

To the Smoker

You're killing yourself. Did you know that? Of course you did. There's information about it everywhere. You know the facts about smoking and the harmful effects of it. You, Smoker, are slowly becoming a fatal victim to your addiction.

But Smoker, you're killing me. Did you know that? You're killing me, my family, my friends. You're killing the children who we will someday have to depend upon. You're killing a lot of people. Did you know that?

Plus, Smoker, you stink. Did you know that?

Is It Too Late To Post About Obama?

I mean, since he's already way into his presidency and everything. The media is still completely revolving around him. I understand the significance of a new president, especially a man who will automatically be put down as a huge historical figure, but the poor man is probably stressed out as can be! Give him some room!

Which is why I'm writing this post. I'm such a hypocrite. :) But I wanted to share where I was and how I felt when I saw President Obama being sworn into office. So, I'll begin with where I was. I was stuck at work, as many people were. But we turned on the TV in our waiting room and my friend and I kept walking into the waiting room in between calls and patients leaving before our lunch break. Lish was stuck on campus during this time, so we had it recording at home anyway. I saw some of the highlights live (Aretha Franklin, him being sworn in, etc.). Then I watched his speech and the benediction (which was pretty fantastic) at home after work with the hubby.

Can I just say I am excited about our president? I think America has been ready for a change for a while and I'm happy that he's promised it. I also think it's pretty incredible that we have a black president. America has come so far in the last 60 years. I know it still has a long road ahead before we'll be a place like Hawaii, but we're making progress! And that makes me happy.

I am not scared of what Obama may do. I trust him and I trust that he will do some good for this country. I know he has a lot on his plate. He has been thrust into an awful economy, a country at war, racists full of rage, the list goes on, and while things will most likely get worse before they get better, I know they will get better and I believe that President Obama will help us in that direction. Basically, I'm excited and hopeful about our new president. I hope that America will give him the faith and support he needs and deserves. It was heart-warming to see him during his inauguration. I'm glad I was able to witness that historical moment.

Christmas Summary

So, now that it's getting closer to Valentine's Day, let me tell you about our Christmas vacation! It was wonderful. We had the amazing opportunity to head back to Utah, then to California, then back to Utah for 2 1/2 weeks.

The day after we flew into Utah, we went up and down the Salt Lake valley to spend some time with my family. The following day we headed out to California on one of the tiniest planes ever (I was so scared!). Maggie (Lish's sister) had a beautiful wedding. She and Brandon are so great together and we felt blessed to see them so happy. We stayed out there for a couple more days to spend some time with Lish's dad and stepmom. It was the most fun we've had with them. We really had a great time!

We headed back to Utah just a couple days before Christmas to spend some time with Lish's mom and stepdad (we hadn't gotten to spend much time with them with the wedding and all). Then we headed up to my mom's and spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with her and my siblings. We had so much fun being together! Christmas day we spent going up and down visiting family, starting at my mom's, heading down to my dad's, then back up to Lish's mom's for dinner. We made some really great memories that day.

The day after Christmas, my dad and stepmom, siblings, and step-siblings all get together and head up to the slopes. It is one of the most fun days of the year for me. My sister and I went snowboarding together, and seeing that neither of us are pros, we spent the entire day together on that mountain. We had a blast! The snow was perfect! It was cold though, but that's expected. Lish didn't come with us last year, but he came this time and just stayed in the lodge. He took care of our nephew, Mason, and got to do some recreational reading. I think he enjoyed himself. It was fun to come off the mountain and see him there. We spent the next couple days relaxing and enjoying our time with my dad and stepmom.

After that we headed up to my mom's house for a couple days. My aunt and uncle and cousins (the Nally's) were up visiting. We hadn't seen them since our wedding, and even then we didn't get to see them all. So we headed up to my grandparents and spent some time with the extended family. We played "Mafia" a lot and enjoyed one anothers company. Those cousins of mine are growing up so quickly and turning into such beautiful young ladies. The next day we met back up with some of them and my mom took us for a tour of the renovated Capital building in Salt Lake. It was really fun to see how they had fixed it up. That night my mom, sister-in-law Shelly, sister Courtney and I had a girls night. Lish picked up one of his good friends at the airport and went back down to his mom's and spent some time with friends that night. I stayed with my mom and had a sleepover with my sister that night. The next morning we woke up and went to a display in Salt Lake called Body Worlds. It was amazing. If you ever get the chance to go, you should.

Then I went to my dad's office and met up with another friend for lunch. My dad dropped me off at Lish's mom's house that night on his way home from work. We spent the rest of our time in Utah at her house and had the wonderful opportunity to relax. We didn't do much on New Year's Eve. We met up with some friends and played games all night, which was fun. The next day we slept in, watched some football, did some shopping. We went to a movie and got some ice cream the day after that. It was a perfect way to end such a busy vacation.

Lish and I both had an amazing time and we love our family more than anything. It reminded us of why we would like to move back to the west coast someday. We miss not being around them as much as we used to be, but we enjoyed every minute we had with them over Christmas. Thank you family and friends for making our Christmas vacation so memorable and magnificent!

Christmas Vacation Pictures- with commentary

On our flight out from Atlanta to Salt Lake we were seated in business class. After I took this picture, Lish said, "Okay, hurry and put the camera away. We have to look like we belong."


Waiting outside for Mr. and Mrs. Woodland to appear.


Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Woodland!


Their reception/dinner was really well done. It looked amazing!

Getting into the Christmas spirit.

Walking around San Francisco.

I think Lish will love having sons to build things with. Of course, this toy was awesome!

We're dorks.

See what I mean? Of course, it's Disney Princess Christmas wrapping paper. It's very special.

I know Lish will love that I put this up. He was helping make spudnuts and needed an apron. This is one my parents bought for me when I was 9 maybe?

While we were waiting for the spudnuts, Troy put Jazz's leash on Hunter and made Hunter run around with him. It was hilarious!

Enjoying some spudnuts. Delicious!

She tried about 5 times to get this picture, so I had to put it up.

My cute pregnant sister-in-law, not letting anything get in her way. I love it! And I'm so glad she and my brother are bringing me a cute baby niece!

My mom was really getting into it. It was funny!

Mario Kart on the Wii. So hard!

Enjoying some food, which we spent a lot of time doing on our trip.

After I had gone snowboarding. My face was really cold.

My mom gave us a tour of the newly renovated Capital building in Salt Lake. It looked beautiful and the tour was fab!

Cute Trisha! I'm sad I didn't take pictures with more friends who I saw. Sorry friends!