Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone a safe, cozy and wonderful holiday this year!

Being Grateful

So I've been a slacker on the blog front, but did want to share some of our memories of the past Thanksgiving week. Dave and I were lucky enough to host Thanksgiving for 13 people. After having it at my house for the first time (even with lots and lots of help from mom and dad), I have to say it maybe an overrated meal. I am one of those "chefs" who likes to make the dinner look gourmet, but isn't above buying my homemade rolls, finding the shortest recipes and outsourcing to others. I'd say I'm a half motivated Martha Stewart and I definitely couldn't have done it without dad and mom in the kitchen. There is a lot of work that goes into that 30 minute dinner, but definitely some good memories. Dave and I are really grateful we had so much family to share it with. Monica, we missed you, but were glad to have Chase and Amanda there. We also had Ryan and Jodi over, as well as our good friends Tawnie, Ed and Kenzie.

Mom and Dad and Megan and Cameron came down and spent the week with us. We had a nice time mostly chilling, eating out and seeing a few movies. I'm not sure who was more excited to see Twlight- me or my mom. She even read the book again to get her in the "mood". Megan didn't find it very exciting. We also had a scare with dad. We went to breakfast and on the way, he started to act funny (slurring his words and than walking funny and stumbling to the ground). Good thing Miss PA, Megan was there. She made sure we got dad to the hospital and we found out he had a TIA aka as a mini-stroke. He's okay now, although we are all hoping dad takes care of himself so there are no repercussions from this.

As this holiday and crazy week came to a close, I realized that I have alot to be thankful for. I have such a wonderful, unselfish and giving husband with great kids. I also have a family I wouldn't trade for anyone's- chaos and all!! I realize at times like these, that love, family, good friends, and health are things we may take for granted, but I'm really blessed. Thanks to all who shared this great holiday with me.

Run Baby Run

Dave and Cameron were quite the motivated people, waking up around 4:30 am on Thanksgiving day to run a 10 mile race. It had been raining the day before, but the weather was pretty good and the boys finished in less than an hour and a half. I'm proud of you guys!!!!

The "mom's" visit

Dave and I were lucky enough to have both of our mom's make a road trip down to AZ to visit us. We sure like that they are good friends and it made for a fun trip. We did the typical Jensen outings- went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, Cafe Rio and Ling and Louies (think Thaiphoon). We also went shopping with Ryan as our tour guide, the moms knitted, diane (the energizer bunny) went to the gym daily and also enjoyed the sun, they cooked us dinner and mom made lemon bars, but the main event they came down for was Chases' football game. We had a great time at the game. Ryan and Jodi came with us and while it wasn't the high scoring game that it typically is, it was a a close game which makes things exciting. It was 7-0 for us with about 2 minutes left, when the other team scored. They decided to go for 2 pts to get the win, but FH held them. Chase played well and was recognized several times for some really solid hits and plays. The weekend ended with a Sunday dinner and a flat tire...dave- were you trying to get out of church or just get us there on time? ;)

My Latest Home Project

Before...

After...

Here is my latest home project. I'd like to say I was talented enough to actually create and sew this ottoman, but I'm not. I am however, proud to say that I was resourceful and practical enough to update this room for just a few hundred dollars (including fabric, labor and new accessories). When we moved into this house, we were planning to get another couch for this room, but I had the two chairs that I thought were cute. That and coupled by the fact that we have yet to sit in this room, I thought I'd just update it. I was able to find the ottoman on Craigs list for $15(see original creme ottoman in the top picture and the room before) and found fabric and had it reupholstered. I'm really into the kiwi green right now and wanted a fresh look in the room. While the mom's were in town, we found the vases, bamboo, etc at Z Gallerie and Crate and Barrel (all on sale) and walla, here's how it turned out. This room is great because it has windows facing the pool and view so now Dave and I may actually have to enjoy a few sunsets in this room after all.

Happy Halloween

So here is our attempt at being festive this Halloween season. Without little kids, we haven't really gotten into the dressing up, school parties, etc but wanted to do something fun. Amanda and Chase came over and we carved pumpkins. Amanda is the true pro- this is her third pumpkin she's carved this season. Hers was so intricate that she didn't finish it, so it didn't make it to print as of yet. :) This rather elementary smiley face is my attempt at artwork. Chase seemed to be more interested in Playstation, but was a good sport and Dave worked on the pumpkin seeds and carved a pumpkin too. We wish Monica was here to help out, although she did carve pumpkins back at school as well. Happy Halloween!

Delicious...

Check out Amy Atlas Dessert Bars. This was too cute not to share. Webbed candy apples, scarecrow cupcakes, pumpkin bags filled w/ candy and what an easy idea for a centerpiece and wall decor. I love that it's seasonal, but totally hip!!!!

Carpe Diem

Thank you Julie for teaching me probably only the 3rd word I know in Italian! Yes, I'm "Seizing the Day" and heading to Europe tomorrow. This was a very last minute trip (I literally found my passport and decided to go last Friday). I'll be traveling to Paris for 3 days, Florence Italy for 2 days and than spending 3 days in Rome. My good friend Aimie Mattinson has been planning to go and is going with her sister/bro in law and mom and step-dad. She kept inviting me, but most people don't just pick up and head to Europe for 10 days. I guess I'm not most people. Dave's a trooper and told me I should go and enjoy and with frequent flyer miles, lots of vacation time saved up, a trip with it's itinerary already planned, I thought why not??? So Carpe Diem....Hopefully, I'll have lots of fun pics to share!

Happy 29th...again

And Happy Birthday to Heather too! I'm not sure birthdays at this age or really worth celebrating. At this point, I'm doing all I can to keep my youth, but I guess if we can't stop b-days, why not enjoy them!!! Not to mention, I think it's a state of mind. As Dave so lovingly wrote in my card, "Sometimes I'm not sure if you are 39 or 19 or 9...that makes it fun for me." Dave, keep telling yourself that when I pout like I'm 9!!!

It was a fun birthday and I have my darling husband to thank for making it nice. Since I'm not in Utah where most of my family and friends are and so Dave really felt the pressure to make me have a good one. He took me out to Eddie's House and once w e were there, my friends Tawnie and Ed and Ryan and Jodi surprised us there. It was thoughtful of Dave to try to track down my friends in AZ (all 8 of them) and have some of them celebrate with us. Afterward , we went and got my new Favorite cake- Red Devil chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. You buy it by the slice and we bought 3.

It took all I could to save one piece for my actual birthday. Of course since that was Saturday and my actual birthday is Monday (and I'm so low maintenance), Dave and I went out to Sushi at Sapporo. He gave me a new camera to take to Europe and he and my mom also gave me a GPS so I don't get lost!!!

Even though we don't like getting older, it really is nice to get spoiled for a day or two and to hear from family and friends. Thanks to everyone for making my day special.

Homecoming Week at FHS

This week was Homecoming Week at FH High and there was a week's worth of activities.

The week started with Powder Puff football. Amanda is a Junior and they beat the sophomores the first night and came back to the final game and whooped the Seniors. Amanda played defensive line and she is TOUGH!!! She got several key tackles and really had fun playing. They played flag football and Chase was surprised to hear that when we played powder puff at Davis, we actually wore pads. That being said, I seem to recall mom letting the coaches know she'd rather Heather and I not see too much "action". Thanks mom- you probably saved us a lot humiliation. ;)

Chase got his room decorated by the cheerleaders (they told him his was decorated the best), was in the parade (yes, there is a parade where each class actually makes floats and they weren't the typical truck with a sign on it like we see back in Kaysville) and danced in the assembly on Friday. Think Boyettes- little shorts, tight shirts and cowboy hats. Apparently it's not the "cool" thing to have parents go the assemblies because Chase said "no parents go" and I really wanted to see their dance. The assemblies, dances and skits were some of the funnest memories.

The game was a blowout and Chase played awesome. Final was 69-12. He scored 2 touchdowns, one on a 30 yard pass and another was a 20 yard run into the end zone. He had a lot of tackles on defense and Dave was definitely the proud dad.

Unfortunately the one downer for Homecoming is they don't have a formal dance, but rather a themed dance/stomp at the HS. The theme was "comic characters" so Chase dressed up as Batman and went with his friends. Can you imagine the homecoming queen dressed as Wonder Woman?

I think we can say, all in all it was a successful week and Chase and Amanda have some fun memories. I'm still convinced when I sit at the games, that I really look like one of the kids and not a mom.....yeah, I'll keep telling myself that. We can dream, can't we? Dave is always telling me he thinks that I wish I was still in High School and I have to admit, it's times like this that maybe I do....until I really think about it.

Go Chase!!! Falcons Football

It's that time of year and we are enjoying Chase play football. He's the football stud, just like Dave was and they even share the same #32. Chase plays both Corner on defense and Wide Receiver on offense and also plays on special teams. It's fun to watch him, since he's one of the few players that plays the entire game. He's the fastest on the team and enjoyed being the team captain last week. He also led the team in tackles...next he's looking for an interception. Amanda has even had fun cheering her brother on and even goes to the away games wearing his jersey. The team is 3A so they can travel up to 2 hrs for the away games. They are currently 3-1.

Fashion Find: I'm Loving These...

We're all seeing and hearing that one of the trends for this fall is accessorizing with a scarf. It's a chic way to make any outfit pop! I've seen lots of you wear them, but with me, I don't have a long neck so finding the "right" scarf has been a challenge. I LOVE the Viscose Gap Scarf. They are only $19.50 and come in several shades ( taupe, grey, black, cocoa, yellow, plum, maroon, blue and also have stripes). They are long, lightweight (so they work year round) and are not bulky, so they work well for everyone. They also are wide enough to be a wrap! They also have a cotton RED scarf in several shades- more casual and abstract, but hip and they are only $10. I bought three this week!!!
If you have a Banana Republic or Old Navy Card, you can save 30% of regular priced items and 15% off sale items Oct 2-5th. use online Code: GAPSTYLE2

I Feel Like Dancing...

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Home Sweet Home

We've been in AZ for a year now and just moved into a larger home. We are still in Fountain Hills and since many of you saw our old house, but haven't planned any upcoming visits, I thought I would show you our new home. Our new home is in a gated golf community (yes, you golfers, we do get
discounted golf!) and has a great view of what we call mountains and the city. We're lucky enough that all the kids each have their own room and Dave and I also have our own office (that doesn't makeshift into another room). It wasn't very hard to figure out that I would get the office overlooking the pool, while Dave gets to look out his office window at the mountains. The best part of the house is definitely the yard. We have a beautiful salt water pool with a fountain, a fire pit, built in bbq and a nice lounge sitting area all overlooking the #1 Hole. Also, kudos to Dave for organizing all my stuff in the garage and elsewhere (and it's no secret I have ALOT of it). Those of you who remember my middle bedroom and storage room, know that was no easy task! Our house amazingly enough looks uncluttered....well until you get to my closet. Babysteps....

The house is open and spacious and great for entertaining. I'm currently recruiting visitors for Thanksgiving if there are any takers??? This is a standing invite to all friends and family- come whenever you can. Dave and I would love the company!!!

Girls Gone Wild...

Well not so much on the wild part, but I did have the chance to entertain three of my friends in our new AZ home over the weekend. Aimie Mattinson, who is my long time friend and former roommate and Lisa Seethaler who I've known for years flew down from SLC and stayed with Dave and I for the weekend. Tawnie who lives in AZ, also spent the weekend at my house and we celebrated her birthday. It was a good time for me to get to entertain friends, which is one thing I've missed since I moved to AZ. The weekend was filled with what you'd expect with a bunch of girls- shopping and more shopping, eating and eating again, checking out some of the hip places I've discovered in Scottsdale (Sapporo, Postino's, and Giesha Go Go are a few of my favs), some pool time and chick flicks! Dave was a trooper with a house full of estrogen, but let us do our own thing...which earned him "what a great husband" kudos from my friends!

Girls, thanks for making my weekend and coming to visit me...It's times like these that I really do feel so lucky to have so many awesome friends. I hope all my friends can make a trip to AZ, where you are always welcome.