Farewell 2008....

What a year it has been... I dont usually think much of New Years but this year I think was one of the best/worst, most interesting years of my life. And so, I thought it appropriate to reflect back on the year...

Starting in January. I am not a fan of the snow, however I AM a fan of it when I can go snowboarding with my husband. I always have fun when I am with him and 2008 was no exception. Here were are ready to hit the slopes...

Valentines Day.... this was a good one. My most memorable, and favorite by far when Jon surprised me with a home made dinner, dessert and some serious pampering. I loved that day.

Boston... in February Jon was investingating a school there and so we decided to take a trip to check it out. The trip was really fun and it was a really cool city, but it was not to be...

Mexico!! This was amazing! We spent a few days in Cozumel before heading to mexico city to visit Jon's mission. This was the most beautiful place and we had SO much fun on this trip. I am so so glad we decided to go when we did. Perfect weather, cheapest price... beautiful

Graduation! YAY! The half-way mark for Jon! He got his bachelors degree in architecture in May. He had worked SO hard for this and it was nice to get to a point where we felt like we were now on the down hill... (as of now he has 3 semesters left for the Masters!)

July... trip to Texas to meet my new baby niece Kennedy. It was such a fun trip and I am so glad I was able to go meet her while she was still so new! As you can see I tried to slip her in my bag when we left but I'm afraid the father was too quick for me and foiled my plan.

August... Aaaaaa summer... I miss you. We had a great summer this year that was spent mostly at lake powell. This is my favorite place in the world and it is something I look forward to more than anything every single year. If you missed this years helicopter story you should go back to my August archives and read it... its a good one.

We also made our annual trip to bear lake wife my cousin E and his wife. We had a really good time this year even with all the small bumps in the road. Good time.

Also in August... my early birthday present! My new camera. Oh I love it. I have had so much fun learning photography and I am excited for my new class starting in a couple weeks and my new lense that I got for Christmas to play with! Cant wait! These were some of my first pictures and I like um...

September... My birthday. Jon WAY outdid himself this year. First with the camera and then with an amazing weekend getaway to Park City. He put so much time and effort into making the day perfect for me and he certainly accomplished that! It was perfect!

We also had a GREAT Thanksgiving and Christmas which I do not really have pictures of, but they were both amazing. Surrounded by family and friends and some serious spoilage at Christmas... it was a really really nice holiday saeason.

We had so many good times this year... It was one I will never forget. We also had some really tough times, it was a year of patience, learning and gratitude. I am so grateful I had such a wonderful husband to help me through it. He was always there with a smile and a hug when I needed it. I cannot imagine my life without him. I love you babe!

Hope you all had a wonderful 2008 and I hope you have an even better 2009!

Holiday pudge...

Ok, be honest... who else gained a little weight over the holiday season? I did! And all you pregnant girls do not count... I mean there was cheesecake and candies and treats EVERYWHERE! Whats a girl to do? The damage is done, might as well laugh about it now :)

Now, who wants to get rid of the holiday pudge? I do! What I would really like to do is get in one of those group training classes but since those are not free and I am already paying for the "gym"here in Foxboro, I propose this.... my own training group. Who's in? Seriously. I will create workouts every week (I'm thinking starting at just twice a week) and we can all do it together. I have a really hard time motivating myself to work hard at the gym, but if there is someone else there pushing me I always do better...

You would be doing me a favor and you might even get a little fitter yourself... think it over.

Remember this Christmas...

Happy Birthday baby Lucy!

Thanks so much to the Johnson's for letting me practice on their absolutely darling family! Little Lucy just turned 1 year old and I am pretty sure she had more fun than anyone with this photoshoot! Thanks again guys!

***note to my friends that are really good at this photography thing, please don't look close at the "beginnerness" of my pictures***

(I love this picture... Lucy is lookin' at me like "what on earth are you doing lady?")

Now comes the fun part...

To lift you up

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. … If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

Gordon B. Hinckley

Favorite quote of all time. Lifts me up no matter what. What a great man he was and what a legacy he left behind. I love this quote because it reminds me that even my sweet President Hinckley had hard times, he worried, he was human, but he always had faith that things would all work out. If he can do it, so can we.

If you were having a bad day, hope its better now. :)

M.I.A.

So I pretty much miss my friends... so this post is to you all! My dear husband and I have been M.I.A. for quite some time now. I feel like I am living on a different planet sometimes. Work and school consume our days and it is getting REALLY old! So this is a pretty pathetic plea to our buddies out there to not give up on us! We miss you and hope to see you soon!

Fun with the girls

I had such a fun but short little weekend with my family girls! Mom, sisters, aunt, cousins, babies, good time!

Things usually get a little silly in my family

No girls weekend would be complete without some good eats so off to the Cheesecake factory we went!

Then back home for some baby time! On the left is my cousin Rachel and on the right is my sister in law Kate and their fresh new babies! These two look like twins because they are only 3 days apart. So we thought... lets lay them down together and see if they like eachother... This is what happened...
Noah throws a punch...
Noah flexes his big muscles... Kennedy cries...

Noah feels bad a so he holds Kennedy's hand

The Paparazzi captures every moment...

And we end the night with big ol' smiles!

Thanks for the fun night girls! Love you all!

Sorenson Family Pictures

Thanks so much to Ryan and Tiffany for letting me practice this photograhy stuff on their family! I am still VERY new so all of my amazing, experienced, talented photography friends please be nice... I'm learning! :) Anyway, I liked these the best...