A moment of cheese please

Can I be cheesy for a moment? Today is Luke's and my 3rd wedding anniversary Time has flown by, I guess the old saying holds true for us, time flies when your having fun; or is it just because we are getting older and time moves faster each year? Either way I'm glad that I've been able to spend it with him. He can always make me laugh and more importantly he helps me laugh at myself. He still tells me I'm beautiful . He puts up with all of my bad/weird habits, as you see in my previous post. All in all, he is perfect for me in every way! I love ya Luke!

Tag... I'm it

The rules are: Once you have been tagged you have to write a blog with 10 weird random things, facts, or habits about yourself. At the end, you choose 10 people to be tagged. Don't forget to leave a comment that says, "you've been tagged" on their profile and tell them to read your blog.
I'm trying to think of ten random things about me....

1. I am a reality t.v junkie. Anything that is a reality show I probably watch or have seen. You name it. I especially love the shows on MTV and BRAVO.

2. I am a terable speller. Sometimes when I blog or do e-mails I have to use spell check. I think it has something to do with my deslexea.

3. I have a snake phobia. It is a real phobia. One time Amie Jo held a baby snake in front of me to try to help me get over my fear and I sat there and all of the sudden tears were falling down my face. I couldn't handle being that close to the snake and looking at it. I am terrified. I have nightmares about them.

4. I love learning about and reading books from the times of old English Royalty, Like Henry the 8th and Katherine and Elizabeth. It is another slight obsession. It is like a big soap opera.

5. I really want to learn how to sew my own clothes. After watching Project Runway I get all inspired and go out and buy material and try to sew something without a pattern, I've done this a few times. Big mistake. I know nothing about draping and measurments and sketching. I have yet to wear something that I've sewed. I have successfully sewed my own curtains, recovered a few chairs, and done bunches of table runners. I've searched everywhere for sewing classes but have not found any :(

6. I have phone anxiety. Whenever my cell phone rings I get really anxious. It mostly has to do with answering the Wadley Farms phone because I never know what or who I'm dealing with. My ideal vacation is a week without any phones.

7. I love being outdoors. I enjoy running, biking, hiking, camping, rock climbing, swimming, anything outdoors.

8. I don't like the cold, at all. If I could chose a place to settle down and live for the rest of my life it would need to have a year round temperature range of 50-90 degrees. I could do that. I would love to live near the ocean.

9. I love gardening. My dream job would have me working in a garden all day, without having to deal with the public.

10. I love ironing. I have the coolest iron and it makes me excited to iron. I have to beg Luke to let me iron his clothes.

Flashback to 1995-98

I've been "blog bouncing" and was laughing so hard at some of the flashback pictures. So for my girls out there.... this ones for you.

Comments on picture #1: This is not a picture at a Halloween dance. We decided to make a regular ol' stag dance a Hawaiian theme night for us girls. And remind me why everybody thought we were annoying?

Comments on picture #2: Okay we were in 11th grade and going to sneak into a college Halloween dance so we wanted to be super attractive right? Please, note Christy as a pumpkin.

Lava Hot Springs

A Little R&R in Idaho

The Colledge family has long been frequenting Lava Hot Springs (Grandma M's home town) and Preston and I decided it was time to introduce Tessa and Luke to a family past time. We had never been in the winter, as most of our trips consisted of camping, tubing the river, and spending a full day at the spring-fed pool with the three tiered diving board, but decided that the hot springs would probably be best enjoyed when the outside temperature dipped below freezing. After the three hour drive we arrived at our historic Riverside Inn, which Tanner claims is haunted, and hurried and changed to be able to relax in the springs before it closed at 11. We only had to walk 1/2 a block and knew we had arrived by the fact that the entire area was blanketed in steam. Preston, bless his heart, forgot to put his suitcase in the car and resigned (much to his disgust) to rent a swimsuit, which is pictured. I got a good laugh at that. At the rental counter he asked for a "hefty gentleman's suit please". We changed in the locker rooms and then ran, it was bitingly cold, to the springs. At first they were so hot we were only able to put our feet in and that was enough. Slowly we became more accustomed to the temperature and slowly immersed ourselves in the hot springs. It was soooooo nice! They are large pools with a soft rock bottom. You can walk around, sit on the sides, or go explore other pools. There are four different pools. The main pool's temperature is usually around 106 degrees and the other large pool is around 112 degrees. The two small pools are cooler than the larger ones. The pools are all heated by a natural spring from an ancient volcano. There are no chemicals in the water, it is all natural and full of healthy minerals. Back in the day the springs were believed to be a fountain of youth. We absolutely loved it! So relaxing! After we got done soaking we were really hot and relaxed and hungry. In the small town there was not really anywhere to eat so late, except for the blue moon bar, so we went to the Flying J for dinner. The next morning we ate breakfast in our cute hotel and then went and sat in the springs for a few more hours before leaving. In the morning it was so nice. It had snowed all night and everything was covered with thick snow. It was still snowing as we sat in the springs. It was a perfect moment. We all came home relaxed and ready to face another week. I highly recommend visiting Lava Hot Springs if you are looking for a quick winter get-away that is very relaxing and relatively inexpensive.

Wrapping it up...

The day before Christmas Eve the Colledge family tradition is to go to the family cabin. This is the first year we have actually spent the Eve of Eve at the cabin. Usually we have to rent a cabin 3 1/2 miles below to stay the night. The boys worked hard this summer and we were able to sleep and cook there. We had to snowmobile in with all of our gear and food. It was quite the adventure! Besides the pipes being frozen and Luke and I sleeping in the basement (which was below freezing) it was a huge success! That morning Luke and I decided to snowshoe down to our car, about a 3 1/2 mile distance, it was a gorgeous day with blue skies and a warm sun. We enjoyed it immensely. That evening we had the Colledge family devotional complete with the traditional reading of Luke and acting it out. Sasha and Red's family were lucky enough to play Mary and Joseph this year and Lily insisted that Luke be a shepherd. My Mom... she is so funny, she has a tradition that she sews something for everyone in the family that they can use Christmas Eve night. In the past she has made blankets, pillows, slippers, and this year we all got sweats and matching t-shirts. It all fit perfect! She works so hard on her projects! Later we went to the Cook's for reading of Luke and then Luke and John did back-flips for entertainment. That night Luke and I got home and decided that instead of setting our alarm to wake up to be at the Cook's for waffles and ice cream in the morning, we would rather sleep-in and open gifts that night. For a good three weeks I toiled and labored over a quilt I made Luke that honors the University of Utah and he got the surround sound system that he wanted. Luke totally surprised me and gave me a date with him at the Gateway complete with gift cards to all of my favorite stores and a gift card to the Happy Sumo, which I love. The best part is that this package came with the promise of no complaining from him! What more could a girl want? That night the Cook's have the tradition of going to a movie so we all went and saw I Am Legend. It was pretty good, but way too intense for me. A few days later we saw Juno. I loved it. I highly recommend it. On New Year's Eve we played games with Jamie and the gang and then welcomed in the year with Amy Jo and Aislinn. At midnight Aislinn cranked up the tunes with the "Happy New Year" song as we watched fireworks coming from Provo Town Center, her place had a great view! Then Amy Jo coached us on completing the 2008 picture. She knows all sorts of fancy things to do with digital photography. Amy is pure genius. 2007 was terrific and I'm sure 2008 has many more fantastic things in store!

Unforgetable moments in New York City

Last December my little bother, Preston, decided to surprise his girlfriend of six years by proposing to her a few weeks before Christmas in New York City in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. He is such a romantic. My parents didn't want him flying alone so Luke and I decided to go with him and help him out. You don't need to twist my arm to go to New York City! We flew in and that night he surprised her by running into her in front of the tree and got down on one knee and proposed. It was such a sweet moment. Of course she said "yes" and she ended up joining us in the city for the remaining two days. The day before we left we went and visited the 9-11 memorial. It is such a sacred place. It is in the middle of this big bustling city and when you get there it is strangely quiet and everyone whispers. Across the street from the 9-11 site is the oldest church in New York City. It is the church that is in all the pictures from that horrific day. We went into the church which is filled with pictures, items, and stories from 9-11. The church is surrounded by a really old graveyard and big old trees. The stories in the church told about how when the World Trade Centers collapsed, all of the buildings around them received extensive damage, but this little old church stood strong and tall and not one of the windows shattered. The people of the city hold that it is protected. The church became a site where the firefighters would basically live while trying to shuffle through the debris to find anyone who might still be alive. It was a sanctuary . People from all over donated toiletry items, food, and money to the church to keep the firefighters going. It was a very hard time for the firefighters. It told how many of them would come into the church and weep, sleep on the pews for a few hours, get a hot meal, and then go back to search through the debris. Many people came and volunteered at the church and played music or sang for the firemen to lift their spirits. The most played song was "Amazing Grace". After we read through the stories and looked at the displays we sat down at a pew and pondered. As we were sitting an usher approached us and begin talking to us. He asked where we were from and we told him Utah "Oh you guys must be Mormons". He then said that all Mormons know how to sing and asked if we would sing a song for the people who were there. We told him that we didn't sing, but he insisted that if we are Mormon's we could sing and we should share our testimony with the people coming through the church. We didn't know what to do but he found us all hymn books and gave us song suggestions. We were strapped. Neither Preston, Tessa, nor me can carry a tune for the life of us. Luke is the only one who can sing. But I didn't want to put him on the spot. The usher asked if any of us played the piano and we said that only Luke did. I could see Luke wanted to play but was nervous, but after a few seconds he said "okay I'll play something". The usher asked which song from the hymn book he was going to play and Luke told him that he didn't need the book he would just play what he felt. Preston, Tessa, and I all sat on the front row and watched as the usher untied the rope and let Luke sit down at the beautiful 7-ft Steinway grand piano. The church was full of people and some of them saw him sit down at the piano and sat down to listen, a hush fell over the chapel. He began by playing "Come Thou Fount" and finished up with "Amazing Grace". The chapel filled with music. It was beautiful. I looked at the pews behind us and more people started to sit down. The spirit of peace and love was so strong. After he finished people clapped and we left. It was a moment I will never forget.

I have attached a picture of Preston proposing to Tessa, a picture in front of the church, and then a short video I took with my camera while Luke played. If you want to hear him playing you just have to pause our other music first.