Which One Would You Send?

Thank you all for your input on the full shoot! NOW- We are looking at which one to use to put with our Christmas card and letter. I have taken my favorites and put borders around some of them to make them look nice.

So, which do you think out of the 5 for the Christmas mailing? I know, you are probably already sick of seeing them again- sorry!

Hah... this is funny. I bet some of you who are reading this will be getting one!!

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The Full Photo Shoot

I don't know which one to blow up and frame. What do you think?

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Rock Hard Caramel Apples!

The other night we decided to get together with some friends and make caramel apples. I always buy the craft caramels but Brandon happened to be the one buying the caramels this time and he got them from the bulk section. Little did we know... our caramel apples are now rock hard. Usually when we use the craft caramels the caramel stays gooy on the apple forever. However, we probably should have added some sweetened condensed milk or water to these ones (oh well)! It was fun anyway!!

Here is our friend Jason (well, his hand). He said he was going to take a picture of himself. Silly boy!

Here is the finished product. Our friends brought some Snicker minis for us to crush up and sprinkle on top of the caramel. Yum!!

And here are some more of our friends that made caramel apples with us. They also made us all dinner and it was sooooo good! Thanks guys for a such a fun night!

P.S.- They have the cutest little boy and I am so sad because I was going to take some pictures of him but the battery on my camera when dead just as I went to take the pictures!!! That is why we do not have very many pictures of the whole process of making the caramel apples. Don't worry, the battery is now charged and I am ready to go for next time! :)

Sunday Bike Ride

This afternoon Brandon and I went for a bike ride. It was soooo cold but it was also very good to get out and enjoy nature.

This Weekend

This last weekend we made a quick run to Tri-Cities, WA to visit Brandon's cousin, Linsey and her family (husband and two cute girls). I love going on short trips like this with Brandon, mostly because I know that I get to be with him the entire time. Thank you love for letting us get away this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Ok, so Brandon's birthday isn't until December 19th. However, he has been looking for a good road bike for some time. Initially he was just going to try to upgrade to a better mountain bike because they are not quite as expensive. But then yesterday I found this beauty on CraigsList (it was NOT cheap, but still way cheaper than what you can buy them for in the shop these days). It is SUPER light and a 2001 model... so fairly new. It is the best road bike I have ever ridden (but then again, my road bike is like ancient). So we decided it would be all of Brandon's birthday (just a little early). I am so happy about it... mostly because it fits him perfectly and I can still ride it too. If I ever do get to doing a triathalon, I will probably borrow Brandon's bike. In the meantime, I will keep enjoying my old school road bike. =) I am so happy for Brandon though. I think he is going to really enjoy it.

Cookie Witches Fingers!

My dear friend left these on my doorstep last night. CREEPY (but very clever)!!!

Our Little Monster Pumpkin

This is our cute little monster pumpkin. We carved it for Family Home Evening on Monday night with some friends. At first, we thought it didn't look all that cool. However, the next day when we walked up to our door, we checked it out again and realized it is actually pretty cool (change in attitude makes all the difference). So we are proud.

Tri-Cities Temple Trip

We all look kind of out of it (well, I do). That's probably because we woke up at 5:30 a.m. to get to the temple in time. We are crazy.

A few weekends ago we drove to Tri-Cities, WA with some friends to go do a session at the Columbia River Temple. This was a much needed experience, even though it did take 5 hours roundtrip of driving. And the best part- Olive Garden afterward baby!

Brandon's Salsa

This is really a silly little video from awhile ago but every time I watch it it makes me laugh. Maybe it is because I can read into what Brandon is thinking...? He cracks me up.

Tag, You're It!

What are your middle names?
Mark and Ruth

How long have you been together?
Including dating, roughly 3 1/2 years

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
1 day

Who asked who out?
It was very mutual

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Definitely Mine (Sarah's)

Do you have any children together?
Nope! Sure wish we did. :)

What about pets?
No and we probably never will.

Did you go to the same school?
No. Except, our last year of undergraduate school we were both at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg.

Who is the most sensitive?
Hmmm... this is a hard one. We are both sensitive in different ways.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Subway or Olive Garden (Brandon mostly lets me choose because I am a very picky eater). I know, I am spoiled.

Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple?
Minnesota

Who has the worst temper?
Well, if it is finals week, it is Brandon. Any other time, it is me.

Who does the cooking?
I would like to say that I do most of the cooking but that would be a lie.

Who is more social?
Definitely Brandon. He is a total extrovert and I am more of an introvert.

Who is the neat freak?
Definitely me. Everything has its place in our home!!!

Who is the most stubborn?
That would be me again.

Who hogs the bed?
I swear Brandon does but if you asked him he would swear that I do. Perhaps we need a bigger bed...?

Who wakes up earlier?
Brandon for sure.

Where was your first date?
I don't remember this. We kind of hit it off right away. We hung out every night after work the summer we met.

Who has the bigger family?
Me :)

Do you get flowers often?
Ha! This is funny because the other day Brandon said he had a surprise for me. So when I got home from work he asked if I wanted my surprise. I was totally expecting flowers. Come to find out, he had bought a large package of dishrags that I had been telling him to get at Wal-Mart for the past month!!!! But yes, I do get flowers- probably more than I deserve to.

Who eats more?
I would say Brandon. But then again, Brandon says I eat more now than I used to... scary!!

Who sings better?
Sorry love. This would definitely be me!

Who does the laundry?
Both

Who's is better with the computer?
Brandon. Although, there are some programs that I know better than him (I think).

Who drives when you are together?
99% of the time it is Brandon.

Who picks where you go to dinner?
We have serious issues with this right now.

Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong?
I don't know that either of us do. We both always kind of know who is wrong but we get over it eventually. If I had to choose, I would say probably Brandon. I am pretty stubborn.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?
Brandon wishes he could wear the pants.

Who eats more sweets?
Me

Who cries more?
Definitely me... and half the time I have to tell Brandon why.... boys!

What's your best day together?
Everyday. . .cheesy, I know. :)

Where did you honeymoon?
Portland/the Oregon Coast (same place my parents went for their honeymoon)

Favorite date night?
Laying out under the stars, air hockey, etc. We are not much for movies.

Favorite TV show to watch together?
We are polar opposites when it comes to TV. I watch The Bachelorette and Biggest Loser. Brandon watches The Office, Survivor (only this month since it is in Samoa and I do watch it with him actually), Deadliest Catch (ewwww! I hate that show!), and sports.

Couple I imagine us growing old like?
I am not sure. But I do know that Brandon will be fishing in a silly old boat when he is old and I will probably be.... well, hopefully toning up my six pack of abs (always said I would have one when I am 90... we'll see... haha)!
Just all of the other older couples I see walking down the sidewalk holding hands or out eating dinner together, I want to be them. :)

Things Are Never Crazy Enough, Right?

Wow. What a month it has been already. Things have been snowballed into one big something. Last week my younger sister went into the hospital with incredible pain. Turns out she had a twisted ovarian cist. She has surgery and then as they are driving home, their car totally breaks down and they have to get it towed. In the meantime, I find out that my dad is in Quickcare! He was doing a presentation at our house in the orchard in front of a bunch of his coworkers and a school of visitors and drilled right into his thumb. He is very fortunate that he did not lose his thumb!! He had 13 stitches and 2 internal stiches that day. Then this last weekend, my brother who is a freshman at BYU called and told us all that he did something to his knee playing ultimate frisbee the night before and now the pain was pretty bad and it was all swollen. So my sister who had the surgery and her husband take my brother into ER and he has a bunch of testing done and an MRI only to find out that he has completely torn his ACL, torn his MCL, and two other tears. He has to have knee surgery now!! So he is on crutches until then. Poor Tom!!!! So things have been crazy and I have not gotten to much posting lately.

We did go to Walla Walla last weekend and we made 100+ jars of yummy applesauce with my family. It was very exhausting but also very rewarding. I was definitely planning to take the camera but forgot to grab it as we were leaving, so I did not get any pictures! You will just have to imagine I guess!