hey, it's okay...

If I’m not that good at snowboarding even if I’ve been doing it for 4 years now…


If I drink a root beer every now and again…


If my favorite thing to have for dinner is cereal…easy to prepare and clean up…


If I make sure everything in my house is put together and in its right place before I go to bed…


If I call my mom when I’m at the grocery store to ask her if I like something or to get a brand recommendation…


If my dogs are my kids…


If I would rather spend my hard earned money on clothes rather than on food or household items…


If I miss going to the gym every now and again, as long as I don’t make a habit out of it and I do something active at home…


If I fall asleep sometimes during my personal prayers…


If I don’t understand everything I read in the scriptures…


If my favorite places to eat are burger, pizza, and sandwich joints…


If I like being much shorter than my husband (and most people)…


If I work for the weekends…

a face only a mother could love

Meet Charlie.

He’s the newest addition to our family. He met his cousins for the first time this past Sunday.

No pictures were taken. Let’s just say they showed him tough love…mean, tough love.

Abbi and Briggs don’t like competition, especially at Grandma’s house. Little Man H will attest to that. He gets tough love too.

just like olden times, i bet

All warm and cozy in our bed, Gordon and I have been listening to an audio book. This book (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) has now consumed our evenings. We started the book on our ride to our family getaway a couple of weeks ago. A week went by before we listened again. We started back up this weekend. Our Saturday night and almost entire Sunday were dedicated to this book. Last night we listened some more. We only have three CDs left until we finish the book.

I can’t wait ‘til tonight when we’ll finish another CD all snuggled up in bed listening so intensely and trying not to breathe too loud or move too much so to not disrupt one another’s concentration on each word that’s being read to us.

I’m pretty sure I will never read a book again. This is just too nice.

Apparently this book is part of a series...we have two more books!
It doesn't have to end quite yet.

Tanna-banana

Yesterday was my dear sweet sister’s birthday.
 Here are five reasons why I love Tanna!
 1. She’s a wonderful Mom. Being a single parent is not easy, and she’s made a lot of sacrifices for her son. She’s puts him first in her life and that has shown in his life (he’s growing up to be an amazing young man). I hope I can be half the mom she is.
2. She’s funny. When we’re together we are constantly laughing at each other. It’s the best!
 3. She’s beautiful. I take great pride when people say we look alike.

4. She’s caring. Sincerely.

5. She’s my sister and friend. We’ve been through a lot together. And she still wants to hang out with me even though I am her pesky little sister. That says a lot.

I love you sister! Hope you had the best birthday ever (and I know you did…I was there for both of your parties)!

do the dew (tour)

Gordon and I made it one of our weekend priorities to attend the Dew Tour at Snowbasin. We made sure we were home from our weekend getaway to have plenty of time to spend at the event. I’m so glad we did (and my nephew was too). It was one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever experienced. So many talented athletes. We had great views to be great spectators. I will never forget the butterflies I had in my stomach each time a snowboarder came almost too close for comfort and one wrong move away from harming me while we watch them compete in the half pipe finals. Incredible! Makes me want to be a better snowboarder…go more often…be less of a baby…go faster…take risks…pretty much everything I don’t do now and am continuing to learn how to do.


We’ll be going back in the years to come. That’s for sure. Man, I love living in the state of sport!

We also saw some pretty interesting people...Like this guy.  He's gotta be cool right?

and sasquatch.

weekend family getaway

Beautiful clear blue sky. Snowy mountains. Huge warm log cabin that sleeps 22, but slept 9 (plus one little guy). King size bed. Snowmobiling. Being claustrophobic from all the warm layers and helmet. Games. Crazy jumping husband. Yummy food and treats. And most importantly, family time.

Thanks Mom and Dad Hardcastle for one of the best weekends ever!

And thanks Mom and Dad Cook for watching the kids! I missed them terribly!

Briggs doing what he does best when he's at Grandma's...stalking the treat pantry.

ready to learn

I enrolled Gordon and myself into an LDS institute class. I’ve enrolled us before, the only difference between those times and this time is we actually went. And liked it. I really liked it (and I really like that we get dinner each time we go too, since it’s on a Friday night they are treating it like a date night for us young marrieds. So awesome! & it’s only every other Friday. I’m easing my way into this whole thing.). The class is on the parables of Jesus. Let me just say how grateful I am we do not speak in parables anymore (although sometimes I feel like we do). They can be very confusing. But this class is helping me ‘decode’ them. And it’s got me thinking. I’m now ready to learn.

Church stuff has been rough for me. I’ve always gone to church, but I wouldn’t call myself an active member. I lived on other people’s testimonies up until about 4 years ago. When I knew I was going to marry Gordon was when I decided to take this whole church thing seriously. I wanted to know for myself that what I had been taught my entire life was true. So I became an active member of the church. I read and studied the Book of Mormon. I accepted a calling in my ward. I started to listen and take into action the gospel principles I had been taught my entire life. I did it all because I wanted to. And that’s made all the difference.

I now enjoy going to church. I want to be there. I miss it if we’re out of town or have to go to someone else’s ward. I love my ward and ward members. And, I can’t believe it, but I love my calling too. I enjoy going to Relief Society, learning from the lessons, and feeling of the spirit that so many of the sisters in my ward have. I enjoy going to all the different Sunday Schools my ward offers. I have learned so much about my role as a wife, mother, and sister in the Family Relations classes. I have learned so much about the temple and all it entails in the Temple Prep classes. I am so excited to learn more about genealogy in the new Family History classes (because it seems to be up to me to the work on my Dad’s side of the family, being one of the only active members of the church). Sacrament meetings have never been so great. There’s something about people in your same life stage talking about and teaching the gospel that has really helped me gain the strong testimony that I have today.

Yes, I’m ready to learn. And I’m loving it.

some of us call her Jo

It’s my sweet sister (in law)’s birthday today!

Here are 5 reasons I love Jodi (in no particular order):

1. She’s crazy about fitness just like me. She pushes me to do more (Ogden Marathon), stay longer (3 hour gym nights), and try new things (pilates, yoga, running). Simply, she makes my time at the gym fun, full of laughs, girl talk, and the occasional poking fun at people.

2. She’s has a very strong testimony of the gospel. She’s a great example to me. She’s one of the reasons I signed up for institute. I’ve seen it strengthen her testimony and enrich her life.

3. She’s beautiful. Inside and out.

4. She’s comfortable with who she is and where’s she’s going. She has a plan and always offers the best advice whenever I’m in need.

5. She’s my friend. Not only am I blessed to be apart of her family and have her as a sister, but she’s one of my best friends through and through.

Happy Birthday Jodi! Love ya!

talents

Gordon has many talents. 

Scoring 300 and winning the hand held game Bop It! might be one of them.

Oh yes, he's playing it behind his back and with his eyes closed.

I am so proud.

I love you so much husband!  And all your many talents. 

snow fun

How about a little sledding to ring in the New Year?  Invite a brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law and it's a party! 

and unlike two years ago, we had no injuries.  Although I don't think broken tailbones ever really heal.  At least Gordon's hasn't.  {yep, Gordon broke his tailbone two years ago sledding.  and yes, we both wish he had a cooler story of how he broke it.}