Grays Gone Wild

This Christmas Season

2011-12-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

We took some pictures for a Christmas card this year and Gary had the "fun" idea to have me push him into the lake before we headed home.

Here he is taking the plunge. Luckily Joelle and I were still toasty warm on the dock.

Here is my big girl eating pancakes for the first time. She loves being able to feed herself.

Joelle helping Gary and I put up the Christmas tree.

This Christmas season has been SO much fun with Joelle around. This little fuzz head is such a sweetheart.

Joelle's trick. "Soooo Big"

This year I entered the Macey's gingerbread house contest. This is house Smurf-a-lisous. I have done gingerbread before as most of you know but I tried a few new things this year. It was fun and a bit stressful. Unfortunately I am no professional and it seems that was who I was up against. I didn't place but it was a good experience.

I think Joelle looks so old in this picture. Such a big girl. She is so independent these days. Not walking YET but I think she is getting close.

We went to Macey's to look at all the gingerbread houses and meet with Santa. She did really well. Santa is a scary guy if your small. Santa was very cute with Joelle. She never smiled but she never cried so I call that success.

We got a cute family shot with Santa but Joelle is still not sure about the big man.

Yeah for Christmas!

Joelle got this cute Christmas dress in the mail from Grandma. She was adorable in it. This is not the best picture but everyone at church agreed, she is the cutest girl they have seen!

7 months

2011-10-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

My baby is getting so BIG! I love how people make lists of things their babies can do each month. I know it is silly but I have never wanted to do one of my own because I was nervous that I would forget something important. Then I figured who cares? Something is always better then nothing. So here it goes.

At 7 Months Joelle...

*Inch-worms around (doesn't really crawl, just flops until she gets somewhere)

*Is very vocal

*LOVES taking a bath

*LOVES being outside

*Is such a happy girl.

*Loves her mom

*Loves her dad

*swims with just one side of her body

*Crazy about splashing (at the pool or in the bath, anyone near will get wet)

*doesn't mind wearing bows on her head

*Likes feeding herself

*Thinks it's hilarious to blow raspberries with a mouthful of food

*Gets sad when her mom walks away after she does the above trick

*Is the cutest girl in the world and she knows it!

Peas for Breakfast?!

2011-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

*She had more peas for dinner but I mixed it in with her cereal. It went down much better!

Swimming

2011-06-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

MEET JO COOL!

We took Joelle to the pool for her first swim the other day when Gary was off from work. We went at 10 am so we could avoid the crowds and the some of the harsh sun rays (not that Joelle wasn't properly equipped for the hot Sahara sun. haha)

Looks like dad needs some sun glasses also!

Swimming for Joelle was as uneventful as eating solids for the first time. She was pretty indifferent to the whole experience. She probably thought it was bath time since the water is so warm at our pool.

We took all these pictures and I think Joelle was actually in the water for a total of 12 minutes. We are breaking her in slowly. Being a water lover myself I had high hopes that Joelle would be diving for rings by this age:) but now that I have my sweet girl I am much more aware of the bright sun and the chemical water. Basically an over-protective mother is what I have become.

I think she did have a good time (and I think this because she didn't cry). Next time we go I will buy her a floaty.

Joelle's Newest Trick

2011-06-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

I am jumping ahead a little in posting this video but it is a must see:) There are many more pictures to come from the last few weeks. Until then, see Joelle roll!

(She is not opinionated at all)

Our Hungry Hungry Hippo

2011-06-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Joelle had her first bit of rice cereal. She has always been a good eater so I expected this experience to go well. SHE LOVED IT!! Of course she isn't a pro yet and she was a bit fumbly (and I was too) but that didn't stop her from diving in.

She wanted to dive right in. So much so that I had to hold her head back so she could swallow.

She didn't make any funny or weird faces she just enjoyed the whole experience. Well...

except for when her silly mom couldn't shovel it in fast enough so Joelle had a melt down and had to have an ounce of bottle before we could continue.

I would say she got about 85% or more of her cereal down.

One last video

Odds and Ends

2011-05-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

A night chillin' with mom and dad.

A while ago we went to Thanksgiving Point with grandma Jayne, Jenn and Kyra to see the tulips. I have wanted to go for a while now and with Jenn's pass that gets us half price, it was the perfect time.

It's Late But It's Easter!

2011-05-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

Joelle came to school for our Easter party. It was the first time all the kids had seen her. She was a big hit. the only things that could pull them away were the candy, eggs, and peeps:)

Here she is all ready for church in her Sunday best. Complete with ridiculous big flower and all.

There are really only two grand-kids so far that can hunt for eggs. Jack and Joelle will have to wait till next year to join in the fun.

This is what we did. We stayed bundled up because spring didn't make it in time for Easter.

Even Spook was interested in Easter.

That dad loves him some Joelle! They are best buds.

Joelle's New Noises

2011-04-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Joelle has been making noises lately that are brand new for her. Sorry the camera is so shaky. You know those silly new moms. They will giggle at just about anything there babies do.

Spring Break Project #1

2011-04-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes is stocking creative/crafty blogs! My favorite blog is Ucreate. The other day I saw a post where a couple used MDF board to create the look of board and batten for cheep. Gary and I decided this would be a fun project for spring break. Plus we wanted to spruce up our room. So here is the process...

Before

(I forgot to take one before Gary tore the room apart but the wall has nothing done to it so I figure it still counts.)

Gary was VERY diligent in taking pictures along the way (probably one every 5 min. :) Here is a little bit of the wall painted.

The whole wall painted

Framed out in MDF strips. (You by it by the baord and have it ripped to the width you want. We did ours 4")

Almost done. All that's left is to caulk, spackle, and paint.

I was able to help spackle because Joelle went down for her nap. Gary did the majority of the project because I was in charge of Joelle. I think I got the better end of the deal ;)

While Gary was taping Joelle and I came up to "help" (we had to make sure we aired out the room really well before we brought her upstairs.

Joelle was down for her 2nd nap so I helped paint.

Finishing touches.

TA-DA!!!!!!!!

After

and look what cute thing we found on our bed!

Blessing Dress

2011-04-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

We never did get a good picture of Joelle in her blessing dress last Sunday. She was feeling cranky and there was so much chaos that we just left for home and changed that little girl into something comfortable so she could take a nap.

So later on this week I dressed her back up and we had a little photo shoot. She is such a good baby. She doesn't cry when I gussy her up and pose her for pictures. Well she did when we got her professional pictures done but other then that she is a doll.

I played around a little with the first picture and I think it is so cute.

She fell over with all of the excitement of her photo shoot.

Blessing Day

2011-04-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for her big debut! Curler and all:)

Group photo, a must have. (not pictured-President Eyring)

Just some of the gang from my side of the family.

And some from Gary's

Grandparents Visit

2011-04-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

My parents were able to visit this weekend for Joelle's blessing. We loved having them come. Since Grandma Keen was here we went SHOPPING:) our favorite past time. I was told this would happen but it is hard to accept. We went shopping the whole day and the only person who got anything was JOELLE! I have been replaced!

These are the comfy Jammies that Grandma bought Joelle. I wanted to take a pictures and when I put her down in the chair she went stiff as a board. Her bottom is not toughing the chair. ha

Joelle and grandma had LOTS of fun over the weekend. I didn't get the picture of grandpa and Joelle but it was the first time they got to hang out in person.

Conference Weekend

2011-04-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

During conference and one of Joelle's naps I took the opportunity to give Joelle a manicure. I have clipped her fingernails only once before this but it was much easier this time around. The two pictures below are of my filing her nails. I clipped them and then filed the corners down so she won't gouge her eyes out. She stayed asleep for the whole thing. Don't mind the junk on the couch with me there. I am also back to work and since I leave right after school each day to see Joelle, I have to bring work home on the weekends:(

I bought Joelle this little outfit before she was born. It is one of the only things I bought for her brand new and so I have been anxiously waiting for her to fit into it. Finally-it fits! and she is lookin' cute! (Joelle always lays that way. She will not lay straight. Even in her crib, I lay her down straight and next time I go in she is curved to the side just like this).

The little jacket is what makes the whole outfit and just for fun I buttoned it up for a picture. She looked hilarious. I love it. Good thing she doesn't mind the baby torture I inflict by dressing her up all the time. She is always a good sport.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2011-03-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Even though Joelle and I just stay at home all day I had to make sure my girl had some green so she didn't get pinched. I made her this cute onesie and matching headband a few days ago and when telling my dad about it he commented that is was somewhat silly because no one was really going to see it. Well aren't you glad there is just another reason to put up some cute pictures? At least she will look back and know she is for sure the oldest child because her mom has time to make holiday shirts for a kid who never leaves the house:)

A cute girl and her mom chillin' on St. Paddy's Day.

The really cute pictures from today are on my phone. I got some dimple shots and everything. I can't seem to figure out how to get them off my phone and onto here however. If I do, I will be sure to post them.

The Center of Our Life

2011-03-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Recently Joelle has been sick with her first little head cold. It is so sad to hear her cough all night. Because of this and it being high RSV season we have been home-bound. We spend our nights hanging out around the house.

Joelle is threatening to give Gary a knuckle sandwich.

This is Joelle's favorite game. She has everybody nose. I don't think she will ever become a thumb sucker because she keeps her hands like this ALL day.

Even in all blue she is girl through and through. Can't believe she is a month old already.

Brento is Married!

2011-03-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

Gary's little brother Brent was married yesterday in the Provo temple. Him and Lisa made a beautiful couple. It was a bit chilly outside but no rain or snow so it was a good day. It was Joelle's first formal event so I was more concerned with being an overactive, overprotective, and frantic:) mother then taking pictures so I don't have very many.

After the Temple and the luncheon there was just a bit of time before the reception for a quick cat nap for Joelle and I.

Then we got dressed in our matchy matchies and were off to the reception.

This is the only picture I got with Gary in it. I am hoping to get some more from the fam later.

Newborn Picture Preview

2011-02-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday we had Joelle's newborn pictures taken. We picked 1:00pm to do the shoot because that is usually when Joelle is sound asleep. She was maybe asleep for the first few shots and then it was crying and squirming for the rest of the time. We did however get some good shots. Our photographer was our neighbor Megan Hanson. She did a great job! Joelle's pictures are not up on her blog yet but check her out at http://meganhansonphotography.blogspot.com

Just Plain Cute!

2011-02-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

This girl is just too stinking cute! Every mother thinks this about there child I know but, I think there are a few others out there that would agree- she's a doll:)

The cute outfit above is the one she was wearing for her first blowout. She did it while I was away for just a short time and her Dad was the one who, unfortunately for him, had to clean it all up.

Our sweet valentine!

One week after birth and her belly button is free and clear. She got a real bath the very next day. I don't want to jinx myself but Joelle has been so good to not scream and cry when we change her diaper with a cold wipe or give her a bath. She is a good little girl, who is also way cute!

The Full Story

2011-02-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

From the beginning: I was 4 days over my due date and having a really hard time going to work. I had to remind myself that they are just 10 yeas old and it is me being sensitive:). I decided to take Thursday and Friday off so I could relax and get some sleep. Thursday morning came and I was feeling GREAT about being able to sleep in, go for a long walk, take a long nap and watch a movie. At 5:00 I decided to take another nap (I was really living it up!) I couldn't sleep because I was having labor pains that were coming pretty close together. I decided to start timing them. Some were 5min. apart then some would be 10-15min. apart and they were of varying degrees of pain. I had to call my sister-in-law Jenn and tell her that I would not need a ride to the bridal shower for Lisa (Brent's wife -to-be). She told me to walk-walk-walk! I was really hoping that what I was feeling wasn't fake because then I would feel silly for skipping the shower. Gary came home about 6:00 and he took over the timing as I paced back and forth in the living room. Gary and I would also chat as we listened to Cyndi Lauper radio on Pandora. It seemed like forever that the pains were SO irregular that I was convinced they would turn out to be fake and I would be disappointed another night. FINALLY the contractions started to come about 2min. apart and we decided that we would head to the hospital. I was worried all the way there that they would turn us away or that I wouldn't have made any progress yet I was in so much pain.

When we got to the hospital they took me into a triage room, had me change, checked me, and hooked me up to the fetal monitor. 30min. later I was taken to the delivery room and was given an IV. The first nurse did such a bad job that my hand hurt worse then getting the epidural(which I got 15 min later.) It was getting close to midnight so Gary and I were hoping for Joelle's birthday to be 2-11-11. She came at 11:58 on 2-10-11. The delivery went well and we were happy to finally see our baby. She had the cord wrapped around her neck as she came out so Gary wasn't able to cut the cord at first but he did cut it later so it was closer to Joelle's tummy. This also made her very pale so the nurses took her right to the nursery to be fixed up.

You might notice that I am smiling in the pictures above. Both of these pictures were taken post epidural. A funny story, right before my epidural my second nurse came in (the one who only needed one try to get the IV in) and she was very chatty and kinda loud. I was laying on my side with my eyes closed. I was trying to relax and breath like I had read in my labor book. Each time the nurse asked a question, Gary being the good husband he is, answered for me. Then someone else came into the room and asked me a question and instead of saying anything I just pointed. The nurse then asked if I was a mute or maybe deaf. I laughed a little and answered no to her surprise. After the epidural I was a whole new women. I had a great experience with it. I waited until I was almost fully dilated so when it was time to push I hadn't used much of it and could still feel my legs and pressure but no contractions. Then they cut me off right after Joelle was born so I was able to walk about 30min. later.

We were SO shocked that Joelle had hair! I was certain that she would be bald until she went to kindergarten:) She came back from the nursery HUNGRY!

Gary was a champ and stayed at the hospital the whole time I did. He helped with Joelle in the middle of the night and he was a Huge help to me.

He was even the one to change Joelle for the first time.

We stayed at the hospital until Saturday morning and then we packed the car full and headed home.

We have been loving every minute of having Joelle at our house.

Happy BIRTHday Joelle!

2011-02-12T21:46:00.000-08:00

Joelle Rae Gray

born at 11:58 on February 10th 2011

Weighed in at 7lbs. 3oz.

We are SO excited to have this cute bundle of joy here with us. We feel like we waited so long and it is surreal that we are finally parents. She has a set of the cutest dimples, a TON of hair, and two very excited parents! The story of her recent travels and more pictures to come later.

Ready to POP Belly

2011-02-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

I thought I would leave you with this last pictures of my rather large self. I think it will be fun to look back and see what I looked like at 9 months. Right now the mirror is just another reminder that this Joelle kid thinks she is funny by making her mother wait so long to get control over her own body again.

I am 5 days over my due date with only a small hope of labor in the near future. I know I sleep better if I just tell myself "it won't be tonight." That way I don't wake up with every pain thinking Maybe??? NOT!

February 5, 2011

2011-02-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

2/5/11

This should be the day that we celebrate with cake and balloons. It should be Joelle's birthday! But it is not! I am still pregnant and I have heard it all

-your due date is not a magic timer.

-Oh, you look like your carrying her lower, should be any day now.

-Oh, you are carrying her way too high still.

-well your feet look swollen.

-Your still here?

PLEASE baby gray. We want to meet you soon! (and not that I am being impatient but by soon I mean today? tonight? right this second?)

Baby's Room Make Over

2011-02-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Before

I like purple, but not this much.

During

Gary and I started by painting the baseboards and the ceiling white. We needed a little reminder of why we were working so hard:) Then we painted the walls a soothing moonlight yellow. It was a much needed improvement.

Luckily I had some trusty advisers while I tried to free hand a tree on the freshly painted yellow wall.

I got a tester size of chocolate brown and a sponge brush and went to work.

After that, we used the cricket to cut out some fabric leaves.

We iron them to the wall

and Voila!!

Last thing on the list was to make a fabric owl and vinyl Baby's name on the wall.

After

Ahh, the finished product. I think it turned out pretty good.

California Baby Shower

2011-02-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving break Gary and I were able to fly home and spend some holiday time with family. While we were there, I was thrown a wonderful baby shower. I received lots of thoughtful gifts and had a great time catching up with friends and family.

Here are some of the wonderful people who attended. I didn't get a chance for a photo op. with everyone who came so there are some fabulous people not pictured.

Gary always wants to stand like this in pictures. It used to make me so mad because I felt like everyone would think I was pregnant in all our pictures. Now that I am pregnant, I guess I can't protest. Since this picture is from way back in November, I am about 29 weeks (or 6 months) along.

Christmas Presents and Santa

2010-12-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the GREAT glider and footrest that Grandma Jo gave us for Christmas. After picking it up and putting it together, I got to kick back and relax.

Gary and I went to the North Pole and visited with Santa. Ok, we just went to the Riverwoods but it was cold enough to be the North Pole. There were fun lights to look at and a Jolly ol' St. Nick but not much else to do so the trip was short. At least Santa will know what we want for Christmas.

What Has Been Happening Ever Since We Lost the Internet!

2010-12-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

You lose the internet for just a little while and look at all the things that happen:

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! (I don't have very many good pictures yet. This first one is just one of the times we went to look at the house before we bought it.)
Gary and I were planning on driving to California to spend Thanksgiving with my family but with a last minute storm warning we ended up flying.
Thanksgiving! It was fun to be around family we don't get to spend much time with. We opened presents, had a baby shower, and ate lots of good food.
We went shopping a ton and I found this cute bedding set that I fell in love with.
Gary and I bought ourselves some housewarming/Christmas gifts and had fun putting them together.
We had all the Gray's over (which was fun because before we didn't have enough room to fit everyone) and we made gingerbread houses. Look at that cute new nephew of mine. Jackson Phillip Gray has been a fun addition to the family.
I am keeping with the tradition and I made my first, my very own, GINGERBREAD VILLAGE!
We had a Christmas/housewarming party. We had a great turnout and everyone loved the afore mentioned gingerbread village:)
We got a travel system. Babies cushy ride! My mom was a secret Santa and ordered our stroller and car seat online so it surprised us at the door just the other day.
I am on my way out the door to go pick up my new glider and foot rest. I have such a wonderful family that already loves our little baby and us SO much. Good ol' grandma Jo and grandpa Pete have come through for us again and bought us something to rock the baby to sleep in.

We have been so blessed with the craziness that is our life!

Halloween x3

2010-11-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween I got good use out of my quick made Halloween costume. I actually found the idea online while browsing the pregnant costume pictures. I wanted a costume that played into my current look and I didn't like the idea of painting my belly, which is what I saw most often online. I ran across this idea and thought it was great but worried that it my scare the kids at school. As time ticked closer to the deciding moment, I had nothing better so I ran to Walmart to buy this super cute shirt and cut holes in it. The poor baby doll got the worst of it.

This is us at our ward party on the Wed. before Halloween. Below are the great witches that attended. The one on the left is the nursery leader Gary and I serve with, in the middle is the bishops wife and to the right is a lady I visit teach. They are singing a spooky song in this picture of them.

Thursday we had the Gray Halloween party to attend. My sweet costume was still holding up. Cute little Jensen came up to me, cocked his head to the side, (I was just waiting for what he would say) and said, "Hi baby" then walked off. The other kids at the party wanted to know if it was a real baby but no one cried so I knew it would be safe to wear to school on Friday.

Some of the kids put muddy buddies in my babies trick-or-treat bag and I began the tradition of the parent sneaking treats from their child's bag of goodies.

My niece Jill was Jasmin for Halloween. You can see that to the right is her dad (Aladdin) and her little brother (Abu the monkey). One of Jill's favorite things to do is to have someone make up a story about her and whatever dress-up she happens to be wearing at the time. Grandma Jayne was telling the thrilling story of Jasmin when all of a sudden, the magic carpet appeared out of nowhere and whisked her off. I sure do love that magic carpet!

By Friday at school the costume was kind of on it's last leg. ha. but it held up through the Halloween Parade and all the parties. I got the most laughs from the parents mixed with a few odd looks. Overall, chalk it up to a successful babies 1st costume!

Call Me A Super Saver!

2010-09-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I headed out early with my trustee sidekick Gary to hit up all the garage sales that had things for baby. We stopped at several in Orem with no luck and then headed to Provo. We went to 5 or 6 sales without finding any real good deals. We didn't have anything specific in mind but nothing really jumped out at us. We were headed to our last stop when we happened to see a yard sale sign for a different sale. We drove by r e a l s l o w and saw a good looking pack-n-play so we stopped. Not a great deal but there was a yard sale right next door also. As we approached I eyed two plastic bins full of pink with a sign that said "0-12 months, $.50-$1.00" I started pawing through and discovered that there were some real treasures. The lady running the yard sale told me that they were from her only daughter, that her family went a little overboard and so she wore most of those only once and some still had the tags on them. WooHoo! Gary was on the phone with the eye doctor while I piled clothes on his arm. When the lady saw how many outfits I picked out she said "If you are going to buy in bolk i can just give you a flat rate. The negotiations began. $20. Gary got off the phone and asked how much for the whole bin (I thought he was joking because I had picked so much) but the lady said ok $20 for the whole bin. Gary asked how much for both bins. $25. I hesitated thinking, Oh my gosh we can't buy all this. Ok, $20 for both bins says the lady. SOLD. We came home with the two huge bags below.

Here are all the clothes duped out and ready to sort. It filled up our living room pink and purple. So fun. There were a few outfits that we didn't like or that weren't in the best condition but 95% of it was so cute. We are set.

Here they are all sorted out. The piles from farthest left (towels, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months.)

One step closer to being ready for baby. It is fun to finally feel so excited about everything.

PINK, PINK, PINK

2010-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Gary and I are proud to announce that we are having a BABY GIRL!! I have never been a huge fan of the color pink but it sure is growing on me. Look how stinking cute these girl clothes are. I bought the top clothes and Grandma Jayne bought the cute outfit below after we announced the news.

And these cute little shoes! Who wouldn't melt over these. So unpractical and of course a must have!

MAGIC

Watch my belly grow before your eyes.

I took the first picture to show off my 5 month belly and when I looked at it, I didn't even look prego! People would think I just ate a big dinner, so Gary told me to turn to the side and the belly shows a bit more (but maybe still not as much as the picture of my 4 month belly.) Who knows?

18 weeks (or just over 4 months for non doctor people)

2010-09-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

My first picture highlighting my belly bump. I had to buy some maternity clothes the other day because all my clothes are feeling pretty tight. I am back at school and most days I come home exhausted. I love my class but I can tell this is going to be quite the adventure for all of us this school year. The people at work are just as excited as my family always asking how I am feeling and wanting to know if it is a boy or a girl. We have to wait till Sept. 20th to find out and I was told that apple juice will help the doctors visit be successful. If that doesn't work I will have an energy drink in my purse (just in case- haha.) Gary and I couldn't be more excited to be expectant parents. I haven't really felt the baby move around and it is certainly to early for Gary to feel anything but I am sure that will be an exciting day. We always have a pool of names swimming in our heads for this baby. We will probably think we have it all figured out and then when the baby come they will look like a _________ (insert a name here) instead of what we had thought up for months. Growing a human has been an interesting experience so far. Not all good but something you couldn't trade for the world.

Saturday Night Date

2010-09-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Gary and I decided we needed to head out for a fun date so on Saturday after Gary got off work we gathered some supplies and headed to the mountains for a picnic and a movie in the woods. We wanted to take some good ol' KFC up to Hobble Creek Canyon (where Gary's family owns some property) and roast some s'mores so we headed to Springville. Once we figured out that we were confused and there was no KFC in Springville we had to change our plans. We got some intel that Reams had good chicken so we stopped by there only to see a deli section that was pretty barren. We couldn't get dinner there but we did spy some 5 layer dip and chips that we snagged as a snack. Gary remembered seeing a Pier 49 pizza in town so we headed back there to order a pizza. While we waited we grabbed a piece of the curb outside and snacked on our chips and dip.

With our pizza and sodas we headed up the canyon and build a fire. It was fun to be outside, by the fire and just the two of us. We ate and talked and relaxed until it started to get dark so we set up the movie.

Here's Gary all cozy and ready for the movie to start. You might think that we brought up a scary movie to watch but we really brought Harry Potter 6!!

We may look like we are having a good time in this picture but little did we know the fun had yet to begin. We got about 10 minutes into the movie when the SPRINKLERS came on. I threw our blanket over the laptop and we scrambled around to get things into the car. Our great evening out was OVER. Gary grabbed the chairs and I started throwing things in the car. We were wet and panting as we got in the warm dry car. Since we didn't bring a flashlight we used the cars headlights to check for anything left behind. Not seeing anything we headed for home.

-THAT'S NOT THE END OF THE FUN-

The next day I was excited to blog about our date because I haven't gotten any news out there in forever. I went to look for the camera and it was no where to be found. Gary's phone was also missing. After looking all over in the house and car I knew there was only one place they could be. After church Gary and I drove back up to Hobble Creek Canyon and found a dripping wet phone but NO CAMERA!! I was starting to think that our date was VERY expensive and probably not worth it. Good thing our story has a happy ending.

-We put Gary's phone in rice and it still works.

-Even though we didn't find our camera, other family members who headed up after us did. YEAH!!!

We couldn't have asked for more. How the heck did all that work out?? We are just glad it did.

The Word is OUT!!

2010-07-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Gary and I are having a BABY!! And we are way excited. We found out back in June and wanted to run out and tell the world. We started leaking it to family the day we found out but waited to tell everyone for a few weeks. I'm sure it was hardest on my dad and maybe Gary. It seems that the amount of times we were asked when we were going to start a family doubled when we had the secret. At least that is what it seemed like. The Grandparents and everyone else who already knows are excited and taking bets on if it is a boy or a girl. That news will have to wait for another day. We are pleased to announce that we will be a family of three in February.

Strawberry Days Rodeo- YEE HAW!!

2010-06-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was the beginning of the Strawberry Days Rodeo and the Grays all came out to cheer on our CUTE Jill who was in the Muttin Bust.

Here are most of Jill's uncles and of course one of her favorite aunts :)!!

She started out great but it ended with a dirt facial. Luckily the clown saved the day and carried her back to her mom. Jill was the best dressed with her homemade chaps and her pink cowgirl boots. I wish the top pictures could be zoomed in even more because that face is priceless!

Family + Disneyworld = Fun and Magic

2010-06-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Karly's a Mrs.

2010-05-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Aland that is. WEIRD! I had to see it to believe it but Karly is officially married. Karly and I have been friends since high school. Some of it on some off, both of us crazy part of the time and in our own ways, but always friends. I am happy I was able to attend the temple and all other parties for this couple (thanks to the parentals and grandparents). I haven't gotten to spend much time with James but he sure takes care of Karly so he's a winner in my book. They will be moving to Utah soon so us being strangers is soon to be remedied. They won't live super close to Gary and I but it will be closer then California. Karly looked great and the day was beautiful. CONGRATS!

Musical Grades Gray

2010-04-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's me. Most of you have probably heard this already but I will be teaching 5th grade next year. I while ago the news came out that the numbers next year would only permit 4 third grade classes. Since I am the newbie by far out of the 3rd grade teacher, I got the boot:( The team was very sad and we came up with all kinds of plans so that I could still teach third grade. Kyra, another teacher in third grade applied for the program to become a principal (she was already planning on this but it would mean I could stay in third grade), we contemplated talking kids (who would be in third grade) into coming to our school next year, and sweet Susan told me I could have her job, she would just retire early (then she remembered she just remodeled her kitchen) haha. So when everything else failed I had to choose from the other positions open at our school, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Since I am a wimp I chose fourth because it was as close to third as I could get. I month went by and new news arrived that the fourth grade spot was actually filled (and by a wonderful teacher who I get along with very well). I had been booted twice and my head was spinning because I am a planner!! Fifth it is and I am so excited to have some of the same kids I had my first year of teaching. I don't really know what else I am excited for yet but I am sure over the summer something will dawn on me.

April Fools!

2010-04-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

This Thursday was April 1st and so of course I had to play a trick on my students. The best part was that Mother Nature played right into my trick. As the kids arrive they hang up their backpacks, start writing about the journal prompt on the board and occasionally they look at the days schedule. With the help of Grandma Jo's curtains I turned our classroom festive by putting out the old class Christmas tree, changing the calendar to say Dec. 23rd, and by having the kids writ about what they wanted for Christmas as their journal prompt. I even had Christmas music playing as the kids came in. At 1st they were all pretty confused and a few spoke up and asked what the heck was going on. Then as they started to notice their surroundings, they started telling me that it wasn't December it was April. I opened the blinds, showed them the snow outside and told them they couldn't fool me, I was ready for Christmas break. The kids were loving it. We even ended the morning by practicing a song for the Christmas sing-in. Of course by this time the kids knew it was a joke but they LOVED it. They thought it was all over until after lunch when I changed the curtains and the calendar so it was valentines day. I gave the kids a treat and yelled HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! It kinda got the kids riled up but it was a fun day!

Happy Birthday Grandma Jo!

2010-03-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

First of all, Grandma Jo is not just my Grandma. She is EVERYONE'S Grandma. She is Grandma Jo to the boys that live down the street from her, she is Grandma Jo to ALL the little kids at the baseball park, she is Grandma Jo to all my friends, she is Grandma Jo to 4 other cousins, but most importantly, she is MY Grandma Jo! She has been there for everything important in my life. From childhood hospital visits, birthday parties, Christmas-es, to all my bridal showers (in California and in Utah), and the biggest event yet, my wedding. She is now Gary's Grandma Jo too.

She can't even help but to be the wonderful person she is. She is always there to help you out. Yes, even you! Just give her a call she will be right there. She is an excellent shopper and lunch goer. She is the best dang pitcher slow pitch softball has ever seen (and when she wasn't the best, she was the most dedicated). She is a great baker (just give your head a scratch and sneak to the camper after a meal and you will see what I mean). That reminds me, an excellent camper (and golfer) she is. She designs costumes for you when you want to go trick-or-treating and makes curtain for your classroom when you grow up (and not just one set, a set for each holiday of the year). She outlasts, even the toughest quilts:)

The one downside to her, is that now that I have gotten older, she has a nack for making me turn into waterworks at her will. Evil!

I love my Grandma Jo SO much! She just turned 73 on Thursday and I missed the Twin Dragon event so I have to let her know how much I love her. I aspire to be all the great things she is and has become! For now I will share, you can call her Grandma Jo. Just know that I am the lucky one, for she really is MY Grandma Jo!

New Haircuts Make Things More Fun

2010-03-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Before

After

Yesterday I got my hair cut. I have seen this fun cut around, mostly on TV or online, but I wanted to give it a try and I think it turned out pretty good. If you disagree and think it looks awful the I got it cut at a salon in Provo, but if you like it and think it is fabulous like I do, then my talented friend Kate Harris (also the person who did my hair for my wedding) cut it in Jayne's basement. Throughout the process of cutting my hair I was a little nervous about the end result although I knew it would look good when it was all done. There was a whole other head of hair on the floor when we were finished. It has only been one day but I have found this new haircut to be so much fun.

The kids at school thought I looked liked a rock star and were worried I was going to quit my teaching job and join a band.

Amusement parks are oh so fun when you have a hairdo like mine.

Yosemete and even the moon can be fun when you have sweet hair.

And as a special treat, BED HEAD. the best yet!

(For those of you that have a mac with photo booth, I encourage you to try it out. Hours of fun to be had.)

Valentines Day (without pictures)

2010-02-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Gary planned out our whole Valentines Day Date. We first went to Color Me Mine where we both painted personalized mugs. (I think mine said something like "Queen of the house" I can't remember. haha) Then we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill. 'Gary had made reservations so we wouldn't have to wait but we were having so much fun painting our mugs that we were a good 20 minutes late for our reservations. When we got there they told us they would just put us at the bottom of the list and see how fast they could get us in. Of course the place is packed so I was thinking we would be there forever! We sat down to wait and about 30 seconds later were seated. Oh yeah!! Dinner was tasty! When we got into the car after our date the conversation went something like this:

Me: Gary you did a great job planning our Valentines date.

Gary: I told you I could plan good dates.

Sara: It was great even if it was an old fogie date.

Gary: WHAT! I thought it was fun what was old fogie about it?

Sara: (pointing to the clock) It was fun but the whole date is over and it is only 7:00pm.

Gary: It is? Oh I wanted to go see a movie. I told you I was going to go buy tickets this morning.

He did want to go see a movie but I thought to better reserve our resources we should just get something from the red box instead. Gary did a wonderful job planning our date. I LOVE being married and having Gary by my side all the time. I loved our date and we didn't go to bed early;)

Ice Skating

2010-02-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Gary and I went on a double date with Gary's brother Brent and a girl he is dating Alyse. Gary was not too fond of ice skating but I love it so much that he accepted my date idea. We have done a lot of things with Brent and Alyse lately. We like double dating! I was a way fun and chilly night.

Gary's mad skills on skates.

F

2009-12-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

This is the grade that I give myself for blogging in the past month or so. I guess I have been pretty busy getting things ready for Christmas. At least that is the excuse that I am sticking to:) So here's to catching up before the actual pictures of Christmas come.

1st: My 3rd grade team won an award for collaboration. And we really do work well together.

2nd: GINGERBREAD MADNESS!!

Here I am making gingerbread. I decided to carry on the tradition. I wasn't going home for Thanksgiving so I spent my break making gingerbread just like mom.

The gingerbread started our small and eventually covered all of our counters. No need for scented candles this week. The smell of ginger was overwhelming.

I made big houses for the Gray's to decorate and I made little houses that I decorated for each one of my coworkers. Eight houses in total. Not bad for my first solo attempt.

Each family got a Santa house to decorate. Jill was fun to watch. She did have some help from Jenn but she was a excellent decorator.

3rd: Thanksgiving! Yes I am all the way back to Thanksgiving.

Here are the appetizers and the girls chatting in the background.

The boys are in the other room talking.

Cute, cute Jill and Jayne

What a cute couple.

Not so cute. Sorry guys.

4th: Temple Square

5th: Midnight showing of NeW MoOn!

6th: The Low Dough Christmas Show with Phil Vasser.

Hosted by 93.3 the Bull, our seats were steep coming in at a whopping 5 bucks a ticket. We got to see Bombshell, Bucky, and Phil Vasser

7th: getting my eyes dilated for the 1st time.

AND
8th: Catching up with some old friends.

I got a call the other night from on old teammate telling me that our friend and my old roommate was going to be proposed to, but the groom-to-be needed our help. Gary and I drove to Salt Lake to surprise Meghan by being carolers who sung a different kind of tune. She was way surprised and I was glad that I could see some familiar faces.

Good thing we LOVE Leatherbys!!!

2009-11-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I am a HUGE fan of ice cream! Especially Leatherby's banana splits! Luckily I married a man who feels the same way about Leatherby's as I do. Lately Gary and I have noticed that there is no rhyme or reason to the way Leatherby's seats people. Most of the time, Leatherby's is completely empty when we come. Sometimes, there are maybe one or two other groups. Gary and I have laughed every time we are sat right next to another group when the entire place is deserted. We thought it had reached it's peak when we ignored the "wait to be seated" sign and had to flag down a waiter to take our order. BUT, this last trip kept us laughing all the way home. So much that Gary made me take a picture of it. Brent, Gary and I were down in Salt Lake so we decided to stop in for some ice cream. When we arrived, there were two other groups there and the rest of the place was empty. For the most part, the room is occupied by tables with four chairs. There are however a select few smaller tables that only seat two. As we walked to be seated, (because we learned our lesson last time, wait to be seated or you don't get served for 20min) we passed by probably four tables that would seat four. There are the three of us remember. The waitress takes us to the only table with two chairs in that whole side of the restaurant. She had to then scrounge up another chair. There appears to be ABSOLUTLY no thought behind seating at Leatherby's. All we can do is laugh, sigh, and say "Good thing we LOVE Leatherby's!

It's a Christmas Miracle!

2009-11-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

About two years ago, a few of my colleges girlfriends and I were having a fun study/sleep over. It was right after Christmas and Chelsea graciously invited us to her house for the fun. As we were leaving the next morning I noticed she was taking down her tree. She mentioned that she was giving it away because it was broken. It had a row of lights that wouldn't turn on. I quickly spoke up and told Chelsea I would happily take it off her hands for her. She helped me load it in my car and I have been storing it ever since.

Last Saturday Gary and I got the Christmas bug (ok maybe more me then Gary). So we pulled out the tree and set it all up. It's was GREAT even without that bottom row of lights. It takes up the whole of our entryway.

I told Gary that sometime after work I would just sit and try out all the lights on that bottom string to see if I could find the "weak link." This is the tree with the lights out

Gary then told me, "Sometimes you can tell just by looking at them." He pulled one light out and plugged in a new one. Instantly the whole row lite up and so did both of our faces. It was a Christmas miracle!! I still can't believe that it was the first light that he tried.

We were so excited to be decorating our first tree together. We had the Christmas music playing till about midnight. I did have a little mishap with trying to tie a bow for the top. Above was my first attempt and I assure you that is not what I put on our tree!

We want to send out a special thanks to my friend Chelsea Baugh for the wonderful Christmas tree that lights up our little apartment even before thanksgiving. :)

Finally:)

2009-11-11T18:26:00.001-08:00

Graduation Announcements by WiddlyTinks.com

It's the Hillbilly Hoedown y'all

2009-10-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

Gary and I went to out ward Halloween party which was a Hillbilly Hoedown. Everyone was dressed up in there best duds and the best part was that Gary was the MC. He got to have the microphone the night!

Some of the cute decorations. ( the lady in the curlers, she won best costume.)

This is Whack-A-Billy with the young men as the billy's.

Here he is stealing the show. His finest moments included getting the crowd to do the wave, pretending to not be able to read and having a little kid come and help him, and giving the best YEE-HAWs around.

Spooky Dinner

2009-10-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Whole GangUs Grays know how to party. We had our spooky dinner and entertainment.

Bam Bam and Pebbles.

Now we see who really does the heavy lifting. It didn't portray this properly in the cartoon.

Biker Brent

Baby Jensen and Jenn's niece Tator.

Jaycie, Brady, Hailey, and Jayne

So much fun to be had at the spooky dinner. Nothings better then eating apple sauce with a knife. Well, maybe with your hands.

Spock "Live long and prosper"
(My favorite costume)

To finish the poem from the table..."or you'll be beat with a stick" haha!

These are the "deviled eyes" I made for the party. They turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself.)

Sugar Cookie Fun!

2009-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Some good ol' fashion tradition. Making scary sugar cookies was way fun. Just us adults. Jayne learned how to make super cute sugar cookies in Relief Society and wanted to pass along the fun. (by the way, Gary's is a ninja ghost.)

Above are the cookies I decorated:)

Jaycie and Brady joining in on the fun.

We voted Ralph's as Best Cookie. Well, at least easiest to make:)

Brent's good lookin' cookies.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's October and so up come the Halloween curtains and other assorted deorations. It is somewhat of a work in progress but I started with what I think is the coolest decoration of them all. I got the idea from my mother-in-law Jayne who does this with her windows at home. All it is is black butcher paper with eyes cut out and green tissue paper taped on the back.

My room has a significant eerie green glow that flows out into the hallway. It makes everyone stop and look in. Sometimes during the day I can't see who it is but I hear a "WOW," "SWEET," or "AWESOME!" coming from the doorway.

My Little Helper

2009-10-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are BYU Football days. The Gray's all dress up in our BYU garb are watch the game. Since a school teachers job is never done, I usually have papers to grade. This last Saturday, I got my work done so much faster because I had a helper! :) My niece Jill was helping me grade the papers I was going to recyle anyways so I worked out rather well. I would hand her the papers after I recorded them in my grade book, she would draw all over them and then say "done" and hand them back. Every teacher needs a little helper.

We Bought A Tent!!!

2009-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Gary and I got a new tent from Kelty and we got it in the mail a week or so ago. When it came, we were so excited to run outside and set it up. It was a weekday so we couldn't take it camping for real but we were going to have a camp out in the backyard. Turns out it was raining :( so instead of being discouraged we decided it was plenty small enough to put up inside! Well we were wrong! It is huge. It's a four man tent with a porch!

You might be thinking, you dorks, of course that is not going to fit! But we were blinded by excitement. We kept right on going.

It is an easy tent to set up but we were trying to do it very carefully so as to not scratch the walls with the long polls.

And up it goes. Hurray!

Oh no! Its not going to to fit. We only have half the poles in. What should we do?

Well, lay in it of course! Needless to say, we didn't get to put it all the way up. It can down right after this picture. We did take it camping the very next weekend and it was wonderful.

There's More!

2009-09-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

Hiking Dry Canyon

Last Saturday, Gary and I were sitting around our house thinking of what we could do. We decided to go hiking so of course Gary knew just the place! We packed a lunch and some water in my camelpack (which Gary got me for my birthday, good buy!) Then we headed to the mouth of the canyon. It was hot but some of the trail was shady so it wasn't bad.

Even at the bottom the views were great. It was good to be outside.

I took a picture, this was where we were going to hike to! From the bottom it looked a little daunting.

WE MADE IT!! This is the view from the top. It was making Gary nervous when I was taking this picture.

The views at the top were even better! We had lunch up there and just enjoyed being out there together. We rested for a while and then headed back down.

There's Even More keep scrolling!

2009-09-20T07:46:00.001-07:00

Gary and I were invited by Brent to join him and some of his friends for a campfire up at Grandpa's Shining Mountain. We brought all the smore stuff we got from our wedding (yes it was a little old.) :) But it was still good! We forgot the keys to unlock the gate so we had to pack everything up the road to the campsite. We also forgot flashlights. Gary and I had 3 lanterns for camping and didn't bring any of them. Brent remembered but that was only one for all 8 of us. Once we were all safely by the fire pit we started a warm but smoky fire. Brent got the worst of it!! No matter where he sat the smoke billowed up in his face. At the end of the night he resorted to standing behind everyone else so that they would have a taste of smoke. It was the only time it didn't follow him! haha

No one could look at the camera because it would blind you. But this is everyone.

See, this is was happens when you look:)

Isn't he cute!! Looking good Gary!

ZOO

2009-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Grays at the Zoo!!

Im a little behind on our blog. It has been a couple of Saturdays since we have been to the zoo but I thought it was worth a post. A whole bunch of us Grays took the kids to the Hogle Zoo and we had a great time. We stopped by the elephants first and the camera didn't come out very much after that. I guess we were too into the animals:)

We caught the bird show and I am not sure what face I am pulling but in my defense, there was no one, two, three count before the flash.

I had never been to the Hogle Zoo and I loved how they had outside and inside observatories (if that what you call it) for the animals. The outside ones said "Can't see us? Look inside.) That way even when it was hot you could still see the animals. We got to see a brand new baby giraffe which was really cute! I also was under the impression that porcupines were small cat like creatures. Boy was I wrong!! They were huge! Dog size!

At the end of the day we were tired and ready to go home. We also decided that the zoo was great but that it is a trip that you only make once every 3 years or so:)

For Grandma Jo

2009-08-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is the HUGE moose that Gary saw on the trail while hiking for work. It was pretty content just standing in the middle of the trail so Gary had to chase it off with a chainsaw. No animals were harmed in the making of this trail:) When he got home he had to call up Grandma Jo and brag about his moose encounter. You see, she has traveled to different states just to see these elusive creatures and Gary just happened upon one.

End of Summer Fun

2009-08-13T07:44:00.001-07:00

We went to Lagoon with Gary's family about a month ago and it was a blast. We stayed from the time they opened the gates and were kicked out as the gates closed for the night.

There was a whole big group of us. This is us taking a break for lunch.

Another fun thing I did this summer was take a trip down to Cedar City with my work friends. We drove down for Core Academy (a teacher conference) but we got in a Shakespeare play while we were there. We saw As You Like It. I was afraid that I might not be able to keep up but I thought it was a great play! I also got real sick while I was on our little vaca but my group of mom :) took good care of me. We all had great fun spending time together at the end of our summer break.

This is the cute theater we saw the play in.

Our 3rd grade team had so much fun in Cedar City that we decided to take a day trip up to Logan for another teacher seminar. We took pictures of some things we talked about. it got us pumped up for school but was also another excuse to go out to lunch and hang out.

Now the summer is almost over. Meetings start next Monday so most of my time is spent spiffing up my classroom. The inside is still currently a mess so more pictures to come but the outside is looking quite cute. I decided to go with frogs this year and I am loving it. I am even thinking about getting a live frog as a class pet.

This is my favorite little frog. His clothes change with all the seasons. Yes it still says Ms. Roskelley but that will soon change. We are making the transition slow. The 1st class lists were posted as just Roskelley so people would know who I am. The new list says Gray (Roskelley) and by the time school starts, hopefully, it will just be Gray.

The Pictures and Coming, The Pictures and COMING!!

2009-07-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce that the long wait is almost over and our wedding pictures and almost here. Michelle gave us a little teaser on her blog and they look so cute. There will be more coming shortly so keep checking back. Her blog is...

rustybucketphotography.blogspot.com

Check it out!!!

First Nightmare of the Year

2009-07-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

Every year as school is about to begin, teachers start to dream or have nightmares about their new classes. I had my first nightmare last night. School is still about a month away and so I must have an overactive imagination for the dreams to start already.

The Dream

(Nightmare):

It was the first day of school and my class filed in all cute and lovable looking. It didn't occur to me at first that there were way to many of them. Probably 40 kids. I saw some of the dreaded kids that for some reason were in third grade again, and I got them all. We started class by introducing each other and this went fine. Then I started to describe the schedule for the day and what the year would be like. I stuttered a little during my explanation and it was all over. The kids took that as their cue to no longer listen to Mrs. Gray. The rest of the dream was me trying every trick in the book to quiet my class down. I woke up sometime before they started ripping things off the walls. It was quite the dream.

Lets hope that my first real day of school is a LOT better then that.

Hiking the "Y"

2009-07-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

I have lived here for about 5 years now and I had yet to hike the "holy Y" until this morning. Gary's uncle Shawn and his family are here visiting from Minnesota and so we decided to make the trek. Shawn is also one of the biggest BYU fans you would ever want to meet. I showed up in an old UVU softball T-shirt just to show where my heart lies. Here we are at the bottom getting ready for the big hike.

Gary's cousin Hailey and I making our way to the top.

Doing the Y on top of the Y.

Boy was it a steep trail:)

It wasn't a long hike and not too steep either but it was fun to be out and about. I love spending time with the Grays and all the new fam. We always have a blast.

I Heart Mountain Biking!!!

2009-07-13T18:57:00.001-07:00

For a long time now Gary has been begging me to go mountain biking with him. It's something that he really loves so he thought it would be great for me to like it too. Today was a beautiful Monday morning and so I told Gary we could go for a bike ride. We rented a bike from the OAC (where Gary used to work), Got his Uncle Shawn to drive us up the mountain a ways to this trail Gary heard was good. We could ride all the way back to his parents house from there to Pick up our truck. Well now, let me ask you a question:

What is worse the riding a mountain bike downhill?

Walking it downhill!!!!!!!!!!!!

The trail that Gary picked for us to go on was a NIGHTMARE!! and that is being generous. Now I would not call myself sissy but by the end of this trip I was crying like a baby.

Now in Gary's defense, he had never actually ridden this trail himself. He had only heard from a friend that it was good and at first it was. A nice downhill dirt road with a beautiful view. It was great to be together and in the great outdoors.

Then the trail got to be a little dodgy. It was a tiny trail with head high grass on each side. This is me conquering this part of the trail and still smiling. Thin we hit a think patch of stinging nettles. After that the trail was hardly noticeable. Can you see it behind me in the picture below??

Neither could we:) So then the trail turned even worse. What was once nice soft grass was now a dirt trail that had so many loose rocks that the slightest tap on your brakes sent you skidding sideways. Now people, I AM A NOVICE!! I don't even think I had ridden a bike for about 5 years before today. I was not handling it well. The last straw was when we were riding by the river on a shale bank. The trail was about a foot and a half wide with slippery shale on each side. One side going straight up and the other going straight down to the river. I can't even really remember what happened but I ended up down that hill towards the river with my bike tumbling down after me. I walked the rest of the way out. Gary felt awful and pampered me when we got back home. The worst of it was my arm but I didn't notice till I got in the bath that the back of my leg was tore up as well. I was not smiling when we got to the bottom. Out of all the softball wounds I have endured in my life, nothing hurt like the deep cuts I sustained today.

Gary is still wondering when we are going to go again.

An Ashland Independence Day

2009-07-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July Gary and I fly out to my house in Auburn so we could drive our car to Oregon to hang out with my family and friends. My family has made this a tradition and Gary and I thought it would be good if we could spend some married life with my fam. The parade in Ashland is always a hoot but this year it was a little tame. No naked roller skaters or scary old belly dancers. haha! We were still able to have some fun though:)

Here is Gary writing and ad for our left over donut.

And here is the SWEET lady who actually stopped to eat it. Lots of people walked by it and had a wanting look in there eye but the prospect that we had tampered with the donut was too much for them!

After the parade we were hot, hOT, HOT! So, we drove to Wendi's and had some lunch and a refreshing frosty.

The Water Hole: A freezing cold piece of the river that slows down just a bit so you can get in and get numb. Gary was brave enough to get in but he wasn't the only one. Several of the kids got in as well.

Shooting out at the gun range was a favorite by many. Not necessarily myself but Gary was loving it. He brought his gun out and took turns shooting skeet (I don't know how to spell that but you know, where they yell "pull" and the little ceramic saucer flies out.) Everyone got in on the fun the last day.

Floatin' The Provo

2009-07-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

On Gary's Day off we had a full day of fun in the sun. It started out with my first float of the Provo River. We all went to Walmart, picked up our King Kools and headed to the river.

Floating is not for the faint of heart. You have to endure blowing up your own floatation device. If you don't pass out, you get to float.

Too bad my camera isn't water proof or I would have some sweet pictures from the actual float.

After the river we headed to Gary's Parents house to hang out with our niece Jill. How many uncles could a girl want? Well she has plenty, even if they aren't all really related. We set up a slip-n-slid and of course swam in the pool.

Last but not least Gary and I took Jill to the "kick-kick" or the Pleasant Grove pool. We were offically water logged after that but were glad to be enjoying the summer sun.

Utah Open House

2009-07-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 27 was our Open House with the Utah folk and boy did we party. Gary and I got gussied up in our wedding clothes again and met with friends and family once more to celebrate! We were so glad to have such a great turn out and thankful the Karrens were so generous in letting us use their beautiful back yard.

Here, my 3rd grade team getting a taste of the Leatherbys ice cream we had for dessert.

We had so much fun relaxing and chatting it up with friends and family.

Some of my very Best friends weren't able to make it out to Cali for the wedding so I was ecstatic when they came to the party here in Utah. This is Jani and her cute family.

Natalie, a good friend from softball and her husband Brady.

Of course Devin was there to spice up the party.

One of my moms old friends from California moved to Utah years back and so they were able to catch up all night long.

As the reception started to wind down Gary and I grabbed our extra clothes and headed into the house to change. Gary helped my out of my dress and as we put on our comfy clothes I noticed I was missing a key part of my outfit - MY PANTS!! Gary said he would go send a runner to the Gray's to get my pants while I waited in the house. As I was sitting there with no pants I began to feel a little self conscious. I grabbed Gary's suit pants and came back downstairs to our guests. OOPS:0

The night ended with opening presents right there on the lawn. Thank you to everyone who made this such a great night.

-Oh but wait...

The surprise ending. Before we opened presents, we had quite the game of 4-square going. I started out playing in my dress and then got down to business when I changed.

Honeymooners!

2009-06-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Gary and I had the BEST honeymoon. It was the perfect combo of fun things to do and relaxation. Thanks to the most generous and fabulous Yeates, we were able to stay on Summit lake, in Washington, for 7 full days. We loved the lake house and all there was to do there. Gary now wants to move there:).

This is the awesome view we are blocking. They had a big deck with a great view of the lake and all the beautiful trees.

The lake was a little cold for my liking but Gray could be found on the dock almost every morning. I did get in once, then made a quick escape to the hot shower.

One of our favorite days was spent at Ocean Shores. We ate chinese food, shopped in all the cute touristy shops, and rented a moped. Gary's absolute favorite part however, was that we could drive our car on the beach.

One of the fun shops had a great selection of hats for all ages!

Here is our moped fun. We just rented one and took turns driving. Plus, we got an extra half hour because Gary told the guy it was our honeymoon.

Any 'real' tourist can tell you that you can't leave without a matching sweatshirt or two!

Breakfast on the deck.

Our favorite thing to do was get out the recliner chairs, lean back and watch the sun go down over the lake while we talked about the day.

Big Toms, Fat Sams, whatever you want to call it, it was not worth the drive. Some people, we won't name names, told us this was a must when we visited Washington but we were well, you can see it all over Gary's face. :)

One of the last things we did before we left was take a trip to Seattle. We walked around Pikes Place (a little seafood market), went down to the docks, and rode a ferry across the Puget Sound. The City is beautiful from a far but after all the traffic, Gary and I decided we aren't city folk. It's a nice place to VISIT.

We are convinced that our honeymoon was the best one there has ever been.

Well at least for us:)

A New Beginning

2009-06-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

WE DID IT!! June 12, 2009 in the Oakland California Temple

Here for the 1st time, Mr. and Mrs. Gray!!

We were SO glad that we had so many supporters come to the temple. It was great coming out the the cheering crowd and loving faces. These are the things fairy tales and made of.

This is what my grandma does to me every time:) I loved having her there.

Our cute little niece being a beginner shop-a-holic. She went around trying on all the pretty high heels.

Our wedding day was Wonderful and surprisingly stress free. We were able to have our loved ones there with us, the sealing was fabulous, we took billions of pictures and then headed to San Francisco.