On Holiday

I love Christmas break! Everything is leisurely and I get to relax, shop, and visit cool people.

The Pugs took on the Utah mountains and went skiing.

This is a pretty accurate photo of what happened on the slopes.

Christmas was full of family time.

Lots of food and several discussions about who is the best looking family member.

Stephanie and I were able to meet up for our semiannual dinner. We have changed a lot over the years, but still love this tradition.

My favorite walking buddy! Nicole and I have been strolling the streets of Provo and gossiping about everyone for years.

Steven came to visit and I finally saw the last Harry Potter movie. Well worth the wait!

Lainie and Ryan came to Utah! I finally got to meet their cute little boy and we spent a delightful lunch sharing news and scary stories. Some things never change!

These boys came back to town and we spent a lovely evening watching Mrs. Doubtfire. So much humor was lost on us as children!

Jeff came to Provo and we partied in his new, sexy truck.

That's the spot!

Live life, live it well.

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly

While some might accuse me of being a Grinch, I was filled with Christmas spirit this year. Here are a couple of the festive things we've done.

Melted snowman cookies.
Becca didn't quite get the memo that these were jolly snowmen.

Christmas Devotional in SLC.

Becca's out of control birthday party was filled with people and Christmas cheer.

My favorite boys.
Aunt Cindy and Grandma Audrey ventured out to Utah.

We took a million photos and Ezra entertained us by imitating Grandma.

Our school had an ugly sweater competition and I went to the finals!

The Dream Team. I love these ladies!

Our second graders sang at a nursing home and decorated gingerbread houses. Nothing is as precious as 125 excited little kids.

Merry Christmas!

HALLOWEEN

I love Halloween. And group costumes.

Next year can't come soon enough!

Cautious!

During Fall Break the family and I went to Marysvale, Utah. We partnered up and rode around in Rhinos.

The leaves were changing and everything was gorgeous.

Joe was my person and we were pretty tough. He made me use the "Oh $*#@ handle" multiple times.

Despite the injuries he inflicted on me, I still think he's pretty great.

A Month of Celebration

It is no secret that October has become my favorite 31 days of the year. I love anything that has to do with Halloween and this month we've worked hard to make it as festive as possible.

We started our haunted adventure by going to Nightmare on 13th. Bravery wasn't exactly a quality any of us exemplified.

The fam and I went to the Haunted Forest. It wasn't all that scary, but we had a hilarious time. Highlights include finding quarters, boys ditching the girls, and pee on the slide.

Dede got a group together to go on the Haunted River Cruise. The lights were beautiful but the pirates could have used a little more practice.

For her birthday, Dede threw a wig party. I loved having blue hair! We knew the party was a complete success when a neighbor came over to complain and the police shut us down.

Yeah, when you're hot, you're hot.

Cornbellys: A Becca tradition

Upgraded bracelets had us jumping on the pillow, riding bizarre bikes, climbing hay towers, getting eaten by monsters, and surviving the haunted corn maze.

Fall wouldn't be complete without a shopping spree and our night got a little out of hand. Good thing we're bargain shoppers. Thank you Park City!

After a lengthy drive to Tooele and an even longer wait in line, we went to Asylum 49. Between the struggle to stay warm, bus fight, and creepy children, we had a memorable haunted house visit.

Golden Birthday

My birthday was wonderful.

Despite the fact that Alyssa and I are no longer roommates and that she was out of town, she found a way to continue our tradition of decorating the front door. It was a lovely surprise!

A group of us drove to Payson to go shooting.

It's possible that I got a little crazy with the handgun.

Becca went above and beyond and threw a beautiful celebration for me.

My favorite spot was by the cheese fondue and that's where I spent the majority of the night.

About 15 close friends came over and we had a delightful evening.

Alyssa and I have spent too much time together and both showed up wearing the same outfit.

We ended the day by having a girls night and watching a chick-flick. As great as the movie was, the best part was the hilarity that happened off screen.

Here's to a great year.

Too School For Cool

Summer is over and I am officially back at work.

Returning to 2nd Grade has been such an adventure. My students have not messed around in reminding me that they are little people.

In the first eight days I tied approximately 1,852 shoes and dealt with pee, poop, and puke. My gag reflex has come so far!

Our grade level team is awesome. I literally work with the coolest people.

What a lucky girl I am to teach 21 adorable children at a fantastic school. There is no doubt I'm in for a fun, exciting, and crazy year.

Domesticated

This summer I set a goal to become domestic.

Nicole and I took a cake decorating class.

This lead to my obsession with making cupcakes.

I learned how to make bread from scratch. Feeling ambitious, I made cinnamon rolls, cinnamon swirl bread, and a braided bread loaf. Final verdict: Delicious, but too much work. Buy it.

A sweet couple at Bed, Bath, and Beyond showed me how to tie a pretty bow. If you get married, there is a very good chance you'll receive this wrapping.

In true Utah fashion, I used a Cricut to cut out an awesome quote and make a magnetic board. I can't wait to hang it in my new room!

To brush up on my sewing skills, I sewed 10 bean bags for my class. I severely underestimated how long this project would take but I was pleased with the results.

I started this quilt in November and finally finished it with the help of a friend from work and my mom. Confession, I HATED quilting and don't intend to do it ever again.

My painting skills left something to be desired but I spent a couple hours working on a Paint By Numbers masterpiece. My next project is learning how to crochet.

**I am officially a Domestic Goddess**