New Jackets!

Jon and I both got new jackets for Christmas! He got a UTAH jacket, his favorite team ever! And I got a new cute Harley Davidson jacket! I love it! His dad gave it to me, and I have already worn it a lot! Yesterday we went and saw the movie "Marley and Me" with his parents. It was a sad movie-but I liked it. The last picture is of Jon playing the arcade games at the theater and I snuck in for a picture! I have pictures from Christmas day on Jon's camara and need to get them onto my computer, so I will be posting Christmas a little late!

Date Night at Temple Square

We've been having fun here in Utah for our Christmas vacation! On Tuesday night we went out with our wonderful friends Mike and Ashley. We ate at Tucanos at the Gateway, shopped around a bit, and then headed to temple square. It was freezing outside! I didnt bring gloves or a scarf so I was really cold! It was so much fun to be with our friends! We had fun looking at the lights, and Jon the photographer that he is, enjoyed taking a lot of photos. (Notice in the photo with our friends, how MUCH taller they are than Jon and I! I was wearing my tallest heels, and Ashley was wearing flat shoes. She is in the Harley Davidson catalog for fall/winter this year as a model! WOW!)

My vacation in Utah so far....

We made it to Utah! And just barely too....the weather was AWFUL coming out. We made it in last friday evening. We had to travel through Donner pass from California to Nevada and it was a blizzard through the mountains. VERY scary!! We drove for 80 miles with chains on our tires going 20-30 miles per hour the whole way. Thus, we are glad we made it safely.

I posted a picture of my hair! (from a few posts ago) I got it done on Saturday, and I really like it. I decided not to cut it. I dyed it dark with some carmel colored highlights.

On Monday Jon and I ate lunch at my old work, Cafe El Lago. My sister was working and was our waitress. I took a few pictures while we were there. It was fun to visit and the food was yummy as always!!! Notice the last picture of silly Jon wearing my purse!

Español !!!!

Just wanted to update on my spanish course! It is coming along great, I am just about half way done with my class. I got my GPA for this first semester and I recieved a 3.8 GPA! That is an A-! I was SO very proud of myself. My counselor told me that I am a very hard working student and she wishes more students could be like me :) I dont say this to brag, just to show that I really am working very hard in my class. I truely enjoy it everyday. I could not be more grateful to have this opportunity! I have my semester test, before Christmas break (break starts thurs afternoon). I am VERY excited to go home and practice spanish with my co-workers from Cafe El Lago, the mexican restaurant I worked at before moving to California. They will be surprised to see how much I have learned in only 3 months! I love my class, love the language, and feel so much pride everytime I speak it!

On a side note, Jon is doing great also in his Persian Farsi class. Getting great grades!! Love him!

Oakland Temple Trip, and lunch in San Fran

Oakland Temple

This is a stake center located on the temple grounds, this is where we babysat the kids.

Temple Grounds. I love the trees. Don't let them fool ya, it was freezing outside.

San Fransisco

Jon and I in an Italian restaurant for lunch (recognize this pose from our "date night mexican dinner" post, we attempt to take our own photos, so Jon is holding the camera and we try to squish in to fit. ha ha)

Part of the Italian Sector in San Fran

Jon and I had a very eventful day today! About a month ago, we were asked by our bishop to help watch the children in our ward so their parents could attend the temple for ward temple day. We arrived to the Oakland temple(which is about an hour and a half away from our home) around 9:00 this morning and were there until about 1:30 in the afternoon. There were a lof of wild children, and a big mess to clean up after! But it was a good experience. Oakland is close to San Fransisco, so we decided to go and get some lunch. Jon took me to lunch at an Italian restaurant in the Italian sector of the city. It was fun to walk around and eat some good food! (even though it was cold outside!) We were glad we were able to spend the whole day together, as well as do some service for our ward.

Opinions anyone?? (PLEASE!!)

Very Short and lighter color....




Dark.......



Platinum Blonde (yea I dont think this is an option, dont mind my huge nose!! I stopped doing the kissy face after I saw what my nose looked like ha ha)





Not too short, but not long......





Lots of bangs...........

Longer, darker, and lots of bangs

Short, less bangs and light brown??

I need help! I am going to get my hair done when I go home for Christmas. I cant just walk into any salon and get it done and thats why I have not gotten it done here in California. I have had many different hair styles and colors, as you can see. I hate my hair right now, it has faded into a redish color and Im not sure that I like the length. I always try to grow it out and end up cutting it. And as far as color, I dont like it too dark because it does not match my eyebrows and I end up penciling them in which does not look so natural all the time. So........I need opinions! I found some pictures from over the last two years and tried to show the various things I am looking for input on, length, color, and bangs. PLEASE leave me some feedback. I need lots of opinions, and Jon just tells me to grow it out. I think guys say they like long hair, but they dont realize that it may not look good on the girl. So please leave an opinion...Or else I will be lost! I have to get it done right, when I go home, because I wont be back for a while! (I sound like this is such a big deal. Well, it is! Hair is a big deal. LOL)

Weekend in Reno

Look at the bathroom!

We had a good Thanksgiving this year. At least we were together, last year Jon was in Iraq. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Oliver (who was Jon's best man at our wedding) and Tori Kirkham, and their 4 wonderful kids. Several of the Kirkham's neighbors and relatives came also. So there were a lot of kids and a lot of food! Jon played with the kids for hours and hours outside (outdoor sports and Jon was wearing his custom made silk pants from Thailand!) When I watch Jon play with kids, I see that he fits right in! I was able to practice my spanish a little at Thanksgiving dinner with some others that were native spanish speakers. There were a lot there that could speak spanish.

On our way to Reno, NV to meet up with Jon's parents, we stopped at Taco Bell to get some fast food. I ordered my food in spanish. The cashier (who was probably 30 or so) asked me if I was American or Puerto Rican. I said I am American, and then asked, Why Puerto Rican?? He said "You speak like a Puerto Rican." I have no idea what that is supposed to mean...I didnt know whether it was a compliment or not. I will have to ask my teachers at school.

We stayed at a VERY nice hotel. Probably the nicest I have ever stayed in! We had a good time and were so glad to see Jon's parents. We went to Carson City which is the capital of Nevada. There was not much there at all. We went to a big store just like Cabela's. That was awesome! Jon just has the best luck of anyone. And I mean GOOD luck (like when he was 18 and shot a 3 pointer at a Jazz game and won 25 THOUSAND dollars! And when he was 9 years old he was the ONE NATIONAL winner for a drawing to go spend a week with his favorite football team....) Yea...Not fair. So Jon played 2 games in the Casino and won 300 dollars!! One of them was a Star Wars game and all he did was push a button (I guess most of them are that way). He won 250 on that one, and on another he won the rest. Well, the best part is, that he GAVE the money to ME!! Ha Ha! He is too nice. But then I put 80 back into trying to win (thinking I could) and I lost it. So, now I have a little over 200.

All in all, it was a great little trip.(minus the horrific traffic through California on our way back). Just cant wait to go home for Christmas now! It's coming so soon! Just a few weeks.

Thanks to Mom and Dad Love for everything this weekend! We appreciate it!

Upcoming Plans....

I am clearly running out of ideas for posts. We have not had anything too spectacular happen, and I dont have any children to blog about or else I would! After the holidays I'm sure I will have more things to tell and more pictures to share.

Until then, I will post a picture of our date night last Friday. We went to a small Mexican restaurant and had some good grub! It was not nearly as good as Cafe el Lago though.

We are so excited for this upcoming week. We are spending Thanksgiving with our friends here in Monterey on Thursday, and Friday we are meeting Jon's parents in Reno, Nevada to spend time with them until Sunday. I am so excited to see his parents, whom I LOVE soooo much. I miss them terribly, as well as my family. Jon and I are excited to have a break from school. It seems like we both have tests all the time. We are doing great in school, keeping A's and B's. We are looking into getting me into the community college here as well, so that I can finish a few credits I need to obtain my associates degree. I did all of my other schooling at UVSC.

We will be going home for Christmas for at least a week, maybe 2 (if I can talk Jon into letting me stay that long). He is looking forward to going snowboarding when we go home, and I cant wait to see my friends, family, and my cats and dogs!!!

I'm a believer!

We have all heard the myth saying "If you catch a bouquet at a wedding, you will be the next to get married."

Well....I am convinced of this theory! Jon's cousin Kristie (who is my age and who I LOVE to death!) FOUGHT to catch my bouquet at my wedding! At the time (in June of this year) Kristie was not dating anyone, and she is NOW getting married in December!! How could this be? It's the curse (or whatever you want to refer to it as...) of catching the bouquet!!!!

Congrats to Kristie and Shane! Welcome to the family Shane! We can't wait to see you guys when we come to Utah for Christmas!

Keepin' up with traditions!

Remember these?? The cheap little advent calenders with the not so good quality chocolates behind the doors? They bring back so many memories for me! Now a days, most people have good sturdy wooden advent calenders that are so adorable. Well, I decided to stick with the tradition that I grew up with all my life! I LOVED and looked forward to each new day being able to open a door and eat the chocolate. I remember even somedays sneaking more than one. I could not resist buying these. I probably wont even eat the chocolates, but wanted to continue my family tradition! (And im making jon do it too. What 30 year old REALLY wants a chocolate calender??)

Finally..Finally...Finally!!!

Jon and I have been been lacking some furniture since we got here in September. One thing that we had been in need of was a kitchen table. Every night when we would eat dinner, Jon would sit at his computer desk, and i would sit on the love sac. It has not been horrible by any means, but we have been keeping our eye out for the perfect kitchen table. A lot of my decor happens to be black, and the love sac is tan so I knew I wanted a black kitchen table. We would look on craigslist every week for something, but a lot of it was either junk, ugly, or too expensive. Over the holiday weekend, I was searching on craigslist and found this table!! We went to see it, loved it, and brought it home! It matches perfectly! And is adding so much character to our bare home. LOL. When we were in Thailand on our honeymoon, I picked up some beautiful vases and bowls. The table matches perfectly with my bowl from Thailand! I am so happy. I have found it is best to wait for something you will love. Not just something you settle for. Especially when you have to pay. Our table was 200 dollars, which was a reasonable price. I am also so happy the chair pads (which are made out of microfiber) are tan! I mean all I was asking for was solid black, but black and tan is even better!

Veterans Day

Since today is Veterans Day, I wanted to tell my husband how grateful I am to him, and his dedication to our country. He loves this country and I know this is the reason he joined the army almost 11 years ago. He is so selfless and willing to do anything for us. I am such a sensitive person and am in need of constant attention, sometimes I have to battle with "our country" to be top priority in Jon's life. LOL. This is how important our country is to Jon. It is hard having the person you love most be gone off to war. I have experienced this, and it's something you have to go through to be able to understand. I am amazed at the sincere loyalty Jon has for the United States. A lot of times when I ask him "Why?" He says, "Because someone has to do it." He is so humble and willling. I love him so much, and could not be more proud to be married to a man in the military, more specifically, Jon.

I love you Jon, and thank you for your service!

Mexican Fiesta!

This was my salsa partner! He was a good sport and dressed up!

There were 5 couples that did the dance. We had so much fun!

This was our other dance. My teacher is in the black & white polka dots.


Here we are busting out our moves!

My friend and I gettin low!

Currently in my Spanish class we are learning the "food" category for vocabulary words. So to incoorporate something fun, we had a fiesta on friday. We were able to be waiters/waitresses to each other. The purpose of this was to practice ordering and taking orders in spanish. There was a variety of food like, salad, rice and beans, taquitos, quesadillas, chips and guacamole, salsa, enchiladas, etc. We even got to dress up! (some people that were party poopers didnt). After we ate we had some cultural activities. People got to show off their talents! Some sang, read poems, played musical instruments, and I was amongst the ones that danced! Ha ha. About a week ago I volunteered my friend and I to do the salsa! It was so much fun! We spent most of our time laughing at ourselves. At the end of the talent show, my teacher announced to everyone there was a surprise. Me, my friend, another girl in the class, and my teacher did a dance to a reggetone song (basically mexican rap). This was all my teachers idea, so we had to do it. I think we looked like idiots, but oh well. It was a fun experience I will never forget!

8's TAG!

I have never done a tag yet and I have been tagged a few times!

8 Tv Shows I love to watch:

1. Prison Break
2. Lost
3. The Hills
4. Nancy Grace
5. America's Next Top Model
6. The News (I know Im boring)
7. Entertainment Tonight
8. Top Chef

8 Things that Happened Today (The day is just starting so this is for yesterday)

1. Woke up early
2. Went to a community yard sale on base with my husband
3. Went grocery shopping
4. Went with our friends to Olive Garden on a Double Date
5. Stood outside in the rain
6. Watched 2 episodes of Lost with my husband
7. Made Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows
8. Took a shower

8 Favorite Places to Eat (Some of these places are only in Utah)

1. Goodwood
2. Cafe El Lago
3. Red Robin
4. Iggy's
5. Pizza Factory
6. Jamba Juice
7. Market Street (I ONLY like salmon as far as seafood)
8. Citrus Grill

8 Adventurous Things We're Looking Forward To

1. Going home for Christmas!
2. Having a baby (eventually...)
3. Going to Peru with Jon when I graduate my Spanish Class so I can get some good practice!
4. Getting sealed in the temple
5. Getting a dog (also eventually..)
6. Going to L.A. and San Fran for a vacation!
7. Graduating my Spanish class in April next year
8. Seeing ALL of my cats and dogs at my parents house when I go home for Christmas!

8 Things on my Wishlist

1. A baby
2. A dog
3. To be able to stay away from chocolate!
4. For Jon never to get deployed again (he will though)
5. To always have my parents around
6. To have the motivation to exercise
7. To have an interior decorator decorate my house
8. To be more easy going (and not get so stressed over dumb things!)

I tag anyone who wants to do it!!

Chevrolet Love!

Last weekend while Jon and I were out and about running errands, we happened to drive by this! We thought it was so cool, so we parked his mom's Chevrolet Tahoe in front to take a picture!

My Amiga!

I have a WONDERFUL friend who is in my Spanish class. I love her to death! I am amazed at how close we became in such a short amount of time. We are a lot alike! We met on our second day in class when we had to give a slideshow presentation in front of the class. We just happened to be sitting next to each other, and were both really nervous to give our presentations. Ever since, we have been best amigas! Saturday is always "girls night." Christina and I love to go to the mall for ice cream, shopping, or a movie! Whenever we have a spanish test coming up, our favorite thing to do is go to Starbucks and sit and study for hours. Uh....well we try to study. It ends up being a bunch of giggling though. In fact, EVERYONE at school has nicknamed us "The giggle twins". They tease us because we "giggle" ALL of the time. But we dont care, it does not stop us because we have so much fun! Christina is from Romania and she also speaks Romanian. She joined the Marines this year. I am going to be soooo sad when our class ends and she has to leave (in April). I will be here till next October and will miss her SO much! But we dont like to think about that....We just love having each other!

We love our leather!

Me being a tough Harley Girl!

Matching Jackets

The one thing that I LOVE about Jon having a motorcycle, is that I get to wear the apparel! For my birthday several months ago, Jon bought me this beautiful cream colored leather Harley Davidson Jacket. I got it in the summer, and it was too hot to wear. Now that it cool outside, I have been able to wear it. I absolutely love it! There is a big eagle on the back outlined with silver studs. Everytime I wear my jacket I always get compliments on it. Last night Jon and I went to one of his favorite restaurants here in Monterey, Chile great Chile (a middle eastern restaurant). We wore our leather jackets and decided to take some pictures!